Chapter Two

A rion groaned in frustration, loud enough for Elvine to hear. “This is so humiliating,” he complained. “I could outrun both of them easily.”

“Yes, but you might also run away from us.” Elvine tightened her grip on him. “You’re as slippery as—” Something hard collided with Elvine midair, causing her to spin out of control. She couldn’t keep Arion in her arms. He was flung out of her grasp then started falling toward the ground.

With a fierce snarl, she plunged toward the ground before arching her back and swooping upward, successfully regaining her grasp on her mate.

“Holy muffin!” Elvine had to spin again, this time deliberately, in order to avoid a tangle of branches that would have ripped her wings. When she looked ahead, she noticed the dense trees, which would make it impossible to fly safely. With no other option available, she had to make a landing. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she quickly folded in her wings and took stock of their surroundings, holding on to Arion tightly.

A fierce growl broke through the silence as Jax raced toward them, his paws covering the distance at an incredible speed. Her lips parted slightly as Elvine watched him. He was so beautiful and powerful. Jax launched himself off a boulder and crashed into a vampire, taking him down with savage force.

Elvine released her hold on Arion when she saw two more vampires closing in on them with blinding speed. She raised her arms above her, tilted her head back, and began to chant. A surge of energy whipped through her body, lifting her long blue locks.

Lowering her head, Elvine pulled back her arm before forcefully thrusting it forward, unleashing bolts of black lightning from her outstretched palm. The bolts struck both vampires, sending them flying backward and crashing to the ground in a writhing heap.

“You dare try to harm my mates!” she screamed. Her rage boiled over as she continued to rain down bolts on them, striking each vampire over and over again until they lay motionless on the ground. She unleashed her fury that they had dared come after her when she had Arion in her arms, furious one of them was fighting her wolfie.

“They’re dead!” Arion slung his arms around her from behind, trapping her arms at her sides. “You already killed them. Now you’re just being cruel,” he shouted at her.

The distress in his voice snapped her out of her fury, but she was still breathing heavily. One of them had lunged at her while she was midflight, attempting to take her down. If the vampire had damaged her wings, Elvine would have died instantly.

“I’m-I’m okay, Arion. I promise. You can let me go. I have to help our wolf.” She licked her dry lips, still in shock at how close she’d come to death.

Arion slowly lowered his arms and released her, dropping them to his sides. Elvine threw another black bolt, this one with less power. It struck the vampire Jax was fighting, knocking the stranger sideways.

With a snarl, Jax shifted and extended his claws before plunging them deep into the vampire’s chest. Elvine spun around and pulled Arion into a tight embrace, pressing his head against her chest. “You don’t need to see this, sweetie.”

“You don’t have to shield my eyes.” Arion shook in her arms. “I’ve seen much, much worse.”

Elvine hugged him even tighter, burying her face into his hair as she fought back tears. Judging from his scars, she believed him. “But it’s still my job to keep you safe, honey bunny.” She bit her lip to stop it from trembling.

“Are you two all right?” Jax approached from behind Elvine then curled his arms around both of them. She noticed the blood on his hand, but Jax kept it away from Arion. “Did either of you get hurt?” He kissed Elvine’s head gently. “I saw all three of them speed past me then one leapt at you.” His embrace tightened. “I thought he’d ripped your wings. The way you spun…”

Jax closed his eyes briefly, a look of pain on his face.

“No,” Elvine said with a shaky breath. “We’re both fine.” She leaned back into Jax’s solid chest, seeking comfort and safety in his embrace. She couldn’t tell who was trembling more, her or Arion.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to either of you,” Jax murmured. “We’re not far from the house. This time keep your feet on the ground. I don’t want either of you to leave my side.”

“Just...give us a moment.” Elvine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She ran her hands soothingly over Arion’s back, remembering how he had accused her of being cruel to vampires.

But Elvine wasn’t a cruel person. She was very loving and compassionate, but she’d been consumed with rage when she’d struck those vampires down.

Just like she’d been consumed by rage when she tried to kill that ghoul in the most painful way possible. He’d hurt her honey bunny, had impersonated Arion… She took a shuddering breath.

When it came to protecting those she cared about, Elvine had no mercy. Mercy was a weakness that allowed those you thought you could trust to take advantage of you. And that same compassion had led to the death of her little sister seven hundred years ago at the hands of their own brother.

