A Door to Midnight Read online

  * * * *

  The last days of the month flew by quickly. Too fast. And for the first time since her contract with Marcus Tsavaras, Emily stepped out the front door of the mansion and into her apartment. She blinked, stunned by her location. She had expected to find a driver waiting outside the mansion, but instead, she’d been magically transported home. More proof, if she ever wondered, of the magic Marcus possessed. Already she missed the strange two-headed, two-bodied man. Her mind had already crafted fantasies of staying with him long past the three-month contract—if he would have her. She’d never thought she’d be the kind of person to want a fairytale romance, but it didn’t get much more fairy tale than Marcus Tsavaras.

  Even now, knowing she wouldn’t be in their arms while she slept tonight, she felt an ache of loneliness. That ache that had always been present before them—before him—but now that she’d found companionship, her aloneness felt acutely more painful.

  * * * *

  Marcus paced his office, anxious for Emily to arrive. It had been twenty-three hours since she’d left, and she had one hour to arrive back to his mansion. Would she keep to their agreement? He’d grown fond of her over the last month, more than fond, if he was honest with himself. He didn’t like the feeling of attachment he had developed toward the young woman. He didn’t trust anyone when it came to his heart. He’d learned too early in his life that love was a sword disguised as happiness until it could deliver a killing blow.

  He’d lived for thousands of years. It was impossible to believe that someone who’d walked the earth for less than a quarter of a century could so effectively trap him. But every part of him longed to have her near, needed her near. Without Emily, he knew he would finally cease to exist. He would welcome death’s embrace. He didn’t want to live without her presence, her conversations, her touches, her kisses.

  Could she love him? Really love him? She’d been accepting of his human-like form, but could she love every part of him? A woman who could do so would mean his curse would be lifted, but if she couldn’t, he would never be able to take human form again. Other worlders couldn’t function in the modern world if they were unable to blend in. He would lose his ability to think, to speak, to love. He would be no more than a watchdog for his uncle’s underworld if he survived at all. He hadn’t expected his dalliances with the young woman to affect him so deeply. If she didn’t come back, he would let her go. He wouldn’t force her to fulfill the contract.

  Please come back, Emily.

  Marcus threw his hands up, both heads rolled back as mourning howls of pain and loss poured from them. A loud rap on the front doors startled him from his reverie, and joy squashed his self-pity. She’d come back. Emily had come back to him.

  Chapter 7

  Emily’s melancholy ate at Marcus. She’d been back for three weeks now, and he’d kept his distance because he’d realized that even if she could love him and break his curse—he could not ask her to give up her entire life to be with him. Keeping her at arm’s length would temper the inevitable heartache. His growing love for Emily had led him to clarity. He had to give her up before he lost himself completely.

  Marcus had decided to let her out of her contract. Not only would he wipe her father’s debt clean, but he would also return the money the man had lost, and give Emily a better life.

  “Is everything okay?”

  Emily’s soft question startled him out of his thoughts. They strolled toward the garden. He wanted to make her last few days with him spectacular. At the door, he caught her somber expression as she stared at the carvings. His chest tightened at her anguish. He’d never wanted to cause her any pain—just the opposite. One day she would thank him for letting her go.

  When the door opened, she gasped, rubbing her arms as the chill wind brushed across her skin. It was a sunny day, warm for Scotland, and he’d picked the perfect spot on the Lion, a large hill outside of Edinburgh, where the wild flowers grew as tall as his thighs, and the heather was in full bloom creating a purple and vibrant green work of art. When Emily turned and saw the castle in the distance, he found himself smiling at her delight. Oh, how he would miss her—this beauty who made everything else, even the lowlands of Scotland, pale in comparison.

  Suddenly she turned to him and threw her arms around his waist. The sheer quickness surprised him, but the feel of her soft curves pressed against his body awakened his heart again.

