He rolled her onto her back and pounded into her, each slam of his hips a reminder of his strength and size. She wrapped her thighs high around his torso and clung to him, angling her sex to take full advantage of every thrust.
When she opened her eyes after her third shattering climax, Orin loomed over Rekk’s shoulder, and from the expression on his face, he was already probing Rekk’s ass.
“Tight and nice,” he murmured. “Just how I like them.”
Rekk groaned. “Take me. Fuck me, don’t… play with me.”
Orin bit his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll take you, big man. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while, so I’m going to make the most of it.”
Rekk stayed deep inside Mya and held still, his gaze tightening as Orin eased himself inside. “That is… Gods,” he breathed out hard. “
Perfect.”
“Yeah?” Orin wrapped one strong arm around both Rekk and Mya. “I haven’t even started yet.”
And then it was all about the sharing of flesh and pleasure and the melding of minds into one mass of overwhelming sensations. Mya closed her eyes and just held on, letting the enormity of the union wash over and through her. If she had doubted Rekk belonged with them before, she was now certain she’d been wrong. He fitted with them perfectly. Gods, what if they lost him after having experienced
this
?
Above her Rekk groaned. “I need to come…
I need
.”
Orin muttered something indecipherable and fucked harder, his weight pushing Rekk deeper into Mya. Not that she minded—this was everything she had ever dreamed a mated Triad could be and nothing like she had feared.
She climaxed, and, with a shout, Rekk joined her, followed almost instantly by Orin. For a long moment there was no sound but their harried breathing and thumping hearts. Their limbs were all tangled together, and Mya was on the bottom. She shoved at Orin’s shoulder.
“Move.”
He rolled over to one side, and Rekk rolled to the other, leaving her flat on her back as if she were completely winded. She pointed vaguely to her left.
“There’s a stream over there. The water is quite warm.”
With a chuckle, Rekk bent and picked her up in his arms.
“Let me help you up.”
She buried her face in his shoulder and just breathed in the smell of sex and sweat. It was so good she wanted to lick him clean. He brought her to the stream and kept walking until he was up to his knees before he gently set her down. Luckily, he kept hold of her because her knees immediately buckled.
Behind them Orin cursed as he waded into the stream and immediately sank down to his knees. “It’s freezing.”
“It’s warm enough,” Rekk said as Mya lowered herself into the water. “You are obviously not used to living in the wilds.”
“I’m a city boy. I want a hot shower and a large bed so I can go to sleep with you two.”
“Tomorrow,” Mya said and then looked away. “I mean if…”
“If I still want you both?” Rekk asked. He looked at Orin and then at her. “Do you still doubt that?”
“It’s not that simple.” Mya smoothed her fingers over his chest. “You need to find out who you are. You might already be
mated
for all we know.”
“Do you not think I would remember that?” Rekk hesitated. “But maybe not. I think the Etruscans erased parts of my memory to prevent me from trying to escape again.” His mouth twisted. “They seemed to believe I would forget my homeland and grow content to be a laboratory rat.”
Mya splashed water over herself and shivered. “You are free now.”
“Thanks to you. Whatever happens tomorrow, Mya, I will never forget that.”
Orin stood and turned toward the bank, as if he couldn’t bear to contribute anything to a conversation regarding Rekk leaving. “Let’s get some sleep.”
He was afraid again. The Temple proved reassuringly the same, but it was also different. Torches had been replaced with powered lights and solar panels, and the people attending the ceremonies looked nothing like those he remembered.
Rekk’s gaze dropped to Mya and Orin, who stood on either side of him. As soon as their party had arrived at the main gates, a priestess had met them and taken them directly through to the private-audience chamber the Oracle used for special guests. They’d had to give up their weapons, and he knew they hated that
The doors opened, and a tall woman he didn’t recognize nodded a cool greeting.
“Welcome. The Oracle will see you now.”
Rekk turned to Orin and Mya. “I wish to meet her alone. Will you wait here for me?”
