The first time she worked with them together, she expected them to stake a mutual claim. Instead, they just worked with her on strengthening her fire and water magic. Their goal seemed to be to train her to instinctively switch between each ability without even having to think about which would be better for a given situation.

She was encouraged by their show of cooperation, and that they only occasionally argued, but was perplexed that they hadn’t pushed her to allow them to claim her. She was ready—more than ready after hours spent in their company, pressed close to both, surrounded by their scents, and fantasizing about both of them taking her simultaneously. Her frustration was reaching a fever pitch by the time a week had passed.

When she met with them that afternoon in the water room where Marek had first taken her, she sensed something different right away. It wasn’t because they immediately assaulted her with magic, with Marek sending a blast of water at her as Kriss punched a ball of fire from the opposite direction. She was used to their sneaky tactics, and she was able to deflect both fire and water, though it certainly wasn’t easy.

Something else told her today was the day. It was in the way they watched her, and perhaps even in the predatory way they stalked toward her after she had averted their attack. They moved in a coordinated way, though they approached her from opposite directions, reaching her at exactly the same time. She doubted they had practiced the motions, so they seemed to have found some kind of groove instinctively.

It buoyed her, and her heart raced when Marek put a hand on her shoulder as Kriss did the same with the other. They leaned forward at the same time, Kriss pressing a kiss to the left side of her face while Marek kissed her right cheek. “Is it time?” She almost sighed the question.

“Yes, if you’re ready,” said Marek.

She nodded, unable to speak for a moment. She was nervous, but equally excited. No, she was more excited than scared, she decided, as Kriss moved behind her, and Marek moved in front of her. She shivered when Kriss pushed the hair off her back to her shoulder, so his lips could drift across the side of her neck.

Marek moved closer, grasping a handful of her hair as he brought his mouth to hers in a consuming kiss. She surrendered to his touch, and to Kriss’s, closing her eyes and losing herself in the sensations as their mouths moved over her while their hands roamed freely.

Marek brought his lips to her ear, whispering, “I’ve been wanting this for so long. I need you, North.”

A band in her heart loosened at the words as they assuaged her fear that the reason he’d recently been physical with her was mostly to boost their magic. If he’d been longing for her the whole time, he hadn’t been using a sexual connection just as a way to share power. It had meant more.

She was lost to the passion, but not so immersed in it that she wasn’t aware of how they worked together. Kriss undid the buttons on the front of her dress, and Marek slipped it off her shoulders. The fae fabric would’ve transitioned to something slinky and sexy, but it was not back from the wash yet. She was glad to be wearing more mundane clothing, since it forced them to work together to undress her, and she needed their cooperation. They were proving to her with every touch and every stroke that they had found a peaceable way to get along to make the arrangement work.

Kriss’s mouth drifted down the back of her neck to trace the line of her spine, where he pressed teasing, nibbling kisses interspersed with light flicks of the broadside of his tongue as he made his way to her lumbar area.

As though following suit, Marek broke from her mouth to trail his lips down her chin to the column of her throat, but veered off to sample first her left breast and then her right, before resuming a clear path downward. She trembled and held her breath as his mouth reached her core, his fingers lightly separating her folds so his tongue could streak inside.

North clung to his shoulder as Kriss supported her when she leaned backward. His mouth continued lower, dipping to the dimpled crease of her buttocks, but his tongue didn’t trace that dark path. Instead, he looped around one of her cheeks before his tongue surged inside her opening as Marek tongued her clit.

She called out their names, but it came out a garbled sound all mashed together, which was oddly appropriate for the moment. She clung to them as their tongues brought her to orgasm, making her entire body shake with release before she slowly collapsed to her knees. She knelt between them, not quite looking at either one for a moment as she regained her ability to breathe and think. Then she lifted her head and gave Marek a slow smile before craning her neck to share a similar look with Kriss. “Maybe I was too hasty in insisting you work together. I’m not sure I’m going to survive it.”

“We’ll certainly pull you into pieces,” said Marek as he leaned forward to nip the lobe of her ear.

“But we’ll be sure we put you back together again too.” Kriss kissed her shoulder with the words.

