Taavi quickly pulled her into his lap, wanting to feel the heat from her body.
“So what would happen if you were to go home? Help me understand this,” Rafe asked.
“I honestly don’t know. Knowing my mother, I’d be whipped and paraded around the court so others could get their jollies off by beating me as well.”
“I don’t fucking think so,” Tad shouted.
“Are you sure?” Rafe asked, keeping a calmer head.
“No. But I’ve seen it done before. Archaic punishments like that are used quite often at court. And from the sound of it, after they made a spectacle out of me, my entire family would shun me. If that happened, I’d be thrown out on the streets and left to fend for myself against the evil Fae that roam freely outside of the wall of the court.”
Rafe blew out a deep breath. “So how do we keep you safe from them?”
Nya shrugged. “I really don’t know. My family is very powerful at court because my aunt is the queen.”
“Has anyone ever left the Fae realm and never returned? Ventured out on their own or anything?” Taavi asked.
“Occasionally, but never a female. The females of my species are required to remain within the kingdom. Like me, they are permitted to explore the world, but always expected to return. Only the males are permitted to leave for good.”
“Why?” Rafe took another sip of his beer.
“Because they’re sterile, and have no hopes of reproducing.”
“All the males?” Rafe questioned.
“Yes. Something odd happened to our race about fifteen years ago, but no one seems to know why or how. Out of the blue, perfectly virile men could no longer reproduce. It was like someone flipped a switch or something.”
“I’ll be the first to admit I’m not very well-versed in Fae politics, so let me make a few calls and see if there’s anyone who can give me any guidance.” Rafe stood to leave.
“Thanks for your help.” Taavi showed Rafe to the door.
“I’ll send Erin and Lucas over in the morning. Maybe there’s a spell she can do or something.”
Taavi wasn’t thrilled about the idea of Lucas’ involvement, but if it meant keeping Nya safe, he’d zip his lips and do what needed to be done.
Chapter Ten
Nya didn’t remember how she had made it to bed, but one thing she did know was that she had never slept so well in her life. There were no nightmares, and she didn’t have to fly out of bed worried about dressing up and making it to breakfast on time to please her mother. She woke up relaxed, sandwiched between two warm bodies—something she could definitely get used to.
A sense of peace and security washed over her. Even though her situation with her parents was up in the air, Tad and Taavi had made her feel not only safe, but more welcome than she had ever felt at home. Not one insult directed toward her had passed their lips.
Taking a few moments to think about her short time with them, she quickly realized they’d stood up for her when no one else ever had. Every move that either of them had made in her presence was something sure to bring her happiness or pleasure. She definitely wasn’t used to being treated like a queen. At home, that was a privilege reserved for her mother and sisters.
Nya’s father had stuck up for her over the years, but after a while her mother had won the battle, and wore him down with threats of leaving him to wallow in the gutters like a common beggar.
She had never imagined not going home. Sure, the thought had crossed her mind once or twice, but never seriously. Was staying with Tad and Taavi a real option? Would they want to keep her around for an indefinite amount of time, or would they quickly tire of her and send her packing? Nya was the first to admit that she had no idea what shifter relationships were like—especially those complicated by mixing species.
The shifters she knew, like Barbara and her family, all had long-term mates and seemed immensely happy and in love. Granted, they had fallen for someone of their own kind. Could a match such as the one she had with the twins really work?
The very idea of having a blind-faith trust in Tad or Taavi didn’t sit well with her. Nya knew the world well enough to know that if she wanted something, it was up to her to make it happen. Not that she had much opportunity to do anything with her life at court, other than wait hand and foot on her privileged sisters. If her mother had taught her anything, it was that she was nothing special.
Nya glanced at Tad and wondered what he saw in her. Even with his shaggy blonde hair in total disarray, he was hotter than hell with his chiseled face and strong jaw line. Turning her head, she looked at Taavi. They were identical twins, but she could easily tell them apart by the tiny scar Taavi had just above his left eye.
For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what they saw in her, or why they had worked so hard to track her down. She wasn’t even in the same league as the redhead she had seen them with in the woods.
“Hey, beautiful. How long have you been awake?” Taavi asked.
“Not too long.” Did he really just call me beautiful? Nya tried not to squeal with delight. No one had ever called her beautiful.
“What do you say we go start breakfast and let Tad get his beauty sleep?” Taavi climbed out of bed and threw a t-shirt over his head.
Nya marveled as she watched his muscles ripple with the simple action. Heat flooded her core remembering how they had made her body tremble the night before. She wondered if she should feel ashamed. Although she hadn’t had much experience with men, her upbringing told her what she had done was wrong. But she didn’t feel wrong or ashamed. Nya had never felt so alive in her life.
“Why so serious?” Taavi held out his hand to Nya.
Wishing she had the option to pull the sheet over her head and hide in bed, Nya sighed and crawled out from under the covers. She knew she had to face whatever the day brought—not only with her parents, but Tad and Taavi as well.
“I guess I just have a lot on my mind. Everything in my life seems to be up in the air right now, and I’m not quite sure how to feel about any of it.”
