by Tracy Lauren
“Somehow I do not feel like we are having the same conversation,” Mel tells me, sliding off the table and wriggling away from me. Suddenly my heart drops.
She is rejecting me, I realize.
“You do not share my feelings,” I say, speaking my fears aloud.
Mel’s troubled expression softens. “To be honest, Mire, I like you both very much. But it isn’t fair to any of us to make me choose between you.”
I exhale my relief and wrap my arms around Mel once more. I relish the way her feminine body feels against me. I am a large male, strong and muscular, but having her near me makes me feel something more. I almost feel invincible. In my arms I hold the only thing that matters in life—my mate. I am in awe that Gile and I are worthy of such a treasure. “We are in total agreement then. We would never make you choose,” I assure her, tilting her face up for another passionate kiss. But Mel’s expression is still one of utter confusion and I halt, chuckling at this confounded look she wears.
“What is the matter, my mate? Are there still questions in your mind?” I ask, soothing her furrowed brow with my thumb.
“Uh…yeah. Mire, I have no idea what you’re talking about. A minute ago Gile was in here kissing me, and now you. I don’t understand what you guys are asking for, but I’m not sure I can give it to you,” she asserts, slowly extracting herself from my arms.
It dawns on me suddenly. The humans were an isolated race before their abduction. There must be some kind of lapse in her knowledge about mating due to her upbringing. Though I remember she had a mate in the past.
“You have mated before, am I correct?” I ask.
Her face screws up even more, unhappy with my questions for some reason. “Are you asking if I’m a virgin?” she asks, sounding displeased.
I sigh, frowning at the situation. “We are having a communication problem,” I venture. Gile is much better with words. I should bring him here so that we may all talk this through together. After all, is that not how we will do things for the rest of our lives?
“Yeah, seems like it,” Mel says, looking dismayed.
I close the distance between us and place my hand on her small cheek. Though she still looks perturbed, she leans into my touch, needing some type of comfort or reassurance. “Do not worry, my mate. We will solve this,” I promise her, before I turn and stalk from the room.
Chapter 18
Mel
Okay, so that was the weirdest shit that’s ever happened to me. I drop down into a chair at my table, all the electric joy that was in me before has fizzled to a halt. I worry that I just lost two potential friends and stirred up enough drama in the village to cause some real problems. I feel a little sick inside at the prospect, wondering how this will affect everyone. Already Gabby is causing so much tension and now there’s this. But what’s worse is that I worry what will happen between the golden brothers. Will they fight? Will Mire, who already seems to have one foot out the door, leave now?
I groan and drop my head onto the table, wanting to cry, but feeling too hollow to do so. And I lie like that for a long time…until there’s another knock at my door.
My adrenaline spikes, wondering who will be on the other side. I clench my hands to keep them from shaking and go to the door. When I open it I’m met with one of the most intimidating sights I’ve ever seen.
Standing side by side are the two Sovolian brothers. The pair so massive that they block my entire doorway. Gile grins broadly, rocking on his heels, like he’s so excited he can’t keep still. Mire, on the other hand, looks at me with that smoky and intense gaze of his and it makes me worry he’ll push me up against the wall and ravage my mouth again right in front of his brother. And while I know that would be wrong, I can’t help but feel a wave of heat rock my body. It’s too naughty a thought to entertain, I think morosely, sighing to myself. It just isn’t fair; these brothers are simply too attractive. A girl can’t hardly think straight with them staring her down.
I swallow hard. “I guess we should talk,” I say aloud, but I’m frozen in the doorway.
“May we come in, Mel?” Gile asks, his expression is teasing. I shake myself from my thoughts and step aside to invite them in.
The pair seem looming once in my bedroom and I nervously gesture for them to take seats at the table, but Gile plops down at the foot of the bed, bouncing a little as he does. Mire grunts at him, giving his brother a reprimanding look, and Gile shrugs before making his way to the table. All I can do is stare wide-eyed at the two of them. I feel like a deer in the headlights.
Mire sits at the head of the table and I cautiously take a seat next to him. “We have come to discuss how this will proceed,” Mire states, sounding formal and business-like.
“I vote we simply let things flow naturally,” Gile puts in. He sits across from me, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. He looks utterly casual and content. “We are doing just fine, aren’t we, Mel?” he asks, reaching over and taking my hand in his. He eyes me seductively and I skirt my gaze away from his, pulling my hand back nervously, but the warmth of his touch lingers there. I can’t help myself. I like Gile, but I like Mire too and I don’t want to let one brother flirt with me in front of the other. I’m not cruel. Plus, I know how it feels to be on the losing end of a love triangle.
“Look guys, I have to be honest here. I don’t know where any of us stand. I’ve spent time with you both recently and on every occasion I’m left feeling confused about the dynamics. Until you both kissed me today I thought we were all just friends.”
“I like being your friend,” Gile says, his grin sly and flirting. Sure, he says friends, but the way he says it doesn’t quite make me think he just wants to be my buddy.
“Are you saying you are not attracted to us?” Mire asks. His voice is gruff, unlike the unfazeable Gile who won’t take his hungry eyes off of me.
