by Charlie Hart
“One of the guys probably went outside.” He rubs my arms. “But I can think about ways of warming you up.”
“Really? How?”
“Come with me and I’ll show you.” He takes my hand and leads me to his room, locking the door behind us. When I start toward the bed, he shakes his head. “Nope. Shower, first.”
In the ensuite, I watch as he reaches behind him and pulls his shirt over his head, exposing all his glorious inked flesh, then shifts out of his pants, his cock springing free, already hard, and ready for me.
He turns the water on, then moves to me, and starts removing my shirt. “I still have that image of you in my mind.”
“Which one?”
“You, by the shower.” He kisses my shoulder and lets my shirt fall to the floor. “Wet. The steam wrapping around you, making you look like a fucking angel.” He removes my bra and cups one breast, stroking his thumb over my nipple. “Your head tilted back, mouth open, as you pleased yourself.”
“You walked in on me.”
He chuckles, rolling my nipple between his thumb and index finger. “I thought you were hurt.”
“The only thing hurt was my dignity.”
Emerson growls against my ear, his cock pressed against my belly. “Best fucking thing I’d ever seen in my entire life.”
I wrap my fingers around his shaft and stroke him. “I was hoping you would stay and help me.”
“Fallon would have killed me if I had.” He starts to undo my jeans, then rolls them over my hips.
Both naked, we step into the shower, and I press against him as the warm water and steam envelopes us.
I run my fingers over the patterns of ink that make up the full sleeve on his left arm. “Tell me about these.”
He glances down at where my fingers skim across his flesh. “Most of them are old Norse symbols.”
“Norse?”
“Vikings.”
“Really.”
He shrugs. “My dad likes to say we have Viking blood in us. It’s what makes us stronger, our women more likely to survive. Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up.”
“No. I want to know more.”
“I’m not sure if there’s any truth to it, but I’ve heard that people from Scandinavian countries haven’t been as affected by the changes. That our women survive childbirth more often, even with female children.”
“You’re not wrong. I’ve read the stats.”
He raises a brow at me, and I shrug.
“Tell me about the tattoos.”
“This one…” He points at his forearm, and I trace the circle with eight branches. “It’s the Helm of Awe. A symbol of protection.”
“I love that stuff. Ancient history and folklore. It’s why I chose the name…” Shit. “I mean, why my parents named me Hypatia.”
He tilts his head and frowns slightly, then closes his eyes and tilts his head back, letting the water fall across his face. His hands are still wrapped around my waist, and despite the way his body tenses with my lie, he doesn’t release me.
Finally, he looks back at me. “Tell me about Hypatia. The one you’re named after.”
I let out a small breath. “She was an Egyptian philosopher and mathematician. In a world ruled by men, she made a name for herself. Fought against the norms of society and became known as a great teacher and advisor of powerful men.”
“Sounds like an incredible woman.”
“She was. And they murdered her for it.”
“Who?”
“Men who couldn’t accept that a woman had more to offer than just being a mother and a wife.”
Emerson goes silent.
Finally, he says, “That won’t happen to you, Tia.”
“You can’t guarantee that. I know you always think the best of the world. And I love you for it. But there’s real evil out there.”
He pulls me closer. “I know that.”
“And that evil might come for me.”
“Then we’ll fight it. Together.”
Despite the heat of the water, I shiver against him. “I’m sorry I brought so much trouble to you.”
I feel him sigh, then his hands move up my back until his fingers tangle in my hair. He tugs gently, making me look at him.
“The trouble is worth it if it means being with you. You’re my life now.”
The loyalty he’s shown me is sometimes more than I can take in, and my chest swells with love for the man.
I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him.
He lifts me up, so that I’m straddling his waist, and my back is against the cool wall, the warm water streaming over our bodies.
“I love you, Em,” I say against his lips, his beard tickling my skin, my body aching to be filled by him.
“I love you, too.” His forehead rests against mine as he slides inside of me.
I moan as my body stretches to take him.
“Tia,” he groans, his thickness filling me. I sink down on him, my body remembering how to accept.
My eyes close as the water pours over us, the steam creating a cocoon that I want to stay in forever.
“God, you’re so tight,” Emerson growls in my ear, and I bite down on my bottom lip, his powerful thrusts hitting my core.
My hips roll as he grinds his thickness into me. I like how rough and wild he is like he can’t get enough of me.
I whimper as his cock hits my g-spot, and the orgasm floods my body, causing my arms to cling to his neck, my legs to still, holding onto my husband.
He comes hard inside me, my back still pressed against the shower wall. I look up into his green eyes and our mouths collide in a kiss filled with passion and desire. Our tongues wrap around each other and our need grows. I want more than a kiss, more than sex against the wall. I want it all. More. Everything.
My body is so hot and needy, and Emerson growls again in my ear, sending a wave of excitement through me.
“I need you naked on my bed, wife.” The sensitive Emerson becomes a Viking warrior carrying his conquest. He lies me down on his bed, I’m wet and naked, but he leans over me, the heat from his body warming me up.
