I dreamt of three men.

One had eyes like ice—clear blue and crystalline, but warmer than ice could ever be. One had golden skin and wavy, shining hair, and his unseeing gaze penetrated my very soul. One had secrets and pain buried in his dark eyes, and a massive, muscular frame that made me feel small and fragile.

I dreamt of their blood. It dripped from small puncture wounds in their necks, wounds I somehow knew I had made. The deep red ribbons of blood cascaded down their bodies, trailing across the ridges of their muscles.

They were shirtless again. I feasted on the sight as a scorching heat rose in my core, my clit throbbing with need. My gaze drifted downward, and my breath caught. I’d been wrong. They weren’t just shirtless. They were completely naked.

Three thick, hard cocks stood at attention, the veins on the velvety skin pulsing as they pointed toward me, as if seeking out my wet heat even through the space that separated us.

My hands roamed over my body, massaging my aching breasts and peaked nipples, trying to quench the fire burning inside me. I glanced down, the men’s hot stares still devouring me, and was surprised to see I wore a dress. It was simple in design, but stunning. Gold fabric clung lightly to the curves of my body, shimmering like liquid metal.

Two thin straps rested over my shoulders, and without a thought, I slipped them off. The dress, beautiful as it may be, was nothing but an impediment right now. As the fabric pooled at my feet, three low growls met my ears, the sound filling me with such sharp need that I squeezed my thighs together.

“No, sweetheart. You don’t get to hide away like that. Open for us.”

Jerrett stepped forward, sliding his hand down my stomach and lightly brushing my clit before slipping one thick finger inside me. I gasped, spreading my legs wider even as my inner muscles clamped down around the intrusion. His icy gaze burned as he nipped my lower lip with sharp teeth, licking away the spot of blood that welled.

He stepped out of the way, withdrawing his finger and trailing my wetness across my skin as Sol dropped to his knees in front of me. He devoured me, lapping at my clit with the flat of his tongue before strumming it in quick, hard strokes. My knees buckled. Jerrett caught me from behind, his cock pressing between my ass cheeks as he palmed my breasts with hot hands.

My pleasure began to peak, and I drove my fingers into Sol’s golden hair as Jerrett held me up, grinding into me from behind.

Just as the wave crested, I met Malcolm’s eyes. Unlike his brothers, he still stood at a distance from me, his face hard and his gaze locked on mine. He fisted his cock, dragging his hand up and down in rough, angry pulls. Misery and ecstasy washed over his features as he watched me come, a roar belting from his lips as he followed close behind me.

White light flooded my vision.

A voice whispered in my ear.

“You’re ours, little fae. And we will never let you go.”

I jerked awake, aftershocks of a powerful orgasm cascading through my body.

Gasping, I looked up… straight into Jerrett’s sinfully smirking face. I had somehow ended up sprawled across all three men’s laps as I slept, and I was positive they could smell the evidence of my arousal.

Hell, I could smell it.

“Good dream? What was it about, Will?” Jerrett tugged his lip ring into his mouth, watching me intently.

“You,” I murmured, blinking in the darkness.

I rolled over onto my other side so I could look up at them without craning my neck. Jerrett cradled my head in his lap, Sol supported my middle, and Malcolm held my legs.

Jerrett’s pierced eyebrow shot up. “Yeah? Which one of us?”

“All of you.”

The words escaped my lips without thought, but for once, I felt no shame or embarrassment. Something had shifted in me while I slept, a change that had been coming on for days. Like a snake shedding the last of its old skin, I wriggled my body, stretching luxuriously on their warm laps and reveling in the feel of the steely thighs beneath me.

Jerrett’s gaze instantly grew heated, Sol smiled with satisfaction, and just like in my dream, Malcolm’s jaw ticked, his face stony.

I wasn’t sure what his problem was, but I didn’t let it bring down the high I was still floating on from my dream. I gazed up at the three men who had, in such a short time, come to mean more to me than my husband of nine years.

“Thank you.” I let my gaze settle on Malcolm, making sure he saw the truth in my eyes as I spoke. “I don’t know if I ever said that, but thank you. For saving my life. I’m so glad you did.”

Malcolm nodded, his eyes still stormy, but his expression softening slightly. “You’re welcome, wildcat.”

“I know Fate meant for us to find you.” Sol rested his large hands on my waist.

My nipples, already peaked and aching from my dream, stiffened again at his touch, and I wriggled.

“Fuuuck.” Jerrett gave a tortured moan. He shook his head, shoving back the dark hair that fell over his eyes. “We gotta get the fuck out of here. There are kids here, and I’m about to… Damn it! Sweetheart, remember this moment. When we get home, I want to hear all about that dream.” He shook his head, sucking a breath through his teeth. “In. Fucking. Detail.”

With another groan, he gently lifted my head so he could stand, adjusting the sizable bulge in his pants as he did. I stared at it, suddenly as desperate as he was to get back to their house.

But he was right. We had a job to finish first. Helpless kids were counting on us.

