by Laurie Roma
Mya felt herself blush as her friends laughed again. It was true, but she didn’t want to admit it out loud. In fact, this was the first night since she’d started seeing the Adaro brothers that she wasn’t with one of them. Maddox, Daimon and Tavius hadn’t been happy when she’d informed them that she was having dinner with the girls, but they’d just have to deal with it. She needed to talk to her friends. Pia, Reva and Kahla had more experience with males, and she needed their advice…desperately.
“It’s not that. I mean it’s partly that, but I…” Mya paused as the server brought their drinks and a large platter of appetizers to the table. She took a large gulp of the potent Helios drink they had all ordered, then winced as the alcohol burned slightly going down her throat. “I’m with them all the time, but I still don’t really understand them.”
“Honey, it’s only been a week. Give it time,” Pia said gently. “I’ve been bonded to Ryland and Mikal for years, and there are days I feel like I’m still figuring them out.”
“I know, but it’s just that…they say things. Sweet things that makes it seem like this is more than just us having fun, but then again, we really don’t talk. I mean, I ask questions all the time, but I feel like I’m pulling teeth or something getting them to really talk to me. You know I don’t have any real experience with relationships. Is this how it always is in the beginning?”
Kahla frowned. “Some males have issues talking about things, and my cousins would be at the top of that list. You shouldn’t feel like your bothering them if you want them to talk to you, though.”
“I’m in love with them,” Mya blurted out in a soft whisper as if she were confessing some sin.
There was a moment of silence, then Pia said, “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
Tears stung Mya’s eyes. She didn’t know how to explain to her friends that she didn’t know if it was good or bad yet. Since the first night she’d been with Maddox, she’d spent every night with one of the brothers, but never together. Part of her felt as if they passed her to the next when they didn’t want to deal with her or they were busy.
Did they think a plural relationship meant they only had to put in a fraction of the work? Maybe that wasn’t fair, but they rarely explained what they were doing when they weren’t with her. She’d always thought that when she fell in love, the males she was with would share everything with her. That they’d talk about their hopes and dreams, and share how their days had been when they were apart and make plans together for their future.
But did she even have a future with the Adaro brothers to talk about?
The words came pouring out of Mya as she explained the situation. She’d never had a problem talking to Pia about her feelings, and she trusted Reva and Kahla, and valued their advice. It was vital that she figure out if she was just being overly sensitive, or if it was some strange Krytos relationship thing that she simply didn’t understand.
“So, they’re sharing you, but not sharing with you,” Reva stated when Mya was done with her rambling explanation.
“Yes!” Mya exclaimed. Reva had summed up why she was so upset in one sentence. Why couldn’t she have figured that out on her own? Pushing that thought aside, she added, “Maybe I’m overreacting, but I can’t be in love with them if they’re only with me while they wait for some Krytos female to come along.”
“Ask them what’s going on, then,” Reva told her.
“I can’t do that!” Mya said sounding horrified.
“Why?” Reva and Kahla asked at the same time.
“Because…just because.”
Kahla rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that clears it up.”
“I understand,” Pia said sympathetically. “Some human women have a hard time talking about feelings because some men are commitment phobic. To be fair, some women don’t like talking about where a relationship is going either.”
“Humans are strange creatures,” Reva muttered.
Kahla nodded in agreement. “They really are.”
“I wish I could talk to them about this, but I don’t know how,” Mya admitted. “Last night, I heard them talking about who was going to come with me while we were at dinner, like it was some sort of chore on their list of tasks for today. Watch out for Mya, check. I wouldn’t have even known about it if I hadn’t overheard them while I was in the bathroom before Maddox and I went to sleep.”
Kahla frowned. “You only sleep with Maddox?”
Mya shook her head. “Every night we switch off who I sleep with. Sometimes I wonder if they made up a schedule and have it posted somewhere.”
“I don’t know if I like the sound of that,” Pia said darkly. She knew that Mya wasn’t the type of woman who could be happy with that type of relationship. If she was all in, then she needed her partners to be all in as well.
“I still don’t get it,” Reva announced. “If you don’t like something they’re doing, how can this get cleared up if you don’t ask?”
Deciding to be honest, Mya said, “Because I love them, but I can’t force them to love me back. And hearing that they don’t would hurt too much. They said they were courting me, but—”
“Wait…what? Hold on!” Kahla held her hand up in the air. “My cousins said they were courting you? Mya, they’ve announced their intentions to mate you. You don’t have to worry about them returning your feelings.”
Mya goggled at her. “They what?”
“When a Krytos male courts a female, it is a tradition done with the intention of mating. They don’t do it if they’re just after a quick fuck or just enjoying a female’s company for a little while.”
Mya’s head reeled. “But…but…why haven’t they said anything to me about it?”
“Because males are stupid?” Reva asked.
Kahla nodded. “Yes, they are. If my cousins want you as their tava, then—”
“There’s that word again!” Mya exclaimed. “I keep asking them what it means, but they won’t tell me. I tried to look it up, but I haven’t been able to find a definition.”
