Chapter Forty

After we got into the car, I clarified that I wanted to go to my home. Something felt right about it. It had been where Dominic and I first made love, and I wanted it to be where the three of us had our first time together too.

We parked, and I got out. With a wicked grin, I said, “Catch me if you can.” Then I ran for the backyard.

The ward was still in place, and I felt safe to cast aside my clothing as I ran through the grass. Trees grew all around and across my property, but the mini forest at the back was special. It was there that I conducted all of my outdoor spells. As soon as I entered the sanctuary of the trees, I felt the welcome. Magic had seeped into the ground and plants there, and it recognized me. Strength infused me and joy ran up through the soles of my feet. Bare feet, yes. And I couldn't remember when I'd cast off my shoes.

That was the effect this place had on me. I functioned on autopilot there, moving with the magic. It swept me up and lured me forward, toward the center of the woods. Behind me, I heard the men give chase. At first, there were the soft sounds of their footsteps, but then it went quiet. I grinned to myself, knowing the quiet wouldn't last.

Sure enough, seconds later, I heard the cry of a hound. Two others joined it. Howls and yips. They were communicating. Working together to catch their prey. The hunt was on.

I circled the center of the forest, giving them time to chase me as my excitement also built. But with them on four feet and me on two, I couldn't let it go on for too long. If I tried, they'd catch me before I led them to where I wanted them. So, I darted inward at last.

There, the trees thinned and plants drew back. It wasn't a circle, more of an amorphous oblong. But I had cast many circles within that meadow. Circles of protection and power. The shape itself was special to many traditions, even those of this land. There is something magical about circles. The way they smoothly flow from start to end, to start again.

Since I was lucky enough to have a dedicated space for my magic, I had set a permanent circle with white stones. A ward thrummed within them, waiting to be set. Yes, I set additional wards within my property. Normally, I didn't have the larger ward up around the border, so the smaller one was necessary when casting spells. I did the same when I worked in the house. The stones glowed under the moonlight and within their circle grew moss the color of the flecks in Declan's eyes. The night hid the color, and the moon washed it away, but I knew it matched, and I felt the rightness of that too. It was all right. Perfect.

When I stepped across the boundary, I was naked. Only moonlight clothed me. I spun in a slow circle to face the hounds as they came through the trees, and they stopped to stare at me—three giant beasts entering the clearing at three separate points. Surrounding me. Feminine energy and power rushed through me. My blood shimmered with magic. This was it. The destined time and place for us to form our bond. Every step we'd taken had led us there.

The hounds came forward as one, placing their great paws carefully. Deliberately. Moonlight shone off their dark pelts. Then it glittered. The air around them sparked. With every step, they became less beast and more man until they stood only a foot away, fully men and as naked as I was. I let myself look and enjoy all three of them. Their appearances were similar, and yet each man was special. Darius was the most slender, though that was probably the wrong word to describe him. With all those muscles and broad shoulders, he was anything but skinny. It was just in comparison to the other two that he looked lean. I couldn't see his mark, but I was looking forward to biting it later. He had an amazing ass.

Declan's mark was on his flank—his outer, right thigh. It was longer than Dom's and Dare's, with a shaft that went down to his knee, making it clear that it was a spear, not some kind of dual-tipped dagger. And it looked magnificent on his muscular thigh, enhancing the length of his leg.

Dominic, standing directly before me, hid nothing about himself. His expression was eager and adoring, his hands open and reaching for me, and his mark not only announced who he was and what power filled him, but it also directed my attention to that piece of flesh that would soon join us. And not just physically. He said it all for them, without speaking a word.

“You've never looked more beautiful,” Darius said. “Naked under the moon.”

“Standing in a sacred circle of your power,” Declan added.

“Great Gods,” was all Dominic whispered as he stepped forward.

I went into Dom's arms because my body already knew him and it was almost a case of muscle memory. Plus, he stepped into the circle first. The other two flanked us, and my hands went to their chests even as Dominic kissed me. Instantly, something phenomenal swept through me and rushed into them. Something beyond my power and theirs. The force that sought to unite us was divine. A gift from a god. And I was surprised to find that I wasn't scared of it. Instead, I was grateful.

The men drew me down to the moss. Better than the finest mattress, the cool cushion of velvety growth cradled my back. Above us, stars glittered, dimmed only by the cotton-haze glow of the moon. Looking up at that soft globe, I understood why people worshiped it. But I wasn't one of them. Tonight, I would be worshiped. And I might do a little worshiping myself. But I appreciated the light.

Spreading my arms, I welcomed Darius and Declan into my embrace. Darius sought my lips as Deck kissed the column of my throat. I wasn't concerned with Dominic. He would do as he wished, and it would be—

I moaned into Darius as Dom lapped at my sex, not bothering with any lesser foreplay. Dominic groaned with me, the vibration heightening my pleasure. Closing my eyes, I could see waves of magic rushing inward from each of them. Love. Passion was there too, but love overwhelmed it. Three virile streams of love coursed through my body to connect with the well of bubbling emotion inside me. When they met, the four became one, and all of us cried out in bliss.

