by Unknown
“I don't think this dance was such a good idea after all,” Re swallowed roughly as I looked back up at him.
“I understand,” I gave him a small smile. “I hope you find someone to give all that love to, Re.”
“Thank you, Vervain,” his hand finally slid away from my face and he backed away from me, leaving me standing in the middle of the dancers, alone in the crowd.
I sighed and started to make my way out, when a hand took mine and twirled me around.
“Morpheus,” I exclaimed and laughed.
“I heard you have a thing for men with wings,” Morph waggled his brows at me.
Morpheus. I hadn't even considered the dream god. We'd had a brief flirtation, and by that I mean he tried to make me his underworld bride, despite my violent protests. Hmmm, kinda like Anubis. I slid a look over to where Anubis sat with his new bride. He glanced my way and gave me a huge grin. Oddly enough, I was close friends with both he and Morph. But did I want to get closer to Morpheus? Part of me kind of cringed at the idea. Morph had become like a brother to me and sleeping with him might feel incestuous. No, I don't think I wanted Morph to be my next lover but that didn't mean I couldn't dance with him.
I smiled up at Morpheus and let him whisk me around the floor, his wings a beautiful backdrop to his boyish face. As we danced, I glanced around the room and caught Finn's calculating stare. Finn. Just like with Morpheus, there had been an attraction between us once. But that was mostly on his side. Still, I realized that I might have more options than I'd originally thought. Maybe this wasn't such a bad place to look for my new lover.
Chapter Twelve
Shivers skittered over my skin, tremors shook my limbs, my hands clenched into fists, and I cried out in need.
“It's okay, Tima,” Kirill whispered. “I'm here. Trevor's here. Ve vill help you.”
And they did. They pushed back the rising lust with their hands and their tongues and their teeth and their whole bodies. With everything that made them men and made them mine. It was so much pleasure, my Lust magic came to life and pulsed out of me in waves of rosy rapture.
But it still wasn't enough.
“Just kill me now!” I cried in frustration as I lay between my two exhausted husbands.
“Minn Elska,” Trevor flopped an arm over my stomach. “Just try and relax. Breathe through it. I promise, we'll find you someone soon.”
“Maybe I should go back to Faerie,” I exhaled roughly. “I miss Rian and Arach, and the distance might help.”
“Distance from us?” Kirill gave me a chiding look. “It's your magic vhich does zis, Tima, not ours.”
“I know,” I rubbed at my temples with frustrated fingers. “I just can't think in this state. My body feels like it's full of electricity and it's frying my brain. I'm going insane and Rian always calms me. I need to see my son. He's three-years-old now, he knows something strange happens when I leave.”
“You're back in seconds. He may suspect but he doesn't know for certain,” Kirill reassured me. “Even if he did, he vould understand.”
“You know you can't go back until this is settled,” Trevor said gently. “I'm sorry but you can't. Think about what could happen if you were in Faerie like this? You wouldn't have time for Rian anyway, you'd be too busy trying to keep yourself satisfied with just one man.”
“Yeah, alright,” I grumbled. “It would be bad.”
“You just need to pick someone,” Trevor sighed. “How hard can it be to choose a lover?”
“I don't want to just settle on someone,” I groaned. “We need someone whom we all can live with. Someone I can love, not just have sex with, and someone whom all of you will at least respect.”
“I know but maybe finding someone to tide you over wouldn't be so bad,” Trevor laid his head in the crook of my neck and promptly fell asleep.
I couldn't blame him, this last round had taken hours to finish, and even werewolf princes needed their rest.
“I don't want someone to tide me over,” I grumbled down at the sleeping wolf. “Then I'd have to break up with him and go through all of this again.”
“Come, Tima,” Kirill was still holding onto consciousness but just barely. “Let's make some coffee. I vill stay up vith you until Azrael gets home.”
“Okay. Thank you,” I sighed and let him help me out of bed. Trevor just flopped onto the pillow behind me and started snoring.
