Yet, Britt knew her desire for Nicolas and Matthias was more than that. She was willing to lay down her life for them, and as it seemed they were equally willing to do the same. She sensed a deeper connection and knew they were her knights. They belonged to her as much as she did to them. She had absolutely no idea how she knew it, but she did.
No. She wasn’t a whore. She rarely dated and had only had two partners, neither of which she’d truly enjoyed. Now that she’d found two men who could accept her for who she was, she had felt freed. Of course she’d wanted to share that freedom with them.
She would go back to her controlled, boring life and try to forget them both. Once they let her return, of course.
****
Nicolas landed the plane, releasing a long sigh as he pulled the plane on to a second private airstrip. He’d just piloted the most uncomfortable flight of his life, having to listen to Britt and Matthias fight, then make love, and then fight again. He’d not been able to hear every word of their arguments, but enough to know part of it was about him and his involvement with the two of them.
He wouldn’t be the one to pull them apart, and he’d honestly told Matthias that. His friend deserved the happiness Britt could provide him, even if it brought Nicolas pain.
Nicolas strolled into the cabin, seeing both of them lightly sleeping on either side, Matthias lounging in the chair as Britt lay on the sofa. The scent of their lovemaking still lingered in the air, setting his teeth on edge. Just because he was willing to walk away didn’t mean it would be easy. Having to sit by idly watching their love affair would be difficult, but he was strong. He could do this.
Nicolas didn’t want to wake them, but they had a long trek still until they made it to Alain’s castle on the Rhine, and he was looking forward to a little shut-eye of his own. He leaned into his friend first, shaking him slightly.
Matthias awoke with a start, his hands going around Nicolas’ neck.
“Good … morning,” Nicolas squeaked out around a pinched windpipe. Matthias immediately released his hold once he realized who it was.
“Sorry.” Matthias looked sheepish. Matthias never looked sheepish. Had there been a moment of intent there? Had he taken an extra second to enjoy the pain he was inflicting on his competitor?
“I need to talk to you for a moment before we awaken her.” Nicolas nodded to Britt.
Matthias crossed his arms over his chest. “Talk.”
“I was honest when I said I would walk away. I won’t come between you and her.”
“I doubt she wants me any longer after the things I said last night.”
Nicolas felt a stab in the chest. He wouldn’t be with her without Matthias. Nicolas wouldn’t subject Matthias to that. “I’m sure you can mollify her somehow.”
“She wants us to share her.”
Nicolas felt shock run through him as well as a sense of relief. Until he realized that was what the argument had hinged upon. “Why can’t we?”
Matthias jumped up, angry. “You, too? Or did she get to you before she suggested it to me?”
Nicolas tried to hide his enjoyment at the idea, not willing to enrage Matthias more. “She didn’t, I’m just asking.”
“Don’t play dumb with me. I’m sure you heard the fight.”
“I heard bits and pieces, but I didn’t know she’d asked that. And no, she hadn’t asked me prior, but I don’t see why it would be an issue if it’s what she wants.”
“Because whores are shared, not women of worth.”
Nicolas turned as he heard Britt’s anguished voice, the look on her face showing the same emotion. Anger slid into him as he faced Matthias. “Did you say that to her?”
Matthias looked down at his feet, not saying a word.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” His gaze swung to Britt for a moment before it swung back to Matthias. “How could you?”
“I didn’t mean it in the way she says.” Matthias looked at Britt. “We discussed this, you and I. I thought you understood.”
“What you meant and how you made me feel are two different things, but don’t worry. I’ll get over it.” Britt turned to Nicolas. “So, how much longer before I can go home?”
Nicolas felt disheartened for a second as her request settled in. He thought she understood that was no longer an option. “Home?”
“Yes. That was always the plan, right? You told me I could go home, two weeks, give or take, and then I could return. Germany is quite a distance from home, so is this field trip going to make it longer?”
They hadn’t told her the truth, or what they suspected was the truth, yet. If she were Gaia’s daughter, she wouldn’t be going back to her old life again. Nicolas didn’t want to be the one to break that to her, not in her current angry state. She didn’t need to be pissed off at both of them.
“Matthias has told me I can never go home. What are you holding back from me, Nicolas?”
He saw the light blue flicker of light in her depths and wondered how often that happened. There would be no way she could have hidden this talent of hers for so long if her eyes flashed blue whenever she had strong emotions. “I don’t know how much longer it will be.”
That wasn’t a lie. They weren’t one hundred percent yet on her backstory, so the possibility she was going home was still there. So, why did it feel like he was lying?
“The two of you need to talk over your stories since they don’t sound the same. And you need to clue me in on the truth before I walk.”
“We don’t know all the truth, so there’s no point in getting you upset with hearsay.”
“I want to know what you know.”
“What we know is the Illuminati are growing more active each day. There is a war culminating and you may be a target. We need to get you to Thierry so he can help us find more answers.”
Her gaze flickered over him, and he wanted to back away, but knew to do so would cause her to question him more. “I somehow don’t think that’s all of it.”
