He moved down her body, fingers tracing each inch with consummate care. She arched her back, pleading incoherently as he moved closer to her pussy. She nearly screamed as he parted her and blew softly on the wet and swollen flesh. He used his tongue to caress her clit before dragging his teeth against the needy flesh.
What distance she’d put between their emotions shattered. She clawed at his shoulders, crying as he alternated long licks with short flicks and nibbles. Her thighs quivered and felt his answering desire spike under the assault of her arousal. He moaned against her. He was close, she was closer.
Suddenly his head was gone. Her eyes snapped open at the sound of his snarl.
“None of that,” Ryuu snapped. He had Eric by the hair, pulling him off her. “No coming without me. Remember, this isn’t just about us.”
“Damn it, man. I was almost there,” Eric growled, hands going back to pull himself free. “Wasn’t even in her but I was almost there.”
“Exactly.” Ryuu bent down to lick Eric’s neck, ending with a quick nibble at his earlobe. Janice could feel her lover’s arousal grow hotter as he whined.
“We go together or not at all.” Ryuu tugged at Eric’s hair again.
Eric hissed. Wide open to him, Janice felt exactly what that little pain from Ryuu’s rough handling did to Eric. She knew he liked it when she clawed at him during sex but she’d never known what it felt like to him. The pain went straight to his cock like a flicker of electricity, bringing his balls tight.
She giggled. “Keep doing that and he’ll come without both of us.”
Ryuu rolled his eyes. “Some things never change.” But he let go and took a step back to resume the chant.
Eric collapsed on her, panting. She rubbed slow, soothing circles on his back and murmured endearments as she felt him struggle for control.
Suddenly the hair on the back of her neck quivered. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. A gust of arid wind flew through the room, bringing with it bloodcurdling shrieks and moans. She jerked, starting to push out of the bed to see what the hell was going on. Without stopping his chant Ryuu stepped in front of her and blocked her view of whatever was happening. He touched her cheek, moving her to face Eric. He looked ready to pounce.
Ryuu shook his head and nodded toward them. Air whipped through the room, causing candles to flicker. Something about the smell made her stomach turn but she ignored it. Obeying Ryuu’s silent command, she laced her fingers behind Eric’s head and pulled his mouth to hers. Anything to deny whatever the hell was happening on the other side of the room.
Even if it was actually hell.
Eric’s muscles tightened under her touch but he melted into her mouth as she pushed out with her emotions, trapping him with her own desire. She used emotions to block out whatever has happening in the far corner of the room.
Lips and tongue, love and passion. Each combined to overwhelm any hint of terror.
She wrapped her legs around Eric’s waist, arching into his body. She needed that connection, needed to be part of him. She needed to feel alive.
Slowly he inched his cock into her, filling her. Feeling his desperation, she expected frantic sex, striving for orgasm. Instead he gave her deliberate, gentle lovemaking that brought tears to her eyes. He dragged out ever so slowly before sinking in inch by inch.
The bed shifted beneath Ryuu’s weight. Eric arched back, slamming into her and gasping. His desire shot though the roof, crashing through her. Janice’s mind flipped first to Ryuu’s fierce struggle for control as he fought not to come in Eric the moment he entered him. Then her powers skipped to Eric, whimpering as Ryuu claimed his ass.
She screamed under the onslaught of emotion, only to be cut off by Ryuu’s lips as he leaned around Eric’s hunched shoulders to take her mouth. His emotions joined hers and Eric’s, completing the loop.
Janice couldn’t believe how the inferno blazed out of control. Her men surrounded her. She found herself almost inside them, feeling every nuance. Eric couldn’t contain his pleasure as Ryuu pounded into his ass at the same tempo he plunged into her wet, warm depths. Ryuu, on the other hand, was all about emotions. Oh, he felt the pleasure. He was in Eric again, where he’d dreamed of being for so long. He wanted Janice too, couldn’t wait for a chance with her. But Ryuu was also relieved that he had them together and they had a chance to save his city.
