Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
REIYANA
R eiya woke up with the dawn and discovered: one small bed made a very cozy arrangement for three.
The warmth surrounding her was rich, layered—the heavy heat of bodies, the soft weight of blankets draped over them, the faint flicker of warmth from the brazier near the tent’s entrance.
Outside, the desert remained in its hush, the air beyond the canvas still and cool.
But here, within the cocoon of their shared space, it was all heat and quiet closeness.
Slowly, she eased into consciousness. Her cheek was pressed against Alarik’s linen-clad chest, the steady heartbeat beneath her palm a quiet reassurance.
His arm curled around her back, anchoring her against him.
Behind her, Kaelen nestled close, one arm draped over her waist, his breath a soft tickle at the nape of her neck.
The bed beneath them creaked softly as she shifted, the furs and thick woven blankets whispering against her skin.
The faint scent of warmed leather and desert spice lingered in the air.
Kaelen and Alarik fit around her as though they’d always belonged there, as if this space had never been meant for just one.
For a long moment, she simply lay there, letting herself feel it—this quiet sense of belonging. They might be in a tent pitched in the heart of the desert, but this was safety, comfort.
Home.
A slow exhale left her lips, her body stretching instinctively against the warmth pressed to her on both sides.
She moved slightly, adjusting in their embrace, the shift drawing a quiet sound from Kaelen as his hold tightened.
Alarik stirred beneath her, his fingers brushing over the apple of her shoulder in half-conscious reassurance.
Being here, within the protective embrace of their bodies, coaxed a simmering heat inside her belly. She swallowed, acutely aware of how intimately they were tangled—of how her body responded to their nearness. A restless ache stirred beneath her skin, an insistent pull she couldn’t ignore.
Slowly, she pressed closer, seeking more.
More warmth. More contact. More them .
Kaelen’s voice was rough with sleep. “Sáel. You keep moving like that, and we’re going to have a problem.”
Heat scalded her cheeks, but she didn’t stop. Slowly, deliberately, she undulated between them, savouring the solid heat of their bodies seeping through the layers of fabric, the way they held her without hesitation.
Alarik’s large calloused hand covered hers, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “Do you need us?” He turned his nose into her hair, inhaling. “You don’t smell of Heat, but?—”
“This has nothing to do with Heat,” she whispered. “And everything to do with what I . . . want.”
Kaelen exhaled slowly behind her, his lips ghosting along the curve of her neck. “Then tell us, love.” His voice was low, coaxing. “What do you want?”
Her heart pounded, but she didn’t shrink from it. Not this time.
“I want more,” she admitted, barely above a whisper. She turned slightly in Alarik’s hold, lifting her gaze to meet his. “I want to feel you both.”
His golden eyes darkened, flickering like an ember about to catch flame. He glanced at Kaelen over her shoulder, unspoken words passing between them. Then, gently, he cupped her face, his thumb tracing the curve of her cheek.
“Say the words.”
Her tongue swiped her bottom lip. “Touch me.”
She barely had time to exhale before Kaelen’s lips brushed her nape, a lingering, open-mouthed kiss. His breath was warm against her skin, fingers splaying over her hip. She shivered. Not from fear or hesitation, but from the slow, aching anticipation.
She turned to press a kiss above Alarik’s heart. His pulse leapt beneath her lips, and she felt the sharp exhale he released, his hand clasping her waist.
Kaelen’s hand smoothed over her hip and thigh, the tip of his tongue tracing down her neck.
“Reiya,” he murmured, the syllables rough and reverent all at once. She answered by pressing back against him, her body arching into the warmth of his chest, the hardness she felt behind her.
A low curse escaped him as his hand gripped her hip, anchoring her against him.
Alarik shifted, turning his face into her hair, breathing her in.
One of his hands slid to cup her jaw, his thumb tracing along her cheekbone.
Slowly, she reached up, her hand tangling in his dark hair, pulling him closer.
He exhaled harshly, as if something inside him had finally snapped, and then his lips were on hers.
She melted into the kiss, her body sinking further against him. He kissed as he did everything else—thoroughly, without hesitation. His mouth moved over hers, coaxing, parting her lips with his tongue. Teasing, tasting.
Behind her, Kaelen made a quiet growl of approval. His teeth grazed the pulse on her neck. “Are you going to share her, brother, or do I have to steal her?”
Alarik pulled away just enough to huff a soft laugh against her lips. “Don’t be impatient.”
