by Suzanne Rock
“It doesn’t matter. The deahmans have ears,” Darien replied.
Tara knew that he was referring to the mole in the FBI. Donar held out a chair and she sat and waited for the others to take their places before she began.
“I believe I know who the mole is in the FBI.”
“You do?” Darien raised his brow.
“Yes.” She told him of how Nergal managed to find them after she called Sparrow.
“That could be coincidence,” Darien said. “Deahmans can sense other deahmans and the senses are stronger the more deahmans that are in the area. It is possible that Nergal detected Soren and Donar and Sparrow had nothing to do with it.”
“We thought that too.” Donar said. “But then we ran into deahmans again once she called him outside the hotel room.”
“I’ll have to look more into it.” Darien pressed his lips together in thought. “Although now that you mention it, I remember some coincidences as well. It seems like every time we went out on a mission and ran into difficulty, Sparrow was in on the plan.”
“That’s a lot of coincidences,” Tara observed.
Darien frowned. “I trusted him with my life.”
“We did too,” Donar said. “He was with us in Venom before we came to you. We thought that he was impenetrable.”
“Not completely impenetrable,” Tara said. “I wonder what hold Urian has on him that would make him defect like that?”
“Urian?” Darien leaned forward. “What do you mean, Urian?”
Soren and Donar proceeded to tell Darien about the cages, about how the red horseman had appeared and murdered the old deahman lord because of his failure and how he put Urian in charge.
“He acquired two shards of the deahman stone. We managed to steal one, but he still has the other.” Soren reached into his pocket.
“No, not here,” Darien said. “Later.”
Soren glanced at Donar, then placed his hands back on the table. “You’re right, of course.”
Donar leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table. “The magic will amplify his power and make him even more dangerous.”
“And quicken his conversion,” Tara added.
Soren nodded. “Urian has a vendetta against you, Darien. He seems obsessed with getting revenge.”
Darien leaned back and rubbed his chin. Silence stretched as he pondered the new information. “I deserve his hatred.”
“No, don’t say that.” Tara leaned forward pointed to the table. “You have done so much good for our cause.”
“Yes, but I was foolish. If I hadn’t led the team down into hell to begin with, none of this would have happened. I should have done more research. I should have—”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it, my friend.” Donar put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It was a different time, we were different people. There was no way of knowing that it was a trap.”
“No,” Darien agreed. “I cannot change the past, but I can change the future. I can assure what has happened to us never happens to anyone else ever again.”
“How are you going to do that?” Tara asked.
“I have to break the portal.”
“No!” Tara stood, drawing the attention from the room. “You can’t.”
“Tara.” Soren touched her arm. “You’re creating a scene.”
“I don’t care. The Iatros are tied to the portal. We draw our life from it. Darien wants to destroy my people.”
“Shh, child, I want to do no such thing.” Darien motioned her to sit. Tara fought through her hurt and tried to get her emotions under control.
She tried to reason with him again. “You can’t destroy the portal. The Iatros are bound to that magic. If it’s gone, then we’re gone too. Not only will I die, but Arianne as well.”
“I am bound to your queen, don’t you think I already know this?” Darien’s face turned hard, like ice. He held her gaze for a moment and Tara saw his own inner deahman flash crimson through his gaze.
“Darien,” Donar put his hand on Darien’s arm, his own eyes turning red. “I will respect your mate, I ask that you respect mine.”
“Mine as well,” Soren added, putting a protective arm around Tara.
It seemed as if time stood still. The three humans—or were they deahmans?—stared at each other from across the table.
Then the moment passed. Darien seemed to have gained control over his inner darkness. The danger was gone.
“I’m sorry.” Darien passed a hand over his face. “I have been three days without my mate and I’m ready to go insane.”
“It’s okay,” Donar said, leaning back. “You’re forgiven.”
“Yes, you’re forgiven.” Soren relaxed, but kept his protective arm around Tara.
“I realize that we can’t destroy the portal, but if we could block it off somehow, keep anyone from passing through…”
Tara shook her head. “The only way to seal it off would be to use the ancient Gaelic spell, but when you use that all of the Iatros will freeze as well.”
“There has to be another way. I’ll have to think about it.” Darien rubbed his chin for a moment, lost in thought. Then he lowered his arm. “You have done well, my friends. Take the night off, relax. You deserve it.”
“What happens tomorrow?” Soren asked.
“Tomorrow we return to Celestial Wood—to my wife.” Darien smiled and turned to Tara. “She’s going to want to hear about everything that has happened.”
Tara nodded. “I had assumed that she would want to talk to me.”
“She will want to promote you.”
“Promote me?” Tara asked.
“Yes, you have brought two of my team members back to me and they both have priceless information that will help our cause. I believe that deserves some recognition, don’t you?”
