by L. A. Boruff
I ducked my head and looked at Elias and Anthony through my eyelashes. They didn’t look happy with Michael’s display of affection. I squeezed Michael’s hands so he’d continue with his story.
“Any time they opened the door, I fought. They stopped coming in for days at a time, so I would be weak with hunger and unable to fight.” He rubbed his eyes, tired. “They kept me in a gilded cage, even gave me a T.V., but they'd only bring in one tiny bag of blood every four days.
“I passed the days watching television.”
He paused for a few moments, eyes focused on nothing. “I tried. I tried so hard to ration the blood, but by the time they brought more I couldn't stop myself from drinking it. I hoped to be able to learn to control my urges, but I no longer think it is possible.”
Michael pulled away from me, and my heart broke imagining how painful it must've been for him to tell us his horror. “I was kept in that room for a year. I used the bathroom in a pot in the corner. Since I was dehydrated I rarely needed to use it. I bathed with a bucket of warm water they brought in every couple of weeks.
“Voices through the door begged me to give up, to swear that I would let you go. If I would give in they’d take me to my children. But I refused. Every few weeks I would destroy the room. Daily, I spent time at the door, screaming and yelling that they must return me to my family.
“After a year went by, they changed tactics. On a feeding day, when I was too weak to fight, they brought in a sorceress. She tried spell after spell to alter my memories. It might have worked if I wasn't pureblood Supay.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “In a way, it did work. There are things I can't remember. I don’t remember how we met, Riley. I don’t remember the various locations they could be keeping the children. And I can't remember the faces of our children. I can’t see them.”
Michael broke down at that point, sobbing. My heart broke into a million pieces. I climbed into his lap and hugged him as tight as I could. Elias came to the bed and sat behind Michael, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. A hand touched my shoulder, and I looked behind me to see Anthony crouched beside me. My heart glowed to see these three astounding men in one room, safe and comforting each other.
Stop with the warm fuzzies. I rolled my eyes at myself. You are attracted to three men and married to one of them. Whatever Elias and Anthony thought Michael might have wanted when they were younger, he spent nine years with me alone, and he might not be so keen on the idea of an open relationship.
When Michael composed himself, he began again. “The sorceress made me drink potions after potions. My body burned with one and froze with another. She brought in a man with strange carvings on his chest and they worked a spell together over my withering body. Nothing worked though, nothing took. They thought a few times they might be successful, but as soon as they gave me blood and my body strengthened, so did my mind.
Shudders racked his body. “I’m not sure how long they continued the spells and potions. At least a few months. Weeks would go by without a word and then she’d return with some new torture.” I looked at Elias and Anthony, worried. Michael stopped talking, and a few minutes passed.
“Michael?” I squeezed his hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, sorry, I was just…Well, when they exhausted the sorceress’ abilities, they began torture. In my weakened state, I would be whipped, flogged, and my fingers were broken. I was stabbed, burned, and my skin peeled off. They even tried immersing me in freezing cold water.”
“Michael, no!” I wanted to wrap him up in a hug and never let him go. It was hard to hear, much less live through.
“We didn’t know, man.” Elias's fists hit his knees in frustration. “We would've been searching for you! We thought you were dead.”
Anthony stood and looked out the window without saying a word.
“It didn’t matter how much they hurt me. I never gave up. I never stopped yelling your name. I never stopped dreaming of you.” He stared at me with longing. Anthony, still by the window, gave a small sniff, his only show of emotion.
“Eventually the torture stopped—it didn’t work anyway. I was back to waiting, watching television, the time passing slowly by. Every once in a while I would be force fed another potion, or a witch or warlock would come in and try another spell.
“About three weeks ago, an idea popped into my head. All I had to do was fake it. All I needed to do was pretend I couldn’t remember you. It was that simple!”
Anthony turned. “Why didn’t you do that before?”
“I just didn’t think of it.” Michael looked lost.
