I let out a breath. “Rilen, he needs blood. We can’t play all these formal games. I’m safe here, and you—”
“I want him to take my blood,” Rilen said.
I gasped. “What?”
“You can’t keep this up. We need to know if you can survive on druid blood, Kimber. Both of you.” Rilen sat on the bed. “Aiko, you need blood. Take mine. You’ll know right away if it’s not working, right?”
“Yes,” Aiko said.
“Rilen—”
“Kimber, we need to know. My brother’s lover seemed to be able to.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Aiko…”
“He’s right,” Aiko nodded. “I can survive on any blood, but vampire blood has properties that make it possible for me to go as long as I do without. If druid blood can do that as well, we would both be freed from this dance.”
I touched Rilen’s hand and caught his gaze. “I don’t mind it.”
He put his hand on my cheek. “I know, ilati. But I’m being practical here. You cannot be the exclusive source, as he should not be for you. It’s better if either of you is hurt. You would be able to take from Roran or me.”
I nodded. He was right. I knew that. But I felt a certain responsibility for Aiko, and handing him off did not seem right.
Rilen motioned Aiko to sit next to him on the bed, and as soon as he was settled, Rilen held out his arm.
Aiko’s nimble fingers wrapped around Rilen’s wrist and drew him in close to his mouth. “Thank you, Master Rilen. This is what I have been seeking. To release Mistress Breaker from such an obligation.”
Rilen took his chin and turned him to catch Aiko’s gaze. “I have two requests. First, because of the deal that we struck with the king and queen, you must call Kimber Lady Stormbreaker if you need to give a title. Second, when you’re doing something as intimate as this, with her or me, those formalities are gone. I am Rilen. She is Kimber. And you are Aiko.”
Aiko cast his eyes down. “Master Rilen…”
“You are not this timid, Aiko,” he ground out. “You survived and thrived under the madness of Savion. You are a Lord Knight. That is not a position that allows for timidity. Stop acting like you’d rather do anything else than help us. Stop acting like you’d rather be taking your blood from literally anyone else than Kimber.”
He held his wrist up and let go of Aiko’s chin. “Take your blood. You need it. And then Kimber will take yours. And next time, she will take mine, and you will be nearby if it does not satisfy her.”
Aiko pursed his lips and nodded once. “I won’t like yours. I very much enjoy tasting mistress—Kimber’s blood. It is sweet and filling like no other. But you’re right. If we are both injured, we cannot rely on each other.”
“Wait,” I said. “This works the same for everyone. Rilen, lay back on the bed. I don’t want you to fall or hurt yourself.”
Aiko nodded. “A good idea.”
Rilen slipped back up the bed and fitted himself against a pillow, and Aiko walked around to sit on his other side. Rilen extended his arm again, and after a short hesitation, Aiko brought his wrist to his lips.
“I have never tasted a male,” he whispered.
Before either Rilen or I could say anything, he sank his fangs into his wrist.
Rilen’s eyes grew wide, and I saw him grow erect in seconds. I kissed his lips softly, and he moaned as Aiko drew from his vein. His hips lifted against my thigh.
I watched his eyes grow hazy with desire—and it suddenly dawned on me that this might be a bad idea. My twins enjoyed the company of men and having something so erotic tempting him wasn’t going to be the best thing at this point.
“Sweet Savior,” he bit out.
“Rilen, love,” I whispered in his ear. “Do you want me to help you? He won’t care.”
“Yes.” The word was hissed between his teeth. “Yes, please, gods, Kimber.”
I slipped my hand into the waist of his pants and grasped his cock. His moan was deep, and he was hard and heavy and confined. I untied the waist to give my hand room to move over him and keep him covered.
I didn’t know how Aiko would feel about seeing another man naked in the throes of pleasure.
Rilen was very hard, so I didn’t start slow. With my hand, I gathered moisture at his tip and dragged it over his heated flesh, rocking up and down over his dick. His free arm found my waist and pulled me close to him, his face in the crook of my neck.
