by Milly Taiden
“Ice,” she choked out, “is he dead?”
“No,” he replied, “I feel him.”
She thought that was a strange comment. How could he “feel” his friend? A strong desire made her look inside herself—as she had earlier but chickened out—to see if she felt him to. Raven had no idea what she was looking for, but when she found it, she knew.
She stared up at Ice, shocked and awed. “I feel him, too. I can’t explain it, but I know he’s there, alive.” She felt another being that instinctively told her it was Ice’s link. “You’re there, too. Oh my god. How is this happening? Ice, what does this mean?”
He knelt at Frost’s back to inspect the injury. “The wound’s closing already. He’s in a deep sleep to heal.”
“Yes, he’s in a deep sleep. That’s what I feel,” she said, still overwhelmed with this connection between them. A shiver rolled through her from the cold.
Ice rolled Frost onto his back. “Lie on his stomach. It’ll keep you warm.”
She looked up at the belly extending two feet over her head. “Right,” she said. “You have a ladder handy?” He gave her a boost and she plopped on the scale-covered surface. Even though the skin covering was solid, his stomach felt soft under her. Like a pillow-top mattress. Ice lifted Juliet and Raven helped to pull her on.
So here she was, buried under an avalanche in an ice igloo, lying on top of a dragon’s belly. Could things get any weirder?
“You should save your phone battery in case we need it later,” Ice said
That was a good idea. When she closed the app, complete darkness engulfed her. She did the hand in front of her face thing and couldn’t see a bit. She relaxed into the softness under her. The silence felt comfortable yet awkward at the same time.
She said, “You didn’t answer my question.”
“What question was that?” he asked.
“The one about how I feel the two of you in me, part of me.”
“That’s the answer,” he said. “We are a part of you as you are engrained with us.”
She hated answers that were more confusing than the damn question. “Let’s try: how am I a part of you?”
“That one’s a little tricky,” he said. “It has to do with Mother Nature, destiny, even DNA probably.”
Raven wiped a hand down her face. His comments weren’t helping at all. “Okay, last question. Why is there a connection between us?”
“That’s easy,” she heard the smile in his voice. “It’s because we’re mates.”
“You guys said that once before. I’m best friends with Juliet, but I don’t feel her like I do you two.”
“Sorry,” he replied, “mates as in belonging together for the rest of our lives. Not just friendship.”
“Wait,” she said sitting up, her ass sinking, “not just besties or whatever?”
“Correct,” he answered. “We’re a triad. Born to be together. Triad—you, me, and Frost—together for all time. We’ll all live together and continue having sex together. You are our one and only mate. You complete us, Raven. Without you, life isn’t worth living.”
Whoa. That was a bit heavy to lay on a girl. Next to her, Juliet rolled her head and groaned. Raven turned the flashlight on so she could see her bestie. “Juliet,” she brushed a hand along her face, “come on, girl. Wake up.”
Her eyes opened then rolled around in their sockets. “Where are we?” she asked. She tried to sit up, but her butt sank too much. “What the hell, Raven? Are we on a waterbed or something?”
“Hold still,” Raven said, pushing her onto her back. “You have a head injury. Just relax.” Juliet quieted down, relaxing. She was so sweet and unargumentative. So unlike Raven.
“Are we in a cave?” Juliet asked. “The air is cold and humid.”
Ice chimed in beside her. “The water in the air is this ice igloo we’re in evaporating. I’ll need to refreeze the bottom layer if we’re here for some time. Frostie, there, puts out a lot of heat.”
“Frostie?” Juliet questioned, looking around.
Raven sighed. “Never mind, Juliet. I need to save my battery, so I’m turning my phone off. You okay?”
Juliet waved her hand overhead. “Yeah, do whatever. I have a pounding headache anyway. By the way, who is the guy with the sexy voice standing next to me?”
Anger and jealousy like Raven never experienced raced through her. And this was her best friend, not some ho. She shouldn’t be feeling this way.
