by Lane, Terri
“What the fuck was that?” Scarlett asked instead. “What the hell happened to you? You were... I, I swear I saw...” She started to ramble, not entirely sure what she was saying any more than she was entirely sure what she had seen.
Hunter looked almost ashamed. “I guess it's time to tell you about my condition,” he said. “But we'd better wait for Titus. If what I smelled on him is any indication, he has something to tell you too.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Scarlett asked, almost yelling.
Hunter shushed her softly. “Come into the pub, all right? We'll wait for Titus and I'll get you a drink. I don't think he's far away.” Scarlett let Hunter lead her out of the alley and down to the corner, into the dark, hot, loud and crowded pub. Scarlett was sweating under her coat but she was cold and refused to let Hunter remove it for her. With light but firm guiding hands on her shoulders her took her to a corner booth where they wouldn't be disturbed and went to grab three drinks from the bar. Scarlett's phone pinged. She looked at it to see a text from Titus asking if she was okay and saying that he was only a couple minutes away. She ignored it, but before Hunter came back with the drinks Titus entered the bar, his face lined with concern and the dim lights glinting off his golden hair. It only took him a few seconds to find Scarlett and though he kept his steps even it was clear that he was trying not to rush.
“I'm fine,” she said before he could speak. “Just sit down. You and Hunter both have some explaining to do.”
Titus' look of concern morphed into one of confusion. “I'm afraid I don't understand,” he said.
“Just sit down,” Scarlett said firmly. Titus sat. Hunter came back over almost immediately after with a tray bearing three beers with foaming heads. He gave Titus a nod in greeting and put Scarlett's drink in front of her first before setting the other two down. He sat on Scarlett's other side.
“Will one of you please tell me what the hell is going on because you two are acting far different than any guys I've ever met and after what I think I just saw Hunter do I don't know what's going on. Unless I'm hallucinating or this is all some kind of weird dream. I want answers.”
“You're not dreaming,” Hunter said. He glanced at Titus. “I know you can smell me,” he said. “I can smell you, too.”
“Smell what?” Scarlett butted in, confused. “Both of you stop dancing around the fucking issue and just be straight with me for once! Do you have a 'condition' too, Titus? Is that what this is about?”
“I guess it is now,” Titus replied. He didn't look too happy with Hunter for having exposed him, but his annoyance didn't last long. “I'll let the wolf go first.”
“What?” Scarlett asked.
Hunter put a hand over hers. She didn't pull it away, but met his eyes boldly. “I'm not what I seem,” he said. “I'm not exactly... human. And neither is Titus.”
“What the fuck is this shit?”
“Be quiet and listen. You want to know the truth so let us tell it,” Hunter said. “What you saw before... it's what happens when I'm angry. Usually I can control it. If not it's worse. When I ran out on you the other night it's because I had to get myself to somewhere safe, to a room with my family where we can't hurt anyone by mistake. Did you notice that the moon was full?”
Scarlett stared at him in disbelief. “Are you some kind of fucking werewolf or something?” she asked. Hunter's silence was answer enough. She choked out a stiff laugh and turned her attention to Titus. “And you? Are you like this, too?”
“I was going to tell you,” Titus said. “But you must understand the need for discretion.” At the look Scarlett gave him he relented. “Yes, I am like Hunter, although of a different breed. Do you know why there are no dragons left, Scar?” he asked. Scarlett slowly shook her head. “Because they were hunted almost to extinction. There are still those who pursue my kind, and Hunter's as well. We are monsters to common men, threats to be eliminated, and so we must hide. I can tell that Hunter has imprinted on you, which makes it all the more of a shock that I have as well. I've never heard of such a thing happening before.”
“Me neither,” Hunter said, “but what Titus says is true. Imprinting is... a very strong connection. A desire to protect, to care for... to mate.” He rubbed his thumb along the side of Scarlett's hand. “Titus feels the same, I guess. It's up to you what you want to do. Which one of us you want. If you want either of us, after this.”
