Chapter Eleven
I could hardly breathe as Loch gently parted my legs. Unable to take my eyes from the man between my legs, I barely noticed when Rhodes rolled off the bed and moved to take Loch’s previous place on my right side.
Sandwiched between Rhodes and Evander, I trembled as Loch trailed kisses along the sensitive skin of my inner thigh. I should have been expecting it, but when his mouth moved to press against the tiny piece of lace fabric, I nearly came apart.
And when Loch sucked the soaked fabric into the heat of his mouth, I cried out his name in surprise from the intensity of such an intimate act. My legs quivered, and I tried my best to scoot away from his mouth.
“No you don’t.” Rhodes caught my chin and tilted my head so he could capture my mouth in a slow, passionate kiss that had me seeing stars.
Not wanting to be left out, Evander’s lips moved to my neck.
“You guys are going to be the second death of me,” I panted between kisses. “I’m not sure I’m built to survive being with three guys at once.”
“Imagine if you bring in a fourth,” Evander teased, his hot breath teasing my overly sensitive skin with each word he spoke.
For a moment, I thought I felt my motionless heart jerk hard in my chest. “A fourth?!” My voice cracked on the last syllable.
“Yes. In our society, it’s up to the female partner if she wants to bring in another male,” Rhodes answered.
“I’m not sure I can handle the three of you. My brain might explode if I tried to bring in another.” Even as I spoke the words, a fleeting image of the purple-eyed stranger in the library popped into my mind.
Stop being greedy, Axe, I scolded myself.
He was cute, but that didn’t mean I wanted him. Because I totally didn’t, right? I hadn’t even talked to him for gourd’s sake.
“Still, the decision is up to you. Things aren’t as simple among paranormals as they are with humans. Just like there was an instant pull between us, you may feel that bond with another. We want you to know up front that as long as he understands he will be joining our family and not taking you away from us, we won’t be upset with you. Fate has a weird way of meddling in matters of the heart. If you feel that bond, don’t be afraid to trust yourself.” Evander kissed the tip of my nose.
“Really Evander, I don’t think—” I began, but Lochlan had chosen that moment to slip his tongue beneath the fabric and trace along my slit. “LOCH!” Tiny spasms of pleasure ricocheted through my body as I screamed his name.
Needing to recover from the shock of that singular stroke of his tongue, I tried to close my legs.
“Behave, boo,” Lochlan warned, gently biting the sensitive skin of my inner thigh. “I’m not finished feeding. You don’t want me to starve, do you?”
Even in a moment like this, the man was teasing me. One thing was for sure, life with Lochlan would never be boring.
My panties were gone in the blink of an eye, causing a hot flush to run down my body and the lights in the room to flicker wildly. Lochlan remained motionless, his gaze burning my skin as he seemed to drink in the sight in front of him.
“You’re so beautiful, Axelle,” he whispered, sounding almost reverent.
Unsure how to respond, I remained quiet, simply waiting to see what his next move would be.
Lochlan’s thumb brushed my slick, exposed sex. My back arched off the bed at the direct touch of his rough skin. Rhodes’ lips reclaimed mine, swallowing my whimper of pleasure.
When Lochlan’s tongue traced along my slit, I pulled away from Rhodes’ mouth to stare down at him in a haze of disbelief.
Drinking in the sight of him, I wondered how a man with otherworldly good looks like his, could ever desire me. I mean, I wasn’t bad looking, but these men were on a different level. Yet there I was, with Lochlan’s tongue thrusting into my tight heat as he pleased me in the most intimate way I could imagine.
It was overwhelming, and my climax built far too quickly. Closing my eyes, I fought against the storm swirling inside me. Instinctually, I knew I was teetering on a line that once crossed, I wouldn’t be able to uncross.
Evander was placing tender kisses up my neck, and his large palm slid under the hem of my shirt to rest on my belly. Rhodes caught my jaw in his hand and his thumb stroked my cheek while his lips danced against mine.
Although I’d told myself otherwise, this was far more than a fling or a memory for the spank bank, rub hub, jill till, cover trove, or whatever it was called.
They were loving me.
