Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
TAVISH
Portia’s hand was warm in mine as she tugged Albie and me up another staircase. Not that we needed tugging. After three weeks without her, both of us were eager to claim her.
Completely. No half measures this time.
Dinner with her family had been a whirlwind of new sights and sounds.
The castle’s electric lights were different than the kind I’d seen in Bucharest. They were brighter, for one thing, and they came alive when we entered the room.
It was a bit like magic, although Portia said the humans created it.
Cormac had been another surprise. Rumors of the king’s madness had circulated for centuries. But when his golden eyes met mine across the table, I saw no trace of it. Just fierce love as he watched his daughter—and cautious acceptance as he studied her mates.
Niall was as intimidating as he’d been the couple of times we’d met, the dark power of House Balfour whispering around him. But the Consort had been gracious, thanking us for protecting Portia.
One look at Isolde, and I knew where Portia had gotten her fire—and her keen mind.
Portia’s brother was just as intelligent, grilling us with questions in a way that reminded me of Albie. He’d disappeared after dessert with a knowing wink in his sister’s direction.
Smart lad.
“Here,” Portia said now, pushing open a heavy wooden door.
We followed her inside, and I stopped, taking in the spacious chamber.
A large bed dominated one wall, its bedposts carved from sturdy wood.
Another wall held rows of books, some leather-bound and ancient-looking, others with bold, bright writing on the spines.
The hearth was large, its fire reduced to smoldering embers.
A desk sat beneath tall windows that overlooked the sea. Moonlight streamed over everything.
And Portia’s scent soaked the air, as if clusters of evening primrose bloomed under the bed.
“This is your chamber?” Albie asked, eyeing the bookshelves with undisguised longing.
“Yes,” Portia said. She pointed to a door on the other side of the room. “There’s a full bathroom through there.” She smiled as she caught Albie’s eye. “It’s a lot bigger than the one in Bucharest.”
He got half a dozen steps forward before he seemed to remember he’d left us behind. His spectacles caught the light as he turned with a sheepish look on his face.
“Do you mind if I take a look?”
Portia’s smile spread. “Not at all. I’ll go with you.”
“Me too,” I said, grabbing her hand. She laughed as I hurried to Albie, caught his elbow, and hustled them through the door.
One of the magical lights flicked on.
Albie and I released identical gasps. The bathroom wasn’t the size of the one in Bucharest—it was the size of the entire hotel room. White marble gleamed on a sunken tub that looked like something out of the Roman baths Albie and I had toured in Italy. More marble decorated a massive washstand.
A second door stood ajar. Through it, a toilet sat against the wall, but it was different from the one in Bucharest. No tank perched above it, and the pull chain was missing.
Curiosity tugged me toward it. The lid slowly ascended.
I jerked back, my hand going to where my sword would normally hang.
A soft blue light glowed inside the bowl.
“What in the name of the gods?” I breathed.
Portia appeared at my side, humor and affection dancing in her eyes. “It’s okay. It’s just a motion sensor.”
“It opened itself,” I said, pointing.
“Magic?” Albie asked, peering around my shoulder at the glowing toilet.
“Technology,” Portia said. “The light is to help you see at night.”
Albie and I looked at each other. “Bloody convenient,” I said.
“Very.”
Portia looked like she was fighting laughter. “It has other features, too.”
“Like what?” I asked. What else could a toilet possibly do?
“I’ll explain later.” Taking us each by an arm, she steered us back around. “Right now, I want to show you the shower.”
She led us across more marble and into a third room with more soft lighting, mirrored walls, and a glass enclosure big enough for ten people. Water poured from the ceiling in a steady stream. Steam billowed against the glass walls.
“Does it always run?” I asked, eyeing the ceiling. Understanding dawned. “A waterfall feeds it.”
Portia bit her lip, more amusement gleaming in her eyes. “It’s not a waterfall.” She pulled a black rectangle from the back pocket of the tight blue trews that hugged her arse.
“Remote start from my phone,” she said, giving the rectangle a little shake. “I started it on our way upstairs.”
Albie adjusted his spectacles, peering at the rectangle with naked curiosity. “That machine controls the water?”
“And the lights,” she said, “and the temperature. I can also play music when I shower. I have a playlist.” She swiped her thumb over the rectangle, and it lit up with rows of tiny glowing squares. “I’ll make one for you and Tavish so you can try it out.”
Albie looked up at her, the curiosity in his eyes shifting to something altogether unscholarly.
