Chapter 26
Evangeline
My body is still abuzz from my orgasm. The warm hand in the center of my back shouldn’t make me feral, but I’m this close to begging Niko for more.
I’ve never felt so wanton before, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because of the ceremony Niko and I went through, or if these are my own sinful thoughts.
I also haven’t been laid in far too long, so that might explain my ravenous appetite for sex.
As we walk, my gaze flicks down to the noticeable bulge in Niko’s pants. He’s still hard, and it’s clear that’s not going away anytime soon. Guilt prickles in my chest. I didn’t exactly return the favor. Not that I had the chance. Zephyr showed up, and everything shifted.
Now, with Zephyr walking just behind me, I can feel him—his energy, his heat—like a current brushing against my skin.
Every breath, every step, I’m hyperaware of them both.
They keep stealing glances when they think I’m not looking, and each one winds something tighter inside me. Want. Tension. Anticipation.
Something’s brewing between us, but I don’t have the confidence to speak about it. Even in the safety of my own head.
After gathering the few items from my old room, we reach their room—our room—in tense silence. The moment I walk through the threshold, I’m met with the realization that we are truly and completely alone. In a room with a bed. A room my husband now wants me to share with him and Zephyr.
Even though I’ve been in here briefly—thanks to my peeping-Tom incident—I didn’t get a chance to really take in the room.
It’s not much different from mine, still made from wood and rocks of the earth.
It’s decorated beautifully, with a bed larger than king-sized positioned between two sets of floor-to-ceiling windows.
The curtains partially obscure my view, but the glimmer of stars shine through, mixing with the dancing shadows from the fire in the hearth.
I’m keenly aware of their eyes still on me as heat creeps up the back of my neck. “I need to get my pajamas,” I say lamely, desperately trying to break the explosive tension between us.
“Are you tired, Evangeline?” Niko looks like a man possessed, eyes darting between me and Zephyr. It’s like he’s at an all-you-can-eat buffet and doesn’t know where to begin.
I’m a shit liar, so I shake my head. “Not really,” I murmur.
I’m the furthest from tired. My body feels alive in ways it hasn’t in such a long time. I desperately want a repeat of what happened in the kitchen, and from the way Niko is looking at me, I may just get my wish.
“Good. Me either.” He reaches for me, and I bend to his will, moving into his arms. It’s like a dance we play, unsure which one will take the lead.
“Do you know what I want?” he asks after a pause.
I could guess, but I want to hear it from him. “What?”
A wicked grin curls his lips, dark and knowing. His gaze slides past me, locking onto the man still lingering in the shadows. “My mates,” he says, the words low and sultry, a near-purr that slides down my spine like silk.
Heat floods my core, and I press my thighs together instinctively. Mates? As in… both of us? Together?
The thought is dizzying. What woman hasn’t imagined being worshipped by two gorgeous people, all possessive touches and shared hunger?
My heart thunders in my chest. Zephyr won’t agree to this. He can’t. Could he? He’s been extremely clear in his insistence on not mating with me. But this wouldn’t be mating; this would just be sex. Probably really fucking good sex at that.
Worry clouds my mind. I almost don’t register the shadow that falls over me, darkening my view, until a warm, solid body presses against my back. A strangled gasp leaves my dry lips.
“My king desires his mates?” Zephyr’s low, husky voice has the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. I’m caught between my mate and Zephyr, heart pounding rapidly in my chest.
“I’m tired of fighting the Nephilim. Tired of being afraid that the ones I love will be taken from me. I want to forget and indulge in my mates.”
A heaviness settles over the three of us, sobering the moment.
It almost feels wrong to indulge in our carnal needs with so many people suffering, but despite the horrors of the world, our lives haven’t stopped.
These moments are fleeting and need to be seized when they present themselves. We shouldn’t feel guilty for them.
Suddenly, an arm shoots out, a hand curling possessively around Niko’s neck.
His eyes widen, dark and gleaming with lust. “Our king wants to forget, Evangeline,” Zephyr murmurs, his voice a sultry promise.
He leans in closer, his breath hot against my ear.
“I think we can help him with that… don’t you? ”
Zephyr touches my shoulder, and I jump from the unexpected contact. A low chuckle leaves his lips. “Jumpy little thing, aren’t you?”
Zephyr’s fingers trail from my shoulder down my arm—slow and deliberate. Goosebumps bloom in their wake. It’s not even an intimate touch, but it has me nearly jumping out of my skin.
