All the King's Men (10 page)

Inhaling the rich, mineral scent of the hot springs, Kirel
pushed off his hood and untied his face mask. The air was damp with beads of
water that clung to his skin, making his clothes stick to his body. He stripped
quickly, threw his uniform on a jagged peak of rock that jutted from the wall
and tossed his boots beneath it.

He plunged into the welcoming warmth of the water, letting
its weightlessness envelop him as he dove toward the bottom. The force of the
current lapping at his ankles tugged him downward, wrapping around him and
pulling with surprising strength. The waterfalls weren’t the only source of
water for the pool. A number of tunnels wove through the earth, channeling fresh
water through the springs on a regular basis. A massive volcano rumbling in the
heart of the mountain heated the springs, providing a steady flow of hot water
year-round.

He remained submerged for as long as his burning lungs would
allow then spiraled upward and broke the surface with his head. Rivulets of
moisture ran from his hair to pour into his eyes. He huffed out the breath he’d
been holding and inhaled deeply, rubbing his eyelids with the heels of his
palms.

The water lapping at his naked body made his mouth curve
with pleasure. His cock still throbbed but the warm, wet environment did
wonders for soothing the tension that corded his muscles.

When he finally opened his eyes, he found himself staring at
a sight so unlikely it made him blink rapidly in an effort to clear the last
drops of moisture from his lashes that surely had to be affecting his vision.

Thor was smiling. And not just any smile, but a full-fledged
grin that stretched as far as his full lips would allow, transforming his face
from austere and reserved to sinfully sexy.

Kirel was so taken aback by the smile that he didn’t even
notice Thor was naked until a moment later when his gaze slipped down to the
man’s strong chest, over the elegant stretch of his rib cage to his narrow hips
and then lower, to the erect cock bordered by the a soft patch of golden hair
at the apex of his thighs.

Kirel swallowed hard, his own cock pulsing with renewed
awareness. “What’s going on?”

“We thought you could use some company,” someone else said.

Aware that Thor hadn’t spoken, Kirel spun around in the
water in time to see Domenic step out of his breeches. He’d already discarded
his boots, tunic and headgear, and now stood naked as the day he was born,
wearing nothing but a grin identical to Thor’s.

Suspicion jolted Kirel’s thoughts from their rapid southward
descent. “What is this? Really?”

“Come now, what’s with the interrogation?” Thor dipped his
toe in the water at the pool’s edge. The motion made the muscles in his strong
legs flex. “It’s been too long since we’ve spent any time together. Shivar’s
occupied.” He made a face, clearly still displeased about losing the ongoing
argument. “And Nelina’s being stubborn. She refuses to eat or let any of the
servants attend to her. I figure she needs a little time to think about her
situation and realize we can do this the easy, pleasurable way…or the hard,
pleasurable way.”

To Kirel’s utter shock, Thor winked. Winked!

Now he definitely knew there was more going on than they
were telling him. Although the Guardians spent their days in each other’s
company, their evenings together were infrequent at best. Kirel had done
everything in his power to keep his distance from the two men who knew more
about him than anyone else. He’d long suspected that Thor and Domenic had
become intimate, sharing themselves with one another as lovers as well as
colleagues. At times, Kirel had envied them the easy camaraderie and trust they
shared, but he’d wanted no part of it.

He knew what happened when he got too close to people. They
died. And in the Guardians’ line of work, death was too often an inevitable
conclusion.

Thinking back, Kirel couldn’t recall when they’d last done
anything as a trio. Oh they passed the time easily enough while waiting for
Shivar to bathe, get a massage or do any other of a thousand things that didn’t
require their services. But this was too bizarre to be coincidental and much
too odd to be anything but a well-planned setup.

“Right. I get that.” Kirel swept a wet lock of hair out of
his eyes. “What I don’t get is why you’re here with me.”

A splash from behind him alerted Kirel that Dom had dived
into the pool. Ripples of water sloshed over Kirel’s chest. Where he stood, his
feet could easily touch the bottom, though farther toward the back of the pool,
the currents could be treacherous.

A hand brushed against his ass. Domenic’s head broke the
surface. The man shook his hair out of his eyes, sending droplets of moisture
to splash against Kirel’s back.

