book title Page 4

  Tevra swore, bucked up into his touch, hands flailing as he

  sought for purchase that wasn't there. "Fuck."

  Rumbling again, eye swirling green and yellow, Najlah replied,

  I would have to shift for that. This body isn't quite able to fit to a

  human's that way.

  Tevra's face burned scarlet. I'd completely forgotten about

  that, even though that's how I first met you. Wonder what that says

  about me.

  You are better than every other human I've met, Najlah

  replied. Except my brother's wife, but she's a bitch, which is different.

  He bent back to his task in earnest, tongue twining around

  Tevra's cock and then slowly unwinding, a rough stroking that had

  Tevra shivering, shaking, and finally thrashing. Najlah withdrew

  briefly to get his tongue even lower, to taste his balls and tease at his

  hole, memorizing the flavors of sweat and musk.

  A husky laugh came from behind him, Barkus's voice still

  rough with sleep. "I might have known you'd waste no time, you

  incorrigible brat, no matter how much you tried to pretend you didn't

  want him."

  Najlah rumbled and resumed his work on Tevra's cock, until

  he came with a deep groan, trembling as Najlah licked him clean and

  slowly withdrew. He growled, pleased with his efforts, and shifted

  away enough that Barkus could easily fit amongst them.

  Sweaty and naked and well-fucked, Tevra still managed to

  look red-faced and almost shy as he stared at Barkus.

  "Is this all right, Highness?" Barkus asked. "Should I

  withdraw? You're not expected—"

  "I should be so lucky," Tevra interrupted with a laugh. "I didn't

  expect one of you, let alone both. Stop calling me that. I just had my

  dick down his mouth. I think formality is a bit ridiculous at this point."

  In reply, Barkus gave a toothy smile before tugging Tevra in,

  up against his bare chest, and kissing him like their lives depended

  on. Najlah growled in approval. Oh, yes, this was going to be fun.

  Everything else would just have to wait a little longer.

  Worries flitted through his mind, coming from Tevra and

  Barkus, but Najlah growled and pushed them away. Fucking was not

  the time for fretting.

  "You're quite single-minded," Tevra said as he drew back

  enough to speak, though not terribly far because Barkus had a firm

  hold on his ass.

  Thoughts of fucking Tevra spilled from Barkus's mind, and

  Najlah rumbled his approval even as Tevra regained that almost shy

  demeanor again. Such a strange contrast to the tattoos and almost

  cocky demeanor displayed during their hunt.

  "I studied magic to the exclusion of all else, minus those

  things I was expected to know as a prince," Tevra said. "I don't

  actually have all that much experience in this area. I've three lovers

  to my name, all of them a one- or two-night affair."

  Najlah rumbled at that, eyes swirling with amusement. From

  three piddling humans to a Tahjili and Lukos. You really are a human

  brute.

  Tevra laughed, but his reply was cut off as Barkus grabbed his

  cock and gave it several rough strokes, bringing it back to hardness

  like he hadn't just spilled down Najlah's throat. Barkus kissed his

  throat, lapped at it, teeth nipping playfully. Moaning, Tevra moved

  restlessly against him, hands coming up to do their own exploring.

  Shifting, Najlah pressed up behind Tevra, dragging his claws

  ever so lightly across his skin, chasing Barkus's marks on Tevra's

  throat with his own teeth. Tevra moaned, writhing between them,

  body clearly uncertain if it should press forward or back. "You two—"

  "Are greatly enjoying having you at our mercy, Highness,"

  Barkus said before kissing him again, feeding at his mouth until they

  were both breathless, and Najlah was growling from being able to

  feel it all. "So can I fuck you?"

  "Yes," Tevra said as Najlah grinded against him from behind.

  "You'd damn well better."

  Barkus growled softly, kissed him one last time, then

  withdrew. "On your hands and knees, then."

  Tevra moaned and obeyed as Najlah backed up enough to

  give him room. The moment Tevra was in position, though, he

  moved back in and rubbed those lovely, well-used lips with the tip of

  his cock, earning a whimper and teasing lick before Tevra swallowed

  him, throat and tongue working, his groans adding another layer of

  sensation.

  Returning, Barkus wasted no time pushing one slick finger

  into Tevra's waiting hole, working quickly up to two. By the time he

  started with a third, Tevra had pulled off Najlah's cock to practically

  yell, "Fuck me already, you damn wolf."

  Laughing loudly, Barkus slicked his cock, lined up, and thrust

  into Tevra's body. Najlah growled and put him back to work, and

  soon he and Barkus had a rhythm going, fucking him thoroughly at

  both ends, leaving Tevra's thoughts completely whited out with

  pleasure. He'd been so commanding, even arrogant, in the throne

  room when they'd met. The same while on the hunt, with his magic.

  So very much the opposite here, caught between them.

  I like it, Barkus said. He'll do nicely, won't he?

  Yes, Najlah replied. Tevra was most definitely theirs now,

  even if he would have to listen to his brother's merciless teasing.

