Bewitched by Three (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Kalissa Alexander

  “Your mother and Edgar aren’t here?”

  “We have to find her,” Amber said, trying to get to her feet. “Edgar was in a terrible rage when he found me at the church talking to her. He beat her and he was coming for me, but that was hours ago.”

  “Don’t worry, Amber. Edgar is with Maurice now,” her mother said softly from where she stood watching them from outside the broken door. “He had to die to finally be happy. You understand that, right?”

  The four of them stared at her as she met their eyes and smiled. “By the way, I’m Amber’s mother. And you all are?”

  As if in a trance, Amber introduced them as the men she was going to marry. Her mother simply nodded and then walked away from them.

  “She must be in shock,” Markus said, looking back at Amber.

  Amber didn’t know what to say. If what her mother said was true, she had killed Edgar.

  When they went into the kitchen, her mother was making herself a cup of tea. She smiled when she saw them. “A cup of tea always helps whatever’s wrong.”

  “Sit down, Mother. I’ll make the tea,” Amber said, putting her arm around her mother and guiding her to a kitchen chair.

  “Thank you. That would be nice.”

  Parker sat down across from her mother and gently took her hand into his. “Where is Edgar? You can tell us.”

  “I told you. He’s with Maurice.”

  “I know you did. But can you tell us what happened?”

  “Edgar was going to hurt Amber. I mean really hurt her. I had never seen him so angry. I knew what he needed. What he had always needed. So…I did what I never had the courage to do for him before.”

  They all waited as Amber sat a cup of tea down in front of her mother. She took a couple sips before she continued.

  “He was focused on sharpening his knife. He didn’t even know I was behind him. I hit him over the head with a wrench. I’m not sure how many times I hit him until I was sure he had gone to meet his brother. They loved each other. I knew he was finally happy and at peace.”

  “Is Edgar’s body in the garage?” Amber asked softly.

  “Yes. I covered him with a blanket and held his hand for a while. I wanted him to know that I had finally been able to help him.”

  Nathaniel pulled out his phone and went into the other room. When he came back, he touched Amber’s shoulder gently. “I called my father. The Elders are coming. Your Uncle Pete is calling your grandmother. I think she might still be in the States.”

  “What are we going to do?” Amber asked, trying to hold back her tears.

  “It’s going to be okay, Amber. I promise you.”

  “He was going to kill me, not just beat me. She was protecting me.” She had to make them understand that, without her mother’s interference, she could very well be dead herself.

  When the Elders arrived, there were ten of them, including her Uncle Pete. They immediately took charge. The police were called, and she was questioned. When the police spoke with her mother, it was obvious to everyone that she had had a complete mental breakdown and that she had done a good thing.

  Amber expected the police would take her mother with them and book her for murder. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to spend the night in jail, but be taken to a facility where she could receive the kind of help she needed. The thoughts of her mother in jail made her sick to her stomach. Regardless of where they took her, Amber was going with her. Whatever happened, she didn’t want her mother to be alone. She would do whatever she could to convince the authorities that what her mother had done had saved her life.

  However, when the police left, they didn’t take her mother. She looked at the three men who had never left her side for the answers. “What’s going on? Aren’t they pressing charges?”

  “As far as they’re concerned, your mother acted in self-defense. There will be no charges brought against your mother.”

  Was she hearing them correctly? “I don’t understand.”

  “My father called an elder from a Coven near here, and they have members on the police force. Not all Witches stay as secluded as we do.”

  “I’m grateful,” she choked out. “But about my mother…what will happen to her now? And did you say your father?”

  “She’s going to be taken care of in the best possible way,” Parker said, his breath on her cheek as he leaned into her and tipped her head up to meet his eyes. “Those that know Edgar and your mother will be told that he left her and she had a nervous breakdown. Everything will be taken care of, and no harm will come to your mother. She was protecting her daughter from a very evil man.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you—to thank them,” she murmured, looking down at her hands that she had been clasping and unclasping. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything, sweetheart.” Uncle Pete came up from behind her and gave her a hug. “I’ll take your mother to a very nice place with doctors that will be able to help her. I’m so sorry, Amber. You’ve been through so much, and now this.”

  “I should go with her,” Amber said. “I can stay with her. She’ll need me.”

  “No. You need to let Nathaniel, Parker, and Markus take you back to grandmother’s house,” a tall, kind-looking man with startling blue eyes said to her.

  “I’ll be with your mother,” her Uncle Pete said. “I can make sure she’s settled, and once the doctor’s give the okay, we’ll visit her. She needs the right kind of medical attention now more than she needs us.”

  “But I can help. I don’t want to leave her.”

  “I know, but it’s for the best, Amber. She needs to be where she can be helped, and your being there won’t help. Believe me and trust me to know what’s best.”

  Sensing her resistance, Nathaniel said, “He and my father are right. She will be in good hands. You have to trust us on this. You’ve been through a terrible ordeal. Let us help you and your mother.”

  Amber watched as her Uncle Pete went to her mother, put his arm around her, and led her to the bedroom to help her pack. Her mother was calm and in good spirits as she chatted with him.

