Elan [Beyond the Marius Brothers 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove)

Beyond the Marius Brothers 8

Elan

When the beauty Elan wants leaps into his arms, declaring they’re mates, he’s ready to thank fate and claim his gift… But nothing’s ever
that easy, and soon Elan is ready for a well-deserved break down.

Kermy’s struck by how sexy, powerful, and wonderful his very old mate is. If he was anywhere in Elan’s league that would be great. A
virgin who can’t seem to get out of the tailspin meeting his mate and issues popping up everywhere threw him into, he’s scared his mate
will never love him.

If that wasn’t enough, Elan meets their mate Talcott… And almost kills him, which isn’t something one normally forgives. Then again,
with the curse Talcott was born with he’s used to people’s volatile reactions to what he can do.

But when Talcott’s gift warns the fae of disaster, will that bring the three together as they try to change what is in the cards, or will it
divide them permanently?

Note: This book is written in first-person point of view.

Genre:

Alternative (M/M or F/F), Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal

Length:

50,819 words

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Chapter 1

Elan

“What is the meaning of this?” Caven bellowed. “We’ve not shown you any aggression.”
“This has nothing to do with that, Alpha,” Kinkade assured him. “You should be happy. You just

got yourself a Beta. I’m mating into your coven.” I barely heard him though, focused on the
breathtaking creature standing next to another large wolf. Part of me felt horrible that I was so
attracted to the small wolf. Here I came with my lover and from the moment we walked through the
portal I only had eyes for the beauty in front of me.

Then again, Kinkade was obviously mated to Clove so I shouldn’t worry too much about him.
“So am I!” gasped the ethereal man.
Please mean me. He moved faster than my eyes could follow and I felt weight crash into me.

When I realized it was him, I wrapped my arms around him and thanked the gods. He sank his teeth
into my neck and my knees gave out. His sweet whimpers and growls filled my ears as my cock
exploded in my pants. He drank down my blood as I rode the pleasure and then licked the bite when I
was done.

But the orgasm I had wasn’t enough.
“You are mine then?” I asked as I rolled us over, needing to hear the words.
“And you are mine,” he whispered as he kissed my neck.
“Good.” I mashed my mouth to his as I palmed his firm little ass, grinding our bodies together.

His hands shook on my arms where he was holding on tightly and he made the sexiest whimpers,
parting his lips slightly. That was all I needed. I thrust my tongue into his mouth, as I wanted to do
with my cock into his tight body. The wolf went wild under me.

If he was this responsive just from making out I couldn’t wait to see every reaction and response

of passion during all the other activities I wanted to share with him.

I withdrew off his lips as I moved my hand to his groin. “Come for your mate,” I demanded as I

stared into his bright green eyes that sparkled up at me. They went wide and he gasped as he arched
his back, biting his lip until drops of blood formed as I felt his pants get wet from his release.
“Perfect. Ride it, my mate. Take the pleasure I offer you always.”

“So good,” he whimpered. I already knew I’d be addicted to that sound when it came from my

sweet little mate. When he was spent he sank into the grass, gasping for air and looking sated. “It
seems I needed that.”

“I’m not nearly done with you yet,” I warned him.
The little imp stared up at me, eyes shining, and tilted his head. “I would certainly hope not.

What would my mate like of me?”

“To know your name for one,” I answered, swallowing back my other answers. They weren’t

exactly the most polite or respectable things to say to my mate upon our meeting.

“Kermy Wolfram,” he said shyly. “Sorry. I should have said that before biting you. I’ve never

just jumped someone like that. I swear I haven’t. I’ve never even had sex.” His eyes went wide at the
admission and his cheeks flamed so fast I was surprised he didn’t pass out from the blood rush. He
went to move away and I got a flash in his head that a strong, virile man like me wouldn’t want a
virgin loser.

“That’s so sexy,” I purred as I held him tighter. “I am Elan, Kermy. I will be a good mate to you

but I must warn you that I am incredibly possessive and jealous. While I have been with others, which
we can discuss later, the fact that my mate has not thrills me like you cannot believe.”

“Really? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?” I saw the apprehension in his eyes.
I gave him a feral smile before leaning down to press my lips to his ear as I ran my hand down

his thigh and lifted his hips up to mine. “If it were in the olden days when I was born, I would
slaughter a thousand goats to thank the gods for the gift they have given me by you being my mate. I am
that pleased. I believe I know why they let me live so long before finding my first mate.”

“You get two as fae, right?” I nodded and I could tell that might be an issue from the look in his

eyes, but that could wait until later. One thing at a time. “What’s your theory?”

“So I could learn everything there is to the art of pleasing a man and making love, thus when I

met you I would be able to teach it all to you.” Kermy shivered as he got rock hard. I ground my hips
against his as I licked the shell of his ear. “What would you like to try first, my darling mate? Are you
more submissive? I like to be the boss.”

“Yes, boss me around,” he gasped.
“Get off my little brother!” someone bellowed.
“Uh-oh,” Kermy giggled. “You’re in trouble now.”
“No one can touch me,” I grumbled, not knowing what he was talking about and certainly not

worried.

“What?” Clove gasped. That caused me to pause. What was he worried about? “Your brother is

mating my lover?” I glanced over to him and saw his wide eyes staring at me as the man with him
watched me with hate. Oh boy.

“You’re involved with Elan?” Virgil asked with a slack look and then whistled. “Wow. Good

thing we brought you with to meet the wolves.”

“Hey, they just closed the deal,” Caven snickered. “I’m thinking fruit basket with an arrangement

of sex toys for the happily mated couples. Well, Elan gets another one of course.”

“So do I,” Clove admitted.
“What?” several people exclaimed as I did. He’d never told me that.
“Vampires only get one mate,” Kinkade growled as he cornered Clove against a tree. I was up

with Kermy wrapped around me in a flash. No one would hurt Clove.

“My brother has a big growl but he won’t hurt your friend,” Kermy whispered as he shook in my

arms. “I promise.”

I glanced down at him and nodded. “Okay. I’ll give him a little room, but if he touches Clove in

anger, your brother or not, I will break him.”

“You love him. You’re not just his lover.” Kermy pushed to get out of my arms, his heartache

apparent in his tone.

“Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking,” I assured him, missing the conversation the others

were having. “Please, Kermy. If I was in love with him I would never have touched you as I did. I
wouldn’t have betrayed him like that even for my mate. I care for him and he’s important to me but
you now have my heart. I swear it to you.”

Kermy stopped struggling and searched my eyes before sighing sadly. “I’m not going to walk

away from my mate so I guess time will only tell.”

“I will prove it to you,” I pledged to him. I gave him a quick kiss and moved him into my arms

as I batted my eyelashes at him, dipping him slightly so he smiled at my gallant treatment of him. It
was a start.

“Alpha, I speak for my brother and I when I say we accept, though I cannot speak for the others.

Can we gather our things later?” Kinkade said, drawing my focus back on him.

“Whatever makes the brother of my mate happy.” I was trying to bridge peace with the wolf who

had had objections to me being with his brother. “I am the one who opened the portal. I will gladly
bring you back whenever you like.” I approached them slowly, ignoring the dual growls as I reached
out and cupped Clove’s cheek. “Clove, my dear, I will treasure our time together always. You have
become so important to me and not in only the ways of the bedroom, though I will think fondly on
those times as well.”

“Me too,” he whispered, blinking rapidly as if fighting tears. “We don’t have to stop being

friends, right? You get me, Elan. I don’t want to lose that. It’s been so long since I’ve had a person I
felt I could be myself with always.”

“No, we won’t stop being friends. We’re each a mate of brothers,” I chuckled, brushing his

cheek. “And you will always have a special place in my heart as the friend who led me to my mate,
helped me reconnect with my brother, and eased me into life on your world again. Almost five
thousand years I’ve lived and it seemed I just needed to find the friend named Clove to lead me to my
most precious of gifts.” I dropped my hand and glanced down at my mate to see how Kermy was
handling all I’d shared.

“I’m Kermy,” my mate said cautiously as he extended his hand to Clove. I caught a flash in his

mind that he couldn’t make me happy. If I was into men like Clove, Kermy thought he’d never be able
to satisfy me. Fuck! I’d have to make sure my mate understood that he was actually more my type.
“I’m cool with you guys being friends as long as it’s not naked friends and you don’t hug or really
hang around the full moon. We get way too possessive then and it might go bad.”

“I understand. Thanks, Kermy.” Clove shook his hand, giving him a smile.
“If you guys are coming, we’re with you. We’re not breaking up the band,” one of the other

French wolves joked.

“We’re going to have a band in the pack? That’s awesome!” Caven exclaimed excitedly. I bit my

lip to keep from laughing. That kid just cracked me up.

“They weren’t being literal, my love,” Gabriel mumbled, trying to let his mate down easily.
“Oh, well, we should still look into that. It would make the parties way more wicked if we had

our own wolf band.” He shrugged and glanced at me. “I’m hungry again. Portal home? You’ll bring
them all back later to get their stuff? I’ll find them housing. I’m sure Ayden and Darcy have rooms if
they want to stay with the majority of the pack or they can buy one of the development houses or Elena
offered them a few of the suites for the ones I pick as Betas so they’re close.”

Kermy raised an eyebrow from my arms and I gave him a wink. It hit me then that the original

plan was fine when these were just allies but this was my mate now. I wanted him to have everything.
“Let’s at least get them enough belongings for tonight,” I hedged as I glanced at Kermy. “Or I guess
we could come back first thing in the morning?”

“The Queen does have some things she would like us to pick up from this area if you don’t mind

the company,” Mareo offered, glancing at Foma and Virgil. I immediately nodded. My brother was
trying and I wanted to reconnect with him as much as I wanted the man in my arms. Kermy smiled at
me as he glanced between Mareo and I, obviously knowing something was going on there.

“Kermy, you’ll take care of our things?” Kinkade asked, but it was more like an order. I flinched

at that. I wasn’t a fan of someone else, family or not, bossing my mate around. “I want to get started
right away with Alpha Caven, Milos, and Bladon.”

Kermy nodded and this time it was his turn to give me a look that clearly said we’d talk about it

when we were alone. Fine. I could hold my tongue until then.

“Why the four of us?” Caven asked.
“The three of us will be your Betas, enforcers, and security, anything else you require you’d

have to ask the others.” Caven went to open his mouth and Kinkade chuckled. “We’ll test for it, I
know. I’m just saying, it would be us, so let’s get the formalities out of the way before the full moon
is upon us in a week and we are all distracted.”

Caven studied Kinkade for a moment and then smiled. “I like you already. And I feel better

about this now that you’re mating into the family.” Everyone chuckled and I rolled my eyes as I
opened a portal. I wasn’t sure I was going to be such a fan of Kinkade’s. It wasn’t jealousy that he
was mating Clove. Not by any means.

It was concern. So far I hadn’t seen anything that made me feel as if my friend was getting a

good deal here, and I didn’t like the way he treated his brother either.

“Normally you’d feel some pressure and disorientation when you go through a portal but my

magic will protect you from that,” I assured Kermy when he looked at the light nervously. I stepped
through the portal instead of saying anything about his brother or the situation of his mating Clove,
focusing on my mate.

“Wow,” Kermy gasped as he glanced around at the Mariuses’ kitchen. “That was crazy.”
“Welcome to being mated to a powerful fae warrior,” I chuckled, kissing the tip of his nose. I

waited for everyone else to come through. I’d come with Clove in his car, but he would be busy now,
and as soon as I closed this portal I could just open another one to Bas’s house.

“Tyler was looking for you,” Elena told Clove and I cursed under my breath, getting a strange

look from Kermy. “He says it’s ready. There’s some gifts and the fridge has been stocked for you.”
Then she looked between Clove and I and the men we were with. “So you two aren’t together
anymore and found your mates?”

“You knew we were together?” I asked, my eyes going wide. And here I thought we’d been

doing such a good job of being discreet. If she knew then the Queen definitely knew. Oh well. I
wasn’t embarrassed that I had been seeing Clove anyway.

“Since before Christmas,” she snickered. “I’m a woman and a mother. Nothing gets by me.

Congratulations on meeting your mates.”

“Thank you, Councilwoman.” Clove was practically bouncing. “It’s really all done? Can I go

now?” I set Kermy on his feet, noticing the hesitant look he gave me as he practically plastered
himself to my side. I was okay with the closeness. Actually, I found I quite liked it.

As they spoke, I closed the portal, berating myself that I had been so wrapped up in my own

drama I’d forgotten something so important to someone I cared about. It wasn’t like it was small,
seeing my brother for the first time in centuries, but Clove’s house had been his dream… And I didn’t
even remember or have a damn gift for him.

“Before you run off,” Elena said to me quietly when I was done. I glanced at her and saw there

was another issue with Clove and Kinkade. Seriously? That man was starting to chap my ass. “Be
patient with him. The man found his mate already with another man who’s bigger, stronger, and more

powerful than him.”

“Fine,” I ground out, staring daggers at the back of Kinkade’s head. “But he doesn’t get much,

Councilwoman. Clove doesn’t deserve—” And then I snapped my mouth shut when they started
passionately making out, a broad smile growing. “Now that he deserves.”

“I agree,” she chuckled. “Back to business. I know you just met your mate and there are things

you’d like to do.” She cleared her throat as she blushed, realizing how that sounded. “But there’s an
engagement in several hours that we’d like to crash. We received word of a private meeting that
Councilman Dubois called at five in the morning before his flight or something. It worries us to have
something at such an odd hour. The Queen wants to go and finally meet him, read his mind.”

“And she won’t ask for backup of course,” I growled, shaking my head. “This cannot go on,

Elena. She’s destroying her mating and she will break soon and then we will have no leader or
structure. She does everything and one person cannot do it all alone. She won’t listen to me.”

“I agree but I didn’t know others have tried to reason with her about this,” Elena said gently as

she patted my arm. “When we get back and things settle down from your mating, we will sit down and
talk. If we have to sit on her to make her listen, we will. Now that she’s got more allies and sees
other people in charge having help, I think she’s more open to the idea. Hell, she has friends now she
confides in. I know she wants help and doesn’t want to ruin her mating.”

I studied her a moment, seeing nothing but a deep desire to do the right thing.
“However you feel is best to handle this I will agree to. My way hasn’t been working and I think

it has affronted her and she takes it as criticism. I mean nothing of the sort. I simply wish to help her
with her load. There is no reason she should have to handle everything alone. I want her happy,
Elena. She deserves it after all she’s suffered. I can do so much that could help if she would just let
me. But with strong magic comes consequences and she won’t let anyone else bear the—”

“Bear the what?” she muttered under her breath after I shut my mouth so fast I bit my tongue.
“She doesn’t remember that I know the price she pays for the magic she uses,” I sighed, wiping

my hands over my face. “She forgot I was there when she confided in someone. Or maybe she
blocked out even telling them as if it was a slip she didn’t mean to make. Who knows but she simply
doesn’t discuss it. I knew she had something before that though because I pay a different price when I
use powerful magic as well. It’s complicated and not my secret to share.”

She looked me up and down a moment before nodding. “I will ask her specifically what the cost

is to her for all that she gives and not let up until she tells me. But then I will be back to ask you the
same, Elan. If your Queen can trust me with this knowledge, so can you. Keeping it a secret hasn’t
worked out well for her and you should learn from that.”

I bristled at her chastising tone. And did something I very, very rarely did… Lost my cool.
“But keeping it a secret has kept her alive, kid,” I growled. “This isn’t who she has a crush on or

something trivial. It’s our power, greatest asset, and a weakness. You don’t exactly go blabbing it
about. I would tell my mates and that would be all, but no, I wouldn’t even ever tell you. I would have
told my Queen, but I think we can both agree that she has enough on her plate and doesn’t exactly need
more to deal with.

“So don’t lecture me about things you know nothing about. You use your gifts and you get tired,

drink some blood, and rest up. It does not work like that for us after we get to a certain age and can
do things your kind can only dream of. I understand why my Queen keeps things secret from others.
Especially people she’s known for only a year or so. But I have loyally served her for a very long

time. She should be able to freely let some of us in.”

“Elan, watch your tone with my mother,” Victor warned me as he appeared out of nowhere.
“Did you just call me kid?” Elena asked, biting her lip to keep from laughing, eyes sparkling

with mirth. I decided to go with her reaction and ignore her overprotective son as I wrapped my arm
around my mate.

“You are a kid to me,” I snickered with a shrug.
“Elan, my eldest is almost nine hundred years old and I was a few centuries old when I had

him,” she teased. I couldn’t help it. I threw back my head and let out a bark of laughter, holding my
sides it was so big. “Why is that so funny?”

“Elan’s got you way beat, Elena,” Mareo chuckled.
“Big time,” I chortled, wiping my eyes. “I’m going to be five thousand soon. I’ve served the

Queen since I was eighteen and not been able to get her to let me help her with all my powers and
years knowing her, being at her side, and having served her mate. Now you see why I snapped at you
and called you a kid.”

“Wow. You look good for a really old fart,” she teased and then frowned. “And I understand

your point. I hate to say this and make you feel bad but she has confided in me already though, so I
think we have a shot. Maybe she just needed another woman in a position of power that was an ally to
let in?”

I smiled at her, understanding she was trying to spare my feelings. “I’m too old and have seen

too much to worry about petty things like getting credit or who the winner is, Elena. All I want is the
outcome of my Queen’s happiness and for her to enjoy life. If she opened up to you, kid or not, then I
am thrilled and will do whatever is needed to help.”

“I can’t believe you keep calling my mother and think of her as a kid,” Victor grumbled and

walked away shaking his head. I simply shrugged.

“That must make me a sperm,” Kermy mumbled and tried to pull away. Shit. I got a flash in his

head that there was a whole other list of reasons that I wouldn’t want him now.

“Let me know when you need me for the meeting and what the plan is,” I told Elena, giving her a

knowing look.

“I’ll text you the details,” she agreed. I quickly opened a portal to my room and snagged my mate

around the waist.

“No, but I’d like to see and taste lots and lots of your sperm for the rest of our days,” I muttered

in his ear before stepping into the light. He gasped as we entered my rooms before I closed the portal
again and tossed him on the bed. “Now, are you hungry or thirsty before I ravage you, or would you
like to get right down to being naked?”

Chapter 2

Kermy

I blinked up at my massive mate in shock, swallowing loudly at his bold, erotic words. How he

went from teasing someone about being a kid that was so much older than me to talking about sex was
throwing me for a loop. Plus, I was reeling from the fact that he was practically ancient.

“You’re older than god,” I blurted out, wincing at how bad that sounded.
“The Christian Jesus, yes,” he whispered, as the tenting in the groin of his pants started to go

down. “I take it that’s a problem. Good to know. I wait all this time to find my mate and I’m too old
for him.” He turned from me, shaking his head as if having some internal discussion, and then stepped
towards the door.

“I–I just need a–a minute. Pl–please d–don’t leave m–me,” I begged, scared out of my mind. “I

don’t even know where I am, Elan. Or your last name. Just give me a minute. You announce you’re
going to be five thousand as if it’s thirty and I’m reeling. Fae are immortal? Wolves aren’t. We have a
much longer life span than humans, like five times as long, but yeah, nothing like that.”

“You’re immortal now,” he mumbled, still not facing me. “You claimed me.”
My heart started beating faster when he said that and suddenly it was a little hard to breathe. “I

need a drink, or seven.” I just couldn’t seem to focus. He was fae. I knew there were fae, but not all
this. And there were so many secrets. Where the hell were we even? I didn’t get a chance to say
good-bye to Kinkade. Shouldn’t I have done that? My brother had been in charge of me for so long
and now it was Elan?

And what had he been fighting about with that Elena woman? Who was this Queen? His Queen I

knew, but what else? All of this wouldn’t be a big deal if there wasn’t so much else. He had a lover
when we met who he obviously cared about, and I wasn’t even his damn type. Clove was… And he
was mated to my brother. So Elan wouldn’t like Kinkade because he’d taken Clove. Who Elan
wanted.

And no one would want me.
Then there was the random Alpha who I liked but rambled on and on, and whatever was going

on with Clove being excited, and my mate getting upset. And where the hell were we?

“I can hear your thoughts racing out of control,” Elan said gently, suddenly kneeling in front of

me as he cupped my cheek. “You’re a very loud projector when you’re upset. What can I do to help?
There are so many things that are not as you think they are, Kermy. I promise you.”

“I don’t know,” I whispered, as I realized I wanted to go home. His eyes got big and I knew he’d

heard me.

“No, please,” he begged me as he took my face in both hands. “Please.”
“It’s too much.” I whimpered and tried to pull away but he kept me there, and while I was a

wolf, he was older than dirt and strong but he didn’t hurt me. Then his eyes lit up.

“I know how to show you this is real and I’m fully vested in this,” he said firmly as he stood,

moving one arm under my shoulders and making me stand on the bed as well. “I will tell you
something I have told no one else, trusting my mate to protect me and share my burden with him.”

“I’m already feeling overburdened, Elan,” I grumbled as he unbuttoned his shirt. “I don’t want

more burdens.”

“It’s a burden for me because I didn’t have anyone I trusted enough to confide in and it’s a big

secret,” he assured me. I thought about that just as he finished.

“Not Clove?” I hedged as I stared at him. “You never told Clove? This is what you were talking

to Elena about? The price that comes when you use lots of magic?”

“No, I never told Clove or anyone. Yes, this is the price of opening portals and placing a bubble

around us as we went through it so that you didn’t feel any effects of it. Or the strong potions I make
or anything else I do because of my age that others can’t. Healing people or making the alcohol you
want to drink appear from downstairs, that sort of thing.”

“Why are you getting naked to show me?” I raised an eyebrow at that one.
“It’s a visual thing,” he mumbled with a shrug as he stared down at his feet. I saw how hard this

was for him and obviously vulnerable he was making himself to comfort me, assure me that he wanted
me here so I didn’t leave. And just like that the panic left.

“I thought it was just to show me all your impressive muscles and body so I’d get turned on and

forget freaking out,” I giggled. His head snapped up to mine and I saw the lust in his eyes.

“There is one thing in all the thoughts I heard that I need you to know,” Elan hedged as he leaned

in closer. Damn, my mate was tall. Standing on the bed, I was only a little taller than him. Wow!
“You were worried about being able to please me because you are so different than Clove and that
wouldn’t make you my type.”

“I don’t want to talk about—” I started to say, trying to pull away.
“He’s not my type, Kermy. Clove and I were lonely. He’s a good person who I became instant

friends with when I came to this world again. I’ll tell you all about it later, but I needed you to know
that when it comes to the type of men I like to take to my bed, he’s not who I would normally gravitate
to.”

I swallowed loudly as I met his gaze again. “What type would you want normally?”
“I like smaller men,” he answered with a wide smile. “When I’ve dreamt of what my mates

would look like over the years I’ve dreamt of smaller men, but what I got was so much better than I
could ever have imagined. If you believe nothing else with all that I need to explain to you, I need you
to understand that. Even before you said we were mates I couldn’t take my eyes off of you, wishing
you were mine.”

“Okay,” I whispered as I nodded. He was so close to me and I would have been able to smell

the lie at this distance since I was studying intently. I believed him. “Do I still get to know the
secret?”

“You understand that I’m trusting you as I have no one before, right?” I nodded. “Please, I know

this is all a lot but don’t freak out. I’m not sure I could handle baring my soul and my greatest secret to
my mate and watch him run from me.” He turned then but not before I saw the fear in his eyes. I
couldn’t believe my reaction would scare an almost-five-thousand-year-old powerful fae.

It made me feel special and worth something to him.
I gasped as I realized there was something on his back. It took me a moment but I realized they

were attached to his skin. “Fae really have wings?”

“Yes, they fold up nice and compactly so it looks like we just have some extra muscle on our

shoulders,” he chuckled nervously.

“That’s your secret?”
“Um, no. What they produce when I use strong magic is. I’ve never heard of it before.” I

watched with a mixture of awe and wonder as the iridescent-looking package on his back started to
move and unfold. I saw something fall out of it and, as a natural reaction, grabbed it before it could
hit the bed or the floor. Then I saw more of them and stuck out my hands to catch them.

“Elan!” I gasped as I felt my eyes bug out of head. “Are these real?”
“Yes, of the highest quality,” he whispered sadly. “You think I’m a freak, right?”
“Not the word I would have picked, no,” I giggled as I tilted my hands, letting the light catch

what I was holding.

“What is the word you would use?” He glanced at me over his shoulder, his ear-length blond

hair falling into his ocean-blue eyes.

“Amazing,” I admitted. “One of a kind, but that’s more than one word. Special.” Then I bit my

lip and tried to pick just one, shaking my head and laughing.

“Why do you laugh?” He looked destroyed that I would laugh at him or his secret.
“I’m trying to come up with just one I would choose and I can’t. I guess magical but that seems

redundant because duh and all.” I gave him a bright smile before glancing at my hands again, staring
at what he’d created, deep in thought. “I’m just not sure that this is a price, like being tired after
changing forms or when vampires use their gifts. Being able to do this to me would be the gift.”

“How many people would want to use me just for this reason, not to mention the power I wield?

And when I’m in battle or using magic, like when we fought the demons recently, I had massive
amounts of them stored in my wings. It was quite taxing. But it’s a price because it’s a secret I have to
keep.”

I thought about that and nodded. “I can see that and I won’t ever betray you, Elan. But to me, the

powers that be saw how special you are and gave you something that makes you as rare as these gems
in my hands.”

“I don’t understand,” he mumbled as he glanced between my face and the stones I held.
“These aren’t just rubies and emeralds and whatever else I hold,” I said gently as I shook them,

drawing attention to what I’d gotten from his wings. “They’re perfect and beautiful and all the colors
of the rainbow, just like you. Your wings are iridescent. I can see dozens of colors in them. You and
your wings are breathtaking. And your heart is beautiful. You worry for your Queen, you shared
yourself with me to show me I’m special, even if it was hard for you.”

“I’ve never thought about it like that. I’ve only wondered what I’m going to do with them all,” he

said with a smirk. “There’s only so many places to stash boatloads of gems.”

“How often do you make them?” I asked, my eyes going wide.
“These are just from opening a few portals,” he chuckled. I looked down at the small fortune in

my hands. I hadn’t even caught them all. I knew there were more on the floor and bed.

“Holy shit! Dude, you’re like loaded!”
“Um, yeah. That’s good, right? I mean, I have other income, of course. I’m old and the Queen

pays her warriors well. I could give you whatever you wanted if you wanted, Kermy. You’d want for
nothing as my mate. Just don’t leave, okay? I can’t buy you a house like Clove has for your brother
because I have to be near the Queen but whatever else you want I will—”

“You,” I whispered, touched by his nervous rambling and insecurity. That might sound weird

and even mean but it made me feel better that I wasn’t the only one here that was scared.

“Wait—what?”
“I only want my mate and for him to love me, Elan,” I purred as I jumped off the bed. I set the

gems down on the nightstand, wanting to stare at them a little longer but knowing my mate needed me
more. Apparently there were gems everywhere around my mate and I could get my fill of them. I
know, it was stupid, but I’d never seen anything like them.

“You have my heart,” he swore to me as he knelt before me. “Giving it to you was the first step

of love. I know this.”

“You really are a big boy, aren’t you?” I teased as I eyed him over, seeing that the time for

serious was over. I used my wolf speed to get naked and crawled onto the bed. “Are you big
everywhere, my mate?”

“Shit, you’re naked,” he breathed as he eyed over my body. Elan stood back up and I shivered

with lust. Yeah, he had to be over seven and a half feet. Since I was about five five, that was a huge
difference. I’d suffer through that. “Those gems are bland stones compared to the beauty that is before
me.”

“That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. I’m glad now that I’m giving you my

virginity.” I felt my cheeks heat up at the admission.

“Did you not want to be one?” he asked as he met my gaze.
“No,” I giggled. “I’m twenty-five. My brother watched me like a hawk though. I mean, I’ve

blown all the other wolves we left our pack with. I’m very oral but they wouldn’t have sex with me.
For one, Kinkade would have smelled them on me. Two, no one would ever have wanted to admit
they popped his little brother’s cherry.”

“You’ve sucked all of their cocks?” Elan growled, his eyes flashing anger.
“I’m sorry, were you not sleeping with Clove when we met?” I threw right back.
He ignored me and kept talking. “Did you just hop from one to the other or was it five on one?

Were you curious or do you just need that much cock? How was it, Kermy?”

“I got lonely and I like cock,” I answered with a shrug, my erection going soft. “It was all the fun

I could have without my brother finding out, okay? I’m not some slut who hooks up in the backs of
bars with strangers. These are my friends who love me and have my back. So what if I turned to them
when I wanted some action?”