“Deep breath, Raven,” Ice soothed. “Relax, baby.” Yes, good idea, she thought. Maybe there was something to this connection. She wanted the men to herself. Both of them. The thought of not having them in her life set her pulse screaming. How can that be after only a couple days?
Juliet sighed. “Raven, you going to fill me in or do we need to resort to Twenty Questions?”
Raven groaned. She didn’t want to talk about a threesome in front of her friend, even if she was her bestie. What would she think? She tried to come up with something else to talk about. Juliet had already explained how the burning permafrost was releasing poison amounts of mercury in the air and bay water. Juliet laughed when Raven told her she thought Juliet was allergic to mercury and discovered it that way.
What really happened was when Juliet was taking air samples around the iceberg, her meter pegged off the charts. She began her investigation there and was caught by Riggs testing the air above the burned ground. The sun was warm at the time and she took off her red coat before he captured her. It was a blessing in disguise.
“So,” Juliet singsonged in the darkness, “anybody going to answer the question?”
Ice spoke first, Raven cringing at what he might say. “I’m Ice, Raven’s mate. I love Raven and want her in my life till the day I no longer exist.”
“Aww, Raven,” she replied, “that was so sweet. The mate thing was a little creepy, but he sounds so in love with you. Is there an issue? Why didn’t you answer me?”
Well, shit. Raven forgot how much of a romantic Juliet was. When not working, the woman read enough romance novels to fill a library, one after another. She dreamed about a Prince Charming sweeping her off her feet. Raven kept her feet in the real world.
“Yes, Jules, there is an issue. His best friend supposedly loves me, too.”
“All right, girlfriend. You go.” Raven felt Juliet move and knew she was high-fiving her. She wasn’t slapping back. She’d probably miss and hit Juliet’s face. “God, you’re such a lucky bitch. I can’t find even one and you get two.”
“Jules,” Raven questioned, “you sound like you approve of a one woman with two guys relationship.”
“Well, yeah. What’s wrong with it? I mean, it’s not like they’re both doing you at the same time.” Raven kept quiet, not knowing how to reply. “Oh my freaking god, they are, aren’t they?” Juliet squealed. Raven laughed along with her friend. “I am so jealous. Why can’t I be so fortunate? This sucks. Do they have brothers?”
Raven’s cushy mattress started vibrating. “Ohh, this is nice,” Juliet said. Then suddenly, she and Juliet were falling as if the rug had been pulled from under them. More like the belly shrinking under them. Juliet and she let out a scream, cutting off when hitting the ground. “Ow, my ass,” Juliet complained. “Wait,” she paused, “Raven, there’s a human body here, and it’s...” Frost jerked, “and it’s a guy.”
Her friend was touching her man’s naked junk. Before Raven could stop it, the word “Mine” growled out of her and she blindly reached out to shove her away. Murderous thoughts rushed through her mind—
“Whoa, there, sweetheart,” Frost put his arms around her, calming her. “It’s all right. Ice and I are here for you. Only you.”
Raven’s panting and racing heart slowed. Her logic returned, and she wondered what the hell just happened. Frost covered her mouth with his and fireworks detonated. Big ass fireworks. He spoke to her body like nobody—but Ice—could. A hand on her shoulder pulled her back and another set of lips
found on hers. The men sandwiched her between them.
“You good, Frost?” Ice asked.
“Yeah, fine. I’m focused on our mate.”
Another awww came from Juliet several feet away. Raven rolled her eyes.
Ice said, “Baby, Raven, please say you’ll stay with us and be our third, our mate. I don’t want to live without you.”
“Please, my love,” Frost cooed, “we need you in our lives. Whatever issues exist, we’ll find a way to get past them. Nothing can keep us from loving you.”
Tears rolled down Raven’s cheeks. Never had she felt so loved, truly cared for. “Yes,” she answered, “I’ve proven to myself I want and need you both. I...” she hesitated to make certain she knew what she felt—love, “I lo—"
Ice moved. “You hear that, Frost?” After a pause, he said yes. “I’ll shift,” Ice continued, “you stay with the women.”
