by Bianca D’Arc
“Both of us,” Jeff and Marlon said in unison. “Forever.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
They spent the morning eating munchies and cuddling on the couch in Hiram’s suite. Marlon couldn’t quite believe the way things had turned out. Maya was magical, and she was talking about spending the rest of their lives together. Only the duty they still had to watch over Hiram and his unconscious people kept him from taking Maya in his arms and proving his love, all over again.
They talked about how they would handle having her meet their parents. Both Marlon and Jeff came from big families, and their folks and siblings and cousins would want to meet her at some point. Explaining the triple relationship was going to be tough. They talked about how they might be able to work it, and they spoke of the other Gemini men who had recently found mates, as Maya called it. They explained about how the other trios were making it work, and Marlon speculated that they could maybe ask the others for advice, if push came to shove.
“You can always just marry one of us on paper,” Jeff suggested. “We’ll know we’re all committed to each other, but the world still has other standards, and a marriage between one of us and Maya will help get around that sort of thing.”
Marlon thought about that for a bit, though Maya seemed reluctant. “Mates are for life,” she said softly. “Most shifters don’t have formal ceremonies. They just know they’re mates soon after they meet the right person, and if they’re part of a community or have a lot of friends, there’s usually a big party.”
“Like a wedding reception.” Jeff nodded as he spoke.
“Sort of, I guess. I’ve never been to one of those,” Maya admitted. “But I have been to a few mating celebrations, and they tend to reflect the couple themselves and their friends. Mostly, among bears, there’s a lot of food and dancing.”
“Sounds about right,” Jeff agreed. “Food, drinks, dancing. All pretty standard for a wedding reception.”
“Only we don’t have a standard ceremony. I mean, if someone wants to have a shaman or priestess say a few words, they can. It’s just not required,” she explained.
“You said something earlier that made me think your people believe in a goddess,” Marlon observed, intrigued.
“We do,” Maya said, nodding. “The Mother of All. Some call her the Lady of Light, or just the Lady. Some call her Mother Nature. Some see her in three forms—the maiden, the mother and the crone. Some add a warrior into the mix. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that She is the embodiment of the Light, and we all serve the Light.”
“The Light is the antithesis of evil, right?” Marlon wanted to make sure he had his terminology correct.
“Exactly. We fight the ancient battle of good versus evil every day of our lives,” she told them. “It’s become more important than ever right now, with the resurgence of the Venifucus.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I was supposed to tell you about them. The Venifucus is an ancient order made up of the followers of an evil sorceress named Elspeth. She was known as the Destroyer and was the major cause of what human history calls the Dark Ages. She rose to power and caused all sorts of conflict and suffering all over the world before the forces of Light finally defeated her and her armies, and banished her to the farthest realms. The thing is, they didn’t kill her, and although we all thought her followers had been routed, they kept themselves hidden for centuries, rebuilding their order. Until recently, nobody thought the Venifucus still existed, but it does. And there are even rumors that they’ve managed to somehow bring Elspeth back from her banishment.”
“That doesn’t sound good.” Marlon’s eyes narrowed in concern. Jeff looked about the same.
“It’s not. All over the world, things have been happening that shouldn’t. Grizzly Cove has been under siege for the past few months from a sea monster not of this realm.” She shook her head gently, as if in disbelief, but went on. “It’s called the leviathan, and it’s been trying to get to the town and its people. It snacked on Hiram’s yacht and killed his crew. He only escaped by the skin of his teeth and made it to land, just barely able to survive—with help from some of Johnny’s men. That’s how we became allies. Hiram is the Master vampire based in Seattle. He was checking us out from the water when the leviathan was drawn to his magic. It feeds on magical power and prefers to drain those on the good side of the battle.”
“Why hasn’t Big John dealt with it?” Jeff wanted to know. “He’s got more than enough men, if his whole unit is out there with him.”
“It’s not a question of enough men or firepower, but of having the right skills. The leviathan is not of this world and can’t be killed here. It has to be defeated and returned to its proper place. What Johnny and his mate have done—along with others—is put up the strongest protections they possibly could around the town and the waters of the cove and the coast. They’ve pushed the leviathan and its minions out to sea, but we’ve been waiting for the Morrow brothers to be free to come see what they can do. If they have any of their father’s talents, they might actually have a shot at fixing this problem.” She breathed a sigh. “The leviathan has been a problem for far too long, already.”
She might have said more, but just at that moment, Hiram’s security chief stumbled into the room. He was bleary-eyed but as alert as someone who’s waking from knockout gas could be.
“What happened?” Spencer demanded, his voice a deep growl.
“Hiram left this for you,” Maya said, rising from the couch to walk over to Spencer and deliver Hiram’s letter. She waited while Spencer read it then looked from her to Marlon and Jeff, and back again.
“I need a sit rep,” Spencer rasped, moving unsteadily into the room and collapsing into one of the chairs by the couch.
He didn’t look good. He was paler than he should be, and his eyes weren’t focusing properly. Marlon and Jeff briefed Spencer in crisp, concise sentences about what had transpired the night before.
