Lacey's Luhpynes [Beyond the Veil 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (17 page)

“Are you sure? Do you think that this is something that Zhubin will be all right with as well? I want to wait for children, but what’s to say that he wants to wait? Honestly?” she asked quietly. “If he wants to try as soon as possible we will try.” She was honestly being selfish because she wanted to wait and knew it.

He cocked a brow and then tipped his head. “Zhubin!” he bellowed. “Lacey wants to know if you want to knock her up right away or wait a little while before we have kids underfoot!”

“Considering I have to deal with you and the wolves I’m more than happy to wait. As long as she wants,” the other man called back. “Three children in the house at any given time is more than enough,” he added just loud enough for them to hear.

“Does that answer your question, love?” Ansell asked with a smirk.

Lacey laughed and shook her head, “Yeah, it does. You boys are too funny.” She laid her head back on Ansell’s chest and sighed happily. “But you are mine and I love you so very, very much. I’m happy with you. With both of you. I’m glad that I stopped running.”

“We would have eventually just taken that option away. We have finite patience, even with our mate. Or perhaps I should say, especially with our mate when she is ignoring us.” He gave her a squeeze before pressing a kiss to her hair. “Let’s get up off the floor, shall we? My ass is going numb and I smell food.”

“Yum, food.” She felt her stomach rumble then and laughed. “Not a word mister,” she said with a grin and stood. “Maybe you should have taken the option away from me a lot earlier. I think that we all could have used a shoulder to lean on in the past.”

“It was not the time,” he said, getting to his feet. Taking her hand he led her to the main floor bathroom. Washing his hands, he glanced at her. “You weren’t ready, Lacey, and it had to be your choice to some degree. You had your fears and rightly so. Hopefully we have eliminated them or at least started to.”

“You have,” she admitted. “And I know that when we have this asshole in custody it will fully and completely eliminate them. If I let him get into custody, that is. Part of me wants to tear him limb from limb and to hell with everything else. Is that bad of me?”

“Not at all, he’s been terrorizing you, Lacey,” he said, stepping out of the space so she could wash her hands. “You have the right to be angry toward him and angry about the situation he’s put you in. It wasn’t a place you chose or would have chosen. It’s one you were forced into.”

“And if I hadn’t been forced to do what I did…” She sighed and looked over her shoulder at him. “If not for him we would have all been together five years ago. For five years I have fought the attraction that I have for the two of you. For five years I’ve kept you both at arm’s length for fear of what he would do to you. I’m glad that this is over and we will be able to move forward. We will find him together. The three of us.”

“We are moving forward, Lacey,” he said. Moving closer he turned her to face him and cupped her cheeks. “The Gods kept us apart for a purpose, a reason. That’s how I have to look at it, or the other side of me has this instant and constant need to hunt. To hunt and kill this jackass. I’m having enough problems restraining myself from trying to find the one that hurt Briar that I don’t need to consider your stalker on top. I would be most unpleasant to live with at that point.”

“Good point,” she said with a nod. “I don’t want you to be hard to live with. I would likely have to hit you over the top of the head and that just wouldn’t be fair at all. I might hurt myself hitting you in the head. I’m working on not thinking about it, I promise.” Her tone was teasing, sassy even.

“I do have a very hard head. But then I’ve heard the same about you.” He smiled. Pressing a kiss to her lips, he nipped her bottom one. Drawing back he tipped his head. “Let’s go and enjoy a nice meal and lazy evening. Tomorrow will be complete madness so enjoy this peace and quiet while you can, little mate.”

“Sounds good to me. Will you and Zhubin enjoy the peace with me? If only for a bit? I would like to just curl up with the both of you and simply relax and let that be that. Think that we can do that?” she asked hopefully.

“Course we can,” he nodded, pressing a kiss to her lips. “Food first though. I’m dying of starvation here. See, I’m practically wasting away right before your eyes. It’s horrible really.” He added a pout for effect with his arms held out as if showing her just how thin he was becoming by the minute.

Lacey couldn’t help but laugh and shook her head. “I love you but you are a serious and total ham, you know that right? You are nowhere near wasting away, so try it on someone else,” she teased.

