Her Forbidden Threeway

“That’s right,” he spoke up. “I co-own the store with my brother. It’s been in the family for years and since we travel a lot, we have shops all over the country and even back home in Scotland.”

“Don’t go giving away all of our secrets,” his brother said as he stepped in front of Jackson, sporting a smug smile. “I’m Scott. The better, smarter, stronger and of course far more attractive brother.”

“I’m Reade Duncan,” she said to herself as she nodded her head slowly, observing the sibling rivalry before her. “It’s nice to meet you Scott and Jackson. As I was saying, I didn’t come here for anything specific, I just found this card in a few books that my father has. So I thought it was worth checking out. He’s into some weird things… not that this is weird or anything,” she lied.

“Everyone has their kicks, Reade,” Scott replied, amusement coating his tone. “Ours just happens to be in the form of big, bad, fire breathing dragons and other creatures.”

Jackson elbowed him in the side. It was evident that Scott was the type to try and intimidate those around him. He seemed to get enjoyment out of making coy remarks and vague statements, while Jackson seemed to be the opposite. He was quiet, timid and polite. Physically, they both radiated perfection and it was easy for Reade, or any woman for that matter, to be attracted to them. Together, they seemed to have the personality of a perfect man. On their own, they’d be missing some pieces.

Reade offered a tight lipped smile and skirted her gaze around the dusty storefront, trying to spot something that reminded her of her father. Two aisles over and sitting in what looked to be a cheaply made glass cabinet, sat a collection of the same type of crystals that Clyde had in his chest. As Reade approached them, she noticed each one of them was glowing brilliantly and causing their true colors to radiate through.

“Those crystals over there in the cabinet, my father has a few of those,” Reade said, ducking down to get a better look at them. “What do they mean? Are they for cleansing the spirit? I read about that online somewhere.”

She heard both Jackson and Scott laugh behind her turned back and she narrowed her eyes.

“Actually, they’re not,” Jackson spoke up, moving around his brother to stand behind the cabinet. “They’re all for different things. This purple quartz, that would be the one that would be most used towards something spiritual. It helps to calm, center your thoughts and direct energy. Hunters and warriors would use it during battle to calm themselves and bring them back to earth. Spiritually, of course.”

Reade nodded her head in understand as she crouched down to get a better look at the crystal. It wasn’t like any of the ones that she had seen her father store in his chest, but it was beautiful and just as ragged as the rest.

“But then there’s this one,” Scott interrupted, pushing Jackson out of the way to make his presence known once again. “The red one? It’s called the Dragon’s Fire. Can you guess why?” His eyebrow arched and the same, smug smirk lifted the corner of his mouth.

“I really have no idea,” Reade replied, glancing hesitantly towards Jackson who was giving his brother a dirty look.

“It’s said to hold the fire from a fire breathing dragon,” he practically cooed. “It could be a very dangerous weapon, if it ever got into the wrong hands. When used correctly, the flame held inside could be used to forge a weapon. There is nothing more detrimental to a dragon than a weapon created from his own fire.”

The tension in the room thickened and all that could be heard was the heavy breathing of the three people in the room and the ticks from the clock on the wall. The afternoon had turned from ordinary, to confused, to weird, to scary, to just plain ridiculous in the matter of a few short hours.

Reade laughed. “Right, and I’ve got Tinkerbell living in a jar beside my bed. Oh well, if only I were into that kind of thing. The way it glows so brightly really is beautiful.”

Both Jackson and Scott snapped their heads to look at each other in astonishment before they turned back to Reade. They were in sync. It was as if each and every one of their movements had been choreographed and only they knew the movements.

“What was that?” Jackson asked, hesitantly.

“The crystals? The way they glow is very beautiful. I can see why my father likes them so much. Maybe I can convince him to put them on display instead of keeping them locked up in a box.”

The expression on the brother’s faces caused Reade to step back from the cabinet that held the crystals and stare. She’d always been taught that staring wasn’t a polite thing to do, but it was hard not to when they were both looking at her like she had three heads. Or like she was a dragon herself.

She laughed at the thought.

“I can’t believe my dad comes here,” she thought to herself. “For eye candy, they really are weird.”

Jackson stepped forward and broke the awkward silence in the room with his velvety voice. There was a calming edge to his voice and Reade found herself relaxing almost immediately.

“You can see the crystals glowing?” Jackson asked, his hand raised.

“Of course I can,” Reade replied. “I saw them glowing from the moment I spotted them in the shop.”