Looking over at Rianne, Dorin noticed the way she held her bottom lip between her teeth as the watched the fight. He wondered if the aggression bothered her, whether or not she would be able to accept that side of Nikolas.
“Is he all right?” Rianne asked, her nails digging into his arm.
“The wolf? He’s fine. Nikolas didn’t even strike him,” Dorin assured her, patting her hand gently.
“Not him. Nikolas. He’s bleeding,” Rianne pointed out, sounding almost frantic.
Dorin looked back to the field and, sure enough, Nikolas had a nasty gash along the side of his head. While the swords they used for practice were dulled, they could do some damage if enough force was put behind it. He frowned at the wolf who had done the damage, making a mental note to have him removed from the guard until he could better wield his weapon.
His attention went back to Nikolas when Rianne gave a sharp cry. The polar was staggering on his feet, his hand clutching the wound on his head. In an instant, Dorin was hurrying across the field to his friend, Rianne right beside him. They reached Nikolas just as the polar was about to fall over.
“Easy there, brother,” Dorin grunted, hefting Nikolas back up.
“It’s just a scratch,” Nikolas grumbled, attempting to shake his head.
“It is not. You’re bleeding everywhere. Tell me you have a doctor or someone who can help him,” Rianne demanded from Nikolas’s other side.
“We have a Healer. He’ll be fine, danalya. He has a thick skull,” Dorin reassured her.
“Listen to him, capora. He would know,” Nikolas teased, wincing when Dorin jerked him slightly.
“Dorin!” Rianne scolded, her hand leading Nikolas’s other arm around her shoulders to help carry his weight.
“He’s fine, danalya. The Healer will have him fixed up in no time, and he’ll be back in the fields scaring his warriors.” Dorin grinned as they lowered Nikolas onto the bench they had been occupying a moment before.
Rianne fluttered around the polar, her cheeks flushed and eyes wide as she pressed a cloth to the cut. The white linen was almost instantly soaked through, and Rianne turned tearful eyes to him.
“Help him,” Rianne pleaded.
“Danalya, calm yourself. The Healer is already on his way,” Dorin assured her, indicating a tiny man hurrying across the list.
Dorin wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her away from Nikolas as the Healer arrived. The man was nearly a head shorter than Rianne, a mop of curly red hair and glasses that continually slid down his nose. His clothing was too big for him, and he kept shoving his sleeves up past his elbows only to have them fall back over his hands. Despite his sloppy appearance, Dorin knew him to be the best Healer in the kingdom.
“Ah, yes. Looks as though he got you good, eh? Not to worry, not to worry. I’ll have you fixed up in no time,” the Healer tutted, digging into his massive coat pockets.
“I’ll be fine, capora,” Nikolas mumbled to Rianne as Dorin pulled her farther away.
Rianne clutched Dorin’s arm around her waist desperately as they watched the Healer work on Nikolas. The small man pulled out a bag and, reaching inside, brought out a handful of dirt. Rianne cried out when he smeared the dirt into Nikolas’s cut and attempted to move forward, but Dorin refused to release his grip.
“Hush, Rianne. He’s fine. Let the Healer work,” Dorin whispered, his lips right against her ear.
The Healer began chanting softly as he worked the dirt into the cut, his hands pressing against Nikolas’s head on either side. Gradually, the dirt turned a dark-green color, and the Healer brushed the dirt away. A thin scar was revealed, and the Healer smiled in approval.
“You should learn to duck, Sir Nikolas. Head wounds are not always so easy to heal,” the Healer warned the polar as he put away his bag.
“I’ll be sure to do so, Rirwor.” Nikolas smirked, touching his scar gently.
With a strangled sob, Rianne tore out of Dorin’s arms and launched herself at Nikolas. Surprised by the tiny woman attacking him, Nikolas grunted as their bodies collided. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling as she clung to him desperately. The shocked wonder on the polar’s face made Dorin smile as he watched the two of them. Nikolas’s large hands cupped the back of Rianne’s head as she buried her face into his neck. Her hands traveled all over his shoulders and face, fingers hesitant as she traced the scar near his temple.
