Power of Three

by Jenna Castille

“Huh?”

  “I can’t make it any clearer. Do you love Ryuu?”

  That stopped him cold. Did he? Did he love Ryuu? He barely knew the man. He was attracted to him. He respected him. But would he have had sex with him so easily if there wasn’t more to it than that? “I don’t know,” he whispered.

  “Fair enough,” Janice replied with a nod. “Do you care about him? Could you love him?”

  Eric shrugged. “I guess. But I still don’t know where this is going. The fact that I could love him doesn’t make it less cheating. Hell, I think it makes it a more serious offense.”

  “Just follow me.” Janice sighed, her exasperation evident, even if he couldn’t quite tell the cause. “You love me and you think you could love Ryuu, if given the chance. Right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Here’s the key question. Which do you prefer? Would you want me alone, Ryuu alone or both of us together?”

  The third option stopped him in his tracks, mind reeling. “What?”

  “You’re friends with Julian and Tim. We danced together at Julian and Lisa’s wedding, remember? I thought you’d be quicker on the uptake than that.” Janice let him think about that before leading him further. “Maybe this will help. I love you. I love you more than I thought possible. And while I haven’t slept with him, I could come to love Ryuu as well. I just want you to keep that possibility in mind when we go in that room and talk about what’s really going on.”

  So it was back to whatever the two of them were talking about earlier. Mind racing with possibilities, Eric took Janice’s hand and let her lead him into Ryuu’s study.

  Eric stopped at the doorway, looking in on something from a cheesy, low budget horror movie. Ryuu had a crystal ball sitting out in the middle of a small table with incense burning on one side and a white candle on the other. He sat in a chair with two empty chairs facing him. “Please,” he gestured with a faint smile, “have a seat.”

  Janice tugged Eric into the room, practically forcing him to sit. He scooted the chair forward as he watched Ryuu.

  Ryuu gave him a probing look. He felt his cheeks heating but he kept his eyes locked with the other man’s. No way would he be intimidated.

  Giving him a pleased smile, Ryuu inclined his head before turning to Janice. “How do you want to do this?”

  Janice grinned. “I’d like to work things through. But Eric’s going to need the full shock treatment.”

  She reached over and took one hand while Ryuu took the other. Despite himself, Eric smirked. “You guys do realize how hokey this is, right? I can’t be the only one.”

  Janice chuckled and Ryuu rolled his eyes but smiled. “Looks have nothing to do with effectiveness. Now are we ready or must we go through another round of punchlines.”

  “I don’t know,” Janice answered as she grinned at Eric. “I’m having fun. And I have a feeling that I should enjoy it while it lasts. But I’m done for now. You got anything left?”

  “Nope, sorry,” Eric replied with a shake of his head. But he had to admit he felt more natural holding both their hands.

  Ryuu nodded and closed his eyes. Something happened. Eric wasn’t sure what exactly, but the mood of the entire room shifted. The hair on the back of his neck rose and goose bumps spread across both his arms. He looked over at Janice to see if she noticed. Her eyes were locked on the crystal ball and she clenched her jaw tight.

  When he looked, the crystal trapped Eric’s gaze. At first the crystal appeared clear. But the more he stared into it, the more opaque it became. Then pictures formed deep inside. Three people in a tent. They looked familiar, hauntingly familiar. The three people from his dreams. As he watched the larger of the two men, Erich, slid the dress off the shoulders of the golden-haired woman, Jehanne. Once she stood nude before him he stripped his clothes as well. Then he lowered her to the ground on top of a long pad.

  The other man, Ryo, stood guard at the entrance of the tent. He mouthed words but didn’t seem to be talking to either of the other two people. Either that or they were too into each other to respond to his words.

  Gentleness lay in each touch of Erich’s hands on Jehanne. He cupped her face and kissed her softly. He entered her with consummate care. Every movement seemed choreographed to bring the utmost pleasure. But that pace couldn’t last forever.

