by Honor James
They did as she asked and begged, and gave her more. Thrusting into her, they held her still and all she could do was take what they doled out. Drowning in the sensations as they all reached for the pinnacle together. Byrne’s teeth began to tighten and, if she wasn’t mistaken, Danel’s hand on her breast was warming up. They were close, all so very close.
Briar wasn’t able to hold it in another moment. She leaned in and clamped her mouth on Byrne’s shoulder and bit hard. She could taste blood when she bit Byrne, and yet she didn’t release him. She held onto him and begged for more from these two men. The only two men that could ever complete her.
His growl rumbled through her body, through her teeth and through her very soul. Then it happened. Byrne’s teeth clamped down harder, breaking skin, but not as anything she’d ever felt before. It was almost gentle as he bit. Danel jerked against her back, his hand hot on her breast and burning sensation there, but again, nothing like ever before.
Danel’s shout, her name torn from his throat, heralded in his orgasm as he jolted against her once more before his seed spilled into her ass. Byrne gave two more deep thrusts before he too went over the edge, his arm around her tightening and holding her close as they both filled her completely.
Briar was smiling, everything in her relishing the pleasure that she had in that moment. This loving was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Having these men taking her as they did was beyond wonderful. It was perfect. She went limp between them, a smile on her face, and released Byrne’s neck. “Sorry I bit you,” she whispered only a moment before she went limp between them.
Chapter Nine
At her soft words he let out a low rumble and gently pulled his teeth from her skin. “Don’t worry about it. I more than returned the favor,” he murmured. Byrne slid his tongue over the bite on her neck and brushed a kiss to it as well. “Sorry, love, I think I might have been a little overenthusiastic about it as well.”
“I liked it,” she admitted to him with a smile. “I liked feeling the possession from both of you.” She hadn’t liked the thought of being bitten, but in that moment, in that time, she hadn’t thought about anything but loving him. All she had thought about was making love to her mates.
“It’s not that bad,” Danel said, putting in his two cents. “A little antiseptic and it’ll heal in no time. You Luhpyne and your healing properties,” he snorted. “Should bottle that shit up and we’d make a damned fortune.”
That had her giggling. She couldn’t help herself. “Don’t say that too loudly because I’m sure that a human tried to do that when you all first came in over and across the Veil.” She was sure that someone had tried to do something along those lines because humanity was like that. Always wanting to get ahead and make a buck.
Byrne growled at that, but Danel just snickered. “Oh, darling Briar, you have no idea the shit some of your fellow humans tried to do. And then there were the groupies. I’m still not sure which is worse, the human out for monetary gain or the groupie who would throw themselves at anything or anyone from the other side of the Veil.”
“You mean as in want to have sex with you? Well, after what I just experienced I can understand why. Sorry, loves, but seriously the two of you made me forget everything. You made me forget any of the past, you made me forget the pain. I can’t tell you how incredible that is. I love you both all the more for that.”
“Some wanted sex, others wanted spankings. There are some who just want the Vhampires to feed from them, and then there are the really deranged ones. Like I said, Briar, not sure who was the worse we had to fend off after coming through the Veil. At least with the armies we knew just who we were dealing with, but the civilians were just plain weird and freaky.”
“Oh heavens.” Briar shook her head and licked her lips. “Well, I’m glad that I have the two of you and you both knew just what you were doing. If that meant that you had a groupie between you, I’m fine with that. Just never tell me,” she added with a grin. “Because I would hate to have to hunt someone down for something that was done before we met and kill them.”
“There is no one but you, Briar,” Byrne said. “You are our mate and that is all that matters to us, all that will ever matter to us.” Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he shifted a little and let out a breath. “You should get some sleep, darling. Morning will come all too soon and we all have work tomorrow.”
“This is true.” Briar sighed and settled in close to her men. “I should shower though. I don’t like being all sticky when I go to sleep and you two should get cleaned up, too.” After all, they had just shared the most amazing out-of-body experiences that anyone could experience. “I’m going to go take a shower. Anyone want to join me?” she asked even as her fingers trailed up and down Danel’s arm that was wrapped around her and her lips brushed over Byrne’s chest teasingly.
“I think a shower is in order, but it may be best if we take turns or we’ll never get any sleep tonight, and you’ll really be walking funny in the morning.” Pressing a kiss to her shoulder, Danel eased out of her ass slowly. “I’ll go grab on first, and then you can have a quick one before we let Byrne in.”
“This is very good.” She hissed when Danel slid from her body. Shivering in reaction. Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and gave him a squeeze. “I don’t think that I like that part of loving you two. When we separate. It’s not painful, it’s—” She couldn’t think of how to express the loss she felt when they were no longer connected. It was emotional more than physical.
“Like losing something important,” he said. Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I get it, completely. But we can’t stay like that all the time, darling. People would eventually begin to talk, and Gods only knows just what they’d put in the office newsletter.” Shaking his head, he smiled and kissed her again before drawing back, squeezing her hand before he let go.
“Good point,” she murmured softly. “Well, as long as you will be with me, both of you, as often as possible I think that I will survive. All that I know is that I want and I need you both in my life as much as possible. But you are right. It is as if when you leave me I’m losing a part of myself, that part that finally made me whole.”
