Their Mating Triad [Paranormal Protection Unit 11] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)

by Honor James

  Once that was done Rayne eased her back down. “We’re heading back to the base. We should be landing in a few more minutes.”

  Parker nodded. “Thank you.” Her eyes were once again closed so that she couldn’t see the connection between the three of them and instead asked, “How long have you two known each other? And just how much trouble am I in with the person who’s your leader?”

  “A couple hundred years,” Slade said as he watched her. “I doubt you’re in any trouble at all with Talon, though he might be a little grumpy we put him on solo diaper duty. But I suppose we’ll know soon enough since we’re a couple hours behind Cin and Quincy who will have already been telling him everything.”

  “That hurt more than anything I think I’ve ever experienced,” she admitted to him. “Well I take that back. Being burnt alive by a Dragon was the most painful thing ever.” She shivered. “Which is why I’m afraid of Dragons.”

  Sharing an amused, at least on his part, look with the Dragon on her other side Slade coughed slightly. “You do realize you have a Dragon for a mate right?” he asked her softly. “One who is slightly miffed at that comment of yours at the moment.”

  She shrugged. “He wouldn’t hurt me though,” she told him softly. “All three of us know that he would never, ever hurt me.” She didn’t know a great deal but that was one thing she knew instinctively. “Tell me that I’m wrong and I will be afraid of him but I’m not,” she told him simply. “Besides, he’s my Dragon, not just any Dragon.” Any other Dragons, however, and she would have intense fear and knew it.

  “Aww,” Slade said with a grin, “that’s so sweet, she has herself a pet Dragon.” He teased the big man and chuckled at the low snarl he got. Snickering, he shifted and stretched his arms over his head to crack his back. “Rayne would never hurt you, me likely, you never.”

  Parker smiled and nodded. “I know.” Holding out a hand to the Dragon in question she wiggled her fingers. “Come and sit beside me, please?” She wanted to know what it felt like having each of them on each side of her. She just wanted to take comfort from them while she could.

  Taking her hand, Rayne settled down at her side, his head on his hand as he looked down at her. Lifting her hand he rubbed her fingers very lightly to his stubbled chin and felt the Dragon relaxing inside of him.

  She felt the connection between both men and sighed happily. “I can see the golden glow surrounding all three of us when we are all touching like this,” she whispered quietly. “I happen to really like it as well. Will you each let me see you? I want to know what you both look like, if you wouldn’t mind?”

  “Sure,” Slade agreed and Rayne echoed softly from her side. “What do you need us to do, Parker?” he asked her quietly as he stroked her fingers lightly. They were safe for the moment so a little indulgence was easy enough to give her.

  “I want to touch your faces. I will see you with my fingers.” That’s why when Rayne was letting her fingers toy with his face it was going straight to her core. “It’s…” She bit her lip. “It’s something unique and something that I really like and want to do. I want to see you.” She ran her fingers over Rayne’s face and smiled as she did so. “You are a rather handsome man,” she whispered quietly.

  “Thank you,” he said, shooting Slade a look to shut up when he heard another snicker. Closing his eyes as her fingers trailed over his nose and eyelids he let out a breath. She was petting him, not quite how he would have imagined but it was amazingly calming to him to have her stroking his skin.

  “You are also a really, really big man, aren’t you?” She could tell that he was with as large as his facial features were. She then turned to Slade. “Will you let me see you as well?” So far only the Dragon, her Dragon, had agreed to allow her to see him. “I’ve seen my Dragon, now can I see you, my Sorcerer?”

  Easing in closer Slade leaned in and put her hand to his cheek. “Of course,” he told her quietly and sat still, his eyes closed, under her touch. Keeping all his thoughts tight so she didn’t pick anything up as she stroked his skin he relaxed at her first soft stroke.

  “I still hear them,” she whispered to him with a smile. “I’m a lot more than you think I am.” She moved one hand down and captured his hand with hers. Bringing it to her cheek she closed her eyes and leaned against his hand. “Look inside and know me.”

