“What?” he growled back at me. “You don’t want anything to do with either of those mongrels, especially not the short one!”
“You never know when you might need an ally,” I told him as the elevator dinged out in the hall and our last guest finally left. “Now if you don’t mind, could you please come down from there? You are giving me a neck ache.”
He grumbled but shifted to smoke and was suddenly standing in front of me, a tall gorgeous black haired swarthy skinned red eyed Demon. He really was tall, dark, and handsome. Too bad the look he was giving me nearly ruined the finely chiseled planes of his cheeks. And the hand on his hip and disapproving look wasn’t all that pleasant either.
Amras flopped into a chair and ran his hand over his face, while Cursed went for the bar. Kit glanced at him and stuck his tongue out at me before joining him. “Can I have my drink now?” I asked Jace, who was also frowning but handed me back my glass without comment. I managed to get the rest of it down without being laid out across the table or causing anyone to embarrass themselves. Owen quietly shifted and I watched as his long yellow hair danced and swayed across his broad back and narrow hips while he joined the others at the wet bar.
Gareth’s fingers slipped onto my shoulders, gently massaging. Sighing, I dropped my lower shield and rubbed at my temples. I must be the luckiest girl in the world, I thought, glancing around at the six men left in the room, each of them more handsome than the next, so why was I thinking of red hair and sherry brown eyes?
“What do you think, Gareth?” Jace asked.
“I think we should go to bed.”
“Is that going to fix this?”
“Not permanently. But I too like to give it my all.”
Jace grimaced as he lifted my hand, his fingers pushing back my sleeve so he could look at my bracelet. “Valentine’s necklace looked a lot like this. Any reason you think that might be?” he asked Kit, who had returned to the table with the rest of the men.
Kit glanced down at his drink then tossed it back, grimacing and closing his eyes. “What a foul concoction,” he muttered then continued with, “I really couldn’t say. Professional courtesy and all that. But if I could, I might wonder if there wasn’t a Thrones involved. He tasted… angry.”
Jace nodded and flicked his finger over my wrist, turning the bracelet around so that each of the colors: blue, green, gold, black and silver, red, white, black, copper, silver, bronze, grey, and brown were revealed.
“How about we worry after some sleep?” Owen asked. “Lexi is tired and so am I.”
Heads nodded but no one rushed from their chairs. Owen frowned, then snapped his fingers and the lot of us found ourselves seated on couches and chairs in the middle of the living room downstairs.
“I guess that settles that,” Gareth chuckled, then reached for my hand and drew me to my feet. “Good night, gentlemen,” he told them and drew me down the hall. Behind us Jace pushed himself to his feet, but was speaking to Owen as we made our way down the hall.
“I don’t think you’ll need these,” Gareth commented just inside his room as he slid his fingers into my bodice and withdrew the cards I’d tucked out of sight. How had he seen me put them there?
“You thought I’d let that overgrown dog and cat in your vicinity without keeping an eye on you? That was really rather naughty of you to leave either of them with any kind of hope,” he told me as he turned me around and started undoing the buttons at the top of my neck.
“Now Gareth, don’t be jealous. Valentine wants both you and Jace as trophies, like Belinda and Marcus. It never hurts to have allies. Besides with Kit around I’m sure they’d find themselves impotent anyway. You do know he’s been taking care of that for years?”
Gareth made a low noise in his throat. “No and you’ll have to explain that to me later.”
I turned and gave him a hug. “Just be thankful he considered you and Jace worthy. Otherwise I might have left the club as frustrated as I was when I arrived.”
“I definitely want to hear this story,” he replied giving me a squeeze.
Jace entered the room and closed the door behind him, already pulling off the beautiful coat Areth had provided him for the evening and tossing it over a chair. “You get those damn cards?” he growled as he pulled off a shoe and tossed it to the floor.
