Shit, he must’ve been nearly dead.
He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. His throat was too dry.
“Shh,” Tam whispered. “Don’t try to talk. Kyle, get him some water. Duke, look here at me. How many fingers am I holding up?”
As Tam ran through what he figured were standard reawakening-from-a-near-fatal-injury questions, Kyle held a straw to his lips. Duke wanted to gulp down the water but Tam wouldn’t let him.
So after a few sips, Duke finally could ask his own questions.
“Is everyone else okay?”
His voice was barely audible to his own ears but Kyle nodded as he sat on the edge of the bed. “Yeah. You’re the only one stupid enough to get hurt badly.” The twist to Kyle’s lips let Duke know he was mostly kidding. “We got the eteri’s sister too.”
“Is Kaine all right?”
Kyle nodded though his expression darkened. “She had a few broken bones but she’s fine now.”
“And the woman?”
Kyle shook his head. “The goon who put the beat-down on you got her out. We’ve got one of her men in holding but we’re not sure he’s going to pull through. The others are dead.”
“Do we know who she is yet?”
Kyle shook his head again. “Working on it.” Kyle’s gaze slipped to the other side of the bed. “Still working on it.”
Tam laid a cool palm against his cheek, drawing his attention. “You need some more sleep. As a medical professional, I’m ordering you to.”
But he didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to talk to Nic and Tira, to make sure they were okay.
“They’re fine, Duke.” Tam’s voice held a calming effect that immediately put him at ease. “They just haven’t had any sleep in the past two days you’ve been lying in this bed. They finally fell asleep a couple of hours ago. I can assure you they’ll be here when you wake up again. Go ahead and sleep. You need it.”
Tam turned to leave, but Kyle remained standing by his bed. “And they need you. Both of them, though why that smart woman wants to put up with you two yahoos is beyond me.”
Even though his head still felt shot full of mind-numbing Novocain, Duke knew what Kyle wasn’t saying.
Without a hint of sarcasm, Duke raised his right fist to his left shoulder. A salute for his superior officer.
Kyle actually smiled, a full-out grin, before he shook his head. “Get some more sleep. You must still be out of it.”
Which had to be true because when Kyle walked out the door and Duke turned back to Nic and Tira, they were both awake and staring at him.
Tira’s wide blue eyes held relieved tears and Nic’s smile lit his entire face.
“Are you really feeling okay?” Tira asked as Nic folded the chair back into its upright position and helped Tira to her feet.
She stepped up to the bed and laced her fingers with Duke’s outstretched hand. He felt the tremble in hers and tightened his grip, pulling her closer until she sat on the edge of the bed. Nic moved around to the other side, watching Duke for any sign of impending stupidity, like jumping out of bed and attempting to run a marathon.
“I’m tired. My mouth feels like I tried to chew fiberglass and I’m hungry enough to devour a steer. But I’ll be fine. Are you okay? Are you both okay?”
He watched Tira blink, watched her try to formulate an answer that wouldn’t upset him.
His lungs constricted and he felt like a huge weight had been dropped on his chest.
“Duke, breathe. I’m fine. We’re fine.” She grimaced. “I’m sorry, I don’t want you to worry. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Then tell me what the hell’s going on.”
“Why don’t you just show him, Ti?” Nic said. “It’ll be easier.”
Tira drew in a deep breath and watched Duke’s eyes narrow down to slits. She could see he was getting worked up, the not knowing worse, she hoped, than the actual truth.
Because their hands were already linked, the connection only needed her command to begin.
Since she’d accepted her mom’s position, she’s been testing her new powers in fits and starts. This ability had appeared yesterday, when she’d worked up the courage to touch Nic. She’d wanted—no, she’d needed—to hold him so badly, she’d forced herself to brave the vision of his death to take him in her arms. No more fear. She didn’t want to spend what time he had left without him in her life.
What she’d seen, or rather, didn’t see, when he’d kissed her had nearly made her fall to the floor and weep with relief.
She’d seen nothing of Nic’s future. Not his death. Not his funeral. Not Duke’s retreat from her. Nothing.
Exactly what happened when she touched Duke.
To say they’d been shocked would be an understatement. The absolute joy she’d felt at that moment must have opened her Gift to Nic and he’d seen her thoughts. He’d caught glimpses of everything she remembered from the past days and he’d even caught bits and pieces of the collective memory she’d gained from her mom.
She still wasn’t sure why that had happened but she was fairly certain it had something to do with her love for Nic. The willingness she now had to love him.
And since Duke was the other half of her heart, she knew it would work the same with him.
Keeping her eyes on his, she opened her senses, reaching out with them to connect with Duke. She saw his eyes widen, felt his hand tighten around hers then watched as his gaze turned inward.
Watching the memories she carefully chose for him to see. She’d learned a little bit yesterday with Nic about how to control this and she purposefully kept certain images from him. She didn’t want Duke to see anything that would upset him.
She only kept the connection open for thirty seconds or so before she shut it down. And waited for what it meant to sink in.
Duke blinked slowly, his eyes refocusing on hers.
