by Honor James
“I trust you,” Lilly said without hesitation. “And you would never hurt me. I might be a little weak after our bonding, but I am totally fine with that, because it would mean that we were all bonded and you would take care of me, after. I know without a shadow of a doubt you would always take care of me.”
Nodding, he pressed another kiss to her cheek. “If you’re ready, we should go. I want to get the information, and then I think we should head home. I’ll give the recording and image to Ansell. He can get them to the captain and hopefully we can tear that image and the body apart to figure out what about the tattoo is turning you into someone else.”
“I think that is a good idea. Hopefully between the magic that you guys can work and the wolf scenting or whatever it is that he would do, it will be able to shed some light on this because I really, really hate going off and not understanding just what it is that I’m doing or saying or anything,” Lilly rambled. “So whatever we have to do, we will do it, right?”
“Shh,” he whispered. Wrapping her up in his arms, he gave a squeeze. “Let’s go talk to the Luhpynes, little one.” He helped her up to her feet and then stood. Grabbing their jackets, he collected the recording disc and files. They were back downstairs and in Zhubin, Ansell, and Lacey’s office with them in under ten minutes.
“Hi, Lilly, I’m Zhubin,” the large man with short, black hair said, holding out his hand. “Pleasure to finally meet you.” He smiled, his silver eyes flashing with mischief. “This here is Ansell.” He indicated the other male, slightly shorter, with red-gold hair and serious, dark-blue eyes with a hint of yellow. “And this here”—his smile softened even more—“this is Lacey, our mate.” He put a hand on the woman’s back as she stepped forward to shake hands.
Lilly said her hellos and couldn’t help but grin at the woman who was obviously the center of the two men’s universe. “Nice to meet you, all three of you.”
Lacey nodded. “It’s very nice to meet you as well, Lilly. First of all, don’t let them scare you. Mates are the most important thing in the world to them.” She gave her men a look and winked. “Aren’t we, boys?” She moved to Ansell’s side and hugged his arm tightly. “I’m sure that you have questions, and we are willing to answer just about anything you have to ask.”
“I have no idea what to ask,” Lilly admitted softly.
“Well, let’s sit down first,” Ansell said, hugging Lacey to him. He moved toward the sofa and sat down. Grabbing the back of Lacey’s pants, he tugged her onto his lap.
Chuckling softly at Lacey’s shocked yelp, Artaxias waved Lilly toward a chair. Sitting down in an armchair he looked at her. “Sit, little mate,” he said quietly. “You’ll likely need to for whatever we’re going to find out.”
Lilly settled into Artaxias’s lap and grinned. “Hey, you said ‘have a seat’ so I’m sitting where I am most comfortable. So leave it.” She patted his chest and lay her head on his shoulder. “Now then, what in the world do we do next? What happens with the bonding? How does it work with three?”
“She’s found her tongue,” Zhubin teased with a grin. He dropped onto the sofa next to Ansell and shrugged. “Well, it’s different for every couple or group. The more there are, the more complicated it becomes, obviously. But the main rules to remember are these. To mate your men, you and they all need to join together. They need to do whatever their race pushes them to do during the mating and you need to accept it and them. For us, we had to mark Lacey, a bite on her sweet spot, where shoulder meets neck. For the races it’s a neon sign, for humans they see nothing but smooth skin. It will be the same for Artaxias when he bites you. As a Vhampire, he’ll take your blood. The spot doesn’t matter, but the more visible, the better for the races. So the neck is a good spot, just so you know.”
Artaxias nodded slowly. “And because it’s done during the mating, when magic is high, it will heal over to leave the neon sign for the races.”
“Right,” Ansell said. “Lilly will be able to see it as well, in a mirror. Lacey can see her marks and best we can figure is, it’s because she was a part of that magic at that time. It allows her to see the mating marks we gave her.”
“I enjoy looking at it, too,” Lacey piped up happily. “I love knowing that my guys love me that much, that I’m theirs and they are mine. Archaic, I know, but you will feel it, too. Trust me.”
