The Gifted 3: Passions Ascended (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Cara Covington

  “Yeah. Yeah, we do, thanks.” Ricardo finally sat down. “Thanks, Roman. You were the only one we could think to come to. I know…well, I know we’ve treated you like shit all these years.”

  Yes, they had, but Roman waved that away now. “You’re my brothers. Of course I’m going to help you.”

  “Canada.” Ricardo nodded. “We’ll go to Canada. Easier to move from there if we have to, and more central. We can keep tabs on the old man from there, too.”

  “You should think about leaving Chicago, too, brother,” Eduardo said. “The man is crazier than Uncle Remis ever was. You could be in danger yourself.”

  It was the first time any of his brothers had ever expressed any concern about him. Talk about too little, too late. He shook his head. “I’m no benefit and no threat to the man. I think he’s only acknowledged me all these years to piss the rest of you off. But thank you.” He got to his feet. “You’ll stay here, for now. He’d never think to look for you here. I’ll get working on making arrangements.” He pulled out his cell phone. “Can you conjure a photographer’s plain gray background sheet?”

  Ricardo did with the wave of his hand. Roman took a couple of pictures of each of them. “This is good. I’ll see if my friend can put a rush on those documents. You’ll each have a driver’s license and a passport. Once we have those, we can get you on a flight out of here and into Canada. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of days at most.”

  “Thank you.” Ricardo offered his hand, and Roman accepted. Eduard offered his thanks and his handshake.

  Roman really was happy to help. Once he had his brothers out of the way, he’d have to keep a closer eye on his father.

  Ricardo and Eduardo had it partly right. Though the man hadn’t physically killed his own sons, he’d sent them into harm’s way—and he really was crazy. He’d warped his brothers’ minds for most of their lives.

  Things were coming to a head, and Roman would be able to move more freely once these two brothers were tucked away safe, out of the picture.

  * * * *

  “Thank you.”

  Diana had been cozied down between Logan and Cameron for the last half-hour. The loveseat in Logan’s living room was just big enough for the three of them. Their feet rested on a large ottoman, and before them, a fire burned seductively in the fireplace.

  Cameron had lit the fire with magic, for the ambience, he’d said, and not heat. This was, after all, southern California.

  Diana sipped her wine, snuggled into a very nice robe Logan had conjured, and had taken the last hour to gather herself. She’d just realized these two men had saved her life, and she hadn’t even thanked them.

  “What can you tell us about the situation?” Logan asked.

  “How much do you know? And…how is it that your magic is fully developed?” Now that Logan was no longer shielding his power, she could see it in him. It was bright and full, a lovely luminescent blue. Cameron’s was just as strong, in shades of green and yellow.

  “You didn’t expect that, did you?”

  “No, but right at this moment, I’m awfully damn grateful it is. My sisters—Cheri and Meghan—their mates are descendant from the Chosen, too. But their power was embryonic—well, until they got together with my sisters.”

  “Mom told us that, for most of the descendants of the Chosen, the magic within is latent,” Logan said. “But she also said that our families—both Cameron’s and my great-greats—were descended from a special line of the Chosen because the mating traditions of the home place were honored by our ancestors for many generations. They also handed down the oral traditions, telling of the great separation and the prophecy. But it wasn’t until we were in our teens—and after my mother married Cameron’s father—that we learned that we had a specific destiny.”

  “My mom died of a sickness when I was eight,” Cameron said. “She, like my father, had been a descendant of the Chosen. And then, several years later, my dad married Logan’s mom. Right from the beginning, there was something about her that I found familiar and soothing. I didn’t know it then, but my dad had married Cynthia because she, too, was a descendant of the Chosen. He’d looked for her, knowing he’d recognize her when they met.”

  “My birth father was a descendant of the Chosen, also,” Logan said. “He was killed in a car accident when I was only two. We’ve been a family since our parents married, when we were just hitting our teen years.” He pointed to the now empty cup that sat on the coffee table. “Healing is one of mom’s talents. She’s also a seer.”

  “I wonder if there are others. Other descendants of the Chosen whose powers are more than just embers.”

  “I’ve always figured there were. There has to be, don’t you think?” Cameron looked over at Logan.

  “I’ve thought it might be possible to find out who the original families were, and to trace them, and, well, see what could be learned.” Then he grinned. “But that might be cheating destiny of its chance to be.”

  Diana chuckled. “One thing I know with certainty. You can’t really cheat destiny. It just is.” Then she looked at each man in turn. It rankled more than a little that she didn’t get to be the one to help them get to know their powers. She knew herself well enough to admit she was more than a little bossy. It would have been nice to be the one in control, at least for a while.

  Liar, liar, pants on fire. You’ve been in control all your life. Wouldn’t it be nice to share the burden or even hand it off from time to time?

  “Where did your mind just go?” Logan asked.

  “Off on its own little tangent.” No, she couldn’t lie to them, but she could frame her answers carefully “You asked about the situation. I’ll start at the beginning. Cheri, Meghan, and I were summoned to the Concilium—the body that governs all of the Gifted in the home place—separately yet together on the same day. We’ve been best friends since we were in diapers and call each other sister.”

