by Suzanne Rock
“Stop looking and come over here then. We need to warm her up.”
“It was fucking stupid of her to stay and fight.” Soren stripped and got into bed on the other side of her.
Stupid yes, but it was hot as hell. Donar had never seen anything so sexy as Tara flying through the air with that anchor and a murderous look on her face. Just thinking about it gave him a hard-on the size of Mount Everest.
“Fuck, the bastard tore her wings.” Soren ran his fingers over the tear. “I’m going to make him pay for that.” He bent over and kissed the wound. The touch was so gentle, so loving, that Donar became even more turned-on than before.
Donar ran his fingers over Tara’s cheek as helplessness rose up from within. “Tell us how to help you, little one.”
Mine.
Donar blinked as his deahman rose to the surface. She’s hurt.
Take her. Mine.
Donar pulled his hand away in shock. I can’t have sex with her. She’s unconscious.
Soren leaned back and stared at the wound. “Donar, I think you need to see this.”
Donar leaned over Tara and peered at the wound. “What about it?”
“It looks better than it did just a moment ago.”
“You must be imagining things.”
“Watch.” Soren leaned forward and ran his tongue over the tear. Then he leaned back and pointed to the wound. “See?”
Donar watched in stunned silence as the wound started to close. “Well, fuck me.”
Soren grinned. “I think we’ve found a way to help her.”
Donar met Soren’s gaze. “I think we have.”
Together they moved their hands and mouths over her body, searching for wounds and caressing each with their tongues and hands. Donar kissed her forehead, her eyelids, then her cheeks, each time lingering and making sure one wound closed before moving onto the next.
Slowly, her body began to warm. The mission faded from Donar’s mind as desire pumped through his veins.
“I know this is going to make me sound like a bastard, but I want nothing more than to fuck her right now,” Soren said.
“Me too.” Donar slid his hand over her breast. The temptation was almost too much.
Tara moaned and shifted between them.
“Keep going, I think it’s working,” Donar said.
“We can’t fuck her while she’s unconscious.”
“She’s coming around.”
“Yes, but—”
Donar met his gaze. “Don’t you remember from our research? An Iatros’ energy comes from strong emotions. Emotions like lust.” He moistened his lips as he squeezed her nipple. Darkness poured into his head as his deahman awoke. “I don’t know about you, but my deahman craves her.”
“Mine too.”
Take her.
Donar studied Tara’s face. How are you doing, little one? He mentally sent the message out to her, but didn’t really expect a response.
Tara opened her eyes and met Donar’s gaze. “Shut up and fuck me, deahman.”
Donar stilled as Soren’s chuckle washed over him. “Well then, I guess that settles it.”
Donar cupped her cheek with his hand. “Are you sure?”
Tara groaned and rubbed her leg against his. “You better let your deahman loose, Donar, before he eats you up inside.”
Mine.
Donar closed his eyes and relaxed, letting his darkness rise to the surface. He felt Soren do the same. Soon they were both touching and kissing, marking every inch of her skin and branding her as theirs.
Tara moaned and moved between them, her eager body becoming hot and wet with desire. Donar felt her increasing need. He harnessed it and used it to fuel his own cravings.
After a moment, he looked up at Soren. “On your back, man.”
Soren glanced up at him, his eyes bright crimson. A lazy smile spread out over his lips. “Yes, master.”
Donar watched Soren get on his back and realized that while his inner darkness was at the surface, he still maintained a certain level of control. He felt Tara’s presence as well, a white light that was small, but becoming brighter with each passing second.
Donar pulled back the covers and revealed Soren’s long, hard body. Soren’s cock jutted up into the air, strong and ready.
Tara turned toward him and began to stroke his length. Soren closed his eyes and groaned as she moved her fingers over his skin.
Donar eased her legs apart and slipped his fingers through her slick folds. “You’re nice and wet, little one.” He slipped a finger over her clit, causing her to whimper in response. Such a beautiful sound. He could listen to it all night.
“Up with you.” He placed his hand at the small of her back and pushed her toward Soren.
Tara climbed on top of Soren and sheathed herself on his length. Both of them groaned and Soren grabbed her waist and lifted his hips off the bed, driving himself as far as he could go.
“You’re so tight,” he said.
“You’re so big.” Tara slid up his shaft and back down again.
Donar reached for the bottle of oil on the bedside table. There was a little bit left. He dumped it onto his hands and coated his length.
Tara turned to him and held out her hand. “Come here, master.”
Fuck. She was perfect, all smiles and holding out her hand. He stared at her for a brief moment, wanting to savor the sight before him.
Then Donar let go of his cock and took her hand. “My pleasure.” He kissed her palm and shifted until he was behind her. Then he placed his hands over Soren’s on her hips and stilled her body.
“Bend over,” he ordered.
Tara shivered. “Yes, master.” She leaned over Soren and placed her hands on the mattress on either side of his head.
“Now kiss her, hard,” he ordered.
Soren reached up and cupped her cheek. Then he dragged her down and covered her lips with his own.
