Parker leaned down and brushed a kiss over her lips. “Take your time, wolf of mine.” He’d rather fade away than hurt the woman in his arms, and he needed her to know that.
Brandon opened his mouth to speak at that instant but froze, his eyes going glassy as he pitched forward. Parker gripped the man who would be his mate by the hips and caught him before he fell.
“What is it?” Parker growled. “A ward flare again?”
Brandon shook his head, his face pale, his skin clammy. Avery cupped Brandon’s cheek and looked into his eyes while Parker did his best to keep the man steady.
“What’s wrong? Do we need to get Walker?”
Once again, Brandon shook his head before taking a deep breath. “It wasn’t the wards,” he croaked out.
Parker cursed and gently nudged Avery back before lifting Brandon into his arms. Brandon clearly wasn’t at full-strength because he wrapped his arms around Parker’s neck and leaned in while Parker walked them to the couch, Avery behind them. He sat down, Brandon in his lap, and Avery at their side. Parker might not be at full-strength either, but he was still wolf enough to lift Brandon without straining himself.
“What was it, then?” Avery asked. She was on her knees beside them, running her hands down their arms.
Brandon let out a long breath. “I’m having these dreams. Maybe visions? I don’t know, but they knock me for a loop each time. I just don’t know. It’s like I’m seeing the past, but it makes no sense.”
Avery’s eyes widened, and Parker blinked. He hadn’t been expecting that at all.
“So, let me get this straight,” Parker said after a moment, “Avery sees the future. You see the past. And it looks like I’m stuck here in the present.” He looked between the two of them. “What the fuck does this mean?”
He didn’t have an answer to that, but he had a feeling the question was only the beginning.
Chapter Twelve
Avery washed her face the next morning, her brain still a little fuzzy from sleep. After the three of them had talked on the couch, they’d all been exhausted so they climbed into Brandon’s large bed and fell asleep fully clothed and wrapped around each other in a puppy pile. If she hadn’t had so many other life-altering changes recently, she’d have found that weird. Instead, she rolled with it because dwelling for too long on things she couldn’t change would only hurt her in the end.
She’d also had a vision that morning as soon as she’d woken up, one she couldn’t quite decipher. Her stomach roiled as she remembered what she’d seen. There had been blood everywhere, screams and shouts surrounding them as they fought an unseen enemy. Her hands shook, and she ran them over her face, trying to remember each moment, each breath. Shadows surrounded her, pulling at her hair, her skin, her clothes.
She’d seen a man fighting another hand-to-hand, and people screaming around them. Pain radiated through her as she saw someone she loved hit the ground, but she didn’t know if they were alive or dead. She wasn’t there in the vision, but watching it from afar. She couldn’t be sure if she were the one fighting alongside them, or someone too late to do anything but scream in agony. She tried to see more, but it was all so hazy, she hadn’t been able to figure out what any of it meant. She hated visions like that. Ones where they didn’t tell her anything, and explaining them to another person only led to more questions and confusion.
Later today, she had her first training session with Kameron, and she was oddly looking forward to it. The Enforcer didn’t always personally train wolves to fight, but since she was living with his triplet, Kameron had taken a special interest in her. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that, but she’d get over it like she’d gotten over so much recently. Either way, though, she would learn how to protect herself now that she was on the other side of things. She’d taken a few self-defense classes back in college and could handle herself with her camera, but that didn’t mean much when she had to learn how to control her wolf at the same time she controlled her limbs.
“You doing okay in there?” Brandon asked from the other side of the door. Just hearing his voice sent delicious shivers down her body, and she had to grip the edge of the sink to stay upright.
Parker had left early that morning after kissing them both senseless since he wanted to meet with his parents before their shifts. She was truly happy he was finally doing that since she knew from what he’d said that he was really close with his family. She’d grown up in a family of lies and secrets, and she didn’t want that for anyone else.
Instead of answering Brandon, she opened the door and smiled. He looked all sexy and rumpled since he hadn’t showered yet. Instead, he’d made them all breakfast—something other than a protein shake—and the whole thing had been truly domestic. If she thought about how much her life had changed in such a short time, she’d run screaming, so she purposely didn’t think about it.
Brandon reached out and traced her jaw with his finger. “You didn’t answer.”
She leaned into his touch, her wolf brushing up against her skin lazily. “I’m good. Just taking a slow morning since Kameron is planning on whipping me into shape later.”
Brandon’s eyes darkened. “I’ll be there, as well. He won’t hurt you.”
She rolled her eyes. Men. “I’ll probably get a little bruised. You don’t need to go all growly wolf over it.”
Brandon’s nostril’s flared. “I can’t help that.”
She patted his chest before leaning forward and kissing his chin. “I know. But I’m still going to call you out on it.”
He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. The hard ridge of his cock pressed against her belly, and she groaned, her panties already wet from just that one touch. “Good.” Then he crushed his mouth to hers.
She moaned, deepening the kiss. His hands massaged her butt, gripping her tightly. She slid her hands around so she could scrape her fingers down his back, needing him more than she ever thought possible.
