Page 27 of The Erion Triad

Lucie

“You’re here.”

Lucie smiled up at the three brothers as she pushed her way through the dancing crowd. Anticipation made Lucie’s heart pound. The brothers were here. Her mates. The idea as well as the words so foreign, yet so right. All three brothers. Virile. Strong. Handsome as hell, but more than that—sheknewthem.

Not just as in how she might know a friend. There was a depth to the connection, an innate knowing of the type of men they were. Loyal. Tenacious. Honest.

Hers.

They looked so different than she was used to. Their skin wasn’t the right color. It should be blue. But how would she know that?

A superimposed image ran across her mind as they strode towards her. Kyel with his short hair, shirtless, chiseled to perfection, firm hands with callouses born from intense fighting training. She could see him, chest heaving, shining with sweat as he wielded a sword half as long as her.

Zaen with swirling tattoos that were as living as his body. They would mirror his moods, turning and rippling with color over his body in agitation and desire. In her mind, she could see her finger tracing a moving line filled with bright blues and greens trying to catch it, but before she could, he caught her wrist and held her to his chest so firmly she’d felt his heart beating.

Juliran. Caring. Quick with a smile. Hard body like a God. He always made sure she found satisfaction before he did. Always? She’d only kissed him once, hadn’t she?

And horns. They should have horns.

There was something unfinished between them. Something they’d yet to do. Something really important. She didn’t know what. Or why. But it was wholly compelling.

It was like being caught between two realities. Two dream worlds. One right in front of her eyes, and the other on another level. One overlapped the other and she was stuck in the middle, pulled in separate directions.

The brothers approached, stopping at the base of the stage. Coming for her. Waiting for her. A shiver worked through her veins. Her clothing was too heavy. Too constricting. The only thing she wanted to wear was them.

For once, she wasn’t dogged by the strange tiredness that followed her every waking hour. Or the white fog that clouded her mind. There was no threatening voice.

For once, it was gone. Her mates were safe. The cloying confusion fell away as they approached. Her strength returned, little by little. For once—she could justthink.

And she knew. Sheremembered everything.

The voice was gone. Her mates were safe. She could be where she wanted to be. Where her heart called for her to be. Where her soul knew she should be. Because that was right, wasn’t it? They were all quarters of the same soul, woven together before they were born. Woven by fate.

They had explained it, but she’d never fully understood. Now that the fog and the darkness and the voice were gone, she could finally feel their connection. She could finally act on it.

She reached out and took Kyel’s hand without hesitation. She stepped down from the stage and threaded her fingers through his hair. Zaen and Juliran surrounded her. She was safe in the circle of her mates.Safe.Finally. The voice couldn’t find her here. Her mind became quiet, replaced with a growing sense of what she had to do. The stress of her heart eased as desire blossomed.

She looked up into Kyel’s face. He steadied her with a firm gaze and she fell into the protection he offered. His eyes glinted deep blue. As blue as the sky on a cloudless summer morning.

She smiled. “Kyel. There you are.”

A hand firmed on her back, and another at her nape.

“You recognize us,” Zaen said.

She placed her hand on Zaen’s forearm, looked to Juliran. “Yes. I recognize you. But how are you even here? Why? It’s where I used to work… but different.” She took his hand in hers. “I don’t know exactly, but this isn’t right. It’s not real. We must leave. There’s… so much I have to tell you.”

Now that she remembered—she remembered it all. Guilt pressed on her heart. She’d never told them about the voice in her head, guiding her and directing her to do what it wanted. It was only a miracle that it was silenced, but for how long? She needed to tell them. Everything.

“We’re here for you, our mate,” Zaen said.

She let a sad smile cross her mouth. They’d followed her to… wherever the hell they were. “I should have known that before. I’m so sorry. It’s just that… it’s all been so confusing. So exhausting.”

Kyel tucked a finger beneath her chin and tipped her head to look at him. “You have nothing to be sorry about. It is us who have done you a disservice. You were in need and we should have helped you more.”

Her heart trembled. Why hadn’t she seen their thoughtfulness before? Their caring, their kindness, theirlove. Why had she not felt that? It was so intense it was like plunging into a vat of electricity—all charged and heated and intense. Why hadn’t she done anything about it? Why had she let the voice overrule her common sense? The ‘whys’ thumped around in her head and a sick lump formed in her stomach. There would be time enough to heal those things, but now wasn’t it.

She didn’t know why the voice was silent, but one thing she did know—it would be back. She had to get away from here and tell her mates everything while she had her mind while she had the chance.

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