She remained in a boneless heap kneeling on the floor as they both gained their feet and stood in front of her. There was an air of challenge about them, but it seemed playful rather than truly competitive as they started to undress. They were clearly racing to see who could finish first. If she had the ability to think enough to form the words, she would’ve told them to slow down so she could enjoy the show.

Kriss had his shirt off first, and Marek was the first to remove his pants to reveal the hard length of his cock. It nestled almost against his belly even with him standing upright, and her eyes widened. He was larger than she’d expected, and she moaned with doubt before her gaze moved to Kriss as he finished removing his close to reveal a similar length and girth. “I’m definitely not going to survive.”

“We promise you will,” said Marek with a wink. He leaned down to pick her up in his arms and carry her across the room. She clung to him as Kriss trailed behind, a hand clamped around her ankle in a tender, yet possessive, fashion that underscored the connection between them.

She sighed with pleasure when Marek laid her down on something that felt like bobbing on water. But she wasn’t wet, and it wasn’t cold. There was definitely a floating sensation, and she opened her eyes to look at it.

She lay on a beautiful bed fashioned from ice to look like a swan. She floated on a pillow of water, but something kept her from getting wet. She looked closer and saw fire feathers tipping the wings of the swan, and it wore a flaming crown that somehow managed not to melt the ice Marek had used to create it. She choked up looking at it, recognizing the symbolism of their carefully balanced magic to create something beautiful that neither was destroying with their power.

“Are you going to cry?” Kriss sounded appalled at the idea as he threw himself down beside her.

Marek was quick to follow, joining her on the other side and putting his arm around her shoulders since Kriss already had his around her waist. “What’s wrong? You hate it? We didn’t want to make you cry.”

A few tears managed to stream down her cheeks, but she was laughing at the reaction too. “I’m not going to cry. Well, maybe a little, but just because it’s so wonderful. This is what I needed to see, to know you could work together, and we could make this work.” She took both their hands in hers and squeezed before lying back again, resting her head on the softest pillow she’d ever known.

They moved to lie beside her, with Marek’s head at her left breast, and Kriss’s head by her thigh. They kissed, stroked, and nibbled her to another release before Marek designed a tapered object from water, forming it from ice. Kriss reached behind her with a bottle to squirt something slippery in her backside. It must be lube. She wasn’t entirely certain what it was Marek had made, but anticipated it would be cold as he teased the puckered rosette between her clenched cheeks a moment later.

“Relax,” said Kriss in a tender voice as he tossed aside the bottle of lube.

“I’m trying, but this is kind of scary.”

“Push back against it,” said Marek as he slowly wiggled it inside her, gaining a quarter-inch at a time.

“Tell me how you made your magic blend.” She needed something to distract her from the anxiety of the object’s insertion. She could garner the need for it if she wanted to be able to take both of them simultaneously, but that didn’t keep her from feeling afraid of any pain she would feel.

“We had to practice self-control. Having your power suddenly swell makes it a lot harder to control abilities that have been innate,” said Kriss. Despite his voice sounding informative, he was dipping his fingers lightly in and out of her pussy to stroke her clit.

“We practiced separately, and then together. It took a few days for us to master the ability to find the right balance of our magic so that one didn’t destroy or overtake the other,” said Marek.

“I know what you’re thinking,” said Kriss as he wiggled his fingers into her opening, gently pressing deeper into her. “You’re sure I had to pull back, so I didn’t overwhelm Marek’s magic, but the truth is, we’re pretty equally matched.” As Marek snorted and North giggled, he widened his eyes. “I was as surprised as you.”

“We were also hampered by Kriss’s enormous ego, but we found the balance. When we did, we knew it was time to claim you. This is what you want, isn’t it, North?”

She nodded at Marek’s question, abruptly realizing their words must’ve woven some sort of spell around her, though simply in a figurative way. She’d been immersed in hearing them speak and describe the process, so hadn’t realized the plug had slipped all the way inside the stubborn ring of muscle and now nestled fully inside her.

“She’s ready?”

“She is,” said North before Marek could answer Kriss’s question.

She closed her eyes as the bed moved while they shifted positions. A moment later, the plug withdrew, and it was the same temperature as her body—another trick they must have managed with their merged magic.

