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  Lily reeled, stunned by the impact the request had on her. His voice seemed to resonate through her body and soul, quickening the fire Darek had been stirring in her. She scooted up on the bed and lay back against the pillows. Her core clenched so tightly it hurt.

  “You need, Lily,” Bane said softly. “Let us help.”

  He was right. Darek followed her, pausing to lay his hands on her knees. She parted them, burning with want.

  He inhaled deeply and groaned. “She smells so good.”

  Bane stood and removed his shirt, revealing a chest as scarred as Darek’s—maybe more so. Her gaze rested on the scars for a moment, then she met his eyes, not knowing whether to be awed or to hurt for him. He crawled onto the bed. She held out her arms, reaching for him as he stretched out beside her, the denim of his jeans rasping gently against her hip.

  Bane rested his palm on her belly, holding her against the bed. “Be still for him, Lily.”

  “Okay,” she whispered. But God, if he would just move his hand lower… Bane grinned. Damn. She’d forgotten he could read her mind.

  “I learned something this morning.” Bane’s voice was a distant echo.

  “Yes?” she heard Darek ask.

  “I think I understand you now,” Bane told her. He traced circles on her stomach with his fingertips. Her pussy clenched painfully and her skin felt hot, his hands a cool balm. She wanted more but he stopped, drawing her attention with his eyes.

  Breathing hard, Lily clung to his calming gaze. “You do?”

  “Lily, you’re a half-blood idana.”

  The information was meaningless to her. “I’m a what?”

  “A succubus,” Bane said in a low voice. Surprise mingled with explosive need as he took her nipple into his mouth, suckling gently. She cried out, her back arching, pressing her breast into the wet heat of his teasing tongue. At the same moment, Darek slid his fingers into her weeping pussy. She shouted, an inarticulate cry of relief as the promise of fulfillment reached her core. But it still wasn’t enough.

  “It’s why men fight over you,” Darek said, sliding his fingers in and out of her. Her hips bucked, her body craving more. Bane moved his hand up to cover her other breast, pinching and flicking her nipple, stopping just below her threshold of pain. “It’s why they can’t control themselves around you.” She could hear the smile in his voice. The words whirled around in her semi-present mind, explanation and consolation for years of self-condemnation. Idana…succubus. Bane had said the words without judgment, casually, like someone might reveal her nationality.

  Bane released her nipple and trailed a line of kisses up to her ear, catching her earlobe gently between his teeth. “And I’m not sure—not yet—but you may be something else too,” he whispered. Between her knees, Darek leaned down to taste her. Her vision clouded as his tongue slid between the aching folds of her pussy. Her hands fisted in his hair. Bane’s voice echoed in her mind from somewhere far away. “You may be ours.”

  Ours. Lily only dimly registered the word. Her body was on fire, a need like she’d never imagined pulsing through her veins. Darek’s mouth and fingers vanished. She cried out in protest and Bane’s hand replaced Darek’s, stroking, his fingers scissoring and fluttering inside her. She turned her head, seeking Bane’s mouth. He was there, the heat of his tongue meeting her own. She had never known hunger like this and they were offering her a feast. Gratitude welled up in her, bringing tears to her eyes. She heard the hiss of a zipper, realized that Darek was taking off his jeans. Bane broke the kiss and she lifted her head to look at Darek, who now stood naked at the foot of the bed. Lily took in the length and size of his erection, gaped and met his gaze. It wasn’t as though she had a lot to compare him with, but he seemed very big to her.

  Darek got on the bed and stretched out on his back on her other side, opposite Bane. “I won’t hurt you, Lily.” She looked at him doubtfully.

  Bane nudged her toward Darek. “If you ride him, it’ll be easier for you the first time.”

  Lily frowned. “What about you?” She didn’t want him to be left out.

  Bane smiled, unzipping and sliding his jeans off. Unable to help herself, Lily stared openly at his cock as it sprang free. If she’d been hoping for a less intimidating option, she was out of luck. Darek rolled on his side, grasped her hips and lifted her easily on top of him. Lily gasped with surprise and planted her palms on his broad chest for balance. Carefully, Darek positioned her slick, wet pussy over his waiting cock.

