The Journal Keeper (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (3 page)

“Rape. What a disgusting word. I assure you,
capora
, it will never happen between us. You will come to crave our touch just as we crave yours,” Nikolas growled dangerously.

“No, please. If you leave now, I promise I won’t tell anyone,” Rianne nearly sobbed.

“You’re scaring her,” Dorin insisted angrily from beside them.

“Am I,
capora
? Are you frightened of me?” Nikolas asked, as if the thought amused him.

“I…I don’t know,” Rianne admitted truthfully.

While her mind was screaming all the reasons she should be afraid, her body didn’t seem to want to listen. Her skin prickled at every place they touched, sending lightning through her veins. Despite the fact that he was so strong and could likely break her in two with his pinky finger, she felt safe in his arms.

“No,” Rianne finally whispered.

“That’s because your body recognizes mine as its mate, just as it recognized Dorin. Your body knows it has nothing to fear from us.”

“What do you want from me?”

“You will return to Laurasia with us and we will form the mating bond,” Nikolas answered, running his nose along her cheek.

“Laurasia? As in one of the continents after Pangea?” Rianne asked, her voice cracking in her shock.

“Yes. Though the continents broke up millions of years ago,” Nikolas answered.

Rianne felt her panic begin to spike again. These two thought they were from the past, nearly two hundred million years in the past. Maybe they had escaped from a mental institution. It was a possibility. She could simply go along with their delusion until she managed to call the local hospital to have them returned to the psych ward. Yes, that’s exactly what she would do.

“Okay. Sure, I’ll go with you.” Rianne hoped she sounded convincing enough, but she didn’t hold out much hope for herself either way.

Nikolas frowned down at her as if trying to decide if she was being truthful. She fought against shrinking underneath his intense gaze. Seeming to come to a decision, he nodded once before moving off her.

“We’ll replace your clothing once we arrive. Your current selections are unfit for the position you will hold in Laurasia,” Nikolas informed her.

“What’s wrong with my clothes?” Rianne frowned.

“Women do not wear trousers.” Nikolas glared pointedly at her rack of jeans.

Great. She was being kidnapped by a Neanderthal.

Feeling at a disadvantage remaining seated while they both stared down at her, Rianne scooted out of bed, slipping her fuzzy slippers on before her feet touched the cold hardwood floors. The apartment was always cold due to a broken thermostat, but she preferred the cold to the heat. It just meant sleeping under three blankets during the winter.

Dorin made a choking noise, bringing her attention to him. He was nearly the exact opposite of his coconspirator. His hair was the color of dark chocolate, curling temptingly around his temples. Melted-caramel eyes stared at her exposed legs hungrily, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled sharply. While not as large as Nikolas, there was no doubt Dorin was strong. The T-shirt he was wearing stretched tight across a well-defined chest, showcasing hard abs. Her fingers actually twitched in her eagerness to trace along his sun-kissed skin.

“Gods,
danalya
, I can smell your arousal,” Dorin groaned, rocking on the balls of his feet.

Rianne felt her face heat up in embarrassment. How could he smell her? Granted, she’d never been so wet in her life, but still. He was standing at least three feet away.

“Dorin,” Nikolas warned from the foot of her bed.

Dorin breathed in deeply, his eyes sliding closed as he moaned. The sound had her nipples hardening, and she bit back an answering moan.

Goodness, what was going on with her?

“We need to leave. We’ve spent too long here as it is,” Nikolas insisted.

“Right. You’re right.” Dorin nodded, shaking his head further as if to clear it.

“You need to change,” Nikolas told her, turning to her closet.

“Maybe we should let her bring this little outfit, Nikolas. I quite like the way it makes her legs look,” Dorin smirked, stepping forward.

Rianne swallowed nervously, taking a half step back. She was only in an old T-shirt and a pair of shorts, but Dorin looked at her as if she was wearing the sexiest lingerie. He reached out and caught her wrist, pulling her against his chest. He made a rumbling noise deep in his chest, similar to the sound Nikolas had made earlier, before lowering his lips to hers.

