Release, book 3 of The Angler series (19 page)

Rurik moved behind Tane. We’d all had our turns at being sandwiched. Tonight would be Tane’s.
He’d risked his crown to save Rurik. He could have let his brothers take him in Monte Carlo. He could have let us run, but he’d come to our rescue in Rome. What difference would it have truly made to him? There were lines of vampires waiting to share his bed next. Except Tane loved us, and those others would wait a very, very long time. That love made a huge difference in Tane’s life. It was also a weakness for him as king.

Rurik started by exploring Tane with his fingers
, using my wetness as lubrication.

My connection with Tane was still open and I glimpsed others in his memories
—some men, others women, sometimes multiples of both. Their surroundings changed from outdoors to luxurious rooms, but he had loved them all. He preferred an emotional attachment to his lovers.

He stared into my eyes
, daring me to understand what he showed us. We stood above all the others he’d ever loved.

With R
urik’s probing thrust, Tane grew more eager. He lowered his body against mine, crushing me into the bed.

Rurik urged him on until all I could imagine was how it would feel to have Tane inside as Rurik rode him. Rurik rose behi
nd Tane and entered him slowly. He stared at me over Tane’s shoulders, eyes ablaze in ice-blue desire. His hair hung in strands, clinging to his face. The two of them found a rhythm so that Rurik’s thrust would push Tane into me a little deeper, a little harder.

I couldn’t move under their combined weight so I used my hand to caress and strok
e whatever flesh I could reach. I knew my orgasm was coming by the heaviness growing in my lower abdomen.

Tane whispered something in my ear that sounded guttural and ancient
, tripping my control.

In an
abyss of flesh and motion, I drowned in sensation until I released and screamed.

Tane thrust inside me two, three more times and cried out as Rurik arched back, clinging to his hips.
Their bodies melted around me, surrounding me in hard, male flesh as the starry night faded to the airplane ceiling once more.

“
You’re capable of drawing us in your head while we’re awake. Will you be able to bring both of us into your dreams as well?” I wouldn’t mind taking Rurik to that Babylonian temple.

“With some practice, I think we can enjoy each other
’s company unobserved this way.” Tane stroked my hair; his tone had grown sad.

I reached for him. “What’s wrong?” Dread deeper than anything his clan had ever inspired in me sank into my bones.

Rurik rolled behind me so we could both face Tane. He grasped our Nosferatu’s hand. “You’re afraid. You’re never afraid.”

I opened my senses and felt what Rurik did.

Tane clung to our hands. “I can’t take you home with me.”

I finally understood the dread inside of m
e. Tane was dumping us. “But you love us.” I glanced over my shoulder at Rurik for assertion. Had I misunderstood what Tane had shown us? He loved us more than anyone in his existence.

He scooted closer until I was nestled against his chest and Rurik enveloped within his arms. “That’s why I can’t keep you close. You’re both human and so fragile. I’d expend most of my resources protecting you. And—and how can
I explain Rurik being not only alive but human? Or my allowing you to kill Catarina unpunished?” He rested his head close to mine and let his questions unfold inside of me.

“Can’t you leave them and stay with us?” As soon as I asked that question I knew how childish it sounded but I wanted so desperately for him to say
yes
.

“I love you for asking
, Connie. More than you’d ever know.” He kissed me softly. “It’s not goodbye though. We’ll have our dreams.”

I sniffed and cursed the stupid tears welling in my eyes. “How will that work?”

Rurik stayed too quiet for my comfort. He’d known this would happen and had figured it out long before I had.

“I can reach you wherever you are.” It was a small consolation. We’d be together
in Tane’s dreams, where we can be safe.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. “The pilots want you
to know we’ll be landing soon,” Kam spoke through the closed door.

“Landing? We haven’t been flying that long.” I sat up and was comforted by the confused expression on Rurik’s face.

Tane jumped out of bed and dressed. “Get dressed. I have a villa in Greece on one of the rural islands. Kam will take you there. For your punishment, for killing Catarina, I am banishing you from my court for fifty years. Rurik is now officially dead. I will visit when my schedule allows it. Rumors will be spread that in your grief, you’ve found a similar-appearing human male as a lover.”

I laughed. “
Like I ever could.”

He tossed me a pink summer dress, his favorite color on me. “Very pitiful of you, I know.”
He grabbed and kissed Rurik as if it were the last time he’d see him. “We came too close to losing you. Stay safe and keep her safe as well. New passports, credit cards, and accounts will be processed soon. Stay with Kam—he knows the estate well.”

Rurik
clung to him. “This is not goodbye.”

Tane gave him another molten kiss before gathering me in his arms. “Stay true to yourself.” His hands lingered on my lower stomach. “He’s human now. You can have your dream
now. Don’t deny each other.”

“Fami
ly.” I rested my hand over his.

“
You won’t ever have to be alone again.” He glared at Rurik. “Marry her first.”

I glanced from one smiling male t
o the other. “But it’s not goodbye, right? Not forever. You promised me forever, Tane.”

“
Just for now. I’m giving you the break and rest you need. You’re so young. Love and live. I’ll be back before you know it.”

I followed Rurik and Kam to the front of the airplane after we landed. Tane remained in the bedroom since it was daytime and sunlight would pour in when we exited. I glanced back at the door and touched his mind. The fear he’d harbored was gone. It hadn’t existed because he was releasing us but for us if we’d insisted on staying. I now sensed relief and joy.
“You will come visit in person as well, right?”