He runs his fingers over my skin, from my thighs to my lips, making me ache with want. I’m holding my breath, waiting for him to consume me. Emerson may be a gentle lion, but right now he is all power, all strength. He is waiting to pounce.
I don’t want to wait for anything. I want him, now. And he’s ready for me again.
His strong, capable body overwhelms my frame, and it’s intoxicating being with a man with so much brawn and raw strength.
His biceps are so large, his body ripped with muscles. The other men may consider Em the nice one, but they don’t see what I see. A man chiseled to perfection, a body carved from stone. A Norse god incarnate.
“You’re so beautiful, Tia,” he says, his eyes soaking up my body, and he cups my breasts, his mouth on my nipples, nibbling and licking and not asking permission.
Emerson takes what is his.
All of me.
He presses against me, his solid cock on my belly, as he feasts on my breasts.
My pussy demands attention though, and I push his hand to my entrance, wanting him to know how badly I want him inside me again.
“Please,” I moan.
He pushes his cock inside me, and I love seeing this other side of Em, the one that knows what he wants and takes it. We confessed our love and it’s like a floodgate of passion opened inside of him.
It opened inside of me too.
“Oh, Em, oh yes,” I moan. “More.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he tells me, his wet hair falling in his face, as he thrusts harder.
“Make me scream your name,” I tell him. He raises an eyebrow, and with our eyes locked we both give in to one another entirely. He rolls me over so I’m straddling him. His hands hold my hips in place as he thrusts deep inside of me.
“Oh, ohhhh,” I whimper, his cock buried so deep inside of me from this position. H
is thumb moves to my pussy and he presses against my swollen clit, making me claw at his chest, begging for mercy.
“Make me come, Em, make me yours,” I moan.
He does as I ask, working my body over, knowing what I need.
“Yes, yes, yes,” I scream, our bodies coming together, my pussy dripping as I collapse against him, overcome with pleasure.
The bedroom door opens, and I turn, seeing Fallon looking in with surprise.
“Oh, shit, I thought someone called for help. Sorry.”
I lift my body up from Emerson’s chest. I raise an eyebrow at my husband beneath me, he shrugs, saying yes. I love that we’re communicating without speaking.
I twist my wet hair, looking back over my shoulder, my bare breasts perky and on display, Fallon is already feasting on them with his eyes.
“Oh, I could use some help,” I say playfully, unsure of how Fallon will respond.
Fallon inhales sharply, then steps forward, closing the door behind him. He pulls off his shirt over his head, then tosses it to the floor.
“It’s getting tense as fuck out there,” Fallon says, walking towards the bed.
Emerson grins, sitting up, cradling me in his arms. “You wanna be in here, you have to play nice.”
“Yeah,” I tease. “You sure you know how to share?”
“If it gives me a chance to roll around in a bed with you, I’ll do whatever you say.”
Fallon unbuttons his jeans and rolls them over his hips, his boxers too. His cock is standing at attention and I bite my bottom lip, shocked at Fallon’s willingness to loosen up. It’s a relief, seeing both men able to let down their guard with me.
I pat the bed beside me, then turn around, so my back is to Emerson, and shift onto my knees as Fallon crawls across the mattress towards me.
“My God, you’re beautiful,” he says, one hand cupping my breast, the other tangling in the hair at the nape of my neck before kissing me.
Emerson shifts behind me, and runs his hands over my ass, making me feel so desired and beautiful.
“I needed this so damn bad,” Fallon says with a moan against my lips.
I smile, loving the way my husbands make me feel, especially in the midst of so many unknowns, they make me feel grounded, safe. Secure.
“I needed it too,” I say, wrapping my arms around Fallon’s neck, as I lean back against Emerson’s chest.
And as my husbands take me, consume me, push me to the highest points of pleasure, I know that whatever happens tomorrow, or in the future, marrying them was the best choice I ever made. And no one can ever take away the love that I feel for each one.
That alone will give me the strength to face whatever challenges lie ahead.
When I finally fall asleep in my husbands’ arms, I have no idea how much I’m going to need that strength, and soon.
Chapter 15
Giles
My skin burns like there’s a furnace inside of me. I cracked the window open, but despite the chill in the room, sweat still pours off me.
It’s dark outside, not even the moon is visible, covered by dark clouds. Shadows move and voices, familiar and taunting, speak to me.
“Come home, Giles,” The woman’s voice calls out. “Don’t fight anymore.”
Caroline. I see her face. Young and innocent, like the last time I saw her alive. She beckons to me to follow her.
I blink hard, knowing it’s my mind playing tricks on me.
Wolves howl somewhere in the distance, or maybe they’re in my room. I can hear the snapping of their teeth, see the glow of their amber eyes peering at me from the bottom of the bed, waiting to pounce.
“Get away,” I yell.
Light. White and blinding floods the room. And more voices.
“What’s wrong?”
“Giles, look at me.”
“He’s burning up.”
“Giles.”
“He can’t hear you.”
“Someone get Banks.”
“Hold him down.”
“He’s fighting me.”
“I need to see his wound.”
Images blur. Emerson and Fallon hold me down as Banks unwraps the bandages on my leg.
“Fuck.”
“How did it get that bad?”
