Burned In Shadows

by Eden, Tigris

  “Stalkerish? How so?”

  “Do I need to spell it out?”

  “Take me to school, I’ll take notes.”

  Ronin grunted and pulled a shirt over his head, stood and stepped into the rest of his clothes. Bells was still fast asleep.

  “You’re such a dick. I’m sure you’ve already realized that, but fine. I’ll school you little brother.”

  His brother went back over to the front door and checked the locks one more time. He was such a control freak. Royce had locked the doors himself. And if he didn’t stop calling him little brother, blue blood would be spilling tonight, and it wouldn’t be his.

  “You’re itching for a fight aren’t you? She’s got you so twisted up, the smallest thing will set you off. Who’s the animal now baby brother?”

  He was about to get up, when his brother’s eyes glittered an eerie silver that told everyone including him, shit would go down, and it would go down bad if he was pushed. Fine. He could wait. They could fight tomorrow.

  “Not likely.”

  “So school me.” Royce said harshly.

  “She was right next to us back at headquarters. And what did you do? You fucking brought other women around. What does that say about your intentions?”

  Did he actually expect him to answer that? Yes, he brought other women around, but it wasn’t that he was trying to parade them in front of her. What about Dietrich? His ass was caught leaving her apartment a few weeks back.

  “You hurt her, and whether she hurt you back intentionally the bottom line is you hurt her.”

  Royce stroked his chin and shook his head in frustration. He did those things because he didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. He did it to push her away, not pull her toward him. Fuck, but he was a bastard. He was being a bastard for her own good.

  “What about our own good? We’ve already had this conversation, and we both agreed.”

  They had agreed. He was fully on board with making her theirs, but at the same time he was conflicted, there were a lot of other variables that could be a complete game changer.

  “I think it would be best if we just didn’t talk about this anymore.”

  “Then she shouldn’t be on this assignment with us.” Ronin growled back.

  “Well, she can do any damn thing she chooses, and that includes being on this assignment.”

  They both turned to look at Bells who was now sitting up, legs crossed Indian style on the bed. She was also pissed, really pissed if the now smoking sheets were any indication.

  # # #

  Bells looked at both men and shook her head exhaling on a deep sigh. Give me strength. Dealing with the both of them did things to her that were bad. There were days when she wanted to kiss one, other days she wanted to punch the other. But she knew she wanted both of them. She’d admitted that much. It would never work. Twin fantasies were for prepubescent girls, not three hundred year old immortals. Ronin was always uncomfortable and awkward with her in public. It was when there wasn’t an audience he seemed to gather his wits. Royce, well he was just the same as always. Elusive and confrontational at the same damn time. Their accents were light, but still present, and she knew it was of Roman descent but couldn’t place the dialect when they spoke in their native tongue. Ronin’s dark seductive timber rolled off his tongue licking her skin. Royce’s voice was a deep drawl that slowly crawled down her spine. Disaster was bound to happen sooner rather than later.

  They stared at her and waited for her to continue. The sheets beneath her ass were singed, she was angry when she heard Ronin’s remark. They shouldn’t discuss her unless she was a part of the conversation. Period. She could burn this entire building down, and they should be wary of that. Everyone else on the team treated her as an equal. But these two brooded and stared. Didn’t they get she was trained for combat too? Dravaggio wouldn’t have put her on this team if he didn’t feel she was unable to perform. She could be pushing paper, but she was in the thick of it. Not as thick as Jes, but she was on the front just like the rest of them. Helping out, making a difference. Her being a part of the team mattered.

  Her underwear were gone, and normally, if she were back at the Enclave she wouldn’t care if she was naked, but with these two, she was self-conscious of her body. She’d never seen Ronin with another woman, so she didn’t know his type. Royce always brought in the small pixie like waifs with blonde or red hair. She wasn’t short, and she damn sure wasn’t pixie-like. Bells grabbed the only remaining pillow on the bed and pulled what was left of the sheets around her waist to cover her front and back.

