Page 50 of Degradation

Eadric plucked at my skirt again.

“If you’d like to practice, you can remove your dress and help bathe me.”

I snorted and tugged my skirt free. “You’re incorrigible. I know where bathing you naked will lead.”

“Perhaps you would like to taste me again while Garron takes you from behind as Daemon did,” he said.

My face flushed scarlet.

“Do I smell dinner burning?” I managed to ask. “I should check.”

Edmund stepped aside, allowing me to flee from the room. I couldn’t outpace my imagination, though. The scene Eadric had painted made my heart race and hunger fill me. Iwantedto taste him while his brother brought me pleasure.

Was I truly so wanton?

“Kitten? Are you all right?” Brandle asked.

I realized I was standing in the middle of the kitchen without moving and shook myself.

“Eadric is trying to help me feel less shame,” I managed.

“How so?”

“By suggesting things my mind is telling me I should find inappropriate while also finding them intriguing.”

“We are at your beck and call, Sparrow,” Eadric yelled from upstairs, proving how little privacy there was in our home. “Whenever you wish, Garron and I can be ready.”

Brandle saw my tortured expression and hugged me.

“Talk to me, Kitten. What is going through your mind?”

“Last night with Darian and Daemon was lovely. But did I cheapen the experience by sharing it with both of them? Shouldn’t our time together be alone? Private?”

“Your time with us can be whatever you wish it to be,” he said. “If you’re worried that either Darian or Daemon feels slighted, I promise it’s the opposite. By not sending one of them away, they were both able to spend more time with you. Watching you find your pleasure, or even simply hearing it, brings us immense joy.”

I tucked my head against his chest and struggled against the embarrassment and shame I wanted to feel.

“I’m glad Eadric and Garron said something to me,” I said. “Understanding why you fear I’d leave has opened my eyes. However, I still hold firm, Brandle. Even through embarrassment and shame, I will not leave your side as long as you continue to stand with me.”

He kissed the top of my head.

“I love you, Kellen. You’re the bravest woman I ever met, and I refuse to let you go. Ever. If you do run, know that we will follow you and find you. There is no escaping us.”

Tipping my head back, I silently pleaded for his kiss. He gave it tenderly at first, then with growing desire.

“Dinner truly will burn if you continue,” Eadric said, coming down the stairs.

Brandle withdrew and turned me toward Eadric.

“Edmund would like some fresh bathwater,” he said. “I’ll stir dinner.”

I made my way upstairs and found Edmund alone in my bedroom. His shirt was on the floor beside the tub, and the ties of his pants were loose around his waist. Ignoring the indecent outline of his hard length, I focused on purifying and heating the water.

“Done,” I said.

When I would have left, he caught me in his arms.

“Stay,” he breathed, nuzzling my neck. “Eadric was right. I could think of little else today but you. Please stay.”

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