she leaned back into him, but brought gideon in closer as well, so they had to go to a simple sway or get their feet tangled. her lips curved at the thought, and gideon's mouth brushed hers. daegan's teased her ear. not sexual, though with two such men, there was always the simmering possibility. just . . . present.

her other hand still lay on gideon's chest, and she stroked his pectoral muscle through the cotton, then decided to shift and lay her head there. daegan kissed her nape, making her shiver. soon there'd be another seizure to deal with, the whispers escalating to frightening, screeching voices in her head, the immersion in blood and pain. she'd pass the time this way, rather than fight.

letting the fragile bond between them rebuild itself as it wished, she drifted in gideon's mind. daegan had told her to practice drawing the curtain, but right now she didn't have the mental strength. she was glad she didn't. he was thinking about that night, the one he'd told her about.once, a long time ago . . . i spent the night with a woman like you. she was a vampire, and she flat took the reins away from me, took every choice away . . .

she was startled when she saw the vision in his clouds of memory and realized that the vampire in question was his brother's mistress, lady lyssa. though she'd not met that lady, the other male in the three-some was quite obviously his brother, as handsome and appealing as gideon, in a different way.

seeing them with her, the beautiful ebony-haired vampire with jade eyes, anwyn was surprised by a prick of possessiveness, watching another strong woman claim gideon, however transitory a moment it had been. but when she pushed that aside, went deeper in his thoughts, a forest she hadn't traveled before, no paths or light, she saw how time had stopped for him then, bringing his conflicted soul to a place of unexpected stillness.

like whenever the three of them came together like this, no matter their differences or worries.

was that her thought or his? she wasn't sure. gideon was conscious of daegan's hand folded over both of theirs, how the men's forearms crossed where they held her around the waist. he was ambivalent toward the heat of daegan's skin, the press of his fingers.

as a mistress, she'd seen plenty of men who weren't gay enjoy another man's body, because they'd learned what most girls learned at an early age, that it was arousing to play with another body, no matter the gender. after all, masturbation was done on oneself, a female arousing a female body, or a male arousing a male body. she'd also seen situations where two men loved, but never thought of themselves as gay. she liked that. love shouldn't be stuck into a box with a label. she hated confined spaces, particularly in the mind.

daegan had put the song on repeat, so she was able to keep rocking with that lullaby rhythm, swaying within their armspans. now she dipped under their arms, turned so she was behind gideon. sliding her arms around his waist, she worked her fingers up his chest, teasing his nipples through the t-shirt as she pressed herself against his buttocks, rubbing herself against the denim separating them. she spread her fingers wide, went down to his lean waist. deliberately avoiding what she could feel and see in his mind was hardening for her, she brought her hands around to his back, followed the channel of his spine up to the broad flare of shoulders.

he'd come to a stop, of course. daegan remained where he was, eying her, likely wondering what she was doing. if he wanted to know, he could just look, right? though he'd told her a vampire could push out another vampire, it wasn't something she could do right now. he'd forced her to trust him without earning that trust.

of course, if he was honoring at least one promise to her, he wasn't in her mind. earlier, when she'd lain in her bed, drifting to sleep amid a lovely composition of gruff, off-tune, gritty love songs from gideon, daegan's voice had entered the arena. she'd stiffened, but his presence had been brief, short statements.

you do not have to answer,cher, but i wanted you to know this. i will limit my time in your mind to whenever it is a necessity, or when we are physically intimate. i will respect your privacy as long as it does not compromise your safety.

she'd had something short and succinct to say to that. he'd withdrawn without further comment.

pushing aside any guilt at her behavior, she'd focused on gideon's charming attempts to soothe her.

regardless, they didn't need a mind-link for this. when she met daegan's gaze, she could tell he picked up her intent quickly. she'd never shared a submissive with him, because of what he was. even with her, he'd held back because of his strength, or how violent his nature could truly become. a whole part of who he was might now be open to her. in the glittering calculation in his gaze, the arousal and curiosity mixed, she realized it was. she was far more interested in diving into that than dealing with any more anger or resentments.

for the moment.

tightening her hand in cotton, she turned gideon around, following feeling and desire, letting go of thought. when she leaned into him, pushing up on her toes to reach his mouth, daegan stepped up, his hands coming to gideon's hips to steady him.

