by Tara West
He placed a hand on his warm, bare chest. “My heart beats for you. It always has. I can feel it when we touch.”
She was sorely tempted to melt into him and get lost in his golden eyes, but his love for her was based on a lie. “It’s my siren pheromones.”
“No, it’s you, Serah.” Eyes flashing with alarm, he pulled her closer. “It’s your pure heart.”
She wanted to believe him, but it had to be the pheromones, and there was her grandfather—.
Fuck him, Thelix growled. He tried to kill you, for Goddess’s sake.
She wasn’t about to argue with Thelix, too. Nobody knew who’d tried to kill her, and she refused to blame him without all the facts.
She touched Ladon’s cheek, breath mingling. He smelled of barley and salted fish. She longed to kiss him, but she was painfully reminded they weren’t alone. His brothers’ eyes were boring holes into her. “You’re sweet, Ladon, but your brothers are suspiciously silent.” She shot them a look.
His mouth hitched in an impish grin. “They don’t like to show their emotions.”
“It’s true we aren’t good about showing feelings,” Teju said, inching closer. “Draque more than me.”
Casting a furtive glance at Draque, she bit back a sarcastic retort. Dragons afraid to show their feelings? What a load of troll dung. It was clear they wanted to get laid and were doing a bad job of talking her into it.
“We have tender feelings for you,” Draque said, grazing her cheek with calloused knuckles. “But our fathers raised us to be fierce.”
She couldn’t deny his touch did something to her insides. “Then why do you kiss me so passionately?”
His cheeks flushed as red as molten lava. “Because we want you.” Draque answered, tracing her lip with the pad of his thumb.
Take him, Serah! Thelix screamed. Take him now!
Her siren’s lust took over all reason. She tried to fight it, to no avail. She scooted out of her chair, letting the towel fall to the sand and straddled him. She searched his expression for any sign of deceit. “So is desire all you feel for me?” she asked, her sultry siren voice taking over.
Damn that siren! That’s not what she’d wanted to ask him. Why would she goad him into confessing his love when their relationship would never work?
His golden eyes shone with such intensity, she felt ravaged. “We feel more for you than just desire.”
Cupping the back of his head, she pressed his mouth to her breast and murmured against his ear. “Tell me what you feel.”
Chuckling, he swirled his tongue around her nipple. “You’re determined to wrap us around your finger, aren’t you?”
Her pussy clenched in response, leaving moisture across his skin as she rubbed against his thigh. “Perhaps your lust for me is clouding your hearts. Perhaps we should put some distance between us.”
Roaring, she broke her siren’s hold on her and slipped out of his arms. When he lunged for her, she retreated to the water.
“Don’t go!” the brothers simultaneously hollered.
Water was lapping at her ankles when Draque grabbed her around the waist and turned her in his arms. The air was knocked from her lungs when she spun against Draque’s chest. Bodies melded together, they tumbled into the soft sand, his lips on hers, his hands branding every inch of her.
“No.” She broke the kiss, chest heaving. “You need to focus on what I mean to you.”
“You mean the sun, the stars, and the heavens in all five realms.” He showered her neck and breasts with kisses. “Is that enough of a declaration of love?”
Yes! It was enough! Great Goddess, what had she done?
She tried to push him away. “I can’t tell if it’s your heart speaking or that stiff protrusion between your legs.”
“Both,” he rumbled in her ear.
“Oh, Draque,” she cried, Thelix spreading her legs for her. He buried his thick shaft inside her heat.
They fucked hard, desperation growing as she dug her nails into his back. Sea foam washed over them. When he planted a bruising kiss on her lips, Thelix wouldn’t let her delay her pleasure; she fought for that pinnacle, that pulsing place of ecstacy that glowed brighter with each thrust.
She cried his name when her orgasm hit. It pounded through her, unraveling her last thread of sanity. She lifted her legs higher, and he poured himself into her, a look between pleasure and pain etched across his frozen features.
