Zurlo, Michele - Riley [Daughters of Circe 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (11 page)

“Make him hard, baby. Get him ready while I take care of you.”

Soren’s silky skin caressed her palm as she teased him. He rolled toward her so that she could adjust her grip, and he kissed her hard on the mouth. Teigh lowered his head to kiss her breasts, his soft lips grazing the undersides before paying attention to the pebbled peaks. Together, they swept her away in the rising tide. If she listened hard enough, she could hear the distant sounds of Caiden’s beach.

Riley’s task was easily accomplished. Soren’s cock throbbed in her hand. Gently, he extricated himself from her grip and rolled away. She heard the sound of the drawer where she kept her vibrator opening and closing. When Soren knelt behind Teigh, she realized he had found the lube.

Teigh froze, and she didn’t protest. Peering over his shoulder, she watched Soren squirt the gel onto his palm. He massaged it into his cock, and then he squeezed more onto his fingers. They disappeared from view, but she knew from Teigh’s moan that Soren’s lubricated fingers explored the tight ring of Teigh’s ass. Jealousy flared briefly. She wanted both of them inside her.

But then she tamped it down. Soren loved this strange man as much as she did. It stood to reason he wanted to make love with Teigh as much as she did. She relaxed her neck and let her head drop back to the mattress. Teigh’s gaze locked to hers, sharing the wondrous sensations Soren evoked as he sank into their lover’s warmth.

Soren set the pace. His thrusts into Teigh dictated Teigh’s thrusts into her. Together, they rocked, bucking and moaning, building sweet tension. As one, they cried out, welcoming the climaxes crashing over them.

Riley fought to stay awake, but the delicious languor claimed her consciousness.

* * * *

Hot coffee burned a path down Soren’s parched throat. Weak streams of light played over the surfaces in the kitchen as the sun played hide-and-seek behind the clouds. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d engaged in so much sexual play.

Never in his life did he imagine finding himself attracted to another man, much less the Shadow Man. The stuff of legends, the Shadow Man had been around in one form or another for his entire life. He was a shaman, a bringer of fate. Whenever he visited a wolf, things happened. Sometimes good, sometimes not, but that wolf’s life changed.

Soren’s life had irrevocably changed. Hours before, he had been hell-bent on proving to Riley that her dream lover could never own her body and soul the way he did. He had wanted to prove that he was the only lover she’d ever need.

Then Teigh had entered their lives. Soren didn’t doubt that very few people were privy to the Shadow Man’s real name, yet Riley had known it. She hadn’t hesitated in naming him, though he didn’t quite think she knew the legend behind the man, and she hadn’t tempered her attraction to him.

How could he love a man he’d never truly met? Over a hundred years before, the Shadow Man had appeared to his brother, Shaden, to warn him about Soren’s compulsion. Had he known even then that Soren was destined to become his lover?

This turn of events brought forth the question of whether Riley’s dream lover would enter the fray as well. In the deepest part of his heart, he knew he already loved this Caiden. Closed eyes brought forth the image of a handsome man with blue eyes and black hair. His light skin would redden in the sun, and then the color would fade, never quite leaving behind a tan.

They had both called her by the wrong name. He had felt her bafflement both times. No doubt she felt the same profound feelings he felt. If she could know their names, why didn’t they know hers?

More questions paraded through Soren’s head. His heart and his instincts had never steered him wrong before. He wasn’t about to question his feelings, but the many uncertainties brought lingering doubts.

Riley had some kind of power wholly different from a witch, but he couldn’t see her using it for nefarious purposes.

This is her revenge for kidnapping her and almost killing her sister.

Soren’s head jerked up and his heart raced. His eyes darted around, searching for the source of that little voice. He knew the search was doomed to failure. That voice tickled his dormant compulsion. He fought against it, knowing he could not win. The little bastards had found him after all. Giving up his home and his alpha position among his pack hadn’t mattered. Slowly, his thinking shifted.

What better way to exact revenge than by making him, an alpha wolf, fall in love with her and then share her with two other men? Oh, but the brilliance of her plan only illuminated the depth of her cunning.

Two rooms away, she lay asleep in Teigh’s arms, unaware her plan had been discovered. Still, doubt lingered in the back of his mind. The sweet woman he loved couldn’t betray him. Or could she?

Circe carries so much more power than one of her daughters. With it, we will be all-powerful. We want it. We need it.

Urgency flooded Soren’s system. He wanted that power. He needed that power.

Kill her before the Daughters unleash her power.

Soren started at that. Pain seared his chest at the image of Riley’s lifeless body spread before him on a stone altar. “No. There has to be another way.”

Kill her.

Dread churned in his gut, but it was no match for the need pulsing in his veins. His heart broke into a million pieces, burning a hole in his chest. He couldn’t do this. He could fight the compulsion.

Riley woke with the certainty that the warm body entangled with hers didn’t belong to Soren. She opened her eyes slowly. The chest pressed against her cheek was a bit smaller than Soren’s, though not small by any means, and much darker.

Teigh.

She eased away, putting a bit of distance between them so she could see his face. The indistinct features had settled into the sharp planes of an elegantly handsome man. They remained even when she didn’t touch him. It looked like he was there to stay.

