6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Anatoly

Unlike the two-bedroom, third-floor apartment that he and Zan shared, the second floor was an open studio space. There was a queen-sized bed at one end and a kitchen at the other. There wasn’t much furniture because Zan had given most of it away last week, and Anatoly hadn’t gotten around to shopping for more. Not that it was important. Usually, only Zan’s parents used the place when they visited.

Still, it would've been nice to provide Rissa with a fully furnished apartment to stay in even if it was only for the night.

If he had his way, she’d stay with them upstairs every night after this one.

She mumbled something indecipherable as he laid her out on the bed.

“You’re safe,” he murmured as he untied her shoes and tugged them off. Tossing them in a far corner, he made a note to take her shopping soon. He could purchase some things online, but she’d probably want to choose for herself.

He certainly didn’t want her wearing any more of the outfit she had on tonight. Black pants, black polo, and black shoes didn’t match her vibrant personality. She should be dressed in royal colors, like purple. She was a queen, and everyone should see it.

“I want to strip you out of these clothes,” he grumped. “But I don’t think you’d appreciate waking up naked. Taking off those ugly shoes will have to do for now.”

But wait, he needed to do something about her hair. It was up in a high bun held with a large claw clip. If she rolled on her back, it would stab at her.

Kneeling on the bed next to her, he worked the clip out of her hair. Then he tugged at the bun until it unraveled. He marveled at the mass of thick, wavy, chestnut hair that had been held captive with the clip.

“Hiding all this should be labeled a crime,” he murmured, running his fingers through the hair until it fanned out across the pillow. She let out a soft sigh and curled up a little. One of her hands seemed to be searching for something. Taking a spare pillow, he placed it close. She grabbed it and tucked it close to her body, nuzzling it a little.

He wanted so badly to put his chest where the pillow was.

Although he wanted to stretch out next to her, he knew that wasn’t acceptable. Instead, he crossed the room and retrieved the single chair left in the apartment. Setting it next to the bed, he made himself comfortable and watched over his future flock member.

He didn’t know how much time passed. He didn’t count the seconds or minutes as he watched Rissa’s chest move with each breath. It made him feel centered to know both his flock were safe in the building with him. He couldn’t hear any noise from outside or downstairs. He’d paid top dollar for some very expensive spells to not only keep outside noise from disturbing the apartments, but to also protect the apartments from the noisy Sanguine. Although the bar was small, it could get noisy as the night progressed.

It was good that Rissa fell asleep before any of the supernaturals managed to get drunk. Bar fights were rare, but he would've had to rip arms off if anyone even thought of being violent around his precious human.

He noticed a slight bruise on her hand. How had she done that? Was it from punching him? It was going to be hard to have a human flock member. They were so much more fragile than shifters, gargoyles, or even pixies.

He felt Zan getting close through their link, then the front door of the apartment opened.

Zan walked up to stand next to him and regard Rissa. “Has she been sleeping the whole time?”

Anatoly nodded. “She must’ve been truly exhausted.” He turned accusing eyes on Zan. “Why did you let her work herself into this state?”

Zan snorted. “You try telling her what to do, see how it goes.”

“Sorry,” Anatoly murmured, wrapping an arm around Zan’s waist. “I’m being unreasonable. Our Rissa is used to being independent. It’ll take time and coaxing to get her to obey us.”

“If you want to survive this relationship, don’t ever use the word obey when Rissa’s awake,” Zan stated dryly, then let out a tired sigh. “Damn, tonight was busy. My feet hurt. It was actually pretty nice having Rissa there to help. And I think she enjoyed herself, especially after Suliandra showed up.”

Suliandra was a small, feisty woman and a skilled bruja. Anatoly could picture Suliandra entertaining Rissa with stories of her wild youth. The petite bruja could weave a compelling tale.

“Besides,” Zan continued, “it’s better for her to work with me than anywhere else.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Anatoly agreed, although he still didn’t like it.

“It’s a bonus that she’s sleeping here tonight and not at that shithole apartment,” Zan said, then yawned. His poor cat was tired. “I really didn’t want to spend the night in the car again watching over her building.”

“You should go upstairs and get some sleep,” Anatoly urged, even though he didn’t let go of Zan.

The mountain lion shook his head. “I don’t want to leave either of you.”

Sinking down to the floor, Zan settled next to Anatoly. The chair was low enough that Zan was able to rest his shoulders against Anatoly’s legs and put his head on Anatoly’s lap.

“That’s better,” he mumbled, shutting his eyes.

“You find the strangest positions comfortable,” Anatoly marveled. He knew from experience that Zan could fall asleep in almost any configuration.

“As long as you're part of my bed, it’s perfect,” Zan said.

Anatoly started petting Zan’s soft, curly hair. “Then I'm the happiest piece of furniture to ever support you.”

