Beyond those marks, though, is one of the most beautiful bodies I’ve ever seen. Colden is regal in stature, his skin pale white, his scars petal pink. He could’ve been carved by the gods from stone, his face so stunning it’s almost criminal. Alexus is the darkness to Colden’s light. His skin is light golden brown, the deeper warmth gently fading from the kiss of last summer’s sun. His powerful warrior’s body is covered in mystery and thickly muscled, whereas Colden has the leaner physique of a young soldier who might also be half-god. Alexus wears the marks of battle differently than Colden. They live like brands on his skin, shadows in his eyes, and ghosts in his soul.
His hand lowers to the ties of his trousers. Nipples hardening like pebbles, I follow the movement, noticing again the trail of hair, a tempting black line drawn from his navel that vanishes into his pants—more darkness to Colden’s light. I ball my fingers into fists as I glance further down where the beginnings of an erection press against his leathers. He unlaces the first tie, and as my heart pounds like a drum, I lick my lips, unsure whether to watch or turn away.
“I need you to tell us what you want, Petra,” he says, as though reading my mind. “I can sense it, but I need to hear you say it. After all these many days and nights together, I can assure you that Colden and I are just as torn as you.”
“It’s quite evident, princess,” Colden says from behind me. “But you can be honest. It’s okay.”
He isn’t invading my space—he’s an entire stride away—but I still shiver at his nearness, at being pinned between these two men. It’s exactly where I want to be, and yet I’m terrified.
Still, now that my secret is no more, relief drops through me, though it quickly feels like a sinking stone. I’m glad to know they’re both struggling, too, and I’m glad Alexus and Colden are intuitive enough to see my misery. But they just made it clear that it’s up to me to decide where this night goes. Am I brave enough to do this? Tohavethis? To walk away from it when they leave me in Reede?
“I… I don’t know what I want, really,” I say, my voice small. Then I shake my head, deciding to find my bravery. “That’s a lie. I want to be with you. Both of you. I’ve wanted it for so long. Wished for it, even. I’m wishing for it now.”
The room falls silent, until Colden says, “That’s quite the wish.”
I nod and fold my arms beneath my breasts, turning so that I can look at them both. “In my years in the Drifts and when I traveled north, I never met anyone I trusted the way I trust the two of you. I’ll never have this again. I know that, and it scares me. A whole lifetime awaits me, facing people who won’t see me the way that you do, not if they learn what I really am. That fear of being found out will be with me until my dying day. Until then, I know I must protect myself, and that means trusting very few people. How do you open yourself to a lover if you can’t show them who you really are? If I can’t show themthis?” I motion to the markings on my face as tears prick my eyes, but I blink them away. “I also simply crave you. Both of you. I don’t know how it’s possible tonotwant you. I’ve ached so many of these nights we’ve shared, laid awake wishing I could feel both of you inside me, needing relief but being far too cowardly to ask for it.” They both stare at me, a little shocked if I’m reading them correctly. “Don’t look at me like that. You said I could be honest.”
After a moment, Colden gives me a soft smile. “Always. But just so that I’m clear, you’re saying that you want us both. Sexually.At the same time.Tonight.”
My blood rushes so hard it’s all I hear. “Yes. That’s what I want.”
Colden looks at Alexus, and I follow his gaze. The look on Alexus’s face is one of indecision. I can see the conflict clearly, the war in him. A man in constant turmoil.
“Only if you’re good with it,” Colden says to his friend, sharing some silent conversation I’m not privy to. They often speak with their eyes alone, moving through the world like one entity at times.
“I am,” Alexus finally says. “I think I need you both.”
A look of surprise crosses Colden’s face, but he inclines his head, again communicating an understanding with Alexus that I can’t read. “Are you protected?” he asks, turning back to me.
“I am,” I tell him, though only for my own comfort on this journey.
“I’m assuming that, to make such a request, you’re not inexperienced,” Colden adds.
“No,” I reply with a smile. “I’m thirty years old, Colden.”
“I know,” he says, arching a brow. “But have you ever hadtwomen? That’s an entirely different endeavor, princess.”
I can’t help but notice when the front of his bath linen moves a little.
“No,” I answer again. “But I trust the two of you with my body.”
“That’s saying a lot given what you want us to do to you tonight,” Alexus says.
I shrug one shoulder. “Perhaps. But I know you won’t push me further than I can handle.”
Being raised in a village that didn’t want me, without my parents, I came to learn a life that involved people who didn’t care for me. No one was ever loving or watchful. No one ever taught me to protect myself. No one ever watched over me like the truest guardians. No one else would draw swords for me save for these two men. Drawblood. They truly care for me and my well-being. If I can trust anyone to gift me a night of attentive pleasure, it’s them.
At the corner of my eye, Alexus pushes his trousers down his hips. This time, I watch, because it feels like an invitation. He has to all butpeelthe leather down his muscled legs, and he takes his braies with them.
All the air leaves my lungs when I glimpse his cock for the first time. He’s half-hard and beautiful—and big. The sight makes my chest tighten, the thought of him inside me, filling me, moving in me.
I’m not the only one affected by Alexus’s teasing. Colden comes to stand beside me, his bare arm brushing against my shoulder. His drink is no longer in his hand, but he looks a little drunk regardless. His eyes are glazed, as though seeing Alexus naked has mesmerized him.
“Stunning, isn’t he?” he asks, and all I can do is nod.
Stunning seems like one of the only accurate descriptors for the Collector. He’s enough to make a person stop breathing, to make the rest of the world stop spinning, to still a heart from beating.
All with a glance.
