Harlow whirled, still clasping the pictures.
Kel and Xalicur stood in the doorway, both of them grinning. Kel cocked his head to the side, catching sight of the images, while Xalicur folded his toned biceps across his chest.
“We leave you alone for a few minutes and you sneak up here to rifle through Oricus’s possessions?” Xalicur sniggered as though it was all amusing. “You certainly don’t disappoint. Just when I think you’re a tamed mare you show just how wild you truly are.”
Oricus’s room? What did he want with photos of her and the other guys? Where did he even get them? She was fairly certain there weren’t any cameras in her room. “What the hell are these?” she demanded, ignoring her thundering heart.
Kel stalked forward, plucking the images out of her hands easily. When she lunged for them, strong arms wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides. Strands of espresso-brown hair fell over Kel’s eyes while he examined the two photos, his grin widening.
“Looks like your brother dearest enjoys voyeurism.” He held the pictures up for Xalicur to see, his hold around Harlow going rigid. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think they made him uncomfortable. His heat intensified.
“How did Oricus even get these? There aren’t any cameras in my room,” she asked, struggling against Xalicur’s surprisingly strong hold. He wasn’t built as big as most of his brothers; even Kel looked bulkier by comparison.
Kel shrugged. “Technology is very advanced here.”
The answer hit her like a slap to the face. “The panels in the walls,” she snarled, answering her own question.
His grin turned wicked and he leaned close. “I like it when your claws come out, niña. Come on, ’Alicur and I were just about to go for a swim. Join us.”
He didn’t wait for her to respond before spinning on his heel and striding out of the room. Xalicur released her. She stumbled forward then whipped around and glared at his smug, erotically chiseled face.
“Let’s go, mouse, before you get into any more trouble.” His hand clamped around her bicep before hauling her with him, the door shutting behind them.
“No, I don’t want to go swimming with you assholes—I have a right to those photographs, he can’t keep them! And where the hell is the camera in my room? This is bullshit, let me go!”
Xalicur ignored her protests, pulling her down the steps, heedless of the times she stumbled but not letting her fall. They passed servants who only glanced in their direction, but did nothing while she squirmed and shrieked obscenities.
“What a mouth you’ve got, dearie,” Kel said when they’d caught up to him. He smirked at her. “Perhaps we should fill it with something, so you’ll stop shouting swear words and offending the staff.”
“Fuck you—”
Xalicur cut her off with a throaty laugh before swooping down and hauling her onto his shoulder. “Not today, little mouse. We have something else in mind for our wicked-mouthed mate.”
“I swear to god, you put your dicks anywhere near my mouth and I will bite them clean off.”
A hard slap landed on her ass and she shrieked. Both men answered with hearty laughs that filled the corridor.
Heat filled her veins, from her cheeks to her core. Traitorous body, she thought dismally.
“Oh, I think she liked that, Alicur. I can smell her arousal from here,” Kel commented, his voice huskier.
Xalicur groaned. She heard him sniff, feeling his nose on her upper thigh, and stiffened. “Naughty little mouse.”
Harlow swallowed hard, feeling the liquid heat at her apex. Damned motherfucking bond.
Unable to see what was up ahead, she didn’t know they were leaving the castle until the rumble of doors echoed around them and they slipped out.
Arid heat coated her body, beating against her, and she sighed appreciatively. “Where are we going?”
“Swimming,” Xalicur answered.
“You can put me down now, I’ll walk,” Harlow grumbled.
“Sorry, little mouse,” he said, “but you don’t know where we’re going.” Before she had time to respond, he picked up speed and rushed into the dark cover of the forest, making her shiver. Even though he was going entirely too fast for her to spot anything, she could have sworn she saw movement keeping pace with them, and the flash of yellow eyes.
