by Emma Dean
“And my plants haven’t seen anything suspicious,” Ethan told her.
Mika glanced at Lucien and tried to ignore the way her body was reacting to the both of them.
No doubt the fox could hear the way her heart pounded, smell the way Mika was both nervous and aroused, and see the slight sheen of sweat on her skin.
“Silk sheets, fancy,” Lucien said, suddenly beside her. She watched as he ran his hand over the pillow. His golden gaze had her frozen and she could barely breathe.
This was the part of their relationship she still had no idea how to handle.
Now that she’d slept with both of them…they both would want her to do it again. And she had no disagreement with that, but when? How?
Mika cleared her throat and glanced over at Ethan. The storm witch had a slight smirk on his face as he watched the two of them.
For some reason that only made her heart pound harder instead of making her feel guilty like she thought it would.
“I don’t know how to do this,” Mika finally admitted. “It’s weird and we don’t have, like…rules.”
Lucien’s grin widened and for a second Mika thought she might faint with how fast her heart was beating. Ethan took a step forward and she glanced between her two boyfriends like a cornered animal might.
“We actually talked about it,” Ethan admitted. “We figured this moment might happen eventually.”
Lucien took her hand and tugged her closer. Mika was pressed to his body, chest to chest, and the familiar scent of him washed over her. She closed her eyes and breathed him in. Somehow she always felt safe with Lucien, grounded with Ethan, and Mika felt like she could rely on her own strength with both of them to support her, to catch her when she fell, or steady her when she stumbled.
Licking her lips, Mika bolstered her courage and asked the question they were waiting for her to ask. “What did you talk about exactly?”
“What to do if we ever wanted you on the same night or if you were having a difficult time choosing,” Lucien murmured into her hair.
“There are a few options,” Ethan said softly as he ran his hand down her spine in a gentle caress. Mika gasped as he held her from behind.
She was sandwiched between the two of them. Surrounded, but not suffocated.
It was the strangest feeling she’d ever experienced before in her life, but Mika couldn’t say she didn’t like it. In fact it was pretty much the opposite. Her need spiked and the ache between her legs pulsed, making her wet and ready.
Lucien growled slightly, deep in his chest, no doubt smelling the change in her scent.
“What options are there?” Mika asked, playing with Lucien’s hair, keeping her eyes on his mouth. She loved how long and silky it was.
She didn’t dare look up into Lucien’s eyes, or turn around to face Ethan. Not with the way she felt – the way she needed the both of them.
Making her choice – she had to be as clearheaded as possible, and Mika knew if she saw her need reflected in their eyes she’d lose control.
“Well, the first most obvious option is you choose who you sleep with that night. We’ve agreed this won’t affect how we feel about you, or each other,” Ethan told her, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck.
“Another is you can choose to sleep with both of us at different times during the same night, with the same result,” Lucien said, lifting her chin up so she was forced to look at him.
Mika swallowed hard as she studied his glowing gold eyes. His expression was more vulpine, sharper. His canines glinted when he smiled and all Mika wanted was for him to bite her hard enough to draw blood.
Then Ethan’s large hand wrapped gently around her throat. “Or you can sleep with us together.”
She gasped, arching back into Ethan as the idea seemed to take root in her mind and grow and grow until it was all she could think about. “There are other people in this house.”
Lucien leaned down to rub his nose along her jaw until his mouth was at her ear. “Do you really care what other people think?” he whispered before nibbling at her ear lobe.
Her senses were on overload. Mika wasn’t sure what to say or do – she could barely even move as their hands caressed her body, never once going for the obvious.
“I care what you two think,” Mika managed. “How did you guys come to this conclusion? You don’t even really like each other.” She pressed back against Ethan while trailing her hand down Lucien’s chest.
All she wanted to do was touch them – and for someone like her that was the most foreign desire. Three years of deprivation and it was as odd a concept as blood magic had been.
But if there was one thing she’d learned over the last year, it was how to adapt.
“It’s easier for me,” Lucien told her, running his fingers through her hair. Then his hands wrapped around her thighs and he lifted her up in one smooth motion until her legs were around his waist and her arms around his neck. “As a fox we know there is a chance we could be mated in a triad. So the concept isn’t as strange.”
“And honestly, I think he’s very pretty if a little annoying,” Ethan confessed, mouth pressed to her neck.
Mika’s entire body shuddered at that confession. Ethan’s hands on her ass didn’t help either – all it made her think of was the various different ways she could have them both…
Leaning back, she wrapped one arm around Ethan’s neck and tugged him down so she could kiss him, putting all her need and want into that kiss. The hand around her neck tightened slightly and his tongue against hers was a heady reminder of what it felt like against her clit. He tasted like sweet water with a slight hint of citrus and mint.
That growl from Lucien made her skin tingle, or was it the fox’s hand running down her body, between her breasts, until it settled on the waistband of her slacks. Mika couldn’t help herself, she ground against Lucien, feeling the hard length of him pressed right up against her in exactly the right place. All it would take was a single word and a snap of her fingers to remove their clothes…
Mika released Lucien and the moment her feet hit the floor she extricated herself from the both of them.
