Fire Princes' Bride

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Fire Princes’ Bride ISBN 9781419916793 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Fire Princes’ Bride Copyright© 2008 Rebecca Airies Edited by Nicholas Conrad. Photography and cover art by Les Byerley. Electronic book Publication June 2008 With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/) This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

FIRE PRINCES’ BRIDE Rebecca Airies

Rebecca Airies

Chapter One

Volirian Realm, City of Tasinic Tyral Forain, Prince of the Volirian Realm, sat in the large cushioned wooden chair at the end of a cavernous empty room. His brother Callan drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair next to him. Tyral smiled. All this time and that was the first sign of his brother’s impatience. Tyral had begun pacing shortly after they’d arrived in the small room. Their escort had tensed every time he’d stalked past him. Tyral had only returned to his chair a few moments ago. “Is there a reason the petitioners aren’t being led into the room?” Tyral tilted his head, a strand of purple hair falling over his shoulder. The nervous man who’d led them to the room stiffened and then smiled widely. “There aren’t any petitioners. No one has any complaints on Vinganis.” The very absence of any petitioners only reinforced the fact that something wasn’t right on Vinganis. On their way through the hallways of the High Lord’s hold, there had been a few clues. Gleaming walls and floors were something they expected, but this hold seemed devoid of life. He hadn’t even seen servants hurrying to do their duties. The calm quiet hallways and the distinct lack of activity didn’t assure them that all was well as the High Lord probably hoped it had. It only made them more curious. It was an ancient custom in the Volirian Realm for the people to be able to appeal to the Kings. The custom covered everything from complaints to the perceived injustice of a Lord’s judgment. Although their fathers still ruled the Realm, he and Callan had been attending to the more tedious of the duties, such as this round of visits to the various worlds in the Fire Realm. This duty involved visiting each world in the Realm once a year. On the last two worlds they’d visited, they’d spent days hearing the petitions. There had been lines of people waiting for their chance to speak with them. The lack of any complaints—even personal ones—bore a deeper look than they normally gave the chore. But they had known Vinganis would probably be a little different from the others. There had been rumors flowing through the court that the High Lord on Vinganis had been abusing his power. It appeared there was more to the story than just that. As had been custom since the first two Sobrin Kings had held the Volirian throne, Tyral and Callan waited throughout the day for petitioners to make an appearance. And not one person came through the doors to talk to them about even a minor complaint. The only people who did come into the room brought food and drink for them.

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We are definitely going to have to see what is happening here. Callan remained as he was, looking forward and drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair. His voice boomed into Tyral’s head on the link they’d shared even before they’d begun using words. Yes, we are. Tyral rubbed at his temples. His patience had been at a low point even before coming here. Not that he had an abundance of patience in the first place. The nonstop schedule of petitions had stretched it to the breaking point. This blatant tampering pushed him too close to finding High Lord Bellor of Vinganis and getting the answers out of him by any means necessary. As angry as he was, he’d enjoy a fight. He took a deep breath. This wasn’t the wild time of their ancestors. They weren’t savages. They didn’t attack without proof of the crimes. Now they got their proof first and then they dealt with their enemy.

***** The next morning they left the hold. Tyral frowned as they strolled down the street. Four guards had tried to accompany them, but they had stopped when ordered to stay. This little walk around the city might not answer all of the questions about just what High Lord Bellor had done, but they already knew one thing. The people were scared. He’d seen the fear on the faces of the men and women as they passed. It became clearer when they approached anyone. Without introduction, they all knew he and Callan were the Princes. It wasn’t all that strange. The petitioning day would have been announced. In addition, these people probably didn’t see too many Sobrin males. If he hadn’t wanted to talk to the people, he might have found their rush to get away funny. Everywhere they’d gone, it had been the same. They turned onto a street and everyone left it. He shook his head. They’d have to slip someone into the area to actually find out what was happening here. Whatever was being done here, it needed to be stopped. No one should have to live in fear. He followed his brother into a dark brown brick building. A sign hung over the door marking it as a tavern. For the most part it was just one huge room with tables scattered around the open area. A wide, scarred bar ran in front of one wall lined with shelves full of bottles. High wooden stools had been placed on one side of it. At first glance, the room appeared empty, but then he saw a young woman wiping down a table in a shadowy corner. They took a few more steps into the room. A door near the end of the bar swung open and a short, gaunt man strode through it into the main room, carrying a box of bottles. He’d gone behind the bar before he noticed the strangers in the room. The box crashed to the floor and a puddle of ambercolored liquid began to spread around his feet. The barkeep shook his head after a moment and managed to smile at them. “Hello, Princes. How can I help you?”

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Tyral stepped forward and leaned against the bar. “We were just walking around the city. Is it always this quiet?” The barkeep’s mouth opened and then closed. He cleared his throat. “There’s little excitement here. This is a peaceful province, Prince.” “So you have no complaints?” Callan moved closer and looked down at the man. “No, Prince, I have no com-complaints against the High Lord or the way things are done here.” The man went gray as he stammered his reply. Tyral nodded. No change here, brother. He’s too afraid to tell us anything. “Have you been threatened?” Callan narrowed his eyes as he loomed over the man. “No, Your Majesty.” The barkeep shook his head vigorously. Tyral noticed that the woman who’d been wiping down the tables was leaving the room. He nodded to the barkeep. “Thank you for answering our questions.” He and Callan left the tavern. They began wandering through the city. He knew they probably wouldn’t find anyone who would be willing to talk to them honestly. But they might spot something while they walked that could give them some clue as to what exactly was going on in the city. He felt the muscles in his stomach tighten and an electric thrill run up his spine. Something just didn’t feel right here. He couldn’t see anything out of place in the area. This quiet, deserted street seemed exactly the same as all the others they’d walked. It was too silent and looked desolate, with more than a few buildings in need of repair. They turned down a narrow street. Two shadowy figures appeared at the end of the street when they were almost halfway down the shadowed, dingy corridor. Tyral straightened, narrowing his eyes as the obscured forms simply stood there. He summoned an energy arc. He saw his brother stumble forward a moment before he felt heat surrounding him. He caught a glimpse of a whirling tunnel and then he was surrounded by the dark walls. Bright light slammed into his eyes as he was tossed from the magic portal. He landed hard on his shoulder and rolled across rocky unforgiving ground. Pain slashed into him, stealing his breath. As he came to rest, he groaned and clutched at his hurt shoulder. His anger rose, only increased by the pain. He felt Ahvin, his Elemental Spirit, stirring and rising. His mind focused. They had to get off this planet and find the Volirian Royalists who’d attacked them. He knew it was very likely the same group that had targeted their mother years before. Since failing, they’d quietly worked to stir dissent. Apparently, they’d decided to try something new. We’ll find the traitors. Ahvin’s voice almost thundered into Tyral’s head. The pain in his head increased. His Elemental was furious, he could tell. Only the thought of actually confronting those men kept him from materializing at that moment.

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“That was a trip I could have lived without taking. When we get back, I’m going to enjoy serving those men a taste of justice.” Callan levered himself into a sitting position and groaned as he looked around the area. Tyral froze as the words seemed to reverberate in his thoughts. Could live without taking that trip. The voice he heard in the echoing litany wasn’t his brother’s. It belonged to Advisor Nacain. The man was an advisor to their fathers and was known both for his wisdom and the accuracy of his sometimes eerily prophetic advice. He’d warned them that their trip wouldn’t go smoothly, but when they unexpectedly visited a planet to stay there. If they did, they’d find something valuable. They’d smiled and nodded and continued to get ready to begin the round of petition visits. They normally spent three to four days on each planet, two at a minimum. Even on worlds where the people were happy, people lined up to ask exemption from rules or for a judgment to be overturned. There wasn’t time for many diversions. We’re not staying here, Ahvin stated flatly. We’re going back and we’re going to find the men who did this to us. I didn’t come up with the idea on my own, Ahvin. Nacain suggested it. I’m personally not ready to walk away from what I think he expects us to find here. Tyral sensed the Elemental’s frustration and determination. Most of the time, the Fire Spirit’s straight, fast approach suited Tyral perfectly, but now he was focused on a far more important goal. Tyral propped himself on his elbows and grimaced. Patchy light streamed through the clouds almost covering the green sky above him. To his right, he saw a flat plain patched with thick groups of trees and stretches of grasses. To the left, he saw a wall of trees. The lush vegetation prevented him from seeing anything beyond it. He closed his eyes. “Callan, do you remember what Advisor Nacain said to us two days before we left Baezid?” Callan’s head swung around sharply. “What does anything Advisor Nacain had to say have to do with this?” He frowned at his brother. “This is an unexpected visit on our strict schedule.” Tyral rubbed his shoulder. It hadn’t been broken, but it was certainly bruised. “Damn, Tyral, do you really want to wait on this prison planet, to waste our time here? When we don’t make it to the next world on our list, our fathers will be notified. I for one am not willing to be ‘rescued’ by the Royal Guard when we can get off of the planet on our own.” Callan’s hand swept through the air as he leaned forward and glared. Tyral smiled. Usually, Callan was the patient one, ready to wait as long as necessary. Tyral readily admitted that. Most of the time, Callan wanted to wait while Tyral tended to rush through things. “And the something valuable, are you willing to let it go?” Tyral raised a brow and ignored Callan’s frown, totally unintimidated. 7

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If anyone other than Advisor Nacain had told him of an unexpected meeting, he wouldn’t have hesitated to leave, but Nacain had been right too many times. The thought of missing that special treasure, even though he still had no idea of exactly what it was, kept him from agreeing to leave immediately. That something valuable probably wouldn’t be gems or coins. It would be something much harder to find, much more precious than a material treasure. “We don’t even know what it is. And we could come back here for it.” Callan shook his head. “I can only think of one reason he’d tell us to stay here and wait. The something valuable must not be here yet. If we leave, when we return, it might not be here.” Tyral stood and then leaned down, offering a hand to his brother. Callan clasped his hand and came to his feet. “You think our finding it depends on letting the rest of the Realm believe we’re missing.” Tyral nodded. “As much as I don’t want to see the Royal Guards and be escorted back to Baezid like a strayed child, I’ll take the chance. As to letting them believe it, Nacain should make sure that our fathers don’t worry too much, especially since he gave us the advice.” Callan frowned and turned in a slow circle. “We’ll wait for a while, but not just here. This is too open.” Tyral nodded in agreement. “You do know that when we get back we’ll have to finish this round of visits at some point, especially when we explain our delay in returning.” Callan slanted a look at him. “I know, but I’m not going to anticipate the torture.” Tyral shook his head and began walking toward the forest.

***** Karissa Moshen of Tengan House pushed open the door and stepped onto the cobbled path outside the little tavern. She had taken four steps when a blast of sorcery slammed into her back. Magic sizzled over her skin with an almost blistering heat. Her Ice Spirit reacted immediately, sending a wave of cold energy through her and almost encasing her in a shell of ice to protect her from the burning wave. The impact of the magic hit her with the force of an avalanche. It stole her breath and threw her forward into a whirling vortex of enchantment. The feel of displacement as she careened through the whirling black and gray spatial tunnel was unmistakable and thrilling. The wild ride ended without warning and she was hurled from the tunnel. There was only an instant to realize the tunnel opened horizontal to the ground and then she dropped. She fell, landing hard on rocky unforgiving soil. Her bag slammed into her hip and then dropped to the ground beside her.

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She lay still for a moment, groaning as she felt the stone beneath her hip. That was going to bruise. She moved her arms and legs cautiously to check for injuries. Once she was sure she hadn’t broken anything, she sat up to get a better look at the area. She looked around and then up at the pale, green sky. She’d been thrown onto a rocky barren patch of ground near the edge of a forest. The two moons that hung in the sky verified that she was no longer on Vinganis. She ran her eyes around the area and felt momentary relief as she recognized some of the flora on this planet. The trees were a mixture of the silver- and green-leafed, conical meshan and the green-leafed, round-topped recal. Wild marose and telasion flowers grew near the edge of the forest. Well, at least I won’t starve. With all the familiar vegetation, she should be able to find food she recognized here. This is what I get for going after missing Fire Princes, she thought, eyeing the forest before her. She saw no sign of habitation and little sign of animal life. Karissa gathered the spilled contents of her bag. There wasn’t much in it—a change of clothing, a few small personal items and a small bag of food. She hadn’t rented a room on Vinganis. She hadn’t wanted to waste the time if the men had already left the planet for another world. It should have been a simple mission, even a little routine. Track down the two missing men who, she’d supposed, had been having too much fun to remember they’d been expected back some time ago. Princes and Princesses could sometimes be very egocentric. She’d begun her search where she knew they should be—in their own Realm, the Volirian Realm. Everyone knew them. She’d had no trouble finding information on the Princes’ journeys. They’d last been seen traveling to the world of Vinganis. That had been all the information she’d been given and all she’d thought she’d need. A young woman from the High Lord’s hold had caught her as she’d walked along the quiet streets. She’d whispered that the Princes had made it to Vinganis, but she didn’t know what had happened to them. Karissa had decided to walk around the city and see if she could find some more information. A few questions in that little tavern had seemed to gain her nothing and then right as she was leaving, she’d been blasted. Apparently someone didn’t want the Princes found. She had had her own reasons for taking this mission. She’d been desperate to get out of the Frejan Court. The King and the advisors of the Ice Court had been getting nervous. She knew that it wouldn’t be too long until they sent her on her Ra’Asien. By rights, she should have another two hundred years to play with before she even thought of taking a mate. She was only twenty-five, but she wasn’t going to get the extra time that other women had. She held too much power for that. She was just thankful that she’d been born in the Frejan Realm. She’d had far more opportunities than women in most Realms did. One thing was universal in the Elemental Realms. Women were always told when to search for their mate.

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She sighed. Now she had a bigger problem to handle than being sent to search for her mate. She’d landed herself on a prison planet. She could feel the spell working. A magical shield surrounded the planet, preventing her from merely creating her own spatial tunnel right back to Vinganis. That shield would allow the tunnel to bring other victims here, but would let nothing out. She’d have to have some help to leave this planet. With a strong enough blast of magic, that shield could be destroyed—a lighter blast could rip it for a small time. The problem was that if she generated even the small ripping surge of energy on her own she wouldn’t be conscious to use it. Hopefully, she wasn’t the only one trapped here. If another Elemental had been trapped here, they could burst through the shield and still have the energy to leave. “Which way should I go?” Karissa turned in a circle, surveying the land. A mountain loomed on one side, forest on two others and grasslands stretched as far as she could see in the final direction. There was no sign of habitation or indication that there had ever been anyone else on this planet. She decided to use an elementary finding spell to make her decision easier. Powers of Sea, Rain, and Snow heed my call. The sun is sinking and night will soon fall. Show me the path which I must race To find another and flee this cursed place. Sparkling prisms of light began to move away from her. Karissa dashed after them, following the lights into the forest. The flashes of luminescence raced ahead, testing her ability to keep them in sight. She sprinted to keep up, taking no notice of the path or the noise she made as she ran. Trusting her magic, she focused on the lights. She burst from the forest into a clearing and smacked into an invisible wall. The spell grabbed her, lifting her feet off the ground. Held there—suspended above the ground—she had only a moment to realize the danger. Power pulsed into her, knocking her back. She tumbled to the ground and blinked hazily. The light green sky seemed to spin as she blinked, trying to focus. A moment later everything faded to black.

***** Callan cursed when he saw the woman fall unconscious to the ground. Just one glimpse had been enough to assure him she wasn’t one of the Royal Guards they’d been expecting or an enemy. The woman now lying on the ground wasn’t even from the Fire Realm. By the Fires, she was beautiful. Her silver-blonde hair was secured at the back of her head and the spiraling curls trailed down her back. The golden glow of her skin spoke of health, vitality and strength. His eyes tracked over her softly rounded face, lingered on her full, inviting lips. Although her eyes were closed now, he’d glimpsed them as she was held by the spell. They were green, a deep green.

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She was dressed in an icy green tunic and pants of a slightly darker green as well as cream-colored boots, the emblem on her shirt identifying her as an Aliara. There was no doubt she was Frejan. The Ice Realm was the only realm that had a feminine version of the Aliar. The Aliar were negotiators, diplomats and trusted messengers. They loyally performed whatever duty they were assigned. This tall, lushly built woman drew him even when she was unconscious. His eyes slid over the full mounds of her breasts and then lower to where he could see the slight, rounded swell of her stomach beneath the tight tunic. She would be a luscious handful. His mouth watered as he surveyed her from her head to the tips of her boots. He was a man who liked a woman with curves—loved to feel their soft skin against him, accepting him as he moved against them. He wanted to take that tunic off and feast on those full breasts and taste the nectar of her desire. His cock stirred at the thought. His eyes moved to her wrists. Would she like being bound? He longed to touch her skin to see if that flesh was truly as soft, as smooth as it looked, but he knew that he couldn’t. Although she was unconscious, the situation had become very dangerous. He could see the mist rising around her. Her Ice Spirit was materializing to guard her from further attack while she was unconscious. A boiling cloud of blue and green poured out of her. The Ice Elemental was long and lithe, her form hazy, but he was under no delusion that she was defenseless. The binding shield spell the Frejan woman had triggered had bound her magic, but not her Elemental symbiote’s powers. “Come near her and I’ll turn you into a Sobrin icicle,” the Spirit warned. “No harm was intended to your host,” Callan rushed to assure the Ice Elemental. “The spell was set against our enemies. We had no idea who was coming down that path.” It wouldn’t do to get on the bad side of this Spirit. Tahvir stirred inside of him. The Elemental’s interest rose, but he didn’t materialize. Callan didn’t sense any defensive intent. In fact, to his surprise, he felt amusement and intense awareness coming from his Fire Spirit. She’s beautiful, Tahvir mused. Tyral came running into the small clearing in the forest. He took in the situation with a mere glance at the woman lying on the ground and the Ice Spirit hovering over her in a defensive posture. “A Frejan Aliara, eh? It’s unusual to see anyone from the Ice Court here.” “Well, she’s here,” Callan grated. “She has to be from the Volirian Realm. You think she was sent to look for us?” Tyral paused, then followed Callan’s gaze to the enraged Ice Spirit. We have to calm her down, brother. Callan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was trying to think of a way to soothe her. All Elemental Spirits are naturally highly sexual. Appealing to this Elemental’s lusty needs might be one way of relaxing her.

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“She volunteered for reasons of her own,” the Ice Spirit sneered. “For her efforts and the simple mention of your names in a tavern, she was attacked and catapulted to this prison planet.” Even in such harsh lines, her features were undeniably sexy. “That would do it if they were afraid that someone would talk to her.” Callan thanked the gods that the attackers had such faith in their shielded prison planet. “Then she casts a simple spell to find someone to help her leave this planet and she ends up unconscious, with her powers bound. I will protect her. Don’t think that you’re safe from me when she is conscious. If you do anything that I consider threatening, I’ll have no qualms about putting you in Ice, Prince or not.” Ice and snow swirled in the air along with the threat. “We won’t hurt her,” Tyral shot a glance at Callan, “but we can’t give you a promise to keep our hands off of her when she is conscious. She’s very beautiful.” “She’s young.” The Elemental gave them an assessing look. “She doesn’t understand or acknowledge most of her needs.” “We’re capable lovers.” Callan’s eyes never left the Ice Spirit as he spoke. “She’ll find no fault with us—and think of the energy we could produce with sex magic with her as part of the generation. She’s a powerful Frejan woman. In spite of the tense situation, he could feel his own Elemental reaching for the female Elemental, bonding with her. He could feel his fangs pushing through his gums. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that the symbiote’s beautiful host was his woman. She was the reason Advisor Nacain had told them to wait. They wouldn’t have met her if they’d left the planet. She wouldn’t have been searching for them. The Ice Spirit is aware of us and the link, now that she’s calm, Tahvir was telling him. Oh, yes, she’s ours. Keep talking and don’t upset her. “A blast of sex-based magic could easily destroy the shield here,” the Ice Elemental acknowledged. “But not so fast. That won’t be possible until her powers are freed from the binding spell.” “That release will take a few days. She’ll have time to become familiar with our touch, to trust us.” Callan edged closer just a step, careful not to make the Spirit nervous. He smiled wryly, wanting to sit next to the unconscious woman and touch her hair. She was definitely theirs. He almost wanted to thank the Royalists who’d sent them to the planet. It could have been years before they met her if she hadn’t been sent here, probably until she began searching for her mate. “She wakes. Remember my warning.” The Ice Elemental sent a wave of sleet down on them as a reminder as her misty figure faded to a foggy vapor that then entered the woman’s body. The silver-blonde woman groaned softly, placing a hand to her head before her eyelids slowly fluttered.

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Chapter Two Karissa could feel Ijina within her, could sense her need to speak. She turned her attention inward as she blinked up at the pale green sky. She was safe. She knew Ijina would have stood guard over her and would never leave her in a dangerous situation. The Ice Spirit—her Elemental symbiote—would want to relay any crucial information. Within her, Ijina gave the telepathic equivalent of a snort. You’ve found your Sobrin Princes. They’re the ones who created that spell wall. They didn’t know if the person running down the trail was friend or foe. And? Karissa knew from her Elemental’s tone that there was an “and”. The spell also contained a binding on your powers. It will remain in effect for a few days, but I can still protect you if there is the need. Ijina radiated icy confidence. Why are they still here? There are two of them. They could rip a hole in the shield and leave with ease. Karissa was confused over the Princes’ continued presence on the planet. She wouldn’t have lingered if she’d been capable of leaving on her own. They were strong. They wouldn’t have needed any help freeing themselves from this place. As sons of the Volirian Kings, their bloodline was strong, powerful. You’ll have to ask them that question. Ijina’s unconcern was typical. She didn’t care why they were here, just that they were. They’re very handsome. And their Spirits aren’t the usual arrogant fools that you’d expect to encounter. And how is that? Karissa had to smile. They didn’t try to make an appearance when I told the Princes I would Ice them if they hurt you. I could feel them, understand them. Their Spirits understood and respected my right to protect you. That was high endorsement from her Elemental. Karissa could understand why Ijina had been impressed. Most male Elemental Spirits would have reacted to the threat with a counter-threat, maybe even a show of force. Karissa slowly pushed herself to a sitting position. Her head pounded, throbbing from the flood of power that had engulfed her when she’d hit that wall. The pain would pass quickly. She just wished a headache was the extent of the effects from the spell. She could feel an impenetrable barrier between her and her magic. Separated from the power she’d had since she was a child, she felt vulnerable and exposed. She’d run right into the shield. She burned with embarrassment. She should’ve sensed some hint of the power from that spell before she came close to it, but she hadn’t felt a trace of it. Now she had to pay the price for her negligence. A few days without her abilities would be a very effective lesson in paying more attention to her surroundings.

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She couldn’t blame them for putting up a shield to protect themselves. Considering that they’d probably landed here exactly the same way she had, there was more than enough reason for a shield spell and even stronger defensive spells. She wasn’t afraid of them. They weren’t a threat. Well, not to her physical safety. The interest she saw burning in their eyes was another matter. This promised an interesting introduction. She shook her head and focused. That spell had taken her power and they hadn’t even said “I’m sorry.” She turned her head and, as she slowly rose to her feet, looked at the two men—the Princes from the Volirian Realm. They weren’t the first Sobrin men she’d seen, but they were the first Sobrin twins she’d encountered. By the Waters, they were gorgeous. The two were almost identical. Their skin was blue-green, the most common Sobrin skin color, but these two men definitely wouldn’t get lost in a crowd. Purple hair hung to just below their shoulders. One man had it clubbed back and the other let it hang free. Their slanted, amber-colored eyes glittered as they returned her assessing stare. Her eyes ran over their faces in utter feminine fascination. Angles and planes combined with curves to arrange into visages of predatory beauty. Both men were of the same height, very tall. Their broad, muscled chests and corded arms drew her eyes. The man on the right wore a red tunic and the one on the left a muted brown one. Both tunics were skin-tight across their chests. Her eyes skimmed down, switching from one to the other and back again as her interest was sparked. Her gaze slid over their abdomens to powerfully muscled thighs. Both men wore tight black pants and she savored the view. Judging from the bulges at the crotches of those pants, they were well-endowed. For a moment, she allowed her eyes to linger. Her time here definitely wouldn’t be boring. The only differences she found came in their faces. The man on the right had a slight bump on the blade of his nose. The man on the left had a dimple in his left cheek and the line of his jaw was squarer than his brother’s. Karissa drew in a deep breath, watching them. They were tempting, but there were two of them. In the Frejan Court, she’d heard of ménage affairs as well as ménage bondings. She didn’t think she was ready to try handling two men just yet. And choosing between them wouldn’t be easy. Sin and temptation in flesh. That the two of them happened to have purple hair and blue-green skin was irrelevant. They were a woman’s fantasy come to life. Yes, tall, blue-green and packing. Ijina’s sultry purr rumbled through Karissa’s mind. Your mind might say “They are Princes of another Realm. It’s our duty to make sure they return home safely,” but your body says, “Jump them and let’s have fun.” Karissa managed to restrain the laugh that bubbled within her, but couldn’t contain the smile that curved her lips. With a few sentences, Ijina had managed to lighten her mood. She had been on the verge of anger, ready to rail at them for binding her powers. “I am Karissa Moshen of the Tengan House of the Frejan Court, Aliara to the Frejan Court.” She curtsied to the two Princes, bowing her head in respect to their titles.

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“I am Callan Forain, Prince of the Volirian Court,” the man on the right stated formally in a deep, resonant voice. “This is my brother, Tyral Forain, Prince of the Volirian Court.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Aliara Karissa.” Tyral stepped forward, his smile wide as he greeted her, flashing his long, sharp canines. The dimple again appeared on his cheek, tempting her to explore it with her tongue. The sight of those fangs surprised her. As far as she knew, their sharp teeth only appeared at times of high stress. But she really didn’t know much more than the basics about Sobrin twins. They certainly didn’t look upset. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Prince Callan and Prince Tyral of the Volirian Court,” she responded formally. A whiff of spicy scent swirled around her. Rich intan spice. She had no idea if it was cologne or their natural male scent, but she felt the strong desire to snuggle up to one of them and find out. “Tell me why you’re still here. There are two of you and you both have great power. You didn’t need the aid of another to help you leave.” “You took a long time to get here.” Callan’s smile was easy as he stepped up beside her. “What are you talking about?” Karissa was thoroughly confused by that cryptic remark. She doubted she’d have ever come to this planet if they hadn’t gone missing. “And why are you ignoring my question?” “We were following the suggestion of one of our fathers’ advisors. He told us to wait for something valuable. And I have to agree that you are beyond compare.” Tyral briefly took her hand between his large palms. “You were waiting for me.” She stared at them with wide eyes. Why would an advisor from the Fire Realm tell them to wait for her? She certainly didn’t mind meeting them, but she didn’t understand it. “Yes.” Callan’s hand cupped her shoulder. “Come. We’ll take you to our temporary home.” The warmth of his palm seemed to burn through the fabric of her shirt. His fingers brushed down her arm and in spite of the high-quality thick cloth, it felt as if they were actually touching skin to skin. Forcing herself to focus, she nodded. She took Callan’s extended hand. Her mind was racing. Why were they waiting to return to Vinganis? They were both extremely powerful. Even without her aid, they could rip a hole in that spell and get to a friendly world. They’d be able to take her with them without any difficulties. Once on a safe world, they could contact her family. Karissa stopped questioning what only they could answer. She decided to relax and enjoy her time here. In this situation, having sex with one or even both of them wouldn’t be seen as strange by even the staunchest matron. It wasn’t likely that she’d be given much more time before being sent on her Ra’Asien. She’d take what freedom she could find and revel in it. Ijina was always telling her to relax, to follow her passions. This was one time that she intended to try. 15

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***** Their temporary home on this little prison planet was in an underground network of caverns, much like the Volirian Royal Palace on Baezid. Although she’d never been there, she’d heard tales of it from Frejan Aliars who had visited Volir. “We only use this room, a bathing room and a bedroom,” Tyral offered as they led her into the large main room. “We only furnished these three rooms. Anything that you need, we’ll provide.” The main room had been scattered with colorful rugs and lamps hung on the walls and from the ceiling to dispel the darkness and the appearance of darkness caused by the dark stone of the ceiling, walls and floor. A large, round, walled fire pit occupied the center of the room and the smell of roasting meat that permeated the air around it made her mouth water. There was a red couch off to one side and also a few cushions as seating. Everything here had likely been conjured. If they needed something more, they could just conjure that too. Karissa knew they were watching her as she paused in the doorway to the bedroom. The bed area grabbed her attention. When she’d first glanced over, there’d been two separate beds. Now, a moment later, a huge bed had replaced them. Draped in silky black, red and yellow coverings, it had to be the largest bed she had ever seen. The rest of the room was furnished with a spare hand. Shelves for clothing stood along one wall. Scattered around the room, a few red and yellow rugs added color to the nearblack stone of the floor. The bed switch did cause her more than a few moments of alarm. They wanted to sleep in that bed with her. For just an instant, she could see it. Both of them with her, Callan’s lips at one her breast while Tyral’s mouth wandered over… She swallowed and took a deep breath and tried to ignore the tingle of excitement stirring low in her belly and the slick moisture between her thighs. She wasn’t a virgin, but she hadn’t ever had time for more than the odd court liaison. She took a deep breath and thought again about being sent to the other Realms on her Ra’Asien. There were too many within the Frejan Court who feared her power for her freedom to last. She would use this chance to explore, to do as she liked. It was almost a certainty she’d be searching for a mate—if not mated—before the year’s end. By the Veil, she wouldn’t let a little fear stop her. She stepped into the room and placed her bag on one of the shelves along the wall. Certain of her decision, she turned and walked out to join the two men in the main room. She’d taste as much of life as she could before she had to find a husband. “Come, sit.” Tyral’s dimple flashed as he smiled at her and gestured to a long, lowslung couch in the open main area. Karissa’s mouth kicked up into a small smile, a little relieved to be doing something so normal. They weren’t going to press her, to rush her into anything. From the long, slow appraisals and the defined ridges against their pants, she knew that they wanted

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her. While she found them very attractive as well, she needed a little time to adjust her thinking. She walked over to the muted red couch and sat in the middle of it. It was a deliberate choice, an invitation. She may be nervous, but she knew what she wanted. Tyral sat to her right and Callan on her left. It might have been easier to talk to them had they conjured some chairs and sat opposite her. She could have kept her gaze on both of them, but this was about more than what was said. This was about allowing herself to relax with them. “Tell us of your family, Karissa.” Callan touched her cheek. She drew in a sharp breath as his slightly callused fingers trailed along her jawline. Her nipples hardened and the normally soft fabric felt rough against the sensitive crests. She was glad her shirt hid her intense reaction to that simple touch. Her gaze swung to him. “My father is Gervis, Laquir of the Tengan House of the Frejan Court. My mother’s name is Taina, born of Miskal House of Frejan. When I was young, Mother was almost always at our home, watching over me as I was taught the arts and how to commune with my Elemental. Later, she joined Father when he went to the Frejan Court.” “Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Tyral smiled as she caught his eyes. He lifted his arm and slid it behind her back, letting his fingers rest on the fabric just above the swell of her buttocks. “I have four brothers. Markan, he is the oldest—very serious, a fitting heir to my father. Niels and Carik, twins like you, but they couldn’t be more different from each other. Niels is relaxed and slow to anger, filled with laughter. Carik, I always think of him as the warrior—very fierce, protective and when he sets a course there is no stopping him. Tovan, he’s two hundred years older than me. He’s very intense and loyal. My brothers call him ‘the Defender’. He lives to protect those weaker than him.” Karissa smiled as she thought of her brothers. At times, they fought among themselves, but they were utterly loyal to each other. “And what about you? Where do you fit in among them?” Callan drew her eyes back to him with a soft brush of his hand across her shoulder. “I’m the youngest child and the only girl. My brothers tell me that I was spoiled, that Mother and Father were easier on me than they were with them.” She smiled. “I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I remember that I had a lot of fun. Now, tell me about your family.” Karissa turned her gaze from Callan to Tyral and back again as she waited for them to speak. “We don’t have a large family such as you do. Our mother was capable of having only us. She very nearly died bringing us into the world. Our fathers decided they wouldn’t risk her life again, although my mother longed for more babes,” Callan explained. “Our fathers, King Marit and King Tovin, taught us the skills of a warrior and gave us the wisdom to know when to fight and when to wait. Their strength, their patience 17

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always astounded me. The only person I know whose patience even comes close to theirs is Callan.” Tyral smiled and moved a little closer to her on the couch. “Did you learn of it while they were trying to teach important lessons to two boisterous boys who’d rather be doing anything else except learning those boring lessons on the Veil and the Balance?” Karissa asked with a sly smile. She jumped when Tyral’s fingers slid beneath her shirt. Heat streaked out from each point of contact. Her eyes collided with his and widened when she saw the flash of male satisfaction in his eyes. Did he know how much his touch affected her, how hard she had to focus to just keep up with the conversation? “As a matter of fact, I think the first time I noticed it was when they were trying to teach us about the rising of the Veil and the need for Balance.” Tyral’s eyes glittered with good humor and his body angled toward hers. Karissa smiled. She could just imagine their disinterest in learning of the Veil and the Balance of the Spirits and their hosts. Depending on who was telling the tale, it could be boring. The Rising of the Veil had permanently separated the Realms with magic users bonded with Elemental Spirits from the Realms without Elementals. For a time after the Veil rose, the Elemental Realms had been divided along Elemental lines with little mingling between them. It had taken the near destruction of all the Elemental Realms before the need for Balance had been seen. Now, every family mated outside their Realm after a few generations. “Tell me about your mother,” she prompted. “Our mother, Maya… I’ve never met anyone else like her.” Callan took one of Karissa’s hands and stroked his fingers across her knuckles. “She’s cheerful, can soothe those who are hurt, and can bring a smile to the sad. She’s so gentle and generous, but she’s also strong.” She couldn’t help returning his smile as she saw the pride on his face and heard it ringing in his voice. “Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman.” His hand covered hers, turning her palm up. His fingers traced the lines of her palm lightly, slowly. Heat was building low in her abdomen. Her desire increased just from that touch and the thoughts of the pleasures she might find with these two men. “A kiss?” Callan tugged lightly on her hand, urging her closer to him. “Yes, a kiss.” Karissa leaned toward him. He made no move to initiate the kiss. He’d given control of the action to her and that helped her relax. Karissa’s breasts slowly flattened against his chest as she leaned closer. Her hands skated up from his waist, running over the warm, muscled breadth of his chest and shoulders as she brought her mouth to his. Her lips played over his, nibbling and plucking at his, running her tongue across them until he finally gave her access to the depths of his mouth. Her tongue dove into the recesses of his mouth. A spicy tang, like rich intan spice, flooded her senses. It was invigorating, arousing and addictive. She stroked her tongue

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over his in demand of a response. A chuckle rumbled against her lips as his tongue stroked along hers. He soon dominated the kiss. His hands framed her face, tilting her head as his tongue dove deep into her mouth. Their tongues tangled and stroked and Karissa lost all thought of what she was doing. Callan drew back after a few moments and his tongue lapped over her lips. Karissa let her eyes run over his face once more before she turned toward the warmth of the man on her other side. He reached out and his hands settled loosely around her waist. Tyral smiled as he tugged her to him. Her hands skimmed over the fine cloth of his shirt up to his shoulders. She twined her arms around his neck and her fingers laced into his hair. Her breasts pressed against his chest as she leaned into him. Karissa groaned as her nipples scraped against the fabric of her shirt. The tips were hard and sensitive and she ached to feel more than cloth against them. Her lips slid over his in a brief salute. Tyral’s teeth nipped at her lip as she drew back, her eyes moving over his face. Karissa responded with a smile as her lips opened over his. Her tongue glided over the seam of his closed lips, probing, nudging, asking for admittance. She gasped in surprise as his arms tightened at the same moment that his mouth opened under hers. His tongue swept into her mouth, thrusting that same heady intan spice taste deep into her mouth. Her tongue parried and taunted and then danced into his mouth. His tongue dueled with hers as his hands smoothed up and down her back. She arched into him, wanting more than kisses and the innocent touches. She wanted to feel their hands on her tingling breasts and her pussy. She wanted to touch and taste them— everywhere. Tyral’s teeth nibbled at her lips as he drew away from her. His lips trailed over her cheek to her ear. He briefly drew her earlobe into his mouth, nibbling and sucking on that soft flesh. Karissa shivered as he tugged on her earlobe and she felt an echoing pulse in her cunt.

