Forty-Three

Kai

"Fuck, that was..." Cam trailed off, panting hard as he lay on the floor on his back, his t-shirt lying under him while his pants were pushed down to his knees, his now-soft cock gleaming with saliva and cum.

I'd given Cam a blowjob while Ember fucked him and Micah had fucked me, and as I lay panting against Micah's chest, I realized I would never get tired of this. I loved being with my mates, loved the way their unique scents melded together and filled the air whenever we had sex, loved the way I knew how each of their cocks felt inside me.

After a few minutes, Micah gently placed me on the couch and fetched a cloth to clean us up. Then Ember went to make lunch, Cam stumbling after him to help once he'd righted his clothes.

Jodi, whom we'd locked in the kitchen to keep from scarring her for life, raced into the living room, and I scrambled to pull my clothes on, feeling unreasonably awkward. Jodi had this way of looking at you that made you feel like she was peering right into your soul, and I did not want that look directed at my naked body...or my dick.

Once I was covered, I led her to the backyard so she could do her business, then spent some time playing fetch with her as Micah sat down beside me on the porch, both of us happy to enjoy the silence for a bit.

Then again, could Micah enjoy the silence? Or was his mind full of our thoughts? I knew he found keeping his shields up for long draining, but there had to be a way for him to take a break, right?

Maybe if...no, that probably wouldn't work. But if it could, if Micah could get some true quiet, would he want it?

"I would," Micah said, answering my question out loud. He glanced over at me with an uneasy smile, and shrugged. "My powers are useful—I won't deny that. I always know when someone's around, and I can easily judge if a stranger is friend or foe. But sometimes, I'd like it if I could just shut it all off without having to deal with a headache later. What was that idea you had?"

"Whatcha talking about?" Cam asked before I could answer, then added, "Oh, and lunch is ready. Come on before Ember gets antsy. We can talk while eating."

Sharing a glance with Micah, I nodded, then got to my feet, offering him a hand.

Micah stood up with a smile, and we walked into the kitchen hand in hand, then had to let go so we could help carry all the food to the table.

Once we'd started eating, I turned to Cam. "You've been practicing your new powers with Raiden, right?"

Cam smiled widely as he chomped into the sandwich, then nodded. "I've—"

"Cam," Ember said, and he winced.

"Shory," he mumbled, then chewed quickly and swallowed before continuing. He could be such a kid sometimes. "Yeah, I've been practicing. Rhiannon and DD both threw magic at me, and I easily absorbed it. I don't feel the need to throw it back either, so I think I can handle a lot if I want to."

"Did they get weaker when you absorbed their magic?"

I could feel Micah shifting beside me, and I squeezed his knee with my free hand. I hoped he didn't think I'd forgotten what we were talking about, because I hadn't.

Cam snorted. "I don't think there's anything that can make DD weak. But yeah, Rhiannon lost steam after a few spells, and she said she'd need to recharge to go again. Apparently, most supes have a steady supply, but my power sucks out a good chunk of it, leaving them with an empty well they need to replenish before they can use their magic again. Or at least, that's how Rhi explained it to me."

"Oh," Micah mumbled and I knew he'd realized what I was getting at. I glanced at him, asking silently if he wanted to take over, but he shook his head, waving his hand in a 'go on' motion.

Ember glanced between us, clearly sensing something was up.

"So, theoretically, you could 'eat' Micah's magic so that he wouldn't be able to read thoughts anymore until his magic replenished itself?"

Cam's brows shot up, and he glanced at Micah, green eyes wide. "Do you want that?"

Micah shrugged, a look on his face that I could only describe as hesitant hope. "I can't remember the last time my mind was completely my own without a massive headache following after. If you can give me a break...I'd love that. It would at least make it easier to spend time with others."

The look on Cam's face lacked any of his usual playfulness, and he nodded slowly, reaching over the table to clasp Micah's hand.

"I promise; I'll practice with DD, and I'll learn how. Maybe this was exactly why I got this magic. So I could help you," Cam mused, his smile returning.

Micah rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide his smile completely.

We resumed eating after that, the conversation turning to less serious topics. Micah told us about some of the more demanding customers that visited Wish For It , and how Kezan had given him blanket permission to not take shit from anyone.

"The guy was obvious about his reaction to my clothes, making a face like he'd seen something disgusting," Micah said with a roll of his eyes. "So I looked him up and down, and pointed toward a store across the hallway and said, ‘Sorry, the boring guy store is over that way. Nothing here will suit you.’"

Ember chuckled while Cam grinned widely, and I shook my head as I thought about how different Micah was around strangers compared to around people he knew. He had this loud and flashy personality that he used as a shield around strangers, but I'd never seen him that way around us, or even anyone from the clan.

