Free Demon of Desire by Ari Thatcher

wrapped
his hand around her ankle and draped his other arm over her bare shin, the wool
from his sleeve rough against her skin. “I think whether you’re strong enough
or not, it’s time.”
    “Time?” With all the craziness that had happened in the past
month, she wondered what else they could spring on her. “Why do I have the
feeling I’m going to regret coming to Whispering Valley?”
    “If you don’t already, that’s a good sign,” Enos said in her
ear.
    “We hope not,” Baen added. “I was hoping to make you glad
you came. And maybe a bit less embarrassed that we watched you two make love.”
    Heat rose to her cheeks. It would take a long time before
that embarrassment left.
    Baen cleared his throat. “I guess I need to go way back to
explain this correctly. You’ve probably noticed we’re triplets.”
    “Yes, Gower told me, and told me you stopped aging when you
were turned into vampires.” With a wry laugh, she added, “Like I told him, why
couldn’t I meet you guys years ago when I was skinny and wrinkle-free?”
    All three men made noises of disagreement. Enos brushed her
hair back from her face and kissed the corner of her eye. “We prefer you just
the way you are.”
    Baen continued. “Our grandmother once told us we were one
soul split into three, and that really described how we’ve lived. We have the
same tastes in books, wine…”
    “Women,” Gower added.
    With a dirty look at his brother, Baen said, ”I was getting
to that. We’ve had two wives over the years.”
    “Two of you are married?” she asked.
    “No. The three of us were married twice. To the same women.”
    “Neither were vampires,” Enos explained. “Otherwise we’d
still be married. ‘Til death do us part’ takes on a different meaning when
you’re undead.”
    “Okay.” She drew out the word, wondering what they were
getting at. She’d been talking about having sex with them and he was talking
marriage. Speaking of rushing things!
    As if hearing her thoughts, Baen said, “When we saw you, we
recognized you as our mate.”
    “If life had happened a little differently, we might have
been able to court you properly.” Gower lifted her hand to his lips. “Suthu
kind of destroyed any hope of normalcy between the four of us.”
    “That’s putting it lightly,” she agreed. One thing still
confused her. They spoke of wives and mates. Did that put her in a different
role than wife? Was she just to be their sex toy or brood mare? “What do you
mean by mate?”
    Enos jumped in. “Poets call it a soul mate, but there again,
the undead thing changes the game.”
    “Your being a vampire makes it different that if you were a
mortal,” Baen said. He ran a hand up her smooth leg and her crazy thoughts
landed on the fact that being undead meant she had quit shaving. “We’re talking
a long commitment if you agree to this.”
    “Agree to what?”
    All three men spoke. “Becoming our wife.”
    Those werethe words she expected, but still hit her
like a Peterbilt truck. The last guy she’d been involved with couldn’t commit
to a wedding date and these three wanted a lifetime and beyond.
    It was too much, too quickly. Libido aside, she didn’t know
enough about them. They didn’t know her. She snored, or so she’d been told. And
she didn’t like to cook—well, that probably wouldn’t be a problem, between Enos
and the blood bank. But she had nothing to bring to a relationship except a
house filled with voices, a demon and three very rich cats.
    “You don’t have to decide this moment.” Enos’ arms squeezed
tightly around her then relaxed.
    The weight of the sudden changes in her life pressed in on
her from all sides, making it difficult to breathe. She needed to be alone.
Breaking free of Enos’ hold, she stood on shaky legs, sweeping her hair back in
an effort to control something. “I need a shower. Some downtime. Do you guys
mind?”
    A chorus of negative utterances answered. Baen said,