Page 42 of Accidental Blood Lust
Damn. This is it. They’ve got me. Even with my super strength I can’t break free from the tree’s hold. I squeeze my eyes closed as the movements get closer. I don’t want to see what’s about to happen to me.
“Loch!”
I snap my eyes open. “Jare. Gods. You found me.”
Roman is in his wolf form and he lets out an anguished cry that I feel in my chest like I made the sound myself. Jareth soothes Roman while Atlas partially shifts, his arms turning into massive weapons that he pummels the tree base with.
Jare and Rune join hands then extend the others toward me, and while Rune chants and their tattoos light up, I stare in awe. Jareth is so beautiful. My eyes well with tears that will never fallwhile Roman gnaws at the tree base. The dragon uses his tail to smash the branches while the Drax and Cassius guard the woods around us.
When none of that works, Roman launches himself up the tree, tugging on my pant leg to get me free. Atlas joins us, pulling the branch away from my ankle, and then all three of us fall to the ground as Rune and Jareth’s spell kicks in, causing the tree to shrink back with a shriek.
Atlas launches himself forward to hold his mate, and Jareth rushes over to Roman and me, falling to his knees. The three of us lie in a heap and Roman whimpers, nuzzling my chest as Jareth strokes my hair.
“We have to go,” Cassius says.
“Not enough power,” Rune mumbles as Atlas holds him. “Drained.”
“I can fix that, right?” Atlas says, stroking Rune’s hair.
“Yes, but I need Jareth too. They have this place fortified.”
Jareth looks unhappy about that.
“What can you do to get your power boosted?”
He holds my gaze and in his eyes I see the love I always knew was there, but I stupidly thought I needed to do more to keep it.
Roman stirs beneath us, shifting back to human. “I can help.”
I look up to see Rune and Atlas making out on the forest floor, and I’m confused for a second—it doesn’t seem like the time for that—but then I see Rune’s tattoos flickering with light, getting stronger by the second.
“Oh.”
“It’s the quickest way,” Jareth says, his gaze on the ground.
“Whatever you need to do. Let’s just get out of here before they find us.”
Jareth nods as he looks up and meets Roman’s gaze. They tentatively move closer, with me sitting between them, and whentheir lips meet, I expect rage or jealousy to flood my senses, but that’s not at all what happens.
Heat and desire wash over me, and then a sense of happiness I’ve never experienced before. It’s like every dream I’ve ever had is coming true all at once, and instead of feeling negative about it, I want to join in. I want to feel their lips on mine too.
“Uh-oh,” Cassius murmurs, but he’s smirking.
I’m too enthralled to ask him what he means by that, and when Jareth’s tattoos flicker back to life, my chest expands with an ocean of pure joy. That feeling spreads, warming me through, until it arrives at my cock. My breath catches as it swells and my gums begin to throb. I want to taste them. Both of them.
I’m almost overwhelmed enough to do it, just lean in and sink my teeth into their flesh, but the kiss breaks and both men stare at each other and then at me.
I don’t know what’s happening, but something is. Jareth’s panting and Roman looks wrecked. I’m about to ask what’s going on, but Roman throws his arms around me.
“Are you hurt?”
“No. Thank you for coming.”
“Later.” Rune sounds strong and alert again. “Let’s get the fuck out of here before my shields break.” He extends his hand and Jareth takes it as the others make a circle around us. Roman holds on tight to me.
Rune begins to chant and the air shimmers, then squeezes around us. Slowly the landscape fades away, and then it’s nothing but darkness for a few seconds until the scent of sulfur swirls around me. When my feet touch down in the underworld, the strangest thought pops into my mind.
Home.