Scarlett let her eyes close and tipped her head back against the wood behind her. “I want to drink my beer,” she finally said, “and I want both of you to drink with me, and then I want both of you to take me home and we'll go from there. Okay? That's what I want.” The men, to their credit, said nothing. Hunter continued to hold her hand and Titus slung his arm around her shoulders. She didn't cuddle into either of them like she wanted, but she found that she appreciated the contact. Soon she grew too warm and removed her jacket. She didn't miss the sharp intake of breath from both men when they saw the top she was wearing and took joy from it. She liked that they wanted her, both of them. Once again she thought about Jenna's suggestion. Why choose, she asked herself. They both seemed eager to give her whatever she wanted. If both of them were what she wanted, she really had no reason to think they wouldn't comply.
She didn't get drunk. One beer was enough to maybe get her tipsy if it was strong enough, but it definitely wouldn't get her drunk, and she knew the boys weren't either. Hunter's metabolism let him hold a vast amount of booze, as Scarlett already knew, and she assumed that Titus was the same. They both had one, the same as her. No one asked any questions when the three of them left the bar together. Why would they? It wasn't unusual. She held Hunter's hand in one of hers and Titus' in the other. Titus had his car parked right outside the bar, by some miracle. They all crammed into it, Scarlett in the front passenger seat and Hunter in the back. There was a tension in the air on the ride back that made Scarlett clench her jaw and press her knees together. She knew what it was. She knew the boys did too. She wondered if they could smell it on her. If they knew how aroused she already was, just from being near to them. Maybe their imprinting affected her as well. How could it not? A connection like that had to work both ways. It explained why she couldn't chose either. They had both imprinted on her, and so she had on them as well. Titus drove with the window down, but somehow it didn't stop the air from feeling thick and heavy. Titus put his hand on her knee, high up, and Hunter leaned forward from his seat in the back to rest his chin by the back of her head, close enough that she could feel his breath on her ear, warm and gentle.
“Are you angry?” Hunter asked softly. Scarlett knew his words were meant only for her, but she had the impression that Titus heard anyway.
“No,” she said honestly. “I'm something else.” Hunter inhaled deeply and nuzzled the hair behind her ear with his nose. She heard his hands clench around the sides of her car seat.
***
The three of them walked up to Scarlett's apartment. They didn't back off even to let her open the door, their hands wandering over her body, never touching one another, but making sure that all of her was attended to. Her knees trembled and shook. She nearly fell, but managed to get the three of them inside. Hunter was the one to shut the door and make sure it was locked and Titus was the one to lead them down to the bedroom. Anticipation tightened in Scarlett's chest. Hunter came up behind her and kissed the side of her neck, pressing the length of his body against hers. He was wearing jeans, but she could still feel his hardness against her bottom. As he lavished attention on her neck and shoulders, Titus came up before her and helped her work her shirt off over her head. Hunter's hands came up to cup her breasts. Titus drew off his own shirt and tossed it carelessly aside. Scarlett reached out to touch his bare chest. The dragon tattoo on his arm seemed to move. He grabbed her hips and pulled her and Hunter towards the bed. Behind her she felt Hunter remove his shirt and then the heat of his bare skin against her back. His belt jingled as he undid it. Shoes were kick
ed off. While Hunter wrestled with his pants, Titus lifted Scarlett as easily as if she weighed no more than a child and deposited her on the bed, drawing her legs around his waist. His erection pushed against the throbbing ache of her clit between her legs. He leaned down to kiss her, arms around her waist and hands pressing against her back.
The bed dipped as Hunter climbed on the other side and slipped behind her. She didn't need to look to know that he was completely naked. Titus still wore only his boxers. They didn't last for long. Scarlett used her feet to push at them until Titus understood what she was asking and removed them. Behind her, Hunter let his hands roam over her skin and nipped at the edge of her jaw. Scarlett gasped. His teeth were as sharp as they looked, but he knew how not to break the skin. He pulled her into his lap, all but sitting her on his cock, and kneaded at her breasts again. A look passed between him and Titus. Titus moved forward once more, between spread legs, and let the tip of his cock brush against Scarlett's soaking sex. She spread her legs wider and he gratefully slipped in.