  He held tightly to Tevra's hair and thrust into his mouth a last

  few times before spilling, as Barkus clamped down tightly on Tevra's

  hips and drove into him one last time, moaning as he came. Tevra

  moaned around Najlah's softening cock as his own climax took him.

  Gently withdrawing, Najlah shifted back to his dragon form,

  licked them both, and then returned to his fireplace. Barkus sprawled

  out on the rug, pulling Tevra with him to practically sprawl atop him.

  "I suppose we should figure out how we got here," Tevra said.

  "The last thing I remember is that group trying to break us."

  Najlah hissed. What is breaking?

  "It destroys the minds of the victim, an overload of magical

  power that leaves the mind… well, basically little better than a bowl

  of pudding. The use of it is a death-penalty offense in most of the

  magic-using world. Most of the time, though, it's simply not a spell

  worth using. If you're going to break someone, you're nearly always

  better off simply killing them, since at that point there's nothing really

  left of the person, just a shell. Early mages developed it as a healing

  technique, to help quell the violent tendencies, and other such, of the

  'insane' or especially horrific criminals. But there's no finesse to it,

  they could never pin that vital component of the spell down. It just

  leaves a person technically alive but functionally dead."

  "That is the most horrifying thing I've ever heard of," Barkus

  replied. "Why would they want to do that to us? Especially since

  they've already tried to kill you."

  "I don't know," Tevra said quietly. "I'm not sure I want to know,

  but I'm also certain we need to know."

  Killing you didn't work, so maybe this is a different method, or

  the demands of the assignment have changed, Najlah said. I'm sure

  there are all sorts of things they could do if they had broken the three

  of us and carted us off to who knows where.

  Barkus growled, and if he'd been in his wolf form, his hackles

  would have been standing like spikes. They never would have made

  it across the Shide.

  There's this thing called the ocean, and these other things

  called ships, Tevra replied.

  Biting him playfully, Barkus replied, "Oh, be quiet, Prince

  Know-it-All."

  Tevra laughed, stole a quick kiss, then rolled over and pushed

  to his feet. "Come on, as much as I prefer to stay here with the two

  of you, there are questions that need answers."

  Najlah rumbled in discontent, but obediently crawled from the

  fire and shook off stray embers. I feel my brother probably has

  something to do with us being back here. He led the way out of the

  room and through the palace to Ajith's suite—where an unusual

  number of people were clustered around.

  He could also smell blood, hear muffled cries of pain.

  Snarling, tail lashing, he turned on the guards. "What is going on?"

  "What's happening?" Barkus asked.

  "Her Grace is in labor," one of the guards replied. "Lord Ajith

  said we were not to disturb you, as you'd taken significant injury from

  the attack in the city, but that we were to inform you of events once

  you were awake. I don't know why the guards posted at your door

  didn't mention it."

  "There were no guards posted," Tevra said. "Bring the Captain

  of the Guard at once."

>   Eyes widening, the guards shared a look, and then the one

  who'd spoken raced off down the hall, pounding steps echoing,

  punctuated by the rattle of his armor and sword belt.

  Najlah growled, eyes swirling with anger. I did not smell blood

  or anything else nefarious. If there was anything amiss, other than

  their presence, it was not noticeable to my senses.

  "Or mine," Barkus added.

  "Nothing magical either," Tevra said. "Strange indeed. It

  sounds like they either walked away voluntarily or were coerced into

  it and dealt with somewhere else. He turned to the remaining guard.

  "Is there anything I can do for Her Grace? I've aided birthing mothers

  in the past."

  "I will see, Your Highness." The guard rapped on the door and

  slipped inside when it opened the barest bit. After a few minutes, he

  reemerged and said, "His Grace would be most welcome for

  whatever you can do to ease Her Grace's pain."

  Tevra followed the guard inside, screams pouring into the hall

  as the door opened again. Najlah hissed, eyes swirling with

  discontent. Hopefully it would be over soon, though he'd heard talk

  that sometimes human bitches could be in labor for many hours.

  "They can," Barkus said. "My mother was never in labor

  longer than three hours, but my poor sister was in labor for eight with

  her twins. Some poor woman from a neighboring clan suffered more

  than half a day."

  Najlah hissed, eternally grateful he was a hornless brute. It

  was highly unlikely he'd ever have to endure such nonsense.

  " Unlikely, not impossible?"

  Eyes swirling green, Najlah turned to face him and flicked his

  tongue out. Not impossible. We're all born female, after all. If a bitch

  died, and there were no horned brutes to become the new bitch and

  take over the den, then the remaining hornless brutes would fight for

  the honor. If I was in an area that lacked bitches, and wanted to start

  my own den, I could also change.

  Barkus's eyes gleamed with something hot and possessive,

  but he only said, I see.

  Najlah rumbled but was distracted by the quieting of Lady

  Korla's distress. A few minutes later, Tevra reemerged. "Looks like

  you're an uncle to a strong baby girl, Najlah. Congratulations."