Too shocked to do anything at first, she found herself melting against him as his tongue gently licked at her lips. She gasped as his teeth nipped the lower lip, granting him access to her mouth. His tongue stroked along hers, thrusting and retreating as his hands traveled to her hips, pulling her flush against him. She whimpered as he moved her against his hardened cock, craving more.

Suddenly, Rianne was standing alone in the middle of her bedroom. Her eyes fluttered open to find Dorin staring at her from against the wall, his chest heaving. Nikolas stood between them, facing Dorin.

“Easy, Dorin. You know we cannot mate with her here. We need to wait until we return home,” Nikolas said, his voice soothing.

“She smells so good,” Dorin groaned.

“I know, but you must resist,” Nikolas urged.

Dorin breathed in deeply from his mouth and exhaled through his nose, probably trying to rid himself of her scent.

“Good. Why don’t you wait in the other room while I find her something suitable to wear on the trip home,” Nikolas suggested.

Dorin nodded once before striding out the door, shutting it behind him. Nikolas turned to her, frowning in concern.

“I’m sorry. I do not think he would have lost control, but it was best to stop before he got too far. Your scent will affect him more because of what he is,” Nikolas explained as he returned to her closet.

“What is he?” Rianne asked, following him with her eyes.

“A wolf, for one. They have a more heightened sense of smell than most shifters. His hearing is better than most as well. On top of that, he is also a royal. His desire to mate with you will be extremely high until you become pregnant. Usually he would be able to control himself better, but we have been in this realm too long and his strength is waning,” Nikolas informed her matter-of-factly.

“A wolf?” Rianne cried, stumbling away from him.

Nikolas sighed and turned to face her, a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt in hand.

“Yes, a wolf, as I am a polar bear. We are shifters. I do not have time to cater to your hysterics at this moment. We need to leave this plane before the Hunters discover we’re here. Put these on. We’ll have to find you clothing once we pass through the portal.” Nikolas haphazardly threw her clothes onto the bed.

Rianne stared at the man who was trying to take over her life, wondering if it would be better to just run away now. Lynda always left a key under her doormat for her johns that wanted to swing by. She could easily barricade herself in Lynda’s apartment and call the cops to arrest the wackos talking about themselves as if they were animals.

“Get dressed,
capora
. I won’t tell you again,” Nikolas warned darkly.

“Could you give me some privacy, maybe?” Rianne asked, feeling her anger rise above her fear.

“You should get used to me and Dorin seeing you without clothing,
capora
. It will be happening often,” Nikolas insisted, stepping closer to the bed.

Rianne’s breathing became ragged, her heart racing as Nikolas approached. His body heat and scent enveloped her, making it difficult to form a thought. He leaned over her, causing her body to slide down onto the bed. His body was huge above hers, blocking out everything but the light blue of his eyes.

“You belong to me and Dorin. Do not think of escaping us. We will find you, no matter how far you run. We have your scent now. It’s burned into our souls,” Nikolas told her.

Rianne licked her suddenly dry lip, inhaling sharply when his icy eyes snapped to follow the action. A rumble sounded from his chest, almost like a growl, and she whimpered as the vibrations sent heat spreading through her core.

“Oh,
capora
, you know you belong to us,” Nikolas groaned, running his nose along the column of her throat.

Rianne shivered at as his hot breath washed over her skin. His fingers skimmed along the edge of her shirt before lifting it over her head and off her body. She squirmed as his fingers traced along the edges of her bra, his eyes bright as he took in the bland nude color.

“What is this?” Nikolas asked, completely mesmerized.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a bra before,” Rianne tried to snipe, but her words came out breathless.

“No, I have not. We’ve no such contraptions where I come from.” Nikolas frowned, cupping her breast experimentally.

She bit her lip to keep from moaning, but Nikolas chuckled as if he’d heard her internal cry. He placed a kiss on each breast, above the cups holding them in place. Rianne swallowed her plea for more, focusing instead on his hands as they removed her sleep shorts.

