Page 25 of Shared by the Werebears (Hidden Hollow #5)

“Right.” Ronan nodded. “And we paid Locasta back as well as we were able.”

“What about the other guilt?” I asked softly. “The fact that you felt bad about sharing me with Finn? About the three of us giving each other pleasure?”

Ronan looked down at the mossy floor of the cave.

“I don’t know about that,” he said in a low voice. “I don’t feel as guilty as I did, but it’s still hard to get over what I was taught my whole fucking life.”

“That’s what we’re here for—to help you.” I put an arm around his waist and Finn slid an arm around his Clan mate’s broad shoulders. We gave him a hug at the same time.

After a moment, Ronan slid his long arms around both of us and joined in the embrace. I felt the emotions of both my guys—cautious hope and elation from Finn and tentative desire and longing from Ronan. He wanted to be with us—he just wasn’t sure he ought to want it, I could tell.

Standing on my tiptoes, I placed a lingering kiss on his mouth. Then I turned and did the same for Finn.

“You two,” I told them both when I broke the kiss. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to find you.”

“Aw, Goldie…” Ronan rumbled at the same time Finn said,

“We needed you too.”

“Well, well…enough of this!” Whimsy flitted around our heads, breaking the moment. “I know how it is with Succubi! In another minute the three of you will be on the floor making the beast with two backs. Or in this case, three backs.”

“Sorry.” Ronan’s cheeks went dull red with embarrassment and he took a step back, breaking our three-way embrace. But he had been willing to hug Finn and me in the first place—that counted as progress in my book.

“Why don’t you tell us about the other magical objects we can choose from?” I asked Whimsy. “The mirror is good but what else have you got?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” he buzzed. “Very well, behold the second magical item.”

He flitted back over to the moonstone pedestal and hovered over the second in the line of glowing objects. Behind him on the wall, the letters changed again.

“Behold!” he squeaked proudly, “ Item 2: The Cloak of the Wildling!”

As he spoke, the second item unfolded itself and hovered above the pedestal. It was a dark green velvet cloak, embroidered all over with strange and mystical looking glyphs done in pure silver thread.

Finn seemed drawn to the silver-threaded cloak, hanging in midair as if worn by an invisible man.

“I like the look of that!” he exclaimed, taking a step towards it.

Whimsy flew up and plucked at its edge with his four tiny hands.

“Cloak of the Wildling. Makes you one with the woods. Can mask scent, sound, sight—basically a full predator package. Go ahead, bear-boy—try it on. It won’t bite!”

Ronan raised one eyebrow skeptically but Finn was already pulling the cloak out of the air. He tugged the heavy velvet mass over his shoulders and swirled the dark green fabric around him.

Instantly, he vanished.

I gasped. So did Ronan.

“Hey—what the fuck did you do to my Clan mate?” he demanded, glaring at Whimsy. “Where is he?”

“Where did he go?” I asked.

But then I felt a warm hand stroke my cheek, even though I couldn’t see it. I whirled around.

“Finn? Is that you? ”

“Still here, sweetheart,” Finn’s voice murmured in my ear, deep and fond and full of that unwavering devotion I was beginning to rely on more and more.

There was a swoosh of motion and a moment later Ronan put a hand to his face and growled,

“What the fuck? Who kissed me?”

“Me, of course.”

Finn pulled the cloak off, reappearing with a grin.

“Neat trick, don’t you think?”

“Right—if you like scaring us to fucking death,” Ronan said.

I could sense that he had been genuinely worried about Finn. He regarded the slightly younger male as his responsibility now that Thorne was gone and there was deep, genuine affection between them.

“The cloak only works in the forest,” Whimsy told us. “But I must show you more before you choose.”

“Fine.” Finn folded the cloak carefully and placed it back on the pedestal. “What’s next?”

“Yeah—let’s move on,” Ronan agreed.

On the wall behind the pedestal, the golden letters changed again. This time they said:

Item 3: The Cup of Endless Yearning

“This one,” Whimsy said, hovering above a large golden chalice studded with gleaming gems, “is dangerous . The Cup of Endless Yearning fills with anything you desire—food, drink, blood, whatever. But it will never satisfy you. Perfect for Succubi with issues.” He made a buzzing, tinkling sound that I was sure was his version of laughter.

I wrinkled my nose.

“Very funny.”

“You could drink for days and you’d enjoy the experience but you’d never get real nourishment,” Whimsy continued. “Still, it’s a nice way to pass the time. ”

The illusion on the wall showed a woman—beautiful and apparently extremely thirsty—drinking endlessly from the large golden chalice.

She tilted it towards her mouth but I couldn’t see what was coming out.

Whatever it was, it must have been delicious because she drank and drank—her long white throat working endlessly as she swallowed.

But it was clear whatever was in the chalice wasn’t quenching her thirst.

Suddenly, the cup began to grow. It got larger and larger until she could no longer hold it in her hands. She leaned forward, desperate to keep drinking…and then she fell in.

The cup continued to grow at an alarming rate. The woman flailed around inside, reaching for the top edges but she couldn’t get to them. She was drowning in some dark, sticky liquid like tar. At last, it closed over her head and she was gone—presumably drowned.

“Ugh!” I whispered, shivering. “No thank you!”

Whimsy nodded solemnly. “Smart girl. No one escapes the Chalice in the end. Very well then, let’s move on.”

The golden letters on the wall behind the pedestal shimmered and rippled again forming into a new configuration?—

Item 4: The Crown of the Shifting Moon, they said.

I leaned forward to look at the fourth magical item. It sat on a black velvet pillow, shimmering with opals and pearls which completely encrusted it.

“This one gives you temporary power to sway minds, reshape instincts, seduce or command with lunar force,” Whimsy said, flittering around it enticingly. “Good for queens. Or for extremely bad decisions. It only works during the full moon,” he added.