Twisting my wrist, I moved at the opposite time to Aiko’s pulls on his wrist. Rilen gasped and huffed, trying not to thrust his hips up off the bed.
“Let go, Rilen. Don’t try to stop this,” I whispered.
Tossing a quick look at Aiko, I saw his eyes were closed—and he was erect as well.
He liked the way Rilen tasted and felt against him.
Was that better or worse?
“Shit, Kimber,” he breathed. “He feels so good. Your hand is amazing. I feel like I’m going to die from pleasure.”
“Come for me, Rilen?”
He nodded, lost for words. I worked his erection harder, smoothing more of his liquid down him. He nearly flowed through my hand with no friction, just the pressure I kept on his heat.
Aiko pulled one more time on his vein and swept his tongue over the small wounds to seal them. It was the flick of his tongue on Rilen’s skin that brought him to climax in my hand with a muffled grunt and moan of relief. He fell back against the headboard.
I didn’t need to look at Aiko to know that he was embarrassed by his reaction to tasting Rilen’s blood. He also needed relief.
Sliding across the bed, I grabbed Aiko’s wrist and brought it to my mouth. I stared at him for a heartbeat.
“Take your pleasure.”
Without another thought, I dropped my fangs and spiked them into his skin, finding the vein instantly as I had every other time. I pulled hard on his vein, and Aiko gasped with pleasure.
Aiko closed his eyes and fell into pleasure, enjoying my lips and tongue on his wrist. The bed shifted less than a moment later, and I glanced at Rilen.
His hand reached for Aiko’s erection. “Will you allow me to help?”
5
GWYNNORE
I stared out a tiny window and held my arms close around my chest, evaluating the wrecked terrain. “What city are we in? It looks like a bomb went off here.”
“S’Kir,” King Belshazzar stated, rolling on the single bed to face me. His ice-blue eyes captured mine, guarded. “So, you’re really talking to me now? Even though I am a man?”
“Well, I just took a piss in an outhouse inside a magical realm. You’re the closest thing to normal around here, even if you have dangling bits between your legs. I figured it wouldn’t hurt.” I lifted a snarky eyebrow. “I thought the realm was called S’Kir?”
“When the realm was initially created, this city was the first. It was called S’Kir. The name stuck for the realm, as well, as it continued to grow.” He tapped his long fingers on the bed and turned his attention to study the view outside the window. “Perhaps it wasn’t completely thought out. It does sound odd. S’Kir, S’Kir.”
I snorted and tilted back to the window, resting my right shoulder against the small window frame. “What were you and your twin talking about earlier in the lounge?”
“You didn’t listen in?”
“No, I was too busy watching for weird animals. Kimber told me about a few that didn’t sound pleasant.”
“We were simply enjoying each other’s company again.” King Belshazzar flopped onto his back and chuckled deeply. “And don’t tell me you’re scared of bugs.”
“Regular bugs? No.” I shook my head and smirked over my shoulder at him. “But bugs the size of my head? Maybe.”
“I’ll stomp on them for you. Never fear.” Bel quirked a crooked, devastating smile. “Come to bed, Gwen. I know you’re tired.”
I unfolded my arms and waggled a finger at him. “
I told you, I’m only sleeping in bed with you.”
“I know.” Innocent eyes stared.
“Bel…”
“For fuck’s sake, fine.” He patted the bed and pulled the covers down on my side. “Get your ass over here. You look like you’re going to faint dead.”
“I slept a long time earlier. I shouldn’t be this tired.” I yawned and crawled into the bed, the room intimate—and ancient. I pulled the cover over my shoulder and rolled to face him. “Bel?”
His head tipped in my direction. “Yes?”
I hesitated, and then asked, “You really killed them all?”
The king’s sigh was long and drawn out. “I did. They hurt you, so I hurt them.”
“Why?” I probed. “That’s more than bizarre. You didn’t even know me then.”
