Lacey's Luhpynes [Beyond the Veil 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (22 page)

She caught the worried look that the men shared even as both of them rubbed a hand each over her arms. “Let’s eat, the rest we will worry about after we’re fortified and prepared.” Getting off the bed Zhubin collected the tray. Settling it in her lap he eased back next to her and passed her a glass. “This is a lot like your orange juice but not quite as strong and a little sweeter.”

She didn’t like how that sounded. They were putting her mind to another task and that didn’t seem to be very good, at all. Taking a deep breath though she nodded. “Food.” Looking at the tray, she accepted the juice from him and took a sip. “Oh, oh this is very good,” she admitted to him. Damn him for being so right.

Chuckling, he nodded. “Knew you’d like it. I spoke with my father and he’s agreed to ship some through every couple of weeks if you’d like. Course, if you don’t like it he won’t but he was the one to suggest I bring you some so you’d better like it. He can get scary when someone doesn’t play along with his grand schemes.”

“Mm, I remember that well,” Ansell said. “He still hasn’t forgiven me for disliking those sweet things he keeps on his desk. They’re like the human version of a jujube, but they have a liquid center. Never did care for them even though he suggested I should.”

Lacey laughed and shook her head. Well, hell. She would have enjoyed it even more if it had been one of her guys that had suggested the drink, but as it was it was Zhubin’s father. “I won’t turn it down, it is really very god,” she admitted.

“Good answer,” he muttered with a grin. Lifting a lid off one of the plates he inhaled, “Mm, hot cakes.” Setting it aside he moved the other lids off the tray as well.

“She gets first choice of what she wants,” Zhubin warned from the other side of her. “So mitts off until she’s tried everything and decides just what she prefers.”

Lacey smiled. “How about you feed me?” she asked quietly. “That way you get to have a bite, I get to have a bite.” Which made her all kinds of happy. “That way you can take care of me while taking care of you as well?”

“Works for me,” Ansell said happily. He lifted a fork up and cut off a bite of the hot cakes he’d been eyeing up. Lifting it he offered them to her, a grin on his face. He looked like a little kid all excited about a new treat.

Lacey had to smile. Leaning in she took a bite of the cakes and closed her eyes. Sighing she licked her lips and chewed. “Oh those are so very, very good.” She hated to admit it, but there it was. It was so very good.

“Best on both our worlds,” he said with a laugh. “Don’t need butter, syrup, nothing. They are that freaking good. I have no idea how Deanna does it, but she’s definitely got a secret up her sleeve on how to make them this fantastic.”

“My parents’ cook,” Zhubin explained as he poured coffee for them all. “Deanna’s been around since I was born and has been feeding us well every day of our lives. But she has never once let us know how she makes something. We’ve tried to replicate it, hundreds of ways, even watched what she does. But all to no avail, there is something she adds to the hot cakes that she doesn’t let us see and that we’re missing when we make them.”

“Well I can see me wanting these, often. We might have to steal her away from your mum and dads so that she can come cook for us if we ever become pregnant. I’m not a great cook and I could never make anything this good, so…” She trailed off. “Yep, might have to have her.”

“I’m sure we could talk her into visiting, but it’s doubtful we’d be able to steal her away. She’s pretty dedicated to my parents and she does have her own family here too. Though her kids are grown up, so really they might appreciate us taking her off their hands for a time,” Zhubin chuckled.

“Well hell,” she muttered. “But visiting here often and having her visit would be possible, right?” She knew, she just knew that if she did ever become pregnant she would crave these things. They were so, so good.

“Very possible. You are mated to us so you can come and go as you please now that we’ve brought you here. Though you know as well as we do, you’d never be coming over alone.” Ansell lifted another bite to her lips and smiled as she took it. “Mainly because we’d be so freakin’ jealous if we found out she was feeding you these and we hadn’t come.”

Lacey laughed, she couldn’t help herself. “Oh god you are too funny.” She snickered. “As if you boys would let me go without being right here with me.” And she loved that fact, sad but true. She loved that she would never be alone again.

