by Jarica James
"Could that be the reason they picked it up? She's so strong?" Evander asked curiously, his fangs showing as he nibbled on his lip. My eyes were drawn to his lip, ignoring the conversation around me. Despite all of the hanging out we had done, they were so limited around humans, that I couldn't see the full extent of what they were. I had been curious about his feeding, and he’d once mentioned that he had to feed once a month on a living subject. I know he said the others usually offer, but what if I did?
"Evander, stop. You've got her all hot and bothered with your lip biting. We need her to focus," Tristan said, sounding amused.
"We've got to work on my blocking skills," I groaned, hating that I couldn’t even keep my thoughts to myself. My cheeks flared with embarrassment at being called out.
"Agreed, but it's so much more fun to watch you blush. Plus, it does our egos good to know how you daydream about us. Don't worry, I'll share their thoughts next time I catch one of them daydreaming about you," Tristan reassured me. The other guys huffed, making me giggle with curiosity at how they pictured me.
"We're getting derailed again. Focus, Little Psycho," Calev teased, giving me a sultry smile that was so not helping.
"What if they knew her parents? Or her parents are Citrine Knights," Lachlan asked quietly, sobering us all up with that thought.
"Fuck, I didn't even think about that. It would make sense that they’d send her outside of the community, if they were trying to hide her," Calev said, letting out a string of colorful curses under his breath.
"I get that it's a territory thing, but why are they so bad?" I asked, wanting the brunt of the ugly truth. If my parents were the bad guys, I wanted to know.
Tristan let out a long sigh, before explaining further. "They aren't bad, per se. They just believe in the purity of the races, so our kind don't die out. Even though the council has its own research team that studies the genetic side of supernaturals, and reassures us that bloodlines don't die out because of mixed pairings, they want only vampires with vampires, bears with bears," he waved his hands, "you get the idea. I'm guessing if your parents were, in fact, from the Citrine Island, then they hid you to conceal their breaking of the law. They aren't kind with their punishments, and would likely have dealt with that kind of transgression severely. It's treason in their territory. Despite the council's warning that they can't punish with death anymore, I'm sure they still have some shitty punishments in its place."
My head reeled as I tried to wrap my mind around everything he’d just told me. The thought of my parents suffering was hard to swallow, but the fact that I may have been wanted had hope blooming in my chest, even though I tried to hold it back. What if it wasn't safe to keep me? What if they spelled my magic to stay locked in, so I wouldn’t have to face that same kind of ridicule or 'shame'?
"Let's go," Evander said softly, sensing my mood and wanting a distraction. The others all got out, but Aeson didn't move, and I made no move to follow just yet.
"Don't worry, babe, we'll figure it out," he said softly, kissing my neck and making me shiver at the sensitive touch. "Thanks for earlier. I don't usually get emotional, but I can't help but hate them for what they took from me."
"Always. I'm not just here for the good times, I'm here for it all," I reassured him, gently running my hand over his jaw, before turning him to face me and pressing my lips softly against his. He wasn't one for subtlety, so he quickly deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping along my lips to beg for entrance. I gladly let him in, letting him fully taste me as I wiggled against him. His free hand stilled my hips, and a low groan came out.
"Fuck, babe. You can't tease me like this, I'll be walking around the fucking zoo with a raging boner." I snorted at his words, but stopped the movement I hadn't even realized I was doing.
"Sorry," I said quietly, nipping his bottom lip. "Let's go before the others get antsy," I joked, scooting off his lap and stepping out the door. Tristan had a grin on his face, winking at me when I stepped out. A flash of my face entered my mind, before it moved to an image of Aeson ripping my clothes off. Fuck, I guess he feels the same about me. Glad I'm not the only one thinking about how much I want them.
"You definitely aren't," Tristan whispered as Aeson groaned from inside the SUV at something Tristan said to him through their connection.
"Come on guys, I want to see the otters!" I cheered, focusing on something other than my ridiculous libido.
"She's going to kill us all," Aeson complained playfully as he climbed out of the car.