And he loved. Ryuu loved them both deeply.
Janice reached out for that love, pulling it around her. Bathed in the bliss of the emotion. She opened it up and let it ooze over Eric and Ryuu like warm honey only to pull it back to enjoy again. Over and over she pushed and pulled that feeling. It flamed even stronger every time it connected with Eric. Ryuu added more as well.
It grew and grew, larger and larger until she couldn’t contain it any longer. She lost control as it flared with an embracing blaze.
A great explosion of light and heat rocked the room. Janice opened her eyes and forced back a scream. They’d almost succeeded. The tear had closed but not soon enough.
A huge red-hued demon, with Ishi’s broken body dangling in its grasp, stood glaring down at the three of them.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ryuu leapt off the bed to face the red-hued invader. Janice barely had time to register the dry, metallic taste of fear before Eric wrapped his arms around her and rolled off the opposite side. Her head whirled as he pushed her to the floor, shielding her with his body. Ryuu stood above the two of them, crouched and ready to launch himself at the first sign of attack. Janice heard a heavy thump and looked over Eric’s shoulder to see Ishi’s body bounce off the wall only a few feet from her and hit the floor. Ishi didn’t even groan.
The creature’s dark chuckle touched something deep in Janice’s soul, filling her with an instinctive fear so strong it was difficult to gasp for breath. She buried her head under her arms and fought the urge to scream as he spoke.
“So this is the all powerful Three?” he asked, a sneer in his voice. Malicious hatred and viciousness surrounded the creature like a thick fog, raising Janice’s terror with each breath she took. “This is what we fear, what I, the great Demon Lord Balimorth, spent decades planning to defeat? What a joke.”
Ryuu’s eyes narrowed and his body compacted.
What is he doing? What is he thinking? Janice crawled forward to grab his ankle and pull him back.
Eric pushed Janice back against the wall, standing between her and the thing taunting them. He’ll be killed. We’ll all be killed. She crawled to the side far enough to grab Ishi’s arm, dragging her close as she retreated back to the wall. Janice felt a quick stab of relief when she realized Ishi was warm to the touch even if she wasn’t moving. Janice gave a prayer that she still lived. Then she added another prayer that they all made it out of this alive.
The floor creaked ominously and the building rocked as the demon took a step forward. Janice hugged Ishi to her, heart racing, as she watched her men face him.
“Do you think you can stop me?” He laughed, his smile revealing row after row of jagged, shark-like teeth. “You might have closed the portal but I am here. Many of my minions are here already, awaiting my order to lead them to victory. We will make this a hell on earth unlike any you’ve seen before. And you will be the first that I crush beneath my feet.”
He reached out with one gnarled hand and threw the bed across the room, where it splintered against the door. Janice scrambled back, dragging Ishi’s body along with her. Ryuu launched himself, not at the demon but at the small side table still sitting against the wall. He spun and whipped out the two samurai swords displayed there, tossing the shorter one to Eric.
“It isn’t a claymore.” Ryuu shot out as an apology while holding his sword poised.
Eric slashed the air, getting a feel for the weapon. Maybe a bit of their connection from the ritual remained because he looked as though it felt familiar in his hands. “It’ll do,” he finally said with a wicked grin and a slight shrug.
> Balimorth found the whole thing amusing. “Oh good. I was afraid this wouldn’t be any fun.”
Janice’s heart skipped a beat as she watched her two men throw themselves between her and the demon. Everything was true. Hell stared her in the face. Was this what it had been like in the past? Had the two of them fought side-by-side in battle, friends and enemies falling to the ground around them until few allies remained? But what had she done, project happy thoughts? Had she stood back and watched the men she loved go into battle after battle without her?
That certainly didn’t sound like her and that wasn’t what she saw in her dreams.
