AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hell, I didn’t even know I was into sharing until I met three princes who thawed the edges of my ice heart. Even though one of them hates my guts, even though I have no right to ask anything of them, the idea of being forced to choose one of them makes my chest tight.
“I stand by my opinion.” Gabriel gestures to Noah, who is still showing signs of… having the Irish toothache, in Gabriel’s parlance. “Look at that thing. He could put someone’s eye out.”
Noah’s face reddens. “Stop talking nonsense and tell me what the fuck is going on.”
“I hope you’re not denigrating the Queen’s English, or we shall have words. We’re sharing Claudia. I thought that was obvious. She’s more than either of us can handle.” Gabriel grins. “Welcome to the wonderful world of sexual liberation, friend Noah. Do not cross swords. Please collect your STI kit and bucket of lube when you pass go.”
“You’re fucking weird.” Noah punches Gabriel in the arm. He locks his gaze on me, his eyes searching. Gabriel smirks and leans back in his chair, satisfied to have sown his own unique brand of chaos. A tense silence captures the room as the two of them wait for me to speak.
I jam my hands into my eyes. Fuck. I don’t know how to do any of this relationship shit.
Fingers circle my wrists, tugging my hands free, exposing my rawness for their scrutiny. Noah’s dark orbs stare me down, demanding the keys to my secret heart.
“What do you want?” Noah rasps in his lordly voice – not a question, a command. My skin whispers with his touch, remembering just ten minutes ago when he pinned my wrists and kissed me like he was punishing me. I try not to focus on how fucked-up I am for loving it, for craving more of Noah’s unique fucked-up-edness.
Gabriel rises and stands beside him, swiping his tousled dark hair from his face. His eyes capture a universe disintegrating – behind the pure light of his star is a vulnerability born of rot and decay. He’s not as untouchable as he pretends to be. The shit that seems to wash off his skin without a stain is tainting him from the inside. His words from last night stick in my throat as I sense the need in them, the desperate desire to be loved despite the rot he refuses to show anyone.
Gabriel and Noah and I… we’re all wild animals trapped in our circumstances, bashing our heads against the bars until our skulls bleed. Maybe, together, our rage and our hurt will be enough to break the bars for good.
“I want…” I take a shuddering breath. I can’t believe I’m saying these words. “I want to know what it means to be free. I’ve lived my whole life behind bars built by my father and nailed in deeper by my own hand. I can’t promise to have any idea what the fuck I’m doing, because I’ve never had one boyfriend before, let alone two, and I’m messed-up in the head. And I don’t want it if it’s going to hurt either of you—”
Noah captures my lips, his tongue dancing over mine. “We’re all in cages,” he rasps. “But caged animals are the most dangerous.”
“Besides…” Gabriel’s fingers touch my cheek. He turns my head and tastes my lips, chasing Noah’s possessive kiss with one tinged with sweet decay. “Caged bunny rabbits have the best orgies.”
Noah whomps him over the head with a pillow, and the pair of them wrestle on the sofa. Their kisses burn on my lips – a promise that they will do everything they can to set me free of my cage. And no matter what, I will protect them.
Claudia
The next morning, Antony’s car finally pulls up in the tunnel. He enters the ballroom, cracking his knuckles. “Rise and shine, Claws. Get those dicks out of your nostrils – we’re going for a drive.”
“You’ve figured out who shot at us?” That was fast. I ignore his nostril comment.
“Not yet. I can tell you that it wasn’t Brutus,” Antony says. “Or if it was, he was acting alone and he’s seriously unhinged. He’s still AWOL, and Lucian and Dio have recruited almost every one of his top soldiers. It looks like they’ve been waiting for him to show weakness so they could seize his empire. Remember, he’s still the accursed man – if he shows his face in the city, even his own soldiers might make good on your father’s punishment.”
“But he could be anywhere. He’s got Daddy’s worldwide network at his fingertips.”
“I’m checking, but I don’t think he’s gone far. Our allies in Rome, in China, in South America – they were loyal to Uncle Julian. They never agreed with what Brutus did but they worked with him because he was their ticket into our market. But now he’s a sinking ship and they’re rowing their asses away in the lifeboats as fast as they can. They’ve been distancing themselves for a long time. That’s why Brutus has been trying to push into new markets recently.”
“How come I didn’t know any of this?”
Antony shrugs. “You didn’t need to. We’re not planning to take back the August empire. Unless the plan has changed?”
I shake my head.
“Good. Because the Triumvirate is on a knife edge right now, and we don’t want to get into the middle of that. It’s going to be difficult enough to find this guy without raising their suspicions.”
“If he’s not in charge of the family, who’s next in command? Maybe Brutus told them—”
Antony shakes his head. I admire his confidence. He must be more powerful in the family than I realize, if he’s able to force Brutus’ silence.
“So you think Brentwood’s the shooter?”
Antony waves his phone. “That’s what we’re going to find out. Get in the car. I’ve got us an appointment with Brentwood, and he gets pissy about tardiness. I need you there to put the shits up him. Bring your loverboys too, since they want to get their hands dirty.”
Noah shoots to his feet. I raise an eyebrow in his direction, but I don’t question it. Gabriel slouches up, too. “A gangster road trip. How exciting. Where are we going?”
“Not far.” The smile on Antony’s face is born of blood and violence. “It’s time we asked Mr. Brentwood a few questions.”