“By the gods,” Nikolas groaned once he discovered her cotton boy-shorts underneath.

“I’m guessing underwear isn’t common where you come from either,” Rianne whispered, finally able to put some sarcasm into her words.

“We have undergarments, but nothing like this. Tell me you have more,” Nikolas insisted, looking up at her with wild eyes.

Unable to speak, Rianne simply nodded as his fingers stroked along the edge of her underwear.

“We will be taking some with us,” Nikolas decided, kissing the juncture of her right hip.

She found herself disappointed that he hadn’t moved his lips a little more to the left, but shook the thought from her mind as he began putting her jeans on her.

“It’s cold where we are going. The winter months are spent indoors for the rare non-shifters, or they travel by coaches magically enhanced to stay warm. The summer months allow for the temperature to rise enough that non-shifters can venture out with few protective layers. Of course, you will always have Dorin and I to warm your nights,” Nikolas promised, helping her into her T-shirt before placing a swift kiss on her lips that left her head spinning.

For whatever reason, her body responded more to these two men than it had ever responded to anyone else in her entire life. All through high school and college, she’d wondered what was wrong with her, why she was so different from the other girls. She rarely found a guy that she considered good looking, and she never lost her head over one. At first, she thought it was the level of maturity found in boys her own age, but even in the workforce where she met with men much older than herself, she never felt any sort of spark. She thought about the plethora of ménage books she had buried in the back of her closet. The idea of being the meat to a man sandwich had been a favorite fantasy of hers since her senior year of high school. Despite her desire to find the love she read about in those precious books, she’d never felt the connection she knew she needed. Thus, her continued virginity. She couldn’t imagine giving herself to someone if she didn’t love them, and sadly, love had yet to come her way.

One look from Nikolas and Dorin had her ready to striptease before begging them to fuck her until she couldn’t walk or see straight.

“Come,
capora
. Dorin is becoming impatient, and I sense Hunters approaching,” Nikolas demanded, taking her hand in his much larger one.

He pulled her from the bedroom, grabbing a small sack she hadn’t noticed before on his way out. Dorin stood looking out one of the windows at the street below. He looked up, his golden eyes flashing dangerously when Nikolas dragged her from the bedroom.

“They’re coming,” Dorin said, striding toward them.

“I know. Do you have the incantation?” Nikolas asked, coming to a stop next to the smaller man.

“Yes. Let’s do this quickly,” Dorin hissed, glancing at the front door.

“What’s going on? Who’s coming? What are you two talking about?” Rianne asked, her nervousness increasing with each question.

“Hush,
danalya
. All will be well shortly,” Dorin assured her.

He began chanting in a language both strange and familiar to her, the words tickling something in the back of her mind. Dorin reached out and grasped her hand in his, taking Nikolas’s in his other. The air around them seemed to sizzle as his words increased in speed and volume, making her spine tingle as every nerve ending in her body vibrated with power and energy.

The sound of a whip snapping, followed by a quick jolt, was all the warning she had before her small apartment disappeared and a frozen wilderness took its place.

Dorin breathed deeply of his homeland, thoroughly glad to be back. Already, he could feel his strength returning, his mental clarity sharpening. The soft gasp from his left had him turning to see the little human staring around her with wide eyes. He had a second to realize what was going to happen before her knees buckled.

“Easy,
danalya
,” Dorin breathed, scooping her into his arms.

Her fingers dug into his shirt as her breath left her in harsh pants. He looked to Nikolas, unsurprised to find the polar scowling at the woman in his arms. Nikolas never could stand the “hysterics of women,” as he called them. He knew his friend well enough to understand Nikolas was disappointed with their mate’s reaction to portal travel.

“Nikolas,” Dorin warned, unwilling to let the polar scare their woman.

With a grunt, he turned and began scouting the area. The woman clinging to him shivered against the cold, her body unused to the low temperatures of his homeland.

“What is your name,
danalya
?” Dorin asked, mentally kicking himself for not asking her before.