Xander

by Dana Archer

  The ground shook. Lightning brightened the sky. And the exuberant cries of their pack mates carried through the night.

  Vlad stepped back, breaking their connection and allowing those who’d watched the ritual to approach. Xander went through the motions, greeting his twin and his pack mates, but ignored any attempts to question him about his actions over the past few months, along with the invitations from the females in the pack.

  He couldn’t form any rebuttals that wouldn’t hurt his pack mates. Silence seemed safer. His thoughts kept drifting to the deal he’d made with Vlad. Or, more precisely, the revelation of what their reality involved—sharing Gwen.

  “Are you ready?”

  Vlad’s low question came from behind him. Xander glanced over his shoulder and met Vlad’s hazel eyes. A glow emanated from them, deepening the green and betraying his hunger. His lust. Seeing it sparked Xander’s. His breaths quickened. His shaft stirred. And resentment rose. They’d both been stubborn fools, refusing to consider the possibility they’d shared the same mate before Gwen.

  Then again, why would they have? Ménages didn’t exist in the shifter world. Everyone knew that. Everyone accepted that. Except for a trio of single shifters who’d proved everyone wrong. For that, the Jager pack would have his gratitude.

  Too bad he and Vlad hadn’t been the ones to take that step years ago. Things could’ve been different. Then again, maybe there was a reason. He didn’t know. Only their pack’s goddess did.

  He shoved the regret back and asked, “For what?”

  “To give our beloved human her first lesson in what belonging to us means.”

  Vlad’s response would be acceptable to those within earshot. Lovers could be shared. Anywhere, anytime, and with anyone.

  “Yes.” Xander nodded. “Let’s go train our…female.”

  Chapter 25

  A soft caress over her cheek stirred Gwen from her dream. Just in time. Vlad was about to get shot. Once he fell, the wolves surrounding him would attack. She didn’t want to relive the horrid scene again. Once was enough. She didn’t think she’d ever forget the moment in the woods when blood had blossomed on his body and she couldn’t get to him.

  It was just a dream, though. Just a dream. She was safe. So was Vlad. He was outside with Xander.

  At the thought of her mate, she smiled. Xander must’ve come to say good night to her.

  He leaned closer and brushed his lips over hers. Inhaling, she took his air into herself. The scent of heaven filling her lungs warmed her, chasing away the last remnants of her nightmare.

  She knew who’d joined her in bed without having to open her eyes. Her body recognized his. So did her soul. She felt at peace, even as desire awakened within her.

  With a hand on her shoulder, he urged her to roll toward him. She did, instantly. No thought of denial flitted through her mind. This was her mate, the man she’d spend eternity with.

  He brushed his fingertips along her jaw and down her neck to where his mate bite seared her skin. His touch sparked an awareness only he could elicit within her. The raised edges of the mark she’d carry for the rest of her life throbbed.

  Need built. She wanted him to lick the bite or suck on it, making her tremble and moan for him. She wanted to experience passion at her mate’s hands. They didn’t have to take this further than a little touching, a little kissing. He wanted to have sex for the first time within the pack’s sacred circle. What they were doing tonight was a preview. With the thought came an irrefutable craving for him.

  “Kiss me, please.” She needed his lips on hers more than anything else. He could make her melt from that alone.

  On a shaky exhale, he took her mouth, twining their tongues and stealing her sanity. This kiss was different from the ones they’d shared before. It was sweeter, richer, more sensual. He kissed her as if he’d never loved her mouth before and wanted to savor every second of it.

  She sighed with the romanticism the thought brought. From their first meeting in the woods, he’d told her she was important to him. He’d proved it by saving her life, but the way he kissed her now suggested his need for her went beyond the peace her presence offered him or the lust their bond stirred. It was…not love exactly. More like devotion.

  He would worship her from now until the day they both died. After the years of rejection by Vlad, she craved being the center of her mate’s world. Needed it with every fiber of her being. Maybe she was being selfish. She couldn’t help it. Her self-esteem had taken a major hit when Vlad had chosen Lena.

  Gwen clutched his shirt, pulling him closer. They might not be able to have sex yet, but she wanted his weight on top of her.

