by Tara Rose
“Why does that confuse everyone from your world?” asked Parker. “The fact that the castle has electricity, I mean.”
“Because when we think of castles we think of our medieval period, which encompasses the time roughly eight to five centuries years ago. Electricity was first used in homes about one hundred and thirty years ago.”
Jaxon raised his brows. “We’ve been using it for over two hundred years.”
“Right about the time the paintings were discovered,” she said quietly. “Is that correct?”
They nodded.
“Any connection?”
“We don’t know,” said Jaxon.
“So, where are we now?” she asked, glancing around.
“Close to the Council chambers,” said Jaxon. “Would you like to see them?”
“Oh we shouldn’t, Your Highness.”
Molly sounded terrified, and Parker stopped walking to face her. “Why not?” He didn’t want to put the girl on the spot, but suddenly Brenna’s suspicions didn’t sound quite as far-fetched as he’d first thought.
“Well…I don’t know, Sire. I just don’t think we should go in there.”
“Women from the other world attend meetings with their princes all the time,” said Jaxon. “Abigail was there with my brother and Jaxon’s brother yesterday.”
“I know, Sire.” She glanced around, and Parker noticed tiny beads of sweat along her hairline. “I just don’t feel comfortable in there.”
She would have been in them plenty of times before as a servant to the queen. Had something happened to her in there? Outside of a regular meeting time, perhaps?
Parker and Jaxon exchanged a glance, and then Parker cut his gaze toward Brenna, who looked at Molly with sympathy on her face. “All right,” said Brenna. “I’m sure I’ll have a chance to see them another time, then. Molly, what else is close to here that I might find intriguing?”
She shook her head. “I’m sure I don’t know, Miss. I don’t really know this part of the castle all that well.”
Which was a bald-faced lie, and he and Jaxon both knew it. Jaxon’s mother went where his father did, and his father spent almost as much time near the Council chambers as he spent in his own suite. Up until last night, Molly had been one of dozens of servant girls who had nothing to do but follow the queen around and do whatever she asked them to do. Molly had been in this part of the castle every day of her life.
So why was she lying about that? What had her so spooked that she didn’t want to face? Parker knew he had to figure this out, because he had a feeling it might be a key to his and Jaxon’s concerns that there were Council members secretly in alliance with Enfield.
* * * *
Jaxon watched Brenna carefully as Molly lied about not knowing this part of the castle well. Brenna wouldn’t know it was a lie, but he and Parker did. Didn’t the girl realize that, or was she so afraid right now she simply wasn’t thinking about what came out of her mouth?
“How about the medical wing?” suggested Jaxon. “Since Brenna is a nurse, she might enjoy seeing our setup.”
Her bright smile sent his heart fluttering. “I would love to see it, Sire.” She tucked her arm in his as they walked. While he loved that she was so comfortable doing that, he was also concerned about her. She was far too animated and casual for someone who had just crossed over. She’d had a shock last night, and today they’d discussed some fairly unpleasant things, including Molly’s reaction when Brenna had asked whether she’d ever been in love, or if she could get married one day.
They might need to find a stargazer Brenna could to talk to. That was the closest they could come to a therapist or a psychologist. She’d told them she’d been seeing one back home, and the woman, whose name was Gretchen, was helping her deal with her grief.
There was no one like that here, and Jaxon knew he and Parker both felt under qualified to help her through something like that. But would she feel comfortable discussing her grief with someone new? It would be akin to starting her therapy all over again. And, he might be completely off base about why she wasn’t more upset right now, or at least wary of all the new experiences. This might simply be her way of coping with everything that had happened to her.
When she’d first mentioned to him and Parker what Molly had said, Jaxon had to admit he’d been ready to dismiss it. Now, as he watched Molly visibly relax the further they walked away from the Council chambers, the more he wondered what had happened to her before she was sent to be Brenna’s maid.
They needed to find out. If the triplets had seduced her, that was one thing. He’d love to change that for her, but he could do nothing about it. However, if they were still bothering her, or had threatened her in some way, that was another matter altogether.
One of the questions Brenna had asked them was whether the triplets might have some information about Molly they were using against her. Something Molly felt would jeopardize her position in the castle. Brenna had suggested the triplets could use that to force her to keep coming to their chambers. But what could this shy woman have possibly done that the triplets could use to threaten her?
As unlikely as he felt that scenario was, Jaxon realized he needed to keep a calm and clear head about this until he had more information. He couldn’t simply level accusations, and he didn’t want to frighten Molly. But it was obvious in the way Brenna had watched her all through dinner that she suspected something was going on. So Jaxon would make discreet inquiries when possible, and he would make sure the girl was never alone for long. That was all he could do right now.
* * * *
Brenna didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t this. The medical wing was bright, clean, and smelled like licorice and peppermint. They had no ventilators or heart monitors, but she noted IV bags, surprisingly modern-looking beds, and stethoscopes. There were several rooms, and in the one they first toured, one entire wall contained bottles of potions set into neat little wooden compartments, all labeled.
