Leif stroked my side, fingers trailing down to my hip, and Tor took over the motion, hand sliding over my hip and onto my butt.
A gasp slipped past my lips and my pulse sped up, heat blooming low in my belly.
You can warm her up quicker if you make her orgasm, Rune said.
Leif tensed.
Tor cupped my ass. “What?”
Make her come and it’ll heat her up and ward off the worst of the cold burn.
The burst of desire in my belly intensified at the thought of being touched by them. I ached to have Tor’s thick fingers inside me and Leif’s hot mouth on my breasts. Oh shit, just thinking about them touching me, licking me, rubbing me was making my blood heat.
“Cora?” Tor looked down at me, his steel-gray eyes darkening. “Can we touch you? Make you feel good?”
The chill bit at me, eager to take hold again. I needed the heat, and I needed them to give it to me.
“Yes.” The word was a hungry whisper. “Please.”
Rune rose off my legs, and I made a sound of protest as he took his heat with him.
I’ll leave you to it. Call me when it’s done. I can’t be here knowing I can’t participate.
I lifted my head from Tor’s chest to catch Rune’s eyes. “Rune…” There was nothing to say to make this easier.
I know. He left the room.
“Fuck,” Leif said softly.
“Yeah,” Tor said.
The chill was under my skin again, spiking my blood. I’d told them I didn’t want to take our relationship out of the friend zone, but Leif and I had smashed that boundary to smithereens, and honestly, right now, sandwiched between the two of them, I didn’t give a fucking shit.
I wanted them.
“Guys, I need you.” I curled my hand around Tor’s nape and squeezed. “Now.”
“How do you want to do this?” Leif asked Tor.
But Tor’s gaze was fixed on my mouth, his breath fanning across my lips. He was about to kiss me. Our first kiss. My pulse throbbed painfully in my throat as his lips descended toward mine, and then he stopped, the corners of his mouth lifting in a teasing smile.
“Tor?” I tugged him toward me, frustration tightening my throat.
“I’ll kiss you, Cora, but not on the mouth. Not today.”
He pushed me onto my back. “Warm up her top half,” he growled at Leif. “I’ll take care of the rest.”
My stomach flipped, heart hammering in anticipation as he slid down my body, his intense gaze locked on mine until he reached my pubic bone. Only then did he tear his gaze from my face and lower it to my core.
Thank God I kept a trimmed lawn.
His chest rumbled in appreciation, the vibration beating against my legs as his thumbs dipped between my thighs. He coaxed them apart, and the rasp of stubble teased the sensitized flesh as he dipped his head. The heat of his breath kissed my panties, and then wet warmth caressed me through the thin material. His mouth was on me, suckling me through cotton.
My legs parted on reflex, hips angling up to meet his mouth as a gasp spilled from my lips.
“Oh fuck.” Leif’s mouth parted, his attention on Tor as the shifter peeled my panties aside and parted me with his tongue.
I cried out as he latched onto my clit and sucked.
Leif’s hand slid up my torso, cupping my breast, kneading and then pinching my nipple into a harsh peak of pleasure before claiming it with his hot mouth. I arched my back, one hand coming up to hold Leif to me, the other raking through Tor’s hair and pressing him to me, begging him for more.
I was lost in sensation, heat spiraling out from the two points of contact as the hunger for release rose within me, claws, teeth, and a desperate need that had its own twisted burn.
Tor worked me, invading me with sure, even strokes of his long, thick tongue. Leif claimed my mouth, swallowing the ragged cries that spilled from my throat. His tongue mimicked the thrust of Tor’s, and his hand on my breast squeezed and tugged at my nipple until my body was a squirming mess of tension. Shockwaves lanced to my groin before spiraling and coiling, ready for release. I sucked on Leif’s tongue, grinding myself onto Tor’s clever mouth until the mounting pleasure reached its peak.
Leif groaned against my lips, his hand moving against my hip as he worked himself.
