Page 54 of These Dangerous Fates

We both look at the vampire in question, who is leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest, watching with amusement. He snorts and walks forward. Fisting my hair in his grasp, he tugs my head back and leans down. I expect him to kiss me, to lay his claim, but instead, his mouth lands on Cade’s. His surprise is evident in the way his body jerks under mine, his fingers tightening on my hips. And when he kisses Kai back, molten heat pools in my core.

“You are both mine,” Kai growls against Cade’s mouth.

Holy. Shit. Pretty sure I just came in my panties.

“Oookay, well.” Allie coughs and clears her throat. “I’m just gonna … go …”

I laugh and shake my hair out as Kai releases me. “Don’t go.” I slide off Cade’s lap and walk to my bestie. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, but I have no desire to be part of your orgy.” She smirks at me and waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

“But they’re so hot,” I mock whisper. “How could you turn them down?”

Allie rolls her eyes and my chest squeezes. That interaction was so normal. Something most people have with their friends without thinking about it. When was the last time Allie and I really joked with each other? I grab her hands and pull her to a chair.

“No orgies, I promise.” I push her into the chair, then turn to sit on the couch between Cade and Kai.

Kai wraps his arm around my shoulders, and Cade sets his hand on my thigh. A girl sure could get used to this. I take a moment to revel in the fact I have no fear of being touched by either guy. Instead, I know with absolute certainty I couldn’t be more safe. It warms my chest, spreading happy tingles over my body to my hands and feet.

“Where is Sterling?” I ask, looking around the library.

Cade gives me a knowing look. “He went for a run. I think his wolf is riding him harder than normal.”

I push thoughts of Sterling aside. For the first time in a very long time, I’m happy. A weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and I’m lighter than I have been in years. There is no fear hanging over my head. No anxiety or uncertainty of what will happen in the next minute or hour. I have two amazing guys on either side of me and my bestie sitting across from me. I’m not going to waste this moment with what-ifs and worry over the future.

“Do you guys have a deck of cards?” I ask, looking at Cade.

Allie squeals from her chair and bounces on the cushion. “Up and down the river?”

“Yes!” I screech, just as enthusiastically as Allie.

Cade chuckles as he stands. “Up and down the river? What’s that?” He grabs a deck of cards from the console holding the video games and tosses it to me.

I grin and clear off the coffee table. This is exactly what I need.

* * *

After hours of playing cards, drinking, talking, and laughing, Kai opens his bedroom door and ushers Cade and me inside. My stomach hurts from all the laughing. It’s crazy to think that a few hours ago, Kai was laying in his bed, dying. A few hours ago, I was unsure about my future or where I stood in this world. A few weeks ago, I was in an abusive relationship. I was tired, scared, and sad all the time.

Things have really changed. It seems like a dream. One I’m scared to wake up from.

“Is this real?” I whisper to no one in particular, stopping just inside the room.

Cade wraps his arms around me from behind and leans down to whisper in my ear. “Remember what you told me earlier? When we were in the shower?”

My cheeks heat because I do remember what I said. Cade chuckles, low and sexy, and my toes curl against the marble floor.

“I thought you would remember.” He licks up the side of my throat to my ear and bites my earlobe, sending heat coursing through me.

“What exactly did she tell you?” Kai asks in a low voice as he approaches. His gait is prowling and dangerous, and it lights me up inside.

“She wants me to fuck her while you fuck me.” Cade’s breath fans across my neck, and his words rumble in his chest pressed against my back.

I squeeze my legs together, already turned on by Cade’s dirty talk and his body against mine. Fire erupts in my veins when he rocks his hips and his very noticeable erection makes its presence known. These two have the ability to utterly destroy me, and while it’s not easy to give them the power to do so, there is a thrill in letting it happen. Knowing they would never harm me helps to put me in the correct mindset to just let it all go.

A slow grin spreads across Kai’s face, revealing his lengthening fangs. “I think we can make that happen,” he says, gray eyes darkening as his pupils expand.

He places his hands on either side of my face and kisses me. It’s deep and all-consuming. My heart rate picks up and I press my hands to his chest, still surprised to find his heart thumping to the same rhythm as mine.

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