by Tara Rose
“They are our governing body,” said Parker. “My father, Sedgewick, is head of it right now.”
Something in the way he’d said the words “right now” seemed off to her. “But you mentioned they don’t like you two very much. Why is that?”
Jaxon grinned. “Well, one of the reasons is because we talk freely about our dislikes in front of anyone who will listen.”
She nodded. “So you’re rebels, and they don’t like that.”
“You might say that.” His grin faded. “But what we oppose is no laughing matter. Those triplets who wanted to claim you? We suspect they’re in league with Council members sympathetic to Enfield.”
“But try telling that to my father or to Quentin,” said Parker.
No wonder the Council didn’t like them. “Sounds like you suspect the triplets of being spies. Why is that?”
Parker leaned forward and lowered his voice, even though no one else was in the room. Did the servants listen at the doors? She’d have to remember that.
“Last month, a former Council member named Dalton was discovered to have made an Enfield spy named Willoughby a castle guard. He is the same spy who watched Jaxon’s brother, Jarrett, and my brother, Colton, in the woods near the western wall. They were out walking with Abigail, the woman they’d chosen from your world not two months ago, and—”
“What’s her last name?” she asked, cutting him off. “Maybe I know her?”
They exchanged a glance. “Dawson, I believe,” said Parker.
Brenna shook her head. “Nope. Sorry. I was just hopeful for a second. So they were out in the woods with her?”
“Yes. They had wandered too far from the castle, and made love to her outside. They were seen and heard by Willoughby. They didn’t know that until the night of our Spring Solstice Ball. Abigail went in search of another bathroom during a break, and she wandered into rooms near the Council chambers to look at some weapons on a wall. She heard Dalton and Willoughby talking about what they’d done, and when she tried to get away they apprehended her.”
“What did she hear them say?”
“They confessed what Dalton had done,” said Jaxon. “And they talked about the fact that Willoughby had overheard Abigail, Jarrett, and Colton discussing her having crossed over through one of the portraits. Apparently someone from Enfield had discovered the portraits existed and tried to steal them from where the artists used to live. Until Willoughby overheard Abigail, Jarrett, and Colton in the woods, the people of Enfield didn’t understand the significance of the portraits, but now they do.”
“What happened to the artists?”
“We moved them here for safety reasons.”
“But you said Willoughby and Dalton are now dead. So isn’t the danger gone?”
“We don’t know who else Willoughby or Dalton told this information to. We also don’t know how many of our Council members were in league with Dalton.”
“But we do suspect the triplets,” said Parker. “Two years ago, my father let something slip while talking to me about the death of a woman those three had chosen.”
Brenna’s fork slipped from her hand again. “What happened to her?”
“She was poisoned. The brothers claim it was someone else, but the rumors told a different story.”
“So why aren’t they in prison or something?”
Parker shrugged. “Not enough proof. And, they hold the ear of the Council far more than the princes who accused them do.”
She glanced from one to the other. “You two? You accused them?”
Jaxon shook his head. “No, not us. Although you will never convince us those three didn’t kill her to keep her quiet. The two who accused them are our friends and cousins, Princes Denver and Roland.”
“They’re from the same bloodline as you both?”
“Yes. But they have not chosen yet. They found the woman after she was poisoned, and accused the triplets because she’d written a note, expressing her concerns over things she’d heard them say about spies from Enfield, and being in league with other Council members to take down Ashdown from the inside.”
Brenna snorted. “Isn’t a note the proof your Council needs?”
“Not unless there had been someone to corroborate that the woman actually wrote it, and of course there wasn’t. The triplets merely dismissed, it, saying anyone could have written it. Then they discredited the woman, saying she was prone to exaggeration and making up stories. They contend she was unbalanced, and they didn’t see it at first, and that she took her own life because of that.”
Brenna rubbed her arms as a nasty shiver ran down her spine. “That’s horrible.”
Parker reached over and took her hand. “And that’s why we couldn’t let them claim you. Because this woman, whose name was Cathy, wasn’t the only one of their claimed women who died shortly afterward.”
Brenna swallowed hard. “How many others have there been?”
“Five in the past three years,” said Jaxon.
“And there’s nothing you can do about that?”
He shook his head. “No. Parker’s father and Quentin refuse to admit it’s more than a coincidence, and they refuse to believe anyone from our bloodline would be in league with Enfield.”
“What about Dalton?”
“He’s the exception, but they still turn a blind eye to the possibility.”
“Can’t you go to your father? You said he’s the king, right?”
“He knows all this. But until there is definite proof, he can do nothing without risking a political shit storm. We aren’t sure who else is in league with the triplets, so we have to be careful.”
“I am so sorry. I didn’t realize any of this. I promise never to go off on my own again.”
“We know you didn’t,” said Parker. “But thank you for saying it, just the same.”
Brenna wasn’t hungry anymore. She stared from Parker to Jaxon, wondering what the hell she’d gotten herself into here. She couldn’t go home. It finally hit her. And as she blinked away tears and tried to calm down, she had the uncomfortable feeling that last evening was only the beginning of her uneasiness inside this castle.