When she asked about them, Jaxon pointed motioned over a man with long gray hair and a twinkling smile. “This is Cedric. He’s our chief apothecary.”
Cedric bowed slightly. “It’s an honor, Miss Brenna. I make the potions around here, so if you need anything, send Molly over to fetch it.”
“Thank you. I will. What kinds of conditions can you treat with a potion?”
“Oh, just about everything, from high blood pressure to gout. Not all of them work without proper eating, of course, and plenty of exercise.” He winked. “Not that different from what you’re used to, is it?”
She smiled. She liked this man. “I imagine you’ve had occasion to treat many women from my world, then?”
“Oh, a few. Fortunately, nothing serious. But I did have one here who crossed over with quite a few allergies that were environmental in nature. That one took some playing around with different herbs to cure.”
“You cured her allergies?”
“Completely.”
Her thoughts strayed to the woman from her world that Jaxon and Parker said the triplets had probably poisoned. If someone wanted poison, even a prince, would they have to ask Cedric to make it? Would he be at liberty to refuse such a request? “Do you have assistants, or do you do this all by yourself?”
“I have a team of two dozen apothecaries.” He beamed. “And not one of them has less than twenty-five years of experience in potion making.”
“That’s very impressive.” And it also widened the field considerably. If the triplets had poisoned the woman and others, there were too many people who could have given them the poison. They might even know how to make it themselves.
The men moved off to talk to one of the healers they knew, so Brenna took advantage of her time alone with Cedric to ask him a few questions. “Do you have potions that can cure something but also do harm? I mean like some of our medicines. They cure or treat conditions, but there are side effects.”
He frowned. “Of course. The dosing has to be exact
. As you probably know, even a small amount over the prescribed amount could have disastrous effects.”
“It seems to me that if someone wanted to harm another, say with poison, all they’d have to do is have some made.”
He looked at her like she’d just suggested he had killed someone on purpose. “Miss Brenna, I realize people are different where you come from, but my staff would never do that. They would never make someone a potion that in effect is a poison.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I never meant to suggest they would. I was merely thinking out loud. I’m afraid I’ve watched too many crime shows. Do you know what those are?”
“I believe so.”
He looked relieved, but she also noticed tiny beads of sweat along his hairline that hadn’t been there before. The guys were still talking to a healer, so Brenna asked Cedric what would happen, simply for the sake of argument, if someone came to him or one of his assistants and insisted they make them a poison.
“Well, it wouldn’t happen, Miss. It simply would not happen.”
“All right. But what if it did? Could you or one of your staff refuse?”
“Of course.”
“Even if a member of the royal family asked you?”
He averted his gaze. “Well, of course. I must say, I’m no longer comfortable with these questions.”
“I really do apologize. As I said, it’s merely my morbid curiosity.
Cedric walked over to where Jaxon and Parker were talking, and told them he needed to return to work. She smiled sweetly and shook Cedric’s hand, thanking him again for his time. The fact that his palm was damp wasn’t lost on her.
* * * *
When they returned to their suite, Brenna decided not to tell Jaxon and Parker what Cedric had said. At least not yet. She wanted to think about it for a while yet. And, she felt like she’d been working two twelve-hour shifts. She told the guys she wasn’t sure why she was so tired, but she could barely keep her eyes open.
Parker grinned. “We were wondering when you would be. Most women who cross over sleep for days afterward. There’s something about it that makes them sluggish.”
“I slept last night.”
Jaxon pulled her into his arms. “Not for very long.”
“And I took a nap earlier.”
“Only for twenty minutes. I timed it.”
She laughed. “Okay. So you wouldn’t be upset if I went to sleep tonight?”
“Upset? No.” He nuzzled her neck and she almost changed her mind. “But you’ll owe us something in the morning for bailing on us tonight.”
“Oh! That sounds intriguing, Sire. What will I owe you?”
They exchanged a glance over her head and she shivered. What power did these two possess that they could do this to her?
“We’ll tell you in the morning,” said Jaxon, his grin sending a gush of wetness to her pussy.
“You are both so sadistic.”
“No kidding,” said Parker, moving behind her. He gave her ass a couple of smacks, but through the dress she hardly felt them. “Are you sure you need to sleep, Brenna?”
“Oh…that is so not fair, Sire.”
Parker reached between her and Jaxon to untie the laces on her bodice. She moaned softly as he reached into it and grasped her breasts through the corset. “I hate these damn things,” he said. “Why does she have to wear one?”
Jaxon stepped back. “Well, she can’t very well walk around the castle with no undergarments on.”
“Yes she can.” Parker released her breasts and began to unlace the dress. “Who would know?” Jaxon cupped her face, and then he kissed her, shoving his tongue into her mouth. That did it. She wasn’t tired anymore.
Brenna pushed aside her earlier worries over Molly, the triplets, and the potion makers. She let go and allowed the sweet decadence these two brought to her consciousness wash over her. There would be time in the morning to ask more questions. But for now, she wanted them again. In every way possible.
