by Lexi Blake
“It’s a small bed, Daniel,” Dev pointed out.
“Then we’ll have to cuddle. We will not have separate rooms. Not here and not at the headquarters. We stay together. Always,” Daniel said over his shoulder as he led me away. “And Stewart, leave Dev alone. Go find Neil and bug him.”
“Absolutely, Your Highness,” Stewart said with a grin. He was out the door in a flash.
“That was mean,” I complained as I followed Daniel up the narrow stairs.
“Neil still couldn’t hear the last time I saw him,” Daniel pointed out. “Deafness will make Stewart infinitely more tolerable.”
Daniel pulled me up the last two stairs, and before I knew what was happening, his mouth was on mine, devouring me. His tongue plunged in, dominating mine. I let my hands sink into his hair, loving the silky feel of it. I’d almost lost him. I’d thought I had. I’d almost lost him and I let that wash over me because he was still here and still in my arms. Pure emotion drove me as I held him close, every cell in my body responding to him. He was my husband, my first love. I couldn’t remember a time when I didn’t love Danny.
I kissed him with everything I had. I didn’t care that there was an army downstairs. There was only me and Daniel.
He pulled my legs up and around his waist and then my back was up against the wall. He pressed his body against me, grinding his erection on my pelvis. I lit up, pleasure flaring along my skin.
“God, I need to be inside you, Z,” Daniel groaned against my mouth. “I don’t want any of this. I didn’t want to be the freaking king, much less this. I just wanted to be your husband. That’s all I ever wanted.”
I wound myself around him, holding him tight. “I know you don’t want it, baby, but we need you. You’re the only one who can do this.”
He was the only one who could save us all, the only one who could bring everyone together.
Daniel opened the door to the tiny bedroom. He walked us inside, seeming to not feel my weight at all. We fell against the double bed together.
“And I need you,” Daniel said, his eyes dark. “Take off your clothes for me. Don’t be a queen. Don’t be a nexus point. Don’t be a companion. Just Daniel and Zoey, okay? Just for a little while.”
He stood up, staring down at me.
I didn’t hesitate at all. My hands were already on the hem of my T-shirt, pulling it over my head. I tossed it aside and started on my jeans even as Daniel was shoving his off his hips, looking like he would die if he didn’t get what he wanted and soon. I unhooked my bra as he completed his task and got down on his knees. He reached up and pulled me toward him by my ankles. I was trapped by his strong arms parting my legs, spreading my naked flesh.
“I know you think I love you for the way your blood tastes,” Daniel said, his voice deep. “But god, Z, that wasn’t the first taste I got of you. I was an addict even then.”
He brought his mouth reverently down on my pussy, kissing me gently. He let go of my legs, sure that I would hold myself open for him now. He breathed in my scent, the happiness in his eyes letting me know how much he loved it.
“Fuck, baby, you’re already wet.” He parted me with his fingers and let his tongue run the length of my pussy, gathering cream as he went.
I took a deep breath because I needed the oxygen. His tongue speared me, fucking deep and making me squirm. “I always am when you’re around, Danny.”
I curled my fingers around the bedspread, trying to let Daniel have his way. He loved to play with me. He would spend what seemed like hours licking, sucking, and loving his favorite part of me.
“All I thought about for five years was getting back inside you. I was so fucking alone without you. Don’t you leave me, Z. Don’t you ever leave me. You take me with you wherever you go.”
Even through the pleasure he was giving me, I felt the ache at what had almost happened. I almost lost him. I almost had to walk away from my first love. I wouldn’t have known what happened to him.
“Baby, don’t.” But I could see he was emotional, too. “Don’t think about it. It didn’t happen. I won’t ever let it happen. I would have come for you. You understand. I’ll tell them whatever I need to say, but I’ll come for you and Dev.”
“I love you, Danny.” I couldn’t imagine a world without him.
