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Week Two

“H ave a delightful trip, guys!” The elder Atwaters wave as they step into their vintage Bentley and I sigh heavily.

After spending the last two days focused on sports physicals and ‘pre-emergence’ consultations, I’m wiped. I wouldn’t have added Miranda Atwater to my schedule last minute except she and her husband are going on a supe cruise that leaves tomorrow, and she wanted to ensure she had the right mix of travel meds to keep her from succumbing to any of the germs that enclosed spaces breed. Being older animal shifters, they’re far more susceptible to some of the nasty bugs, and I’d feel like absolute shit if they got ill because I didn’t want to extend my long day.

Of course, if any of the hoity-toity townspeople would book things ahead, they wouldn’t be left scrambling at the last minute, but that’s never going to happen.

My time isn’t nearly as valuable as theirs.

Glancing at my watch, I see the text from Jolene pop up and I frown. Why is she calling an ‘emergency meeting’ at her place? Shouldn’t we be headed home soon, anyway? Lucy might have to finish up at the farm, but we’d be heading there soon enough, except for…

Ah, she’s added Boone into the mix.

I chuckle to myself, closing up the office and heading out to my car. Like I told Lucy, I’m not opposed to sharing Magpie at all—even with that grouchy asshole Boone—as long as she doesn’t feel weird about it. So far, she seems to acclimate, but the pains of her past are making it take longer. Wolfie and I know about that, and so our goal is to be as easygoing as possible. If Jolene needs people she can lean on, we will be that for her.

But her text sounded almost… panicked. Did she stumble on something she shouldn’t have seen yet?

I pull into her driveway within minutes, noting Edgar’s fancy Cobra is already here. We haven’t had a real discussion about the three of us and how we’ll keep Jolene from getting ganged up on by the vicious crowd around here, but I think I can count on him to help. Lucy said Boone’s hound claimed her, and that bond will supersede any other tie—he won’t be able to resist protecting his mate, even if the bond isn’t complete until all of their supe sides have claimed. Since magpie hasn’t had even one emerge yet, that’s going to be interesting, but no one has ever accused me of taking the road more traveled.

In fact, typically I’m accused of taking the hard way on purpose.

Memories of the past, my parents, and the shifter I lost during my Guardian training in China flood me, and I have to pause for a moment to gather myself. My kind are rare, our powers are coveted, and they use us for assignments that are beyond our ability to solve. It leads to a lot of tragedy, and pairing that with my brief stint as a failed Guardian, I have a lot of baggage that only Lucy knows about. If we are to be mates, Jolene will have to know as well, and I am not looking forward to opening that wound again.

Shaking my head as I slide out of my vintage Mercedes, I consider how important it is to maintain a specific veneer in this town—both to keep us hidden from the humans, but also to teach the young hybrids and supes how to protect themselves when they leave. Jolene was never taught that, it seems, but she worked her way through several universities, countries, and an influential society consulting gig for years. She didn’t even have the Irish lass until she moved to Europe, but she settled herself in every location like a chameleon blending into the background.

I wonder if that’s a clue to one or more of her supernatural sides? Does she have the species who can influence emotions and appearance?

Project Chimera keeps meticulous records, and perhaps it’s time I request access to the worldwide historical archives. The glut of species that have been written off as ‘fading’ or ‘extinct’ simply because they have not recorded a pure blood group or birth doesn’t mean there aren’t rarities hiding all over the world. If they are inter-mixing with other supes, they would likely drop their children in an enclave without so much as a backward glance. Many of the unemerged or even ‘lost ones’ could be hybrids of royals or species we haven’t witnessed in decades—including my magpie.

I approach the door on that worrisome thought, deciding I’ll need to do a deep dive into the archives to be prepared for anything. As for the meeting they summoned me for, I hope it’s not bad news. Lucy and Boone are already inextricably connected to her, and rejected mate bonds, even from an unemerged supe, are notoriously difficult to treat successfully. None of us are spring chickens, and with our life spans, it would make for a great deal of miserable years in the future. Hellhounds and Fae are not short-lived supes.

The door flies open, and the girl in question throws her arms around me, squeezing tightly. “Prez!”

Okay, then. Not what I expected, but I’ll take it.

Smiling at her gently, I sniff for alcohol surreptitiously, and when I don’t catch the scent, my body relaxes. I’m not sure why she’s suddenly so affectionate, but I will not complain about it, either. When she lets go, she gestures to the stairs, not waiting for me to follow as she ascends. “Not that I’m opposed to going to your nest, magpie, but I’m curious why a meeting with all three of us is being held up there?”

She pauses, looking over her shoulder and giving me a blinding smile. Her eyes are full of heat and mischief, and for a second, I completely lose track of my thought process. My breath catches, and I can feel the thumping of my heart inside of my chest like a drumbeat.

“We have things to discuss, McSteamy. Follow me and you’ll see.”

I rub my chest as I follow her, knowing that the source of my powers is awakening. Reiki is my caladrius’ name—all of our bird’s name themselves when we emerge—and he is very interested in this situation. Jolene is not ready for the truth, but it’s rarely that my bird takes an interest in anyone. The last time was when I met Lucy, and since we became a couple, Reiki has remained quiet.

