Wicked Nights

Passion Unbound: Wicked Nights Tawny Taylor All rights reserved.

Copyright ©2008 Tawny Taylor

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ISBN: 978-1-59596-941-5

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Editor: Crystal Esau

Cover Artist: Sahara Kelly

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Passion Unbound: Wicked Nights Tawny Taylor If you could be kidnapped by any man, who would it be? And thus it was from the beginning of time. Two knights. One bride. They whispered their story to The Chosen, a human endowed with the gift of Hearing… The Chosen wrote the story and released it into the human world. The bait was set. The spell was cast. And then they waited… -- An excerpt from the Ierd Kimeno, the sacred text of the Twelfth Knight Brotherhood Freelance writer Cheryl Witte loves her romance novels as much as the next girl. Her favorite -- Dangerous Knights, the story of two dominant, sexy vampires, Cy and Maksim. To be possessed by two dark and dangerous Masters? One word, yum! But that’s just fantasy. It could never happen in real life… right? She wouldn’t want it to. Then again, maybe it could… and maybe she would. Cheryl is onto the story of the century, about a portal that allows real men -dangerous and barbaric ones -- to travel into the human world and kidnap unsuspecting women. You bet she’s willing to take her chances for that kind of story. A paper cut and a few muttered words could make all her wishes come true, including a cover story in the NY Times. Not to mention bring the men of her fantasies, Cy and Maksim, to life. She sets up some cameras, arms herself with a tranquilizer, and waits. And waits…until…one minute she’s sleeping, the next she’s dragged into a world of her imagination, to face her darkest desires… and most shocking secrets. Cy and Maksim have their own challenges to face. But nothing can stop them from introducing their fiery new bride to the rapture of complete submission.

Prologue And thus it was from the beginning of time. Two knights. One bride. The knights whispered their story to The Chosen, a human endowed with the gift of Hearing, as she lay in bed, straddling the line between wakefulness and sleep. The Chosen wrote the story and released it into the human world. The bait was set. The spell was cast. And then they waited. Only their mate could activate the magic. On the night of the full moon, if the bride read her Masters’ story and uttered the plea, the barricade protecting the portal between their worlds would be disabled for a single moon rising, leaving a temporary passage through which her Masters could travel to claim her. In this way, the Twelfth Knight Brotherhood has hunted their mates for centuries, and thus continued to thrive…

-- An excerpt from Ierd Kimeno, the sacred text of the Twelfth Knight Brotherhood

Chapter 1 This wasn’t just a game anymore. No longer just a quest for a scorching orgasm or even a teasing cat and mouse chase. Her domineering knights, Cy and Maks, were determined to force her to her knees any way they could. That realization made her shudder. Cy captured her wrists in his huge fists and forced them out to the side, walking her backward until she was literally crushed between his powerful body and the cold stone wall. She shivered as his erect cock branded her flesh, his lethal-sharp gaze pierced her eyes. He kicked her feet apart, widening her stance and she nearly melted to the floor. She’d never imagined it would be this way, being dominated by two powerful men. A delicious, terrifying, wicked thrill. Cheryl Witte dragged in a slow, deep breath. Could she do this? Oh God. A freelance writer who had spent the past several years looking for her big chance, she’d been chasing a hot story for months. A phenomenal one that would blow apart the current view of the world. If only she had proof. She’d been so close last month, with that scene in the apartment building. So fucking close she could taste it. But someone had called the police and she wasn’t able to get a look before it was too late. Thank God for anonymous sources! She was right now staring at the key to her future. Once she had proof, it wouldn’t be the fucking Globe buying her story, it would be Time. Discovery. The New York Times. And this girl would finally be someone. But what a risk she’d have to take. Huge. Maybe even greater than a trip to the worst war-torn regions on earth. She was about to open the door to another dimension,

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to invite two huge, powerful, dangerous men into her home where she would trap them. They were so strong. Brutal. Scary. And yes, sexy too. But that didn’t even begin to make up for the horrible things their people had done to women all these years. Snatching them out of their beds in the middle of the night and forcing them into an empty life of subservience, basically making them their sex slaves. Savages. If anything went wrong tonight… shit, she couldn’t even allow herself to think about that right now. She checked the equipment one last time. Video cameras focused on each wall. Audio recorder. Preloaded syringes with a tranquilizer that was both safe and powerful enough to knock a three hundred pound man out for at least a couple of hours. That last thing was not the easiest thing to come by. This would be the story of the millennium. She could not wimp out. She glanced out the window. Full moon. Oh, ack! Do this now or wait a month? She’d gone through such hell to get ready for this. It had to be now, even though she was absolutely petrified and alone. She hadn’t been able to trust anyone to be there with her, to watch her back, just in case something went wrong. Wouldn’t it be her luck that she’d end up kidnapped by the bastards and dragged into their world, only to have her story hit huge while she was gone? Hands trembling, she unwrapped the sterile lance she’d bought at the medical supply store. A drop of blood was needed. On the book’s pages. While she read the scene in the story where the heroine pleads for the beasts to come for her. That was what her source had told her. She flipped back to the beginning, found the page. Skimmed. Here. If only she could find real men like Cy and Maks. Men who knew who they were, and had the personal strength to give her what she’d been searching for all her life. Weren’t intimidated by her independence and strong will. And who deserved her unwavering trust.

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That did sound nice. Too bad it didn’t really happen that way. Cheryl poked her fingertip with the lance and watched three round droplets strike the page. “Where are you, Cy and Maksim? Please, please come to me.” Nothing. Silence. She glanced around the room, expecting some kind of… something… to happen. The air to ripple and spark. Two men to come jumping out of the walls, charging at her like pissed off rhinos. She dropped the book and scooted up to the head of the bed until her spine ground painfully into the headboard. Her fingers curled around the syringes, tighter. She was ready. Terrified but ready. Her heart was kicking against her breastbone like a kangaroo trying to break out of a cage. She glanced out the window again. Yes, it was the full moon. It was early still, just a little after six in the evening. The moon would be shining for the next fifteen hours. That meant her knights from another dimension could come rushing into her room at any time. Any time now. Yep, at any minute. Sigh. She was in for a looooong night. At least she was prepared. Lots of chocolate. Caffeine in the form of diet cola. She’d be wired, but at least she wouldn’t fall asleep. As minutes and then hours slowly ticked by, her breathing regulated. Her heart stopped trying to hammer its way out of her chest. But she didn’t loosen her grip on those syringes. Nor did she let herself become distracted by the half-read book lying on her bed or her favorite television show, which was on tonight. The dangers of her being caught off-guard were too great. A handful of hours later, she had a whole new appreciation for detectives and their ilk. To sit around waiting for something to happen was tedious. Boooring. Exhausting. Especially when there was no guarantee that anything would happen at all.

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She knew for a fact that the Twelfth Knight Brotherhood was real. And those women had all disappeared, without leaving a single clue behind. It was as if they’d literally vanished into thin air. Only one woman that she knew of had managed to return. That woman, Maggie Dunning, was living like nothing had ever happened. The only difference being, the lucky girl now had two gorgeous live-in boyfriends who, unfortunately for Cheryl, seemed one hundred percent human. That hadn’t discouraged Cheryl. She was just going to have to try harder. Her only doubt now was whether or not she’d gotten the summoning spell right. If her anonymous tipster had left out a significant detail, there was a chance she’d be sitting here tomorrow morning, sleep deprived and caffeine OD’d, and still lacking the evidence she wanted so badly. More hours ticked by, and the effects of her uber doses of caffeine made her feel sick. She stopped all consumption of the stimulant. There truly were some bad side effects to caffeine. More hours passed, and she began to believe the worst. She’d missed something. The spell had not worked. Her body was unwinding from the effects of her caffeine overdose. Her eyes growing bleary. Her head clouding with exhaustion. She was the world’s worst investigative reporter. How would she ever make a name for herself if she couldn’t stay awake one stupid night? At daybreak, she finally succumbed to her body’s demand for sleep. Her dreams were filled with images of burly men with sexy sneers and hot I’m-going-to-get-you gazes. This sucked. How the heck would she figure out where she’d gone wrong? Before the next full moon?

*** Hands. Male. On her body. Her breasts. Her stomach. Her arms. Between her legs. Oh God, this was the world’s best dream. Cheryl sighed. And then screamed. She wasn’t dreaming. What the hell?

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She jackknifed up, knocking away the appendages of two huge, hulking behemoths, and lunged for the syringes, sitting on her nightstand. But before she had them in her hands, one of the beasts sent them sailing across the room with a lightningquick sweep of his arm. No man that large should be able to move that quickly.

Shit! She was in trouble!

She logrolled across the bed, missing a full body tackle by sheer luck and hit the

wood floor with a painful thud. Gasping for breath and blindly fighting for her life, she followed instinct, scuttling across the floor toward the door. Long before she reached it, the weight of a hundred elephants (or so it felt) landed on top of her. Wheeze.

Couldn’t breathe.

She was done.

The only thought that comforted her was knowing that the cameras were

catching everything. No other woman would be put through this hell. She’d feel even better if she could get a single gulp of air into her lungs. She wormed and struggled until the lack of oxygen took its toll and she had nothing left. Finally, her body heavy, she relinquished. The darkness was closing in, so soothing, like a cloud of lavender scented air. But then a crash, followed by three more, filled the room. Horrified, she blinked open her eyes to spy the shattered remains of one of the digital video cameras, lying less than three feet from her face. Fuck! Those bastards had not just destroyed her proof. She was about to try to mutter an expletive or two when more loud noises cut her off. Men’s voices, shouting, furniture splintering, filled the room. What the hell? Had someone tipped off the police again? One of them got practically nose-to-nose with her, firing shotgun-style questions about her anonymous source. She simply kept her mouth clamped shut, refusing to say a word. Not that she knew anything anyway, but even if she did, she wouldn’t talk.

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Didn’t have to talk. No one had broken any laws, at least none that she knew of. “Does anyone else know about the Twelfth Knights? Have you told anyone else?” “No, not yet. I didn’t trust anyone. I was trying to get some proof --” “Enough! It doesn’t matter anymore,” the man pinning her to the ground shouted, dragging her to her feet. “She’s coming with us. No one can use her anymore. That’s the end of it.” She was hauled across the room, toward the shimmering patch that had appeared in the wall. The portal. She glanced back, catching the retreating backs of three men as they raced out of her bedroom and down the hall. And then the bizarre tingling over her skin reminded her she was about to be dragged into a dangerous foreign world, where men who were little more than monsters held women captive against their will. Somehow she found the strength to fight against her captor. She kicked as hard as she could at his legs, knees, groin. She wildly thrashed about. He had one thick arm wrapped around her torso, just below the breasts so that her back was pressed against his thick bulk. That gave her a firsthand (horrifying!) view of the world beyond. Oh God! It was worse than she ever would have guessed. The room they entered was dark and eerie and reminded her of a movie set from some kind of historical horror flick. She half expected a hunched-over dwarf to come hobbling through the door at any moment. Behind her, she knew the gateway to her home and the life she loved was retreating fast. The devil who had her was moving quickly across the room, through a door and down a corridor. Not once did he speak. Not once did he offer her any show of comfort. He just hauled her like a piece of property through the medieval looking building made out of cold stone blocks. Down one corridor after another. It was like a freaking maze. Finally -- finally! -- he stopped, but only long enough to unlock a heavy wooden door and shove her inside a dark, ugly cell.

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She stumbled forward, lurched around to give him hell. But she only got out the word “You --” before he slammed the door and headed for parts unknown.

Chapter 2 “You caught us unprepared before, but we were ready for you this time.” Twelfth Knight Security Chief Xander Kendrick shoved Kieran Truax through the door so hard Kieran lost his footing, flipping backward over a chair. He landed with a heavy “oof,” stared up at the furious Xander. “What the hell, Kieran? What are you thinking?” The prisoner remained silent. “You’re going to rot in jail for a millennium for this.” Cy Parnell stepped up beside his superior, Xander, worried for the first time that the normally levelheaded man might be tempted to do something crazy, like stop Kieran’s clock for good. Not that he blamed the security chief. Shit, Kieran’s antics had come damn close to putting all of Alyria in jeopardy. He was just glad it was over now. Kieran was caught and he wouldn’t be able to try something again. They could head back to Alyria with their prisoner, close the portal, and he would get on with more important things -- like training his new bride. He’d barely had a chance to look at her before Kieran had come flying through the portal. Xander and his bound mate, Bastien Lennox, had come barreling through the bedroom door. Xander and Bastien had been the very first Twelfth Knights to remain on this side of the portal in history. Their bride had destroyed their book, sealing the portal so they could safely remain. Fortunately, Xander had somehow discovered a way to communicate with Cy using the humans’ Internet. He’d been working on the project before they’d taken their bride back to her world. Cy doubted his superior had ever imagined the new cyber connection he’d created would be used for such a purpose, but it had been a damn good thing it was there. Cy had been able to inform Xander ahead of time, letting him know

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who the next Knights would be to cross over into the human world and, most importantly, the identity of the bride. “You sure you don’t want to come back to Alyria with us? We can wait a little while if you want to go get your bride.” Cy motioned to Kieran and Maks. Xander shook his head. “No. I think it’s a good idea having a couple of Knights on this side of the portal. Just make sure you let me know where it’ll be opening next.” Cy shoved Kieran over onto his stomach and, with a foot between the shoulder blades, secured his wrists. “This bastard’s the only one who has ever tried to fuck over the Twelfth Knight Brotherhood. Now that we have him, I don’t think there’s much you need to do over here anymore.” “That’s okay,” Xander said. “We’re staying.” Well, that was a fucking mystery, but what the hell. The human world was filthy, polluted, and noisy. The toxins would quickly affect any Knights who remained, cutting their lifespan short by as much as ninety percent. But Cy knew his former superior understood the risks and was willing to live with them. “Okay.” Cy hauled Kieran to his feet and tipped his head toward the portal. “Ready, Maks?” “Yeah. I didn’t want to be gone this long. From the looks of things, our bride’s going to be a handful.” Shit, like he wanted to hear that. Cy tightened his grip on Kieran’s arms, not wanting to lose the guy when they passed through the portal. “Oh yeah?” Why couldn’t he have gotten a sweet and submissive bride? It was bad enough that he’d be forced to share her with Maksim Sokur, entrepreneur and overall pain in the ass. She was going to be trouble too? Fuck. Whereas he was down to earth, a regular kind of guy, who’d lived an average kind of life, Maks was the guy who’d had everything handed to him. His world was so foreign to Cy, and the other way around, Cy had no idea how this thing was going to work out. Now, his doubts were mounting.