Donar grabbed the bottle of oil and ran his fingers along the inside edges. Then he slid them over her spine and dragged them down over her ass, creating long, intricate patterns of oil on her body. The aroma of vanilla filled his nose and he knew that from now on, whenever he smelled that wonderful scent, it would forever remind him of this moment. She felt so soft, so smooth, so alive.
He slipped his hand between her ass cheeks and ran his finger around her opening.
Tara lifted her head and moaned at the intrusion.
“Would you like me to take you there?” Donar asked.
“Yes, please.”
“Hurry, man. She’s so tight. I’m not going to hold out much longer.”
Donar grabbed the bottle one last time and took what little oil it had left. Then he ran his fingers over his cock and positioned himself at her opening. Soren dragged her down and captured her lips once more. Donar placed his hands over Soren’s on her hips and inched himself just inside her opening.
“Ah, so tight.” He grunted as he pulled himself back, then pushed himself a little further inside. “So fucking tight.” He worked back and forth, moving slowly so as not to hurt her overly much. He wanted to drive hard inside her body, but he managed to restrain himself. Finally, he moved past the tight ring of muscle and slid himself home.
Donar groaned as his hips pressed up against her ass. He curled his body around Tara and placed his hands on the mattress on either side of her.
Soren tore his mouth away and began kissing her jaw and neck. Donar kissed her back, working his way over every inch of skin. He couldn’t get enough of her. She was so beautiful, so perfect. Her soft groans and whimpers were like music to his ears. He wanted to lose himself inside of her and never see the light of day again.
When the anticipation became too much, he straightened and grabbed her hips. Soren followed his lead and put his hands around her waist. Together they moved inside of her, slowly advancing and retreating to create the maximum amount of friction.
Pressure built deep inside Donar’s lower abdomen. He beg
an to pump faster. Mine.
He thrust again and again, each push winding him tighter, increasing his urgency. He grunted each time his hips slapped against her ass. It sounded so primal and erotic. Soren’s groans joined his. Tara moaned and bucked between them, coaxing them faster. Donar complied, thrusting harder and with more urgency. He watched Soren and Tara as he moved and protectiveness welled up in his chest. These two were his to command, his to protect. Mine.
He looked down and watched his cock as it moved in and out of her body. It glistened with moisture and slid easily through her hole. In and out, advance and retreat. Fuck, it was a beautiful sight.
He closed his eyes and focused on the building erotic sensations in his body. Everything felt so intense, so right. Pressure grew inside his lower abdomen and the base of his spine tingled. He was close, so close. He pumped harder, faster, his moans mingling with Soren’s and Tara’s and creating an erotic chorus.
Soren cried out, the primal noise filling the air around them. Donar’s balls drew up and his thrusts became more erratic and primal. Tara’s body shivered, then tightened around his length. He heard her cry, felt it ripple through him. Then his world exploded and he spilled his seed deep inside her soft body. Pleasure flowed through him and for a brief, wondrous moment, he felt whole. Complete.
Eventually he drifted down back to reality. He slowed his movements and ran his fingers over Tara’s back. “That was amazing.”
“I’ll say.” Soren dragged Tara toward him and gave her a quick kiss. Then the three of them turned until they all stretched out on the bed, Tara between them.
“Thank you.” Tara’s words touched Donar’s heart.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. “Much better, thanks.”
“See? I told you that you could bind to both of us,” Soren said.
Tara flashed in a frown. “It almost killed me.”
“But it didn’t,” Donar added.
Tara reached behind her and placed her hand on Donar’s hip. “No, it didn’t. Thanks to the both of you.”
They lay there in silence, enjoying the moment. Slowly, reality settled back over them.
“I wonder what happened to Nergal and Anisa?” Tara asked.
“Hopefully they drowned,” Soren said.
“I doubt it.” Donar shifted until he was on his back. “I think we took them by surprise. They didn’t count on our bond, or on Tara’s strength.”
“Or the shard,” Soren added. “We’ll have to get in touch with Darien.”
“Darien made us all memorize his cell number in case we got separated from our phones. I could give him a call,” Tara offered.
“You could check upstairs. I’m sure that they have some type of communication device on this boat,” Donar said.
Tara shuddered. “I’ll get it.” She extricated herself from the men and jumped out of bed.
Donar frowned. “You’re not afraid of the water anymore?”
She flashed him a smile as she wrapped herself in a throw blanket. “No. I’ve learned that there are much bigger things to be scared of than a little water.”
“You shouldn’t fear anything. We’ll protect you,” Soren said.
She laughed as she tucked in the blanket around her breasts. “I know.” She walked over and kissed the tip of his nose. “I’ll be right back.”
Donar couldn’t help but feel a stab of jealousy at the affection she showed Soren. Tara made it about halfway to the door, stopped and backtracked to the bed.
“What is it?” Donar asked.
“This.” She framed his face in her hands and forced his gaze to meet hers. “You have nothing to be jealous of, ever.” She tilted her head and covered his mouth in a hot, searing kiss.
Donar’s mind blanked with desire as she swept her tongue into his mouth. The kiss was intense and he felt all of the passion in Tara directed at him. His muscles went weak and desire surged through his veins.
