The thought of being without them left her breathless. That was the goal, why did it make her feel like her heart was being ripped from her chest?
"Strong, healthy babies?" Dimitri said. He glanced at Sanjay. "I'll give you that one. But any child that you put in Audrey would likely rip her in half as she gives birth."
Audrey smacked his arm lightly. "They would not.
Sanjay smirked.
"Besides which, both of you are bigger than the average human, if I was going to have trouble with one of you, I'd have trouble with both. But I can't think about children right now."
Both men looked crestfallen. Dimitri curled her hair around his fingers. "You don't want children?"
"That's not what I said. I want children eventually. But I want to make sure I'm in a solid relationship before I have them." She looked away, a lump rising in her throat. "I don't want them to ever think they weren't wanted."
"You wouldn't have to worry about me, or either of us, not wanting our children," Dimitri said. "Children are highly valued among vampires, and shifters are always protective and devoted to their offspring."
"Well… thank you. But I still can't mate either of you." Audrey didn't want to continue on this line of conversation. It was getting too intimate. She was left feeling to vulnerable. "Tiana did have a good point about that other thing, though."
"About the protection?" Dimitri asked, his eyes lighting up. "I made sure condoms are provided in every room."
Audrey stared at him, her jaw hung loose.
Sanjay nuzzled the back of her neck, sending tingles down her spine. "Mmmmm. Honeysuckle."
"No!" She squirmed, trying to free herself, but they clasped her tighter. "I meant why the two of you chose me. There were hundreds of women there, and hundreds more women that would kill to have the chance with either of you. Why are you both so determined to have me?"
"I told you it was your scent that first drew me to you," Sanjay said. "But now that I've gotten to know you better, I admire your tenacity and determination."
She couldn’t deny that it made her insides vibrate with happiness to hear him say that. She turned to Dimitri. "And you?"
He didn't respond. But before Audrey could demand an answer, a scream echoed down the hallway. Both Sanjay and Dimitri's heads whipped around. The vampire king set Audrey down and headed for the door. "Stay here with her."
"I am not one of your subjects," Sanjay growled, going after him.
Audrey followed them both out, jogging to keep up with their long strides. A crowd was gathering at the window at the end of the hallway. Several more screams and the shifters and vampires there gathered their women into their arms and turned away from the window. Everybody melted aside to let Dimitri and Sanjay pass.
Both men stopped suddenly. Sanjay whirled, pulling Audrey into his arms and shielding her eyes. But not before she saw what the commotion was about. Just outside the window was a bronze statue of Dimitri.
A woman was impaled on the spikes of his crown.
Chapter Five
Audrey stood outside of Dimitri's study, her hands on her hips, eyes flashing. Before her stood one of the larger vampires she had seen, blocking her way. She knew that Dimitri was in his study. She also knew that he could hear her, and wasn't about to budge until she got what she came for.
"I told you," she said to the vampire blocking her way, "I am the king's chosen mate, and I demand to see him this instant. Do you want me to start causing a scene? And do you, Dimitri?" She rose her voice, glaring at the door. "Because I will. I will start kicking and screaming if you don't let me in and tell me exactly what is going on around here."
"Miss, the king was very clear that he cannot be disturbed at the moment, even by you. He is in a very important meeting with human investigation representatives and doesn't have the time to spare—"
"I'm a reporter in the building. I already have a series of short articles appearing about what life in like for the women here, and why they decided to apply to be part of the festival. I can tell the story about what's happening with this murder in an open and balanced way."
"Miss—"
"The newspapers out there will just be saying that a woman was killed, but I can write about how the king is cooperating with humans to find out what happened. How did she die? Who killed her?"
"The king cannot see you right now."
"Come on, you know you need me in there. Not as your chosen, but as a reporter!" she shouted.
The vampire looked distressed. "Miss, please, I don't want to have to remove you."
"I told you before that I'm not your subject." Sanjay's rich, sexy voice came down the hallway. "Yes, I'll look after her, but only because she's my mate. Stop ordering me around."
The shifter stalked into view, a phone pressed to his ear and an annoyed expression on his face.
Audrey rushed him. "Were you talking to Dimitri?"
Sanjay grunted as he shoved the phone into his pocket. He swung her over his shoulder and began walking away. Audrey thumped her fist against his back, struggling against his grip.
"Why do you always do this?" she hissed.
Sanjay ignored her. The reporter thumped him again, but she might as well have been hitting a stone wall. He made no indication that he had even felt her. Even still, she didn't like the sensation of hitting him, despite the fact that he had just picked her up and carted her off like a sack of potatoes.
He carried her outside, where the air was clean and fresh with a slight taste of sea salt. There he set her down but kept his hand in hers as he walked towards the extensive gardens.
"So Dimitri didn't want me involved in the investigation and he called you to distract me," Audrey said bitterly. "I'm a reporter, I could help."
"Not right now." Sanjay stopped beside a trellis that huge purple clematis crawled all over. "He will have one of his men give you a full debriefing, but he has to treat you like any reporter right now. The investigation has barely started. If this was a crime that had been committed on human turf, would you be permitted to sit in on the investigation at this point?"
