Chapter Nine

Daphne held the hands of her mates as they walked down the darkened beach. She had to keep reminding herself to breathe as excitement filled her core. Her lovers were taking her to Paladin. They sprang the news on her early that morning by waking her from her sleep.

“Dear one, it is time to wake,” Iarl had said gently.

She turned with a soft sigh. “Why aren’t you in bed? It’s early.”

“We have someplace to take you.” Skard’s voice was husky.

Daphne opened her eyes, sleepily searching for his face in the dim room. “Where?”

“Paladin,” they said in unison.

That woke her up instantly. “No way, no way! How, when?”

“We got up to speak to Hawke, he is on his way here from London,” Iarl answered. “We were given leave to take you there and present you to our king as our mate before this battle finally begins.”

Daphne literally bounced in the bed. “Do I need to pack?”

“No, we leave now, we will be back by nightfall.” Skard held out his hand. “Ready to see our home?”

“Yes, a thousand times yes.”

She put her hand in his, and he pulled her into his arms for a swift kiss, before it was Iarl’s turn and he tasted her lips. She dressed in a sweater and jeans and then hurriedly pulled on socks and sneakers before heading out. Raven met them on the stairs with a cup in her hand. Iarl told her where they were going and to pass the message on to Raul and Gaerar. After Raven wished them well, they were on the way. Skard maneuvered the large truck toward the beach where they first met. There, as they walked down the beach, the twins discarded their clothes as they walked and stuffed them in a large pack they hid behind an outcropping of rocks.

“Should I need to get naked too?” Daphne asked. “Because I will if I have to.” It didn’t bother her in the least if she had to get buck-naked. They had both seen her body, and she was ready to go.

Skard laughed. “Unless you plan to take dragon form, no. This is for us, we can only go through the portal when our dragons are free.”

“We must tell you, the wives of our warrior brethren say it feels like heat and electricity along your skin for humans,” Iarl told her. “I want you to know everything beforehand so you aren’t afraid.”

Daphne looked up at him and grinned. “We get into archeology to learn about other cultures. We all want to be Indiana Jones and have adventures. If this doesn’t count I don’t know what does.”

“Who is this Indiana Jones?” Skard asked.

“We’ll add him to the list of movies we need to watch.” Daphne laughed.

She watched as the two men who she marveled at every day embraced their second nature and their identical dragons broke free. Each time Daphne saw them it left her breathless. She didn’t think she would get used to the beauty that lived within them as dragons or the kindness of their hearts. Iarl nudged her onto Skard’s back, and she nodded when she felt secure. When they took to the air, she gasped as the cool air hit her face, and she heard the slow sound each time they flapped their wings to take them higher into the sky.

At first she didn’t see what they obviously saw until she squinted. It look like a sliver of cloud in the sky, but as they got closer, it seemed to shimmer and change. Iarl cast a glance back to her as she rode on the back of his brother. With two huge flaps of his wings he headed toward the cloud and in an instant was gone. She wanted to close her eyes as they followed Iarl, but she didn’t dare. Daphne wanted to see it all, and as they went through, the light was almost blinding. Other colors danced in the light, and everything seemed to me moving so fast she couldn’t keep her eyes on one thing.

Her skin felt like every hair was standing on end, and the energy of the portal danced along her skin. Never in her life had she dreamt something like this existed, and yet here she was. The portal ended unexpectedly, and they broke through into blue skies and another world. Daphne marveled at the houses below them and the tall white spiral that sat in the center, reaching up to the sky.

The twins descended and landed in grass. She slid off Skard’s back in awe and bent down to pluck a blade of grass beneath her feet. It was the color of lavender and soft between her fingers. Daphne gave a soft laugh and lifted her head to the sun for a moment. She opened her eyes and saw the tall mountains with crystal clear waterfalls cascading down the rocks, like diamonds catching the sunlight. In the sky other dragons of various colors flew, and she knew it wasn’t a dream. Iarl and Skard shifted back to their human form and from close by took a red cloak to drape over their bodies.