Jeff picked up the phone while Marlon was talking and said a few words to whomever he had called, then hung up. “One of Major Moore’s men will be right up to speak with you,” Jeff reported. “They’ve been working the scene downstairs and helping gather intelligence while we were detailed to watch over Hiram, since you were all incapacitated.”
“You have my thanks,” Spencer said slowly. “Hiram’s safety is my responsibility, and I let him down.” Spencer was quite obviously not taking his gassing very well. “You’re Navy, right? Under the admiral’s command?”
“SEALs,” Marlon confirmed. “On special assignment. But we’re here as civilians, using our real identities because that’s what got us in the door. It’s an unusual situation.”
Spencer eyed them for a moment then shook his head. “You’re not kidding. Everything about this is abnormal, and I’ve seen a thing or two, in my day.”
“I bet you have,” Jeff said in a friendly tone. “But it all worked out for the best last night. We defeated the enemy with no casualties on our side. One or more got away with your employer’s decoy laptop, but it was a decoy, and Hiram seems to think there was no harm done. He did say that you might be able to trace it if they tried to turn it on while attached to a network.”
Spencer shook his head. “Of course.”
He rose unsteadily to his feet and walked over to one side of the large room where they had a row of office equipment. He spent a few moments inspecting what he found, then retrieved his phone from an inner pocket of his pajama pants.
“Dude took his phone to bed with him?” Jeff sent to Marlon.
“Guess he likes to stay connected,” Marlon replied. “Or maybe it’s a control thing. Nobody should be able to get the phone from him while he’s sleeping, right?”
“Since strangers were in here, there’s no telling if we can trust any of this equipment, now,” Spencer said aloud, as if thinking things through. There was little doubt the drug was still affecting him.
“If it helps, you were locked in the safe room while the
infiltration occurred. Hiram put you all back in your rooms after the battle, just before sunrise, and we’ve been here since then. So, if you had your phone on you the whole time, it should be okay,” Marlon told the confused man.
Spencer looked at him, blinked a few times, then nodded. “Thanks, man.” Then, he sat back down in the chair and started working with his phone until there was a knock on the door.
Marlon went to answer the door and found the man himself at the portal. Major Moore. The instinct to salute was hard to resist, but Moore was a civilian now…supposedly. Marlon stepped aside to let him in, and Spencer finally looked up from his phone as he stood.
“If they fired up the laptop, it wasn’t attached to a network at the time, but I’ll keep an eye on this. You never know if they get in range of a hotspot, I still might get something.” Spencer looked a little clearer as he walked forward to shake Moore’s hand. Then, he led the former major off to one of the side rooms for a private conference.
“I think I’m offended,” Jeff said, watching the two men leave the main room.
Marlon threw a small throw pillow at him, which he easily deflected. “They don’t know us well enough, man. They’re just being cautious.”
“It’s in our nature to be secretive,” Maya said with a slightly pained expression. “They don’t mean anything by it. Wolves tend to stick together more than most other animals.”
“They’re werewolves?” Jeff asked, clearly intrigued.
Maya nodded. “But never confuse them with the out-of-control creatures of old B movies. They have Packs, where there’s an Alpha wolf who leads.”
“The major.” Marlon nodded toward the closed door of the room he’d gone into with Spencer.
Maya tilted her head. “He’s the Alpha of his military unit, but his younger brother leads the Pack.” She shook her head and looked down at her lap. “Bears don’t hold with such strict hierarchy. In fact, it’s rare for us to gather in any significant numbers. We’re too independent and usually go our own way. We might have small family groups, especially while the cubs are small, but eventually, the kids grow up and strike out on their own. My little brother and his pals are a unique case. They bonded so closely in the service that they decided to follow Johnny’s lead into his civilian adventure.”
“Grizzly Cove,” Marlon said, nodding.
“Johnny is the Alpha bear, but it’s more of a respect thing among our kind than a strict you-must-follow-my-commands-or-else. The guys stay because they respect Johnny and his ideas. Also, it’s not easy for our kind to find mates. By gathering together in one place, then putting out the word that other bears were welcome, they hoped to attract some female bear shifters, and hopefully find their mates.” She shook her head and smiled. “It worked, but not quite the way they expected. Concentrating that much magical energy in one spot attracted more than just other shifters. We got the leviathan to deal with, and an entire pod of mer that were chased out of the deeper ocean by the creature and its minions.”
“Wait a minute…mer, as in mermaids?” Jeff asked.
“Merpeople. Mostly women because that population has always skewed more female than male. A few of my brother’s friends have already found their mates among the mermaids. And then, there are a few very powerful magic users who showed up out of the blue. Johnny mated one of them. Her name is Urse, and she’s awesome.” She smiled. “I’m so happy to have her for a sister-in-law.”
Their conversation was interrupted when more of Hiram’s people started coming into the common room of the suite to find out what had happened. Maya handled filling them in because they knew her, and when Spencer finally reappeared from his meeting with Moore, he took over. Which meant Maya and the guys could finally stand down.
Marlon led the way to their suite, which Maya then sniffed very thoroughly. She was able to discern the different scents of who had been in there—only friends—and tell them that nothing had been disturbed.
