Secrets of the Mazza: A Paranormal Romance (Mazza Series Book 3)

by Blake Blessing

  He chuckled. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

  I spun around to the counter and started pulling dishes out of the cabinet. Not that I had any idea what we would need for dinner, but I needed to cool down and not stare into his beautiful eyes.

  Yunez slid up beside me and laid out several ingredients. It became very apparent that he was a bit OCD in cooking. The vegetables were arranged by color on the left, and the meat slabs on the right. And even those were all arranged in a neat order, largest to smallest.

  Next, he removed a cutting board from one of the bottom drawers and pulled out a large knife. It was mesmerizing to watch him. He clearly didn’t need me and gave me no orders.

  “Since you won’t ask about Earth, tell me something fun about you.” Yunez spoke to the cutting board, a smile teasing his lips.

  Caught off guard, I jumped. I shouldn’t be surprised that he knew I wouldn’t ask about Earth, but I was. Was I so transparent, trying to hide my head in the proverbial sand?

  “Something fun?”

  “Something fun you think I would not have seen before.” The grin broke free, and one of his sharp canines appeared.

  What wouldn’t he have seen? From what I knew, he had the ability to see anything, everything. Especially if he was focusing on a specific person. “Tell me how your power works, then, when I have an idea of what you wouldn’t have seen, I’ll tell you something.” I crossed my arms and leaned my hip on the counter.

  “Each person is a string. The world around me is full of crisscrossing threads and once I know a person, I can follow their thread, or threads. As there are decisions to be made, the thread splits into how ever many outcomes that are possible. But the brightest, strongest ones are the most probable solutions. Generally, there are only two or three threads to a decision. People aren’t as complex as they think they are.”

  “Are you kidding? That sounds incredibly complex. How are you not crazy? Or cross-eyed?” For real, when this particular power manifested for me, as weak as it was, I didn’t see threads. Hopefully, I never would. I would hate that.

  He shrugged. “It is not as complex as you might think. If I concentrate on a thread, the rest disappear. And I have to focus on that thread to see their decisions. You, for instance, I have watched over for many years. But I do not know everything about you. Only the basics of your personality and motivations at their most fundamental level.”

  “Got it.” So he wasn’t a total creeper like I had thought.

  Yunez rolled with laughter, bending over so deep, his forehead nearly touched his hands where he was chopping vegetables. “I am glad you don’t find me a complete…creeper.” Another wave of laughter overtook him.

  Meanwhile, I dropped my arms and winced. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

  “Would you be…creeped out if I said you didn’t?” He swung his head my way, his eyes twinkling in mocking mischief.

  I started. “You’re not a mind reader?” I meant it as a statement, but my uncertainty slipped out.

  “Calm down. You blurted out your thoughts. Now I know when you are stressed, you blurt out random thoughts. Fun.”

  “Ha! So I don’t have to share something then.” I resumed my crossed arm stance. For some strange reason, I felt more protected this way. From him, or my own emotions, I wasn’t sure, but it made me feel better.

  “Sorry. That does not count. I figured this nice little quirk out all on my own. You promised you would share one.” The chopping was done, next came the mixing. In a large ceramic bowl, he tossed the meat chunks and veggies with a plethora of spices. The savory smells wafting toward me were starting to make my mouth water.

  “I love number games. I was never great at math, but simple number games like Sudoku and 2048 are very calming for me, mindless.”

  Yunez rinsed his hands and faced me as he dried them on a hand towel. “Is that what you consider fun? Oh, my love, try again.”

  He was getting too much enjoyment with this, and I was getting flustered. “I like dancing. I didn’t go very often because of work and money, but when I did, I loved it. I’m decent, too.”

  He stalked forward and pressed his cheek to mine when he reached me. In my ear, he whispered. “Now that’s more like it. Just like the time you danced in lacy underwear in front of your mirror. You were sure no one was watching. Now that was fun.”

  I shoved at his chest, and he retreated easily. “Okay, that’s enough. That you saw it is one thing, but to tell me about it is creepy.” My face had to be on fire. Too bad there wasn’t a tub full of ice water next to me. I could go for a dunk.