His tongue found my clit and he worked his fingers inside. I let myself go, fucking his fingers and loving the firm tongue pressed against me. My hands found his hair and held him where I wanted him. I cried out as he curved his fingers inside me and found my sweet spot. One long lick against my clit sent me flying. I came against his tongue, and he held himself close even as I shivered in the aftermath.
He let me settle before covering my body with his, the weight of him pressing me into the mattress and making me feel so safe. We weren’t a king and queen in that moment when he made a place for himself between my legs and connected us with one sure thrust of his body. We were seventeen again, just starting out with the whole world ahead of us and unknown. We were kids who had just found the greatest feeling in the world in each other’s bodies. We were Danny and Zoey, kids who loved each other, who never thought about a world without the other one in it.
He looked down as he held himself tight inside me, savoring the connection between us, and he said the same thing he had said to me that first night we made love. “You are everything to me.”
“You’re my world.” I gave him back my words.
He lay on top of me, giving me all of his weight, his cheek pressed so close to mine I could feel the tears that left his eyes. I wrapped my legs around his waist and forgot everything but the magnificent feeling of him inside me. I pushed back, and it didn’t take long for his pace to pick up and his silence to turn to long groans. He lifted his body up, and suddenly he was rubbing against my clit with every thrust, sending me over the edge again. I looked up and his fangs were out. He quickly closed his mouth.
“Don’t, baby,” I said because the truth was we weren’t seventeen anymore and I wouldn’t go back. I wanted this Daniel and he was a vampire. He was my husband. “Please, take me. Take what only I can give you.”
Daniel, my vampire, groaned and his eyes flashed. He never lost the rhythm of his lower body as he struck and my blood flowed into his mouth, making his heart pump, his lungs work, giving his soul a body to stay in. I closed my eyes and gave myself over to the now, where Daniel loved me fully and wholly.
The future might be uncertain but the now was perfect.
* * * *
“What is it?” I asked, roused from my light sleep by Daniel’s movement.
He was up on one elbow, his eyes looking toward the door. “It’s Dev. He’s been out there for half an hour, Z. Why doesn’t he come in? It isn’t like him. He knows we’re naked. He should be clawing his way in.”
“Stewart got to him.” I knew exactly what the problem was. I shoved Daniel’s T-shirt over my head and opened the door.
Dev sat on the floor opposite our borrowed room. There was a tiredness to the set of his shoulders. A general air of the forlorn hung on him, his hair drooping and his clothes dusty. He had a bottle of whiskey in one hand. Only my faery prince could find a bottle on this isolated island.
“Is it helping?” I crossed my arms over my chest and cursed Stewart’s existence. The afternoon should have been relaxed. So many of our problems had been solved, but the damn demon had to bring up all of Dev’s insecurities.
“Nope,” he replied, taking a swig anyway.
“Are you coming to bed? We only have a few hours before dusk.”
Dev just stared up at me. “I am not a good man, Zoey.”
I sighed. He was going to play the drama out to its fullest. “And yet I still love you.”
Daniel walked up behind me wearing only his boxers. “Get in bed, man. You have got to stop letting that prick get to you. I’m not going to dump your ass if we manage to find Summer. I would expect you to accept her, Dev.”
Dev looked up, his
face very serious. “I already accept her, Daniel. I’ve been very intent on finding the information we need. I would love her as my own daughter.”
“I know that,” I said and then I got to the heart of the problem. “Now stop thinking Daniel is anything like Declan. He isn’t. He knows every shitty thing you’ve done, probably so much more than I do, and he hasn’t used any of it against you.” I turned to husband number one. “And yes, I know all about the brothel.”
“Shit,” Danny cursed.
“He could have brought up any of that stuff the Order knew to try to wrestle me away from you,” I explained flatly. “There are probably things he knows that would have worked, but he didn’t try to fight you. He became your freaking partner in crime and tried to hide the fact that the two of you want to become the Hugh Hefners of the supernatural world. He’s committed to this family and that means something to Daniel. He won’t toss you out. He loves you. He wants you. He’ll accept you for all your lying, illegal arms dealing, gambling, pornographic, and pimping ways.”
