The Journal Keeper (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (25 page)

Nikolas seemed to take that as his cue and suddenly began pounding inside her. Unable to hold back any longer, she let loose a series of screams with each thrust. She could feel her orgasm just on the horizon, Nikolas’s fingers still rubbing her swollen clit in time with his thrusts. Dorin scooted beneath her, his hands pulling her torso down until he could easily suckle a breast, his teeth biting gently at the tender bud.

“Oh, shit. Oh, God,” Rianne cried as they double-teamed her sensitive skin.

Her entire body trembled with the force of her orgasm and she fell on top of Dorin, unable to support herself any longer. Nikolas’s strong hands kept hold of her hips as he continued to pound her pussy. All too soon, she felt her body preparing for yet another orgasm. Dorin’s fingers had slid up and taken the place on her clit when Nikolas had reached for her hips. His featherlight touch might as well have been his teeth biting down from the way it pierced her overly sensitive flesh.

“No, no, no,” Rianne moaned into the floor, the sensation almost painful as he kept it up.

“Come for us one more time, Rianne. You can do it. Come on,
danalya
,” Dorin encouraged, unrelenting.

“Can’t. Oh, God, please,” Rianne gasped, despite feeling her body doing just what he said.

“You can. Come, Rianne,” Nikolas practically snarled as he practically fucked her into the rug.

“Oh, God. Shit. Oh, shit,” Rianne panted as the first wave crashed over her.

When Dorin pinched her clit between his forefinger and thumb, it was all over and she came, screaming as her body surrendered to them. Nikolas’s own roar of completion nearly drowned her out as he came deep inside her.

Completely spent, her body slumped to the floor, Nikolas following her and covering her damp body with his own. Dorin lay beside them, a small smile on his face as he gently ran his fingers through her hair.

“You are so beautiful,” Dorin murmured, leaning forward to kiss her sweetly.

Rianne couldn’t bring forth the energy to speak and simply gave a small grunt in response, making Dorin laugh.

“Sleep,
capora
. You deserve it,” Nikolas rumbled from above her.

Snuggling into the softness of the rug, surrounded by her mates, Rianne did just that.

* * * *

Rianne woke up with a moan to the feel of Nikolas licking between her legs. His tongue traveled the length of her pussy, paying special attention to her clit. Her hands went down to tangle in his long blond hair, her hips arching against his mouth. With her body on the edge of climax, it didn’t take long for Nikolas to make her come with a soft cry.

“Mmm. Hello, beautiful,” Nikolas murmured, sliding up her body.

“Hi.” Rianne grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

He slanted his lips across hers, moaning as he slowly thrust against her, teasing her sensitive clit with his heavy cock. Reaching down with one hand, she helped guide him inside her, trying to ignore the slight burn it caused. Nikolas moved to kiss the spot between her brows, sighing softly as he pushed inside her.

“You feel so good. It’s never been like this before,” Nikolas whispered as he began the now familiar movement of thrust and release.

It was slower this time, sweeter and so much more powerful for it. The way he pressed his lips against hers seemed to reach to her very soul until she felt tears fill her eyes. His arms hooked beneath her legs, drawing them up to give him better leverage as he steadily increased his pace. Her hands moved to his shoulder, her nails digging into the thick muscles.

“Oh, yes,” Rianne moaned as he started hitting all new places inside her.

“That’s it,
capora
. Let go,” Nikolas sighed into her hair.

One large hand reached around her leg and he fingered her clit, barely brushing across the tender bud, and she came apart in his arms. He followed right behind her, groaning softly into her neck as he came inside her. Panting slightly, he kissed his way up her neck, pressing his lips to her closed eyelids.

“You’re absolutely amazing,” Nikolas whispered, kissing her gently before rolling over so they were both on their sides facing each other.

“Where’s Dorin?” Rianne asked, realizing for the first time that he wasn’t with them.

“Outside seeing to the mounts. We didn’t want to wake you, but it’s started getting dark. If we don’t leave soon, we’ll have to stay until tomorrow. It’s too dangerous with the shooter still on the loose,” Nikolas told her.

“Oh,” Rianne sighed, snuggling further into his embrace.