Ryuu ducked as the demon slashed out with a set of wicked-looking claws but missed the mallet-sized red fist flying for his stomach, launching him across the room and into a wall. Eric roared and ran forward to defend. He managed to slice the creature across his chest before being hammered across the face.
Balimorth chuckled as he looked down at the deep cut. He wiped at the black ichor oozing out. By the time he lifted his hand his chest was perfect, without a hint of a scratch. “Seems you’ve forgotten a few things,” he sneered, reaching down to lift Eric from the ground by his hair.
Ryuu shook himself, scrambled up and gripped his sword for another charge. To Janice everything morphed into slow-motion, familiar but wrong. His charge wouldn’t work any better than Eric’s. They were missing something.
They were missing her.
Janice closed her eyes and reached for those feelings they had used to close the tear—love, hope, joy, anything positive. She pulled them into her, allowing them to coalesce and move up her arm. She thrust her hand, palm forward, toward Ryuu’s sword.
She opened her eyes as Ryuu slashed a glowing blade down the creature’s back, skipping away as the demon swiped at him with his free hand. The creature let out a roar of pain, tossing Eric away to reach for the wound.
Balimorth spun to face Janice, his snarling face sending her cowering. “Not bad, bitch. But not enough.” He straightened, the top of his head almost scraping the ceiling. He grinned down at Ryuu as he panted but stood at the ready. He chuckled as Eric got to his feet, glaring. But the demon seemed most amused by Janice crouching with Ishi lying across her lap. “I’m going to enjoy ripping into you, little woman.”
Eric growled and Ryuu’s face went completely blank. Both men gripped their swords and prepared for another attack.
Balimorth shook his head. “You’re out of practice, warriors. Once you were three of your world’s greatest fighters. Now you’re nothing more than a pitiful sideshow. This is what happens when you depend too much on magic.”
A blast a pure energy slammed into the back of his head, knocking him to his knees. “Seems you’ve forgotten exactly how magic can be used against you. But believe me, I remember. I remember everything.”
Janice stared at the young man with a shaved head standing in the doorway. He didn’t seem at all surprised to find three naked people fighting off a demon. He showed not the tiniest bit of fear. At most, a sense of satisfaction surrounded him.
He tilted his head and winked at her as he raised his right hand toward the demon. A glowing ball of pure energy formed in his palm, growing larger by the second.
The demon shook his head, dropping to a fighting crouch. He snarled at the new man, clawed hands extended. “Who are you?”
The young man gave a cold smile. “You mean you killed my entire family without knowing who I was? Not very bright of you.”
“You’re the other Visionary,” Balimorth replied with a bellow of frigid laughter. “You’re the one we took care of years ago. So you remember enough to pull out some of your original tricks. Not bad. But not good enough to fight a demon lord.”
“Oh, I’m not just a Visionary. I’m the strongest of the mage warriors, the one who created the spell of the Three. I’m the First.” With that he tipped his head to the other three.
Janice pushed energy into both blades as Ryuu and Eric slammed their swords into the demon. As they swirled out of the attack the other man tossed a huge ball of pure energy into the cuts. There was a bright, blinding explosion. Janice blinked until her eyes cleared.
All that remained of the demon was a pile of dust.
“Well that was exciting. I’ve had that energy saved up for quite some time. Glad I got to put it to good use,” the young man said as he rubbed his hand, clenching and unclenching his fingers. He stepped around what was left of the demon, gave the men a quick, hot glance and leered down at Janice. “I’d ask if you enjoyed yourselves but I think I can tell that for myself.”
Janice grabbed the sheet off the bed and wrapped it around herself, glaring all the while.
“Logan,” Ryuu started, but he didn’t seem to know what to say next.
“Hai, Saitou-san,” Logan replied, his voice respectful but his eyes dancing with mischief. “I saw you needed some help. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Ryuu answered with dignity dripping from each word. “But would you mind waiting outside until we can all get dressed? And call Katashi and have him call for medical attention for Ishi.”
