But he also saw his mate and family riding the open road on their motorcycles, the peace and contentment that washed over Jax when he was with his family. He felt their close bond, which caused Arion to envy the man.

  Then he saw Elvine when she’d first met Jax’s family. She was snarky with Jax, but she was also attracted to him. But she never said anything for fear of rejection. Other snapshots surfaced, like when she was in a magical place that Arion assumed was the fairy realm.

  Suddenly, things became fuzzy, as if she didn’t want them to see whatever was behind the blur. But Arion felt the deep fear and anger radiating from whatever she was hiding.

  For the next few minutes he was bombarded with snapshots of his mates’ lives and the emotions associated with them. Arion squeezed Jax’s hand tighter when he was shown the day his mate had found out his mother was dead. The grief inside Jax was so raw, so deep that Arion shed a few tears.

  But Elvine’s pain was ongoing, and Arion wanted to know what was causing it. How could he even ask when he was unwilling to share his own pain of how he’d gotten so many scars?

  Elvine’s grip on his hand loosened, and then the images and emotions faded.

  Jax yanked Arion into his arms and simply held him before he pulled Elvine into their embrace. What had they seen as far as Arion’s life? Had they witnessed his beatings, his humiliation, the torture that had given him so many scars?

  “Damn,” Jax said with a slight growl, crushing them to him as if he never wanted to let them go.

  Arion simply stood there and soaked in Jax’s warmth, savoring the feeling of his mate’s strong arm around him. It made Arion feel safe, like no one could get to him, not even his evil coven leader or the bastard’s sadistic son.

  “You may wear your scars on the outside,” Elvine said, and Arion knew she was talking to him, “but all three of us carry them on the inside.”

  “I’m not going to force you, kitten, but you’re going to tell Arion and me what you were hiding from us,” Jax said. “I saw a lot of blurring with your memories, hon.”

  Elvine pulled away and clapped her hands. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m famished.” Her wings expanded, and she flew out of the room.

  “Don’t think for a second your beautiful wings saved you from this conversation,” Jax hollered at the empty bedroom doorway.

  He turned to Arion, and now Arion wished he had wings for a quick getaway. He tried to use his inhuman speed, but Jax must have seen the panic in his eyes, because his mate grabbed his wrist.

  “Not so fast, pumpkin.” His gaze swept over Arion’s chest and arms, but this time there wasn’t any lust involved. “Who are they?” he asked, his tone low and deadly.

  Elvine flew into the room, landed on her feet, then grabbed Arion’s hand, which forced Jax to let his wrist go. “You’re not allowed to interrogate honey bunny until he’s ready to talk about it, Mr. Nippy Nosy.”

  “How am I the bad guy?” Jax asked, looking thoroughly confused. “I thought we wanted to end the bastard who did this to him.”

  “I have no idea what you mean,” Elvine quickly said, purposely avoiding Arion’s gaze.

  “Don’t you dare play dumb with me, young lady.” Jax grimaced. “Shit, I need to stop calling you that.” He glared at Elvine. “When we found Arion, we both said we wanted to kill the person who’d put so many scars on him.”

  Elvine pulled Arion away, once again treating him like her tug toy. “Can’t hear you over my tummy grumbles, wolfie,” she said as she pulled Arion from the room.

  Something wasn’t right. Jax was too adamant, and Elvine looked a little too guilty. Why? Arion yanked on her hand to stop her. “If roles were reversed, I would want to kill the person who marred your pretty olive skin. What gives?”

  He felt Jax’s approach from behind.

  Her shoulders sagged like she was defeated. “Fizzle sticks.”

  “Elvine, what’s going on?” Jax asked. “Why are you calling me a liar when we both know it’s true?”

  Her meadow-green gaze focused on the floor. “Because Arion already thinks I’m a monster. I don’t want to give him more proof.”

  “Huh?” Arion wrinkled his nose, feeling just as confused as Jax appeared. “What are you talking about, Elvine? When did I look at you as a monster?”

  Jax slid his finger under her chin, coaxing her to look at them. “Answer him, sweetheart.”

  She crossed her arms and pressed her lips together.

