by T. S. Ryder
Audrey moved a little closer again. "Will they?"
"Maybe. I know Dimitri would like me to stop them, but I understand their views. Stone walls don't agree with us. They think they can protect their mates better out in the forest."
If they mated, would he want her to go live in the sticks with him? She couldn't do that.
Not that it wouldn't be amazing to be able to get a true first-hand view of how shifters lived to write that article she had always dreamed of. She invested too much into her career; her whole life revolved around work. She didn't want it to be this way. She had always longed for a family, to be a wife and mother. Right now her identity was so consumed by being a reporter that she had nothing else.
But if she did mate him, then he could give her the life and family she always dreamed of. Would her career really be so important when she had an actual life to live?
Maybe. Maybe she shouldn’t reject taking a mate so blindly.
"Is there a threat to the women here?" she pressed. "What about women that had participated in previous years? What's being done to protect them?"
"I'm sure Dimitri has it taken care of. As for the women here, Dimitri has increased security, and us shifters are on alert, too. They won't be able to sneak in again. Our sense of smell is very fine-tuned. I already know the scent of every human in the palace, and any unfamiliar scent will be dealt with. You don't have to worry."
Audrey rubbed her arms. "How much of this am I allowed to publish?"
Sanjay shrugged. "Maybe the best idea is to just type it up and submit it to Dimitri's office for approval of the investigation."
"That's not how journalism works."
"I understand. But do you want to compromise the investigation?"
Audrey shook her head. This wasn't the kind of journalism that she had signed up to do. Criminal investigations were just so depressing. But since she was here, Tiana would want every detail. Well, when she had the time she would be able to speak with Dimitri about it. There was no harm in typing up the information she had already had, was there?
"I know this isn't what you would have liked," Sanjay said, brushing her hair away from her neck. "And I know that the timing is terrible for you. But life is continuing, and you only have three weeks left to choose between Dimitri and I. Don't you think it's time we see which of us pleases you better?"
It took her a moment for her to realize what Sanjay was saying. Audrey gaped at him. After everything he had just told her, he was still making a play for her? She didn't know what to say. Because yes, life did go on. But it felt disrespectful to the murdered woman to change the topic from her death back to the mating game.
"I would like to make dinner for you tonight."
"Really?"
Audrey blinked in surprise. She hadn't pegged Sanjay for the cooking type. His hand cupped the back of her neck, and despite everything, a shiver still moved down her spine at his touch. The events of the day quickly faded to the back of her mind, she was so focused on the smile on Sanjay's face.
"I will bring it to your room if that is what you want. So you can work on your reports with minimal interruption. I know how important it all is to you."
"You don't have to do that." She was touched by his concern and smiled. "I should take a break, anyway. Working all the time can be a real drag."
"Ah, in that case, I'm sure we'll be able to figure out something else to do."
Audrey's breath caught in her chest. She wanted to say yes so badly it hurt. "I can't."
His hand dropped.
"I like you. I can't deny that. You're hot and strong and you've got that bad-boy 'I do what I want' vibe, but I can't. But I'm not right for you or Dimitri. If this continues, I'm just going to end up hurting both of you."
"No. You are my perfect match, just as you are for Dimitri. I wish you could accept that. You're drawn to the two of us. You keep saying no, but your heart is saying yes, and sooner or later you are not going to be able to deny it any longer." He paused. "If you choose Dimitri, I will disappear from your life without complaint."
She winced. She didn't want him to just go away.
"If you can't choose between us, I will fight to the death for you."
Audrey stood and shook her head as she dug her hands into her reddish-black hair. "Is that supposed to be romantic? You think I like the idea of you two killing each other? Maybe in time I'd let you two date me, but a month is far too short a period to make that decision, especially when you keep saying things like that. And if you kill Dimitri or he kills you, then that's it. I would never speak to survivor again. Never."
Sanjay stared at her, surprise flitting across his face. It seemed like he finally had gotten it into his head that she was serious. A voice spoke from behind her.
"Then you had best choose one of us before it comes to that."
Chapter Six
Audrey turned on Dimitri, fists clenched. What was it with these people? Choosing wasn't an option. And neither was watching them kill each other.
She marched up to the vampire king and jabbed her finger into his chest.
"Listen here, buddy. I know that you have a million women drooling all over themselves the moment you walk into a room. But you're after forever, and I have never had a relationship last for more than a few months. I am not choosing because I am not right for you!"
Dimitri was silent during her outburst, which only made her angrier. He clearly didn't take her seriously. And neither did Sanjay. That in itself was more than enough reason to deny both of them. Audrey wasn't the type of girl that was just going to roll over and let men dictate her life.
"And I mean it. If you kill Sanjay, that's it. I won't have anything more to do with you. And if he kills you, the same story. So you had better stop all this 'fight to the death' crap."
"I can see that you feel strongly about this matter," Dimitri said, his voice low and soothing. "Perhaps there is another way to resolve this, then. First blood?"
Sanjay nodded. "I would accept that."
