by Anna Lewis
Her eyes locked with Ethan’s and he held her gaze as Cam slid into her from behind. She was already wet, her body already on fire from their touch and wanting them for so long. She gasped at the size of him, but her body stretched to take the length of him, and she moved against him as he began to thrust into her.
The familiar ache began to build in her body as Cam’s fast movements pushed her closer to orgasm each time he buried himself inside her, then pulled out until he was almost completely out before plunging in again.
Her breathing was hard and fast, Ethan’s hands on her breasts almost rough and bringing her toward climax even faster. He still held her gaze, forcing her to live in the moment and not letting her close her eyes and lose herself to the feelings that were ripping through her. She wanted to let go, but Cam and Ethan were in control and she was at their mercy.
When the orgasm finally claimed her, she called out her pleasure with wild abandon. Her shrieks of overwhelming pleasure echoed off the walls that surrounded the secluded lake, but she didn’t hear it. All she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears, and Cam’s ragged breathing as he let himself go.
Her heart was still pounding when Cam slid out of her and Ethan pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around Ethan’s neck and clung to him as her limbs trembled. Resting her head on his shoulder, she was surprised when he slipped into her even though she was still recovering from the first orgasm.
Without waiting for her to recover, he used his hands on her hips to move her on his shaft and she felt that familiar heat growing more rapidly than it had the first time. Ethan thrust into her relentlessly until a strangled cry of pleasure escaped her throat and she found herself writhing with pleasure, holding onto him for dear life.
They spent the rest of the afternoon this way, and by the time they finally made their way to the shallowest water at the edge of the shore, Solace knew she wouldn’t be able to walk a single mile on legs that still trembled almost an hour later.
Their hips and legs were in the water, but Cam lay on the sandy shore at an angle, letting Solace rest her head on his chest. Ethan laid his head on her shoulder and kissed one tender breast, his arm flung over her stomach, hand curled around her round ass cheek.
The three of them fell to sleep like this, the sun warming their skin and the cool water lapping at their legs lazily as the afternoon waned.
Epilogue
Solace’s arms were still wrapped tightly around Ethan’s waist when Cam landed in the little village tucked away deep in the mountains of Colorado. The sun was just beginning to rise, but there were already people rushing out to greet them as Cam lowered himself to the ground to let them off his back, then melted back into his human form and ducked into a cottage nearby.
“That’s his house,” Ethan said quietly, smiling and waving to the children who were almost upon them with wide grins and open arms. “My house is over there.”
She followed where he was pointing.
“You don’t live together?” she asked.
“No,” Ethan laughed. “We share enough without having to share our space, too.”
“You two are something else,” Solace said just as Cam reemerged and joined them.
“What did we do?” he asked, but Ethan just shook his head.
The first of the children reached them, and Solace was shocked when the exuberant little girl bypassed Ethan and Cam and threw her arms around Solace. At first, Solace didn’t know what to do, but the little girl’s tight embrace was infectious, and she found herself kneeling down to hug the little girl back.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” the girl said before pulling away and running off to play with the others who had already said hello and left to play.
“That was interesting,” Solace said. “I didn’t expect that.”
“That’s Seraphina,” Ethan said. “She’s been dreaming about you for months. That’s how we knew where to find you.”
“But how did she—”
Ethan shrugged.
“We all have our gifts, and that is hers. She woke everyone up to let them know we were coming.”
“That’s amazing,” Solace said. “This place is unreal. I feel like we’ve stepped back in time a hundred years.”
“Except we have all the modern conveniences here, and solar power,” Cam offered. “Except the internet. But sometimes, it’s better not to know what’s going on all over the world. Life is a little more peaceful that way.”
Solace nodded. She had definitely felt that way a time or two, and the events of the last few days had really changed her outlook on life. She didn’t know what she was going to do with her life now that she knew what she did, but she couldn’t see herself going down the path she once thought was her destiny.
She decided not to worry about that now and just enjoy her time here, however long that was.
“What about that cabin in between yours and Cam’s? Who lives there?”
Ethan and Cam looked at each other and her heart sank. Was it a love interest? Were dragons monogamous? What if their afternoon in the emerald pool hadn’t meant to them what it had meant to her.
They were smiling as she went through all this in her head, but she was lost in thought and in a panic. There were so many things that she hadn’t even considered, and she was already kicking herself for being so naïve.
“We built that for you,” Cam said.
Solace stopped her mental tirade for a moment, regarding Cam in utter confusion.
“Did you say that you built it for me?” she wondered.
“We did,” Ethan confirmed. “We knew that you were going to need somewhere to stay and we thought that between us would be the best place.”
“Because a little girl dreamed about me?”
“Seraphina is more than just a little girl,” Ethan said. “She’s our future leader and she’s going to need a strong Tribute by her side, and she’s already made her choice.”
