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"Okay, here's your starters. I've got an Alsatian cheese tart and a cheese soufflé."

The waitress arrives with our dishes at the most inconvenient time imaginable. Asper and I reluctantly pull apart, sitting back so that she can get to our table. We probably looked like we were about to kiss from the way we were leaning over to each other like that.

"The soufflé is mine, thank you," Asper says.

"Thank you," I mumble when the waitress places the dish in front of me.

I take one whiff of the tart and decide that, despite having the bombshell of being fated to be in a three-way relationship being dropped on me, I still have my appetite.

We both take bites, trying our food. Asper pauses to look up at me. "Do you have any questions?"

"Lots," I reply and take another bite. I use the time to think as I chew. "How does it even work? Having three of us?"

He shrugs. "Just like a normal relationship does, there's really not much of a difference except that we are a three, not a two. The dreams were premonitions, messages to make you aware of your fate."

"And that's why you and Altus had them, too."

"Yes, and that's why I decided I needed to come back to the territory. I've been gone for five years, the dreams seemed like the right reason to return."

Perhaps that is what Satura meant by me fixing them. Having me as a mate has brought Asper back to Arcis.

"Do you have feelings for Altus?"

It's a personal question, I know, but if we're supposed to mates, surely we will share personal details with each other?

Asper tenses up at my question and turns his glass in his hands, thinking over his answer.

"We were close, but never like that. It has never been more than friendship between us, but I care for him deeply. It...pains me that we have had five years apart. I want to reconcile with him."

I feel for him. Seeing him hurt makes me hurt. "And he doesn't want to?"

His face hardens. "I got the feeling there was something more between us, hence why he was so hurt by my decision to leave. He does not seem to want to make things up with me, he is still very angry."

"How is this supposed to work if neither of you are talking to each other?" I ask aloud. "Perhaps I should talk to him."

Asper seems surprised at my suggestion; I don't know why.

"I'm going to go and see him tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?"

"You can try first, he might feel as though we're ganging up on him if we both show up. I will speak to him if things don't go well."

He groans and drags his hand through his hair, dislodging a few strands that fall over his forehead in an attractive way.

"It's made worse by him being with Mare. He's too stubborn to admit he was wrong to stay in a relationship with her. He's always been pig-headed."

"Do you think he would be with us if he wasn't with her?"

He nods keenly. "Definitely. I think he is holding back because he doesn't want to hurt her, and he doesn't want to be in the wrong. His pride is getting the better of him."

"What do we do if he doesn't leave her?"

The thought sends pain through us both, I see it on Asper's face. I haven't even tried to deny that mates are a thing or that I have two, because I already know that Asper and Altus are my mates. I'm very in touch with my body and my emotions, I know from the way my body reacts to both of them that they mean something on a deep level to me.

My body instinctively is drawn to them both and the thought of either one of them with someone else is distressing despite never having even touched either of them. Oddly, the thought of the two of them together doesn't make me jealous. If anything...it turns me on a little.

Okay, maybe more than a little.

"Then you and I have to help each other through it." He sighs and puts down his fork. "If he goes through with the mating at the ceremony...it will hurt us more than I can explain, rosa. We'll have to support each other."

"That doesn't sound like fun," I mutter. "What does 'rosa' mean?"

Asper smiles at me. "It means rose in Latin."

I feel bashful at his explanation. He just called me a rose and it is insanely cute.

We move off the topic of our mate and onto each other, instead. I ask him to tell me about his travels around the world. As someone that can count the countries she has been to on one hand, it's so interesting to talk to someone who has been to fourteen different countries.

When our empty dishes have been cleared away, he gets out his phone and shows me pictures. Some of them are selfies which are adorable in themselves. He looks so cute taking a selfie next to all these monuments and yet still manages to look insanely hot at the same time.

There's pictures of him backpacking through rainforest, kayaking through mangroves, abseiling down mountains and horse-riding along beaches.

"I know I had a job to do, but it didn't mean I couldn't enjoy myself whilst I was visiting," he explains. "I loved it, don't get me wrong, but I was always a bit homesick. I've been ready to return home for a while now."

"So, the dreams were the decider for you?"

He rests his chin on his hand and gives me a lop-sided smile. "Yeah, they were. I'm twenty-nine, I feel like I've waited so long for my mate, seen so many friends find theirs, I was beginning to think it wouldn't happen. The first night I dreamt about you, I woke up so happy. I got on the first flight home that I could."

I don't know what to say to that. What do you say to a man this attractive confessing that he had a dream about you and got a plane to travel from another country for you? It's overwhelming.

"Sorry, this is probably the most intense first date I have ever been on," he confesses with a chuckle.

"We have covered some pretty heavy stuff, I'll admit," I reply, laughing with him.

"How about we go for a drink? I promise we can go back to talking about normal stuff. You can tell me more about your art."

I smile at the idea of spending more time with him. I'm not ready to say goodnight yet.

"Okay, let's go for a drink."

We settle the bill and then Asper leads me across the road to a cute cocktail place designed like an old-fashioned speakeasy. You have to go down a set of steps behind a restaurant and knock on a door with a peephole for the bouncer to check who it is before allowing entry. It's all for a show but it's a bit of fun.

When we are granted entry, we step into the low-ceilinged club. There's a smoky atmosphere as though incense has been burning and muted lighting that adds to the relaxed evening vibe.

Asper places his hand on my back again and ushers me to an intimate booth. I pick up the drinks menu and browse, mentally picking out my favourites as options.

"I'll have a white Russian, thank you," I tell the waitress when she comes over.

"A Mai Tai for me, thanks. Could you make sure we both have the human alcohol, please."

I look at Asper curiously, waiting for the waitress to go so that I can get an explanation to what he meant by requesting 'human alcohol'.

"Shifters have a higher tolerance to alcohol, so we usually drink alcohol with a higher percentage. I'm driving after this and I don't want you paralytic, that's why I asked for ours to be with reduced alcohol."

"Oh, that makes sense."

He leans forward on the table and his knee bumps against mine. "Tell me about your art, then. Do I get to see any of it?"

"Um, if you want to. I have some photos on my phone," I tell him as I pull my phone out of my pocket. "I have a sketch I've been working on, I brought it with me from my flat."

"Do you prefer to draw landscapes? People? Objects?"

"I mostly do landscapes, but I occasionally challenge myself with some close-up of still life. I don't mind doing portraits from time to time."

I show him a couple of pieces whilst he comments appreciatively. He smiles at me when I put my phone away.

"Maybe you could draw me sometime."

I like the thought of drawing him. Studying him for hours would hardly be a sacrifice. He is so handsome to look at with his almond-shaped eyes, slightly curved lips, dramatically square jaw, and perfect cheekbones. He is the epitome of Asian beauty.

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Happy Black Friday!

Hope you get some great deals, I'm going to be shopping all night 😬

Have a good weekend, angels ❤️