Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
ROMAN
“Hey, Wolfie.”
I jolt awake, cracking one eye open to look up at Cas, hovering over me. Jareth and Loch are wrapped around me.
“Hey. Sorry, were you looking for an update? Because we kind of fell asleep after, well… you know…” I smirk.
“No apology necessary. It smells divine in here. Blood, sex, magic. Mmm. I just thought you’d like to know you’ve been asleep for ten hours.”
“What?”
“Give or take. The moon has cycled through the night, and the sun has taken its place again.”
“How do you know?”
“I went out. After all that blood, I had to fuck. I forgot how intoxicating it can be to feed on one’s own species.”
“Why don’t you do it more often?”
“No nutrients. It’s like… a treat meal. Like the way humans do drugs or drink alcohol. It feels good, but there’s no value to it in the long run.”
“Ah.” I squeeze his hand even as he screws his face up. “Thank you for helping us.”
Pulling his hand away, he waves it to dismiss my comment. “Of course I helped. I’m not a monster.” Then he grins. “Well, technically I suppose I am, but you know what I mean.”
“I still appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Need more time?”
“No. I’m sure Jareth will need food soon.”
“So will your mate. He’ll be ravenous for a few days, likely, until his body sorts itself out again.”
“Noted.” When Cas makes no attempt to get off the bed, I raise an eyebrow. “You cannot see my mates naked, friend.”
Cas chuckles. “Oh, yes. I almost forgot. No more full-moon orgies then, I guess?”
“Yes, but the invite list is limited to just us three.”
“I’m happy for you, Roman. I can’t imagine it for myself—eww—but how wonderful it is to see it happen for you and the others.”
“Don’t get too comfortable. I never thought I’d end up with two mates. You never know what fate has in store.”
He shrugs. “Meh, fate can miss me. I’m perfectly happy and have been for centuries without the complication of a mate.”
“Sounds like famous last words to me.” Loch’s voice is thick with sleep. “You’re practically challenging fate now.”
Cas shakes his head even as a smirk dances on his lips. “How do you feel?”
“A little woozy. Like I’m hungover. Is that normal?”
“Yes,” Cas says. “It should feel very much like it did when you turned, only slightly more intense given the nature of your donors.”
“That’s accurate.” Loch turns his head and kisses Jareth’s forehead.
The memory of them trading I love yous during our lovemaking returns, swirling around me.
I want that so much. I want to tell them how I feel and have it returned, but I know Loch and I need more time.
Not Jareth though. I’ve loved him for a very long time but been too afraid to let those feelings bloom or tell him, believing all this time that I would be cheating him out of true love.
I never thought Loch would be the one to bring us together.
“We’ll all be in the dining hall,” Cas says, politely excusing himself from my room.
I stroke Loch’s hair, leaning over him slightly to watch Jareth slowly return to us. His eyelids flutter as he stretches his arms above his head, then as he focuses on us, a beautiful smile spreads over his face.
“Morning, mates.”
My wolf rumbles with happiness, nuzzling closer to both men. “We slept through the night. You must be hungry, Jare?”
He nods, still smiling. “A little, yeah. What about you, Loch? How do you feel?”
His stomach growls loudly as if on cue. I chuckle, but my wolf whimpers, desperate to provide for our mate.
“I’m okay,” Loch says. “You two need to eat first. Replenish.”
“I can handle it,” I offer.
“No. I can smell it. You both need food. I’ll live.” He chuckles. “Literally forever.”
Jareth’s brow creases, and I know why. It’s on his mind, the way Loch and I will live for eternity, but at his core, he’s still a mortal human. I don’t want to even think about the idea of losing him to time and age.
He shakes off his concern, smiling instead as he raises his hands above us, waving them and chanting an incantation that causes the room to fill with a warm mist. As it swirls around us, the cum that was dried on my skin seemingly dissipates into thin air.
My mouth feels minty and clean like I just brushed my teeth, and the scent of faded sweat and blood becomes a unique blend of cinnamon, lavender, autumn leaves, and something new; something my wolf calls “mate” and nothing else.
“Wow.” Lochlan drags a hand through his silky hair. “No shower needed?”
Jareth grins. “I’ve been working on that spell for years. This is the best it’s ever worked. Sometimes you just don’t have time for a shower.”
I sniff the air and my wolf practically purrs. “Damn, the three of us together smell like paradise.”
“We do.” Loch smiles as he glances between me and Jare.
A serene look settles on Jareth’s gorgeous face, and once again, I’m in awe that I get to keep this. I get to have these men in my life. I want them to know without a doubt how committed I am.
