3. Reality

3

REALITY

D aphne

I'd convinced myself this really was a dream until now.

Andrew slammed me up against one of the shelves, protecting me from the burst of flames that spewed from the dragon's mouth. I buried my face against his chest, holding onto him for dear life.

Apparently, Cyclopes were heat resistant. Also, apparently, they could run pretty damn fast.

Also , apparently, their erections lasted a lifetime.

Hard or not, he was now my protector and the only thing keeping me alive.

I heard Adam shout, and another burst of flames hit us. Andrew groaned, his grip around me tightening.

I was caught between death and a sexy monster.

Sexy?

I really was going crazy.

I wanted to believe this was a dream, but the cut on my forehead from falling into one of the shelves was too real. The blood dripping down my face was definitely not made up.

And Andrew's hard-on was one hundred percent not a fantasy.

The fire died, and I was immediately tossed like a doll, then caught by Adam.

He was a lot more gentle with me, holding me like a baby as he ran down the rows of books.

"We just have to get to one of the stopping points, then we'll be safe," he grunted.

I nodded, burying my face against him. He smelled like books and tobacco, but in an aphrodisiacal way. I found myself breathing him in, wondering what he would taste like if I kissed him.

Fuck.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

Ever since the initial shock had worn off, all I could think about was sex. With monsters. With one-eyed hunky librarians.

My life was at risk, we were being chased by a dragon in a book whore's fantasy of a library, and all I wanted was what I had seen in that drawing.

"Your scent is intoxicating," Adam groaned as he took me around a corner.

We were bathed in shadows, and he became still, pressing me into another shelf so he could protect me if there were more flames.

He wasn't as forceful as Andrew was. His hands were massive, but his fingers were gentle. He leaned in for a moment, his nose brushing my neck.

I shivered against him, letting out a moan. He immediately covered my mouth with his hand, silencing me.

We heard the shifting of a massive body again, the clack of claws on the checkered floors. The deeper we went into the maze, the more and more lost I felt.

But the two of them seemed to know this place at least.

" Your human finally came, but I won't let you go, " a heavy voice snarled.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trembling.

Adam held me, his nose still pressed into my neck.

" I won't let you escape with her. I will kill her, and you will never leave my side. Your job is to protect the knowledge here. You can't abandon me…."

The voice sounded closer, the claws becoming louder.

I opened my eyes, looking over Adam's shoulder to the entrance of the shadowed row we were in.

Red scales glistened, a massive body slinking by. The dragon paused for a moment but then kept moving.

It took a few minutes, but finally— the dragon disappeared.

Adam let out a breath, drawing back to look at me. He lifted a finger and swiped away a tear from my cheek. "Little dove, you're safe," he whispered.

We both stared at each other, and I became painfully aware of the fact that my legs were around his massive hips. He had me pressed against the shelves, the shape of his cock pressing into me.

I let out the smallest whimper, and before I knew what I was doing, I ground my core against him.

He breathed out a hiss, falling forward and catching himself against the wood. "Woman, you're tempting a monster."

I was fully aware of what I was doing, and I couldn't stop myself. I studied him, focusing on his eye for a few moments. The purple in his iris was luminescent, burning with lust.

"Adam."

We both looked up to see Andrew. He jerked his head to follow him, his gaze lingering a little too long on us before he disappeared.

Adam grunted but then readjusted me, carrying me like a baby again. He followed Andrew down a couple of rows until we came to a door. Andrew went through it quickly, and we followed.

We were now in a small room, one that had more books and a few chairs.

And a bed.

Adam set me down slowly, breathing a sigh of relief.

"That was close," he mumbled.

I nodded numbly. If I hadn't been wet before, I was now.

Andrew moaned, placing his hands on top of his head. "This is our bedroom. We're safe here for a little while, and then we will need to get on the move again. The walls will change, the library will reorganize itself. The dragon won't come after us next. I'm certain it'll be a couple of the harpies."

My mind was swirling as I registered his words.

Andrew and Adam had a few differences in appearance. They were similar in size, although Andrew was even taller, and he had short dark hair and a beard. His eye was bright green, his lashes long. He wore charcoal colored pants and a dark tweed blazer over a hunter green sweater.

He was hot, and I found myself wondering again about how it would feel to do bad things to him. I wondered what his beard would feel like against me as he sucked my clit.

"I'm very confused by everything right now," I blurted out.

I went to one of the plush chairs and attempted to pat off the dust before plopping on the bright red velvet cushion.

"You are, according to the powers that be, our mate," Adam said, looking directly at me.

" Mate ?" I echoed.

"Yes. Creatures have mates. Cyclops, especially, have soulmates. Andrew and I are lovers, but we are also destined to have a third. You are that person for us," he explained.

I studied the two of them, heat creeping up the back of my neck. For a moment, I imagined them doing things to each other and felt my pussy clench.

They both grunted, and Andrew covered his face again.

"We can smell your arousal," Adam said softly.