My lover lifted a cocky eyebrow, challenging me with one look. “Bite me, and find out.”
That still made no sense, no matter how many times I ran it through my mind. He had not fainted when he’d bitten me the first time. But he did have that damned leather band on his wrist still…
My eyes drifted down to his neck, where his pulse beat a steady rhythm. Thump. Thump. Thump. It was powerful…and all male. I cleared my throat and lifted my eyes to his again. I grumbled, “You are a mysterious asshole that I wouldn’t mind stabbing right now.”
“Ah, but if you did that, you wouldn’t have anyone to put your freezing feet on.”
I blinked and scooted my bare feet back to my side of the bed. “Hey, you said you’d let me on your half of the bed tonight—and this damned bed is tiny. I’ll fall off if—”
He placed a gentle hand over my mouth, stopping my tirade. “I was teasing. Put your icy feet back over here. I’m positive I can take it.”
I shot my feet out instantly, burying them under his legs. “It’s bloody cold in here right now.”
King Belshazzar rolled and wrapped his arms around me, piling the cover over our faces. In the dimmed lighting, he looked into my eyes, his sparkling with naughty thoughts. “That better?”
I snorted and moved closer to him. “Just watch your right hand. It’s dangerously close to my… Bel! Hand. Off. My. Ass.”
Belshazzar snickered softly against my ear, pulling his hand up to rest it against the small of my back. He whispered huskily, “But it’s such a nice ass.”
“One you can’t currently touch,” I griped, wiggling my feet under his legs again. I pressed my palms to his bare, muscled chest, and struggled to keep my groan at bay. “How in the hell are you so warm?”
“I was made for you.” He tipped his head and kissed my temple. “Whatever you need, I can give.”
I grunted. “You still aren’t making any sense.”
“Do you need me to back away?” He pulled his head back to capture my gaze, utterly serious. His tone was quiet and even, none of his emotions on his features—just cool and calm, collected. “You can walk away from me anytime. I’ll wait for you.”
I sighed heavily and thumped my head against his chest, curling my fingers into his skin. “You keep saying that.”
“I’ve waited this long. I can wait longer if that is what you need,” he stated patiently—but gruffly. He didn’t like the words coming out of his mouth. “Like I said, whatever you need. You are still young.”
“I’m almost a thousand years old,” I mumbled. “That is not young, no matter what you say.”
“It is to me.” He kissed my temple again, his supple lips brushing against my skin softly. “Is that what you want? Do you want to walk away?”
I scrunched my nose in annoyance—and pinched his pectoral hard. “Shut up. You know I don’t want that.”
“But you don’t want to bite me, either.” King Belshazzar grunted. “Then you should quit asking me questions until you’re ready for the truth.”
“That’s a little harsh.” I blinked.
“That is how I feel.” He squeezed me, hugging my body tight. “There are two people in this relationship. You cannot think only of yourself, Gwen. I do have feelings, too, despite what I let on.”
My brows puckered. “I know that.”
“Good.” He snuggled his head down into the pillow and closed his eyes. “Go to sleep. You need the rest.”
I shut my own blue eyes and yawned wide against his skin. “I like you, Bel.”
“Hush. We are far past that.”
Truer words had never been spoken.
6
KIMBER
The city was a bit better than when we had left.
Drez and Jallina looked haggard.
Staviz didn’t look much better.
In fact, everyone looked like hell. The city was trying to survive and shelter the residents; the fires were contained but still smoldering, and there were lines for bread.
“What the hell happened here?” King Belshazzar questioned.
“Your vampires,” Dorian answered.
“These aren’t my vampires.” The King’s words were clipped and angry. “The vampires on Earth keep their intrigues to themselves.”
“Well, bully for your vampires,” Dorian snapped. “We’ve been stuck here, apart from them, since you disappeared.”
“I disappeared to find your brat—as you asked—and your demented son didn’t make it easy to get back here.”
“I didn’t think it would take you three goddamned millennia to find him and take his head off. And you didn’t have to lock the gate.”
