by Macy Blake
“Asher, he is not rejecting us,” Quillon explained. “He simply needs some time to process it. It can be overwhelming for a human to accept so much new information at once. They do not have our instincts, our inner knowledge of truth and rightness when our mates are found. And given his history of forced denial and unnecessary medication, Mikey may need a little extra time.”
“That’s what I am trying to do. Provide him the assurances he needs.” Asher pouted and Mikey instinctively reached for his hand and laced his fingers with Asher’s where it hung by his side.
Quillon chuckled. “I know, sweetheart. That is who you are, and I love you for it. And given time, Mikey will acknowledge he loves you, too. So let’s do this right.” He pushed Asher back a few steps and stood next to him for a second before kneeling down in front of Mikey.
“Mikey. I am Quillon of the Baricosian clan. I would like to formally request the right for us to court you.”
Asher dropped to his knees beside Quillon and pressed his fist over his heart. He bowed his head and waited for Mikey’s answer.
“You mean court, like date?” Sweet holy mother of… the possibilities were endless. The hope, the dream, the excitement, the gut wrenching terror that this was all some really insane hallucination after the painful seizure he’d had earlier.
“Exactly like dating,” Quillon said.
Quillon’s heart was on his sleeve, the hopeful smile on his face giving Mikey hope of his own in return. He bit his lip nervously then threw caution to the wind.
“Then yes, I accept your, uh, courtshipness?”
Asher
“I don’t understand why he’s being so stubborn,” Asher grumbled, adjusting his tie in the mirror while Quillon smoothed down the front of his own shirt. “It’s been months now.”
“It’s been three weeks, Ash.”
Asher couldn’t decide if he loved or hated the nickname Quillon had picked up from Mikey after their last solo date. He understood it to be a term of endearment, so he really did love it when one of his mates used it. If anyone else tried, all bets were off— and likely their heads as well for good measure.
“And how long is it supposed to take?” Asher practically growled the words.
Quillon put his hands on Asher’s shoulders and turned him to face him. “It will take as long as he needs it to take. No less, and no more. Is he not worth exercising a little patience?”
It was a low blow, but Quillon always could get him to see reason. “Of course he is. You know he is. You know I know he is.”
Quillon smiled. His sweet, romantic smile. “Just reminding you.”
“Thank you for reminding me that our mate is out there, fending for himself when he should be here, where I can provide for him. He shouldn’t have to work so damn hard.”
Asher had tried to help him. He’d bought the building that housed both the coffee shop and Mikey’s apartment. He’d transferred the deed into Mikey’s name and presented it to him last week, only to have him refuse the gift. Which reminded him. “And who’s been teaching him our customs? I accept the intention of your generous gift, but I cannot accept the physical gift at this time. Who taught him how to accept while refusing?”
“We may have talked after the car incident,” Quillon confessed.
Asher’s jaw dropped. “You would betray me like that?”
“Betray? Ash, we talked about this. Humans gain a deep satisfaction from being self-sufficient.”
“But he complained about having to carry groceries on the bus.” To Asher, it made perfect sense to provide his mate a better form of transportation.
“Yes, but he lives and works in a building downtown. He needed a moped with a basket or something. He didn’t need a hundred-thousand dollar sports car for the odd trip to the farmers market. I gave him the tools he needed to help him prove that he wants you for you and not for what you will give him. And so he can feel a sense of accomplishment at standing proudly on his own two feet.”
Well, when he said it like that, Asher felt like an ass. He sighed heavily and sat down on the edge of the bed. After considering it a moment, he pulled his tie off.
“Get changed. He wouldn’t really want this anyway.”
An hour later, they stood outside Mikey’s door in jeans and t-shirts. Quillon looked spectacular in the tight gray v-neck he wore.
“Uh, I thought you wanted to go to La Pénombre?” Mikey asked after opening the door and taking in their casual attire.
“But you didn’t,” Asher said with a shrug. “We’re going to the aquarium instead, and then to that hot dog stand on the corner.”
