The Journal Keeper (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (4 page)

“R–Rianne,” she stuttered as her body trembled.

“Rianne. We’ll have you warm soon,” Dorin sighed, breathing deeply of her scent.

The subtle flowery smell invaded his senses, making it difficult to focus on anything but her. The softness of her skin taunted him and he could not resist sliding his hand under her shirt to feel the silky smoothness of her back. Her breathy gasp across his neck had him biting back a groan as he fought back the mating call.

“How are you so warm?” Rianne breathed, turning farther into his chest.

“I’m used to the climate here, and my wolf allows me to stay warm,” Dorin explained, beginning to follow Nikolas through the trees.

“Nikolas said you were a wolf. I think you’re both crazy,” Rianne said, staring up at him with cautious dark blue eyes.

He had never seen anything to match her eyes as she looked up at him. The color was like the sea during a brutal storm, appearing as though the storm clouds had merged with the tumultuous water just to create the color reflected in her eyes.

A red flush came across her cheeks, making him realize he had been staring for far too long. Clearing his throat, he brought them back to the topic at hand.

“
Danalya
, there are many things you’ll have to learn if you are to be our mate. Nikolas and I will teach you all there is to know about our home, but we will be unable to teach you if you don’t trust us,” Dorin told her gravely.

“How am I supposed to trust you? You’ve abducted me from my home and brought me to this…place. I don’t know where I am, I don’t know who you are, and I have no idea why you and the big guy seem to think I’m your mate,” Rianne huffed, struggling to escape his hold.

“Don’t move, Rianne. I’m the only thing keeping you from freezing at this point,” Dorin scolded, tightening his hold on her.

“I just want to go home,” Rianne cried softly, turning dejected eyes his way.

His heart clenched as the hopelessness in her gaze. He had no idea what would become of him and Nikolas if they could not convince their woman to stay with them. The very idea sent ice through his veins and fear to his heart. Now that he’d found her, he couldn’t imagine ever letting her go.

“Please,
danalya
. Give us a chance. I promise we can make you happy,” Dorin murmured, nosing her cheek gently.

“Why do you keep saying ‘we’?” Rianne asked, avoiding the subject.

“Because you belong to both of us. You’re our third, the final piece to our bond. We need you to complete us,” Dorin told her.

He watched her take that in, the way her lips pressed together and her pupils flared. He tried to hide his smile, but was unable to, if her annoyed glare was any indication.

“Dorin,” Nikolas called, drawing his attention to a few feet in front of them.

He could make out a campsite though the trees, the faint smell of smoke hanging in the air. Instantly, he went on alert, straining to hear anything over the softly falling snow.

“I don’t hear anyone. Perhaps they abandoned their site,” Dorin murmured to his partner.

The polar nodded, though he continued to scan the surrounding area. Seeming to come to some sort of conclusion, he turned to face Dorin and Rianne.

“We need to shift,” Nikolas said quietly.

“Why?” Dorin asked, though more from curiosity than in protest.

“We’ll be better able to protect her if we come across anything,” Nikolas answered, already moving to shift into his polar form.

Dorin placed Rianne on her feet, holding her tightly as Nikolas shifted, worried that watching the change from man to bear might be too much for their mate. The change happened as flawlessly as ever. One minute, Nikolas was standing on his two feet, the next he was on four paws. His polar form was massive, as most were. Standing over ten feet when on his hind legs, nearly five feet when on all fours, he was incredibly careful as he lumbered toward the two watching him.

Rianne recoiled, her wide eyes terrified as Nikolas approached. Only Dorin’s insistent arm around her shoulders kept her from running away.

“Oh, my God,” Rianne breathed as the polar came to a stop in front of them.

Nikolas gave a soft sort of rumble, bowing his head low enough so that he could press his nose into Rianne’s hand.

“It is all right,
danalya
. Nikolas will not hurt you,” Dorin assured her, his arms moving around her waist so he could rest his head on her shoulder.

“He’s so big,” Rianne said, eyes wide.

“Well, yes. He’s a polar and they tend to be the largest of the bear clans,” Dorin agreed.

