Her Warriors' Three Wishes (Dante's Circle) (13 page)

Jamie touched Balin’s back, and he wanted to melt at the feel of her hand through his shirt. She was his salvation, but she was also so much more. At least, she had the potential to be so much more.

The other captives gave Ambrose long looks filled with both fear and arrogance, but they backed away. Balin looked around and found a small corner with a bench. Without taking his eyes off the others, he led Jamie and Ambrose to a place where they would at least have a semblance of privacy.

He knew the others wouldn’t kill Jamie. At least, the other captives had probably been told not to do that. Her death was to be a celebration in public, and killing her in a dank cell wouldn’t accomplish anything. The bastards could hurt her…in so many ways.

No, there was no fucking way he’d allow that to happen. He looked at Ambrose and saw the same determination on the man’s face.

Good. He wasn’t alone in his fight.

He didn’t have to be alone again.

That little bit of hope he’d found when he saw Jamie in his father’s dungeon bloomed just that much more.

He could live.

Maybe…just maybe…be happy.

They just had to get the hell out of hell.

Jamie’s paleness worried him, so he made her sit down on the bench, careful not to think about what could be on it. He really, really didn’t want to know.

They were as private as they were going to get, even if he could feel the other demon’s gazes on them. Meaning they had to actually talk about something.

Hades, it was like high school all over again. At least high school in the human realm, since that didn’t consist of torture, war, and battles—well, not as much anyway.

He’d spent his whole life trying to find a way to find a mate, and now that he found himself in the presence of
two
, he had no fucking clue what to do.

Jamie looked up at him with wide eyes and tried to smile. “Are you always so sarcastic when people are trying to kill you?”

Well then. He hadn’t thought that was going to be the first topic of their decision, but he’d go with it. Then they’d talk about the whole sex-to-live thing.

Hades, they needed more choices.

Like sex-for-fun, for-love, or for-anything-but-duty.

Balin gave a small laugh then sat right beside her on the bench, unable to resist the feel of her against him. 

“If I didn’t shoot my mouth off, I wouldn’t be me. I like inserting a bit of humor because it throws the other guys off.”

Ambrose raised a brow. “I don’t have that problem.”

Jamie shook her head, holding back a wobbly smile. Hades, she couldn’t start crying now. She’d been doing so well.

“Ambrose, dear, one look at that stoic expression on your face and they run away,” she teased.

“Did you just call me ugly?” Ambrose asked, his mouth twitching.

Balin threw his head back and laughed then turned to glare at the other demons to make sure they left them alone. Tedious business, dealing with people who wanted to kill and maim.

Jamie looked like she’d swallowed something nasty and shook her head. “Oh, God, I didn’t mean it that way. You know you’re hot beyond reason.” She blushed beneath the pale pallor, and Balin took her hand.

Ambrose knelt in front of her but kept his hand on his sword.  Balin could have really used a dagger right then, but it didn’t seem like the best time to mention it.

Ambrose didn’t even look at him. He just handed him the butt of a dagger.

Well then, apparently, he hadn’t hidden his interest in weaponry—or in the way the man moved—very well.

“Jamie, breathe,” Ambrose whispered, his voice rough. 

Balin had to swallow hard at the man’s words. He’d been attracted to men in the past but had never gone beyond a few touches here and there. Now it seemed fate had decided he needed both a man and a woman to make him whole.

He didn’t know entirely how he felt about that. Ambrose was attractive—okay, that was a mild word for the strength and masculinity the man radiated. With his strong cheekbones, his firm jaw, and even firmer body, he knew the man possessed more power in his left pinkie than some demons did in their whole bodies once they’d gorged themselves on souls.

“I am breathing,” she complained. “I think that’s the problem.”

Balin grimaced. “I swear not all demons smell like them.” He gestured to the angry demons behind him and tried to smile.

“I know that. I mean you smell really good.” She blushed again, and Balin let his smile come out in full.

“See? I like that you noticed. I think we’re on the right track here. Also for telling Ambrose he’s handsome, which, by the way, you are.” He said the latter to Ambrose, who merely lifted a brow. For some reason, that stoic attitude was hot on the angel. They’d have to do something about that, sooner rather than later, considering they were running out of time before Jamie had to fight. Another reason they needed to actually talk and get to know one another.

