12. Mia

Chapter twelve

Mia

W hen I woke up, I was being rocked and someone was chanting something. It took a moment for my head to clear, and I realized the chanting was an apology on repeat.

“I’m so sorry, Mia. Please forgive me for hurting you. I’m so fucking sorry.”

I shifted and opened my eyes, finding myself looking into Theo’s tormented eyes. I lifted my hand to his face as my heart recognized our bond. “I don’t blame you, Theo,” I rasped.

“I still hurt you,” he replied, holding me tighter. “Never again, Mia. I swear to all the Gods, never again.”

I knew there wasn’t anything more I could say to alleviate his guilt. It was something he’d have to work through himself, so instead, I snuggled into his embrace. I started purring as I looked around and saw we were all on the bed together. As I met Hollis and Rome’s gazes, I accepted what I’d already known—they hadn’t been lying when they told me I was their mate.

What a strange little pack we made. And what the hell was I supposed to do now? I looked past Hollis and noticed bits of food stuck on the wall and the remnants of a food tray on the floor. “What happened there?”

Hollis blushed when he followed my gaze. “Umm,” he said sheepishly, “I got a little angry this morning when I saw you had escaped.”

“Little bit of a temper, there, huh?” I teased.

“His fuse burns quick,” Rome assured me, “unlike the grumpy Gus beside me,” he teased, nudging Aiden.

Aiden! Theo reluctantly released me as I scrambled from his arms over Rome to get to Aiden. I straddled him as I leaned over to look into his eyes. “Are you ok? Why the hell did you do that? You could have been hurt!”

Aiden smiled up at me, a stark contrast from the usual scowl he seemed to always have. He lifted his hand to cup my cheek. “I’m fine, Love. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant not letting you go through that alone.”

I flattened myself against him, tucking my face into his neck. “Please don’t. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me.”

I snuggled with him, purring contentedly as he stroked my back before moving to cuddle with Rome next. He rolled us so my back was to the mattress and leaned over me to look into my eyes, reminding me of our position at my motel only a short time ago. He smiled down at me. “There it is,” he murmured, lowering his lips to mine for a slow, tentative kiss.

The kiss wasn’t without passion, but I could tell Rome was holding back, willing to let me set the pace. They were my mates, and because of that, I obviously desired them, but we also had just met, so I wasn’t ready for sex. I didn’t even know how I was supposed to navigate a sexual relationship with four men. I wasn’t a virgin, but I hadn’t been with a lot of men either.

What if I wasn’t experienced enough for them? I tried to shake the feeling off as Rome broke the kiss and looked down at me with questioning eyes.

“What is it, Mia?”

“What? Nothing,” I said, forcing a smile. “Mia,” he warned with a light growl.

I sighed as the others shifted on the bed, hovering over me. I got off the bed, needing space between us for this awkward conversation. “Umm, ok, so listen, I’m not a virgin, but I’m also not super experienced, so I’m worried that I won’t be able to... please you. That I won’t meet your expectations. I don’t want to presume I know your past, but you’re guys are older. I mean, Theo is a vampire, so he’s probably had tons of sex, and now I’m rambling, and I don’t know how to stop.”

Hollis was the first to move as I took a breath to continue talking. He stood in front of me and gently pinched my lips together. “Mia, you are our mate. You’ll always be enough for us because you’re the only thing we need.”

“He’s right,” Theo said, standing by my side. “And it doesn’t matter how many people you’ve been with or we’ve been with because none of them matter. None of those experiences could ever be better than being with you because you’re our mate.”

“You’re our forever, Mia,” Aiden added, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

Rome got off the bed to stand on my other side. He didn’t echo the other’s sentiment, but he didn’t have to. “Thank you for being open with us about your worries, Sweetheart. This is new for all of us, and adjusting will take some time. We don’t have to do anything until you’re ready. Going slow is fine because we have the rest of our lives, so there’s no rush, ok?”

I nodded. “Ok. You’re right. I’m overthinking it.”