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Bound to a difficult woman and a man he didn’t even like. What the hell had he done to piss off the goddess?

*** They were back, and this time they wouldn’t catch her off guard. Cheryl stood with her back pressed against the cold stone wall next to the door, every muscle in her body pulled into a tight knot. All she had to do was find her way through that maze of identical corridors to that magical portal thingy and go home. Her chances of making history by recording the unbelievable were pretty much shattered. Those two jerks had made sure of that. The least she could do was spare herself the misery of living in this godforsaken place for the rest of her life, being a sex slave to a couple of Neanderthals. Ready…

The door swung open.

Set…

She sucked in a deep breath.

Go!

She simultaneously spun around and, eyes focused on the first crotch to make it

through the door, kicked. A dark blurry shadow passed over her eyes and next thing she knew it, she was flat on her back, on the floor, a heavy male body holding her down. Ugh. Wheeze again. These guys were wicked fast, like impossibly fast. She hadn’t even seen them coming. Oh yeah, that was because they weren’t normal men. They were… um… why couldn’t she remember? Not normal. No. They were some kind of creature of the darkness. Vampires? Maybe. Or had they been werewolves? At least she still remembered their names from the book. One was Cy and the other was… Mark. No, that wasn’t right. It was a strange name, one she had only heard once before.

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Oh yeah. Maksim. Just like her favorite dancer on Dancing with the Stars. And like the dancer, this guy had the dark, slightly naughty good looks she went crazy for. Would they let her breathe? “I think it’s okay to get up now,” one of them said. She wondered which one was which. Yeah. It’s okay to get up now. She would’ve told them as much, if she could actually speak. Finally the weight lifted, but only slightly. The beast on top of her levered his upper body off hers and glared down at her. “I told you she was a handful.” “Hello, I’m right here. Didn’t anyone ever teach you it’s rude to talk about someone like they’re not in the room?” She shoved at his chest. “No.” He caught her hands in his fists and forced them up and out. He leaned down, until his nose was nearly touching hers. A bizarre jolt of… something… shot through her body. What the hell was up with that? “Let me up,” she demanded, pretending like she didn’t care that she was in no position to demand anything. “No.” Grr! “Please. You’re hurting me.” “You tried to hurt me,” the beast on top of her coolly pointed out. “You kidnapped me. What do you expect?” she shot back. “For me to be all happy and grateful? I’m terrified, you big moron.” “You’re not acting like you’re scared. You’re acting like you’re angry.” He lifted his face, and she focused on the adorable cleft in his chin. “I didn’t want you to hurt yourself.” “Oh, isn’t that sweet?” she mocked, cranking up the sarcasm. “How thoughtful of you. To be so worried that I might break a nail or something. Never mind the fact that you’re so freaking heavy, you might have broken a few of my ribs. Maybe collapsed a lung too.”

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“Okay, that’s enough.” The other guy -- who happened to be standing close by, looking highly amused -- tapped her attacker on the shoulder. “Okay. But there’s no saying what she’ll do.” “The door’s locked. She can’t go anywhere, and you and I both know she can’t hurt us.” Hah, that’s what he thinks. “I promise, I’ll behave myself.” For now. In less than a blink, the man was off her. Once again, she was disorientated. How could anyone move so quickly? She scrambled to her feet, brushed herself off, made an attempt at smoothing her hair down, while trying to think her way out of this horrible situation. She’d gotten herself in this by underestimating the strength of her would-be assailants. She wouldn’t make that mistake again. How would she get herself out? Now, she wished she’d taken the time to read the rest of the book. She had never enjoyed a book more -- but she didn’t know how the story ended. The details of what she had read were already fading from her memory, but she remembered the sex scenes had been juicy enough to make her squirm… and pull out the vibrator for a little relief. She’d read other erotic stories, and some of them had made her a little warm. But that one -- Cy and Maksim’s story -- nuclear reactor hot. Maybe that was why her skin was still tingling where her kidnapper’s body had been touching hers. From about waist down, she was a tingly, hot, quivering mess. And the heat down there was making her brain malfunction. She couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything but those two gorgeous males for more than a handful of seconds. She swore they’d slipped her some kind of aphrodisiac. Or maybe they’d sprayed something on themselves? Whatever. It was working. She cupped her hands over her face.

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The one who hadn’t tackled her stepped closer. “I am Cy, your Master. You summoned me and your second Master, Maksim, and we have brought you to our home to take you as our bride. Tonight --” Ack! Somehow, she had to convince these guys that there’d been a mistake. She wasn’t bride material. “Hold up. Er, I’ve changed my mind. No, this was a big mistake, and I’m sorry -- nothing personal -- but I would make the world’s worst bride and an even worse sex slave. I’d like you to take me home now.” “Sorry. Can’t do that.” Maksim didn’t look sorry. “When you spoke the summoning spell, you bound yourself to us. Forever.” Forever, forever? As in… for always? “Well, that sucks.” Suddenly not feeling well, she staggered to the yucky cot next to the wall and plopped on her butt. She dropped her head in her hands. “I need to go home.” Cy sat next to her, much too close. Once again little zapping bolts of electricity charged through her system. “This is home now. Alyria. It’s a very good place to live. Our world is much cleaner than the human one. As a result, you’ll remain young longer, age slower, live longer. The other brides all appreciate those benefits.” She scooted to the end of the cot. “Not me. I don’t care if I’ll live to be a thousand. I can’t be your wife. I never wanted to be any man’s wife.” She wasn’t going to cry. No tears were burning her eyes. But she was feeling uptight enough to do something drastic, like scream, punch something, kick someone. Granted, at the moment, Cy and Maks weren’t being the totally domineering jerks she’d expected them to be. After all, they lived in a world where women were considered property. Even if her memory about some of the less significant details of their book had blurred a bit, that part of the story remained crystal clear. As did her recollection about her new Masters’ sexual leanings. These men were bisexual Doms. They had sex with other men and with women, but most importantly, they found great pleasure in sexual domination and submission play.

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Cheryl was by no means an innocent girl. She’d said goodbye to her virginity decades ago. And she wasn’t the guilt-ridden type to deny herself casual sex when it was offered. She’d even paid a visit to a swingers’ party. Once. But she had never fancied herself a submissive. Not in the bedroom and most definitely not outside of it. If these guys expected her to be all Yes, Master, no, Master, whatever you say, Master they were in for one big surprise.

Chapter 3 “Remove your clothes.” Cheryl

shook

her

head,

both

in

answer

to

Cy’s

demand,

and

in

acknowledgement of her last thought. No doubt about it, these two were going to do their damnedest to turn her into a submissive. How could she explain to them? Making her a submissive was akin to making a gay person straight. She was what she was, and she wasn’t going to apologize for it. Cy looked cool and collected as he walked across the room. He was a big, intimidating man, looming over her when she was standing. Now that she was sitting, his size was that much more noticeable. But she wasn’t scared. Nope. More a little uncomfortable. She decided to stand up, to put them on a more semi-level playing field, decrease the vertical distance between his glowering face and hers. But the moment she was upright, she regretted that decision. For one reason. Standing up meant she was closer to the man, and now that she was closer, she could smell the spicy manly scent of his skin, see every fleck of color in his amazing eyes -- a brown the shade of her fave dark chocolate -- feel his sweet breath caress her face. Major swoon! He was looking at her like he wanted her. And not like the normal horny guy wanting-to-be-fucked wanting either. But the kind of wanting she’d seen only once before. So long ago. How could he have such profound feelings for her already? They had just met, and it wasn’t like this was the ideal situation for blossoming romance. Her eyes were

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playing tricks on her. Either that or she was just wanting to see things that weren’t really there. Then again, she’d already determined that she wasn’t in the market for love or a husband… or two… so why would she want to see anything in this guy’s eyes? “I’m confused,” she confessed. She tried to back away from him, to get a little space, air, whatever. But the back of her legs smacked into the cot and down she went again, on her butt. “I’m not.” Cy bent over her, plucked a piece of her flyaway hair up, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. “Your hair. It’s the most unusual shade.” “It’s called dishpan blonde,” she responded dryly. “And you probably have never seen it because it’s so ugly and blah that most women with the color have their hair bleached or dyed.” “I don’t think it’s blah at all. It’s beautiful. Just like the rest of you.” God, was that the most freaking romantic thing she’d ever heard in her life, or what? She felt herself going soft for a brief moment then reminded herself about the fact that she could not afford to get emotionally involved in this situation. She had a career to return to, a home, a life. None of this bride stuff had been in her master plan. She shook away the lingering warmth gathering on her cheeks and shifted to the side. The lock of hair he’d been holding slipped from his fingers and landed on her shoulder. It felt hot, like she’d just had it wrapped around a hot curling iron. Weird. Before she could speak again, Cy was pointing at her chest, demanding, “Take off your clothes.” “I don’t want to.” Maks chuckled. “I told you she was going to be --” “Do. It. Now.” Each word was a menacing threat, tempered only slightly by the glimmer of something softer in his eyes. Push her luck? Or play it safe, and bide her time?

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Oh ack! She shouldn’t have to make these kinds of choices! If only she hadn’t fallen asleep, waiting for these guys to show up last night. If she’d been more alert and awake, they wouldn’t have stood a chance. They’d be lying unconscious on her bedroom floor, and she’d have her proof that the Twelfth Knight Brotherhood was for real, and she’d be on her way to a huge career in investigative reporting. If, if, if. Cy’s eyes narrowed, losing the touch of warmth they’d had earlier. Maybe he wasn’t as much of a softie as she’d thought. A blink later, her shirt was falling off her body, shredded into long vertical strips. She screamed, gathering the torn pieces into one fist, and rolled onto the floor. Heart pumping so hard she could hear it, she scrambled toward Maks. But a blink later, Maks was gone and Cy stood in his place. What the hell? She whirled around and headed in the opposite direction, which led to nowhere good. A wall. But at least she’d be farther away from the bizarre man who seemed to be able to move faster than a blink. Once again, he appeared before her. This time, she ran smack dab into his uberquick manliness. Then, completely confused, she staggered backward. “What the hell? How do you do that?” Cy pressed his index finger to his lips. “It’s a secret.” She whirled around, finding Maksim standing back where he’d been before, leaning a shoulder against the wall and looking like nothing as significant as her clothes being stripped off was going on. Why couldn’t anyone be on her side? Two huge men against her one little self. This was just so unfair! Finally, she just stopped spinning around like a dervish. She stopped shooting pleading glances at Maksim. And stopped trying to guess where that sneaky Cy would pop up next. He was either magical or… what else could it be?

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The bottom line was a hard one to accept. She had lost this battle and like it or not, she wasn’t going to be ushered back to the portal tonight and sent back to her world. She was a captive, in the truest sense of the word. A soon to be naked captive, too. And then the shame of being nude would pretty much squash any thoughts of her trying to get out of her medieval prison cell and find her way back to the portal on her own. This girl did not show her body in public, under any circumstance. She most definitely did not inherit her mother’s penchant for exhibitionism. Throwing up the virtual white flag, she raised her arms, letting her torn clothes fall from her body. It wasn’t like they were covering anything anyway. Now, all that remained between her quivering body and Cy and Maksim’s feasting eyes were her jeans and a pair of fairly skimpy thong panties. Which happened to be -- for some reason beyond her understanding -- very wet and warm. She didn’t want to try to understand that little mystery. Some things were just better left unexplored. Now standing in the middle of the room, her arms hanging at her sides, she stood silent, trembling, half-terrified, half-frustrated and totally confused and mad at herself. This was most definitely one of the moments in her life where she wished she could turn back the clock and relive a brief moment in time, get a re-do, a do-over, a chance to go back and fix a mistake. What would they do to her now? “The rest of your clothes. Take them off now. Or I’ll do it for you.” She swallowed a sob of humiliation. That had to be what this was all about, humiliation. Shame. They were brainwashing her, stripping away everything so that she’d react to the situation the way they wanted. It was like she was a spy, caught by the enemy. Or maybe a contestant on a reality television show.

