Stripes and Twin Horns

Midnight Matings

Stripes and Twin Horns The Gathering is called. The spell is cast. There is no escaping the Midnight Matings. The chaos of the Midnight Matings continues. Everyone attending the UPAC Conference has twenty-four hours to claim a mate of a different species or risk being without one forever. After this announcement, Blake and Drake see a man offering himself up and decide they want him for their own. Blake and Drake Collier are ancient unicorn shifters used to keeping to themselves. Mating Gilbert gives them a chance for true love and happiness if they can learn to put his needs before theirs. Gilbert Quinby is a raccoon shifter who has been sexually abused due to the traditions of his shifter community. Blake and Drake may be his ticket to freedom and to love. Will Blake, Drake, and Gilbert’s attendance at the UPAC Conference be a blessing for them all, or will the trauma caused by Gilbert’s horrible past be a stumbling block they may not be able to overcome? Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal Length: 35,955 words

STRIPES AND TWIN HORNS Midnight Matings

Joyee Flynn

MENAGE AMOUR MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Ménage Amour ManLove

STRIPES AND TWIN HORNS Copyright © 2012 by Joyee Flynn E-book ISBN: 1-61926-504-4 First E-book Publication: February 2012 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of Stripes and Twin Horns by Joyee Flynn from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Joyee Flynn’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Flynn’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

DEDICATION To everyone who grew up loving unicorns. I had several and I treasured them and the magic they stood for.

STRIPES AND TWIN HORNS Midnight Matings JOYEE FLYNN Copyright © 2012

Chapter 1 Blake I groaned as the ballroom broke out in complete chaos. I was so never going to hear the end of this and wanted to kick my own ass. “Don’t be rude, Drake, drink the toast. It smells good, Drake. Let’s go to the UPAC conference this year, Drake,” my twin, Drake, relentlessly mocked me. “Good job, fuck-nut. Now we’ve got to find a mate.” “In my defense we probably would have had to anyways because I would have drunk it. Or even worse, only I would have mated.” We shared a glance and shuddered. Unicorns always shared their mates. “Yeah, I guess, but now we only get one mate instead of another set of twins,” he grumbled. Also, all unicorns were born as twins so when they mated, they mated with another set of twins. Weird? Maybe, but it was our way. I nodded that I’d heard him. I just didn’t have any reply to that. At this point it was what it was. We couldn’t change what happened. Neither of us moved from where we were leaning against the far wall. For now, everyone seemed to ignore us. Or they weren’t stupid enough to try for us. We were quite large and intimidating after all,

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with our six-seven builds, dark hair, and even darker eyes. Hell, most paranormals couldn’t make out what brand of paranormal we even were. “Hey, look at this,” Drake said as he elbowed me in the arm and nodded toward a cute twink. “Do you want me?” the guy with a squeaky Southern twang asked some vampire on the hunt, tugging on his shirtsleeve. “It’s not fun if there’s no chase,” the vamp sneered and walked away. Ouch. It didn’t seem to affect the little guy, who turned and asked someone else. The man looked him over, curling up his upper lip. “I don’t do short with chub.” Wow! People were assholes. The twink was gorgeous. This went on for three more people until the cutie undid his pants and bent over. “Anyone want me?” he hollered. Talk about getting desperate. The kicker was that no one seemed to notice. Everyone was too busy trying to take what no one offered, their beasts ruling them, instead of paying attention to the one freely offering himself. It was a sad testament that so many here weren’t in control of themselves and the predators inside of them. “I like him,” Drake whispered, as if anyone here would even hear us over the noise. My twin simply wasn’t the best at talking about feelings, and the fact that he admitted to liking someone at first glance was not normally his style. “I do, too,” I agreed. We shared a look, realizing we’d found our mate. I made the first move, pushing off the wall and moving toward the twink. Drake stepped up to my side as we ate up the twenty feet from the best offering we’d ever seen. “I’ll fuck you, but I’m not keeping you,” some guy said as he reached to touch our twink’s upturned ass. “Get lost,” Drake snarled as he grabbed the unwanted intruder’s wrist and flung him across the room.

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I basically took the guy’s place, running my fingers over each cheek. “You sure you want this?” “You want me?” His soft singsong voice floated to me. “We want you if you’re willing,” Drake said firmly as he moved by his front. The twink’s head snapped up so fast he almost fell over. I caught him by the hips and moaned. He was perfect. “He’s got jiggle to his butt,” I purred. We didn’t like a man without meat on his bones or one who was so firm that there was nothing to hang on to during naked fun. “I’m willing if you don’t pick on me for being chubby,” he said sadly and went to pull up his pants. “You misunderstand me, little one. I’m not picking on you, and you’re not chubby. You’re perfect. Would you like to be ours?” I replied quickly, stilling his hands. “Okay,” he squeaked. “I’m ready.” I wasn’t sure what he meant until I pulled his cheeks further apart and saw the flesh-colored end of a butt plug. “Sweet mother of mercy, I’m going to blow,” I groaned as I wiggled it about. “Do we really want to do this here?” Drake asked as he quickly stopped someone from crashing into our mate. “Good point.” I picked up our little guy and carried him back to where we’d been standing off to the side. I moved us even further behind one of the large, gaudy potted plants. “You’re embarrassed by me?” His plump bottom lip came out in a pout. “No, baby, never,” I whispered before licking that adorable, luscious lip. “We didn’t want you to get hurt with all the crazy people around. Are you sure you want twin mates? It won’t be just one of us.” He nodded rapidly, his sparkling, light blue eyes glazing over with lust. “I just can’t believe the two of you want me.” Oh, our sweet mate had self-esteem issues. He had no idea how gorgeous he was.

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We’d fix that. “Okay, no more talking unless it’s screaming,” Drake growled as he turned our mate’s mouth to him and claimed it. I massaged his bubble butt while Drake looked as if he was trying to explore the twink’s throat. Suddenly and without any warning, there was cum all over my shirt and our mate was shaking in our arms, breathing heavily. “Holy fuck,” I groaned. Had he really just come from kissing? Drake and our mate pulled apart, the little guy still gasping for air. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, starting to fight to get away from us as his cheeks reddened with embarrassment. “It’s just no one’s ever kissed me like that before. I don’t think what I’ve gotten even counts as kisses.” “Why are you sorry?” Drake purred in his ear. He reached for my shirt and ran his fingers through the cooling cum. After making sure our mate was watching, he brought them to his lips and sucked them clean. “Mmm, delicious. I want more.” “Tell us your name, sexy,” I said seductively as I licked the shell of his ear. “Gilbert. Gilbert Quinby,” he gasped. “You got first taste. I get his ass first then,” I demanded, giving Drake a look that let him know I wasn’t kidding. “Fair enough,” he agreed before focusing on Gilbert. “Will you take care of me while Blake takes your fine, plump ass?” “Suck you off?” he asked hesitantly. “If you want,” Drake groaned. “I was just hoping for a hand job because I’m dying here.” “I’m good at sucking cock,” he announced proudly as I set him back on his feet. I shared a look with Drake. How had he never really been kissed before but was good at sucking cock? Something seemed off about that, and the moment I was thinking with my brain and not my dick again, I’d look into that one.

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Gilbert expertly got Drake’s brown dress slacks open, freed his dick, and swallowed it down in a matter of seconds. Both our eyes went wide right before Drake’s just about rolled back into his head. “Holy shit, you should feel his mouth, Blake,” my twin moaned. I shook my head. I had other plans for our mate. I pulled one side of his ass back and pulled out the plug. Then I quickly got my own pants opened and lined up my cock. I went slow to see if he was adequately slicked up. He was. Hot damn! “Oh shit,” I groaned as his ass practically sucked me in as if knowing where I belonged. I grabbed his hips, loving the little bit of padding there, and slowly pulled out before thrusting right back in. Heaven. That was the only way to describe how Gilbert felt. From the sounds my twin was making, I could tell he would use the same description. I started picking up the pace, watching where our bodies met and the slight jiggle in his ass when my thighs hit it. I was so fascinated, so wrapped up in the sensations, I was completely blindsided by my orgasm. I reached down below him and gave his cock a few tugs. “Come, baby,” I ordered. Gilbert went stiff before painting the floor with his seed. His sweet hole clamped down on me, and I cried out as my cock exploded inside of him. Lights flashed in my eyes, and I thought I was going to seriously pass out from the bliss. I pumped Gilbert full of every drop I had to give. Drake grunted, and our mate groaned. Guess he was done, too. The second Gilbert pulled off his dick, having licked it clean, I pulled us to the floor, our precious mate in my lap. “That was amazing, baby,” I cooed, nuzzling his neck. “You’re sure you want to mate us?” “Why? Did you change your mind?” he asked with a shaky voice. “Fuck that, we’re keeping you,” Drake growled as he kneeled in front of us. “You already said yes. You can’t change your mind.” It sounded mean and made Drake seem like a jerk, but I saw it for what it was. Fear. We’d shared uncountable men over the two

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millennia we’d been alive, but I’d never felt like this. And since I could feel what Drake did, I knew he agreed. “I don’t want to change my mind.” Gilbert yawned, snuggling up against my chest, turning enough so he was comfortable but still on my cock. “Nap time.” “We have to register our mating and then you can sleep, little one.” I ran my fingers gently through his light brown hair. “I’m short, not little,” he replied with another yawn. “I’m too fat to be little.” “You are not fat,” I said firmly. Drake nodded his agreement as he picked up the plug. I lifted Gilbert off of me, and my twin reinserted the plug into his hole. “I want my turn as soon as we’re on the plane,” he explained with a smile. “As long as he’s not too tired.” I raised an eyebrow at my twin, as if daring him to disagree with me. His eyes softened as he looked at Gilbert. “No, not if he’s tired. He comes first.” I nodded my approval. Unicorns were fiercely protective of their mates and always, and I mean always, put their needs first. From this moment on, Gilbert would be our first and only priority. Everything else could wait until he was tended to. We quickly righted our clothes, Gilbert’s included, and headed for the ballroom stage. I handed our mate up to Drake, who had already hopped up, careful not to jar our already-sleeping man. Then I jumped up as well. “We need to record our mating,” Drake said to the elder with the mating book as he handed Gilbert back to me. “Blake and Drake Collier take Gilbert Quinby.” “Really?” the elder asked with a sneer. “You want the fat, lazy raccoon? He was offering himself up to everyone like a common—” Drake snarled and reached across the table, grabbing the elder by the front of the shirt. “Finish that sentence and it will be your last.

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Talk badly about our mate again and this large book will find its way to your intestines. Savvy?” “Unhand him,” one of the guards demanded. “One, I’m within my rights. Elder or not, he disparaged my mate, and that’s considered a challenge. Two, what are you going to do, moron? You can’t kill us.” Drake didn’t even glance at the guy when he said it, his focus solely on the elder. “Of course I can,” the guard replied, not sounding so sure. “No, unicorns are truly immortal,” the elder said, shaking his head. But not before I saw the fear flash in his green eyes. “Enough, Drake. I want to get Gilbert home.” I also didn’t want to start a fight with the elders of UPAC. While there was only one way to kill a unicorn, and it was a closely guarded secret, that didn’t mean we should start shit wherever we went. “As soon as the elder understands that Gilbert is who we choose to mate and should be treated with respect.” “Yes, of course,” the elder stuttered as he started writing furiously in the book. He was using a quill with a ridiculously huge, white feather. “I was just shocked, was all.” “What—” Drake started to say but then gasped. Yeah, I felt it, too. The elder must have recorded our names because there was a burning pain on my right bicep. Gilbert woke with a scream, struggling in my arms and trying to reach for his ass. “It will pass, baby. It’s just the mating seal,” I whispered as I rubbed my face against his. “Hurts,” he whimpered. “We’ll kiss it better,” Drake offered with a wink. “You should, I got two!” Gilbert shot back with a pout. “Are they on your ass?” I asked with a purr. Fuck, I was hard as a rock again. The idea of my initials on that sweet ass got me going like nothing else.

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“On the side of it, almost by my hip,” he answered with a nod. “That’s where we get them but only one side normally. How come I got two?” “Because we’re not a ménage where everyone’s together. You and I are mates, but you and Drake are mates, too. He and I aren’t.” “That makes sense,” he said slowly, as if thinking it over. Then he wrinkled up his nose. “And I’m glad you’re not. That would be gross.” “Agreed.” Drake chuckled as he joined us. Guess he was done scaring the elder. “Let’s get your stuff so we can go home.” “Would you come with me? There are going to be some people who aren’t too happy I mated.” Suddenly Gilbert looked a little green around the gills. Okaaay then. “Why would that be?” I hopped down off the stage and quickly walked through the ballroom. Drake took up a flanking position to keep people off of us. I was really glad I wouldn’t be in charge of cleaning up the ballroom. The place was friggin trashed. There were abandoned glasses scattered all over the floor, most of them broken. I kept stepping in puddles of liquid that I assumed were from spilled drinks. Also, someone or someones had partially torn the drapes from their rods and the thick folds of dark green fabric hung limply from the wall. “I’m my kit’s doxy,” he mumbled. I glanced over at Drake, who shrugged. What the fuck did that mean? Gilbert buried his face in my neck, and I realized now wasn’t the time to ask him about it since it seemed to stress him out by the way he was shaking. But we’d figure out what it meant. “We don’t want you out of our sight anyways,” Drake said firmly. “It might give you a chance to escape us.” “I don’t want to run from you.” Gilbert giggled and then went serious. “I would like to know your names though. I know you’re Drake.”

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“Yeah, we’re idiots,” I grumbled. “I’m Blake Collier. Do you know what we are?” “No, but you smell funny.” His eyes went wide as he realized his slipup. “Not bad funny. I just can’t place it, but you smell good, I swear.” “We know what you meant, little one.” I chuckled. He pointed us in the direction of where he was staying, and we walked along. “It’s part of what keeps us protected so we’d prefer you not blab what we are.” “I have to tell my momma though. I tell her everything,” Gilbert said quietly, that cute lip coming out again. “Your momma is fine,” I replied gently. “We’re unicorns.” “Shut up! That’s so cool,” he exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement as he practically jumped up and down. “I didn’t know unicorns were real or that they were shifters.” “There aren’t many of us so most believe we’re legend,” Drake confirmed with a nod. “Even if they know we are real, there’s not much documentation about us so people are normally in the dark. We like it that way.” “I don’t have any friends besides my momma to tell anyways really. Well, I guess I kind of have one, but he just helps me out sometimes.” He shut his mouth so fast I wondered if he bit his tongue. Okaaay, that was weird, too. “Are you going to be able to move with us?” I asked suddenly, realizing we’d not worked out any of the logistics. “Where are you from? The elder said you’re a raccoon.” “Yes, I’m a raccoon. I’m from Kentucky, and I can move now that I’m mated. I can still visit my momma though, right?” “Of course, baby,” I answered immediately. He pointed to a door, and I set him on his feet. Gilbert pulled out a key, keeping his eyes locked on the door.

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“Good, because she’s all I have,” he whispered sadly. I exchanged a glance with Drake. We would have to discuss later if we wanted to set his mom up closer to us. “Well, we live outside Indianapolis, so we won’t be far from her,” I said gently as we followed him into the room. I bit my lip to keep a gasp inside. It was a deluxe room with three king-size beds and so much stuff that it looked as if ten people were staying there. Clothes had been thrown everywhere, and there were piles of suitcases. Some of which had been opened so their contents were spilling out. What the hell? “You are single, right?” “Yeah, I’ve never had a relationship or even a date.” Gilbert didn’t look at us as he moved about amid the mess and quickly packed his belongings into a small duffel. “Then why were you sharing a bed?” Drake growled as our mate picked a few items up off the nightstand next to the bed that had obviously been used by more than one person. “We don’t share, Gilbert.” “You won’t share me with more than your twin?” Gilbert asked hesitantly, still not looking at us. Drake moved so fast I didn’t have time to stop him. He pushed Gilbert on the bed and pinned him under his larger frame. “We don’t share. You’re mate to both of us and that’s it. Anyone else tries to touch you and I’ll fucking kill them. Do you need more than us?” Again, Drake wasn’t handling this in the best manner, but I knew him well enough to understand he wasn’t trying to be mean. “No. I don’t want to be shared ever again. That’s why my momma sold her jewelry and sent me here. She thought I could find a mate maybe.” Gilbert busted out crying, and I knew we weren’t going to get any more information out of him. We might have just mated a bundle of problems and issues, but I had a suspicion Gilbert would be worth it. I hoped so, at least.

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Chapter 2 “Baby, don’t cry,” Drake begged as he peppered our mate’s face with kisses. “I’m sorry I’m such a big brute. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’d never, ever hurt you. You’re our mate. Just the idea of someone else touching you makes me see red.” “We just wanted to make sure we have you all to ourselves,” I added gently. I moved next to them on the bed and ran my hand over the smooth skin on Gilbert’s chest in a soothing manner. “You’re too special to share.” “You won’t think that after you get to know me,” he replied with a hiccup, wiping his eyes. “But I’ll do anything to make you keep me. I swear I’ll be good.” I saw Drake blinking rapidly, and I was having just as hard a time keeping my own tears at bay. What had someone done to Gilbert to make him think he was so worthless? Whatever it was had to be nasty and long-term. People didn’t get this low of self-esteem overnight. Drake took a deep, calming breath. I knew he wanted to find out more and was trying to hold back. He glanced at me, and I nodded my approval. Now was not the time to poke at all of Gilbert’s wounds. “Let’s go home,” I said gently, brushing my lips over our mate’s temple and then lips. “We’ve got a jet waiting.” “I’ll call it in that we want to leave sooner than planned.” Drake gave Gilbert a quick kiss and got off the bed. Our mate had calmed down somewhat and sat back up as he wiped his eyes. “You’re special to us, Gilbert. Don’t ever doubt that,” I said as we got to our feet. He nodded as if he heard me, but I could see on his

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face and in his eyes that didn’t mean he believed me. He would. He just needed time for us to prove it to him. Ten minutes later we were in our room, shoving our stuff into our suitcases. Gilbert had packed very light, to the point where I wondered if he had many belongings. Once we were ready to go, we headed back to the main entrance to catch a ride from one of the guards who were in charge of shuttling people to and from the airport. “No one can leave without a mating seal,” the large guy said in a very deep voice as he held up a meaty hand to stop us. “We’ll show you ours, but there’s no way in fucking hell you’re seeing our mate’s naked ass,” Drake growled, and I nodded. We stepped in front of our mate and undid our dress shirts so he could see the seals. “I like that you guys get all overprotective.” Gilbert giggled from behind us. “Good thing because we’ll be doing it a lot now that we’ve mated.” I chuckled. “No one sees your fine ass and body but us.” “I’m cool with that.” He sounded like he was smiling and I wanted to see that. He’d smirked a few times and giggled, but we had yet to see the full happy look. Sated and tired, yes. Happy, not really. “There’s a car out front to take you to the airport,” the guard said with a smile as he stepped aside. “And if I had a mate as hot as him, I wouldn’t want anyone to see him either.” “You think I’m hot?” Gilbert asked with a tone of awe. We both turned and shot him a dirty look. “What? I’m not saying I want him, but no one has ever said I’m hot before.” “We think you’re hot,” I purred as I wrapped a free arm around him and pulled him close. I noticed he was at least a foot shorter than me. “Should we show you again just how hot we think you are?” “Okay,” he squeaked. I liked that sound coming from him. He still had his bag slung over his shoulder, so I took his hand and led him out of the castle and to the waiting shiny, black vehicle. We put the bags in the back and got inside, settling into the comfortable leather

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seats. Drake gave the driver the information for the private planes before we settled in for the drive. “So where were we?” Drake asked in a husky voice. In the blink of an eye Gilbert was out of the seat between us and straddling my twin’s lap. I scooted closer, wanting a piece of the action. “Anywhere you want, my mate,” Gilbert answered quietly, his cheeks heating up in a cute blush. “I’m all yours and Blake’s now.” “Right answer,” Drake cooed. He reached in between them and unsnapped Gilbert’s oversize jeans and belt. They looked as if they were hand-me-downs. We’d get him clothes of his own right after we got home. “I want a kiss,” I breathed in Gilbert’s ear as I reached down the back of his pants, flicking the plug teasingly with my finger. “Yes, please,” he whimpered beautifully and then gasped. I saw my brother stroking our mate’s hard cock before I took his lips with mine. Gilbert threw his arms around my neck as he opened up for me. He didn’t fight for control of the kiss, seeming happy just to let me lead and enjoy the ride. Good thing with how Drake and I liked to be in charge. A dominant mate would never have worked for us. We were way too old to change our stripes. I licked all around inside of his mouth, wanting to taste every inch of him. Gilbert moaned as he started to shake in our arms. “That’s it, baby. Come for us again. I want to taste more of what you have to offer,” Drake said seductively. I wiggled the plug some more, smiling against our mate’s lips when he bit that plump lip to keep in his scream of pleasure. Gilbert went off like a geyser, thrusting his hips forward as if on their own accord as he shot his load all over Drake’s hand. “So pretty when you come,” I praised, kissing along his jaw. “I can’t wait to be inside of you again.” “Me first. I want to take him when we get on the plane,” Drake countered. I nodded. It was only fair. Gilbert slumped against me

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when he was spent. I moved Gilbert back enough so he could see Drake licking his hand clean. “I want a taste.” Gilbert’s eyes went wide, and he gasped for air as I leaned over and licked some of his seed. I moaned at the sweet, salty taste. Our mate tasted like honey-roasted, sugar-coated, salty peanuts. It was the best contrast and combo ever. “We’re going to make you come a lot, Gilbert. I like the taste of you.” “I do, too,” Drake agreed, taking another lick. “You tasted good, too,” Gilbert said shyly as he glanced at Drake. “I don’t normally like the taste or giving blow jobs. But I did with you.” Drake’s eyes flashed with questions and a little anger. Yeah, so we were a jealous breed. I shook my head, imploring my twin with my eyes to leave it alone for now. He gave me a slight nod that he’d seen me. “I’m glad, baby,” he replied to our mate instead as he righted Gilbert’s clothes. “Because, with a mouth like yours, we’re going to be begging for them all the time. That was the best blow job I’ve ever had.” Part of me wanted to point out that Drake had done the exact same thing that Gilbert had, making a vague reference to previous lovers. Everyone had a past, and that was no reason to get jealous and grumpy. But then again, we’d never had a mate before and the emotions swarming us were new and very, very intense. Just then we pulled into the airport and our driver showed the guards our private credentials. Gilbert moved to plaster his face against the window. It was a very curious and childlike gesture that made me wonder. “Gilbert, was coming here your first time on a plane?” “Yeah, it was cool and scary at the same time. But I had someone nice sitting next to me on the flight here.” He glanced over his shoulder at me and bit his lip again. “If I’m flying back home with you, how do I change my ticket?”