After several glorious aftershocks, he kissed her tenderly, stroking her hair. She giggled, the foamy waves tickling her sensitive skin.
When he pulled out, she reached for him, begging him not to go. But Teju took his place, sliding inside her and filling the void his brother had left. He made love to her with much more tenderness, reaching between them to stroke her swollen bud while plunging into her with choppy thrusts. It didn’t take him long to build her next orgasm, awakening nerve endings she didn’t even know she’d had. He rubbed her tight peak into a frenzy until all she could think about was falling off that glorious edge again. After they finished, he rolled off and took her in his arms, kissing her earlobe while the surf washed over them. “If you want to know how I feel about you,” he murmured, nibbling her lobe, “I have more tenderness for you than a thousand orgasms and a million kisses.”
When Ladon sat beside them, she gave Teju a last lingering kiss and turned to him. Wrapping her legs around Ladon’s waist, she sat astride him.
He stroked her hips and her waist before settling his large hands on her breasts, massaging each globe. Groaning, she threw back her head when he pinched each nipple, then rolled them. She slid down his cock, sheathing him to the root, and ground against him while he dug his fingers into her ass. Their lovemaking was sweet at first, tender and gentle like the waves lapping at their feet. But soon they picked up the tempo, emitting joyous sounds as she road him hard. Orgasm washed over her like a rogue wave, holding her captive to its strength. After he came, she fell on top of him with a shuddering breath.
“Can’t you tell when we make love how we feel about you?” he murmured.
She froze at that. Did they really love her? Oh, Goddess, what was she to do?
She rested her cheek against his heart, afraid to look him in the eyes. “Yes,” she said curtly, then closed her eyes, hoping he didn’t pick up on her tension.
This was all happening so fast, it made her head spin. She didn’t have to do much soul-searching to know if she was falling for them, too. She was. Hard. And therein lay the problem. She was afraid the fall wouldn’t just break her heart, it would shatter it to pieces.
Chapter Eleven
Penelope Pixiefeather Pratt glared at the detective who stood in the doorway, his bowler hat dripping, his thick, walrus moustache drooping over his lips like a limp squirrel.
He frowned at the storm clouds overhead. “I’m cold. May I please come in?”
“I’m sorry.” Her smile was aloof and unwelcoming. “Mr. Goldenwand cannot be disturbed. He’s mourning the loss of his only grandchild.”
The detective removed his hat, revealing a bald head that shone like a marble, with the exception of a small tuft of black hair sprouting from the top of his head like a clump of crabgrass. He wrung the sopping hat over the doormat. “He’s going to want to hear this.”
“Again,” she said haughtily, “he cannot be bothered.” She started to close the door.
He threw his arm out, blocking it. “It’s about his granddaughter.”
She pushed on the door until he cried out. “Again, I will take a message.”
“Miss Pratt, his granddaughter lives.” He stuck his head in. “She was rescued by the Firesbreath princes.”
“What?” Her jaw dropped. This couldn’t be. She forced a smile, speaking through frozen features. “Oh, how wonderful. Tell me more.”
“I’ve said enough.” He slipped his head out of the doorway with a curse. “I’m speaking to Nathaniel Goldenwand from here on out.”
“Very well th
en,” she spat, slamming the door on him.
Ignoring his loud cursing and pounding on the door, she flew straight to Nathaniel’s office. Pausing at the door, she released a shaky breath, fearing she’d be the object of his anger once she relayed the news. But he had to know. She tapped on the door, her insides churning while awaiting his response.
“Come in,” he called.
Her wings buzzed so hard, her insides rattled. She tried to be gentle opening the door, but she ended up tumbling into the room. She sucked in a sharp breath at the throbbing in her shin when she struck the back of a brocade chair.
Nathaniel Goldenwand sat behind his morning paper, no doubt reading about his granddaughter’s demise. The headline read, Goldenwand Heiress Presumed Dead After Fiery School Massacre.
“Forgive me, sir,” she squeaked in fear, “but a detective was at the door.”
