As she gasped against the sensations, he slammed his mouth across her own. His lust and longing thrust into her as his tongue took possession of the kiss.
Sensation surrounded Janice, threatening to drown her in its wake. The hot, spicy taste of his mouth filled her as he twisted his tongue around hers. The crisp, fresh smell of his cologne teased her senses every time he gave her a moment to inhale. The strength of his arms pulling her tightly against him heated her blood and sent waves of desire pooling to wet her core. The feel of his fingers rasping against her scalp as he held her head still with one hand pulled whimpers from her throat. His raw emotions swelling around her sent her heart racing even faster. All of these feelings washed over her and dragged her deeper into the erotic moment.
Then Ryuu gentled his kiss, nibbling softly at her lips and coaxing a response. At the same time his raging lust cut into her soul, sending her pulse skittering.
But something pulled at the back of her mind, some soft voice calling out for attention. Another set of emotions colored with shock, lust, confusion and betrayal reached out to her.
Janice wrenched her head to the side at the same time as she shoved Ryuu back. Her eyes locked with Eric’s.
Oh God, no, she thought, her shaking fingers touching her warm, swollen lips. Eric.
She reached out to him both physically and emotionally. Her sense of people’s feelings flared to life like never before. She could easily separate each strand from both men. Eric’s jealousy tinted with a desire directed at both her and Ryuu. Determination fought against that lust, at least as it applied to the other man. Then Ryuu standing behind her reeking of disappointment but also a rock-solid feeling of rightness and belonging. And somehow love. A sickening lining of love flowed off of both men, Eric who’d known her and been a friend for months and Ryuu who’d spent maybe an hour with her. Both men felt love.
How the hell was that even possible?
Viciously, she threw up her walls and closed herself off from both men. Her own anger, wild and hot, filled her veins. Her face flamed with the heat of it. The men flinched and took a step back.
She turned on Ryuu first. “I don’t know what kind of fucking game you’re playing here but I don’t want any part of it. You just keep the hell away from me,” she snarled, ignoring the pain filling his eyes.
Then she turned to Eric, still standing with a bemused look on his face. She could barely look at him. It hurt too damn much. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she managed to stammer before dashing out of the once peaceful garden. She couldn’t face his disappointment.
Ryuu watched the woman he loved run from both him and Eric. Her last expression ripped at his heart, leaving behind a bright agony. Pain. The last thing in the world he wanted to cause either one of them was the deep, tragic pain he’d seen on her face.
“You bastard! Do you have any idea what you just did to her?” Eric sneered, his warrior heritage apparent as he lunged forward to grab Ryuu by the shirt and shake him.
“You know exactly what I plan on doing,” Ryuu answered, his hands shooting out to break Eric’s grip on him. He stepped back from the volatile man and reached up to straighten his collar. “I thought I made myself clear. I want you. I want both of you.”
“That doesn’t mean you can just shove your way in,” Eric bellowed, inches from his face. “You hurt Janice. You saw the look on her face. Do you honestly think that she wanted that?”
“She did until you stormed in.”
Oh, that was so the wrong thing to say.
Eric swung at his face. The sound of flesh hitting flesh as he blocked the blow broke any semblance of peace remaining in the atrium. “Janice is a good person,” Eric growled as he swung again. Ryuu barely managed to dodge. “God only knows what she’s thinking now. And it’s all your fault.”
This time Eric managed a glancing blow across Ryuu’s cheek that rattled his teeth. White-hot rage flamed quickly through the smaller man. Ryuu moved in, hands tangling in the other man’s shirt as he spun his body into Eric’s, lifting and pushing at the same time.
Eric’s feet left the ground. At the last moment Ryuu pulled up, easing his crash. Still, the other man’s breath came out with a whoosh and he made a few gagging sounds when he landed.