“Angel!” Dom gasped as he shot to his knees. “I feel you. I feel everything!”

“I need more!” I growled. “Give me more.”

Dominic met my stare with eyes that sparked gold. “You will have everything I am for as long as I live, Amélie. I swear it.”

“Now, Dominic!” I snarled.

“Oh.” He grinned as his hand trailed down his belly, along the path of his bident to the shaft below. He gripped himself and rubbed the tip through my wet flesh. “Is this what you mean?”

“Stop being a tease,” Darius growled and then dove for my breast.

I gasped as Dare's hot mouth sucked at my nipple and his hand massaged my breast, plumping it up toward him. He propped himself on an elbow and pumped his hips against my leg, rubbing an impressive erection against me.

“At least I'm not humping her leg like a dog,” Dominic said.

“Are you two fucking kidding me right now?” Declan snarled. “We're about to bind with our mate! If there is any time for you to can the bickering, it's now.”

I burst out laughing, and the men drew back to stare at me in horror. I laughed and laughed until tears filled my eyes and trailed down my cheeks. At last, I swiped away the tears and opened my eyes to look at each man for a few long moments, love pouring out of me. “This is absolutely perfect. Anything else wouldn't have felt like us.”

Dominic grinned and bent forward, over me. His cock found its home, but that wasn't his priority. His warm, hard body pressed into mine, forcing me to feel the differences between us. His solid pecs on my soft breasts. His flat stomach against my gently rounded one. And his manhood against my womanhood. The feel of masculine power against feminine made my mind reel, but Dom steadied me with his lips on mine.

The pleasure was there, and it was astronomical, but over it came joy and love. The two bubbling emotions flowed between us, within our mouths and over our tongues. Swept back and forth like a piece of candy. Our lips brushed together, and then he eased back to stare at me.

“Thank you, angel,” Dom said.

“For what?”

“For being my hero.” He winked at me. “You're saving me again.”

“This time, you're saving me too.”

Dominic brushed our noses together, then eased down my body to give my sex one more brief kiss before he rose to his knees. He glanced at the other men and nodded. But that was unnecessary. I could feel all of them. The magic was building and with it came a harmony of motion that included me. There was no fighting now, not even light teasing. We all felt the weight of what was about to happen.

As Dominic slid into me, I turned toward Declan. He moved to meet me, his pale shaft seeking my mouth. Meanwhile, Darius filled my left hand and went back to sucking at my breast. Connection. That's what it was about. Intimate connection with all three of them at once. It didn't matter who was where or how I held them. Only that our bodies joined physically and our hearts melded metaphysically.

I cried out around Declan's flesh even as he pumped over my tongue, his plum tip pushing at the back of my throat. He was bigger than Dom, but it didn't matter. Rapture grabbed my body and shook it like a tree. If I had leaves, they would have fallen. Every last one. As it was, my barriers broke and scattered, clearing the way for the magic to take root. As I burst into pieces of ecstasy, the men filled and covered me with their potions—Dominic in my womb, Declan in my mouth, and Darius across my thigh. It should have felt base, but I was over the concept that true love only happened between two people. What we had was holy. Sanctified. We trembled through the rapture and revelation together, then went still.

Panting, the men eased away, but only to fold more comfortably around me. Declan and Darius held me between them while Dominic laid his head on my belly and stretched out. Magic pulsed through every cell of my body, reminding me that although my flesh may be temporary, my soul had come into this body for a reason. For this. Union. Pleasure. All that the physical could offer. Joy, love, adventure. Even pain. Because the pain, like salt, enhanced the sweet.

And this flesh wasn't as temporary as it once was.

I could feel the renewal in my bones. The healing running through my blood. The divinity. I wasn't a goddess, but I had the magic of a god inside me now. And I didn't even need a mark. Although, my hounds had marked me in their own way.

We snuggled in bliss, sighing and kissing each other, until Declan lifted his head and said, “We obviously need to do that again.”

“We can't have our mate thinking we have no control,” Darius agreed.

“Oh, she already knows I can last,” Dom said. “And this night is just getting started. On your knees, angel. I want your ass next.”

“Oh, fuck no,” Darius growled. “You already got her pussy. You don't get to choose where you go next.”

“Her mouth was amazing,” Declan said.

“Yes, I know,” Darius said. “I felt your pleasure. But I'd like to experience it firsthand.”

“Now, I'm confused,” Dom said. “Are you arguing with me because you want her ass or her mouth?”

“I think he wants her pussy,” Dec said.

“It doesn't fucking matter what any of us wants. It's what our mate wants that's important. She decides,” Darius growled. “Angel, how do you want us?”

“Oh, now you're playing Mr. Chivalry?” Dominic rolled his eyes. “Have you already forgotten that she's bound to us now? Amélie knows I'm the most considerate lover out of the three of us. You're a dick.”

I burst out laughing again. As I laughed, I prayed that it would be like this forever.