Shifted Illusions

by C. E. Black

  “It’s okay,” I reassured him. “I’m not cold.” Just nervous. “What do you want to tell me?” His chest rose and fell quickly, and I feared he would have a panic attack. “If you can’t…”

  “No. I can.” He swallowed. “It’s—”

  “Why don’t we have dinner and talk first.” Hawk entered, giving me a rueful smile. “Hi, Beth. Thanks for coming back.”

  “Where else would I go?”

  “You could stay with Foxy. Or Sam. Jordan and Alex can keep you safe.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “And put their children in danger?”

  “I suppose not. But thank you anyway.” He gestured to the kitchen. “Please. We’ve made dinner for you. Will you do us the honor of joining us? We want to explain ourselves.”

  “Sure.” I removed the blanket from around my shoulders and gave it to Leo, who placed it back on the couch. His face paled, and a light sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead. An uneasy sensation crept up my spine. What had he been about to tell me?

  I followed Henri to the dining room, where he held out a chair for me. “Where did you get all the candles?” I asked, noticing the large white pillars on the floor lining the room.

  “That was Leo’s job.”

  I sat down, and Henri moved to the kitchen, bringing back a bottle of wine.

  “I bought out every store in a thirty-mile radius,” he said, looking calmer. “But we couldn’t get you flowers. I’m sorry.”

  “It would have been too dangerous to have Marguerite’s deliver here,” Henri added, handing the bottle to Leo. As Leo poured the wine, Henri rushed back into the kitchen, coming back with three plates of food. “Herb-crusted salmon, sautéed asparagus, with creamy shallot potato puree,” he proudly announced as he set the picture-perfect plate in front of me.

  Awe was too weak a word to describe the sensation crawling up my throat. Tears stung my eyes, and I held back a sniff. My body sat stiff as I stared down at the food, holding myself together.

  It seemed so silly. It was only food. I couldn’t be won over by a damn plate of fish! But it was the nicest, prettiest plate of fish I’d ever seen in real life. I’d never eaten salmon before. And certainly, no one had ever cooked something so lavish for me. In fact, this entire scheme these men planned held more extravagance than I’d ever experienced.

  I was already a pile of goo waiting to happen, and they hadn’t even explained themselves yet.

  “You haven’t said anything,” Leo observed, shuffling to his seat. He plopped down and gave me a pained look. “We have chocolate cake, too.”

  I snickered. He’d said it as though chocolate cake was the cure for everything. He wasn’t wrong.

  I wiped a tear from my cheek and held out a hand for them to give me a minute. Hawk quietly lowered himself to his seat and bowed his head. Leo stared at the wall as they gave me the time I asked for.

  After I composed myself, I lifted my fork and poised it over the salmon. “I’ve never eaten salmon before,” I confessed.

  “I hope you like it,” Hawk whispered.

  “Before I eat, I need to know one thing,” I said.

  “Anything you need,” Leo beseeched, “it’s yours.”

  Then they both held their breaths.

  “Do we still have a chance? The three of us?”

  The air in the room stilled, and for a minute, it felt like I was sitting in a vacuum. Then the tension snapped, and the men leaned toward me, both talking at once.

  “Of course, there’s a chance. As long as you want us, we’re here.”

  “Thank God, Beth. I was so afraid you were done with us.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m so fucking sorry.”

  I wiped away another tear and gave them both a wobbly smile. “I’m glad.”

  “Beth.” Henri reached across the table for my hand but pulled it back before touching me. “Beth, I’m so sorry. What we did was stupid and disrespectful. We should have been upfront with you. In our defense, we were hiding our feelings even to ourselves. And it blew up in our faces.”

  I nodded because it made perfect sense. It didn’t excuse their behavior, but I understood them a little better.

  “We are in love with each other,” Leo declared. I wasn’t the only one who gasped. Leo gave Henri a wry smile. “You’re in love with me, dude. Admit it.”

  Henri’s smile brought more tears to my eyes, not because it hurt to look at, but because it was so beautiful.

  “You’re an idiot,” Henri said. “But hell if I don’t love you.”