Anticipating a savage retaliation, Ryuu did what came naturally. He straddled Eric, crossing his hands and grabbing at his collar. If Ryuu had to he could choke the other man out from this position. Eric wouldn’t be hurt but he wouldn’t feel all that great when he came to either. Hopefully it wouldn’t become necessary.
Eric stared up at Ryuu, stunned.
“What?” Ryuu asked, looking down at his victim and tightening his grip. “Being Japanese and a martial artist too stereotypical for you? You might be built like a linebacker but it’s skill that wins a fight. Don’t make me give you a more drastic demonstration.”
Eric arched his back, trying to dislodge Ryuu. The feel of that big body bucking beneath him brought a smile to Ryuu’s face and a hum of appreciation to his lips. “Please, keep doing that.” He leaned down, inches from Eric’s face, and purred. “It feels so good.”
Instantly Eric stopped all movement. “Get the fuck off me.”
Ryuu slid down to lay across Eric’s body, not moving his hands from his grip and digging his elbows into the other man’s ribs to keep him still. “I like the sound of that.”
Eric swallowed. “What?” he murmured.
“Fuck,” Ryuu whispered against Eric’s mouth before claiming it. Eric opened without the slightest struggle. That should have come as a warning but happiness filled Ryuu to the point that he didn’t care. The sweet honeyed taste of Janice mixed with Eric’s rich masculine flavor. He’d had a sample of both his lovers and at least one of them wanted him. At least he had a chance.
The moment Ryuu let down his guard Eric arched and rolled, throwing him off. He jumped to his feet and glared down at the smaller man as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Revulsion filled his eyes. Eric didn’t even have the grace to say anything. He simply turned on his heels and walked out of the room.
Ryuu sat on the ground, absorbing the impact as his world rocked around him. He had meant to shake the two of them up. He had meant to make them think about him, consider him. It was part of the plan. Sex always worked for them. Always. Their attraction was the key, the one thing that held the other two to him. He didn’t want to hurt Janice. He didn’t want to anger Eric. And the looks they’d each given him, Janice’s pain-filled and Eric’s reeking with loathing—those looks would haunt him. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
“So, plan A not working out for you so well, eh, boss man?”
Ryuu jerked, leaping to his feet with fists cocked to meet this newest invader.
Hands over his head, Logan skipped back a few steps. “Whoa, loverboy, just me. Your friendly neighborhood odd-jobs man. By the way, thanks for the new digs. Much better accommodations then Chez Nut House.”
Ryuu unclenched his hands. While he didn’t relish the thought of anyone seeing that embarrassing scene, at least it was someone who could understand the position he was in. “Glad we could outdo the state mental facilities. That’s always been my overwhelming goal in life, to make a hotel that was a step above an asylum.”
Logan chuckled. “Least ya still got your snide sense of humor. No Visionary can live without that.”
“Some Visionary I am,” Ryuu grumbled as he dusted off the seat of his pants. “I feel like I’m walking through sludge, in the dark, while wearing headphones.”
Shaking his head and clicking his tongue, Logan continued, “No one’s own future should be an open book. What the hell would be the point then? Life is about surprises, the good and the bad. We’re still human and we still have to deal.”
“Dealing sucks.”
“No one ever said it didn’t.”
Ryuu looked closely at the boy, who sounded much too jaded for one so young. “Are you certain you’re not even twenty ye
t?”
“Yep. Of course I’ve lost count of how many times I have been twenty.” He smiled at his own joke, though it lacked any true humor or joy. “Checking out the future and the past was my biggest form of entertainment for the last ten years. I mean, you can only watch so many soaps and episodes of Court TV before you really do go crazy.”
“I think I’ll take your word for it.” Ryuu sighed and looked around the atrium. “What are you doing here?”
“The old guy is out right now, so I thought you might need someone to talk to.”
Ryuu flinched at the faintest hint of pity in Logan’s voice. “Saw it coming, did you?”
He shrugged, shoving his hands in his back pocket. “A little.”
“You could’ve warned me.”
