The Journal Keeper (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (24 page)

Rianne could hardly believe what she was hearing, but the casual way Dorin delivered the news couldn’t be questioned. He was completely serious, and that terrified her. From what she’d read in the journal, the Hunters were brutal in their goal to exterminate shifters and the magi. They were worse than the Nazis during World War II, more terrifying than Hitler himself. They were sadistic in the worse sense of the word, torturing entire shifter towns before eradicating them.

A sudden urge overcame her to look through the journal again, to read what else Merlin had to say about the Hunters, to find out how to stop them. The feeling was so powerful her hands actually began to shake.

“Easy,” Nikolas murmured, pulling her close.

He lifted her until she was nestled against his chest, half sitting in his lap. Dorin took her empty seat, his face drawn as he took a hand in hers.

“Rianne, listen to me. We have no reason to believe there will ever be a war. It’s just a precautionary measure. Breathe,
danalya
,” Dorin murmured soothingly.

She inhaled shakily, her fingers clenching around his hand. Eventually, she calmed down, resting her head against Nikolas’s shoulder. The feel of his lips pressing against her temple was more powerful than the pull to the journal and she turned in his embrace, pressing her body closer to his. Dorin’s finger traced along her mating marks, adding a deeper level of peace to her suddenly languid body.

“I don’t want to learn how to dance anymore,” Rianne mumbled into Nikolas’s neck.

His chest moved beneath her as he gave a rough laugh, and Dorin smiled weakly.

“What do you say we go for a ride?” Dorin suggested.

“Please,” Rianne agreed, realizing it was exactly what she needed.

“Come on,” Dorin said, helping her to stand.

“You’re coming, too,” Rianne insisted, looking up at Nikolas.

“Anything you say,
capora
,” Nikolas agreed with a wry grin.

* * * *

Rianne wasn’t sure what to think when Nikolas introduced her to his mount, Byntwor. The creature looked as though it came from a horse that had mated with a lizard. Black scales covered his entire body, giving him a sort of shine in the noonday light. Completely different from her and Dorin’s
pegamies
, Nikolas had proclaimed Byntwor to be an
erpetrus
.

“Why does he look so angry?” Rianne asked as Nikolas introduced them.

“Probably upset that I haven’t ridden him in a while,” Nikolas answered, patting the huge beast affectionately.

Byntwor snorted, his hoof stomping the ground as he threw back his head.

“Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you,” Nikolas assured her, pulling her closer so Byntwor could sniff her.

Worried he was going to bite her, Rianne tried to stay as far away from his teeth as possible, but Nikolas’s arm around her waist dragged her closer until she was less than a foot away from his teeth.

“Be nice, Byntwor,” Nikolas warned the
erpetrus
.

Byntwor snorted again before pressing his nose into Rianne’s shoulder. Surprised, she squeaked and attempted to jump back, but Nikolas kept her still. She shook as Byntwor sniffed her over, his hot breath ruffling her hair. When he gave a sort of sneeze and backed away, Nikolas laughed.

“He smells us on you,” Nikolas informed her before she could ask.

“He doesn’t like it?” Rianne asked, confused and a little offended by the beast’s reaction.

“Oh, no. He likes it,” Nikolas said as Byntwor pranced in front of them.

When he gave a loud whinny, Nikolas laughed again, throwing his head back as Byntwor began circling them.

“What’s he doing?” Rianne asked, unable to keep from smiling at the display.

“He wants us to ride him,” Nikolas told her after he’d calmed down enough.

“Why is that so funny?” Rianne pressed.

“Because that damned
erpetrus
hates everybody. The only reason he lets me ride him is because he knows what’ll happen if he doesn’t. One sniff and he’s completely devoted to you,” Nikolas explained.

Rianne looked at Byntwor with new eyes, smiling when he shook his large head at her before nudging her hand with his nose. She rubbed along his scales tentatively until she knew he wasn’t going to suddenly bite her. Nikolas stood behind her, shaking his head at the display.

That’s how Dorin found them moments later when he came out of the forest, Alyla and Rysad in tow.

“Well, look at that. She’s turned your mount domestic,” Dorin exclaimed with a wide grin.

