Epilogue

Six months later

Sigurn's agonized shout echoed through the air. "Fuck your traditions! Fuck!"

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Beside me, Ronan's chest lifted in a slow, deep sigh.

"It's freezing!" Sigurn yelled, his dark hair plastered to his head as he bobbed in the water of the Silver Sea. He'd been growing it out, and the long strands clung to his neck and thick chest. Cyra was going to die when she saw it. She and Lord Ulred had wed right after the battle, and she'd spent the past few months decorating Ulred's castle and teaching him how to eat at the table instead of standing over a cooking fire outside a tent.

Lord Estalar, who stood on my other side, turned and gave me a mild look. "This is going well."

I lost the battle with my laughter. My unladylike snort drew the attention of several other lords of the Winter Council.

I lifted my hand and offered them a tiny wave.

Expressions ranging from impassive to mildly annoyed, the lords turned their gazes back to the sea.

Estalar chuckled. "Don't you think you've scandalized them enough, Your Majesty?"

"They need it," I said.

Laughter lingering in his voice, Estalar returned his attention to Sigurn. "I won't argue with that."

We stood on the shore, where we'd spent the past hour watching members of the Winter Guard perform their annual mid-winter plunge. When I'd explained the tradition—which involved stripping nude and running into the coldest water in Ishulum—to Sigurn, he'd immediately turned to Ronan.

"I take it back. I don't want to lead the Winter Guards."

Ronan had looked up from reading his book near the window. "Fine, but you'll have to cut your hair."

Sigurn had clapped a protective hand over his growing locks. "Oh, I can't do that. It looks so good."

"His hair really does look good," I murmured as I let my arm brush Ronan's.

My husband made an appreciative sound as he watched Sigurn continue to sputter and curse. "It does, but please don't tell him I said so. For a man who cleans his teeth with the tip of his dagger, he's remarkably vain about his hair."

On my other side, Lord Estalar laughed again.

Smiling, I shook my head. "Sigurn only did that to mess with Lord Velador." Once my mischievous giant had discovered just how prickly some of the lords at court could be, he'd devoted himself to ruffling their feathers as often as possible. Velador was a favorite target.

"He's more uptight than you, Ronan,"Sigurn had said after our first banquet following our marriage. "I didn't think that was possible."

My smile grew as the memory of Ronan's scowl formed in my mind. A beat later, my body heated as I recalled how Ronan had exacted his revenge in bed later that evening. The past few months had been a whirlwind of sensual discovery. Just when I thought I knew everything about sex, my men showed me something new.

But we hadn't done everything. Not just yet. Of course, if the afternoon unfolded like I hoped, that would change. My heart sped up, anticipation snaking through me.

Moments later, Sigurn strode from the waves. Water poured off his body as he pounded from the sea, sand and curses flying. The Winter Guards who'd completed their plunge touched fists to their chests in salute. A few members of the Council did the same, slight smiles on their faces.

Gratitude spread through me in a warm wave. Sigurn was, to put it mildly, unconventional. No one in Winter could have ever expected a bearded, seven-foot-tall former human to share the throne. The shock had rippled through all of Ishulum. But Sigurn had a way of thawing even the coldest hearts. With every passing day, he owned another piece of mine.

He stopped before Ronan and me, ice clinging to his beard and a disgruntled look in his dark eyes. "I'll never be warm again."

I turned and pulled a blanket from a stack on the ground. "Yes, you will," I said, flinging it around his shoulders. I went on tiptoe so I could whisper in his ear. "Ronan and I have a surprise for you. It's waiting for us just down the beach."

Interest gleamed in his eyes as I drew back. "Is this a warm surprise?"

Ronan and I exchanged a look. I reached up and tugged an icicle from Sigurn's beard. "It might actually be too hot, my love."

The interest flared into something primal, and his voice went gravelly. "Lead the way, sweetheart."

Moments later, he gasped as he stared at the small wooden cabin tucked in the forest that bordered the beach. "It's…" He gulped, strong emotion shining in his eyes. "It's exactly like my father's place."

"Right down to the carvings around the windows," I said, slipping my hand in his. "Ronan and I know you miss Nordlinga. We thought maybe you could have a little piece of it here in Winter."

Sigurn said nothing as he stared at the cabin. The wind picked up, stirring the blanket he wore like a cape.

Doubt tugged at me, and I glanced at Ronan, who watched Sigurn with a little frown between his brows. "If you don't like it…" I began.

