Page 11 of Gua rdian of Blood and Shadow

As Thane crawled closer and Ash worked his shaft deeper into me, I reached for Thane’s cock, angling the head toward Ash’s mouth. I licked my lips like I was the one preparing to take Thane into my mouth.

Finally, Ash was sheathed fully within me, and I gripped his wrists, moving his hands from my hips to Thane’s. I rocked atop Ash, savoring the unique sensation of being filled full to bursting. My greedy gaze locked on Thane’s cock as Ash opened his mouth to take him in.

I kept my motions slow, savoring the immense pressure, the slight tingling from immortal blood easing the tiny tears made by that massive cock, and reached between my legs to tease my clit.

Thane pumping into Ash’s mouth was quite possibly the hottest thing I had ever seen in my entire life. These two virile immortals, both prime specimens of masculinity, one dark, one light. I moaned, my rocking motion atop Ash becoming more demanding, my finger moving over my clit harder and faster. I had to force myself to let up or risk coming too soon.

I gripped one breast, tugging and twisting my nipple, and pulled my bottom lip in between my teeth. Ash watched me out of the corner of his eye, sensing my impending climax, and redoubled his efforts on Thane’s cock.

Thane’s whole body tensed, his muscles bulging, and he gripped Ash’s head, fucking the other man’s mouth with hard thrusts of his hips. He was close. I could feel it through our new bond. I rubbed my clit faster, harder, edging myself closer. The instant he thrust forward, stuffing his cock so deep into Ash’s mouth that the other vampire gagged, I slammed down on Ash’s cock and rubbed my clit as hard and fast as I could.

The orgasm crashed through me, my inner muscles clenching around Ash. My sudden spike in pleasure leaked through our bond, dragging Ash into blissful oblivion right along with Thane and me.

Though intense, it was a pure, simple release not fueled by an active exchange of blood, and the spasming waves of pleasure quickly faded. I slumped forward, Ash still sheathed within me, and curled up atop his burly body. Thane snuggled in beside us, skimming a hand up and down my back, and I luxuriated in the intimacy that existed between these two men—this partnership they were now welcoming me into. Though some of mycommunionswith the others may have been more intense or more extreme, none had ended with anything akin to a group snuggle session.

Thane kissed my shoulder, then Ash’s. “That was…” He laughed under his breath and shook his head. “I don’t even know what that was.” He leaned closer, claiming my lips in a lingering kiss. “Thank you,” he said, the words heartfelt. “I’m honored to be one of your chosen.”

I laid my cheek on Ash’s shoulder and smiled lazily at Thane. Ash nuzzled my hair, one burly arm curling around my back while the fingers of the other grazed over Thane’s biceps. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so cherished. So precious. So safe. Not since before, when I was a child and didn’t know anything about the true horrors of my world.

“You two are amazing,” I said, my eyelids drooping as the exhaustion of the past few days weighed on me and as the soothing motion of Thane’s fingers lulled me ever closer to sleep.

I was the one who should be honored. I had never been part of anything so loving and comfortable. So stable and deep. So real, as much about the emotional connection as the physical.

I was already halfway in love with them both, individually and together, and I could feel space being made for them in my heart. They belonged to each other, but now they also belonged to me.

I smiled to myself as I closed my eyes, sinking into this stolen moment of tranquility. Maybe the rest of my day would be stressful, filled with urgency and desperation and fear, but right now, at least, I felt at peace.

I tossed and turned, slipping into and out of horrific dreams filled with oceans of blood, fields of fire, and demonic monsters swarming across the earth like locusts.

Hands gripped me and voices whispered through my mind—my immortals attempting to wake me—but even they couldn’t drag me out of the nightmarish montage. I was a prisoner to the dreams, the visions. I could do nothing but sink further into the hellscape as a chorus of screams filled my ears, echoing in my bones.

6

Igroaned,rollingontomyside. The sheet beneath me was damp with sweat and stuck to my skin, audibly peeling away from my back. How I was so sweaty was beyond me when I felt like ice water had replaced the blood in my veins.

“She’s waking up,” someone said. Javier.

His voice was like a ghost haunting me from the past. It took my sluggish mind long seconds to recall that he was once again a part of my present. That, unlike all the other people I had lost, here was one I had actually found again.

“Soph?” Bastian said, and the mattress dipped behind me. I assumed the heated body curling around my backside belonged to him. Goddess, he felt hot enough that I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the cold sweat leaving my skin in a cloud of steam.

The pervasive cold sank further in, like it was diving deeper into me in an attempt to evade his heat. Shivering, I drew in my next breath through chattering teeth.

The mattress dipped again, this time in front of me, and I assumed another of my immortals had joined me on the bed.

“Open your eyes, child,” a woman said, her voice tickling the edges of my memory, though I couldn’t match it with a face or a name. Of one thing I was absolutely certain, she wasnotone of my immortals.

Curious, I peeled my eyelids open.

I absolutely did not recognize the face of the woman who sat beside me on the bed, hunched down to put herself closer to my level, but there was something familiar about her keen gaze. She was stunningly beautiful, with rich brown skin, copper eyes that seemed alight with an inner glow, and long, wild, dark auburn curls. My brow furrowed as I studied her features, imagining them wasted and wrinkled, her plump skin paper thin, her luxurious hair faded to fine silver strands.

My eyes narrowed, then widened, my brows rising. “Isador?” The wizened queen no longer appeared weak and ancient, but in the prime of her life. “How—”

A mysterious smile curved her rosy lips, and her eyes glittered knowingly. Immortal blood had revived her. Likely from one of her consorts.

With her silent confirmation, it was impossible not to imagine Isador communing with an immortal—or seven. “Oh,” I said, licking my lips. I cleared my throat.

Isador’s smile widened. She straightened up a moment later, her focus slipping away from me and shifting to various points around the room. It landed on something or someone beyond my feet.

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