Tangled Shadows

by Tina Christopher

  He came back when Brooke shouted her demand. He grinned. Over the last few days they’d made her comfortable voicing her needs and it always gave him a little tingle in his heart to know she trusted them enough.

  He moved, pulling out of Brooke and pushing Nikolai deeper. Moving inside Brooke and having her tight channel clamp down on every inch of his hard cock while Nikolai pulled out of his ass nearly made him climax. The heat and pressure of his lover’s body against his responsive wings didn’t help him keep hold of his control.

  “We need to change the driver of this little group,” Nikolai growled and bit his neck. Hard. Then he grabbed him by his hips and thrust deep, pushing him inside Brooke.

  She screamed.

  Nikolai pulled back, moving him at the same time, to then push forward again.

  Repeat.

  Galen leaned forward until his hands were next to Brooke’s head and tilted his ass to give Nikolai better access. He sank deeper inside Brooke. She grew more vocal.

  Suddenly he felt Brooke, experienced how his cock drilled her, keeping her on the edge of the abyss. He knew she felt Nikolai and him, what it was like to thrust into his ass and how it felt like to receive it.

  This was amazing.

  The pleasure climbed to another level, combining all of them.

  Galen wanted nothing more than to let go, but he pushed his impending climax back and shared Brooke’s memories through Nikolai. The same wall they saw every time they caught glimpses of her memories stood to the right. For a second he wanted to explore it and discover what she hid from him. Then he remembered why he was here and attempted to find Brooke’s memories about the Nebokka.

  He nearly crashed against a barrier. It resembled nothing he’d seen before. It had aspects of the expected Vampire magic, but there was another energy as well. Before 69

  Galen could catch more details, the connection disappeared and he was back in his own mind.

  “Did you see?” he asked Nikolai.

  Nikolai panted, clinging to control. “Yes.” He hugged him and offered support.

  Galen stopped moving, making Brooke moan. He leaned forward and kissed her.

  “Hang on, we need to try again.”

  She looked at him, her eyes more purple than blue and huge, her pupils dilated and unfocused. “Try again? We haven’t finished yet.”

  Galen’s arms nearly gave out when she clenched her muscles around his cock.

  “Brooke, focus, we’re close to IDing your mental block. We have to see it again.” Slowly but steadily she gained control. “What do you need?” she whispered, her voice husky.

  Galen kissed her again, his tongue curling around hers. “What I need is to fuck both of you senseless, but before that can happen, I need you to focus on the last memory you have of the Nebokka.”

  She pulled his head down and nipped his lower lip only to soothe it with her tongue. “I will try.”

  Galen leaned into Nikolai. “Stay as close to me as possible.” Nikolai hugged him around his chest and caressed his nipples. “As close as possible,” he replied, laughter in his voice.

  Galen bit his biceps, the only thing he could reach in the current position. “Don’t think I’ll let you get away with this,” he panted.

  Nikolai thrust deep. “As if you have an alternative.” For a moment Galen lost all focus and crashed into the supernova of being loved by Nikolai and loving Brooke at the same time. “You bastard.”

  “Not according to my family tree,” Nikolai whispered. “You need to relax and not be so tense, you make any link impossible.” Nikolai pulled back and thrust forward again, driving Galen deep into Brooke’s heat. “Stay more in the moment, otherwise we won’t reconnect.”

  Nikolai couldn’t suppress his laughter. They had to enjoy their encounter otherwise a link became impossible. And as he was in the driving seat, he had to drag the other two along.

  It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it.

  Galen swore revenge. Nikolai knew it would never manifest, but he also knew he was right and drove them closer to the point of no return.

  They’d both seen the Naema magic, an impossibility if there ever was one. Nikolai needed a better picture to figure out how it had been linked with Vampire magic, how to untangle the knot without hurting Brooke.

  70

  It became more and more difficult to keep focus. Galen’s wings caressed the whole front of his body, teasing and tickling him in ways he couldn’t push aside or ignore.