Danel shot a look to Byrne before he threw her a wink. “Oh, I’m still there with you, sweetheart,” he said. Chuckling, he padded into the bathroom and nudged the door shut.
“Close your eyes,” Byrne told her quietly. “Look inside of yourself and you’ll find a piece that is all Danel. You’ll know it when you find it. It will tell you his moods and how close he is. It’s probably going to be a little hard since he’s only in the other room, but you might be able to touch on it and get a sense of what we meant earlier.”
Briar did just as Byrne told her. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out to calm and center herself. She nodded and licked her lips, reaching and searching but then there he was. She smiled. “I feel him.” It was faint, but she could feel the warmth of Danel reaching out to her. “I feel you, too.” More than physical, she felt Byrne, inside of her soul and heart. It was humbling, to say the least.
“Huh,” he grunted. When she looked at him again he shrugged and chuckled. “Wasn’t actually sure you’d pick anything up. I was hoping, but I truly wasn’t sure. Guess having us underfoot for the last couple of years actually did do some good.”
“I guess it did because I can. When I reach out I can feel you. That’s truly…” She paused and then smiled, taking a moment to think of how she wanted to explain it to him. “I like it. A lot. I think that I’m going to enjoy this a great deal. Will I always be able to feel the two of you if I try?”
“Even when you don’t try,” he said. “The bond is still fairly new between you and us, but as it grows and strengthens you’ll notice you can pick up on more from us. Strong emotions will blast through, things like anger, fear, and pain. Others are less pronounced, but they’re all the same, joy and pleasure for example. And you’ll find you have a built-in GPS of sorts w
hen it comes to us.”
“I think that I like that, a great deal. I am really going to enjoy being able to reach out and touch the two of you at will. To know that you are both as close as a thought. I like that. A lot,” she whispered softly. “And you will always be able to reach for me, too?”
“We will, frequently. We worry about you, Briar,” he said softly. Wrapping his other arm around her, he rubbed at her back. “I know we can be a pain in the ass now and again, but we mean well. However, if we ever are too pushy or annoying you know what to do, right?”
“I know you do and—” She pulled back to look at him and grinned. “I do still have that rolled-up newspaper and we both know that I don’t mind using it when you bother me.” It had shocked them all when she had smacked Byrne with the rolled-up paper one time when he was hanging around and bugging the hell out of her. Not in a bad way, but in a way that had her aching with need in a time she wasn’t ready to give in to that ache.
“Fucking thing hurt,” he muttered. “Would you really deck me again with that?” he asked. Pulling her in closer, he nuzzled at her cheek and then nibbled a light path down her neck. “Would you take that paper and smack me again if I was trying to get you to do something so much more interesting that just work?”
“No,” she admitted without even hesitating for a second. She leaned into him and nuzzled closer. “Only as long as you promise to lock the doors and not in the morgue. My office is good because it’s warm. Remember, I get cold easily,” she teased him.
“I would always keep you toasty warm,” he said, his voice nearly a purr. “But I wouldn’t make love to you in the morgue. I know what’s been on those tables and that’s just too damn creepy for my taste. I’d much prefer to give you some amazing memories on your desk, your sofa, your rug, your chairs, and definitely up against the door at least once.”
She all but purred at his words and grinned. “I know you would,” she whispered and moved in closer to him. “Now see, you are telling me things like this and it’s making me forget that we are supposed to be getting cleaned up soon. I’m thinking that we should take advantage of being on the bed, naked, don’t you?”
“Except for the fact that Danel just turned off the water, so you’re up next in the rotation. I might be all for a quickie now and again, but even I draw the line at one under two minutes. That is just not ever going to happen. Eight minutes is my minimum, five if it’s absolutely necessary, as in a state of emergency necessary.”
“Okay, well, I will go and shower.” She did, however, laugh. “Goodness, I’m going to be a happy woman being your mates aren’t I? The both of you are going to take such spectacular care of me, and I’m going to love every single moment of it, aren’t I?”
“Damned straight you will,” Danel said. Coming out of the bathroom, he grinned at her as he rubbed his hair between two towels. “Get in there and finish using all the hot water up. Then you and I can cuddle in bed while Byrne does the dance of icy water.”
Laughter danced in Briar’s eyes and she shook her head. “Oh that’s just mean. Are we really going to make him take an icy cold shower? If so perhaps I should have him shower with me so that we both get clean under warm water.” She was teasing her Ahnjel and he knew it.
“It’s impossible to run out of hot water,” Byrne said. “We have a waterless heater. There is no way that you could run enough water, ever, to give me a cold shower unless I want one. So go, and shower without any guilt.”
Briar shot Danel a look and grinned. “Oh you are a naughty, naughty one aren’t you? What will I do with you?” She knew what she was going to do with both men. She was going to love them. Both of them. Until life no longer was in her body. She was never, ever going to let either of them go.
Chuckling, he shrugged and gave her an innocent look. “I’m sure that whatever it is it will be most interesting. You should think on that while you bathe, quickly, so that we can all get some sleep before having to work tomorrow.”