  “Take it at your own pace, Lily,” he said. Slowly she slid down over him, taking him in inch by inch. He fit perfectly. Something inside her—something she’d been holding tightly in check for a very long time—let go. The relief was beyond words. Her spine relaxed and she dropped her head back, reveling in the silken heat of him as he filled her so completely she wanted to shout with joy. She heard Darek groan, a mixture of pleasure and agony, and she looked down at him.

  Sweat beaded on his brow, his handsome features taut. “God, your little cunt is so sweet and tight,” he ground out.

  “Mmmm,” she murmured, sliding up and down on him experimentally. “And you are…” She trailed off. She could swear that red light was flickering in the back of Darek’s eyes. He dug his fingers into her hips, holding her still.

  “Be still a second. I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, his voice desperate. She could see the pain in his features and instinctively responded.

  “But I want to ride you,” she protested. She’d intended the words to be mild but her own voice emerged breathy, unfamiliar.

  His cock jerked inside her at her words. “Oh Christ, Lily,” he hissed.

  Every cell in her body was screaming. “Please, Darek,” she whispered. Breathing hard, he lifted her hips, sliding halfway out of her, and then lowered her over his cock with a deliberate, torturous slowness until he hilted in her. He was watching her carefully. Lily heard plaintive, keening sounds and realized she was making them.

  “For God’s sake, man, fuck her,” Bane said next to them.

  “Does it hurt?” Darek asked breathlessly.

  She shook her head hard. “Only when you stop.” His fingers dug into her hips with a bruising force that satisfied something primal in Lily. “Yes, like that,” she breathed. “Do it just like that.”

  With a sound that was somewhere between a growl and a roar, he bucked hard beneath her, driving his cock into her over and over. A sheen of sweat coated his chest. Her hands slipped, but strong hands caught her shoulders, drawing her back. Confused, she turned her head and found Bane’s gentle blue gaze. He’d moved behind her, kneeling on the bed between Darek’s legs to hold her. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly from behind as Darek thrust into her. The steel length of his cock rested along her spine. Lily grasped his biceps, allowing the rhythm of Darek’s powerful thrusts to rub her lower back hard against him.

  The flicker of surprise in Bane’s eyes detonated something deep in her core. Darek’s cock pounded into her with a force that matched her need, fueling a building storm within her. She heard herself scream as the orgasm seized her mercilessly, taking the breath from her lungs and every sane thought from her mind. Release, pleasure like she’d never known, exploded through her. For an eternal second, her world narrowed to Bane’s possessive gaze and the hot length of Darek’s cock driving into her. There was no thought, no fear—there was only sensation, and the two men holding her were its beating heart. Three words fell from Bane’s lips straight into her soul—

  “You. Are. Ours.”

  Darek stiffened beneath her, a shout tearing from his throat. Bane’s hands clamped down on her shoulders, his cock pulsing against the small of her back, spilling slippery, wet heat. Content at last, Lily smiled up at Bane and let the darkness edging into her vision take her, knowing she was safe in their grasp.

  * * * * *

  When Lily next became aware, she felt the welcome coolness of a damp cloth on her back. She lay on top of Darek, his c
ock still semi-hard inside her. She propped herself up on her hands. Bane lay on his side next to them. He folded the cloth and set it on the nightstand. She looked from one of them to the other, wonderment filling her. They were whole. Intact. Okay. They were both really, really okay. And she was… She was much more than okay.

  “Thank you,” she burst out, feeling tears brim in her eyes. Darek’s languid expression turned to one of surprise as she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him soundly, deeply. Then, lifting herself off Darek, she straddled a shocked Bane and did the same. “I never, ever thought… You’re both just so amazing… I want to do that again,” she finished in a wondering voice.

  The men exchanged a glance.

  Her mind drifting, she felt more than heard Bane’s chuckle. His abdomen grew taut under her thighs. She looked from one of them to the other.

  “Well, I think that answers that question,” Bane said, his voice mellow. He traced a light circle around her navel until she giggled and made a grab for his hand. Dodging her, he reached instead for her hair, toying with a strand.

  Darek rested his hand possessively on her hip. “Yes, I think so,” he agreed.

  Lily raised an eyebrow. “What question?”

