Three for Thorn

She's dragging us along with her to meet some girl named Seraphina.

With me, Slay and Sin straggling along behind her and for some odd unknown reason she seems awfully chipper today, as we are all headed off to a local park that's located in the center of the city to meet this woman that Thorn has initiated as her friend.

I'm a little suspicious about it but seeing as how Thorn is so damn happy even after what I did to her, I accept this meeting with a placid smile on my face and trying my hardest to push my own suspicions aside. Just for her.

I seen the mark that Sin left on her neck from last night clearly. It's located just right under my own mark. All of our marks that's on her neck look exactly the same. As does hers on ours.

I trace the pad of my finger along my mark slowly, as I do Thorn instantly halts her progress forward as she turns around and looks directly over at me.

She must of felt it when I touched it. Interesting.

Thorn tilts her head a little to the side observing me with mild interest before she turns back around to start waking off again.

This morning she came to me and actually said that she forgave me, surprisingly, for my stupidity, not exactly in those terms but that was just about the gist of it basically.

It shocked me to no end. I wasn't exactly expecting that from her. I honestly thought that it would take a hell of a lot longer for me to earn back just a minuscule of her forgiveness and trust.

I count myself very lucky, most women would just pack up their things and leave after what I did. But not Thorn. Sometimes I think she is just way to forgiving but who am I to throw this unique opportunity away?

Regardless, of what she might say, I can still see a semblance of doubt shadowing her features. I will find someway to earn back her trust in me completely. Some fucking way.

She may say she's forgiven me but I know she has to have a small amount of trust issues with me now. I can just see it. It's as bright as a sunny day.

I will never in my life hurt her like that ever again though.

She means far too much to me and just to think I nearly lost her completely over this.

I feel a ache in my chest just thinking about it. Absentmindedly I start rub my hand across my chest exactly where my heart is located.

No, I will never ever hurt her again. In any shape, form, or fashion. That is my solemn vow to her and to myself.

As we continue to walk along the sidewalk the cool air washes over my skin sending a chill right straight through me.

The winter months are not too far away from us now. I bow my head watching my feet as we go onward.

I wonder if Thorn celebrates any holidays at this time of year?

For some supernaturals celebrating human holidays is very much frowned upon but for me and my family we have always celebrated Christmas with each other every year.

With it being only another month and half away I need to ask her and find out if she would enjoy it with us. I hope she does though. It's a magical time of year that I absolutely love.

I remind myself to ask her about it as soon I can, as we keep trudging along to the park.

I wasn't even paying attention to my surroundings. I was too caught in my own inner musings, by the time I looked back up we were already at the local park now.

Families are here running about, doing different variety of familial things.

When Thorn mentioned a park I didn't expect it to be this type of park. I actually thought it was like some kind of opened land structure that hosted a few benches and walkways, maybe even a small pond. But this is a virtual park made just for kids and their families to enjoy themselves in.

There's swing sets, slides, and even a merry go round with some kids playing happily on them.

Watching them play with each other makes me long for a child of my own.

I never asked Thorn if she wanted to ever have kids. Maybe that's something else I should ask her about. I hope she does though. Because I truly do want kids one day, plenty of them.

"Sunny come on!" Thorn yells at me waving her hand in a come her motion to me at the side of the park.

She is standing by a very pretty young girl smiling hugely over at her.

As I stroll casually over to them I can hear their conversation before I even reached them.

"Thank you for helping me. I don't know how I will ever to be able to repay you?" Thorn says to her. Repay her for what exactly?

"It was no problem. I was happy that I was able to help you." Well she seems nice enough to me.

As I approach my eyes bounce back and forth between the two of them rapidly.

The girl looks very young, I'm guessing her age is probably around sixteen or seventeen maybe?

"Sunny, Slay, Sin, I would like for all of you to meet Seraphina." Seraphina smiles broadly over at us.

"Nice to meet you Seraphina." I tilt my head down to her out of clear respect she giggles at my apparent geekiness.

"Just call me Sera." Her smile soon escalates as she takes in all of us.

"How old are you Seraphina?" Slay ask her abruptly. Amazing he was wondering the same exact thing as I was.

"Twenty." She replies shyly. Wow she looks so much younger than that. That definitely took me by surprise.

"Come let's sit and talk," Thorn grabs Seraphina by her arm guiding her away. We start to walk with them but we soon stop when Thorn turns her attention back to us, "You three can go off and explore. This is girl time." Thorn diligently informs us. We are well excused then, I guess.