This was all moving a bit too fast.
She eyed them both, breathing heavily, trying to remember who she was when it wasn’t the three of them together. Mika licked her lips and tasted that rain she was so fond of.
It made her feel a little better to see Ethan and Lucien were just as affected. Their hard ons were painfully obvious and Mika clenched her hands into fists so she wouldn’t reach for them both just to see what that would feel like – to see how powerful she would feel with both of them begging her at the same time…
“Perhaps another night,” she said softly. Mika took a tentative step forward and kissed Lucien gently on his lips – so full and soft and warm.
He gripped her hips and pressed into her, sparking that need until it practically burned her from the inside out. Lucien’s tongue slid into her mouth, taking control of the kiss until she was barely more than jelly.
Then he released her with a smirk. “Whatever you want, little witch. Sleep well.”
Before Mika could turn to give Ethan a kiss goodnight, he whirled her around, grabbed her by the back of the neck, and kissed her hard.
This was the part of Ethan he liked to hide, burying it deep down under his sleepy ‘I barely give a shit about my life why would I give one about yours?’ demeanor. It was ruthless and demanding.
She took what he gave and then some, digging her nails into his arms as the sensation of being claimed rushed through her entire body.
Then a sharp pain broke through the cloudy haze of desire and Mika gasped as she tasted blood.
Ethan released her slowly, like he hadn’t just made a claim before the shifter behind them, asserting dominance that Lucien simply…accepted.
Mika licked the blood from her lips, feeling strangely energized as she stared up into those stormy grey eyes. There were no words – language had left her
completely.
“Have a good night,” Ethan told her, shoving her toward the door. “Don’t worry about us, we can both sleep here.”
Mika glanced back to see Lucien and Ethan both grinning at her, neither of them at all slighted or annoyed by her denial. Something about that was even hotter than the way they’d kissed her.
“Don’t let the bed bugs bite,” Lucien murmured.
Fates, they were going to be the end of her.
Mika turned and headed toward her room, trying not to think about Lucien and Ethan sleeping in the same bed next to each other like girl friends did – platonic and loving.
Could they really be like that?
Mika turned the corner and then pressed her back against the wall, taking a deep, slow breath to regain her center.
Then she glanced around the corner to see both Ethan and Lucien had stripped off their shirts. The fox was sitting on the bed, taking off his shoes while Ethan pulled back the covers.
“If you snore louder than the dead I’m throat-punching you awake,” Lucien said calmly.
“Noted. And if you touch my dick I’m telling Mika.”
Lucien snorted. “Just stay on your side, lumberjack.”
She had to leave before she changed her mind and joined them. Mika shook her head as she climbed the stairs. Fates, she loved those two.
But together?
That would take some getting used to.
5
Her dreams were haunted by ‘what ifs’ and Mika tossed and turned under her comforter. Even the central AC couldn’t keep her cool, because it wasn’t the summer heat burning her up.
It was something else entirely.
A set of hungry gold eyes and a set of possessive stormy grey ones set her soul on fire.
“Mika,” Lucien murmured.
But her name echoed in her dream and in reality.
It was enough to pull her out of the dream and she groaned slightly, rolling over onto her stomach as the bright sunlight filled her room.
The fox climbed into her bed and spooned her, rubbing his nose against the back of her neck.
“I have to head back to Morgana, but I wanted to say goodbye.” Lucien growled the words against her skin and the rumble from his chest rippled through her entire body, making the ache between her legs worse.
“What time is it?” she grumbled. The unsatisfied need was making her grumpy, but she wasn’t about to tell Lucien that.
“Christ, why do you smell like this?” he asked, breathing her in deep.
His breath tickled and she shivered, trying not to press back into him.
But Lucien was a shifter. Why she was even trying to hide anything from him was absolutely ridiculous.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she muttered, trying not to squirm.
His hand palmed her stomach, keeping her from moving away. Lucien pressed her back into him so she could feel his entire body against her.
And he was already rock hard against her ass.
“Have naughty dreams, little witch?” Lucien asked. His fingers brushed against her skin under the waistband of her silk pajama shorts and Mika gasped.
“No thanks to you,” she snapped.
His chuckle only irritated her more, but Lucien’s fingers travelled farther south and her entire body practically screamed at him to keep going. Mika would never admit that he and Ethan had accomplished exactly what they’d intended to though.
That would mean they’d won, and they already were too full of themselves.
“Want me to do something about it?” Lucien asked, his thick fingers stopping just above where she needed them.
Yes.
“I thought you had to leave.”
“I can be a little late,” he whispered.
Her body shuddered in anticipation, but still Lucien waited.
“I need you to say yes.” His voice was growly and delicious with his animal side so close to the surface. Mika dug her nails into her pillow and knew she was going to give in.
She missed Lucien – she loved him even though there were times he annoyed the crap out of her. But he cared for her in ways she’d never experienced before – ways that were totally different than Ethan’s but still somehow similar.
“Yes, I want you to do something about it,” Mika said, parting her thighs slightly to give him better access.