“I’ll give you all the action you need. You will never turn to those attractive wolves again!”
I blinked at him for a moment, my dick renewing interest. “You’re not judging me. You’re

jealous.”

“You’re goddamn right I’m jealous!” he bellowed as he kicked off his shoes and yanked off his

socks. “Five hot friends who are wolves and open, know your customs, that you love and have known
all of your life, versus your fae mate who comes with a barrel of issues and you’ve already thought
about running from!”

“Elan,” I whispered, my heart breaking at his pain.
“Well I’ve got something I’m sure they don’t have, my mate,” he growled, an evil glint in his

eyes as he yanked off his pants. “You like cock, my sweet, sexy wolf? I’ve got cock for you!” He
grabbed the sides of his boxer briefs and tore them off his body. That alone had me almost creaming.
But when I saw what he revealed, my dick started leaking pre-cum on my stomach and my hole
clenched.

“Good thing my body automatically adjusts for my mate,” I whimpered as I licked my lips.

“How do the fae claim their mates?”

“By giving you what you offered me,” he said in a husky, deep voice. Which was a relative thing

because Elan already had the deepest voice I’d ever heard. I blinked at him, not sure what he meant
as he climbed on the bed and moved my legs apart. I gasped at how wide he moved them to
accommodate his large frame.

“Seriously, how big is that thing?” I whispered as his dick got close to my hole. It looked even

more massive when it was next to mine. I knew I had almost seven inches, which for my height was
pretty good. But Elan’s cock looked twice as big!

“Have you ever seen bigger? Can any of those other wolves give you such cock?” he taunted as

he ran his hands up my thighs. “You said you love cock, baby, and I’ve got the biggest in the land.”

“No, never seen bigger or prettier,” I answered honestly as I met his gaze. Then I gave him a

smile. “But can you use it?”

“Let’s find out, shall we?” he growled and moved it to my hole. “Tell me how this works with

wolves. I’ve heard rumors.”

“Push in just a bit and my body will realize it’s my mate, get wet on its own, and adjust,” I

panted, realizing this was really going to happen. He nodded and did that, watching my face for any
pain. Just as the head of his cock pushed past the first ring of my ass I cried out as my cock shot ropes
of cum all over me. “Oh god, oh no! Oh fuck. Stop!” I rode the pleasure, mortified down to my soul.
When it was over I wanted to cry as I covered my face with my hands.

“Are you hurt?” he whispered as he pulled back out of me. I shook my head. I’d never felt

anything more pleasurable. I heard him gasp and wondered if he’d read my thoughts. He growled and
grabbed my wrists, pinning them over my head. “Open your eyes and look at me!”

“No, please, just let me hide,” I begged. “That was humiliating.”
“No, it was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” I felt his cock go back into my body and I gasped

as my eyes fluttered open. Elan was staring down at me with such lust I shivered. “You were perfect.
I only went still because you said stop and I was worried I’d hurt you. I wanted nothing but to push
inside you more and keep your orgasm going, Kermy. There was nothing to be humiliated about.”

He was being so sweet, so kind and gentle with me that I wanted to return the gesture. But I

couldn’t think much with all the blood in my groin so I said the first thing that popped into my head. “I
like that you get jealous. As long as you’re not ever judging me, you can prove to me anytime you
want that you’ve got the goods to keep me happy and in your bed.”

“You sweet talker,” he teased as he pushed further into my body. “Is this what you’ve always

wanted, Kermy?”

“Yes, but you’re better looking and much more dominant than I’d imagined my mate would be.”
“One is a compliment but I’m not sure on the other,” he mumbled as he kept working more and

more of himself into me. “So thank you and I’m sorry?”

“I like both. I’m not a sub, Elan. I don’t want a Dom, but yeah, I like being on the bottom and

having my mate be a strong take charge kind of guy. I want to be taken care of and I’ll take care of
you too.”

“I like the sound of that.” He let out a loud moan as he bottomed out inside of me. I felt the

mating bond snap into place as we stared into each other’s eyes. “So gorgeous and all mine. I’m the
luckiest fucker in the world. I not only get to have sex with the hottest little wolf ever but I get to
keep him for always. I will make him love me one day. Whatever it takes. Kermy will be happy he
didn’t run. I know I can make him happy.”

“I like that making me happy is so important to you,” I whispered in his head. His eyes went

wide and I had guessed he didn’t know I had been able to hear him. “You were so focused on me you
were using the mating link. I won’t hear everything. You just have to channel your thoughts at
me.”

“We’ll figure everything out, okay, Kermy? I know this is scary but I’ve been alive a lot

longer, and trust me when I say that in the grand scheme of things this will all seem like just a few
bumps in the road that we will look back and laugh at one day. Fate made us for each other and
we have to have some faith and patience.”

I searched his eyes and I saw nothing but honesty and desire so I took a leap and nodded.

“Okay, but I demand hot sex, food, and answers for my sacrifice.”

“Done, done, and done,” he growled as he wrapped around me. Elan pulled out slowly and

thrust back into me hard. I gasped as I clutched onto him, digging my short nails into his back. I bit my
lip to keep quiet. He did it a few more times and then froze. “You don’t like that?”

“I loved it,” I panted, staring at him when he leaned up. “Why would you ask that?”
“You were so quiet and not responsive,” he answered gently as he cupped my cheek. “I wasn’t

sure if using your nails was a sign of passion or that it hurt and to stop.”

“I don’t know what to do, Elan,” I mumbled, feeling like a goober. “Tell me what you like and

I’ll do it. I’ll get better. I have to, right? I won’t be an idiot virgin for—”

He shut me up with a passionate kiss that had me melting against him. Then he lifted his head

and I stared into Elan’s soulful eyes. “There’s nothing to change, Kermy. I want nothing but your
honest reaction. The man who I have watched climax twice now was expressive and loud and I loved
that. Just be you and it will be perfect.”

“You don’t want me quiet? This is your house?”
“Not my house but let them hear me pleasing my mate,” he purred as he ground his hips against

my body. “I love that you scream and whimper. I’m addicted to how vocal you are. If you’re not in the
mood to be vocal, that’s fine, baby. But don’t you ever hold back what you’re feeling for worry of
what others think or that you’re not doing something right. Loud is the way of the wolf.”

“It is,” I whispered, smiling at him. “You know that?”
“I’ve met a few wolves in my day,” he chuckled. “But I’ve also been Alpha Caven’s guard here

and there helping out, and I’ve seen enough to know there’s not a quiet wolf in the bunch. Besides, it
helps me know what you enjoy when I’m with you.” Then he gave me a wink. “Might boost my ego
too and spur me on.”

“Oh well, spurring you on would be good,” I said shyly, liking the idea of him needing me so

desperately he’d take me at a burning pace like I’d seen others do.

“You mean like this?” Elan snapped his hips a few times, thrusting deeply into my willing body.

I howled in pleasure as I arched my hips to meet him. “Yeah, Kermy, let me hear you. So hot and
sexy.”

That was all I needed to let go. There was no longer any filter between my mind and my mouth

or any part of me and what I tried to do. I went with my instincts.

“Come now!” Elan bit out between clenched teeth sometime during my sex high. I screamed as

my body listened to my mate, filling the space between us with my seed. He followed me right over,
unloading in my ass, and surprisingly it made me shiver. There was a part of my mate’s life essence
inside of me. Weird, but well, the thought hit me and I liked it.

My mate must have had huge balls because my orgasm was over and he kept pumping more and

more of his seed into me. He wasn’t even finished when I felt it running back out of my ass. I watched
in awe, spent and gasping for air, as Elan shook with the force of his orgasm, power flaring around
him as his wings spread out and fluttered.

He muttered something in a language I didn’t recognize, and suddenly, completely out of

nowhere, I came again, feeling as if I was getting fucked all over again in that instant, receiving head,
kisses, and hours of foreplay all at once. I cried out as I humped my hips against him, my mate rubbing
his thumbs over my hard nipples. It seemed to last for hours and when it was done it took me several
tries to swallow and focus my eyes again.

Elan studied me a moment and then gave me a shit-eating grin as if knowing what I wanted to

ask. “I wanted your first time not only with me but having sex to be something you never forgot. I
figured it was the least I could do for giving me the best orgasm I’ve ever had in the four thousand
nine hundred and eighty-five years I’ve been having them.”

“Wow,” I breathed, not sure what else to say.
“I feel the same way, Kermy,” he chuckled, leaning down and brushing his lips over mine. “I

feel the same way, baby.”

“Feed me, explain a few things, and then I want to do that again,” I giggled, feeling thrilled like I

never had before. “Can we do that all night? I like sex. Oh my god, do I like sex. We make great sex. I
want to be on top this time. Can I ride you? That would be hot to you, right?”

“I’ve created a monster,” he snickered, rolling his eyes. But I saw the lust in them at what I was

saying. Rock on.

Chapter 3

Elan

After our life-altering mating sex, I explained to Kermy where we were, the dynamics of the

house, the relationship between Barnabas and my Queen, and their positions within the coven, et
cetera. I could already tell my mate was quite bright the way he took it in and asked only pertinent
questions instead of getting off topic or losing the focus of the conversation. I was impressed,
considering his age.

It gave me hope that of the hiccups we faced at the beginning of our mating, even the ones we

still had to overcome, getting along and having things to talk about wouldn’t be one of them.

Dinner was about to be served by the time we were cleaned up and I had given him a quick tour

and most of that information. Instead of joining everyone, I snagged us a tray, and we had a picnic in
bed as I told him the rest.

And then had more hot sex. Next was dessert. Followed by a second course of dessert of my

mate. After which I told him about Clove, being brutally honest about my relationship with my friend
and why I had felt bad when Clove had been so excited after we crossed back through the portal to
the coven, explaining about his new house.

My mate was awesome. There was no other word I could think to sum him up. After I’d told him

this, as we lay in bed, caressing each other, he’d simply said, “Well then we’ll have to pick up a
housewarming present for him when we’re in Paris tomorrow getting our things. Especially now that
he’s mating my brother. We can get two. One we’ll find that we could get anywhere and we just
won’t say you didn’t already have it waiting for him. That way his feelings won’t be hurt.”

How great was he? He didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want Clove to know I’d forgotten either.

I thought it was great and I told him that.

Kermy seemed to relax then and started asking me a lot about the pack and Caven’s randomness.

I explained that he was young and very new to being an Alpha and still trying to find his footing,
refusing to just do things as they had been done just because it was easier that way. He wanted to do
what was right for the pack even if it meant tweaking things here and there as everyone went along.
My mate seemed to really like that and I was happy that he did.

I saw a deep longing in my mate to finally call somewhere home and feel like he belonged.
After another couple of rounds of wondrous sex, my mate was all tuckered out. I cleaned him up

before quickly hopping in the shower and dressing for this meeting we were crashing.

I’d gotten the information from Elena but it seemed we didn’t know much. Only that there was

some Council meeting for the Western European High Council that had been called last minute by
Councilman Dubois but that the current King hadn’t been invited to at five in the morning Paris time
before the evil bastard supposedly got on a plane.

Yeah, that didn’t sound suspicious or anything.
“It’s a little hard to quietly crash a meeting when you’re bringing a whole entourage,” the Queen

growled when she saw me jogging to catch up with them. I shot a look at Asterio, who shook his head
to let it go. Baylor looked ready to burst. He was fuming and so was Makari. Guess I wasn’t the only
one who was getting tired of feeling like we were being horrible warriors for doing our jobs or trying
to help.

The problem was Barnabas saw our reactions and did a double take. Fuck. That would be

something we’d need to discuss later.

“I asked them to come,” Elena said as she glanced at us, having seen it as well. “It would look

too sneaky if we didn’t show up without some protection, your highness. We’re just making it like we
heard he was leaving and we didn’t mean to interrupt the meeting but we had some quick questions
before he left on his trip.”

“Yes, like does he think we’re stupid and where he’s moved the other locations he was holding

the humans now that we raided the first one successfully,” Desmond Marius drawled. “All the teams
have come back empty, saying it’s obvious that they’ve recently been cleared out, finding big cages as
they did at the Diaz castle.”

“You ask him that directly, dear mate,” Elena snickered. “I would pay to see his expression.”

Queen Magdalena opened a portal and gestured to it.

“Alright, mass of warriors we drag with us because we decide to misbehave again, go first,” my

Queen said with a sigh.

I blinked at her in shock, not used to her flippant, saucy attitude. This shit with Elder Dawson

needed to get resolved fast or she seriously was never going to snap out of her negative mood lately.
It killed me to see her hurting as she was. I would give anything to see the person I respected most in
the world happy. She gave and sacrificed so much for us. Why wouldn’t she just let us help her?

Just as I went to walk into the light she stopped me with her hand on my arm.
“Congratulations on finding your mate. You deserve your happiness, Elan. I know I have not

always shown that I want that for you and we have butted heads because we are both old, stubborn
mules, but you are like a son to me and I love you. I bless your mating a thousand times and praise the
gods that you have found him. Elena has helped me see the changes I need to make in my life and there
is a discussion we need to have. I trust you as I do few others, Elan.”

“My Queen, I would do anything and all I can to serve you and our people always,” I whispered,

touched by her words. “I know I’m a pain in the ass. I’ve wanted nothing more than to help. I push too
hard and I know this. It simply kills me to see someone I care so much for take on so much alone
when I know I can help.”

“I know. I just didn’t realize how much it was until recently. It added up slowly and a little at a

time. I didn’t see it.” She stood on her toes and I got the idea, leaning down so she could kiss my
cheek. “I’m sorry. You tell anyone I said that and I’ll zap you.”

“I heard nothing,” I chuckled. She slipped her arm through mine and I escorted her through the

portal, feeling years younger.

Finally! Part of me had been cursing that we ended up coming to this world and this coven. Yes,

it was great that many were finding their mates. Yes, it gave our people more freedoms and options.
But it gave Magdalena a boatload more stress and concerns and I hated that. Now it seemed as if
coming here pushed her to the next phase to where she had to delegate and get help for it all.

And that made me completely grateful that we’d come finally.
Though apparently right now wasn’t the time to be thinking about all of that because we walked

right into drama. Us? No, never.

“—right in wherever you want. I don’t care who you are!” some man shouted, with his face

bright red, at Desmond. Obviously that argument had already been started before we’d joined them.
The Queen moved away from me and next to Desmond and Elena as we took up flanking positions

around them as their protection.

“We just had a few things to discuss, and since his honor is leaving we thought we’d get it out of

the way before he did,” Desmond said smoothly. He glanced up as a door opened and I saw the hate
flash in his eyes before he schooled it. “Ah, here’s Councilman Dubois now. See, he’s even early for
your meeting so we can take a few minutes of his time without messing anyone up. Always early as
we expected.”

“Desmond, what are you doing here?” Dubois growled and then glanced at Magdalena. “And

with that fae no less?” He said it like he would whore. And  the  cruelest  possible  thing  to  make  the
situation  worse  happened.  I  saw  images  flash  in  Dubois’s  mind  of  Magdalena’s  mate…  Dead.
Covered  in  blood,  a  sword  run  through  him.  Then  the  sword  was  pulled  out  of  him  by  Dubois.  “If
only that stupid bitch was as easy to kill as her mate had been, none of this would be happening.”

“No!” Magdalena screeched in horror as she clutched her heart as everyone turned to look at her

in shock. I felt her magic surge and I did the only thing I could think of, being the only one who knew
what was going on… I dove at her, knocking Desmond out of the way, and tackled my Queen to the
ground. “Get off of me!” She zapped me with her magic, and still I didn’t let go, praying she didn’t
kill me in her grief. “He dies!”

“Not like this,” I gasped. “You’ll start a war, Magdalena. They can’t see what we can. Please,

my Queen! We know now who killed Nahal. We will get justice. Not like this. Not at the cost of
everyone we love, our people, our coven, our allies.”

The magic stopped and I sighed. I felt her nod against me and I let my death grip go. Then I

whispered in her ear so only she would hear it.

“We will get him, my Queen. I swear it. I won’t fail you in that. I will bring you his head myself

if that’s what it takes but not here.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled. “I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
“This is why we don’t align ourselves with these people,” someone else said with a snarl. “She

is clearly insane!”

“Shut it, Andrew,” Desmond snapped. “We don’t know what the fuck is going on yet.” I let her

go and flopped onto my back, shaking still from what she sent through my body. I saw Desmond help
her up and give us both a concerned look.

“Get out of here, fae,” Dubois said darkly. “You don’t belong here and you’re not welcome

here. You are uninvited. Your kind are beneath us and I don’t associate with lower beings, much less
bugs with wings.” I smirked as I rolled to my feet. Wrong thing to say to my Queen.

“And yet you and all your demon friends couldn’t remove me if you tried,” Magdalena snickered

as she gave him an evil smile. “You are powerless against me and you know it. Your witches
couldn’t find a way to separate me from my magic and they never will. You might have killed my
mate but you won’t me, Dubois. I will take my vengeance for his death and I will bathe in your blood
before mounting your head on my wall. I was committed to stopping you before to help my allies.”

I felt her power rise and crackle. I glanced at Baylor and nodded. We joined her, letting our

wings break through our shirts, Asterio and Makari following suit. There was no better time to show
support to our Queen. My feet left the ground as our wings all started fluttering fast enough that we
were airborne, flanking our leader and loved one.

“But now, I have no larger goal than seeing you dead. There is nowhere you can run, nowhere

you can hide, nowhere you can be protected from me and mine. You killed our King and my mate.
You will see what that means to the fae and I promise you, that in the end it will be you that will be
squashed like a bug.”

I saw something flash in his mind, just a fragment and not even enough to catch a full idea, but it

clicked something for me. I threw back my head and laughed.

“I know why Fergus reacted to Brio’s blood as he did,” I explained as I narrowed my eyes at

Dubois. “Our blood is toxic to your army of humans you turned demons. They’re made of evil magic
and we are of the light. That’s why you killed Nahal. You thought if you killed enough fae at the
standard portals, no more would cross over and none would find out about the massive flaw in your
plan. Dumbass. Good will always triumph and there is one truth in this world above all others.”

“What is that?” the man asked, seething in a way that made me surprised his ears didn’t have

steam coming out of them.

I glanced at Baylor when he gave a chuckle and nodded for him to go ahead. “You don’t fuck

with our Queen. She always wins.” I knew we had matching grins. “You will die. Just not today.”

“I say kill the fucker today,” Elena grumbled. “You saw he killed the Queen’s mate in his head.

That’s proof enough for me.”

“That’s not proof of anything!” someone shouted. “Get these lunatics out of here! They come in

here uninvited and threaten the head of our Council. The King will have their heads for this.
Unbelievable.”

I watched the arguing go on as we stopped flying and dropped back to the floor, letting our

magic die down. Dubois was fighting with his security team because they saw us as a threat and they
wanted to drag him out of there but he was too busy trying to get us to leave. Desmond, Elena,
Barnabas, and a few others of our Council shouted at the members of that branch of European Council
that they were all idiots.

“They’re blind,” Magdalena whispered. “Completely blind. Either by hate of other species or

just us or who knows. This will go nowhere. I’m done.”

“What?” I gasped, blinking at her in shock.
“Pull our resources,” she answered me instead, and just like that you could hear a pin drop in

the room.

“What? What are you talking about?” one man asked. “What does that mean?”
“The fae have given you everything we possibly can since we have come here,” Queen

Magdalena growled in a tone I’d rarely heard her use. She was at wit’s end, that was for sure. “The
margays have improved upon your ammunition to fight the demons, and both our people help make
them for all the covens. They have given you designs for the special swords and are making more.
Our portals bring it all here to you with ease and yet you look down your noses at us?

“Not to mention my people have helped protect you. We’ve fought in Paris, killing demons and

freeing humans that were being held right under your noses. And in Spain. Under your jurisdiction.
The wolves lost one of their own in the process and you have the gall to call us lower beings. Fine.
I’ll speak with King Rylan and Alpha Caven along with my other mate, a wolf elder, to let them know
this is how you feel.

“We’ll pull our resources and only aid those vampires who appreciate our help and see us as

equals. You’re not only harboring the mastermind but he’s the head of your Council. You’re all fools
and you will end up dead. We warned you. We tried to help you. We’ve gone above and beyond and I

only feel sorry for your people who you will have failed.” I gasped and she nodded, having caught the
same thought as I did.

“What?” Desmond asked.
“Dubois wants us gone, let us leave,” she said instead.
“What are you not telling us?” Elena’s tone was gentle and her eyes begged the Queen to tell

her. “Please, Magdalena. There are innocents here. Why did he call this meeting? What does he have
planned?”

She sighed, shaking her head as she glanced at me. “There are hundreds of demons on the way.

That’s why he brought them here. He wants to slaughter them all. There’s going to be an attack on the
palace as well. He thought to kill them all at the same time so he can set up Paris as demon central
and stop hiding.”

“Outrageous!” the man Desmond had called Andrew shouted.
“How long?” Desmond asked, ignoring the man.
“Why?” the Queen snarled. “Why should we care? They treat you like an underling because you

were a warrior and us even worse. Let them be killed and their bigotry die with them! They’re
protecting the man who killed my mate!”

“Because there are good men and women who will die defending them,” Elena whispered with

tears in her eyes. “And my mate won’t leave them to that fate and I won’t leave him. Please.”

“I’d say we have ten minutes,” I answered.
“Can you open more than one portal?” Desmond asked before glancing at Barnabas. “Get Virgil.

He can boost your power. Start teleporting warriors from the compound after my sons get here.”

“No! My grandson leaves and stays safe,” Magdalena growled. “I will handle this.”
“My Queen, let him teleport more help,” I said gently. “He can leave the moment trouble is

close. I will open a portal to Greece and get reinforcements to the palace.”

“Fine, but then I quit,” she mumbled.
“I need to see where I’m going,” I said loudly. “Who has been to the palace? Desmond, call

Caleb.”

“Already on it,” he told me as he pointed to his phone. “Find me a sword.”
“You can’t be serious,” another Councilman drawled.
“I’ve been to the palace,” a warrior said as he came over. “What do you need?”
“You are not to assist them!”
“Blow me,” the warrior snapped. “Dubois is a leech and a crook. If you didn’t have your nose

so far up his ass you’d see that. I never thought he’d go so far to consort with demons but he is not the
good guy. Besides, I’m not a bigot. A Queen has told us there is a threat and as a warrior who
protects my King I will do whatever is necessary to keep him safe!”

“Oh, I like you,” I chuckled. “Show me the palace in your mind. I will open a portal there and

then one to Greece to get the people we need there in time.” Once I had it, I did just that. The warriors
at the palace were a lot more receptive to what we said. It seemed the King was friends with Caleb
and believed what was going on about Dubois. The Council were the only idiots here then.

Once I opened the portal to Greece, I was never so happy to see Lovis, another warrior I knew

who was a few centuries older than me.

“I can handle this side of the battle from here, my old friend,” he said firmly. “I will keep the

portal open with my magic and then return us home. Defend our Queen and keep her safe.”

“If she’ll let me,” I chuckled. We clasped forearms and then I found the vampire I’d brought

with me from Paris before opening another portal back to where we’d started. As we stepped through
it, I was glad to see a lot more familiar faces.

“Why are you back here?” Baylor asked me. “What happened?”
“Lovis is in Greece,” I chuckled. “I hadn’t known he was staying with King Caleb.”
“Oh, he’s all over that battle then.” Baylor shook his head in mirth. After our last fight at the

Diaz castle, I’d heard that Lovis had called our other friend, Brio, and chewed the man out for not
letting him know there was finally action he could have gotten in on.

Yes, we were a weird bunch.
“We have demons charging the gates!” someone shouted into a radio the vampire who had

helped us held. “There are a lot of them. What do we do?”

“Fall back into the main ballroom,” he ordered. “Everyone to the main ballroom now!” He

glanced at the Queen. “Thank you. I did not want to die today and most do not feel as these idiots do.
There are good men and women here.”

“I’m sorry your leaders aren’t better people then,” she said sadly. Then she turned to the other

Council members. “Now do you believe me? Do you need any more evidence? Can I kill Dubois?”
Instead of answering they all looked ready to piss themselves. Assholes.

“You will all die and this territory will still be mine and Osvaldo’s,” Dubois sneered… And

then disappeared.

“No!” the Queen screeched in a heartbreaking voice. “Why didn’t anyone tell me his gift was to

teleport? I can’t open a portal to him! It has to be to a location.”

“We will find him,” Elena assured her as she hugged Magdalena. My eyes burned for my Queen.

The pain she was in was coming off of her in waves. Gods, I wanted to ease it.

Even as people came racing into the ballroom, some for protection, others to protect, the

Council members still all just stood there. Right, they should totally be the ones in power. Moments
later, demons started entering from every entry point, making some of their own from windows. We
started lighting them up as the Queen stood there and watched for a moment, taking it all in. Then I felt
her energy start to pick up.

Shit. This might go really badly. Especially when she was so upset.
“Get down!” I shouted as the power she called upon got great enough that it actually lifted her

off the ground… Not her wings fluttering. Everyone dropped right before she sent out several energy
pulses around her that looked to be pure sunshine. Sure, I don’t think they would have felt too nice on
the vampires, but I’m certain they wouldn’t have killed them. The Queen had too many friends in the
room to have been reckless.

When I glanced up all the demons were ash.
“Make sure they get the ones I knocked out by the guardhouse so Riley can test your conclusion

about our blood,” she whispered as she swayed, her feet on the ground again. I jumped up and caught
her just in time.

“Why did you do that, Magdalena?” I whispered against her forehead.
“He got away. He killed my sweet, innocent Nahal, and I let him get away,” she muttered

instead. “And now I’ve lost Terrance. I quit.”

“Let’s get you home.” I chanted to open the portal and went to step through it.
“You’re just going to leave us with this mess!” one of the Councilmen bitched, gesturing around

to the ashes of the demons all around them.

“Fuck and you,” I snarled. “She just saved all your asses. Instead of a thank-you that’s what you

come up with? Oh yeah, we’re so pulling our resources. Your people should seriously look for new
leaders in this area.” I shook my head in disgust as I walked through the portal. What a bunch of
asshats. I’d learned that one from Caven, and while I’d never felt the need to use it before, those
Council members seriously were.

“Is she okay?” Bas asked once we were in his house, tears filling his eyes.
“Dubois got away. I guess he has your gift,” I answered. “She’ll be fine. She’s just tired and

upset.”

Mareo crossed through with the next group and gave me a nod. “I can close the portal. Go tend

to our Queen.”

“No, I don’t want to use any more of her magic,” I said quietly. “Tell everyone to hurry though.”

I was feeling the effects of so many portals and now, holding this one open for a while would really
be too much. My brother nodded and went right back through it. I sat off to the side, still holding
Magdalena. I pressed my lips to her ear so no one would hear me. “Do you need someone to cut your
hair after I take you upstairs? Who helps you with that normally?”

“You know?” she mumbled, not even looking at me.
“For a while now. I was there when you told Brio but I knew long before you had some price

for the power you use.”

“I was a little younger than you when it started.” She glanced at me then. “What did you get?”
“My wings produce gems,” I murmured.
“It’s not easy.”
“Elena wanted to know what the cost of the magic was to you. I didn’t hide my reaction very

well or something I did made her see it was important,” I admitted with a sigh. “That woman is too
good. I swear she can read minds.”

“I don’t care who knows anymore.” I didn’t believe that for a second.
“If you want to tell her after you rest I think she’s trustworthy. I told my mate about my wings.”
“Good. You should trust your mate. I wish I had told mine. I just couldn’t think of how to tell

Terrance. Now he won’t talk to me.”

“You can fix this, Magdalena.”
“No, I don’t think I can,” she whispered as tears filled her eyes. “I had hope before but now it’s

all gone. I’m just broken.”

“That’s your grief and sadness talking.” She shook her head. “I’m here for you, my Queen.

Whatever you need.”

“I do need your help, especially now.” Damn, she looked so lost. “I wanted to talk to you after

this meeting. I’ve decided to name attachés where we have people in various covens and advisors
here where I am.” She glanced at me then. “But you, my dear Elan, I ask to be my second. Baylor was
going to start fielding all requests and deciding if they go to you or me, helping me to finally say no at
times.”

I gaped at her a moment and then simply nodded when I couldn’t find the words.
“You would accept such a task? I know it’s a lot to ask of—”
“No it’s not,” I growled. “You give everything for us. Let us help you. I can help you. I am

honored. That was my shocked silence. I am touched and honored you would ask me. I thought I had

pushed you too much to change and you were angry with me. I would never have thought you would
have chosen me.”

“Oh, Elan. Even when I was angry with you, you still had my best interests at heart. I knew that.