***** Tyral drew in a ragged breath. By the Fire, just kissing her made him as hard as firetempered metal. As much as I’d love to lose myself in the delicious taste of her, brother, we have to go slowly, Callan cautioned. She is young and her Spirit said she’s inexperienced. Inexperienced does not mean she’s not ready, Ahvin offered. Tyral could feel the Elemental’s desire to take the relationship to the next level. He had sensed the Spirit’s interest in the alluring Ice Elemental. He leaned toward Karissa, his breath brushing

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against the shell of her ear. “Time to eat, te tana.” He couldn’t resist calling her his sweet one. “Eat?” Karissa murmured, sounding confused. “Yes, tana, the food is ready.” Callan urged her from the couch which was much too tempting at this point. Tyral looked up at Callan before he rose from the soft cushions. He saw the tenderness on his brother’s face and knew the word felt just as natural to him. They guided her toward the fire pit. With a wave of Callan’s hand, a low table appeared, with cushions surrounding it. Another wave set the table with fine plates and goblets. “Let us serve you tonight, Karissa. Tomorrow, we can all work together.” Tyral’s hands settled on her shoulders and with gentle pressure encouraged her to sit on the cushions. Tonight was for her—to help her relax, to allow her to come to them at her own pace. She sat and watched as they went to the fire pit. They dug the pan of cillo from the fire and took the skewered topi from the spit over the fire. They placed the sizzling meat on the platter with the cillo gourds nestled around it. Bringing the platter to the table, they began to spoon the food onto the plates. “You are served, Aliara of Frejan.” Callan placed a plate in front of her. The hot juicy meat was accompanied by the delicious orange chunks from the roasted cillo. “And for your thirst, nectar of the local fruits.” Tyral filled her goblet with a flourish. “Thank you, Princes of Volir.” She smiled and bowed her head to them. “It smells delicious.” Do you think she realizes that this is more than just a brief affair, Callan? Tyral filled a glass for his brother and one for himself as he raised a brow questioningly. Somehow, he didn’t think she did. She was much too at ease with them, too casual. He wanted to show her. There’s but one way to know for sure. Callan lifted the glass and cast a meaningful glance at Karissa. “Tell us of what you’ll do when we leave here.” Tyral sat down on Karissa’s left, taking the plate that Callan handed him. “I’ll probably try to keep out of the advisors’ sights. Maybe I’ll be able to find something that will take me out of the Court again.” Karissa shrugged. Her answer earned her two nearly identical perplexed stares. “Why would you want to stay out of sight, take an assignment that would draw you away from the Court?” Callan asked. This wasn’t one of the answers they’d been expecting. “They think I’m too powerful. The advisors are afraid. I’m twenty-five, barely an adult in most people’s eyes, but it’s almost certain that I’ll be sent on my Ra’Asien before 20

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the end of the year. If I can be gone long enough, I might be able to stretch that out a bit. They don’t care that, by custom, I should have nearly two hundred years more before I think of joining with someone.” Karissa speared a piece of meat with a two-tined fork. She hasn’t felt the bonding of our spirits. Callan caught his brother’s eyes. She’s probably uninformed on Sobrin mating customs. It will be interesting enlightening her when the time comes, but now it would cause her to try to distance herself from us, to fear her attraction to us. Tyral smiled at the thought of that future conversation. When they did tell her, she’d probably be very angry with them. After the meal, Tyral and Callan were careful not to rush her to bed, although their instincts urged them to claim her. They wanted her relaxed, not panicked. She wanted them. The scent of her arousal was a sweet, strong perfume in the air, a lure and a torment.

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Chapter Three The waiting was making Karissa nervous. They’d returned to the couch and for some time the two men had been talking of inconsequential things. She hadn’t been paying much attention especially as her anxiety grew. Who says you have to wait for them to make a move? Ijina chuckled. You want it. Go get it. You already know that they’re interested. A low chuckle rolled in the back of Karissa’s throat. Ijina was right. They wanted her and they were about to get her. Callan looked up sharply at that sexy sound. Karissa caught the confusion in Callan’s eyes and smiled as she turned and looped her arms around his neck. Her lips slid over his, her teeth nibbling on his lips before her tongue prodded the sealed flesh. With light, lapping strokes, she sought entry into the warmth of his mouth. Her tongue drove into his mouth when his lips parted. The rich intan spice taste flowed into her mouth as his tongue stroked into hers. She took his wrist in one of her hands and urged his palm to her breast. Almost automatically, his fingers tightened on the full mound, squeezing and lifting. “I thought we were going to take this slow and let her relax.” Tyral didn’t sound upset with the change of plans as he moved up behind her. “We forgot to tell her.” Mumbled against her lips, the words were indistinct. Callan moved his hand as Tyral’s fingers came around and began to play with her long nipples through the smooth, green material of her tunic. Karissa moaned against Callan’s lips as his callused fingertips rolled and pinched her nipples. “Did we forget that there are two men who want your sweet body, my Ice Lady?” Callan brushed kisses along her jaw and then back to her lips. “No, I didn’t forget. It just feels good.” Karissa moaned and arched pressing her breasts into those talented hands. “I think we’re going to need more room than this couch allows.” Tyral pressed his hard shaft against her back, letting her feel how much he wanted her. Tyral pulled her with him as he rose to his feet. He swept her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. “This first time, sweet Karissa, we’ll have the comfort and room of a bed. As you’re obviously ready to begin, there’s no reason to delay.” Her arms looped loosely around his shoulders. Her lips nibbled at the column of his neck. They wandered up to his left ear, her tongue roaming over his pointed ear before she began nibbling on his earlobe, moving to the rim of his ear. 22

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A harsh groan tore from his lips. “You don’t know what you do with that mouth of yours, tana.” She blinked. They’d called her that before and other words that were obvious endearments, but she had no idea what any of them meant. Right now, her need was too great to work out the significance of those words. “I want you.” Karissa nipped at the earlobe, holding on when he lowered her onto the soft yellow sheets. She’d never wanted anyone with this intensity, this soon after meeting them. “Not nearly enough,” Callan corrected as he stood at the edge of the bed. “We want you naked and as hungry as we are.” The feel of his hand on her swollen aching breast distracted her. She arched her back, lifting the mound into his large palm. With one hand, he tugged her arms from around his neck and urged her back onto the bedding. The fingers of his other hand circled the hard tip straining against her tunic. Her eyes drifted closed in bliss as his fingers closed over the nipple. Without warning, his hands were gone. As her eyes snapped open, she saw him back away from her, but he was already too far away for her to grab. Callan came to stand beside him. “I think she’s wearing too many clothes.” “We all are.” Tyral raised a brow. “Do you want to do it or shall I?” “Go ahead,” Callan urged with a shrug. Karissa didn’t care about clothing. All she cared about was getting those two in bed with her and they were taking too long. Tyral stepped back, spread his hands wide and then brought his hands together in a resounding clap. Between one blink and the next, both he and Callan stood naked before her. With a glance down, she noticed that she was also stripped of clothing. Karissa stared at the two men for a few moments. They were gorgeous. Their muscled blue-green bodies had very little body hair. She could see only a patch at their genitals other than the hair on their heads. All that muscled flesh on display made her fingers itch to touch and hold. “Quite the showman,” Karissa purred. She raised her brow as her lips tilted in a small smile, amused at the showy display. “I’m not interested in your magical skills. I want something more.” Karissa’s eyes fell to their cocks amid the nest of purple hair. Long and thick, their rounded heads were dark blue. Would she be able to take them in her mouth? How would they taste? Their blue-green skin was so different from all she had known before, but they excited her. “You want us?” Callan caught the direction of her gaze. “You want this?” His fingers circled his cock. “Yes.” Karissa nodded, her hands wandering over her stomach and then lower, to the swollen folds of her sex. She could feel the moisture on her pussy. She needed to be

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touched, to be fucked. Her legs shifted on the sheets, splaying, revealing the glistening lips. “You’ll get what you need…twice over.” Tyral’s eyes fastened onto the lush mounds of her breasts and he licked his lips. “Do you want to taste me, tana? We will ensure you find your pleasure too.” Karissa licked her lips and nodded. By the Ice Storm, she wanted him in her mouth. Tyral stepped onto the bed. He sat and leaned against some pillows propped against the wall. Karissa rolled over onto her stomach, and feeling very predatory and slinky, crawled over to him and between his spread legs. She wanted him in her mouth. As she crawled up the bed, she dipped her head ran her tongue over his thigh. His cock jerked, a bead of fluid gathered at the slit. Karissa wet her lips, opening them to briefly take the head into her mouth to collect that tantalizing pearl of pre-cum. It was a little salty, but with the same intan spice taste as their mouths had. She hungered for more of it. She swirled her tongue around the head and then explored the length of his cock, sliding her mouth lower and lower on his thick shaft. Tyral groaned, his fingers threading into her hair. Callan’s arms came around her, his hands cupping the generous mounds of her breasts, and Karissa stiffened and jerked at the unexpected touch. Her mouth left Tyral’s cock with a wet pop. She could feel the heat of Callan’s body behind her. He leaned forward, pressing his cock against her buttocks. The long, hard evidence of his arousal heightened her own. “Two, tana,” Callan whispered, laughter lurking in his voice. “That means while you suck him I can fill my hands with your breasts or fill your pussy with my cock.” Those words sent a flash of heat through her. Callan’s hands were magic, kneading her breasts and plucking at the hard, reddened nipples. He slid one of his hands down over her stomach to her pussy. His fingers brushed over her clit as he moved his hand down between the plump, smooth folds. Two large digits probed at the rim of her slit, teasing, rubbing at it before he slid them into her quim. She closed her eyes and felt her pussy clench around his fingers as they stroked her inner walls. A nudging pressure on the back of her head gained her attention. Slanting her eyes up at Tyral, she saw how taut and tense his facial muscles were. It thrilled her that she could make this big man crazy for her. It made her feel sexy and powerful. Karissa heeded his urgings and again took his cock into the warmth of her mouth. She lost herself in his taste and the sensations bombarding her—the feel of him in her mouth and Callan’s fingers in her slit. Her eyes caught Tyral’s as her mouth left his cock, her tongue again swirling around the head. She stared up into golden eyes that almost glowed with his need. He looked so hungry, and he actually trembled when her silver-blonde hair brushed against his legs as her mouth lowered on his shaft. Callan stroked his fingers into Karissa’s tight pussy and his thumb brushed over her clit. Inhaling, Karissa found her senses inundated with the taste and smell of intan spice and she loved it, craved more of it. Her hips rolled, rocking down onto his fingers.

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Karissa moaned as Callan’s fingers drove into her, momentarily distracting her from her attentions to Tyral. A shiver raced through her. Callan’s thumb flicked over her clit. Her mouth left Tyral’s cock with a wet smack as the fingers within her twisted and drove into her. Her hips pushed back into his touch and her head raised. Her eyes locked with Tyral’s. “Give it to her, Callan,” Tyral urged, staring into her glazed green eyes. “I’ve never seen anyone as sensuous as she is.” Delicious whimpers erupted from her mouth and a gorgeous red highlighted her skin. A groan tore from Tyral’s lips. “Hurry, Callan, I want her to find pleasure before I do.” His thick fingers thrust deeply, pressing against the slick walls of her pussy. She rode them hard, focused on the tight pleasure building inside her. She arched as she pushed back, trying to take as much as she could. Callan’s thumb pressed on the hard hood of her clit and her breath caught. She thrust her hips back, a keening cry rising from deep within her. Hot sizzling bliss raced through her, spreading to her arms and legs—even her fingertips tingled with fiery pleasure. Callan’s fingers continued to move within her and surprisingly the heat of passion again rose quickly. Her pelvis rocked, demanding more. “Give Tyral pleasure, te thali.” Callan stroked his thumb across her clit as she shivered and lowered her head to Tyral’s cock. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to give him pleasure. She was eager, her lips and tongue moving over him. He was longer than any of the men she’d had before. The first time she tried to take him down her throat, she gagged and had to draw back. She didn’t let her inexperience stop her and kept trying. She wanted to make him feel as much pleasure as she had just experienced. Karissa groaned around Tyral’s shaft as she felt the rounded head of Callan’s cock probe at her slit. When he slid into her, stretching her, her eyes rolled back. She arched back against Callan’s stroking shaft. It felt so good—she was filled, stretched. Tyral’s hips punched up, his hands pressing against the back of her head as he came. A long, harsh groan rumbled from his lips and his body tensed as his seed erupted into her mouth in hot jets. She swallowed eagerly, her tongue collecting any drops that tried to escape her mouth. With a last swipe of her tongue over the head of his cock, her mouth left his shaft. Karissa wriggled, frustrated. Callan had stilled as Tyral came. Now he began to move. He thrust until he was seated to the balls within her. “You’re perfect, tana.” Callan’s arm tightened around her as she ground back against him. “Fuck me, Callan,” Karissa moaned. “I want you.” Callan took one of his hands from her hips, sliding it around to her mound and slipping his fingers between the slick, swollen lips to rub her clit. The sound and feel of their flesh meeting increased her ardor. He drove into her, hard, fast, desperate. His

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breaths came in ragged gasps and hers echoed his. With each thrust, she pushed back to meet him, arching to take his cock. She needed him deeper, tried to take more of him. She couldn’t hold back. Her body was on fire. She needed him to move harder, faster. Desire raged through her with such intensity that it neared pain. Never had she felt this burning need. “Please…” she moaned. “More… Give me more.” Callan thrust his hips hard against her buttocks. “What do you need, te thali?” “Faster, Callan! Fuck me faster,” Karissa whimpered brokenly, so near orgasm she could taste it. She craved it. Every part of her ached for release. Callan pressed his fingers hard against her clit as he withdrew, then drove forward with such force that her hands slipped on the yellow sheets. She collapsed onto her elbows, her head resting against Tyral’s thigh. Crying out wildly, she thrust back into Callan, the rolling motion of her hips grinding her against the fingers at her clit. Her body was taut, primed beneath his hands. Karissa screamed as his slamming thrusts sent her over the edge and into ecstasy. Her eyes slammed shut as starbursts of color and sensation hit her. Satisfaction raced through her. Tremors shook her, every part of her tingling with excitement and delight as wave after wave washed over her. Callan surged into her. His hips thrust against hers and he pulled her against him as he came, his semen spraying into her womb. He roared his release, his body shuddering all the while. Karissa relished the satiated languor she felt. She could feel his hand moving against her sweat-slicked hip. As she lifted her head from Tyral’s leg, she saw he was getting hard again. A slow smile spread across her lips. It would seem he hadn’t been boasting. She would find what she needed twice over. Callan withdrew from her tight cunt. He turned her, urging her onto her back so she lay across the bed between them. As he saw her full, firm breasts jiggling, his cock began to harden, rising as hunger stirred. Karissa was amazed at the speed of their recovery—and that she was the one who’d inspired it. Tyral flowed over the bed toward her and his mouth latched onto the dark crest of breast nearest him. His tongue flicked over the nipple before he began a drawing suction. Her body rolled beneath him and her mewling rang out in the silence of the room. He chuckled as her hands latched onto his shoulders. Callan licked his lips, then lowered his head and took the neglected crest into his mouth, nibbling on the succulent red nipple. One of her hands moved to clutch at his shoulder, excited whimpers falling from her lips. Callan rubbed his hand over her stomach and down to her mons. Her hips were already moving restively beneath his hand when he brushed his fingers over her clitoris. She jerked when he plucked at that hard hood. As a searing flash of pleasure streaked through her, she was awed by the strength and ferocity of her response.

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Tyral grasped Karissa by the waist. He lay down on his back and pulled her over him, settling her pussy onto his hard cock. She sank down, engulfing his shaft in her hot sheath. Delicious tingles ricocheted through her as her channel stretched to accommodate him. A rolling moan—almost a purr—tore from her lips and her eyes closed as she arched her back. Tyral ran his fingers up to where they were joined, gathering some of the slick juices that spilled from her. Drawing his fingers back to the tight rosette of her anus, he ran his fingers around the entrance. He felt a shiver course through her and an increase in the fluid that surrounded his cock. His fingers gathered more nectar until that puckered back entrance was slick. “Ride me, tana,” Tyral urged. Karissa’s mind was hazy. No one had ever touched her anally. She hadn’t ever imagined that being stroked there could be so arousing. Their touch was amazing, but when Tyral began to press upon her back entrance it was as if another level of desire had opened for her. Karissa rocked her hips briefly against his before raising herself and slowly lowering her hips until she’d taken his entire length. She established a slow rhythm on top of him, savoring the feel of his hard cock moving within her, the full, tight feeling it brought over her. She burned to feel more. She needed. When Tyral sank one finger into the tight channel of her ass, Karissa slammed down onto him, shuddering in a near-orgasmic jolt of pleasure. A whimpering moan fell from her lips as she ground against him. She raised her hips and felt his finger partially withdraw and then slide smoothly back into her as she sank down once again. “You like that, te thali?” Tyral asked as a shiver ripped through Karissa’s body causing her muscles to clench around his finger and cock. “By the Veil…” Karissa cried, increasing the pace of her undulating hips to meet her body’s demand for more. “Come for me,” Tyral demanded, his finger twisting within her. Karissa screamed as she came. A wave of searing heat hit her, squeezing tears from her eyes as she arched, driving her pelvis into his as everything within her clamped and released again and again. He came as she reveled in the tremors of her climax. His hips arched beneath her, his hot cum spurting into her as he shuddered with pleasure. A harsh growl tore from his throat. Movement to the side of her drew Karissa’s eyes away from the man beneath her. Callan turned Karissa’s lips to his. Her mind was still pleasure-fogged and she opened her mouth to his. His tongue tangled with hers as he picked her up and sat with her on his lap. “That was such a beautiful sight that I want you to ride me, too.” Callan nibbled at her lips between words.

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He tugged her forward as he lay back. Two of his fingers sank into her pussy. Karissa knew what he was going to do and the very thought sent a wave of anticipation and a dark thrill through her. A gush of honeyed desire flowed from her even before his fingers touched the tight ring of her anus. His fingers circled that tight back hole, spreading her warm juices around the opening. She squirmed as again and again he gathered the slick moisture. She needed to move, yet he held her still with just one hand as he prepared her. When his fingers pressed for entrance, she gasped as a flash of sensation near pain ran through her. “Push out, thali.” Callan waited until she’d followed his suggestion. Slowly, her tissue stretched around his fingers as he slid his fingers into her in short strokes, going a little deeper each time. With two fingers buried to the knuckles in her ass, Callan urged Karissa to take his cock into her pussy. His shaft was hard, long and warm as it pushed deep into her. Karissa lowered her hips until he was fully seated. Karissa rose over him until only the rounded head remained within her and then sank down onto his hard rod. She froze when two arms came around her and large palms cupped her breasts. “Ride him, tana,” Tyral encouraged, his fingers plucking and twisting her nipples. Karissa’s eyes fluttered closed as she set a slow, rolling pace, her hips undulating as she rode him. She was panting, a light film of sweat glazing her body. With the attentions of both men focused on her, her lust rose quickly. Callan’s hips thrust into hers as she sank down onto him. Tyral’s mouth wandered over her neck, the sharp points of his fangs scraping across the sensitive skin, leaving a tingling trail of fire. Karissa moaned pushing her hips against Callan’s as she fucked him. Tension coiled within her, centered on the pleasure ricocheting through her body. Her body arched, grinding her clit into Callan’s pelvis and thrusting her breasts into Tyral’s hands. “Faster, tana.” Callan thrust his fingers deep into her clenching back passage. Karissa obeyed, her hips rising and falling in a rapid rhythm. She moaned in delight at the feel of his thick shaft shuttling back and forth in her cunt as well as the dark pleasure of his fingers stroking within her anus. Tyral’s hands massaged and kneaded her breasts and tugged at her nipples as her passion rose. Sharp, almost painful pleasure ripped through her at each drawing pull. Callan came a breath before she did. He shouted her name, his hot semen pulsing into her as his hips thrust up. Karissa felt his cum spraying into her. She ground her clit into his pelvis and came, her head thrown back against Tyral’s solid chest as she shook from the powerful climax, groaning as her body pulsed with wrenching pleasure. The sensation rolled through her, swept away all thought and left her trembling. Karissa felt Tyral’s hands moving over her before she regained the strength to even open her eyes. Those stroking hands moved in soothing gliding sweeps over her back, hips and stomach. The touch drew Karissa from the stupor of physical satiation. 28

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“We need a bath and then to go to bed,” Callan said. Karissa had never felt as pampered as she did during that bath. They washed her, their hands smoothing over her and not allowing her to do anything—although she longed to return the favor. They scooped her from the warm water of the large bathing pool and dried her with a soft, fluffy toweling sheet. When she was dry, they carried her to the bed and tucked her in, settling her between them.

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Chapter Four Karissa paced down the hallway, intent on getting some space. She needed time to herself. The absence of her power suddenly seemed all too real. At first, while she’d definitely known her magic was gone, the reality hadn’t actually hit her. Then she’d gotten involved with Tyral and Callan. When she was the focus of their attention it was too easy to forget everything but pure, hot sensation. Now there wasn’t anything to distract her. She’d woken and known it was the middle of the night. Discovering she was a little thirsty, she’d slipped out of bed to get something to drink. The pitcher had been empty and she’d automatically tried to conjure some wine, but nothing happened. No rise of power or rush of energy had accompanied her desire. Then she’d remembered. Her magic had been bound. She’d felt utterly powerless, unable to do even the most basic of things. Without a word to Tyral and Callan, she stalked out of the cavern and through the tunnel to the moonlit path outside their home. Karissa looked around at the indistinct shadows of the trees and bushes only a few paces away. Clenching her jaw, she couldn’t decide if she wanted to scream or hit something. Anger continued to rise inside her as she thought about her situation. There were infants who could do more than she could. You’re being overly dramatic. Ijina stirred within her. Karissa could sense the symbiote’s hope of talking some sense into her. You know it’s temporary and that you’re far from defenseless. I won’t let anything happen to you. I hate feeling helpless. Karissa stared into the darkness. Right now, I couldn’t even conjure a decent ball of light if I wanted to go for a walk in the woods. Never mind protecting myself—even the most basic of skills is out of my reach. Going to start crying or just throw a tantrum? Ijina asked sweetly. I don’t need the sarcasm right now, Ijina. Karissa frowned. It didn’t help that Ijina’s taunts hit a little too close to the truth. She certainly felt like throwing something. You’re pouting, Ijina snapped. Patience wasn’t one of her virtues. You have two men in there willing to do anything for you. All you have to do is ask. You don’t need your powers. You say that because you can still use all of your powers. Karissa rolled her eyes. Ijina had no idea what it felt like to suddenly be unable to call on talents that had been at her control for years. Wallow in your self-pity, Ijina stormed and settled in to fume.

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Karissa sighed. She’d probably have to apologize, but right now, she wasn’t ready to be reasonable. Feeling powerless was new and she hated it. She leaned back against the rock to the side of the entrance and tried to let the night calm her. A small scraping noise drew her eyes to the right side of the entrance tunnel. A shadowy figure leaned against the outer wall as if waiting for her to notice him. Barechested, he’d obviously just thrown on some pants before he’d come after her. She didn’t need to see his profile to know it was Callan. From what she’d seen of their behavior, Tyral wouldn’t have just been standing there. Tyral acted first. Callan tended to think things out. He faced her and seemed relaxed and calm, with one ankle crossed over the other, but she knew that was a façade. He was angry. “I don’t need your company.” Karissa raised her chin and turned away from him. She plucked a leaf off a nearby bush and began twirling it in her fingers as she waited for him to leave. Tension grew as she listened for his footsteps, but only the soft rustle of leaves in the wind came to her ears. She sighed and frowned. Why was he being so stubborn? She didn’t want to talk to him. “I’m not going anywhere so you might as well turn around and talk to me.” Callan sounded a little amused and too confident that he’d get his way. Karissa decided to ignore him. If he wanted to stand there, he could. She hadn’t asked him to come after her. She didn’t need his help or want his company. “Did something bother you, tana?” Callan didn’t seem to notice that she was ignoring him—or maybe he was too stubborn to let it matter. Karissa frowned, her fingers moving along the outer edges of the smooth, rounded leaf. Eventually he’d see she wanted to be alone and leave. She was angry and she wasn’t ready to be coaxed out of it yet. With a sigh, she stared into the darkness. “You know you’re beautiful when you’re angry, but it’s late and we all need our sleep.” His tone was as soft and soothing as a gentle breeze. Karissa opened her mouth, but then closed it with an audible click. If he was tired, he could go back to bed. She wasn’t keeping him here. “I know why you’re angry,” Callan said. Karissa narrowed her eyes. That wouldn’t be a hard guess. She thought he was over at the wall. His voice hadn’t gotten any closer as he spoke. She didn’t want to turn around and check. He’d probably take that as encouragement. “No one likes to feel weak, eli moru.” Callan’s words hit her like a boulder plunging into a pond. She swung around and gaped at him. He couldn’t seriously expect her to believe… “What would you know of how I feel? What do you know of being weak? Alone you are stronger than most men. With Tyral at your side, I doubt anyone could beat you.” Callan chuckled. “I’ve been just as you are now. Without magic and only my symbiote should I need aid. Both Tyral and I spent sixteen days like that.”

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“But…how?” Karissa strode forward, wanting to see his face when he answered. “Both of you are so powerful. I wouldn’t have thought that anyone could do such a thing to you.” “It was a lesson—a hard one.” Callan grimaced. “We hated feeling…less than what we knew we were.” “What could they hope that you’d learn without your powers?” To do this as a lesson bordered on cruelty. As an accident, it was regrettable, but not anyone’s fault. “Humility and perception.” Callan’s smile kicked up one corner of his mouth. “We’d flown through our lessons, mastering them with ease. We were overconfident, arrogant and certain we could handle anything we encountered. In short, we were in need of a fall to teach us the truth.” “So your instructors took your magic away just to show you that it could be done?” Forgetting her anger for the moment, Karissa reached out to him, running her hand over his bare chest. “That’s cruel.” “My instructors didn’t do it. They let a student deliver this lesson.” Callan captured her hand and brought it up to his lips, brushing a kiss across the back of her fingers. “One of our friends set the spell right outside our room. We walked into it when we left it.” “Why?” Karissa was becoming frantic. She felt as if half of her was gone, and the knowledge that her magic would eventually be back wasn’t much comfort. “Awareness.” Callan smiled. “That spell doesn’t require much power. Before the lesson, we were relying on the strength of our power to defeat any who came against us.” “As long as you defeat them, does it matter?” Karissa frowned. Stopping the opponent had to be the most important thing, not how it was done. “I can tell you haven’t spent much time around warriors. It’s better to outthink your opponents. Sometimes you can accomplish more with subtlety than you can by slamming them with power. There is also the fact that a man can drain his ability fast if he only relies on power.” Callan ran his thumb across her palm. “At least you knew Tyral was going through the same thing you were,” Karissa offered. She couldn’t help but lean close to him as a breeze blew over them. “I feel so alone and angry. I know you set the spell for protection and I don’t blame you—” “Thali, you think you’re bad-tempered right now?” Callan laughed and tugged her against his chest. “My behavior makes yours seem ladylike and restrained. I was reckless, foolish, rude, arrogant and foul-tempered in the extreme.” “What did you do?” Karissa relaxed against him, slipping one arm around his waist. He was so warm. His body was solid, muscled and, somehow, reassuring. “When our friend confessed what he’d done, I punched him and then I left the palace and went for a ride.” Callan slid a hand down her back.

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“Without your magic, you were vulnerable to any attack.” She knew a spell did protect the royal family from assassination specifically, but it was still possible to kill them—especially in battle. “I wasn’t thinking. My fathers’ men finally caught up with me and I wasn’t happy about it. Sacred Fire, I was furious. I’d worked out that my instructors would have only done that with my father’s approval.” Callan chuckled ruefully. She listened intently, interested in spite of her desire to be alone. Curiosity played a huge part in it. There was a group in the Frejan Realm that paired two men with one woman, but she hadn’t ever met any them. She’d just never been at court when they were there. She really didn’t know much about them or even how it worked. Karissa tilted her head back and saw him shaking his head. “So did your fathers yell at you?” “We all did some yelling,” Callan admitted. “I was in a rage and paced around their Audience Chamber… Let me just say that I’ve never spoken to my fathers with such disrespect before or since then. I acted like a spoiled child denied his treat.” “I bet you apologized even before your powers came back.” She settled her head against his chest. She loved how he smelled. “Once I had time to think, I saw what they were trying to teach me. It took a few days, but I did learn. And yes, I apologized for acting like a brat.” Callan’s fingers wove into her hair and massaged her scalp. “Before that though, I was an utter beast. Rude and inconsiderate. I made life hard for everyone around me.” “And what about Tyral?” Karissa looked up at him. “Well, he’s more hot-tempered than I am and he can be especially stubborn and blind.” Callan grimaced again. “He raged longer than I did, but eventually he realized why they did it.” “You two argued about it?” Karissa slid her hands over his chest and up to his shoulders. “Not argued—when he still showed all the manners of an ill-tempered savage by the twelfth day of our lesson, we fought.” Callan looked down and must have seen her disbelieving look. “We’re twins, but we don’t always agree.” “You just seem so…in accord with each other.” Karissa shook her head. At most times, they didn’t even need to speak to each other as they worked. They just seemed to know what the other was doing. “Even when we agree, we have different ways of doing things.” Callan tipped her head up so she was looking at him. “You do, hmm?” Karissa smiled. If he thought she saw them as only one person, he needn’t worry. They may look like each other, but she had never doubted she was dealing with two men. Callan lowered his chin to the top of her head. “Are you ready to go back inside now?”

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“Yes, I’m ready.” Karissa knew she’d just been talked out of her anger, but at least now she didn’t feel so alone. He really did understand what she was going through. “I don’t want to be alone anymore.” Callan curled an arm around her waist as they walked back through the tunnel into their temporary home. He guided her through the main room and into the dimly lit bedroom. In the low light, she could just make out the shape of Tyral. He lay on his side. “You took a long time soothing her temper.” Tyral’s voice conveyed his impatience as he watched them cross the room. “It would have been easier if you’d have let me go.” Karissa chuckled, actually able to see some humor in this. “No, it wouldn’t. I’m sleepy. You two are going to have to save the argument for tomorrow.” “Still in a difficult mood, are you?” Tyral’s eyes followed her every move. “If I was still in a difficult mood, would I be here?” She felt like teasing him a little bit, but she didn’t know how long she could keep playing. The day’s events were beginning to take their toll. “You should have just picked her up and carried her back here. We can handle her temper.” His eyes traced down her body, lingering on her breasts and her hips. “That would have made things worse.” She stopped and put her hands on her hips. She couldn’t mistake the hunger in his eyes. “And that’s why I came after you.” Callan laughed, urging her the final few steps toward the bed. She crawled into bed and snuggled down into its softness. She felt the warmth of Callan’s body pressing against hers. Drowsily she closed her eyes. They snapped open as fingers brushed across her jaw. Tyral’s fingers turned her face toward him. “Don’t leave the caverns without us, thali.” After delivering that command and staring intensely into her eyes, he stretched out beside her and went to sleep within moments. How could he do that? Karissa stared at him, startled by the intensity she’d seen in those golden eyes. He was a strange man. It took her some time to go to sleep. She couldn’t stop thinking about that severe look. It made no sense. Why would he care if she went for a walk?

***** Tyral slanted a glance toward Karissa. Standing on a limb above him, she seemed to be totally at ease in the leafy branches. She appeared to be in a tractable mood today. She hadn’t argued when they’d told her she would have to be with one of them at all times. He was glad she was in a good mood, but he wasn’t too sure about the way she kept moving around in the tree. The telina fruit wasn’t worth a broken arm.

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They’d expected an argument—a loud one—but she’d dressed in a long-sleeved ice-blue shirt and black pants and calmly asked what they’d be doing as she’d pulled on her boots. They’d silently decided to take her agreement as a gift and not question it too much. Tyral looked up at her. From this angle, he had a nice view of her ass—a very fine ass that just begged to be held, stroked and spanked. She was lovely, but he’d like to get her out of the colors of the Ice Realm and into those of the Fire Realm. What does clothing matter? Ahvin ranted. She needs to see that you’re her mate. So make her see it! Tyral resisted the urge to snap back at the Elemental. He wanted Karissa to see him as her mate just as much as Ahvin did. The woman seemed blind to the fact that there was more than sex going on in their relationship. “So what exactly about being sent on your Ra’Asien upsets you?” Tyral watched her face closely. Finding out would enable them to help her resolve her problems and accept the future. Karissa sighed. “I suppose a little of it is envy for the freedom others have, the extra time they’re given. What really makes me angry is the way there are two standards— one for men, another for women.” Tyral didn’t understand. Men and women were different, thus they were treated differently. “What do you mean?” “I know that I’m not the first or the last woman to know she’ll be sent on her Ra’Asien long before it is normal. That’s fine. I can understand that they don’t want to lose anyone from the powerful bloodlines to the chomak, to allow them to change into a monster, but they hardly ever show the same diligence in their interference in the lives of men.” Karissa flung out a hand and swayed before she caught a branch and steadied herself. His heart pounding wildly, he swallowed the need to get her down from there. “You have a problem with the way the advisors watch over the women and men?” Tyral raised his brows and caught the fruit she dropped down to him. “A friend of mine, another Aliara, was sent on her Ra’Asien at twenty-five because her power was almost as strong as mine is. Her older brother, the second son, was well over four hundred years older than her. He nearly turned chomak before anyone noticed his need.” Karissa’s voice rose in irritation. “It isn’t all that unusual for such things to occur.” Tyral shrugged. The sages couldn’t keep watch over everyone. “I understand that men need to be trained first, yet even afterward, no one pays attention to them. They don’t have a set age to begin a marriage hunt. The most powerful women go to other kingdoms, yet the most powerful males, the ones who provide for the future of the Realm, are ignored. Some even turn chomak due to the neglect.” Karissa’s voice became clipped and her words tumbled out in a passionate rush . 35

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“You do have a point.” Tyral raised his brows. What she said was true, all of it. The most powerful men were being allowed to risk their very existence. “The council does have a responsibility to watch over the males as well as the females.” By the Fires, Tyral, stop making idle conversation. Just tell her that you and Callan are her mates. Frustration coated the Elemental’s every thought. Ahvin, we have to let her come to see it on her own. I don’t like it any more than you do. I’d rather just sit her down and tell her that she’s our mate, but all that would do is raise her resistance to the idea. She wouldn’t see it. Tyral pushed a hand through his hair and kept his eyes on her. “I have a point, but nothing will change. The men will still be left to decide when they seek their mate—if ever.” Karissa frowned and allowed Tyral to help her from the tree. “After what happened to my friend’s brother, I worry about my brothers. They’re all extremely powerful and two of them are old enough to be in danger.” “Do you have anything against actually mating with someone?” Tyral pressed, needing to know how resistant she was. “No.” Karissa grinned. “I want to feel the closeness to another that I’ve seen in other marriages. It’s just…” “It’s the fact that it was thrust upon you that makes it unpalatable.” Tyral fully understood her viewpoint. Being forced or told that you had to begin looking for your mate wouldn’t raise much enthusiasm for the search. There wasn’t much they could do to change her feelings. The Frejan Council was right. She was much too powerful to chance losing. They couldn’t give her more time to roam free. She was too precious to them.

***** Ijina chilled the glass of fruit juice in Karissa’s hands. Karissa smiled as she took a sip of the mixture of telina and molit juice. It tasted so much better cold. She took a seat on the couch and waited for Tyral and Callan to come join her. She was enjoying her time with them and really didn’t want to think about returning to the Frejan Court. From what they’d told her of that binding spell, she estimated there was a full day, maybe a day and a half, before her abilities returned. Once they did, there would be no reason to delay their departure from this prison. They’d have to break the spell. They all had family waiting for them and neglected duties in their respective Realms. Karissa looked over as Callan fussed with the metal grating over the glowing coals. There was still quite a bit of time before the fish he’d caught would be ready. The fillets were cooking slowly in leaf packets. When it was ready, the herbed fish would be moist and tender. What do you think of them? Ijina purred.

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Karissa could sense the Elemental was more than just curious, but Karissa wasn’t interested in discovering just what Ijina expected. They’re nice, sexy. I think we’ve covered this. Is that all they are? Karissa didn’t have time to think of answer. Callan turned and walked over to join her. Callan came and dropped onto the couch beside her. He plucked the goblet from her hands and took a long drink of the juice. “That’s good.” “I thought maybe you liked yours warm.” Karissa took her cup back and chuckled as she noticed all the juice was gone. “I prefer wine, nectar and many other things cold.” Callan flashed her a feral grin, his eyes roaming to the V-neckline of her ice-blue tunic. “I’ve never been accused of being cold,” Karissa chuckled. “Do you want to play, tana?” Tyral stalked over to stand in front of her. Karissa caught the flash of anticipatory hunger in his eyes. She hesitated, a little cautious, but reminded herself that this was her chance to experiment and it wasn’t going to last long. Within just a few days she’d be back in the Frejan court. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that soon she’d be sent on her Ra’Asien. She’d take her freedom while she had it. “Is it the kind of game I can win while I have no real magical abilities?” Karissa smiled up at him and reached out to finger the soft material of his yellow shirt. “It’s the kind of game we all win, eli moru.” Tyral extended his hand and drew her to her feet. “Undress for us, te thali.” Callan got to his feet and watched her. The challenge flaring in his eyes set her imagination flying. Karissa stepped away from them and, smiling, began to slowly remove her clothing. She wanted to entice them, to tease them. Her ice-blue tunic came first, removed in a slow peek-a-boo fashion as she watched their reactions. Their eyes locked on her, the fire building with every bit of flesh she revealed and then hid. Her boots came off easily and she was able to move on to her pants without too much awkwardness. She unlaced the fly of her pants. Pushing down on one side of the gray fabric, she offered them a glimpse of the curve of her hip. She turned her back to them. As she did, she pushed the fabric down below the swell of her buttocks. Bending from the waist and wiggling her butt, she slid the pants down to her ankles before she stepped out of them. Nude, she turned to face the two men. Their amber eyes blazed with desire. She loved how they reacted to her slightest provocation with fierce need. It made her feel powerful, feminine, a goddess. With them, she felt like the ultimate seductress. “How much do you trust us, tana?” Tyral asked.

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“I trust you. If I didn’t, Ijina would be your constant companion.” Karissa smiled and watched them. She’d given them her body when she had no power. If she hadn’t decided that she could trust them, she’d be sleeping in a separate room. “The game we’re going to play will test your trust. Do you think that you can take it?” Callan asked. “See what happens when you test me.” Karissa lifted her chin and her eyes sparkled with challenge. As she watched, she saw Tyral smile. Her aggressive behavior excited him. The hard ridge of his cock pressing against his pants was blatant evidence. Karissa had been with men who’d been intimidated when she’d shown any strength. She could tell that he wasn’t afraid of a little female aggression. This man didn’t mind her pushing him. His strength and confidence drew her, excited her. “On your hands and knees.” Tyral pointed to a spot in front of him on the soft red and yellow rugs. Karissa raised her brows, but stepped forward and dropped to her hands and knees without question. Callan paced around her, disappearing behind her. She tensed a little, surprised and frightened by the sudden blackness when a soft, thick blindfold settled in front of her eyes, but she made no move to remove it. Listening intently, she wondered what they were doing, what they would do next. “Rest your upper body on the ground.” Tyral smoothed a hand over the golden skin of her shoulder and back. “Put your hands at your sides and relax them.” Karissa complied, a little anxious, but very excited. She could feel the warm, slick, creamy liquid of her arousal on her thighs. Anticipation was forming a tight knot of desire low in her stomach, a pulsing need in her clit. She felt a large, warm hand clasp her wrist, pulling it up and behind her. Soft cloth wrapped around her wrist and then her other hand was lifted and bound in the same silent, gentle manner. She tugged against the binding, but it was secure and strong. A light frisson of fear coursed through her as she realized her helplessness. She tensed, struggling against the soft ties. The supple material at her wrists held her and moved with her but didn’t loosen. The care they were taking to see to her safety suddenly became apparent. This was no normal rope. The soft bindings were specifically made to ensure her pleasure as well as her comfort. That calmed her a little. They weren’t going to hurt her or let her be hurt. She relaxed, her cheek pressed against the plush rug. Karissa jerked in surprise as she felt something warm and hard slide between her labia. It was definitely not a real cock. Too unyielding and too slick to be flesh, it pushed easily through the juices spilling from her slit. The rounded head vibrated a little as it brushed over her clit. Karissa pushed back, moaning as the warm rod retreated.