I watch as they both walk away across the park giggling and talking amongst each other.

"She looks happier today." Slay suddenly states. That she does. Her radiant smile could actually light up the entire world.

And I hate it that I'm the one who made that beautiful smile disappear from her face, even for a second.

I want that smile.

I need that smile of hers directed right at me. Not just the intimidating fake one that she has been trying so hard to give me all day. A real heartfelt genuine smile filled with the love and devotion that she use to have for me.

I know that she said that she has forgiven me but I can still see the wariness floating around in her eyes whenever she looks at me and I was the stupid one who put that weariness there and I absolutely hate it.

"Are you alright?" Sin questions me. No I'm actually not. The guilt and regret are all but consuming me.

"Yes." I lie to him. No sense in making him worry also since he is just now finally on the right path with Thorn now. I just wished so damn desperately that I didn't stray away from my own path with her.

But I only have myself to blame for my stupidity.

"Why don't we go ask our girl if she wants to grab some dinner?" I suggest putting on a fake ass smile just for them.

"Sounds good." Slay happily agrees with me.

As we all make our way over to Thorn and Sera, I drift slowly behind my brothers, not feeling quite as eager as them.

One step in front of the other, is all I can manage to do right now.

Two paces languidly behind them I hear Slay casually ask them both out to dinner.

Thorn smiles up at Slay, that's the type of smile that I've been so yearning for. The one I so need to see.

"Sera would like you to join us?" Sin politely asks her. Seras eyes dash around nervously locking on to each of us.

"I would love to." She quietly agrees with a slight blush creeping up on her cheeks.

"Great, but we also need to make plans for what we need to do tomorrow for your interview with Samuel." Slay abruptly adds and we all freeze, not realizing that he just spoke out of turn unintentionally right there in front of Seraphina.

With shocked faces we all go perfectly quiet, when Slay suddenly realizes his mistake he silently cusses under his breath.

"Do you think we can trust her?" I question Thorn through our mindlink.

"I don't know. She has helped me before and she seems honest enough." Thorn states with a questioning gaze aimed toward Sera.

"Should we just tell her?" I ask.

"Honestly Sunny, I have not been the best judge of character here lately but to me she seems genuine enough. I like her if that counts for anything?" I just knew that statement was meant for me. The guilt inside of me suddenly starts to escalate.

"You know it does Thorn. We trust your judgement. We always have." And we always will.

"Thanks. Yes, I think we may be able to trust her." Thorn exclaims with assuredly.

"Good, then I think we should at least give her a chance." I agree with her. I will always trust Thorns judgement I just wish she had more faith in herself.

"Me too." She nods her head. Reaching out for Seras arm she places her hand on it gently.

"It's a long story and I know you must be confused but we will explain everything to you over dinner. That is if you're still wanting to go with us?" Thorn assures her.

"If it's what I'm thinking it is then I would gladly love to help all of you. I can't stand him either. He's the reason my sister is no longer with us. She was my twin and unfortunately she was cursed with being that bastards mate. He looked down on her like she was worse than a bug under his shoes. My sister, Batina, couldn't understand why he wouldn't have anything to do with her. She actually loved the asshole. Why I don't know but she did. He ended up killing her just because he thought that she was beneath his ass. Now it's just me and my mother and she rarely ever comes out of our house now anymore because of it. So if you are planning to get rid of that cumsucker then count my ass in." Sera snarls. Her sweet innocent face turns heated instantly.

Samuel apparently is worse than I actually ever imagined him to be.

"I...I'm so sorry Sera...I didn't know." Thorn shows her undying sympathy.

"How could you? Just please allow me to help you. I need some type of closure and I desperately need this, not just for Batina or my mother but for me also." I can see the pure raw anguish reflecting off of Sera.

"Well we may actually need more than just Seraphinas help here. I may have a plan but we need to get ahold of Freya and her sister, Hope and possibly even Striker if they would be willing to help us that is?" Slay has a plan?

I should of realized that Slay has been formulating a plan all along. He is the protector after all just as Freya once said he was.

"I'll call her and see." Thorn replies, grabbing her phone out of her front jeans pocket, she walks off with it pressed against her ear.

"How did you meet Thorn?" I ask Seraphina curiously.

