Chapter 25
That night, I drift in and out of deep sleep, unable to find true rest, even though I’m snug and warm, sandwiched between Valen and Lucas’ gloriously naked bodies again.
I’m sure Nora has something on hand to help me sleep, but that would mean disentangling myself and I’d rather suffer from insomnia.
Tomorrow, we’ll attempt to reach the bookshop. Although my magic is still profoundly drained, it’s a risk we must take. Time is running out.
A chill that is more than my Entropy Flame tries to steal what little warmth I have left and I push the thoughts of tomorrow away. I breathe slowly and deeply, memorizing the scents of both men and the feel of their bodies against mine. It’ll be hard to go back to sleeping alone after this.
Valen’s low rumble is soft in the darkness. “I don’t hate you.”
My brows furrow, my eyes still closed. Lucas’ murmured reply shifts the hair on the back of my neck. “You sure about that?”
I don’t dare move, far too curious about where Valen is going with this.
Valen huffs, his face still buried in my chest. “Despite how it appeared, I did not stage our earlier tryst for your suffering. It was… unfortunate timing.”
Lucas pauses. “I know.”
Silence stretches and I nearly peek to see if they’ve fallen asleep. Disappointment tugs my lips down in a frown. I was sure Valen had more planned than that. My chest expands with a sigh, but the air catches when Valen whispers gently, “I think…”
I don’t dare exhale. Lucas’ arm shifts under my head as his thumb picks at his rings impatiently. Valen’s shoulders are tense, his arms tight around me as he struggles to continue.
Valen’s hand, trapped between my back and Lucas’ front, shifts. His fingers flex along my spine and trail down Lucas’ sternum in a slow caress. “I think I hate you less than I realize.” And my skin ripples in pleasurable tingles.
There is no way in hell I’m interrupting them, not when Lucas seems to be considering Valen’s words. I keep my eyes glued shut and focus on breathing evenly. Excitement lights when Lucas responds playfully, “Is this your version of a love confession?”
Valen bristles, but he smiles against my chest. “I’m not sure when your smart-ass mouth stopped being annoying—”
“Oh yes, I can feel the sincerity and tenderness—”
“Shut up and let me finish.” He huffs. “Can’t believe I’m doing this.”
Lucas laughs and there’s a touch of an edge to it. “Definitely have had better confessions than this. If it’s such a hardship, then why are you doing it?”
“Because Astoria wants both of us.”
Lucas scoffs, shifting against my back. “If that’s all, then stop now. I’m not interested in hearing the rest.”
“No, that’s not all.” Valen sighs harshly and pulls from my chest. I peek at him.
The midnight moon shines through the small window and grants me just enough light to make out the curve of Valen’s body.
He props himself on his arm, looking down at Lucas over my shoulder. “I find myself wanting you, too.”
Lucas stops breathing and I join him. We wait for Valen to continue.
He slides his hand from my back to rest on my hip, mere inches from Lucas’.
He contemplates the position before continuing, “I heard your assumptions earlier, about me and sharing. It’s not something I’ve done with Tori outside the occasional visitor and I’ve contemplated it all day. ”
Valen’s blue eyes lightly glow in the darkness, his hand tightening slightly on me.
“And I realized that before I potentially make an absolute ass out of myself, I need to know if your feelings towards me have changed as well. If they haven’t, then there is no way in hell that I’d share her, and I’d do everything in my power to tear the two of you apart.
But if they have… then maybe…” Valen trails off, his hand clammy and my heart pounds.
Lucas is silent for so long that I almost roll over to steal a look at him. But I don’t dare in case this very important conversation gets derailed into bickering.
Lucas’ voice is so quiet I almost miss it over my own breathing. “My feelings aren’t as… simple as they used to be, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Valen’s chest slowly expands. His exhale is harsh and he combs his hair back. “That is a suitable way of putting it.”
“A compliment? I might blush.”
Valen smirks. “Yes, I do know how to dole them out as needed, magician.”
Lucas lifts up on his elbow too, my head shifting off his bicep and giving me an excuse to turn slightly to peer at Lucas through my lashes. His voice rumbles in his chest. “I think you should call me ‘Lucas,’ seeing as we’re having this conversation naked in bed.”
“No, and that’s the next part we need to discuss.
I wish this were simple. That Astoria, you, and me were the only factors.
” He exhales harshly. “But they’re not. There’s a huge complication, one that I must consider deeply because I sense you would never be satisfied with being a filthy, little secret.