  Nikolai clenched his teeth.

  Then they were in his head and he in theirs.

  Nikolai saw the mixture of Naema and Vampire magic. Despite the amazing pleasure he felt loving both Brooke and Galen, he felt his partner’s pain. A Naema working with Ferals was utterly unbearable to him, an ArchNaema and protector of his race.

  Nikolai used his body to stroke Galen’s wings, gave him his strength and unconditional support. “We’ll sort it out, Galen. At least now we know what we’re up against.”

  For a moment Galen leaned back into his strength, taking everything Nikolai offered.

  “Guys, whatever is going on, deal with it later. For Jade’s sake, move.” Brooke’s demand brought Nikolai back to the present. He hadn’t realized he’d stopped.

  “Yeah, pilot boy, how about you take charge again, before I come and take over the controls?”

  They were still in each other’s minds. Nikolai felt Galen’s struggle to not let their discovery impact the lovemaking and kissed his lover’s neck. “Not a chance in the stars.

  This ride is mine.”

  They would have to work out the best way to overcome this mixture of magic.

  Nikolai put everything else out of his mind and gave them his full attention.

  He gripped Galen’s hips strong enough to leave marks and thrust. Galen drove hard into Brooke. She tried to wrap her legs around Galen’s waist, but Nikolai’s hands were in the way.

  “Shoulders,” he grunted.

  It took a second for Galen and Brooke to respond. In a show of flexibility Nikolai wanted to explore at a later date, Brooke pulled her legs to her breasts and then stretched them along Galen’s chest.

  All three of them groaned when Galen slid deeper.

  Brooke had no control over Galen’s entry and both men got a shot of her vulnerability, the feeling of being controlled.

  Their connection flickered. Nikolai gathered more pictures of that barricade in Brooke’s mind, something Galen and he could work with.

  The link broke.

  All three of them moaned. Nikolai stopped for a second, missing the feel of Brooke’s pussy around Galen’s cock and vice versa.

  “Finish this,” Galen groaned.

  71

  Nikolai took a deep breath. Every time they’d come close to flying through the stars something dragged them back.

  No more.

  He rode Galen with no hesitation. He reached around his lover to grab one of Brooke’s hands lying on Galen’s biceps. She returned the pressure.

  Brooke’s whimpers gained in volume, becoming more like screams. Galen’s groans turned to bellows. Her nails dug into Nikolai’s hand as she came closer and closer to her point of no return. Sweat dripped off their bodies and the temperature in the cabin resembled a supernova.

  His balls drew up. He knew he was so close he wouldn’t hold on much longer.

  Neither would either of the others, but to make sure, Nikolai moved his free hand to Galen’s left nipple and pinched. Hard.

  Galen bellowed his pleasure and pushed back, driving Nikolai deeper. Feeling Galen enclose the whole length of his cock was the last straw. He pulled back and thrust all the way, pushing Galen deeply into Brooke.

  They all exploded. Nikolai felt as if he flew through a hyperspace window without a ship. All he had to cling to in this whirling vortex were Galen and Brooke. For a few heartbeats the pleasure eclipsed everything else.

  On
ce he regained control over his limbs as well as feeling in said limbs, he carefully pulled out of Galen. Despite wanting nothing more than to drop facedown on the bed, he stumbled to the bathroom to clean up.

  He managed to wet a towel and take it back to the bed. Galen and Brooke lay side by side. She only grunted at him when he cleaned her. Galen was mostly asleep and didn’t respond to his ministrations. Nikolai dropped the towel, crawled into bed and curled along Brooke’s other side.

  When they woke up, he and Galen would have to untangle the mess of magic, but for now he had the two most important people in his life in his arms.

  Right now, that was enough.

  Brooke exhaled and cuddled closer to Galen and Nikolai. Their scent and presence surrounded her like a favorite blanket.

  They’d seen the barrier and had to know of a way to get her memories back. She was so close to finding the truth. Her emotions ran amok inside herself. Brooke struggled to make sense of her feelings.

