Freedom's Fall (4 page)

She grinned like a crazy woman.
Yes, I can hear you.

Finally. I’ve been calling and calling for weeks but you
wouldn’t listen.

I’m sorry. I didn’t know I could. I wasn’t shutting you
out on purpose.

He harrumphed deep in his throat.
Well, you didn’t know
any better but you do now.
He nudged her away with his nose.
Now it’s
Zenbaylan’s turn. Hurry up.

Bloody hell, from excited to imperious in two sentences
flat. She figured she’d just got her first taste of dragon arrogance…and dragon
impatience as Zenbaylan muscled her way in.

Sorcha gave her a shit-eating grin. “Second verse, same as
the first.”

Tansy rolled her eyes and flung herself over Zenbaylan’s
nose, resigned to creating another chink in her defensive wall.

Zenbaylan’s touch was softer and more patient, but when
Tansy made a door for her she pushed it open and just kept on coming. Steady,
inexorable, making room for herself and establishing her place with an
unsettling degree of permanence.

Thank you, pet. You did well.

Bloody hell. Tansy had thought Fellescend sounded imperious,
but Zenbaylan could rival an Egyptian pharaoh. She turned to Sorcha. “What now?”

Sorcha’s smile was pure evil. “Now my work is done and you
get to spend however long you want bonding with your new master and mistress.”
She slapped Tansy on the back. “Good luck with that, sister.”

The smartass turned and left, singing an out-of-tune
rendition of “Puff the Magic Dragon” so loud and off-key that it was a wonder
the pale-gray paneling didn’t peel from the walls.

Fellescend’s mammoth body shifted and he brought his forearm
forward, wrapping his lethal claws around Tansy. She went rigid in his grasp,
her proximity to those razor-sharp talons completely freaking her out.
Unfortunately her anxiety didn’t slow Fellescend’s motion. Drawing her close,
he didn’t ease the pressure until they were practically nose to nose.

We need to talk, pet.

About what?
She tried not to hyperventilate, but
being held so firmly a breath away from the teeth of a battle dragon would make
anyone pee their pants.

We want to know why you won’t let our males claim you.

What now? That wasn’t where she’d expected the conversation
to go, and the topic was so surprising that her fear of the battle dragon took
a backseat.
Fellescend, I have no idea what you’re talking about.

He growled, a low rumble in his belly.
Yes you have. You
like our males, they like you, it is right that you should mate.

It’s not that simple.

Yes it is.

Tansy had often seen her Enforcers shake their heads in
disgust at “dragon logic”, and she was beginning to understand why. Fellescend
made it sound so simple and easy, and it probably was to his way of thinking.
Unfortunately, from her side of the fence everything was complicated and messy.

She wondered if she could explain her experience in terms
the dragons would understand.
When I was being held against my will, bad
things were done to my mind and my body. Physically I have healed but my mind
and my emotions will take a bit longer. It’s not as simple as moving on because
I want to. It takes time to process what happened, to sort through my
experience and find the best way for me to deal with it and move forward. The
kind of hurt I suffered lingers and it’s not the type of thing I can just wish
away.

Zenbaylan lowered her head and rubbed her cheek against
Fellescend’s claw in a movement that was clearly intended as affection by
proxy. Tansy wiggled her arm free and reached up to lay her hand on the black’s
smoky scales.

I like your males very much,
Tansy said, the
admission out before she thought better of it.
But I wouldn’t be doing them
or myself any favors if I pushed my recovery too far and too fast.

Very well,
Zenbaylan said.
You can have a week.

Tansy shook her head.
It doesn’t work like that. You can’t
put a time limit on healing.

Zenbaylan snorted, her breath hot enough to singe Tansy’s
cheeks.
A week will be long enough. If you’re not ready to move forward by
then, Fellescend and I will help you.

Yes, pet, don’t worry,
Fellescend rumbled in Tansy’s
head.
We will have you ready to mate in no time.

Bloody hell, she was being steamrolled by ten tons of scaly,
well-meaning muscle and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
Apparently, pet status was going to suck ass.

