Page 21

No one fears a storm the way an islander does, so the people did not know what to make of the storm god, not at first.

But there was another aspect to this god, both monstrous and more familiar to the goddess’s people: the Kraken. He took this form when he visited Rahvekya, which was often.

Eventually, the people forgot about the storms.

from the unpublished papers of Rahvekyan High Priestess Omira

Naia’s head was spinning.

Her heart beat so fast that it hurt a little as it thumped against the wall of her chest, and she struggled to catch her breath, but it was worth it. Pleasure curled through her in lazy waves, aftershocks that seemed to go on and on and on . Perhaps that was part of being intimate with the Lover.

Or maybe the three of them fucking each other was just that good.

Aleksi unwrapped her legs from his hips and lowered her slowly to the ground. He and Einar still held her close, which was good, because her knees were definitely wobbling. Aleksi kissed her nose, then turned her to face Einar.

He smiled down at her, his eyes soft and gentle, as he smoothed a lock of hair from her cheek. “You’re so beautiful.”

Now her chest hurt for an entirely different reason. “So are you.”

“Yes.” Aleksi stroked his thumb over Einar’s cheek. “Now ... how will you show her?”

He smiled slowly. “Kiss every beautiful curve of her body?”

“You can do better than that.” Aleksi slipped his hand beneath Naia’s dress, running his hand up her thigh as he waited for another answer.

“It’s a start, though.” Einar kissed her jaw and tried to follow Aleksi’s hand. “You were just chiding me for not worshipping our goddess thoroughly enough. And there are so many other places I have yet to taste.”

“No.” Aleksi slapped his hand.

Einar growled, more shock than desire this time, and glared at Aleksi. “No?”

“No.”

Aleksi reached the juncture of Naia’s thighs and cupped her, his fingers sliding over her wet flesh. Then he curled them, pushing inside her, and the aftershocks of pleasure rebounded, doubled. She breathed his name, swayed, and clutched his arm.

“Naia is too sweet to ever be mean to you,” he crooned softly, right next to her ear. “So I’ll have to do it for her.”

Einar huffed out a protest, but Aleksi moved quickly. He freed his hand from Naia’s body and the confines of her skirt and pushed his fingers into Einar’s open mouth.

Einar’s eyes flared with color again, the same teal as the unending flame. But he didn’t pull away. His gaze simply sought Naia’s as he licked and sucked Aleksi’s fingers.

A helpless groan rose in the near darkness—from Aleksi. He grabbed the back of Einar’s head with his wet hand and kissed him. Naia was caught between them as they licked the taste of her off each other’s tongues, and she took the opportunity to sink her teeth into the strong column of Einar’s throat.

He moaned into Aleksi’s mouth and reached for her, forcing the Lover to still his hands. Naia whimpered, torn between denial and arousal.

Aleksi broke the kiss and panted into Naia’s ear, his voice vibrating with possibility. “What do you want, love?”

She wanted this, only more of it. She wanted mindless need and gentle laughter and warm desire. She wanted to be loved, cherished. Craved.

She brushed Einar’s hands aside and reached for his shirt. The single tie at the neck had long since come undone, so she tugged at the loose fabric. He stripped it over his head, and she stared at his chest. Every hard line spoke of who he was—a pirate, a warrior.

Hers.

And that was what she really wanted, to tease Einar until he truly set the monster free. She wanted that moment , the flaring eyes and the rumbling violence of the sea.

She looked at Aleksi and found him watching her intently. “Will you help me?”

Sincerity shone from his eyes as he caressed her cheek. “Of course, darling.”

Einar had enjoyed being bitten before, so Naia tried it again while she mapped the contours of his chest with her hands. This time, she scraped her teeth over the slope of his shoulder, just past the base of his neck.

He groaned, his hands flexing in Aleksi’s grasp. “You can bite me anywhere you want, goddess.”

“Still trying to control what happens?” Aleksi shook his head. “Not this time, Einar. This time, Naia decides.”

Power suffused her. If she wanted, Aleksi would hold Einar still for her. She could kiss him for hours, touch every single spot she could reach, trace those same paths with her tongue.

She stretched up on her toes and kissed Einar lightly. “If you want anything to stop, just say so. Promise me?”

His eyes gentled. “I promise.” His tone made it perfectly clear he did not anticipate asking her to stop, but that was fine.

As long as he knew he could.

Aleksi released his hands and turned his attention to Naia. He pulled her hair back and dropped little teasing kisses under her ear. Naia tilted her head, inviting more of those tiny kisses as she continued to explore Einar’s bare chest. It was indulgent, but this was a night for indulgence, wasn’t it?

She put her mouth on Einar next, looking for the spots that would elicit indrawn breaths and soft groans. Aleksi touched her in the same way, running his hands along every dip and curve of her body.

Finally, he whispered in her ear. “Take what you want, little nymph.”

She hesitated, glancing at Einar. But he looked as eager to find out what would happen next as Aleksi did.

Einar lifted a hand to brush his thumb over her lips. “Everything I am is already yours. Take me.”

