Their Mating Triad [Paranormal Protection Unit 11] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)

by Honor James

  Parker couldn’t help but laugh and shook her head. “He will because he will eat anything that I’ve tried before. We all three know it,” she murmured with a grin. “And I’m all for trying out anything and everything at any time. I mean the only thing that can happen is I won’t like it.”

  “Very true and, honestly”—Slade leaned over toward her slightly—“I have improved greatly since the ‘fiasco’. I’ve learned many things including recognizing when things are wrong and in seriously out-of-whack quantities. You can be my little guinea pig anytime you want, Parker. I was thinking on the weekend maybe doing some baking. You up for cookies, tarts, and maybe some cupcakes?”

  “Oh I would love that. I love sweets and it’s been years since I’ve had anything sweet so I would truly love that please.” Once more eating, she felt more than saw the men around her and couldn’t help but smile happily. She happened to truly love feeling as cared for as she currently felt. She had only met these men and yet the connection was there and it was so tangible that she was surprised that they didn’t feel it as well.

  Finishing, Rayne stood with his dish and paused at her side. “You done?” he asked her quietly. “Or did you want some more?” he added since he knew she hadn’t eaten recently. “There is more if you’d like some.” He looked to Slade who nodded that there was more in the pot.

  “I would love more if you wouldn’t mind?” Since she couldn’t see what the men had eaten she didn’t hesitate in asking. “Because it was delicious and I could still go for another serving.” Because it had been delicious and filling, but she still wasn’t fully full.

  “Then you shall have more,” Rayne told her, moving her fork to the side before taking her plate. Setting his in the sink he scooped up more of the concoction in the same order Slade had served it to them making the layers and returned the plate to her. “Here you are, darling,” he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “Your fork is right next to the plate.”

  “Thank you.” She could become used to this, having them there and taking care of her the way they were. “I actually really enjoy this a great deal, having you both here with me and taking care of me. I think that you gentlemen will spoil me if I’m not careful, or am I wrong?”

  “Just a little,” Slade said with a grin, getting up to take his plate to the sink. Digging out containers he began to pack up the leftovers. It would make a good lunch for a day, maybe two. “But it’s our right to spoil you, Parker. We’ve waited a long time for you, Rayne admittedly more than myself, but still, a long time.”

  Frowning, she took another bite and while she chewed took a moment to gather her thoughts and then finally she asked, “What do you mean? I don’t understand. You gentlemen can’t be very old. Neither of you have even small lines on your faces.” While Slade had said this before Parker had thought that this comment about how long he and Rayne had been friends was a joke.

  “I’m roughly four hundred something years old,” Slade explained. “And Rayne is…” He held up a hand to the Dragon. “No, I can figure it out.” He fell silent as he counted back. “Nine hundred plus, nearly a full millennium.”

  Her fork clattered to the table and her sightless eyes went wide. “What?” she breathed out with a shaky voice. “Good lord are you kidding me? Pulling my leg?” When they said no she swallowed, gulped, and bit her lip. “God lord, you guys are, oh wow,” she whispered. “I must seem like an absolute baby to the two of you.”

  Moving to the table Slade retrieved her fork and set it by her plate. “What you are is our mate and that is all that matters, Parker. Age means nothing, sweetheart. It’s the person and what is inside that’s truly the only thing of any importance.”

  She nodded but was still trying to wrap her mind around it. “And how old is Nate’s father? He didn’t sound a great deal older than Nate so I had just assumed that he got Nate’s mother pregnant when she was very young, him as well.” Now she would have to shift her whole way of thinking. “And Talon, he’s not evil like Nate, right?” She hadn’t asked that question, had held off but she slipped it in there quite nicely she thought.

  “Talon is just over eight hundred or so years old. Nathaniel is in his mid to late twenties though,” Rayne answered her question. “Talon had a one-night stand with a woman who gave birth to twins. The female kept Talon’s daughter, Talina, and gave Nathaniel up for adoption. Talon never knew about them at all or, I’m sure, this all would have had a very different outcome.”