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Her body seemed hypersensitive to their touch now that she couldn’t see what they were doing or who was doing it. They’d locked her in a world ruled by her sense of touch, smell and hearing. The brush of a hand across her hips sent fiery trails of sensation spreading through her. Their scent surrounded her, exciting her. They didn’t say a word to her. The only thing she heard was the occasional scuff of a foot across the rug and the sound of her own ragged breathing. The hard phallus pushed slowly into her needy sheath, moving slowly back and forth as a large, slick finger circled the tight ring of her anus. As the dildo retreated, the finger pushed into the tight channel. An insidious rhythm began, exciting her but not taking her over the edge. Two fingers were added, then three, stretching her, pushing the excitement to a higher level. The dildo was pulled out of her pussy with a wet suctioning sound that incited her. A moment later, she felt the rounded head probing her puckered back entrance. Coated with her cream, it slid past the constricting ring without any pain. “Ahh, Icy Hell,” Karissa whimpered as a wave of hot desire hit her. She burned with need. She didn’t want the dildo. She wanted them. The fingers had stretched the entrance, but the warm length within her was wider and longer. There was a delightful edge to the sensations hitting her as the phallus pushed slowly forward, stretching her. She pushed back into that advancing shaft. One of them freed Karissa’s hands as the other removed the dildo. She had given them her complete trust. The man who removed the bindings pulled her to her feet. She stood there—willing, waiting. He raised her right hand above her head and secured it there with a magical band. The other was anchored in exactly the same manner. They want to do this standing? Karissa tossed a glance toward the soft-looking bed across the room. “You’re ready for us,” Callan growled against her ear. “We’re going to have you now, tana, both of us. There isn’t anything within the four Realms that can stop our possession of you. You’re so hot that you’re going to come within the first few strokes.” Karissa could feel his body pressing against her left side, his hands stroking over her buttocks and stomach. She couldn’t deny that she was primed, ready to explode. When two hands cupped her breasts, flicking the hardened nipples, she knew that it had to be Tyral. His fingers plucked at the reddened tips, just as his mouth claimed hers. Tyral cupped Karissa’s buttocks, lifting her against him, urging her legs around his hips. His cock entered her tight, wet sheath with a smooth glide. Her vaginal muscles rippled around his shaft, welcoming the thick, full feeling but needing more. She wriggled against him, trying to move on him. “No, eli moru, wait for Callan,” Tyral urged, his lips moving against her cheek in soft fluttering caresses. “When you come this time, you’ll come for both of us.” Callan stepped up behind her. She felt his hard, warm cock press against her buttocks. His hands parted her cheeks as he nibbled on her neck.

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Karissa felt the probe of the broad head of his oiled penis against the puckered ring of her anus. Slowly, the ring yielded to the pressure, opening and accepting the large shaft which forged slowly into her. She closed her eyes, trembling. He was long and wide and there was a slight edge of pain to the pleasure as the delicate tissue stretched around his advancing shaft. He pushed forward until he was as deep as he could go. Karissa clenched her hands, awash in sensation. Her breath came in harsh, panting gasps. Her body was on fire. A hot knot of tension quivered low in her abdomen. Her clit throbbed with each pulse of her heart. Her pussy and ass were stuffed with two large cocks and climax was tantalizingly out of reach. “Please,” Karissa whispered, wanting to hold on with more than her legs. She wanted to wrap her arms around Tyral’s shoulders and press her body against his as he drove into her. Callan surged into her. He raked the sharp points of his upper canines across her shoulder. His hands covered her breasts, massaging and squeezing. “Come for us. Come now.” Callan pulled out of her until only the head of his cock was held by her tight, hot channel. Tyral drove forward hard, his pelvis grinding against her clit. Karissa came, her body shaking. Release rolled through her building, carrying her up as excitement and emotion swirled within her. A wordless cry announced her pleasure as her muscles tightened and released around the hot male flesh thrusting into her. Tyral forged into her, advancing and retreating. His groans filled her ears as moved with increasing urgency. He thrust hard, driving deep into her. He came. His body jerked against hers and a harsh growl tore from his throat. Callan came only a few moments after Tyral. He surged against Karissa, driving his shaft into her. The tight grip of her anal muscles drove him closer and closer to climax. Each stroke slid fast and deep. With a shout, he tensed as his hot cum shot into her. As Karissa lay in bed later that night, sated and well-loved with her skin tingling from their ministrations, she thought about what they’d been doing earlier. They’d set up that situation for a reason. She knew it had been a test of her trust. She didn’t understand why they’d felt the need. They probably wouldn’t need to use sex magic to leave the planet. Even if they did have to use it, they knew she trusted them enough for that. There was something more behind their demands, but she couldn’t figure out what that was.

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Chapter Five In the end, leaving that prison of a planet had been a little anticlimactic. They’d stood side by side in the clearing where she’d first appeared and broken the spell together. Between the three of them, they had so much power that sex magic would have been overkill. After the shield had been destroyed, Karissa had said goodbye and transported herself to Vinganis. There was a Portal House there that she could use to return to the Frejan Court. After she’d made her report to the King, Karissa went to her family’s estate on Enshan. She felt a need for some time to herself and the King had given her permission to be away from Court for a week. She’d had nine days to relax before she returned to the Court, but now she was back at her family home for a few days. It was strange. She missed Callan and Tyral—and not only for the hot sex. She missed talking with them. They had listened to her. She loved being the focus of their attention and she had never reached the heights of pleasure that they had shown her with anyone else. Even arguing with them had been invigorating. Regardless of their opinions, they’d always listened to her. Of course, they had demanded the same courtesy when they made her fighting mad with some of their opinions. Since she’d returned to the Frejan Realm two months ago, she dreamed of them every night. Hot dreams of their arms holding her close and secure or holding her at their mercy. Those dreams tormented her and left her aching when she woke. No amount of time with her toys was able to fill that void. The fact that she hadn’t had an orgasm since she’d left them worried her. She had never had trouble finding her pleasure before she’d met those two men. There was only one thing which worried her even more than not being able to come. A strange, uneasy feeling grew in her abdomen. Something was wrong with Ijina and Karissa could feel the Ice Spirit gathering the courage to explain the situation. That there was need for such courage doubled Karissa’s anxiety. There weren’t that many things which would cause this reaction. Karissa couldn’t think of a reason for any of them to apply in her case. When the pain became a stabbing lance of fire in her stomach, Karissa knew she could wait no longer to confront Ijina. The effects of this problem were spreading. She felt drained of energy, had trouble sleeping and dizziness began to assault her at the most troublesome moments. Karissa went to the security of her room. She locked the door to ensure that she wouldn’t be disturbed. Sitting on her bed, she closed her eyes and concentrated. The sound of the rain pelting the crystal-Ice windows helped her relax and focus inward. Determination poured through her. She would make Ijina explain things this time.

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Ijina, what’s wrong with you? Why am I feeling this pain? Karissa focused on the link between her symbiote and herself. I want an answer. You’ve been dodging this for days. We must go to the Volirian Realm, Ijina blurted, but she was serious in the demand. Ijina, what’s wrong? Karissa felt her patience slip as Ijina remained unusually evasive. Just tell me the truth. We must find the Princes. Karissa could feel the stress pulsing within the Elemental and the added strain worsened the pain tearing through her abdomen. She doubled over as a dagger of fire ripped into her. Why? She struggled to keep her focus. Why was Ijina being so evasive? The answer couldn’t be that bad. Why should I go hunt them? Why should I go to the Volirian Realm at all? I’m pregnant. Ijina tossed the words out as if she expected an explosion to follow. Karissa opened her eyes but saw nothing. She couldn’t have been more surprised if Ijina had told her that she was becoming a winged ice tarpille. For an Elemental Spirit to become pregnant, she had to bond with another spirit. Between them, they created an Elemental Spirit which would remain dormant inside the female host until she conceived. At that time, it would join with the baby. Which one? Karissa wondered which Prince Ijina had bonded with. Her mind was numb from the shock. How could she have missed the simple fact that her Elemental had bonded with another? It was supposed to be obvious. Both, Ijina tentatively replied. Karissa could sense her emotions. She was nervous and worried. She also felt as if she had failed Karissa. The bonding and pregnancy explained her pain and the other symptoms. Ijina was an Ice Elemental carrying a Fire Elemental babe. Because the spirit was of the fire element, its presence was almost toxic to Karissa. For all three of them—Karissa, Ijina, and the baby Elemental—to survive they needed to be in contact with a Fire Elemental, to be embraced. That would help Karissa to achieve the balance necessary to cope with the alien Element. Why didn’t you tell me? Karissa felt a little hurt that Ijina hadn’t confided in her, but anger far outweighed the hurt. Why didn’t they tell me? In a week, I was going to begin my Ra’Asien in the Aevian Realm. I was giving you some time. You would’ve figured it out on your own if this hadn’t happened. Ijina wanted to make Karissa understand that she hadn’t meant to hurt her. She had wanted only to give her host the time to feel as certain about the bonding as she did. You should have told me at the first hint. You know it was never about the bond. You put yourself at risk, Karissa chided, thoroughly exasperated. They should have told me before I left. I shouldn’t have been left unaware of what had happened. We’re going? Hope rang in the hesitant question from Ijina.

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As soon as I explain things to my father and the King, Karissa sighed. This is going to be damned embarrassing. I should have known that you’d bonded with them. I was just so wrapped up in what they did for me that I didn’t even realize that something more than the physical was happening to us. I’ll pack after I talk to my father.

***** It took Karissa longer than she’d thought it would to find her father. She had to look in three places before she found him. Finally, she tracked him down in the gardens. Gervis Moshen sat on a bench and watched as her mother and the gardener tended to the delicate light purple and blue semia flowers. She took a deep breath and paced over to stand in front of him. “Papa…I need to talk to you.” She shifted nervously on her feet and sighed. Why was this so hard? “It’s important.” Her father smiled at her and gestured to the spot beside him on the bench. “Sit, Rissa.” “I have to leave again, Papa.” Karissa grimaced, suddenly struck with the answer to her question. She didn’t want to disappoint her family, to have them think badly of her. They’d always supported her in everything she’d ever wanted to do. She was going to miss them. Until just now, she hadn’t thought about leaving them. She’d thought only of going to Callan and Tyral. Her father had been so proud of her when she’d been accepted as an Aliara. For days, he’d bragged about it to anyone who’d listen. Only the women with the highest power and excellent control became Aliaras. He’d even gone against convention and taught her a little genuine battle magic, although she’d never had reason to use it. “You’re not due back in Court for five days.” Her father frowned. She glanced over at him and for a moment, she thought she saw amusement in his silver eyes. “I know, but I won’t be there long.” “Why don’t you just say it?” Gervis Moshen smiled. “You looked like a well-fed misakat when you came home, content and holding your secrets close. A day after that you became dizzy when you stood up quickly. The next day, you nearly fell down the stairs.” Karissa blushed, her face glowing bright red. She hadn’t known she’d been that obvious. “I knew you’d met someone while you were trapped. I also know you did more than talk.” Gervis laughed as her face again reddened. “I too was young once.” “It’s…um…I’ve…uh…Ijina’s bonded now.” She fidgeted and looked down at her feet. She’d stood before her King covered in muck and not felt this nervous, this embarrassed. His eyes widened. “Is it one of the men you met before you came back from finding the Princes of Volir?”

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She shook her head. “No, it’s the Princes of Volir—both of them.” He frowned. “And you didn’t know before you left them that you were their mate?” “No.” She grimaced. “That thing about knowing your mate when you meet him, being able to tell when your spirit forms the bond apparently isn’t always true.” “Which is why you’re here when Ijina is pregnant.” He nodded. “I had wondered about that.” Her eyes snapped up to meet her father’s. “How do you know that Ijina is pregnant?” “There are only a few reasons for the signs you were exhibiting, Rissa. That was the only one that made any sense.” Her father shook his head. “Go to them. Send word to us when your wedding will be. We’ll be there.” Karissa turned to leave, but turned back to look at her mother and father for a moment. A sudden rush of anxiety hit her. For a moment, she wanted to go back and sit down, just stay there. She knew that was impossible, but walking away from everything she knew wasn’t easy. “Rissa.” Her father’s voice drew her attention from her worries for a moment. “You’ve always made me proud. I never told you. When you were chosen as an Aliara, I was happy for you, but I also wanted to grab you and keep you at home. You were so young. I just wanted to keep you where you were safe.” “You didn’t. You taught me and smiled as I went to court to take up the duty for the first time.” She walked over and hugged him. “It wasn’t easy. You are our youngest child, our only girl. We wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt. Watching you become an Aliara… The Realms haven’t been at war with each other for generations, but that didn’t mean you’d always be safe.” His arms tightened around her. Tears stung her eyes as her father stepped back. She could see the love and admiration blazing from his eyes. “And now you’re leaving the Realm to marry. It doesn’t seem like you’re old enough.” Her mother came over and took Karissa’s hands in hers. “Well, I would have at least been searching soon. You know I made some people very nervous when I was in court.” Karissa forced her lips up into a smile. Her father chuckled. “It was funny to watch them go to the other side of the room whenever you came into a room as if you were going to go wild on them at any moment.” “Bring your Princes here for a visit when you can. You’re just going to be married. That doesn’t mean you have to stay in the Fire Realm all the time.” Her mother’s arms closed around her in fierce hug. “I will. I’ll drag them here if I have to.” Karissa returned the hug. “I’ve got to go before another round of pain hits. I love you.”

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“We love you too, Rissa. Now go get permission and find your Princes.” Her father walked over and dropped a kiss on Karissa’s forehead before curling his arm around her mother’s shoulders. Find my princes, Karissa thought. That was only the beginning. She’d have to learn the ins and outs of the Volirian Court. You’ll do it easily. Don’t worry about that part. You have enough experience in court life to not make any bad mistakes. Ijina offered. She didn’t know anything about being a Princess. There wasn’t one in the Frejan Court. She knew more about what would happen because of her marriage than what would be expected of her. Her family’s position in the Frejan Court would be strengthened by her marriage into the Volirian royalty. Not that her father really needed it. He was already respected within the Court, but the power would come with a cost. That connection would be called on in any future talks that were required between Freja and Volir. From what she knew, Volirian culture was so much more formal in most cases than Frejan culture. Her life would be very different there. The Fire Realm’s history was different than the Ice Realm’s. Relative peace and a bit of isolation had shaped Frejan culture in the last few generations. That hadn’t been the case for Volir. Battles for power within the Realm and assassination attempts had shaped Volirian court life. Females in the Frejan Realm had a freedom that most women in other Realms didn’t enjoy. And her mates came from the Volirian Realm. The Fire Realm had been notorious for generations for its strict structure and male-oriented society. Stop worrying about it. You won’t be alone there. Your mates will help. Well, when you get over your anger at them, Ijina soothed. By the time she arrived before the King, she was past most of the embarrassment. Anger still seethed within her and all of it was directed toward the two men who were her mates. Karissa knelt before King Amir. She was dressed in full Aliara regalia, as was custom. She grimaced. This would be easier to do if she didn’t have to reveal her ignorance in front of everybody. The King’s Audience Chamber was far from empty. The large blue-carpeted room held some of those waiting to speak to the King as well as a few of his advisors. The white and silver walls glittered in the bright light. “My King, I come to ask permission to go to the Volirian Realm—to Baezid,” she explained after the initial greetings had been completed. As she looked up, she caught a look of surprise on the King’s face. “Why would you want to go to the Realm of Fire?” King Amir asked. “You’ve told me that you had chosen to begin your Ra’Asien in the Aevian Realm.” “I had every intention of doing so, Your Highness, but I’ve discovered that I must go to the Volirian Realm immediately.” She raised her eyes and met the intense brown eyes of her King. 45

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“Why?” The King tilted his head as he considered her petition. “I’ve discovered that I’m bonded, Sire. My search for a mate is over before it began,” Karissa stated baldly, her gaze never wavering from the King sitting on his throne atop the raised dais. “Bonded?” King Amir raised his brows. “You’re certain? Who did your spirit bond with?” “Yes, my King, I’m absolutely certain. Ijina bonded with the spirits of the Princes of Volir.” She tensed as a wave of pain tore at her abdomen. Tightening her muscles, she fought to keep from curling into a ball, to keep her hands at her side. The King suddenly shot to his feet. “You’re in pain. What is wrong?” “I must go to the Volirian Realm,” she explained through gritted teeth. “Ijina, my Spirit, bonded with theirs. She is pregnant. She only just told me of it.” “Situations such as these aren’t that strange, Aliara Moshen.” The King strode over and helped her to her feet. “Go with the Healer and rest until you feel better and then you have my permission to go to the Volirian Realm.” Karissa readily went with the Healer. Perhaps he could give her some advice on how to lessen the effects of this until she was reunited with Tyral and Callan. The last thing she noticed as she left the room was the King motioning to one of his messengers. It will ease completely when we get there and their spirits meld a bit of their energy with mine. Ijina stirred restlessly. We need to go soon. As soon as I can walk without this shooting pain. Karissa could feel her symbiote’s urgency, but even moving was agony. She just needed a little time.

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Chapter Six Tyral looked across the room to where his fathers stood conducting the business of the Realm. His impatience for a reply grew with every passing moment. They’d sent the message to the King of Frejan only yesterday, but the delay was almost intolerable. Only one answer would be acceptable. He found himself watching every messenger who entered the room, especially if they were wearing Frejan blue or green. Karissa had been vocal about her feelings on marriage. They’d decided letting her come to the truth on her own would ease the transition into her new life. The separation wasn’t easy, however. They’d bonded with her. Having her out of their sight caused an incessant gnawing worry and they ached to have her with them. They’d wanted to give her time to recognize it on her own, but were unable to wait any longer for that revelation. Go to the Pentacle Room, Ahvin demanded. Open a tunnel to the Frejan Realm and go get Karissa. Make her see the truth. King Tovin cleared his throat to get their attention. Tyral looked up at his father. He hoped this was news about Karissa. The temptation to go to Freja and drag her back to Volir was growing with every passing moment. Only their preparation for her eventual arrival had given them any satisfaction. He’d begun moving some of his clothing from his room into the rooms they would share when she arrived. He didn’t know if Callan had started to move things from his room yet. “We’ve received a message from the Frejan Realm,” King Marit stated. Tyral and Callan’s attention instantly focused on their father. They stood waiting for him to continue. “Your Karissa will be here soon. She’s coming of her own choice. The Frejan King had just received your missive when she requested an audience,” King Tovin informed them. “She wanted permission to come here. She was given that permission.” “Did the King say why she wanted permission to come to Volir?” Callan asked. “If she thinks to start her Ra’Asien here, she’ll soon find out that there is nothing to start. She belongs with us. No other will touch her.” Tyral nodded in agreement. Regardless of her reason for coming here, she wouldn’t suffer any illusions for long. There would certainly be no flirting with other nobles of the Fire Court. As soon as she got here, she’d discover that she was a betrothed woman. “No, there was no mention of her reason.” King Marit shrugged. “When she arrives, we’ll greet her as is custom. You may join us after the initial introductions and formalities have been observed. We’ll send word after we have spoken to her.”

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Karissa felt the transition as she traveled through the spatial tunnel to the Volirian world of Baezid. The movement was much too fast to see anything, but the tugging sensation was unmistakable. Unlike the Pentacle Room on some worlds, this room was easily identifiable. The Volirian Seal hung on gray stone walls. Fire crystal adorned the walls, the gems winking in the light cast by the lamps hung from shining golden sconces. The most glaring difference was the men standing to the side of the light golden wood of the door. Armed guards protected the entrance to the Royal Palace. “I am Aliara Karissa Moshen. I believe word was sent about my arrival.” She took a deep breath. Her stomach tightened and a dizzy, queasy feeling made her regret eating before she’d left Freja. Her fingers clenched around the strap on one of her bags. She resisted the urge to place her hand over the steady ache. She hoped she’d be able to get through the explanations and formalities before another attack occurred. Just tell the Kings at the first opportunity, Ijina urged. They’ll get you to Tyral and Callan. Karissa knew that was the truth, but she didn’t want to start her life here by dropping that kind of news on the Kings. She’d like to make as good of an impression as possible on them. Stubborn woman, Ijina huffed. The taller of the two red-haired guards smiled at her. “Someone will be here momentarily to take your bags and escort you to the Kings’ private Audience Room, Aliara of Frejan.” “Thank you.” She forced a smile and focused on keeping her breathing slow and even while she tried to relax. Moments later, two young women opened the door to the Pentacle Room. One of the women had red hair and was very petite, especially next to the tall woman beside her. The green-eyed woman beside her wore her long black hair in an intricate braid down her back. The black-haired woman picked up Karissa’s bags. “I am Tarina Maren,” the red-haired woman said. “This is Angeline Faril. She’ll see that your bags are taken to your room. I’ll escort you to the Kings’ Audience Chambers. You’re expected.” “Thank you.” She smiled in spite of the ache curling through her. “I’m Karissa Moshen, Aliara to the Frejan Court.” “Shall we go?” Tarina urged Karissa to leave the Pentacle Room in front of her, but in the hall, paced beside her. “King Marit and King Tovin are waiting to meet you.” The wide, smooth gray-walled hallway was brightly illuminated by lamps. Gems embedded in the walls and ceiling reflected and magnified the golden glow. She walked beside the woman through a maze of such corridors until finally she stopped before an elegantly carved dark Morit wood door. Tarina knocked lightly and a gruff voice called permission to enter the Audience chambers.

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Karissa tried to keep from staring too much. So many doors. She’d never been called to visit this palace. The solid, thick doors over every entryway just seemed so strange, so obstructive. The Frejan Royal Palace was largely an open airy place. This palace just seemed so forbidding. This isn’t the Ice Realm, Ijina reminded her. I know, but the doors make everything seem so restrictive, so cold. I can’t help wondering if they lock everyone into their room at night. Karissa bit at her lip. Maybe that last part was a little over the top, but this place did make her feel confined. You’ll adjust. They have their reasons for wanting the doors. Ijina didn’t seem the least bit worried. Taking a deep breath, Karissa followed the woman into the large room. The Kings sat in two large chairs at the other end of the room. The room had been tastefully and elegantly decorated. Colorful woven rugs almost covered the gray stone floor. Tapestries were spaced along the walls. Most were very obviously about Volirian history, battles and myths. A tapestry depicting the Creation of the Veil hung on the wall behind the Kings’ chairs. Is this the Formal Audience Chamber? Karissa wondered as she brought her eyes to the Kings. She couldn’t find even the slightest hint of informality or personalization here. But if it was the Formal Chamber, where were the members of their Court, the Lords and Ladies? Tarina walked forward and Karissa trailed after her. “My Kings, this is Karissa Moshen of Tengan House, Aliara to the Frejan Court. Aliara Moshen, this is King Marit and King Tovin Forain of Menshar House of Volir.” She gestured first to the man on the right and then to the man on the left. “Thank you, Tarina.” King Marit nodded to the woman. “You are dismissed.” In the moment before they turned their attention to her, Karissa looked at them. She could see the resemblance to their sons. It was in the way their eyes tilted, the line of the jaw and even the smile. She also saw the strength in them. These men had been born to lead. Had she met them somewhere other than their Audience chambers, she would have been able to tell that they wielded power. It was in their attitude and their body language. As soon as their attention turned to her, she dipped into a curtsy and bowed her head respectfully. “Thank you for allowing me to come here, King Marit, King Tovin.” Tell them! Ijina demanded. Ijina, it’s hard enough to keep my lips in a smile with this aching pain. Karissa tried to focus her thoughts on listening to the Kings and responding with something more than a nod. “You are welcome in Volir, but we’re somewhat confused about the reason for your desire to visit our Realm. The missive from King Amir said nothing about why you’re here.” King Tovin raised an eyebrow. “You may rise, Aliara Moshen.”

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“We recognize your name as that of the woman who went searching for our sons and helped them to escape. Are you going to begin your Ra’Asien here?” King Marit asked. “I think you play with—” Karissa began, but a sharp pain took her by surprise causing her to gasp and clutch at her abdomen. There was no way to disguise that movement. Both Kings jumped fluidly to their feet. They rushed forward and each clasped a hand on her shoulder, keeping her from falling on her face. “Are you feeling unwell?” King Marit looked down at her. She looked up at him and grimaced. She knew she’d gone appallingly pale, probably looked even sicker than she felt. And then there was the fact that at the moment she couldn’t stand up straight. “I’ll be all right. You know that I’m mate to your sons. You probably knew of it before I did.” Her voice was a little hoarse, her throat tight as pain stabbed through her. “What’s wrong with you? How can you know that your illness isn’t serious?” King Tovin looked concernedly at the silver-haired woman. “My Spirit became pregnant, King Tovin.” She didn’t explain any further. He would know what needed to be done to ensure her health. Finally! You should have told them right after they acknowledged you, Ijina practically cheered. Do I need this attitude? Karissa grimaced. The pain was bad enough. She didn’t need an Elemental ranting at her. “That’s how you learned of the bonding.” King Marit smiled at the revelation. “Yes, your sons have some explaining to do. I want to know why they didn’t tell me of it before I left them. I’m almost certain that they knew of it the entire time we were on that planet. They could have given me a hint,” Karissa frowned at the memory, but remembered her manners very quickly. “Your Highness.” King Marit smiled, showing white teeth. “You’re free to use your magic here. Just don’t do them any lasting damage. They are our heirs.” She chuckled, but silently admitted that she had contemplated doing more than a little damage when she’d first learned of the mating. The conniving tricksters certainly deserved it. “Where are they?” “Probably standing right outside of the door.” King Tovin smiled and then began to stride toward the door. “They’ve been waiting to see you since the moment you left them.” King Tovin opened the door. Karissa looked beyond him and saw Tyral and Callan leaning against the opposite wall. Callan’s hair had the look of one too many fingercombings and Tyral’s expression was grim. “You may come in now.” King Tovin nodded to his sons. “You have some soothing to do, my sons. Best that you set to work immediately.” 50

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Karissa stood where King Tovin and King Marit had left her. The two older men left almost as soon as Tyral and Callan had entered the room. It was obvious that they believed that this situation called for privacy. She allowed her eyes to wander over the two men. The golden shirt flowing over Tyral’s broad chest hung below waist level and was belted over the black pants hugging his muscular thighs. Callan’s red shirt molded to his chest and the black pants he wore appeared to have been painted onto his legs. The sight of those two gorgeous bodies ignited the hunger that had simmered within her during their separation. She wanted to go to them, to run her hands over the hard male chests, feel their heat against her and prove to herself that this was real. Wrenching her eyes up to their faces, she fought that urge. She wanted an explanation. She waited, watched as Tyral and Callan paced across the room. She frowned at the large smiles spreading across their faces. They were apparently pleased that she was here, but she was very angry with them. These men would tell her what she wanted to know. Their behavior on that last day made no sense. She wanted answers, now. “Stop right there.” Karissa frowned, pointing at them when they came within a body length of her. She wasn’t going to let the two of them distract her with their kisses or seductive touches. They had let her leave them when they’d known she was their mate. She needed to know why. “Te thali, is something wrong?” Tyral stopped, disconcerted by her demand and the look on her face. She couldn’t believe that he’d actually asked that question of her. He was either being deliberately obtuse or truly didn’t know what he’d done. “Wrong? We spent three days on that planet together. I trusted you in ways that I’ve never trusted anyone else.” “And we were honored and grateful for that trust. The gift you gave us was invaluable.” Callan smiled as he paced forward, but stopped when Karissa glared at him and took a step back. “Honored!” She almost wished for something to throw at him. No one was that damn blind. “You were so honored and yet you didn’t find the time or the words to tell me that I’m your mate, that our Spirits had bonded. You didn’t give me a hint that those three days were anything more than just good sex. You didn’t even try to stop me from leaving.” “You left quickly. We didn’t have time.” Callan ran his eyes hungrily over her lush form. “Didn’t have time!” She barely kept the exclamation below a true yell. “Tell me you didn’t know from the first, or almost from the first, I was bound with you and I might believe you.” Both men remained silent, but their smiles were turning to stern frowns. “That advice you received from the advisor who told you to stay and you’d find something valuable. You remember the reason you didn’t leave before I got there, 51

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surely?” She demanded not intimidated by their frowns. She was going to get her answers from them. “I was the something valuable, wasn’t I? He wanted you to find your mate.” “Yes, it was more than just simple advice. Nacain is known for his sometimes prophetic predictions.” Tyral’s hands flexed at his sides. He looked as if he wanted to grab her. “Woman, stop playing games. You’ve been out of our arms for long enough.” “Why didn’t you tell me about it?” Her eyes narrowed as she remembered just how many opportunities they’d had to introduce the subject. They’d done nothing to help her see the truth. “You weren’t very receptive on the subject of marriage. You were angry at having to begin your Ra’Asien soon,” Callan reminded her. “I didn’t think you would be intimidated by a little resistance,” she scoffed. Those two men wouldn’t have hesitated to tell her about it if they’d really wanted her to know. “Karissa…” Tyral frowned. “You’re treading on dangerous ground.” “Even if I had laughed at your beliefs, at least the idea, the possibility would have been there. I thought I was still unbonded. In less than a week, I was going to begin my Ra’Asien…in Aevian.” She took great delight in dropping that little bomb. They deserved it for the way they’d done this.

***** “You would not…” Callan growled. The thought of her in another court, surrounded by men trying to get her attention infuriated him. Ijina wouldn’t have let her do anything with any other man, Tahvir offered. Dressed in the garb of a Frejan Aliara, she was beautiful. Her shirt was ice-blue, the pants an exact match. A strict braid confined the long mass of Karissa’s beautiful hair. He wanted to see that curly mane flowing free around her shoulders. He wanted to dispense with all this talk and kiss his woman. She’d probably freeze you. That’s one angry woman, Tahvir chuckled. Callan knew Tahvir wasn’t mistaken. Anger radiated from her. Every tense line of her body demanded they keep their distance. “Why not?” She shrugged as if she could think of no reasonable deterrent. “I was unaware that there was no need for me to go looking for a mate.” “You said that you’d try to delay your Ra’Asien for as long as you could.” Callan narrowed his eyes on her. She’d been so reticent about going on her mate search. This separation had been for her sake. Couldn’t she see that? They hadn’t needed any time. They’d welcomed finding her and if it hadn’t been for her doubts, they would have taken her home with them. “What changed your mind?” “Talking over my feelings with you two about the Ra’Asien allowed me to accept the inevitable. I knew I would be looking for a mate soon. While I wasn’t enthusiastic 52

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about it, I knew that there wasn’t any point in trying to avoid it.” She pursed her lips. “I no longer saw it as a sentence to a life of boredom.” “How did you learn that your Spirit had bonded with ours?” Tyral slid a step closer to her. “How else was I to learn but the hard way?” Karissa glared at them. “You certainly didn’t tell me. Even Ijina didn’t for a time.” “Your Ice Spirit told you?” Callan grasped onto the small fact that she’d dropped in her ranting. Relief still coursed through him that Karissa was here. The separation had been harder than they’d thought it would be. “I can understand Ijina giving me time to see the truth. She knew that I would eventually see that there was more to our relationship, even if I didn’t begin to wonder about my lack of interest in any men other than you two. You had no such assurance.” She stepped back cautiously. “What do you mean that you learned the hard way?” Callan sidestepped, edging closer to her without appearing to do so. She seemed determined to maintain a distance between them. He was just as determined to get her into his arms as soon as possible. Her lingering anxiety would fade and she wouldn’t be able to hold herself even emotionally distant once she was there. “We wouldn’t have let the situation go on long. In fact, you would have been ordered by your King to come here if you had waited even a half day more to put your petition to him,” Tyral informed her, relishing her look of surprise. “Did you not want me? Were you hoping that your mate would be royalty from another Realm?” Just after the words left her mouth, she winced and looked away from them. Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she looked back at them. “We wanted you, Rissa,” Tyral vowed. “We didn’t care about your rank or lineage.” Callan wondered how she could think that it would matter. All that had ever mattered was that the woman would be mate to his Fire Spirit. You should have kept the stubborn woman with you, Tahvir said. Shock rolled through Callan. He almost couldn’t believe what he’d heard. The Elemental who’d been preaching patience and restraint for almost Callan’s entire life was actually saying he should have followed his rash impulses. Not that it would have been easy even if he’d tried. “Why was it so difficult to give me some clue? Maybe some remark to make me think? Even an ‘It’s amazing how close to you I feel’ would have helped.” She whirled around and paced away from them. Callan stalked forward toward her and saw Tyral striding forward from the corner of his eye. Determination sizzled through him. It was time to take this argument in hand.

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Getting Karissa into his arms became priority one. In their arms, she burned. Within their embrace, she would tell them much more quickly what was really wrong. He would soothe her hurt feelings when she was back where she belonged. She turned around, gasped and stumbled back against the wall. Callan and Tyral were almost toe-to-toe with her. “How did you learn that you’d already formed a mate bond?” Callan felt this answer was important. She had danced around giving them one for long enough. Karissa turned her head and stared at the wall on the other side of the room. “You still haven’t given me an answer as to why you didn’t suggest a mating was possible.” Tyral’s hand landed on her shoulder. They both crowded forward, pressing her back against the wall, giving her no space to move. Callan’s hand tipped up her chin, forcing her to look up at them. She stared up at the two grim-faced men, her gaze switching between the two men as she tried to decide on her next move. “Get your hands off me. Your fathers have given me permission to use my powers as long as I don’t do you any permanent damage.” Warning laced her voice as she fought to keep her body from softening against theirs. “At first, we didn’t want to scare you into putting distance between yourself and us while we were on the planet. You were relaxed and willing as long as you believed that it was only play, nothing serious.” Tyral raised an eyebrow. “If we had told you that you were our mate and were going to be married soon, you would have probably tried to run from us.” “Are you going to try to deny it?” Callan narrowed his eyes. “That might have happened,” she admitted reluctantly. She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms to keep her focus. Their scent slowly wrapped around her, driving all thoughts from her head. “Later, we intended to tell you everything. Time just slipped away from us.” Callan took over the explanation, gently turning her head until her eyes locked with his. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She looked into the golden amber of their eyes and her own eyes narrowed. “We didn’t know how you’d react and just kept putting it off. When it was time to leave, you didn’t even pause once the spell was broken. You just left.” Tyral shrugged. “I said goodbye, and you two aren’t powerless. You could’ve stopped me if you wanted.” Karissa clearly didn’t fully believe their reasons. “We decided to give you a little time, to adjust to the idea of taking a mate and to find the truth.” Callan gave a sheepish grin. Short of giving chase into the Frejan Realm, that had been the only alternative. Although they’d been tempted to take the first option, they’d taken the second choice and all it had earned them was a spitting mad mate. She gave a disbelieving snort. “You decided this when?”

