But I did.
I stepped backward, separating myself from them both. Instantly I missed the connection of their touch. I belonged with them. I could feel it so deeply in my bones that I ached.
Both men stood frozen. Hurt registered in their eyes, not anger or frustration. Pain and sorrow fairly bled from their souls, which practically tore mine from my body. But, what was I doing? I didn’t know anything about them. Anything about me. I just knew they cared about me. Loved me even.
I could feel it in the tenderness of each touch. In the way they had whispered sweet words in my ears as they played my body like an instrument, making it sing just for them. I wanted that again. I felt so safe with them. It was a feeling I could not remember ever having before today.
A single tear ran down my cheek and I watched it drop to the carpet. Then ice started forming around my bare feet. It spread outward toward them. I cried out. Terror filled me. I’d seen my powers kill people. I never wanted to see that again. I could not lose them so quickly after finding them.
“Make it stop,” I begged. “Please make it stop.” More tears fell, but they froze instantly, pinging against the frozen floor like bits of sleet.
Both men moved at the same time, stepping forward and pulling me back into their arms. The fears vanished and the ice stopped spreading across the room. I watched in amazement as it all began to melt. The room warmed so much that steam began to rise from the carpet.
“You belong with us, Diana,” Eli whispered into my ear as he nibbled on the lobe.
“Embrace what you feel. Even though your memories were stolen, we still have ours. I remember the first time I laid eyes on you in the throne room of Orin. Your snow-blond hair glistening like it was made of pure moonlight. Your sweet scent filled the air and I thought my heart would fall from my chest. I hadn’t the words to thank the gods for bringing you to us.”
“That is not who I am,” I whispered. “I’m more than a pretty painting.”
“Aye, we could not have imagined a more beautiful bride,” Eli murmured into my other ear. His strange accent fell away for a moment and he sounded like me. “And then that evening at supper, you carried your trencher to the doorway of the banquet hall and handed it to one of the servant’s children sitting on a pallet, begging for scraps. In front of everyone. We knew then your beauty was of body and heart.”
“For seven days, the palace feasted to celebrate our upcoming wedding,” Miles’ deep voice continued the story. “For seven days you fed every child who appeared at the doorway before you would eat a single morsel.”
I smiled, picturing the faces of the children eager to receive the food. “How many children came the last day?” I asked.
Eli spoke this time. “On the last day of the grand feast, there were twenty-two children in the doorway. You told them to come to the kitchen entrance every morning from then on and they would have what they needed.”
“They were just children. Someone needed to look out for them.”
“And you did. The poor of Orin called you snøen mor—snow mother,” Miles said, sliding a hand down my arm. “The people said whenever you were distraught, your tears would fall in the form of snowflakes. The children were always bringing you flowers, especially before the start of winter.”
“Why?”
“Because they thought it would stay warmer longer if you were happy,” Eli said, pushing aside my long hair and kissing the base of my neck. Shivers of excitement ran down my spine.
“Snøen mor.” I rolled the name over my lips. “What happened?” I asked, leaning back into Eli’s firm chest. I turned my face toward his shirt and breathed in deeply, looking for any familiarity in the recesses of my mind.
“We failed our kingdom. A rival family took us completely unaware and killed every Blackmoor in the castle,” said Eli.
“Except the three of us,” Miles added. “We were publicly tortured, nearly beaten to death and then they hurt you—” his voice broke off and he took a deep breath. “I swear on my life, Diana. If there had been any way to spar—”
I put a finger over his mouth and shook my head. “What happened to me was not your fault. Either of you. I’m here now. I want to find my memories, but even without them, I know I belong to you.”
“I vote for making a few new memories,” Eli said, nipping at the base of my neck.
The sharp edges of his teeth made shivers flutter across my skin. What he proposed was exactly what I wanted to do.
Chapter 26
DIANA
“I want you both, but …” I hesitated. We had obviously done this before, but I had no memory, nor a clue about how to properly take care of two men at once. Bloody hell, I did not even know how to take care of one. I had no memory of intimate relations with either of them. “I do not know how this works.”
“Trust your body,” Miles murmured, kissing one of my shoulders. “We will not do anything you do not wish to happen.”
“I want you both so badly. My body burns for this. What we did earlier helped some, but now it is worse. I need with a hunger that does not feel natural.”
“Female Drakonae enter a heat cycle every five centuries. It’s the one time they’re fertile and able to conceive,” Eli said, tucking my hair behind my ear and then trailing his fingertips along my cheek.
A baby? How could I commit to something like that with two men I barely knew? Granted, I trusted that they were my mates. My dragon agreed that I belonged with them … but a baby? With the dreams that already plagued me about losing a baby—I knew that was what happened now. There was no other excuse for my dreams.
Stepping away from them, I sunk down onto the edge of the bed. Five-hundred years. How old was I?
“Is this what you want? A baby? Now?”
They both knelt to the floor before me, each taking one of my hands in theirs.
“I can’t say that I’m not excited by the prospect of our child growing inside you soon, but I know this is much more to take on than you’re ready for,” Eli said. “It’s just that …”
“That even once everything has calmed down, whether I do or don’t get my memories back, we have to wait five-hundred years for another chance,” I finished for him, my voice barely louder than a whisper.
