Page 21 of Doubly Tied

“Ani, you were on Moongate Island to participate in the event organized by the Council of Triads to help us find our mates. Surely you knew we were Shifters?” Brody replied, crouching beside her, handsome head cocked to the side.

The man was looking at her as if she’d lost her mind.

Maybe she had.

But when exactly did she get off the sexy train and land in crazy town?

“I’m sorry, what?” she asked, licking her suddenly dry lips.

“Ani?” Brody dropped to his knees and reached for her, but she scooted away.

“Oh, no you don’t. Look, before I even answer you, am I being punked?”

“What?” Mayne asked.

“You two are super sexy and fun. I had a wonderful time last night, but is this for real? I mean, do you really think you are what you say you are? Is that why all the growling and stuff?”

“Fuck, Brody, she doesn’t know.”

“How can she not know? Mayne, she was there! Ani, are you messing with me?”

“Shut up, Brody,” Mayne snarled, then turned his attention back to her.

“Look, Ani, love. What I am about to say is going to sound crazy, but I swear on my life it is true. If you want to go after I am finished, we will arrange it. But I know I speak for Brody and myself when I say, we don’t want that. We want you, Anise Freeman.”

“Mayne, I just don’t understand.”

“I know, love. Just give me a second to explain. Please?”

Ani held his gaze, then nodded.

Mayne paused a moment, seemingly relieved. He sucked in a breath of air, as if he was about to walk the plank off a ship into the vast unknown, then his eyes darted to Brody, who was still as a statue.

Ani’s heart squeezed. She was not sure she could handle all this, but her pulse was racing at the prospect of leaving the two men. It went against everything she’d ever learned living in contemporary society, but a lot of things did.

Hell.

If being with two men felt right for her, who was anyone to say it wasn’t?

She shook her head, trying to still all the thoughts threatening to drown her. She had a habit of over thinking, over analyzing everything. Truth was, Ani had never felt real contentment until last night.

With them.

“Ani,” Mayne said, causing Ani to focus her attention on him rather than her own inner musings.

Thank fuck for that.

“Have you ever heard of Shifters?”

“Shifters? Like in books?”

“Exactly, love,” he said, smiling in that soft, sympathetic way he had that made her feel all warm and cozy inside.

“You see, Ani, Brody and I are Shifters. We make up two parts of an Alpha Omega Triad. You are our third.Our mate. Last night you accepted us into your body, we gave you our bites, made you ours—”

“What?”

“We marked you, Ani,” Brody said, his voice a deep rumble that sent waves of awareness tingling down her spine.