Emmett felt like a serpent was trying to hypnotize its prey. Rowan was the serpent and unfortunately, Emmett was the prey in this scenario. But he was okay with it . . . for the moment. Mesmeric lavender eyes had caught his and he suddenly couldn't quite focus. Anala was straddling him, her warm, shapely body pressed close and her scent was making Emmett crazy. Her mouth was on his jaw and he gripped her shirt in his hands, pulling it off her and watched midnight tresses fall around her full breasts messily. Her hands took his face and Emmett looked into vivid eyes, pools of every shade of green known to man speckled with gold, and felt it. That itch under his flesh. He reached up and pressed a hand against her warm back. Her bare breasts lightly rubbed against his naked chest.

"Clear your mind, baby." Anala's voice was a soft whisper. "Just feel."

The strange tether of light he could sense pulsed as if it were its own separate life force. Rowan's energy or soul or essence, whatever it was, was impossibly both separate and intertwined in it. Emmett didn't know how he knew it was the blonde, he just did, and the source: Anala. If Rowan was a city with every light on then Anala was the sun. Her very presence resonated through him, through her Vayar. She was single-handedly feeding the energy through them and causing it to flow in an endless cycle between them. Like the night in her kitchen, Emmett felt the room drop away as if he were falling into open air. His arms tightened around Anala on instinct. She didn't seem fazed, how could she? She was the cause creating the effect.

"Why does it feel like this?"

"Because the physical form is limited." her eyes moved to his lips. Dark pupils shrunk, then expanded. "You have to understand, it isn't about the physical. It isn't even relevant if you can believe it."

Emmett actually understood what she meant by that. The attraction he had always sensed in Rowan to Anala, his own lust, it wasn't a part of the bond. It was the result. A physical manifestation of it that added to what feelings were already there. The amount of energy moving through his body was overwhelming. His very soul was connecting with others. A physical body, not even one of a Vampire, would be able to handle the intake and build up, so as a reaction Emmett's body was hit with lightning bolts. A growl was moving though he and his cock had become hard enough to drill through titanium. He was still wearing pants, Emmett had barely touched Anala and Rowan hadn't even moved from where he sat, staring at them, and yet it felt personal . . . intimate.

Anala pulled away, crawling towards Rowan. She tugged off his shirt and slowly guided him to lie back. The early morning light softy illuminated the room and their bodies on his bed. Rowan looked like he was under a spell, eyes never once leaving Anala's face. While he and Anala bore inky black markings on their bodies, Rowan's were red and fleshy, like strange brands. They coiled along his biceps and scattered over his ribs and base of his neck. His body was faultless. When Emmett's mate had raised him out of the ground, the other man had been battered and broken. Her power had erased it all. It showed how powerful she really was. How much energy did you need to have to create such a delicate and complex bond like this? Rowan's body was long and lean but sculpted with solid muscle. A trail of blonde hair tracked down his lower abdomen and disappeared beneath the waist of his jeans. Emmett took in each detail, down to the tiny mole on his side. Anala's hand pressed against Rowan's chest and the man sucked in a sharp breath, fingers grasping the sheets. She leaned over him and pressed her lips against his neck, kissing it softly before she bit into his throat. The bond went crazy, thrumming so hard Emmett felt like his insides were shaking.

"Angel . . . !" Emmett couldn't form words. He didn't even know what to say.

Rowan suddenly sat up and Anala's hips rocked as he caught her lips with his own. They moaned, the sound making Emmett's demon purr. The smell of blood reached Emmett, blending provokingly with the tones of lust in the room and Anala slowly pulled away from him, licking his blood off her lips. Rowan's body lashed out instantly and Emmett growled as the blonde's body impacted with his own. His eyes caught every movement and twisted him until he had the other man pinned beneath him. Violet eyes stared at him filled with a challenge Emmett couldn't help but respond to. On a deeper level however, their energies circled each other again and again, clashing and twisting. Emmett lowered and ran his tongue along the other's chin, collecting the brilliant red blood there and up to his lips. Rowan moaned. He tasted like spring rain and . . . apricots.