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“Honey, we own the plane. You never have to worry about anything again,” I answered with a soft smile. “We’ll take care of you from now on.” “Oh, okay.” He glanced out the window again, not looking happy about what I’d said. I shot Drake a look. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Wanna tell us what’s up, babe?” he asked, and I was glad Drake had the balls to. I wasn’t the best at confrontation. Drake and I split the spectrum of personality traits down the middle. Together we might have made the perfect man. Separately, we were dumb when it came to most things…like relationships. “I just feel bad,” Gilbert whispered, shaking his head. “My momma sold the only jewelry she had to send me here and now I’ve wasted the return ticket. We should have bought a one-way, but she was scared that I’d be stranded if I didn’t find a mate. But I can’t get her jewelry back with a piece of paper. I know she wanted to do it, but those were the only nice things she had.” “Umm, why don’t we see if we can get a refund on the ticket you’re not using?” Drake asked after a moment. We’d been flying on our own planes since planes were invented. The idea of going commercial made us both want to break out in hives. Even in movies everyone was sitting on each other’s laps and there was always, always a crying baby. No thanks. “You think we can do that?” Gilbert asked, a shadow of a smile lighting up his face as he turned to us. “If I could send her the money, she could get part of her stuff back from the pawn shop maybe.” I didn’t even have to look at Drake that time to know that we’d be getting his mother’s jewelry back, refund on the ticket or not. “We’ll look into it when we get home.” “Thanks.” He went back to looking at all the planes as we waited. When the driver pulled forward to the private jets, I was glad. I needed to stretch my legs out a bit.

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“So what do you do for a job?” Drake asked Gilbert as we got out of the vehicle. “I know you said you could move, but don’t you have to give notice or something?” “The leader of our kit doesn’t let me work,” he mumbled as he ducked his head and grabbed his bag. Gilbert looked so sad as if waiting for someone to beat him or ask him questions he didn’t want to answer. Then I had a lightbulb go off over my head. “So a kit is like a wolf pack but raccoons.” “Yeah, that’s what we call our pack, even though it means a baby raccoon. To us, it’s all family basically, so that’s the term we use.” “Cool,” I said as I showed him to the plane, leading him to the entrance with my hand on the small of his back. He looked at the stairs hesitantly and then started to climb up. I held back and tilted my head so Drake could hear me whisper. “So now we know what a kit is, but what the fuck is a doxy?” “I looked it up. It’s an easy woman,” Drake mumbled. “I think he was the group slut.” “That doesn’t make sense,” I replied, shaking my head. “He’s acting like no one’s touched him much. Maybe a few quickies somewhere but not enough to make him a slut. He’s too shy and sweet.” “I agree. Maybe it’s like kit, makes sense kind of when used, but not really the meaning of the word?” “Maybe. I just don’t want to push him to talk or anything until he’s more comfortable around us. Something bad has to be going on back home if his momma sold her jewelry for a chance he could find a mate outside of his kind by coming here. The whole thing just seems off.” “I know,” Drake agreed, sounding sad. “We’ll keep him safe and love him and that should help, right? You’re not suggesting he’s too much trouble, are you?”

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“No!” I hissed, turning to face him. “You know me better than that, Drake.” “I know, I’m sorry.” He pursed his lips and shook his head as he looked to the ground. “I feel all jumbled inside. I want to protect him, but I’m worried something’s going to jump out of the closet of his past and eat us. It just doesn’t feel right.” “I know. We just mated. Give him more than a few hours to not freak out about just getting involved in a very serious, unbreakable, and forever relationship.” “Good point,” Drake conceded and handed me an envelope. “This won’t help keep the freak-outs at bay, but you need to read it. The elder handed it to me as I stormed off the stage.” “Hey, are you guys coming, or am I just being shipped somewhere?” Gilbert asked hesitantly as he peeked his head out from the doorway of the plane. “No, baby, we’re coming,” I answered quickly, feeling a little guilty for talking about our mate behind his back, and stuffed what Drake had given me in my jacket pocket. We quickly climbed the stairs and boarded. After we settled in and took off, we pounced on Gilbert when he said he wasn’t too tired to have sex again. At first he seemed excited but then suddenly his mood changed after we got naked and into position. It wasn’t that he wasn’t into it and didn’t get off, because he did and he was sated, so it had to be a good orgasm. I couldn’t help but feel as if he thought there was something lacking or it wasn’t what he’d thought it would be. When we were done, he immediately pulled away from us and went to get cleaned up. Drake and I shared a worried glance, not sure how to address what we were feeling. Were we even feeling something, or were we just worried about being newly mated? It seemed to be a minefield and reminded us why we’d avoided it all these years.

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We were dressed again when Gilbert came back out, his ratty clothes back in place. He walked over to the window seat without a word and sat down, buckling himself in and curling into a ball with his head turned toward the window. “Did we do something wrong, Gilbert?” Drake asked hesitantly as we approached him. “I thought you enjoyed it.” “I did. There’s nothing wrong,” he replied quietly, not even bothering to look at us. “Then why did you just walk away? You didn’t even give us a chance to clean you up and hold you.” Maybe that made me sound like a sap, but like I gave a shit what someone who was judgmental enough to think something like that said. “The sex was over.” Gilbert shrugged, still gazing out the window. I waited for more but he didn’t expound on the point. Well, shit. “Can we sit by you now?” Drake asked. “It’s your plane.” Great. I saw anger flash in Drake’s eyes as he stomped over to the other side of the plane. Part of me wanted to join him, but I didn’t think Gilbert was trying to be a jerk. It seemed more like a defense mechanism to keep himself from getting hurt. I tried a different approach. I moved to his seat, unbuckled him, lifted him up, sat in the seat, and placed him on my lap. “Well, I want to snuggle with you after what we just shared. I hope that’s okay.” “Yeah, I’m good with that,” he said with a sigh as he nuzzled my neck. I glanced over at Drake, who was shaking his head. I felt for my twin. He could reciprocate tender feelings to a point but didn’t ever seem able to offer them. Gilbert was out like a light a few moments later, his cute, soft snores echoing quietly around us. I grabbed one of the blankets from a compartment by the seat and pulled it up over us. “Does he not like me?” Drake asked quietly as he sat down next to us. “Have I been that mean to him?”

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“No, bro,” I answered quietly but firmly. “I think he’s scared we won’t like him. He accepted it when I offered, but I don’t think he can initiate any more than you can. He might not know how. This is a new mating for him, too, and he’s got two of us. We need to be patient with him.” “Okay, patient I can do,” Drake replied with a nod, biting his lip. “He hurt your feelings though,” I said gently, knowing my twin wouldn’t admit that in a million years. “I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders, his face blank, and blew it off as no big deal, but I could see it was. “He didn’t say he didn’t want to with you, Drake. I don’t think anyone’s ever shown him tenderness. He might not know what to do with it when someone even tries to treat him with any.” “Then what do we do?” I glanced down at our sleeping mate, mulling over the very valid question for a moment. “We keep offering it to him. Someday he’ll realize that he’s worth it.” “I can do that.” I smiled at my twin. He looked hesitant, but Drake had a resolve like no other. When that stubborn man set his mind to something, no one could stand in his way. Not even Gilbert.

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Chapter 3 A few days later, things weren’t any better. We’d sent for Gilbert’s stuff, gotten his mom back her jewelry, and did just about everything we could think of to show him we thought he was special and wanted him here. I mean, he wasn’t cold to us and didn’t avoid touching us. On the contrary, he was always up for sex. And with the rules from UPAC and our being newly mated, there was a lot of sex. It was just sex though. There were no tender touches or heartfilled looks. It was mechanical, like scratching an itch, and it was driving me crazy. Even worse, Gilbert was never in our bed when we woke up. Sometime after we both fell asleep, our little mate would get up and go sleep on the couch in the living room downstairs. We tried to talk to him about it, but he always said everything was fine. And he was hiding something. He skirted any talk about his kit or his life before we mated. I was ready to pull out my hair. On the fourth day, the doorbell rang while Drake and I were working in our office upstairs. We owned one of the largest server farms in the world, and while we had lots of employees to run it for us, sometimes there were things only we could handle. “I’ll get it,” Gilbert called out. I glanced over at Drake, and we got up anyways. Who could be at the door? Plus, it was time for lunch, so we figured we’d check things out. I froze at the doorway of our office when I heard a strange voice. “Hello, my doxy,” a man purred. “Time for you to come home.” I got a glance at him. He was shorter than us, but a little taller than Gilbert, with longer blond hair and these creepy yellow eyes.

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“I can’t,” Gilbert stuttered. “This is my home now. I’m mated. I sent you the appropriate notice that I was leaving the kit.” “Bullshit,” the guy growled, taking a step closer to Gilbert. “I heard about the spiked drinks at the conference, but there’s one problem, Gilbert. You don’t drink.” “Doesn’t matter,” our mate said meekly. “I was claimed.” “Bullshit! Doxies don’t get mates. You know that.” The man paused, and I stuck my head out of the office, Drake parroting the movement. “Show me the proof. I want to see the seal on your fat ass.” “I can’t,” Gilbert whispered, taking a step back from the front door. “My mates wouldn’t be happy about that.” “No shit,” Drake whispered. “Now I know you’re lying,” the man sneered, stepping into our home and even closer to our mate. “There’s no way two people would want you. I’ll make you pay for your lies, Gilbert. Get on your knees.” “No,” Gilbert whimpered, shaking his head. “I won’t betray my mates. I don’t care who you are. I’m not your doxy anymore. I won’t have sex with you.” “Good to know,” Drake snarled, moving faster than I could grab him. I followed him to the foyer and stepped beside him, blocking Gilbert from this new man. “Who are you, and why are you trying to poach our mate?” “Your mate?” The guy chuckled. “No one mates a paramour. You’re either stupid or didn’t know what he was to agree to that.” “A paramour?” I asked, my eyes going wide as I glanced back at Gilbert. “That’s what a doxy is?” “Yes, he’s a whore,” the man answered with a smirk. “A whore chooses to sell himself, Chuck,” Gilbert said quietly, staring at the floor. “I never had a choice in the matter.” “Well, your momma has been a poor substitute, so I came back for my slut,” Chuck replied as if we weren’t there.

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“My momma’s retired,” Gilbert exclaimed, his head snapping up as anger flashed in his blue eyes. “Leave her alone!” “You know the rules.” Chuck snickered, that stupid smirk still on his face. I was so going to wipe it off in about twenty seconds. “There always has to be a doxy in the kit. She figured out a way to get you out, but that means she comes back from retirement.” “No,” Gilbert whispered, glancing from Chuck to us. “I can’t take her place. I’m mated. The elders gave us rules, and I can’t leave my mates for even a day.” “Then they become doxies as well,” Chuck replied, eyeing us over as if we were steak. “Fucker, I’ll end you before anyone here becomes your whore,” Drake snarled as he grabbed Chuck by the front of his shirt. “Gilbert’s mother will be coming to live with us. You touch her again and I’ll see you dead.” “You can’t do that,” Chuck blubbered, losing his bravado. “The only way someone can leave the kit is if they mate. No one inside the kit can mate a doxy. It’s forbidden.” “Which elder on our speed dial should we call?” I asked my brother sweetly. “Since UPAC needs our company, I’m sure they’d be very accommodating to such a small request. I wonder if the elders even know that this is the way the raccoons treat their members?” Chuck’s eyes went wide, his mouth opening and closing rapidly as if quickly weighing his options. I could see the sweat forming on his brow. “Fine, you can have the mother. She’s all used up anyways. But I’m filing a formal complaint that you stole my doxy.” “You have fun with that,” Drake replied with a snort. Then he shook the man before pulling him so they were nose to nose. “But understand that I see that as a formal challenge to our mating and am within my rights to call you out. I never lose a duel, savvy?” “How old are you guys?” Chuck asked, his eyebrows shooting up to his forehead. “No one follows the old rules anymore.”

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“We’re really old, and really powerful,” I growled. “And really rich, so you’re no match for us. And the rules are still active as laws so we can do it.” “Fine,” Chuck ground out, shooting Gilbert a seething look. “I’ve pretty much used up the whore anyways. You want him so badly? I’ll just name a new doxy for the kit.” I didn’t believe the guy for one second that he didn’t still want Gilbert. I don’t think Drake did either. “Now that we’ve got that settled, get the fuck out of our house and don’t come back.” Drake dragged the guy back to the front door and tossed him out on the porch, slamming the door behind him. The sound of rapid footsteps could be heard running away from the house, followed by a car speeding down the driveway. Then it was silent. We stared at Gilbert for several moments as if too shocked to speak. “You didn’t know what a doxy was then,” Gilbert whispered, lifting his head to finally look at us. “I thought you knew.” “That you’re a whore? No, you left that detail out,” Drake replied in a cold voice. He was red with anger all the way to the tips of his ears. “That’s not helping,” I hissed at him. Tears formed in our mate’s eyes, and I didn’t know how to comfort him. I was confused and pissed, too. “See, we shouldn’t have been trying to be tender with him,” Drake said, talking right over me as he threw his hands in the air. “We should have been leaving money on the nightstand.” He grabbed Gilbert by the shoulder and pulled him closer. “Is that why you’ve been so melancholy, mate? The two of us not enough to satisfy you? Should we call in some more men to fuck you? Or women, too?” Gilbert flinched at the comments and tried to move away from Drake. “Stop,” I gasped, grabbing Drake around the ribs and dragging him back. I honestly wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have hit Gilbert right then he was so full of rage. I could tell he’d hurt our mate just from the way Gilbert winced. “This isn’t helping.”

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“He’s right, and I deserve every insult,” Gilbert said sadly. “But I never asked to be the doxy. I wasn’t given a choice. So before you judge me, you should think about that. I won’t deny that I was a whore. I thought you knew that and that’s why you—” “We what?” Drake snarled, fighting against me to get to Gilbert. “Treated you with respect? Invited to you into our lives, our home? Tried to love you?” “If that’s what you call it,” Gilbert mumbled before turning and heading back to the library but not before I saw the tears freely falling now. Wait, was he insulting us? What had we done wrong? “Fuck this,” Drake grumbled as he tore out of my hold. He stormed to the front door and left, slamming it so hard as he went that it left a crack in the wall. Great. I watched as little particles of dust from the drywall fluttered onto the dark wood floor. I stood there for several moments in shock, feeling like the moron left in the middle of the fight. Not sure what else to do, I figured I should handle this thing with Gilbert’s mom and Chuck. I found his cell phone in the kitchen and called her. “Hi, honey. Things getting any better?” a sweet Southern voice answered on the second ring. “This isn’t Gilbert, ma’am. I’m his mate, Blake.” “Oh, hello there,” she said hesitantly and then gasped. “Is my boy okay?” “Physically? Yes,” I answered honestly as I slumped down into one of the kitchen table chairs and leaned back. “Why did you ask if things were getting better? What have we been doing wrong?” Normally I wasn’t so blunt, but I was way past desperate. “We’ve tried everything to make him happy! He won’t sleep in our bed. He won’t talk to us past the weather or what book he’s reading, and now Chuck shows up—” “Chuck was there?” she asked in a cold voice. “What did he tell you?”

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“What a doxy really is, for one,” I whispered, tears burning in my eyes. “That you’ve gone back to being the doxy and Gilbert freaked. Drake told him not to touch you again and we’d get you out of there.” “Young man, I don’t need your charity,” she started to say, and I blew a gasket. Yes, I was probably taking out my stress over everything on her, but right then I stopped caring. “Lady, I ain’t doing it for you and call it what you want. But what’s going on is hurting my mate, so I don’t care if it insults your pride or not. He comes first. If I have to come there and kidnap you, I will. So pack your things and we’ll send a driver for you to bring you to us and we’ll get you your own place.” There was a pause as I panted, still completely aggravated. “Maybe you aren’t as dense as my son has made you seem. Thank you.” “Why are we dense?” I asked, my mouth hanging open in shock. “Have you showed him half that passion or told him that you’d do anything for him?” “Several times,” I growled. “He ignores us or dismisses it. I don’t know how to make him happy or what to do.” “Start with a deep fryer.” She chuckled. “The boy has Southern roots and we fry everything. Other than that, you’ll have to figure out the rest, kiddo. I can’t tell you what to do to get through my son’s walls.” “Kiddo?” I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. “I’m over two millennia old, ma’am.” “In this instance, you’re still the kid. And the name is Grace.” “I think we’re going to get along very well, Grace,” I said honestly. She was a firecracker and a half, and I loved someone who stuck to their guns and told it like it was. “I agree. I’ll pack immediately, but it would probably be best if I left before Chuck got back. That man has a nasty temper that he likes to take out on people, especially Gilbert.” That made a pit form in my stomach. “Has Chuck ever hurt him?”

