Page 16 of Randall (The Tenth Step #3)

Randall

I was in the middle of tasting the sweet essence of my mate when Flynn went lax beneath me.

“He fell asleep,” Darvon muttered, sounding put out. He wore a deep frown when I looked up at him. My gaze traveled down from his pretty face, over the flat expanse of his chest and stomach, to the rigid length jutting from his body.

“Were you wanting something?” I asked with a sly grin and an arched brow.

“Well, yes. This was the first time in ages, and I…” Darvon’s mouth dropped open, a bright flush coloring his cheeks.

I could do without. Hell, I’d been doing it for years, but hearing my mate’s desire made me want to bring him to orgasm just so I could see how far I could make that beautiful blush spread.

“Come here.” I held out my hand for him to take, guiding him over both Flynn and me, then underneath me as I straddled one of his legs.

I pressed my knee to his groin, giving him something to rub against as I dove in for a kiss.

Tasting Flynn on his tongue drove my hunger for him higher.

Craving and eager to hear him, I left off his mouth, kissing under his jaw, nibbling on his neck, then lower to latch onto a pebbled nub.

Darvon whined and wriggled, pushing out his chest, seeking more.

I pinched the other nipple, then soothed it with long swipes of my tongue, alternating as he moaned louder.

I worried he’d wake Flynn, but a glance showed our mate completely out of it. With a flick of my finger, I lifted a blanket and covered him. Darvon cupped my cheek, voiced his thanks, and then shifted his hand to the top of my head and pushed.

Laughing quietly, I inched backward, wrapping a hand around his thick length, and gave him two strokes before adding my mouth.

I had done this before, though rarely, but I had fantasies and my right hand, so I did to him what I liked done to me.

My reward was a taste of him, sweet and salty.

I felt Darvon’s fingers in my hair, tracing my ears, and when I swallowed his cock, his nails bit into my shoulders as he curled upward, exploding into my mouth.

I drank him down, suckling on the head, ensuring I got every drop of him. Had Flynn been awake, I might have shared… or maybe not. Having Darvon to myself—more or less—for our first time gave me confidence that I could be a good mate, a good lover for them.

Fate had certainly blessed me. Twice over.

As Darvon drifted in a pleasant daze, I lay between my mates, basking in the knowledge that they were mine.

Stuck as I'd been in my tower, I'd long thought that I'd be alone with only my ravens and Kat for my friends.

The queen had become somewhat of a confidant over the years, but she wasn't someone I’d spill my sexual secrets to.

As for Prince Valter… we'd become closer since he mentally connected with Baron and Duke, and though he exasperated me more often than not, I supposed he'd become the closest person I could call a friend.

“Your mind is busy.”

I glanced at Darvon, then gathered him to my chest. He rolled onto his side, curling his long, lean frame into mine, his head resting over my heart.

Darvon glided a hand across my chest and then slid his palm down my belly. He plucked at the strings of my trousers and tsked. “You're still dressed.”

“I wanted to focus on you and Flynn.”

“But—”

“Shh…” I dragged a finger across Darvon’s lips. “Of course, I want you. Both of you. Make no mistake about what I want.”

He pursed his lips and kissed the tip of my finger. “I want you both, too, but…” He sighed. “You’re right. Flynn needs time to recover.”

“He does,” I agreed. “We’ll continue to Riverside and secure rooms there.”

“Is there a vampire clan there? For Baron and his sons? The prince should be kept somewhere safe, and if there isn’t a castle, then I can’t think of anyplace safer than within their den.”

I nodded. “The Black Rill Clan.”

Darvon shuddered. “Ominous.”

“Yes, but they’re a small clan in comparison to Baron’s Onyx Ashes or Artor’s Midnight Claimed clans.

We won’t have a problem with them, and I agree.

Our prince would be safer there than anywhere else in the city.

When we arrive, we’ll seek them out and inquire for our friends and about another place for us. ”

“You don’t want to stay with them?”

“I’ve little to do with the vampires. Artor and I rarely interacted.”

Darvon pushed himself up, bracing on an elbow that allowed him to look down at me. “There’s something you’re not saying.”

Frowning at his intuitive question, I sighed and said, “I see there will be no secrets between us.”

His frown was equally pensive. “Should there be?”

“No, there shouldn’t, but I’m not sure I’m at liberty to offer a truth when it might affect another.”

“You shouldn’t reveal another’s secret if they entrusted you to keep it, but there must be something you can tell me.” Darvon laid back down, resuming his long strokes along my body.

I curled my arm and played with the braid Flynn had made, sliding my fingers along its silky length. “I can tell you that the queen is a formidable woman, and that I am more her man than the king’s.”