Solace stood there, then looked in the open area where the children played, easily picking out the olive-skinned girl with the long, curly black hair. Seraphina turned, twirling around in the dress she wore before blowing a kiss to Solace. She wasn’t a day over four years old, yet her eyes revealed a soul that was older than time. Solace waved back and then the moment passed and Seraphina was back to playing with the other children, her laughter ringing in the early morning air.
She felt Cam and Ethan each put an arm around her as the three of them watched the children playing. She knew what they were going to say, but she still couldn’t believe it. The future leader had chosen a Tribute.
“Solace,” Ethan said, the pride in his voice evident. “Seraphina has chosen you.”
Solace nodded and the three of them stood there watching the sun finish rising over the trees in silence. There was nothing left to say. She was exactly where she wanted to be, and her future was laid out before her. She had been chosen, and in a moment that she would never forget, she became part of something bigger than she could have ever dreamed of.
THE END
= Bonus Book 10 of 16 =
Dragon’s Revenge -
Shifter Menage
The sound of the patrons in the background was a pleasant hum. It helped Janice settle herself for the upcoming night—she suspected that it was going to be a busy day and an even busier night. Business around the bar had been picking up lately and Janice was not about to turn down business for anyone. She smiled with a sigh as she fastened her apron and tucked in the strings, checking herself in the little mirror that was tucked back behind the door. She looked okay—neat and polished, just like the customers wanted. But she couldn’t deny that she was starting to look a little worse for wear due to exhaustion.
Long, long nights working at the bar were starting to take their toll on her and she could feel the exhaustion creeping in at the edges of her vision and leaving her feeling a little less sparkly than she usually did. That was okay though. Janice had already decided that this wa
s worth it. It was, in fact, more than worth it. There was nowhere that she would rather be than at this bar, serving the patrons fresh alcohol.
It wasn’t where she had seen her life heading, but things had taken an unexpected turn recently. She had received a phone call from her sister several weeks ago. Her younger sister had sounded distraught, and was trying to figure out how the heck she was supposed to keep her bar afloat. She had been running a bar along one of the main highways for a few years, which she had set up with her husband. Everything had been idyllic and beautiful and everything that Charlie, Janice’s sister, had been hoping for. It wasn’t until Charlie discovered her husband with another woman that things had started to go downhill.
She had confronted him, only to have him up and leave. She had been left with the cost of running a business, as well as the labor, and no extra help aside from the few people that she had on staff. Panicked and feeling like her business was going under, Charlie had phoned the only person she could think of—Janice.
Janice had recently finished her Master’s degree and was having a hard time getting a job, so when her sister had called, it had not taken much thought. Her sister needed her help and she wasn’t about to leave her stranded and alone in a mess like that. At the same time, she had no work anyway, and she could at least live and work at the bar until she got her own act together.
She had moved in a week after the phone call and things had been getting better ever since. Two people managing the bar was good news for Charlie, as it gave her more time to focus on other aspects of life and work, and she didn’t need to hire any new, expensive staff. With the bar getting more management in, the customer service levels went up. As a result, so did the customer satisfaction.
The money started coming in a little more reliably and Janice could see Charlie’s stress gradually seeping away. It left Janice with a warm, satisfied feeling and she was glad that she had come to help her sister out.
The other thing that was taking some getting used to for Janice, was the fact that this bar’s patrons were almost entirely bikers. They belonged to various motorcycle clubs in the area, or were passing through on the major highway.
Janice had no problem with them, but it was a different lifestyle that Janice didn’t quite understand. She was used to college lecture halls and suburbia. She was used to men in neat shirts instead of leather jackets and it was taking quite the adjustment.
She had always thought herself open-minded and now she found that, while that was true, she still felt a certain element of danger radiating from them, even though she knew that couldn’t possibly be the case for all of them. Liking a motorcycle didn’t make you a dangerous person just like that.
The bar was constantly filled with the low hum of bikers, the roar of their engines outside the bar, the smell of gas and exhaust, and the feel of the bar vibrating beneath her feet when many bikes pulled up at once.
The vibrations seemed to go right through Janice, sending shivers down her spine and through her body. It made her heart skip a beat each and every time, and the first time she had almost dropped the beer she was pouring.
“Janice, you ready?” Charlie’s voice floated through the walls and drew Janice out of her reverie. She checked her clothes, made sure her hair was pulled back and out of the way, and took a deep breath. She was as ready as she was ever going to be, although the thought of a cup of coffee called to her.
Anything to get her through tonight. “Yeah, be there in a minute,” she called back, and turned to head to the front.
Stepping into the bar was like stepping into another world. Murky with smoke, low lights and sawdust littering the floor, it seemed like something out of a movie. Janice stationed herself behind the bar, knowing that Charlie had the rest of the bar under control right now. Tonight, it was Janice’s job to tend the bar and make sure that the customers were happy.
Other than that, she was fine. She had waitresses that would ferry drinks around if it was necessary and Janice could rest assured knowing that they were good at what they did.