“I can’t fight,” she whispered. “I don’t have any training….or powers.” 

She glanced at Ambrose, and he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Again, she seemed surprised at this action. Balin knew that Ambrose had left for a fucking year to deal with angel crap so he couldn’t be with his true half. A whole year without seeing one another and no touching? The other man better have a better excuse than that.

“Plus,” she continued, “I’m getting weaker by the moment.” She looked between them both. “I think it’s because of the whole needing-to-bond thing.” She blushed again but didn’t look either man in the eye. “I know Lily had attacks when her true nature was trying to get out. With me, though, it’s always been like I’ve been getting over the flu or something.”

Ambrose closed his eyes, and Balin watched as the older man framed her face then leaned in, letting his lips slightly rest on hers. He didn’t feel jealous at the contact. No, rather, he felt as though it was right, like these two were meant to be together as much as they were meant to be with him.

He’d never met another triad, but Hades, he wanted this to work out.

Fate couldn’t be as cruel now as it had been his whole life.

He needed this. Needed them.

“You have no idea how sorry I am that I left you alone for so long, Jamie,” Ambrose whispered, his voice hoarse. “I left because I was a coward but stayed because the council forced me. You know I didn’t even make it to Lily and Shade’s wedding.”

Tears slid down Jamie’s cheeks, and Balin wanted to punch him for making her cry, but he knew they needed to get this out. Then they could find a way to keep themselves alive. With only so few moments together, they needed to use them as well as they could.

“I know,” she said as she wiped her tears away. “I know you didn’t want to be with me. I guess it took me being taken away for you to notice me.”

Ambrose shook his head, and Balin gripped her hand. “No, that wasn’t it. I’ve always noticed you, Jamie. I lost everything before, and I was afraid to take that chance again. I thought if I stayed away, it wouldn’t hurt you.”

“You know it did,” she countered.

Ambrose closed his eyes, and Balin held back the urge to comfort the man. He couldn’t show weakness in front of the other demons. They were far enough away that they couldn’t hear the conversation, but they could still see them.

“I didn’t think I could stand to lose what I had again, so I ran away,” Ambrose said.

“What are you talking about?” Balin asked. Curiosity about the man who could be his mate overrode the decency to step back and let Ambrose talk only to Jamie. After all, if they were going to be a triad, they better learn how to work as three, not just two.

Ambrose took a deep breath then met Balin’s gaze. “I’m over five thousand years old, Balin. I’ve spent countless years fighting for my people—for their safety, for their freedom. In those years, I also found a woman I thought I could spend my life with.”

He met Jamie’s gaze, and Balin watched as he again framed her face. “She wasn’t my true half, my mate, my everything,” he continued. “She was someone I loved and cared about, deeply. We always knew there could be others out there for us. That didn’t stop us from getting married, from watching my best friend and her brother fall in love. That didn’t stop us from having our two children, Nathan and Laura. Ilianya was pregnant with our third when the wars came to our front door.”

Ambrose closed his eyes, and Balin watched as a shudder ripped over him. Balin’s mouth dried, and there was nothing he could do but listen. Hades, this man, this warrior, had had a life; he’d known that. He also saw the pain in the other man’s eyes. There was no coming back from that whole.

“When they died…” Ambrose’s voice broke, but he continued. “I thought I’d lost everything. I didn’t want to go through that again. I’ll be dammed if I lose you the way I lost them. I can’t go through that again, and I won’t have you suffer for my past. Pyro took you to punish me, and I won’t let him have you.”

Balin blinked at the promise in his tone but nodded. “And I’ll be dammed if either of you suffer because my father can’t give up on me. I may be of his blood, but I’m through being his pawn.”

“Won’t we all just be pawns if we fight like they want us to?” Jamie asked. “Or at least try to fight.” The tears came again, and she shook her head. “Damn it, I don’t want to cry. I
hate
crying, but it’s all too much. I wanted my happy ending with flowers and a man to sweep me off my feet. Is that too much to ask?”