“Already did. Should be here in a few. So hurry with the clothes.” He smiled at Eric and Janice. “I’d apologize for sending you all the dreams, except it seems to have worked. You two were really stubborn this time around. Hope you don’t screw up your reward time.”
He blew a kiss at the three as he slid out of the room. Janice looked up at her men, her reward for a job well done. They were all alive. The city was saved. And with the adrenaline, combined with the earlier release of endorphins, she didn’t know if she wanted to cuddled or collapse. Only one word came to mind.
“Damn.”
Epilogue
Ryuu stared out on the stream in the middle of his atrium, excitement humming through his blood. Before him stretched a future filled with problems but also possibilities. While some demons still hunted the streets of his city, with Logan’s help cleanup was coming along nicely. There would be more battles and skirmishes but the tear was closed, preventing further invasion. San Francisco was safe—at least safe enough for his Two to live in.
They’d succeeded once more. He had time to dedicate to Janice, Eric and his life.
A delicate hand reached out and covered his on the railing. He grinned, letting her presence surround him in a blanket of peace before turning to face her. “So, everything unpacked?”
“Yes,” Janice answered, leaning with her elbows against the railing. She peered at him with a playful glint in her eyes. “Thank you for giving us the eleventh floor. Until our company gets on its feet money’s going to be tight. Every little bit helps.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. It’s not like I haven’t been there myself once. I’ve been running my father’s business in America for almost a decade on top of creating Zen. And you know it’s no problem having either one of you here.” He turned and grinned at her, knowing she could feel the pleasure and honesty in his words. “Well, not exactly a problem. I’d prefer if you lived on the twelfth floor with me.”
“Someday, we probably will. I’ve always wanted room to spread out. I never thought I’d be offered the better part of a luxury hotel.” She rose to her toes to give him a quick kiss that warmed his soul. “Patience, remember. We’ve got a whole lifetime to work it all out. No demons, no rush. Hell, truth be told, we’ve probably got more than this one life. So let’s take our time and enjoy the journey.”
Ryuu hugged her tight and lifted her, giggling, off her feet. He spun her around as she clutched his shoulders. “Aishiteru yo,” he said, kissing her cheeks.
She laughed, shoving her hair out of her eyes as he put her back down. “What does that mean?”
“I love you,” Eric answered as he walked down the stone path toward them. “At least, that’s what the computer program I’ve been using to learn Japanese says.”
“You’ve been learning Japanese?” Ryuu asked, stepping a little away from
Janice as he faced the other man.
“If we’re planning to make a go of this triad we’ve got going, I thought I should.” He moved forward, eyes going from Janice to Ryuu and back again. His hand lashed out toward the other man. Ryuu flinched, caught completely unaware as the hand wrapped around his neck and pulled him in for a hard, earthshaking kiss.
He gasped when Eric freed him, his head whirling. The larger man wrapped his arm around Janice and pulled her to his side. There they stood, the two people who had been the center of his world for lifetime after lifetime. So what if they aren’t entirely sure it will work out between the three of us yet? He licked his lips, tasting that flavor that was uniquely Eric. Now, time is on my side.
Ryuu moved forward to embrace them both, and embrace the future.
The End
About the Author
It’s always the quiet ones…
Mild-mannered Jenna Castille lives a rather normal life with her husband and daughter in Las Vegas. Only her husband and closest friends know about the twists and turns her imagination takes. She’s loved fantasy and horror stories since childhood. Then she discovered romance and Romantica. As a writer, she never could figure out which genre she liked better, so she decided to throw them all in a pot to see what came out.
Her husband still shakes his head every time she describes one of her plots, but he’s always more than willing to help with any “hands on” research she might require. And her friends love to read her stories. They tell her that at least now they understand the glassy stares and all the mumbling to herself. Happily, they don’t have to worry about her anymore.
Being a writer is much better than being committed.
Jenna welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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