Chapter Twenty-Two

It took me over an hour to prepare the ink. When the potion was ready—ink is a type of potion—I went to find the men. They were waiting for me in the office. The masculine space smelled of leather and old books. With the addition of their manly spices—the scents that were unique to each man—the aroma became a heady mix that threatened to enchant me as much as I was about to enchant them. Except where my magic would empower the men, theirs would weaken me.

Dominic stood up when he saw me. “You ready, angel?”

I took a deep breath, steadied myself against the aromatic attack, and said, “Yes.” Then I grimaced. “Don't take this the wrong way, but I need you to strip down to your underwear.”

A wicked grin spread across Dom's face.

“She just said not to take it that way,” Declan said as he stood up and pulled off his shirt.

“I can't help it if I like getting nearly naked around her,” Dominic drawled.

“One at a time,” I said, then waved at Declan. “I'll start with Declan since he's already removed his shirt.”

Dominic plopped back down onto the leather couch with a grimace. “Tease.”

“Watch it, puppy.” I pointed at him with my paintbrush.

“Is that a paintbrush?” Darius asked.

“Yes. I'm going to paint symbols on you for protection and power.”

Declan continued to strip, getting down to a pair of boxer briefs in standard black. I tried not to stare.

“You're going to paint us?” Dominic's good mood returned. “That sounds fun. But might I recommend that you use your fingers instead of a brush?”

“No,” I said.

“Aw,” Dominic whined.

“I hope you're not ticklish,” I said as I waved Declan over to a leather chaise. “Lie down.”

Declan's body was just as magnificent as Dominic's. Maybe more so, depending on how buff you liked your men. I discovered that I was an equal-opportunity muscle lover. In fact, having the three of them to compare to each other made me appreciate the slight size differences more. Declan was just shy of being too big for me. I don't want an Arnold. But I did enjoy the Gerard Butler circa 300 bulk. I recalled how Declan spoke about working out and realized that's what made the difference. He had the bulk of a man who put some effort into his physique while Dom was a little less gung ho about it, sitting back on his god-given body laurels, as it were. And you know what? I couldn't fault Dominic for that. I wasn't into working out either.

But I still appreciated Declan's dedication.

Seeing Declan stretch out on the black leather, his tan skin turning golden against the darkness and all those muscles presented like a buffet, made focusing difficult. But then I remembered Silas, and my shoulders squared without a prompt from my mind. I hiked up my skirts and straddled Declan.

All three men groaned.

I looked from Declan to the others. “What was that?”

Declan cleared his throat. “I'm sorry. This is the first time you've touched me so . . . uh, with such familiarity. I couldn't help responding.”

“And his response was so strong that we all felt it,” Dominic added and then sighed as he rubbed his belly. “Fuck, that was good. Do it again! Do it again!”

“You can share physical sensations too?” Without thinking, I sat back and landed on Declan's erection. “Oh!” I instantly jerked up, but not before the men cried out together. “Sorry,” I murmured and settled a little further down, across his thighs.

Of course, that put the bulge—a significant one—right in front of me. As in, right in front of my lower lady bits. And those bits tingled as if begging me to slide forward a couple of inches and grind us against that big boy bit. I ignored my weak parts and bunched my skirts over Declan's erection for modesty's sake—mainly mine. He didn't seem the least embarrassed about his reaction to me.

“Could you hold this for me?” I opened the jar of ink and handed it to Declan.

“Yes, of course.” Declan took the ink bottle, then let out a long breath. He peered at the shimmering liquid as if fascinated, but I had a feeling he was simply trying to focus on something other than me.

“Try to hold still,” I said. “If you have to move, let me know.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, fuck. I'm so turned on right now and she hasn't even started,” Dominic said.

“Shut up,” Darius growled. “She needs to focus. This is magic, you asshole.”

“Fuck off. I can feel your arousal too, dick.”

“Yeah, but I'm not broadcasting it.”

“That's it,” I said and looked at them. “Get out.”

“What?” Dominic gaped at me.

“You heard her,” Declan said with a smirk. “Get the fuck out.”

“I'll shout for you when I'm done with Declan,” I added.

Darius got up and left without a word.