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“It’s true that we didn’t fully decide this until after you’d left, but we did have other options.” Tyral frowned at her. “If you’d known a little more about Volirian culture, you would have known that you were no dalliance to us.” Callan gave her an arrogant look. They had been far more patient with her than anyone would expect. Her home was with them and had been since the moment that they’d met her. “That course must have been an overlooked subject in my education. I’m sure that every Volirian woman knows all of the Frejan customs.” She gave them a sweet smile. “Volirian customs, ha! There are probably just as many different groups within Volir as there are in the Frejan Realm and each has its own customs. The only stable thing is Court etiquette.” That earned her two golden glares and intimidating, thin-lipped frowns. “Many more comments like that and I’ll give in to the temptation to warm your rear.” Tyral slid his hand down her hip and smoothed his hand over the soft cloth covering her rounded ass. “You have your answers, eli moru. Give us ours.” Karissa swallowed audibly. She took a deep breath. “When she could no longer deny that something was wrong, Ijina told me that she was pregnant.” “You stubborn, irrational woman.” Tyral gritted his teeth against the urge to rant further and grabbed her arm. “Instead of arguing with us, you should have told us that at the start of this discussion. Never, ever place your health in danger.” Callan narrowed his eyes. She should have demanded they go straight to the communing room. That infant Spirit within her was a Fire Elemental and a direct opposite of her Element. Although not a physical being, the new Fire Spirit was causing mayhem in her body. Pain, dizziness and nausea were only a few of the manifestations. Just carrying it would be dangerous until she’d been embraced, until their Elemental Spirits melded a bit of their energy with her symbiote. Karissa was amazed. Their reactions were identical. Their hands circled her wrists at almost the same moment and they began towing her from the room, tucking her between their bodies with efficient disregard of her dragging steps. Once in the hallway, they began striding down the passage, showing little concern for the attention they were drawing by hauling her down the corridor. Without trying, she knew there was no use arguing with them. She knew she wasn’t in any danger and that they were overreacting, but telling them that would be useless. She wouldn’t be able to convince them of that. Their only goal was to see to her continued safety. Isn’t it nice to have someone care about you? Ijina asked. Karissa sighed. Her Elemental was almost purring with satisfaction. Ijina thought they were right where they needed to be. She didn’t see anything wrong with the men’s attitudes. After marching her through a maze of gray corridors, Tyral opened a large, polished door. They urged her into the palace’s Communing Room. Covered entirely in 55

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mirrors, the walls, floor and ceiling reflected the frowning visages of her mates as well as her own image. The Communing Room was the one place outside of a deep trance where a person could see their own Elemental when not threatened in some other way. As soon as the door was closed, Ijina streamed from her. Karissa turned her gaze to Callan and Tyral. She’d never seen their Spirits. The two men stood across the room watching her. The Fire Spirits streamed from them in hazy gold and red clouds, solidifying into two male Fire Spirits. “It has been too long since we’ve seen you, little Ice Spirit.” One of the Fire Spirits strode forward, his arm curving around Ijina’s blue, green and white body. She stared at the two Fire Elementals in awe and admiration. They were beautiful. Their skin was streaked orange, red and yellow and their bodies were long and lithe, but strong. “I wanted to give my host time to come to terms with bonding.” Ijina laid her head on the chest of the Spirit who had spoken. The second Spirit came up behind Ijina and took her into his arms. The Fire Spirits cradled her between their bodies, their hands running over her slender form with care and tenderness. Ijina sighed and nestled more closely into their embrace, her arms wrapping around the waist of the spirit in front of her. Karissa realized now just how blind she’d been. If she’d noticed any of Ijina’s reactions to these two Spirits while they’d been on that planet, she would have known that there was more than mere sex in the relationship. It was obvious just seeing them now that something deep and strong had been formed. Ijina glided over to Callan and Tyral. She brushed a hand across Tyral’s cheek. His head turned into her touch. She sighed and her lithe blue and green body leaned into his for a moment. He shuddered beneath the Ice Spirit’s touch. She turned to Callan. “Karissa needed the time.” “I’m glad she’s here now.” Callan trailed his fingers along the Elemental’s arm. Ijina cuddled against him, her arms curling around him. She stroked her palm down his back. His eyes closed and a low groan tore out of him. The two Fire Spirits turned and paced over to stand in front of her. A fluttering sensation curled in her belly as her nervousness grew. She didn’t know exactly what would happen here. The only information she had on this came from books and they hadn’t gone into any detail. She didn’t know what being embraced entailed. Also, she did not know if the touch of a Fire Spirit would burn her. She’d never been touched by one, much less two. “You’ll have to undress. They can’t embrace you otherwise.” Callan stood on the opposite side of the room. She bit her lip, but began to work on the buttons on her shirt. She folded her clothing and placed it on the floor, stepping away from the articles. She stood before the two Fire Spirits, naked and more than a little anxious.

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The two figures walked toward her and then moved around her. A warm hand trailed across her back as another glided over her stomach. She jumped, surprised, but unhurt. Their touch tingled and pulsed into her, but didn’t burn. Warmth spread across her body as their hands wandered. Tingling sensation built with her, tightening. That light, barely there touch felt too good. She shifted, aware of the warmth beginning to pool between her legs. “Why would you start your hunt in Aevian? Why would you not begin your Ra’Asien in Volir?” The Fire Spirit brushed his hand across her breast. Her nipple beaded at the heated touch. Karissa swung her gaze to that Spirit. “My family has often found mates in the Aevian Realm when we left our own Realm during our Ra’Asien. We’d never—before this time—found a mate in the Fire Realm.” She closed her eyes as he trailed his hand down her stomach as he paced around her. Tension began to tighten low in her stomach. “That is Ahvin.” Callan’s smile showed a lot of teeth. He clearly enjoyed watching the spirits touch her. “The other is Tahvir.” Heat coursed through her as their hands moved over her. Her juices flowed onto her thighs and her breasts swelled as the nipples became tight, aching points. The two Fire beings pressed against her. Everywhere they touched her body, heat tingled and sizzled through her. Her breath came in harsh, panting gasps as desire rolled through her, driving rational thought from her head. Pleasure rocketed through her, tightening as she neared climax. “By the Veil, what do they do to me?” she gasped, arching between them. “Relax. Let them wrap you within their embrace.” Tyral watched avidly as the two Spirits held her between them. If the embrace felt like this, there was no way she was going to fight it. Karissa closed her eyes as a warm hand ran over her ribs, sending an arrow of hot sensation pulsing into her. She wanted to be embraced again and again. A delicious thrill of heat shot into her as they pressed their chests against her chest and back. She shifted, widening her legs in invitation, not quite sure how this worked. The Elemental Spirits kept their hands above her waist. She wanted their hands to dip, to glide over her dripping pussy, but they seemed unaware of her needs. Their touch wasn’t overtly sexual, but every brush of their hands drove her passion to a higher pitch. Her head fell back and her eyes fluttered closed as the two Spirits pressed closer to her, their arms embracing her. A rolling pulse rippled through her body. Karissa came, trembling as the warm Elemental beings stroked her slick skin. The building heat exploded, rushing through her. A half-stifled cry fell from her lips as every muscle in her body contracted and relaxed, pulsing with sheer bliss. Spent, she sagged between them, limp and utterly satisfied.

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Her eyes fluttered open and with effort, she forced some strength into her legs as the two Fire Spirits stepped away from her, gliding briefly to Ijina. “Goddess, that was good. I could almost be satisfied with just those two,” she said. She watched as the Fire Spirits strode over to Callan and Tyral. “Luckily, you get the benefit of all of us,” Callan chuckled and watched as her Spirit dissolved, flowing into her body. Tyral swaggered over to Karissa. “I know what you’d miss if you didn’t have us.” He grasped her wrist in his hand and brought her palm down to the hard ridge of his cock. “You want this, don’t you? You want to feel it, hold it, taste it and take it inside of you.” “Sometimes I just want to smack you.” Karissa couldn’t contain her chuckle. He was completely outrageous and far too confident. “I haven’t forgotten all of your sins. I owe both of you some pain for the way that you remained silent during our stay on the planet. Your excuses don’t right the wrong.” She twisted her wrist, freeing her hand. She poked her finger into his chest with each word. “Tana, you know you won’t hurt us.” Tyral grasped her hand and brought it up to his mouth, lightly nipping at her inner wrist. He smiled down at her with supreme confidence. As galling as it was, his confidence was well placed. Although she was angry, with just a few strokes of their hands over her skin, she’d be pleading for their touch. Wrenching her hand away from him, she glared at them. “There are ways to inflict pain without physically harming you.” She raised her eyebrows and smiled. A wicked idea rolled into her mind. The perfect punishment for two such rogues. “We can handle anything you try.” Callan strode over to her, a predatory hunger in his leering smile. “Do you know where your fathers are?” She tilted her head and tried to keep her smile sweet and innocent. “Why?” Callan frowned. She could see the suspicion and the caution in his eyes as he looked down at her. “I need to ask them some questions. They are the Kings of this Realm.” She shrugged as if it should have been obvious. Struggling to keep a gleeful expression off of her face, she dressed. Ijina chuckled. Do you think they’re just going to let it happen? When they figure out just what you’re asking, they’re going to ask they’re fathers to deny your request. I don’t think the Kings are going to help you torture their sons. The Ice Spirit’s cheerful doubt didn’t alter Karissa’s plans even a little. Even if it gave them only a few moments of worry, it would be worth it. “Whatever punishment you think to inflict on us, forget it, eli moru,” Tyral advised. “You’ve been away from us for too long. We’re not going to let you torment us any longer.”

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Karissa raised her brows and smiled. They could try to stop her, but she was answerable only to the Kings and they would have no reason to deny a reasonable request. She’d make sure her appeal was sound. Tyral and Callan deserved a little frustration for their crimes. “You’re plotting to get even for the way we left you in ignorance of our bond. Forget your schemes right now, my lady. We’ll not let you succeed with whatever plan you’ve brewed.” Callan leaned toward her, never breaking eye contact. She saw the determination as they looked down at her. They’d try to stop her. She smiled. Watching them fume was amusing. Tyral looked over Karissa’s head at his brother. “We’ll have no problem with your scheme. There are some advantages to being Princes.” Callan curved his arm around her waist and began guiding her toward the door. Karissa frowned. They were cooperating much too willingly. There were some rumors that some sets of twins had an ability to communicate without speaking. She suspected Tyral and Callan were using just such a talent now to plan. “We’ll take you to our fathers. They’ll be in the public Audience Chamber hearing petitions at this time of day.” Tyral tangled his fingers with hers and tucked his arm over hers. She eyed the two men walking at her side with suspicion, certain they were trying to outmaneuver her with this easy cooperation. Their expressions had that confident, arrogant cast again, a sure sign they believed they could handle anything she threw at them. She planned to shake that belief and, with a little luck, they’d soon be looking nervous again. She smiled and contemplated a little revenge for their silence. Guards wearing Volirian red tunics and black pants stood at the door to the Kings’ Audience Chamber, a different chamber than she’d visited earlier. One of the two uniformed men immediately snapped into a stiff straight-backed stance and opened the door for them. She tried to disengage her hand from Tyral’s but was towed along with them in spite of her reticence. They led her over to a wall at the side of the room where they leaned back against the wall and waited. It was a larger room, but aside from that there was very little difference. Rugs and tapestries provided the only color. This chamber was just as formal, although there were a few benches here for the petitioners to use while they waited to be heard. Would she ever get used to this formality, or would it always seem this strange? Karissa frowned and glanced up at the two men. What were they doing? She stepped away from the wall, intending to go speak with one of the King’s advisors of her need for a few words with the Kings as was custom. There was a certain protocol to these things that Tyral and Callan seemed to disregard. Tyral caught her arm and pulled her back between them, his hand clamped at her wrist. Callan’s hand clasped her free hand.

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The Kings had glanced their way once, but then turned their eyes to the business at hand. They made their way through a few more of the people waiting to speak to them before they turned their attention to the three people waiting at the side of the room. This isn’t going to work. They don’t abide by the same rules you do. Ijina observed. I couldn’t do what they just did. Even with King Amir, after years of serving him, I wouldn’t do that. Karissa was still amazed at just what they’d done. They’re the Princes. They can get away with it. You’re going to have to find another way to make them pay. Ijina said. “Did you have a reason for coming before us, my sons, or were you just showing your bride-to-be some of your more infuriating court manners?” King Marit leaned back in his chair. He smiled at them, a thoroughly amused flash of white teeth. Callan and Tyral didn’t immediately respond. They came away from the wall in a smooth flow of muscle, leading Karissa forward until they stood before their fathers. Karissa dipped into a curtsy and the Kings smiled, nodding acknowledgement. “We’ve come to ask for the right to see to our Lady’s needs so that she needn’t come to you for every small thing that she wants.” Callan grinned at his father, that grin widening rakishly as Karissa’s surprised gasp reached his ears. A smile tilted King Tovin’s lips. “I don’t see any reason that we should need to do so. She would only be coming to us for the important matters, such as traveling, and surely that wouldn’t be often.” “Father…” Tyral winced at the mention of Karissa traveling. “Tovin, quit teasing them,” King Marit reproved with an amused chuckle. “I see no reason why there should be a problem with you seeing to her affairs. Just remember, when you make your decisions, you do answer to us.” “Come, Rissa, we have finished here.” Callan tugged her hand, turning her toward the door. She was so incensed she was tongue-tied. It wasn’t that they had managed to find a way around her plan, although that did infuriate her. Anger rippled through her at the way Callan had ordered her to come with them, as if she were some mindless pet without her own plans. Before she could say more than “Ah…” they’d ushered her out of the room. Out in the hall, as soon as the doors closed behind them, Tyral and Callan turned to face her. Large smiles stretched across their faces. They waited expectantly for her reaction and Karissa had plenty to say to them. “You’re arrogant, unscrupulous and impossible and I’m tempted to Ice you right now because all you do is cause trouble for me.” She threw up her hands and paced a few steps away from them before turning to glare at them. “First with that spell that left me powerless, now this.” Tyral chuckled, watching her ignite. “Your Ice Spirit may have some objection to your plans. She likes us.”

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“She knows that you’re angering me. She knows exactly why I’m angry with you and in most cases agrees with me.” Her hands slammed onto her hips and she surveyed the two satisfied men smirking at her. “I’ve had enough of your gloating and of your presence. I want to go to my room.” “Of course, tana, we’ll take you to your room.” Tyral smiled at her, holding his hand out to her. That was too easy, Karissa, and look at that smile. He’s definitely not thinking about leaving you at the door, Ijina warned. Karissa didn’t trust that easy agreement one bit. They’d already shown themselves more than capable of taking advantage of any opportunity given to them. They were sneaky and conniving opportunists, determined to get their way and far too accustomed to succeeding in that area. What had she ever done to deserve the frustration and irritation of being mate to these two princes? Callan walked forward and tucked an arm around her waist in spite of her hands pushing at his arm. He began guiding her down the hallway. Tyral strode ahead of them, leading the way. They escorted her into a quiet section of the palace. As they walked down the gray-walled hallway, she frowned. The guest section of a royal palace wasn’t usually this quiet, this deserted. She didn’t even see a servant walking down the hallway. She turned her head to look at Callan as they paused before a door. Tyral opened the dark, polished wood door and stepped into the room before her. Karissa rolled her eyes. Presumptuous man. She’d had no intention of inviting him into her room. Callan urged Karissa into the room only a step behind his brother. For a few moments, her mind was too astounded by the sight that greeted her to think about the implications. The room was huge. A massive bed held dominion over the sparsely decorated room. Covered in fabrics the color of fire, it was low to the ground and looked soft and welcoming. Fine rugs had been scattered over the floor. Beautiful tapestries hung on the wall, alleviating the dark gray of the stone. She noted three doors other than the one she’d just entered. A large fireplace occupied the center of one wall and a fire danced in the hearth. Golden lanterns hung on the walls, bringing out the red glint from the occasional Fire crystal embedded in the stone. It was beautiful. A frown slowly crept across her face as she noted all of the intimate details. This was much too nicely and too personally decorated to be one of the guest chambers. “This isn’t my room.” Karissa rounded on Callan, her hands going to her hips. “Tana, you’re wrong about that.” Callan smiled as she stood there watching him, her foot tapping expectantly. “Wherever you sleep, we sleep. So this room is very definitely your room.” “The bed’s never been used. It’s been sitting here empty and I’ve been sleeping in my lonely bed just down the hall waiting for you to get here,” Tyral coaxed.

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Callan nodded. “I’ve been all alone in my room when I should have been with you every night. We’re going to start our new life together right.” “It wouldn’t be right for me to stay here with you before we’re formally bonded.” She heaved a frustrated sigh. Were they lost to all sense of propriety? “I can’t shame my family.” “That’s a weak excuse, tana, and you know it. Since our Spirits have bonded—and most especially since your spirit now carries a fire spirit within her—there’s no one who would deny us full access to each other. There will be no shame on your family.” Tyral chuckled and watched as she chewed on her lip as she thought about his statement. Karissa wondered for a moment if they were telling her the truth. From what she’d seen so far, Volirian court life was as formal as she’d expected. Moving her straight into their room definitely didn’t fit in with the formal ceremony she expected. They’re not lying, Ijina told her after a short time. I didn’t get a full explanation from Tahvir, but this isn’t about the formal rules of the court. The marriage rules here all have a basis in the violence and assassinations that have happened even up to the present Queen. That made sense, but Karissa still wasn’t prepared to just stay in the room with them. “But—” Her words were cut off as Callan’s fingers lightly touched her lips. “The formal bonding will occur at the end of the week. We’ve already sent word to your family and your King, as well as the two other Realms. Preparations for our wedding have begun, eli moru.” Callan briefly replaced his fingers with his lips. She thought about everything they’d just thrown at her. Arguing with them was useless in this case. The announcement had already been made public. “Why do you send invitations to the other two Realms?” “It’s custom to send invitations to the other Kingdoms when any of the ruling families bond. Most of the time, the rulers of the other Realms simply send congratulations, sometimes a gift, instead of traveling to a bonding that doesn’t involve them.” Tyral stripped off his shirt and threw it away carelessly. “Don’t look so surprised, eli moru. We told you we wouldn’t let you tease and torment us any longer. It would be torture indeed to deny ourselves when we’ve waited so long for you to see where you belong.” Callan nudged her forward with his body as he stepped farther into the room. “And seeing you brought to peak by our spirits has intensified the need that has burned within us since you left us on that planet.” Tyral’s voice rumbled in a sexy growl, hunger burned in his golden eyes. “Tell me you don’t want us.” “You know that I want both of you, but I’m still angry with you. You could have given me some kind of clue, a hint.” Karissa stalked away and spun to face them, irritated at their arrogance and her own body’s betrayal. She wanted them and they’d barely even touched her. An ache throbbed low in the pit of her stomach and hot liquid seeped onto her thighs.

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“You can be angry with us later. Show us that you missed us,” Callan cajoled, approaching her and then frowning as she took a step back from them. “I missed climaxing.” She narrowed eyes at the two men. That should have told her that there was something very strange happening. There were very few things that could have that drastic of an effect on the libido. “I can’t think of anything about you two that I missed, especially right now.” “Rissa, we’ve already apologized for not telling you about it. How long are you going to hold that against us?” Callan braced a hand on his hip and contemplated his difficult mate. “If you think we’re going to let you pout and throw an extended tantrum, you’ve forgotten a few things about your mates.” Tyral and Callan separated. They didn’t get any closer to her, but Tyral stood a few paces away on her far right and Callan an equal distance on her left. Their positions made it impossible to watch both of them at the same time. “Stop stalking me. I have a right to be angry. You’d be furious if I did something similar and I wouldn’t soon hear the end of it.” Her gaze slid frantically from one to the other. She was discovering there was a significant disadvantage to having two mates. She was outnumbered by them and they didn’t play by any rules she recognized. “I think she is angry because her little plans for revenge didn’t work. Is that it, eli moru? Are you pouting?” Callan taunted, beginning to circle her. “You can’t deny your reaction to us. You want us. Your nipples are hard, poking against your shirt, aren’t they? I can see those little nubs through that that silky fabric.” He flashed a feral smile at her and his eyes dropped to those hard points. “I think you’re right.” Tyral moved in counter to Callan’s movements. “I think we should take matters into our own hands. Only her stubborn mind resists us. Her desire perfumes the air.” “I’m not pouting.” She gritted her teeth. She didn’t even know what she wanted any more. Her body was pulsing with desire to know their touch again, but she didn’t want to give in too easily. She wouldn’t let them believe she could be swayed with sex. Tyral pressed his body against her back, his arms circling her waist to pull her close to him. He lowered his lips to her neck and inhaled. His rumble of appreciation vibrated against her back. “I’ve missed you so much, te thali. Have the nights been as long for you?” Her eyes closed as his lips whispered over her skin. She felt her resolve disintegrating beneath the fluttering sensations rippling through her. “Yes, they seemed to last forever.” Callan stepped in front of her. “We’ve been waiting for you to come to us. You’ll never know the strength it took to let you leave, to allow you to return to your King and Court. We wanted to go to the Frejan Court and demand that you be returned to us.” He reached out and brushed his thumb over one hard, cloth-covered nipple. “You were ours and letting you out of our sight went against all of our instincts.” Tyral’s hand slipped down her stomach and cupped her mound through the fine cloth. 63

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She groaned as two of his fingers slipped between her labia and rubbed the cloth against her clit. “It’s unfair the effect that you two have on me. How am I supposed to remain angry with you when all you have to do is come near me and I want you?” This was definitely not going to be the relationship she’d envisioned when she’d first thought of marriage. She’d always thought she would enter a marriage with one man—had never thought she’d find two men as mates. She didn’t even really know how such a marriage would work. What was marriage like in the Fire Realm? And would she ever win an argument with them? Stop worrying so much. You’re no flower in danger of getting trampled. If they get too bad, we’ll find a way to get what we need, Ijina offered with a teasing laugh. Karissa took a deep breath. Ijina was right. It was time to stop worrying. “It’s no more than your effect on us, tana.” Tyral scraped his teeth over her neck and tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her back against his rigid erection. He thrust against her buttocks. “I’ll think of some revenge against you…” She surrendered to the want, the need building inside of her. They were driving her slowly mad with their inflammatory touches, the heat of their bodies. “By the Veil, kiss me.” Callan’s lips settled over hers. His tongue slipped between her lips and tangled with hers, luring her tongue into his mouth. She stroked her tongue with his, taking that rich, spicy taste deep into her mouth. In spite of the invigorating orgasm given by their Fire Spirits, she was burning with need for them. She closed her eyes, pushing her breasts against his hard chest, reveling in the tingling prickles that shot through her at the delightful friction. “Come, Rissa.” Tyral turned her in his arms as Callan drew away from her. “Let’s go to the bed. I want to pleasure you tonight. I want to taste you again, feel your soft skin against mine.”

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Chapter Seven Just the sound of their voices, deep and rolling, brought a fresh spate of cream to her pussy. They were so sexy. Their smell was so musky and masculine—that intan spice essence drew her to brush her body against theirs, to get closer to them. From the first moment she’d seen them they’d been almost irresistible. She’d wanted to touch them when she’d barely even known their names. Now that she was bound to them their pull was stronger. Karissa leaned into Tyral’s side as they drew her to the bed. She wanted them. She wanted this and she wasn’t going to fight it anymore. They dealt with her clothing with smooth efficiency, tossing it away as her hand smoothed up Callan’s side in a slow caress. When she was naked, they urged her onto the red and yellow sheets. She lay back on the silken coverings and they lay beside her on their sides, simply looking at her for a few moments, savoring the moment. Tyral moved first. His lips slid over her cheek and settled lightly on her lips. He feathered his lips over hers in light teasing brushes. He waited until her lips moved under his and her tongue slid over his lips, seeking entrance into his mouth, before his tongue stroked into her mouth. Karissa drew on his tongue, pulling that spicy taste into her mouth and reveling in it. Her desire rose as she relaxed into his kiss. She wanted them, could feel a warm, creamy wetness on her thighs and buttocks. The want wasn’t just physical. It felt so right to feel their warm bodies beside her. She hadn’t realized just how much she had missed them until this moment. It was as if she’d come home. This was where she belonged. “Do you know how much I’ve missed your luscious taste, tana?” Tyral’s words grated against her lips. Callan’s lips settled on the tip of one swollen breast. His warm mouth opened over the hard point. His teeth scraped the silky skin in a tantalizing mock threat that drew a wriggle and a moan from her. Hot, wet warmth surrounded the reddened peak. His cheeks hollowed as he drew her breast deep into his mouth. Her back arched and her hands threaded through Callan’s silken hair. Gods, it felt so good, so intense. Her eyes closed as he suckled at her breast. She couldn’t remain still. Her legs moved restlessly and she fisted her hands in his hair, pulling him closer. She ached for more. Tyral nipped at her, his fangs delivering a sharp sting to her swollen lips as he drew back. His lips returned, brushing over her mouth, and then strung a soft fluttering trail down to her neck. One of her hands left Callan’s hair and threaded into Tyral’s. He

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nibbled at her neck, his lips and teeth leaving a tingling trail to the neglected crown of her other breast. His hand cupped her breast plumping it as he nibbled at the hardened nipple. A rumble of appreciation vibrated against her flesh as his tongue curled around her nipple and he began to suck greedily. She stiffened, her breath hitching, a soft gasp of surprise and delight as she felt two sets of sharp teeth teasing her breasts. “Oh, yes, like that…” She arched into those tormenting mouths, craving the sharp sensations shooting through her. Callan lifted his head from her breast. “Do you know how much I’ve missed your taste, the soft, silky feel of your skin and the scent of your heat?” A hand slid over her thigh probing the smooth, hairless mound of her femininity. Her legs splayed, widened, granting his questioning hand access to her warm, honeyed pussy. One large finger slipped between the plump lips and swirled in the slick juices coating her slit, drawing the fluid up and stroking over the swollen hood of her clit in short circles. Karissa caught her breath and clenched her hands, gripping their hair as her hips bucked in response as two thick fingers slipped into her quim. She tensed, anticipating the hot glide as the fingers fucked her. She burned with want. When they remained unmoving in her clenching slit, she wriggled her hips trying to urge them to stop tormenting her. Frustration built as the two fingers remained buried within her hot channel. Her inner muscles squeezed around the two digits, increasing the feeling of fullness causing the aching need to intensify. A cry of disappointment escaped her when those thick fingers were pulled from her without stroking into her. “By the waters, please,” she whimpered, writhing. Her body felt hot and there was a hard aching knot in her stomach. The slamming beat of her heart threatened to burst out of her chest. Her clit throbbed with need. The drawing pull from their lips seemed to be connected by a fiery thread to the growing blaze of desire writhing within her core, feeding it. They couldn’t leave her like this. “We’re pleasing you, eli moru,” Tyral murmured around her nipple. “If you have doubts about that, I will certainly endeavor to ease them. I want to see you burn.” With a wet smack Tyral released her breast. His tongue stroked lingeringly around her nipple, savoring her taste before laving the underside of her breast. He nipped at the slight mound of her belly and smiled as she drew in a shaky, quivering breath. His lips brushed the small red spot in a brief kiss before his tongue flicked over it, soothing the tiny sting. He placed a kiss at the top of the folds of the pink flesh. He moved between her legs, hooking one of them over his shoulder as she lifted and bent the other. The red tip of her clit peaked out from the glistening folds of her labia. He bent down and licked the delicious juices off those plump lips.

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“By the Ancients, you’re perfect. I could lick and suck at you and never get tired of that sweet taste.” Tyral parted the folds and ran his eyes from the hard red hood of her clit to the wet slit below. Her hips arched off of the bed when his tongue began flaying her clit. Sharp daggers of pleasure sliced through her with each flicking stroke. She’d missed the hard feel of their bodies next to her and the way they drove her crazy with need. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d yearned for the heat of their bodies or that unique, arousing scent during the night until just now. “Tyral…” The harsh groan rolled from her throat as her head tossed on the bed. One hand clenched in Callan’s hair and the other grasped a fistful of the silky bedding. “So good… more…give me more.” Her hips rose into the circling strokes and long laps of his talented tongue. Pure need ruled her actions. She needed more. His mouth moved lower to her dripping quim. His tongue circled her slit, probing at the sensitive rim. He drank down the juices that flowed from her and plunged his tongue into her, stroking along the walls of her pussy, drawing more moisture from her. She arched beneath the dual ministrations of the men, mindless with desire. Callan’s lips sucked at her breast. Occasionally his sharp fangs would scrape over her breast, sending a delicious thrill down her spine and causing her pussy to clench with need. With one hand he tormented her free breast. He cupped the neglected mound, massaging it with his hand then flicking at the hard tip, tugging and pinching the sensitive crest. Almost leisurely, his fingers plucked and twisted the reddened nipple. Tyral drove her to the edge of ecstasy. His tongue flicked and twisted within her cunt, lapping up the honeyed juices that spilled from her as if it were the sweetest nectar and he a thirsty man. The knot of desire in her core was unbearably taut and she writhed between them, whimpering wordless pleas falling from her lips as her hips punched up against that tormenting tongue. “Te thali, do you know what you do to us?” Tyral looked up at her. “I’m on fire with desire for you.” Callan reluctantly pulled his mouth away from her breast. “You’re so responsive, tana. Every time we touch you, you go wild, ignite under our hands. I love that about you. It makes me feel invincible, like the Realm’s best lover.” He lay back on the bed and waited as Tyral drew back from Karissa’s pussy. Karissa reached for Tyral, a sound of denial on her lips, unhappy at being left wanting when she was desperate for them. Callan chuckled at her frustrated expression and caught her hands before she could get hold of Tyral. “No, tana, we’re having as much trouble hanging on to our control as you are. One touch, one brush of your lips could break that tenuous grip.” Callan brushed his lips across hers. Callan pulled her on top of him, arranging her legs on either side of his. She pressed her body against his. The hard points of her nipples brushed across his chest and her

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hips undulated against his as she sought satisfaction. He slipped his hand between their bodies and inserted the tip of his cock into her tight pussy. Karissa closed her eyes as he entered her slowly. The feel of his thick shaft pushing into her sent shivers of delight through her. It was sweet, sharp, but not enough. “Hold on to it, tana. Come with us.” Callan’s lips brushed her ear. She was trembling, her eyes feverish with desire. She bit her lip and locked her eyes with his. “Hurry.” Raw hunger rushed through her, demanding satisfaction. Karissa looked over her shoulder as Callan pulled her upper body down and his hands cupped her buttocks. She saw Tyral cork a small bottle and drop it onto the bed. Callan’s large hands spread her cheeks as Tyral moved into position behind her. His well-oiled cock gleamed in the soft light of the lamps. He pressed the blunt, rounded head of his shaft to the puckered, pink rosette of her back entrance. She shook as that broad head pushed against the muscular ring of her anus, but it wasn’t pain that she felt. Anticipation and pleasure heightened every tingling, electric sensation boiling through her. As that back entrance yielded to the gentle pressure, admitting his thick, long shaft, Karissa moaned a low sound of pure enjoyment. By the Ancients, she didn’t know how long she could withhold her pleasure. Each sensation was hot, piercing. As her muscles stretched around him, prickling exquisite pulses flickered through her, tightening the muscles of her pussy around Callan’s cock. Tyral pushed forward until he was fully seated in her tight anal channel. He withdrew, nipping at her neck with his teeth. She trembled and caught the flash of satisfaction in Callan’s eyes. She knew both men reveled in her reaction to their touch. Her body was poised on the edge of climax. Her hips rose in response to Callan’s urging, taking his cock as his shaft withdrew. They rocked her between them, enjoying her breathless cries, her pleas for more. “By the Veil, please… I need…” Karissa was incoherent as Callan’s hips drove into hers and she slid down onto his cock. “Fuck me.” She was burning between them and ecstasy remained just out of reach. Every nipping kiss, every brush of their hands enflamed the need streaking through her body. Sharp spikes of hunger seared her, enhancing the coiled throbbing knot of desire. Her body ached, yearned for completion too long denied. Her clit was swollen, hard, and a fiery dart of pure fire ripped into her every time Callan’s pelvis ground against her. “Come for us, tana.” Tyral drove into her just as desperate for completion as she was. “Give us your pleasure.” She arched back into the thrust of his hips, her eyes closing as sensation ripped through her. The feel of their cocks, filling her, moving within her, drove her beyond all thought. She merely felt—their heat surrounding her, the pleasure as they stroked into her and the sharp edge of climax as it approached like a giant wave. She wanted that, needed it and her body surged against theirs as she sought fulfillment.

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Callan brushed his lips against hers in a tender caress as he drove into her. “I want to see your green eyes cloud with pleasure as you come. Give it to me.” He arched his hips pushing his cock deep into the wet heat. Her muscles rippled along his cock, trying to pull him deeper into her. She felt the tension within her tightening, felt the bliss approaching. Her muscles clenched as pleasure exploded inside of her. She arched, her face pressed against his shoulder as she screamed her pleasure. Her sheath rippled and shards of bliss danced through her. She trembled as sensation spilled over her like water cascading from a high ledge. Callan drove into her slick cunt. His hips rose and fell in a desperate bid to find his own pleasure. Her eyes widened as Callan’s strokes and the surging plunges of Tyral’s cock stirred a quick response within her. The pulsing desire twisted and built inside her, demanding satisfaction. She didn’t question the intensity, just reached for the pleasure that waited for her. Her eyes locked with Callan’s as she rode his cock in a renewed quest for climax. Every pounding thrust of their hips drove her closer to ecstasy. Callan came first. His hips lunged up, sinking his shaft deep into her on each stabbing charge. He stiffened beneath her, his cock pumping into her as his seed pulsed deep into her womb. Tyral’s thrusts pushed her hips down onto Callan, grinding her clit against his pelvis. Almost… She dangled on the precipice of climax. Daggers of pleasure ripped through her. She pushed back into Tyral, wanting to give him pleasure as much as she wanted to find it. His cock shuttled back and forth and she eagerly accepted each pistoning stroke. The keen edge to the sensations roaring through her swept her higher, made her more desperate. “Harder, Tyral.” She shoved her buttocks back into his thrusting hips. She gritted her teeth, trembling beneath him. She felt a hand insinuating itself between her belly and Callan’s and her eyes opened to see Callan’s wicked smile. His fingers slid over her stomach and down to her pussy. He began stroking her clit, taking her closer to climax with each circling brush of his callused fingers. Tyral thrust into her, his cock driving deep with each thrust. He came a breath before she did. A rumbling groan escaped from his throat as his hips surged against her buttocks. His cock jerked inside her and hot jets of semen spurted into her. With every spraying pulse, he ground into her. That pressure pushing her against the fingers dancing over her clit triggered her orgasm. She came, a firestorm of ecstasy flowing through her, leaving her shaken, breathing hard between the sweat slick bodies of her lovers and lost to everything but the sharp sensations rippling over her body. “It’s good to have you with us again, te thali.” Callan’s breath brushed over her ear as she surfaced from the fog of pleasure. “You greedy woman, you came twice—but

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don’t fear, we’ll catch up to you. I’m hungry for you again. When you can stir yourself to move, you can rediscover the joys of bathing with your mates.”

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Chapter Eight The two men had been insatiable, citing her long absence as justification, but they had stopped to allow her time to get ready to formally dine with their fathers and those of the Volirian Court gathered at the palace on Baezid at this time. More people would arrive daily in response to the coming nuptials. Already the palace staff was working hard on the preparations for the wedding feast. Karissa took her time choosing what to wear for the meal. It wasn’t a simple decision. She wanted to make a good impression on their family. The Aliara garb she’d worn earlier today wasn’t appropriate even though it was suitable for both formal and casual occasions. She was now officially the betrothed of the Princes of Volir. Maintaining her association with the Frejan Court wouldn’t be good form. After much consideration, she had it down to two choices—one blue and the other silver, in very different styles. The first was a dark blue—near black—conservatively-cut dress that contrasted with her pale golden skin. The silver had a daring neckline and flowed in a figurehugging line to her thighs before draping in a straight line to the floor. Holding up the dresses, Karissa decided to dress conservatively tonight. She wanted to see what the other women were wearing before she wore a really daring dress. The high collar of the silky blue dress accentuated her slender neck and the soft fabric hugged her body, molding to her breasts and down over her stomach. Silver bands gathered the gauzy material of the sleeves at her wrists. A silver belt rested at her hips, delineating the soft curve of her waist. The dress cascaded in a straight fall from her hips and a thigh-high slit allowed a glimpse of her toned leg and easier movement. When Tyral and Callan joined her, they smiled and their eyes swept over her. She could see the hunger in their eyes and enjoyed the fact that they reacted so strongly to merely the sight of her. She smiled back and smoothed a hand over her dress. “You’re beautiful,” Tyral said and brushed his hand over her hair, tangling a finger in the curls trailing down her back. “Thank you.” Karissa blushed. Her eyes swept over them. “You two look…fabulous.” Good enough to make a meal of. Do you think we could convince them to stay in the room tonight? Ijina asked. We’ll have them later, Karissa promised. She’d like nothing more than to stay in the room with those two men, but they were expected to join the Kings and Queen for a meal.

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Callan and Tyral were dressed very elegantly tonight, far more elegantly than she had ever seen them. Both men wore deep red, silky tunics with intricate yellow stitching which emphasized their broad shoulders. Black leather breeches molded to their thighs and shiny knee-high boots completed their attire. They looked delicious and a little dangerous—like sleek predators that had been groomed and turned loose among pets. Callan arched a brow as he noticed that her gaze lingered at his hips. Tyral just flashed his white teeth at her. Each man extended an arm to her, leaving the spot between them for her. With a last smoothing sweep of her hand over her dress, she stepped forward. She laid a hand on each of their arms and allowed them to escort her out of the room. The Royal Hall had been prepared for a celebratory feast. Low tables were set with the finest dining ware. Red and yellow pillows offered cushion to those seated before the elegantly laid tables. Volirian nobles were already gathering for the meal when Karissa, Tyral and Callan arrived in the Hall. As their appearance was noted, a low buzz of conversation rumbled through the room. When their Kings arrived, they led her up to the table. In most worlds, princes would be seated on either side of the kings, but not on Volir. The Princes were tied together and would rule together. Now that they’d found their mate, they would sit with the woman who would be their Queen when they ascended to their throne. They sat to the left of their fathers and Karissa was seated between them. Just Karissa’s placement was an announcement of the wedding, but the Kings stood and motioned for silence from the gathered nobles. “As you all have guessed over the past weeks, the Princes have found their mate.” King Marit cast a smiling glance over at Tyral and Callan. “When my sons forsake the pleasures offered by the Court’s Ladies, the conclusion is obvious.” A light wave of laughter swept through the crowd. King Tovin motioned for silence. “Their mate, Karissa Moshen of Tengan House, Frejan Aliara, arrived today. We would like to welcome Karissa to Volir.” Applause and cheers rang through the hall. “As well, we’d like to express our happiness that our sons have found their mate. We look forward to welcoming you to our family, Karissa.” King Marit picked up his glass and raised it. Karissa blushed a fiery red, but smiled and nodded in reply to the toast. She’d been the center of attention before, but this time it seemed more important. Callan and Tyral chuckled, hugging her. The meal that followed was delicious and she found the conversation engaging and informative. Karissa liked the Princes’ mother, Queen Maya, and found her to be much as they’d described her. The Queen was so tiny compared to the large warriors who were her husbands. She had an innocent air, a sweetness about her that radiated from her and drew others to her, but that wasn’t the first thing that drew Karissa’s notice.