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She kept her eyes on the floor as she unzipped her jeans, dragged them down her thick thighs and finally kicked them off. Next came the panties and then she was totally naked. Thoroughly mortified. Eyes blurring -- she was so not the crying kind! -- she watched Cy’s feet come closer, until he was standing directly in front of her. Eager to soothe herself, ease the feeling of vulnerability, she wrapped her arms around herself. “Look at this beautiful body,” he said, sounding awestruck. He couldn’t be talking about her. Had some six-foot tall model babe entered the room? She wanted to turn around and look, but then she decided she really didn’t want to know if one had. Talk about shame. This cottage-cheesy, lumpy, bumpy body next to six feet of tall, lean perfection? Ack. “You will remain unclothed at all times, just as you are now,” Cy said, his voice once again firm, his tone sharp. She hated this place. “You will do as you are told at all times, without question,” Maksim added, stepping up next to Cy. Great, now both of them were dumping demands on her. And two male bodies were within groping distance -- her groping them, not necessarily the other way around. Oh, how she burned right now. Which was so not right, considering how ashamed and confused she was. Why now? Why were her insides simmering and tingly? Little pleasant quivers zinging and zipping up and down her spine? And tickly heat pulsing between her legs? She tightened her arms around herself, which only made her more aware of her hard nipples. So sensitive right now. Tight little peaks. “As your Masters, we expect you to present yourself to us upon entering the room.” Ack. Present? Like how?

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“We will teach you right now.” Two hands landed on her shoulders, pushed down, forcing her to her knees. She let herself fall harder than she should have. Her knees cracked as they struck the cold, hard floor, and she cried out in pain. Her Masters’ bodies stiffened. Cy squatted, pinched her chin between his finger and thumb and lifted it, forcing her to look at him. “If you remember nothing from today, remember this. You must never do anything to intentionally hurt yourself again.” “That was an accident.” “Was it? Or did you purposefully drop hard because you were angry and it was the only way you could get to us?” he challenged. Yeah. He might have a point there. “Your body is no longer yours.” Cy released her chin. “It belongs to us. This hair.” He fisted his hand in her hair and pulled, tugging it completely free from the loose ponytail that had been hanging down her back. “These tits.” Maksim bent over and flattened his hand over one of her breasts. Her spine tightened and she found herself wanting to push into his touch. Insanity! “This ass.” Cy’s hand slid down her back and cupped her rear end. God, it was wicked, feeling a strange man touch her bottom like that. Wicked in a very good way. “And this pussy.” Maksim’s hand -- the one that had been holding her breast -slowly traveled down her torso until it rested against her pubic bone. So close to the burning flesh between her legs. Cy said, “And we expect you to respect and cherish your body as much as we do. Your response should be ‘Yes, Master’.” “Yes, Master,” she echoed, finding the whole idea of them telling her what to say not quite as repulsive as she might have thought. As a matter of fact, there was something kind of sexy and romantic about their claim to her body and their demand that she treat it with respect, like it was their possession, not hers anymore.

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Not that she’d been a huge women’s libber or anything, but she’d been the product of her times. A hard life had knocked whatever sense she possessed into her. The world had never treated her gently. And, like most women of the twenty-first century, she had always believed that her body was hers to do with as she saw fit. Good or bad. Tattoo it. Pierce it. Whatever. Maks walked around her back and pulled on her shoulders. “When we say present, we expect you to assume this position. No matter where we are or what you were doing. Shoulders back, spine arched. We want your breasts pushed out, looking pretty.” He thought her breasts were pretty?

“Ass off your heels,” Maks added when she slowly started sinking.

The position they were forcing her into wasn’t exactly natural. Some muscles

were being tested. She tightened her thighs, straightening up. “Yes, like that. So sexy.” Cy’s voice was deep and rumbly, almost like a purr. She felt the vibration inside her body. “Chin down, eyes to the floor. And hands palms up, resting against your thighs.” She shifted positions, moving all parts into the proper places. Cy stood, his feet braced apart. “Yes. That’s it. Now, you will say the following.” She stared at his shoes. “Yes, Master?” “Your bride presents your body to her Masters for their inspection and approval,” Maksim said, still standing behind her. “Your bride presents your body to her Masters for their inspection and approval,” she echoed. The your part kind of sounded funny, but she knew why they’d insisted on her saying that. It went with that whole your-body-belongs-to-us thing. “Hold your tits,” Cy demanded.

She flattened her hands over her breasts, like Maks had done.

“No. Like this.” Cy lifted her hands, curling her fingers around the underside of

her breasts, until she was supporting their weight in her cupped hands, their fullness lifted up high on her chest. Her nipples hardened to fiercely tight points as her

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fingertips grazed them. “Yes. Look at those gorgeous tits. Now say, ‘Your bride presents these tits to her Masters for their inspection and approval’.” She kind of felt sexy doing this. Shocking! “Your bride presents these tits to her Masters for their inspection and approval.” “Now run your hands down your stomach,” Maks said in her ear. His breath tickled her back, neck and shoulders. A quiver raced up her spine. She closed her eyes and slowly dragged her hands down her body. No, she didn’t feel a little sexy doing this. She felt totally sexy. Not at all selfconscious. That was a first for her. “Reach between your legs,” Maks said, still hovering over her back. She could feel the heat radiating off him, he was so close. And yet, he didn’t touch her. It was a delicious sensation, a teasing temptation. She slid her hands between her legs, placing one on top of the other, cupping her sex. “No. Don’t cover up,” Maks corrected. “You’re going to present that pretty little pussy to us. You mustn’t cover it.” She inched one hand to the left and the other to the right, leaving a gap where her inner labia dangled, wet and hot and pulsing. “Yes. Now pull your pussy lips apart and say, ‘Your bride presents this pussy to her Masters for their inspection and approval’.” Oh God. Her thighs were trembling. Her hands were trembling. She was shaking all over and it wasn’t from fear. If this was a game to these guys, it was some nasty one. In a very good way. She’d never expected such sweet torment. She was a ball of pounding, aching need already. No man had ever affected her like this. Shit, half the time they’d have their faces buried between her legs and she’d barely feel anything. A little tingle, maybe. Rarely more than that. And lately her orgasms had been a little on the disappointing side. Not like they’d once been. These guys performed magic tricks of many kinds.

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“Your bride presents this pussy to her Masters for their inspection and approval.” “Good,” Cy said. “Now your ass. And part those cheeks with your hands as wide as you can.” “Yes, Master.” Still flushed from head to toe, and on the verge of climax, she reached around her back, hooking her fingers and pulling her buttocks apart as much as she could. “Your bride presents this ass to her Masters for their inspection and approval.” “Excellent.” Cy demanded, “Look at me.” When Cheryl raised her eyes he added, “When you present our body to us, you will wait for us to approve each part before moving on to the next one. We will indicate with a nod whether we approve or not. And we will instruct you on whatever preparation you have failed to perform to our satisfaction. Today, we do not approve of your pussy, because we expect it to be shaven completely.” Shaven? Totally bald? How strange, and yet how sexy. “Yes, Master.” “We will take you now to be bathed and you will be tended to by a maid who will take care of that matter.” Another woman would not touch her down there. “I can do it myself,” she offered. Cy shook his head, his expression firm, his tone sharp, telling her she had no say in this matter. “For your next session, you will be prepared by a maid. You will not refuse. Or you will be punished.” How freaking humiliating. The warmth that had suffused through her whole body trickled down her legs and seeped out of her feet. Once again, she was cold and tight and tense. Apprehensive and yet strangely aroused. It would be no different than having a female doctor down there, performing a routine exam, she told herself. No big deal. Heck, she knew at least a couple girls who had their tender parts waxed at a salon. Again, no big deal.

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So why was she so mortified? Just imagining herself lying on a table, completely nude, legs spread, feet on stirrups, while some strange woman took a razor to her… eek! But, as she was helped to her feet, it seemed her reluctant acquiescence had earned her a Get Out of Jail Free card. At least she wouldn’t spend another minute in this filthy prison cell. “This way. We will take you home now.” Cy unlocked the door.

Chapter 4 Cy and Maks, flanking her, led her from the creepy, damp prison cell, down a bunch of dark and scary looking corridors, and eventually up a set of stairs into… a gorgeous house that looked like something out of a decorating magazine. Now, she hadn’t expected this. Regardless of the fact that her captors had been well-dressed, she supposed it was that whole barbaric kidnapping-women thing that had her assuming the world she’d been dragged into would be medieval-looking, as barbaric as the inhabitants’ practices. But this beautiful building was anything but medieval. She exited the dark, narrow staircase -- which reminded her of basement stairs -into a hallway lined with artwork. The floors were a polished stone of some kind. Black, with tiny flecks of gold and red and tan. At the end, the hallway opened to an enormous great room. The ceilings soared at least three stories above her head. The furnishings were lavish. Huge paintings hung on the walls. She’d never been in such a gorgeous place. “This is where you live?” “Yes,” Maks answered. “This is my home, and it will now be yours as well.” “No way.” She swallowed a gleeful giggle as she did a quick three-sixty. This would be her home. If she didn’t go back. Remember, just because it’s pretty doesn’t make it any less a prison. “This way.” Maks led her across the great room, to the opposite end and then down another wide hallway. At the end stood a set of double doors, painted a glossy black. She was guessing that was the master bedroom. In this case, the term master had several meanings. Maks pulled open the doors, revealing the room’s interior.

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Nope. Not a bedroom at all. At least, she didn’t think it was. She couldn’t say for sure what it was. Was it some kind of gym, maybe? If so, the workout equipment looked a little odd. It was all constructed out of wood, not steel. And she saw no weights of any kind. Or resistance bands or springs. “Do I want to ask what this place is?” she asked, following Maks deeper into the room. He stopped in front of a wood structure that looked a lot like a weight bench. Behind it, bolted to the wall, was a low wooden cross. Torture chamber? No. Bondage dungeon. Oh, God! Warning sirens blared in her head. She shrank back, hoping the guys wouldn’t notice she wasn’t following them until she was closer to safety. No such luck. Cy did that crazy quicker-than-a-blink thing and suddenly he was behind her, his bulk blocking her escape. She spun to face him. This wasn’t just a game. Her domineering knights, Cy and Maks, were determined to force her to her knees any way they could. That realization made her shudder. Cy captured her wrists in his huge fists and forced them out, walking her backward until she was literally crushed between his powerful body and the cold stone wall. She shivered as his erect cock branded her flesh, his lethal-sharp gaze pierced her eyes. He kicked her feet apart, widening her stance and she nearly melted to the floor. She’d never imagined it would be this way, being dominated by two powerful men. A delicious, terrifying, wicked thrill. She stood that way, smooshed between his body and the wall for several agonizing moments. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. “This way,” he murmured, finally stepping back. He nudged her along.

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She knew enough about bondage to understand that there were various levels and kinds of bondage play. Some were definitely more gruesome than she was prepared to handle. Needles. Blood. Yuck. “W-what are you going to do to me?” “Nothing you won’t enjoy,” Cy said, his voice dripping with sexual promise that made her insides go from ice cold to steamy hot in an instant. She so wanted to shoot back some kind of sarcastic retort, but her tongue seemed to have swelled. Or something. She couldn’t talk. And things only went from bad to worse when Maks eased her around and forced her to sit on the narrow bench thingy. Her legs straddled the seat, pretty awkward and slightly arousing. “We will train you to be a proper wife in this room,” Maks stated matter-offactly, lifting her arm and securing her wrist in a leather cuff. “Today, we start with the basics.” Train to be a proper wife? How exactly would they do that? Again, she was wishing she’d finished reading Maks and Cy’s book, before she’d invited them into her apartment. It had arrived, as promised by her anonymous source, at her door a few days ago. As much as she’d wanted to read the entire thing, there hadn’t been time. If she’d taken the extra days to finish reading the book, she would have missed the full moon. This stuff was so beyond her personal experience. Chains and leather cuffs? What kind of hell had she gotten herself into? A terrifying… kind of thrilling one too. While Cy fastened a cuff around her other wrist, Maks knelt at her feet -- his face was right there, so close to her delicate bits! -- and buckled similar cuffs around her ankles. She was now sitting with her knees bent, thighs spread and arms out to the sides. Crazy, but being so powerless and vulnerable was making her both hot and cold at the same time. Could she secretly have been craving stuff like this? Kinky stuff, tying up?

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It was hard to imagine. And yet in the darkest part of her head, where all her secrets were hidden, a little voice was saying yes. Now what? Both guys walked around in front of her. She studied their faces. Surely training a woman didn’t involve any serious pain or torture. Right? They were just going to play with her a little. She hoped. Not knowing was killing her. Maks went to a closed armoire in one corner of the room and pulled out a basket full of stuff. He carried it over to her and set it on the floor. Naturally, she had to look. Torture devices wouldn’t be in baskets. They’d be sterile, wrapped up on plastic trays, like in an operating room. Those were most definitely not articles of torture. Although… God, look at the size of that dildo. Depending upon how it was being used, she supposed that could do some damage to a girl. In both a very good way and a not-so-great one too. “Since today is your first time in the dungeon, we will take it slow.” Maks pulled a blindfold from the basket and bent over, until his nose was nearly touching hers. “We’ll start with a little sensation play.” Oh my, he was so close and he smelled so good. And look at that face. Swoon! Her head was spinning. And when the blindfold went on, she let the swirling colors behind her eyelids swallow her up. Robbed of vision, her other senses heightened. She heard the scuffle of Cy and Maksim’s boots on the floor. Smelled the glorious scents of leather and man and fragrant essential oils. She licked her lips, her mouth dry. She was trembling, her heart smacking against her ribcage. Strangely, her pussy was burning. In a very good way. “As your Masters and guardians, we vow to always put your pleasure first,” Maks said from somewhere to her right.

