Page 9 of 3013: Wonderland

“Which means we have to get gone fast. I’ll go with you since we can’t let you jet off to a new planetoid all alone,” Melody offered. “And during the voyage there, I can tell you about two dozen different ways you can seduce the males into being yours.”

Juliet groaned again. “I don’t think I want you to come with me anymore.”

“Of course, you do,” Melody countered cheerfully. “It will be fun.”

“Can you maybe make a recording of those different seduction methods and send them to me?” Emma asked hopefully.

“Sure!” Jumping up from her seat, Melody grabbed hold of Juliet’s hand and jerked her to her feet. “Come, my friend. Let’s go pack for our trip.”

Chapter Three

“For fuck’s sake, will you stop pacing already? You’re making me dizzy.”

Raek Barra heard his brother’s complaint but simply chose to ignore him. Pacing was something he did whenever he was nervous, angry, or busy thinking through a problem, and he had never been able to break himself of the habit.

Most people would have been smart enough to leave a wild beast like him alone when he was this agitated, but Fenris was a different breed. His brother got snarky whenever he was nervous or feeling out of sorts, but Raek had become an expert at ignoring him whenever he started running his mouth.

It was either that or punch him.

He didn’t want to do that, though. Not when the shuttle carrying the female they both loved was only minutes away from landing in the transport center. She would definitely be distressed if she saw them fighting when she arrived, and the last thing he ever wanted to do was upset her.

Especially after everything she’d been through lately.

Juliet Langdon might be a petite human female, but she had the power to wrap both of them around her little finger. It had been that way since they had met her, but a lot had changed since those days when they had all lived together in the group home.

Growing up on Earth hadn’t been easy for Raek, Charm, and Fenris, but the three Krytos had made a blood oath to become siblings after their parents had been killed in the same accident. As the eldest of the trio and the only son of the former alphas of their pack, they had taken Raek’s last name. That had made him their de facto leader, though it had taken him a lot longer to actually feel like he deserved the title.

After their home world had been destroyed, many Krytos had moved to Earth to find work and settle down. Due to their sheer size and strength, a lot of them had gone into building and construction. After their parents had died in a horrible accident that had occurred on a work site, Raek, Charm, and Fenris had moved into a group home since they had been too young to live on their own.

There were other Krytos who had offered to give Raek a home in honor of his parents, but he had made the decision to remain with Charm and Fenris. Even young, he had been far too independent to be indebted to anyone when he could make do himself. They had each been given a sizable settlement after the accident since it had ended up being the company’s fault, but no amount of credits could make up for the loss of their parents.

Living in a home that was primarily filled with human children hadn’t been fun. In fact, it had been annoying as hell. Humans could be pretty judgmental, but none of them had been a threat to the trio. It was easy to ignore the insults, and the Krytos were strong enough that no one wanted to mess with them physically.

Raek had always been bigger than most of his peers, but as he’d gotten older, he had grown even more intimidating. Instead of toning it down, he continued to work out, molding himself into someone who could intimidate a potential threat just by breathing. He took pride in being the protector of the trio since Charm was the smart one and Fenris was the creative genius.

Over the years, more kids had come and gone, but only a few others had gotten close enough to be considered family. Juliet had been one of them. The moment Raek saw the little blonde girl being picked on by two older boys, he felt an overwhelming urge to protect her.

When he’d heard a new girl had been left on the group home’s doorstep, he hadn’t thought much of it. New kids arrivedat the home all the time, so it wasn’t that unusual. But he’d never had such an intense reaction to a girl’s tears. Since he couldn’t stand bullies, he’d beaten the shit out of the boys. He’d worried his violent behavior had terrified Juliet, but she had clung to him like he was her lifeline instead of running away.

She had always been a quiet, shy little thing, but it was simple enough to integrate her into their group since Charm and Fenris had felt just as protective of her as he was. Raek had always been her protector and friend, but his feelings had started to change as she’d gotten older.

When he had aged out of the group home, he had stayed close in case the others needed him. While he did, he focused on building a career for himself that could provide for everyone under his protection. He’d never been good in school, but he had always been pretty spectacular in the kitchen.

Because his senses of smell and taste were much more acute than others, he was able to create new flavor profiles that helped make him a rising star in the culinary world. Some people thought it was a waste since he was a skilled fighter. That had been proven when he’d won the Baxxtora Tournament, but once had been enough for him.

Friends had urged him to open a restaurant, but he hadn’t wanted to bother with the details of running his own place. Instead, he became the head chef at a highly successful restaurant that had given him free rein in the kitchen.

When Charm had left the group home, she had gone to work at Haven, the female-run sanctuary located in Jade City. Fenris had always had a talent for drawing and painting, but everyone had been surprised when he had chosen to become a tattoo artist. His creations had made him quite famous, but he’d spent time at a couple of different shops rather than opening his own tattoo parlor.

They had worried about Juliet being left behind, but that quickly turned into relief when she was accepted into a prestigious dance academy. Raek had always known she would one day become a celebrated dancer and watching her dreams come true in real time had been thrilling. He wasn’t sure exactly when his feelings for her had shifted from friend to something more, but he’d realized he was in love with her the first time he had gone to the theater and watched her dancing on the stage.

Fenris had realized he loved her much sooner but hadn’t admitted it until Raek had brought it up. They hadn’t been in a competition for her affection. In anything, Raek was grateful his brother felt the same way about her. She was their tiny dancer, their precious baby girl who deserved to be cherished by the two males who loved her above all else.

Although they had gone their separate ways to fulfill their own personal dreams, Raek had never doubted they would end up together. But that had changed the moment he’d received a reply to one of his messages saying that she wanted to cut ties with them because she was already bonded.

At first, he hadn’t believed it. He had traveled to Zion in hopes he could talk her out of her decision, but she had refused to see him and Fenris. It had been even more shocking when he’d heard she had also decided to cut Charm out of her life.

The Borov family was well known in the dance community so it had made sense that Juliet had bonded with James. At least, on the surface. Raek had been filled with regret and anguish seeing her with another male. He knew he should have told her that he loved her when he’d had the chance and cursed himself for waiting so long.

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