by Madison Faye
“What comes now?”
I shook my head, kissing her neck. “I’m not sure, but this?” I kissed her again. “This is everything.”
“And we want this forever, Anya,” Jace growled, kissing her lips slowly.
“I— this isn’t anything I was looking for,” she whispered, turning to look at each of us. “But, I can’t imagine not being with the three of you.”
“Think we know exactly what you mean,” Dean murmured. “You weren’t anything we were expecting, but damn am I glad we found you.”
Her face fell slightly.
“What’s wrong, angel?”
“I have to get back to the palace at some point. And I’m worried that once I walk out that door, this is all going to be a sweet beautiful dream.”
I growled, pulling her close and kissing her fiercely. “Not a fucking chance. This is for—”
I wanted to say forever, I just didn’t know how to.
“This is for keeps,” I said instead.
“But how?” You’re princes, and I’m not royal. And besides that, what would people say about us all being together?”
“Who cares,” Dean muttered.
She smiled. “That’s easy to say, but really, how would that work? What, I’m just with all of you? How would Tam take that?”
“Let us worry about that,” Jace whispered, kissing her. “What matters is, you better know that when you walk out that door?” He nodded at the doorway to the bedroom.
“Known that this was not just a dream. This is us for always, and we’re going to make this work, we swear,” he said fiercely.
“If it’s what you want,” Dean said quietly.
The smile spread over her whole face.
“Of course it is,” she whispered.
“Good,” I murmured into her ear.
Twenty minutes later, she finally really did have to leave our bed, and unfortunately, put clothes back on. I called our car for her while she gathered her things.
“When are we seeing you next?”
She grinned, her face blushing.
“I’m pretty sure I’m free tonight.”
“Good,” Dean growled. “Consider your schedule full.”
She blushed, her eyes sparking. “Oh, I plan on it.”
It scared me how much I didn’t want her to leave, but at the same time, it filled me with something I was pretty sure I’d never felt before.
Real, true, forever love.
Now, the only trick was, making that happen.
13
Jace
The black and silver antique town car parked outside the front doors of the hotel was the first giveaway. The second was the stoic driver, standing beside the passenger door and nodding firmly at us, gesturing as he opened the door.
But the third was the hand, resting on the cane, that appeared, beckoning us to enter the car.
The hand with the ring only members of the club would ever recognize — gold, set with a thick ruby gem and three small, golden crowns.
Mr. X.
We’d never officially met him, but we’d all three seen him in the shadows, behind the high council, the night we’d been inducted into the Triple Crown Club. Mr. X was the club. Nameless, clouded in secrets, and basically unknown. “Mr. X” was really one of many Mr. Xs who stretched out through the long, storied history of the club, but it in no way diminished his importance. Or his power, or the iron-fisted way he ran the club. The rules to him were written in stone. They were unmoving, unbendable, and without circumstance.
He was rarely at the club and mostly kept to himself, allegedly. Suffice to say, a visit from Mr. X wasn’t really ever a good thing.
My jaw clenched as he beckoned, motioning us to enter the gorgeous, antique car.
“Shit,” Dean muttered, glancing at Killian and me.
Shit was right. There we were buzzing from our night with Anya — on our way, actually, to sit down and figure out how to make this work, and here was the last man you wanted to see as a member of the club.
“You think this is about what I think it’s about?”
I glanced at Killian’s grim face.
Yeah, I did. There was no other possible explanation for Mr. X being here. Even if I was sure there was no way the guys who’d brought Anya that first night and lied to her about everything, the bracelet included, had seen us with her, I couldn’t imagine what else this could be about.
Killian’s fist clenched as he nodded. “Alright, let’s do this thing.”
We nodded at the driver and stepped into the dark interior of the old limo.
Mr. X was probably around forty — hair slightly peppered at the edges, his chiseled face handsome but lined, and his sharp, steel-grey eyes flickering over us.
“Your Highnesses,” he purred out, his voice like smoky velvet, edged in steel. He smiled thinly, nodding at each of us as he sat back in his seat across from us, his cane to one side and one leg folded over the other. He reached into the great pocket of his tailored dark suit and brought out a metal case of cigarettes, offering it to us. We each shook our heads, and he shrugged and put it aside.
“You’re curious why I’m visiting you here this morning. Though, I imagine not all that curious.”
“What’s this about, sir?” Dean growled.
Mr. X smiled.
“It appears the three of you have made a new friend at the club? A certain Anya Green.” His smile thinned. “Pretty young thing, isn’t she?”
I felt the growl catch in my throat, and felt Killian’s hand on my shoulder as I moved forward, pulling me back into my seat.
Mr. X chuckled. “That fire and passion is legendary in the Kings of Tam, I’m told.” He cleared his throat, clasping his hands on his lap.
“However, there’s a small problem with your new friend, of which I believe you’re aware.”
“What problem is that?” Dean spat.
“She’s been spoken for,” Mr. X said evenly. “And you’re more than aware of the rules of our establishment.”
