Leaning down, my mate kisses the hollow of my neck, and anticipation makes my hands tingle. “I wish we had more time,” he rasps, and he moves his mouth to my breast, grazing his teeth along my nipple. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” His voice cracks, and tears well in my eyes. Because I do have some idea.
When Knox walked away from me all those years ago, I’d known my heart would never heal without him. It wasn’t just the fated mates connection, the entire world seemed to dull without him in it, and I see now that it was probably a mercy that I had no memory of him while we were apart. But Knox never got that. He’s tortured himself for years, thinking I was dead. Thinking that he was responsible. And when he lifts his head, staring atme with those dark eyes that are no longer cold and unforgiving, but filled with such awe and a gratitude that warms my heart, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull his lips to mine again. I kiss him like I’m desperate to remind him that I’m here. That I’m alive. And that…I still love him.
We could be interrupted at any time, and as much as I wish we could savor this, right now I’m simply content to have him, no matter how briefly it might be for. His tongue moves into my mouth, tangling with mine, and I shiver, bucking my hips as he continues to tease me. Thankfully he understands what I want, and he slides his cock inside me. My lips pull from his as I gasp, pleasure rolling through my body as he moves slowly, giving me time to adjust. Nothing rearranges like it did when I was with Raith’s monster, but the man still makes me feel so full I struggle to breathe.
“I’ve missed you too,” I rasp to Knox between heavy breaths.
His lips quirk up as he smirks at me. “You’ve missed me or you’ve missed my…” he trails off.
I grin. “Oh, I’m definitely talking about the Kraken,” I answer, wiggling my hips as I urge him to go faster.
Much to my dismay he doesn’t pick up the pace, and he arches a brow. “The…Kraken? Please tell me you’re not referring to my cock.”
“Maybe,” I say with a mischievous grin. “It’s what I used to call him in my head back when you were first visiting me.”
Knox stares at me incredulously.
“You know, because you were plundering my depths and all that, and pretending your shadows were tentacles,” I explain, somewhat enjoying the slightly horrified expression on his face. “Plus, I liked the idea that I could do this one day.” Biting my lip, I call out dramatically, “Release the Kraken!”
Thane snorts and his rumbling laughter fills the space. Knox looks completely bewildered for a few seconds, but then hesmiles wickedly and starts moving faster between my legs. I moan, quickly forgetting about his peen nickname and focusing on the shadow daddy between my legs.
Before long Thane is watching as Knox thrusts into me, burying himself deep as I cry out, and I wonder how I could have ever forgotten this man. My mate who makes me feel like the world is on fire, and yet, also completely and utterly perfect. Even if we are still in my dreams.
Panting, I turn my head, my gaze connecting with Thane’s as Knox makes me feel a pleasure so intense tears are blurring my eyes.
“Will you join us?” I ask Thane, because he’s mine too, and I need him as well.
Thane’s heated gaze goes to Knox, and the pair of them share a long look.
“Are you sure, mate?” Thane asks, his intense gaze boring into me.
I nod, because it feels right. These men love each other, and they love me.
There’s a look of complete reverence on Thane’s face, and he rises to his feet. Within seconds, he’s crouched as he presses soft kisses to my forehead, and then he moves around the bed, positioning himself behind Knox. Thane grips Knox’s neck, and Knox leans further forward, giving Thane access to himself. Thane works his cock into Knox’s ass, and it takes us a moment to find a rhythm, but soon we’re all groaning and Knox is thrusting even harder into me. I moan, feeling every curve of his cock as it slides against my walls, hitting that delicious spot deep inside me. Thane’s shadows flick around, teasing my clit while Knox bites my nipple, and the pleasure becomes too much.
“Knox.” His name rushes out of me, as the pair of them grunt, moving in tandem, picking up speed.
“You’ve always been so perfect, my love,” Knox tells me, and there’s such adoration in his gaze, that those tears blurring my eyes finally spill over, trailing down my cheeks as my heart feels like it’s about to explode.
Knox is my fourth mate. Mine. And I finally have him back.
The orgasm makes me scream as I tip over the edge, my release crashing into me with an intensity that makes my whole body feel aflame. Knox and Thane aren’t far behind me, and their muscles tighten as they shatter, the pair of them calling my name.
No one moves quickly after that. It’s not until we stop shuddering that Thane releases Knox’s neck and shuffles back. Knox stays inside me for a little while longer. It’s like he wants to remain connected to me for as long as possible, and he leans down, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “Never again,” he repeats, as if he’s picking up the conversation from earlier. “But you must fight my mate. You do whatever it takes.”
I swallow hard. Instinctively, I want to tell him that my chances of surviving the games are still slim, but this man has already thought he’d lost me once, and I don’t want to remind him of the possibility that he might lose me again. “I will,” I whisper.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
~ Shade ~
Knox and Thane are pulled away shortly after that. I can’t be sure if being with Knox has removed the last remnants of the curse, but for the rest of the night my dreams are filled with memories. I still can’t remember what happened to me after Knox left all those years ago and I was turned into a crow, but I remember parts of my life before that. Flashes of my past overwhelm my mind, filling my head like I’m watching the highlights of different black and white movies.
I remember being raised in group homes because my parents abandoned me when I was young. I remember the stray cat I called Patches, whom I’d found down an alleyway when I was ten. I used to share what little food I had with him until one day I couldn’t find him, and I found his lifeless body a short distance down the road. He’d been hit by a car, and I’d cried for hours until my foster parents decided some tough love would shut me up. In fact, there were many times they thought they’d show methis tough love of theirs. I see now that neither of them even knew what the word ‘love’ meant.
Thankfully, the local library had become my safe haven as a teen. The librarian, Mrs Williams, was a strict lady, but she was one of the first people to show me real kindness. I held onto books like they were a lifeline. They were my only escape from reality, and as I got older, romance books became my best friends, and you know, I started collecting book boyfriends. I would spend hours at the library, devouring everything I could get my hands on, and sketching different versions of how I viewed the characters in my head.
When I finally graduated from the local public school, it felt like a miracle when I got my first job at a fast-food restaurant, washing dishes in the back. But I never stopped visiting the library.