  Thank you. Najlah roared so his brother would hear him, and

  could hear the answering rumble, much softer so as not to disturb

  mother and child. As though Korla would whelp anything but a

  female. Her blood runs too strong for anything else.

  Tevra chuckled softly. "Even for a human?"

  Clicking and chittering, Najlah turned his attention back to the

  guard who'd yet to return. Surely, he should be back by now.

  "Let's go see for ourselves, shall we?" Tevra asked.

  Barkus growled. "Yes, let's." He shifted, shaking his head as

  the change settled, and Tevra bundled up his clothes into the bag

  he'd brought with him. Najlah took the lead, growling softly, sending

  most residents fleeing. Good. If things were about to get as ugly as

  they feared, the fewer people around, the better.

  At the back of the bond, Najlah could hear Barkus

  communicating with his fellow wolves, telling them to stay where

  they were for now, to protect Their Graces should it be necessary.

  Though clearly unhappy with that order, the wolves acknowledged it

  before their presence faded off.

  I don't understand any of this, Tevra said. If they wanted me

  dead, there are far better ways to go about it. Why does it seem like

  they're escalating? Like they've lost their gods-damned minds? From

  trying to stab me to death in my bed to using highly illegal magic to

  get all three of us in the middle of a fucking city, and now they're

  mucking directly with the royal guard? What do they hope to

  accomplish with that?

  Najlah growled, low and threatening, tongue flicking out

  frequently to taste for any hints of danger. Who cares. The why is

  irrelevant. It's what they're doing that matters. I smell blood. Barely,

  but there. He increased his pace, following the faint scent, growling

  low as it grew stronger—and stronger.

  They spilled into the hallway that led to the armory and

  barracks, the scent of blood so strong, even Tevra could smell it.

  Tevra cast him a brief look. You know, humans get by just fine

  with how we smell.

  No, you don't, Barkus and Najlah said together, making Tevra

  roll his eyes. Barkus added, "You just don't know what you're

  missing."

  "I think I'm all right with that, actually," Tevra replied. "If I had

  to smell everything the way you two do, I'd go insane. Anyway, now

  that I've got the two of you to do that for me, three just feels like

  overkill."

  Najlah rumbled and chittered, but his eyes remained focused

  ahead of him, tongue flicking rapidly as he took in the scent of blood.

  Sharp, fresh, human.

  The enormous double doors that led to the armory were

  closed, which was strange. Save for emergencies, the doors were

  always wide open.

  Locked, Barkus said as he tried them . We'll need a key.

  There's no way we can break these doors down.

  "Says you," Tevra said with a laugh. "Move out of my way,

  wolf."

  Barkus chuffed. Oh, ho, our pliant little prince has been

  replaced by the arrogant one again. Such a delightful contrast. I do

  like you best when you're sweet and pliant beneath me, but the

  arrogance is delightfully appealing.

  Tevra rolled his eyes, even as his cheeks burned. "Now is

  hardly the time." As Barkus and Najlah moved to stand behind him,

  he held his hands straight out in front of him, arms extended. The air

  practically crackled with magic, prickling Najlah's nostrils, raising

  Barkus's hackles.

  There was a deafening series of pops and cracks, and right

  before Najlah's eyes the doors splintered, cracked, and fell to the

  floor in jagged pieces, sending up a cloud of dust like smoke.

  Tevra swayed and sank to his knees, bracing his hands on the

  floor as he drew several long, shuddery breaths. "Haven't done that

  one in a while. Much easier when I have backup. Normally it'll knock

  me out cold for a bit."

  Najlah rumbled softly, licking Tevra's face as Barkus did the

  same, seeing for themselves that he was all right.

  "You two are like the cat I had as a child, but worse, because

  you're bigger and I know where your tongues have been," Tevra said

  with a laugh, and braced a hand on Barkus's back before heaving to

  his feet. "Thank you." He brushed his hands off, looked at them, then

  the mess, and said, "Now let's see what's going on with the royal

  guard."

  Najlah growled and took the lead once more, letting his spikes

  come out as the smell of blood grew stronger, and climbed over the

  rubble and into whatever trouble awaited them next.

  There was blood everywhere. Splashes on the wall. Pools on

  the floor, bloody footprints going from one pool to the next. Even the

  ceiling hadn't been left unmarked.

  Despite the blood, though, Najlah saw not a single body. It

  was like every guard that had walked through the doors had been

  cut down and dragged away. He doubted any of them were still alive.

  There are normally thousands of guards in the castle at any

  given time, Barkus said. It was one of the first things I set my people

  to when we arrived. We wanted to know what they did and how, so

  we could mesh our methods with theirs and such. The bulk of the

  guards are located in the city and garrisons further afield, but a solid

  force of five thousand is kept in and around the royal palace at any

  given time. There's no way anyone—anything—could have killed off

  that many without detection.

  Clearly sensing Barkus's tension and worry, the other wolves

  pressed at the bond, asking to come help, but Barkus remained firm

  in telling them to stay where they were, continue with his original