Tangled Innocence (3 page)

“No, all of this means that, no matter what fate wanted, you
didn’t want me. Fine. I get it. Whatever. I’ll deal. I’ve been dealing since I
walked in here and saw you.”

Her body shuddered, but Dante couldn’t speak. The pain
radiating off her wasn’t the physical kind he could heal—had been healing since
the lightning strike. No, it was from deep within, and he didn’t know what
words to use to fix what was going on between them…if there were even any words
to begin with.

“I’m not a dreamy-eyed girl, Dante. I might have been when I
first met you, or at least a dreamy-eyed woman, but I’m not one now. You stayed
away and left me in pain for
years
.
What am I supposed to say to that?”

“I had to, Nadie.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”

He looked at Jace, who had the same achingly painful
expression on his face that Dante knew he had on his own face.

“It’s my fault, Nadie,” Jace said, his voice that low growl
that Dante had missed for all those years they’d been forced apart. Before
Nadie could speak, Jace held out his hands. “You see, you’re not just supposed
to be with Dante, but me too.”

She backed away, shaking her head. “Oh no. No. What are the
two of you talking about? I’ve been alone all my life and now the two of you
are standing before me and telling me this? No.”

“Think about Jamie, Ambrose, and Balin. Within the
paranormals, triads are commonplace. It’s how we’re wired,” Dante explained.
“Sometimes we just want, no,
need
,
two different people to feel whole.”

“And we’re not just a triad, or at least not just a
possibility of one,” Jace said, his gaze never leaving Nadie’s face, and Dante
was glad for it. “The three of us are mates. Three parts of a whole. I know you
can feel that spark because I sure as hell did when I saw you in your car
tonight. Now, we need to sit down and hash out the particulars as to why Dante
had to keep things from you, and then we get on to the part that is actually
important. Us.”

Dante held back a grin at Jace’s words. The man had a point.
No matter what happened, the future they
could
have together was a hell of a lot more important than his own hurt feelings.
Fuck, he’d been waiting for ten thousand years for them. He couldn’t screw it
up now.

At least not any more than he already had.

Nadie let out a sigh that ended on a sob. Tears formed in
her eyes, and Dante let go of whatever was holding him back and pulled her into
his arms. “I’m sorry, my sprite. I’m so, so sorry.”

She clutched at him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and
he tightened his hold. He felt Jace’s hand on his back, and from the way the
bear was standing, he had a feeling Jace’s other hand was on Nadie’s back.

Dante’s dragon took the attention as though it was his due.

Fucking dragon.

He needed to get everything out in the open, and then they
could start from there. Keeping secrets and hiding behind hurts was only making
this harder.

“I met Jace over eighty years ago, Nadie, and I knew from
the moment I met him that he was one of my mates. But while we were blessed to
find each other, we both knew that there was another one out there for us.
While others could have dealt with that and continued on with just each other,
both of our animals are far too predatory for that. They needed, no,
we
needed the three to complete the
bond. It wouldn’t have been the same otherwise.”

He met Jace’s eyes and cursed at himself. He wasn’t saying
this right.

Jace gave a small smile. “I know what you meant, Dante. It’s
not that we weren’t good enough for each other and that we couldn’t love each
other and be enough, but we needed our third to make ourselves whole. It was
agony not to be near and yet even worse when we were near, knowing we were
missing something.”

Nadie pulled away, her gaze shifting between them. “So you
stayed away from each other all this time.”

Dante swallowed hard then nodded. “Yes. We had to.”

“And with my role as a Mediator, I had to leave for long
periods of time anyway, and I couldn’t contact him. We were both on the lookout
for you though.”

“I’ve been here for a while now though,” she said, hurt
still in her tone. “If you’ve known all this time, why didn’t you say
anything?”

“That’s why I said it was my fault,” Jace answered. “I was
off on a job, my duty, and was trapped there. I couldn’t get back, and by the
time I did, I needed to make sure I could cut ties if I needed to. I still
don’t know if that is possible, but I couldn’t wait anymore. Dante thought he
had to hold back and wait for me because he couldn’t find me. I’m so sorry.”

