“Don’t mention it,” Atlas said, almost grinning.

  Before the pair left, Eli appeared outside their door. “Has anyone seen Pierre? He’s not home, not at the shop, and not answering his phone.”

  “Probably has his nose in a book somewhere,” Atlas said. “Have you checked that little reading nook on the third floor of the residence? I’ve seen him there a time or two. The lighting is great. I read there on occasion myself.”

  “Thanks, I’ll check,” Eli said before turning and marching back toward the elevator.

  When they were alone, Luca turned to his mates. “Ready to get the hell out of here?”

  “I think we need a little privacy before we go home,” Colby whispered.

  Home. Luca grinned at the sound of it.

  Colby reached past Luca and closed the door.

  “And why would we need privacy?” Luca asked, his body warming all over.

  Colby could barely contain his smile. He slid a palm over both Luca's and Ash’s chests. “I want to thank my mates for taking such good care of me.”

  Luca was reluctant to refuse, but had to say, “You don’t owe us anything.”

  “Magic has a price,” Colby said, grinning wickedly. He undid the button at the top of his jeans and unzipped. “Plus, I’ve never fucked you without the scarring. I wanna know how it feels. Now.”

  Luca cast a look at Ash.

  “We can’t deny his wants,” Ash said, grinning.

  “Oh, no, we can’t,” Luca agreed.

  Skin tingling, Colby shoved his jeans and briefs down, his aching cock popping out once low enough. A desperate, clawing need to feel them against him made it harder to breathe. He arched his back, lust pounding through his veins. If Colby hadn’t known better, he’d have said he was in heat.

  His entire body trembled under the two men’s fiery stares. Both Ash and Luca’s eyes were hooded, twinkling with a preternatural light. He kicked his shoes off and stepped out of his clothing, silently pleading for their touch.

  They both hung back, appraising him like prey. A shiver raced down his spine as their gazes covered every inch, trailing over him without a single caress. Yet he felt it as thoroughly as a physical touch. He sensed they wanted him as much as he wanted them—each had a tent in their pants as proof. Luca even had a wet spot appear on his jeans. Colby licked his lips, hungry to taste them and lap up their cum.

  Another shiver shook him. “Do I need to beg?”

  Ash slowly closed the gap, close yet too far. He lifted a hand, pausing a fraction of an inch from touching Colby.

  “I’m not too proud to beg,” Colby whispered.

  Ash snatched the back of his head, dragging him closer. The kiss that came was brutal, matching the urgency pulsing in his blood. They feasted on one another’s mouths, tongues lashing and teeth biting. When they pulled away—breathless—Ash pressed a palm to Colby’s shoulder, urging him down.

  Colby knelt, moving slowly, until his knees hit the wooden floor. Ash tugged at his belt, unhooking it. He moved too slow. Colby reached out to undo the button, his hands colliding with Ash’s. Colby moved to the zipper, freeing his mate’s cock, and brought the red, swollen tip to his lips. As he circled the head with his tongue, he lifted his gaze, clashing with Luca’s.

  Luca slid back into his tattoo chair, a bystander in their sex act, watching the events take place. Colby drew more of Ash’s cock into his mouth, his stare never leaving Luca’s. Ash slid his fingers through Colby’s hair, tangling in the strands. He tugged, demanding Colby quicken the pace. Only too happy to agree, Colby sucked Ash to the back of his throat. Tears sprung to his eyes as he gagged on the long, broad shaft.

  He closed his eyes, pulling away from the length. Ash yanked him back, fucking his mouth a few times. Colby gripped his thighs, holding on as Ash used him roughly. Finally, he pulled his mouth away, breathing hard, and Ash gently slapped the shaft against his cheek before plunging back into his mouth.

  Colby moaned, starved for the rough treatment he craved. He glanced at Luca, growing more heated by their audience of one.

  Yet he wanted Luca with them. Not only watching. He held out a hand, begging their mate to join them.

  Luca slid off the chair, unhooking his jeans and sliding them down. As soon as he rose to his full height, Colby gasped.

  Where Luca’s cock had been was a thick tentacle.

  A shiver raced through him. The tentacle coiled, thicker and longer than Luca’s shaft had been.

