Page 22 of Bite for Sore Eyes

Mine, it insisted. Claim her. Mark her. Make her ours while there's still time.

The thought of limited time sent urgency coursing through his veins, making him kiss her harder and deeper, as though he could pour all of his feelings and strength into this single moment of connection.

When he finally pulled back just enough to speak, he rested his forehead against hers. "Lana, I want you so bad right now, and I don't want to waste another moment denying what I feel for you."

"I don't either," she breathed, her eyes dark with desire. "But I also want Rath here too. Would you mind if he joins us?"

This was it.

The defining moment where he had to fully commit to sharing his mate with Rath, where they would learn how to be intimate together as a triad. It would test their brotherhood and trust in ways he couldn't even imagine, but if this was what Lana wanted—if this was how she wanted to spend her precious time—then he would do whatever it took to give it to her.

"I can communicate telepathically with Rath through our bear link," he said. "I'll tell him to come here now."

"Yes, please do that," she whispered, her eyes darkening further with desire.

Rath, Torren projected through their mental connection. Come here now.

On my way, came Rath's immediate response, his mental voice tinged with concern.

But Torren didn't explain. Rath would understand soon enough that they were about to share their mate in the most intimate way possible.

NINE

LANA

Lana sank deeper into the plush cushions of the couch as Torren's arms tightened around her waist, her lips still tingling from his kiss. The day had stripped her completely bare. She'd confessed her terminal prognosis, her deepest vulnerability, and both men had responded with fierce, unwavering promises of adventure. And tonight felt like the first, vital line of that new journey.

This wasn't about desperation. It was about affirmation. She wanted to feel cherished and fully alive in the arms of the two incredible men fate had placed beside her.

The soft click of her guest room door opening made her turn her head. Rath stood silhouetted in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling the frame, and his striking green eyes scanned the intimate scene—Torren's arms around her, their flushed faces, and the charged silence in the fire-lit room.

"Is everything okay?" Rath asked, his voice tinged with worry.

Torren's arms loosened, sliding away from her waist, the gesture respectful and considerate of Rath's feelings.

"Yes," she said softly. "Everything is perfectly fine." She held Rath's gaze, letting him see the banked fire in her eyes. "Torren called you in here because right now, I want to be with you both. I want to explore this deeper." She gestured between the three of them. "After today—after all the trust and acceptance—this feels like the next natural step."

She patted the empty cushion on her other side and Rath moved with his characteristic controlled grace, circling the couch and lowering himself beside her, his heat radiating toward her just as potently as Torren's on her other side. Sandwiched between them, she felt the sheer power of their presence and her skin prickled with awareness.

Both mine.

"I should confess," she began, a nervous laugh escaping her. "I don't exactly have a manual for this. I've never been with two men at the same time."

Torren's gaze flicked to Rath, a wry smile touching his lips. "We don't have a manual either. We've never shared a woman before."

A genuine smile broke through her nerves. "Well, then I guess we'll figure this out together."

Rath looked past her, meeting Torren's eyes over her head. Some silent communication passed between them, a lifetime of understanding in a glance. "Yes, we will," Rath said softly. "We'll just be open to whatever happens and trust each other completely."

"That sounds like the right approach," Lana breathed, her heart hammering in her chest.

The air grew thick with their combined scents—spice and pine from Rath, forest earth and rain from Torren—and the aroma of her own desire. She could already feel herself growing slick, her body preparing for them in a way that was embarrassingly obvious. Both men inhaled subtly and their eyes darkened with a predatory hunger that should have scared her. Instead, it made her pulse spike higher.

Don't make either feel left out, her mind chattered, the patterns of overthinking trying to sabotage the moment.

Torren's hand found hers on the cushion between them. "Lana, you don't have to worry. Nothing you do is wrong in this moment. Just trust yourself. Let your body do whatever comes naturally."

His reassurance was a balm, quieting the noise in her head. "The same applies to both of you," she said, finding her confidence.