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“O-okay.” She had to admit, that vow, if they really kept it, was something to think about. How many of her past lovers had thought about her pleasure first? Had any of them? Certainly not the guys she slept with when she was younger. The only one she could say had made even half an effort had been the older guy she’d dated when she was in her mid-twenties. He’d been fifteen years older. A patient man. Too bad she’d learned a few months into the relationship that he was married. Great lover or not, he was history as soon as she found out. The teasing stroke of soft feathers traveled down her arms and legs. Making her all tickly and tingly. Oooh, that felt gooooood. Since breaking up with John, she’d only had a few lovers. Her sex life hadn’t been the focus of her attention. Nor had her social life. Instead, she’d buried herself in work, in her quest to become the next famous investigative reporter. That took all the time and energy she had. There was nothing left for distractions, even pleasant ones. Now that she thought about it, if she didn’t go home by the end of tomorrow, this would be the first twenty-four hours she hadn’t worked since she’d graduated from high school. No, before that. Work was her life. She didn’t want to think about how sad that was, or what she might have missed. She’d chosen her path and she was committed to it. At least until these guys stole away her choices. At the moment, she wasn’t complaining. Maybe she was overdue a break. Constant stress was bad for the body, the spirit, the mind. And this pampering thing was so very good. Now something else was stroking her skin. It wasn’t really a sensual touch, and yet her body was slowly warming up. It felt like a small fire had sparked in the pit of her stomach and the flames were flaring brighter, hotter, with each touch. At the same time, chills swept up and down her spine.

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Such a bizarre and wonderful combination of sensations. “Pleasure comes in many forms,” Cy said, from his position on her left. “In a soft touch. A shared moment. A stolen glance.” Holy crap! These guys were so freaking romantic. Maybe the whole kidnapping thing was barbaric, but the after stuff was so not. They were true Masters -- of romance. It was too bad she couldn’t stay. She wouldn’t stay here. She had to find a way to escape back to her world. Maybe playing these games would be fun for a while. But every day for weeks, months, years. She couldn’t be happy living like that, without her work, without the challenge of seeing her lifelong ambitions come true. “In exchange, we expect your complete submission. Of mind and body. You will hunger to serve us, to please us. Your entire life will focus on your Masters, or you will find yourself very unhappy.” She wondered if they would punish her or if that was just a general statement. “The many benefits you will receive will slowly ease the pain of the price you have paid, your freedom.” She believed Cy, kind of. But, knowing herself, she also believed she would eventually start to resent the guys for what they had taken from her. No, somehow she had to find a way to get home. Oh, God, that felt good. She’d think about escape later. Most definitely later. For now, she was going to do something she hadn’t allowed herself to do in a long time. Relax and enjoy. She wondered if they’d ever get around to touching her breasts. Pussy. The bits that were feeling really neglected at the moment. Then, suddenly, unexpectedly, they stopped, removed the blindfold and released her from the restraints. Oh, that was so not right! She’d been totally enjoying herself. Had actually let herself just relax. Had she done something wrong? When would they bring her back?

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“It’s late. You need your rest.” Maks returned the basket to the armoire while Cy helped her stand. Her legs felt like rubber as she wobbled her way down the hall to a bedroom. The guys helped her into bed. And in about two blinks, she was sound asleep. It was exhausting, being stolen from home, carted through a cross-dimensional portal, and slathered with male attention. Yes, indeed, extremely exhausting.

Chapter 5 Cy’s body was about to combust. Their bride’s lush and curvy little form was so tempting, it killed him to have her so near and yet be unable to take her. Soon. They would perform the claiming as soon as he’d settled things with Maksim. They still had a few details to work out, some issues to resolve. It was the law. They had to come to their bride clean, free from conflict and anger. At the moment, that would be impossible. When he’d learned which Twelfth Knight he would be bound to for the rest of his life, he had been furious. Naturally, there was no recourse. No Knight had ever succeeded in changing the Knight he would be bound with. Not that many had tried. Most of the time, as was the case with his former superior, Xander, the Knights sharing a bride were close friends or past lovers. But not in his case. Why had the goddess forced this on him? Maksim wasn’t a bad guy, really. He just wasn’t the kind of man Cy found easy to respect. Which made it hard to prepare for the claiming. The claiming. How he ached for it. His cock was hard enough to break through concrete, and his balls were so tight and hard he couldn’t help gritting his teeth. Their bride. He’d concentrate on their bride for now. Cheryl. Such a sweet name for such a feisty, outspoken woman. Her training would be painful, for both her Masters, no doubt. Frustrating too. Cy was partial to a naturally submissive woman, the kind who fell to her knees with ease. His bride was definitely not that type. And yet, the fire in her did something to him, besides frustrate him. Yes, it had done that too. He felt a little challenged by her, which made her acquiescence all the sweeter when she’d finally surrendered.

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He had never expected to be so intoxicated by a woman, especially a woman who dared challenge him the way Cheryl (no doubt) would. Now that he had a taste of his bride’s spicy dish, he knew he wouldn’t be able to wait long for more.

*** Oh, the agony. Cheryl looked at the clock for the zillionth time in the last hour. Was the stupid thing broken? Or was time just dragging by at a snail’s pace? Or maybe it was her body being all turned around, since it seemed she was not only in a different dimension but also time zone. She’d been brought to bed sometime around three o’clock in the morning, and she’d slept until after ten. Had some breakfast. Took a shower. Been primped and waxed and shaved -- she still wasn’t comfortable with being groomed by a strange woman. Waited a while. Ate some lunch. Waited some more. Waited. Waited. It was finally five o’clock. Surely the guys would be here soon. This was agony, sitting around doing nothing all day. Absolute torture. She couldn’t wait to have someone to talk to. The women who’d brought her breakfast and lunch hadn’t spoken a single word to her. Not even a friendly greeting. What the hell? She’d already searched every corner of her room, looking for anything that would help pass the time. A single piece of paper and a pen was all she found. On one side, she doodled, drawing an intricate pattern of curlicues and flowers. On the other, she wrote a very short story about a woman who was kidnapped by a couple of sexy men and forced to do a bunch of naughty stuff. The story made her warm and toasty, and helped pass the time for a little while, but all too soon she was out of paper and then she was back to scavenging through her room looking for some other form of amusement. No more paper. No books. No television.

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What were they trying to do to her? There was a sound at the door, and her heart did a little hop in her chest. Yay, they’d come to see her. She wouldn’t be alone. But for how long? The doorknob turned. The door swung in, and in walked Maksim and Cy. Oh, they looked so great. More handsome than yesterday, if that was possible. Her insides fluttered. Butterflies? God, when was the last time she’d felt butterflies for a guy? High school. “H-hi,” she stammered, running her shaking hands down her thighs. “Present, bride,” Maksim said by way of a greeting. Oh yeah, that. She slowly lowered herself into position and launched into the spiel. She couldn’t remember the exact words, so she improvised. “Your bride presents these breasts for her Masters’ inspection and approval.” She lifted her breasts in her hands and waited for them to nod. Slid her hands down her belly and between her legs, “Your bride presents this vagina for her Masters’ inspection and approval.” She waited. Cy stepped closer, squatted, and with eyes glittering and dark, reached between her legs and fingered her labia. Oh God. She nearly melted at the sweet invasion. She felt her mouth form into an O of surprise. His finger found her slit and slowly pushed inside. She nearly fell over. Her inner muscles tightened around his probing digit, and she shuddered, suddenly burning up with lust. What were these guys turning her into? A nympho? He withdrew his finger, smiled and nodded. With a shaky voice, she continued the presentation thingy, shifting her hands around her back, to spread her buttocks. “Your bride presents this ass for her Masters’ inspection and approval.” She held her breath, wondering if one of them would touch her there too. She secretly hoped so.

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Because she was looking straight ahead, she couldn’t see behind her, but she felt their presence. Awareness took the form of a prickly heat traveling up and down her spine. And then there was a touch, at the small of her back, and she literally whimpered. Down the touch went, in the crevasse of her ass, around her anus. “Relax,” Maks said. “Take my finger inside.” She hadn’t taken anything in her ass, ever. She didn’t know how. But she nodded and concentrated on relaxing the muscle, hoping that would be all it took. His finger pushed and there was a burning pain. She felt her whole body tighten up. “No. Open. There isn’t much time before the claiming. It will hurt if you don’t learn how to relax your anus.” She didn’t want anything to hurt. “I don’t know how.” “Try bearing down a little,” Cy suggested. “Push against his finger.” She tried that and was shocked when Maksim’s finger slipped in with ease. It felt strange and yet wonderful at the same time, to have something in there, filling her. Maksim slowly withdrew his finger, and she was shocked to discover how badly she missed it when it was gone. “While you wait for us during the day, you will train yourself. Hourly.” He set a tapered thing with a flare on one end and a tube of lubricant on the floor in front of her. “With this. Use this every hour.” “Yes, Master.” Was she really going to do this? Teach herself how to take something up her bottom? “We have been told there is no greater pleasure for a woman than having a cock in her ass and pussy at the same time.” She could neither confirm nor refute that statement. She knew she’d always held an odd fascination, watching girls take it in both in porn movies. She’d had a boyfriend who loved to watch that stuff before they had sex. And she hadn’t minded at all. The

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movies warmed her up, even if they did get a little dull and repetitious after the first twenty minutes or so. “We can go now to the dungeon.” Cy offered her a hand up. “Yes, Master.” Cy paused at the door. “Today, we will not be alone in the dungeon. We have invited a couple of other Knights and asked them to bring their bride, to show you what we will expected of you, eventually.” There would be other people there? And she’d be naked? Oh God. She hesitated, really not wanting to go to the dungeon now. Not if she was going to be watched by other people. An exhibitionist she was not. Maksim’s bulk forced her through the door and out into the hall. She padded barefoot the short distance to the double doors, and waited, breathless and shaky, for them to open. “Watch. Be silent.” Maksim pushed open the door and proceeded into the room, halting in front of a small group of people standing next to a huge wooden structure affixed to the wall. Okay. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe she’d be doing the watching, rather than the performing. “Yes, Master.” She was gently forced in front of her Masters, facing the three strangers -- two gorgeous men and a petite woman whose body was as curvy and soft as her own. Gentle pressure on her shoulders told her she was expected to drop to her knees. No words were spoken between her Masters and the other men. The visitors simply nodded. The woman, who was also on her knees, not more than three feet in front of Cheryl, went through the presentation thing, just like Cheryl had in her bedroom. It was both uncomfortable and strangely thrilling watching the other woman present her breasts, pussy, and ass to her Masters. Cheryl couldn’t help looking, especially when the woman’s fingers parted her labia, exposing her slick passage. When she lifted her eyes to the woman’s face, their gazes met and Cheryl’s cheeks burned. How embarrassing, being caught staring at another woman’s privates.

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The woman gave her a gentle smile. The other woman’s Masters indicated their approval, without touching. And then they helped the woman to her feet, positioned her standing, spread eagle, and facing the wall, in front of the wooden structure and fastened her wrists and ankles into cuffs. From a bag they had sitting beside a wooden bench, they pulled out two whips with long, single leather thongs. They wouldn’t… One of them raised his arm and then brought it down sharply, and the thong sailed into the air, snapping. They were! The woman flinched but didn’t cry out, and within an instant, an angry red stripe appeared on her upper back. Cheryl’s stomach lurched up into her throat. She could almost feel the bite of the whip on her own back. Her muscles tightened into painful knots and she sucked in a desperate breath and held it when the other man raised his arm. Not again, please. His arm dropped, the whip sailed into the air and snapped against the woman’s round buttock. A sob tore from Cheryl’s throat but she swallowed it down, afraid that someone would tie her up and whip her like that if she dared make a sound. She had never seen anything like this, so dark and shocking and terrifying. She had no idea what to think. The men struck that poor woman several more times and each time, Cheryl flinched. She couldn’t watch anymore. Could not stand to see another human being treated this way. It wasn’t right. What had this woman done to deserve to be whipped like a slave? Finally, the men stopped and Cheryl was so relieved she almost cried. She watched them help the woman down, watched them cradle her close, stroke her all over, wipe away the tears glistening on her cheeks, spiking her eyelashes.

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Once again the woman knelt in front of Cheryl, so close Cheryl could see her pulse pounding in her neck, literally count her heart rate. The woman’s soft brown eyes were dilated until the pupils almost completely swallowed the brown. And her face was flushed a pretty pink. Her full lips were parted just slightly and curled up at the corners in a Mona Lisa smile, the kind that spoke of secret pleasures. Could it be that woman truly enjoyed being whipped? She knew there were people who enjoyed pain, who got some kind of rush from it, but she’d never met one, never watched one. The woman’s Masters then surrounded her. One stood in front of her, literally inches from Cheryl, the other behind the woman, and now pretty much out of Cheryl’s line of sight. From her vantage, she got a nice view of a perfect male ass, smooth skinned and muscular. “We have given you your pleasure, bride, so we now expect you to serve us,” the man directly in front of Cheryl said. He thrust his hips forward then back, again and again, and Cheryl guessed he was fucking the girl’s mouth. Heat thrummed between Cheryl’s legs as she watched. This was better than any porn movie. Live action. And these guys were a thousand times better looking than any porn star. She could literally reach out and touch the man, if she’d had the guts. Which she didn’t. She could also smell the sweet scent of his skin. Hear the sexy slurping sounds of oral sex as he drove into the woman’s mouth. One of Cheryl’s Masters squatted behind her, pressing his body against hers. His thick bulge, hidden behind his leather pants, branded the skin of her buttocks. A hand skimmed over her skin, around her side, up over her breast. The guy in front of her stopped moving, stepped to the side, and then Cheryl was watching the woman be forced onto all fours and fucked from behind by her second Master. The woman’s pleasure was plain on her face, and Cheryl licked her lips

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when the hands traveling over her own body found one of her breasts and pinched a nipple. A bolt of pleasure-pain raced through Cheryl’s body. A second hand slid down her back, over her buttocks and between her legs and then she was sharing a strange and shocking bond with the other woman. Together they were riding swelling waves of pleasure as their Masters stroked them intimately. Normally, Cheryl would close her eyes during sex, or even when she masturbated. She would imagine a sexy scene in her head and stroke her pussy, maybe fuck herself with her fingers. But not now. There was no need to imagine anything. This was the sexiest, naughtiest, craziest scene she had ever experienced. It beat even her darkest fantasies. A twelve on a sexy scale of one-to-ten. “Just you wait,” Maksim whispered in her ear. “Things are about to get even hotter.” A powerful orgasm blazed through Cheryl’s body, and she threw her head back, her sigh blending perfectly with the other woman’s as she too found her release. Get even hotter? That was like Hades hot. What could these two men do to her that would be better than that?