  Opening his eyes to look at her Slade licked his lips. He hated going into others’ thoughts. But this was his bond-mate. He’d do it for her, this one time. Letting out a slow breath he slid slowly into her mind and felt all that she was reach for him.

  Parker let him see all that she could truly do. She allowed him to know all of her secrets and allowed him to see the power she had held back and hidden from Nate for all those years. She allowed him, and by extension Rayne, to see exactly what she could do if she had to.

  “Definitely Quincy’s sister,” Rayne said softly, moving in closer to her. Stroking the backs of his fingers over her other cheek he watched her carefully.

  “Amazing,” Slade told her as he sat back a little and ran his fingers up and down her arm on his side of the bed.

  She lay down between both of them once more and closed her eyes. “I really rather do like being here between the two of you. I’ve never in my life felt as safe as I do here with one of you on each side of me.” Silly she knew but there it was.

  “That’s because we’ll always keep you safe,” Rayne told her as he adjusted the blanket over her. Checking the time he sighed. “About twenty minutes until we land. From there we go straight to the base so Talon can have a chat with you.”

  “Who is Talon?” she asked as she snuggled up against Rayne and felt Slade moving to curl around her back. Yawning she rubbed her cheek to his clothed chest and closed her eyes. “Is he going to be angry with me? Is he the one that was left with solo diaper duty?”

  “Talon is our boss, Cin’s mate, King of the Dragons, and was abandoned on diaper duty,” Rayne told her, settling a hand on her hip. “He won’t be angry with you, Parker, but he will have questions, little one.”

  “I will answer him as best I can. I will do anything that I can to tell him the truth. I will never hold back anything if it will help you guys and your cause.” She bit her lip and then added, “I don’t know a great deal though and that really sucks. I was only pulled out to find and point out the bond-mates, to find them on the Internet and so on.”

  “Then just tell him that,” Slade advised, resting his arm around her waist in a lazy drape. Yawning, he breathed in her scent. “He’ll ask you a few questions, you’ll answer the best you can, and if you can’t answer just tell him so. That’s all there is to it,” he said.

  “Sounds good. I just want Nate to be stopped. However it has to happen, he has to be stopped. He’s hurt far too many people. He killed his own bond-mates in order to gain more power.” She shook her head. “No, he has to be stopped. So very much he has to be stopped.”

  “Shh,” Rayne murmured, squeezing her hip as he pressed a light kiss to her hair. “We’ll stop him, Parker.” He breathed out softly. “We won’t let him hurt any more bond-mates. We won’t let him hurt you again either.”

  “He can’t hurt any more of them because he won’t know how to find them. I was the one who found them. I could touch a computer and find them through the screen, but he didn’t know that was also when I was sending the messages to your teams so that you would hopefully save them as well.”

  “Which we did,” Rayne told her softly. Rubbing his hand lightly to her hip he breathed in her scent. “Doesn’t mean we’re not going to protect you, to keep watch over you, darling. It’s part of our job as your bond-mates to keep you safe in all ways.”

  That had Parker smiling and she nodded. She felt the plane starting its descent. “Should we get up and get into seats and buckle up or are we safe on this bed?” she asked and pulled Slade closer while curling tighter to Rayne.

  “We’re safe. The bed is on a system that will keep
us pretty much level the entire flight. It was built to fly injured in and out easily without a need to strap them in. It catches a little at the beginning and end, but you should feel”—Slade paused as the bed slid smoothly to level again—“it shift any second,” he finished with a chuckle.

  “I’ve been feeling it,” she said with a smile. “I can’t see but I’m able to feel things far more than anyone else normally could. I’m able to also smell and taste things where most people wouldn’t or couldn’t.” She held him a little tighter. “Like now, I feel the nose of the plane dipping down now.”

  “Lining up with the runway,” Rayne said softly to her. “We’ll be on the ground in a couple of minutes now.” They really should get up but he didn’t feel like it, not with his mate pressing up tight to him like she was.

  “I really like this a lot.” They were all fully dressed but it didn’t matter. Honestly all that mattered was that she was there with them. She was surrounded by the men that would be her bond-mates, if they kept her. “Are you going to keep me?” she blurted out.