  “Thank you,” she said against his chest. “Thank you for this, Marcus. It’s spectacular.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, feeling the first release of tension as his muscles welcomed her heat. After a moment, he moved to put a small distance between them. He placed his hands on either side of her face, both heads dipping one at a time to kiss her forehead. “I’m so glad you’re happy. It’s all I want for you. You have been a wonderful companion. So much so, that I’ve decided to grant you an early release on your contract.”

  Her smile faltered. Her hands dropped to her sides, and he watched her push her shaking hands into her pockets. There was a quiver in her voice when she spoke. “I don’t understand.”

  “When you go home to visit your father tomorrow, you may stay. I will return your father’s money, and I will set up a college fund in your name alone so he can never access your account.”

  “I…yes, that’s very generous. But…” She looked away and rubbed her bare arms. “Have I done something wrong?”

  Marcus took her hands and steadied them in his. “Of course not. You’ve been perfect.”

  “Then why are you trying to get rid of me?”

  Surprised, he stared at her. “I thought you’d be happy to gain your freedom.”

  She left his embrace and turned to face the sea and the round mound of Arthur’s seat.

  Marcus was at a loss for words, something rare for him. “Emily?”

  She looked at him, her auburn hair billowing around her face. Her red eyes brimmed with tears. The instinct to soothe her, to protect her, kicked in and he swept her into his arms.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered against her hair as he stroked her back. “What can I do?”

  “I know you don’t want me anymore, but if this is our last time together, I want you in my bed.” She pressed her face into his chest again. “At least give me that.”

  Marcus nearly choked on his bitterness. Letting her go was the most difficult decision he’d ever made. He wanted her more than his next breath. But could his heart take one more time with her and not claim her for eternity? The answer scared him. But as he gazed down at into her sapphire blue eyes, he couldn’t deny her. “Yes, Emily.”

  * * * *

  Emily shaved her legs, trimmed the bits that needed trimming, blew out her hair with the dryer, and changed into her new lacy white gown.

  Was she an idiot for giving her virginity to a man who didn’t want her the same way she wanted him? Maybe, but it didn’t stop her from longing for him. Would he show up as Zan and Ky or as his true self? She hadn’t really thought about what she would do if he wanted to be with her in his other form. The fine fur on his skin when she’d hugged him that afternoon had been soft and supple. Was he covered everywhere?

  When the knock sounded on her door, she sat on the edge of her bed, and said, “Come in.” When Zan and Ky walked in, she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed.

  “You are beautiful,” Zan said.

  Ky dropped before her on his knees. His strong arms wrapped around her. “I’ve missed you, Emily,” he said. “Missed you so much.”

  She stifled a choking sob. “I’ve missed you, Marcus.”

  He looked up at her, his wide eyes showing his surprise.

  She smiled, looking from one alter to the other. “Ky or Zan, you are both Marcus, and I have missed you more than you can know.”

  Zan crawled into bed behind her and slipped his hand under her arm and slid around her front to cup her breast. “Me too.” He pulled Emily into his lap while Ky
lifted her gown and kissed his way down her belly, his fingers toying with the hair on her mound before he tugged her panties down.

  Zan’s rigid length pressed against her buttocks while he rolled her nipples between his fingertips and sucked the flesh on the back of her neck. Ky slipped a finger into her as his lips, tongue, and teeth teased her drenched sex. Her whole body ached with arousal and desire.

  “Feels so good,” she whispered, snuggling her body back into Zan’s while pushing her pelvis to meet Ky’s mouth.

  Reaching down, she grabbed a handful of dark chocolate curls, pulling Ky’s face tighter to her core. He stroked with his mouth until she cried out.

  “I’m going to come,” she panted.

  “Come for us, Emily,” Zan whispered in her ear.

  “Not yet,” she panted. “Not yet. I want you inside me. Please don’t say no.”

  Ky looked up at her again, his mouth glistening with her slick juice. “Are you sure?”

  She was afraid it would hurt, but not even the fear of pain could deter her. She lifted her buttocks, her hand reaching back to rub Zan as she gazed at Ky. “Yes.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” Zan said.