Taavi ushered Nya to the kitchen and pulled out a chair for her to have a seat. “Take a few deep breaths. Everything is going to be all right.”
“Are you always this optimistic?"
“Actually that’s Tad’s job, but since he’s still asleep someone has to pick up the slack. Would you like some coffee?”
“That would be great. I never used to like the stuff until I started hanging around more in the human world. Now I can’t seem to get enough of it.”
“Cream or sugar?”
“Sugar, please. Just try not to laugh when you see how much I put in there.”
Nya watched as Taavi filled two coffee cups and set them both on the table, then grabbed a spoon and the sugar.
“I’m not here to judge your sugar consumption. Although I do feel like I should warn you that it’s not good for you,” Taavi teased.
“It’s not something that we have in the Fae realm. So the good news is that it’s a newfound addiction. And one that will stop when I face the music and go home.” Nya added six spoonfuls of sugar to her coffee and gave it a stir.
“What do you mean, ‘when you go home’?” Tad asked from where he stood in the doorway.
Chapter Eleven
Nya sipped her coffee before answering carefully. She needed a moment to think about how she should phrase her response. Last night was great and all, but she didn’t want to be a burden on them. “It means that I don’t expect anything from you guys just because we had sex. I’ve seen enough to know how the world works, and to accept the fact that while it was fun, that’s all it can ever be. Just one night. Besides, there’s no way my mother will let me stay in the human realm, especially after our little run in with her.”
Tad and Taavi stared at her, their mouths agape. Had she said something wrong? She scrambled, trying to come up with something else to say. “Maybe if I accept my fate sooner the punishment won’t be as bad. At least
I can hope.”
Taavi cleared his throat before speaking. “Nya, you are our mate. Do you understand what that means?”
“Not really. It’s something I’ve heard you guys say a couple of times, but that’s about it. Anyway, this doesn’t have to be awkward, and we can still be friends, but it’s probably for the best if I just leave. You guys can have anyone you want. There’s nothing special about me, and I certainly don’t look like your type.”
“What you mean by that?” Tad asked. “I didn’t know we had a type.” He looked at Taavi for an answer.
Nya debated internally for a moment, trying to decide whether she should tell them about the woman she had seen them with. “The first time I stumbled across you, the two of you were making love to a beautiful redhead in the woods. She was muscular and tall, and drop-dead gorgeous. All the things I’ll never be.” Nya dipped her head in shame.
“You are beautiful and curvy. There isn’t a single thing I would change about you, and I’m positive that Taavi would agree.”
Nya’s smile was slight and failed to reach her eyes. Goddess, how she wanted to believe his words! But it was hard to hear anything of the sort. Not after the ones that her family had pounded into her head, telling her she would always be the ugly duckling. Or her personal favorite, ‘you could be so pretty if you’d just lose a few pounds.’
“Tad’s right, you know. You are beautiful, but more than that—you are ours. Being a mate isn’t just sleeping together and saying goodbye. It’s life, love, and commitment. It means that no matter what happens in life, good or bad, we’ll be by your side. Always.”
“I don’t understand. How can you know that when we’ve only just met?”
Tad grabbed his coffee and pulled up a chair next to Nya. “You know we’re wolf shifters, right?”
Nya nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, wolves are designed a bit differently. They have one true mate,” Tad began to explain.
“One person who the Fates decided they are destined to spend the rest of their lives with,” Taavi added.
Tad continued. “When our wolf senses his mate, there isn’t anything or anyone that can stop him from claiming her. Normally the mate is another wolf, but not always. However, there is always an instant attraction.”
“It’s almost as if someone or something is pulling you to your mate. That’s how we were able to find you,” Taavi confirmed.
Nya thought about what they said. Could this be the reason she had felt the constant need to be near them after they’d caught her eye? The whole situation had been so weird. And totally unlike her. She’d never chased a guy before in her life, let alone two of them. At the same time. She had run across countless attractive humans but never once felt the pull that she had when it came to the twins.
From the moment she’d laid her eyes on them, there had been something driving her to find out more about them. It had been the same when they had first placed their hands through the veil: Nya had been overcome with an urge to touch them, then to kiss them.
“I understand what you are telling me, but I find it hard to believe that these Fates, as you call them, have that sort of power over the Fae. My species has never talked about or held any belief in this sort of thing.”
Tad set his coffee cup on the table. “You can’t deny the attraction you have to us. Just like the one we have for you. It’s almost as if your soul knows us already and longs for that connection once again.”
Nya knew there was no point in denying the feelings she had for the twins. The connection that had formed when they’d made love had stripped the privacy away from her individual thoughts, allowing her to know exactly how they felt about her. If their minds had been laid bare to her, she could only assume they knew exactly what her thoughts and feelings were, as well. The problem was, Nya wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that.
Chapter Twelve
Taavi rose to answer the knock at the door. “Erin and Lucas are here. We can talk more about this later.”
“This should be fun.” The sarcasm in Tad’s voice was unmistakable.
“Do you not like them?” Nya asked.