“And you won’t. It was never put into the language converter database because it’s a sacred Krytos word that humans don’t need to know about since they’d never use it. Damn them,” Kahla growled. “They called you their tava? Males really are stupid.”
“What does it mean?” Mya asked nervously. “Is it bad?”
“Tava is the name that a Krytos would use for his mate, but only if they are the alpha of the pack. A basic definition is alpha mate,” Kahla explained in an angry growl.
“Holy shit…” Pia breathed out.
“I totally wasn’t expecting that,” Reva agreed.
Mya blinked at all of them, then focused on Kahla again. “Does that mean…?”
“Oh, yeah,” Kahla said with a curt nod. “Congratulations, Mya. My idiot cousins mated you, and didn’t bother to tell you. Welcome to the pack, alpha.”
***
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“This…I…it can’t be!”
Mya stood up so quickly that her chair almost fell over.
“Oh, it is,” Kahla countered. “And I hope you kick their asses for not telling you.”
Tavius was across the room a few seconds later, snarling at his cousin, Reva and Pia as he pushed Mya behind him as if to shield her. “What have you done?”
Mikal and Ryland appeared behind Pia, both men placing a protective hand on her shoulders. “Don’t yell at our chosen.”
“They did something to upset Mya,” he growled.
Mya shifted and poked him in the chest. “They didn’t upset me. You did.”
Confusion broke through his anger. “What have I done?”
“You mated me without telling me?” Mya hissed. “How could the three of you do that? Why didn’t you say something?”
Her questions had begun in a whisper, but ended on a shout. She glanced around, noticing that the rest of the people in the restaurant had gone silent. Everyone was staring at her, but she didn’t give a dam
n if she sounded like a shrew.
She was pissed, and she wanted answers…now.
“Mya—”
“No. Not here. I want to talk to you, Maddox and Daimon in private. Right now.”
Tavius gave her a curt nod, then held out his hand to her. It was petty, but Mya ignored his offered hand as she stomped past him, heading for the entrance. Anger burned through her like a laser, but by the time they made it to the VIP elevators, her anger faded to a mixture of confusion, disbelief, happiness and a healthy dose of hurt.
Wounded feelings aside, she was elated that they wanted to have a life together, but what kind of life would that be if they couldn’t talk to her about important things?
When the elevator door opened on the second level, Maddox and Daimon were standing in the hallway, both of them looking grim. She was aware that Tavius had contacted both of them on his wrist unit during the walk from the restaurant.
Fighting to keep her voice calm, she said, “I’d like to speak to you in your suite.”
Once they were in the living room, she moved to face all three of the brothers. “I have something I want to say to you, and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to get it all out if you interrupt me, so I want you to let me finish before you say anything.” She looked at them expectantly, but the three of them just stared at her intently. “Well?”
“You asked us not to speak,” Daimon reminded her quietly.
Right.
Mya began to pace the length of the room as she tried to figure out how to begin. “Kahla told me what tava means,” she explained, then rushed to add, “You can’t be angry with her. You should have told me, but you didn’t, and I don’t know what that says about our relationship. How can we be together if you keep things like this from me?”
Three males growled low in their throats, and Maddox stepped forward. “Enough, Mya. I can’t stay silent when you say things like that. You said you belonged to us, and we will not let you go.”
Mya stopped pacing. Maddox wasn’t one to show his emotions, but she could clearly hear the panic in his voice now. Turning, she was struck by the intense longing and need coming from them, but it was more than that. There was love shining back at her from three pairs of dark eyes, and the sight of it amazed her.
Why hadn’t she seen it before?
She been so caught up with her own insecurities that she’d missed what had been right in front of her. They hadn’t told her how they felt about her, but then again, neither had she. They’d all made mistakes, and things would have to be different moving forward, but how could she stay angry at them when she was also to blame?
Being with them filled her with joy, and she needed to share her love with them. Her friends had been right. She needed to be open and honest with them. If she asked for what she wanted, she might be rewarded by having her greatest dream fulfilled.
But there would be no reward without the risk.
Be brave…
Staring at the three males she loved, she found the courage to open her heart. “Coming to New Vega was a big change for me. I knew I’d be taking a risk starting my new shop and living so far from everything I’ve ever known, and I thought I was ready. But nothing could have prepared me for meeting you. You are the most amazing males I’ve ever known. I love the way you care for your people, and how honorable you are. But most of all, I love who you are. I…I’ve fallen in love with you—all of you—and I—”
Suddenly, Mya found herself in Maddox’s arms, his mouth crushing down on hers. Touching him, having his strong arms wrapped around her, she could sense the love he had for her. It sunk into her, permeated every atom of her body and filled her soul. He pulled back and wiped at the tears she didn’t know had fallen down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry,” Maddox murmured. “I can’t bear to see you cry.”
“I’ve been so confused. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been in a relationship before, but I was so worried I would do something to mess this up and lose you that I’ve been driving myself crazy. I need you to talk to me. I love you so much and couldn’t stand thinking that you didn’t feel the same way about me.”
