“I never told them. They didn’t know. I…. I didn’t…. I should’ve, but I didn’t want….” I didn’t have the words. “I was ashamed,” I finally admitted.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of. I’ll kill that fucker,” Zander said, his voice firm.
I focused my stare on Zander. “I should’ve stepped up when I first saw you with him. I was a coward and it almost got you killed.”
Zander shook his head and gripped my hands. “No. This isn’t your fault. Daren is the one that hurt us both.” He paused and looked over at Reggie. He released one of my hands and held his own out to him. Reggie immediately took it. Zander smiled and looked back at me. “Fate had other plans bringing us all together. This is now out in the open, and there are no secrets between us. We can now move forward and support each other as mates.”
Warmth filled my heart, and for a moment, I felt right, but Reggie’s words caused my heart to still. “Um…. I… We…um. Fuck.”
“What is it, sweetheart?” Zander asked.
“We can still take things slow, right? I mean… I feel this connection to you both, but, um… fuck, I’m not saying this right. You both look like I just kicked your puppy.” He tried to rise from his spot, but Zander tightened his grip.
“We understand,” Zander said, holding him in place.
“We do,” I echoed. “This is a lot for all of us. We don’t need to bond yet. We can take our time.”
“Are you sure? Is it really okay?” Reggie asked.
I smiled. “Absolutely.Mon chou.”
Reggie glanced at Zander, who nodded. Reggie exhaled and his shoulders relaxed. He opened his mouth to speak, but the shrill sound of the oven timer filled the room. I quickly rose and went to the kitchen, turning off the annoying buzzer and opening the oven. The dinner smelled and looked amazing.
“Did you need help?” Reggie asked.
I looked back over my shoulder and shook my head. “I’ve got it. I’ll pull it out to cool just a bit.”
“You sure? I could set the table.”
“And I can help, too,” Zander echoed. “It smells really good.”
I chuckled at the yearning tone of his voice and pulled out the dish. “It’s okay, really. It needs to sit for at least five minutes.” I set it on the stove and turned around. “I’ll get the plates and things on the table in the meantime. Reggie, you were going to say something.”
“I, um, I was just going to say thanks for understanding,” he replied, and an adorable blush appeared on his cheeks.
“You don’t need to thank us, sweetheart,” Zander said.
“Zander’s right. This is new for all of us. I think we all can take our time before bonding. The important thing is that we’re all willing to try,” I added.
“I’m willing to try,” Reggie said softly, then scrunched his brow. “You keep saying bonding. How do we bond?”
I grabbed the plates from the cabinet and headed to the dining table. “Bonding is a special process that binds our souls and hearts together. It involves both sex and the exchange of blood.”
“Sex and blood? Wait, did we….” Reggie began rushing to my side.
I shook my head. “No, we only exchanged blow jobs, and I drank blood from you. To bond fully, we'll need to... complete the act and spill our seed into each other. You’ll need to consume some of my blood.”
“Whoa, wait a second. I don’t think I can drink your blood, and as for unprotected sex. I…”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s basically just a drop of blood, and paranormals can’t give or get diseases from sex,” Zander explained.
“Really? No diseases? And just a drop?” Reggie questioned skeptically.
I smiled and finished setting the table. “Really, no diseases and just a drop. Go ahead and sit. I’ll grab dinner.”
Reggie didn’t say anything as he took a seat at the table. He appeared to be deep in thought, and I didn’t push him. I glanced at Zander, who took the spot next to Reggie. He stared back at me and bit his lip nervously. I was pretty sure he was feeling the same as me—scared that Reggie would say it’s not worth it and leave.
I sighed and turned back to getting dinner. I needed to let Reggie think this out on his own and couldn’t push. I had to put myself in his shoes.