  “Of course we’re keeping you,” Slade said, lifting up onto his elbow to look down at her. “Parker, you’re our bond-mate, precious, unique, and just ours. No way are we giving you up, not now, not ever, darling.”

  “I had to know, I had to ask,” she told him softly. “I just really and truly needed to know.” She reached out to one and then the other, touching them as she did so. “I’m glad that you want to keep me. I want to keep both of you as well.”

  “Good, because we’re not giving you up.” Rayne reiterated Slade’s words. Tipping up her chin he dropped a kiss to her lips just as wheels hit tarmac and they began to slow. “We’re here,” he murmured unnecessarily. “We have a short drive and then you and we have a meeting.”

  Nodding Parker licked her lips and let them help her up. Her knees were more than a lot shaky and she felt herself falling. “All right I don’t think that I’m over what the woman did to me.” She felt as weak as a kitten and as if all of her body had been rearranged on a cellular level.

  Rayne scooped her up in his arms and Slade passed over her cane. Heading toward the front of the plane Rayne stepped down and headed for the SUV waiting for them. One of many that were left at the airport for their use. “Keys should be under the front driver’s wheel well,” Rayne said to the Sorcerer as he started looking for them.

  “Got ’em,” Slade held up the box a moment later and, digging out the keys, unlocked all the doors.

  Parker’s eyes were closed as she nestled up close and against Rayne. “I could become very, very used to you holding me close like this,” she murmured and rubbed her scarred cheek against his neck. “I think mostly because you smell so very nice. I think that I could become very, very used to having you holding me like this.”

  “It can be arranged,” Rayne told her, nodding to his friend when he pulled the door open for them. Easing in slowly, he settled Parker in the center seat so she could easily lean into him. Of course that left Slade to drive but that was fine. The Sorcerer didn’t seem to mind getting in behind the wheel and got them moving in minutes.

  Laying a hand on each of their thighs Parker just simply lay her head back against the center seat, slumping down slightly as she did so. “This is actually really very nice,” she admitted quietly. “I happen to very much like this a great deal, being able to have this moment in time with you both.”

  Touching her hand lightly Slade smiled. “We’ll have many more moments together, darling,” he said, adjusting the heat a little. “We have a long future ahead of us.” And that was the goal both he and Rayne had agreed they were aiming for. No second best for them, they wanted it all.

  “That would be very lovely.” Parker kept silent for a very long time and then she admitted to them, “I’m scared. I’m worried what this man will do to me when he learns all that I did. I know you have said that he wouldn’t hurt me but I can’t help but to think that he will. I’ve been at the mercy of far too many men in my life and I am so tired of being their victim.”

  “He’s not going to hurt you, Parker,” Rayne said honestly. “He’ll likely try a few scare tactics, a bit of coercion and some blackmail. Just don’t let him ruffle you. Talon’s job is to protect us all, not just the Dragons but all those that are other. He’s the First Chair of the Council which means he takes protecting all the peoples very seriously. Just remember, whatever he says be honest, be forthright, and call his bullshit if he spews it.”

  “I will.” She hated to call anyone on bullshit and add to it that he was a Dragon. “Dragons terrify me,” she whispered. “God they scare the crap out of me because Nate was one as well. I’m utterly scared to death of them.”

  Sharing a look with Rayne, Slade let out a slow breath as he tightened his hands on the wheel. Both were very, very careful to keep what it was all about from her. Slade was worried though. He didn’t show it or let it tinge his thoughts, just harmony and contentment at the forefront.

  Parker was nearly sleeping by the time that they pulled into the compound. She frowned only slightly when she felt the bump and then heard the whispers of men around them. Parker’s hand gripped both men’s thighs and fear crept into her once more. “Slade?” she whispered softly.

