Chapter 15

Fifteen

Joaquin looked over his shoulder at Esau before taking a cleansing breath and knocking on Gideon's door. Their witch soon opened it, lips pressed tightly together, glancing at the floor instead of Joaquin.

"I didn't mean to upset you."

Gideon nodded, still not lifting his gaze. "Okay."

"It's not you…"

"Esau already said that."

"I… I'm…" Joaquin's stomach knotted. "I'm… trans."

Gideon lifted his gaze and sighed, his shoulders relaxing. "Is that what it is? Oh, thank the Gods."

Joaquin scoffed, smiled and frowned all at the same time, bemused. "Well, that wasn't the response I anticipated."

Gideon urged him back into the apartment and dragged Esau in, too. He shut the door behind them and stared at Joaquin. "I thought you didn't want me… or that you had something against witches. Or that I'd done something to offend you." He drew in a deep breath and sighed. "I'm sorry if I pushed too hard. I told myself not to, but the triad bond… It's not easy to fight off…"

"No, it's not," Joaquin murmured, sensing there was an unspoken ‘and' at the end of Gideon's sentence, but it had been left hanging. "I'm not immune to it and you don't know how badly I want you right now… but I was scared you wouldn't accept me as I am."

"That'swhy you were pushing me away." He waved a hand in front of himself. "Do you really think I'd not accept you? I don't exactly stick to gender norms myself."

"That'swhat I told him," Esau interjected.

Joaquin scoffed. "Logically, yeah. I saw. But tonight's been a bit overwhelming on multiple fronts and… I… freaked out at the prospect of having to share who I was with you. Anxiety doesn't listen to logic at times. I panicked and I ran. I'm sorry."

Gideon cupped his cheek and smiled. "I'm sorry if I made you feel like I wouldn't be accepting. Or if I pushed too hard."

"You didn't. I was sending mixed signals. The need," He closed his eyes, still feeling the hunger wreaking havoc with his libido. "I want to be with you." He looked over at Esau. "All three of us together." He turned his attention to Gideon. "But I think I need to step back a moment and let all this sink in. Plus… I didn't come… prepared."

"Prepared?" As soon as the words were out of Gideon's mouth, he appeared to get what Joaquin meant. "Oh, right. Prepared." Gideon smiled, caressing Joaquin's face. "We'll apply the brakes and slow down. We're three strong individuals. We can do that. Especially now that I know."

"Good," Joaquin murmured. "You don't mind that I'm not…" He paused, chest tightening.

"Not what?" Gideon asked, frowning. "And if you're about to say what I think you're about to say, you can stop right now. Standing in front of me is a man. My man." He reached a hand to Esau, who took it. Gideon pulled him closer and rested his head on Esau's arm. "Our man." Gideon's confidence seemed to wane a moment. "Although, I'm making assumptions here, myself. Male pronouns?"

"All male," Joaquin replied, and for some reason, his conviction in that word felt stronger than ever. A smile blossomed over his lips, and he couldn't hold it back.

Gideon pulled them both closer. He and Esau wrapped their arms around their little witch and held on tight.

"It's getting late," Gideon said, backing away. "If you need to go, I understand, but you're welcome to stay as long as you want. Nothing will happen, I promise."

Joaquin glanced to Esau, who nodded. "Sounds good."

"More wine?" Gideon asked. "I can open another bottle."

"I think I'll take one of those ginger ales," Esau said.

"Me, too," Joaquin said as he and Esau both sat down again on the couch.

Gideon got their drinks and returned to the coffee table to sit facing them. "You left everything behind in San Diego… and now you're starting over fresh, here. What does that look like? Do either of you work, or looking for work? Have you found a home?"

Joaquin eyed Esau. "I think I've shared enough for tonight. Why don't you take this one, babe?"

Esau smiled and turned to Gideon. "Joaquin is a freelance programmer and can work from anywhere, as long as he has a laptop and an internet connection. I left my last position, and my abuelita said a job would open as soon as I arrived," Esau said. "And it did. I've already started."

"Where?"

"I work for the City of Boston, the police department," Esau answered.

"Just what we need. Another cop," Gideon murmured.

Joaquin tensed. He knew some people didn't care for police, especially in paranormal circles.