  “I’d be willing to bet you’re the official big sister,” Cameron said.

  “Holding the sword all your life must get tiring. Why not set it down for a while? We’re here now.” Logan smiled at her in such a way that she raised one eyebrow. She also felt her ire begin to build.

  “It’s rude to dip into someone’s mind without permission.”

  “Too bad. You’re not always going to be forthcoming, love, so we have to be creative. You’re clever enough that you’d never outright lie to us but not clever enough to fully appreciate that we have only your best interests at heart.”

  “You need to trust us.”

  “Well, pardon me all to hell, Mr. Gilbert. I’ll remind you that I just met you earlier tonight.”

  “Yes, and under normal circumstances, I’d give you at least a day before demanding your complete and unthinking trust. The circumstances, however, are not normal.”

  Diana’s mouth gaped. Was it just yesterday she’d believed Logan Firth to be the most arrogant man she’d ever met? His stepbrother had him beat in that department, no question.

  “Do we have to remind you that you almost died tonight?” Logan picked up her right hand and held it his left. The index finger of his other hand traced a light pattern over the back of her hand, and if she hadn’t felt the waves of rage and terror coming off him, she’d have been convinced he was relaxed. “Do you have any idea what that did to us, to get there and realize we had barely seconds to act?”

  Did she? Diana looked down at their joined hands. When another appeared from her left, open and silently entreating, she gave over and let Cameron hold that hand. Hand in hand in hand. They were connected, and in more than just a symbolic, physical way.

  “No, until now, I didn’t. I came here six years ago and thought I knew the direction my life was going to take. I had a plan, of sorts. And that plan is officially in the dumpster now.” She inhaled deeply. She needed to tell her story because nothing was as it was supposed to be.

  “Cheri was the first. She met Max and Tony on a cruise shi
p, but they weren’t alone. As far as we can tell, the Fortunas are descended from the Scorned, and they’ve chosen a self-serving path. Their line fancied themselves warlocks. We’ve done just a bit of research. Gregor Fortuna had six sons, three sets of twins, and he’s determined to prevent the prophecy from coming to fruition. The oldest of his sons were the two who were on the cruise ship. They tried to seduce Cheri using their magic to subvert her will. Cheri thinks they believed if they “mated” with her—in the purely physical sense—they could prevent her getting together with her destined mates. That they wouldn’t want ‘used goods.’”

  “As if Cheri herself wasn’t important to the prophecy except as a vessel? That’s archaically chauvinistic.”

  Logan won a few points with his observation. “Yes. We think there are no women of power in their remembrance or in their sphere. If they have an oral history—and they must, in order to have known about the prophecy—then their ancestors likely changed it to suit their own egos and purposes generations ago.”

  “Those two who attacked tonight? They have some power, but it’s waning. I’d say a few more generations and it would be gone.” Cameron nodded. “All right, that was the first two. I take it Cheri and her men killed them?”

  “They died, but we don’t know who killed them. Cheri’s men worked together—something the Fortunas were either unwilling or unable to do—and turned the two into sea snakes, and then a giant shark jumped out of the water and…ate them.”

  “A conjured shark?” Logan asked.

  Diana nodded. Something there. Something…She turned her attention back to Logan’s question. “Yes, and with a magic Cheri didn’t recognize.”

  “It was the same outcome for Meghan and her mates? Two Fortunas killed by an unknown, unseen force?” Cameron asked.

  “Yes. Something the two tonight said to me didn’t make sense at the time. But I’m having trouble remembering the words.”

  “Mind space,” Logan said. “Will you let us in?”

  Oh, so now you’re asking.

  Of course, love. We just had to make a point, earlier.

  They were all three in mind space. Then Logan and Cameron touched her thoughts, and the scene appeared to them as it had happened to her. She knew they could feel her fear, her powerlessness, and her frustration. And then the words Rick Fortuna said echoed in her thoughts.

  Maybe our father is crazy, and maybe he’s not. Maybe he had our brothers killed, and maybe he didn’t. Maybe your friends really took care of that for him. We don’t know, and like I said, that’s the problem right there. We just fucking don’t know.

  Mind space ended, and Diana was left feeling a little bereft—who’d known that could be so damn comfortable?—and nervous.

  “If it was Gregor killing his own sons, we’ve likely got a huge problem,” Cameron said. “There are a lot of legends and myths in what we learned from Cynthia. One told that a person of power who took the life of a family member would gain their magic as a prize.”

  “Well, that’s just not true. Our magic is a part of us, inseparable. If they had only hit me with a binding spell and gone on their way, eventually, my magic would have exerted itself. I’d be back to full strength. Even if they’d left me unconscious, I’d have recovered. Of course, when we die, our magic dies with us.”

  “Well, yes, we know that myth’s not true, but if the Scorned bastardized some of their history, they likely bastardized it all,” Logan said.

  “That would explain why the brothers wouldn’t work together,” Cameron said. “They didn’t trust each other enough to open up and share their magic.”

