Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Emilia

I f the circumstances she found herself in were not so dire, Emilia might have laughed at the response of her two lovers when she declared she would flee without them. Both men leapt to their feet, talking over each other, gesturing wildly. How she loved them both for desiring to save her. But because she loved them, she couldn't let them do that.

" Please ," she said sharply, and their arguments stopped at her tone, which she gentled. "Please. I know you both feel a desire to help me. But to do so would be a sacrifice of yourselves. Wren, you have built a large clientele of influential and powerful people who come to you. And Aiden, you're a sought-after barrister. If you took me as your responsibility and fled, you would both lose everything. And Wilburn would do everything in his power to discredit your names far and wide even if he couldn't find us."

"Do you think that matters to us?" Aiden asked.

"It matters to me ," Emilia said softly. "I would be brokenhearted if I knew I'd destroyed what you both worked so hard to create. That was never what I wanted for you two."

"Emilia," Wren said, crossing to her, catching her hands in his. "We've said it so many times to each other since being reunited, but it seems you need to hear it again. Aiden and I love you. We love you and being together again is like magic. We won't lose it again."

"But magic disappears on the wind, it's not…it can't be real," she whispered, and it broke her already broken heart to do so, especially when both men flinched. "Please, Wren, Aiden, don't…don't make this harder than it must be. Let me go. Let me go and move on with your lives so that I know that you two were still…together. Were still prosperous."

She could see Wren wanted to argue and he opened his mouth to do so, but Aiden stepped up. He pressed a hand to Wren's bare forearm. "Wren," he said softly. "If this is what Emilia wants, we can't force her to live the life we would choose for her."

Emilia almost collapsed in relief at Aiden's final acceptance of the way things had to be. But Wren stared at him, his expression a mix of betrayal and heartbreak. "You can't mean that."

"I do," Aiden said quietly, then he turned to Emilia. "If Wilburn is preparing something worse than he's already done, we must move swiftly in your escape from the country. Go get dressed, love. And Wren and I will work on a plan together."

She smiled at him, grateful on some level that he could be calm when she needed him to be. Even if it resulted in such pain. Hers, as well as theirs. But if there was one thing she had learned in the years since she'd first lost these two, life was sometimes pain. And at least this time she would have wonderful memories when they were parted.

She could only hope that would be enough.

* * *

Aiden

A iden felt Wren's anger toward him pulsing like a heartbeat, but he said nothing until Emilia slipped into the bedchamber and quietly closed the door behind her. Wren pivoted then and speared Aiden with a glare.

"What the fuck are you doing? How could you tell her that she should leave without us after everything we've been to each other these past few days?" Wren asked in an angry whisper so that she wouldn't hear their argument.

For a moment Aiden only looked at him, taken in, as always, by the beauty of this man's face, even in anger. His dark blue eyes were alive with the emotion, his hands trembled at his sides and there was a flush to his cheeks that was very like the flush that spread there when he was at the heights of pleasure. And oh, how Aiden loved him.

"Look at me," Aiden said.

"I am!" Wren snapped back, folding his arms across his chest.

Aiden moved forward and placed a hand on Wren's forearm, just as he had done earlier when they were talking to Emilia. He looked up into Wren's eyes. "No. Look at me. See me. Do you really think I want to let her leave? That I believe that's truly the answer?"

Wren took a shaky breath and his expression softened as he stared at Aiden. "No. I know you don't. I know."

"And she doesn't want to part from us, either. She wants to protect us from what she thinks is a hopeless situation. From destroying us."

"Yes," Wren said. "Because she is her. And she's perfect."

Aiden nodded. "She's spent the last seven years without any control. Without any hope. I don't want to be another man who takes that from her. Do you?"

"No." It was said with no hesitation. "But if you don't want this to end this way, what are you truly proposing?"

"We need to help her see that this isn't hopeless. That leaving…leaving together…is the start of something new and wonderful, not the end of it. That we'll survive it in every way that's meaningful and get to start the life that we should have always been able to lead together."