The following week flew by and Tansy knew she had to make a
decision if she wanted to avoid dragon “help”. Well, that wasn’t entirely true.
She’d already come up with a plan—she just had to find
the courage to sit down with Rye and Dev and explain to them what she wanted.
Yeah, no sweat.

She’d cleared away the dinner dishes, wiped the table and
straightened the chairs. Then she spent a good ten minutes talking herself into—and
out of—her upcoming conversation. Rubbing sweaty palms on her silk pants, she
wandered into the living room. Rye and Dev were sprawled on the plump sofa,
their bare feet propped on the coffee table.

She had to clear her throat twice before she found her
voice. “Have you guys got time for a talk?”

They turned their eyes to her and every hair on her body
stood on end. She had no idea what they saw in her face, but Dev set his feet
on the floor and leaned forward.

“We always have time for you, Tansy. What do you need?”

She sat on the coffee table, facing the males with her back
ramrod straight. She wiped her hands again. “I have a proposition for you and I’m
not sure… I think that…” She licked her lips and tried to find enough spit to
swallow. “I want to…”

Bloody hell. If she kept this up she’d have to write them a
memo.

Dev leaned forward, grazing a light touch over her knee. “Just
start slow and tell us in your own time. We’ve got all night.”

She nodded, reaching up to smooth her black hair even though
not a single strand escaped her ponytail. Realizing she was never going to be
able to just blurt out her request, Tansy decided to come at it from another
angle.

“I come from a family of soldiers,” she began. “You’d call
them warriors. From the time I was old enough to fall down or get scared, my
father taught me not to hide from my fears. He taught me to attack them head on
and keep coming until I conquered them.”

Taking a long, unsteady breath, she tried to quell the
churning momentum of her stomach. “Being captured, being forced to…” Her breath
started to come short and fast and she wasn’t sure how successful this
discussion was going to be. She fought the edge of panic that threatened to
swell inside her as her vision blurred. Ruthlessly, she pushed it back,
squeezing her hands into fists and concentrating on her breathing until she at
least had the illusion of control.

She licked her parched lips. “That asshole took something
from me. Something intimate and private that should only be shared when and if
I decide to do so.” When she raised her head, she saw she had the Enforcers’
full attention. “I want to try to take that back.”

“And you want us to help you?” Rye asked.

“Yes, if you would.” Her stomach rolled in a sickening lurch
of anxiety and her skin prickled hot and cold. “If it’s not asking too much.”

Rye slid off the couch, coming to rest on his knees at her
side. Slowly he reached out and covered her interlaced, white-knuckled hands.
His palm was warm, a little rough and incredibly comforting.

“We care about you very much, Tansy, and we’ll help you in
whatever way we can.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “Are you
telling us you want to be more than friends?”

She nodded, her eyes a little wild as she met his steady,
lavender gaze.

Rye edged a little closer and placed his free hand on the
middle of her back. “It hasn’t been that long since we rescued you. Are you
sure this is the right course of action?”

“Yes.” As soon as she spoke, the steel disappeared from her
backbone. “No.” Damn it.

Tansy rubbed her forehead as if she could massage some sense
into herself. “How can I know anything for sure? I’ve spoken to the healers and
to the other rescued women, but the truth is we all process trauma in different
ways. What works for them isn’t going to work for me and vice versa.” She
dropped her free hand and laid it on top of Rye’s, squeezing tight. “I’m a
fighter, Rye. I don’t know how to be anything else. I fought Willersby
Lockmehdyhn when he had me trapped in his apartments, even when it would have
been smarter not to. How can I stop fighting now?”

Rye flipped his hand over and bought hers to his mouth,
kissing her fingers. “We’re fighters too—it’s the defining characteristic of an
Enforcer. If you want to fight to get your life back, Dev and I will stand
beside you, swords drawn.”

She looked at Dev, marveling at how eyes so icy blue could
burn so hot. “Whatever you need, no question,” he said. “But I would like
clarification. You need to tell us exactly what you want.”

