by Lacey Thorn
She watched asSorran took a turn around the open room, ensuring that there were no hidden entryways inside. Drew tossed the pack he had been carrying into the corner by the other supplies and bent to take a quick inventory of what they had. It gave her a moment to watch them both, to take in the physicality of them. And they were both very physical men, she could tell that just by looking at them. Their necks were bigger around than her thigh.
Broad shoulders were bare, giving her an unhindered view of the bulging muscles both men carried with ease. They were the largest warriors that she had ever seen. Could such large men truly be gentle with a woman? Both men had touched her at different times, small caresses that felt wonderful against her skin. But would all that change in the heat of the moment? When lust entered would tenderness fall by the wayside in the need to claim? That was what she feared the most. That was what kept her nervously rooted to the spot in the middle of the cavern.
She was startled whenSorran moved up behind her and used his hands to bring her back against his body. Her head rested on his chest and even she wasn’t sheltered enough not to realize what the long length pulsing against her back was. This warrior was hard and ready and, judging by what she could only feel, way more than she could handle.
“Relax, little warrior,” he whispered above her head. “I wish only to feel you against me. To hold you and maybe soothe away some of the fear I see hiding in your eyes.”
“I don’t think that I will be able to relax with such a weapon against my back,” she said without thinking and could have blushed when his deep chuckle filled the air.
“’Tisa weapon of pleasure you feel.Pleasure for both of us if wielded correctly.” He bent down and she shivered at the feel of his warm breath against the shell of her ear. “And I promise to do everything in my power to make sure that it is only pleasure that you feel with me,Alea .” He took the lobe between his lips and sucked gently at it. A cry left her lips and her eyes closed as she leaned farther back into him.
“I’ve never seen a woman in warrior pants before,” he whispered as he slid his hands down over her hips.
“I will not dress in a skirt for any man!”Alea declared hotly and tried to pull away from him. Instead she found herself turned and pulled even tighter against him. Now his cock pulsed against her stomach and her breasts swelled and grew fuller where they were crushed against him. Her nipples grew hard and ached for something she didn’t know but had confidence she would soon feel.
“And we would never ask you to. As our mate we will expect you to go everywhere we do and the clothes you are already so comfortable in will only make that easier on us all.” His voice was deeper and his expression seemed pained as he rubbed himself against her. “You are the perfect little warrior for us.Strong and brave.” At her startled look he gave another small laugh. “I can see the courage in your eyes.Courage and so much more.”
Another body moved behind her and she found herself between them, encased, trapped, but somehow sheltered as well.
Drew’s voice was soft behind her. “Why were you and Vulcan alone in the woods? Do you travel that way often, little warrior?”
“No. I slipped away in the chaos after the prince’s body was discovered.” She leaned her head againstSorran’s chest and shuddered as she remembered the sight of her uncle broken and gone. But more than that sight was the sound of her auntAsme’s grief ripping through the air. It was a sound thatAlea had never before heard, a sound of grief that she prayed to the goddess she would never feel. It was as if her aunt had died with Prince Micah and the woman in her place had been filled with a fire that left even the strongest warriors backing away from her. Only her sons had knelt with her and joined her. Only they would have dared.
“You sought to find the trail of the killer,” Drew whispered above her and instead of the censure she expected, it sounded more like awe. “You are indeed the perfect mate for the prince’s men.” She was turned once again to face Drew and there was fire in his eyes, which werea molten silver at the moment. “Never again will you have to walk alone. Never again will you find yourself facing risk without us by your side.” His lips were warm against hers as he bent to her. It was just a gentle brush of flesh against flesh but it was wondrous to her. “You were meant for us and only us. We were meant for you and only you. Together we will be all that we are destined to be.”
His lips were a warm pressure on hers and she sighed when she felt his tongue lick across her bottom lip. He used that small gesture to slip inside her mouth and taste her everywhere. It was delicious and without thought she lifted her arms around his neck and held on. He tasted divine and she wanted more. With every swipe of his tongue, heat filled her body, her pulse raced, and the spot between her thighs grew lush and wet with her body’s desire.
Her top slipped from her to land at their feet and she barely registered that fact asSorran took her breasts in his hands, cradling and caressing them with his palms and fingers. Her nipples were hard points andSorran took them carefully between his thumb and fingers and pinched gently. Pleasure rocked through her body and she cried out into Drew’s kiss. This was what she had feared and run from?This pleasure?These men? Perhaps in battle they were ruthless and barbaric but with her in this moment they were perfect.
Drew released her mouth and dropped to his knees before her.Sorran released a breast and Drew’s mouth wrapped the nipple in lush velvety warmth. It was the most wonderful thing she had ever felt. Ripples of heat seemed to trace a path from her nipple down to the spot between her legs and she could actually feel the folds of her pussy swell and widen. Drew sucked eagerly on her flesh, drawing more of her breast deep inside his mouth. His hands were at the ties of her pants and within moments he had them opened to his touch though he left the pants on.
