by Joyee Flynn
“Nice to have you here though I heard the circumstances weren’t all that great. Trey is thrilled to have another member of his family close.”
“And Addison?” I couldn’t hold back the smirk mentioning my brother’s other mate.
“He still thinks y’all might eat him in his sleep.” Jasper chuckled. “Someday he’ll forgive himself for how he hurt Trey. We’re over it, but he still feels like he has to make up for it.”
“Good that he realized how badly he screwed up,” I said seriously and then decided to lighten the mood. “Come meet my mates.” I introduced everyone, and they shook hands in greeting.
“Fairies are real?” Jasper asked in awe as he stared at my mate as if he was a saint or Santa himself. “That’s so cool. You guys have wings? What about magic? Your ears aren’t pointed.”
“Slow down, Jasper.” Cord chuckled and shook his head. “Let the man go check out his new home before you grill him.”
“Sorry, I just always thought fairies were the coolest when I was growing up.” Jasper looked properly chastised though still excited about meeting a real fairy.
“I do have wings and magic, but no pointy ears,” Imogen answered after a moment, moving closer to me.
“Is it rude to ask to see your wings?” Jasper glanced at me, his eyebrows drawn together in thought. “I don’t know proper manners on that.”
“It’s not rude—” Imogen started to say as he fidgeted nervously.
“But his mates don’t like people to see his sexy body,” Aaron said quickly as he sensed our mate’s distress. “Maybe when we all go swimming in this pool I’ve heard of, but for our mate to strip in front of a bunch of men who want to stare at his body would not make Sasha or me happy.”
“Right, sorry. I didn’t mean to start anything.” Jasper blushed as he held his hands out in front of him. “Shifters don’t have issue with being naked ever, so I never know how everyone else is.”
“It’s not that. I simply do not like to be the center of attention, and my wings are a sensitive topic for me,” Imogen admitted, trying to defuse a possibly volatile situation. “They’re pink.”
“Baby, that’s like saying sky is always just light blue,” I said gently and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him back to my chest. “Your wings are like the rainbow and as breathtaking as you are.”
“They’re quite stunning,” Aaron added with a smile. “I was enthralled by them this morning in the kitchen before you put your shirt on.”
“Okay, now I’m dying to see them,” Avery whispered as he watched our interaction like a tennis match. Then I think my brother realized he’d made things worse, so he quickly changed the topic. “There’s also a hot tub in our barn if you guys ever want to use it. Just warn us so we don’t walk in on something.”
“You don’t have to, Imogen,” I said gently as he moved out of my arms and unbuttoned his vest.
“Best just to get it over with.” He wouldn’t meet anyone’s gaze. And I saw Aaron biting his lip nervously out of the corner of my eye. Yeah, I felt the same way. As our mate took off his shirt, I gave everyone there a look that warned them they better not say anything stupid.
“Holy shit,” Ty and Avery gasped as Imogen slid his shirt off and unfolded his wings.
“Yeah, those aren’t pink,” Cord whispered and moved forward. Hayley squealed and reached out to touch one from her sling. Then the other girls started making noises and pointing to my mate. “Is it okay that the girls touch? It doesn’t hurt or anything?”
“No, it feels good actually.” Imogen giggled and moved closer. “It’s like someone running fingers through your hair or caressing your skin.”
“Good to know,” I growled as I took in his shirtless body. He stared at me, his nipples hardening under my gaze. I’d been calm with my honeymoon heat since between both my mates we went three times in a row. But now, a good hour and a half later when one of them was naked, I was starting to overheat. “Mine!”
“Oh yes,” Imogen moaned and opened his arms for me as I stormed to him. I lifted him up and mashed my lips down to his as he wrapped his body around me.
“Right, they’re in honeymoon heat.” Jasper chuckled. I grabbed Aaron’s hand and dragged him along to our new house.
“Um, thank you so much. We’ll stop by for dinner?” Aaron said awkwardly as I ignored everyone else and pulled him along as I devoured Imogen’s lips.