"Are you kidding?" Sigurn asked. He looked down at me, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "This is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me." A tear streaked down his face, and he lifted our joined hands and swiped at it. Then he wrapped his free arm around Ronan's shoulders and tugged him close. "Thank you," Sigurn rasped. "Both of you. It's perfect. But I don't really miss Nordlinga."

"You don't?" I asked.

Sigurn shook his head. "Raldor Strongarm will be a good king." He flashed a grin. "And the man has eleven children, so I think the line of succession is safe."

Ronan smiled. "And the elfkin will be safe."

"Yes," Sigurn said, love in his eyes as he looked at Ronan. "No more hiding. Raldor is a man of his word. He won't allow the elfkin to be hunted again."

I squeezed Sigurn's hand. "That is your legacy, my king. You left Nordlinga in good hands, and you protected your people." Things had turned out just about as perfectly as possible.

Well, with the exception of Mirella. After the battle with Lorsten, she'd asked Sigurn how he knew she'd been captured. When we told her about Rane Laruthian's visit, she'd paled. Before we could press her, she'd thanked Sigurn for his help and declared herself fit to travel by shadow. Despite Sigurn's protests, she'd done just that, striding across the battlefield and winking out of sight.

According to Ronan, messengers from Eftar reported Mirella was safe in her father's fortress at Purecliff. But Mirella's pale face lingered in my mind, and I couldn't shake the feeling that Rane's visit hadn't been as altruistic as he claimed.

"No gift will ever top this one," Sigurn said, pulling me from my thoughts. He gazed at the cabin before turning soft brown eyes to mine. "It's perfect. Thank you, my love."

"Well," I said, my heart thumping faster, "if you'd like to see the inside, I have something else to show you."

He must have heard something in my voice, because he tugged me in front of him and tipped my chin up. "More intricately carved woodwork?" he asked huskily.

Slowly, I shook my head.

Ronan stepped close and trailed a finger down my jaw, his hand brushing Sigurn's. "Why don't you give our husband a hint, darling."

Excitement and nerves twisted through me as I parted the halves of Sigurn's blanket and slid my palms up his hair-roughened chest. "You know how I said I wanted to have both of you inside me at the same time?"

Lust danced in Sigurn's eyes. "Yeah," he croaked. "You might say I've given it an unhealthy amount of thought."

My cheeks heated even as I released a shaky laugh. "Well, I'm…prepared for that scenario." I bit my lip, my face threatening to catch fire. "Ronan put a plug in me this morning before we left for the beach." My muscles tightened around it, and I couldn't suppress my moan. "It's been torture, Sigurn. If the two of you don't take me inside and fuck me right now?—"

My words cut off as Sigurn swooped me into his arms. His blanket fluttered to the ground, and his feet pounded over the last short stretch of sand as he thundered to the cabin. He elbowed through the door and strode to the bed.

"It's a little bit bigger than the original," I said as he settled me in the center of the mattress.

Ronan laughed softly as he stepped behind Sigurn and rubbed one of Sigurn's hard, round shoulders. "Trust me, love, Sigurn isn't thinking about furniture right now."

"Definitely not," Sigurn said, turning into Ronan's caress. Sigurn sucked in a breath as Ronan grasped Sigurn's straining dick and gave it a thorough pump. "Ah…fuck."

"Feeling a bit warmer now?" Ronan murmured, working his hand up and down Sigurn's cock.

Sigurn's eyes slid shut, and he tipped his head back as he thrust into Ronan's grip. "A little. After that torture swim, I thought my nuts might permanently withdraw into my body."

I laughed as I levered onto my elbows for a better view. Over the past few months, I'd discovered that watching my husbands pleasure each other could be just as satisfying as having them pleasure me.

Sigurn addressed me without opening his eyes. "Keep giggling, woman. Watch what happens when I keep that spoiled pussy of yours on the edge for an hour."

I bit my lip as a wave of desire blasted me. "Please don't," I said, my plea ruined by the moan that slipped out at the end. He'd done exactly that on more than one occasion, his hands gripping my ass and his tongue thrusting into me as I straddled his face. The memory of it pulled another moan from me, and both men laughed.

"I think our queen needs attention," Ronan said, releasing Sigurn's dick.

"Mmm." Sigurn climbed into bed, his cock bobbing. I got the briefest glimpse of a wicked smile before big hands seized my hips and flipped me onto my stomach. "Oil," Sigurn barked, yanking at my laces.

