Page 19 of Kingdom of Darkness and Dragons (Empire of Vengeance #4)
F or years, I had dreamed of her, and the reality was a bonfire that burned away every fantasy.
Tasting her on my own lips after Jalend’s kiss was a brutal, possessive claiming that left no room for jealousy, only a shared, savage triumph.
I had to close my eyes against the overwhelming rush of emotion.
It had really happened. After months of torture, of wanting her from a distance and convincing myself I could be content with friendship, she had chosen me. Chosen us.
I opened my eyes and watched, my heart hammering, as Jalend’s fingers moved inside her, as Marcus’s hand slid down to cup her other breast, his touch reverent.
I'd been so afraid of wanting too much, of asking for more than I deserved.
For months, I'd convinced myself that being near her was enough, that her friendship and trust were gifts I shouldn't dare hope to exceed.
The idea that she might want me the way I wanted her had seemed impossible—like a gladiator hoping to be crowned emperor.
But she had wanted me. Had looked at me with desire and affection and something that looked remarkably like love. Had welcomed not just me but all of us into her heart and her bed with a generosity that still took my breath away.
The gods had blessed me beyond my wildest hopes.
Not just with Livia's love, but with the strange, perfect dynamic we'd found together.
I'd expected jealousy, possessiveness, the need to guard what was mine.
Instead, I'd discovered something I never could have imagined—that sharing her somehow made everything deeper, richer.
Watching her find pleasure and comfort with Marcus and Jalend didn't diminish what we had; it magnified it.
A low groan escaped Livia’s lips as she arched into Jalend’s touch, her eyes fluttering closed.
Marcus leaned in, his mouth replacing his hand on her breast, and she gasped, her fingers tangling in his hair.
I watched as Jalend teased her, watched his long slender fingers sink into her slowly over and over.
My own body was a thrumming ache of need but watching them was its own kind of ecstasy. This was a gift. Every gasp she made, every tremor that ran through her body under their hands and mouths, was a victory for all of us.
The sight of it, of them, should have torn me apart.
Instead, it was like watching the pieces of a puzzle click into place, forming a picture I hadn't known I was trying to create.
My own body responded with a ferocity that was almost painful, my cock straining against my trousers, thick and hard with a need that went beyond simple lust. When she came again, I could no longer watch.
I wanted to be inside her, to feel her body clench around me, to claim her in the most final, fundamental way.
I moved to the foot of the bed, putting my hand on Jalend’s shoulder. He pulled his fingers from her slowly, his eyes meeting mine over her body in a silent, mutual understanding. It was my turn. The air was thick with the scent of her, a heady perfume of sex and sweat that drove me mad.
He yielded without protest, a silent understanding passing between us as he moved to lie opposite Marcus, their hands continuing their slow, torturous exploration of her skin. She looked up at me, her eyes dark and hazy with pleasure.
“Antonius,” she whispered, her voice a raw plea.
That was all I needed. A low growl rumbled deep in my chest, a sound of pure possession that had waited years to be unleashed.
My hands found her hips, turning her onto her stomach so I could look at her.
Her back was a landscape of silvery scars, a map of every battle she had ever won, and I worshipped it more than any pristine, unmarked skin.
I traced the largest scar, a vicious line that ran from her shoulder blade to the small of her back, before leaning down to press a kiss to it.
She shivered, her ass rising to meet my touch.
My hands slid lower, parting her thighs, my thumbs pressing into the soft flesh.
I quickly removed my clothes, then positioned myself behind her, my cock pressing against the slick heart of her.
She whimpered, a soft, inviting sound that shattered my last thread of control.
My hands gripped her hips, pulling her up onto her knees, then slid down to pull her legs apart, revealing even more of her sweet, soaked pussy.
I pushed forward, burying myself inside her with one slow, deliberate thrust.
Her body clenched around me, tight and hot, and a choked gasp escaped her lips, muffled by the pillows.
She was so tight, so hot, and I had to grit my teeth against the urge to spill myself inside her right then. I stayed still for a long moment, just feeling her, memorizing the sensation of being surrounded by the woman I loved.
“Gods,” I breathed, the word a prayer against her skin.
I felt her relax around me, accepting me completely.
