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  Hours later, they sat together eating a huge meal at Rowe’s table. Val didn’t like that Rowe had yet to wake, but Quinn said to let her sleep. To his surprise, Val trusted Quinn. On a deeper level, he knew the male wanted only the best for Rowe. Whereas before Val had been annoyed and frustrated, his intimacies with Quinn alleviated some of his suspicion and worry over the pairing.

  “You good now? Between coming and the nap after, I mean?”

  Val flushed. “Fuck off.”

  “I intend to all over again.” The wicked smile Quinn shot him made Val laugh.

  “Okay. You wore me out. But not enough that I can’t satisfy my mate.” He looked forward to it, despite his doubts.

  “There are a few things you need to know.”

  “Only a few?”

  “Listen, Talson, Rowe has a few problems that are going to make life difficult for a while.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah.” Quinn grimaced and shoved his plate aside. “His name is Keilor Chartrell ‘Or Ryi.”

  Val’s nerves tingled. “Explain.”

  “Keilor is Fulton’s adopted son, though the resemblance between them is uncanny. You want my take, Fulton fucked around on the side and adopted his own bastard, though that’s never been proven.”

  “But it would make sense.”

  “Yeah. Thing is, for as long as Rowe’s been a part of the Chartrell family, she’s never really been one of them. The ‘Or Ryi clan families tend to be dickheads,” he said bluntly. “Prejudiced pricks against anyone not from purebred lines. Hell, they barely like me and I can name a few clan kings as kin.”

  Val didn’t like what he was hearing. “She’s been alone for the past ten years, when her parents died, right?”

  Quinn nodded.

  “So who raised her?”

  “Her aunt and uncle. Good people, but they subscribe to the whole ‘humans are nothing but peons’ mentality. They tend to ignore that she has any human inside her. I know it hurts her, even though she won’t say anything about it. On top of that, she’s been fending off Keilor for years.”

  “Fending off how?” Val’s eyes narrowed.

  When Quinn described how he’d found Rowe this morning, Val’s temper exploded. He felt the overwhelming need to protect, to care for Rowe, and it consumed him.

  “She thinks of them as related, but trust me, he doesn’t. At all. And another thing. I’ve been helping Rowe with her investigation into her uncle’s recent attack. We think Keilor was behind it, as well as the attacks on Talson Shipping. I’d bet everything I own he’s been the force aligning the pirate attacks on both Talson and Chartrell Shipping.”

  “You have proof?”

  “I think Rowe does. I’ve spent more time watching after her than dealing with the investigation.”

  Thoughts of Rowe in trouble, threatened by her cousin, not accepted by her family, made Val ache to protect her. He had to be with her right now.

  “Easy.” Joined psychically, Quinn felt a measure of what Val did.

  “I need to see her.” To touch her. Val strode from the kitchen into the bedroom, where Rowe lay peacefully on the bed, her naked flesh blushing under the pale glow of a nearby light.

  Val ran his fingers over her cheeks, her nose, her chin. He grazed her lips, wanting to feel them against his mouth again. Images of him and her sweltered, until he realized the fantasies of them making love came not from his mind, but from hers.

  He blinked. “I think she’s dreaming.”

  “I think she’s ready.” Quinn grinned and tugged down the loose trousers he’d donned earlier.

  “Why am I not surprised to see you hard again?” Val appreciated Quinn’s size, but now the lust he felt rested solely for his iriu. With Rowe, if the damn woman would wake up.

  He rubbed his cock under his jeans and hurriedly undressed. His psychei suddenly flared, and he knew without a doubt Rowe was waking. “Everything else can wait until we finish this.”

  Quinn nodded, and his eyes turned silver, the pupils and whites obscured by bright gray. “This is going to be so much fun. You have no idea how annoyed she’s going to be about all this. She’s not that fond of you Talsons, you know.”

  “Yeah? Cause it didn’t seem that way to me the last time I had her in bed.” The conversation made him feel closer to Quinn, males commiserating over a troublesome female. But the pulsing in his blood, the pounding need in his cock was slowly driving all thought from his mind.