  “I don’t care if it hurts. Not having you in me hurts worse. You told me that first night that you wanted our bodies to join until we no longer knew where one of us began and the other ended. That’s exactly what I want. What I need.”

  Ky rose from the floor, took off his pants, and crawled into the bed next to Emily. He pulled Emily on top of him until she straddled his waist.

  “Lean forward,” he told her. When she did, he gently cupped her breasts, twirling each of her nipples with his tongue. She pushed back with a moan and felt his hard cock brush against her ass.

  “Oh,” she said, feeling the throb of desire pulse as he sucked her left nipple until it was as taut and rigid as his shaft.

  Zan’s thick fingers crested her opening. Emily tensed when he slid his finger inside her.

  “Relax,” he instructed, his voice low and soothing.

  Emily concentrated on the sensations of Ky’s mouth on her breasts, and when he tugged her nipple hard, eliciting a moan, Zan slid his finger deep inside her. She moaned again, her lower body clenching at his welcome invasion.

  “So tight and slick,” Ky murmured.

  She leaned forward even more, raising her bottom high for Zan.

  “Yes,” Zan said, adding another finger. “You are so sexy, Emily. So damn beautiful. I wish you could see yourself the way I do. They way you’ve opened yourself for me, exposed yourself. It’s a rare and precious gift.”

  “I need you inside me,” she begged. “In me.”

  Zan removed his fingers. “Who do you want inside you?”

  “You,” she said. “You Marcus. All of you.” She reached between her legs and grasped Ky’s cock. When the head pressed against the opening, she rocked backward, ignoring the slight burn as she seated herself on his length. Both Zan and Ky groaned with pleasure as she held him deep inside her womb.

  The fit had been much thicker than she expected, and she began to doubt she could take more. But when she felt Zan’s hand on the middle of her back, she allowed him to push her forward.

  “I don’t know if I can,” she said.

  “Turn and face me,” Zan said, his voice strained.

  She looked down at Ky and he nodded. The glorious smile on his face made him stunning. She turned, sliding off Ky for a moment before taking him inside her, his thick length stretching her wide.

  Zan was on his knees on the bed, his pants gone, and his thick length curled in his fingers. “I can feel you surrounding me, squeezing me so tightly.”

  She squirmed as she watched him stroke his cock, the vision more erotic than anything she’d read in a novel. Zan moaned at the same time as Ky.

  Emily blinked. “You really can feel everything your other body experiences.”

  “Yes,” they said together.

  She could feel her breath coming faster as her heartbeat quickened in her chest. Unexpectedly, Ky sat up behind her, he held her in such a way that she was still mounted on him, but her legs were spread open for Zan’s view. Ky lifted her, using his strength to move her up and down his shaft. Zan licked his lips as he watched his alter thrust inside her. He leaned over and Ky stopped the movement. Zan dipped his head to her clit, his tongue caressing the nub, licking and tasting.

  “Your blood is a gift,” he said.

  Having his mouth there while Ky was inside her, stoked Emily’s desire. The intimacy nearly drove her over the edge. “Zan, I need you in me. I need all you. Join to me. Become one with me.” She didn’t know why she said the words, but it suddenly became very important to have all of Marcus inside her, making love to her, making her his. “Claim me, my love.”

  Before the words could sink in—before she could take back her declaration of love—Zan crawled up her body, his eyes shining and swirling like molten gold, and both he and Ky said, “I love you, Emily Henley. I claim you as my own.”

  “Oh God,” she said in response.

  Ky moaned as he thrust his hips forward. Zan lapped his tongue around her clit once again then started his climb up her body.

  Ky thrust forward again.

  “Yes,” she said. “Not just both of you, all of you, Marcus. All of you.”

  A tingling sensation ran through her body, like shock, only it felt much, much better.

  Zan smiled, his eyes still a swirl of heat and dark desire. His fingers stretched her as Ky pulled out slightly to allow room for Zan. The large head of his cock pushed through and she cried out again.

