Aeran & Rhys (Dragon Hearts 7) Read online

  This is torture of the worst kind. Rhys scowled.

  We have to trust our mate to know what she’s doing, Aeran soothed.

  She is a warrior, Rhys announced with pride.

  Our warrior, Aeran confirmed.

  Which is not to say she does not deserve to have her bottom soundly spanked for disobeying us, Rhys growled.

  Aeran gave a chuff of laughter. I would far rather we claimed her as ours.

  Goddess, yes, Rhys groaned.

  She—

  The two men straightened as the sitting room door opened and Cristina stepped out of the room. It was obvious from the redness of her eyes and the dampness of her cheeks that she had been crying.

  Both men stepped forward protectively as Vasile Fescaru moved to stand behind her.

  She gave the two of them a slightly watery smile. “Is it possible for a bedroom to be made up for Vasile so he can stay for a few days?” She glanced at the other man. “We still have a lot of catching up to do.” She gave them both a pointed glance.

  A glance which told Rhys and Aeran that Cristina had yet to tell her father she was the fated mate of two dragon shifters.

  “I believe that can be arranged.” Nathaniel appeared in the cavernous entrance hall. “If you would like to come with me, Mr. Fescaru?”

  Chapter 14

  “You have to admit, our mating isn’t something you can just blurt out to another human,” Cristina teased Rhys and Aeran once the three of them were back in Aeran’s—their—suite. “I think Vasile has already had enough shocks for one day,” she added ruefully.

  “And you?” Aeran looked at her with concern. “How are you after learning Cezar wasn’t your father, after all?”

  “Surprisingly good,” Cristina admitted, knowing it was the truth. She also knew why it was. “I actually didn’t learn Cesar was my father until eight years ago, and it was only the last three years I saw much of him at all.” She sighed. “It seems horrible to say, but the more I’ve learned about Cezar these past few days, the less I’ve wanted his genes to also be mine.”

  A part of her would always love the memory of the only father she had ever known, but learning how Cezar had become her father had negated any loyalty she might still feel toward him. Whether or not she would ever learn to love her real father was something they would only know with time. Vasile had agreed to give her as long as she needed.

  “I’ve talked to Vasile about making his business in London legitimate, in the way Gregori Markovic has,” she revealed to her two mates. “Having had one father who was head of the Romanian Mafia, I really don’t want another one. He promised to talk to Nikolai and see what he can do.”

  Rhys looked at her with admiration. “Vasile will never be able to refuse you anything.”

  She eyed him speculatively. “You and Aeran don’t seem to have any trouble doing exactly that.”

  “When have we ever refused you?” Aeran demanded.

  She pretended to give the question some thought before answering with another question. “How is it I’m now able to talk mentally to you both through our mating link when I couldn’t yesterday?”

  Rhys straightened. “Each time we are…intimate together deepens the bond.”

  “Hmm. So once we’re completely mated…?”

  “If we complete the mating,” Aeran corrected. “Even in that, we will accept your decision.”

  Cristina nodded. “Do you know the result of Dylan’s tests?”

  “You don’t need to worry about that just now—”

  “It is not important—”

  “Can we get one thing clear here?” Cristina cut across both their protests. “If I’m to be a part of this mating, then it’s as your equal. Which means I don’t want you keeping secrets from me. Any more than you liked me keeping secrets from you,” she reminded. “So what don’t I know about this mating?”

  The two men shared a glance before Aeran answered her. “After the fated mates meet, there is usually three weeks’ grace before the mating has to be completed.”

  “And if it isn’t?”

  “You are too intelligent for your own good, mate.” Rhys tapped her playfully on the nose.

  “And you’re avoiding.”

  He drew in a deep breath. “If the mating is not completed then both mates, in our case three, will die.”

  She gave them a reproving look. “And you didn’t think that was something I should know?”

  Aeran winced. “We didn’t want to pressure you.”

  Cristina’s eyes narrowed. “You said usually.”

  “Far too intelligent,” Rhys muttered.

  Aeran sighed. “Dylan’s tests show that our triad mating has accelerated the process.”

  “And?”

  “As long as it doesn’t accelerate any faster, we have roughly six more days.”

  Cristina studied them both through narrowed lids for several long seconds. “When were you actually going to tell me that?”

  “You’ve had so much to cope with this last week,” Rhys defended.

  “So you’re both willing to die, out of some sense of dragon shifter honor, if I haven’t decided to mate with you before that six days is up?”

  A nerve pulsed in the tenseness of his jaw. “Yes.”

  “Yes,” Aeran echoed.

  She gave a disgusted shake of her head. “Idiots!”

  Rhys’s eyes narrowed. “Have a care, mate. You have already accrued one spanking by disobeying us earlier.”

