A few weeks before…
“I worry about you, nephew.”
Adriel, Son of Theral and King of Midnight, sat back in his chair and lifted his stare to his uncle, Ralnur. “And what has you so worried?”
“You don’t take your duty as seriously as you should.”
Adriel cast a hand over the desk where he sat. The surface was covered in parchments as it always was. “I spend my days listening to the needs of my people. I do what I can to ensure those needs are met. What else would you have me do?”
“I sense a threat coming to your door… and I just want you to have your eyes wide open. Instead of spending your nights cavorting with courtiers who only tell you what you wish to hear. Now is not a time for parties and frolicking.”
Frolicking? The man is absolutely primeval. Adriel lowered his quill and sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose and collected his thoughts before he exploded with anger. Ralnur had been like a father to him after his own had passed. Without his uncle, Midnight would’ve fallen, and he was forever grateful.
But in the fifty years that had passed since then, Adriel had grown into a man with a mind of his own…
Ralnur had the best of intentions, he knew, but he had someone new in his life that liked to be the voice of reason and the moral compass of the castle. He didn’t need two.
“I appreciate your concern, uncle, but be assured I am taking care of Midnight.”
A gentle knock came to the door, a welcome distraction. “Yes?” Adriel called.
The door opened a crack and Eilam, his head of security, looked inside.
Well, there’s my Jiminy Cricket right now.
Eilam scanned the room and saw Ralnur. “I apologize… your secretary wasn’t at his desk. I’ll wait.”
“No,” Adriel called out. “Bring me whatever news you have.” The king turned to his uncle. “If there was nothing else?”
Ralnur shook his head slightly. “No… I can see you are quite busy. Please consider my words.”
His uncle left his study, pausing at the door to nod to Eilam. Eilam murmured something before nodding and closing the door once the man passed.
Adriel felt his body tense. Being alone with Eilam was growing harder by the day. He picked up his quill and leaned over his desk. “Make it quick. I’ve had too many interruptions today as it is.”
He sensed the bear shifter move closer.
“We’ve had several reports of an increased vampire presence inside Midnight,” Eilam said as he sat across the desk from the king. “They’re not coming through the terminals, or we’d have them on the logs. They’re likely using an illegal portal somewhere in this city.”
Adriel listened to the bear shifter seated opposite him without lifting his stare. His lack of attention wasn’t out of rudeness or lack of time, but a knowledge that one look in the man’s direction would cause his cool, calm exterior to shatter. From the corner of his eye, he saw enough to make his pulse race, his breathing quicken, and his cock thicken.
“Come now, Eilam… you must know by now that there are illegal portals springing up all over this city. It’s one of the reasons I have to employ men like you to protect Midnight,” he said as he made a note on one of the parchments on his sprawling, ornate desk.
Even without looking, he could sense the ire coming at him in waves from Eilam.
“I am aware,” the man said, his tone slightly lower and darker. “I only meant that we might want to focus our efforts on closing more of them. A task force, solely focused on the illegal movement of people in and out of this city. I might need to hire more men… though I have a few in mind from the Midnight PD. I need your approval to make it happen.”
“Hire as you like,” Adriel said, waving a hand before making another note. “If there’s nothing else?”
Eilam grew silent. Adriel was finally forced to lift his stare. Across from him, Eilam was livid, his eyes glowing brightly. Even with that anger brewing on Eilam’s face, meeting the man’s stare was enough to set off the lust simmering within Adriel.
“Hire as I like?”
Adriel leaned back, frowning. “I gave you what you want… so why am I suddenly the focus of your anger?”
“I’ve been trying to bring in new king’s guards for months now and you refuse them all. I’ve made recommendations for re-organizing the police department and making it more productive. I’ve made dozens of suggestions, only to have most of them refused.” Eilam rose to his feet and placed both fists on the desk, looming over Adriel. “I would love to be able to do my job effectively, but you make that impossible.”
Adriel looked up at Eilam, his body throbbing with want.
Succumb and he’ll win. I am ruler of this world. I won’t be controlled.
“I still don’t understand your anger… I just gave you what you asked for, yet I get attitude in return. I am particular about my guards and have every right to be. My king’s guard is at my side, day and night.” Adriel rose to his feet as well, refusing to cower. “And I think you may forget yourself and to whom you speak.”
Eilam snarled for a moment before lifting his chin arrogantly. “I would never place someone on your personal guard I did not trust completely. My only desire is to protect you.”
Since you won’t let it be me who protects you…
Eilam hadn’t spoken the words, but they might as well have been. They hung heavily in the air between them. Adriel wanted to escape… to put distance between him and this man who thought Adriel was his mate.
I am.
I belong to him.
But to succumb would show weakness.
If the witch surrenders…
“I am aware how… dedicated you are to your job,” Adriel murmured lowly, trying to control his raging emotions. “But as I said… I have a right to choose my guardsmen.”
Eilam released a slow breath. He plastered on a smile that didn’t reach his beautiful eyes. “You do. You’re right. I apologize for my reaction, Your Majesty.” Adriel watched as the strong, powerful man bent at the waist. He lifted his stare as he rose, capturing Adriel’s.