“They’re friends, you know. Your queen and my mother.”

“So I recently learned.”

Darvon tapped my chest. “I don’t want to feel like I’m a puppet, that they can pull my strings and force me or you to do what they want.”

“Nor should you, and I feel the same. Unfortunately, we are all puppets to this cursed goddess who ensnared Jarrah into her plans.”

“She can’t be all bad. She brought us together: you, me, and Flynn.” Darvon popped up, kissed me, and then gently slid his fingertips through Flynn’s hair.

“That she did.”

Darvon settled and resumed his contented stroking of my body, which did nothing to lessen my libido. My skin itched with need, but I pushed the feeling aside for now. Something more awaited us in Riverside, and I wanted to be ready.

When he started swirling a finger around my nipple, I suspected he knew how turned on I was, and as much as I wanted to take him up on his subtle offer, we needed to resume our travels.

Covering his hand to still him, I asked, “Do you want to stay here and rest with Flynn while I hook up the horses and get us moving?”

He hesitated, and I could tell he was torn between staying with me or staying with our mate, so I decided for him. “Stay. Keep Flynn warm. I don’t want him to wake up alone.”

Darvon’s sweet smile and nod confirmed I’d made the right choice. I grabbed my tunic and scooted out of the carriage as he lifted the blanket and gathered Flynn to his chest, tucking our mate close.

I collected the horses, and soon we were on our way.

The day grew warm, but I enjoyed the solitude of the empty road, the sounds of the rushing water, and the calls of the birds and animals in the woods.

The raven returned, bringing me visions of our friends behind us and the bustling city ahead.

I offered him food and water for his troubles and bade him rest awhile.

Near midday, I heard Flynn and Darvon speaking in low tones, but I kept my eyes forward and my ears to myself until they asked me to stop.

I drew the horses up along a small grassy field that bordered the bubbling river and hopped down to help them descend from the carriage.

Darvon pushed open the door and jumped out before I got there, but Flynn, wearing a borrowed tunic, shyly took my offered hand.

They scurried into the woods to water the trees while I led the horses to the river.

Flynn joined me riverside, crouching to splash water on his face and neck, and scrubbing at his belly.

I couldn’t help grinning as he did so, remembering the way he looked when he’d come, the way Flynn’s cock had jerked and shot in my hand, semen coating him, and then watching Darvon slide a finger through the mess so he could taste him before I did the same with my tongue.

My mouth watered at the thought of tasting him again.

He laughed, catching me watching, then his eyes narrowed. “Darvon said you didn’t come. He wants me to convince you to join us in the carriage.”

I glanced over my shoulder, spying Darvon trying to appear innocent as he circled the carriage and dug into our food bag. As much as the idea appealed, we needed to keep moving.

“No.”

“No?” Flynn dried his hands on his tunic, one I belatedly realized was mine. It fell long on his much shorter frame, hitting below his knees, where it was mid-thigh on me. He wore nothing beneath the tunic, and his feet were bare.

“You need leggings and boots,” I deflected.

He stepped closer, peering up at me, allowing me to peer into his bright green eyes, and the way they delightfully glittered with mirth. “They can wait. Besides, then I’d just have to take them off.” Flynn trailed a finger down my chest, and my treacherous cock took immediate interest.

“While that might be true,” I said, capturing his hand and raising it to my lips, where I kissed the inside of his wrist, “we must push on.”

His adorable pout almost changed my mind, but several ravens called to me as they swept into the clearing and landed in the closest trees. Urgent news waited for no man.

Darvon raced to my side as the largest of the avians flew to my shoulder. He took Flynn’s hand and then cupped the back of my head. “I’ll see through your eyes,” he said, touching his forehead to mine. The raven sidestepped and put its little head against mine.

Fire raged around a stone village shrouded in smoke and mist. Men and women wielded blades against dark, misshapen creatures.

Blasts of flame from above scorched the ground and sent the monsters it consumed up in smoke, but more appeared.

One by one, the warriors shifted, launching into the air, their dragon bodies covered with scales.

In their claws, they held their elder clansmen and those too young and unable yet to shift.

Below them, the creatures bellowed and raged, destroying everything in sight.

The dragons flew toward the highest mountain peaks, except for one, who turned south.

Darvon gasped, jerking away, and the vision faded. “That was the dragon from my vision.”

“Yes, and he’s heading toward Riverside.”

“He’s one of the mates. Whose do you think?”

I could only shake my head. Jarrah would know, but as he was still hours behind us, that meant we needed to find the dragon first.