Free Eversong (Midnight Playground) by Eden Bradley Page A

couldn’t open her eyes, couldn’t see.
    “Mercy, my love,” Deo crooned to her.
    Ever was quiet, but she felt the strength of his arms around her.
    Finally her body, her mind, calmed. When she was able to focus again, they were both looking down at her, concern etched on their faces. Concern and a love so powerful she could feel it as though it were a palpable thing. As much from Ever as from Deo.
    “I’m sorry,” she said finally.
    “Shh, there’s no need to be,” Deo assured her, stroking her cheek. “Don’t be sorry, love. You can’t help it, any of it. We love you. Don’t worry about anything.”
    She turned to Ever. “Do you love me, Ever?”
    Why did it feel more crucial to her than it had before, with the strange thoughts in her head about Gaius?
    His hand cupped her cheek, and she saw on his face an expression more fierce than any she’d seen before. There was power there, more power than she knew she could even conceive of. And love. So much love it made her heart swell.
    “I love you, Mercy. I love you both, you and Deo. You are mine. And I am yours. I will not let anything happen to you. I swore it the day I met you. I mean it even more now. You are a part of me.”
    “We are a part of each other,” Deo said, his tone nearly as fierce. “We will protect you, Ever and I.”
    Her lovers exchanged a glance, and she knew it was a silent agreement.
    She was a part of them. As Gaius had wanted her to be. Only this time, it was true. It was what she desired most.
    Suddenly she was exhausted, in a way she hadn’t been since her Turning.
    “What happened to me just now?” she asked.
    Ever shook his head. “It’s something I can’t explain. It’s something about the connection. It makes us raw. Open.”
    “Yes,” she agreed.
    “Do not worry about it. We are with you. You’re safe here, in the Midnight Playground. With us.”
    “I’m so tired. It’s strange.” She felt her voice going softer, as though speaking were a great effort. “I thought we don’t need to sleep, we immortals. But I feel as if I do.”
    Ever was stroking her hair. It was a lovely sensation. She heard him talking—even her own voice—as if from some great distance.
    “We do not sleep, but we do go through periods of rest. It’s rare. It can happen with a newer vampire, after times of great stress. The two of you have been through a terrible time. And now, perhaps, that you are truly safe, your body senses it can rest. Adjust to this existence. This is the most I can explain. Some things remain a mystery to us.”
    “Is she all right?” Deo asked, his brows drawing together.
    “Yes. She will lie here for a time.” Ever brushed his fingertips over her cheek. “Rest, our Mercy. Our love. We will watch over you.”
    She tried to nod her head, but a strange numbness seemed to be taking over her body. Her limbs felt as if they were made of lead, impossibly heavy. She felt, again as if from some faraway place, as Ever and Deo settled in with her, one on either side, their bodies surrounding her with their warmth. Their strength. Their love.
    Her eyes closed. And even though she did not sleep, her mind drifted into some warm, numb place. She let it happen while awareness remained—of her two lovers, of the room, the dark night outside the windows—as if reality were a dream. But Deo’s arms were around her, and Ever’s. She was safe.

Chapter Six
     
    Mercy struggled against the fog that had filled her mind for…how long? She didn’t know. She’d felt Deo and Ever with her, sometimes one of them, sometimes both at once. She’d watched with the clear vampiric vision of her mind the two of them together, fucking on the hard marble floor. Watched as Deo had taken Ever’s long cock into his mouth. As they had kissed. Stroked each other’s bodies with clever, searching hands and tongues.
    Even in her dream-state she felt desire for them. Love for them. Felt their desire for each other. Their love—for each