Emerald (Jewels Cafe Book 9)

by Jade Waltz

  “Wait. What? Silver demon?”

  “Yes! I saw that black serpent tongue of his, and he has horns!”

  “Mom, he isn’t a demon,” I sighed.

  “He is too ugly to be a merman.”

  “Where is his tail?” my father asked. “Don’t merman have tails like mermaids?”

  “Mom. Dad. I asked my friend if he could cosplay for a local charity, so we are at his house getting ready.”

  “What charity would want… that?”

  “Me,” I hissed. “Okay, I have to go and dress up as Goldilocks. I’ll call you after the holidays. Love you both.” I slammed the laptop closed and turned to Chryso, pointing in the general direction of the kitchen. “You could have asked Vesuv if anything was wrong instead of coming in here and embarrassing me!” I tapped my forehead with my pointy finger. “I know you guys are telepathically connected to each other, so it should have been an easy thing to do.”

  “I was on my way here to see if you wanted to do something and heard screaming, so I came to investigate.” He sighed. “Plus, Vesuv doesn’t like anyone talking to him or in the kitchen in fear he’ll mess up in front of them. He gets easily distracted.”

  “But wearing boxers? Why are you walking around, wearing nothing but boxers? Vesuv is wearing his favorite harem pants and hooded tank-top.”

  He shrugged. “I was planning on going into the hot tub after breakfast and didn’t want to dirty any more clothes. Besides, you don’t mind our nakedness.”

  “No, but an unexpected visitor may.”

  “That’s why we have security cameras all over our property.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “We know everything about this property, and the only ones who are capable of surprising us are other Alzaqi with the coordinates to teleport into our basement.”

  “You are impossible.” I rolled my eyes and sat back down.

  Chryso walked over and tucked me in. “Is there anything you want?”

  “I got it, Chryso,” Vesuv announced, as he placed a tray with a plate filled with a variety of crepes and a glass of orange juice before me. “Breakfast is served.”

  “Thank you!”

  “You inspired me to try to make my own crepes,” he replied with a smile. “I hope you’ll tell me if there is something I need to do to improve.”

  “What about me, brother?”

  “You can get your own, merman-devil.”

  The three of us ate breakfast together in the living room as we watched the parade on the television together, judging which ones we liked and what needed improvement.

  I enjoyed how easy it was to fit in with them.

  As lunch passed and dinner neared, I wondered where the broody male was. Not that I needed him or anything, his brothers could take care of me, but it felt like we were missing something.

  Vesuv was baking cookies, and after much begging, he allowed Chryso and me to decorate them on the serving bar, out of his way. After I complimented him on them, he began to relax with us around.

  “Do either of you know where Maw is?”

  “He’s downstairs.”

  “He’s busy.”

  They looked at each other and shook their heads.

  “What is he doing downstairs that has kept him busy for the last two days?”

  “He has an order he needs to complete as soon as possible, so he’s focusing all of his energy on it,” Chryso explained, drawing green swirls on his ornament cookie.

  “I just hope he doesn’t overwork himself.”

  “He’ll be fine,” Vesuv soothed. “He’s planning on joining us in the hot tub after dinner tonight.”

  “What’s tonight?”

  “We always spend the night before the Celestial Void in the hot tub, watching the stars until we’re tired,” Chryso replied. “This year, it falls on Christmas Day.”

  “And we have you to celebrate it with.”

  Dinner went well even though Maw was still missing.

  The boys sent me upstairs to change into swimwear and grab a robe before I joined them.

  I stripped down and threw my clothes into a pile. I’d been living in pajamas since I woke up. Interested in what type of swimwear they picked out for me when they went on a shopping spree, I searched the dresser drawers. Most were either tankinis or one-pieces, which surprised me. I thought three aquatic alien males would want me as close to naked as possible since they were always nude when they swam.

  I picked up a dark green one-piece with gold trim and walked over to the wall mirror to see how it would look on me.

