Her Forbidden Threeway

“I wouldn’t ever hurt her,” Jackson replied. “Neither would my brother. She’s saved us, she brought us back from the brink of darkness and showed us that we don’t have to hate someone just because of their ancestry or because of who their father is or what they do. Your daughter has great instincts, something I think she learned from you.”

“My daughter belongs with me.”

“And she will always be with you,” Jackson answered. “Mr. Duncan, we aren’t asking to keep your daughter locked up in some lair, we aren’t even asking that she stay with us forever. We just want to build a common ground with you. We want you to see that we aren’t here to hurt you, we aren’t here to hurt her, we aren’t here to hurt anyone. We want to build some trust.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” Clyde barked out, cupping his fist in the opposite hand. “You expect me use some of whatever magic you got going on in this store?”

“No,” Jackson said, his mouth curving into a smirk. “I plan on doing it with this.” Jackson motioned his head towards the large duffle bag that was sitting unzipped on the counter. It held all of the weapons and journals just like he had said. “I want to give it back to you. It’s yours and you should have it. The memories of your family are in those journals, along with other things, including weapons. Weapons that could be used to kill me, to kill my brother and to kill our kind. This should be a sign of good faith to you. To show you that we mean no harm.”

Clyde moved forward to look into the duffle bag before he shoved his hand inside, sifting through everything until he confirmed that it was all there. He was speechless and Reade’s brows furrowed. She hadn’t seen that happen in a long time.

“There’s one other thing,” Jackson said as he delved his hand in his pocket to pull out a piece of paper. “This is the name and location of the dragon shifter who killed your wife. He took her from you and you deserve revenge.”

Reade stood from her spot and pulled Scott with her. She walked back into the front of the store and stood beside her father as a sign of respect. She wanted him to know that no matter what, she would always be by his side and that just because she loved two other men, didn’t mean that there was no longer room for him in her life. She needed him just as much as she needed Scott and Jackson, if not more.

“See, Dad?” Reade asked, her eyebrows lifted and her eyes full of hope. “Everyone has to make sacrifices for the better. They love me, Dad and I love them just like I love you. I want them in my life and they want me in theirs. Can’t you see? If they’re willing to give you something that could hurt them and kill them, isn’t it only fair to give them a piece of something that could hurt you? Me.”

The light in the store brightened and Clyde turned his mouth up into a smile. He moved forwards and pulled Reade into a tight hug and she sighed in relief. Her arms circled around her father’s beefy frame and she buried her face in his chest. He didn’t need to say anything to her, she already knew. She was a part of him after all and she could read his body language just like he could read hers.

“Thank you, Daddy,” Reade whispered and he stroked her hair lovingly. It had been years since she had called him that.

The two Brothers stood back and watched as Reade shared her moment with her father. Both Scott and Jackson had looks of pride on their faces and as Reade peeked through her lashes to get a look at them, she realized that they weren’t full of pride because they had won. They were full of pride because they were proud that they were able to give her something else that she needed.

Reade pulled back from her father and lifted herself onto the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. He swiped up the duffle bag and swung it over his shoulder before her ruffled Reade’s hair once more.

“Take care of my daughter,” Clyde said as he reached out to shake each of the brother’s hands. “And you boys be careful, there are dragons out there.”

Reade, Jackson and Scott erupted in laughter as they watched as Clyde walked out of the store and down the street. Reade’s heart swelled lovingly in her chest and she turned towards the two men who had made everything possible for her. The smile on her face was permanent and seemed as if it was going to cause damage to her cheeks, but she couldn’t help it.

She knew in that moment that while nothing was ever going to be the same again, it was just going to get better. Her ultimate fantasy had come true. There was nothing that could get in between her and the brothers. Not mythology, not her father, nothing.

True love had prevailed.

The end.