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“His idea of sex is what most people would call torture, son. Part of Gilbert’s problem is he’s waiting for you to hit or beat him. I’m not saying that you’ve done anything to deserve that, but old habits die hard.” “Fuck,” I groaned, realizing I’d gone about everything all wrong. “I’ve been trying not to push him or force him to open up, but he sees that as us not caring, doesn’t he?” “Smart man.” “What type of deep fryer and what are his favorite foods? He’s upset, and I think it would be best to have comfort food he would eat around.” “Even smarter man,” she praised. I wanted to remind her we’d not even been mated a week, so it wasn’t my fault here, but better to just take the win. She gave me a list of what to get, and I gave her the name and number of our business manager, who’d be calling her with the arrangements. We said our good-byes and hung up. I put Gilbert’s phone back and plugged it in before getting my own out and calling Eddie to make arrangements. By the time we hung up, I was already at the local SuperTarget to get what I needed. Then I called Drake. “What?” he growled by way of an answer. “Just listen to me a minute, okay? I know you’re pissed and I am, too, but he needs us more than ever,” I said gently. I filled my twin in on what I’d learned from Grace. He was quiet the whole time, and there was a long pause after I was done. “I don’t know how to do this, Blake,” he finally whispered. “This is outside my scope of expertise.” “Mine, too, but that doesn’t mean we give up. For one, we’re going to all talk tonight, not shout, talk.” “I can do that. I was thinking I should get him some flowers to apologize for what I said. I’ve been standing at the florist’s this whole time.” My heart swelled at the admission. He might bark, but my brother was a good man.

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“I think that would be great,” I agreed as I glanced at the cart. “I’m almost done here, so I’ll be home soon.” “See you there.” He disconnected, and I quickly finished my shopping, wheeling the cart to the register and then to the car as fast as I could once everything had been rung up. Drake’s car was already in the garage when I got back home. He got out after I parked and helped me unload everything. Then we were kind of at a loss on what to do. “Gilbert, could you come in here, please?” I called out. “Can’t we just fuck it out? I need to reclaim my mate,” Drake grumbled. I did feel the same way. Our place as Gilbert’s mates had been threatened, even if it wasn’t a real threat when Chuck tried to take him away from us. But I still needed to reclaim him as well. “Later,” I whispered as I heard movement in the other room. Gilbert stepped into the kitchen and gasped. “You got me a fryer?” His eyes were wide with shock as he stepped closer to it, leaning forward to examine the contraption. “Your momma said it was a necessity to you,” I answered with a smile. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me,” he whispered in awe. He touched it reverently, and before I even realized I was doing it, I pulled him into my arms, hugging him tightly. “We’d do anything for you, baby. Please start believing that. We’ve been trying to give you space, wait until you were ready to talk to us, but I think it backfired,” I admitted, deciding to just lay all my cards on the table. I took a deep breath, nuzzling his neck when I realized he was leaning back into me. “And I have someone picking up your mother to bring her to her new condo shortly. We’ll keep her safe.” “What condo?” he asked, turning in my arms so he could glance from me to Drake. His eyebrows shot to his forehead as he bit his plump lip. “Did you buy her a condo so she could get away from our kit?”

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“Yes and no. We own a building of condos, some of which aren’t all being rented. I called our business manager to get one of them ready for her.” “You did,” he whispered, immediately looking away from Drake. “Just you?” “I’m sorry,” Drake said quietly as he moved in front of Gilbert. “I was upset, and I was trying to think of a way to make what I said better. Blake was fixing the problem. I should have been doing that.” He knelt in front of our mate, going for his fly. “Let me make it up to you.” “No,” Gilbert said and stepped out of my arms and away from Drake. “Not everything is about sex to me.” “I–I didn’t mean it like that,” Drake stuttered, looking as if Gilbert had smacked him across the face. He quickly got to his feet and grabbed a huge bunch of roses off the counter and held them out to Gilbert. “I was just trying to show you I still wanted you. I got you these when I left. I’m sorry I’m an ass.” “I was waiting for you guys to freak out about what I was,” Gilbert replied, shaking his head. “I thought you were way too accepting, but now I know you didn’t understand what I was trying to tell you. I understand why you freaked.” He reached out and fingered one of the rose petals gently. “I’ve never been given flowers before, thank you.” Then he looked over to me. “Thank you, too.” “Forgive me?” Drake thrust the flowers, at least three dozen of them, in Gilbert’s arms. “I don’t like what I learned today, but I should never have grabbed you in anger or yelled. I should have stuck around and talked to you like a real mate should.” “Of course I forgive you,” Gilbert answered with tears in his eyes, nodding slowly as he held the flowers close to his chest. “You’re allowed to get upset. We all are. You apologized and see past my, well, past. That’s all that matters to me. And you got me a fryer. I’ve missed my fryer.”

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“If we knew that’s all it took for you to be happy, we would have gotten you a set when you got here.” It was silly but it was the truth. “Can I use it, too?” Gilbert teased. “Like we’re going to say no to our cute mate wanting to cook for us.” Drake chuckled. “Cook away, sweetie. Then can we can reclaim you.” “Is that what the blow job offer was about? You think your place as my mates was threatened?” I glanced at Drake, and we both nodded. “It wasn’t,” Gilbert whispered. “I hate Chuck. I never enjoyed a single second with him. He doesn’t have normal sex. He’s sick in the head.” “Why don’t you tell us after we eat?” I offered, seeing he was getting upset. We needed to talk, but the fryer and flowers made him so happy I just wanted to hang on to that for a little while. “Okay.” Our mate stood on his toes and gave each of us a quick kiss before finding a vase for the flowers and then getting to work with the fryer. Drake and I sat at the table and watched. I answered questions about the driver being sent to get his momma and where she’d be living. In turn, I asked what the hell he was making. “Fried French toast,” he answered easily. That was one I’d never heard of. He was dipping slices of bread into whisked egg and sprinkling a little bit of cinnamon before throwing it in the fryer basket. Drake and I shared a few glances of disbelief. Granted, there were French toast sticks that were fried, I guess, but it seemed odd to fry a whole slice up for lunch. But we would be willing to try anything if it made him happy. Surprisingly it was great. He put syrup on them and a little whipped cream. However, it was probably a heart attack waiting to happen, but I supposed fried food once in a while never hurt anyone. And we finally got to see Gilbert with a full-on smile that lit up his face and made him look even more attractive.

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“Sex time now?” Drake asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Gilbert when we were done and putting our dishes in the sink. He turned to me and smiled. “Is it my turn to take him or yours?” “I did last night while he sucked you—” We both turned when there was a loud shatter. Gilbert had thrown his plate in the sink so hard it broke. “You both can fuck each other,” he whispered and raced from the room. “How did we fuck up this time?” Drake asked me with wide eyes. I had a feeling it was for being crass about having sex with him, but I wasn’t sure. It never seemed to bother him before. Or it had and we were oblivious. Then again, that did sound more likely. “I think we both need to get flowers this time,” I said with a sigh as I went to clean up the broken plate. “Let’s clean up while he cools off and then go beg his forgiveness. I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I think we were being crude jerks.” “That sounds like something I would do,” he groaned and cleared the table. Yeah, we were in deep shit.

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Chapter 4 Gilbert Just when I thought they cared, they did it again. Before I thought they were treating me like a toy for their pleasure because I’d been my kit’s doxy. Now…now I had no clue. Why did they always act like this when it came to sex? Did they always treat their partners like this? Seriously, I wasn’t just being a whiny baby. Every time we had sex I was on my hands and knees getting it from both ends. Couldn’t I ever be on my back? Didn’t they ever want to see my face, or was I too fat and ugly to look at? There was one, count it, one instance of any foreplay in all the times we fucked. And that had been in the car on the way to the airport. I ran back into the library. The one place I felt safe in the house. The one place they seemed to leave me alone. I crawled onto the navy-blue overstuffed chair amid the shelves of books and pulled a soft, green blanket over my trembling body as I tried not to cry. Why did everyone treat me like shit? First it was my kit, and just when I thought I’d gotten out of there, my mates treated me like a possession for their enjoyment as well. It was never about me. Hell, maybe I’d like to take one of them. Did they ever think of that? No, I bet not. Or maybe I’d want the intimacy of some one-onone time. I sighed and curled up for a nap. This was still better than the kit. At least it was only two of them and they cared somewhat about what I wanted. I mean, they were saving my momma, after all. So they

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weren’t bad guys, just idiots. At least that was what I was guessing, but what did I know, after all? “Gilbert, can we talk?” Blake asked softly as I heard them both walk into the library. I had a split second to decide if I should pretend to be asleep or suck it up and start being myself around them. “No,” I answered, going with option two. “I don’t want to talk right now.” “Please, baby?” Blake begged as he knelt in front of me, his large hands resting on the arms of the chair. “We know we screwed up, but we’re not really sure how. We can’t stop doing it if we don’t know what we did wrong.” “You really need me to spell it out for you?” I gasped, shocked they could be so dense. When I got twin nods and looks of confusion, I knew they weren’t kidding. “How about every time we’re intimate you both discuss who gets which end of me.” They both winced. “And you wonder why I thought you knew I was a doxy and were treating me like one.” “No, we, umm, well, we—” Drake started to say, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck in frustration. “We’re idiots. We were trying to give everyone equal time with each other, to be fair, and we handled it badly,” Blake finished for his brother. “Equal time? Then how about I top one of you tonight? No one said I had to always be the bottom being stuffed on both ends.” Blake’s eyebrows shot to his hairline as Drake’s face filled with what looked like fear. Guess I got my answer. “Forget it.” I got up off the chair and decided I needed to find a new hiding spot. Not that the library was really hiding for me. It was more a place of solace in a house that wasn’t mine. “Gilbert, please don’t walk away,” Blake whispered as he reached for my hand. When his fingers brushed mine, I shook them off, not turning to look at him. “I traded in one leader who ordered me to service our

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whole kit for two bosses that just want me to take care of them any way they want. I’m grateful your idea of sex doesn’t involve beatings or choking me until I pass out and all, but this wasn’t what I dreamed a mating would be.” “We’re sorry,” Drake said quietly, his voice filled with emotion. “Don’t be. I’m a doxy, remember? This is better than I thought I’d ever get.” Okay, maybe that was a shitty final blow. It wasn’t that they treated me like a whore, really, more like a toy. They just didn’t act like I was their beloved mate or even their equal. I mean, it wasn’t like I wanted them to have me help run their company, but I wasn’t a child. Their idea of taking care of me was either acting like my babysitters or fucking me. The whole mess was so screwed up, and I didn’t have any idea of how to fix it. Was it even worth trying to fix? The bottom line was that this was better than the kit. My momma was getting out of there and Chuck would be out of our lives for good. This was a better life than I could ever have expected given the hand I’d been dealt. Maybe it was time to stop bitching and just be grateful for what I had? I’d wandered around their large house for so long I had no clue where I was. It wasn’t like a normal mansion. It was as if they took several bigger houses and simply attached them together. Not exactly though. There weren’t seven kitchens or anything. But there were several living rooms. There was the main house, and it was like they had added huge suite after suite onto it. Yeah, that was better, like big hotel suites for guests. Either way, I was at one far side of the house. I wondered if I could just hide out here and emerge when it was time for our daily sex? I busted out hysterically laughing at the crazy idea. Daily? Hell, each of them had been riding me at least two to three times a day each since we got mated. Not that I wasn’t used to the amount of sex having been a doxy. It was different. Granted, I hated it back then,

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and I enjoyed sex with Blake and Drake…well, my body did. My heart seemed to have a piece of it break off each time or grow colder. I glanced around the suite thing that I’d ended up in. It was nice. Cozy with a fireplace, big-size TV, and shelves for books and movies in the main area. There was even a small kitchenette, big enough I could bring my fryer and store some basics in the little fridge. This could work nicely. I checked the bedroom. I found a great king-size bed with more space than I needed. Yeah, I could get some peace here. If they were going to treat me like a toy or a cared-for doxy, then the least I deserved was my own space. And no more of this doubleteaming shit until they realized how to make it special for me as well. But yet, they seriously wondered why I ducked kissing them or snuggling with them? I wasn’t investing my heart in any of this, probably not ever now. I could deal with being their boy toy but nothing more. No, I’d get hurt any other way. Decision made and determination renewed, I walked all the way back to the main kitchen, right past my mates, and grabbed my fryer. “I found where I’ll be staying for as long as you decide to keep me. If you need me, you can come to me individually from now on and then return to your beds.” My voice was cold, detached, and left no room for argument. “Don’t do this, baby,” Blake breathed as he stood up from his seat at the table and reached for me. I kept right on walking. “I’m not your baby,” I replied, starting to get choked up at the realization it was true and the one major reason this all hurt. “I knew what I was with the kit—their whore without any say in how they treated me. The difference here is you treat me the same but tease me, taunt me with words like mate and baby. I’m still just your toy, so let’s stop pretending you feel otherwise for me.” I quickened my pace as I felt tears burning in my eyes. I couldn’t have them see me crying or that I actually cared as my heart and hopes shattered. At least my momma would be close by soon. I know

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this wasn’t the mating she’d hoped for me when she sent me to Scotland, but at least they’d take care of both of us financially. Fuck. I couldn’t believe I was even thinking that. Wow, that really did make me a whore. But it wasn’t like I had any job experience or any skills that didn’t have me on my hands and knees or back. I didn’t go looking for the twins to take care of me financially. It was more trying to find something positive in this whole mess. I put the fryer in the kitchenette and went back for my clothes and some food, ignoring their continuous pleas for me to talk or stop. I shook my head and kept moving. After I grabbed a few books along with all my stuff, I went to organize my sparse things in my new suite. When I was done, I looked around my new room, feeling like a mistress. It doesn’t matter, I kept telling myself. This was better than the kit. I took down some of the pictures hanging that weren’t my style and stuffed them in the closet along with lots of the other decorations. I was just finishing up when I realized Drake was staring at me from the doorway. “I’ll get ready,” I said quietly and went into the bedroom. I got undressed and grabbed the lube. He watched me, having followed as I got on the bed and slicked up my fingers. “This isn’t how I wanted us to be together,” he whispered as he took off his clothes, revealing the sculpted muscles beneath. “I wanted a real mating, too.” “Don’t,” I replied, getting choked up again. I pushed three fingers in my ass, letting the slight burn get my emotions under control. “I have to try, Gilbert.” He climbed on the bed and crawled over to me. “Blake told me not to come, to give you time, but I couldn’t let this be. I’m not good at dealing with emotions or being tender, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care.” “Just take me,” I said firmly, trying to ignore his words. I pulled my fingers from my ass and went to roll over. He stopped me and pinned me under his weight.

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“No, I want to see you,” Drake whispered as he kissed along my collarbone. “I need to reclaim my mate.” “Fine,” I moaned, tilting my neck to give him more room. My body was completely betraying me. This had been what I wanted, but not like this. Not after I blew up and told them what they’d been doing wrong. Sure, it was better late than never, but I wanted them to want this. To be so consumed with desire for me that they wanted it to be intimate, not because they thought they had to. “I’m so sorry, Gilbert. I never meant to hurt you,” Drake whimpered against my neck as he gently lifted my legs. “Blake and I always shared you because we thought together we’d be everything you wanted.” He pushed his cock into me and I gasped at the pleasure. “Did I hurt you?” “No, feels good.” I grabbed onto the bedding, refusing to throw my arms around his neck and hold on like I needed him. I wanted to get lost in the passion, but I knew it was forced on Drake’s part. “Be mine.” I nodded because, well, I was already anyways. We couldn’t change that if we wanted to. I felt Drake’s body heat up, knowing that his spine would be glowing like when they originally claimed me. It was the unicorn way. Their priceless horns were actually their spines when they were in human form. When they shifted, they elongated out the tops of their heads. I had yet to see it, but Blake had explained it to me after we mated. I moaned and spread my legs further as Drake plunged the rest of the way into me. I immediately felt my spine heating up as well, the same amazing euphoric feeling I remembered from last time flooding my senses. It was as if he was hitting all my happy buttons and cleansing out my body and soul at the same time. “I care, Gilbert. I swear I care so much about you,” he whispered as he took me slowly at first. “You scare me because you make me feel things that I never have before, and I don’t know how to handle it.”

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“Stop, you’re not playing fair,” I moaned, riding the bliss he was making me feel. “This is just sex.” “It’s not to me,” he growled and started pumping his hips faster as he moved my body to wrap around his. Before I could stop him, his lips were on mine. I opened up for him because there was no point in trying to fight him on this point. My body was too happy and compliant for anything else. “This isn’t about just sex to me. It’s about loving on each other and closeness only mates could have.” “Keep telling yourself that,” I mumbled as his firm abs rubbed my dick just right. I arched, my body wanting more of that delicious friction. “We want you, Gilbert. We want all of you. Tell me how to prove that and we will.” I couldn’t have answered if I wanted to. He was taking me so hard and fast it was robbing me of the air I needed to speak. Which worked for me because I didn’t have any answers to give. “Come for your mate.” My traitorous body listened. I cried out his name as I came all over our stomachs. It was bliss that couldn’t be put into words. The claiming process with them was like being pumped full of happy drugs and pleasure while having killer sex. That was about the only way I could think to describe it. My orgasm kept going on and on. I thought my heart might give out if waves of my orgasm kept riding my body. “Gilbert!” Drake roared as he came, pumping his seed into me. I moaned at the sensation, loving when they filled me with a part of them. Cheesy and sappy? Yup, but they didn’t need to know that’s how I ever felt. I shook with aftershocks as he collapsed on the side of me, completely spent. Drake pulled me on top of him so I lay sprawled over his larger body like a limp noodle. I tried several times to push away from him, but I couldn’t get my drugged limbs to move. “I know you enjoyed that,” he panted as he hugged me closer. Then he pulled the blanket up over us and turned so we were on our

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sides, snuggling together. “That was better than the first time. I never realized how intimate sex by ourselves could be. We’ll figure out how to make it that exceptional with the three of us.” “Get out,” I whispered, pushing away from him with all the strength I had. I was done with their promises. This one was just words like when they told me how perfect I was, how special I was to them. It was all bullshit. “You don’t have to tell me lies to get in my pants, so don’t bother.” “I’m not lying,” he growled as he turned me again so I was pinned under him. “You felt the intimacy, too, I know you did.” “I felt you cheating and using your special claiming powers to happy drug me to do what you wanted, like kissing and snuggling. Was it great sex? Yes, amazing. But it was just sex.” “Don’t say that,” Drake whispered, shaking his head but letting me pull away. I climbed out of bed and moved several steps away. “It was more than that.” “I don’t know if you’re fooling yourself, trying to fool me, or just that dense,” I replied, feeling my heart sink into my stomach. “All your years alive and you have no idea the difference between sex, fucking, and making love. Hell, I’ve never even made love, and I know what the difference is.” “The only difference is the way you feel during the action,” Drake defended. “Fucking is when you don’t even know each other’s names. Sex is scratching an itch, and making love is when you care for the person.” “Right,” I said, rolling my eyes. “And none of those include foreplay or romance. Good to know your definitions.” I didn’t wait for a response. I walked into the attached bathroom and closed the door. I quickly turned on the shower so he wouldn’t hear me sniffle and got under the warm spray. Why were tears trailing down my cheeks after the best sex of my life? Because I didn’t believe it. If the emotional connection had been real, I would have felt it before I basically moved to another part of

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the house. Fine, they liked to snuggle after sex and I cut them off from that. But that was all they were trying to get back. Right? I shook my head, letting any hopes of more die. They never wanted to just make out or cozy up to me. There wasn’t any foreplay or quick kisses. Okay, to be fair I didn’t initiate any of those either, but I was the odd man out here. It was their house and their rules. I just did what I was told. If they had wanted more from me than just sex, then they would have tried by now. My emotions were still swirling all around inside of me when I finished my shower and toweled off. All I wanted to do was crash after my exhausting, roller coaster day. But that would have been too easy. “Your turn?” I asked Blake as I walked into the room and saw him on the bed. “Sit down, Gilbert,” he ordered in a cold tone. I turned to him slowly, shocked that he’d speak to me that way. Drake, I could see if he was upset, but Blake was the gentle one. I felt my feet moving before I even realized it and plopped in the chair in my new room. “What do you want?” I asked nervously when the silence dragged out. “I want a lot of things.” He chuckled dangerously. “I want my mate in my bed and to not sneak out at night, making me feel cheap and that I’m not worthy to wake up to.” I gasped at that. That had never been my intention. “I want our mate to give us a chance to show him how we feel instead of just assuming we don’t care about him as more than a toy. But I don’t get what I want, it seems.” “You think I like this?” I asked quietly, but he ignored me and kept talking. “But what I won’t stand for is you hurting Drake. My twin is a lot of things, not all good, but he is not, and never has been, a liar. You broke part of him by saying that, Gilbert. I’ve never seen him look so