Gareth chuckled as he slid my dress down my body, then held it for me while I stepped out. I was completely naked beneath except for my four inch heels and the long wicked looking blade strapped to my calf. The ring on my finger and the nine inch blade had been a gift to me from Jace and Gareth earlier in the evening. I leaned over and removed the sheath, then stood back up again. Jace sucked in air and Gareth murmured low in his throat as he turned me around and sat me on the bed. When I would have raised a foot to remove the heels he placed his hand on my knee. “Leave them for now,” he urged giving me a sexy smile and taking the blade from me. I nodded and crawled to the middle of the large bed. My eyes flicking between the two of them as their clothing fell away.
Easing onto the pillows I pulled my hip length hair out from behind me, spreading it out on the pillows while Jace drew air into his lungs. “I love it when you do that,” he told me. The buttons came free on his slacks and he edged them over his hips. I was happily reminded that none of my men wore underclothing. He stalked to the bed and climbed in. Gareth turned down the lights, leaving the one in the closet on so we could find our way in the pitch black.
Jace ran his hands up my ribs and over my breast while I arched against his palms. My hand slid down to cup him and he hummed for me. Gareth crawled onto the bed tucking his body against mine. His lips found my neck and his fingers slipped into the curls between my legs. “Now,” Gareth whispered thickly. “I think you know exactly what my intentions are.”
I am soaring, my golden wings stretched out to capture the currents as I ride the black velvety night air. Stars twinkle across the sky, a full moon edging over the tops of the tall pines laid out below me and reflecting off of the ocean water lapping the shore. The moon is deep dark red.
The feeling of freedom is incredible and I twist my body into a spiral, looping several times, the tips of my wings just missing the treetops. Below me I feel life everywhere. A family of fat red squirrels stirs in their nest as I pass. Off to my left a herd of deer freezes, alert to my presence, their hearts accelerating and fearful as I, the hunter, pass over their heads. But I am not interested in hunting. Tonight I need to fly, to throw myself across the sky and taste the scents on the damp night air.
And then I am not alone. Looking up, I see several dark shadows plummeting down from above. Fear clenches at my heart and I veer sharply. These shadows are closer now, dropping from the sky like stones heading straight at me. Black, red, and white wings filling the night air, their size eclipsing me. An anguished cry escapes my throat as I plummet to the ground.
Silver arms reach out to catch me, cradling me against a muscular chest. Multi-faceted eyes gaze down from a sculpted face. I’m no longer in Dragon form, my golden body and wings having shifted. Above us the beasts’ frustrated screams split the night air and chase gooseflesh across my naked skin. I feel their anger pressing down on me, pressing in on me, invading my mind. I close my eyes and bury my face against my protector’s chest, breathing deeply of his sharp musky scent, letting him fill my nostrils and sooth my burning throat and lungs.
I open my eyes and I’m in a cavern. I can feel the weight of the Earth pressing down, comforting. The clean smell of rich dirt fills my nostrils. I am surrounded by Dragon, cradled gently against the belly of a huge silver beast. I can feel its warmth pressing into my back. Turning my head, I gaze into his huge silver eye and thoughts of love and caring overwhelm me.
The dream shifts and I am seated Indian style on a dirt floor. I am fully clothed and facing the man I believe to be my father. He is speaking to me, his lips moving, but I cannot hear the words he is saying. Leaning forward I strain to hear him, anxiety filling me
. ‘Raise your shield’ his mind whispers across mine and I comply, raising the golden shield of dragon scales which protects my mind. His voice asks, ‘Lexi, can you hear me?’
‘Yes, are you Roark? Are you my Father?’
Silver eyes search my face as he nods and replies, ‘I don’t have much time. Lexi, I sense you are in danger, you must be careful…only Knight can protect you,’ he assured me, his image fading around the edges. ‘Tell your Mother… I love her.’
No! I scream as he fades and my eyes snap open, sweat pouring off of me, making me feel both sticky and shaky.
“Lexi?”
Groaning, I turned my head on the pillow to find Jace dressed and seated next to me, his dark green eyes concerned. Behind him standing next to the bed was Gareth also looking concerned. Both of them had their hands well away from me, Gareth no doubt remembering the way I’d unmanned him the last time he’d tried to wake me during a similar dream.