“No. No, I’m not saying that at all,” I start.
“See, brother? I told you she liked us,” Gile says, ever cocky.
“Let her speak,” Mire chides, leaning back in his seat, expectant to hear from me.
“I like both of you, a lot. Too much probably. But like I said before, I’m not getting between brothers.”
“What is there to get between besides two males who want to shower you with caresses?” Gile asks, holding his arms wide.
I make a strangled sound in my throat before I compose myself well enough to form real words. “Gile, this isn’t funny. I’ve been cheated on in the past and I refuse to hurt anybody in that way.”
That wipes the grin from Gile’s face. “Mel, what we have cannot be compared to Gary. There will be no betrayals, only love and loyalty.”
“But you’re asking me to choose! First of all, I haven’t spent enough time with either of you to make that choice and secondly I couldn’t bear to break someone’s heart. How would you feel if I chose Mire and not you, wouldn’t that hurt? I’m sorry, guys, I’m not going to do that.”
Gile and Mire share a meaningful look…before breaking into laughter. Mire chuckles and gives me a sympathetic look, but Gile leans back in his seat and has a nice long laugh. I cross my arms over my chest. Somehow I don’t share their mirth.
“I knew there was confusion,” Mire tells us, and as big and burly as the guy is, there’s something deeply comforting about his tone. “I am glad we have gotten to the bottom of it. Mel, no one is trying to make you choose. That is not the way of our people.”
“I’m sorry, you’re going to have to give me a little more than that,” I tell him, still not getting it.
Mire sighs and starts again. “Long ago, when Sovolians were free, living on their own world, mating groups consisted of a leader—the female—and all her males. This is what we wish to have with you, Mel. You do not have to choose, because we both want you…and we hope that you want us too. If you would have us, we would be your mates. Now and always.”
All I can do is blink. I look back and forth between the golden boys, l
ooking for some hint of a joke in their eyes. Because this has to be a joke, right? They want me to be the cream filling in a Sovolian sandwich. But all they do is look at me expectantly. Oh God, they’re waiting for a response.
Already, though, I’m shaking my head and rising from the table. “I’m sorry, that’s…that’s just not…humans don’t…I mean I can’t. What would everyone think?”
The aliens rise too. “What would it matter what people think?” Gile asks, looking truly confused as to why such a thing would come into play. And actually, I don’t really have an answer to that. I guess it doesn’t matter, but I still need a reason…a reason to keep me reasonable. Because it would be unreasonable to mate with two men, right? I can’t really do that…can I? The two men approach me, looking big and strong and all around gorgeous.
“All that matters is what is in your heart,” Mire says, placing his hand on my chest. I shiver under his touch. It would be so easy to just throw caution to the wind. To say fuck it and let them take me right here. But, then there’s the aftermath. An arrangement like this won’t work. Someone will always feel hurt or left out and I could never do that to anyone, not after it’s been done to me. A relationship like this isn’t sustainable and more than anything I want to be happy. If we do this, I might be happy for a little while. But it would be like riding a comet on a collision course with a planet. Maybe it’s a fun ride, but it would undoubtedly end in calamity. I need to be on track toward happiness, not more despair. And humans just aren’t built for an arrangement like this one.
Though my mind can’t help but picture a few ways my body might be built for an arrangement like this. I shake the thought away though. This just isn’t something I can do.
“I’m sorry, guys…humans just don’t mate like that.”
Mire drops his hand away; his expression is stony and distant. I hurt for him. This is exactly the type of heartbreak I want to avoid.
“You could always show us how humans mate,” Gile teases. Mire and I cut our eyes to him, unamused.
“Are we talking about sex or something more?” I question.
“We are talking about everything and forever,” Mire says, confirming my understanding of what they want.
“And sex,” Gile adds with a wink. I wonder where he picked up that human gesture and I bite back a smile.
“Again, guys, I’m sorry, but when humans create a bond it’s between two people.”
“I know you have more room in your heart than just that, sweet Mel,” Gile says playfully. It’s almost as if he isn’t buying my protests. “I also know that we have already gotten under your skin. You might be saying no today, but soon you will be saying otherwise. I can feel it.”
Now I can’t help but laugh.
“We will force nothing on Mel,” Mire growls.
“Force? We will have to fight her off like a beast.” He assesses me from head to toe. “She wants us, I can tell when it comes to these things.”
Mire smacks his brother on the back of the head. “Enough. I am sorry, Mel. Gile and I misinterpreted the situation. It is a shame.” His voice sounds raw and I find myself filled with regret. I never wanted to hurt anybody.
“I hope we can still be friends?” I tell them, but it comes out as a question…a desperate one at that.
“Of course. We will always be there for you Mel; such is the way of Sovolians. Our loyalty is to you.” Mire nods to me just once before heading to the door. Gile follows him, walking backwards so he can keep his still cheerful eyes on me.
“You’ll be chasing after us in no time,” he tells me. “Don’t worry, we will walk slowly for you, Mel.”
Lord. At least he lightens the mood on his way out. I shut the door behind them and fall back against the wood, letting it support my weight.