  “I’m gonna change, and when I get back from taking my shower the three of us will talk.” As she walked into the bathroom, she heard Royce say. “Now, there’s an ass.”

  Two seconds later, something was thrown at his head, and he was cursing. Ronin. He didn’t show much interest, but when he did, it was usually to cause bodily harm to his brother for saying something dumb. She wasn’t going to respond. That’s exactly what Royce wanted. A reaction.

  She needed to gather her thoughts, because tomorrow she was going back to the Enclave to have a talk with her mother, and Solon of all people. She’d go and hear her mother out. There was plenty of time before her rebirth. She was going to use her time to help her friend get her man back. No matter what her mother said.

  # # #

  Ronin watched her walk into the bathroom and quietly shut the door. If Royce wasn’t serious about her, then she didn’t need to be here. His dumbass brother was still trying to come up with reasons why she wasn’t truly theirs. She was not Sanya, she wasn’t human. She was immortal like them, but something deep down inside demanded he protect her, no matter the outcome. Dravaggio purposely put her on the team, and he knew the Incubus was up to something. Tomorrow the three of them were going to her mother’s Enclave. Jes would be undercover with Adam, but Dietrich and Dravaggio were keeping tabs.

  “Anything yet from Jesminda?” Ronin asked. He was careful to keep the conversation about business not pleasure.

  “No, she was headed to the training room last time I checked in with her,” Royce tapped the side of his head letting him know Jes and him had spoken sometime this morning.

  “She can handle herself, and we’re only going to be gone for a day or so. Their apartment was two blocks away from the facility. The organization was nestled in a huge warehouse that looked like a distribution center. Trucks would go in and out daily, making drops, leaving and returning again the next day. Something was going on, but they couldn’t figure out what. She’d been there three weeks already, and time was running out. Sooner or later Dravaggio would pull the plug, not because he wanted to, but because the higher powers that be would be wondering why his resources were not readily available for their use. Fucking Agency. They were always in their shit snooping and spying. Pretending they cared about the world’s affairs. He called bullshit on that excuse all day long. When he originally agreed to become part of the team, he’d done so for his brother’s peace of mind. Not his. He knew he was fucked up, but not as badly as Royce. He could tell his brother was rapidly falling apart, he’d been where he was about seventy years ago. Instead of going into a craze, he’d fallen off the planet and wandered for a bit, only contacting his brother out of necessity. Now they were back to the beginning. A female who had the power to bring their darkness to the surface was currently showering. This was his nightmare.

  “It’s not a nightmare.” Royce responded to his thoughts.

  “It’s a fucking nightmare and a blessing because I’m ready to die this time brother.”

  He was ready to die, because if she was theirs, and she didn’t accept them, they’d die. It would be a long process, but it would happen. Their immortality would fade with each passing day until their true age showed. Dying at his age wasn’t good, but it wasn’t horrible.

  “No one said we’re at death’s door” His brother sat back in his chair and put his feet on th
e bed. Underneath the chair was a black duffel bag. He didn’t need to know what was in the contents of the duffel because he’d brought a similar bag.

  “Guess we’re doing this then.”

  Ronin fell back on the bed and threw his arm over his face. Even though she burned the sheets, her scent lingered, seemed stronger now that she’d singed the bed.

  “We’re doing this. I just need to figure out how to get her to ingest your blood. She didn’t react to mine.”

  Royce was up pacing now. They were discussing her seduction, and at this point it could go either way. They’d have to do it sooner, rather than later, and preferably before they reached the Enclave.