A tear rolled from my cheek and froze in the air as it dropped. An exquisite snowflake landed on my arm and melted instantly from the heat of contact.
“Don’t cry, Love,” Eli spoke again. “We can’t even begin to understand what you have gone through, what you’re still going through. This world must be a scary place to be thrust into suddenly.”
I stared into Eli’s brown eyes and then Miles’. The connection between us was so strong. I couldn’t deny that I was where I was meant to be; I just wished I could remember what had happened to me. I wanted what they had. The story about our wedding feast made me feel so much closer to them already, but greed made me want more. I wanted to remember their favorite food. Or color. Or what made them laugh.
Instead, I had a mind filled with a fog of pain and confusion. Dreams that didn’t make sense. And a nagging feeling that I’d lost more than just my memories in the place they called Orin.
“Make love to me,” I spoke slowly. “Please.”
Whatever I had forgotten, it was time to push forward. We could face my past together as it came to light. Until then, I wanted to embrace my future.
“If this is our only chance for a family for that long, I don’t want to look back and regret not taking it.”
Both men’s faces brightened and smiles curved their lips upward. “Whatever happens is your choice,” Eli said. “I know I speak for Miles when I say we couldn’t be more thankful just to have you back in our lives.”
“If you’re not ready for this,” Miles started. “We would never dream of making you regret any choice you made. We are Drakonae. We have lived for millennia and will continue to survive long after those around us have perished.”
“How old are we?” I
asked, curious again. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have that many years of memories.
“Eli and I were born nearly three-thousand years ago in the Veil, the world beyond earth. You were born in the equivalent of earth’s seventh century I believe, so you would be nearing fifteen-hundred years old.”
My jaw dropped and I swallowed. Fifteen-hundred years and I could only remember the last three weeks. “How could I have just forgotten everything?”
“It was not your choice,” Eli whispered, pressing a trail of kisses along the top of my hand and up my wrist. “It was magick.”
I closed my eyes and focused on the sensations they were both invoking on my body. Miles was slowly untying the top of my shift and within a moment had uncovered one of my breasts. It ached, and the nipple stood hard and erect as if begging him to tease it. And he did not disappoint. A growl rumbled from his chest just before his warm mouth closed over the sensitive nipple.
I gasped and reached forward, sliding my hand around the back of his head and taking a firm hold of his shoulder-length black hair. Shots of heat radiated from the breast he was nibbling on and my breathing became labored. The spiraling warmth that had blessed my body with a trip to the heavens only a few minutes ago, began growing again.
“We need her on the bed, brother. I wish to taste her sweet body from head to foot.” It was Eli’s voice calling out the order, but I could barely hear him.
I could only feel. My body was on fire and I wanted more. Needed more.
Miles lifted me, setting me back down in the center of the bed, only taking his mouth from my breast for a moment. Then he proceeded to nibble and nip his way over to the other breast still hidden beneath one shoulder of the thin shift I wore.
Eli crawled onto the bed and situated himself between my legs. Extra heat soared up my neck and cheeks at the embarrassing view of me he had. I tried to pull my halfway spread thighs together, but he put a hand on each and pressed them down.
“Stay open, Love. I have a lot of tasting to do.”
Tasting? There?
He must have seen the disbelief in my gaze, because he flashed a brilliant smile before he raised the hem of my shift and his head disappeared beneath it. I bit back a gasp as the heat of his mouth connected with my already throbbing sex. Pushing my head back into the pillows I clenched my fists trying not to cry out.
“Scream and yell if you wish it, Diana. We want to hear you moan.” Miles’ raspy voice broke through the haze of my euphoria and I moaned a “yes” just for him. “How does she taste, Eli?”
The fire from Eli’s tongue abated and his chest shook against one of my thighs as he chuckled. “Sweeter than ever. I’ve been deprived for too many years.”
“We’ve both gone without her for too long,” Miles added before recapturing my tender nipple between his teeth.
“I may never come up for air again,” Eli added before lowering his head back to my sex.
I whimpered as his tongue ran from my slit to swirl around the same little nub he had tortured earlier. “Please. Please.” I shuddered and squirmed, but they only held me down tighter. It swirled and rose and then fell and then the feelings rose again, but never quite reached the peak I sought. It was as if they could tell when I came close, and then they would back off to draw it out longer.
A growl rumbled in my chest and I tried to push away from their mouths for just a moment of respite. But it was no use. I whimpered and moaned, pleading for them to let me find heaven again. I closed my eyes, waiting for the stars, but Eli denied me once again. I growled again and raised my head to look down at him, but Miles’ face blocked my view. He released my nipple slowly from his mouth and caught my gaze. His brown eyes swirled with sparks of glowing orange, like embers of fire.
The bed dipped as Eli crawled over me. I noticed that his clothes were all missing and his impressive manhood stood erect and glistening. I licked my lips wondering what he would taste like. But I didn’t get to think long. He knelt between my legs and grabbed my hips, pulling me closer and closer to his shaft. Its velvet tip brushed against my opening and I moaned again, wishing for more than just a touch.