I wanted to touch him, but my hands were fisted in the sheets, every sense laser-focused on my throbbing core as it chased sweet release, and then with a flick of his tongue Tor pushed me over the edge.
I shoved at his head, not wanting to come in his mouth, but he gripped my thighs tighter, sucking on me and shattering the last of my control. Heat flooded me, bursting from me in throbs of pleasure. My guttural cry collided with Leif’s as my hips jerked with an orgasm that wouldn’t quit because Tor wouldn’t allow it to. As I came down from the high, he peeled back to lap at me like a big cat with a bowl of cream.
My cream.
Leif broke our kiss and together we looked down my body to find Tor watching us, mouth glistening with my juices, eyes bright. He dipped his head once more and licked me.
My body shuddered. “Oh, God.”
Leif came, hot and wet against my hip. “Fucking hell, Tor.”
Tor grinned at him. “You want to taste?”
I wasn’t sure I could take any more, but I wasn’t given a choice as Leif took Tor’s place between my thighs.
My heart thundered in my chest as Leif’s breath kissed my intimate place, then a moan slipped from my lips as he began to lap at my swollen post-orgasm core. I couldn’t take more. I couldn’t—
Leif pressed his mouth to me and began to work me anew.
Oh fuck.
I came again as Tor watched, his hands down his boxers, working his huge arousal.
Leif raised his head and licked his lips.
I wanted them. I wanted to taste them both.
“Next time.” Tor’s voice was thick and strained.
He kept his gaze pinned on me as his movements sped up, and then he threw back his head, coming so hard the veins in his neck bulged.
I didn’t get it. How could we do this but not go further. “No-sex rule makes no sense. This is just as intimate as penetrative sex.”
“Maybe,” Leif said, tearing his gaze from Tor. He licked his lips. “But the witches explained that by taking on the responsibility of the seal, you become the seal. There has to be a balance, a trade-off for the cosmos giving us this anchor connection. We pay the price by not being able to consummate with our mate, and you pay the price by being denied penetrative sex, something considered the ultimate intimacy.”
“We both lose something important,” Tor panted.
The guys collapsed on either side of me, pulling the duvet back over us. We’d made a mess, and I didn’t care. No way was I moving to get cleaned up right now, because the chill in my veins had melted beneath the heat of their ministrations. I needed to revel in it for as long as it lasted, because there was no doubt in my mind that the frost would be back.
This burn wasn’t over.
Chapter Thirty-Six
The room was dark, bare pipes running up walls, exposed brickwork and beams above us, and beyond that a skylight. A single door provided an exit, but it was locked. Not sure how I knew that. Shadowy forms huddled against a wall. The stench of anger and fear permeated the air.
“We have to do something.”
The voice drew my attention to a woman with silver-blonde hair and wide gray eyes.
Astrid?
“Cora?” A hand swept across my forehead, and I opened my eyes to Leif’s smile. “Hey. How are you feeling?”
The dark room melted away and I was back in bed with my mates. Well, one of my mates. Tor was gone.
There was a buzz in my veins, cold and unnatural, but it was low-level compared to how it’d been.
I frowned up at Leif. “I was dreaming.”
“About?”
“I saw Astrid and the other shifters locked in a room. It felt s
“Breakfast duty.”
My gaze flicked about the room, searching for another face.
Leif sighed. “Jasper hasn’t been back. I think he’s giving you a chance to fight this infection by staying away.”
“He can’t siphon off me unless I say so.”
Leif winced. “Actually, your amulet’s been glitching for a week now and channeling power into him from time to time.”
“What?”
“Yeah, he’s been resisting taking it because he didn’t have your permission.”
Jasper…Oh, God. “He could have taken advantage at any time.”
“Yeah,” Leif said. “I mean not at any time, but when your amulet was down, yeah, he could have.”
But he hadn’t.
He hadn’t because…Because he cared about me and my wishes. My eyes grew hot.
