by Honor James
“We are all very protective of our mates, especially when people are trying to kill them. And I may have picked up a thing or three from the Luhpynes over the years. I did do some training with them back before and during the war. Luhpynes and Ahnjels are about the same build and have much the same mentality. We don’t have the freaky teeth and claws they get, true, but we can move pretty much identically. Are you complaining?” he asked, shooting her a look as he slowed to make the turn onto the road from the garage.
“Nope, I’m not complaining at all. I really rather love it, truth be told. I look forward to that day, in the far future though. Not that I don’t want kids, because I do, but I want just us for now. I’m happy being just with the two of you for now. That’s why I started getting the birth control shot as soon as I realized that I was even thinking of wanting to be with the two of you. There is protection out there that prevents pregnancies in humans from the other races. It came from your side of the Veil, but you two already knew that didn’t you?” These men knew everything about her, and for that she was profoundly grateful.
His lips twitched and he shrugged. “Maybe.” He drew the word out long. For a few blocks he was quiet. “We were hopeful though,” he admitted quietly. “When we realized what you were doing we hoped like nothing else. But we both knew that there could have been a more practical reason for it, so we tried not to be overly excited at the prospect. Trust me, as soon as you started that shot, we were on one hell of a roller coaster of emotional turmoil.”
“So was I.” Her admission came with a blush, her head down and her voice lowered. “I wanted to be with you, but I was scared out of my mind. It was one of the hardest things to do, trying to figure out if I could have a life with the two of you or not. I’m glad that I decided that I could.” She looked up at him once more. This time her love shone in her eyes. “I’m happy. I’m glad that I got the shot because I want a good long time just being your mate before we have little Byrnes and Danels running about.”
“Probably a very wise plan actually. I was a holy terror according to my parents and Byrne.” He let a whistle out through his teeth. “Let’s just say that the fact he’s allowed back through the Veil is a bloody fucking miracle in and of itself. He was a hell-raiser, and then some from the stories his mother tells talking about the shit that he got into. He gave her gray hair, that’s what she says. Thankfully he’s mostly grown out of it.”
There was laughter in Briar’s voice when she finally spoke. “Oh God, that’s too priceless. Well, if we do happen to have little terrors we will ensure that they spend as much time with Byrne as possible so that he can understand just what he put his mother through.” Briar suddenly went still and her eyes wide. “Oh crap. You both have mothers and fathers don’t you? People I have yet to meet.” She swallowed, hard. “Oh lordy.” Her nerves were evident in how she spoke, how she was reacting.
“Yes, because we didn’t spontaneously come to be within the world. Babe, relax, you knew we had parents and you damn well know they are going to love you to pieces. Besides—” He shot her a smirk. “They know absolutely everything about you, well, mostly. We did edit a few parts out, but other than that, they know everything and are very excited that you plan on shackling us to you to keep us well behaved. Actually, I think Byrne’s mother said we could have one of his leashes, if you want of course.”
“What do they know about me?” Briar’s blood ran cold. She didn’t even touch the part about the leash. She had to know what these people knew about her. If they knew her shame or not. She felt panic, she felt fear. What if they hated her because of what happened to her? It wasn’t something she had been able to control, but still she knew that happened more often than not on the human side of the Veil. If a woman was attacked, everyone looked at her differently from that point on, and most families didn’t want a woman who had that happen to her in their families. Was it the same on their side?
The truck swerved suddenly, and Danel was cupping her face. He’d haphazardly parked and was staring at her now she realized. “They know that you are beautiful, smart, and funny, and that you’re a doctor and the love of our lives. That you had a bit of trouble that made you skittish of us, but that we were persistent and got you to see us for the prime catches we were. We did not at any time tell them anything about the attack. That is not for us to share. If you ever want to share it with them, that’s your choice and your choice only. Okay?” he asked, his eyes searching hers.
Briar took many calming breaths, and finally she was able to nod. Her eyes were captured by his. She moved in closer to him and whispered, “Okay.” She believed him, that one singular word that she spoke held volumes and he would know in that moment that she believed him. “I don’t think that I will ever be willing to share that part of life with anyone else. My therapist knows. Heck, everyone at the AEDA knows, but most importantly the two of you know. I don’t think that it’s anyone else’s business, do you? As long as they keep him locked away on the other side, I’m happy.”
Nodding, he let out a breath and visibly relaxed. “Briar, love of my life, you have to know that Byrne and I would never say anything to hurt you. We’re idiots but we’re not stupid. We love you more than life, and protecting you is our primary goal. Well, that and getting you naked, but they are not always mutually exclusive. The parents understand that, with our jobs, we can’t always be fully open on things so when we are vague they don’t even blink anymore. Trust me, my mother was just so fucking happy that we were finally with you I thought I’d have to call medical services. She literally, no joking, looked ready to pass out.”
“I have to go over there to meet them don’t I?” Fear, he could hear the fear in her voice. “I don’t know if I can.” There it was, her admission to him. “He’s over there on that side, and I don’t know if I can force myself to take that step through the barrier that separates our worlds. I know that he would have to get through a hell of a lot to get to me, but there is still that deep and irrational fear. Please tell me that you can understand?”
