Chapter Twenty-Five
Simina once thought bringing a new lover home would feel like a betrayal of Talon’s memory, but when she walked through her door with her new mates, it simply felt like coming home. In fact, it felt more like home than it had in an entire year, which was exactly what made this homecoming so damn bittersweet.
Her open living room overlooked a vista of gold-tinged mountain ranges cast in a red glow from the pair of setting suns. One was halfway obscured by the horizon, the other still perched above the trees a little farther to the north, its light causing the purple foliage to shimmer as though drenched in Sidaii wine.
Simina took in the scenery as though seeing it for the first time in ages, even though she’d passed by this window that very morning on the way out the door, and had seen this very sunset every evening since returning from her trip.
It wouldn’t be her last sunset, but if she didn’t regain her link to her dragon, her sunsets were numbered. She wasn’t yet sure if she could hold out hope that she’d share more than a few sunsets like this with her baby, and the baby’s fathers.
A pair of warm, strong arms wrapped around her from behind and she sank back, comforted by Veryl’s familiar scent and gentle touch. Dez and Cato appeared to either side, intently focused on her. They both looked a little pale despite the light coming in through the big window, and she could sense the depth of their worry through their link.
“Tell us what to do, love,” Cato said. “How do we fix you?”
“It’s only a theory. I have a single case study to back it up, but that in itself isn’t enough proof. The first time Bryer Vargas and his partner made love to their mate after marking her, he was completely healed. He never entirely lost his link to his dragon, though. Unlike me … his link was only weakened. I don’t know if the same will work for me.”
“Baby, we’ll make love to you until the end of time if it keeps you alive,” Dez said.
She took a long breath, meeting both dragons’ gazes and threading her fingers through Veryl’s hands where they crossed over her belly. “I love you all so much, and I am so, so sorry I ran. I was too terrified of exactly this happening to one of you. If this doesn’t work …” Her voice caught in her throat and Veryl buried his face against her neck, his breathing quickening with deep emotion. Both Cato and Dez looked stricken.
Taking another deep breath, she tried again. “If this doesn’t work, I need you to promise our baby is safe and happy. I want her to know what she meant to me—and I want her to know the father she might have had, if Talon had lived. I can’t imagine ever not loving the three of you, you know. I believe even if Talon hadn’t died … he’d have loved you too.”
A soft smile tilted Dez’s mouth. “We are so not worthy of either of you, but I’d have gladly been part of that, given the choice.”
“You’re going to live,” Cato said through gritted teeth. “This will work. Just tell us what we need to do.”
“Make love to me. All three of you … I want all of you inside me.”
Veryl gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. She met his gaze with wide eyes. “Are you sure, starshine? That’s … a lot of dragon.” He sized her up in a quick glance and gave her a skeptical look.
“If she wants all three of us at once, then we’ll give it to her,” Cato said, his voice coming from just behind her now, so close his breath tickled the back of her neck where their fresh marks still tingled just beneath her hairline. His lips grazed the shell of her ear, sending white heat down her spine. “You didn’t get your fill of us before, did you, love? Need that sweet, sweet snatch of yours stretched so much you can imagine my dragon’s the one fucking you?”
Dez let out a low growl to her other side. “I call dibs on being the meat in this sandwich,” he said.
A slow breath escaped her, all the tension seeping from her bones to be replaced by pure, raw need for these three men. Like the close-knit team they were, they rose to the challenge with eyes wide open, fearless and ready to conquer their opponent—which in this case was her very mortality.
Veryl studied her. “Is this what you want?”
She swallowed and nodded. “Yeah. Please … And Veryl, don’t be gentle. If you love me, I need this to leave a mark. I think that’s what will bring my dragon back. She always responded to it before. It’s the only way I managed to keep from marking Talon all those years.”
“I get it,” Cato said, his warm body shifting even closer until he gripped her hips and his stiff arousal was pressed to her backside. “Your dragon’s a little deviant … kink distracts her, doesn’t it?” He slid his hands up her sides, stroked them up her back, and threaded fingers into the hair at the base of her skull. With a sudden yank, he pulled her head back.
Simina gasped at the force of it, her mouth falling open. Veryl’s brows drew together and his gaze darkened. He started to protest, but she jerked her head minutely from side to side as much as Cato’s grip would allow. Veryl pressed his lips tight and waited.
“Sh-she forgets everything else with the right stimuli. Comes to the surface for a taste … I think she’ll come back to me this way. I hope.”
“Then let’s get her attention, shall we?” Cato said. He grazed his teeth along the side of her throat while sliding his free hand down the front of her shirt. He cupped her breast, thumbing her nipple almost distractedly for a moment. The touch was at odds with the force of his hold on her hair, but it was only a brief diversion from his goal.