Marek lifted her, lying down on the bed with her on his lap as he slowly eased her backward. She drew in a deep breath as the head of his cock pressed against her sphincter, and she wiggled slightly to adjust the angle so that it filled her more comfortably. It left her feeling stretched and overly full for a moment, but there wasn’t the pain she had expected. When he moved a few times, lifting her by the hips and letting her slide down his shaft, her body soon grew accustomed to it and craved more. It was instinctive to reach out a hand to Kriss, who took it as he stepped forward to the edge of the bed.

Kriss splayed her thighs wide as she supported her legs as much as possible on Marek’s legs while Kriss moved into position. She let out a low moan when his cock lined up with her opening and slipped slowly inside. His lips parted, and he murmured words she couldn’t quite hear. There was a burst of orange sparkles around them that quickly dissipated.

“What was that?” How did she have the brainpower to form words when she was so filled with the two men holding her between them?

“A contraceptive spell,” said Marek through what sounded like gritted teeth. He seemed to be suffering from the need to hold still inside her. She was feeling the same way, but knew they couldn’t move until Kriss was fully in place.

“Hold your breath for a minute, North.” With those words, Kriss pressed past her barrier.

North closed her eyes, feeling a quick wave of pain that felt like it engulfed her entire lower body. By the time he was settled fully inside her sheath, it was already fading away. As he rocked carefully in and out of her a few times, it was completely gone in no time.

As she held on, they thrust her between them, her body little more than a malleable toy at their disposal. They could’ve used and abused her, but they treated her gently and carefully, making her feel revered and loved as the cocks moved in and out of her.

She wasn’t surprised to feel an orgasm starting, and she clenched her fingers around Kriss’s biceps as she started to come. The first convulsions of her channel triggered Marek to twitch in her backside, and then Kriss’s length hardened inside her. Together, they filled her with cum, and she came with them, keening and arching as they pulled her apart before the world came back together again.

She collapsed against Marek, only vaguely aware of him turning slightly to withdraw from her as Kriss did the same. She lay on the bed on her side, not moving for the longest time as they took careful turns to clean her before lying beside her. With their arms around her, and feeling so sated, she was satisfied they had certainly managed to find a truce.

Being with them like this was amazing, though there was still something missing. Four somethings—or someones. This was amazing, but perfection would only come when she had all of her loves holding her like this.

* * *

As she made her way back to her room, she found it a little harder to walk than it had been that morning. Her body was clearly going to need some time to adjust to going from no lovers to two, and hopefully six—at least eventually.

She was preoccupied with remembering what had taken place, so it took a moment to realize she had a visitor. She flashed Eli a bright smile, but it wasn’t returned. She frowned. “Is something wrong?”

His eyes had turned completely gold, and the hair on his arms started to rise. “You’ve taken lovers.” The words came out with an animalistic growl.

“Yes. I wasn’t trying to hide it, and I intended to tell you all—”

He snarled at her. “You’re going to tell us you’ve made your choice, I guess. Marek and Kriss?” He said the last with certainty as he sniffed the air. Suddenly, the gold faded from his eyes, and the fur that had started to sprout receded. “Why them? Why not me?”

She put on a hand to him, trying to explain. “It’s not like that. I want both of them, but—”

“Then you’ve made your decision.” With another growl, though this one couldn’t hide his distress, he turned and sprinted away from her. She watched in amazement as his clothes burst at the seams, and the wolf took over as he rounded the corner. She stood there for a moment, wondering if she should go after him, before leaning against the door. In his current state, he needed a chance to process and calm down. She’d have to approach him when he was fully human again and capable of understanding exactly what she wanted. She just had to make that plain to him and the others.

She wanted to gather them around her and immediately have the discussion, but the sight of Lyssa rounding the corner reminded her she had a previous engagement. There was a ball in her honor that evening, the farewell one, since she was due to return to the Earth dimension the next day. Lyssa was there to help her prepare, and it was her duty to finish her mission here.

She hoped she would get a chance to speak with them tonight at the ball, or if not, she would go individually to each of their rooms afterward to ensure all of the men knew she’d made her choice—and to confirm they were all supportive of that. For all she knew, one or more might refuse to share her, which was a heartbreaking thought.