Chapter 6 Maksim would never admit this to anyone, especially the man beside him, but he was terrified. He could only believe that the emotions churning inside him were the effects of Cheryl’s pheromones. Because otherwise, he had no explanation. He didn’t fall in love. He couldn’t fall in love. He’d never wanted to fall in love. Love made a man vulnerable and that was one thing Maksim never wanted to be again. But damn it, how could he control the feelings swelling inside of him? For both Cheryl and Cy? Somehow, he had to get a handle on things. Before it was too late and he was too far gone, unable to tear himself away from them without ripping his heart to shreds in the process. No one had ever warned him that the claiming would be anything but physical. But it seemed it would be much, much more than that. If he were given the choice, he would stay as he was, refuse to take the claiming, and protect himself. But that would cost them all a dear price, especially their new bride. He couldn’t live with that. There had to be another way. He looked down at his little bride, a spitfire of a woman who was the direct antithesis of what a Twelfth Knight’s bride should be. She’d come to them headstrong and determined, challenging their position as her Masters. But how quickly she seemed to be changing, accepting her new role. And as he watched her discover the submissive inside of herself, his heart swelled. There had to be another way to avoid falling any more in love with her, one that wouldn’t force his feisty little bride to pay the ultimate price.

***

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Cheryl finally found the strength to blink open her eyes. Oh. My. God. That had been the most intense orgasm of her life. She’d literally felt it from the soles of her feet to the top of her scalp, and every inch in between. Her body was still tingly all over, twitchy. She’d just come in front of three strangers! What were these guys turning her into? A nympho? An exhibitionist? A submissive? Maybe all three. Impossible! “This way,” Cy said, helping her to her feet. Her legs felt as solid as molten cheese. She gratefully accepted his proffered arm for support as he led her across the room to that bench thing against the wall. She was beginning to really like that bench. Cy began to strap her in. Despite the fact that her head was swimming, she couldn’t help noticing that Maksim seemed to be a little distracted, or distant. Something was bothering him, but she sensed this wasn’t the time to ask him about it. She hoped she’d have a chance, later. There were so many things she didn’t understand about this situation, and even though this part was thrilling, in a dark and semi-uncomfortable way, what she ached for was a little quiet time to just talk. Tell them about her feelings. About her fears. She felt like she was losing a part of herself, somehow, that the Cheryl she’d been all her life was slowly fading away. She’d spent a lifetime with that Cheryl. How could she learn to live with this new one? This… stranger? It was the sight of two men kissing in front of her that dragged Cheryl out of her head and back into the now, the bondage room. The two men who had been fucking the girl with the beautiful, sparkling brown eyes were now standing in front of Cheryl, wrapped in an intimate embrace. Strong hands ran over arms and shoulders bulging with muscles, as tongues stabbed in and out of semi-open mouths. Meanwhile, Cheryl’s two guys stood on either

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side of her, very still, but clearly sporting hard-ons beneath their snug black leather pants. The bulges were a telltale sign. The room filled with the sexy sound of kissing, lips smacking, soft male sighs of pleasure. The whisper of skin brushing against skin. Yep, Cy’d been right. Things were getting a whole lot hotter. In a hurry. Especially between Cheryl’s legs. Her inner muscles clenched around pulsing emptiness, and her heart sped up, her heartbeat a swift and steady thumping in her chest. Her breathing revved up too, going from slow and deep to little shallow gasps. Who ever would have guessed watching two nude men kiss and fondle each other would be so unbelievably sexy? Mind-blowing. The two guys wrapped their fists around each other’s cocks and Cheryl just about started hyperventilating. It was a really good thing she was sitting down. Because otherwise, she was pretty sure she’d be on the floor, unconscious. They were giving each other’s thick, long cocks slow caresses. And the ruddy tips were glistening with precome. Their heavy testicles, shaved hairless, were high, snugged tight against the base of their large cocks. And for a moment, Cheryl couldn’t help musing about the fact that the men she’d seen naked so far were hung like horses. Huge. She wondered if all men in this strange and fascinating world were like that or if she’d just been lucky. “They have already taken the claiming,” Cy explained. “The Twelfth Knights are mostly bisexual, a good thing since female lovers are not largely available to most of us. But even if we weren’t, the claiming makes us desire both our bound mates sexually. This is normal. Expected. And does not reflect on their desire for their bride.” In other words, he was trying to tell her that sooner or later, she’d watch Cy and Maksim kiss each other like this, touch each other intimately. Fuck each other in the ass. A shudder of dark desire quaked through her body.

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Maksim went to the armoire, which she decided to call the Little Closet of Delights, and sifted through its contents, returning with a basket of goodies which he placed on one side of the bench she was strapped to. “Don’t take your eyes away from them.” Cy motioned to the two men in front of her. She nodded, although she couldn’t help sneaking a quick peek when Maksim dropped to his knees before her parted legs, between her body and the two guys kissing. He parted her labia and dragged his tongue down her slit, from her clit to her vagina, and a rush of wet heat pulsed through her body. She was going to come again. Very soon. There was a touch at her vagina, a moist finger pressed, and she opened up, taking it inside. More heat. More pulsing, throbbing need. The guys in front of her were repositioning themselves. One lowered to all fours and the other knelt behind him, prodding his ass with his cock. It glided in with ease then back out, and Cheryl watched, fascinated, transfixed, totally unable and unwilling to tear her gaze away. The guy being fucked had his lips parted. His dark eyes were hooded with desire. And the guy behind him had so much tension in his face, neck, and shoulders Cheryl swore something was going to snap. She felt like all that tension was seeping into her body somehow, winding around her limbs and curling in her stomach. Maksim’s tongue danced over her clit, the soft friction a perfect complement to the erotic sight before her and the wonderful fullness in her pussy. He withdrew his finger, only to replace it with a huge dildo. The man fucked the other guy harder, his thrusts faster, less fluid and more forceful. The one getting fucked moaned, the sound of his voice a low undercurrent to the sharp slap-slap of skin striking skin and soft sounds of Maksim’s intimate kisses to her pussy.

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The air was spiced with the scents of sex. Cheryl dragged in a huge gulp then another as her body was propelled toward a second orgasm. Oh God. Could a girl die from an orgasm? Totally melt? Heart stop? If so, it just might happen to her. Right now. She watched the other woman, the bride, slide under the man on all fours and take the man’s erect cock in her hand. On her back beneath him, she craned her neck to take him in her mouth. Her lush lips circled his thickness, her throat visibly working as she took him deeper. Another hard thrust from the dildo in Cheryl’s pussy, and she was done. Over the crest she went again, another orgasm sending throbbing heat through her entire body. This time, she cried out from the pleasure. She simply couldn’t swallow the sounds. Two male voices joined hers, and the room was full of their voices, a chorus of sexual fulfillment. Release. Gratitude. When she blinked open her eyes, the two men and woman were gone, and only Cy and Maksim remained in the dungeon with her. They were both flushed, their faces, necks and chests bright red. Their jaws were tight. They looked like they were in agony. “Can’t you take your release?” she asked them. Here they’d given her not one but two orgasms and they had yet to come once. It was so one-sided she actually felt guilty. “No. Not yet.” Maks gently extracted the toy from her pussy. “That seems so unfair.” She swiped at a droplet of sweat trickling down the side of her face when Cy unshackled her right hand. “You can’t even touch yourselves?” “We could masturbate. We could do more than that too.” Standing so close, Cheryl could just about lick him, Cy unfastened her other wrist. “But I think it would make things ten times worse. It’s up to each of us. But I’ve been told fucking each other will only make us want to complete the claiming that much more. And we’re not ready yet. You’re not ready. Emotionally or physically. But we can’t wait too long. It’s dangerous.”

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She didn’t understand the whole process of this claiming thing, but she could appreciate the fact that her guys were putting themselves through pure torture for her sake. No man had ever done such a thing before, and she realized, painfully, that those men had likely not loved her as much as she believed at the time. “Come.” Cy helped her to her feet and her guys led her back to her room. There was a tray on the bed, with a full plate of food, a glass of something dark red, maybe wine. Her stomach rumbled noisily as she sat and took a look at the spread. She hadn’t realized how starving she’d been, but the smell wafting from below sent saliva flooding her mouth. She glanced up, finding both men standing with arms crossed over their chests, still sporting huge bulges between their legs. Eyes glittering with a very different kind of hunger. “Will you stay with me a while?” she asked. “We will.” Cy sat on the foot of the bed. Maks stretched his enormous frame in a sturdy chair next to the window. The soft light did amazing things to his dark features, making him look even yummier than normal. Again, he seemed so distant, disconnected, unlike Cy. “What’s wrong?” she asked Maks, capturing his gaze with hers when he glanced at her. “You say so little to me. You’re always physically distant. You seem to be holding back.” Maksim looked like he wanted to turn around and run from the room.

Chapter 7 It must have taken Maks several minutes to come up with his answer. And it was a lame one. “It’s just the way I am, I guess.” Cheryl ate roasted meat and veggies and thought about his response. Sure, some guys were quieter than others, so that was logical. Although she still sensed he was struggling with something. Maybe he didn’t know how to talk about things. Heck, she wasn’t the best at talking about stuff that bothered her either. Like that time when her best friend… what was her name? Her mind reached for a certain memory but it seemed to fade away. Oh God. Why couldn’t she remember? “What’s wrong?” Cy seemed to key into her confusion right away. “I feel weird. I seem to be forgetting stuff, things I never would have forgotten before. Is there something wrong with me? I-it’s scaring me.” “No. There’s nothing wrong. I promise.” He smoothed a hand down her arm, a reassuring caress. His eyes were warm and comforting too, until he glanced over his shoulder at Maks. Something flared in them for just the briefest moment and then he looked at her again and they were back to being calming and gentle. “My best friend’s name. I’ve forgotten it,” she said, her worry mounting. “You’ll remember later,” Maks promised. “You know how it is. Something silly slips your mind and then it bugs you for hours, until you stop thinking about it. But then, when you’re in the shower or something, it comes back to you.” “Yeah, but I’ve never forgotten my best friend’s name.” She lifted a hand to her head. The beginning of a really wicked migraine was gathering behind her forehead, like storm clouds. And she was feeling achy all over, like she was coming down with the flu. “I’m not feeling so good, either.”

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The two guys exchanged dark glances and then Cy motioned to the bed. “You need to rest.” She wasn’t really in the condition to argue with him, but she didn’t want the guys to leave again. She hadn’t realized how much she hated being alone before. No doubt because she’d always kept herself so busy. “I’ll lie down, but please don’t leave yet. Stay with me for a while. I want to talk.” God, she never talked like that. She sounded so… needy. This whole thing was really messing with her head. Gone was the stubborn independence that had seen her through life, or so it seemed. That terrified her more than she could say. “What do you want to talk about?” Cy asked, moving up the side of the bed, so that he was sitting beside her, gazing down at her with those dark, penetrating eyes of his. “It wasn’t supposed to go like this. You guys know that, don’t you?” she confessed. At their bewildered looks, she explained, “I set a trap. I wanted to catch you when you came through the portal, so I could gather the proof I needed, write a big story and sell it to the big papers. It was going to be my once-in-a-lifetime chance, the story that would make my career. I’ve been living for that chance. Now… none of that matters anymore. And I’m having a hard time accepting it’s all gone, everything I cared about.” Maks stepped forward. Once, twice, three times, stopping at the foot of the bed. His mouth was drawn into a tight line, his jaw clenched. And yet, there was something in his eyes, an emotion Cheryl hadn’t seen there before. “We will do everything we can to make you happy.” “What if the only way to make me happy was to set me free?” A long, agonizing silence followed. Finally, Cy broke it. “Anything but that. We can give you gifts. You’ll have this beautiful home, health, a long life, our affection.” He hadn’t said love, but that didn’t bother her. Not really. That was the one thing in life she never expected to find. Because she’d stopped looking for it. A long time ago.

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Passion Unbound: Wicked Nights

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“Most brides grieve for the life they leave behind,” Maks said, easing onto the bed. “But in time, the happiness they find here in Alyria makes them forget.” She shook her head. “I’ll never forget.” God, her headache was getting worse. This sucked. She lay back and flopped one arm over her forehead. “Tell me about yourselves, about what you want in life. If we’re going to be together for the rest of our lives, I don’t want to be strangers.” She looked at Maks. “You first, Mystery Man. You’re so quiet, strong, and mysterious. What’s your story?” “I’m a business owner who has pretty much spent my whole life alone. I’d still be alone, if you hadn’t summoned us.” That didn’t surprise her. “Then you resent my calling you?” “No. It was destiny,” he answered matter-of-factly. “I knew that sooner or later this time would come.” “But you’re not happy.” Maks visibly ruminated long and hard about her statement before answering, “I wouldn’t say that.” “But you would say that you were happier alone.” “Hmmm… maybe not happier. Just more… comfortable.” She felt like she was getting somewhere with him, and that made her feel lucky. Special. “Why’s that? Do I make you uncomfortable?” “Not you. The situation. This.” He motioned back and forth between them. “Talking. I’m not a big talker. But I’m a good listener.” “Well, you’re doing pretty good in my book.” He gave her a strained smile. “Does that mean you’re ready to hear from Cy now?” Was she? “No, not yet. You seem to be in the mood for sharing. I’m thinking I better keep at it, while the getting’s good.” “Clever girl.” His eyes glittered with laughter. He folded his arms over his chest.

