Chapter six

Dorian

Iwake up slowly, trying to remember where the fuck I am. I sit up with a start. Shit. I'm in Cooper and Martin's camper.

I run my hands over my face, wondering how in the fuck I ended up here. I can't believe I spilled my guts to them. I can't believe I confessed my crimes to a group of hunters. What was I thinking?

If I was smart I would get up and slip out of here. I would warn Stewart that we have hunters on our tails and need to get the fuck out of here.

I'm not gonna do that though.

These people might be hunters but I don't feel in danger around them. Their leader is a fucking vampire. They're different. They're a weird found family that hunt to keep humans safe. I can trust them.

Even as I think it, I know the words to be true. I can trust them to keep me safe. I can trust them to help me get my sister's remains back. I trust them to finally set me free.

I stand up, looking around the camper. I can hear some snoring and my curiosity gets the better of me. With silent steps I walk over to the partition, slowly pulling it back so I can peek inside.

My insides turn warm at the sight. Martin and Cooper are fast asleep, spooned together. Martin's big arms are wrapped around Cooper's middle, holding him tight. I can't stop my smile from spreading. I had a feeling there was something between these two, or maybe that was just me being hopeful.

I can't sit here and deny what's happening here any longer. Jeff was right last night, there's a reason I'm here and I think that reason is right in front of me. Lady Fate might not have been able to intervene and save me from Stewart but she gave me the means of taking my power back while also hand delivering me my true mates.

Now I have to convince them the three of us belong together before they decide to start bickering again.

Stepping back, I decide to give them their space. Hopefully Martin won't be too upset to wake up spooning Cooper.

Lady Fate, if you're listening in, please make those two fuck their feelings out. Amen.

With that out of the way, I step out of the RV. Taking a deep breath, I let the cool, fresh air wake me up fully. It's beautiful out here in nature and I wonder why I haven't tried this whole camping thing sooner. Probably because sleeping in a tent isn't really my thing, but with a camper it seems really nice.

"Morning," someone says and I startle slightly, playing it off like I didn't forget that a bunch of other hunters lived here too. I look over to the fire, finding a man sitting with a baby in his lap, another starting up a fire. I take a deep breath, scenting the air and realizing one of them is a vampire and the other smells like a wet dog.

"Good morning," I say brightly, waving at the men and walking over to the fire. "I'm not sure what you've heard about me, but I swear it was okay'ed that I'm here."

The one holding the baby smiles at me, nodding. "Jeff already filled us in. I'm Axel, Jeff's mate. And that's Carlos."

"It's a pleasure. I'm Dorian."

"Nice to meet you," Carlos says with a nod. "I'm just starting up a fire so we can make breakfast before everyone's up."

"Sweet," I murmur, turning my eyes towards the littlest vampire I've ever met. "And who's this?"

"This is Lily," Axel says with a wide smile. "She's just about six months. Vampire children age faster than human children, that's why she looks like she's closer to one."

"That's fascinating," I tell him, making a silly face just to see Lily giggle. Gods, she's adorable. My chest softens at the sight, wondering if I could have that too. I'll have to wait and see what Lady Fate, and the two men spooning think about that.

"Do you have any family around here?" Carlos asks, putting a bunch of twigs into the fire, letting it grow slowly.

"Umm, no. It was just me and my sister for a while, but she recently passed away."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Axel says, reaching over and touching my arm. "We've all had our share of hurt. If you need anything, please let us know, okay?"

I try to smile but can feel it's a sad one. "Thank you. I think you're all already doing more than enough just by welcoming me here instead of driving me out."

"We'd never turn someone away who needed help," Carlos tells me, and I believe him. These all seem like really good people. Better than I deserve after the shit I've done for Stewart.

I'll make this right. I'll fix the rights that I've wronged. As soon as Martin and Cooper are awake, I'll tell them everything and somehow, I just know that they'll figure out what to do.

"I certainly don't feel like I deserve your help but I'm incredibly grateful nonetheless," I murmur, pulling my hair over my shoulder and beginning to braid it.

Carlos looks at me with a sad look, something I don't really understand flashing across his features before he snaps out of it. "We've all done things we regret. That doesn't make us bad people," he tells me seriously and I nod in understanding.

Once the fire is going, Carlos puts a kettle onto the tripod, heating up some water so we can start making some coffee right there on the fire. I sit back in my chair, feeling content in a way I haven't felt since before my sister passed. I could get used to this. Gods, I really want everything to work out. I need it to work out. The longing in my chest nearly steals my breath with how badly I want this. Not just the mates, though obviously yes, I want them. But this family. I want to be part of a family again.

A door opening and closing pulls my attention and I look over to find Martin and Cooper coming out of their RV. Martin's cheeks are pink and he won't take his eyes off the ground while Cooper has a grin on his lips. My stomach flutters, hoping they woke up happy this morning all pressed against each other.

"Good morning," I say happily, holding up my cup of coffee. Cooper comes and sits beside me.

"Morning, Dorian. Did you sleep well?"

"I did, thank you. I was worried your couch would be uncomfortable but it was nice."

Cooper nods. "That's where I usually sleep so I know what you mean."

"Oh really," I say, raising my brow. "So last night was a bit of a treat, huh?"