  On the one hand meeting this Vampire and Naema had been an eye-opener. She hadn’t realized how far down she’d pushed her need for love and companionship, always pretending she didn’t want or need anybody.

  Seeing Nikolai and Galen together had broken through her wall. She wanted to be their third, the center of their love.

  72

  She snorted. On the other hand, they’d kidnapped her, told her Ferals messed up her mind and she had to open her shields, which would risk both of them seeing her need.

  In her mind and heart, the last was the biggest problem. The thought of them reading her feelings and realizing how deep they’d crept into her heart only to gently let her down would be unbearable.

  Nikolai nibbled on her neck. “Stop thinking so hard,” he murmured. “You’re making my head hurt.”

  Brooke leaned into his caress. “How can my thinking hurt your head?”

  “I can feel your brain turning over and over and it’s giving me a headache.” Brooke frowned and turned around until she lay face-to-face with him, Galen still sleeping at her back. “What do you mean?” She tried to stay quiet to not disturb Galen.

  Nikolai smiled and kissed her. “We have a connection,” he started. “It’s not yet strong enough for us to get behind your shields, but we can sense your emotions.”

  “We?” Brooke no longer cared about disturbing Galen.

  “Yes,” Galen’s husky voice made her shiver. “Both of us. If you tried it, I’m sure you could get a sense of us as well.”

  “How much can you read?” She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.

  Nikolai studied her.

  Galen cuddled closer and stroked her shoulder. “Calm down,” he whispered.

  “Brooke, we can’t read your mind, we only get a sense of the emotions.”

  “What are you so afraid of?” Nikolai asked.

  Brooke dropped her gaze and curled in on herself. “Nothing,” she muttered.

  Galen tightened his arm around her waist. “It’s not nothing.” Brooke tried to suppress the shiver his caress evoked. “It’s not important right now.” She came up on her elbow and struggled out between the two. “How will you fix the mess the Ferals left in my mind?” She pulled part of the blanket around herself and sat at the foot end.

  Nikolai made a move to join her, but Galen shot him a look, which stopped him in his tracks.

  “It’s a mixture of Naema and Vampire magic,” Galen said as he moved up and leaned against the wall.

  Brooke’s focus wasn’t on his words. “Did you just talk to Nikolai mind to mind?” Nikolai shrugged and joined Galen. “It’s no big secret.” Brooke frowned. “If it’s no big secret, why do the two of you look like I’ve caught you with your hands wrist-deep in the choc-toff jar?”

  “It’s the first time somebody felt it,” Nikolai said.

  Brooke studied the men. “You mean, the first time a human noticed. You can’t tell me that other Vampires or Naemas wouldn’t know.”

  73

  “They might know from our faces that we’re talking, but they wouldn’t feel anything. Was it the first time you’ve observed this?” Galen asked.

  She tucked the sheet more securely around herself. “No, I’ve felt a tingle, this energy running between the two of you at our first meeting, when you came to my table at the bar.”

  The men exchanged another look, but it was only a look, no words. Both smiled like lunatics.

  “What’s so exciting?”

  “It means that you’re more sensitive than humans in general,” Nikolai said.

  Brooke had a feeling that there was more to it, but Galen’s earlier words finally sunk in. “What do you mean it’s a mixture of Naema and Vampire magic? A Naema collaborating with the Ferals?”

  The smiles drained from their faces. Nikolai cupped the back of his partner’s neck as Galen nodded, his lips tight. “Nikolai and I caught a glimpse of the barrier.” Brooke’s heart stopped for a beat. A Naema and Ferals working side by side was unexpected and hurtful. She swallowed. “Can you fix it?” Nikolai began to tickle her toes, sticking out from under the sheet. When she didn’t protest he pulled her foot onto his lap and gave it a massage. “It’s complicated,” he began, focusing on his work. “If it was only Vampire magic, something I’d seen the Ferals use before, I could untangle it. But the addition of Naema magic means Galen and I need to work together.”

