Thirty-Nine

Micah

Cam was in love with the idea of taking control of the tourism aspect of Mistvale. Until now, Raiden had mostly let the humans handle it, and our clan had acted like nothing more than the residents of this town. But Kai's idea had firmly embedded itself in Cam's mind, and it was running at overdrive as he came up with more and more ridiculous ideas. I had a feeling Cam had just found his calling, and I was a little terrified, to be frank.

"How about we go to TOSS before heading home?" I suggested, pulling Cam away from his thoughts for a moment. TOSS, short for The One Stop Shops, was a big shopping center that housed everything from bakeries and restaurants to clothing and grocery stores. The best thing was Mistvale didn't have chain stores, so most of those shops were locally owned and run. Over the years, some places had closed or changed ownership when Raiden convinced—i.e. paid them a shit-ton of money—the human owners to sell, but it had more or less stayed the same.

"Wanna go to Wish For It ?" he asked knowingly, and I shrugged, biting back a smile.

Kezan had offered me my job at the clothing store back when we first got home, which I'd been hesitant to accept before because of all the things happening in our lives, but now...

"I was thinking of returning to work," I said, then explained the details to Kai and Ember.

"It sounds like you really liked your job," Kai said with a smile, his dark eyes warm as he gazed at me.

"If it makes you happy, you should take it up again," Ember agreed, and I smiled at them both, then at Cam, who was nodding emphatically.

So we went to Wish For It, and Kezan welcomed me back with a hug, suggesting I return to work starting next Monday. I got the feeling he was happy to finally have someone he trusted around the store again, and I was glad I'd be able to lessen his workload some. His mate, a human named Ezra, worked for Cam's dad, and while we'd kept in contact through the clan parties and random work events, I was excited I'd get to see him more regularly now.

We ended up doing some shopping as well—you could never have too many good clothes—and then we had some tea and pastries at She Bakes, She Brews .

By the time we left TOSS, the sun had set, and a light sprinkle of rain had started up, making me smile. I was quite good at reading Raiden's mood through the weather now, and a light rain like this meant he was content and at peace. I wondered if he and William were curled up around their eggs. I couldn't wait for them to hatch and for us to have new siblings to spoil.

"I'm really glad I ended up smacking my head into that rock," Kai mused, a happiness in his voice that I hoped would stay there forever.

"I'm glad I crashed into your backyard as well," Ember added, a touch of humor in his voice, and Cam started laughing as I tried not to grin.

"I just realized how violently you both entered our lives. Like, why?" Cam asked, then started laughing again, and this time I couldn't stop myself from chuckling along. Soon enough, the four of us were laughing like maniacs in the middle of the street.

"Maybe Fate thought we wouldn't notice otherwise?" I suggested, and Cam narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"Well, we did miss the fact that Ember was living just a few towns over all our lives."

"That's true. Maybe Fate was waiting for you to find him, but then when you didn't, she basically picked Ember up and threw him at you," Kai said with a grin, and I rolled my eyes.

"I wish she'd found a less violent way to do that," Ember grumbled, and I smiled as I gave him a hug.

"Aww, it wasn't that bad," Cam assured him, patting his shoulder, and Ember huffed, smiling softly.

"It wasn't bad at all."

Cam grinned, pleased by Ember's sappy reply, and then we started walking again.

By the time we arrived home, we were soaked through, and Jodi was demanding where we'd been and why we got to play in the rain and she didn't. Not that I could read animal thoughts, but that's what it felt like her eyes were saying as she jumped between us.

We couldn't catch a cold, but nobody liked being in wet clothes, so we quickly changed, and then decided we'd order dinner in, much to Ember's annoyance.

Cam convinced him with a few strategic kisses, though, and then we all curled up on the couch under a blanket, with me and Kai in the middle, and Ember behind me while Cam lay on Kai's other side.

After a long discussion that revealed we had very different tastes in movies, Kai had suggested we set up a bowl for the future where we'd each add a post-it note with a movie we wanted to watch, and then we could pick one of the notes whenever we wanted to watch something together. I had a feeling Cam would find a way to cheat, but it was the best idea we had.

For now, we'd settled on a movie Kai picked, an action flick with lots of gunshots and violence, and I looked forward to my turn so I could pick something a little less...bloody.

We ordered pizza and Chinese for dinner, and ate as we watched, Kai and Cam cheering every time the bad guy was defeated while Ember and I spent more time watching them than we did watching the movie.

