Triskele (The TriAlpha Chronicles Book 2) Page 7

  She winced. “Not all children hate their parents, Mikkel.”

  “No. I’m one of them. Seems like you two are the ones with parent problems. Not me.”

  Thalia turned back to glower at him, but Rafe squeezed the hand she had curved around his waist. “No, it’s okay. He’s right. My father is a prick. There’s nothing else to be said about that.”

  “He’s always been that way?”

  “Always.”

  “Wow.” Mikkel blew out a breath. “That must have been fun.”

  Rafe let out a cold laugh. “You’ve no idea. I could do nothing right. And I mean nothing.”

  “I know how that feels, sweetheart,” Thalia whispered, drowning him in the empathy she felt for him. For a second, he bathed in it, in the sweet sense of belonging that slipped between them.

  “I know you do.”

  “Did he beat you too?” Mikkel asked, and though his questions were invasive, they didn’t feel out of place. He was as big a part of this as Thalia, after all… Whether he was accepting of that was another matter entirely.

  “Yes.”

  Thalia sucked in a shaky breath. “I really want to challenge him now.”

  He snorted. “Don’t bother. We have bigger fish to fry.”

  When he turned to look at her, she was gnawing at her bottom lip. He reached up, pulled it free, and she whispered, “Are you sure? I’ll gladly make him pay.”

  “I know you would,” he told her softly. “But that’s not necessary. Mother will sort it out.”

  She blinked. “You’re okay with her poisoning him?”

  A laugh barked from him. “Okay isn’t exactly how I’d phrase it, Thalia. But she’ll do what she’s going to do. It won’t kill him. Just make him miserable.”

  “This has to be the weirdest conversation I’ve ever had. And I’ve just found out that I’m mated to a woman who has three mates!”

  Thalia peeked back at him. “So you’re admitting it’s a real thing now?”

  Mikkel glowered at her. “Maybe.”

  She beamed at him, and the smile was that of a parent, bestowing delight upon a clever child. If she patted his cheek, Rafe felt sure Mikkel would explode. But she didn’t, instead, she turned to Rafe and said, “Mikkel isn’t wrong. It is a pretty bizarre conversation.”

  He shrugged. “Story of my life.”

  5

  Mikkel

  Mikkel watched as Thalia tried the pancakes he’d made for her.

  These bad boy buttermilk beasts were stuffed with bacon and drizzled with syrup, and she eyed the five-stack with a wrinkled nose that didn’t exactly speak of delight.

  “Are you sure you don’t want some of these?” she asked doubtfully, her head tilted as she took in the admittedly impressive stack.

  If there was one food group Mikkel could cook, it was breakfast.

  And nothing beat breakfast for dinner.

  That was just a fucking fact.

  “I don’t. They’re for you,” he told her, tongue-in-cheek, fully expecting to have to polish off three-quarters of the stack.

  “I really don’t think…”

  “That’s right. Don’t think. Just try.” Ever since she’d told him of her horrendously healthy diet, he’d felt it was his duty as an American to clog her arteries some.

  Sweet Jesus, the woman had barely had any bacon in her damn life. How the fuck she could call herself American was beyond Mikkel’s comprehension! And peanut butter? That had apparently been illegal in the TriAlpha household.

  The whole ‘being kept under house arrest’ shit was bad enough, but torture by health food? That was something Amnesty International needed to be contacted about.

  Stat.

  She heaved out a sigh, then reaching for the knife and fork, cut into a segment. It was gooey now. The syrup and the butter had merged into one delicious morsel and his pancakes—which even his mom said were damn good—had soaked up the goodness.

  Underneath, crispy pieces of bacon were peeping through, and as his own mouth started watering, he watched as she popped the sliver onto her tongue.

  For a second, she just let it sit in her now-closed mouth. As she did, a look came across her face and he knew, point blank knew, that one day he’d make sure she had that look again when he was going down on her.

  He had her.

  He fucking had her.