The thought of articulating her needs, of saying the words,
set her heart hammering. Her stomach soured and she couldn’t get enough air into
her lungs. Squeezing Rye’s hand for all she was worth, she looked into his eyes
and silently begged him to say yes.

* * * * *

Rye stroked the back of her hand with his thumb and tried
not to let the fear and despair in those light-brown eyes slay him where he
sat. He’d been aching to do something for her, to help her in a tangible way.
He’d never believed this was what she’d want from them, despite his private
fantasies.

“You want us to make love to you, Tansy?”

She nodded, her eyes pooling with tears. If she cried, he
was fucked. He had a little experience with emotionally damaged women, but that
counted for nothing here. He cared too much for Tansy to risk getting this
wrong. Slightly panicked, he looked over his shoulder at Dev.

His denmate moved from the couch, pivoting to sit next to
Tansy on the table. Watching her like a she-dragon with a chick, Dev reached
out and put his arm around her shoulders, easing her against his bigger body.
She tensed a little but didn’t pull away.

“How about we go slow and easy?” Dev asked, his voice soft. “Tonight
we’ll just touch each other—hands and mouths. That way you can get used to us
being close and naked. We can come or not, we can play for a long time or a
short time. No pressure, no expectations. How does that sound?”

Tansy shrugged. “That sounds slow.” She let out a big sigh
and her brows drew together in a frown. “I just want to get it over with.”

As soon as Rye saw her impatience, he realized what his denmate
was doing. Tansy was after a quick fix, but if she thought one night of sex was
going to erase two months of torture and captivity, she was in for a big
disappointment.

He placed his hand on her thigh, high enough that her brown
eyes snapped in his direction. “You’re a warrior,” he said, relieved that at
least in that sense they shared a language. “Think about this tactically. You
don’t want to commit everything in the first offensive. You need to do some
reconnaissance, invest some time in specialist training and have a few practice
runs. We may not get this right the first time. The three of us need to put
ourselves in a position where we can fail in safety. If we get it right, then
good. If we don’t, we can regroup and try again.”

Dev looked over Tansy’s head and mouthed “thank you”. Rye
let his eyes smile back before he returned his attention to their pretty house
guest.

“Slow and easy. No pressure. What do you say, honey?”

Pleasure lit her light-brown eyes. “Honey?”

Rye shrugged. “We asked Chelsea about Earth endearments and
she gave us a list to choose from. When I asked her what honey was, she said it
was a sweet nectar produced by an insect that can give a painful sting when
provoked.”

Dev pulled her closer. “We think it suits you. Do you mind?”

“No, I like it.” She smiled at them, a real one with a hint
of mischief. “And I like our tactically sound plan. Shall we put it into
effect?”

Rye was glad he was kneeling, because she would have had the
fright of her life if she’d seen just how hard and far his cock had jumped at
her invitation. He looked over at Dev. “Why don’t you show Tansy to our room? I’ll
be right behind you.”

Dev dropped his eyes to Rye’s crotch and smirked before
getting to his feet. He held out his hand to Tansy. “Nice and slow.”

“Nice and slow,” she repeated, putting her small, capable
hand in Dev’s and allowing him to pull her to her feet. Rye stayed on his
knees, watching them walk hand in hand down the corridor that led to the
bedrooms. His heart pounded like a drum and a bead of nervous sweat rolled down
his back. And he hadn’t even touched her yet. Not properly. He thought perhaps
Dev’s assurance about coming or not coming was going to be difficult to
fulfill. Rye was so aroused right now—just from the thought of her and the
tease of her lingering scent—that he could come without even touching his cock.
He had no idea how he was going to hold himself together when he got his hands
on Tansy’s soft, silky skin.

Rye waited as long as he dared but his erection wasn’t
subsiding. All he could think about was Dev and Tansy in the bedroom together
and those images only built his arousal. Sighing at his lack of discipline, Rye
hauled himself to his feet and headed to the room that he’d been sharing with
his denmate since Tansy had come to live with them.