I was angry because I was prideful and didn’t think a good Queen needed help. I was wrong. I need
so much help, especially now.” She sighed as tears filled her eyes. “I need you to be in charge. I can’t
quit. I know that. But I need time. Will you lead in my stead? Will you protect our people and help
them when I cannot?”

I knew my answer even if I was scared out of my mind and worried I would fail miserably.

“Yes, my Queen. I will handle everything. Your oldest warriors and the people who love you will
handle it all. You take all the time you need. Of anyone I’ve ever known you deserve a break.”

“Where is she?” Elder Dawson bellowed as he came racing down the main hall, stark fear in his

tone. I guess someone had called him. His head snapped around until his gaze focused on us.
“Magdalena!” In a flash he was by us, pulling her out of my arms. “What happened?”

“Dubois killed our mate and I let him get away. I’m so sorry, Terrance. I failed you again,” she

whispered before breaking down into soft sobs. He glanced at me then.

“The Queen is taking some much-needed time off. She has named me as her second and asked

me to take charge for her,” I hedged. “I know there is a rift between the two of you but she needs you
now, Elder Dawson. Will you tend to our Queen and help her when only her mate can?”

“You take care of the fae. I will take care of my mate,” he said firmly with a stiff nod. He held

Magdalena to him tightly and walked off. I sighed as I let my head thump against the wall as my eyes
drifted shut with the weight of the situation.

As horrid as what my Queen had discovered tonight was, at least maybe some good would come

of it. Maybe it would help heal the problem with her mate and they would realize that there were
more important things in life than what they were currently fighting about.

“Did I hear you right?” Asterio asked me gently. “You’re in charge now?”
“For the moment,” I answered, not opening my eyes. “The Queen asked it of me and I would

never refuse her when she needs me. I will need help though.”

“Whatever you need, brother. We’re all here for you.”
“Good. Let’s get as much done and in order while our Queen heals. She and our people need

help. And I want Dubois found. He’s no longer just a threat to the vampires.” I met Asterio’s gaze
then. “He killed our King. I saw it in his head. That fucker dies. We find him and bring him to
Magdalena for her pound of flesh. If any of the vampires have a problem with that, then fuck them.”

“No, we’re right there with you on that, Elan,” Desmond assured me. “We want him dead but

Magdalena can be the one to do it.” I hadn’t realized everyone was there now. Once they told me they
were all through, I closed the portal and told Baylor to schedule a meeting for every fae in the coven
for the day after tomorrow for breakfast. There was a lot I had to get myself acquainted with before I
could announce what had happened.

Good thing I hadn’t just mated or anything.

Chapter 4

I couldn’t go to bed yet that night but I needed to see my mate. Kermy was sleeping with a soft

smile on his face that instantly made me relax slightly. Just as I was about to leave he let out a slight
whimper.

“Elan, don’t leave me,” Kermy begged. In a flash I was on the bed next to him to reassure him.

“Don’t love him and not me. I’ll be just as good of a mate.” And then I saw his thoughts. The man
didn’t have a face… Which meant it was a nightmare.

“I will love you both equally and you will love him as well, my wolf,” I assured him as I lay in

the bed and pulled him close to me. “We will be a family and all mates.”

“No, you will love him and only keep me because you have to.” How could he even argue so

coherently with me in his sleep? I couldn’t even fathom how complex the mind was that we were
having this conversation as if he was awake. I would have sworn he was but then he gave a cute little
snore.

“Never. I’ve given you my heart already.” I moved my hand down his back, trying to soothe and

reassure him. “Do you not remember what we’ve shared already, my mate?”

Kermy moaned and squirmed against me, pushing aside the sheet and I bit my lip when I saw his

perfect and naked body. “You took my virginity. I gave it to you and I’m glad I did.”

“You gave me the most amazing gift ever. How could I love only our other mate and not you?”
He let out another snore and then a whimper. “Take it again.” Well now, that wasn’t possible so

I was a little lost there. But then he moved quick as a flash so he was straddling my lap. “I love this
dream.” He ground his ass against my groin as he stroked himself, one hand holding up his thick hair
as he moved as if fucking himself on my cock.

I was struck stupid by his beauty and the turn of events. Did it make me a cad for wanting to

open my pants and giving us what we both wanted? Or was the right thing to wake him?

But that would ruin the dream… Right?
“I want you to do everything, Elan,” Kermy moaned as he moved faster. I was so turned on I was

no longer thinking with the head that had a brain. I opened my pants and as if he was meant to be
there. I didn’t even have to do anything… In his sleep Kermy’s body took over and knew where it
wanted to be.

Which seemed to be connected to mine. He impaled himself on my cock the moment his body

was ready for me.

“I knew you would give me what I needed,” he cried out as he moved his hands to my chest. I

wasn’t sure what he meant since most of my blood was in my groin. “I knew you would reassure me.
You care so much. You have such a big heart and I swear there isn’t anything you can’t make happen
if you want to. I see that already. I just want to be enough for you. Fate gave me such a special,
wonderful mate, and I have to be worthy of him.”

“Oh, baby,” I whispered as I sat up. “I came to you for comfort because you’re so special to me

already.”

“Then show me I please you as much as everyone you’ve ever been with in all your years,”

Kermy begged me. “That would be how a mate should truly comfort his worried man.”

I growled at what I saw in his mind. How little he thought of himself. Dream or not, my mate

needed to feel how much he mattered to me already. “No one has ever pleased me more.” I lay back

down to get better leverage before thrusting up into him over and over again with all I had until
Kermy screamed to the heavens. We climaxed together and it was perfect… Like him.

When we were spent he slumped against me and let out another adorable snore. “So lucky to

have you. You bring light into life, Elan. Anyone is better for having known you. I’ve heard others say
it too.”

“But can I be what they need and lead them in my Queen’s stead?” I whispered more to myself

than him.

“Yes. There isn’t anything you can’t do. Someone with a heart like yours won’t ever stop, won’t

ever quit, and won’t ever give up on his people or what’s right. I believe in you, Elan.” Kermy kissed
my chest and then let out a happy sigh before the snores got louder. I smiled.

I could do this. I could help our people, my Queen, and be the man my mate deserved. After I’d

cleaned myself up, leaving proof of what had happened for Kermy so he could figure out it wasn’t just
a dream, I headed back downstairs and into the meeting room.

“Desmond and Elena assured me that they won’t say anything to anyone yet, neither will their

sons or everybody else who heard what they did,” Bas said to me quietly. “Not that they heard
anything.”

“Good, thank you, Bas. I got this. Go be with Magdalena.”
“No, I can help. What do you need? I can check on her in a bit. Let her mate comfort her. That’s

who she needs now.”

I thought of that for a moment. “Can you teleport to people? We can only open portals to

places.”

“Yes, but only if they’re not blocking me,” he hedged and then his eyes filled with tears. “I

already tried Osvaldo and Dubois to make an attempt at finding their lairs. Don’t tell my mates or
Grandma. I just wanted to see if I could do it but they are too strong and can block me.”

“I would never ask that of you,” I growled, grabbing his shoulders firmly. “You are her only

family and heir to our throne. Don’t you ever put yourself in danger like that again! You’re not a
warrior, Bas. Something could have happened and you’d be dead.”

“I won’t, I swear.” He cleared his throat and I let him go. I can’t say I didn’t blame him for

having tried. “What can I do?”

“First, what happens if I give you an image of someone in your mind? Can you teleport to them

then? Can you do it off a picture?”

“What are you thinking, Elan?” Baylor asked me.
“We need to bring our people out of the cold. I know the Queen didn’t want to but the demons

know our blood is toxic to them. I want those that the Queen held captive tested. We need to know if
Riley figured out how to see if the demons that were once human have differences than those that
were vampires. Get Loch on it immediately. I want answers and I want them yesterday.”

“I’ll handle it.” Baylor signaled another warrior to go find Loch. “How do you want us to find

the lost? They might not even know we’ve come to this plane, Elan.”

“Then we let them know,” I chuckled with an evil grin. “Tanzi ended up being in Russia, right?”

I waited until he nodded. “Get him here. He knows how to leave the old call signs. Even if the fae are
younger, they will think something odd if they find magical writing that only they can see, and
hopefully they will seek out someone to contact. That’s who I’m worried about. The young ones that
the demons could pick off.”

“Agreed. I will see it done.” He flipped through a few things and handed me a list. “You’ll need

this.”

“The attaché list?” I asked, smiling when he nodded. “Good. Get them here as well.”
“To answer your earlier question,” Bas said quietly when Baylor walked away. “I don’t know.

It would depend I guess.” I had more questions then but he held up his hand. “We can try it. If it
doesn’t work, I won’t go anywhere. It’s not like I’ll end up in limbo and hurt. If I can’t get to where I
want, I go nowhere. It’s safe, I promise.”

“Good deal. Then let me handle some things and tomorrow maybe we’ll start tracking some

people down if we can. The rest is logistics and warrior stuff,” I assured him. “Go check on your
grandmother, Bas.”

“Okay, thank you.” I could see the relief in his eyes. I gave him a pat on the shoulder before he

jogged off.

“You wanted him gone,” Makari mumbled quietly, not making it a question.
“Yes, but I knew he wanted to see Magdalena as well,” I admitted. “He’s her grandson and half

fae but he’s still half vampire, head of the Council here, and grew up as one. I don’t want to put him
in the middle of this.”

“Are we making a move against the vampires?” he asked, his eyes going wide.
I shook my head before letting him see the firmness in my eyes. “No, but we’re done playing

nice. We’re not fucking paupers here looking for handouts. We came into this world, jumped through
all the hoops, the Queen nearly killing herself trying to make them all happy, and assimilating to the
way they do things. It ends. We are fae and they called the wrong powerful paranormals bugs.”

“Oh, I’m so glad to hear that,” he chuckled, rubbing his hands together in glee. “What first?”
“The Queen had you on her list to be named one of her advisors. I’m naming you head of the

warriors, Makari. That will be your role as her advisor. I’m sure she’d approve of that decision.”

“It would be my honor,” he said solemnly as he gave a half bow. “What would you ask of me

first?”

“We need to get our training in gear. No more of this filling in with the wolves, vampires, and

margays.”

“You want to pull our help?”
“No, not at all. But we need to train our warriors. They can have assignments and details at

those posts but back in training mode and their details need to know that they can be called away if
the fae require their people,” I said firmly. “My hope is we’ve made allies and they would be in
whatever fight we were in anyways. But if not, they need to understand where the loyalty lies.”

“Agreed. What else?”
“No more going through these Councils and their bureaucratic bullshit. I want you to get with

Errol in the morning, don’t tell him everything, we don’t want the vampires or anyone knowing what’s
going on with the Queen, simply that you’re taking command of our warriors. Tell him that you want
all the contacts of other warrior coordinators and from now on you’ll be handling weapons requests,
transport, and so on.”

“I can do that. What else?”
“I have more but not for you,” I chuckled. “That should keep you busy.”
“What else do you have planned though? I’m dying to know.”
I gave him my best evil smile. “We’re building a fucking palace. It’s not like our magic can’t

protect it and make it look like a normal estate house from the outside. We will make a massive
armory there and go Dubois hunting. We are the fae. Our goddamn Queen will have a palace.”

* * * *

My mate had noticed that something was up the next morning, seeing the flurry of people racing

around, and it was probably obvious that I hadn’t slept much. I assured him that we’d discuss it
later… After breakfast at Clove’s. Because on top of everything else, my friend and ex-lover was
having a meltdown about Kinkade and his other mate he’d met, needing my help and Kermy’s.

Like I could say no if I wanted to, which I didn’t, but I kind of should have because of everything

else. But since we didn’t want all the vampires knowing yet, I couldn’t exactly tell everyone or the
wolves why I couldn’t come. And the last thing I wanted to do was not let Kermy be there for his
brother.

So we had breakfast. It was interesting to say the least. I tried to keep up with it all but my mind

was racing with the enormous pile of things I had to do, the issues with the Queen, and my own
mating. Plus, I was just damn tired.

“If it’s okay with Elan, I’d like to help Jordy deliver the baskets,” Kermy said quietly, getting

my undivided attention. Shit. I was already planning on asking Mareo to help the wolves go collect
their belongings so my mate could stay with me. Kinkade stood and took his dishes to the sink before
kissing Kermy’s cheek.

Kermy gave his brother a wink and I bit my tongue. My mate was a good person and didn’t know

what was going on. Of course he would want to help his brother.

“I’d love to help as well and then we can get everyone’s belongings from Paris if Jordy

wouldn’t mind assisting us,” I offered, knowing I could get a slew of workers and we could get it
done in the blink of an eye and get back on track without drawing suspicion. Then my mate would be
safe and I could focus. Kinkade and Kermy exchanged a look I didn’t understand as I was already
texting Mareo that I needed help and could he meet me at Clove’s.

“What aren’t you telling us, Kinkade?” Clove asked quietly.
“There are demons who roam Paris that look specifically for shifters to snag to use as food,” he

admitted quietly. “We have taken some out when we come across them and Kermy knows how to
avoid them as do the others we left our pack with but I worry Jordy does not or if he can handle
himself in a fight.”

“Mareo, Foma, and Virgil will be with us picking things up for the Queen,” I said calmly. That

was the least of our concerns. “If there is a problem, I promise you I will open a portal home even if
it’s downtown Paris and bring us all back. I have very strong magic that can cloak us from human
minds. No one would be the wiser. Plus, we are going during the day.”

“Yes, all right then,” Kinkade agreed. “Not that you need my permission of course.”
“No, but I’m glad you care,” Jordy said shyly. I liked the little wolf. He had spunk and a big

heart. Just what Clove needed.

“I do,” Kinkade said. There was a pause as I answered another message Baylor sent me about

available land around here and the Queen not giving him an answer yet about if she would approve
the palace. “Kermy, if you would pick up some items for me as well before you leave Paris. I would
like to have extras for my mates.” Again, that got my attention as I bit back a growl. Why was he

bossing around my mate?

“We can go back anytime you want, my brother-in-law,” I hedged as I glanced between them.

Which was my nice way of saying, I’ll open a portal for you another time so you can get your own
fucking shit instead of telling my mate what to do, douche.

“Thank you. I appreciate that. But as long as you are already going to be there then might as well

stock up. I have a feeling we will need lots of it.” Except apparently subtle didn’t work with Kinkade.
I’d have to remember that.

“What are you up to?” Clove chuckled as he raised an eyebrow. Shit. Now I really couldn’t say

anything. Clove was happy. Balls. And Kermy didn’t seem to mind… Too much.

“Call it a housewarming present of my own.” Kinkade shrugged. “As well as a mating and

apology gift for being difficult.”

“I don’t see anything you need to apologize for,” Jordy said firmly as he gathered dirty plates

and started tossing them in the trash.

I saw Kermy glancing at what we’d been eating off as well and he gave me a quick, imploring

look. Well, I guess he figured out what he wanted to get them as their housewarming gift that he could
get anywhere and act like I’d already gotten it. Fine, whatever. If that was what he wanted.

Right then I wanted to smack Kinkade, but okay, shopping could work too.
When everyone else was wrapping up with breakfast I met my friends outside, sighing in relief

when I saw a few extras, Zion, Teagani, and Lavache. “Not on duty for Rylan?”

“He gave us some time off, saying he thought he’d rotate in some vampires while we tended to

things, not that he knows anything,” Zion chuckled, shooting Onah a glance.

“He’s my mate, Elan. What did you expect?” the man sighed.
“Exactly what you did,” I chuckled, shaking my head. “I’m just really glad he’s on our side like

this. I’ve always liked Rylan, but now I could give him a big hug. We’ll bring him something cool
back from Paris.”

“I’ve got the list from the Queen too,” Mareo hedged. “I thought we weren’t leaving until later?”
“Yeah, change of plans. My mate wants to get to know his brother’s mate and help him with

some deliveries, since he doesn’t know yet about what’s going on because he was sleeping, and well,
we don’t want everyone knowing yet and so I couldn’t not show up and risk all the wolves finding out
and who’s all here and—”

“Then shut up,” Kermy hissed as he came darting around the house. “I could hear you inside and

was talking so loud to drown you out! Just be quiet.”

“Right, yeah, forgot about the hearing,” I grumbled, pinching the bridge of my nose. I took a

couple of deep breaths. “We’re helping them deliver baskets. Then to Paris to get all their stuff. I will
have to leave in the middle of that. I have a meeting with Isaac Dragos to look over the new machines
for the bullet manufacturing that the margays made. He has the two prototypes at his estate in the old
barn where some of the vampires are helping.”

“So you’re busy all day but you’re rushing me to not spend time with my brother’s mate and my

friends?” Kermy asked, looking hurt beyond words.

“It’s incredibly complicated and it’s not all day,” I swore to him as I cupped his cheek. “I’m

trying to get this all done so I might meet you at home by lunch and explain it all to you. I didn’t have
time for breakfast, baby. I didn’t do this for Clove. I did it for you so you could be here for your
brother and I was here to support you. Yes, I wanted to help my friend, but he would have understood

if I told him something came up. Be patient with me.”

He searched my eyes for a moment and then nodded. “Fine, but I wish you would have told me

more before I agreed to do some extras for Kinkade.”

“I never actually heard you agree. I just heard him boss you around like his lackey,” I said

angrily. Kermy’s eyes went wide and I sighed. “I’m not mad at you. I don’t like the way he treats you.
You’re not his slave. You’re his little brother and that’s a bond to be respected. Not abused.”

“It’s complicated,” he mumbled. “He raised me and saved me when we left our old pack. He

still sees me as a little boy.”

“Elan understands having a complicated relationship with his brother,” Mareo said gently as he

held out his hand. “I’m excited to get to know the man my brother is so smitten with. Kermy, right?”

“Wow, gorgeous genes just run in your family,” Kermy giggled. We all laughed at that and then

Jordy joined us, joking that the troops were all here now.

There ended up only being ten baskets to deliver, which took us no time at all. Then I opened a

portal to Paris and at least I got to see my mate’s home and where he had been living. When it was
time for me to leave, I pulled my brother off to the side and gave him a hug that I hoped put all my
feelings into it.

“There is no one I would rather trust with my mate’s safety than you, Mareo,” I said firmly. “I

hope you believe that no matter what has transpired between us.”

“I will protect him with my life if it comes down to it. You know that, Elan. What else can I do

to help? I don’t know everything that happened but I heard bits of it last night.”

“You know this world better than most. I would ask help in finding those of our kind out in the

world. They need to be warned and brought in to safety. Would you help lead those on that mission?”

“Of course. I will discuss it with Foma and Virgil the moment we are done here,” he assured

me.

“Thank you, brother.” I opened a portal to Isaac’s, and as I stepped through it, I felt much better

about everything that needed to be done. I had good people at my back and all the help I could ask for.

That didn’t mean I wouldn’t rather have been helping my mate pack his belongings to move into

our temporary home. I’d have to make sure he had lots of input on our suite in the new palace so he
felt included as opposed to now where he had no clue what was going on.

Or making love. Actually, I changed my answer to that. I’d much rather have been making love

to my mate.

Isaac gave me the “fifty-cent tour” as he called it, showing me the ins and outs of the new setup

in his old family barn and where they planned on extending it for the extra manufacturing of the
ultraviolet bullets. We were going through them too fast and now that every other coven and Council
was scrambling to get some we were also sharing them too often.

Plus, with the news that the demons could turn humans into evil beings like them, there really

was no telling how many were out there.

The margays did an impressive job. It was really simple for the complexity of the product. I met

Adley Milton, the chemical engineer on the project who was in charge of the formulas. It seemed that
working with the ultraviolet compound wasn’t as simple as mixing ingredients for cake batter and the
science went well over my head.

But we had smart people and scientists too. One of our fae could figure this out with Adley’s

help. The rest was making sure that there were the components for the casings, watching the gauges on

the machine, and checking the finished product. It took a team of four to safely run each machine
though six would be soundest, they said. We could do that easily.

The output was impressive, but like any new technology, there were a few hiccups. They found

that it was best to run it four hours at a time with two-hour breaks in between as opposed to eight
hours or more with overnight stopping like normal production lines. Again, we could work with that.
Training for several hours, work a four-hour shift on the machine, still fit in a life or take a guard shift
here and there.

It was completely doable. Now I just had to speak with King Rylan about how fast we could get

one and what we had to do to get the guns that fired them. Most of our people had been training with
guns, but we weren’t that proficient. That would have to change and fast. I wanted a sword more, but
for distance, we needed the guns.

Hell, I wanted a damn pulse blaster of ultraviolet lights and I had told them that.
“Why hadn’t I thought of that?” Adley gasped, staring at me with wide eyes. “I must speak to

Rylan about that. We could do that. Load it on the roofs of the palace and houses for protection.
Maybe even a mobile one we could bring through a portal like a proton pack from Ghostbusters.”

“Glad I could help and whatever you need I’ll provide,” I assured him as smoothly as I could,

excited it had been my idea now. “I get the first prototype as the visionary, right? Is that how it
works?”

He eyed me over for a moment and nodded. “I have a request though.” I smiled, figuring I had a

guess what he wanted and waved him to go ahead. “I came here from the West Coast and miss Napa
Valley. My favorite vineyard won’t ship their wine and cheese though. I’ll speak with Riley about
making sure this is a project contracted out by the fae, as this was for the margays, if I can get some.”
Then he realized how rude and demanding that sounded, his eyes going wide. “Please?”

I nodded as I wrote down Baylor’s number on the pad I’d been jotting notes on. “Text Baylor the

information and I’ll make sure you have your fill of it through the project and any others we work
together on. You’ll see the fae treat our friends very well, Adley, and we respect those who ask and
give when we ask.”

“I’ll have to remember that when my mate’s birthday comes around,” Isaac teased. He and I got

along well so I’d help him no matter what. “I heard you met one of yours by the way. When do Rory
and I get to meet him?”

“Very soon hopefully. With last night’s chaos with the Western European High Council, we’ve

all  been  scrambling  slightly.  It  just  came  at  a  bad  time,  and  with  all  of  us  trying  to  juggle  so  many
things  and  reorganizing,  I  just  wish  I  had  more  fun  to  give  him  instead  of  worry.”  While  we  hadn’t
told  anyone  about  the  Queen  or  that  I  was  temporarily  in  charge,  some  already  knew  that  Dubois
being the bad guy was already out of the bag to everyone.

Originally it had just been our coven who knew the Councilman was a traitor. Now the whole

paranormal world knew. Isaac was a trainer at the warrior compound for gods sakes. There was no
way he hadn’t heard the updated news last night.

We wrapped things up and Isaac excused himself to handle a few things after I assured him I’d

be fine. I wanted to walk around a bit, wrap my head around getting something set up even at Bas’s
place until we figured out what we were doing for our palace. I sent a few messages to Baylor and
Makari that it went well and this was a good step. We needed to start getting weapons though and
working more on training with guns.

They both agreed, and as head of the warriors now, Makari said he would start scheduling

classes and making sure Stefan or Damian Marius was teaching them. Stefan was the arms expert but
Damian was the sharpshooter. We would want both.

I was so lost in thought I hadn’t even realized that I’d wandered out of the barn and was right

outside the dormitory that they had built on the property. I guess the coven that had been displaced by
the first attacks was one that was used to living this way and had liked the idea. They were artists and
were a very tight-knit community. I had always respected Isaac and Rory for letting them come and
building a place for them.

It took kind people to be willing to do that for strangers.
I glanced up and looked in through the bay windows, not trying to be nosy but simply curious,

when I snapped back to my surroundings. I hadn’t heard much about these vampires besides they kept
to themselves and were a little reclusive. The studio I was looking into was gorgeous though.
Whoever the painter was had great talent. The likenesses were dead-on.

I frowned when I saw a few canvases with people I knew though. I was pretty sure they hadn’t

been out here or would have mentioned in conversation that they’d had a painting done. Plus, it
wasn’t a portrait. It was an odd picture to have asked someone to paint. I kept looking at what I could
see and froze when I saw myself… The moment when Kermy jumped me yesterday in Paris.

How the fuck could that have been painted? And we sure as hell didn’t ask anyone to do it.
I raced around to the front of the building, counting windows as I went to figure out where that

room had been. It took every ounce of control I had not to rip the door off the hinges or barrel through
the hallways as I entered the dormitory. When I reached the studio, I couldn’t keep it in. I barged in
without knocking or even being civil… Only to find something much worse.

“You dare threaten my Queen!” I roared as I stormed over to the man painting. He blinked at me

in shock as if coming out of a trance or something. Hadn’t he heard the ruckus I’d already made
coming into his studio? I wrapped my hand around his throat and lifted him up so we were eye level,
which was a long way since he was pretty short compared to me. I gestured to what was on the
canvas. “That will never come to pass! I will kill you first before you even try to make that happen.”

“Not me,” he gasped, whimpering as he clawed at my hand.
“Who? Who is working with you?” I snarled as I shook him. “Who is the threat?” I glanced at

the painting again and had to look away. It was eerily vivid and I couldn’t take seeing the Queen like
that, her head next to her body, blood everywhere. “When are they coming for her?”

“I don’t know. Can’t breathe.” His eyes fluttered and he did look a little bluish so I loosened my

hold. I’d never get answers from him if I killed him… Yet. He took a deep gasp of air and then his
eyes filled with tears when he started breathing through his nose. “All I can see and never did I see
this coming. This was not how I ever wanted to meet my mate.”

“Mate?” I whispered, my eyes going wide, but he didn’t answer me, breaking down into quiet

sobs. Well shit.

Chapter 5

“Okay, okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” I whispered after a few minutes, already having set him

on the couch and letting him curl into a ball. “Just tell me your name.”

“Talcott Gasper,” he whimpered. “I don’t know who the woman is or who kills her. My curse is

visions. All I know is that the path she’s on currently leads to her death.” He gestured around the
room, not even looking up. “All of them are visions. If I don’t paint them they fester in my head and I
can’t think or move past them. So when I was of age I moved to a coven of artists and hid with them,
knowing they’d leave me be, as opposed to my birth coven, who were horrid to me.”

“I understand being different,” I admitted, trying to swallow my anger and fear at what he’d

painted. “Do the visions ever change? That’s my Queen you painted, Talcott. The Queen of all the fae.
Is there any way to save her?”

“Yes, the visions can change,” he sighed. “I don’t know how to change them though. It’s the

course she’s on. If she changes courses then the vision will change. I stay secluded so I don’t have to
see them.”

“If you got close to her would you see more?”
“Don’t ask that of me,” he begged me as he turned and met my gaze. “You don’t know what you

ask of me. I can’t control my gift like others. It’s a curse and haunts me. I keep as far away from
people as I can.”

“Now that I might be able to help with,” I said gently. “There are a lot of talented and strong

vampires, not to mention fae of magic in this coven. Someone has got to be able to help you.” I took a
deep breath and bit the bullet. “Besides, you said we were mates. I can’t stay here with you, Talcott. I
have another mate waiting for me. Your mate too, and I’m the Queen’s second. I have people who
rely on me and she needs me.”

“Fae get two mates?” he asked as he stared at my throat. Apparently no one told him much of

anything and he really did stay in seclusion. “You acknowledge I’m your mate then? You smell me?”

“Fae get two but we can’t smell our mates as you do. We tell when the mating bond snaps into

place during sex,” I explained, smiling when lust filled his eyes. I reached out, pausing when he
flinched. Then when he didn’t pull away I cupped his cheek. “I believe you that the vision was your
gift and not a threat. It explains the other paintings I saw. You have no reason to lie that I’m your
mate. So yes, I acknowledge what you say.”

“Thank you.” He sighed as I pulled him to me, hugging him gently. Yes, I wanted to hold my

mate, but I also needed his help and for that to happen he needed to relax and realize I wasn’t the
enemy.

“We’ll figure this out, Talcott. We’ll get my blood de—”
“Yes, blood,” he snarled before sinking his fangs into me.
“Fuck!” I roared, my cock instantly going hard and exploding. In the back of my mind I cursed

for a whole other reason. Now we were going to have an additional list of issues. When he was done
drinking I started to come back down from the orgasm that left me sticky and spent in my pants. Great.
There was even a wet spot like I was some untouched teenager.

“You taste funny.” He licked his bite and I shivered as he leaned back. Talcott’s pupils were as

big as saucers. “I should clean you up. What else do you need, my mate? I’d call you by your name
but you haven’t told me it yet. I really should know that. Do you not want me to know it? I want what

you want of course.”

“Oh crap,” I groaned, remembering how Maverick, Asterio’s mate, had gotten when this had

happened. This was so not the time for this.

“Oh crap can’t be your name,” he argued as he slid off my lap and pushed me back against the

cushions.

He quickly unzipped my fly and I didn’t stop him, only because I was thrown for a loop at the

turn of events. This was too bizarre for words. It really was. But I could tell he wasn’t used to
dealing with handling someone else’s pants often from the way he fumbled with them. That at least
made me feel better.