Dominic, not so much.

“Aw, angel. Come on,” Dominic whined. “I'll be quiet. I promise.” He pulled his fingers across his lips as if zipping them.

“No, you won't. And this is delicate work. If I mess up a single line or use the wrong inflection with my chant, you could wind up as frogs.”

“What?!” Declan and Dominic screeched together.

I chuckled. “Maybe not frogs, but the magic wouldn't work.”

“Mean, angel. Mean.” Dominic pointed at me, but he did so as he left the room.

“Alone at last,” Declan said with a grin. “And you've already got me down to my underwear.”

“Did you just turn into Dominic?” I lifted a brow at him.

“Sorry. I couldn't resist.”

“No, it's all right. Normally, I love Dominic's humor. But I need to focus right now.”

“Got it.” His grin vanished as he went still. “I'll tell you if I get an itch.” He shook his head. “Damn it, another Dom-line just came to mind.”

“Let me guess; you've already got an inch, but only I can scratch it?”

Declan burst out laughing and the sound was delicious—deep, warm, real, and so very masculine. “Yeah, that about sums it up.”

“All right. We've got that out of the way. Are you ready now?”

“Yes, ma'am. I'm all yours.”

I froze and stared at Declan. Those damn eyes. God, they were hypnotizing. I swear, the green flecks started to glow.

“Amélie?” Declan whispered.

“No more talking,” I said gruffly and dipped my brush in the bottle of ink.

With the brush still in the ink, I closed my eyes and focused on the result I wanted. I pictured Declan coated in magic, the power shimmering over him and sinking through him to give him strength, endurance, and resilience. I imagined the shimmer turning into a strong-as-steel coating—metaphysical armor. Then I started to paint.

The symbols were ancient, and I had them memorized. Starting at the top, I painted one across Declan's forehead. His eyes widened, but that was all. Seconds after I painted each symbol, the opalescent ink sank into his skin and disappeared, the magic melding with Declan. I moved on, painting swirling designs down his cheeks, his throat, and then across his chest.

“Should I hold my breath?” Declan asked. “Sorry, you said no speaking.”

“No, you're fine,” I said distractedly. “I mean, try not to talk because your body moves when you do, but you don't have to stop breathing, and you can say something if you need to.”

“All right,” his voice sounded strained, but I had to ignore it.

Then I shifted lower to adorn his belly and came face to face with his erection. Yup, still there. Ignoring that was harder. Er, more difficult. Talk about working under pressure. Between Declan's glorious body and his reaction to my touching it, it was all I could do to remember the chant. When I finished painting his rock-hard belly, I had to pause and take a breath.

“Can I move now?” Declan asked.

“For a little while. I'm just taking a break,” I said.

“Are you all right?” His free hand went to my left shoulder to massage it. “If this is too draining for you, we don't have to continue.”

I met his stare and once more, I was drawn to those green flecks. There were striations of green too that I hadn't noticed before. Green was my favorite color. The color of growth. Of life. A lush color. I'd been so into Dominic and so against Darius that I'd automatically placed Declan in the middle. But I shouldn't have. From the moment we met, Declan had demanded my attention. Steadily. Quietly. With a force that made me certain that if I had met him at the same time as Dominic, in a normal situation, I would have gone after Declan. Dominic was light and laughter. He was magnificent, and I could easily see myself spending the rest of my life with him. But Declan was a punch to the chest.

Have you ever met a man who did that to you? Just knocked the air out of you with his mere presence? And it wasn't physical. Not entirely. It was a kinship. And the more I got to know him, the more certain I was in that kinship. Dom embraced life and approached it like a flying squirrel, leaping into each new adventure. But Declan loved life too, just in a more grounded way. Literally. He loved the earth and the things that grew from it. He loved to transform those things into something beautiful or even delicious. And he treated his body in the same way, showing it the same kind of care and attention that he heaped on his plants. Not that I didn't appreciate his appearance too.

Declan's face was leaner than Dom's, his jaw more angular. But he didn't have the sharpness of Darius. He looked similar to them and yet was also unique. Like his lips. Lush. Full. Kissing lips. They parted as I stared at them.

