Adrian grasped her ankles and pulled her toward him. Her butt hovered at the edge of the bed and he dropped to his knees between her legs. He rested his fingers on her thighs and pushed them open wider.

  “You smell like sweet honey right here,” he said, then pressed a kiss halfway between her knee and upper thigh, inching his way up.

  Harlee watched, unable to keep from doing so, needing to see what she felt as he moved his mouth in a maddeningly slow pace over her flesh, stopping short of her inner thigh. His gaze met with hers just as his mouth covered the pulse point of her inner thigh.

  Oh, God, he wouldn’t do that to her again, would he?

  He would. His fangs slid down over his eyeteeth and he bit into her femoral artery. Blood poured from the side of his mouth and she jerked once, then twice as a flood of sensation rocketed through her.

  This orgasm was more intense than the first—hotter, deeper, crashing through her like a flood that had burst a dam. She bucked against his mouth, begging him to stop, pleading with him not to stop as the waves of pleasure grew with every pulse of her blood into his mouth.

  And again, she felt strange, like a powerful force had entered her very soul, strengthening her, making her feel superhuman, as if she could leap from the bed and fly around the room even as the rush of her climax began to ease. Sweat poured from her as Adrian removed his teeth from her thigh and licked the wound closed then looked up at her.

  Not a trace of blood remained on her leg or on his face, though it seemed as if gallons had pumped from her. She waited for him to say something. Instead, he moved to her pussy and captured her clit between his lips, sucking the distended bud between his teeth, biting down with a light nibble that sent her into the throes of ecstasy once again.

  Could a woman die from too much pleasure? If so, she welcomed death willingly. “Adrian, what are you doing to me?”

  “Branding you,” he whispered, then licked where he had bitten, swirling his tongue around her pearl before descending lower to lap at the cream pouring from her. When he slid his tongue inside, she tilted her head back, closed her eyes and groaned. His tongue was long, hot and utterly magical, doing wicked things to her body, promising even more amazing things to come.

  He lapped her from her pussy to her clit, stroking her to another blinding orgasm. She shrieked, lifting her hips to grind her pussy against his face. He held onto her bucking hips, forcing her to hold still while he laved her cunt with relentless strokes. God, she couldn’t take anymore!

  “This is torture!” she cried.

  “You like torture.”

  His voice was tight, barely controlled restraint evident in the low, husky tones. He grabbed her wrist and hauled her into a sitting position, covering her mouth with his cum-soaked lips. She tasted the tangy flavor of her cream all over his face, heard him moan when she licked at her own juices. He tangled his fingers in her hair, wrapping them around his fist again, then pulled his mouth away and flipped her over onto her belly.

  “You have one fine ass, Harlee,” he said. “I’m going to fuck it one day.”

  She shuddered at the promise in his voice, trembled when his palm caressed her buttocks, cried out when his hand came down with a sharp swat to her cheek.

  “Ow, dammit!”

  “You like that.”

  She did. Asshole. Despite the burning sting, her pussy quaked with the need to feel his cock buried deep inside her while he did that. Why did he bring out such violent need within her? This wasn’t like her at all.

  When he did it again, she moaned and backed up against him, undulating her ass against his rock-hard cock. At least he groaned in response, giving her some satisfaction that he was just as affected as she was. He reached between her legs and caressed her slit, then replaced his fingers with his cock, wetting his cock head with her pussy juices. His fingers dug into her hips and he nestled against her, rubbing his shaft back and forth against her slit.

  Harlee tensed, waiting for his cock to enter her, but he teased her, drawing it back and forth, then stopping.

  She sighed.

  “Want something?” he teased.

  She wouldn’t say it. Wouldn’t beg for it. What a prick!

  “Tell me what you want, Harlee.”

  Fuck you, asshole.

  “Tell me!”

  Whack! Another hard slap on her ass! God that felt good.

  “Fuck me, Adrian! Goddamn you, you know exactly what I want!”

