She immediately grabbed hold of Rekk’s shoulders. “Are you okay? Why did you leave us?”
He swallowed hard. His face was muddy and his expression grim.
“I thought you would be better off without me bringing the Etruscans onto you.”
“So noble and yet
so
fucking wrong,” Orin muttered. “I told him it’s our job to get him to the Temple. If he wants to be all heroic and shit after that, he can do what the frak he pleases.”
Mya glanced over at Orin who was looking equally surly. “What’s wrong?”
“Why would you think anything is wrong? I just love sneaking around the forest saving dickheads from shooting Etruscans in the head.”
Rekk shoved a hand through his disordered blond hair. “I believe he is talking about me, although I am not certain what a dickhead is.” Rekk looked from Orin to Mya. “I am sorry. I will not attempt to escape again. I will accept your escort to the Temple.”
“Thanks for nothing.” Orin turned on his heel. “I’m taking a shower.”
Mya winced as the door slammed hard behind him. “Why is he in such an awful mood?”
Rekk sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his hands over his face. “Because I told him to leave me in the forest, and he became angry for my lack of gratitude for his protection.”
“That doesn’t sound like Orin.” Mya studied Rekk intently. “He’s usually the calmest and most efficient man I’ve ever met in a crisis situation.”
“I… annoy him.”
“You certainly unsettle him, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He does have a tendency to think he knows everything.” Mya sat beside him and took his hand. “This is difficult for you, but we really do want to get you safely to the Temple.”
“Yes, Orin said it was your mission, and that he doesn’t like to fail.”
“Now, that
is
just like him. You don’t dislike him, do you?”
“Orin? No, on the contrary, I find much to admire in him. I only wish—”
The bathroom door opened and Orin came out, a small towel draped around his hips. Rekk stopped speaking and simply stared at the other man.
“What do you wish, Rekk?” Mya asked quietly.
He rose as if in a daze, his eyes fixed on Orin. “I should shower myself.”
“You do that, Rekk. And this time don’t leave out of the window.” Orin didn’t move aside, so Rekk had to push past him. “Don’t take too long, or I’ll have to come in there and find you.”
Rekk nodded and went into the bathroom while Orin started to dry himself off.
“What’s going on?” Mya said. “You’re acting as if you hate him, and he’s staring at you as if you are his favorite dessert.”
Orin stopped long enough to fix her with a piercing blue stare. “Nothing happened, okay? And that’s the way he wants it.”
“Did you try to… kiss him again?”
“No.”
“Did you want to?”
Silence greeted her question.
“Orin.”
He crouched down by the bags containing the items she’d bought.
“Do you have any new underwear or a clean T-shirt in here?”
She came off the bed and hunkered down beside him, using her fingertips to catch the water rolling down his muscled back. He shivered.
“Don’t do that.”
“Why not?” She leaned in and licked the next drop. “This better?”
He groaned her name, and the next thing she knew, he was on top of her and kneeing her thighs apart. His towel fell away to reveal the thick column of his shaft.
“I want you.” He leaned in and kissed her, the wet crown of his cock nudging her stomach. “I’ve missed you so damn much, and I’m so damned sorry for—” His words ended in a grunt as she raised her hips, pushed down her clothing, and let him inside her. He fucked her fast and hard, just how she wanted it, needed it.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held on tight, glorying in the feel of him, so different from Rekk, yet still hers.
“
How’s he different? He’s bigger, right? Does he fuck you harder?”
“He’s just different.”
Some devil made her add. “
You wait until he fucks you, you’ll find out.
”
He went still for a long moment and then increased his pace, slamming into her, his hips rocking back and forth.
“
I… want that.”
“
It’s okay, I want to see it, too
.”
“
Gods… Don’t admit it, I—”
He wrapped an arm around her hips, raising her even higher, and hammered into her. She spread herself wider, urging him on as he fingered her clit, sending her into a climax that made her want to scream with the pleasure of it. A movement over his shoulder caught her eye. Rekk stood in the open bathroom door, his cock hard and ready beneath his towel.
She held out a hand. “Join us.”
“I cannot.”