Her head fell back onto Hunter's shoulder, a long groan leaving her mouth. Titus had no difficulty thrusting into her. He lowered his head to kiss down her exposed throat and further down to her breasts. Hunter moved one of his hands to let Titus wrap his lips around the peak of her nipple. His teeth worked gently at the sensitive skin and his tongue soothed it. He was tireless, but his pace was quickly wearing Scarlett out. It had been so long since she'd had sex with anyone she had almost forgotten what anything other than her own hand felt like.
Hunter made a needy noise in her ear. Scarlett turned her head to kiss him hard, pushing her tongue into his mouth and weaving her fingers into his hair. She gave Titus a gentle push on the chest. He growled deeply, but it wasn't an aggressive sound. He pulled out of her, both of them groaning, and let Hunter lift her onto him. Titus got to his knees and put his hands on Scarlett's hips, then buried his face between her thighs. Between the angle of Hunter's thrusts and the scrape of Titus' tongue over her clit, it wasn't long before she could feel her body tightening in the familiar signs of an orgasm.
Hunter was struggling, but he found a pace that suited them both, not too fast but not too slow, and plenty hard. Scarlett listened with satisfaction to the thump of her bed against the wall as Hunter pounded into her. Her hands roamed over Titus' shoulders, then up to grab two fistfuls of his hair and hold him exactly where she wanted him. When she managed to glance down to where the three of their bodies joined the sight of them both fucking her nearly shoved her into her orgasm. As it was she barely managed to hold out for a few more seconds until Hunter choked out, “I'm gonna come.” He came very quickly after that. As far as warnings went it wasn't the best, but Scarlett wasn't in a place to complain. She was wordless as her own orgasm washed over her in heavy, deep waves that left her breathless and her chest and lungs aching from lack of air. It took precious few seconds for her to finally heave a great breath into the straining organs, her chest feeling like it was on fire until enough air circulated through her body. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst right out from behind her ribs.
From between her legs Titus laughed. “I thought you'd have more stamina than that, wolf,” he said.
“Fuck off,” Hunter replied breathlessly. He gently pulled out of her, groaning, and Scarlett whimpered at the loss of contact, but it didn't last for long. Before she could pull a proper breath of air into her lungs Titus had thrust into her again, burying himself as deeply as he could. Hunter held her steady as Titus fucked her, his hair falling into his face. His breathing was short, but it was clear that he wasn't having anywhere near as much trouble as Hunter had.
Scarlett sighed with delight. Hunter chuckled in her ear and reached around to rub her clit. He still had a semi-erection that pressed enticingly against her arse. She wasn't sure where to put her hands as her second orgasm built, but she ended up grabbing the back of Titus' neck and the meat of Hunter's thigh, letting her moans fill the room. She heard a shaky moan fall from Titus' throat then felt him spill inside her. He slowed his thrusts, but it was several seconds before he pulled out.
Scarlett could hardly move, but the boys recovered quickly. Titus cleaned up the mess their clothes had made and Hunter found tissues to clean up both himself and Scarlett. Without making Scarlett leave the bed he eased the blankets out from under her, discarding the top layer which definitely needed a wash, and tucked her in before sliding in behind her. Titus finished cleaning, then turned off the light and joined them, leaving Scarlett sandwiched between two hot, hard bodies. They all smelled of sweat and sex. Scarlett pushed her damp hair off her forehead and snuggled into Titus' chest. Hunter scooted forward to accommodate, leaving next to no space between them all.
“I want to go to the country house,” Scarlett mumbled sleepily. She heard Titus say okay before she fell asleep.
