by Abby Blake
Her attitude was disconcerting to say the least. Whatever was going on inside her head it didn’t bode well for their future. The worst part was that he couldn’t understand why she would want to go back to her old life. Her sister was here. Her mates were here. She had several choices jobwise. Even the pixie queen had told her that she was destined for more than the mediocre life she’d led up until now.
Jennifer rolled onto her back, her quiet huff of annoyance rather loud in the silent house.
“Can’t sleep?”
She shook her head. “Maybe Emmallina doesn’t want to come back,” she said with a worried expression. “The amount of information I absorbed last time might be a real issue for her. They killed one Oracle—apparently with her husband’s approval—for wanting to pass her knowledge to humans. What would the king of the pixies do if he discovered his wife had passed the information along to me?”
“Benjamin has no intention of reporting anything you said to the Ruling Body. The fewer people who know what you know, the better and the safer you and Emmallina will be.”
“Safer? Yup that’s me. Play it safe.”
“Why?” Adam asked as he, too, gave up trying to sleep.
She sighed quietly. “It’s not important.”
“Actually, babe, it’s very important. Especially if it’s going to take you away from us. Why would you want to return to your old life? Why do you feel the need to play it safe?”
“I suppose it’s because I always had to. Skye was really young when our parents died. For the first few years I had the child welfare authorities breathing down my neck. I had to make sensible decisions to prove I was capable of taking care of my little sister.” She gave them both a watery smile, memories of that difficult time obviously filling her brain. “I suppose after that it just became a habit.”
“Skye is safe and happy now, most of that thanks to you. Maybe it’s time to make decisions based on what you want,” Adam said.
Thomas really wanted her to want to be with them, but a part of him also realized they weren’t exactly the best candidates a woman could want for mates. Hell, he wouldn’t be happy settling into a nine-to-five world. Was it really fair to ask her to join the life he and Adam lived? Even if they both retired from PUP Squad Alpha, they’d be itching for action, getting involved, perhaps even looking for trouble. It was who they both were, and even if they managed to wind back their natural instincts and take on a nine-to-five life, they wouldn’t truly be happy.
Maybe Jennifer’s instincts on this one were far more accurate than he’d realized.
* * * *
Jennifer really wanted to throw caution to the wind and follow her heart, but the anxiety that thought evoked was nearly enough to choke her. She wanted these men. She longed for them. Had dreamed of them, and waited for them to walk through her door. Yet now she couldn’t force herself to accept what she truly wanted because it meant a leap of faith she wasn’t capable of taking.
“Maybe,” Thomas said as he reached over and lifted her hand into his own, “we don’t need to be making any big decisions just now. Maybe we should simply make the most of the time we have here and now and let the future take care of itself.”
She glanced at Adam’s sad smile before nodding slowly. “I think that might be a good idea. With everything going on it’s probably best not to make any big decisions.”
Both men looked disappointed, but nodded their agreement.
“Okay,” Thomas said as he went to roll off the bed. “I’ll just go and…”
His words trailed off and it seemed obvious that he was looking for an excuse to leave the room. It wasn’t until Jennifer’s gaze dropped lower that she realized the likely reason why.
“Please stay,” she said quietly, making one of those decisions she’d just decided it was sensible not to make. Thomas hesitated but then slowly got back onto the bed and rolled onto his side so that he was facing her. “What I said in the dreams—about loving you both—that was true. I feel a connection, a physical and emotional compulsion for you both.” She grimaced as she tried to find the words to explain how her heart knew what her head couldn’t yet process. “I just…I want…” She closed her eyes and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
“Shhh, beautiful, it’s all going to work out,” Adam said as he leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “We’ll find something that works for all of us.” She nodded, turning her face into Adam’s warm palm as the tears overflowed.
“Oh, god,” she said as she tried to sit up and move away. Could she be any more pathetic? She’d spent a lifetime relying on herself, being the responsible one, making calm, rational decisions, but here she was, somehow rejecting the two men she loved, but still wanting them, still needing them. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, babe. We love you. Even if you decide to go home and live there the rest of your life, that isn’t going to change. We want you to stay, but we love you enough to let you go.”
Jennifer felt like her chest was caving in, the pain almost physical. How could she want and love these men so much but still be afraid to join her life with theirs?
“Please, can you make love to me?”
The words came out so quietly she wasn’t even certain they were loud enough to be heard. But then Thomas leaned over, briefly pressed his lips to hers, and whispered, “Of course, babe.” And then almost as if he read her need for things to be less intense he added, “But first you need to lose a whole heap of clothes. Considering we’re in bed, you are way overdressed.”
He pressed a kiss to her nose and then slid down the mattress, grinning wickedly when he reached the waistband of her jeans. She’d unsnapped the top button when they’d crawled onto the bed earlier so all he had to do was lower the zipper. He did it with excruciating slowness, pressing lingering kisses to the flesh that was revealed.
Adam propped his head on his elbow, his eyes searching her face for a moment before he used his thumb to wipe away the tears that remained. “Whatever else happens,” he said with a soft smile, “know that we will always love you.”
