Page 39 of The Erion Triad

To them. All of them.

She pressed her lips together, tilting on the edge of a precipice. She knew that even with the mention of such a small word, it would mean monumental changes to her life. These three men were the lynchpin to something great. Something her soul had been crying for all her life.

“Mate.” Her voice barely came out on a whisper.

All of them looked even more fierce, if that was at all possible.

Crop’s mouth firmed. “I am Kyel.” He indicated to tight curls. “This is my brother Zaen.” He capped Fringe on his shoulder. “This is my brother Juliran. You are our mate and we are yours.”

Her gaze darted between all of them, as though she couldn’t decide which face to rest on. Even though she was naked and vulnerable, and they were thee hulking men with toned muscles and bodies honed for strength and power, she’d never felt so safe. “All three of you?”

Zaen nodded. “We are a Triad, and now we can form our Quad with you. The bond has opened and shown us our connection. We have waited our whole lives to meet you. We didn’t think… We never thought…”

To her surprise, his eyes teared up and he was unable to speak. Kyel put his arm about his brother in a tender display of affection.

“What my idiot brother means to say is that you are our precious fourth. Now that we have found you, our lives will be brighter. More purposeful. Our days will have meaning, and our nights filled with love. You are the missing piece of our souls that completes all of us, a bond formed and matched by the Fates long before we were even born. We are perfect for you and you are perfect for us. Sweet mate, you are everything to us. Precious beyond belief. Do not doubt the strength of our connection, or the blessings on us,” Kyel said, with a well of emotion that brought more tears.

“Do not cry, mate. Kyel didn’t meant to upset you,” Juliran said.

“No… it’s just that…” Nobody had ever told her she was precious, or cherished, or a missing part of a soul. She hadn’t wanted much in life, but hearing those words was one thing she’d yearned for, and yet, never thought would be said to her.

She cupped Kyel’s cheek, and then Zaen’s and Juliran’s. Looking down at herself, she hadn’t realized the expression on her face when they’d told her. How joyous she looked. How filled with happiness.

She hadn’t told them, but as Kyel had spoken, her heart had filled with the love he’d spoken about. The knowledge that they were meant for each other was undeniable. The truth behind his words so absolute that as unreal and hard to believe as they were, she knew that they were so right together.

And then, her soul had flared so bright and she’d felt so complete that there was no doubt in her mind. She’d smiled up at them, and one after the other, they had kissed her so reverently and so tenderly she had no words for it. Despite the horror of the circumstances, meeting them had been the most beautiful thing to happen in her life.

And then, just when she was going to ask them to make love to her, she saw her entire body stiffen and a look of stark horror wash over her face. Her gaze had turned from warmth and happiness to one of alarm and then sheer terror.

And then her terror had become theirs.

Chapter Fifteen

Lucie

“What happened in that moment, Lucie?” Kyel asked.

Between them, the scene faded, and they were held in a world so white there was no top or bottom, left or right. There was no more to see, but it was also the time for truth.

“That was when I first heard the voice,” she said.

“Lucie… why didn’t you tell us? We would have helped you,” Zaen said. He stepped towards her, but she held out her hand and he hit an invisible barrier.

“Let us come to you, Lucie.”

She shook her head and swallowed hard. “No. I… You have to stay there. The voice said if I told you, it would kill all of you in front of my eyes. It would take you away and then I would be that sad, lonely little girl I’d always been.”

She flickered her eyes up to look at them. Her gaze snagged and her heart lurched at the hurt and sadness evident on their faces. “You… you’re not mad?”

Juliran frowned. “How could we be mad at you, Lucie? We’re never mad at you. This isn’t your fault.”

“You forget, we recognize your soul. You wouldn’t be like this if not for this voice, telling you false things,” Zaen said.

“But it isn’t false. It’s trapped me and now it’s trapped you… wherever it is we are. It’s going to hurt you, and it’s all because me of,” Lucie said.

“It’s not because of you and we’re not going anywhere. As to where we are, this… this is all in your mind. I don’t begin to understand how or why, only that it has you trapped here because it needs you. And it needs to keep us apart. Look at the evidence. Everything it has done, it has done to separate us. To stop the natural progression of our bond. To stop the final mate-sync,” Kyel said.

Zaen frowned as he regarded Lucie, his eyes gleaming dark. “You’re right, brother. Everything it had done is to keep us apart.”

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