Thankfully my last class was mostly uneventful, just showing the professor a baseline of what elemental magic we each have. I have always had a good handle on my elemental magic, and after everything this morning, a nice easy class was the best way to end the school day. Marshall meets me on the pathway leading to the dorms afterward.
“How was class?” he asks as I make it over to him.
“It was good. I feel better after expelling some magic; it helps me feel more balanced. How has your day been?”
He lets out a sharp laugh. “Well it’s been way more uneventful than yours, that’s for sure. Thankfully I don’t havemy mates all popping up at once. How are you feeling about this whole situation? No bullshit.”
I mull it over. As we walk towards our dorm, thankfully I don’t run into any of said mates. I hate being away from them–which is insane since I don’t know them–but the pull to get to know them, and honestly jump their bones, is strong considering I just met them. I’m not a virgin or anything, but holy shit; this attraction is like nothing else I’ve ever felt before. Marsh lets me think and ponder my current situation until we make it back to our rooms.
Malise isn’t back yet, since everyone else has their power specific classes scheduled for right now, and the school is still trying to figure out how to teach us since we are the only ones with this type of magic. For the first time in a while, it’s just my brother and I, so I plop down on our couch laying my head back, and the seat next to me dips when Marsh throws himself next to me.
Letting out a sigh, I finally respond. “Truthfully? I don’t know what I feel. I’m worried, nervous, excited, scared, happy, just a mix of everything. I know how amazing it is to find your circle, and how big of a blessing it can be. However, the insecurities from high school keep popping up, like how can I possibly make six men happy? How can I be enough for them? I mean, have you seen the three I’ve found so far? They are the hottest fucking men I’ve ever met. I can’t compete with that, and they are bound to have women falling all over them.”
I don’t realize I’m crying until Marsh reaches over and wipes a tear off my cheek. He puts his arm behind my back and pulls me into him. “I know it’s a lot, and so much has changed. This is a huge adjustment, for both of us. But you are wrong about something. You are more than enough for them, because you are amazing, beautiful, smart. I mean, we look alike and hello, have you seen me? I’m gorgeous!" I smack my hand across hischest for the last comment, but his pep talk served its purpose of stopping my tears.
Sighing, I wipe my face dry. “It’s like I’m being pulled into two directions. Part of me wants to run away–ignore the pull, fate, all of it–and tuck my tail, run back to dad, and hide. The other half of me wants to run into their arms and embrace it all. The mate bond, and whatever shit is waiting for us when we find more about our family. But the ‘what ifs’ are what keep holding me back. How can I handle six mates? How can I give my heart to so many and risk being heartbroken when they decide they don’t want to share? Or when they realize dealing with my anxiety and diabetes is too much?”
Speak of the devil; my dexcom chooses that moment to start beeping, alerting me to my blood sugar dropping.
I don’t wait for Marsh to respond, I just get up and go to the kitchen to get a snack, knowing he’ll follow anyway. As I’m grabbing my peanut butter, he goes to the fridge to grab an apple, years of routine telling him what snack I’m going to want. He cuts it up and slides me a plate.
“Maggie, I can’t say I envy you at all. Honestly I’m really hoping the whole mirror twin thing doesn’t mean I’ll have six mates as well, ‘cause let’s be honest, seven dicks is a bit excessive.” He shudders, and his off the wall comment causes me to start choking on a bite of apple. He starts patting me on the back trying to dislodge it.
Once I’m able to catch my breath, a thought hits me. I take a sip of water before I speak. “Marsh, do you remember what our symbols looked like during the assessment? My blade had six dots on it, but yours only had three. My watch has six hands, so I think the dots represent our mates. Which means, if I’m right, you’ll only have three.”
“Phew!” he lets out a dramatic sigh. “Thank the Fates. Honestly, I would have ran from six men.” He laughs when hesees my glare. “Look, I think they will be good for you. I saw the way they look at you like the sun shines out your ass. Why don’t you go take a bath and relax for a while before we have to go meet up with all your man candy for dinner?”
Rolling my eyes, I flip him off over my shoulder, taking his suggestion of a calming bath. I’m giving myself one more hour of this pathetic pity party, then it’s time to accept my fate and get to know my mates.
August Sixteen - Morning
After a nice long relaxing bath, I met all three of my mates for dinner, though Marsh and Malise excused themselves fairly quickly. Rehan, Dallan, Ward and I ate dinner in companionable silence, then went to the courtyard and just talked. It was nice, actually; no pressure, no serious topics, just taking things slow. Afterward, they all walked me to my dorm and took turns giving me a small kiss goodnight. I fell into bed feeling strangely at peace, but also like something was missing.
