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  When I laid naked beneath him, Arach moved his mouth down my body violently, consuming me with savage sucking and naughty nibbles. I rolled up into each touch, clasping him closer as he covered my skin with his lust. My legs fell open to accommodate him, but Arach didn't move into me or even start kissing me there. He only gave my sex a quick lick before he moved up my body and straddled my chest.

  “Open your mouth,” Arach growled.

  I lifted a brow but did as he demanded, and Arach slid his shaft past my lips. Clawed hands holding my face, dragon eyes burning down at me with fury and desire, and thighs clenching around my chest as he drove himself over my tongue, past the tight ring I made with my lips. I grabbed his ass, pulling him deeper to encourage his aggression, and savored the feel of his muscles clenching beneath my hands. His crimson hair dripped over the curves of his chest like blood and that chest looked enormous, dominating my view. I stared up its length into Arach's glowing eyes, my own going fiery as the Dragon King reclaimed his mate.

  “Use your tongue,” Arach rumbled. “And your hands. Show me how much you love my cock.”

  I moved one hand between his legs to massage the heavy sacs below his thrusting member and tongued him as best as I could while he kept up his rapid pace. I started to choke a little, nothing too horrible, but the sound made Arach pull out of me suddenly, the arousal in his eyes turning to concern. He moved off me and pulled me up into a sitting position.

  “A Thaisce! Are you all right? Did I hurt you?” Arach's hands stroked my face.

  I laughed and pushed his hands away. “I'm not a newborn. I can handle holding my breath.”

  Arach's shoulders drooped in relief. “I... I shouldn't have been so rough with you. I'm sorry.”

  “Don't you dare apologize.” I laid back and licked my lips. “It was just getting good.”

  Fire flashed in Arach's eyes as he lifted a blood-red brow at me. “You enjoyed that?”

  “Didn't I show you how much I enjoyed it?” I countered.

  Arach laughed as he settled his body over me. “Indeed, you did.”

  “Then what are you waiting for? Slide your beloved cock back into my mouth.”

  “I think I've had enough of that,” he murmured before he kissed me.

  As we moaned through that connection of hot, twirling muscles, Arach slid inside me, and I lifted my legs to wrap them around his waist and pull him even deeper. His rhythm steadily increased until I was gasping into our kiss, and he had to push back to get better leverage. My husband rose up above me on his forearms before easing back onto his knees. He shoved my legs upward and held them there as he started a vicious slamming.

  “But I can never get enough of you,” Arach declared in a low growl. “In any way I can have you. I want all of it. Your mouth, your skin, your breasts, your sex, your ass, your hands everything you have to give, I will take. Because you are mine, Vervain. Do you understand me?”

  “I understand, Dragon,” I purred. “And I will take all of you right back.”

  With a sudden push, I rolled us and straddled him. Arach growled and made to move us again, but I shoved him down with one hand and held him there.

  “There is taking and then there is giving.” I leaned back, thrusting my breasts up as I opened my sex to him, exposing the merging of our bodies. “Let me give a little too.”

  Arach's hands moved up from my waist to cup my breasts and then massage them as he began to make aroused dragon rumbles. I undulated over him, drawing out our pleasure and delighting in his rapid breaths, clenching muscles, and clasping hands. I took one of his elegant hands and moved it down my belly to my sex. I set him directly over the spot that needed attention and that was all the encouragement he needed. Arach gave a low growl and began a delicious circling. I had every intention of giving my husband what he needed, but I was going to make sure that he reciprocated.

  I looked down at him and smiled. “Being on top doesn't always have to be about domination. I wanted to remind you of that.”

  “It's coming back to me now.” Arach grinned and then pulled me down into a searing kiss.

  Literally searing. As Arach tangled his tongue with mine, he breathed his fire into me. I took it deep into my belly, merged it with my flame, and sent it back into him. It's an intimate act that only Dragons can do, and there's nothing like it. The blast of heat tickling within, the sacred merging of breath and element, and the act of sinking into each other more deeply than any other lovers could go. We shivered with magic and pleasure, the fire blasting both of us over the edge and into completion. We broke away from the kiss simultaneously to roar our ecstasy to the world—the raw, primal joy of being dragons in love—and then I crumpled over him in languid release. Arach held me against his chest and nuzzled his face along mine.

  “Feeling better?” I whispered in his ear. “More manly?”

  Arach chuckled low in his throat. “More dragonly. But yes, I feel better. My world makes sense again.”

  “Any time you feel the need to reassert yourself, let me know.”

  “That isn't the only reason I'm happy, A Thaisce. It's having you here, in our home, with our family that makes everything right again. Having you in my arms, telling me that you love me.”

  “I don't think I've said that yet today.” I lifted myself up to smirk down at him.

  “Well, you'd best get on with it then,” he countered. “You don't want to disappoint your husband.”

