Viper, come on.
Nothing.
Viper?
His presence vanished from my mind.
“Son of a sea serpent!” I shrieked. “He blocked me. That little shit blocked me!”
“Let's go home, Carus,” Azrael said gently. “The Intare can finish up here and we'll talk about this after we've had some rest. By then, maybe Viper will have calmed down enough to come home.”
My shoulders slumped—no one can keep up that kind of tension forever. It was exhausting on several levels. “Okay.”
Azrael pulled me in against his chest, wrapped his midnight wings around us, and traced us home.
Chapter Eleven
We stepped out of the tracing room into a brightly-lit entry hall. I squinted against the sunlight. Right—the time difference. I was ready for bed, but I could hear my children playing outside. From the accompanying sounds of splashes, I concluded that they were in the pool. That's an ordeal I wasn't currently prepared to endure.
“I'll check to see if Sam needs help,” Trevor offered and headed outside.
“You are a kind, understanding, and extremely handsome man,” I said as I headed in the opposite direction, toward the gilded, cage elevator in the nook beside the main stairs.
My other husbands piled inside with me and the elevator took us up to the top floor. None of them seemed as tired as I felt but then again, they hadn't been put through the emotional wringer as I had. I was ready to shut down for awhile and I knew it was more about my mind than my body. Just as I'd said to Austin earlier, I needed time to process.
I shucked off my shoes and then my clothes on my way to the massive, four-poster bed in the center of the room. Sunlight streamed in through the open balcony, but Re quickly took care of that, dragging the drapes shut. Behind the bed, a picture window looked out onto the butterfly garden but plants grew directly in front of it, covering most of the glass so that only a hazy light filtered through.
I climbed the low steps of the bed's dais, then crawled beneath the covers. My husbands got in with me, all of them as naked as I was, but nothing sexual was going to happen and they knew it. I snuggled in between Azrael and Kirill, the scent of lion musk and angel feathers lulling me to sleep while my racing mind kept insisting that we stay up and worry. My stomach burned with acid. The muscles of my back ran hot and cold. I couldn't stop replaying my argument with Viper, all of the what-ifs going through my mind. What if I had been calmer? What if I had remembered for one blasted moment that I loved him? But what if I was right, and he was an ass? And the worstwhat-ifof all: what if we weren't meant to be?
But even my wild thoughts couldn't compete with the scent and feel of my husbands around me in addition to my exhaustion. Their warm, sculpted bodies were both comfort and security, making me feel protected and loved on a subliminal level that cut through the crazy talk in my head. I breathed in deeply and finally drifted off to sleep.
In the morning, I woke between Trevor and Kirill. The other men were gone and a bleary glance around the huge bedroom showed that they weren't in the kitchenette or the entertainment area. Sometimes the bed was the entertainment area but in this case, I meant the sitting area in front of the TV to my right. The drapes were pulled back to show that the balcony was empty too and night had fallen on Pride lands. Gentle moonlight drifted into the room along with a cool night breeze.
I sighed and snuggled closer to Kirill. I was spooning him, my front pressed against his broad back and my arm hung over his taut waist. As soon as I nestled my face against his neck, I knew he was awake; I could feel his pulse quicken against my lips. Behind me, Trevor growled softly—a sound full of arousal and impending conquest. The growl vibrated over my skin and called to the primal beasts inside me.
I reached back and pulled Trevor's head forward for a savage kiss. His erection nudged my thigh and more rumbling sounds crawled up his throat. I writhed back against him as Kirill flipped over to face me. His long, black hair was bound in its bedtime braid, baring the striking angles of his face. Sapphire eyes went indigo in the soft light of the moon, full of wicked promise.
Trevor's hand slipped over my hip and delved between my thighs, his fingers spreading, then rubbing urgently. I hooked a leg back over his to give him better access as Kirill moved his body down so he could comfortably suck a nipple into his mouth. My cry was guttural and demanding even as it was muffled by Trevor's mouth. The Wolf Prince eased back, his honey stare gleaming, and started nibbling along my jaw.
“I've been waiting for you to wake up,” Trevor rumbled in my ear. “My cock is throbbing.”
“Is it?” I whispered as I lowered a hand between us to find out for myself.
Trevor gave a strangled cry as I took him in hand and started stroking. My moans joined his as Kirill sucked harder. Something roiled inside me, needing an out. I pushed both men back gently, then shimmied down the bed between them until I was at level with their erections. Thick shafts covered in silken skin, full to bursting with need—weeping with it. I wrapped a hand around each of them, then sucked Trevor into my mouth.
Trevor let out a low howl—something a wolf might make at the beginning of a hunt. Not joyous, per se, but anticipatory. A warning to his prey that it was being stalked and soon would fall to the teeth and claws of the pack.
Meanwhile, my steady strokes were making Kirill purr. I love that sound. Normal lions can't do that but my lions are magical. The soft, vibrating sound drew me away from Trevor and over to Kirill. I slid my mouth down his length, my lips tightening to grip him, and his purring increased to a growl. Kirill's hand went to my face, stroking back my hair so he could watch me. I met his stare, luxuriating in that erotic connection with him before I switched back to Trevor.
This back and forth had the men writhing. Soon, their growls became a constant rumble and their hands fisted in the sheets. My beasts spoke to me, telling me the time had come—our lovers were ready for more. I slipped free of them and sat up. The men fastened their glowing stares on me—gold and blue. They looked ready to pounce. Good, so was I.
“Shift,” I urged them.
Kirill and Trevor glanced at each other and grinned. We'd never been able to do this before—make love with both of them in a were-form—half man and half beast. Because Kirill didn't have that capability. Not until now.
Magic rippled over the men, bringing fur to the surface of their skin as it lengthened and thickened their bodies. Yes, even there. Their cocks—slick, beautiful, blushing lengths—had thickened around the middle while their tips became more pointed. I dove for Kirill's with a hungry sound, stretching my lips around his exotic member as I kept my eyes on his savage face.
A lion stared down back me—a black lion—but his face was smaller than it was in full lion form, proportional to the humanoid body it topped. His upper lip pulled back, wrinkling his whiskers as he bared his fangs, but it wasn't a warning. No, this was fierce arousal. The Black Lion needed to sink cock and teeth into his mate. But first, I'd have my taste of this new version of my husband.