Cooper's pretty green eyes dart away, his lips still smiling despite the way he looks embarrassed. "You could say that," he murmurs to me.

Fuck, these two are so cute as they circle around each other. Lady Fate sent me at just the right time to knock their heads together and make them see what they have right in front of them.

I look up at Martin, watching the concentrated furrow of his brow as he makes himself a cup of coffee. He's so handsome. I hold out my cup. "Would you mind topping me? Sorry, I mean topping off my coffee."

Martin snorts and shakes his head but some of the tension leaves his shoulders. He fills my cup before looking at Cooper. Cooper nods and Martin begins making him a cup as well.

Don't they see? They already have this connection! It's so obvious to everyone but them.

"Once we all have our coffees, would you mind going for a little walk with me? It's been a long time since I've just walked through the woods," I say to Cooper and Martin. "Plus, I think it's time I tell you all the dirty details about what's been going on."

There they go again, communicating with nothing but their eyes. "That sounds great," Cooper finally says, reaching over and running his hand over my wrist. My body heats at the simple touch.

We quickly get our coffees with only a few playful comments directed at Martin from Carlos. "Shut it, kid."

I can't help but chuckle as I stand up and we begin walking down the road, hoping to find a nice walking path for us to use. As we walk, I slide my hand into the crook of Martin's arm. When he doesn't immediately shake me away, I squeeze his bicep in thanks. It's a nice bicep. Really nice. Okay, I'm getting distracted.

"So, let me start at the beginning," I finally say as the three of us walk. Walking and talking makes telling them easier somehow, less focus on me and more focus on not tripping in the woods. "My parents died when I was a teenager, so for a long time it was just me and my sister, Dee."

I take a drink of my coffee, giving myself a moment to calm my racing heart before going on.

"I took care of everything all by myself. I even found someone in the supernatural world to take care of cremating her. Stewart said he understood and would even give me a discount to have this done but when I went to pick her up, he said he had plans for me."

"That fucking asswipe," Martin grits through clenched teeth. His outburst somehow brings me comfort.

"Yeah," I say with a sad laugh. "He really fucked me over and not in the fun way. He stole her ashes from me. He claimed that he was sick and needed help feeding but I'm not so sure that's true. He seems exactly the same as when I first met him so I have a feeling he's planning on stringing me along for as long as he can."

"Do you know where he's keeping her ashes?"

"No clue," I admit, blowing out a long breath. "I assume they're locked away somewhere in his home?"

"Is he based somewhere around here?" Cooper asks, running his hand up and down my spine. His touch brings me more comfort than I care to admit.

"Two towns over," I explain, "I have to wake this woman up tomorrow morning. But after that we can head over there?"

"Wake her up? What is Stewart?"

I look over at Martin, wincing. "He's a djinn. He feeds off of dreams. And because I have the ability to put people to sleep, I give them peaceful, vivid dreams for him to feed from."

"They truly aren't hurting in any way. Well, other than blacking out for a weekend," Cooper murmurs.

"I told you, I wouldn't hurt people. What I'm doing is beyond shitty, I know that. But I really, really need my sister's ashes back."

Martin pulls me to a stop. "Hey, it's okay," he murmurs, putting his hand on my cheek. The gesture is so incredibly gentle and soft, such a contrast against how big and hard Martin is. I lean into his touch. "We believe you. You don't have to prove anything to us, okay? And we're going to do everything we can to get Dee's ashes back."

"Okay," I whisper back, trying my best to hide my emotions. I turn my head and kiss the center of Martin's palm.

I stare into Martin's dark eyes for a moment before he's blushing and looking away, gently pulling his hand away. When I turn towards Cooper, he's watching us with softness in his eyes. I hold out my hand for him and he laces our fingers together.

Whether they want to embrace it or fight it, there's no denying there's something between the three of us, and I'm happy to be the glue that seals us together.

"So we have a game plan," Cooper says, squeezing my hand. "Martin and I will do what we do best. We'll check out this guy's business, stake out his house, and once we know more, we'll probably get Ronny involved. He's our tech guy and will be able to get all the information we need. Plus, he might be able to give us a way to take care of this guy once and for all."

I look down at the ground, shaking my head. "I feel like a boulder has been taken off my shoulder," I confess softly.

"I can't explain it," Cooper whispers, "but I feel almost compelled to help you. Are you sure you're not enticing us?" There's a playful snort to his question but I can still feel that this is a real question on his mind. I look at him and then at Martin.

"Confession time," I start, my eyes darting between them. "I attempted to entice you both."

"What?"

I nod. "Last night, I tried it on both of you and it failed both times."

"What does that mean?" Martin asks, his brows furrowed.

I swallow around the lump in my throat. Sometimes, it's better to just blurt these things out with no warning or reason. So I steel my nerves and say, "it means you're both my true mates."

There's a long pause. It goes on for far too long. I look at them and of course they're doing their thing where they have a silent conversation with nothing but their eyes. "Well?"

Cooper finally looks at me. His green eyes are achingly soft. "I read about that last night," he says softly, his lips finally spreading into a smile. "Is it okay if I kiss you?"

"Gods, yes," I say, putting my hand behind his neck and bending down to kiss his lips.