“Of course I understand, love. Look, I know my parents are planning a trip to this side of the Veil so—” He shrugged. “Why don’t I find out when and we can meet up with them? It can be at the condo or, if it’s more comfortable for you, at a cafe for lunch or even the office for the initial meet and greet. We’ll do it on a work day, if possible, so we have an excuse if you are not comfortable with the situation to get out of there.”
“Thank you. I think that perhaps lunch during the workweek would be best. I want to get to know both of your families, I really do, but I’m not sure that I’m exactly to the point of having a long time with them at once.” Danel would know and understand that Briar simply couldn’t handle being around too many new people for too long of a time. She had been hurt and the fact that she was as free with them was astounding. “I want to meet them, I want to get to know them. I wish I had family that you could meet, but I don’t. You have me and only me.”
“You are the best part.” He smiled. Brushing a kiss to her lips, he drew back, rubbing his thumbs to her cheeks. “Oh shit! I meant to call Byrne. Son of a…” he muttered. Digging around for his phone, he made the call to let their other mate know they were heading home and to go there with the pizza. “Yeah, she’s right here. Speaker or…okay, hang on.” He handed her the phone. Shifting back into his seat, he got them back onto the road.
“Hey, sweets. Sorry, but I decided that I didn’t want to be at the office anymore, and since we turned in all of the paperwork and there was nothing for me to do, I decided that I wanted to be home where we could all have our pizza.” Briar paused and looked to Danel, a wicked grin on her face. “Naked. See, I was thinking that naked would be good so that I can touch and taste and have you men while we share our meal. What are your thoughts?”
“Sounds like a good plan, love,” he said quietly, distracted. “Listen, Briar, do you know of any reason that Detective Mark Gregs from the police department halfw
ay across town would be in your offices? Do you have a body that’s part of his case or something like that?”
Briar stiffened and shook her head. “No. He has zero reason to be there. I had asked his captain not to allow him back near the AEDA because he has a serious hate-on for those on the other side of the Veil, and with the office being part of the Veil crossing I knew he would want to cause trouble. He’s never out and out said anything, but it’s in how he does things. How he looks at things and how he is forever trying to pin trouble on one of the races. The AEDA Council has a write-up on him as well. He was busted by a young Spiryte about ten years ago for killing a bunch of the races, well, not killing but he was a suspect in a bombing incident but he was cleared by the humans. The races, however, I don’t think ever cleared him. If they did it never was made public.” Then again the charges never were either. The other side handled affairs very quietly and discreetly.
“Kinda what I thought.” She could hear anger and something harder in his tone now. “He was in your office two days before the explosion. He missed three of the new cameras security had put in. I’m also betting he missed the ones Danel and I have in there, so we’ll need to check those feeds as well. I’m just not a hundred percent sure what…” He trailed off. Then he practically exploded on the other end of the phone, the words not in any language she knew, but he was definitely very, very upset.
“Byrne?” Briar sat up now, a frown on her face and looking to Danel. “What’s happening?” she asked both men. “Danel, what in the ever-loving name of hell is he saying?” She so had to learn their language so that she could keep up with them or else she might feel the need to be upset with them over something that they said that might not be a bad thing.
“He’s saying he has, on a recording, Mark Gregs placing one of the explosive devices. Specifically, the one that was right where you were standing and, had you not decided to follow along with us, would have killed you instantly. He’s extremely upset,” he said softly. Danel wasn’t looking all that calm either. Colors of his eyes were swirling madly, and his hands were white knuckled on the wheel.
“I don’t think that he’s the only one.” Briar reached out and touched her hand to one of Danel’s on the wheel. “Okay, so let’s bring him in. We should turn around and head back to the office because I want to be there when they question him. I want to know what the pious little prick has to say for himself. I want to watch as he’s locked away in cuffs this time.”
“Byrne already has agents on the lookout for him.” Danel was still translating the mad rush of words coming from the phone. Not all of them. At least she was relatively sure he wasn’t. Byrne was saying an awful lot for the little Danel was giving her. “Gregs isn’t at the precinct and, apparently, no one has seen him since the morning of the explosion at AEDA headquarters.”
“That’s seriously not good. I’m sure that he has contacts on the ground, people who believe as he does.” Briar felt herself starting to panic, but pushed it back. “We will find him. We will figure out just why the bloody hell he’s doing this, right?”
“Damn straight we will,” Danel said.
“We have even more trouble,” Byrne said, his tone really harsh now. “I just got word through the captain. Briar, love, you’re on lockdown until further notice. You go nowhere without one of us or someone we fully trust.”
Briar felt her blood run cold. She could only force one word out of her mouth as she literally felt dizzy. “Why?” She whispered the word. She couldn’t put anything else into it other than that. Terrified didn’t come close to what she was feeling at the moment. She had never felt such a crippling fear, well, not in a very long time at least.