Chapter Eight
Jaxon wished they hadn’t had to tell her that, but it was important she understand what they were dealing with here. They hadn’t done what they’d had to do last night for sport. It had been to potentially save her life.
She rose and glanced toward the door to her room. “I think I’d like to take a shower now. It might help clear my head.”
Jaxon rose. “If you take one, so do we.” He grinned, and his cock jumped to attention at the look of lust that came over her pretty face.
“Well, what an intriguing idea, Sire.”
“Haven’t you ever taken a shower with a man before?” asked Parker, placing his hand on her ass.
The change that came over her face sent a wave of fear through Jaxon. What had Parker said to upset her so much? “Are you okay?”
She sat down again. “Yes. I mean, I will be. There’s a tradition I’ve upheld for the past two years that I just now realized I won’t be able to do again.”
“Tell us about it,” said Parker.
“I was engaged. His name was Mark, and he was a respiratory therapist at the hospital where I work. Do you know what that is?”
They nodded.
“I’ve known him most of my life, and we dated a bit in high school, but it wasn’t until we’d both graduated from college and were working together so often that we started dating seriously. We were engaged for four years, and he kept putting off the wedding for vague reasons which I didn’t realize at the time were related to money. He was addicted to pain killers and amphetamines. Do you know what those are?”
They nodded again.
“Only I had no clue. I mean, I should have known. I guess it’s easy to overlook things when you’re in love. He’d been in a bad motorcycle accident shortly after we were engaged, and he broke his leg. Apparently he was ho
oked on the pain pills from that point on, and used the speed to mask the symptoms and so he could do his job. I didn’t live with him, or I might have seen the signs. I realize now that was probably why he’d always side-stepped that issue, too. Us moving in together.”
“That must have been very painful for you,” said Jaxon. “To realize he was addicted and not have known. How did you find out?”
She sighed out loud. “He died almost three years ago. It will be three years in August. He was in another motorcycle accident, and he was high as a kite. When they brought him into the ER where I work, he had so many drugs on board they told me he likely had no idea where he was driving.”
Jaxon knelt in front of her and pulled her close. “I’m so sorry. What a terrible thing for you to have gone through.”
“I was devastated. Not only because I’d lost him, but because I couldn’t believe he’d hidden that from me for so many years. When the police went to his apartment and searched it, they found all the evidence. I couldn’t deny it any longer. It was worse at work. Everyone thought I had known and kept it hidden. They couldn’t believe I could be engaged to a man that long and not know.”
Jaxon and Parker exchanged a knowing glance over her head. “We can understand it,” said Jaxon. “Sometimes people are carrying on in ways you can’t imagine right under our noses, and while we may suspect something is definitely wrong, we can’t pinpoint it. But often the proof is too esoteric. It’s not always obvious, even when you know the person well, or interact with them on a daily basis.”
She pulled away and looked into his eyes. “That’s so true. I’m glad you understand. But each year on the anniversary of his death, I’ve taken a few days off to sit at his gravesite and talk to him. It’s the only time I go. I tell him what I’ve been doing, and I let him know I forgive him for what he kept from me. I’ll never be able to do that again.”
Jaxon’s heart melted a little at her words. What an extraordinarily kind person she must be. “I’m sorry you won’t be able to do that now.”
“Do you believe in that? I mean being able to talk to the dead? Do you think they can hear us?”
“Absolutely,” said Parker. “Our stargazers believe that completely. And since they know so much more than I do about these matters, who am I to dispute them?”
“What are stargazers? What do they do?”
“They are seers,” said Jaxon. “They use the stars and planets as guides to our past, present, and future.”
“Too bad they couldn’t give you proof concerning your suspicions of the triplets.”
Jaxon frowned. “Yes, it is too bad. Nor can they provide us with any definite path that Enfield intends to take. All they saw for certain was that we’d been infiltrated.”
“But isn’t that enough for your Council?”
“Not everyone puts such high faith in our stargazers,” said Parker.
Jaxon stood and took her hand. “Do you still want to take a shower?”
She smiled up at him, and his heart fluttered. “Yes, I do. What I desperately need right now is you two to distract me from my own thoughts. Is that wrong, do you think? To want to forget the bad stuff?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. Everyone needs time away from the dark demons in their minds.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “Come along. We’d love to share that shower with you.”
“Whatever you say, Sire.”
Jaxon and Parker both groaned. “Be careful, Brenna,” said Parker. “We just might hold you to that.”
When she laughed, Jaxon thought he would lose it. As much as he hated the fact that she still grieved over her deceased fiancé, the man must have been a damn fool not to have been truthful with her and allow her to help him. This wasn’t a woman who would turn her back on something like that. She would have moved heaven and earth to help the man she’d loved.
