Chapter Five

 

“I look ridiculous. And lacy. A lacy, ridiculous girly-girl.”

Callie snorted as she stood behind Harrison in the mirror, shaking her head. “You look amazing, Harry. Like a fairytale princess.”

She truly did. The floor length gown was ivory and grey, bringing out her beautiful eyes. It had capped sleeves and a square neckline that made her look like someone out of a regency novel. But Harrison pulled it off. With her hair upswept and shimmering with diamond pins, she was stunning.

Miserable, but stunning.

“I can’t do it. If this is what Magian men want, then they can find someone else to give it to them.” She grabbed a small perfume bottle from the vanity in her room and squirted the liquid all over her bodice. Before Callie could squeak in denial at the wet spot on Harrison’s chest, the spot changed. Spread. Callie knew her jaw dropped as, within moments, the dress had changed from ivory to black, the length of the dress shortening until it stopped above Harrison’s knees, showing off her long, toned legs.

“Harrison? Didn’t you say your mother and grandmother wore this dress?”

Harrison smiled, shaking out her hair until it fell down her back in wild, ebony curls. “Yes. I’m keeping my promise to her. Technically, this is the same dress. She never said anything about a few alterations here and there.”

Callie shook her head. Harrison would never change. She had to do things her way. It was one of the things Callie had always admired about her. Something she’d hoped would rub off.

Maybe it had. She’d been different this week. Stronger. After standing firm against Tucker’s disapproval, and experiencing the passion she had with Tyghe, she thought she could handle anything. I am woman, watch me strut. She chuckled under her breath.

Now she just had to keep that confidence tonight, when she was surrounded by strange Magians, including one that would no doubt try to kill her.

“I hope you change that back before Mom gets home, she may lock you in a chastity belt until your fiftieth birthday for going to the Triune like that.”

Harrison smirked. “I doubt that, Tuck. Mom’s no Puritan. Besides, that would mean she’d be stuck with me for the next few decades.”

“True.” Tucker turned his attention to Callie, who’d been having a hard time breathing since he’d opened the bedroom door. “Harrison, Jenner wants you downstairs. She says she has something to give you, something else that our mother wants you to wear.”

Harrison grumbled as she pushed past her brother in her newly transformed little black dress. “What now? A frilly bonnet?”

Tucker leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, his smile wry. “Looks like you’re not the only one my brother and I will need to keep an eye on. Harrison is in a mood tonight. You look beautiful, by the way.”

She smoothed her hands nervously over the silky fabric of her unusual dress. A cocktail-length beige sheath that had, at first, looked incredibly plain for all the fuss Harrison and Madame Aubrey had made over it. Until she’d put it on.

As it warmed against her skin, it had become a halter dress, lifting and cupping her breasts to show them to their perfect advantage, the skirt loose for easy movement, reaching her knees. Even stranger, the dress’s color kept changing.

She chuckled as she looked down, noticing it deepen from cool blue to passionate purple as Tucker continued to stare. “I’m wearing a full-body mood ring. It’s a bit over the top, even for magical fashion.”

“It’s sexy.” Tucker jerked, standing straighter in the doorway, his expression telling her he hadn’t meant to say that. But he had.

Callie ran her fingers through her loose blonde waves, loving the new shoulder length cut, the shimmering look of it after Charity’s special rinse. She felt sexy.

“We should probably get going. Any last minute tips? One cop to another?” She turned for one last look in the mirror, and then he was there, behind her.

God, he was beautiful. He always had been. She was surprised some lucky Magian female hadn’t already swept him away and started raising perfect, dimpled, baby witches.

He stood close behind her, so close she could feel the heat coming off him in waves. She met his gaze and shivered as he licked his lips. “Callie,” he started, his voice rough. “You aren’t a cop yet. And you aren’t…you don’t understand the Magian mind. Our criminals think differently than humans, have different motives.”

“Bullshit.” She ignored his shocked expression and rolled her eyes. “I’ve known your family most of my life. You have the same motives as anyone else. Anger, boredom, greed…lust. Just because a Magian uses their powers instead of knives or guns, doesn’t mean their motives are any more or less complex than a human’s.” She turned around to face him. “You’re quieter than Tyghe, but you feel the same way he does, don’t you? Humans are inferior. Including me. Between the two of you, I’m surprised you ever let me in your house. Knowing such an insignificant species was under your roof must have driven you cr—”

His thumb pressed gently against her lips, silencing her instantly with the powerful spark that ignited at his touch. His eyes narrowed on her mouth, his thumb sliding across her lower lip, opening her mouth with the lightest of pressure.