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sad and dejected. He wasn’t even going to tell me, but I could feel something so wrong through our bond that I was panicking.” The look he was giving me could have frozen ice on my ass, and I darted my gaze to the floor. “Oh no, look at me,” he growled and moved closer to me. I gasped as he swiftly lifted my chin so I was looking into his dark eyes, which were full of anger. “You may not believe or be capable of handling what he was saying, but that does not mean Drake was lying to you. We’ve never lied to you. And I understand we’ve screwed up and hurt your feelings, but neither of us deserves to be charged with that crime.” “Okay, that’s fair,” I agreed as I started to shake with fear. Visions started assaulting me of how Chuck would treat me when he was angry, the beatings, the choking all the time. I screamed and pulled away from Blake, curling in a ball to make myself a smaller target. “What did they do to you?” Blake whispered as he ran his fingers over my wet hair. “I’d never hurt you, Gilbert. Neither of us would, no matter how upset we were. I’m sorry for the abuse you suffered, but not all men are like that, and you’re putting a lot of your preconceived notions of your past on us. We might be distant or dense, but we’re never cruel.” “I know, but I can’t turn off being afraid when people are angry around me. It always leads to being beaten. That was the only way Chuck could get hard,” I whispered, finally admitting one of the horrid truths of my past. “He got off on pain?” Blake asked as he pulled me onto his lap as he sat on the floor. I ended up straddling him, my towel falling to the floor. I wanted it back like a shield against the intense look in his eyes, but I knew if I didn’t tell him now, then I never would. “No. He couldn’t get hard like a normal person. The only thing that got him excited was beating me. I’m not sure if it was the drawing blood or the screaming, but it wasn’t spanking or even whippings he liked. Most times I’d black out from the pain and wake

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up with proof he’d fucked me. He’d choke me into passing out during blow jobs.” “Dear god,” Blake gasped and hugged me tightly, rubbing my back with gentle, swirling motions. “We didn’t know. We thought he liked a little extreme slap and tickle or something and beat you up when he thought you were being bad.” “It’s humiliating to admit,” I mumbled against his shoulder. “I never tried to fight him. I never saw a point. I couldn’t leave the kit, and even if I got transferred to another kit I’d still be a doxy.” “How did you get to be the doxy?” he asked hesitantly. “Leaders fight for position, like Alphas. Doxies get it as an inherited role. My mom was one, so I became the doxy when I was of age. Which, in Kentucky, is pretty young,” I explained. “Chuck was second-in-command at the time and not much older than me, so the legal ages are different if you’re within so many years of each other. He popped my cherry on my fourteenth birthday.” “How old are you now?” Wow, they’d never asked me that. I leaned back and stared at him a moment, both of us realizing we’d skipped some major steps in our mating with how everything went down. “Twenty-five.” I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “I know I barely look legal, but I am, I swear.” “Well, in Kentucky just about anyone’s legal,” he replied, rolling his eyes. Yeah, that about summed up my feelings as well. At least I’d finally gotten it out in the open. Now how my mates reacted to my treatment would be a defining moment in our relationship…or ending of it maybe.

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Chapter 5 “I’m sorry you went through all of that, Gilbert. We’ll never hurt you like that. I can’t promise we won’t screw up and hurt your feelings, but you have to know that we’re not like Chuck.” I could almost feel the sincerity and emotion pouring off of Blake. “I know that, I do, and that Drake wasn’t lying. It just seemed like he came in here to claim me so I’d be filled with the happy drugs it causes so I’d be compliant and agree to whatever he said.” “Happy drugs? What are you talking about?” The look on Blake’s face would have been priceless with its confusion if the topic wasn’t so serious. “We don’t bite or release any chemicals when we claim our mates.” I eyed his face over for a moment, and the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. “You don’t know, do you?” “Know what?” he asked with an exasperated tone. “What happens to me when you claim me and do that glowing spine thing,” I said quietly. “We claim you. You feel our emotions and the bonding between us strengthen.” He still looked confused as if he was missing part of the puzzle. “When your spine heats up, so does mine, and it creates this almost drug-induced euphoric feeling. It’s like getting the really good happy pills or something during great sex. I want to agree to anything you guys say, babble the mushiest of stuff, and—” I snapped my mouth closed so fast that I bit my tongue. I had to fight to hold back my whimper of pain. Just because we were sharing didn’t mean I needed to tell him everything I thought and felt.

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“And what, Gilbert?” he asked gently as he ran his hands down my arms and then up my back. It reminded me that I was naked as could be, straddling him while he was fully dressed. I instantly got hard at the erotic feeling of it all. “Nothing I’m ready to share yet,” I whispered and went to move off of him. “Wait, not yet,” he said as he grabbed my hips to keep me where I was. “There’s something I’ve wanted to do since we first met. Will you let me now?” “What is it?” I asked, raising a hesitant brow of distrust. “Let me show you and if you don’t like it, tell me and I’ll stop.” I thought about that for a moment. That was fair. Sometimes telling ruined the surprise, and I was willing to try anything once. “Okay.” The smile Blake gave me was worth any discomfort that what he was about to do might bring me. It lit up his whole face and his eyes so they sparkled. Mostly with lust. He stood, lifting me up into his arms, and carried me over to the bed. He laid me down in the center of it before moving back by my feet. Blake moved his hand under my ankle and lifted it up to his face. I was just about to ask if he was nuts when he kissed my big toe. “Foot fetish?” I giggled, his soft lips tickling my sensitive skin. “No. You fetish,” he said in a husky voice and kissed the next toe. When he was done with each one, he kissed down along my foot, up my ankle, and started to move up my calf. When he hit my knee, I bit my lip to keep in the laugh. Then he reached the apex of my leg and suddenly I didn’t find anything funny. “You wanted to kiss me everywhere or just finally have some foreplay?” I asked without thinking and wanted to kick myself for risking that I had broken the spell Blake was under. “Both, and I’m not the only one. Drake tried once, petting your lower stomach, and you got up and got yourself ready for sex. He was so bummed out, thinking he’d done something wrong.”

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“This isn’t only you guys’ fault, is it?” I whispered, suddenly realizing I was just as bad at tender touching and foreplay. “It’s not really anyone’s fault, baby,” he said gently as he moved to do the same with the other leg. “We’ve only been mated not even a week. We’re still learning how to react and interact with each other. But we have tried to show you more than sex. You’ve been closed off, and we just don’t know how to get through your walls. Neither Drake or I have been in a real relationship in over a century.” “I’m sorry.” And I meant it. “Me, too, but now we move on from here. We learned a few things about you and you us. We thought both of us taking you, no matter how stupid we were about discussing it, would make it more special and intimate. We wanted to show you that you are who makes us whole as mates. Instead you thought we were treating you like a toy.” “Everyone at the kit would fuck me from behind,” I said in a choked voice, my emotions swarming me again. “No one wanted to see me as a person. The women would make me take them the same way when I had to service them.” “Do you like being with women?” he asked hesitantly. “Most raccoons are bisexual, but I prefer men,” I answered honestly, and then I realized what he was really asking. “I won’t ever feel like I’m missing out on having sex with women because I’m mated to you both.” “Thank fuck,” he whimpered as he lowered his head to my stomach. “Just when I thought we were getting past some issues, something else arose. Drake and I aren’t into girly bits, so it would be very hard for us if you needed us to bring one to bed to fill a need.” “You’d do that for me if that’s what I want?” I asked, my eyes going wide with shock. He tilted his neck so his chin was resting on my belly button. “We’d do anything for you, Gilbert. Even if it killed some part of us inside. If you didn’t feel your needs being met with just the two of

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us because we were men, we’d find a woman for you. I’m not saying we’d be okay with you dating or having another mate on the side or something, but we wouldn’t let you go unfulfilled.” I swallowed loudly, realizing it was time to admit what I couldn’t before. “Remember when we were talking about how I feel during the claiming? You asked me what I cut off from saying?” “You don’t have to tell me, baby.” He kissed my stomach, and I scooted down between his legs so we were face-to-face. I took his face in my hands and gave him a chaste kiss. “It makes me want to babble mushy stuff and beg for you both to never let me go.” His eyes went wide, and I quickly kissed him again as I tugged at his shirt. I didn’t want him to speak or try and come up with the right response. I just wanted to feel him. Maybe that made me easy or too quick to give them another chance, but I didn’t care. That small flare of hope was back that this could be something real, and I was taking it. Blake ripped his lips from mine, gasping for air as much as I was. “There’s something I need to tell you first.” I nodded for him to go ahead as I finally got his shirt off of him. “That euphoric feeling? That happy bliss you feel when we claim you?” “What about it?” I asked hesitantly as my hands stilled on the fly of his jeans. “That’s us, Gilbert,” he whispered softly as he ran his fingers through my hair. “When we strengthen the bond, you can feel what we’re feeling as strongly as your own emotions. You feel our happiness at claiming you on top of what you’re already experiencing. That’s why it seems like you got the happy drugs.” “You feel that strong of bliss when you claim me?” I blinked back tears, overwhelmed with how I felt. “I swear it to you, baby,” Blake answered gently, blinking rapidly as well. “I can show you some of the old, secret books on unicorns to prove it if—”

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I covered his mouth with my hand. “No, I believe you.” I felt him smile against it and place a kiss on my palm before I pulled it away. “You guys aren’t liars.” “I don’t want to push my luck, but will you trust me one more time tonight?” he asked hesitantly. “I think you’ve earned it,” I teased with a wink. “Music to my ears.” In a flash I was pushed back up the bed and Blake buried his face in my ass as he lifted my legs. I barely had a second to react before his tongue breached my hole. “Sweet mother of mercy,” Drake gasped from the doorway. I moaned and tried to turn my head in his direction, but the intense pleasure I was feeling made it hard to focus on anything other than Blake. “Please, please, please let me join in.” “As long as the foreplay continues and I don’t end up on my hands and knees,” I babbled as I squirmed. I felt the bed dip and then one of my nipples was in Drake’s mouth. I cried out and came so hard I saw stars flash behind my eyes. “Gorgeous,” Drake moaned as he licked my stomach, cleaning me up. I went to thank him for the compliment, but I felt slicked fingers penetrate my ass, robbing me of my ability to speak. “Can I keep giving you foreplay while you ride Blake?” “Uh-huh,” I muttered, panting as I tried to recover. The fingers were removed because I was already stretched out, and I was lifted up. Blake was sitting up and lowered me onto his fat cock. I moaned in pleasure, letting my head fall back on my shoulders. Except, Drake had moved behind me so I was leaning back against him. “We’re so sorry, Gilbert,” he whispered in my ear. I could hear the truth in his words and said the first thing that came into my head. “No more apologizing. It wasn’t just you guys. I was at fault, too.” “As much as I hate there being any hard feelings between us, I’m glad we had this all out so we could fix it.” Blake licked along my collarbone, and I shivered, nodding my agreement. Drake moved his

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hands to my ass, spreading my cheeks so Blake could go deeper inside of me as my other mate moved his feet under him. Only Drake’s hands kept me where I was when Blake started thrusting up into me hard. “Uh-huh,” I mumbled and then cried out as Drake reached around and started fondling my balls. “Is it wrong that I love that we’ve got him so wound up he can’t form complete thoughts?” Drake purred. He pressed a kiss to my neck as Blake’s hands moved to my ass. He grunted his reply and agreement as Drake’s other hand moved to my left nipple. I shivered as he licked the side of my neck, and I couldn’t hold back anymore. I was like the little engine that could, and did…again. “Fuck!” I screamed as I shot my load all over Blake. “That’s it, baby. Give us what we want,” Drake cooed as Blake grunted and slammed into me harder. “Let us show you that you mean the world to us.” I whimpered, riding my orgasm, hoping, praying what he was saying was the truth and not just some damn line. It was what I’d waited my whole life to hear…that I mattered. Oh sure, I mattered to my momma, but this wasn’t the same thing. They were two hot, powerful catches of the century, and all I wanted was them to love me. “Gilbert,” Blake gasped and came deep inside of me, clutching my ass tightly before sliding his hands up my back and pulling me against him. “You are so perfect.” We both shook from the force of our climaxes, holding each other. “I think the same about both of you,” I admitted in a whisper, scared but willing to take the leap of faith after what they’d just told me. “Then no more sleeping here or on the couch. Please, baby? Let us be a real family,” Blake said, his voice getting choked up with emotion. There was even a slight twinge of begging. How could I deny them?

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“Okay.” I nodded against his shoulder, smiling when I realized I had one condition I needed them to agree to. “But you guys can’t lie all over me in the night. I swear you two are like space heaters. That’s why I kept getting up and leaving. I kept getting up, covered in sweat, feeling like I was on fire.” “We’ll do the best we can.” Drake chuckled. “You’re just so much fun to cuddle. We can leave the fireplace off in the master bedroom at least.” “That should help.” I giggled, squirming around until Blake groaned. “I’ve got cum running back out my ass.” I leaned back to give him a pout, my heart soaring at the smile I got in return. I didn’t care about the cum, hell, it was a reminder about what we’d just shared. “I’d like very much to see that,” Blake said with a wink. “I’d like to add mine to my twin’s,” Drake added from behind me. “Okay,” I squeaked, unused to being so desired for the right reason. Yeah, it was about sex, but they wanted to have sex with me. This wasn’t like at the kit where someone just wanted to get their rocks off and it could have been any hole they were fucking. Or even worse, Chuck and his sadistic fixation on me. No, this was pure, wondrous, and so new it scared the shit out of me. I was pulled out of my musings when Blake pulled me off his cock, tossed me back on the bed, and they both pounced on me. I let out the most unmanly squeal possible, freezing the fun in place. “Can we pretend I didn’t just do that?” I asked with a stutter. “I didn’t hear anything,” Drake answered with a wink and then turned to Blake. “Did you?” “Just this old house making noises again,” Blake said smoothly. It was silly, but it might have been one of the sweetest things they’d ever said to me, covering for me like that. Blake’s eyes filled with heat as he moved his hand between my legs. “Now where were we?” “A little further,” I whispered as I spread wide open for him. His fingers trailed over my hole, a touch so erotic and light, I gasped.

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“Yes, but how far will you let us go?” Drake asked with a purr. “I’m all yours.” And it was the truth, and the severity of it slammed into me like a ton of bricks. I rolled to my side, sitting on the edge of the bed with my head between my legs and began breathing rapidly. “What’s wrong?” Blake asked as he ran his hand over my back in a comforting gesture. Except it had the opposite effect. “Back off,” I panted as I reached behind me and pushed him away. “I need air.” “Okay, sweetie,” Drake said gently as he moved to kneel in front of me on the floor. “Just take some slow, deep breaths.” I nodded as I did as he said. It took a few moments but then I could feel my heart returning to its normal rate, and it felt as if it was no longer trying to jump out of my chest. When the spots that had clouded my vision dissipated, I realized that I had two sets of very concerned-looking eyes staring at me. “Can you tell us what happened?” Blake asked gently, his lips twitching and his brow furrowed with worry. “I got scared,” I whispered as I stared down at my hands, twisting them together nervously. “I realized that I really am yours and my heart is fully invested in our mating no matter what I said before. With the rocky start we’ve had and realizing that this was how I really felt…” I trailed off, not sure how to put my emotions into words. “The floor suddenly fell out from under you?” Drake finished for me. I swallowed loudly, still not able to look at them, and nodded. “Oh, baby, we’ve been there,” he whispered with such emotion in his voice that I finally glanced at him. I saw tears swimming in his eyes as he nodded that it was true. “That’s why I freaked when Chuck showed up here. I saw this man who I knew would do anything to get you back, and no matter how distant or closed-off to us you’ve been, I realized I would do anything to give us more time to see what was between us.

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“And then I felt the floor fall out beneath me when he told us about your past.” He held up a hand when I went to protest what he was saying. “Blake and I have discussed it, and neither of us feels you have anything to feel sorry for or that you carry any blame. We just wish that it never happened to you. But my point is that we understand how scary it can be to realize you’re fully invested in a relationship when you’re not sure if the other person is.” “But we are fully invested, Gilbert,” Blake said gently. “Never doubt that. There’s a lot in a relationship that is scary and easy to doubt, especially when it’s new. But don’t doubt that, never that.” “I’ll try,” I whispered as I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs. “I’d like to promise I won’t, but I can’t always help the way I feel. I will remember this if I ever doubt it.” I sighed and shivered as a chill ran over my naked back. Almost instantly a blanket was wrapped around my shoulders. The warmth it brought me was soothing. “And I am sorry.” “For what?” Drake asked. His tone sounded confused and a little worried. “For you pushing to fix what was broken here when all I was willing to do was run,” I replied with tears starting to form in my eyes. “For being stronger than I was and willing to fight for me. Something I didn’t do for you.” “Gilbert,” Blake whispered as he went to wrap his arm around me. “Please, just give me a little time and space.” I pulled away from them with the blanket still wrapped around me. “Just tonight to think and get some real sleep.” I glanced up as they exchanged sad glances and nodded. They didn’t sleep in the same bed unless I was in the middle of it, so it seemed we were all going to our own rooms tonight. “As soon as we build you a fire,” Drake said before giving me a quick kiss on the forehead and disappearing. I felt about two feet tall for upsetting them after how sweet they were being, but I just needed to get my head on straight.

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“Don’t worry about it,” Blake whispered as he stroked my cheek. “He’s about as good with emotional situations as you are.” I knew he was trying to lighten the mood so I stuck out my tongue at him. He gave me a wink and tapped my nose. “I didn’t say I was any better. I just wanted to let you know we understand needing time to process and get your mind in order.” I gave him a relieved and grateful smile. He gave me a lecherous leer at the skin I had showing from my makeshift robe. “Now, go take a hot shower and relax before I ravage your perfect body again.” My eyes went wide as I squeaked like a little girl intentionally and raced to the bathroom. Yeah, I was playing around, but the laugh I heard coming from my mate was worth the slight embarrassment I felt. Maybe this would work out between us after all?

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Chapter 6 I slept like shit, plain and simple. When I woke, if that’s what it can be called after tossing and turning all night, I felt like a big ol’ pile of poop tangled in a mess of sheets. I had taken that hot shower the night before, and when I was done, there was a fire built and my mates were nowhere around. I was both relieved and a little sad. And around three in the morning, I realized why I couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t just that my mind wouldn’t turn off that kept me awake. It was my two missing heating blankets. While it was like sleeping in an oven, I longed for it. The way they wrapped themselves around me at night, protecting me even in slumber as if I was the most important thing to them in the world. In other words…I’d been an idiot. They had shown me exactly how much I mattered to them. I just hadn’t been able to read the signs. A mistake I wasn’t willing to make again. With renewed faith in the path my life was on, I hopped out of bed. It was still early, barely six in the morning, so I knew I had time before my mates woke up with their alarm as they did at seven every day. I checked my phone and smiled. It was Saturday, so they wouldn’t be working out in the home gym and then getting right to work as they did on weekdays. Which meant we could spend the day together as a family. I threw on some pajama pants and left my room. On the way to the main part of the house, I loaded up the cart I’d used before to transport my belongings, loading up the fryer and some of the items I’d need. I was going to make them breakfast to start with and then plan a relaxing, fun day for all of us.