"I can see yours," I mumbled, looking down at both of their cocks.

I could see the shapes beneath the charcoal slacks they wore. I whimpered a little, unable to stop thinking about them.

"Is this some type of spell?" I asked.

"If it is, then we are also bewitched," Adam said, cocking his head.

At some point, his blonde hair had unraveled from the bun he had worn earlier. It now fell in a glorious wave. His eye was purple, and there was a kindness there that made me feel…

Curious.

I was curious about what it would be like to be with them.

The desire was becoming almost unbearable, growing and growing. I had been wet for a while now, the heat pulsing in my veins.

I was a grown woman, I reminded myself. I made my own decisions, and that included who I had sex with. When it came to relationships— I had always been the committed type, but that didn't mean I didn't know how to have fun.

And if that drawing from the book did them justice, then being tag teamed by the two of them would be a lot of fun.

"We need a plan," Andrew said, interrupting my thoughts. "We need a plan to get out. The dragon will keep coming after us until we make it to the end. We're barely at the beginning at this point. Adam and I know the labyrinth very well. We've just never been able to use the exit because we didn't have our 'soulmate' with us."

"But now that we do, we can all three get out," Adam said, smiling. "It would be nice to see the sky again. I miss watching the sunset."

My heart melted a little. I realized fully now that these two had literally been trapped here for half a century.

"Tell me about creatures," I said softly, studying both of them. "I have so many questions. Like why don't humans know that you're real? How is the soulmate thing even possible? Those are things I read about in my books, but they're not real. And yet, here I am."

"Humans have always feared creatures," Adam said. He moved to one of the chairs a couple of feet from me and took a seat, relaxing.

Andrew chose to pace the room instead, his forehead wrinkled from scowling.

"There was a certain point that collectively, creatures started to hide from humanity out of fear of them. It's ironic. But many monsters have perished due to the silly beliefs of humans. Many humans have been wrongly accused of being creatures too," Adam said. He was studying me intently now, which caused a blush to turn me pink again. He stood up suddenly, crossing to me. "I just realized that your forehead is still bleeding. Let me heal it for you, little dove."

"Adam, have you already committed to her then?" Andrew snarled, glaring at me.

Adam raised his brow but ignored Andrew. He cupped my face and tipped my chin up. "Fate doesn't lie," he murmured.

My eyes fluttered closed, my throat tightening. My heart felt light, my head even lighter.

His touch felt good. Warm and gentle. His fingers slid to the cut on my forehead, and I felt a stabbing heat, followed by a flood of pleasure that swarmed every part of my body. My breath hitched, a moan escaping.

"I want you," I gasped, my eyes flying open. "I don't know what this is. It's crazy, insane. But I want you."

Adam withdrew his hand, a shadow falling over his face. "I fear that if I take you once, I will never be able to take another again. Also, I will not take you unless you accept Andrew as well. He is my mate, after all, little dove."

Andrew's presence fell over me, and I realized that he had stepped behind the chair. I looked up, swallowing hard as I tipped my head back.

The two of them towered over me. One of them felt safe, the other dangerous.

Andrew braced his hands on the back of the chair and cocked his head. "You really want to give yourself to two monsters, Daphne?"

The answer should have been no.

The answer should have been not in a million years.

But between the rush in my blood, their scents, their appearances (which should have been frightening but turned me on instead)— I found myself nodding.

"Verbal consent, human," Andrew said gruffly. "A simple nod will not do."

"I want both of you. I want what that girl in the book had. Maybe if we do it, then our heads will clear, and we'll be able to get out of the labyrinth faster," I whispered hoarsely.

"We'll escape the labyrinth, but you will never escape us if we do this," Andrew said plainly. "You will be mated to two cyclopes. What of your family? Your life?"

"My family is boring, and my life isn't that exciting," I whispered. "I study at the college. I would still want to do so."

"But what of the rest of your life? What happens when a lad seeks you out, and his cock can't fill you?"

I was out of my god damned mind, but I couldn't stop the thoughts rushing through me.

The heat in his gaze had me burning from the inside out. I parted my lips, my words faltering. "I…I don't think I'd want anyone else."

"Oh?" Adam chimed in. He leaned down, breathing in my scent at the crook of my neck.

A breath escaped me. I felt like I was about to cum now. They weren't even touching me, but the tension of being between them like this was driving me to the edge.

"You'd be joining the world of monsters, little dove," Adam murmured. His fingertip traced the line of my cheekbone gently, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Now that I know it exists, how could I not?" I whispered.

Which was the truth. My world had changed the moment I'd stepped foot in this place. I would never be the same again, even if I didn't end up with two monster boyfriends.

"I came here for a book, but now my life has changed," I murmured.

"What book?" Andrew asked, frowning.

" Creatures of History and Their Curses ," I said.

Adam snorted, his hands falling to my thighs. He spread them slowly. "Tell us about it, little dove. We're librarians, after all."