“I need to speak to him.”
Leif stroked my hair. “I know.” He kissed my temple. “Burn this infection out, then we’ll have a sit-down. The four of us.”
What did he mean?
The door opened and Tor entered carrying a tray laden with food. Rune padded in after him and took up position at the bottom of the bed.
“Pippa’s on her way over to check on you,” Tor said, “but she says you need to eat.”
My stomach grumbled. “I can totally do that.”
I sat up as Tor laid the tray on the bed by my hip. The sheet fell away from my torso and Rune’s gaze locked onto my naked breasts.
He made a strangled sound and looked away.
Gooseflesh broke out over my skin.
“Shit, you’re cold. Tor, a sweater,” Leif ordered.
Tor grabbed a cotton sweater out of my dresser and helped me into it, even though I was perfectly capable of putting it on myself. Still, it was kinda nice to be taken care of.
Leif placed the tray on my lap. Bacon, eggs, beans, hash browns, toast, and a cup of tea. God, I was hungry. I dug in while the guys watched. Most people may have been self-conscious while stuffing their faces and being watched by two hot guys and a gorgeous wolf, but food and I had a special relationship, and nothing could come between us.
“How’s the search coming?” Tor asked Rune.
We’ve cleared the rural areas. No sign of them. We’ll need to move into town.
“I don’t understand who’d want to take them,” Leif said.
“The shifters?” I spoke with my mouth full, and then quickly chewed and swallowed. “You think they’re somewhere in town?”
“They could be anywhere.” Tor lowered himself onto the bed next to me.
He smelled citrusy, like he’d freshly showered. He’d pulled on black joggers, but his chest was still bare. I needed to stop looking at it and recalling how his skin felt beneath my fingertips and how his mouth had felt on me.
Tor’s gaze flew to mine and his lips curled in a smug smile. “Eat your food, Cora.”
Oh man.
We start scouting in town in an hour, Rune said. It’ll be tougher in human form.
I picked up a slice of toast and made to bite into it, but my vision blurred, and I was back in the dark room. The only illumination was light streaming in from a skylight, but thick beams blocked most of it out.
“Cora?” Leif’s hand was on my shoulder, but I was still in the room.
“I can feel you,” a female voice said. “Can you see us? Help us. Find us, hold on to me. Don’t let go.”
A pressure bloomed in the back of my mind.
“Who are you talking to?” Astrid asked.
“Cora!” Tor’s fingers bit into my shoulders, dragging me out of the room and back onto the bed.
I stared at his concerned face, blinking away the residue of the vision because that’s what it was. A vision, not a dream.
My pulse raced with revelation. “I think I’m connected to a varga female. I think I might be able to find them.”
“Dress warm,” Pippa ordered. “Layers. I don’t like this, but what’s happening to you is out of my scope of expertise.”
Outside the world was awash with white as snowflakes danced to the ground. More cold. Just what I needed.
I tugged on my kick-the-shit-outta-the-bad-guys purple motorcycle steel-toe capped boots with reinforced heels. I loved their gothic vibe, the added metalwork and the purple flames painted on the pewter leather. Just went to show that beauty could be deadly.
“Cora?” Pippa sounded worried.
I gave her my most reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine. I need to do this before the infection burns through me.”
There was no doubt the infection was somehow linking me to a varga shifter. Sloane had said that Vax mentioned being able to sense the females but not locate them. They had to be connected by the infection somehow. It was the only explanation. The fact I could see through one of these varga female’s eyes had to be something to do with me being a tulpa, a witch, or both.
“Drink this if the tremors return.” Pippa pressed a vial into my hand. “It’s a warming tincture. I just finished stewing it. It’ll help.”
I pocketed the vial and pulled her into a one-armed hug. “Thank you.”
She patted my back. “Anytime.”
“Can you check in on Wren for me? Help Conah out if he needs it?”
“Of course.”
