When she came to a stop, she lay panting. A pain in her leg revealed a jagged tear bleeding profusely. She had to stop the flow. Tammy licked the open wound, staunching the blood and quenching her thirst at the same time. A sob gathered in her throat as she pushed to her feet and limped forward.
It seemed like forever that she walked, head held low. When she came to yet another dead end, she crumpled before the mountain of stone. “Roark” she cried out in desperation.
“Tammy!” Roark’s muffled voice freed her tears as she jumped to her feet and placed her front paws on the barrier that stood between them.
“Tamanen, are you all right?” Marcellus touched her mind, making her heart stutter.
“Yes,” she sniffled. “Get me out of here.”
“We’re trying, baby. Hold on.” She heard Roark throw orders to Stephen and Franc to start digging beside him.
The scraping sounds were halted when Marcellus said, “That isn’t necessary. Step aside. Come to me, my pet.” His words melted her existence. The manacle that was around her neck fell to the ground. In the beat of a second, she stood wrapped in his embrace.
“Why didn’t you think of that sooner,” Roark grumbled, pulling her out of Marcellus’s arms and into his own. His grip was tight. He held her as if he’d never let her go.
Of course, neither had Tammy thought of just popping herself out of her dilemma.
A sheepish expression spread across Marcellus’s face. “Must I admit that I was too upset to think?” He appeared in full control as he cleansed her body, stroking and caressing her with just a thought before donning her in warm clothing. “Let’s get out of here.”
The shimmer in the eastern sky announced morning was fast approaching. They moved swiftly through the forest until Tammy’s lungs burned and her legs ached, especially the one that she had injured. It was healing, but not fast enough. When the lights of the town appeared in the horizon she stumbled and fell. Before Roark or Marcellus could reach her, a black woman Tammy remembered seeing at Marcellus’s stepped beyond the trees. She moved so quickly that before Tammy knew it she was encased in her grip. Sharp claws pressed against Tammy’s throat. She grasped the arms that held her.
“Deirdre.” The shock in Marcellus’s voice was obvious. “Release your queen.” He took a step forward.
“Stop. I will kill her.” To emphasize Deirdre’s point, her talon broke skin. A warmth slithered down Tammy’s neck. She was still breathing hard, but now it wasn’t from exertion but fear. This time Tammy tried to pop out of the woman’s grasp, but her magic failed.
So this was who Bryant had been arguing with in the caves before the explosion. A vampire had been his accomplice.
“Why?” Marcellus’s asked.
“To save you from yourself.” There were tears in Deirdre’s voice. “She is poison in your veins. I can’t let you die at her hands.” Her tears fell on Tammy’s wrists. Deirdre trembled. Each tremor drove her nails deeper into Tammy’s skin.
“The light will be upon us shortly. We will all die.” Marcellus tried to reason with her.
“Not you, Master. Seek your shelter so that you will live.”
His laughter held irony. “That’s not how this will end.”
“Go, Marcellus. Take your people now.” Tammy touched his mind.
“I will not leave you.”
“The sun won’t harm me.”
“It’s true,” Roark confirmed without looking at Marcellus and letting Deirdre know they communicated. “My cabin holds shelter for you. Upstairs, third door on the left is a guest room. Second door on the left is our room. Please, go now before it’s too late.”
“Please, Master. Go.” Deirdre’s tone held compassion and love for Marcellus.
He hesitated and Tammy’s heart skipped a beat. The glow of day was rising quickly. “Follow me,” he said, turning and fleeing for the cabin nestled below.
Tammy would have breathed a sigh of relief if Deirdre’s hold wasn’t so tight. “You love him?” Her voice was strangled.
“Yes,” Deirdre replied, easing her hold as the sun began to rise.
“It was you who killed Lonnie?” Roark asked.
“Regretfully, yes.” Deirdre’s voice hummed in Tammy’s ear. “The dog said the Lamia would be blamed, that her life would not be spared. Can you not see she has poisoned you as well?”
Roark took a step closer, Stephen and Franc followed. “Where’s Bryant now? And how did you mask your scent.”
Deirdre firmed her hold. “The dog died for failing me a second time. I hid the same way the dog did among stronger scents in your cabin.” She tightened her grip on Tammy. “But you knew, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” The word was strangled. Tammy had thought a vampire had been present at Lonnie’s death, but she hadn’t been confident in her abilities.
Deirdre continued, “Since I began the search with you it was easy to camouflage each scene we approached.” She squinted into the sunrise. “Leave us—the time is near.”
The noxious stench of burning hair stung Tammy’s nose, but it was the skin beneath her touch blistering and oozing that made her stomach roll and flip-flop.
Deirdre cried out in pain, releasing Tammy. Roark closed the distance between them and took her into his embrace as the vampire crumpled upon the ground, screeching and clawing at her skin. Tammy had never heard such a horrid sound as the last of life gurgled in Deirdre’s throat, and then she burst into a ball of flames.
