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"Knock it off, both of you—"
Smoky's laughter died away as he leapt to his feet, swept me into his arms, and turned to Morio. "Since she refuses to be owned by one man, what do you say about showing me some of her favorite tricks?"
Sputtering, I tried to squirm out of his embrace. "We need to talk about the Raksasa. You have to tell us what you know."
"After." Smoky held me fast.
"Who the hell do you—" But then I stopped. A dragon, that's who he thought he was. And he was right. And I had promised him a week on his terms. I stopped fighting.
"Fine, you want to have a play date with both of us, I'm down with that. But Morio has to agree, and you have to promise not to hurt him."
Smoky shrugged. "I never intended on harming the fox. It's your Svartan lover I'd like to teach some respect."
Morio looked at Smoky, then at me. "All right," he said slowly. "I'll join you. But know this, dragon. I'm part of her triad, and that triad includes Trillian. I owe my allegiance to Camille, first, and then to Trillian, not you."
And with that sobering thought, Smoky carried me into the bedroom with Morio following.
Chapter Seventeen
As Smoky swept me into the bedroom, I began to rethink the idea. The whole situation seemed rife for misunderstanding and somebody getting hurt. Which would be bad. Very bad.
I glanced up at Smoky. Maybe he was trying to please me, to compromise a little so that he could come into my world and be with me? Right… get a grip, I told myself. Dragons didn't like to share. So why the hell was he accommodating Morio? There had to be an ulterior motive lurking under that reptilian heart that I fancied so much.
And if I was totally honest with myself, I knew I could handle a lot, but both a youkai and a dragon? At the same time? Was I that good—or at least, that resilient? A sudden flock of butterflies took up residence in my stomach, and they weren't the good kind.
Smoky set me on the bed and stood back. He glanced at my face, then at Morio, who had paused by the doorway. No one said anything for a long moment, then Smoky sat down next to me and began to undress me. I let him slide my dress down to my waist, and then he leaned down and began to kiss the length of my neck.
Morio slipped in behind me and gently ran his hand up my arm as he moved my hair aside, pressing his lips to the center of my back.
I shivered at the touch of their lips. Maybe not such a bad idea after all. Oh, this was going to be good. Terrifying, but good.
"See, you won't miss Trillian at all," Smoky said, breathing heavily as he ran his cheek against mine.
Bingo! I knew it. I pushed away from both of them. "I know what you're up to, and you can just stop it right now!"
"What?"
"I'm quite delighted to be in your bed, and I wouldn't have any qualms about spending the night with both you and Morio, however…" I looked over at my youkai lover. "Morio is part of my relationship with Trillian. They complement each other, they've accepted one another. They are my men. And you're trying to cut Trillian out by inviting Morio to play with us."
That was it; that was what felt wrong. This was Smoky's way of sliding in between Trillian and me.
The look on Smoky's face told me I'd been right. I tensed. Was he going to blow up because I'd figured him out? Retaliate, perhaps?
Morio smoothly stood and put himself between the dragon and me.
Smoky gave him an icy stare. "Move. Now."
"Not until I know you aren't going to hurt her." Morio stood his ground.
Smoky looked like he wanted to send him flying but, after a quick look at me, he let out a long breath and relaxed. "Then it looks like Camille will be the only one sharing my bed," he said, his voice cool. "You shouldn't try to cross the land in the dark. I know you're a talented shifter, but there are energies stirring in the wild with which I do not recommend tangling. You may sleep on the sofa. Don't interrupt us."
Morio looked back at me. I nodded. "It's okay. Everything will be fine."
He was at my side in an instant. "Enjoy your night. I have no doubt that Smoky will ensure you are both safe and satisfied." As usual, he remained calm and collected. Thank the gods for small favors. Trillian would have been duking it out with Smoky by now.
As Morio closed the door behind him, I felt a little jump in my heart and realized how much I loved the youkai. Trillian was my oath mate, bound to me for the rest of our lives even when we wanted to smack each other silly. Morio had won his way into my heart through a quieter—but no less potent—way. When the time came, I'd tell him how I felt. I suspected he already knew.
Smoky watched the door shut and then turned to me. "Camille, I want you to listen to me. Don't answer. Not yet. I know you love them. I know you refuse to choose between them and that each one brings something to your life the other can't. But, Camille… I'm offering you the whole package, in one person. One man."