“She hasn’t been spoken for,” Killian snarled. “She was lied to. She was brought without knowledge of where she was going, thrown into the middle of it, and then given a bracelet without being told what it meant.”
Mr. X nodded. “That may be, but the rules are unflinching, gentlemen. You know this.”
“This is bullshit,” I growled, my eyes narrowing at him. “You’re telling me it’s fucking fine to lie to a woman and bring them there so you can claim them against their will? Are you running a club or a fucking slavery ring?”
Mr. X tensed at my outburst, but he stayed seated, his broad, aristocratic shoulders squaring as he held my fierce gaze.
“It is not okay, no, Your Highness. And frowned upon, to be sure. But the rules are the rules. The matter should have been brought to the council and discussed before you took what wasn’t yours to take.”
“This is insane,” Killian hissed, shaking his head and closing his hand into a fist.
“The rules are there for a reason, gentlemen,” Mr. X said icily. “The rules do not take sides, or weigh right and wrong, or take a vote. They are RULES, and they are everything when it comes to the club.”
His lips went tight, his eyes narrowing at us.
“She’s not yours, gentlemen. End of discussion. You—”
He paused as I swore loudly, narrowing his eyes at me and waiting for me to finish before he continued.
“You will cease contact with Ms. Green. Immediately.”
“Not going to happen,” Dean said, his voice edged.
“I suggest you listen to what I’m saying.”
“Or what?” I muttered. “What happens if we say fuck your rules and see who we please?”
Mr. X sighed, one hand coming up to rub the bridge of his nose.
“This is as plain as I can put it, Your Highnesses. You cease contract with Ms. Green effective immediately, or face excommunication.”
The car went silent, his words han
ging like a blade in the air.
Excommunication.
There were stories — whispered rumors — of members being kicked out, but it was definitely nothing that had ever happened while we we’d been members. It was harsh, but the rules were unbending.
Clearly.
I could feel the rage roaring up inside, and I had to fight with everything I had not to lunge for Mr. X and wrap my hands around his throat.
He shook his head, sighing.
“Gentlemen, this is not personal, you have to know that. Believe me, I understand the wrong that’s been committed here, but the rules of our club are sacred. They’ve been like this going back since the first days of the club, and the reason it even still exists is that the rules do not bend. Period.” He glared at us. “I understand that this isn’t fair, but in our club, the rules are blind. And they will be followed. Look, I’m giving you this second chance beyond what I should, as the steward of the establishment. Please weigh that when you think about your next move.”
We sat in silence, the fury brewing under our skin.
“Walk away from her, gentlemen,” Mr. X said quietly, eyes hard on us.
“Walk away, or I’ll have no choice but to cut you free of the Triple Crown Club.”
14
Anya
I’d opted to get out of the town car at one of the gates to the palace grounds, opting to walk the rest of the way back to main castle. The sun was shining, my heart was so damn full I felt it might burst, and birds were singing — well, at least they were in my head.
I was in love. Yes, there were three of them. Yes, it would probably mean scandal, and whispered words, and scornful looks.
And no, I didn’t actually care.
Somehow, out of nowhere, I’d found love that I’d never been looking for, in the arms of not one, but three gorgeous, amazing, incredible princes. I’d found the missing pieces to myself that I never knew weren’t there.
I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I also knew I couldn’t not try. And the first step was going to be telling my best friend that I’d gone to a sex club and fallen in love with three princes.
I was nearing the palace, walking through the grounds garden, when suddenly, I hear a voice behind me that shook me to my core. I froze, breath caught in my throat.
“I said good morning.”
Slowly, I turned, and I felt my hands close into fists as I came face to face with Carl, Thomas, and Shawn.
The three of them grinned wickedly at me.
“You know, when a girl says she’s going to the bathroom and then never comes back, that’s just mean,” Carl sneered.
“Definitely bad manners,” Thomas leered at me, shaking his head.
“And when she doesn’t come back because she’s found herself some new dates?” Shawn growled, shaking his head. “Well, that’s just not done.”
I glared at them, swallowing thickly.
“We weren’t on a date, whatever the hell your names really are. You lied to me about where we were going, you brought me to that place, I assume now, with the intention of trying to sleep with me?
Shawn chuckled darkly, grinning.
“And then you gave me that damn bracelet without even attempting to explain to me what it meant if I took it.”
“And your point is?”
I narrowed my eyes at them. “My point is fuck you,” I hissed.
I whirled, stomping away, when a hand yanked me back by the arm, hard.
“Get your hands off of me!”
Thomas just chuckled, shaking his head.
“Please, you were ready for fun that night.”
“With you?” I spat. “Not fucking likely.”
“Watch your mouth, sweetheart,” Shawn growled.
“You have fun last night with your little princes?”
My eyes flew to Carl, who laughed wickedly. “Oh, we know about that, you little slut.”
“Go to hell,” I hissed, trying to yank my arm out of Thomas’s grip.
“What if you go with us instead and show us what those fucking Tam assholes taught you to do?”