"Hey! I'm innocent," I pouted, linking my arm through Evander's and leading them to the ticket booth.
This should be a nice distraction.
April 15
Morning
Lennox
"It smells awful here, how long do we have to stay?" Tristan asked, holding his nose. Lachlan's stomach rumbled for the fifteenth time, but he just waved us off.
"My inner bear is hungry," he whispered, trying not to laugh. Me? I was focused on my second favorite part of the zoo, the penguin exhibit. Otters were definitely my top choice, though.
They kept it nice and cool in here, and they even had an overhead tank, so you could walk underneath where they swam. The zookeeper came out with a fresh bucket of fish, only making the smell worse, but the happy noises that followed had me giggling and moving to get a better view. Warm arms encircled my torso as I stepped up on the small ledge that let the little kids see better. I looked back at Aeson and smiled happily, quickly turning back to the cute little penguins dancing around for their dinner.
"You're adorable when you get excited," he hummed, leaning down to nuzzle into my hair and kiss my neck. This time, my stomach started to growl, since the muffins were hours ago at this point. "We can come back again. Come on, babe, let's get some lunch." I gave a defeated sigh, before nodding my head and hopping off of the ledge when he moved away.
"Come on, my sweet bear. Let's get you some proper food," I joked, taking Lachlan's hand and heading out of the exhibit. A giant map was located right outside, so we stopped to pick a restaurant from the few they had sprinkled throughout the place. A grin spread across my face as I spotted The Grizzly Bear Cafe. Do bears react to him the way fish react to me? I’ve gotta see this. "I want to go here."
"Good, I wanted to see the chimp exhibit, and that's on the other side of the bears," Tristan said excitedly. They could tease me all they wanted to, but their smiles and lighthearted laughs were just as adorable today, all thoughts of being followed and Citrine Knights were out of their heads.
The Grizzly Cafe was adorable. Everything was set up like a cabin in the woods, the tables and chairs carved from thick wood, and the deep red walls highlighted the wood accents perfectly. There was even a kids climbing zone to the side that had a climbing tree carved in the center and fake turf underfoot. The sounds of squeals and laughter echoed through the high ceilinged room along with the quiet chatter of the adults. Scanning the room, I spotted a long table in the back and hurried for it, dropping into a spot to claim it.
"I'm going to order some food and drinks. Aeson, Tristan, why don't you help?" Calev said quickly, leaving Lachlan and Evander to guard me and the table. Though the way his eyes scanned the room, it was more to guard me.
"Alright, Doll, where are we going on our date?" Evander asked with a smirk, trying to rile Lachlan up.
"Nah, I got first dibs. Wait your turn, pretty boy," Lachlan said, a hint of a growl rumbling in his tone. There's that possessive bear again. I wonder if sirens are possessive in nature, because I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel like they all belong to me. Ugh, still so much to learn about myself.
"We can do whatever. I'm pretty easy to amuse, and I'm hardly high maintenance," I said with a shrug, trying to end the conversation and distract myself from the sudden twist in my stomach. This will never work. I can't date five guys that are clearly all alphas in their own way. Eventually, they'll rip each other apart, and I can't be the reason they stop being friends.
"I just don't see how this can work," I said quietly, not wanting to bring down the mood, but also wanting to be honest.
"Keeping you safe? I promise we've got it under control," he reassured me, his hand taking mine. Evander reached for me under the table, resting his hand on my thigh.
"That's not it," he said, his tone gently coaxing me to continue.
"No, he's right. This... us. There's no way. Jealousy keeps popping up, and you guys were with each other way longer before becoming friends with me. I don't want to ruin that, I'd never forgive myself," I explained, looking at the rough edges of the wood and avoiding their eyes.
Evander was the first to speak, squeezing my leg slightly before explaining. "Doll, we aren't friends with you, we're your boyfriends. Let's just make that clear first. Second, we do have those instinctual, possessive sides, but that doesn't mean we want to fight over you, caveman style. You aren't ours to possess. You're not an item, you're a person. We may tease each other, or get a bit jealous, but that doesn't mean we'd throw away a friendship or walk away. Adults face problems and talk them out. Plus, at this point, we're all goners, not one of us would be willing to walk away. Fuck, I haven't seen Calev smile like that in all the years I've known him. Trust me when I say that we know each other’s limits, and we promise to never cross them just to get an edge with you."