“Don’t do that,” Hollis scolded gently. “Don’t devalue or lessen your feelings, especially not for us.”

“Ok,” I replied, blushing. “Do you think I could shower?” I asked, spotting the door to the ensuite.

“Absolutely,” Rome replied. “We’ll give you some privacy. Are you hungry?” “Famished,” I replied.

“Then we’ll get some dinner while you get cleaned up. Take your time,” Theo said, bending to kiss my cheek.

They left the room, but there was a soft knock on the door a few seconds later. “Come in,” I said.

Hollis came in with my bag. “Thought you might need this,” he said. “And while you’re showering, I’ll clean up the mess I made this morning.”

“Thanks,” I replied as he placed the suitcase on the foot of the bed.

He went to leave again but paused beside me. “I’m really glad you decided to give us a chance and come back with us, and I’m— I’m really happy that you’re my mate. I promise we’ll make you happy and be good mates.”

My insides turned to mush at his words, and before I could stop myself, I jumped into his arms and kissed him. The kiss quickly heated as his hands slid to my ass, and he lifted me off the floor. I wrapped my legs around his waist as I deepened the kiss. I groaned into his mouth as his hands slid to the bottom of my ass and his fingers pressed against my core. I clawed at his shirt to try and get it off of him. When I got too excited and accidentally extended and kneaded my claws into his back, Hollis broke the kiss with a hiss.

“Sorry!” I said quickly.

“It’s ok,” he assured me. “I’ll heal, but maybe this is a good place to stop for now. As much as I want to bury myself in you, we just talked about taking things slow.”

I knew he was right and reluctantly dropped my legs and slowly slid down his body until I was back on my feet. Hollis squeezed my hips tightly and pulled me harder against him so that I could feel his erection before pushing me back a step. “Right, go take that shower, Kitty Cat,” he ordered.

Quickly, I gathered my toiletries and a change of clothes and locked myself in the bathroom. I leaned against the closed door and rubbed my chest, willing my heart to stop racing. My hand drifted down to my breast, and I pinched my nipple, covering my mouth to trap the moan that threatened to escape as I squeezed my thighs together. I was drenched and needy. My eyes fell on the shower, where a shower wand rested on the wall. That would do the trick nicely for now.

When I emerged from my room an hour later, feeling satisfied and clean, the guys were setting up take-out containers on the dining room table. All four of them turned hungry eyes to me when I joined them.

“Feeling better, Kitty Cat?” Hollis asked with a smirk.

“Yeah, the water pressure here is perfect,” I replied.

Aiden choked on a laugh as the others tried to hide their smiles.

“We heard,” Rome replied. “Glad to hear it helped take the edge off.”

Their responses still confused me, and it took a few seconds to realize why they were acting like this. I turned bright red as I looked at them and then toward the bathroom. I hadn’t considered that they were all paras with heightened senses perfectly capable of hearing me pleasure myself in the shower. “Oh, God, I’m mortified,” I said, covering my face with my hands.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Theo said, moving my hands away from my face to look into my eyes. “We only wished we could have joined you.”

My mind flashed to the image of the five of us, wet and slippery, crammed into the shower, and I found my body starting to heat again. I needed to get control over myself because I couldn’t take fifty showers every day.

Rome’s head lifted as he scented the air, his golden eyes pinning me in place. “Like that idea, Sweetheart?”

I nodded as he held me trapped in his gaze, and his nose flared in response to my honesty.

“Right,” Aiden interrupted, stepping between us to break the spell. “If we keep going like this, the only thing we’ll have for dinner is Mia. Why don’t we sit and eat while discussing our next steps?”

“He’s right,” Theo said, pulling out a chair for me. I sat as they uncovered the dishes, and the melted cheese and tomato sauce smell reached my nose.

“You did say you liked Italian food,” Aiden said, taking an empty seat beside me. “But we didn’t know what your favorite was, so we got a bunch of different dishes.”