  “You weren’t lying about being a virgin,” Bane answered, grinning.

  Her jaw dropped and she felt a twinge of annoyance. “Are we still on that?”

  Darek shook his head. “No, sweetheart. He’s kidding. I’m not going to hold your heritage against you.” His tone was mild but Lily saw hurt flash through his expression.

  “Ignore him,” Bane said. “He’s been burned by idani before and it’s made him a doubting jackass.”

  There was that word again, Lily thought—idana. Succubus. She’d made only a couple of friends in her life. She couldn’t imagine trying to explain this to them. Did you know there are men out there who can turn into dragons? They’re fantastic in bed too. I found two of them and I’m crazy about both. Yeah. Her friends would tell her she’d lost her mind, recommend a therapist or five and shuttle her off to the funny farm. Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.

  With an appreciative glance, she took in Bane’s striking, refined features. How remarkable it was that she found the strong, angular lines of Darek’s face equally irresistible.

  The corners of her mouth twitched. She could add to the story while they waited for the guys with straitjackets. You know why men follow me around like lost puppies? How they explode like C4 lust bombs if I touch them? It’s because I’m half succubus. Explains a lot, doesn’t it?

  It did sound insane. At the same time, nothing about her or her life was normal, so abnormal made a hell of a lot more sense.

  “So tell me more about them—the idani,” Lily said.

  The men exchanged a glance. After a pause, Darek gestured at Bane—go on then.

  Bane seemed to consider for a moment, then he spoke slowly. “Lily, your mother’s name was Mara, yes?”

  Lily raised her eyebrows. “Yes. Mara Sinclair. How’d you know that?”

  Bane paused, as if considering. “Lily, your mother was an idana. Your father was human.”

  Lily bit her lip. “Okay.”

  “I have a friend who knows a lot about the idani’s history. According to her, Mara’s story is quite well-known. She had a passion for rare books. Your father owned an eclectic bookstore that she often visited. Over time, they developed a deep affection for one another. She knew how dangerous she was to him, but he knew nothing of her nature. Around him, she kept her glamour muted—toned herself down. All the same, he pursued her relentlessly.”

  Books, Lily thought. Her life always seemed to return to books. Her mother’s collection of first editions had been her treasure trove and her greatest solace.

  Bane continued, “Unable to stay away from him, she agreed to see him. Theirs was a platonic relationship—Mara kept it that way because she knew he would not survive the consummation. Afraid he would reject her if he knew what she was, she told him she was very religious and wouldn’t touch a man to whom she wasn’t married.”

  Lily grinned ruefully. “Ironic that a succubus would say that.”

  “Unfortunately, her plan to keep him at arm’s length backfired and he became determined to marry her. Her heart breaking, Mara turned him down again and again. Finally, lost and alone, she pursued the advice of a powerful sorceress who lied to her. She told Mara that the sacrament of marriage would protect her human lover. Thrilled, she wed him in secret.”

  Memories flooded into Lily’s mind. “It didn’t, did it?” she asked.

  Bane shook his head, his blue eyes sympathetic. “Not long after, he died and Mara vanished. At the time, no one knew for sure, but some believed she was carrying his child.”

  He paused and reached up to brush his thumb across her cheek. Lily hadn’t realized she was crying. “You, Lily.”

  Darek rested his hand on her knee. “I’m so sorry, love.” Lily sought the comfort of Darek’s arms, letting herself crumple against his chest. Bane’s story explained so much, yet her new understanding was not a comfort.

  Lily recalled the wedding photo her mother kept by her bedside. Her father had been a tall, slender, bookish man, handsome in his tuxedo, his smile shameless and giddy beneath his small, round glasses and wild shock of blond hair. In the photo, the couple appeared unaware of the photographer, having eyes only for each other. Her mother was smiling with a happiness that Lily never witnessed during her lifetime, her long, raven hair spilling in wild curls down her back, shining with a sultry radiance against her white wedding dress.

  “She told me he died in a car accident,” Lily whispered. It made so much sense now, the way her mother looked away when they spoke of her father, how she looked at the floor and wrung her hands in those awkward moments.