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Half an hour later I was frying some bacon as I started the potatoes. I diced them up, rubbed them with butter and seasoning before removing the bacon and throwing them in the fryer. Then I decided to make fried French toast since my mates had liked it so much last time. After that I made some homemade fried donuts and fried eggs. I smiled when I heard their separate alarms go off. A human wouldn’t have been able to, but with my heightened senses as a shifter, I was able to catch it. I turned on the coffeepot that I had set up early so they’d have some fresh-brewed and brought everything I’d made to the table. “Fee, fie, fo, fum,” Drake growled from the living room. “I smell my mate and food.” “Right on both accounts.” I chuckled as I finished the eggs. I let out a small purr and leaned back against him as his arms wrapped around me. “Good morning.” “How are you feeling?” he asked gently as he kissed my neck. “I slept like crap without my massive mates surrounding me, but I got a lot of thinking done.” “Well, it’s Saturday so we can take a nap later if you get tired,” Blake said as he walked into the kitchen. “I can always take a nap whenever I want,” I replied quietly as Drake took the last platter from me and put it on the table. “That’s something I’d like to discuss over breakfast if that’s alright?” “Sure, but I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Blake pulled out a chair for me before they both sat as well. It made me smile. Such gentlemen I was mated to. “This all looks great, baby. You didn’t have to do this for us.” “Cooking helps me think,” I replied with a shrug as my cheeks heated up. I wasn’t used to being praised like I was by them today. “Well, we more than appreciate you cooking enough for us as well,” Drake said with a smile as he dug in. “It all smells great.”

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“Thank you.” I realized I was famished, so I filled my plate as well and we started eating. For a few minutes we sat in comfortable silence…Or so I thought. “Okay, I’m sorry if I’m ruining a peaceful Saturday morning breakfast, but I have to know what you meant with your earlier comment.” Blake took a sip of his coffee and cleared his throat before continuing. “What’s wrong with being able to take a nap when you need to? We work from home and can do that as well. Have we done something else wrong or—” “Blake, slow down,” I said gently as I placed my hand on his thigh. “No, you haven’t done anything wrong. All I meant was that I have no purpose in life and the one I had before obviously isn’t relevant.” I thought that was a gentle way of saying I used to be the kit’s whore basically. “And I realized last night if I wanted to stop feeling like all I was useful for in life was sex and bending over, then I needed to do something more with my life.” “Being mated to us isn’t enough?” Drake asked quietly. I looked over to him and winced at how much my mate looked like I’d kicked him in the balls. “All my life I’ve been told who I am and what I have to do,” I answered quietly, squirming under their combined glances. “I finally get the chance to figure out my life. No one should build their entire life around another person, or two in my case. That’s not healthy.” “I get what you’re saying. Yeah, it makes sense. We have work and a few friends.” “Is that what you want?” Blake asked hesitantly after a few moments. “You want a job? To make friends of your own?” “I don’t know what I want.” I shrugged and glanced down at my plate. “Us? Do you want us?” “Yes,” I answered Drake immediately with a gasp. “I swear that is not what this is about. There are two things I know without a doubt. I love my momma, and I want to be with you both forever.”

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“Well, that’s good to know,” he said with a nod and a slight smile. “So this is about feeling that you have choices in life. Wanting a job and goals in life that are your own.” He made it a statement, but I guess in reality it was more of question since he was waiting for confirmation. “Yes, but I don’t exactly have any skills to be hired for and no education,” I admitted, feeling like a kid asking his dad to take the car or something. It was a very strange feeling, especially since my own father was a bastard I hated with every fiber of my being. That and he was dead. But the analogy was the only one I could think of in my head at the time. “What education level do you go through at the kit? You aren’t integrated in human schools, are you?” Blake asked as he bit into another slice of bacon. “Most get high school degrees and some go to human colleges, but I was different since I was going to be the doxy once I hit legal age, well, umm, there was no point. They really only had me in school at all for the social aspect so when the time came for me to start my duties, everyone would feel comfortable coming to me.” “How mean were they to you?” Drake asked harshly. “If they knew what you were going to do when you were older, then I doubt kids were nice about it. Normally kids pick on each other, but if they knew you were going to grow up to be the kit’s mistress, then they were probably cruel.” “Actually, most just looked at me with pity,” I admitted with a shrug as I moved some food around on my plate with a fork. “It was more like I was a leper. No one wanted to ever be seen with me or my momma, but I saw the looks. The glances thrown our way that they wouldn’t want our lot in life in a million years.” “That’s no better,” Drake growled, shaking with anger. “It’s not my fault,” I whispered, scared he was pissed at me. In a flash his face changed to a look of kindness and sadness. “I’m not upset with you, baby. I’m pissed and horrified that your kit could

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treat one of their own that way.” He paused and glanced over at Blake, who nodded. “Did your father never step in to try and protect you and your momma?” I opened my mouth to answer but jumped when the doorbell rang. Wow. Talk about saved by the bell. I knew eventually I’d have to spill the beans, but I was glad for the slight distraction. “Speaking of your momma,” Blake said with a smile. My eyes went wide, and I darted out of my chair so fast it fell over, hitting the wood floor with a loud crash. With everything that had been going on, I’d forgotten that they had brought her here. I raced to the front door and yanked it open the second I got it unlocked. I threw myself into my momma’s arms, almost knocking her over in the process. “Well hello to you, too.” She laughed as she held me tightly. She had a huge smile on her face as I leaned back slightly to take in her familiar blonde, curled hair and her shining gray eyes. “You’re here,” I whispered as I buried my face in her neck, taking a deep inhale of her flowery perfume. “I am. Thanks to your mates. I think you should keep them if they’re willing to tangle with Chuck to bring us together.” “That and we just didn’t like the dickhead,” Drake said from behind us. I pulled back a bit from my momma and glanced at him over my shoulder. He had that cute impish grin on his face that I liked so much. The one that let me know he had lots more on his mind than what he’d just said. “Dude, that’s the first thing you say in front of our mother-inlaw?” Blake said with a groan as he smacked Drake in the chest. “We’re supposed to be showing her how worthy we are of her son. Not that we’re morons.” “Kiddo, all men are to a certain point.” My momma chuckled as she walked into the house. I reached behind her and shut the door, shivering as the cold March air blew in. “Well, try putting on a shirt.” “Right, sorry,” I mumbled with a smile. That woman had eyes on the back of her head and extra senses that came with being a mom. In

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other words…she knew everything, always. I gasped as I was suddenly pulled behind my mates and they both growled at my momma. “Mother or not, picking on our mate won’t be allowed,” Blake said in an even voice. “She wasn’t,” I squeaked as I pushed past them. I only got one step before Drake swung me up into his arms as Blake moved in front of us. “Right,” he said calmly. “Grace, we’re sorry. I know not much is known about unicorns, and we prefer it that way because we’re so rare. But there is one thing you need to know about our species. We are crazy protective of our mates. All that matters to us is them.” “Apology accepted and I was only teasing him. While I understand your position, I won’t change the way I act toward my only child. I appreciate what you’ve done for both of us, I truly do, but he is still my son.” I smiled, knowing full well the look my mates were getting from my momma right then. It was the stony, knowing look that made me quiver when I was a child. Hell, it still worked now that I was an adult. “We understand that and we’re not asking you to change. We just want you to know why we might overreact at times.” Drake hugged me tightly and gave me a quick kiss before lowering me to my feet. “I’ll grab you a shirt.” “Thank you,” I replied with a smile. I glanced at my momma, and she was smirking. “What?” “You got two hunks who are overprotective, and he’s running to get you a shirt so you aren’t cold. I think any concerns I might have had about your mating are officially squished.” “She thinks we’re hunks?” Drake muttered as he walked out of the room. Blake smiled and shook his head as we moved into the kitchen. “Oh, most definitely,” my momma purred in her Southern accent. I knew she was playing around, but Blake’s jaw dropped. My momma

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threw back her head and let out her infamous laugh that was highly contagious. I couldn’t help but giggle along with her. “Having you around will be interesting, Grace.” Blake pulled out the chair for my momma and she sat down, still chuckling. “And I love your laugh. It’s one of the most truly honest laughs I might ever have heard.” “We don’t hold back in our family.” I shrugged, as if not knowing if that was an appropriate response, but it was the truth. “Here, I got you one, baby,” Drake said as he came back into the kitchen. I rolled my eyes as he held one of his button-up shirts out for me. “Yeah, yeah, I like when you smell like me. You look good in my clothes.” “I look like a kid playing dress-up,” I teased as I put it on. It was at least five sizes too big and went down almost to my knees. I glanced over to my momma, who was smiling widely. “Are you hungry? I could reheat the food.” “It’s not cold,” she said as she snagged a piece of bacon. “I must have done something right if you’re making such a spread for your mates.” “We had some things to work out and I had some apologizing to do, so I thought breakfast always helps,” I admitted with a shrug. I felt bad when my momma’s face fell. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just came to let you know I settled in, love the condo, and the car was completely unnecessary,” she said quickly as she went to stand. “We can catch up another time.” “No, Grace, don’t go,” Drake said quickly. “We weren’t fighting or anything, and I know my brother and I would like to get a chance to know you. And of course you needed a car. How can you be independent and do what you need to when you need to if you can’t get anywhere? We hope the one we picked out works for you.” “True enough, but it didn’t have to be a BMW,” she replied with an eye roll. “Either way, thank you for all that you’ve done. And we

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have lots of time to get to know each other. Gilbert and I are very close, so you’ll be seeing a lot of me.” There was a slight pause as my mates nodded and traded a look. That didn’t seem good to me. Something was weighing on them. “We would never want to pry normally.” Blake started with a hesitant tone. “But when we asked earlier you went pale, Gilbert, and to protect you and your mother from Chuck and the kit’s reach, we need to know.” “About my father,” I whispered, finishing the thought for him. “He’s dead.” “I’m sorry,” Drake said gently as he put his arm around me. I went to shrug it off, but he pulled me closer. “Don’t do that. Don’t push us away.” “You’re right, I’m sorry. I feel bad for what I’m about to say, but I hated that man and I’m glad he’s dead. The only downside is that Chuck was so much worse of a leader.” I heard a quick intake of breath, and then Blake reached over to take my hand. “Correct me if I’m wrong because unicorns don’t live in groups, but doesn’t a kit run like a pack?” Drake asked, and I nodded as my mother answered, understanding what the meaning was. “Yes, but it’s not applicable in the case of a bastard son by the doxy,” she answered quietly. “I swear your kit or raccoon-shifter leaders need to be smacked upside the fucking head,” Drake said with a growl. “This isn’t the nineteen fifties. I swear, bastard son. So you should’ve been in charge of the kit when he died?” “If he died by natural causes, but he was challenged by Chuck. If I was acknowledged as his son, then I could have fought for the leadership, but since I was the doxy, I can’t ever lead.” “This is like twisted chess or something,” Drake grumbled. “It’s like playing the game with certain made-up rules like the knights can only be moved every third Wednesday of the month.”

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“Interesting way to put it but quite accurate.” My momma chuckled. “Not every kit has a doxy anymore from what I understand, but raccoons tend to stay to their groups. I mean wolves can switch in and out of packs and they blend in better with society. We aren’t like that. We’re very close-knit, smaller numbers, more like a family.” “A family who all use one person for their needs instead of acting like a functional pack,” Drake replied, shaking his head in disgust. “Gods forbid that they date like normal people and have relations that way.” “Okay, fine, we get that you don’t agree with how our kit is run and dislike raccoons. Great to know we all suck in your eyes,” I fumed and pushed away from him. The second I did I realized I was being a jerk and irrational, but I didn’t like all this shit being brought up. I didn’t like talking about my father, or what my mother and I had been through. I just wanted it over, and it seemed like every time I turned around it was brought back up. I just needed it to be in the past. “That’s not what I was saying and you know it, baby,” he whispered but let me go. “You’re right,” I sighed as I stood. I went to lean on the counter, giving everyone my back so they couldn’t see how badly this upset me. We couldn’t go more than a few minutes before things started spinning out of control for me and I fell apart. They were seriously going to throw me in a padded room soon. There was a long silence while the conversation was mulled over by the whole room. But it made me feel as if I was under a microscope and all their eyes were on me. “We can’t help the way we feel, Gilbert,” Blake said quietly as he moved up behind me. “We hate that this was the life you had, that your own father was party to it. But it doesn’t change the way we feel about you or that when we look into the future, all we see is you, baby.”

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“Thank you for putting up with my crazy.” I leaned back against him, letting his large body shield me from the world. “Alright, enough with the bad,” Drake said as he moved up to the side of us. His arms wrapped around both of us. “We need a day of fun, yeah?” “Oh yeah.” I chuckled. “Well, that sounds like time for the momma to leave.” I turned my head so I could see her and didn’t feel bad about making her feel as if we wanted to be alone when I saw the knowing look on her face and the smile that accompanied it. “One thing first and I hope it’s not rude to ask, but I’ve always loved unicorns since I was a little girl.” “We can shift for you,” Blake said with a smile. “Gilbert has yet to see it, too.” “I’d like that very much,” I admitted with a wink. Mostly because I knew they’d be naked after shifting…which made me feel like a slime since my momma was here with us. Yeah, that was awkward. “Give us a minute to undress and shift in the backyard and then come on out.” Drake winced as he realized that it came out like an order. “Sorry, Grace, we’re shifters and nudity doesn’t bother us, but umm, well, you are our mate’s mother.” “Understandable.” She snickered. “You boys go keep your bits and pieces hidden. We’ll give you a little while before coming out.” Drake smiled and nodded, looking relieved my momma was so understanding. They darted out the back door through the kitchen and onto the terrace. My momma turned to me now that we were alone. “What did you need to think through that had you cooking so much? Are things getting better?” “Yeah, much better. I realized I’d been missing the signs that they cared, and I tend to brush off their affections because I’m not used to the people who share my bed showing me any.” I went on to explain what I’d been discussing with my mates that morning, about needing some purpose in life.

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“Would you like some advice?” she asked after mulling it over for a few moments when I was done. “Always, Momma, you know that.” It was the truth though. I know some children rebelled against their parents and seemed to do the opposite of what their parents wanted, but for so long it had just been my momma and me. That brings two people closer than most would ever think a momma and son could be. I respected and listened to her opinions always. Not to say that I always followed them, but I was never the bratty kid who simply ignored her. “Go back to school. It’s not much to get the prep materials for a GED, and I’m sure your mates would be more than willing to help with the costs. From there you’ll at least have the education you need for either some jobs or to continue to college. You’re incredibly smart, so I could see you loving college, but maybe you’ll hate school. So just take baby steps and figure it out as you go. There’s no rule you have to figure it out today.” “Thanks, Momma.” I let the relief and emotion show in my voice as I gave her another tight hug. “What are mommas for?” She hugged me back and then straightened up. “Now let’s go see your pretty mates.” “They are gorgeous, aren’t they?” I giggled. She nodded and looped her arm through mine and let me lead her to the back door. I gasped as I saw one of the most breathtaking sights ever. “Beautiful,” my momma whispered in awe. I saw that her mouth was hanging open slightly as she stared at my mates in their shifted form. “Absolutely majestic.” It’s hard to put what I witnessed into words. I would say it was almost divine, or the closest I ever got to it, but they looked almost ethereal. Hell, their horns even glowed like they had halos. In an instant I knew I had mates with pure souls. It was the only way to explain that they could shift into something so magnificent.

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Chapter 7 Drake I wasn’t sure what to do at first. Gilbert just stood there with a look on his face as if he was seeing a ghost or one of the gods themselves. I glanced over at Blake, trying to see what our mate saw, but he just looked like a unicorn to me. But then again, I grew up seeing them, considering I was one. Maybe it was different when someone saw us for the first time? Either way, or no matter the reason, I was just happy to see our mate smiling so widely. “You’re both beautiful,” he whispered as he stepped closer. I let out a happy noise close to a neigh when he petted me. “Only when we look like this?” Blake asked hesitantly through our bond. Gilbert gasped, his eyes going so wide I was afraid they might pop out of his poor head. “I can hear you.” “When we’re in this form only.” I answered the unasked question. “Blake and I have always shared this bond since we’re twins, but when we claimed you, we brought you into the loop. Guess we forgot to tell you.” “You think?” He giggled as he threw his arms around my neck before moving and doing the same to my twin. “I think you’re beautiful all the time, but it’s just different now. I’ve never seen anything so magical.” “Honey, you’re a shifter. Magical should be your middle name.” I teased, not used to such praise from him.

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“And how do I know which of you is which?” He looked confused, and I realized it wasn’t because he couldn’t tell us apart. He was confused because he could. “The same way you can when we’re in human form,” Blake answered as he nuzzled our mate. “We’re identical twins but yet you never get us confused.” “That’s true.” “Thank you for showing me your second forms,” Grace said as she took a step back. “I know you guys have a lot to discuss and need to have some time together, so I’ll get out of your hair.” She held up a hand before Gilbert could protest. “I’ll be back. Maybe for dinner one night this week.” Then she seemed to change her mind about something and stepped over to me since Gilbert was still by Blake. “Take care of my boy. He’s lived a harder life than someone his age should ever have to. He doesn’t believe any of this is truly real or will last. Show him otherwise and he’ll let you in,” she whispered in my ear. I gave her a nod that I understood and she kissed my nose before giving another wave and leaving. When she was gone, I noticed that Gilbert was shivering from the cold. I quickly shifted back and lifted him into my arms. “See, still just as handsome,” he cooed as he snuggled up against me. “Thank you for letting me see that.” “We’ll want to see you shift sometime, too,” I said quietly as Blake opened the back door, already having shifted as well. “It’s nothing like looking at you guys,” he replied softly and somewhat nervously. “But I guess a mate should see it all.” Yeah, I caught the innuendo there, and I knew Blake did as well when I heard a soft moan from behind me. I carried my precious mate to the living room so he could warm up in front of the fireplace. I was just about to ask what he was thinking because he had this goofy look on his face. The second I sat down, Gilbert shifted, his

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clothes falling off, and I was left with a furry raccoon in my arms, peering up at me with gorgeous blue eyes. “Awww,” Blake cooed as he plopped down next to me. “He’s so cute!” “Can you hear me, too?” Gilbert asked, and we both nodded. “That’s so friggin cool. Raccoons can’t communicate telepathically, even in shifted forms with their mates.” Before I even realized I was doing it, I blurted out the question I’d been dying to know since we claimed our mate. “How do raccoons claim their mates?” “Why? You want me to claim you?” He giggled as he crawled from my lap to Blake’s. “Of course we do,” my twin answered and then glanced at me. Didn’t Gilbert understand that we wanted everything from him and to give him all of us? It would seem not from the way he acted most times. Our mate froze for a second before moving away from us enough so he could see us both at the same time. “You’re serious? You want me to claim you?” “You’re our mate,” I whispered, my heart hurting that Gilbert hadn’t even seemed to consider the idea. “Don’t you want us to be yours?” “Of course I do! I thought you were mine. Claiming you won’t change that. All it will do is make problems and everything more permanent.” And why did that idea seem to scare him so much? “There’s something we’re missing here,” Blake said, and I couldn’t agree more. “What’s wrong with permanent? When we claimed you, we tied our lifelines together so now you’re immortal like us. I can’t see you claiming us making things any more permanent.” “You did what?” Gilbert growled, baring his teeth at us. “Don’t you think that’s something you should warn a guy before deciding for him? You didn’t even tell me I was immortal now!”

