by Zoe Ashwood
“And we have no way of figuring out who it was,” Nora adds, frustration ringing in her voice. “The Russians, the Icelander, or another team we haven’t even met yet.” She rubs her face with her hands. “Sorry. This is a serious complication that we—or I—failed to anticipate.”
Putting my hands behind my back, I close my eyes. “We can’t anticipate every possibility. It’ll drive you mad.”
“But—” Nora starts, then stops herself.
I crack one eye open to find her fuming quietly to herself. Her dark eyes seem shadowed, and it’s only now that the immediate danger is over that I remember about the fact that she should be replenishing her energy.
“This is an opportunity to rest,” I say. “Tomorrow, we’ll reach your destination, and gods only know what we’ll find there.”
She grumbles but eventually shuffles around and lies on the mat beside me. Her warmth is a temptation I don’t need right now, so I inch to the side to avoid accidentally brushing against her. Her and Levi’s scents mingle in the small space, making for a heady cocktail of fragrances. My bloodlust simmers under the surface, manageable but definitely present. If I could have a taste of Nora’s blood…
I push the thought away before my fangs descend.
Levi flops down on his own mat, lying on his side to face Nora. She’s twitching and turning, and her sleeping bag rustles beneath her with every move.
“Are you uncomfortable?” I ask. “I can give you my mat. I don’t need to sleep.”
I haven’t slept, truly slept, for decades, and I can go without resting for long days if I need to. And now I probably sound like a fool, being all chivalrous and offering her my sleeping mat.
“No, it’s fine,” Nora murmurs. “I just— It’s hard to relax while that keeps howling outside.”
As though to answer her words, another gust of wind shakes the tent, and the poles rattle at the impact.
Levi lifts onto one elbow. “I can think of a way to make you forget about it.”
Nora’s response is just a second too slow. “No, don’t be crazy.”
But my body tenses all the same, and I sit up, unable to lie still. The heat in the tent climbs higher. I can’t tell whether she’s blushing or not, but she squeezes her eyes shut and covers her face with her arm. Her white shirt rides up, exposing a sliver of soft, pale skin at her waist. I groan quietly, imagining—remembering—how incredible it had felt to kiss her there. And lower.
Levi shoots me a dark look from across the tent, and I can’t read his expression. He suggested…something, but I have no idea whether that includes me or not. Surely he didn’t mean for me to leave the tent?
I glance at the zipped-up entrance, then back at him. With the smallest smile, he shakes his head, as though my idea alone was laughable.
Then Nora lifts her arm just slightly and peers at us from beneath it. When she finds us both focused on her, she lets out a nearly inaudible gasp, and closes her eyes again.
Her entire body is taut as a string, and I want to help her unwind. To forget about the storm raging outside.
Levi grits his teeth together, and a muscle jumps in his jaw. Then he sits up fully and puts his fingers to the lowest button of Nora’s shirt. Her mouth drops open, her breathing quickening, but she doesn’t move another muscle. Levi undoes that first button and parts the sides to reveal a triangle of skin. Leaning down, he blows gently on it, then presses his lips to Nora’s belly.
She shudders in response.
Yes.
I grip the mat beneath me with trembling fingers, holding myself back. If Nora wants Levi to distract her, to pleasure her, and have me watching… Fuck, I’m not sure I’m strong enough to do it. To witness her pleasure but take no place in it. If she doesn’t want me to touch her, I’ll have to leave and damn the storm outside.
But she opens her eyes again, looking straight at me, and utters just one word.
“Yes.”
Twenty-One
Nora
Levi undoes another button, and another, until the sides of the shirt fall apart and I’m left in my bra and tank top. Then Raphaël leans in and presses a kiss to the edge of my jaw. Slowly, his featherlight caresses travel to below my ear and down my neck. It’s a delicious thrill, having a vampire kiss my throat, and my skin prickles with goosebumps all over my body.
Levi stares down at us with glittering eyes, then drops on one elbow and kisses me on the mouth, his tongue slipping against mine as I open up for him. The sensations sparking through me are a wonder. They feel forbidden but so godsdamned right at the same time.
