“Justin, ninety percent of the -people in the room have silver--blue eyes,” he pointed out with amusement.
“The one on the couch that isn’t related to you,” Justin growled.
“You mean Gia’s life mate?” Lucian asked mildly.
“No, I mean Holly’s husband,” he said with frustration.
“The only man on the couch is Gia’s life mate,” Lucian informed him.
“What?” he asked with confusion and then turned to look at the trio again. James Bosley? Gia’s life mate?
“Yes,” Lucian said in answer to his unspoken question.
“So Gia turned him?” Justin asked slowly, trying to absorb what he was being told.
“No. Holly turned him,” Lucian answered.
“What?” Justin faced him again. “Why?”
Lucian released a long drawn--out sigh and then shook his head. “I suggest you gird your loins and ask Holly. I am bored with this conversation now.”
“Gird my loins?” Justin asked with disbelief. “Who even says that?”
“I do,” Lucian growled and strode around him to enter the room and join his wife, Leigh, by a table filled with appetizers.
“They were in a car accident. James would have died. Holly felt responsible so turned him.”
Justin turned to glance at the woman who had spoken. Decker’s mate, Dani, now stood on his right side.
Anders’s mate, Valerie, now appeared on his left and added, “She called Gia for help after turning him. Gia couldn’t read him, so, here they are.”
“Why?” he asked worriedly.
Both women laughed.
“Why do you think, Justin? Go talk to her.” Valerie gave him a push.
Justin took a step, and then turned back suspiciously to the two women. “Are you guys setting me up or something?”
They exchanged a grimace and then Dani said, “The boys told us what they did in California. How they told you everything Holly hated were things she liked.”
“We were pissed,” Valerie added. “I mean, we get that they both wanted to pay you back for how you tormented them when they were trying to win us, but what they did didn’t just affect you.”
“It affected Holly too,” Dani said solemnly. “And that wasn’t fair. Besides, while you torment the men every chance you get, you are always sweet to us.”
“Yes,” Valerie agreed. “Now, get over there and put the poor woman out of her misery. She’s worried sick that it’s too late and you won’t want her anymore.”
“She really doesn’t get this life mate business,” Justin muttered.
“No. She doesn’t,” Dani agreed. “But then it’s hard to comprehend when you’re new to this stuff. And she has had a lot to absorb in a relatively short space of time.”
“It should help now that you can tell her about life mate sex and show her what that’s all about,” Valerie pointed out.
“Can I?” Justin asked uncertainly, and then pointed out, “She’s still married.”
“Yeah, but technically the law only applies to mortals,” Sam said suddenly from behind him.
“What?” Justin turned to peer at Mortimer’s mate, wide--eyed. The woman was a lawyer, she would know these things.
“I read up on the law last week after you told me about your situation, and an immortal is only forbidden to use his influence on a mortal, and interfere in a mortal marriage,” Sam explained, and then pointed out, “Holly, and now James, are both immortal. So, technically, the council couldn’t punish you for wooing or life mate sex or—-”
“But Holly was immortal almost from the start,” Justin said with a frown. “I mean, she was immortal before we even exchanged a word. So the minute she was immortal, it was no longer a mortal marriage,” he pointed out. “Does that mean I could have gone all out to try to win her? Used life mate sex and everything and the council couldn’t have done a damned thing? It wouldn’t have been breaking the law?”
“The way the law reads, yes,” Sam said almost apologetically.
“Well, why the hell didn’t Lucian tell me that then?” Justin asked plaintively and turned to peer at the man. Lucian Argeneau met his gaze across the room and gave him a smile a shark would admire.
“Um . . . this is just a guess,” Valerie said with amusement, “But I’m thinking maybe you gave Lucian a hard time when he met Leigh?”
“Oh yeah,” he muttered.
“Justin,” Marguerite said quietly.
Justin turned to find the woman standing next to Dani and raised his eyebrows in question.
“It is better it worked this way,” she assured him solemnly. “Holly is an honorable young woman. Nanos or no nanos, and life mates or not, she would have suffered terrible guilt at breaking her marriage vows with you.”
“Right,” Justin said on a sigh as he realized that probably still held true. He could now claim her as his life mate, but claiming her physically was probably still out of the question until she was divorced.
It didn’t matter, he thought grimly. She was his, and if they had to wait to celebrate their union physically, then he would wait. It would probably kill him, but he would wait.