“I can see that. Damned thing won’t do me a lick of good on the battlefield now,” Nikolas grumbled, but his grin took any serious anger out of his words.

“Good. He doesn’t need to be going off to war and neither do you,” Rianne shot over her shoulder.

“I thought we came out here to forget about wars,” Dorin interrupted their argument before Nikolas could offer a rebuttal.

Rianne gave him a sly grin before practically skipping over to Alyla.

“Hey, girl,” Rianne cooed, running a hand through her soft fur.

Byntwor and Rysad were nickering back and forth to each other, both of them prancing anxiously. Nikolas and Dorin stood between them, watching the show curiously. The two mounts walked toward each other slowly, sniffing and snorting until they were face to face. With a few tosses of their heads, they separated and Rysad moved to stand on one side of Alyla while Byntwor moved to the other.

“By the gods,” Nikolas gaped.

“I can’t believe they just did that,” Dorin added.

“What happened?” Rianne asked as the three mounts nickered back and forth.

“They just formed a triad,” Dorin told her.

“Like us?” Rianne asked.

“Basically. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Have you?” Dorin asked Nikolas, who continued to stare at the horses with wide eyes.

“Never,” Nikolas finally managed to spit out.

“It makes sense, though, doesn’t it? I mean, you said Alyla was waiting for me. Maybe Rysad and Byntwor were waiting for Alyla to have a rider before they formed a bond,” Rianne offered by way of explanation.

“Whatever the reason, they’re all bonded now,” Dorin said.

“Well, are we going to stare at them all day or are we going to ride?” Rianne pressed, already moving around to mount Alyla.

Dorin sprung forward, helping her onto the
beast’s back before mounting his own ride. Nikolas moved a bit slowly, eyeing Byntwor cautiously before climbing onto his back.

“Let’s go.” Rianne grinned, spurring Alyla into action.

“Hold up there,” Dorin called, catching up with her and cutting her off.

“What?” Rianne huffed.

“Nik and I have something to show you.” Dorin grinned, turning Rysad around and leading the way.

“Well, you could have told me that before we mounted,” Rianne said with a mock-angry glare.

“And ruin the surprise?” Nikolas teased, riding beside her.

“I don’t know if I can handle any surprises from the two of you. I think I’ve had enough shocks to my system to last a lifetime,” Rianne insisted.

“You’ll like this surprise. Trust me,” Nikolas murmured, his voice going husky.

Rianne shivered as the tone of his voice wrapped around her like a blanket fresh out of the dryer.

It didn’t take long before they came upon a small hut in the middle of a glade. Smoke was billowing from the top of the chimney, the promise of warmth incredibly inviting after being out in the cold. She was a little wary at first, unsure of whether or not she wanted to meet the person who would live so far away from the village outside the castle, but when Dorin and Nikolas both dismounted, she did as well.

“What is this place?” Rianne asked, taking Dorin’s hand.

“This is your surprise.” Dorin grinned, waving her through the doorway.

She walked in to find the hut was basically a one-room cottage. A wood stove warmed one half of the room while a decent-size fire worked at heating up the other half. The shutters were closed over the window, helping to keep some of the harsher cold out. Shivering at the drastic change in temperature, Rianne eagerly moved to stand in front of the fire, holding out her hands over the flames.

“Who lives here?” Rianne asked, looking around as Nikolas closed the door behind them.

“No one. It is one of the many properties my family has around the kingdom. While perhaps not the grandest, it has long been my favorite,” Dorin told her.

“It’s adorable,” Rianne agreed, smiling as she looked around the cozy interior.

One item in particular caught and held her attention. A large rug dominated the floor close to the fire. A mixture of dark browns and tans, the material looked to be that of some sort of animal. Nikolas walked up behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist as he too looked down at the rug.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? I brought it here years ago when Dorin and I would escape the castle and hide out in the woods for days at a time. It was a gift from my father to my mother when they first mated. It was a tradition in our village. The male would go out and collect fur from animals in the surrounding woods. He would then bring it back and begin weaving the fur together until he had created a rug large enough for him and his mate to lie on. Only then could he claim her as his and, before the whole village, they would consummate their mating bond,” Nikolas told her.