Nadie sucked in a breath then shook her head again. “You
could have said something, Dante. You’ve had all this time. You could have told
me
why
you were waiting. I…I was left
in the dark, and I feel like a fool. I don’t like feeling like a fool.”

Dante cupped her face and licked his lips. “You aren’t a
fool. I am. I had to keep us apart because if I had broken my promise and told
you everything, I wouldn’t have been able to hold back. With the way you were
weakening, I didn’t think I’d be enough for you alone while we waited for Jace.
It could have killed you.”

He didn’t tell her that while he used his powers to push
energy back into her body, it wouldn’t have been enough. He’d only been able to
keep her as healthy as he could because he was a dragon. If he had been any
weaker, any younger, he might not have been able to do it at all. He didn’t
know why Nadie’s paranormal reacted the way it did considering he didn’t even
know
what
she was, but he had a
feeling it was one strong creature. He’d taken her pain into his body, not
letting her know because he had been too afraid of what she’d do if she knew.
Without their third, and the full bond, he’d never have enough energy to keep
her alive…and she’d have eventually faded away, pulling him with her if he’d
let her.

And he’d have let her.

She pulled away again. “No. You should have told me. It was
my choice to make. Not yours. You treated me like a child, and yes, I
understand you’re a few hundred years older than me, but that doesn’t give you
the right.”

“A few more years than that,” Jace mumbled, and Nadie shot
him a glare.

“I need time to think,” she continued. “I had planned on
walking out of here for the last time. Did you know that? I was going to throw
in the towel because whatever fate wanted with us hurt too much to deal with it
here. I was going to find a way to live my life without you, and yet you
changed it all. Again.”

The thought that she’d walk out of his life made the dragon
want to rage, but he didn’t let it show. He would have found her. A dragon
always found its treasure.

“Being a dragon doesn’t excuse you, Dante. And you, Jace? I
don’t even know you.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I’m human. Or at least
mostly. Don’t you see this is weird? That everything we’ve talked about today
makes no sense, or at least wouldn’t have in truth a couple of years ago. I
need time to think, and I can’t do it if I’m in the same room with either of
you.”

He nodded, knowing this was far better than her saying she
would leave forever.

“I’ll drive you home,” Jace said, shooting Dante a look. It
seemed Dante had said enough that night and now it was Jace’s turn to pave the
way. He would never be jealous of the man. After all he felt the same way about
Jace as he did about Nadie.

“I don’t know you,” Nadie whispered, but it wasn’t fear in
her tone; it was sparked interest.

Good.

“Then get to know me. We’re starting from scratch, you and
I. We both might have history with Dante, and that will come into play, but you
need to know all the facts and we need to start with open eyes. What do you
say?”

Nadie looked at both of them before nodding. “I…I’ll take
the ride home, but I need to think. I wasn’t expecting this tonight,” she said
on a dry laugh.

Dante went to her then and cupped her face one last time.
“Neither was I.” He let his lips brush against hers, a promise of a kiss rather
than one. His dragon perked up, ready for her, for their life, but he held
back, knowing it was important to go slow—even slower than they already had
been going. “We’ll figure it out.”

They would, he promised himself. Because he needed his mates
by his side if what he thought was happening around them was evidence of what
was to come.

He watched them walk out of his bar, Nadie so much smaller
than Jace but almost at ease with his size. As soon as they left, he sucked in
a breath, a primal fear washing over him. He was a dragon, he shouldn’t be
scared…yet he was.

He went back to the envelope on the bar and sighed. Could he
ignore it for a few more moments? Would they notice?

The building shook around him, its walls quaking as if the
whole place were the epicenter of an earthquake. Dante gripped the sides of the
bar, knowing this was only a warning and would pass soon. This was not of his
power, but that of something that haunted the dreams of those around him. The
room gave a few more shakes before settling down as if nothing had happened. Oh
yes, they were pissed.

Dante’s time had run out.