  “Oh,” she whispered. “And Talina, is she like Nate?” she whispered softly. “I have to know. I need to know. I know that I’m very distrustful but…” She rubbed her thumb against her inner wrist unconsciously. “I think that I have a right to be distrustful.”

  “Talina is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet,” Slade told her, reaching to stop her rubbing. “She is mated and married to one of Talon’s Royal Guards, a Dragon by the name of Aiden. They have two of the most adorable kids ever, twins, Amelia and Anthony. She is absolutely the polar opposite of Nathaniel.”

  “Thank God,” Parker breathed out softly. “Because he truly, truly is a monster. I know how terrible that sounds but he is a monster. That’s why I’m so afraid of Dragons, well that and because one of them did this to me.” She shrugged though. “Honestly though all that matters is the here and now, right?”

  “Right,” Slade told her honestly, reaching out to cup her damaged cheek gently. “We’re not going to let anything happen to you, Parker. Only good stuff and happiness for you from now on,” he murmured, rubbing his thumb gently to the skin. Focusing he pushed a little healing energy toward her, not a lot, just enough to help the roughness start to smooth out and heal the infection there. He could do much more but it required enormous energy and a lot of trust on her part.

  Parker pulled back and shook her head. Smiling, she said, “Thank you but I know what a toll something like that takes. Small pieces here and there but what’s done is done. I will always be as I am.” She felt hurt honestly, hurt because he was trying to change her so that she could go back to being “perfect” instead of as she was now. “If you can’t love me at my worst, when I’m the most hideous how could you ever look at me even if you were able to heal me and put me back to where I was?” Her tone was clear that she wasn’t trying to offend, just simply asking the honest and hard question that plagued her.

  “I’m not trying to put you back to how you were, Parker, none of us have that power except maybe Quincy and Gaia,” Slade said quietly. “I was trying to heal a bit of this though because it looks irritated and, I’m sorry to say, likely infected. Were you hit recently?” he asked in a mild tone but he knew what it was, a fist to her scarred cheek. If he could get the infection gone the flesh would smooth and relax instead of looking so dried out and ready to crack. “I should have told you my intention and, you are right, it does take a toll but in small little bursts it’s not that bad. I could smooth the skin entirely but the look of the scar would remain. As I said, I don’t have the ability to fully remove it from your flesh. But if you don’t wish my magical help we should see a doctor while on base tomorrow. They will likely want to put you on antibiotics,” he murmured, pushing up from the table.

  “He beat me recently,” she murmured. “Thank you. I’m sorry I’ve just never before had anyone do anything for me that I didn’t have to pay for. Thank you for attempting to help me. I really and truly do appreciate that. I’m thankful to you for what you did because it did ease my pain a bit and I’m thankful for that.”

  “You’ll still need a doctor,” Slade told her. “I didn’t have nearly enough time to actually do much good. It will be back in full force by morning.” Turning he looked to Rayne who was cleaning up. “If you’re good, I’m going to grab a shower and do some paperwork for a while.” Getting a nod Slade left the kitchen, his emotions carefully contained under a fine layer of ice.

  When she felt Slade was out of the room and heard water running, she asked Rayne, “He’s upse
t with me now, isn’t he? I wish that he wasn’t but he is, isn’t he? I didn’t mean to upset him but for so long I’ve had to pay for each kindness given to me and it’s so very hard to move past that.”

  “He’ll get over it,” Rayne said honestly as he continued to wash the pots and pans. “All magic users are emotional. It’s their tie into the power source that makes them a little schizo. You get used to it or you start carrying around uppers and downers to dole out.” Turning he looked at her. “I’ll tell you a secret about Slade that, if you ever mention it to him, I will deny ever saying. Most magic users have craptastic home lives. Their families are jealous of them, demanding and often abusive. We don’t know why but when the parents don’t have the active magic gene, it’s how it is.”

