Gods, he felt fucking alive!
“Damn, Tag,” Vin gasped. “You’re a crazy bastard.”
Tag laughed at his brother’s exasperation and looked up at their mate. Long red hair flowed around her, shoulders hunched, and she writhed in mindless pleasure. Her blue eyes watched him, pleaded. He could feel her need.
“Come on, baby.” Tag eased her down over him until her soft breasts pushed against his chest, her flesh rubbing against the bleeding marks. He smoothed his hands down her back and gripped her ass. He guided her movements, bracing his heels against the mattress so he could cant his hips and meet her halfway. The slap of their flesh echoed in the room, but it wasn’t enough. His release was thick and heavy, low in his belly, his balls drawn up so close and tight he could feel the anticipation all the way down into the curl of his toes, but it held back.
“Please, I need,” Brit cried and met his gaze. Her blue eyes were wide and desperate. He tried to pull from her body, but she tightened around him with another cry. “No! Please, Tag. Please. I need more.”
“It’s okay, baby. We’re going to take care of you.” Tag frowned. Her shields were completely gone, and he could feel her pain. He’d been warned that Drachon matings were turbulent, but it wasn’t supposed to cause real pain, was it? Had he been too rough?
“Vin, what the fuck is going on? She’s hurting.”
“Can’t you feel it?”
Vin knelt behind her, pressing his chest to her back.
“She needs us both.”
Tag eased his mind out to touch hers, and he was immediately flooded with her. And Vin. Energy rocked back and forth between them with Brit as the center. Instinct sizzled up his spine, washing over his mind with a stark brilliance that blinded him to everything else but her. And the forgotten link to his brother. His heart seized and his eyes burned. She’d reconnected him back to his brother, to the other half of him. As lame as it should be, it felt like their souls lines up perfectly, and it felt right. He felt like he belonged.
Brit had done that for them.
He had no idea what he said, but he murmured comforting nonsense to Brit and pulled her tight to him. The energy between them crackled like static in the dry heat of an Arizona summer back home. Her pupils expanded until only a thin shimmering blue glowed in her eyes as Vin gently worked himself inside her pussy.
Brit rippled around them with a soft cry, and they began to move in tandem, rubbing against every inch of her. Their bodies were slick with their exertions, their minds merging tighter until they became one consciousness, that incredible energy sparking and dancing over it.
Tag buried his face in her neck, pressed his lips to her throat and could feel the muscles tightening there.
“Just let it go, love.”
Vin’s voice slid effortlessly through them.
“Give it to us.”
They rocked her body between them, pushing her farther. She tightened around them to the point of pain. The pressure was so incredible, darkening the edges of Tag’s vision until he thought he might black out.
“Come on, baby.”
Tag breathed against her neck, tasted her sweat on her skin.
When her very breath seemed to seize in her chest, her panic was tangible. She jerked between them, eyes stark in fear.
“Let it out, Brit,”
Tag commanded harshly. She opened her mouth on a soundless scream, and then it hit him. He couldn’t even speak. It felt like liquid fire pouring over his skin, filling his insides with white heat until it overflowed. Fingers digging into the sheet, Tag arched his hips up off the bed as it poured out of him into her.
Brit’s scream was high and piercing. Vin’s roar was hoarse. Then the world exploded around them.
* * * *
Vin slowly cracked his eyelids open just enough to see the watery amber of dawn creeping over the shadows of the room. The window was open a couple of inches, and a breeze slid past, curling around the bed. He inhaled the fresh scent of the rising sun. It had body and texture, an amazing cacophony of life that infused him with each breath.
Brit lay curled next to him, and the reaching light turned the tousled fall of her hair copper where it sprawled across the midnight blue of the pillow. He drew in another draft of air. Maybe it was her scent that was affecting him so strongly. She no longer wore the dark shadows of exhaustion, and in fact her skin was almost pearlescent. Vin closed his eyes and absorbed the moment, letting the slow rhythm of her heart steady his.
They’d mated. He’d thought the past twenty years were insurance against that ever happening. The things he’d done…seen…
“That’s in the past.”