“I am not a pimp.” Dev refuted only that statement. “I’m an investor.”
“Fine.” I gave him that much. “Then get your gangster ass into our bed. If we can all fit.”
Dev got up, leaving the bottle behind. “Are you sure? You didn’t seem to be in a sharing mood earlier.”
Daniel grinned, his dimples on full display. “I told you. I don’t share. It’s all mine, man.” He kissed him swiftly, a brushing of lips that was so much more intimate for how brief and casual it was. “Now come on. I learned something today. I can’t go back and I don’t want to. What Z and I had was beautiful and damn near perfect, and nothing compared to what we have now. I love what we have so fucking much…I want to die when I think about losing it.”
Dev nodded but didn’t speak, emotion choking him up. He walked into my arms and let me shut the door behind us.
“We love you, Devinshea,” I said as his arms tightened around me. “We will never leave you. Now come to bed and make love to me. Daniel can watch.”
“I like to watch,” Danny allowed. “I might even join in. We do have a few hours.”
Daniel sank back on the bed and pulled me down with him. He settled me between his legs. My back was to his chest. He stripped the shirt off me and glanced back at our faery prince. “Do you have a condom, Dev?”
“I’m always ready to go,” Dev assured him with a smile.
“Then toss it out,” came Daniel’s reply.
We all stopped. Dev stood there for a moment. “Daniel, I have Bris back.”
Danny’s arms tightened around me. “Yes, and I can’t think of a better way to welcome him. I want our family. I want us to find Summer, but I want our family, Dev. You’re the only one who can give it to us.”
We had a long road ahead. We had to wake the wizard, but after that we would spend a lot of time in the Order’s headquarters. I would never see the war zone. I would be coddled and surrounded by guards. I could do that while I was pregnant. The idea brought tears to my eyes. I could have our babies. I could have the sons Oliver Day had promised me. He’d told me if I did my job, I could have my twins, my boys.
Maybe I wasn’t thinking at the time. Maybe I was throwing fate a big old finger, but in that moment I wanted nothing more than to know we had a future.
Dev stared at me. “I don’t know. I’m worried that the time isn’t right.”
I shook my head. I might not be going into a war zone, but I doubted anything would keep Dev out of it. I didn’t like to think about it, but if anything happened to Dev, I wanted something of him, something to keep. I wanted our children. I wouldn’t say it. Neither would Daniel, but I was sure we were both thinking about it. We were going into something dangerous. It might be one of our last chances to try. “The time is never going to be right for this. After we take over the Council, we’ll want to wait until things settle down and then something else will come up. Screw that. Nothing is more important than this. I want to have our babies. Do you want that, too?”
Dev’s smile was radiant, and I felt it in my soul. “I want it more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life, my goddess.”
“Then come on, Dev,” Daniel said solemnly. “Let’s make a family together, the three of us.”
I know I should have worried. I was a nexus point. I had a job to do, but I let all of it go. I didn’t want to be important. I didn’t want power. I just wanted to be a wife and a mother. I wanted a family with the men I loved.
Daniel held me, whispering his love for me as Dev was gentler than I could ever remember him being. His magic flowed across us, feeding Daniel and making my body sing. His magic felt like love and lust and hope, wrapping us up, sheltering us and preparing us for anything that might come along.
Dev leaned down to kiss me when he gasped, holding himself against me, letting his fertility flow from him into me. It was perfect. We were together and as I settled down to sleep between them, I hoped it had worked but I wouldn’t mind more trying if we had to.
Dev’s hand came over my belly as he pressed himself against me. He held his hand there like he could feel what was happening. Daniel’s hand found its way there too and Dev moved to give him room. We slept like that, the three of us connected waiting, hoping for what we all wanted.
Chapter Twenty-One
“And you are sure this is the way to go, Your Highness?” Sir Ronald asked as the helicopter thudded.
The sun was starting to set in the background. It was hours later and the time had come to make our way to the crystal prison of Myrddin Emrys.
