"Personal." Bale accepted a full gla.s.s from Tryphon but set it on the table without drinking.

Tryphon filled the third gla.s.s and lifted it. Bale and Raine mirrored him. "To my friend, my lover, the man I share everything with. Here's to another wonderful year together."

My lover. Raine suddenly felt like a proverbial third wheel. Especially after they drank to Tryphon's very sweet toast and then Bale walked to Tryphon, bent down and gave him a big, open-mouthed kiss on the lips. Tongues got involved, breathing grew labored, and Raine wondered why the guys had invited her in if they were just going to f.u.c.k each other.

Sure, she'd found the whole "we share" thing odd, but for some reason, even though she'd heard that Tryphon was bis.e.xual, she hadn't gotten the vibe that they were lovers. Well, not until now. They'd been so focused on her up to this point that there'd been no reason to imagine they were intimate with each other.

Ugh, this was kind of awkward. What the heck was she doing here? Was she some sort of anniversary present?

But then, as she sat there and sipped her wine, watching those two yummy guys kiss, she started to get a little warm. The sensation started deep inside her chest, smack dab in the center. And it spread in waves. Tingly heat. Pulsing at first. Then thumping. Pounding.

The guys broke the kiss, turning to look at her with eyes glazed over with raw l.u.s.t. They both gave her this hungry glare, as if they were about to eat her up.

She literally gasped. "Happy anniversary."

"Thank you." Bale's eyes narrowed, and she held her breath, bracing for whatever he would do next. He pulled on the metal armrest of her chair and the whole thing pivoted to face him. Then, he flattened his hands on either side of her head and bent low, lower.

She closed her eyes.

This kiss was nothing like the one Tryphon had given her in the car. It was demanding, a total possession. The intoxicating flavor of man and wine filled her mouth. At the same time, the erotic sounds of male groans and hard, thorough kisses resonated in her ears. In response, her body tightened everywhere, from her scalp to her toes.

She arched her back, desperate to feel Bale's hard body pressed against hers. Her nipples were tight, sensitive peaks. Her blood rivers of bubbling, churning acid, rus.h.i.+ng through her system.

She returned every urgent thrust of Bale's tongue with one of her own. It wasn't just a kiss, but a battle for control, one she refused to lose.

Oh yes, she was most definitely in for one wild night. Yesyesyes! She clawed at Bale's s.h.i.+rt like a cat plumping a cus.h.i.+on before settling down. Less clothing. More skin. More kisses and heat and...would one of them touch her somewhere besides the face?

Changing tactics, she yanked on her own clothes, untucking her top and jerking her skirt up to free her legs. The second she had that skirt up around her hips, she wrapped her thighs around Bale's hips and locked her ankles.

Bale's hands scooped under her b.u.t.t, lifting it.

Now that was better.

Rocking her hips, she ground against him, rubbing away the burning ache throbbing in her core.

But then Tryphon brought the party in her body to an abrupt end when he unhooked her ankles, set her feet on the floor and rumbled, "Dessert first."

Bale jerked up and staggered away from her, practically doubled over. He looked like someone had kicked him in the b.a.l.l.s.

What the h.e.l.l! Who stopped something that intense just to eat cake? She loved sweets as much as the next girl, but this was so much better than food.

"Are you kidding me? Move out of the way." She pushed out of her chair.

Tryphon caught her by the shoulders and shoved her back down. "No, I'm not kidding. And I'm not moving." His sharp, piercing gaze drilled into her eyes.

Briefly, she thought of kicking him away and leaving, but that rational notion flew from her mind almost instantly. She narrowed her eyes. "What kind of game are you playing here?"

"A game of power and control," was his answer, delivered in a sultry, husky tone. His hands closed around her wrists tightly, like iron cuffs, locking them to the chair's armrests. "Have you ever played power games, Raine?"

"Nope. But if you're into that kind of thing, I might be interested." She raised her chin, locking her eyes to his. "Only if I can be the one doing the controlling, though."

"That's just it." He leaned in closer, closer still, until his nose nearly touched hers. "You won't be."

Warning alarms pealed in her mind. Whoop, whoop, whoop. "Sorry, but if you're looking for a girl who's going to lie back and let you take charge, you've picked the wrong girl." She parted her legs and leaned forward to kiss him, determined to use what she had to turn things around and put herself in the position of power. That was what she always did when she was with a new lover. She seduced him until he was under her control.

This guy was messing with her head. That was scary.

He yanked his head back just before her mouth met his. She swallowed a groan of confusion, slammed her knees together and twisted her arms, trying to break her wrists free.

She was alternating between desperate erotic need and cold panic. It was the weirdest thing, the two feelings cras.h.i.+ng through her body in alternating waves of hot and cold. The tighter he held her arms, the hotter those waves grew and the colder she became between them. "What's wrong, is the notorious Tryphon Zade nervous?"

