Double Your Pleasure Bundle (55 page)

Alexi noticed the change. Sophie’s fingers released his shirt and she relaxed in his arms. He pulled back slightly, still guiding her through the movements of their slow dance, and studied her face. She smiled up at him, an innocent glint in her brown eyes.

“You already know how to control your powers, don’t you?”

Sophie looked genuinely confused. “I… I don’t.”

“You’ve just fought me. You pushed against my aura.”

Sophie thought for a second. “Instinct. I don’t know what I’m doing. I just know that sometimes, when I’m around you or Kain, I feel… threatened.” She stopped, unsatisfied with her choice of words. “No, that’s not right. Not threatened. Enticed. Tempted. In danger of losing control, of falling prey to… your desires.”

Alexi gave a short laugh, took a step back, making enough space for her to twirl. Her long skirt brushed against his calves. He pulled her back against him, but left some space between them. “You’ve just described the power of a cambion. Or, of an Alluring One, if you increase it tenfold.”

Sophie furrowed her brows. “This means you and Kain were using your powers on me?”

“No.” He smiled, hoping she’d understand. “It’s in our nature. What you’ve felt just now, and probably with Kain a couple of minutes ago, wasn’t us using our powers on you. It wasn’t an attack. If it were, you’d be on your knees now, begging for… well, let’s just leave it to begging.”

“How charming.” Should she have been angry? Sophie didn’t know anymore. Alexi didn’t look like the kind of guy who would lie to her or do anything to harm her. He just had this tendency of being painfully honest.

“I’m sorry. I’m… I’m doing my best to explain this to you. We are equally humans and demons. We can suppress one of these sides as needed, but when we’re being ourselves, as we always are at Lure, the people we come in contact with can see both sides. Except that one side might sometimes dominate the other depending on our thoughts and emotions. When I’m so close to you, Sophie, my demon gains ground. It’s what your body does to my body, what the smell of your skin does to my senses. It happens involuntarily because I’m not trying to suppress it, to hold back. But, you’ve figured it out. You didn’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed by my magic, which means that your powers are more developed than you think they are.”

Sophie looked into his eyes, incapable of coming up with something clever, or at least decent to say. She could only think of how much she liked him and how different he was from Kain. He was warm, kind, and patient. He’d make a wonderful mentor, she knew it. The song ended, and they stopped moving. They were frozen in the middle of the ball room, in an intimate, yet relaxed embrace. Alexi was the one who took a step back, then lifted her hand to his lips and planted a soft kiss on her knuckles. Sophie took note of his gesture and compared it to Kain’s possessive hold on her and his refusal to let go when she had pushed lightly against his chest. However, could she really choose one over the other and never regret it? The grandfather clock behind the stage stroke four.

♥

For what felt like the hundredth time that night, all eyes were on her. Sophie should have gotten used to it by now, but the truth was she just wanted it to be over. It was 5 AM and she’d never been so tired in her life. She was standing in front of the stage with Lilith by her side, the glass goblet with the two claim rings between them. She spotted Alexi leaning against the wall, in the shadows, with a glass of red wine, looking as if he was deliberately trying to isolate himself from the crowd. Kain was on the opposite side of the ball room, perched up on a table like he owned it. Sophie thought it was a bit rude of him but, at the same time, she found it sexy.

“Sophie,” said Lilith. “We’re all waiting for your decision. The claim rings have their owner’s name engraved on the underside, so you simply have to pick one and slip it on your finger.”

“Yes…”

Sophie looked at the transparent goblet, uncertainty dancing in her eyes. She had had three hours to make up her mind, three hours in which she had weighted both possibilities, tried to assess the consequences, and struggled to figure out if she’d regret it if she chose Alexi over Kain, or vice versa. Seven minutes ago the clock had stroke 5, and she still hadn’t made a decision. She was in the same place she had been when the two cambions had let their rings drop to the bottom of her goblet.

“Sophie?” Lilith’s voice was smooth and encouraging, but it didn’t quite reach her to snap her out of her conflicting thoughts.

“Yes. I… just a second.”

“Don’t overthink it.”