“I am,” he said, lifting his shirt and tugging at his waistband. “Look at that gap. That shouldn’t be there, babe. I’m wasting away and it’s a horrific thing.” He dropped the shirt and turned her toward the kitchen, giving her a light push. “I desperately need sustenance, stat!”

Lacey couldn’t stop her laughter if she tried. Shaking her head, she let Ansell drag her to the kitchen’s and winked at Zhubin. “This man needs food, stat! He’s wasting away right before our eyes. Even now he’s fading Zhu, get him food. In a hurry. Chop-chop.”

Zhubin just stared at them like they’d both grown an extra head. “I’m going to start restricting your sugar intake. And monitoring your alcohol consumption. This is seriously weird even for Ansell. And the food’s on the table, sit and eat so I don’t have to hear about his supposed wasting. He’s just wearing jeans too big, a play to gain sympathy is all.”

Lacey shot a suspicious look to Ansell. “Really now? And why in the world would you want and need to gain sympathy?” Her lips twitched to grin, he could see as he looked at her that she wanted to smile, wanted to laugh.

He gave an exaggerated gasp. “I am not looking for sympathy,” he said as if horrified. “I was merely stating the facts of the situation. I happen to be starving and really, making a Luhpyne wait for food is cruel and unusual punishment in my books, damn it.”

Unable to help herself, Lacey began to giggle and shook her head. “You are a crazy nut, you know that right? Silly man,” she teased happily. “I adore you but that is too freaking funny. You are such a drama queen.”

“And you have zero sympathy in your heart. Sad, Lacey, so sad,” he said with a pout. Pulling out a chair he looked to her. “Your chair, m’lady. Let’s eat before all this gets cold or Zhubin brains me with a pan. It’s happened before, I wouldn’t put it past him to do it again.”

“It was an accident, dude.” Zhubin came to the table with biscuits and set the plate down. “He comes racing around a corner just as I turn with the pan in hand. He runs right into it and says I beat him with it.”

Shaking her head, Lacey spread a napkin in her lap. “Well one thing’s for sure, I will never, ever be dull or bored with you guys around. Ever.” She loved it too. “Which is a very, very good thing. I’m seriously happy that you guys are mine and we will keep each other busy for the rest of forever.”

“And we’re very happy to do it too.” Zhubin smiled down at her before sitting. “Eat,” he ordered.

“You’re going to end up hyperventilating if you keep sucking air like that,” Zhubin told her softly. They were before the Veil and ready to go across. She would be meeting Zhubin’s parents, having dinner with them, and he was trying to get her calm! “Slow your breaths, love.” He cupped her face. His thumbs stroked slowly over her skin, “They are just people, Lacey. Like you and me and Ansell. They love, they laugh, they cry and they worry. Just like everyone else.”

“But they are your parents,” she said with frustration clear in her tone. “That’s huge, Zhu. I want and I need their approval because they are such important parts of your life. Yes, we could always have a life without it but it wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable.” She looked at the Veil and added, “And I am about to go through the Veil for the first time. I think I deserve to hyperventilate.”

“She’s right, Z,” Ansell said on her other side. “Let her hyperventilate if she wants. It’ll definitely leave a lasting memory with your parents. Her all blue, sweaty and practically passed out.” He smiled at her and snickered evilly. “Come on, darling. They are great people, generous, open, and you’ll love them. They will also adore you so quit already. Because if you pass out from all this heavy breathing you’ll be thrown over one of our shoulders. Do you really want them to see you ass in the air at the first meeting?”

“Ansell,” Zhubin growled. “Mom is nervous to meet you, too, Lace,” he said, looking her in the eye. “She wants you to only think the best of her. She’s worried that you won’t like her.”

“She is?” Lacey asked in awe, stopping the panic to look up at Zhubin. “Why would your mom be nervous? I adore the woman already because she birthed you, she raised Ansell. To me she’s the best person on this planet, well besides the two of you that is. Why would she be nervous about meeting me?”

“You’re essentially going to be her daughter-in-law,” Ansell said with a strange look her way. “She’s terrified you’ll hate her on sight. That you’ll have nothing in common. That it will be like some human marriages where the daughter-in-law feels the male’s mother is in his life too much. According to Thorin she’s been pacing nearly non-stop. When she’s not pacing she’s cleaning. When she’s not cleaning she’s rearranging every piece of furniture they own. Apparently he’s tried to distract her but that hasn’t lasted long at all. He’s very annoyed.” Between the shit-eating grin and the merriment on her face Lacey knew just how Thorin was trying to distract Zhubin’s mother.

