Chapter 16 Not to Me
Seri
Zane’s smirk vanished, Koa went deathly still, and Casimir’s green eyes darkened.
And just like that, I understood.
They’d figured it out, even with me unable to say it.
Their silence was heavy, nearly suffocating because of the rage beneath it, but I was also strangely relieved.
Now that they know, maybe they’ll help me fight back.
Koa stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the polished floor. A muscle twitched in his cheek.
This wasn’t the gentle, kind man I was coming to know. This was someone else entirely. Someone already calculating a thousand ways to dismantle Arabesque piece by piece.
Someone dangerous.
But not to me, I realized. To anyone else, but never me.
Without a word, he turned and strode out of the dining room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.
“Excuse me, Seri.” Casimir followed seconds later, his movements sharp and controlled, his eyes avoiding mine entirely.
I looked at Zane, who hadn’t moved. His fists rested on the table, his knuckles white as bone. The usually playful glint in his eyes was gone, replaced by something darker, more dangerous. A thread of fear sewed itself in my chest, but the bond encouraged me to comfort him.
Slowly, hesitantly, I slid over and brushed my fingertips against the back of his hand. He was so tense, like a coiled spring ready to snap.
For a moment, he stayed a statue. Then, with a suddenness that made me gasp, he grabbed my uninjured arm and pulled me onto his lap, his arms wrapping tightly around me. He buried his face in my hair, his breath skimming down my throat.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry we didn’t find you sooner.”
I hesitated for a moment, then slowly put my arms around his neck, my fingers tangling in the fabric of his shirt. His heartbeat thudded against me, fast and erratic, and I could feel the tremors rack his body, the way he was barely holding himself together.
“It’s not your fault,” I whispered. “I’m here now. That’s what matters.”
He didn’t respond, just held me tighter.
Finally his arms loosened, his breath steady. He leaned back slightly, his brown eyes soft, no trace of mischief or jokes.
“Let’s get you settled,” he said, his voice rough. “I’ll help you unpack.”
“What about Simmy and Koa? Shouldn’t we go check on them?”
“They’re fine. Probably beating the hell out of the weights in the gym right now.
They’ll join us when they’ve burned off some steam.
Temper workouts are their version of therapy.
” He shook his head, that smirk returning to tug up the corner of his mouth.
“Now, can I carry you up those treacherous stairs again?”
“Yes. And you don’t have to ask anymore. To carry me, I mean. You can do it whenever you want.”
“Such generosity, my lady.” He stood, scooping me up effortlessly before my giggle quieted.
Brumous trotted beside us, his tail whipping around like he was going on a grand adventure.
Silly pup, I thought with a fond smile.
Zane set me gently on the edge of my bed, then crouched to rummage through my duffle bag, pulling out wrinkled clothes with exaggerated care.
“You’ve got a lot of lavender, kitten,” he commented, holding up Mama’s lace blouse. “Not that I’m complaining. It’s kind of your color.”
“That was Mama’s. I always loved the pretty lace,” I admitted.
Before he could respond to that, the door creaked open, and Casimir stepped in, followed closely by Koa, their hair damp from what I assumed were quick showers after their “temper workouts.”
“Took you long enough,” Zane teased, tossing a pair of socks at Koa, who caught them midair without looking. “We’re making progress here. Sort of.”
Koa ignored him, moving to the dresser and opening drawers with quiet efficiency.
Casimir, meanwhile, picked up a stack of books from the bed and began organizing them with military precision.
I watched them, half-amused, half-embarrassed, as they bustled around my room like it was their mission to make it perfect.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said, my cheeks warming. “I can handle it.”
“Oh, we know you can, but why should you when you’ve got three strapping men at your disposal?” Zane winked, and I rolled my eyes even as my blush deepened.
Casimir shot him a look, but didn’t comment, his focus on aligning the books on the shelf by size. Koa, however, paused and turned to me, his expression thoughtful.
“This is your home now, Seri. We want it to feel that way.”
“And speaking of homes,” Zane added before I could thank Koa, “you’ll need to get used to the idea of sharing a room with us eventually. We’re not exactly the ‘separate bedrooms’ type.”
“You share a room?” I blinked, caught off guard.
“Well, yeah. We share everything. Including you now, little mouse.” Zane’s grin widened at my stunned expression. “What, you thought this was just a temporary marriage like that damn contract says?”
My whole face was on fire now, and I glanced at Koa and Casimir, half expecting them to scold him for his teasing, but Koa only grinned, and Casimir’s lips twitched in what might have been the ghost of a smile.