  I froze. Was that me? It couldn’t be. All along my legs and arms were zigzag scars. I was afraid to see what was behind the swimsuit as memories of the pain I felt from that night flashed. Wincing, as if I was ripping off a Band-Aid, I dropped the swimsuit, letting it fall to the floor.

  Tears formed at what I saw.

  What happened to me? I had a scar the size of a soccer ball on my side from where the tree limb stabbed me. My legs wobbled, and I crashed onto the closet floor. Tears blurred my vision as I sobbed into my swimsuit. That was why they bought suits that weren’t revealing. They knew! They knew I had a scar that would stand out in anything revealing.

  Were they embarrassed? Why would they want a broken human as a mate? I wasn’t an Alzaqi. I couldn’t go treasure hunting or swim with an endless oxygen supply.

  What if they wanted to return to the water?

  I laid there, curled up on the floor, and sobbed. My heart hurt. My lungs burned.

  Why did everything have to go so wrong for my birthday? Maybe I should have just died that night…

  “Emerald?”

  “Emerald, are you in here?”

  “Go away!”

  “What did we do?” Vesuv begged.

  “Please, Emerald,” Chryso pleaded. “Talk to us. Tell us what’s wrong.”

  Warm arms wrapped around me, pulling me onto a lap. A pair of hands brushed back my hair, combing it with their fingers. I laid my head against his chest with my eyes closed, breathing in his salty smell. Another body pressed against my side, his hands rubbing gentle circles.

  “We need to take her to Maw.”

  “I’ll get my scanner. Maybe there is something wrong with her.”

  My body shook as Chryso carried me downstairs into a heated room, thick with humidity.

  “What happened to her?” Maw demanded.

  “We don’t know,” Chryso replied, sitting down. “We found her like this.”

  “Can’t you two do anything right without me around?” Maw sighed. “At least she didn’t try to burn something down.”

  “That isn’t funny,” I whimpered.

  “Well, you aren’t telling us what is wrong,” Maw hissed. “How are we supposed to help you if you won’t tell us?”

  I jerked my head off of Chryso’s chest and twisted my body toward Maw. “How are you supposed to want me?”

  “I guess this is useless,” Vesuv muttered as soon as he walked inside the room, placing his scanner on the table.

  “What are you talking about?” Maw asked, confused.

  “Why would you want a broken female as a mate?” I growled.

  “My readings said you are fully capable of producing offspring—”

  “That is not what I am asking, Vesuv!” I pulled myself off of Chryso’s lap and stood in front of them—nude. “How can you want someone with all my scars?” I cupped the ball size scar on my side and stared at each one of them. “How can you want someone with this ugly scar? I look like a meteor hit me!”

  “It was a tree, and you were the one who hit it,” Vesuv explained.

  “Vesuv!” Maw hissed. “Bite your tongue, or I will remove it for you.”

  “What?” he asked, confused. “It’s the truth!”

  “Oh, Stars,” Chryso muttered. “I know you are the smartest one out of the three of us, but Stars, you can be so stupid sometimes.”

  “Silence!” Maw snapped, rubbing his forehead with
both hands as he paced the room. He stopped in front of me and locked his dark eyes onto mine. “Emerald. Can you please tell us what is wrong?”

  I nodded, wiping my eyes. “I don’t understand why the three of you still want me after seeing how I look. I’m a scarred human female. How will I ever fit in?”

  “Let’s ignore the human part for a moment,” Maw begun. “So, you are worried about those little scars?”

  “I don’t think the chunk from my side is little,” I countered.

  “Okay, let me explain better,” Maw sighed. “I am the protector of our triad and equipped with deadlier venom than any of the other sub-genders. Chryso is the inventor of the group and believe it or not, was the one who invented a lot of the gadgets we use to make our life easier—”

  “And everything in my garden.”

  “Yes, and everything in his garden. And Vesuv is our triad’s healer. His venom has better healing properties than anyone else and is the most valued sub-gender within our species. Do you know why there are so many sub-genres of males and only two types of females?”