Emmett wasn't sure what came over him in the next moments. He found himself lowering and buried his fangs into the very spot Anala had just bitten her own into. Everything exploded in light. The golden radiance that tied him to Rowan and Anala seemed to expand and overflow directly into his bloodless veins. The blood was smooth and hot and tangy but carried a light, clean flavor. A small area of his mind was registering his surroundings and physical reactions as the rest of him drowned willingly. Rowan was touching him, grabbing at him as a hoarse shout left him. Their erections ground together through their clothes and Emmett was growling, gripping fine, blonde hair. The man beneath him moved against him. Emmett listened to the rush of his blood under his skin, the pound of his heart, the short breaths. His advanced mind struggled to keep up with the sensory overload. Once he was finally able to pull his lips away from Rowan's skin the bond began to settle and Emmett could finally form a clear thought. He suddenly realized his body was thrumming in a way he recognized. He lifted slightly and paused, surprised.

I just came in my pants.

He could feel it, coating his sensitive cock and inside of his pants. Emmett hadn't even noticed . . . damn this bond shit was intense. Rowan's body was blushed. His heart was slowing to a normal rate and half-lidded depths of amethyst stared up at him. Emmett could smell his release, it hadn't just been him. Salmon pink lips curled into a smirk.

He leaned up to kiss him and Emmett ran a hand up the blonde's chest. Rowan's lips were warm and still tasted like blood. "I like you better when you don't hesitate."

Emmett grinned and looked up.

Anala hadn't said a word. She was sitting there quietly but her body spoke volumes. Her eyes, her beautiful eyes were glowing against her face. The pupils were dilated and her cheeks were flushed. Full lips fell open a bit. Her dark hair was mussed and her dusky nipples had hardened to points and she was still wearing those sexy little shorts her plump ass filled out way too perfectly. Anala looked so unbelievably hot it was almost cruel. She was staring right at him and Emmett could feel an entirely different need filling his loins.

She felt like she was seeing through new eyes. The terminology could've been wrong for the situation but it wasn't any less true, which was odd because objectively, the situation was nothing new to her. But it was, it was! Because of Emmett. Because his presence intensified even the simplest of actions. Anala had watched transfixed as Emmett anchored his bond to Rowan, sinking his teeth into the other's throat. Vampire venom would not affect Rowan and even if it did, he didn't seem to mind one bit. It was a beautiful sight: Rowan, blonde head tossed as he groaned and gasped while running his hands over the large vampire's bare upper body. And Emmett, throat working as he drank the other's blood and hips rocking against Rowan's as they moved, connecting on a level that all together surpassed and fueled their physical reactions and brought them to orgasm. The longer she watched, the stronger her body's response became. The visual stimuli paired with the energy she felt flowing through the room had left her warm and staring.

Emmett looked to her and slowly untangled from Rowan. The look in his eyes froze her on the spot. The heat that warmed her from her center intensified. He was suddenly directly in front of her, face inches from her own. A hand took hold of her chin and Anala trembled at the feel of his firm hold. She could hear Rowan rising from the bed and walking towards the bathroom where the sink began to run but she could not look away from the amber eyes that watched her. Anala leaned in, but was held in place. She gasped as his hand slid under the fabric of her shorts and ran between her thighs. Anala grabbed the wrist of the hand holding her chin, wriggling. His fingers rubbed against her clit, slid lower between the damp crease. A soft kiss was pressed to the corner of her mouth. "Don't move, Angel."

He disappeared.

Before Anala could really catch her breath again the bed dipped and fingertips trailed up her arm and hands were gathering her hair, slowly trailing the length of it. Arms gently wrapped around her, hands against her breast and stomach and lips pressed to her neck. A slight buzz of anticipation moved through to her before Rowan's fangs were biting into her skin and the air hummed as energy pulsed into the vayar, soothing their bond. She tilted her head back against Rowan's shoulder and closed her eyes, moaning.

I'm burning. The thought came to her like a ripple in a pond.