Vin turned his head and looked at his brother lying on the other side of Brit, hands tucked behind his head, gaze focused on the ceiling.
“Your fight is here now…with us.”
Tag rolled to his side and propped his head up on one hand. With his other, he brushed a lock of dark red hair back with such an overwhelming sense of reverence that Vin felt it fill his chest. His brother was wide open to him, no barriers or restrictions—completely vulnerable. The ferocity and purpose in his brother was vivid enough to feel as though they were Vin’s. Maybe they were.
All breath stilled in his lungs, and he released it in a slow exhalation, afraid that any abrupt movement would scatter the fragile bonds once again connecting him and his twin.
Tag caught his gaze.
“I can understand why you did what you did, your need to act after Bryce’s death, but understand something—we’re in this together now.
All
of us.”
Tag cupped the natural swell of Brit’s belly where their child now grew.
“So if you need to fight, choose your battles wisely. No more vigilante bullshit.”
“
Understood
.” Vin laid his hand next to his brother’s, letting the energy of their connection surge through him. Another word would be too much. Tag was taking his apology, offering his acceptance, and Vin realized he’d sorely missed it. He hadn’t been dramatic when he said Tag was his true north. His brother, although wild, was solid and grounded. Vin needed that—needed Tag.
“A baby.”
Vin sent the thought to his brother, wonder weighting what was meant to be a lighter topic.
“From three different genetic sources.”
Tag groaned and leaned in to press a kiss to Brit’s temple.
“We’re going to have to hide all the syringes and microscopes during her pregnancy, or she’ll make herself a walking lab rat.”
Brit wrinkled her forehead as though even in sleep she disagreed with them, and shared humor brightened the long-dormant conduit between them.
Chapter Twenty-One
Brit frowned at the information she’d finally coaxed from Raife’s blood. Just as she’d suspected, Kahn had discovered a new antibody responding to an unknown viral infection—a virus she’d unknowingly transferred to Katya during that life-saving transfusion she’d administered. The question was what was it and what effect would it have on Katya. In her mind, she brought forth the images of all the previous cases of viral strands she’d ever encountered in both human and Arcane, and scanned through the data, mentally discarding what she didn’t consider pertinent.
She inhaled and leaned back in the chair. It was like fanning a stack of endless pages in her mind, looking for that one specific word or image. Then she would pull it up in her memory with detailed accuracy and look at it like she would a physical source.
Her mother had called it a gift, but Brit often considered it a burden. That much information could be overwhelming, but she tried to approach it at a practical angle. In her line of work it saved her valuable time by having all the data she needed easily accessible with just a thought. In this case, that data was proving futile. What of data she’d yet to encounter? To research that she would need current medical information contained outside of this lab, which required external access that she did not have.
Brit released the images in her head with a sigh and glanced up at the camera. She’d have to call out for Tag and ask for his. The task was daunting since she had quietly left him sprawled belly down on his big bed just after dawn. An ache was building in her temples, and her stomach voiced its opinion of her neglect. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, and she certainly hadn’t stopped to eat before leaving the apartment early this morning.
“When you snuck out.”
Tag’s voice sounded rough with sleep and very, very sexy. Her body, though achy and well used from last night, roused at the feel of that voice in her mind. She blew out a resigned breath. Would she never be able to control herself when it came to the Jennings brothers?
The door to the lab slid open, and Raife walked in carrying a covered tray. She waited until he disappeared into the exam room before she glanced back up at the camera and hissed, “I just need some time to think.”
And the lab was where she felt the most centered.
“Take all the time you need. You have a whole hour until I bring you some breakfast.”
“Taggart,” Brit groaned.
Tag was an unbending, obstinate boor, and now that he’d mated her, she had the feeling he was only going to get worse. Yet somehow, it didn’t seem as threatening as it had a few weeks ago. She’d lived for so long on the outside watching the bonds built between the people around her. Envious. Now, whether she wanted it or not, she was a part of it. Mated. To
two
men.
“And if you eat like a good girl, I’ll get you access to an outside server.”
Brit snorted and glared up at the camera. She shouldn’t be shocked by her lack of privacy—even in her own head—since Tag had never given her one moment’s peace before he became her mate. Vin was different. At least one of her mates respected her privacy.