"Oh it's a funny story actually. She came into the coffee shop where I work storming mad at my coworker, Jessica. You should of seen her. She marched right up to the counter demanding to see Jessica. She even pushed a customer aside to get to the counter. Unfortunately Jessica was off that day, so I calmed her down the best that I could and we just started talking. She told me about what Jessica did to one of you. Jessica has a bad habit of coming on to all of the good looking customers," she unintentionally blushes again, "anyway, our manager was there and heard everything. He gave Jessica a warning for her disobedience." She stops her explanation looking back over her shoulder toward Thorn who is still talking on her phone.

"Then the strangest thing happened. A guy came in after that and Jessica just couldn't resist and tried it again with him. He told her off though, she sort of met her match," she starts giggling, "another customer was there and heard everything that went on between them both. So he went to our manager and complained about her. She got fired that day." Sera states while casting a beaming smile up at us.

"I talked to that customer that reported her. He's a regular that comes in the shop all of the time. He didn't like Jessica either. He said that Jessica got really mad after this guy put her in her place. I asked him what he said to her and he told me that one day she would mess with the wrong man and threw a napkin right at her. Not like she didn't deserve it though." She says with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

After Seras story. I recall what happened between Slay and Thorn. Glancing over at him I notice that he is showing no emotion at all regarding Seras statement. I risk a glance toward Sin. The bastard is smiling deviously down at Sera. He told me what happened at the coffee shop between him and this Jessica girl.

Sin actually got her fired!

Well I can't say that I'm not actually happy over it.

"They will meet us tonight after dinner." Thorn states as she is walking back over to us.

"Good. Then let's go eat." I suggest to all of them eagerly.

Thorn smiles and does something that I wasn't expecting.

She runs and jumps right onto Slays back. Slay grunts from the sudden impact of her body hitting him. He looks over his shoulder up at her smiling.

"What are you doing?" He ask.

"My feet hurt and I'm hungry." She whines while pouting, "Onward horsy. Giddy up!" Her legs clasp around Slays sides as she points her finger forward.

"I'm not a damn horse Thorn." Slay grumbles.

"Okay so you can be my stallion then." She demurely tells him. Lowering her head to his ear she whispers something to him. Luckily I could hear just what she told him.

"If you let me ride you now you can ride me later tonight." She whispers to him provocatively.

Slay grins over at her then neighs to her like a damn horse and takes off galloping down the sidewalk with Thorn laughing uproariously on his back, while waving her hand up in the air.

The rest of us watch them go, laughing at their dramatic antics.

"She's got him wrapped around her little finger." Sin leans in to tell me this.

"She has us all wrapped around that little finger brother." Sin lets out a deep chuckle as we leisurely follow behind Slay and Thorn headed off to dinner.

We ended up at Freyas house a little after nine.

All of us was there crowded around in Freyas small cabin.

Us along with Sera, Freya, Hope, and Striker we're all working out a plan for Samuels subsequential

demise.

Not long after we got most of the plan dissected did Grayson feign to make an unexpected visit.

The entirety of his time there he kept making overly eager eyes in Thorns direction.

While observing him I soon came to the realization that Grayson is indeed infatuated with our beautiful mate.

I never quite understood how Slay could be so damn jealous all of the time over Thorn, but now, I can definitely see exactly how could be.

I use to not have a jealous bone in my body but since Thorn has ventured into our lives I find myself being jealous often.

As I watch him, he keeps trying his hardest to get closer to Thorn. He drifts all through the living room, acting as if he's pacing the floor just to make his way over to her.

Eventually, he manages to sit down right beside her, on the far end arm of the couch that were all sitting upon.

I'm not the only one that catches this.

Slay and Sin are both eyeing Grayson with clouded suspicious eyes directed right over at him.

"Thorn can we talk in private?" Grayson ask ending all of the conversations that are going on around us. Everyone in the room looks up at Grayson with apprehension.

"Uhm, sure." She says with slight hesitation. Her beautiful cove blue eyes dart all across the room finally landing on me and my brothers.

There's a noticeable tremble in her hands as she stands.

"I don't think so. Whatever you have to say to her you can say right here in front of us." Sin states as he stands up from the couch folding his arms across chest.

Thorn starts to stand up but Slay places his hand on top of shoulders, pushing her back down onto the sofa gently, stopping her progression immediately.

"Figures that you three would decide to go all caveman. Look Thorn I just wanted to talk to you in private. What's the big damn deal?" This man must have a damn death wish.

"Not in my house! If you got a problem take it outside!" Freya growls furiously.

"Sounds good to me." Sin declares glaring daggers at Grayson.

"Oh, is that the way you want to play it little man? Then lets go!" Grayson daringly replies gracing Sin with a visceral smirk.