  “Hello, Amber, I’m Rory Carrington, Nathaniel, Parker, and Markus’s father. Their father Palmer had to leave before he could meet you. I’m so sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances, but I have wanted very much to meet you.”

  “Thank you,” she said, staring at the man in front of her who reminded her of both Nathaniel and Markus. She wondered if Parker resembled their other father.

  “You are a brave girl, Amber. I admire your courage and I’m proud my boys are to bond with you.”

  “I love them. They have saved me in so many ways. I’m so lucky to have them in my life.”

  “Luck has very little to do with it,” Rory Carrington said, before he placed a kiss gently on her forehead. “I must get going. I will see you again very soon, Amber.”

  “My father likes you,” Nathaniel said.

  She looked over to where her mother and her Uncle Peter were walking toward them. He was carrying her mother’s suitcase and a bag with some of her mother’s personal items. “I’m going to be fine, Amber,” she said to her daughter. “You mustn’t worry about me. Pete’s going to take me to a nice place, and he said you will all visit as soon as you can. I’m quite excited. Now that Edgar is gone, I can see my family again.”

  Amber smiled weakly before she hugged her mother. “Yes, Mom. We’ll all come to visit you, I promise.”

  After her mother left with her Uncle Pete and rest of the Elders had also gone, she looked to the three men who she knew she could never live without. She loved them so much it hurt, and through her own foolishness, she could have lost them forever. Her heart pounded with the fear of what had almost happened.

  “You’re okay,” Parker said softly.

  “Are you ready?” Nathaniel asked, taking her hand in his. “We need to take you home.”

  She nodded. “I’m ready.”

  Markus grabbe
d her in an embrace that made it hard to breathe. When he pulled away from her, they left the house that had once been her home.

  Parker took her hand in his as Markus took her other hand. With Nathaniel in the lead, they spiraled up into the sky together.

  When they arrived at her grandmother’s, Amber was being carried by Nathaniel. She had fallen asleep. Her aunt was waiting for them.

  “Amber,” her aunt cried as she hugged her tightly. “You’re safe. This was all my fault. I’m so sorry. I should have known better than to second guess Bess’s wisdom.”

  “It’s not your fault. If anything, I have a lot to thank you for.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She wanted to tell her aunt what had happened, but she could barely keep her eyes open.

  “We’ll explain everything,” Parker told her. “But right now, Amber needs to get to bed. She’s been through a lot.”

  “How’s your head feel?” Nathaniel asked.

  “It’s okay. I have a little headache but nothing terrible now. I think I must have a tough skull or something.” She almost giggled remembering how she had hit the tree branch when Markus had scared her.

  “My father was right. You’re a very brave woman,” Parker said, picking her up.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Taking you to bed.”

  “That sounds nice,” she said, trying to keep her eyes open.

  She knew she was being undressed. She liked the feel of her nightie being slid over her head and arms. She just smiled. She didn’t want them to go. But she couldn’t seem to stay awake.

  “Just sleep, Amber. You’re safe now,” she heard a deep male voice say to her, and then she heard nothing.

  * * * *

  The aroma of bacon frying penetrated through Amber’s subconscious until she woke up. She was starving. She sat up on the side of the bed and stretched, thinking her grandmother was making breakfast, when she felt the soreness from the lump on the side of her temple. Memories from the day before flooded her consciousness. She wrapped her arms around herself and lowered her head.

  She heard him before she saw him. Parker walked quickly to her.

  “Amber. You’re awake.”

  He sat down next to her and brought her body into his arms. “You don’t know how good it is to have you back with us.”

  “Yesterday was a nightmare,” she whimpered.

  “I know it was, baby. But you’re okay now. You’re home, and we’re here with you.”

  “I didn’t know,” she said, burying her head in his chest. “I had no idea how much pain she was in or what it would drive her to do. She killed Edgar.”

  “Your mother made her choices a long time ago. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see her way out of them until she thought he was going to end your life.”

  “But my grandmother must have known,” she said, pulling away, her voice becoming bitter.

  “No, Amber. She couldn’t,” Nathaniel said from the doorway before he strode into the room and sat down next to her. She gravitated toward him as she felt his arms surround her.

  Amber shook her head. “She must have felt her own daughter’s pain, no matter how far away she was. She should have gone to her and taken her home a long time ago.”

  “She wasn’t allowed to, and your mother wanted nothing to do with her or any of her family. She would not have come on her own, and they couldn’t have forced her. It’s not our way,” Nathaniel said, his breath in her hair as he massaged her shoulders.

  “My mother’s mentally ill. Doesn’t that give you Witches some kind of free pass to do the right thing even if the Witch in question doesn’t want it?”

  “It’s not that simple, and until yesterday, she hadn’t done anything to make anyone think she had lost her sanity.”

  Disentangling herself from Nathaniel, she pushed herself from the bed where the two men remained staring after her.

  “But today, because of me, she’s committed murder and lost her mind,” she all but shouted, her voice trembling as she began to pace back and forth across the room.