“Of course, any chance I get. Especially at your wedding.”

“Won’t you marry me, too?”
I sensed his shock and grinned.
Oh yeah, king Nosferatu, this young human girl could still surprise you.

“Do you want me to?”

“Are you sweating?”

“A little.” His amusement filled me. “Yes, I’ll marry you
, too.”

The door to the plane opened
, and sunshine hit Rurik against his chest. He flinched but didn’t jump away. He gave me the most precious smile. “I can get use to this.”

I had thought only lucky girls could find their happy endings.
I proved myself wrong.

Time seemed to increase speed when Rurik and I rejoined the human race. Endless nights in Rio transformed to fast-paced days on our rural Mediterranean island. I sat on the beach of Tane’s secret villa. The sunset painted the sky blood orange and the light glinted off the sweat beading on Rurik’s back as he secured his rowboat to our small private dock. The sun suited him. So did his golden tan and he hadn’t missed a sunrise yet.

I twisted
the wedding rings on my finger, yellow gold from Rurik and white gold from Tane. I’d been waiting all day to speak with Rurik. A wave of nausea swept over me and I clung to my stomach contents by sheer willpower. Why had I thought doing this on my own was a good idea? I spent the day on the edge of a cliff after I took the test.

T
ane would meet us in our dreams tonight, and I had news. How would I ever fall asleep feeling this terrible? I resisted the urge to call to him mentally. Again. My big girl pants felt too loose and kept wanting to fall around my knees no matter how often I told myself I could wait for the right moment to tell them.

Kam squatted next to me
making me jump a little. I hadn’t heard him approach. “Everything is locked tight. I’m going out. Do you need anything?”

I shook my head and gave him a watery smile.

“Why are you so agitated?” He sniffed. “You smell different.”

“I’m sure I do.”
Shifters could smell changes in emotions and bodily functions. I waved him away before he wrecked my surprise. “I’ll be fine. Have fun.” Who knew what he did when he went out? As long as it made him happy. He refused to leave our side or train a replacement, so I accepted his need for privacy.

“All right.” He gave me an odd look.
“Maybe I should stay.”

“Don’t you dare.” I gestured for him to leave.

He inhaled deeply and his eyes went wide. “You smell like you’re—”

“Hormonal and going to kick your ass if you don’t shut up right now.” I stared pointedly at Rurik who approached us
with a basket.

Kam gave me a
secretive smile before kissing me on the forehead. “Congrats.” He scooted off inside the house, leaving me alone with my newly human husband.

“Dinner is on me tonight. I ho
pe you’re in the mood for fish.” Rurik helped me to my feet and led me by my hand into the villa. “I found a fantastic spot. Tomorrow, I want you to come with me. We can swim the reef.”

“Sure…”
I felt like shark bait floating on top of the water.

He set the basket on the counter
and faced me. “You’ve been acting strange all day.” He leaned closer until our noses almost touched. “We promised no secrets between us a long time ago.” His eyes narrowed as I kept my silence. “Spill it.”

My heart raced. I
had wanted to wait until we were in Tane’s dream but I was too excited to fall asleep. Instead, I did something I hadn’t done since I left the airplane six months ago. I reached out with all my mental strength and called out to Tane. If his brothers heard my cry so be it. I was banned from court, not from communicating with my master.

“Rabbit?”
Concern poured from his strong presence as he cradled me within his mind.

From the way Rurik jumped
, I could tell Tane had touched his mind as well.
“I don’t know why she’s calling you.”
I suddenly heard Rurik’s voice inside my head as he spoke with Tane.

“Can you hear both of us, Connie?”
Tane asked.

I nodded and realized Tane couldn’t see me.
“Yes.”
How did I begin?
I’ve gathered you here today for a thing called life…
I grasped Rurik’s hands and looked into the blue eyes that had gripped my heart years ago. I wrapped my puny mental self against the titan-sized Tane who had stolen it not long after Rurik.
“I’m pregnant. You’re going to be dads.”

Rurik’s mouth hung open
and he blinked as if trying to focus. Then he clutched me to his chest so hard I feared breaking.

A heavy silence hung inside my head
.
“Tane?”

He didn’t answer.

“I think he fainted.”
Rurik kissed me
.
Heat still sizzled between our bodies as hot as the first time he’d taken me.
“Tane?”

“A dad? But I can’t make children. This baby is Rurik’s.”
Tane’s voice sounded so small.

I ground my teeth and pulled away from Rurik’s embrace.
“You’re every bit this child’s parent as Rurik  and I are. We’re a family, a real family, now.”

Rurik slid behind me, circling his arms around my waist to rest his hands on my lower abdomen.

“A child?”
Love seeped into my every pore from Tane, even at this great distance. It folded over us and brought the three us together mentally. This baby would be loved and safe as long as one of us still lived.
“And the first of many.” 

I snorted.
“Let’s start with one for now, okay?”
Butterflies took wing in my stomach once more. Would I be a good mother? I leaned against Rurik physically and Tane mentally, gaining strength from them. We’d be fine. This child couldn’t be any luckier to have us as parents. Maybe Tane had it right. This could be the first of many.

Copyright by Annie Nicholas

Cover design by Kanax

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews--without the prior written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental and not intended by the author.

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