Chapter Eleven
She stepped out of the dress, and then Brenna jumped slightly as Molly came into the sitting room.
“Oh! Oh, forgive me. I am so sorry.”
Jaxon shook his head. “Molly, relax. We’ll take care of her needs tonight, all right? Why don’t you get some sleep?”
She bowed, blushing furiously. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
Once Molly left the room, Brenna’s earlier uneasiness returned. “I’m worried about her.”
Jaxon brushed a finger along her face. “I know you are. But she won’t get past the guards. We gave them orders.”
“What about someone getting past them from outside this suite?”
Jaxon frowned. “No one would dare.”
“Are you so sure about that?”
He and Parker exchanged a glance. “The guards we posted for our suite are loyal to us,” said Parker. “They have orders not to allow anyone past them except the king or queen.”
“And if the triplets try to get past them so they can get to Molly? What would they do?”
“They would alert one of us. I promise you that, Brenna.”
She nodded. “All right. I suppose that’s the best I can expect.”
“It is,” said Jaxon, “unless you start making Molly sleep in your room. And then she’d have to listen to us ravage you.”
He waggled his eyebrows, and Brenna laughed. “All right. Tell me I’m worrying too much and get back to ravaging me, Sire. Please?”
“That’s better.” Jaxon removed the rest of her corset, and then he glanced toward the other doors. “Maybe we should continue this in one of our rooms tonight? All the toys are in them, after all.”
“And the bondage table is in mine,” said Parker.
“Bondage table?” Brenna’s voice came out breathy, but how could she help that?
“Ah, now we have her attention,” said Jaxon. “Okay. If we decide to tie you to it, and if we decide even to let you see it, what will you give us for such a privilege?”
“What do you want, Sire?”
“I told you not to ask that,” said Parker.
Brenna smiled at them, and then she dropped to her knees.
“Oh, stars,” whispered Jaxon.
“I mean it, Sire. What do you want? Whatever it is, I’ll gladly give it to you two.”
Parker stood in front of her and took out his cock. Brenna watched him stroke it, aching to have it inside her once more. His jaw went slack and his eyes filled with lust. “I want you, tied to the table, blindfolded. And then we’re going to punish your pussy the way the woman in the painting you bought had hers paddled. Then one of us is going to fuck you in the ass while the other fucks you in that soaking wet pussy of yours, at the same time.”
“Agreed,” she whispered.
She wasn’t tired now. Every nerve ending was on fire and she’d never wanted anything this badly. Parker stuffed his dick back into his breeches and hauled her to her feet. Then he tossed her over his shoulder as if she were a sack of flour, and Brenna merely tried to keep breathing.
They went into his room, and although she hadn’t yet been inside it, they gave her no time to look around. “If you need to pee,” said Jaxon, “do it now.”
She scooted to the bathroom, took care of business, and then came back into the room. Jaxon and Parker gave her stern looks, and she shivered. Parker pointed toward the floor. “On your knees. Do not look at us until we say you can, and do not speak except to answer a direct question, or to use your safeword.”
She knelt, then kept her eyes on the floor while she listened to noises she knew meant they were undressing. She was dying to sneak a peek, but didn’t. Her entire body trembled with anticipation. When their bare feet came into view, she moaned softly.
“You may look at us now.” Jaxon’s voice was so deep and sexy. Brenna glanced up, unable to stop her smile at the sight of their dicks, red, thick, and ready to pop. She licked her lips, and that earned her a chuckle from both men.
Her heart gave a flutter at his words. Hadn’t any of the women these two had seduced over the years enjoyed them? She certainly hoped so. They were damn idiots if they hadn’t. But then she realized that was all they’d likely had with the women. Just sex. No love. Just the act itself. Did they long for that? Did they secretly want someone to love them? Was that how Abigail now felt toward their brothers? Did she love them? Did they love her?
On the heels of those questions came the big one plaguing her. The one she could never confess to them. She enjoyed them in bed. They were fun and dominant, and they fed a need in her that she’d always known she had. But was that enough? Would she grow tired of this? Or would her feelings for them turn into the same ones she’d had for Mark?
And if they did, what would happen? What if that wasn’t what they wanted? And even if it was, would she ever truly be able to put her grief in a place where it was manageable? It had been easy for two days not to think about it only because she’d had so much else to occupy her mind. But it was still there. It hadn’t disappeared. She was terrified that one day soon it would surface and she’d have to deal with it, but how? Who would she talk to now that she could no longer call Gretchen? What would happen to her?
Jaxon watched her carefully, frowning. “Where did you go just now?” he asked quietly.
“Just waiting for your command, Sire.” She didn’t want to ruin this evening for them.
He didn’t look completely convinced by her words, but finally he held out his hand. “Come with us, then.”
She took his hand and forced away the doubts and worries as she followed them across the room. Parker’s bondage table was heavily padded, and contained rings for attaching chains, rope, or whatever set along at intervals all the way around it. She’d seen similar tables in clubs. This one also moved up or down to accommodate several heights. It was pure genius.