Zan huffed out a laugh but didn’t say anything as he sank into a light sleep. The situation wasn’t perfect. Anatoly would much rather the three of them be in a bed together, but he’d accept this as a temporary solution.

All they needed to do was earn Rissa’s trust and love. It shouldn’t be too hard. They already loved her.

***

Rissa

Waking up with a throbbing headache wasn’t unusual for Rissa. She’d spent more than a few holidays and birthdays getting herself drunk because staying sober would include way too many dark thoughts.

What didn’t make sense was her surroundings. When she finally forced her eyes open, she saw nothing familiar. This wasn’t her place.

Sitting up, she found Anatoly in a chair next to the bed, head lolled back and sound asleep. Sitting next to him on the floor was Zan, equally asleep. His head was in Anatoly’s lap, almost like an overgrown child. The pair was adorable.

Moving to the edge of the bed, she tried to remember what had happened. The last thing she could recall was taking her break and chatting with the guys while having a drink.

Or maybe it was a couple of drinks? How much expensive whiskey had she consumed?

Rubbing her forehead, she stifled a groan. Apparently, she’d drunk enough to pass out! Not a smart move, especially with how sleep deprived she was.

She was impressed with the guys’ restraint. They could’ve easily stripped her down and gotten into bed with her. Instead of waking up and finding she’d been violated, she was still fully dressed with two gorgeous men asleep next to the bed instead of in it. This earned them a lot of gentlemen points with her. Maybe she should do something nice for them, like find a nearby coffee shop and bring back some fancy lattes.

What time was it anyway? Reaching back, she found her phone tucked securely in her back pocket. Tugging it out, she saw it was only seven in the morning. Way too early for anyone who worked late into the night on a regular basis.

Moving carefully to keep from waking the guys, she got off the bed and found a bathroom. After gingerly shutting the door like she was in a heist movie, she turned on the light and winced. Not only was it bright, but her reflection in the mirror was startling.

“You’re not going to be winning any beauty contests,” she muttered to herself. Saying that made her think about Zan’s anger yesterday. He’d been genuinely upset when she’d called herself fat. It was second nature for her to put herself down, but maybe it wasn’t a good habit. She’d always operated under the assumption that if she insulted herself first, it meant others couldn’t do it to her.

Maybe it was time to change her thinking. What did she care if others saw her as fat? She was smart, fierce, and capable. She was also damn sexy! Wasn’t this the era of body positivity? Why was she clinging to what she was told growing up?

“I’m fucking fabulous,” she whispered into the mirror. Then took a closer look at her messy hair, rumpled clothes, and haggard face. “Well, maybe not fabulous at the moment, but all this is fixable.”

Her head still hurt, but she felt better after her self-administered pep talk. It was a life hack she’d learned early on. It was hard to find people to talk you up, so it was better if you could do it yourself.

Now to deal with her appearance. A search through the drawers found a package of individually wrapped toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairbrush, and a washcloth. There were also some skin creams, but they all looked expensive, so she left them alone.

After washing up as best she could and brushing her teeth, she did her best to style her hair despite the lack of products. In the end, she still looked a little pale and tired and definitely needed a change of clothes, but she felt much better.

Too bad she hadn’t found any painkillers; her head was still throbbing.

Opening the door to the bathroom, she found Zan standing just outside, tapping on his phone. He smiled as he looked up.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he purred. “Do you want to sleep more or have breakfast?”

She blinked a few times. How had this man gone from being sound asleep in an incredibly awkward position to being awake and cheerful in the short time she’d been in the bathroom? It was unnatural!

“Are you a morning person?” she asked, eyes narrowing. Morning people were the worst!

“I’m an all-the-time person!” he answered, eyes sparkling with humor. “Morning, noon, night: it’s all my time.”

She shook her head, then looked past him to see Anatoly still asleep in the chair. “Should we wake him up so he can lay down in the bed? He’s going to wake up with the worst pain in his neck if we leave him like that.”

Zan followed her gaze and frowned a little. “He won’t be in pain, but yeah, let’s put him to bed.”

Tucking his phone away, Zan strode to Anatoly and lifted him easily, cradling the smaller man against his chest. Anatoly remained limp despite the jostling.

“Wow, he is a deep sleeper,” Rissa said.

“You have no idea,” Zan said with a chuckle. “Could you get the door, please?”

“Sure.” she hurried to the apartment's front door. “I take it this isn’t your place?”

“It’s the empty second-floor apartment,” Zan answered. “We didn’t want you to feel like we were taking advantage, and this place seemed more neutral.”

“That was thoughtful,” she agreed, feeling a strange warmth in her chest. It’d been a long time since anyone cared this much about her. Even for the brief times she’d been in the system, it was all about seeing to the basic needs of food and shelter. There hadn’t been any worry over her mental state.