Something was happening—something far greater than he, Jace,
and Nadie, and Dante was afraid he and the lightning-struck were in the center
of it.

There had to be a precedent for this situation, but if it
existed, Jace Goodwin had no idea what it was. He’d purposely left Dante back
in the bar while Jace and the woman both men wanted stood outside, knowing
Nadie not only needed her space but time with him as well.

Well, he might have been adding on that last bit, but
he
needed to spend time with
her
, so that had to count for something.

Now he stood right outside the front door to Dante’s Circle
looking down at Nadie, who seemed to be at a loss for words. That made two of
them. He stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked to his heels.

His bear growled and slid across his skin, wanting Jace to
make a move—or at least reach out and cup Nadie’s face. Each time Dante had
touched her so carefully, so sweetly, Jace had forced himself to step back and
let the dragon take control. It wasn’t that he was jealous—okay, maybe a little
bit—but he didn’t hate Dante for it. It just sucked that he hadn’t known her
for as long as Dante had. In retrospect, though, that might not have been such
a bad thing considering the anger burning off her at the moment, aimed at a
specific black-and-blue-haired man.

“Thank you for taking me home,” Nadie whispered, her voice
slightly hollow. The woman had been through so much that night her entire world
had been rocked to its core. And from what he’d heard from Dante, this hadn’t
been the first time everything shifted for her. He didn’t blame her for
sounding as if she had no idea where she was going or where she wanted to be.

Jace shrugged, unsure if he should take her hand or just
walk beside her. Damn. He was over a hundred years old and a grizzly bear for
fuck’s sake, and he was acting like a high school boy near a girl he had a
crush on.

He had to get back that semblance of control he was so
famous for.

“I haven’t gotten you there yet,” he said, his voice gruff.
“I should have mentioned that I don’t actually have my truck with me.”

She backed up a step so she could see him. Considering he
was over a foot taller than she was, it only made sense.

“Then how are you taking me home? My car is out of
commission, which reminds me that I need to take care of that. Crap.” She ran a
hand over her face. “I think I need a nap. Or to go to bed. Or a lot of
tequila.”

He snorted then took a chance and rubbed her temples with
his thumbs. She stiffened then let out a little moan that shot straight to his
cock. She tilted her head to the side, her cheek resting against his wrist. She
was so tiny compared to him, and his bear loved it.

“I can look at your car in the morning. I’m not a
professional mechanic, but I can tinker with the best of them. If I can’t fix
it, I know my brother, Red, can. He’s an actual mechanic with way more experience.
So don’t worry about that part of it. I’m sure it’s something small like the
battery since it got you here. And, no, I don’t have my truck, but I did come
on my bike. It’s not that cold out, and you have long pants on at least.” He
pulled away slightly to look down at her soft gray pants and pink top. “I don’t
know how far it is to your house, but you should be fine on the back of my
bike.”

He lowered his hands so she could speak since he figured it
had to be awkward talking between his two large paws. She was such a tiny thing
compared to him and Dante, but that just made his bear want to protect and
shelter her all the more.

Yes, fate had gotten it right.

He wanted Nadie Morgan.

“I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle before,” she whispered
then smiled. “Unless, by bike, you mean a pedaled one, then I don’t know if I
could sit on the handlebars for as long as it would take for us to get home.”

He threw his head back and laughed, the tension between them
easing just enough that he knew they’d be okay as long as he got her to her
place. Once they were past the introductions and, then, after she had her arms
wrapped around him as they rode his bike, it would be better. After that, well,
then it would be time for him to find a way to make what they could be work. It
wasn’t going to be easy, not at all. He’d just met her, but from Dante, he knew
more about her than she of him. Way more. He felt as though he’d known her for
years just by being by her side and knew that came with their connection
through fate. That might make it easier for him, but it wouldn’t be the same
for her. If she gave in to what could happen, rather than what had happened,
then maybe they could find that future a little faster.

It was all up in the air, and a planner like Jace didn’t
like that.