Ronan took a step back.

“Hell no—we’re not touching that one.”

“Yeah—our Ursine cycle is already tied to the moon,” Finn agreed. “We don’t need to fuck with that.”

“Look!” I pointed at the wall.

The vision was new—it showed a brown-eyed woman wearing the crown on her head.

It was perched on her long black hair. She was speaking, commanding entire armies which dropped to their knees before her.

But as she spoke, the color leached from her eyes and hair and skin, turning her slowly but surely into a pale, almost see-through wraith.

In the end, she faded entirely away and there was nothing left but the crown, lying on the ground where she had been standing.

“Tempting, but no,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t need to command armies—I just want help running my diner.”

“Very well then,” Whimsy buzzed. “Let us move on to the last item on our list.” He flitted over to the final item on the pedestal and the letters behind him changed again. “I give you…

Item 5: The Veil of the Goddess,” he announced in his high voice. “Well, come and see—it won’t hurt you!” he added, beckoning to us with all four hands.

Ronan and Finn and I came closer and looked down at the final object. The Veil of the Goddess was a piece of folded silk so sheer it looked woven from starlight. It glimmered with magic—I could feel it’s power prickling the short hairs on the back of my neck.

“Fuck,” Ronan breathed and Finn just stared.

Whimsy grew quiet.

“The Veil is Old Magic—old and deep,” he said in a hushed voice.

“Yes, but what does it do?” I asked, frowning.

Whimsy shook his tiny head.

“It doesn’t do anything…until you’re ready for it. Doesn’t tell you what it does until you need it. All I know is it can only be activated by true union… heart, body, and soul. And when you need it, you’ll know—it will tell you.”

The wall behind him rippled and flickered—but no vision appeared.

Nothing but the veil, gently fluttering in the still air.

I stepped closer, my heart thudding. I didn’t need a vision. I could feel its power—coiled like breath waiting to be exhaled. I knew .

“This is the one,” I said softly. “This is what we need. ”

“Suit yourself,” Whimsy chirped, but there was something reverent in his tone. “I think you’ve made a wise choice.”

“Is it safe to touch it?” Ronan asked, putting a hand on my arm as I reached for it.

“Oh yes—as I said, it’s magically inert until you need it,” Whimsy assured us. “It can also be folded infinity times to fit anywhere you need to put it.”

“Well…all right. Let’s see about that,” I murmured. I picked up the square of folded fabric. I could tell if I unfolded it, it would be vast—a shimmering swath of whisper-thin silk. But I didn’t want to risk harming it. So instead, I folded it again…and again and again.

I kept expecting it to get too bulky to fold any more, but it didn’t.

Whimsy was right—I could have kept folding until it disappeared completely.

I didn’t want to do that, though—I stopped when the Veil of the Goddess was the size of one of those little packets of tissues you keep in your purse.

I pushed it into my jacket pocket, along with the miniature tent Goodie A had given me and zipped it up to be sure I wouldn’t lose it.

When I was finished, I looked up at the wall.

The script shimmered and shifted one final time.

YOU HAVE CHOSEN. THE REST SHALL FADE , it read.

And one by one, the other artifacts dissolved into motes of light, leaving only the Veil, warm and pulsing with quiet, sacred power in my pocket.

The three of us stood there for a long moment, each of us holding our thoughts. I could feel wonder and uncertainty coming from both my guys. Ronan looked suspiciously at Whimsy.

“Well…now what?”

“Now what? Now you go!” Whimsy flittered in a glittering circle around our heads. “And the Vault of Dreams resets for the next Supplicant.”

“Oh…well, thank you,” I said to him, nodding. “We appreciate your help…and the magical item. ”

“Remember—it will let you know the right time to use it,” the little flitterling said. “Now go—the way out is open for you but it won’t last forever.”

As he spoke, the moss-covered shoot we’d all slid down in the first place rippled. In the place of the slick moss, sturdy stone stairs formed. They led up and out of the cave, back to the forest.

“All right—let’s go. I’ll lead the way and you take the rear,” Ronan said to Finn. “Keep Goldie between us.”

I realized they were keeping me safe and I felt a warm glow. Between them was exactly where I belonged—I knew it. I was beginning to think that these two were meant to be my Heartmates…I just hoped they agreed.

“Goodbye,” Finn said over his shoulder, as we trooped up the stairs.

But there was no answer. Either Whimsy was tired of talking to us or he had gone back to his little hidey-hole to rest. Either way, we emerged from the cave and then, as Finn stepped out, the hole in the forest floor closed. A moment later, it looked like any other piece of ground.

“Well, that was fucking interesting,” Ronan growled as we looked around and reoriented ourselves towards Hidden Hollow.

“I wonder how we’ll use the Veil?” Finn murmured.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged and gave them both a smile. “But I have a feeling we’re going to find out. First, though, we need to get back home.”

“Home?” Ronan raised his eyebrows.

“My home,” I said, clarifying. “Though…it could be your home too—both of you. If you wanted it to be. You don’t have to answer right away,” I added quickly, seeing the uncertain look on Ronan’s face. “But after everything we’ve been though, well, it just feels like we belong together. You know?”

“I know.” Finn smiled down at me, his face open and warm. “I know exactly what you mean, and I feel the same way, baby.” He looked hopefully at Ronan. “Don’t you feel it, too? ”

The big Were got a guarded look on his face.

“We’ll see,” he growled. “For right now, let’s break this fucking curse. Then we can discuss long-term living arrangements.”

Finn and I shared a look. It seemed to be the best we were going to get out of Ronan…at least for now.

“All right, boys,” I said. “Let’s go home.”

And we turned toward the twinkling lights of Hidden Hollow.