Gods! If that first kiss was hungry, his second is ravenous. Otho’s hand – the one that was spanking me just moments earlier – slides up my back, to curl around the nape of my neck. Otho holds me protectively, drawing me close to him as his tongue slips past my lips.
As we kiss, I hear heavy footsteps from behind me. The other two Aurelians are approaching, and the thought of their proximity sends a hot shudder through my body.
Otho pull backs, breaking off our kiss. His slate-grey eyes lift to meet the hungry gaze of his battle-brothers.
“Stay back,” Otho warns.
“Stay back?” Brennan’s voice is cold, with an edge to it that worries me. “You’re not the leader of this triad, Otho…”
Otho’s hand leaves the back of my neck.
He steps away from me, taking a step forward to block me from Brennan with the imposing bulk of his huge body.
Brennan’s eyes have no hint of cruelty in them as he watches his battle-brother square off against him, but his brows are drawn. Brenna’s eyes narrow at Otho’s unspoken challenge.
I shiver, cowering behind Otho’s enormous frame. There’s nothing in Brennan’s cold, slate-grey eyes except an icy, burning hunger – a hunger that I fear overwhelms his capacity for rational thought.
Otho speaks.
“I’m not the leader of this triad,” states Otho, “but nor is your lust. You’ll lose control, Brennan. Stay back.”
“You don’t decide what I do, Otho,” Brennan growls in response, his voice dominant. He takes another step forward, closing the gap between him and me.
Otho tenses – the only thing separating me from the towering leader of this triad. Like a cornered tiger protecting his mate, Otho’s haunches rise up.
“Not another step,” he warns.
“Or what?”
It’s a playground taunt – so uncharacteristic of these towering, implacable alien warriors – but it demonstrates the intensity of Brennan’s need for me. His face is losing its customary calmness. There’s now rage beneath his gaze – and I recognize that Brennan’s losing himself in his need for me.
Not another step, Otho had warned…
…but Brennan takes it anyway.
The moment Brennan’s foot returns to the concrete, Otho charges him like a bull.
I scream.
As I watch, Otho slams into Brennan with the strength of ten men – lifting the huge warrior clean off his feet and slamming him to the ground with a crunch that makes me gasp.
I run forward to try and get between them – to try and stop these raging beasts – but Lazar grabs me gently by the arm and tugs me back into his arms.
“Don’t approach them,” Lazar warns. “They’re lost to the rage, now.”
I shiver, watching the two Aurelians brawling on the ground.
Brennan shifts and twists beneath Otho’s huge figure, escaping the scar-faced Aurelian’s grasp and rolling away far enough to clamber to his feet.
Otho lifts himself from the ground as well – and charges Brennan once again.
This time, though, Brennan is ready. He leaps into the air and kicks out – his combat boot hitting Otho squarely in the jaw as the two men collide.
I can’t believe they’re fighting over me! It’s both thrilling and terrifying at the same time.
I know how deadly Aurelian Warriors are – the most fearsome hand-to-hand combatants in the known universe. No human can stand up to an Aurelian – only a Scorp, or a Bullfrog could try…
…but these two? They’re evenly matched – two towering, battle-hardened Titans fighting with everything they have.
It’s terrifying to watch. This isn’t sparring or play-fighting – this is life or death…
As I watch, Otho stumbles to the ground, shaking his head. The impact of Brennan’s foot would have shattered the jaw of any human – but Otho shakes the blow off as if it was nothing. The scar-faced Aurelian rights himself, and swings his fist right back.
Brennan ducks the swing and jabs twice to Otho’s stomach. His fist impacts with meaty sounding thwacks: Thump! Thump!
Otho doubles over, clutching his midriff. Before he can even catch his breath, Brennan’s knee comes up and cracks Otho right under the jaw.
This time, he’s out. Otho falls to the floor like a sack of bricks.
Looming over his fallen battle-brother, Brennan gasps desperately for air. He waits a moment – to confirm that Otho is down – and then turns to face me.
I gasp.
Brennan’s eyes are wild. The blood of battle is in him, and he’s never looked so beastly.
“Wait!”
This time, it’s Lazar speaking – his voice aloof.
Brennan wheels around to face him, as Lazar protects me with the bulk of his huge frame.
The rage is still surging through Brenna’s veins.
“Do I need to go through you as well?” The leader of the triad snarls out the challenge. With shock, I realize that Brennan’s going to fight Lazar next. He’s already knocked out one of his battle-brothers to get to me, and there seems to be no hesitation in his eyes to do the same again.
Gods! There’s no rational thought left in the Aurelian leader now. He’s devolved completely into a beast – driven by nothing but his primal instincts to battle rivals and claim his mate.
Yet, in the face of Brennan’s ferociousness, Lazar just chuckles.
“You’ve got to deal with that, first.”
His eyes shoot over Brennan’s huge shoulder. Confusion flickers on the leader’s face – but only for a second. Wheeling around, Brennan watches Otho rise up from the ground – and is still frozen there as his battle-brother grabs his ankles and yanks Brennan off his feet; sending him crashing to the cold, hard concrete.
Instantly, Brennan struggles – but this time Lazar jumps forward as well as Otho, grabbing Brennan’s hands while Otho mounts him, straddling across his leader’s powerful legs.
“Calm the fuck down!”
It’s taking both of them to keep their leader pinned to the ground – and I’m not even sure how long they’ll be able to manage that.
“Calm!” Otho’s voice booms out again. This time, he punctuates his word with a single finger, raised and pointing at Brennan’s face.
For a moment, their leader struggles…
…and then it’s like humanity returns to his