“Well, if you ever want to come across on your own, just say the word. I know mom would like to have some girl time. She kind of got shafted and stuck with a lot of males in her life. Thankfully she kind of has Deanna and the woman’s daughter, but it isn’t the same thing. You’re now family and she will want to have a girl day or two with you on occasion,” Zhubin pointed out. Sipping from his cup, he fed her a piece of fruit that had a bit of bite to it and a soft, creamy aftertaste.

“I will keep that in mind.” She smiled and took another bite of fruit. “But we both know that I wouldn’t be comfortable coming across alone. I can and will come across with you boys and then spend time with your mom while you guys spend time with the dads?”

“Or we drop you off and go back, either works. Whatever you are most comfortable with, Lacey, that is what we will work around.” He set his cup aside and picked up an empty plate, putting a couple of the hot cakes and some fruit on it. He then proceeded to sort of squish it all together before eating.

“That just pains me every time I see it,” Ansell said from her other side. When she looked at him he had one hell of a face going, pained and anguished as he stared at Zhubin’s plate.

“Why do you think I do it?” Zhubin asked out of the side of his mouth, his lips curving in a smirk.

Lacey laughed at that and shook her head. “Oh you guys are too funny,” she murmured with a smile. “I would rather have you guys near if that’s okay? I don’t think that I will be fully comfortable on this side of the Veil without you two near me.”

“Then we will be here,” Zhubin said. Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her shoulder and then her neck. “We only want what’s best for you, Lacey. If that means being close to your sexy self, who the hell are we to argue?”

“Good,” she said with a smirk. “And who knows, we might turn it into overnight stays from time to time. I kinda like waking up with you boys in a quiet setting without worrying about what case we will be called into next.”

“We’ll come here on our vacations then. Nothing like getting way away for a trip.” He grinned. A kiss to her lips and then he drew back to eat, Ansell still feeding her even as he was gobbling up a very healthy portion of the food.

After several minutes she had eaten more than enough food and pushed off the next bite Ansell offered her. Leaning back, she smiled and watched them. “Good. Sounds as if we have a plan of action for our lives. That’s a very, very good thing.”

“Oh, we always had a plan of action,” Ansell said. Moving the tray closer to himself he really dug into the food. “We’re just happy that you’re now on board with it.” He shot her a grin.

“You better believe that I’m on board with it.” She assured him with a grin. “And I couldn’t be happier. I’m a lucky, lucky woman but you know what else?” she asked and took another bite of the cakes even though she was full, mostly because she could. “You both are some seriously lucky men.”

“That there”—Ansell waved his fork at her—“that we have known since the moment we met you, Lacey Rose. Well, that and the fact you were going to rock our world and you were a troublemaker too. Oh, don’t give me those big innocent eyes, you know as well as we do you are.” He was grinning at her.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “And yet I was able to stay out of trouble for several years, wasn’t I?” she boasted. “But it’s all good. I happen to really enjoy being with you guys and I really love how you keep me out of trouble, now.” Before they would just pull her happy ass out of it, now they pulled her happy ass out of trouble and fucked her six ways to Sunday. Damn she was a lucky, lucky woman.

Zhubin snorted but ended up coughing. “You shouldn’t do that with food in your mouth,” Ansell said, watching him. The universal sign for what Zhubin thought of that brilliant deduction was thrown up between the two men. Ansell just chuckled and passed over a cup of coffee.

She laughed, couldn’t help herself. “Oh good lord you boys are killing me.” She teased them. “But I like it so please, feel free to continue to torment each other because it’s actually kinda funny. Just don’t get mean with each other. That’s when I will become grumpy with you boys.”

“We would never do anything to make you upset, Lace,” Zhubin said once he’d regained the ability to speak. “Unless of course we’re protecting your cute ass and, in that case, you can be upset all you want, we’d still do it.”

“I know you would. But you both also know that I can protect myself as well. Not from those from this side of the Veil as easily as humans, but you know what I mean.” And that was another reason she loved them so. They both let her carry her own weight when she wanted and needed too.

“We know what you mean.” He nodded with a smile. Setting his empty plate on the tray with the other now-empty dishes he poured more coffee before settling in at her side. “I think you could take most of those from this side of the Veil. It would be down and dirty but I think I’d put odds on you to win most of the fights.”