“I would love that,” Mikey said, beaming at him. “That’s so nice of… wow, and you both look amazing… and just. Thank you.”
Asher had to admit that seeing Mikey’s happy, nearly trembling reaction was worth his epiphany right there. The way Mikey was looking at him, almost hungrily, like he’d actually hung the moon for him with one simple gesture that hadn’t cost him a dime… oh yes, he could get used to that.
Quillon squeezed Asher’s hand and rubbed his cheek against his shoulder in appreciation.
Mikey’s beaming smile told Asher he’d made the right choice. This was definitely more to his mate’s liking.
“There’s a new exhibit on the Great Barrier Reef at the aquarium. Man, I’d love to go to Australia one day. Hey,” he said, throwing a glance over his shoulder before leaning forward to whisper quietly. “Are mermaids real? No, don’t answer that. I’ll just have more questions. We’ll talk about it later,” he said before standing on his toes to kiss each of them on their cheek. “Come on in. It’ll only take a minute for me to change.”
They waited in the living room area where Joe, the kid Mikey had recently hired to help him out in the shop— once they convinced him that he did, in fact, need some additional help— stood leaning one shoulder against the opening to the kitchen, keeping a watchful eye on Asher.
“Hey, Joe. How’s school going? Did you get that paper turned in?” Quillon asked.
Of course, Quillon had won the suspicious the kid over. Joe had failed to graduate with his high school class in May, being forced into summer school in order to get the final credits he needed to get his diploma. Apparently his foster parents had thrown him out and he’d been forced to get a job. Asher had wanted to ask what had happened to cause him to fail in the first place, but a sharp glance from Mikey when he was interviewing the kid had kept him from interfering. Joe was obviously bright and capable and Mikey put an incredible amount of faith in him. He was a foster child, like Mikey had been, so Mikey had developed a ridiculous soft spot for the kid from the moment he’d shown up looking sad and afraid.
“Yeah, thanks for your help. Got an A on it,” Joe answered.
“That’s fantastic,” Quillon said, pride evident in his voice. Joe blushed but never took his eyes off Asher. “Glad I could help.”
Asher refused to squirm under the scrutiny of a eighteen-year-old child, even one as important to his mate as Joe was. At least he liked Quillon. Everyone liked Quillon. After waiting an approximate eternity of about five real minutes, Mikey came rushing out of the bedroom, now dressed in a snug blue t-shirt and dark jeans. The chain Asher had given him for his enchanted charm was barely visible under the edges of his collar. He patted his pockets and looked up with a relaxed smile.
“Ready to go? Joe, you’re still going to crash here tonight, right?”
“Uh, yeah. If that’s still cool.”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” Mikey said, wrapping an arm around the top of Joe’s head. “Do your homework. And make sure to double check the shop later and set the alarm.”
“I know. I know. I got it.”
“We’ll have him home before he turns into a pumpkin. Or at least before the shop opens in the morning.” Quillon gave Joe’s arm a squeeze, and then winked. It managed to get a slight smile from Joe. It made Asher’s teeth ache.
“Okay guys, I’d like to make it to the a
quarium before they close up for the night. Don’t wait up,” Mikey called to Joe as he pulled the door shut. He waited until he heard the locks snick into place before he tried to open the door again, just to double check Joe’s safety. His protective streak was one more thing Asher loved about him.
“Will you just go already?” Joe demanded through the wood.
“We’re going. Have a good night. Well, shall we?” Mikey asked, holding his hands out for Asher and Quillon to take.
The trip to the aquarium took longer than it would have taken Asher, but he’d let Quillon drive. It did allow him to sit in the back seat holding hands with his mate as Quillon drove the long way, cutting through the park, so he’d chosen not to complain. Once inside, Asher couldn’t stop watching Mikey as he bounced from exhibit to exhibit pointing out different animals as he went.