  “You don’t really think that. You’re embarrassed that someone saw that moment of your past is speaking for you.” He tucked the errant strand of hair that kept curling into my eyes behind my ear.

  “Okay, maybe you’re right. But it’s incredibly bad luck that you would have seen that one moment.” I huffed.

  “I, for one, am not sorry. Now about this dish.” He walked me through the steps as if we hadn’t just had a weird ass conversation. And for the record. I still had a crush on his fine ass, I just wouldn’t admit it.

  Tresbeline. That was the dish from his childhood. It was a simple sautéed dish, but it was so delicious. I had to consciously keep my satisfied hums to myself. Nato was not as skilled as I, a groan escaping with every third bite. His eyes said he was shocked and pleased with learning this talent of Yunez’s all at the same time.

  The whole time we cooked, the guys had been lost in their own world, discussing something so low, I couldn’t hear them. Now that we were at the table, conversation was scarce. For the first time ever with Yunez present, we enjoyed a comfortable silence. Was this progress?

  I studied each of the guys, but Nato the hardest, and they appeared to be trying to put their hurt behind them. We were missing Sage, and if I was being honest with myself, he would have benefited the most with the discussion and assurances from tonight. I almost dreaded when he got back and saw how the worst of Yunez’s offenses were being smoothed over. Sage always seemed to experience everything the hardest. I loved that about him, but I hated how it made life so much more difficult, how he hurt so much deeper.

  “Thanks for dinner. I am sure you would like some alone time now with Isolde.” Yunez beamed.

  “Like that was hard to guess. We always want alone time with Iss.” Jari took his plate to the sink while I stayed quiet. It weirded me out when they talked about me like this. A small part of me loved it. I definitely felt cherished and needed, something that had been missing most of my life. Another bigger part, however, was uncomfortable. So I responded by pretending I didn’t hear it.

  Yunez followed Jari with his own dishes and set them gently in the sink. For the last few weeks, we’d been eating off of dainty, floral porcelain dishes. They were extremely pretty with hand painted lavender flowers. Not what I would have expected Yunez to pick out for his guest suites, but maybe someone else picked them out.

  “Goodnight kids, have fun, and I will see you all bright and early in the morning. While I am teaching Isolde, Rand will be teaching you some of the forgotten histories as well. You will need all the weapons you can acquire.” He slapped his palm twice on the doorframe and sauntered out.

  He walked past the window, and the big grin plastered on his face was not hidden. At all. It was kind of weird to see, and an uncontrollable giggle escaped me.

  “Something funny, Sweets?” Jari cocked an eyebrow at me, his own amusement shining in his eyes.

  “I think the day is getting to me.” I shook my head and carried my own dishes to the sink. With quick efficiency, I restacked the dishes and turned on the hot water, dropping in a pinch of soap powder.

  “That’s an understatement. After so many calm days, this one has attacked us with a sledgehammer,” Egan ran a hand over his head, then he grabbed a towel to dry the clean dishes that were quickly piling up.

  We finished the task quietly, and once I wiped the counter aro
und the sink, Egan pulled the towel from my hands and turned me around to face him. His emerald eyes drilled into me as if he were trying to pull all my deep, dark secrets from every hidden crevice of my body. I may have sighed dreamily.

  “You okay?” He growled softly, and rubbed his thumbs over my arms where he held me.

  “If you mean by getting my ass handed to me while trying to wield dangerous sex toys, reeling from hearing Rainer’s plan might actually have succeeded, and tired from our own dramas, then yes. I’m okay.”

  “Ha. Ha.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his body. There was security in the haven of his arms. I ran my hands down his sides before resting them on his hips. Our breaths pressed our chests closer together. The closeness I always had with Egan was fast becoming an addiction; it was easy, always had been with him.

  He tilted my face up, and a light kiss landed on my lips.

  “I need to go hunt down Sage. Nato and Jari will take good care of you while I’m gone.”