“How in hell’s name could I not overthink it?”
she thought. She took a deep breath and decided to weight the two possibilities once more. She swore to herself it was the last time. Kain Svjetlo: hot, stubborn, domineering, most likely the most selfish guy she had ever met, and his aura could burn her like a scorching summer day. Alexander Volkov: sexy, kind, patient, a true gentleman compared to the blond, and his aura tickled her senses like rain tickled the trees before soaking the damp earth. She exhaled softly and her hand reached for the rings. There was only one solution to her dilemma.

Neither Alexi, nor Kain could see which ring she picked up. They saw her slip it onto her finger and they prepared themselves for Lilith’s announcement. But, when the succubus wanted to speak, Sophie’s hand went back inside the goblet, picked the second ring, and slipped it onto her finger next to the first one. Everyone in the ball room held their breath for a long moment, their eyes wide with disbelief. No, she hadn’t accepted both claim rings, had she? It wasn’t possible. No one in the history of Lure Academy had ever had more than one mentor.

Kain jumped off the table and walked towards the podium, the cambions around him moving out of his way without him even asking. Alexi watched the blond then finally decided to leave his obscure corner. Neither of them had expected this to happen. It had begun as a challenge, actually, as a game of power. Sophie hadn’t paid attention when it all started because she had been too paralyzed by panic to be aware of her surroundings, but everyone had seen that Alexi had been the first one to drop the claim ring into her goblet. They had both approached the stage then, roughly at the same time, Alexi one step ahead of Kain. If Alexi had chosen Sophie as his apprentice because he hadn’t wanted her to feel alone and unwanted, or so he thought, Kain had chosen her to defy Alexi, to draw his attention and force a reaction out of him. Or so he thought. Now, they were both walking towards Sophie, who was admiring the two rings on her finger. However, when she lifted her eyes and saw their tense expressions, hard eyes, and pursed lips, her heart almost froze in her chest. She thought they would both be pleased with her choice. She couldn’t choose one over the other, so she figured she could get the best of both worlds and not offend either of them. After all, Lilith hadn’t said that she absolutely needed to choose only one mentor.

The headmistress smiled tensely. She cursed herself for not telling Sophie to settle for one mentor. At least then she would have had to deal with one mad cambion, not two. Alas, the harm had been done and there was no way she could change it. Alexi and Kain working together? That was pure fantasy. She stole a glance at Sophie and wondered how long the girl would last. Such a shame, really. Lilith knew the young cambion had incredible potential. The silent rivalry between Alexi and Kain would ruin it. Sophie would become their battle field.

“Let’s hear a round of applause for the most unusual triad Lure Academy has ever seen.” Lilith’s voice sounded loud and clear, and it didn’t betray any of her thoughts. The cambions started applauding timidly, but no one cheered. The incubi and succubi chose to remain silent at their isolated table.

Sophie managed a shy smile. Alexi responded with an almost imperceptible nod, and Kain winked, but the sensuality of the gesture was lost on his straight face and unsmiling lips.

“Well,” said Kain. “I guess I’ll see you next week for the first session.”

“Yes…”

Kain turned to Alexi. “Coming to Occidens, partner?”

Alexi threw him a sharp look. “I feel like taking a stroll first.”

Kain smirked. “Suit yourself.” He headed towards the door, ignoring Sophie completely.

It wasn’t like she was waiting for him to kiss her and bid her good night, but she couldn’t deny she had hoped for a proper smile, at least. Alexi stared at his shoes, waiting for the blond to reach the door and step out into the cold morning air. After he had probably given him enough time to reach their shared dorm, he stole a glance at Sophie and mumbled a weak “see you around”, then nodded towards Lilith and walked out of the ball room.

Sophie’s left hand flew to her lips and the two claim rings caught the artificial light. She bit lightly on her thumbnail and turned to Lilith.

“What have a done?”

The redheaded succubus touched Sophie’s wrist and pulled her hand away from her lips.

“You’ll be fine.”

