Untamed Hawaiian Heat (Rift Hunters) (31 page)

Kiana stiffened and sat up straighter in the tub. “What about?”
“Please don’t change your mind about Tiaki.”

Mateo laughed.
“No, mi querida, I haven’t stopped loving him.”
He pressed another kiss to her shoulder. “I want to tell you about Remi.”

“Oh.”

He moved to the side of the bathtub and sat on the stool he’d placed there earlier. “I met Remigius Delgado five years ago, when I was in Spain chasing a lead based on a tip my commanding officers had managed to get out of a Syndicate soldier they’d captured. I didn’t know what to make of him at first. He was different.” He paused and stared at the floor for a moment before returning his gaze to hers. “Thinking back, I realize he was a little like Tiaki. Strong, handsome, and very sure of his place in the world. He was also the first man I’d ever been attracted to.”

Kiana raised her arm and reached behind her to where Mateo leaned over the edge of the tub, and laid her hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to do this now, Mateo.”

He smiled. “Yes, I do. You deserve to know why I fought my feelings for Tiaki.” He took her hand and kissed it. “I fought my attraction to Remi for a really long time. I’d never been turned on by a man, and it scared the hell out of me, thinking I might be gay. When I finally gave in to those desires, I came to love Remi more than I’d ever thought it possible to love someone. When he died, I was completely heartbroken. I vowed to never love anyone that way again. Especially another man. I believed that until the day I met you. When I felt the pull to make you mine, I was confused, because I still found some of the men I’d met after Remi attractive. After reflecting on it, I realized I was bisexual, but I didn’t feel the yearning to actually be physical with another man. For that I was extremely thankful, due to my vow to Remi.”

“Is that why you fought me every step of the way at the beginning of our relationship?”

Mateo glanced toward the window, then back at her. “Yes. I was scared of falling for you the way I fell for Remi and then losing you. But somehow you broke through my defenses.” He stroked a finger down her cheek. “When Tiaki showed up and the desire for him was as strong as what I feel for you I… Well, I didn’t want to face it.”

Kiana took his hand and placed a kiss in his palm. “I’m sorry for pushing you the way I did. I—”

“Don’t be, Kiana. I needed the push. What I felt for Remi pales in comparison to what I feel for you and Tiaki.” He swallowed hard. “That’s what scared me the most. Especially when I remembered something Remi told me. Before he was captured by the OS, he tried to explain to me that he wasn’t my soul mate. He wanted me to promise I wouldn’t fight the bond when my mate finally showed up.”

He moved his thumb over her knuckles

Desire danced across her skin when Mateo’s magic spurted to life and seeped into her. “But you didn’t believe him, did you?”

“I refused to listen. After he died at the hands of the OS, I vowed I’d never allow myself to feel the way I felt for another man what I felt for him. I also promised to rid the earth of every last member of the Syndicate. When Spain’s military became compromised, I left the service. I eventually heard about your Resistance. I met you, and though I fought my attraction to you, I knew in my heart that you were mine. I just never dreamed what I felt for you could be deeper than my love for Remi had been. But it was. Then I met the Hunter…”

Kiana smiled at him. “And you couldn’t resist the pull he had on you any more than I could.”

He grinned back. “No, I couldn’t. Unfortunately it took almost losing him to face the fact that I love him as much as I love you.”

Kiana rose to her knees in the tub and kissed him softly on the lips. “All that matters is that you did realize it. Even more so is the miracle of us working together to save him.”

Mateo closed his eyes as she ran her hands through his hair and pulled him close.
“I thought we agreed to wait until Tiaki woke.”

“I think we both need to feel the closeness of holding one another. We don’t have to make love. Just come soak up some of the heat from this bath. We’ll both feel better. Then we will go and take a nap next to our mate.”

“True.”
He lifted his arms as Kiana pulled his T-shirt over his head.
“I have missed feeling you next to me.”

“You don’t have to be afraid of what you feel for our mate anymore, Mateo. From now on, I think we should sleep next to him every night.”
She skimmed her fingers over his lightning-bolt tattoo, drawing a hiss from him as his magic spiked under her touch.
“Who knows, maybe it will help him wake up quicker.”