“What?” Raven said. “I don’t hear anything.”
“A helicopter is approaching and something heavy is on the ground, not far away, but getting closer,” Frost whispered to her. “Juliet,” Frost added, “follow my voice to join us. Ice is going to reinforce the top of the dome before he busts out the side. Don’t want you getting hurt.”
Juliet snorted. “I appreciate the offer, but I’d rather hold on to Raven than you.”
“I wasn’t that bad,” Raven said.
“You have no idea,” Juliet said. “I would’ve shit my pants if I could’ve seen your face. I’m sure.”
With a loud crack and pop, Raven assumed Ice was leaving the igloo. “What is he going to do?” she asked.
“He’s checking to see if the natives are friendly or foe.”
A touch of light reached their space. Ice must’ve dug his way to the top. Silence reigned as they waited for word. A roar from the snow tunnel echoed in the space.
Frost pushed them toward the opening. “That was Ice. He said get up there now.” She heard the concern in his voice. Now what? she thought. She’d had enough.
Raven followed Juliet through the tunnel. The passageway was high enough, they could walk, standing straight. Reaching the exit, Juliet stepped out and gasped. Raven heard the helicopter now, make that plural—helicopters.
She held Frost’s hand in hers and stood next to Juliet, her eyes scanning the area, not believing what she was seeing.
A battalion of men were at the bottom of the snow trail, guns aimed at Ice with his hands up. Behind the soldiers, a row of Humvees with mounted machine guns came to a stop. Choppers hovered over them, side sliding doors open with shooters locked and loaded.
“What the fuck?” Raven said.
Across the tundra, an SUV with flashing lights on the roof raced toward them. As if one more truck was needed to subdue the four of them. The men parted for the white truck. The passenger side door flew open and a female ran out, screaming her name. Raven squinted to focus on the woman.
“Mom?” she gasped. “Oh my god. It’s my mom.”
Juliet waved. “Hi, Mrs. Casino. We’re safe.”
Her mom stood among the men, hands on her hips. “I told you to answer your phone or I’d call out the National Guard.” Raven slapped her hands over her face. She contemplated going back into the igloo forever. Her mother shouted from below, “And here they are.”
At the base of the mountain, Raven stood next to her mother. The men were at one of the Humvees getting blankets to cover up with and Juliet was with an Army man with lots of medals and stuff on his jacket.
“Mom,” Raven said, “I cannot believe you did this. How did you get the entire Alaskan National Guard activated so quickly?”
Her mom gave a smug look and examined her nails. “It was nothing, dear. Did you know this year we elect new government officials?” Raven shook her head. “Also, the governor of Alaska happens to be running for a senate seat. We had a great chat before the sun came up this morning. We’ve been big donors to his campaign in the past and after this, will be again.”
Wonderful. Her mother bribed the governor to activate an army because her daughter didn’t answer her damn phone.
Her two dragons walked up and stood behind her, giving quiet support. Her mom took her hand and pulled her forward. “We should be going, dear. The pilot is on a time schedule this afternoon.”
Raven stopped. She wasn’t going home with her mother. She was part of a tria—
Her mom smiled at the guys. “Thank you, both of you. You kept her safe. Use the same credit card to charge the balance.” She opened the front door, preparing to get in.
“Mom, what are you talking about?” Raven questioned. “You know them?”
Her mother looked between the men and Raven. “I had a friend hire a security company to protect you. These two were assigned to you.”
Her mouth fell open. “Assigned to me?” She stepped away from the guys. “Assigned?” Her feet turned her in a circle. She couldn’t believe it. This was a setup, a game. They were paid to pretend to care for her.
After all they’d been through, they were playing her the entire time. Their pretty words an act so they could get laid, to have a free fuck. Well, fuck them.
She climbed into the back of the SUV. “Let’s go.”
The guys seemed to have snapped out of their confusion when the driver cranked the engine. They dashed to her window, Ice opening the door.