  “Don’t be stubborn, Mrs. Pouty,” Jax said with a soft growl. “Tell us or I’ll take you back in the bedroom and put you over my knee.”

  Holy hell. Arion really wished Jax would stop putting those images in his head. Now he saw his mate sitting on the bed, butt naked, his erection sticking straight up as Elvine’s luscious, naked body lay draped across Jax’s muscular thighs.

  “When I killed those two vampires coming after us,” she finally said with attitude. “He saw me repeatedly hitting them with bolts, shouted at me to stop, then called me cruel!”

  She tried to turn away, but Arion caught her delicate arm to stop her from fleeing. “I didn’t mean it, Elvine, I swear.” He said it a little too panicky. “They deserved what you did to them, but you also triggered a few memories.”

  He let her arm go, afraid his grip would leave a bruise. The last thing he wanted to do was harm her pretty skin.

  Jax sighed. “All right. We’re going to our bedroom and hash all this out. I don’t want any hard feelings or guilt stewing between us.”

  “Now he’s Mr. Bossy Pants,” she said to Arion, as if exasperated with their mate. “I’ll hold him down, and you can spank him.”

  “Me?” Arion’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “I’m not spanking a six-foot-five, muscular wolf shifter. He’d squash me.”

  Jax leaned in, swiping the tip of his tongue over Arion’s earlobe. “As long as we’re all naked, both of you can spank me.” Arion could have sworn he heard Jax purr. “But you have to kiss and lick my red ass afterward. And, by the way, the only squashing will be my cock sinking into either your ass or her pussy.”

  Both Arion and Elvine stood there speechless.

  Jax straightened and headed toward his bedroom. “Now, let’s go hash out these bad feelings so we can get to the carnal ones, my pretties.”

  Arion glanced at Elvine. She turned and looked at him.

  “I swear I didn’t know he was this…” She tapped her chin, as if trying to find the right word.

  “Horny, arousing, sexually outspoken?” Arion suggested.

  “All of the above,” Jax hollered from his bedroom. “Now get your sexy asses in here.”

  Elvine’s full lips curled into a sly grin, her green eyes flashing with playful mischief. “Which one of us is going to spank Mr. Bossy Pants first?”

  She was just… Damn. Arion had no idea how he’d gotten so lucky with such stunning mates. “Rock, papers, scissors?”

  Her laughter rang like sweet chimes in his ears. “Let’s keep acting shocked to see how far he’ll go. It’s kind of fun making him work for it.”

  Who was acting? He was genuinely shocked by the bold and electrifying words. And deep down, he couldn’t deny how aroused it made him.

  Elvine grabbed his hand and used him as her personal tug toy once again, much to his secret delight. She could lead him wherever she pleased, and he would willingly follow.

  Chapter Four

  Jax whipped his shirt off and tossed it into the hamper by his closet. Chewing on his lower lip, he thought about Elvine’s and Arion’s memories. While the vampires had been more vivid than Jax would have liked, Elvine’s had been shrouded in mystery.

  Even though he’d been denied most of her visual memories, he’d felt the fear and anger overflowing from them. Jax had assumed she was a quirky little fairy with a fiery personality. That was what had drawn him to her.

  But he’d only seen what Elvine wanted everyone to see while hiding what was under the surface.

  There wasn’t anything hidden as far as Arion went. Jax closed his eyes, his insides quivering with rage. Whoever the person was, they’d used Arion for sex, had called Jax’s pumpkin their “pet,” and demeaned him while using his body for his own pleasure.

  Then, some other son of a bitch would hunt Arion down afterward and drag Jax’s mate into a dark underground room. The stranger would torture Arion until the little vampire begged for death. He’d used a razor-sharp claw or something similar to it. Jax couldn’t really tell what the object had been. He just knew it was the item that had left so many scars over Arion’s body.

  And it had gone on for a fucking decade.

  Jax would find the two, and then he would bury them deep, allowing them to starve for the rest of eternity.

  Death would be too quick and merciful for them. Jax wanted them to suffer for what they’d done to his sweet, timid mate.