“All the towels I have are dirty with paint and paper towels are too rough,” he rambled as he

knelt down. Then my little mate shrugged. “My mate deserves the best. I’ll just lick it clean and blow
you.”

“Um, okay.” Right, because any man would ever say no to that. Ever.
“You have a very handsome cock. It’s huge. I’ve never seen a cock this big. It would make you

happy if I swallow it, right? I’ll swallow it all the way, I promise.” He tried to before I could say
anything and either didn’t know what he was really doing or his manic state made him overexuberant
instead of logical on how it wouldn’t exactly fit. I’m not really sure. There wasn’t much blood in my
brain at the time.

“Slow down, Talcott. It’s okay,” I said gently as I tried to move away. He pulled off and I saw

blatant fear in his eyes.

“No! You won’t ever love me if I can’t please you. You have to love me one day. You won’t

even tell me your name. We’ll just have sex instead and I’ll learn how to give a blow job. I’ll learn.
That’s what we’ll do.”

“My name is Elan,” I whispered, a little panicked at the situation. I was really out of my league

here.

“Elan. Last name?” He rolled to his feet and whipped off his shirt. He wasn’t wearing shoes and

for a moment I just stared at his lithe form. I should stop this. I was trying to figure out how to stop
this without having him freak out again.

“The fae don’t have them. We are known as Elan, son of our fathers technically, but mine is long

gone, so it’s just Elan.” He bobbed his head again in that cute manner… Well it would have been cute
if it wasn’t because of the drug-induced state. I did really like his orange hair. It wasn’t bright orange,
more a reddish orange. Either way, it was cut short and sticking up all over the place and it was sexy.

“I like it. It suits you.” He yanked off his pants, having been commando, and I groaned. I loved

that. So hot. “I’m already slicked up and stretched because—”

That got my attention. In a flash I grabbed him and moved him under me on the couch,

surrounding him with my large frame. “Who has been intimate with my mate? I will kill them! Why
are you stretched and ready to be fucked, Talcott?”

“I was playing with myself earlier,” he moaned as he wrapped his legs around me and moved

my hand to the toy in his ass. “So hot when you get all growly and demanding. Just not with the hand
around my throat. Though, I guess I could learn to love that if you wanted. I’d do anything for you,
Elan. I just want to make you happy. I’ve never been into pain before, but if you beat me I won’t
complain like I did with the others.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” I whispered in horror. I leaned down and kissed him softly. “I won’t ever hurt

my mate. I’m not into choking during sex or anything that rough. I thought you were threatening my
Queen. Now that I know better I will treat you like a prince, okay? Only pleasure.”

“I might like a little pain. I don’t really know what I like besides playing with toys sometimes.

I’ve only had sex once and we didn’t finish because I had a vision during it and he called me a freak
and beat me up. Is that bad that I don’t have experience? I’ll learn whatever you want, Elan.”

Shit. I really didn’t know the right answer to that so I went with my honest response. “I hate that

was how your first time having sex went but I do like that you don’t have much experience. We’ll
learn what you like together and with our other mate, Kermy.”

“You don’t need another mate. I can be all that you need. Please? Let me show you. I can be

what you need!” He was crying at the end of his ramble and I sighed, lowering my forehead to his.

“No, our first time cannot be when you’re all doped up on my blood.”
“No!” he screamed. “Please! You have to want me. I’ll do anything!” I felt him pull out the plug

and grab my cock. “Shove it in, Elan. You’ll enjoy it. Fuck me however you want. I’ll give you every
fantasy.”

Now I wanted to cry. The desperation in his tone was heart wrenching. He pushed the head of

my dick into him and I did the only thing I could think of even if I was a chicken and didn’t look at
him when I did it. “Sleep, my mate.” My magic flared and I felt him go limp. Damnit. This was such a
mess. I moved off of him, giving his plump lips a quick kiss before fixing my clothes and then
redressing him.

I grabbed the painting after moving Talcott over my shoulder, opened a portal to my room, and

added several new missions onto my day’s list… Getting Talcott help with his gift, despelling my
blood, seeing if there was a way to hurry my blood out of his system, and explaining it all to Kermy
on top of what I already had to discuss with him.

And now it was well past the time I was supposed to have met him for lunch and he wasn’t in

my room.

Fuck, fuck, and just fuck.
I tucked Talcott into my bed, closed the portal, and hid the painting in the bathroom since it was

still drying. Then I hurried downstairs after magically sealing the room so no one could enter or exit
and keeping it wrapped in a protective bubble. That way no one would bother Talcott or register with
his visions… And he couldn’t wander off in his confused, manic state.

Of course, just as the past twenty-four hours had been going, I couldn’t just walk into a peaceful

lunch. Oh no, I had to walk into drama. Even if lunch was pretty much over.

“You are just delectable,” Lovis purred as he moved over to my mate, who was making a plate

for himself at the sideboard. “I mean, breathtaking and just edible. What do you say we forget the
food and eat each other for the rest of the afternoon, darling wolf?” I had to clench my fists, take a
deep breath, and remind myself that Lovis was my friend and didn’t know Kermy was my mate.

“No thank you, I’m spoken for,” Kermy said politely but moved further away.
“How spoken for?” Lovis was laying it on really thick but I couldn’t say I blamed him. Even if

Kermy wasn’t my mate I would have given just about anything to have been with him. “I mean, you
just like the guy or committed relationship spoken for?” He reached out to touch Kermy’s thick
chocolate-brown hair with light brown highlights that went down almost to the middle of his back.

“Mated spoken for,” Kermy growled and stepped away. “Falling for my mate spoken for and not

open to flirting, entertaining the idea of other men, or letting them hit on me spoken for.”

Thank the gods. At least something was going well but that also meant I had to handle this just

right because others saw me witnessing it. I knew enough about wolf culture that this was when I
needed to show everyone here that I accepted what Kermy said and was the only person my mate
answered to as his Alpha-ish type. Something like that. I’d seen it with Darcy and Ayden.

“Show them who you belong to, Kermy,” I ordered in a husky voice. My mate set down his plate

as he shivered at my tone, then he turned to face me and moved closer like a moth drawn to a flame.
The height difference was too much so he couldn’t just drop to his knees. Realizing that, I grabbed a
chair and brought it in front of me. He looked at it and then up at my face. “You pleased me with your
declaration and loyalty to our mating. Now it’s time to please me and show them.”

“You’re claiming me in front of them after someone tried to move in on your turf like you were a

wolf,” he whispered in awe.

“My mate is a wolf and I’m falling for him too,” I said gently, cupping his cheek. “I know

enough about wolves that it’s a matter of them seeing that.” I gave him a wink. “I’ll suffer the hardship
to keep with my mate’s customs. Now please your mate.” He shivered and unzipped my pants. He
flinched and gave me big, sad eyes, making me understand what he smelled. “I met our other mate. I
was not unfaithful. It’s complicated but I came to find you to explain.”

“After we show them then,” he whispered with a nod, kneeling on the chair. “I just need to know

this isn’t about guilt. You want this, right?”

“Yes, very much so. I was honored by what you said to Lovis not knowing I was here. I want

them all to know who you belong to, Kermy, as I belong to you.”

“Right answer,” he growled as he pulled out my cock and swallowed half of it down.

* * * *

Kermy

I felt a thrill go through me at my mate’s deep groan. Elan tasted fantastic. I mean out of this

world, officially my new favorite treat, good. I kept swallowing over and over again as I took more
of him down my throat. I’d never had much of a gag reflex, and given the only thing I’d done sexually
was blow jobs, I’d gotten kind of good at them.

“Fuck, he can take all of you,” someone moaned.
“Kermy is mine!” Elan bellowed.
“Yes I am,” I agreed. “Maybe you should grab my hair and show them.” I blinked up at him

and let him see that I wanted it. He gave me a feral smile as he did just that, gently thrusting into my
willing mouth.

“Best mate ever.”
But not his only mate anymore, I thought to myself, worried and wondering what other issues we

had now. That had to wait. Right now, I was getting the fantasy I’d always wanted of my mate
claiming me in a carnal way in front of all of his friends. He valued me enough to show me off in front
of all of them. It was so hot.

“Swallow it all down, my sexy wolf,” he growled as he got close.
I squeezed his sac to let him know I’d heard, and he gave a grunt and hissed out my name as he

shot down my throat. I swallowed his load, moaning at the taste of it as I did my best to not let any of

it escape. A little did and when he pulled his still-hard cock out of my mouth his nostrils flared at the
sight of his seed on my lips.

“Don’t,” he ordered when I went to lick it. “I like it there and I need more. My mate is just too

tempting.”

I shivered at the intensity of his tone. “I give myself to you freely and always, Elan. You are my

mate and my body is yours. Take what you need from me.”

“Fuck. I’m the luckiest bastard ever.” He lifted me into his arms, stripping me with ease and

then moving me onto the table for all to see. “Not too much?”

“I love that you’ve got me spread out like a buffet, claiming me for all your friends to see

because I matter so much to you,” I whispered as I ran my hands over his arms.

“And you do. You matter so much to me,” he said in a choked voice. I saw the worry in his eyes

and tension in his muscles. “I need you. Today has been—things have not been—I can’t lose—”

I got it then. “I’m not going anywhere, Elan,” I assured him. “I wouldn’t let you claim me for all

to see if I had any doubts. I’m yours. We’ll get through this. Let me ease your worries. Take comfort
in my arms.”

“Thank you, my darling mate,” he sighed as he pushed into my body. He leaned over me and

buried his face against my neck, pressing his lips against my ear. “I need you so much and not just
this, Kermy. I would never admit this to anyone else but I’m scared. I’m worried. Things just got a lot
more complicated and I don’t know if I can fix it all.”

“My mate is awesome. He can handle whatever challenge is before him,” I said firmly, not

doubting it even though I’d only known Elan a short time. He was amazing. “And he’s got loyal
friends who will help and I’ll do whatever I can as well. We’ll figure it out. Get some of the stress
out and then we’ll set up a plan. Then I’ll show you the presents I got in Paris and we’ll get caught up.
Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Thank you.” He kissed my neck and leaned back up and I gave him a questioning look. “You

are so gorgeous when you’re in the throes of passion. I don’t want to miss a second of it.” He started
thrusting into me hard and fast enough to make some of the dishes on the table clatter. I mewled as I
stretched my arms overhead. “My mate is gorgeous, is he not?”

“I’d do anything to have him,” someone agreed. “He’s breathtaking and so responsive.”
“And he’s giving. He gives me everything I ask for and more,” Elan grunted as he took me faster.

“He’s the perfect mate. Kermy is precious and he is claimed. Spread the word. I’ll take him every
day at every meal if that’s what it takes to get people to realize that he is taken and not a free agent.” I
smiled up at him but thought that might be just a little much. Or a lot much. But I understood the
sentiment and that was all that mattered right then.

“Enough with your claim and center on us and relieving your stress. Take comfort in me,

Elan,” I said gently in our mating link. I saw relief in his eyes. I licked my lips and moaned at the
taste of him, trying to get my mate to focus. It worked because he growled and mashed his mouth to
mine, his tongue tasting every inch of me as his hips pumped furiously.

I relished in the primal mating, our bodies coming together, and just being with my Elan so much

that everything slipped away. I didn’t even know others were there anymore. When I got close I
whimpered and begged him for my release, knowing he needed some control when everything else
seemed too much for him to handle.

“Give me your pleasure,” he demanded. I felt my eyes go wide as my body listened to my mate

again. I cried out as I came so hard it almost hurt. Elan ground his hips against me, pushing me into the
table as he filled me with his seed. I really did love that part.

“Now I’m just horny,” someone bitched and I had to bite my lip to keep back the chuckle

building in my chest.

“Thank you, my darling mate,” Elan whispered against my neck. “I didn’t realize how much I

needed that. Things have been building so quickly and all of a sudden I was spinning out of control.
But then you were telling Lovis everything I so desperately wanted to hear from the man I’m falling
for, and when you smelled what you did I realized I would die if I hurt you or lost you.”

“It’s okay. I knew you’d have another mate. Let’s eat and you can fill me in.” I knew it wasn’t as

easy as that but Elan obviously needed support and as his mate it was my duty to give it to him. Plus, I
already knew there wasn’t a mean bone in his body when it came to the people he cared about. He
nodded and pulled out of me, muttering under his breath. Instantly I was cleaned up and like I’d just
showered. “That’s a neat trick.”

“Perks of being mated to me. I feel you should know it won’t all be bad,” he said quietly, still

worried.

“I know how big your heart is and how much you care for me.” He met my gaze then and raised

an eyebrow. “It might have something to do with the money I found suddenly in my pockets after you
left while we were packing before we went shopping.” I said money, but in truth I’d found a small
fortune in gems in the side zipper pocket of my pants.

His cheeks heated slightly. “I know Kinkade gave you money for his list but I wanted you to be

able to get whatever you needed. I didn’t know how to ask if you had your own means or risk
offending you by saying I’d give you money, so I figured you’d find it and know to use it as you
wanted.”

“Except it was a little hard to explain when I pulled them out in front of your brother and Foma,”

I chuckled nervously. “They have questions now.”

“I wasn’t thinking,” he groaned. “I should have just given you my debit card. I had so much on

my mind and it was stupid but I wanted you to have what you needed as if that would make everything
else okay—”

“Hey, it’s okay.” I hopped off the table and hugged him. “I told them you robbed a jewelry store

to give me because I’m totally high maintenance. They knew it was a joke but they’ll ask you. I just
left it for you to handle it however you wanted. I did end up cashing a few in and using the money so
thank you. I don’t have my own money. Kinkade takes jobs and provides for both of us. I know you
don’t like how bossy he is with me but there’s more to the story. It can wait though.”

“It shouldn’t have to,” he sighed as he ran his hands over my hair. “I’m a bad mate.”
“No you’re not,” I giggled as I stared up at him. “We’ve been mated for two days. Now fill your

mate in and feed me. I’m starving. I know about the fight last night but Mareo said there’s more and
knew you weren’t keeping it from me and wanted to tell me but thought it should come from you. I
really like him by the way. He told me about your fight. I’m glad you guys made up.”

“Me too,” Elan admitted as he handed me my plate and made up his own. “There was a hole in

my heart for a long time from losing him.”

“Glad to hear it,” Mareo said from the far corner of the room. “I felt the same.” We both glanced

at him and I winced. I hadn’t known he’d been there. “Don’t worry. I kept my eyes closed for the
show. I’m just glad to see my brother happy.”

“Yeah, it was interesting and all but I was told you wanted answers right away and I have

them,” the fae healer drawled. I didn’t know his name yet.

“Loch, always so charming,” Elan chuckled. “Have you met my mate, Kermy?”
“No.”
I blinked at the man for a second. “Hi, I’m Kermy.”
“I know, he just told me that,” the man replied, looking at me funny before glancing at Elan. “Is

he big on manners? Do we have to shake too? Or sniff asses? Someone told me that’s a wolf thing but
I never know if they’re just teasing me now.”

“You have a dry sense of humor and not the best people skills,” Elan drawled as we sat down,

saying it more for my benefit than Loch’s. “Of course they tease you. No, you don’t have to shake and
if you put your nose near my mate’s ass I’ll beat you. He was just being polite.”

“Oh well, hi then.” Loch still looked a little perturbed but I could deal with that. At least it

wasn’t an ego thing like I wasn’t good enough to talk to. “Anyways, you were right. Our blood is
toxic to the demons. Now what the hell went on last night? Fill at least us in before you talk to
everyone tomorrow morning and then I can make sense of the rest of the information Baylor requested
of me and present it to you.”

I sat there and listened to Elan for the next half an hour, each bite I took becoming heavier and

heavier in my stomach. Holy shit! My poor mate had his whole world turned upside down in one
fucking day… And we’d not even gotten to the part where he’d met his other mate and why he wasn’t
here at lunch. I had a sinking suspicion that couldn’t be good either.

Chapter 6

Elan

“Wow. Okay, now I get some of it,” Loch mumbled, shaking his head when I was done talking

about last night. I glanced at Kermy, who looked concerned but not like he was going to run. He was
done eating and rubbing my arm for support. I appreciated that. “Okay, so Riley can tell the difference
between human turned demons and vampire ones. Our blood is like acid to the human ones. We think
it’s because they were made with evil magic and pure magic runs in us.”

“Then we really need to bring in our people who have lived in this world and didn’t come over

from the other plane with us to safety,” I said quietly. “Dubois knows or knows something is up with
us. There was a reason he killed Nahal. He was trying to keep more of us from coming to this world.
We need them safe.”

“Agreed. What would you have us do?” Lovis asked. “And who are these attachés?”
“You’re one of them,” I chuckled. “And we’ll get to that. For today, I want Tanzi to show

everyone how to write the old call signs. It was the ancient way of declaring where the portals were
when we used to change them. The younger ones won’t know what they mean, but hopefully at least
we can leave them a trail of breadcrumbs on how to contact us or something.”

“Are these call signs in a different language or something?” Kermy asked, his eyebrows

scrunched together in thought. “I mean, what’s to keep the demons or our enemies from reading them
too?”

“They’re written in magic,” I answered, nodding to Tanzi. He stood and chanted as he drew one

on the wall. I knew every fae in the room could see it, while anyone else there who wasn’t saw
nothing.

“Right, he just drew nothing with his fingers to me,” my mate giggled. “But I get that he did

something more, as was your point. So not to sound like an idiot here or like I don’t respect your
ways, but you said it was an ancient way of doing things and they were to lead people to portals but
that’s not the case now, you want like a warning for danger sign, right?”

“Yes, young wolf,” Tanzi hedged, glancing between us. “Your help is welcome as well as your

ideas. You are the mate to Elan. We know you would not laugh at our ways and an outside
perspective is helpful.”

“Thanks.” Kermy gave him a bright grin that would have made me melt like butter if it had been

directed at me. “Can’t you just write fae in danger, call to check in and like leave a phone number or
something?” I blinked at him in shock as I’m pretty sure everyone else did as well. As the silence
dragged on, he started to squirm in his seat. “Yeah, sorry, totally stupid.”

“No, it’s a great idea,” I assured him. “We were making this more complicated than it needed to

be. Thank you. I’m just, yeah, I can’t believe I didn’t think to just say that.” I leaned down and kissed
the top of his head. “My mate is gorgeous and smart.”

“So start with the major cities? Group up with those who can open portals and mark as many

surfaces as we can?” Asterio asked.

“Yes, leave royal emergency and Baylor’s number. We’ll get more lines hooked up to it or

something.” I glanced at Baylor who nodded. “Or a line just for this, which we’ll make sure
someone’s always answering. You’re coordinating enough.”

“That might be better,” he agreed.
Next I explained about meeting with Isaac and telling them about the machines. “We want them.

Makari is head of our warriors now and will work on getting us all more proficient with guns.
Baylor, set up a meeting with King Rylan. We’ll get those machines and work in shifts to make more
bullets even if we have to use magic to make the components.”

“I was able to use magic to make the sword when I was bored one day,” Loch said quietly. “It

wasn’t exact because I’m not as old as you or anything, but Riley was thrilled. I guess it takes a lot to
make the glass for the sword just exact. So we could offer that.”

“Done. If we’re shown how, I know Lovis, Makari, Tanzi, and I could spend a few hours and

make dozens of them,” I replied with a wide smile. “Well done, Loch. There is a chemist who is
heading the project with Riley, Adley Milton. I want you to meet with him and figure out who of ours
could learn to do the same. Who was the chemist you used to have help you with your potions?”

“Hadar, but he left our plane many years ago and never came back,” the man said sadly. I had a

feeling there was more to the story then.

“Bas has offered to help us by teleporting to those we can give him images of. We might be able

to find him right away.” He nodded and I took a deep breath. “While at Isaac’s I found my other mate.
Unfortunately, as things have been going lately there were some problems. It seems his gift, though he
called it a curse, is to get glimpses of the future of the path a person is on.”

I explained what Talcott had told me and the painting, leaving off some of the more graphic

details but letting them know her head had been severed.

“That’s not possible,” Lovis whispered in horror. “It’s just not.”
“I know the Queen is totally badass and has said she’s basically indestructible but everyone can

die,” Virgil said quietly. I hadn’t even noticed he was there, to be honest. There was so much going
on and a lot of people there.

I glanced around, really paying attention now. Maverick and Tyler were there, having mated

Asterio, and Virgil of course. Onah wasn’t there because I’m sure he was busy with Rylan. Digger
and Miles were there since this was their house and all and they were Bas’s mates. I sighed after
sharing a glance with Makari.

“Look, I know you guys are vampires or wolves first, but this is a closely guarded secret. I ask

you never tell, okay?”

“Is it something that is a threat to our friends and family?” Maverick asked hesitantly.
“No, not in the slightest. Just a secret of the fae.”
“Then there’s no reason we can’t keep it to ourselves,” Virgil said firmly. I glanced around and

saw everyone nodding… Except my mate.

“I know you just met me and Kinkade is your brother, but there is nothing I’ve asked you to tell

me about all the wolves,” I hedged. “I trusted you with my secret last night. There are things you will
learn as my mate that you can’t tell people.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” he sighed, running his hands over his head. “It just kind of seems since

we’ve mated that’s all I’m doing is keeping things from my only family.”

“It won’t always be this way.” When he put it that way I could understand his hesitation. “And

we’re going to tell everyone about my taking charge of the fae tomorrow. We just wanted to get
certain things in place first so we didn’t appear weak. This secret is a strength but it’s something that
we don’t come into until we’re very old and people wouldn’t understand that.”

“If they learned of it, they’d take our young to try and figure out how to make it so they were like

us,” Tanzi explained. Everyone who didn’t know stared at us funny, and I realized they just wouldn’t
get it until they saw what we meant. I gave my mate a soft smile.

“I trust you.” I stood and walked over to Lovis who did as well, picking up a sword off a chair.
“Elan, what are you doing?” Kermy asked in a panicked voice. “No playing in the dining room.”
“I promise you it’s fine.” I glanced at Lovis and nodded. “Do it.” He drew back the sword and

swung it at me with all his strength.

“No!” Kermy screeched, my heart hurting at the pain in his tone. But I knew what would happen.

The sword shattered when it hit me, slicing my shirt but that was it. I turned to face everyone and
showed them I was unscathed. My mate was sobbing into his hands, not even looking at me. Oh shit.

“Kermy, baby, look at me, I’m fine,” I assured him as I darted over to him. He shook his head

and I pulled his hands away from his face but then let them go. “The sword broke. It can’t hurt me.”

“What?” he gasped and blinked up at me. His eyes darted around as he wiped his tears away.

Then he touched my ruined shirt. Next thing I knew he was punching my chest. “Don’t you ever do that
to me again! What the fuck were you thinking? That was a horrible thing to do to me.”

“I’m sorry. I told you it would be fine.”
“He was going to hit you with a sword,” Kermy snarled. “In what world would that end in

everything being fine?”

“In our world,” Loch drawled. I shot him an unfriendly look.
“I don’t get what just happened but all I can care about is you’re okay,” my mate cried as he

leapt onto me. I held him closely as I ran my hands soothingly down his back.

“I’m sorry. Just telling everyone doesn’t work. It’s a visual thing.” He nodded against me but I

still heard his soft sniffles. “When we reach a certain age, our bodies start to petrify.”

“I always thought it was just our magic focuses there and destroys the threat,” Tanzi argued. I

glanced over to him and he shrugged. “I don’t feel any more like a rock. Do you? I mean, rocks can
still be broken. We’re not the vamps from Twilight or Interview with the Vampire here. I thought it
was our magic.”

“Either way,” I chuckled, loving he’d made such a reference. I hoped to be up to date on this

world’s culture like that one day. “The point we’re making is it’s not possible to sever Magdalena’s
head. Pazel, start combing the archives. I want to know how it’s possible since Magdalena’s at least
twice my age. There should be no way this could happen.”

“And yet you’re scared enough over a vision that a vampire had and painted?” Lavache asked

gently. “I get he’s your mate and all, but how accurate are their gifts with these kind of things?”

“Very,” every vampire in the room said but it was Maverick who continued. “I’ve known a few

who have gifts like these over my years. I get Elan’s point that it shouldn’t be able to happen.
Impressive by the way, but there’s always a loophole. Otherwise none of your people would die after
a certain age and we’ve known some who have.”

“Like my mom,” Bas whispered sadly.
“She wasn’t old enough,” Baylor said gently. “But Maverick is right.”
“If you’ve known others can you find help for Talcott to control his gift? Maybe focus it so we

can get more answers?”

“Ask one of the Kappas,” Kermy mumbled as he pulled away from me. “If there’s anyone who

had to learn to control a powerful, life-crippling gift, it would be one of them.”

“Brilliant.” I leaned in to kiss him and he turned away.
“Still pissy with you.”
I kissed his cheek. “I am sorry.” He nodded and sat back down in his chair. I caught a stray

thought in the room and focused on Tyler. “What?”

“Awww, shit,” he groaned. I glanced at Lovis and Tanzi, seeing they were pissed too. Good.

They’d heard it. “Come on, guys. So not my place to get involved. He’s my elder.”

“What’s going on?” Maverick growled as he pushed his mate behind him as Asterio stepped in

front of both of them.

“Elan, these are my mates,” Asterio said darkly.
“We’re not pissed at Tyler,” I assured him, taking a deep breath to calm down. “He’s in no

danger. He thought something that makes me want to beat Elder Dawson though.” I glanced around,
remembering there were lots of people in the room. “We’ll discuss it in private though. Loch, is there
any way to speed up the process of getting my blood out of Talcott’s system?”

“Why did you let him bite you, you idiot?” Loch blanched.
“He kind of just jumped me after I calmed him down after threatening to kill him while having

my hand wrapped around his throat when I saw the painting,” I growled. “It didn’t go as how I ever
planned to meet my mate, okay? And then he went all loony and yeah, it got worse and I had to knock
him out—” I bit my lip and closed my eyes as I choked on the words. I leaned over the table, my heart
hurting as I thought about how we’d met.

“You didn’t tell us all of that,” Kermy said gently as he rubbed my back.
“I didn’t want everyone to know our private business. I was going to tell you when we were

alone before we woke Talcott. He’ll hate me even more for telling everyone. Not only did I threaten
him, I basically drugged him with my blood by not stopping him, then I denied him when he was
freaking out and begging me, then I knocked him out and brought him here without even asking. He’ll
never forgive me. I’ve ruined everything.”

“You’re really hot. It’s hard to stay mad at someone as sexy as you,” Kermy assured me. I

blinked in shock and glanced at him, my eyes going wide at his serious face. Then he smirked at me
and I couldn’t help but laugh. And gods, did I need that laugh right then. I saw in his eyes that all was
forgiven now that he understood how hard things had been going for me too. Damn, he was an
awesome mate.

“You are so perfect and very soon I know I will love you forever,” I whispered as I gave him a

quick kiss.

“Yeah, you’re totally forgiven,” he giggled. “No more demonstrations though. My wolf heart

that’s not used to seeing shit like that can’t take it.”

“Deal.”
“You might want to rethink that,” Mareo chuckled. “Your mate’s quite the shopper. I mean,

really likes shopping. He spent gobs of money and we weren’t gone for that long. Interesting how he
had a pocket full of gems though.” I shot him a dirty look. What was wrong with these idiots? Did
none of them understand that certain conversations were for private?

“Hey, I’m a nervous shopper,” Kermy quickly explained, trying to take the focus off me.

“Besides, I haven’t been part of a pack since I was like twelve. I wasn’t sure of all the niceties. And
Elan said to get lots of presents. So I got some for him and for my brother and Clove because they’re
mates and Clove is friends with Elan. Then Alpha Caven for inviting us to join the pack. And

Barnabas for letting me stay here too. And the Queen for being good to my mate. And yeah, I knew
stuff was going on and Elan was busy and couldn’t tell me yet so I shopped.”

“See?” I stuck my tongue out at Mareo as I hugged my mate. “It’s not like he was buying tons of

stuff for himself. He was being kind and selfless. I think that’s wonderful.” I kissed Kermy’s neck.
“And I want to see what presents I got.”

“The same thing Kinkade wanted me to get for his mates,” Kermy giggled, pushing his ass

against my groin. “These awesome French chocolate truffles and sweet wine we like. They’re
marvelous for seduction and he says any bedmate he’s ever had eats them up and it romances them.
I’ve never had a bedmate before so I was really excited to get them for my mate now, and yeah, I
might have gone a little overboard.”

“No such thing when thinking of your mate.” I was touched by the gesture. “We should give a

box to the Queen though if you wouldn’t mind. She loves chocolate.”