Audrey scowled, but she had to admit the Liger had a point. With a huff, she sat on a nearby stone bench. "No. But I would be just as upset about that as I am about this. Can you at least tell me what you know? Has Dimitri told you anything?"
Sanjay sat beside her and curled his fingers around her wrist. "Why would he tell me anything? We're rivals, remember."
"I don't know. From what I've seen of your interactions you seem to get along most of the time, except when you're squabbling about me. Which I don't like, by the way, because I'm still not choosing."
"Stubborn little human."
"I just thought that maybe you knew something. Who she was. How she got there. Something."
The shifter brought her wrist to his mouth and kissed it gently. "The woman was an attendee of the festival last year. She had stayed in contact with a vampire, and they had agreed to mate since neither of them had found anybody else. Have you heard of the group the Fist of Humanity?"
Her stomach churned and Audrey choked back bile. The Fist of Humanity was an extreme group that vocally advocated for the extermination of all non-Humans. They had attempted more than once to disrupt the Harvest Moon festival. There had been a few bombings in a few towns that they had taken credit for, although thankfully nobody had died. To upgrade to torture and murder was a terrifying idea.
"Are you sure it's them?"
"They have taken credit for it in a message sent to Dimitri."
Audrey shifted closer to her Liger. "How did they get the woman into the palace?"
"There was a caterer allowed in that Dimitri hadn't ordered. Security is mostly focused on the borders, and since nothing has happened the past few years, they've been lax. Dimitri thinks that the caterers were actually the Fist of Humanity, and they must have put her there overnight."
"Why did he tell you and not me?"
Sanjay shrugged. "I'm a shifter. I
might not be part of a pack, but shifters, in general, tend to be close-knit, and I suppose he thought I was the best one to inform the others about what was happening."
"How have they taken the news?"
"There are several shifters who have already mated who want to take their women into the woods after hearing about this."
Audrey moved a little closer again. "Will they?"
"Maybe. I know Dimitri would like me to stop them, but I understand their views. Stone walls don't agree with us. They think they can protect their mates better out in the forest."
If they mated, would he want her to go live in the sticks with him? She couldn't do that.
Not that it wouldn't be amazing to be able to get a true first-hand view of how shifters lived to write that article she had always dreamed of. She invested too much into her career; her whole life revolved around work. She didn't want it to be this way. She had always longed for a family, to be a wife and mother. Right now her identity was so consumed by being a reporter that she had nothing else.
But if she did mate him, then he could give her the life and family she always dreamed of. Would her career really be so important when she had an actual life to live?
Maybe. Maybe she shouldn’t reject taking a mate so blindly.
"Is there a threat to the women here?" she pressed. "What about women that had participated in previous years? What's being done to protect them?"
"I'm sure Dimitri has it taken care of. As for the women here, Dimitri has increased security, and us shifters are on alert, too. They won't be able to sneak in again. Our sense of smell is very fine-tuned. I already know the scent of every human in the palace, and any unfamiliar scent will be dealt with. You don't have to worry."
Audrey rubbed her arms. "How much of this am I allowed to publish?"
Sanjay shrugged. "Maybe the best idea is to just type it up and submit it to Dimitri's office for approval of the investigation."
"That's not how journalism works."
"I understand. But do you want to compromise the investigation?"
Audrey shook her head. This wasn't the kind of journalism that she had signed up to do. Criminal investigations were just so depressing. But since she was here, Tiana would want every detail. Well, when she had the time she would be able to speak with Dimitri about it. There was no harm in typing up the information she had already had, was there?
"I know this isn't what you would have liked," Sanjay said, brushing her hair away from her neck. "And I know that the timing is terrible for you. But life is continuing, and you only have three weeks left to choose between Dimitri and I. Don't you think it's time we see which of us pleases you better?"
It took her a moment for her to realize what Sanjay was saying. Audrey gaped at him. After everything he had just told her, he was still making a play for her? She didn't know what to say. Because yes, life did go on. But it felt disrespectful to the murdered woman to change the topic from her death back to the mating game.
"I would like to make dinner for you tonight."
"Really?"
Audrey blinked in surprise. She hadn't pegged Sanjay for the cooking type. His hand cupped the back of her neck, and despite everything, a shiver still moved down her spine at his touch. The events of the day quickly faded to the back of her mind, she was so focused on the smile on Sanjay's face.
"I will bring it to your room if that is what you want. So you can work on your reports with minimal interruption. I know how important it all is to you."
"You don't have to do that." She was touched by his concern and smiled. "I should take a break, anyway. Working all the time can be a real drag."
"Ah, in that case, I'm sure we'll be able to figure out something else to do."
Audrey's breath caught in her chest. She wanted to say yes so badly it hurt. "I can't."
His hand dropped.
"I like you. I can't deny that. You're hot and strong and you've got that bad-boy 'I do what I want' vibe, but I can't. But I'm not right for you or Dimitri. If this continues, I'm just going to end up hurting both of you."
"No. You are my perfect match, just as you are for Dimitri. I wish you could accept that. You're drawn to the two of us. You keep saying no, but your heart is saying yes, and sooner or later you are not going to be able to deny it any longer." He paused. "If you choose Dimitri, I will disappear from your life without complaint."