Nicolas knew they needed to go. Here and now wasn’t the place to tell her she was potentially a goddess’ daughter. They needed to get her to safety. “Grab your stuff, we need to go.”
Britt eyed him cautiously, apparently not buying his comment, but she gathered her cold weather gear and moved to the door behind him. Nicolas lowered the hatch, and they descended into the hangar. As he closed and locked up the plane, Matthias had already uncovered the Bentley and was revving up the engine.
Britt jumped into the backseat, seemingly angry with them both. She avoided Nicolas’ gaze when he slid into the passenger seat and quickly lay across the bucket seats and curled up into the semi-fetal position, feigning sleep. The zip of electricity in the air charging around her proved she was awake, but there was no point in prodding her more. Once she calmed down, perhaps they could tell her the truth. They all needed a good night’s rest and that wouldn’t happen until they made it to the ancient castle.
Until then, he would rest up and let Matthias take the lead.
Chapter Nine
Matthias twisted the powerful vehicle around the curving hills surrounding the RhineValley. It had been some time since he’d been to Thierry’s castle hidden away in the dense forests there, but the route was burned into his memory. Driving was one of his passions, especially given the opportunity to do it in a powerful machine. It was one modern convenience he heartily enjoyed. The car was practically on autopilot as they moved at speeds of seventy or more around the bends and curves.
The road was the least of his concerns. The female in the back was.
His mind had generated every potential possibility of her decision. He knew she would refuse to be cornered, and his challenge had done just that. He was an imbecile for trying to dictate her decision. It would only push her into Nicolas’ arms.
Flashes of their ménage moved through his mind. They had exalted her, given everything of themselves to put her on a pedestal. It hadn’t been demeaning or disrespectful in any way. They
had gloried in her body and had ensured her ultimate pleasure. His upbringing had forced notions of disrespect in his head. The church had called it sin, and he’d accepted it. He’d found the church had been wrong on many occasions over the years, so why wouldn’t it stand to reason they were wrong on this account as well?
Could they become a family of three?
He and Nicolas were already family. They were practically joined at the hip. If Britt chose him over Nicolas, where would that leave Nicolas? Would he would stay with them and see the love and intimacy between them and not allow it to fester inside his heart? Matthias wouldn’t stay to watch Britt in Nicolas’ arms. It would be torture beyond what he could compare. If he walked away, he would be walking away from his brother. It was a no-win situation.
Forcing her to make a decision would tear his friendship apart. They would never be the same afterward. Britt’s suggestion would allow him to have his woman and his friend in his life. But then there was also Britt. She didn’t know the full truth and once she did, she might not want either of them. Making decisions in his head was pointless if the truth wasn’t yet shared.
Matthias knew she had to be Gaia’s daughter. Nicolas had left it open to possibility when he’d spoken to Britt, but they knew the truth. It stared them down in her blue swirling eyes. No human had that kind of power, and Gaia had already alluded to the fact she wasn’t wholly human. Why would Britt have been dropped in their laps if she weren’t fated to be in their life?
There was no going back for her. She would be under their protection until the Illuminati plans became apparent and the war that beckoned was finished. Britt was theirs, as long as their forever was. She just needed to see that.
A ringing phone shattered the silence, Nicolas jolting from his sleep. Darkness had fallen around them as he drove and they’d slept. Nicolas pulled his cell from his pocket and sleepily said hello. Quiet conversation followed. The seer had been hurt trying to save Michel, a sword stabbed into her gut as they’d fought off an Illuminati attack at the airport. They needed the healer to save the woman’s life. They needed Britt.
“Hit the gas, Matthias. The woman’s life hangs in the balance.”
Matthias punched the already racing car, allowing the beast of a machine to coil around the twisting roads. The odometer pushed past one hundred, the car screeching around each corner as he barely slowed.
“It appears the woman is both Gabriel and Michel’s lover. They’re despondent over her injury. The fact she thrust herself on the sword to save Michel—”
The words dropped heavily in the air, the emotion they felt for their brutalized brother filling the car. Michel had been tortured many years before by a woman he loved. Since then, he’d never trusted enough to give all of himself. He trusted his brothers, but he’d always insulated himself, even with them. If Michel had finally found the woman that had unlocked his soul, she must truly be miraculous. And if he lost her, Michel might never be the same.
Matthias thought of the potential of losing Britt, and his chest ached. He would not put Gabriel and Michel through that. He punched the accelerator even harder, pushing the machine to his and its limits.
As they barely rounded a corner, Matthias heard a clattering in the back. Britt popped her head up moments later and looked drowsily around at the roads. “Are you insane? Or are you trying to kill us?”
“We need to get to the castle. A woman is hurt, and we need you to save her.”
“Who is this woman?”
“Someone very special. She can’t die.”
****
Someone very special. She can’t die.
Britt allowed that statement to wash over her for a second before she was thrown to the other side of the backseat as they rounded a hairpin turn. Matthias was driving like a madmen, so apparently, the woman meant something to him, enough to risk all their lives to get to her. Was there a woman in their lives that she didn’t know about? Granted, she had only known them for a short time, but she hadn’t sensed a connection to anyone else when she’d touched them before. Uncertainty filled her and made her question her resolve. Was this the reason they hadn’t told her all of the truth?