“This is amazing,” she said breathlessly. “This... am I dreaming?”

“No, dear one, you are not,” Iarl said with a smile. “Come. We’ll go to the castle and meet our king before we show you home.”

Daphne marveled at everything as they walked through the main town. The houses and the market reminded her of fairytales combined with Viking folklore. They came to a palace of white stone and the tall spire she had seen in the distance. It was huge, massive compared to anything she could conceive in her head. Together, with Daphne holding their hands, they walked up the stone steps under the cool arches. Daphnia heard children laughing, playing, music filtering in from outside. This was another world, one of peace and definitely beautiful, and she felt a pang of jealousy that the earth realm, as they called it, was nothing like this.

Finally, they approached a large room and Skard pushed at the door. Inside, she looked down the middle of the throne room to the huge sovereignty chair that sat there. On it sat the king, and she assessed the man as they moved forward. He was beautiful, rugged jaw line and raven black hair that flowed down his shoulders. The king looked like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Daphne knew it was actually two because the fate of his world and hers were directly tied. The twins dropped to one knee.

“My king,” they said in unison.

The king grimaced and got up from his throne. “I wish all of you would stop doing that, no one listens to me.” He clasped the brother’s arms in the way she now knew they greeted each other. “Nice to see you both.”

“Orin, where is the queen, the children, the wives?” Skard asked looking around. “The place seems empty, no sound of children playing in the halls.”

“It is,” Orin answered. “After Hawke brought word of what you found, and the lesser Shen’s ominous warning, we knew that there would be much more than even it knew. We felt it best to take the wives of the warriors, our children, and their human allies off world. They would be targeted more so than any other in Paladin. They are in London with Daisye until the battle is won. Only Michelle, Joy, and Kiara will be joining us at the safe house in California. I will leave with you when the moon rises.”

“My king, but Paladin is left defenseless and we cannot put you in danger...” Iarl began.

Orin put his hand on Iarl’s shoulder. “I will fight with my warrior brothers like we did when this first started. Plus, Paladin will not be unguarded. Along with the new warriors will be three guardians. Larissa will have them protect our home while we fight for the earth realm, and she will be watching both sides.”

“Larissa?” Daphne asked Skard softly.

“She is the guardian sent by Odin from the lands of our forefathers,” Skard explained. “She was the wife of one of our brothers, killed by the Shen she birthed alone with the hybrid Joy. Joy is now mated to another of our brothers while Larissa became an ethereal warrior. She is the guardian and protector for Odin who protects us in a way.”

“Oh,” Daphne said weakly. “That’s all.”

His explanation made her a little faint, proving that while she thought she knew most things Daphne didn’t know anything about the universe at all.

“So who is this?” Orin asked, directing his attention to her.

“Sire, may we present our mate, Daphne. We would like your permission to be mated with her and for her to reside on Paladin with us,” Iarl announced.

“You’ve mated with both of them,” Orin asked. “Hmmm, we always wondered how that would work.”

“It seems our mating was much the conversation between our brothers and their mates.” Skard’s voice held a tone of irritation.

“Don’t get all huffy,” Orin said. “You two talk to each other in your heads and think no one notices. You’re like a club of two, and of course we wondered if you’d be mated as one entity or individually.”

“They’re two sides of the same coin, there wouldn’t be one without the other,” Daphne said. “I’ll take them both and love them with all my heart.”

“Then who am I to say no?” Orin grinned. “Go show your mate our world. We leave tonight.”

“Thank you, sire,” the twins said together.

“Yes, thank you, sire.” Daphne bowed her head to show her respect. After all, this was to be her new home, and she would have to learn the culture. The prospect filled her with excitement.

“My name is Orin, don’t get in the habit of calling me sire, or my liege and those shitty words,” he said with a grin before kissing her hand. “Welcome to Paladin.”