“The next potion was brought in, and I pretended to collapse after drinking it. In reality, it had no effect on me.” He shrugged. “But I put on a big show with convulsions, then I faked passing out.
“I laid there with my eyes closed until I really did fall asleep. When I woke, I acted confused. I yelled through the door for you two, my brothers, to come save me. The men heard me and came and questioned me.”
He laughed, triumphant. “It worked. They asked me my name, birthday, that sort of thing. My age and the current year. I told them I thought it was the year before we met, Riles. I fed them some shit about the three of us searching for our mate.
“They told me I’d been in a terrible accident, something about a rock slide. They said many years had passed and I’d been unconscious. I was told to lie down and rest and my mother and friends would come get me. Then they locked me inside again.
“They questioned me once or twice a day.” He smiled at me. “In the end, they believed me. They told me you were on your way, but that you’d been delayed.”
Michael stood and joined Anthony at the window. “I started to get small bouts of freedom. I was allowed to walk in the gardens, under their supervision, of course. They said they feared I might relapse and couldn't be left alone outdoors. I was allowed bathroom and shower time.
“I began trying to contact you, Riley.” Michael pleaded with me to understand. “I honed in on our blood bond and talked to you constantly. I could tell when you’d hear me. It was like the words would begin to resonate in my head. I could feel you hearing me.”
“Michael,” said Anthony, “who's they? You keep saying they.” Anthony’s voice was nasally, like he was stuffed up. He was fighting tears.
“It was always the same three. They wouldn't tell me their names, but I’d recognize them if I ever saw them again. Once a few days passed without incident, they began allowing me to have more blood. Then the day came that they let me out for a walk with only one of them to watch over me. The others were called away.”
He waved his hand toward me. “It makes sense now. They left to chase after you three. At the time, I was thankful for the reprieve. A few weeks passed, and the solitary guard came to take me to shower. I was ready—I was strong, and I’d dismantled the bed. I waited behind the door and when he stepped in the room, I bashed his head in with the bedpost. I killed him. I don't know his name, and I killed him.”
Michael looked me in the eyes as he told me he killed someone. I nodded, and he paced the room as he finished his story. Elias moved to sit beside me, and put his hand on my back. It was instinctive to lean against him, I didn’t even notice my movement. Michael opened his mouth to speak and stopped, staring at me leaning against Elias.
“When did this happen?” he asked, gesturing to us.
“Mike, man, this has been a long time coming. When we were told you were dead we started watching over her. I made my way into her life as a trainer. Anthony watched from the sidelines, never truly meeting her, but we were both entranced. You know better than anyone, she’s completely alluring.” It was fascinating, listening to Elias talk about me as if I wasn’t there. I didn’t stop leaning against him—he’d been my rock for four years. As thrilled as I was to see Michael, I needed to feel Elias's steadiness behind me.
“What do you mean a trainer?” Michael asked.
“I posed as an ex-Mar
ine. She’d been training in every self-defense class she could find. I offered to take her on and train her to fight. She was a woman obsessed,” he said, looking down at me lovingly. “I’ve never been so proud of someone, Michael. I would trust her against any human and half the Unseen out there. She was born to fight.”
“I was tired of being scared.” I needed to explain my life change. “I was terrified whoever took you was going to return. I spent the first year terrified. Once I made up my mind to never be scared again, I started training. I learned my way around a gun too. Now, I’m not scared anymore. At least, I wasn’t until I learned there are people, creatures out there so strong that I don’t stand a chance.” I glared at Anthony, the memory of how easily he’d disabled me in my mind.
Anthony burst out laughing. “My Coya, you were a little hellcat the day I met you. If I’d been a human male you would’ve kicked my ass.” He chuckled and leaned back, his eyes glued to mine. “When you drink from the spring you'll grow even stronger. With the training Elias gave you, you'll be able to challenge any Supay alive.”
He looked at Michael’s stupefied expression. “We love her, Michael. I believe she cares deeply for us, though she may not be in love yet. I’m sure she still loves you. We may still be able to have our dream of loving a woman together.”