  “No?”

  “Because our females are taller, stronger, and more lethal than any of the male sub-genres, genetically better in every way. A breeder female would easily be able to defeat me if I was incapable of using my venom. Their warrior sisters? Bloodthirsty and deadly.”

  “What are you saying?” I asked, confused.

  “I’m saying all of our females—including the breeders who become our Sylex—are battle-scarred. They gain marks when they are younglings from their practices that carry with them for the rest of their lives. An Alzaqi female unmarked is looked at as being inexperienced while the others wear them proudly.”

  “Alzaqi males are attracted by scent, anyway.” Chryso shrugged. “Coffee smells like the worse thing I have ever smelled, no wonder why we avoided the Jewels Cafe. Their smell should have been a warning sign.”

  “While you smell like the most delicious thing we have encountered.”

  “Your scent reminds me of my favorite dessert from our home planet,” Chryso muttered. “And I want to smell you every day.”

  “Emerald,” Maw whispered. “Close your eyes, and let me guide you.”

  I followed his instructions as he grabbed my hand and led me around through another door. He sat, then helped me sit down. I felt around the cushion and pictured sitting on an oval backless lounge chair.

  “Hold still. Don’t move.”

  I tried to hear what was happening around me, but the sounds of the hot tub bubbling filled the room, blocking any chance of figuring out what they were doing. I felt small movements all around me, their weight making the cushion bounce.

  “Okay,” Maw breathed. “Open them.”

  The hot tub's inner porch was dark with only the new moon and thousands of tiny twinkling green and white LEDs giving enough light to see. The three of them were staring at me as Vesuv held a mirror, and Maw held a long thin black case. Something touched my hand, and I looked down, only to see hundreds of emeralds of all different sizes and hues surrounding me.

  “Emerald,” Chryso whispered. “You are the jewel to our socket.”

  “We are honored you accepted our offer to be our Sylex.”

  “And we want nothing more to make sure you feel cared for,” Maw said, opening the case he held. “Let us shower you in emeralds to show the universe how much you shine.”

  Inside the case was an elegant emerald necklace in the shape of a large triangle, its tips clasping in the back and the last tip dangling down.

  “You can’t…”

  “We can, and we will,” Maw corrected. “You are the female the Fates destined us for, and the Stars led us to—even though we met through unethical means. I am not asking for you to declare your love to us—our species have forgotten what love means. Surviving war and creating enough offspring to support another generation was their focus.”

  “But we understand, we may not be capable, and the three of us may never have any younglings. We knew that coming here and believed that until we met you,” Chryso explained. “We didn’t believe we would ever find a Sylex, yet here you are.”

  “You are ours to have and to protect, even though are human. The Fates connected us for a reason, and we are willing to discover that reason.”

  Big fat tears of happiness fell down my cheeks as the heaviness went away. They want me for me. Not because of my past, but because of the opportunity of a future together. This is what I needed—these three males to be mine and only mine and never leave me. They would be my new family, my new home to build a life with.

  “Yes,” I choked. “Yes, to all of that.”

  Maw walked around me and placed the necklace over my head. I lifted my hair as he clasped it and squeezed my shoulders. Vesuv stepped in front of me with his mirror, showing me my new reflection.

  The large golden triangle necklace draped down over my breast with its tip dangling beneath them. Emeralds fanned out as if they were bound by golden vines.

  “You are an Emerald, one of the rarest of all gemstones, and you are the most precious we have found.”

  “And you are ours.”

  The sounds of the grandfather clock striking its third gong woke me. The night’s new moon beamed into the master suite as it dimly lit the white blanketed snow outside.

  It was officially the Celestial Void, the last new moon of the year, and mating day for the Alzaqi.

  The three brothers knew I was trying to take things slow and ease our way into a loving relationship, but after last night, how could I ever doubt their true intentions?