  “Because one of them would eventually kill the other to gain their power or just ‘steal’ their magic outright? Well, that’s just scary.” Diana shivered. She couldn’t understand a family like that.

  “It is. I have the feeling Rick’s first statement—that his father is crazy—is spot-on. I also got the sense that Gregor Fortuna is a lot more powerful than any of his sons.” Logan kissed her hand. “Going forward, we need a plan, and we may need reinforcements.”

  “I think it’s time for a conference call of the magical kind.” When Cheri had first met her mates, Diana and Meghan had been barred from interfering. Shortly after that first attack, they’d been allowed to confer, all of them, together. Then she and Cheri had been able to visit Meghan and, in mind space, meet Ryan and Jeremy. Diana didn’t know what rules applied to the situation as it stood, but it was time to find out.

  “That sounds like a good idea.” Cameron said.

  “There’s one more thing you need to know, both of you.” She looked from Cameron to Logan. “I know you’re my destined mates. But…”

  “You haven’t decided if you’re going to accept us or not.” Logan didn’t seem particularly upset by that knowledge.

  “It can be a difficult process, emerging from a cocoon. It can be a scary one, too.”

  Diana felt her ire begin to rise again. Their attitudes just pissed her off. The Concilium had stressed that this entire process had to be carried out with free will. Of course they made it sound like us mate-hungry women had to allow the men to have free will as to whether to mate with us or not. But that fucking sword cuts both ways. Or at least it does in my book.

  “You can make light of my feelings all you want. But I’ll be the one to decide if I accept you as my mates, or not—and the prophecy can just be damned.”

  Chapter 4

  Her sisters had known about her brush with death, of course.

  And because she knew they had, Diana wasn’t at all surprised that, when they appeared, they immediately rushed up to her and hugged her tight.

  To give all the men credit, they stayed back and let her and her sisters have a few moments.

  Cheri was the first to pull back and meet her gaze. “I thought my own heart was going to stop,” she said.

  “Mine as well—and we couldn’t get to you.” Meghan wiped away the tear that made its way down her face. “That was the worst part. We knew where you were and what was happening, and we couldn’t help you!”

  “No, that was our job,” Logan said. He and Cameron stepped forward so that they flanked her and, like the total alpha males they were, eyed the men who’d appeared with her sisters with just a tad of suspicion. At least that was how it seemed to her.

  Diana had conjured a large table in the middle of the glen in front of the cabin as soon as they’d arrived. This small part of Colorado belonged to her and her sisters and their mates. She guessed, if she did accept the two galoots with her as her mates, it would belong to all nine of them.

  She cast a glance at the cabin itself and knew they’d have to enlarge it. There would undoubtedly be times when they’d all want to be there, together.

  “We were prevented from helping you then, and I don’t know if we’ll be able to help when the time comes, but we can put our heads together now.” Cheri looked at Logan and Cameron. She stepped forward and offered her hand.

  Both men shook it and then gave her a hug. They greeted Meghan in the same way, and then they looked at the four unknown males.

  There’d be no man hugs today, obviously.

  “Your magic is fully developed. That’s…interesting,” Cheri said.

  “We’re just a little different than most of the descendants of the Chosen.” Logan looked at the other men. Diana guessed Logan and Cameron were measuring their power. Finally the men introduced themselves to each other and shook hands.

  Diana could see, looking at her brothers-in-law, that their powers had grown substantially over the last few weeks.

  Soon we’ll all be on equal footing. It was hard to mind that, all things considered.

  Everyone sat, except for Logan and Cameron. They stood behind their chairs, on either side of Diana.

  “We have a favor to ask,” Logan said. “We’d like for you all to agree to allow us to bring our mother to this meeting. Her magic is as strong as ours—more so, actually. Also, she knows all
the history and the myths and legends as they’ve been handed down in our family.”

  “I think her wisdom would be invaluable.” Max Tanner ran his hand down his wife’s back. He tilted his head to the side, and Diana knew he was looking inward. “It’s allowed, as long as all of us are in agreement.”

  “How will you bring her here?” Jeremy Jones asked.

  “I’ll meet her in mind space first. If she’s alone, then I’ll simply guide her here.”

  Diana was glad the group agreed. She was curious to meet Cynthia Firth Gilbert. Logan got a look in his eyes that told her he’d already entered mind space—and a glance at Cameron told her he’d joined his brother there. Both men had a smile on their face she’d not seen on either of them before.

  They were two men who loved their mother. Diana never knew how sexy that could be until now.

  And then the air moved, and a lovely red-haired woman stood between Logan and Cameron. To a one, the other men got to their feet. Logan introduced his mom to everyone, saving Diana till last.

  Cynthia took both her hands in hers. “I’m so pleased to meet you. I’ll say only this about my boys. If you can see beyond their annoying habits and occasional school-boy posturing, the lads aren’t half bad.”

  Diana felt the corner of her mouth twitch. Four men and two women around the table tried very hard not to laugh.

  Logan and Cameron both frowned at Cynthia.

  “I thought you were supposed to be on our side,” Logan said.

  “Oh, I am. Never doubt it.”

  “And that was the best you could do, Mother?” Cameron asked.