“Women”—Re grimaced at Viper—“they always want to talk about how you're feeling.”
“I feel good.” Viper shrugged and settled back in his chair to swig his beer.
“There you go!” Re waved at Viper. “He feels good. One down.”
“I still want some private time with her,” Viper went on. “I think you'd be an idiot to pass that up or hold up the process with sex talk.”
Odin laughed more and this time, Trevor and Azrael joined in.
“Ganging up,” Re muttered and shook his head. “You sure took to the water fast, little duckling.”
“I'm highly adaptable,” Viper declared and shot me a look. “My star made me so.”
“I did not,” I protested as heat warmed my cheeks. “I gave you a body and some magic but you, the real you, has nothing to do with me.”
“I have everything to do with you.” Viper's smile spread slowly across his face. “And I like it that way.”
“On that note, I'm taking my wife below deck,” Trevor declared. “Catch ya later, Betas.”
“Did he just call us fishes?” Viper asked conversationally. “Because he couldn't have possibly confused us with Beta males; we're obviously all alphas.”
“He must have meant fishes,” Az agreed. “He used the word 'catch.'”
All of them laughed at that, even Trevor chuckled beneath his breath as he led the way downstairs. We stepped into the open space of the hold, and I shut the door behind us. A large bed sat in the center of the room with a sitting area to one side, defined by an oriental rug. Before I could head to the couch, Trevor turned to face me with a strange look in his eyes.
“I'm okay, Vervain,” Trevor assured me. “I know what happened wasn't your fault, and I accept that Viper is now a part of your life. I'm okay, truly. I don't need to work anything out with you.”
“But?”
“But the Wolf wants to speak to you, and I owe it to him.” He grimaced. “I've reevaluated things and come to the conclusion that I may have been a bit hard on him while you were gone.”
“Just a little,” I teased. “Okay, let him off his chain.”
Trevor didn't change physically but his eyes shifted. Something wild rose up behind his honey-colored stare. Something savage and dominating and completely alpha in a way that none of the other men up on deck would understand. This was primal; the truest form of the dominant male. The hunter at the head of the pack. The provider and protector. The seasoned killer who expected you to bare your neck to him or die. The Wolf.
The Wolf saw things in a much simpler way. Body language, scent, instinct; these things were truth to him. He was tempered a little by Trevor, but reasoning with him could be tricky. I steadied myself, preparing for his anger, and when Wolf came rushing at me, I even steadied myself for a fight. But he only swept me up in a strong embrace and buried his face in my hair. His hot breaths slapped my neck seconds before he bit, closing his teeth over my tender skin. I shivered as his erection rose against my belly and the Froekn Binding magic thickened the air with animal lust. His hands went to my skirts, lifting them impatiently, and I undid his jeans with shaking hands.
The Wolf didn't release my throat when he entered me. He didn't release it when he slammed me against the hull and started a brutal tempo. He didn't even let go when I started gently stroking his hair and pulling him closer. Instead, he made low, growling noises and bit down harder, piercing my skin. I heard him sucking at the wound and reeled under the pleasure of his flesh and teeth inside me. My head lolled back against the wood, my thighs slapping out with every slam of his hips, and I soon came with clawing intensity. As I clenched around him, Wolf chased me into ecstasy, finally releasing my throat so he could howl in triumph as he filled me. When the howling was done, the Wolf laid his face back into the curve of my neck and panted happily.
“I love you,” I whispered gently. “I'm sorry I was so cruel.”
“I understand,” he said in a guttural voice. “I'm sorry too, Mate.” He lifted his head to look at me. “I said horrible things.”
“You knew I was going dark. You could smell it on me. You acted to protect Vero, and I'm grateful for that. It's exactly what you should have done. I left Faerie to protect the twins but the darkness rose while I was in the Human Realm and it sent me to Pride Palace. I should have called to warn all of you, but I thought I could just hide until I found a solution. I didn't think I'd go seeking you out. I'm so sorry.”
The Wolf sighed deeply. “I forgive you.”
“And I forgive you.”
“This is what people do, yes? They forgive?” He asked.
“Yes; this is what people who love each other do.”
“Good.” Wolf nodded. “You are home. Our pack is safe. I am content.”
“So am I.” I kissed him gently.
“Don't think that we didn't hear that!” Re shouted down to us.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
I spent some quality time with each of my husbands, working out the emotions this latest debacle had spawned. The sun was setting by the time I got to Viper. My husbands went back to the palace, leaving us alone on the ship. The children needed to be fed and bathed before bedtime, and their fathers would take care of that while I had one last heart to heart with my newest lover.
“I'm good,” Viper said again.
“I know.” I took a seat on the deck chair beside him and admired the streaks of lavender and gold that painted the sky. “But I still have something to tell you.”
I'd decided that Viper needed to know everything; he deserved to know. And now was the perfect time