She nodded, and her lovers took her hand and led her back outside. She marveled at everything, even at the market when they stopped for food. Delicious breads and cheeses, roasted meats with fresh herbs carried in a large basket to the house they wanted her to see. The home they’d built was beautiful, stone and mortar built by hand. She touched the outer walls as they went up the steps, and Daphne noticed that actual seashells were mixed into the mortar of the walls. Inside, the structure was no less beautiful; wide rooms with tall windows that let in the sun.

Some of the windows had picturesque stained glass and others featured shutters akin to what covered the doorways. How wonderful it must be to not need locks or feel unsafe in your home. Every new revelation increased her marvel at Paladin. The kitchen, the bedrooms, everything was lovingly crafted and decorated, and she couldn’t help but feel as if it was home.

“This is our home, the one we built for our mate.” Skard kissed her neck.

She turned in his arms and hugged him tight. “I love every square inch of it.” She moved and embraced Iarl. “This feels as if it was made just for me.”

“It was,” Iarl said huskily. “We crafted this place thinking about a woman who would be able to love us both. The gods saw fit that it be you, and it is a perfect match.”

Skard came over with a goblet. “Have a glass of sweet wine while we get dinner on the table.”

Daphne took a long sip, loving the flavors of fruit she didn’t recognize combined with grape and honey. She met their gaze. “I think I’ll be hungry later.”

“Not now?” Iarl asked.

Daphne finished the wine and placed the goblet on a table close by. “When we’re finished christening that very large bed, I’ll be hungry.” She kicked off her shoes and took her pants off, leaving them on the floor as she walked away. “Are you just going to stand there? I don’t want to start without you.”

By the time she whipped her shirt from her shoulders and dropped it to the floor both Iarl and Skard were moving in her direction. The red cloaks they still wore were tossed carelessly aside, revealing their hard muscular bodies. Iarl lifted her all the while never stopping their forward momentum toward the bedroom.

His mouth descended to hers, and she moaned as Iarl speared his tongue into her mouth while he knelt on the bed. Skard took her from his sibling’s arms and placed her on the middle of the wide bed. The sheets felt as cool as cotton and sensual as silk beneath her back. While Skard kissed her senseless, Iarl moved her panties down her legs and pressed a hot kiss against her torso. Maybe it was the air in Paladin, had it already started to change her at a cellular level? She felt wild, uninhibited, and free.

Iarl slammed the door and removed his clothes with such speed that he almost ripped the cloak trying to get it off. He joined her and Skard on the bed, and as Skard bit the sensitive skin of her neck. Iarl was kissing her like his life depended on her taste. They became primal as the dragons that shared their skin, and she accepted it with her own need as sharp as the tip of a sword. Dear God, this is intense, the thought ran through her head quickly. She knew the feeling of desire she had for them but here on Paladin it felt so much more tangible. It was almost like a taste on her tongue. She never wanted fulfillment more or with such a savage need to be taken by her dragon lovers.

Iarl gave a low moan of approval as they moved to hold her. Their hands moved and caressed her skin, down her legs and cupped her sex. Skard nuzzled her neck, and she luxuriated in the sensations of being sandwiched between both their bodies. The heat of their naked skin slid against hers sensuously as they moved.

Iarl turned her to him and took her lips in a searing kiss, and Skard pressed open mouth kisses all over as he anchored her between them. She parted her lips under the onslaught, and Iarl’s tongue penetrated her mouth, tasting her savagely. Skard’s hands became urgent almost savage as he caressed her. Between the two of them in this house they’d built it was as if they needed to reassure themselves she was there and was theirs completely.

“I want to taste every inch of your skin, touched by the air on Paladin,” Skard whispered against her ear.

She tore her mouth away from Iarl’s and moaned wantonly before answering. “Taste anywhere you like, both of you can have your fill of me.”

“Our dear love, you are so delicious.” She shivered at Iarl’s words. “Promise you will be ours forever.”

“Forever and a day,” she promised.

Iarl trailed kisses down her neck and to the rise of her collarbone. Skard cupped her neck and brought her head back to him so he could taste her lips as well. His demanding kiss took over where his brother’s left off, and she felt the heat make her wet. Each brother cupped one of her breasts and ran their thumb over the pert nipple until it ached, and she moaned into Skard’s mouth.