As if they had summoned him, Dorin came through the door, brushing snow out of his hair. Rianne shivered from the blast of cold air he brought with him, and Nikolas held her tighter, warding off the worst of it. Dorin looked up and took in their entangled bodies with a wry smile.

“Couldn’t wait, huh?” Dorin asked, stomping snow from his feet and shutting the door.

“Would you?” Nikolas shot back.

“Probably not,” Dorin admitted with a small shrug, walking over to where they were lying.

“Are the mounts ready to go?” Nikolas asked, rising from the floor to gather his and Rianne’s scattered clothing.

“As soon as we are.” Dorin nodded, his eyes roving over Rianne’s exposed body.

“Good. I’m starving,” Rianne proclaimed, stretching languidly before sitting up.

“We gave you quite a workout.” Dorin grinned, lifting her easily.

“It was worth it,” Rianne assured him with a grin of her own.

With a sound between a laugh and a groan, Dorin pressed his body against hers, capturing her lips in a tantalizing kiss. Despite the fact that she’d just had her fourth orgasm of the day, her body responded with a fresh wave of arousal. Dorin hummed against her lips, his hands moving down to cup her ass, lifting her against his hardened cock.

“Even though I really, really want to, I don’t think I can go another round,” Rianne panted when she pulled away.

“I know, but damn, you feel good,” Dorin groaned, nibbling along her neck.

“Don’t tease me,” Rianne whined, though she couldn’t resist arching her neck to give him better access.

“Both of you stop, or we’ll never leave this hut,” Nikolas snapped, though his words lacked any real heat.

With a soft moan of regret, Dorin disentangled himself from her, moving to douse the fire as Nikolas handed Rianne her clothes. Already dressed himself, he helped her into her shift and laced up the back of her dress for her before settling her cloak over her shoulders.

“How do you feel?” Nikolas asked, watching her intently.

“Warm,” Rianne answered, though it came out as more of a question.

“I mean, do you think you’ll be able to ride Alyla back to the castle or are you too sore?” Nikolas rephrased his question.

“Oh. I don’t know,” Rianne admitted, shifting slightly to test her body.

“We’ll see if you can handle mounting her. If it hurts, you can ride with Dorin back to the castle,” Nikolas decided.

“Okay,” Rianne agreed easily, allowing Nikolas to lead her outside.

Dorin followed behind them, making sure the hut was secure before joining them by the beasts. Nikolas helped Rianne onto Alyla’s back, watching her face the entire time for signs of pain or discomfort. The second she settled onto the
pegamy’s
back, her entire lower torso felt as though it was encased in fire. Instantly, she was off Alyla and in Nikolas’s arms, his low voice soothing in her ear.

“You’ll ride with Dorin,” Nikolas insisted, already turning to where Dorin sat atop Rysad.

He handed her off easily, making sure Dorin had her before turning to mount Byntwor. As soon as he was settled, they were off.

Rianne noticed how dark it was as they rode through the forest and wondered if they maybe should have stayed in the hut until morning. Snow was falling steadily, causing a drop in the temperature, and the only way for her to stay warm was to press her body as close to Dorin’s as physically possible. Even still, she shivered as they cantered through the trees toward the castle.

“We’ll have you warm soon,
danalya
,” Dorin promised, urging Rysad on faster.

The increased wind caused by the faster pace did nothing to warm her up, but the prospect of getting to the castle sooner kept her from complaining. She wanted a hot bath followed by a night spent between her men, safe and secure in their arms.

* * * *

Nikolas scanned the surrounding area as they rode toward the castle, his entire body on alert for any sort of danger. As much as he might have wanted to stay locked in the hut with Dorin and Rianne, he knew they were safer at the castle and so had convinced Dorin that it would be better to return. Instincts that had been honed by years spent on the battlefield raged at him as they continued onward. He knew something was seriously wrong, but had no idea as to what.

Still, he rode closer to Dorin’s mount than he normally would have. The desire to be close to his mate, to protect her, clawed through him, and more than once, Byntwor shook his head as they bumped into Dorin and Rysad.

“Are you all right?” Dorin asked softly.

“Fine. Just want to get back to the castle,” Nikolas said, unable to meet his friend’s gaze.

“Nik. Don’t lie to me,” Dorin warned, his voice low.