They jogged slower, the cold making her flesh prickle uncomfortably. The burbling sounds of water reached her ears, along with the dull roar of a waterfall. Buttery warmth coated her from a clearing above in the trees, as Xalicur set her on her feet. She spun, facing a glowing pool of water. Its blue-green hue, so vibrant it nearly hurt to look, was softened only by the thin tendrils of steam rising from the surface. The stream poured above from a rocky outcropping, and behind it, covering the entrance like a window, she could just make out a hollow space. A cave.
The sound of rustling fabric broke her from her state of awe, and when she glanced beside her, Kel shucked off his white T-shirt, exposing his gloriously tanned flesh covered with ink. The words De la tumba me levantaré arced over the top of his pecs. A serpent wound down his torso, stopping just above his boxers, while other designs continued out of sight. His jeans lay already abandoned on the mossy floor. Peering down his legs, she found the golden skin void of ink.
Her mouth went impossibly dry. To her right, Xalicur’s toned chest came into view. “What are you—”
He yanked his own jeans down, then hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his briefs.
“Oh my god, stop!” She covered her eyes, but the husky laughs on either side of her had her skin breaking out with gooseflesh.
“Want help?” Kel whispered beside her ear before his hands went to the hem of her top.
Her eyes went wide, and she batted his hands away. “No, I most certainly do not!”
She felt him smirk at Xalicur over her shoulder and a second later, she was tossed from the safety of the bank.
Her scream bubbled from her throat just moments before her body hit the warm—very warm—water. Shock reverberated through her and she flailed for just a moment until sense kicked in and she fought her way up. When her head broke the surface, she gasped.
Two masses of lean muscle barreled toward her, giving her only a second to prepare when they each hit the water. Their splashes whooshed high above her head, washing her in the crystalline liquid. A sandy-blond head broke the surface first, Xalicur’s grin firmly intact.
“Asshole,” Harlow grunted.
Treading the water with ease, she spun, looking for Kel. Movement behind the waterfall drew her gaze, obscuring his beautifully inked body as he climbed out of the water and onto the rocks.
Xalicur took off, diving, and swam effortlessly across the pool and under the water that spilled out from above.
She hesitated, then started after him, keeping her head above until the droplets from the cascade became too numerous. They were cooler than the hot water she swam in. With a deep breath she slid under, propelling her body forward. The falls above pounded against her back, then her legs. It was icy cold, but it felt good. She popped back on the other side to find the two men whooping like wild animals.
“It’s so cold,” she commented, her voice echoing in the small space. Both Xalicur and Kel lounged against the rocks, their legs floating lazily. The only open space was directly between them. She turned, her lungs suddenly tight.
As she started to paddle back toward the spray of the waterfall, hands hooked around her biceps, yanking her up and out of the water. She gasped just before her rear end squelched onto the cool rocks. The clothing she still wore clung to her body like a second skin.
“Not so fast, niña,” Kel cooed, releasing her left arm, Xalicur her right. “Enjoy the seclusion.”
“Besides, you don’t want any of the forest children spying you or this whole outing will turn into a bloodbath.”
She whipped her head to the side, facing him. “Forest children?�
��
“They’re like fairies,” Xalicur explained, reclining with his eyes closed. Harlow tried not to focus on the droplets that pooled in each subtle valley between the muscles of his abdomen, and failed miserably. When he cracked open an eye to peer over at her, he caught the hungry way she was taking in his sculpted form. He smiled. “They command the trees and nearly every creature within. They’re like small children, except they’re wicked fast and have razor-sharp teeth that can cut through anything.”
Breath brushed along her shoulder when Kel added, “They live in hollowed-out trees and caves like this one.”
She stilled, heat flaring through her entire body at his close proximity, despite the horrifying words. “Surely you guys are faster. Stronger too.”
Slowly, Xalicur drew her hair back over one shoulder, exposing the other. Her breath hitched, stalling completely when she felt his lips press to her suddenly warm skin. “We are. Much faster, and infinitely stronger.”
A shiver went through her.
Kel sat up, watching Xalicur’s delicate attention moving up her neck. His dark eyes seemed to glow with excitement, and he leaned closer. “There are tens of thousands of their race. They know everything that goes on in the forest. Even now, they will be watching us, though they know better than to attack.”