When he suddenly stopped in front of one of the larger tanks, Asher darted to his side, ready to assist him through a flicker. He recognized the signs now, even though the symptoms were nowhere near as extreme as they’d been on the day they met. He’d learned from Mikey that he’d never had such a severe episode before. Asher counted them lucky. He really didn’t want another visit from the hellhounds. He hadn’t heard anything else from Solomon and hoped it meant they’d fallen under the radar of Solomon’s alpha.
Asher stepped up behind Mikey, who stood with one hand raised just inches from the exhibit glass, his eyes wide with awe.
“Wow,” Mikey whispered, standing motionless in front of the reef exhibit. Asher moved up behind him and wrapped an arm around his chest. “Mermaid,” he said reverently.
One of the employees was submerged in the tank, wearing scuba gear, although he didn’t need it. Asher could see him for what he actually was, and so could Mikey apparently. Mikey’s eyes were locked on the employee and his expression was filled with such excitement and wonder. Mikey’s ability had seen right through the guise and revealed the rare and beautiful creature inside.
Asher’s heart skipped a beat. He’d done this, given this to Mikey. Shown his mate a different side of his visions, ones that were no longer scary and painful, but filled with the secret knowledge their world thrived upon.
“Merman, actually, but yeah,” Quillon said, waving at the man cleaning the inside of the glass. To the other human visitors, he looked like a normal employee. Only their mate knew differently. He turned and smiled at Asher as he took his hand. “You have provided well for our mate.”
Asher’s dragon preened at the praise. Mikey leaned more firmly into his chest, pulling a contented sigh from him.
“Dude, are you purring?” Mikey asked.
Quillon laughed and led them toward the exit. “He does that sometimes. You’ll get used to it.”
Asher ignored their teasing and pressed his cheek contentedly against Mikey’s head.
Mikey
This is it.
Mikey ran his fingers over his curls, trying desperately to tame them. Again. Ever since their aquarium date, things had been amazing between the three of them. Asher stopped giving him such extravagant gifts, and their dates had tamed down. In short, Asher stopped trying so hard to impress him and Mikey loved the relaxed side of his dragon. He’d become a regular at the shop, practically hanging out from open to close every day. He’d scared away a couple of very persistent flirters, but that didn’t bother Mikey. In fact, if he was being honest, having Asher be possessive of him was a great big turn on.
They did have a minor argument when Asher tried to replace all the furniture in the shop with high-end name brands, but Mikey compromised and allowed him to add a new chair for the back corner. The little cafe chairs he had weren’t anywhere near big enough to handle his dragon, and the furniture he did have which would fit Asher was at the front of the store and entirely too far away from where Mikey worked for Asher’s liking. When the new chair arrived, Asher had immediately claimed the over-sized piece of furniture as his.
Asher even won Joe over when he stopped a would-be robber from even finishing his opening demands. Joe had taped his wrists together and stood over the guy with a pleased grin until the police showed to take him away. It seemed Joe needed a little extra reassurance that he was safe— and the implications of that didn’t make Asher happy at all— but he did like that the kid trusted them now. It probably didn’t hurt that Asher unnecessarily upgraded his laptop and passed his old one along to Joe.
Mikey still had his flickers, but only when Asher or Quillon were around. They could tell every time and they’d be next to him in a blink, touching his arm, holding his hand, or cupping the back of his neck. Every time, it soothed his sixth sense. They both thought the magic the Mother had enchanted the charm with had been spent by their reveal, but Mikey knew differently. The charm still worked, but only to protect him when his mates were not available to do it. He fiddled with the charm as he stared in the mirror.
“Thank you, Mother, for blessing me with this, and with my amazing mates.” An answering warmth tingled in the charm that he knew was in no way imagined. He smiled at his reflection knowing he was finally ready for everything his mates had to offer. He had half an hour before his mates were due to show up. He grabbed his phone and called his brother, who had been really hard to get in touch with over the past couple of months. Mikey still hadn’t been able to tell him about Asher and Quillon, even though he wouldn’t actually be able to tell him what they were. But he wanted both of his brothers to know about his mates, or boyfriends as he’d call them when speaking to his brothers.