  “Well, damn,” Ash murmured, finally noticing.

  “Colby has a kink I thought I might share. Have a problem with that, Ash?”

  “No problem here,” Ash replied, eyeing the tentacle with hunger.

  “Me first,” Colby said, pushing Ash away. He scrambled closer, kneeling at Luca’s feet.

  Luca chuckled. Colby ran his cheek over the appendage, the warmth alluring. The suckers attached to him, clinging before it pulled away and wrapped around his throat. Colby gasped, trembling with a mixture of excitement and fear.

  More the former than the latter.

  Which only grew when another tentacle slid out from the first—even larger and longer than the first. The first tentacle slid under his arms, still tight around his neck, and lifted him from the floor. His body hung weightlessly.

  The second tentacle rounded his hip and spread between his cheeks, stretching them apart. Every artist’s rendering… every twisted tale he’d read online… he prepared to experience firsthand. Pre-cum dripped from his cock, sliding down his thighs. A bottle of lube appeared again from nothing. He reminded himself to ask where it came from, but the question of where was soon forgotten again.

  Luca tossed the bottle to Ash. “Mind prepping our mate?”

  Ash chuckled. “Don’t mind at all…”

  Colby closed his eyes, the vision and sensation too much. Ash smeared his hole with lube seconds before the flared tip of the tentacle entered his body. It stretched him wider the deeper it went, filling his guts with serpentine slinks.

  The first tentacle grew ever longer, sliding under one knee and then the other, lifting him and opening him wider.

  “Is this what you wanted?” Luca asked, his eyes hooded and his face shining with a fine sheen of sweat.

  “Yeah,” Colby whimpered.

  “Good,” Luca growled as another tentacle appeared, thinner than the first two. It wrapped around Colby’s cock, milking the shaft.

  He stiffened, the reality better than the fantasy. Colby came, blinding light coming behind his eyes. He roared as his body shattered, re-mending seconds later. When he reopened his eyes, the tentacle was gone. He lay on his back, Ash between his thighs and filling him deep.

  Behind him, Luca slid into Ash, driving their mate deeper.

  Ash captured his lips, swallowing his moans of pleasure. On the heels of one orgasm, he grew dangerously close to another. He clung to Ash, sweat coating him and their bodies sliding against one another.

  His gaze was captured by their shifter, a strong hand cupping his cheek. He saw nothing but love in Ash’s eyes.

  Again, he came, screaming Ash’s name. Body arching, he closed his eyes to the intensity of his release, body trembling violently.

  When he reopened them once more, it was Luca under him. He straddled their witch, with Ash behind him. Both men strained as they pumped deep within him. Impossibly, he was on the verge of another mind-bending orgasm. Luca seized his gaze, thrusting deep.

  “Come for me, baby…”

  Colby gasped, his body under Luca’s thrall. He roared, coming again.

  Over and over and over he came… closing his eyes and reopening to a new scenario. A new orgasm. A new shattering release.

  He lost count of how many he had. What he never lost sight of was the love in their eyes, no matter what position, no matter the moment.

  He was safe in their arms. He was loved.

  When they collapsed onto one another, heaving for breath, his body melted.

  Boneless.

  Colby collapsed against Ash, the shifter’s pounding heartbeat under his ear. Sweat coated their bodies, the air thick with sex.

  “Luca? What the fuck was that?” Ash asked through gasps for air.

  “Dunno,” Luca said, struggling himself. He draped an arm over Colby’s back. “I’ve experienced nothing like it.”

  “Delilah did say you were… a nuclear reactor?” Colby said. “Weren’t those her words?”

  Luca chuckled. “Yeah, but I don’t think this was all me.”

  “What else could it have been?” Colby asked.

  “The power of three,” he whispered, brushing some of Colby’s hair from over one eye. “We are now officially a triad.”

  “But we’d been together before,” Ash countered.

  “Not without the curse holding Colby back. His mate’s mark didn’t appear until just now—and the lust—it came full force.”

  “Was that what that was? I thought I’d gone into heat. I practically yanked my clothes off.”

  Luca chuckled. “I can’t say for sure, but my gut’s telling me we’re officially mated now.”