END OF EPISODE ONE

Episode 2 Synopsis

Being trapped between the two best cambions Lure Academy has ever had is not ideal, and Sophie learns this the hard way. How can Kain and Alexi help her overcome her insecurities when they have so many unresolved issues of their own? She almost regrets having chosen both of them as her mentors. Their private sessions are a disaster, and Sophie can’t help fearing it’s all her fault. To make things worse, the open rivalry between Kain and Alexi is starting to take a whole different shape, to turn into a strange, complicated relationship Sophie can’t even begin to make sense of.

“Lure Academy” release schedule:

Episode 1: “The Midnight Ceremony” – March 27 –
Amazon US
|
Amazon UK

Episode 2: “Two Legends” – April 3 –
Amazon US
|
Amazon UK

Episode 3: “Her Magic Unleashed” – Coming soon…

Episode 4: “The Last Ke’let Count” – Coming soon…

Episode 5: “The Hunt” – Coming soon…

Episode 6: “Darkness Within” – Coming soon…

If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. Reviews are what keep us, authors, going and producing great stories.

Other Books by Cara Wylde

Sold to the Alpha – BBW Wolf-Shifter Romance (A 6-part serial)

Book 1: Trapped in a Gilded Cage –
US
|
UK

Book 2: The Other Bride –
US
|
UK

Book 3: Night of the She-Wolf –
US
|
UK

Book 4: A Cure for the Broken –
US
|
UK

Books 5 and 6 coming soon…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cara Wylde is a new paranormal romance author. Her characters are strong, feisty women and hot Alpha males. When she’s not writing, Cara is reading, planning her next story, or daydreaming.

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HEARTS ON FIRE

Honeypot #1.5

Katie de Long

Falling in bed with your best friend and the guy hosting both of you is never a good idea. But Lee's never been the type to play by the rules. When the afterglow fades and awkwardness sets in, will they write it off as a one-time mistake?

Hearts On Fire

It takes me a minute to make sense of the tangle of limbs draped over me. One thigh, blond hair, sparse. One bicep, corded and dusted with auburn. A smooth flank next to me, leg hung over mine hiding the neatly-trimmed pubic hair tickling my side, again auburn, though I can barely see it. Under my arm, Lucas's skinny chest is draped in his long, pale hair, his breath tickling my forearm.
How does he breathe like that
? I can't even sleep with a blanket over my head.

My other hand is tangled with the owner of the bicep, Seth, our fingers entwined and his face on my breast. His hair tickles me, and his breath stirs the nearest nipple to a peak.

Two men curling around me in their own ways, myself caught in the middle between the person I was, and the person I could be. It's a good way to wake up.

Lucas stirs first, swiping a section of hair away from his face and knocking my arm away in the process. I pretend I'm still asleep; I'm not sure what there really
is
for us to say, yet. Or at least, I don't want to be the first one to break the silence.

He strokes my hair, smoothing down a strand that's worked loose from my nighttime braid. A soft sigh escapes me, but he doesn't seem to think that means I'm awake. His lips gently find my forehead.

On my other side, Seth shifts, and notices Lucas is awake. “She still out?”

“Yeah. Poor tuckered thing.”

Seth's arm tightens around me, and my ribs creak. I force my breathing to remain even—at which point is it the most natural to let them know I'm awake, let out a yawn and blink sleepily? “I want to go slow next time—if one or both of you aren't in a coma afterwards, I'll be doing it wrong.”

“Is that sex or a mugging that you're talking about?” Lucas chuckles, his deep voice vibrating through my arm, speeding up my heart rate. He kisses my forehead again, or inhales the scent of my hair; it's gentle enough that I can't tell which.

Seth strokes a bite mark on my neck. “They're not always as different as you think. Nothing wrong with a well-timed slap, or—” Lucas clears his throat a bit awkwardly, and Seth peters off. “Sorry. I know you're not one for the dirty talk.” He grins a little. “You're in for a shock, though. She is.”

Lucas sighs, and against my forehead, his jawline clenches. “It's not that. I like a woman with a filthy mouth just fine. I guess it seems different when it's a man, when there's strength and adrenaline and—”

My sarcastic nature gets the better of me. I yawn and blink, pretend to have just caught the last bit. “You don't think women are strong?”

Seth laughs and catches my chin with eager fingers, turning my face toward him for a kiss. “You're up now?”