I made a plate of chicken parmesan and fettuccine alfredo and dug in with gusto. I hadn’t eaten since the day before, and I struggled to pace myself once I started. I was so lost in my meal that when Aiden reached toward my plate to give me a piece of garlic bread, I hissed at him. “Sorry,” I said sheepishly.

“It’s ok,” he chuckled. “Kitty doesn’t share food. I get it, neither do I.”

“So now what?” I asked, using conversation to force myself to slow down.

“I think the first thing we need to understand is just how much danger you’re in with the Guild,” Rome said. “None of us had heard of them before, so this is all new to us. How does it work?”

It made sense that they wanted to know more, and now that they were in my life, they deserved more information. “As I told you, it’s a group of elite assassins. The only way in is by invitation.”

“And the only way out?” Theo asked.

“Death,” I answered. “It’s a lifelong commitment.”

“So you continue to be an assassin or die?” Hollis asked from beside me. “Basically,” I shrugged.

“And you manipulated the system to become an assassin,” Aiden stated.

“I did. It’s all I’ve wanted since I found out about them, but I couldn’t get an invitation no matter what I did or who I hounded. They hired me as an analyst, but until Dr. Parote approached me, I didn’t know how to use that to my advantage. As soon as I found what I thought was my golden ticket, I sent myself an invite.” I took a bite of food and pondered my situation. “Honestly, considering they sent me a second contract, which I successfully completed on my own, maybe I’m not in trouble.”

The guys exchanged nervous glances. “What?”

“Well, we might have helped a little bit with the car salesman,” Rome admitted. “How?” I asked.

Aiden chuckled. “Rome shifted to his wolf as he tried to run out the back door.”

“That explains so much,” I groaned as I connected the dots. “Well, that’s disappointing.” “Considering we’re your mates, it isn’t that bad,” Hollis quickly added. “It’s not like we

won’t be around to help you in the future. No matter how capable you are, I don’t think we can stay at home while you run off to a potentially dangerous situation.”

I didn’t like that it almost seemed they were suggesting I couldn’t do this without them or that they wouldn’t let me, but given the care he took in not forming the statement that way, it kept me from getting growly. “Minimal help, just like that last job,” I conceded. I wouldn’t tell them what happened with my first job, or they’d all tag along.

“So if we’re going to assume the Guild isn’t an immediate threat right now, that just leaves Parote,” Theo said.

“Yeah. I’d like to hear what’s going on there,” I replied, pushing my plate away. I ate too fast, and now I felt like I would explode. “I don’t know much about him, which I’m realizing in hindsight makes taking his drug even more stupid than I originally thought.”

“Don’t beat yourself up too much,” Aiden replied. “I’ve seen the man in action. He’s good at convincing people to do things they wouldn’t normally do.”

“Theo, do you want to start us off?” Rome asked.

Theo nodded but didn’t immediately speak as he collected his thoughts. “Parote first hit my radar because my daughter was dating him. As a Dhampir, it was common for her to keep a foot in each world, and he wasn’t her first human boyfriend. Everything seemed to be going well between them, and we made plans for me to meet him one Saturday. However, they never arrived at the restaurant, and I never heard from my daughter again.”

“I’m so sorry, Theo,” I replied. “Is that when you started looking into him?”

“It was,” he replied. “I knew he had to have something to do with it; I just didn’t know what that was because I didn’t know what happened to her. I feel like she’s still alive. Vampires don’t have the same connection with their offspring as they do those they sire, so I don’t know if I would feel her death or not. Until I know for sure, I remain hopeful that she is still alive.”

“We met when he was looking for his daughter,” Rome said. “My best friend had become depressed and was more vulnerable than I realized. He was just the kind of easy target Parote was looking for at the time. He had told me about finding Parote and that he would help him, but I hadn’t put much thought into it until he disappeared. I regret not paying attention when I could have done something.”

