Only Skin Deep: Paranormal MMM Romance, page 27
“Gideon…”
Gideon crossed his arms over his chest, hurt etched in his expression.
“I didn’t mean to upset you.” Seeing Gideon’s reaction made him grow sick to his stomach. “I knew in my heart it couldn't be you. Daniel would’ve sensed something was off. He didn’t. He adores you.”
Gideon glanced at him, eyes shining.
“I’m sorry. Experiencing the same sensation threw me. Am I forgiven?”
“No,” Gideon replied.
Ash sighed and knew he had his work cut out for him on that front. Still, he had more questions that needed answers. “Who would have the strength to pull a spell like this off?”
“Me… a few others I'm aware of. There might be others, but I think I’d be able to sense that level of magic being harnessed. I didn’t feel it that night, so it might not even be the same.”
“Can you get us a list of those who can?”
Gideon scowled at him. “Should I put my name at the top of it?”
“Gid…”
Gideon stalked off, anger in every step. A couple of officers walked out of the precinct, their faces a mask of confusion. Before they noticed him, he slipped behind the wheel and pulled out of the lot, no sign of Gideon around.
Well, I screwed the pooch on that one.
Ash returned to the station, spending the rest of his shift filing reports, making calls, and poring over the stolen file, particularly the autopsy reports. From what he could see, they hadn’t unearthed anything more than what he’d seen while there. He hadn’t expected more, but he’d hoped for it.
He’d neglected to ask Gideon how the history had been rewritten. Was there even a record of the Martinez’s existing? If so, what did any existing family remember about them? He made a mental note to ask Cassius to help, because he was sure Gideon wouldn’t speak to him for a while.
When he glanced at the clock on the wall, he noticed the time. Almost seven.
Fuck. He hated being late.
As he headed for the car, he realized he’d never called Luca. After shooting a text telling them to grab dinner without him, he drove to the familiar bar aptly named No Witches Allowed. It was a haven for familiars—when the witchy world got to be too much. Wards on the exterior of the building prevented witches from entering. They’d probably want to rethink that, considering their current predicament. He’d have to speak with Pedro, the owner, before he left.
The inside of the hole-in-the-wall bar was dim. Florescent signs brightened spaces here and there along one wall. The stools lining one side of the old, scarred bar were repurposed barrels. As soon as he entered, he noticed the only person he didn’t recognize seated at the bar speaking to Pedro. He pushed in beside the guy.
The human glanced his way. “You must be Detective Montgomery?”
“Sorry I’m late. Got caught up with something.”
“Ash, you know this guy?” Pedro asked, a hint of suspicion in his gaze.
Ash shrugged. “No.”
Pedro chuckled, as did Farrington. “Seems it’s catching.”
Ash frowned at Pedro’s comment. “What am I missing?”
Pedro winked at Farrington. “An in-house joke. You guys want a drink? Something to eat?”
Ash nodded. “I’ll have my usual.”
Farrington added, “I’ll have whatever he’s having.”
At Pedro’s nod, Ash eyed the hunter. He offered a hand. “Nice to meet you, Farrington.”
“Call me Mondo.”
Ash glanced about the room. He noticed an empty table in the far corner of the room, which had a padded seat against the wall. “Over there.” He glanced at Pedro, who’d placed two beer bottles on the bar. “Put these on my tab. We’ll be over in the corner seat when the food’s ready.”
Pedro nodded. “Gotcha.”
Ash picked up the longneck bottles, and Mondo followed as he crossed the bar, nodding to a few of the familiar faces. He slid into the seat facing the entrance, observing the hunter. The guy wasn’t exactly what he’d expected. He’d assumed a hunter would’ve been bigger. Much bigger. He realized most hunters were humans—many with a bit of witch blood in their veins—so he hadn’t expected a giant. Sure, the guy was thick, but he was scarcely six feet tall, Ash guessed. No bigger than Colby.
Although he knew little guys could be squirrely. He’d have to give the man the benefit of the doubt.