“Don’t look, baby.” Roark pressed Tammy’s face against his shoulder. Eyes closed, she tried to erase the scents and sights of dying, but they would be forever more etched into her memory. “Let’s go home,” he said, leading her away.
As they reached the bottom of the hill, Sue Ellen and Laura ran to their side. Several more townspeople joined them. There were hugs and warm wishes. Not everyone was pleased with her return, but at least this was a beginning, and a new beginning is what she needed.
Tammy swallowed hard. “Can Sue Ellen tell if my babies are unharmed?” So much had happen, she feared the worse.
“She can.” Laura ushered the child to Tammy. “Check the children.”
Sue Ellen raised Tammy’s jacket and shirt so that she could press her ear to Tammy’s stomach. She listened for a moment, pulled away and smiled. “They sleep.”
Happiness raced down Tammy’s cheeks. Roark dabbed at her tears and then kissed her, before he said, “Let’s go home.”
Roark breathed his first sigh of relief when he opened the door to his cabin and let Tammy pass through. Even with Bryant and Deirdre gone, he had asked Stephen and Franc to ensure guards were posted around the clock. If that was what it took to keep his mate safe then it would be done. He had been touched by the kindness several of his people had shown Tammy. Maybe in time they would all come to love her as he did. He pulled her into his arms and she went willingly.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Tammy looked up at him, weariness reflected in her eyes. “Don’t be. I trusted Bryant. When he said you sent him I didn’t think twice. I have no one to blame but myself.”
“I should have never left you.”
“It’s over. I need a bath to wash the stench off me.”
The stairs creaked beneath their feet as they climbed. Quietly they opened the door to their bedroom to not disturb Donne, but the vampire stood by the fireplace, gazing into the flickering flames. He turned, his face bathed in shadows. He opened his arms and Tammy ran into them. Roark left them to run the bath water.
Sitting on the side of the tub, water cascading to splash on the bottom, Roark thought of the triangle that existed between them. Donne loved Tammy. She was the link between them, but they were from different worlds—leaders with responsibilities for their people. Were they kidding themselves that this screwed-up arrangement would work?
Lost in his wonderings, he didn’t hear Tammy approach. He raised his head with her touch. She was gloriously naked. Only faded lines and bruises
noted the injuries she incurred. He thought of her skin marred, and anger assaulted him.
“It’s over.” Tammy moved to stand between his thighs before she threaded her fingers through his hair and massaged. He pressed his cheek to her abdomen, thought of his children, and knew he could never let her go.
She stepped back and he stood to help her into the bathtub. Steam snaked off the surface as he turned the knobs and stopped the flow. A look of pleasure softened her face when she eased into the depths until her shoulders were covered. An audible breath released. She closed her eyes.
“Do you want me to wash your back?”
“Thank you, but I just want to lie here.”
Roark started to undress, removing his coat and shirt. He’d shower while she soaked. Toeing off his boots, he jerked his socks off and pushed his jeans and shorts to the floor. His bare feet padded across the cool wood floor. The glass door creaked as he opened it and entered. A twist of knobs and ice cold water pelted him. He cringed, gritting his teeth until the temperature warmed and he could relax. Slowly he began to wash the events of the night away, praying that he’d never face another like it again.
Chapter Twenty
Nothing could be better than to wake sandwiched between two men, except the knowledge that each of them loved her. Tammy gazed down at the mass of black and auburn hair resting on her naked chest. They were different as day and night—yet so alike. Strong. Dependable. Sexy. She didn’t need light in the darkened room to see Roark’s palm lay upon her abdomen, Marcellus’s hand atop his. Loving them both felt as natural as breathing.
Tammy inhaled their masculine scents, feeling the first sign of arousal sting her breasts. When she thought of their mouths and tongues so close to her peaks, the temptress inside her rose to the surface. She tried to quiet the siren, but a purr slipped from her mouth. Roark and Marcellus stirred, at the same time opening their eyes to stare up at her. While Marcellus was the picture of perfection, not one hair out of place, Roark’s hair was sleep tousled, his eyelids heavy.
Damn, they were gorgeous.
“How are you feeling?” Roark asked, bending the arm he lay on to prop a palm against his head.
Marcellus slid his hand along her midsection to cup her breast. He squeezed several times. “She feels good.” Flashing a devilish grin, he leaned forward to take her nipple into his hot, wet mouth. The suction and swirl of his tongue was exquisite. She arched into his caress.
Roark watched Marcellus intently, his eyes pools of gold. Tammy wanted him to touch her.
When Marcellus’s mouth popped, releasing her, he blew a stream of air over the nub, causing the area around the puckered flesh to bead. “She tastes good too.”
“Mmmm…maybe I need to find out for myself.” Roark dipped his head and captured her other nipple between his lips. In seconds, both men suckled, pulling and tugging, sending white-hot energy straight to her core.
Tammy whimpered. Talk about erotic. Two men pleasuring her at once sent her libido soaring. She threw back her head and cried out.
