Mathew strolled into the family room inside Natalia's mansion—their mansion now—and came to an abrupt stop. "Am I late?" he asked, looking around to see that everyone had stopped what they were doing and were looking at him.
"Yes," said Viktor, sitting in a lone chair. He had a glass of feteasca alba, a traditional dry white wine from the old country. Taking in a sip, he savored the flavors that danced across his tongue. He had no idea where Natalia was able to get all of these different wines and liqueurs for her home, but he hadn't had a cup of this in at least a hundred years. "What took you so long?"
"Downtown traffic was a bitch," sneered Mathew as he took a glass of whatever Dom had given him. Bringing it up to his nose, he inhaled the smell of the sour cherry liqueur. "You are really pulling out all the stops right now," he continued, looking at where his forever was seated between the demon and the angel. "Should I be worried?"
Natalia looked up at him, an unreadable look on her face before she called to the woman standing behind him.
"Stephanie," she said slowly, her words soft but powerful. "This House is in lockdown right now. Send out the word to all the others to do the same. There is a threat coming for us, and until we know more, no monster is safe."
"What if they don't agree?" asked Stephanie, her head cocked to the side. Natalia shrugged her shoulders.
"It's up to them whether they do it or not. I have enough on my hands right now that I am not willing to be included in whatever shit they manage to stir up."
"Of course, Head," bowed Stephanie slightly before straightening her back and raising an eyebrow. "Am I going to be needed during this lockdown?"
"Do you have a place to go?"
"I do," assured the other woman.
"Then lock the door on your way out. I'll let you know when I need you again," nodded Natalia and Mathew couldn't resist the smirk that was threatening to appear on his face. When he was told there was an emergency family meeting, he had expected the worst.
"Enjoy," smirked Stephanie as she looked around the room.
----
I waited until Mathew sat down before I rose and looked around at the men in the room. Each one brought something new and wonderful into my life, and they all had a small part of me inside them, even if they didn't know or want it there.
I waited for the guilt to hit at the idea they hadn't consented to being tied to me, but everything inside of me snorted at that idea. It was a very modern concept, one that didn't mean much to beings that were several hundred years old.
But Greyson and Levi might not appreciate it.
"You are scaring some of us, puiul meu mic," murmured Viktor low. It had seemed like forever since he had last called me his little cub in the old language, but the words meant everything to me at this moment. "You need to say something before the wolf passes out in fear."
My gaze swung over to where Mathew was seated, a giant smirk on his face. "Speak for yourself, hunter. I can't wait to hear what my little domnisoara is going to say next."
Yet another nickname in the old tongue. Domnisoara, pretty girl… my men were really pulling out all the stops right now.
I needed them to understand everything first, though. And in order to do that, I needed to put on my big girl panties and just tell them what was on my mind.
"I have never denied the connection I had with any of you," I started, wishing that I had something strong to get through this. I wasn't always the most in touch with my feelings, and I was beginning to feel like an idiot. But the guys needed to hear this.
"I was working under the assumption that we had centuries in front of us and that any relationship that we developed would be through mutual consent and desire."
I heard a snort coming from one side of the room, and I didn't need to know that it was Mathew making the sound.
"That plan went out the window when half of you up and died on me," I continued, ignoring the interruption. "So, this is the way it is going to work. We are all connected, my thread of life to yours. So it doesn't matter if you were sitting on the fence," I paused to look at Viktor, "Or all in. You are all mine now; deal with it."
Letting out the breath I didn't know I was holding, I sat down and looked around at the seven men who were mine. There was no going back. If they were tired of me, they needed to go take a nap because there wasn't a place on this planet that I couldn't and wouldn't hunt them down.
"Oh, Sweetheart," smiled Mathew. He took a sip of his drink before putting it on the table in front of him. "I was yours the second I saw you in the precinct. I stayed away because I thought you were human. But now, the gloves are off. You are my mate, and your thread is connected to mine. You are stuck with me until one of us dies."
"Were you even listening?" asked Sasha, rolling his eyes as he looked at the wolf. "We can't die."
"I know," admitted Mathew, a massive smile on his face. "Isn't it fantastic?"
"I hate to break it to you, mutt," interrupted Dementyev, "You aren't the only one feeling the mating bond. You don't always need her undivided attention. Learn to share."
I smiled at the Skinwalker. While he might accept the nickname of Dom, he would always be Dementyev to me. Seeing me looking at him, he growled low in his chest and bowed his head.
"I really hate to break it to you," Nicholas said, his eyes never leaving the amber liquid in his cup as he swirled it around. But she was mine long before she was any of yours."
"It's cute that you think that that matters," smirked Michael from where he was sitting on my other side. "And while I might be an angel, I can assure you that doesn't occur in every aspect of my life. I had no doubt that I would soon become your favorite."