Kirill picked up my silk robe from the floor beside the bed and wrapped me in it, giving me a sweet kiss on my cheek before padding across the carpet nude. He headed to our little kitchenette, which was only about twenty feet from the bed. I just stood there and admired the view, especially enjoying the way his braid swung across the tight curves of his ass. I shook my head roughly and looked away.
“Baby,” I groaned. “You need to cover yourself.”
Kirill shot a smug look over his shoulder and then headed up to his bedroom instead of to the coffee maker. “Fine but you make coffee zen,” he called back to me.
“Da,” I mimicked him as I watched him climb the stairs. His ass looked even better when he climbed stairs. “I make coffee zen.” I dropped the accent and went to do just that, giggling a little. “What is zen coffee anyway? Decaffeinated maybe? Or would it actually be tea?”
“Tima?” Aidan's voice came through the intercom on the wall. I turned on the coffee pot and headed over to it.
“Yes?” I asked as I pressed the button to speak.
“You have a visitor,” Aidan said crisply. “It's Re.”
“Re?” I squeaked and clutched my robe like a startled southern belle.
“Yeppers,” Aidan laughed. “He looks kinda anxious and-,” his voice cut off abruptly and when he came back on, he sounded more reserved. “I mean, he seems completely at ease. Ugh... well, what did you want me to say?” The sound cut off again and I started to smile. Then Aidan came back on with a voice like a British butler, “The Sun God, Re is here to see you, Tima.”
“Yeah, I got that,” I chuckled. “Send him up. Wait!” I looked over at the sprawled form of a naked, snoring werewolf in my bed. “No, take him into the library sitting room. I'll meet him there. And ask him if he'd like a cup of coffee.”
“The Sun God, Re would like a cup of coffee with cream and two sugars please,” Aidan intoned.
“Okay,” I had to release the button to laugh. I pushed the button again and did my Julia Child impersonation, “Tell the Sun God, Re that I will bring him his coffee.”
“Right-O, Tima,” Aidan laughed. “Toodle-pip!”
“Re is here?” Kirill came up behind me, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt which read: Lion Lovers will make you Purrrrr.
“Oh come on,” I griped and waved a hand at his shirt. “Now you're just rubbing it in.”
“I couldn't resist,” he chuckled. “And I will rub more into you later. But, Re is here? Zis is good?”
“Maybe,” I shot a glance at Trevor. “Do you mind waiting here while I see him? Aidan's taking him to the library.”
“Nyet, it's fine,” he went to pour himself some coffee and then stopped suddenly. “In fact, I zink I vill take nap instead.”
“Okay, honey,” I went forward and gave him a kiss. “I'll see you later... and I'm going to hold you to that rubbing.”
“Good luck vith ze Sun God, Re,” Kirill grinned and headed to bed.
“Thanks,” I poured two cups of coffee and added sugar and cream. As I left, I mumbled to myself, “I'm gonna need it.”
The whole elevator ride down to the library, my stomach did flip-flops. Why was Re here? What did he want? And why was I so damn nervous about it? He was my friend, there shouldn't be any weird feelings between us. Still, I'd been deeply affected by our exchange the other night and maybe it was just the lioness magic, but I'd been thinking about him. A lot.
The gilded cage of the old fashioned elevator opened and I stepped out onto the second floor of Pride Palace. My hands started to shake and I had to stop and settle myse
lf before stepping into one of my favorite rooms in my home. The library was my sanctuary, with its high shelves of warm wood filled with cherished books, the collection of my paintings hanging on the walls in gilded frames, and the thick Persian rugs covering the floor. There were reading nooks with heavy tables, comfortable chairs, and desk lamps tucked away in corners, and a balcony with lounging chairs that made yet another pleasant place to read.
“Aunty V!” Fallon's six-year-old daughter, Zariel waved at me from a table to the left of the door. “Uncle Aideen said I gotta go away right now because you gonna see the Sun God, Ta.”
“Sorry, Vervain,” Samantha, Zariel's mom, giggled from her seat beside her daughter and gave the little girl an affectionate pat. “It's Uncle Aidan, honey and Re, not Ta.”