Zhubin snickered. “Serves him right. He’s got it way too good with Mom, she needs to make him appreciate her more. If her going on a sex strike works, then hell yeah. Not that he doesn’t love and adore her, or worship the ground she walks on. He does. But those two are…” He frowned.

“Sickeningly mooshy and all gooey and”—Ansell gagged—“our sex education didn’t come in a classroom like yours likely did. Ours was in horrifying real-life panoramic 3D viewing.”

Lacey began to laugh. She couldn’t help herself. She laughed so much she began to snort and slapped her hand over her mouth, eyes dancing with mirth and delight. “Oh God. That’s too funny. I happen to really like her already. All right.” She took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, let’s do this before I fail completely and am not able to walk through the Veil on my own. That’s not something that I want.” She squeezed the men’s arms with hers and nodded. “Let’s go, shall we?”

“Absolutely.” Zhubin nodded. He hitched the bag over his shoulder higher and slid his hand down to catch hers. “Skin to skin contact works best for a first trip through. So grab Ansell’s too, darling. Then we are going to walk straight ahead. We’re not going to pause. We’re just out for a stroll. You will likely feel the fine hairs on your body reacting but just keep moving. You never, ever want to stop partway through or let go of our hands.”

“Right, well I don’t think that will be an issue,” she grumbled as she took their hands and held on for dear life. “All right, let’s go through, shall we? I want to meet my future in laws or whatever they will be called so that we can put your mum at ease.”

Squeezing her hands, they tugged on their arms and started to walk. Zhubin gave a nod to the Luhpyne parked next to the Veil and they went through. On the other side they took a few steps before stopping. “Well?” Zhubin asked, looking down at her. “You’re still breathing so that’s a good sign. You still want to do this more often?”

“I think that we should only do this when we have to,” she grumbled and looked around. Taking in her first look at the area she gasped, “Wow,” she whispered. “This place is. God, this place is spectacularly beautiful. Why in the world would you want to go to the other side when this place is so amazing?”

“Because that’s where you were,” Ansell said with a shrug. “Besides, it’s home, it’s…” He waved a hand and shrugged again.

“What our ever-so-eloquent companion is likely trying to say is we were born here, raised here so we don’t see it as you do. It’s like growing up in a house, you know all the rooms but you don’t see them after a time because it’s all so familiar,” Zhubin told her.

“It is spectacular,” she whispered softly. “Truly this place is amazing. I hope that one day you will be able to see this through my eyes, see the beauty of the world like I do. It’s a special place that you live in, this place on the other side of the Veil.”

“Of course it is,” Ansell said with a grin. “But we’ve lived here our entire lives. We know it rather well. Now, I believe that’s our ride pulling up.” He pointed. A silver vehicle came along the road, much like a car but silent, smooth and appearing to have no windows.

“Wow,” she whispered again and shook her head. Grinning, she looked up at her men and said, “I think that I’m going to like it here. We might end up spending a great deal of time here.” If only for the sake of being completely and fully safe. Here she didn’t have to worry about the bastard that wanted her dead and instead she could simply relax and enjoy her men.

“We can come here any time that you want, love,” he told her, squeezing her hand. “But we need to ensure that the one after you is stopped. We can’t have him going after someone else out of anger because you’ve thwarted him.”

She sighed and nodded. “I know and damn if I don’t hate it. I don’t want to go back. I know how cowardly that sounds but I really would rather just hole away with the two of you somewhere and let the world pass us by. Silly, I know. Really, I know how that sounds but it’s how I feel at times.”

“And that’s fine, Lacey,” Zhubin said quietly. “You’ve been under stress for five years now from this guy. Take this time that we’re here and just let that life go for the time being. We’ll go back, refreshed and ready to look at this from a new way. We will find him. We will make him pay. And then we will get on with our lives without his interference.”

“Good. That’s what I needed to hear, I think. I needed to know that we would do whatever it took for us to all be together. We will find a way. Somehow and some way. We will figure this all out. I just know it.” Hopefully at least.