  He didn’t take the hint, however. Except for his lips on hers, he didn’t touch her.

  Oh no, that wouldn’t do. She eased the tight grip on his shirt and skimmed her hand over the hard contours of his abs to the waistband of his sweats. His muscles flexed, but he never broke their kiss or quickened his strokes. He was holding himself in check. She shouldn’t have been surprised. He’d promised they wouldn’t have sex until he could love her in his pack’s circle.

  Whether he realized it or not, his restraint empowered her, giving her the chance to experience this newfound passion on her terms. She curled her fingers around the waistband of his pants and took control of their kiss. She sucked on his tongue, tearing a primal sound from him, then kissed him harder, eating at his mouth the way he’d done to her the last time they’d kissed.

  He met her, stroke for stroke. Heat spread through her limbs, and awareness settled low the longer they kissed. The lust didn’t surprise her. The confidence building within her did. She wanted to explore her mate’s body, bringing him pleasure as he’d done for her.

  Feeling bolder than she ever had, she reached inside his pants and touched him. He inhaled sharply but didn’t break their kiss.

  Darn the man. There was restraint, and there was stubbornness. They were both strong enough to resist giving in completely to the lust. Besides, there were many ways they could pleasure each other that didn’t involve intercourse. He’d already proved that. She wanted to return the gesture.

  She turned her head, ending the wicked melding of their mouths. “I want to make you feel good. Teach me how to pleasure you.”

  Silence met her words. Her pulse sped. Had she said something wrong? Ugh, of course she had. She’d ordered him. As alpha, Xander couldn’t be told what to do. She had to ask. Or beg. Heck, she hadn’t even used the word “please.” No wonder he’d ignored her.

  There was only one thing to do: beg his forgiveness.

  With a smile on her face, she licked her lips and opened her eyes. Darkness cloaked the room. She blinked a couple of times, then glanced into her mate’s face. Hooded, glowing hazel eyes held her gaze.

  Hazel. The man she’d kissed had hazel eyes, not brown.

  She sucked in a rough breath. She hadn’t been kissing her mate. She’d been kissing… “Vlad!”

  She scooted backward, right into the chest of another hard body. Strong hands settled on her hips. She whipped her head to the side. Her gaze collided with Xander’s softly glowing brown eyes. The intensity of his stare pierced her, but she couldn’t decide if jealousy, anger, or lust heated his gaze. She didn’t trust herself to guess. She only knew his focused look left her feeling exposed and guilty. She’d been caught with another man, a day after their mating. She scrambled away from him too, but with Vlad on one side of her and Xander on the other, she couldn’t escape her sin.

  “Oh my God! I’m sorry, Xander. I thought…I thought I was kissing you. I didn’t realize it was Vlad. I wasn’t expecting…” For Vlad to come to her. For Xander to allow her to kiss another man. For her mate to watch as she asked Vlad to teach her how to pleasure him.

  Why would she expect any of those things? Xander, the man who’d given her a piece of his soul, had been insanely jealous since meeting her, to the point where Xander had ordered Dante to make sure Vlad didn’t talk to her on
the plane. Yet suddenly Xander didn’t have a problem with allowing her to share a passionate kiss with Vlad?

  Something wasn’t right here.

  She looked from her mate to Vlad and back. Both men were stretched out on the bed she’d chosen out of the many rooms in Xander’s house, and both shifters wore hungry expressions…for her. Lust. That was what darkened their eyes, not jealousy or anger.

  Something was definitely going on. Whatever had occurred during the time Xander and Vlad had spent casting the circle for his pack had changed things. Did they suddenly agree she belonged to both of them? If so, then what? Had Vlad convinced Xander to share her? Maybe both mate her?

  Her nostrils flared on rougher breaths. She clenched her jaw until pain radiated down her neck. The surge of anger surprised her. Discovering the truth about whether or not she belonged to both of them had been her goal. She should be happy if they’d figured it out and had agreed not to fight over her. She wasn’t, though. She should’ve been part of the discussion. She was the one they’d been fighting over.

  “What’s going on here?” Gwen held first Vlad’s gaze, then Xander’s.

