Claimed by the Dragons (Alma Venus Shifter Brides 3)

He smiled bitterly. “I know.”

They were both silent for a long while.

In the history of humanity, probably one of the things that hurt most was for two people to face each other and decide to be friends, just friends and nothing more, when they were both painfully aware of the love they felt. And in that moment, they wanted to believe that love didn’t last forever, anyway. That it lasted for only two-three years, and then faded and turned into something else: friendship, routine, duty. They wanted to believe that cliché, and they couldn’t. There was one truth, and one truth only: if they stayed friends, they would carry the wound, the regrets, and the “what-if”s to the end. It would never get better or easier.

“I’m sorry…” said Viggo, even though he didn’t know why. He let the words hang in the air while he looked deep within his soul in search of an answer. What was he sorry for?

Delyse nodded, oblivious to the fact that he was still lost in thought.

“If my father finds the cure, then I’ll get to spend close to an eternity with Clan Drekinn. It won’t be that bad, right? I’m happy with Eric, and I’ll be even happier when you find a bride. She’ll be the best, I’m sure of it. Alma Venus has some amazing young women, all you have to do is choose… Or, maybe, you could try some of the other boarding schools… I don’t know…” She was rambling and she couldn’t stop. “It would be so wonderful to see you happy… A bride, children…”

“I’m sorry,” Viggo said again, this time looking straight into her eyes. He had found his answer.

“Wha… what?”

Two wide steps and his body was pressed against hers, one arm around her waist, and one hand cradling her head while he kissed her long, hard, and deep. Taken by surprise, Delyse wanted to push him away, but her body responded differently. She sunk her fingers into his messy blond hair and pulled at the strands as her tongue twirled around his. She could feel his rock hard cock on her stomach, and all she wanted to do was reach down and trace it through his tight jeans. His taste, his manly scent, the softness of his lips, and the rough scruff on his cheeks… everything aroused her. She was wet and ready. When he grabbed the back of her knees and lifted her up, she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. She wasn’t thinking, she couldn’t think… It was love, lust, desire… the intoxicating taste of the forbidden fruit. And she couldn’t stop. She rolled her hips against his crotch and he growled deep in his chest, the dragon inside him wanting to claim the beautiful woman clinging to him like he was the only man in her life. He wasn’t. But he didn’t care, it didn’t bother him. Right now, there was only the two of them, and that was all that mattered.

They broke the kiss, a string of saliva still connecting their lips.

“Viggo…”

“I’m sorry for this.” And he kissed her again.

Delyse moaned and ran her hands down his back, pulling at his shirt, trying to scratch and get access to his skin. Her actions made no sense, but that was the last thing on her mind. Viggo held her up with one hand while the other sneaked under her dress. His fingers found her wet panties and pulled them to one side so they could sink into her wetness. She almost screamed when he buried one finger inside her pussy. He didn’t even have to do much. She was so close to release that she was sure she would climax if he simply moved his finger two or three times. The position was odd, but she managed to push her hips down and better impale herself onto his finger.

They didn’t hear footsteps down the corridor. Viggo didn’t hear the sound of a heartbeat picking up the pace, and didn’t smell the anxiety coming in waves off a heated body. The door was pushed open and it was too late. Viggo removed his hand from under Delyse’s dress, and Delyse slid down his body until her feet hit the floor. She turned around to see Eric standing in the doorway, arms folded over his bulky chest, a straight expression on h

is face. Unreachable. Unreadable. She gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. She could still feel Viggo’s lips on hers, his taste on her tongue. Her pussy was more soaked than ever, her walls throbbing with need. It was so hard to focus, so hard to comprehend what was happening, when all she wanted was Viggo’s cock inside her. Or Eric’s. She didn’t care. Both. She wanted both.

Viggo looked directly into his Fyrstur’s eyes. The two men fixed each other for a long while, but neither of them knew what was going on in the other’s head. The Annarr’s fingers were sticky, and he knew the other dragon had already smelled his bride’s sweet juices on him.

When she realized no one was paying attention to her anymore, Delyse tried to snap out of her lust induced fantasies and get a grip of the situation. She looked at Viggo, then back at Eric. They were staring each other down as if they were ready to start a duel.

“Eric…” she took a step towards her husband, but stopped when she couldn’t find anything to say. “Sorry?” But she didn’t feel sorry. “It’s not what you think?” But it was. It was exactly what he thought. She bit the inside of her cheek and tears welled up in her eyes. This was stupid. So stupid. She had gotten herself in the worst situation possible, and she had no idea how to get out of it. Whatever was happening now wasn’t fixable. There was no clean solution to it.

“Eric… I… I love you.” She looked at Viggo again, afraid she might have hurt him. His face was just as expressionless as Eric’s. She took a deep breath. “You have to believe me. I love you. And I love him too. Just as much. I can’t explain it. I would do nothing to hurt you, nothing to betray your trust. I just… I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I love and want both of you. So, so much…”

Oh shit. She had said it. She had finally admitted the thing she had been denying for weeks. How could a woman love two men at the same time?

Finally, Eric looked at her, and his eyes softened. “I know.”

Delyse blinked in confusion.

“I’ve known all along.”

“I don’t… I don’t know what you mean…”

Eric stepped inside the office and closed the door behind him. It was time to tell them the truth. He had postponed it for too long, but then again… no matter how hard he had tried to get Delyse and Viggo together, alone, in the same room, these two squareheads had fought tooth and nail.

“Lily, I can’t be exactly the way you need me to be,” he said. “I can’t give you everything. I love you, but I don’t know how to show it. I don’t know how to hold you, how to kiss you when we’re… not having sex. I don’t know how to be gentle and caring. I tried, but it’s just not who I am. I’m the Alpha of this clan and it has made me rough, and cold, and… all those years I’ve been asleep… things have changed so much. People today express their feelings differently, they’re more open and honest, they care less about how others might perceive them. I… I can’t quite grasp how it works… I’m at a loss. I’ve been at a loss since I met you and I understood that in those three years you and Viggo have waited for me, he had come to know you and understand you better than I ever will.”

“You’ve known since the beginning?” Delyse was in shock.

“I had my suspicions. Then I saw you kiss him…”

“Oh God…” Now tears were running down her face.

Both Viggo and Eric tensed when they saw her crying. Eric didn’t know if he should try to comfort her, given that he had no idea how to comfort a woman, and Viggo wasn’t sure whether it was a good idea to get closer to her, now that Eric was there. Eventually, Eric took her face between his big hands and wiped the tears with his thumbs.