I know. Emmett's energy was wild and scorching and he was truly feeling it for the first time. Rowan was theirs now. His mouth pulled away from her skin and his tongue ran over the wound. Anala turned her head, brushing her brow against his temple. He caught her lips with his own, sighing softly. Rowan stood and moved around the bed, scooping up his shirt and tugging it on. He felt much more relaxed and tranquil.

"Can't you stay?" she hadn't seen him in months.

Rowan's lips quirked and he sat on the side of the bed, tugging on his boots. "I'm not fortunate enough to be able to laze about all day. I've got a job to do after all. Nolan would probably have a conniption."

Anala smiled, running her hand down his back. "That's never stopped you from disappearing for days at a time. You're the one who joined the Lotus." why he joined the Royal Guard, Anala would never understand. But he seemed to enjoy the militia environment, the comradery.

Lilac eyes met her own. "Those days are for my sanity," he argued lightly. "Besides things are hectic at the moment which is too bad. I wanted to go flying today."

"Well," Anala looked over at the sound of Emmett's deep voice. He was stepping out of the bathroom, tossing his track pants onto the floor dismissively as he walked across the room. Anala's mouth watered at the sight of his pale, naked form. "You know where to find us."

She could feel his eyes on her but Anala was preoccupied trying not to drool as she looked him over hungrily. He moved in silence, returning to the bed. In one smooth motion Anala was being turned and her legs were pulled out from under her, making her fall back on the bed. She pushed up on her elbows. Fingers snagged on the waistband of her shorts and in the next instant they were being dragged slowly down her thighs. Emmett tossed them away and swooped in to take her nipple into his mouth, taking it between his teeth as he moved between her legs. Anala writhed, body entirely too hyperaware, too close to the edge. He growled and held her hips as the head of his cock was suddenly pressing against her. Anala panted, hand against his solid chest. Emmett was nothing but raw power and single-minded intent.

"Em—!" his hips were pressing forward and Anala fell back onto the mattress, a long moan leaving her. Rowan tilted his head, eyes scanning over the vampire, watching his heavy cock fill her. "Stunning . . . now who's not playing fair?"

"This isn't over blondie, I will have that sweet ass of yours."

Rowan was grinning lazily. "I'm very much looking forward to that."

Anala shivered.

Emmett pushed forward until their hips touched. He was buried in her completely, every solid inch of his thick cock throbbed and Anala struggled to think, to breathe. He murmured something and Rowan was stepping over to the bed and leaned down, trailing his hand down her torso to rub soft circles against her clit. Her hips rocked upwards into the touch, causing Emmett's cock to shift within her as Rowan kissed him deeply. Anala didn't have any control over it. She couldn't stop it if she wanted to. Her legs trembled and the coil of heat in her lower belly snapped. Her back arched and she cried out helplessly as her release tore through her suddenly. Emmett swore softly, grip on her hips tightening. Pink lips were pressing against Anala's in an upside-down kiss.

Thank you.

Anala slid her hand into his hair, shaking. "I will never understand why."

Maybe I'll tell you one day. Then he was gone.

Emmett leaned over her and Anala met his lips in a hot kiss. Anala gripped his curly hair as he began to thrust and their bodies fell into a seamless rhythm. "I love you," she said unsteadily. "I love you so much."

He nuzzled against her chest, inhaling deeply against her skin. "I love you too Anala. Always."

Anala would never adjust to the sensation of becoming lost in her mate. It was too consuming, too powerful, and she lost herself willingly. Each thrust was pushing her further and further to the point of no return. Emmett stopped and pushed up, looking down at her.

"What? What is it?" she asked, not understanding why the hell he could possibly be stopping.

Amber eyes stared down at her. "He never told us. He never said who he was plotting to seduce."

Anala lifted her hips and pressed back down onto the length of his erection. They moaned simultaneously. "How about you give me what I need love, and we can brainstorm later?"

Emmett purred, the sound concentrating right between her thighs. He hiked her leg higher up his hip. "Yes ma'am."