The room suddenly felt too warm, too quiet. Too full of them, of me, of the mate bond wrapping around all four of us like a tangled web I didn’t know how to navigate.
I swallowed hard and finally forced the words out.
“Are you okay with this?” My voice barely rose above a whisper, but I knew they heard me.
Zane, sprawled across a chair with his long legs kicked out, sat up straighter.
“Uh, which part? The part where we found our beloved? Which, by the way, is the rarest and most insanely lucky thing that could’ve happened to us? Or the part where we get to share said beloved with our brothers, which we always kinda figured would happen?”
“But I—” I sucked in a shaky breath, my stomach twisting. “I thought you’d each have your own. Not share one.”
Casimir, who had been standing stiffly by the bookshelf, folded his arms and turned to look at me, his eyes unreadable.
“That would be more common, yes,” he said evenly. “But common does not mean better.”
“Don’t worry about us, Seri.” Koa’s voice was warm, reassuring. “I promise you, none of us feel like we’re missing out. This is just how we are. How we’ve always been. We’ve spent our whole lives sharing everything.”
“Okay, but not in a weird way,” Zane cut in. “Like, we weren’t fighting over the same prom date or anything.”
“We didn’t go to a prom,” Casimir scoffed.
“Point is, dhampirs don’t usually get beloveds. We knew if we ever got one, we’d be lucky enough to share.” Zane shot me a look. “And yeah, I do mean lucky. Not unfortunate, not unfair. Lucky.”
“You don’t feel like you got less?” My throat tightened.
Casimir moved first. In one smooth motion, he crossed the room, knelt in front of me, and took my trembling hands in his. His grip was firm, steady, grounding.
“Look at me, Serafina.” I lifted my eyes to find his expression serious, stern even, but not cold. “You are everything the beloved bond promised us. Not less. Never less.”
“We’re not worried about sharing you.” Koa came closer and placed a hand on my shoulder, as light as a butterfly landing. “We’re worried about you having to put up with the three of us.”
I let out a shaky laugh at that.
“Yeah, we are a lot, but don’t worry, honey bunny. You’ll get used to it.” Zane grinned, then paused, cocking his head like he’d just thought of something. “Actually, you might wanna start preparing now, because I call dibs on being your favorite.”
“Z,” Cas muttered as he stood, and I immediately missed the warmth of his hands on mine.
“What? I just think we should establish the rankings early.” He gave me a wink. “Go ahead, butterfly. Just say my name real quick. We’ll call it a contract.”
I smiled, small and fleeting, but real, and I let myself believe that maybe this could be okay. Maybe it could be more than okay. Maybe it could be home.
“Your shifter genes might also have contributed to the sharing thing,” Koa murmured as he went back to my closet. “Lots of shifter brothers share a mate.”
“Why did you three agree to an arranged marriage?” I asked.
“Our father offered us something we wanted in exchange for a year as married men.” Zane pushed out of the chair and sauntered over, his grin widening as he stared down at me, his gingerbread eyes glittering with amusement.
My heart leapt at the look on his face. I wasn’t sure, but I thought it looked like he wanted to kiss me!
“What was that?” I asked quickly to distract him, and his smirk softened as he tapped the tip of my nose with his forefinger.
“This estate and a huge bank balance, but more importantly, freedom. Freedom from his orders, from the fang-rotted vampire court, from all of it.”
“And now we know it was more than just a political move.” Koa stepped out of the closet. “It was the best decision of our lives. The fates blessed us with you and used our father’s bargain as a way to bring us together.”
“And you’re sure you’ll want to keep me?” I looked between them, my chest tightening with a hope I hardly dared to have. “Even after the year is up?”
“Try to leave us and see what happens.” Zane laughed, a rich, warm sound that filled the room. “You won’t make it past the front door before we drag you back.”
“I just, um.” I swallowed, my heart pounding. “I didn’t think you’d want me to stay.”
“I dare you to say that again, darling.” Zane’s smirk morphed into something sharp and dangerous.
“We want you to stay.” Koa gave me a little smile. “We will always want you to stay.”
“We’re not letting you go after the year is up, Seri,” Casimir said as he finished up with the book shelf. “Forever is what beloveds and mates means. Do you feel the same way?”
Shyly, I nodded. I might not have known them long, but I could feel the bond with them, the growing attraction between us. I just hoped I wasn’t just a burden to them, or a means to an end. I longed to be someone they wanted to protect, not someone they felt they had to.