“We have no idea how long this will take,” Daniel replied. “I think an entire army encamped on a small island off the coast of Wales will garner some media attention. The locals seem to be in on all of this, but someone is going to call a reporter eventually. I worry some vampire might catch a little CNN and mention it to Marini. We’ll be fine. Once we’re back on the mainland, I’ll call and you can come pick us up.”
“We’ll be waiting on the call,” Sir Ronald said.
Dev stepped up, treating Ronald with far more respect than he had before. “Until then, you should ensure that our vampires are comfortable. They’ll be bringing their girlfriends with them. Most of the girls are either wolves or shapeshifters, so the vampire’s dietary needs will be taken care of, but we expect them to be protected. These are vampires who were turned by the king himself. They’re of his bloodline and have never lived in vampire society. You’ll find them very different from other vampires.”
“I look forward to meeting a non-Council vampire. I think I will find the experience refreshing. We’re already renovating the basement complex for them,” Ronald shouted over the hard thud of the chopper. “And we’ve spoken to Henri Jacobs. He’s coming as well. He wants his companion under full Order protection while this war is going on. I also spoke to your butler. He’s a very bossy man and plans to come with the vampires.”
Dev laughed. “Ronald, you have no idea. Albert will be running things before you can blink.”
“Was the butler serious about closet space?” Ronald asked and he looked like he wanted to be let in on the joke.
Dev never joked about closet space. His face was very serious as he replied. “Absolutely. Proper closet space is what sets us apart from the animals, Ronald. You can’t expect us to be improperly dressed for a war. Her shoes alone will require a room of their own.”
Daniel’s head was in his hand as Ronald looked to the king for confirmation. Daniel sighed, obviously embarrassed, but it didn’t bother Dev at all. Daniel could bitch all he liked. Dev wouldn’t budge on the issue of wardrobe. “I assure you he’s serious. Apparently it’s a Fae thing. He’ll have her dressed to the nines and in five-inch heels for the entire war if he has his way.”
I didn’t mention it, but I intended to be pregnant and in PJs with an éclair in my hand and far away from any battle. I would deeply prefer to bomb Marini from afar. As for my previous plans to stea
l the Blood Stone, it looked like I wouldn’t have to. We had an entire army at our disposal. Maybe everyone had been wrong about all the nexus point stuff. I certainly preferred to think that way.
“I’ll make sure all is ready, Your Highness.” Ronald turned and walked to the last chopper. He hopped on and gave his king a serious salute. “We will await your orders.”
We watched as the helicopter flew away and then the island was quiet again. It was almost too quiet, and I shivered a little in the late afternoon chill.
Daniel looked at Dev, still shaking his head. “Closet space? We’re on the run and you’re worried about closet space?”
Dev shook his head. “It’s very important, Daniel. It could be a while before we gather our allies. We’ll need to entertain them. Appearances are very important. You must look the part, even in exile. Did you intend to meet with your people dressed…well, like that?” He gestured up and down, encompassing Daniel’s T-shirt and jeans ensemble.
Daniel rolled his eyes as we started back to meet with Nim, Stewart, and the wolves. “See, this is why I prefer to just kill things. When you kill someone they don’t give a crap that you’re wearing jeans and boots. I hate those freaking dress shoes you make me wear.”
I whipped my head around. “And the five-inch heels are just heaven on my toes, Danny, but guess who won’t let me take them off even when I get in bed.”
“They’re hot, baby,” Daniel admitted with a grin. “I like the way they poke into the small of my back when you wrap your legs really tight around me just before you come.”
“I enjoy them propped up on my shoulders as I drive into her,” Dev offered with a sigh. “Sneakers just don’t do the same thing for me.”
I hid my smile. “So nobody gets to complain about loafers or the next time we go for some sexy fun, I’ll be wearing my old combat boots. You know, the ones I bought at the thrift store.”
Both men shuddered at the idea, and I knew they would be toeing the line.