“Keep looking at me like that, and I'll take it as an invitation,” Declan said.

My stare shot up to his eyes. “Sorry. You have very nice lips.”

“Very nice?” His nice lips spread into a smile. “It's not the best compliment I've ever received, but I'll take it.”

“You don't go out looking for women like the other two, do you?”

“You mean looking for you ?”

I shrugged.

“I'm not a virgin, if that's what you're suggesting.”

My face went hot. “It wasn't. I . . . I would never have thought—”

Declan laughed. “Relax, Amélie. I'm teasing you. And to answer your question, I've done my fair share of searching.”

“But?”

“It got, well, depressing.”

“Depressing?”

“Imagine meeting someone you like. You have sex, get to know them, and then a few weeks later, you have to accept that they aren't the one meant for you. You just know it. And you also know that your soul won't be satisfied until you find that person. So, you're forced to move on.”

“Oh,” I whispered.

“Yeah. It's hard enough to feel the disappointment secondhand through Darius and Dominic. To experience it myself got to be too much. So, lately, I've let them do the hunting.” He grinned and slid his hand up to cup my face. “And it paid off. They both found you.”

I'd forgotten that his hand was still on my shoulder. Well, not forgotten exactly. It had felt comfortable. Normal. When he cupped my cheek, that comfort sank deeper. But within it was a spark. I bent down and kissed Declan. Just a peck on the lips, and then I pulled back a few inches in shock.

“Oh, no you don't,” Declan growled and pulled me back.

Not only did I fall back into our kiss, but I also fell atop him. His erection jabbed into my belly, and I found myself grinding against it, wanting to give him pleasure. Declan's free hand slid into my hair, and he gripped me tightly, holding me in place while he explored my mouth. His tongue was hot, demanding, and sent thrills straight to my sex. My nipples pebbled against his chest, and I moaned.

And almost dabbed him with the brush.

“Shit!” I hissed as I pulled away and sat up. “We can't do this right now. I almost screwed up the spell.”

Declan's lips were parted and glistening. His eyes glittered. “I know. I'm sorry.” He lifted the bottle of ink he still held. “I didn't spill any. I made sure of it, even when reason threatened to retreat.”

Reason threatened to retreat. Yup, that was about right. I stretched my neck and rubbed my hand over my face. “I feel like I just cheated on Dominic.”

“Hey.” He grabbed my hand. “There's no cheating here. Dom is thrilled that we had our first kiss.”

“Wait. He knows ?”

Declan winced. “Sharing, remember?”

“But he could tell that we were kissing?”

“I think he figured it out.”

“Fuck,” I muttered. “Okay, we'll talk about this later. I need to finish the spell before the magic fizzles out.”

“Okay.”

I returned to painting symbols on Declan's body, the brush stroking his taut, tan skin. I went down each leg, painted a symbol on each foot, and then had him turn over. The beautiful expanse of his broad, muscular back greeted me.

“Great fuck,” I muttered again, this time under my breath. The man was just as diligent in working out his back as he was his front.

I began the chant anew and painted Declan's back. At least I didn't have his erection seeking my attention with him lying face-down. I was able to cover the rest of his body without trying to rub myself against him like a cat in heat.

At last, I climbed off the chaise and went to sit on the couch. Or rather, flop down onto it. “You're done.”

Declan sat up, set the bottle of ink down, and reached for his shirt. After pulling it on, he got into his jeans, tucking his cock away as if he walked around with raging hard-ons all the time. No big deal.

“I'm going to get you something to drink and a snack. What would you like?” he asked.

“Oh. Uh. Tea, please. And whatever cookies or sweets you have. The sugar will help. No milk in the tea, only sugar.”

“You got it.” Declan headed for the door.

“Declan,” I called after him.

He stopped and looked back.

“That was a great kiss.”

Declan beamed at me. “Yes, it was. Maybe we could try dinner first next time.”

“Like a date?”

“Yeah.”

I grinned. “I'd like that.”

“Great. Not tonight, though. I'm busy.” He winked at me. “Places to go, people to kill.”

I snorted a laugh. “Are you free tomorrow night?”

“I believe I am. I'll pick you up at your bedroom around six.”