The hunter surveyed the bottle of beer in his hand before taking a sip. “Wanna tell me what’s going on in Salem? Because I sense it’s not just about one melting human.”
Ash glanced around, making sure no one was listening in. Problem was, shifter hearing was good. Too good.
“Let’s not scare anyone, okay?”
“Then why bring me here to talk, Detective Montgomery?”
“Just call me Ash…and this seemed like the right decision at the time.” A server arrived with their food—a couple of simple plates of burgers and fries. Pedro’s burgers were beyond simple, though. He smiled to himself, knowing he’d have to bring Daniel in there for a boys’ night out sometime.
“Thanks, honey.”
The tiny blonde blushed, smiling. “You’re welcome. Do you guys need anything else?”
They both shook their heads, reaching for their burgers. Mondo took a bite and Ash paused, watching… waiting.
“Fuck, that’s good.”
Actual emotional response. Interesting. “It’s the best in town.” Ash took a bite of his own and almost moaned at the flavor. Pedro refused to share his secret—and Ash wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.
“Wanna talk me through why you reached out to the council.”
Ash sighed. “Cassius, our coven leader at Enchanted Ink, wanted me to reach out after I brought in his third who bore one of the cursed tattoos.” Ash wiped his lips with a napkin, took a slug of his beer, then glanced at Mondo. “He was the third one I’d encountered. The second was Colby. The first? He was the worst and the only one to result in death that we’re aware of. I was called to a scene of a robbery and ended up witnessing something much worse…”
Mondo listened as Ash explained the scene he’d observed. “So, he actually disappeared completely?”
“Disappeared. I guess you could call it that. He melted into nothing. There was fuck all left in minutes. Clothes, everything, not a scrap of evidence. He wasn’t searchable on the database when I got back to the station, either. I’ve seen nothing like it before.” He paused, Gideon coming to mind again. “Everyone that was there at the scene had no memory of it. They all walked away like it had never happened. All video footage was empty, a black screen. Same with the photo I took of the cursed tattoo. Not that I realized that was what it was, not until…” He wiped his lips again and took a big gulp of his beer, nearly emptying the bottle, which he raised in signal to the bar staff.
Pedro nodded before Ash looked back at Mondo.
“Until,” Mondo urged.
“I went to find our third and somehow triggered the cursed tattoo he’d received from a demon posing as an artist from Enchanted Ink.”
“Wait, hang on. Didn’t you just say this Cassius was the one with a third who had a mate that you found?”
“I did. Fate has deemed all the witches in Cassius’s coven to have two mates. A witch, their shifter familiar, and typically a human.”
Mondo frowned.
Ash recognized their coven was somewhat unusual. Few he knew had mated triads. “One of our coven witches, Eli, came from a different coven originally, and got a shock when he found out he had two mates.” He frowned, recalling that Eli no longer had a third. “Anyway it would seem, becoming a part of Cassius’s coven, you get the triad deal.”
Mondo’s expression darkened and grew unreadable. Ash narrowed his eyes, curious. Were they really that strange to be throuples?
Mondo gasped as the beer bottle slipped through his fingers and crashed to the table, smashing against his food and spraying beer over them. All eyes were on them, including a pair of red ones Ash recognized.
Why was Pierre staring at them in shock?
Ash grabbed some napkins from the dispenser, sopping up the mess. Mondo rose from the table and crossed to where Pierre stood. From where he sat, Ash could only pick up small bits of the conversation, but what he did notice was a sense of familiarity with the pair. Did they know one another?
He cleaned up the spilled beer, their server coming over to help wipe up the table. Ash planned to leave her a healthy tip for her trouble. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” she said, smiling, before heading back behind the bar.
Pierre suddenly bolted from the bar, Farrington on the guy’s tracks. Curious, Ash followed them out, but saw nothing. No sign of either. Shaking his head, he slid behind the wheel of his car, forgetting the remnants of his food inside. He wanted to be home, in the arms of the men he loved.