  “I knew you’d like them,” he told her smugly as she let out a deep, low moan that made his balls tighten.

  It was really damn hard not to adjust himself.

  Fuck.

  “Sweet Gods,” she blurted out after finishing that piece off. “What is this?”

  “Better than IHOP, baby,” he told her proudly, and dusted off his shoulder.

  “I have no idea what IHOP is, but holy fuck, these are good.”

  For a second, he just gaped at her, and made another inward note to dose her fathers’ coffee with laxatives or throw them in the pool at the earliest convenience.

  Then, he shrugged the thought off because that spoke of the future. And the present was enough to be dealing with.

  Quite content to watch her eat, he felt his mouth gape wider and wider as she proceeded to polish off the stack of five pancakes that were as round as dinner plates.

  As each one disappeared, he studied her, wondering where the fuck she’d put it.

  “That was delicious,” she told him, patting her mouth with a napkin. “I can’t believe how good they tasted.”

  He couldn’t believe she’d just packed away two thousand calories worth of brunch in one sitting.

  “I bow down to your stomach,” he told her with a wide grin, and compounded the glory by literally bowing and waving his hands too. “We are not worthy, we are not worthy.”

  She snorted. “What’s so funny?”

  “You ate it all. All of it,” he repeated, still taken aback.

  “You told me to,” she grumbled, fiddling with the fork.

  “I know I did, but I’m…” He winced. “Fuck.”

  “What?” She swung her legs, which made the counter seat rotate a little from side to side.

  “I’m used to human females. They eat salad and pick at that.”

  Her cheeks flushed. “Oh.”

  “Yeah. Oh.” Fuck, why had he brought that up? Clearing his throat, he murmured, “I thought I’d be finishing it off, that’s all.”

  “I should have saved you some. I’m really sorry.” She jumped down from the stool, her cheeks flushed. “I can make you some breakfast?”

  “No.” He held up his hands—for the first time in his life, showing them in the sign of surrender. “It’s okay. I-I should go for a run anyway.”

  “You should?” Thalia peered at him. “Why? It’s hot out.”

  “I’m used to it. I was in the Middle East, remember?”

  “Yeah, but you’re not anymore.”

  He hated working out during the day but he wasn’t about to tell her that. Not when he was busy comparing his last lay to Thalia, and thinking about her having seen him with the random Tinder date he’d picked up when he’d arrived Stateside.

  The idea of those visions fucking sucked. So, having to live with them? No wonder her She-Wolf was batshit.

  With guilt gnawing at him, he gave her a tight smile. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

  She blinked at him. “Okay. Thank you for breakfast, Mikkel.”

  “Brunch, babe. Brunch,” he corrected, then saluting her, got the fuck out of Dodge.

  ** **

  Rafe

  “How are you doing?”

  Rafe frowned as he turned away from his laptop and stared at his mate. Gods, she was beautiful, and for some reason, had a fetish for his shirts.

  Not that he was going to complain when she looked like fucking sin in them.

  His lips curved as he took in the short yet somehow long legs that were toned and firm to an extent that spoke of how in shape her She-Wolf was. The two were at peak condition. Like a combinati
on of someone who could run a marathon while also being able to win a Spartan Race.

  “I’m okay. Are you?” When she hovered in the doorway, he cocked a brow and held out a hand as he twisted his desk chair around to face her properly.

  Seeing he’d made a place for her, she stepped forward. Her hand was hesitant as she placed her fingers in his, but there was no hesitation in his as he dragged her onto his lap.

  The minute she was there, she curled into him like a kitten. Her head settled against his chest as he jostled her slightly for their mutual comfort. The chair rocked back with their weight and it put them at a great angle, so much so, he sighed with the joy of it.

  Gods, having her in his arms was like being welcomed into heaven.

  He rubbed his chin against her crown, and murmured, “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Liar,” he told her without heat, even as he sucked up air that was dosed in her scent as well as his laundry detergent.