  “Why didn’t she ever tell me any of this? And now it’s too late—she’s gone,” she cried. They would never make up. She could never tell her mother that she understood. She’d never have anything but a stranger’s fairytale account of what her father had been like.

  “I’m sorry, Lily. I wish I hadn’t been the one to tell you,” Bane said. Darek turned on his side, placing Lily between himself and Bane.

  Feeling helpless, Bane held Lily gently and stroked her back. Darek sat up and drew the sheet and blanket over the three of them. Together, they held her while she cried, her face pressed tightly into the curve of Bane’s shoulder. Darek gathered her hair at her nape, smoothing it down against her back, and molded his body to hers.

  Neither of them said a word. Bane didn’t know what to say. His own chest was tight with a sadness he hadn’t felt when he’d first heard Mara’s story from Savara. At the time, he’d reveled in a sort of academic satisfaction—he’d found one more piece of the puzzle that was Lily. Now he almost wished he’d left well enough alone.

  As though reading Bane’s guilt, Darek met his gaze over Lily’s shoulder and shook his head. There is nothing you could have done, his expression said. Bane nodded, understanding, but it was an unsatisfying knowledge. He didn’t want to see her suffer like this—certainly not because of something he’d told her. Something he’d risked his skin to discover.

  Closing his eyes, Bane reached for her mind and bent his will over hers. “Sleep, Lily,” he whispered. She frowned up at him through her tears, then half turned to look at Darek. Her lips parted as if to speak.

  Darek put a finger over her mouth. “Sleep,” he said, adding his will to Bane’s.

  Her eyes grew languorous and she relaxed, but Bane felt her resisting them.

  “Will you stay?” she asked.

  The question touched Bane. “Yes, Lily, we’ll stay.” Still she did not yield. “Sleep,” he repeated, leveraging more power behind the order.

  “Both of you?” she added, tapping his chest with one finger to emphasize the point.

  He grinned. Her words were a little slurred but her defenses were pretty strong.

  “Both o
f us,” Darek answered.

  She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, seeming to compose herself, and nodded. “Okay then.”

  Only then did Bane sense her surrender. Her eyes closed, her struggle subsiding. Within seconds, her breathing was deep and even. Darek propped himself up on an elbow and ran his fingers through her hair, his eyes full of wonder. Bane drew the edge of the sheet up and dabbed her reddened cheeks. Her fingers twitched against his skin but subsided when he shushed her.

  “Well,” Darek said in a hushed voice, “congratulations. You made a girl cry.”

  “Shut up,” Bane snapped. Seeing his friend’s sympathetic expression, he softened. “Our girl,” he added.

  Lily twitched in her sleep, murmuring. Two distinct bands of colored light encircled Lily’s sleeping body, weaving over and through her skin, illuminating the sheet as they traveled from her head to her toes. The first was brilliant red, the second a swirling mixture of blue and gold.

  It was a moment before Bane remembered to breathe.

  “Damn,” Darek whispered. “The sovrán’s going to kill us.”

  “We can’t take her in for the Inquiry,” Bane remarked, his jaw tightening. Darek was right—Anthony would be staunchly against an idana-dracambri mating. Then again, he was mated, and to a human. He would at least understand that a dracambri’s soul, not his heart or mind, chose his mate.

  As if he sensed the direction of Bane’s thoughts, red light flashed in Darek’s eyes. “No. We can’t.”

  Bane met his friend’s hard gaze. “Of course not,” he murmured.

  Of course not.

  Chapter Four

  “And steak, rare, for the gentleman,” the waitress said, setting Bane’s plate down in front of him with a flirtatious flourish. He nodded politely but didn’t return her smile. She turned to Darek, ignoring Lily, and asked hopefully, “Will there be anything else?”

  “A pitcher of water, please,” Bane said, his eyes on Lily as she dug into her plate of pasta. She’d slept soundly for almost twenty hours, which hadn’t surprised him. Bonding was a physically draining process for dracambri—it was likely even harder on her human physiology. Add to that the aftereffects of ether and the stress of so much new information on her psyche and they’d had one exhausted woman. Darek had worried over her but neither of them wanted to wake her. Bane’s greatest concern was keeping her hydrated. His gaze flicked up to the waitress, whose mind was a noisy sea of erotic hope.