Xalicur’s hand slid beneath the gauzy top she wore, peeling it away from her skin before sliding it up. His lips continued their work, rising to just behind her ear, making her breath catch.
Kel’s lips pulled into a grin and his hand rested on her jean-clad thigh, slipping higher. “You shouldn’t be wearing so much clothing. We’ll have to set this out to dry before we can head back,” he whispered.
Her mind went hazy while her body responded to the two men’s attentions. When Xalicur’s hand palmed her breast through her lacy bra, her nipples pebbled and her back arched.
A throaty chuckle rumbled behind her, and Kel’s crooked smile brushed against her lips. Harlow leaned into him, earning another chuckle from Xalicur. Kel’s lips parted, tongue lashing against hers, and she moaned.
Her top was tugged over her head, breaking the kiss between her and Kel for only a second. The cool air rushed over her skin, dampening the fire in her veins—but only slightly.
A warm hand toyed with the back of her bra before the clasps opened and her breasts sprung free from their prison of lace. Kel growled into her lips, then arms wrapped around her, palms cupping her breasts and kneading them.
She kissed him hungrily, hands exploring his chest, tracing the myriad of tattoos, then lower. His cock jutted toward the cave’s ceiling and she ran a finger down the thick rod.
Hands went lower, tearing the button of her jeans free, and then they lifted her while Kel worked her clothes off her legs, panties included.
Even when her lower half sank back into the cool water, she felt her bare pussy throbbing. In answer, Kel broke their kiss, and Xalicur spun her, pulling her onto his lap. His kisses were softer and sweeter than Kel’s. She was intoxicated with his taste.
Harlow groaned in satisfaction, Xalicur’s hard length pressed against her molten core.
“Fuck, your pussy is so wet,” he murmured between kisses.
She rocked against it involuntarily, causing him to hiss. Kel kissed between her shoulder blades. “Do you want his cock, niña?”
With a whimper, she nodded, grinding harder on his shaft. It would be so easy to slip it inside her. To let him stretch her at last. No one needed to know.
Sitting up, she prepared to impale herself on it. Kel snagged her around the waist with a harsh laugh. “Nice try.”
He set her high up on the rocks so her entire body was exposed. The cooler air warred with the blazing heat of her skin, steam pouring from her like she was her own heat source.
The men wasted no time: Xalicur bent, kissing high up on her thigh while Kel climbed the rocks near her. His mouth was on hers again, distracting her from Xalicur, who trailed up higher and higher before switching to her other thigh, leaving the aching part of her untouched. She lifted her hips, trying to make her point, and he laughed, his tongue lapping up each bead of water that sat atop her skin.
Kel’s hand went to her breast, and he dragged his fingertips over the sensitive bud before finally pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. At the same time, Xalicur’s hot breath tickled her pussy. She trembled, anticipation thrumming through her.
The moment his tongue flicked her clit all the tension in her body vanished, drawing a low moan from her.
Harlow tangled one hand in Xalicur’s hair, while the other reached for Kel. For a moment she felt his solid stomach, then finally lower, meeting the jutting hard flesh she sought. She wrapped her hand around his cock, making him jerk.
Xalicur’s tongue laved her slit over and over while Kel bent to take one of her stiff nipples into his mouth. Her hand worked between his strong thighs, the velvety skin making her mouth water. Together they were an entire symphony of pleasure growing to a crescendo.
The pressure in her core brought her closer, her breaths shallow pants. Two ridiculously attractive men worshipping her body at the same time was almost too much. Though she couldn’t see it, she felt two fingers part her opening before Xalicur’s tongue dove deeper inside her, her walls clamping greedily. Then a single finger slid inside her, making her back bow.
“Such a greedy thing,” Kel teased before sucking her other nipple; his teeth grazed the tip just enough to make her buck.
