Page 50 of Laid Bare

“I’m in the living room,” I call out, my brow raised as they both skid into the living room, almost tripping over each other as they try to stop. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Luka clutches his chest, huffing and puffing, his hand resting on Axel’s shoulder. My vampire doesn’t look much better either. Worry lines his features, genuine fear resting in his gaze. Crap. My heart clenches at their disheveled states.

“I’m sorry I worried you. I didn’t want to disturb you guys. So I came down here thinking a little reading would help me sleep.”

Luka runs his fingers through his short black hair, seeming to relax a little now that I’m in his sight. “It’s okay, goddess. Maybe… just… next time, wake one of us up. We would have come down here with you.”

“He’s right,cor meum. We love you. You don’t have to endure sleepless nights alone. Not when we’re in the same room with you.”

My heart stalls at his words. He said it. The one thing I wanted to say back at the gala that I never got a chance to. The words that were always caught in my throat until that night, until they were stolen away from me along with my safety.

I sniffle, my heart full of nothing but love for the two men in front of me who have stolen the very beating organ for themselves.

“I love you, too,” I murmur, so damn happy that the phrase is now out in the world, and I can say it whenever I want.

“Woah, woah, woah. Wait a minute here,” Luka interjects, waving his arms, immediately wiping the dopey smile off my face.

Oh no. Maybe Axel was wrong. Maybe they both don’t love me. Maybe the words only mean something coming from him.

“Nope. Knock it off.” He points a finger at my face, waggling it back and forth. “I wanted to say it first. You know, first mate, first one to say it.” His lips form a pout. “You totally ruined the order of things, vampire,” he mutters, throwing Axel a disapproving glare.

A watery giggle slips out before I can stop it, turning Luka’s pout into a cheesy smile. He crosses the distance from the entrance of the living room over to the sofa where I’m sitting and leans over, planting a chaste kiss on my lips.

Pulling back, he presses his forehead against mine, all teasing gone. “I love you, goddess. With every fiber of my being. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“I love you, too,” I choke out, barely having a handle on my emotions.

Before any tears can break free, Aero inserts himself into the lovey-dovey conversation, making his presence known with a loud neigh. And it’s not a good one. No. It’s a‘I’m pissed the hell off cause you interrupted my sleep,’kind of sound.

“Oh, I’m sorry, your highness,” Luka grumbles, pulling away. I want to grab him, hold him to me so I can hold onto the moment, but Aero rubs his head against my belly, somehow telling me that I was actually in the middle of attempting something.

Which reminds me of what I learned. I know my birth dad said to keep Aero’s origin a secret, but these are my mates. If they were curiomancers, they would already know. And I trust these two with my life, so I don’t see anything wrong with sharing this bit of news with them.

“So, when I couldn’t sleep, I came back down and started reading more of the book.” I pick it up, giving it a little shake for emphasis.

Figuring this isn’t going to be a quick conversation, my mates sit down, Axel on the chair I abandoned for Aero earlier and Luka directly next to me.

“What were you reading about,cor meum?”

My fingers brush against Aero. “Soul Spirits.”

Both guys shoot me confusing looks, but neither ask the question I can see burning in their eyes, waiting patiently for me to continue.

“He,” my eyes dart down and back up again, “isn’t my transmutation form.”

More silence. More questioning looks.

“He’s my soul spirit. My soul made tangible after mating with my mate, or first mate in this instance. That’s why he’s a Pegasus, after Luka.”

“Fuck yeah, goddess.” Luka pumps his fist in the air, his excitement palpable. “Alright, vampire. I forgive you for telling her you love her first.”

Axel and I both chuckle, but inside, I’m beaming with how happy this bit of information has made him.

“There’s much more to him, but in short, he’s basically my best friend, my perfect match. Just like you two. The only difference is, he doesn’t talk back.” My mates grunt good-naturedly, knowing the last comment was a joke. After all, they don’t talk back either. Maybe Axel did in the beginning, but since becoming mates, the snappy vampy persona he was sporting has disappeared.

One thing I don’t tell them is the part about my soul and body being weakened if he gets injured. That’s something I’ll keep close to my chest. For now, at least, unless something happens that they need to know.

“Before you guys came down, I was about to try shrinking him down. Supposedly I’m able to will him to whatever size I want, that way he doesn’t stick out when I’m going around the academy. And I definitely don’t want to go anywhere else outside of the grounds with him like this.”

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