  “Don’t sound so distrustful, my mate.” Xander slid an arm around her waist, locking her back to his chest.

  “I can’t help it.” She tipped her head back to hold his gaze. “You just allowed another man to kiss me.” She narrowed her eyes. “To wake me up from a sound sleep. After everything I’ve gone through, didn’t you think that might’ve triggered me?”

  “You were calling out Vlad’s name in your sleep. He came to you. You’re the one who kissed him.”

  She likely had been calling out Vlad’s name. She had been dreaming of him. “Yes, but how would I have known it was Vlad and not you?”

  Xander’s eyes narrowed. “Do you suspect the male who’s given you a piece of his soul would allow anything unpleasant to happen to you? Or stand by and allow you to be frightened?”

  Put that way, her accusation sounded preposterous. As her mate, Xander would want her happy and safe. “No. Of course not.”

  “Then why accuse me of such a thing? You weren’t afraid when Vlad woke you. Nor are you now. Tell me why you’re focusing on something trivial.”

  Because she was confused, by Xander’s actions and hers. Sure, she and Xander hadn’t been mated long, but she’d kissed him before. Yet, she hadn’t recognized she was kissing a different man. With the piece of his soul Xander had given her, shouldn’t she have been able to tell?

  He’d told her she’d be able to experience what he was feeling. Yet, she hadn’t while she’d been kissing Vlad, nor did she with Xander’s gaze locked on hers now. Why?

  There had to be something wrong with their bond. That was the only explanation she could come up with. He had pulled away from her when he’d mated her. He’d wanted to stop her from experiencing the rest of the memory of his wedding night to Elizabeth. The ripping pain of his abrupt shove had radiated through her, heart and soul. She’d felt alone and rejected, even as he’d gathered her close and urged her to live.

  “Well, Gwen.” Xander stroked his thumb over her neck. “Why would you think this about me?”

  “I might be your true mate, but—”

  Xander kissed her, stopping her words and stealing her sanity. His kiss was firmer than Vlad’s. Xander demanded her passion. Each stroke of his tongue along hers left her weakened, yet strengthened. This powerful man, the leader of the strongest Royal pack in the country, desired her. It was a heady feeling. She sighed and turned toward him.

  Never breaking their lip-lock, he hooked an arm around her waist and lowered them to the bed, so they lay on their sides, chest to chest. With his large palm on her hip, holding her in place, he worshipped her mouth until the confusion and irritation over both his and Vlad’s actions slipped to the background. Neither emotion disappeared, but in this moment, they couldn’t consume her. There was only this kiss and the knowledge that this powerful alpha shifter was hers.

  Finally, he eased back and stared into her eyes. “You are my true mate, Gwendolyn Anabelle Burnett. No might be my true mate. No guessing. You are mine until the world ends.” He moved his hand from her silk-covered hip to her chest. “You are the keeper of my soul. I will do anything to ensure your safety and your happiness.”

  “Anything?” The word came out in a small, shy voice. She couldn’t help it. She hadn’t been expecting this tonight. While the thought of being in the arms of two men had left her aroused and excited yesterday, the looming reality left her anxious. She didn’t know how to act. Or even if she wanted to. After what Vlad had done to her, she didn’t know if she could forgive him and move on.

  “Yes, Gwen. Anything.” The seriousness in his voice matched the intensity in his gaze. “Even share you with the other male the goddess chose for you.”

  “Vlad.” A question or a statement, she couldn’t decide. She simply needed the confirmation. After that? She wasn’t sure.

  “Yes. You are also my true mate, Gwen.” A warm, solid weight settled at her back. Vlad draped a leg over hers and brushed his lips along her jaw to her ear. “You belong to both Xander and me. Have always belonged to us.”

  Xander pushed against her chest, urging her to lie on her back between them. Then, he brushed his open mouth against her throat to her ear. Her pulse quickened, along with her breaths. The lust building within her sensitized her, turning the simple touch into an erotically stimulating caress.

  He pressed his lips to the spot right below her ear, sending energy skipping down her spine. “Tonight proved it, my mate.”

  “How?”