“Capora, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick,” Nikolas scolded gently as she continued to cry.
“Shut up. Do you realize how lucky you are?” Rianne asked, leaning back so she could smack his chest.
Dorin tried not to laugh when Nikolas glared down at her, grabbing up her hands so she couldn’t continue to hit him. He knew Nikolas wasn’t used to having someone care for him, but damn, that bear was stubborn.
“The wound was not deep, and the Healer had me fixed up in no time. Why are you so upset?” Nikolas demanded, continuing to frown down at her.
“Because you could have died!” Rianne practically screamed, struggling to free her hands from his grip.
It amazed Dorin how quickly the change came over Nikolas at those words. One minute, he was frowning down at their mate, as if completely lost over why she was so upset. The next, he was every ounce the determined polar bear.
One of his hands moved to hold both Rianne’s hands while the other threaded through her hair, forcing her head up toward his. Dorin found it difficult to stay away as Nikolas possessed Rianne’s mouth, the soft moans coming from their mate driving his own desire higher. Only the fact that this was their first kiss kept Dorin from joining in, from pressing himself against Rianne’s back and nibbling on her neck.
Instead, Dorin simply watched as the two people who meant the most to him finally came together.
* * * *
Rianne was sure she’d gone to heaven. There was no way she could feel so good and not be dead, but Nikolas’s hand around her wrist and in her hair kept her grounded enough to know she was not dead yet. Though with the way the man kissed, she might soon be.
She was half straddling, half reclining in his lap as he supported her, his massive body encasing her much smaller one. His mouth possessed hers in a kiss as primal as time itself. Her entire body felt itchy and hot, like wearing a wool sweater in the middle of July. The only salvation in sight was Nikolas and his kiss. As much as they fanned the flames, they also acted like a cooling balm, both creating and easing her pleasure.
A part of her was aware that they were still in the crowded lists and that all of Nikolas’s warriors were probably watching them, but the larger part of her couldn’t care less. It was as if she’d been waiting her entire life just to kiss this man.
The sound of a throat being cleared broke the spell Nikolas’s kiss had cast, and she pulled back, breathing heavily as she looked into his icy blue eyes. A thrill of satisfaction ran through her when she realized he was breathing just as heavily as she was. That she could affect him the same way he affected her made her feel like the most powerful woman in the world.
“We should probably take Rianne inside before you continue to maul her in front of half the castle,” Dorin suggested, sounding highly amused.
Blushing furiously, Rianne attempted to leap off Nikolas’s lap, only to be yanked back. His chest vibrated beneath her back as he stood up, his arms still firmly around her.
“Stop it. I let you kiss her for long enough. Any longer and you would’ve sent the entire bailey into a mating fit,” Dorin insisted, still with a smirk.
“As if we would have noticed,” Nikolas huffed, though he did release Rianne so she could duck under his arm instead of standing in front of him.
“Yes, well, you may not care, but I don’t think Rianne would appreciate it,” Dorin reminded him.
“And you’d be right,” Rianne piped up, not exactly happy that they were talking about her like she wasn’t there.
“See?” Dorin grinned, winking at her
.
She gave him a weak glare to let him know he wasn’t forgiven, but he just laughed.
“Come with me, danalya. I’m sure you’re hungry, and Nikolas could no doubt use some nourishment as well. Why don’t we go see about having supper sent up while he bathes. We’ll share a quiet supper in your room, just the three of us,” Dorin offered.
“Only if you both promise to behave yourselves,” Rianne countered, looking between the two.
“You have my word as a gentleman.” Dorin bowed solemnly, though his lips twitched in betrayal of a smile.
Nikolas simply nodded, his blue eyes piercing hers when she looked up at him. Swallowing a lump in her throat at his heady stare, she slipped from underneath his arm and moved to take Dorin’s extended one.
“I’ll join you shortly,” Nikolas said as they left the lists.