“I didn’t lock the gate.”
“Funny. That looked pretty damn locked to me.”
“The damned amulets locked the gate! Your brat was the one who swiped one of the keys!”
Dorian scowled. “It still took you too damned long to get back here with them.”
Gwen started laughing, and I couldn’t keep the smirk off my face. Rilen and Roran were also chuckling, and even Aiko was wearing a smirk. Both Belshazzar and Dorian looked downright pissed at us.
Dorian stared at all of us. “What the hell are you laughing at?”
Roran was the only one composed enough to answer at that point. “You fight like brothers.”
Dorian looked straight at Roran. “He started it.”
All of us were laughing so hard the horses were spooked. It took a long moment for all of us to get ourselves back together, but there was a softening of tension in the group. The laugh unintentionally brought on by brothers being brothers was a relief.
“So the vampires here lost their frigging minds?” Queen Gwynnore probed.
“Not all of us, highness,” Aiko answered. “We have a strong rebel component that tried desperately to preserve our collective culture.” He swept his gaze across the city and shook his head. “With Savion gone, I do not know what’s happening now.”
“We have someone who might be able to answer that now,” Staviz answered, holding the reins of Aiko’s horse. “But as you’re currently the only vampire the army trusts, Lord Knight, we need you to verify that he is who he says he is.”
Aiko dismounted, and I followed.
Roran and Rilen flanked me as we walked across the field to the small building waiting for us.
Jallina strode up next to me and leaned in. “Who are the other two on the horses?”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Are you asking, or is the spy asking?”
She smirked. “I am. I have to find quarters for them.”
I groaned. “Oh, I do not envy you that duty for the queen.”
“What? She’s a queen? Of what? Where?”
“Queen Gwynnore, the Queen of Vampires on Earth.”
She looked me dead in the eye. “Where?”
“Hell if I know,” I answered. “She came through the gate with King Belshazzar.”
Her brow wrinkled. “Belshazzar. Why do I know that name?”
“He’s a vampire, apparently from here on S’Kir.”
“But King?”
I held up a hand. “I truly have no idea how to explain this, Jalli. Let them
try. I want to see if this is who I think it is.”
Staviz opened the door and ushered Aiko in, along with the rest of us. He shut the door and pressed a button on the wall.
The room lit up.
I gasped and jerked around to him. “Electricity? But how? So quickly!?”
“The North raiding party brought back far more than just guns and ammunition, mistress,” Staviz said. “They brought us the small hydroelectric plan, a generator that is recharged by the sun, something they call geothermal power, and all the instructions to begin lighting our world with more than candles and lanterns.”
Jallina smiled. “We sent all of the plans to the university, and they were able to convert an old watermill in a day to offer some power. This, however, runs off the power of the sun. It’s indeed amazing. They are all atwitter about changing the trains to electric.”
“So some good has come of all of this…”
“Some, oh, yes. Don’t doubt that,” Staviz said. He motioned us through another door at the other end of the building, and we all followed through.
Sitting on a cot, inside a set of what was very clearly galena bars, was General Odom Panther.
He looked up as Aiko and I walked in, and a grin spread across his face. “Lady Stormbreaker, Lord Knight Aiko. I am delighted you are here.”
“Why are you in this cage?” I asked, glancing over at Staviz.
“It was my suggestion,” Odom said. “I didn’t want anyone to feel I was a threat before you two could verify who I was.”
“Not that we should believe them anyway,” came a voice from the desk to the right.
Turning, I found Master Bebbenel sitting there, looking very pleased with himself. He stood from the desk and walked around to stand in front of the four of us.
“General Staviz, would you escort Lord Aiko and Mistress Kimber into the cell with the general?”
“No.” Staviz stared at him. “Why would I do that?”
“Because we aren’t going to allow these vampires to wander around our compound!” His words were clipped and snapped. “We are in a war with these creatures, and you think that you can trust these two?”
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