Who is Magpie?

“You do look exhausted Luna,” Kai muttered, coming up behind her.

She turned and threw her arms over his shoulders, garnishing growls from Ezekiel, Bronx and Chey simultaneously but they all stood back. One thing they knew they had to accept was that they had been through something together, and that trauma would link them in a way no one could help.

They had both already swore that they wouldn’t share the details of what happened with anyone else and, though their mates were jealous, the pain behind those words kept them silent.

After a moments hesitation and checking over his shoulder to his Alpha, Kai wrapped his arms around her. “We got everyone out, they’re being treated by our doctors before we try to get them home.” He squeezed her tighter, moving his mouth to her ear. “And we slaughtered them all. They will never, ever, be able to treat anyone like that again.”

She sniffled once but shoved him away. “Don’t say such sweet things, you’ll make my alphas jealous,” she muttered, wiping the bottom of her eye with her thumb.

Chey could feel Kai’s confusion as he remembered how he had torn the people he had seen touch Jessamine into little more than scraps. The person they had bought for that evening didn’t seem to think it was a sweet gesture, but Jessamine was unmistakably touched.

Kai rubbed his neck as he spoke, not looking her directly in the eye. “You really are a different breed Luna.”

As the crowd died down Jessamine watched them disperse, greeting many of them with a returning smile. “I hope you have planned to openly discuss everything with the pack at dinner,” she began. “I don’t want any misunderstandings, I want this resolved.”

Ezekiel nodded in agreement. “We will talk to the pack, but first let’s take care of you.”

Ezekiel and Bronx turned to each other, throwing their hands in roshambo. They both chose rock, tried again and Ezekiel won. They went again, tied again, and then a point to Bronx.

“What are you doing?” Jessamine asked, moving closer to them and distracting them from choosing anything on their next round as her hands slid over their lower backs.

“Roshambo?” Bronx asked, skeptical that she didn’t know but turned to her and saw her rolling her eyes. “Oh, deciding who gets the first hour of looking after you.”

“What?” It started as confusion but moved to sadness as she realized what they meant. “I don’t get to be in the middle?”

Their emotions dipped as Ezekiel realized he had promised. “I’m sorry my love, but we’re leaders. Our pack has just gone through something devastating and traumatic. Someone has to check in with all the injured, make sure everyone has what they need and coordinate our teams around the grounds.”

Bronx reached out to wrap his arm around her but she stepped back. “We’re sorry, we should have thought before making promises. But we won’t leave you alone, one of us will always be with you.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “Absolutely not. And before you say anything else, your pack is my pack. If there’s things to do I’m helping.” Their mouths both opened to argue so she interrupted, “I am not going back to that room with anything less than I last left it with.

Their shoulders dipped further with her refusal. “Jessa, you’re exhausted. You’ve earned a day off. Not a single soul in this pack or the next would fault you for taking time to recover.”

“Excuse me, Alpha.” It was Fiona, standing beside him and she waited for him to turn. “I have coordinated the teams outside.”

Delano stood beside her. “I have the security team organized and they are checking with everyone on their rounds to see what they need.”

Melody and Tania stood with them as well. “We are through with our patrol shift, we can check in with all the injured and help update the files as needed,” Tania offered.

Connor approached with others as well, a smile spanning his face. “Alpha is there anything else to do?”

Jessamine looked at him warily. She knew if they had be her jobs to complete she would have a hard time entrusting them to others. Still, he looked at Bronx for a long moment and she realized they were blocking her from sensing their emotions.

In a sudden movement Bronx threw her over his shoulder and headed for the house. She barely cut off her surprised squeak before too many others could hear it, her hands closing over her mouth.

“We thank all of you,” Ezekiel called, clutching his fist to his chest in a gesture the others returned.

“Take care of the Luna,” Kai returned, taking it one step further to clap his friend on the back in a short hug.

Ezekiel strode off after them hearing Jessamine yelling to be put down and arguing about walking herself. Even as Bronx took the stairs two at a time she wiggled in his arms to be put down.

Bronx landed a firm full hand smack on her ass and she yelped in surprise. “Enough from you,” he barked. “If you’re going to get your way and complain…”

“I’m sorry, please don’t go. I’ll be good.” Jessamine begged, looking at Ezekiel’s approach before looking back to catch Bronx’s eye.

Bronx chuckled as he waited. “I was going to say maybe you need to be punished, but I didn’t think I’d be lucky enough to hear you beg.”

Her face flushed and her lips stuck together. They both chuckled lightly, opening the doors to the room they had barely touched since she was last in it. Both doors closed behind them and Jessamine was laid down in the bed, warming into the pillows immediately.

Her breaths slowed instantly and as her eyes closed she let herself absorb this feeling of ‘home’ back into her bones.

“You don’t miss beds until you have to sleep standing up,” she moaned, rubbing her face into Ezekiel’s pillow.

They both bit their tongue, knowing that she was serious and likely wouldn’t go into much more detail. Bronx made it to the bed first, tapping her thigh to get her to move over. Ezekiel made his way on to the bed from the other side lifting her feet over since she had managed to lay down diagonally.

“On your stomach,” Ezekiel commanded, smacking the other side of her ass to match

She reluctantly rolled over and she felt her clothes being shredded down the back but didn’t get a chance to scoff.

