Libriomancer (35 page)

I looked at Nidhi, hoping she would throw me a lifeline, but she merely took another drink from her beer.

“You’re welcome?” I said weakly.

Lena ignored me, which was probably for the best. “With Frank Dearing, then with Nidhi . . . I didn’t know what I was or why my feelings changed until much later. I’ve never had a
choice
before.”

I thought she had made her choice the moment we found Nidhi alive in the Detroit nest. If not . . . the only reason to drive to Copper River to see me was . . . but then why would she bring Nidhi along? “Are you saying you need time to choose?”

Lena shook her head. “I’ve already made my choice.”

I waited. She folded her arms, grinning mischievously.

“Well?” I said.

“I choose you both.”

“I— What?”

Nidhi chuckled. “That’s pretty much what I said, too.”

“If you’re worried about the sex, don’t.” I could see the anxiety behind Lena’s smile. “I’ve got more than enough stamina to keep up with you both.”

“But not at once!” Nidhi said quickly.

Lena stuck out her tongue.

“You’re proposing that the three of us . . .” I trailed off, trying to find words.

“I know what I am,” Lena said firmly. “I love who I’ve been with Nidhi. If I leave her, if I stay with you, I’ll adapt to your needs and desires. But right at this moment I’m becoming something different. Something more, pulled in two directions at once. I’m conflicted. I want to keep that conflict, Isaac. I
want
to feel torn. When I’m with a single lover, then every choice I make comes back to what they want. Let me love you both, and some of those wants cancel out. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to truly choosing for myself. I want the conflict. And I want you.”

She glanced at Nidhi. “Just like I want you, too, so don’t you dare pout at me.”

My mind derailed at the idea of Doctor Shah pouting, but that was easier to process than what Lena was proposing. The logistics alone . . . they lived downstate. Were they expecting me to move to Dearborn? Or would Lena commute from the lower peninsula to the upper?

“And you’re okay with this?” I asked, stalling for time.

“It wouldn’t have been my first choice.” Nidhi sighed. “I don’t own her. She’s forced me to confront a lot of my own attitudes and assumptions these past two days. I don’t imagine it will be easy, but I’m willing to try, for her.”

“I’m not asking for promises,” Lena pressed. “I’m only asking for you—for
us
—to try.”

“The Porters have offered to reassign me to the U.P.,” said Nidhi. “They need someone working with the werewolf packs up here. I could keep up my mundane practice as well. Seasonal affective disorder alone will keep me busy most of the year. I’d get my own place, of course. I don’t imagine you and I would do well living in the same house.”

“Agreed,” I said. This wasn’t just about Lena; it was about the three of us. Nidhi Shah was a part of Lena’s life. A week ago, the idea of bringing Doctor Shah into my life would have been uncomfortable at best, but after seeing her the way Lena did . . . Okay, it was still uncomfortable. “I’ve never even managed a successful relationship with one person, let alone two. I don’t know how to—”

“Neither do I,” said Lena. “So we learn. What’s the matter? I thought you liked learning.”

Uncomfortable, but perhaps not unworkable.

“Stop overthinking this, Isaac,” said Lena.

“Overthinking is what I do.”

She took my hand. Her palm was damp and warm. “What do you
want
?”

Had she asked me a month ago, I would have answered without hesitating. I wanted to rejoin the Porters. I wanted a research position. I wanted magic.

I had those things now, and none of them had come in the way I expected. Why should this be any different? “I think—” My throat went dry. I took a quick drink. “I think I’d like to try.”

She laughed and hauled me out of my chair. Her arms clamped around my body, and her mouth found mine. I staggered back a step before catching my balance, then returned the kiss. Her lips parted, and for a short time I forgot about Nidhi Shah, about magical dangers bent on killing us all, about everything except Lena Greenwood’s body pressed against mine, holding me tight while our tongues danced together.

She broke away, beaming. While I caught my breath, she spun around and yanked Nidhi to her feet. Lena proceeded to kiss her with every bit as much enthusiasm as she had me.

Jealousy flared, an instinctive ape-level response crying,
Mine!
I did my best to squash that response, but this arrangement was definitely going to take some getting used to. And if it was hard for me, what must it be like for Doctor Shah—for Nidhi—to suddenly find herself sharing her lover with a former client?

I waited for them to finish. “This presents a serious question.”

They both looked at me. “What’s that?” asked Lena.

“Whether to start you off with a
Doctor Who
marathon or dive straight into
Firefly
.”

Lena grinned and took us both by the hands. “We can discuss it over ice cream,” she proclaimed. “Or pie. Maybe both. Either way, we’re going to celebrate, my treat. And don’t worry about the calories. We’ll work that off later.”

I swapped a bemused look with Nidhi as Lena tugged us both toward the door. What else awaited us, I didn’t know . . . but there was magic out there, and I intended to explore it all.

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TITLES MARKED WITH an asterisk (*) were made up for this book.

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The Finest in Fantasy from

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MAGIC EX LIBRIS:

LIBRIOMANCER (Book One)

THE PRINCESS NOVELS:

THE STEPSISTER SCHEME (Book One)

THE MERMAID’S MADNESS (Book Two)

RED HOOD’S REVENGE (Book Three)

THE SNOW QUEEN’S SHADOW (Book Four)

THE LEGEND OF JIG DRAGONSLAYER:

GOBLIN QUEST (Book One)

GOBLIN HERO (Book Two)

GOBLIN WAR (Book Three)