Page 47 of The Arabis Triad

She didn’t like seeing him so dejected. A throb of anguish seeped through her. She held her hand to him, needing to touch him, to comfort him. “Please, Ashir.” Only when she prompted him did he come to her. She curled her fingers into his hand, needing his comfort. “I don’t blame you. They came out of nowhere. We were surrounded. There was nothing you could have done.”

She squeezed his hand, needing to ease his misplaced distress. She didn’t blame him at all. She didn’t blame any of them and she had to make that clear, “None of this is your fault. You rescued me! I... I’d probably be dead by now if you hadn’t have come.”

“I still failed you.” His face crumpled, his broad shoulders slumping even further. She didn’t like to see him like this, as though all of the light had gone out of his body. It wasn’t Ashir. He was light and energy and playful happiness and she... she... she was in love with him. In love with them all. It was a realization so powerful, it had allowed her to escape. She’d seen the bond, their connection and she’d reached for it, accepted it and it had brought her back.

A tremor worked through Ashir’s hands as his eyes gleamed with inner light. As though he knew what she’d just felt. She had to tell him there was no blame. She was grateful for them. For so much.

“Ashir. All of you. I don’t blame you. Please believe me. If anything, I thank you. You keep saving me. Again and again and again.” She didn’t want them to think any of this was their fault. “If anyone needs to be blamed, it’s those Reptile creatures. Not you. Never you.”

She touched the hardness in the center of her forehead when it pulsed in agreement, a frown tilting her brows. “What is this thing? Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”

Judging by the expressions on their faces, even if she didn’t have a stone stuck to her face, it was huge whatever it was.

Paxt licked his lips. “When we found you, the scaled ones had the Erion crystal placed on your forehead.”

She touched the hardness, an awful feeling gathering in her gut, “Is this where they had it?”

Paxt nodded. “Yes. They attached the crystal between you and a machine. We don’t know what they were trying to do, but it was powerful whatever it was. We were able to stop the scaled ones from continuing their experiment, however when we took the crystal away from you... it left a mark.”

Her gaze flickered between all three of them. Paxt’s muscle continued to tick. Coltan’s mouth flatlined and Ashir was crumpled. She fingered the hardness, that felt more like a multi-faceted stone. It felt exactly like the crystal she still held against her chest. Realization dawned on her. “It’s a part of the crystal, isn’t it? It’s joined to me.”

“A part of the crystal has grown inside you. It’s beautiful Evelyn,” Coltan said.

Serenity washed through her, along with a pulsing sense of comfort. These weren’t her emotions. She was too anxious to feel such calm, then where the hell...? The crystal throbbed and she gaped. It came from the crystal in her forehead. A sense of rightness followed her realization. “Oh my God. It’s... it’s talking to me! I can... I can feel it.”

Masculine agitation crashed through the calm. The muscle ticked at Paxt’s temple, the rage he cast out was as overpowering as the distress she picked up on. The emotions were distinct and powerful—and not hers. Unease slithered through her.

“I... I can feel you too.” Panic welled up. She couldn’t think lying down like this, she had to sit up. She tried to move, but her limbs were so weak.

“Wait. Let me help. You’ve been… unwell.” Paxt gathered pillows from a hidden storage unit in the wall.

Ashir helped her sit while Paxt propped them behind her. She rested back, panting slightly with the effort. She looked between her husbands, ignoring the hysterical giggle that threatened to erupt. Maybe this was all a dream. The stress of everything had finally caught up with her and her mind had finally broken.

“Can you please tell me what the hell is going on? Why can I feel you in my mind. I can feel you, can’t I. Please tell me I’m not going insane” she said.

Paxt looked to Ashir. “Brother, would you mind getting our mate something to eat and drink while I explain, as best I can, what has occurred?”

“Of course.” Ashir rose from the bed and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Those were lips she remembered. He felt so good. Tasted even better. She immediately wanted another kiss. And more. Her body ignited with arousal from nowhere.

Ashir cupped the back of her head and caught her in a sensuous kiss that heated her entire body. She groaned into his mouth. God, how she wanted him. How she wanted them all. She itched beneath her skin with an aching need to join with them all. She wanted their cocks in her. At the same time.

“Ashir. Enough. Let her eat, drink, rest. And then we will think about claiming sex,” Paxt said.

Ashir swept his tongue inside her mouth before reluctantly pulling away. He breathed heavily as he rested his forehead against hers.Mate. You will have to keep your thoughts to yourself, otherwise I cannot control my reaction to you.

“Paxt is right. You need to eat.” Ashir groaned and pulled away. He gave her a lingering, heated look before stalking from the room.

“It will be like this until we have fully bonded. And even then, it might take weeks for the urge to join to abate.” Paxt adjusted a massive bulge in the front of his pants that looked more than uncomfortable.

Slowly, her mind cleared from the overwhelming desire that had swept her away. “Paxt. Coltan. What’s happening?”

“It’s been days since we brought you back here, Evelyn. You wouldn’t wake up. We... we didn’t know what to do. We tried everything and yet you remained unconscious. We discovered you reacted to the crystal. It reacted to all of us. We think, because it is a part of you, it’s power was enough to bring you back, along with the connection of our bond. I think in doing so, it mate-synced us in the process,” Paxt said.

There was so much information in what he’d told her, that her mind buzzed, clinging to the only thing that didn’t make any sense in this whole crazy episode. “Mate-synced?” she asked.

Coltan sat on the bed, stroking her arm. “We hadn’t told you this, but usually when a Triad becomes a Quad, we have bonding sex. We all join with your body and through that connection our souls are linked. We join mind, body and soul. We can feel what each other feels. Hear what we think. It is the closest possible connection. The blessing of joining as a Quad.”

She blinked at him. “Do you meant that… we’re…bondedsomehow?”

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