He set down his paper, snarling like a were-bear waking up from slumber too soon, but it didn’t detract from his handsome features. He had a pointed chin and turned up nose, making him look part fae, but his eyes were his most beautiful feature, wide and gray with flecks of violet. Though she suspected his hair had turned gray ages ago, he kept it black and slicked back, tied in a queue at his nape. He kept his thin black moustache well oiled and trimmed, and he was tall and lean, far more fit than men half his age. Penelope soaked in his beauty like he was manna for her eyes. If only he admired her the same way.
“Well? What did he want?”
Ever the polished gentleman, he was careful not to spill as he took a dainty sip from a porcelain teacup, his pale pinky turned up. If Penelope had such refined manners, perhaps Nathaniel would take her seriously as a lover.
All moisture evaporated from her mouth as she summoned the courage to speak. “Your granddaughter lives.”
He jumped from his chair, spilling tea across his desk and soaking the morning paper. “Who saved her?”
She swallowed back a lump of fear, fluttering back. “The dragon princes.”
He shook with rage. “If she slept with them, so help me goddess.”
“I don’t have the details yet,” she said, the words tumbling out of her mouth like they’d tripped over her tongue.
His handsome features twisting, he threw the saucer at her. She ducked, yelping and wincing when it clipped her wing and shattered against the wall behind her.
“What did the detective say to you?” he demanded.
She willed her hands to stop trembling. “Not much.”
“Did you give him time to speak?”
When he pulled a wand from his pocket, her wings skipped a beat, and she flew back into a bookcase, knocking several dusty tomes to the floor.
“No, but it doesn’t matter.” She forced a note of confidence into her voice. “My spies will be reporting within the hour.”
She fluttered to the other side of the room when he waved the wand at her feet. The old books flew back to their spot on the shelf.
“I would’ve liked to know if Serah is injured and her whereabouts.” His voice dropped to such a low, menacing whisper, she had to strain to hear him. That’s when she knew she was in deep troll dung. He never whispered unless he was furious.
Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears, it drowned out the sound made by the rapid beating of her wings. “I don’t know if she’s injured,” she rasped, “but I can guarantee they took her to The Grotto.”
His eyes shifted from gray to inky black. “She’s their prisoner!”
“I-I’m not sure,” she cried, flattening against the wall, then falling on her ass when her wings drooped.
“She is!” He banged the chair beside her with his wand, sparks flying and setting the heavy emerald curtains framing the oak windowseat on fire.
The blackness in his eyes seeped into his skin, dripping down his cheeks like ink spilling from a well. “I will raze that rat-infested slum until every last dragon’s fire has been extinguished.”
SERAH CLUNG TIGHTLY to Ladon’s neck, resting on top of him while the sea foam tickled their legs. Loathe though she was to leave the safety of his arms, they had to get back. Reluctantly she sat up, ignoring his erection poking her buttocks. “We should go. Your fathers might have news.”
“Wait.” He sat up and shared wide-eyed looks with his brothers, and she knew they were speaking telepathically.
“Hey!” She swatted him. “No secrets.”
Teju knelt beside her, drawing a circle in the sand. “We want you to be ours for all eternity.”
Her hand flew to her throat and her heart skipped a beat. “You mean that?”
Legs braced apart, Draque stood above her, blocking the setting sun. “Yes.” His voice was as rough as sandpaper. He turned away, giving her a glimpse of a strong, determined jaw.
She squinted at him, wondering why it looked like he was hiding something. “I’ll think about it.”
“How long will you think?” He balled his hands into fists.
“I didn’t know my heart was on a deadline,” she snapped. The guy was on edge, but why? His brothers eyed her expectantly. Jeez. They’d just met!
“We want you, Serah. But more than that, we want to keep you safe. We can’t lose you to that madman.”
She groaned. “Why do you insist my grandfather is guilty before giving him a chance to explain?”
He has never been loving to you, Serah, and he loathes me, Thelix said.
Hating the truth that rang in her siren’s words, she flinched and didn’t respond.