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The Queen had a distinctive ring of blue-green skin that circled her face and dipped down onto her neck, marking her as mate to a Sobrin. Karissa had heard of the characteristic mark, but had never seen it. She thought the way the coloring framed the petite woman’s face was beautiful. Karissa was curious about what role Queen Maya played in the court. She really wanted to know what her own life would be like here. Would she be just someone who sat at their side or would she be a partner? She had no idea if the Queen had any acknowledged power in the Volirian Court, but the woman definitely had influence. That much was obvious. After the meal, Tyral and Callan began introducing her to some of the Volirian nobles gathered in the Hall. The servants—magically created beings—began to clear the hall, moving the tables out of the way and clearing away most of the pillows. A good portion of the non-Sobrin nobles had fiery red hair, but there were also black-haired and brown-haired nobles. Most of the women Karissa met were friendly and welcoming. It was the men who seemed a little distant, even irritated. And you haven’t been here long enough to cause any trouble yet. Ijina offered. I never caused any trouble at the Frejan Court. As for the incident in the Teiran Court, you know that woman hit me. I didn’t even hit back. Karissa crossed her arms. Callan and Tyral were called away by their fathers and left with a promise to return soon. Karissa laughed at their obvious reluctance to leave her and shooed them away. She was more than safe in the Royal Hall and knew her way around Court life. If she chanced to come across some catty behavior, it wouldn’t worry her unnecessarily. That was part of being in Court. She smiled as one of the Volirian Advisors strolled up to her with a smile across his round face. This was Darel Nacain. He and three other members of the advisory council to the Kings had been introduced while they still sat at the table. She had found him to be friendly and outspoken. “I noticed that you seemed a little confused about the behavior of some of the men here at the court.” Advisor Nacain bowed briefly. Karissa smiled. “They almost seem a little angry with me, but I haven’t even met them.” “Don’t make the mistake that any of them are being disrespectful or that they’re angry at you specifically.” Advisor Nacain grinned. “They’re merely a little angry about all of the changes brought about by the Princes’ meeting you. Some of them cherished their freedom.” She looked at him blankly. “There were changes after they returned?” “Apparently the Princes took a few of your conversations to heart. Men in Volir no longer have the freedom to wait as long as they want before they begin searching for their mate.” Advisor Nacain chuckled.

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She couldn’t keep the wide grin off her face. She could easily imagine some of the men’s feelings about even the idea of having to go look for a mate just because they had reached a certain age. And the fact that it had been motivated by a woman would make it all the more infuriating to them. “After they told their fathers some of what you’d told them, it was soon decided that we wouldn’t risk our males that way. That has obviously not been met with the full approval of the males. They do understand the reasoning, but they don’t pretend to like it.” The advisor’s amusement was more than obvious. Her mouth fell open in astonishment, but a slow smile crept across her face. She’d never thought anyone would even try to remedy the disparity in the treatment of males and females, much less that the change would be almost immediate. Of course, quick results became a little more probable when it was princes seeking to change things. “Even when you were on that planet with them, they considered you their future Lady. It’s only natural that your worries became theirs.” Advisor Nacain nodded kindly when he saw her confusion. “You might not have known them as your mates, but they had declared themselves clearly in the way of the Sobrin and of the Volirian people.” “How?” She stepped closer to the man, anxious to learn what they’d said or done that had signified their intentions to bond with her. Callan and Tyral kept saying that she would have known they saw her as their mate if she’d known Volirian culture. “There are many ways for them to do it. From your comfort in the way they address you with Sobrin endearments, you’ve been hearing them for some time.” Advisor Nacain raised an eyebrow. “Well, yes, but I thought they were just love words,” Karissa admitted without really understanding what was so special about them calling her by an endearment. Males in the Frejan Court often called females by endearments when they wanted only a bed partner for the night. “Those aren’t merely love words to a Sobrin male. They’re said only to their chosen mate.” He nodded again when Karissa looked at him incredulously. Did you know that? Karissa asked Ijina. No, I didn’t know the words were important. They didn’t tell me. “Almost from our introduction to each other, they used what I knew were endearments even if I didn’t know their exact meaning. I didn’t think anything of it. Lots of men throw around such words without meaning it.” She shook her head and felt her irritation rise. How was she supposed to have known Sobrin males only said those words to one woman? “As well, they probably served you when you ate, which would have been an obvious indication to any Volirian woman.” Darel Nacain smiled in amusement as she turned a severe frown on him. “I’m not Volirian. We talked of many things, but they weren’t at all chatty about that.” Anger bubbled up within her and she again felt the urge to ice them. Even

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serving her food had had a hidden meaning. Both of them needed to be kicked. They could have tried harder to reveal the bonding to her. Everything they’d done seemed to have been a reinforcement of their bond with her, a clue to their intent if she’d had the knowledge to unravel them. All of it had been laden with meaning beyond the obvious. That first meal had been a statement of intent, yet she hadn’t known what they’d meant or wanted from her. By the Ancients, if they were in front of her at this moment, she would have been tempted to cascade a freezing downpour over their heads. “Wha…” Her eyes widened as pain sliced through her back. She could feel warmth spreading down her back in a wet rush. She coughed, her hand automatically moving to cover her mouth. Drawing in a gasping breath, she was amazed at how much effort it took. She couldn’t understand what was wrong or why she was having trouble drawing breath. She half expected someone to apologize for bumping into her. When she looked down, she saw blood on her fingers. Confusion began to cloud her thoughts. Even through the bewilderment and pain, Karissa saw Ijina stream from her body. The Ice Spirit solidified in front of her. The Spirit’s hands clenched at her side. Karissa opened her magic to the Ice Spirit’s use. Ijina would need the power to defend them both, especially if Karissa lost consciousness. “Assassin!” Advisor Nacain’s voice rang through the hall above the murmur of the people conversing around the hall. He caught her as her knees buckled. He felt wetness on one of his hands and when he looked at it, he saw dark red blood. “I need a Healer! The Princes’ mate has been hurt.” She saw a man running across the room. He pushed one person out of his way when he didn’t move aside fast enough. Callan and Tyral arrived just before the Healer and both went pale when they saw her barely conscious and bleeding from the wound in her back. The bleeding gash bubbled with each shallow breath. From the gurgling sound, she knew that blade had punctured her lung. The Healer skidded to a stop, dropping to his knees. He worked quickly and efficiently. He checked the wound for spell work. When he was certain he wouldn’t do her more harm by healing her wound, he performed a spell to close the wound and repair the internal damage. Then he turned her to her back and waited. Her eyes fluttered open and she jerked back, tensing when she saw three blurry faces hovering over her. She blinked and the faces came into focus. Tyral, Callan and a strange man leaned over her. She remembered talking to the Advisor, pain in her back and then everything had slowly faded. The thing that most concerned her was the worry, almost panic that clouded Callan and Tyral’s faces. “What happened?” Karissa reached up and stroked her fingers across Callan’s cheek.

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“Someone stabbed you, tana.” Tyral took her other hand and lifted it, giving it a soft squeeze. The sight of her like that had instilled a sheer panic that still rang through his body. Rage had been quick to follow. The last emotion had been sheer determination. No one would take her from them. “Did you see anything, anyone?” Ahvin was raging inside him. Only the need to reassure Karissa, to make sure she was safe, kept the Fire Elemental from rampaging. She needed to be protected from the enemies who had hidden among their Court. They won’t succeed in killing her, Ahvin promised. Tyral wanted her safe, completely protected now, but all he could do was guard her. Ancient custom, one that every Volirian King was expected to uphold, kept him from placing the one spell that would ensure her protection. Now he knew exactly what his fathers had suffered before their marriage. “No, I didn’t see anything. I was talking to the Advisor and then I felt a sharp pain. I thought someone had bumped into me or something. Everything began to fade and it became hard to think.” She saw the need in Tyral’s eyes and squeezed his hand. “Why would someone here want to hurt me?” “No one’s going to hurt you, eli moru. Someone has been trying to end the line of Sobrin Kings for many years.” Callan stroked a finger over her lips. “You’re our future, the only woman for us.” “At this moment, you’re at your most vulnerable to attack and they’ll seek to take advantage of that.” Tyral helped her into a sitting position, his arm curling around her waist. Who had done this? He’d never have thought a member of their Court would try to assassinate their Lady. There hadn’t been trouble in years. They hadn’t had any reason to believe she’d be in danger among the most trusted of their Court. “After our marriage, they won’t have that opportunity. There will be protection spells on you.” Callan lifted her into his arms. “You have our word that they won’t harm you.” “I’m not afraid, Callan.” Karissa slid a hand over his chest as she saw the tension in his body. “Who did this? Did you catch them?” “Not yet, but we’ll get them.” Tyral’s voice was hard and utterly confident as he gave that assurance. His eyes swept the room. Almost everyone present was suspect. “We’re going to get you comfortable, seated, and guarded and then we’re going to help with the search.” “Your physician healed me. There’s no need for any fuss or even to carry me.” She looked earnestly up into Callan’s concerned golden eyes. “Just go find out who did this.” “We will, but first… Do you mind if I clean you and change your dress?” Callan drew his finger down her cheek. She swallowed and nodded. “You can do it. I don’t want to wear it any longer either.”

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As he changed her clothing, he sent a wave of magic over her skin. The spell cleaned away even the smallest traces of blood. In a blink, she was wearing a dress of deep red. Tyral felt the same urgency she did. He needed to know who’d done this, who had tried to kill her, but she came first. He and Callan would see to her comfort and safety before they joined the search for the traitor. Placing her in a chair next to their mother, they stationed Jadal, a trusted, seasoned warrior, near her to stand guard and brought her a glass of hot, sweet ica berry tea. Only then did they join the search. Because of Advisor Nacain’s presence of mind in yelling the warning of the assassin, the doors to the Hall had been barred and no one had been allowed to leave the room since the incident. Everyone knew the assassin was still in the room. The warriors were prepared. He was likely still armed and desperate to escape by now. Callan and Tyral along with the other warriors moved through the room in a systematic search, looking for anyone or anything out of place. There weren’t very many places for someone to hide a weapon in the large open room, but for a time after the stabbing, everyone’s attention had been distracted, so they also looked for the weapon. Everyone was a possible suspect because no one had seen the person stab her and impersonating another required only a simple, well-known spell. “Prince Callan, Prince Tyral, over here,” a warrior’s voice rang out from across the room. Anger and determination boiled through Tyral as he stalked through the crowd. Those in his path hurried to get out of his way as he made his way there. He looked across the rapidly clearing space and saw two warriors holding a man who appeared to be a servant from the clothing he was wearing. As Tyral approached them, he knew this man wasn’t one of the magical creations. Once he got close enough, he could feel the light presence of a glamour spell. “We found this in his pocket, my Princes.” Laed Garresh held out his hand revealing a blade coated with blood. The sight of that blood sent rage exploding through Tyral. “What’s your name, assassin?” A smooth gliding step carried him to within a step of the man and a wave of his hand dispelled the glamour. “What does it matter, usurper?” The man jerked against the strong grip of the two men holding him. His lips curled into a sneer. “The rightful line of the King will rise again.” “The old royal line died with its last King.” Callan shook his head at the stubborn denial of fact. There had been thirty pairs of Sobrin Kings since the last of the old royal line had disappeared, its last King leaving the world unmated and childless. “Take him before the Kings. He will be judged for his treachery.” The stocky man was taken before the Kings. Callan and Tyral joined their fathers, standing at their side as they stood to pronounce judgment. The warriors never left the assassin’s side or removed their hands from him. He had already shown that he

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couldn’t be trusted. He wouldn’t be given a chance to inflict more harm and possibly kill someone. “The line of Sobrin Kings will come to an end with this generation. All hear me and know, rejoice that their perversions will come to an end soon. The rightful and true King will ascend to the throne and rule Volir justly,” the assassin proclaimed in a strident voice. “Silence.” King Tovin’s voice was hard and accompanied by a whiplash of magic that ensured the man’s compliance with the order. He glowered down at the man. “According to Volirian law, we regrettably can’t sentence you to the death you deserve for your attempt on the future Princess’s life. As she isn’t yet a member of the royal family or of the Volirian Realm, we must spare your life. Still, you won’t find the punishment for this crime light.” King Marit stood, his mouth twisted into a harsh frown as he looked at the defiant man. “You’ll live, but we don’t have to make it easy for you to remain alive. You’ll have to survive by your wit and skills from now on. You’ll have no magic to rely on.” King Tovin waved his hand, sending a wave of magic toward the man who was only now showing fear for the consequences of his actions. “You are banished to the world of Amael, traitor, for the attack on the Lady Karissa. If you are ever seen in any of the Volirian worlds again, your life will be forfeit. You’ll be killed by the first loyal warrior who sights you.” King Marit narrowed his eyes as the man gasped. A gesture of his hand sent the red-haired assassin flying back into a swirling vortex that had opened directly behind him. King Marit turned to Tyral and put his hand on his shoulder. “Your Lady has been through much tonight. I give you leave to see to her. Take her to your rooms and give her something better to think about. After what happened, she’ll be inclined to brood. There is no one here who will question your need to be alone with her.”

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Chapter Nine Tyral looked over at Karissa. Right now she looked a little stunned, but he knew soon she’d be remembering how close she’d come to dying tonight. He met his father’s eyes and nodded. Callan stepped up beside him and they strode over to her. Callan extended his hand to her and she smiled as she placed her palm in his large hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. Without a word, she stepped into the narrow space between them, wriggling until they both put their arms around her. She didn’t question them when they urged her out of the Royal Hall. What should we do to keep her mind off of what happened in there? Callan shot Tyral a mystified look over the top of her head. Father is right. She’ll brood. Already she seems a little…solemn. With cause. Tyral pulled her a little closer. If the healer hadn’t been in the Hall, if he had been slower…she could easily have died. She was their only mate. They could have survived, but never would they have found the completion they would with her. There was also the possibility that they could turn chomak without her. She responded well to our efforts when we were “testing” her on that planet. She took it as a game. Why don’t we play one with her now? She did like the bondage. Do you think she is ready for more than bondage? Callan glanced down at the silver-blonde head of their love. She is new to so many aspects of physical love, but her response is hot, ready and giving. I don’t mind introducing her to what she has yet to discover. It’s easier than overcoming the mistakes made by others. I think she will find pleasure in “more.” Tyral’s confidence in her was based on her reactions to everything that they had done to and with her. She’d burned them with the fiery need simmering within her. So far, she had met and fulfilled every one of their needs. Their Ice Lady seemed to have pure lava running through her veins, a true match for them. “How are you, Karissa? Do you think you’d like to have a little fun?” Tyral asked. She turned her head for a moment and looked at him. “I’m going to be all right. What do you mean, a little fun?” “Eli moru, we’re in the mood to play with you tonight.” Callan tipped her head up to look into her beautiful green eyes the moment they had secured the door behind them. “Are you willing to play a game with us?” Her tongue slicked over her lips and for a moment, she just looked at him. He wondered if she wasn’t ready. Maybe she needed to just be held. Just as he was getting ready to tell her that he’d be more than willing to hold her all night if she needed, she nodded.

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Karissa blinked up at them, wondering what they were doing. She saw the expectancy in their eyes. They wanted to play? Umm, maybe they’ll let you tie them up. Ijina sent a flood of images to Karissa. Karissa looked over at the two men. I don’t think me tying them up is what they plan. Quickly she decided that whatever they were doing, she was more than ready. If she didn’t find something to catch her interest, she’d begin to think about the assassin, what had happened and just how this would change her life. A little game with those two sounded like it might do what she needed. She knew that Callan and Tyral could take her mind off anything. “What do you want to play?” she asked, tilting her head. Giving Callan a saucy wink before she took a few steps away from them, she turned to face the two obviously aroused men leaning against the door. Just one glance down had revealed the erections pressing against their pants. “Give us a moment to prepare and you’ll find out.” Tyral paced forward, then curled his hand around her waist and brushed a kiss over her cheek. “Going to show me how imaginative you are?” Her hand dipped down and stroked over the cloth-covered ridge of his cock before trailing up to his abdomen. “If you can keep up with us, maybe.” Callan’s hand tapped her bottom and a taunting smile curved his lips. “You come up with your game. We’ll see who calls a halt first. Or maybe you two will give in to exhaustion. You are a few years older than me.” She smirked at them as they strode around the room gathering items. Her last remark garnered a raised eyebrow and a wicked smile from Callan. After a few moments of gathering and rearranging, Callan and Tyral sat in two large high-backed chairs that they had placed in front of the hearth. She moved around so that she could see them and noted that their expressions had changed. Before they had moved into the light, anticipatory smiles had curved their mouths. A dark solemnity now marked their expressions. “Come stand before us and be judged, spy for the Ice Clan.” Tyral slammed his hand down on the arm of the chair. Tension coiled through his muscled body. “I tire of your games and platitudes. Your lies fool us no more.” Her eyes widened in astonishment and her breath caught in her throat. Anger rang in his voice and in every line of his body. Only the dancing light in his amber eyes gave the truth away. For a moment, she’d almost believed that he was really angry at her. With a mental shake, she reminded herself that this was a game. She wouldn’t allow them to outdo her so easily. A sneer pasted to her lips, she tossed her head back, flinging her hair off her shoulders. She’d be their Ice Clan spy if they wanted it. Ooh, I’ve always waned to be a spy, Ijina purred.

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You like to be noticed too much to be a good spy. Karissa looked at them through her lashes before squaring her shoulders and taking up her role. “I don’t recognize your right to sit in judgment over me, Sobrin. You’re nothing more than petty Fire Lords putting on the airs of kings.” She swept her hand out in a gesture encompassing the whole room. Since she was supposed to be a spy for a rival clan, she decided a few more insults were in order. “Look at this place. My prison cell is every bit as grand as this hovel of a hall.” “Silence!” Callan surged to his feet and a rush of magic surrounded her. “Do you think this is a game, lady? You’ll learn your Fire Kings didn’t accept such insults lightly.” Rissa felt a light pulse at her throat. It felt like a soft tickle and then was gone. She opened her mouth to continue her harangue, but no sound passed her lips in spite of her repeated attempts to speak. For a moment, realizing she couldn’t make a sound, fear took hold of her. Her heart pounded, racing. Her hands flew to her throat in an instinctual gesture. Slowly reason filtered back. A game, this is only a game and they want to rattle me. A smile curved Callan’s lips as he sat back down in the large throne-like chair. “Would you care to know your sentence for your crimes, spy? Do you know what we do to insolent little Ice witches who have the temerity to try to spy on us?” Tyral sat back in his chair, his feet stretched out in front of him, seemingly totally at ease. She glared at him. “Especially stubborn little sitgas who refuse to acknowledge their mates.” Callan leaned forward and swept his eyes down her body and then back up in a lecherous inspection. She turned to face the fireplace, giving them her back. Since she couldn’t scream at them, blatant acts of disrespect were one of the few avenues of expression. Turning her back on the two Fire Lords not only did that, it implied that she didn’t consider them a threat. A hot wind curled around her and magic whipped her around to face them. “Your spirit bonded with ours. Did you think we would just allow you to disappear? Do you think we’ll allow you to get away with trying to betray us?” Tyral’s roar almost echoed in the room. A muscle twitched along the side of his jaw. She still couldn’t speak, but she was enjoying herself. Playing the insolent witch to their arrogant Lords was fun. She stamped her foot and fisted her hands, baring her teeth at them. Caught up in the game, she searched for something to wipe the superior look off of their faces. “You will pay for your perfidy, Ice witch. You’ll learn just where your loyalty belongs.” In a smooth flow of muscle, Callan rose and paced over to her. A gloved hand raised and brushed over her cheek. “From this day forward, you’ll know who your masters are and will obey without question.”

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Karissa swung her fist at him, intending to stop short of actually hitting him, but her hand never got that close to him. His leather-encased fingers captured her wrist in a tight grip. Using his hold on her arm, he urged her to her knees. He smiled down at her, all satisfied, arrogant male warrior. The sight of him looming above her stirred something primitive inside of her. Excitement boiled within her. She loved their dominance, their strength. Even as she struggled, she plotted to incite and enflame. The force of her own response surprised her. Her nipples had pebbled and hardened with only thoughts of what they might do. As their game continued, she could feel her cream gathering between her thighs. “Lesson number one—a slave will be punished for trying to hit her betters and there are none lower in the Fire Realm than little Ice slaves.” Callan watched her face as she struggled against him. “Lesson two—a slave’s only purpose is to see to her masters’ happiness.” Tyral leisurely stood, a smile tilting his lips. In his right hand, he held a short-handled leather flogger he swished through the air, drawing her eyes to the black leather. “Lesson three—a slave speaks only when spoken to and always addresses her masters with respect. From this point on, you will refer to us as Lord or Master when you are spoken to. Defiance or deviation of any sort will earn you a punishment.” She tugged on her hand and shot Callan a mutinous glare, turning her head to include Tyral in that look. Surely they didn’t expect her to give in to their demands so easily. A real spy would have fought the Ancient Fire Lords a long time before she surrendered to the tie between them. Torn between her loyalty to her Clan and her bond to the Lords, she would have chosen the life she knew over the uncertainty of joining her life to two men of a rival Clan. She wouldn’t give them such an easy victory. She bared her teeth at Callan in a blatant threat when he unlaced the fly of his pants, allowing his cock to spring free of the tight confinement. A bead of liquid formed on the head of the dark blue flesh. Although she wanted to lean forward and lick it, she kept her expression fierce and antagonistic. They would work to earn their victory tonight. She jumped startled when Tyral’s hand laced into her hair and tilted her head back, forcing her to meet his amber eyes. “You’re allowed to speak now, slave, because we want to hear your groans and cries, to hear you acknowledge your masters.” Tyral tightened his hand in her silky hair. “If you bite him, you’ll pay far longer than he hurts. Kiss his cock. Take that which you try to reject by running from us.” She turned her head as far to the side as Tyral’s grip on her hair would allow. Her scalp stung as her hair pulled tight. “You aren’t worthy to be master to a Tuvian slug. I’ll never call you Lord, Fire despot.” Tyral brought the flogger down across her right buttock in a sharp crack. She jumped, gasped and fear blossomed in her gaze. It took her a moment to overcome her instinctive reaction.

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That pop from the little black whip in his hand had stung and startled her. She hadn’t expected him to actually use the thing. She’d thought it was just for show, intimidation. Apparently, he was in the mood to test her limits tonight. She admitted freely that fear had been sharp and immediate, but then her eyes had focused on Tyral’s golden orbs and saw the calm patience in them. After the rush of fear had eased, she’d noticed the sharper edge to her need, the increased intensity of her arousal. If that was the result, she was more than willing to play with them. She took a deep breath. When it came down to it, it was a question of trust. She trusted Callan and Tyral. They might push her limits, introduce her to new facets of sex and love, but they would never truly hurt her. She knew they would place her needs above theirs. “I don’t break that easily, Sobrin.” Karissa flashed him a bright smile. “That little crop isn’t going to make me do your bidding. I’m a Lady of the Ice Clan, not one of your Fire Clan harlots. My tastes are far more refined, educated. I don’t crave pain with my pleasure.” “You’re a little sitga from the Ice Clans who doesn’t know when to keep her mouth closed.” Tyral drew the crop up the valley between her buttocks. The dangling leather ribbons glided over her skin. A slight tickling tingle erupted in the path of the crop. “I’m going to enjoy watching these turn pink and hearing your cries for more. You’ll be so aroused that you’ll beg for us to fuck you before the night is over.” “Not even in my worst nightmares would I beg for you to fuck me,” she grated out. She clenched her teeth. This damn bantering conversation would have her begging soon. She wanted them to fuck her. She needed to taste them. Just talking about it, thinking about it, had her wet and her pussy aching to be filled. She was more than ready for some action. “You can’t resist us, little slave.” Callan stepped forward and the rounded head of his cock brushed against her cheek. “You’ll break. Already you’re weakening. You crave our taste, the feel of our cocks slamming into your cunt.” “And at the end of the night, you’ll thank us for every stroke I give you with this, every orgasm we allow you.” Tyral brought the flogger down in a sharp snap, striking her left butt cheek. Pain and pleasure blended. She tensed and gasped in surprise. She felt a gush of hot, creamy moisture slip onto her thighs as her channel clenched. A burst of arousal slammed through her along with that sharp little sting. She couldn’t deny that she wanted them. Her nipples were hard, reddened points and her thighs were becoming slick with her juices. “Bastard!” Karissa gritted her teeth and forced the curse out, trying to keep her mind on the game. She really wanted to taste the dark blue, silky skin of the cock nudging her cheek, to lick that pre-cum from its broad head. She wanted to give them just as much pleasure as they gave her.

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“You don’t learn very fast, do you, little slave?” Tyral tapped the flogger against her thighs. A slow smile curved his mouth. “Or maybe you like this. I can smell your arousal, my Ice Lady. Do you like the sting of the whip, little slave?” “Perhaps she needs to be reminded of her new position in life, my brother.” Callan’s hand replaced Tyral’s in her hair and he turned her head until her lips brushed over his cock. He closed his eyes at the soft caress over the sensitive tip. Her hot breath fanned over his shaft, making him swell and harden even more. Tyral stepped back a few paces and drew a knife from his belt, making certain that she saw it. He stepped forward and knelt beside her. “Ice slaves don’t need clothing to cover them. All they need is their masters’ collar. Anything else they wear will be a gift for good behavior.” The dark red dress Callan had created for her was slit from collar to hem and whipped away from her body with delicious roughness. She tossed her head back and glared up into Callan’s arrogant face. His wide smile showed two descended fangs and his golden eyes glowed with arousal. Suddenly, a weight settled onto her shoulders, tightening around her neck. With a gasp, her hands flew up to it, pulling futilely at the object. A light, thin metal band circled her neck. She narrowed her eyes at the one man she could see. Ooh, they were truly playing this game as if there was a prize to be won. A moment later, cool, slender bracelets conformed to her wrists. “Do you not admire the jewelry that we’ve given you, slave?” Tyral ran the leather flogger across her bare hip. His eyes watched her closely. A low growl announced his enjoyment of the shiver that coursed through her body. “Arms out.” Her arms snapped up, pulled away from her body and held there by the magical silver bands encasing them. “You won’t get away with this. My Clan will see you entombed in Ice for this insult, Sobrin.” “Ah, the spy wishes to talk of insults when she is guilty of many. Hands and knees, slave.” Callan’s voice rang with impatience as he released her hair, stepping back as the bands on her wrist insured her compliance. His eyes ran over her aroused body. “Little Ice witch, tell us who we are. Acknowledge us as your masters.” Tyral knelt behind her, his fingers gliding over her buttocks and down between her thighs and over the glistening, honeyed lips of her labia. “Our little slave is very wet. Could it be that she wants to be mastered in spite of her impassioned avowals?” “I can’t help the way my body reacts to you, slug.” She drew in a shuddering breath as his fingertips brushed over her swollen clit. They were driving her insane with their game. “Our mate,” Callan thundered as he knelt beside her. His fingers found one of her dangling nipples and tugged at the hardened peak. “You’re our mate and you thought to deny us and go back to your Clan.” “Never again!” Tyral delivered a sharp swat on her right buttock with the leather flogger. “You’ll never leave us. You’ll never want to.” 84

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Something slick, hard and warm slipped into her juicy slit. It vibrated within her and her muscles clamped around the dildo as it was slowly withdrawn, not wanting to lose that delicious feeling. With a twist, it thrust back inside her cunt, drawing a gasping cry from her lips. Her eyes slammed closed when the shooting streak of sensation had burst through her with that twisting thrust. They fluttered open when she didn’t hear anything more. She felt hands at her breasts, but there were only two hands. That meant one man was free to plan and plot. The silence made her nervous. Desperate for an inkling of what they were planning, she turned her head as far as she could manage. Callan knelt, naked, and paid loving homage to her breasts. His cock thrust from between his legs, aroused and appealing. Tyral stood a step away from her and in line with her rear. Callan moved back, his hands leaving her breasts. Karissa tensed and tried to hold back a pleading moan. She didn’t mind that he’d moved, but her breasts needed attention too. They were swollen, aching. He took the Fire crystal dildo and began working it in and out of her pussy. Callan turned his eyes to her face as he plucked at the nipple of the breast nearest him. “Beautiful little witch, how could you think of running from this? No other could make you heat as we do.” She could see his cock, hard and erect and was gratified that he was as aroused as she was. The flogger swished through the air and landed with a sharp pop. She jerked, her back arched and a shudder tore through her as a near orgasmic lance of pleasure seared through her along with the bright flash of pain. A groan rolled through her body and she pushed back into the hard, thick shaft of the dildo. It felt so good, but she needed more. Her cunt clenched desperately around the hard shaft, trembling spasms coursed through her body as a powerful orgasm built. Her thoughts splintered. The tight coiling desire pulsing in her stomach predicted a cataclysmic explosion and she needed to feel it, wanted to revel in it as it burned through her. “By the Veil, please.” Her hips undulated, pushing into each thrust, desperate for release. “Acknowledge your masters, little Ice slave, and we’ll give you your pleasure. You know you crave it. Master—it’s a simple word and will gain you what you need.” Tyral ran the leather tip of the flogger up the line of her spine. She arched beneath the whisper soft touch of the supple leather. Only a desperate, ragged mewl left her lips, but her eyes begged for release when they locked with Callan’s golden gaze. Callan twisted a dangling red nipple as he thrust the Fire crystal rod in and out of her slick channel. “Keep pushing, little slave. You’re going to find out what happens to impertinent little sitgas when they go too far. You’ll learn to respect us.”

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The leather kissed the globes of her buttocks, leaving pink stripes across the rounded flesh. Her body rolled, barely jerking beneath stinging strokes as she rocked back into each stroke of the dildo into her hungry pussy. Need roared through her in a continuous, unrelenting wave. Her breath came in panting gasps. Her body glistened, filmed in a fine layer of sweat. This isn’t possible, she thought as she drove back onto the hard shaft, shuddering. Her heart was racing, sweat glistened on her body and the level of sexual need tumbling through her body should have hurled her into release. “You’ve put an enchantment on me.” Her voice cracked as she threw the accusation at them. “Slaves come only at their masters’ command. You’ve shown yourself to be rebellious and would take your pleasure were you able. You must be trained to attend to your Lords needs before your own.” Callan leaned over and ran his tongue over the sweat slick skin of her back. Tyral delivered two quick swats, one to each rounded cheek. Callan thrust the dildo into her in swift, shallow, tormenting thrusts. She pushed back, trying to take more of that teasing dildo, but he pulled it back, giving her only what he chose. Pleading moans and mewls fell from her lips. Sensation lanced through her body, pleasure and pain blending. She wanted. She ached. Her body burned under their ministrations. “What are we, slave?” Tyral flicked the flogger, once, twice. Two more sets of pink stripes blossomed on her bottom. “Master.” She was ready to give them anything they asked. Need screamed through her. “You’re my masters.” “Suck your master’s cock, slave.” Tyral pulled the toy from her sopping pussy and tapped her hips with the flogger. “Crawl to him and make him come with only the feel of your mouth on his shaft.” Callan strolled over to the large chair on the right and took a seat. He draped his arms on the arm rests, spread his legs and sat there waiting, an arrogant, expectant smile curving his lips. She crawled across the soft rugs and rose to her knees in front of him. She leaned forward and licked the pearl of pre-cum from the darkened blue head of his engorged erection. A low growl rumbled in his chest and his large, strong fingers threaded through her hair. His palm cupped the back of her head, just resting there. “If you tease your masters, you shall earn more punishment,” Tyral warned as the soft leather brushed against her right buttock. “Give us pleasure and you shall be given yours.” Her mouth opened and took the rounded head into her mouth. She flicked her tongue over the tip, tasting him, enjoying his spicy essence. Her tongue circled and lapped over the rounded head as she pulled back, nearly allowing the dark blue head to slip out of her mouth.

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“Take it, little slave, or we’ll never let you come.” Tyral knelt behind her. His cock slid against her slick labia as his hand came around to cup her breast. His fingers plucked at a distended nipple. “You’ll learn to obey your mates.” Karissa gasped as fire streaked straight to her cunt. Her head bobbed, taking more of Callan’s cock into her mouth. She sucked at him. Her tongue flickered over the soft skin covering his hard length. Just his taste could be addictive. She loved that intan spice taste and the slightly salty zing of his pre-cum. Callan’s hand pressed down on the back of her head, urging her to take more of him. She obeyed the pressure, taking his cock deeper, backing off when she almost gagged as his cock slipped into her throat, but she didn’t stop trying to take him deeper. Her teeth scraped along his length as her tongue teased and tormented without mercy in her eagerness to bring him pleasure. A near purr rumbled in her throat when Tyral stroked into her pussy, sinking deep into her channel. Sexy growls of encouragement tore from Callan’s throat as she sucked wildly at him. His hips arched up and his cock slipped deeper into her mouth as his hand pressed down on her head. She took him deep, his cock sliding past the muscles of her throat. She sucked at him strongly. Driving as deep as he could, her nose pressed into the purple hair at his groin, his hips arched. His semen shot down her throat in pulsing sprays. She swallowed eagerly, her tongue moving over him to gather every bit of his cum. His hand relaxed, releasing the back of her head and allowing her to raise her head. Tyral’s hand wrapped in her silver-blonde hair as he withdrew and thrust hard and deep into her moist channel. A breathless, excited moan welcomed the pounding rhythm of his hips as he drove into her hard and fast. She pushed back into him, frantic, wild. “By the Fire, woman, you are ours.” Tyral surged into her, physically claiming her body. He gritted his teeth, stroking into her. Her heart raced, her body burned with unquenched desire. Need raged within her. She thrust her hips back into his driving shaft, taking that thick length as deep as she could. Desperation ruled her. Wordless pleas spilled from her throat. “Admit it, little slave,” Tyral demanded as his hand delivered a stinging, openpalmed smack to her thigh. Her pussy clenched and the wave of heated pleasure-pain that hit her drew a scream from her lips and tears from her eyes. She arched into his driving cock, her body aching for the bliss. “Goddess, please, I’m yours…” She panted, her body straining, reaching for the release it needed. Her eyes locked with Callan’s. Tyral rammed into her. “Come now. Give me your pleasure.” Tyral’s hands grasped her hips as his shaft shuttled back and forth, going deep and hard with each stroke. She came, her vaginal muscles clenching, pulling, as wave after wave of hot delight rolled through her body. Her body trembled and a low, hoarse cry 87

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welled from her. As the ecstasy poured through her, she felt as if the two men had pulled a piece of her soul from her body, claiming it as their own. Tyral slammed into her, driven to find his own release. His arms swept around her, pulling her back against his chest. He pumped into her, throwing back his head as he came. He drove his cock into her juicy sheath as his seed shot deep into her womb. He shouted his pleasure into her shoulder. She opened her eyes when she heard movement in front of her. Callan knelt in front of her, looking arrogant and thoroughly pleased. That look was so annoying that she might have done something about it if she’d had the energy or could move. She felt like one boneless mass of pleasure. The strong arms wrapped around her, holding her to Tyral’s hard chest were the only thing between her and becoming a puddle of satisfied woman on the floor. “That’s a good little slave.” Callan’s hand brushed across her cheek in a tender caress. She smiled, turning her head into that touch. If she hadn’t seen the almost adoring look in his eyes, she might have gotten angry about that comment, even if it was in the spirit of the game they’d been playing. She felt a deep emotion stirring within her and knew that if she didn’t already love these two men, she soon would. She couldn’t ask for more caring or support than she’d received from them. A smile curved her lips. They could use a few lessons in communication. Tyral slowly withdrew from her slick channel, his hand running over her stomach in a lingering caress. “Now, slave, go to the bathing area, set out towels, start the water and await us in an appropriate manner beside the tub. You will bathe us.” He urged her to her feet. Karissa resisted the urge to roll her eyes. They were still in the mood to play the game. She smiled as she began to walk into the bathing area, exaggerating the sway of her hips just to give them something to think about while they waited. She was more than willing to keep playing the captive Ice slave or any other game they cared to invent. Never had she imagined life with her true mates could be this exciting. As she gathered the towels, she frowned. Now, what sort of position would they find appropriate?

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Chapter Ten Karissa resisted the urge to throw something at one or both of them. They had promised to take care of her, to ensure her safety. She hadn’t known that they’d meant that they planned to stay with her nearly all day, every day. As much as she liked being close to them in private, she had quickly discovered that in public they could really dampen conversations and her efforts to get to know those of the Volirian Court. “I’m not entirely defenseless.” She glared at them. They stood together by a hearth, leaning against the wall. They wore the same arrogant, unbending look that they’d worn when they had practically marched her into the little room they’d found near the Royal Hall when their discussion had become a little too loud to continue in public. That look was infuriating. “You might as well be.” Callan’s eyes ran over her blue dress. “You have no knowledge of battle magic and it won’t be women or untrained men who’ll be coming after you.” “Then have a guard stand with me.” She swept her hands wide in frustration. Telling them about the bit of battle magic she knew certainly wouldn’t increase their confidence. “It’s impossible to talk to anyone when you’re standing there frowning at them.” You’re not a trained warrior. They only want you safe. Ijina soothed. I told them to put a guard on me. They are keeping everyone away—even the ones who just want to get to know me. Karissa glowered at them. How are they supposed to tell who wants to hurt you from the ones who just want to meet the future Princess? Ijina asked. I don’t know, but there have got to be some people they trust to let close. They’ve been sending everyone running. Karissa didn’t want to be wandering around without some kind of protection. She just didn’t want to be so isolated. “That’s not going to happen. Somehow, you would shortly have him trailing around, catering to your whims.” Tyral shook his head and waited for the explosion he saw brewing within her. “Arghh,” she groaned and turned away and began pacing. They weren’t even trying to compromise. “What? You don’t wish to be with us?” Callan allowed a grin to curl his lips. She looked like she wanted to do them some damage. She narrowed her eyes on him. “Don’t try to cajole me or turn my attention. We’re discussing something very serious here.”

