Page 222 of Librarian

I shake my head, mute, as he stands again, circling my kneeling form like a falcon that’s spotted a mouse, before he finally comes to a stop facing me.

His finger lands in the ring at the front, tugging the chain taut. Not restricting my breathing but pressing tighter. A reminder.

“What was that?”

Something in my gut settles.

“No, Sir.” I pause as he releases the ring, allowing the collar to loosen. “It’s perfect.”

He bends to kiss me. “Then I think we’ve kept the others waiting long enough.”

“Where are they?”

He offers me a hand to help me up, then guides me to a brown door tucked beside the one that leads to the parapet. “Well, your list was pizza, sex, and travel. Pierce took care of the first last night, so we decided to help you combine the last two.”

Leo lifts his hand to knock, but the Library must already know where we’re going, because the door springs open eagerly. Beyond the threshold, rolling hills striped with carefully tended grapevines stretch as far as the eye can see.

The door has opened onto the sun-drenched patio of a house set into a hill. It smells of flowers and summer, with the faintest whiff of chlorine from the pool to our left.

“France?” I guess, eyeing the architecture analytically.

“Burgundy,” Leo specifies. “Apparently North inherited this place when Josef died. It’s private, beautiful, and has its own library, which makes it perfect for your first real holiday.”

The air is fresh and warm. How long has it been since I experienced that combination? Even when we stayed at Fort McKinley, it was January. The temperature there wasn’t unsimilar to the misty chill of the realm the Arcanaeum exists in.

The closest I’ve ever come is Jasper’s doorway date to Hawai’i, and that held more of the salt of the ocean and exotic blooms. This breeze makes me nostalgic for the summers of my childhood.

And if there’s a library, maybe North won’t mind me relocating a few books to the Arcanaeum…

I linger at the threshold, glancing over my shoulder. I’ve not tried to leave since the building manipulated our wells. Sensing my nerves, the Library conjures a wide-brimmed sunhat onto my head. My own grimoire rises to shove me out of the door before it shuts behind us. The purple tome, which is now almost six inches thick, lands on the nearby sun lounger with a thump.

Sixty-Two

Kyrith

The chateau is grand, probably 18th century, with walls of warm sand-coloured stone. The opulent windows are open to allow the morning breeze to drift through the rooms beyond, lace curtains billowing gracefully.

“Took you long enough,” North comments, swinging his legs off the lounger he’s claimed and standing. His eyes zero in on my neck.

“Some men know how to give their women gifts,” I tease, sticking my nose up at him.

He cocks a brow, a grin brewing at the corners of his mouth. “You're demanding presents now, Ice Queen?”

“You’re the only one who hasn’t given her something,” Leo points out, hooking the ring on my collar with his finger again and using it to urge me closer to my other Dom. “She’s running out of space on her neck, I’m afraid.”

North’s grin turns evil as I get close enough for him to reach out and pluck the hat from my head. He sends it frisbeeing away with a careless flick of his wrist. He catches the satin belt at mywaist. It comes undone, and the fabric falls aside, exposing the rest of the lingerie beneath.

“That’s okay. I can think of other places I’d rather decorate.”

His hands span my waist, then sink lower, clutching my ass in a way that leaves no question about his intentions.

“How does this work?” I ask, blinking up at them, slightly less certain than I was before.

As much as Lambert’s plan is something I definitely want to try, there’s a lot of unanswered questions.

How do I take charge of Jasper, and at the same time submit to Leo and North? How do I possibly take more than two of them at a time?

North’s hands leave my ass to shove the robe down, letting it fall to the floor in a puddle of expensive fabric. Then he spanks my ass hard.