Orin nodded immediately. Mya looked as if she wanted to protest, but obviously thought better of it.
He moved forward into the small, high-ceilinged room. At one end, there was a modest throne set on a dais. At the other was a table and chairs. The woman led him toward the table.
“Please be seated. I’ll ask for some refreshments to be brought to you.”
Just as Rekk pulled out a chair, a breeze blew the scent of exotic flowers toward him, and he turned toward the inner door.
“
Rekk Pavan? It is you!”
The name resonated through his chest and settled there like an unyielding rock of truth.
“Oracle.” He went to kneel, but she had already reached him and grabbed his hands.
“I always prayed you would return. I never gave up hope.”
She was still beautiful, but older than he’d anticipated, and yet he knew her life span was three or four times that of an average Pavlovan. The Etruscans had obviously not allowed him to age as he should have done.
“Have my family been informed of my return?”
She cupped his chin, her gaze full of sorrow and compassion. “You have been away for quite some time, my friend.”
“My mother? My sister?”
“They are both dead.”
He took a moment to allow that to sink in. “Then who is left?”
“Just me.”
“I don’t…understand.”
“Rekk, you were away for over a hundred years.”
Silence fell between them. Had Mya and Orin known this? He would deal with that hurt later. All his attention was required to make sense of the enormity of what the Oracle was telling him.
“You know I would not lie to you.”
“Yes, Oracle.” In his heart he’d guessed something was terribly wrong and chosen to ignore it. His years of daring to hope were long past.
“The members of the Senate asked if I would be willing to meet with you and identify you when they could not.” She took his hand and made him sit down beside her at the table. “They couldn’t believe the evidence before their own eyes.”
“And you remember me?”
“Of course. There was some talk of us being mated at one point, although we had already decided we would be better off as friends.” Her smile was wistful. “We were both being groomed for challenging roles. I think we found solace in each other over the demands we were constantly being subjected to.”
“I hated my life.” It was all coming back to him—as if the Oracle’s mere presence had regenerated his memories. “I never wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps.”
“I remember. He died far too young, and you were thrust into a difficult situation.” She smiled at him. “One thing you
might
like about this new world of ours is that the Pavlovan First Families gave the authority to govern over to the Senate, which means you can choose to be a private citizen or offer your valuable expertise to the assembly, but only if you wish.”
“What valuable experience?” He looked away. “I was held captive by the Etruscans. They treated me as a cross between a science experiment and a prostitute.”
“I heard something of this.” Her face softened. “I am so sorry, Rekk.”
He sprang up from his chair and paced back and forth in front of the long windows. Anger rolled inside him like the beginnings of a storm. “Why didn’t anyone try to find me?”
“They did try—until a reliable Etruscan source showed your family evidence that the ship you escaped on crashed on one of their moons and that there were no survivors.”
“That source was incorrect.” He forced a laugh. “It was a miracle I was found at all, wasn’t it?”
“Not quite.” She hesitated. “I had a dream about you. I insisted that Captain Jong was to be part of the military delegation to the Etruscan moon.”
Rekk pivoted around. “You
sent
her to find me?”
She shrugged. “That’s what the Gods told me to do.”
“Did she know beforehand?”
“I have no idea; you’ll have to ask her.”
“I will. Have I your permission to leave this place?”
“As long as you stay within the Temple grounds you may roam where you will. I do however expect to see you in my private apartments for dinner tonight so that we can talk more about your future.” She stood up and took his hand. “Tread softly, my friend. I understand that this is difficult for you, but do not rush to any conclusions.”
“One thing I learned during my captivity was patience. I am no longer that foolish boy who ran away rather than face up to his responsibilities.”
She stroked his cheek. “You were never foolish, my dear, just unhappy about the hand fate dealt you. Think of this as an opportunity to rewrite your fate, and all will be well.”
Greatly daring, he kissed her cheek. “Thank you for being honest with me, Oracle.”
“I have no choice in that. I merely channel the Gods.”