  “Neither of us has seen this kind of collaboration before,” Galen added.

  Brooke took a deep breath. For a moment she’d thought there was a way out.

  “What do you need to fix it?”

  The men exchanged a glance. Brooke slapped her hand on top of the sheet. “Stop looking at each other like you’re trying to figure out how much to tell me. Don’t decide for me what my little female head can comprehend. Tell me everything.” Nikolai took her other foot and began his ministrations.

  Their silence killed her. “What?”

  Galen shuffled a little to the side, making room between them. “Come here,” he said.

  Brooke felt the blood drain from her face. The news had to be awful if they had to hold her while they told her.

  Galen watched Brooke pale. He leaned forward, took her by the hand and pulled her between Nikolai and him. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You’ve been too far away for too long.” He nuzzled her neck. “I need to touch you.” Brooke softened a little, but she still resembled a tightly coiled wire. “Tell me.” Galen kissed her. “Nikolai and I need to see the barrier to work on it.” 74

  Nikolai had taken her hand and began to play with her fingers. She shivered. “The only time we caught a good look was during our last session.” He caught Brooke’s eyes.

  “It wasn’t good enough for us to work on. The link flickered too much, making it difficult to see the detail we need.”

  Brooke swallowed. “So we’re back to me being the filling in the sandwich.” Galen nodded. “We still think it will be the only way to clear this mess.” He stroked her hair, the sensation of the silky stands increasing his heat level. “We could try it like we did last time, but it’ll take longer and we might not catch everything they did.”

  Brooke squeezed her eyes closed. Galen felt a stab of pain in his chest. She looked so discouraged. He pulled her close and Nikolai curled around her back. “If you trust us, Brooke, we can make it good for you, even fantastic. You’ll drown in pleasure. There will be no pain, no memories. We will take care of you.” Her racing heartbeat was audible to both men. She swallowed. “If it’s the only way to finish this nightmare.”

  Brooke couldn’t look at either of them. She wanted to be rid of the Ferals’ hold on her. Galen and Nikolai had shown her so much pleasure. Maybe they could get her over her issue and even make her enjoy it. But what then? Would they disappear into the galaxy and leave her?

  Nikolai hugged her tighter. “What’s underneath the fear? Whatever just ran through your head had nothing to do with anal sex.” Brook
e stiffened and tried to move, but they held her without trouble. “Brooke, you need to tell us what’s going on, otherwise we won’t be able to help.” Brooke kept her eyes closed. “What happens once you’ve repaired my mind and I remember what happened? You climb aboard the Mercy and chase Ferals?” The men stayed silent. Brooke didn’t want to face them, but when they remained quiet she couldn’t stand it any longer.

  Galen’s brilliant-blue eyes captured her the second their gazes met. They appeared filled with sunlight. “Is that your worry?” he asked. “We jet off and leave you behind without a backward glance?”

  Brooke couldn’t turn away. She tried to keep her body language casual, as if the answer didn’t matter to her.

  Nikolai bit her neck.

  “Hey.” Brooke attempted to move away, but Nikolai nipped her again. At least he hadn’t brought out his fangs.

  The pain from his bite shot through her body like a lightning strike. Her pussy started to cream.

  “Do you really think you stand the slightest chance to get away from us, now that we’ve found you?” he whispered in her ear.

  75

  “What do you mean?” Brooke barely dared to hope they returned her feelings.

  “You can’t just keep me.”

  “Wanna bet?” Nikolai smirked.

  “That’s exactly what we’re doing,” Galen said, his eyes filled with fire.

  Brooke felt as if she stood frozen on the edge of Kantator Abyss—an abyss which had never been measured and no scientist had ever reached the bottom. Part of her wanted to know where she stood, wanted all their feelings out in the open, but another part was scared.

  Galen read the answer in her eyes. He gave her the sweetest, gentlest kiss. “For now, believe we want you and we’re not leaving you behind.” He kissed her again.