Szereto, Mellanie - Two from the Triangle [Bewitching Desires 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (14 page)

Tiny tremors massaged his dick as he floated. He’d brought her to heaven too. Now, he could ask her to share the secrets she and her family kept—secrets that he’d glimpsed during the hellacious confrontation between Romána and Kazmer. Maybe then she’d be willing to hear the words he’d smothered.

* * * *

Every cell in Heléna’s body wanted to sing, but she’d collapsed in a daze between Heath and Owen. Both men had dropped to the bed beside her moments after they’d all come. Evidently, their orgasms had been as spectacular as hers. Even if they weren’t meant to stay with her, she’d treasure the minutes, hours, and days she had left with them.

She turned toward Owen, expecting to see his eyes closed, but they weren’t. A glance to the other side of her proved Heath hadn’t succumbed to sleep, either. Neither had abandoned her yet.

Heath levered up and slipped his legs over the side of the bed.

A stab of disappointment pierced her heart.
I spoke too soon.

He switched on the bedside lamp, flooding the room in light that would reveal the tears stinging her eyes. Trudging to the dresser, he retrieved a tray, giving her a clear view of his magnificent naked ass. “Time for food and something to drink. Agnes said you were healing while you slept and wouldn’t need to eat, but you’re awake now.”

Owen eased out next, raking his fingers through his hair as he stretched and drawing her attention to his well-defined back muscles. “We promised to take good care of you—not that we enjoyed waiting so long for you to wake up. I’ll get a pitcher of water.”

He disappeared into the bathroom before his words registered. Water shushed for a full minute or more and then shut off.

Returning with a carafe, he poured a glassful at the dresser and carried it to the bed. “Drink up.”

Ready to begin her interrogation, she drank a few swallows to pacify him. “You said I was asleep for a long time. The...confrontation with...Kazmer was just this afternoon. Judging by the height of the moon, I’d say it’s a little after midnight. That’s only about twelve hours.”

Heath carried a plate of fruit and cheese from the dresser, tucking a piece of dried apple into her mouth. “Sweetheart, it’s been a day and a half. Today is December 29 as of twenty minutes ago.”

“I slept for thirty-six hours?” Panic zipped through her veins. That meant her third-quarter moon ceremony was less than four days away. Why had everyone let her waste the little time she had with her pilots? The deterioration of her skills would take away her right to claim mates. She wasn’t a true Macska witch.

Nodding, Owen eased back under the covers. “Agnes said you needed to recover from, you know, what happened in the basement. Um, with your great grandmother.”

Great Grandmother, who’ll wipe their minds of the memories when they have to go? Kazmer should’ve taken me instead.
“But I shouldn’t have needed to sleep that long.”

Heath pulled back the blankets to slip in next to her. “The trauma of seeing what happened to Romána affected you more than us. She was important to you.”

A lump in her throat kept her from being able to swallow as she brought the glass to her lips again. Unable to raise her voice above a whisper, she stated the obvious. “She was important to all of us. More important than me.”

“No.” Heath’s quick response made her jump. “You have nothing to feel guilty about. Romána chose to protect you—and us. Don’t you remember what she said?” He didn’t even pause to allow her to answer. “‘Believe, daughter. My time on Earth is at an end. Yours is only beginning.’ You were important to her, Heléna. Destroying that...
shifter thing
saved her family, and I’d be willing to guess she’d sacrifice herself a hundred times over for those she cared about. It was her choice, not your failure.”

Owen nodded. “You got us out of there just in time. She knew you could. By the way, what
was
that thing? He talked about some Black Triad and your family not bowing down to them. Will you tell us your secrets?”

All the blood draining from her head left her lightheaded.
Secrets.
They’d seen and heard enough during the confrontation to know the Macskas weren’t exactly the typical American family. Did Heath and Owen realize they weren’t in their own time anymore, either?

Brushing her tangled hair from her face, Heath frowned at her. “Don’t you trust us?”

The hurt in his eyes had her pushing aside the knowledge that she’d have to give up her lovers. What difference would erasing a little more information make? Then again, they might decide she was crazy after she told them about her family’s legacy and choose to leave immediately.

Lying wasn’t an option, though. “Yes, I trust you. Are you sure you want to know?”

“I want to know everything about you.” Heath held out a cube of cheese. “Eat. Please.”

She submitted to his request, grateful for the short reprieve to gather her thoughts. Where should she start? Should she tell them everything? Considering they stayed with her for roughly thirty-six hours straight while she’d recovered her strength, she owed them that much. She’d deal with the consequences later.

A drink of water helped her prolong the delay another few seconds, but the time came to answer their questions. She drew in a shaky breath. “I’m a witch. Well, actually, I come from a family of witches.”

When they didn’t bat an eyelash at her admission, her confidence grew.

“Grand Grandmother Romána was our matriarch. She was the wisest and most powerful in our family, having presided over us all for two full generations. We work to stay in tune with nature by growing many of the fruits, vegetables, and herbs we consume. From the time we’re born, we learn about the Earth and how to live in harmony with it, studying the stars and living by the moon’s phases.”

