Shadow stood in the shower, letting the force of the hot water soothe away the aches in his body – good aches, but he needed them gone to be able to do his job properly. He had no objections to the night-long sexual marathon, but his intuition told him that there was danger, and that he and his team would need to be ready for anything today.
He frowned. His team. There should be more than three of them. He didn't know how he knew this, but deep inside he knew that there should be more than three of them. Even if the other two who made up his team now were so dearly beloved by him, there should be more.
He winced as he washed himself, but smiled at the wince. God, Nox was gorgeous. To think, that after all the years of loving, wanting, Princess was finally his. He acknowledged that he had to share her, but she and he were together, together in a way that they could not be with the others. That all their lives, no matter what happened, they would be putting each other before anybody else.
The fact that she was as sexy as all hell didn't hurt one little bit.
The hot water beat down on him, washing away his groggy state with the soap until his pleasant reverie was interrupted by Blade barging in.
"Will you get a move on, Mark? You're not the only one wanting a shower." The gruff words were tempered by the light touch on his shoulder and the slightly naughty grin of his best friend.
"I haven't been that long," Shadow complained.
"You have. And there are others who want hot showers too."
"Yeah, yeah. Coffee in?"
"Yup. Hot, strong and fresh." Blade sighed as he relaxed into the hot water. "Mark?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't be in too much of a hurry to go back into the bedroom."
Shadow froze, his eyes darkening. "Why, Jason? Is she all right? Her injury…"
"Is fine. Wouldn't know she was hit unless you looked real close. Just…. Well, take your time drinking your coffee is all."
Shadow stalked out and Blade breathed deeply.
Something was so badly wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He was close to Nox, but never as close as they seemed to be. Or were they?
He remembered the previous night, remembered seeing her and Shadow together and the anger Shadow had directed at him.
Blade didn't begrudge Shadow the love that Nox obviously had for him. He envied it, wished it was his, but still there was something wrong. He was so grateful that the beautiful woman shared her sexuality with them both, but there was still something wrong. He couldn't remember desiring Shadow like he did.
And then there was the man in the bedroom with Nox. Deep inside, it was wrong. They shouldn't be there. That man was wrong. No. Not wrong. In the wrong place.
Blade knew him – he was sure. But the knowledge was hiding. Behind that curtain again. The one he didn't dare open.
And yet, he couldn't help but feel that last night it had opened. Not fully. Not enough to realize anything, but enough.
He finished showering and dried off; joining Shadow in the sitting area, but Shadow wasn't eating breakfast. He was sitting close to the closed door, watching it with narrowed eyes. He was a man on the edge, moving closer and closer to breaking point with every cry of pleasure that come from the other side of the door.
Blade hoped it would open soon, that Nox would join them and bring Shadow out of this mood. Blade knew the mood, and knew that if Shadow was pushed too far, then the consequences would be messy.
A scream reached them – but it was not a scream of pain, but of extreme pleasure. A scream that came from two throats and both Blade and Shadow tensed, waiting for what would come next.