Tangled Innocence (12 page)

“Isn’t it too soon?”

Jace closed his eyes at Nadie’s repeated comment, but as he
wasn’t facing her, she couldn’t tell. It wasn’t that he was annoyed she’d asked
the same question more than once. It was that she felt the need to ask it at
all. If she’d been born into the world she lived now, things would have been
different, but she hadn’t been, and now, things were complicated. He could
barely breathe with how much he cared for her, and after the accident, he’d
done his best to hide the depths of his fears and feelings from Nadie.

He hadn’t wanted to scare her.

His momma would love her though. However, telling Nadie that
only made the woman freak out all the more. Apparently meeting the
parents—whether bear or human—was a big deal for her.

Good to know.

“No, it’s not too soon. We’re going to my den, not just
because I want you to meet my parents, but because we need to for Dante.”

Nadie’s arms wrapped around his waist from behind and he ran
his hand over her skin. So soft. His bear stretched, awakened by her sweet
scent. He smiled at the furry beast. His bear could kill in seconds, but when
it came to Nadie, it seemed he was a teddy bear.

His bear growled, and Jace held back a chuckle.

Okay, maybe not a teddy bear, but soft with Nadie
nonetheless.

Nadie nuzzled into his back, and he stood still, soaking in
the moment, not wanting to let it go. He’d waited so long for this, and now,
the big, tough Mediator was falling for the little sprite, his succubus.

Who would have thought?

“I’ve never been to another realm before.”

He turned and lifted her up so she was sitting on the
counter. As both he and Dante were well over a foot taller than her, they were
going to have to find ways to make talking easier on her neck. Looking up all
day took its toll.

Or so he’d heard. After all, he’d been over six feet since
he was thirteen.

They grew them big in the dens.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and she raised a
brow. “Stop pawing me, Jace. Remember when we said we were going to try and see
what happens when we
don’t
touch each
other like that? I need to drain my energy to discover my limits powerwise in
case I hurt myself later.” She blushed as she said it, and Jace had to hold
back a groan.

Yes, he remembered the conversation from that morning. It
didn’t mean he had to like it. The three of them knew that even
if
Dante was able to stay with them—gods
willing—they wouldn’t be at each other’s sides every hour of every day. As a
succubus, Nadie needed to not only pull life energy through their mating bond,
but through sex as well. Just being near one another wouldn’t cut it.

They’d have to get sweaty.

Not that Jace minded.

At. All.

“Hey, I can see that heat in your eyes, Jace Goodwin.” Nadie
pressed her hand on his chest and pushed him back a bit.

She could only do that because he let her, but it didn’t
matter.

“I’m just thinking,” he said.

“About sex. I might be new to the whole thing, but I’ve been
around long enough to know when a man is thinking about sex. So, like I was
saying, I’ve never been to another realm before. What do we have to do?”

He grinned down at her but didn’t move to touch her. They
were refraining for a day, if he could last, to see if they could actually make
it. With the world going to shit around them and the idea that Dante could be
gone from their grasps forever, not touching felt like a painful process. The
eternity they would have to live if their dragon had to become part of the
Conclave was not something he wanted to think about.

His hands fisted as he thought about it. Taking a deep
breath, he let his bear bring his control back. As a Mediator, he had more
control than most—and not just with the man. If the man within got to be too
much, the bear would breathe in the control needed. It was a symbiotic
relationship that few held—let alone understood.

“The bear realm isn’t as secret as some of the others. My
family lives in a den within the realm itself. That’s why I just call it my
den, rather than realm most days. With realms like the angelic one, you have to
practically give a blood oath to enter. The demonic realm is even worse. With
the bear one, though, you only have to be a bear or be welcomed by bears.”

Nadie shook her head. “Doesn’t that make it hard to protect
the realm if anyone welcomed can enter?”

Jace grinned, but it wasn’t a nice one. “While I said it
wasn’t a secret, I didn’t mean it wasn’t difficult. To be welcomed by the
bears, you must pass their tests, promise their oaths, be their mates, or tie
yourselves to the bears’ lives. A bear doesn’t allow entry easily. Also, one
does not mess with a bear and live.”

