Breath of Desire (4 page)

Hot, clinging velvet wrapped around his thumbs as he sank them into her eager opening and spread her apart. He spared the slightest glance up at Aurin, but her face was obscured by Dimitri. They kissed deeply and steadily while Aurin stroked Dimitri’s cock and undulated her hips in time with Thea’s tongue.

Aurik barely caught himself before he darted his dragon tongue out to taste. He wanted to pleasure her as fully as possible, but she didn’t know his true nature. For the time being he contented himself by tasting her with his human tongue.

Thea responded enthusiastically, a muffled moan reaching his ears from between Aurin’s thighs. Her sweet juices coated his tongue and he lapped them up. He tilted his head to reach further between her thighs, seeking out the center of her pleasure and finding the thick, throbbing bundle easily. The hot pulse of it against his tongue elicited a similar reaction from his cock. He’d have her that way, too, but wanted to taste her Nirvana first, to feel the rush of all that magic surging into him.

Aurin’s familiar breathy gasps grew louder and Thea’s movements more hurried. She was nothing if not a diligent, attentive lover. One long, drawn out and quavering cry announced Aurin’s peak. He paused, waiting for the feedback of energy to flow through Thea before remembering she wasn’t marked and so couldn’t take in their power directly. And Sweet Mother what a shame that was.

Thea’s shoulders sagged as she dropped her forehead against Aurin’s thigh. Thea’s ass pressed harder against his mouth and he eagerly accommodated her, lapping and teasing at her pussy. She shifted her stance at the same time Aurin finally saw fit to communicate with him.

“Take her, Brother. I will have Dimitri now, he is ready.”

His protest back to her was nearly incoherent even in his head. Her responding laugh hit his ears followed by the words in his head.
“You can have them both later. She needs you more right now. Focus.”

Thea stood a little unsteadily, but upright when Aurin murmured a soft command. “Let my brother finish you, love.”

Aurik gazed up from his kneeling position, enthralled by the glowing pale skin as it caught the dwindling rays of sunlight streaming through their windows. He slid his hands up Thea’s sides again, gripped her gently at the hips and urged her to turn. Just as she began to shift in his arms, she darted an uncertain glance at Dimitri that Aurik was sure held the slightest hint of longing.

Dimitri stepped close and clutched the back of her neck, pulled her into a deep kiss, then whispered into her ear. “Please let me share them with you this once.”

Aurik smiled at his lover’s assessment of what was happening. He had no argument, however. They belonged to Dimitri as much as he belonged to them. They were his to share in that sense.

Thea looked down at Aurik, her lips parted and her breasts rose and fell with the cadence of her breath. He rose up enough to capture one pink nipple between his lips and flick it gently with his tongue. She sighed and threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him closer. He slipped one hand up her inner thigh, longing to return to the luscious center of her. Thea tilted her hips, inviting him in, and he went, stroking her again until her slick, hot fluid coated his fingers.

Her nails dug into his scalp when he slid two fingers deeper, testing slowly as he went, seeking the spot that would make her crumble in his arms and let loose that swirling mass of power that clung to her like iron shavings to a magnet.

A harsh whimper escaped her and her knees gave, signaling that he’d found her sweet spot. He held her up with his free arm wrapped tightly around her waist and stroked the tender patch of her inner wall a moment longer, wishing he could use his tongue on her there—his
real
tongue—and feel her flying to pieces against his mouth. He would drink the power like a baby at its mother’s tit, soaking in every last drop.

“Fuck me, please,” she said harshly. “God, I need to be fucked.”

Desperation was as clear as day in her voice, making him wonder if the swirling eddies of magic that clung to her were palpable to her somehow, were what had weighed her down so much she couldn’t hold herself upright. Aurik urged her down to him and she went. A stuttering sigh rushed out of her when she straddled his cock and sank slowly down, her hot pussy seeming to devour his entire length. Her slick muscles clenched tightly making him shiver at the intensity of the pleasure. He could almost taste the power now, pushing at her barriers—barriers she had no control over, but were impossible to breach until he’d brought her to the edge and let her plunge over.

In his periphery he was aware of Dimitri and Aurin fucking. Their coupling seemed to happen in a series of still frames, like dancers caught in the strobe of one of the night clubs Dimitri had taken them to. All the while, his own little world had slowed down to a crawl, every nuance of Thea in hyper focus. Her hot breath gusting into his ear was accompanied every few seconds by a rough affirmative as she gained purchase with her legs around his hips and found her rhythm on his cock. He let her set the pace and gradually moved his hips to meet her movements.