“I heard that and got one for her.” He gave me a wink and I fell a little bit more for my sweet

mate right then.

“So back to the gems,” Mareo hedged. Damn him!
“Your wings produce gems?” Tanzi whined. “That’s so much cooler. My hair grows all the time

and turns to silver when I cut it. I’d rather have gems.”

“What?” several people gasped or shouted. I just groaned as I buried my face against Kermy’s

neck.

“I thought this was something you guys don’t talk about?” he mumbled.
“We don’t,” I replied before glancing at Tanzi. “I’ve never told a single person before my mate

and then the Queen last night. How many have you told?”

“Um, none, but it started after I left our plane. I figured you all knew. Why would you keep it a

secret?”

“Because we’d be huge targets,” Lovis growled. “You dipshit. Now word will get out. Every

paranormal will try to snag an older fae. Those Council members last night that called our Queen a
bug. You think they’d have any problem taking one of us and making themselves a limitless supply of
fortune, not to mention the magic?”

“Yeah, but we’re powerful enough just to break out,” Tanzi argued with a shrug.
“The problem is how many they could hurt in the process of trying to take us,” I said more

gently. “Or while trying to figure out who could do what we can.”

“The Queen,” Tyler gasped as he stared at Asterio with huge eyes. “That’s why you’ve always

got singed clothes and stacks of gold. Her hair turns to gold, doesn’t it?”

“Tyler,” his mate growled.
“She’s the Queen. Of course she’s got a gift like them,” he argued, gasping for air. “I’m fucking

clipping coupons, asking Desmond Marius for an advance to buy your Christmas presents, and your
adopted mother produces limitless gold!” His eyes rolled up into his eyes and Asterio caught him
before he passed out.

“I’m so sleeping on the couch for a while,” Asterio bitched. “The Queen only told me because

she needed help making them into bars. Only a few know.”

“I know. I finally told her I knew last night after all the power she used I didn’t know who

helped her with it normally,” I admitted with a sigh.

“So we just add this to the fae secret vault along with the impenetrable skin after a certain age,”

Tanzi said quietly. “Look, I’m sorry, but I’ve been on my own for a long, long time. I thought finally
I’d have people to talk about certain things with, and all I keep finding is that no one discusses
anything with each other.” He glanced at me. “Weren’t you scared when you started having gems fall
out of your wings? Wouldn’t it have been nice to talk to someone?”

“Yeah,” Lovis and I agreed. I glanced at him then. “Gems?”
“Diamonds.”
“Well, at least we know how we’re paying for the palace,” Baylor chuckled. “I put a bid on

land that abuts this property. The owners suddenly want to move.”

“What did you do to my neighbors?” Bas gasped.
“Not us,” Baylor growled. “But not anyone from this coven. I get the distinct feeling they

weren’t friendlies either. Nice place to set up a base for attacks.”

“Buy it quick then,” I said with a nod. “Find out if anyone else has had the same sudden desire

and buy it as well. We can’t risk Dubois or any of their people getting land around here. We’ll set up
more housing for our people if we want. We had six hundred come over and we’ve found dozens
more over here.”

“I don’t think you realize how many fae lived on this world before you came over here,” Tanzi

hedged. I met his gaze and now I was curious.

“How many?” Makari asked before I could. “I mean, how many could we really be talking? I

know lots left, but more stayed. I guess some would have had children over here, but not all and some
would only be half fae.”

“Thousands,” Tanzi said. “You’re talking thousands of full fae and even more half fae. I can call

hundreds now that I know to warn them and tell them to call more. You need to set up a place for them
like yesterday if you want them out of the cold.”

“Well shit,” I groaned. “I mean, that’s great, but I had no idea it would be so many.” I glanced at

Baylor. “Get the crew from Greece who helped Rylan. We need them here. We’ll get whatever
supplies they need, but we need to start work on the palace the moment we own the land. Seriously,
like huge.”

“I’ve got a stockpile of diamonds I hide,” Lovis sighed.
“I’ve got one of gems,” I agreed. “See if we can get those vamp construction guys King Rylan

had too, Baylor.”

“I’ve got this. You’ve got a mate to tend to.”
“Right. Tanzi, make your calls and let’s get going on that. Loch, can you help Talcott?”
“Yeah, I’ll get blood from Riley and flush his system.” The man agreed. “Also, the demons who

were once vampires have the same effect with our blood. We had one of the demons drink it and he
went out into the sun because I asked him.” Well that was interesting but I had to file it away for later.

“Baby, can you call Alpha Caven and ask for his help and tell him you have presents?” I hedged,

hating to seem underhanded. “I got the impression the moment Talcott is around people he’ll be in
pain with his gift.”

“I can do that for our mate.” He gave me a weak smile. Yeah, I felt the same.
“Thank you.” I gave him a quick peck. Everyone started to get to it, and I glanced at my brother.

“You’re dying to see this, aren’t you?” He nodded, looking like a little kid in a candy store instead of
a centuries-old warrior. “Fine, but then you’ve got tasks to handle as well.”

I yanked off my ruined shirt and let my wings unfold over the table. I heard gems clink on it,

knowing there were probably a lot from the amount of magic I’d used since I’d gotten dressed.

“You want us to start getting some of these deposited into an account?” Foma asked quietly.

“We know a bank that won’t ask questions and is discreet. We’ve worked with them before.”

“Yeah, that would be helpful. Thank you. Can you set it up so Kermy and Talcott are on the

account as well later?”

“We’ll handle it.” I gave him a grateful smile as Foma gathered up what I’d dumped on the

table. While Kermy made his call I unsealed my room and brought out one of the chests for Mareo and
Foma, thanking Virgil for letting me borrow his mates for the day.

“No worries. I might ask for an emerald one day though,” the vampire chuckled. “Mother is a

huge fan of them and I’m always wondering what to get her for a present.” I saw an image in his head
and opened the chest, picked the biggest one out, and focused on it. Moments later it was in a teardrop
setting for a necklace.

“Anything for my brother-in-law,” I said with a smile as I handed it to him. Then I groaned as I

heard thumps on the floor. “I forgot to fold back up my wings.” I hurried and did that as Foma bent
down and picked up the couple of gems that fell out.

“It’s like the old slot machines in Vegas but better and you don’t have to put in a coin,” he

mumbled before standing up. He blushed when he realized how bad that sounded. “Sorry. Still getting
used to this.”

“Sometimes I still am too,” I chuckled nervously. I was still trying to make nice with Foma after

what had passed between us and I loved my brother. I wanted everything to be okay again.

Mareo gave me a grateful smile and I knew I’d done okay. Good. I resealed the room and went

to walk them out, knowing they had lots to do, stopping only when Kermy came running over with a
bag in his hand. I guess they hadn’t brought everything upstairs then.

“Happy mating and thanks for taking me shopping and all your help today,” Kermy said brightly

as he handed my brother the bag. “Even if you did pick on me for it.”

“Thank you.” Mareo seemed truly touched as he leaned down to hug my mate. I beamed with

pride. My mate was so awesome. We said our good-byes and they headed out.

“You are so perfect,” I purred as I wrapped myself around Kermy. “Thank you.”
“I’m just glad you’re not mad I spent so much money,” he giggled.
“Not in the slightest,” I assured him. “You were very thoughtful and as you can see I need all the

help I can get.”

“It’s going to be okay, Elan,” he whispered, rubbing my back. “We’re in this together and we’ll

figure it all out.”

I really hoped he was right. I really did.

Chapter 7

Talcott

I woke feeling like someone was sitting on my head and as if I was floating out at sea. It took me

a few moments to really come around and I realized there was someone sitting on the bed next to me. I
blinked up at the gorgeous wolf. He was a few inches smaller than my five-eight frame, and my fangs
popped out when I smelled him.

“Don’t go getting any ideas about biting me,” he giggled nervously. “You’re already feeling all

wonky because you bit your other mate before learning about the effects of fae blood. Let’s get you up
to speed about wolf blood before you try taking a bite.”

“Fae have two mates,” I muttered, my throat as dry as the desert. “I remember Elan saying that.

God, it’s all hazy. Can I get something to drink?”

“Yeah, sure. Go slow though,” he answered gently as he handed me a can of soda. I nodded as I

took a few sips. “Elan had to knock you out with his magic because you went a little crazy. He feels
horrible about it and worries you hate him.”

I felt my eyes go wide at what he was saying. I finished swallowing and sat up. “I thought he’d

hate me for trying to talk him into getting rid of you. I just remember being desperate for him to love
me and you weren’t needed. It was weird. I don’t know what the hell happened to me. One moment I
was scared for my life when he saw the painting. Then I was excited because he was my mate but still
worried. Then after I bit him it was manic need and I thought I lost my mind.”

“I guess that’s what fae blood does to vampires. There’s a spell they can do to fix that so you

can drink from him without that. Do you know what wolf blood does for you guys?” I felt my cheeks
heat up and nodded. “Okay then, so let’s make sure to hold off on that for a bit. I’m Kermy Wolfram
and Elan’s not getting rid of me.”

“No, no, of course not. You’re his mate. I’m sorry I even said it. I’m mortified at my behavior,

truly. Elan is more than enough man to be mates to us both.” I groaned at that. Why couldn’t I just shut
up?

“So you don’t hate him? You’re not mad at him?” Kermy asked, eyeing me over.
“No, not at all,” I assured him. “I hope he can forgive me for how I behaved.” He opened his

mouth but I kept talking. “I get that part of it was the fae blood but I still bit him without even asking.
That was my fault and it was wrong.”

“I did the same thing.” He shrugged. “Sometimes instincts just take over.”
“Where is he?” I asked, glancing around. “Where are we?”
“We’re at Barnabas’s house where all the fae stay. Elan had to knock you out and keep you

under until his blood worked its way out of your system. You were a little low on blood so it took a
couple of days. How come you went so long without drinking?”

“Because I ran out and I’d have to go talk to Isaac to get more,” I mumbled as I stared down at

the can in my hands. “I hate being around people because I always get visions. It’s hard on me.” Then
I thought of something. “I haven’t had one being around you though. I wonder if I’m immune to you
because you’re my mate?”

“No, sorry.” Kermy winced as he got off the bed. “Elan placed a protective bubble around the

room or something. We should go find him though. Do you think you can handle that? I know he was

speaking with a vampire that can help you with controlling your gift. He wanted to know when you
were up. He’s concerned about you and his Queen. A lot will go bad if she dies.”

“I can try,” I sighed, hating when people asked that of me. It was either they picked on me,

wanted me to perform like a circus freak, or sought to use me for their benefit. I took another few sips
and crawled out of the big bed. I met Kermy by the door and wished I could take a shower first.

“Elan’s a good man,” Kermy said gently, rubbing his hand on my shoulder. “I promise he’ll be a

loving mate and won’t ever ask this of you again. There’s a lot going on you don’t know about but
he’ll explain. The Queen is awesome. I know enough of her already to see that. The fae need her. I get
that this is a lot to ask and not what you’d want when you meet your mate, but I’m begging you just to
have a little faith. Meeting Elan has been the best thing in my life. He won’t take advantage of you.”

“Okay.” I swallowed loudly and nodded. “I can give a little faith. You don’t know how hard it

is though. My curse has been all anyone ever sees of me. It’s made my life shit.”

“I can tell you that Elan was more worried about having ruined his chances at a real mating with

you after what happened than your gift helping him save the Queen. That should tell you a lot about his
character.”

“It does,” I agreed. I followed him out of the room, taking in the lavish house. It really was

gorgeous and something out of a Victorian-set movie the way it was decorated. I lowered my gaze
when I saw people, knowing that would set off my curse most times. People could call it a gift all
they wanted. It wasn’t one. They’d know that if they spent a day saddled with it.

“We need to snap her out of this,” Elan said loudly as we approached a door to what I guessed

was a meeting room. “Her hair isn’t growing and Mareo can’t open a portal anymore. Pazel says he
found the only way the painting could come true is if she gives up and stops using her magic. It will
leave her then and these are the first signs. If we don’t do something she will die. We can’t lose
Magdalena.”

“We should confront her mate,” a man growled. “He needs to be bitch slapped. Now that we

know the truth he needs to step up and pull his head out of his ass.”

Kermy opened the door and we walked in. I didn’t raise my head but still my curse took off by

all the emotions in the room. Gasping, I focused on one man… Not my mate.

“How are you feeling, Talcott?” Elan asked gently. “Did you eat yet? We can get you food.”
“Pencil. Paper,” I mumbled as I started seeing the future. “His path is needed.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Kermy said nervously as he went to hug me.
“Don’t, you’ll confuse the visions and hurt me,” I whimpered. “Just give me pencil and paper

and help me to somewhere I can draw.” They did it and I furiously started doing the only thing that
would give me relief. “If you want me to see more, the man needs to touch me. I can get a better
reading then but only him.”

“I don’t know who you’re drawing yet, Talcott,” Elan said gently.
“The one I was looking at,” I mumbled, focused on the paper. “Not the one who spoke. I didn’t

see anyone else in the room.”

“Baylor. He was looking at Baylor,” Kermy said. A moment later there was a large hand on my

shoulder.

“What can I do to help, little one?” the fae asked me gently.
“Clear your mind.” I went back to drawing, pushing away one page when it was done and then

moving on to another. It took me about ten minutes and several pages but when it was over the images

were all gone. I sighed in relief and went to collapse but strong arms kept me from hitting the floor.

“I’ve got you,” Baylor whispered. He passed me to someone else and I recognized Elan’s scent.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t understand,” my mate said sadly. “I wouldn’t have asked you to leave the

room if I’d known. I only wished to help my Queen.”

“He will,” I mumbled as I rolled my head to look at Baylor. “The path he’s on with the decision

he made as we walked into the room changes everything. He will make it so she doesn’t die.”

“What did you decide?” Elan asked Baylor.
“To speak to her in private while you talk to Elder Dawson,” he answered evasively, meeting

my gaze. “You saw what happened?” I gave him a bare nod. “Does she hate me? Is she glad? It really
saves her?”

“She loves you and it snaps her back to reality which changes the painting. That’s all I know.

She loves you enough that it brings her back. I can’t feel or see everything. It’s like a flip-book of
events and my curse pulls out certain pages of the flip-book and I get that one picture and what’s
going on in that second of time. I’m sorry. That’s all I have.”

“No, don’t be sorry. You are amazing and you probably just saved us all.” Baylor leaned in and

kissed my forehead. “You are a miracle, little vampire. I am forever indebted to you. I and my people
couldn’t lose our Queen. It would have killed me inside.” He rushed out of the room and I turned back
to Elan.

“What did you see that he’s not telling us?”
“Please don’t ask that of me,” I whimpered, tears filling my eyes. “It’s not my secret to tell. It’s

not fair.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I–I’m just worried. Baylor’s my friend.” He brushed his lips over mine.

“Thank you. I have to go handle this but then I want to tend to you and apologize for knocking you out
and how we met. I found a vampire that can help you control your gifts. Don’t hate me. Please?”

“No, not at all. Just hungry and would really like a shower,” I muttered, touching my tingling

lips.

“I’ve got him,” another man said as he moved closer. I could see the indecision in Elan’s eyes.
“He is my mate and my life. I’m trusting you to watch over both of my hearts while I help save

your mate’s family. Do not fail me in this, Digger.”

“Dude, I got this,” Digger chuckled. “We’ll get him fed and some blood and Kermy can help him

shower. I won’t even peek and see the cutie naked. Go help Baylor and smack Terrance.”

“Digger’s a good man and Kermy will be with you,” Elan assured me, giving me a quick kiss

before doing the same to Kermy. “I’ll be back.” I nodded and then Digger carried me into the dining
room.

“You good? You look like you could sleep for a week,” Digger asked in a concerned tone as he

sat me in a chair. “I know blood isn’t enough for a few days, but Loch gave you an IV too.”

“Yeah, because that’s the same as real food in your stomach,” I snickered. “When I get a vision

like that and the person is right there, it’s like you were using your gift for half an hour nonstop. It’s
draining and I want to eat my weight in food and blood.”

“Well we just finished lunch so there’s still a spread left,” Kermy offered. “I’m sure that can be

arranged. Fried chicken and all the fixings okay?”

“Yes,” I whimpered. “I’m originally from the South. You just spoke my language. Legs please.

Lots of legs. Biscuits slathered in butter. Coleslaw. Is it potato salad or mashed potatoes?”

“We had the option of either. Which do you want?” Digger asked.
“Both,” I moaned. “Gravy on the mashed, please. Corn on the cob. God, I’m so hungry now.”

They started bringing me plates of it, and I swear I was part pig as I practically shoved it all in my
face. I started to feel more myself after a few minutes of inhaling it.

“Damn. You need to enter one of those eating competitions,” Kermy joked. “You’ve got one big

mouth, my mate.” He smiled warmly at me. “Your coloring’s looking better. Keep eating. We like
healthy men around here. If you’re really good there’s some strawberry shortcake that’s to die for.”

“I do like strawberry cake,” I said with a mouthful of food. That got a laugh from both of them.

Worked for me. It was just nice for once that people weren’t treating me like a freak after seeing what
I could do. Maybe my life was finally taking a turn for the better? I could hope at least.

* * * *

Baylor

“Get out,” I snarled at the elder after I barged into the Queen’s room. “Elan and Makari have a

few choice words for you and I wish to speak to her alone.”

“Watch your tone with me or—”
I fisted his shirt and lifted him so we were nose to nose. “If you weren’t her mate I would pound

my fist into your face for days for the way you hurt her. Now get out and take your beating from them
like a man. You fucked up and now you’re going to get kicked for it. I don’t give a shit that you’re an
elder. Right now you’re just the idiot hurting the woman I love like a mother.”

“I didn’t do this,” he hissed at me. “She didn’t—”
“Yeah, you’re both idiots. But you had your part in this as well.” I let him go and pushed him

towards the door. He got the hint and left then. I sat on the bed, my eyes filling with tears as
Magdalena stared off into space. I took her hand in mine as I ran my fingers through her hair.
“Magdalena, please, you have to come back to us.”

Nothing. She blinked and didn’t look at me or even seem to notice I was there. I leaned in and

kissed her cheek.

“Please. We need you. I need you.” Still no response. I took a deep, shaky breath and finally

said the secret I had never spoken in the two centuries I had known about it. “Mother, I need you.
Please don’t leave me before we’ve even had a chance to talk about who we are to each other, truly
talk.”

Her eyes fluttered then and she turned her head slightly before licking her lips. “You know?”
“Yes,” I whispered as my eyes filled with tears. “My father told me before he died. I knew I

wasn’t his mate’s son. They were always honest about that, but he never told me who my real mother
was. When his mate passed, he told me before he died of grief. By then I was already a warrior. I had
always thought it odd how you paid such close attention to my training, kept me on assignments near
you. It made sense when I learned the truth.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I was the child.” Tears ran down my cheeks as did hers. “I wanted my

mother all my life. Why didn’t you want me?”

“I always wanted you,” she gasped, sitting up and hugging me. “Oh, my sweet, sweet Baylor.

Have I not always loved you? Treated you as my own?”

“Yes,” I admitted and she had. She had doted on me even more than she had Asterio, who she

did refer to as her adopted son most times. “My father wouldn’t tell me the whole story. Just that you
were my mother and that he felt I had the right to know where I came from.”

“That idiot,” she chuckled. “He was a good man but what an idiot. That must have confused you

even more.”

“Mostly.” I hugged her back. She was right. My father was a good man but when it came to

feelings and emotions he was more closed off than most. She leaned back and cupped my cheek as she
stared into my eyes.

“For years after my Nahal was killed I was inconsolable. He was young and naïve, not much

older than Ariala was since we mated when he was only eighteen. He took her leaving the hardest and
kept searching for her. When he was killed, I blamed myself, knowing I should have been the one to
go look. I had much more powerful magic and wouldn’t have been able to be killed as he had been.

“But I had been hurt by Ariala leaving. If she had just come and talked to me, I would have let

her go and we could have not all been in so much pain. And then I lost Nahal. It wounded me so
deeply, I just about locked myself up inside. But then I met a handsome young man who reminded me
of Nahal, and he comforted me when I needed to remember that my life wasn’t over.”

“My father?”
“Yes, your father,” she chuckled, smiling fondly. “We were only together briefly because it was

frowned on for a royal, especially a Queen, to be with someone more than once who wasn’t their
mate. And as you know, we can’t get pregnant the first time having relations so that we don’t end up
conceiving trying to find our mate. But I was with him more than once and he gave me you.”

“And there wasn’t abortion back then,” I mumbled, going to look away. She gasped and grabbed

my chin, forcing me to look at her.

“Even if there was that would never have been an option. Just because I had a child that wasn’t

from my mate would never mean I would have chosen that path, Baylor. I loved you from the moment
I learned of you.”

“Then why give me up?” I asked, needing to know the answer to the question that had plagued

me for centuries.

“Because soon after we ended your father met his mate. We have a shorter gestation period than

humans so it was easier for me to hide a four-month-long pregnancy. I spoke with your father and his
mate and we decided out of love for you, for what was best for you, they would raise you as theirs
and to the world you would be their son. He was a good, well-respected man with a mate who I know
loved you like her own.

“It was a much better way to be brought up than with no father figure because my Nahal had died

and as the bastard child of a Queen under constant threat with the amount of people leaving and our
plane shrinking. Even if you had been Nahal’s child, I might have considered having someone else
raise you after I’d seen what Ariala had to go through. Being a royal is not easy and people can be
very harsh, especially several centuries ago.

“This was seven hundred years ago, Baylor. People weren’t as accepting as they are now. You

would have been ridiculed, taunted, shamed, and I couldn’t let you suffer that. Nor your father’s mate
for our choices. My choices. I was the one he comforted and she was a good woman too.” She
searched my eyes for a moment. “It was never about my reputation. I need you to understand that. I

didn’t care. I cared about what was best for you. The fae had no heir.

“If they had I would have said screw these rules and your ideals of what’s right and raised you

myself on this plane if I thought it would have been better for you. But your father loved you so much.
He wept when you were born and so did his mate. And when it ended up they couldn’t have a child of
their own and I saw what a happy boy you were, I knew I’d made the right choice.”

“And why not tell me since?” I asked after a few moments thinking it over.
“I thought he raised you as if she was your real mother,” she whispered sadly, more tears

running down her cheeks. “We had agreed that one day we would tell you the truth when you were
older so you would know. But when you were fifteen I was coming to your birthday party and I heard
someone say how gorgeous your hair was and you told them just like your mother’s, that you got it
from her side, and I thought my heart would bleed out in that moment.

“And I did try to talk to your father about it years later, well after you were a warrior, but he

was angry with me for showing you favoritism and that everyone would know if I wasn’t careful.
Then life happened and things came up and more went wrong in our world and your father’s mate
died. It certainly wasn’t the time to bring it up at that point. And I would never have after he died and
betrayed his memory of how he raised you. I couldn’t do that to you, not when you loved him so.”

I stared at her a moment in shock. “So you swallowed back wanting to tell me all these years

because you were doing what you thought was best for me and not wanting to hurt my memories of
him?”

“Yes, but you were happy, Baylor. It wasn’t like it seemed you had some part missing. So why

would I ruin that for you because I was selfish and wanted you to know me and who I really was to
you?”

“You’re an idiot too,” I whispered as I pulled her into my arms. “Because you’re my mother,

you dummy. Of course I want to know you. Uncomplicated is boring. I wanted the truth and to know
who I am. I’ve known for so long, scared to ask because you didn’t want me.”

“No, never think that. I have loved you since Loch told me I was with child.”
“Loch knows?” I gasped.
“He knows I had a child but not who you are, though I’m sure he’s got a few candidates given

the time frame and similarities in looks and how you always had orders to be near me.”

“So what now?” I whispered after a few more moments of just holding her.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’m so tired, Baylor. I’m so tired of it all. I just quit. I don’t care

anymore.”

“No, you can’t quit or give up, Mother,” I begged, letting out a whimper, not concerned if it

made me seem weak. “There’s a vampire here that can see the future, mated to Elan. He saw your
death, painted it. Please. You have to fight for me. You owe me that much. I need time with you now
that we’ve just been honest about what we are to each other. Your hair stopped growing. You were
losing your magic. I can’t lose you. Your people need you. Fight for me. He said I had to snap you out
of it.”

“Okay, I will for you, my son,” she whispered. “I just don’t know how to. I’ve lost my Nahal

and now my other mate is gone as well. He sits here and it’s like we’re strangers. I’ve pushed him too
far but he wanted so much from me without giving me any sign he was in this fully in return.” There
was a loud crash in the hallway and several thuds.

“I think Elan is handling that,” I chuckled as I leaned back. “Let’s get you presentable for your

mate so when he comes back you’re ready for him.”

“Oh dear. Great first mother-son conversation,” she drawled, rolling her eyes. She moved out of

bed, letting me support most of her weight since it was obvious she’d not eaten in days. “I love you,
Baylor. You’re more than any parent could ever have asked for in a child.”

“Good, now stick around and tell me that for at least a few thousand years.”
“I’ll do my best,” she snickered as I walked her over to the bathroom. “Now get lost and get to

work on the palace. I want it massive and your rooms near mine. I think in this day and age no one
will care that you’re not my mate’s child, don’t you?”

“I don’t know,” I hedged, staring at her with wide eyes. “I don’t care about any of that, my

Queen. I just wanted to know the truth and to be a family. I don’t want a title or something. I just
wanted my mother.”

“I know. And I love you even more for that. But it’s who you are.” I blinked in shock as she

closed the door in my face. Holy shit. What did that mean?

Holy shit!

Chapter 8

Elan

“Just the man we’re looking for,” I growled as we saw Elder Dawson pacing outside the

Queen’s room mumbling to himself.

“Save it,” he snarled. “There’s enough shit going on without another of her warriors throwing a

hissy fit and getting in my face. I’m tired of having to share my mate with so many people. She drops
everything for any of you anytime you ask her.”

“Can you even call her that when you’ve not claimed her?” Lovis spat out. The elder’s eyes

went wide with surprise before he schooled it. “Yeah, we caught that little tidbit in Tyler’s mind. It
seems her scent hasn’t changed since she’s met you and it should have if you’d claimed her. But she’s
claimed you.”

“That’s not your concern!”
“You’re right, it’s not,” I agreed, smiling evilly when he relaxed. “Except when she’s dying

because she’s given up hope.”

“S–She can’t d–die,” he stuttered, his eyes going wide. “She’s indestructible.”
“Her hair isn’t growing, which means she’s not using magic and it’s leaving her,” I explained,

giving him the short version.

“I don’t know what that means. See! She doesn’t tell me anything and you’re blaming this on

me!”

“Because you haven’t claimed her! Kermy jumped me within moments of meeting me. Fine,

you’re older and she’s a Queen. We get that’s not appropriate then, but I wouldn’t tell you my secrets
either if you weren’t invested enough to claim me! You met her six months ago! How could you not
claim her?”

“It’s been hard but the fact that everything else is more important to her than me has kept the urge

at bay,” he bitched.

“Maybe everything is more important because she can’t deal with the fact that her mate doesn’t

care enough to tell her he’s in this for the long haul,” Makari snarled. “Our Queen deserves better. An
elder should understand having other responsibilities. She’s a fucking leader of a whole people who
have been in turmoil. A good mate would have immediately let her know he was on her side and
helped her. Not whined about not getting enough time from her.”

“She’s fucking better off without you,” Lovis said in disgust.
“I love her!” Elder Dawson shouted as he shoved Lovis.
“Does she know that?” he roared and shoved the man back. “No! Because you’ve not even bit

her. You can’t love her if you won’t even fucking claim her. You’re fucking full of it.”

“I’m no liar! She won’t give herself to me fully. How can I put myself out there like that?”
“Seriously, it’s like fucking chicken or egg,” I snarled. “Who cares which came first? Bite her

and give her a reason to live. Man up and understand that’s why she’s been holding back and love her
enough to save her now when she needs you most. She thinks there’s no hope. Give her hope. She had
it before Dubois got away. She named me her second and appointed attachés so she could stop doing
everything because she cared enough about you to give you what you asked for.”

“Even when you didn’t claim her,” Makari added. “So go fucking claim her and help her!”

“I can’t do it when she’s catatonic,” he whispered in horror.
“Now you’re just looking for excuses, you pussy!” Lovis roared and decked the man. Elder

Dawson went flying into the wall before recovering and launching himself at Lovis. The man was too
fast for a fair fight, but then again, Lovis was a mountain of a man so they were probably equally
strong. I was able to snag the elder at one point and tossed him away from Lovis, sending him into a
cabinet. Whoops.

“I’m not going to just bite her without asking her!”
“She gave herself to you,” I argued. “That’s our way. She knew what that meant. You’ve had her

permission, dumbass. She’s been waiting for months for you to finish claiming her. How would you
feel if she left you hanging for six months when you took that first step right away?”

