"They do live with them, just not all the time. Martynn is a scientist and is working on figuring out what the hell happened to the Veil. Shan works in the capital, he's a mediator between the Regents and the rest of the locals. They'll both be there for dinner on Saturday so you'll meet them all."
"I look forward to it then." She sighed and nodded. "I was worried that maybe when a woman mated with more than one man that somehow the love went away." She had been worried that she would lose Ansell with Zhubin as her Prime Mate, or whatever it was called.
"Not at all." He sat down and pulled her into his lap. The wolves pressed in closer as soon as they had settled. "Thorin is always at the house except when business pulls him away. Because he can communicate through the system it's pretty rare that he actually has to leave. But the others both have positions that pull them away often. They are always back on the weekends and they take two weeks every quarter to just be at the house with his mother. They all care for one another greatly and she loves them all. Thorin is her first mate though, that's why I refer to him as his father."
"Ah, that makes sense. Is that what Zhubin will be? My first mate, and you my second? I'm a little lost so I really and truly need to be sure that I don't mess up when I talk about you boys," she said with a grin.
"Some call it Alpha and Beta, Prime and Secondary, First and Second, doesn't really matter," he told her honestly. "All that really matters is that we will all be together, as a unit. Yes, Zhubin will be the father of your children but that's really the only difference between us. We are your mates and you are ours, forever."
That had Lacey smiling and she nodded, "That is what I needed to hear. I needed to know that you will always be there at my side and will not be unhappy with me choosing Zhubin as the father for our children. I just never want to do anything that would drive you away."
Ansell stared at her for a long moment before his lips started to curl slightly. "Just never ask me to change a poopy diaper," he said. He grinned at her look and shrugged, "You wanted to know," he teased tickling her sides.
Lacey laughed at that and shook her head. "No promises, mister." She teased right back again and pulled back to look up at him. "But children are a very, very long way away honey. I want a life with you boys first. A long life. Later, much later, when I'm more ready, we can have kids."
"Then we should likely start taking the leaves again. Luhpynes tend to be rather potent little breeders for the first month. After that it tends to tone down and we'll only have to worry about when you happen to go into heat."
Well that was something new! "Oh." Her mouth was having a hard time working. "Uhm." She frowned and asked outright. "What would you like? What do you think Zhubin wants? I don't want to give up and give in on what he might want and or need in life, ever. Do you think that he wants children soon? Is that why you stopped with the leaves?" The leaves? What in the hell were those?
"No, we stopped with the leaves because we didn't need them while not having sexual relations," he told her with a shrug. "The leaves are an herb from our realm that, like your world's contraceptives, work much the same way. But they seem to work best for our physiology. Unlike your contraceptives it's a completely foolproof guarantee you won't become pregnant. When you're ready we stop ingesting them and wait through a full moon. Or rather, Zhubin will stop taking them. There's no need for me to take them after the mating."
"I think that this is something we should discuss as a family because I sure as hell am not going to wait another month to be with you, to be claimed by you. I've waited too damn long as it is and I won't wait another day. I want you. I need you. If that means that I chance pregnancy then so be it, but I'm damn well tired of waiting."
"The effects take a month to wear off, but the benefits of the leaves work in hours. We will get some for Zhubin when we are beyond the Veil and he'll take it before the meal. By the time the meal and your chat with his mother are complete, the effects will be in full motion. Then we can mate safely without any worry of getting you pregnant before you're ready."
"Are you sure? Do you think that this is something that Zhubin will be all right with as well? I want to wait for children, but what's to say that he wants to wait? Honestly?" she asked quietly. "If he wants to try as soon as possible we will try." She was honestly being selfish because she wanted to wait and knew it.
He cocked a brow and then tipped his head. "Zhubin!" he bellowed. "Lacey wants to know if you want to knock her up right away or wait a little while before we have kids underfoot!"
"Considering I have to deal with you and the wolves I'm more than happy to wait. As long as she wants," the other man called back. "Three children in the house at any given time is more than enough," he added just loud enough for them to hear.
"Does that answer your question, love?" Ansell asked with a smirk.
Lacey laughed and shook her head, "Yeah, it does. You boys are too funny." She laid her head back on Ansell's chest and sighed happily. "But you are mine and I love you so very, very much. I'm happy with you. With both of you. I'm glad that I stopped running."
"We would have eventually just taken that option away. We have finite patience, even with our mate. Or perhaps I should say, especially with our mate when she is ignoring us." He gave her a squeeze before pressing a kiss to her hair. "Let's get up off the floor, shall we? My ass is going numb and I smell food."
"Yum, food." She felt her stomach rumble then and laughed. "Not a word mister," she said with a grin and stood. "Maybe you should have taken the option away from me a lot earlier. I think that we all could have used a shoulder to lean on in the past."
"It was not the time," he said, getting to his feet. Taking her hand he led her to the main floor bathroom. Washing his hands, he glanced at her. "You weren't ready, Lacey, and it had to be your choice to some degree. You had your fears and rightly so. Hopefully we have eliminated them or at least started to."
"You have," she admitted. "And I know that when we have this asshole in custody it will fully and completely eliminate them. If I let him get into custody, that is. Part of me wants to tear him limb from limb and to hell with everything else. Is that bad of me?"
"Not at all, he's been terrorizing you, Lacey," he said, stepping out of the space so she could wash her hands. "You have the right to be angry toward him and angry about the situation he's put you in. It wasn't a place you chose or would have chosen. It's one you were forced into."
"And if I hadn't been forced to do what I did … " She sighed and looked over her shoulder at him. "If not for him we would have all been together five years ago. For five years I have fought the attraction that I have for the two of you. For five years I've kept you both at arm's length for fear of what he would do to you. I'm glad that this is over and we will be able to move forward. We will find him together. The three of us."
"We are moving forward, Lacey," he said. Moving closer he turned her to face him and cupped her cheeks. "The Gods kept us apart for a purpose, a reason. That's how I have to look at it, or the other side of me has this instant and constant need to hunt. To hunt and kill this jackass. I'm having enough problems restraining myself from trying to find the one that hurt Briar that I don't need to consider your stalker on top. I would be most unpleasant to live with at that point."
"Good point," she said with a nod. "I don't want you to be hard to live with. I would likely have to hit you over the top of the head and that just wouldn't be fair at all. I might hurt myself hitting you in the head. I'm working on not thinking about it, I promise." Her tone was teasing, sassy even.
"I do have a very hard head. But then I've heard the same about you." He smiled. Pressing a kiss to her lips, he nipped her bottom one. Drawing back he tipped his head. "Let's go and enjoy a nice meal and lazy evening. Tomorrow will be complete madness so enjoy this peace and quiet while you can, little mate."