“The police force and the terminal guards—they are yours to control as you see fit. Make your changes, if you must—” Adriel lifted a brow. “Happy?”
Eilam calmed some. He stood to his full height. “I am. Thank you.”
“Is there anything else?”
“There is,” Eilam said, holding Adriel’s gaze.
No man from their world would be so bold as to hold the king’s gaze so long. No man but Eilam. And Adriel found he couldn’t look away—and that fact bothered him greatly. “Must I drag it from you? I don’t have all day.”
“The dinner you plan to hold in Hart’s honor. I would like to bring my brother bear, Noah, along with me as my guest.”
The other one. Adriel had refused to meet Eilam’s better half for months now, knowing if he was in a room with both of them, he’d struggle even more to contain the need pulsing through him. Bear shifters mated in triads… two strong betas grow alongside one another as strong as brothers and one day they would come across their third.
Me.
“No. I’ve told you he is not welcome here.”
Eilam glared at him, his brows furrowing. He didn’t say a word, but the rage within Eilam was obvious. His eyes glowed brightly with the strong emotion. Finally he lifted his head some and stared down the bridge of his nose. “Others in your employ are allowed to bring their significant others. Why am I any different?”
“You know why!” Adriel spat.
“No. You’ve never given me a legitimate reason why my brother bear is banned from your presence.”
“Because I do not wish to meet him.”
“Because you know we are your mates! And you know you cannot handle being in the same room with both of us and continue this lie of yours.”
“No!” Adriel roared back. “I do not lie. I am not your mate.”
Eilam stiffened, almost looking as if he was in pain.
“I will not surrender to you,” Adriel seethed, quivering with his own rage.
Eilam stared, silent for a few moments before looking away. Adriel was finally able to breathe after the bear’s fierce regard turned from him.
“Unless you have anything else for me, I will take my leave and get to work seeking out these portals.” Eilam stared at the floor, yet the king could feel the heartbreak from across the desk.
Adriel lowered into his chair before his knees went out under him. He grabbed his quill and looked down at the parchment on his desk, not reading a word scribbled over it. “That is all,” he muttered, trying to sound as unaffected as he could.
He sensed the large man backing away and turning for the gilded doors of his private study. Once the doors were closed and he was once again alone, he threw down the quill and sat back into his chair. His body was raging with need—a need that could never be fulfilled.
Over the months, the desire within rose with each day. Each moment spent in the man’s presence was hell. He’d only found one way to calm his aching body. With the snap of his fingers, he was no longer in his study, but standing on a length of white sandy beach.
Crystal clear water spread out before him as far as the eye could see. A sky of robin’s egg blue rose above the sea only to transition into the galaxies beyond. It was both day and night, the shimmering planets and stars overhead still brilliant even with the bright blue beneath it. The beauty was stunning and he could stand there and stare at it all in wonder for hours… but not today.
He turned and saw the mansion surrounded by swaying palm trees. Almost every wall was made of windows, facing out to the beach and the water on nearly every side. Thick, verdant life filled in around the house, making it a tropical heaven. He’d built this place with his magic as a young boy. Of course, originally it had been a vacant space, not much bigger than he was. As he’d learned to control his gifts, the space had grown. This was his oasis—his private space he’d built himself to escape to when he needed to think.
Or had other needs.
After taking off his shoes, Adriel crossed the sands barefoot. The sand squished between his toes as he walked, bringing a smile to his face. He soon entered the open doors into his home away from home. It was quiet but for the sounds of water lapping at the shore behind him. He marched up the stairs and onto the second floor—which only held a large bedroom and bath. This place was his alone, his sanctuary. He had no needs for more.
With the wave of a hand, a cupboard opened and revealed the only thing that would make his ache any better. Another wave and the machine came to life. A machine of gears and metal underneath flesh and magic. The cyborg came to life. It rose from the cabinet, stepped outside, and stretched its powerful body. It then turned to face Adriel with glowing, familiar eyes.
Dark, thick hair lay just like the man of his fantasies. Muscles bulged in a perfect shape. A huge cock grew hard for him—although that part was Adriel’s imagination at work. The rest was a carbon copy of the man he wanted and could not have.
No matter how much it looked like Eilam… no matter how much magic Adriel poured into the machine… it lacked something that was wholly Eilam.
The need.
The desire he had for Eilam nearly swallowed him whole. The sex cyborg didn’t have that piece of the puzzle and Adriel couldn’t manufacture it.
But the cyborg was better than nothing. And fucking the machine wouldn’t spell the demise of Midnight.
“Disrobe me,” Adriel said flatly.
The cyborg moved forward, stalking closer with the grace of a cat. It appeared human in every way, acted as a lover should. But it was simply sex, with no emotion.
It kissed Adriel’s shoulder as he slid down his tunic. The cyborg caressed every inch of flesh as it was revealed, yet the king struggled to find the same desire he once had.
The first time he’d fucked the machine, it had been earth-shattering. But as the weeks marched on, that lacking puzzle piece became too obvious.
“Make me forget,” Adriel whispered. “That you’re not him.”
The cyborg frowned slightly. “I don’t understand.” It cupped Adriel’s cheek. “I am him.”