When I wake up in the morning, it isn’t to my alarm, or to my brother like I’d suspect. It is to an unexpected knocking on the front door of the dorm. I can hear Malise cussing up a storm at being woken up earlier than she planned. A few minutes later someone knocks on my door. Thankfully I went to bed in a pair of cute pjs. The shorts are black with little ghosts on them and the matching cropped tank top is black with two ghosts and says boo-bies on it. Opening the door I find not one, but all three of my mates, each holding something different. Rehan has flowers, Dallan is holding a bag that smells like breakfast, and Ward isholding a drink holder with coffee. Honestly, if this is what I have to look forward to every morning, sign me up.
“Good morning Siren. We thought breakfast in bed would be a great way for you to start the day.” Rehan says cheerfully.
I move over so they can walk past to join me in my bedroom. “That’s really sweet. Y’all can get comfortable, anywhere. What did you bring for breakfast, so I know how many carbs to bolus for?”
Dallan grabs one of the to-go boxes out of the bag and sets it down on my desk. On it someone has written how many carbs are in the container. He notices the look of shock on my face, and chuckles. “I called my aunt who’s a nurse. She works for an endocrinologist, and explained how to count carbs and all the ins and out of it. If you’re comfortable with it, we’d like for you to show us how to manage your pumps and everything in case of an emergency. She also said not everyone’s lows or highs are the same. So I’d like to know all of that as well.”
Before I even know what I’m doing, I pull him down for a kiss, and oh hot damn, what a kiss it is. As soon as our lips meet, I melt into him and he pulls me flush against his body. A throat clears and we break apart. I look over at my other two mates, anxiety making my heart beat faster than Dallan’s kiss did. We haven’t had a chance to discuss what they are or are not comfortable seeing at the moment.
They both adjust themselves sheepishly and are staring at me with hunger. Rehan stands up from where he was sitting on my bed and walks over to me. “I can see the worry on your face, Siren. We all talked yesterday after you ran off and your brother’s little chat. None of us mind seeing you with any of your other mates. We all grew up knowing we could end up part of a circle and that we would one day have to share, so we are okay with whatever ends up happening. Now, let's eat our breakfastbefore it gets any colder. We still have to get to class.” Kissing my head, he pulls out my desk chair for me to sit down.
They brought me fried egg whites, crispy bacon, a massive cinnamon roll, and a banana. The coffee is a sugar free mocha frappé. We eat in silence for a while, all focused on food, until Ward breaks the hush. “So six mates? That means there are three missing. How do you feel about adding more? Since you handled the news about us so wonderfully,” he says with a winking smirk.
I break off a piece of my cinnamon roll and throw it at him. “Look, it was a lot at once, and there is still more I need to explain, but honestly I’d rather wait till I find the other three and rip that band-aid off just once. However, I did some soul searching last night after I got back here. I am so thankful I was blessed with each of you, and I know Fate paired us together for a reason. At first I was scared; how could I not be? You three are hands down the sexiest men I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I just don’t feel like I can measure up. Logically speaking, I know that’s mostly my insecurities talking. I have to work through my anxieties, and that’s on me to do. But I also know that I want to get to know each of you to make this work. I’m sorry for how I handled meeting you three,” I’m crying by the time I finish. All three stand up and gather around me.
I know I’m pretty short by normal standards at only five foot three, but being surrounded by these men makes me feel like an ant in comparison. Dallan and Ward are both around six foot three-ish, while Rehan is a couple inches shorter; maybe five eleven or six foot. They each reach out to touch me–Dallan grabs my right hand, Ward my left, and Rehan caresses my face. As soon as all three are touching me, I get a sudden rush of peace. It’s like the feeling you get while sitting on a beach alone watching the sun go down. The feeling of walking into your grandparent’s house knowing they are sitting there waiting onyou. The guys seem to feel it as well, judging by the looks of bliss on their faces. When it fades, they pull away slowly, looking just as stunned as I do.
“First of all, what the hell was that, and second, can we do it again? I think I almost creamed in my pants.” Rehan’s comment breaks the tension causing us all to laugh. Unfortunately, when Rehan pulls all of us into a hug, that feeling doesn’t come back. However, Marsh bursts into my room and ruins the moment.
I shoot a jet of water at his face. “Ever heard of knocking Marshall Brooks? What if we’d been naked?”
He wipes his face dry, smirking. “Well, I can’t say I’d be sad getting to see these fine pieces of man meat in all their glory.”
Without even looking at him, I send a strong jolt of electricity right towards his man meat. Not enough to cause permanent damage, but enough to make sure he knows to keep his eyes off my men. When it connects, he lets out a loud yelp. “Bitch! That hurt!” he yells over his shoulder as he runs out of my room.
