Page 43 of A Siren of Beasts

“It is customary for new mates to be sequestered since the bond tends to put the females in heat or males into rut. You and I did the same thing when we bonded, so there is nothing to worry about,” Imp assured me. “Are you hungry?”

“No, actually I’m not, but Hisceas believes that my energy source is the moon. In here there are no trees blocking it and I was able to just bask in the full moon’s light,” I explained, and his red eyes whirled with interest. “What I could go for is some of my favorite tea, but I’m not sure if we can find it here.”

Imp chuckled. “Shiny, there is so much for you to learn about magic. Now close your eyes and cup your hands together as if you were holding what you wanted. Picture what the tea looks like, smells like, and tastes like. Think of the normal container it’s in but this one is empty, lift the lid and with the help of your magic fill the container with what you’re picturing.”

Doing as he instructed, I thought of the smooth way the tea felt on my tongue, the potent spices it was made of, and the aroma that I loved. With the small wooden box in my hand, I took the other and scooped out the mixture of brown dried tea leaves all curled up with seed pods and other spices to make up the proper taste. I enjoyed it when it had more of the heady spice than the vanilla flavor so that’s how I imagined it.

“Now open your eyes,” Imp encouraged.

Looking down at my hands there was an ornately carved wooden box and the aroma of the spiced tea wafted up to my nose. Excited, I sat up using Hisceas as a backrest and lifted the lid and saw exactly what I’d imagined. Grinning from ear to ear I closed the box and launched myself at Imp. Tackling him in a hug, I squealed with delight and peppered kisses all over his face.

“Shiny, if this is the reaction I get from such a simple trick, I will teach anything you want to know,” Imp said, stroking the back of his fingers along my cheek. “You are the most beautiful when you are happy like this.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Hisceas added as he sat up, lifting his arms over his head stretching. “What I really want to know is how you got in here past my wards, raven?”

“Ahh, well you see,” Imp started as he sat up and shifted me to sit securely in his lap. “I missed my Shiny so very much, and I was respectful giving you the time together, but when I felt the heat of bonding subside… I ghosted in through one of the windows.”

A growl rumbled through my giant as he glared down at my sneaky raven who let out a strained chuckle. “Wouldn’t you rather know that your wards won’t prevent others who have that ability from entering? I feel like I helped and you shouldn’t be upset with me. Plus, I have Shiny in my lap, which means you can’t attack me.”

No sooner had Imp finished saying that then Hisceas lunged forward, his tentacles reaching out to snatch me away. Then a blast of water hit Imp and hurled him across the conservatory and out the double doors of the entrance.

“Cocky fucker,” Hisceas muttered as his tentacles placed me in the crook of his arm. “He knew better than to come in here without your invitation. They all were told the rules of this space and I won’t allow him to disregard it.”

Reaching up I stroked my grumpy giant’s cheek. “Ceas, it’s fine. Honestly, I’m amazed he didn’t try sooner.”

He glanced down at me disapprovingly. “Don’t do that, don’t allow him to disregard the rules set in place when it comes to you. You have every right to have space from all of us and there need to be boundaries that are respected. To respect someone’s boundaries is to respect the person. When they are disregarded it means they don’t value you or your requests. Grieth is your mate but that fact doesn’t make him exempt from things.”

“I hear you and the point you’re making, Ceas. This is another part of your plan to get me to increase the value I place on myself. It means everything to me that you are so protective over me,” I murmured, pressing my forehead against his. “But I feel I should point out that I’m not the one who made the rule. You are.”

A soft growl was Hisceas’s response to that challenge. “Are you saying you’re going to challenge what I’ve told the others and allow them to come and go from this place?”

“No,” I answered, pressing a kiss to his lips. “All I’m saying is that you keep saying they’ve disrespected me and my rules when I haven’t made any rules. Imp isn’t going to listen to anything you say if it keeps him away from me. He will only believe it’s a power play to hide me away for yourself. Everything about this is new for all of us. None of you have had a mate, let alone shared one. I’ve never been in a relationship where we’re both on equal footing.”

Hisceas pulled back and bared his teeth. “You were never in a relationship with that human.”

“Relationship might not have been the right word, but you understand what I’m saying, right?” I challenged. “This is going to take time for us all to figure out what rules there need to be and agree on them.”

“There is no agree or disagree about it. You tell us the rules and we follow them, that is how being a good mate works,” he announced with a firm nod.

“But what if that’s not how I want it to work between us?” I argued. “I know that life, I’ve lived that life for years, and no matter how you dress it up, if someone is giving orders and the other has no choice but to listen, they’re a slave. You and Imp are my mates, I don’t really know what that means other than kisses and mind blowing sex, but we’ll figure it out. All I wanted was to find someone to experience life with, to have a deeper connection than anyone else with that person. Apparently, the gods have decided that I needed more than one of you, so that makes it trickier.”

Hisceas cradled my face in his hands, searching my expression as if trying to figure something out. Placing my hands over his I welcomed him back into my mind so he could see firsthand what I was thinking. To show him the dream I had and what I valued in him already. Never had someone been as single mindedly focused on my safety the way he was. It made me feel so treasured.

“Let’s do this together, as a unit,” I urged, hoping he understood what I was trying to say.

“What you want isn’t a unit, Little Siren. The word you’re looking for is family, you want to build yourself the family you never had and I want to give it to you,” he stated and caught my lips with his own before I could say anything.

I let him control the kiss as his hand fell from my face to wrap around my body, hugging me to him as he deepened the kiss. Our tongues twined together, desperate to feel connected in every way possible and I loved it. He craved me just as much as I craved him and I prayed that would never change.

“Does that mean I’m not in trouble anymore?” Imp asked, his voice sounding like he was right behind me.

Pulling back from the kiss I peered over my shoulder and found a soggy Imp standing there, head cocked as he waited for the answer. I laughed, seeing the water dripping off him and how little he cared. His eyes were glued on me, needing an answer from my lips.

“You are not in trouble right now, but going forward I would like to make this room for my own use unless I ask for company,” I said, tapping on Hisceas’s arm to let me down so I could walk over to Imp. “Will you respect that request?”

Imp reached out and took my hand in his. “What you ask for is so little, how could I say no? If you need your own space to bring you joy, then I will make you as many as you need. If this place becomes boring or you need a change, say the word and I will make it happen. I will do anything to make you happy, from ripping the soul out of an enemy to helping you learn how to bring your favorite tea into existence. You, Shiny, are the most important treasure I’ll ever have and I know it.”

“Well said, Raven,” Hisceas grunted. “Little Siren, hand me your tea. I will head down and make some for you while you get dressed. I’m sure the other two are eager to see you after being gone for a whole day.”