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“Te tana, there is no discussion.” Tyral walked forward and took her hands in his, holding her still in front of him and looking down into her green eyes. “We won’t risk your life.” She gritted her teeth. It had been amusing for a little while, but their intimidation of all of the people who’d walked up to talk to them had soon become infuriating. Giving them the silent treatment was more of a punishment for her than them. They were almost the only ones around to talk to. They were also not going to bend on this decision. She glared at them as they ushered her back out to the hall. When they went to eat with the Kings and Queen, Karissa glowered at Tyral and Callan, still furious. She felt smothered by the way they kept others away from her. They were accomplishing their aim. No one could get near her to hurt her, but she was growing desperate for some sort of interaction with another, even if it was a relaxed conversation with someone. Tyral was left to escort her when Callan was called away. Things were a little easier with just one of them to guard her, but it was still useless to try to argue about their decision. She hadn’t had any success in convincing them that just staying near her, as opposed to constantly at her side, would work just as well. Just when she was contemplating trying to sneak away from Tyral while his head was turned, a message arrived from the Queen. It was an invitation to join her in her private parlor for refreshments and some conversation. She accepted the invitation with haste before Tyral could think to decline for her. The messenger left before he could put in his refusal. Karissa knew that he would have sent the man away with a refusal if he’d had his way. Tyral cast a hard-eyed look at Karissa, who was smiling. She saw his clenched jaw and could tell he wanted to yell at her. She knew that she was safe until he found some privacy. He wouldn’t start an argument in public. Tyral stalked beside her as they made their way to the Queen’s private parlor. His golden eyes and stiff posture tacitly conveyed his disapproval. After a brief knock to announce their arrival, Tyral opened the heavy, solid wood door. Karissa stepped into the room done in shades of amber and black with stark white thrown in as a contrast in the occasional pillow or throw. Two large, cushioned, comfortable-looking chairs faced each other. A table bearing a light snack on elegant dishes had been placed in easy reach of both chairs. Rugs in varying shades had been scattered across the floor and elegant, well-fashioned hangings decorated the walls. Very pretty, but still much different than what she’d known in the Frejan Court. Right now, she wasn’t worried about the thick door. She needed the sense of security. Queen Maya glided across the room to greet them. “You can leave us, Tyral.” She smiled at her son and patted his cheek fondly as she delivered the dismissal. Her golden dress swirled around her as she turned to Karissa.

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Karissa snickered, but schooled her lips into a straight line when Tyral trained a warning look on her. She’d won this battle, but better not to antagonize him unnecessarily. “But she is…” Tyral’s brows lowered in irritation. “How can you expect me to leave Karissa alone after what has happened? Don’t either of you realize that she almost died last night?” “She is perfectly safe in this room.” The Queen raised an eyebrow at her son and swept her hands a shooing motion. “You know that this room is spelled. Stop hovering over the girl. With all of our men on alert, no one is going to get near her. Let her have some space before you drive her insane.” Karissa saw that Tyral still wasn’t eager to let her out of his sight. Now that she knew the Queen understood the situation, she didn’t hesitate to gloat a bit in her small victory. She smirked at him and fluttered her eyelashes as she waved at him. “I’ll return for you later. You’d better be here.” Tyral gave Karissa a hard “or else” stare as he left the room clearly hoping, that it would be enough to make her stay put. “You’re only safe because I can’t just drag you out of the room—even though I want to.” As if you’d be stupid—or even desperate—enough to leave just to defy them, Ijina scoffed. “Oh, yes, Tyral, I understand. The Queen may be your mother, but she is still the Queen.” She smiled as he gave her a glare before the door shut. “They are just like their fathers in that sense,” Maya offered as she gazed at the door. “In what way?” Karissa followed the Queen across the room and took a seat when Maya indicated for her to do so. “To be blunt, your sons make me want to…tear at my hair, throw things, kick and hit them… And that is just recently and doesn’t count the times I’ve thought about Icing them.” “They’re overprotective. Marit and Tovin nearly drove me to such acts before we were married, what with their ‘protection’. I swear that I couldn’t take a step without bumping into one of them.” Queen Maya’s eyes held a wealth of understanding as she focused on Karissa. “They’ll hardly let anyone come near me, much less talk to me—and those that do brave their presence are quickly scared away by their glares. I feel so alone.” Karissa shot a glare of her own toward the door. She really would kick one or maybe both of them if this continued much longer. “And they don’t bother to talk to me while we’re standing among the others. I might as well be alone and have a wall built around me. I’d be just as isolated.” “Their behavior will probably be worse tonight at the banquet than it was today. There will be more people in the hall than there were last night. They’ll consider it more dangerous for you to be there, but they know that you can’t miss the banquet.” Queen Maya grimaced.

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“You said the Kings were just as possessive as their sons. What happened? What did the Kings do? What happened that they needed to protect you?” Karissa tilted her head. It felt good to be able to talk to someone who understood just how frustrating dealing with two men could be. “There were fourteen full days between when I first met Tovin and Marit and when we married. On that first day, all three of us knew that we were bound and we didn’t fight it. Our spirits joined the moment they met. Marit and Tovin announced our upcoming marriage the very next day.” The Queen smiled at the memory. “So when did you discover you were in danger?” Karissa sat forward, her eyes fixed on the Queen. “The Old Royalists didn’t start off quite as violently with me. I received a threat first in the form of a dead animal. Marit and Tovin immediately placed guards on me. The next attempt, someone tried to stab me and the next a spell. Tovin and Marit moved me into their rooms to ensure my safety.” “The Royalists don’t have quite as long to terrorize and find a way to get to me.” Karissa’s mouth twisted into a wry grin. “Tyral and Callan aren’t waiting even fourteen days, which by Frejan standards would still be indecently quick.” “In Volir, things aren’t as rigid as they are in the Frejan Realm.” The Queen smiled. “My sons are very impatient where you’re concerned. They won’t waste any time.” “I’ve noticed. Your staff has been rushed to get all of the details in place before the day of the wedding.” Karissa shook her head in amusement at Callan and Tyral’s impatience. “They were very vocal about their desires before you arrived. They consider the time when you were together on that planet the courting time.” Queen Maya laughed as she saw the shock and incredulity wash over the younger woman’s face. “And I just thought I was having a tempestuous liaison before I settled down to married life,” Karissa said as she shook her head. “I might have appreciated things more if I’d known that that was my courtship.” “They would have still had to give you the full fourteen days but for one thing.” Queen Maya raised her brows, leaned forward and waited for a full moment for effect. “The fact that your spirit became pregnant gave them the ability to rush things. A littleused Volirian law shortens the time when the female spirit has become pregnant even before being formally betrothed.” “Um…this might sound a little strange, but everything seems so different here and I’ve been curious.” Karissa bit at her lip nervously. Her hands twisted in her lap. “You can ask me anything.” The Queen smiled. “I don’t really know that much about the Volirian Court and what I do know is mostly rumor and conjecture that has floated around the Frejan Court. I know what powers a Queen would have in the Ice Court that was part of my education. What powers do you have?” Karissa shrugged.

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“My powers… Do you mean formal authority?” “Yes, and I’d rather not just assume and make a mistake.” Karissa looked at the older woman carefully. “You’ll make mistakes. Even though I was born in the Volirian Realm, I made mistakes. Being a Volirian queen isn’t that different than being a Frejan queen. The only real difference is the powers a Queen has when the Kings aren’t there to rule. I can make most of the decisions, but if it has anything to do with battle or with another Realm, the decision goes to a council of warriors.” Maya poured wine into two goblets. “That’s different from what I expected,” Karissa said. She sat quietly, thinking for a moment. Maybe she wouldn’t have such a hard time making a place here. “Is there anything else you need to know?” Maya asked. “Would you mind telling me what the endearments they call me mean? I’ve tried asking them, but if we’re alone, the time for talk is short.” Queen Maya chuckled knowingly. “I know how demanding Sobrin males can be. Te tana means ‘my sweet one’. They’ve probably called you eli moru. That’s ‘little one’. Then there’s the ultra possessive te thali. Literally, it means ‘my woman’, but it can mean my mate as well.” A soft knock on the door halted any reply Karissa might have made to that statement. She turned her head to the door. “You may open the door,” Queen Maya called and turned and waited as the door swung open. “A young woman from the Frejan Realm has arrived and requests to see Lady Karissa. Also, Lady Bari and Lady Andice have arrived and request permission to join you in your parlor, Queen Maya.” The young woman curtsied respectfully and remained at the door as she waited for the Queen’s reply. “They may all join us. It will be good for Karissa to talk with someone without my infuriating sons hanging over her shoulder and sending them running.” The Queen sent Karissa an encouraging smile and nodded to the woman who left the room. Karissa decided Queen Maya would be a good ally in the battle against Callan and Tyral’s overprotective behavior and general arrogance. As their mother, she knew both men far better than Karissa did and might have some tips on how to handle them when they were at their worst. She knew that what worked for their mother might not succeed in stopping them for her. Karissa would take whatever help she could get. Those men could very well become unmanageable if she let them get away with too much. They were already dangerously close to that. It was a larger group than first anticipated that sat down with glasses of chilled wine in the Queen’s private parlor. Rana arrived first and took a seat just to Karissa’s left. The Ladies Bari and Andice had been joined by two other Volirian Ladies, Darine and Giselle. They sat in a circle for easy conversation.

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“What brings you to the Volirian Court, Aliara Denar?” Queen Maya arched an eyebrow, but her smile was kind. “The Frejan King sent me with a message, Your Highness. He noticed that my name was on the list of guests to be invited to the wedding. He said that if it suited the Volirian Kings, I could stay until the wedding. He knows that Karissa and I are good friends.” Rana brushed back a strand of honey blonde hair which had slipped free from her braid. Her blue eyes sparkled with good humor. “I trust that my husbands had a room prepared for you.” Queen Maya took a sip of her wine. “No one could doubt the truth of your claim after seeing the two of you together.” “Yes, Your Highness, they gave me a lovely room. I saw it just before I was shown to you.” Rana nodded and smiled, flashing straight white teeth. “I’m very happy and grateful to be allowed to spend some time with my friend.” “You know each other well?” Lady Giselle Artain tilted her head and nibbled on one of the sweet pink cakes. “Since we became Aliaras—six years,” Rana relayed with ease. She smiled as she glanced over at Karissa. “Not long comparatively, but we spent so much time together during those first years and on the missions which we worked together that we’re like sisters. Sometimes it’s scary how well we know each other.” Karissa laughed. “We know each other’s secrets, fears, hopes and dreams. We know what would make the other happy or sad and can sometimes tell at a glance what mood the other is in—and occasionally we get into fights over the stupidest things.” “That seems like a very solid friendship.” Queen Maya glanced at the two women and for a moment Karissa could swear she saw sadness sweep over the woman’s features, but before she could ask about it, it was gone. “It is. We relied on each other for support during those first years. Now, even when we just want to talk or whine to someone, we know who to go to.” Karissa relaxed back into the chair. It was good to see Rana again. “Speaking of whining, you look happy to have found your mates.” Rana’s eyes twinkled with a wicked light. “You’re gloating… But yes, I’m happy. Well, now. When I first learned of it, I wanted to strangle them.” Karissa shook her head and narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Hey, don’t glare at me. I’m the one who listened to you moan about being sent on your Ra’Asien.” Rana held up her hands. “So you weren’t eager to take a mate, or even to begin your Ra’Asien?” Lady Darine Meral watched Karissa intently with keen green eyes. “Just what are you trying to ask?” Queen Maya’s voice turned ice-cold and her gaze was hard as it settled onto the red-haired woman. Karissa looked more closely at the Lady Darine. She hadn’t found anything so disturbing about the question, but the Queen clearly had. From the intensity and the

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angry red flush rising on the Queen’s cheeks, she knew that she’d definitely missed something in the exchange. “I just wondered if, perhaps, finding her mates had changed her mind.” Lady Darine smiled, but the curve of her lips couldn’t hide the anticipation burning in her eyes. “Your curiosity over the future Princess’ opinions is impertinent, Lady Darine.” Queen Maya stood, frowning down at the woman. “Karissa doesn’t need to answer such base questions.” “It’s all right, Queen Maya. I will answer the question.” Karissa gave the Queen a reassuring smile. She had been the target of Court gossip before and knew that not answering would likely fuel the talk more than any answer she gave. “Many people probably wonder about my views, having heard of my reluctance. She is merely the only one to ask of it.” “If you want to answer, do so, but don’t feel obligated.” Queen Maya shot the woman an angry, promising look. “Most wouldn’t ask, but as the issue has been raised, I want the facts known.” Karissa shrugged. “My reluctance to begin my Ra’Asien stemmed not from a desire to avoid the bonding, but from the timing and the inequities. Because of the power I carry, I was encouraged to begin my Ra’Asien only a few years after I reached adulthood, while others were reveling in their freedom and the years ahead of them. If I had known that finding my mates would bring me as much happiness, such fulfillment as I’ve found, I would have begun hunting the first time that it was suggested.” “It’s all over the palace that the Princes have hardly left your side since the attack last night.” Lady Bari gave Karissa an open, friendly smile as she turned the topic a bit. “You’re happy with them doing that?” “Ah, that’s a different matter.” Karissa shook her head ruefully. “I can’t help being flattered and happy that they want to protect me, but their constant presence and their attempts to keep everyone away from me are frustrating and annoying.” “You were attacked?” Rana turned to face Karissa, her face suddenly filled with concern. Karissa nodded and grimaced. “The Volirian Court has Royalists just as the Frejan Court does. Their Royalist traitors hark back to an old line, while ours tries to bring a new line into power. At this point, I’m vulnerable and Callan and Tyral won’t leave me unprotected. They can’t put the protection spells upon me until after the marriage ceremony and I’m their wife and a member of the Volirian Realm.” “I never thought Volir would be that similar to Freja,” Rana mused. “But not their mating customs.” Karissa looked over at her friend and an amused smile curved her lips. “There should be at least one book on the different mating customs of the four Realms. It would save so much confusion and embarrassment for many women. Remind me to tell you about a few of those differences later.” Rana shot Karissa a curious look but nodded. 95

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Lady Bari turned her gaze to Rana. “Are you like our future Princess? Will you be sent out on your Ra’Asien early as well?” “Yes, I’m going to begin my Ra’Asien a few days after Karissa’s wedding. I must first return to the Frejan Realm,” Rana explained. “Do Aliaras always begin their search early?” Lady Giselle tilted her head, curious. “It takes a certain level of power to be an Aliara. In most cases, that means an early search for the woman, but there are cases in which the Aliara can reach the normal age before being urged to begin her quest.” Rana cast Karissa a look that implied a shared joke. “We haven’t met any of the women who have accomplished that, but have been assured that they exist.” “Where will you begin your search?” Queen Maya paused to raise her goblet to her lips. “Karissa infuriated my sons by informing them she intended to begin in the Aevian Realm. I don’t know if they would have been any happier if she’d chosen to begin her search in this Realm.” Rana took a sip of the chilled wine. “I’ll start with the Teiran Realm. I have no idea where I’ll find my mate. In spite of my travels, I haven’t met many men from outside of my own Realm.” “No one ever does know where they’ll find their mate.” Queen Maya gave Rana a commiserating smile. “Those who are sent out of their courts to find a mate do have a more difficult time adjusting than others. They travel to different Realms and find strange customs and a mate far from friends and family. They leave all that is familiar and known.” “There are rewards.” Karissa grinned, the thought of very sensual incentives dancing through her mind. A flare of heat curled through her core and creamy moisture began to gather between her thighs. A brief, hard knock preceded the door being wrenched open, before Queen Maya could deny or grant entry. Callan and Tyral took a step into the room.

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Chapter Eleven “And frustrations,” Karissa added with a groan. She cast a frown at the two men standing just inside the doorway. “We’ve come to get Rissa, Mother,” Callan announced with a hand on his hip and a hard look on his face that dared rebuttal. Karissa dared. This was the first decent conversation she’d had all day and she wasn’t ready to leave. “I’m not quite finished here. As you can see, I’m enjoying my talk with your mother and the other ladies here—and have you met my friend Rana Denar?” That’s not going to work. From what I can sense from Ahvin and Tahvir, your men are determined to take you with them. Ijina offered. Well they don’t have to always get their way. Karissa tapped her foot on the floor. She really needed this time. “We met her when she delivered her message and was introduced to our fathers.” Tyral cast a glance at the petite woman sitting near her, but quickly turned his full attention back to her. “You’ll need time to get ready for tonight’s meal.” “It is a pleasure to see you again, Prince Tyral, Prince Callan.” Rana stood and dipped into a curtsy. Tyral and Callan nodded formally to Rana. “I won’t need that much time.” Karissa gave him a bright smile. “I already have what I want to wear selected and set to the side.” Callan advanced a step. “Karissa, you need to learn that we aren’t going to take any risks with your life. Stand up.” “How about I promise to send word when I’m ready to go get dressed?” She raised her brows and took a sip of wine. She tried to appear calm and confident, certain that they would take advantage of any weakness that they saw. “I promise I won’t leave the room without you.” “Yes, we were having a very enjoyable discussion with your Lady,” Lady Giselle cooed. “It would be such a shame to have to end it.” Both Tyral and Callan trained their hard gleaming gold stares on Lady Giselle, who immediately turned her attention to the cup in her hands. “You’re coming with us. Now.” Tyral’s low, gravelly voice didn’t encourage debate. He paced across the room to stand a few paces away from her. “Both Callan and I have duties to fulfill before the meal and we won’t have time to come back here to get you.”

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“Are you sure that there isn’t a way for her to stay, Prince Tyral?” Lady Bari appealed. “Lady Karissa is a delight.” Karissa shot the woman an appreciative smile but then saw her wilt and knew she’d been the recipient of two Princely glares. She turned and narrowed her eyes at them. Her full attention was on Tyral and Callan and her argument with them. She didn’t see the Queen look at her and shake her head negatively. “I doubt that a short walk to our rooms would pose any real danger to me. If you’re still worried about my safety, post a man to escort me.” “That sounds like an excellent plan,” Lady Andice enthused. “That way, you can be sure of her safety and she can stay and talk with us.” Other than a swift, hard look in her direction, Tyral and Callan ignored her proposition. “Don’t even think of trying to go off on your own.” Tyral stalked over and tugged her out of her seat, keeping his grip on her hand when she tried to pull away from him. “These people are ruthless, without conscience. It doesn’t matter to them that you are a woman or that you have never heard of the old royal line of Volir. All that matters to them is stopping the Sobrin line. They would love to find you walking around the palace hallways alone.” “That doesn’t explain why you won’t leave a guard to escort me to our room.” She planted her free hand on her hip and glared up at him. By the Great Sea, she wanted to hit him. He was so stubborn. She pushed at him, demanding an explanation even when she knew it wasn’t wise. She knew it wouldn’t get her the freedom she wanted. At this point, nothing would change their minds. “I’m not going to argue with you about this.” Tyral bent forward as his hand tugged her toward him. When he straightened, she hung over his shoulder. Furious and stunned for a moment, she pounded her fist against his taut buttock. “Tyral, put me down now. You can’t end an argument by simply tossing me over your shoulder and carting me off. I won’t let you get away with this.” “We won’t leave you with a mere warrior because you’re our bride, the future Princess.” Callan seemed to find her position funny. He smothered a chuckle, choking a little before he could speak without further difficulty. “It would be all too easy for one impulse on your part to lead to him getting into trouble or hurt by the assassins. There are some men you wouldn’t be able to charm or sway, but they’re all busy.” Tyral carried her to the door in spite of squirming and protests. He turned back just before he opened the door. “Mother, we’ll see you at the meal. Aliara Denar, when you are finished speaking with these Ladies, you may come to our rooms and talk with Karissa. She’ll welcome the company.” “I have company right here, you overbearing lout.” She levered herself up and almost off of his shoulder, only to fall heavily back onto his shoulder when her hand slid down the fabric of his shirt. “Put me down.” 98

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“Do you think it’s going to work the second time when that demand had no effect on me the first time, te thali?” Tyral’s hand boldly cupped her ass as he turned and carried her out of the room after a nod to his mother. “I swear I’m going to Ice you, Tyral.” She pinched his side, knowing that he had felt it when his hand tightened on her leg. “Te tana, you know Ijina isn’t going to cooperate with anything that could get you hurt in the process.” Tyral laughed. “I didn’t say that I’d do it now. When you least expect it, when you’re the most comfortable, I’m going to chill you.” She gave Tyral’s rear a swat. “Rissa, te tana, I will be delighted to play rough with you later when I have time. For now, settle down.” Tyral’s hand returned the swat on the rounded, right cheek of her buttocks. “Do you have to carry me over your shoulder like this? It’s a little embarrassing and people are staring.” She looked up as they passed a group of people and saw them turn to watch, slack-jawed. She saw Callan look back over his shoulder and a broad smile curved his mouth as a deep chuckle rumbled from his lips. Ooh, they were both going to get it for this highhanded treatment. She had no idea what she was going to do to them, but they’d pay for carting her around like a sack of clothing. She would have to think hard to devise a punishment suitable and severe enough for such infuriating behavior. Tyral didn’t put her down until he had her within the confines of their room. Once the door closed behind them, he slowly lowered her to her feet. Her body glided along the length of his and she felt the corded strength of his muscles and the hard ridge of his cock pressing against her slackening body. She couldn’t be this close to either of them without responding to their scent, their warmth. Tyral’s fingers tipped her chin up and she looked up at him. The grin across his face held triumph and good humor. Sensual warmth glowed in his amber eyes and his nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. “You will stay in this room, te thali. There will be no explorations with your friend. You’ll be safe here while we’re gone.” Callan’s body pressed against her back, his hands running down her sides, gripping her hips. His cock pressed against her, hard and insistent. He nuzzled her silver hair aside, his tongue tasting the skin just below her ear. “You’re not asking for my word. So you’re probably putting a spell on the room.” An angry frown furrowed her brows as she glared up at Tyral and tried to drive her elbow into Callan’s ribs. “I’m not stupid. I know there is a threat to me. I’m not going to go wandering around the palace.” Callan’s hand grasped her arm to hold her still. “Eli moru, it’s not your intelligence which is in question. Our enemies could just as easily come here to try to get to you.” “How do you know that they haven’t been here and left something, a spelled object or such to kill me?” Karissa slipped out from between them and pounced onto the bed.

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She felt torn between the rebellious urges engendered by their imperiousness and the sure knowledge that they spoke only the truth. “Because the spell you expected is already in place.” Tyral glided over to her and his hand brushed across her cheek. “We checked the room, placed the spell and then went to get you. We won’t take chances with your life.” She frowned at the two men now facing her. They were impossible. Their nearly identical countenances were fixed into unrelenting stubborn lines. She recognized those not-going-to-compromise expressions. “So what are you to going to be doing that will take so long that you wouldn’t have time to come to get me from your mother’s private parlor?” “We’ll be busy trying to discover the identities of the people behind the attempt on your life. Our fathers were almost certain that the last of those involved in the conspiracy against them had been killed in the rebellion.” Callan strolled over to her and held out his hand. “We have something to show you.” She took his hand and rose to her feet. Silence stretched as he escorted her to the one doorway in the room that she hadn’t yet used. Tyral opened it and led her into a sitting room done in reds and yellows. On the opposite side of the room, Callan opened a door and showed her that it opened into the hallway. “Your friend will be brought to this door when she leaves my mother’s parlor. This is the only room of our quarters that she’ll be allowed to enter. The spell will keep her and all others from entering our rooms. There is wine and also some fruit, cakes, cheese and bread on the table for a light snack. It’s safe. Enjoy your visit. We’ll be back.” Tyral hugged her close for a moment before he and Callan left to begin their search.

***** Rana arrived at the door, escorted by a Volirian warrior. For a while, Karissa and Rana talked of everything that had happened since they had last met at the Frejan Court. Before Rana’s arrival at the Volirian Court they hadn’t seen each other in over forty days. So much had happened in that time they both had plenty to tell the other. “I could hardly believe it when I returned to the Frejan Court this last time and heard the news that you were in Volir. You caused a real scandal with your announcement that you had realized you were mated to the two Princes. All the matrons were talking.” Rana sat back, sipping at her wine, a smile tilting her lips, but her eyes revealed the questions that she hadn’t asked. “They always talk about someone.” Karissa shrugged and took a drink of her wine. “Well, they were talking about your brother before your news hit the court.” Rana smiled. “About what? Which brother? Of the four of them, I could see Carik or maybe Tovan making a scene. What did they do? I didn’t hear anything about it.” Karissa’s smile widened.

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“It wasn’t Carik or Tovan. I never mind seeing either of them. No, they don’t always obey the rules, but they’ve always been nice to me. In fact, for a while, I thought I was in love with Tovan. When I first came to Court, he was one of the first to make me feel welcome.” Rana leaned back in her chair, a smirk curving her lips. “Not either of them?” Karissa frowned. Rana shook her head. Karissa didn’t know what either of the other two could have done. Markan always seemed so busy helping their father. He was a bit of a perfectionist and tended to expect it of others. Sometimes, he seemed a bit stiff and unbending, but that formality was just his way of dealing with pressure and the expectations placed on him. And Niels just seemed to walk through life on a placid cloud. He hardly ever became nervous or excited. The calm patience that was so much a part of him had been rewarded. He’d worked his way up through the Guard and was now a commander. “Well come on, tell me. What happened and how did Niels or Markan get involved?” She pressed. “It was Markan. He apparently had several encounters with a woman visiting from the Tieran Realm. And I’m not talking sexual.” Rana traced a finger along the arm of the chair. “Good, because the last thing I want to hear about is my brother’s sex life.” Karissa waited to hear just what had happened that had made her upright, proper brother a subject of gossip. “The woman’s father is the Healer in the Teiran Court. He’d come to talk with our healer. Well, apparently your brother was in a rush one day and barreled into her. She was holding a cup of wine and they were both doused in it. Markan didn’t pause to do more than glare at her.” Rana chuckled softly. “That’s really not like him. He must have been thinking about something else and was already angry.” Karissa bit her lip. Markan wasn’t intentionally rude. “If that was all that happened, it would have barely rated a mention. Well, he ran into her again later that same day in the hallway. Again a glare and he walked off without even apologizing. By this time, everyone knew that something had to be wrong with Markan. Well, they collided again. This time your brother tore into the woman. When he left, she was crying.” Rana’s mouth pursed and she seemed suddenly very interested in the carpet. “What had my brother so upset that he was that bad-tempered?” Karissa folded her arms across her chest and frowned at her friend. “Well, no one knew exactly why your brother acted like he did. He certainly didn’t provide any explanations. But in the weeks before that he’d been meeting with the King. The King and some of the advisors were a little shorter-tempered than usually, but no one knows why.” Rana shrugged.

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“When my family gets here, I’ll have to see what that was about.” Karissa looked past her friend for a moment as she thought about her brother. What had really been behind those incidents? “The last time we’d talked, your plans seemed set. You were determined to fight for as much time as you could get before you began your Ra’Asien,” Rana reminded her. “That lasted until shortly after I met the two tyrants. Talking with them helped me sort out my fears and uncertainties. I knew before I left them that I’d stop trying to fight the inevitable. I would be going on my Ra’Asien soon.” Karissa relaxed back into the cushions of the comfortable chair, a reminiscent smile on her face. “But you did leave them. They’re your mates.” Rana’s brow furrowed in confusion and her blue eyes conveyed that emotion with clarity. “I didn’t know that they were my mates when I left them. They certainly provided no help in my journey to that revelation. They kept silent about so many things that when I arrived here I wanted to strangle them.” Karissa marveled that she could now see the amusing side to the situation that had, up to a day ago, only infuriated her. “Yet you are here and happy not very long after leaving them and returning to the Frejan Court. How did you realize that they were your mates? Did they finally send word to you?” Rana sat forward, her interest stirred by the subject. “You know that hardly any information at all is given about how one recognizes their mate. Teachers, mothers and fathers all basically say the same thing—it’s a feeling you can’t mistake when your spirit bonds with another.” “I got smacked in the face with the truth of the situation and everything suddenly made sense.” Karissa answered honestly but couldn’t keep the laughter out of her voice. “I’d like to tell you that I noticed the connection between Ijina and their spirits, but I didn’t. When I was with them, I was much too involved with them and what they were doing to notice how Ijina was reacting.” She briefly explained about discovering Ijina’s pregnancy. A blush rose on her cheeks. That still embarrassed her. She should have known. “What did you think was going on between you and the Princes if it wasn’t a mating?” Rana raised her brows. A rueful chuckle rolled through Karissa. “I thought it was just great sex. I was determined to put as much living, as much enjoyment as I could into my life. Before I was sent on my search and had to settle into the staid, boring life of a married woman, I wanted an adventure.” Karissa threw out her hands and shrugged, a tinge of red coloring her cheeks as she remembered her blindness in that situation. “Staid, boring.” Rana gave her smiling friend a knowing once-over. “Somehow those two men don’t fit those words. You aren’t exactly a shining example of the conventional either.” “About them, you’re absolutely right.” Karissa’s eyes twinkled with remembered pleasure at the emotions, the sensations they could draw from her. “Sometimes they’re wild men. At other times, they’re so attentive, so caring that it brings tears to my eyes.” 102

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“From their ever-so-correct behavior, I would never have guessed that they were wild men,” Rana teased, her white teeth flashing as she laughed. Karissa blushed. “I can’t ever remember feeling as satisfied, as content as I am sometimes with them. I never thought that I might find two mates or that Ijina would bond with two spirits. I always thought of a mate, singular, in spite of the number of groups in Freja that practice these kinds of matings.” “Then these two Princes really do make you happy?” Rana stared into Karissa’s eyes, trying to see if the words were truth. A spiritual bonding didn’t necessarily equal a happy mating. “By the Veil, Rana, you need to find a better word—but yes, I’m happy. Before I met them, I’d never had sex that was about anything more than the release, maybe a little physical comfort. I’d never played and laughed with a partner.” Karissa frowned trying to find a way to explain the things that they gave her. “And they give you this?” Rana tilted her head to the side. Karissa nodded. “Before them, it was just physical—two bodies. With them, mind, body, emotions—everything is tied together. I’ve never been so involved. Maybe that’s just because they’re my mates…or maybe it’s them.” She smiled. Rana grinned. “I wouldn’t have guessed that they stirred your emotions from the little scene I witnessed.” “I hope you find someone who will play, who will expand the way you see yourself and life. I’ll leave it there and let destiny take care of you, because I wouldn’t wish anyone as stubborn as my two men on my worst enemy—much less my best friend.” Karissa leaned forward and took Rana’s hand, squeezing it. “I hope your search leads you to find as much happiness in your future marriage as I have found.” Rana raised her eyebrows, casting Karissa a challenging look as she settled back in the chair. “So, have you learned to manage those two Sobrin yet?” Karissa burst into laughter and it rang through the room. The idea of those two men being managed was so ludicrous that it was hilarious. With tears in her eyes and a hand clutched to her aching side, she finally regained control of herself and shook her head at her friend. “You needn’t taunt me, you drali rat. I know that I lost our bet.” “It’s not like you to concede defeat so easily.” Rana grinned at Karissa. “Manage those two?” Karissa grinned. “I’d have more luck casting a spell to create perpetual summer. I’m not even going to contest the one about having them wrapped around my fingers within a year. It’s not going to happen. They don’t play fair.” “When do I get my—” Rana’s eyes twinkled and then grew wide as the door opened. “Hello, ladies.” Callan’s rich, deep, gravelly voice boomed cheerfully into the room as he and Tyral sauntered through the door leading into the bedroom. “The time for the evening meal draws near. Both of you will need time to get ready for it.”

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Chapter Twelve Karissa could almost feel the good mood rolling off of the two men. The laughter in their eyes and the smiles on their faces were genuine and infectious. She didn’t question that happy mood. Smiling at them, she rose to greet them. She strode over and met them. Reaching up, she wrapped an arm around Tyral’s neck, brushed a brief kiss across his neck and then turned and did the same to Callan. Rana curtsied to Callan and Tyral, said goodbye and then left to go get dressed for the formal meal. Karissa chuckled as she watched her friend leave. In her opinion, both men were far too accustomed to getting their own way, but changing that would be next to impossible. She turned to go into their bedroom to begin her preparations, but stumbled to a stop. Tyral and Callan were right in front of her, broad smiles tilting their blue-green lips. Their eyes were alight with laughter. She frowned when they showed no sign of moving to allow her to get by them. “I thought you said it was time to get ready for the meal.” Rissa raised her brows, waiting for their next move. She tried to keep her lips in a firm straight line, not wanting to encourage them. Sometimes, Callan and Tyral were unpredictable. At other times, they were just outrageous and impossibly male. “What did you lose to your friend when you conceded to the bet?” Callan folded his arms across his chest and chuckled as he watched her face flame crimson as she realized they’d heard her conversation. “Listening to other people’s conversations is a bad habit and rude, my Princes. Surely you’re not saying that you’ve behaved that way.” She gave them an indignant, narrow-eyed look, raised her chin and tried to walk around them and into the bedroom. “No, no, no.” Tyral’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back around in front of them. “You aren’t going anywhere just yet. What do you owe her?” She stared at them and kept her mouth closed. “That stubborn look isn’t going to work, eli moru. Tell us.” Callan reached out and brushed her hair away from her face. “A necklace.” She crossed her arms and stared straight ahead as she noted their open-legged, not-going-anywhere stance. Her eyes took in the wide expanse of Tyral’s chest as she tapped her finger against her thigh. “What exactly did you bet her and when?” Callan brushed the soft, spiral curls away from her cheek. She raised her eyes to the heavens and gave in to the inevitable. They weren’t moving until they had their answers. “We had just become Aliaras when we made the

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bet. I said that I would marry a man whom I could manage with ease, that I’d have him thoroughly entranced within a year. She said that with my temperament I was more likely to find myself bound to a stubborn man, a warrior who’d be accustomed to control in all things. She was right except for the singular man part, and we were both wrong there. If she was right, I’d give her my necklace. If I was right, she gave me her bracelet.” “What necklace do you speak of? I haven’t seen you wear any jewelry other than what we gave you the other night.” Callan’s grin turned wicked as he slid his eyes to her wrists and then up to her neck. Karissa heaved an exaggerated sigh. “My brother Niels is bringing my jewelry. I’ll give it to her then.” “If we’d known of this bet, we might have tried to appear more amenable.” Tyral slid his hand over the curve of her buttocks as his mouth tilted into a warm smile. His hand patted her rear. “Amenable men do not carry their women off over their shoulder.” She chuckled at the sheer unbelievable image of manageable versions of Tyral and Callan. “They listen to their women.” “That’s their loss. And we listen. We simply don’t always agree with what you say.” Callan’s tongue licked at her lips before slipping into the warmth of her mouth. She relaxed against him returning the kiss and responding as it became increasingly heated. Callan’s hands gripped her buttocks and pulled her against him, grinding his cock into the soft mound of her stomach. She groaned against his mouth. Her legs lifted, wrapping around his hips and tightening, and she whimpered at the stabbing lance of desire that his thrusting hips inspired. With a groan, Callan tore his mouth away from hers, but couldn’t resist rocking against her. “You little temptress, you know we have to get ready for the meal. I don’t have time to satisfy your insatiable hunger. Release me from your grip.” His white teeth flashed and she heard the laughter in his deep, rumbling voice. She gave him a brief squeeze with her thighs before she unwound her legs and lowered her feet to the floor. “You kissed me. So don’t give me that poor-male-seduced-bylascivious-female routine. You’re the unrepentant seducer here.” “Now, how can you expect him to resist giving into desire when you were being so sassy? If he hadn’t kissed you, I certainly would have,” Tyral whispered against her ear. “I’ve been sassy before and you’ve both seemed to be able to resist the urge to kiss me then.” She ran her hands over Callan’s chest. “Ah, but there is more to your temptation.” The warm solid wall of Tyral’s chest pressed against her back. “You looked so delicious with that smirk tilting your lush, red lips. You’ve a full night ahead of you and you still have to get dressed.” “You have to let me go so I can get ready.” Karissa teasingly tugged at the hands at her waist, in no real hurry to step away from their warmth, their touch.

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“Um, don’t know if I can.” Callan’s hands squeezed the round globes of her buttocks and pulled her hips tightly against his, a smile curving his lips. “I have to put on the dress I chose for tonight. We have to go dine in the hall. We’re the honored guests.” Her fingers skimmed over Callan’s muscled bicep, her nails scraping along the blue-green skin. Tyral’s hand slipped around her waist, sliding up over the soft fabric of her shirt to cup her breast. “We can help you get undressed. We like you undressed.” She had never doubted that. With skilled hands, they began peeling her out of her dress. As she felt the fabric slip to her waist, Tyral’s lips wandered over the back of her neck. When his teeth nibbled on her earlobe, she felt her sanity receding as arousal built. “If we’re late, your fathers will send someone looking for us,” Karissa warned breathlessly on a last attempt to keep reality within her grasp. She felt the bodice of her dress slide down, leaving her bare above the waist. “They might think someone has attacked us.” “Woman, you do know how to ruin a moment.” Tyral’s breath feathered over her ear as he stepped back with a last flick of his thumb over her nipple. Callan stepped away from her, but his arm curled around her waist. She drew in a relieved breath and stole a look up at him through her lashes. She expected a scowl, an angry glare, but that wasn’t what she found. He was smiling. She turned her head to look at Tyral. Angry suspicion snaked through her as she saw their broad smiles and the laughter and mischief bubbling in their eyes. She knew that look, although she hadn’t seen it often. They were up to something. On top of that look, they were much too cheerful for two men who’d been intent on a sexual interlude and been denied. Oh, they were up to something. Ijina laughed. It’s called teasing the Ice witch and you fell for it easily. You might have said something if you knew it, Karissa fumed. You were enjoying it. Ijina didn’t seem the least bit repentant. “You teasing wretches.” She balled her fist and thumped Callan on the chest. “You purposely set me on fire when you had no intention of going through with anything. You meant to leave me wanting.” Callan laughed. It was a wicked, satisfied sound that infuriated her. He caught her fist before she changed her mind and aimed for something more vulnerable than his chest. “Now, eli moru, we wouldn’t want you to get the idea that your two mates are easily tamed. Where would be the challenge in that?” “Arghh!” Karissa tore out of their grasp. She stormed into their room, stalking to the closet and slamming the door after she’d entered. Intent on gaining control of her temper, she focused on getting undressed. They were impossible. She shot a furious glare at the closed door.