Watching him closely, Logan said, “I’ll back you up where I can, however I can, but would you have listened if I told you that your plan didn’t have a chance of working?”
“Probably not,” Ryuu answered, being honest with himself as well as Logan.
“There ya go. Anyway, what’s done is done. And it might not be the complete train wreck you seem to think.”
“Only time will tell,” Ryuu mumbled, looking back at the door both his lovers had fled through.
“Now you’re getting it.”
Chapter Sixteen
A scent, metallic and ever so sweet, overpowered the rancid smell of rotting garbage. From out of the alley’s shadows poured rich, bright blood, ruby red and glittering like precious jewels. A young black man still gasped shallow breaths but blood poured from a deep wound in his side. The demon of smoke, having abandoned its earlier ride, rolled around the growing puddle, letting the warm flow slide across its true essence. Nothing in all the dimensions could compare to the feel of fresh mortal blood oozing around its form. And best of all, there would be so much more delicious blood to come.
Another human, a small blond male, cowered in the corner of the alley, crying softly and trying to fold into the smallest ball possible. Two large men, one of which was still demon-ridden, stood above their hapless prey.
“Please, don’t. Please,” the man blubbered, eyes darting around the alley, avoiding the small space occupied by his soon-to-be-late lover.
“Stupid fag. Deserve everything you get. You and your boyfriend over there,” the shadow-bound behemoth taunted. His friend, free of the smoke demon which now lay feasting in blood, only laughed.
With steel-toed boots, the first man kicked the boy once, twice, three times. The smoke demon chuckled to itself at the sound of cracking ribs as it bathed in the first man’s blood. The other man joined in, with no demon intervention to blame for his vicious nature. Humans were so easy to turn, so very easy. Hatred and prejudice lay barely concealed beneath the surface, a potent swill. Just a little prod and all the violence bubbled to the surface like demonic champagne. Blood and pain to feed from as well as more energy for the tear to widen with flashed in the brutal night.
What more could any creature desire?
A pout almost formed on the smoke demon’s amorphous face. Too bad it had to go back through the tear and report their progress to Lord Balimorth. But the great demon lord had given all his demons orders concerning the new Three trying to form in their city. A potential disaster had to be addressed and eliminated. Maybe it would be able to come back. Yes, maybe the lord would send it back to torment the Three, to keep them apart.
Maybe it would even be allowed to taste the potent, savory blood of the Three. What an amazing delicacy that must be.
It chuckled as its partner oozed from its ride to wallow in the fresh fountain of crimson gushing from the slowly cooling body of the blond now lying on the ground.
Chapter Seventeen
The next morning didn’t find Ryuu repairing his damaged relations with his lovers as he desperately wanted. He didn’t have time to grovel or even explain. Instead he handed Katashi another scroll he’d had a holy man from Chinatown make to place on the large door at the back of the hotel. His hotel was now liberally decorated with such charms, disguised as artwork.
Riots were breaking out throughout the city after two young boys were slain in an apparent hate crime. Righteous anger exploded with demonstrations, mostly violent. Acts of vandalism sprang up around the area of the attack, both for and against the victims. It didn’t take a Visionary to realize big trouble was on the way. These acts were just what the gateway needed to rip completely open. Time was growing short and he didn’t know how to reach his Two.
And all he could do was shore up the protections built into his little oasis. Ryuu was no priest, no magic-wielder. Alone he was of little use against the invaders. But he knew those who were. He’d had Katashi running to stores throughout Chinatown and the neighborhood surrounding Japantown, speaking to men and women who could build wards and create enchantments. He spread those protections throughout the hotel. Each member of the staff wore specially created charms. Sachets of protective herbs were placed under each bed and crystals with protective powers were set in decorative bowls in every room. Even the incense used to fill the air-conditioned breeze with freshness was switched from its customary cherry blossom to an exotic mixture specially created by a local herbalist for its protective properties.