“Something’s bothering me, but I don’t know what it is,” Nikolas confessed, rolling his shoulders.

“Do you need to shift?” Dorin asked, knowing their instincts were stronger in animal form.

“Possibly,” Nikolas muttered, having already contemplated the idea.

“Then shift. We can wait,” Dorin insisted, bringing Rysad to a stop.

Rianne’s head lifted from his shoulder and she blinked around in confusion.

“What’s happening?” Rianne asked, her voice indicating she had either been asleep or close to it.

“Nikolas is going to shift for the rest of the trip,” Dorin told her as Nikolas dismounted.

“Is something wrong?” Rianne asked, all traces of sleep gone from her voice, replaced by panic.

“No, nothing is wrong. You’re perfectly safe,” Dorin reassured her as Nikolas walked a few steps away to shift.

The polar answered his call instantly, the sheer power of the beast telling him he’d been in human form for too long. Lifting his nose to the air, he sniffed for any unfriendly scents, but found nothing. Giving a low rumble to Dorin, Nikolas began leading the way through the trees. He blocked out Rianne’s whispered words to Dorin and instead focused on the woods around them. He could hear animals settling down for the night, including a family of terns above them in the trees. He dismissed the natural sounds of the forest and listened harder for any unnatural sounds, like human footsteps.

Hearing nothing, he began to doubt the strange feeling he’d had when human. The polar in him sensed nothing out of the ordinary in the trees, but still Nikolas remained vigilant. He would not put his mate in danger.

Turning to glance over his shoulder, Nikolas snorted at Dorin before increasing his pace. Rysad kicked into a gallop a moment later, and the two of them raced toward the castle. It appeared moments later, and Nikolas breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the portcullis closed behind them. He shifted back to his human form as Dorin dismounted and assisted Rianne off Rysad. Shaking out his mane, Rysad stomped the ground once before taking flight back to the woods. Nikolas hurried over to his mate and his partner, scooping Rianne in his arms.

“We need to get inside,” Nikolas insisted, already heading toward the castle doors.

“Do you sense something?” Dorin asked, easily keeping pace with him.

“I still have a bad feeling,” Nikolas murmured.

Rianne wrapped her arms around his neck, clutching tightly as they entered the castle. Her eyes were wide as she surveyed the chaos of the entryway. Nikolas hushed her gently, pressing his nose against her cheek in an attempt to soothe her as Dorin stepped forward, instantly drawing the attention of one of the footmen.

“What’s happened?” Dorin demanded.

“Someone broke into your rooms, Your Highness, as well as the king’s study,” the footman informed him.

“Was anyone hurt?” Dorin asked and Nikolas could hear the barely concealed panic in the prince’s voice.

“No, Your Highness, though all four rooms suffered some damage,” the footman assured him.

“Thank you,” Dorin said, glancing over his shoulder to meet Nikolas’s gaze.

Nikolas nodded once, indicating for Dorin to lead the way. Taking off down the hallway, Dorin led them to his mother’s sitting room where his father and mother sat waiting.

“Dorin! Thank the gods you’re all right,” Visess cried as soon as they walked in.

“We’re fine, Mother. What happened here?” Dorin asked, seeking more details than the footman had given.

Nikolas moved toward a chair close to the fire, sitting Rianne in it and seeing to her as Dorin discussed the day’s occurrences with his father. Obviously needing someone to fuss over, Visess hurried to where Nikolas had placed Rianne, exclaiming over his mate’s pale complexion.

“You poor dear, you look half-frozen. Nikolas, fetch the blanket from behind the door, would you?” Visess requested, already tucking one blanket around Rianne.

Nikolas did as she asked, listening to his mate assure the queen that she was fine. He shook his head at her stubbornness, but had to admit it was something he admired in her.

“You can’t be serious,” Dorin muttered, drawing Nikolas’s attention.

“I’m afraid so. Whoever it is behind the break-ins, they were looking for the journal,” Silal told him.

“What would anyone want with it?” Dorin asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s a good thing they didn’t find it or Rianne’s notes. It could have been disastrous if the High Councils had gotten wind that we’ve been keeping it from them,” Silal sighed.

Nikolas walked back over to where Rianne was sitting and handed Visess the blanket while still listening to Dorin and Silal’s conversation across the room.