  “Are you working?”

  He hummed under his breath as he rested his hand on her knee which peeked out under the hem of his shirt. Letting his fingers trace up and down her calf, he continued, “A little.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I’m going through my emails.”

  She started to sit up, but he hushed her and tightened his arm about her waist. “Don’t move. This is nice.” And it was. Nice wasn’t even the word.

  A sigh escaped her. “It is.” She tilted her head down but he could see her lick her lips. “This is my favorite place in the world.”

  He grinned. “Really?”

  “Really.” She pressed her forehead to his chest. “I love you, Rafe.”

  “I know you do.” Somehow, he knew she didn’t want to hear him say the words, but wanted to know he was aware of her feelings for him.

  “No matter what,” she insisted.

  “I know. And, Thalia, I feel the same way.”

  “Good.”

  His lips quirked at her satisfied sigh, for Thalia, at that moment, all was right with the world. “Where’s Mikkel?”

  “Went for a run.”

  “You’ve been talking to him all day, haven’t you?” There was no heat to his tone. He wasn’t jealous of her giving the other male attention, but he’d been careful to give them space.

  She needed to get to know Mikkel as well as she did him, and she couldn’t do that with him hovering. It had been no hardship for him to escape to his office and catch up with some work.

  Mikkel was exactly what Thalia needed. Not that she didn’t need Rafe, he was under no illusion about that. He had not one ounce of fear in his soul that she wouldn’t want him any longer. But Mikkel was the protector Rafe would never be.

  Truth was, he wondered what role her third mate would bring to their relationship. With Rafe being the healer and Mikkel the soldier, what place would another male take? What did the Mother consider imperative for Thalia to have at her side?

  “Do you mind?”

  As she plucked at the hem of his shirt, messing with the lines in a way the delicate tailored linen would never recover from, he pressed another kiss to her forehead. “Why should I?”

  “Because… I don’t know. I’d be jealous if I were you.”

  His lips curved at that. “Because you’re a minx.”

  She tilted her head to peer up at him. “Maybe.”

  That had him laughing. “No maybe about it. It’s the truth. But… I don’t feel that way. I feel connected to him too, Thalia.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know.” He ignored her narrowed eyes, instead tried to think of a way of answering her curiosity in a way that would fulfil them both. “Like my Wolf is aware he’s what you need, and so is at peace with the situation.”

  “I’m glad, because the last thing I want is for you to be unhappy.”

  He smiled at her then pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. It wasn’t sexual, but that was intentional. “Thalia?”

  She hummed, “Yes?” Her arms came up to wrap around his neck.

  “Do you remember the day we claimed one another?”

  Her eyes sparkled. “As if I could forget.” The joy in her tone made him wonder if he was wise broaching this subject but, in many ways, she was one of the strongest females he’d ever known, while also being one of the most vulnerable.

  He was aware that made little to no sense.

  Rafe had treated Gamma females who’d been abused by Torres, he’d seen his mother being beaten by his father. How could this one woman be more vulnerable?

  Truth was, he couldn’t say. He just knew that his Wolf, those talents that the beast gave him, sparked to life in her vicinity. The Wolf wasn’t interested in healing, though. It was more that the creature wanted his mate to realize how perfect she was to him.

  “When you didn’t think I’d accept you, you said you could change. Why did you say that?”

  She stiffened, as he’d known she would, on his lap. Tension filled her, and her brow crinkled in distress. “Rafe?”

  “I want to know,” he urged. “I need to know.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re perfect, and yet you said you’d change for me.”

  For a second, she was silent, and then she turned her face into his chest. “I was desperate.” A hard laugh escaped her. “Sexy, huh?”

  “No,” he admitted calmly, but he tightened his grip on her when she stiffened. “It’s not sexy. And maybe it is a little pathetic. But that’s what I don’t understand. I know you now. Not one bit of you is pathetic. You’re a warrior. It’s in your bones.”

