1. To Feel Useful
Serafina “Seri” Cimmerian
I woke up cocooned between Koa and Zane, my face tucked against Koa’s bare chest, his heartbeat a soothing rhythm in my ear. For a moment, everything was perfect. Two solid bodies pressed against mine, Casimir’s heavy arm draped over all of us. With a smile, I lay there, content in my mates’ presence. Then I shifted and went completely still, heart hammering.
Carefully, I eased out from beneath everyone’s arms, biting my lip when Zane murmured in his sleep. My pulse pounded as I sat up, lifting the covers just enough to see that the sheets were red.
Instinctual panic surged through me before logic could catch up. It took several deep breaths to stop the memories clawing at the edges of my mind. This wasn’t Arabesque. I wasn’t hurt. There was only one explanation for this, and it had nothing to do with violence.
My cycle had simply returned.
Koa made a sleepy noise, reached for me, and then—
“Oh, shit!”
He launched upright so fast, he nearly cracked his skull against mine. His espresso eyes went wide as he took in the sheets.
“What’s going on?” Zane mumbled from my other side.
“Beloved?” Koa ignored him. His hands were checking for wounds. “What happened? Where does it hurt?”
“I’m fine!” I rushed out, my cheeks going nuclear. “Mother Nature just restarted something overnight.”
“Ah.” He nodded, and his wide shoulders relaxed.
Unfortunately, Zane chose that moment to open his eyes. They tracked Koa’s face, then mine, then the sheets.
And that’s when the screaming started.
“CASIMIR!” He fell out of bed, hitting the floor with a thud before scrambling to his feet. “WAKE THE FUCK UP!”
“Make him stop, Koko. It’s embarrassing enough as it is.”
“SERI’S BLEEDING OUT!DOSOMETHING, KO!”
“Iamdoing something, menace,” Koa snapped, crawling out of bed and lifting me from the mess to stand next to him. “She’s not dying, you idiot. It’s just her period.”
“CAS? WHERE ARE—” Zane froze mid-hyperventilation. “Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Like,theperiod? Satan’s Waterfall? The Red Wedding? The Monthly Massacre?”
Koa shot him a flat look, already stripping the bed with an efficiency that suggested this was the only problem in the world he could deal with right now.
“Would you like to keep going, or—”
“No, I wouldnotlike to keep going!” Zane clutched his head like he’d just been told the world was ending. “That means—Oh, hell, no. We— Condoms.Somany condoms. Where’s my phone? I need to order—”
“It’s just my period, Zoodle.” I dropped my hot face into my palms, and he gasped as if I’d punched him in the throat.
“Just your—Do you not understand the implications here?!”
“Calm down, fireweed. It— ”
“Calm down?Calm down?!” Zane shrieked. “Do you know what thismeans? It means we are now officially enteringdangerous territory! Before, it was safe. Now? One mistake, one moment of weakness, andbam!Miniature versions of us running around destroying everything in their moon-damned path!”
“Oh, for the love of—”
“I already have everything we need,” Casimir said calmly as he walked over to stand next to me. At leasthewasn’t fazed. “I took the liberty of stocking your closet with all the necessary feminine hygiene products. Let me show you.”
Next thing I knew, he had me in his arms, ignoring my stained nightie, and carried me toward my new walk-in closet. Cradling me against his bare chest, apparently unconcerned about what I was smearing on it, he used his toe to open a cabinet door, revealing what could only be described as a shrine to period preparedness. Neatly arranged rows of every conceivable product greeted me: Pads, tampons, menstrual cups, wipes, pain relief, and heating pads. A small section was dedicated entirely to chocolates—the good Belgian kind, too—and a variety of herbal teas.