“Antibiotics... septic shock... hospital...”
They talk about me like I’m not there, and maybe I’m not, because I feel like I’m floating, unattached from the chaos going on around me.
Banks stares down at me, but there’s a fog around him, and his voice feels like it comes from miles away.
“This is going to hurt like a bitch, but I need you to try and stay with us.” He looks over his shoulder and yells at someone. “Get ice. As much as you can. Tia, draw a cold bath. Fallon, help me strip him down.”
Time lapses and I know consciousness comes and goes, but I let out a sharp cry as my body is submerged in an icy hell.
“We need to get your fever down,” Banks says, dark gaze holding mine, and I know what he doesn’t say, that if they don’t I won’t make it.
“You fucking idiot,” Fallon yells from somewhere. “Why the hell didn’t you tell anyone you were this bad?”
I want to fight against the cold, and I do, but large hands keep me pinned down.
“It’s okay.”
“We’re right here.”
Then I let go, give in. The throbbing overwhelms me, and I can’t stay here anymore. I close my eyes, letting myself forget the pain.
My mind is playing tricks on me again, I feel like I’m swimming back in the lake at the cabin in the summer. It’s hot and the sky is blue, and the air is clean. Caroline's hand is wrapped around mine. Dragging me to the edge of the dock.
“Jump in, Giles,” she laughs. Her bare feet hit the wooden planks as she pulls me toward the water.
“You’re crazy,” I shout as we near the end of the dock.
She turns to me with a smile wide across her face. Freckles and sunshine and innocence wrapping around her like a ring of light. “Crazy for you,” she says.
With hands held, we leap, and the air holds us for a second before we crash into the icy lake water, the glacial mountains above us, glimmeringly white.
Our heads submerge and I pull Caroline toward me, her hair swimming around her face and I kiss her lips.
Time stills and there is no disease, and there is no Lottery, and there is no death.
There is just her and me and summer.
I could drown in it.
“Fuck we need to get him out.”
“I can barely feel his pulse.”
“He’s barely breathing.”
“Do something.”
“Get him out of the fucking bath.”
I grip the edge of the tub, not wanting to go anywhere else.
Only wanting to go back.
Back to a time when life didn’t hurt so damn much.
Chapter 16
Tia
The men carry Giles to his bed. Water drips from his skin and I reach for towels, wanting to dry him off. Wishing that wiping away water would solve our problems.
But this is bigger than that. Bigger than anything I have ever faced. Being taken by the men in the woods seems like a distant memory. The present moment is filled with such visceral fear. It courses through the room, on all of our faces. The realization that Giles is lying at death’s door is not lost on anyone.
Banks is yelling orders. But as much as we need him here, he’s the only one who can get into the medical labs to get the antibiotics Giles needs.
“You need to go,” I tell him. “I know what to do. He needs Rocephin or Zosyn. Can you get that?”
Banks frowns at me, and I see the sliver of suspicion there, but he nods. I know I’ve laid my cards on the table, exposed myself more than I should have, but this is Giles’ life.
“Vasopressin and norepinephrine would be good too.”
“Norepinephrine can cause dysrhythmia. But you’re right about vasopressin.
” I see the questions continue to grow in his eyes.
“I know what I’m doing. I’ll keep him alive,” I say with a confidence I don’t feel. “Just hurry.”
Banks nods, then tells Salinger to come with him, but not before telling the men to do whatever I tell them to do.
I move to Giles’ side and place a hand on his cheek. He’s cooler now, but his pulse is weak. So damn weak.
His lashes flutter open, but he looks through me. “Caroline,” he mumbles.
I catch Fallon’s gaze, his lips thin, worry overwhelming all other emotion.
“It’s Tia,” I say, cupping his bearded jaw. “I’m here.”
He mumbles something incoherent, then his eyes close again.
It feels like hours go by as we wait for Banks and Salinger to return. I don’t leave Giles’ side, and the other men never leave the room. Everyone’s tense and no one talks. The only sound, Giles strained breaths and his occasional disoriented ramblings.
“They should be back by now,” I say, glancing at the clock.
“They’ll be here.” Fallon pushes himself off the wall and stands beside me.
“His heart rate is getting weaker. Maybe we made the wrong decision. We should have taken him to the hospital,” I say, twisting my fingers together.
“You know we can’t,” Huxley says.
I shake my head. “It’s not a gunshot wound. He got attacked by a wolf-”
“We can’t afford any suspicion right now.”
“And I can’t afford him dying,” I say loudly, standing from the bed. “We can’t keep waiting. We need to take him in.”
Huxley sighs. “Banks will be back-”
“Banks told you to do what I said.”
Huxley’s jaw clenches.
“Tia,” Fallon’s scream interrupts our argument.
I turn, and Fallon is leaning over Giles whose lips have turned an unnatural shade of blue.
“He’s not fucking breathing,” Fallon hisses, panic straining his voice.
No, no, no.
For one breadth of a second, my feet are cemented to the floor, my brain goes blank, and everything I’d ever learned is replaced by one thing - fear.
“Tia,” Fallon barks at me again. “You said you’d keep him alive. So, do whatever you have to. Now.”