Mateo stood, slipped the rest of his clothes off, and stepped into the bathtub. Maybe Kiana was right. He’d heard of skin-to-skin contact working wonders for many illnesses. Perhaps it could help bring Tiaki back to them sooner.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Kiana glanced at Tiaki. They’d been back at base for four days, and still he hadn’t awakened. She was beginning to worry that even combined, her and Mateo’s magic hadn’t been strong enough to save his life. Sighing, she rubbed her temples and looked out the window again.

Mateo was right. She wasn’t going to do Tiaki or the Resistance any good if she didn’t get some rest.

Her dad had stopped by earlier to let her know Caelan and Jared, their best communications and computer tech, had almost finished decrypting the small amount of information they’d managed to download before all hell had broken loose at the palace.

Pushing away from the window, she moved to the bed and lay down beside Tiaki. She sent up a silent prayer he would wake up soon. As she waited for sleep to overtake her, she reflected on the things Mateo had revealed in the past few days.

He’d finally opened up about his relationship with Remi. Somehow she felt she should be more shocked, but deep down, she’d always known there was more to Mateo than he’d let on. That he was bisexual didn’t make her love him any less. Snuggling closer to Tiaki, she sighed in contentment when his warmth began to seep into her skin.

The only thing that could make this moment better would be if Tiaki opened his beautiful blue eyes. Smiling at the thought of how he’d react when Mateo told him they wanted to complete the soul bond, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

* * * *

Tiaki drew in a deep breath and stretched. The warmth of soft curves pressed against his side. He turned his head to find Kiana sleeping beside him, her head pillowed on her hands. A multitude of questions tumbled through his mind. He didn’t have answers to any of them. He shifted to his side and watched her. After a few minutes, her eyes fluttered open. She lifted a hand and cupped his cheek. A shudder rippled through him when her fingers shifted lower and grazed his genesis mark. Her touch moved lower still until her hand pressed against his heart.

“Tiaki,” she whispered.

He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t because his throat was so dry. “Water,” he managed to croak.

Kiana sat up and grabbed a bottle of water from the table beside the bed. She helped him lift his head enough to take a few sips, then settled back down when he indicated he’d had enough.

“What happened?” Tiaki grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed it gently, then held it to his chest as though afraid she might disappear. When she didn’t respond, he said, “The last thing I remember is telling you and Mateo to take care of each other.” An image of him lying so still on the ground filtered into Tiaki’s mind.

“We were able to get some information before we had to make the jump back here. Dad says we should have it decrypted soon. We’ve also received reports that Thanos is dead, but we can’t confirm that.” She gulped, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat, and a tear slid down her cheek.

Tiaki brushed it away with a gentle swipe of his thumb. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. I should have died.” He paused and stared into her eyes for a long moment, then traced a finger over her lips. “Why am I here?”

“Kiana and I combined our energy and saved the man we love.”

Tiaki glanced over Kiana’s shoulder to find Mateo standing in the doorway, a heavily laden tray balanced in his hands. He met Mateo’s gaze. His eyes widened in surprise when Mateo’s words finally penetrated his mind.

Mateo set the tray down on a table and moved to sit on the bed beside Kiana. “Tell him, Kiana.”

Tiaki shifted his gaze back to Kiana.

She squeezed his hand. “You were hit by the blast Thanos fired at us as the rift closed.” She swallowed hard, trying to find the words, then glanced over her shoulder when she couldn’t.

Mateo touched her cheek, then met Tiaki’s gaze. “After the portal closed, we saw you hit the ground. You’d already lost too much blood. Before you lost consciousness, you told Kiana and me that you loved us.” He reached over and caressed Tiaki’s shoulder. Tiaki shivered as Mateo traced his fingers over his skin, sending sparks of energy dancing in their wake. He glanced up to find his mate watching him closely.

“Ash somehow knew I was denying what I feel for you and why. Seeing you lying so still in Kiana’s arms made me realize I wasn’t betraying Remi’s memory if I acknowledged it. It was in that moment that I realized how much I’ve grown to love you.” Mateo caressed down Tiaki’s arm until he closed his hand over Tiaki’s.

Kiana reached down and took both of their hands in her hand.

Heat spiraled through them, each of their magics pulsing furiously at the contact.

Mateo leaned over Kiana and brushed his lips lightly over Tiaki’s.

When Mateo drew back, Tiaki followed. Freeing his hand from his mates, he reached up and slid his fingers through the silky hair at the nape of Mateo’s neck and pulled him back. Capturing his lips, Tiaki swept his tongue across the seam of Mateo’s mouth, seeking entry.