Elvine sought solace in Jax’s warmth and strength, knowing she was not okay. She still had so much anger and fear inside of her.

Jax scooped her up into his strong arms and cradled her against his chest.

“Are you going to stay by my side, or do I need to worry about you running off?” he asked Arion. “I could use your help with buttercup, sweetheart.”

Elvine started to protest that she could walk on her own and she didn’t need any help. One, it would be a total lie. Two, she knew it was a ploy to ensure Arion stayed with them.

She glanced down at the vampire, wondering why he simply stood there staring at her and Jax.

Eventually, he spoke up. “You think I don’t know when someone is playing me for a fool? My shirt is torn to shreds, and my body is covered in scars.” His jaw tightened, but Elvine could sense the pain behind his words. “Stop acting as if my scars don’t exist.”

She squirmed and thankfully Jax knew what she wanted without her having to say anything. He gently set her on her feet, and Elvine was acutely aware Jax stood naked behind her.

“You listen to me, bub.” She wiggled a finger at him. “You’re a gorgeous man who’s been badly mistreated. That doesn’t make you ugly. That makes you a courageous survivor, honey bunny. Talk like that again and I’ll bathe your mouth out with soap.”

“Close enough.” Jax chuckled.

Arion frowned. “How can she insult and compliment someone at the same time?”

“Welcome to my world, sweetheart,” Jax replied. “Now let’s get home so I can call my dad and let him know where we are.”

Some first impression Elvine had made with Arion. He probably thought she was some evil sorceress who liked peeling wings off flies and making little babies cry. Toadstools.

She walked ahead of them, feeling horrible for losing her temper. That was not how Elvine Sparklenest behaved. Her parents would be super upset with her if they knew she’d used dark magic to kill those vampires.

How many times had her papa told her to be very careful about using her magic? A gazillion. But dang it. Magic made everything so much easier. It also makes your temper more dangerous. That was what her mama had told her a gazillion and one times.

Elvine blamed her temper on those vampires and that ghoul. If they hadn’t tried to kill her mate, they wouldn’t have felt the bull’s thorns.

When Arion caught up with her, Elvine frowned. He’d called her cruel, so why did he want to walk beside her?

“Does he always walk around with no clothes on?” Arion whispered. For someone who looked like they needed a million feedings, her mate had enough blood to blush like crazy.

“I’ve only known the Frost family roughly three weeks,” she whispered back. “But this is the first time I’ve seen Jax naked. Not that I was looking.”

Please, she’d definitely peeked, and… Oh boy. She was in real trouble.

“Are you serious?” Arion asked. His blush deepened.

“Well.” Elvine cleared her throat but kept her voice down. “He is hung like a rhino.”

“So, you did look.” Arion flashed an impish grin that made his amber eyes sparkle. Honey bunny needed to smile all the time. He was downright handsome.

“At least he’s not an argonaut octopus,” Arion continued. “Their penises detach and swim away to look for females while the octopus goes about finding food, uncaring he just lost his genital.”

She stopped walking and stared at him in disbelief. “How do you even know something like that? And that is just...disturbing.” She really wished he hadn’t put that image in her head.

Arion shrugged. “I have a lot of time on my hands.” He looked over his shoulder then gave Elvine his attention once again. “I think we should slow down so he doesn’t feel like we’re excluding him.”

“Jax,” Elvine said. “His name is Jax Frost. And you want us to slow down so he can hear us talking about his… manhood ,” she whispered the last word, remembering when Papa Frost had used that absurd reference. So why was she using it with Arion?

Now she wanted to look. Glancing behind her, she saw Jax was purposely strolling slowly. He was giving them space to talk. Now she was glad she hadn’t clobbered Jax over the head with the frying pan when they’d first met.

She turned back to Arion just as something dawned on her. “How are you so calm? I’m fae. The smell of my blood should be irresistible to you, especially since you fed from me.”

He drew in a deep breath then closed his eyes with a pleasurable grin. Shoot. Why did Elvine have to open her mouth? She didn’t like that delighted smile on his face.

Apparently Jax didn’t like it either, because he quickly caught up to them and positioned his large frame slightly between Elvine and Arion. “Everything okay, pumpkin?” he asked Arion.