"Not at all. You're the one who's intimidated, princess. I can see it in your eyes."

Feeling invaded, she jerked her head to the side. "You don't intimidate me."

"You're scared of something. What is it?" he taunted, bending to the side until he filled her field of vision again.

"You're seeing things." She twisted her head in the opposite direction. "I thought we were going to have dessert."

On cue, a gla.s.s rattle sounded on the table. On a clear plate sat a single piece of chocolate cake.

She tried to lift her right arm, to grab the fork, but Tryphon didn't let go. She arched a brow in question.

"We'll feed you," he stated.

Now, on top of being confused and nervous-and irritatingly aroused-she was also getting annoyed. What was with the control thing? She'd made it clear already that she wasn't interested in becoming the great Tryphon Zade's submissive blow-up doll. What would she need to say or do to make him understand? Clearly, this man was a player, not that she held his experience against him. He was used to getting his way-in the bedroom and out. Not this time. Not with this girl. It was a matter of principle now.

More determined than ever to make things clear, she shrugged. "I guess I don't need to eat any dessert. I'm on a diet anyway."

Bale plucked up the utensil and cut off a piece of the cake, and while Tryphon held her arms pinned to the chair, Bale lifted the loaded fork to her mouth.

She turned her head away. "I said, I don't want any. You can't force me."

Two male sighs filled the heavy silence. The fork rattled against the plate. And Tryphon released her wrists. Finally.

Good. He got the message.

Yanking her skirt back down, she watched them sink into their seats then glanced down at the dessert. She admitted it looked really yummy. But c.r.a.p, they'd practically crammed it down her throat. Were they trying to drug her or what?

No, why would they do that? A few minutes ago, she'd been humping Bale like a dog in heat. She'd made it perfectly clear that she knew where this thing was going and-outside of being their submissive-she was okay with it.

That meant there was some other reason they'd more or less tried to forcefeed her that cake.

What were these two guys up to?

The Hunger had Bale in a stranglehold. If he didn't feed. Right this minute. He was going to collapse.

Just as they always did, they'd laced the cake's frosting with a mild sedative, something to ease their prey's fear, to help her accept what was about to happen. Not all Sons did that. The drug would affect them as well. But like his older brother, Logan, over the years Tryphon and Bale had learned it was still better than trying to muscle their way into that first bite. Particularly if they were weak from the Hunger, like now. And thankfully, Logan-who worked for King Kaden-not only supplied them with ample quant.i.ties of rare, purified Eclipse so they could travel easily during daylight hours, but also sedatives for their prey.

But it was too late, and Raine was refusing to eat the tainted dessert. They had no choice.

He genuinely regretted that she'd be terrified for a moment. Granted, her fear wouldn't last long, and she'd forget what happened within minutes, but he still hated to put any human being through so much terror and pain.

If only she'd been more cooperative.

They'd done everything right. Taken her for a nice dinner. Given her some wine to help her relax. Seduced her with kisses. She should have been more than willing to let them feed her a little cake. It wouldn't take much.

Then again, with the Hunger bearing down on them as it was, Bale could see his charm was fading, his humanity overshadowed by the beast lurking inside.

He exchanged a desperate look with Tryphon, noting right away the tremble in Tryphon's hands as he raised them in defeat. Tryphon was in as bad a shape as he. Maybe worse. G.o.d help them if they didn't have the strength to wrestle her into position.

"How about we head into the living room, where we can be more comfortable?" Tryphon suggested, standing.

Raine gave the cake a leery glance then studied Tryphon's face. She chewed on her plump lower lip as she sat silent, fingers curled around her chair's armrests so tightly her knuckles were white. "I think I should be heading home."

d.a.m.n.

Tryphon shoved his fingers through his hair, clearly on the verge of snapping. "Please, don't go. I apologize for trying to push the cake on you. I'm such an a.s.s sometimes. But I swear, my intentions were sincere."

"What were your intentions?" she challenged, brows raised. To Bale's surprise, she accepted his offer of a hand up and followed as he slowly led her toward the living room.

"Just to make sure that every minute of tonight was absolute decadence." Tryphon fell into step beside her. As they stepped into the living room, Tryphon turned to face them, his eyes glittering with hunger. "I'm not ashamed to admit I get an erotic rush from the give and take of a power exchange with a new submissive. And you reacted in precisely the way a new submissive would."

"But I said I'm not into that kind of thing." Raine hesitated in front of the couch, her eyes sweeping the room.

"You are. You just don't realize it yet." Tryphon crowded closer, forcing her to back into Bale. "That secret need is buried deep, but every now and then it pops up to the surface. In your dreams. Your favorite erotic fantasies."

