Page 78 of Stolen

In fact, I was starting to lose count of how many times I’d sat between Laurent and Varick as the three of us dined in Laurent’s chambers.

But this evening was different. Laurent was relaxed and happy, his hand no longer paining him. Varick was more content than I’d ever seen him. He toyed with a goblet of blood-wine, his golden beard glinting in the candlelight. The remains of our dinner littered the table. A fire crackled in the hearth. The chamber smelled of the night-blooming roses that burst from a vase on a sideboard along the wall.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that this new happiness might never occur again. Like we were inviting disaster by indulging in it.

The men had spent the afternoon in a Council meeting, locked away with Petru and the highest-ranking lords of Nor Doru. No one could agree on what to do about Rolund. The troops from the Wastes had yet to arrive in Lar Katerin, and the city was on edge.

Laurent surprised me by asking if I wished to join the men in their meeting. “Bring that big sword of yours, princess. I might need you to threaten a few lords with it.”

But I’d felt too unsettled to sit still. So I’d paced my bedchamber, replaying the events in the Sanctum in my head. Like Varick, I never wished to witness the Rite of Destru again. Laurent’s heart had stopped beating, and when Varick’s blood wasn’t enough to revive him, I’d prepared to rush into the main temple and scream for thralls.

But something had compelled me to touch Laurent instead. And when I had, I’d tapped into the same making I’d summoned in the Middling. Just as before, my power had reached its full potential when I surrendered completely.

The problem was, I had no idea how I’d done it. As I’d told Laurent, I’d never pulled the Middling into the real world. The in-between plane was somewhere I went—not something I summoned. But I had, and I didn’t know what it meant.

Awareness prickled over me, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked at Laurent and found him watching me.

My heart sped up. “What is it?”

He flicked a look at Varick. “We want to show you something.”

I swung my head toward Varick—and discovered golden eyes waiting for me.

My nape heated as I turned back to Laurent. “We?”

“Mmm. Something I think you need to see.” He rose. Varick rose with him, his chair scraping the floor.

My heart fluttered faster, a mix of apprehension and heat swirling through me. Both males came to me, Varick a solid, warm presence at my back as Laurent took my hand.

“I don’t want to push you, sweetheart. We want to show you a place that’s special to us. That’s all. No expectations.” His thumb stroked my knuckles. “But if you decide you want more, we’ll gladly provide it. Won’t we, General?”

“We will,” Varick rumbled behind me.

The heat flared hotter, chasing away my nerves. I believed Laurent. Trust had sprung up between us today. It was new and fragile, but it had the potential to become something more solid. However, it could only grow if I nurtured it, and that meant giving him the benefit of the doubt. I had to make myself vulnerable.

Was it a risk? Yes. But I also had Varick. He’d known Laurent a long time—and had forgiven him. I didn’t have to rely solely on my own judgment. I could lean on Varick. I could follow his lead.

“Show me,” I heard myself say.

They led me upstairs to a small, circular room I recognized from Varick’s memories—the ones Midian had stolen from Varick’s head and displayed to me. Candles blazed, casting soft shadows over the big bed with its carved footboard and crisp white sheets.

“Varick and I have never brought anyone here,” Laurent said at my shoulder. “This has always been a place for just the two of us.” His hand slipped into mine. “But now I think it should be a place for all three of us.”

My toes curled in my slippers. Varick came to my other side and brushed the backs of his fingers over my cheek.

Laurent kissed my neck. “Let us love you, Given. Properly this time, with no secrets between us.”

Blood-wine buzzed in my veins, leaving me warm and a little dizzy. Or maybe that was what came of standing between two solid males asking to share my body.

I nodded.

Varick moved first, stepping away and pulling off his clothes. He watched through slightly narrowed eyes as Laurent stood behind me and unbuttoned my gown, his skilled fingers moving quickly down my spine.

My gown dropped to the floor, but Laurent didn’t remove anything else. Instead, he stripped off his own clothes and returned to me gloriously nude, his shaft thrusting proudly from his hips. He cupped my jaw in his hands and took my mouth in a slow, thorough kiss. His cinnamon and spice scent filled my lungs as his tongue stroked over mine. My eyes drifted shut, and I moaned softly.

Heat caressed my back, and then Varick was there, his bare chest pressing against me. He slipped the straps of my chemise off my shoulders and kissed my neck, the soft brush of his beard making my breath shudder into Laurent’s mouth.

“Easy, halfling,” Varick whispered, his warm breath teasing the shell of my ear. A big hand dragged my chemise up, and then his warm palm splayed over my stomach. “I’m going to get you nice and ready for me.”

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