Now that Elvine knew Jax was her mate, her perspective of him had shifted significantly. But if she were being honest with herself, she had been secretly attracted to him since the night they first met. Maybe that was why they constantly bickered. There had always been an underlying tension between them. It may have taken some time for them to realize they were mates, but the spark had been there from the beginning.

Biting her lip, Elvine glanced down at Jax’s firm, bare butt. Her heart began to beat faster. When Arion began to speak, she tore her gaze away and looked around Jax’s body.

“She does smell good,” Arion admitted as his eyelids fluttered open, but the pleased look quickly vanished.

“You probably don’t believe me.” Arion glanced away when Elvine and Jax studied him. She felt an overwhelming urge to protect him, like a sad puppy in need of comfort.

“Of course I believe you,” she said softly, giving him a reassuring smile. “You’re not trying to attack me. That’s proof enough.”

Arion’s gaze drifted up to Jax, his desire for acceptance evident in the way he looked at him.

“Babe, I believe you, but please understand if I still remain cautious for the time being.” Jax gently traced a path over Arion’s cheek with his knuckles. “You both mean everything to me, and I understand there are some things out of our control.”

Arion closed his eyes again, only this time he leaned into Jax’s touch, as if he was starved for affection. Something Elvine planned on giving him in abundance. It was clear how much he needed some positive attention, because the negative attention was written all over his body.

Even so, she couldn’t understand how their mate could see himself as ugly. To her, Arion was the epitome of beauty. His jet-black locks fell in messy waves to his nape and across his delicate jawline, framing his striking face and piercing amber eyes, which left her breathless. How could he not see how gorgeous he truly was?

As for Jax, he exuded raw masculinity with his tall, muscular frame and ruggedly handsome features. His chestnut hair was cropped on the sides and tied back in a man bun, which only added to his undeniable sex appeal. She longed to run her fingers through his thick beard and tug on it as he pleasured her body in ways she couldn’t even imagine.

As Jax continued to caress Arion’s cheek, his intense gaze turned to Elvine then slowly slid down her curves before returning to meet her eyes. The heat in that one look was scorching, causing Elvine to press her legs together tightly as her panties grew damp with arousal.

She hadn’t lied when she’d admitted to Jax she was inexperienced. Although she wasn’t a virgin, physical pleasure had been rare and fleeting in her thousand years of existence. It had been centuries since she’d felt the touch of a man, and she was more than ready to feel Jax’s and Arion’s touch.

A slow, roguish smile curved the side of Jax’s mouth. “Your rosy blush is simply intoxicating, ma petite ,” he growled softly.

Her blush felt even hotter. When arguing with Jax, she knew exactly what to say to him. So why was she so tongue-tied now? She felt like she needed one of Kalen’s slaps to the back of her head just to get her brain to function properly.

“I’m not sure what’s going on here”—Arion wiggled his fingers between the three of them—“but I would feel so much better if we kept walking. There were a lot of vampires in that fight. We already dealt with three strays. I don’t know about you two, but my scrawny ass would really like to get out of the forest.”

Arion looked around as if vampires would start popping out from behind the trees at any second. Now she was glancing around as well. Elvine usually felt a tingle when darkness was around. That was how she had known Vicino had been coming. Though, at the time, Elvine hadn’t known it would be a demented psycho who wanted to wipe out the Frost family.

“That’s two votes.” Elvine raised her hand and lowered her gaze. Sweet honeydew, she really needed to stop focusing on Jax’s cock. If it was that long while soft, she could just imagine how big it would become when erect.

Stop looking at his cock! Elvine forced her gaze upward then groaned when she saw both men staring at her. Arion was gazing strangely at her, like he was trying to figure out what she was thinking. Jax’s roguish smile grew even wider.

“I’ll lead the way.” Elvine spun so fast she was surprised she didn’t trip over her own feet. Normally, she wasn’t a shy person when it came to sex. But a few hundred years of celibacy combined with two studs and she was performing a fast-paced walk.

“Stop staring at my backside,” Elvine called out without even looking behind her. A girl just knew when her butt was being gawked at.

“But it’s such a nice ass to look at.” Jax gave a low chuckle.

“Slow down, Elvine,” Arion called out. “We need to stick together.”

Relief rushed through Elvine that Arion hadn’t commented on her derriere. She was already blushing hard enough to set the surrounding trees on fire.

She just needed a moment to get used to the idea of two mates. Two men who would have sex with her.

At the same time.

Naked.