  Nice, now I was like an errant child or pet. I pinched his sides. “I promise to be good.” My tone was so solemn, I surprised myself.

  Egan nipped my bottom lip. “Good.” Another low growl vibrated from his chest to mine.

  “Do they know your plan?”

  “What do you think we discussed while you were playing with sex toys?” He grinned, but it faded fast. “It’s dangerous right now. We let Sage have time to cool off, but now he’s just being a brat. With my affinity with animals, I can find him faster than the others.”

  He could. His Caen powers were hellaciously strong. And more than once, I’d seen him exhibit traits of the animals he was connected with. His stalking prowess and warning growls favored the wolves he loved so much. But one breed didn’t contain him. His instincts could be connected with several different species, birds especially. Then there was how he could link with them, share their sight, or ask them to look for Sage. I couldn’t wait until some of these powers manifested in me.

  “Be careful,” yes, I asserted myself by giving a completely pointless order. Egan was always careful. He was definitely my levelheaded Lusty Legion member. Sage or Nato would be more likely to go rogue and do something completely crazy.

  He pressed another sweet kiss to my lips and stepped away. “Nato, I’ll be back when I’ve found Sage.”

  Nato appeared as the door closed behind Egan. We didn’t have to lock it. For all the fancy technology they couldn’t bring to Fennina, they did manage to have automatic locking doors.

  “Iss, come here.” A small smile lit Nato’s face, but there were dark smudges under his eyes. He was tired and probably worried. Before Yunez inserted himself into our group so much, Nato had been the leader. He planned and strategized, and he worried.

  I complied and placed my hand in his, to be tugged through the bedroom, into the bathroom. An uncontrollable gasp escaped before I was even through the doorway. The bathroom was a literal work of art all on its own, with beautiful blue and gray tiles everywhere. The shower, tub, and walls were all tile. But right now, small tea light candles were lit on almost every available surface and the bath was three quarters of the way full. Steam curled from hot water, dancing seductively in the candlelight. Dark blue petals floated listlessly over the surface, perfuming the air with their sweet aroma.

  I walked fully into the bathroom and turned to see Jari and Nato in the doorway. Jari was absolutely glowing, and Nato had lost some of the tiredness holding him down.

  “You all did this for me?” I croaked, tears tried to gather in the corners of my eyes, but I blinked several times to stop them. Of course they did this for me. But at the moment, no other profound words popped in my head, so I had blurted the first thing that came to me.

  “You worked hard outside. Don’t think we weren’t watching.” Jari pulled the hair tie out of his hair, and his gorgeous blond locks tumbled down seductively. Man, I wish I had recorded that.

  I could replay it when I was lonely. Although the opportunities for that particular feeling were so few, they were practically non-existent. I still wanted it on video.

  “And let’s not forget when we tested out her skills.” Nato winced, and then laughed when Jari slapped him in the stomach.

  I glared and ignored the heat seeping up my chest and neck. The polite thing would have been to pretend that moment in our lives never happened.

  “Humor is not your thing, Nato; it’s mine. Now I know why.” Jari shook his head and pushed past Nato into the room. With a quick tug over his head, his shirt was gone, leaving his golden skin and lean build on full display. “You’re wearing too many clothes. And I’m sure you need a good soak after your day.”

  I nodded. No way I could have disagreed with that.

  Nato sidestepped around Jari, already shirtless. He must have Houdinied it while Jari took up my line of sight.

  I took a step back. They followed; I took another. Then pulled my top over my head. Their eyes fell to my chest where it was bound in the Fennin version of a sports bra. I took that off too. Their pants fell in unison, revealing hard, bobbing erections. The sight caused flutters in my stomach. We shouldn’t have waited so long to make love; I needed them now. My pants and underwear were gone, and I turned away to climb in.

  Before I got even a foot over the edge, Nato pulled me back against him with a firm hand to my stomach. His cock rubbed against my ass, and I bit my lip to hold in a moan.

  Why had the guys kept up this abstinence for the last few weeks? Where were all my lusty men?