“You’re shielded,” Jace informed me, then breathed a sigh when I dropped my mental armor. “Are you well? You cried out and you’ve never shielded in your sleep before.”
I sat up in bed and pushed back my sweat damp tresses, tucking several strands behind my ears. “I spoke to my father,” I told them, then worried at my lip.
Gareth lifted his hip and sat on the edge of the bed. “We sensed your dream… it was different this time.”
“Not just Dane,” I nodded. “Marcus and a White were there too.”
“And then you were with the Silver?” Jace asked.
“Roark, my Father,” I told them then smiled. It was nice to have him confirm that, even though my Mother had already done so. I was going to enjoy relaying his message to my Mother; I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face and maybe that would help to get me out of the dog house I find myself in.
“Lexi?”
“Oh, sorry,” I muttered, pulling my thoughts back. “He thinks I am in danger and he said… only night could protect me.”
Jace looked at Gareth and replied, “Night can protect you? That is rather cryptic. Did you ask him what it means?”
“No, he said he didn’t have long and he disappeared before he could tell me anything else.”
“What will you do?” Jace asked, his dark green eyes searching my face. The agreement we had was that I would stay for at least a year, but that they would not prevent me from seeking out and meeting any of the ten men my Father and his partners had created. It was my duty and neither would stand in my way, though they didn’t have to like it much.
I glanced down at my hands and shook my head. “I have no idea.”
“Time enough to decide later,” Gareth remarked. “How about I get you some coffee while you shower, and then we can discuss the media blockading the street upstairs?” When I nodded he added. “And I’ll let the others know no one attacked you in our bed. It alarms them when you shield if they can’t see you,” he told me with a sardonic smile. Then he moved to the door and out into the hall.
“What time is it?”
“A little after ten.”
Not surprising since we hadn’t fallen asleep until the wee hours. I ran my fingers through my hair and looked at him. He was wearing his normal jeans and a T-shirt, this one in a light green. He had his ankles crossed and had on loafers but no socks. He held out his arms to me and I pushed back the covers, then crawled into them resting my cheek against his chest as I straddled his hips.
“So what shall we do?” he teased as his hands dropped to cup my naked bottom and snuggle me in against him. He uncrossed his ankles and kicked his loafers to the floor.
I slipped my fingers under the bottom of his T-shirt and tickled the skin just above his waistband, rocking my hips across the front of his pants as I did so. “Mmmm, I think I’m supposed to be taking that shower,” I told him.
He lifted a handful of hair and asked, “Do you require assistance?”
I leaned back then told him, “Why yes, I believe I do.”
“Good, because you were going to have it either way.” Then he scooted us toward the edge of the bed. “Hold on.”
He carried me to the bathroom and we somehow managed to get his clothing off with me still wrapped around his hips. We made it into the shower and I hugged his shoulders while he helped to wash my hair. When we were done soaping each other up and down, he leaned me back against the tiles and grasped my hips, guiding me onto the hard hot length of him. His mind opened to mine and his desire excited me, sending me over the edge and bringing me gasping and moaning, my body clenching around him. I braced my feet against the wall and he dropped his head to my shoulder while he worked his erection deep inside me. My tongue found his ear and he moaned and shoved himself into me faster. “Come for me,” I whispered while I swirled my tongue across the shell of his ear.
“Lexi,” he rasped, his mind flooding mine with the exquisite feel of his sensitive head sliding through my tight opening. I’d never felt anything like it and my mind shuddered, my body tightening as he shared with me the feel of his own oncoming orgasm. Our bodies exploded together, our minds so tightly woven that our release trapped us in a loop that brought me again and again, the force sending us to the floor in a panting tangle of boneless arms and legs.
The shower door opened and Gareth stood there with a look of such intense need on his face that I shuddered. “Damn,” he muttered, glancing down at us. “I don’t know if I should applaud or cry!” I gave him a shaky smiled and pushed back my hair as the water continued to cascade over us.
“Applaud definitely,” Jace replied from where he sat slumped, his eyes closed and his head resting against the tile.