He stepped through the doorway, and the sight that greeted
him froze his feet to the floor. Dev sat on the bed with Tansy held securely in
his lap, both of them fully dressed. Cradling the fine bones of her face with
his hand, Dev pressed their lips together. He nibbled, licked and sucked,
keeping the tempo light and teasing, anchoring Tansy while giving her the
freedom to pull away if she needed to.

Rye kicked off his boots and pulled his leather tunic over
his head, not sure whether this was a good idea after all. He was determined to
help Tansy and to give her what she needed. But he was so turned on watching
her kiss his denmate, Rye didn’t know if he could control his desire. He was
desperate to join in, to touch and be touched by her. He was also terrified of
fucking up—he wanted to protect her, not traumatize her further.

Dev eased away from Tansy’s mouth, and when he noticed Rye
the bastard cocked an eyebrow. “You all right?”

Rye shrugged, not trusting himself to voice an answer one
way or the other. Dev smiled and turned Tansy so she straddled his lap, her
back to his chest. With gentle hands he pulled the tie from her hair and ran
his fingers through, arranging the silky black fall in a swath down her back.

He leaned in and spoke to her, soft and deep. “Look at Rye,
honey, so eager for your touch. Look at all that hot, smooth skin.” Dev wrapped
an arm around her waist, hooked her legs either side of his, and then spread
his legs, leaving Tansy wide open.

Rye didn’t wait to be asked. Stepping forward, he dropped to
his knees in front of Tansy and put his hands quite deliberately on her
silk-clad hips. He could smell her arousal, and Dev’s, the scent rushing into
Rye’s body and scouring him to the bone. His cock jerked, his stomach clenched
and without him realizing it his hands began to knead the slope of Tansy’s
hips.

“Put your hands on me, honey.” He was so full of need his
voice was barely audible. “Put your hands on me and let me feel the touch of
your skin.”

She leaned forward and Dev hissed, no doubt because of the
pressure of her ass on his cock. Rye didn’t have time to be envious, because at
that moment Tansy placed her cool, feminine hands right on the center of his
chest. She smoothed over his pecs, backward and forward, before arcing up and
over his shoulders to stroke down his arms. Her delicate fingers trailed over
his thick wrists and then she picked up his right hand, looking at it for a
moment before bringing it up and laying it over her breast. She flicked her
eyes to his, the uncertainty and vulnerability in her gaze almost ripping his
heart out.

“You feel good.” He gave her breast a gentle squeeze. “So
soft and feminine to the touch, yet so strong and resilient. Let me see you.”
He flicked his eyes to his denmate. “Take her tunic off, Dev.”

Rye dropped his hand, and just like that Tansy’s tunic was
whisked up and over her head. She wasn’t wearing a corset like most women did,
but she did have a strange kind of mini-corset supporting her breasts. Rye
cupped her again, his thumb rubbing across the black lace and her beaded
nipple. “What are you wearing?”

“It’s a bra.” Her breathy voice was unsteady, and Rye took
that as permission to roll her nipple between his fingers.

“It’s pretty. How do I take it off?”

Tansy put her hands behind her back, wriggled a bit—eliciting
another grunt from Dev—and then the concealing scraps of fabric fell away. She
threw it to the floor and sat there, arms by her sides, legs spread, proud and
vulnerable all at once.

It was a good thing he was already on his knees, because
seeing Tansy naked from the waist up would have dropped him to the floor.

Dev’s big hands circled her waist and then eased up her
body, his copper-toned complexion a dark contrast to the pale translucence of
Tansy’s skin. He spanned her ribs, and Rye couldn’t look away. He was riveted
by the sight of those large, rough hands moving up to touch the feminine
softness of Tansy’s breasts. She was the perfect size, plump and rounded, but
Dev completely covered her with ease. He rubbed, squeezed, pinched, and by the
time he cupped her breasts and offered them, Rye was salivating.