“Erin is the nice one. Lucas—well, he can be a jerk at times.” Tad tried to explain without mentioning that their last encounter with Lucas had ended with Lucas damn near ripping Taavi’s head from his body for hitting on Erin. He was pretty sure Nya wouldn’t appreciate hearing about that whole debacle. Really, what woman wanted to hear about her mates trying to pick up another woman? None that he knew of.
Tad was surprised to see a calm and relaxed Lucas. He’d never seen the man with a smile on his face before. Could it be that Lucas had actually found—happiness?
“Hey man, it’s good to see you.” Lucas extended his hand in greeting.
“Who are you and what have you done with the grumpy mean Lucas?” Tad joked as he returned the handshake.
“Gee, honey, you hear that? I’m not the only one who thinks you used to be a total ass.” Erin smiled at the group. “Hi, you must be Nya. I’m Erin, and this is my mate, Lucas. It’s nice to meet you.” Erin nudged Lucas in the side.
“Nice to meet you, too. Rafe said you might be able to help?”
“Seems like helping is my specialty these days. He said something about keeping you hidden so your family can’t find you.”
Tad relaxed and sat next to Nya. “Nya’s from the Fae realm. She’s also our true mate, but her mom has a serious problem with her daughter meeting common mongrels. So we need to make sure her mother can’t get to her and force her to go home until we get this all figured out. Rafe said something about a spell, maybe?”
“A spell?” Taavi asked in confusion. “Am I missing something?”
“Have you guys been hiding under a rock or something?” Lucas’ face scrunched up in shock.
Erin giggled. “Did you guys seriously miss our little fight scene outside of the diner? You know, the one where I zapped Lucas and the entire pack found out I was part witch? Or when the Council showed up demanding to take me and my mom into custody?”
Tad looked over to his brother and they both shrugged. “Sorry, we’ve been kind of busy chasing this one all over the place,” he said, pointing to Nya. “So everything worked out okay then?”
“Well, I should hope so. After all, I’m sitting here in your living room at the direction of our Alpha.”
Tad didn’t know what the full story behind Erin’s confession was, but it was pretty clear that Rafe didn’t have a problem with her being a witch. It pretty much blew his mind, but who was he to argue with his Alpha? He’d known Erin for a long time, and had always considered her pretty levelheaded. Tad wouldn’t allow the stunning revelation of her heritage to come between their friendship.
“Do you think there’s anything you can do to help us keep Nya safe?” Taavi’s voice was hopeful.
“Rafe had mentioned maybe putting a ward on the property to keep anyone with Fae blood away, but that’s not going to work if you want Nya to stay here with you guys. It took me a little while to figure it out, but what I have in mind is actually pretty easy.” Erin held up her wolf charm, which had been enchanted by her mother when Erin was just a child. “My mom gave me this when I was little. It holds an ancient spell for concealment. I think the same thing will work for Nya. It’ll be easier if we can block others from sensing her no matter where she is, so she’s free to come and go as she pleases. No matter how much she likes you guys, I can’t imagine she wants to spend every waking hour beside the two of you, or trapped in the house.”
Tad shouldn’t have been offended by Erin’s suggestion, but he was. Which was completely asinine, because Nya needed her freedom. He just didn’t like the thought of not being close to her. “That sounds like a good idea. Like you thought of everything. What do you think, Nya?”
Nya smiled. “It sounds like a wonderful plan, and Erin’s right. Not that I don’t like you guys or the house, but I don’t really want to feel like a prisoner. That was
the main reason for my journey to the human world to begin with. I get tired of feeling trapped by the high ivory walls of the Fae court.”
Erin pulled a couple of necklaces from her purse and held them up. “I brought two different ones because I wasn’t sure what you would like. I have this one.” Erin held up the first necklace, revealing a Tinkerbell charm. The second one she held up was the paw print of a wolf.
Nya laughed at the options presented. “Really? Tinkerbell?”
“See? Didn’t I tell you not to bring Tinkerbell?” Lucas shook his head.
“Oh, you hush! It was the only thing I had with a fairy on it.” Erin poked Lucas in the side. “So which one do you like best?”
“I think I’ll go with the paw print. That way when I look down at it, I’ll always be reminded of my mates.”
“Aw, how sweet.” Erin placed a dagger and a few other supplies on the coffee table in front of her. “Now I just need some of your blood to complete the spell.”
Chapter Thirteen
Nya traced her fingers over the charm Erin had given her. It really was a beautiful and intricately carved piece. And thankfully, Erin had only needed a little bit of her blood to complete the enchantment.
Having never met a witch before, Nya found it fascinating to watch Erin work on the spell. The few people that she’d met from Black Paw had been nice, just like those she had befriended at Blue Creek. One of the things she had quickly learned on her journey was that people in the human world were, for the most part, welcoming and kind, which was a complete contradiction to the pompous asses she dealt with at home. The more she saw of the human world and the more time she spent with its people, the more she liked it.
The thought of staying with Tad and Taavi filled her with peace, whereas the thought of going home, where she belonged, left her anxious.
Sassy Ever After: Twice the Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 4