Aurik closed his eyes and let himself become attuned to her and her alone. Her lips sought his and he opened to her, kissing back with fervor, matching her hungry bites with nips of his own. He reveled in her climbing lust, holding her hips and thrusting deeper when she whispered
“harder”
in his ear.

As with the first time with Dimitri, he wished for the moment to never end. The buildup to the climax was only half the pleasure, however. The power seemed to crackle around them both to the point that he was sure if he opened his eyes, the world around him would only be a disorienting blur.

“Oh, Sweet Mother, Thea,” he groaned. “Never leave.” He buried his face in her neck as the tight clench of her pussy pulled him to the brink. Her orgasm burst from her with a roar of magic, flooding him with power so strong his ears rang from the force of it. He tipped across the edge, falling into his own abyss but unwilling to stop the steady plunge into her.

Chapter 5

T
hea floated back to earth an eternity later. At least that’s what coming down from the most intense orgasm of her life felt like. She may as well have been the downy kernel of a dandelion tuft finally letting gravity take its toll in the absence of the winds that had been blowing her to the ends of the earth and back.

Her world had tilted somewhere in the middle of it all. Literally tilted, she realized, opening her eyes to see a skylight high above her and feel the cool wood floor beneath her naked back.

Aurik was still poised above her, resting on his elbows just close enough to still touch but far enough so as not to crush her beneath his weight. Tangled tendrils of his long, golden hair fell on either side of their faces. His eyes were identical to his sister’s, their golden depths seemed to understand her deepest longings with a glance. He understood this half of it at least—this need for a deep connection. Something else in those eyes told her he longed for something, too, something he had lost, perhaps?

His whispered plea from their moment of climax came back to her just then.

“But I just got here,” she said.

His brows drew together in confusion. “What?”

“You said, ‘Never leave.’ I only just got here. And then there was wine and Aurin and, oh… oh fuck, you’re wearing a condom, aren’t you? Please tell me you are!”

Aurik shook his head minutely and pulled back farther. “No need.”

“What, you’re fixed?”

“Was never broken.”

Dimitri’s amused voice broke in from somewhere behind them. “She’s asking if you’ve been surgically altered to prevent you knocking her up. He hasn’t, Thea, but he can’t get you pregnant.”

She tilted her head back toward the sound, but only saw the smooth wooden base of the kitchen island. Finally getting her bearings completely, she realized they were on the floor between two of the bar stools. Jesus all that really
had
just happened. She could still taste Aurin on her tongue, could still feel the woman’s velvet softness against her lips. Her pussy clenched in response to the memory.

Aurik’s eyes fluttered closed and he groaned. He shifted his hips, sliding out of her a touch, then slowly easing the rest of the way back until he rested on his heels again. His flushed skin and tangled gold locks made him look about as thoroughly fucked as she felt. Holy Christ was he sexy.

A flutter of cloth materialized from above, one hand towel coming to rest on Aurik’s head. He caught the second deftly.

“Get cleaned up. Dinner will be ready in a little bit.” Dimitri’s disembodied voice reached her ears again. The sound brought back all the best memories of living with him and Alex, of being in this pleasantly buzzed and disoriented state right after sex and having one or the other of them already thinking of her needs.

Thea’s stomach rumbled in response to the scent of sautéing onions. She accepted Aurik’s proffered hand and stood, grateful for his supportive arm around her waist. She was still a little spinny from the intensity of her orgasm. She glanced up at Aurik, about to make a comment to that effect, but the words halted in her throat at the troubled expression on his face when he watched Dimitri. After a moment, he tore his eyes away and smiled down at her.

“We have time for a quick shower. Join me?”

She nodded and gathered her clothing from the floor, then took his hand and let him lead her up a wrought iron spiral staircase to the loft above.

“Is something wrong?” she ventured when they were alone in one of the most luxurious bathrooms she’d ever seen. The Twins must be loaded if they could afford all she’d seen so far. It wasn’t even the decor that impressed her the most. While that was nice, the most impressive things were the priceless antiquities that littered every spare surface and corner in the place. Dimitri had struck gold with these two, assuming their relationship was as close as her first impression told her.
Let me share them with you, this once.
But would once even be enough?