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“So, do you have any choices? Do you get to pick the other guy, the one who will share your bride? And once your bride ‘summons’ you, as you say, do you have to go and get her, bring her back and marry her? What if you don’t like her?” “We have no choices,” Maks said, almost sounding sad. His smile was sort of empty, joyless. “Our mate, the other guy, is predestined. We don’t find out who he is -or our bride -- until we come to the portal. And we must go to our bride as soon as she summons us. Her words are what open the portal, and if we did not go to get her, the portal would remain open until we did.” “Did you, then? Come as soon as I summoned you?” She vaguely remembered waiting, wondering if she’d made a mistake. Maks shook his head. “I couldn’t. But I believe Cy did. He was waiting for me at the portal when I arrived.” Cy nodded. “I was there for several hours. But that was okay. There were some things I needed to take care of anyway.” She mentally masticated on all the information Maks and Cy were so kindly dispensing then looked at Cy. “Your turn now. I want to ask you a question… or two.” Cy didn’t look nearly as resistant as Maks had. “Shoot away.” “First, I want to know how you moved so quickly when you first captured me. That isn’t normal. Are you like… super-human or something?” “No, no. Nothing like that. Maks and I are just your average vampires.” “Oh.” Something hard congealed in her throat. Vampires. These guys were vampires. “Just that. Are uh… all the what do you call them? Twelfth Knights vampires?” “No,” Cy said. “The Twelfth Knights are much more varied than that. We’re shapeshifters, vampires, demons, angels, the list goes on. Creatures of the night, of the air, water, and land. To sum it up, we’re what you humans would label mystical or mythological beings. Once, a long time ago, we inhabited your world. We lived among you. In peace. But sadly, that harmony didn’t last, and humans began to persecute us, hunt us. We sought refuge. Here.”

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Silence. She couldn’t wrap her brain around the fact that these men were vampires. And that there were monsters of all types roaming this world. So, instead, she just let it go. To her, Cy and Maks were men. That’s all. Dominant, powerful men. Hopefully, she’d never see that vampire side of them. She wasn’t sure how she’d react if she did. “I want to know what your happiest and saddest moments in your life were,” she said when she was finally able to speak again. Maks barked out a laugh and Cy gave him a glare. “You got off easy, buddy,” Cy said, snarling. But Cheryl could see in his expression that he wasn’t as bothered by her question as he was pretending to be. “My saddest would be when my parents died. I loved them both, but it was especially hard dealing with the loss of my mother.” “I’m so sorry.”

Cy’s eyes filled with sadness. “She was a wonderful mother and wife.”

Would anyone ever say that about her? Did she have what it took to be a good

wife? And mother? Oh God. Even the thought of being responsible for another human being terrified her. She’d had such a crappy upbringing. She’d never wanted to subject some poor, defenseless child to the skeletons in her closet. And yet, a part of her wanted someone to say those words about her someday.

Not just anyone. She wanted Cy to say them.

Once again, she found herself confused and shocked by her emotions. Had she

truly known herself all these years? It seemed, since stepping through that portal, that the Cheryl Witte she’d grown up believing she was had disappeared and a new Cheryl had stepped into her place. She didn’t know herself anymore. Crazy. “… my brothers and I grew up not far from here,” Cy continued. “Sometime, I’ll take you to see the old place. It was nothing like this. It didn’t matter that we weren’t living like royalty. We had everything we needed -- each other.”

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Thanks to her thoughts taking a side trip for a few minutes, she hadn’t caught Cy’s whole story. But she caught the gist, which was he’d had the kind of childhood she’d once dreamt of. With loving parents. Love. “Then you’re ready for love?” she asked. “I’d like to think so, yes.” That statement made her heart do a happy little hop inside her chest, despite the fact that she knew she wasn’t. “What about your happiest moment? When was that?” His brows furrowed. “There’ve been so many happy moments. It’s hard to pick just one.” “Well, you have to.” “Then I’d say it was when I watched my younger brother, Darius, graduate from the academy. Our parents had died a few months before, and I was worried he wouldn’t make it through that last term. Even without the stress of losing two close family members, the final year is the most difficult.” Even now, after who knew how long, Cheryl could hear the pride in Cy’s voice, see the love in his eyes. “Will I meet your brother?” “You will. Someday. But it won’t be for a while. New brides are sequestered for the first few years.” “Years?” she echoed, hoping she’d misunderstood. She’d go absolutely cuckoo sitting around, waiting for Cy and Maks every day for years. “Yes. That’s the way it must be.” Cheryl literally groaned. “I’m so not cut out to be a bride. You know that don’t you?” Cy stood up, patting her leg. “That’s enough talking for now. You need rest.” Maks stood up as well, and Cheryl lurched forward, snapping up Cy’s hand and yanking it toward her, until she had it trapped between her hands and chest. “No. I’m not tired yet. I hate being alone. It’s so boring and lonely.” God, she was such a whiner.

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“Please. This is nice, just talking. Did I say something wrong?” She glanced at each guy, waiting for one of them, or both, to answer. They didn’t. Nor did they sit back down. “Please?” She focused her gaze on Cy’s eyes, schooling her face into a mask of desperation, which wasn’t a far cry from what she was feeling. “Just a few minutes more?” Cy exchanged questioning glances with Maks. “Only if you agree to answer our questions.” What the hell. That beat sitting there, staring at four walls for the next twelve to fifteen hours. “Sure. Absolutely. Ask anything you want.” Cy sat on the bed again. This time, Maks pulled up a chair. “Tell us what your happiest and saddest moments were,” Cy said, giving her an evil grin. That was a tough one. Man, what had made her ask such a question in the first place? She could go with the saddest first. That was easier, for sure. “My saddest was when I found out my grandmother died. She lived far away, and we spent very little time together. Most of what she did for me, she did with her checkbook. Paid for my private school, and later college. She was the only human being who was kind to me, and I still miss her. I will always miss her. It’s sad, but before she died, I hadn’t really appreciated how much she meant to me, or how much she’d done for me.” Both Cy and Maks nodded with understanding, and she couldn’t help smiling. This was such a strange, semi-awkward, and yet wonderful moment. Here were two men who clearly wanted to understand her, maybe they even wanted to love her someday. These were powerful, successful, absolutely beautiful men. They were hers. And she was theirs. And they cared about her. Mind blowing. “What about the happiest?” Cy asked, quietly.

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She tried to remember the moments in her life where she’d felt the happiest, but sadly it was so much easier recalling the bad times. Often, the little happiness she’d found had been very short lived -- like the one week she’d spent at her grandmother’s house when she was a kid. Yes, there had been that week. “I went to stay with my grandmother once…” She concentrated, trying to recall what had made that week so wonderful. But her memories were hazy, details seeming to fade away as she reached for them. Kind of like when she woke up and tried to remember the details of a really great dream. The bad stuff was so much clearer. Why was that? The more she tried to remember, the faster her memories seemed to fade, until all she could recall were the bad times. Her life had sucked. Made her wonder exactly what she was in such a hurry to go back to. “I guess I can’t answer that,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s pathetic, but the bad times stick in the memory so much longer.” “That’s okay.” Cy’s smile broadened. “We’re going to give you lots of good memories. Soon, you’ll have a very different answer to that question. I promise. But for now, your homework.” He left, returning a few minutes later with a tube of lube, and a larger butt plug. The guys left her then, and she didn’t complain. She had plenty to accomplish over the next twelve hours.

Chapter 8 “She’s getting weaker. We need to do something.” Cy motioned to Maks after taking a final glance at their sleeping bride. Her breathing was growing shallow, her face flushed with fever. “The Sickness is progressing quickly.” “I know.” Not wanting to wake their bride, Cy headed for the door to his adjoining suite. This was it. The end of the line. He’d tried to let things take their natural course, to give Maks time to deal with whatever issues were holding him back. But now their bride was paying the price for Maksim’s insecurities. Cheryl didn’t deserve to suffer any longer. Maks hung back by the door, refusing to come fully into Cy’s suite. His arms were crossed over his chest, his expression hard. “What the hell are we going to do, Maks?” Maks shrugged in response. “What is your deal? Is it something we should work through in the dungeon?” “No, probably not.” “Then how do we get past this? You know we can’t complete the claiming until things are right between us. I care about Cheryl.” Maksim still said nothing. Damn it all to hell! What was with this guy? Who was he protecting himself against? “I’m not one of your business competitors. I’m not looking for a way to knock you to your knees and steal everything you’ve worked for.” “Yeah, I know.” “So what’s with the quiet act? And don’t tell me it’s just because that’s the way you are.” Unable to stand the distance between them -- both the figurative and the

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literal -- Cy walked back toward the door, stopping just shy of crowding Maksim’s personal space. The two of them were about the same height and size. Two very different men, but two men who were equals in every way. If only he could do or say something to make Maksim trust him. But what? “How about I start?” Maks shrugged again. The bastard wasn’t going to make this easy. “So, I’ve been thinking about this thing with Cheryl and wondering why I ended up with a woman who is pretty much the exact opposite of what I’d said I wanted in a bride.” “She isn’t exactly a typical Twelfth Knight bride,” Maks agreed. Wow, that was what? Eight words in a row he’d spoken. Could be a new record. “You got that right. But you know what? I’m beginning not to mind it so much. That actually surprises me.” “Yeah?” Maksim’s eyebrows rose. “Yeah. And you know what else surprises me?” Maksim shook his head. “How much I want to make her happy. And you, too. I…” He paused, not sure what he was trying to say to this guy, a man who was pretty much a stranger, despite the hours they’d spent training their new bride. “Maybe we should just take her back.” “I can’t believe you’re suggesting this. A member of the security council. What about the threat she would pose to Alyria? Look at what she was doing before we brought her here. It’s too risky.” “I’ve thought about that too, and I have a solution. It’s not the ideal situation, and it’s risky for Cheryl, but we can have her memory erased. She won’t threaten Alyria’s safety, as long as we make sure every memory is taken care of.” “What kind of risks will there be for Cheryl?” “There’s a chance she won’t remember anything at all, even about her life before coming to Alyria. There’s a fairly significant chance she’ll suffer complete amnesia.”

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Maksim thought long about his suggestion before nodding. “Yes, even if she lost all her memories, maybe that would still be best. At least she won’t suffer anymore.” “True, but you know what that means for the two of us, don’t you?” It meant they would have to face a tribunal, a trial. And perhaps imprisonment. At the very least, Cy knew he’d lose his position with Alyria’s security council. The Twelfth Knight Brotherhood took all their duties seriously, particularly the ones that would directly impact future generations. He wasn’t sure he was ready to turn his back on his responsibility, to walk away from his job, to sacrifice everything just to allow Maksim to avoid going through a little pain. “I say we give ourselves a little longer, until after tomorrow night. Maks, some things are worth a little discomfort. You of all people should know that.” “True. I’ve paid a price once or twice, taken some risks, but this is different. It’s not about investments or business acquisitions. The price won’t be paid in dollars but in a much more valuable resource.” Unable to resist the temptation, Cy reached for Maks, resting a hand on his shoulder. “You’re afraid. It’s okay to be afraid. Hell, at this point, I’m pretty scared too. We men aren’t made to adjust to commitment easily. But we are Twelfth Knights. We don’t let fear stand in our way, no matter what form it takes.” Maks shrugged away from Cy’s hand, turning toward the open door. “Maybe if we had, years ago, we wouldn’t have been cursed. We wouldn’t have to kidnap human women and force them to be our brides. Maybe our wives would still be able to produce female children.” Cy reached again but drew his hand back before it made contact with Maksim’s shoulder. “Sure. You could be right. But that was a long time ago, and now we’re faced with the reality we have.” “A reality that’s completely fucked up.” “I like to think we’re better off than that.”

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Shaking his head, Maks looked over his shoulder. “Yet another reminder of why this isn’t going to work with us. You don’t have to lie to me. I know you don’t like me. I’m not so weak that it’s going to hurt my feelings to hear you say the truth.” Angry, or maybe frustrated, Maks left the room.

*** After a rough, sleepless night, Maks struggled through a long day at the office. Things were very tense right now, with the company launching a new line of products, targeted to brides of the Twelfth Knights. Lots of details to take care of, including a supplier that had recently gone bankrupt, leaving Maks without product, and distributors screaming for shipments. The timing of his taking a bride couldn’t have been worse. He had a lot of money wrapped up in this new line. If it failed, it would be a huge setback. In fact, he should be at the office right now, not getting ready to play in the dungeon with a bride who didn’t want him and a mate who didn’t like him. A total waste of time. And yet, a very small part of him was grateful for the temporary distraction. While he was in the dungeon, his mind wasn’t steeped in thoughts of dwindling margins and pain in the ass suppliers. And his body craved the release found in sexual play. It was therapeutic, in every sense. However, there was one big problem with all of this. The more time he spent with Cy and Cheryl, the more he felt for them. And the deeper his emotions became, the more vulnerable he felt. He was trying to keep his distance from them. He really was. “Ready?” Cy asked, standing just inside his bedroom door. The pheromones Cy’s hard body was pumping into the air were doing their job. Maksim’s body responded instantly, his cock lengthening, his skin warming. It had been hell the last two nights, playing with Cheryl, training her, while denying himself release. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold off again tonight. “Yeah. I guess.” Maksim headed toward the door, and Cy.