“Not like tadaah?” Zariel jumped off her seat and held out her arms like she'd just performed a magic trick. Her hazel eyes were bright with glee and her dark curls bounced around her round face.
“Tadaa! It's the Sun God!” I laughed and played along.
“See, Mommy?” Zariel looked back at Sam.
“It's Re, Zeezee, Raaaah,” Sam drug it out, “not Ta,” she sighed. “V, you're not helping.”
“Okay, okay,” I held up my hands in surrender. “Your mother's right, Zariel, his name is Re but there actually is an Egyptian god whose name sounds like Ta but it's spelled P-T-A-H, so it's got like a fast P sound at the beginning.”
“P-taaadaah!” Zariel did her presentation again and I chortled as I picked her up and swung her in a circle.
“You are my favorite little lion girl, you know that?” I asked her and she nodded solemnly. “Good, now go with Mommy so I can talk to the Great Tadaah.”
“Vervain!” Samantha huffed as she picked up the books they'd been reading. “You'll make her incorrigible.”
“Make her?” I huffed and put Zariel down. “Accept the truth, Sam, she's already there.”
“In-cure-ragible!” Zariel shouted and ran out of the library.
“That too,” Sam rolled her eyes and followed at a much slower pace.
“Gods, I miss Rian,” I sighed as I stepped into the sitting room, which was just off to the right side of the library.
“It's a delightful age,” Re agreed and I stopped short in the doorway as he continued. “How old is your son now?”
He was dressed casually, in loose jeans and a button-down blue shirt. The ocean color made his eyes seem warmer, closer to Trevor's honey-brown, and the resemblance pulled an automatic response from me. It was like a trigger for my heart. But the rest of Re was so much different from Trevor and had other parts of my anatomy responding.
The ends of Re's sleeves were rolled and pushed up over corded forearms, showing off a sprinkling of pale blonde hair which seemed to add another layer of sparkle to his golden skin. At the end of those forearms were a pair of elegant hands; wide palms with long fingers and short, buffed nails. I started imagining what he could do with those hands and had to give myself a mental shake and lift my gaze quick. But that only brought me to the breadth of his chest and his strong shoulders, so I continued up even further. His shoulder-length hair was pulled back into a ponytail carelessly, making him look like a model on a smoke break. Strands of the chocolate-colored hair had come loose and one hung down his cheek, bringing my attention to his full lips.
I started to lose focus.
“Vervain, are you alright?” Re came forward and took the coffee cups from me. That was probably a good idea; my hands had begun to shake.
“Do you have to look like that?” I whined as I focused my eyes on his with supreme effort. “I'm in a horrible state here, you know? I just wore out two of my husbands having lunatic lioness sex and I'm still not satisfied. I'm walking the edge, Re and your gorgeousness does not help! You're like a beautiful abyss and I'm teetering right over you. Teetering!”
“I'm sorry,” Re chuckled as he put the cups down and came back to me. “Come and sit down, Vervain,” he helped me to one of the couches and sat beside me. “I thought I'd dressed down. I don't know what else I could have done.”
“Perhaps... oh, I don't know,” I mused, “not show up at my house?”
“I couldn't stay away,” he whispered and my gaze shot to his face. His golden eyes were really warming now, brightening till they were white hot.
“What?” I gaped at him. “I thought you said you didn't want to be a part of my crazy love life?”
“I didn't,” he grimaced. “And then I saw you dancing with other men. I didn't like it.”
“That makes no sense,” I frowned. “I'm married to five men. You know this is exactly what you'll have to put up with if you get involved with me, so why would that reaction make you interested?”
“I think I may be able to accept that you have five husbands,” Re sighed. “I wasn't jealous of them. It was the men who could potentially become your next husband who bothered me. Perhaps because I'd so prematurely taken myself off that list.”
“What are you saying?” I gaped at him.
“I'm saying that I went home and laid in my empty bed and thought of you,” Re's hand went to my cheek. “I wanted you there beside me and try as I might to think of someone else, there was no other woman whose image I could hold onto. Your face constantly replaced theirs.”