“I-I don’t know what to say.”
“Say thank you.”
“Thank you.”
“Good.” Darien pulled out his wallet, threw some bills on the table and stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must retire. It has been an exhausting day. I’ll see you in the morning. We will leave at six.”
“Six?” Soren groaned as the rest of the table stood.
“Yes, six. I want to get an early start. He nodded to Tara. “Sleep well.”
The three of them watched Darien as he left to go to his room.
“Well I guess that’s that,” Tara said as he vanished from view.
“Yeah, that’s Darien for you. He doesn’t like to waste time,” Soren said. “He’s quick to make decisions.”
“Hopefully this time he’ll think things through a little before acting on them,” Tara said.
“I’m sure he will. You saw how he beat himself up about leading us into hell.” Soren glanced at Donar. “He won’t make the same mistake again.”
“Let’s hope not.” Donar laid his hand on the small of Tara’s back. “Come on, let’s go. We’ll need some rest before we leave tomorrow.”
“Rest?” Tara arched her brow.
Soren tried to hide a smile. “I don’t think she’s tired, master.”
“Hmmm…we’ll have to see about that. Come on, to the room.”
Tara wove her way around the tables and up the stairs to the living quarters. She found their room and used the card Soren had gotten earlier to let them inside. She stepped in through the door and tossed the key card on a small end table as Soren and Donar walked in behind her.
“Ah, this is more like it.” Donar walked into the room and sprawled out on the large king-sized bed. “Just what I was waiting for.”
Soren laughed and walked past him to the bathroom. Donar motioned for Tara to join him. She kicked off her shoes and climbed up into bed next to him, then rested her head in the crux of his shoulder.
Donar wrapped his arms around her. “Much better.”
She looked up and met his gaze. “Much.”
We have our whole lives to look forward to now. You, me and Soren.
I know. What kind of future will it be with the deahmans gaining so much control?
Donar brushed a stray hair from her face. Don’t worry. We can take on anything Urian can dish out. He tapped his temple. We now know the secret on how to resist the pull of the stone.
Tara smiled and ran her finger over her lips. Not all Iatros are as lucky as us, though.
No. He tightened his grip around her. It will be our job to protect them.
She nodded in understanding. It seems like such an impossible task.
Hey. Donar crooked his finger under her chin and lifted her head so that it was closer to his lips. You’re an amazing woman, Tara. The Iatros are lucky to have you on your side.
We all are. Soren stepped out of the bathroom, naked except for a towel around his hips. The sight sent heat spiraling through Tara’s body and a dull ache formed between her thighs.
Donar’s right, Soren said. You’re an amazing woman.
Wait a minute… “You can hear Donar and me talking?” Tara asked.
Soren nodded. Loud and clear.
She turned to Donar. “And you can hear him?”
“I think it’s one of the perks of being joined through you.” Donar smiled.
“You two should come in here,” Soren said. “They have a Jacuzzi.”
“Really?” Tara scrambled off the bed and rushed past Soren into the bathroom. While she was talking with Donar, Soren had turned on the water, and steam rolled through the room and bubbles floated on the surface.
Tara groaned and stripped off her clothing. “I’ve always wanted to try one of these things.”
“You’ve never been in one before?” Donar asked.
“No.” She slipped into the water and positioned herself in front of a jet. Water sprayed against her back, soothing her aching muscles. She sighed and rested her head on the side of the Jacuzzi as her whole body relaxed. “This is better than I thought it would be.”
Donar slipped off his clothes and the men slid into the water on either side of her.
“She looks beautiful, doesn’t she, Soren?”
“Yes, except…”
“Except what?” Donar asked when Soren didn’t continue.
Tara opened one eye and peered at them.
Soren smiled at her. “I think something is missing.”
Tara opened her other eye. “What’s missing?”
The men turned toward her, giving her full view of their muscular chests—and their crimson eyes.
“I think she needs to be pleasured, master,” Soren said.
“I believe you may be right, slave.”
Both men advanced toward her as one body.
Tara squealed and tried to climb out of the Jacuzzi. Donar grabbed her waist and hauled her back into his chest. Tara laughed as he pulled her close and Soren sat down in her space.
“I’m ready, master,” he said.
Donar placed her down in Soren’s lap, and then began to kiss her shoulders and neck. Soren reached up and grabbed the back of her head and dragged her mouth to his. Hands were everywhere, mouths everywhere. Tara’s body came alive with sensation as the men cocooned her with their warmth.
Soren left her head and palmed her breasts, kneading and teasing them until they formed sharp peaks in his hands. Tara groaned and wiggled, rubbing her pussy against his swelling cock.