“I need your mouths to take away the ache,” she gasped

Her lovers obliged, each fondling and arousing her at one of her breasts. She lay flat on her back and both leaned over her to take her nipples in their mouths. Iarl moaned as he sucked the tight bud between his lips. The men kept touching her until she was writhing between them. Daphne reached out instinctively to please them by taking their rigid lengths in her hand. They thrust their cocks between her grasp, and Iarl ran his hand down the length of her body before cupping her warm sex.

She cried out in pleasure and lifted her hips against his hand, seeking more. Together they never had any trouble igniting a fire inside her. Skard made her tremble as he kissed his way down her body to the soft skin on the rise of her sex. Her blood boiled, not from any fever, but from the desire they created within her. She moved quickly to her knees between them and looked at them lying prone, watching her intently for what would come next.

“What are you doing?” Skard finally asked in a husky voice.

“Deciding who I should taste first.” A slow smile spread across her face. “You are both equally tempting.”

“Please choose, we crave you equally,” Iarl pleaded.

“Very well,” she answered with a dramatic sigh.

She ran her hand down both their bodies to the erect shaft between their legs. Daphne stroked Skard’s rigid cock before kissing the tip and he lifted his hips in response. Then she turned to Iarl and did the same. Feeling his body shudder with anticipation, she didn’t make him wait. Daphne slid her tongue down his shaft and back up in delicious repetition and laved the head of his shaft. His guttural moans spurred her on, and she slid her mouth over the head of his cock and down the shaft.

“By the gods.” Iarl clenched his hands into a fist.

She used her tongue to enhance his pleasure, and Daphne cast a glance over to where Skard lay. He stroked his cock while watching her please him, and she moved to do the same to him. The both watched her as she pleased them both with her mouth. Skard trailed his hand down her thigh and then moved to her wet sex to tease her clit. She trembled and spread her legs wider so he could have better access and shifted restlessly, hoping to feel his fingers inside her.

As her desire grew, she tasted him with more vigor, and Skard pumped his cock between her lips. Daphne could take the first taste of his salty essence that pearled at the tip as he buried his fingers in her hair.

“Daphne, you need to stop,” he moaned.

He pulled her up to him and kissed her savagely. She felt his hand in her hair moving, tugging as if he couldn’t get enough of her taste or touching her. He flipped her on her back, and she lay against the soft bed as he continued to devour her lips. Iarl forayed between her spread legs, and there was only an instant of his breath against the sensitive skin of her pussy before he used his lips to do delicious things to her body.

A soft whimper escaped her under the onslaught of his mouth. Her body writhed, seeking more as Iarl teased the tight bud of her sex. Her release rose within her, a sweet ache that couldn’t be denied. Combined with Skard’s lips at her breasts, she heard a wanton purr and vaguely knew that it came from her. A low, guttural sound escaped him, and it went from slow and tempting to a savage conquest. Iarl sucked, teased, and penetrated her sex with his tongue until she could hardly stand it. Daphne pushed his head away, hoping to catch her breath and find her center. Iarl would not have any of it, and while Skard pinned her arms above her head, his sibling parted her legs savagely and took his fill.

Together they dominated her body, and it only made her more aroused. Iarl penetrated her with his tongue, and an orgasm rocketed through her suddenly, so fierce it made Daphne scream. He moved and Skard took his place, feasting on her as he made animalistic sounds of gratification. He wrung a cry from Daphne who arched against the heat of his mouth. It was Iarl now who had her hands pinned, and he also ravenously tasted and sucked at her breasts. Skard spread the lips of her sex apart so he could invade her with his fingers. The frantic rise of her need was so strong another release rocked through her and left Daphne breathless.

“Skard—Oh God Iarl!” She cried out the names of the men she loved, the ones who brought her such unadulterated pleasure.