“Okay, okay.” She looked back at her men and smiled. “God I love the two of you. Thank you for giving me the time that I needed to come out of the funk that I was in. Thank you for being here for me, always,” she said quietly and then walked away to the bathroom to get cleaned up.
Chapter Ten
“Drink. You have forty minutes to drink all the coffee you can and eat breakfast.” Danel set a plate of fruit, toast, and eggs before her along with a large mug of coffee. Bending over, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Good morning as well.” He smiled at her. Turning, he took the plate Byrne held out and then sat down in his chair.
She took a seat with him and smiled. This was nice. It was actually very, very nice to be able to be there with him—well, with both of them actually. It felt so comfortable, so right. It felt good to be there with them as she was. Leaning back, she took a bite of the eggs and sighed. “This is good. Thank you.” She then took another drink of the life-bringing caffeine. Ah, yes, caffeine.
“And there’s the smile for the caffeine hitting her veins,” Byrne said with a snort. Shaking his head, he nibbled on his toast. “If only there was a way to pump it in without having to get up first. Right, Doc?” He grinned, teasing her.
“That’s the truth there. If only.” She sighed with her eyes half-closed and the pure pleasure of the coffee washing down her throat. This was what she needed, her coffee. “And you boys know just how I like it, too. That’s impressive to me. Very impressive.” She smiled at that. “You both have been watching me for a long while haven’t you?”
“Five years,” Danel said.
“Five years, two months, sixteen days, thirteen hours and, give or take, four minutes,” Byrne put in, glancing at his watch.
“Like I said, five years.” Danel rolled his eyes. “You tend to pick things up when you are watching the woman you adore and come to love for that long. Like how she prefers her coffee and what happens when the intern gets it wrong, twice.”
Briar had to laugh. She couldn’t help herself. She was giggling like mad because in all honesty she had forgotten about that incident, but now that they had brought it up she recalled it with vivid shame. “I felt so bad about yelling at him.” Or was it a her? That was bad. Maybe it was one of each because she could have sworn it was a man but was now thinking it was a woman. Moot point. “Did you boys watch my house, too?” She was honestly just curious now.
“On occasion we’d drive by and check the neighborhood, but for the most part, no,” Byrne said. “We figured it was creepy enough when we were watching out for you at work all the time. That we shouldn’t take it any further than that.”
“Pretty much the only time we did was when we knew you’d had a rough day at work. We just wanted to ensure you were tucked away safely and secure in your own home,” Danel added. “So it was a little more in the beginning and not for the last two years or so.”
Briar put her coffee down and moved to Danel first. Settling in his lap she gave him a massive hug and then kiss. “Thank you,” she whispered against his ear. “For being everything I needed and more.” She then rose and did the same to Byrne, hugging him and giving him a kiss. “The two of you.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m glad I did it. I love you both and I’m happy to have you both in my life. Period.”
“I was pretty sure she was going to deck me,” Danel said, a hand pressed to his chest. “The relief I feel is exhilarating and slightly mind numbing. That may just be from the sudden loss of all the blood to my head before it rushed back in, though.”
She shook her head and laughed. “Why in heaven’s name would I deck you? You were taking care of me as best you could. It melted my heart just a bit more to know that you were there doing that. Now granted, had I known at the time I likely would have carved you up into little pieces. Now I’m happy that you did just that.”
“I just figured that you wouldn’t be happy we were intruding as much as we had. You definitely were not happy to hav
e us inside the same building most days in those early days. While I’m very happy you’re not going to do damage, it’s a little scary.”
Byrne chuckled softly and hugged her tight. “He’s a little twitchy ever since the terrier decided to nibble on his ankles.”
“It wasn’t a terrier, you ass,” Danel growled, his eyes changing color slightly.
“Okay, what am I missing, boys? Terrier? Huh? And Danel, why are your eyes shifting colors like that?” Moving, she reached out and touched his cheek gently, her fingers lightly tracing over his eyebrow and down. “And yes, I wasn’t happy to have you two around in the early days, but it was more shame than anything else,” she admitted quietly.
“His eyes change colors when he’s in a pissy mood,” Byrne supplied helpfully.
Danel looked down at her and cocked a brow. “You cleaned the bite marks, Briar. You should remember the dog that tried to take a piece out of me.”
“He was doing door to doors,” Byrne piped up again, obviously trying to help her remember.
“Oh crap, that’s right. It wasn’t a terrier though. Wasn’t it a huge dog?” she asked with a frown. “Because the bites that I cleaned up were not from a little yappy dog but from a big one. Really big one.” Reaching out, she touched Danel’s hand and grinned as she asked, “Do your eyes change colors when you are sexually aroused as well? I’ve seen them do that a time or two when you’ve come down to see me for something or another.”
“It was a lynx,” he said, still glaring over her head toward Byrne. His expression smoothed finally, and he looked down at her. “They change all the time. Most of the time, though, you wouldn’t even notice. Strong emotional moods are the easiest to spot, but if you were to watch closely enough you’d be able to see them shifting slightly on a constant basis.”