She smiled as the first customer came over to the bar, leaning against the polished surface. “Hello sir, what can I get for you?”
***
The night was starting to draw to a close around three o’clock in the morning. Janice felt dead on her feet, trying not to sway as she waved the last of the patrons out of the door and sighed at the mess that had been left behind. It was nothing new, if Janice was being completely honest. In fact, it hadn’t even been that bad tonight. There had been no fights and only a couple of broken glasses. Sales had been good and aside from the mess of cigarette butts and empty glasses, Janice couldn’t really complain.
She closed up the bar and made her way to each table, a tray on her arm as she gathered up the glasses. Charlie grinned at her from the other side of the room. “I’m on trash duty, huh?”
Janice smiled tiredly back. “You bet. I did that yesterday.”
Charlie laughed and made her own way to each of the tables, carefully gathering up any trash and sweeping it into a bag. They worked silently like this, making sure that the tables were clean and tidy and that the bar would be ready for tomorrow.
After a few moments, Charlie broke the silence, “No fights tonight.” Her voice was serious and Janice nodded.
It was always unpleasant when fights broke out and it had been getting worse and worse lately. Janice had overheard that there was a turf war going on between two of the bigger clubs in the nearby area, and that the fight was starting to turn fairly ugly.
Usually this didn’t involve Janice or Charlie, but different clubs tended to visit the bar. Neither club was about to boycott it because of the other and while that was great for business, it was not so great for the peaceful relations between the two.
Janice had to admire Charlie’s guts when a fight broke out. She knew just what to say and how to break them up. She wasn’t too scared to get in the middle of something and sort it out and Janice felt very lacking in that regard, especially compared to her sister, who was so good at it.
Janice sighed and looked over the bar. “Late night, though.” She added thoughtfully.
Charlie nodded. “Yeah, but that means more business so I’m not complaining.” She looked over at Janice. “Want to leave early?”
Janice shook her head. “Not happening. You’ve got enough on your plate.”
Charlie smiled gratefully and they continued to go about the process of shutting down the bar for the night. Dishes were put in the machine to be washed, countertops and tables were wiped down, and stale, soggy sawdust was swept away and replaced with fresh chips.
Janice was stocking the bar and packing the bottles up for the night, when the front door swung open. Janice frowned, knowing she had just put up a sign letting everyone know the bar was done for the night. Still, she didn’t want to be rude to any customers, so she put on her best smile and called out, “Sorry sir, but we’re closed for the night.”
“I know.” His voice carried easily across the room, even and level, and Janice felt something tingle within her core. “Is Charlie around?”
Janice frowned. “She’s in the back, but we really are closed.”
“Get her for me.”
Janice felt herself bristle at the sharp request. No manners. He was in their bar, after closing time, when she had told him repeatedly that they were closed, and yet he saw fit to demand to see Charlie? Janice hated these kinds of men—they thought they were in charge of everything and Janice was not about to take his crap.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you need to leave.” She fixed him with a hard gaze.
When Janice looked at him, she felt electricity flash through her, a hot sizzle through her core that jolted her away from her senses.
He was a big man. Big and imposing in a way that made Janice bite her lip. His leather jacket was slung over one arm, and a tight black t-shirt hugged his body. He was well built, defined muscles filling out the shirt and making Janice s
wallow. He was tall and tattoos wound up his arms in a snake-like pattern, stark and bold against his skin. His hair was dark and his eyes flashed and crackled with electricity. His walk was firm, predatory almost. It was the confident walk of a man who was used to being in charge of the situation and knew exactly who was boss.
Janice felt anger surge within her, but she couldn’t deny that there was something magnetic about him, something strong and dangerous and so very, very attractive. Janice narrowed her eyes and stared him down, challenging him to deny her again.
He smirked and Janice didn’t know a smile could look so threatening. “Thanks.”
Then he walked past her, pushing into the back of the bar without another word, without her permission and certainly without waiting for an answer from Janice. Janice stared for a moment, her eyes wide, not sure how she was supposed to respond.
In her world, polite requests were adhered to, and she’d certainly never had someone be this bold, not even the patrons at the bar had dared to be so disrespectful to the owners of the establishment. Her blood boiling, thoughts of his well-defined body fleeing her mind, Janice stormed into the back after him.
Her sister didn’t need to take this man’s crap and neither did she. Like hell she was just going to let him walk around their bar like he owned the place.
One way or another, Janice was not going to stand for this.
***
“Can I help you?” Charlie sounded composed, considering a stranger had just burst into the back office. Not to mention that he was a big guy, a man who looked threatening and dangerous all at once. Janice found that she didn’t care about that one bit. All she cared about was getting this man out of the bar and away from her sister.
“I have a proposition.”
Janice didn’t let him continue, opening the door herself and stepping inside. “What do you think you are doing?” She glared at him and was pleased when he acknowledged her this time. “I asked you to leave. You’re trespassing.”