Chapter 113: "Let Me Mark You Again, Please."

Vincent seemed to realize the gravity of what he had done. He rose from the chair, crossed the room, and sat beside Bryce on the couch, his earlier composure giving way to an expression that carried something closer to regret.

"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that." He murmured, his eyes fixed on Bryce’s.

"You’re sorry? Seriously? For some reason, that hurts more than what you actually did. So you’re just going to do things like that and say sorry?" Bryce asked, his voice now so unreadable that Vincent could not tell what was running through his mind.

"No, it won’t happen again, I promise."

"Well..." Bryce sighed, "Sorry doesn’t actually explain why you did that. I’m kind of curious. It bothered me all morning."

His honesty left Vincent with little room to evade the question, but even then, he remained silent.

"Vince..." Bryce called when the silence stretched beyond what he could tolerate. Vincent’s refusal to answer only intensified the anxiety already building inside him.

"I’m being unreasonable, I know," Vincent cut in before Bryce could finish.

"Why do you think you’re being unreasonable? Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean..."

"That’s not it." Vincent interrupted again, pinching the bridge of his nose and leaving his hand there as he spoke.

"What’s not it?" Bryce asked.

"It’s not that I don’t like what you want, or that I think it shouldn’t be accepted, or that I don’t like the fact that you’re still in love Dave. It’s just..." He paused, searching for words capable of conveying what he had struggled to understand himself.

"I think I need some time to process it and ease myself into it. Having to share someone I love deeply is just hard for me.

But I want you to know that I don’t have any problem with Dave, and I didn’t hesitate because I dislike him or anything.

Just like I told you, I don’t dislike him anymore. I’d gone as far as feeling sympathy for him. Whatever he was going through, the vulnerability that had seized him... it kind of made me see him differently.

He had no one remaining, and for a moment, I promised myself I’d be someone he could rely on, at least until he was back to his feet. I even saw my younger brother in him, and I just wanted to be there for him.

And even if some things are hard to comprehend, seeing the two of you together, happier than I’ve ever seen either of you, I can’t deny that nothing can make the two of you happier than being together. And knowing that you’re genuinely happy is my happiness as well. I don’t want to ruin it."

"So you’re saying you want to endure this relationship just because of that?" Bryce asked, conflicting emotions passing through him. "Because that’s not fair to you. And if you’re not going to be happy and you’re just going to endure being around us, then I don’t really see the reason we’re doing this at all. I don’t want that kind of relationship, Vincent."

"What do you mean you don’t want that kind of relationship?" Vincent’s voice tightened with disbelief. "You can’t change your mind about being with me after pulling me in completely and making me love you even more. I’m not enduring, okay? I was comfortable with Dave until he touched you that way, and I know that’s my only problem.

I know I can accept this completely someday. I just need some time to learn how to accept that I’m not the only one who loves you deeply, and that I’m not the only one you love.

It won’t take long, so just give me some time to ease myself into it. I don’t want to lie to you and say I’m completely okay with it when I’m not."

He drew a breath before continuing, his words becoming more measured as he finally allowed Bryce to see what had been troubling him.

"I’ll stop being unreasonable. Waking up and finding you in Dave’s arms instead of mine, then immediately deciding that you love him more, that you’ll always love him more, and that you only chose me as well because of our supernatural connection... that was unreasonable of me.

You followed me here after I left the house like that, and that has to mean something. I’m sorry I doubted you over something so shallow."

Bryce stared at him, stunned and completely caught off guard by the admission.

He had no idea how he had ended up in Dave’s arms.

He had fallen asleep with both of them beside him, only to wake and find himself held by Dave. He had not thought much of it when he woke up. It felt so natural that the thought of Vincent feeling hurt by it simply did not cross his mind.

Would he now have to start paying attention to how he slept? If they shared a bed and he somehow ended up in one man’s arms rather than the other’s, would that become another source of insecurity?

For a moment, Bryce found himself thinking that he had discovered another reason he wanted their relationship to become something more than the two of them simply loving him separately.

He wanted Dave and Vincent to love each other as well, rather than having everything revolve around him.

"I don’t know how I ended up there. I didn’t consciously look at him, then look at you, and decide that I wanted to be closer to him.

And I definitely didn’t choose to be with you simply because of the things that forced us together. I have no reason compelling me to stay with you. I chose you because I want to be with you. If we’re being honest, the only supernatural thing holding us together is your pheromones, and I could have had those even if we weren’t together.

There’s no bond, Agatha even said I could choose another mate after giving birth, and the goddess would bless and seal the bond. Instead, I’m choosing you."

Bryce spoke almost without pausing, his words catching Vincent completely off guard. The revelation that Bryce could be given another mate seemed to unsettle him, and Bryce saw the brief flash of fright and frustration in his expression.

"It’s because of the things you were doing back then," Bryce felt the need to explain further. "But you’re not doing those things anymore, so we’re good. I wasn’t going to choose someone else anyway."

"Let me mark you again, please," Vincent said, urgency threaded through his voice, along with something that resembled a plea. "Let’s fully restore our bond."

The request nearly dragged Bryce back to the memory of Vincent rejecting him without a word, but he forced himself to remain in the present.

"Of course we’ll recreate it," he answered.

"Now. I want it now," Vincent replied, leaving Bryce speechless.