Wren stared at him for a moment and then his hands came up to cup Aiden's face. For that moment, there was nothing else in the world but the two of them and the way Wren's mouth lowered down toward his. They kissed, at first gentle, loving. Then with more passion as their tongues tangled and Wren's fingers slid into his hair.

When they parted, Aiden was a little dizzy and leaned on Wren with a smile. "The things you do to me."

"Nothing more than what you do to me," Wren said, and pressed his forehead to Aiden's gently. "So, my brilliant Aiden, what is your suggestion? Lead me into whatever plan you're formulating in your head to keep Emilia safe and allow us to be together."

Aiden kissed him once more and then backed away so he could actually think. "The best place we could go is Athawick."

"You mentioned it before, when you spoke of what you've done during our time apart. It's an island country, yes?" Wren said.

"Yes." Aiden smiled. "Have you ever been?"

"No," Wren admitted.

"I have. I attended with the Prince and his entourage during a tour there, as well as helped with some of the business arrangements between the two countries when the royal family came here."

Wren's eyes went wide. "By God, you have built yourself up. Why didn't I know this in my research?"

"Because the matter was very sensitive, I suppose," Aiden said. "And it was secret, so not even such a curious mind as yours could uncover it."

Wren smiled at him. "I'm proud of you."

Aiden felt himself blushing at that soft, yet powerful compliment coming from the lips of one of the only two people whose opinion actually mattered. "Thank you. The whole time I was there, enjoying the beautiful beaches and wonderful villages and people, I wished you and Emilia were with me. I could so easily picture us living in one of the colorful houses there, cozy and happy."

"And you have connections there," Wren said. "Powerful ones."

"I enjoy a sporadic correspondence with the current king. He was Prince Grantham when I visited and we worked closely together during our time. He is transitioning his government to a democracy, if you can believe it."

Wren's eyebrows went up. "I see. How egalitarian of him."

"He truly is." Aiden smiled. "And not terrible to look at either."

"Don't make me jealous," Wren said, but he was teasing if the brightness in his eyes was any indication.

"Not as handsome as you, I promise," Aiden said. "He's occasionally asked me for my assistance and has extended an invitation for me to visit many times, so we would be welcome there. Protected. And if we went, there would be other advantages."

"Such as?" Wren asked.

"Athawick is well known for its more…shall we say, liberal view of love and sex," Aiden said. "Three lovers living together might not be common even there, but it will surely meet with more acceptance. We could live in the open, unlike here or in the former colonies or on the continent."

Wren swallowed hard. "Live openly," he repeated. "I…I never thought…"

"I know. But it's possible."

Wren was silent for a long moment. "Then Athawick it is."

"Good," Aiden said with a sigh of relief, but also worry. "I only hope we can make it there. We would have to sail from London. And it's clear from what Huntington told us in his letter that Wilburn is still on the hunt for Emilia. Returning could be very dangerous and sailing even more so."

Wren nodded. "If you can provide us with the spot to go, perhaps I can help with the protection and cover."

Aiden tilted his head. "How?"

He was surprised that Wren's lips quirked a little. "I have connections, too, my love. Just ones that are a little different than your own."

Aiden arched a brow. He wasn't accustomed to this tone from Wren. "Why do I feel like you're going to take us into a lion's den?"

Wren tilted his head back and laughed. "Well, perhaps it is that. But I think the lions I have in mind might be just the weapon we need."

Aiden still wasn't certain he liked the idea of lions, but asked no further questions. "I trust you. Just let me know where we need to go. I can arrange the transport."

Wren reached for him and tugged him in, folding his strong arms around Aiden and holding him tight. Aiden relaxed into his warmth, his strength and realized how much he had needed this over the years. How happy he was to have this man back in his life and his arms.

And now they just had to convince Emilia that she, too, belonged with them. That their love was a risk worth taking and a future worth grabbing.