A heavy sigh filled the line and then some muffled sounds. “I just got word from my people that he’s missing,” he said softly, his tone so gentle. “The guards had eyes on last night, but no one’s seen him since the last check. We’re only getting word now because they’ve had everyone out hunting for him.”
Briar tasted pennies in her mouth and knew that she had bitten the inside of her cheek so that blood was flowing. “Who?” She seemed to only be able to force one-word questions out. She wasn’t able to do much more than that because she was terrified if she pushed for more she would fall apart because deep inside she knew who. She felt it in her very soul who and she was ready to fall apart.
Danel shot her a look. She saw his head turn but her vision was narrowing down to a mere pinprick. Another heavy sigh came through from Byrne. “Babe, don’t make me say his name. You don’t need me to, and I refuse to give that asshole any power over you or our lives.”
“Oh God.” Tears started to flow. She heard herself sobbing and began to rock. She didn’t have to hear his name. Just knowing was more than enough. “I need you,” she whispered to both men. She needed them both to wrap her up and keep her safe. Needed them to stand at her side, back, wherever so that she could pick herself back up again from this devastating blow. “How? How could he have gotten free? I was assured that he would never be able to get free.” She bit back another sob. The fear was debilitating, but she was trying to force it back, to beat it back into submission. “Danel,” she whispered. “Please.” She just needed to be held. If only for a minute. Needed to get her shit back together.
“Shit.” He swerved over to the side of the road again and threw the truck into park. Undoing his seatbelt, he slid toward her and lifted her from her seat after releasing her belt. “I’ve got you, babe. I’m right here and not going anywhere. Let me have the phone. Give it to me,” he whispered as he pried it from her fingers. “Byrne, we’re about ten minutes from the condo.”
“I’m here for a little longer and then I’ll be home. Briar, you hear me, love? Give me half an hour and I’ll be home. We’ll lock the doors, turn off the lights, and just hold you for as long as you want.”
Briar nodded dumbly. She didn’t speak, just held onto Danel as tightly as she possibly could. The only sounds she made were the hiccups of her tears. She hated being this woman. Being weak and unable to protect herself, but it was who she was. At least for now.
“We’ll see you when you get there, Byrne. Let me know it’s you when you come in. I’m going to keep a weapon close just to help Briar feel a little more secure,” he warned.
“Copy that,” Byrne said.
Sighing, Danel pocketed the phone and wrapped her back in his arms again. Rocking her back and forth, he stroked her hair gently. “I have you, sweetheart,” he whispered against her hair. “I’m right here and no one is getting to you. Not now, not ever, got it?”
Briar nodded and licked her lips. “I’m trying,” she whispered aloud. “I really am trying. It’s just so hard to realize that there is a possibility that he could be close. That he could be on this side of the Veil. He swore to me that if I told, that if I pressed charges he would come back and kill me. He’s come back, and the only thing to stop him from killing me is the two of you and I don’t want you hurt.”
“We’re going to be fine, all of us,” he said gently. “If he comes for you he won’t just be facing us, he’ll be facing every single male from the AEDA. No one, not this fucker and no other, will ever hurt you again, Briar.”
Briar nodded and knew that she was crying. She couldn’t help herself. “Thank you. I don’t know if I would be able to look at anyone else but I can you. I just need you two. I am going to ask for time off of the AEDA. I would very much like for you two to do the same please. I want time with just us. I need to have us all together because I’m not sure that I can handle being alone. I will need the two of you with me, please.”
“Done,” he said, not even arguing with her. “I’ll call in once Byrne is home and with you. I will make the arrangements, but I doubt the captain will argue. You can’t work until we get all your equipment in so it’s pointless for you to be at the offices. And if we’re to be eyes on you until further notice, that means we have to be with you.”
“I agree,” she said wit
h a shaky breath. “And yes, you both need to be eyes on me. So if you have to take off of work, then so be it. If you have to go and investigate a lead, I’m coming with. I mean it. I don’t want to be without both of you. Yes, I know that you alone could protect me or Byrne alone could protect me, but I want to be with both of you. I need to be with both of you.” And she was no longer helpless, they had ensured that. She had taken classes and now she had a weapon as well. She was no longer so-called fresh meat.
“We’ll be with you, every step of the way,” he promised. He just kept rocking her and stroking her hair or her back or her arm. Anything and everything to soothe her, and it was working, mostly. After a little longer, he lifted his head to peer down at her. “I want to get us home. Are you going to be okay sitting next to me while I drive?”
Briar nodded and moved so that she was flush against him. “I need to touch you. I don’t want to sit beside the door. I want in the middle.” She was behaving badly and knew it, she was acting like a child but her entire world had just been turned upside down so she couldn’t help herself.
“Shh, that’s fine, babe,” he whispered. Stroking her hair some more, he moved his other hand to rub in slow circles between her shoulder blades. “I don’t want you all the way over at the door either. I want you close, where I can feel you pressing to me and I know you are with me and safe.”
“Good, because this is where I plan on spending a great deal of time. Either with you or with Byrne or both pressed close to me. I don’t think that you will get rid of me anytime soon. At all, and I’m good with that,” she admitted with a wan smile.