Michael’s mouth fell open. “I can’t think about that yet. I’m too overwhelmed by being with the three of you again. We’ll sort that part out,” he said, sitting down on the couch beside Anthony.
“Once I got out of the building and off the grounds, I had to figure out where I was. I was near salt water—I smelled it. I traveled toward the smell and found an elderly couple sitting alone on a private beach.
“I used my ability and put them in a bit of a daze. They told me I was in Barred Harbor, Maine.”
Elias's body jerked. “You weren’t with the Supay, Michael. You were with the Fae. The leader of the Junta had to have known where you were. The Fae have a hidden home in Eastern Maine.”
“I may have been in a home of the Fae, but my guards were definitely Supay,” Michael replied. “It was far too easy to get out of the house. I think my guard was the only other one there at the time. The house was enormous, so instead of getting lost inside, I made my way to the gardens and scaled the wall.
“The elderly couple supplied me with my location. Then I grilled them about their own financial situation. I’d lucked out and stumbled upon two wealthy people. I urged them to give me money, and the man gave me several hundred dollars from his wallet.”
“I got their business card too. We’ll return the money, Riley,” Michael was quick to reassure me, seeing the shocked expression on my face. “The money got me a cab into the city of Bar Harbor. From there, I was able to charm blood from a small hospital and get another cab to the airport outside the city.
“All along I was trying to contact you, Riley. Once I had plenty of blood in my system our bond intensified. I felt you were south of me. At the airport, I charmed my way onto the plane. I flew to Atlanta. I wanted to see if I could narrow down your location.
“Once in Atlanta, I drew on the bond again and decided to travel south-east. I flew to Dallas. Once there, I felt you directly south. I knew you were at our little house in Alice. I hopped the next plane to the Corpus Christi airport—that’s the one we always used to fly home out of.
“By the time I got to the house in Alice you were gone. I still had a bag of blood, so I drank and took a nap and showered. I saw the money and weapons were gone from the safe.”
“Wait.” Anthony spoke. “You didn’t go to the house before us?”
“No, you’d definitely been there recently. Anyway, once I’d eaten and slept, I focused on the bond again. I felt Riley moving south away from me at a rapid pace. I assumed you were on an airplane, and the only reason you’d go south was to go to Peru. So I went to Corpus Christi and got on another plane. This one took me to Houston, then Lima, then finally Peru. With the layovers, it was sixteen hours, but I still made it here before you three. I waited for you to settle in one spot, then started using the bond to find you.
“It’s much easier to use the bond on a large scale. Finding you here in the city was a nightmare. But, that’s where I’ve been and that’s how I’m here.”
Chapter 10
We stared at each other, at a loss for words. The silence grew until it was uncomfortable. My gaze shifted from the love of my life to the pair that had the potential to unlock more passion—and potentially more love—than I ever imagined. I would give that up, of course, to continue life with Michael, but I couldn’t pretend it wouldn’t hurt to see them walk out of my love life. Michael sat down beside me on the bed. He held my hand and looked from me to Elias.
“I missed you so much.” His voice broke. “Where do we go from here?” He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Any problems we face are inconsequential in the light of what we’ve been through.”
Relief washed over me like a warm shower on a freezing day. We’re going to get through this. We would find our way out of this insanity and home to our children. I would accept whatever fate threw my way, whether it be as a Supay or a human. Nothing else mattered! My family was alive and healthy.
Elias put his arms around me, and whispered into my hair. “Do you want Anthony and me to give you two some privacy tonight?” I nodded. “All right. But after tonight I need you, Riles. I love you.”
I grabbed his arms and squeezed, nodding my head again. They headed downstairs to book another room for the night. The click of the door created a feeling of loss in me. They’d been a constant presence over the past week, and Elias had been my best friend for four years. Confronting Michael alone was overwhelming.
Try as I might, I couldn’t think of what I should say to him. I was also distracted by how much I missed Elias and Anthony and how fast affections could develop and change.