  He shuddered against her then drove in to the hilt. She cried out, his thick shaft filling her, stretching her. The pleasure was exquisite. She’d never felt anything like it before, this utter joining as if their bodies had been made to fit each other. Her body was on fire from the inside out, just as it had been earlier when he’d bitten her.

  “Tell me what you feel,” he urged, pumping fast and hard.

  “On fire. It’s burning me, Adrian.”

  “Good. Go with it.”

  Go with it? She felt like she was dying! This pleasurable pain was unbearable! “I…I can’t!”

  “You can. Endure it. You have to!”

  He leaned over her back, sweeping her hair to the side and sinking his teeth into her neck again. Only this time she didn’t come, this time it was like a narcotic, taking away the burning pain, relaxing her so that all she felt was the pleasure. She rocked against him, pushing back against his cock, spreading her knees further apart so that she could take him deeper.

  “More,” she grunted. She felt like an animal, lifting her ass higher, needing him to crawl inside her and fuck her harder.

  He still had hold of her neck and he growled against her, the sound vibrating against her throat. She shivered, feeling it all the way to her toes.

  “I’m going to come, Adrian!”

  He growled again, thrust hard, shuddering against her. She felt the moisture and heard the animalistic cry as he pumped his cum inside her. She let go then, her climax roaring through her, shaking her to the core with its intensity. Tears stung her eyes and blinded her, gritting her teeth as wave after wave of bright light shot through her. What were these feelings that were so clarifying yet so confusing? How could she feel pleasure and confusion at the same time?

  ELEVEN

  Harlee fingered the tiny puncture wounds at her throat, barely evident this morning. And yet they made her feel as if she somehow…belonged to Adrian.

  Like she wore his ring. Or a hickey. She giggled then turned her head to see if she’d awakened him. He still slumbered like a dead man. Or undead man. Or whatever he was.

  She’d slept a little. Very little, spending a lot of time simply enjoying being wrapped up in his arms and feeling utterly possessed by him and astounded by the depth of feeling she had for him.

  He infuriated her. He was an arrogant, uncommunicative, infuriating, domineering pain in the ass.

  She might be falling in love with him. A vampire. And what was she? Was she human? Or was she really what they thought she was? These strange sensations she’d felt couldn’t possibly be her changing, could they? For the first time, she wasn’t so sure anymore and she didn’t know whether to be scared or confused or thrilled.

  Wasn’t that a kick in the ass?

  Shifting just a bit, she turned over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, watching the gray light of dawn enter the room while she ticked off all the reasons she could possibly be in love with him.

  Top of the list was lovemaking. No doubt it was incredible, more than she had ever imagined it could be. Her blood literally sang in her veins last night. She still felt that zing inside, that strange awakening, similar to her time with Duncan, only more intense. Could her emotions have anything to do with her dominant side, or was she just feeling more for Adrian right now because lovemaking with him had been more recent?

  Could she be more confused? She wasn’t exactly experienced in juggling multiple lovers. How was she supposed to handle this?

  She froze at the sound of the door opening, caught between not wanting to move and shaking Adrian awake. But the room had grown light enough that she immediately recognized Duncan and relaxed, especially when he smiled and put his finger to his lips to keep her from speaking.

  He crept to her side of the bed, leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, sliding his tongue in her mouth to swirl with hers. Warmth curled in her belly, a banked fire slowly coming to life. All too quickly it was over and he pulled back, smiling and smoothing her hair away from her face.

  Well, that was certainly pleasant. His hands circled her throat, his thumbs caressing her chin.

  “I could kill Harlee with one squeeze of my hands, you fucking idiot,” Duncan said, though it was obvious he wasn’t talking to her.

  “I knew you were here the minute you entered the house, lycan,” Adrian said without turning around. “You smell like a wet dog.” Adrian flopped around to face them both, arching a brow and glaring at Duncan. “You already had your turn. Get your hands off my woman.”

