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The crowd exploded in a roar of approval at the end to the most spectacular fist fight they’d ever witnessed.
Arthur moved to get up, but Lancelot didn’t immediately ease his weight off. For the briefest moments, he felt the other man’s breaths against his cheek, huffing steadily into his ear. Lancelot was breathing him in, Arthur realized. He could feel the man’s chest expand against his back with the deep draws of his scent.
And then—
Just as suddenly, Lancelot was gone.
The weight upon his back. The arm around his throat.
The heavy sword against his arse.
Just simply disappeared.
Chapter Three
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
—African Proverb
Three weeks ago. London Mayfair.
The Haymarket Hotel was conveniently situated on the corner of Haymarket and Suffolk Place in the heart of London's theatre district, surrounded by some of the global city's best restaurants and bars.
At least, that’s what Annie’s guidebook said. Taking in the views from the terrace of her luxury suite, she could attest to the truth of it.
Their home away from home, at least for this particular leg of their rambling family vacation, was ideally located for Mayfair, Regent Street and Jermyn Street shopping. Which made Annie want to whip out Regency or Victorian romance novels and soak in the history and culture imbued in every brick of the gorgeous architecture that surrounded them.
Speaking of which, she just realized that it wasn’t true she’d never traveled to London. Shehadbeen here.
But it was a few years ago in terms of modern time, and a fewhundredyears ago in terms of time travel on one of the Jade Emperor’s quests with Ben. They’d met Brigid and discovered the “Myth of the Pale Prince” here—Sai, her sea dragon mate, and long-lost brother to Ere and Kai.
Nevertheless, it was one thing to visit as a woman on a mission back in time, and quite another to be a tourist in bustling, vibrant, modern London. At the very least, she hoped thatthistime, there would be no zombie werewolf creatures stalking them from the shadows.
Admittedly, she chose this hotel for her own satisfaction and taste. The lively, bold-colored interior décor was rather…feminine. Between the airy sepia-gray lobby, filled with marigold and oak furniture, and the intricate floral patterns in all of the rooms, Annie realized with a wince that perhaps it didn’t quite suit three of the most masculine men she’d ever met, if the wary looks they threw at the ornate furniture were anything to go by.
At least Rui seemed to like the hotel décor. Annie had caught her caressing the soothing green silk of the settee in the five-hundred-square-foot suite she would be sharing with Wolfe. Annie booked a similar room for herself and Red, but Arthur and Lancelot got the coveted and exclusive Haymarket Hotel Townhouse with two separate bedrooms.
Given the live wire tension that practically pulsed between the two warriors, Annie felt that a little physical separation at the end of a long day was called for.
But she knew they couldn’t be too far away from each other. When they stayed at Ben’s parents’ house in the Yukon, their rooms shared a common wall and a Jack and Jill bathroom. When they walked through the airport and down the streets, they moved in a tight unit, their strides all but synchronized.
Yet, for all their complementarity, the two men could not be more different. (Or perhaps that was the very definition of complementarity).
Where Arthur was burning hot, Lancelot was ice cold. Even their coloring suited their personalities, with Arthur’s burnished bronze to Lancelot’s cool silver. Where Arthur was easy charm and open attraction, Lancelot was quiet confidence and locked up tight.
Annie would have to be blind to miss the gobsmacked looks on people’s faces as the six of them made their way from point A to point B. Mainly, they looked at the men, who were all well above six feet in height, imposing and radiating a don’t-fuck-with-me badass vibe.
Wolfe was handsome in a forbidding, scary way. Red was…well, Red. He wouldn’t win any beauty pageants, but he was gloriously magnificent to Annie.
Lancelot was beyond model-perfect and well into godly brilliance territory, though his edgy new haircut and jaw scruff brought him a little closer to earth. And Arthur was sex on a stick. Annie was fearful that some women, and even men, might start humping him on the street like ill-mannered mutts.
Even Rui received her share of attention, with her elfin features and silvery short hair.
Annie, thankfully, was simply the girl next door in looks. Sandwiched in the middle of the group, she doubted anyone took notice of her. It was deliciously amusing, however, to take in the crowd’s reaction to her friends and mate.
“How do y’all feel?” Annie said now in the townhouse living room, where they all congregated for the time being after checking in. Their bags had been white-glove delivered to their rooms already.
“Jet lagged? Hungry?”