  He ran a hand through his beard, his brow arched as he watched Elvine dragging Arion into their bedroom. She seemed to like towing him around, and honestly, Arion looked like he was in heaven when she did that.

  Now the fun would begin. He’d heard their conversation and was curious to see if they would actually follow through with spanking him or make Jax work at getting them into bed like Elvine’s evil little butt had suggested.

  “We’ll start with you, buttercup.” Jax pointed at her and stepped closer, inwardly smiling when he saw her swallow roughly. He wasn’t talking about having sex, but it was fun to see her squirm after hearing her diabolical plan.

  “Start with what?” The hesitation in her gorgeous green eyes dissolved into a playful smirk. “Are you talking about letting me spank you, or are you referring to feeling my feelings?”

  Nice. He liked that she still had that fire in her. Although he enjoyed shocking them with his boldness, loved their reactions, Jax didn’t want either of them to fear the intimacy they would share.

  He could handle shyness and didn’t mind coaxing either of them into relaxing so they could explore each other’s bodies. But he never wanted fear to be a part of their lovemaking.

  Not after the way he’d seen Arion treated. Not after he’d found out that Elvine was hiding something from them. Jax prayed like hell her fear and anger had nothing to do with sex. If he discovered someone was abusing her the way Arion had been, the burning fires in hell would seem like a backyard fire pit compared to what Jax would do to them.

  Both his mates needed protecting, and Jax would do that. He also knew his father and brothers would also kill anyone who thought to harm the two. Elvine and Arion were family now, and the Frosts fought to the death for one of their own.

  “I’d be more than happy to help you with feeling your feelings, buttercup.” He sat on the bed and patted the spot next to him. Her bravado melted right before his eyes. “Have a seat for our jam session.” He gestured toward the other side of him. “You too, pumpkin. We’re not going to let anything put a strain on our mating. That’s how this is going to work. If one of us has an issue, we jam.”

  Jax waited for Elvine to call him Mr. Bossy Pants, but she didn’t. Instead, she flopped down next to him like dealing with their issues cramped her style or something.

  “If I have to sit and pour my feelings all over you two, then you have to do the same,” Elvine said to Arion.

  Honestly, Jax was beginning to think his fairy wasn’t in the habit of opening up to anyone. The Frosts always dealt with problems head-on.

  They were a close-knit family who supported each other and leaned on each other when things became tough. If they had a beef with one of their family members, they either talked it out or beat each other’s asses. But once that happened, things were settled and they moved past the problem.

  Jax wouldn’t dream of laying a hand on either mate to settle their issues, but he would threaten to put them over his knee if they were too stubborn to work through whatever was bothering them.

  “I didn’t think he actually meant it,” Arion argued with Elvine, a panicked look on his face.

  It seemed his other mate wasn’t used to opening up either.

  “Sit your sexy ass down right here, pumpkin.” Jax poked the mattress on his right.

  He cursed under his breath when Arion wrung his hands in front of him, his eyes darting around like he wanted to find a quick escape. Did Arion fear intimacy or talking about his feelings? Jax needed to know those things so he was better equipped to help his mate.

  Pushing from the bed, he pulled Arion into his arms, holding him close while wishing he could erase the vampire’s pain. “Take a few deep breaths, jellybean.”

  Elvine frowned, causing Jax to shrug, letting her know he had no idea where that endearment had come from. But he kind of liked it. Then he crooked a finger at her. Elvine slipped from the bed.

  “I didn’t want to overwhelm him.” She walked toward them, and damn if Jax wasn’t captivated by the sway of her hips. “I thought my honey bunny could use strong arms right now to feel safe.”

  Jax kissed Arion’s head when he felt his mate trembling. Elvine looked up at him, her expression conveying the depth of her concern for their mate. He nodded at her, telling Elvine he felt the same way.

  “We’ve got you, jellybean.” Jax tried out the endearment again, because he was willing to bet that, under all the pain and suffering, Arion was the sweetest guy.

  Elvine pressed her front into Arion’s back, wrapping her arms around both males. “I’m sorry I made you fear me in the forest,” she whispered to Arion. “I’m really not like that, except when it comes to protecting the people I care for the most. Then mama is gonna unleash her badassery.”

