Chapter Ten
Audrey hurried back to Sanjay's room, gulping down the bottle of water he had insisted that she go get for herself. He had made it through surgery without any particular difficulties, although he was on bedrest for a few days just to make sure he was going to be okay. He was already bored with it, so it didn't look like there was any worries there. Audrey didn't want to be away from him for more than a few minutes at a time, though.
As she got closer to his room, she heard his deep voice rumbling down the hallway. He said her name, and she strained to hear what he was saying. Dimitri's voice answered, too quiet for her to catch.
"I completely agree," Sanjay said. "It would be utterly unfair to expect her to give up all of her career dreams for us. And I understand that you have your duties here, but I can still travel with her if need be. I don't have a lot out in the bush I'll be giving up on."
A murmured reply had Audrey speeding up, wanting to hear what they had to say. Both men were watching the door when she entered. They must have either smelled or heard her coming. She smiled at them both as she moved to sit by Sanjay's side. He was fully dressed, sitting on top of the blankets.
"How are you holding up?" she asked, taking his hand in hers.
"Ready to get out of here," he said with a frown. "I just want to get back into the forest for a couple of hours."
Dimitri cleared his throat. "That is something that you would have to give up, Sanjay. I can't go live in the forest, and I'm not sure it would work if we weren't all living together at least most of the time."
"I can't live in the forest, either," Audrey put in. "At least not full-time."
Sanjay's brow furrowed. He nodded slowly, glancing around. "I'm not sure how well I'll do in stone walls. But we can plan for trips out to the woods. And you have extensive orchards, don't you Dimitri?"
"Yes."
Audrey sat straighter and clapped her hands. "I see what you're saying. We can build a treehouse. We can have it out in the middle of the orchard. I know it's not the same as being in the forest, but we'll still have cell service and we won't be stuck in stone walls."
Dimitri looked doubtful, but Sanjay nodded. "My thoughts exactly."
Audrey beamed at him and squeezed his hand, then turned to Dimitri. "Would it work for you?"
"Well…" the vampire king hesitated. "I think it would be okay. It would have to be more than just four walls and a roof, though. There are security issues that we have to take into consideration. And it gets cold in the winter months, I wouldn't want you to get chilled, my dear."
He kissed her hand, making her giggle, but Sanjay rolled his eyes and pulled her into his lap. "I know how to keep this honeysuckle warm, even if you don't. And as for your security issues, you just told me that you and the human police both agree that the group that was killing the human women have been eliminated, and your security has already been increased."
"I do believe the killings will stop," Dimitri agreed reluctantly. "But there are other issues that we have to consider."
"Issues like you're too fond of your carpets and feather beds and golden halls to trade them for a humble wooden house?" Sanjay challenged, a grin on his face.
Audrey smacked his shoulder. "That's enough. We all know that we'll have to make changes in our lives. And as long as we're not feeling overwhelmed and going to run out because we've stressed ourselves out to the point where we can't think, it should be fine, shouldn’t it? We'll figure it out."
Dimitri and Sanjay eyed each other for a long time, as though waiting for the other to agree first. Audrey frowned.
"We agreed to compromise," she reminded them. "I know that you've both decided to give up on your things for me, but if it's going to work for all three of us, then all three of us have to sacrifice for each other. Maybe we can have three houses. The palace, a nice house in the orchard, and a little lean-to out in the woods."
Dimitri's face fell into a mask of horror. "A lean-to?"
"I'm fine with the house in the orchard." Sanjay chuckled and nuzzled into the back of Audrey's neck, making her moan. "I can take you out into the woods anytime I want."
"Not any time," Dimitri said, sounding dazed. "She has work."
"I'm going to scale back. A lot. Focus more on humanitarian stories, rather than the sensationalist stuff that I've been writing. I think I'm going to quit my current job… Tiana's great, but she doesn't want to hear about how shifters are oversexualized or that vampires aren't all posh snobs. I want to write the real stuff. Help people. And of course, have lots of time to be with you two."
Sanjay growled as he nibbled her neck, making her moan again.
"A house in the orchard will work," Dimitri said, as though just working through his shock at her suggestion of a lean-to. "And as for your job, I'm sure that we can make whatever you want work."
"I've got a few shifter families lined up for you to live with for your article when you're ready," Sanjay whispered, nipping at her earlobe.
"And I'm ready for that interview you want whenever you want," Dimitri added. "That should make your boss very happy… I hope it makes you happy, too."
Audrey pulled them in closer, grinning. "It does make me happy. There is a lot of misinformation about vampires I want to clear up."
"Good. Now let me get in there."
He pushed Sanjay's head to the other side of her neck and dove in where the shifter had been kissing. Heat swirled throughout her body and Audrey gasped, wrapping an arm around each of her men. Part of her brain said she needed to stop this, that if Sanjay was still supposed to be on bedrest he should be resting, not doing anything else, but as their hands began caressing her body, she didn't care.
"Can we maybe close the door?"
Dimitri detangled himself from her and went to the door, shutting it. He came back and sat back down. His hands cupped her face as he kissed her gently. "There should be protection in the nightstand."
"Um…" Audrey bit her lip.
"Um?" Sanjay repeated.
"Well, maybe we don't have to use anything. The three of us are together now. And it's forever, right?" Audrey curled each of her hands around one of their biceps. "We can start our family right away. If you think about it, I might already be pregnant."
Sanjay's brow furrowed. "What about your work?"
Audrey smiled hesitantly. "I've used work to fill in the hole where I always wanted family to be. When you were hurt, I realized… I'd give up everything for you two. A Pulitzer doesn't seem nearly so important now that I have you two to love me. My worth isn't based on what the world will praise me for accomplishing. And like I said, I'm going to scale back. I want to be a person again, not just a reporter."
Admiration shone out of Dimitri's eyes. He grinned at her. "Will it scare you if I said I love you?"
A deep sense of calm settled over her, followed quickly by a burst of warmth in her chest. She smiled. "No. I'm over that now. I love you, too. Both of you."
"I love you," Dimitri said, a grin bursting over his face. He kissed her again, deeply. "I love you."
"Love you, too, bro," Sanjay joked. "But I love Audrey more."
Dimitri pushed at him. "Shut up."
The shifter laughed and returned to kissing Audrey's neck. As Dimitri caught her mouth again and began undressing her, the human couldn't help but grin. So what if she had come here without any intention of finding herself a mate? She had two now, and her future had never looked brighter.
*****
THE END