“Now,” Zhubin picked up again. “I have no idea what the mating rituals for the Spirytes are, at all. I know Luhpyne, obviously, and Vhampire only because of one of my mother’s mates. He’s a Vhampire as well, and he just had to ensure I get therapy for the rest of my life by over sharing.”
“He did go into horrific detail didn’t he?” Ansell asked.
“He did. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at my mother again,” Zhubin shuddered.
“So basically, Ax will have to bite me and we will all three have to be, well, connected?” Lilly asked with wide eyes. “And what if the middle part of the sandwich has never done that before?” Her face was flame red. “Been the meat between two slices of bread, or however you want to describe it?”
“The burger to their buns,” Ansell said with a straight face.
“The cream to their Oreo cookie,” Zhubin added, his lips twitched.
“The filling to their éclair.” Ansell was starting to grin.
“Damn, now I’m hungry,” Zhubin said with a groan. “There are plenty of ways to get you ready for the double penetration. There are sex toys that will help to ease the strain. Getting various sizes or one with a pump to expand it, for example, a butt plug, would be useful. Either that or they can manually stretch you. But that might be pushing their restraint a bit far.”
This couldn’t get any more embarrassing if she had tried. “Oh lord, I’m never going to live this down, am I?” she asked softly. “And no talking about this outside of us,” Lilly demanded. “I mean it. If someone talks about it, I will…I will…” She looked confused.
“I will make my guys sleep on the couch.” Lacey said, smiling and nodding at the woman. “Don’t worry. What we say here is completely and fully between us. No one else.”
“Actually, she won’t,” Zhubin said. “She tried it once, but then she came down to cuddle and we all ended up falling off. Too many bruises, and she was quite upset that it wasn’t big enough for us all. She says she will, but she won’t.”
“I told you the couch was too small. Why do you think I wanted to order the custom-made one?” Lacey told Zhubin.
“Not that we’d discuss any of this outside these four walls,” Ansell said, putting in his two cents. “What goes on behind closed doors is no one’s business but those involved. We just know that you need information, and we’re trying to give it to you as bluntly as possible. We won’t lie to you, even to soften the words. It’s not who we are. Besides, it’s sex, perfectly natural and a part of life for all mammals and other creatures.”
“Yes, this is true and all of that, but it’s my sex life that we are discussing,” Lilly said softly. “And I’ve not had much of one before these two men dropped into my life, so I don’t know how to handle this. I appreciate the bluntness, I truly do, but you have to give me some slack, too.”
“Do you really think I like sitting here discussing your sex life?” Zhubin asked her. “I may be open-minded about it, but seriously?” He made a face. “Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I would talk to Gavriel when he returns, after he’s rested, of course. Figure out the Spiryte mating practice and what all exactly it entails. That will give you the information you need to know for who goes where. Now, unlike in Luhpyne matings, when it’s one of the other races it doesn’t matter much who goes where. For us, the one that takes front spot is the father of the children. For the other races, as long as there is no Luhpyne involved, both or all the men can potentially be fathers if they choose to be.”
“Really?” Lilly looked up at Ax and smiled. “So you could potentially become a father one day? Would the child
be a Vhampire, or would it be human? I guess I’m a little unsure how that would all work. Would I stay human or would I become as you are? Lacey, are you human or Luhpyne?” Blunt, she knew, but she was curious.
Lacey laughed. “I’m all human. Don’t get me wrong, if I could be like my amazing men then I would in a moment, but I think that my family would have fits if I did, so I’m human, just with a longer lifespan.”
“We can’t change you to be like us,” Artaxias said. “Unlike your movies and books, we don’t have that ability. If I bite someone and give them my blood, they get a boost in energy and their senses kick up for a time. And their”—he waved toward Ansell and Zhubin—“saliva didn’t change you into Luhpyne, now did it, Lacey? Because it’s just not possible. At least not through a bite and swapping of bodily fluids.”