Jolene has piqued his interest and I don’t know what it means.

As I follow Magpie into her bedroom, I seek Lucy first, feeling relieved when his warm energy touches me from across the room. He arches his brow, and I know he can feel Reiki just under my skin. Shifters, even mythical ones like me, always have a sense of how close to shifting they are. When your animal is just under your skin, emotions can supersede years or even centuries of control, forcing a change because the primal part of you demands to be set free. Every shifter species has their own relationship with their inner beasts—sentience seems to be more common to rare or higher tier shifters than common ones.

That being said… strong family lines in one’s genetic influence and hybrids are completely unpredictable because the Society can’t trace their lineage.

Our girl could have many powers or capabilities and until they appear, we won’t have a clue what to expect.

“I asked you to meet me here because we need to set some ground rules,” Jolene says. She’s twisting her fingers nervously, but her expression is determined. “I’ve never… well, I’ve done some of this before, but not like this. You’ll have to be patient with me.”

Lucy pushes off the wall, tilting his head. I can tell he’s trying to get a read on her emotions without losing control of anything and it makes me smile. The entire time I’ve known Wolfgang, he’s only lost control of his features this way when we first started dating, and it’s adorable that he’s having the same trouble with our girl. Boone watches him impassively, clearly waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don’t blame him; Lucy takes Jolene’s hand and tugs her to the bed without a smidge of protest.

“Just talk to us, sugarplum. What has you in knots?”

She clasps his hand tightly, then raises her eyes to me and then to Edgar. “I want to define our situation. This is the first time since college that I’ve even considered having people in my life regularly—I mean, outside of Seer, which isn’t the same. That story is long and I’ll share it with you later, but it taught me to be guarded. So you three are the first people—male or female—to stay in my life for more than a night in years.”

All three of us look as if she smacked us in the face with a sack of flour, and the room is silent for a moment. I believe we all suspected that magpie hasn’t allowed anyone but her Guardian to get close to her based on the stories they’ve told so far, but this candor is surprising. She’s struggled with our assimilation into her life, and despite Lucy and I making it as easy as possible, it was apparent that she was scared. Admitting that she wants us all here and asking us to commit to her has to be terrifying. I open my mouth to speak, but before I can get a word out, Boone crosses the room and drops to one knee in front of her.

What in the actual fuck is he doing?!

“Tell us what you need, drugar ,” he murmurs as he looks up at her.

I know I’m gaping, but so is Lucy, so I don’t feel as bad. Edgar is the biggest alphahole in this fucking town, and I’ve never seen him date a woman more than once, much less ask her to tell him what to do. No one will ever believe this happened; it’s like a miracle in real time. I take a breath to shake off my disbelief, then I manage to say, “I agree. We need to know what you want, Jolene.”

The pout she gives me when I use her real name makes my chest tighten and I rub it absently as I watch her. Her hand flexes in Lucy’s briefly, and she looks down at Boone before she murmurs, “This is hard for me. It requires trust I’m not sure I’m capable of, and vulnerability I never show. But… I want this,” she gestures at us awkwardly, “to work. I want all of you, and I won’t settle for less. I don’t know why, because I haven’t wanted anyone to stay around since Trevor. I’ve been happy taking what I need and moving on. The thought of anyone touching any of you has my gut twisted into knots, though.”

I don’t know who the hell Trevor is, but he’s a dead man when we figure it out.

One glance at Boone confirms my vengeful promise, and even Lucy has a hard set to his mouth. None of us care that this douche hurt our girl in the past—when we locate him, he’ll pay.

“Sugarplum, you know what I told you at the farm,” Lucy says, squeezing her hand before bringing it to his lips. “I’m yours.” I arch a brow, and he chuckles. “And Prez’, of course.”

I smile at that. I wouldn’t have assumed his declaration negated our relationship, but my darling boy can’t help but make certain that everyone he cares about knows it.

Boone nods, taking her other hand in his. “ Drugar , I told you yesterday how I felt.”

“Well, you apologized for leaving me alone to wonder if I was going to end up getting roasted on social media. And you intimated that your bullying had to do with your parents, and you regretted it. But you didn’t say what you felt.” Her chin lifts and I can feel the air in the room change as she steels herself for disappointment.

She wouldn’t have to do that if we could tell her that Boone wouldn’t leave his mate in a million years, but that information is still classified.

“Tilly, I’ve always liked you. I wanted to be a part of your life from the minute I first saw you—there were extenuating circumstances. Both of our parents were less than thrilled at our connection. You probably can’t remember…”

The expression on his face is painful, and I decide to save him before his head explodes. He doesn’t need to give her his entire history since they graduated any more than Lucy or I do. But I’ll throw my hat in the ring if it keeps him from having to dance around the formal matchmaking shit the elites here do when their children don’t find fated mates while away at school.