“No more of these clothes. They reek of the Fae and the Garden,” Bronx muttered, helping to remove what was left and then a cold palm met her back. “Relax my love, and let us take care of you.”

Their rough hands gathered a small amount of cream into their palm, working around the bandages to massage the tight muscles. Despite her emotions relaxing, the tension didn’t loosen, but they had run their hands over every inch of skin twice so commanded her to roll over.

She hesitated, but did as asked, feeling a heat rise in her chest.

“Relax Jessa, I can feel your heart racing,” Ezekiel soothed. “Long deep breaths.” He practised a few breaths with her but Bronx’s hands were kneading into her hips and his thumbs brushed where underwear would have begun, if she were wearing any.

I startled gasp left her mouth and her body crunched in on itself, at the same time devilish smiles grew around her. When she moved her legs parted just slightly, and they both became very aware why she was so tense during a massage.

“Jessa…” Bronx cooed.

“Shut up,” she blurted, covering her face with her hands.

“From just a massage?” Ezekiel chimed in, planting a kiss under her chin where her hands didn’t hide.

“I missed you,” she mumbled into her hands but peaked out at Ezekiel and then moved to look at Bronx, “-a lot. The only thing that kept me going was knowing you would come as soon as you could, and I could wait a very long time if in the end I was returned to you.” Her eyes glanced back to Ezekiel, confirming they both were grinning deeply.

Bronx returned to rubbing her hips, pushing and pulling them in small circles. “We missed you, but I don’t think either of us was expecting this.” He cleared his throat uncomfortably, not wanting to make her unhappy. “We are prepared to wait, for as long as needed, for you to heal and feel safe. This is something we would never force on you.”

A warm smile melted over her face and she took their hands to guide them in cupping her cheeks. “I know. You would never do something that could hurt me.” Her own devilish smile crept up as she shifted their hands to stack, starting at her collarbone. “Unless I wanted you to.”

Their eyes pulsed black looking at her, their eyes caressing over her naked body they had been trying to avoid staring at. They could feel her bold emotions, confident in her ability to arouse them just by showing up.

“To be clear,” his hand shifted at her neck under her hand. “You…”

“Trust my mates, and miss them, and…” her face flushed instantly and when she spoke again black danced through her eyes with the gold. “- I want to try for children.”

They both stilled, slowly withdrawing their hands, Bronx taking her hand in his instead. “But you said….”

“I know. That’s why I wanted to see Swan alone, to ask her. She said I was never given the surgery, they didn’t want to risk my healing time, and they prevented fertility with heavy drugs and implants.” Jessamine sighed lightly, her fingers now fumbling together on top of her stomach, dimly aware she was still naked. “I thought… it made sense what he said because my period never returned, but as a wolven Swan said I wouldn’t have one.

I know it could take a while, for my body to figure itself out, but I don’t want to prevent against it. I’d like to grow our family and…. What?”

They were both grinning at her, love and excitement beating in their chest but the corners of their lips twinged with worry.

“Jessa… we… We would love that, of course we would. Only a fool would think even for a second that they wouldn’t be the luckiest person on the face of the planet.. but there’s no rush,” Bronx soothed, running a hand up and down the outside of her thigh.

Ezekiel was nodding. “There’s no need to rush….”

“There’s also no need to wait. I love you, the both of you, and I know my strength now. I will not let anyone take me from you again.” The resolve in her voice dissolved any further arguments as their hands again found their way to her skin. There would be more time to talk, with her stress, diet, and exhaustion she was unlikely to be ovulating anyway, right now they needed each other.

Every pain wasn’t forgotten, but each time they found a new one a gentle kiss was placed on it. Things were gentler than they were when their wolves were present and passion ran high. This time when any of their rough fingers tips met soft skin, every inch of contact was deliberate and careful.

When Ezekiel found Jessamine’s broken ribs, when she found a lump on Bronx’s head or the scrape down Ezekiel’s arm, each spot was gently caressed and marked with a kiss.

“It’s a good thing there are two of you,” her voice came out soft and breathy, “because I seem to have substantially more injuries than either of you.”

The sadness floated on.

“More to kiss better,” Ezekiel smiled into a bruise around her ankle.

“More reason to take care of you,” Bronx husked as he licked a cut on her thigh.

When every injury was found they were carefully avoided or tended to as needed, but the touches had left them wanting more. After lunch had been placed in their hall, they were sure by someone who had drawn the short straw from how fast they were gone, they ate in comfortable silence. Jessamine kept contact with them in some way; an ankle draped over their leg or leaning her back against their side, not ready to feel like they weren’t within arms reach.

Finally, when lunch was through, they finished what they had started, making sure she was content enough to sleep until dinner. Jessamine could feel their gratitude, thanking a Goddess that Jessamine hoped was pleased with herself for what she’d done. Her every need was met and, when they were through making sure she knew just how much they missed her, they slept.

In a room that she once thought was too open, and a bed she thought was too big, she was the first to fall asleep. It was both easier and the hardest thing in the world, as she drifted off quickly but awoke to every touch against her skin. They always apologized for scaring her and tried to move away, but she would always pull them in closer.

She would fall back asleep while she breathed in their scents. ‘I’m safe, we’re alive, it’s going to be okay. I’m safe, we’re alive, we’re going to be okay,’ sang in her mind like a metronome of peace.