  “It’s true—you shouldn’t have gone to see her,” Nathaniel said matter-of-factly, his expression grim, “at least not without telling us. But what happened wasn’t your fault. The fault here lies entirely with Edgar.”

  “I knew he could be cruel, but I didn’t have any idea the depth of his depravity. But I should have known. I should have seen it.”

  “How could you? You can’t blame yourself.”

  “All I wanted was to know if she had ever loved me and whether or not she had any love for me at all left in her heart.”

  “I think she’s answered that question,” Nathaniel said sadly, coming to where Amber was now standing in the middle of the room.

  Sobbing, she let him take her into his arms. “I should have never gone there,” she cried into his chest. “Edgar’s dead because of me.”

  “Edgar’s dead because your mother realized she had to stop him from killing you the only way she knew how. Her love for you that had been overwhelmed by her guilt finally rose to the surface. That needed to happen.”

  “Are you saying,” she asked, incredulous, “that what happened was a good thing?”

  “A death like Edgar’s is never a good thing, but in this case, I do believe justice was served.” Nathaniel led her back to the bed. “You see, there’s even more to this story.”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked barely above a whisper.

  “It was Edgar who killed Maurice. Your father never committed suicide.”

  “How do you know that?” she said, feeling almost faint.

  “Your Uncle Pete always suspected Edgar,” Nathaniel told her, “but no one could ever prove it and your mother wouldn’t hear of it. She was totally convinced he took his life and that she was at fault. But last night, when Pete went with your mother to help her pack, he found a strongbox. Your mother didn’t have the key.”

  “So,” Parker continued the story, “your Uncle Pete gave it to one of the Elders who took it back with him, and this morning one of the Elders called your Uncle Pete and he called us. Edgar had written down exactly what had happened the night his brother died. His confession was in the strongbox. Edgar killed Maurice and then made it look like a suicide.”

  “Does my mother know?”

  “For right now, she needs rest and quiet to get her strength back. Any new shock would not be good for her.”

  Amber nodded. It made sense. But what was tearing her up inside was that all her mother’s guilt, that had been fueled by Edgar, had also been caused by Edgar. Her mother had endured so much pain and suffering at the hands of the man who had killed her husband. It was all so twisted and sad.

  “Knowing your father was murdered has to be a shock,” Nathaniel said, bringing her back into his arms. “There’s nothing that can be done about it now. Edgar’s dead. But you and your mother are alive, and I can’t help but think that your real father would want you both to find the happiness you deserve.”

  “I know you may not want to hear this right now, but you need to eat something,” Parker said, concern in his eyes.

  “Yes,” Nathaniel said, grabbing her hand. “Let’s go down and eat before Markus’s breakfast is ruined.”

  “Where’s my aunt?” Amber asked.

  “We told her that we were going to spend the night and she should go home—that Pete would need her.”

  “Oh,” Amber said as her stomach grumbled.

  “Sounds like you are hungry,” Nathaniel said as he led her from her room.

  “Umm, I have to use the bathroom first,” she said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

  “I’ll help you,” Parker said, lifting her into his arms.

  “Parker,” she squealed. “Put me down. I can still do some things by myself, thank you.”

  He carried her down the hall and put her down gently in front of the bathroom door. “We’ll be right here if you need us.”

  By the ti
me they had made it down the stairs and into the kitchen, Markus was waiting for them. He took her from Parker and kissed her long and hard. “I love you so much, Amber.”

  Breakfast was delicious. She ate without doing much talking. She knew they were watching her eat, but she was so hungry she didn’t care. When she had finally had her fill, she sat back and looked around here. It was so good to be home and to be surrounded by the men she loved.

  She lifted her coffee cup and took a sip. Her eyes met theirs, and she knew what they needed because it was what she needed. The ache within her was growing, and the only thing that could make it stop was them.

  She felt their heat and saw their need for her in their eyes. If they didn’t take her this minute, she felt as if she would die from wanting them.

  “I need you,” she whispered. “I need you now.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Nathaniel carried her to her room as she clung to him, rubbing her hard nubs against the roughness of his shirt, not wanting to separate when he placed her gently on the bed. Both Parker and Markus were by his side, caressing her skin and touching her in ways that had her writhing on the bed. It was all she could do not to rise up and throw herself at all three of them.

  “Stay,” Nathaniel commanded.

  Moaning softly, she did as she was told and had to satisfy herself with watching them disrobe. Each time she had seen this like this it was like the first time all over again. They were, in a word, magnificent. She couldn’t imagine any man more wonderful to look upon than they were from the top of their heads to the tips of their toes and everything in between, especially their beautiful cocks that could bring her so much pleasure.

  She had no way to judge how exceptional they were, but something instinctively told her that they were well above average.

  “I know we’re big,” Markus said, sensing her awe, “but as you know, we’re perfect for you. We fit like we were made for you, because we were.”

  “We were made for each other,” she whispered.

  Parker knelt beside the bed and took her hand in his, pulling it toward his cock until she was touching it. “Feel my need for you. It’s all for you, baby.”