  Rinsing a pan he set it in the draining rack before grabbing a towel to dry his hands and move back to sit with her at the table. “Slade’s situation is a little different from most. His father died serving his lord and his mother remarried. The baron she married was an ass and tried to use Slade to get him all he wanted and desired in the world. And to ensure the young Sorcerer’s obedience in all things, the baron used to beat Slade’s mother or let his soldiers have turns at her, sexually. Slade’s mother loved him and told him to not give in, to ignore whatever the baron or his men did to her and trust in his own heart and instincts. Unfortunately Slade was young, too young to truly know anything of the world and he gave in to the baron’s demands now and again to save his mother some misery.”

  Reaching over Rayne touched her fingers lightly. “She used to refuse to let him heal her, too, said he needed his strength for the day he could kill the baron and they could escape. Unfortunately for Slade that day never came for a long time and his mother died during a beating for entertainment of some of the baron’s closest ‘friends.’ Slade knew the instant she died and, in that moment, opened a well of energy so deep, so pure, and so vicious that he literally wiped the baron, his ‘friends,’ and the entire household off the map. Not a trace has ever been found of any of them or it. He’s scary powerful, even more powerful than Quincy in all likelihood which is freaky given that Quincy is King and has access to all things magical. Unfortunately when Slade feels strongest is when that well of power he once tapped into is closest to him for access. He has to walk away, not for himself but for the safety of all others. So don’t take it personal when he gets a little upset and walks out. He’s doing it to protect you, Parker, because he loves you and has always been terrified he would end up just like that sick bastard of a baron.”

  “He would never, ever be like that though.” Parker knew that instinctively. “I feel terrible that I made him feel that way, I just.” She sighed. “We are both seriously messed up in the head, aren’t we?” Her with her fears and too-close-to-the-surface memories and her Mage mate who had lived through hell as well and still felt it and her poor Dragon. He was so very sweet and wonderful yet she had been afraid of him for about a nanosecond. “Should I go to him?” she asked quietly.

  “Nah, give him time to sort through everything,” he told her honestly. “He’ll go through the recriminations, blaming, fuming, muttering, pouting, and when he gets into the first stage of depression, that’s when you go and talk to him. But don’t bring up the incident. It’ll just start this whole mess over again, and really, he’s enough of a drama queen without the reruns.” Standing Rayne watched her a moment. “He is right though. We should get the doctors to look at your cheek. I can smell infection setting in and that isn’t good, darling.”

  Nodding she toyed with her fork and then rose. “Where is he?” she asked softly. “Rayne, where is Slade? I truly hate doctors and if he thinks that he can do a bit to heal up the infection now would be the perfect time to ask him.” Grabbing her cane she moved toward the slight sound of water. “Are you coming?” she called over her shoulder.

  “Master bathroom, and hell no. Naked and scrawny magic users are not my thing, darling,” he called after her and shook his head. He just hoped that Slade was far enough into his remorse that he didn’t bite their little mate’s head off. She meant well, had reason to be jumpy and cautious, and Slade had his own reasons to do as he did. “Just one big dysfunctional family,” he muttered, wiping the table down before taking her plate to scrape and wash.

  Tap, tap, tapping her way with a hand on the wall as she moved Parker made her way to the master bedroom and then into the bathroom. Leaning against the counter she could see the golden glow that was her bond-mate and smiled. She wished she could see all of him, but as long as she knew he was there and she could see what she could of him she was happy. “I’m sorry, Slade,” she started. “I would much rather you heal me if you think you can do it without causing yourself trouble or pain instead of going to a doctor, if you are still willing?”

  Staring out the frosted glass of the enclosure at her slightly fog-softened shape he shook his head. “You said no and a Sorcerer can’t override a rejection of magic use once given especially when it’s another magic user saying it. It basically means I can’t do anything for you ever again now, Parker,” he said softly. “But you could ask Quincy if you want when we’re on the base tomorrow.” There were ways to negate her refusal but he wasn’t in the mood to go into it. It was too much like his mother’s constant refusal to let him heal her, to help her. That hadn’t ended well and he saw the pattern starting up all too well again.