She settled back into the seat and clasped her seatbelt around her to prevent from sliding all over the backseat. Britt refused to allow her mind to generate what if scenarios. It wouldn’t be productive. She would hold on for dear life, hope Matthias would get them there in one piece, and then see what happened when she came face to face with this someone special.
Soon after they went around another cliff-hanging corner, a castle appeared on the side of a cliff in the distance. “Is that our destination?”
Nicolas turned to her and nodded. “It is owned by our brother, Alain d’Albon. We will find safety there.”
“I thought we were going to see Thierry.”
“We tend to fight in pairs, to keep an eye on one another. Thierry and Alain have fought alongside one another for many years. They’re both there, as well as four other of our brothers.”
So she’d be meeting the family, as it were. She wasn’t sure she was ready to jump into a throng of people and have them know what she could do. For years, she’d kept her gift a secret, something only she knew about. It had been an incredible revelation for Matthias and Nicolas to find out what she was. The freedom it had afforded was comforting, but outside their small circle, she didn’t want it broadcast to the world. Apparently, her two knights had already spilled the beans.
The car quickly closed in on the castle. She wouldn’t be given time to mull over what needed to be done. They came to a screeching halt inside a small bailey, the electric gate having opened for them as they’d driven up the lane. Four large men strode out the front door, all with broadswords in hand. The men surrounded the car, and Britt hesitated, her hand frozen on the door handle, unsure if these were friends or foes.
Nicolas and Matthias jumped from the vehicle, clasping quick handshakes from the armed men. Nicolas wrenched open the back door and held out his hand to her. She looked at his large, powerful palm, afraid to take it. Once she left the safety of the car, her secret would be known. But a woman’s life held in the balance as well, and she could not ignore that, either.
“We will be safe here. I won’t let any harm come to you.”
She looked to Nicolas’ gaze and knew he meant it, but revealing what she was hadn’t been in her plans. “Do they all know what I am?”
“Yes.” He frowned. “They are knights just as Matthias and I are. They will guard your secret with their lives. They know how special you are.”
Britt took his hand and lifted from the seat. She felt all eyes on her and wanted to fade away. All four men were covered in cuts and blood, fresh from the fight the woman had apparently been hurt in. Nicolas pulled her close, giving her his strength. One of the four came forward and offered her a hand.
“I’m Thierry. To my right is Alain. This is his home. On the other side are Henri and Lucian. We are all very glad to meet you, and I apologize for the hurried introduction, but upstairs, Gabriel and Michel are with their woman, Kadence. She’s been hurt badly and could use your help.”
She was Gabriel and Michel’s woman. That thought allowed her to breathe a bit easier. Thierry’s warm face and calm demeanor settled her nerves quite a bit. He was straightforward, and she immediately knew she could trust him. As she took his hand to shake it, energy roiled through her, and she connected with him, their souls touching.
It wasn’t like when she touched Matthias and Nicolas. There was no lust, no desire. There was only the touching of knowledge and emotion. Her thoughts were confirmed. She could trust this man with her life. Thierry’s eyes grew large as he looked at their paired hands before staring back to her.
“What is that?”
“Your guess is as good as mine, Thierry. Why not show me the way to your injured friend?”
Thierry smiled and walked up the entrance stairs to the open double doors. The rest of the men foll
owed behind her. She was so focused on her task ahead that she barely looked at interior, other than to note it was opulent. They moved to the second floor and down a gilt hallway, the walls covered in expensive fabric and luxurious artwork. After passing several doors, they stopped before one. Thierry backed away after opening the passage.
Britt took a deep breath before rushing in. There were two more large men, both covered in splattered blood, the one at the head of the bed coated in it. Britt sensed he was coated in the female’s blood as he was hovering over her and wore a sneer on his face as she approached. He looked as if he were a wild animal, ready to pounce on anyone who got near his fallen mate.
She recognized the protective stance of both men. This was their female, their lover. Worry and torment filled the room, scenting the room with fear. They feared they would lose her. Britt would ensure they didn’t.
Nicolas stepped to her side and tried to calm the raging beast on the bed. “Michel, Gabriel, this is Britt. She’s here to help.”
Britt eased closer, the man seated with the woman’s head in his lap never stirring. She smiled at him in an attempt to allay his fears. When he didn’t respond in kind, or respond at all, she focused on the woman and saw she was indeed in dire need. Large bandages were coated in blood. She could be bleeding out even now. The man be damned, Britt needed to check the wound.
She dipped to the bed, resting on the edge. Collecting Kadence’s hand in hers, Britt closed her eyes and began to hum quietly. She hoped her light wouldn’t get too bright and scare the man ahead of her. If he moved the woman as she worked, he could harm her more. Britt lifted her other hand and began to hang her open palm over Kadence’s body, floating in large circles until it narrowed into smaller ones just above the wound.
A light formed under the bandages, in the exact spot the wound was, and mere seconds later, was gone.
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