All in all, Ryuu honestly didn’t have time to wallow in self-pity but he couldn’t seem to think about anything except his loves. His city was ready to go up in a raging inferno and the other two of his Three refused to talk to him. If it weren’t for their business obligations he knew they would’ve left already. Hell, they were probably manning the phones trying to convince the bosses that any deal was hopeless and they needed to cut their losses and come home.
Then, to make matters worse, he hadn’t seen them together. Ishi had taken Janice out for a tour of Japantown but Eric declined to accompany them. Katashi told him that Eric stayed either in his room or one of the restaurants. The only contact the man seemed to have with the outside world was his laptop, which had connected to the hotel’s wireless system.
Speaking of computers, Ryuu made a mental note to email his security company to check and update his normal security system. Demons weren’t above using mortals to do their dirty work. The bastards better not step foot in his place. He had his Two to protect now.
Not that either one would talk to him or anything. God, how stupid could I be?
The pain of rejection sliced through his heart and threatened to bring him to his knees. They didn’t want him. Maybe they had never really needed him, beyond the magic they made together. Maybe they kept him around all those other lives out of obligation, for all they’d gone through together.
Maybe he didn’t belong to them, with them.
Ryuu shook his head, trying to dislodge the negativity. He slowed the shallow, panicky breaths he took as terror overrode his inborn sense of hope. No, he couldn’t think like that. Stress and fear were two emotions the demons fed from. He wouldn’t give the bastards the satisfaction of feeding from him. So his Two couldn’t love him quickly enough this time around. They’d taken too long to get here. But they would grow to care for him. And they would desire him. They had to.
They always did.
Divide and conquer had been a stupid idea. He knew better than that, knew the kind of people they were. If he was honest with himself, he’d been too scared to talk to them as a couple. He had to approach them together so they would understand that he wanted them both. The last thing in the world he would risk was their relationship with each other. They needed love, not betrayal.
He needed to tell them everything, explain the situation. Even if he couldn’t get them to agree to something more permanent, at least he could try to get them to help him.
If he stayed calm and stopped pushing at them individually, they would join him. The Three would perform the ritual and save San Francisco. That was the truly important thing.
Love would come later.
Chapter Eighteen
Tossing and turning
, Janice shivered in her sleep. Fear and worry warred in her subconscious, pushing her to older memories.
Jehanne knelt at Ryo’s feet, carefully peeling off his undershirt. It stuck to his flesh in places with both sweat and blood. He hissed softly as she ripped the last bit of cloth off but he never moved. She winced for him as her eyes traced the four long, parallel scratches slicing across his abdomen. She bent forward to place a soft kiss on the wounds before picking up a jar of ointment to smooth over them.
Ryo sighed under her touch. “I told you my injuries were not serious.”
“You did,” she agreed as she wrapped clean linen over his stomach and part of his chest. Her fingers lingered on the smooth flesh above the bandage, petting him. “But I trust your assessment less than Erich’s. Neither one of you would admit to a serious wound. But the battle is over and you’re mine to care for.”
He smiled softly at her words, reaching down to hold her touch against him. “Yours,” he whispered, bringing her hands up for a soft kiss.
It was Jehanne’s turn to smile. That one word was filled with such amazement and longing. Ryo had been without anyone for so much of his life. He didn’t even have a family name, which seemed to be even more important in his culture than it was in either Jehanne’s or Erich’s. Being a slave or even less throughout his entire lifetime, the only thing that had kept him fighting to survive were the visions his Sight gave him of her and Erich.
The moment Erich brought him to her, Jehanne had sworn she would do whatever she could to soothe the heart-deep wound left in Ryo’s soul.
Once she finished tying off his bandage she came up to her knees and kissed him long and hard. She put all her love and concern into that meeting of the mouths. As her tongue begged entrance between his lips, she pushed her feelings into his soul. Ryo groaned under the emotional assault but he couldn’t resist it. His arms wrapped around her, holding her tight to his heart as his lips parted.
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