fire racing through his blood affecting every part of his body. He hung onto Kirill’s shoulders because if he didn’t, he’d fall. Dreams, desires, all of a sexual nature flooded his brain, and yet…
“You’re not feeling it.” Kirill took his lips away from Ra’s neck long enough to speak. Ra’s eyes were drawn to the tips of fangs poking over the vampire’s bottom lip.
“I am.” Ra turned as Arvyn also pulled his head away. “I want you both – you have no idea how much. It’s been… yeah, that’s not important, but we’ve all, and I mean all of us, had a really harrowing morning. I don’t want our claiming to be hard on the heels of something like that. That doesn’t feel right. Can you understand?”
Arvyn bit his lip and nodded. Turning his head so he could look at Kirill, the man seemed to sag a little under his gaze. “I’m tired,” the vampire sounded gruff. “Today was… I’m not sure I can put it into words. But Arvyn and I had talked… after last time I mean, and we don’t want you thinking we don’t want you, or we’re in awe of you, or don’t know how to act around you simply because of your position.”
“My position isn’t who I am with you,” Ra said gently. “To you, I’m simply Ra, a man who happens to be able to zap things out of thin air, and who can take us places if necessary. There’re a lot of aspects about life on earth I haven’t experienced, and a lot of things I might not understand the context of in modern society like you two do. Watching life isn’t the same as living it. Hell, I’ve only just learned to text.”
Ra was pleased when both Kirill and Arvyn smirked because that was his intention. “I do understand I’m wanted. Being held by you is a dream come true. And I promise you, I’m not usually a drama llama, and while there will be times when we’re with others of my kind when I might not be as casual as I appear now, my appearance doesn’t change what’s in my soul. I’d still be your mate.”
“I get that,” Arvyn said eagerly, his smile widening. “I mean, I’m still the same person when I’m in my fur.”
“Your animal form is gorgeous.” Twisting at the waist, Ra managed to rest one of his arms on Arvyn’s shoulders, stroking up his wolfen mate’s neck.
“Had you been watching us after you left us?” Kirill asked, but there was no animosity in his tone this time.
“I peeked in from time to time, but only quickly, I promise.” Ra inhaled. “Putting it frankly, this morning was a shit fest and as much as I long to be bitten the way you’ve exchanged bites, and spend hours exploring the amazing bodies pressed against me, I really feel we just all need a bit more time to decompress, don’t you? Let me feed you, we’ll get the fire lit and we’ll sit and chat, and yes, touch as well, because that’s something I haven’t had in so long. But can we do that? Do you mind doing that when you know we’ve got the rest of eternity to be together?”
“Eternity just might be long enough with you,” Kirill said, leaning forward just enough to drop the promise of a kiss on Ra’s lips. Arvyn met him halfway, and they shared their own brief kiss as well. As they did, something settled inside Ra, and he knew although it would take time, they would be okay.
Chapter Sixteen
Kirill’s mind was numb. As he sat on the huge and very comfortable couch Ra installed in place of the three piece that had been in the room, watching Arvyn light a fire, and listening to Ra pottering about in the kitchen, he tried to make sense of his new reality.
My coven is gone. Everything I’ve worked for and protected for hundreds of years, dismantled leaving nothing more than real estate.
But it wasn’t gone as such, Kirill knew that, even as his soul ached. Gone implied someone had taken his coven from him, stolen it, challenged him for it and won, when the reverse was true. Kirill had given it up, and as he shucked off his shoes and curled his feet under him, he tried to work out logically why he’d done such an impulsive and for him, destructive act.
It’s not like Kirill hadn’t thought about giving up the coven before. Honestly, the