Page 3 of Always Eros

“We joined Yves,” Leander says, sitting on the other side of my legs. “Our lives together are magical. You could be with us.”

Shaking my head, I try to make sense of what they are offering. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. Where do you live? What country are you loyal to? What is your profession? Your family name?”

“So many royal concerns,” Yves says, softly, gazing into my eyes. “To be expected. You’ve been raised sequestered from the real world.” He takes my hand in his, stroking it softly. The gesture is oddly soothing. “I know your soul, Henry. I know your heart’s deepest desires. I can give them to you. Everything you want, even the things you don’t allow yourself to wish for, can be yours.”

“That’s… not possible. You cannot know me.”

“And yet, he does,” Alessio says, rubbing my foot through the blankets. “We all do.”

“But how? Can you read my thoughts?”

“Yes,” Yves says, plainly. “I can.”

I realize with sudden shock that this is no ordinary man I’m dealing with. He has the ability to wipe away a terrible illness in mere minutes. I should not be shocked that he has other unworldly skills.

“Why do you want me to go with you?” I ask.

“Because I desire you,” Yves says. “You will fit in nicely with our family. I can feel it.”

“You look like an angel,” Alessio says.

“As soon as we saw your face,” Leander says, smiling. “We knew you had to be ours.”

“Be yours? What does that mean?”

“Part of our family,” Yves answers. He lifts my hand, studying my fingers before pressing kisses to each. The act is both scandalous and deliciously tempting. “You have longed for a masculine touch since you were barely a man,” Yves says, his eyes flickering up to me, the green in them shining like hand-cut emeralds. “But you shoved it down, buried it, and followed your duties to find a wife.”

“I loved Elisabetta,” I whisper. “She was a perfect wife.”

“You can love your wife and still want the touch of someone else. Someone who can provide what your sweet wife could not.”

“Now you would not be unfaithful to her,” Alessio says. “You are free to keep the memory of her love in your heart, while allowing new joy into your life.”

“And your bed,” Leander says.

“But the choice is yours,” Yves says. “We will no sooner force you than we will harm you. There are just a few things you need to know should you decide to join us.”

The other two men scoot a bit closer and the energy of being surrounded by three beautiful men makes my stomach flutter. How is it possible that Yves knows my most scandalous desires? I told only Elisabetta of my secret desires. I wanted her to know me entirely, and she still accepted me as her husband. I promised her I would never stray, never seek it out, but she’s gone, and here are three men offering me something I could only have in my fantasies.

“You cannot leave once you accept my gift,” Yves says. “You cannot go back to what you are now.” His hand moves to my neck, focusing on it for a moment. “My, you have a lovely neck.”

Very slowly, it dawns on me that this man is no mere mortal. “What are you?” I ask with a shaky breath.

“I am a prince too, Henry. A prince of the night. With me, you will be equal. We will spend our days doing as we wish and our nights reveling in darkness.”

“Are you the devil?”

Alessio laughs. “The devil wishes to be Yves.”

“I am neither devil nor demon. I am not evil, but I can be. I will never harm you and will destroy anyone who tries to. With us, you will be adored, Henry, for who you are, not simply for your birthright. You will have unparalleled freedom to live your life as you wish, not as your duty dictates. You will not find another wife. Instead, you will find everything your secret heart desires, and you will have it as much as you want.”

“You want to make me your lover?”

“Oh yes,” Leander says.

“You are his lovers?”

“We were,” Alessio says, glancing at Yves with pure affection. “We are better brothers.”

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