Loved.
A smile came to his lips as he realized Colby had already taken up space in his heart. Daniel, too.
When he stepped through the front door, he spied his new little family sitting together on the couch, watching a Disney movie. He chuckled, never imagining Luca to be the Disney type. Luca extracted himself from the pair and sidled up to him.
“Did you take a beer bath?”
Ash scoffed. “I had to meet with the hunter the Council sent. He dropped his beer, and it sprayed all over me and my dinner.”
“Lovely.”
“He dropped his beer when he saw Pierre.”
One of Luca’s brows rose. “Oh?”
“Yeah. The two seemed to know one another, but I can’t be sure. Pierre ran out, and the hunter followed him out. Looked like a lover’s spat to me.”
“Interesting.”
“Indeed.” He stared past Luca. “Inside Out?”
Luca chuckled. “Daniel picked the movie. We celebrated him getting the job.”
“You celebrated without me?”
“You were here in spirit,” Luca whispered.
Ash leaned in and pressed his lips to Luca’s. “Spirit, hmm?”
“You’ll be here in the flesh for the rest of the festivities tonight.”
“Oh?” Ash inhaled before a slow exhale. “We probably shouldn’t be too late tonight. The funeral is tomorrow.”
Luca’s eyes glazed over. “I thought you weren’t going to push?”
“I did say that,” Ash said. “If you don’t want to go, that’s fine.”
“I don’t know,” Luca murmured.
“Okay… okay.”
“Shower the brewery off before you join us.”
Ash chuckled. “Yeah. Right.”
After washing off the beer and the shitty day, he drew on some sweatpants and a Salem PD t-shirt. Slipping into the empty space on the couch, Daniel laid his head on his shoulder. A smile came to Ash’s lips. At least his family wasn’t mad at him.
He’d need to make things right with Gideon somehow.
Later that night, after tucking Daniel into bed, he wandered into their bedroom, where Luca and Colby got comfortable. He dragged off the shirt and pants, slipping beneath the sheets with only his briefs on.
Colby slid a hand down his abdomen, sliding under the waistband of his briefs. The memory of his mate sucking the icing off his fingertip came to mind. “Checking for icing?”
Luca laughed, flipping off the light.
“Please tell me you haven’t been thinking about that all day,” Colby said, sliding down Ash’s body.
“Not all day,” Ash whispered seconds before their human took him into his mouth.
Luca leaned closer, capturing a kiss.
Ash closed his eyes, trying to drown out the events of the day and focus on the touch of his mates. It wasn’t easy, but they helped him win the battle.
Chapter
Twenty
Unable to sleep, Luca slid out of bed in the pale hours of the morning. He stood at the foot, watching his mates slumbering, his chest tightening as Colby turned and curled closer to Ash. Instinctively, Ash moved his arm and drew Colby closer. He smiled, the sight heartwarming—yet there still seemed like something was missing.
He padded to the bathroom and took care of his needs. Staring in the mirror over the sink, he noted the lackluster color in his eyes. He’d hung onto hope that his power would be refreshed by their all being together. They’d been together several times and nothing.
Without his magic, he was lost.
Supposedly, when a witch found both their familiar and their human, they’d become stronger. The power of three—a triad’s gift. Yet none of that seemed to be true for Luca.
A glimmering appeared over one shoulder. He spun and saw a figure appear.
Mrs. Stephenson.
Goose bumps traveled over Luca’s body as he gazed at her. She was faint—a ghost—but her smile was all there. Tears stung the backs of his eyes as he witnessed her smile one last time.
“My sweet boy… self-pity isn’t a suitable color on you. Your time will come.”
He reached out. His hands passed through hers—yet he sensed her presence all the same. He opened his mouth to ask her one of the myriad questions circling in his head but missed his chance. She faded before he could speak.