Once again, the phone went directly to voicemail and Mikey scowled at it. Something clearly was going on with his brother and he was going to get to the bottom of it. He was going to ask his mates if they would drive him down to visit Sawyer over the weekend.
His mates. Now that he accepted it, he couldn’t wait to make it official.
But first, he still had a half hour before they were due to show up. He quickly changed the sheets on the massive bed Asher had insisted on buying him. His whole apartment had been another point of contention between them, but he was glad he’d relented and allowed Asher free reign.
When Asher first had the bed delivered, Mikey had argued there was no way it would fit in the bedroom of his tiny apartment. Asher promptly suggested that Mikey move into his luxurious penthouse apartment. It was really more practical, since three grown men really couldn’t fit comfortably in his old place. Well, one human and two mythical creatures. The bathroom was opulent, because of course it was. But beyond the high-thread-count sheets and marble shower that all three of them would comfortably fit in, and the chef’s kitchen that none of them really knew how to use, the rest of Asher’s was simple and comfortable. Mikey had asked for a little more time, but he fully planned on telling Asher very soon that he was ready to move in with them.
The absolute best thing about moving into the penthouse was that it opened up his old place for Joe to move into. With Asher’s legal help, he’d become an emancipated minor, and Quillon helped him start classes at the college. And putting him in a place where he could help Joe start his life? To be able to help someone else the way the Smiths had helped him and his brothers? That was the absolute best gift anyone could have ever given him.
He could feel the dopey grin forming on his face as he stuffed the old sheets in the hamper. The wind-chimes rattled in the window leading to the balcony. Asher had to reinforce it so he could fly in his dragon form to Mikey’s with Quillon riding on his back. Asher didn’t have the patience for traffic which meant they showed up twenty minutes early. He ran to the window and pulled it open to see both Asher and Quillon standing there. Quillon’s hair was wind-blown and wild, and Mikey loved it. He hid his amusement and aimed a scowl at Asher.
“You’re early,” he said.
“The more time to spend with you,” Asher said with a bow.
Mikey cracked a smile and stepped closer to pull him into a hug. “I don’t know how you manage to fly in the middle of the
city without anyone seeing.”
“Most people only see what they believe. And my magic reflects the light away.” Asher shrugged.
“Get in here you lunatics,” Mikey said.
“I resent that. You make us sound like werewolves or something,” Quillon said with a fake shudder following Mikey to the kitchen.
“I’m going to tell Mason you said that,” Mikey chuckled. He’d gotten the opportunity to meet some of the werewolf pack that sometimes worked investigations for Asher’s law firm. They were an intense bunch of guys. He definitely wouldn’t want to run across them in a dark alley. Not that he had to worry about that anymore. Not with his mates to keep him safe. Mikey couldn’t help the beaming smile stretched over his face. He’d smiled so much all day his cheeks were hurting. He pulled dinner out of the oven and set it on the table before taking a salad from the fridge.
“It smells delicious,” Asher said, coming up behind Mikey and clutching his hips in his big hands. Mikey melted back against his chest. He moved one hand away and held a small box up in front of Mikey. “I brought you a gift, from both of us.”
Mikey had a moment of apprehension, but he trusted Asher hadn’t gone out to get him a Rolex or something. He opened the box to find a large, shiny, black stone secured into a leather woven bracelet. He rubbed a finger over its smooth surface. “It’s beautiful. What stone is this?”
“Dragon glass,” Asher said.
“Seriously? Dragon glass, like on that show?”
Asher huffed an impatient breath. “Offensive stereotypes. ‘Oh, a dragon! It wants to eat us!’ As if we’d bother.”
Quillon snickered. “He doesn’t like the way that show depicts dragons.”
Mikey reached out to cup Asher’s cheek. Asher rubbed his cheek into his palm. “I gathered. I’m sorry, Asher. I didn’t mean to apply any generalities to your species.”