“You have driven me crazy, from the moment Harrison brought you home. I cannot deny that. I also can’t lie and say that for a long time your humanity wasn’t an issue. But not for the reasons you think.” He leaned closer, studying her features so intently she could physically feel his gaze on her skin.

She wanted him to kiss her. Even as this man whom she’d always believed was different told her that her being human disturbed him. Even though she’d been with Tyghe a few days before, though he seemed to be avoiding his family home quite a bit since Tucker had returned.

“You want a tip?” His voice was raw, heated. “For tonight, you, Tyghe and I will play the part of a passionate trio. We’ll be at your side, touching you, caressing you, as if we couldn’t get enough of the feel of your skin, your smell.” His thumb left her lips, and he stepped away. “It shouldn’t be any problem for you with my brother. But for this to work you’ll have to be mine as well. For the Proxenos to allow us the kind of access we’ll need, you’ll kiss me as easily, as passionately as you do him.”

Callie tried to slow her racing heart. Did he think it would be hard for her? It would be harder to pretend she wasn’t craving him just as desperately as she’d begun to crave Tyghe. But she would give it her best shot. The last thing she wanted was for Tucker to feel sorry for her. “I can handle anything for a night.”

She could pick up the broken pieces of her heart when the magic was over.

 

 

“Where’s Jenner?”

“She’ll be around. She left a note for us to wear these. Mom obviously made me some of her special jewelry for the occasion. Knowing her, it’s no doubt rigged to notify her if I don’t wear it to Triune. Think of it as a lucky, nosy, maternal charm bracelet.” Harrison slipped a golden, snake-shaped bracelet on Callie’s wrist, a piece to match the necklace around her own. “Now do you understand how this works?”

Callie sighed, shivering beneath the thick coat Tucker had forced her into. They were standing in a freezing parking garage in Boston after dark, not exactly what she’d imagined when she’d gotten dressed up. But she played along. “Triune? I think so. Magian’s come from far and wide to seek out the perfect threesome so they can live kinkily ever after. Sounds fairly straightforward to me.”

Tyghe chuckled beside her. “Smartass.”

Their eyes met and Callie shivered at the knowledge and desire in his glance. He’d come to her three more times since his altercation with Tucker, sneaking in through her window and driving her insane deep into the night with his insatiable appetites.

She felt guilty, but not enough to turn him away. Not enough not to revel in his lessons, his masterful lovemaking. He’d taken her in the shower, in her guest bedroom… The last time he’d caught up with her in the upstairs hallway, a few, nerve wracking doors away from Tucker’s room.

He’d been angry. “I tried to get you out of my mind. Tried to prove to myself that I could stay away from you. I had a woman, ready and willing, dying for me to fuck her, and all I could think about was you.”

He pressed her against the wall, lifted one of her thighs over his arm and took her. There were no preliminaries, but then, she hadn’t needed any. The moment she’d seen him she’d been ready. Looking at him now, she knew, even with Tucker and Harrison beside them, she needed him again.

His eyes darkened, a turbulent storm, and she knew he was feeling the same intense longing she was.

“If you want me to be sick all over my mother’s dress, keep ogling each other.” Callie jumped and turned, red-faced, toward her friend. Harrison shook her head. “Thank you. Some things are too disturbing for me to witness. As to what we were talking about before you were…distracted…there’s a little more to Triune than sex. Three elder Magians called Proxenos, sort of a marriage counselor and judge rolled in one, must give their approval of the match. They usually do, from what I hear, since once a Magian finds their compliments, it’s nearly impossible to separate them.” She sent a telling look to the two men on either side of Callie. “But you still have to stand before them at some point for judgment, just to be sure. The Proxenos are found when they’re very young, trained to ensure the matches are not coerced or illusory. So, they would no doubt be able to sniff out our ruse. So, if we could just find the killer before the first round of drinks are poured, we can get the hell out of there before someone turns into a pumpkin.”

Callie studied her tense friend. “What if you don’t find your matches at one of these things? Or you only find one?”

Tucker’s voice echoed in the silent parking garage. “There are four gatherings a year. Magian’s are drawn to find their missing compliments, their matches. It’s part of who we are, and we know our magic will never see its true potential if we do not.”

Callie didn’t want to dwell on why his words made her sad. “I suppose you’ve been to tons of these things by now.”

“None.” Tyghe sounded resigned. “Tucker hasn’t been to a single one. He must be the exception to the rule.”

