Opening the door, Rosa passed through, her own mates following, just as Thalia heard Louis murmur, “Did you hear about that politician this morning?”
She wasn’t sure why, but the question had her tensing. She stayed put as Ade asked, “The Republican?”
“She deserved it. That law she wanted to push was an atrocity.”
Louis snorted at Matthew’s retort—it was uncharacteristically bloody for her politician grandparent. “Hardly. It was business.”
“The current administration is considering business far too much over the environment. I’m all for making a dollar, it’s the American way after all, but if we don’t do something soon, we’re going to destroy the only place we lay our heads.
“That law Jessica Hinderwald wanted to pass through was not only going to open the Arctic Wildlife Reserve for oil drilling but countless other national parks too. Nothing else could scream abomination louder than that.”
“She was mauled,” Ade inserted, his tone less heated than his brother’s. “I was reading about it in the papers before Thalia came in. Nobody deserves that. She’d have passed in agony.”
“Mauled?” She turned on her heel, ignoring the looks Rosa and her mates shot her way—they were down the corridor whereas she hadn’t taken a single step.
Louis turned around. “Thought you’d gone with your grandmother.”
“I heard what you said. It pricked my curiosity.”
Ade snorted again. “Always was curious. Not sure if it’s a gift or a flaw.”
“Let’s consider it a gift at the moment,” she said drily, stepping toward them once more even as she rubbed her temple. “What was the politician mauled by?”
“Guess.”
Louis’ flat statement had her wincing. “Wolf?”
“Aye.” He tapped his fingers on the armrest of the divan. The leather gave a pleasing echo. “Handy, no?”
“You think it’s one of our kind?”
“Course. Has to be. She lived in DC. Not like wolves frequent the area for afternoon tea, is it?” he said on a huff.
“I’ve not heard any of this,” she countered immediately.
“It only happened yesterday evening.” Matthew shrugged. “You were busy.”
She pursed her lips, it irked her that she was out of the loop. One thing that hadn’t been limited to her during her exile was information.
She’d had no personal freedom, but the freedom to learn more about the world, both its past, present and potential future, had been open to her in the form of papers and books, the TriAlpha library was one of the largest collections on Lykenkind the world over.
She’d absorbed all she could about both Lyken and human policies. After all, the humans were piddling little creatures, but they had the numbers… They were a danger to her people, and a leader who didn’t take that into consideration was a fool.
“What’s wrong, Thalia?” Rafe asked, having returned to the sitting room for her.
Turning back to him, she murmured, “Nothing. Just something my grandfathers are talking about piqued my interest.”
He held out his hand. “You need to rest. That conversation can wait, can’t it?”
Though she knew he was right, something told her he was also wrong… These kinds of situations had a habit of flaring up. One small situation, seemingly irrelevant to the rest of society, could be the trigger for war.
But, she had to admit, his hand, hovering there, waiting for her, stirred something inside her.
People cared about her again. It was a heady realization. No longer was she alone. If she had a headache, family worried…
Her throat felt tight and she took a step toward him, the link between them pulling at his need to tend to her. “We’ll talk about this later, grandfathers,” she stated, her tone close to a warning.
Louis chuckled. “Whatever you want, love.”
As she stepped out of the door, Matthew snorted. “She’s a bossy miss.”
Louis clapped his hands together. “Exactly what we need to stir shit up.”
Despite herself, despite the ache in her head, she had to smile. Her grandfathers were an unusual trio, and she said that having been spawned by three equally as unusual males.
It was, she thought on a sigh, her hand enveloped by Rafe’s, good to be home.
9
Theodore
“Louis.”
Theo watched as the male blinked at the sight of him. He reared back a little, then jolted forward, his eyes squinting. “Theodore? Is that you?”
Theo’s smile was grim. “Have I changed so much?”
“No. That’s just it. You haven’t changed at all.” Louis pulled back to repeat, “At all, and it’s been, what? Sixty years?”
“More like seventy.”
Louis’s mouth dropped open. “How is that possible?”
Theo sighed—it had been a very long, and a very tedious, day. “Use your nose, Wolf. It would help you. It’s right above your mouth.”
The old Lyken leader grumbled. “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.”
“Well, considering you used to be a master at it, then you’d be the one to know.”
Louis’s lips twitched. “My nose might be older, but I never scented anything before, so I doubt I’ll scent it now.”
Theo grunted out a breath. “Do we have to discuss this on your doorstep?”
That had the older man blinking. “That’s a thing. How the hell did you make it past the guards?”
Glamor. But he wasn’t ready to admit that yet.
Rubbing his chin, he murmured, “I’m not here to hurt you.”
“I should hope not. I might not have seen you in decades, but we parted as friends,” the man retorted, displeasure lacing his tone.
“We certainly did. And that’s why I’m here.”
“As a friend?”
“That, and, I need to speak with your granddaughter.”
Louis’s eyes widened. “Thalia?”
“You have another?” he retorted drily.
“No. One’s enough too. Why do you wish to speak with her?”
Theo gritted his teeth and motioned to the doormat he was standing on, making Louis snort.
“You always were impatient, pup.”