Sorrannudged her head back against him so that she could look up into his eyes. Where Drew’s were molten silver,Sorran’s were a metallic grey, reminding her of the weapon she knew would be used to place their seal of ownership on her lower abdomen. His hand continued to work her other breast, tugging and pulling at the nipple. His lips brushed softly against her temple, her cheek and finally her lips.
“There is no denying that we want you. You are a fire in our blood, a need that goes deeper than any we have ever known.” His lips tortured as well as enticed as he licked and nipped at hers, never quite giving her the deeper taste of him that she wanted. “Tell me that you are okay with this.” His voice was pleading, not demanding, and she knew in that moment that Willow had been right. Warriors could indeed be different with the woman they chose as mate. “Tell us that you want this as much as we do.”
“Yes,” she admitted and cried out when she felt the first swipe of Drew’s fingers between the folds of her cunt. “Yes, I want you.” It was more than she thought she would ever be able to say and mean. But she did mean it. She wanted them.
Drew’s mouth left her breast and he licked his way down over her abdomen as he used his hands to push her pants down and off.Sorran finally took her mouth and it was her first taste of uncontrolled passion. Where Drew had explored there still had beena gentleness in the act. WithSorran , allpretense was gone. He took, he claimed and ravaged. His tongue was an invader that conquered her withevery stoke inside her mouth. His hands became just a little rougher on her breasts, the pinches harder on her nipples.
Then Drew’s tongue lapped at her folds, his hands pressed against her knees until her legs opened to admit his head. He used his fingers to spread her cunt wider and his tongue caressed every inch of her, swirling around and around her folds. His groan rumbled against her nub and she felt sparks fly inside her as if they were just waiting to drown her in the fiery pleasure she felt growing with each passing moment.
“You taste better than anything I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating,” he spoke against her flesh. “I want to dine here every night for the rest of my life.” And then he wrapped his lips around her nub and sucked gently on it. That small suckle shifted
something inside her and the fire waiting in the wings was let loose. It burst inside her, traveling from her womb outward until there wasn’t an inch of her that wasn’t tingling with a newfound awareness. Her eyes closed and she relaxed further intoSorran’s strong presence behind her.
Hands lifted her and the sensation of floating consumed her. She heard the rustle of clothing, the splash of water and then she was passed from one strong warrior’s arms to another’s. And then she was floating for real, in the gentle sway of the pool within the safe arms of a man who would soon become her lover, her mate for life. Another splash and she felt her other mate join them. Felt him with her soul before she felt his hands against her skin. Four hands that soothed and enticed as they moved over every inch of her body, learning all her secret places and ticklish spots. These were the hands of her future.
“Open your eyes, little warrior. Open your eyes and show me your soul.” It wasSorran who spoke to her, his lips that caressed the skin of her shoulder, and she flicked her eyes open to see the smoldering hunger barely kept in check in his. “Show me your desire, your fire. I want everything you are. I want you inside me before I am ever inside you.”
It was a whisper against her skin, a promise between fledgling lovers. She reached for him, rising from her floating position in the water and straining to climb him in her need for his kiss. Hard hands gently helped her, cradling her ass and lifting her to him. Her legs wrapped around his waist and this time there was no fabric between them. It was warm flesh against warm flesh. Her nipples rubbed against his chest, his erection pulsed against her stomach and the hard strength no longer threatened her. Now she was eager to feel it inside her though she still wondered at her ability to accept him fully within. She wondered but she no longer truly feared. It was amazing how so quickly she was comfortable with them. They relaxed her with the gentle way they soothed and wooed her.
Finally she reached her goal and this time she was the aggressor, taking his lips and claiming them. She thrust her tongue inside his mouth, exploring and tasting as much of him as she could reach. It was a powerful moment for her when she felt him trembling against her. This strong warrior who could take what he wanted at any time trembled at her touch. She felt the power in him and reveled in the fact that he kept it in check with her.
Drew moved behind her and his lips moved from her shoulders down her spine to the small of her back. He dipped lower and she felt his tongue explore the flesh of her buttocks just above the water. He lapped at them and then nipped her with his teeth, causing her to clench her thighs aroundSorran’s waist. She broke from his lips and latched onto his shoulder with her teeth, gripping the strong flesh and sucking at it. He cried out and bucked against her and she felt the first drops of fluid leak from his jutting cock to coat them both.
“Take me,” she moaned. “Claim me now and make me yours.”
“And me yours, little warrior,”Sorran whispered.
Hands pulled the band from her hair, Drew’s hands. He untied the braid and used his fingers to free the lush tresses.
“Such fiery hair,” Drew said as he held the locks in his hands. “Such fire and passion reflects here.A true shining glory. You are more beautiful than any sunset I have ever seen. I do not feel worthy of such beauty. But I cannot stop myself from wanting you, from needing you. I want to be the very air you breathe.”