Epilogue
Titus' country house looked like a typical English manor. Scarlett could tell that it was newer construction rather than having been built in the 1400s, but it was large and impressive and the house itself was well back from the roads. The entire property, Titus said as they drove up the winding driveway to the house, was gated off. It was the one place in the country where he could be himself without fear of persecution. Hunter seemed excited as well, which surprised Scarlett. As the house rose above the horizon Scarlett hoped that Titus and Hunter would spend some time getting to know one another. The two men agreed to the relationship the three of them had started, but they seemed reluctant to do much with one another without Scarlett there as well. Scarlett was more apprehensive than the two of them were. She had come to terms with their conditions for the relationship, but she knew that she would see both of their other forms in the flesh, and she wasn't sure how she would react. She hoped it wouldn't change anything. Logically she didn't see why it would. They would still be the same men she had grown to love, human shaped or not.
She was left to her own devices almost as soon as they arrived at the front of the house. Titus pointed out where the basics were, including the bathrooms and the bedrooms they would be sharing, then took Hunter outside to the large garden in the back. Scarlett got herself a bottle of water from the well-stocked kitchen and took her time wandering the house. As Titus had first told her there were many artefacts carefully displayed and the house looked like it was well cared for despite the amount of time that Titus spent away from the estate.
Suddenly there was a cry from the outside of the house, from the garden. She hurried to one of the back doors; namely the one from the kitchen. It hadn't been a human cry, but it had raised the hairs on Scarlett's neck. At first she saw nothing, but then a shadow passed over her and when she craned her head back she saw a large shape against the light of the sun. She shaded her eyes and the shape came into focus.
A dragon. Like all the stories and pictures, with golden scales and green eyes, was circling low in the sky, wings stretched wide. Scarlett's jaw dropped open. Her attention was brought back to the ground by a wet nose against her hand. She looked down to see what resembled a very large wolf. She quickly realized was a larger than average wolf. It had sleek black fur and icy blue eyes. It was Hunter. And the dragon in the sky was Titus. Scarlett's heart pounded almost right out of her chest. They were beautiful. Both of them. And even though they didn't have human faces Scarlett could tell that they were happy here, freely able to show the other side of themselves without fear of judgement.
“I love you,” she said to them both, knowing that even Titus up in the sky could hear and understand her, and buried her fingers in the thick, soft fur at the nape of Hunter's neck. “And I never want to leave.”
THE END
= Bonus Book 7 of 9 =
A True Billionaire’s Heart
It was one of those days when even the gorgeous Scandinavian-style shops lined up on the streets and the ordinarily refreshing ambience of small town Solvang in California couldn’t give Tasha the peace of mind she wanted.
>
Jittery was the perfect word to describe her at that very moment as she strolled down the familiar street on a quiet Tuesday morning.
“Relax, will you?” Her best friend Alex said. “Look around you! It’s a beautiful sunny day!”
Tasha whipped around and rolled her blue eyes at her friend. “It’s always a beautiful sunny day in Solvang, Alex.”
“Well, yeah…” Alex said cheerfully. “Then we should always feel ‘beautiful sunny’ too, right? Isn’t that why you dragged me here?”
“Yes, but today’s different, okay.” Tasha suddenly stopped walking. “Seriously, Alex, how do I look?”
Alex paused and took the time to look her up and down, her dark brown eyes narrowing with concentration.
Tasha felt nervous even though she’d taken great effort to put together her corporate close-the-deal outfit with new stilettos to match, along with YouTube-inspired DIY hair and makeup.
“You look fine,” Alex said after about a minute.
“Fine?!” Tasha repeated in panic, her confidence level dropping even more. “That’s not good enough for a meeting with a billionaire!”
Alex laughed. “I’m kidding, Tash. You look amazing! You always do, really. But today, you’re just drop-dead impressive. And when you show that real estate dude your stuff, I’m sure he’ll go running after you, business-wise and love life-wise!”
That made Tasha laugh, easing her tension just a tiny bit. “Shut up, Alex! Mr. Walton is a very old man!”