  Xander slid his hand under the hem of the oversized T-shirt she’d found in this room and. In a torturously slow exploration, dragged his fingers across her belly. Her skin tingled in the wake of his caress.

  Inhaling sharply at his boldness, she shifted her bottom but couldn’t move, not to escape Xander’s teasing or encourage him to touch her more. The weight of Vlad’s leg over hers held her in place. She yanked her gaze to Xander.

  A wicked smile spread over his rugged face, lending him a wild and untamed aura. “I walked through Vlad’s soul. Same as I did yours the night I gave you a piece of my soul. I saw the truth I’d long denied, and watching you with Vlad tonight convinced me of why our pack’s goddess gave you to both of us.”

  “Why is that?” She didn’t bother questioning him on the validity of what he saw in Vlad’s soul. If their three-way bond wasn’t real or Xander planned on fighting it, they wouldn’t be having this conversation. As alpha, Xander wouldn’t share his mate with another man unless he had to. Or wanted to.

  Xander withdrew his hand and propped on his elbow next to her. “Show her, Vlad.”

  Vlad turned her face toward him. The soft glow to his eyes mesmerized her, and the intensity in his gaze captivated her. The same thoughts from a few minutes ago skipped through her mind. It wasn’t only Xander who’d worship her from now until the world ended. So would Vlad.

  He smiled, as if pleased with whatever he saw in her eyes, then leaned in and kissed her. The soft brush of his lips over hers tore a sigh from her mouth, and the slow stroke of his thumb along her jaw relaxed her muscles. She closed her eyes, waiting for the worship promised in his expression. There was no thought of fighting it. She craved what he could give her. Nothing else mattered in this moment. She’d have plenty of time to figure out her emotions. Later. Much later.

  Vlad didn’t disappoint her. With a gentle persuasion, he urged her toward the passion she’d experienced minutes ago in his arms. The deep, rolling kiss loosened her muscles, leaving her relaxed and sensitized. On and on, he twined their tongues but never quickened the pace.

  Exactly as it had the last time Vlad had kissed her, confidence built the longer he loved her mouth, along with a burning hunger. She craved more than this erotic yet sweet kiss. She needed to experience passion.

  She hooked her arms around his neck, holding him in place, and kissed him back, quicke
ning the pace and deepening the strokes. He met her frantic strokes but didn’t demand more. His patience enflamed her. Encouraged her. Likely that was his goal. It worked. She wanted to explore more of this burning desire. Vlad would offer her the means to do so.

  On her terms.

  Was this what Xander meant? She’d sensed the difference in the kiss that had woken her from sleep. Where Xander commanded, Vlad accepted. Neither was better. Both men awakened her carnal desires. Both men turned her into a sex-starved woman. Both men made her yearn for things she’d never experienced. But the patience Vlad showed gave her the opportunity to act on her needs.

  On a groan, she moved her hands to his shoulders and shoved him. He didn’t flop onto his back, though. He smiled against her lips and slid his hands under her body, then rolled, bringing her on top of him.

  With her palms on either side of his chest, she pushed herself up and looked into Vlad’s face. The pleased grin and spark of satisfaction in his eyes convinced her he’d gotten exactly what he wanted from her, not the other way around.

  “Is this where you wanted me?” Vlad asked.

  Did it bother her that he’d allowed her to think she had control when in fact he’d only led her to this point? The way he’d kissed her had encouraged her to take charge. She’d enjoyed that feeling. Still did. She liked where they’d ended up, Vlad on his back, waiting for her to explore his body.

  “Yes.” She skimmed her fingertips along his strong jaw, down his straight nose, and over his soft lips. His eyelids lowered under her exploration so he watched her from behind long, dark eyelashes.

  Where Xander was ruggedly handsome, Vlad was beautiful. Not feminine. Not even close. Vlad could’ve been a model or a movie star. He had a face and body women drooled over. He was the kind of man who had women falling at his feet. Including her sister. Once he had them there, he took from them, anything he desired.

  Gwen dropped her hand and eased back. No longer did she want to explore this bond they shared or the body her sister had once enjoyed. Thoughts of the past soured it. Gwen didn’t want them to ruin this but couldn’t stop them from choking her. Shaming her.