“No,” she growled, “I don’t want to see either of you ever again. Do you understand me? Never!” She yanked the door closed and the driver took her away.
Gerri woke to the incessant sound of her phone ringing. It had already been a long day and now the never-ending ringing was going to drive her insane.
“Hello?” she snapped. “This better be good. I need my beauty sleep.”
“She’s gone,” a male voice said in despair. “We don’t know what to do.”
They never know what to do. “Raven?”
It took her two seconds to realize Frost was on the phone, his sorrow loud for her to hear.
“Yes. Raven. I- Ice is ready to go to sleep. We lost our mate.”
“Oh, for goodness sakes,” she sat up in bed. Slipping off the bed, she put on her slippers and headed for her kitchen. She needed some tea to deal with this. “Tell Ice to cut that shit out. And you, stop acting like it’s the end of the world. The only thing you can’t change is death. Your mate’s alive, right?”
“Yes,” Frost answered, his voice firmer now.
“Good. Let’s keep it that way. I have an idea. It will require you both coming back to the city.”
“We’ll do it. Anything for Raven.”
“Ice will come back?”
There was a slight shuffle and Ice came on the line. “Right now, if that’s what you need.”
A grin spread over Gerri’s lips. “No. Not today, but I’ll arrange something. Just know that you’ll need to remind your mate of how you both feel and what you want from her.”
“We’ll be there.”
“Great,” she said. “Let me get to work.”
She hung up the phone and glanced at her wall clock. Three in the morning. Lovely. Immediately, she started working up a plan. She’d drink some tea, write some notes and leave Amanda a voicemail.
Tomorrow they’d be able to talk and put it all together. Matchmaking was serious business, but those happy smiles afterward were totally worth the sleepless nights.
21
“Raven,” her mom hollered from down the hall, “you ready to go?”
The last thing she wanted was to attend a stupid charity event where she’d be forced to socialize with a male stranger. She had no desire to talk to anyone, to see anyone, or listen to anyone. Especially her mother. The woman just wouldn’t leave her alone.
The week following her return from Antler, Alaska, the mercury poisoning scandal became national news with the National Guard having to keep order in the town for a couple days. That was just a cover story to explain the sudden massive activation to come get her
.
Juliet was interviewed for docudramas and news articles. Hell, she’d heard a movie was in the making. She had several papers printed in science journals and was writing a book.
Sheriff White Hawk was taken into custody and confessed to Riggs’ scheme. He was given a lighter sentence for showing authorities where Riggs took the women to kill them in the avalanche. Of course, Riggs died in a helicopter crash that let out a smoke signal directly to them. He met his justice in the end.
Nothing was mentioned about her role in the fiasco. She wanted no fame, no glory, just to be left alone.
“Raven,” her mom stomped down the hall, “if I find you in bed wrinkling your dress and messing up your hair, so help me...”
Raven sighed and rolled off her bed before her mother arrived. “Mom,” she called out, “I don’t want to go. This is stupid for me.”
Her mom came around the corner of the door. “Don’t call my charity work stupid, young lady. Just because you’re in a shit mood and have been since you left Alaska, that gives you no right to make my life miserable.”
Raven stood as her mother brushed imaginary crinkles from her dress and tucked hair behind her ears. “There,” she said, “much better. Now let’s go. The limo is waiting.” Her mom handed her the mask on a stick for the masquerade charity ball.
Her dad was already in the limo and her mom sat beside him. Raven sat quietly with her hands in her lap.
“When the singles auction begins, you are to be the first. Don’t go wondering at that time. Stay close to the stage,” her mom said to her.
Her gut churned with disgust. She didn’t want to look at men, much less talk and pretend to like them. And why did she have to go first? Just because her mother was chairperson? Fuck. She hated everything and everyone.
They arrived fashionably late and Raven followed her parents at a distance. Stepping into the foyer, her breath was swept away. Beautiful red and gold paper decorations draped from the ceiling and columns. The theme this year was the Asian Year of the Dragon. How fitting, she snorted. She hated fucking dragons and their games.