  Duncan frowned. “Your woman? I don’t think so. Besides, you keep fucking her and passing out, she’ll be dead in no time. You can’t even stay alert enough to protect her.”

  “I told you I knew you were here.” He pulled Harlee close to his side.

  Duncan grabbed her arm and dragged her to the other side of the bed. “Bullshit. You didn’t even flinch. You don’t have the first clue how to protect her.”

  When he pulled her over to his side of the bed, Adrian nearly pulled her arm out of her socket this time. “I wasn’t the one lying near death yesterday. How the hell are you supposed to protect her when you’re dead?”

  Harlee felt like a rag doll, her irritation growing with every passing second. “Excuse me, but I’m not a war prize here.” Jerking her arms away from both of them, she scrambled to the end of the bed and grabbed her T-shirt, tossing it over her head. Resting on her heels, she cast a disapproving look at both of them. “You’re both acting like a pair of testosterone overloaded teenagers. Instead of trying to figure out who gets to fuck me next, why don’t you work together to figure out who was trying to kill us? Maybe it’s the same people who tried to kill Stefan.”

  They both looked at her with raised brows. “It was the government.”

  “So the humans killed Stefan.”

  “Didn’t say that,” Adrian mumbled.

  “Then maybe you’d both better start thinking with something other than your dicks, because as long as I’ve been here you’ve gotten nowhere, and yesterday we almost died. Let’s get with the program, fellas.”

  * * *

  Robert listened at the door and smiled. Harlee was so much like his sweet sister Amelia it was uncanny. The looks of a demure kitten but the fire of a tigress. Harlee was coming into her own, feeling her bloodlines boiling. Soon it would be time for her to make her choice, to determine her dominance. He knew all it would take was some time alone with both Adrian and Duncan, and it appeared she had mated with both of them. Now she had to take them both at the same time.

  If she ended up dominant lycan, it would benefit the vampire clan because she had already bonded with them. If she ended up dominant vampire, she would be his link to his sister and would rule at his side, eventually taking over the reins of the vampire nation.

  Ah yes, it would all happen soon, but first her dominance needed to be determined and that might require a little boost in the right direction. Things weren’t happening nearly fast enough in that department. He pushed open the door to Harlee’s room, pasting an angry look on his face.

  “The two of you have failed to protect my niece,” he said, casting an angry glare toward Adrian and Duncan.

  “She’s fine,” Duncan said.

  “We hadn’t expected the ambush,” Adrian said, slipping on his boots. “Besides, why would the human government want Harlee dead? They don’t even know about us.”

  “Are you certain of that?” Robert walked past the two men and pressed a kiss to Harlee’s forehead. She smiled up at him.

  “Hell, I’m not certain of anything anymore,” Adrian mumbled. “I’ll look into it today.”

  “No, you will not. I’m concerned about Harlee. I want her removed from the mansion and taken to a neutral, safe territory until we determine who was behind Stefan’s murder and the attack yesterday. We don’t know if it was lycan, vampire or human. The only people I trust are the two of you and the immediate family, and there are too many others here or at the lycan mansion that we cannot be certain of.”

  “Where do you suggest?” Duncan asked.

  “The cabin. No one outside the family knows about it. You’ll be safe there.”

  “What’s the cabin?” Harlee asked, wondering why they had to change locations.

  “It’s like a fortress,” Robert said. “High on top of a mountain, views from all four sides, very remote. Impenetrable and highly secure. You’ll be safe there with Duncan and Adrian.”

  Would she be safe? Or would she be prey? And was she concerned about that, or excited?

  She wasn’t sure.

  “I’ll shower and pack a few things,” she said, turning away from the two men staring so intently at her.

  * * *

  The cabin was amazing. They’d helicoptered in, landing high on top of a snow-capped mountain peak. The air was cold, the skies crystal clear. The facility was more like a one-story mansion, with floor to ceiling windows surrounding the entire structure. Bulletproof, Adrian assured her. At the bottom of the steep slope was an electrified fence and a gated guard shack. No one was getting up here without a fight.