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Her dress was bunched around her waist and she had to pull it up to get to the next catch. A few more moments and they probably would’ve had her naked. She let the dress drop to the floor. As she stepped from the circle of fine fabric and slipped her feet out of her slippers, the door opened. Callan and Tyral sauntered into the room, smiling cheerfully. She wanted to throw something at them. Karissa decided to ignore them for the moment. She pulled the ice-blue dress that she’d chosen off of the hanger. Slipping the dress over her head, she pushed her arms into the long fitted sleeves. The smooth silky fabric hugged her body from shoulder to hips before falling in soft folds to her ankles. She pushed her feet into the heeled slippers that matched the dress. As she finished, her eyes turned to the two men dressing with unconcerned ease only a few paces from her. So arrogant, so complacent. They were so Iced. They just didn’t realize it. She’d been very forgiving to this point, but no more. Delivering a little payback for their teasing—not to mention their high-handed arrogance—would ensure that they respected her. “That calculating look in your eyes tells me you’re plotting some form of revenge.” Callan slipped into a black shirt with billowing sleeves. He belted the shirt over his tight black pants. His eyes raked over her, vivid gold pools of amusement. “You know you’re always plotting, but you never do anything. Why don’t you just save yourself some time and forgive us now?” Relaxed and happy, he waited as she put on a silver belt accenting her narrow waist and the flare of her hips. Tyral pulled at his amber-colored shirt as he secured the belt over it. “You’ve been promising to get even with us for some time. We’ve yet to feel any effects from your retribution. I think you just like to threaten.” He rubbed at a spot on one of his shiny boots and flicked at something on his pants. He strolled over to her and put an arm around her, guiding her out of the dressing room closet. “Be smug and arrogant—your surprise will just add to my enjoyment when I do take my revenge. I’ve been much too patient. I see that now.” Her temper flared, brightening her eyes to a clear jewel-green. “You do like to talk, tana,” Callan taunted. That attitude and the smirk tilting his lips nearly set flame to the fury bubbling within her. Her hands clenched and she felt Ijina’s power rise within her. The Elemental agreed completely that it was time to teach these two that she did more than talk. Taking a deep breath, she soothed the need to immediately stop their teasing with a silent promise. Very soon, she would give them a surprise to remember. With an angry huff and an icy stare, she placed one hand on Callan’s arm and the other on Tyral’s. They led her out of the room. By the time they reached the large hall, they were almost the last to arrive. Callan and Tyral paid no attention to the scrutiny, merely urging her up to their seats at the table.

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Chapter Thirteen The elegantly set table nearly bowed with the weight of all the food set on it. Callan picked up Karissa’s goblet to fill it with wine. As he glanced down, he saw a pool of clear liquid in the bottom of the vessel. Poison—the suspicion slammed through his mind. Logic pointed out that it could very well be water from when it had been washed, but he refused to take that chance with her life. They could poison her, Tyral. We can stand guard beside her, yet as long as she eats from her own plate, she’ll be vulnerable. Callan shot the thought toward his brother as his hand tightened around the stem of the goblet and with his other hand lowered the carafe of wine back to the table. Then we don’t allow that vulnerability to remain. We do not give them a chance to hurt her. Tyral raised his hand to signal to one of the servants. A moment later, one of the servants rushed forward. After a few quiet words, the servant gathered the dishes set before Karissa and took them. A frown of confusion furrowed her brow as she watched the servant disappear into the kitchen. She turned to Callan for an explanation when the man again came out of the kitchen but didn’t hold a plate or goblet to replace the one he had taken. Callan placed a finger over her lips and his face set in stern lines when she opened her mouth to question him. “We’ll be honored to feed you from our own plates and have you sip from our cups.” How was she supposed to rip into the man when he said something like that? There was no way to deny someone who would be “honored to feed” her. Karissa looked from Callan to Tyral. Without wasting her energy even asking the question, she knew she’d get no further explanations from them while they were here. This could be yet another public statement meant to emphasize how much she meant to them or an attempt to keep any assassin from getting to her. It was probably the latter. If they’d intended to make another showy statement, they would have been prepared. There wouldn’t have been a plate at her place. I don’t know what’s happened, but Tahvir and Ahvin are definitely angry. I can’t get anything out of them right now. I’ll keep trying, Ijina offered. I’d like to know what’s happening, but if you can’t find out I’ll get it out of these two. Karissa took a deep breath. There wasn’t anything to do but just eat. She relaxed, sat back in her chair and prepared to enjoy the novelty of being fed. She could feel the eyes of others on her throughout the meal and tried to stay calm.

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Curiosity was natural when such a gesture was made by the Princes. The Court was sure to enjoy the spectacle of it for days to come. She kept her focus on the conversation flowing around her. In the Frejan Court, she had drawn her own number of stares and not merely because she was an Aliara. Even among the High Houses, it wasn’t common for a woman to hold as much power as she did. The fact that it had been common knowledge that her family had not mated outside of the Frejan Realm in six generations had focused even more attention on her. The advisors held that for a safe balance of power to be maintained within the resulting children, an Elemental line should go no more than four generations without taking someone from another Element to mate. There had been those at Court who’d felt that her very presence there was an unacceptable risk. After the meal, they began their sentinel duty again. She found it no less infuriating this time than she had before. Within moments, it began to infuriate her. She’d just begun glaring at Callan and Tyral when they allowed Rana to come stand with her. As she glanced at her friend, Karissa sensed impending disaster. Rana’s eyes twinkled and a wicked grin curved her lips. Karissa knew that expression. In this mood, Rana could be dangerous. She was going to say or do something outrageous. “Well, now everyone in this hall knows just how your relationship with the Princes stands.” Rana put a hand on her hip, cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips. “They have you eating out of their hands. Quite a difference from what you predicted, isn’t it?” Smothered snickers came from the direction of Callan and Tyral. Karissa shot a furious look their way before she turned her attention to her unrepentant friend. “They’re obnoxious enough on their own, Rana. They don’t need your help.” Karissa’s brows lowered, but her lips twitched a little. She could see the humor in that remark. It just wasn’t very helpful. “They’ve enough trouble coming their way from their own actions without you adding more sins to their list.” Rana glanced over at the two men standing in position to guard Karissa from attack and smirked. “They look worried about it.” “Observant,” Karissa growled after shooting a sour look at her friend. She leveled a glare at the two men. “They think that I’m all talk. They have a surprise coming…soon.” “They still have a few things to learn about you then. I wonder if they’ll learn quickly.” Rana’s smile was assessing as she glanced at the broad backs of the two Princes. “I’m sure you’ll have fun teaching them what they need to know about you.” “I’ll certainly take some satisfaction in bringing about a few revelations.” Karissa felt a thrill of anticipation just thinking about getting revenge for their arrogance and for that teasing. Her body still tingled with need, and her nipples were hard, aching points. They deserved to be shocked. They underestimated her and her desire to teach them a lesson. 109

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“When will your family be arriving in the Volirian Realm?” Rana decided a change of topic was needed when Karissa began rubbing her hands together. “I’m sure your family wants to meet these two men and their family.” “They’ll be here sometime tomorrow, I think.” Karissa shrugged and smiled at her friend. “They’ll be sure to arrive here with ample time to relax and meet everyone before the rush of the wedding. You’ll get your necklace.” “You’ll have been in this Realm three days under a week when you take your vows with your Princes. You’re going to cause a stir of gossip in the Frejan Court. Such rush is absolutely scandalous.” Rana fluttered her hand over her heart and pretended a shocked look before the smirk broke through her control. Even if it hadn’t, the lilt in her voice spoke of her intent to tease. “It wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve caused gossip in the Frejan Court. At least I don’t have to listen to the gossip this time.” Karissa brushed away the concern with a shrug. “Besides, for your information, I’m not the one insisting on rushing this betrothal and getting to the wedding with all haste. Two certain Sobrin men have pushed the issue forward from the moment I stepped on Volirian soil and I haven’t been consulted much.” “Uh-huh.” Rana shook her head slowly and her blue eyes conveyed her patent disbelief of the protestation. “You’re not an easily intimidated woman. I’ve seen you stand tall and unbending in front of our King when your position was on the line. You don’t give in on anything that matters to you.” “If you haven’t noticed, there are two of them and they’re sneaky and unprincipled when they’re determined to get their way.” Karissa raised a brow, daring Rana to refute that. “If you’d wanted the wedding delayed for a few days, Rissa, you would have pressed for it. You didn’t and that leaves only one possibility. Although they irritated you, you went along with their decision because you wanted to do so and no other reason.” “You sure do know how to ruin good guilt material. I could’ve used the fact that I didn’t make a fuss about their near indecent rush to marriage at a later time. With men such as these, you have to take what you get and that could’ve been useful.” Karissa chuckled, teasingly pushing on her friend’s shoulder. “And you weren’t eager to marry them at all,” Rana taunted, shaking her head mournfully. Karissa rolled her eyes. “Eager, yes, but I could have used a little more time.” She swept her hand to encompass the hall. “This Realm is so different. Even their fourteenday betrothal period surprised me.” “That is short. You wouldn’t have had to wait long either way.” Rana grinned. “I doubt there was any chance of you talking them into agreeing to the traditional Frejan one-hundred-and-twenty-day betrothal.”

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Karissa laughed at the ludicrous suggestion. “I’d forgotten how funny you could be.” She looked up and saw Queen Maya weaving through the crowd toward them. She saw Callan and Tyral exchange a wary glance. A smile curved her lips. Anything that made them nervous was sure to be interesting. Queen Maya seemed to vibrate with good humor and vivid life as she took a last gliding step and stopped in front of them. “Tyral, Callan, bring your Lady over to join my Ladies. You’re monopolizing her. You can stand watch and remain silent there. Karissa needs to begin meeting those of the Volirian Court and you two are actively preventing that.” With the last word still ringing, she turned and wove her way back through the crowded hall. Callan frowned at his mother’s retreating back. It was very easy for her to make such demands. She had no idea of the dangers such a move would engender. She didn’t have to see to Karissa’s protection in the open and from such a diverse crowd. The very thought of the danger involved inspired a cold dread to sweep through him. After that foray by their mother, there was no way to keep Karissa where she was. If they didn’t take her over to meet some of the Ladies, their mother would have no qualms about going to their fathers with her complaints. While their fathers understood their need to keep Karissa safe and the difficulty involved in guarding her, Callan had no doubt that both of them would side with their Queen. There’s no getting out of this little jaunt. Tyral slanted a glance over at Callan who still gazed after their mother. We might as well give in without further argument. “Come with me.” Karissa smiled at Rana and gestured toward the group gathered around the Queen. “Since you’ve been having such fun laughing at this situation of mine, you can chat with these Ladies.” “I’d be delighted to meet more of the Fire Court’s Ladies and talk with them.” Rana’s mock-serious tone raised Karissa’s eyebrows. “You’re not going to shock them—and no outrageous tales about me just to see their reactions. You’ll be coming back to see me, my friend. When you’re a married Lady, I’ll take great delight in embarrassing you in front of your new husband by making remarks much like those that you’ve made tonight.” Karissa frowned in warning at her friend’s anticipatory look. “That doesn’t even take into account the rich opportunities for revelation which will come at your wedding.” “I do understand.” Rana swept her gaze over Karissa’s face as if weighing her ability to follow through on the threat. “My mother waits for you to join her, Rissa.” Callan drew Karissa close to his side. “Aliara Denar, please keep an eye on those around Karissa. We’ll be watching, but you’ll be closer to her.” “I’m not a helpless infant.” Karissa gritted her teeth to keep from screaming at them. 111

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She pressed her fisted hands to her sides, resisting the strong urge to smack Callan in public. Beside that being very poor behavior in any Court, uncertainty of his response to being hit in front of his people kept her from doing it—but the temptation tugged at her. She did dig her nails into his hand when he grasped her hand in his, just to let him know that she wasn’t happy with him. Rana’s chuckle drifted back to Karissa as she walked ahead to where the Queen waited with a group of other women. Karissa glared up at Callan, contemplating deluging both men with an icy downpour right in the middle of the Royal Hall. Without a doubt, that would infuriate them, but no more so than she was now. Calm down, Rissa. Ijina’s soft voice drifted through her with waves of understanding commiseration. I know they’re being impossible and arrogant. Try to relax and enjoy the night. Enjoy it? she fumed, They’re treating me as if I’m helpless. Her eyes narrowed as she swung her gaze to Tyral. Talk with the Queen, meet some of the Ladies. We’ll see to their lesson when we’re alone with them later tonight. Throwing her focus on the coming night, she followed Ijina’s advice and tried to relax. By the time she made her curtsy, she could smile easily at the Queen and greet the Ladies around her with good humor. As the Queen introduced the Ladies, she noticed that these Ladies were much younger—closer to her age than those who’d joined them in Queen’s Parlor. Karissa introduced Rana to the Ladies and the conversation began to flow naturally from that point. The women talked of everything from clothing to the other Ladies’ own experiences with the Ra’Asien. She was enjoying herself. The women had just begun to talk about men—Volirian men specifically—when Callan stepped forward, a frown drawing his brows together. He looked very determined and very fierce. “Mother, Ladies, I’m sure that Karissa has enjoyed talking with you, but it’s getting late. It has been a long day and she needs her rest. She was injured recently.” Tyral stepped forward, his fingers wrapping around her arm and drew her back against his chest in a hug. Feminine titters greeted this declaration and she clenched her teeth. They knew she wasn’t tired—everyone knew. Resisting the urge to drive her elbow into his ribs, she stood stiffly in his grasp. Hot anger flashed in her eyes as she turned to find Callan smiling broadly as his eyes ran over her. They knew they were fooling no one with their polite excuse. Tyral turned toward the main doors of the Hall, urging her to move in that direction with the sheer size of his body. This time, she didn’t hesitate. She drove her elbow into his ribs, stopping him momentarily. She turned and looked toward the Queen. Just because they were in a rush to get her out of here didn’t mean she was going to be rude.

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“Queen Maya, it appears I must bid you good night. Ladies, Rana, I hope to speak more to you tomorrow. I enjoyed our chat, although it was much too short.” She curtsied to the Queen. “I look forward to talking more with you, Karissa.” Queen Maya nodded, an amused smile stretching across her face. “Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll expect to see you in my parlor without excuses. Perhaps we can talk in detail about solutions to difficult problems then.” Callan took Karissa’s arm and pulled her away from the group of Ladies before she decided to say anything more to delay them. As they left the Royal Hall, Tyral walked just behind her to ensure that no one tried to attack her from that avenue. Upon entering the corridors just outside of the Hall, Tyral and Callan seemed to relax a little. She used the time on the walk to their room to plot her revenge, trying to decide how best to attain her goal. There were two of them and she wanted to get both of them. That increased the difficulty of the exercise. They also knew that she was angry with them over their unrepentant arrogant behavior. She couldn’t act immediately. She had to let them relax a little. She entered the room just behind Callan and reminded herself that she must be patient when he tossed an arrogant look over his shoulder. His golden eyes brimmed with an infuriating combination of masculine triumph and heated desire. She felt a rush of reciprocal warmth stir low within her belly, but the triumph almost shredded her control. She wanted to Ice him right then. She walked into the closet to get a robe and a bottle of bath oil that she’d packed in her bag. She was ready to take a bath, to relax. As she left the closet, she gave the two men a challenging look. “Rissa, my Lady, you beg for a lesson.” Callan strode forward and brushed her hair back from her face. “In spite of that dire need, we must leave you for a short time. You’ll be safe in these rooms while we are gone. Don’t attempt to leave.” “You’ll really get a lesson if you do.” Tyral shot her a fierce frown. “I’m interested in a bath and some peace. I have no plans to test my luck or tempt your enemies.” She raised a brow and turned away from them in dismissal. “As you won’t be here to bother me, I’m sure I’ll find the peace I seek.” Tyral stepped forward and turned her back to face them. “I believe that you do want that lesson badly.” His finger wagged in front of her face in teasing reprimand. “We’ll be back as soon as we’ve finished. You behave yourself.” She nipped at his finger, just grazing the pointing digit with her teeth. He jerked it back and glowered at her. She smiled, flashing her teeth at him. “I think you need to learn some respect.” Tyral’s stern expression was belied by the light in his eyes. “Don’t you have somewhere to go?” She gave them a sweet smile.

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“Ooh…an unruly little Ice witch trying to put us in our place,” Callan chuckled. “We know it well and soon you will, too.” She smiled as they left. She enjoyed sparring with them and hoped that tonight it would also serve to keep their minds off of her promised retribution. They needed to relax before she could put her plan into effect and then she would revel in the moment. She smiled as she thought about what would happen after her revenge. If she knew Callan and Tyral, their retaliation would be deliciously sensual.

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Chapter Fourteen Karissa filled the large tub in the bathroom and added a drop of the lightly scented bath oil, giving the water a good stir with her hand. She stepped into the warm water and relaxed back against the cool slope of the rim of the large, glossy black tub. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the silence and lingered in the liquid embrace. “Now, that is a beautiful sight.” Callan’s deep voice cutting into the silence which had nearly lulled her into slumber startled her. She sat up straight and blinked at him. “Is the water still warm, eli moru?” Sluicing water over her arms and chest to wash away any soap, she wondered how long they’d been gone. “Yes, but surely you would rather go with me to the bed. I can promise it won’t be restful.” She stood as the men undressed. Water ran in small rivers back into the tub. She knew that they wouldn’t take her up on that blatant invitation. Tyral had made a point of saying they wouldn’t be led. “We’ll be following you soon, but we’ll bathe first.” Tyral stepped into the water, but didn’t immediately sit. His hand curved around her hip, turning her to him for a kiss. Karissa relaxed against him, her hands sliding over his arms and up to his shoulders. She tangled her tongue with his, reveling in the intan spice taste that flooded her mouth. She loved that taste, couldn’t get enough of it. With a last nip at her lips, he drew back, leaving her standing in the knee high water as he casually lowered himself into the warm water. Callan smiled as he stepped into the water. His hand wandered over her backside and up in a sweeping stroke along her spine. His lips quirked and he turned away from her. He sat and reached for a cake of soap. She recognized the smirk tilting his lips and the one curving Tyral’s. They thought that she’d forgotten their transgressions. That attitude reinforced her determination to see them pay. Clenching her jaw, she stepped out of the water. She reached for the robe and then stopped. Why waste time? She left it and turned back to the two men. She dipped down as if to pick something off of the floor and ran her fingers over the surface of the water. Immediately, she felt a flash of cold zing through her as Ijina’s power rose within her. Ijina was actually an Elemental of water, although their kind was known by their connection with Ice. She could control and manipulate all forms of water. Rissa was more than willing to use that power to get a little revenge. In an instant, the water was a chilly slush. She got one glimpse of their outraged surprised expressions. Almost simultaneously, they shot to their feet. When they were

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standing, Ijina’s power whipped out once more and simultaneously encased both of them in icy bonds. I think those are going to be a little uncomfortable for them, Ijina. And they can melt them. Karissa pursed her lips as she studied the two glaring men. “You’re going to pay, my teasing sitga,” Tyral warned as he shivered. You’re right, Ijina admitted. Ice crystal, maybe, and we could get creative with it. Gags—we can’t forget those. In a few more moments their going to try busting out of this with magic and we have to make sure they can’t until we’re ready for them to get loose. Karissa smiled as she stepped into the water between the two men. Karissa’s magic blended with Ijina’s and together they created Ice crystal bindings to replace the Ice bonds on Callan and Tyral. Soft, silky cloth gags prevented any chanted spell from freeing them. Her very presence between them would prevent them from using any spell to break the Ice crystal. They wouldn’t want to chance hurting her. She turned from one to the other, surveying the expanse of blue-green flesh while she tried to decide where to begin. Translucent blue bands circled their wrists and biceps. Strips of Ice crystal crossed their chests and abdomens and kept their arms pinned to their sides. Thick shackles surrounded their ankles, with a thick bar of Ice Crystal running from the left shackle to the right kept them from moving. She looked down at the water and frowned at the slush. While it felt great to her, they would find it much too frigid. With a wave of her hand, she warmed it to a temperature they would find comfortable. Now, she could begin playing with them. She turned to face Tyral and ran her hand up his outside hip, trailing her fingers up over his corded abdomen. He was such a gorgeous man. She saw his cock twitch, hardening and lengthening. The slush had had a definite effect. “You know this is the only time I’ve been able to touch you without you taking over.” Karissa looked up into heated, golden eyes. “I think I’m going to enjoy this. Maybe we’ll have to do it again soon.” She knelt and reached past Tyral to turn the water on at a trickle. Cupping her hands, she gathered a bit of the clean water and Ijina froze it. She held the ice in her hand, waving it in front of him as she stood, so that he could see the frozen chunk. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Most of the time, I take baths with chunks of ice floating in it. It feels good.” She slid a look up at Tyral, just before she ran the ice over his nipple. She watched as the dark blue areola tightened and hardened. Muffled sounds exploded from behind Tyral’s gag as she reached down with her free hand and encircled his cock. She stroked her cool hand over his hot flesh and felt him swell and pulse in her fist. As she pumped his shaft, his hips rocked forward, thrusting into her slick hand. Determined to torment him, Rissa drew her hand away before he could come. She reached down and brushed her thumb over the rounded head, collecting the bead of

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pre-cum that had gathered there. Looking up into his eyes, she brought her thumb up to her mouth and sucked the spicy, salty taste from her finger. “Um, that’s good. Now, I think I’ll see if I can get some reaction out of your brother. I’ve neglected him long enough.” She leaned forward and stroked her tongue over the tight bead of his nipple. She turned to Callan. Arrogance oozed from him in spite of the fact that she had him bound and gagged. This little demonstration wouldn’t change his arrogance and his expression shouted that. “You and Tyral are so strong.” She leaned down and began brushing a trail of fleeting kisses across his chest and stomach deliberately avoiding his nipples. She smiled against his heated skin as he turned his body trying to bring those hard buds to her lips. “Do you know what you do to me with just the feel of your hands or your lips?” She kissed her way down to his navel, swirling her tongue around the outer rim of his belly button. A shudder tore through his body and he leaned toward her. She savored his flesh, licking and sucking. She stroked her hand up and down his thigh, drawing close to his cock but never taking it in her hands. She placed nipping kisses down to the light thatch of purple hair. “And I’d swear that at times when you kiss me, you’re setting live flame to me.” Karissa turned her head and made certain that he felt the heat of her breath across his cock. She nipped his thigh and was rewarded with the sight of his shaft hardening even more. She rose and turned to Tyral. He watched her and she could see the promise in his eyes. Heated revenge swirled in those amber depths. She smiled and nipped just below his dark nipple. He tensed as her tongue flickered out and laved the small spot. “I’ve got something to show you, my handsome Prince.” She smiled up at him. “It’s a trick of the water element.” She chanted a few words and water rose and enveloped Tyral’s cock. The glove of water began moving over his shaft. His eyelids fluttered closed and he moaned and his hips rocked as the water moved over his hard, erect length. Karissa turned back to Callan, satisfied that Tyral was being tormented for the moment. She reached down and got a bit of water which Ijina turned into a sliver of ice. With wicked intent, she drew the ice over his chest in a curving, almost aimless pattern. She drew the ice away from his chest and bent to nip at the hard bud of his nipple. She flicked her tongue over the stinging flesh to soothe it. She turned her head as a particularly loud groan rose from behind the soft cloth. She smiled and with a shake of her head dissolved the water from around Tyral’s cock. “I wouldn’t want you to think that I would so easily forget your transgressions. I can’t let you off too lightly. You deliberately provoke me and have no fear of reprisals.” She turned back to Callan and found him staring down at her with his eyebrow raised. A low growl rumbled in his chest as she ran her hand over the hard, flowing 117

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muscles. She smiled up into his gleaming golden eyes. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached up and brushed her mouth across the soft cloth of the gag. “Don’t worry.” She patted his pec as she drew back to survey his wide chest. “I’ll be gentle.” Leaning close, she ran her tongue over the flat bud of his nipple. She swirled her tongue around the dark areola before gently closing her teeth over the hard bead. Placing her mouth flat over it, she began sucking. She felt his groan rumble against her lips as she continued to draw on the hard nipple and his hips thrust forward in demand. “You like that,” she breathed against his chest as she reached down and found his cock. “I think you’ll like what I have in mind even more.” She knelt before him and brought his cock to her lips. She ran her tongue over the round, dark blue head. As she took him into her mouth, she reached back and cupped the smooth globes of his balls. She sucked at his shaft, drawing it deep into her mouth. The taste of intan spice flooded into her mouth and she greedily drew harder on him. She loved that flavor. She squeezed his balls rhythmically as her mouth moved over his cock. Callan was far from unaffected. He pumped into her mouth, his hips driving his rod deeper into the warm, wet cavern of her mouth. She felt his balls tighten as his excitement grew and drew back. “How does it feel to be at my mercy?” Karissa growled huskily as she looked up at him through her lashes. “You want to come, but I’m not ready to let you just yet. I don’t think you’ve paid enough for the torment you’ve caused me.” I think you’ve done more than enough, Rissa, Ijina cautioned. Look at how tense they are. They are looking rather fierce. She stood and surveyed both bound men. They strained at the Ice Crystal bonds. She wasn’t afraid they would break them with just their physical strength, but she also didn’t want them to hurt themselves trying. One more thing, Ijina, something to motivate them… I know just what you mean. Ijina’s amusement twirled through her mind. Step out and I’ll do it and you’d better be prepared to move. Ijina was right. Once she was out of the way it wouldn’t take them long to get free of their bonds. Karissa cautiously moved to the side of the tub, staying between them for as long as she could. She stepped out of the water and then leapt back, not wanting to give them a chance to grab her. She turned and began backing toward the door, knowing she should leave the room, but also wanting to see what Ijina did. Water rose from the bathtub and swirled around them, gathering in a nebulous mass over their heads. She could almost feel the chill from that water and chuckled as it poured down over them. Muffled shouts rang in the room. Even as she laughed with success, the cloth gags disappeared and they turned promising looks her way.

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“Thali, you’d better run.” Laughter lurked under Callan’s threat and provided reassurance that they weren’t really angry over her prank. “You won’t get far, but try, you tease.” “Eli moru, when we catch you, you’ll pay for your impertinence,” Tyral thundered. She heard the Ice crystal cracking, but she was already fleeing the bathroom. Her victorious laughter followed her out the door. Karissa looked around the large, open bedroom. She searched for somewhere to hide. The only real furnishing was the massive, low bed. Callan and Tyral liked the space and freedom of movement offered by the room. They could conjure anything they needed, but she definitely saw drawbacks now. It limited the possibility of good hiding places. Ah well, she sighed. She moved to the side of the room, well away from the door to the bathroom, and closed her eyes. Magic rose within her. A wave of sorcery pulsed through the room. A cloaking spell would allow her to hide, at least for a little while. The wave of magic should prevent them from pinpointing her location using the feel of the magic. The object of this move wasn’t to elude them, merely to lengthen the game she’d started. She didn’t want to make it too easy for them to find her. The door to the bathroom burst open, the panels disintegrating beneath the blast of magic. Callan and Tyral stormed into the room. Fierce determination and anticipation blazed in their eyes. They were deliciously nude and heat fairly radiated off of them. Droplets of water clung to their blue-green torsos, highlighting their muscled chests and corded abdomens. Her eyes traced the droplets of water on their bodies. She’d like to lick the beads off their skin. They looked angry and aroused. Their half-erect cocks swayed as they strode into the room. With every step, their shafts seemed to grow harder and longer. A few steps into the room, they stopped. They stood side by side with open wide, confident stances. As they looked around the room, predatory smiles curled their lips. “Ah, eli moru, you do like to play.” Callan took a step toward the far wall. “I’m going to spank your round little ass until it glows.” That’s a threat? A smile tilted her lips. She’d liked it when they’d spanked her and was more than ready to do it again as well as anything else they wanted to try. Tyral began moving around the room. The silent, stalking glide of his steps carried him to the side of the room opposite of Callan. Karissa watched and waited as they searched, trying to find her or make her move and reveal herself. Only when both of their backs were turned to her did she move a step at a time toward the temporary sanctuary of the bathroom. They would eventually find her but she was going to make it hard for them. Keeping her eyes on the two men who were searching for her along the far wall, she backed toward the door. She extended her hand slightly behind her, feeling along the wall so that she would know when she reached to doorway.

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She took a slow step to the side, reaching back to touch the cool stone wall. Her hand encountered neither wall nor mere air. The moment the thick energy surrounded her hand, she knew that she’d been much too complacent. They’d set a trap of their own. The energy coiled up her forearm, enveloping her in a gluey, almost wet-feeling field. Tingles of magic danced over her skin as the energy encased her arm and began to wrap around her body. In the space of a few breaths, her body was encased. A zinging pulse of power rolled through her and then she was free. She was also visible and the focus of two angry Sobrin males. “You two know you deserved that.” She smiled at them and moved to the right along the wall. “You’ve teased and tormented me almost since we met. Maybe now you’ll realize that I’m not all talk.” “What a bold lady you are, te thali. You aren’t going to apologize for what you did?” Callan narrowed his eyes as he moved closer to the wall, every stride bringing him closer to her. “No ‘I’m sorry I turned your warm bath into a dip in water so cold it had crystals of ice on the surface’?” “You aren’t going to apologize for teasing and tormenting your mates?” Tyral raised a brow and flashed a predatory smile as he watched her try to edge her way out of the trap. “You’re not sorry that you bound us with crystal Ice and took liberties with our bodies?” “And we can’t forget that deluge at the end. That water was icy!” Callan growled. Karissa saw Tyral move to the side and back a few steps, opening a path. She knew she was being herded and that they were probably doing that twin talk thing, planning and plotting. She had no way to counter either of those things. “I told you I’d Ice you and you finally pushed me enough that I did it.” She darted her eyes away from the two frowning men to the opening they had created. The only way left to her was a path straight to the bed. “Why should I apologize?” She knew that she had little chance of making it to the bed, much less over it before they caught her. There were two of them and they were just too fast for her to escape them in a footrace. She had no other choice. There was no other way open to her. She could try to run that way or surrender now. She didn’t feel like surrendering. She made a point of turning to Callan and running her eyes over his tensed body. He was just waiting for her to make a move. She fluttered her lashes at him and blew a kiss at him. When she turned to Tyral, she saw him shift, his muscles bunching underneath his skin. Tossing a wink at him, she turned and ran for the bed. She managed three running steps before two strong arms wrapped around her, lifting and swinging her off her feet. Her back was pressed against the solid warmth of a hard chest. A low chuckle vibrated against her as her head spun dizzily from the abrupt shift in events.

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Chapter Fifteen “No, te tana.” Tyral’s voice sounded from somewhere to her right and held a wealth of masculine satisfaction. “Only good girls get to go straight to bed with their mates. Bad girls have to learn their lessons and earn the right to sleep in the bed between their men. You’ve been very bad tonight and haven’t shown the least bit of repentance.” “I love it that you’re such a bad girl.” Callan’s breath whispered over her ear. “Teaching you some manners will be a pleasure.” Karissa kicked and struggled in Callan’s arms, enjoying the game. “I wasn’t bad, even a little bit. I got even for your outrageous behavior and your complacent, arrogant attitude. It was a righteous vengeance, not a petty prank.” “Righteous vengeance, eli moru? Try that on someone a little more naïve. Maybe they’ll believe you.” Tyral strode ahead of them and with a wave of his hand a large, highly polished wooden chair appeared. “You waited, plotted and then you turned our bath into an icy slush, nearly freezing a valuable part of my anatomy, hours after we’d teased you. And then you compounded your error by binding us, teasing us and then deluging us with cold water. This was more of the pushing you’ve been doing.” “It was righteous and I gave you equal measure. I didn’t freeze you into the tub.” She shot him a narrow-eyed glare. Even arguing with them was invigorating. By the Veil, she wanted them. “You might have something to rant about if I’d done that.” “A righteous vengeance would have been a deluge that drenched us when we were teasing you or shortly after that. You did no such thing, Rissa.” Tyral raised an arrogant eyebrow and pointed at her. “You wanted to play with us, didn’t you?” “Not true, there was no opportunity for revenge such as that after your most recent bout of tormenting me.” She couldn’t keep the laughter out of her voice as she thought of them in that icy water and their expressions. “I did warn you repeatedly that I’d Ice you. You two arrogant men thought I was just talking and didn’t pay attention.” “It appears we’ll have to teach you about appropriate vengeance as well as the respect due to your mates. Your training in these matters should have begun years ago.” Callan shook his head in silent, mock reproof. “What were your people thinking to keep you so long?” Tyral sat in the large chair and Callan carried her over to him. Tyral reach forward, taking her struggling body from his brother. In spite of her squirming and lurching attempts at escape, she found herself draped face down across his thighs looking at the pattern of vines on the rug beneath the chair. One of his forearms braced against her back, ensuring that she didn’t escape his grasp. No matter how she writhed or pushed—and she did try—she found it impossible to wriggle off of his legs.

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“Now, te thali, we shall see just how bad you are. I suspect you’ll require much training.” Tyral’s hand slid over the round curve of her ass to the cleft between the two cheeks. His fingers swept down, past the pink rosette of her anus to her slick slit. Two probing digits swirled in the juices which welled from the needy opening. He drew the liquid down and over the hood of her clit before sliding up again. With teasing intent, they circled her aching, empty pussy. She bit her lip, trying to stifle a groan as her vaginal muscles rippled and clenched in demand. “I haven’t paid much attention to your little clit or even begun to fuck you with my fingers, yet you are soaking my leg with your cream.” Tyral’s fingers pressed as they circled the rim of her vagina, tormenting her with the anticipation, the delay of his fingers entering her. “It’s not the mark of a woman devoted to being a good girl to crave such acts.” Callan’s teasing tone rolled through her body, setting fires of desire with the images. “I bet she even wants to be taken anally. Would you like that? Do you want a cock driving into your ass?” “It’s good that we found a woman such as her. I don’t know what we’d do with a woman who only wanted to be fucked in her pussy.” Tyral’s fingers dipped into her heated quim, and then pulled back from the clasping channel. “And I love her desire to be dominated, to be taken,” Callan offered. His fingers ran over her back. “She’s so perfect for us.” The way they were talking, the images that formed in her mind in response to those words doubled the hot desire flooding through her. Their scent, the heat of their bodies, and the sound of their voices, all called to her, drew her to them. All incited a hot need to be fucked, for more than the words. By the Veil, she didn’t want to be good if being bad felt this hot. She wanted everything they mentioned and more. She wanted to explore her fantasies with them. She wanted to be tied, at their mercy. Nothing made her more wanton than those two men in a mood to dominate…and it was such fun to incite it. Not that it required much coaxing. They were naturally inclined to lead. “Time for your lessons, my bad thali.” Tyral’s fingers ceased their torment and roved back to her buttocks caressing the globes for a moment. “A man’s bath has a certain sanctity that should never be violated by teasing little sitgas who wish to play.” Callan’s voice came from the side and almost at her level. Karissa turned her head to find him kneeling. She gaped at him, hardly believing what he’d said. “If you wish to play, a word will do or a light rain as reminder.” “The sanctity of a man’s—” A chuckle bubbled up in her throat, but was cut short. Whack. The flat of Tyral’s hand landed on Karissa’s buttocks as she was staring in astonishment at Callan. She felt her cunt clench and a rush of warm liquid welling inside of her.

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He’d managed to say that with a straight face. She jerked against the arm pinning her to Tyral’s legs. She squirmed, wiggled, and tried to push herself off of his lap. Nothing worked. “I wasn’t playing with you two. I told you that.” She dug her nails into Tyral’s leg. “You’re just too conceited to believe that I could have intentions other than a romp with you.” “Keep—” Whack. “—your little nails—” Whack. “—to yourself, eli moru.” Whack. Evenly spaced between the swats, Tyral’s words carried an almost cheerful ring. His hand rested on her buttocks, the heat from his hand a contrast to the tingling prickles dancing across her skin. “Admit it, tana, and perhaps we will go easy on you this one time.” Callan brushed the hair away from her face and his golden eyes locked with hers. “You like playing games with your husbands. You like us to spank you, to give you what no other ever has.” “I’m not your wife yet.” Just the thought of it was enough to flood her pussy with juices. Telling them any of that would be too easy and would make them even more arrogant than they already were. She took the safe route and neither confirmed nor denied his suspicions. “You’ve been our wife since the first time we touched you. Just because you went back to Frejan before you came here doesn’t change anything.” One of Tyral’s fingers slipped into her honeyed pussy and his thumb settled over her clit, rubbing in slow circles. “The ceremony is merely a formality to make others happy. A man saying words over us will change nothing.” Her buttocks flared with heat, but the burning heat on those reddened cheeks was eclipsed by the hot pulsing lust pouring through her primed body. Her hips undulated as his finger continued to glide into her and his thumb stroked intermittently over her clit. She ached for more than that one finger. Her pussy clenched and clasped around it, desperate to be filled. By the Veil, she needed to fucked hard, to come. “When you want to play with us, tell us.” Callan’s hand slid down her back and then back up. “We were going to do something like this tonight anyway, Rissa. There was no need for such dramatics. Have you forgotten the little tussle we had when we came to get you from Mother’s parlor earlier? You were begging for it then, too.” “I wasn’t playing or trying to get you to play.” Karissa stubbornly refused to admit to them that the instigation of a scene such as this had been a motivating factor in her decision to take some revenge tonight. They were much too confident that they knew her reasons. Smack. “Don’t lie.” Tyral’s hand descended sharply on her buttocks. She yelped in surprise and tried to reach back to rub at her stinging rear, but Tyral caught her hand and held it. She sighed but remained silent, determined not to give them that bit of information.