The pulse in Portia’s neck pumped harder. “If you want,” she finished, her voice gone breathless.
The steam had turned his waves to curls, and one spilled over his forehead as his eyes went serious. “I’d like to try it right now.”
Anticipation tightened my cock. Och, my sweet Albie was going to be insistent.
Portia stepped closer to him. The scent of evening primrose grew stronger, mixing with the steam.
“We could all try it now,” I said.
Portia looked at me and whispered, “I’ve missed you both so much.”
I took a step forward, and suddenly we were moving as one. Albie’s hands went to the buttons of his shirt while Portia pulled her strange tunic over her head, revealing a scrap of lace that barely contained her breasts. I froze, mesmerized.
Albie released a low sound. “Whatever that is, I like it.”
She reached behind her back, and the lacy garment fell away, revealing her pert breasts crowned with those rosy nipples.
“Now the rest,” I growled.
She twisted into shadow, and her trews and another scrap of lace dropped to the marble. The column of smoke shivered, and she reformed in flesh.
Gloriously nude flesh, her sleek, smooth skin glowing in the mist that rolled around us. Like all our kind, she was bare between her legs, her plump mound and pouting folds holding my attention like bells in a cathedral. And, fuck, I wanted to worship there.
Albie removed his spectacles and set them on a shelf. Then he twisted in and out of shadow form, his clothes joining Portia’s on the floor. He and Portia looked at me.
I wasted no time following their lead, shifting to smoke and back so quickly that my head spun. The steam from the shower caressed my naked skin, and my heartbeat throbbed in my cock as Portia led us into the shower.
Hot water poured over us, the spray like a hard rain. Albie moved behind Portia and ran his hands over her curves. I stepped into her and cupped her face. She shivered between us as she gazed up at me, mist dotting her lips and clinging to her eyelashes.
“I’ve lived a long time,” I murmured, “but those three weeks without you felt like three centuries.” The fear of those weeks resurfaced, gripping me so hard I couldn’t speak.
“Tavish…” she breathed. Then she rose on tiptoe and pressed her lips to mine.
And I was done. With a groan scraped from my soul, I wrapped my hand around her nape and plundered her mouth, drinking down honey and rain. I worked my other hand between her thighs, finding her slick and swollen. She gasped into my mouth.
I circled my thumb over her clit as I kissed her, swallowing her soft moans. Three weeks without her taste had been torment, every moment plagued by doubt and worry. But I couldn’t think of it now. I couldn’t wait a moment longer to claim her.
“Please,” she whispered against my mouth. “I need both of you.”
I lifted my head.
Albie pressed his lips to her shoulder, his dark eyes meeting mine. We’d dreamed of this. Longed for it. Planned for it. Wondered what our mate would be like when we finally found her.
My hand shook as I stroked my thumb over Portia’s plump bottom lip. “I never imagined you,” I confessed. “I’m not capable of conjuring this kind of perfection.”
Her lips parted. Then she moaned as Albie slid his hands around to cup her breasts. She let her head fall back against his shoulder as he teased her nipples with his thumbs. I pushed a finger inside her, and her eyes fluttered closed.
“Bed?” Albie asked in a strained voice.
“Not yet,” I said.
Portia opened her eyes.
“There was just one thing wrong with that dinner downstairs,” I told her.
She frowned, some of the lust in her eyes fading. “What?”
“I didn’t get any dessert.”
I went to my knees, spread her pussy with my thumbs, and licked straight up her center.
She cried out, jerking against my lips. Albie reached down and grasped her behind the knee, then pulled one of her legs up, opening her wider for my mouth.
I pressed my face into her heat and sucked at her opening.
Water pounded my back. Steam rolled around me in thick clouds, and the marble dug into my knees.
I barely noticed any of it. My dragon rose hot under my skin. Fire flashed in my veins as I lapped and sucked at Portia’s cunt, slaking my thirst at last.
“I dreamed of this,” I groaned against her clit. “Every night since we lost you, lass, I woke with the taste of you on my lips.”
She dug her fingers into my hair as I sucked hard on her clit. “Tavish,” she panted, squirming against my face. “Please.”
I drove my tongue deep, fucking it in and out of her. Licking over her clit before thrusting inside again. The shower’s pounding water matching the thunder of my pulse. Above me, Albie kissed Portia’s neck, one hand wrenching her thigh higher and the other mercilessly teasing her breast.
“Let go,” I said against her entrance. “Give us what we’ve been starving for, lass.” I fastened my lips around her clit and sucked hard.