“I accepted the mantle of praenuntio right after you left with Nic to go find Kaine and the eteri. It was the right thing to do. It was the only thing I could do. My mom deserves to have her life back. She’s earned the right to see if she and my dad can recapture some of what they lost.”
Her mom had told her that Marc Daniels was sticking around for a while, to get to know his daughter. And to get to know Su again. If and how they were going to explain their lives and their community to him… Well, they hadn’t gotten around to figuring that out yet but Tira was looking forward to getting to know her dad.
She was looking forward to spending time with Nic and Duke even more.
Her mouth began to curve in a smile. “And I believe—and so does my mom—that Nic’s fate changed at the exact second he decided he didn’t want to die. He made a conscious decision to stay with us, to change his ways. I think that altered the outcome of the fight.”
“Vaffanculo, Tira. How… When… What…”
Nic snorted but his smile couldn’t be contained. “Damn, you must have hit your head harder than we thought. Try not to think too hard or you’ll hurt yourself.”
Duke flipped him off with his free hand, but the gesture was absentminded as he pulled Tira closer. He needed her closer. “Are you telling me Nic’s not going to die? At least not now?”
She nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Relief rushed through him, making his heart pound even fast than it already was. “I love you, Ti. I— We always have. We’re not easy to live with. I apologize for Nic’s snoring now—”
“Hey, you talk in your sleep, scassacazzo.”
“—and I know we’ll have to split our time between our house and yours. But you will always be first in our lives.”
He kept tugging her closer and she let him, her smile widening by the second. When he had her close enough, he reached to lift her onto the bed beside him.
Before he could, Nic had moved to help him, setting her on the bed next to him and keeping his hand on her back as she leaned down to kiss Duke.
Her sweet, soft lips took
his breath and he opened his mouth to allow her tongue to flick against his.
Heat rose and blood began to chug through his body. Hell, he wanted her. Wanted to lift her and settle her on his fast-hardening cock even though he knew he probably shouldn’t. Whatever monitors he was hooked up to had started to beep like a metal detector over a stash of gold.
He couldn’t give a flying fuck.
With one hand on her head, he widened his mouth and kissed her harder, deeper.
But she drew away, laughing, and he let her.
“You’re in no shape for that, Varro Ducati. And Tam will—”
As if she’d been conjured, Tam walked through the door. Well, more like ran through the door.
“What’s going on? Why— Oh. Oh, for Christ’s sake, Duke.” Tam stopped in her tracks, shaking her head. “I thought you were having a heart attack.”
Nic started to laugh, doubling over with the effort, and Duke couldn’t help his own smile as Tira blushed and put her hands over her face.
Damn, he couldn’t wait to get the fuck out here and go home with Tira and Nic.
* * * * *
Four days later
“Kaine,” Tira said, “are you really sure you want to be there?”
Nic’s fork froze halfway to his mouth before he forced himself to continue eating breakfast and acting as if he didn’t hear them.
“Yeah, I need to—I just need to see it. To—” Kaine shrugged and lowered her eyes to her own plate as she started to shovel in chocolate chip pancakes.
Tira had made breakfast this morning, saying Duke needed to get his strength back, which was true.
But Nic had noticed how Kaine’s expression had actually lightened when Tira had mentioned chocolate. Kaine had a weakness for it. Tira had remembered and she’d made the pancakes specifically for Kaine.
Tira still hadn’t said anything about living with him and Duke permanently. But when Dr. Dimitriou had released Duke from the med ward yesterday, Tira had returned with them.
She’d slept in their bed last night, between them. No sex, though, because Duke just hadn’t been up to it. The guy had collapsed into bed after dinner and hadn’t woken up yet this morning.
Nic was willing to wait. Just not for long.
And when she did move in, he realized they’d have to be respectful of Kaine.
Because, as Nic had realized, not only would Tira be living with him and Duke, she’d also be moving in with Kaine.
The tomboy tracker had been so much a part of their lives since she, Duke and Nic had joined Kyle as sicarii, they’d never considered what bringing another woman into the house would mean. And he’d never considered asking Kaine to move out.
But that had seemed like one huge, fucking bad idea when Nic, Duke and Tira had returned yesterday. Kaine had been as prickly as a rosebush, the tension thick enough to choke a horse.
At first, he’d thought it’d been because of Tira. But last night, when Tira had pulled Kaine into the kitchen with her to cook dinner, Nic knew that wasn’t it. The girls had spent an entire hour huddled together in the kitchen talking about the Goddess only knew what.
No, it was that damn eteri staying with his sister at Kyle’s home.
The girl, Evie, who they’d rescued from the crazy woman, had been a mess. Pumped full of drugs and crawling with fucked-up spells that several of the strongest streghe from Tira’s boschetta had only been able to unravel after a day’s steady work.
The eteri, John, refused to leave her side. Not that Nic blamed him. If that was Kaine in that bed, Nic wouldn’t leave either.
But Nic would be happy to see the ass end of the guy when he got the hell out of their lives.
Not only because he didn’t belong here but because he fucked with Kaine’s head.
Today, the streghe planned to wipe John’s and his sister Evie’s minds of their memories of the Etruscans.
While John and Evie had sustained too much trauma for the streghe to wipe away all of the memories of what had happened to them, they could at least conceal their community.
