Chapter One
“He has children in there,” I said again. I'd been saying it over and over since I'd gotten back to the Wraith Citadel after spending time as the Corrupter's captive.
That had been a week ago.
Xaedren and Ratharin, my two lovers, looked at each other across the space between them that I'd abandoned, the sheets rumpled down to expose their hips and, in Xae's case, his flaccid, and yet still impressive, shaft. Some men didn't impress until they were impressed, if you know what I mean. Xaealwaysimpressed. Both of my men were propped by pillows against the headboard of our new massive bed. It was much larger than I'd thought it would be. So large that we had to move into a new bedroom big enough to hold it. Not just a bedroom, but a collection of rooms on the top floor of the citadel's keep. Our new suite had been reserved for the Emperor's rare visits, but neither he nor the other Wraith Lords minded our requisitioning of it. We needed the space, and not just for the bed.
Soon, I'd be bringing more men into the magical bond Xae, Rath, and I shared. At least, that's what everyone hoped. And those men would likely be sharing our suite as well. At least, that's what I hoped. Kind of. I wasn't sure.
“Ember,” Rath, my Varraen lover, climbed out of bed and strode over to me, his sleek, muscular body gloriously naked. Long, stick-straight, inky hair swept back from his high forehead in a braid, the color enhancing his stunning lavender eyes and the style enhancing his refined Varraen features, especially his pointed ears. “Even you, the only human with magic on Varr, cannot get through the Corrupter's ward. You only got out because he believed you were dead and brought you out himself. If he hadn't been so eager to torment us with your body, we may have never gotten you back.”
“We've done all we can for now,” Xae added and flung back the covers. “Come back to bed. It's been hours since I've had you.”
“Because we were sleeping,” I said, suppressing the twitching of my lips.
“Precisely. Now, I need you again.”
Sure enough, Xae's cock had hardened while we spoke, proving my theory that my men only half-listened when I whined about the kids lately. They were over this argument. And one of the ways they got me to shut up about it was to give me something else to focus on. With Xae's platinum hair streaming down his broad shoulders and over his solid chest, his pale blue eyes locked on me with animal intensity, and his lips parted to bare his teeth, he was a beautiful beast on the verge of pouncing. The sight of all that savage sexual glory was nearly enough to bring me to my knees, and certainly more pleasurable to focus on than the children of Fress. The skin of my neck tingled in anticipation of his bite. Oh, my lovely wolf-shifter.
But the kids were depending on me. Even if they didn't know it.
“You are not distracting me with sex!” I pointed at Xae accusingly. “There has to be a way to save those kids.”
“They're safe for now,” Rath said. “The Corrupter himself told you they were too young to corrupt. Even he won't stoop to that.”
“But they must be terrified. Their parents have been corrupted and sent off to fight while they remain imprisoned in the Corrupter's castle.”
“The only way to free them is to kill the Corrupter,” Xae said. “And we will do that, Ember.”
I sighed deeply. “Sure, just as soon as I take more lovers.”
Rath glanced at Xae, then said, “The Goddess said to follow your heart, Ember. You can't turn this into a job or you'll never find who you're meant to be with.”
“But it is a job. I have to fall in love with someone else, probably a few someone elses, or the war will never end.”
“I'm thinking seven more,” Xae said as he absently stroked his cock. “Then we could have five—”
“Teams of two,” I finished his sentence with an eye roll. “Yes, Nex already said that. But I can't. Nine lovers? What the fuck am I going to do with nine men?”
Rath's lips twitched.
“Don't.” I pointed at him. “Don't you say it. This is not a joke.”
“Ember, you need to relax.” Rath drew me into an embrace. “It will happen in its own time. Just be open to it, like the Goddess said.”
“And in the meantime, come here and get on my dick,” Xae growled.
“For fuck's sake,” I huffed as Rath laughed softly.
Xae grinned. “I'm just teasing you. Sort of. I really do want to have sex.”
“Yes, we can see that,” Rath drawled.
Xae snorted and waved at Rath's hardening cock. “As if you aren't in need.”
“The things I do for love,” I muttered.
Rath took that as an invitation and scooped me up to carry me back to bed.