It was still jarring to him that she was here in front of
him when he’d been waiting a lifetime to find her—when Dante and he had been
waiting a lifetime apart. Gods, he’d missed Dante. He loved him, though he’d
never said as such. Not yet. They’d both had an unspoken rule that they were
waiting for their third, whether it was a man or a woman. They were both
bisexual and had experience with men as well as women, but being with each
other was different. They’d held back from touching beyond a soft graze and had
only kissed a few times when they’d found each other.

He was not only starting anew with the woman in front of
him, but also with the dragon in his heart.

He couldn’t wait.

“No, not a pedal bike.” He gestured and looked down at his
six-eleven frame. It seemed to radiate the idea of the bear within to most
folks. “I think I’d break a damn bicycle just sitting on it.”

Nadie’s gaze raked over him, and he grinned, liking the heat
in her eyes. She might have been confused as to why he was there at that moment
and what she should do, but she wanted him. She felt that pull—the same as he
did. And from what Dante had told him about her, Jace liked who she was as
well—not just how she looked.

Because, damn, he liked the way she looked, all innocent
heat. And she could just fit right there in his pocket.

“You
are
kind of
big. Even bigger than Dante. I think I’m going to get a crick in my neck if I
keep staring up at you two for long.”

He shrugged then got to his knees. She was taller than him
now, but not by much. “Better?”

She snorted then shook her head. “So you’re just going to
walk around on your knees when you come near me?”

He didn’t think she noticed that she was talking about him
as part of her future, but he’d take it. “I’d find a way.” He reached out with
his senses and made sure they were alone. “Just to warn you, though, I’m even
bigger in my bear form. Oh, and Dante is a beast as his dragon.”

“You know, I’ve never seen him as a dragon. I don’t think
any of us have.”

He grinned and stood, taking her hand. “He’s careful about
it. If you asked, though, I have a feeling he’d show you in a heartbeat.”

“I might have to do that.” She stopped and closed her eyes.
Her knees buckled before she fell, and he lifted her in his arms, cradling her
to his chest.

“Nadie? What’s wrong?” His bear clawed at him, nudging him
to take her to his den and keep her safe.

She took a deep breath, and she shook her head. “I’m fine. I
can usually handle the pain that comes with not being able to find my
paranormal side, but I think since you
and
Dante are near, it’s a little too much for me.”

Jace held back a curse at the thought it was
him
causing her hurt. Damn it. There was
only one way for Nadie to find her paranormal, thereby relieving her pain, and
that was to create a bond through mating.

None of them were ready for that, despite how much he might
want to.

“I don’t know if we should take my bike if you’re feeling
like this, Nadie.” He looked around for Dante’s SUV and debated what to do. He
could just take Dante’s vehicle, and the dragon wouldn’t mind considering what
was going on with Nadie, but it already felt odd that Dante wouldn’t be going
with them tonight. He knew Nadie needed space, and taking Dante’s SUV might not
be the best way to get it.

“I’m fine, Jace. I can hold on to you, and I won’t be
standing, so it’s not that big a deal. Let’s just get home. Okay?”

He looked into her eyes, trying to see the pain that had
flared so quickly and hot he could almost taste it, but he saw only the
resignation that came with her knowing this wasn’t the first, nor the last,
time she’d be in this situation.

“I’ll keep you safe,” he promised, hoping she understood he
didn’t just mean for right then.

They made their way to his bike, a new Harley Road King that
he’d had custom built for his frame. It wasn’t easy finding anything big enough
for him, but this one did the job nicely. Plus, it had the back seat that Nadie
would be able to use, though she’d have to cuddle real close.

Not that Jace minded.

She looked at him closely, and he stood still. “I think you
will.”

The man and bear let out a relieved sigh, and he set her on
her feet. He kept his hands on her shoulders, making sure she was steady then
stepped back.

“I’m going to get on first. Then I want you to hold my
shoulder with your right hand, put your right foot on the bar, and then swing
your left leg over. I’m sturdy enough that you won’t rock me, but don’t go
crazy.” He grinned as she rolled her eyes then secured her purse in his saddle
bag and put his extra helmet over her head.

