Qay brought me effortless pleasure. In his arms, I felt loved and cherished, and when he thrust inside me, I felt at one with him. I didn’t want to feel that with Zyn, but I wanted to feel myself lose control, wanted to give up every shred of thought in favor of a dark passion I didn’t dare to seek. But all I needed to do was ask him.
I mouthed no at him, turned my head away.
Something hot and hard pinched my nipples with invisible fingers. I screamed out, my release crashing over me unexpectedly. I clung to Qay, riding the spasms of my orgasm, feeling his thrusts becoming deeper until he came with a hoarse shout, his cock pulsing inside me as he spilled his seed.
After I could breathe again, I dug my nails into Qay’s back, not sure what just happened. “Tell him to leave.”
Qay gave a sigh, pulled out of my body in one slick motion. “He’s already gone.” I closed my eyes, all tension draining out of me. I spooned myself against him, sighing in bliss.
“You have read the book, right, my heart?” Qay asked, and I had the feeling that not all was as well as it should be. “Did you understand everything?” I moved in his arms, twisted my body to face him. “I understood that we wouldn’t be alone. But I got that over and done with.” When he didn’t answer, a chill crept up me back. “What more is there?”
“There’s another night,” he said quietly. “Only after the third night you’ll make your decision to accept us, to accept that you are part of three.”
“Part of three,” I repeated. “Okay, so tomorrow I’ll sleep with you and he gets to prepare me again?”
“No, my heart,” he whispered. “Tomorrow night, I will prepare you for him.”
Chapter Two
“You look beautiful.” Qay held out his hand. “Ready?” No, I wasn’t ready to see Zyn tonight, but if he was the path to Qay, I was willing to follow it.
I smoothed my dress down—a deep black fabric with shades of gray made from the same silky material I already knew. I had wondered how the women dressing me had known that it matched my mood perfectly. I even liked the dark high-heeled shoes, which gave me the necessary height to kiss Qay without rising to my toes.
I lost track of direction as Qay led me through a labyrinth of hallways, but the general direction was up. He pushed open a set of wide doors and led me inside. The room resembled my own quarters, only less furnished, almost barren. Harsh, like Zyn.
But it had a bed, and I intended to get it over with quickly.
I turned to Qay. “And you are sure you want me to sleep with him?” Qay smiled, his eyes crinkling. “You take a moment and ask yourself what you want.”
“You, I want you,” I said without hesitation. I took his hand, placed it against my chest, letting him feel the rhythm of my heartbeat. “This is what I want. You and me, beat after beat, year after year, together.”
“We all need balance in life,” Qay said. “We all need something more. And there is nothing more perfect than the joining of heart, mind and soul.” I bit my lip. “There’s something else you’re not telling me, right?”
“Zyn is Dezra’s ruler by birth,” Qay said quietly, “and he has abilities no one else has. I was elected to rule at his side. He’s Dezra’s soul, and I am the mind. It is a law that we must find one woman to complete us. We both love you. But if you don’t choose us in return—”
“Stop,” I said, holding up my hand. “He does not love me, so there’s that.” I searched the room for Zyn, but I only found the large cat roaming restlessly.
“Where is he?” I asked, shivering slightly.
The cat prowled toward me, ears flat to the head. I took one step back then another.
The cat leaped, snarling. I froze in fear, sure that I’d feel teeth sinking into my skin any second, when a rush of heat whipped past my face. In an instant, the cat collapsed and sprinted into the far corner of the room.
“Miss me?” Zyn’s voice came from behind me and my heart jumped into my throat.
I swiveled around then took a step back because he was so close.
“That cat. I don’t want her. Set her free.” Clearly, he hadn’t tamed the animal but only controlled her with his mind. “It’s not right to keep her captive.” Zyn regarded me with a cool expression, his thoughts impossible to guess. Then I saw what he held in his hand and I couldn’t stop myself from staring. “I guess…I guess they came with the horses.” I went cold then so hot my face felt on fire.
“What, this thing?” Zyn hit the flat end of the riding crop against his palm.
“Interesting sound, don’t you think?”
I lowered my gaze because the gleam in Zyn’s eyes made my heart skip a beat.
“Let’s save your answer for later,” Zyn said, holding a polished dark wooden box under my nose. “In the meantime, open your present.”
“You open it,” I said, and when he did, flipping the box open, I sucked in a breath.
A copper-colored necklace engraved with a three-leaved flower pattern rested against the polished wood. He took the piece from the box. Cold metal greeted my skin as he wound the choker around my neck. I touched it, traced the engraved pattern.
He leaned forward, his mouth close to my ear as he brushed a strand of hair away from my face. “Now you look like the cat after I caught her and put a collar around her neck. Are you going for my throat too? Or will you kneel at my feet?” My stomach curled tight. I caught Qay’s gaze, sure he would take off the necklace because it was such a blatant sign of ownership.
But he didn’t.
Instead, Qay stepped to me to unlace my dress. It pooled to my feet and I froze, caught unaware that I suddenly found myself wearing only a pair of panties and shoes.
The high heels forced my back into an arc that pushed my breasts forward and I found both men staring.
“Let’s get this over with,” I said, sounding bolder than I felt. I just needed to spread my legs for Zyn, it should be easy. But I’d make sure I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of climaxing in his arms. I tugged the panties over my hips, tossed them aside.
Zyn laughed—a low, infuriatingly sexy laugh that sent my body all the wrong signals. He took me by the elbow and led me to the bed. I climbed on, flipped on my back. “Ready when you are.” I decided that it was best to handle the affair matter-of-factly.
I saw the two men exchange a glance, almost felt a whisper of thoughts cross through the room. Were they talking about me?
Zyn climbed onto the bed, hooked my leg over his arm, spreading me. The sight of him between my legs was more than startling, it was terrifying. He gazed at me, and the spark gleaming in the depths of his eyes was even more discomfiting. He knew I wanted to get it over quickly, but what could he do against it? What?
Qay leaned forward, his fingers slipping between my thighs. The back of his hand brushed my clit. A low moan escaped me as I realized how wet I already was. I would prefer it to hurt when Zyn thrust his cock inside me. Taking pleasure from his touch was wrong. There was only one male who was allowed to bring me pleasure and that was my future husband. That was how I’d dreamed it to be, as a girl, gazing at the stars and seeing spaceships sailing across the sky. I’d wished upon them to bring me a kind, gentle and loving husband. Something had heard my wish and sent me Qay, and that was all I’d ever asked for.
Qay slipped inside me, working his finger in and out of my cunt until I writhed with lust. I swallowed as Zyn pulled his pants over his hips, freeing his erect cock. His hand came to brace itself next to my head, and Qay’s hand was still on one of my knees, as if he was trying to prevent me from closing my thighs.
“I told you you’d be mine,” Zyn said to me quietly, guiding the thick head of his cock between my folds. He thrust forward in one hard shove. My breath came in a sharp gasp at the feeling of him. My muscles clenched as he spread me. It was a shock to feel him penetrate me, and all my intentions to be snide and blasé evaporated as he pushed his thick cock deeper inside my cunt. I had thought I knew how it would feel, having him inside me.