“We’ll try to wait for you,” Dorin called over his shoulder.
“Why are the two of you so mean to each other?” Rianne asked as they climbed the steps to the castle.
“It’s the way we show affection. You see, Nikolas doesn’t do well with the typical ways of showing how much you care for someone, so we’ve developed our own. He’s had a hard life, one that has forced him to harden himself off from others, but that doesn’t mean he still can’t love. He just shows it differently,” Dorin told her.
“You do love him, don’t you?” Rianne asked softly.
“He’s my brother in every way but blood. I would die for him,” Dorin vowed, for once completely serious.
“Is that why you agreed to share a mate with him?” Rianne asked as they began to climb the stairs to her room.
“Partially. And partially because I was afraid he wouldn’t find a mate on his own. Polars are one of the few races that keep to the old ways of mating inside their clan. Polars who find mates outside of the polar bear community are banished. I worried that if Nikolas could not return to his clan, he would wither away and die. We cannot survive without our mates and finding them makes us stronger. By bonding with Nikolas, I ensured he would find a mate, and I get to share my life with my best friend,” Dorin explained.
“I hope one day I can love someone the way you love him,” Rianne sighed.
“You will. You’re already on your way,” Dorin murmured, pulling her to a stop outside her door.
He gently tilted her head up, bending until he could press his lips to her closed eyelids. From there, he paved a trail down to her cheekbones, across her nose, to the bottom of her chin, and finally landing on her lips. The kiss was sweet and innocent, but full of promise as they pressed their bodies together. Rianne felt tears threaten her eyes as he lovingly caressed his lips against hers, a silent declaration of words she couldn’t bear to hear. There were too many promises in his simple gesture, too many plans already formed, and she began to think walking away from them might not be as easy as she’d thought.
* * * *
Nikolas couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed spending time with someone so much. The entire night, he and Dorin had kept Rianne entertained with tales of their youth, and she had told them about hers. Her childhood had been a much lonelier one than his and Dorin’s, though he felt a kinship to her over their mutual feelings of abandonment from their parents. He remembered too well the day his mother left the clan and her only son to follow the love of her life. Rianne’s parents may not have physically left her, but from the stories she told, he knew she’d always been alone.
It was perhaps a good thing they had Dorin to lighten the darkness around them. Where Nikolas had seen the worst of families and love, Dorin had only seen the best. Dorin’s optimism has always seemed like a weakness to Nikolas, but now he found himself hoping that Dorin’s view on family was right. He wanted to be proven wrong, that happy families could exist, even odd ones between three mates.
Enjoying the evening with Rianne and Dorin had opened his eyes to the possibility of a triple mating. He found himself liking the idea more and more. Dorin and Rianne obviously shared a vitality and love of life that Nikolas had been lacking, while he and Rianne shared a love of literature and the written word. Half the night, Rianne had spent discussing politics with Dorin and the other half telling Nikolas about the warrior battle of her home called “football.” Through it all, he’d found himself hanging onto her every word, simply to hear her voice.
Despite his initial reluctance to form the mating bond with Dorin, he was quickly beginning to see the merits of sharing such an amazing woman with his oldest friend. Watching Rianne drift off to sleep in Dorin’s arms, her feet propped up in Nikolas’s lap, he wondered if maybe they could make it work between the three of them.
“I know that look,” Dorin murmured, unwilling to risk waking Rianne.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nikolas replied gruffly, rubbing her toes to warm them.
“You’ve got that look on your face. That surprised look you only get when you realize I was right and you were wrong,” Dorin gloated.
“I do not,” Nikolas grumbled, frowning at how cold her toes were.
“Yes, you do. Don’t bother denying it, Nik. It won’t do you any good.” Dorin smirked, his fingers working through Rianne’s hair.
“You’re losing it, Dorin,” Nikolas claimed, refusing to meet his friend’s gaze.
“How dare you. I’m still sharp as an arrow and you know it,” Dorin snorted.