Nadie nodded. “You got really creepy and alpha just then,
but I kind of liked it.”

He snorted, surprised at her response.

“He
is
creepy and
alpha,” Dante said as he walked into the kitchen.

Though he smiled as he said it, Jace could see the darkness
in the other man’s gaze. The shadows were upon them, and Jace could smell the
fight for their lives coming. He just didn’t know how much longer they had.

“I’m not creepy. Alpha, I’ll take, but not creepy.”

Nadie smiled, though she too held a sadness she couldn’t
hide worth a damn.

“He just pretends to be this sweet, cuddly bear, but inside,
he’s that grizzly,” Dante said as he came to stand beside the counter.

Nadie shifted so her knee was touching his side. The
movement was so subtle that Jace wasn’t sure she’d done it consciously. It
boded well for their bond, but he knew the human in her still had reservations.
He didn’t blame her. The mating bond was only the first step. They still had to
ensure she actually
liked
them beyond
what fate had decreed.

Blindly following fate only led to heartache.

Though the main reason they were going to his parents’ home
was to discuss the Dante and Conclave situation, he would have taken Nadie
there anyway.
 
The world was crashing
down around them, but he needed to show Nadie what their future could be like.
Scrambling and praying did nothing. They would move on as though they had no
worries on one plane but find out how to get Dante out of the commitment he
didn’t want to make on the other.

It was the only way Jace could figure out how to not go bear
and kill someone.

Jace shook his head, clearing his thoughts. “Let’s get
going. We only need to use the clearing to gain access to the realm since it
runs parallel to ours. Once we’re there, we can open the gate and get through
easily.”

“You know I have no idea what you’re talking about, right?”
Nadie asked with a smile. “We’re just winging it here, but I’ll take it. Just
show me what to do so I don’t end up with a lost body part or something.”

Jace laughed, thankful he could even do that with the
tension riding him.

“You won’t lose an arm or anything, my sprite,” Dante said,
laughter in his voice.

“You don’t know that,” Nadie said, her voice very
matter-of-fact. “Just because it hasn’t happened before—that you know
of—doesn’t mean I won’t be the person who loses a toe or something.”

“A toe?” Jace asked. “Really? A toe?”

Nadie rolled her eyes. “I didn’t want to think of losing
something I needed to live. A toe I could probably live without. Maybe. And now
I’m becoming the creepy one.” She jumped off the counter before Dante and Jace
could help her. She raised a brow at both of their outstretched hands. “Okay,
this is another thing. While I love the fact that you both try to care for me
in every way possible, you need to learn that it’s okay if I take care of
myself. Even though I was a little quieter than the other women in the circle,
I’ve never been completely helpless.”

“You were human,” Jace put in and knew he’d said the wrong
thing.

Dante winced, and Nadie narrowed her eyes.

“Prejudice much?” she said, her hands fisted on her hips.

“No, no. That’s not what I meant. It’s only that humans are
much weaker than paranormals.” He looked to Dante for help, but from the
expression on the dragon’s face, Jace was on his own with this one.

“That is true,
physically
,”
Nadie said, her tone not boding well for the rest of the sentence. “But I’m not
talking about that. Yes, I know I will need to learn how to use my offensive
powers, if I even have them. That’s why we’re going to the succubus realm as
soon as they get back to Dante.”

Jace nodded. Dante had put in a formal request to the
secretive realm so Nadie could meet the people who might one day be hers, but
they hadn’t heard anything back from them yet.

“However,” Nadie continued, “you two are treating me like
fine china who can’t even walk on my own. I might not be as strong as you, but
I am stronger than you’re giving me credit for. Please don’t forget that.”

Jace frowned, his bear huffing and growling, wanting to pull
Nadie into its arms and never let go. He was a predator and alpha. He
couldn’t
stand back and not help those
he cared for…but maybe he was edging along the ways of pushiness.

Dante cupped her face and nodded. “I’ll do my best, Nadie.
I’ve never thought you any less than the person you are—strong, beautiful, and
mine
. But I will do my best to make sure
you know that I value you.”