She was about to wrap her leg around his waist so her clit would press right against the line of his dick, when he abruptly pulled away, panting. He turned so his back was to her and he bent forward, hands on his knees.
“What is it?” She moved to stand in front of him, her hands shaking. “What’s wrong?” She hated that both her men were in pain, and the only thing she could do about it was either stand back and watch, or tie her soul to them forever. And while the latter was looking more and more appealing, both her men had both said it might be too soon for her wolf. That many changes and bonds introduced to her system at once might hurt her. And that wasn’t even considering the emotional impact of finding herself mated to not one, but two dominant wolves when she’d truly thought she would be alone for the rest of her life.
“Just a small ward flare.” He stood up then, inhaling deeply through his nose. “I’m sorry for ruining the moment.”
She shook her head and wrapped herself round him, needing his heartbeat under her ear so she could calm her racing pulse. “There’s no such thing as a small ward flare.”
He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. “No, I guess there isn’t.” He paused, and his next words were so bleak she had to blink tears from her eyes. “The wards are failing, Avery. With every flare, our protections come closer and closer to falling down. And no matter what the witches do, they aren’t strong enough alone to keep them up. And it’s not just us, this is happening in every Pack we have contact with.”
Avery pressed a kiss to his chest. “And once the wards fall…”
She didn’t finish her sentence. There was no point when they both knew the outcome. Their people would be truly vulnerable to whatever McMaster and the others had planned.
Brandon held her close, and she tipped her head up, needing his kiss. He pressed his mouth to hers, and she licked at him, needing him more than she could say.
When he pulled back, he cupped her face with his hands. “I want you, Avery.”
She licked
her lips. “I want you, too. Is this okay without Parker here?” She’d never been in a triad before, and frankly, had never thought about how things would work.
Brandon smiled. “I told you this last night, remember? Each relationship is a duo within the trio. There will be times with just you and me, times with you and Parker.”
She pressed her legs together, delicious warmth licking at her with just the thought. “And you and Parker, too, right?”
Brandon bit her lip. “Hell, yeah, me and Parker, too.”
“That sounds like a plan because I have a feeling once you and he are done with me not only separately but together, I might need a break.” She winked. “At least my lady bits will.”
Brandon threw back his head and laughed. “Hate to break it to you, babe, but I have a feeling you’re the one who’s going to wear us out, not the other way around.”
She gripped the edge of his shirt. “Prove it.”
Brandon’s eyes glowed gold. “That, I can do.” And he crushed his mouth to hers, his body shaking.
Avery wrapped her arms around him, needing him inside her, around her, everything to do with her…now. She slid her hands up his back, under his shirt, needing to feel his skin. She’d never been this tactile before, never this in need of skin-to-skin, and she didn’t know if it was because of her wolf, or because of Parker and Brandon themselves. In the end, it didn’t matter because she just needed them.
Brandon picked her up as if she weighed nothing, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, needing him more than she could say.
“I was going to go slow,” Brandon growled. “Take my time with you so I could enjoy every inch of you, but I don’t think I can.”
She licked her lips before arching her back, pressing her core against the hard length of him. “Then let me do the work for a bit,” she said.
He raised both brows. “And how are you going to do that?”
“I have my ways.” She wiggled down, and he let her go. When she went to kneel in front of him, he groaned before reaching over the back of the couch to grab a throw pillow.
“As much as I want your mouth on me, I’d rather you not hurt your knees in the process.”
This man was going to kill her with more than orgasms, and she was really okay with that.
“Can you take off your shirt when you do this?” he asked with a smile. “I’d like to see your pretty breasts when you take me into your mouth.
Seriously. This man.
She quickly took off her clothes, leaving her bare. She’d have kept the pants on, but she might as well get fully naked. His answering smile told her she’d done the perfect thing. He trailed his hands down her body, stopping to cup her breasts and pinch her nipples between his fingers before helping her kneel down on the pillow.
Brandon stripped off his shirt as she undid his pants, pulling out the length of him with her hand. He was wide enough that her fingers didn’t touch when she wrapped them around the base, and she licked her lips. He’d been inside her with this thing, and frankly, she was surprised she’d been able to walk afterward. He ran his hand through her hair, and she looked up at him as she licked the tip. He shuddered, his eyes growing dark even as the gold ring around his iris glowed, telling her he was both wolf and man, primal, hers.
She sucked on the head, using her tongue to play with him as she explored his feel and salty taste. He made a guttural groan, and she figured he must like what she was doing. When she took more of him in, she assumed she wouldn’t be able to swallow him all, so she used her hands to make sure she could at least touch all of him at the same time.
When she began to bob her head, his hips moved fractionally, tiny thrusts in and out of her mouth. She was still the one in control—barely—and he was doing his best not to choke her. Everything this man did was for the care of others, and she wanted him to know that he was appreciated. So she played with the skin behind his balls, using her nails to scratch lightly. Brandon let out a shout, his hands tightening in her hair.
“I’m going to come.” She tried to keep him in her mouth, but he was stronger. So she leaned back and groaned as he came on her breasts, the act much sexier than she thought possible.