"Stop this nonsense this instant. We have more important things to worry about right now than all of you having some type of dick measuring contest!" Thorns words go unheeded as Sin and Grayson still continue to glower over at each other.

The tension in the little cabin grows as each one of us wait on bated breath to see which of them will break first.

Slay is the one who puts an unquestionable stop to the bullshit.

He slowly stands up from the couch, positioning himself right in between them both.

"Thorns right. We don't need this shit right now. So put your damn dicks away and let's just get on with this." I peer closely over at Grayson, as I watch the asshole he takes a few seconds before he inevitably decides to just give in first.

He eventually scoffs at Sin and Slay jumping up from the couch suddenly he gives us all one last glare before he then heatedly stomps away, as he leaves the cabin while slamming the door fiercely behind him.

Laying in bed, as Sin sleeps soundlessly next me, I can't get Thorn out of my thoughts.

Tomorrow she has to walk up into that castle by herself, pretending to be someone that she's not, defenseless and all alone.

Well I mean she has mastered some of her abilities lately but I'm absolutely terrified that with her lack of skills over her abilities that she will eventually end up getting herself hurt or even worse: killed.

No matter how many times we went back and forth over the plans tonight there will always still be a possibility of something going terribly awry.

And with Thorn and I still not truly being able to mend our relationship like we should have, I'm afraid that we will leave things unsaid that should be brought out in the open before it's too damn late.

That's just something that I can't live with or even allow.

As quietly as possible, I slide out of bed, trying my best not to wake Sin in the process.

Creeping over to the adjoining door, I slowly open it, peering my head around the side of the door I search the bedroom for Thorn.

Amazingly, I only see Slay laying down on the bed sleeping.

Closing the door silently behind me, I catch a sight of a light cascading out of the bathroom ensuite door.

Edging my way over to the bathroom, I rap my knuckles on the door softly.

Thorn opens the door suddenly with a hand towel placed in her hands eyeing me with curiosity.

"Sunny?" She questions, as I close the door behind me without taking my eyes off of her.

"Thorn I have something to say to you and I don't want you to say a single word until I'm done okay?" She looks on at me with her eyes filled with concern.

"Alright." She drops the hand towel that's in her hands on the bathroom sink finally giving me her full attention.

"I know I've already apologized over and over again to you for what I did but I can't seem apologize enough to you. Thorn you are my life. My world. The air that I fucking breathe. I hurt you and even though you said that you have forgiven me I can still see the doubts that you have about me in your beautiful eyes. I need to know what I can do to remove all of those doubts about me. I will do anything Thorn. Do you want me to get on my knees begging you for forgiveness? I will, without even complaining, I would get on my damn knees right here and now, and beg you with all that I have in me, just so you would forgive me for being such a dumb ass. I love you Thorn and I know I can say that until I'm blue in the face to you and you may still have your doubts about my love for you but I do Thorn. I love you more than I love myself. More than I love anything. I fucked up and I know it. I should I have told you and believe me I will never in my life keep anything from you again ever. I swear that on my life. So please forgive me. Not this fake forgiveness you have been supplying me with all day with but your genuine forgiveness. I want to see that loving smile aimed at me again and it truly mean something. I need you Thorn. More than I have ever needed anyone or anything else before." By the time I finished telling her what I wanted to desperately get off of my chest I didn't even notice that she has been crying.

I take a step closer to her, reaching out to her, I gingerly wiped her fallen tears away from her face softly with the pad of my thumbs.

"Oh, Thorn, I love you so damn much. Please, baby, forgive me?" My own voice betrays me and croaks up when I see her so damn broken.

"I...forgive....you Sunny." I blow out the breath that I was holding in. Relief washes through me instantly. Grabbing her up into my arms I embrace her tightly.

"Thank you." I manage to croak out barely, with her head laying upon my chest I start to stroke her long hair lovingly.

"Listen Thorn about tomorrow, please promise me that you will be safe. I need to know that you will do everything in your power to come back to me unharmed." It's a ridiculous notion, I know, but I so desperately need it her say this.

We will be there along with her but nowhere close enough to her to keep her safe and out of Samuel or even his evil cohorts hands.

"I promise Sunny." She agrees nodding her head against my chest.

"As long as you promise me the same thing." She mumbles.

"I promise." I vow solemnly to her but who actually knows what the hell will happen tomorrow to either of us. It's just a chance we are all willing to take for her.

And only her.