“Hardly, pup, old man,” Theo commented, tension leaching from him as Louis stepped away from the doorway, beckoning him in with a wave of his arm.
“No. Although, I get the feeling you’re far older than I am. So maybe pup and old man are relative terms.”
“Everything’s relative where I’m concerned,” Theo retorted, totally unconcerned by the sentiment. He peered around the entryway. It was white with maple-paneled walls. It was also very, very long. “This reminds me of an airport.”
Louis laughed. “Be sure to tell Ade that. He’ll appreciate hearing the opinion. They’re like assholes, you know. Everyone has them and they all stink.”
Unable to tell if he was joking or not, Theo determined to hold his tongue when he approached Louis’ brother. He’d yet to find a way to insult Louis—and that was after years of dealing with him back in the twenties. The man was surprisingly resilient, and if Theo ever had pissed him off, the former TriAlpha had never made it known to him.
He didn’t know the other brothers as well, but Louis was most definitely a bullshitter.
“I think I’ll hold my tongue.”
Though he smirked, Louis studied him carefully. “Is there a reason you wish to speak with Thalia?” he asked, but he spoke as he started down the long hallway.
Theo followed closely behind. “I saw the footage of her taking out that Beta.”
He was amused to see Louis’s chest thrust out with pride. “She did a bloody good job, didn’t she?”
Bloody being the operative word.
“Yes. Especially as she was going to be fair and wanted only to mete out justice.”
“Shows the man’s true side if he decided to go against that. Bastard deserved to die.”
“Exactly. It came as a surprise. I haven’t seen Thalia in a very long time. Then, out of nowhere, she was on TV.”
Theo frowned at that. “Why hadn’t you seen her in a long time?”
Louis winced. “She’s unique. My sons didn’t appreciate that.”
Narrowing his eyes at that, he asked, “Appreciation… that’s an odd way of phrasing it. Does one have to appreciate one’s offspring?”
“No. But my sons always were difficult.” Louis turned back to him, and as he did, he jolted in place at the sight of a glamor-free Theo. “Sweet Gods.”
His answering smile was tight. “No. Just the same old Theodore.”
“Hardly,” Louis said on a shaky breath. His hand came out, and it quivered in the air as he shaped Theo’s face without touching him. “F-Fae?”
Theo nodded.
Gulping, Louis whispered, “W-Why?”
“Why have I released the glamor?” He sighed. “I never used all that much on you, Louis, if I’m being honest. If one can’t be truthful with a leader, especially when one wishes to deal with him, then it’s the height of folly. I always kept it to a bare minimum. That’s why, after so many years, I haven’t changed all that much.”
“All that much?” Louis made a wheezing sound.
Theo shrugged. “I mean, I haven’t aged.”
The other man blinked. “That’s for sure. You look as young as Thalia.”
That had him wincing. “She is very young, isn’t she?”
“Barely thirty,” Louis confirmed dully, his gaze still tracking over Theo’s features. “This can’t be real. How did I not know?”
“I made sure you knew enough and no more,” he replied dismissively, then, he motioned with his hand. “May we carry on?”
Jolting in place, Louis nodded and started up again, but with each step he took, he turned back to look at Theo. Though he wasn’t unaccustomed to being eyed as though he were a circus freak, it swiftly grew boring considering Louis was who he was.
Feeling cross, Theo grumbled, “I can’t be the first Fae you’ve met.” They were a dying breed but they weren’t dead entirely.
Louis shook his head. “I’ve never met one.”
Ah, well, that explained the open-mouthed shock. Didn’t make it any less irritating, however.
Rubbing his chin where the beard had once been, he murmured, “I’m sorry for shocking you, Louis. However, I must be honest with you.”
“Honest with me? Why?” There was that wheezing tone again as the older man’s gaze glued itself to Theo.
That was the trouble with Fae beauty. It even appealed to straight, and very mated males.
“Because my reason for being here is important.”
Louis seemed to realize Theo was serious and that he needed to shake off the stupor of his astonishment. “O-Okay, how can I help?”
“It’s Thalia who can help.”
“Why?”
“Because of what she did, because of who she is, I believe she can help my people.”
Louis frowned. “My Thalia can help your people?”
“Aye.” He winced at Louis’ possessive phrasing.
“Why do the Fae need help from a mortal being?”
“Because we’re dying out, old friend.” He clapped a hand on Louis’s shoulder, squeezed. “Now, I need to know where she is. It’s imperative I speak with her.” Tension bled into Louis’s form, and Theo knew he was about to be lied to. Before the man could speak, he sighed. “Please, don’t lie to me, Louis. I can sense the approach of bullshit.”
That had the other man freezing in place. Louis’ gaze glued itself to him for endless seconds, then, licking his lips, he whispered, “You’re not going to hurt her, are you?”
Theo snorted. “Hurt her?” The very idea had him chuckling. “Hell, man, I intend to make her queen.”
“Queen?” Louis’s eyes widened. “Of the Fae?”
His smile turned cool. “Aye.” Then, he grabbed the other man when he stumbled back and nearly fell on his ass.