  A strange light surrounded Jehanne. It vibrated idly before slamming upward into Erich, who arched and screamed under the onslaught. Ryo moved forward, still speaking, to lay his hand against the first man’s back. He wiped Erich’s hair from his face and paused long enough to give him a quick kiss. After Ryo stepped back the light gathered about Erich and flowed back to Jehanne, forming almost a cocoon around the two of them.

  Then the air a corner of the tent shimmered. Bright light shone through a hole. Red eyes shone on the other side.

  At the appearance of the tear Ryo removed his clothing and stepped forward. He kissed Erich again. He parted Erich’s ass and massaged liquid around the clenched opening, dipping in and teasing him. Kissing Erich again on the neck, Ryo thrust forward, taking him. The light surrounding the couple exploded outward, surrounding the three. As they screamed, the tear winked out of existence.

  A swirl of smoke filled the crystal and color parted to show Ishi lying on the ground with unspeakable creatures surrounding her. The vision whirled, showing her being left at the front of the hotel. But behind her stood a troop of creatures, red-skinned with black tipped horns and cloven hooves. Other, smaller, twisted creatures filled in the ranks farther back. Demons.

  And an unspeakable creature stood at their head. Twice the size of any of the others, he looked like a bodybuilder times ten. His red, orange and gold skin barely contained his huge muscles. His horns gleamed like ebony and curled back over his head. Long reddish-black hair rolled down his back. But as terrifyingly beautiful as he was, the expression of pure malicious glee on his face killed any attraction a person might feel toward him. This was a killing machine. He lived on the blood and pain of others.

  Eric watched as Ryuu rushed out the door to Ishi. The leader of the demons stepped forward and with one swipe of his claws ripped Ryuu’s stomach open from one side to the other. He fell to his knees in a pool of his own blood.

  Janice stood in the doorway, next to him. The leader smiled up at them and gestured to its followers. The horde broke forward, ripping her from him. Eric didn’t see her again in the vision but it wasn’t hard to figure out what happened to her.

  Eric pulled himself out of the crystal vision with a gasp that sounded much like a diver coming up for air. His cheeks felt wet and he realized that he was sobbing uncontrollably.

  Ryuu leaned back, rubbing his stomach as if to convince himself that he was unharmed.

  “What was that?” Eric finally managed to ask, feeling nauseous.

  “The first was a glimpse of the past. It showed how we once were and what we did to save our piece of the world. The second showed the future as it stands now. If we don’t manage to close the tear in reality in the next few hours, that’s what’ll happen.”

  So his dreams were really memories of past lives? “Bullshit.”

  Janice reached out and took his hand again. “Let’s hear him out.”

  “Are you crazy? You’re buying it? Why are you buying it? And what’s this with Ishi anyway?”

  “We were attacked today. She disappeared.”

  His blood ran cold. She’d been attacked and he hadn’t been there to help her. “What do you mean, you were attacked?”

  “Two men jumped us in an alley in Chinatown. The men were caught but Ishi disappeared. Those things took her.”

  Monsters aside, part of what she said really pissed him off. “You were attacked and you didn’t say anything to me? You told him,” he waved a hand at Ryuu, “but you don’t say anything to me?”

  Janice had the decency to look ashamed. “The police called Katashi since he’s Ishi’s father. He brought Ryuu.”

  It made sense
but it still stung. “You still should’ve called me then. But I’ll allow that you were probably in shock. So what about after the fact?”

  “I was going to call you when I got to my room but Lisa called first. Then I came to find you.” She peered up at him from beneath her bangs. “We all know how that went.”

  He felt his face heat under her gaze. But damned if he’d let her make him feel ashamed. “You still should’ve told me.”

  “You’re right.” Ryuu surprised him by giving support. “We all should’ve spoken sooner. But that is the past. What is important is how do we deal with the now. Don’t lie to yourself. You must’ve felt the truth in what you saw.”