"Not a cop. Well, not exactly a cop," Esau replied, his tone defensive.

Joaquin wanted to jump in and protect Esau, as he'd done nearly their entire life, but the man didn't need him interjecting. Gideon leaned in, clearly curious, so he sat back and let the two talk. He'd taken up enough oxygen in the room. It was Esau's turn to connect with their new mate.

"I'm a Senior Investigator for the Crime Lab. Part cop. Part scientist. My team collects evidence, processes it, and I take all that data and determine what happened."

"Intriguing," Gideon said, smiling. "How does one end up in a career like that?"

"I was an MP in the Marines."

"That couldn't have been easy for the two of you. Split apart?"

"We enlisted together," Esau said, casting a look Joaquin's way with a smile. "No one was keeping us apart. We lucked out and were stationed together time and time again. Not sure how we managed that."

"Your abuela," Gideon murmured with a grin.

Esau's eyes widened. "Maybe."

"Go on with your story. Sorry I interrupted," Gideon said, his attention drawn to Esau.

"After we left the service, I went straight into law enforcement, thinking it the obvious choice, but being an MP was nothing like being a beat cop. I saw things I didn't like. Minorites harassed, assumed guilty, just because of the way they looked. People from our old neighborhood. I pushed through, even made it to detective, but ultimately, I was miserable. So, I pivoted. Uncle Sam had paid for my BA in Criminal Science while still in the Marines—and Joaquin's degree, as well. I added a Masters in Forensics while on the job. The minute I got that diploma, I turned in my letter of resignation and took a position with the San Diego County Forensics team."

"So, a cop but not a cop," Gideon parroted.

"Cop adjacent." Esau smiled. "You mentioned something about another cop. What did you mean?"

"Ash, who you met tonight. He's a Salem Detective. He's also a cop, but not a cop."

"How's that?" Esau asked.

"Otherworldly beings sometimes get into things they maybe shouldn't. They're witnessed doing things humans would view as odd. Wrong place, wrong time situations. If they're innocent, Ash can help. Turn their attention away from our kind. That sort of thing."

Joaquin scoffed. "Oh yeah. I've almost been caught by cops a few times myself and luckily Esau was there to help cover my ass, so I get it."

"My history with law enforcement in general isn't great, so I apologize for my tone and if I sounded like a jerk. Ash has helped my opinion some. He's like a third or fourth generation police officer from Pennsylvania, if memory serves. Ash and his family watched out for shifters, ensuring they weren't wrongfully accused because of who they were. Policing their own kind, in a way. Humans aren't always kind to those in the supernatural world, especially their law enforcement, so we have him to help smooth things over for us here in town."

"Smart," Esau said.

"And now we have a Crime Scene Investigator, too," Gideon said, grinning. "Of course, if you want to be a part of my coven family… down the road."

Esau eyed Joaquin and smiled.

"Having a family isn't something we're much accustomed to," Joaquin murmured.

A lull fell in the conversation. Joaquin could sense Gideon wanted to say more, but he remained silent… until he blurted out, "So where's home right now?"

"A hotel room," Joaquin answered. "We arrived just before Christmas."

"So, new-new to town." Gideon said.

"Indeed," Esau replied. "Still learning how to get around this place. Boston, more so. This is our first time to Salem."

"And on the first night, you meet me," Gideon said. He looked between them, a whisper of a smile on his lips. "Talk about fate."

The look in Gideon's eyes grew heavy with lust. Joaquin felt the pull, the animal need slamming his heart against the inside of his ribs. He met Gideon's heated stare and knew their mate felt it, too. Fate had brought them together and now it demanded they take action.

Action Joaquin was delaying.

Gideon pulled his gaze away. "Wow. I've heard meeting a mate turn you into an insatiable sex fiend, but I think they underplayed just how strong it would be."

"Well, you did meet two at once," Esau murmured.

"That I did,"Gideon replied. He shook his head. "This feels like a dream." The hint of a smile faded. "Better than the ones I have been having."

"You saw Lucifer in a dream, you said?" Joaquin said, his hackles rising again at the thought of the devil touching their mate. "Has there been more than one?"