“Nora,” Raphaël whispers and kisses a path over my chest to the edge of my tank top. He tugs the fabric down, pulling my cotton bra with it, until he exposes me. He lowers his head again and takes my nipple into his mouth, licking the bud first, then lightly grazing his teeth over it.
My hips buck up without my volition. The pleasure entwined with the sting of his teeth is incredible, and I don’t want him to stop. What would it be like if he bit me? He’d said the donors receive more than just cash in return for the blood he takes from them, and I wonder if he could make me feel like that.
Levi leaves my mouth, and I whimper at the loss of contact, but he merely gives me a dark smile before moving lower. As Raphaël gives attention to my other breast, Levi tugs on the drawstring of my linen pants and tugs them down my legs. I kick off my shoes and wriggle out of my underwear, safe in the semi-darkness. The sensations are all amplified, intense. Levi and Raphaël don’t give me time to feel awkward or embarrassed—what they’re doing to me erases all thoughts from my mind.
Levi settles between my legs, pushes my knees apart, and lowers his mouth to my clit. Somehow, he knows exactly how much pressure to put on me to take me apart, and he does it with ruthless skill, giving me not even a moment to catch my breath, to pause, to gather my wits.
Raphaël tugs on my nipple sharply, then moves and catches my mouth with his, and with another lick from Levi, I shatter into an intense, blinding orgasm. My body arches off the ground, tremors rolling through me. Thousands of hot sparks travel through all my nerves, leaving me a sated, breathless mess.
Levi lifts his head with a wicked grin. Crawling up my body, he stops just above me, then gives me a scorching kiss. I taste myself on his lips, and it’s a turn-on like I’ve never experienced. My breath comes in quick puffs as I sit up and look from Levi to Raphaël who’s now lying in the same position I was before, with his arm thrown over his eyes.
“I need a moment,” he says.
I shrug out of my shirt, take the hem of my tank top, and pull it over my head. Then I reach back and unclip my bra, shedding the last piece of clothing.
Raphaël peers from under his arm and lowers it slowly. “Or maybe not.”
Chewing on my lip, I consider my options. The tent doesn’t leave me much room to maneuver. Raphaël watches us in silence, and an expression of stark need comes over his face, highlighting the sharp angle of his jaw, the beautiful cut of his cheekbones. He looks like a statue, disheveled but completely, unnaturally still.
I move down and put my hands on his waist. The button on his pants slips out easily, and his zipper follows. I lean closer, pressing a kiss to the indent below his hip where his defined muscles taper into a V. My fingertips graze his warm skin, and his muscles jump at the touch. The trail of dark hair disappearing beneath the waistband of his underwear is coarse to the touch, and I follow it, tugging the elastic band down along with his pants.
His cock springs free, and I freeze, memories rushing in. The scent of him has always been a turn-on for me, and now, in the enclosed, dark tent, it melts my insides. I’ve missed him so fucking much these past two years, but I’d never allowed myself to dream about him because I’d known he didn’t remember me. And I didn’t want to add to my own heartbreak by reliving the beautiful, soul-shattering moments we had together.
I glance up at him, and I know he remembers the same. He used to adore me going down
on him, even as I felt inexperienced and clumsy, and he’d taught me so much. He might not have been the first guy I’d had sex with, but he’d been the first to make love to me.
We’re here now, though. He accompanied me all the way to Egypt, and now he’s with me and Levi, sharing the most intimate encounter. We hadn’t made each other any promises, but I know this will change all of us in ways we can’t anticipate yet.
“Nora,” he says, his voice tight. “I—”
Afraid of what he might say, I take his cock in my hand and close my mouth over the thick head. He’s so hard in my mouth, my insides clench at the thought of having him push into me. I hollow out my cheeks and suck, relishing the taste of him on my tongue.
“Oh, fuck,” Levi groans. “Why is this so hot?”
I glance up at him to find he has taken off his cargo shorts and boxer briefs and has a hand on his rigid cock. Raphaël glances over, then motions to him with a quick gesture. Levi’s mouth falls open, but he doesn’t resist Raphaël, who pulls his hips closer and swallows his dick.