  Ash drew in a deep breath, his chest rising under Colby’s cheek. “I remember the first time we met. It was sort of like that. Insane need… but this was stronger.”

  “Colby wasn’t with us the first time,” Luca replied. “And in all the times prior, the curse might’ve been in our way. Holding us back.”

  “Makes sense,” Ash said, running his palm along Colby’s back.

  Colby fought sleep, the gentle ministrations lulling him further. “So, we’re a we now?”

  “We’re a we,” Luca answered. “Are you okay with that?”

  “Mmmhmmm,” Colby mumbled, eyes closing. When they reopened, he heard the pair talking quickly, his head still on Ash’s chest. “Did I fall asleep?”

  “You’ve been snoring away for a good half-hour,” Luca said, grinning. “We wore you out.”

  Colby scoffed. “I did a lot of the work.”

  “Quite right, and what amazing work it was,” Ash added.

  Colby rose on his elbows, enjoying the use of Ash as a pillow. “I guess we should get up and go home… but the thought of moving doesn’t sound all that thrilling right now.”

  “I’m starving. Is anyone else starving?” Luca asked.

  “I could eat,” Ash murmured, running a gentle hand along Colby’s back. “Are you too tired to eat?”

  “Too tired to move, yes. Too tired to eat? No.” Colby rolled off Ash and onto the floor. He stretched his back, arms, and legs. “Gimme a minute before I get up.”

  “I suppose it’s the café?” Ash asked. “Safer that way.”

  “If you could eat any dish right now, what would it be, Colby?” Luca asked. “No matter the location or the expense?”

  Colby considered the question for a moment. “My mom’s paella. With a nice bottle of chard.”

  “A man after my own heart,” Luca said, rubbing his stomach. “My mom’s paella was amaaaazing. Do you like the traditional dish with mussels?"

  "Yeah," Colby said, rising on his elbows. “Mussels and shrimp.”

  Luca pursed his lips. “I might be getting another hard-on.” He laughed. “Most people think paella is Spanish, but it originated in Portugal. Where my ancestors are from.”

  “Oh, here we go,” Ash muttered, sitting up and resting his back against the base of the tattoo chair.

  “What?” Luca asked.

  Ash rested his elbows on his knees. “The whole Portuguese paella is far superior to Spanish paella speech.”

  Luca scoffed. “Well, it is.”

  “Then I want to try Portuguese paella. Not sure which version I’ve had,” Colby said. "Oh, and some crème brulee for dessert. No, wait… tiramisu.” Colby considered again. “No… crème brulee.”

  “Done,” Luca said, snapping his fingers.

  Colby was suddenly dressed and seated at a white tablecloth-covered table. Fine china, crystal stemware, and shining silverware adorned the table where three candles flickered. He looked about, unsure where they were. It was a darkened dining room with black drapes covering the walls and only their small table and a sideboard with plates, a water pitcher, and extra napkins on it.

  “Whoa,” Colby said, hands down on the edge of the table to stop his head from spinning. “A warning would’ve been nice, Luca.”

  “Sorry,” Luca muttered.

  “Show off,” Ash added, grinning.

  “Hey, I have my powers back… and we’re official now. That deserves a little celebration.”

  A server appeared, a bottle of wine in one hand. He stopped at Colby’s side and poured a glass.

  “I know you said chard, but a nice sparkling rose is wonderful with paella.” Luca grinned, eyes sparking with life. “Try it—if you don’t like it, I’ll have them bring out a chardonnay.”

  Colby lifted the glass by the stem. He wasn’t much of a wine drinker, only partaking in a few of the bottles his parents had collected over their years. Taking a sip, he smiled. “Nice.”

  After the server had filled all three glasses, he disappeared. Literally. Colby jumped a bit, surprised. The man reappeared seconds later, laden with three small plates.

  “Peixinhos da horta,” the server said as he laid the plate in front of Colby.

  “It looks like fried green beans,” Colby said to Luca.

  “That’s because it’s fried green beans,” Luca answered. “Lightly breaded and fried.”

  Colby lifted one bean. “So, it’s basically tempura green beans.”