Jalend’s hand came into my line of sight, his fingers gently stroking her hair back from her face.
Across from him, Marcus leaned in close, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered something I couldn’t hear.
Whatever he said made her hips rock back against me, and a low groan was torn from my throat.
I began to move, a slow, deliberate rhythm born of years of worship.
Her body moved with mine, a perfect, seamless rhythm, her hips rising to meet me as I drove deeper.
The friction was an exquisite agony, building a pressure inside me that was both physical and spiritual.
I gripped her hips tighter, my rhythm turning harder, faster, more possessive.
I was claiming her, marking her as mine, and she was claiming me right back, her inner muscles clenching around me with each powerful stroke.
It was everything. It was more than I had ever dared to dream.
I ran my hands down her spine and over her ass, kneading it, revelling in the feel of her flesh in my hands.
The feel of her was intoxicating, the firm muscle beneath the soft curve of her hips a testament to the warrior she was. Her back arched, and a low, keening moan vibrated through her body and into mine. It was a sound of pure surrender, and it drove me wild.
Marcus groaned and I looked up to see him kneeling in front of her, his hands in her hair as his cock slid deeper into her mouth.
The sight of the woman I was fucking, the woman I loved, taking my best friend’s cock at the same time as taking mine, did something to me I couldn’t explain.
I grabbed her hips, and slammed into her with force, watching as the impact drove her forward onto Marcus’ cock.
A guttural sound, half-sob, half-scream, tore from Livia’s throat, and Marcus groaned, his head lifting for a moment. His eyes, dark and wild, met mine over her heaving back, and a silent, savage understanding passed between us. We were conquering her together, a unified force of adoration.
I slammed into her again, my rhythm becoming a brutal, punishing beat. Each of my thrusts drove her onto Marcus, and he took her with a greedy hunger that matched my own. It was a vicious, perfect dance.
My rhythm became a frantic, desperate pounding, a mindless rhythm of pure need.
I watched Marcus’s eyes squeeze shut, his own control fraying as Livia’s mouth worked on him.
The sight of his pleasure, mirrored and magnified by my own, was the most profoundly erotic thing I had ever witnessed.
It wasn’t a violation of our bond; it was the forging of a new one, hammered out in the heat of our shared adoration for her.
“That’s it, love,” Jalend’s voice was a low murmur from the side of the bed, his hand sliding down her stomach to find her slick, swollen folds.
His long fingers began to move, a slow, torturous rhythm that was the absolute opposite of the raw fucking Marcus and I were giving her. “Take them. Take all of us.”
With a loud groan, Marcus pulled Livia down, pushing his cock deep into her throat. The sound of her choking on it, watching the muscles of her throat convulse as she swallowed his cum was so fucking hot.
The pressure in my loins became an unbearable agony. I gripped her hips, my knuckles white, and drove into her one last time.
“Livia!”
Livia cried out, her release hitting her like a storm, her body convulsing around me, her cries muffled by Marcus’ cock.
That was all it took. Her pleasure was my own undoing.
A roar ripped from my throat as I followed her into the abyss, pouring every ounce of my love, my worship, my years of pent-up longing into her.
I collapsed on top of her, still buried deep inside, my heart hammering against her back. Home. I was finally home.
Knowing I was crushing her, I groaned and rolled to the side, laying my hand on her back, a wordless gesture of love, my mind too scrambled to say anything coherent. Marcus pulled out of her mouth, swapping positions with Jalend, who sat leaning back against the headboard.
“Livia?” he said softly. She raised her head, bright eyes meeting mine briefly before she looked up at him.
A moment passed, then to my amazement, she raised herself back onto all fours and crawled towards him.
He guided her, sitting her against him and pulling her back against his chest, arms wrapping around her.
She was exhausted, and I could tell he was holding her up, but she still reached down between them, guiding his cock inside with a soft moan as he filled her.
I watched hungrily, my cock stirring again, as he pulled her legs wider.
Her head fell back against his chest, her eyes closing as his hands settled on her hips, lifting her up and down slowly.
Her breasts rose and fell as she gasped.
The sight of his cock disappearing into her was mesmerising, and I shifted forward on my elbows till my mouth found her pussy once again.