Chapter 29
When Scotty finally left Harvester, her first instinct was to go to her mom.
Scotty had always been a daddy’s girl, and as Aleka liked to say, Scotty was their father’s mini-me. To be fair, Aleka was their mother’s.
From the moment Scotty could talk, she’d followed Ares around, asking questions about battle tactics, weapons, and combat.
Then she’d try to impress him by setting up intricate battle plans using plastic army men.
Or set traps around the house and island—balloons filled with glitter that would explode on the victim…
fun stuff like that. The violet fur dye that splashed all over one of the Ramreels had not been met with humor, however.
But Ares did give her points for creativity.
And while Scotty practiced swordplay and setting traps, Aleka helped their mom cook and assisted with her veterinary work. They had tea parties and took field trips to museums. So boring!
But even though Scotty preferred hanging out with her father, it was her mother she wanted when she was sick or hurt. It was her mother’s hugs and soup that made things better.
Unfortunately, comfort food and cuddles wouldn’t fix Scotty’s mortality problem.
More importantly, she didn’t want her parents to know about it.
They’d freak. Justifiably, yes, but there would be crying—and terror—and then her mom would be searching for a hellhound to bond with Scotty. Ugh. No. A hellhound was a last resort.
She’d have to come up with another plan, though. And fast. Harvester gave her twelve hours to solve her problem. If she failed, G-ma was going straight to Ares and Cara.
But the solution was obvious.
She’d have to bond with either Mace or Blade.
And then she’d lose the other.
Somehow, she kept herself from crying as she messaged them, asking them to meet her in the pavilion in their backyard.
She’d always loved the outdoor space, lit with strings of fairy lights and decorated with hanging and potted plants, some of them from the demon realm.
The octagonal space offered a great view of the pool and the manicured garden paths across the acres of land that made up the complex.
She used to wonder why Stryke, who spent ninety-nine percent of his life indoors and hated water, had created such beautiful surroundings. Especially when the buildings were sterile and industrial, given character only by all the males who had lived here over the years.
But recently, she’d visited the new StryTech complex in downtown Sydney, and the amenities put this place to shame. Coffee shops, grocery stores, food carts, and even hair salons. Turned out Stryke knew the importance of keeping his employees happy. Who would have thought?
She waited impatiently in the pavilion, her stomach churning when Mace and Blade started down the path. They were both in sweats and T-shirts, Mace in flip-flops and Blade barefoot.
“Is everything okay?” Blade hurried up the steps. “How’s Harvester?”
“She’s fine,” she said, and they both seemed relieved, if confused about why they were here. “This is about earlier.”
Now, they looked nervous. She could relate. Her anxiety had her playing with her hair, chewing on her lip, and she even caught herself pacing in circles around the firepit at the center of the pavilion.
“Did you make a decision?” Mace asked quietly.
She shook her head, still pacing. “You guys asked me to choose. But choose what? What are we talking about here? Casual dating and sex? A permanent relationship? Or—?”
“A bond,” Blade said. “We know each other too well, and we’ve been together too long to waste time.” He gestured to Mace. “He might feel differently, but I want a mate.”
I want that too.
She wanted to say that. Wanted to say it to both of them. But where did Mace stand? Maybe she wouldn’t be forced to make a choice after all.
Mace’s gaze burned into hers, and she knew his answer wouldn’t make this any easier. “I’m in line with Blade on this. When I know I want something, I want it all, and I want it now. You know me. Instant gratification.”
Her heart swelled with the purest kind of happiness. So much love filled her…to the point of hurting. Because the truth was that she would only be able to have half of what she wanted.
But how was she supposed to make the decision? Maybe she didn’t have to. She could shove this problem at them, and she knew exactly how to force their hands.
Her father had taught her to fight dirty, and she was about to get into the mud.
Mace held his breath.
He and Blade had both asked Scotty to make a lifelong commitment to them, just hours after telling her to make a decision that would change all their lives.
“I said I wasn’t going to choose.” Scotty finally stopped pacing. She squared off in front of them, crossed her arms in that stubborn way of hers, and said, “And I’m still not going to. You are.”
Mace and Blade looked at each other. What kind of crap was that?
“That’s…not going to happen,” Blade said.
“Agreed,” Mace chimed in. “Also, does this mean that you actually do want us?”
She huffed. “Of course, I want you. I’ve wanted you since before we made the stupid pact. But I can’t possibly make a choice. And here’s the thing.” She clasped her hands in front of her so fiercely that her knuckles turned white. “Apparently, I’m no longer immortal.”
“What?” Mace and Blade both blurted, but before they could ask anything else, she held up her hand, silencing them.
“It’s a long story, and I don’t feel like telling it right now. But what it comes down to is that, not only am I mortal, but I’m also actively dying. Harvester suggested bonding with a hellhound.”
It wasn’t often that Mace was speechless, but right now, he had no words. Thankfully, Blade was not stricken by the same affliction.
“If you bond with one of us, you’ll get our lifespan. And in five hundred years, when we die, you can still bond with a hellhound.”
The sadness in her eyes made Mace want to pull her close, and he suspected that Blade was having the same thoughts. “I told you, I can’t choose. So, either you guys choose, or I’ll pick a smelly hellhound.”
Fuck that. “What if there’s another way?
“I’m all ears,” she prompted.
Gods, he couldn’t believe he was going to say it. “I’ve heard there’s a way to let fate decide.”
Scotty and Blade frowned, but he figured it out a heartbeat later. “The bonding ritual.”
Mace nodded. “The three of us could engage in the bonding ritual. Fate would decide who to bond Scotty with.”
Scotty’s freckled face turned beet-red. “You mean…?” She swallowed, probably attempting to make her voice less squeaky. “You mean, all three of us at the same time? Like, simultaneously?”
“Yeah.” It would be the last time with Scotty for one of them, and the beginning of a lifetime with her for the other.
Blade’s gaze flipped between Mace and Scotty and then settled on the wooden deck. “I’m in.”
“So am I,” Mace said.
Scotty stood there, cheeks burning, both hope and fear glistening in her eyes. “Me, too.” Her voice was quiet, but steady. “When?”
Mace shrugged. “I’m free now.”
“Now?” Panic replaced the hope in her gaze. “I can’t. I need…I don’t know. I just need some time. A shower. I’m not sure—”
Blade, always the steady one, stepped into her, gripping her upper arm with one hand and tilting up her face with the other in a gesture so tender that Mace could almost feel the love and trust flowing between them.
And the thing was, he wasn’t jealous. The exact opposite. This was the way it should be.
His grandfather, Azagoth, had once told him that all beings walked paths full of crossroads, shortcuts, and dead ends.
He said the right way wasn’t always clear, but there would be signs to guide you if you just paid attention.
Well, Mace was paying attention. Probably for the first time in his life.
“Do what you need to do,” Blade murmured to Scotty. “Then let the Fates decide. No matter what, we will both be here for you. Always.”
Very gently, he dipped his head and touched his lips to her cheek. Scotty reached for Mace, pulling him close, and because it seemed like the right move, he kissed her other cheek.
She smiled at each of them and stepped away. “Give me an hour.”
One hour. It sounded like forever away. And also, too soon.
In one hour, all their lives would be very, very different.