  “You’ll find out later. Damn, I’m hard.” Quinn took a step closer to Rowe and caressed her hair. An affectionate gesture, and one that eased Val’s protective instincts. Quinn had looked after Rowe for years. Now it was Val’s turn.

  Quinn turned to stare into Val’s eyes and in a low voice promised, “By the ‘Or Ryi, know that I’ll treat her as if she were my own.”

  The clan oath was unnecessary, but a promising glimpse into the future. Considering that Quinn had known Rowe far longer than Val had and clearly cared for the woman, Val would have taken him at his word. But the ring of truth pulsing in Quinn’s psychei showed his oath to not only be more than trustworthy, but unbreakable.

  “Then let’s claim my iriu.” Val smiled, and Quinn gave him a hearty slap on the back as they readied to bond Val and Rowe together.

  Rowe moaned and woke with a fire burning in her blood. Her breasts ached, her clit throbbed and her body itched for completion, waiting for the right man to fill her.

  Selection. She gasped, suddenly aware of her nudity as she arched into the cool air biting at her already hard nipples.

  “Lovely,” a male voice murmured.

  She blinked up at Val Talson ‘Or Fal and Quinn, staring down at her like starving men. Her body reacted to their warmth, the tingling between her thighs growing stronger.

  “You are so beautiful,” Quinn murmured, staring at her breasts.

  She should have felt embarrassed. But desire for the men looking at her eliminated any self-doubt. “It’s the Selection,” she offered, wishing she had the strength to refuse her body’s demands.

  “And The Testing,” Val murmured, stroking his thick erection.

  She shook off any lingering sleep. Val Talson had to be the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. That thick black hair that brushed his shoulders, those bright silver eyes, the hard planes of his face. And Stars, but his body looked like male perfection. Though slightly smaller than Quinn, whom she’d always considered a giant, Val still towered over her. All muscle and sinew, with a cock that would spear her in two.

  She couldn’t look away from it until she heard Val laugh. And then she remembered how much he annoyed her.

  What he’d said penetrated, and her eyes widened. “The Testing?” She glanced at Quinn, stunned that she hadn’t paid attention to his lack of clothing until now. Shit. He looked more than ready to play. To him, she said, “So Val’s my mate, and you’re the helper?” Iriu and eda. She couldn’t say the words. Just thinking them made her heart hammer, because they implied permanence.

  Quinn nodded.

  Not sure what to make about her life changing before her eyes, she couldn’t help the sigh of pleasure that left her as she watched both men draw closer, until they were all but on the bed with her.

  “By the clans.” She couldn’t tear her gaze from Val’s cock. Jutting high off his taut sac, his shaft was thick, the flesh a golden brown and veined, his crown a darkening plum that glinted with moisture. He rubbed the clear liquid from his slit over the head, and she licked her lips at the thought of that cock rammed inside her.

  Her thoughts felt decidedly naughty…and masculine. She’d undoubtedly picked up on his feelings. Instead of the smug victory she might have felt from Val, she sensed tenderness, an affection he shouldn’t possibly have for a woman he considered his enemy. A woman who only two weeks ago had tied him to a bed.

  A new image assailed her, that of her tied up while Val took her. His cock in her pussy, then her mouth, driving
into her with the most beautiful look of arousal on his face. Then she flashed to another scene—his head between her legs as he consumed her, loving how sweet, how right she tasted. What felt suspiciously like love started to blossom between them…

  Between her own arousal and the needy acceptance she craved dangled before her, she didn’t think she could hold out for long.

  “Well, iriu?”

  Iriu. He’d said it. True love. His mate. “Wh-what did you call me?”

  Quinn snorted, but a glare from Val silenced him. Val shifted his gaze to hers again, and his expression softened. “You know. You feel it. Despite our differences, our energies align. We’re meant to be, Rowe.”

  She didn’t know how she felt about that. She’d always wanted to be loved for herself, and now she had a man saying what she wanted to hear, but for all the wrong reasons. “So because fate decided we belong, because our bodies and energies are right, we’re a done deal?” What about true love, caring, an affection that came from truly knowing one another?

  Was she destined to never have that utter belonging she’d always wanted?

  A look passed between the men, which annoyed her. She should have been able to pick up on what they said, but Val deliberately shielded her. As she’d suspected, this wouldn’t be a true joining, just a way for her to procreate.