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“We tried to,” I snarled, getting pissed that once again we were in trouble. “We tried to talk to you about what claiming you meant, but you’re so goddamn flippant about everything. Always saying we can keep you as long as we want but you won’t let us talk about forever!” “Getting angry isn’t helping, Drake,” Blake said quietly. “What do you expect? I’m getting a little tired of getting blamed for everything, always.” I snapped at him and stood up, my morning, the moment we’d shared, completely ruined in my mind. “All I want is to love him, okay? That’s all I want. But he won’t let me and somehow I’m always the jerk. I’ve never, ever opened up like this.” Then I turned and looked at Gilbert, who was shrinking away from me. Like I’d ever hurt him! That just pissed me off even more. I understood he couldn’t help his response after being abused for so long. But I’d never done anything to deserve it, and that just added fuel to my rant. “You think this is easy for me? Or for Blake? We’re so much older than you and we’ve had shit in our lives, too, Gilbert. But we’re willing to put it aside, change our habits to make you happy! You just won’t let us. I’m not taking the blame for this one.” I didn’t know raccoons could cry, but the moment I saw tears in my mate’s eyes, I couldn’t take it anymore. I practically turned and ran to my room, feeling like an asshole but not knowing how to fix it. I knew what I said was the truth. I just went about it wrong. Again. At least I was able to stop myself from slamming the door like a bratty teenager. I flopped back on my bed, folding my arms under my head, and stared at the ceiling. I knew I should go make nice with Gilbert. It killed me when there was a rift between us. I wanted to, but at the same time I didn’t. As crazy as that sounds, it made sense in my head. Why was I the one who always had to make nice? Why couldn’t I get comforted when my feelings got hurt? Wasn’t I worthy of a little TLC now and again? I wasn’t good at being the tender one, but I’d

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been trying, trying so fucking hard, and nothing seemed to work and— A scratch at the door interrupted my mental rant. I lifted my head enough to see a small nose poking through the crack and pushing the door open. I couldn’t help but smile. Who thought my mood would lighten in some ways and darken in others when a raccoon walked into my room? Yeah, that didn’t give me pause or anything. “I hope you got that scratching was my way of knocking,” my mate said quietly as he crawled up onto my bed. He was careful with his claws, but they tickled as he moved onto my stomach and chest. He stared at me intently. “I’m sorry.” “What are you sorry for?” I wasn’t trying to be a douche, I swear. I just needed to know what exactly he felt he did wrong. “For assuming that you just wanted me for now and that you weren’t serious when you said this was forever. For getting mad about the immortality thing when you were right and I know you tried to talk to me about serious stuff. While I still think that wasn’t something you should have beat around the bush about and asked me before claiming me, you have tried to discuss our mating and I wouldn’t.” “Yeah, we should, but that’s not all I’m upset about,” I admitted with a sigh. Gilbert tilted his head in a cute, curious gesture. “Why are you still in raccoon form?” “Because you think I’m cute like this and how can you stay mad at a raccoon who coos and squeaks?” Valid point, but not really fair either. “Okay, but I think you’re sexy and breathtaking in human form, and I can’t hold you while we make up if you’re still like this.” He seemed to consider that a moment before shifting back. Luckily, Gilbert was small and didn’t weigh much as a man. Otherwise the difference in weight from his shifting from raccoon to human might have hurt.

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“I am sorry,” he whispered as he went to lie down on top of me. I held his shoulders to keep him up so I could look at him. “Do you know this is the first time you’ve come to check on me when I’ve been upset? I always have to come to you, comfort you, Gilbert. I don’t want to sound like a whiny brat or something, but sometimes I need reassurances, too. I don’t have any knowledge on how to be a good mate either. This is just as new to us as it is to you, and Blake’s the sensitive one.” “I’ve never thought that,” Gilbert said, his eyes going wide. “You’re just as compassionate and loving as he is. Just because you tend to stick your foot in your mouth sometimes and get angry when he stays calm doesn’t mean you care any less than he does. You just handle it differently. Neither way is right. I know you get pissed because you’re scared or upset. We all respond in our own ways, but one way is not more loving than the other.” My heart swelled with love. He got me. My mate finally showed me that he understood me. “Thank you, baby.” I pulled him down into my arms, wrapping him in a bear hug. “I love you, Drake,” he whispered so quietly that I barely heard him. “I love you, too,” I breathed in his ear. I felt him smile against my shoulder and kissed his neck. “That’s why I get so scared. I understand in my head that when you talk like we could get rid of you any day that it’s a defensive mechanism. But it hurts my heart like you don’t care either way. It makes it hard to show you how I really feel sometimes.” “I get this is forever now. I do. We’ll get better at this. It’s just hard after so long of not mattering to anyone and never having anyone give me a second thought, and going from that to being important to two wonderful men. I always feel like I might wake up from it one day.” “Something inside of me would die if I woke up some morning and you were gone, Gilbert. Please believe that.”

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“I do now,” he sighed, snuggling up against me. “So we’re good now?” “Yeah, we’re good.” “So what did you have in mind for this fun Saturday?” he asked hesitantly. “We thought it might be nice for you to be the boss for the day since we can be kind of overbearing. But we have one request.” “Okay,” he drawled, figuring out it wouldn’t be something he’d suggest. “You be naked all day. We both realized we barely get to see any of your gorgeous body unless we’re in bed. We want to look and touch our fill today as we lie about and be lazy. We’ll both promise that if our staring or touching gets you hard, we’ll take care of you in any way you want. We want to spend the day showing you exactly how we feel. No sex, just all about Gilbert time.” He was quiet a moment, and I could feel his anxiety coming off of him in waves. “Why do you like that I’m fat?” “You are not fat,” Blake said firmly from the doorway. “You’ve got a little jiggle in the right places, which we both find sexy as hell. But you’re not even remotely overweight for your height, baby. It gets us both hard as can be that there’s something to hold on to when we take you. Hell, just watching your cute ass bounce when you walk gets my cock leaking.” “Seriously?” Gilbert sat up and gave my twin an incredulous look. “So you wouldn’t want me to work out and tone up? You don’t want me firm everywhere?” “We want you healthy and if that’s what you wanted, we wouldn’t love you any less. But no. I love you just the way you are and I think you’re sexy as fuck.” Gilbert’s face flamed red as he gave a shy smile. “I love you, too, Blake.” “Good,” my twin replied with a wink. “Now that we all know we love each other, will you give us a naked, lazy Saturday?”

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He bit his lower lip and nodded. “Only if next Saturday you’re the ones naked and I get to pick how we have sex. There are some things I’ve always wanted to try, and now that I have loving mates, I feel as if I can ask for it.” “Oh sweet fuck,” I moaned, images of my mate being kinky assaulting my brain. In a flash I rolled us so he was under me and mashed my mouth down to his. Gilbert opened for me, and when we both needed air, I ripped my lips from his. “Tell me that one of the fantasies involves you being tied down?” “We could do that,” he purred, his eyes twinkling. “But actually, I was thinking more about tying you down and cuffing Blake to a chair, making him watch. Then maybe switching so I could ride you both but not letting either of you touch me.” Both of us groaned at the ideas our mate was giving. “But I do want to discuss you guys letting me take you sometime.” I almost didn’t catch that last part, but when I saw the hope and desire shining in his eyes, I found myself nodding. “We can do that. I’ve never bottomed before, but I’m willing to try. I want to try everything pleasurable with you, baby.” “Thank you.” Gilbert’s smile was brighter than a spotlight, and I knew I’d said the right thing…for once. “Okay, but we want to take you at the same time one day and get you pregnant,” Blake blurted out from the side of the bed. I turned us so we could both see him. His eyes were wide, his hand slapped over his mouth in shock. “Nice one, fuck-nut.” I snickered, glad it wasn’t me sticking my foot in my mouth for once. “Pr–pregnant,” Gilbert sputtered from my arms. Right, I’d forgotten this was news to him. I glanced down just in time to see his eyes roll back up into his head as he passed out. “Soo,” I drawled, looking at my twin. “Should you go get those flowers now or after he wakes up?”

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“Yeah, I could have handled that better,” he groaned, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck in agitation. “It just kinda came out when we were talking about things we want.” “I should be pissed at you, too, though. What’s this we shit? I never said I wanted children.” “Oh please.” He snickered. “You forget I can feel what you do. I can’t count how many times I felt you staring at his stomach hoping one day our children would be growing inside of him.” My face flushed because it was true. I may be quick to anger and not know how to express my emotions well, but Blake was right. “Okay fine, but we should have discussed this before you blurted it out,” I countered. “Do you want flowers, too?” Blake threw back before racing out of the room. “I’ll be at the florist!” “Oh great! Leave me to deal with him when he wakes back up. How the hell do I know what to say to him?” I was going to throttle Blake. With our quick-healing genes it wouldn’t leave any permanent damage, which just meant I could do it again and again. I turned my attention back to Gilbert and watched as his eyes opened slightly and then closed again. I smoothed his hair back from his forehead. “How about the truth,” Gilbert mumbled. “Can I get pregnant?” “Yes,” I answered with a sigh. “If we take you at the same time, we’d knock you up.” His eyes fluttered back open as he did a great impression of a fish with his mouth. Then he started to hyperventilate. In a flash I had him sitting on the side of the bed with his head between his knees. “Breathe, baby.” “Anything else I need to know?” he snapped at me and shoved me away with one arm. “We love you?” I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say, so it came out more like a question than a statement. But it worked. I could see the anger in Gilbert’s features drain away as his breathing regulated.

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“I need a drink,” he mumbled as he rolled out of bed. “Wait, that Chuck guy said you don’t drink.” I leapt to my feet and followed him out of my room. “Yeah, I don’t.” Gilbert laughed with a hysterical edge. “It’s only ten in the morning,” I pointed out, wincing when he turned around and I saw the anger had partially returned. “Like I give a shit about the time!” he shouted as his lip curled over his teeth. “My mates just told me they can get me, a man, pregnant. If there was ever a time to start drinking, it would be now.” “Fair enough,” I agreed immediately, mostly because I was afraid of what he would do if I didn’t. “What would you like to drink?” “Whatever they give hysterical people to calm down.” He threw his hands up in the air and stormed to the kitchen. I knew I really was going to kick Blake’s ass when I heard his car pulling out of the driveway. Great. Now I really was left alone to deal with this. “Whiskey, right?” “Umm, let’s start with something milder since you don’t drink.” My voice had a slight panic to the edge of it, and well, that’s how I was feeling, too. “Umm, let’s not since I’m freaking out here!” I froze in shock. My mate was normally so docile and went with the flow that I wasn’t sure I’d really ever heard him tell me no before. Unfortunately while I caught up with what was going on, Gilbert found the whiskey. He poured himself a juice glass full of it and downed half of it before I got to him. He coughed and sputtered, his eyes going wide as he gagged on it. Yeah, we kept the good stuff in the cabinet in the living room. The strong stuff that burned as it went down. “Chaser,” he wheezed as he put the glass down. I nodded and booked it to the kitchen and grabbed him a Mountain Dew, which I knew was his favorite. When I got back to him, he was sitting on the floor with his back leaning against the cabinet, sipping his whiskey

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gingerly. I quickly handed him the can of pop and knelt before him. “Thanks.” “No problem,” I said gently as I tried to take away the glass of whiskey that was now almost empty. “Oh no, I’m not done yet,” Gilbert replied firmly and moved it on the other side of him. “I’ve never gotten drunk before, so you’re just going to have to deal with the consequences. But for the first time in my life I want to and feel I deserve to after the bomb you just dropped on me.” That made me take a moment. Gilbert had been treated like shit, abused, and while he didn’t see it as being raped if he didn’t have a vote in the sex he’d had…I did. And all of that never drove him to drink but we just did? Fuck! We were going to go down in history as the worst mates ever. Gilbert must have realized what was brewing inside of me from whatever look I had on my face. “Shock, Drake. It’s the shock of this even being possible, much less with me, that has me spinning out of control. No matter how shitty my life got at times with the kit, I knew it was coming and how to handle it. This? This I have no fucking clue how to handle or process.” As if proving his point, he downed the rest of the whiskey and then chugged some pop to ease the burn. “Can I ask you some questions?” “Of course, baby,” I answered as I took the bottle of whiskey. I took several gulps of it, thinking his plan of getting drunk wasn’t so bad, before pouring him a little bit more as well. “How does it work? How can you get a man pregnant?” He looked so lost and confused. I couldn’t help moving next to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. I’m sure we looked ridiculous, naked, sitting on the floor, drinking whiskey, talking about men having babies and all…but welcome to my life. “Honestly? I have no idea. I just know it does. Unicorns aren’t like most shifters in the fact that we have our own magic, but we’re

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not witches or anything. It’s more that we’re mythical, though come to think of it, aren’t all shifters and paranormals really mythical?” I was ranting because I was nervous, so I took another drink from the bottle for something to do. “Have you known anyone to have a male mate and knock them up?” “Yes, both unicorn and other species. From what I’ve been told, it’s like a temporary womb forms and then comes out after labor. That’s really all I know and mostly because it’s a little freaky to me, too, and I’ve never really asked.” “But you do want kids,” he whispered so quietly, his voice laced with fear, that I leaned over him some more as if to shelter him from the world. “Yeah, but we can find another way to have them. It doesn’t mean you have to get pregnant or even worry about this for a while. We haven’t even been mated all that long. Even though Blake mentioned it, he wasn’t talking about knocking you up tomorrow.” “Yes I was,” Blake said as he walked into the living room, his arms overflowing with flowers. Wow, great protector mate I was! I was so wrapped up with the conversation I hadn’t even heard him come home— “Wait, what?” I asked, my eyes going wide now. “You want him pregnant now?” “Yeah, don’t you? And we can get a surrogate, but you know that we can’t have unicorn twins that way.” “Twins,” Gilbert whispered before his eyes fluttered again and he passed out, collapsing on my lap. “You. Asshole,” I snarled at my twin. Blake groaned and dropped onto the ground, sitting right in front of us. I shook my head. It was official. We were all idiots.

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Chapter 8 “I was just getting him to calm down,” I grumbled as I grabbed Gilbert’s drinks so he didn’t spill. “By getting him drunk?” Blake accused with narrowed eyes. “He doesn’t even drink.” “Well, it seems we’ve drove him to it, and after learning what he did in the way he did, he wanted some booze. And I wasn’t going to tell him no.” “Good point. I don’t think I could have either.” “You want me to pop out twins?” Gilbert asked as his eyes opened back up. “Are you insane?” “Probably.” Blake chuckled and shook his head. “Just so we’re clear, full disclosure and all of that, but it might not just be twins. It’s twins when it’s unicorns mating, and with you being a raccoon, we have no idea what that means.” “Oh shit,” he groaned as he threw his arm over his face, still in my lap. “Raccoons can have a litter of kits like wolves. Sometimes it’s one or two like with me, but I’ve known some to have up to five.” “Five babies?” Blake gasped, a big smile spreading over his face. “We could have five babies at one time?” I shot him a look that clearly said you’re an idiot. Our mate was freaking out and Blake was getting excited. “Don’t make me hurt you after I just admitted I love you,” Gilbert said with a growl. Yeah, that was about the reaction I’d expected. “I’m sorry, baby. I know this is a shock, but I can’t help but be happy at the idea of a little raccoon or unicorn that looks like you.”

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“But you’re not talking about one, Blake. You’re talking about at least twins, maybe more!” Gilbert sat up, swaying a bit in the process, and grabbed his glass. He downed it before either of us could stop him. “You want me to pass maybe five kits out of my ass—literally! Because last time I checked, I’m minus a vagina. Would you be so excited if you were the one talking about pushing out a bunch of babies through your anus?” “No, probably not,” Blake admitted sheepishly. “But we can’t. I’m not saying I wouldn’t if I could, because I’d do it if it meant having baby that was both of ours.” “No, no, don’t do that,” Gilbert shouted as he jumped to his feet, grabbing the bottle. “Don’t you dare guilt me into this! It’s easy for you to say you would because you can’t. So that makes me the jerk for freaking out about this.” “That’s not what I meant, baby,” Blake said quickly, all the blood draining from his face as he realized how what he said sounded. He got to his knees and pushed the huge bouquets of flowers toward Gilbert. “I got you flowers. I went right out and got them to say I’m sorry.” Gilbert just stared at him a moment with his mouth agape before letting out a dark bark of laughter. He took another swig of the bottle before shaking his head and looking at my twin. “You are so completely clueless sometimes, aren’t you?” “Yes. I’ve never denied that.” Blake sighed in defeat. “I am sorry though. I didn’t mean to spring this on you or make it seem like I was guilting you into it. I’ve just had a lot, lot longer with this information. I knew the moment Drake and I realized we were gay that if we wanted children that our mate would have to go through something that goes against science. All I meant was if I could spare you from that and this shock, I would. I’d bear our children so you didn’t have to if I could.” “Now that was the right thing to say,” Gilbert said firmly as he took another swig.

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“Baby, can you slow down with that stuff?” I asked gently as I reached for the bottle. “Drunk is one thing, but if you don’t drink, that much might make you sick.” He mulled it over for a moment before giving me the bottle. “You’re right. I don’t feel the burn anymore and my lips are numb. I’d like to keep my breakfast down.” “Thank you.” And I meant it. The only thing that would make this situation worse would be if our poor, shocked, freaked-out mate started puking. He plopped down on his butt and took the first bouquet from Blake. “So much for fun, naked Saturday.” The way he pouted as he touched the tips of the roses with his fingers broke my heart. “There’s still a lot of Saturday left, baby.” He nodded even as his bottom lip stuck out. “No one’s asking you to decide right now. This is a lot to take in, and we have all the time in the world.” I shot Blake a look that he should keep his mouth shut. He mashed his lips together in the global I’m not saying shit signal. “I want to go back to school,” Gilbert blurted out. He seemed to realize what he said and lifted his head, glancing between the two of us. “I want to get my GED.” “Would you have to leave the house for that? I mean go to actual school?” Blake asked, and I shared the concern. There was no way we’d want our mate to go somewhere unprotected every day for that long. “I don’t think so,” he replied, scrunching up his nose in thought. “I think it’s just a test. I’d have to get prep materials and study, but I don’t think it’s like going back to high school. And I know that you can do college online if that’s the route I want to go. I take it you won’t want me away from you too long at a time?” “No,” I sighed as I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You’re too important to us to risk something happening to you. If we’re not with you, we can’t protect you.”

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“That’s your only objection then?” He looked hopeful and the sadness was almost gone from his eyes. “It’s not even an objection. If you did have to go to classes, we’d figure out a way to make it happen. We would never say no to something like going back to school, baby.” I meant every word of it. “Now if you said you wanted to go study scuba diving in the Arctic, yeah, we’d have issues,” Blake teased. Gilbert snickered and rolled his eyes, and just like that, I knew the drama had passed. The baby discussion wasn’t over, but at least we’d dropped the bomb and given him time to process it. “I’m drunk, so naked Saturday sounds great and I want a blow job,” Gilbert announced as if he was letting us know he was going to get a pop from the kitchen. “I vote for Blake since he’s the one who made me want to get drunk in the first place.” “As my mate wishes,” he growled and pounced on our small man. He moved Gilbert so he was lying on the floor, his legs falling to the side. I watched as my twin got right down to it, worshipping the body of the man we loved so much. Gilbert let out happy mewling noises and I decided to take the chance and play as well. I moved around so I could lay his head in my lap. Unfortunately since I was naked, my hard cock tapped his lips. “This is my time. You said it was because I was going to be naked. Play fair.” There was so much moaning as he spoke because Blake was sucking his dick down to the root that it was hard for me to understand him. “I wasn’t implying you take care of me, baby,” I replied gently. “I can’t help the way my body responds to you.” “Are you saying I make you hard?” Gilbert asked with a purr, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “You know that you do. I’m hard around you ninety-five percent of the time, even when we’re fighting.” “That’s—ugh!” He grunted and turned to look at Blake. I did the same and saw the fire and annoyance in my twin’s eyes. Oh shit.