  Jari entered the bath first, flashing his toned ass before he sunk beneath the water with a satisfied sigh. With a kiss to my neck, Nato released me and held my hand while I climbed in. Such a gentleman.

  The hot water lapped against my stomach as I sat down, and it was literally the best feeling in the world. Save orgasms.

  But I was about to get both, right? I’d never been with more than one of the guys at one time, and if I read the situation correctly, I was about to get that too. Happy little leprechauns danced a jig all over my heart. It was impossible to contain my giddy smile.

  “What’s got you all happy, hmm?” Nato settled next to me, draping an arm around my back. The bath was circular and big enough to seat ten people. Something told me that Yunez always made accommodations for my large group. The day when he put us somewhere with twin beds and single showers would be the day Earth froze over.

  I sunk lower in my seat, resting my head on his bicep. “Getting to spend some quality time with you two.” I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment.

  “And what would you like to do with this quality time?” Jari tried to whisper huskily in my ear, but his laughter bled through.

  Damn. I hadn’t been this excited in weeks. Of their own accord, my hands snaked out to latch onto their muscular thighs, then excruciatingly slow, I lightly dug my nails into their skin and moved up toward the goods. They tensed, I grinned.

  “Nope, sorry Iss. This isn’t the plan.” Nato reprimanded me.

  My head popped up and I frowned hard. “What do you mean? There’s a plan?” It better be a sexual plan that ended in my gratification.

  “We’ve neglected you the last few weeks, Sweets. We wanted to do something nice for you.” Some of Jari’s hair came untucked and covered his right eye. I reached up and fixed it for him, letting my fingers linger on his skin.

  “You know what would be nice? Orgasms.” I deadpanned.

  Nato barked out a short laugh. “They are nice, but we’re not ready for that yet. I bet your arms are sore, aren’t they?” Nato pulled me onto his lap and started to knead one arm at a time. I felt caught and worshipped all at the same time. With each measured stroked of his fingers on my muscles, a breathy moan filled the steamy air.

  The feeling of contentment settling over me magnified by ten when Jari slid to sit in front of me. “And I bet your feet are tired too.” Jari pulled one foot out of the water and his magic thumbs started to…well, make magic.


  I hoped I sounded sexy and alluring while they massaged every part of my arms, hands, legs, and feet. What I probably sounded like was a cat in heat. Or a zombie in need of a really juicy cheeseburger.

  “Feel good?” Nato nuzzled the side of my face as I leaned against him.

  “The best.” I murmured as I shifted my head to the side to give him better access.

  “Good. Now we sit here and relax.” Jari came back over to our side and tugged me around until I sat sideways on Nato’s lap with my feet in Jari’s.

  What the hell were these guys doing? If I wasn’t a step away from being a boneless puddle, I would lift my head and glare at them. Hard.

  Fuckers.

  “You all are the worst teases.” They hadn’t tried anything funny while they were massaging. I thought it would come later. But still no funny business in sight.

  “Just soak for a minute.” Nato drew circles on my stomach.

  Maybe they didn’t do the threesome thing. There were so many possibilities with the five of us, but right now, neither man acted like they even remotely wanted sex.

  If I couldn’t feel their erections under my ass and legs, I’d be absolutely fooled.

  We soaked together until the water was barely lukewarm. They both took great care in drying my body and my hair. Jari even rubbed a sweet smelling lotion into my skin.

  I still couldn’t prevent the pout pulling at my lips. And, they noticed.

  When Jari glanced up from his ministrations, he smirked.

  Did I say fucker? I meant motherfucker.

  He stood up, and I was pressed tight between Nato and Jari. The warmth of their skin set mine on fire, and my hands itched to rove over their bodies. I didn’t twitch. I couldn’t.

  If I did and they denied me, I’d be so put out.

  “Jari, I think she’s ready. She’s relaxed enough. You think our Iss has been pampered like she deserves?”

  Jari tilted his head and studied me with sharp, cerulean blue eyes that flickered in the dying candlelight. “I think so. A shame Sage and Egan weren’t here to do their bit.”