  “It’s okay,” he told her, touching her hand lightly. Slade stroked her fingers lightly. “We just went over the scanner unit and the lads are just checking the truck. It’s been at the airport for a while and, while we have great security there, it’s better to be safe than sorry. But don’t worry, it’s just protocol, Dragons can sniff out all explosives, no matter what they are. And they are done. Now we’ll drive for a few more minutes to the main building where we’ll get out.”

  She nodded and found herself clenching his hand in hers. She began to shiver then. Damn she wasn’t ready for this fear! Not now, she needed to be able to have a moment without fear, dammit all to hell and back again. “Have I mentioned that I’m really, really terrified of Dragons? Scared to death of them?”

  “You did mention that, several times,” Rayne said, rolling his eyes. “You don’t need to be, darling. Not a single one of them is going to hurt you, I swear it.” When they pulled up in front of the main building he opened the door. “Scoot out to me, Parker,” he told her, his hand still in hers.

  Trusting Rayne completely she moved toward him. “I trust you, Rayne, but you are the only Dragon that I trust. I’m sorry if that offends but I had one take my sight from me, scar me so badly that I’m surprised that either of you can even look at me, and then Nathaniel.” She shuddered. Moving so that she could wrap her arms around his arms she held onto him. “Thank you, Rayne, for holding on to me.”

  Dropping a kiss to her hair he hugged her close. “Always,” he murmured. Scooping her up again, he headed for the building, not wanting her to trip on anything along the way. Slipping in when Slade pulled the door open for them Rayne thanked him and headed for the elevator. Setting her on her feet he hit the button for the top floor and wrapped his arm around her to keep her to his side.

  She felt Slade move up and close behind her and sighed. Closing her eyes she breathed in these two men, these men that were hers. “Why do I have a feeling that I’m really, really not going to like whatever is said with this person Talon?”

  “Because it’s statistically impossible to get through a first meeting with Talon without the urge to kill him,” Slade said and shrugged at Rayne’s dirty look. “Come on, Rayne, you know it as well as I do. Hell I’m sure even Katherine had moments of wanting to kick him where it would hurt.”

  “Katherine’s too nice for that,” Rayne muttered. “She wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  “Says you.” Slade chuckled. “I saw her punch Quincy once in the arm and even smack Trey and Mac around a couple of times.” Shifting when the doors slid open he went first with Rayne and Parker on his heels. “Besides, there is always Jackie. Pretty sure she was all for shooting Aiden, probably really wished she had while she
had the opportunity.”

  “I have no idea who these people are that you are talking about but they sound utterly terrifying as well.” She hated that she was afraid of…“Oh hell,” she whispered and saw it then. She saw all of the glowing bodies near them and the golden ropes that flowed from them and around. “Oh damn this is so not going to be good for me at all.” And she couldn’t seem to blame them. She wouldn’t blame them if they locked her up and tossed away the key. After all wasn’t that what she wanted when she sent the taunt and demand to the hacker of these people?

  “Quit worrying,” Rayne told her as they stepped into the conference room. Guiding her to a chair he pulled it out. “It’s on wheels so sit carefully,” he murmured, holding her hand to help her ease down into the seat.

  Chapter Five

  “Parker Michaels,” Slade said, shifting to stand on her left as Rayne stood on her right, “I’d like you to meet our boss, King of the Dragons and Nathaniel’s father, Talon Silverwing.”

  It was as if she had been slapped. Parker screamed and jumped from the chair, tripping when it wheeled behind her. Her one and only desire was to get away. If Nate was as monstrous as he was because of his father, then, Jesus, she wouldn’t ever survive the father! “No!” she screamed over and over again when the hands caught her. She bit, scratched, and twisted to get away even though she had no clue where she was going and couldn’t see even if she did.

  Talon flipped her around and held her wrists to keep her from scratching him up any more. “Parker, you need to calm down,” he told her gently. Shaking his head as all the Guards and her mates moved in, he jerked his chin to make them back off. “I’m not going to hurt you, Parker, but you need to calm down, little one, you’re going to hurt yourself at this rate.” Talon could take a beating or six and still keep going but she would hurt herself soon enough. “Shh, little one, shh,” he whispered, rocking her ever so slightly.