Page 14 of Hunting for Acceptance

“Wake her up? WhatisStewart?”

I look over at Martin, wincing. “He’s a djinn. He feeds off of dreams. And because I have the ability to put people to sleep, I give them peaceful, vivid dreams for him to feed from.”

“They truly aren’t hurting in any way. Well, other than blacking out for a weekend,” Cooper murmurs.

“I told you, I wouldn’t hurt people. What I’m doing is beyond shitty, I know that. But I really, really need my sister’s ashes back.”

Martin pulls me to a stop. “Hey, it’s okay,” he murmurs, putting his hand on my cheek. The gesture is so incredibly gentle and soft, such a contrast against how big and hard Martin is. I lean into his touch. “We believe you. You don’t have to prove anything to us, okay? And we’re going to do everything we can to get Dee’s ashes back.”

“Okay,” I whisper back, trying my best to hide my emotions. I turn my head and kiss the center of Martin’s palm.

I stare into Martin’s dark eyes for a moment before he’s blushing and looking away, gently pulling his hand away. When I turn towards Cooper, he’s watching us with softness in his eyes. I hold out my hand for him and he laces our fingers together.

Whether they want to embrace it or fight it, there’s no denying there’ssomethingbetween the three of us, and I’m happy to be the glue that seals us together.

“So we have a game plan,” Cooper says, squeezing my hand. “Martin and I will do what we do best. We’ll check out this guy’s business, stake out his house, and once we know more, we’ll probably get Ronny involved. He’s our tech guy and will be able to get all the information we need. Plus, he might be able to give us a way to take care of this guy once and for all.”

I look down at the ground, shaking my head. “I feel like a boulder has been taken off my shoulder,” I confess softly.

“I can’t explain it,” Cooper whispers, “but I feel almost compelled to help you. Are you sure you’re not enticing us?” There’s a playful snort to his question but I can still feel that this is a real question on his mind. I look at him and then at Martin.

“Confession time,” I start, my eyes darting between them. “I attempted toenticeyou both.”

“What?”

I nod. “Last night, I tried it on both of you and it failed both times.”

“What does that mean?” Martin asks, his brows furrowed.

I swallow around the lump in my throat. Sometimes, it’s better to just blurt these things out with no warning or reason. So I steel my nerves and say, “it means you’re both my true mates.”

There’s a long pause. It goes on for far too long. I look at them and of course they’re doing their thing where they have a silent conversation with nothing but their eyes. “Well?”

Cooper finally looks at me. His green eyes are achingly soft. “I read about that last night,” he says softly, his lips finally spreading into a smile. “Is it okay if I kiss you?”

“Gods, yes,” I say, putting my hand behind his neck and bending down to kiss his lips.

CHAPTER SEVEN

MARTIN

I stand there completely motionless.True mates. I have a true mate? My true mate hastwomates? And right now they’re kissing?

For a moment, I feel completely and utterly lost. I feel alone. I feel abandoned.

Maybe I should just leave them to it. They seem to really, really be enjoying that kiss if the happy little noises coming from Dorian are anything to go by. But my feet are stuck in place, unmoving.

I know I’m staring but I can’t seem to look away, watching as their mouths press against each other. Dorian’s hands find their way into Cooper’s hair and my stomachburns. If I’m honest I’m not sure if what I feel is longing or lust or maybe a combination of the two. Emotions are swirling around inside of me, leaving me more confused than I’ve ever felt. This isn’t something I can brute force into fixing.

Dorian finally pulls back breathlessly, his smile wider than I’ve ever seen it. Cooper adjusts his glasses, his cheeks a brilliant pink color. I’m still feeling lost. When Dorian’s pretty blue eyes snap to me, I’m locked in place, unable to do anything but stand there as he steps into my space.

“Would it be alright if I kissed you now, Martin?”

I look over at Cooper. He nods. I didn’t need his permission. I didn’t. But having it somehow loosens something inside my chest. I meet Dorian’s eyes. “Yes.”

There’s not an ounce of hesitation. Dorian grabs the front of my shirt and kisses me. His lips are still a tiny wet from his kiss with Cooper and that tiny detail makes my cock spring to life.

Kissing Dorian is like nothing I’ve experienced before. It’s all consuming. It makes my head spin and yet, he’s there, keeping my feet on the ground.

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