“Riley,” Michael murmured behind me. Turning, I found him standing beside the bed with his arms open. “Come hug me, Baby. I’ve craved your touch.”
Tears threatened to spill again as I walked to him. He placed his hands gently on my waist and my hands went to his neck. His cheekbones were more pronounced above the unfamiliar hair on his jaw. I traced his lips and nose with the tips of my fingers, graced over his forehead. My heart swelled with joy, but my mind still resisted the fact that he stood in front of me.
“Michael, I was so broken. I had to change to survive. If I didn’t train, fight…I would’ve given up.” I slipped my arms around him and hugged him, relishing the press of his strong chest and lean waist. “If I hadn’t met Elias, there’s no telling what might have happened to me. I wouldn’t be here now, hugging you.” His hands flexed at my belly, squeezing me.
“Then I’m glad you met him. I don’t know what’s going on or has happened between the three of you, but if it kept you safe, I’ll thank them for whatever it was, be it friendship or sex. I love you, Riley. And I love them. I might need a little time to wrap my mind around our relationship maybe being a little different than it was before, but I’ll get there.”
“Michael, I’m not totally sure I want to start some polyamorous thing between the four of us, but I care deeply for them both. We’ll have to get through our time in Peru and see what our next steps are.”
He bent his body and placed soft kisses on my neck. At only five and a half feet tall, his six-foot height towered over me. I’d always hopped onto the bottom step at home so we could hug more comfortably.
My hands drifted up his back, inside his shirt, and skimmed his muscles there. Moisture gathered between my legs. A newly rediscovered warm tingle spread across my abdomen. I wiggled my butt a little, fighting against the desire.
“Baby, can we? Can I, I mean, I’ve missed you so much.” Michael pulled me tight against his body, clearly showing me how much he’d missed me. I was nervous, I’d slept with someone else—um, two someones, Miss Slutty Pants—while he was being tortured.
“I feel guilty, Michael.” I buried my face in his hard chest.
“Don’t, Riley. Did you sleep with them?” I nodded. “Did you sleep with both of them?” Another nod. He took in a deep breath. “Did you sleep with both of them together?” One more nod.
Michael let out the breath. “It’s okay, Baby. When did this happen?
“Three days ago,” I whispered.
“Did you sleep with anyone when you thought I might be alive?” His voice was hopeful. Hopeful I’d been loyal to him.
“No. Until I had a definite answer, I couldn't let go. When I was told you were dead, I was also told about the Supay, the Unseen, and our children, and I was given no time to grieve. Since I was told you were definitely dead, it’s been a scary whirlwind.” I took a deep breath and steadied myself for the next part. “I got overwhelmed the other night, and…I asked to forget. I’ve not handled this well. I wanted to lose myself for a little while.”
“Did you?”
“Did I what?”
“Did you lose yourself?”
“Oh.” I nodded. “Yes, I did. And I slept well for the first time in a long time.”
“Riley, it’s okay. If I were human and the FBI turned up at your door and told you I was dead after a five year search, you would’ve grieved differently. You would've taken a few years to heal, then found someone else. But in this case, the circumstances were so extreme. Your emotions were confused. I’m not upset with you.” He grabbed my ass and lifted me up his body. “I’m just glad to be here with you now.”
I grabbed his shoulders, relieved that he was so understanding. Thankful for my strong new body, I wrapped my legs around his waist without any assistance from him. He turned us to the bed and laid me down. “You’ve always been beautiful, Baby. But I'm so proud of how fit you are now. How healthy you are.” His eyes traveled down my body.
As he studied me, it dawned on me that I’d last bathed in Mexico City, over thirty-six hours earlier. “Michael, I was so nervous and excited about being with you again, I didn’t think. I definitely need a shower.” I wrinkled up my nose, imagining how I must smell. “I wish I’d known you were coming, I would’ve put on makeup, and maybe done my hair.” I touched the top of my head. Gross. It was oily. Great.