  Leo winked at him then turned to face me again. “And we’re falling in love with you, Beth. I think you feel the same.”

  My breath stalled in my lungs. Love? Already? I searched my heart and only found truth in his words. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Give us a chance?” Henri pleaded. “That’s all we’re asking. We want to give this,” he gestured to Leo and me, then himself, “the three of us a chance at a real relationship.”

  “You mean the R-word?” I glanced at Leo under my lashes and grinned.

  “You’ve been talking to Foxy,” Leo muttered as Henri laughed.

  “Maybe,” I replied. “Are you ready for something so committed?”

  He leaned over the table, his blue eyes smoldering as he ran his gaze over the V-neck of my sweater. “More than ready,” he growled.

  I laughed, feeling light and much more confident than when I first walked in the door. I was also hungry.

  “Hold your horses,” I told him. “Isn’t that what you southerners say?”

  Leo chuckled and sat back down in his chair. “Sure do, sweetheart.”

  I pointed my fork at him. “Don’t call me sweetheart.”

  “Sure thing, honey,” he said with a wink.

  I sighed and flaked off a piece of salmon. “Let’s eat this beautiful meal Henri made before it gets too cold.”

  “Hear, hear!” Henri exclaimed.

  It was by far the best dinner I’d ever had. Not only was the salmon cooked perfectly, but I had superb company. Henri told me the real story of what happened the night we’d first met. I’d always wondered why he’d been at the strip club, but when asked, his answers had been vague.

  “Paul brought a baby to a bar?” I sputtered, almost choking on my wine.

  “Two bars.” Leo held up two fingers. “Don’t forget the werewolves’ biker hangout. What a rush!” His face took on a dreamy quality, and I laughed.

  “But you found Foxy, Liz, and Sam, I take it?”

  “Yeah, they were safely dancing the night away at a local club the whole time,” Henri said with a shake of his head. “Jordan and Alex were so frustrated. Best night ever, though.” He chuckled.

  “That was some night,” Leo agreed. “Bear carried Liz out over his shoulder. Foxy and Paul got into it, remember? Threw a drink in his face. Whatever their problem was, they must have fixed it because he proposed the next day.”

  “Sounds like you had a crazy good time,” I said, a little jealous.

  Henri must have heard the envy in my voice because he tipped his head to the side and asked, “What about you? Any crazy stories to share?”

  “Hmm. Well, I’ve never had a crazy night out. My uncle would have me followed everywhere, and if I went somewhere he disapproved of, I would never hear the end of it. But once, I visited Sonja at her house, and we snuck out. She took me to a nearby reservoir with a popular swimming and cliff diving spot. I must have jumped off the cliff ten times that day. I had so much fun.”

  I bit my lip, remembering how later Sonja had confessed to taking us there to prepare me for my escape. Though the reason behind the day had been dark, her confession didn’t belittle the memory. How could it? It had been the best day of my life. Until I’d met Leo and Hawk. Tonight had been close to perfect. So far.

  “Who’s Sonja?”

  Henri’s question made me wince. I forgot I was keeping her name a secret. Biting my lip, I gave him an uncert
ain smile. “She’s the friend who helped me.”

  “Sounds like a great friend,” Leo said, and they left it there.

  Grateful, I smiled at them both and sipped the last of my wine.

  “We have chocolate cake,” Henri announced.

  “And strawberries and champagne,” Leo added, wagging his eyebrows. He was teasing, but the promise in his burning gaze said all I had to do was say jump and he’d be there.

  I eyed Henri, who held the same smoldering expression on his face.

  Nerves exploded in my stomach. Were they expecting us to fall into bed? Together?

  Last night, overcome with passion, the logistics of a threesome hadn’t bothered me. I was too far gone to think about it. But now, after the day we had, I was more unsure of myself.

  How does this work?

  “Beth,” Leo whispered, catching my eye. His expression filled with tender understanding. “Let’s go sit on the couch in front of the fire. We’ll eat Henri’s awesome cake, drink champagne, and not worry about anything else. How does that sound?”