“Nelina’s distracted you from your duty.” Thor slid into the
water in a smooth glide, parting the surface of the pool as his body sank into
its embrace. “We can’t have that.”

Rivers of fire ran through Kirel’s veins at the husky tone
in Thor’s voice. He chuckled self-consciously, painfully aware of his raging
erection. “I’ve been…tense since she’s arrived. On edge.”

Thor nodded and slid forward, stopping just inches away from
Kirel. Behind him, Domenic pressed against his back, his erection prodding
Kirel’s spine.

Shocked by the intimate caress, Kirel jerked sideways but
Thor was faster. He reached out and grabbed Kirel’s waist, pulling him against
his chest. The traitorous current made the job much too easy and in a heartbeat
they had him sandwiched between them, their hard physiques encasing him from
both sides.

Before he could protest, Thor sank his hands into Kirel’s
hair and pulled him forward. Kirel watched the man’s mouth lower as though it
descended in slow motion. With deliberate focus, Thor positioned his lips over
Kirel’s. The kiss wasn’t eager or demanding but painfully sweet, sending a raw
lance of surprised arousal into Kirel’s groin. A groan escaped his throat.

As though that’s what he’d been waiting for, Thor swept his
tongue between Kirel’s lips with infinite slowness, tasting and caressing
rather than seeking entrance. His fingers traveled downward over Kirel’s
temples to cup his cheek. The man’s skin was cool against Kirel’s overheated
flesh, the contrast sending his thoughts reeling.

Behind him, Domenic pulsed his hips in a smooth, circular
motion. The tip of his cock glided over the base of Kirel’s spine, leaving
delicious shivers in its wake. A nip on his shoulder was followed by a tender
lick then another. His cock stiffened and pulsed, his balls drawing up in their
sac.

“Let go, Kirel.” Domenic’s voice was thick with the same
heady need that rushed through Kirel’s veins. At that moment, he sounded much
older than his twenty-five years. “Just once…let go of whatever responsibility
you carry on those broad shoulders and let us take care of you.”

Holy Moon Gods, this was insane. Maddeningly, impossibly
insane. He wasn’t the one who was supposed to be seduced. They should have been
in Nelina’s chambers, coaxing streams of pleasure from her sweet, velvety cunt.
Instead they were—

Kirel yanked his head back, breaking the kiss. “I know what
you’re doing. It’s not going to work.”

Domenic trailed his hot tongue over the edge of Kirel’s jaw.
Kirel gritted his teeth, but not before a frustrated hiss escaped his lips.

“We’ll be the judges of that,” Thor said. His open palm
glided over Kirel’s chest, down his stomach and into the curls at his groin to
finally wrap around his cock. The feel of the Guardian’s hand on his rod nearly
had him spilling his seed in an embarrassing manner twice in as many days.

Gods, had the entire world gone mad? Until yesterday, he’d
known exactly where he stood and what was expected of him. Now the entire
planet had been turned upside down.

He couldn’t tear his gaze away from Thor’s bronze skin. Dewy
droplets of moisture glistened on the man’s broad shoulders and hung suspended
from the golden hair sprinkling his chest. Kirel licked his lips. He wanted
nothing more than to lean down and swipe up some of that moisture with his
tongue then swirl it around a brown, masculine nipple and draw the pebbled tip
into his mouth while stroking Thor’s cock.

He fought to stand rigid and keep his hands flexed at his
sides, but the warmth of the water and the strength of the bodies pressed
against him conspired to make him lose his mind.

Men didn’t attract him. They didn’t interest him in the
least. It was women he wanted…sweet, soft, curvy women with breasts and hips
and delicate pink folds. He loved the taste of them, the scent of them, the
sheer femininity of them.

But this masculine, carnal embrace was almost more than he
could bear. Thor looked so sexy, so rough and rugged. Kirel couldn’t see
Domenic but he’d caught glimpses of the man’s bulging forearms, his tapered
hips, his thick cock.

Relentlessly, they pushed at the barriers of his resistance.
Four hands and two mouths were no match for whatever self-control he possessed.
Hell, he’d been unable to keep his composure around Nelina and she was one
woman! A woman he loved, a woman whose body’s intimate secrets were no secret
at all.

How could he possibly hold out against strokes, caresses and
fleeting kisses that were foreign enough to make him go mad?

Simple. He couldn’t.