Scooting closer, Rye took in her creamy skin, her light-brown
nipples, furled and wanting. In that moment he knew he had never wanted
anything as much as he wanted his mouth on this woman. Reaching up to grip her
waist for balance, Rye leaned in and licked, circling his tongue around the
tight little pucker, enjoying the way shivers of flesh-bumps prickled her skin.
He kept his touch teasing, switching from one nipple to the other, not giving
her what she wanted until she shoved her hands into his hair and pulled him
close. The moment she arched against him, he opened his mouth and sucked,
taking her into his wet heat, pressing her against the roof of his mouth with
his tongue and sucking her until his cheeks hollowed.

She writhed between them, moaning, and when Rye looked up he
could see that Dev was keeping her mouth busy. The smell of her arousal was
overwhelming, and Rye wasn’t even thinking when he yanked at her trousers. They
were off her legs in a flash and he discovered yet another scrap of black lace.
After several frantic tugs, that barrier also fell away, and then she was
finally bare to him. He leaned back a little to take her in, and the sight of
her naked body utterly emptied his brain. Desperate to have her under his
tongue, he bent down and kissed her core with the same intensity that Dev was
kissing her mouth.

Slick and sweet, her taste was even better than her scent.
Rye licked up, over and down before shoving his tongue inside her as far as it
would go. She was close. He could feel it in the squeeze of her intimate
muscles and the trembling of her body. Moving up to take her clit into his
mouth, he sucked in short, quick pulls and shoved two fingers inside her. He
thrust once, twice, and didn’t quite make it to the third before she exploded
under him. Her internal muscles squeezed his fingers, gripping him in a vise and
making his cock ache with envy. She slapped her hands on his shoulders, fingers
gripping and convulsing as the wave of ecstasy picked her up and carried her
away. Shuddering against him, she curved her body over his, gasping for air as
she broke and wailed her pleasure.

He remained where he was, easing her legs over his shoulders
as she came down, stroking her thighs and watching her carefully as Dev eased
her back against his chest.

She looked at Rye with a heavy gaze, focused but languid,
and he smiled up at her. “All right?”

“Yes, good.” Her smile was full of self-satisfaction, which
didn’t seem right, since he’d done most of the work. “I wasn’t sure I’d be
capable of orgasming again. I thought I might have been too damaged.”

Dev wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her
neck. “You’re not damaged. You’re beautiful.”

She winked at Rye. “Yes, and I can have an orgasm.”

Rye winked back. “You want another one?” Or two, or ten, or
a hundred.

“Can we?”

“Of course we can.”

And with that assurance, Rye had a new mission in life. His
primary role now was to give his woman as many orgasms as she could handle, for
as long as they both drew breath. He eased out from between her legs and stood,
pulling her up to stand in the circle of his arms. “Why don’t we all get naked,
and then Dev and I can see about making you come again.”

She smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling with humor and
renewed confidence. “Great idea.”

Yes it was. He’d been known to have them from time to time.

* * * * *

Dev was going to kill Rye. They’d all agreed on slow and
easy, but the moment Rye had put his hands on Tansy she’d been naked and
coming. Rubbing that sweet ass of hers all over Dev’s greedy cock. He was so
hard he hurt, and having her grinding into him as Rye pleasured her had been
almost too much for Dev’s legendary control. And now his idiot partner wanted
them all to get naked, to expose male parts to female parts while somehow
imagining the situation wouldn’t spiral out of control.

Rye wouldn’t be up to the task. He was so desperate to get
inside Tansy he wasn’t thinking about anything but fucking. Dev wished he had
that luxury, because his cock was screaming so loudly it could probably be heard
in town. Unfortunately he had obligations outside the wants and needs of his
own body. Tansy was their priority—she had to be if they were going to have any
chance of a future together.

He wasn’t sure whether their houseguest was aware of it or
not, but he and Rye had staked a claim. They were going to get her to sign a
mating contract if it killed them. Dev and his denmate had had many discussions
about Tansy and about how their relationship would work. At no point had Dev or
Rye even considered taking Tansy one-on-one. They were a team, a partnership
closer than brothers and they knew they could give so much more to her as a
pair than they ever could working alone. Plus, the thought of one of them lying
alone in his bed while the other sank into Tansy was too devastating for either
of them to consider.

