Capturing Iris (Beasts of Ironhaven Book 3)

by Chloe Cole

  Had been just as horrid. Like the twist of a fatal knife just before death. Excruciating.

  I fisted my hand into the fabric of Titus’s shirt to center myself…to remind me that he was still there.

  Was I in love with these men?

  It couldn’t be. They had stolen me from my home. They had ruined everything. My sister was only vulnerable now because they had taken me. None of this would be happening if…

  But none of that mattered. As I breathed in Titus’s musky scent and took comfort from the slow circles his hand traced on my back, I knew the truth. I was in deep and getting in deeper by the second.

  I met Titus’s soft brown eyes once more. Right or wrong, I felt safe in his arms, and the way he looked at me chased away some of the lingering fear and grief still heavy in my chest.

  I would find a way to make this right. I didn’t know how yet, but it would be near another week before we reached our final shore. During that time, I’d find a way to fix this so that no one I cared for had to be hurt.

  I had to.

  “Will sleep be out of reach for you now?” Titus asked, fingers playing absently with a strand of my hair. “The sun will be up in a couple of hours. We can stay up and talk, if you wish. I could fetch us some tea.”

  “I’m not sure,” I said, my voice hoarse and quiet from all the crying.

  He took my hand and entwined his fingers with mine, sending a welcome shot of heat through me that chased away the chill. Then he lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. His lips were much softer and warmer than I had expected, his beard sending a pleasant ripple over my skin. “If I could carry the pain for you, lass, I’d do it. I can’t stand to see you hurting.”

  What I did next seemed to surprise Titus more than it surprised me.

  I pressed my body up against his, crushing my breasts into his chest, and held his face in my hands as I kissed him hungrily. He sat motionless in my grasp for a brief passing moment, and then his arms wrapped around my body to lower me down to the bed beneath him.

  Our lips never parted. He kissed me with a wild need that matched my own, his tongue darting between my lips to taste me. He tasted like spices and ale. He smelled of sage and cedar.

  As we kissed, I took the hem of my tunic and pulled it over my head. Our lips parted as the fabric passed between us, and as soon as it hit the floor, he was upon me again, exploring my mouth, while his hands caressed my now exposed breasts.

  I began shimmying out of my leggings. I worked them over my hips and down my thighs. By the time they were around my knees, Titus had already settled his hand at the heat between my legs. His fingers were rubbing me in slow circles, sending a rush of wetness to meet them.

  I moaned into his mouth and buried my hands in his thick hair.

  He slipped a finger inside me. I moaned again, my hands sliding down to clutch at his shoulders as he curled his finger in my channel in a come-hither motion. Something about the movement tore a gasp from my lips and left me in a breathless state of need.

  That familiar tightness was back, and Titus seemed to be aware of it as he continued his exquisite motions with his finger. He broke away from our kiss to lower himself down to suckle my nipple, drawing it between his lips and rolling his tongue over it as he groaned encouragement.

  All at once, I lost control. My body spasmed and my toes curled. My eyes closed and every muscle tightened until the tension exploded and I cried out his name in ecstasy.

  By the time I had recovered, Titus was on his feet, and was undoing the belt around his hips. His kilt fell to the floor and he pulled his white tunic over his head.

  His body made my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth. He was a work of art. His muscles were heavy and thick, creating bold lines in his arms, chest, and down his stomach. Golden brown hair curled on his chest and carved a trail down the middle of his stomach, around his navel, and to the prize between his legs that made my head spin.

  “On your knees, lass,” Titus said huskily.

  Legs trembling from the wave of pleasure he had bestowed upon me, I did as he said. Once I was on my hands and knees, he took hold of my hips and pulled me closer to where he stood at the side of the bed. He opened my legs so that he could stand between them.

  I had never been on display like this before. My ass was in the air and my legs were spread for him. He could see everything.

  His hand touched me and I jerked away from him. I was so sensitive.

  “Stay where you are,” he grated, touching me more slowly this time.