“No,” I snarled after ripping my mouth off my mate’s. I glanced at Avery over my shoulder. “Is there a place that delivers around here? We’re going to be busy for a while.”
“I’ll send some pizza around dinnertime. See you guys in a few days,” he answered with a big smile. “We’re glad you’re here. The rest we can iron out later.”
“Thank you, baby brother,” I said affectionately and then leapt up onto the porch. Imogen was rubbing his groin over mine and moaning wantonly. I barely got us into the house before all the clothes came off, and I fucked each of my mates in our new house. I tried to ignore the fact they never touched each other, but at least they were in the same room. That was an improvement…right?
* * * *
When we weren’t fucking on every surface in our place the next few days, we’d quickly eat or catch some sleep. I was surprised we’d actually managed to unload most of our stuff into the living room though we’d not put anything away yet. We learned to do it in small increments after I ended up fucking Imogen against the truck since I couldn’t seem to wait to get him back inside. Jasper got a front row seat from the barn.
“The water heater’s shot and tiny,” Aaron said as he read off his list at breakfast the day after the honeymoon heat was over. I noticed the way both my mates were shifting in their seats on their tender asses. Maybe I should have felt a little guilty, but I found myself smirking that I’d done the job well in thoroughly fucking them. Besides, it’s not like they were complaining.
“We can take the truck and go get a new one if you know how to install it. I don’t have a clue how to do that kind of thing.”
“I can handle that and redoing the master bathroom along with the maintenance the furnace needs. I say we take a trip to Billings with your truck and just get as much as we need.”
“I want paint samples,” Imogen said, practically bouncing in his seat. We’d decided that, for now, we’d each have our own room so there would be no one feeling left out by the others sharing a room. I had the master bedroom with the attached bath, which we would all eventually share once my mates dealt with their issues.
“Yes, the house inside and out definitely needs to be painted and that porch needs to be stained before the wood rots.” I smiled at how easily we were working together on plans to fix up our house. I also pretended not to notice the covert glances Imogen kept giving Aaron. I think the key was simply for him to spend more time around our mate and realize that Aaron wasn’t going to freak out and attack.
“I could use some help getting the garden ready,” my fairy purred and batted his eyelashes at me. “Preferably with your shirt off and all sweaty.” He hesitated and then looked down at his hands. “Two sweaty muscular men would be even better.”
Aaron’s head snapped up, his eyes wide in surprise before he schooled his features and gave our mate a soft smile. “I’d love to help. I’m a fan of green peppers if that’s possible?”
“Of course,” Imogen answered with his own smile. “How can you make a fresh summer salad without green peppers? Do you like the yellow ones, too?”
I wanted to sigh in relief or do a happy dance. It was so small, so simple, but such a huge step in the right direction for them. Who would ever have thought vegetables could be the start of them finding some common ground?
We cleaned up breakfast, made some lists of things to get, got dressed, called over to Avery to see if they needed anything, and headed out. It was another first when Imogen asked if he could sit closest to the door. I knew why. He wanted to make sure if anything went wrong, he
wasn’t trapped. But it was better than demanding Aaron ride in another car.
The drive was only about a half an hour, and we chatted about color schemes and what type of furniture we wanted. Aaron had some, and I had some from my apartment, so we didn’t want to get everything new until we finished the improvements. Something had been bothering me, not that anything was wrong really, just an odd feeling. And after we’d been walking around Lowe’s and getting what we needed for about half an hour, I realized what it was.
“Can I ask you something, baby?”
“My life is an open book to you, my feisty kitten,” Imogen answered without looking up from his paint splotches.
“How come you’re so excited about all of this? I mean you’re thousands of years old. Surely, you’ve had your own place before, right?”
“No, actually.” He chuckled and gave me a wink. “Since I’m a prince, I live at the palace. I have all my life. I’ve had the same room since I was a child, and while I’ve updated it, I’ve never had anything of my own really.”