Unable to think about anything other than how incredible it felt to have the heat of their bodies pouring into me, and Lochlan devouring me with the same feral hunger he’d shown when feeding from my energy, I gave in and allowed myself to enjoy this moment. An instant later, I climaxed so hard my back left the bed and I probably would have been levitating if my legs hadn’t been clamped around Loch’s head.
He didn’t even give me a chance to recover. In a move so smooth it was deserving of an Emmy nomination, Lochlan grasped my thighs and flipped us over so that he lay on his back beneath me, and I was straddling his face.
“What are you doing?!” I protested, trying to scramble off him.
Loch’s grip on my thighs tightened, refusing to let me go.
Rhodes caught my face between his palms, forcing me to look at him. “Stop fighting him and let him take care of your needs.”
“What about his needs? You know, like breathing?” I yelped, worried they’d forgotten that only one of us in that room didn’t require oxygen. Collectors still need that, right?
“Do you trust us?” Evander asked, peering into my soul with his piercing blue eyes.
“Yes.” The word was little more than a whisper, but I meant it.
“Then relax and enjoy yourself,” Evander reassured me.
The moment Lochlan’s tongue began to stroke and thrust, I felt the energy in my body rushing to the apex of my thighs. But instead of devouring it, Lochlan was manipulating it and letting it build.
Maybe the fae were real, because that man knew how to work magic with his tongue. The flicking of his tongue, combined with the pulsing energy he’d called to my core, seemed to touch every hidden sensitive spot I possessed.
It was too much. The orgasm that followed was violent with a pleasure so powerful that it bordered on pain. I screamed Loch’s name until I was hoarse. The lights in the room pulsed on and off in time with the aftershocks of my climax until, one by one, the bulbs exploded.
When the last ripple finally ebbed away, I collapsed into Rhodes’ arms. My body was satisfied but weak.
Closing my eyes, I basked in the joy of being surrounded by three men who truly cared about me. It was intoxicating and unlocked the memories of dreams I’d hidden away after my death.
Memories of the life I’d hoped to have. A life like this one where I felt safe, loved, and I didn’t have to be alone.
Even though I knew I would never again be alive in the most literal sense of the word, I had a second chance at living the life I’d only dreamed about.
On the heels of those resurrected emotions, a sense of overwhelming terror washed through me. A sharp wave of irrational anger followed it.
Just when I’d found a way to be content with the cards fate had dealt me, these men had come along and flipped my life upside down.
If I took a chance with them and it failed, I’d grieve over the pain of losing them and this chance for however long I haunted this earth.
If I chose the safe route, running from them and the love they offered, I’d spend the rest of my years wondering if I’d made the wrong decision.
It was a special kind of cruelty to dangle everything I’d ever dreamed of in front of my face, forcing me to risk the only thing I had left on this earth… my happiness.
Even though I no longer needed to breathe, I felt as though my lungs were screaming for oxygen and my head swirled with raw panic. I needed to get away.
I needed space from them so I could work through the emotions threatening to swallow me whole.
Not stopping to think, I bolted out of the bed and streaked toward the library. I didn’t stop until I reached the tiny archive room I’d claimed as my own. Collapsing onto the floor, I let the tears come as I cried in frustration.
Far too quickly, heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway toward my hiding spot. How had they gotten here so quickly? Had they broken in again?
I wasn’t ready to face the guys. Reaching for the shadows, I allowed myself to melt into them, begging them to hide me from the men.
Usually, when joining the shadows, I remained in the same location. But this time was different. Maybe because I longed to be somewhere they couldn’t follow me, or maybe I’d been too emotional.
This time, as the shadows welcomed me, the room flexed and warped. Darkness swirled around me, but just before the last pinprick of light vanished, there was an audible snap and the world came into sharp clarity once again.
Except I wasn’t in the library anymore.
Blinking in confusion, I tried to figure out where I was, but nothing in the opulent purple and gold room was familiar. The wall in front of me was covered with various gleaming weapons, each one adorned with intricate carvings on their blades and polished handles.
When my eyes landed on the large curved blade in the middle of the wall, chills raced down my skin.
Oh crap.
“Well, this is a surprise.”
Spinning around, I came face-to-face with the purple-eyed man from the library.
But he wasn’t a man.
He was a reaper.