“I think you should take more time to think about this, Re,” I tried to be reasonable despite the roar of my lioness vibrating through my limbs. She saw our prey within our grasp and all she wanted to do was pounce. I clenched my fists and tried my best to control her urges.
“You don't have a lot of time, do you?” He countered, looking me over carefully.
“Do not make this decision because you simply want to help me,” I took his hand from my cheek and held it.
He looked down at our joined hands and when he lifted his gaze, it lingered on the gap in my robe. Right, I'd forgotten that I was wearing only a robe. I really was losing my mind. And the insanity kept getting worse because instead of closing the robe, instead of pulling my hand away and putting some distance between us, I just met his hot stare with my own. It simply wasn't fair to tempt Re further. I knew it was wrong but I still found myself leaning towards him.
“This isn't about helping you,” he whispered right before his lips touched mine.
Sweet burning love, I felt like I was on fire within seconds. It was a good thing my dragon gave me an affinity for flames because without it, I think Re's passion would have reduced me to ashes. I flung my arms around his neck and pulled him to me like I was a teenager in the back of her daddy's car with her horny boyfriend. Re rumbled low in his throat and yanked me onto his lap, pushing my legs apart and placing himself intimately against me.
I flung my head back as a growl of triumph rushed out of me. The sound startled me back into some sanity and I took Re's face in my hands to stare hard at him. I wanted to tear his clothes off and rub myself all over that glittering body of his but I knew I'd hate myself for it later. This was not my husband or even my lover. Re wasn't mine, not yet, and I wouldn't make him so without full disclosure.
Oh, damn the disclosure.
His eyes were full of desire and he was rubbing himself against me in lazy hip circles that were threatening to turn me into a trollop. His full lips were parted, waiting for me to slide my tongue between them, and I just didn't have the strength to resist. I covered his mouth with mine, tangling my tongue with his before pulling back to bite and suck at his wicked lips. He moaned and started to spread my robe. Cool air hit me and brought back reason once more.
“Damn it all,” I cursed and pulled away.
“You come back here, right now!” Re demanded as he reached for me.
“No,” I stood just out of his reach and held a finger up in his face. “We're not going to make this decision like this. You need to know exactly what you're getting into.”
“Hopefully,” he stood, looking predatory, “it's those little red lace panties.”
; “Oh wow,” I gaped at him. “Did you really just say that?”
“Well you were just riding me like I was your only horse to Paradise,” he flung back.
I started laughing and then his face broke into a smile.
“Like you're my only horse to Paradise?” I repeated in disbelief.
“It just came out,” he laughed and ran a hand over his hair.
“I want you really bad,” I sat back down. “And I think it's clear that you want me too. That's great, and if I didn't care so much about you, I would snatch you up before you could change your mind.”
“But you do care about me?” He lifted a perfect, thick brow.
“I do,” I confirmed. “And you don't deserve to be misled. I'm not just looking for a quick tumble, Re. I'm looking for someone who's going to stick around.”
“I know that,” he leaned forward. “Didn't I say as much?”
“Yes but you were reacting to jealousy and lust. That can make men behave unreasonably,” I offered. “Many a woman has used that trick but I won't use it on you.”
“I've been reasonable for most of my life,” he shook his head. “Maybe it's time to be a little reckless. I want this. I want you, Vervain.”
“But for how long?” I gave him a little smile and pushed him gently away from me. “If you were Intare, I could be assured of your loyalty but you're not. I'm not your goddess and I can't demand fidelity from you.”
“And that's what you want?” He narrowed his eyes on me.
“Absolutely,” I declared. “All of my husbands are faithful to me and I am faithful to them.”
He gave me a skeptical look.
“I know it sounds strange but it's true,” I shrugged. “I wouldn't be here with you, if I didn't have their full consent. That's my way of being faithful. I don't have sex with anyone but them. Not if I can help it, at least,” I grimaced, thinking of Toby. Unfortunately, Toby was happily married now and wasn't an option for me. “If a new man is added, they must approve of him first. So, in my opinion, this isn't cheating.”