  I exhaled and gave him a grateful smile. “Sounds perfect.”

  Henri clapped his hands and jumped from the table. “Let’s do it. Leo, lay the blanket on the floor. We’ll make it a picnic. I’ll bring the cake.”

  “And I’ll grab the booze.” I laughed then rushed to the refrigerator. Champagne bottle and flutes in hand, I met Leo in front of the fire.

  Hawk joined us, with the most decadent chocolate cake I’d ever eaten. The moans and groans the three of us made would give a porno a run for its money. When I confessed this thought, Henri and Leo had both guffawed.

  “Sweet and innocent, my ass.” Leo grinned.

  “Hey, I was curious!”

  “You and Leo have something in common then,” Henri said, dodging the pillow Leo chucked at him.

  “You know all about porn, right Hawk?” Leo caught the pillow Henri threw back at him and used it as a cushion for his elbow as he leaned back.

  “Oh, God, Leo, don’t bring that up.”

  “What?” I asked, looking back and forth between them.

  By the time they finished telling the story of Bear catching the two of them watching a porn flick together, I was holding my stomach it hurt so much from laughing.

  “Don’t get him started,” Henri muttered.

  “Oh, there’s more where that came from.” Leo smirked. “Remember the lube incident?”

  “It was Vaseline, and it was for an experiment.” Henri huffed, and Leo leaned over to kiss his pout away.

  Before I became envious, they pulled me in between them. Henri tipped my chin and stared into my eyes. Seeing whatever he was searching for, he lowered his mouth to mine. The kiss was sweet and slow, and I groaned, his familiar taste like coming home.

  Leo brushed back the hair off my shoulder and placed small kisses up my jaw until he reached the corner of mine and Henri’s lips. I pulled away from Henri and studied Leo with lowered brows. He gave me a closed-mouth smile, then leaned in slowly, giving me plenty of time to stop him. My eyelids fluttered as his lips brushed mine. He deepened the kiss, then pulled back and kissed Henri the same way.

  My lower belly tightened with arousal. Sam had been right. This was so hot.

  Pressure on my back encouraged me to move closer until our cheeks brushed. Lips coaxed mine to open, then I closed my eyes and kissed them back. Our breaths mingled, our lips moving as one. As our tongues twisted together, a whimper escaped my lips, the ache between my thighs almost too much to bear.

  Slowly they pulled away, and I groaned with displeasure, tempted to say screw going slow. But it was important. And we all knew it.

  “That was amazing,” I whispered, earning a grin from both of the men. “Now tell me more embarrassing stories about Henri before I forget myself and jump both of you.”

  Laughing, they rearranged themselves so I could lie on Henri’s lap while Leo fed me strawberries and began spilling Henri’s secrets, who chuckled and took it all in stride. Leo wasn’t the only one who had dirt to spill.

  We’d laughed together as the stories kept coming. I told a few of my own. My life had been hard, but there had been moments of joy in between. Especially the times I spent with Sonja. Though we’d done nothing as crazy as Henri or Leo. I hadn’t needed or wanted crazy. But I did need love.

  Hours later, the candles had been blown out, half the cake was missing, and the entire bottle of champagne was gone. Leo trailed his fingers gently through my hair, his free hand holding onto Henri’s. And as the fire flickered next to me, I drifted to sleep, knowing for the first time what love felt like.

  21

  Hawk

  I couldn’t stop smiling.

  Beth had forgiven us and was willing to give Leo and me a chance. And Leo… well, I’d never imagined either of us would acknowledge our feelings the way we had. Things weren’t perfect, far from it. But in my heart, I was sure the three of us were headed somewhere great.

  We spent the last couple of days hanging around the house, taking it slow while waiting on word from Teij. Things had been quiet. Too quiet, I thought, narrowing my eyes at my computer screen. The security cameras had caught nothing bigger than a squirrel in days.

  I zoomed in on an area dense with trees. I’d thought I’d seen movement, but a closer look showed nothing but a breeze shaking the snow off the dead branches.

  I caught the hand on my shoulder and brought it to my lips.

