She huffs, but there’s no genuine annoyance behind it. It’s an adorable game she likes to play because giving in after a fight makes fucking so much sweeter.
“Maybe, little human, I need to tie you up so I can have my way with you.”
We haven’t used restraints since we rescued her from Lythian’s clutches, worried she’d relive painful memories.
The door buzzer sounds, and Kelan and Ronyn stride in, both clothed in closely tailored black suits. Their conversation falters as they take in Aura’s flushed cheeks and her position in my arms.
“Just in time,” I say. “Our mate has been sassy. She needs to be shown who’s in charge around here.”
Kelan’s gaze drops immediately to where Aura is drapedacross my arms, her hair loose around her shoulders, her belly round and glowing faintly with rune-light. Something dark and hungry moves through his expression. He’s always relieved when he confirms she’s safe, which grows into a slow burn of possessive heat.
Ronyn shuts the penthouse door behind them with a deliberate click.
“Is that so?” he murmurs.
Aura squirms in my grip, but she doesn’t really try to get free. Her eyes are bright, and her lips curved in a smile she can’t quite hide.
“I was painting,” she says primly. “He distracted me.”
I drag my thumb along the inside of her thigh where her robe has ridden up, caressing the heat there, the slick welcome of her body already anticipating us. She shivers.
“You were teasing me,” I correct softly. “There’s a difference.”
Kelan loosens his cuffs with unhurried precision, setting his jacket aside, a man finished with business and ready for pleasure. The city lights spill through the windows behind him, gilding his shoulders in gold.
“You look flushed, Aura,” he says in a low tone. “Is he tormenting you?”
“Maybe,” she says, breath hitching. “Maybe I like it.”
Ronyn laughs under his breath. “We’ve all been holding back,” he says. “Being too careful. I think she wants her dragons back.”
Aura’s gaze flickers between us, hungry as Kelan and Ronyn strip their shirts to reveal ripped, muscled chests and swirling runes.
When she moans softly, my dragon stirs, scales threatening beneath my skin. I tighten my grip on her,pressing my mouth to the curve of her neck and inhaling. She smells like soap and paint and the faint metallic sweetness of magic.
Home.
Kelan steps closer. His palm settles over Aura’s rounded belly, and her expression softens. She covers his hand with hers.
“I’m strong.”
Ronyn steps behind me. His fingers brush Aura’s ankle, then slide slowly upward.
“Good,” he says. “Because I’m losing my mind.”
Her breath catches.
The walls close in, the atmosphere sparking with the electric tension that exists between us. I lower Aura onto the wide couch, and she lands with a soft laugh that dissolves into a breathless sound when Kelan kneels in front of her. Ronyn leans over the back of the couch, caging her in with his arms. I sit beside her, one hand sliding to her waist, the other lifting her chin. She leans forward and presses her mouth to mine. The kiss is slow as her fingers curl into my hair.
When she pulls back, her eyes are a dark, forest green.
“We have time,” she says. “Don’t we?”
Kelan exhales slowly. Some of the iron control leaves his posture.
“Yes,” he says. “We have time.”
Ronyn’s hand slides along her thigh again, slower this time. “Then let’s stop pretending we don’t want this.”
