The rest of the ceremony passed smoothly. King Lorne’s speech was a crowd pleaser, the royal guard did a military exercise, and a semi-famous pop singer sang the national anthem of Berne.
And everything was about to end just fine. In fact, if the tubby cameraman from Channel 9 News hadn’t moved, I may have gone on with my life with the night before being just what I’d assumed it would be — a fun, crazy memory.
But then, a few things happened.
The cameraman turned, and the sun glinting off his camera lens pulled my attention that way. Roughly half a second later, he moved. A quarter second after that my focus, and my breath caught.
Immediately after that, the whole world froze.
It was them.
My three strangers were at the unveiling ceremony, standing behind a row of guards, in the section of the stands to the right of the stage reserved for visiting royalty.
Royalty.
Oh. My. God.
They turned at the same time, and three sets of gorgeous, deep eyes locked onto me. Three mouths opened in surprise, but then slowly pulled into hungry grins as we all locked eyes.
My strangers — the three men I’d kissed the night before like a completely crazy girl, were standing right in front of me…
Wearing crowns.
Chapter 7
Anya
The moment was shattered by crowds cheering at some final words. Everyone on the stage I was sitting on next to Adele rose to clap, and I took the moment to bolt from the stage. I lunged down the steps to the backstage area, feeling like my whole head was spinning.
I knew who they were now. I hadn’t placed it the night before, because why on Earth would I have placed men like them in a place like that. But seeing them in the crowns, at a royal event, had cemented it.
Tam. They were the three “Princes in limbo” of Tam, one of our near neighboring kingdoms. I knew them from the papers, a bit, though nothing scandalous or gossipy. They were in the middle of a fight with some old rules in their kingdom about them ascending to their fathers’ positions as the three kings.
The details I couldn’t remember at the moment, but they also weren’t important. What was important was the reality: I’d kissed three princes, at a goddamn sex club.
And they knew exactly who I was.
I made it three steps before I gasped as the hand grabbed my arm, pulling me around. I whirled, pulling my fist back, when I stopped short, breathlessly looking up into their eyes.
“Whoa, easy!” It was the blond one who threw his hands up and stepped back.
“Were you about to hit me?”
I glared at him. “I should.”
“And why is that?”
I swallowed the heat from my face. “Uh, because you lied to me?”
He and the other two grinned smugly. “Oh, did we?”
“Yes!” I hissed. “Maybe you tell someone when you’re royal princes?”
“Maybe you tell someone when you live in a castle!”
We all glared at each other — not really mad, but heatedly. That is, until the other heat — the heat and electric feeling from the night before came back.
Hard.
It was the heat that came with proximity to them — the teasing, aching feeling of wanting more of them.
I shivered under their gazes.
“We didn’t tell you because you didn’t recognize us.”
“Well, I do now.”
“Dean,” blondie said, his jaw tight.
“Jace,” the one with the black hair and the blue eyes who I’d kissed first said in a low growl.
“And I’m Killia—”
“Yeah, I know who you are!” I hissed. “You’re the princes of Tam.”
They nodded quietly.
“Oh, wonderful. I made out with three heads of state last night,” I spat sarcastically.
“And what does this information change?”
I laughed brittlely. “Um, a lot? I can’t go around kissing princes.”
“And why not?” Killing murmured, his powerful hand coming up to push his fingers through his thick, gorgeous dark hair.
“Because it’s unseemly,” I said, feeling as prudish saying it as I’m sure it sounded.
“And what century is it?”
I laughed in spite of myself, my frown shattering as I felt the small smile creep over my face.
“What were you three doing at a place like that?” I said quickly.
“We told you, we’re—”
Killian punched Jace in the arm, and they all went silent.
“Well?”
Dean sighed. “Nothing, it’s just supposed to be anonymous.”
“Why, because you’re—”
My eyes went wide as the answer hit me before I even finished my sentence.
I’d only heard it in rumor before, because — c’mon, how could it possibly be real? Girls told it giggling at bachelorette parties. Guys joked about being members.
But the Three Crowns Club was all an urban legend.
…Right?
“I think you’ve got it,” Killian said slowly.
“Was— was that the three crowns club last night?”
The three of them chuckled.
“What?” I hissed.
“Triple,” Jace said quietly. “It’s called the Triple Crown Club.”
The very name sent a shiver through me, my body burning in all sorts of places.
No. Freaking. Way.
“Last night? Seriously?”
Dean nodded. “Yep.”
“And wait, ‘Crown’ as in, all the members are princes?”
The three of them looked surprised.
“Well, c’mon, it’s not exactly hard to put that together. If you’re trying to hide it, you might want to pick a better name.”
They grinned, and Killian nodded.
“Yes, they are. Well, royalty, at least.”
