The Journal Keeper (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (35 page)

“Oh, wow. Okay, first one to those trees over there gets to have wild, crazy, outdoor sex!” Rianne called, jumping on Alyla and racing off before Nikolas or Dorin could do anything to stop her.

“Nik,” Dorin said, watching her ride across the grass.

“Yes?” Nikolas questioned, also watching their mate.

“Do you think she’s serious?” Dorin asked.

“Dead serious,” Nikolas answered.

In a flash, they took off after her, listening to the sound of her laughter as she disappeared behind the trees. As they followed her into the forest, Dorin realized they would probably always be chasing after her. When they came across her already naked in the middle of a clearing, Dorin found he really didn’t mind.

Three Months Later

Rianne stood with Nikolas off to the side of the main dais in the throne room, watching as Silal passed off the crown to his only son. The entire room was filled with dignitaries from Laurasia and Gondwanaland, as well as many important people from Wolvden. There was barely any breathing room, but somehow Nikolas made sure no one was within a foot of them. If she weren’t so grateful she would have teased him about it, but she didn’t want the throng to press in when it was already so hot in the usually freezing room.

Nikolas’s fingers brushed along her spine, sending tingles across her skin. She shifted restlessly against him, pressing against his side. His low chuckle shook her body as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as they both watched Dorin kneel before his father. Silal moved the crown toward Dorin’s head, chanting solemnly. He paused with the crown less than an inch from Dorin’s hair.

“Do you swear to lead the people of Wolvden with dignity, honor, and wisdom?” Silal asked.

“I do,” Dorin answered.

“Then rise, King Dorin, and take your place before the people,” Silal said, backing away.

Dorin rose, resplendent in his purple robes, and turned to face the crowd.

“Long live King Dorin. Long live King Dorin,” the cheer went up, echoing off the walls.

He looked over to where Rianne and Nikolas stood and gave her a quick wink. She blew him a kiss in return, grinning as he began walking through the crowd. Silal and Visess followed behind, with the other kings and queens of Laurasia falling in after them. Once the royal families had exited, Nikolas pulled Rianne back toward the wall while everyone else began pushing toward the door.

They’d gone over how the ceremony would go and, although Dorin had tried to put up a fight about leaving them behind, tradition dictated that until Rianne and Nikolas had their own crowning ceremony, they remained in their position as a “lady” and “sir,” meaning they got stuck with the majority of the crowd. Still, Rianne didn’t mind too much as it gave her the opportunity to sneak around the castle with Nikolas as they worked their way toward the reception hall.

“Come on. We’ll go through the servants’ door,” Nikolas said, pulling her along.

Over the past few months, Rianne and Nikolas had prepared alongside Dorin to take over the kingdom from Silal and Visess. She knew that once they walked into the reception, Rianne would have to act the part of a future queen, something she wasn’t looking forward to. She still had trouble with the steps to Wolvden’s traditional dances, but Dorin was a fantastic partner. As for Nikolas, he preferred to watch the two of them twirl around the room. It always gave her a thrill when she saw him watching her and Dorin, knowing he was taking as much pleasure in seeing her in Dorin’s arms as she was in being there.

“Are you ready?” Nikolas asked as they came to the servants’ entrance to the reception hall.

“As I’ll ever be,” Rianne sighed, straightening her shoulders and smoothing out her dress.

Nikolas gave her hand a quick squeeze before they walked through the door together. Dorin had obviously been waiting for them as he quickly swooped down and took her free hand in his.

“I’ve missed you,” Dorin whispered, kissing her cheek.

“I know. Those horrid people wouldn’t let us near you,” Rianne pouted.

“Never again. After tonight, you have full access to me,” Dorin promised.

“I better. I’m your mate, for God’s sake,” Rianne huffed.

“And an absolutely beautiful one. I do love this color on you,” Dorin commented, his hands trailing down her side seductively.

She had to admit, she liked the dress, too, but that was probably because it reminded her of the dress she’d worn at their mating ceremony. It was almost the exact same color, but the design was much more extravagant, reminding her of the gowns she’d seen in paintings of Queen Elizabeth, only without the flea collar.

“Thank you,” Rianne murmured, giving him a shy smile.

“I agree with Dorin. You do look beautiful in the dress, but I cannot wait to get you out of it.” Nikolas growled lowly in her ear.

“Nikolas,” Rianne hissed, blushing as she made sure no one had overheard him.

“Relax,
capora
. No one is listening,” Nikolas assured her.