Orin spoke as well. “No, he can’t join us. He knows the rules.”
“What?” Mya stopped speaking as Orin resumed his relentless thrusts and this time he came with her, pushing his thoughts and his come inside her with everything he had.
Rekk groaned low in his throat, one hand wrapped around his straining cock. He had never seen anything as beautiful as the sight of Mya and Orin mating. He wanted to be with them, licking and sucking, fucking Orin’s flexing ass…
“
Shut up
.” Orin growled inside his head. “
You don’t get to do that until you beg.
”
Gods, it would be so easy to get down on his knees, crawl over to them, and
be
with them. But he’d sworn he’d never be reduced to begging again in his life.
“
I cannot.”
Orin picked up Mya and carried her over to the bed. She was smiling and sated, the scent of Orin’s lovemaking marking her skin.
“
Then sleep over there by yourself.”
Rekk backed up until his knees hit the side of the second bed, and he abruptly sat down. He could still see them, but he didn’t want to stop looking. He tried to remember that their infatuation with him was just that—not a lasting thing. What would happen when his telepathic skills were properly contained and he was no longer unduly influencing them? They’d be stuck with him, and he’d rather die than let that happen.
Mya kissed Orin and sat up. “I think I’m the one who needs to shower now.” She moved slowly toward the bathroom, pausing to rest a hand on Rekk’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“I am fine.”
He waited until the door shut behind her, and then rolled onto his side facing the wall, his hand gripping his aching cock.
“
Do it
.”
He went still as Orin spoke in his head.
“
Share that with me, at least.”
Closing his eyes, Rekk turned onto his back and unwrapped his towel. His cock jerked between his fingers as he played with himself, drawing his hips into each upward stroke, bending his knees so Orin could see him more clearly. Gods, he was so wet now he had to tighten his grip. His breath hissed out as the rhythm caught hold of him. He just gave himself to it, sharing every slick thrust and slide with Orin.
“
Gods…
” Orin murmured. “
You are so beautiful. Fuck yourself for me
.”
Rekk slid his wet thumb backward and worked it inside his ass, gasping as the sensations doubled, and he bucked in earnest.
“
Yeah, just like that
.
Now come for me
.”
At Orin’s command he gave one last twist to his cock, cupped his balls and came hard, his come spilling out onto his stomach as he gasped for breath.
Orin sighed. “
I want to come over there and lick you clean.”
“That would not be a good idea,” Rekk said hoarsely.
“Not under our present agreement, no.” Orin groaned. “Remind me why we’re not all in a big pile fucking each other’s brains out again?”
“Because we need to get to the Temple first.”
“So you can convince yourself that anything Mya and I might feel is all imaginary and inspired by you.”
“Yes.”
“Just checking.” Orin stretched out an arm and switched off his bedside light. “I’m going to sleep. Wake me in four hours.”
Mya glanced behind her on the narrow trail to check that both Rekk and Orin were still following her. It was humid in the dappled sunlight, and even the huge trees didn’t offer enough protection from the searing heat. She wiped the sweat from her face with her sleeve and took a long drink of water. As she’d grown up around the Temple complex, she knew several routes that were literally off the beaten track. She was fairly confident the Etruscans wouldn’t be able to find them here. They must have brought one of their telepaths with them to succeed in tracing them this far.
Neither of the males looked particularly happy. In the three days since they’d left their last proper hotel room, they’d barely spoken to each other. From what Orin said, Rekk was determined not to believe in any kind of mating bond between them until he reached the Temple and found out who he was. But what if the Oracle didn’t
know
who he was? Would he be more willing to trust her and Orin then?
Orin reached her first and stopped alongside her.
“How much further is it?”
“One more night and we’ll be there early the next morning.”
“Good.” Orin drank some water, his gaze on Rekk who was coming up the steep path. “You okay?”
She gave him a look. “With you two behaving like school children? Not particularly.”
He shrugged. “Not my fault. Ask Rekk.”
“Ask me what?” Rekk loomed over her, his grey T-shirt clinging to his tight abs and chest like a second skin.
“When you’re going to beg.”
Rekk went still. “I am
never
going to beg.”