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“You know,” Cy said, catching his arm as he walked by. “I don’t dislike you, like you seem to think. I… respect what you’ve been able to accomplish. In fact, maybe I’m a little jealous.” “You? Jealous of me? You’re a member of the most elite security team in Alyria.” “Yeah…” Maksim sensed a but was sitting on Cy’s tongue. Was he unhappy with his career? They exchanged a strained look and then Cy tipped his head, toward Cheryl’s door. “She’s been waiting a long time to see us. I’m hoping she’ll be well enough to train tonight.” “Again, this is it, our last night,” Maks repeated, determined to hold Cy to his word. “Yep. If we can’t work through this thing between us, we’ll cut Cheryl loose, before it’s too late.” Nodding his head, Maks headed for the dungeon. “I’ll wait in there for you.” Cy went to get their bride from her bedroom. Maks spent those few silent moments alone steeling himself for one last night with his bride and mate. Maybe he wasn’t being fair to them, not really giving this a chance. But in the long run, he knew for a fact this was the best thing for all of them. He was not a man who could love another human being. He couldn’t afford to make the sacrifices love required. Cheryl looked beautiful tonight. The moment she stepped into the room, his gaze fixed on her lovely face. Her skin shimmered. Her full lips were parted slightly. Her eyes were wide, making her look innocent and sweet and vulnerable. His heart swelled in his chest and he felt a smile spread over his face. He was over-the-moon happy to see her, but that still didn’t mean anything. Keeping her would be selfish. She deserved to be happy. Cy deserved to be happy, too.

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Cy glanced at him then turned to Cheryl, ordering her to the St. Andrew’s Cross on the wall. Maksim positioned her standing, with her back facing out. He fastened her wrists and ankles in the leather cuffs affixed to the four ends of the wooden cross. As he worked, he inhaled deeply, gulping the scent of her skin, her hair, her arousal. He wanted to taste her, to hear her sighs of pleasure as he drove his rigid cock deep into her slick heat. Instead, he’d have to settle on driving her to climax with a toy and relieving himself later, in the shower. He couldn’t afford to take a chance on fucking her, especially now. He’d be too tempted to complete the claiming, make her his forever. If he did that, he knew they’d all suffer. Cy stepped up with a basket, set it on the floor at Maksim’s feet. “Tonight, you’re going to train her. It’s all you. And you know what we need to accomplish.” That shouldn’t have bothered him. He’d trained submissives before. Submissive men. But because it was Cheryl, and his body’s reaction to her was getting stronger every minute, it did bother him. A lot. He would have rather stayed back tonight, let Cy continue to do most of the hands-on training. “Fine,” he agreed, reluctantly. He would concentrate on training her from a distance. Control the scene but still use Cy to do almost all the close work. “Oh, and there’s one other thing,” Cy said. “I won’t bottom you, but I’m asking you to restrain me too.” Well, fuck. There went his plan all to hell. He couldn’t deny Cy his demand. Which meant he’d have to be creative, if he was going to find a way to use Cy to train Cheryl. She still needed to be tested, to see if she’d completed her assigned homework. Also on the agenda, he needed to find out how well she sucked cock, tolerated pain, and prolonged her own orgasms. He put Cy in shackles, securing his arms behind his back, and used a spreader bar between his cuffed ankles. But instead of securing him to a piece of equipment, he left Cy standing in front of a kneeler.

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Then, he turned his attention back to Cheryl, who was trembling, her arms already showing signs of exhaustion. She would need a lot more training. “Did you perform your assigned homework, bride?” he asked her, pulling a slender vibrator from the basket. “Y-yes, Master. I did.” He moved closer. He ached to touch her, to drag his tongue down her smooth, fragrant skin. To taste her pussy. To bury his face in the crook of her shoulder. “I will test you. If you’re lying, I’ll know.” She shuddered. “I wouldn’t lie to you.” He smoothed a healthy amount of lube down her crevasse and tested her hole with his finger. His body temperature spiked the second he touched her. The tight ring of muscles opened, as he’d expected. He replaced his finger with the tapered end of the vibrator and gently pushed it about halfway in, holding it there and assessing her reaction. He could feel her body warming. Could see the muscles of her full buttocks tensing. Her lower back tightened, and she rocked her hips back. What a fucking hot sight. His hard cock stiffened and his balls tightened even more. His jaw clenched. “Very good, bride. You’re ready to try something larger. But a reward first.” Still holding the vibe in her ass, he stooped down and grabbed a medium sized dildo to fuck her hungry little pussy. “Yes, Master. Thank you.” She sighed as he slid the dildo in and out of her tight pussy. Damn, she was so responsive. Whether she knew it or not, her body was made for this, craved submission. He nipped the swell of one shoulder, pleased to see her skin dimple with goose bumps. “Tonight, you may not come until I tell you.” “Yes, Master.”

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He pushed the dildo further inside her tight pussy, telling her, “Don’t let this drop.” Then he eased the vibrator out of her ass and went for the single tail whip. He’d talked about their bride with Cy, and they’d both determined she probably wasn’t a pain whore. But he did need to test her and see if she could process pain at all, see if she eroticized it in any way. He had an opportunity to test her pain processing within minutes. As expected, the dildo slipped from her pussy and landed with a bounce on the floor. “You’ve failed. Now I must punish you.” He had plenty of experience with the whip, and knew exactly how to control it. But he knew it would be different using it on their bride. She sobbed, her head turned to the side, allowing him a glimpse of her pale face. She was clearly terrified. “Please don’t hurt me. I’m sorry. I’ll try again. It just slipped.” “Silence.” Battling the urge to throw down the whip and walk away, he went to her, whispered soothing words in her ears and extended some grips down from the cross’s upper arms. She wrapped her fingers around them to support her arms. Then, his body aflame, he refined her position, head, shoulders, back, knees. “You must maintain this position throughout your punishment. I won’t be too hard on you. I promise. Trust me.” Visibly trembling, she sniffled. “I’ll try.” He stepped back, his gaze traveling over her lovely body, smooth skin, round ass. He chose his target, lifted his arm and flicked his wrist, sending the end of the whip’s thong sailing through the air. It struck her exactly where he’d meant it to, with the precise nip he’d intended. She flinched and cried out, her knees bending slightly. But without being told, she corrected her position. He struck her again, lightly, and once more she fell out of position, crying out. The sound of her voice sent a blast of raw emotion through his system. His arm dropped, and he couldn’t even bring himself to demand she straighten up. Something was wrong with him.

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Confused and angry at himself, he freed her from the bindings. Shaking, she lurched forward, pressing her lush little body against his. He found himself dragging her against him, holding her tightly. She didn’t say a word, just tipped her head to look up at him with teary, bloodshot eyes. He thumbed away the tears gathered along her lower lashes and gently brushed his mouth over hers. Goddess, she tasted delicious. He kissed her harder, forcing his tongue into her mouth. “I-I’ve never…” She sagged against him, her soft breasts pillowed against his abdomen. Her arms circled his neck and her tongue shyly teased his, sweet torment. He nearly dropped to his knees. Desire pounded through his body like the heavy beat of a drum. It took him at least a hundred seconds, but he finally found the strength to tear his mouth from hers and push her back. She looked confused and thoroughly kissed, ready to be fucked. Not by him. Not ever. Reminding himself why he had to maintain his distance, he ordered her to the kneeler. Maybe it would be less cruel to Cy if he allowed him to fuck her mouth just this once before they sent her home. It was sweet and hot and that was one kindness he was happy to give Cy. He secured their bride in position, her fanny high in the air, her upper body supported by the raised rest. He went back to the basket of toys and this time went for a larger butt plug and dildo. In silent agony, he inserted the butt plug into her pink hole and then drove the dildo into her wet pussy. Her juices coated the toy as he pulled it out, and he nearly threw it aside and shoved his cock inside her in its place. No. He couldn’t. “Cy,” he said, motioning to their bride’s parted lips and flushed face. “We need to test her cock sucking. You’re in the perfect position to do that.” Cy stepped in front of her, squatted down for a minute, whispering something to her before standing again. Maks watched their bride nod her head and then open her

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mouth to take Cy’s cock inside. His rod burned as he watched Cy fuck her mouth, watched his thick shaft, shimmering with her saliva, glide in and out. Hungry and desperate, Maks watched Cy’s hard body work, hips and ass tighten, as he drove into her mouth, over and over. This was pure torture, this new and unwelcome, desperate wanting. Suddenly, unexpectedly, he didn’t know which was more painful, his need for their bride or his need for Cy. “Stop!” he shouted, unable to watch for another moment. “Just fucking stop.” Cy’s lips curled into a snide smile. “You’re burning up inside, aren’t you? You want to finish this with our rebellious little bride. So do I.” Cy’s gaze narrowed as he silently challenged Maks to lie. “You’re right. But that doesn’t mean we can. Or we will.” “Well, I’m not going to stop fucking her until you tell me what’s holding you back.” Damn it. He’d completely lost control of the scene. “She’s a hard one to resist, isn’t she?” Cy said, shoving his rod into her mouth. “Beautiful. Fiery. And so willing to learn. Maybe this isn’t coming naturally to her, but she wants this. Look at her, trying.” He couldn’t deny that. She was trying. And he did feel something for her, admiration. Respect. Longing. But it looked like Cy was pushing her a little too hard. He wasn’t watching her as he fucked her mouth, forced his cock deeper into her throat. Her eyes were watering and she was struggling, he could see it. Harder he thrust. Faster. Maks couldn’t stand it anymore. There was a limit to what they could do to their bride. Cy wasn’t thinking of her anymore, he was thinking of himself. At least, that was what he saw. “Stop, damn it!” “Tell me what you’re afraid of,” Cy demanded. Their bride’s teary eyes lifted to Maksim’s, a silent plea for him to stop the scene. “I’ll talk. You fucking bastard. Just stop. Look what you’re doing to her.”

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Cy’s cock surged free of her mouth and he turned. “I did my part, now you have to keep your word.” He quickly freed their bride from her restraints, soothing her with gentle touches and soft words. Despite her assurances that she wasn’t upset, he didn’t allow himself to deal with Cy until he was sure she was okay. She lifted her little hand to his face, cupping his cheek. “I’m okay. Honest. Cy asked me first. And I agreed, because I want to know too. I want to know what’s holding you back. It means that much to me.” His jaw tight, Maks unfastened Cy’s restraints. It was time to set things straight between them. For once and for all. That bastard would never manipulate their bride like that again. He wouldn’t give him the chance. Maybe he was falling in love with their bride, and even with Cy. Now that he’d trained her, he knew it wasn’t the same with her as it had been with other submissives. He had feelings for her and for Cy. Very deep ones. And maybe he was letting his fear hold him back. So what? The bottom line was that none of those things mattered. Some things weren’t meant to be. Their bride would go home tonight. He would make sure of it.

Chapter 9 Cheryl just knew she’d heard Maksim wrong. There was no way he could have said the words she thought. No way. “I want you to be happy,” he said, tenderly cradling her hand in his. He stroked the back with his free hand, so gently, sweetly. Who would have thought this was the same Maksim she’d met such a short time ago? It seemed like he’d done a complete one-eighty. “I am happy,” she admitted. And yes, she was telling the truth. To her total shock, being with these two, spending her days thinking about them, preparing for them, had been a lot more satisfying than she’d ever dreamed. It sure wasn’t the empty, dull existence she’d thought it would be. And being submissive didn’t mean she had to be a doormat, spineless. There was real power in submitting to her guys. And beauty. If she had to take a guess why she felt so differently from the way she’d originally expected, she’d have to admit she hadn’t known herself as well as she’d thought. “You’re saying that now because you don’t remember your life in the human world anymore,” he said, softly. He tugged on her arm, coaxing her toward the door. Down the hall, heading in the opposite direction from where she’d expected. Slightly confused, she glanced at Cy. Cy simply nodded. As she silently followed Maks through the house, down the stairs and along several dark passageways, the same questions kept playing through her mind. What was going on? Had they changed their minds about her? Was that what was happening here, and now they wanted to send her back?

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Oh God. And here she’d practically poured her heart out to them. She’d told them she was happy. That she liked it here. Rejected! She was being turned away, by kidnappers. Even they didn’t want her. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling. Tears burned her eyes. While it was true that she’d forgotten quite a bit about her former life, it wasn’t true that she’d forgotten everything. She still remembered the important parts, the heavy loneliness that she’d carried on her shoulders from the time she’d been a small child. It had been like this huge weight on her shoulders. Invisible. She hadn’t really seen it, or even been completely aware of it all the time. She’d simply grown used to it being there. But then it was gone, and she felt alive and free and so very grateful. Until now. “Where are we going?” Her head pounded with each beat of her heart. The pain was excruciating, blinding. And so debilitating, she barely had the strength to walk. Finally, they stopped in a familiar room. The portal to her apartment rippled in front of her, the image distorted and hazy but semi-recognizable. The dam holding back her tears broke then, as she stared at what remained of her former life. Tears of fear and anger and confusion. “You’ll feel better as soon as you cross through,” Maksim said, cupping her elbow and moving her closer to the portal. Still crying, she shook her head, twisting her neck to look up at him. Did he have any clue how agonizing this was? To have him practically shoving her through the portal, so eager to be rid of her? After she’d opened herself up, dared take risks she’d never in a million years dream of? “I couldn’t make you happy. Is that it? That’s why you want to get rid of me?” “Oh, baby.” Maks jerked her against him, engulfing her small body into a crushing embrace. He kissed the top of her head. “That’s not it. Not at all.” “Then why?” She tipped her head back to look at him. “Why don’t you love me?”