  “Do you want me to stop?” Zan asked.

  It hurt to be stretched so tight, and the pain diminished some of the pleasure. No matter, she thought. If this was her last chance to be with them, she wanted what their bodies promised.

  “No, please no,” she managed, her throat hoarse with panting. “Don’t stop.”

  Ky grabbed the nearest pillows and propped them up at an angle. His hand went to her thighs, pulling her legs back. “Emily, Emily. I love you.”

  Her body relaxed at his words and Zan slid the rest of his length into her. She should have felt like she was being ripped apart. Instead, she felt as if her body had been made for Marcus. Her head rolled to one side, her neck being nibbled and kissed by Ky, Zan stretching and tugging her nipple with his teeth, while both men, slowly, and as one, stroked their rock hard shafts in her.

  “Oh. Oh. Ah!” A tingling rush pulled against her stomach and down into her groin, her clit vibrating against the hair of Zan’s groin as her first orgasm took life. Her body shook against theirs as she brought her legs up, looping her heels around Zan’s thighs. Tears were in her eyes, a physical response to the ecstasy that played over and through her. When it subsided, she collapsed back onto Ky. “Nothing should feel that good.”

  “It really should,” Zan disagreed.

  Emily couldn’t believe she’d just let two men—even if they were really one—have her at the same time. She’d been with both of them when they’d pleasured her, but not like this. It was strangely more intimate, especially since they were both still in her.

  Ky moved first, his arms wrapping both Emily and Zan as he rolled them over so that Zan was on the bottom. She rocked over Zan’s cock as Ky began to thrust with earnest, both men grunting, moaning their pleasure of her shared body. “Oh, God, yes.” They were not in unison, one cock moving slowly, the other quicker, and it felt even better than before.

  Ky’s arm wrapped her waist and Zan’s hands cupped her breasts. Emily slipped her hand down between her thighs, her fingers sliding to feel the two cocks as they moved inside her. Ky bucked forward, mashing her down. Emily cried out again as a surprise orgasm ripped through her. She arched against Ky, grinding her hips down and out. Zan roared as a shuddering climax took hold of him. Ky followed, pumping himself into her until they all collapsed into a ball on the bed.

  “Oh my God,�
� Emily finally said. She’d never felt so complete. She remembered her mother talking about her father as if he’d been a missing half, and now she understood, finally, what their love had meant. Why her father had been so devastated to be left behind.

  Marcus had declared his love for her, but had it been real? People said things in the throes of passion, or at least they did in the movies. Had Marcus meant the words or had they been sweet nothings?

  “I love you, Emily,” he said as if reading her mind again.

  “Am I that obvious?” She eased herself off them and realized they’d joined inside of her. Their two shafts had become one. “Whoa.”

  “Does that frighten you?”

  “No,” she said. Nothing about Marcus frightened her. The only thing that scared Emily now was leaving him. “Can I see you change into your true form?”

  Zan and Ky joined hands, and she watched as their flesh and bone blended, the fine hair sprouting along their naked skin, their nails becoming black claws on their wide, masculine hands, and finally, their heads resting on a single set of shoulders, bearing the animal-like faces she’d grown so fond of. She let her eyes wander to his groin, and the question of hair or no hair was answered. It definitely wasn’t everywhere.

  She grinned, and Marcus laughed.

  “You are a curious creature,” he said.

  “You’re one to talk.” She placed her hand on his broad, expansive chest, feeling his heart thud against her palm. “Did you mean it? You love me.”

  “Yes,” he pulled her into his embrace.

  “Then why do you want me to leave?”

  “I don’t. Not now.” He tilted her chin with his finger, forcing her to look at his faces. “I’m afraid I will not survive without you.”

  Her heart fluttered, and she felt light as air. “Good thing,” she kissed each of his lips. “I don’t want to survive without you.”

  “It is your choice, of course, but I hope you’ll return to me.”

  “Yes,” she told him. “I will. Always.”

  Chapter 8