  She gave a grin. “Promises, promises.”

  “Oh, it’s more than a promise, mate, it’s a certainty,” Aeran warned.

  She gazed at them both before shaking her head. “The three of us now share an unbreakable mental bond, so why don’t you try using that to see how I feel about both of you and our mating?”

  Rhys closed his eyes, his senses moving along the link of that bond and into…

  Aeran concentrated on their mating bond, reaching Cristina’s emotions at the same time as Rhys did.

  Warmth.

  Acceptance.

  Love.

  “Rhys!” She gasped as he gathered her up in his arms and carried her through to the bedroom. Aeran was already throwing off his clothes as he followed them.

  Rhys gazed down at her with those beautiful aquamarine eyes. “I love you, mate.”

  “Me too,” Aeran assured huskily. “You are everything and so much more than we have ever dreamed of in our mate.”

  Cristina blinked back the tears of happiness. “So how is this triad mating going to work?”

  Rhys looked down at her intently. “However we wish it to.”

  Which told her precisely nothing. “Virgin, here, remember?”

  “We will neither of us ever forget you are giving us the precious gift of your innocence,” a naked Aeran reassured as Rhys laid her down on the bed beside him before Rhys began to throw off his own clothes.

  Her men were magnificent, Cristina acknowledged breathlessly. Tall. Strong. Muscular. And both utterly and completely hers. After years of being given only sporadic love from Cezar, it was a dream come true for her to have these two wonderful men, dragon shifters, pledge themselves and their love to her for their lifetimes.

  “We will take it slowly.” A naked Rhys came to lie on the other side of her on the bed. “We have the rest of our lives.”

  Cristina moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “I decided, after speaking with Vasile, that I’d like to change my surname.”

  Rhys scowled. “To Fescaru?”

  She shook her head. “Despite my teasing about Vegas, there are three of us, so we can’t have a normal wedding like your brothers and their mates did. But if we’re going to be together for the rest of our long lives, I would at least like to have the same surname as the two of you. Cristina Pendragon has a certain…elegance to it, don’t you think?”

  “I love you, mate,” Aeran groaned as he buried his face against her throat.

  “I love you, belo
ved,” Rhys echoed before his lips briefly claimed hers.

  Cristina was breathless again by the time the two men moved back to look at her with that love shining in their beautiful eyes. “And I love both of you. But I seem to be slightly…overdressed for what we’re about to do.” Her cheeks warmed.

  They both sat up, Aeran moving to pull her top up and then over her head before unfastening and removing her bra. Rhys slid down the bed to unfasten and remove her figure-hugging jeans and panties, along with her socks and shoes.

  Lovemaking was as beautiful as the movements in a ballet, Cristina decided over the next few minutes as her two men made love to her so thoroughly and with such dedication she was left in no doubt as to the love they felt for her.

  Aeran suckled and pleasured her breasts while Rhys licked and stimulated her clit before lapping up the cream from her weeping channel.

  They changed places after Cristina cried out her release, Aeran now tasting and licking between her thighs while Rhys tweaked and pleasured her breasts until she came a second time.

  There was no awkwardness, only the pleasure all three felt through their mating bond as it swelled and crested time and time again.

  She was dazed from that pleasure by the time Aeran moved up to sit back on his heels. “Straddle my thighs, mate,” he encouraged huskily.

  There was no hesitation, no more nervousness, as Cristina did as he asked. “I love you both so much.”

  “And we love you.” Rhys moved to kneel behind her.

  Cristina didn’t even feel concerned as she felt their two aroused cocks against her, Aeran’s long and silky as it stroked against her clit, Rhys’s thicker as it caressed the length of her bottom crease, lubricating that rosette as he did so.

  “Feel my love, Cristina.” Aeran’s breath was warm against her throat as he entered her channel, nudging through the delicate barrier of her virginity before slowly pressing forward until he was buried inside her to the hilt.

  “Feel my love, mate,” Rhys murmured, Aeran drawing back as Rhys pressed slowly forward until his cock pierced through the ring of muscle. He stilled briefly, allowing Cristina to become accustomed to that fullness before moving forward until he was fully inside her.

  The fullness was incredible, something Cristina had never imagined, as Rhys pulled back and Aeran thrust forward, the two working together in a natural rhythm that gave them all the most pleasure.

  “Ours,” Rhys growled against her nape.

  “Ours,” Aeran echoed against her throat.

  “Yours,” Cristina gasped as two sets of teeth bit down on her flesh, and she immediately felt the rush of the mating aphrodisiac from both of them, sending her into her wildest climax yet as their emotions melded and became one.

  Warmth.

  Love.

  Possession.

  “What on earth is that?” Cristina gasped as she felt something move inside her and then latch on to her.