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“Do you think you can resist us?” Callan’s fingers tangled in her silver hair and the truth of his words were conveyed in the molten amber of his eyes. “There are two of us, eli moru. We can tease you for hours if you aren’t ready to be a good, little mate and tell the truth.” There was no way that she could survive hours of their torture. She doubted that she could take a few more moments of it without bursting into flames. Her body hummed with excitement and the knot low in her stomach pulsed with need. She drew in a shaky breath. She’d have to somehow learn to be more resistant to their methods…later. Her eyes locked with Callan’s as she wet her lips. “Part of my motivation was to gain revenge for your teasing. The other part was merely to incite you to something like this. I wanted this.” “We make progress, my stubborn thali.” Tyral’s hand rubbed over the swell of her rear, exciting the sensitized flesh. “Now, admit that you like to play games with us. You like it when we pick you up and carry you off. You love it when we heat this luscious ass.” Callan’s hand slipped down and roamed over the mentioned anatomy, cupping one of the cheeks in his warm hand. “I like to play with you. Before I met you two, my sex life was rather conventional. I’d never before imagined being spanked, but I do find pleasure in it.” She pushed on Tyral’s leg, trying to lever her body off of his lap. “Not just yet, thali,” Tyral’s hand roved over her back, but that forearm remained pressed against her. “But I want…” Karissa turned her head and tried to look up at Tyral. She knew that they knew just how hot they’d made her. They could smell her need. “Don’t you think that we deserve an apology for what you did to our bath?” Tyral’s hand moved with subtle emphasis on her buttocks. “Sorry—but I—” Her protest ended on a sharp indrawn breath when his hand landed with a smack on her right butt cheek. Fiery tingles blossomed where his hand landed. “This glowing little rear is going to get much pinker if you do not remember why you should apologize to us.” Tyral’s fingers trailed back to her honeyed slit. He slid two fingers into her tight, wet channel. Her hot sheath clenched, grasped at his fingers as they advanced then retreated. She pressed back into those fingers, wanting, needing more. A moan of disappointment tore past her lips as Tyral’s fingers withdrew from her cunt leaving an empty ache. “Damn…please…” Karissa was desperate. “I’ll apologize.” Tyral’s hand rested on the curve of her hand, two of his fingers slick and wet with her juices. “Then do it.”

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“I knew you wanted a bath first and then we would play, but I still turned your bath icy. I didn’t want to wait and I wanted a little revenge. I’m sorry I turned your bath to slush, that I trapped you both in Crystal Ice and about the deluge that followed it.” She bit her lip as her pussy clenched. “Very good.” Tyral’s hand patted her bottom. She shivered as each pat engendered a clenching deep within her pussy. “At last, you admit it.” Callan lifted her from his brother’s lap. “Now we get to the really enjoyable part, although watching you get your ass spanked is stimulating.” Callan carried her over to a black rug stitched with silver and gold designs. Karissa turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his, nibbling on them, but he didn’t open his mouth to her probing tongue—not even when she nipped his lips sharply. She pulled back and, tilting her head, frowned in confusion. Tyral chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against him. His warm body pressed against hers, his cock pressed against her buttocks. He was hard, aroused. “I’m first tonight, eli moru. It isn’t nice to tempt him when he knows he’ll have to wait to have you.” Tyral’s breath rushed over her ear just before he began a nibbling torment of the shell of her ear and his hand roved over her stomach and settled over her pussy. He loved that hot immediate response, the fire within her. “First…not together?” Karissa turned her head to try to look at him. She saw those sharp teeth flash in amusement. “No, not together, we’re each going to take you separately tonight.” Tyral stood momentarily, taking her with him as he slightly turned. He couldn’t wait to feel her tight ass gripping his cock. “Do you know how I want you?” His shaft ached. Remaining silent, she waited, but he saw her eyes flicker to the jar he held in his hand. She knew and from the sparkle in her eyes, she wanted it just as much as he did. “There’s this tight little pucker back here that I want to explore more. You’re so tight there. It’s going to feel so good when I push inside.” His hand slipped down to her buttocks, his fingers tracing down to that ring of muscle. He nibbled on her neck as he set her down in front of him. “On your knees, te thali.” He enjoyed the rush of heat to her face, the delicious scent of her desire. She turned and dropped to her hands and knees. He could almost see the need humming through her. Tyral ran his eyes over her golden skin as he stepped up behind her. He ran his fingers over the soft, warm skin of her shoulder and down the line of her spine. Trailing his fingers between the full globes of her buttocks, he smiled as he saw her shiver. Dipping his fingers into the jar, he scooped out some of the slick gel and rubbed it around that muscular ring. He moved behind her and placed the well-oiled head of his cock against that pink rosette. As he pushed his cock forward, the tight pucker opened,

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accepting his shaft. He groaned as her tight channel clamped around him. Tyral closed his eyes and held onto his control. He was close to coming and he wasn’t even fully into that tight channel. “That feels so good, thali. You are warm and snug here, wrapping around me as if you don’t want to let go.” Tyral rocked his hips forward until she had taken his entire length into that hot, muscular channel. Fire pulsed through him. Karissa panted. “Move, Tyral,” she moaned as she arched back. “By the Veil, you don’t know how that feels.” “But I know how it feels to be inside of you. You grip me as if you’re afraid I’ll leave you. You hold me tight, like a fist.” Tyral leaned down and ran his tongue over her shoulder. Tyral reached around her waist and placed two of his fingers on her clit. With two stroking fingers circling her clit, he slowly withdrew from the tight sheath of her back entrance. She tensed, pushed back as a small sound escaped her. Only the broad head of his cock remained inside of her when he began to push back into her. She arched back into the advancing shaft. He burned. His cock throbbed. Sharp need bit into him. He wanted to drive deep and hard into her, but held back, determined to give her satisfaction. The sensation was torture and bliss at the same time. He needed more, but each slow stroke felt like paradise. “Tyral, please, I need more.” Her voice trembled as his fingers began to pluck at her clit. A shiver of pure hunger coursed through her. “Harder, fuck me harder.” Tyral gritted his teeth as the muscles surrounding his cock clenched. He slid his fingers back to her honeyed cunt, dipping into that slick channel. “You’re wet, hot for me. Your little ass is holding me, pulling at me. I’m not going to leave you before you get what you need. I won’t leave you wanting, tana.” Tyral withdrew and then thrust back into her, setting a pounding rhythm. His fingers stroked over her clit and her body shivered with need. She pushed back into each pistoning stroke of his hips. Soft cries of need poured from her lips. The clenching of her rectum sent bursts of fire streaking through him, burning even hotter as his balls pulled tight against his body. “Yes. Tell me how you like it,” Tyral coaxed, his hips driving hard against her buttocks. He could see her body tightening, hear her need in the sexy moans and pleas. When his fingers stopped the circling strokes and once again plucked at her clit, she went over the edge into ecstasy. Her muscles clenched around him and she screamed his name, shivering with pleasure. Tyral pumped into her. His own control was ripped away by the milking contractions of her anal muscles around his cock. He stiffened against her, his hips driving hard against hers. He came, his seed spurting into her as a harsh, deep groan echoed in the room. Sweet fire spread through his body, from his groin outward. He trembled in the grip of intense orgasm, searing pleasure streaking through him. 126

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Tyral slowly pulled out of her, closing his eyes as just the act of withdrawal sent tingling sparks dancing over his cock. She was an amazing woman. Almost from the first, she’d begun surprising them with her spirit, her passion and her heart. It was little wonder that she’d found her way into his heart. He drew his hand up and brushed his fingers through her soft curls. Karissa was still panting a bit as Tyral moved back. Callan smiled as he noticed the glazed look in her eyes. She was beautiful, passionate and sweet. A very lovable woman, Callan thought. Anticipation curled through him. She might have just found pleasure, but within a few moments she’d be asking for more. He loved that nearly boundless passion within her. Callan knelt beside her and stroked his fingers across the sweat slick skin of her shoulder. She lifted her head and smiled at him. In her eyes, he saw the first flickers of hunger. “Lay down, tana,” Callan watched as she lay down on the soft rug. His hands skimmed over her arms, briefly capturing her hands. He seemed almost casual in his movements, but the heat in his eyes told the truth. Desperation burned there. “You’re perfect.” His tongue slid over his lips. He eyed her gorgeous, golden body. Her delightful nipples were already hard, reddened points, begging for his lips. His eyes traveled lower to her slightly spread thighs. He could see the bright pink flesh of her swollen, juicy pussy. He wanted to taste her. Callan lowered his lips to her stomach, placing nipping kisses on the rounded swell. The delicious scent of her desire rose around him. His hands slid up her ribcage to the mounds of her breasts. His hands cupped and squeezed the lush globes, plucking the hardened nipples. Karissa moaned as his mouth moved with tormenting slowness toward her pussy. He savored the salty tang of her skin as he made his way down her body. Anticipation of her ica berry essence caused his cock to jerk, beads of precum seeping from the tip. His tongue swiped over his lips. He craved that taste. His tongue dipped into her navel, swirling around the indent, causing her to squirm and arch her back beneath him. He licked at her folds of her labia, gathering the juices that had collected on those plump lips. “You taste so good, tana.” Callan felt a shiver roll through her and enjoyed her broken whimper of need. He wanted her hot, begging for him. “There’s a slightly salty bite, but underneath that is your taste—that delicious, ica berry taste that always leaves me wanting more.” He licked his lips as he looked up at her. “And your scent, baby, I always want more when I smell your desire. It doesn’t matter if you’ve just taken me.” Callan lapped at her, parting the folds with his fingers to pay loving attention to the hood of her clit. Her hips bucked up into his mouth. His tongue roved down to her slit 127

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and he drew the nectar into his mouth. He lapped at her, drinking in that essence and wanting more. She moaned and writhed as his tongue danced around her quim. He drank from her, slurping the cream into his mouth enthusiastically. Her hands tangled in the silky strands of his hair, pulling him to her as her hips rose against his face. Callan pulled back from her, his hands untangling her fingers from his hair. He looked up at her. A low chuckle and a smile curved his sensuous, cream slick lips as she gave a frustrated moan. Her hips punched up in demand. “Please…I need.” Karissa stared up at him, almost blind with need. “I’ll satisfy you, eli moru, but I want satisfaction as well.” He took her hand as he rose and pressed it to his hard cock. “Watching you come made me hungry.” Her hand encircled his cock and stroked up and down the silky length, smoothing over the rounded head, massaging a bead of pre-cum into the soft skin. Fire followed the light trail of her fingers over him. Her warm hand danced over him, causing his balls to tighten with need. He quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from his throbbing, aching length. It felt too good. “Tana, it won’t take much encouragement for me to spill in your hands. I want to be inside you.” His leaned down and grazed his mouth over her shoulder. Callan pressed his cock to her creamy slit and nudged into the hot channel. Her sheath stretched around his thick shaft as he stroked into her. Her eyes fluttered closed and she arched her back as he drove deep into her. Her legs came up and wrapped around his waist. Callan stroked into her. As he moved above her, her hard, red nipples brushed against his chest. Tingling sparks shot through her with each tantalizing contact. Her nails dug into his arms as she tried to pull him down to her, needing a harder pressure against the sensitive tips. “Don’t tease, Callan.” She wrapped a hand in his hair and tightened her legs around him, trying to pull him deep into her. Callan rocked his hips forward, not allowing himself to sink fully into her pussy. His smiled down at her, enjoying her frustration. Her sheath clutched at him, trying to pull him deeper into her. As he withdrew, she arched her hips upward taking more of him into her hot slick pussy. “Please, stop tormenting me. You know I need you.” Her voice broke, need clear in every syllable. Callan allowed his weight to settle on Karissa’s body. His cock slid deep and his balls rested against her rounded buttocks. Her body tensed with anticipation, but he remained totally still. Her hips bucked demandingly against his and a sharp jolt of sensation tore through him, increasing the need to come. “Fuck me, Callan. Do you think to drive me insane?” She sank her nails into his shoulders and she nipped savagely at the side of his neck.

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His control broke. “Then take me, te tana.” His body roared for release. Callan stiffened and his golden eyes blazed down into hers. He began a hard, thrusting rhythm meant to drive them both to bliss. He lowered his lips to hers, sliding his tongue aggressively into her mouth. Their tongues dueled as his hips surged against hers. She met each thrusting drive with eager force, her hips rising to take his cock deep and hold it as long as she could. Karissa shook as a tidal wave of hot sensation slammed through her. She arched up into him, holding on tight. Her nails sank into his back and she screamed his name as she came. Callan surged against her. He drove into her, his hips pounding. He stiffened, cried her name and came. His semen pumped into her as hot pleasure spiked through him. Fiery sensation raced through his body, spreading until even his fingertips felt the sizzling heat. Nothing else existed, but the hot pleasure and the soft woman beneath him. When he could focus again, Callan looked down at her and found her gazing up at him with those brilliant green eyes. She looked well-loved and content. He could also see a little amusement in the tilt of her lips. She brushed a hand across his brow, pushing a strand of his purple hair off of his face. “If you’d chanced to find a woman not inclined to your tendencies, you’d have corrupted her.” It took a moment for him to realize what she was talking about, but then he chuckled. “You think so?” A smile tilted his lips. He withdrew from her and lay beside her. “I think you two like to get your way too much to let a few inhibitions get in your way.” She shook her head at him. “You would’ve coaxed until she tried it and then made sure she enjoyed every moment of it. You can be sneaky, conniving and demanding when you want something.” “And we don’t give up,” Tyral said, lifting her in his arms. “Would you two care to explain why you decided that I should eat from your plate now and why you couldn’t tell me about it at the table?” Karissa scooted over to the middle of the bed as he lowered her to the bed. “Ah, you remember that do you?” Callan slid in on one side of her. “You couldn’t expect me to let that pass without some comment.” She shot an incredulous look at him. “When I picked up your goblet to fill it with wine, I noticed a liquid down in the bowl.” Callan drew his hand over the flat of her midriff. “It might have been nothing more than a bit of water left in it, but it could have been poison. We decided not to take the risk. If they hadn’t tried, it’s certain that they would have soon. This will prevent them from doing that.”

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“They could poison your food just as easily as they could mine.” She ran her fingertip up the side of Callan’s arm. “Not quite.” He lifted his hand and smiled at her. “There is a very old spell on the entire palace of Baezid that would reveal any attempt at assassination of any of the Royal line. Also, we’d most likely smell any poison before we ate it or it came near your lips.” “What’s to prevent them from trying such a maneuver after we’re married?” She leaned over and lightly nipped Callan’s chin, running her tongue along his jaw and then over the seam of his lips. “Marriage doesn’t make me one of your line. It merely ties me to your line.” Tyral pressed up against her back, his arm hauling her against him. “If you’re trying to make me jealous, you’ve succeeded, love. Turn to me. I want some of your attention.” Her eyes twinkled with amusement as she turned to him. “So tell me what I want to know.” Tyral remained silent until her hands skimmed over his chest and her lips covered his flat, dark blue nipple. “After the ceremony, a spell will be placed on you to protect you from many things, even poison.” He shivered as her teeth nibbled on him. She blushed and tucked her head against his chest to hide the rising redness. “I should have guessed the spell would include protection from poison as well as the more common threats.” “Why don’t you just put the spell on me before the ceremony? In the Frejan Realm, the prospective bride is protected from almost the moment she’s found.” She lifted her head and looked up at him. “This isn’t the Frejan Realm.” Callan drew his finger up her arm. By the Fires, he wanted to put the spell on her now. He wanted her safe, protected. “There are a number of strictures that Tyral and I can bypass or change, but this isn’t one of them. It’s one of our oldest customs.” “Sleep, te tana,” Tyral urged. “Your family arrives tomorrow. You wouldn’t want them to think that you were unhappy with your mates, would you?” She chuckled, shaking her head at them. “You don’t know my family. If they thought I was unhappy, they’d be talking to me most likely, not you. My family believes in taking action, changing the situation if it doesn’t suit.”

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Chapter Sixteen Karissa paid her debt to Rana. Her friend now wore the silver necklace which boasted one of the rare, blue Frejan Tamish stones. She took great delight in explaining to any who asked where and why she’d gotten it. The next day and the days following it passed in a rush of activity, but there were no further attempts on her life. Tyral and Callan found staunch allies in her father and brothers in their efforts to keep her safe. Her father and brothers agreed with every precaution that Tyral and Callan had taken. They also gained support in guard duty. When she wasn’t escorted by her future husbands, her father and brothers escorted her. Tyral and Callan felt safe leaving her in the care of her family, because they wouldn’t allow her to take any foolish risks with her life. Karissa used the time with her family, especially the time she spent with her mother, to talk about her worries. With each passing day, in spite of the lack of action by the Royalists, her nerves stretched tighter. She knew that these men were committed to their cause. They wouldn’t give up just because she was guarded. There was no doubt that they were prepared to die for their cause. The closer the day of the wedding drew, the greater the threat became. After the wedding, they would have to wait for the next generation. This wasn’t how she’d envisioned the days before her wedding when she’d thought of them before she met Tyral and Callan. She’d always thought that if she was nervous or worried at all, it would be simple bridal jitters. Worries of starting a new life away from everything she knew. Assassins trying to kill her had never entered her mind. Karissa stood before the mirror admiring the fit of her wedding gown. It was almost time for the wedding. Her mother and Rana had helped her to dress and had left to await the beginning of the wedding in the large Royal Hall. The dress was traditional Volirian wedding garb in deference to the culture she was joining. The red and yellow material shimmered in the soft light and clung to her curves. It fell in soft folds to the floor. Her silver blonde hair was arranged on top of her head and ornamented with jewels of both Fire crystal and Ice crystal. The effect was stunning, but she wasn’t used to wearing red. All questions of its suitability flew from her mind when she saw her men’s reactions. She’d never felt more beautiful than she did when Tyral and Callan came into the room and stopped only a step away from the door and simply stared. Their eyes seemed to blaze like molten gold as they ran over her. They strode forward and circled her. They were so handsome in their formal attire. Callan wore a red shirt stitched with golden threads. His black pants were stitched with red and gold in a spiraling design 131

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down the outside seam of the legs. Her eyes slid lower and she saw a reflection of her dress in the highly polished leather of his black boots. She turned her gaze to Tyral. His shirt was gold stitched with red threads in an intricate pattern. His black pants molded to his legs, the stitching rippling as he moved. The black boots on his large feet gleamed. “By the Veil, you’re beautiful in the colors of the Volirian Court,” Tyral breathed. The red and gold highlighted the silver of her hair and enhanced the golden tone of her skin. “It’s almost time for the ceremony. We’re going to escort you to a room just to the side of the Royal Hall. It’s protected by a spell so you can be sure you’ll be safe there. The only time you’ll be vulnerable is on the short walk across the Hall to us. We have men spread through the Hall to ensure your protection as you complete your symbolic walk away from your old life.” Callan cradled her hand in his. “Your family knows of the danger. Everyone will be prepared.” Tyral curled an arm around her. “You’ll be safe.” “I know that you’ll do everything you can to protect me.” Karissa smiled up them. She would also be on her guard. These Royalists wouldn’t succeed. She wasn’t about to lose these two men now that she’d found them. This might not be what she’d expected, but she loved them. She’d expected her feelings for them to grow over time. The feelings hadn’t grown so much as exploded. She hadn’t expected it to happen this fast, for the intensity to be so great. “You’ll be in this room for only a short time, tana. A knock on the door will inform you when it’s time for the ceremony to begin.” Tyral brushed his hand across her cheek. She nodded, hesitated, and bit her lip while she thought. Coming to a decision, she straightened. She wouldn’t chance dying without telling them of her feelings. “Tyral, Callan, I need to tell you…I love you.” “I know. It was inevitable.” Tyral smiled and Karissa didn’t know if he was serious or if he was trying to make her smile with that outrageous line. She blinked, her head went back and she stared at him blankly for a moment stunned by his statement. “Inevitable…what do you mean ‘inevitable’?” Her hands slammed onto her hips outlining her curving waist. Her full mouth turned down into a ferocious angry frown. “Yes, eli moru, inevitable.” Callan stroked his hand over her arm. “We’ve loved you almost from the moment that we met you. It was inevitable that you’d realize you love us. We’re such amiable gentlemen. You were just a little slow in coming to the realization.” “You’re beautiful when you’re furious, anger fairly shooting out of your eyes,” Tyral observed with a smile. “Time to go. Soon, tana, you’ll be our mate by law and afforded the protection of that position.”

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Callan took her arm and guided her out of their bedroom. A mixture of exhilaration, dread, and determination swirled through her. She wanted a lifetime with these two men. It might take her that long to win an argument with them. The threat from the unknown men made her angry. It shouldn’t be this way. She hated being caught up in this play for power by men determined to end a royal line in the only way they could. She only wanted to marry her men and begin her life, but it wasn’t going to be that simple. First, she had to survive her wedding day. The room to which they led her was small, about the size of their closet. There were two doors, the one they’d entered and one which opened onto the hall. A red and gold carpet was spread across the floor. A chair covered in golden fabric had been placed in the center of the carpet and a small, highly polished brown table holding a bottle of wine and a goblet sat next to the chair. “We brought the cup and the wine into the room. It’s safe. Have a glass to calm your nerves. There’s a spell in place to protect you within this room.” Callan urged her over to the chair. The door shut with a solid click after them. Karissa sank down into the chair, getting more and more nervous as the moments passed. She poured a glass of wine and drank it slowly. She didn’t want to get even a little tipsy. In order to calm herself, she reminded herself of all of the precautions that had been taken to see to her safety. All the men were on alert—even the Frejan King had been told of the danger and he had promised that all Frejan men present would do their best to see that Karissa wasn’t hurt. Calm down and relax. Everything will be fine. We’ll make it. Ijina stirred within Karissa. Karissa heard a knock on the door which led into the Royal Hall. It was time. This was the one time when she would be vulnerable, unprotected. She’d never felt more alone or scared than she did at that moment. She drew in a deep breath as she paced over to the door. She opened the door. The Royal Hall was ablaze with light and color. Banners of red, yellow and gold hung from the walls. Fresh flowers and herbs scented the air. Finely garbed guests were assembled in long rows on benches and chairs, waiting to see the wedding of the Volirian Princes. A straight path lined with a golden carpet led to Callan and Tyral. They’d never looked larger or further away than they did at that moment. She smiled, a calm sureness sweeping over her. She’d get to them. If it took the last trace of her energy she would make it to them safely. She stepped out into the hall. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for those she knew. She saw her father, but a movement drew her eyes to the middle of the row. A redhead with a pale face and light green eyes caught her attention. She’d never met him. Something, some shift in his eyes, gave her warning a split second before the door slammed behind her.

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She threw up the strongest shield she knew. Less than a breath later, battle erupted in the Volirian Royal Hall. Women’s screams rang out as they scrambled to get away from the danger of the magic being wielded. Karissa winced as a strong bolt of magic hit her shield. She knew it wouldn’t hold long against such power. She knew that she couldn’t fight a man trained in battle magic. She had to defend herself, hold her shield and hope Callan and Tyral reached her before her shield failed. Ijina appeared, a hazy form standing beside her. She hurled shards of ice toward the surrounding men. A cry of pain tore from one of the men in front of them as one of the sharp ice spears sank deep. Ijina laughed triumphantly and kept throwing. “Hold on, Rissa,” Callan roared as he ruthlessly slammed a bolt of power into the red-haired man trying to block his path even as he formed an energy arc to take out another. Make your shield stronger, Rissa. Our mates are coming for us. Ijina only briefly glanced toward her. Karissa dropped to her knees trying to make her shield stronger, denser. Throwing all of her strength into her shields, she felt Ijina’s strength pump into her, flooding her with power. Ijina was still lobbing sharp icy spikes toward the enemy surrounding them. The Royal Guards and Callan and Tyral were getting closer. A few more moments and they would break through the line of men. She focused only on surviving, on staying alive. A ripple at the edge of the line of men drew her gaze. Karissa’s eyes widened as Rana managed to slip through the line of men. Her golden-haired friend stepped in front of her and threw up a shield around them both as an extra line of defense. Rana stood tall and fearless as magic slammed into her shield. Rana’s Elemental appeared and began throwing long icy blades. Karissa was amazed. She never would have asked Rana to risk her life like that, but she was overwhelmed with gratitude for the help. Men forming the ring around Karissa began dropping. She looked up to search for Callan and Tyral and saw anger and desperation cross the face of the brown-haired man just to the side of them. He began to gather his energy and she saw other men begin to do the same. “Rana…” Karissa screamed trying to warn her friend but only got the first word out before the balls hurtled toward them. Ijina took over in an instant, forming an ice barrier around Karissa as an added line of protection. The blast of magic hit the shields, slamming them back, shattering the ice shield. Karissa was knocked off her feet, but the ice shield had managed to absorb some of the impact. Karissa scrambled to her knees and looked around, desperately searching for Rana. She had to be all right. Callan slammed his fist into the jaw of the man whose power had just failed. The brown-haired man came back swinging. She saw them grapple and then the brown-

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haired man fell to the floor. Callan surrounded her with his magic, protecting her until the last of the skirmishes were finished by the Royal Guard. When the last Royalist fell, the guards began to gather the prisoners together. The captured men were taken out of the Hall. Their fates would be decided after the Formal Joining. Ijina looked around the hall. Karissa could see the tension in the wispy form standing in front of her. A moment later, she dissolved and flowed back into Karissa’s body. “Tana, it’s time. We have to marry now.” Tyral came forward and knelt in front of her as her eyes darted around the room. “Have you seen Rana?” Karissa stood allowing her shield to drop. She looked around, searching for her friend among those milling around the Hall. “Where is she, Tyral? She protected me and I haven’t seen her since that wave of magic hit us. You have to help me find her.” “Karissa…By the Veil, I don’t want to have to be the one to tell you this.” Tyral grimaced. “I saw the bolt hit both of you. Rana isn’t here. She was…” “What are you talking about, Tyral?” Karissa blinked confused. “Where is she? She has to be here!” “Karissa, we have to perform the ceremony. Your friend put herself before you to protect you and there’s no way we can thank her enough for it. There could still be danger to you. Don’t let her sacrifice be in vain, eli moru.” Callan took her arm and urged her toward the front of the room. “But your tradition…” Karissa protested, hanging back, unable to believe that Rana was dead. “At this moment, I don’t care about tradition and time-honored customs which have never before been broken. All I care about is your safety. Tradition left you vulnerable.” Callan tugged and she fell into step beside him. The men and women in the room quickly found somewhere to sit in the room. The once beautifully decorated hall was in shambles. Some of the hangings had fallen to the floor. Others hung precariously on the wall, scorched and in tatters. Most of the low benches had been destroyed during the fight, so most people sat on cushions on the floor. Callan and Tyral walked beside her up to a man in golden robes trimmed in black. He smiled as they came to stand before him.

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Chapter Seventeen “My Lords and Ladies, we come together to witness the Joining of Prince Callan and Prince Tyral to Karissa Moshen, Aliara of the Frejan Court.” The Officiate ran his eyes over the crowd. “My Princes, take your Lady’s hand.” Callan and Tyral turned to Karissa. Her eyes swam with tears. Thus far it had been a nightmare of a wedding and it wasn’t yet over. Hopefully nothing else would happen and after the ceremony things could settle down. Karissa blinked, coming from the haze of sadness which had enveloped her when she had learned what had happened to Rana. Callan’s warm palm slipped under hers and Tyral’s hand covered her hand. Their hands turned sliding over hers and their fingers laced together, locking her hand between theirs. Her eyes met Callan’s and she gave him a little smile to show him that she would be all right. She could see the worry in his eyes. “The bonding of the Elemental Spirits begins each Joining. It’s a call that no one can ignore. As the Spirits join, so must the people join and acknowledge the truth, the reality of the joining, for it can never be broken. When this bonding occurs, it is indeed a blessing.” The Officiate looked into their eyes and then his gaze moved beyond, to those gathered to celebrate the wedding. The Officiate drew a red ribbon from a pocket on his robes, raising it so that those gathered could see it. “This ribbon symbolizes the Joining. It binds them together in a way we can all see, but the true binding has already occurred. In heart and spirit, they are one.” He wove the red ribbon around their joined hands. Next, he pulled a yellow ribbon from his pocket and held it up. “This ribbon symbolizes the emotions—the love, the caring—which will grow as the years pass. It binds them now and will strengthen their bond in times of trouble.” He wound the yellow ribbon around their hands, over the red ribbon. The Officiate tugged a golden ribbon out his pocket. He held it up for all to see. “Finally, this ribbon symbolizes the future—the children which will hopefully come to be, the many years of laughter and love ahead of them.” He encircled their hands with the golden ribbon. Karissa felt a tingle move through her. She looked down stunned as the ribbons around their hands wove together in a tight braid. She knew for a fact that the Officiate hadn’t used enchanted ribbons and neither Callan nor Tyral had cast any type of spell. Those things shouldn’t have braided. “The Marriage of the Princes is now sealed.” The Officiate announced.

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Tyral, Callan and Karissa turned to face the crowd and they raised their joined hands. The crowd roared with joy and relief. For everybody, it had been a long, tense day and one of the most memorable Joinings in history. She felt magic wrap around her. The protection spell took full, immediate effect. The threat to her physical safety was removed in most ways, but the cost had been great. Karissa could find little joy in the assurance of her own health. Rana had been lost because of those who sought to take the throne. Karissa had known that she could get hurt in the ensuing fight, but the fact that they’d wanted to kill her had blinded her to the reality that those she cared about could lose their lives just as easily as she could. The braided ribbon freed their hands, but the ribbons remained tightly interwoven. Karissa held it while and Tyral released her hand. They led her forward to those who wanted to offer their congratulations on their marriage. Her father stood at the front of the crowd. Gervis stepped forward and took her in his arms. Karissa lost all trace of her composure. She leaned into him and the tears began to flow. “Your marriage was destined to be one of a kind, but I don’t think any would have thought that it would have been this memorable, Karissa.” Her father patted her back. “Blessings on your union, my daughter.” “I never wanted anyone to get hurt trying to defend me.” Karissa lifted her head up and blinked at her father. “I never would have asked Rana to put herself in front of me.” “We’ll find Rana.” Her father looked grave, but confident. “She chose to give you aid and I know that you would have done the same for her. You were the best of friends. The ways of the Veil are many and varied, Karissa. She would still be here if she wasn’t meant to at least visit another place. Her fate will find her.” “I…I thought she’d been…” Karissa hiccupped and dashed tears from her eyes. “No, she was hurled into the vortex meant to take you from your mates. It was powerful, but she should ride it safely to its end. It drained the power of those who formed it.” Her father looked over her head. “Your husbands would like some of your attention.” She should ride it safely to its end. The phrase tumbled over and over in her mind. Her safety could depend on where that tunnel would end. Karissa knew her friend’s location relied on that. Had the men fixed the destination or had they meant to control it? If they hadn’t specified a location and time, the vortex would continue until it connected with another transport tunnel. She turned and looked at the two waiting men. They stood waiting, but impatience sparked in their golden eyes. She paced over to them. “I’m sorry I’m acting like such a baby about this.” Callan’s hand brushed over her cheek in a soft caress and his eyes softened. “It has been a far more eventful day than anyone could have predicted. If we’d known that you believed your friend dead, we would have reassured you, told you of what happened.” 137

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“Do you think that we’ll be able to find her?” Karissa looked up at Tyral as they steered her through the crowd. “She could be hurt and lost.” “Your friend will survive and flourish. I’m sure she’ll be safe.” Tyral squeezed her hand and smiled down at her at they arrived in front of the Kings of Volir. The two Kings stood with the Queen between them. They were separated slightly from the main crowd. Queen Maya held a pillow on which a delicate ceremonial crown rested. “My Kings, I present to you our bride, Karissa.” Callan urged Karissa forward with a nudge in the center of her back. “Come forward and kneel, bride to the Princes.” King Tovin extended his hand, gesturing to a spot before them. Karissa took a deep breath as nervousness fluttered in her stomach. She strode forward and dropped to both knees and bowed her head. King Marit took two steps closer to her and turned back, taking the crown from the pillow the Queen held. He gently placed the crown on her head. “Rise, Princess,” King Tovin instructed. Karissa rose and smiled at them. She was just thankful this was over. “My sons, I want you to take the Princess on a tour of the Gallery and then return to us. By that time, the destruction should be cleared away and the celebratory meal ready to be served. She deserves a little time without this mess as a reminder of what has happened.” King Marit looked around the Hall. “In your absence, we’ll see to everything.” Callan and Tyral ushered Karissa out of the room as they saw guards begin to clear the room of people. They led her down the wide hallway to a set of double doors. “Welcome to the Volirian Gallery. Every King in our history is represented here in some form, be it statue, painting or sketch.” Tyral swept his hand wide to indicate the huge rectangular room. Instead of tapestries, pictures hung on these walls. Lamps hung from the ceiling, casting light on the images of Volirian royalty. “Every King is here?” Karissa raised her brows, disbelief clear on her face. “Even the Kings that came before the Sobrin rule?” “Yes, even they are included. The beneficent and the infamous Kings are displayed here, side by side, in the order that they ruled.” Callan chuckled. “If they were Kings of Volir for even a short time, their image is here.” “I see a few women’s pictures hanging on the walls here. What did they have to do to get displayed in this vaunted hall?” Karissa paced over to study a woman with a face ringed by blue green. It was obvious that she’d been mate to a Sobrin or a pair of Sobrin twins.

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“Ah for a woman to be displayed here, they have to be infamous or have done something very special. Queen Diera gave birth to two Sobrin daughters as well as two sets of male twins.” Tyral smiled at the picture. “I’ve never even heard of a female Sobrin. I thought there were only males.” She frowned as she looked at the picture. “It’s very rare for a female Sobrin to be born. Males are much more common.” Callan wrapped his arm around her waist. “If you’re interested, there are a few more women down here. They’re all mates to Sobrin Kings.” “Are there any infamous Queens among your Sobrin Queens?” She grinned eyeing the portraits of Kings as they passed them. “No, Sobrin Kings know how to keep their women busy.” Tyral gave her a look filled with sensual promise. “Let us show you the first two Sobrin Kings.” Callan drew her forward to two pictures. Tyral stood to the right, very near to the paintings. “These two proud men are King Vadin and King Tavik.” She tilted her head and studied the two Sobrin men. Although it was only a picture, those two men looked menacing, predatory. “They look wild, hard.” “They were genuine warlords on Carush before they became the Kings. They were very hard.” Tyral smiled. “They ruled with strength and no tolerance for the in-fighting that had marked the previous King’s rule. They barred several clans from the Royal Palace on Carush until those clans had pledged to cease the bloodshed. Not one of them was brave enough to break that promise, because they knew that those men would crush their clans if they did.” “I thought you were going to show me some more of the Queens.” Karissa tapped her foot and gave them a sassy grin as she folded her arms across her chest. “Those are your ancestors. Of course they were barbarians.” Callan’s hand landed in an open palm smack on her right buttock. He nodded to Tyral. Tyral took two large steps back, revealing a woman with honey-blonde hair and vivid blue eyes. Her face was rimmed in blue-green. At her neck, she wore a necklace with a rare Frejan Tamish gem of deep blue flanked by two, deep red Lishan stones. “By the Veil…Rana…” She stepped forward, her hand outstretched toward the painting. “Your friend is safe. She’s in very capable hands. She was sent to where she was fated to be.” Callan curved his arm around her waist, pulling her back against him. “That’s the past? She was sent into the distant past?” Her throat tightened. Callan nodded. “To the time of the first Sobrin Kings. They intended to send you there, but you belong with us. King Vadin and King Tavik found her shortly after the vortex dumped her into the desert on Carush.”

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Karissa realized she’d never see Rana again and tears gathered in her eyes. She looked at the portrait. The woman in that painting looked happy. “Is she happy with them?” “It’s said that few had seen such a happy woman. Before they were joined, she pushed them, tested them far more than you did us, but when she realized she belonged there, she embraced her life with them.” Tyral brushed a strand of hair that had slipped loose of the pins back behind her ear. She took a deep breath and brushed the tears away from her eyes. Rana wouldn’t have wanted tears when she’d found what she’d wanted. The only way she could honor her friend was to be happy for her in her life with her mates. “I can’t mourn for her when she’s found her destiny and when it brought her the happiness that I see in that picture.” Callan leaned close and drew his mouth along the column of her neck sending shivers down her spine and beginning a warm tingle in her belly. “We’ll be just as happy, if not more.” She raised a brow at that arrogant statement. “Why do you say that? I know for a fact that you can be arrogant, unbending wretches. Are you two going to reform?” Tyral shook his head. “Now, tana, you know you love us as we are.” “I could still love you if you reformed.” Karissa smiled. Even the idea of them reforming wasn’t believable. “Forget reforming us, little one. You’d miss our arrogance and provoke us into forsaking our best intentions.” Tyral lowered his head and brushed his delicious blue lips across her cheek. “So, how do you know we’ll be happier?” She laced her arm around Tyral’s waist. “That braid you’re holding tells me,” Callan lifted her hand and nipped her knuckle. “It does?” She looked at the braid of ribbons. “I knew it was strange when it did that, but I didn’t realize it meant anything.” “It means our marriage has been blessed…in all ways.” Tyral slid his hand down to cover her stomach. “In all ways…” She looked down at that hand and then up at the picture. “Do you think that…” “Curious thali, it’s your wedding day.” Callan smiled down at her. “Can’t you think of anything more interesting to do than ask questions that time will answer for you?” Her smile grew wicked as she turned to Tyral. She rose up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips over his chin before he leaned down and fastened his mouth on hers, one arm lifting her tightly against him. Her tongue slipped into his mouth and tangled with his as she reveled in the feel of his hard body against hers. Breathless and a little dazed when Tyral’s lips left hers, she had only a moment to realize that Tyral had set her down before Callan spun her around. His hands cupped

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her buttocks and lifted her against him. She saw the desire in his eyes as he lowered his mouth to hers. “Teasing sitga,” Callan reproved, nipping her lips before his mouth fastened over hers.

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About the Author Rebecca Airies has always loved to read. Futuristic, the classics, mystery or horror, the genre doesn’t matter as long as the stories capture her interest and take her on an adventure. She soon discovered a love for writing and characters just waiting to tell their stories. Since that time, writing has become an obsession. Rebecca lives in the heart of Texas. She loves the outdoors, growing things, and working on crafts when she’s not lost in the worlds of her characters. Please feel free to write and tell her what you think; she’d love to hear from you. Rebecca welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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Also by Rebecca Airies Ellora’s Cavemen: Jewels of the Nile II anthology Ellora’s Cavemen: Seasons of Seduction II anthology Primal Quest Second Chance

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