He sat down on the bike, and she did exactly what he’d told
her to do. She might have been scared a bit at first, but she dove right in.

That boded well for their future.

“Where do you live by the way?”

She chuckled against his back, and his bear nuzzled closer.
Damn bear. She gave him directions, and soon they were flying down the road,
Nadie’s gasps and laughs sliding right through him and making him want to go
faster. He’d do it next time for sure. Every dip and valley, she’d tighten her
arms around his chest and snuggle closer. His bear preened, loving the
attention. He swore the grizzly was more of a teddy bear sometimes rather than
one that killed with one swipe.

When they pulled up in front of her place—a cute little
house with pale blue shutters that seemed to fit the Nadie he’d heard about and
was just getting to know—Nadie got off the bike like a pro…until she fell flat
on her ass.

“Shit,” he cursed and got off the bike in a flash.

She looked up at him from the ground and burst into giggles.
“I can’t believe I did that.”

“Are you okay?” He knelt in front of her and ran his hands
up and down her body, checking for broken bones.

“I’m fine, just a little embarrassed. You might want to keep
your hands to yourself now since I’m pretty sure my neighbors are staring
through little slits in their curtains to see the man I brought home. Groping
me is probably not the best way to introduce you to the neighborhood.” She
grinned as she said it, and he felt heat creeping up his neck. Sure, he’d felt
the curves under his palms, but he’d been a gentleman. At least for now anyway.

He stood up quickly and held out a hand. She slid her hand
into his, and he pulled her to her feet. She squeaked and slammed into his
chest.

“Crap, sorry. I’m stronger than I thought.” Or she was
smaller, but since it got her hands on his chest, he’d take it.

Okay, now he was sounding like that teenager with his crush
again.

They parted, and she went to her front door. He followed,
not wanting to leave and since she hadn’t said goodbye, he’d take it as a good
sign. After all, she might need time, but she also needed to get to know him in
order to make her decisions…or at least breathe again.

He stepped inside and took in the delicate décor. Oh yeah,
this was a place for a small woman who lived alone. He looked down at his big
hands and even bigger feet. He didn’t quite fit in.

“Uh, should I take off my shoes?”

Nadie turned to him and frowned. “No, I’m not a neat freak
like Lily.” She looked around at her house and bit her lip. “I guess it’s a
little girly and small for you in here, huh?”

He shrugged and went to her. “I don’t care that your couch
is too small for me, Nadie. I just want to get to know you.”

Her teeth nibbled on her lip then she sighed. “This is
weird, isn’t it? Normal people don’t go home with a guy they don’t know. Wait,
yeah, they do, but
I
don’t. And the
only reason you’re here, other than to give me a ride home, which thank you for
that by the way, is the fact that you think that I’m not only your mate but
Dante’s as well. That’s so far out of my realm of experience that I have no
idea what I’m doing. You know?”

He ran a hand over his chest, not sure what she wanted him
to say. “I’m a bear, Nadie. I’m not used to how humans would see true halves
and mating.” That was as honest as he could be. If she’d been an angel or bear
or something else paranormal, they’d be in a different situation. But then she
wouldn’t have been Nadie.

She just shook her head and walked to the kitchen. He
followed her, wanting her sweet scent lingering over him for as long as
possible. She smelled of honey and fire, a delicate and strong combination that
was perfect for him and Dante.

She got out two glasses and filled them with lemonade from a
pitcher in her fridge. From the scent he knew it was fresh and homemade. His
bear perked up, wanting anything she’d made, anything that had to do with the
woman in front of him.

Hell, his bear was even more twitterpated than he was.

Not that he was twitterpated.

No, he was alpha and male and not so far gone he had stars
and hearts in his eyes.

Maybe.

He choked on his first big gulp, knowing he was lying to
himself.

“Are you okay, Jace? Too sweet?”

“No, it’s just fine.” He licked his lips, and thanked the
gods he hadn’t spilled any down his chin and on his shirt.