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Yeah, I’d be pissed, too, if Gilbert wasn’t paying attention to my giving him head and if Blake had been distracting him. “Hey! I may be a pain slut at times, but those nuts are attached down there!” Blake’s eyes went wide and he popped off our mate’s cock. “You’re a pain slut? What does that even mean? You liked what—” “Don’t even finish that mean thought,” Gilbert growled. I had a feeling Blake was going to ask if Gilbert liked what Chuck had done to our mate. I knew that couldn’t be. That wasn’t about a little pain sometimes. It was torture. “Get back to work and I’ll tell you after I come.” “Bossy little squirt,” Blake mumbled with a raised eyebrow. “Who you want to knock up and have carry your children. Spoiling me for a long time is a must for even bringing it up and asking me to consider it. Now suck!” We both stared at him in shock before Blake snapped out of it and got back to work. I leaned over and kissed my mate’s lush mouth. He was hot when he was all feisty! I mean, he was always hot but this was, wow! I swear if I was a wolf, I’d want to be exposing my neck to him right now. Okay, maybe not, but the point was I liked a little bossiness from him sometimes. And didn’t that just shock the hell out of me? Gilbert pulled his mouth away from mine and let out something between a yell and a growl as he grabbed Blake’s head roughly. I ran my fingers through his sweaty hair, pushing it off his forehead as he rode the waves of his ecstasy. “Fuck. Yeah,” Gilbert grunted as he slumped against my lap, completely spent. “I like blow jobs.” “We know.” Blake chuckled in between licking our mate clean. “But that was my first real one,” he whispered and started to pull away. “That’s not true,” I said as I grabbed him and moved him onto my lap to snuggle. “We’ve both sucked you numerous times.” “Not to completion,” he mumbled as his body shook with aftershocks. Wow, that must have been one hell of a climax if he was

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still feeling it. “You guys play while stretching me, or tease me sometimes. But it’s never been just about giving me head and only my pleasure.” “We get a little distracted when you’re making those noises and squirming in pleasure, baby,” Blake said gently as he moved to surround our mate from the other side. It was then I realized he was still fully dressed. At least that would give our mate some extra warmth because I was cold and that meant Gilbert was, too. I handed him over to my twin and stood. “I’m going to throw on some clothes and make a fire.” “I like you naked though,” Gilbert mumbled and then started snoring softly. “The man can’t hold his booze.” Blake snickered and stood with our mate in his arms. He sat back down on the couch and pulled a blanket over them. “He’s had a quite the day. Cut him some slack,” I whispered so as not to wake our mate but making sure Blake heard the reprimand in my tone. “I know. I was just teasing.” I nodded and headed to my room to grab some sweats when I heard my twin mumble, “We should get him drunk more often though. I kinda liked that he was comfortable enough to finally tell us what he wants.” I couldn’t have agreed more. I didn’t want to kill our mate’s liver in the process, but it would be nice to know what he’s feeling most times. And if nothing else, I was glad all our cards were finally on the table. Our mate knew he could get pregnant and that we wanted to. But I didn’t want it right away like Blake did, and that was a discussion we would have to have. After I was dressed, I grabbed us a couple bottles of water, handed one to Blake, and started stacking logs in the fireplace in our main living room. Then I got the kindling, put some dry newspaper in the fireplace, and lit it. My mind raced as I did the same task I’d done a million times before.

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“Talk to me, Drake,” Blake said gently when I was done. “Is this about him wanting to go to school?” “What? No,” I replied immediately as I turned to face him. I shook my head and moved to sit in one of the chairs adjacent to the couch. “At first I didn’t get what he was saying about needing to find his place in life, but after talking with his mom and now the school thing, I get it. And I’m glad. His self-esteem is for shit, and I think taking the time to find out who he really is will help. I’m all for spreading his wings a bit as long as it doesn’t end up that he flies away from us.” “Agreed,” he said quietly, not wanting to wake up our snoring mate. Damn, even Gilbert’s snores were cute. “So what’s got you looking so pensive?” “I don’t want babies yet,” I admitted with a wince, my heart hurting suddenly. I realized it wasn’t me, but Blake who was distraught. “We just found him, Blake.” I knew I was going to screw this up, but I needed my twin to understand. “Do I want little munchkins that look like him? Yes, of course I do. But we weren’t sure we even ever wanted to mate. Now we are and I like it. It’s been a lot of ups and downs and adjusting, but he makes me happy. “I just want to enjoy that before we add more to our lives. I mean, if we have twins or more, we can’t have lazy naked Saturdays. We’ll be up all night with crying babies. Can’t we just enjoy what we have for a while and give Gilbert more time to find out who he is away from his kit?” “I didn’t think of it like that,” Blake said with a sigh. “I just got so excited. I mean, he loves us. Did you ever think someone as strong and special as Gilbert would ever love us?” “No, but we have him now and he does. I want that to grow and have a truly strong, stable mating before we add kids.” It was then I realized the snoring had stopped. “How much have you overheard, baby?”

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“Enough to remind me why I love you both.” He smiled but didn’t open his eyes. His face looked so relaxed and peaceful that I couldn’t help but smile as well. “Learning I can get pregnant is a shock and I’m not saying no. I will think about it a lot before giving you two an answer.” “Can you tell us which way you’re leaning at least?” Blake asked hesitantly. I knew my twin well. He’d be inconsolable if our mate denied us children. “My heart is saying yes but not yet,” he answered as he sat up, finally opening his eyes, and glanced from Blake to me. “I agree with Drake. We need to work on our mating before bringing kids into the picture. And a lot of that is me dealing with my insecurities and issues. How can I guide and be a real parent to children when I feel lost most of the time?” “You can’t,” Blake replied with a smile. “I agree on us needing to grow together as mates in a loving relationship before talking about babies. I do have to tell you that I think you’d be a wonderful father and you’re not as lost as you think you are. You don’t see yourself the way we do, Gilbert.” “Then I need time to see myself as the man you do,” he said and then started to nibble on his lower lip in thought. “I need to be able to see myself as more than the whore from my kit. I can’t risk passing on my horrible self-image to our kids. I don’t think I’m worthy of having one loving mate, much less two, and I really shouldn’t be reproducing and bringing little people like me into this world until I can believe otherwise.” We were all quiet for a moment while we mulled the conversation over. Then an idea hit me. “So we all agree we would want children when we get over our individual issues, right?” They both nodded, looking a little confused. “Then how about we get Gilbert more information about how he can be pregnant and what he can expect? He can decide from there if he’d be willing to even do it or if we’d

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need a surrogate. Then we can say we’ll revisit this topic next year and see if we’re any closer to knowing if we’re ready.” Gilbert smiled brightly at me, and his shoulders relaxed a bit. I hadn’t even realized how tense he’d been. But when I saw the grateful look Blake was giving me, I realized he had been, since our mate was in his lap. “I like it,” Blake said with a nod. “It takes the pressure off while not being a straight-up no and still keeps us moving forward toward the idea. We’re just putting it on the back burner for a year or so.” “I agree.” Gilbert held his hand out to me, the blanket falling off of him some and exposing that creamy flesh that always had my mouth watering. I took his hand in mine and moved to sit next to Blake on the couch. “And for the record, you’re worthy of all the love we can give you and more,” I whispered in his ear. “I wish I believed that.” His eyes looked down at our joined hands, his features showing signs of defeat. I couldn’t have that, especially not on naked fun Saturday. “Then we’re just going to have to show you as often as you’ll let us.” His eyes sparkled with lust as he glanced up at me until he saw that I was shaking my head. “It’s not always about sex, baby,” I said gently. His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion especially when Blake got up off the couch. In a few minutes, my twin had a pillow bed built with blankets so we were close to the fireplace but facing the TV. He popped in the latest superhero movie with hot men, and I moved Gilbert and me down onto the makeshift bed. “I haven’t ever cuddled and watched a movie with anyone since I was five and had the stomach flu,” Gilbert admitted with a soft smile. “And I certainly wasn’t naked or surrounded by hot men.” “We aim to please.” Blake chuckled as he got under the blanket and took off his shirt. Gilbert got the idea and lay against my brother, his head resting on Blake’s chest so he could see the TV. I moved to

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spoon his back after I took my shirt off as well. For one, it was more than warm enough by the fireplace and with the blankets and body heat. Secondly, I just wanted the simple contact with my mate. Right then, I think we all needed some extra touching. “I like naked Saturdays,” Gilbert mumbled, and I had a feeling he’d be napping again real soon. “Us, too, baby. Us, too,” Blake said gently as he kissed our mate softly on the lips. I did the same on Gilbert’s shoulder, and we all snuggled down to relax. It was just what we needed. To hold and be held by the ones we loved most. No drama, no issues, just action on the TV and snuggling together.

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Chapter 9 A few weeks later, things were like eggs and bacon…a perfect fit, made me smile when I saw them, and yummy! Just like my mate. In other words, things were going great. “We should have gone with him,” Blake grumbled as we worked in the office. “Dude, even I’m not that big of a control freak,” I groaned with a snicker. “Gilbert just went to pick up the books he ordered from the store and to grab a few things for dinner.” “Oh gods, don’t mention food,” Blake moaned and bolted from the room. Okay, so maybe everything wasn’t going great, but at least things with Gilbert were better. Then I had that feeling again. Oh crap. I was up and out of the room to one of the other bathrooms as well. Five minutes later, I was in our room, the bedroom the three of us now shared. It was the largest master bedroom in the house and was Blake’s before. “We need to sneak out and get more pills,” Blake informed me as he held out his newly washed hands with a few ulcer and anti-diarrhea pills to me. “Or we could just tell our mate what’s going on and be honest,” I replied, letting him hear the anger in my voice. I swiped the pills and swallowed them dry. “He’s going to find out eventually and get more upset than if we’d just told him from the start.” “But he loves cooking for us,” Blake countered, shaking his head. “It makes him feel as if he’s taking care of us and he needs that. I

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would have ulcers the rest of my life and deal with this if it kept him as happy as he is now.” “Which is really sweet and the only reason I might not kill you both,” Gilbert said from the doorway. “I wanted to tell you immediately,” I blurted out as we both turned toward him, caught like kids with their hands in the cookie jars. “Tell me what exactly? What’s going on? I’ve given you ulcers?” Our mate looked equal parts pissed and destroyed at the idea. “Not you,” I answered quickly as we both stepped further into the bedroom and closer to him. “Just your cooking.” “Drake!” Blake gasped and cracked me upside the head. “It’s not your cooking, Gilbert.” “Right, you’re a great cook, baby,” I said, realizing how badly what I’d previously said sounded. “It’s what you’re cooking. We can’t take all the fried foods. Unicorns aren’t scavengers like raccoons and don’t have your iron stomachs. We’re more an organic, antipreservative breed.” He stared at us in turn, his head darting back and forth. Then he did the last thing I would have expected…Gilbert burst out laughing. “Is this the kind of laughing before he kills us or something?” I asked Blake when our mate actually grabbed his sides before falling to his knees he was laughing so hard. My twin simply shrugged, looking as lost as I was. “Y–You’re both”—he paused to gasp for air—“fucking idiots.” And then he broke into peals of laughter. “We know that, but we don’t know why you’re laughing,” I said with a growl, not knowing what to do and equally parts worried and annoyed with the whole thing. Ulcers weren’t fun. Hell, I didn’t even know we could get ulcers, but it was our best guess since we couldn’t sneak out to the paranormal clinic without Gilbert knowing. “I’ll be right back,” Blake groaned and darted into the bathroom again, closing the door behind him. That seemed to sober up Gilbert real fast.

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“You guys weren’t kidding about the ulcers, were you?” His eyes were wide as he glanced at the door past me. “No, we’ve been having some digestion problems,” I admitted sheepishly. It seemed like the nicest way to phrase it. “I should kick both your asses,” he growled and stood before storming over to me. “You think I’d ever want my happiness to cause either of you pain?” “Is that why you said we’re fucking idiots?” It made sense. “No, but you are for that reason as well,” he answered with a huff and an eye roll. “I love cooking for you. I didn’t say I loved cooking fried foods for you! I can easily change what I’m making and learn new recipes! I just went with what I knew because you both said you loved it and it’s what I like. I’m willing to try new things for you guys. If I don’t like it, I can make something different for me. Most of what I make I just throw in the fryer anyways. It’s not hard.” “We didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” I said quietly, hoping that the look in my eyes would get him to understand. “I know, you big dope.” He chuckled and stood on his toes for a kiss. I gladly gave it to him, breaking apart when the bathroom door opened again. “We’re sorry,” Blake groaned. “We didn’t want to seem like ungrateful bastards.” “I know. I love you both,” Gilbert said with a smile and then pointed toward the living room. “But you’re both done working for the day. Go lay your asses down so I can make you better. I’m going to run back out, get you some chicken soup, lots of bread, and what you’ll need to stay hydrated.” “That’s why I feel so sore and worn down.” I wanted to smack myself in the forehead. They were classic symptoms of dehydration and I’d completely missed it. “Yes, now rest and I’ll be right back,” our mate ordered as he led us to the living room. I darted to the larger couch and flopped on it, sticking my tongue out at Blake. He was the one who wanted to keep

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our ulcers a secret. He could deal with trying to fit on the love seat as punishment. “Ass,” he muttered and lay down on the other couch. Gilbert ducked into the kitchen and came back out with two bottles of Gatorade. “Drink these slowly and no more water if your tummies hurt.” He gave us each a bottle and a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll be back in a bit, and then once you’re feeling better, we’re going to discuss what you guys normally eat so I can shop and cook accordingly.” “You’re so good to us,” I cooed. He rolled his eyes and headed to the front door, grabbing his keys and jacket again. “He really is,” Blake agreed after we heard the door shut with a quiet click that signaled our mate was gone. “And you were right. We should have simply told him. I just couldn’t risk hurting his feelings and the fun we’ve been having. Everything’s been going so well. He’s been studying for his GED, treating this as his home, and having a blast with his mom. I was so scared we’d throw a wrench in his good moods.” “I know, I was, too. But how can he trust us to come to us with issues if we won’t talk to him about ours?” Blake didn’t answer at first but then quietly mumbled, “I never knew you were more than just a pretty face.” “Ass. Hole,” I grumbled, mostly because we were identical twins so we had the same face. I drank some more fluids and closed my eyes for a quick nap until Gilbert got back. I don’t know how much time passed, but I must have dozed off because I awoke to the sound of the back door opening. Why would Gilbert be coming in through the terrace? The answer was simple…He wouldn’t. I got to my feet and shook Blake awake, holding my finger over my lips so he knew to keep quiet. The back door was sliding closed, and my twin’s eyes went wide with understanding. He got up and we started to go around

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through the kitchen. We didn’t even get five feet when I felt a pinch in my neck. “What the fuck?” I gasped as I reached up and pulled a dart out of my neck. Almost instantly my skin heated up and my limbs weren’t working like I wanted. I fell to the floor, barely realizing that the same thing was happening to Blake. We both cried out as whatever we were shot with forced us to shift. Holy shit, was that painful. Our first shift when we were twelve didn’t hurt remotely as badly as this did. “Can you see anyone? I can’t move!” Blake shouted in my head. “Shut up,” I growled, wanting to throttle him. “The intruder can’t hear us,” Blake replied, sounding confused. No, but Gilbert could and would come racing back home to try and help us. I didn’t even have to say anything before Blake figured it out. “Oh shit.” “Yeah, ya think?” Just then I saw feet approaching. “Well, well, well, the big bad unicorns were much easier to take down than I’d expected. Now where’s my doxy?” Oh, I was so killing Chuck when whatever he did to us wore off. I wanted to scream for him to leave our mate alone, but since he seemed to have given us some neurotoxin that didn’t allow us to move and we were in unicorn form, all I could do was give a mumbled neigh. “By the way, I looked up the only way to kill a unicorn,” Chuck gloated as he knelt down on one knee in between us. “It would hurt my whore doxy if you were still alive and I took him away.” He moved so I could see his face fully. “And don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him.” Chuck was so busy being a douche bag that I’m sure he didn’t hear someone coming up the front porch. “Baby, run! Please, just run, okay? I’d rather die than let him get his hands on you again!” I screamed in our mental link. I knew it was pointless. Gilbert was a wonderful man who’d never run to save his own ass when we were in trouble. But I had to try.

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Instead the door broke open and a man I’d never seen before busted in our house. Fuck! Chuck brought reinforcements. “Who are you?” the raccoon asked as he jumped to his feet. Okay, maybe he wasn’t with Chuck? “Grace’s new man,” he snarled. I couldn’t turn my head, but I could see enough to know the man had wicked fangs. “And no one hurts my sons-in-law,” Grace shouted as she stepped into the house. Wow. I’d never seen Momma Quinby pissed before, and it was a sight to be reckoned with. I made a mental note to never, ever upset her. “This doesn’t concern you, doxy. Leave,” Chuck yelled as he focused solely on the vampire. “And you need to know I’m leader of my kit. UPAC won’t take kindly to you getting involved here, bloodsucker.” “You broke in their house, tranqued them, and are trying to kidnap Gilbert,” the vamp replied with a sneer. “I think UPAC would thank me for taking care of your fucked-up ass. I know your kit will.” “Blake! Drake!” Gilbert called out as he raced up the porch. He froze when he saw us on the floor, paralyzed. Gilbert’s frightened expression turned to pure hatred when he saw Chuck. “You bastard!” “Don’t do it,” Chuck warned as he pulled out a wicked-looking sword and lowered it to my horn. “I’ll cut it off and kill him if you come closer.” “Then you’ll die before you get to the other one.” The vampire was in full shifted form, including claws. “Baby, he can’t take our horns with a sword. Only diamonds can cut through them. Our horns are one of the hardest materials on the planet,” Blake explained, and I was grateful he was thinking because with the sword so close to me I had to admit that I wasn’t. I was close to shitting a brick…not that I would ever tell anyone that. But he was right. That steel sword wouldn’t do anything but piss me off worse and hurt a bit.

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Gilbert’s eyes went wide, and I knew he heard and understood. He focused on Chuck. “Why? Why do this? Haven’t you done enough to me? There are other people in the kit you can have sex with.” “Because you were mine!” Chuck roared as he threw his hands up in the air. I was just glad the sword moved with him. “You loved me and you were mine. Your father wouldn’t let me take you as a mate and that’s why I killed the fucker. I still couldn’t have you as my own, but everyone started to get the idea that I didn’t want to share you. Doxy or not, you belong to me alone.” “I loved you?” Gilbert gasped, his eyes wide with shock. “You’re sick. I mean I knew that since you can’t get it up—” “Shut up!” Chuck screamed and brought the sword to my neck. “I will kill your mother and her new toy before fucking you in front of your immobile mates. Then I’ll de-horn them and—” Gilbert launched himself at the madman. “No!” Blake and I cried out in our minds. The sword couldn’t hurt us, but it sure as fuck could kill our mate. Chuck, obviously not a master of fighting, dropped the sword to fend off Gilbert. Wow. He really was a stupid bastard. Who drops their weapon to fight someone? I didn’t know whether to roll my eyes or do a dance at his idiocy. I was going with the latter when I could move again. “You won’t hurt my mates or my momma!” Gilbert cried in such a pained voice that it hurt my heart. “I’m finally happy! You took my virginity, my sanity, any self-respect I might ever have had. I won’t let you take them, too. I hate you! I’ve always hated you.” I could hear flesh tearing, but I couldn’t see what was going on since it was happening between Drake and me. I prayed like I had never prayed before that it wasn’t Gilbert being hurt. “You’re a monster! You are evil!” I figured if Gilbert could keep screaming then he wasn’t hurt too bad. It made sense to me.