“And now, the king will lead us in the traditional dance,” a squire announced, drawing their attention away from each other.

“That’s our cue,
danalya
.” Dorin grinned, pulling her onto the floor.

He led her in the dance that still caused her feet to get tangled together, but she kept her eyes on his and the world faded away. They had survived everything: the shootings, the kidnapping, the bombs. Nothing had kept them apart. The knowledge that her mates, her men, would do anything for her blossomed inside her until she felt as though she might burst from the force of it all.

Dorin spun her around, and she caught sight of Nikolas, back to the wall, watching the two of them spin around the room together. She knew he watched because they were the most important people in his life, just as he and Dorin were to her. They were three parts to a whole, none of them complete without the others. She couldn’t help but smile as she turned her attention back to Dorin. She’d told Nikolas her news earlier, and he’d been very specific in his instructions on how to tell Dorin.

“I have something to tell you,” Rianne whispered, standing on the tip of her toes to reach his ear.

“What’s that?” Dorin asked, his voice just as soft.

“It seems, Your Majesty, that you’ll have an heir sooner rather than later,” Rianne informed him with a happy grin.

Dorin froze in the middle of a step, causing one of the couples who had joined them on the dance floor to run into them. Dorin ignored their disproving looks, completely focused on her.

“You’re…are you saying…you’re pregnant?” Dorin asked breathlessly.

Rianne nodded, too emotional to speak. Dorin gave a loud shout, lifting her up and spinning her around, drawing the attention of everyone around them. Nikolas suddenly appeared beside them, grinning from ear to ear.

“We’re going to have a baby.” Dorin beamed, throwing an arm around his best friend.

The people closest to them heard and quickly moved to tell others around the dance floor. In the corner of the room, Rianne spotted Morna smiling at her in approval, as if she already knew what the people around them were saying. Before long, the entire hall was whispering, the news moving from one end of the room to the other in the span of a minute. Rianne didn’t pay attention, too wrapped up in the emotion shared between her and her mates.

“I know. She told me while you were preparing for the ceremony,” Nikolas told him.

“Damn guards wouldn’t let us through,” Rianne huffed, but she couldn’t stop smiling.

“Gods, I love you,” Dorin breathed, leaning down to kiss her deeply.

Rianne grinned as he pulled away, turning to shout their news to the entire room.

“We’re having a baby!”

Nikolas scooped her up in his arms, a smile splitting his face as he carried her off the dance floor, Dorin chasing after him.

“Forgive us the early exit, but we’re off to celebrate,” Nikolas said over his shoulder.

“Enjoy the party,” Rianne called as the door closed behind them.

As Nikolas raced up the stairs, Dorin right on his tail, Rianne knew no one in the world could be as happy as she was in that moment. She never would have thought a girl like her, who lived for the job and nothing else, could end up in another world, mated to two of the most gorgeous men alive, about to become queen of an entire territory, and carrying the future heir to that territory inside her. She owed it all to Merlin’s journal, which sat on the bookshelf in the corner of their room, surrounded by Dorin’s political texts and Nikolas’s Shakespeare, its hold having vanished with the end of the threat against it.

“We’re going to love you so good,
capora
,” Nikolas promised.

“Forever,
danalya
,” Dorin vowed.

She truly did have forever to look forward to with her mates, her body already adapting to Laurasia’s decreased movement through time. As they slowly undressed her, paying special attention to her still-flat stomach, Rianne’s only thought was, “Thank you, Merlin.”

THE END

WWW.LEERENE-EVANS.COM

Growing up in a small town outside of Richmond, VA, I would make multiple trips to the library, bringing home up to ten-fifteen books in one visit. It didn’t take long for me to put pen to paper and start writing down the characters in my mind. Short stories were written for friends in high school. In college, longer stories were posted online for review. During the summer of 2011, I began working on my first book.

It started with a dream… Actually, it started over ice cream with my college roommate. I had the image of Nikolas, a polar shifter and a warrior. I just needed a story for him. My roommate and I talked for a few hours, building a character around him. During the course of that conversation, Rianne and Dorin were born. From there, I began to create the world of Laurasia and Gondwanaland, a world once parallel to our own before time, and Hunters, closed the gap. The idea of Merlin’s journal came later, during a conversation with our third roommate. A year and a half after chatting over ice cream,
The Journal Keeper
was finished and I was sending it off to Siren-BookStrand.

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected], visit my website at www.leerene-evans.com, or find my page on Facebook.

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com