Moonlight
illuminated his red eyes and three lights flickered as if readying to attack
him. That image faded to be replaced by sunshine, and her focus swirled in
circles, like a camera swiveling into zoom.
A blue sky hung overhead, scented by wildflowers—the same
wildflowers she could smell around her in reality. She turned and looked back
at the two men lying naked on the blanket and—
As the dregs of vision dissipated, a mosquito bit her,
bringing her firmly back into the present, and she sucked in air. They were
both closer, having used her distraction as a time to catch up.
Pushing to her feet, she sprinted off. Although her breath
burned in her chest and her heart raced, she refused to give in so easily. If
they wanted her, they’d chase. It was their way.
The image from the future warned she’d not be fast enough.
It warned that no matter how hard and far she ran, they’d catch her before the
sun broke the horizon and lit the sky with streaming color. It didn’t matter,
though. Even if she knew the outcome, she’d not give into a mate who didn’t win
her fairly.
The whish of sound warned her, but not in enough time for
her to dodge the net that snared her feet from the ground and whipped her into
the air. The breath pushed out of her wheezing lungs and she gripped at the
sides of the net, seeking some kind of stability as the whole thing waved back
and forth between the trees.
A laugh sounded far below, and she craned her neck to try to
see them in the dark. “Hey, Tabitha. You ran into a trap.”
She recognized Gage’s voice even if she couldn’t see him lurking
in the shadows. “Yeah, I noticed that. Don’t suppose you’d be a pal and cut me
down?”
“Oh don’t worry. We’ll let you down.” His amused tone
confirmed both her visions and her supposition. The men were working together
to catch her.
“We?” She asked the question aloud, as if she didn’t know
Lancaster closed in on the clearing even as they spoke.
While Lancaster smelled of brandy and wicked pleasures best
saved for the cover of night, the scent of Gage teased at her nostrils. As crisp
as the white of his hair, Gage smelled of mint and the cold breath of frost
from a snowy morning. The combination of the two males, both so obviously ready
to mate based on the heady fragrance in the wind, left her a little dizzy and
almost drunk on repressed passions.
“You knew we’d come for you.” His tone was a jagged shard of
vocal power, meant to ready her body for his claiming. It took her a moment to
scrape enough logic together past the shivers the sound caused on her skin to
discern his meaning. When she did, her lips curled. Apparently, Gage wasn’t in
the mood to play coy.
“Did it seriously take two of you to catch me?” Just because
he was shoving power around like he had it to spare didn’t mean she wasn’t in
the mood to play verbal banter.
“You knew it would be us. And since we both won you…” He let
the sentence dangle and her nipples hardened in reaction. With one hand, she
rubbed across them, hoping to lower her reaction, and instead amplified her own
need. Technically, since they’d both caught her, they could share her.
Men of their kind weren’t willing to share a mate, none
she’d ever known of in all her travels. Too possessive, too dominant… They
didn’t want someone else to touch their mate, certainly not for the remainder
of their whole lives. Mates were for a lifetime and their lifetimes were longer
than most creatures.
The idea of two men, though, had long fascinated Tabitha,
even if it was taboo. She’d seen mortals in such relationships and something
about the idea of being sandwiched between two men, their scents twined and
both determined to please her, caused a forbidden thrill.
Not that she’d admit it. They’d have much power over her
already as mate. No sense giving them big heads on top of it. “You have to
admit, Gage, it’s pretty badass that it took two boys to take
illuminated his red eyes and three lights flickered as if readying to attack
him. That image faded to be replaced by sunshine, and her focus swirled in
circles, like a camera swiveling into zoom.
A blue sky hung overhead, scented by wildflowers—the same
wildflowers she could smell around her in reality. She turned and looked back
at the two men lying naked on the blanket and—
As the dregs of vision dissipated, a mosquito bit her,
bringing her firmly back into the present, and she sucked in air. They were
both closer, having used her distraction as a time to catch up.
Pushing to her feet, she sprinted off. Although her breath
burned in her chest and her heart raced, she refused to give in so easily. If
they wanted her, they’d chase. It was their way.
The image from the future warned she’d not be fast enough.
It warned that no matter how hard and far she ran, they’d catch her before the
sun broke the horizon and lit the sky with streaming color. It didn’t matter,
though. Even if she knew the outcome, she’d not give into a mate who didn’t win
her fairly.
The whish of sound warned her, but not in enough time for
her to dodge the net that snared her feet from the ground and whipped her into
the air. The breath pushed out of her wheezing lungs and she gripped at the
sides of the net, seeking some kind of stability as the whole thing waved back
and forth between the trees.
A laugh sounded far below, and she craned her neck to try to
see them in the dark. “Hey, Tabitha. You ran into a trap.”
She recognized Gage’s voice even if she couldn’t see him lurking
in the shadows. “Yeah, I noticed that. Don’t suppose you’d be a pal and cut me
down?”
“Oh don’t worry. We’ll let you down.” His amused tone
confirmed both her visions and her supposition. The men were working together
to catch her.
“We?” She asked the question aloud, as if she didn’t know
Lancaster closed in on the clearing even as they spoke.
While Lancaster smelled of brandy and wicked pleasures best
saved for the cover of night, the scent of Gage teased at her nostrils. As crisp
as the white of his hair, Gage smelled of mint and the cold breath of frost
from a snowy morning. The combination of the two males, both so obviously ready
to mate based on the heady fragrance in the wind, left her a little dizzy and
almost drunk on repressed passions.
“You knew we’d come for you.” His tone was a jagged shard of
vocal power, meant to ready her body for his claiming. It took her a moment to
scrape enough logic together past the shivers the sound caused on her skin to
discern his meaning. When she did, her lips curled. Apparently, Gage wasn’t in
the mood to play coy.
“Did it seriously take two of you to catch me?” Just because
he was shoving power around like he had it to spare didn’t mean she wasn’t in
the mood to play verbal banter.
“You knew it would be us. And since we both won you…” He let
the sentence dangle and her nipples hardened in reaction. With one hand, she
rubbed across them, hoping to lower her reaction, and instead amplified her own
need. Technically, since they’d both caught her, they could share her.
Men of their kind weren’t willing to share a mate, none
she’d ever known of in all her travels. Too possessive, too dominant… They
didn’t want someone else to touch their mate, certainly not for the remainder
of their whole lives. Mates were for a lifetime and their lifetimes were longer
than most creatures.
The idea of two men, though, had long fascinated Tabitha,
even if it was taboo. She’d seen mortals in such relationships and something
about the idea of being sandwiched between two men, their scents twined and
both determined to please her, caused a forbidden thrill.
Not that she’d admit it. They’d have much power over her
already as mate. No sense giving them big heads on top of it. “You have to
admit, Gage, it’s pretty badass that it took two boys to take
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