"His face turned so red—I swear I was worried he'd explode." Micah shook his head, sipping on his water before continuing. "Then he started demanding to speak to the manager, and when I said that was me, he asked for the owner."

"Oooh. What did Kezan do?" Cam asked, fully invested in the story.

"Kezan waved at us from behind the counter where he'd been watching the whole thing from, and said, 'He's right, actually. You should check out the other store.'"

We broke into laughter, and Micah shook his head, pleased at our reaction. While Micah could read our thoughts, I'd realized it was just as easy to read him once you got to know him.

Micah

How had I ever thought this wasn't what I wanted?

As I lay in bed that night, surrounded by my mates after spending the whole day enjoying their company, I realized that this was the happiest, most at peace I'd ever felt.

I was safe, my mates were safe, and even Ember's impending 'death' couldn't get me down, because I knew he'd be back, though the six months without him would be hard.

Maybe that was why there were four of us, so we could support each other when one of us wasn't around.

For someone like me, who'd spent the first nine years of his life in a house devoid of love, this felt like nothing short of a miracle.

I'd learned what love and care felt like after Dad and Papa adopted me—or was it kidnapped? It wasn't like they'd ever legally done any of it—because they'd done nothing but shower me with it, teaching me what it was like to have parents who cared, parents who loved you no matter what.

Cam was my first friend, and he'd taught me how good it felt to have someone to confide in, to have someone who'd always be by your side, whom you could trust implicitly.

Maybe that was why I'd been worried about meeting Kai and Ember, because I'd thought I would lose that special bond with Cam.

Instead, I'd found two more people I could trust, two more men who loved me just as much as I loved them. All my fears had been unfounded, and I was finally free to love them as much as I wanted without my insecurities getting in the way.

"Micah, sleep," Ember grumbled, and how he could tell I was still awake, I had no idea. But I snuggled deeper into his arms anyway, sighing happily.

I didn't know what the future held for us, but as long as I had these three men with me, I'd be happy.

The next morning, we woke up to a barrage of texts in the clan group and a declaration from Noel stating the welcome party for Kai and Ember had been scheduled for this afternoon. As always, he'd asked people to bring any food they wanted to.

Ember, of course, jumped on the suggestion, and after having breakfast with us, he spent the whole morning in the kitchen.

I knew he'd taken on more than he could handle when he allowed even Cam to lend a helping hand, and I got the feeling he really wanted to impress the clan.

"You know they're going to love you regardless of the food you bring, right?" I asked, keeping my voice low just in case he didn't want the others to hear. Not that it would help much against our supe mates, but still. It was the thought that counted, right?

Ember smiled down at me as he folded the dough, his thick arms flexing with every move. Before meeting him, I'd never thought I'd find the sight of a man working hard in the kitchen with flour dusting his cheeks sexy, but if we weren't having a conversation, I'd be tempted to press him against the counter and slide inside him. I was still a little interested, but I ignored it.

"I know. I like feeding people, and they're your family. They'll be my family. I want to do this for them."

I smiled at that thought, and nodded. "Okay, then. Put me to work."

By the time we were ready to leave, we had four tote bags full of Tupperwares, a leashed Jodi, and a too-small car.

"Yeah, we shouldn't have sold your car, Ember," Cam concluded as we stood in front of the car. While all four of us could usually fit inside, there was no way we'd manage it with Jodi and all the food.

"I'll fly there," Ember offered, and Cam pursed his lips.

"Maybe I should too."

"Okay. Why don't you two fly, and we'll drive there with Jodi and the food?" I offered. I put my shields up quickly so I could drive without getting distracted, and Cam nodded.

The two of them left toward the backyard so they could shift, and I turned to Kai. "You should take the back seat so you can keep Jodi in control."

Jodi loved car rides, and she tended to get a little excited.

Placing all the food in the footwell of the passenger seat, I slid into the driver's side, waiting until Kai was situated before I started driving.

The drive to the packland took about thirty minutes since it was on the other side of town, but thanks to DD, the sky was clear, and all I had to focus on was the road in front of me.

"Mistvale really is a beautiful town, isn't it?" Kai mused, and I smiled.

"That it is. It has grown a lot in the last twenty years, especially once Raiden claimed it."

Raiden hadn't just turned the town into a haven for supes, but he'd also used his considerable wealth to update the infrastructure, made sure all the buildings were in perfect condition, and done a lot of little things to make the town picture-perfect.

The tourism plan Cam and Kai were working on would just add to the town's beauty, I was sure of that. And more tourists would mean more chances for the supes who lived here to find their mates, as well as an improved economy that would benefit everyone.

I was excited to see what my mates would create, and with Ember's business aptitude and Raiden's guidance, I was sure they'd be able to put it into action sooner rather than later.

But first, we needed to introduce our mates to our very big, very crazy family. I hoped they were ready for it. I knew I was.