What an evening, I think to myself, shaking my head. For a second I lament all my baggage. If I were a woman who had never been cheated on, if I had no sadness in my past, would I fall into their arms and take their declaration of love at face value?
There’s no way to know. What I am sure of however is the sadness in my heart and I can’t help but wonder how comforting it would be to have a couple sets of golden arms wrapped around me. But that’s crazy…right? Sure I can have a crush on two sexy aliens, but I certainly can’t love two. That just seems greedy.
I snort out a laugh despite myself and flop face first onto my bed. I don’t feel up to dinner in the courtyard tonight.
Chapter 19
Mel
I’ve been avoiding the world. Everything that happened with Gile and Mire the other day really messed me up. I can’t stand the idea that I’ve hurt their feelings. And I mean, I must have. It isn’t like they asked me out on a date and I declined…they asked me to be their mate! Just the thought makes my head spin.
Honestly, I haven’t fully processed my own feelings on the subject yet. I was looking for a distraction, a little flirtation perhaps, a connection with someone. And boy did I feel it…only it was with Gile and Mire both. I don’t even know what to do with that. If only one of them had declared their intentions, then we would have started something and who knows what it would have progressed into. But two of them? I shake my head. I’m at a total loss.
I’m sneaking back to my room after visiting the pantry for a snack. I haven’t been eating out in the courtyard with the others. Everyone is going to have questions and I don’t even have answers for myself at this point.
A sudden noise makes me look up and I see Reagan pop her head out of her doorway. I look away and try to duck into my room before she has the chance to stop me. But it’s too late.
“Nope! You’re not getting away that easy!” she shouts as she darts toward me.
“You shouldn’t get too close, I’ve been feeling under the weather,” I lie, faking a cough as I try to slip into my room.
“Oh bullshit! Come on, get your ass over here,” she demands wrapping her arm around me and pulling me toward her room.
“Give me a break, Reagan…” I complain.
“You’re going to have to get this over with at some point. I suggest you just rip it off like a Band-Aid. Besides, I have something you should see.”
I frown, but my interest is piqued. “What is it?” I ask as we step into her room. April and Clark are both there with thoughtful expressions on their faces.
I look around the room, noticing Reagan hasn’t decorated as much as some of the rest of us and the space that she calls hers is cold and bare, nothing like her vibrant personality. She’s got a small table pushed up against the wall, no chairs for company, no storage baskets in her kitchen filled with food or supplies. Her bed is unmade and other than a dresser and a small mirror there’s not much else to speak of in her room. Even her fire pit is cold. But on her table sit four baskets and each one is filled to the brim. Inside I see a variety of things—berries, nuts, the feathers we use to make pillows, and a stockpile of the fibrous strips that can be peeled off a certain type of tree in the forest that’s good for braiding and weaving. The others, I realize, are all staring at the baskets in confusion.
“Where’d all this come from?”
“Not sure.” Reagan shrugs. “Seems like every time I open my door there’s a new basket waiting for me. You haven’t seen anyone dropping these off, have you?”
“No, but I’ve been holed up in my room the past couple days.”
“Has anyone left you anything?” she asks.
“Uh uh.” I frown, inspecting the baskets more closely for a clue. “Did anyone else get them too?”
“Nope,” April answers. “Just Ray.”
“That is kind of odd isn’t it?” I ask.
“It is. I was excited about the food at first, but this other stuff is a bummer. I don’t have the patience to weave tapestries and sew shit,” she complains, running her hands through the feathers.
“Have you been asking around? Maybe it’s some kind of a misunderstanding?”
“I have a different th
eory,” Clark puts in. “I think it’s from a secret admirer.”
“Maybe someone’s Awakened to you,” April agrees, tapping her chin and scrutinizing the baskets.
“Oh hell no! That’s the last shit I need; this pussy is closed for business. I am not trying to be anybody’s mate.”
At the mention of mates I think of Gile and Mire and frown.
“Hey, where the hell have you been?” April asks me suddenly.
“Hiding,” Reagan answers for me.
I roll my eyes and nod. “It’s true. I’ve been hiding.”
“Not from the golden boys?” April guesses.
“Yeah…there was a whole thing…” I say, trying to avoid giving details. But Reagan isn’t having it.
“They both wanted to boink her.”
“Whaaaaaa?” April asks, a huge smile lighting up her face. “How’d it go?”
“April!” Clark chides, slapping at our friend.
“Dish, dish, dish,” Reagan chants, encouraging me.
“Let’s not make a big thing out of it. I don’t know how they’d feel if I told everyone what happened.”
“Who’s everyone? I only see the three of us. Share those juicy details, girl. You get some?”
“No. Because they didn’t just ask to boink, as Reagan put it. They wanted to be my mates.”
“Like both of them? At the same time?” Clark gasps.
I nod.
“Tell us you at least took them for a test drive. Is that why you’ve been bed ridden, resting up your girl parts for round two?”
“Geeze, April!” I complain. “Like I could really do that.”
“I think you guys could figure out a couple ways…” she teases. And she’s not wrong. I’ve come up with about a dozen.
“Very funny, but one man is enough trouble. I don’t need two and I certainly don’t need the broken heart that’s sure to go along with them.”