Inspiration strikes. “We’re going out tonight.”
“Where?” Loch asks.
“On a date. I want to show off my beautiful mates.”
“Is it safe now?” Loch asks, worrying his bottom lip.
“Yes. Everything we went through last night was to ensure your safety. Besides, I would never let anything happen to you.” I look at Jareth. “To either of you.”
“It sounds fun,” Jareth says, but his enthusiasm is muted.
Loch seems to notice too. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing at all.” Jare looks away.
“Jare.” I narrow my eyes. “You can’t hide from us.”
He huffs, dragging his fingers through his hair. “Okay. I was just wondering if maybe the two of you should—”
“There is no ‘two of us,’” Lochlan says, grabbing my hand. “Right, Rome?”
“Right. There’s three of us in this relationship.”
“Yes, I understand that, but your bond is different. Don’t you need time for…” He shrugs. “Whatever fated mates do?”
“No.” I reach across Lochlan and grab Jareth’s hand, lifting it to my lips. “Our bond is set. Granted, we haven’t done anything official yet, but we’ll get to that. The three of us will.”
He smiles and as I kiss his hand again, my wolf whimpers, pushing me closer. Wrapping my hand around the back of his neck, I pull him toward me and nuzzle his neck.
“Someday soon, I’m going to bite you and mark you as mine.”
“I’m gonna do something as well,” Loch says. “I don’t know what yet, but maybe Cas will know a way I can mark you too.”
“My blood is in your veins, Loch,” Jareth says softly. “Our blood.”
“I know. I feel you so much more now than I did before. You’ve never been this light and peaceful before. It’s because you have Roman too, right? Because you love him?”
Jareth looks terrified for a moment before nodding. “Yes, I love him.”
My wolf pushes to the surface now, my eyes stinging as they shift so my wolf can look closely at our two mates. Fur ripples across my skin and my canines throb.
“Look at our wolf,” Loch says to Jareth. “Look how happy we make him.” He strokes my arm, and my eyelids flutter as my wolf rumbles. “He loves us too.”
I nod, barely able to restrain my beast. “It’s true. I love you, Jare. I’ve always loved you. It’s why I made the misguided decision to stay away. I thought you deserved someone different. Better. You deserve Loch.”
“But now you know better,” Lochlan says, smiling and taking mine and Jareth’s hand in each of his. “Fate knew what’s up. This was orchestrated for us. So let’s stop all this hemming and hawing. It’s settled, right? The three of us are mates, fated and chosen and equal.”
“Equal,” I repeat as my heart swells for this beautiful vampire.
“Equal,” Jareth says, his voice solid.
Smiling, I force myself from the bed. “Let’s get breakfast.”
JARETH
I’m aware of Cassius and Lochlan speaking with their heads close together, as if conspiring, but I just assume it must be a vampire thing and turn my focus back to the delicious spread of breakfast food before me.
I’ve got pancakes piled on my plate and far too much bacon, but something about underworld food just hits differently. It’s so good.
Roman has a very rare steak and eggs on his plate and he’s clearly ravenous, the way he shovels in his food. It should probably be a little uncouth to me, but he’s so sexy. Even the way he eats turns me on.
It’s nice to know he loves me. I always hoped he could, but nothing is better than hearing it.
He glances up at me and winks before taking another bite of steak.
Drax and Mac are feeding each other, gazing into each other’s eyes like no one else exists.
I turn to look at Rune and Atlas. Neither is eating because Rune is working on some kind of spell, using Atlas as a test subject.
Atlas’s arm skin turns stone gray, then Rune says something and touches his mate, and the tattoos embedded in his flesh light up as Atlas’s skin softens and returns to its usual soft tan color.
Rune smiles and the two share a quick kiss.
What a strange family, yet somehow, I feel more at home and welcomed here than I ever have anywhere before. Lochlan turns to me, tilting his head, and as he focuses on me, my body warms and the rest of the room melts away until there’s only three of us: me, Loch, and Roman.
Roman notices too, putting his fork down and devoting his attention to our sexy vampire. I lean across the table towards Loch, as if there’s a rope around my waist drawing me closer, and suddenly I’m out of my chair and closing the distance between us.
I see his lips moving as if he’s speaking to me, but I don’t hear any words.
The only thing that exists is this intense desire to be closer to him, to touch him, to kiss him.
I find myself kneeling next to him, and seconds later, Roman joins me.
Lochlan smiles before clapping his hands once, snapping me out of whatever trance I was in.
“It worked, Cas,” Lochlan gushes. “It really worked.”
“Yes. Now you know how to do it.”
“What was that?” I get to my feet, slightly woozy.