She was blissfully limp by the time they wrung every cry from her and made her body tremble. She wondered if it would always be like this—being sexual satisfied by the twins. They could drive her body savagely until they were all spent or they could simply need the connection of making love and gently take her until they all found release. But each cry, each sensation or loving whisper, wasn’t for one more than the other; they equally earned her arousal. They both had her heart and love.

Skard moved up her body to kiss her, and she could taste her essence on his lips. Iarl positioned himself between her legs and a long, low moan escaped him while he sank his cock inside her. He pushed her knees up and back so he could watch himself penetrate her, and Skard lifted his head to gaze at their coupling as well. His next thrust sent him deep inside her wet sex, and they all moaned. She whimpered at the merciless onslaught as he pumped into her, driving them all higher as the need consumed them once more.

“More,” Daphne begged.

“You feel so hot around me, yes love, feel all of me,” Iarl said harshly.

Her body released a gush of fluid to herald the onset of another orgasm. She undulated her hips, driving both their releases to the brink. She felt the cascade of her orgasm swallow her, taking her breath. Iarl was over her, his body taut as he came, and he moved until every last ounce of pleasure was had.

“Hurry, please,” Daphne begged as Skard covered her. “I need you, too. I won’t feel complete until I have you.”

“You’ll have me, dear one.” Skard’s voice was filled with arousal, and she knew it was not only his but the sensations from his brother and watching her that fueled the burning need.

He sank into her with one fluid move, connecting their bodies, and Daphne gasped at the fullness once more. She couldn’t help the reflexive undulation of her hips as she tried to take more. Having Iarl and then Skard, or vice versa, was always a heady experience. Any inhibitions she had about being with two men were long lost since they became her lovers.

Iarl reached between their coupled bodies and rubbed her clit while Skard pumped himself deeply between her labia. As a trio, this went past sex. Something deeper bound them at a level where their souls meshed. It was the only way she could explain the intimacy they shared and knew she would find it with no one else. Daphne trembled as their movements became a frenzied dance that drove them to completion.

“I’m going to come,” she cried out.

“Yes, let me feel you,” Skard said harshly, and Daphne turned her face to his so he could kiss her deeply.

She gave herself over to the passion they unleashed, and the wave swept her away. The familiar knot of her orgasm tightened until she thought she couldn’t stand any more. Then the band broke, and the release blossomed over her body. Skard called her name, and his body tensed above her. His neck was arched and arms taut. Skard’s eyes closed with the euphoria of his release, and his red hair was wild around his shoulders. For a few seconds it was as if he was suspended in time. She looked at the beauty of him and that too left her breathless.

She made room for his body to fall, and the trio was sprawled on their backs on the bed. Their harsh breathing filled the room, each gasping for breath, earnestly trying to bring air into their lungs and stop their racing heart. She was completely sated but yet the desire for her dragon mates still throbbed beneath the surface.

An hour later, after dozing lightly, they ate. Iarl and Skard showed her the rest of the grounds, including the star fruit and golden apple trees. They had a small vineyard on the property and a large gazebo with wooden trellises covered with flowers. Beneath it was a table surrounded with matching chairs. She could envision a future that included hosting dinners or even a large family. Yes this was home.

The moon was high in the sky with a smaller moon close behind it when they finally left the house. Daphne stared up into the sky and marveled at the beauty of Paladin a night. Even the fireflies seemed to dance between the lavender grass and the trees with the purpose of being happy and free while children played without a worry or care. How she wished this kind of peace was possible in her world. King Orin waited for them at the portal entrance, and there she met the guardian Larissa who left three of the beings of light to guard the beautiful realm of Paladin.

The king was regal in his dragon form. As he rose to the sky she was enthralled as she watched him circle his kingdom once before heading toward the shimmering tear in the fabric that separated Paladin from earth. Daphne’s sadness at leaving surprised her, since she’d only been there for a few hours. But she knew they would be back after earth was safe. The mission was to protect everyone from the Shen and the destruction they would cause. Daphne saw her higher purpose was beyond the bones and the dust of the past lives she had tried to learn about. She was part of ensuring they would all have a future.