She winced. She didn't want him to just go away.
"If you can't choose between us, I will fight to the death for you."
Audrey stood and shook her head as she dug her hands into her reddish-black hair. "Is that supposed to be romantic? You think I like the idea of you two killing each other? Maybe in time I'd let you two date me, but a month is far too short a period to make that decision, especially when you keep saying things like that. And if you kill Dimitri or he kills you, then that's it. I would never speak to survivor again. Never."
Sanjay stared at her, surprise flitting across his face. It seemed like he finally had gotten it into his head that she was serious. A voice spoke from behind her.
"Then you had best choose one of us before it comes to that."
Chapter Six
Audrey turned on Dimitri, fists clenched. What was it with these people? Choosing wasn't an option. And neither was watching them kill each other.
She marched up to the vampire king and jabbed her finger into his chest.
"Listen here, buddy. I know that you have a million women drooling all over themselves the moment you walk into a room. But you're after forever, and I have never had a relationship last for more than a few months. I am not choosing because I am not right for you!"
Dimitri was silent during her outburst, which only made her angrier. He clearly didn't take her seriously. And neither did Sanjay. That in itself was more than enough reason to deny both of them. Audrey wasn't the type of girl that was just going to roll over and let men dictate her life.
"And I mean it. If you kill Sanjay, that's it. I won't have anything more to do with you. And if he kills you, the same story. So you had better stop all this 'fight to the death' crap."
"I can see that you feel strongly about this matter," Dimitri said, his voice low and soothing. "Perhaps there is another way to resolve this, then. First blood?"
Sanjay nodded. "I would accept that."
Audrey shook her head. "I won't. You're not listening to me. Why should I choose either of you when you don't care how I feel?"
"You can't deny that you are drawn to us."
"No, I can't." Audrey took a deep breath and looked the king in the eye. "I am drawn to you. Both of you, and I don't want to see either of you hurt. I don't want you to fight for me."
"Audrey—"
"Besides which, if I was going to choose, it would be both of you."
Dimitri pulled her into his arms and ground his hips against hers. "Both of us? I could live with that."
Before Audrey could process what he had just said, he kissed her. As she had come to expect, sparks exploded in her brain the moment their lips touched. His arms were strong around her, drawing her closer. Audrey couldn't stop herself from reciprocating. Right now she didn't want to fight against her natural urges, no matter how much she knew she shouldn't.
It was simpler, feeling the lust for him and not thinking about the forever he wanted. Him and Sanjay both. Maybe she should just let them do this. Maybe if she did and then told them again that she still wasn't going to choose between them, they'd stop all this nonsense about fighting each other for her.
The second set of arms wrapped around her waist. Sanjay pulled her away from Dimitri, turning her face to his. The shifter caught her in a deep kiss. The sparks that had already been going off in her brain stepped up another notch. Her whole body felt tight and hot. Her skin sizzled, and she wanted to shed her clothes where they stood.
When Sanjay moved to her neck, Dimitri took her mouth again. Both of them kissing her, sandwiched between their bodies, had ev
ery inch of her glowing. A moan escaped from her throat, causing her two men to chuckle. Her eyes were half-closed as she tilted her head back–and saw the sky.
"Wait," she gasped as one set of hands cupped her bottom and the other began caressing her breasts. "Wait. Everybody can see."
"So?" Sanjay asked, his voice vibrating into her neck. "Haven't you noticed couples squirreled away in nooks and crannies, giving into their bodily desires?"
"No. And even if I did, they were at least trying to conceal themselves. We're right out in the open, I can't do this when people might be watching. What if they take pictures?"
Dimitri groaned, stepped back. Audrey almost whimpered from the loss of his body close to hers. She took the opportunity to detangle herself from Sanjay, though and combed her fingers through her hair. Her heart was hammering, her mouth dry, her body trembling with desire.
"You can't change my mind by kissing me," she said, putting a trembling hand to her chest. "I'm not choosing between you."
Except at that moment, Audrey knew she had made her choice. She wasn't going to choose between them. It was both. It had always been both, as much as she wanted to deny it. She looked between them, eyes wide, not knowing what to say or do now. It couldn't possibly work. Could it?
"Do you mean it?" Sanjay said, brows furrowed.
"Mean what?"
"You won't choose between us because you want both of us."
"I didn't say that." Audrey felt sick. She was unprepared for this. The inevitable truth was that no relationship she had lasted. She couldn't put these two through that pain. And if they were the ones to decide they didn't want her? It would destroy her. No, she had to stick to her guns and deny them both. "I can't give up my life for you. Either of you."
"What about both of us?" Dimitri asked, his gaze intent. "You asked me what drew me to you. Your scent was a huge factor. As soon as I smelled you, I wanted you."
"Back to the smell again."
"It's not the only reason I want you. I was as drawn to your insistence that you wanted me only, and then your resistance to giving into me, and your willingness to face lawsuits to get your story, and not just for your own means. You have a moral code that I find very attractive. And…" He glanced at Sanjay. "When I realized the shifter had claimed you, I knew you were the right choice."
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