  Val scowled. “You’re going to be stubborn. A real pain in my ass.”

  “How romantic.”

  Quinn snorted with laughter. But Val’s smile surprised her, the genuine joy on his face awesome to behold. “That’s me. The king of romance. Guess that makes you perfect to be my queen.” Val sat on the bed on one side while Quinn sat on the other. “First we join. No question, you’re mine, sweetheart. The knowing, the real love, will come. Just give it a chance.”

  “I—” She couldn’t deny him. Not when she could read the sincerity there. That he wanted to try loving her made her want to relent. He dangled a lure that someone like her, someone who’d never belonged, would hunger for like nothing else.

  Quinn stroked her belly, calming and arousing her at the same time. “He’s right, Rowe. Let him in. He won’t hurt you.”

  That Quinn liked him startled her into accepting. Quinn didn’t think any man had ever been good enough for her. The few boyfriends she’d had had never passed muster with Quinn, not that she’d cared that much when they’d left. And Quinn was loyal to the Chartrells. For him to take a liking to Val spoke highly of Talson.

  “I-I guess I could try.”

  “Oh, you’re going to do more than that.” Val smiled, his grin wicked with sexual intent. “It was touch and go, but I decided to let you make the first move.”

  “Very funny, Talson.”

  “Call him Val,” Quinn urged, sliding his hands over her belly, her breasts, and lingering on her hard nipples. He ignored her moans and pinched them, and she melted the bonds holding her arms to the bed with a thought. The ashes settled along the sheets, like whispers of a new beginning.

  Quinn continued, his voice thick, his hands hot yet gentle. The pricks of pain to her nipples sent pleasure dancing through her body. “Val’s going to be fucking that sweet pussy of yours really soon, Rowe. And you don’t want to piss off a man that can leave you in sexual agony for hours.”

  Quinn’s laugh mixed with Val’s, and a sudden welling of emotion burned in her belly. What the hell is that?

  Before she could ask either of them about her sudden empathy, Val leaned over her and kissed Quinn on the mouth. She gaped, stunned at how turned-on the kiss made her.

  Val pulled back. “Thanks, Quinn. I owe you.”

  “Yeah, you do.” Quinn winked at her. “But I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Not my little Rowe.”

  “She’s not yours anymore,” Val growled, and she was taken aback at the savagery of his emotion.

  “No. You’re right. She’s yours, so treat her right,” Quinn warned. Then he kissed Val, and she swore he used his tongue.

  Val groaned and pulled away. “Cut it out or I’ll fuck the fight out of you again.”

  Again? “Oh my God. What the hell did I miss while I was asleep?” Val and Quinn? Having sex? To her astonishment, she didn’t feel the least bit weird about her friend being here, seeing her naked. Nor did she feel any jealousy about Quinn and Val. Instead, their reaction to each other and her made her hot. Needy. Hungry for sex. Right. Now.

  Val’s gaze snapped to hers and glowed with lust, and a clear show of affection that surprised her. “Right now, hmm? Sure thing, sweetheart.”

  Funny how the endearment no longer annoyed her. Not when it sounded so genuine. And what the hell? He was reading her thoughts?

  “You’re open to me, yes. Now it’s time to fuck you until you scream. I told you I’d be seeing you again, didn’t I?” His gaze lingered on the moisture between her thighs. “And boy, am I seeing you.”

  “Stop teasing,” she said in a breathless voice. Is that me? “I’m on fire, here.” She squirmed against the soft bed sheets under her, aware of the excitement that flared on both Quinn’s and Val’s faces.

  It was time.

  Chapter Five

  “Val, take her mouth. First your energy, then your seed,” Quinn said as he moved to the end of the bed and spread her legs wide. The feel of his hands on her thighs sent waves of arousal through her body, her skin sensitive and hungry for touch.

  “I know what to do, Quinn.” Val sounded annoyed, yet she heard a thread of humor as well. “It wasn’t too long ago I helped out my brother just the way you’re helping me.” His gaze turned to her. “But this is beyond anything I ever experienced. Rowe, you belong with me.” He leaned down to kiss her, and her breath caught in her throat.