“We’re sorry, sweetheart,” Tavius said as he gently stroked a hand over her hair from behind. She turned toward him, and he leaned down to brush his lips against hers. “I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you. In my heart, I knew you were meant to be ours. We were trying not to overwhelm you by asking for too much from you too soon, but we didn’t realize how it was making you feel.”
Daimon eased her gently from Tavius’ hold, taking her in his own arms. He kissed both of her cheeks before settling his mouth on hers. “I should have known,” he said quietly as he pulled back. “You told me you were worried that I didn’t want you when I’d been holding back to give you time after being with Maddox and Tavius, and we’ve been doing the same thing by not explaining things to you again.”
He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss in the center of her palm, then curled her fingers as if holding that kiss in her fist before he held it to his chest, right over his heart. “We thought we would scare you if more than one of us was with you at a time, but that only made you even more unsure, didn’t it?”
Mya thought she should have felt closed in by having the three big males surrounding her, but she’d never felt so safe before. Being near them allowed her to sense the raw emotions pouring out of them, and she basked in the warmth of their love and desire for her. “I’m so sorry I doubted you…doubted us. I wasn’t sure you wanted a future with me since we’ve never—”
“You are our future,” Maddox said solemnly. “Come, there is something we need to show you.”
They were always saying that to her, and hearing it now made her smile. Daimon and Tavius followed behind her and Maddox as he led her passed their bedrooms toward the closed door at the end of the hallway. When he opened the door and turned on the light, Mya just blinked.
The huge bedroom was decorated in shades of gray and purple, with black furniture and silver accents. To the left was a wall of windows that showed the inky black of space. In the center of the room was a large recessed circle, down two wide steps. A huge four poster bed was positioned in the center of the circle, covered with a plum-colored bedspread. The bed was as big as a lake, with intricate carvings etched into the dark wood, and sheer silver curtains that hung around the top of the canopy.
The right side of the room was completely lined with frosted glass shelves. Spotlights in the ceiling shone down on the top level, and lights underneath each shelf shone down on the tier below. There were dozens of objects on the shelves, some that she recognized, but many she’d never seen before. “What is all this?”
“Maddox is a bit of a hoarder,” Tavius said, grinning when Maddox growled at him.
“I am not. I just like to collect things that are rare and useful.”
Tavius rolled his eyes. “Like I said. He collects things…lots of things. There is another room on the other side of the suite off the living room that is full of—”
“You are getting off topic,” Maddox said, cutting his brother off. Taking Mya’s hand, he led her over so they were standing closer to the wall of shelves. “All of these items are special to us in some way.”
Daimon stepped forward and pointed to a beautiful white statue of a goddess with her hair fanning out around her. It looked as if it was made of alabaster, but there were veins of gold shot through it that made it look like it was glowing in the light.
“This was made for us by a D’Aire that was close to our family. He helped us when we were starting New Vega, and lost his life fighting alongside our parents.” He moved his hand over toward a glass case with a feather inside it. “This is from one of his wings…as a remembrance.”
Tavius pointed to another object. “This is a Helios ceremonial knife gifted to us by a tribe leader we took in after her village was burned by another warring tribe. She and the surviving members of her tribe now run the restaurant you we
re in earlier tonight.”
Maddox reached out toward three Krytos daggers that were side-by-side on stands. He picked up the smallest one of the group and held it out for her to see. “Each Krytos carries a dagger as a symbol of what we’ve lost, but also as a vow to fight so it will never happen again. This belonged to our mother…and now it is yours.”
Mya’s breath hitched as he handed it to her. She looked up at him with wide eyes. “Maddox, why would you give this to me?”
“She would want you to have it, as welcome to our family. As a daughter. As our mate.” He cupped her face in his hands as Tavius and Daimon each placed a hand on one of her shoulders. “We didn’t tell you before now, because we wanted to give you time to choose us. You were innocent of males, and we didn’t want you to regret your decision, but there is no way we can let you go. You have our hearts and our love. We want you to be our tava, our alpha mate.”
“I want that, too,” she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I love you, all of you, and would be proud to be your mate.”
Maddox lifted Mya up into his arms and carried her down the wide steps so they were near the bed. He sat her down carefully, then took the dagger from her. “You can leave this here when you aren’t using it,” he said as he put it on top of the nightstand, then he removed his own from his belt and placed it next to hers.
“You mean this room is mine?”
“Ours,” Daimon corrected as he sat down next to her, lifting her onto his lap. “Three of us will sleep in this room each night while one of us will stay in our old room.”
She put her arm around his neck, cuddling into him. “Why?”
“Because when we are with you, we would like to rest in peace. One of us will guard the others to ensure everyone’s safety,” Maddox explained.
Mya thought that was slightly paranoid since they were on a secure level and their suite was private, but if it made them feel better, she would just go with it. She took a moment to notice the craftsmanship of the bed. “This is absolutely gorgeous…and huge. It’s a wonder you were able to get it in here.”