  An image of a hungry, dirty escaped slave flashed through his mind. It couldn’t be real. It couldn’t. “Really?” he asked, struggling to find a reason not to believe. “The truth is I don’t know what the hell I saw or what I think about it. I feel confused and guilty as hell because of what Janice walked in on. And I don’t understand why she isn’t tearing me a new one.”

  Janice gave Ryuu a pained look. He nodded and damn if Eric didn’t feel a quick stab of jealousy over his easy understanding. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk,” the man said as he headed for the door. “But don’t think for a moment that I’m giving up. I will be back and the three of us will talk. This has gone on long enough.”

  He turned to look at Janice once more. “I don’t know what your friend told you, not entirely, but I hope you understand how much is at stake.”

  “I think I do. I’m just trying to figure out how much is at stake personally.”

  “Fair enough,” he replied after a searching gaze. The door clicked softly behind him, leaving Eric alone to face Janice’s wrath. And there had to be some wrath. She couldn’t be as open to what happened as she pretended. He’d screwed up.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. He focused a bit over her left shoulder and braced himself.

  She reached out and he flinched, expecting a slap. Instead she cupped his chin and turned his face toward her. “I’m not going to say it’s completely all right. But it’s not all wrong either.”

  “I’m as bad as your ex,” he whispered, closing his eyes. “Worse even.”

  “No, you’re not.” She wrapped her other hand around the back of his neck and pulled down until their foreheads met. “You still love me. I can feel it. He didn’t. He didn’t even care about my feelings anymore. And he damn well never said he was sorry.”

  “But I never told you about being…bisexual,” he whispered, scrunching his eyes tighter. He really didn’t think he could watch her growing disappointment.

  “And I understand why you’d be afraid to and why you wouldn’t think there’d be a reason to tell me,” she murmured. “But we’re not talking about some random guy you picked up at a bar. We’re talking about Ryuu and I think he means more to both of us than that. Or at least he could, if you believe what we saw. But first, let’s focus on us.”

  She took a step back. Instinctively he rebelled at the distance. He reached out for her but she shook him off. “Not now. Talk first.”

  He nodded. Here it comes.

  “Most of this is my fault,” she began. When he automatically started in with denial, she cut him off. “Yes, it is. If you knew how I felt about you, you wouldn’t worry as much about losing me. But I haven’t been clear with you, mainly because I wasn’t being clear—or even truthful—with myself.”

  It was her turn not to meet his eyes. Her lips pursed and she wrapped her arms around her chest before forcing out, “I love you.”

  Eric swallowed. He hadn’t expected her to say it, not really. “You know, it shouldn’t sound like you’re in pain when you say that to someone.”

  “And you know how hard it is for me to say that to anyone, so count your damn blessings,” she grumbled. But he noticed that her grip on herself tightened and she rocked back on her heels.

  He took her hands, pulling them from her arms and drawing her into his embrace. He kissed the top of her head, willing her to relax. “I love you too,” he whispered into the crown of her head, “but I guess you know that.”

  She snuggled closer. “Yes.”

  She really meant it. All the pent-up worry he had slowly eased. She loved him. That was all that mattered. But he still needed to understand. “Then why didn’t you say anything to me before? If you knew how I felt then you knew how I would’ve reacted.”

  “Emotions aren’t set. People change. How they feel changes,” she whispered, head hidden against his chest.

  He clenched his jaw against the pain her words brought. “So you didn’t trust me.”

  She shook her head and snorted. But she looked up at him with shining eyes filled with unshed tears. “I may come off as carefree and a little flighty but it takes me a long time before I trust anyone fully. That’s why it hurt so much when my husband cheated on me. So don’t take it personally. It was my hang-up and I had to work through it. I’m just sorry it took me so long.”

  “But you love me?” he asked, needing to hear it one more time.

  “Yes.”

  “Does that mean you plan to come with me when I leave Vegas?” he prodded, pushing his luck.

  Janice laughed. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”

  “No time like the present. It’s what makes me such a good negotiator.” He reached out to flick her on the tip of the nose. “Plus you’re feeling a little guilty, so I have a better chance of success.”