A second later, he snagged the placket of her shirt with his fingers and yanked hard. Buttons popped off and went flying. Cool air spilled across her bare breasts. She hadn’t put a bra on due to her injury, but the pain of the claw marks beneath the bandage high across her chest faded to faint heat compared to her desire for whatever Cato had to offer.
Dez and Veryl both faced her, their gazes heating at the sight of her naked flesh, but they stayed put as though waiting for a command from Cato. He brushed his lips over her ear and gusted a hot breath over her cheek.
“Tell me your limits, love,” he whispered. “I want you happy and alive. Don’t want to spook you like before.”
She tried to swallow, but the arch of her neck made it hard. He loosened his grip and she twisted her head around to look at him. “Surprise me. If I say ‘Talon,’ that means stop. That’s the only time I’ll use his name when we’re together.”
Cato narrowed his eyes and a low growl rose in his throat. “Good girl. No wonder the Ebon Claw was so disciplined. He had you to practice on, didn’t he?”
She met his heated look with a wicked smile. “We needed to keep our dragons distracted a lot. It worked well.” Too well for her taste, but it had led her here, and somehow she thought Talon might agree that this was where she belonged, as long as her dragon came back to her.
Cato released her head and stepped around her. To the other two, he said, “Undress her and bring her to the bedroom.” Then he turned and walked to the stairs, climbing them as though he were the master of this domain, despite having visited not once.
She followed his passage, blinking as he disappeared past the landing. The upper floor was entirely occupied by the bedroom she’d shared with Talon, so it wasn’t as though he’d get lost—it wasn’t a huge house. Modest by the standards of most League champions. Something unfurled inside her at the idea that even one of them would be so at home here. It was big enough for now, even once a baby was added to the mix, and she would love nothing more than to feel at home once again in this house, filling it with the love she’d missed.
Two pairs of hands brushing against her skin brought her back to the very present physical ache in her body that mirrored the one in her heart. Dez knelt in front of her, untying the drawstring of her borrowed scrubs and pulling them down her thighs. Veryl’s big hands tugged at the collar of her damaged top, and she dropped her shoulders to let him slide it off her. They moved slowly enough to trail soft caresses over her limbs as they undressed her, but they didn’t linger long. When Dez stood, he bent and teased his tongue around one nipple, then sucked it hard until she gasped.
He released her and straightened, gazing down at her with a glint in his eye. “Couldn’t stand not to have a little taste.”
Suddenly she was lifted off her feet and cradled in strong arms. Veryl wasted no time carrying her up the stairs with Dez following close behind.
The red glow of sunset illuminated her room, the big bed in the center highlighted by the rows of candles Cato had lit on every ledge and surface. It had been more than a year since a man had stepped foot in here, much less three, and Simina had never dared imagine one with such a sense of the dramatic that rivaled Talon himself would be standing where Cato stood now. He was half-naked, stripped down to his jeans, framed by the big windows that overlooked the darkening valley, and he held in his hands long, flowing lengths of black and red silk scarves.
If she didn’t know better, Simina would have believe her lover had been resurrected and returned to her in the bodies of three men—one the perfect, wicked mind who knew how to draw pleasure from her with a look, and even more with the bite of a palm against her ass; one the hungry, wanton man whose appetites matched her own so well; and one the gentle, loving soul who would soothe her hurts with a tender voice and a caress.
They were hers, and she reveled in the surrender Cato demanded.
Veryl sat her on the bed only long enough to undress before climbing on with her. After that, no words were spoken for some time. The trio still communicated, but by some kind of strange, subliminal shorthand she could only barely pick up on through a sequence of looks and gestures. They were an exquisitely attuned team, almost a single mind, but with three different bodies.
Veryl positioned himself seated against her headboard and beckoned for her to lean back against him. She settled against his chest and he cupped her heavy breasts as though weighing them in his big hands, careful not to touch her bandages. He brushed his lips over her shoulder as he teased her nipples, sending a wash of fire to her core.
Dez climbed naked onto the bed and crawled close, blatant hunger heating his gaze. He captured one nipple between his lips and sucked, then followed with the other until she moaned and squeezed her thighs together at the rising need. Dez released her nipple finally and rose up on his knees, leaning down to kiss her with every bit as much hunger as he’d sucked her nipples. Their tongues entwined, his lips sliding and sucking against hers as though he’d devour her entirely. She threaded her fingers into his hair, just as starved as he seemed to be.
From behind, Veryl slid a hand up her arm and gripped one wrist, pulling it away from Dez’s head. She remained locked in the kiss with Dez, only peripherally aware of the silken fabric wrapping snug around her wrist and pulling her arm back. Then Veryl did the same with the other hand, pulling her arm wide for Cato to bind to her headboard.
