[Echo]I led Carmen into the living room and guided her to a chair. She held on to Fenton, cooing and petting him. He loved the attention. The vampires were always surprised to see him and started bringing him treats and gifts when they came to visit. The werewolves were amazed that he rubbed on and cuddled with them. Fenton seemed to like werewolves more than vampires, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to get loves and cuddles from them. That being said, he was still very much Gray’s cat. When Gray left for work, Fenton would wander the house meowing like he was searching for Gray. It made me sad the first time he did that, now, it was kind of cute. He would run to the door every time it opened after Gray was gone. Fenton was never disappointed in who he found there. It seemed like he was always as eager for new friends as I was. There’s something a little depressing about identifying with a cat….“Can I get you anything to eat or drink?” I asked Carmen. “No, I’m fine. I’m not interrupting your dinner or anything, right?” “I already had dinner. Victor likes to make sure I’m eating. It feels like I’m not doing anything now that Lisa and Wendell work here. They’re on top of it all. Having only three people to take care of isn’t much of a challenge for them. It makes me a little grumpy that I don’t have anything to do,” I replied. Carmen laughed. “I totally understand that. Rock has me working as the office manager at his company, but I had to take time off for my heat a while ago and I was bored out of my mind. I went to my mom’s home and she doesn’t think there’s much I can do on my own because I’m blind.” “A lot of people think that I’m weak because I used to be and because I’m smaller than them. I get that a lot from Gray and Victor. It’s not that they don’t think I’m capable, but they treat me like I’m fragile, even though I train every morning with my sire,” I told her. She nodded. “Yeah, I get that. Rock doesn’t do that to me often, but there are times when he treats me as if I’m more fragile than I am.” Carmen understood me. I liked that about her. She also steered people away from the questions about my relationships that everyone else asked. Going to the barbecues at her house was my favorite trip out of the house. Now that things were calming down for Sean and Rosario, they were talking about doing game nights on Fridays at Queen Maeve’s house. I was excited about that. Sean was going to teach me all about playing his game. Elle and Terry were planning to be there, as well. “It seems pretty quiet out here. Rock told me you have a large house. What do you do with all that space?” Carmen asked. “Oh, until recently, we had people staying with us. Rosario and Sean were here, my sister, my brother, Cam, my uncle, Victor’s sire, one of his brood mates, and a couple of witches I’m related to…. They’re all gone now. Cam, Harmony, and Val come to stay every other week. Val’s talking about going to live with our sire. He has an idea and needs a free place to think. It will be lonely without him….” I finished quietly. “I lived with my parents. My brother and his mate live in the Beta’s quarters in the packhouse. I’ve never had a lot of people in my house, but I like the solitude with my mate. When it’s just Rock and me. I feel complete. But you have two mates, so I guess it’s a little different…. Can I ask you a question?” I bit my lips together so I wouldn’t sigh. At least she was going to ask it in private. Some people asked about our ѕex life in front of a lot of other people. I didn’t like it, but it was part of having a relationship like ours. “Sure,” I said softly. “How on earth do you deal with their personalities? From what I saw of Victor both times I met him, he’s cool and formal. Gray is excitable and loud. They’re so different. Do you change to match their energy, or are you a third entirely different personality that makes them work better together? How did you get Gray to be cool with a vampire? Do they butt heads a lot?” I laughed. I couldn’t help it. No one ever asked normal relationship questions. They all asked about bedroom stuff and things I didn’t feel comfortable talking about. “That is more than one question, but you didn’t ask the question I was afraid you would ask.”“Oh, people probably ask you about ѕex a lot. My friend, Gemma, has some ideas about what your relationship is like there. I’m not going to dig into anything that’s uncomfortable for you. It’s not my business. I mean, if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here for you, but otherwise, no pressure.” She put her free hand up. Fenton chose that moment to climb down into her lap and curl up for a nap. He liked werewolf laps for his naptime. For how much people said cats liked their own space, Fenton rarely disappeared to have his own time. If he could be on or around someone, he would be. “Gray and Victor are very different, and sometimes, I do act more like one or the other. Usually, it’s if I’m around one and the other isn’t there. It’s easy to be cool and calm around Victor and it’s just as easy to be energetic and excitable around Gray. When they’re both with me, though, we’re something else entirely. I don’t know how to describe it,” I replied. “What about fights? Do you have to referee them a lot?” “They’re pretty good about talking it out if they can. Ever since the fight with the hunters, they haven’t fought as much. I saved Victor from a hunter and ended up with a stake in my chest…. They understand that they have more important things in their lives than winning some contest in their heads,” I murmured, touching the place where the stake had hit me.Unlike any of my other injuries, there was a very faint scar on my chest where the stake had gone in. Talia told me it was because the stake had been made with ash wood. Even though I was part werewolf, that didn’t make me any more immune to the effects of rowan and ash. That scar was a reminder to me that I wasn’t impervious, no matter how strong I got in the future. It was a reminder to my mates that they only had so long with me this way. One day, I would become a vampire for real. One day, I wouldn’t be the innocent, sweet Echo they fell in love with. If we weren’t careful, that day would come sooner than any of us wanted. “Someone I knew died in the fight. He was a classmate and had a wife and two pups. I feel sorry for his mate, but I’m glad Rock didn’t fight in that battle. If I’d missed him because of hunters, I don’t think I would have been able to go on. I’m grateful