  She cocked her head to the side and gave him one of her best mischievous grins. “Then I’ll tell you what. If there’s still a San Francisco after all this, we’ll talk about it. Really talk about it, the options, everything. It’s a big decision and I want to take time to consider. I need a plan of action set up before I give any guarantees but I’m willing to try.”

  Eric’s face felt like it would split in half under the pressure of his smile. He grabbed her around the waist, lifting her off her feet and spinning her in the air to the sound of her giggles. “You love me. Thank God, you love me.” He gathered her back in, hugging her tightly as his heart felt ready to explode under the pressure of his sheer joy.

  “Yes, of course I do. How could I not?” she whispered against his shirt before pushing away. Her grin faded as she spoke. “But that’s not the only issue we need to discuss.”

  “End of the world, or at least the city? Supernatural Armageddon?”

  “Indirectly,” she replied, then continued with the one name that everything else hinged on. “Ryuu.”

  A quick shot of guilt jabbed at Eric’s conscience. Janice clicked her tongue and shook her head at him. “I felt that. I never realized how much more sensitive I am around you. I guess I should’ve. Now take me out of the equation. How do you feel about Ryuu?”

  “That’s impossible,” he was quick to point out. “You’re part of the equation.”

  “Freaking humor me already,” she growled, finally giving him the frustrated and put out look he’d been expecting, if not for the reason he expected. “Would you be pursuing him if it weren’t for me?”

  His knees still ached and his ass wouldn’t be the same for days after Ryuu had ridden him so hard and she was asking him this. “After walking in on us, do you honestly need me to answer that?”

  But she wouldn’t be put off. “Yes, I honestly need you to say it.”

  “I would,” he admitted. “He’s the kind of guy I used to go for, when I went for guys that is.”

  “So the thought of having both of us isn’t disgusting?”

  Erotic images teased his imagination. But more importantly, images of what might have happened in the past taunted him as well. It couldn’t be that easy. They couldn’t just decide to accept Ryuu into the relationship and continue as though nothing unusual were happening. “No, it’s not disgusting,” he admitted, guilt still coloring his voice. “But come on. Do you really want to do this?”

  “If Ryuu, Tim and Lisa are right, we need to do it on
ce.”

  “And if they’re wrong?”

  “We have one hell of an enjoyable evening together. As long as we set the ground rules to begin with and don’t worry about jealousy and the like, we should be fine.”

  “And what about after? If I move here and if you join me, do we want to keep in touch with him?” He smirked as he considered the pun hidden in his words. “So to speak.”

  Janice ignored the poor attempt at humor. “We could always try. You know I love you. I know you love me. I know he cares deeply for the both of us. If we have room for him, why not see where it goes? According to this whole past-life thing, it’s not as though we haven’t done so before.”

  He didn’t want to follow that line of reasoning, dreams or no dreams. He wasn’t ready to accept the end-of-the-world, past-lives theory completely. But the temptation Ryuu represented was hard to resist, especially if there really wasn’t going to be any foreseeable repercussion. “Go with the flow huh? Now that does sound like the old you.”

  “I’m starting to feel more like the old me. Or at least the version of me that I always respected the most. I mean, I can’t let one asshole of an ex keep me doubting my judgment forever.”

  Eric looked over at the closed door, picturing what awaited him behind it. “So I guess we should put him out of his misery.”

  She closed her eyes again for a moment and Eric could almost feel her reaching out mentally. She smirked as her eyes snapped back open. “You know he’s waiting just outside. I can feel him there.”

  “What is he feeling?” Eric asked. He’d always depended on her impressions. Now he knew that were a lot more specific than he’d suspected.

  “He’s scared, really scared.” She stared into space as she measured each word. “He’s not as confident as he projects. I don’t know what he’d do if we left him now.”

  Eric thought of Ryo from his dreams, of the life he lived and the home filled with loved ones that he wanted more than anything else in the world. “A poor lost soul drifting through life looking for his anchor. Then it’s a good thing for him that we’re not dropping him, huh?”