Nikolas didn’t respond, knowing how Dorin could be when he got his teeth into something. He wouldn’t let go until it lay dead at his feet.
“You’re falling in love with her,” Dorin said.
Nikolas’s head snapped up so fast the cartilage in his neck popped in protest. He ignored the flash of pain to stare in shock at the man beside him.
“It’s okay, you know. I’m falling in love with her, too. Hell, I’m already there. How could we not, Nikolas? She’s perfect for us. Tonight only proves it,” Dorin insisted.
“We can’t be in love with her. We just met her two days ago.” Nikolas choked, panicked at the thought.
“And we knew instantly that she was the one for us. Why bother fighting it, Nik? We both know we won’t win in the end. The mating pull is too strong,” Dorin said.
The two sat in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. The girl between them sighed contently, snuggling deeper into Dorin’s hold and burying her toes farther into Nikolas’s hands. Despite the war going on inside of him, he found himself smiling at the innocent way she curled around them.
“It’ll all work out as it should,” Nikolas murmured, a finger tracing a tiny scar along the top of her foot.
“As it should,” Dorin repeated.
“We should probably put her to bed. I doubt she’d appreciate waking up in a chair,” Nikolas suggested, looking toward her bed.
Dorin nodded, moving to scoop their mate into his arms. Nikolas went to turn down the bed covers, holding them back as Dorin slid her beneath the sheets. They stood side by side watching her sleep for a few moments.
“The Fates picked well for us, brother. We couldn’t have asked for a better mate,” Dorin claimed, clapping a hand to Nikolas’s shoulder.
“We’re going to have a hard time convincing her to stay,” Nikolas sighed wearily.
“What makes you say that?” Dorin asked.
“Her body recognizes us as her mate, but her mind is fighting against it. We’ve taken her from the only home she’s ever known and thrown her into a world she didn’t even know existed. Naturally, she’ll want to leave and return to the familiar,” Nikolas said.
“But she’s our mate. She should want to stay with us,” Dorin insisted, sounding worried.
“Don’t worry, my friend. We’ll keep her with us. It’ll just take a lot of convincing on both our parts, but I’m sure we’ll be up for it,” Nikolas grinned.
“We have to be. I can’t imagine losing her now,” Dorin croaked, his hand reaching out to smooth back her hair.
&n
bsp; Neither could Nikolas, though he didn’t voice his doubts and fears. His determination that had helped him survive and conquer on the battlefield would aid him in the pursuit of their mate. If Rianne thought they would just let her walk away, she had obviously never dealt with a stubborn bear and a relentless wolf. They would never give her up.
Chapter Five
There was no question of what had woken her up this time. Rianne came awake with a jolt, her heart pounding and body drenched in sweat. Images taunted her from her dream of Nikolas, lying in a pool of blood, his body completely still. She’d screamed for him in her dream, begging him not to leave her, but he hadn’t moved. There had been no gruff reassurances, no passionate kiss, only the stillness of death.
It was still dark outside her window, so she knew she hadn’t been asleep for very long, but the idea of returning to sleep made her cringe. She never wanted to see Nikolas like that again, even if it was only a dream.
Flinging the covers back, she slid out of bed and began pacing around her room. She went and looked out the window, but the view did nothing for her. She had no desire to sit in front of the empty fireplace, staring at the ashes, but there was nothing else to do in her room.
“Ridiculous,” Rianne muttered, grabbing a robe to slip over her pajamas.
She was careful as she slipped out into the hallway, not wanting to get caught sneaking out of her room in the middle of the night and cause a stir. The wall sconces that were usually kept lit during the day were out as she made her way down the hall. The entire castle was quiet, almost eerily so, making every step she took echo.
Unsure of what exactly she was looking for, she made her way past numerous wooden doors until she came to one that was left slightly ajar. Curiosity getting the better of her, she peeked her head inside, pleasantly surprised to find herself in some sort of library/study. She was careful as she closed the door behind her, not wanting the door to slam shut and alert anyone to her presence.
The Journal Keeper (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 7