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“That was incredible,” I said, body thundering with waves of pleasure.

Time was an odd concept in the wake of the sex I had just experienced.

“Incredible almost… seems like too little a… word,” Duncan replied, words broken and breathless.

I flopped down beside Erix, rolling off his chest until I was lying at his side. Our bodies were coated in sweat, sodden to the touch. Duncan joined, nestling his naked body into my other side, until I was wedged between them both.

We laughed – the sound so natural and full of genuine emotion. I refused to let either of them go. I knew, if we did, we had a world outside these doors to save to ensure moments like this could happen.

“How long do you think we can hide away from our responsibilities?” I said, rolling my head to look at them both in turn.

“A few more hours, I’d wager,” Duncan replied, voice dipping as reality seeped into him.

No matter how I wished to shield him – shield all of us – it wouldn’t last.

“I can cope with a few more hours.” Erix leaned in and pressed his mouth to my cheek. Duncan followed suit, curling up beside me. Each held me close, either man laying a wing over me, covering my naked body.

“No more talking,” I said, wishing to block out the fact that a realm lingered outside this room, and it was one we had to save. “Can we just exist for a little while longer.”

“Of course,” Duncan said, reaching over and taking Erix’s hand. Once they were connected, they rested them on my stomach, so we were all connected.

“I like the sound of that,” Erix added, using his spare hand to tickle shapes into my chest.

In the silence that followed, as their breathing evened out and I was left to the company of my haunting thoughts, I finally recognised the possibility ofus– the three of us. But with the warmth of that truth, it also made me face one harsh and very real possibility. It reminded me of what I had to lose. But that wasn’t all. Because having them,experiencingthem both, was exactly the reminder I needed.

Any future sacrifices I made would be in their honour.

CHAPTER 27

Even with the hours between our shared experience, I could stillfeelErix and Duncan. With every step, my body echoed with their touches. They were the gift that kept on giving.

After lying in silence, we’d bathed together, taking time to wash skin with gentle hands. It took so long that the water had cooled by the time we finished. And yet even that couldn’t remove their touch from my skin, or the sensitive ache between my legs.

I imagined nothing had the power to distract me.

My theory was debunked as we met with Rafaela. The moment we entered an open-air chamber, me at the lead, with Duncan and Erix flanked behind me, I knew something was wrong.

Two empty seats sat waiting, tucked neatly beneath the table. Untouched.

Rafaela stood abruptly, quite clearly aghast. Tension hummed in the empty room, catching in my lungs, making breathing a challenge.

“Where is Gyah?” I asked, tongue thick with the anticipation of an answer. “And Seraphine?”

Rafaela settled her dark eyes on Duncan, as if waiting for guidance. I looked back to see his reaction, and it was one of calm. A serenity that came with knowing. Whereas Erix matched my energy, scanning every possible nook and cranny for Gyah and Seraphine.

“Gyah has already left Irobel,” Duncan said, so calm it felt misplaced.

“What the fuck does that mean?” I asked, feeling the anxiety pop in my chest, one bubble at a time. “Why would Gyah leave?”

“Because she has an important part to play.” Rafaela winced as she spoke to me without taking her eyes off him.

I feared that if I moved a muscle my body would shatter into a million pieces.

“Answer plainly,” Erix said, warning evident in every syllable.

“Shall we sit?” Duncan added quickly, gesturing to the chairs. “And all will be explained.”

Duncan knew before we even left our rooms. None of this was a surprise to him.