“So you accepted your fate as I have never been able to accept mine.”
“I… grew into my power and discovered I rather liked it.”
She surprised a smile out of him. He doubted many people saw this side of the all-powerful Oracle, decider of fates and mates and the future of their race.
“I don’t know what to do,” he confessed.
She patted his arm. “Then do nothing. You are most welcome to stay here for as long as you need.”
“Are all my family gone?”
“You have some relatives from the other founding families. The current leader of the Senate, Ash, is the grandson of your mother’s brother.”
“I would like to meet him.”
“I suspect he would like to meet you, too. Despite what you think, you still carry princely blood in your veins and have had experiences that none here can match. You also have enormous telepathic power, something that has been declining in our population for years. Mayhap you can help us recover that.” She stepped back. “Now go and do what you must. I’ve asked my daughter to assign you a room in my private wing. She will take you there when you are ready.”
“Thank you again.”
Her smile was beautiful. “Don’t thank me. Do you have any idea how wonderful it is for me to find my childhood friend again? Almost everyone I grew up with has died.”
He bowed low. “Then we are doubly blessed to have each other.”
He backed out of the room and turned as Mya and Orin both jumped to their feet.
“Are you okay?” Mya asked. “Was the Oracle able to tell you who you are?”
“Yes. Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That I’d been held captive for over a hundred years? That I am a hundred and twenty-five years old and my family are all dead?”
She didn’t have to speak the words out loud; he felt her answer in his mind.
“You did know, but you chose not to tell me.”
“I was under orders not to reveal anything to you that might cause you further suffering.”
He stepped in close and lowered his voice. “You would keep such things from a male you insist is your
mate
?”
“That’s not fair, Rekk. I took on this assignment in good faith. I had no ability to communicate with my superiors or ask them to change the parameters of that mission.”
“How convenient.”
Orin cleared his throat. “Rekk, we know you’re angry, but—”
He rounded on the other male. “You have
no idea
how I feel.
You
are not the person who has been lied to by the two people who are supposed to have his best interests at heart!”
Orin frowned. “Hey, you were the one saying those ties didn’t exist. You can’t have it both ways.”
“Obviously.” He glared at Orin. “Did you also know I was a prince of the blood?”
“I don’t even know what the heeze that means.”
“I knew,” Mya said. She faced Rekk. “That’s one of the reasons why I was reluctant to believe you truly could be our Third.”
“Even though you were specifically selected for the mission to bring me back?”
“
What
?” Mya went still. “That was
not
our purpose.”
He found himself glaring at her. “You were sent to bring me back. Mayhap you decided it would be worth the risk to secure a prince?”
“That’s not true! I was
sent
because I am the best member of my team. I had no idea that you were there!” She squared up to him. “Or are you suggesting I was
used
? That they deliberately set me up to be taken and drugged and…”
“Forced to have sex with me?” Rekk finished for her. “Maybe it’s all been a big lie, Mya. Maybe we’ve both been used and there really is nothing between us after all.”
He turned and walked away, his feet unconsciously following a path down to one of the secluded gardens where he’d played so happily as a child. He couldn’t bear to deal with anyone else at this moment. He needed time to understand the chaos his life had suddenly become.
“Damn.” Orin shoved a hand through his hair. “That didn’t go well.”
Mya forced her limbs to stop trembling. “He behaved
appallingly
!”
“Mya, the guy just found out that’s he’s a hundred and twenty-five years old, his family are all dead, and he’s the heir to a kingdom that no longer exists! Give him some space.”
“Like he gave us? Insinuating that we lied to him and used him, suggesting that I wasn’t given that job because I’m the best there is, but because he would be
attracted
to me?”
“Hold up. If you were sent on that mission for reasons other than the usual, that was hardly Rekk’s fault. He was stuck in captivity. I doubt he was able to direct what happened from there.”
Mya took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll give you that, but he suggested I
knew,
and I sure as heeze did not.”
“You knew all the other stuff, so why wouldn’t he think you knew that as well?”