"He's right. It's hard not to feel that pang of jealousy, but the way you look at each of us is the same. I can tell you treat us and think of us equally, and that is what makes this work. We're in this already, don't worry about problems we may or may not have. Just live in the moment, we've got this," Lachlan said as he teased the hair hanging down my back.
"Why the long faces, what's wrong?" Aeson asked as they walked up with trays full of food and cups.
"She was worried we'd stop being friends, or being with her, because we couldn’t handle the inevitable jealousy," Evander summarized.
"Oh, no worries. We get possessive, but not out of our minds jealous," Aeson said quickly, waving off the concern. He slid the only non-paper cup in the group toward me. A smile spread across my face as I took in the cute picture of an otter along with Obsidian Cove Zoo printed on it. My heart warmed at the sweet gesture.
"Thanks!" I said happily, taking a sip of the cool liquid. The drink only made my stomach rumble more, and I stared greedily at the selection of food, but paused when nobody moved.
"Ladies first, duh," Tristan teased at my confusion, my hand resting in midair over a basket of fries. I gave a shrug and picked up the fries, before grabbing one of the cheeseburgers. The others snatched what they wanted as soon as I started adding ketchup to my plate.
"So, who gets next date?" Calev asked, clearly enjoying my panic. The guys all started talking at once, before I glared at them to stop.
"Let's settle this like real men," Aeson challenged, holding his fist out. What the hell is he talking about?
"Rock, paper, scissors," Tristan said with a snort. All the guys narrowed their eyes, holding their hands out and ready. Calev was enjoying it far too much, not even bothering to hide his laughter at the sudden seriousness around us.
"Alright, on three," Calev called out, "one, two, three!"
"Fuck!" Tristan called, his paper getting beat by scissors.
"Damnit," Aeson cursed as Tristan's paper covered his rock. "How do you lose and win at the same time?!"
"I guess I'm special like that," Tristan deadpanned.
"One, two, three!" Calev called again as Lachlan and Evander battled. Both ended up with the same sign.Two rounds later, Evander finally won, letting out a loud whoop that brought the whole room to silence.
"Rock, paper, scissors champion!" he called, giving silly bows all around. The other people in the room started to go back to their own conversations as he sat back down.
"Way to make a huge scene," Lachlan said, pouting. "I called second dibs, this is bullshit."
"Would a kiss make up for it?" I asked with a laugh, unable to resist his adorable pout.
"It couldn't hurt," he said quickly, playing up the pouting even more as he leaned in. His hand tightened in my hair as he moved his lips against mine. The kiss was soft and slow, building in heat until I felt like I was going to combust. Images of climbing him like a tree spun through my mind, and if we weren't in a restaurant, I couldn't have been held accountable for my actions.
'Fuck, she's perfect,' Lachlan's voice filtered into my mind, this time only him and Tristan in the mix, before I was alone again. I smiled into his kiss, giving Tristan a wink when I pulled away.
"Damn, that was hot," Aeson mumbled, his eyes wide as he took a bite of his burger and avoided eye contact with everyone for a moment.
"This is a family establishment, you guys need to keep it down and control yourselves," a middle aged woman with a mom haircut said, a look of disgust on her face. Either that, or her face permanently looked like she just ate a lemon.
"Excuse me? Other than one outburst, we’re just talking," I said with narrowed eyes. I'll be damned if she talks down to my guys.
"And making out with him," she sneered, her eyes narrowing on my and Evander's intertwined hands as she spoke. I'm not sure if it was to keep him or me calm. "I know that your generation loves to be different and do these poly relationships, but we don't need our kids to witness you all over them." Is she seriously slut shaming me right now?