Lucien buried his groan into her pillow and his fingers started moving again, trembling slightly as they brushed against her clit.
It was like lightning after so much desperation.
Mika gasped, arching into him as his fingers went farther, sliding between her folds until he found her center. Lucien spread her own slickness around, using it as lubricant when he went back to her clit.
It was too much after the dreams she’d had with them both begging her, with them both making her beg.
Mika twisted around so she was facing Lucien and she kissed him, hard. His hands buried into her hair as she yanked his belt free. A few tugs and she had his pants down just far enough.
There was nothing sweet or graceful about this. It was nothing like their first time and she didn’t care. Mika needed this more at the moment and Lucien didn’t seem to mind as she straddled him.
Before sliding her shorts aside and taking him, Mika paused and pulled back so she could study Lucien’s face. Just because this was what she wanted, it might not be what Lucien wanted.
“Why are you stopping?” he asked grabbing her hips as he thrust against her.
The feel of his soft skin made her eyes roll back into her head. Lucien’s cock against her was almost what she needed – but not quite.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked. Mika didn’t like how breathy her voice sounded, like she was some kind of sex-addicted freak, but she’d also never experienced this kind of reaction to males before – ever.
Not even with Matthew.
“Little witch, if you don’t continue I will have to rip those pretty little shorts off with my claws and then you’ll be pissed at me,” Lucien gritted out.
She licked her lips and nodded, lifting herself up slightly so she could move the fabric. Lucien wrapped his hand around the base of his cock and angled it so the head was right against her entrance.
There was something so hot about that and Mika didn’t even bother listening to the voice deep inside that liked to question everything. She sank down on him, so wet he slid through easily enough.
But the size of him…she would never really get used to that. Mika felt her body stretch to accommodate and she sighed when he filled her completely. Lucien grinned and angled his hips upward, making her gasp as his cock hit her in exactly the right spot.
Mika couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t slow down even if she tried.
Grabbing his face she kissed him, biting his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood – claiming him like Ethan had claimed her. Mika rode him, the pressure building hard and fast.
Lucien growled and bit her bottom lip hard until their blood mingled in her mouth, somehow tasting exotic and delicious instead of the usual copper. Mika moaned and let him guide her, his large hands on her hips, on her ass, driving her to take him harder and harder.
Then it hit like a tidal wave and she couldn’t even scream. Mika’s body reacted and everything clenched. Her muscles spasmed as the orgasm made her brain go completely blank. Her back arched as she dragged her nails down Lucien’s chest.
He followed her up, biting her nipple through her thin tank top and the sensation shorted every thought she had and then some. Lucien wrapped an arm around her waist and thrust upward, still taking her hard as she came around him, shuddering and shaking and barely holding on.
When he came he bit down on her shoulder and growled.
There was a ringing in her ears and Mika couldn’t move even if she’d tried.
The smell of blood and sex filled the room. Everywhere he’d bitten her pulsed – not with pain, but with a satisfied ache.
Lucien kissed the hollow of her throat as they both slowly came down from that high. Both of them breathed hard as sweat dripped between them. The sunlight made his skin glow.
She opened her eyes and studied Lucien closely. His eyes were still gold, but they weren’t hungry anymore. He smiled and her heart fluttered. Lucien caressed her back, her face, moving the hair out of the way…
He was beautiful.
“You’re gorgeous in the sun,” Lucien murmured. “I never noticed how many shades of blue are in your eyes.”
“So are you.” Mika kissed him softly, enjoying the taste of him one last time before he had to leave. “Don’t forget about me while you’re gone.”
With a quick lift and twist Lucien had her on her back. “Impossible.” A quick peck and the weight of his body disappeared.
Mika sighed as she watched him walk into her attached bathroom to clean up and fix his clothes.
For a moment her memory of the past collided with the present and she remembered what Corbin had looked like in her bedroom, standing in that doorway just like Lucien was now.
Another blink and that strange overlap dissolved and all she could see was Lucien’s grin as he winked at her, eyes back to their human golden-brown.
“Don’t wear out Ethan too much,” Lucien teased. “He needs his beauty rest.”
Mika grinned and blew her fox a kiss as he left her room. Lucien caught it on the way out and then gently closed the door behind him.
For someone so aggressive and prickly, Lucien was a big old softy.
Somehow the complete opposite of Ethan’s outward personality versus the one he hid from everyone.
Stripping out of her sweaty, dirty pajamas Mika tossed them into the hamper. It was still early, but the new gardener was supposed to arrive in a few hours. After washing up Mika wrapped a towel around herself.
She studied her reflection as she brushed her teeth.
The deep circles under her eyes were slowly disappearing. Her skin was brighter and her hair was shinier. It wasn’t anything new she was doing, Mika knew that. No, it was the slow change from a devastating isolation where she was terrified to use magic.
She hadn’t thought those three years had weighed so heavily on her, but now that she could see the difference, Mika had no idea why no one had ever said anything to her. She’d looked downright ghoulish after her father and brother had been carted away, causing her mother’s death.