  “It’s so beautiful and peaceful out there,” Beth sighed. “I don’t like the cold very much, but something about snow makes me feel like a child again. I wish we could go play in it.”

  The wistful tone her voice made my heart ache. “Me too. But you know—”

  “I know. It’s too dangerous.”

  “I don’t think a little playtime will hurt anyone,” Leo said as he plopped down in the seat next to me. “If anyone comes on the property, we’ll know.”

  He tugged Beth onto his lap and nipped her ear. She giggled and pushed him away. “No, I don’t want to do anything to put us in danger,” she replied.

  “He’s right,” I said. “We’ll be perfectly safe.”

  A beautiful smile spread across her face, and she rushed out of the room with Leo on her heels.

  Once she was bundled in layers of clothing, we traipsed out into the snow. The white stuff had fallen the night before, and it was only a couple of inches deep, making our snowman look a little pathetic with pieces of grass and dirt mixed in.

  “Oh, he’s ugly,” Beth laughed.

  Leo put his hands around the head of the snowman and frowned. “Don’t listen to her. She’s just jealous of your shimmering skin.”

  “Shimmering with dirt, you mean?”

  Leo opened his mouth and sputtered when I hit him square in the face with a snowball. “Now you’re shimmering.”

  “More like shivering,” Beth giggled.

  “Oh, it’s on now,” Leo growled.

  I ducked, missing his first attack, but he hit me in the chest while I gathered my arsenal. Beth squealed as he hurled a ball of snow at her backside, and I stopped to laugh, taking a hit to the back of the head for it.

  Breathing hard, Beth leaned against a tree to rest. “All these layers are hard to run in.”

  The wind whistled through the trees, and I searched the sky, overcome with yearning to spread my wings. I was dying to ask if they minded me going for a flight, but it would have to wait. Beth had issues with the shifter side of us.

  “Need to stretch your wings?” Leo asked, grinning when I frowned. “It’s written all over your face, man.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I said.

  “Because of me?” Beth stomped through the snow to stand next to me. “I told you I was working on it, Henri. Let me see you. It’s the only way for us to get past this.”

  My brows pulled together as I contemplated her request.

  “I’ll run with you,” Leo stated, chuckling when
my mouth dropped open. “Don’t look so surprised. It’s been a long time coming. But…” His brows furrowed as he spoke to Beth. “There’s something I’ve been hiding. The reason I ran instead of making love to you. My scars—”

  She placed a finger over his lips. “You are sexy and beautiful the way you are. Scars or no scars, I love…” She swallowed hard as Leo took her hand in his. “This isn’t the right time,” she continued in a breathy voice, “but seeing how I’ve already started it… I’m falling for you, Leo. And I’m falling for you, Henri. There, I said it. Now, stop trying to protect me from everything and transform into your animals so I can fall in love with them too.”

  “You’re incredible, Beth.” Leo pulled her into his arms for a long kiss. I drew her away, and she laughed as she landed into my arms next. “I love you, Beth,” I whispered. We kissed until she lost her breath.

  She leaned away and bit her lip. “Now strip and show me your feathers, hawk man. You too, Leo. I’ve never seen an African lion up close.”

  I waited for Leo to decide. Would he finish telling Beth about the scars? Leo’s gaze met mine, and he shook his head faintly. Now wasn’t the time. I agreed.

  Leo winked at Beth and stripped off his jacket and shirt. I did the same, and when I checked back with Leo, he’d removed his boots and socks and had turned his back to take off his pants.

  Beth ducked her head, her cheeks heating as she grinned at me. Wiggling my eyebrows, I dropped my pants. I closed my eyes and let the transformation course through me. The tingling started in the center of my chest, spreading to my fingertips and down to my toes.

  When it was through, I shook my feathers and faced Beth. She was smiling. I squawked, and she replied with a giggle.

  A rumble interrupted us. Leo had transformed. The lion shook his head, fluffing his mane until it stood out thick and proud. When he circled around, his left side came into view, showing us his scars were a part of both of his forms.

  I checked on Beth and found her taking deep breaths. She was holding it together, though, and I was proud of her.