  “Yes and no. It originated in Portuguese cuisine, but it became popular in Japan, and has been added to their list of popular tempura fried foods.” Luca popped on into his mouth and chewed. “Peixinhos da horta. Literally translated from Portuguese, it means ‘fish from the garden’. Don’t ask me why it’s called that. My mother would only shrug when I asked.”

  Colby took a bite. “Delicious.”

  Luca grinned, pleased.

  He finished the small plate. “Would this be a common tapas plate?”

  “Petiscos,” Luca said. “Tapas is Spanish.”

  “He says as if he grew up in Portugal,” Ash commented.

  “Hey, I was interested in my heritage and did a bit of research. Sue me,” Luca said, sticking out his tongue.

  “Stick that out again and I’ll put it to good use,” Ash growled, eyes glittering in challenge.

  Luca grinned. “Don’t tempt me.”

  Colby saw the heat flare between them—and instead of feeling left out, he felt turned on. The idea of watching the two of them fucking one another was an intriguing one. He filed the idea away for another day.

  Or later that night.

  As soon as all three were done with their petiscos, the server materialized and removed the empty plates, disappearing and reappearing with three large bowls of paella in his arms.

  “Oh, wow… that looks and smells amazing,” Colby said.

  “You’ll have to let me know how it compares to what you’ve had before,” Luca said, leaning forward on his elbows and placing his chin on entwined hands.

  Colby took a bite filled with rice, shrimp, and chorizo. It melted over his tongue, the flavors intense, yet perfectly balanced. “Oh my god,” he said, chewing. He covered his mouth with a hand. “That’s wonderful.” He chewed a bit more, savoring it. “The chorizo is interesting… not quite like I’ve had before.”

  Luca grinned. “Portuguese Chouriço. Spelled differently, but pronounced the same. It's like Spanish chorizo, but it has garlic and it’s smoked instead of cured, which gives it an earthier, meatier taste.”

  Colby reached for the water glass and took a few sips. “And hotter.”

  Luca grinned. “Yes, hotter, too.” He tilted his head. “Too much? I can adjust it for you if you want.”

  “No, I like it,” Colby said. “I might change my mind in a few more bites, but for now—I like it.”

  Luca’s face shone with pleasure.

  Colby dug into the wonderful dish, hungrier than he’d realized. It also reminded him some of his mother—while it was different, it was close enough to associate with memories of home and his parents. Sitting around the table as a family and enjoying a meal. He searched the men’s faces as they chatted between bites, the full impact of what he had hit him. They were a family now, and he’d have new memories to share with them.

  A whole new life to build with them.

  Midway through his dish, he groaned. Wiping the sheen of sweat from his face, he cried, “Adjust, adjust, adjust.”

  Luca roared with laughter, the sound warm. The witch swirled a hand, and Colby’s tongue and lips were no longer on fire. The next bite was more to his heat preference.

  “Better?” Luca asked.

  “Better,” Colby replied.

  Luca grinned before he eyed Ash. “And you? The heat okay?”

  Ash shoved another forkful between his lips, giving a thumbs up.

  As soon as they were done, the dishes were cleared, and the server reappeared with three small dishes in his grip. He laid one before Colby.

  “There’s no way I ca—” Colby cocked his head to the side. “Is that tiramisu and crème brulee?”

  “I combined the two,” Luca said, pride in his expression. “Since you were having a hard time deciding.”

  Colby was stuffed, but he had to have at least one bite of the concoction. The bottom half was tiramisu, and the top was almost more like flan, flipped out on top of the tiramisu with the top of it delightfully crispy. “This looks amazing.”

  “Let’s see how it tastes. I think the flavors should work well together, but I don’t know,” Luca said.

  Colby took one bite and moaned. As full as he was, he took another bite. And another. “This is my new favorite dessert. Home run, Luca.”

  Luca grinned.

  Ash pouted a bit. “I want it known that I made you a couple of meals with my own hands and without magic. I’m disappointed that I didn’t earn any moans, either.”

  Colby lifted another spoonful, smiling. “Your cooking is phenomenal, and I’m sorry I wasn’t in the right headspace at the time to tell you so. I appreciate you making meals for us.” Colby swallowed the bite on his spoon. “I will also tell you that meals made by magic might have the upper hand. I’m sorry.”

 

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