She shuddered and, without thinking, wrapped her hand in the front of Aleksi’s shirt and dragged him down to the cushions alongside her. They knelt before Einar, their hands clashing as they both reached for his pants. Aleksi’s mouth grazed Naia’s cheek, and she turned into his kiss as she pulled brass buttons free of warm leather.

Then, she found her prize. She freed Einar’s cock and closed her hand around its hot, rigid length.

Einar groaned, his head falling back. “ Naia —”

Aleksi stroked his tongue over hers, showing her the rhythm to use. But when Einar reached for her, his fingers just beginning to thread through the disheveled strands of Naia’s hair, Aleksi broke the kiss.

And caught Einar’s hand. “Not yet.”

Einar growled, sending a rush of warmth cascading through Naia. She squeezed his cock harder out of reflex, and the warmth turned into another shudder when he growled again, deeper this time.

She nuzzled his bare hip and pulled Aleksi closer. “Show me.”

“Lick him,” he murmured. “Just like this.” He traced his tongue delicately around the head of Einar’s cock. It glistened in the lamplight, tempting her to taste, as well.

So she did. She followed Aleksi’s instructions, then ran her tongue along the length of the pulsing shaft until she had to move her hand to explore the rest of him.

Aleksi praised her silently, humming as he caressed the sensitive skin between her breasts. “That’s it. Make him nice and wet.” His hand moved lower. “Make him think about being buried deep inside you. Make him think about your pussy clenching around his cock.”

Naia did clench then—hungry, empty. But not for long. The moment she closed her mouth around the head of Einar’s cock, Aleksi slipped his hand between her thighs.

He thrust his fingers into her, and the suddenness of it stole her breath. It was too much, too fast. But she was so wet , hot and aching with need, that it didn’t hurt.

It only made her want more.

Aleksi finally released Einar, let him clutch the back of Naia’s head with his trembling hand. “The deeper you take him, the harder I’ll fuck you. Nod if you understand.”

Naia nodded as much as she could with the heavy weight of Einar’s cock on her tongue.

“Do you want to stop?”

No. She moaned the word. It was unintelligible, of course, but it vibrated around Einar. He hissed out a curse, his chest heaving, and clenched his hand in her hair.

The tiny hint of pain left her instinctively shifting her hips, seeking more sensation. Aleksi gave it to her, fucking her harder the moment she began sliding her lips down Einar’s shaft to meet her hand.

Slick, needy sounds filled the tiny cabana. Naia’s entire world had condensed to this dark, secluded corner, to the feel and taste of Einar’s skin and the insistent stretch of Aleksi’s fingers inside her.

“Deeper, Naia,” Aleksi rasped.

She obeyed without thinking, dropping her hand and sucking harder. Einar choked out her name, but she barely heard it over the buzzing in her ears. Because Aleksi had curled his fingers, was stroking over a spot inside her that made pleasure zip up her spine and colors explode behind her closed eyelids.

For an endless moment, she existed in that space, defined only by these things. By the hot wave of bliss sweeping outward from her core. By Aleksi’s soft whispers. By Einar’s tortured groans of desire and ecstasy.

Then, something shifted, and the world opened to her. She could see ... everything . The abiding sea just beyond the tapestries. It was calm now, but she could hear the whispers of a far-off storm brewing. Einar pulsed in her mouth, hot jets across her tongue, and she could see him, too. Deep blue and fiery teal, all around her and under her skin. And Aleksi blazed, pure light as he dropped his open mouth to her shoulder and groaned.

She felt those parted lips on and in every part of her. Her neck, her breasts. Her clit. The pleasure swelled and throbbed until it drove away all else. The orgasm that rocked her felt like flying, floating. Being a part of the world but somehow beyond it. Her head dropped back, and she thought she screamed, but she couldn’t be sure.

And then it stopped, so abruptly that Naia swayed at the loss.

Aleksi steadied her, but he’d gone silent. Cold. “I ...”

He never finished. Instead, he rose, looked at them both, and slipped through the tapestries and into the night.

Einar hissed out a curse. But in the next moment he was reaching for her, gathering her into his arms. He held her there against his chest, where she could feel his heart pounding as he smoothed her hair with trembling fingers. “Are you—?”

She shook her head. “What happened?”

“I have no idea.” He started to ease her dress up, smoothing it over her shoulders. “Everything felt ... a lot . And then it suddenly didn’t.”

“But why did he leave us?”

“I wish I knew.” With her dress back in place, he stroked her cheek. “I’m sorry, sweet goddess. This isn’t how I thought this would go.”

Perhaps they had asked for too much. Naia wouldn’t know—she couldn’t —until she had a chance to ask Aleksi, and that would not happen tonight. She still felt raw, exposed. She needed comfort and safety, to retreat to her bedchamber and think about everything that had happened.

She caught Einar’s face and kissed him. “No regrets?”

“No regrets,” he said without hesitation.

That was enough. And whatever had driven Aleksi from their arms ...

That was tomorrow’s problem.