Page 71 of Falling for the Felid

Eoin’s peal of laughter identifies that as a lie.

“Anyway,” Ari interrupts before an argument can break out, “as glad as I am to be spending the afternoon in your lovely rooftop garden with you all—and apparently with champagne—what’s the news you said you have?”

I lean against his side and accept a glass of sparkling water from Jared. I’m also curious about this news—curious enough to leave my house after swearing I never would again. Post-playoffs hangovers are no joke, even with the most amazing elf boyfriend in the world to heal me.

Raðulfr finishes passing glasses around and picks one up for himself. “First, congratulations to Felix for his incredible achievement. We’re all so proud of you.”

Heat floods my cheeks, but I can’t stop myself from smiling. “You already said that,” I mutter. They were all at the final game, screaming themselves hoarse for me, and then joined us on the ice after. That was one heck of a moment—high on victory I earned, surrounded by teammates I respect and even like, and then mobbed by my family and best friends, all of them screaming their love and support for me. It was fucking epic.

And Ari was there, tears running down his face, grinning huge, kissing me until neither of us could breathe—but it was okay, because I don’t need oxygen when he’s around. He’s the only thing I need to live.

It took us a while to find our normal after the night he told me about his past. Not because I judge him for it, but because he’d never dared to believe he might get to let it go. He still sometimes regresses to thinking he doesn’t deserve to be truly happy, but he’s working on it, and I will always be here to assure him he deserves everything.

“Second,” Raðulfr continues, “although it’s not actuallysecondat all… Jared and I are getting married.”

For a split second, there’s complete silence. And then Eoin speaks. “Please tell me it’s not going to be a public ceremony.”

Dáithí elbows him hard. “Don’t be a dick,” he chides, but we’re all laughing, Jared and Raðulfr smiling at each other like they’ve got a special kind of secret, and if there was ever a perfect moment, it’s this one. Full of joy, full of life. Full of magic.

Elf magic.