Balin had no idea what she was talking about. Hadn’t they just been talking about dying? What was this about flowers and sweeping?

This could be why he didn’t stay with women…ever.

He must have looked as confused as he felt because Jamie glared. “I know I can’t fight like this. I know I’m going to have to use whatever power I can get because, like the two of you, I’ll be dammed in I die here. That means I’m going to have to change into whatever supernatural creature I happen to be. Meaning I’m going to have to bond with the both of you.”

Something in her tone put him off. It was almost as if she wanted another way out.

Wait, she didn’t want them?

Something heavy fell in his stomach, and he rubbed his chest. He didn’t know it could hurt like this.

Her eyes widened at the gesture, and she shook her head. “I’m not saying I don’t want to. I’d have liked the choice. I’d have liked you two to have had the choice and to
want
to make love with me and bond—not because it could save my life. Don’t you see? Pyro’s winning. He’s taking something that should have been just for us and twisting it for another purpose.”

Now Balin understood, and he wanted to kick his father’s ass—again. “Jamie…”

“No, don’t try to placate me please. I don’t even know you that well, and now, because of this feeling I get in my heart and because I don’t want to die, I’m going to bond with you. We don’t get that choice. I’d like to have thought that we’d choose each other anyway, but what do I know anymore?”

“Jamie, I chose you,” Ambrose began.

“No, you chose to leave me before.”

Ambrose closed his eyes but opened them and took a deep breath. “I chose you. I know you don’t believe me, but I will do all in my power for the rest of my days to show you what you mean to me. And I know Balin will do the same, even if he just met us.” 

Balin smiled at the man, but Ambrose continued on. “I know this isn’t how we wanted it to start. I had imagined something much more romantic—much more you. Right now, we’re going to do everything in our power to get out of hell and go back to a life where we three—yes, all three of us—can find a life together. I know it’s crazy as hell, but I’m not going to let my past take anything away from us. We’re going to bond because we want to, not because we have to.”

“I just said that we had to in order to live,” Jamie said, her tears finally stopping.

“No, we’re going to bond because it’s our choice. We’re going to go into this knowing we could have walked away and found another way. It might be harder and seemingly impossible, but I’d find another way if you didn’t want to bond with me and Balin. Do you understand me? I’d find another way.”

Balin believed the angel. Even if he couldn’t think of another way, he knew just from the promise in Ambrose’s tone that the other man would refuse to bond until Jamie was ready. 

“The setting might not be ideal, but the outcome will be well worth it,” Balin promised.

Jamie looked at them both then, after what seemed like an eternity, finally nodded. “When we get through this nightmare, we’re going back to square one. I expect flowers.” She tried to smile, and Balin leaned in to kiss her. 

Her sweet taste danced on his tongue, and, Hades, he wanted more, but first, they had to find a way out of the cells.

Balin pulled back and looked at Ambrose. He would have kissed the other man to show what he wanted for their future, but he couldn’t risk it in front of the other demons—at least not yet. Everyone already thought Jamie was a weakness for the both of them, but for now, it only seemed the council knew of the exact weakness the men held for each other.

“You know, if we wanted space alone, we’d have to make sure it was too dangerous for us in here,” Balin began and noticed Ambrose seemed to understand.

“Yes, they don’t want us to die in here, only feel the fear,” Ambrose continued. “If it was a real possibility, then they’d have to separate us.”

“You’re going to start a fight, aren’t you?” Jamie asked. “I’m all for getting privacy, but I’m not keen on either of you dying. Nor am I keen on standing back and watching it happen.”

Balin cupped her face and shook his head. “Even with the weakness in my bones, I can take these men. Ambrose could with his pinky I think. Right now though, it’s our best option, and I want you to sit in this corner with a dagger in your hand. We won’t let them come at you. And this time, we won’t let them come at you from behind.”

He cursed himself at what had happened during their botched escape, but he wouldn’t let it happen again.

Jamie nodded, and Ambrose gave her a dagger. 

“Just hold it and try not to cut yourself,” Ambrose said, and she rolled her eyes. Good, they’d get her to laugh and think happy thoughts. That had to be one way of getting out of this.