“Need you on my lap, starshine,” Veryl said. “Spread your legs.” He slipped his hands down over her hips and beneath her ass, lifting her as she moved her feet to straddle his legs. He kept his own thighs wide, forcing her to spread hers even wider, and lowered her against his groin with his stiff cock jutting up in front of her splayed pussy.
Dez licked his lips and grinned. “Good enough to eat.” He bent low, leaving his naked ass in the air, and pressed his lips to the side of Veryl’s cock. Holding the thick shaft in one hand, he squeezed it and pushed it tight against Simina’s heated flesh, then darted his tongue out and licked along the seam where her sensitive skin came into contact with Veryl’s cock.
Veryl sighed against her ear, idly teasing her nipples, and then lifted his hips to chase the teasing flicks of Dez’s tongue. Simina’s core ached for more contact, deeper penetration, but Dez seemed content to tease. He held the end of Veryl’s cock in one hand and rubbed it back and forth against her slick, swollen lips, just barely pressing against her clit enough to drive her wild.
“Please. I need more,” she said, straining at the bindings.
Cato climbed onto the bed then and gave Dez a sharp smack to his ass. Dez grunted and chuckled. He held Veryl’s cock against her thigh and slicked his tongue flat against Simina’s core, pushed it deep into her opening, then teased the tip in a long, slow lick up the center of her channel, finally pulling her clit between his lips in a gloriously languid suck.
Simina rested her head back against Veryl’s shoulder and arched her hips up to meet Dez’s mouth. She moaned, only to have Veryl capture her lips in a deep kiss.
“Get him inside her, Dez,” Cato said.
Dez released her clit and redirected Veryl’s cock to her center. She eagerly raised her hips for him to position the thick head of Veryl’s shaft at her opening, then let out a breath as she sank down his length. Veryl’s chest vibrated against her back with a rumble of pleasure.
“Love how tight you are around me, starshine,” he said, and began to pump his hips up and down, fucking deep into her until his strokes sent delicious waves of pleasure through her entire body.
She became a bystander to the ecstasy flooding her body, watching through low-lidded eyes as Dez and Cato bent their heads, each teasing the tips of her breasts and kissing their way down her belly until they met between her legs. They both darted their tongues out, taking turns tasting her, then licking and teasing at her aching core together.
The pleasure overtook her fast, and she surrendered, awash in wave after wave of rippling ecstasy as her climax flooded her body. In the midst of it, their marks tingled at the back of her neck and she felt their dragons in her mind, calling to her dragon, begging her to come out and play.
There was no response, but it was early yet, and her body practically vibrated with excitement at the look in Cato’s eyes when he pulled back and smiled at her. He squeezed Dez’s shoulder, and the fair-skinned dragon turned a ravenous gaze on Simina.
“My turn to get inside this delicious pussy,” Dez said. He moved between her thighs and Veryl slowed his fucking as Dez pressed his cock to the place where they were joined.
Simina’s pulse raced, her core flooding with fresh heat at the added pressure of another thick shaft sinking into her. He moved so slowly her mind spun, but his red-eyed gaze never strayed from hers. He gripped her thigh with one big hand and pushed it up.
“Need you a little wider, baby,” he said, panting at the effort to get into her along with Veryl’s already substantial girth.
Veryl reached down and gripped her other thigh, pulling it higher so she was splayed as open as she could possibly get. As he sank into her deeper and deeper, Dez shifted his stance until his feet were planted on either side of Veryl’s hips and one hand was braced on her sturdy headboard.
“Fuck, you are so wet and ready for us, aren’t you?” Dez said, his gaze wild as he sank to the hilt and began to move. He braced both hands against her headboard, closing his eyes as his hips rotated above hers, and Veryl began moving again.
The pair of them fucked her in tandem, their thick cocks stretching her almost to her limit, so that every single cell of her inner walls seemed stimulated at once. Another orgasm built as Dez bent to kiss her and Veryl resumed teasing her nipples. Another pair of hands held her thighs, and she was vaguely aware through the haze of pleasure that Cato had moved in behind Dez and now caressed her thighs up and down, teasing his fingertips around her stretched opening and rubbing her clit in delicious slow circles.
“Come again, love,” he said. “Get that pussy nice and wet for me share it with them.”
She had no choice, though, under his touch, with Veryl’s fingertips plucking her nipples and the two glorious cocks filling her fuller than she’d ever been. Dez bent his head and hungrily devoured her mouth as the orgasm tore from her in a series of spasms and harsh groans.