“Deal.”

I watched Declan leave and shut the door behind himself, then fell back onto the couch. I was a little tired from the casting, but even more so from the emotional roller coaster I'd been riding. I had kissed Declan. And I liked it. He liked it too. So did Dominic. It was so bizarre and yet it felt right. Despite what they'd told me about Hades's spell, I wondered if it was the magic making me feel so comfortable.

And then Dominic walked in, grinning ear-to-ear. “Declan said he's getting you something to eat, so we shouldn't start yet. That means we have some time to fool around.”

I chuckled, my chest filling with a strange lightness I'd never felt before. Hold on. Was this love? Was I in love with Dom? And if I was, how could I feel so good about kissing Declan? I was actually excited about our date.

“We are not fooling around,” I said sternly.

“Declan gets a kiss, but I don't?” Dominic prowled forward. “That's not fair.” He sat down beside me and pulled me into his arms. With a sigh, he tucked me in close. Then his humor vanished. “Are you all right? You seem tired.”

“I'm fine. Are you truly happy about me kissing Declan?”

“Of course.” He kissed my forehead. “I was right there with him, angel.” He eased back to meet my stare. “This isn't like three humans sharing you. We're three parts of one whole. Yes, we have separate souls and separate forms, but our souls are magically tied together and our forms can merge. There's no jealousy between us. You kissing Declan means that you're starting to accept all of us. And that makes me very happy.”

“This is so bizarre,” I murmured.

“I know. But it's a good kind of bizarre, right? Like David Bowie.”

I chuckled. “Yes, like Bowie.” I straightened suddenly to ask, “Is David Bowie in the Underworld?”

“Of course.”

“Do you know where in the Underworld?”

Dominic grinned. “Would you like to meet him?”

“What?” I gaped at him. “Really?”

“Yup. He's a good soul. Did a lot of generous things in his life. Not good enough to get into the Blessed Isles, like someone I know.” He widened his eyes at me. “But I've heard that he's in the Elysian Fields. He teamed up with a few other musicians there. Have you heard of Mozart?”

“Shut up!”

“I'm serious. Mozart plays piano and Bowie sings. I think their drummer was a Tibetan monk.”

“Holy shit. David Bowie and Mozart. Wow.”

“You see? Being with us has its perks.”

“Oh, I already knew that. The perks are pretty obvious.”

“Aw, thanks, angel.”

Dryly, I said, “I meant the house.”

Dominic's face shifted into shock, then he grimaced, and, finally, he started tickling me. “You little liar!”

I squealed and rolled away. Just as I landed on the floor, the door opened and Declan came in with a tray of food and tea.

Declan shook his head with a smile and said, “I tell you that you have some time alone with Amélie and you fling her to the floor?”

“We were just about to get it on, if you don't mind,” Dominic said with all seriousness.

I snorted, not in humor but in derision, and got up. “He wishes.”

“I do actually,” Dominic said. “It might revive you. What do you say?”

“At least let her eat first.” Declan put the tray down on the coffee table. “Mint tea with sugar and peanut butter cookies. I made you a chicken salad sandwich too, just in case.” He waved at the food. “I hope that's all right.”

“It's perfect.” I stopped to kiss Declan's cheek on the way to the table, then sat down on the floor to eat.

“So, I'm the lone man out?” Darius asked as he came in.

I looked up as I shoved a cookie in my mouth. “Huh?” I asked through peanut butter goodness.

“You and Declan,” Darius said and sat down on the chair across from me. “I hear you've got a date.”

I glanced at Declan. He shrugged.

“And?” I asked, then took a sip of tea.

“I want a date too. You've judged me unfairly, Amélie. Give me a chance to show you the real me.”

I stared at him.

He stared back.

“Try asking me,” I said. “I suggest waiting until after I've finished casting the spell on you.”

“Oh, yeah,” Declan said. “Wait until then.”

Dominic reached for a cookie, and Declan smacked his hand away.

“What the fuck?” Dom growled.

“Those are for Amélie. She needs the sugar,” Declan said.

“Oh,” Dominic said.

Simultaneously, Darius muttered, “She does indeed.”