"I'll do what I want, with who I want, Susan. Just because I kissed my boyfriend, not even making out with him, you feel entitled to insert yourself into our lives. You are the one making the scene here, not us. Don't you dare come over here and slut shame me because you live a miserable life," I challenged.
"My name isn't Susan?" she said, confusion taking over her features. Calev took advantage of the moment, standing and gathering our trash before throwing it in the nearby trash can, the rest of us standing to follow him out. The woman continued to stand there in confusion as we left the building, our laughter bursting free as soon as we got outside.
"You broke poor Susan back there," Lachlan wheezed around his laughter. "Though, it's kind of hot when you stick up for us." I snorted at his ridiculous statement, unable to stop myself.
"It's hot when I lose my temper?" I asked, resting my hands on my hips.
"No, it's hot when you put someone in their place for messing with your guys," Aeson confirmed with a cocky smirk.
"Well, then people shouldn't say shit about you in front of me," I mumbled, heading for the grizzly display.
"Would you have reacted if you were with anyone else?" Evander asked, not letting it go.
"No," I answered back with an eye roll. Nobody else in my life ever mattered to me.
"Oh my god, my heart," Lachlan said, clutching his chest dramatically. "Though I'm sorry you’ve been alone for so long, I'm kind of glad that we get to be the ones to show you how great the world can be, and how you should be treated." My cheeks flushed as soon as I realized why he was being dramatic.
'Damn you, Tristan,' I sent to him, feeling embarrassed that they had to hear one of my darker thoughts.
'Sorry, Sweetheart. I just wanted you to realize you don't have to be alone anymore,' he sent back, and I could read his emotion behind it. The anger at my former life, the excitement about our life together, and his happiness at seeing me enjoy things, all had tears threatening to burst out.
"Dammit," I mumbled, swiping at my eye and stomping ahead. I had a bad habit of refusing to cry in front of people, and they’d already had to witness it once. I knew they wouldn’t judge me for it, but old habits and all that. Nobody said anything while I regained my composure; instead, Calev walked up to me, throwing his arm around my shoulders and squeezing me in a side hug, before steering me into the bear exhibit. "Will they react like the fish did?" I whispered to Calev, not wanting the crowd around us to listen in.
"Nope, just wait," he said with a chuckle, moving us to a free space in front of the glass. He pulled me out of the way as Lachlan stepped up next to us, a grin on his face. The bears all seemed to sense him, stopping in their play and scanning the glass slowly, until their eyes stopped on us. The male bear ambled over, his body hunched low as he slowly approached his prey. A warning growl tore from his powerful mouth, loud enough to be heard through the glass. He came closer, his hair standing up like a mohawk as he showed his teeth to Lachlan, pacing back and forth on the other side. Lach, of course, just smiled back, maintaining eye contact with the bear as he came over to me and kissed my cheek. The bear calmed at that, apparently no longer seeing Lach as a threat.
"That was weird, I've never seen him get territorial here. I'm sorry, sir," a zoo worker said, looking completely shocked as he stepped through the crowd. "He's sweet enough that his keeper can go in and out of his exhibit."
"It's alright, something about me must have just set him off. You never know with wild animals," Lachlan said in a serious tone, leading us away.
"Well, I didn't really expect that," I said, giving Lach a playful shove. "You shouldn't taunt the poor thing."
"Hey, I did nothing! I didn't even pull my bear forward this time," he said defensively, holding his hands up.
"Hey! Pictures, come on!" Aeson called, pulling me away from Lach and dragging me to the photo backdrop. A photographer stood in front, waiting for us to all get in place and directing us to stand closer.
"Alright, say an animal on three! One, two, three!" he shouted as Tristan and Aeson each kissed my cheeks. I started cracking up as soon as he lowered his camera. "Pickup is over there!" We followed his directions to the nearby booth, Aeson handing over his card and asking for six copies. He handed them out to each of us, letting us see before tucking them back in the envelope for safe keeping. The picture was perfect. My smile was huge and genuine as they kissed my cheeks. Calev had a small smirk on his face, Evander a bright smile, and Lachlan with his boyish grin. It was perfect.
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