  His fingers traced my pulsing slit until I was sure I would have to beg. I needed to feel him inside me. I needed that closeness now more than I ever had before.

  “Please,” I whispered, my voice hitching in my throat as he glided over my sensitive center.

  He held my ass in his hands, squeezing the muscle there, as the tip of his shaft rested against me. He pressed into me, entering me slowly, stretching me to fit him with controlled patience. I could hear his breathing, steady but hoarse, as he pressed in deeper and deeper.

  I bit my bottom lip. A similar pain from when Eryk had taken me was there again, but less intense. As Titus slid his thick cock deeper, the pain ebbed slowly away and turned into something else. Something that only wanted as much of him as he was willing to give me.

  When I had taken all of him, his hands moved up to my waist. He held me against him and moved inside me slowly. His breaths now were not so steady.

  One hand moved to the middle of my back, where he followed the line of my spine with calloused fingertips until his hand rested between my shoulder blades. He pushed me down until my cheek was upon the blankets, then he took my waist again, and when he decided I was ready, he began thrusting in earnest.

  I gripped the blankets beneath me, balling the white fabric up in my fists as he withdrew and entered, working me over until I was forced to muffle my cry in the blanket. His rhythm quickened until I couldn’t hold on any longer, and I released the tension that had once more built up inside me.

  He felt the fresh wetness between my legs and he groaned. The deep, masculine sound of it turned me on even more.

  “Harder,” I whispered, sparing a glance at him over my shoulder.

  His features tightened into a mask of need as he obliged, plowing deeper in long, hard strokes.

  His thighs slapped against the back of mine until our rhythm became frantic. Wild.

  I began to whimper as my muscles tensed and my channel clenched around him.

  “Oh, god!” I moaned. And then it was over. Light exploded behind my eyelids as I came, pulsing around his girth.

  He stiffened behind me before plunging forward one last time and groaning my name as his cock bucked and jerked inside me, filling me with his hot seed.

  Minutes later, when the last of the tremors subsided and we could breathe again, Titus fell to the mattress beside me and I lay on my side so I could face him. His eyes wandered up and down the length of my body before lingering on my lips. He reached out and cupped my cheek in one hand, and then leaned in to give me the most tender kiss. Had I not been so tired, I probably would have climbed atop him and rode him until we both shattered again.

  “You are a wonder, Iris.”

  I smiled and pressed my cheek into his palm. I kissed his wrist and his eyes never left me. There was something about his stare that made me feel so special, and so safe, that I would have been content to lie with him for an eternity.

  “I think I can sleep a bit longer now,” I said.

  “As can I. Come,” he said, gathering me in his arms once more.

  I nuzzled into him, inhaling his scent and reveling in the warmth of his flesh upon mine.

  Here, wrapped up in him, the horrors of my dream could not reach me…for now.

  Chapter 13

  Titus and I emerged from our room well past dawn. Based on the busyness of the streets out the window, and the noise and smell wafting up from the tavern below, we were some of the
last in Juniper to rise from slumber.

  I checked myself in the mirror before following Titus out the door.

  I had to admit, I didn’t look like anyone’s prisoner. In fact, I looked downright sensual.

  My lips were slightly swollen from his kiss, my cheeks still pink from sleep and remembered pleasure, and my eyes sparkled despite the horrible nightmare I’d had.

  I reached a hand to my hair and fluffed it lightly. The twisted bun had dried overnight, and was now a tumbling mane of thick blonde curls that fell halfway down my back. When I had woken, it was to find Titus running his fingers through it and breathing it in, claiming the smell of lavender was his favorite. As I went to tie it up, he’d implored me to leave it down, so I did.

  A knot of anxiousness tugged at my belly as I prepared to see the others, because I was fairly sure there would be no disguising what had happened between us. Still, there was nothing to be done about it now. And there was no point in denying that I had very real feelings developing for more than one man. If they all had feelings for me as well, then surely we could put our heads together and figure out a way to make this work? Surely, we could figure a way out of this mess?