“I played around a lot after college, too. I traveled through Asia extensively for work before I settled here. I understand the appeal of having no ties, no one to hurt you, and nothing to hold you back. However, I knew when I saw you telling a story to a harpy eagle you were terrified of moments before that I couldn’t let you get away. I don’t know where we’re all going, but I’m on board, even if the crew gets bigger.”

After all, we have no idea what she is, and some supes take a lot of mates to ensure the continuity of their species.

I’m not sure if Jolene’s little harem is complete with the three of us—something about her tells me it’s not. Lucy and Boone give me curious looks, but I shrug. I am the doctor, after all, and I’m a fairly good read. She needs to know that if she feels tugged toward another, we won’t lose our minds and leave.

“I’m happy to share,” Lucy whispers, giving her a shy smile. “I want you to be happy, sugarplum.”

I simply could not love this man more. He’s sweet enough to poison a diabetic, and wicked enough to satisfy a demon at the same time.

“For fuck’s sake…” Edgar sighs and rolls his eyes. “I’m not threatened by these idiots or anyone else you decide to take a shine to. I know what I want.”

His hand reaches up, and he runs his fingers over a mark on her neck that I know she can’t see. She shivers, and I take note: she can feel the touch of a mate on their mark. I glare at him and he shrugs, clearly unperturbed by my frustration with his manipulation of that particular trigger. Squinting at the mark near his fingers, I suck in a quiet breath when I see the shape in detail.

I expected it to be incomplete because he likely hadn’t claimed her with both of his supernatural beings. However, this mark is clearly split into thirds, and I might actually punch the son of a bitch. Being a triplásia is incredibly rare—so much so that it isn’t even taught to Guardians or docs. The control it would take to hide a third supe inside for over a decade is impressive, and I’ll have to call my mentor to discuss this further.

I only know about these uncommon hybrids because Yoshiro has served the Society for six hundred years, and his experience spans many iterations of our current structure. He only told me because they suspected they might have found a female one about twenty years ago, but it couldn’t have been Boone or Jolene. They’re too young and as far as I heard, that supe never emerged. Project Chimera tries to track all of the lost ones, but prior to its inception, intermingling was hidden.

We honestly don’t know what or who might be out there hiding in plain sight.

I wonder for a moment about Boone and whether he knows about the third side or that he’s not a real Boone heir. He has to, and perhaps that’s why he’s ready to turn his back on all of it for his new mate. The Senator would have bribed quite a lot of people to keep that knowledge under wraps, and it explains why he doesn’t showcase Edgar as much as he did when the judge was younger. It’s a big secret, and I can think of a lot of people, including ones in town, who would relish using it to their advantage.

Turning back to our girl, I murmur. “Magpie, I believe you said you’d done some of this before. I’m inclined to believe it’s not asking three idiots to be your boyfriends. What did you mean?”

Her entire face turns bright pink and I smile in delight. “I said that. But I feel like we have to address the leather elephant in the room or I’d hate myself.”

“Leather… elephant?” Edgar chokes.

Nice to know she can embarrass the fuck out of Mr. Cool.

“Yes. It may not be the greatest metaphor, but you, Teddy, have a domination fetish. Little Wolfie over there likes to be topped, and the good doctor is a switch. I’m not stupid or na?ve. If that’s going to be part of our lives, then you all need to understand me , and we will come to an agreement.”

Holy. Fuck.

Jolene may not like sharing feelings, but she has a handle on this without a doubt. Her glare tells me that she means business, and I have to recover before I answer. “Magpie…”

“Prez, she’s right. We have to say the words and you know it.” Lucy’s soft agreement makes me do another double take, and I look at them all in surprise.

Well, okay, then, small polycule of kinksters. Let’s set some limits.

Jolene looks at Lucy. “I know you said them to me, but are you comfortable with everyone else, or do you have a line?”

I wink at her, trying to ease the tension in the room. “I’m game, regardless. But I’d need express consent for anything more than typical club play—on either side of the fence.”

“Prez, y’all won’t be able to handle me.” My magpie titters as her lips curve up mischievously.

“Why is that, Tilly?” Boone is still in front of her, but I can tell he’s slipping into a darker, more dominant tone without intending to.

“I’m a switch as well, but I’m a bit… chaotic. At least, that’s what I’ve been told. I consciously decide when to submit and when to control, and it’s pretty unpredictable,” she admits.

“Sounds like a brat to me,” Boone grumbles. “I’m not worried about handling a brat,”

I bet he isn’t.

“Well, it’s more like a Power Bottom and a Brat had a baby with a god of mischief,” Jolene says. “We’re more trouble than brats and less annoying than powers. But it’s easy to figure out where I’m falling, from what I understand.”

Lucy stands and tilts his head. “Sugarplum, I’ll play however you like. I’m fairly fluid, and I don’t have a lot of lines to cross.”

That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one. Lucy’s kind is fluid as hell, and he’s comfortable with far more than I am in terms of kink. I’m a little interested to see where this conversation goes.

After all, once we’re able to let our beasts and powers loose, everything in this conversation will have to be re-negotiated.

Fucking hell. I’m going to need better restraints.