Audrey shook her head. "I won't. You're not listening to me. Why should I choose either of you when you don't care how I feel?"
"You can't deny that you are drawn to us."
"No, I can't." Audrey took a deep breath and looked the king in the eye. "I am drawn to you. Both of you, and I don't want to see either of you hurt. I don't want you to fight for me."
"Audrey—"
"Besides which, if I was going to choose, it would be both of you."
Dimitri pulled her into his arms and ground his hips against hers. "Both of us? I could live with that."
Before Audrey could process what he had just said, he kissed her. As she had come to expect, sparks exploded in her brain the moment their lips touched. His arms were strong around her, drawing her closer. Audrey couldn't stop herself from reciprocating. Right now she didn't want to fight against her natural urges, no matter how much she knew she shouldn't.
It was simpler, feeling the lust for him and not thinking about the forever he wanted. Him and Sanjay both. Maybe she should just let them do this. Maybe if she did and then told them again that she still wasn't going to choose between them, they'd stop all this nonsense about fighting each other for her.
The second set of arms wrapped around her waist. Sanjay pulled her away from Dimitri, turning her face to his. The shifter caught her in a deep kiss. The sparks that had already been going off in her brain stepped up another notch. Her whole body felt tight and hot. Her skin sizzled, and she wanted to shed her clothes where they stood.
When Sanjay moved to her neck, Dimitri took her mouth again. Both of them kissing her, sandwiched between their bodies, had every inch of her glowing. A moan escaped from her throat, causing her two men to chuckle. Her eyes were half-closed as she tilted her head back–and saw the sky.
"Wait," she gasped as one set of hands cupped her bottom and the other began caressing her breasts. "Wait. Everybody can see."
"So?" Sanjay asked, his voice vibra
ting into her neck. "Haven't you noticed couples squirreled away in nooks and crannies, giving into their bodily desires?"
"No. And even if I did, they were at least trying to conceal themselves. We're right out in the open, I can't do this when people might be watching. What if they take pictures?"
Dimitri groaned, stepped back. Audrey almost whimpered from the loss of his body close to hers. She took the opportunity to detangle herself from Sanjay, though and combed her fingers through her hair. Her heart was hammering, her mouth dry, her body trembling with desire.
"You can't change my mind by kissing me," she said, putting a trembling hand to her chest. "I'm not choosing between you."
Except at that moment, Audrey knew she had made her choice. She wasn't going to choose between them. It was both. It had always been both, as much as she wanted to deny it. She looked between them, eyes wide, not knowing what to say or do now. It couldn't possibly work. Could it?
"Do you mean it?" Sanjay said, brows furrowed.
"Mean what?"
"You won't choose between us because you want both of us."
"I didn't say that." Audrey felt sick. She was unprepared for this. The inevitable truth was that no relationship she had lasted. She couldn't put these two through that pain. And if they were the ones to decide they didn't want her? It would destroy her. No, she had to stick to her guns and deny them both. "I can't give up my life for you. Either of you."
"What about both of us?" Dimitri asked, his gaze intent. "You asked me what drew me to you. Your scent was a huge factor. As soon as I smelled you, I wanted you."
"Back to the smell again."
"It's not the only reason I want you. I was as drawn to your insistence that you wanted me only, and then your resistance to giving into me, and your willingness to face lawsuits to get your story, and not just for your own means. You have a moral code that I find very attractive. And…" He glanced at Sanjay. "When I realized the shifter had claimed you, I knew you were the right choice."
Audrey's jaw dropped. "You chose me because Sanjay had already chosen me?"
Dimitri spread his hands. "I thought that if there was one woman that could give me what I wanted out of this, it was you. I didn't invite shifters just for the sake of inviting shifters. With groups like the Fist of Humanity out there, we need to stand together."
Audrey shivered at the reminder of the murdered woman.
"I hoped to find a woman that I would fight for–but would insist, as you are, that there will be no fighting. The only way shifters and vampires are going to get along is if I set the example first. Sharing a mate with a well-known shifter was the best way to do that."
"What?"
"You always intended on sharing her with me?" Sanjay asked, brow raised.
"I hoped to."
"But you were so jealous and possessive," Audrey protested weakly. "When you found Sanjay and me in my room, you were all ready to attack him on the spot."
"I know. I reacted differently than I intended. I won't say that I'm not a little jealous, but the more time us three have spent together, the more I find that I enjoy the dynamics."
"You should have said something before." Sanjay frowned. "Although if you had said that when we first met, I would have torn out your throat. But for Audrey… Well, I think it will work."
"You're serious. You're both serious."
"You said it yourself. We get along when we're not fighting over you."
Audrey swallowed hard. "But… but I can't… "
They both moved closer but she pushed them away. There was a heavy pressure in her chest that made it difficult to breathe. She wanted them to just leave. This wasn't even worth thinking of. Was it?
"This is all so confusing. I didn't come here for a mate, and I've never considered two men before. And it's all moving so fast, and I don't know if what I feel is just lust."