“The jaguars came in and sniffed around, but nobody else. I think the enemy was targeting the big fish,” Maya said, then cringed. “Not that you’re not big fish.”
“It’s okay, we get it,” Jeff said with a grin. “We’re just two ne’er-do-well sons of medium-sized fish compared to folks like Hiram and Mark. I’m glad we weren’t on the enemy’s radar. It means our covers are secure.” Jeff opened his arms to Maya. “Now, come here, sweetheart. We’ve all been awake far too long.”
She went into Jeff’s arms as Marlon secured the doors and checked the rooms over for himself. Jeff took her into his room, and Marlon followed as soon as he was satisfied that everything was as secure as they could make it. He found Maya and Jeff already asleep on top of the comforter on his large bed. They had removed their shoes and jackets but were still wearing pants and shirts. They were both obviously beat, and Marlon didn’t want wake them. It had been a very long night, indeed.
Marlon helped them get under the covers without really waking them up, then shucked his shoes and jacket and joined them, claiming the side next to Maya. Maya-in-the-middle, he thought with amusement before he too, nodded off.
Maya woke feeling languid and…naked? She didn’t remember taking her clothes off before collapsing in a heap. Then, she realized, two sets of male hands had been very busy while she slept. She reached out for them, finding hard muscles and bare skin on either side of her. Damn. A girl could get used to this.
In fact, she planned to get used to it…for the rest of her life. Her inner bear roared silently in approval. It had chosen these men for them. She should have known better than to question her bear’s instincts.
“You think she’s awake?” Jeff whispered to Marlon, across her yearning body.
Maya opened her eyes and looked at them.
They both grinned at her, but it was Marlon who spoke. “We are going to try to remember to speak aloud for your benefit,” he told her. “We’ve fallen into the habit of depending on our telepathy a bit too much, to be honest. It makes for a very quiet existence.
“Of course,” Jeff put in, tracing his fingers over her skin in a way that made her shiver in anticipation, “there will still be times when the telepathic ability will come in very handy.”
“And, if we manage to replicate that telekinetic thing, we can both see some rather intriguing possibilities—if you’re amenable,” Marlon added with a wicked grin as he cupped her breast and started teasing the nipple.
“I like possibilities,” she almost purred in response.
“So do we,” Jeff added, claiming her other breast with his hand. “And, just so we’re clear, I love you, Maya.”
“And, I love you, too, Maya. Forever,” Marlon said, on her other side.
Her inner bear growled with satisfaction at hearing their declarations and having its instincts proven so very right.
“I love you, too,” Maya whispered. “Both of you. You are my mates.” She reached up and kissed them both in turn. “And, when a shifter says that, it’s a forever promise. No backsies.”
“As if we’d ever want to give you back,” Jeff scoffed, moving closer to kiss her deeply while Marlon retreated a bit to toy with her body lower down.
Marlon made a space for himself between her legs and gave her the most intimate kiss, licking his way around her secret places, teaching her what it felt like to be driven wild by a talented tongue. All the while, Jeff was kissing her mouth, playing with her breasts and generally teasing her senses with light touches that made her beg for more.
She came just from their foreplay, then once again before Marlon rose to claim his place between her thighs. He thrust into her and she groaned at the sensation. Her body was highly sensitized by the small orgasm and cried out for more. But she wanted both of them. Now.
She reached over to Jeff, pushing at his arm and shoulder until he moved the way she wanted. He sat at her side, once he got the message and all she had to do was turn her head to take him in her mouth. It felt so right to have both of them with her. In her.
Pleasing her as she pleasured them.
This would be just the first of many intriguing positions they dreamed up, now that they were mates, she was sure. They all came within a few seconds of each other, cementing the newly formed bond. Then, they did it all again. Slower this time.
Between her two mates, Maya was kept on the knife’s edge of fulfillment until, finally, they came to her in a new way—one above, one below—and all three found fulfillment and ecstasy...in each other’s arms.
EPILOGUE
Guests were leaving in droves after they awakened to realize they had been dosed with knockout gas and left where they’d fallen for most of the night and morning. A few panicked. Most just wanted to be gone from the cursed place as quickly as possible.
Nobody called the police. Nobody wanted anyone in authority to know about the highly illegal high-stakes poker tournament that had been taking place, or who had been in attendance. The final rounds were cancelled, and everybody was scurrying around, arranging for earlier pickups, or rental vehicles, so they could get out of Dodge with a minimum of fuss.
The place was emptying out, but the military presence remained. Not that anyone knew for certain that the men acting as security were actually military, or some kind of mercenary group. They didn’t want to know, for the most part. They just wanted to be gone, with no evidence of their having been there in the first place.
The new security team accommodated them, with a few notable exceptions. They kept a select few guests sequestered for their own safety, or so they claimed. In fact, it was to conduct more surveillance on a few particular suspects—to see who they called and to plant as many bugs as they could on their luggage, their possessions, their vehicles, and whatever else they could get close to without causing undue suspicion.
“We’ve netted a few more names to research,” Moore reported to Admiral Morrow later in the day. “Some of the suspects called for help, and we were able to trace most of those calls to get to the next person in the web.”