“It’s complicated,” Aurik murmured, testing the heat, then stepping in and gesturing for her to follow.

“Ow! Shit!” she yelped when the stream of scalding water hit her skin. He abruptly blocked the flow from her and adjusted the knobs until she gave the nod that the temperature would do. She sank beneath the warm stream, marveling at how comfortable she felt with this near perfect stranger. Like they’d known each other forever already. She remembered feeling the same way about Dimitri the day Alex had introduced her to him, but that may have merely been by virtue of her familiarity with Alex.

“Trust me, I know complicated. Dimitri explained our relationship… er… former relationship, right?”

He nodded, stepping under the water when she moved to make room. “I fear I must leave soon, and he isn’t happy about it. Neither of them are.”

“Leave… Why?”

He hesitated as though trying to find the words. “Legal reasons is the best way I can explain it.”

She let that percolate while she soaped up, then turned to watch him from beneath the water while he did the same. He eyed her breasts in an amusing way for a second, but made no move to touch her again. She was a little disappointed, but hungry enough to keep the shower businesslike.

“Are you screwing your sister?” she asked abruptly.

Aurik blinked at her, then broke out into a ringing laugh that filled the room. “Sweet Mother, no. She’s fine, yes, but that would be even more pointless than masturbating when we have Dimitri. We don’t enjoy each other that way.”

“Oh…” Thea trailed off, confused. “What legal reason could you possibly have for leaving
him
, then? I saw the way you looked at each other, so I know you’re together. I’m not a stranger to precisely that kind of arrangement and there was nothing that could take either of those brothers away from me.” She caught herself too late. In a quieter tone she amended, “Well, almost nothing.”

“My life is different. I have… obligations. Neither of my choices are easy, particularly because both preclude my being with him.”

“You do know gay marriage is a thing now, right? Not everywhere in the world yet, but it’s definitely legal in this country. Nobody’s going to care who you love.”

“I wish it were that easy, but I don’t have a choice.”

“So you’re just giving up and leaving when Dimitri still loves you? That’s a fucking shitty choice. You’ll break his heart.” She grabbed a towel and dried off, then proceeded to glare at him while putting her dress back on. She grimaced at her panties, which were still damp.

“Let me,” Aurik said softly, reaching out for the bit of lace. “I’ll put them in the wash with our clothes, you can pick them up tomorrow.”

Thea gaped at the comment, completely flummoxed by it. By Aurik in general. By far the best single-partner sex she’d had in her life, which she was damn certain he would agree with, and here he was insinuating that they wouldn’t be spending the night together.

“Fine with me,” she said, shutting the door in his face before heading back downstairs.

Dimitri’s bright smile at her reappearance faded quickly when he caught sight of her expression.

“Thea?”

“I need a drink or three, and then you’re going to explain what the fuck that
jerk
up there thinks he’s doing.” Pissed didn’t begin to describe how she felt. Confused was part of it, of course. She
hated
men who only told half-truths. And where did he get off with a comment like
“Never Leave”
if that’s precisely what
he
was planning on doing? Forget that he’d said it in the heat of passion, she had felt that need of his deep down.

To his credit, Dimitri didn’t waste time before pouring her more wine. At least he still knew her that well. Aurik might have an excuse since they’d just met.
And then had earth-shattering, universe-tilting, black-hole inducing sex.
The alcohol calmed her after a few minutes and she got lost in watching Dimitri and Aurin cook. They shared a couple somber looks that weren’t lost on Thea, though, along with one sad glance on Aurin’s part to the upper floor when she heard her brother start to come back down.

“Dimitri…” Thea began in an impatient tone. She wanted it out before Aurik was back in the room.

Dimitri shook his head. “We’ll talk when I take you back to the hotel, alright? Besides, the research data arrived while you were in the shower. I’d like to go over it after dinner.”

That news let her relax. If nothing else she could finally get to work on her real reason for coming all this way.

Except for the rest of the evening, her mind kept replaying those moments with either of the twins, spinning endlessly over the way Aurik had made love to her, then slamming to a halt again at his confession.

***

Aurik lingered under the shower until the stream of water grew ice-cold. He was still, acutely attuned to Thea’s words coming up clearly from below. Her voice was as mesmerizing as her scent, drawing him back down to her.