  I would give it another day or two. Make certain that I wasn’t falling victim to some cruel ploy to gain my trust by my enemies, and then?

  I would talk to them openly and honestly. Tell them about the note I’d sent to my sister, and together, we could figure a way to ensure all of our safety and the safety of our families.

  Feeling optimistic for the first time since I’d been kidnapped, I clipped my red cloak under my throat and stepped into my black fur boots.

  “You look like a true princess now, lass,” Titus said with an approving grin as he waited for me at the door.

  I gave my reflection one last glance. He was right. Now that I was clean and dressed, the emerald green tunic and bright red of the fur-lined cloak leant a sort of elegance to my appearance. But it was more than that. A confidence in the way I held my chin, and the secret smile that curved my lips. I felt strong and confident, neck free of chains, new dagger pressed against my hip.

  I followed Titus out the door and down the winding wooden staircase to the tavern below. The wood creaked beneath Titus’s weight, practically announcing our arrival to everyone below, and all eyes swung up to greet us.

  I tried my best to ignore the stares of the men of Juniper, as Titus took my hand and guided me around the tables until we arrived at the same one we had all shared the previous evening.

  The others were all there.

  Eryk’s gaze trailed over my face and I swallowed hard. Would he be jealous? Angry?

  I locked eyes with him and swallowed a sigh of relief as he tipped his head in an almost imperceptible nod, as a familiar heat arced between us. He didn’t look angry at all. He looked…accepting. And as if what he saw in my face hadn’t changed a thing between us.

  Something unfurled inside me and I lowered myself to my seat.

  “Good morning,” Dimitri said, a knowing grin kicking up one corner of his mouth. “Looks like you guys had some good rest, then. Unlike me, who had to listen to this guy snore all night.”

  He jerked a thumb at Mathias before digging back into his food with gusto.

  I could feel Mathias’s gaze on me and I shot him a smile of greeting. His jaw flexed, but just when I was starting to worry that he was angry with me, he picked up his cup and held it high.

  “Good morning, Princess. A toast to your loveliness this morning.”

  The other men held up their mugs full of steaming coffee and tapped them together before drinking.

  A flush spread up my neck as I reached for my fork and peered down at the food in front of me. Just as I was about to dig in, my stomach growled noisily and Dimitri let out a low, rumbling chuckle.

  “Better get some food in you. It would seem you worked up an appetite.”

  Horrified, I averted my gaze to my plate and reached for my coffee.

  It would be best to clear the air now. Anaya had taught me that communication and honesty was always the best approach, even if it was the most difficult. I couldn’t be honest about everything, but I could be honest about this.

  About us.

  “As you all have guessed, I think, Titus and I were…together last night,” I started, “and I have been with Eryk also.”

  Titus slid an arm around my shoulders while Eryk leaned back in his chair. I afforded a quick glance at him to confirm my initial impression, and found him smiling back at me. At least, I thought it was a smile. His expressions were always so subtle that I had a hard time reading the ever so slight curve of those beautiful lips.

  “I have grown to care for all of you,” I continued, “and I must confess that this is incredibly confusing for me. But I don’t want there to be more secrets among us and I also don’t want to cause any tension amongst the four of you.”

  Titus put his hand on my knee. “Lass, you need not worry of such things. We all hail from much less…civilized places than Ironhaven,” he said, looking around the table for assistance.

  It was Dimitri who spoke. “We’re not bound by the confines of monogamous love.”

  “Yes, what he said,” Titus nodded towards Dimitri, “the poet, it would seem.”

  I chewed the inside of my cheek. Now that it was out in the open, I had no idea what else to say so I forked up some of my steak and kidney pie as an awkward tension ensued.

  Luckily, Mathias piped up. “I went down to the docks this morning while some of you were sleeping, and the ship is fixed. We can set sail at any time. We’ve paid the docking fee up until high noon. If anyone needs to do anything in town before we depart, you have two hours.”