His voice sounded like there was more to it than that, and she felt that knowing tickle up her spine, her Spidey sense, as Harrison called it, but there was no time. A flash of light drew her gaze toward a shiny silver Porsche parked, illegally, in a handicapped parking spot.

The sound of crunching metal made her jaw drop, she watched as the hood of the Porsche peeled away like a sardine can, pulling some of the concrete away with it to reveal a smoky glass door…complete with a large, bald bouncer.

“Well, that’s not something you see every day.”

“Hey there, Jake. Long time no see.” Tyghe walked up to shake the behemoth’s hand, the two chatting like old friends.

Callie looked at Harrison. “I think we can guess how many of these he’s been to.”

“That reminds me,” Harrison bit her lip as she walked beside Callie. “Magians are a bit…freer with their bodies than the average human. Even those who aren’t necessarily compatible have a tendency to go a little wild at Triune I’m told. Hell, some young trios who are already matched still show up to enjoy the party. Think of every bachelorette party you’ve been to and multiply it times four.”

Tyghe, hearing the last of his sister’s comment, smiled wickedly. “We’re a sensual species. Anyway, how can we know if we complement each other without sampling?”

Callie was suddenly glad the Abbott brothers would be sticking close tonight. She didn’t want to find out how a lusty Magian reacted to rejection.

Tucker cupped her shoulders and leaned to speak into her ear. “No one touches you but us, Callie. I promise you.”

How could one sentence be reassuring, erotic and frightening at the same time? But she was grateful he’d said it. She didn’t want either of them touched or sampled either. The mere idea made her blood boil. What was wrong with her? “Thanks.”

Jake the magical bouncer smiled at Callie and Harrison shyly, an odd expression on an otherwise intimidating face. “Three eligible Abbotts in one Triune? And this must be the distant cousin Charity’s been gossiping about to everyone within earshot. They’ll be talking about this night for years to come. It’s an honor.” He bowed gallantly, opening a door that had appeared out of nowhere.

Tyghe moved to his sister’s side in front of her, and Tucker followed close behind Callie, sandwiching her between them as they went inside. Callie knew they were already protecting her, and she had to admit, though she could take care of herself, she liked the feeling. She could get used to it. That was a dangerous thought. The closer they got to the point of no return, the more Callie wondered about her future with the Abbott family. Would she still be welcome once this was over? Now that everything had changed?

Tucker slid the warm jacket from her shoulders and handed it to the girl at the coat check counter. Callie could hear the pounding modern beat of the music, and heard the hum of more voices than she’d been expecting. How big was this place?

She got her answer when they left the main entrance and headed into the sea of bodies. It was huge. Like a massive warehouse-cum-dance club. People upstairs leaned over the railing to study the moving bodies on the main dance floor below. A deejay rocked above the crowd beneath the colored lights. Was his equipment…floating?

Tucker placed his hand on her lower back, guiding her toward the long, bustling bar and her lashes fluttered. She would never get used to the shock of magic she felt whenever Tyghe or Tucker touched her. The thrill of energy that aroused her instantly, made her want to attack them. She wondered how Magians got anything done, if this was what it felt like to touch each other. Or perhaps, it was just her own emotions, her own desires for the two men making her react so intensely.

“Callie.” She turned at the muffled shriek, smiling when she saw the young woman from the salon, Veronica, waving at her and beaming as though they were old friends. “I’ve been waiting for you to show up. Isn’t this great? I’ve never seen so many Magians in one place in my life.”

Callie smiled at her excitement, secretly agreeing. It was an impressive turnout. The way some of them were dressed, she knew they weren’t from Boston. Doorways must be appearing in parking garages around the world for this event.

She chuckled and gave the girl a friendly squeeze. “You look wonderful, Ronnie. Have you met Harrison’s oldest brother, Tucker?”

Veronica blushed. “Actually, he’s how I got away from my mother. She insisted on coming, and she hasn’t let me out of her sight once.” Her smile turned mischievous. “Until I mentioned that the Abbott men had arrived and she all but pushed me out of my chair and across the floor.”

Tucker winced politely and lifted her hand to his lips. “How can I pass up the opportunity to save a lovely young lady from her mother’s disapproval?” Veronica’s face went from pink to beet red in a heartbeat. Tucker smiled. “She doesn’t have to stay you know.”

Callie watched the girl’s eyes widen. “What do you mean?”

“He means that by Magian law, it is permissible during Triune for you to request the absence of your parent’s presence. Makes sense to me. How can you enjoy yourself and find a compatible, um, match, beneath Mama’s hawk-eyed gaze?”

Tyghe’s charming laugh made Callie smile, as did the look of revelation on Veronica’s face. “She’ll have to go?”