He should have told her the truth. All of it, but believed she was still in Dimitri’s domain so Dimitri was the one responsible for imparting the necessary knowledge to her. Aurik wondered if Dimitri had any intention of doing it. Their secret was sacred and unless one of them had a good enough reason, they couldn’t share it without consulting with the others first.

Part of Aurik hoped Dimitri would tell her. Another part of him dreaded it.

He had to prepare for the worst. He had already resigned himself to giving in to the Council’s decree. None of the potential mates Dimitri had gathered had borne any fruit. Aurik felt nothing for them.

But Thea. She wasn’t on that list. She belonged to Dimitri as far as Aurik was concerned. It didn’t matter that he’d tasted her Nirvana already—she wasn’t marked by him. She belonged to another. That she was a human who had given herself to him didn’t matter. He still saw her as belonging to his friend in spite of her lack of magical link.

She was Dimitri’s. The kiss she had shared with Dimitri had conveyed that much. Dimitri still loved her. Aurin seemed smitten with her, too. Aurik had worried for months about what he would leave behind. A hole for them to fill. But Thea could fill it. That day had told him as much. She was the perfect replacement. She commanded the energy even better than Dimitri, whether she knew it or not. She’d feed Aurin’s magic and Aurin could use that infusion to fulfill every wish of their mates.

Our mates? Do you mean to mate her before you abandon her?
No, Aurik didn’t, but Aurin should. And that meant divulging their secret first.

It was always the first step after establishing a connection. He and his sister had been taught it this way, at least. Taught to learn the distinct difference between a potential source of energy for one night, and a long-term mate. The taste was very different. Thea was a perfect mate, as Dimitri had been. So she would be a perfect replacement for Aurik. Aurin could mark Thea without any backlash. But was Thea ready?

The scowl on Thea’s face made him cringe inwardly when he went down to join them for dinner. Dimitri was being solicitous of her mood in that special way he had that calmed and distracted so expertly. Soon, Thea relaxed, buzzed from the wine, happy from Dimitri’s attention, and pointedly ignoring Aurik.

The shift in attention away from him made it clear his decision was right. Thea fit that role so perfectly, the way Aurin and Dimitri’s steady banter seemed to hinge on Thea’s responses. They talked mostly about the Twins’ collection of ancient artifacts passed down from their parents.

“Your family must have been collecting for generations to have such an impressive variety. I’ve always loved wondering what the stories were behind pieces like these,” Thea said as they wandered away from the dinner table. Aurin and Dimitri followed while Aurik stayed behind to clean up.

A strange calm came over him while her words continued, pondering the history of each piece she admired. She was amazingly astute in her speculation about each piece, too, judging the age and circumstances around them to an impressive degree of accuracy. So impressive it even worried him a little that she’d suss out their secrets without even having to be told. That deep understanding would make it easier for her, and the idea calmed him further as he pondered what his life would be like afterward. It was as good a time as any to begin cutting ties. Perhaps he should go already, if he could convince Dimitri sooner was better, now that Thea had arrived. And Aurik’s leaving would mean he could leave Dimitri marked, which would be preferable to nullifying it and staying, shifting his mark to a stranger he didn’t love.

Soon Aurik went back to them, feeling Dimitri’s pull with a glance filled with love and sadness. This was a tether Aurik would have to break. Perhaps he should nullify the mark, after all, even though the thought of it left a cold pit in his stomach.

The fascination of the data Erika had sent them managed to distract him from the feelings. The tiny piece of technology containing all of Camille’s research fit perfectly into the USB slot of Dimitri’s laptop. Of the many things Aurik would mis
s once exiled to the Monastery, technology might be near the top of the list. Magic without the need for any effort expended on his part. He tried not to think of the other things he would miss. But perhaps he could find peace at the Monastery, too.

Needing a bit of that peace sooner than that, he excused himself and headed toward the roof.

“Where are you going, Brother?”
Aurin’s lilting voice filled his head.

“I need some time to think away from distractions.”

“Please think about what you’re doing. There must be another way.”

“I won’t give him up to take another mate. I’d rather have no one and know he is at least happy with you and her.”

She didn’t say more, but he could sense her displeasure as though it were a prickly presence in his mind.

He shifted in the shadows of the roof and took flight, stretching his wings as wide as they would go, soaring high to catch the thermal eddies above the city. He could taste the faint trails of magic he and Aurin left behind each time they flew, subtle markers to signify to other dragons who passed through that this territory was under the protection of a pair of Court dragons.