Kaelen nipped her shoulder. “You can hardly blame me. She’s intoxicating.”
His hand skimmed beneath the hem of her skirt, palm smoothing over her leg upward from shin to thigh. The breath she released was shaky, and he caught it with a slow, teasing kiss just below her ear.
“I love hearing your little sounds, princess ,” Kaelen murmured, his tongue teasing a spot beneath her jaw. “Do you have any idea what they do to us?”
The brazier’s embers cast a flickering glow, warm light playing over their tangled limbs.
The heat in the tent had nothing to do with the fire—not when Kaelen traced lazy circles over the sensitive skin above her knee, palm rough yet careful.
He didn’t hurry, teasing her with the drag of his fingers along her inner thigh, moving higher with aching deliberation.
Her pulse pounded, anticipation coiling in her stomach.
Alarik’s fingers slipped beneath the folds of her wrap top, easing the fabric layers aside. Cool air prickled against her skin, but his warmth chased it away as he cupped her breast for the first time.
A soft, unbidden sound left her lips. His grip firmed, kneading her gently, as though gauging every reaction she gave him.
His touch was different from Kaelen’s—not teasing, not beckoning her to chase him. He moved with quiet certainty, fingers mapping her with slow, deliberate intent. His thumb flicked over her nipple, sending a sharp spark of pleasure straight to her core.
She arched into his touch, a small moan slipping free.
Alarik’s gaze found hers; his pupils dark and wide, hunger banked behind quiet restraint. He squeezed, rolling the sensitive peak between calloused fingertips, the slightest hint of pain stuttering her breath.
His gaze flicked downward, lingering on the golden freckles dusting the space between her breasts. His free hand traced them, a slow drag of his fingers, before he lowered his head and pressed his lips to the first one.
A deep groan escaped him.
“You’ve no idea what these do to me,” he muttered against her skin, his breath hot as his tongue flicked over one of the dots. “These tiny golden sunburst . . .” He kissed the next one, then another, his mouth worshipping her in meticulous, lingering devotion. “I think I’ll count every last one.”
His tongue swept lower, following the delicate trail of freckles, while his hand continued its worship of her breast .
Reiya shivered, her fingers curling into his hair, her body caught between yielding and demanding more.
Alarik lifted his head, meeting her gaze once more. His lips, damp from where he’d kissed her skin, curled into the faintest smirk.
“You like that?” His voice was a dark rasp, full of quiet satisfaction.
She couldn’t speak—only nod, mouth parting on a shaky exhale.
He hummed in approval, his thumb circling her nipple in a slow, lazy rhythm.
“Good,” he murmured. “Because we’re nowhere near done with you.”
Kaelen’s fingers brushed against the damp fabric between her thighs, a teasing stroke that sent a fresh wave of heat rushing through. She arched back, and he hummed approvingly, shifting so his hips rocked against her rear.
His forefinger teased around the edge of her undergarment, knuckles brushing over her core before slipping beneath the fabric. She gasped, her body tensing at his first intimate touch.
He groaned at the discovery, voice dropping into something huskier. “Gods, Reiya. Wet already.”
She let out a slow exhale, melting deeper into the pleasure. Kaelen stroked her gently at first, parting her folds with slow, teasing passes of his fingers, never quite giving her what she needed but coaxing her into an unbearable longing for more.
Her body arched slightly, pressing into his touch, and she felt his smirk against her neck. Finally, he slipped one fingertip inside her with exquisite slowness. The stretch was barely anything, just the barest intrusion, but the sensation sent heat surging through her all the same.
Alarik’s lips found her jaw, then the sensitive skin beneath her ear, before his mouth descended again.
His tongue flicked over her nipple, followed by the gentle scrape of his teeth.
A whimper escaped her lips, her fingers curling into the furs beneath them.
Kaelen withdrew his finger and pushed back in, deeper this time.
The stretch, the sting from his entry made her gasp.
But his thumb circled her sensitive bundle of nerves with devastating precision, soothing the hint of pain .
“Look at you,” Kaelen murmured, the pleasure in his voice unmistakable. “So beautiful like this.”
She’d never felt like this before—stretched between them, cherished, undone. They weren’t simply taking pleasure from her; they were discovering her, revering her. Worshipping her.
Alarik sucked her nipple, tongue swirling around the sensitive peak, and Kaelen added a second finger, stretching her gently, curling them just enough to make her whimper.
A shudder raced through her as her core tightened.