Malcolm tapped my feet, and I sat up, perching on Sol’s lap for a moment as the large, dark-haired man rose. Sol inhaled deeply, drawing in my scent, then he and I stood too.

“What time is it?” I asked, stretching again. The goblin children, recovering from their terror, had spread out around the room. Some still slept, while others whispered to each other in a guttural language I couldn’t understand.

“Just after sundown. We need to leave soon. We were about to wake you when you… woke yourself.” Malcolm looked away and nodded to Jerrett. “We need to do a sweep of the building before we leave. See if we can find any clues that might lead us to the shades’ master. And we should bring a body back with us. Sol, find the most intact one you can. It’ll give us a chance to study the full rune pattern.”

“What should I do?” I called, as the three of them headed for the door.

“Watch the little ones.”

Then they were gone, leaving me to babysit a septet of goblin children.

Part of me was offended, although another part of me acknowledged Malcolm just wanted to keep me safe. And in a way, leaving me alone with the kids demonstrated his faith in me. If he was truly an overprotective, controlling jerk, he would’ve made me trail after him like some kind of pet just so he could keep an eye on me.

I gathered up the kids, eyeing their bony arms and thin faces with worry. When was the last time they’d eaten? We hadn’t brought any food with us. An oversight, maybe, although I had no idea what goblins ate.

Herding seven increasingly rambunctious kids who didn’t understand a word I said proved to be a challenge. I finally stole an idea from the preschool groups I’d seen in my old neighborhood and tied the men’s shirts together into a makeshift rope. I showed each of the kids how to hold onto it, making it into a game. Once they were all attached to the line, I led them from the room, a chorus of whispered goblin babble following behind me.

The soft glow of twilight still hung in the air, and the interior of the church was brighter than it’d been in the dead of night. There was less left to the imagination, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. The bloodstained altar stood out like an evil mark on this once worshipful place. I wanted to inspect it more closely, but I didn’t dare bring the kids near it. The things they must’ve seen…

I shoved the thought down, refusing to dwell too long on the ones we hadn’t been able to save. We’d done what we could. Next time, we’d do better. Mainly by trying to make sure there was no next time.

The pale faces of the women in the woods sprang to my mind suddenly.

They must have something to do with the shades. There was no other reason for them to be here. But why did they vanish? Why not stay and fight?

A noise outside the church caught my attention. The faint rustle of movement in the grass. I tensed.

Had those eerie women returned?

I tugged on the rope, pulling the children into an empty row of pews midway up the aisle.

“Stay here. Get down.” I demonstrated, and they followed my lead, staring up at me with wide eyes.

Jerrett and Malcolm had headed up to the tower. I didn’t know where Sol was.

“Sol?” I whispered into the gloom.

No answer came, but the door creaked open.

I darted forward to pick up a makeshift weapon from the floor, but before I fully straightened, several figures walked into the church.

They weren’t shades. Nor were they the pale women.

The man in front was large, almost as big as Malcolm. He wore a cape with a fur neckline, a finely tailored shirt and pants, and heavy boots that somehow made no sound on the old church floor. Six other people stood behind him, arranging themselves like ripples in his wake, spreading out and flanking him.

“Hello.” The newcomer’s voice was deep and smooth. “What have we here?”

I opened my mouth then closed it again, unsure what to say. I’d been prepared to fight, and that impulse still hovered beneath the surface of my skin. But I didn’t know quite what to do with his polite formality.

“Who are you?” I blurted.

He cocked his head, studying me. “Carrick Gael. The vampire king of North America. Who are you?”

My jaw went slack. This was the vampire king?

I barely registered myself saying, “Willow Tate.”

“Willow Tate.” He chewed on the words, narrowing his eyes. “Well, Willow. I’m going to assume you’re not the one who’s been abducting supernaturals. Correct me if I’m wrong, and we’ll very happily kill you. But you don’t strike me as the type.”

“No. No, it wasn’t me.” I licked my lips. He’d spoken casually, but nothing about his demeanor made me think he was joking.

“Good. Then do you know who did this?”

“Shades.”

Malcolm’s booming voice behind me made me jump, slamming my heart rate into high gear.

He strode quickly down the aisle past me, the withered corpse of one of the shadow creatures slung across his shoulders. When he reached the man—the king—he stopped, hefted the shade over his head, and dropped it at the king’s feet.

It hit the floor with a dull thud.

The king stared down at it for a moment, then looked back up at Malcolm. Sol and Jerrett had entered with him and now stood protectively in front of me, the muscles of their bare backs flexing with tension.

“I see.” Carrick pursed his lips. “So the shades were the ones attacking supernaturals. And may I ask why you are here?”

“Because this threat is about more than just shades. Someone stands behind them, guiding them for some purpose. They’re a threat to humans and supernaturals, and we came to stop them from killing innocents.”

Carrick’s long, broad face split in a sardonic smile. “How noble of you.”

Malcolm grimaced. “Someone has to do it… father.”

He paused before forcing out the last word, and my mouth fell open.