"Under the pillow," Ronan answered.

Sigurn gave a growl of approval. "Someone was thinking ahead."

I looked over my shoulder to see Ronan stripping in a blur of speed. "You're not the only one who's been thinking about this," he told Sigurn.

Shivers coursed through me. They were going to fuck me together—fore and aft. We'd done plenty of exploring. Experimenting. Sigurn liked to drive me wild with his fingers…and his tongue. But there was a big difference between a finger and a cock. Two cocks. Nerves prickled as Ronan, nude at last, gripped his shaft and stroked.

Sigurn yanked my dress down my body, then quickly gave my chemise and stockings the same treatment. When he peeled my drawers down, he stopped and released a groan that vibrated the bed.

"Gods, Liria, this is…" A finger stroked over the jeweled plug Ronan had pushed inside me. He prodded it, gently nudging it deeper. The faint squelch of oil teased my ears, and a combination of lust and embarrassment swept me from head to toe.

If the sound embarrassed me, it had the opposite effect on Sigurn. He grasped the plug and twisted, then pumped it gently in and out of my hole. "Oh fuck," he said, his voice low and rough. "Do you hear that, baby?"

"Fuck, yes, I do," Ronan said.

Between the endearment and the pressure in my ass, I almost came on the spot.

Thick, molten pleasure coursed through me, obliterating my nerves. Trembling, I thrust my ass higher, lost to pleasure and desperate for more.

"Yes," Ronan rasped. "Show us everything, brat. Go onto your knees."

The nickname, always a source of forbidden lust, was like a tongue licking over my aching clit. Whimpering, I went to my forearms and thrust my ass high.

Both men groaned. The sound of Ronan's cock shuttling through his fist grew louder.

"Don't come yet," Sigurn growled.

Ronan growled back, and it sounded wrenched from him. "What am I supposed to do with her pussy dripping onto the sheets right in front of us?"

Gods, I was dripping. My breasts swayed as I rocked on my knees, my arousal so intense it teetered on the edge of pain. I could only imagine what they saw—my damp pussy peeking between my legs and my cheeks split by the plug with its icy blue gemstone. Ronan had selected it from a shipment of toys he'd ordered from the Summer Court.

"It looks gorgeous,"he'd murmured, his oiled fingers working it deeper as he inserted it before we rode for the sea. "If I had my way, Wife, you'd wear this and nothing else." He'd licked and sucked my clit to orgasm after the plug was seated, but his efforts had only assuaged my need for a little while. By the time I'd watched Sigurn splash into the sea, I was so aroused I worried the rest of the court might scent my need.

"Please," I begged now, rocking harder. A hoarse cry escaped me, and tears of lust and frustration burned my eyes. "I've been like this for hours. I need to come."

The men sprang into action. In the blink of an eye, I straddled Sigurn with Ronan kneeling behind me.

"Get up here, sweetheart," Sigurn rasped, grabbing my hips and hauling me onto his face. I came with the first swipe of his tongue, my spine bowing and my scream hitting the cabin's ceiling. He growled and thrust his tongue hard against my clit, licking me precisely the way I liked. As the waves pummeled me, Ronan cupped my breasts from behind, his fingers pinching and lightly twisting my nipples and his deep voice murmuring praise in my ear.

"Beautiful," he said, his teeth closing over my earlobe. "You're such a good girl for us, darling, waiting so patiently for your fucking." He pinched my nipples as he pressed a gentle kiss to the side of my neck. "Do you think your little hole is ready for me?"

"Yes," I gasped, resting my head on his shoulder. If it hadn't been for his hands holding me up, I would have tipped over. Sigurn's tongue was far too skilled for me to stay upright without support. He eased off my clit as my orgasm faded, but he continued slicking his tongue around my opening and up and down my folds.

Ronan's lips curved against my neck. "I think our husband is enjoying your pussy a little too much, love. He's so greedy with it." Ronan's tone was teasing, but the statement was absolutely true. The three of us rarely passed a night without Sigurn feasting between my thighs—and once he got going, he wasn't keen to share.

He grunted now and kept licking, and he tightened his grip on my ass like he worried Ronan might try to take his toy away from him.

In response, Ronan smiled against my neck. "Be right back, love." His hands disappeared from my breasts, and I felt him maneuver between Sigurn's legs. A second later, Sigurn moaned against my pussy, and I knew Ronan had taken Sigurn's dick into his mouth.