That had her grinning and she shook her head. “I’m happy that you have that much faith in me love, but we both know that there are simply some beings that I cannot and will not ever be able to handle. I am more than willing to admit my faults in this, babe.”

“You have faults?” he asked, overplaying it big time. A gasp, a hand to his chest and his eyes big and wide. Laughing, he shook his head and stared into her eyes. “Never, ever say so. You are absolutely perfect, Lacey, and we will not hear otherwise. Even from you.”

She began to snicker and shook her head. “Well darling, I have faults and I know that. It’s all good though because I also have you boys in my life. A woman couldn’t ask for more than that in her life. Two men that would move heaven and earth for her? Uh, yeah. I’m the lucky one.”

“Yes you are.” Ansell nodded. At her look he blinked. “What? You wanted me to deny it?” he asked and then burst out laughing. “Silly woman.” He chuckled softly, shaking his head. Even Zhubin was laughing, softly of course and trying to hide it, but it was there in his eyes.

“Oh you are too funny. Hardy, har, har.” She snorted in reaction and shook her head. “You are so bad. It’s okay, I love you and I am lucky and I damn well know it. So it’s all good. We will survive, mostly because you boys have me.” Another snicker from her made it clear that she loved to tease these men.

“Oh, now who’s the comedian?” he asked before tickling her lightly.

They’d been back on her side of the Veil for a week now and still digging for anything on her stalker. They were closer and, with the information that Zhubin’s fathers had dug up, going to get the bastard sooner than later. At least, that’s what she believed, had to believe just to get up and go into work each day.

There had been two more murders, both set up to take them all out, just like the others. They’d all gotten out with only minor scratches but it had become war for them. Her mates were pissed and only growing angrier and tenser with each passing hour. Something had to be found and found soon or she was going to be dealing with two very cranky Luhpynes all too soon. Not that they weren’t cranky currently but apparently, at least according to Zhubin’s mother Gennette, they could get a lot worse when their mate’s life and happiness were on the line.

Pushing Zhubin back from his desk, she took a seat on it and put her feet onto his chair, one on each side of his thighs. Passing him the letter she had just opened, she chewed her lower lip. Uncertainty and unease flooded her. She didn’t know what to think of the letter.

Handwritten and very simple, the message was clear. If she didn’t leave her mates the next to die would be her. She didn’t mind that part, she had received more than one death threat. What bothered her was that the letter was written in blood. “He’s getting very, very ballsy,” she whispered. “To send that to me here?”

His nostrils flared. “It’s human,” he said, looking up at her. “We need to get that to the lab and get it tested. He’s stepping up to new levels here, Lace.” Reaching around her, he came back with an evidence bag that he dropped it into. “Grab the envelope. Maybe the bastard licked the damned thing and we’ll get DNA from it.” One of the pluses of those from the Veil having revamped all the human world systems was that everyone, human and other, were in the systems. No one was exempt.

“Let’s damn well hope so because I seriously want to catch this sick motherfucker,” she muttered. Rubbing her stomach, she felt herself sweating, and a little nauseous. “I really don’t feel so hot. How about I have Ansell take me home and you take that to the labs?”

Frowning he stood and cupped her face, staring down into her eyes. “Probably the flu, it’s going around. If you’re not feeling better by tonight we should go to the clinic and see about getting you a shot. While we won’t catch it you’ll be damned miserable for no reason.” Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Go home, sleep and drink lots of fluids. As soon as I know anything about this sick piece of work I’ll text Ansell so he can update you.”

“Sounds good.” She leaned in closer to him and closed her eyes. “You feel so lovely,” she admitted quietly. “I rather like it.” She rubbed her cheek to his and added, “If I am not feeling better when you get home we will go to the doctors but know I do it because I love you and I really, really don’t like feeling like this.”

“I know, and I intend to use that for every ounce of give I can get out of you.” Grinning he wrapped his arms around her and just held her for a few minutes. Finally, though, he drew back. “Come on. Ansell is down in the firing range. I’ll walk you down and then head to the labs and sit there with a glower on my face of ultimate pain until they give me what I need.”