Drew eased from the water asSorran continued to hold her in his strong grip. She watched with hooded eyes as Drew spread the blankets and made a bed for them.The bed where she would become a warrior’s woman. She undulated againstSorran again and felt his response in the pulse of more fluid from his penis, heard it in the catch of his breath.
Drew turned back to face them and she shook off the languor of passion to focus on the beauty of the naked man before her. He was big and strong and she knew that he would always protect her. His cock jutted from him hard and thick, reaching upward toward his belly. His palm closed around the turgid flesh and he stroked it as she watched.
“Do you like the look of my cock, little warrior?” he asked her with a smile tugging his lips. His hand looked so comfortable there and she guessed he must do that a lot.
She nodded her head and licked her suddenly dry lips. Groans filled the air at her unconscious act of seduction.
Sorraneased from the water with her still wrapped around him and walked toward Drew and the pallet that awaited them.
“Who?” she tried to ask but as the moment finally came upon her she found that she had very little moisture left in her mouth. Maybe she was still a little scared after all. Fear of the unknown.
“Which of us will claim you first?” Drew asked. “I believe it will beSorran . He has a way about him that tends to soothe,a gentleness that I fear I may not be able to utilize when first I feel your sweet pussy clasping my cock.”
She reveled in his words, enjoying the dirty words that warriors used. She had spent as much time spying on her cousins as they had spent watching over her. These were words that she was more than familiar with. “You mean to fuck me and not make love to me?” she queried.
Drew grinned at her andSorran chuckled as he lowered her to her back on the pallet, using his knees to spread her wide before him.
“I mean to make love to you with a passion uncontrolled.More than fucking, more than a mere mating. I mean to claim you, every inch of you. To brand you with my very essence long before you wear our mark on your belly.”
“Yes,” she breathed and arched intoSorran as he bent over her and licked and sucked at her breasts.
It amazed her how the two men switched in and out of roles so easily. Where Drew had been the gentler of the two earlier now it wasSorran who gentled her under his touch while Drew looked on with fire in his eyes. She would eventually know both sides of passion with both men—the gentle lover as well as the conqueror. And she would relish them both she was sure.
“Close your eyes now, little warrior, and feel the fire burning inside you.” Drew’s voice washed over her asSorran’s hands did and she let her eyes drift shut, ready to begin her new life as theXandova warriors’ woman.
* * * * *
She saw him in the gardens, just a shape in the darkness but one that she would recognize always. He knew she was there but still he refused to turn and face her. Perhaps hindsight showed him the mistake that he had made, one that could never be undone. Perhaps finally he felt shame for where his actions had led them, for what he had destroyed and killed just as he had committed murder. Her love, which had first belonged to him, was tainted, destroyed by a jealousy she could never understand. And she remembered that night so long ago when Micah had first spoken of betrayal. Had he known then the person responsible? Was that part of the reason why he was gone from home so often and for so long?
She stopped just behindhim, loathe to touch what once she had treasured. “Why?” she cried to him but it was merely a whisper from her lips. “For the love of the goddess, why did you kill him?”
“For you.”
Chapter Three
Sorranexplored the body spread before him and fell more under her spell with each new inch of flesh that he touched and tasted. She was everything he had wished for and yet more than he could have ever imagined. Yes, he was known for his ability to soothe and calm even the wildest of creatures and men with his voice, his touch. But this woman called to the primitive in him, to his own animal instinct. He wanted to mount her and take her hard and fast, and eventually he would.But not this first time. He wanted to make it as beautiful for her as he could. There would bepain, that was something beyond his control. But if he did everything he could to bring her to readiness then hopefully it would be a fleeting pain easily gone and forgotten.
He loved the feel of her skin, the taste that was uniquely her own. Her nipples were red and swollen from both his and Drew’s sucking, her skin abraded from the caress of their whiskers. Her red hair was a riot of curls around her, framing the beauty and perfection that he saw whe
n he looked upon her. And it was all he could do to control the need building inside him, the need to mount and fuck, leaving no question in either of their minds who was claiming her.
“Your skin is the softest blanket I have ever felt.”Sorran rested his head on her abdomen, rubbing his cheek against her skin. “I could rest here forever.” He slowly began to trail kisses downward, stopping at the top of the juncture of her thighs and letting his tongue trail slowly between her swollen lips. “If only you didn’t tempt me to explore every inch of you.”
She cried out as he continued to slip his tongue in and out of her folds and he reveled in her expressive cries. There would be no guessing for him as to whether or notAlea liked what he was doing. He moved his hand lower and spread her sweet flesh wide to his view. Her clit was thick with need and he couldn’t resist the desire to lean down and suck it into his mouth. Flavor exploded across his tongue and he felt her buck beneath him. She was wild and he sucked greedily at her flesh while his finger played around her weeping opening. Finally he thrust a finger inside her flesh and he didn’t know exactly who cried louder, him or her. She was tight and wet and so damn hot that she would burn him alive. He couldn’t wait to be inside her. But he would.