  She felt completely safe and totally isolated.

  The refrigerator was well-stocked and Adrian was outside gathering wood for the stone fireplace while Duncan opened a bottle of wine. The sun was setting in a blazing display of orange as it drifted behind a giant white cloud. She felt like an angel sitting on top of the heavens being catered to by a couple sexy satyrs. Not a bad way for a girl to spend an evening.

  Steaks were cooking on the indoor grill, the sizzling sounds and incredible smell tantalizing her. She sat back on the couch and tucked her bare feet under her, surveying the dark-paneled living room.

  A thick rug had been placed in front of the fireplace like one of those scenes she’d seen in an old movie. She could already picture herself sipping a glass of champagne in front of a roaring fire while lying naked on that plush, furry rug. A winding staircase led to an open bedroom that overlooked the living room. The kitchen was expansive with shiny chrome appliances and enough food to last at least a week. She kind of liked the idea of getting snowbound here with these two.

  Funny how her life had changed in such a short period. She still didn’t know what had caused the abrupt change in her perception of lycans and vampires, but instinct told her these people were not the savage killers the government had led her to believe. There were still so many things she didn’t understand about all this, she had to take it all one step at a time, and first was finding out if she really was who and what Robert said she was.

  And that meant she had to have sex with Adrian and Duncan. She’d like to think she was merely resigned to the inevitable, but frankly she was damned excited about the prospect, which was strange as hell considering she just realized she was in love with Adrian. How could she love one man but want to have sex with another?

  She’d become a slut.

  How fun!

  “What are you smiling about?” Adrian asked, kicking the door closed with his foot.

  She looked up at him and grinned. “Oh, nothing.”

  “You have something evil on your mind.”

  He had no idea. She felt so restless and edgy, as if something monumental was about to happen. Adrian started a fire and Harlee helped Duncan prepare dinner. They sat and ate, the room so quiet she could hear them chewing. She wondered if they were thinking the same thing she was, though she couldn’t tell by their appetites. They ate voraciously, while she could barely eat a bite, especially with them watching her like beasts awaiting feeding time.

  After dinner, she curled up on the couch and stared into the fire, watching the flames lick higher and higher with each log Adrian fed into the fireplace. The room warmed, her body heating so much she slipped off her shoes and sweater.

  And still, the room was quiet. When she turned away from the fire, she realized they both still stared at her, Adrian from his spot on the hearth and Duncan from the chair next to the couch.

  “What?” she asked.

  Adrian arched a brow. “What?”

  “That’s what I said. You’re both staring at me as if you expect me to transform right in front of you.”

  “That won’t happen. We have to fuck you first. Together.”

  Leave it to Adrian to be so brutally honest. “I realize that. I think. I don’t know. How is it supposed to happen? I suppose we should start with the details.”

  “You mean insert Peg A into Slot B?” Adrian asked.

  “No, smartass,” she replied. “I meant what’s supposed to happen to me.”

  “Takes all the fun out of it if we tell you,” Duncan teased, standing and approaching her.

  Adrian followed suit and her heart sped up. She felt like a cornered rabbit with nowhere to run and wasn’t sure she wanted to run anyway. They stopped in front of her and held out their hands, so she placed a palm in each of theirs and allowed them to lift her to a standing position. She felt dwarfed between these two large men and fought to maintain her normal breathing. Could she really handle this?

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “How about we just relax a little?” Adrian suggested. “You’ve got a panicked look on your face. Let’s take a bottle of wine out to the hot tub.”

  That sounded like a really good idea. In theory, this whole ménage idea sounded exhilarating, but when faced with the reality of it, she wasn’t certain she could handle it. While Duncan went to the kitchen to grab a couple bottles of wine, Adrian searched out an ice bucket. Harlee undressed and slipped on a robe, then waited for them at the back door.