“Okay,” she said, lifting her face to his. He pressed his lips against hers, the kiss almost reverent in its worship of her mouth. But as Thomas hooked his fingers into the denim at her hips, Adam deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth, thrusting over and over, mimicking what they all wanted.
The jeans were dragged off her legs, and then calloused hands spread her thighs wide. Thomas’s warm breath bathed her flesh a moment before his tongue laved over her swollen pussy lips and then thrust deep into her body. She lifted off the bed, the amazing sensation taking her by surprise. Both men groaned, Adam’s hand moving to undo the buttons on her shirt even as they both continued their gentle assault on her senses.
He pushed the material aside, his hands smoothing over the skin of her belly and up over the soft mounds of her breasts. She gasped into his mouth as he found her nipple, squeezing gently through the soft lace before growling softly and tearing the garment from her body. The sound did nothing to cool her ardor, the expensive garment forgotten in the overwhelming feeling of finally belonging to these two men.
It was so similar to her dreams, but at the same time somehow better. They were here. They were real. She knew for certain they weren’t figments of her overactive imagination. And then Thomas licked over her clit and all rational thought was forgotten.
She cried out, her orgasm circling closer as Thomas sucked her clit into his mouth at the same time that Adam claimed her nipple. Together they tormented her most sensitive pleasure points, groaning as she lifted off the bed, pushing harder against them, whimpering in delight when they doubled their efforts. Everything spun wildly, her brain barely functioning as liquid heat swirled around and around her body, igniting her excitement, forcing her into orgasm. She gasped, every muscle vibrating, every nerve ending singing, every part of her body undulating as wave after wave of heat crashed over her senses, the wild, uncont
rolled free fall shaking her very soul.
Both men groaned, Thomas rolling off the bed to tear his clothes off, his hard cock pressed against her still-pulsing pussy a moment later. “I love you,” he said on a moan as his hot flesh slid into her body. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close, holding him hostage as he filled her completely and then held still. They were both gasping for air when Thomas began to move slowly. Unlike the dreams where it had seemed that anything was possible, here Thomas moved with exquisite gentleness, his hard cock sliding into and out of her body far less forcefully than in their dreams.
But somehow it was perfect. The feeling of connection, of completion, of finally being with her men filled her heart and mind. Her body tingled with excitement, her need building even as Thomas loved her slowly.
Her orgasm swelled through her, the unexpected crest taking them both by surprise. Thomas groaned, moving a little faster, pushing a little deeper, sliding into her heart and soul as perfectly as he slid into her body. Her pussy caressed him, pulsing around his gentle invasion as he stilled and poured his seed into her womb.
He stared at her, for a moment his emotions very easy to read. “I love you,” he whispered as he pressed a kiss to her mouth and then carefully moved away.
“Come here, beautiful,” Adam said as he helped her to roll onto his naked body. He kissed her reverently as he pushed his cock up into her pussy, the feeling of belonging to both of them swelling through her heart once more. He held her gaze as he started to move inside her, his emotions just as open, just as raw as Thomas’s. “I love you,” he said as he lifted his hips, pushing into her a little harder. She nodded, moaning her agreement as she ground her pelvis lower, taking him deeper. He pressed a kiss to her mouth, wrapping his hands around her hips at the same time. “Come for me, beautiful.”
He changed the angle, dragging her clit against him with each thrust. She cried out, wriggling against him, enhancing the contact, increasing the incredible feeling. Again her orgasm burst over her unexpectedly, the exquisite tightening and release of her muscles going on and on as Adam lifted into her pussy time and time again. He groaned, his own climax claiming him as he held her hips tighter and pressed her closer.
He held her as she shook, Thomas’s warm hand smoothing up and down her spine as she recovered from the most incredible experience of her life. After everything they’d shared in the mating dreams—the violent, roller-coaster orgasms and incredible three-way sex—it seemed almost impossible that the reality could be so much better.
It took a long while for her to realize they hadn’t used contraception—she wasn’t even certain it was necessary considering they were currently different species—but even as the thought of becoming pregnant to these incredible men wound through her mind a type of peace settled in her heart. How strange was it that giving up her boring job and ordinary home seemed such a frightening proposal, but having children with these men did not?
Jennifer sighed softly, the unfathomable workings of her mind set aside for another day. She rested her head against Adam’s chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, and smiled as sleep slowly claimed her.
Chapter Nine
“They’ll be wonderful fathers,” Emmallina said as she once again stepped into Jennifer’s dreamscape.
“I know,” Jennifer said honestly. There wasn’t a doubt in her heart or in her mind that both men would love her and her children deeply. “If I can unbend enough to take a chance, we might even be happy together.”
“I understand your fears,” Emmallina said, tapping the side of her head. “I even know where they’re coming from, but in the end you need to ask yourself what’s the worst that could happen. Even if you gave up everything you know and moved to Sugarvale to be close to your mates and your sister, what’s the worst that could happen?”
She’d be back where she started.
Considering that’s where she would stay if she didn’t take the chance, it seemed a rather pointless conundrum. It was such a simple decision, and actually what she wanted.
