Yet, such joy at just his presence kind of stole his breath away. To clearly see and feel how important he was to another person, it put a lump in his throat. His steps slowed for a second, and Clay’s smile grew wider. Possibly reacting to Dane’s feelings for him.
“The man is handling the remodeling of this monstrous house on his own,” Grey muttered. “I think he can manage two glasses of tea without your help, Clay.”
“Leave them alone,” Baer grumbled. “It’s cute. I can practically see the little hearts dancing around their heads.”
To Dane’s surprise, Clay gave a roll of his eyes, as if he wasn’t at all perturbed by the teasing. Dane wasn’t. He was happy. He was loved. Two things he was sure he would never feel again in his life.
As he reached the seating arrangement, he handed one glass to Baer. Ruby lifted her head and Dane patted it with his newly free hand. The sweet dog had been sticking close to Baer since he’d returned to the plantation house bloody and on the cusp of death.
“Thanks, Dane,” Baer said.
“No problem,” Dane replied with a smile as he took the open seat next to Clay.
“No, really. Thank you, Dane,” Baer repeated slowly, his open hand moving to where he’d been deeply cut across the stomach. “You saved my life.”
Heat stole into Dane’s cheeks, and he looked at the glass now held in both hands. “You’re welcome. I was glad to be able to help. How are you feeling?”
Baer heaved a sigh. “Tired. Little tender. But not dead.”
“The ‘not dead’ being the important part,” Grey added.
“Very true.” Clay wrapped one arm around Dane’s shoulders as he settled in the seat. His free hand landed on his thigh, leaving Dane feeling like he was pleasantly cocooned in the warmth of Clay and his powers.
Dane took a sip of his tea and placed the glass on the table in front of him, catching a glimpse of Grey watching him with his eyes narrowed and head cocked to the side. He was about to ask what was wrong when Grey spoke.
“I guess that explains what I was seeing when I looked at Dane,” Grey murmured, half under his breath.
“What?” Clay demanded, and Dane almost huffed a laugh at the instant prickles that popped up at Grey’s words.
Grey lifted his right hand and sort of waved it at Dane as if he was sketching a rough outline of him. “There’s this sort of red glow around him.”
“Like his aura?”
Grey shook his head. “Separate from his aura.”
“You can see auras?” Baer asked, perking up from where it looked like he was falling asleep in his chair.
“Another time,” Grey said, frowning at Baer before looking at Dane again. He cocked his head one way and then the other as if trying to get a better view of whatever he was seeing. “I didn’t notice it on anyone else, but it always got brighter when he was near Clay. Sometimes the glow wrapped around Clay. I guess it’s a sign of Dane being Clay’s soul mate.”
“Holy shit! You can see soul mates!” Baer shouted, sitting up so that he was now balanced on the edge of his seat. “Do you know how epic that is?”
“What? That Clay found the one person out of seven billion that exists just for him against astronomical odds and across the vast reaches of time and distance?”
“You’re a real pessimist, man,” Baer said, pointing at his companion. Grey flipped him off before crossing his arms over his chest.
Baer continued, ignoring Grey’s grumpiness. “It means that you can help us find our soul mates. Everyone in the Circle could bond and bring even more power to us. Dane can heal now. What if we found your mate and he or she had their own power? What if we found mine and he brought a different strength to the Circle?”
“It could make a big difference in the battle with the pestilents,” Clay finished, following Baer’s line of thought. “Flo made it clear that the bonding ceremony between me and Dane hadn’t been done before. This could be the new thing she was hinting at when we had dinner together last month.”
“Lovely,” Grey muttered. “Not only do I get inundated with everyone’s thoughts and feelings, but now I get to play matchmaker. How well do you think that’s going to go?”
“Great!” Baer announced with a laugh.
“Uh-huh. I point out some guy and tell you he’s your soul mate. Or better yet, a woman. What’s your next step?”
Even in the low light, Dane could see Baer pale. His mouth opened and closed once, but no sound came out.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Grey sneered.
“Maybe you can give a little nudge,” Dane suggested. “I felt a spark when I first met Clay.”
His lover looked over at him, a slow smile sending a rush of blood and longing straight to his groin. “Really? Even though I was covered in blood?”