As I ate and just enjoyed being around my mates, I realized once again how baseless my fears had been. How could I have ever thought these men would steal Cam from me? Now that I had Ember and Kai, I couldn't imagine my life without them. I'd thought my life was complete with Cam, but I could tell now that they filled a place in my heart that maybe hadn't been open until they showed up. It was like my heart had grown to make space for them, but at the same time it would've been incomplete without them. I'd needed to find Kai and Ember to be my best self, and my best self was a man who was very nearly in love with three wonderful men.

Kai

I'd never thought about how lonely it was to sleep alone until the first night I slept with my mates. I'd crawled into their bed after a nightmare, and they'd welcomed me with open arms, cocooning me in their warmth until nothing could touch me.

I'd been alone for most of my adult life, and I hadn't minded. Or maybe I had, but I just hadn't allowed myself to accept that. Maybe that was why it'd been so easy for Osric to trick me. Maybe I'd been desperate for company without ever realizing it.

I wasn't alone now, though. I had three amazing mates who made me feel like I was the luckiest man alive.

Jodi hopped onto the bed before my mates could join me, and I laughed as I pulled her close, scrunching my nose when she started licking my cheek. As much as I loved her, Jodi was a big dog with a big, drooly tongue, and the feel of dog saliva on my cheek made me cringe a little. Still, I didn't push her away, and waited until she'd flopped on her side beside me before reaching for some wet wipes and wiping at my cheek.

"Looks like Jodi gave you another wash," Cam teased as he stepped out of the bathroom, water dripping down his bare chest as he toweled his hair. I almost swallowed my tongue as I stared at his bare skin, and he chuckled, the sound making my dick twitch. "See something you like, Kai?"

I licked my lips, then glanced up at his face. "Maybe."

His grin widened, and he threw the towel over the back of a chair before stalking over to the bed without wiping the rest of him. Climbing onto the bed on his knees, he came closer, pausing when his knees brushed my thigh.

Wait, both of you. We need to have a talk first .

Cam and I blinked at each other in unison at Micah's voice in our heads, and then Cam sat back on his heels, a confused look on his face as worry filled me. Had I done something wrong? Messed up somehow?

No one did anything wrong . Micah stepped out of the bathroom right after he said that, Ember at his heels, and then they both joined us on the bed.

"What is it?" I asked, too worried to be patient.

"It's nothing bad, I promise. I just thought that since there are four of us, we should have a discussion about what we're okay doing one on one, or if there are things we'd rather only do when it's all four of us, things like that," Micah explained, and I blinked. That made sense.

"Oh, dates!" Cam piped up, raising his hand as if this was a human classroom. "We'll only go on fancy dates, or any kind of dates that require preparation, really, when it's all four of us. So movies and home dates or hangouts are okay, but going out for dinner isn't."

"I like that," Ember said, and I nodded in agreement.

"And if only one of us isn't here?" I asked, and Cam hummed thoughtfully.

"Maybe the others could text that person and ask? I mean, I don't think there will be a lot of occasions where only one of us goes somewhere, so maybe we can leave it on a case-by-case basis?" Ember suggested, and that sounded good to me.

"What about sex? What can we do or not do if it's just two or three of us?" Cam questioned.

As one, we all looked to Micah for answers, who blinked. Why he was surprised, I didn't know.

"Uh..." Micah hesitated, then shook his head, his expression clearing as he got that 'I'm in control' look he had when we were intimate. "Okay, kissing, frotting, blowjobs are all okay, but I think we should save penetration for when we're all together. Over time, we can talk about it again if things change, or if we don't like these boundaries."

"Sounds good," I said instantly, and the others nodded, making Micah smile.

"Okay, good."

We discussed a few other things, like if any of us had any triggers or things we'd rather not do.

Micah didn't like his back being touched during sex. My mind flashed back to the scars I'd noticed on his back, and the way he'd explained in a monotone voice that it was from torture at the hands of his jailers. If his request came from a place of self-consciousness, I would've pushed, but I didn't because I knew it was because the scars reminded him of a time in his life he didn't want intruding in our moments.

Ember didn't like receiving blowjobs, and while I would've loved to have his big cock in my mouth someday, I respected his limits.

At some point during our conversation, we'd climbed under the covers, and as we talked about things we might want to try someday, and as Cam's ideas got crazier and crazier, I found myself slowly drifting off to sleep, comfortable and at ease surrounded by men I trusted with my life and with my heart.

I'd never imagined getting my coat stolen would lead me to this moment, and now that I had it safely back in my possession, I was glad it'd been, because who knew how long it would've taken me to find these three amazing men otherwise?

I heard Micah's voice through the sleepy fog in my brain, wishing me a good night, and I smiled as I drifted off, hoping they'd have the best dreams as well.