“That’s really romantic and slightly weird,” Rianne said softly.

“Perhaps that is why it is no longer practiced in the other territories.” Nikolas chuckled, kissing the base of her neck.

A soft creaking sound drew her attention to where Dorin stood a few feet away, watching the two of them as Nikolas began sucking and biting down the length of her neck. Nikolas’s hands moved up to cup her breast, squeezing the two pale globes together before pulling them apart. His hands were sure and steady as he massaged her tender flesh, his body supporting her from behind. Her eyes followed Dorin as he came to stand in front of her, his chocolate eyes appearing black in the shadow of the fire. His hands moved to the catch at her throat, undoing the button and causing her cloak to fall to the floor.

“You’re looking a little flushed,
danalya
. I think you would be more comfortable if we removed your dress,” Dorin said with a sexy smirk.

Rianne moaned as Nikolas’s hands left her dress to begin undoing the laces along her back. The dress slowly lowered until it pooled in a puddle of fabric at her feet, leaving her in only her shift until that too landed on the floor. She stood between them, naked and aroused, their hands tracing intricate designs on her body.

“No fair. You’re both still fully dressed,” Rianne pointed out breathlessly as Nikolas nibbled along her shoulder and Dorin suckled a breast.

“Mmm. She has a point,” Nikolas mumbled into her skin.

Dorin took her hands in his, drawing them to where his shirt was tucked into his trousers. Taking the hint, she began pulling the fabric until it came loose and she could pull it off him. At the same time she pressed her torso against his, she felt Nikolas’s bare chest on her back. Her entire body was infused with heat as she helped them out of their boots and trousers. Finally, they were as blissfully naked as her.

Dropping to her knees between them, she took Nikolas in her hand while she licked the hard length of Dorin’s cock, moaning at the salty pre-cum leaking from the tip. She took as much of Dorin in her mouth as possible, pumping what she couldn’t handle. His fingers fisted in her hair, holding her still as he thrust into her mouth. Nikolas backed out of her hold, giving her the ability to bring her hand around to fondle Dorin’s heavy scrotum.

“Lift up,
capora
,” Nikolas’s rough voice commanded from behind her.

His hands wrapped around her hips, bringing her to her knees as Dorin knelt to make the task easier for her. While Dorin moved her mouth up and down his cock, Nikolas began teasing the entrance of her pussy with the head of his dick. She whimpered around Dorin as Nikolas slid in an inch, cursing under his breath as he ran his hands up and down her hips.

“Easy, Rianne. Let me in,” Nikolas murmured, giving small thrusts as he tried to gain ground.

Taking a deep breath through her nose, she began moving against him, helping him push past her resistance. Dorin’s fingers tightened in her hair, a reminder that his cock was still in her mouth, and she resumed her attentions. Tonguing the underside of his dick, she marveled at the way he groaned when she traced along the thick vein she found there.

“Damn it,” Dorin hissed, his head thrown back as his hips started thrusting.

At the same time, Nikolas rammed inside her, taking advantage of her momentary distraction and the relaxation of her muscles. She screamed as he filled her, dropping Dorin’s dick so she didn’t accidentally hurt him. His fingers ran through her hair, nonsense words escaping his mouth as she adjusted to the feeling of Nikolas inside her. Nikolas’s hands smoothed over her ass before moving around to finger her clit. Her entire pussy clenched at his first touch, and she moaned, turning to pull Dorin back into her mouth.

“Gods, you feel so good,” Nikolas groaned as he began moving inside her.

Unable to answer, Rianne simply whimpered around Dorin’s thick length, causing his fingers to clench in her hair. They had complete control over her body, moving her as they wanted between them. Each thrust of Nikolas behind her sent her mouth farther onto Dorin’s cock and each retreat took her back a bit. It was a dance they were clearly accustomed to and one she was quickly picking up on.

Balanced on one hand, she reached up with another to squeeze Dorin’s balls, gently fingering the indentation between them. With an incoherent yell, he threw his head back and shot his cum down her throat. She swallowed around his pulsating cock, eagerly slurping up the salty flavor that lingered after he was finished. He slowly pulled away, allowing her to lick him clean until he was too far for her to reach.