gideon immediately stiffened.i don't want him there.

yes, you do.she brought her gaze up to his wary expression.it feels right, the three of us, doesn't it?

that's what you find difficult to accept, not his hands on you. nothing is going to happen. he's only going to help me bring you more pleasure. bring me more pleasure.

anywn curled her arm around his neck, inched even closer so she could press her breasts, loose under her light dress, against the thin t-shirt. if he kept washing this one out, it would never dry, she mused, registering the dampness.

when gideon would have put his arms around her, daegan's grip slid down to his biceps, held him.

tension instantly radiated from her servant, but she murmured softly against his lips, "shhh. just let me kiss you. give yourself to me."give yourself to us.

daegan's mind flickered like a hot flame.he's not ready for what you want, anwyn. do not push him too far.

just a taste. to help him recognize a man or woman's need to fight before surrender. wasn't that what you told him earlier?she couldn't tell if gideon could hear daegan's voice in her head, or if daegan had the ability to block that, but gideon wasn't thinking anything directly toward her. he remained wary, though his fingers were curled into loose fists.

you were eavesdropping.daegan's thoughts held a mild amusement with the reproof.he is going to bolt in a moment, cher. i will have to wrestle him to the ground for you.

that brought a very tempting flash in her head, of the two men in such a contest of wills, neither one wearing much of anything. she'd often thought she needed to live during the time of greek olympics, when the contestants competed naked, watching a beautiful male body pushed to the limits of its endurance.

now, thinking of that strength, she indulged herself. she knew it wasn't kind, because he'd already clearly told her his clothing options were limited, but she'd had a difficult couple of days. this was her version of indulging in a high-calorie dessert to soothe nerves, or stimulate them in an entirely different way.

she ripped the cloth like paper, tore it right down the front, greedy fingers seeking his skin.

it stimulated more than her nerves. jerking forward against daegan's hold, gideon caught her mouth in a hot, demanding kiss. when she put her hands on top of daegan's, the vampire's grip was iron. gideon's biceps were bunched in a rippling display of strength that said it would take nothing less than a vampire to restrain him. or her demands, she thought, remembering their brief session.

i wanted you to prove that you could belong to me, gideon. remember? it's not time to give me that answer, but give me yourself now. i'll make you come so hard you'll forget everything but my desires.

leaning back, she held his gaze. she slipped the belt out of his jeans, tugged to bring it all the way off.

as she rolled it around both hands, she enjoyed the feel of the worn strap. an item that had the pleasure of hugging the erotic area of the waist and hip, those muscles that moved in such a mesmerizing way when he walked. despite her erratic mood at the time, she'd enjoyed them with avid hunger when he'd come out of the shower with her and daegan. wet jeans snug on his hips and water beading on his body.

his hair slicked back, emphasizing those brilliant blue eyes, the hard jaw, the dark shadow that was always there.

"i want him to let me go."

his voice was rough, and she saw that dangerous edge that she knew rested at the core of gideon's nature.not a psychopath, but too close to it . . . she had no need to worry about that part of him anymore. she could handle it, could handle him.

"i know. do you trust me, gideon?"

"it depends on what you want." he cleared a clogged throat. "trust isn't all or nothing."

"at some point, it has to be." her gaze shifted then, holding daegan's briefly. "or you know you have nothing."

"take it or leave it." gideon's blue eyes met hers. "it's the best you're going to get right now." she arched a brow, recognizing the challenge for what it was. "daegan is holding you for me. because i like to see how tense your muscles get while another male holds you back." her voice softened, yet became more implacable at once. she wanted this, and she thought she wanted it enough that he wouldn't be able to deny her. "all you need to do is submit to me, for this. your choice, until things get far enough along that it all becomes my choice." when she registered the tremor he couldn't stifle through those solid muscles, she moistened her lips. "your body wants it; your soul wants it. shut down your mind and give yourself over to me."

she was surprised to see in his mind how she gained his capitulation. it had nothing to do with her vampirism. everything she was saying and being right now was the same as what anwyn the human mistress had been to him. the command in her voice, the direct look of her blue-green gaze, had his cock stiff and aching, screaming at him to give her what she wanted.

"if you're in my head," he said, low, "i guess you know what i want."