Page 35 of Reign of Four

Andrei reaches Ezra first, sliding under Ezra’s injured arm with graceful ease. “C’mon, brother, let’s get you to bed. You look like shit.”

That earns a chuckle from the larger man. “You are missing chest plate. Did Valentina break clasp or did you forget it after fucking wife, hm?” He shakes his head. “Careless, pakhan. I cannot protect you all time.”

My cheeks flush as I realize not only are they bantering, but they’re casually discussing the sex Andrei and I had earlier. Ezra and Mikhail know.

“Don’t look so shocked, malyshka. There’s little we don’t share.” Mikhail, leading our way across the back lawn, tosses me a wink. “Your little tryst earlier was a much needed highlight to an otherwise dreary fucking week.”

We weave through the upheaval across the gardens, stepping around overturned cement statues and over numerous masked bodies as we make our way through the back gate and onto the street. The entire area has been cordoned off, leaving a clear path for us. More armed guards swarm the area, but thankfully, we’re left alone. We load into the back of an SUV, with Ezra squeezed in the middle between us all. There’s enough room to sit apart, but none of us bother, instead taking up the entire back bench as we tangle our limbs together.

Well, as my men tangle their limbs around me.

Despite how ashen Ezra’s complexion is and how often his eyelids flutter closed, he insists on holding me in his lap, banding his arms around my midsection stronger than any seatbelt. Mikhail weaves his ankle around mine and pulls my thighs apart so that he can slip a hand between them. I’m anticipating him teasing my clit, but he seems content to gently stroke my inner thigh while he peers out the window, a pensive look in his eye as we rumble down the city streets. Andrei takes Ezra’s other side, cradling my arm across his chest while he kisses each of my knuckle bones, his gaze unfocused as he, too, loses himself in thought.

Now that we’re alone, I can see the signs of exhaustion. The dark circles under their eyes. The way their heads hang low. How they don’t say a word, or even look at each other.

The desire to curl up between the three of them hits hard, and I picture us sprawled out on the biggest, fluffiest, whitest bed I’ve ever seen. Sleeping. Waking up naked in their arms to a new world where the threat of Liam and Katya doesn’t exist sounds fucking perfect.

“Where are we going?” I ask, leaning my head back against Ezra’s shoulder.

It’s Mikhail who speaks up, flicking his gaze towards me. As we pass orange streetlights, their glow highlights copper flecks in his eyes. He wakes up marginally as my question registers, a small smile playing on his lips. “One of our safe houses. I think you’ll like this one.”

“You always think she will like your things,” Ezra grumbles, resting his chin on my shoulder.

“She does,” Mikhail huffs, pursing his lips. “My things, especially. I have taste, unlike the two of you. You’d put her in some cabin in the woods, I bet, claiming it’s rustic.” His hand travels higher, teasing more sensitive skin than before. An electric buzz settles between my thighs. “I’ll give Valentina the kind of views she needs to recover. Something truly beautiful—the kind of view that a queen deserves.”

I try to imagine what a safe house might look like, but all that comes to mind is a concrete panic room, much like the room in the basement where Liam tore off my dress. I shiver at the memory, and Ezra rumbles a soothing shhh in my ear, kissing the curve of my neck.

Andrei remains the voice of reason. “We’ll arrive soon enough, then Ezra needs to rest. He may have a concussion.”

“Then he needs to stay awake,” Mikhail counters, a glimmer sparking in his eye. “I know just the thing to keep his eyes open.” His fingers travel higher, his knuckles pushing between my folds to brush against my clit, making me gasp. His copper eyes dance as we pass another streetlight, and the quick glimpse of his tongue sliding across his upper lip sends a rush of heat straight to my core.

“We’ve all missed you, malyshka. Isn’t that right, boys?”

Andrei’s attention drifts back to us, his weight shifting in his seat. He wraps his lips around one of my fingertips and teases it with his tongue. “Mmm. Very much.”

An electric zing shoots up my spine as Mikhail applies more pressure to my clit, rubbing just hard enough to get my heart pumping. “I—I don’t think this counts as resting.”

How any of us are horny after the clusterfuck that happened tonight is insane. Legitimately, it’s crazy. We’re crazy. Sex should be the last thing on our minds. But Andrei’s cum keeps me wet, and even if it didn’t, the way Mikhail flashes his canines as he slips a finger inside me definitely turns me on.

The car rolls to a stop, and he pops his glistening fingertip into his mouth, sucking it clean. “Mmm, just as sweet as I remember.”

Andrei pushes open the car door and drags me out of Ezra’s lap, setting me down on the ground outside. Sand kicks up around my ankles, and a cold ocean breeze blows right through me, whipping my dress across my thighs. I stare out at the dark, endless ocean, ink-black beneath an overcast sky.

The car doors slam once Mikhail and Ezra climb out. Mikhail places his hands on my shoulders and abruptly turns my body away from the crashing ocean waves. “Welcome to my favorite hideaway.”

At first, all I see is the ocean, but that’s impossible. It roars behind me, stronger than ever as a storm threatens to kick up. I stare at the impossible waves in front of me until I notice their edges—dark pockets of space on either side where they disappear into shadow.

The ocean doesn’t have edges. It’s endless.

The four of us move closer, my shoes catching on a wooden walkway hidden beneath a layer of sand. As we close in on the mirage, I realize what I’m actually looking at is a wall of glass. The raging ocean behind us reflects perfectly across it, so much so that when I reach out my hand, I expect to feel its icy spray across my skin. Instead, my fingertips press against an equally frigid wall, sending a tremor through my entire body.

“Get us inside before she freezes,” Andrei hisses. If he weren’t supporting Ezra’s weight, I have no doubt either one of them would carry me inside. I catch his eyes in the glass reflection, and I try to smile around my chattering teeth.

“Shit, Valentina, hold on.” Mikhail curses as he slams his palm on a camouflaged scanner. “Almost there.” It takes three separate body scans to open the door, and then I’m ushered inside by three overbearing men. The house is nearly as cold inside as it is outside, and Mikhail quickly adjusts the thermostat and lights a gas fire in the fireplace.

Warmth floods into the room at the first flicker of flame, and I migrate over to the fireplace without pausing to look at our surroundings. I stare into the flames and hold my hands out, desperately waiting for the chill to seep out from my bones.

It isn’t until I feel someone’s hands on my waist and lips on the back of my neck that my pulse jumps from a frozen crawl back to a steady beat.

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