Holy shit. The place was real — an entire club where princes went to share women. My fantasy from the night before came back with vengeance, instantly sending heat between my legs. Dirty thoughts of the three of them pulling my clothes off, and taking me, and claiming me…
My face burned hot.
Only this time, in the fantasy, they kept their crowns on.
I blushed even deeper as I looked away.
“You’ve been thinking about last night.”
I looked up sharply at Dean’s words.
“Well, yeah,” I said quietly, my face bright red.
“Good,” Killian growled. “So have we.”
I swallowed, the back hallway suddenly feeling much smaller.
“Have you now?”
“A lot,” Jace murmured. “In fact, we can’t stop thinking about it.”
I took a shaky breath. “And what ‘it’ are we talking about?”
“You,” Dean murmured, stepping closer. “We’re talking about how we can’t stop thinking about you, and that kiss. Because that was a lot more than just a kiss, and I think you know that.”
My whole body shivered, his words teasing me in deep, wonderful places.
But I shook my head. This was crazy, after all, right?
“I was in weird place, and I thought I’d never see you again, and I was drunk—”
“Don’t.”
Killian frowned.
“Don’t pull the ‘I was drunk’ card.”
He was right, I hadn’t been. I mean, one drink had me buzzing, but that’d been more just because I’d been around them. I couldn’t excuse what had happened because of the alcohol, that wasn’t fair.
Or true.
What’d happened had happened because I was drawn to them. Yes, maybe I was feeling a little extra impulsive, and crazy the other night, but it was all because of them.
The way they drew me in like a moth to flame. The way they left my body wanting more and my lips desperately wanting another taste.
“You know that was more than a kiss,” Jace growled.
&nb
sp; “I—”
They were right, and there wasn’t even any use in denying it. I’d “just kissed” men before, and nothing had ever been like that
Kissing them had changed my world.
But come on, there were three of them! How could it mean more than just a kiss when there were three men involved?
“What are you doing tonight?”
I blinked, looking up quickly at Dean.
“Are you asking me out?”
“Yes.”
They all said it at once, and I shivered and blushed at the same time.
“I’m not that girl,” I said quietly.
“Which girl is that?”
“The kind that goes on dates with three men at once? I mean, what is this, a game show? You want me to choose one?”
“No, we don’t,” Jace said evenly.
“What does that even mean?”
They looked at each other before Killian turned back to me.
“Just come out.”
“Tell me first what that mea—”
“It means we share,” he growled. “We don’t want you to pick because you can’t. We come together.”
My jaw dropped.
“Wait, what?”
Had I just even heard him right?
“Hang on, you want me to come out with all three of you, because all three of you…” I trailed off, swelling.
“Share.”
“Yes,” Dean nodded. “We’ll go someplace discreet if it helps.”
I shook my head. “This is nuts.”
“So run away.” Dean shrugged, but his eyes never left mine.
“If this is beyond you, that’s fine. Walk away.”
I thought about it. For a full ten seconds, standing there with them, I thought about it. But then I thought about those kisses.
I thought of that passion, and that heat from the night before. I thought of how I’d fallen right into them and how being around them felt like nothing I’d ever known before.
My feet stayed planted, and I didn’t run away.
“Where did you have in mind?”
They smiled.
“Look, I’m not saying anything, but, I’ll go out and see what you mean.”
Dean grinned. “There’s a restaurant we could just book out. Or we could go to a—”
“What about the club?” My mouth snapped snout. I had no idea why I said it.
Killian’s brow perked up, an amused look on his face.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You want to come to the club?”
I quickly shook my head.
“What? No, I…” I bit my lip and looked up. “Maybe?”
“You’re curious.”
I blushed as they moved closer, my heart flip-flopping at the nearness of them.
“If I’m going to go on a date with three men, I’d like to…you know.”
“Research,” Jace chuckled.
I blushed. “I’m just curious is all.”
“Then we can show you,” he purred in my ear as he pulled me close.
I gasped as they moved around me, six hands finding my waist and trailing over me. And I didn’t even care in that moment that someone could have walked back and found us. I didn’t care about anything actually except for the sparks teasing through me from where their hands touched me.
I tilted my head back and met Dean’s eyes.
And then it was happening all over again.
He kissed me softly, tenderly, tasting my mouth as his hands pulled me close. And then I was being turned, moving to Killian and kissing him a little hungrier. Jace kissed me third, growling into my mouth before they pulled back.
“We—” Killian’s brow darkened. “We do need to ask you something, though.”
“The bracelet,” Dean said slowly.
“Oh, that, yeah,” I shrugged, making a face. “I mean, those guys were creeps, and I felt weird keeping the gift.”
“We need to know who gave it to you,” Jace said, his voice edged.
I frowned. “Oh, shoot. Did they not get it back?”
“No, not that’s not it.”
They glanced at each other again.
“Who gave it to you?”