Brandon cursed. “As fucking hot as that was, baby, I got you all dirty.”
She came to her feet with his help and kissed him. “Then get me clean so you can fuck me.” He was in and out of the kitchen in a blink, using a wet cloth to wipe her with one hand, and using his other hand to rub small circles over her clit. She started to pant, his calloused fingers working her so quickly that she was already about to come, and she felt like they hadn’t even started yet.
“Top or bottom?” he asked, and she laughed.
“I love that we get to ask that question every time we have sex, no matter which one of us it is.”
Brandon kissed her again, leaving her melting at his feet. “I like that you always answer and don’t give me a weird look.”
She rolled her eyes. “I like sex. I really like sex with you. I’m not going to act all dainty about having your cock in me. I mean, I can if we want to play it that way for a night, but what I really want is to ride you while you sit down because that means you get to play with my ass at the same time.” She winked. “Then…”
“Then I want you on your side so I can fuck you from behind that way.”
Her eyes widened. “I’ve never tried that.”
Brandon kissed her again. “Then I’d better show you.” Brandon took her hand and led her around the couch. He sat down, his cock hard and sticking straight up. “Hop on, baby.”
She wiggled her hips, loving that they could joke even as they made themselves come. Sex was serious, but it could also be fun. Finding the right mix was what made what they were doing perfect.
He held out a hand, and she took it, swinging one leg over his hips so she faced him. “I could have sat the other way, but I want your mouth on my nipples.”
Brandon gave her a dramatic sigh, so unlike him that she snorted. “If you really want me to, I guess I can suck your nipples. But I’ll have to bite them, too.” He gave her a serious look.
God, she could fall in love with this man.
She nodded. “If biting is what you need, I suppose that will work.”
Avery was still laughing as he impaled her with his cock. The laugh ended on a strangled moan, and the two of them rocked their hips together, his length stretching her in just the right way.
He palmed her ass as she rode him, pressing her chest to his face so he could do as he’d promised and take care of her breasts. And as she came, he hammered into her harder before pulling her off of him. Her body was languid, and yet it heated all over again at the sight of him naked, sweaty, and hard. She let him move her around to find the best position. The couch was just wide enough to make this work, and for that, she was grateful. She wasn’t sure she’d have lasted long enough for the time it would have taken to get back to the bedroom.
He had her back to his front, and her legs pressed tightly together. Then he entered her slowly, the position making her feel as if he were getting larger and longer within her. She twisted back so she could kiss him as he placed one hand on her hip, keeping her steady as he fucked her. The other hand he rested on her breast and then slid up to her neck.
And when they came, they kissed each other, swallowing each other’s moans, and she knew that no matter how long she lived, she would never tire of this man.
And, it was only the beginning.
Chapter Thirteen
The dream started out the same as last time, and Brandon knew he’d have to go with it or end up in pain from fighting it again. He screamed as teeth bit into his flesh, the eyes of the wolf at his side sorrowful yet full of a rage that wasn’t quite kept in check.
Brandon fell to the ground at his brothers’ sides. He didn’t want to die this way but had a feeling this was the end. This wolf had won, and Brandon hadn’t been strong enough to fight.
The dr
eam faded but not fully. This time, a woman with long, dark hair and bright blue eyes stared at him, her long, flowing, white dress waving in a breeze he couldn’t feel.
“You’re not dying, Brandon,” she said softly.
He knew that voice; had heard it on the wind in his childhood and later when he’d become the Omega.
“Goddess?”
She smiled softly at him, and he knew this was no mere dream. This was something else, and there was no way he was hallucinating or making this up. He wasn’t sure he had the imagination to come up with anything like this.
“You’re not dying, Brandon,” she repeated. There was just something so otherworldly about her that he knew this had to be the moon goddess. He had countless questions, and yet nothing to say. What could he say in her presence? What could he ask?
“You’re such an old soul, my Brandon. Much like your brothers, Kameron and Walker. The three of you were born under the same moon and have always been as one. You were once man, then wolf, now man and wolf. You have lived before, your soul not young, but aged and worn.”
Brandon sat up within his dream, his body not aching at all despite the fact that he’d almost died a few moments ago. The wolf stood frozen at his side, agony within its eyes. His brothers lay to the right, frozen in time, as well.
He thought over her words and frowned. “Are you saying…this was a past life that I’m seeing?”
She smiled. “You were always so clever, Brandon. The first brother to find his mates, the first brother to do so in the past, as well.” She waved at the wolf at Brandon’s side. “This was my first wolf.” Sadness crossed her face. “I have always regretted the pain I caused him—the pain I caused his line. Yes, he broke our laws, but he never deserved the agony he suffered.” She looked directly at Brandon, a fierceness in her eyes he couldn’t comprehend. “I couldn’t take away the wolf or the way one must become another, but I gave him his bonds to a Pack he formed on his own. I gave him the ability to love so deeply that eons of time wouldn’t be enough for a mating bond to break. You are of the first wolves to be made—you and your brothers.” She looked away as Brandon’s entire being rocked at her words.
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