  He was still looking at me.

  “I don’t need anything,” I said, gesturing to my new clothes.

  “Then shall we get a head start?” Dimitri suggested.

  I hung my head to look at the eggs and bacon on my plate. “You all don’t have to do this, you know,” I whispered, breaking my vow to give it time. To wait until I was certain they would help me…

  Titus still had his arm around my shoulder. The others, who had been eating as Dimitri spoke, put down their utensils to look at me.

  I had to try to change their minds.

  “Anaya can help your families. I know she can, and I know she will. Her protectors--the Saint John brothers,” I clarified, suspecting they wouldn’t know who I was talking about, “can help you, too. I’ve seen what they can do. Whoever the scoundrel is that hired you cannot be permitted to use you like this. If he’s willing to do these things to you and to your families, what do you think he will do to me and mine? Please. Let me and my sister try-”

  “No,” Dimitri cut me off.

  I looked up at him. His jaw was tight and it looked like it was taking every ounce of self-control he possessed not to snap in two.

  “I won’t put my brother at risk. I can’t.”

  “It’s too late,” I said firmly. Dimitri narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything. I turned to Titus. “Please. Let’s turn the ship back to Ironhaven, and when we come back, it will be with a dozen ships. None of you want to do this, you’ve told me so yourselves. Anaya is wise. She won’t do anything that could result in the harm of innocents. She is a fair and just ruler.”

  “It’s more complicated than that,” Titus said with a frown.

  “No, it’s not,” I said, my voice becoming a plea. “Who is this man who cannot be thwarted, despite the power of a Queen and her army behind her?”

  “Iris,” Mathias said flatly, “that’s enough.”

  “You don’t control my voice,” I hissed, anger rising to the surface now. “I might be your prisoner but I am not your slave.”

  The silence that hung around us was heavy. Titus let his hand fall from my knee. Suddenly, I felt very alone again.

  No one spoke for a time. I had lost my appetite and pushed my plate away. Eryk’s green eyes flicked from me to my p
late and then back again.

  “Iris,” he said calmly, “please eat.”

  “I’m not hungry,” I said stiffly.

  “You’re behaving like a child,” Mathias said.

  “Am I?” I asked, leaning forward. I clutched the edges of the table so hard my knuckles turned white. “Or am I the only one here who has any balls? The four of you…” I trailed off and shook my head. “Forget it.”

  I stood up. My chair squealed on the wood floors. “We’re done here, are we not? Shall we sail toward our collective enemy, then?”

  The walk back to the ship was more than tense. Mathias strode with his hand around my upper arm to prevent me from trying to get away. I had heard him muttering to Eryk that perhaps removing my iron collar was a bad move. That they should sleep with one eye open. Eryk had stood by his decision, but I was still furious.

  As soon as our feet hit the deck, I wrenched my arm out of Mathias’s grasp and stomped down the stairs to my cabin. I slammed the door as hard as I could so that the others could hear me top deck.

  My room had been restored to what it was before the pirates boarded. The water was gone and it smelled pleasant again. Candles and lanterns were still scattered on every surface.

  Still thrumming with anger and cursing myself for bringing it up so soon, I put away my new clothes from Dimitri, but stayed wrapped in my cloak, lighting the lanterns.

  A moment later, there was a soft scratching at the door. I went to it and let Hildie in. She trotted inside, shaggy gray fur grazing my leg as she passed.

  “Hey, girl,” I said, dropping to a crouch beside her. I scratched her behind the ears and she licked my hand appreciatively. “You live on a ship of fools, you know that? Of course you do. You’re a smart girl.”

  Hildie nudged me with her nose and I smiled. At least there was one soul on this boat that didn’t make me want to rip my hair out.

  Or make me want to lie on my back and let them take me.

  I shoved the thought away with a groan.

  These men were going to be the death of me, both literally and figuratively. I knew how much I cared for them was real. I couldn’t deny it. But they were still willing to turn me over to the enemy after everything we had been through together.