Jace let out a breath. If the damn dragon could act like a
reasonable mate, then so could he.

“I’ll do my best too.”

Nadie looked between them and smiled. “We’re a bit crazy
right now with the bond and Dante’s…
thing
…so
it’s okay that we’re on edge. Let’s not stay there. And we should go now so
we’re not late. It wouldn’t be good to be late the first time I’m meeting your
folks.” She bit her lip. “I’ve never met anyone’s parents before. Well, I’ve
met parents before, but…damn, you know what I mean.”

Jace grinned at how flustered she was acting. “You’ll be
fine. My mom is one big momma bear, and Dad will love you. My brothers and
sisters will be there too since they not only want to meet you, they want to
see Dante too. They haven’t seen him—or me for that matter—in a while.”

“I love the fact that the two of you have a history
together,” she said as they made their way to the clearing behind Dante’s
house.
 

Jace gripped her hand while Dante took the other. “As I like
that you and Dante have one. You and I are the only real newbies here.”

“We’re making up for lost time.”

He held back a growl, thinking of the ways they were
exploring one another—including the tequila and tastes. He didn’t need a
hard-on going into the bear realm.

“Ready?” Dante asked, and Jace nodded, Nadie doing the same.

Jace closed his eyes and pictured his realm, the warmth and
earth of the land around him, the scents of home, bear, and family. Nadie
gasped beside him, and he opened his eyes, smiling down at her. The realm
opened up like a small wormhole, encompassing them in light, freedom, and warmth.

They finally stepped through the portal, the wormhole
closing behind them quickly. He felt the awe in Nadie by his side and the
slight relief in Dante.

The latter made sense to Jace because of the utter
acceptance that the Goodwins gave when it came to the black and blue dragon.

After spending thousands upon thousands of years floating
from one realm to the next, a royal dragon nomad, Dante had found a home with
Jace’s family—even before Jace had been born.

Jace’s grandmother lived today because of the man who was
now his mate. It was because of that moment in time that Dante was family
through and through. Now Jace was bringing the dragon home as his bonded mate.
Jace couldn’t wait to see the look on his mother’s face, the look when she
gazed upon the bonded dragon…the look when she would meet Nadie for the first
time.

While they did have to discuss their plan of attack with the
Conclave, coming home where he could re-collect himself was what he needed. He
hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed home and needed his family until he
scented the pine and oak of home.

Nor had he until he scented a certain family of bears who
didn’t understand the concept of personal space.

“Brace yourself,” Jace murmured. Dante chuckled, and Nadie
looked up at him, her brow scrunched.

“Huh?” she asked.

 
Before Jace would
warn her further, she was in the arms of a very large man who just happened to
shift into a bear every time he felt like it. The other man squeezed Nadie to
his chest and twisted her around like a cherished ragdoll. Nadie’s feet had to
be at least a foot or more off the ground.

“Torrent, put Nadie down,” Jace ordered, laughter in his
tone. “She’s smaller than you and not a toy. Don’t break her.”

His baby brother had Nadie in a very comfy looking bear hug,
that constant smile on his face never wavering.

“But she’s so fluffy!” Torrent said with a laugh. He set
Nadie down, and she stared up at him, blinking. The half-dazed, half-amused
expression on her face made Jace smile.

No one could be angry at Torrent. It just didn’t happen.
Confused by him, yes, but never angry. Torrent was the epitome of a teddy
bear—one who could fight with knives like no other.

“Nadie, this is baby brother, Torrent.”

Nadie raised a brow at him then looked up—way up—at the man
in front of her. “Baby?”

Torrent grinned, that piece of hair their mom still tucked
away when she saw him falling over his forehead. “I’m the youngest boy in a
family of overprotective grizzly bears. Of course I’m the baby. It’s good to
finally meet you, Nadie. Our brother has been talking about you for sixty
years. Well, not
you,
but who you
could be. It’s nice to see the woman who can wrangle not only a bear but a
dragon too is as strong as you are.”