As Dez’s mouth consumed her cries, he slowed and let out a soft grunt, shifting his body a little higher over hers. Then she felt the pressure build in her core as Cato added his cock to the already crowded mix between her thighs. He was relentless compared to the others. He gripped Dez’s shoulders for leverage, and she could just barely see his bright blue eyes beyond the other man’s big body, but she could definitely feel the fresh invasion of his steel-hard shaft pushing between the other two, stretching her farther than she’d ever imagined she could go, until he made room alongside the others.
She was imprisoned in the cage of their bodies, her core speared three times by their cocks, and while she couldn’t move to save her life, they somehow managed to do all the moving needed to drive her wild. They fucked her with such precision she almost forgot they were three men instead of some multi-headed, multi-limbed beast, one that knew exactly how to draw every ounce of pleasure from her body and open up the floodgates that kept that pleasure flowing in a constant rush.
Her next orgasm seemed to go on for ages, her pussy quivering and clenching around the three of them until they all let out harmonious, synchronized yells, and a sudden pulsing flood of heat filled her up as they came together.
Their dragons’ cries melded in her mind, and for the first time in a day she heard her own dragon’s answering call. The silvery spirit seemed to launch itself through her consciousness to meet them, and Simina rejoiced.
“Oh, yes! Don’t stop!” she wailed.
The trio faltered for only a second, their positions shifting. They resumed their rhythmic thrusts for a moment longer, the slickness of their semen coating her lower belly and thighs. Veryl was the first to slip free, but she couldn’t move to aid his reentry.
“I’m getting back in you, baby, but not in your pussy. You ready for me?” he growled into her ear.
His slick cock pushed between her ass cheeks, and she was barely able to gasp out a “yes” before he shoved hard, spearing her backside swiftly enough for her to see stars. She let out a yell that was caught again by Dez’s kiss, but it hadn’t hurt beyond that first surprising stretch. She was so slick with a combination arousal and their semen spilling from her, she wouldn’t have needed much, and now that he was inside her ass, she wanted nothing more than to feel him fucking her hard.
As if sensing this need, he pumped his hips up into her more violently and sank his teeth into her shoulder. Her dragon reveled in the new wash of sensations she experienced, with two big cocks still slamming deep into her pussy while Veryl fucked her ass with abandon.
Then Cato slipped out of her, leaving only Dez, who relaxed his stance and lowered closer to her, burying his face against her throat. He took advantage of the freedom of movement this allowed and matched Veryl’s tempo with his own deeper thrusts, then stopped abruptly and bit his lip. His red eyes met hers for a second before his eyelids fluttered closed and a harsh grunt escaped his lips.
Simina glanced past his shoulder to see Cato’s gaze fixed on Dez’s ass, deep in concentration as he pivoted his hips to fuck into the other man. Dez groaned his pleasure into her ear before slowly resuming the delicious rhythm that threatened to push her to the edge again.
Within their minds, their dragons soared. They tangled and twisted in the air as they cavorted with utter wildness. Her marks blazed, spreading welcome warmth through her body, causing her breasts to tingle, the sensation flowing throughout her entire chest. She was faintly aware of the pain of her wounds gradually subsiding and leaving her with nothing but a cloud of exquisite sensation throughout her body, from deep in her soul all the way to the tips of her breasts.
The four of them climaxed as one again, her head twisting to the side to accept Veryl’s seeking mouth while Dez bit into the side of her throat until he too could kiss her. When she pulled away to let out a harsh cry of pleasure, Dez and Veryl melded in a deep kiss, groaning into each other’s mouths as their orgasms pulsed into her together.
Beyond Dez’s shoulder, she met Cato’s gaze. He blinked slowly, his lips parted as he panted from the exertion and the subsiding spasms that still rippled through all of them. His sated look faded and his brow twitched. “I felt our dragons together. How are you feeling, Simina? Do we need to keep going … perhaps after a rest and a bath?”
He shifted back and slipped down to the bed beside them, reaching up to unbind her wrist. Veryl took care of her other hand while Dez slowly eased out of her and fell in a pile on the other side. She bit her lower lip when Veryl gripped her hips and tilted to allow his flagging cock to slide out. He didn’t make a move to extract himself from beneath her, though, and she went limp atop him, sighing.
“I feel amazing,” she said. “And validated.” She grinned at the expectant faces on either side, then rolled over to look Veryl in the eyes. She straddled his hips and sat up, then proceeded to peel the bandage off her wound.
Their eyes all went wide and three mouths fell open.
“Completely healed,” Veryl said with wonder just before he flipped her over.
“Completely ours,” Dez said.
“Completely yours,” Cato corrected, and the three of them descended on her, brushing hundreds of kisses over the spot where her wounds used to be.