  “Ah,” Rhys groaned.

  “God…” Aeran gasped.

  “Something else you’ve forgotten to tell me?” she teased huskily. “Oh God.” Whatever was inside her was stroking the bunch of nerves known as the G-spot that many people said was a myth.

  As Cristina convulsed into another body-shuddering climax she knew whoever said it they were as wrong about that as they were about King Arthur and dragons!

  They all existed.

  “We have a barb on our cock.” Aeran groaned as he began to pump his seed deep inside Cristina.

  “It only appears when we make love with our mate.” Rhys gasped as his cock throbbed and pulsed with the force of his release.

  “We’ll all be locked together like this for fifteen minutes or so,” Aeran rasped.

  “After which, you will receive your spanking,” Rhys promised.

  “Something I will enjoy watching,” Aeran agreed.

  “Then we’ll start again,” Rhys added. “With me in your pussy and Aeran in your—”

  “I believe I get the general idea,” Cristina cut in hastily, still slightly dazed at the fact her first sexual experience should be with two men. Two dragons.

  “The mating frenzy usually lasts for about three days,” Aeran told her.

  “Maybe longer, as this mating is so different to all the others,” Rhys said with satisfaction.

  They would have three days of this oneness and ecstasy?

  A lifetime, Rhys corrected through their bond.

  Eternity, Aeran stated.

  Forever, Cristina promised.

  She had found the only home she ever wanted. It was with these two men. Her dragon shifter mates. Aeran and Rhys.

  For news on upcoming releases in the Dragon Hearts, Regency Lovers, Steele Protectors, Regency Sinners, Regency Unlaced, Knight Security, and Alpha Series please sign up to my monthly mailing list/newsletter: http://www.eepurl.com/2rfzz

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  About The Author

  Carole Mortimer is a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award 2015, a Pioneer for Romance Romantic Times Award in 2014. She was recognized by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 for her ‘outstanding service to literature’. Carole has written over 240 contemporary, paranormal and Regency novels.

  She is happily married to Peter. They have 6 sons, and live on the beautiful Isle of Man. She also loves to hear from Readers!

  Other books by Carole Mortimer

  Regency Lovers:

  INDECENT (Regency Lovers 1)

  OBSESSION (Regency Lovers 2)

  CRAVING (Regency Lovers 3)

  FORBIDDEN (Regency Lovers 4)

  More books to come in this series

  Steele Protectors:

  LOGAN (Steele Protectors 1)

  ROURKE (Steele Protectors 2)

  More books to come in this series

  Regency Sinners Series:

  Wicked Torment (Regency Sinners 1)

  Wicked Surrender (Regency Sinners 2)

  Wicked Scandal (Regency Sinners 3)

  Wicked Deception (Regency Sinners 4)

  Wicked Captive (Regency Sinners 5)

  Wicked Temptation (Regency Sinners 6)

  Wicked Sinners (Regency Sinners 7)

  Wicked Christmas (Regency Sinners 8)

  Series Complete

  Dragon Hearts – Contemporary paranormal

  Nathaniel (Dragon Hearts 1)

  Deryk (Dragon Hearts 2)

  Bryn (Dragon Hearts 3)

  Dylan (Dragon Hearts 4)

  Grigor (Dragon Hearts 5)

  Garrett (Dragon Hearts 6)

  Aeran & Rhys (Dragon Hearts 7)

  Series Complete

  Regency Unlaced Series:

  The Duke’s Mistress (Book 1)

  Claimed by the Marquis (Book 2)

  Taken by the Earl (Book 3)

  Pursued by the Viscount (Book 4)

  Desired by a Lord (Book 5)

  Captured by a Gentleman (Book 6)

  Pleasured by a Duke (Book 7)

  Seduced by a Marquis (Book 8)

  Tamed by the Earl (Book 9)

  Series is now complete

  Knight Security Series: Spin-off to ALPHA series

  Resisting Alexandre (Knight Security 0.5)

  Defying Asher (Knight Security 1)

  Challenging Gabriel (Knight Security 2)

  Capturing Caleb (Knight Security 3)

  Tempting Zander (Knight Security 4)

  Enticing Ian (Knight Security 5)

  Seducing Ethan (Knight Security 6)

  Series now complete

  ALPHA Series:

  Christmas Alpha (Alpha 1)

  Dark Alpha (Al
pha 2)

  Shadow Alpha (Alpha 3) Author’s 200th Book

  Midnight Alpha (Alpha 4) – Gregori Markovic’s story

  Renegade Alpha (Alpha 5)

  Warrior Alpha (Alpha 6) – Nikolai Volkov’s story

  Rogue Alpha (Alpha 7)

  Savage Alpha (Alpha 8)

  Series is now complete