Then she pulled away. “I’ll be right back.” She smiled and disappeared from the room.
When the door closed, Soren sighed and rolled over onto his back. “That’s a great woman we have there.”
Donar smiled. “Yes, she is.”
* * * * *
Tara scrambled around in the control area, searching for the ship’s communication equipment. She found something that looked like a short wave radio on the far side of the control panel. After pressing some buttons and turning some knobs, she couldn’t even get static on the line. How did one use this thing? Useless piece of junk.
She gave up on the radio and searched the different drawers beneath the panel until she found what she was looking for.
“Ah, here’s something useful.” She found a small cell in one of the drawers and flipped it open. After a quick check, she got a dial tone.
Yes. She had reception. Tara allowed herself a brief fist-pump in the air. She started to call Sparrow, then hesitated. Each time she had phoned her boss, the deahmans had caught up with her. It was circumstantial, but Darien did say that there was a mole within the FBI walls. What if it was her boss?
Tara frowned and canceled the call. It was better to be safe than sorry. She phoned Darien. It rang three times before he picked up.
“Yeah.”
“It’s me, Road Runner.”
“Fuck, Tara, where have you been? Everyone has been worried sick.”
Really? But she was a freak, an outcast. She couldn’t do anything right. Tara thought the team would be glad to get rid of her. “But I’m the weak link—”
“What are you talking about?” Darien asked. “Ari insisted on sheltering you because we couldn’t risk your exceptional power falling into the wrong hands, but I convinced her to let you go, because you are the best tracker we have. Then you dropped off the face of the earth and we feared the worst…”
Exceptional power? Her? But she had always thought—
“What the hell is going on?” Darien asked, snapping her from her thoughts.
“Sparrow didn’t give you updates?”
“I haven’t been able to contact him, either.”
Interesting. Tara looked around her on the boat. “I’ve been rather busy.”
“Where are you?”
“I don’t know if this line is secure. I’ll be home in a few hours to give my report in person.”
There was a brief pause. “It’s too dangerous. Meet me at rendezvous point B tomorrow night.”
Rendezvous point B. Bar Harbor, Maine. Tara searched her mind until she remembered the bar name she had been given in case of emergencies. The owner was on the FBI payroll and could be counted on for his discretion.
The Rising Star, that was the name.
“Got it. I’ll be there.”
She ended the call and moved to put the phone away. Then she hesitated. If Anisa and Nergal came after them in the boat, then what happened to Samir? Uneasiness rippled over her as she flipped open the phone once more. After a few tries, she remembered Samir’s number and waited while it rang. Where was he? Why wasn’t he picking up? Was he all right?
The call switched over to voicemail and Samir’s familiar baritone came over the line. “This is Samir, leave a message.”
The phone beeped and Tara stood in stunned silence. What should she say?
“Samir? It’s me, Tara. Give me a call. I want to know if you’re all right.” She started to close the phone, then remembered that she didn’t have her own phone with her. “Don’t call me on my phone. It’s destroyed. Call me on this one. Okay, bye.”
Tara flipped the phone shut and stared at it for a full moment. She hoped that he was able to get away. Perhaps he was in hiding and didn’t have his phone with him. Or more likely, he escaped, got bored waiting for her and went on another of his grand adventures.
Either way, he’d give her a call when he could.
Tara tightened her grip on the phone and went down below to update Soren and Donar.
Chapter Eighteen
Soren and Donar had insisted on getting Tara new clothes before seeing Darien. Once they reached Bar Harbor, Tara wore some oversized shirt that she had found in one of the closets and let them take her on a shopping spree with the FBI credit card.
“It’s a write-off,” Donar had said.
They had a great afternoon of shopping, but now it was time for business.
Tara was first to spot the pub. It was a small place, just off the main street in downtown Bar Harbor. Donar held open the door for both her and Soren. Tara entered and it took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the change in lighting. The place was filled. How were they supposed to find Darien in this crowd? There was a sea of people.
“He’s over there.” Soren pointed to a lone man sitting at a table in the corner. His face was cloaked in shadow.
“How can you tell?”
Donar smiled. “Our deahmans recognized him as soon as we entered.”
Of course. Darien carried an inner deahman, just like Soren and Donar. Now, just like Darien, both men would be able to control their inner darkness.
Donar made his way over to the table where Darien sat. Tara and Soren followed. Darien stood as they approached.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I never should have left you down in hell. If there was some other way—”
Donar clasped his shoulder. “It’s all in the past now,” he said.
Soren patted Darien on the back. “We’re brothers now.”
Tara knew that he referred to them all having deahmans living inside of them.
“I sense that you have better control over your deahmans now,” Darien said.
“Yes, thanks to Tara.” Soren put his arm around Tara and smiled.
“She saved our lives.”
Tara could feel the heat rise to her cheeks.
“Of course. Tara is from the old country and one of our strongest Iatros. I’m not surprised.”
Tara warmed with his praise.
“Please, let’s sit. We’re drawing a crowd,” Darien said.
“Yes, we wouldn’t want to attract any more attention,” Donar added.
“But we’re miles from Boston,” Tara said.