  “The moment she’s out of the shower brother. We clear?” Royce asked as he bent forward and opened the black duffel. It was now or never at this point. Trying to convince himself otherwise was pointless. His brother pulled out a brand new leather sling and stirrups that had clasps he’d custom made. The head and neck restraints were padded, as were the thigh and wrist cuffs. She’d be securely fastened, trussed up and open for pleasure once Royce got her in position. Ronin groaned as he pictured her open and ready for him. Her hands would be secured to her thighs and her legs would be spread open, bent at the knees. Royce usually liked to tie women down with rope and then proceed. But Ronin knew he was doing this for both their pleasure, he wasn’t a fan of Japanese bondage. Before he could finish his thought, Royce was pulling out bundles of cotton rope in purple. Each exactly three hundred-eighty four inches in length. Next he pulled out a tube of lubricant, butterfly nipple clamps and one of Ronin’s personal favorites, a long phallus. He sat them all out on the table next to his chair in the corner and started arranging items.

  Next came the lotions and body oils for use after they had their way with her.

  “No finesse? We’re just going to go straight into the fucking,” Ronin asked?

  They hadn’t shared a woman in centuries, and he’d long since stopped having women over once Belinda had come to base. He wasn’t rusty, but he wasn’t exactly ready to give her double penetration either.

  “Relax…. Nothing hardcore tonight, but I need her to be open to us as much as possible, you need it to. The only way this is going to work is to be up front and honest about what this,” he looked over at the table and then back at him, “I don’t want her to think she can choose between either of us because we both know it’s not an option.”

  Ronin went to the closet and pulled out his bag. He heard the shower turn off and looked at his brother who looked calm on the outside, but he knew his heart was beating just as frantically as his. His balls were heavy with anticipation, he tried to relax. Tonight Belinda would realize she belonged to both of them.

  Chapter 11

  The shower was refreshing, something she needed to clear her mind. She couldn’t hear them on the other side of the door and figured they went out for something to eat. Bells just needed some alone time to herself, to catch her breath. She was still upset about Ronin’s earlier comment and instead of arguing, she retreated to the safest place in the apartment- the bathroom. She had every right to be on this assignment.

  The hall was dark when she stepped out of the bathroom. She could hear the television going in front of the apartment, but opted for going to her room to change the sheets. She’d made it two steps down the hall when Ronin crowded her into the adjoining room. His massive body blocked her escape. He was in a pair of sweats, barefoot and no shirt. Gods, she loved watching his muscles move when he walked, his movements were fluid, graceful. A large predator lazy in his action. Ronin’s body was sculpted by years of hard work. What was a girl to do with all that perfection?

  “I need my shirt,” he said moving towards her. He’d just had a shirt.

  She tried to move out of the way, but he continued moving forward. The hall was narrow, so she could do nothing but be backed into his room. There wasn’t enough space. He was too close for her own comfort. Hands clenched at her sides, Bells found herself leaning forward. He made her squirm, made her itch, and dammit he made her want things she had no business thinking about. His arm reached over her shoulder, the movement caused her to step deeper into the closet. He wasn’t honestly trying to reach the shirt attached to its hanger. No, what he was doing was purposely closing her in, cornering her as if she was a scared rabbit. The heat from his body was throwing off an enticing smell of man mixed with lust. She couldn’t place the scent, it wasn’t store bought. It was natural, all him. It was lulling and smooth, but rough at the same time. It was a smell that was quickly becoming an addiction for her. It got stronger as he moved closer. The air from the ceiling fan did nothing to stop its potency. The sultry and decadent scent rose to a level that would have her dropping her shorts to her ankles.

  “You okay?”

  As he looked down at her with hunger, black satin sheets and lazy kisses is the image that collected in her brain. She saw herself sliding on them while he kissed her with long slow swipes of his lips. She absently licked her own lips in preparation, but quickly ducked her head so he wouldn’t get any ideas.

  Bells cleared her throat and looked up into liquid mercury. How did he do that? Make her so mad one minute and starry eyed the next. He couldn’t read her mind, and that was a plus. Neither he nor Royce gave her the true reason why. They blamed it on the moon, or the position of the galaxy and some other outlandish bullshit. She knew there was more to it than that.