The surreal quality of the entire morning washed over Riley. While she didn’t doubt Teigh’s place in her life and in her heart, she did question the speed with which she had accepted three lovers. Though two had been present that morning, Caiden waited just beyond her reach.

Her aching muscles protested movement as Riley rolled from bed and limped to the shower. Fifteen minutes in there restored most of her mobility, but soreness lingered. She hoped time would help her body adjust to having three demanding men in her life.

She threw on a pair of sweats and a light shirt, and she headed to the kitchen.

“I called your work and told them you wouldn’t be in today.”

The fragrant aroma of fresh coffee filled the room. Soren sat at the table sipping from a flower-patterned mug she had acquired at a garage sale. His sky blue shirt molded to his shoulders, and the short sleeves only accented the tight lines of muscles that defined his strength. He didn’t look at her once while she poured herself a cup.

“Thanks. I should feel bad about missing work, but I don’t.”

He sipped and shrugged. “You don’t need to work. I have plenty of money to support us all.” He cocked his head to the side, listening. Riley wondered what sounds his wolf hearing picked up. Frowning, he rose and headed to the coffee pot. “I thought Teigh would have vanished by now.”

Riley frowned, both because she didn’t understand why he thought Teigh would vanish and because he seemed to be continuing a conversation where she’d missed the first part.

“Why would Teigh vanish?” Nobody simply walked away after sharing what they’d shared. “You don’t walk away from people you love for no reason.”

Soren refilled his mug and watched curlicues of steam rise from the surface. “The Shadow Man isn’t known for sticking around for very long. He appears when he has something to say, and then he disappears after he says it.”

Riley formed a guess as to what bothered Soren. She stepped closer, closing the distance between them. Tentatively, she touched his shoulder. He tensed, and she backed off.

“Are you upset about what happened this morning?”

Again, his head cocked to the side. Though he didn’t look at her, his gaze didn’t focus on anything else. Finally, he shook his head. “Relationships such as these are not uncommon among wolves, though I can’t say I’ve ever felt an attraction to another man before.” He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Somehow, he’s part of me. Of us.”

When he didn’t continue, Riley sighed and set her cup down on the counter. Something bothered him. Since he didn’t seem inclined to talk about it, she knew she must be part of the problem. “Soren, please tell me what’s wrong. This is all new to me, too. I’ve never done anything like this before, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

Soren perked up. He parked his hands on the edges of the counter behind Riley, effectively caging her with his massive body. “Not sure how you feel? Riley, you accepted the love of a man who kidnapped you and tried to sacrifice your sister. Then you had a dream encounter with a man I’m pretty sure I love, too, but haven’t met. When you woke up this morning, a third man claimed you. They both seem to think you’re this mystical witch-goddess person they’ve loved for thousands of years. I’m confused as all hell, but I know what I feel. How can you not be the same?”

His eyes bore into her with a fierce wildness she hadn’t seen since the night he locked Torrey in his dungeon prison. At the time, she hadn’t known of his actions, and the look had scared her until he switched gears, returning to the calm, steady man she thought she loved. The remembrance startled her. She gave herself a mental shake. Torrey had killed Soren’s demons. Perhaps he wasn’t as accepting of loving another man as he led her to believe. She resolved to be patient and understanding, two qualities she had in abundance.

Slowly, as if in a dream, she lifted her hand and caressed his cheek. “These past few days have seen me make some of the most impulsive, reckless decisions ever. I don’t doubt my feelings for you or Teigh or Caiden. However, as you pointed out, you don’t have a history of being trustworthy, and I really don’t know Teigh or Caiden. They both called me by a name that isn’t mine. I feel love for each of you, but I’m also very confused and unsure. Under the circumstances, I think that’s okay.”

Soren lowered his head, stopping with his lips inches from hers. Heavy breaths ravaged his chest and the counter creaked behind her. She hoped he didn’t squeeze it until it broke. He closed his eyes, but she saw the wealth of pain he tried to hide.

“Sharing us isn’t going to be easy for you.” Somehow, she had to break through to find out what ate at him like this. She traced his jaw, trying to ease the tension there.

His eyes popped open. “Sharing you is surprisingly easy, Riley. I love all of you and it just seems right for each of you to love the other. It enhances our relationship. I’m more than okay with this.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

He pushed away and turned his back on her. “Nothing’s wrong. I just need some time to adjust, some time to get this all straight in my head.”

“Your memories will return once our daughters perform the ceremony to restore us to the men we used to be.”

Riley peeked past Soren. Teigh filled the doorway. Though he was both thinner and shorter than Soren, Teigh had a substantial body and an incredibly sexy build. He radiated confidence and security, and the strength in his eyes warmed her heart. She ached to feel his arms around her, offering what Soren withheld.

She didn’t bother to hide the longing that gripped her soul. “What about me?”

He studied Soren, looking the man up and down before tearing his gaze away. It wandered around the room before landing on Riley. His expression gentled. “Once your powers are restored, you’ll become Circe, daughter of the sun, once again. Having watched our daughters struggle with this for millennia, I think not knowing who you are or who you used to be is better than knowing. Knowledge brings pain. I would rather you not suffer.”