“Lexi?” Gareth asked, his dark blue eyes scorching me. I knew what he was asking and felt myself clench around Jace, who moaned softly and jerked within me. Gareth must have sensed the movement because his nostrils flared and he reached for the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head and flipping it behind him. My eyes watched him undo the button on his pants and I tightened again.
“Mmmm,” Jace muttered and raised his hips to me. Gareth’s pants slid to the floor and he stepped into the shower with us while I reached for him, my fingers wrapping around his shaft, tugging him toward me. Jace cracked open an eye and smiled as I drew my tongue over the tip of Gareth’s head. I tasted myself on him and purred low. He closed the door and ran his hand across my hair, his fingers sinking into the wet strands as his head dropped back. Beneath me Jace stirred and I rocked my hips while I sucked Gareth into my mouth, stroking him with my tongue. I ran my hands up the back of his thighs and held him while I worked him in and out.
“Ummm wonderful,” Gareth muttered hoarsely. Beneath me Jace lifted his hips in time to our rhythm while his hand reached to cup my breast and roll my nipple. I breathed in deeply around Gareth’s length and made a pleased sound in my throat. Pleasure poured into me from both of them and I felt the muscles in my throat relax so that I was able to bring all of Gareth in. His hands cupped my cheeks holding me while he slid himself in and out and I timed my breathing to his thrusts. A slowly building heat wrapped itself around my insides, invading my core and spreading outward. Their thrusts became more forceful and I dug my fingers into Gareth’s cheeks while he played my mouth. Jace moaned softly and ground himself into me. Both men were breathing hard, straining toward release. It was oh so naughty of me, but I reached into my mind and cracked open the shinny red door holding back the lust that flowed through me like a tornado and pushed it into them.
Gareth cried out and staggered, reaching one hand to the wall while his hips pumped frantically. Jace lifted me off the tile with the force of his thrusts and moaned. I hesitated, giving them a second to recover, then pushed the door open wide and hit them with a stronger jolt. Gareth reared back and I felt his orgasm wash across his mind while his body came for me and I held him, swallowed, and tried to remember to breathe. Jace moaned and dropped his head to my shoulder as he spilled his seed within me a second time.
�
�I’m going to need a minute before we try that again,” Jace muttered. His head was still resting against my shoulder and his breathing was ragged.
Gareth pulled himself out of me and leaned a forearm against the tile. “She isn’t even breathing hard,” he rasped
I smiled at the two of them and tilted my head back using the water to rinse out my mouth. It was true. I’d been too focused on their pleasure to worry about my own. Just the feel of them both in me had excited and satisfied.
“Have to do something about that” Gareth replied. I reached up and patted him on the bottom, chuckling when he made an indignant noise. Jace lifted his head off my shoulder and cracked open an eye.
“Now she looks like a succubus!” he grumbled. I laughed and kissed his chin then lifted myself off him. He watched me stand through narrowed eyes. I had to admit I was feeling rather invigorated. I reached for the soap and lathered up again, then rubbed myself over the back of Gareth who took that for about half a minute before he grabbed me and shoved me up against the wall while his mouth tried to devour mine. He moved his lower body off me and I felt Jace’s hand slide over the outside of my thighs and then his tongue moved over my lips, his fingers slipping inside me, forcing my legs farther apart while he worked me. Gareth braced his hands under my arms and held me pinned to the wall while their mouths worked magic on my body. It wasn’t long before Jace’s mouth brought me shuddering and gasping and Gareth chuckled while he nuzzled my neck.
When they finally finished with me, Gareth lifted me into his arms, my head lolling against his shoulder like a rag doll. I had neither the strength nor the inclination to argue.
“Now that’s more like it,” Jace chuckled as he turned off the water and went for towels.
Chapter 5
When I could get my arms and hands to function properly, Gareth handed me my coffee with a pleased grin. He’d taken the time to reheat it while I was recovering. I gave him a lopsided smile from the middle of the bed while he finished pulling his shirt over his head. Jace was just buttoning his jeans and had an extremely satisfied look on his face, too.
Dragon Rage Page 6
