Chapter 53

"Zorander's asleep." I closed the door to the darkened bedroom, my nerves tightening as every eye fell on me, Tavion on his back in bed with the sheets pulled up, Raz by the fire, Tristan reading over in the far corner as if that buffer of space came naturally.

"He passed out the second his head hit the pillow."

"Not surprising since he's completely drained," Raz murmured, reflections from the fire dancing in his eyes. "Zor's lucky to be alive. We all are."

"We are." I closed my eyes for a minute, letting that fact sink into my aching bones.

"Come to bed, Anaria," Tavion murmured, the gentle plea lacking his usual arrogance. "Let us take care of you."

I couldn't move. "I just doomed an entire realm," I told them quietly. "Probably doomed everyone who couldn't escape in time." I looked at the soft bed, the warm, crackling fire, and the males I loved.

"I feel…This feels wrong. To have all of this when there are people running for their lives."

"First of all." Raziel pushed to his feet, his body a whip of solid muscle. "None of that is your doing. None of it. You have done everything to free these realms. To make things better for everyone. Corvus and Gelvira…they're the monsters, not you."

Then he was right in front of me, cradling my face in his big, calloused palms. "Never you, princess."

"Still doesn't change the facts, Raz. Three realms are about to fall into ruin because I changed the power structure. Me. Not someone else."

"Stop." Tristan's sharp rebuke cut through the noise in my head. "Stop going out of your way to make this your fault so you can gain some control over a fucked-up situation. You have acted out of kindness to make this world a better place. Some bad shite happened because the gods are power hungry fucks. That does not mean you orchestrated any of this. You are good for this world, Anaria. You are good for us."

Tristan closed the book on his lap. "We are alive because of you, and celebrating being alive is a joy I will not allow you to deny yourself."

"Well, who thought a wyrm would become the voice of reason around here?" But Tavion's grin was tempered with something else—worry, I realized, his green eyes raking over me, cataloging every detail of my misery.

He patted the bed. "Now stop agonizing and come to bed. Let us take care of you, Anaria. Let us make love to you."

Maybe it was those words—make love—that softened my sorrow over today's debacle. Or maybe it was the gentle invitation in my mate's eyes, in the way Raziel cradled my face like I was something precious and lovely.

"Okay." The horror that cemented my spine into a hard, rigid line faded enough for me to relax into Raz's embrace, to let myself feel something after spending these past days locked down in some cold, dark place.

Raz's warm hands slid over my shoulders and down my arms. Slow, like we weren't in any hurry at all. "You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. You've had my heart, princess, ever since you burst into a rough hunting camp and begged us to go face certain death to save your friend." His lips were so warm pressed against my forehead.

"That is who you are. That is the queen we love. Who we will serve until the very end of time. We are yours, Anaria." He slid the too big shirt down over my shoulders, those lips finding every inch of revealed skin. "And you are ours."

His whispered words were a boon to my soul, a wash of calm that erased the last of my unsettled thoughts. I leaned into him, drinking in his strength. "I'm yours." I nipped at his bottom lip then pressed my mouth to his.

Gods, he always tasted so good. I could never—would never—get enough.

He dragged the shirt the rest of the way off then palmed my arse through the thin breeches, walking me backward toward the bed. I didn't care, too busy devouring his mouth, too focused on his hard muscles bunching beneath the shirt.

"Get this off." I tugged at his shirt, his mouth grazing down my throat. "I want to feel your skin against mine."

He answered by dumping me unceremoniously onto the bed. "What about my skin, wife?" Tavion pulled me up against his chest, Raz crawling between my legs to tug the breeches off, a crooked smile on his face.

"Gods, I've wanted to do this for hours." He pressed his face to the inside of my thigh and took a deep breath, one finger dragging through my wet folds. "Days. You know what I want, Anaria, and you smell so fucking good."

Tavion slid his fingers beneath my chin and turned my face up to his, his tongue sweeping in, filled with the cold, clean taste of winter. Our mouths moved together, sweetly then urgently, the kiss growing more demanding, Raz's warm breath dusting the tops of my thighs when he dropped to his knees.