” He smirks. “Though I’d ensure you’d enjoy every last second of being my secret. ”
Lucas’ brows furrow, but he stays silent.
Valen’s fingers on my hip tremble, the only hint to his growing nerves for me alone to know. He whispers softly, “My father might never accept you.”
Lucas’ lips part, but he hesitates. Slowly, he wonders, “Is it because I’m a magician?”
“Yes. He views your kind as magic thieves and will be vocal about his prejudices.”
Lucas smirks. “I’m not easy to chase away from something I want.”
“But that doesn’t mean you should be exposed to such hate.
” Valen sighs, shaking his head. “I need time. Time to figure out if this, the three of us, is something worth fighting for. It would cause a great fissure in my family, and I need to know how great.” His hand balls into a fist on my nightgown.
“It’s not something I’d want to go into lightly with you.
” He lets go to rub his forehead. “It’s a complicated mess. ”
Lucas nods slowly. “So, what do you want to do? Try being friends?”
“I don’t want to be your friend.”
Lucas huffs angrily, leaning back. “Fucking great—”
“You misunderstand.” Valen’s voice is so low, so sensual, that both Lucas and I hold our breaths.
Valen leans forward, his eyes glowing brighter.
“I don’t want to be friends because I can’t stop thinking about your smart mouth and all the ways I’d like to silence it.
I don’t want to be your friend because I’m wondering who you’d prefer being on their knees, you or me, and if you’d fuck my mouth as good as you fight.
” His voice purrs, the sound shivering over me.
“I don’t want to call you ‘Lucas’ because I want you to make me with those little, gold threads of yours. ”
Lucas’ breath shivers. “Valen—”
“And then, when we’ve fucked all the lingering hostility out of each other, I want to know how we’d work together to bend this beautiful woman between us.
I want to know how we can work against each other.
I want to see who can make her come harder.
I want to know if you’d prefer her mouth or her ass while I fuck her drenched pussy and if you’d want to kiss me while we did it. ”
Lucas is lightly vibrating and it takes every ounce of control for me not to arch into his rock-hard erection against my ass. His voice quivers. “Could we kiss if I fucked her mouth? You’d be too far away.”
Valen huffs a laugh and it’s so sensual that my thighs clench. “I’d like to find out.”
They’re close, as close as they can be with my body between them. Lucas’ breathing is heavy, his gaze dipping to Valen’s lips. “I think I would, too.”
Valen reaches for Lucas and his hand encircles the other man’s neck. His fingers catch on Lucas’ strong jaw and Lucas leans against them with a sharp inhale. Lucas’ voice is rough. “What about all the things you said earlier? About not being sure?”
“Lucas.” He shivers violently at Valen’s firm tone, his hips shifting against me. “Shut up and kiss me.”
All he can do is nod before Valen’s grip tightens and pulls the magician forward by the neck, my body clenching in hot want when their lips seal.
Lucas grips Valen’s bicep, moaning deeply and opening his mouth wide for Valen to kiss as deep as he wants.
Valen’s breath shivers and he licks, his hips shifting against me when Lucas releases a soft whimper of pure want.
Valen pulls back enough to speak, his lips still brushing Lucas’, his thumb running over his pulse.
“I’m not going to coerce you. I’ll respect whatever you decide, but we might die tomorrow in a hail of vicious magic and I don’t want my last thought to be regret that I don’t know what your cum tastes like. ”
Lucas exhales harshly, panting heavily. “What about Tori?”
“I doubt she’ll object as long as she’s included. She’s been awake this whole time.”
Heat blasts across my face. Caught.
Lucas huffs a nervous and excited laugh, combing his too-long hair out of his face. “I—Tha—” he clears his throat. “If that’s what Tori wants.”
“I’m not asking what Tori wants…” Valen glances down at me. “Unless you have objections?”
I shake my head furiously, not daring to speak.
Valen looks back at Lucas. “I’m asking what you want. Are you ready to take this to a place where it can’t go back to how it was?”
Lucas’ exhale shudders. “I think… yes?” He shakes his head and it’s too dark for me to read his expression. “I don’t know. Tor and I just kissed. We just kissed.”
Valen smiles widely. “You’re such a romantic. It’s oddly endearing. How about this? We dip our toes in. Keep it… hands and mouths. If we’re not compatible at this basic level, then we know our answer on whether the three of us can work.”