“Don’t fool yourself, baby. Vin’s right here with me. He just gives you the illusion of privacy.”
Brit rolled her eyes. There went that theory.
“I swear, Kat, if you don’t eat, I’m going to smash all this high-tech shit into tiny pieces.”
Brit followed the sound of the belligerent threat to the exam room. Katya was propped up with three different laptops opened in front of her, an untouched plate of food pushed off to the side.
“I’m sure Tag would have something to say about that, Raife. These are his.”
“I’m not afraid of that bastard. I can take him.”
Brit held her smile and pulled her lab jacket from a hook. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have someone who hovered, someone willing to get his ass kicked to ensure her continued health.
“I wouldn’t be too confident, Agent Merrick,” Brit said calmly as she slid into the white jacket.
Raife shot a glance at her, and his nostrils flared. “Damn. Both of them, huh?” He cast a considering glance to Katya and the untouched food. “I’ll still risk it.”
Katya rolled her eyes in exasperation but didn’t look away from the screens.
“Anything new to report, Doc?” Raife asked as he tried to remove a laptop and got his hand slapped for his effort.
Brit sighed and pulled her lab coat closed. “My initial suspicion was correct. You have been infected with an as yet unknown virus which was transmitted to Katya during the transfusion we performed.”
Katya jerked her head up and turned her pale blue eyes on Brit. “He’s sick too?”
“Not in the same way, no,” Brit said as she watched Raife take advantage of his mate’s distraction. He swiped two laptops off her table and replaced them with the tray of food. Katya cast an irritated glance at the tray and then her mate. Brit almost smiled at Raife’s triumphant grin.
“Never been sick a day in my life,” Raife told his mate, pressing a kiss to her pale hair. “Now eat. I’m sure the doc has some kind of theory.”
“I cease to be amazed at the incredible symbiotic biological response between mated pairs. Agent Merrick’s body has never failed to adapt to provide what you needed. It’s my understanding that this biological response is expected between mated Drachon, so I theorize this virus is his body’s natural response to your genetic mutation.”
“He’s sick because I’m sick?” Katya frowned at Raife when he uncovered the omelet and attempted to feed her a bite. “How can that help?”
“A virus is one of nature’s ingenious devices to transfer new genetic material between organisms. A mechanism of evolution,” Brit murmured as she studied the monitor printouts and read Kahn’s notes from the night before. Katya’s improvement was remarkably fast and appeared to be stable. Brit wanted to do another blood workup to be sure.
“That’s what the Triumvirate did to Katya; why she was so sick when she first got out of that hellhole,” Raife said with dawning understanding. “They used a virus to infect her with that damn blood-magic gene.”
Brit pursed her lips and set her papers aside. “Yes, she was having an immune response to the virus, which is a risk of using a virus as a vehicle for gene therapy. However, I believe your body has developed a counter to the foreign genetic material, creating a virus to deliver new genetic material. Possibly to repair the mutated gene or suppress its expression. Unfortunately it’s a lengthy process to determine what kind of genetic material the virus held, and I can’t be certain of long-term effects.”
Katya gripped Raife’s hand. “But it looks good, right? I feel better.”
Brit smiled at them and turned to grab her collection tray off a side table. “You appear to have stabilized. Your blood count looked good from this past evening, although I want to check it again this morning.
“You may as well accustom yourself to blood testing. You’ll require regular monitoring through the pregnancy.” Brit frowned as she tied the tourniquet around Katya’s upper arm. After the baby was born, she’d want to watch Katya until her hormones stabilized. “And probably for a couple of months after the baby is born.”
“I’m just glad that my baby won’t be alone here,” Katya said distractedly as she returned her attention to her breakfast. “It’s bad enough our babies will have to be stuck inside the Incog building, but at least they’ll have each other to grow up with.”
Brit dropped the small tube she was holding. A baby? How had she forgotten? Raife told her that Drachon mating always ended in pregnancy. She was mated to two Drachon. Good God, would there be two babies? Warmth flooded her cheeks. Vin and Tag had both come inside her last night. The memory of it flooded her with heat.