Part of him wished they could simply fuck her into
submission. While she was soft and sated and not thinking properly, they could
haul a proctor up to the den and have her sign her life away. But in his more
lucid moments, Dev knew that was never an option.

Unfortunately, the one thing he and Rye were good at when it
came to women was the one thing that wouldn’t help with Tansy. She’d had enough
decisions taken away from her. She’d had her body used as a tool of coercion,
among other far more evil things, and they needed to nurture her, not overwhelm
her.

Dev loved women, but he’d never had the opportunity to spend
much time with them outside a bedroom. He knew what turned them on but not what
made them tick. With Tansy’s trauma still so fresh and raw, he was terrified of
making a mistake.

He was so busy trying to weigh pros and cons, he didn’t
realize he’d zoned out until Rye stomped over and grabbed him by the back of
the neck. Hard. “Devonelle Sharmanchere, you get your head out of your ass and
back where it belongs.” Rye’s voice dropped to a whisper. “No second guessing.
We have a plan and we have a naked Tansy, so let’s see where she wants to go.”

Dev lifted his head and said the words he feared would become
his mantra. “We can’t fuck up.”

“We won’t. Now take your clothes off and get skin to skin.”

Fuck, if that was going to be Rye’s solution to every
problem they had, they’d never get out of bed. Dev looked over at his best
friend and his woman and decided that never getting out of bed sounded pretty
good.

Rye and Tansy were standing, plastered together. Rye was
crowding her, arms clutched tight and kissing her so hard she was bent
backward. Her arms were locked around his neck and she was up on her toes,
rubbing against him, all soft and needy. They were beautiful together, and as
he watched them Dev consciously released his anxiety. Instead he focused on the
knowledge that he had the right to join them, that it was his privilege to be
part of this extraordinary triad.

He stood, shedding his clothes without taking his eyes from
his mates for an instant, watching them devour each other with hands and
mouths. When he was naked, he walked up behind Tansy and gripped her hips,
letting her know he was there before pressing himself to her back. She was
taller than most of the other Earth women, but she felt so small and delicate
as he leaned in to her. His cock pressed into the small of her back and her
head didn’t quite clear his shoulder.

She turned in Rye’s arms, arching up to face Dev and he
dragged her against him without thinking. He hooked one arm under the firm
curve of her ass and straightened up, lifting her so she was eye to eye with
him, her feet dangling just below his knees.

“Arms around my neck.” He wanted one hand free to roam, and
if she had her arms around him she could anchor herself. She complied,
squeezing tight enough to flatten her breasts against his chest. His eyes
dropped to her mouth. “Kiss me.”

And she did. With a trust that cracked him wide open, she
followed his command, sealing her lips to his, inviting him in with a touch of
her tongue. He wanted to ravage her. Everything in him demanded that he throw
her on the bed, drive inside her and fuck her until she understood who she belonged
to. Dev was a smart male. He recognized the impulse for what it was, the primal
need for a dragon rider to claim his mate. But he also had the urge to protect
her, to give her whatever she needed, and that was the impulse he brought to
the forefront. That was the biological imperative he hoped would save them all.

Easing some of the fierceness out of his hold, Dev
concentrated on protection and making her feel safe. He still kissed her with
desire, but he tempered it with affection. Stroking into her mouth, sliding
tongue against tongue, he tried very hard to think about loving, not fucking.
About keeping her safe, not tying her to the bed so he and Rye could take turns
with her.

Then Rye wrapped them both in his arms, shuffling them
sideways to tumble onto the mattress. The pleasure of lying next to Tansy fired
every nerve in Dev’s body. His muscles tensed, his balls drew up hot and heavy
and his cock wept in need. Rye pressed in behind Tansy, running his hands over
her body and over Dev’s as well. Somewhere in the back of his head, Dev knew
they were moving too fast, then Tansy rubbed herself against him and all
rational thought shut down.