  “Oh shush it and get out here and help me out, Slade, or else I’m coming in there with you. Make your choice.” She didn’t see his aura moving so she shrugged, stepped out of the clothes she was in, and reached out blindly for the glass that she was sure was before her. Taking slow steps she moved the door and stepped in with him. “Now, help me out here please?” she asked with her hands on his chest, her smile warm and welcoming as she looked up at him.

  “I can’t, Parker, I wasn’t kidding,” he told her softly as he stroked his hands down her sides. “Once magic is refused, especially during its use, it can’t be used on that person again. It’s some unwritten law of the universe that prevents it. The only way I could use magic now on you would be to cause you harm and I can’t do that to you.”

  She pulled her hand up close to her cheek and pressed her face against him, leaning into him even as the water rained down over them. “I’m sorry, Slade. I never, ever meant to hurt you. I’m battling my own inner demons here, too, you know,” she whispered softly to him.

  “I know, sweetheart, and I don’t blame you in the least, little one.” Slade slipped his arms around her to hug her close. “I was just trying to help, Parker, but I should have explained first. I just can’t stand to see another in pain and I have to help. It’s a driving need inside of me.” Because of the scars his mother’s pain and resistance to help had created on his soul.

  “If you would have just explained first I would have been fine with it,” she admitted to him and ran her water-slicked hands over his firm muscles, a shiver escaping her as she realized that they were there, together, naked. Turning her face up to him she smiled. “From now on tell me what you are doing? I can’t see, remember, honey? I can only go with what you tell me, what you show me with your hands and your body. Just, talk to me from here out, please?”

  “I will.” Not that it really mattered. His magic couldn’t touch her anymore. Pressing a kiss to her mouth he nibbled lightly on her full lower lip. “We should get out of here, Parker. You need to get some sleep and since we all have to be back on base early, we should all hit the sack.”

  “I actually kinda like feeling you naked against me though,” she stated bluntly. “And you do know.” She leaned in and rubbed her cheek to his chest before whispering, “You will hurt me one day. When we make love, there will be pain.” She looked up at him and murmured, “Virgin, that will be something that will cause me pain and negate my words from earlier, right?”

  Staring at her he blinked as he tried to think and shrugged. “Honestly I have no idea. It’s not one of the situ
ations they tell us may, heavy emphasis on the ‘may,’ negate a refusal. Pain doesn’t negate it, little one, but the only magic I could use on you now is the negative kind.” Which he avoided at all cost. He’d broken the seal on that well and had to be very careful what he drew out of the darkness.

  “Will you tell me what you can do?” she murmured. “Because we both know that if, God forbid, something happened to me you would do whatever you could in order to make me whole once more, or am I wrong?” she asked quietly and let her hands move down his chest, back up again, and down once more. “Goodness you are beautiful all over.”

  She was killing him little by little with her innocent touches. “If you were hurt I would raze the planet to bring you back whole and safe,” he admitted to her the dark truth he hid deep. Brushing his lips to her cheek he shivered as her fingers danced dangerously close to his throbbing cock. “Parker, you need to stop, honey. We can’t do anything without Rayne the first time. There are no second chances in a bonding and if we do this, he’ll forever be without a mate.”

  “He’s just outside the door,” Parker murmured. “I heard the bedroom door open a moment ago.” Once again her hands moved on him. “It would only take us asking him in here with us.” She whispered, “I really rather like touching you anyway.”

  Groaning he put his hands on her hips and squeezed slightly. “Darling, you’re a virgin and no way in hell are we taking your virginity in a shower. Besides, we both have to be inside of you when we all climax for the bonding to work.”

  “Oh.” Well that was something she didn’t know. “Then how about you get out with me, help me get dried, and then we go to the bed? That way you both can curl up with me and you can decide if we should bond together now or wait.”