The pressure at the base of my skull intensified. I needed to move.
The guys were waiting downstairs with The Elites. Patrol packs were on alert, headed to the edge of town in human form, awaiting a call from their alphas.
“What now?” Sloane asked.
I closed my eyes and imagined the varga’s voice, focusing on the pressure at my nape.
Find me.
The pressure intensified and then my body began to tingle. I headed for the door and the tingle grew stronger. It built as I clattered down the porch steps and into the falling snow. I made a left toward the forest and the tingle ebbed slightly.
“Cora, what are you doing?” Sloane asked.
I pressed a hand to my chest. “I think I can find them. I just need to follow the tingle.”
She gave me an odd look. “Um…Tor…”
“Cora?” Tor joined her on the porch steps.
Oh, fuck this, I didn’t have time to explain it to them. The longer we waited, the more chance I’d lose this connection. If the infection burned out, we were fucked.
I made a beeline for the garage. “We need to go now.”
Leif jogged toward me, keys jangling in his hand. “Everybody, get in your cars and follow us.”
Leif, Tor, and Rune clambered into the Rover with me.
One wolf in town could be mistaken for a huge dog breed, but several, not so much. Rune had insisted on coming, and I wasn’t about to exclude him from this, not after last night.
The engine roared to life and we were off.
I navigated based on the tingle and buzz in my body, a distinct thing to the chill that simmered in my veins.
It was a beacon calling me.
We took a left and the buzz died a little. “No. Wrong way.”
Leif continued to the roundabout as the buzz lessened and then turned the car and headed the way we’d just come. The tingle amped up. We were back on track.
Ten minutes later we were headed to the other end of town.
Tor leaned forward between the seats. “There’s nothing out there except the new construction site. They’re demolishing the warehouses to build flats.”
Yes, that had to be it. “Perfect place to stash a bunch of shifters, don’t you think?”
Tor sat back and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Head to the southeast edge of town. The Partridge Project.”
The buzz was a solid vibration in my veins now. The road ahead melted, and I was back in the room.
“You’re close,” the varga said.
“Yes. I need more information, though. The place you’re hidden in is huge. I need clues.”
She showed me the skylight and the door, eyes tracking across the unremarkable room.
Shit, nothing much to go on. “Who took you?”
“I don’t know. The last thing I remember is running through the forest, then there was a bright light, and we woke up here. They’ve been taking us one by one, and each time there’s the light to blind us. There are only three of us left, but more arrived a day ago.
“Dire wolves.”
“Yes. Did Vax send you? Is he okay?”
Vax the varga alpha. “It’s complicated, but he’s fine.”
The rattle of a lock.
“They’re here. Oh, God.”
A blinding light and my connection was severed.
I was back in the car, chest heaving. “We need to hurry. Now.”
Leif stepped on the gas.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
We huddled beyond some bushes outside the wire fencing to the decrepit-looking site. According to Tor, the Partridge Project had begun three years ago, but from what I’d seen, not much progress had been made. Construction equipment was stationed beyond the fence, visible through the swirling snow. It was a weekday but not a single worker was visible. Okay, so it was snowing, and maybe they didn’t work in this weather, but my gut told me no one had worked here for a while.
“It’s a front,” Sloane said, swiping across her phone and holding it out to show us a photograph from an old newspaper announcing the project.
The place looked exactly the same in the photograph. Same buildings still standing, no new structures.
Sloane tapped on her phone again. “Okay, so Conah just sent me some photos of the place from before Partridge took over.”
“Conah?”
“Yeah, I called him as soon as we knew where we were headed.” She frowned at her phone, trying to shield it from the snowfall. “So this place was all factories. Was there anything in your vision, anything significant about the structure they’re being held in? We have your connection, but we can’t risk having to backtrack on ourselves if your beacon fails.”
She had a point. We had no idea who we were up against and the infection could burn out of me at any moment, severing my connection to the varga.
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