Page 58 of When Roses Burn

From behind one of the trees, a panther burst out of the shadows and streaked across the rocky pathway toward the thicker trees. Before the sleek, black cat could vanish into the shadows, a wolf leapt out from where it had hidden behind a statue of a man wearing a crown.

The gray wolf pounced on the panther’s back. Far larger than a normal wolf, it took the panther down, and they both skidded across the pathway before coming to a stop in the dirt beside the rocks.

When the panther rolled over, trying to free itself, the wolf grasped its neck with its mouth and pinned the creature to the ground. The panther struggled for another minute before going still and shifting to reveal Lyra.

Naked beneath the trees, she lifted her arms over her head to put her lithe, beautiful body on full display. She spread her legs as the wolf released her throat and shifted into Dromon.

No wounds marred her neck; he hadn’t bitten her as a shifter would a mate, and it was obvious they’d done this dance before. He was as naked as her, and when Lyra smiled at him as she wiggled her hips, I saw the invitation in her eyes.

I shouldn’t be watching this, but I couldn’t look away as Dromon climbed onto her, clasped her hands above her head, and thrust into her. Lyra arched beneath him, her face relaxing as her head tipped back.

A shift in the shadows alerted me to the approach of a leopard. Even before he changed, I knew Pierce had arrived.

He strode closer to the couple and stopped a few feet away from them. Grasping his already hard cock, he stroked it while watching them. When he moved closer, Lyra turned her head toward him and smiled as she licked her lips and eyed his erection.

While I couldn’t hear what was happening below, they must have exchanged words as Dromon and Lyra stopped fucking. Then, in one smooth motion, Dromon withdrew from her, rolled her over, and grasped her hips to lift her onto her hands and knees.

He rubbed her ass before giving it a small slap that Lyra must have enjoyed as she wiggled toward him as if asking for more. Dromon gladly gave it to her, and this time, she thrust her hips demandingly back toward him.

He smacked her ass one more time before rising higher onto his knees behind her. Grasping his shaft, he nudged her knees further apart with a thigh and slid into her once more. He held her hips as he took her from behind.

When Pierce stepped in front of Lyra and held out his cock, I gasped, and my hand flew to my mouth. They can’t!

But they could as Lyra took his dick into her mouth while Dromon fucked her. The muscles in Pierce’s neck stood out as he tipped his head back; ecstasy played over his features as his hips moved in rhythm with Lyra and Dromon’s rocking.

I was far from a virgin, Seth had seen to that, and I thought we’d done some adventurous things together, but we’d never done anything like this. He never would have shared me with anyone. Growing up amongst the night casters, sex was far from a taboo subject, and I knew the harem was a place for every fantasy, as well as cruelty. I’d never expected to witness something like this, and while I should look away, I couldn’t.

Instead, I found myself growing oddly aroused by them as they screwed in unison. Pierce threaded his fingers through Lyra’s hair and pulled her closer.

They didn’t turn me on; I’d never desired anyone other than Seth, but it had been years since I experienced his touch. I’d never want anything like this to happen with us, but I missed the wild abandon of losing myself to him.

I hungered for the ferocity and raw need that had driven us into each other’s arms. There had been many tender times too, but there were also animalistic ones like this, and I ached for that desperate feeling of being wanted again.

But only by him… and he hated me.

You’re still his mate. The reminder wasn’t at all reassuring, and I wasn’t sure how much the bond mattered anymore. Does he join them out there?

Sadness crept through me as I edged away from the window. I couldn’t picture him out there with them; it hurt too much to do so, but these were the last of the shifters. Of course they’d seek each other out.

Memories of Seth and our time in No Man’s Land bombarded me. He’d always smelled so good and been so warm and loving. His mouth was tender yet firm and possessive when he claimed mine; his body was unyielding as it moved against me. The way he’d felt inside me was pure bliss.

We’d been one. We’d worked together, dreamed with each other, planned a different life, and loved each other.

And it had all gone up in smoke.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Knox

I wasn’t sure what propelled me from my bed in the middle of the night, but I was sleeping soundly before waking suddenly. I glanced around the room, my senses on high alert as I searched for danger.

Had Marina already realized Briar wasn’t in the harem and that I’d taken her? Had she arrived in Wildwood?

But as I searched for a threat, I knew it wasn’t her. She wouldn’t be here already, and if she were, the dragon would have let me know, as his roars would fill the night.

No, something else was happening.

The scent of strawberries and eucalyptus filled the air, along with the muskier aroma of arousal, but not just anyone’s… Briar’s.