They answered her need by taking turns to smooth a hand between her thighs as they continued to lavish her breasts. While one parted her folds and buried a finger deep, the other found the bundle of nerves throbbing for attention. A featherlight touched teased her clit. The other penetrated her nice and slow. Her hips rose off the bed to meet each thrust.
Breathy sounds pushed from her mouth as her inner muscles contracted and her skin hummed with desire. Together Roark and Marcellus worked her into a sexual frenzy. Over and over again they played with her until Tammy thought she’d scream in frustration. Several times they carried her to the brink, her body a mass of sensation, only to ease their pace and bring her back down.
It was hell—it was heaven, and she wanted more.
When another spasm rippled through her body, Tammy arched groaning, “Oui.”
“That’s it, baby,” Roark whispered against her skin. “Give it to us.”
Marcellus pinched her nipple between his teeth, scraping and nipping her flesh with his fangs. Anticipation built, waiting for him to take her.
In a whirlwind of strokes and caresses they continued to heighten her arousal until the blood in her veins turn to molten lava. She was burning up. When Marcellus finally pierced the flesh around her areola and began to suck, her mind spun out of control. Lightning flashed, radiating throughout her body. Like a match to a fuse, her climax exploded in all directions, undulating over her in waves that rose into a crescendo before crashing down upon her. Intermittently, her body firmed and released. It went on and on, wringing a cry from her very soul. When the last spasm freed, she lay in quiet bliss.
“You were magnificent.” Roark covered her mouth with his. His kiss was hungry, his tongue seeking as he drank from her lips. She loved the taste of him, the way he pulled her into his arms and deepened the caress.
Marcellus spooned her from the behind, his cock nestled against her ass as he trailed his lips and tongue along the hollow of her shoulder and neck. It tickled. She flinched and erupted into giggles, breaking the kiss. Her laughter died as she stared into Roark’s eyes. Raw emotion reflected in their depths, warming her as thoroughly as any fire could. Tammy had never felt as good as she did that moment. It was unbelievable that not one, but two men could make her feel like she was walking on air, but Roark and Marcellus did just that.
“Je t'aime,” slipped from her mouth.
“Him?” Marcellus asked, at the same time Roark said, “Me?”
Happiness bubbled up inside her. “Both of you. I love you both.”
“Let me have her,” Marcellus growled, yanking her out of Roark’s embrace into his. Again she laughed until his eyes met hers. “Je t'aime aussi.” His voice was tight with emotion. He licked his lips. “I thought I’d lost you.”
Tammy ran her fingers through his hair. She kissed him tenderly. “I’m here. Everything will be okay.”
Marcellus shook his head as if he didn’t believe her. “Lanier, what’s the arrangement here? I can’t leave my people and you can’t abandon yours. Where do we go from here?”
The air around Tammy grew tense. Beneath her palms Marcellus’s muscles bunched. He held her a fraction closer, a little tighter. The strained expression on Roark’s face, his clenched jaws, revealed he was in no better condition.
An uncomfortable silence lingered, until Roark said, “Donne, she carries my children.” The space between them seemed too grow with his words.
The pain in Marcellus’s eyes stole Tammy’s breath. In the next heartbeat, his features hardened. “I won’t let her go.” There was a haunting almost dangerous drop in his tone. His shadowy gaze was ice cold.
She glanced at Roark. No way could she choose between these two men or see them fight over her. Tammy could not live being the wedge between them.
Roark knew a wrong move could be deadly. It was in the way Donne’s predatory glare followed him as he approached. He had known Donne for some time and the vampire had always been the effigy of control. Yet last evening he had seen Donne falter because of his deep feelings for Tammy. Feelings Roark also shared.
When he placed a hand on the vampire’s shoulder, Roark felt a series of tremors erupt through him. Thin lips held back the snarl that rumbled low in Donne’s throat. Roark wished he could erase the fear on Tammy’s face, but until they came to an agreement, they were at an impasse.
“My friend, we are bound by this woman. No decision either of us makes will change that.” Roark look at Tammy and felt so much love it squeezed his chest. “She holds our hearts in her hands. I can’t take her from you any more than you can take her from me.” He paused, thinking through his next choice of words. “Here she has developed friendships, people who care about her, while your clan has yet to accept her.”
“But how can they if she doesn’t walk among them?” The truth in Donne’s statement wasn’t something Roark wanted to hear. The same could be said about his people, but he left it unspok
en.
“Perhaps now is not the time to make lifelong decisions.” Roark knew it was a cop-out. He didn’t have an answer for their dilemma. It wasn’t as if they could all move in together and live happily ever after.
Tammy cupped Donne’s face. “Please understand.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Here I don’t feel the anger and fear as strongly.” Her brows furrowed as she fought the burning behind her eyelids. “I need time to adjust, to come to grips with what and who I am. It doesn’t mean I love you less and it doesn’t mean in time that our dreams of vampire and werewolf walking in unity won’t materialize.”
Donne laid his forehead against hers, his eyes closing. Roark felt when Donne’s resolve melted. The tension beneath his palm dissolved as well as the electricity in the air.
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