“I totally forgot you said you were royalty,” Aaron said with a tone of awe shining in his brown eyes. I had, too. So much had been going on that it seemed we were always dealing with the immediate crisis instead of getting all the details about one another.
“I am.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal. “I’m third in line to rule, but I hide from court as often as possible. I’ve never wanted that life. My uncle is king and has an heir, my cousin, so I’m not needed. Fae rule for half a millennia before handing down the crown unless someone dies.”
“So your dad wasn’t king?” Imogen’s demeanor instantly changed at Aaron’s question, his eyes flashing violet. Shit.
“No, he was second born after my uncle. Next in line before vampires killed my parents, ripping them to shreds before my very eyes.”
“Imogen,” Aaron whispered and reached for him. Our fairy shook his head and held up a hand to stop him.
“I almost forgot what you were for a while there.” He growled and stormed away. Well, we’d made progress for a day until something came back up. Aaron looked as if he’d been kicked in the balls.
“He’ll come around the more time you spend together,” I said gently and pulled him into my arms. “Give him time, yeah?”
“I’m trying,” Aaron replied with a sniffle. “I really am, Sasha. But this isn’t my fault. I can’t help what I am any more than he can. I’d never hurt him. I swear it to you.”
“Oh, I know that, honey.” I held him as he grasped onto me like he was afraid I’d abandon him.
“What if this doesn’t get better? Is it always going to be you hopping from one to the other of us? Should I just leave? I don’t want our mate to live in constant fear of me but I don’t know how to fix this!”
“You’re right, and I’m sorry,” Imogen said quietly. We’d been so focused on each other, standing in the middle of Lowe’s in the paint aisle, that we didn’t see him come back. “I can’t keep blaming you for something that was never your fault, but I don’t know how to turn it off. I’m trying.”
“We know you are,” I replied gently as I opened the hug for him to join in. I held my breath, probably as Aaron did while we waited. Imogen was hesitant, his movements seeming forced, but he joined us. It was brief and he broke the hug right off, but he did hug both of us. “Everyone just needs more time. This is hard on all of us, but today’s been great. Each day will get better, and you’ll get more comfortable with the fact Aaron can control himself around you.”
“You’re so sure of that?” he asked me as he tilted his head, as if questioning that I meant it.
“Without a doubt. He’s never acted like Conley and Marc,” I answered, feeling weird we were talking about Aaron as if he wasn’t standing right there. “He’s being so patient with all of this and not trying to force anything. And I know how hard it is for him to not claim you.”
“You feel what Sasha felt?” Imogen asked Aaron, his eyes going wide.
“Not exactly,” Aaron hedged and then took a moment to collect his thoughts. “The longer I don’t claim you, the more insecure, possessive, and crazed I get at times. The pull to make you mine is strong, I know you’re my mate, but I can wait until you’re ready. I won’t get sick like Sasha would have. It’s simply like I’m dying of thirst all the time because for vampires tasting you is just as important as having sex.”
“I’ll never let you drink from me, Aaron, even if I can get past the rest of this. I’m sorry. I just won’t let that happen. I’m not food. My blood is addictive and can send vampires into a crazed state. If you want me to leave, I will, so maybe being around me won’t make it so bad.”
I went to say something, but Imogen shook his head and walked away again. As much as it killed me, I could give him some time to collect his thoughts if that’s what he wanted.
“It’s not about being food,” Aaron whispered in defeat as we headed over toward bathroom fixtures and tubs. “I mean, yes, I need blood to survive, but you don’t have a problem with me drinking from you. I’m old enough that I don’t need that much blood. It just brings us closer.”
“And it’s fucking hot,” I moaned and slid my hand over his ass. I got the desired effect when I saw him smile. “Could you bite and not drink to claim him?”
“No, the drinking his blood is the important part,” he answered with a sigh as he scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration. “It’s the literal taking his life essence into mine and his giving himself to me completely that ties us together when having sex. That’s what binds us.”