“But will I be as long lived as you are? I don’t want to go into this knowing that in forty or fifty years you will lose me. I don’t want you to ever face that possibility. Would it be better to have that small time or would it be easier to not do this? I’m so lost. I’m so confused.” And it was just getting muddier and more confusing as she rattled on. Turning into Artaxias, she hugged him close, her face against the crook of his neck, and tried to match her breathing to his.
“You’re not going to lose us in forty or fifty years, Lilly,” he said softly. His arms wrapped around her and hugged her to him. “When you mate to us, you are tied to us completely. That includes taking on our life span. Your aging will slow to match ours. You’ll still be fully human, but you’ll have a very long life ahead of you.”
“I will?” Lilly’s eyes went wide, and she gave Artaxias a hug. “I love that idea. The idea that I will be able to be with you not only for this lifetime, but many more. I love that idea.” Repetition seemed to be her thing when she was excited, he noted. “So how long do we have to get our bond formed?” she asked quietly.
“That’s a little tricky,” Zhubin said. He shifted to lean forward, elbows on his knees. “It totally depends on those involved. With a Luhpyne, you need to be mated within a month. Preferably before the full moon, or close to it. Two full moons can’t pass, otherwise the Luhpyne begins to break down, mentally, that is. With the other races, you could, in theory at least, go an indeterminate amount of time. Rule of thumb is, within the year. Any longer than that and, well…Things can happen when the Gods are thwarted in their pairing choices.”
“Which is why my furry lovers here were more than a little antsy and ready to go feral. You see, I was very, very bad. I kept them at arm’s length for five long years. It was far too long, for all of us. Don’t do that. I say get it done so that you can all enjoy life together, because there is nothing like being mated to two men that love you fully and completely.”
“She also shouldn’t feel rushed,” Ax said to Lacey. “If she wants to wait a while, that’s fine by me. Just not too long, Lilly. My patience isn’t infinite, unlike those two Luhpynes, who apparently should be up for sainthood.”
“That’s what I say.” Ansell grinned. “But she”—he meant Lacey obviously—“thinks that we should have just jumped her bones.”
Artaxias clicked his tongue. “No one of the races would force a woman. No one that isn’t a Rogue, that is.”
“Oh, if they had just made their intentions clear from the start, I wouldn’t have made them wait five minutes. Hell, just looking at my men made my panties wet, something very hard to hide from Luhpynes, by the way,” Lacey said with a grin. “But I love them, they love me, and in the end, it worked out. We worked out. We are stronger now as a team, stronger as a unit, than we ever have been before.”
“That we are.” Zhubin nodded. Grinning at his mate, he turned his eyes to Lilly. “Any more questions?” he asked her softly. “Or even rumors you want cleared up? Anything at all. Cause, if you hadn’t figured out, we’re not exactly shy when it comes to discussing our sex life. Or others’ sex lives.” He chuckled.
“Yeah, no, I don’t think that I want to know anything further. I really don’t. I happen to want to try to look at you without seeing you all naked and doing things that I want to do with Gav and Ax, thank you very much,” Lilly muttered. “Ax, ready to get out of here?”
Chuckling, he nodded. “Yeah, I’m good to go. Up,” he ordered, his hands on her waist. Standing, he shook the Luhpynes’ hands and bowed slightly to Lacey. Walking out with Lilly a moment later, he took her hand. “Well, we’ve accomplished our goals for the day. I think we should get you home so you can get some sleep.”
“I think that sounds like a good idea. We will wait for Gav to join us, and we will all have dinner together and discuss where we are to go now. Sound good?” She wanted to be able to have this with them. She wanted everything, and life was too short to wait for happiness.
“Sounds good,” he told her quietly. Squeezing her fingers, he led her through the building. It wasn’t long before they were in his car and on the road. “How are you really doing with all this, Lilly? The mating and all that will come of it, I mean?”