Mateo parted them on a moan and tangled his tongue with Tiaki’s.

Kiana shifted between them. Heat flooded her senses at the sight of her men kissing with such abandon.

Tiaki and Mateo broke away at the same time. Their gazes met. They turned twin heated looks on their woman.

Mateo moved back and allowed Tiaki to pull Kiana into his arms, though he hesitated to move closer.

Tiaki looked up at him questioningly.

Mateo glanced at Kiana before he spoke. “Kiana and I have talked about it, Tiaki. We’ve decided we want to complete the soul bond.”

Something primal sparked to life within Tiaki, causing his magic to sizzle within his blood at the thought of becoming bound to them.

Kiana laid her hand over his heart, drawing his attention back to her beautiful face. “When you’re completely healed, that is.”

Tiaki couldn’t find the words to express the completeness settling inside his soul at their news. He crushed Kiana to his chest and captured her lips in a possessive kiss. He moaned into her mouth when he felt the bed dip, rolling her more firmly against his chest.

The knowledge that he was so close to completing the soul bond with his mates sent a surge of lust racing through his blood. The sensation intensified when his magic rushed to greet Mateo’s and Kiana’s.

Breaking the kiss, Tiaki backed away. He regarded her kiss-swollen lips and flushed cheeks and the way Mateo pushed the silky strands of her hair out of the way. He lay back on the pillows. A wave of doubt overshadowed the moment.

“Is something wrong, Tiaki?”

Tiaki shook his head at Kiana’s question.

“You’re not in pain or anything?” Mateo reached over and ran his hand over where the plasma blast had struck him.

Tiaki stilled the hand tracing the scar their magic hadn’t been able to fully heal. “No. I assure you, I’m completely recovered from my injuries.” He smiled at them. “I just want to make sure you both know what you’re agreeing to.” He shifted his gaze back and forth between them.

Mateo turned his hand over and squeezed Tiaki’s. “I love you, Tiaki. Kiana and I have read through the information you uploaded to our computer. We understand what the soul bond entails.” He paused, and Kiana laid her hand over theirs.

“And what about Remi?”

A shadow of long-remembered pain drifted through Mateo’s eyes. “When I saw you crumple to the ground after closing the portal, I realized what you said was true. Remi wouldn’t want me to deny how I feel for either of you.” He smiled. “In fact, I think he may have even known something about the soul bond.”

Tiaki frowned. “What do you mean?”

Mateo ducked his head as a flush crept up his neck. “When I was trying to ignore Kiana as she seduced you, I remembered a talk Remi and I had just before he was taken.” He cleared his throat. “He told me he wasn’t my soul mate and asked me not to fight the bonding when the time came.”

Kiana reached up and tipped Mateo’s chin so he had to look at them. “Is that what made you finally decide to admit how you feel?”

Mateo turned his head and kissed her palm. “Yes. I realized I can’t live without either of you.” He smiled at them. “The information in those files you gave us didn’t go into detail on the specifics of the bonding ceremony. What do we need to do to prepare?”

Tiaki squeezed Mateo’s hand. “The information I gave you is an overview of the history of the Phoenix Galaxy. Something we offer to the governing powers of a planet when the magic hidden in the core is discovered.”

“Do you know the bonding process?” Kiana asked.

“Yes.” He released Mateo’s hand and sat up. “I learned about it during my training. I’ve even been to a couple of bonding ceremonies.”

Kiana frowned. “So it’s a public thing, then?”

Tiaki grasped her hand and kissed it. “Yes. The first part of the ceremony is generally held before family and friends. The completion is intimate, and only the soul mates are present. However, I don’t think anyone is going to mind if we break with tradition and perform the whole thing in private.”

Kiana sat up and leaned forward. The loose blouse she wore gapped open to reveal her naked breasts beneath as she pressed a kiss near Tiaki’s ear. “Stop stalling and tell us what the ceremony involves.”

Mateo slid his hand up Tiaki’s leg, sending sparks of fire flaring to life and spiraling through his veins. “You heard her, Hunter. We don’t want to wait another minute to become a part of you or each other.” He stopped his hand at the top of Tiaki’s thigh. “Tell me. Or I’ll have to try out that memory-synthesis spell you used on me and find out for myself.”