His hand parted the water as he brought it up to cradle
Thor’s head. With his free palm, he found the Guardian’s heavy balls and cupped
them, squeezing gently. Thor’s mouth moved as though to speak, but Kirel
quickly quieted him with a kiss of his own.

A groan rippled through their fused lips. His tongue darted
out and slid against Thor’s. The contact sent a spasm deep in his balls, making
his cock twitch.

He felt Domenic’s knuckles scrape across the base of his
spine as he grabbed his rod and shoved it hard between the crevice of Kirel’s
ass cheeks. Dom’s fingers parted the way. The tip of his thumb prodded the
tight rosebud of Kirel’s anus then slipped in.

Kirel’s knees buckled. If Dom and Thor hadn’t been
supporting him on either side, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to stand.
The cascade of sensations streaming through him had turned his limbs to the
consistency of the water rippling through the pool.

“You’re not slick enough for my cock,” Dom whispered, his
breath hot against Kirel’s ear, “but the queen will be. Whichever one of us
takes her that way will make sure she’s good and ready for the feel of a thick
rod in her back passage. And she’s going to love every moment of it.”

The throbbing knot of painful arousal that pounded in
Kirel’s groin came undone. He surrendered to it, knowing no force in the
universe could stop the flood of ecstasy now.

His seed spilled out of the slit in his cock, gushing in
great, pulsing streams, pouring over Thor’s hand into the water. As though
taking his cue from Kirel’s orgasm, Thor bit down on his lower lip hard enough
to draw blood. The coppery taste filled Kirel’s mouth as Thor’s hot cum jetted
over his knuckles. A moment later, a third rivulet of liquid splashed across
his back.

They held each other, their panting breaths melding with the
torrential downpour of the waterfalls to create an orchestra of spent passion.
Kirel leaned his forehead on Thor’s shoulder. Behind him, Domenic placed a
tender kiss at the hollow between his shoulder blades.

“I think you’re ready,” Domenic murmured. Kirel could hear
the amusement in the younger man’s voice. Any other day, it might have annoyed
him. Today, it made him smile.

“For what?” Kirel asked at last.

Thor’s hips ground against Kirel’s, his softening cock
touching Kirel’s still-quivering rod. The Guardian pulled back. A glint of
emotion flickered in his sky blue eyes. “For Nelina.”

Chapter Five

From the window of her room, Nelina watched night fall for
the second time since she’d been brought to the castle, slanting its deep
shadow across the red dust that coated the expanse of the vast garden. The day
had been a blur. From the moment she’d awoken, she’d barely had a second’s
peace.

At first, the torrent of servants who kept pouring into her
room provided a welcome intrusion from her tumultuous thoughts. But soon the
constant scrutiny of their overly attentive ministrations began to grate and
she longed for the safety of her room back at Shadow’s Fortune.

She missed being swept up in the bustle of the busy inn and
she yearned for a heart-to-heart talk with Reah more than she could have
imagined. Though she’d always preferred solitude even to the well-meaning
chatter of a good friend, Reah had been like a sister to her. They’d grown up
together. Through scraped knees, awkward growth spurts, heartaches and immense
joy, they’d held each other’s hand and had been able to find some comfort in
knowing neither was alone.

But here, in the midst of Waldemar Castle, surrounded by a
dozen servants who all seemed to have nothing better to do than dote upon her
every move, she’d never felt lonelier.

Most frustrating of all was the way no one wanted to speak
with her. Oh they were all polite enough when they served her, but if she asked
even the most innocuous of questions about the castle, its customs, or—Gods
forbid—its Guardians or king, they clammed up as though their life depended on
their vow of silence.

“Are you sure you won’t allow me to help you bathe?”

Nelina tightened her grip on the windowsill and forced a
calmness she didn’t feel into her voice. “No, thank you. Please leave.”

“But the Guardians will be here soon. I’ve been told to
ensure you’re ready for them when they arrive.”

Nelina whirled around and pierced the frail servant girl
with a withering glare. “You mean they won’t fuck me if I’m dirty? I had no
idea they were so discriminating.”

The color drained from the girl’s cheeks. “I didn’t mean to
imply you wouldn’t please them, m’lady. Just that a bath would take care of
certain…odors.” By the time she finished, her voice had dropped to an
embarrassed murmur.