I turned my head toward Miles when the bed dipped again. He had backed away from the bed, and sat down in the high backed chair facing us. Smiling, he gestured toward Eli and I turned my attention back to the brother teasing me with his cock.
He pushed forward slowly and pulled my hips at the same time, sinking inch by glorious inch until he was fully seated. My body stretched to accommodate him and I moaned softly when he started to rock, pulling in and out slowly, then faster, then slower again.
More torture. After a few teasing strokes, I grabbed for his forearms and tried to pull myself against him harder. “Please, Eli.”
He leaned forward, slipping an arm around my back and lifted until I straddled him in the center of the bed. He pulled me tight until my breasts were crushed against his bare chest. One of his hands slipped down my back until it cupped my bottom, then he lifted me up and dropped me down on his length.
I let out a moan and dug my fingers into his shoulders. Pleasure tore through my body and I clung to him as he increased the speed of his thrusts until I panted and ached with need.
“Come for me. Now, Diana,” he growled into my neck and pushed me down on his cock one last time.
My body shuddered and stiffened. I curled my toes into the sheets of the bed as the stars inside my head overtook me once more. He roared as his seed flowed hot and fast, filling me, driving me higher. My sex throbbed and pumped him until I finally collapsed against his chest, a limp mass of utterly satisfied woman.
He laid me back down on the bed, sliding from my body gently. I moaned at the loss, but gasped for air as my heart continued to race and thump hard behind my ribs.
They weren’t done.
Eli moved from the foot of the massive bed and in only a moment, he was replaced by Miles. The scar above his right eyebrow wasn’t the only thing I could see differently about them now. The more time I spent with them, the more I realized I could tell them apart just by their demeanor. Eli had a lighter heart than his brother and it showed in the faint lines around his eyes and mouth. Where Eli’s eyes sparkled with intrigue, Miles’ smoldered with pure male heat.
I wasn’t sure I could handle two in a row, but when he stripped out of his clothes in front of me and climbed onto the bed, my mouth went dry and the hum in my body started anew. At this rate I would never want to leave their bed.
Miles’ mouth curved into a grin, more wicked than Eli’s.
I trembled, not out of fear, but with anticipation.
He leaned over me and undid the last lace strap still tied on my right shoulder. Then he tugged and carefully pulled the shift down the length of my body until it was completely free. He tossed it off the side of the bed, never once dropping his burning gaze from my eyes.
Moisture pooled between my thighs again and I made a sound that was half-whimper, half-moan. Heat from his body warmed my fevered skin even more and beads of sweat ran from my brow into my already damp white-blond hair.
“I have prayed for this day for so many years.” His deep bass voice rolled over me like a soothing blanket. “I have to ask you to forgive me.” He crawled over my body and dipped his head, placing a soft kiss on either of my cheeks.
“For what? You haven’t done anything …”
“We lost you. I should’ve been holding your hand or made you go first when we escaped all those years ago.”
A hint of tears made his brown eyes glassy, but not a single drop fell.
I reached up and cupped his face. “There is nothing to forgive.” Pulling his head down, I claimed his mouth with mine and moaned. A rumble started in his chest and built as he slid an arm beneath my neck and head. He crushed my lips with his demand and I melted to his will.
Our bodies came together and he thrust inside with one smooth stroke. I stifled a shout, biting my bottom lip. He took the opportunity to n
ip hard on one of my breasts and I yelped beneath him. The pain only lasted a few seconds before it warmed into something I didn’t recognize, but liked.
“Don’t hold back,” he growled, taking a quick nip out of the other breast.
I yelped again and then moaned loudly when he began to slide in and out of me. He was slow at first, then he sped up and pumped harder. His cock swelled I clung to his body as he made that now familiar and delicious heat curl inside me once again.
He arched his back and thrust deep. “Gods, Diana you feel so good.” Then he moved backward, pulling out.
“No!” I begged, left panting and wanting more. How could he stop in the middle?
A chuckle rolled from his chest and he rose up onto his knees.
“Don’t fret. We’re far from finished. Turn over, love, and get up on your hands and knees.”
I struggled to roll over, my arms and legs heavy as lead and about as sturdy as pudding.
He helped me up, holding me by my hips once I’d turned over. His cock impaled me again and I sucked in a quick breath. He was even deeper than before and now as he leaned over my back, one of his hands started to wander up and down my body. He kneaded my swaying breasts one at a time as he thrust in and out of me at a torturously slow pace.
Then his hand moved farther down, exploring the slick folds above my slit. His forefinger circled the throbbing nub Eli had tortured earlier and I jerked against him as a rush of sensations pummeled through my body.
“Oh, oh! Please. Yes,” I growled out, not holding back this time. If it pleased them when I spoke and made noises. I wanted to give them as much pleasure as I could. The ways they knew to arouse my body were intense.
The arm that had been holding his massive weight above me, curled around my chest and he tugged me upward and back until I settled across his hips, straddling him backward. I clung to the thick, muscled arm that wrapped diagonally across my body. His other hand manipulated the swollen nub at the top of my slit, making me rock even harder against his rock-hard cock.
Sanctuary, Texas Complete Series Box Set Page 37