  “I love you, Dragon. Thank you for keeping your promise.”

  “I love you, A Thaisce, and that promise was as much for me as it was for you. Don't ever go dark again.”

  “Never,” I vowed, and I dearly hoped that I'd be able to keep my promise too.

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  A couple of weeks later, I was ready to return to the God Realm. I kissed my sons, my nurials (Dexter and his daughter, Deidre), and my husband goodbye. I even gave Blossom a little peck on her bright petals. But then I just stood there at the end of the bed, staring at my ring.

  “A Thaisce?” Arach tenderly smoothed the starlight lock of my hair back over my shoulder. “What is it?”

  “I'm a little nervous.” I laughed at myself. “I know nothing has changed there, and maybe that's the problem. I've moved past everything while it's still fresh for them.”

  “You didn't have enough time with them to work through what happened,” he concluded.

  “Not individually. And now, I have to go back and tear open a wound that's just started to heal.”

  “They love you, Vervain,” Arach chided me. “They won't do anything to hurt you.”

  “Not knowingly,” I agreed. “But simply talking about it may hurt.”

  “Then tell them that you don't want to talk about it.”

  “That's not fair to them.”

  “Then stay here forever.” He grinned at me. “I'm happy to have you all to myself.”

  “Yeah. Okay. I get your point,” I huffed. “I'm going.”

  “You stop my world, A Thaisce.”

  “I love you too.” I gave my dragon one last kiss and then asked my ring to take me to the God Realm; back to a few moments after I had last left it.

  I appeared in front of the tracing room, startling Viper, who was still staring into the room, most likely expecting me to come walking out of it.

  Kirill chuckled and patted his back. “You'll get used to it.”

  “You really can move through time,” Viper whispered.

  “I really can.” I stared at him, heart pounding in my throat.

  My weeks away had made Viper seem more fantasy than physical and seeing him again was like waking to find that my dream was real. All of it had happened; the bad and the good.

  “Mommy, are Rian and Brevyn okay?” Lesya asked anxiously as she leaned toward me out of her father's arms.

  “They're both fine.” I tore my gaze away from Viper as I hugged Lesya and Kirill together. “They miss you very much and so did I.”

  “C
an we go to Faerie soon?”

  “I don't know, baby.” I kissed her cheek. “Maybe.”

  Then I moved on to hug all of my husbands hello, saving Viper for last so no one would be offended. When everyone was properly greeted, I stood back and made a suggestion.

  “Why don't we spend the day on the lake? We could go swimming and do some fishing and... talk.” I looked at the men pointedly.

  “Yay!” Lesya shouted.

  “I guess that's a yes,” Odin said with a chuckle.”

  The other men agreed, and we were out on the Viking longship within twenty minutes. We didn't even need to pack anything; the ship had a stocked kitchen on deck and the fishing poles were stored onboard. Odin had made the longship as a present for me and anchored it in the center of our lake. It was intended to be a lovers' retreat; a place where we could go to be alone together. But it had become a place that our whole family enjoyed, and neither Odin or I minded. Even the Intare liked to come out to the ship and go fishing. But today, I left all but one of my lions onshore, rowing out with only my lovers and our children. Well, my lovers and Vero. Lesya and Kirill went straight into the water.

  With Lesya swimming with her father, I was left alone with the rest of my men. We sprawled out on deck chairs, Vero sleeping in a bassinet between us, and soaked in the sunshine as Azrael handed out cold bottles of beer and one glass of wine for me. After a few fortifying sips, I stood up and took Trevor's hand. He was my alpha, he gets to go first.

  “Let's go, Honey-Eyes,” I said as I pulled him off toward the stairwell that led below deck.

  “Really?” Trevor asked in surprise. “I thought we were going to talk? Was that code for sex?”

  “No, it wasn't code. But I want to talk to each of you alone; I think we need that.”

  “Damn,” Re huffed. “I was hoping for sex.”

  Viper swung his appalled stare toward Re.

  “In case you haven't noticed; Re's a pervert,” Odin explained to Viper. “Just accept it and move on.”

  “Or join in,” Re offered.

  Viper's eyes widened with horror.

  “Not like that,” Re huffed. “I'm not into men.”

  “Just everything else,” Azrael muttered.

  “Nearly,” Re amended. “Nothing gross or criminal but everything else is fair game. Pleasure comes in many forms; why deny yourself any of it?”

  “I'm good with not knowing about your fetishes,” Viper said dryly. “Keep them to yourself, Sunshine.”

  Odin's laughter boomed out. “Okay, I like him.”

  “All of you are always ganging up on me,” Re grumbled. “What's so wrong with enjoying sex with my wife?”

  “Nothing, baby,” I said placatingly. “But I didn't bring all of you out here to have sex with me. I brought you here so you could tell me how you're feeling in private. Just get everything off your chest.”