“So sensitive,” he murmurs. “I wonder where else you’ll be responsive for our mate.”
My breath hitches. I can’t move, can’t do anything but stand here.
Caught between them, I feel like prey, but not in a way that makes me want to run.
No, this kind of danger makes me want to sink deeper, to see just how far they’ll take me.
I’ve never been the woman people flocked to, mostly because I’m an introvert at heart, and talking to people takes up a lot of energy. But now? I feel fully alive.
Niko brushes his knuckles down my cheek. “We’ll stop if you say so,” he promises, his voice a velvet oath. I trust him, knowing he’ll put a stop to this if it becomes too much. It’s kind of him to offer, but I know, once we start, there’s no way I’m stopping it.
“But if you say yes…” His lips find my neck, grazing just beneath my jaw. “We’ll show you how good it feels to be worshipped.”
My knees almost buckle. “Yes,” I whisper, barely able to form the word. My heart pounds rapidly against my chest. It’s so loud, I wonder if they hear it.
“Then undress her,” he commands softly. “Slowly.” The dominance in his tone has Niko’s body tensing. He seems fine—relieved, even—to have Zephyr leading this moment. Like he’s tired of giving orders and making demands. He’s ready to just submit and feel.
Niko’s eyes flash, not with rebellion, but pure hunger for me.
No man has ever looked at me with raw, unfiltered need.
He runs his hand down my sides and, once at my hips, lifts the hem of my shirt.
His hands are reverent, fingertips barely skimming my skin as he pulls the fabric over my head, and yet my body is set ablaze for him.
His hungry gaze admires my boobs before making quick work of my pants.
I’m left standing in nothing but a simple pair of underwear—plain, cotton, and practical.
I didn’t wake up thinking I would be under the scrutiny of two gorgeous males, so I didn’t put on my frilly pair.
Hell, I don’t even think I own a frilly pair.
Suddenly, I feel so exposed under their gaze, not knowing if I’m enough.
But neither looks disappointed. Niko’s eyes darken with unfiltered lust, and Zephyr…
his jaw clenches like he’s physically restraining himself.
He doesn’t attempt to touch me, but the way his gaze roams my body is as good as any touch.
There’s heat in his expression, yes, but there’s also something akin to fondness. Fondness for me?
“Beautiful,” Zephyr breathes. “Isn’t she, Niko?”
“She’s everything,” Niko replies, voice thick with lust and adoration.
He kneels in front of me without instruction. The fae king. Kneeling. For me. I feel like I’ve died and gone to horny heaven.
His hands run over my thighs as he presses a kiss to the soft skin above the waistband. “Can I taste you, sweetheart?”
I fear if I speak, an embarrassing whimper will leave my lips. So, I nod, hoping that’s enough for him, needing it to be enough. My hands ball into fists, digging my nails into my palms because I need something other than my rapid heartbeat to focus on.
He doesn’t remove my underwear right away.
He presses his mouth against the fabric, inhaling deeply, as if the scent of my arousal is enough to undo him.
Then, with a growl of restraint shredding at the edges, he pulls my panties aside and licks a firm stripe up my center.
It catches me off guard, even though I knew it was going to happen.
My hands fly to his hair as a moan escapes me.
“You’re still wet,” he groans against me. “So fucking sweet like honey. When you came for me in the kitchen, I desperately wanted to taste you, and now I’ll get the chance.”
My knees are about to give out, but before I go crashing to the floor, Zephyr wraps a strong arm around my waist from behind me, supporting me as my legs wobble. His lips brush my ear, voice low and dangerous. “Be a good girl and stay still for him. I want to see you come undone.”
I grow weak from his words alone, while a whimper escapes my lips. This is all too much, but I don’t dare stop it. I don’t dare mention this whole scene isn’t very “I don’t want to mate you” of him.
I grip Zephyr’s arm for balance as Niko drags his tongue through my core again. He uses two fingers to part me, and I have no time to be self-conscious as he takes my clit into his mouth. It’s so sensitive to his touch.
“Niko!” I gasp, tugging on his hair. He devours me, slow at first, then faster, more purposefully, learning every little twitch and moan like they’re sacred.
He feasts on me like he’s studied how to please me his entire life.
If I had known it would feel like this, I would have insisted we do this much sooner, because, god, it feels so fucking good.