He had me moaning with the first lick of his tongue, one wide, hard swipe that was all business, his lips wrapping around my clit, tongue lashing before he started all over again.

Tavion broke our kiss then stilled against me, chin resting on my shoulder as Raziel lapped my pussy, both of us watching his dark head moving between my pale thighs. I reached out a hand, tangling my fingers into Raz's silky hair, my hips bucking up to meet his probing tongue.

"Stay still." Tavion pressed his teeth warningly into the side of my neck. "Stay still and let him taste you. How does he make you feel, Anaria? Are you wet for us?"

"Yes." The word hissed out of me.

"Yes, what?" Tavion's teeth sank in deeper, this time with the sharpness of fangs.

"Gods, yes, I'm wet for you."

"And?" His dominating bite, that pinch of pain, went straight to my clit.

"And I want you to fuck me."

"All of us?"

"Yes. All of you." I writhed against Tavion's hold, against Raz's hands banded around my thighs, holding me open as he licked my throbbing core, and when his shadows wrapped around my ankles, I gushed into his mouth.

Raz slid a finger into my backside, plunging deep, stars dancing like mad against my eyelids, my moans turning to gasps as he dragged more wetness back there, between my cheeks.

"He's getting you ready for me, Anaria. Nice and stretched since I've never had your tight, little arse before. I'm going to claim you so hard you are going to scream my name until your throat is raw."

"Yes," I panted. "Gods, yes, that's what I want."

Both of them. I was about to have both of them inside me, moving. Claiming.

"Oh gods." I twisted and bucked as Raz worked another finger inside, scissoring them before adding a third. I was so damn aroused I couldn't stop moving, my body seeking some kind of satisfaction.

Raziel growled against me, his tongue swiping up through my pussy one last time, deliberately slow as I watched, Tavion's teeth pinning me in place. But I knew my mate was watching too, his heart racing as fast as mine.

"You are going to ride Raziel. Once you've worked that big cock of his inside you, I'm going to take your arse. Tristan gets your mouth, princess, and I expect you to put that tongue to good use."

Eyes half closed, I licked my lips, lost in his wicked words, in the scene he painted in my head. My body was one big knot of achy need, throbbing for them to fill me up.

Raz rose up before us, dropped his trousers, kicked them away, and laid on his back, Tavion finally letting me go. Tristan moved closer, his chest heaving as he watched us.

"Straddle him, princess. I want to hear you moan when you take him." Tavion nudged me across the bed. My movements were sloppy in my desperation to scramble on top of him, my core aching to be filled.

I was astride Raz in a heartbeat, fingers circling the base of his cock to position him against my entrance, soaking his crown in my juices before I sank down, so, so slowly impaling myself on his thick length.

"Gods." I tossed my head at the invasion, at the fullness. "Gods, you feel so good, Raz."

"Fuck, Anaria." Raz arched against the bed, eyes pinned on my face. "You are so tight."

I took him in deeper, moaning at the size of him, curling my palms against his pecs as I took him inside me in one long, smooth slide. I wiggled my hips when he was fully seated, and he groaned, digging his fingers into my hips.

Tavion rose up behind me, dragged his cock through my wetness, then splayed his hand between my shoulder blades and gently pressed me down onto Raz's chest. "Deep breath, love. I'll go slow."

He pressed in, massaging my clit as he took me, balancing pleasure with pain.

I whimpered, savoring the stretch, the fullness of holding them both inside me at the same time. Little by little Tavion thrust his cock into me, my gasps turning to moans, and then I was trying to press back, to take more of him, only to be held firmly in place by Raz's arm tightening around my lower back.

"Be a good girl and stop moving, love. Let him set the pace," Raz warned softly. "Soon enough you'll get what you want."

I mewled. I wanted more.

I wanted everything, and I was tired of waiting.

"Gods, you are so tight." Tavion stroked his hand down my shoulder. "You feel so good, so fucking good." Every word panted out of him. Beneath my cheek, Raz's heart raced and raced, his cock thickening inside me until I was bursting.