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Suddenly, his eyes were teary and red, his face a mask of pain. “That’s just it. Goddess help me, I do care for you. That’s why I can’t force you to stay here any longer.” He dropped his face until his mouth hovered a fraction of an inch over hers. “It hurts inside. I can’t stand the thought of you being unhappy.” “Then please don’t do this. Don’t hurt me this way.” “Hurt you?” Maksim’s hold on her slackened and he staggered backward. His gaze swept over her face. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid.” She dragged her thumbs along her lower lashes, smearing the tears streaming from her eyes. “Maybe this is partly my fault,” she admitted, understanding now where he was coming from. It was such a huge relief that he wasn’t sending her away because she’d failed him. She did this odd sounding laughing-sob thing. “I know I’ve sent you mixed signals, telling you I want to go home and then saying I don’t.” “That’s actually very normal,” Cy explained, stepping beside her. “As a bride’s memory of her former life fades, she comes to accept her new one.” Maksim nodded. “Which is why I had to let you see your home again. I couldn’t accept what you were saying when you really don’t remember what you’re leaving behind. Acceptance isn’t happiness. I want you to be happy. Not just content.” “But I do remember my former life. At least, the parts that matter. And that doesn’t change anything. Heck, we could all go back there, and I could show you exactly how little that life means to me anymore. Especially the career I’d more or less lost myself in. You see, I know now I was missing something. I was trying to compensate for that something. But I don’t have to compensate anymore. Not if you say the words and really mean them.” “What words?” Maksim asked, softly. “What words do you need to hear?” “I love you.” He smiled, pulled her to him and gazed down into her eyes. “But that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to say. I didn’t think it would be enough, just saying the words. I needed to show you, to let you make the choice.” “You have shown me. Now, all that’s left is saying the words.”

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“I love you, Cheryl. I adore you. I cherish you. You are my life, my future, my everything. That scares me more than you know, but I can’t deny it anymore. You have the power to destroy me. I’ve given it to you, freely. And to Cy.” She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him, murmuring against his mouth, “I love you too. Thank you.” And then, she turned to Cy. This man had been the one who’d been open with her, right from the beginning. He’d guided her, shown her patience when she’d been struggling to accept the whole bride thing. But still, a small doubt lingered. She’d always sensed he wanted a bride who was totally submissive, naturally born that way. No matter how hard she tried, or wanted it to be, she was not the submissive woman he’d expected. And yet, despite her happiness with Maksim, her insides felt like they’d been sent through a meat grinder, at just the thought of never seeing him again. Could she really be in love with two men? At the same time? Yes! “Cy?” she asked, her heart in her throat, making it hard to speak. She had to swallow, hard, a couple times before she could say more. “I know I’m not the kind of woman you’ve dreamed of --” “No.” He pressed his fingertip to her mouth. “Listen to me.” Dizzy and nervous and scared and giddy, all at once, she nodded. “Maybe I didn’t know myself that well, either. You taught me some things about myself. In particular, how much I need a woman who is strong and independent, confident enough to take risks.” He took her hands in his, lifted one and pressed a kiss to the back. “I wouldn’t be happy with anyone but you.” A sob of relief tore from her chest. She flung herself at him, literally, letting his strong arms catch her, support her. “Oh, thank God!” She stood there for a while, just enjoying the moment. Relishing the feeling of being wanted and loved and appreciated. Finally, it was the agony in her head that

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made her pull back slightly. “Can we please go home now? To our home? Will you claim me now? Can you?” She watched the guys exchange looks over her head. They smiled. Yes. The answer was yes.

*** Back in the dungeon. They were back, and these two men loved her and wanted her and were going to keep her. She was absolutely ecstatic, and, yes, a smidge nervous. It wasn’t every day that a girl made this kind of life-altering decision. Once this was done, there’d be no turning back. Once again, Cy and Maks asked her if she was sure. They were so sweet, wanting to be positive this was her choice. Her heart was so light, she thought it might float out of her body like a helium balloon. As always, she knelt on the floor and ran through presenting herself to her soonto-be forever Masters. Their eyes glittered with hunger as they watched, and wave after wave of heat pulsed through her body. When she was done, it was Maks who made the first move. He stripped off his clothes, led her to a low table, gave her a kiss so desperate and erotic it made her toes curl and then lay on his back, his legs dangling over the edge. His erection stood tall and proud as he hiked himself up on his bent elbows. “Come to me, bride.” Cy helped her climb onto the table and position herself on top of Maks. This was the moment they’d been preparing her for, mentally and physically. She was about to be penetrated by both men, at the same time. Oh God. She just knew it was going to feel great. She squatted over Maksim’s erect cock, a fist wrapped around it. Maks smoothed a lot of lube over her anus, and she quivered at the slick touch. More heat pounded through her body. Tension coiled inside. She teased her anus with the flared head of Maksim’s cock, but Cy stopped her before she tried to impale herself on it.

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“Not yet.” Coaxing her to lay back on top of Maksim, he helped her into position. Then he lifted her legs and pushed them as far back as he could. “You’re not ready.” The man had a magical tongue. And his hands… they were the tools of the gods. He suckled on her clit and she was nearly launched to the moon. Meanwhile, Maksim’s hands had found her breasts and were caressing, pinching, teasing her. He murmured lusty, sweet words in her ears, promising her every dark fantasy for the rest of her lifetime, and she groaned in gratitude. She rested her hands on top of his, arched her back and concentrated on sucking in another muchneeded breath. She was on fire, and it was all thanks to her gorgeous, dominating, powerful barbarians. Somehow they knew what she craved, what she needed. Physically and emotionally. They knew exactly how to love her. She could feel the first flare of impending climax. Her legs tightened. Her feet cramped, and the breath she’d inhaled got stuck in her throat. She wanted release, more than she wanted anything else, but she held it back, fought the urgent demand springing from every cell in her body. Not yet. Not until they were both inside. “Please,” she heard herself beg. “I can’t hold back.” Thankfully, Cy understood. He stopped his oral torture of her clit and once again helped her position herself over Maksim’s engorged cock. But before she lowered herself onto it, Maksim tested her anus with one finger, then two, scissoring them to gently stretch her. It was sweet agony. And then he was done and she was hovering over his thick cock, her heart pounding its way through her breastbone. Cy held her around the waist, helping her slowly sink down onto Maksim’s rod. “Oh God.” There was a burning but then her muscles relaxed around him and she was wonderfully full. A blaze erupted inside her body.

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“Oh God,” she said again. She let Cy and Maks support her as she slowly reclined against Maksim’s chest, his cock deep inside her ass. And then Cy gently lifted her legs and eased into her pussy. That was the end of her. She clamped her eyes shut and rode the wild, surging wave of a fierce orgasm. Her pussy and ass convulsed around two glorious cocks, and in the distance, she heard her guys growling, literally, as they too found a swift release. This was beyond anything she’d ever dreamed. Her orgasm went on and on, or maybe she just had one after another, after another. She didn’t know or care. All she knew was that it was magical and wonderful and she didn’t ever want it to end. But, sadly, it did. And slowly the intense sensations diminished, until the powerful convulsions were mere tingly twitches. She felt someone’s hands pressing against the sides of her face. Soft lips claimed hers, and a tongue swept into her mouth. A sweet kiss for a sweet moment. She opened her eyes when the kiss ended and smiled into Cy’s flushed face. His eyes shone with such love, it made her want to cry. Maybe it made no sense, this falling in love in such a short time. With two supposed vampires. But she knew, without any doubt, that it was one hundred percent real. And one hundred percent right. This was what she’d been missing in her life -- love. And now that she had it, she never wanted to live another day without it. She’d just given her heart, her life, everything to these men. And they would cherish her gifts. “I’m sorry we couldn’t go slower,” Cy said, not looking sorry at all. “That’s not how this was supposed to go. But we were just… I promise we’ll make it up to you.” She giggled, which was so unlike her. “I feel so great. So strong and full of energy.” “You’d grown very weak. Our precious, independent bride. That’s why you feel so much better.” Cy’s slackening cock eased out of her still-twitching pussy. “Now, we want to give you a wedding gift,” he said. “What would you like?”

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She thought about it for a moment. Her Masters had already given her just about everything a girl could want, with the exception of a great new wardrobe. But she’d come to appreciate the benefits that came from not wearing clothes. For one thing, her skin seemed to be more sensitive now. She hadn’t realized how much clothing rubbed and irritated the skin. “I just want more time like this, with you and Maks.” He smiled. “I thought you’d say that. Which is why we bought you something anyway.” He helped her ease off of Maksim’s slackening cock before leaving. Maks cuddled her gently while she waited, wondering what kind of gift they’d bought her. Especially since it seemed like they’d planned on sending her home. Had they known all along that she’d refuse? Or maybe they’d hoped she’d ask to stay. Maks refused to say a word, even when she threatened him with bodily harm. He laughed and held her, his face shining with love. And she snuggled closer. She was so happy. She could never be any happier than this. Cy returned a few minutes later with two boxes, wrapped in silver paper. He handed them to her, and she accepted the gifts with tears in her eyes. They had to know they’d already given her everything she wanted. And yet, they gave her more. Happy sigh. Gosh, when was the last time she’d gotten a present? She couldn’t remember, she realized. Couldn’t remember anything at all about the life she’d lived before she’d come to Alyria. But that didn’t bother her. Not at all. She had her life here, with Cy and Maks. “Are you just going to stare at them, or are you going to open them up?” Cy taunted. “You!” She wagged a finger at him, grinning. “Be careful.” “Or what?” he teased back, poking a finger at the boxes in her hands. “Open them or I’m going to.” “Fine, fine.” She ripped the paper off the top one, which was the smaller of the two, and discovered a beautiful slave collar in it. Clear jewels were draped and strung over a narrow leather band, making the collar look more like a choker than a slave collar. It was absolutely gorgeous and she couldn’t wait to put it on.

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Maks helped her into it, and it fit perfectly. Her eyes burning with tears, she thanked them both with kisses and hugs, and they gave her kisses and hugs in return. And then she opened the second box and discovered a stack of paper and a bunch of pencils. She glanced up at Cy, wondering why they’d given her such a strange gift. He motioned to Maks. “It was his idea.” “Your writing and artwork inspired me. I saw them earlier, shortly after you arrived. You have a great gift, one that I couldn’t stand to see wasted. I’ve started a new line of products for the Twelfth Knight brides, and I’m hoping you’ll help me.” It took her several minutes to realize what he was saying. “You mean, you’re offering me a job? A real job?” Maks smiled and nodded. “It was the only way I could allow myself to keep you here. You’ll work from home for now, since it is the law. You must remain sequestered. I just want you to continue to write those stories and sketch those pictures. And with your permission, I’ll use them in the new line. We’ll be publishing a series of erotic books for our new brides. It’s the first time anything like this has been approved by the goddess. It’s very important. An opportunity to make things easier for future brides to adjust to their new lives. And I need you. To make it work.” Cheryl was totally speechless. She’d grown so used to the idea of being at home, doing nothing but the sexual homework her Masters gave her -- which was fun. She’d never expected this. And so, unable to actually verbalize how she felt, she resorted to showing Maks. She took his face between her hands and pressed her mouth against his. As he deepened the kiss, her body warmed and those wonderful pulses of pleasure started thrumming through her body again. “Play?” she begged, against his mouth. “You bet.” He broke the kiss, slid out from beneath her, and together he and Cy made her Alyria’s happiest woman. They tied her spread eagle to the St. Andrew’s cross, a dildo on a spike standing between her legs, so that the very tip just barely penetrated her pussy. With dildos and

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vibrators and butt plugs and whips, they tormented her to the point of begging. Once, twice, three times. And then, they fucked her. Both of them. Again, and again and again, until she was finally sated and sleepy. They carried her to her room and that night she slept between them, her hulking Masters. Sometimes cradled against Maksim’s thick body and sometimes against Cy’s. She wasn’t a nobody any longer. And it hadn’t taken the story of the century, a cover spread on Time, or fame and fortune to get her there. It had only taken a sexy romance novel, a drop of blood, and a couple of patient, loving barbarians to teach her that she’d always be a somebody, if she let herself.

*** Smiling, Kieran slipped out into the night. He would have to wait a few weeks, but it would be worth it. Even though he’d lost his only contact with the human world, he knew he’d find his way back there again. And next time, he’d make sure the Knights didn’t stop him. He would destroy the portal, if that was what it took.

Tawny Taylor Nothing exciting happens in Tawny Taylor’s life, unless you count giving the cat a flea dip -- a cat can make some fascinating sounds when immersed chin-deep in insecticide -- or chasing after a houseful of upchucking kids during flu season. She doesn’t travel the world or employ a staff of personal servants. She’s not even built like a runway model. She’s just your run-of-the-mill, pleasantly plump Detroit suburban mom and wife. That’s why she writes, for the sheer joy of it. She doesn’t need to escape, mind you. Despite being run-of-the-mill, her life is wonderful. She just likes to add some… zip. Her heroines might resemble herself, or her next door neighbor (sorry, Sue), but they are sure to be memorable (she hopes!). And her heroes -- inspired by movie stars, her favorite television actors or her husband -- are fully capable of delivering one hot happily-ever-after after another. Combined, the characters and plots she weaves bring countless hours of enjoyment to Tawny… and she hopes to readers too! In the end, that’s all the matters to Tawny, bringing a little bit of zip to someone else’s life. To see what Tawny’s up to you can always check out her website at www.tawnytaylor.com. And she loves hearing from readers!! Drop her a note anytime! [email protected].