Page 81 of Colin

Oh, right. That was because Colin’s eyes were closed.

“We’rehis mates. We’ll take care of him.”

He blinked up at the ceiling. White stucco.

Jay’s voice rang out again. “We don’t know yet whether you’re his mates or not. You—you waited until we were distracted, and then you—you—”

Colin felt…fine. More than fine.

“Jay.” It was almost shocking how clear his voice came out, considering he felt like he’d just slept for decades.

Jay’s earnest face was hovering over him immediately, Alexei right at his shoulder. “You’re awake!”

“If he’s awake, that means you can get the fuck out now, right?” Fox snarled from somewhere off to the side.

“Your boyfriends are very rude,” Jay whispered, his brow furrowed as he stared down at Colin.

Colin grinned up at him. “Mymates, short stack.”

He could feel it, like some golden thread thrumming between them. He could sense them there at his side—he didn’t even have to turn his head. He could sense their worry, their relief, their love. Love not just for him but for each other.

It was fucking beautiful.

“Yourmates,” Jay breathed, wonder in his voice, as if Fox hadn’t been insisting the very same thing just a few seconds ago. “How wonderful.” He straightened. “We should go, then. You’re going to be wanting to have a lot of sex very soon.”

His face disappeared again, and Colin was left staring at Alexei, who gave him a placid nod. “Congrats.” Then he was gone too.

A man of very few words, Alexei. That was maybe the best thing about him.

Colin sat up, stretching gingerly. The pain in his arm was completely gone. Vampire healing.So fucking cool. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face.

The twins—histwins—crowded in close around the bed. They looked…brighter, somehow, their auburn hair catching the light. Colin breathed in deep. Their scents were richer too. Sharper, with a new hint of copper.

Delicious.

Colin sucked in a breath. Oh shit. That was a new voice in his head. And a new…presence, shifting ever so subtly inside him. Like some animal instinct given form, one that had maybe always been there but that he’d never been awake enough to hear. “Whoa.”

He looked to his mates, these two larger-than-life presences who had decided they wanted him for their own. Dane looked relieved as hell, his eyes shining, locked in on Colin like he was the only person in the world.

Fox was frowning.

“What are you pouting for?” Colin asked, adjusting the pillow behind his back.

Fox’s pout deepened. “Your first word as your new self was ‘Jay.’”

Colin laughed. He couldn’t help it. He felt…light. Like the fatigue and fog that had been hounding him for the last decade had just… melted off.

“Fox,” he said deliberately. “Dane.” He arched a brow. “What do you think, Dane? Does your devil still love my soul?”

Dane stepped closer, pressing in against the edge of the bed. It still wasn’t close enough. Colin reached out a hand and tugged him down next to him, mean-mugging Fox until he slid in on the other side.

Dane leaned in close, the fabric of his tank top brushing against Colin’s bare skin. They must have removed his bloody shirt at some point. “My devil loves everything about you,” Dane said quietly. “What about yours? How does—” He paused, hesitant. “How does your new devil feel about us?”

“I love you,” Colin said simply. “I love you both.” He didn’t know when he’d first felt it. Maybe he’d known, somewhere deep inside, since the very beginning. But he didn’t have time to beat around the bush anymore. There was a hunger humming under his skin, growing deeper the longer he sat there, breathing them both in.

Dane looked fucking incandescent at his words. Fox just looked smug as hell.

Colin frowned at him, the dick. “Don’t expect me to say it all the time or anything,” he warned. “All that mushy stuff will go to your head. I can tell.”

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