“Fuuuuck!” Levi bellows, his hips jacking forward. “Oh, fuck, fuck, gods…”
I grin at how Levi’s curses taper off into a strangled moan, and I watch as Raphaël’s jaw works over him. Then, with them occupied with each other, I take my mouth off him, murmur a spell to protect myself, straddle Raphaël’s hips, and sink down on his cock.
Raphaël’s shout is muffled by Levi’s dick, and the image is so erotic, I tremble at the sight of it. Levi’s hips rock forward, and Raphaël lets him, going with the rhythm. I brace my hands on Raphaël’s muscled chest and lift off him, then slide back down, impaling myself fully.
Oh gods, this. I’ve missed this so much, the connection with Raphaël I’d known when we were together. I’m grateful for the darkness that hides my expression from them. I set a fast, punishing rhythm, rolling my hips over Raphaël’s, but I keep my gaze fastened on the two of them.
Levi’s eyes snap open, and he looks straight at me, his breath hitching. He buries one hand in Raphaël’s thick locks, holding him right where he wants him. Then he lifts his t-shirt and flicks a thumb over his pierced nipple, playing with himself.
Raphaël brings his hand up to Levi’s balls and gives them a light tug. Levi cries out, his ass clenching, and with another slide of Raphaël’s lips, he’s gone, coming in Raphaël’s mouth.
I watch, transfixed, as my vampire licks every drop off Levi’s cock, then turns his burning gaze to me. His body is tense beneath mine, his pectorals contracting as he hauls himself up into a seated position. He kisses me deeply, giving me a taste of Levi—and himself. Then he takes my hips and draws me down deeper, faster. My clit drags against his pubic bone, sensitive from when Levi made me come, and I cling to Raphaël’s shoulders. A climax builds inside me.
Then Raphaël slips his fingers down my back, to my ass, where I’ve never had anyone touch me before. Not even when we were together. Over his shoulder, I see Levi watching us with hooded eyes, his expression sated but so dark.
“One day soon,” Raphaël murmurs in my ear, “you’ll take us both.”
The image he paints is so wicked, my breath catches in my throat. “Yes,” I gasp, because I would do anything, anything, so long as he just keeps doing what he’s doing, and…
He presses down on my ass and rocks his hips up from below, and I come, screaming, grinding my hips to chase even more of that incredible sensation. Raphaël surges up and climaxes with me, his head thrown back to expose the exquisite column of his throat.
Rational thought returns slowly. I cling to Raphaël’s broad shoulders, gasping for breath. I squeeze my eyes shut against the overwhelming emotions crashing through me and bury my face in his neck while he strokes my back.
Then I force myself to slip off him and clean myself off before rooting around for my lost panties and bra. I don’t dare look at either one of them because I need to pull myself together before facing them. I need to reel back my feelings and make sure my heart isn’t open and shining through my eyes.
Because this wasn’t some grand romantic moment. This was about release, about the sexual tension that had been building between us all day, and about the relentless storm raging outside. They’d wanted to distract me from it.
And man, it had worked.
I blush and busy myself with buttoning my shirt to hide it. Yet Levi leans over and takes my chin in his hand, lifting my face so I have no choice but to look at him.
“Are you okay?” he murmurs.
Pressing my lips together, I give him a curt nod, retreating from his touch.
I sure as hell am not okay. Never in my life have I been so fucking turned on—and it happened with two guys. What am I supposed to do with that?
“Are you sure?” His dark eyebrows furrow in a frown, and he peers into my eyes like he wants to see right down to my soul. “We didn’t…hurt you?”
I snap my gaze up at him, then at Raphaël, who’s kneeling, still gloriously naked, at the other side of the tent, watching us warily.
“No!” I reply immediately. “You didn’t hurt me. You couldn’t.”
Not like he’s thinking, anyway. My body has never felt better, and every sensual bite I’ve received between the two of them was nothing short of extraordinary.