Donar leaned in close, his scent mixing with Soren’s. He massaged her shoulders and back, using his hands and tongue to sensitize her skin. Together the men worked, until Tara’s whole body ached with need. Then Soren grabbed her hips and positioned himself at her opening.
Tara tore away from his mouth and met his gaze. “Do it.”
Soren thrust his hips up, spearing her with his cock. Tara groaned as her channel stretched to accommodate him. As Soren eased back in his seat Tara went with him, not willing to have him retreat from her body just yet.
Behind her, she felt Donar’s fingers slip into the crack in her backside and find her opening. “Are you ready, little one?”
“For you, always.”
Soren shifted, then eased Tara closer, angling them both so that Donar could gain better access. Donar eased himself back and forth until he gently guided himself home.
All three of them groaned as Tara’s body stretched. Despite the warmth of the Jacuzzi, a cool breeze flowed past Tara’s skin. She smiled, knowing that it was the joining of their magic that created the phenomena. With both men lodged inside of her, she felt complete, whole.
Donar eased back, slowly retreating from her backside. Soren retreated as well, their hands holding her hips steady as they moved. Then they thrust together, filling her to the point of breaking. Tara groaned as the sweet friction heated her core.
Back and forth the men moved, creating a primal rhythm. Tara closed her eyes and blanked her mind. She concentrated of the feel of the men’s warm bodies around her, the sound of the water slapping against her as they moved. Each man groaned as they thrust themselves home, creating an erotic chorus that heightened her desire.
Their scents mingled, creating a heady aroma Tara found addicting. She felt pressure rise in her core, and soon she too was moving along with the men’s thrusts. She reached one hand in front and placed it on Soren’s chest. Then she reached up and held Donar’s lips close to her skin. Never before had she felt anything so incredible, so highly erotic.
Tara could sense the men’s rising desire. It fed her own. Together they raced closer and closer toward completion. The world faded away until all that was left was these men, this moment and the wonderful connection that they shared.
A connection that she created.
The wind escalated. Donar shifted his hands up from her hips and pinched her breasts. The spark of pain was enough to send her spiraling over the edge. Tara cried out as her orgasm hit her hard, crashing through her body as if it was an enormous wave. Still the men continued to thrust, taking her pleasure to new heights.
She released her wings on instinct. Donar grabbed them as he continued to thrust into her backside. She felt his orgasm roar through him. Soren soon followed and both men grunted as they emptied their seed deep inside of her body.
When Tara finally eased back into reality, the wind had died down, and the men’s thrusting ceased. Donar removed himself and slipped out of the Jacuzzi. Tara whimpered at his retreat. Soren laughed and kissed her hard on the mouth.
“Beautiful,” he whispered.
She framed his face. “Handsome.”
“Hey, what about me?” Donar asked as he stepped up to the side of the Jacuzzi with a towel.
Soren helped Tara out of the water. She cupped Donar’s cheek and met his gaze. “I think you’re pretty handsome too.”
Donar turned his head and kissed her palm. “Much better.” He wrapped a towel around her and scooped her up in his arms. “Now for some rest.”
Soren followed them to the bedroom. Donar set her feet down on the floor and the men went to work, toweling her dry. Tara tried to protest, but the men wouldn’t hear of it. They worked together until her skin glowed pink and she felt hot and needy all over again.
Donar turned down the blankets and Soren led her to the bed. The men got in on either side of her, surrounding her with their warmth.
Tara closed her eyes and for the first time in her life felt good about her future and herself. She didn’t need someone else’s approval or to prove her worth to her people.
These men accepted her for who she was and taught her to do the same. They didn’t care that she was a little eccentric or rough around the edges. They made her feel powerful and loved. Men like that were worth keeping. Good thing too, because by the way Soren and Donar fretted over her well-being like mother hens, it didn’t seem like either one of them was going to leave her side anytime soon.
Tara snuggled closer to Soren and Donar. Yes, she was a lucky woman indeed.
About the Author
After over a decade in the scientific world, Suzanne need
ed a creative outlet. She tried scrapbooking, cooking, crocheting, painting and piano, none of which held her interest for very long. Then one of her friends suggested writing. Thrilled with the idea of creating her own worlds, she opened up her laptop and never looked back.
When Suzanne’s not writing, she can be found playing with her two daughters, testing her husband’s latest kitchen creations, or curled up with her favorite romance novel in her central Massachusetts home.
Suzanne welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Suzanne Rock
A Little Bit Reckless
Unholy Pursuits
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Unholy Cravings
ISBN 9781419940422
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Unholy Cravings Copyright © 2012 Suzanne Rock
Edited by Briana St. James
Cover design by Mina Carter
Photos: fotolia.com and 123rf.com
Electronic book publication May 2012
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