  When he leaned up, she sighed. “You feel good.” She had a hard time focusing, awash in pleasure.

  Though she watched Val, she felt Quinn’s palms graze the skin of her legs, and she shivered. His touch felt so damn good. The calluses on his palms were a delicious friction against her flesh, and when he pressed his thumbs between her folds to open her, she bucked uncontrollably.

  Then Val held her down with his wicked mind.

  “Shh, that’s it, sweetheart.” Val teased her, rubbing his thumb along her lower lip while Quinn ran his fingers along the seam of her sex.

  “Oh yeah,” Quinn rasped. “Fuck her mouth, Val. Shove that fat cock between her lips and give her what she needs.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.” Val’s gruff reply had her blinking up at him, and she couldn’t help noticing once again how incredibly handsome he was as he knelt above her. “You’re going to have to swallow me, Rowe. You know about The Testing, right?”

  His words were harsh but tender, and though he gripped himself with excitement, she could see how carefully he approached her. He straddled her neck, his erection straining above her.

  “Put yourself in my mouth,” she whispered, knowing an overwhelming urge to taste him. Val’s lust, her own, and Quinn’s mingled until she could no longer tell who felt what.

  Val shook as he braced his upper body against the wall and positioned his cock at her lips. He grazed his cock head against her mouth, the brush of his warm flesh urging her to do more. “Rowe,” he groaned and pushed again.

  This time she let him slip between her lips.

  “That is so fucking hot,” Quinn said, his voice hoarse. Then his finger speared her pussy, and she opened her mouth to cry out. Val’s cock surged deeper.

  She greedily accepted Val, enjoying the familiar taste of his thick cock, loving the way he stroked deeper inside her mouth. Rowe didn’t have a whole lot of experience with oral sex, but as Val pressed, she easily fit his girth. The gag reflex she would have expected lay dormant as he reached the back of her throat and stilled.

  Quinn added a second finger, widening her channel. And then she felt his mouth over her clit, the pressure so incredibly good she nearly came. Sudden heat swelled and she sucked harder on Val, unbearably excited and arouse
d at two men taking her at once. Masculine arousal layered the room in lust. Foreign images and feelings of carnal need engulfed her, and she knew an incredible sense of satisfaction at the rightness of this joining.

  She moaned, the sound humming along Val’s shaft.

  “Fuck. I’m going to move, Rowe. I have to move,” he rumbled and slowly withdrew.

  Quinn licked her while his magic fingers plunged in and out of her. She stopped clenching the bed sheets and reached out to palm Val’s ass. She pulled him back, taking more of his cock again. In and out, slower, then faster, as Quinn increased the stimulation to her clit.

  He stroked her thighs, massaging her and teasing until she was half-crazed for penetration. Quinn’s mouth, Val’s taste, and echoes of their shared passion more than made her want to climax.

  “Not yet, Rowe,” Val chided in a broken voice, his heavy breathing all too telling. “I feel your need, but you can’t come, sweetheart. Not until Quinn comes first. Trust me, it’ll feel ten times better when he does.”

  “And it won’t take much longer.” Quinn moaned. “You taste so sweet, Rowe. I’m trying to open you up, but if I don’t get inside you soon, I might come anyway.”

  Val swore and shoved harder. “Fuck, Rowe. Let us come first, then you. Easy. Stars, that mouth. I want to fill you in the worst way.”

  She’d been stroking the underside of his shaft in a spot that seemed to cry out for attention. Just under the crown, the spot, when rubbed, sent blood pounding through his cock. She did it again, then raked her teeth lightly along his shaft. Val and Quinn groaned, and she knew they both felt what she did, their bodies and minds one.

  “Oh, Rowe, that’s it, baby.” Val’s thrusts increased, and she could feel his sac against her chin, could feel the strength in his ass as he flexed and pistoned. Such power, such energy. His psychei begged for release.

  “Don’t wait, Val. Give it to her right now. Do it,” Quinn ordered.

  Val shuddered and came, his hot cum filling her mouth.

  Energy slammed into her, a rush of power that started to connect her and Val together. She swallowed his generous seed, amazed at her desire that continued to build. Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, another flash of energy filled her mind, heart and soul.