Page 180 of Her Dark Promise

“No need to pout, Brother.”

Bastian smacked his brother in the side of the leg and then laid back with his arm over his face. He hated waking up early, but I knew he only did so because he disliked being too far away from me.

I settled back against Soren as he resumed skimming my arms and sang my song. We settled into a comfortable silence, listening to Soren humming to the tune of the waves. My mind wandered and I ended up thinking about their town and how long it had been since I had made an appearance.

“I think we should stop by and pay a visit to D’Arque before heading to see Emilia and Joséphine.”

“I wonder what Jo will think about the present I got for her. A dagger with an assortment of rubies, emeralds and other gems.”I scoffed at Bastian’s idea of a perfect gift for his twelve-year-old sister.

Soren reminded me, “And Père.”

I waved him off. Bastian and I both grumbled, “Yes, yes,andhim.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t like Père; simply put, I was extremely protective over Emilia, and I couldn’t see anyone being good enough for her. We had settled Emilia in her home in the meadow with Joséphine after we paid a visit to their town to handle the Reapings once and for all. While I was threatening the new head of the council on the new rules he was to follow, Emilia was busy meeting Père at the bookstore in town he owned.

I remembered her cheeks heating when we met later that day and blamed it on the sun, but I knew better. She was smitten. He came out to check on her and made sure to bring books that she would enjoy. One thing led to another, they married and now had a child with a second on the way.

We left Joséphine in Emilia’s care, knowing that she would need more than the three of us could provide—stability.

“D’Arque has since disbanded the Church of the Beast and is leading the townspeople on a less destructive path,” Bastian informed us.

I lifted my hand above me and ran my hand through Soren’s sandy, sunkissed hair and mused, “And he will continue going down that path unless he wants to be buried six feet under, his family thinking he ran off on them for a mistress, never to be heard from again.”

“We check in on him yearly to ensure he stays that way, and we just saw him a few months ago. Relax, Rose.”

“Humph. I should have let my shadows run rampant through his mind so that he would think twice before doing something absurd like the Reapings again.”

“You did let them run rampant on the men who attacked Emilia and most of the council,” Bastian reminded me.

I was about to give a witty retort when Soren took my hand and kissed from my wrist up my arm and across my shoulder. I moaned at the sensation that tingled along my body. Soren always knew how to calm the anger I felt whenever I thought about that town.

We heard Bastian make a strangled noise. Soren and I laughed, my body moving to the motion of his laughter. I replied coyly, “Is there something we can help you with, Bastian darling?”

I heard a growl and yelped as my legs were being pulled down the length of the bed. Bastian’s face was between my widened legs. His mouth slowly kissed my ankle, and up to my inner thighs.

He shrugged, staring at me from lowered lashes, and said against the apex of my thighs, “I got a little lonely.”

Soren had moved down the bed and continued his lazy kisses on my neck, gently nipping at my skin. This wasn’t fair. They knew what this did to me and could feel the full effects at my core, my stomach tightened.

“You both are pure evil,” I whimpered.

Bastian bunched my silk nightgown around my hips and kissed the bundle of nerves while Soren brushed a strap off my shoulder, exposing my breasts to the chill morning air. His hand lightly squeezed my breast. I sucked in a breath, my nipples pebbling under his touch.

It was evident that they were going to take their time this morning. I growled my displeasure over their pace and was about to demand that they hurry when my body spasmed and a sound escaped me that I had never made before. We were all stunned. Bastian looked up from between my legs and rubbedthe stubble of his beard against my inner thigh and I made the same sound and movement again.

Eyes bright, he asked, “Are…you ticklish? Ren, I think our mistress is ticklish.”

“Brother, I think you may be right.”

This was headed in a direction that I wasn’t going to enjoy. I couldn’t remember the last time I was tickled and wasn’t exactly delighted about this form of torture. I knew I was in trouble when an idea struck.

I used my shadows to push Bastian hard enough on his back and straddled his stomach. I leaned down and licked his lips as my shadows slipped under their trousers and tightly gripped their cocks. I smiled to myself at the sounds coming from their mouths, knowing how good it must feel.

I leaned back, and slowly lifted a leg over Bastian’s stomach and stood, giving them a mischievously wicked grin. I knew they wouldn’t be able to move while my shadows stroked them.

Bastian growled through clenched teeth, “Thea… Don’t you dare run.”

“We will chase you, Rose.”

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