Raine shook her head. "I like to be in control. I...need to be."

Bale held his breath, half-expecting her to head for the door. He knew, though, that neither he nor Tryphon could let her leave.

G.o.ddammit, he felt like he was drying to dust.

"Enough talk about the domination and submission stuff." Bale dropped onto the couch and pulled gently on Raine's hand, coaxing her to sit with him. "We don't have to go there right now, Tryph." As she reluctantly eased onto the couch next to him, he twisted to face her, throwing an arm over the back of the couch. "How about we get back to where we were, hmm?" He gathered her long hair in his fist and lifted it off her shoulder. The long column of her neck was like a beacon, calling to him. And there, where her pulse drummed beneath her skin...heaven. "You do like to be kissed, don't you?" he asked, leaning closer, the sweet scent of her flesh filling his nose.

"Yes, very much." Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. Long sooty lashes fluttered and heavy eyelids closed to hide a set of absolutely intoxicating eyes. Her lush lips parted slightly, pursed just enough to invite him for a taste.

"That's good. Because I can't stop kissing you. You taste better than any dessert." He accepted the invitation but, even though he wanted to, he didn't linger on her mouth for long. Another need was much more urgent, forcing him to place soft kisses along her jaw, working toward that tempting pulse point on her neck. "So sweet. Like ripe peaches."

"Ohhh." Sighing, she slid her flattened hands down his chest, the bold touch of a fingertip on his covered nipple sending a bolt of raw need charging through his system.

His fangs lengthened as his tongue lapped at her fragrant skin, both arousing her and sanitizing her skin with the natural disinfectant in his saliva. He swung a knee over her, straddling her legs and trapping her thighs under his weight.

Her touches grew bolder. Her breathing faster. With trembling hands, she reached under his s.h.i.+rt, softly stroking his skin and igniting a dozen blazes in his body. Nearly blind with need, he continued to flick his tongue over the point where he would bite, flattening his hands on either side of her head to hold her still when the pain struck.

Now!

He opened his mouth, pierced her skin and pulled hard on the wound until her delicious essence filled his mouth and bathed his tongue.

Ahhhh... More.

It took about two seconds for the pain to register. Raine screamed, clawing at his chest with her fingernails, bucking beneath him. But he didn't stop sucking, couldn't stop.

Ten seconds. Nine, eight...

She fought him harder, even though he was using his entire body to pin her down. She freed her hands from between their bodies and attacked his face. Sharp fingernails dug at his cheeks, and still he didn't release her head or stop feeding.

Seven, six, five...

His face was on fire, but the agony was nothing. The pure pleasure of the feeding made it easy for him to ignore it. With every swallow of her blood, another wave of energy buzzed through his body. And another blast of erotic need slammed through him.

Four, three, two...

Ohhhh.

Her hands dropped and her body went soft beneath him. The venom in his saliva had reached her brain. Instead of fighting him, now she would beg him for more. She was burning with erotic need, the same one that was making him hard and hot and breathless.

He rolled off her, letting a fully nude Tryphon take his place and feed. And as he watched the beautiful man he loved swallow the blood that would sustain his life another year, he tore off his clothes, desperate to slake the agonizing l.u.s.t gripping him.

Tryphon groaned, tension rippling through the muscles of his back and shoulders, and Bale watched in awe. Bale traced the strong line of Tryphon's spine with an index finger then followed that touch with fleeting licks and kisses. The deeply tanned skin dimpled with goose b.u.mps.

His hunger satisfied temporarily, Tryphon threw his head back and moaned, his hard body a sensuous curve of muscled flesh and smooth skin. Beneath him, Raine whimpered and mewled softly with feminine need.

Bale's b.a.l.l.s tightened in response, his c.o.c.k arrowing from his pelvis. The satisfaction of his overwhelming physical hunger always left him like this, nearly crippled with erotic need for the two other members of the triad. And it would continue this way for the next six days and nights.

Raine didn't know it yet, but she would be their houseguest for one full week. She would serve as the sole source of their nourishment and pleasure every night.

The venom they each injected into her blood as they fed would serve a very vital need-to produce antibodies in Raine that, when they next fed from her, would counteract the damage Bale and Tryphon's bodies had endured over the past twelve months, and extend their lives.

And in return, they would give Raine every pleasure she desired, no matter what that might be. It was the least they could do in exchange for the precious gift she'd given them.

They would start right now.

They would ease the burn in her body.

Chapter Five.

Raine's blood was simmering. Her body was so inflamed, diving into a bathtub full of ice wouldn't have cooled her fast enough. Throbbing, aching, agonizing need pounded through her, making her breathless and dizzy, disorientated.