“Oh gods,” he gasped, freezing in his punch to Makari. Unfortunately Makari didn’t stop and hit

the man. The elder landed on the floor in a heap.

“Well shit. I didn’t mean to knock him out.”
“We’re dead,” I groaned before pointing a finger at Makari. “I will so tattle that it was you.”
“You helped,” he argued.
The door opened and Baylor stepped out, glancing around as his eyes went wide. “What

happened here?”

“We knocked some sense into him before Makari accidentally knocked him out,” I answered

with a shrug. “I think we got through to him though.”

“Before you gave him a concussion?” he threw right back.
“Yeah, my bad,” Makari snickered. Then we remembered what he’d been doing. “How is she?

Did you get her to talk?”

“Yeah, she’s in the shower,” he answered with a smile. “Let’s get Yara up here to give her a

hand and food. She’s weak from not having eaten in days.”

“How did you get her to snap out of it?” I asked in almost a tone of awe.
“That’s private,” he mumbled.
I shrugged. I was just glad he’d been able to do it. “You always were her golden child.” His

face went pale as his eyes darted to mine, and I picked up a stray thought that rocked my core.

“He can’t really know that I’m her son.”
“What?” Lovis gasped. “How? Who? What?”
“What’s going on?” Makari asked, glancing between us.
“Nothing,” I said in a shaky voice, shooting Lovis a glance. “Inside joke because Baylor’s her

favorite. Lovis is out of the loop and didn’t get it.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant,” Lovis chuckled in a forced, nervous way. “I’ll go get Yara and

food.” He booked it out of there so fast I was surprised there wasn’t a cloud of smoke.

“I’d get Loch for the Queen’s mate before she’s done in the shower,” I teased Makari, trying to

distract him.

He winced and nodded. “Yeah, good point.” Then he was gone too.
“Is it true?” I asked Baylor gently.
“Yes,” he whispered. “She was with my father after Nahal died. I’ve never told a soul that I

knew until just now when I asked her why she never told me. She confirmed it. It’s what snapped her
out of it. I–I think she wants to tell people.”

“Is that what you want, brother?”

“I don’t know. I just wanted to know if she wanted me as her son or if she was embarrassed

with me,” he mumbled. “I just wanted my mother to live.”

“Okay, well, we’ll figure this out and table it for now. There’s enough going on. No one said

anything has to be decided right now.”

“Right, yeah, okay,” he muttered, running his fingers through his hair. Now that I knew the truth,

he did look a lot like Magdalena. He had the same jet-black hair, light blue, sometimes iridescent
lilac in certain lights, eyes, and nose. Wow. How had I missed that all these years? “She said to get
my ass in gear on the palace.”

“Then we have work to do. She’s going to be okay now, Baylor. We’ll build her a palace, find

our people on this plane, and bring her Dubois for her vengeance.”

“I’m a horrible person, Elan,” he whispered sadly. I caught another thought and it was unlike me

but I pulled him into a bear hug. I think I shocked him because he didn’t return it at first.

“You’re not a bad person, Baylor. You’re a good person with a kind heart. You didn’t want

Nahal to die. You’re just glad you were born too. One had to happen for the other to occur. She
would never have been with your father if Nahal wasn’t gone. Life goes on. That doesn’t mean you
don’t want Dubois dead for what he did to your mother’s mate. They’re completely separate.

“Who knows? If things were different and Dubois hadn’t done it, maybe you would have been

born of the Queen and Nahal. I don’t think the world could have survived without a Baylor. Fate
would have still made you show up somehow. We needed to have a Baylor.”

“Smart-ass,” he chuckled, giving my back a slap. “I should go talk to Lovis.”
“I’ll handle it. You build your mother a pretty palace.”
“I already bought the land. We’ve got the builders mapping out the site and getting materials.”
“Then get on that. Now that she’s up and about to make better with her mate, I’m glad she’ll be

back in charge soon. I have a whole new respect for her.”

“Right? We can’t ever let her take everything back on her shoulders again, Elan. No person can

do all of this.”

“We won’t. Now that we know you’re her son and she knows you know, we’ll use it.” He

glanced at me with a raised brow as we separated. “Dude, you just pull the mommy card. But
Maaaa,” I playfully whined.

“Ass,” he snickered and cracked me in the chest. “Don’t you have some mates to check on?”
“Oh shit, right.” I darted off without another word. Yeah I did. Crap. I wanted to see how

Talcott was doing.

* * * *

Talcott

Once I was fed, showered, and allowed dessert, I was sitting in a study with a pretty female

vampire. She sat there and stared at me for a while until I got so uncomfortable I wanted to check my
clothes to make sure they were all buttoned up and maybe my nose for boogers.

“So how do we do this?” I finally blurted out.
“Sorry, I was using my gift to see some of your past,” she answered gently. “I figured that was

easier than having to make you explain it to me when I know that can be painful. So you’re like me.

It’s not focusing your gift to use it, it’s there all the time and you can’t shut it off.”

“Right. It’s one when people are around and the closer they are or if they’re touching me it’s like

nonstop until I want to drop,” I agreed. “You get the past whereas I get the future?”

“Yes. It’s not an easy gift we have. Though I would rather see the future than the past,” she

chuckled.

“The future’s always changing and more people want things of me then,” I grumbled.
“I saw that and I can understand it. I’m Marian Johnson, by the way. I wasn’t sure if anyone told

you my name.”

“No, they were keeping you under wraps,” I replied nervously. “Talcott Gasper. Nice to meet

you, ma’am.”

She nodded as if to say and you as well. “How old are you, Talcott? I get the impression you

are young.”

“Two hundred and twenty-two years old. Does that matter with my gift?”
“Oh yes,” she chuckled. “The older you get the easier it will be. The snaps of images will

become a more cohesive picture. I have to say I am impressed that you’ve found an outlet for it
already. Drawing and painting what you see to get it out of your mind is marvelous. I didn’t have such
an outlet and it made my learning much harder.”

“How did you figure it out?” I hedged, not wanting to be rude but dying to know there was hope.
“The leader of my coven knew an older vampire who had your gift, and sent for him. After the

first day of working with him things got easier. Sometimes it’s all about perspective and knowing it
can be controlled to have the pieces fall into place.”

“You really can help me?” I whispered in hope, tears filling my eyes. “I don’t have to live like

this anymore.”

“Oh, child, yes, I can help you.” She moved from the couch across from me and sat next to me. I

leaned against her when she hugged me, feeling comforted and just needing a “mom” hug. “You’re
going to laugh at the analogy but it really did work for me. You have to think of your gift like going to
the bathroom.”

“Umm, that was one I didn’t see coming,” I giggled as I wiped my eyes. “How does that work?”
“Well, you don’t just urinate anywhere whenever your bladder has anything in it. Same with

your gift. Just because there’s something in your mind does not mean that you’re going to always let it
out. We’re going to work on keeping your mental legs crossed until it’s time to let it out, and then your
gift will prioritize what’s most important and only show you that. So we’ll start with a schedule. Five
times a day you’ll sit down for ten minutes and draw what your gift shows you.”

“That’s going to be very draining,” I whispered, staring up at her with shock.
“It will be but we’re also going to start feeding you some margay blood to make you nice and

strong, and with your being mated to a wolf I suspect you’ll get some extra strength from his blood.”
She gave me a knowing wink and I blushed. “Have you ever had a bunch of things to accomplish on
your mental to-do list?” I thought about it and nodded. “When you’re working on one and something
else pops into your head, what do you do?”

“Push it to the side until I’m done.” I smiled at her and thought I got the idea. “You’re saying I

do that? Not fight the images or my curse, just tell it to hold on a bit?”

“Yes, exactly. Just as if you have to go to the bathroom. Push it to the side until it’s the right

time. Once your gift and body starts learning that at certain times of the day you’ll let it out, it will

start behaving better. Then we’ll go from five times a day to four, then to three. Then you’ll probably
have to stay at two times a day to keep it under control until you’re much, much older. But when you
get to be an old fart like me, it behaves and I call upon it when I need it.”

“You’re a gorgeous old fart,” I snickered.
“Ah, alas, you are taken,” she playfully sighed. “All these young studs around me all the time

and yet I’m a washed-up old widow.”

“You’re far from washed up. Kermy said our mate is five thousand years old and he’s like in his

prime. I can’t think that you’re the only widow in this coven.”

“Well, I’m not very sociable,” she admitted with a blush. “Dr. Johnson is my grandson and with

his and Micah’s demanding schedules I tend to sit with their child a lot. Plus, it seems like I’m
betraying my departed mate by even looking at other men.” She waved me off and shook her head.
“But we’re not here about my lack of excitement. We’re here to help you so you, my young lad, aren’t
always so secluded.”

“I’d like that.” I did make a mental note to speak with Kermy and Elan. There had to be some

widowed men in the coven they’d know of. Marian was a sweetie and didn’t deserve to face eternity
alone because she’d lost her mate. That was just too tragic for me to consider.

“Now, close your eyes and think of that part of your brain that stirs when your gift is activated.”

She waited until I nodded before getting up and walking to the door. “I asked the darling Digger to
assist us today. Just keep calm. He knows you might see something and understands. He won’t get
mad, Talcott. Nothing life altering or end of the world will happen if you see something. Panic makes
control that much harder.”

“I know, it’s just I get enough when I’m not near people,” I said as I took some slow, deep

breaths. “I tend to freak when I’m around them, knowing I’m going to get swarmed with their future.
They don’t like that, and I end up getting beat up, picked on, or ostracized. Plus, big guys make me
edgy.”

“This big guy?” she drawled, gesturing to Digger, who glanced between us nervously. “He’s a

puppy. He offered to help because the Queen is his mate’s grandmother and you just helped save her.
So he owes you. Think of it that way.”

“And Marian makes the best cookies and she promised me some,” the man chuckled in his deep

voice. “I have an odd gift too so it’s all good, Talcott. No judgment or meanness here.”

“What’s your gift?” I asked as they got closer.
“I can find someone if I think of them, focus on them and know where they are in accordance

with where I am. It’s like a tracking gift. Useful for a warrior and that’s why I always got protection
details.” I nodded and then gasped as I felt tingling.

“Don’t fight,” Marian guided gently. “Just tell your brain it’s not time to pee and hold on until

you’re going in an hour. Don’t say no, simply not yet.”

I nodded and tried, but one image still got through. Next thing I knew I was whimpering and

kneeling on the floor with paper and pencil in my hands. I quickly sketched it out in a couple of
minutes, no problem. “That was easier. I didn’t get the full thing, just one snapshot, and it was like my
gift said if I wanted the rest to let it know when it was time.”

“That’s a brilliant start,” Marian praised.
“Um, not to be judgmental or a jerk, but are all your visions normally so, well, um, sexual?”

Digger asked cautiously and then cleared his throat. “I mean, this is me making love with my mates in

a very colorful way.” I didn’t need to look at the sketch to know it was him and his other mate taking
Barnabas together to understand what he was talking about.

“I’ve only had sex once,” I mumbled as I hung my head in shame, flipping it over, when Marian

cleared her throat and moved away slightly, obviously having seen it. “I had a vision during it and the
guy freaked out and beat me up. So yeah, two hundred years of pent-up sexual need and my curse
tends to focus on that. Or life-changing events. People finding their mates. Death. First time making
love.”

“But we’ve already made love and done that. What were we doing then?”
“I don’t know. I just saw you happy,” I whispered.
“Digger, we’re supposed to be working on his control,” Marian chastised lightly.
“Right, sorry. Of course. My bad. I’m not upset, Talcott, it’s just weird.”
“Yes, I’m weird, okay?” I sniffled as I jumped to my feet and then raced to the door. “I’ll

always be weird.”

“No, Talcott, that’s not what I meant,” he called after me. I didn’t want to listen to any more of

this. I had one small glimmer of hope and again I was the freak. I opened the door and practically
crashed into another one.

A strong hand caught me before I went falling. “Hey, what’s wrong, sweetheart?” Elan asked me

quietly. “I was just coming to check on your progress and see how things were going.”

“I’m fine,” I lied, not looking at him.
“Did it go well?”
“Yes, Marian was a big help. Can I go now? I want to go back to my studio.”
“Oh, you don’t want to stay here?”
“No.” Well, I did. But not like this. My mates didn’t want to really be with the freak people

would laugh at.

“You hate me, don’t you? I’m sorry, Talcott. I’ll do whatever it takes to show you that. Please

don’t leave Kermy and me,” he begged. Shit. I couldn’t let him think this was his fault.

“I don’t hate you. I want you,” I mumbled as I rubbed the toes of my shoes together. “I don’t

want you saddled with a loser like me. You guys were happy without me and you obviously love
Kermy. Just be with him. I’m a freak and now everyone will know it again.”

“You’re not a freak, Talcott,” Digger said gently. “I’m sorry, okay? I wasn’t being mean when I

said weird. It’s just different but not bad. It’s not something I’m used to that another person can draw
me being intimate with my mates. I was going to ask you to paint it if it wasn’t rude.”

“What?” I gasped, spinning around to face him.
“Yeah, I didn’t know if that was okay though,” he sighed. I saw then he was holding the drawing

lovingly against him. “This is amazing. I mean, you pictured us perfectly and it took you like two
minutes. I know it’s not the normal thing to ask of someone, and if you’re not comfortable with it, I’d
understand. But I’d love this in a painting we could hang in our room. It’s amazing.”

“Really?” I couldn’t get over this. Seriously, was I dreaming?
“Really,” he chuckled. “If you’ve got other paintings of people meeting their mates I know most

would be thrilled to have that moment captured, Talcott. Hell, after you learn to control your gift, you
might be able to help people find their mates. Do you know how special that makes you? That’s not
someone who’s a freak or a person to be ashamed of.”

“I agree,” Elan said proudly. I glanced up at him and saw the truth in his eyes.

“No one’s ever been proud of me before or said I was special,” I whispered in awe. “Okay. I’ll

bring all my paintings out. I have tons Isaac stored for me from the year I’ve been living with him. I
got some visions of this coven before I moved here even.”

“How have you made money to pay for all the supplies if you paint your visions?” Digger

hedged.

“I take side jobs,” I answered with a shrug. “Someone wants a landscape or a painting of a

picture and I do that when I’m not exhausted or I can. I can crank it out fast. It’s not as much fun as
when I paint just because I want to, but we do what we have to.”

“Would you want to paint just because you can like in your own studio?” My mate eyed me over

as if he had a plan. I nodded, not able to hide my excitement. “Then I’ll have one added onto our
rooms at the new palace. That is if you’re not planning on ditching Kermy and I?”

“I want to stay and not for the studio. It’s just when Digger said I was weird I realized you’re

too important to be stuck with a dud mate. Kermy’s sweet and everyone adores him. I’d be the one
people would avoid so I don’t see things like I did with Digger and his mates. Or I’ll hide because
they’ll want to badger me to see their future. It would reflect poorly on you.”

“They’ll behave or your mate will kick their ass,” Elan growled as he pulled me up into his

arms before pressing me against the wall. “None of that matters more than you. You are not a dud.
Kermy and I want you very much. The moment you’re done with Marian I have Lovis waiting to
despell my blood so you can drink from me and we can mate. The three of us. That’s how much we
want you.”

“Okay,” I squeaked and nodded. “I want sex. Lots of sex please.”
A feral smile spread on my mate’s lips. “That can be arranged.”

Chapter 9

Elan

“Why do you guys look so nervous?” I asked Kermy and Talcott when they sat naked in our bed

a few hours later, fidgeting and staring anywhere but at each other or me.

“You’re the only one with any ménage experience,” Kermy mumbled. “I don’t know what to do.

I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings or do the wrong thing.”

“I’ve never even finished one round of sex and I’m walking into this when you’ve already

mated,” Talcott added. I realized then that they were both soft. Shit.

But then I had an idea. “So you’re saying fate gave me the perfect mates who will let me lead

and direct how our first time together will be?” I moaned as I stroked my hard, leaking cock when
they glanced up at me. “That’s so hot.”

“Really?” they both gasped.
“Fuck, I’m ready to blow,” I groaned. “So sexy. Do I get whatever I want? Multiple rounds,

right?” They glanced at each other and nodded as their dicks filled up. That’s what I wanted. “How
demanding do I get to be?”

“I love it when you order me around,” Kermy whimpered. I saw Talcott shiver as lust flared in

his eyes.

“And I think you like it too.” He nodded and I spread my knees wider as I sat on my feet. “Come

here and lick your mate’s cock. Kermy, get Talcott ready. I think since he’s never gotten sex, he’s
going to be in the middle with you on the bottom, baby. I know how much you enjoy oral. Lick his pert
little ass.”

“Oh fuck,” they moaned together. I bit back a smile as they immediately got into place, Talcott

on all fours as Kermy lay on his back under Talcott and lowered his hips down.

“That’s it, my mate,” I cooed as Talcott gave my cock a hesitant lick. “Cup my sac and take just

the head into your mouth. Suck on it hard and then slowly see what you can take before playing with
the head again. Just explore.” He nodded and did it, staring up at me the whole time for guidance. I
grabbed onto his hair and he moaned. “So perfect. I love it. Your lips look so good around my fat
cock, Talcott.”

He whimpered and then gasped. I guessed Kermy was busy at work too.
I guided Talcott’s head, getting lost in his light brown eyes as they never left mine. He pulled

off, gasping for air. “My jaw feels like—” He blushed and looked away.

“You did wonderful for your first time,” I said firmly as I leaned down to kiss him. “That was

amazing and your mate is very well endowed. It’s not like you were sucking a little cock there,
sweetheart. I know lots of accomplished cock suckers who couldn’t have done what you just did.”

“You’re not just saying that?”
“No, but I’m going to spank you for doubting me,” I growled. “You’ll just need more practice.”
“Yes, lots of practice,” he panted as he gave me a pleading look. I think he wanted the spanking.

Something to look into later. His first real time having sex wasn’t when we should be playing with
that.

“He’s ready and I need to come,” Kermy pleaded.
And so did I. “Kermy, bottom. Talcott, mount our baby. I’m taking you and riding you both while

you claim each other.”

“Yes, Elan,” they agreed. I liked the sound of that. The dominant, power fae in me was thrilled

that my mates immediately deferred to me and listened when it came to their pleasure. Kermy moved
so his head was on the pillows and spread his legs wide in the air in a blatant invitation. Talcott
moved nervously over to him.

“Isn’t he gorgeous?” I encouraged. “Look how much he wants you, sweetheart. He needs you to

please him and make him yours.”

“You really want this that much?” Talcott asked hesitantly.
“Yes,” Kermy whimpered. “I want us to be a family. You’re sweet and kind and selfless and

hot.”

“You too.” I wanted to pump my fist in the air at the admission. It was the first step in all of us

being together for real. “I fell for you a bit already for the way you took care of me when I woke up
and then after I drew the visions for Baylor and the Queen.”

“You were so brave, wanting to help like that.” Kermy smiled up at him and guided Talcott to

ease his cock into our wolf’s hole. “Push in a bit and my body will adjust. You have to be ready for
the kick of my blood. It can throw vamps, I’ve heard, so pay attention and don’t drain me or take too
much because then you’ll be a horny monster. Save that for the full moon in a few days because I’ll
need you then too.”

“Okay.” He did what Kermy said and when our mate’s body opened up, he pushed in further,

both of my little men moaning in pleasure. I quickly slicked up my cock with the lube that was left on
the bed and moved behind Talcott.

“Let me know if you need me to slow down or stop, okay? We have all the time in the world

here and there’s no rush.”

“No, I want you,” he begged. “I want to have a real life now and be loved by my sexy mates.

You’re both so nice and I want this. No more waiting for my life to start. I have everything I want
right here. No more being scared.”

“Hey, we’re not going anywhere,” Kermy said gently. “You don’t need to force this or do

something you’re not ready for just because you want to be loved.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I want the whole package. I want us to be together. I want this. I

really do.” I shared a look with Kermy who nodded. He could smell if Talcott was lying so I trusted
him. I pushed into my mate and found heaven once again. Being with Kermy and now Talcott was my
version of heaven.

It took a while to work my cock into his tight, basically virgin hole, but when I was all the way

in he was shivering. I rubbed my hands up his sides as Kermy did.

“We fit. We really fit,” Talcott whispered. “I won’t be alone anymore. I can be normal and love

you guys. I can be loved. That’s what I want. I want to love you both so much and be a family. And
lots of sex. I want lots of sex.”

“We’ll get to work on that,” Kermy giggled. “You have a fantastic cock after all.” We all shared

a laugh at that and then I watched them kiss passionately as I trailed my lips along Talcott’s neck. We
all had our issues but he especially would need lots of love and tenderness.

Kermy and I were just the men to give it to him.
I moved slowly at first, making Talcott’s hips go with me. I felt the mating bond snap into place,

and my heart was truly complete for the first time in my life. He cried out and came and I had to grind

my teeth to keep from exploding inside of him.

“Oh good. I’m not the only one who blew the first instant Elan touched me,” Kermy said

playfully. “He’s just that talented, right?” I gave him an appreciative wink. The last thing Talcott
needed was to feel inadequate.

“Yeah, and with both of you I was on overload,” Talcott panted.
“I know how good Kermy’s ass feels,” I chuckled. “Yours is just as wonderful. It was so hard

not to come. I wanted to hold out to please you again if you can handle it.”

“I’ll suffer through it if I can recover fast enough. I’m not sure though.”
“We’ll make it work,” Kermy assured him. Talcott moaned and I saw Kermy’s arm moving. I

guessed he was busy getting Talcott hard again. He nodded at me and I started thrusting, needing them
desperately now.

“Oh fuck. Oh god. Oh so never expected it like this. Oh shit!” Talcott rambled and screamed

minutes later. He came again and this time I couldn’t hold back. He leaned down and bit Kermy as
our wolf did the same. I got a front-row seat to their claiming as my orgasm slammed into me. I
pumped my seed deep into him until every drop was gone before gently pulling him off Kermy and
falling onto the bed.

“Wow,” Kermy gasped.
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “Never had a ménage like that. You were always better than any two men,

baby. But with both my mates? Holy shit and fireworks.”

“Glad it wasn’t just me,” Talcott mumbled in a tired voice.
“None of that,” I chastised. “We still have another round. I need to be claimed.”
“You want more from me?” he gasped as he looked at me over his shoulder. I pulled out of him

and he rolled over. He must have seen the question in my look because he smiled as he cupped my
cheek. “I mean, you want me so badly that once wasn’t enough? You still desire another round?”

“I will always yearn for another around,” I assured him with a growl. “How does my mate want

it this time? I need more of this perfect body. If you’re not too tired that is?”

“No, I can sleep in,” he giggled. Then I watched as he bit his lip. “Can I ride you? I’ve always

dreamed of doing that. Riding a big cock.”

“I’ll suffer through it,” I drawled. In a flash I rolled us back over and lowered him onto my still-

hard cock.

“Let me help,” Kermy purred as he moved behind Talcott.
“So selfless of you, baby,” I chuckled.
“I know how insatiable you are. I’m riding you when Talcott’s done.” He gave me a wink and

plucked our mate’s nipples as he kissed Talcott’s neck as I moved his hips.

“Elan’s that horny?”
“Our mate is very old and with that comes the knowledge of several dozen fantastic lovers,”

Kermy cooed. “He can go all night, never stopping, never tiring, and never going soft.”

My mate was being a little too kind but maybe now with two of them I could live up to the

reputation.

“That’s hot,” Talcott moaned as his ass tightened around my cock. “After I build up some

stamina you both can ride me all night.”

“Gladly,” I growled. I moved his hips faster, smiling when he helped me. Kermy kept playing

his body like he’d done it every night for years, and it didn’t take long until we were right there.

Talcott leaned over and licked my neck, which I exposed to him.

“I will love you forever, Elan,” he whispered softly. “Thank you for finding me and giving me

the chance to explain. Thank you for wanting me.” He sank his fangs into my neck before I could
answer. It wasn’t hard to want Talcott. It was easy actually. He had such a big heart.

I screamed his name as I came, feeling like a selfish lover until I felt my stomach get wet with

his seed as well. Then he pulled out his fangs and collapsed against me, completely spent. I kissed
him passionately, trying to put the feelings of what we’d just shared into that kiss. I think he got it
because when we moved apart he was smiling widely at me like only a man could after pleasing his
partner.

“My turn,” Kermy whimpered. “I’m a cad but I’m your horny mate of a cad.”
“No, not a cad,” Talcott chuckled as he moved off of me. “You helped make that fantastic. I

don’t blame you for being all wound up. What can I do to help?”

“Would you stroke me while Elan thrusts up into me?” Kermy asked hesitantly. “I know you’re

tired but you can lay down and do it. That would be awesome.”

“I could do that for my sexy mate,” Talcott agreed.
“And then sleep,” I chuckled, my heart warming at how quickly they wanted to do anything and

everything for each other. “We need to nap before the next round.” Two pairs of lust-filled eyes
focused on me then before they scrambled into position. And we did just as Kermy said. Our baby
came like a geyser with Talcott’s help and when we were spent, he collapsed onto the bed in between
us. I used my magic to clean us all up and pulled the covers over us.

“I love having a mate that’s magic,” Kermy muttered, half asleep.
“It’s totally cool.”
“Yeah, but not as cool as Elan. I love him more than his magic.”
“I can see why. I think I do too,” Talcott agreed with a soft snore. Then Kermy’s breathing

evened out. Did they realize what they’d just admitted or had they really been half asleep already? I
wasn’t sure but either way my heart never felt more full of every happy emotion and my soul was
even lighter. I pulled them both closer, realizing I had everything I’d ever wanted in my arms.

I just had to make sure they knew that.

* * * *

Talcott

It was a bit after lunch the next day when the next freak out time was upon me. I raced around the

house until I found Kermy and practically dragged him off somewhere secluded, which just happened
to be a hall closet.

“I came out of the closet years ago but thanks,” he drawled but then I felt his hands on my hips.

“But kinky. Who knew you were so randy? I like this!”

“I can’t believe you just made such a lame joke as an opener for flirting,” I chuckled and then

moaned as he rubbed the heel of his hand against my groin. “Not why I pulled you in here.”

“Oh, I thought you wanted some alone time with me.” I could hear the hurt in Kermy’s voice and

that was the last thing I wanted. He moved away and reached for the door. “My mistake.”

I hugged him on instinct and kissed his neck. “I do but you’re more than sex or a closet hookup,

Kermy. You’re my mate.”

“Can we still have closet sex? That sounds like fun.” He pushed his firm ass back against me

and we both moaned. Dirty, dirty wolf.

“Someone just told me it’s Elan’s birthday in a few days!” I blurted out before we got too

distracted. “We will be the worst mates ever if we don’t do something for him, whether we just met
him or not. I wanted to come find you right away so we could start plotting.”

“Shit. I heard him say it was soon but I didn’t know he meant like now soon. Crap. Okay, yeah,

we need a plan.”

“You know him better. What would he want?” Kermy let out a few whimpers as we kept

rubbing against each other, apparently not completely cutting out our fun.

“I don’t know,” he admitted finally. “He loves his Queen, likes us naked and to dominate us,

cares for his people, loves Mareo—but that’s really all I know.”

“So we need to pump him for information.” I moved my hands under his shirt and gently

caressed his soft skin. Kermy threw me for a loop when he spun in my arms and pushed me against the
wall.

He growled and latched his lips onto my neck as his hips ground into mine. “We don’t have time

for that. Two days isn’t enough time for subtle. We need a full court press, all systems hot
interrogation.”

“All systems hot,” I parroted as he grabbed my ass. Then my fangs came out as an idea formed

in my head. “Kermy, you’re a genius!”

“That’s one I’ve never heard before,” he giggled. “What did I do?”
“What’s the one thing Elan said he loves and told us was his version of heaven? That he’d do

anything for?”

Kermy stopped the foreplay and leaned back, an evil twinkle in his eyes. “Oh you are good. I

like it. I’ll get him and you get restraints? Where should we do this?”

“I wasn’t thinking restraints. I was thinking witnesses,” I purred as I cupped his groin. “We’ll

get all the goods from him instantly if his friends are watching and wanting what’s his. You good with
that?”

Kermy gave me a wink and a wide grin. “I’m a wolf. I crave it.” His face fell then and he

cupped my cheek as worry filled his eyes. “But vamps aren’t normally so open. Can you do that,
Talcott?”

I swallowed loudly and nodded. “For Elan I can. I mean, it’s his five thousandth birthday,

Kermy. We have to do something killer. We don’t have time to set up something elaborate so it has to
be now and we don’t know him well enough to do this without help. So yeah, for him and us to start
our mating off right I’ll find a way.”