And what if what they were feeling was just lust, and in the end they decided they didn't want her? Nobody ever wanted her, not really. Even her parents hadn't wanted her.
Sanjay brushed his fingers over her cheekbone. "You don't have to decide now. But I think that fight is completely off the table now."
He glanced at Dimitri. The king nodded. "We won't fight. And if you feel like there is too much pressure on you, then remember you have the rest of the month to decide."
"It's not going to be enough."
"Then maybe we should just give into lust right now." Sanjay stepped closer. "You know, give you some incentive to choose us."
Audrey opened her mouth but closed it. It was a bad idea to do this, wasn't it? Even if her body was screaming at her to just give in. Even if her heart was telling her that there was no need to choose, that these two would take love her like no person had done before.
But how would it even work?
"We should discuss what would happen if I did decide to mate the two of you," she whispered. "What the dynamics would be. What everybody would expect. You're a shifter. You're a king. I'm a reporter. Would it even work for the three of us? Sanjay, you said that shifters don't do well in stone walls. Will you just give up your life to come live here? Dimitri, you have duties to your people. You can't leave."
"And your job," Dimitri added with a nod.
"I can write anywhere, I don’t have to stay doing the type of stories I'm working on now, but if we're always separate, how can we be really together? What about the children? It's not fair to them to shuffle them around, or for them to be without a mother while I'm off with one or the other."
"We'll make it work." Dimitri brushed his lips against hers, Sanjay coming to her other side. "You're overthinking this. We're not asking for you to decide right now."
"No, you're just asking for sex. But my head is too muddled. I can't think clearly when I'm around you two. Yes, I want sex, but right now I think it means more for you than it does for me."
She pulled away from both the shifter and the vampire. Until now there was always that part of her that was able to hold back because she knew that they were going to fight for her, and she couldn’t accept that. But now that they'd blindsided her by agreeing that they could share her, and her own newly realization that it was what she wanted…
It felt like her lungs were collapsing. She couldn’t breathe.
As she turned and walked away from the vampire and shifter who both wanted to be her mates, she realized that there was only one thing to do. She had to leave. Run away, where these confusing desires and feelings wouldn't be clawing at her.
It was the only chance she had. If she stayed, hormones would take over again. She couldn't make this decision based on lust.
There was too much at stake.
Chapter Seven
Audrey stuffed her notebooks and papers into her laptop case, shoving in the laptop itself last. Panic beat against her chest. It was the same panic that she always felt when things were going too fast with any of her boyfriends. When they bought her diamond jewelry or talked about introducing her to their parents, or worse, said the dreaded three-word phrase. When she knew she was going to break their hearts just by being who she was.
Was leaving the right option? Or would that only make things worse?
They don't know me. How can they want me when they don't know me? And how can I stop myself from hurting them if they really do want me?
When a little voice in the back of her mind tried to tell her that she wanted them to know her and that they would never know her if she ran away, she shoved it away. The fact remained that they wanted more than what she was willing to give.
Do they really? They have outright stated they'll share me. Why can't I give them a trial period, to see if it will work? I could finally have a life outside of my job.
Audrey slung the laptop bag over her shoulder. She'd leave the rest of this stuff. She didn't need it. Her head was spinning like it did when she stayed awake for forty-eight hours on a dare in university. Only sleeping wouldn't resolve this.
I ju
st need space. This isn't like all the other times I've run away from boyfriends. I just need to figure out what's in my own mind.
A couple of women were talking outside her door. Audrey paused just inside her door. She recognized one of their voices and didn't want to have to answer any awkward questions. Even though her eyes were dry, her distress would be plain to see for everybody.
"I heard that another woman who was part of the selections last year has gone missing. How long is it going to be before it's one of us?"
"My cousin sent me an article that said the woman that was killed wanted to break off with the vampire she was seeing. Do you think they'll kill us if we don't find mates?"
The first woman scoffed. "I doubt it."
"But what if it's true?"
The voices faded, and Audrey took the opportunity to slip out of the room. She practically ran to the lot where all the vehicles were being stored. Dimitri and Sanjay hadn't told her anything about more women going missing. And this nonsense that it was the vampires was laughable.
Her hands trembled as she slid into her car. But she had made her choice. She wasn't going to change her mind. Emotions couldn't be trusted, and right now she was far too emotional to think clearly. Once she was a day or two away from the palace, she would know what to do.
Hopefully.
***
She had only been home half an hour before Tiana phoned her, asking about the last interview she sent in. Or more specifically, why there was nothing about the murder in it. It took Audrey hours to convince her the interview was from before the murder, and that she didn't have any insider information about the investigation.
A stress headache was pounding through her head, so Audrey ran up a bath and sprinkled in some peppermint oil. She was just about to undress when her door opened. Audrey screamed, grabbing the nearest item–a hairbrush–and chucking it at the intruders. Dimitri caught it with a startled expression.
Audrey pressed her hands to her face as Sanjay peered over the king's shoulder. "What are you two doing here?"