“The one thing I truly understand,” Emmallina said as she sat on the comfortable sofa that appeared in the dreamscape, “is that the human heart and mind don’t always agree.” A large sofa appeared beside her, so Jennifer took a seat as she nodded her agreement. Emmallina gave her a knowing smile. “Human history shows that without love and happiness the rest of life is meaningless. If you take the risk and it doesn’t work out, have you really lost anything at all?”
Jennifer smiled. Emmallina’s advice wasn’t anything she hadn’t figured out for herself, but it was good to hear it from another person.
“The anxiety is left over from your parents’ deaths,” Emmallina said quietly. “It will lessen with time, but if you find the strength to defeat it, you have two men who will spend a long werewolf lifetime loving you and your children.”
“I thought you only knew about humans and vampires,” Jennifer said.
Emmallina winked. “True, but I know a good man when I see one—or in your case, two.”
Jennifer felt herself smiling widely at Emmallina’s summation, but then the reason for her needing to talk to the pixie queen finally sparked in her brain.
“Your daughter is alive,” Jennifer said quickly. “But then you already knew that, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” the queen admitted. “The vampires and humans who know she’s alive don’t actually know where she is—except for one, but I have learned that Ronan Deeks is no ordinary human. I do know that Conni almost died. And I know that she is more vulnerable than even she realizes.”
“Benjamin would like to meet with you. We’re hoping that you can help us figure out why your daughter did this.”
“Thank you,” Emmallina said quietly. She gave Jennifer a sad smile as if she already understood what she was going to say next. When Jennifer failed to find the words, the pixie queen gave her a tremulous smile. “I already know I can’t take her home. I just need to see for myself that she is all right.” She stood up from the sofa, obviously taking a moment to pull her emotions back under control.
“Tell Benjamin that I will meet him under your tree just outside of Sugarvale at midnight.”
“My tree?” Jennifer asked, smiling at the pixie queen once more. The dreamscape changed around them and they were suddenly outside in the bright sunshine, watching what had happened several days ago. But this time Jennifer got to see the look of relief and wonder on Adam’s face as he held her close. Despite his obvious nausea the man looked happy.
“Can you do me one favor?” the pixie queen asked quietly.
“Of course,” Jennifer said, already knowing that the pixie queen was asking her to be there when she met with Benjamin. These dreamscapes were certainly a great way to exchange information.
“Thank you. I’ll see you at midnight.”
* * * *
Adam tried to shake off his annoyance. Despite telling them several times that she didn’t want to get involved with the PUP squad, Jennifer insisted on going with the pixie queen to speak with her daughter. Benjamin had taken one look at the anger on Adam’s and Thomas’s faces and immediately assigned them to the mission, also.
So now they stood under the tree where only a few days ago he’d held his mate as they recovered from slip travel. He’d felt so happy for such a brief moment, yet it seemed a lifetime ago. Of course it didn’t help that now they stood here anxiously awaiting the arrival of a pixie who seemed to be Jennifer’s new best friend. And it sure as hell didn’t help the tension level that the pixie queen was ten minutes late.
“What do you think?” Benjamin asked him quietly, keeping his voice low but loud enough so that Jennifer could hear their discussion.
“I think something’s gone wrong.”
Brody nodded in agreement. “The question is what.”
Jennifer looked worried. “She said midnight. Maybe she’s just been delayed.” But even as she said the words she didn’t seem convinced.
“Did she give you any reason to think she might have difficulty getting away from the pixie castle?”
“No,” Jennifer said. “She appeared quite relaxed about it. Like it wouldn’t be a big deal.”
“Then we have to assume that something has gone wrong.” He dialed his cell phone. “Alex, has the pixie queen activated the tracking beacon?” He shook his head as he listened to the fire demon’s answer, and then turned and gave her a sympathetic look. “I hate to ask this of you, Jennifer, but is there any chance you feel sleepy? It might be our only way to figure out what’s going on.”
Jennifer gave him a wry smile but nodded her head. “I can try.”
“Thank y—” Benjamin cut his words off when the pixie queen stepped into view no more than ten feet away.
“We need to go,” she said frantically as she glanced around the group. “Dragon, a vortex, please.”
Brody glanced at Benjamin but did as the pixie queen asked. A moment later Adam got to remember just how unpleasant vortex travel really was. He breathed a sigh of relief to see Thomas steady enough on his feet to hold Jennifer up, but moved toward them when Thomas lowered himself and Jennifer both to the ground. Dragon vortex jumps were supposedly less nauseating than slip travel, but as bad as he was feeling at the moment, Adam wouldn’t attest to that.
The pixie queen didn’t seem to have fared much better. “Thank you,” she said unsteadily as she lowered herself to the ground near Jennifer. “I apologize for bringing danger to your doorstep, but whatever is happening now seems to be directly related to the human women who were murdered.”
Adam was a little surprised to hear the pixie refer to her own daughter’s actions as murder. He’d fully expected her to claim that her offspring had been assassinating humans for the greater good.