** **
Thalia
Thalia squinted up at the light on the ceiling. It came from a window on the roof but it was also domed. In the light, she could see the engravings in the glass that had figures dancing on the walls around her bed. It was an unusual touch, but one she appreciated.
Beside her, Rafe slept. To her right, Mikkel also slumbered but he was further away. Where Rafe was cuddled into her, his body tucked tightly against hers, as much of her skin touching his as possible, Mikkel was distant.
That made sense considering their mate bond. Or current lack of it.
Still, it was a surprise to see him there at all.
When she’d gone to bed yesterday evening, only Rafe had joined her for the nap that had turned into a full night’s sleep. Mikkel hadn’t rested with her, and she’d half expected if, and when, he did sleep, he’d have rested on the low sofa that sat in front of a grand fireplace just opposite the bed.
He hadn’t.
He was here.
With her. Them.
Today was going to be a good day, she realized with a smile.
Leaning up on her elbows, she stared over the quarters her grandparents had assigned to her. To them. And realized that either she still had the taste of a teenager—the last time her family had been allowed to contact her—or they just had epic style because the place was gorgeous.
Nothing like the minimalist rooms that made up the other parts of the house she’d seen so far, and this suite was all about her comfort.
The bed was large and wide, it had a canopy overhead with a mosquito net that trailed over the four corners without irritating the sleepers beneath. The gauze was fine but it was high quality, so it shifted like silk in the breeze that came from the covered windows, bringing the scents of the sea, salt and sand to the room.
The walls were a dusky pink blurred with cream touches. She’d never have said she was a pink kinda girl, but here? It just worked. Like on an epic scale.
Especially in comparison to the white on white décor in the rest of the place.
Here and there were ink and charcoal drawings—her favorites—surrounded by white frames, which hung in pride of place above console tables that her grandmother had decorated with touches that spoke of how well Rosa knew her.
From a pot figurine of a tailor’s mannequin that had a beautiful tribal necklace around its ‘neck,’ to a book that was held open on a stand—she hadn’t checked out the book’s title, but had no doubt it would be one of her favorites.
The idea that she could have spent her exile here was enough to dampen her mood, but then Mikkel shifted on the bed, and she couldn’t be down. It just wasn’t possible. Not when his scent filled her senses and he moved enough that his foot touched hers.
He snuggled deeper into the light covers, and as he stretched out his legs, his foot rubbed hers once more.
Sadly, that seemed to be his wake up call. His eyes popped open, and the glittering orbs were dulled from sleep until they brightened and sparked with realization. A realization that had him leaping upright and shoving his hand over his face.
“It’s okay,” she told him gently.
He flinched. “I know.”
“You can carry on sleeping. I won’t touch you.”
Mikkel turned back to look at her, and though he was sneering, it wasn’t in a mean way. Which she knew was odd. How could a sneer be anything other than mean? But this wasn’t. It was like it was aimed at himself.
“That isn’t what worries me,” he said, his tone gravelly.
Rafe stirred at her side. “Why are you two awake?” he mumbled into her arm, and a wave of tenderness overcame her at that moment. It was so strong, tears pricked her eyes as she tilted her head to press a kiss to the cr
own of his temple. She moved her hand, dragging it over his shoulders before running her nails through his hair.
“It’s morning,” Mikkel said gruffly, and she knew his tone was because he’d watched her touch Rafe. The gruffness might have stemmed from jealousy, but she didn’t think so.
If anything, her touching Rafe seemed to…
She thought about the strange look in his eyes, and though it seemed bizarre, she knew Mikkel’s longing was the reason for his rasping voice.
Why he kept himself apart from her, she didn’t know. What she did know was that forcing the issue wouldn’t win her brownie points. So, instead of inviting him to curl up beside her for a pile-in, something that all Lyken were comfortable with, she murmured, “He’s right, Rafe. It’s morning.”
“No. Sleepy.”
Her lips twitched. “You can stay in bed.”
“Good.”
“I’m going for breakfast.”
Rafe stilled. “Food?”
She’d already seen how much Rafe packed away, so she wasn’t entirely surprised that that gained his interest. In fact, both her men ate a lot. Like a shit ton. But Rafe? She’d watched him eat twelve, twelve of his mother’s homemade empanadas yesterday, and then down a steak an hour later.
It was a good thing he was Lyken, otherwise his heart would never stand up to all the saturated fat.
“Yeah. Food. I’m sure there’s some somewhere in the house,” she said drily.
“But this isn’t just food. It’s breakfast.”
She grinned. “Want some bacon?”
Mikkel snorted. “Who doesn’t want bacon for breakfast?”
“Thalia never eats it,” Rafe mumbled against her arm, then as Mikkel gaped at her in horror, he slowly crawled into a sitting position. “Ugh. I feel like I’ve been drugged.” He shook his head, reminding her of a dog who’d just been dunked in water. “But I’ll get over it for bacon.”
She watched as both men escaped from the mosquito netting, and sitting up, enjoyed the show. Rafe wore a pair of briefs that revealed the taut line of his cute butt. He was surprisingly thick down there. Those glutes were eminently bitable. But they were nothing to his abs. He even had that ‘V’ thing that made her mouth water.
Triskele (The TriAlpha Chronicles Book 2) Page 17