“We’ll figure something out,” I said gently and then changed the topic to redoing our bathroom. But for the first time since we’d all met…I wasn’t so sure. Everyone has lines in their lives that they won’t cross or allow others to cross. This was Imogen’s, and who were we to say that was wrong?
Chapter 6
We ended up spending way too much money and getting more than we could possibly get done even with weeks of constant work on the house. But then again, it was good that we were all so excited.
Imogen ended up finding us again after he calmed down and helped pick out the tile for the master bath. We had our purchases loaded up in the truck, including one garden tub with jets, a shower stall, a vanity, and on and on. Then we went and bought about half the garden section for Imogen. Okay, so maybe not that much, but close enough.
“I’ll start on the water heater,” Aaron said after we got back home and started unloading.
“Then you’re going to come help us, right?” Imogen asked hesitantly. I didn’t blame him, the drive home had been full of brutal, silent tension. I wanted to pull my hair out, and I just felt like I was the idiot in the middle of all of this. The whole situation sucked.
“I can do that,” he answered as he picked up the huge box for our extra-large water heater. He was strong enough to lift it easily, but it looked funny since the box was an awkward shape.
He didn’t sound as excited as he had been before, but I couldn’t say I blamed him. While he did that, we marked off a huge area that Imogen wanted for the garden. Then we got to tearing out the grass, which was mostly weeds, before putting in the small fencing.
“We’ll have as much hot water as we want for our showers when we’re all done today,” Aaron said about two hours later when he came back out to join us.
“Guys!” Jasper called out as he came racing from the barn. “Something’s wrong. I smell vampires, lots of them, and none I recognize. I called Trey and Addison through our mental link. They’re on their way. Trey called Avery. Cord and Ty are hiding in the basement with the girls.”
I sniffed the air and smelled something familiar. My eyes went wide when I realized where I’d smelled it before. “Imogen, baby, you need to get in the house and lock yourself in the attic we found, okay?”
“Why? What’s wrong?” His eyes darted around the yard as if he was missing the danger.
“I’ve smelled the
vamps that captured you coming toward us fast. You had traces of their scent when I found you.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as his eyes filled up with tears. “I’ll go with them. I won’t let them hurt you.”
“No,” Aaron snarled and went over to Imogen. He’d already shifted so his hands were claws, his body larger, eyes solid black, with some scary ass teeth going on. “They will not touch our mate. Please, Imogen. I know you don’t trust me but you do Sasha. Trust him now and do what he says.”
“Don’t get hurt either, okay?” He pulled Aaron down and kissed his cheek before doing the same to me. Then, in a flash, he was in the house. I saw Avery in the distance coming from the south and then turned to see about thirty vamps coming from the west. The difference was they were taking their sweet ass time as if reveling in the fact that they knew we’d be worried.
But we had more help. Trey and Addison were racing toward us, already in their animal forms. Jasper quickly undressed and shifted just as all four hundred and fifty pounds of tiger Avery reached us. I shifted into half-and-half so I’d still be able to talk, not caring about my clothes. I was surprised when Addison quickly shifted back.
“Frank and the other police are on their way. They’re all part of the pack, and I called Alpha Daniels and he’s sending help. I’m just not sure they’ll get here in time so try to stall them as best you can.”
“Thank you,” I said quietly. He gave me a nod and changed back into a massive wolf. Thirty vamps against three tigers, two wolves, and one vamp weren’t odds I liked. However, two of us were Imogen’s mates, and I knew that would go a long way in how ruthlessly we would fight. Then again… We were all family here. Yeah, we could do this if we got help soon.
“Give us the fairy and no one will die,” the vampire at the front of the group said when they were about thirty yards away. “He is all we seek.”
“Why? Why do you want my mate so badly? I mean I know he’s gorgeous, but why do you have such a hard-on for him?” I did my best to keep my tone curious as if I’d really consider giving up Imogen. Yeah, when piggies started to fly.