“Actually I’m far better about it than you might think I am. I’ve always been one of those people that grabs ahold of life and lives it, come hell or high water. I’ve been through a lot in life and have learned that when there is something I want, I need to grab it and hold on. You and Gav, I want. I want happiness and I damn well deserve it, too.”
“Of course you deserve it,” he said softly. “Everyone deserves to be happy. “ He drove along in silence for a time before he shot her a quick look. “So you’re okay with the living-practically-forever part of it?”
“Only as long as I have you guys. And chocolate. And cake. I love cake.” She laughed at his look, “I’m teasing,” she assured him. “Diabetic remember?” She shook her head. “That’s going to be a true bitch to deal with, having diabetes and living with it for the rest of time. That part sucks monkey balls.”
“Mm.” His lips were sealed tight as he hummed. He shot her another quick look before making a face. “You likely won’t have to, you know. There is sort of a cure. Not on the market or really in development, since it’s…well, kind of not what one would exactly call legal or ethical.”
“Are you serious? That would be wonderful,” she admitted. “But wait, I don’t want to do anything that would somehow alter me so that I would no longer be mated to you two. Or something that would end my life, if it is in the experimental stages. I would love a cure, I truly would, but not at the cost of my life and yours.”
“It’s not like that, it’s—” He seemed to be struggling with, whatever it was. He thrust a hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh. “It would be my blood. We can’t change humans to be like us, it’s just not possible. But Vhampire blood, in the right doses and over a certain period of time, can cure most of the human diseases. We don’t tell your people that mainly because we really don’t feel like being on the most wanted list by the medical community.”
“Oh goodness, no kidding. They would hunt your people down and drain you all dry.” She shuddered. “I would like that,” she whispered. “I want to be healthy, I want to be safe, and I need to have a full and complete life with you. Will you be okay with doing that for and with me?”
“I wouldn’t have said anything if I wasn’t, Lilly. But the thought of you having to be on that medication for the rest of our lives, it saddens me. I want you to be able to have a full and happy life with us.” He turned the vehicle into the driveway and slowed at the gate as it began to open. “We’ll wait until Gavriel is back before we start it. He’ll have to take a baseline reading on you before we start and then monitor you throughout the treatments. I will warn you, though, your senses will kick up a few notches while you’re getting the blood. They’ll even out and then settle back into normal after you’re done. But we should also do it all before we mate. I don’t know if it would be possible to do after the fact.”
“How long will the blood exchanges take? I want happiness with you both, bu
t I very much would like to be able to be rid of my disease if it is at all possible. I want a very long and very healthy life with you guys.” There was a moment where he could tell she was thinking and her question made him smile. “Is Gav a medic or something, as well? Are you both total overachievers or something?”
“No, he’s not a medic. But with his magic, he can read your body’s electrical field and get a baseline. From there, we give you the injections and then keep an eye on the changes. We’ll have to test your blood at the start before you take your medicine, after the medicine, and then after the injection of my blood.” He parked in front of the house and turned toward her once the engine was off. “Depending on what all is going on in your body, what damage the disease has done, about a week, give or take a couple days of injections.”
He let out a breath. “But this all depends on the tests we do initially on your blood. We need to know if your system will even accept my blood. As a Vhampire, I’m a universal donor. We all are, which is why we keep this a carefully hidden secret. Because anyone with a disease could grab one of us and use us to cure themselves. We’re the reason there are so many cures. All based on our blood, of course, and the properties within it.”
“Oh my,” she said with a frown. “So it’s possible that my blood won’t even accept yours, that perhaps my disease is too much and I won’t be able to take the cure that you are offering?” Which would royally suck, but they would deal with it. Somehow and some way, they would deal.
“Yes and no. But we have to be sure, little mate. I have a good feeling about it, but I also want to be absolutely sure as well. So, we will run the test and make sure it will work like I’m hoping it will. And if it does, then we begin the treatments. But there will be strict rules during it, ones you’ll have to follow to the letter for best results.”