"Only one with him, but I've been suffering nightmares for weeks." Gideon scoffed. "Haven't slept much. I'm a bitch with sleep. Without it, I've been a total asshole." He laughed. "And apparently I've started sleepwalking, too."

"Maybe you just need your mates to ward away the darkness," Joaquin said. "We might be able to help more if we knew what it was Lucifer wanted from you."

Gideon opened his mouth, but immediately closed it. "Trust me. It's probably best you didn't know. For your own safety." He grinned, but there was fear and exhaustion in his eyes. "Plausible deniability and all that."

Joaquin had shared his secret. A tiny piece of him was saddened Gideon hadn't opened up, as well. Hopefully their mate was right in withholding. Only time would tell. He took a drag from his ginger ale and rested it on the table beside Gideon before rising. "You look tired. Maybe you need some sleep."

"Going so soon?" Gideon asked. His expression made it clear he wasn't ready for them to leave.

Joaquin held out his hand to their mate. "We're not going anywhere."

Gideon smiled, reaching for Joaquin's hand. He rose and offered his other hand to Esau. Esau's gaze drifted to Joaquin's for a moment before he smiled and rose, taking Gideon's hand. Joaquin led them to the bed, and after Gideon was settled, he kicked off his shoes, peeled off his shirt and jeans, carefully removed his packer and slipped it between the folds of his jeans, and slid into bed beside Gideon.

Esau had stripped down to his briefs, as well, and climbed into the other side of the bed, his gaze never leaving Joaquin's as he spooned behind Gideon. Joaquin joined them, facing the pair. Gideon caressed his cheek before sliding both hands to his chest. There, he ran his hands over the scars from his top surgery, gently caressing them.

When he lowered his head to press tender kisses along the scars, he closed his eyes, struggling with the wave of emotion that brought him.

Their mate accepted him, as he was.

"You're gorgeous," Gideon whispered. "All I could ever ask for." He turned to eye Esau over his shoulder. "Both of you."

"We'll be here to protect you against the boogeymen," Esau said as he dropped kisses to Gideon's bare shoulder. "Sleep, baby."

Joaquin traced the curves of the waves on Gideon's shoulder, wondering if they were all in a dream. If it was, he never wanted to wake up. By the time he lifted his gaze, Gideon breathed evenly, already fast asleep. He smiled. "Rest well."

The light wasgray when Gideon awoke to the jostling of the bed. He sat up, watching both men dress. "You're going?"

They both turned, frowning.

"We didn't mean to wake you," Esau said. "But I have to get into work."

"And I have a project I have to wrap up. My laptop is back at the hotel," Joaquin said. He sat on the edge of Gideon's bed. "How'd you sleep?"

Gideon realized then that he'd slept the whole night. No nightmares. No Hellscape. He grinned. "Like a baby, for once. Maybe you did scare off the boogeyman."

"We can come back tonight and make sure he stays away again," Esau said, caressing Gideon's cheek from where he stood on the other side of the bed. "If it's not too much, too soon?"

"It's not,"Gideon said, perhaps a big too quickly, as they chuckled at his response. "I wish you didn't have to go now."

"I have the weekend off," Esau said. He glanced at Joaquin. "Where are you at with work?"

"Nearly done. Probably today."

Esau grinned. "Then we might have a weekend together and you can show us all around Salem."

Gideon hedged. He hadn't left the coven's protection in some time. He felt safer there.

"Or we can stay in, and you can show us all around Gideon," Joaquin murmured.

"He dragged me down while in a waking dream, so this building really isn't much protection." Gideon sighed. "I can't allow him to turn me into a prisoner in my own home, either. I'd love to show you Salem." A wicked grin spread over his face. "Then we can tour Gideon."

"I like that plan," Esau said. He leaned in to press his lips to Gideon's. "We'll come over as soon as I get off work, as long as Joaquin's done."

"I'll make sure I am," Joaquin offered with a wink.

"Can't wait."

Joaquin leaned in and stole a kiss of his own. "Until tonight."

Gideon watched them leave, his heart full. As soon as the door shut with a click, he fell back against the mattress and squealed with delight.

He wasn't alone anymore.

Yet his smile faded. Had he just dragged the pair of them into peril, just by being near him?