Naked is how people usually have sex, genius.

“Slow down,” Arion said.

“Crackers!” Elvine stopped so fast she nearly faceplanted when Arion suddenly appeared beside her.. “Don’t use your speed to scare me like that.”

“I just don’t get why you’re running from us.”

Arion frowned, and goodness, Elvine had an overwhelming urge to grab him and kiss him until she fainted. His face was the one place she knew of so far that lacked scars. Honestly, Elvine felt as if she was looking at a dark angel. He was that pretty, nowhere in the realm of being ugly, like he’d called himself. The guy was a complete knock-out.

The only thing she would change was his weight. She and Jax needed to feed him as often as possible.

“Who said I was running?” Elvine asked with a squeak. Then she cleared her throat, hoping to regain some of her dignity. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, honey bunny.”

A grin slid across his face. “You were thinking about sex, weren’t you?” His smile softened. “I’ve never been with two people at once, either.” He ran his hand across his cheek where Jax had caressed him. “There’s no rush, Elvine. It’s not like I’m jumping for joy for you guys to see my body.”

Walking fast was exhausting when you were used to flying. Elvine’s thighs and calves started to cramp. Slowing, she looked behind her to see how far behind they’d left Jax.

“Will you stop doing that!” Her heart was hammering even harder now. Jax was right behind her, like almost on top of her. How had she not felt his close presence?

“I’m just thanking my lucky stars I’m a rhino instead of an argonaut octopus.” He wiggled his brows. “If my cock is going to detach to find some sex, I want to be there.”

Arion burst out laughing. The fae world was filled with magic, but Arion’s enchanting laugh put all that magic to shame.

“You have to loosen up and stop looking like one or both of us is about to get frisky with you,” Arion teased.

It really said something about his character that not even thirty minutes ago he was barely alive, and now he was having fun. A freaking ghoul had tried to eat him, and Arion was laughing. Elvine was in love with his personality already.

With the house finally in sight, she stopped walking. “Fine, Mr. Nippy Nose and Honey Bunny, I’ll tell you the truth,” she huffed. “My mom is very strict with me. Not the bad kind. She’s just very adamant that I stay…” Goodness. She couldn’t even get through this without feeling as if her face would melt off from so much heat.

“A virgin?” Arion guessed.

“Yes.” They were her mates, and she was choking when talking about sex. Jeez. “I didn’t listen.”

“You naughty kitten,” Jax said teasingly. He held up his hands, palms out, his grin still on his face. “I promise not to tell my mother-in-law you sowed your oats before Arion and I found you.”

The toad had the nerve to wink.

“Will you let me finish?” she growled.

“That was a sexy growl, ma petite .” Jax was so close she stared at his muscular chest.

“Thank you.” She beamed. “I’ve been hanging around wolf shifters too long. Now I’m beginning to sound like one.”

Arion reached out as if he wanted to touch her but curled his fingers in and dropped his arm. “I don’t get the correlation. What does your mother have to do with our mating?”

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes. “Female fae are expected to remain virtuous until they meet their mate. I was risking a lot being intimate.” She dropped her hand and looked at them. “I haven’t had sex in a couple centuries.”

“Damn,” Jax said with exaggeration. “My pretty baby is well overdue.”

“That’s, uh… Wow, really?” Arion stared wide-eyed at her. “I mean, don’t you get aroused?”

Elvine didn’t like their intense gazes. “Of course I do. I’m just out of practice, and now I’m going to be drowning in testosterone. So I’m nervous, okay?”

Jax furrowed his brows. “Is your council going to come after you for mating outside your race?” He appeared deeply concerned.

“What’re you talking about?” Arion asked.

“The Unseelie has a dumbass law that prohibits dark fae from mating anyone other than another dark fae,” Jax replied with a low growl.

“That’s moronic,” Arion said. “How can you outlaw such a thing when only fate decides who will be together?”

Elvine had wondered that same thing her entire life. “That is a prickle.” She tapped her finger against her chin.

“That is a pickle ,” Arion corrected her.

Jax ran his hand over Arion’s nape. “Many a man has tried to correct her, pumpkin. I like her bungles. They’ve become very endearing.”

“Since we don’t have a solution at the moment, I just want to get to your house and rest my feet. Walking is for the…” She looked between them.

“Birds,” Jax and Arion said in unison, both men smirking.

The two were definitely trouble.