"You're doing so good," Raziel praised as Tavion finally seated himself inside me, his hips pressed against my backside. "You're squeezing me so hard it's all I can do not to explode, Anaria."

Gods, this was overwhelming in the very best way, but…

I opened my eyes. Tristan was outlined by the hearth's blaze like a fire god, flames licking around him in an aura of pure gold.

"Join us." I ran my tongue over my bottom lip. "Please."

He prowled closer, already naked, cock bobbing, the end glistening with wetness while he pumped himself, eyes glittering as he closed the distance between us. Raziel let me go, fastening his mouth over my nipple, his rough hand palming my other breast as Tavion guided my head to Tristan's cock.

With a groan, he pushed inside my mouth, tasting like pure energy.

Then they began to move, and I got lost in a sea of sensation, of fullness and taste, of fingers and hands and tongues, licking and stroking until I was about to explode.

That place beneath my heart fluttered like something was coming alive, that strange empty place filling with power until I overflowed.

"Fuck," Tavion groaned as he pounded into me. "I can feel you, Anaria. Inside me. I feel you."

Stars danced around us, thick as glowbugs, hanging in the air, twinkling in the firelight. They clung to Tristan's hair, making him look like he was crafted from pure light, his fingers cupping my cheeks.

"Anaria, Anaria, Anaria," he chanted, his whole body going still and taut above me, his release filling my mouth and spilling down my throat. I drank Tristan down, tasting his pure pleasure as I shattered.

Release was a tidal wave, a crash of cosmic power dragging ecstasy in its wake, rolling and rolling like thunder through my core, my bones, the blood in my veins. Tavion growled behind me, his fingers still teasing every last bit of pleasure out of me as Raziel's body bowed up beneath me and he came with a shout.

For one perfect second we rode that same cresting wave, and I could feel that connection, feel their pleasure, before everything faded away.

We collapsed to the bed, tangled into a mess of sweaty limbs and panting breaths, Tristan climbing in beside us, worming his way into my arms.

I folded him against me, wishing I could freeze this moment in time and keep them with me forever. My fingers trailed over his smooth chest until I found a rough, raised ridge.

A ridge?

I lifted my head and peered down at my fingers outlined by black.

Tristan's mark was huge. Darker. Raised, like one of those blighted vines.

My gaze lifted to his face, to the look of guilt there. "Anaria…" he said warningly.

I pushed up. "How long?" I turned, shoving at Tavion's shoulder until he sighed and rolled onto his back. His was even bigger. Even darker. Even more raised.

"When did this happen?" There was a definite edge of hysteria to my whisper. "How long were you planning to keep this from me? How fucking long?"

"Forever, if we could have," Tavion grumbled. "The marks are immaterial. They don't matter."

"Why?" Hysteria turned to desperate pleading. "You should have told me." Their eyes avoided mine. "Why didn't you tell me this was happening?"

"Because we knew you'd blame yourself." Raziel circled me with his arms, and when I turned, his mark was the darkest of them all, raised like old, gnarled roots, smaller black veins stretching out from the symbol which had grown so twisted I could barely tell what it was.

"I should blame myself because this is my fault. I never should have let you come with me yesterday. You should have all stayed here. I thought…" I sucked in a sloppy breath. "I thought I was protecting you."

"You did. You do." Tristan pulled me back down. "You protect us every day with everything you have. But the magic connects us, and we know the cost when you use your power. We all accept that fate, we always have."

"That's not good enough." My throat closed up, tears burning my eyes as I shoved hard at his shoulder. "Not good enough."

"It's done," Raz said gently, laying his hand on my back while warm, soothing magic flowed into me, my eyes fluttering closed no matter how much I fought. "You are our treasure, Anaria. We exist only to serve you. If this is the price we pay for that, then so be it."

Earlier, I'd wished none of them would ever pay the cost for my actions.

Little did I know, they already had.

I wanted to tell them I never wanted them to suffer for me, but sleep took me before I could utter a single word.