“You’re awesome.”
“Just promise me you won’t let me look like a goober with all your wolf smoothness, okay? I

mean, I can’t be the freak with the curse and the loser with no skills in this house too.”

“You don’t need my help to be sexy, Talcott,” Kermy chuckled. “It oozes from you without you

even realizing it. You’ve got that sheik, mysterious, artist thing going on that’s just dayum.”

“Whateve.” I rolled my eyes at him but then lost my sarcasm when he gave me the softest kisses.

I even sighed as I ran my hands up his arms it felt so damn good and right.

“I’m not lying. Trust your mate or I’ll spank you later.”

“Please do because then I get to do it back and I think Elan will like that.”
He gave me a wolfish grin. “I’d say we have a plan but I think we should save something that

special for another night. I’ll get Elan and you get us a viewing party. Meet in the front social room
thingy with the big chaise lounge in like ten minutes.”

“Deal if I get another kiss.” I didn’t wait for his answer, pulling him to me instead. I turned up

the heat a bit and we both moaned. “Bring lube too since I’m getting more people.”

“Yes, lube super.” Kermy turned and grabbed the knob, stumbling a bit. Good to know I wasn’t

the only one affected by the kiss!

“I need a favor that includes you watching Kermy and I naked, getting it on while we pump Elan

for information and make him jealous for not telling us about his birthday,” I blurted out without any
tact when I found a few of Elan’s friends.

“Honey, you had us at you and Kermy being naked,” Tanzi drawled getting to his feet along with

the others.

I glanced at them a moment. “No touching though. You know that, right? We’d never cheat.”
“Of course you wouldn’t,” Lovis immediately agreed. “No one in this house would be a party to

that either. Teasing and kinky is accepted always. Cheating or betrayal is not.”

“Okay, good. I just didn’t want to give the wrong impression.” I led the way, shaking with

nerves and wondering if I’d throw up my lunch before I was even able to take my shirt off. Just as we
got to the room Kermy had said, he and Elan arrived.

“Enough of the games, Kermy. What is going on?” Elan asked darkly.
“You’re being punished,” he answered in a cheeky tone. “Sit down and take it like an old fae or

no sex for a month and Talcott will help me through my first full moon of our mating and you’ll miss
out.”

“You’d really do that?” Elan whispered in horror as he plopped down on the chair Kermy was

pointing to. “What did I do that deserves such a steep punishment?”

“Not telling your mates your birthday was in two days so they would miss it and not get you

anything and look like the biggest, most inconsiderate jerks on the planet ever,” I mumbled as I stared
at the floor. “I heard Baylor talking about it. How could you not tell us? Didn’t you think we’d care? I
mean I know we’ve started rocky but didn’t we matter enough to you to—”

“Of course you do!” Elan gasped. “I didn’t want to make it a big deal and be like give me

presents after we just met and how we did. I’m sorry. That wasn’t my call to make. I should have told
you though. There’s just been so much going on.”

“Which is why we’re not mad and simple giving you a little fun torture as we pump you for

ideas so we can get you the perfect gift,” Kermy said gently. “But we’re turning the tables on you,
Elan.”

“And they’re here why?” Our big warrior looked hesitant and something else I couldn’t

recognize.

“Because it’s hot when you get jealous,” Kermy giggled. He closed the door and pointed to the

couch to the right of the chair Elan was in. “Gentlemen, please sit. No touching but you may touch
yourselves.”

“They’re not jerking off to whatever you have planned,” Elan snarled as he grabbed the armrests

so forcefully the wood groaned.

My cock twitched in my pants at the show of raw emotion and desire to keep us only his. “Then

you’ll never forget to tell us anything important ever again after this.” I glanced over at Kermy.
“You’re starting right?”

He nodded and stalked over to me. “Yes, my sexy mate. You handle the questions while I

handled the teasing. I’ve been with our mate a little more and I know what will push his buttons since
he’s been bad.” I knew that was true but not the real answer… I appreciated him saying it for all of
them though.

“So kind of you,” I whispered as he met me in the middle of the room for them to see. I let him

see in my eyes that I understood what he’d done. Then I cupped his cheeks and pulled him closer,
licking his lower lip like I’d heard wolves did. “Wonderful mate, you taste so good always.”

“And you feel perfect,” Kermy whimpered as he fisted my shirt. I heard ripping as I kissed him

and suddenly the air was against my skin.

“Yeah, rip off his clothes,” Lavache groaned. “Are they always like this?”
I turned us around and pulled Kermy in front of us. “No. We got wound up earlier while

discussing this plan and didn’t find release. Strip for them slowly, baby. Show off your perfect body.
I love watching you undress.”

“Really?” Kermy breathed as he glanced at me over his shoulder, hope in his eyes.
“Oh yeah,” Elan and I groaned together. I rubbed his ass and Kermy started slowly peeling off

clothes, moving his hips seductively as he did.

“Elan, favorite color?”
“Blue,” he muttered as he shifted uncomfortable in the chair.
“Spring, summer, winter, fall?”
“We didn’t really have seasons like that on our plane. Always just perfect crop season. But

when I’ve lived here I didn’t like one over the other. I just like that they change.”

“You get points for not fighting us,” Kermy purred as he dropped his shirt and pinched his

nipples. “I foresee two tongues licking you when we’re done with your punishment if you keep being
this good, Elan.”

“I’m sorry I hurt and upset you. I never meant to do that. Not in a million years,” he said sadly.
In a flash we were on the chair with him each of us kissing his lips which made for a sloppy

three way. Then just a fast we were back in our original spots.

“We know or we wouldn’t be playing,” I assured him again. He nodded and watched Kermy as I

asked about a dozen more basic questions. Then Kermy worked on my clothes, fondling me as he
peeled them off of me.

“You are the luckiest fucker ever, Elan,” Lovis groaned as Kermy dropped to his knees in front

of me. He swallowed down my cock as he stared up at me, and just for our guests’ pleasure, he pulled
back the cheeks of his ass and showed off his hole.

“I truly am,” Elan whispered in awe. I blinked at him as my heart soared before glancing down

at Kermy and saw he had about the same reaction.

“What’s your biggest fantasy?” I moaned as I fisted Kermy’s hair.
“I think this. This and then I get to enjoy my mates after this pleasurable torture. Yeah, baby,

suck his tasty cock. Gods you two are so beautiful. I wish I could capture this moment forever.”
Kermy flinched and I knew we had one present idea.

“Kermy, I need you,” I whispered, wanting more than his mouth. He blinked up at me, confusion

filling his beautiful green eyes. I pulled out of his mouth and tackled him to the floor, flipping him

onto his hands and knees. “We didn’t discuss more than fooling around or—”

“Yes,” he hissed as he pushed his ass up as an offering. “I want to feel you inside me again,

Talcott. I’m yours. Take me!”

I grabbed the lube and slicked up in seconds before I was pushing my cock into his hole. Which

was overkill of course because his body would do that for me, but then I didn’t always think clearly
when there was a sexy naked man around me. When he was ready I thrust in hard, draping my body
over his back. We both looked at Elan, our heads next to each other so it was easy to tell where
Kermy’s gaze was focused as well.

“Elan?” I whispered when I saw his eyes tearing up. “Are we going too far?”
“No, not at all.” He cleared his throat and wiped his eyes. “You’re just showing exactly why the

idea of you having to give me a present is ridiculous.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you felt that way,” I mumbled, my heart sinking into my stomach. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” Kermy whispered, sounding destroyed. We started to pull apart, my erection deflating

as I felt like the biggest fool ever when Pazel finally spoke up.

“He’s saying you are the gift, guys. Elan was telling you nothing could top the gift fate gave him

this year by letting him find such wonderful mates.”

We both froze. “Is that what you really meant?” I asked hesitantly.
“Yes. All I want is you both and for us to be together forever.”
I smiled and Kermy whimpered. “Can Talcott still fuck me though and we finish the game? His

cock feels awesome and this is so hot! I mean, I want that too but I’m too turned on to be sweet. I
want to be fucked and—”

I decided to save my mate from himself and his rambling by thrusting hard. Kermy let out a howl

and every man in the room groaned. I took him with everything I had, watching Elan’s eyes riveted on
us the whole time. A few things became crystal clear to me during that encounter.

One, we were the most important things to Elan without a doubt, even over his Queen. Two, I

really liked fucking Kermy. Three, our mate was a jealous man from the way he ripped the arm off the
chair when Tanzi came and a drop of cum almost hit us. But he wasn’t controlling or overbearing
with it.

Four, getting Elan jealous was a very good thing because he turned into a sex machine animal,

fucking us both after Kermy and I were done in front of his friends. Five, I really liked Elan fucking
me. Fine, I knew that one already. Six, I was starting to think I was strapped with a curse like my
visions so I’d be worth mates like the ones fate gave me and earned the happiness I already felt with
them.

Seven… Fuck seven. I just wanted more sex. They were gods in that department.

Chapter 10

Kermy

The next few days were incredibly busy… Then again, there really hadn’t been any not hectic

days since I’d met Elan. These were happy busy days at least. I could deal with those. I’d already
handed out all the gifts I’d bought while Talcott was out in between checking on him and while Elan
was running things in the Queen’s place.

Now that she was doing much better, though things were still tense with her mate and she wasn’t

back up to speed, I could tell everyone wasn’t so stressed. At least her scent had changed from what
I’d heard so that meant he had to have claimed her.

And I really, really liked her and so did Talcott. Except there was the issue of the painting.
“Please don’t ask this of me,” Talcott whispered as tears streamed down his cheeks. “Why did

you have to tell me?” He stared at Elan with betrayal. “I thought you had already shown her or
everyone. You said you needed it. Why show her now in front of me?”

“It wasn’t mine to show. I only brought it in case people needed to see the proof,” Elan said

gently. “No one thought it was their place to see it. But the Queen needs to.”

“You said it’s no longer my fate, right?” the Queen asked gently.
“That doesn’t make it any easier to see,” Talcott quietly sobbed. “And I’m the one who painted

it. You’ll hate me and Elan loves you. He’ll get rid of me and I couldn’t take that. I want to be with
him and Kermy always. I’m sorry I painted it. I’d take it back if I could and—”

“I wouldn’t!” Elan, Baylor, Elder Dawson, and the Queen exclaimed together. When Talcott

shook his head and collapsed onto his knees it was the Queen who went to him and pulled him into
her arms.

“You saved my life, Talcott. I had no idea what you foretold could even happen. You have a

special place in my heart. Elan would never cast his mate aside no matter what I thought, sweet
Talcott. I want to see it and then we’re going to burn it. That way it can never hurt either of us again
and we’ll move on.” She wiped away his tears and I felt my own heart twist in my chest for the man I
was falling in love with. “None of the pain I will feel at seeing this is your doing. You didn’t just
have a fantasy of my death. What you painted saved me. I would never blame you.”

“Okay,” he sighed with a sniffle. The Queen gave Elan a nod and he pulled the sheet away that

had been covering it. She gasped and her hand fluttered to her throat. “It’s no longer your fate, Queen
Magdalena.”

“You’re sure,” she whispered, swallowing loudly. “What Baylor did truly changed that?”
“He set the dominoes in motion. He snapped you out of it and agreed Elan should kick Elder

Dawson. When Elan, Makari, and Lovis confronted your mate Makari knocked him out and Elder
Dawson had a dream of a world without you and realized he was a fool who would do anything to
prevent that, even swallow his own pride and realize that you were more than an elder’s mate in his
heart, not just logically. It’s no longer your fate, I swear it.”

“You sound very certain of that more than just Baylor and I doing what we did,” Elan hedged

and I agreed but I hadn’t wanted to say anything.

“Don’t be mad,” Talcott mumbled as he stood and pulled away from the Queen, glancing

between them. “But you were still so worried and Marian has taught me better control and you love

her so much and I never had a real mother so I don’t know what that bond is like but I know it would
kill you if you lost her and you’d blame me because of what I could do and how could I—”

“Sweetheart, no I wouldn’t,” Elan said gently as he pulled Talcott in his arms. “I wouldn’t be

mad at you. I’ve seen how taxing your gift is on you. Even with your gift, as you said the future
changes. You cannot set up a vigil to keep watch. That’s insane. If you catch something, of course tell
us, but it’s not your job to watch the future of others and miss out on your own life. That’s not what
any of us want for you.”

“Thank you,” Talcott sighed in relief and slumped against Elan.
“Just tell us what you did, Talcott. No one will be angry,” I coaxed as I got in the hug.
“I used my gift when we were sitting by the Queen at dinner and then went to draw out what I

saw last night,” he mumbled. “She won’t die. Not anytime remotely soon at least from what I saw.”

“Can I ask what you saw?” the Queen asked hesitantly.
“Are you sure you want to know? Knowing the path you’re on can affect it. We can make

decisions and alter it based on what we think will get us there instead of letting nature take its
course,” Talcott warned.

She nodded as he spoke and then sighed. “I’m too impatient. I think if I saw what the end result

is I could make it happen as long as I knew I was happy. Would I know if I was happy based on what
you saw?”

“Yes, you were smiling,” he giggled. He pulled away from us and raced over to where we had

stacks of his paintings. He pulled out one and a bound drawing pad. “This painting I had for a while
but this is what I worked on last night in case you answered that you’d want to see it.” He came over
to the Queen and handed it to her. “Thank you for loving my mate. He adores you and I know you have
always been good to him.”

“He is easy to be good to,” she said fondly as she glanced up at Elan. “Even if he’s a pushy pain

in my ass. There’s a reason I made him my second.”

“You might want to look at that in private later,” Talcott suggested as she went to open the book.

She winked at him and stood. “But the painting you can have now.” He pulled back the covering and
she gasped as she reached for Elder Dawson’s hand.

“Marvelous,” she whispered in awe. “Oh, thank you, Talcott. I will cherish this always.”
“As will I. Nothing is more sacred than the moment we met,” Elder Dawson said before kissing

her cheek. I had to look then. Sneaking a peek, I saw the elder on his knees before Magdalena, who
was standing next to a car, looking shocked and thrilled at the same time. It really was a touching
moment. “Thank you for sharing this with us, son. You’re doing a good thing here tonight.”

“I hope so,” Talcott chuckled nervously.
One of the reasons we’d been so busy was we’d been getting all his paintings out of storage and

setting them up in several rooms around Barnabas’s house. Then we had to organize them all, figure
out who everyone was, and make sure they were all invited to the party tonight hosted by the Queen to
announce the mating of her second-in-command and the new leadership structure of the fae. It was a
big to-do and our talented mate was basically the entertainment of it.

He’d been throwing up most of the afternoon with nerves.
We watched as the Queen picked up the other painting of her death and with her mate tossed it in

the fireplace, watching it burn before taking the one of her mating and asking her lady-in-waiting,
Yara, to take it to their rooms.

“I can’t believe you made me go through that emotional roller coaster minutes before the party

starts and we all walk into the ballroom,” Talcott hissed at us. “Now I have big red puffy eyes. You
both suck.”

“I didn’t think you’d get so upset. It was symbolic. Cleansing of the past before we walk into our

future,” Elan said gently. “I’m sorry. I will suck you all tonight.”

“No, I’ll suck him. He likes your cock in his ass better,” I offered.
“That is true,” Talcott agreed as his pants started to tent.
“Okay, I’m dying to know what’s in the book.” Elan held up his hands in an act of surrender

when he got a dirty look. “I don’t mean if it’s personal but I am her second. Is there anything that I
need to know that affects the way things are going to be done or our people?”

“Shit. Yes, there might be changes, but no, you don’t need to know. I suspect you already know,”

Talcott said, shooting him a meaningful look. Personally, I didn’t want to know. I had enough secrets I
was already keeping. If it was fae stuff and I knew everyone was happy in the end… I didn’t need to
know. I’d find out later.

Plus, I had enough of my own drama. While I loved my brother, and I knew I was in love with

Elan, and thought I was in love with Talcott, something had to change. Kinkade wasn’t happy with the
way I helped Elan instead of him, and Elan wasn’t thrilled about the way my brother bossed me
around and gave me side tasks. And I didn’t want to tell either I was so busy helping the other since
I’d seen how they reacted the first time that the past week I’d basically been running myself into the
ground.

Tonight might be interesting. A large part of me hoped Kinkade wouldn’t be here, but I didn’t

think I was that lucky.

“Okay, so we go through the Queen’s speech,” Baylor said, reading off the agenda one last time

for the group. “She names the attachés and appointments along with announcing the palace being built
and the ground-breaking ceremony in three days’ time.”

“Which starts the full moon for me so be prepared,” I reminded my mates with a wink.
“And mine,” the elder chuckled.
“I’m missing something,” the Queen hedged as she held up a hand for Baylor to hold off. “What

does that mean? You get crankier than normal during the full moon, yes. What has changed?”

“Oh boy,” I gasped, before breaking out into peals of giggles. She raised an eyebrow at me and

he shot me an unfriendly look. But I was having way too much fun with this. “Don’t be surprised if he
starts humping your leg, your highness. I know I’ll be climbing Elan and begging for sex. Talcott I can
just tackle and hump because he’s closer to my size.”

“Looking forward to it,” they both said.
“I thought that was just a joke since we, well, oh,” she started and then her eyes went wide

before filling with sadness. “It just didn’t happen because you never, well, yes. I understand. Of
course.” It wasn’t so funny when I saw her shutting down right before our eyes. Shit.

“I was going to explain after tonight, my darling,” he said gently as he grabbed her hand and

raised it to his lips. “I didn’t want to rain on your show with my wolf hormones. I was trying to be
more understanding.”

“What does that mean?”
“We’re horny after we mate too, like adrenaline and totally horny,” I answered when he didn’t

open his mouth. Idiot. He should have just been honest. “Like constantly for the next day at least.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she gasped in shock.
“You weren’t feeling your best and then you had so much going on with your duty to your people

and this party,” he whispered. “I didn’t want to fail you again or make you think you weren’t worth
putting what I need to the side. I was trying, Magdalena.”

“You infuriating man,” she sighed as she leaned in so their foreheads were touching. “How

about just being honest with me and trusting that I’m several dozen times older than you and wiser and
that I can make up my mind like a grown woman? Tell me the truth, Terrance. Just tell me what’s
going on in that head of yours!”

“Like right now?” he asked in a confused voice. Good to know elders were dummies when it

came to matters of the heart too.

“Yes!” I thought she was going to bash him on the head or rip out her hair in frustration.
“I’ve never wanted anyone more than I want you. I’m so turned on with how sexy you are and

how good you smell that I’ve had a hard time focusing on anything besides getting that dress off of you
and claiming you right here and fuck it who sees us,” he growled as he cornered her against the wall
and mashed his mouth down to hers. Well, well, well. I’d say that was a start.

“Um, let’s give them the room,” Elan chuckled.
“Five minutes,” the elder growled. “Then she’ll make her speech.”
“Ten,” the Queen moaned.
“Right on,” Talcott snickered. “We’ll guard the door.” We all hurried out into the hallway and

eleven minutes later, they joined us, a few buttons missing from the Queen’s dress, but otherwise
nothing much else out of place.

“You say it will be days of that during the full moon now that he’s bitten me?” the Queen leaned

down and asked me quietly. I couldn’t help but see the smirk on the elder’s face, knowing full well
he’d heard her.

“And more,” I giggled. “You’re lucky he waited until everyone left the room. Wolves are into

outside and public displays. You should see the parties at Ayden’s house from what I hear. I’m trying
to talk Elan and Talcott into going. Tyler says they’re a trip.”

“I think if we went we’d put a damper on them,” she hedged.
“You’re all-powerful,” I snickered. “Can’t you cloak yourselves?”
“Why yes, yes I can,” she purred with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Glad to know I could

help.

* * * *

Baylor

“Now that everyone understands the purpose of tonight, my second has been named, and all my

attachés have been announced, along with the plans for the palace, there is one more thing that has to
be addressed,” my mother said with a bright smile. “It’s something personal and closer to my heart.”

I groaned internally. She was going off speech. What was she up to? I really hoped she wasn’t

going to tell everyone that Elder Dawson officially claimed her. I was thrilled for her but that could
potentially backfire that it took them six months to get their shit together!

“For a long time there has been something that has weighed heavily on me. A secret I have kept

for fear of ruining the life of someone I loved more than I can put into words. Now that I know that
isn’t the case and he knows the truth, I see no reason to keep it a secret anymore.” I felt my eyes go
wide as I got light-headed. “After discussing it with my loving mate, and Loch, the court healer and
witness to the events, I’d like my son to take his rightful place at my side.”

There were several gasps and exclamations of shock and outrage. I couldn’t take my eyes off of

her, standing there in all her beauty, commanding respect from the room as she oozed power. She
looked out at everyone but kept glancing back at me.

“I understand this comes as a surprise,” my mother said calmly, but firmly. “However, there is

only so much I’m willing to explain about my personal life and to be quite frank and to use a phrase I
have learned from my dear friend, King Rylan, this is happening so if you don’t like it, shove it.” I felt
myself pale as spots formed in front of my eyes. “My son is an honorable man who our people are
lucky to have. He has served us well and without hesitation before he even knew the truth.

“I kept it from him and let his father raise him because his father found his mate, and thus he

would have a loving family away from the eyes of the royal court. It was years after my Nahal died
and those of you who were alive then know what I suffered. As my people I would hope that you are
happy someone was able to comfort me and remind me that life went on because that is what this man
did for me. Not only that, but he gave me the gift of a son who I love.

“That is all that should matter. He is of my blood and thus, a royal fae of pureblood. Loch can

attest to that. I wanted this known sooner, but when the woman who raised him died and then his
father, I never felt it my place to tell him the truth and shake the foundation he knew. So for those of
you who are mothers, I don’t have to tell you the sacrifices we make for our children in the name of
what is best for them. That is what I did. I kept it to myself for his happiness.

“When I found out recently he knew the truth I was filled with joy only to learn he thought I

didn’t want him. Nothing could be further from the truth.” She focused on me then. “I have always
wanted you, Baylor. I have prayed to the gods that one day I could acknowledge the gift I was given
by having you for a son. This is your birthright and I would be honored as your mother and as your
Queen if you would accept it.”

She held out her hand to me and before I even realized it, my feet were moving. It wasn’t about

being heir or wanting everyone to know I was the Queen’s son. I just wanted my mother. I wanted us
to be a family and to not feel like a secret as I had for so long. I didn’t want to have to hide now that
she understood I knew the truth.

I leapt up on stage and didn’t just take her hand but pulled her into my arms. “I love you,

Mother.”

“I love you so much, Baylor. I always have. I’m so sorry you didn’t know that every day of your

life.”

“I think I did. I just needed to hear it and the whole story,” I chuckled, blinking back tears. “I

knew I was your favorite warrior.”

“Long live Prince Baylor!” Elan shouted at the top of his lungs. I pulled away from my mother

enough to stare in shock at my friend standing in the crowd, an arm around each mate. I saw the spots
forming in my eyes again. “What did you think, man? You’re the Queen’s son. Of course you’re a
Prince now.”

“I just wanted my mother,” I answered with a shrug. “I wanted to know she wanted me and I

didn’t think about the rest. I don’t care about the title. I already serve my Queen and our people. I just

wanted my family. I’ll do whatever’s needed no matter what position I have.”

“And that’s why you’re the perfect choice,” Lovis said as he got down on one knee. Elan and

several of my friends followed suit. “Long live Prince Baylor!”

I watched in awe and shock as others followed suit before a chorus of shouts of the same rang

out.

“Holy shit,” I whispered.
“Succinctly put, my son,” Mother chuckled. “We’ll put that on your crown.”
“Duly noted,” I snickered and then I smiled before picking her back up and twirling her in my

arms. There was quite a height difference so I’m sure she wasn’t thrilled.

“Now you’re excited? Because I said there was a crown?” she asked with a gasp when I was

done. There were several laughs as people stood back up.

“What? No,” I answered, rolling my eyes as I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I realized that

this means I can ask for something I’ve been dying to since we’ve come over to this plane and you’ll
let me and I won’t have to feel guilty!”

“What’s that?” She blinked at me in shock. “You know whatever it is I would have before.”
“I know but it was stupid and whiney and it wasn’t my place to question your orders as just your

warrior.”

“Well what is it?” she asked, always as impatient as ever.
“I don’t ever want to answer your phone again,” I blurted out, tickled at the prospect. “People

hate talking to me when they want to talk to you. I hate it. If I never have to answer another phone
again I’d be thrilled. I cringe when the phone rings. I hate taking messages. People ramble and are
annoyed that I don’t tackle you to the ground and give them to you immediately as if I’m a jerk for not
knowing that their issue is the most important thing in the world. I hate it.”

She bit her lip as her eyes shined. I knew it was a ridiculous request. Everyone was silent for

several moments and then I started to feel silly. It was Elder Dawson who broke first.

“I’ve said the same thing,” he bellowed before letting out several barks of laughter. “When

you’ve been at the firing range or at training and I’ve helped with the calls, I told Magdalena it was
the worst job ever and she truly hated whoever she had do it normally.”

“I thought he was exaggerating,” she snickered.
“No, it’s horrid,” I chuckled. “Does this mean I don’t have to do it anymore?”
“No, my son. I’ll make whoever pisses me off or places last in training be my gopher and phone

answerer for the week now that I know it’s such a horrid job.” She turned and looked at Makari.
“You’re up first, my dear Makari.”

“How did I know that was coming?” my friend grumbled with a smirk.
“You knocked out my mate.”
“Even if I deserved it,” the elder said so quietly that only Magdalena and I could hear. I was

glad he acknowledged that and I could see it meant a lot to my mother that he admitted it.

“On to the festivities then!” Mother announced. “Talcott, take it away.” Elder Dawson and I

each wrapped an arm around her and as weird as it was to be up on the stage, the center of attention,
to belong like this to a family again, it was well worth it.

I had my mother finally and she wanted me. What more could I ask for? I was even getting a

crown I hadn’t asked for!

* * * *

Elan

“Everyone, please, your attention real quick,” I said loudly once the Queen was done.
It was hard to focus after her announcement, watching two of the people I cared for most in the

world so happy. Plus, I was proud of my people for being so receptive. I had been worried more
would balk at the idea of a Prince born out of mating. So far so good, though I knew some would bitch
later. I waited for everyone to quiet down before I began, nodding to Lovis, and he gestured to the
guys at the door to start wheeling the easels in.

“As the Queen explained, my mate has a truly rare gift. Instead of hiding the moments he’s

painted away we decided to share them with the people they were of. Now these are the ones that are
suitable for all eyes, while the private ones we’ll call you individually and take you into the study so
be patient with us because there are a lot of them. In the meantime, please enjoy the party, have fun,
and listen for any announcements.”

Everyone watched as the three dozen pictures were wheeled throughout the ballroom, with the

people’s names on the sheets. Of course, once they realized there were names, people got excited and
called them out, trying to find their friends or whomever and then following their pictures for the
unveiling. Once they were all in place we waited a few more moments until the right people were in
front of the correct easels.

“Go ahead and unveil,” I announced loudly as I wrapped my arm around Talcott as Kermy did

on the other side. Our mate was shaking with nerves so bad. Everyone that was helping pulled back
sheets and I heard scores of gasps.

“Oh god, I can’t watch,” Talcott groaned. “This is worse than getting a response e-mail or letter

from a client. It’s live and in color and so many more when they didn’t ask me. This was a horrible
idea. How did I ever let you talk me into any of this? Neither of you like me, I swear it.”

I glanced at Kermy and saw we were in perfect agreement. We more than just liked our mate.
I knew who the people were in most of the moments painted, but some I didn’t, and we’d needed

help identifying them. Some I actually was there for. For instance, Caven standing on the front porch
of the cottage on Bas’s property admitting to Gabriel that he loved him. Or Brio embracing his mates
after Fergus’s arm grew back. Others I was dying to know about, like my brother rolling on the
ground kissing Virgil’s face along with Foma.

Suddenly Talcott wasn’t in our arms. I gave out a yelp and then realized it was just King Rylan.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he rambled in Italian, kissing my mate’s cheeks. “You are an

amazing man. I am honored and in awe of the painting. I will cherish it forever.”

“I don’t know Italian,” Talcott whispered as he glanced at me. “King Rylan, right?”
“Yes,” I snickered, shaking my head. “He was very enthusiastically thanking you.”
“Glad you like it,” my mate replied nervously and tried to pull away.
“It was the first time my little brother called my mate daddy,” the King explained. I knew the

story of course but both my mates just blinked at how that one made any sense. Rylan quickly filled
them in and they nodded, getting the significance of the moment. “Onah was thrilled when Paolo
called him daddy for the first time, and of course we didn’t get it on camera or film it, but now we
have a painting of it, so thank you.”