Owen urged her to take another drink. “You have powers, like the ability to go from place to place with rhyming spells.”

“You brought us here from the cay and saved us from the storm.” Furrowing his brows, Heath seemed to mull over that statement. “Kazmer caused the storm, didn’t he?”

They were taking the news much better than she’d expected, even drawing a few of their own correct conclusions.

“Yes, he did.” She debated telling them about her botched attempt to send them home.
What do I have to lose?
“I tried to spell you back to where you came from, but for some reason you ended up here with me.”

A faint smile lifted the corners of Heath’s mouth. “Because we belong here with you. Your grandmother said as much.”

Ignoring his implication, she delved into more of her family’s history. “The conflict with Kazmer began long ago. His goal was to destroy the Macska line of witches and the warlocks from the Order of the Elements. Both of our clans tried to live in peaceful coexistence with the outside world, inciting his anger. Romána’s middle daughter was destined to mate with one of the Elemental warlocks, uniting our clans against him. Magdolna and Boldizsár fell in love and produced a female heir to the line, but he interfered, keeping them apart for seven cycles of seven years.”

Owen asked the inevitable question. “These cycles, what do they represent?”

Closing her eyes, she willed her nerves to calm. This would be one of the most difficult aspects of her life to understand. She blinked to clear her vision, focusing on the folds of the blankets at her feet. “Every seven years, the women in my family go through a fertility cycle, lasting from the full moon immediately after their birthdays to the next third-quarter moon. The cycles begin with her twenty-first birthday. She seeks out her mate, and if he successfully impregnates her, they are joined. Married, in a way.”

Heath’s finger beneath her chin eased her face sideways to look at him. “Your sisters and some others have two mates. Are
you
permitted to join with a pair of men?”

She couldn’t hold his gaze. “Only if they are my true mates and I am a full-fledged witch in the coven.”

Owen wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Your grandmother said we’re your true mates, so that means we can join.”

His enthusiastic tone seized her attention. They
wanted
to stay with her?

She nearly cried at the irony. Her mates were here with her, but she couldn’t go through the joining ceremony because she hadn’t taken the vows and become part of the circle. Her powers had let her down. Or rather, her
lack
of powers.

Gathering her composure, she evaded directly responding to his assumption. Now to reveal the final tidbits that would surely send them running. “Only if I get pregnant by both of you by the third-quarter phase. The second of January. In three and a half days. And we have to love each other.”

Neither man spoke for several interminable moments, the sound of her pulse surely too loud in her ears to hear them anyway. She must have shocked them into silence with the last requirements.

May as well tie it up with a ribbon.
“Oh, and when I brought you here, we traveled through time.”

Chapter 12

Traveled through time.
Heléna’s proclamation ran circles around and around in Owen’s brain, keeping his tongue stuck in neutral.

“What year is it?” The half-choked whisper from Heath suggested he was having a hard time processing that thought too.

Heléna started to scoot out from between them and down the bed, but Owen tightened his hold on her shoulders. “Don’t go, Heléna. Please tell us.”

She ducked her head. “It’s December 29 of the year 2015.”

“It’s
2015?
” His thoughts stalled. “But the moon. It’s at the same phase as when we were on the island.” Logic had never failed him. “We can’t have traveled eighty-four years into the future.”

Heath glanced over at Owen, his eyes wide. “Unless the moon cycle in December of this year is identical or damn close to the same month in 1931—which is completely possible. What if we were supposed to have lived now instead of then? We had to come here to be with Heléna, the place where we’re supposed to be.”

Hadn’t the old woman mentioned the Fates? Owen had always been a firm believer of being in the right place at the right time.

“You’re right. And after all that I’ve seen in this week, I have no doubt that’s the case.” With that issue out of the way, he tackled the next one. “Do you want to have our babies, sweetheart? I mean, I love you like you said a mate has to, and I’m pretty sure Heath feels the same.”

Heath nodded, his admission coming quicker than Owen expected. “I love you too, Heléna. And I’ll spend every minute from now until the second of January trying to get you pregnant if that means I can be with you for the rest of my life. You love
us
, don’t you?”

Slowly turning first to Owen and then to Heath, she wiped at tears trickling down her cheeks. “Yes, but—but...I’m not a full-fledged witch. I’ve been losing my ability to cast spells for months, and I didn’t enter the circle when Great Grandmother welcomed me into the coven. We can’t be mated. It’s my fault.”

A burst of anger and frustration sent Owen’s normally even temper flaring past the satisfaction that Heléna returned their affection. “That bastard got to you! Forget what he told you. You got us the hell out of harm’s way in the nick of time.
Twice
.” He shook his head, disgusted that Kazmer had used her insecurities against her. “Don’t let that damn shifter suck away your confidence. Your powers were there when you needed them, and I have faith in you.
Romána
had faith in you.”

Heath hauled Heléna onto his lap, cupping her damp face in his palms. “In the morning, you’ll take the vow and go into the circle. Then we’ll work on making those heirs to the Macska line. A couple of beautiful baby girls who look just like their mommy.”

Giving a dainty sniffle, she seemed to accept their words. “You’re sure?”