The Succubus and her two Mates

16| What if I went with you?

The space either side of her was empty when she woke. She sat up rubbing her eyes. She assessed and while she felt a bit tired she wasn't hungover. She recalled the night before and felt a twinge of embarrassment that she had gotten so drunk. She was usually the one to hold it all together - that must have been very strong wine.

She padded over to the door and opened it to see if she could see the men. The suite seemed to be empty. She had a look in the other room, noting they had all slept in Brock's room. She figured it was both of their rooms now...

She saw another shopping bag on the small dining table - she could see it was from a woman's clothing store, so she opened it up. It had a couple of summer dresses in it. Grabbing a green one, she went back to the room to take a shower. She wasn't concerned about where the men had gone.

She was flicking her hair through colours when she heard the men return. She settled on a natural auburn, wavy, and skipped out to greet them.

They were laughing about something when they saw her. Both inhaled deeply as she hugged them in turn.

"What's the plan today?" She asked.

"I'll be leaving shortly after eight this evening." Brock said, his fingers playing with her hair.

"I'll be staying behind," Brand explained. "Brock will be back towards the end of the week. If you don't mind, we'd like Jon to stay with you when you're not with me - at a distance where possible."

She fidgeted with the side seam of Brock's shirt. "What... what would it be like if I went with you guys today?"

Both men were surprised and she could feel their delight.

"That would be amazing," Brock said as he pulled her back into his arms.

"Still on the same conditions, guys," she said quickly. "I'm not saying I agree on the mate stuff. Just... I like spending time with you, and it makes sense I understand all the various aspects of what it means to be with you both."

She could feel their disappointment, but their consolation was that she felt something for them.

"What would, I guess, happen? What is expected of me?"

Brock and Brand glanced at each other. "You will meet Brock's parents, the King and Queen. They will have expectations, but maybe we can talk with them first. Explain that this is going to take time."

"And isn't a done deal," she reminded him.

They both nodded. When Brand spoke, Ronnie could tell that he was choosing his words carefully. "You do need to be prepared for their judgment. Dragons, let alone the royal family and their closest subjects, are not known for their tactfulness."

"There's no point going too far into this without knowing what I'm getting myself into," Ronnie said honestly.

Brand's smile was warm as he added, "We have our annual spiritual celebrations at the end of the month - I'd love for you to see my homeland."

They discussed the travel arrangements. Ronnie just wanted to buy a few things and pack what meager clothes she had. Brock made her take a credit card - how he had one she didn't ask. He told her to buy whatever she wanted but pack light on clothes as he would ensure she had everything she needed at the palace.

Palace? Ronnie repeated the word in her head. Surely not a palace palace...

~*~

Ronnie ran about town, Jon with her, buying a few things. Their chit chat was minimal - she had tried to engage him but his monosyllabic responses proved to her that he was content to just do his duty. She dragged him around, loading up his arms. He cocked his head at her as she drew them towards a dispensary but followed her in. He had already purchased items of this nature for her a few days earlier.