“Barely.” I don't have to fake the yawn that follows.

“How are you?” The tentative edge to Lucas's voice unnerves me a little.

“Just fine—did you think you two broke me?”

His grin turns wicked. “Well for a moment there, when you were—”

He doesn't have to finish the sentence for all of our minds to turn there. We all hide our smiles. I breathe deeply and shut my eyes, savoring the masculine musk surrounding me. Seth's eyes are fixed on his hand joined with mine, and it's hard not to wonder what's there beneath his usual dominant facade.

Lucas is the first one to break the silence, voicing the awkwardness that's been slowly setting in. “So is this where things get weird?”

None of us have an answer.

Breakfast is normal, or as normal as it can be when the discussion centers around techniques to appease an aggressive client. Lucas barely says a word, but he keeps looking at me. Even just catching the glances from the corner of my eye is enough to unnerve me.

Finally, Seth kisses me goodbye, and reminds me to finish getting my new work clothes. Then he's off, doing whatever the hell it is he does such long hours. The kiss is abrupt, a peck, really, and sets my insecurity aflame. Does he regret getting carried away with me? Is he looking at the turned-up soil in the garden, my most tangible footprint here, and regretting letting me in that deeply?

The silence carries Lucas and me through, until our paths split and we retreat to our separate bedrooms to remove the pressure to talk.

A month ago I was a stripper. Well, a little more than a stripper, truth be told, but I kept the rest under the table. My roommate bled me for every penny, and because we were friends, I genuinely believed that the shit she spent my money on was for
my
benefit, too. I was single, not just the begrudgingly single kind, but the single and
loving
it kind.

Now what am I? Seth hasn't asked me for so much as a penny, and our arrangement says that all I owe him is my presence at whatever events he doesn't want to attend alone. I have somewhat of a career trajectory, thanks to his contacts, even if it's one that no one would ever want for their baby girl. In a few weeks, I'll be pulling in my own money, not just from bonuses from Seth, but money from actual
clients
. Sex on my own terms, and very little of it in the context of a relationship. Really, I don't even know that I
want
the context of a relationship.

But now I'm kind of locked into it. Weeks of friction with Seth and Lucas pushed us all a little too far. Lucas came clean about his feelings for me, and Seth didn't back away. I have no idea whether we're still acting like it's something
casual
, not after last night. I have no idea
what
this is, but the fear grows in my head while I pick apart Lucas's terseness at breakfast. Lucas is the only person I still
talk
to since I moved out of Britt's place. And even when I
was
on better terms with the rest of them, he was still my closest friend.

Maybe he doesn't want me to escort. Now that I'm his, he wants me to
only
be his. Or rather, only be his and Seth's. Or am I taking
that
for granted, too? Maybe sharing me with Seth was fine, the once, but now he's decided that he truly wants some kind of devotion from me, and that he doesn't want to see me with Seth again. Or maybe last night was a mistake, all around. It didn't feel like we rushed, but the past several weeks have been one kind of drama after another, so maybe I had blinkers on. Maybe I shouldn't have gone along with Seth's optimistic willingness to share. Or maybe I should have scrutinized Lucas's friendship-turned-more harder.

I have no idea what to think. The easy solution would be to go talk about it, but I have no idea where to even start without sounding full of myself. It's so calm, so quiet, and all I can think is that when we finally
do
talk, it'll wreck it. I'm not so far removed from boyfriend drama that I can face that possibility without flinching. The knock-down screaming fights with Zack have only faded so much in my memory. And the ones with my family haven't faded much more than that. I don't have it in me to face someone I care about so obviously disappointed.

I don't have it in me to fail to love Lucas, the way I've failed everyone else.

And the tension being what it is, that means I've
already
failed him.

I clench my hands to still the shakes, and continue organizing my new wardrobe.

“Lee?”

Lucas's voice cuts through my concentration, but I like the way he says my nickname, low and husky in his throat. I give him the best grin that I can, given my mood. He echoes it, both in intent and execution. That makes the smile fall off my face faster. I duck my head back toward the pile of clothes to hide it. “Yeah?”