She stroked him harder, catching sight of a bead of moisture collected at his tip. A strange mewling sound echoed in the back of her throat. He glanced up at her, zeroing in on her mouth. His smile was answer enough when he straightened. Her eyes widened as she finally took in his entire naked form. She drew him to her lips, guiding his cock with her hand and lightly licking the precum away. He growled, low and animalistic, driving her on. She parted her lips and slid the head inside, her tongue curling around it.
Xalicur briefly glanced up to watch, sliding his finger in and out of her before dipping his head back to her wet pussy.
Kel thrust his hips further, pushing himself into the back of her throat. She gagged but held firm, bobbing her head. His taste was divine, and she sucked harder, attempting to draw more of it into her mouth.
“That’s it, niña,” Kel praised. “Take it all. Just like that. Fuck, you’re so ready for us, aren’t you?”
She couldn’t answer, though a flicker of unease flared in the back of her mind, quickly tamped down by the beast roaring to life inside her. Despite her mistrust of her mates, she desperately wanted them all. For each of them to fuck her in turn until she could no longer stand.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you. You’ll cum so many times you’ll be begging us to stop.”
His dirty words made her bob faster on his cock. Xalicur added a second finger, driving it in with all the wild lust she felt swirling through her.
She felt it like a brewing storm just about to unleash its fury. All at once, Kel gave a harsh growl that filled the cave, and her own orgasm ripped through her, screams muffled by the spurting hot cum filling her mouth. Harlow swallowed it down as best she could, her body quivering, riding the aftershocks.
Xalicur lifted his head, lips glistening with the evidence of her climax. When he grinned, his eyes were no longer pale grey, but radiant silver. His canines looked elongated, adding to the beastly appearance of his shuddering form.
Looking up to Kel, she noticed that his eyes were different too—almost black with a golden ring around his pupils. Both of her men were fixed on her, and both unnaturally still.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
Kel blinked. “Nothing.” His voice was harsh and grating. The ambient temperature seemed even higher than it had been moments before, nearly stifling.
Xalicur’s irises bled back to pale green before her eyes. “It’s a Marked bonding thing. The more riled up we ge
t without claiming you, the more difficult it is to resist.”
Kel shook his head, seeming to come back to himself. “I’ll hang your clothes to dry. We can head back in a little bit.” He snagged the sopping garments and dove headfirst into the water.
She turned to face Xalicur, worry creasing her brows. “How long until…you can’t resist any more?”
He sighed. “It’s hard to say. The bond is incredibly rare.” At the look of blatant fear on her expression he cleared his throat and said, “Don’t worry. We aren’t going to rape you. It’s clear you want us, but until you’re fully ready for such a monumental task, the lot of us will have to keep our distance. We won’t risk hurting you.”
Harlow swallowed hard and nodded. It was true, she did want them. There was so much that was still uncertain though. The photographs in Oricus’s room, for a start. The fact that she’d woken up, with no memories, to twelve men who were newly mated to her, along with the evidence supporting that she was on an alien planet, did not bode well for a mating ceremony where she gave over every part of her being to a bunch of guys she did not trust.
Lust was one thing.
Love was another.
And until she felt the threads of love beginning to weave themselves into her heart, she wouldn’t—couldn’t give herself over to them.
ARIAN
She knew he was coming. Her soldiers watched him behind the darkened visors of their helmets but made no move to arrest him.
When he made it to the chariots waiting to take visitors to the castle floating in the sky, Arian ignored them, crouching low before shooting his body up into the air. He landed on the bottom stair easily, jogging up them as the guards standing on either side of the open doors straightened.
Dread filled his gut with each step he took. Inside the wide hall, ice spread over the walls in long, blue veins. His breath writhed in front of his face, the temperature within the walls dramatically dropping. Beneath his boots, frost crackled on the shattering tiles. The stone walls were just as battered from the cold, crumbling in some places, frozen by the constant onslaught of ice. The windows had long since been filled shut.
Chained to Darkness Page 13