“He will send for you when he finds out you’re with us,” Draque said. “He may have already done so.”
“Which is why I need to get back.” Jumping to her feet, she brushed sand off her legs, wriggling uncomfortably when she felt the tiny, abrasive grains chafing her crotch. Damn, she suddenly remembered why she didn’t like beach sex. She stomped into the water to shift and swim back to The Grotto and hopefully wash out the sand.
Draque jerked her toward him. “Serah, don’t pull away from us.”
Breath swooshed from her lungs. His bare chest, solid and warmed by the sun, enticed her senses. His scent enveloped her, a mix of musk, sulfur, and sea salt that set her pheromones on high alert. Why did he have to be so virile and tempting? “I’m not pulling away.”
Liar, Thelix jeered.
He traced a path down her cheek with calloused knuckles, his voice dropping to a sultry whisper. “You are.”
Forcing herself to ignore her siren’s lust, she turned up her chin. “I’m going to hear him out. It’s the least I can do after all he’s done for me. Then I will make my decision.”
Draque’s eyes shifted to brilliant gold, his voice dropping to a dragon’s rumble. “He’ll turn you against us.”
There was no use arguing. “He’ll try.”
He caved inward, like a dam breaking under a deluge. “He’ll make you choose.”
Her heart fell, and she turned away. “I know.”
PENELOPE FLEW INTO her office so angry, she saw stars. Prometheus had a lot of nerve, sitting in her chair with his boots propped on her desk as if he was the semis-wizard in charge.
“Where in Hades name have you been?” she shrieked, wings angrily flapping as she hovered over him.
He picked up a quill from her desk and twirled it between long, slender fingers. “Interrogating.”
“Interrogating whom?”
He looked at her coolly, dismissively, as if they’d never been lovers. “None of your business.”
She kicked a roll of tape into his lap and dropped to the desktop. “You do realize I’m the semis-wizard?”
“I don’t give a damn what you are.” He picked grime from under his fingernails.
That pigheaded prick!
She impatiently tapped her foot. “The bitch lives! Saved by the dragon princes.”
“I know.”
Falling to her knees, she shot him a glare, trying to intimidate him. “Tell me what else you know.”
“I kn
ow that the elder dragon princes are working for the resistance,” he drawled, not appearing fazed in the slightest when she leaned into him.
“Everyone knows that.”
“I also know they’ve kidnapped Dame Doublewart, who’s disguised herself as Serah.”
She startled, accidentally tipping an ink well. “What?”
“I figured it was too complex for you to follow.” He snickered. “We have the leader of the resistance in our custody. The elder princes have been cut off from communication.”
Scowling at the growing blob of ink that seeped into her papers, she zapped it with her wand before it caused any more destruction. “And?”
He leaned back in her chair, casually folding his arms behind his head. “And when they panic, they’ll reveal their location.”
She wished she could zap that smug expression off his face, but he was quicker with a wand and she feared retaliation. “What does this have to do with the heiress?”
Thunderclouds darkened his eyes. “We don’t need to kill the heiress to declare war. We can kill a dragon prince, and the kings will retaliate.”
Her jaw dropped. “How are you going to kill a dragon?”
He patted her hand as if he was comforting a child. “You let me worry about that.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Don’t tell me you’ll use the unbreakable curse.”
“Why not?” He chuckled. “You did.”
“Not directly.” She vehemently shook her head, her wings buzzing like rabid bees. “I activated Hestia’s wand.” Which meant that the drunk godmother would take the blame, not her.
He shrugged. “Same difference.”
Gasping, she clutched her throat. “If you use the unbreakable curse, you’ll be executed.”
He shrugged. “Not for killing a dragon.”
“You go too far,” she breathed.
Shadows fell across his handsome features. “And you don’t go far enough.”
THE TRIP BACK TO THE underground cavern was awkward, to say the least. They traveled in silence, tension thick inside their bubble. When it popped to the surface of the water, she stood in the shallow pool up to her knees, taking in air as if she’d been suffocating.
