Once Upon a Time in December

by M J Marstens

  For more of my work, continue on to see a list and read an excerpt from Unveiled: A Dark Ménage. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review HERE.

  More by

  M.J. Marstens

  MOTHERFUCKER (AN IRREVERENT RH COMEDY)

  MATE DATE (AN RH PARANORMAL COMEDY)

  UNVEILED: A DARK MÉNAGE (READ AN EXCERPT AFTER THIS)

  A.S.S (ASSASSINS OF THE SHADOW SOCIETY)

  BADASS ALCHEMY

  THE AFFLICTED ZODIAC (A FANTASY RH ROM-COM)

  VIRGO RISING

  RETROGRADE

  TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

  LIMINAL ACADEMY

  (AN RH PNR SPIN-OFF FROM THE AFFLICTED ZODIAC)

  EVANSCENT

  EPHEMERAL

  FAIRY TALES RETOLD FOR RH

  IMPRISMED: CAPTURED IN RAINBOWLAND

  ADVENTURES IN SUGARLAND

  CLASSICS RETOLD FOR RH

  THE SWAN EMPRESS

  LEGENDS RETOLD FOR RH

  SCALED(A YA RH RETELLING OF MULAN)

  Excerpt from

  Unveiled:

  A Dark Ménage

  It’s my second day alone, and the storms have barely abated. Noor mentioned the rainy season is brief, but intense. I’ve had so much fun playing in the rain, though. Occasionally, the wind does pick up, and I’m forced to go inside the palace. I light some oil lamps and read until I fall asleep. This time when I awaken, it’s night. The wind has died down, and the rain barely patters outside. The air is warm and balmy, and heat lightning lights up the night sky. I scramble to sit up and blow out the oil lamps. It’s the perfect time to go play. I’m wearing a loose white tunic that I got from a closet. I’m quite sure it’s a man’s garment, but it’s very comfortable, and I’ve been wearing it since last night.

  I choose to go to the twins’ side again, and run along the sandy, stone paths. I skip, hop, twirl, and touch every leaf of every tree or bush I pass. Suddenly, a big clap of thunder shakes the sky, and the rain unleashes. I laugh out loud at the sheer unexpectedness of it and in seconds, I’m soaked through. Instead of going back inside, I run like a child some more, giggling when the lightning brightens the world around me and then stumbling when it dissipates, and I’m blinded once more to my surroundings. My long, pale hair hangs in wet ropes around me and my light skin practically glows against the dark backdrop of the night.

  I’m in mid-spin when I collide hard with something. I gasp when I feel arms wrap around me and turn me completely. I’m facing someone, trapped by their hands wrapped around my upper arms, binding me against them. A flash of lightning illuminates the sky and my eyes lock onto hazel ones.

  Raqib.

  A silent scream forms in my throat, but I can only stare in horror. An eternity seems to pass between us before I finally struggle free. I’m staring back at the unmoving man while I run away, and barely have enough time to register the other man standing at the other end of the path, blocking it.

  Kerrim.

  I skitter to a stop, breathing heavily, looking between the two identical, beautiful men. Slowly, they both start walking towards me, their hands held out in front of them as if I were a wild animal they are trying to tame. And that’s exactly how I feel. Wild. All the peace and happiness I’ve felt flee my body, and I’m left with only a cold sense of dread. They know I’m a fraud. An imposter. A liar. The question is: what will they do with me? Do I wait to find out?

  No.

  In a desperate move, I rush forward, through the beautifully manicured plants. I can feel the leaves scratch me as I shove them aside ruthlessly to get to the other side. If I can make it outside the palace walls, I can hide in the city. Ramalia is large and is divided into four districts. With only the two of them, the twins would never be able to find me. But what then? Maybe I can hide in a trading caravan and escape once more into the desert? I wonder how fortunate I will be this time. . . the desert spared me once.

  Will it do so again?

  I finally burst out of what feels like a small forest that I traversed through, only to find both Kerrim and Raqib waiting for me on the other side. Kerrim picks me up easily, and it’s then I realize he’s not dressed in a thawb, but is shirtless and wearing the same pants he wore when sparring with Raqib. The wet fabric of my tunic clings to me and outlines every curve of my softness. I’ve never been so aware of my sexuality than in this moment, plastered against this handsome, built man. That is, until Raqib joins us at my back, sandwiching me in between them. I’m unsure if this is a tactic to keep me from running, but when the lightning brightens the sky once more, I see the heat in Kerrim’s eyes.

  My body flares completely to life, mirroring Kerrim’s heat. Before either of us can guess my intent, I’m kissing him with a passion I didn’t know I had inside of me. Nayyir had all but cut me to the core and left nothing to fuel my inner fire, but I’m finding these two men can still set me ablaze. Nayyir tried to kill my sexuality, but some ember must have lain dormant, waiting for these men. Now, the fire all but consumes me as Kerrim takes control of the kiss, slanting his mouth over mine and pushing his tongue possessively between my lips. A husky sob escapes from me somehow, and both men groan in unison at the sound. Raqib sprinkles my shoulders with kisses, as the storm still rages around us. I lock my legs tighter around Kerrim’s waist and rub myself wantonly against him. The glorious friction making us more frenzied in our kissing.

  I pull back and gaze into his passion-drenched eyes, barely visible in the dark, and think: what am I doing?

  I shimmy down from Kerrim’s arms, but Raqib is waiting and spins me to face him. I can tell he’s waiting for the same treatment his brother received, but I push away and run once more. Except for this time, they don’t follow me. I make it to my bungalow and collapse on the floor, a mess of tears and need. So much need. The need for their bodies. The need for their love. The need for their forgiveness. But I don’t deserve that. I might be a victim of my circumstance, but I’m anything but innocent. And I’m so tired of running. Of hiding. Of pretending. Tomorrow, I will face my fate and my last chance to see the faces of the men I have fallen in love with. I know what the punishment is for one such as me.

  And I hope Allah blesses me with a quick death.

  I wake up in a heap on the floor. The normal hustle and bustle of palace life greets my ears, and I briefly wonder if I dreamed everything. But when I look down, I see I’m still dressed in the white tunic. I sit up and push my now dry hair out of my face. My body is stiff from sleeping on the ground, and I feel sixty years older than my actual age. Even though I have made the decision to face my punishment, and punishers, I’m still apprehensive. No one is ever one hundred percent content with the idea of their death, no matter how much they have reconciled it within themselves.

  Especially given the lengths to which I have gone to survive.

  But I know that I can run no more.