Unwilling to miss it, I wriggled off Sigurn's face and turned to peer over my shoulder. Sure enough, Ronan's head bobbed in a steady rhythm, his lips stretched wide around Sigurn's spit-soaked cock.

Rough fingertips scraped my nipples, and I twisted back around with a gasp. Sigurn stared up at me with slitted brown eyes.

"I can't neglect these pretty tits, sweetheart," he said, plucking the peaks reddened from Ronan's fingers. As I gasped and braced my hands on Sigurn's chest, he swiped arousal from between my thighs and painted my juices over my nipples.

"Sigurn…" I moaned, another orgasm building. My pussy clenched at the sound of Ronan's mouth working up and down Sigurn's shaft behind me.

"Fuck," Sigurn whispered, reverence in his eyes as he toyed with my glistening nipples. "These are like ripe berries, sweetheart. So hard and pink. Bounce a little for me."

Whimpering, I obeyed, bouncing so my breasts jostled in his hands. My clit pulsed as my pussy smacked against his stomach, release barreling toward me. Then it was upon me, heady waves crashing down. I stopped bouncing and switched to grinding, my clit bumping over Sigurn's rock-hard abs. I squeezed my eyes shut and rode his stomach as I sobbed my release, my fingers curling into his chest hair.

When I was still fluttering back to myself, hands lifted me, and I opened my eyes to find myself positioned over Sigurn's cock. Ronan's chest pressed against my back, and his dick lodged between my cheeks, the shaft nudging the plug.

Sigurn's brown eyes were gentle as he held his wet, swollen cockhead against my opening. "Is this all right, sweetheart? Do you still want this?"

Was he serious? Shivering, I nodded. "More than anything." I looked over my shoulder, my cheek grazing Ronan's stubbled jaw. "I want you both inside me."

"We want that too." He kissed me, slow and easy, his tongue slicking over mine. When we broke apart, he slid oiled fingers down my cleft and gently removed the plug. The sensation of emptiness left me gasping and clenching, my muscles spasming.

"Here you go, love," Sigurn rasped, pressing the tip of his dick inside me. Ronan grasped my hips and pushed, working me onto Sigurn's dick. My pussy clamped hard, and Sigurn and I moaned in unison.

"Keep going," Ronan ordered, reaching around and spreading my sex with his thumb and forefinger. He looked over my shoulder, his gaze on Sigurn's cockhead spearing my entrance. "That's a good girl. All the way down."

I was so aroused, I had no trouble accommodating Sigurn's dick. But he was an enormous man, and his girth stretched me to my limit. When he was fully seated inside me, I swiveled my hips, getting used to the intrusion.

Sigurn let out a choked sound, then gave Ronan a meaningful look. "You need to hurry the fuck up."

"So bossy," Ronan said, dropping a kiss on my shoulder. "I think power and immortality have gone to his head."

A look of intense concentration spread over Sigurn's face, and his voice shook a little as he replied, "Another minute of Liria's hot pussy strangling my cock, and we won't have to worry about the immortality part. I might actually die."

Taking pity on him, Ronan guided me forward with a hand on my shoulder. Sigurn was ready for me, and he hoisted himself higher on the pillows as I rested my forearms on his chest. My nipples prodded his pecs, and his chest hair tickled my breasts, sending more shivers coursing over my skin. As Ronan drizzled more oil down my cleft, my nervousness flared back to life.

Sigurn's brown eyes missed nothing, and he brushed my tangled hair away from my face. "You're doing so good. You're perfect."

"She absolutely is," Ronan agreed, dragging his cock up and down my crack. He pushed the tip against my hole, and an entirely new kind of pleasure bolted through me. "Just relax, love. Breathe and bear down a little."

I did as he instructed, clenching my stomach muscles and rolling my hips back. His dick slipped farther inside me, and the pleasure whipped through me again, making my ass and pussy clench simultaneously.

"Oh, fuck," Sigurn moaned, his brow furrowing. "Oh, fuck, Liria, the things your pussy is doing to me."

"Yeah," Ronan grunted, thrusting deeper. "Just like that. Oh, good girl, darling." He gripped one of my hips with tight fingers and worked his cock deeper.

The pleasure spread like fire, waves of pure bliss rippling through me. My spine bowed, and I panted against Sigurn's mouth as Ronan's dick speared me, stretching my ass the way Sigurn's cock stretched my pussy. There was no pain—not even the slight burn that accompanied Sigurn's finger when he teased my ass. Ronan had taken extra care with me, and I felt nothing but pressure, fullness, and connection.

