Page 72 of Dark Space
Alcide’s eyes were obsidian with intent; his lips went straight to my collarbone, then dragged up my neck as I gasped. He left a trail of kisses along my jaw before he seized my mouth, kissing me until I squirmed, his tongue finding mine in a dance that made my entire body catch alight. My hands met his shoulders and I pulled him onto me; he tried to hold his weight off, but I dragged him mercilessly down. I wanted to feel his weight, wanted to feel encased by him, surrounded. My body was lit withfeeling: shivers from his touches, from his kisses, anticipation, nerves.
Alcide rolled and took me with him, hauling me to sit upright, straddling his thighs. ‘You have too many clothes on, Anna,’ he said sternly.
My hands went to the hem of my sweater, intending to tug it off, but another pair of hands got there first. Callan took hold of the soft wool and inched it up, carefully pulling it over my head, his chest like a bank of heat behind me. My breath caught at the thought of it, at the feeling of having both of them so close; I turned and watched him fold the sweater carefully at the foot of the bed, placing it down with a reverence that made my heart hurt.
Vesper perched on the side of the bed and grinned. ‘Is this usual for a human wedding?’
In truth, I had no idea how it was going to work between the four of us, but I reasoned that I didn’t have much experience of how it worked between two people, either, so it wouldn’t make much difference either way.
‘This isnotusual for a human wedding,’ I said breathlessly, as Alcide’s hands settled on my hips and Callan’s heat was behind me again, his fingers on the zip of my dress. Vesper’s eyes burned, but he made no attempt to join in, just leaned against the post of Alcide’s bed and watched us like we were his own personal entertainment for the night.
Which we might have been, I supposed.
Callan brushed a tentative kiss over the shell of my ear, then tugged my zipper down with excruciating slowness; I heard him inhale sharply when the cooler air of the bedroom hit my bare skin, then didn’t hear him breathe again, not until I turned and looked at him over my shoulder.
‘Anna,’ he said thickly. ‘Anna, I … Cide, you have to tell me … I don’t know what you want from me here.’
Alcide sat up, cradling me, and reached out to Callan. ‘There’s no expectation, Cal. What doyouwant?’
Callan’s eyes darted between Alcide and I, his face anguished.
‘Too much choice,’ Vesper said. ‘He wants you both the same, don’t you?’ The starling grinned. ‘You know this won’t be a one-time thing. That there will always be an ebb and flow. This time might be about Alcide, but the next time might be about you.’
‘No,’ Callan said, his voice wavering with pain. ‘No, I don’t know that. This might seem like a good idea at the time, but then morning will come, and the excitement will fade, and regret will grow, and I … I’ve never done this before, starling,’ he finished up fiercely. ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’
‘Callan,’ I said, turning properly to face him, my back against Alcide’s chest. I reached out to touch his face. ‘Neither has Alcide. And what I’ve done wasn’t great, and only with one person, so we’ll all learn together.’
Vesper blinked. ‘Alcide hasn’t … And Anna, only with one being?’ He tipped his head back, looking at the ceiling. ‘Anna, brightness, have you ever heard the expressionyou need to float before you fly?’
‘We’re jumping in at the deep end, Vesper,’ I said stubbornly.
Vesper frowned at me. ‘They sound likeoppositethings, lodestar. Sometimes you need ground rules.’
‘Ground rules?’ Alcide said slowly. ‘The starling who stole half my treasury is telling us we needrules?’
‘I’m a criminal, not a fool,’ Vesper said with a wave of his hand. He fixed us all with a golden stare. ‘First. No one does a single thing they don’t want to do, and you communicate how you’re feeling at all times.’
I bit my lip.
‘Second, Anna comes first. Always.’
I opened my mouth to protest, but Callan nodded, his expression serious, and I felt Alcide echo the movement behind me, and I decided I wouldn’t complain.
‘Thirdly …’ Vesper trailed off, thinking. ‘It doesn’t matter what happens outside this room. Inside it, you are all equal. It doesn’t matter who is king, or queen, or otherwise. In here, you are Callan and Anna and Alcide.’
‘And Vesper,’ I added quietly.
‘And lastly,’ he went on, giving me a hot look that made my core clench, ‘you will all get jealous at some stage, no matter how much you try not to. Accept that it will happen. When it does,talk about it,’ he said, his gaze shifting to Callan. ‘You won’t get what you need if you don’t ask for it, and we can’t help you if we don’t know.’
‘That’s very … thorough, Vesper,’ Alcide said. ‘Have you used these rules before?’
‘Why? Are you jealous?’ Vesper grinned. ‘I assure you that I’ve never beenclaimedbefore, so you don’t have to worry,husband. Little lodestar,’ he continued, ‘are you happy where you are?’
I squirmed on Alcide’s lap, rubbing myself against his hardening cock, then shivered at his answering moan. ‘Yes.’
‘And you’ll tell us if that changes?’
Alcide pressed a line of kisses down my throat; I arched back against him, my arms twining up around his neck. ‘Yes.’