No. You’re not. But I desperately need you to be.
The cyborg’s lips pressed against his, and Adriel did everything in his power to trick himself into thinking he was in Eilam’s arms.
As they fell into the bed together, he kissed back harder, refusing to see the truth. Later, when the cyborg’s cock drove into him, he moaned, crying out Eilam’s name.
They writhed on the bed together, Adriel pinned under the big shifter.
By the end he’d forgotten for a few moments. He came, delirious in his pleasure, and thought for those few precious seconds he was with the man he’d fallen in love with.
And then the cold, hard light of day returned and he felt just as empty as he had before.
His body was sated, but his mind and spirit were not.
Adriel sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the window, feeling more alone than ever.
* * * *
Eilam opened the door to his apartment and kicked the door closed behind him. The anger he’d held on to since seeing the king had only slightly evaporated and he was doing everything in his power to contain it. He marched straight to the refrigerator and yanked it open, and scanned the interior. It was a bad habit, but irritation led to stress eating.
“You’re home early,” a voice said behind him. “I haven’t started dinner yet.”
Eilam looked over his shoulder. “I needed to get out of there before I destroyed something.”
Noah was silent a moment as he folded the want ads onto the counter. “Let me guess. A five foot nothing warlock piss you off? And now you’re looking for some poor piece of meat to tear apart and take vengeance on.”
Eilam closed the fridge and spun around. “He’s so gods-damned…” Eilam fisted his hands in the air. “Shit, where do I even start? Mule headed. Arrogant. Dismissive. Hateful. And lastly… blind to the truth.”
“You asked him about me again, didn’t you?”
Eilam let out a sigh before leaning back against the fridge. “There’s a dinner he’s planning where I will be a guest. All other guests are allowed to bring their mates or significant others. Guess who isn’t?”
“He won’t be able to deny us forever,” Noah said.
“You don’t understand how hard it is to be in his presence, knowing what I know and unable to touch him. Unable to share him with you.”
As Noah had never met the king face to face, he didn’t feel the overwhelming need to claim. Until they met, Eilam was the only one of them who experienced the torment.
“Do you think me knowing our mate is within reach and being denied is easy?” Noah asked as he took a step closer. “It’s not.”
“I didn’t mean it is,” Eilam said, reaching out to grab Noah and drag the male closer. He pressed his lips to his brother bear’s and instantly, most of the anger he felt faded. The rest of it shifted into the need for Noah. “I’m sorry. Forgive me?”
Noah reached up and brushed a few strands of Eilam’s hair from his eyes. “There’s nothing to forgive. I know it’s hard for you to see him and not be allowed to touch… likely harder than what I feel.”
“Thankfully I have you to come home to,” Eilam whispered.
“He has no one to turn to. In time, the need he feels will overwhelm him.” Noah frowned. “Though, I had expected him to break by now.”
“As had I,” Eilam said. He ran a palm over Noah’s chest. “Why don’t we go out tonight?”
“A break from my role as your cute little housewife?”
“I might have a better job for you,” Eilam said. Eilam had wanted Noah as a member of the king’s guard, but the king had denied it. When he’d been refused, they’d waited, knowing the king would eventually relent and Noah could move into the role. Weeks had turned into months, months that had left Noah climbing the walls.
And finally now job hunting.
“Oh? Do you have some investigative work I can do?” Noah had been occasionally working on the sly, helping to find information for Eilam. They’d had to be careful so no one would find out and share it with their monarch.
“The king has given me complete freedom to choose a new task force. Vampires have been growing in number, yet we see no sign of them on the terminal registers. We need to shut down all illegal portals into the city.”
“But you need to find them all first,” Noah said.
“Exactly,” Eilam said. “You up to the task?”
“If it keeps our mate safe, then absolutely,” Noah said.
“Good.” Eilam cupped Noah’s cheek. “I’m glad. Knowing you’re there running things will allow me to focus elsewhere.”
“Running things?”
Eilam met Noah’s smiling eyes. “Who better to lead the investigation than you?”
Noah’s smile grew. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I’m sure there are those better familiar with this city. We’ve only been here a few months.”
“Without your legwork these past months, I doubt I would’ve been half as effective as I have been. In that time, you’ve uncovered things about Midnight I would’ve never known and learned a great deal about this city. I owe you a great debt. And an even bigger one if you agree to lead this new team.”
Noah smiled. “Will I have a say in who you hire?”
“Of course,” Eilam said. “Though I do have a list of men I’d already vetted for the king’s guard that our king refused. Most of them are Midnight PD and appear to be stand-up guys—I’d like you to take a look at them.”
“But if I meet with them and don’t feel they’re a good fit, you won’t be angry?”
“Absolutely not… they’d just be a good starting point for you to make your choices.”
Noah smiled. “Then you have a deal. We can discuss a plan of action over dinner.”
Eilam drew Noah closer before spinning them both and pinning his brother bear against the fridge.
Noah let out a low, throaty chuckle. “I thought you were hungry?”
“I am,” Eilam said. “Dinner can wait until I’ve feasted on something else.”
“Good plan,” Noah said before Eilam captured his lips.