  They had waited over three hundred years for a Sylex, and here I was, a member of a different species. In a way, we were like star-crossed lovers—a triad of space-mermen destined to be with a land-lover. The four of us were making the best of what we were given, but now was my time to take the next step, the one that would take our connection one step farther.

  I could tell the way Maw kept looking at me last night, he was waiting for me to give him a sign or say that I wanted them to present themselves to me. I didn’t, partly because I was already overwhelmed by their Christmas gift to me. But now, it was my turn to give them a present—me.

  Taking a deep breath, I willed myself out of the warmth of the bed, knowing I would soon be warm in more ways than one. I threw off my pajamas and wrapped myself up in the emerald robe. There was one thing missing—the emerald necklace they’d gifted me. Carefully, I put it on in front of the mirror, watching it sparkle in the moonlight.

  The males—my soon-to-be triad—were in their relaxing pool for the night. After their romantic display, they carefully put the jewelry away before we spent an hour in the hot tub, staring at the night sky, then went our separate ways.

  They didn’t want to share my bed until I accepted their bubble display. Maw wanted to follow their tradition and refused to budge, and his brothers supported him even though they didn’t fully agree. Once they showed me their mating dance, and I officially establish myself as their Sylex, they would share their nights with me in my bed but would need to spend some time soaking during the day to prevent drying up and chaffing.

  It sounded reasonable, especially since I didn’t know how I would be able to sleep in their relaxing pool. It was warm and didn’t make my skin wrinkly; maybe I would try to take a nap in there sometime if they would allow me to sandwich myself between them. I was open to trying it. They were making sacrifices and changes because I was human; I may as well return the gesture.

  I carefully made my way down the basement steps, trying to be as quiet as possible as I neared their relaxing pool. The three of them were sitting on the bench with their backs against the wall and their lying heads back along the edge as if it was a pillow. I dropped my robe on the floor and leapt. Just as I was about to hit the surface, Maw’s head jerked up, his eyes boring into mine, soon replaced by the shimmering silver fluid as three sets of hands latched onto me and brought me to the surf
ace.

  “Emerald?”

  “Are you alright?

  “What was that for?”

  I flicked my hair back as I stared at the three of them.

  “Happy Celestial Void?”

  A flash of anger passed through Maw before dimming to confusion as they settled on the necklace. “What… What are you doing?”

  “You welcomed me to your home, gave me back a sense of self-worth.” I lifted the net of emeralds dangling from my neck. “And a gift to prove you can take care of me. Now, I am requesting you show me your bubble dance.” I jerked my chin up, challenging him. “You have brought it up many times, so let’s see what the three of you have for me.”

  His face hardened. “Our ritual isn’t a joke.”

  “I’m not laughing,” I hissed. “I was trying to be romantic and tell you I’m ready to complete our connection by honoring your traditions… but… unless you no longer want—”

  “Yes, Emerald!” Chryso pleaded, gripping me tighter from behind. “We want to make you ours.”

  “Please let us process what’s happening,” Vesuv murmured. “You just jerked us awake, and we aren’t… completely ourselves.”

  I sighed. “I can go back to bed if—”

  “No, Emerald,” Maw grunted. “You want us. You want this. We will do it.”

  Two pairs of hands fell from me as Maw swam me to the wall, gently placing me on its bench before backing away to join his brothers.

  “You know that you want us? That you want to be ours—and us, yours?” Maw asked, his deep voice serious. “If you reject our display, you will also reject our bond and sever our connection. The curse will go away, leaving nothing but pain and emptiness behind.”

  My eyes softened as I glanced between the three of them, their silver scales matching the shimmering of the melted-glitter liquid, reflecting the lights from their high-tech gizmos and gadgets throughout the room.

  “I left the three of you once. I don’t have any plans of doing it again.”

  A sense of acceptance passed through them as their bodies relaxed before one by one, they climbed out of the pool. They stood proudly in all of their nude glory, their eyes burning with hope and lust as they stared at me.