“Parote took my older brother,” Hollis chimed in. He was born without a Bull and always felt like he didn’t belong. Parote promised he could fix him. I tried to talk him out of it and make him see that he was perfect the way he was, but he was convinced that Parote held the solution to all of his problems. My brother never returned from his appointment with him.”

I hugged him before turning toward Aiden to hear his story. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be any better than the others.

“My little sister was always a little different than the rest of us. She moved to the beat of her own drum, and because of that, she always found herself in trouble. Usually, it was innocent, but the crowd she hung around with got more extreme as she got older. I’m not sure how Parote trapped her in his web, and I only heard her mention his name a couple of times before she just didn’t come home one day. Initially, we weren’t too worried because it wasn’t the first time something had taken all her focus, but she always came home in the end. This time, she didn’t.”

I took his hand in mine and squeezed it. I hurt for my mates. They had all lost important people to Parote, and they didn’t have any answers; therefore, they didn’t have any closure. I would do everything in my power to help them get it. “So, how do we take him down?” I asked.

“There’s one more thing we need to show you,” Hollis said reluctantly.

He stood and held his hand out to me. I took it, and he led me over to his computers and pulled me into his lap when he sat. He clicked a few buttons and pulled up a video file. The video preview showed me in the clinic with Parote and my blood ran cold. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see this. Hollis pressed play and hugged me close as the others gathered around us. I watched myself on camera as Parote used the implant to control me. I started to shake when he ordered me to remove my shirt and sit on his lap.

“He doesn’t assault you,” Hollis assured me, holding me tighter.

“Yes, he did,” I whispered, angry tears filling my eyes. He may not have raped me, but he absolutely assaulted me. The video ended, and I stared at the screen in stunned silence. I didn’t have any memory of this happening. And I fucking hugged the bastard when he woke me up. I thanked him! My stomach rolled, and I jumped from Hollis’ arms and ran to the kitchen to throw up in the trash can.

My mates surrounded me immediately, supporting me as I lost my dinner. Hollis and Rome held my hair and rubbed my back while Aiden helped support me. Theo placed a cold, wet cloth on the back of my neck.

“We’ve got you, Sweetheart,” Rome said.

When I finished throwing up, Theo handed me a warm cloth to wipe my mouth. “Thanks.” I wiped my mouth and handed it back to him as Aiden lifted me into his arms and carried me to my bathroom. He sat me on the counter and dug through my toiletry bag until he found my toothbrush and toothpaste. He wetted the brush, squeezed some toothpaste onto it, and handed it to me.

I took it from him and brushed my teeth gratefully. I felt gross. Dirty. And so fucking angry! “Thanks,” I said to Aiden.

He stepped between my legs and cupped my face in his hands. “What do you need,

Mia?”

What did I need? “Revenge. His blood on my claws. I want to destroy him so that he can’t hurt anyone else ever again.”

The corner of Aiden’s lips twitched. “I’ll get you all of that, Love, but what do you need right now?”

“Another shower,” I replied.

Aiden nodded and went to the shower to turn it on. “Are you good, or do you want help getting in?” he asked, returning to me. The concern etched into his face made it clear that it wasn’t a clever ruse to get in my pants, which made it even hotter.

“I’m good,” I replied. Aiden kissed my forehead and went to leave, but I caught his hand before he got out of reach. “I—“ You what, Mia? I didn’t know. I desired him but wasn’t ready to take the next step with him. I also didn’t want him to leave.

Aiden smiled and returned to his place between my legs with his hands resting on my thighs. “I’ll be right outside waiting for you, Love. As much as I would love to stay, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of you, and that isn’t what you need right now after watching that video.

“You’re right,” I sighed. “I know you are. It’s just that... I don’t know what I want right now.

I’m so conflicted.”

“That’s even more of a reason to wait until you know what you want. Take your time.

When you get out, we can discuss all that blood and revenge you mentioned.“ He winked at me, kissed me softly, and left the bathroom.

I don’t know what I did to become God’s favorite, but I was one lucky little kitty. What the hell was I waiting for?