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“He’s okay. I think Chuck is dead,” Blake said in a quiet voice. “He won’t stop. He just keeps clawing up Chuck. Fuck, Drake, I’m scared.” “Scared he’s hurt?” I didn’t understand what he meant. “No, scared something in our precious mate just broke. You can’t see what I can, but he doesn’t even look like Gilbert he’s so filled with rage.” “He deserves his rage and vengeance,” I replied, all for Gilbert killing the fucker that hurt him so much. And not just because Chuck had wanted to kill us and take our mate. When it came to hurting the people I love, I didn’t believe in turning the other cheek. “Gilbert, he’s dead,” Grace said in a shaky voice. “Don, can you grab him?” “Hey, buddy, you need to stop,” the vamp, Don, I guess, whispered as he approached our mate cautiously. “You’re scaring your momma, and I think your mates need you.” “Oh gods, Blake, Drake,” Gilbert cried as he moved so I could see him. I mentally gasped. He was covered, and I mean dripping, completely covered with blood. It was all in his hair, his face… Everywhere. “Are you hurt?” “No, baby. We can’t move. I think he gave us some type of neurotoxin. We need to get to a doctor.” Gilbert quickly relayed what I’d said as Grace ran out of the room. “Gilbert?” “Yeah, Drake?” He focused back on me, rubbing my nose. “I love you. Thank you for protecting us.” “I’d do anything for you both,” he whispered, his eyes filling with tears. He kissed me before moving over to Blake. “I’m going to call my coven and see what they think we should do,” Don informed me as he pulled out his phone. “No!” Blake shouted. “We can’t have people know how to kill us or immobilize us. Our horns are priceless. Have him call Father.” Now it was my turn. “No! We are not contacting that bastard! Call the leader of the unicorns. I don’t trust that Father wouldn’t hurt

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Gilbert if he knows we’re mated.” Our father was a manipulative bastard who let his prejudice rule all other sensibilities, like the love for his sons. The moment we told him we were gay, we were dead to him and our mothers never said a word to stop him. Part of me always pitied the man since he’d lost his twin. I think it made him go a little crazy. I knew I would if I ever lost Blake. But that little bit of understanding I had for the man didn’t make up for who he was. I wouldn’t risk subjecting Gilbert to the bastard. “Good point,” Blake agreed and told Gilbert how to contact the elder of the unicorns. He relayed the information to his mom and the vamp named Don. If I was in a better state of mind, then I might have laughed at how our first meeting went down. Great story to tell about how we met potential in-laws. Then I had a thought. “Baby, do you know who this Don guy is? Is this the first time you’re meeting him, too?” “Momma told me about him, but no, we’ve not met yet,” Gilbert answered as Grace handed him a wet towel to clean up. “You need to take a shower, son,” she said gently. “You can’t go into a hospital like this.” “I’m not leaving them,” Gilbert snapped and then took a few deep breaths. “I’m sorry, Momma. I–I just don’t think I can le–leave them even for a shower.” “We’ll be okay, sweetheart. Go just rinse off and change clothes. The authorities might mistake you for the one who hurt us with all that blood. We can’t risk you being pulled away from us for questioning or something.” Blake was full of shit. I wasn’t going to point that out, but he was. Gilbert was a witness and no matter how we spun the tale…he killed the leader of his former kit. There were going to be questions, investigations, and all kinds of issues up the ass. But I did agree that Gilbert needed to get the blood off of him. If for no other reason, what he had done was going to sink in and he might start to freak out.

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Not that he didn’t deserve a good, week-long freak-out, but I was just hoping to hold it off until after we were mobile again. “Okay, I just got off the phone with your elder,” Don said as he walked back into the room. “He’s sending a team here who can test to see what you were given and how to fix it. He said it sounded like something that would work itself out of your systems, but he doesn’t want to take any chances. I told him I killed Chuck for attacking Grace and Gilbert when I showed up for dinner. The moment you two are back to normal, I’ll go report that to my coven as if it just happened. You were not here at the time.” “Tell him we can’t let him take the fall like that. We’ll tell UPAC we did it,” Blake stated adamantly. Gilbert shook his head and I wanted to sigh in defeat. We couldn’t talk, we couldn’t move, we so weren’t going to get our way right now. “I’m the momma here,” Grace said firmly when Gilbert started to argue. “I didn’t ask Don to do it but I’m glad he did. There are less repercussions and issues if he says he did it to defend us. The raccoons can’t get up in arms about this for fear of the vamps, and I’m sure the vamps wouldn’t give a shit anyways. Right?” Grace turned her gaze to Don. “Sorry, but no, my coven leader would rather eat you all than be diplomatic,” Don replied with a wince. “But I’m not mean like that. I liked you from the moment I saw you, Grace. You know that. I don’t care that you’re a raccoon, or were a doxy. I wouldn’t even care if you were an alien.” “Oh, I like him.” I chuckled and I saw Gilbert nod. “I know, you sweet man,” she cooed and stood on her toes for a quick kiss. Don had almost the same height difference as we did with Gilbert. But it was cute, and I was totally for Momma Quinby getting a happy ever after as well. Gods knew the woman deserved it. “Okay, so back to the plan?” Gilbert groaned when they started taking it past PG level.

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“Right, right,” Don answered as he stopped kissing Grace. He did make sure he was still touching her, which I thought was cute. But then I got mad because I wanted to hold my mate and comfort him after what he’d just gone through. Except I couldn’t fucking move! “Ask the two making-out teenagers how far the team is out.” Blake chuckled at their getting distracted. Gilbert did, and Don seemed to shake his head. “They’re in Chicago. Your elder said they’re taking a chopper to the nearest landing pad and coming here. They want the medical chopper in case they have to take you back or something, but he didn’t think that’s likely. Chicago’s not that far, so hopefully it won’t be too long.” Don shrugged his shoulders and looked tired. I didn’t blame him. Talk about ways to get thrown right into the shit of a family. Sink or swim, baby, seemed to be the motto for this family. At least things never got boring.

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Chapter 10 Gilbert I killed Chuck. I killed Chuck. I killed Chuck! That was the only thought I had in my head. Which probably made me a horrible person. My mates were stuck in their second form, unable to move, vulnerable, and probably freaking out…and all I could do was focus on me? I was a shitty mate. Distantly, I remembered my momma making me go take a shower. More accurately, shoving my naked butt under the warm spray of water. Whatever. Maybe I should have been embarrassed about being naked around my momma, but I was a shifter. While yes, there was still some ick factor, it was more due to the blood I was covered in from the dead leader who’d had sex with both of us. Yup, just throw me in the goddamn padded room, please! I knew, without a doubt, I would be spending some quality time in a mental institution soon. That or I’d already snapped and I didn’t even know that I was there. Nah…My mates would lock me in one of the rooms in the house, not send me away. That would break the UPAC mating rules. My mind kept racing around the crazy block, over and over again. The next time I realized what was going on, there were strange men in the house looking over Blake and Drake. I snapped to reality and went to move to them. “They’re okay, baby boy. Those men were testing to see if your mates are okay and how to fix them,” Momma said gently as she wrapped her arms around me.

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“But they can fix them, right?” Wow, I didn’t even recognize my voice at first. I sounded like a lost child. “They’re going to be fine,” the gentleman with the kind eyes said with a smile. “The effects should wear off shortly. We’re taking samples from them so maybe we can track down who made this serum and how to come up with an antidote for it. I doubt the guy who used it designed it.” “No, Chuck wasn’t sharp enough to make anything that works,” my mother commented with a scoff. I went to say something nasty along the same lines and agree, but Drake’s hoof twitched. I yelped in excitement and practically dove to kneel next to him. “You moved. I saw you move,” I rambled as if my mate didn’t already realize this. “Yup. Tell them that getting back the feeling in our bodies is very painful,” he replied. I could hear the strain in his voice, and I wanted to kill Chuck all over again. I quickly relayed the message. “Can you give them something to knock them out, or will that make things worse?” “No more drugs!” Blake screamed in my head. I ignored him. If they could do something so my mates didn’t have to feel the pain, I was all about it. “Yeah, we can give them a sedative that will ease the other drug out of their system. They’ll go to sleep and wake up normal again,” the other guy told me as he swirled around some chemicals in a beaker with their blood. “Do it,” I whispered, shooting Blake a sad glance. “I can’t see them in any more pain. I’m sorry, but I can’t.” “Okay, baby. As long as you’re not left alone while we’re out,” Drake said gently. I knew he probably didn’t want the drugs either but would do it for me. “Thank you,” I breathed in his ear. I gave him a kiss while the medical guys gave him a shot. Then I moved on to Blake as they did

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the same to him. They were out within seconds. “We’re okay. We’re going to be okay.” That was the last thing I remembered saying before curling up next to Drake because that was the only spot where there wasn’t blood on the carpeting. I didn’t even know where Chuck’s body had gone and I didn’t want to. **** I groaned in pleasure and pushed my ass back against the tongue that was rimming me. How had I not woken up earlier? One of my mates had two fingers and a tongue in my ass! “There’s our mate.” Drake chuckled as he licked along the side of my neck. I blinked a few times, brushing off the rest of my sleep before I looked at him. And groaned again. He had three of his big fingers in his ass, stretching himself out. Yummy! “We were wondering if maybe they gave you a sedative, too,” Blake said gently from between my legs. I glanced at him, a little worried that all this really didn’t wake me up sooner. Then the day’s events hit me and I bolted upright, my breathing and heart rate quickening. “Hey, none of that. We took care of everything.” “And you were right to let them knock us out so we weren’t in pain. We wanted to show our appreciation for everything you did,” Drake added. I didn’t care that we were in the early stages of sex or I had fingers in my ass. I reached over and looped one elbow behind each of their necks, dragging them back to the bed with me. Or I tried. It kinda backfired and I was half hanging off of them. They got the idea and wrapped themselves around me. “You can’t ever leave me. I’ve never been more scared in my life than when I heard you talking in our mental bond. Don’t you ever

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scare me like that again!” Yeah, like it was their fault or something. I wasn’t thinking rationally though. The shock had worn off and now I was overwhelmed with my emotions…mostly fear. “We won’t, baby,” Drake whispered as he kissed the shell of my ear. “I was so mad you didn’t just run, but that’s not the man we mated. I’m so proud of you.” “You’re not freaked that I’m some manic killer?” I asked, trying to play it off as a joke, but it fell flat. I was worried of what my mates would think of me now that they had seen what I was capable of. “Nope. In my mind you were merciful,” he answered with a chuckle. “I would have made the fucker suffer for weeks after what he did to you. I’m just glad you ended up having backup with you and Don said he’d take responsibility.” “How did you end up having help, baby?” Blake asked hesitantly. “When I left to get food, I called Momma to get her recipe for chicken noodle soup because it’s the best in this world. She was just about to head out to lunch with her new man and said she’d swing by real quick and help me get it started. And that way I could meet Don without the guy feeling pressured like at a sit-down meal.” “We liked Don, by the way.” Drake snickered. “Yeah, me, too,” I agreed and sat back on the bed. Yeah, he helped save our asses. He was cool in my book. I didn’t miss that my mates made sure to keep touching me, their hands rubbing my knees and thighs. “When I heard that someone had hurt you, I called her in a panic and warned her not to come because I was going in to try and help you.” “Which I’m sure made her rush right over.” Blake shook his head while smiling. I loved the fact that they liked my momma so much and obviously respected her. “Pretty much.” I snickered. “I pulled in moments later and the rest you know. Now how long have we been out and what did I miss after those medical people were here?”

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“A few hours, I’d guess. I wasn’t really able to see a clock while everything was going on,” Drake answered with a shrug. “We woke up on the floor, naked, with a towel draped over our intimate parts. Don told us everything was handled and then he and your momma left us to deal with the situation our way.” “Which meant sex of course.” I raised an eyebrow at them, not upset or angry in the least. It was kind of funny though. I mean everything we went through, and as soon as possible, we were all naked in bed. “We need to claim our mate and be claimed. Chuck came to take you from us and we need to bond again.” I realized what Drake was asking without saying the words. They didn’t want to wait any longer for me to claim them as mine. The kicker was that I was ready. I’d been ready, but I simply hadn’t figured out the way to tell them that. Neither of them had brought up the subject since when I found out that I became immortal when they claimed me. “I’d like to claim you both,” I admitted, my cheeks heating up with embarrassment. I have no idea why, but they did. Drake gave a whoop of delight and tackled me to the bed. “This day is starting to look up! So how do we do this?” “I have to scratch you during sex with my claws,” I answered with a frown. “It will hurt and be a permanent mark so you need to let me know where you want it. But it will be like a hot button when I touch you there. It’s like leaving some of my essence on you, and when I caress or lick the mating marks, it should set you off like a geyser.” “Baby, I feel that way whenever you touch me,” he purred with a wicked smile. Then he paused for a moment before glancing over at Blake. “Are you thinking the same spot I am?” “Probably.” Blake chuckled. “Want to share with the class?” My gaze darted between them. Sometimes I hated their twin bond and felt like an outsider when they knew what each other was thinking like now.

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“What do you think is one of the most erotic sights on the male body?” Blake asked, his eyes burning with lust. “Hell, we just have to have sleep pants hanging down low enough and you’re jumping us.” “Hip bones,” I groaned, my cock twitching against Drake’s stomach. It was true. They had great, toned abs, and the best hip bones. The line along them, down to their groins, was mouthwatering, and when I saw even just a peek of their hips, I was pulling off my clothes and offering myself to them. “You’d really let me mark you there where someone else might see?” “Don’t you get it yet?” Drake growled, getting instantly upset. “We’d let you tattoo our foreheads that we belong to you if that’s what you wanted. We love you, Gilbert. We don’t care who knows it and most nights I want to shout it from the rooftops or something sappy like that. You’re it for us, baby.” “Thank you for being so patient with me,” I whispered as I blinked back tears. “It’s hard to realize two such wonderful men could ever love me so much after a life of being treated the way I have.” “Personally, it’s why I think you got such awesome mates.” I knew he was teasing to lighten the mood and it worked. I laughed and gave him a loud, smacking kiss. “Now don’t waste all my work. I stretched myself out for you.” Drake blushed, and he had never looked cuter. “I might screw it up,” I replied nervously, swallowing loudly when he rolled us over so he was on the bottom. “No you won’t.” His faith in me was heartwarming, and from the look on his face, I knew he meant it. Blake handed me the lube as Drake pulled his knees to his chest. Holy shit! We were really going to do this. I started to shake with excitement. I’d never topped a man before, and to be Drake’s first, well, I felt honored. “I love you,” I whispered as I quickly slicked up my cock. “I know. It’s why I’m letting you top me.” He gave me a wink and I instantly relaxed. Drake didn’t give himself enough credit

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sometimes. He never thought he was good with emotions, but he was much better with them than he acted. I moaned when I felt Blake push his fingers back inside of me. I lined up my cock with Drake’s hole and sank right in. He felt like heaven. I glanced at his face to make sure he wasn’t feeling any pain, only pleasure. “I’m okay. It’s just weird but not bad,” Drake assured me. I practically bent him in half so I could reach his lips, but I needed a kiss from him. It seems he did, too, because it was one of the most passionate ones he’d ever given me. I was ready to blow just from the kiss while his body was wrapped around my cock. Moments later, when I was ready, Blake pulled his fingers free and replaced it with his dick. “I’ll never get used to how perfect you feel, baby.” “Neither will I,” I admitted with a smile. He started moving slowly, pushing me in and out of Drake. This is what I’d always wanted to feel. Right then, sandwiched between them, I knew I was the most important thing in the world to them and they were to me. I knew their spines were heating up because I was swarmed with euphoric feelings, and to say it was intense was an understatement. The stress of the day combined with their feelings flowing inside of me had me on edge. “I love you,” I cried, tears falling freely. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to show you that. I’ll give you as many babies as you want. I’ll claw up your entire bodies and wear a sign saying I belong to you.” “Just let us in here,” Drake moaned as he tapped my chest right over my heart. “We have all the time in the world for children. Right now, we just want you to love us.” “I do,” I whispered as I let my hands shift into claws. His eyes went wide and he nodded rapidly that he was ready. I reached down and clawed his right hip with six-inch gashes. He cried out and filled the space between us with his release.

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“My turn,” Blake whimpered. I was having trouble focusing because Drake’s ass clamped down on me and I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. I reached behind me to Blake’s hip and did the same thing. Then I collapsed on top of Drake as my cock exploded in his ass. My other mate roared out behind me, pumping me full of his seed. The bond snapped into place from my end finally now that I’d marked them and we were caught in an orgasmic loop. I swear it felt as if we were all coming for hours. I felt Blake’s seed overflow my hole and leak back down my thighs. Drake’s cock kept twitching as more and more cum spurted out in between our bodies. “Holy. Mother. Fucker,” Drake gasped when we were all finished. Blake flopped down onto the bed, always considerate of not squishing me with his larger frame. I was sprawled over Drake now that he’d lowered his legs down, and I wasn’t moving anytime soon. “That sounds about right,” Blake mumbled, sounding more delighted than I expected since I was sure the mating mark hurt. We all lay there for a while, holding each other, and letting our bodies come back down from the intense high. I knew we needed to get cleaned up, and I was starving so eating would be on the menu as well. But I didn’t want it to end. It was probably the most touching, loving moment of my life, and I just wanted to stay wrapped in the balloon of it forever. “I was serious about the babies,” I whispered. “I’ll have as many babies as you guys want whenever you want. I love you both and I know how much you want them. So knock me up.” Drake lifted his head enough so he could see me. “We love you, too, and I’m thrilled you’re good with getting pregnant. But we stick to the plan and revisit the idea in a year. I want that time to be all about us.” “But thank you for saying you’ll give us the best gift ever, sweetheart,” Blake added as he kissed my shoulder. I smiled. They

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were happy, I was happy, and I had a feeling I’d have a goofy grin on my face for a very, very long time.

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Epilogue A little over a year later “What?” I screamed as I hopped off the exam table, pushing aside the doctor and my mates. I knew I looked ridiculous, naked except with the gown on, and gel all over my stomach. “You’re fucking kidding me!” “Sweetheart, you have to calm down,” Blake said gently as he held his hands up in surrender. “It’s not good for the babies if you’re upset.” “I hate you both,” I wailed and then pointed at the doctor. “And you’re so off my fucking Christmas card list, too!” “I take it you didn’t know you could have more than one child at a time?” He was biting back a laugh, and in my hormonal state, all that smirk made me want to do was kick his ass all over the office. “Yes, more than one. I knew I’d be having at least twins,” I answered with a snarl. “And raccoons can have litters like wolves so I figured there’d be three, maybe four. But seven? No fucking way. You miscounted!” “He can recount if that’s what you want, baby,” Drake said, looking as if he was about to faint. “He could have counted wrong. I agree with you.” “No, only I get to freak out right now. You’re the one who did this, you have to stay calm!” Yeah, it wasn’t working. Drake was getting paler and paler as the news sank in. “And I’m not changing seven diapers all day by myself. Someone else can deal with that much poop!”

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Drake’s eyes rolled up in his head and he fell to the floor. I shared a glance with Blake, who looked freaked out as well. “If you faint on me, too, I swear I’ll have the doc fix you both, and we’ll never have to worry about me getting pregnant again,” I threatened. “I’m okay. I didn’t think seven, but you are getting big really fast so I guessed more than two. But, sweetie, there’s three of us. And your mom and Don will help. We can do this. I promise I’ll take diaper duty anytime you don’t feel like it.” “Me, too,” Drake said as he groaned feebly from the floor. “As long as we don’t tell anyone I fainted.” I thought about that a moment. “Deal.” Then I glanced at the doc, finally voicing my other concern that really had me freaking out. “Can I survive giving birth to seven babies? I mean, will they survive being in there?” “Yes, Gilbert,” he answered gently and motioned for me to come back to the table. I did, lying down again, mostly because I was tired, as he moved the monitor closer. “Three are going to be born in raccoon form, so those will be tiny, tiny babies anyways. And that’s okay. You have unicorn twins, which will come out like normal human babies but a little smaller, so there’s room in there for them, too.” “That leaves two more,” Blake said quietly. “What are they?” “They look like hybrids of some type,” the doc replied as he looked closely at the screen. “Which is perfectly fine, too. They look smaller than the unicorns, so I’m not concerned about you being able to carry them all. You have a shorter gestation period than humans, but you’ll have to be on bed rest the entire pregnancy.” “I’m going to be a whale,” I whimpered. “But a very cute whale,” Drake said with a smile and a wink. “Maybe you’ll get a little more jiggle in that ass we love.”

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“And we’ll have fun working off any baby weight after they’re born.” I giggled and waggled my eyebrows at them. Oh yeah, we’d be just fine.

THE END WWW.JOYEEFLYNN.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joyee Flynn grew up in Chicago living in the same house all her life until she left for college. She loves to get lost in fantasy that only books could bring. Her wide interest in reading was reflected in her writings. Currently Joyee lives with her dog, Marius, named after a vampire from Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire series. She dreams of one day living with enough land to have a few horses, and find a couple of cowboys of her own. A lover of men, Joyee’s all about them in any form in her books. Vampire, werewolf, military, doesn’t matter at all as long as they are hot, hard, and sex fiends!

Also by Joyee Flynn Siren Classic ManLove: Midnight Matings: Squeak and a Roar Ménage Amour ManLove: Midnight Matings: Two Fangs and a Hoof Siren Classic ManLove: Midnight Matings: Spells and Bananas Siren Classic ManLove: Midnight Matings: Fur and Flightless

For all other titles, please visit www.bookstrand.com/joyee-flynn

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com