* * * *
Parker could barely contain his impatience long enough to walk with her into her bathroom. All he wanted to do was toss her on top of the nearest flat surface and fuck her silly. She’d really tugged at his heartstrings with her tale about Mark. Likely she blamed herself for not seeing that he had a problem for a long time, but the man shouldn’t have hidden it from her. She would have helped him overcome it. It was obvious she was that kind of a person.
Jaxon reached into her shower and turned on the water while Parker kissed her. She moaned in the back of her throat and wrapped her arms around him, and he ground his erection against her body, forcing more sexy sounds from her. The woman could kiss like nothing he’d ever experienced.
He released her long enough for Jaxon to remove her robe, and then he and Jaxon both shed their clothing and tossed all of it into a pile on the floor. Parker took her hand and led her under the spray, then kissed her again as the warm water washed away his earlier cares and doubts. No matter what he had to do, he would not allow the triplets, or any Council member for that matter, close to her again. He wasn’t even sure he could trust his own father most days.
But he didn’t want to think about Council business right now. He only wanted to fuck Brenna again. He released the kiss once more, then backed her up against a wall and reached for the shower gel. Jaxon already had it in his hands, and poured some into Parker’s palms, too. He and Parker took turns washing her with it, while she writhed and groaned at their touch. She looked exceptionally beautiful when her eyes were half-closed like this, and it was clear she was close to coming again.
Was there anything more delightful than watching a woman’s arousal build, or witnessing her having an orgasm? Parker didn’t believe so. Even the most colorful sunset, or fresh snow glinting under the moon didn’t hold the same beauty and wonder. This girl would be his undoing, and he knew that as sure as he knew his own name.
But Parker didn’t mind. He’d craved this for so long. And now that he held it, quite literally, in the palms of his hands, he would do anything not to lose it. He would do anything not to lose her.
* * * *
Brenna could barely think, but there was no need to. She relaxed under their hands and let her body take over as it had done last night. They washed her, and then she poured shower gel into her hands and took turns washing every square inch of their gorgeous bodies. She loved the way their muscles rippled underneath her fingertips as she traced the outline of their tats.
When the three walked under the spray to wash off the soap, they took turns kissing her until she was breathless and panting. They began squeezing her breasts and lightly swatting her ass cheeks until she was so close to coming she couldn’t stand it any longer. There was a shelf on the far wall, and they made her bend over it and rest her elbows on it. She thought they were finally going to fuck her, but all they did was tease her further with their fingers and tongues.
They massaged her clit until she begged them to fuck her, and they put their fingers into her pussy and asshole until she told them she couldn’t stand it anymore. “I need you both inside me. Please!”
Jaxon left the shower, and Parker kissed her on each ass cheek. “Have patience, Brenna.”
“I can’t help it. You two are so good. This is incredible.”
He trailed kisses up and down her spine, and she shivered. “We’re enjoying you, too.”
When Jaxon returned, she glanced over her shoulder to see what he was doing, and watched him unstop a bottle. The scent of vanilla and lavender wafted past her nose, and then a warm, wet finger slid into her asshole. She moaned loudly as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her.
He withdrew, and then two fingers slid inside, gently stretching the walls. “You know what’s going in there next?” asked Jaxon, his voice deep and sexy.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I want that. Fuck me in the ass. Please. Both of you.”
“Oh, stars,” whispered Parker. “It’s difficult to put on a condom when my dick is wet. Are you all right if we don’t use them for this since we’re in the shower?”
“Yes. I don’t car
e. Just do it. Please.” She’d never been so on fire for anything. It was as if someone else possessed her right now. Someone decadent and totally wanton. But Brenna didn’t care. She loved this and never wanted it to end.
She wasn’t even sure which man slid his dick into her ass first until Parker stood next to her and leaned over to kiss her. He played with her nipples while Jaxon reached underneath to tease her clit. His thrusting inside her ass was gentle at first, but when her climax started, he increased it and Brenna could barely stay standing.
The most intense contractions she’d ever had washed over her, and all she could do was moan continuously as he fucked her. She’d never felt anything so damn good. He pulled out before her orgasm ended, and Parker took his place. They played with her nipples and clit again, and when they switched places once more, Brenna was sure she’d never been his aroused.
When they stopped, they still hadn’t come, and she marveled at their strength and stamina. They washed themselves and her off, and then they led her out of the shower because the water was turning cool. They took turns kissing her again and drying her off, and then Parker picked her up and carried her to her bed.
They grinned down at her, and Jaxon brushed a hand over her pussy. “Are you ready for more play?”
“Oh yes. Yes, Sire.”
“Then get on your hands and knees and wait here. We have a few things to gather.”
Brenna squealed with delight and did as they asked, then listened to them leave the room. She had no idea what was going to happen the next hour, the next day, or the next month. But she knew this was her home now, and she was determined to make the best of it and enjoy Jaxon and Parker.
She wouldn’t allow unhappy thoughts right now. She wanted to focus all her attention and emotional energy on what they had in mind for her this morning.
Chapter Nine
When they entered the room again, Brenna glanced over her shoulder to see what they carried, and Jaxon gave her a stern glance. “Eyes down.”