I shrugged. “The two men who I came with and a friend of theirs who was already at the club.”
“Names?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Carl, Shawn, and Thomas, but they said they were fake names.”
The three of them bristled.
“What?”
“What happened before the bracelet?”
“Nothing? They were scumbags who lied about where we were going, and once we were there, they got super creepy. I said I had to use the bathroom so I left.”
“And they gave you that.”
“Yeah.” I frowned. “Is there something I’m not getting here?”
They looked at each other, and Jace muttered under his breath.
“Is there a problem with the bracelet?”
“No, it’s just…”
“It’s a club rule,” Killian growled. “The bracelet marks you as ‘taken,’ so no one else approaches you.”
I blanched.
“Um, well I’m not taken by those three creeps.”
“They gave you a bracelet.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know what it meant. I think that’s called entrapment.”
Dean and Killian grinned, nodding. Finally, Jace nodded too.
“Alright, we’ll go. Not tonight, but there’s another club gathering happening in a few days, if that works for you.”
I felt my pulse quicken at the thought.
Dean looked at me with narrowed eyes. “You sure you’re ready?”
I nodded quickly before I lost my nerve. “Yes.”
“Look, Anya, we can promise you two things about it when we go,” he said quietly. “First, you’ll be safe. No one will touch you while we’re next to you.”
I nodded, my breath coming quicker.
“Two, nothing happens that you don’t want, alright?”
I nodded, but inside I had one thought:
But what if I do want it?
“After that though?” Dean grinned. “After that, we can’t promise anything. The whole point of the place is to sort of give up control and see what happens. You ready for that?”
“Absolutely,” I breathed.
“Hope so,” Killian said, his eyes locked on me. “Cause there’s no telling what you might see when you’re there.” His eyes flashed at me. “Or what you’ll feel.”
Chapter 8
Anya
A few nights later, I was getting ready to go. So was Adele, actually, but for a much different night out than me. That night, Adele was off to a “suitor’s ball” at her uncle’s — King Lucian’s palace in Avlion.
I’d wanted to tell her about the club, and everything that was happening, but I hadn’t been able to. It still felt too surreal, and too personal to tell anyone yet — even my best friend. I’d come close to spilling the beans a few days before, when we’d snuck out to our favorite swimming hole in the woods that we sometimes went to. But I’d chickened out at the last second.
Interestingly enough, for the last few days, Adele had been acting weird too, and I had a hunch it was guy thing, even if she wouldn’t tell me.
Hey, we’d tell each other when we were ready. I knew that.
I was just putting some of the finishing touches on my makeup and dress when I heard “our” knock — the two short and one long knock — on my door, which said it was Adele.
“Hey, come on in!”
The door swung open, and my friend waltzed in in full princess mode.
“Holy shit, you look fantastic.”
She did, too. She was wearing a silvery gold dress that shimmered and sparkled like diamonds around her, and her long black hair was up in this elaborate and intricate series of braids and curls.
I whistled and she rolled her eyes.
“Look who
’s talking!” She eyed my dress, making an exaggerated “wow” face.
“You look fantastic! Where the heck are you off to tonight?”
“Oh,” I rolled my eyes, waving her off as I turned back to my mirror.
“Just this thing.”
“Yeah, you’re going to need to be more specific than that when you’re dressed like that.”
I blushed, knowing that it was usually me making her blush, since she was the sheltered one here. But then, me being with three men and a sex club made me feel like the sheltered one these days.
“Wait, is this that club thing you went to before?” She cocked a brow.
Oh, right, that much I had let slip when we were out the other day. I’d held back on any real explanation though.
“Hey, how come we haven’t talked about that yet?”
“Maybe because you’ve been wrapped up in your own little secrets?”
I grinned as my friend blushed.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said primly.
“Sure, okay,” I rolled my eyes. “So you haven’t been in this dreamy floaty mood the last few days? Mooning around? Adele White, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’d gotten laid.”
She went crimson, quickly shaking her head. “Oh, no, of course not.”
She said it much too quickly. Also, my friend was a terrible liar.
“So, what’s his name?” I teased.
Adele could only sputter, the poor thing, trying to come up with more excuses.
I grinned, winking at her. “I knew it.”
“It’s— it’s nothing,” she shook her head, looking down.
“So who’s the prince?”
“No prince.”
“Oh?”
Oh, this was getting juicy.
“No, I mean, it’s not a guy at all! You’re making things up!”
“Adele, I love ya, but you are a terrible liar.”
She swallowed. “It’s not even worth talking about.”
Her shoulders slumped, and instantly, I felt terrible for teasing her.
“It’s not anything because it can’t be.”
I stepped towards her, putting my arm around her shoulder and pulling her tight.
“Says who?”
“Everyone”
“Not a royal, I take it?”
She shook her head.
“And is this just for fun or…”