Tears gathered, emotion welling with my burgeoning arousal. The three of us were as close as we'd ever be, our bodies joined in love and intimacy. The pressure stole my breath. My inner muscles clamped hard, squeezing the cocks throbbing inside me. Ronan's hips met my ass, and he stroked a gentle hand over my hip.

"You did it, Liria," he said, his voice rougher than I'd ever heard it. "And you are so fucking beautiful like this." Another stroke over my hip. "Are you ready for your husbands to fuck you?"

"Gods, yes," I gasped. "I want it more than anything. Fuck me, please."

Sigurn grasped my jaw and kissed me, and they both started to move. I moaned into Sigurn's mouth, the heat and pressure pushing me over an edge I hadn't realized existed. Locked between them, I was a receptacle for their pleasure, my body open and slick. They left no part of me untouched as they fucked me in tandem, their dicks grinding against each other inside my body. My breasts mashed against Sigurn's chest. My ass shook as Ronan pumped in and out of my asshole. Sigurn's shaft grazed my clit, and his tongue thrust into my mouth.

We moaned together. Moved together, our bodies rocking in a seamless grind. Hands tugged at my hair and skimmed my thighs. Fingers traced my spine and circled the taut rim of my hole.

After a minute, Ronan leaned down. Hips working against my ass, he took Sigurn's mouth in a hot, aggressive kiss over my shoulder. The slick sounds of their tongues caressed my ear. Sigurn's beard brushed my skin. When they broke apart at last, Ronan threaded his fingers through my hair and turned my mouth to his. Heat built as I tasted Sigurn and my own arousal on his tongue.

They fucked me faster, dicks driving in and out of me. Ronan's thrusts grew too hard and fast to maintain the kiss, and I dropped my head to Sigurn's shoulder as pressure built between my thighs and Sigurn's shaft slicked over my clit.

"I'm gonna come," Sigurn mumbled. A second later, he wrapped his arms around me and drove his hips up and up, fucking me hard and fast. Then he was shaking as he pumped his hot release deep inside me.

Ronan's shout rang in my ears as he buried his dick in my ass and flooded me with seed. Sigurn scrabbled a hand between my thighs, found my clit, and stroked tight, hard circles.

I flew apart, my body shaking. The men held me, their deep voices murmuring soothing words as I came down.

I must have dozed, because I opened my eyes to a cabin bathed in twilight and clean sheets tucked around my nude body. Sigurn crouched before the hearth in nothing but a pair of leather pants, the muscles in his back flexing as he tended a bubbling pot. He'd tied his hair in a low knot, a few dark strands trailing over one shoulder blade. Ronan's chest was also bare, his long trouser-clad legs propped on the small table and his silver head bent over a book.

They were so perfect they took my breath away. And one day, and I wasn't sure when, I was going to give them both children. We'd fill Winter with pale-eyed sons and dark-haired daughters. The vision shimmered in my mind and heart, the certainty thrumming inside me like a vow.

"I love you," I blurted, sitting up.

Sigurn turned. Ronan lifted his head.

They smiled together, then rose together, the movements so coordinated I couldn't help but grin.

"I don't know how you two ever thought you could be enemies," I said as they came to the bed. They sat on either side of me, their bodies relaxed and their eyes shining with love that reflected my own.

"We never wanted to be enemies," Ronan said.

Sigurn grunted. "We were just too stupid to talk about our feelings."

"Men," I sighed. The aroma of spices hit my nose, and my stomach rumbled. "What are you making?" I asked Sigurn, and my heart swelled knowing Ronan had stocked the cabin's pantry with ingredients so Sigurn could cook.

"Secret recipe," Sigurn said, winking. "I hope you're ready for the best dinner of your life."

I shook my head, laughing. "You say that every time."

"Because it's true every time." He smiled one of his soft smiles, his dark eyes reflecting the fire. "Thank you for the cabin." He glanced at Ronan. "Being here, with you two… It's everything I ever wanted." He looked at Ronan, then stretched a hand across my legs and tugged on a lock of Ronan's hair. "I suppose I'll have to think of something equally impressive to get you."

"I don't need anything," Ronan rasped. He squeezed my knee as he curled his fingers around Sigurn's hand. "I already have everything I want."

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