Fighting back emotion, he realized then that he had to attend the funeral. He hated cemeteries, and under normal circumstances, would’ve immediately refused. But it had been Mrs. Stephenson, and he’d hedged for that alone. While she’d likely have her immediate family and friends, her birth family and coven had disowned her. He needed to be there, representing that side of her. The magical side. Regardless of if she’d wielded it or not.
The bathroom door slowly opened, and Ash appeared in the doorway. “You okay?”
Luca nodded. “Yeah.”
Ash searched his face, concerned. “You sure?”
Luca closed the gap between them and pressed a kiss to Ash’s lips. “Wanna watch the sunrise with me?”
Ash’s soft smile made it harder for Luca to swallow. Ash entwined his fingers with Luca’s and steered them both toward the French doors leading to the balcony. Once outside, Luca sat back on the chaise, urging Ash closer.
“Coffee and a sunrise?” Ash asked.
“Yes, please.”
The cool air chilled Luca’s body. Something soft landed between his feet, and he turned to see Ash smiling. Luca drew the soft knitted blanket Ash had tossed his way over him, listening to the quiet of the morning and the muted sounds of his familiar inside. The first peek of pink appeared as Ash reappeared with two steaming cups in hand. He handed one over, and Luca took a sip, moaning lowly.
“You definitely make better coffee than I do.”
Ash lowered his cup to the small table beside the chaise before crawling under the blanket and laying his back against Luca’s chest. “Which is why I offered. Before you jumped in to do it.”
“Is my coffee really that bad?”
Ash nestled closer. “Nah… it’s drinkable.”
Luca scoffed. “Well, I never…”
Ash’s laughter vibrated through him, and Luca reveled in the feel. The feel of Ash. The warmth and intimacy of being in one another’s arms, cuddled under that blanket, and watching the beauty of the sunrise.
“Why couldn’t you sleep?”
Luca wasn't sure where to begin.
“Is it the funeral?”
Luca winced. “Yes. No. It’s… everything.”
“Your magic will return, Luc.”
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but…” Luca struggled to speak the whispers in his own mind.
“But?” Ash turned his head to the side, peeking over one shoulder.
“But…” Luca paused, considering his words. He didn’t want to speak his concerns into existence or worry Ash unnecessarily—no more than he already was. “But… I don’t feel it. Not like I used to. There’s only enough left to keep me going and not an ounce more. I don’t sense it recharging. Even the juice Cassius gave me faded away, leaving me weakened after. I think my days of magic might be coming to an end.”
“It’s not the end.”
“It might be… and we both need to accept that.”
Ash sat up, turning to face Luca. “The solstice is coming. We can ask the coven for help.”
“We’re already asking for help. Colby comes first. I can’t expect them to give me another celestial event any time soon after that. It would be greedy for me to ask.” Luca steeled himself. “I can’t ask Cassius to help—not in our current situation with the demons. He needs his strength to protect us all.” He winced. “If we’ll still be considered part of us.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I have no magic, the coven might expel us.”
“They wouldn’t. We’re a family, Luc.”
“Mrs. Stephenson had a family, too. Her coven exiled her.”
Ash scoffed. “There were other factors. Not simply because she had no magic.”
“True, but they were still family. Blood related, even. And they turned their backs.” Anger rose within. How a family could dismiss one of their own for little to no reason was beyond him. Witches revered blood and the bonds that created. Turning one away was a more human trait. He’d read countless stories of families denying a child because of sexual orientation or gender and couldn’t understand that, either.
Ash cupped the side of Luca’s face. “I think you underestimate our coven, and they’d be ashamed to hear you talk like this. They are found family and…” His jaw tightened as he lowered his hand. “They will be here for us. I know it as well as you do.”
“I hope you’re right.” He cocked his head to the side, sensing something else. “What’s wrong?”
“Found family,” Ash murmured. “I hurt Gideon’s feelings yesterday.”
“Oh?”
“He helped me erase the Martinez murder case from the Boston PD. The spell he used… it seemed just like the one that had been used to wipe the melting man's case away. For a split second, I wondered if Gideon was involved in that.”