But I need to get my shit together. Levi has said he wanted us to just see what happens, and Raphaël has made me no promises at all—so I need to make sure my heart is protected before I do anything stupid and fall all over again. For both of them, this time.
Can your heart get broken twice at the same time?
I’d rather not find out.
“I’m just tired,” I lie, even though my mind is buzzing and my limbs are still tingling from my orgasms. “I guess I’ll rest until the storm blows over.”
Levi eyes me suspiciously but lets me get dressed, and I lie down at the side of the tent, then cover my head with my sleeping bag to shut myself off from the world. The guys don’t speak—they stop moving around after a minute, and silence descends on us, broken only by the whistling of the wind and the sand outside.
And despite my exhaustion from both the magic spell I performed earlier and our activities after, sleep refuses to come for a long, long time.
Twenty-Two
Nora
Raphaël wakes me in the early morning hours.
“Hey,” he says quietly, his face close to mine, “come look at something.”
I sit, rubbing my gritty eyes, and see that he hasn’t switched on the flashlight. The tent is weirdly bright, however, and it takes me a moment to realize that it’s moonlight I’m seeing. Next to me, Levi sleeps peacefully, his face relaxed, his hand close to where I’d been lying just seconds before.
Had he reached for me in his dreams?
I shake off the fanciful thought and silently follow Raphaël out of the tent.
A waning moon has risen sometime during the night, and it now hangs low over the hills in the west. Its silvery glow is enough to see by, so I climb an incline with Raphaël, only stumbling a little, and sit next to him at the top.
Then I gaze up at the stars, and my breath catches in my throat.
This far from all the human settlements, light pollution is nonexistent. So many bright stars shine down on us, it’s hard to believe they’re real. And there, almost at the horizon, is a denser cluster that reminds me of…
“Is that the Milky Way?” I whisper reverently.
Raphaël nods, then takes my hand and interlaces our fingers. “Whenever I’m here, I take the time to watch the stars. You can’t see them like this in Paris.”
“Yeah,” I breathe. Then I look up at his proud profile and add, “Thank you for showing me.”
He leans down and kisses me gently, cupping my face with his other hand. His lips are firm and cool, and he doesn’t press me for a deeper connection. Then he lifts his head and gives me a small, heartbreaking smile.
“Isn’t there a saying in English,” he says
, his voice wistful, “that you promise someone the stars and the moon?”
I let out a quiet laugh, even though my heart aches at the expression on his face. “I didn’t think it was meant literally.”
“No, perhaps not.” He lapses into silence, his gaze on the setting moon.
I squeeze his fingers. “It’s a lovely thought.”
We remain silent for a long while. I close my eyes, letting the moon’s power infuse every cell in my body, caress my skin, and replenish my magic that’s already stirring again after my rest.
A faint glimmer appears in the east at last, and I clear my throat. “We should wake Levi. It’s probably a good idea to start moving before dawn. As soon as it gets light enough to drive.”
Raphaël stands in one fluid motion and helps me to my feet. Then he kisses my knuckles and finally releases me. The loss of contact with him is almost physically painful, so I turn away from him and carefully skid down the slope to hide my reaction.
This quiet moment we spent together scared me even more than the sensual, explosive sex we had earlier. The feelings I had for him when we were together are blooming again, and it’s too much, too soon. For all I know, he’ll disappear from my life the minute we complete the mission in Egypt and I fulfill my promise to him.
I tiptoe around the tent, then poke my head inside to wake Levi with a gentle shake.
“Nora,” he says as he opens his eyes, and his face transforms with an achingly beautiful, unguarded smile.
Levi can be all jokes and swagger, mystery and danger, but this—this is the real him. And I know, deep inside, that I’m the one person in the world he shows this face to. My heart stops for a second, then hammers with redoubled speed.
Oh, crap. I’m in such big trouble.
I swallow past a suddenly tight throat. “It’s time to go.”
His expression shutters, and he pushes up to a seated position. “Sure. I’ll be right out.”
Cursing myself for ruining that perfect moment, I turn to the car, only to find Raphaël swearing under his breath as he walks around the vehicle.