that his mother asked him not to fight. I know, it’s selfish of me,” Carmen said quietly while petting the cat. “It’s not selfish. If I could have gotten my mates and family out of it, I would have. I didn’t like the idea of so many people I loved being in danger. There was no other option for us. The hunters were after us and we were the bait. I’m just glad we won.” “We need a happier topic. Now that you’re done with school, what are you doing?” Carmen asked. I laughed and we started talking about all sorts of things. She told me about growing up in the packhouse until her brother took over as Beta. I loved listening to her talk and didn’t interrupt her as she went on about her friends in the pack, her parents, and everything that has been going on around her since she accepted Rock as her mate. Carmen and I had a lot in common in ways that weren’t obvious. Our mates were unconventional, our families were used to treating us a certain way and had trouble with our new dynamic, and we were in new worlds that we never expected. Most of all, we had been treated so differently from others around us that we didn’t know how to be ourselves. She had more freedom than I did, but she was sheltered in a way I never was. She had hundreds of people thinking that she was weaker or lesser. I only had the ones living in my house. Not my sister and brother as much as the people who pretended to be my parents. “I’ve been rambling about me and my life. Sorry about that. Tell me about you. I know bits and pieces from rumors around the pack, but I’d rather know the whole truth. It seems like the guys are going to take a while, we should have plenty of time. Only what you’re comfortable talking about. Tell me about the honeymoon Gray took you on,” Carmen said with a smile. Everyone always seemed to be talking about my past, so I told her about my present. Carmen nodded and listened as I talked about my friends, my family, my honeymoon with Gray, and my excitement for my honeymoon with Victor. We would be leaving in early November and would be back home before Thanksgiving. I was looking forward to that. It was easier to talk to Carmen than it was to talk to almost anyone else in my life. They all had ideas about who and what I should be. Carmen accepted me as I was. “Sounds like your second honeymoon is going to be as amazing as your first. What was the ocean like? I’ve never been there.” “It smells weird. The water is dark and stretches forever. It was warm when we went, but the water was cool. Wet sand is squishy and dry sand gets everywhere. It made me feel even smaller to see something so large. Sometimes I forget how small my world is compared to the rest of the world. I think I prefer the smaller world, though.” “I think I prefer my smaller world, too. I’d love to go to the ocean sometime, though. I know I can’t appreciate it the way people who see can, but I use so much more of my senses. I wonder if Rock will take me once everything settles down.” She sighed. “I bet he will if you ask him. You can’t always be busy. Plus, Rock loves you. Our mates love spoiling us when they can. I bet Rock does a lot of things to make you happy.” Carmen smiled. “Rock makes me happy just being himself. He accepted me without question or regret. When I feel like I’m a burden, he reassures me that I’m not. Rock is perfect without having to spoil me. But, he did learn what fruits and veggies I like and made sure they were always in the house. Even though trolls are carnivores, he’s trying them and making sure they’re in every meal we have.” “He wants you to be healthy, too. Victor and Gray get mad at me if I skip a meal. Even though I’m healthy now, they worry about me.” “I’m glad that Gray found you, Echo. I think you made him a better person. I bet you made Victor a better person, too.” “That’s what a mate is, though, right? The person who makes you better. They’re the missing piece of you that makes you a complete person. I bet you do the same for Rock,” I told her. “She certainly does,” Rock said from the doorway. He and Victor entered the room while I wasn’t paying attention. I was so focused on what I was saying that I missed them coming in. Victor smiled warmly at me and I felt my heart flip. Rock went to Carmen and caressed her hand. It wasn’t like normal hand-holding. He seemed almost reverent when he touched her. I saw that in the last couple dinners we’d had at their house. Rock loved Carmen more than she knew because she couldn’t see the way he looked at her. Carmen took the cat out of her lap and put him on the floor, much to the lump’s dismay. Rock helped her out of the chair. The way they moved together was like dancing. They were extensions of the other. I’d seen some vampire couples like that, but never anything else. “Oh, before you go, would you two like to come to our dinner party this coming Thursday? We’re celebrating Gray getting the job and not having to go to work at the restaurant anymore,” I said. “That sounds like fun. What do you think, Rock?” Carmen asked. “Sure, but he needs to remember that we can’t start training him until next month. This party isn’t going to make me take him on sooner than we can manage him,” Rock answered. “I’ll call Carmen with the details later. I’m so excited!” I grinned at them and Victor chuckled. We said our goodbyes and they left the house. Victor wrapped his arms around my middle and rested his chin on top of my head. I put my arms over his and let him hold me. “Did you have a good time talking to your friend, Princess?” he asked. “I think Carmen is going to be one of my best friends. I hope everything works out for her. She deserves to be happy,” I replied. “Her mate is a good man. Would you like to take a walk with me in the garden, Echo?” “Always, Victor,” I answered.He let me go and took my hand. Victor raised my hand to his lips as I turned to him. He kissed the back of my hand before wrapping my arm around his and leading me toward the backyard. A lot had happened in the last year, but one of the best things to happen to me in my entire life was the night Victor bought me from my parents. When I think of the horror my life was before, I’m always soothed by the memory of my elegant, proud mate threatening my parents. Then I’m warmed by the memory of how Gray worked his way into my heart, as well. I loved both of my husbands with every fiber of my being and I would do anything to protect them. They knew that now. They understood how much I loved both of them. My icy vampire, and my fiery wolf. Both halves of my heart.