Chapter 124 - Inseparable

Daphne

From an early age, I pretty much knew my brothers were going to share a mate. It is not an uncommon thing between identical twins, as they are practically two halves of the same whole anyway.

I confess that I had indulged in a few multiple-mate fantasies of my own. What woman didn’t want two handsome men to love and adore her? I was a singleton, and I knew the odds were against me, but still, a girl can dream, right? I saw how my brothers doted on Bella, and I envied her a little.

I was thrilled, at least for a moment, when I realized that we were meant to be a threesome. That moment when I laid my hands on both Nash and Louis and I felt the current of pure, spiritual connection run through me, it felt like I had a little slice of heaven. But before I could even really enjoy it, it was snatched away.

My mates didn’t want to be co-mates. Actually, I don’t think Louis was that opposed to it. But Nash…

He was human. All of this was new to him. I couldn’t blame him for not warming up to the idea.

My fated mating was turning out to be a bit stressful and disappointing, but I wasn’t about to give up on either of them. There had to be a way to work this out.

I left Nash sitting in stunned silence while I went to shower and prepare myself to face the day. By the time I emerged, Nash was gone. I knew he would be, because I had literally felt his absence in my body.

The hyper-awareness of my mates was going to take some getting used to. I was having trouble at times sorting out what was my feeling, and what was theirs. It was like popping a whole handful of Skittles into my mouth. There were too many flavors and I couldn’t sort them out.

Since my mood was dark, I purposely chose a bright sundress to wear for breakfast. I braided my hair over my shoulder, slipped on some sandals, and headed down the hall to knock on Nash’s door. Although I was tempted to avoid him, I had to fish my cellphone out of his bedroom.

He met me at the door with my phone already in his hand. “It’s been vibrating constantly for the last twenty minutes,” he muttered.

“Thanks,” I unlocked the screen, quickly scrolled through my notifications, and then tucked it into my shoulder bag. “Are you coming to breakfast?”

I saw indecision flicker across his face. He wanted nothing more than to avoid Louis, ignore the mate bond, and get on with his life. I think he also couldn’t stand the idea of Louis and I sharing a meal together without him. I don’t think he was jealous, exactly. It was more like he was competitive.

I made a mental note. I had a feeling I could use that to my advantage.

“Yeah. Do they have coffee?”

“Of course. Come on,” I held out my hand, and felt a satisfying tingle when he slipped his palm into mine.

We walked hand in hand down the hallways to the dining room. This time, we were the late-comers. Louis was already seated with Pilar. He glanced up as we entered. Normally he would stand and hold my chair for me, but this time he only offered me a tight smile as he motioned to the seat beside him.

I sat between the two men this time, and directly across from Pilar. I noticed the chair next to her was empty. “Good morning, Pilar,” I said, trying my best to be courteous. “Is your father not joining us this morning?”

“No,” her aggravated glance flicked over me like it was a chore to speak to me. “He’s preparing to leave. The king has graciously allowed me to stay on here, for my safety.”

I watched Louis out of the corner of my eye, and saw the way his jaw twitched.

I had to duck my head to hide my smile.

Graciously my ass. I know he wanted to drop-kick her right out the gate along with her father. If he had allowed her to stay within the confines of the château, it must have been for some strategic reason. Presumably, it wasn’t for her amazing dinner conversation.

The servers came around to fill the coffee cups. But for me, they offered me a little ceramic pot of hot water with an assortment of herbal and fruit teas. “Are you kidding me?” I picked up a packet of raspberry tea and frowned. “Was this your idea?” I asked Louis.

He gave me a mild look. “Caffeine is not good for the baby.”

Mention of the baby made Pilar shift uncomfortably across the table.

“You know what’s not good for the baby? A stressed out mother! I need caffeine.” I reached for his coffee cup, but he swatted my hand lightly.

“If you are feeling stressed, I believe this one is good.” He plucked a packet of chamomile tea from the assortment in the ramekin of tea bags.

“Ugh,” I turned to Nash, who was already sipping a cup of the strong black brew. I made my best puppy dog eyes at him.

“Don’t look at me,” He held his mug safely out of reach. “I am not going to enable your coffee habit. Besides, he’s right. Caffeine isn’t good for babies. I remember reading that somewhere. Too much caffeine can cause miscarriage, low birthweight and weakened immune systems.”

“Oh my goddess, you guys. One cup of coffee is not going to hurt me, or the baby!”

Louis reached over and poured hot water from the little pot into my cup. And just as if they had rehearsed it, Nash opened the little packet and pulled out the vanilla chamomile tea-bag and put it in the water to steep, and then put the cup in the center of my place setting.

Across the table, Pilar looked so disgusted I thought she was going to spit in my cup of tea. I gave her a sweet grin and then turned to Louis. “Louis, I had a thought.”

He gave me a wary look, which only made my smile grow wider.

“I was thinking, since Nash is going to be staying for a while, perhaps he could train with your warriors. You know, so he doesn’t get bored?”

I saw that muscle twitch in his jaw again.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Daphne. I realize that Mr. Turner has military training, but he isn’t equipped to train with werewolves–” Louis began.

“I can hold my own.” I was surprised when Nash interrupted him. “I have trained with werewolves before. Obviously, I can’t shift, but I’m a fair match in hand-to-hand combat.”

My head swiveled between the two men. They were staring at each other with such intensity that I felt my blood start to heat.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Pilar suddenly interjected herself into the conversation. “Will you allow me to join in as well, Louis?”

“King Louis,” I found myself correcting her.

She ignored me, and turned her smile on Louis. “My father is so concerned for my safety. Perhaps if I trained with you, I would be better able to defend myself and my pack in the case of an emergency!” She reached over and placed her hand on Louis’s forearm.

I wanted so badly to reach across the table and peel her dirty paw off my mate.

“Oh please, Louis? Let me train with you! I promise I won’t get in the way!” She gushed.

To distract myself, I deliberately turned my attention to Nash.

To my surprise, Nash was also staring at that pale manicured hand with the burgundy polished nails like he wanted to rip it off her arm and stuff it in her mouth.