“Why not? You think you’re too good for us or something?”
Mya sighed. “Orin… don’t do this now, okay?”
Rekk squared off against Orin. “I spent years chained in a room, begging to be freed, and then begging for someone, for anyone, to touch me! And if I did not beg for it, they gave me drugs to drive me mindless with lust so I had to, and…” He stopped speaking, his chest heaving. “They made me their whore. Is that what you want, Orin? Is that what you want of me? Because Gods help me, I’ll probably do it. That’s who I am. A begging, beautiful, worthless whore.”
Mya pushed between the two men.
“Rekk, don’t—that’s not what he meant, and—”
Orin spoke over her. “He damn well knows that’s not how I think of him!” Reaching forward, he jabbed Rekk in the chest. “I want you to
choose
to beg, to
choose
Mya and me, and you don’t have the balls to do it, do you?”
“Stop it!” Mya shoved them both hard. “This is not the place for this!”
“Maybe it is,” Orin countered. “Maybe we need to sort this out before we get there so the minute his ass in on Temple grounds we can walk away.”
Mya briefly closed her eyes, one hand planted on each of their chests, straining to keep them apart. “I don’t want to walk away from either of you, but I’ll do it if you don’t stop this right now! I cannot deal with it. I can’t—”
With a sob she pushed past them both and started up the trail, her heart pounding and her legs like jelly.
“Mya!”
Orin’s shout only made her move faster. She wanted to run away and hide like a little child, cowering in the corner. Blinking back tears, she evened out her breathing and settled into a smooth jog. There was no other path. The men would eventually catch up to her—if she let them—but she needed this small space to compose herself.
Orin started off after Mya but was yanked backward.
“Let her be.”
“She’s upset.” Orin tried to get free. “We need to go after her.”
“Let her
be
.”
He scowled at Rekk. “I’ve been her mate for ten years. Don’t you think I know how to handle her?”
“Obviously not if your idea of making her happy is to start a fight with me in the middle of a jungle.”
“You didn’t exactly hold back, did you?”
Rekk grimaced. “I lost my temper—a luxury long denied me and maybe for a good reason.” He looked up the trail and frowned. “Her thoughts are very hard to understand.”
“She’s probably blocking us both.” Orin groaned. “I’m an idiot.”
“No, it’s not that—although her reflections on both of us are hardly flattering—she’s frightened…”
“Of us?”
“No, of what we represent.”
Orin finally stopped struggling to go after her. “What the heeze does that mean?”
“I’m not sure. Was her father an aggressive man?”
Orin blinked at Rekk. “I don’t know. He was already dead when I met Mya. Her mother had formed a new Triad.” He paused. “You think we triggered something from her past?”
“What?” Rekk widened his eyes. “Two large males shouting at each other?”
“There’s no need to be sarcastic. When did that happen?” Orin picked up his backpack. “Let’s keep moving forward.”
Within a few steps he started speaking again. “She’s always been afraid of having a Third.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. We’d always put off discussing it until just before all this shit went down. I was injured during a shoot-out, and my partner was killed. It made me think, you know?” He glanced over to see if Rekk was listening. “I told Mya I wanted to find our Third and maybe start a family.”
“She did not react well to your suggestions?”
“She wasn’t very happy. She’s never wanted a baby. But she did agree to talk about it when she got back.” Orin cleared his throat. “And then she met you, and now I don’t know what to think.”
“She is probably quite conflicted as well,” Rekk suggested.
“Yeah, look at us. All three of us are screwed up about this situation in some way.” Orin snorted. “Typical.”
“Then perhaps we should find Mya, and maybe it is time to talk things through.”
“
If
we find her,” Orin muttered. “Remember, she grew up here. If we’ve really pissed her off, she could lead us around in circles for days.”
He kept walking, mainly because there was nothing else he could do. Eventually, they reached a plateau of some kind. Rekk pointed out into the gathering darkness.
“Look. There is the Temple.”
Orin stared across the deep valley at the pale, white stone of the Oracle’s Temple complex. The lamps had already been lit, and thousands of them framed the beautiful buildings. He hadn’t been here for ten years since his mating ceremony.