  Jax smiled when he felt Arion’s shoulders twitching. His pumpkin was fighting a laugh.

  “Keep going,” he mouthed to Elvine then added in a normal voice, “You said a cuss word. I’m telling my dad.”

  She rolled her eyes. “What’s he going to do, ground me? Papa Frost has to catch me first.” Her beautiful gossamer wings fluttered behind her. “All I have to do is give him an innocent smile, and you’ll be the one in trouble. Kalen will swear you somehow caused me to say it.”

  “You’re diabolical, ma petite.” He narrowed his eyes. “Are you saying my dad would believe you over me?”

  She gave him a daft look. “Hmm. Would Kalen believe a sweet little fae or McSnarly?”

  “Don’t you start calling me that again.” Shit, Jax was getting turned on. It happened a lot when they argued. He just loved seeing the tiny warrior come out in her.

  And Jax had no doubt his dad would take the “little lady’s” side, and give Jax a whap on the back of his head for causing Elvine to cuss. Which he’d had nothing to do with.

  But who was he kidding? He’d take the blame a thousand times over for her. All she had to do was gaze at him the way she was doing right now, like she wanted to kiss him. And fuck, he wanted to kiss her as well, kiss every inch of her body, eat the sweet cream between her legs, and slide his dick inside of her.

  Her breath hitched slightly, as if she could read the obscene thoughts running through his head.

  Elvine’s gaze lowered, and she stared at their mate with just as much longing.

  Arion finally stopped trembling, but he’d yet to unbury his head from Jax’s chest. That was okay. Jax would hold the guy for as long as his mate needed him to.

  It seemed Elvine felt the same way, but he saw the fear in her eyes, the trepidation of sending him spiraling if she touched his scarred back. Instead, she moved in closer and simply rested her chin on his shoulder, keeping her hands to herself.

  Jax ran his fingers through her soft, blue tresses, amazed the strands reached all the way down to her flared ass.

  “Were you born with blue hair?” he asked, continuing to glide his fingers through the silky strands. Now he wanted to feel them slide over his naked body as he made love to her.

  “All Unseelie are born with black hair.” She tapped Arion on his shoulder. “Do you want to see something cool, honey bunny?”

  Arion finally withdrew from him. But Jax turned their mate, pulling Arion’s back to his chest then wrapping his arms around the vampire.

  “Are you going to do some more voodoo?” Jax asked.

  “It’s just a simple spell,” she replied. “Tell me, honey bunny, what hue do you want for my locks to take on?”

  Jax leaned to the side, watching as Arion nervously chewed on his bottom lip. He could see the indecision in his eyes.

  “Make it something outrageous.” Jax chuckled, relieved when Arion finally cracked a smile.

  “Purple,” Arion blurted out, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

  Nodding in agreement, Jax declared, “Two votes for purple, ma petite.”

  While not the craziest color choice, Arion visibly relaxed at the decision. That was all Jax had wanted, to see his mate at ease.

  With a dazzling smile, Elvine gave them a deep bow, her curvaceous figure catching Jax’s eye.

  As she rose back up gracefully, the blue gave way to a lustrous, shimmering veil of rich purple hair that cascaded down her locks like a waterfall of amethyst light, transforming her into an ethereal goddess.

  “That…was the coolest thing I have ever seen,” Arion said in awe. “The purple makes your pretty green eyes stand out.”

  Jax was simply enchanted with her. The new color seemed to have transformed her into an entirely different person, the hue making her seem more seductive, like a pretty kitty who wanted to purr in delight.

  “Is it me or does the new color make her seem more…” Arion pushed his tongue against the inside of his mouth, causing his right cheek to poke out. “More provocative.” He looked Elvine over. “That color turned you into a hot babe, cupcake.”

  “Are you implying I wasn’t a ‘hot babe’ before I changed my hair color?” Elvine crossed her arms, but with her new look, the movement only made her appear sultrier.

  “That’s not what I meant.” Arion was once again panicking. His amber eyes bulged, and his mouth dropped open slightly. Then he turned to Jax with a pleading look. Damn right he would yank the foot right out his pumpkin’s mouth.