Talcott smiled and accepted the thanks. Next it was Brian and Banning, saying the painting was

when they first saw their vineyard and opened all their cards for their mating gifts, which Zane hadn’t
been there for and now got to see. Well that was a cool moment too.

The one with Darcy and Ayden was when they’d found their house and Ayden had asked what

Darcy’s gift was. In turn the vampire had made it snow for his mate. Ayden was practically gushing,
which shocked me because I’d never seen the little Kappa like that. But he swore it was one of the
most romantic moments of his life, so again, someone was thrilled.

The more people who were excited and touched Talcott gave them their painting, the more my

mate relaxed. I think he kept waiting for that one person who would freak out for invading their
privacy and blow up at him.

But no one did.
Digger adored his painting of the first time he saw Barnabas. Travis melted over his when

Emmett fell into his arms. Asterio twirled my mate in his arms after seeing his, where his mates found
him and they met. Even people we didn’t know gushed over not only Talcott’s gift but his talent
getting what he saw onto the canvas. I think it went a long way to soothing our mate’s past pain.

“Now comes the tricky part,” he mumbled as we went to the study. I kind of agreed with him

there. The dozens of public-appropriate ones were easier to handle than the intimate or naked ones.
Who knew how people were going to react to those?

And there was one in particular that could go bad real fast. We decided to get that one out of the

way first just in case.

“I’m not sure why I was called in here first,” Councilman Abbott hedged as he was shown into

the study moments after us. “The artwork is amazing, but from what I saw it was all of mated
individuals and I’m not.”

“I saw you in my head,” Talcott mumbled as he stepped away from the painting, taking the cloth

with him. The Councilman came closer and studied it.

“I–I don’t understand,” he stuttered. “It’s me but it looks like I’m being knocked down?”
“Wait for it,” Kermy chuckled. “Three, two—”
“Mine!” a snarl came from the doorway. They moved faster than I could track and jumped the

Councilman, knocking him to the ground.

“And that’s what I saw,” Talcott chuckled as Cynthia, a margay friend of Rylan’s, sank her teeth

into Councilman Abbott’s neck. “Just had to call you both here.”

“You foresaw our mating?” he moaned as he ran his hands up under the woman’s skirt. “Shit, I

can’t think right now. You are so stunning.”

“Then take me home and claim me for the next week,” she growled. Two seconds later they

were gone.

“That went much better than I would have thought. Go us,” Kermy snickered and held out his fist

to Talcott’s. Our mate shook his head. “Dude, you just helped two people find each other.”

“I feel like I’m fucking with people’s lives and trying to play god,” he whispered and then

shivered.

“No,” Kermy snarled and grabbed his shoulder, being forceful in a way I’d not seen. “No way.

There’s too much to be upset and sad about in life for you to make worries and problems when there
aren’t any.” Talcott had about the same reaction I did, blinking at Kermy in shock. “Fate gave you this
gift, right?”

“Yes.”
“Fate gave you us who support you and this gift, right?”
“Yes.”
“And we pushed you to show these paintings, right?”
“Yes,” Talcott hedged but I saw where Kermy was going. Smart, hot mate.
“Fucking with people’s lives and trying to play god would be going against all of that and then

making it where Cynthia didn’t attend the party or Councilman Abbott’s car didn’t work or destroying
the painting so there was no reason to call them in here and they didn’t see it. You played your part in
fate. That’s awesome, not something to feel guilty or shameful about.”

Talcott blinked at him a few moments and I saw him working that out in his mind before smiling

widely. “You’re right.”

“I normally am,” Kermy chuckled.
“I agree with that as well.” I hugged them both. “Let’s get these handed out and show Kermy

how much we appreciate him being right all night long and then Talcott for being so talented.”

“And if we say no?” Talcott asked, giving me a cheeky look.
“Then I’m going to spank my naughty mate all night and not fuck him,” I growled.
“And if I say yes?” he squeaked.
“Then I’m going to spank him before fucking him.”
“Yes, I pick that one.” I gave him a quick kiss, smiling when he whimpered and tried to follow

my lips. “Tease.”

“No, I plan on following through tonight. That’s not teasing then.”
“Okay, let’s hurry this up then,” Talcott said as he raced to the door, nerves gone.
“Oh, you’re good,” Kermy chuckled and we bumped fists.
“I try.”
“Call them in. They get three minutes and then the next ones. I don’t care if they’re still looking.

That’s all they get or someone else gets to see their dirty painting,” Talcott rambled to Lovis who was
handling the door.

“Why? Are you okay?” Lovis asked, his tone concerned.
“Yes, my mate promised to spank me and I want to do that really badly,” Talcott blurted out.

“Years of never getting sex. I want that, Lovis. I mean really want that. Hook a brother up, okay?”

“All over it, Talcott,” Lovis replied, obviously trying not to laugh. He turned away and called

out Rory’s and Isaac’s names as Talcott came back over to us.

“Had to tell him, huh?” I hissed in his ear.
“I plan on screaming loud enough that the whole coven knows what you guys are doing to me

tonight,” he giggled before rubbing his ass against me and then Kermy. “I’ve been a bad boy.”

“You’ve created a monster.”
“Apparently,” I drawled, agreeing with Kermy.

Chapter 11

Talcott

The rest of the revealing had gone without a hitch. Everyone had been so turned on by their

paintings, their intimate moments forever captured with their mates, that they’d thanked me, grabbed
it, and raced out of there. Probably to go do it again, but that was just in my mind. And now that I was
mated to two hot, sexy men I was in love with… My mind tended to live in Dirtyville most of the
time.

The only awkward one had been Mareo’s since he was Elan’s brother and all. Both men had

blushed, but Elan had admitted that his brother was happy, had found both his mates, and he liked
them. That was worth all the discomfort and awkward moments in the world to him now that he’d
seen their asses on a canvas. I thought that was pretty big of him.

But the next day was Elan’s birthday and while everyone was pretty tuckered out after throwing

such a huge bash… And us from staying up all night and bonking sixteen ways from Sunday, Kermy
and I had a mission.

The Queen had a meeting at the Marius estate, not that she confided in us what it was about, so it

worked out that we were going through the portal she was opening to see Victor. The eldest brother
had been slightly nervous to help us with our request, but it was actually his mate who had finally
pushed him into relenting.

Hours later we were ready with that part of the plan and picked up the tray of food we’d asked

the cooks to prepare for Elan’s birthday breakfast. When we got outside of his room, we changed into
the robes Tanzi had pulled out of thin air for us and walked in.

“Where have you been?” Elan asked darkly as he narrowed his eyes at us. It was my gut reaction

to be pissed since we were doing something for him but then I saw the hurt in his eyes.

“Don’t be mad. He was worried,” Kermy said in my head. I nodded, still getting used to the fact

we could communicate that way.

“I was scared out of my ever-loving mind,” Elan whispered. “I thought you’d been taken from

me. I’m the Queen’s second and that would make my mates targets. You should always be protected.
Don’t you know I would die if something happened to you guys?”

“No, but it’s nice to know that,” I answered honestly as I pushed the cart closer. “We were with

her, getting part of your present. We didn’t think it would take this long otherwise we would have left
a note. The plan was supposed to have us back before you woke.”

“That’s what Baylor said when I started tearing through the house looking for you both,” he

muttered, still not looking at us. Oh! Now he was pouting. How cute was that even on a massive fae
warrior. “He said you were safe and had gone out. So that just means you made a big deal about my
birthday but then didn’t want to spend it with me. I thought we shared so much—”

“We have,” Kermy assured him as he undid the sash of his robe. I got the idea and did the same.

“Which was why we knew something to get our wonderful mate.” We moved to either side of him,
kneeling on the bed, before pulling back our robes.

Elan’s eyes went wide as he took in our naked bodies and then he growled as he rolled to his

knees in a flash. “Who touched my mates in such places?”

“Victor never touched us,” I soothed him. “Malachi was there the whole time. He’d never cheat

on his mate and we’d never betray you. You know that. We did this for you. His tattoo gun was the
only thing that touched our flesh or his gloved hand if he had to pull skin taught. His flesh did not meet
ours.”

“Right, of course,” he breathed as he nodded. Then he reached out and touched his name lightly

on my hip trailing down to my groin. “I’m so conflicted.”

“So you don’t like it?” I felt my heart sink. Had we gotten this so wrong?
“I love it but I hate another man saw my gorgeous mates naked. And your beautiful skin is all

marked up. Shouldn’t that make me horrid as your mate for wanting it that way?”

“Oh, Elan. You’re too hard on yourself,” Kermy giggled. “They’re not permanent. It’s like henna

tattoos for paranormals. Victor did dozens of designs on each of us in different places so you can see
live versions of your name.”

“I don’t understand.” He glanced at Kermy’s eyes before moving his fingers gently over his

name on our wolf’s ribs. “Why?”

“So you can pick which you like best for each of us and where you’d want us to get the

permanent version,” I explained.

“You’d really do that for me? Shouldn’t you hate I’m such a possessive bastard?” He really was

too hard on himself. I think temporarily taking over for the Queen was much harder on our mate than
he’d been honest about.

“No,” we both answered but I continued. “You’re not controlling or distrusting, Elan. You get

jealous because you value us and care so much for us that you would fight for us. And if you haven’t
notice, it gets us hot. So we wanted to mark our bodies with our mate’s name. We thought this was the
fun way to give you options but still surprise you. Were we wrong?”

“No. This is the best most perfect present ever. Thank you. Five thousand years of presents and

never have I been so touched by one.” He leaned in and kissed me gently and I melted against him. I
tried to follow his soft lips as he pulled away, but I relented when I realized Kermy would want the
same treatment.

I felt my cock leak as my mates expressed their passion before breaking apart as well.
“Breakfast and then you can see the rest of them,” Kermy panted.
“There’s more?” Elan’s eyes filled with lust. “Where?”
“You love our asses,” I giggled as I hopped off the bed. “Did you really think we wouldn’t give

you options there?” I let my robe slip off fully as I pulled the cart closer. I heard his strangled moan
as he saw the various tats of his name covering my “pert, perfect ass” as he called it.

“Best present ever.”
“We’re not even done yet.” I gave him a wink as I set the tray on the bed.
“You’re spoiling me,” Elan moaned as Kermy pulled off the silver dish lids. I quickly retrieved

the book I’d made for him with Kermy’s input on what to put in it. “I could get used to this.”

“Nope. Not until you hit ten thousand years old will you get such treatment again,” Kermy

teased.

“Then I’ll just have to live a long, long life with my mates.”
I smiled at the idea as I headed back to the bed. I was completely, totally, and utterly behind that

idea. Kermy and I shared a look that told me he was as well before I handed Elan the book.

“I get a book like the Queen?” he whispered in awe as he dropped the bacon in his hand and

quickly wiped it off on a napkin.

“Not quite like hers,” I giggled. He shot me a confused look as I knelt on the other side of him

from Kermy. Elan gingerly opened it up and gasped as he took in the first page. I felt tears burn in my
eyes as he lovingly traced the lines of Kermy’s and my faces smiling up at him from the page.

Then he flipped to the next one and it was Kermy on his knees in front of me, the moment that

had given us the idea. Next it was us making love, then us snuggled in bed together, a thought the
Queen had gotten from Elan’s mind, and dozens more images of us.

“I will treasure this more than all the gems my wings could ever produce,” he whispered

reverently. “The men and moments on these pages are more precious to me than every ruby or
emerald or anything else on this earth. This is true magic and I thank you both for not only thinking of
this, but creating it, and giving it to me.

“I’ve lived dozens of human lifetimes and never have I seen something so divine. This is heaven

captured for me to visit anytime I want. Never has a man been as lucky as I to have mates as
wonderful as the two of you and to be so loved to have received such amazing, thoughtful gifts.”

And that was the moment I officially knew without a doubt that I was deeply and forever in love

with Elan.

* * * *

Kermy

Two days after the party and one after our mate’s birthday we were at a huge cookout to

celebrate the ground breaking of the new fae palace, the plans finished and construction starting
tomorrow. The Queen had dug the first shovel full of dirt and playfully thrown it at her mate and then
declared it time to eat. My kind of party. But I was seriously glad things were going better for them.
She deserved to be happy.

“So I was reading this study the American military did decades ago about studying patterns of

the way their people ate their meat,” Caven said out of the blue. Elan had long explained to me that
Caven was young and a little random, but after what he, his brothers, and his pack had been through,
fun, young, and random was exactly what they needed.

“I’ll bite,” Virgil chuckled, someone else I really found I liked since moving to this pack. “What

was the study about?”

“Wait, before that,” Victor interrupted. Him, I didn’t know very well. I liked his mate, Malachi,

but Victor wasn’t someone I’d talked to much besides when we’d got the tattoos and I guess talking
broke his concentration so we didn’t really. “Why were you looking at American military studies,
Caven?”

“I wanted to see their thoughts on how to be a good leader and what I could learn from their

training programs. They have some of the best in the world for making good leaders,” he answered
with a shrug.

“You were reading American human military training information on how to be a leader?” my

brother asked with wide, disapproving eyes. Oh shit. For all the good things about Kinkade, he was
very stuck on certain things. He wasn’t exactly known for going with the flow. More for being a stick-
in-the-mud most times.

“Yes. I like to learn all I can about being a leader and get different viewpoints.” I smiled when

Caven wasn’t even fazed by my brother’s reaction.

“Don’t you think that’s something either you’re born with or not, Alpha?” my brother hedged,

never being one to let something go when he felt he was right. “I mean, you were born to be an Alpha.
It’s in you. I highly doubt that the American military could teach you much.”

Several people opened their mouths, growled, started to talk, or went to agree with my brother,

but Caven simply held up a hand for everyone to hold off.

“I understand your point, and while I agree, that there is something in a person that can make

them a natural-born leader or someone who’s better at taking orders, if we rely only on what we’re
born with then we’re idiots. That’s how we end up with asshole Alphas, people in power that let it go
to their heads, or use their fists to handle every situation. A leader needs to change with their
surroundings and learn from themselves and others.

“The President of the United States doesn’t just become President. There are levels and hurdles

to overcome and shit to jump through first. There are steps. Instead of just beating the person in
charge right then and taking over. The system wouldn’t fail as often as it does if there were more
checks and balances. I want to learn more of different structures to see what works and what doesn’t
instead of just going off what I was born with.”

“I understand that point, but I’m not sure American politicians would be the best example of a

well-working system,” Kinkade said after a few moments.

“No, I’ll give you that,” Caven chuckled. “But this country has a killer military. They know

what’s what. The more I learn about their tactics and battle strategies, the more impressed I am with
them. We could learn a lot from their fighting techniques.”

“Um, we use a lot of them,” Isaac said as he glanced at a few of his warriors.
“Yeah, we do,” Victor agreed. “We don’t use many of the air or ship ones, obviously, or olden

battle plans because it’s not like we ever meet our enemies on a set battlefield. But we use a lot of
their training, combat tactics, weapons teaching, and guerilla warfare knowledge. They’re quite
flexible and teach a lot about adjusting the plan on your feet.”

“And a good leader needs to know this.” Caven gave a nod of approval.
“Then I concede. I misunderstood what you meant on being a leader,” my brother chuckled.

Wow. That was fast. I’d never heard him give up like that. Maybe being mated was really good for
him and changed him for the better? But then again, who wasn’t that true for? “I thought you meant
more, what is the word I’m looking for?” He growled and started swearing in French. I caught one
that made me get the drift.

“Air. He means the air of being a leader. Like the presence or authority of one,” I explained.
“Yes, exactly. How to be like the Queen where she walks in a room and commands it. Or you

give an order and people want to bare their necks at you. That is not something that can be read in a
book. Taught by example maybe, but not read.”

“Oh, I get your point. No, I wouldn’t think that,” Caven agreed.
“Okay, so on to the study,” Virgil chuckled as we kept eating. Yeah, this needed to move along. I

was starting to squirm in my seat as I was sure most of the shifters here were. Time to jump our mates
and play hide the sausage for the next few days after bite the shifter for those of us who had vamp
mates.

“Anyways, they were doing research to find any patterns that could help them identify markers in

people that would make good leaders or how to find potentials for leadership roles,” Caven

explained. “One of them was the way they ate their meat.”

“Seriously?” Elan snickered before taking a bite of his steak. I glanced at mine and then back at

Caven. Huh. Now I was curious.

“Yes, they found a correlation between the way the people wanted their meat cooked and their

leadership potential. Their officers and high-ranking enlists tended to have it cooked one way while
grunts and lower ranks were on the other end of the scale.”

“Across the board?” Victor asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced around, taking note of

everyone’s steak. I saw he wasn’t the only one.

“It was something remarkable like eighty-five to ninety percent, yes, but this was years ago so

who knows.”

“It’s not really applicable for us,” Tyler chuckled and I nodded.
“Why not?” the Queen asked. Every wolf there stabbed their steak and held it up to show how

rare and bloody it was.

“We’re part animal,” Caven explained with a chuckle. “No matter our leadership potential, part

of us hunts and kills, eating our meat raw when we’re in animal form.”

“I’d be worried if I ever found a wolf who asked for their steak well done,” Elder Dawson

chuckled.

“So now that we know the wolves are out, which end of the spectrum were the officers and

leaders at?” Elena Marius asked, a twinkle in her eyes.

“Medium well to well done,” Caven answered. “Grunts were rare to medium rare. Medium was

a toss-up. Again, this was back in World War II times. That was a long time ago.”

“Well I’d have been out,” Elena chuckled as she held up her steak.
“Me as well, my dear,” Desmond agreed. More vampires went around the table and agreed.
“Yeah, I’m so surprised,” I drawled, getting all eyes on me. Most of them confused. “Seriously?

You guys drink blood. Of course you’re out too.”

“Oh well, when he puts it like that I want to go duh,” Elena snickered. Nice to know she could

laugh at herself.

“On the bright side, I seem to be in the right position in life,” the Queen said with a smirk. I

glanced over to her as she lifted her fork to her mouth. Sure enough, she had a well-done piece of
steak on it.

“Me too,” Elan, Lovis, and Makari said at the same time before toasting beer bottles.
“I have a question,” Baylor hedged.
“Why, is your steak not the right setting?” Elan teased him.
“No, it is. I like mine well done, but I’m just curious.”
“About?” Caven asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, I like my cow very dead but I like my pig with a chance of an oink left,” he chuckled. “I

don’t like crispy bacon. So it seems odd to just focus on steak when other meats would be just as
important, wouldn’t they?”

“Riley, we have the next project for your think tank right here!” Caven called out, trying his best

not to laugh.

“Sure, what’s going on?” he called out from another table. We couldn’t help it then, we all burst

out laughing. It was just too damn funny. “I don’t get it. What did I miss?”

“Nothing. We’ll explain later,” Elena assured him.

“To answer you, Baylor, I don’t have a clue. It just talked about mess times and what they

noticed when they got a treat of steak and who ordered which way,” Caven answered. “I don’t think
your mother will take your crown back because you like a chance of oink in your piggy.”

“No, especially because his mother eats it the same way,” the Queen chuckled. I sat back and

just enjoyed the banter. Who knew with all the drama, all the trouble surrounding us all the time, we
could be so damn normal sometimes?

“Kermy, grab me another beer,” Kinkade said before turning back to his conversation.
“No, I’ve had it,” Elan growled as he grabbed my arm.
“Elan, please,” I hissed. “Everyone’s having a good time. Not today. I was just enjoying how

normal we were all getting to be. Please?”

His anger melted away and he sighed. “Fine. For you. But this has to end, Kermy. You’re not his

slave.”

“He knows that. You ask me for help too, Elan.”
“Yeah, I ask,” he said, his eyes flashing with anger. “You offer and ask me what you can do to

help. I say please. I thank you. I offer the same to you. Don’t put me in the same bucket as your
brother.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” I leaned forward and kissed him. It was true. Elan was very

appreciative and never just pushed shit on me. I stood and moved to get out of the picnic bench and
winced when I saw Kinkade’s angry stare focused on us.

“What the fuck is going on?”
“Just let it go, Kinkade,” I sighed. “Today’s not the day for this, okay?”
“I asked you a question, Kermy. Answer me. Now.”
My mate snarled and got to his feet in a threatening manner. “Elan, please don’t—” And then I

froze when I realized he wasn’t the only mate doing it. Talcott was as well on the other side of me,
fangs out and everything.

“I thought maybe Elan was just being overprotective,” Talcott explained. “I hadn’t seen anything

to make me think he would be living with him and all the people we’ve been around and interacted
with. He’s not the overprotective, jump to conclusions type. But with your brother mating his ex-
lover, I thought maybe that was it.”

“And now?” I hedged, glancing between my mates.
“This is the second time I’ve met your brother and the second time I’ve wanted to bite him and

not in the good way,” Talcott answered with a hiss.

“Seriously, you’re like two feet tall,” Kinkade drawled. In a flash I was over the table, knocking

him to the ground, my clawed hand wrapped around my brother’s throat.

“That is my mate, Kinkade. You will respect him even if you’ve never respected me,” I snarled.

My brother’s face fell, showing he was completely crushed.

“Kermy, I love you, baby bro,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have said what I did to Talcott. I was

just annoyed he said he wanted to bite me. I know better than to be a jerk around the full moon. I’m
sorry.” Then he looked past me to Talcott. “I’m sorry. You’re not two feet tall. That was a bitch thing
to say. I should have just asked what’s going on instead of being defensive.”

“Apology accepted,” Talcott replied and I could tell his fangs were back in. Time to take this

down a notch. I let go of Kinkade and moved off of him. He grabbed my arm and wouldn’t let go
when I tried to shake him off.

“Kermy, what’s going on? Of course I respect you. I love you. You’re my family!”
“Okay, good,” I mumbled and tried to pull away. “Just let it go.”
“No! Tell me what’s going on right now!”
“That’s what’s going on!” Elan bellowed and was there, forcing Kinkade to let me go. “You’re

not the boss of Kermy. You’re his older brother. I get you raised him, saved him from your shit pack
and all, but he’s not your kid or your slave. He’s a fucking adult. You can’t just order him to get you a
beer or answer you. You have him run your errands or tell him what to do like he’s your assistant.
He’s your brother.”

“You don’t know what it was like for us,” Kinkade snarled, pushing Elan off of him. “Fine, yes,

he’s an adult. I get that and I can see I need to switch gears and start thinking of him that way. I’m
used to having to handle so much that Kermy helps me with everything else and I tell him to because I
was the parent too and Alpha in a way of our small group. I’ll watch it. I didn’t realize I was doing it!
But don’t you dare judge me. You have no idea what it’s like to—”

“Raise a younger brother?” Mareo cut in with a smirk.
“Yes,” Kinkade answered, glancing between them.
“Elan does. I was two when our mother died and our father decided to leave in search of his

other mate before her death dragged him into the afterlife with her. He was a warrior and times were
very different, harsher back then. So you were how old when you raised Kermy?”

“Our parents died when he was seven,” Kinkade answered. “I was twenty-seven. We ran from

the pack when he was twelve so he didn’t have to go through what I did after my first shift.” My
brother focused on me and I saw his eyes were shining slightly. “I am sorry, Kermy. I did not realize
it. You are still the baby brother who would get lost if I did not give you specific instructions in my
eyes.

“Or always wanted to help so I came up with jobs for so you did not cry that I had to do so much

for you and you never gave me anything back. It has been us for so long and our way of doing things
that I never adjusted. The older you got the more you wanted to help and then you got to an age that I
was so grateful for the help it was nice to feel I had a partner in crime in everything. I never meant
you to feel I did not respect you. I always have.”

“I used to cry to help?” I asked after a moment. A soft, fond smile spread on my brother’s lips.
“I came home from a job helping the pack, digging a septic system because that was all I could

get was manual labor jobs and what no one else wanted,” Kinkade explained.

“I remember this,” Milos chuckled. “I was watching Kermy that day after school. You started

bawling that you were a horrible brother that Kinkade had to roll in poopies all day to feed you.”

“It broke my heart,” Kinkade whispered as he cupped my cheek. “Here you were so young, lost

your parents, were still doing well in school, and nevertheless your heart was breaking for me
digging a septic system when there were people who couldn’t get work. But I was so tired and I did
not know how to help you or comfort you. You begged me to help. There had to be some way you
could help. So I just started coming up with things a seven-year-old could do.

“And then the next night after your homework was done you asked me what you could do, saying

if I worked to feed you, that you would help too. You were so damn determined to help when you saw
yourself as a burden to me. No matter how many times I told you that you were not a burden and I
loved you, you would not listen. Such a stubborn little shit.”

“I wonder where I got that from,” I drawled, hugging my brother.

“I love you, baby brother. I always have. I am sorry. Just smack me next time I give you another

job. But no matter how old you get, I will still always demand if something is wrong that you answer
me what it is. That’s what family does.”

“I can live with that,” I chuckled. “Play nice with my mates. I love them.”
“Good. I am glad. Now go have fun on your first full moon.”
“You too,” I giggled, leaning back and wiggling my eyebrows at him. He growled and ruffled

my hair before I darted over to Elan and jumped into his arms, giving him a smacking kiss on the lips.
Then I looked at Talcott appreciatively. “That was hot by the way. I mean hotttt.”

“Someone feeling the full moon?” Elan teased me as he turned away from the table and grabbed

our dirty plates as Talcott got the rest.

“Yeah, I think the men I love should take me to bed,” I whispered quietly. Elan tripped as he

was tossing our garbage and almost dropped me. I went to slide down him but he wrapped both arms
around me.

“Is that how you truly feel?” he asked quietly, gently. I couldn’t look at him or speak so I simply

nodded. “Thank the gods. Talcott, run.” He raced with me wrapped around him, holding our mate’s
hand, and didn’t stop until we were in his room. Next thing I knew I was airborne before hitting the
bed, watching Elan tear off his clothes. And I mean tear them off like they were scraps of fabric now.

“Elan?” I shook with confusion and a healthy dose of lust at seeing his naked body.
“Get naked,” he growled. “I want to make love to the men I love.”
“It’s not just me?” Talcott gasped. It seemed he didn’t hear us earlier. It made sense even with

his vampire hearing since the party had been pretty loud. Talcott looked at me. “You too?”

“Yes, I love you both,” I said as my cheeks heated up. I quickly toed off my shoes and yanked off

my pants before stripping off my shirt. I glanced at Talcott just in time to see him take a header,
tripping over his pants.

“I’m good!” he announced as he jumped back up. “Got so excited I was trying to do it all at

once.” His smile was so bright it could have lit up the entire Eastern Seaboard. “I love you both so
much! We’re a real family. We love each other!”

“Yes, yes we do,” Elan agreed with tears in his eyes. “I have waited five thousand years for

this. This is the best birthday present ever.”

“Your birthday is over,” I hedged, thinking maybe I had gotten the date wrong and he’d been too

nice to tell me.

“When you’re as old as I am, you get as much time to celebrate as you want,” he chuckled as he

crawled onto the bed with us. “I want you to both know you were more than worth the wait. I would
have waited five thousand more years to receive the gift of the mates I have.”

“Wow. I’m not that patient,” Talcott whispered, practically swooning. I felt the same way.

“Glad I’m not the only one.”

“Oh, I didn’t think I said that out loud,” I giggled. I moved to the middle of the bed and stuck my

ass in the air. “First full moon with my mates. I want cock on each end.”

“If that’s what our hot wolf demands, I think we can suffer through it,” Talcott sighed

dramatically. He moved to my head and knelt in front of me. “You give the best blow jobs after all.”

“You’re pretty damn spectacular yourself,” I purred before swallowing him down. It was true.

Talcott had vastly improved in the time we’d been together, practicing as often as he could. Elan
pushed into my ass, and it wasn’t the full moon or the kink factor of each one filling a hole that made

this so much more than any sex we’d had before.

It was that they loved me.
They moved together, taking me to new heights, and when it was time they screamed their

feelings to the heavens as they came inside of me. We flopped to the bed together and I couldn’t wipe
off the goofy grin if I’d wanted to.

“Again,” I growled as I straddled Elan’s lap, lowering myself onto his cock.
“I thought now that we are in love there’s less sex like in a marriage?” he asked with a teasing

look in his eyes.

“No way. More and more sex as the years go on.” I started moving my hips and moaned when

Talcott moved behind me, kissing my neck.

“Why is that?” he purred, running his fangs against my skin. I tilted my neck and gave him room.
“We have to show how we feel about each other that much more often as our love grows,” I

answered, shivering at the feeling. “That means tons more sex and kisses and biting and blow jobs
and presents and everything.”

“Right answer,” they said together as Elan took me faster and Talcott bit me. I screamed in bliss

as my climax smashed into me.

It was the best fucking full moon ever. I look forward to the next one being even better.

THE END

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