Tyghe slid his hand along Callie’s ass, making her jump. Tucker’s fingers twitched on her back, letting her know he knew what his brother had done. If he felt the same kind of electricity she did whenever the two of them touched her, she wasn’t surprised. It was impossible to miss.

His answer to Veronica was clipped. “Yes. It’s the law. You can tell her I said so if you’re nervous about her reaction.”

“Are you kidding?” Veronica twirled, clapping her hands in almost childlike delight. “I’ve had my eye on this sexy Australian for hours. He’s a grower, just like me. Now I can finally approach him. After I tell Mom not to wait up.” She hugged Callie again. “You’re always lucky to run into. Enjoy your evening. I know I will.” With a wink and a giggle, she was gone.

“Our good deed for the night. Now we can be bad.” Tyghe’s whispered words in her ear warmed her blood.

Tucker pulled Callie close against his side, his narrowed gaze on his brother. “Harrison?”

“Safely making the rounds with our old friend Conway.” Tyghe glanced at Callie and explained, “Conway is a powerful Magian, and a true Abbott cousin. She is as safe as if she were with one of us. Safer, since Conway’s magic is shielding. The throng will only be able to come so close to baby sister without being pressed back by Con’s energy.”

The music came to a halt as the deejay spoke into the microphone. “Our first success of the night. Early hours, folks, but these three have come back from their private time with a perfect match. Let’s show ’em some Triune love.”

The crowd roared. Callie watched the blushing female, her energy glowing brightly and entwining with her two counterparts’, the different colors swirling around them like miniature fireworks. “Is that normal?”

Tyghe didn’t take his eyes from the threesome as they headed out of sight down a cordoned-off hallway. “If the match is true, yes. It doesn’t last long, but while it does there is no denying it. That glow has saved many a Magian from manipulative families who wish for profitable alliances as opposed to love. This is why Triune, for all its party-like atmosphere, is so important. We aren’t forced into arranged marriages anymore. We learned long ago that an incompatible match can throw our world out of balance. Without balance, we have chaos. Now they go to meet the Proxenos, to gain approval for their union.” He leaned around Callie and sent his brother a look. “Speaking of unions, brother...”

“Subtle, Tyghe.” Tucker kept her close as he began to walk through the crowd, Tyghe following close behind.

Callie studied the people they passed, their dancing, writhing bodies so beautiful beneath the strobe lights. “Where are we going? Shouldn’t we be looking for the killer?” Though how she was supposed to study anyone in this kind of atmosphere was beyond her. Why hadn’t Harrison told her this ritual was more like a rave?

Tucker held his finger to his lips, telling her to be silent, even though the music was blasting so loudly she could hardly hear herself think. The bracelet around her wrist warmed, and she looked down in surprise, feeling the soothing energy. Had Moira Abbott made this jewelry to calm her tempestuous child’s nerves? It may not work on Harrison, but it was making Callie feel really relaxed. More than relaxed. A little tipsy.

Tucker turned a sharp corner and led her up one flight of stairs, to a wall of doors, most of them with occupied signs hanging from their knobs. When he found one without a sign, he opened it and pulled her quickly behind him, shutting the door as soon as Tyghe was standing beside her.

It was a white room. Brilliant white. No paintings, no furniture. She couldn’t see where the door that Tucker just closed had been. “Are we in The Matrix? What the heck is going on?”

Tyghe laughed out loud and even the somber Tucker smiled, deepening his lickable dimples. “I suppose it is a little like that. The room is enchanted. It will take a few minutes for it to read all of us and come up with the perfect combination.”

“Combination?”

Tyghe licked his lips. “Our fantasies, Callie. The room can read our fantasies. It will find the ones that are most compatible and create a room made just for the three of us.”

“The three of us?” She’d turned into a parrot. “Is this part of the plan? I think I would have definitely remembered if it was part of the plan.”

Tucker walked slowly, determinedly in her direction. “There’s been a new development. After I told my superiors about our plan, they gave me a bit more information. For example, I know for a fact that the powers that be made sure that out of all the people at Triune tonight, only two have compelling magic.”

Callie knew she was one of them, but as she looked into his eyes she gasped. “You?”

Tucker nodded. “And you. I also know that until our magic is revealed through a compatible coupling, the attacker will do nothing. That is the only way these attacks make sense. Not only does that narrow down our list of potential suspects, it leaves us with only one choice.”

She was breathless. “What?”

Tyghe spun her around to face him, his expression unmistakable. “We fuck you, of course. Both of us.”