After her mom died, there’d been no one that truly cared if she lived or died. Except now she got the feeling that Anatoly and Zan were different. They might be a couple, but they had enough love and affection to extend to her.

That was both exciting and terrifying. No one in her life ever stayed. Social workers and teachers came and went through the years. Her mother left her in the most permanent way possible, death. If she started sleeping with them, how long would the relationship last? If she got attached, it would be devastating to lose them.

She could already tell it would be easy to fall in love with these two.

All these thoughts jumbled around in her head as she followed Zan up a flight of stairs. At the top was another door, and she had to squeeze her arm around him to open it. She hesitated to follow him inside the apartment. It felt intrusive.

“Come on in,” Zan called back. “There are a few things up here for you.”

Things for her? Curiosity and the desire to stay near the men pushed her to enter their space. She was startled to find that the apartment was larger than the one below. It took her a moment to realize that this space must extend over the empty shop next to Sanguine. Did they own the entire building?

The living room was nice sized, with an open kitchen to the right of the door. All the furniture was sleek and stylish, probably more Anatoly than Zan. Except for the battered easy chair in front of the TV. The recliner screamed Zan. She could easily picture him stretched out in it with only boxer shorts on, watching something with a beer in his hand.

She could also picture Anatoly’s disgruntled expression at the piece of furniture, but he’d never say anything to hurt Zan’s feelings. Not even suggest buying something newer or nicer.

Hurrying to catch up to Zan, she stopped at the doorway to their bedroom and watched him gently deposit Anatoly on the bed. He hummed as he started stripping Anatoly. It was only when he got to the man's pants that Rissa turned and walked back into the living room.

As much as she wanted to see what was under those clothes, it needed to be when Anatoly was awake and consenting. She walked over to a window to look down on the quiet downtown street. She could even see the ocean from here.

“You’re a sweetheart,” Zan said, coming up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his head on top of hers. He’d done this with Anatoly too. Was it a move he did with everyone, or did it mean something?

“Why do you say that?” she asked, trying to get out of her own head.

“You left the room when I was getting Anatoly naked. It was considerate,” he explained. His muscled body was pressed against hers, making it hard to concentrate on his words. “I bet you would’ve done the same even if I told you he wouldn’t mind if you saw him.”

“You’re saying that, not him,” she murmured.

“Later, he’ll tell you himself that he wants you to look and touch as much as you like,” Zan said, then abruptly let go and turned her around with gentle pressure on her shoulders. “Come on, let me show you what he ordered!”

“Ordered? When?” she asked, following Zan to the kitchen area. She’d noticed the table with shopping bags earlier, but assumed they were things the guys hadn’t put away yet. As they got closer, Rissa recognized the logo on the bags. They were all from a high-end boutique only a few miles away.

“Last night,” Zan said, digging into one of the bags. “Anatoly knows the owner of this place and asked her to send over a bunch of stuff. He’s got a great sense of style.”

Zan paused, then looked at her. “You don’t have to wear any of it. I promise Anatoly won't be hurt. He only wanted to make sure you had something to wear today. If the outfit works, I thought we could grab some breakfast, then you could run some errands with me before we need to open.”

Rissa didn’t know how to react. No one had done anything like this before. “He bought me clothing?”

“And some shoes and other stuff,” Zan said, pulling out items and handing them to her. “Do you want to try them on?”

He looked so excited she didn’t want to disappoint him. “They might not fit,” she warned him.

“We can take them back today for other sizes,” Zan said. “Shannon won’t mind.”

Taking one of the items from him, she held it up to find it was a deep red, flowing top in the style she favored. The other item was a thigh-length skirt in a light gray with a matching jacket. They were both soft and light, perfect for the temperate San Diego winter.

Zan pointed to a door next to their bedroom. “Go on, see if they fit!”

“Sure,” she tried to sound enthusiastic, but she’d never heard of a guy buying clothing the right size for themselves, let alone someone else!

The door Zan pointed her to opened into a second bedroom. Smaller than the first, but still larger than her entire studio apartment. There was even an en suite bathroom! Before she could close the door behind her, Zan was there, holding a cup of water and a packet.

“Here, take these. You probably aren’t feeling great from last night, and this is a home remedy that will fix you right up.”

“Home remedy?” she asked, tucking the outfit under her arm so she could take the glass and small envelope.

“My mom swears by it!” he said, then stared at her, waiting.

If they’d wanted to drug her or hurt her, they could’ve done it by now, so she emptied the powder into her mouth and chased the bitter substance with the glass of water.

No sooner had it all hit her stomach than she did start feeling better. Her headache vanished, and her stomach settled.

“She should patent and sell this!” she said, handing him back the glass. “Her remedy is amazing!”

“It’s a family secret,” Zan said with a chuckle as he reached for the door. “Get dressed. We’ve got places to go and things to buy!”