John had agreed to the procedure. Hell, he’d seemed more than happy to put everything he’d learned the past few days behind him.
And he was breaking Kaine’s heart. She thought she was in love with the guy. Hell, she’d never said it but Nic wasn’t completely clueless. He saw the way she looked at the eteri whenever she was in the same room.
The sooner that fucker was gone, the better. He didn’t want to see Kaine hurt, but if she needed to see just how badly he wanted to be rid of his memories of the lucani, well, then that’s what needed to happen.
He was still eating when Kaine finally took her plate to the dishwasher. When she turned for the door, Tira walked with her, speaking softly, calmly, then gave Kaine a hug before she walked out the door.
Tira moved to the front window to watch Kaine walk away and Nic joined her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.
“She’s a big girl, Ti. She can take care of herself.”
“I know. I just…” Tira sighed.
“Just what?”
“Just wish there was something I could do for her. I know what it’s like to love someone you think you can’t have.”
“Well, I’m right here, sweetheart. Duke and I aren’t going anywhere. And neither are you.”
She turned with raised eyebrows and a slightly haughty look on her face. “Oh really?”
“Yes, really,” Duke said.
Tira turned to see Duke standing in the doorway to their bedroom, gloriously naked and erect.
Her mouth dried as she stared at him, letting her gaze travel from his broad shoulders to his wide chest, down his ridged abdomen to his thick cock and strong thighs.
The man was a work of art, so ruggedly masculine he made her want to worship him with her hands and her mouth.
Behind her, she felt Nic press more closely against her, his body leaner but no less masculine. And just as aroused. With his arms around her waist, he nestled his hard cock between the cheeks of her ass, making her blood simmer and her sex contract almost painfully.
She wanted them. Right now. But… “Are you sure you should be out of bed?”
The corner of Duke’s mouth twitched up and the heat in his dark eyes burned a little brighter. “Not really. Maybe you should help me back to it.”
Blessed Goddess, that’s exactly what she wanted to do. It felt like it’d been forever since she’d been held between them and she felt like she was starving for their touch, for the heat of their bodies against hers.
She bit her lip and watched Duke’s gaze drop to her mouth as Nic lifted one hand to cup her breast. His fingers tweaked the already tight nipple, sending shock waves of pleasure rippling through her body to her sex.
The air in the room evaporated as Duke watched Nic arouse her to panting ecstasy with nothing more than his hands on her breasts. She couldn’t move, didn’t want to move except to get closer to Duke.
He was too far away.
As if Nic had read her mind, he nudged her forward until her feet began to move of her own volition. What had seemed a vast divide took only seconds to close and soon she was staring up into Duke’s eyes, barely able to breathe. Her hands rose to rest on his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. Both increased when she kneaded his muscles with the tips of her fingers.
Warm and solid, Duke watched her hands pet along his skin.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
She had to ask again. He’d been so close to death and she didn’t think she or Nic would have survived his loss at this point.
Duke nodded, his expression solemn as he reached for the hem of her t-shirt. “The only thing that’s going to kill me right now is the fact that you’re dressed.”
As Duke’s hands lifted her shirt over her head, Nic’s reached for the waistband of her yoga pants, stripping them down her legs along with her panties.
“You’re so damn pretty, Ti.” Duke raised a finger to stroke along her cheekbone then down to her chin. “Pretty pink,” he brushed the finger down the slope of her breast, “pretty red,” to the aching nipple begging to be sucked.
Nic flattened his palms on the outside of her thighs then dragged them up to her hips in a rougher caress. “Soft skin.” And around her front until one covered her mound with heavy heat. “Wet. Spread your legs, baby. That’s it. Ah, gods damn.”
Tira cried out as Duke bent to suck one of her nipples into his mouth as Nic’s fingers pressed between her legs, teasing her clit and sliding through her moisture-laden lower lips.
Pleasure, sharp and sweet, swept through her body like a narcotic. Wriggling her ass against Nic’s erection, she arched her back, thrusting her breast harder against Duke’s mouth.
Her knees went weak but she knew her men would catch her if they buckled.
Hell, they never gave her time to buckle.
With a groan, Duke pulled away from her, giving her nipple one sharp, blindingly erotic nip, then picked her up to carry her the five remaining feet to the bed.
By the time Nic closed the door behind them, Duke had laid her out on the huge bed.
She knew what he wanted, what he expected to happen. For her to lie back and let them devour her.
And maybe another time she would. But she wasn’t the same woman who’d been afraid to live her life before.
She was going to take what she wanted.
Waiting until Duke crawled on the bed beside her, she took him by surprise when she sat up and pushed him onto his back instead.
“Since you’re the one who almost died, I think you need to take it easy. Don’t you think so, Nic?”
She threw a glance over her shoulder at Nic, who stood smiling at her at the edge of the bed. “You know whatever you want is fine with me, babe.”
That smile of his made her insides clench with lust and love and she grinned back at him just before she lowered her head to take Duke in her mouth.
With a groan, his hands sank into her hair to hold her to him as she took him deep, the tip nudging at the back of her throat before she pulled back to suck on just the tip.
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