  “Yeah,” at least her voice was strong. She rocked back on the balls of her feet as he moved closer. His hand was on the edge of the closet door, his massive body moved forward and closer until his breath mingled with hers. If she lifted her head just a bit, she’d kiss him right on his mouth.

  “I’ll just move out of your way.” She tried to duck under his arm, but Ronin wouldn’t let her.

  “Who says you’re in my way?”

  Damn, the way he drew out the words, slow and needy. He was doing it on purpose and from the way the corners of his mouth slightly tilted, she knew he was laughing at her. She watched as he slowly lowered his head to her neck and inhaled. She couldn’t think straight. Her eyes became heavy, her neck would forever burn in that spot where the hair from his goat tee tickled her.

  “How long do you plan to avoid this?”

  “Avoid what?” She moved her head and the corner of his mouth grazed her cheek making her shiver. Tiny jolts of electricity threatened to ignite the lust that was already simmering beneath her skin.

  “This.” A finger stroked the side of her neck and the ground shook. Talk about rocking someone’s world. Damn, that felt good. What the hell is wrong with me?

  “This, what?” She was incoherent. Brain fried and scrambled from a simple touch. It was the first time he’d touched her in a way that wasn’t tossing her ass onto the mats. Royce tried to grope her every chance he had, but not Ronin, he didn’t do public displays of affection. Not that this was public, but he never touched her. Ever. Not unless they were sparing.

  “Belinda, play dumb all you want, sooner or later one of two things is going to happen.”

  He always called her Belinda, Royce called her Bells and secretly she loved the distinction.

  Why couldn’t he leave her alone and just let her drool over them from afar? She was the next Matria. There was no way her mother would allow her to shack up with Ronin. Or his brother Royce. If she tried to have them both, well that just had outcast written all over it.

  “I’m not playing dumb.” Nonchalant be nonchalant.

  “Really?”

  Ronin ghosted his lips across the corner of her mouth to her ear. He pressed his forehead to hers and let out a sound of such longing, her entire body began to tremble. Her breathing hitched and labored as she tried to stay conscious during his kisses. He was kissing her from her neck to behind her ear and then he would drag his nose across her cheek and repeat the process again. She caught the edges of the closet door in a death grip to keep fr
om falling. Somehow his other arm found its way to rest at her hip. He’d gathered a handful of her shirt and pulled her closer as he continued to trail his lips up the underside of her jaw and behind her ear. His heavy breathing was the only sign he was as affected as she was.

  Her senses threatened to cave. It had everything to do with his lips finding new and exciting places on her face to make her aroused.

  The smell he was throwing off was everywhere. It quickly worked its way into of her skin, becoming a permanent resident to her genetic make-up.

  “Take your hand off the door Belinda,” he said against the shell of her ear. She wasn’t going to let go. Couldn’t let go. Letting go would mean giving in. When she shook her head no, his hand on her waist tightened and pulled her forward. She was strong, but she wasn’t that strong. She resisted only for a second. Damn he smelled delicious. There was a reason women followed him and his brother around like puppy dogs. Not only was their blood orgasmic but whatever pheromone they created and threw off was powerful as hell. It was a chemical reaction meant to take you under their spell.

  Belinda braced herself as her body collided with his. Any other time she would light his ass up. But there was something in the air today, something stronger, potent. It surrounded her, wrapped her up in his intensity. He was done talking, and the shirt on the hanger was altogether forgotten.

  She tried to untangle herself from his arms and mouth. He wasn’t allowing her any room to breathe. Her breast was smashed against his hard chest while he kissed and nipped at sensitive places on her face. Her jaw, her lips, her ear, he even kissed her eyelids and cheek bones, the tip of her nose. He released her shirt to caress her face. When he seemed satisfied with kissing her face, he fixed her with a serious stare. He was searching for something, something deep, buried. He was trying to look into the heart of her and Belinda couldn’t tear her eyes away. She wanted him to see. Needed him to know how vulnerable she was.