  She seemed to ponder that, truly ponder it because she didn’t speak for several moments, and then, when she did, she about broke his heart. “Around you, Rafe, I’m not a warrior. I’m a woman. And I’m a woman with flaws and imperfections.” She sucked in a shuddery breath. “All my life, I’ve been told I’m not good enough. Poor little rich girl, I know,” she said on another mocking laugh that made him cringe inwardly. “But, this is more than just being told you’re shit at something. I was literally the downfall of my species in my parents’ eyes, Rafe. Can you even begin to understand what that could do to someone?”

  “No,” he admitted. “I was a disappointment to my family, but it was localized. Contained.”

  “I hate that your parents put you through that.”

  “You think I don’t hate what yours did to you?”

  She jerked a shoulder. “I guess. I-I’m not diminishing what you went through. Not at all. I’m just… When you’re never good enough for the people who are supposed to love you, why would I be good enough for someone I need to love me? And why wouldn’t I do anything in my power, even change the way I look, to make sure I didn’t lose you?”

  If she’d plunged a knife into his belly, she couldn’t have hurt him more. And then, he saw the agony in her eyes and felt his throat close in response. It took several attempts at clearing it to be able to speak. “I didn’t think I was good enough for you.”

  “And you know I felt the same way.”

  “But you’re…” Words failed him. “You. How could you not be good enough? You’re beautiful. Fuck, Thalia, you’re perfect!”

  “But you were going to walk away from me. I couldn’t take that, Rafe. I couldn’t be alone. I just couldn’t do it. I needed you more than I needed my pride, and I know that’s shameful. I guess I let women around the world down that day. But… I’d waited so long for you, and you were going to walk away. I couldn’t spend another moment without you, Rafe. You have to understand that. I was so alone, and had been for so long.” She wriggled her shoulders. “I had no choice. And the She-Wolf was in complete agreement.”

  She’d submitted to him, he realized now. But he didn’t say the words aloud. Only now, with time and distance between that point and today, could he see that, and he vowed that Thalia would never have to debase herself in that way.

  Ever a-fucking-gai
n.

  Resolute in that, he lowered his mouth to hers and told her again, “You’re perfect.” He’d tell her a million times, anything to make her realize she was exactly that to him.

  Her lips curved a little. “Thank you.”

  “If anyone isn’t worthy here, it’s me.”

  Immediately, she scowled at him. “Don’t you dare say that.”

  Knowing that would be her reply, he grinned. “See? Takes one to know one.”

  Realizing his game, she laughed. “You got me.”

  “I did,” he said with no small amount of satisfaction. “You can’t put yourself down if I can’t either. Deal?”

  “Deal.” She pulled a face. “And here was me thinking you were up here hiding or something. I should have had faith in you. Instead, you were plotting and planning.”

  He snorted. “Hardly. Well, not on that score. I was just giving you space and some time alone with Mikkel, and I really did have some things to catch up on.” Things that did require some organization.

  She pursed her lips. “We need to figure out a way to make sure you…”

  He cocked a brow at her, more than willing to fight over this. Again. “We already discussed this. I’m going on a sabbatical.”

  He’d used all his vacation time in the last few weeks to stay with Thalia at the TriAlpha palace, and then, when they’d come to the decision that being the Triskele was the next logical step, he’d told her he was going to ask for a sabbatical until they figured out the next phase of their lives together.

  She wasn’t happy about it, but he couldn’t see an alternative solution.

  “If you want to go around being Triskele, Thalia, you know we can’t fly back for surgery and rounds as much as I’d need to to maintain my practice. It doesn’t work like that.”

  “I don’t want you to give up something you love.”

  He sighed. “It’s my vocation. But so is what we’re going to do together.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Don’t I?” He grinned at her. “Speak for yourself. I think I saved your butt in the arena last night.”

  “This is true. Although you distracted me enough to get hit.”

  He winced. “I know.” Blowing out a breath, he whispered, “I’m so sorry.”