  “I'd rather get everything off your chest.” Re smirked.

  “Re!” I growled.

  “Women”—Re grimaced at Viper—“they always want to talk about how you're feeling.”

  “I feel good.” Viper shrugged and settled back in his chair to swig his beer.

  “There you go!” Re waved at Viper. “He feels good. One down.”

  “I still want some private time with her,” Viper went on. “I think you'd be an idiot to pass that up or hold up the process with sex talk.”

  Odin laughed more and this time, Trevor and Azrael joined in.

  “Ganging up,” Re muttered and shook his head. “You sure took to the water fast, little duckling.”

  “I'm highly adaptable,” Viper declared and shot me a look. “My star made me so.”

  “I did not,” I protested as heat warmed my cheeks. “I gave you a body and some magic but you, the real you, has nothing to do with me.”

  “I have everything to do with you.” Viper's smile spread slowly across his face. “And I like it that way.”

  “On that note, I'm taking my wife below deck,” Trevor declared. “Catch ya later, Betas.”

  “Did he just call us fishes?” Viper asked conversationally. “Because he couldn't have possibly confused us with Beta males; we're obviously all alphas.”

  “He must have meant fishes,” Az agreed. “He used the word 'catch.'”

  All of them laughed at that, even Trevor chuckled beneath his breath as he led the way downstairs. We stepped into the open space of the hold, and I shut the door behind us. A large bed sat in the center of the room with a sitting area to one side, defined by an oriental rug. Before I could head to the couch, Trevor turned to face me with a strange look in his eyes.

  “I'm okay, Vervain,” Trevor assured me. “I know what happened wasn't your fault, and I accept that Viper is now a part of your life. I'm okay, truly. I don't need to work anything out with you.”

  “But?”

  “But the Wolf wants to speak to you, and I owe it to him.” He grimaced. “I've reevaluated things and come to the conclusion that I may have been a bit hard on him while you were gone.”

  “Just a little,” I teased. “Okay, let him off his chain.”

  Trevor didn't change physically but his eyes shifted. Something wild rose up behind his honey-colored stare. Something savage and dominating and completely alpha in a way that none of the other men up on deck would understand. This was primal; the truest form of the dominant male. The hunter at the head of the pack. The provider and protector. The seasoned killer who expected you to bare your neck to him or die. The Wolf.

  The Wolf saw things in a much simpler way. Body language, scent, instinct; these things were truth to him. He was tempered a little by Trevor, but reasoning with him could be tricky. I steadied myself, preparing for his anger, and when Wolf came rushing at me, I even steadied myself for a fight. But he only swept me up in a strong embrace and buried his face in my hair. His hot breaths slapped my neck seconds before he bit, closing his teeth over my tender skin. I shivered as his erection rose against my belly and the Froekn Binding magic thickened the air with animal lust. His hands went to my skirts, lifting them impatiently, and I undid his jeans with shaking hands.

  The Wolf didn't release my throat when he entered me. He didn't release it when he slammed me against the hull and started a brutal tempo. He didn't even let go when I started gently stroking his hair and pulling him closer. Instead, he made low, growling noises and bit down harder, piercing my skin. I heard him sucking at the wound and reeled under the pleasure of his flesh and teeth inside me. My head lolled back against the wood, my thighs slapping out with every slam of his hips, and I soon came with clawing intensity. As I clenched around him, Wolf chased me into ecstasy, finally releasing my throat so he could howl in triumph as he filled me. When the howling was done, the Wolf laid his face back into the curve of my neck and panted happily.

  “I love you,” I whispered gently. “I'm sorry I was so cruel.”

  “I understand,” he said in a guttural voice. “I'm sorry too, Mate.” He lifted his head to look at me. “I said horrible things.”

  “You knew I was going dark. You could smell it on me. You acted to protect Vero, and I'm grateful for that. It's exactly what you should have done. I left Faerie to protect the twins but the darkness rose while I was in the Human Realm and it sent me to Pride Palace. I should have called to warn all of you, but I thought I could just hide until I found a solution. I didn't think I'd go seeking you out. I'm so sorry.”

  The Wolf sighed deeply. “I forgive you.”

  “And I forgive you.”

  “This is what people do, yes? They forgive?” He asked.

  “Yes; this is what people who love each other do.”

  “Good.” Wolf nodded. “You are home. Our pack is safe. I am content.”

  “So am I.” I kissed him gently.

  “Don't think that we didn't hear that!” Re shouted down to us.

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  I spent some quality time with each of my husbands, working out
the emotions this latest debacle had spawned. The sun was setting by the time I got to Viper. My husbands went back to the palace, leaving us alone on the ship. The children needed to be fed and bathed before bedtime, and their fathers would take care of that while I had one last heart to heart with my newest lover.