I froze.
Shawn laughed, seeing the look on my face. “Oh, we know who they are.” He chuckled. “The club, with all it’s precious anonymity? Well, fuck that. We know who they are. And we know that they stole from us that night when they kept you.”
I shook my head. “You’re insane.”
“No, what we are is pissed the fuck off,” Carl hissed. “And we’re about to make those boys’ lives hell for this shit.”
My heart dropped, my face falling.
“No,” I growled. “Leave them the hell out of this!”
“And if we do?” Thomas leered at me, leaning close. “What exactly are you going to do for us if we leave your little boyfriends alone?”
A cold chill crept through me, and I slowly shook my head as they moved closer to me, chuckling darkly.
Carl’s hand slid to my waist, and I was about to yank away and scream with everything I had, when the car came crashing through the hedges next to us.
And all hell broke loose.
15
Dean
We watched Mr. X drive off, the vintage black and chrome town car slowly moving out of sight until we were alone out in front of the hotel.
We were silent for a second, all three of us thinking about what had just transpired in the car.
Excommunication.
It was serious shit, and not the kind of threat the club made idly. It also mean that somehow, whoever the scumbags that’d brought Anya there that first night were, they’d figured out who we were.
And that was serious. Yes, there’d been times when members recognized other members outside the club. Hell, I’d been a vacation in the south of Italy one time and had the Duke of Imania stop right in front of my pool chair, nod at the three-crown tattoo on my arm, and then grin as he’d pointed towards his own. There weren’t any words though, of course, since we both understood the importance of the secrecy. Yes, we “knew” who each other were, but that was something in passing that we both knew we’d never bring up again. Hell, I hadn’t even told Jace and Killian about that day.
But this was different. For these guys to have told Mr. X about us, they had to have known who we are. How, I had no idea, but it was a chilling thought, especially with all this shit with our council not reaching a decision on the three of us ascending the thrones. A whiff of this type of scandal might cement us never becoming the trio of Kings of Tam.
But that all could come later. What mattered immediately was her.
“You’re thinking what I’m thinking?”
I turned to Jace.
“I think I probably am.”
Killian nodded, his eyes focused on the spot where Mr. X’s car had been a few minutes before.
“We sure about this?” he growled.
“Without question.”
Jace nodded. “For her? Fuck yes.”
It wasn’t even a choice, even if Mr. X had just given us one.
Between Anya and the club?
Easy move, easier choice.
It seemed our club days were over. And personally, I was psyched. This felt like a step in the right direction. This felt like growing up. And for her?
Hell, giving up the whole world was worth one kiss from the girl we loved.
“Guess it’s settled then,” Killian growled.
I felt my blood roar, my heart pumping a million miles an hour.
I glanced at them, nodding. “I think it’s time we go get our girl and put cards on the damn table.”
Killian nodded. ‘It’s her, isn’t it? I mean for all of us, she’s it, right?”
“Goddamn right,” I growled.
“Without a question,” Jace muttered.
Killian grinned. “Shit, did we ever think this day would come?”
“What, the day we all agree?”
He chuckled at me. “No the day us sharing turns into a lifelong commitmen
t.”
“Think we’re ready for that?”
I smiled as I turned to Jace. “Is it even a question?”
He grinned. “Nope. Not one at all.”
It was time.
Time to act.
Time to tell her exactly how we felt and what we wanted.
…It was time to ask Anya Green to marry us.
We took one of the courtesy cars from the hotel, as Brian still wasn’t back from dropping Anya off, and headed towards the palace, Jace at the wheel.
I was excited.
Hell, I’d never been this excited, about damn near anything. I knew this meant we were out of the club. At another point in my life, that may have meant something, or stung, or made me furious. But now?
Now I couldn’t care less. The club could do it’s own thing. We had no need for it it anymore anyways. Not with her in our lives.
The guards at the royal palace gates waved us through when they recognized us, though I’m sure they were a little confused about three princes driving ourselves. We roared up the main drive, all three of us grinning.
Excited.
Ready to make the jump into being the men we knew we could be, with her.
“Oh fuck!”
Killian spotted her first, but a second later, we did too, and my heart dropped through the floor.
She was in one of the rose gardens off the main drive of the palace, yelling and trying to shake her arm free of the man holding it. There were three of them actually — all of them menacing her as they crowded her. She backed away, still trying to break free of the hand on her arm as her back came up against the tree behind her. The men closed in.
“Jace!” I bellowed, but the car was already veering off the road and smashing through a wooden railing.
“Hold onto your asses!” he roared, slamming his foot down on the gas. The car lurched forward, half-skidding on the grass with the hedge rushing up to meet us like a thick green wall.
The car went airborne as we smashed through the hedge, scattering branches and roses and bits of wire fencing everywhere. There was a hideous wrenching sound — probably the axle cracking — as the car hit the ground and skidded out. And the the damn thing was barely stopped before all three of us were out of it and charging towards the men putting their hands on our woman.