“Can I help with that?” It's an excuse as much as anything—it
has
to be.

“Umm, sure. I'm almost done, though. Where were you a half hour ago?”

He sits on the bed near me, and picks up a hanger and a blouse. “Probably where you are—wondering where we go from here.”

I set a neatly folded shirt to the side and sneak a glance at him. His eyes are fixed on me, and his fingers scrabble uselessly at the top button of the blouse. He won't take his eyes off me to finish the task, though. “I mean it—I don't want things to get weird. I don't want things to change.” He stops speaking, and finally turns his eyes to the shirt to finish fastening that button.

“Me either,” I say automatically, before some degree of enlightenment hits. “I'm not sure I knew what they
were
in the first place, though.”

He nods. “It makes it hard to know what you're fighting for, or against.”

I growl low in my throat, and pick up the next skirt to be hung.

“Just so we're clear, Anjoli, I'm fighting for
you
.”

“Whatever the hell that means.” I can't hold back a snort.

“Just that. You're my best friend, and your own person. I don't want whatever this is to change that.”

I raise my eyebrows. He's gonna clam up in just a minute if I don't ask stupid questions to keep him talking. “Why do you think it's changing?”

“You're—I dunno. There's something different. I don't know if I hope that you
don't
move forward with the work stuff, since sex work will
definitely
throw us a few loops, or if I hope you
do
, because I know you wouldn't be happy as a trophy girlfriend.”

The metallic taste of blood tingles on my tongue, and I hurriedly stop biting my lip. “I don't seem myself changing plans, if that's what you're getting at.” A tense chuckle works through me. “I don't think Seth is the type to enjoy a trophy girlfriend, either.”

His shoulders flex, and I realize I phrased that wrong, given that Lucas's work largely depends on
me
. Really, he's only here to keep me company as a goodwill gesture, when Seth knew I thought he might have ulterior motives in offering me a place to stay. If I chicken out, there'll be no return value in paying Lucas to drive me around and help me with logistics. “I don't mean—”

He pats my hand and cuts me off. “No—I know exactly what you mean. I don't think he's the type to like a trophy boyfriend either. Once things are settled, I'll have to figure out something for myself, too. You can only keep me
so
busy.”

“Well, now you make it sound like you're my
babysitter
.” The thought is acrid. I scrunch my face at the thought of Seth co-opting my closest friend to spy on me or control me. It nudges a lot of ugly thoughts loose from when I first found out Lucas and Seth were attracted to each other. I wasn't sure who I thought had betrayed me
more
, between Seth's flirting and Lucas's history at my side. The wound glossed over eventually, otherwise last night never would have happened, but that doesn't mean it can't be reopened.

Lucas shudders—he must be thinking something similar. 

“That
really
came out wrong. Can you forget I said anything?” He clenches his hands into fists, then releases the tension before picking up another shirt.

I can't focus on it, can't focus on all of the things that could go wrong, all the things we could have misjudged. I need a distraction. Something simple, easy to get caught up in. “Sure. If you kiss me.”

He grins, wide and relieved. “But if I do that, I might end up needing you right now.”

A flush mounts—I'm still not used to him talking openly about me, sexually. At least, not talking about my sex life in that joking one-of-the-guys kind of way. I glance at the clothes. “Well, restrain yourself, then. I don't think I have it in me to re-wash everything you defile.”

He laughs, and catches my eye. “Well, when you make it sound like
that
, I kind of want to whip it out and jerk off on them, just to antagonize you.”

“Don't you
dare
.”

He reaches for the bulge in his jeans. “Stop me, then.”

I throw myself at him, knocking a handful of clothes to the floor, and pushing him to the bed. “There. Now you'll just get your
own
clothes messy. Have at it!”

I fight to catch my breath as the giggles hit. And then he pulls me down to him and his lips are on mine, languid and warm.

The kisses never seem to end. Lucas seems to be trying to make up for every other time he talked himself out of kissing me. Heat pulses through my veins, settling between my legs, but the fierce burn of the initial sparks has faded to a low simmer. It's impossible to remember what it felt like
not
aching for his touch, his tongue, his body against mine.