“Don’t tease me. The only place I’ve ever seen a polar bear is at a zoo. And he was behind bars,” Rianne scolded, though she allowed Dorin to smooth her hand over Nikolas’s snout.

“Will you be all right if I shift as well? Nikolas will have you ride on his back. We’ll cover more ground that way and his body heat will continue to keep you warm.” Dorin was unable to refrain from nuzzling the soft skin of her neck.

“Is it safe?” Rianne asked, eyeing the bear warily.

“He won’t let you fall, if that’s what you’re asking.” Dorin chuckled, pressing his lips to her fluttering pulse.

“Oh, all right,” Rianne gasped, her body thrumming under Dorin’s affections.

Grinning at his success, Dorin assisted her in climbing up Nikolas’s body to settle between his massive shoulder blades. She eyed the ground warily, as if expecting to fall at any moment. Dorin watched Nikolas grimace as her fingers fisted in his fur, attempting to find some sort of stability.

“Easy,
danalya
. Don’t pull his fur so roughly,” Dorin instructed, reaching up to ease her tense grip.

“I’ll fall,” Rianne squeaked, fingers tight around the polar’s scruff.

“No, you won’t. Relax and trust him,” Dorin insisted, perhaps a little harsher than necessary.

“Well, excuse me. It’s not every day I get thrown on top of a polar bear and am expected to ride him.” Rianne glared, though her body did relax slightly.

“Get used to him, Rianne. You’ll be around our animal selves often as our mate,” Dorin informed her before backing away to shift himself.

* * * *

Rianne looked down at the gray wolf trotting alongside the polar bear she was riding. It amazed her to think there was a man inside there, that a man’s mind controlled the animal. It was even more amazing to think about the fact that she was riding a polar bear and that polar bear was one of her mates.

Rianne had grown up in a fairly conservative, upper-middle-class household where the family went to church on Sundays and everyone voted for the Republican candidate, whether he was the best choice or not. From an early age, though, Rianne had been left to her own devices. Her mother had her functions with the church ladies, and her father was always busy working. Neither seemed to mind that Rianne spent most of her time in her room, reading books brought home from the school and local library.

The books had transported her to a world where people actually gave a damn about other people. They were magical places where families actually loved each other, where men and women fell in love and managed to stay in love. Anything had been possible within those bindings.

She knew the likelihood of finding someone who would accept her quirks and obsessive work schedule was highly unlikely, but hope still lingered. After all, the love that was so present in her books had to have come from somewhere.

As she looked back down at the gray wolf that was Dorin, she wondered if maybe that could change. Already she felt a connection to these two men that went beyond anything she had experienced before. Waking up to find Nikolas standing over her had been a shock to her system, one that had eventually turned her body into a languid puddle when Dorin kissed her. Nobody had ever kissed her the way Dorin had. She found herself wondering how Nikolas would kiss her if he took his time, unlike the frantic kiss he’d given her in her bedroom.

Her fingers threaded through his thick fur as she imagined it. He would consume her completely, she knew. He was a powerful man, one who obviously didn’t like having his wishes ignored. He wouldn’t allow her to lead the kiss. He would force her to submit to him. His body, his every essence, would surround her, offering no hope of escape. He would be brutal in his assault, only releasing her when he was satisfied and not a moment sooner.

Rianne was jerked from her thoughts when Dorin came to a sudden stop, his entire body stiffening as he sniffed the air. Nikolas’s body rumbled between her legs as he, too, lifted his snout to the wind. Rianne shivered as she waited for one of them to give her some indication of what was happening.

She didn’t have long to wait as Nikolas came up on his hind legs, forcing her down his body. She gave a yelp of outraged surprise as she landed in the snow. Not a moment later, his massive body covered hers, his fur acting as a camouflage as Dorin disappeared behind the trees.

Terrified and uncertain, she tried to control her shivering as the snow seeped into her clothing. Nikolas scanned the area around them, his animal senses telling him things she couldn’t detect with her inferior human ones.

Dorin reappeared after just a few moments, followed by at least twelve more wolves, all of them between shades of gray and white. Dorin walked forward, shifting back to human before her eyes, fully clothed. He flashed her a reassuring smile as he continued toward her and Nikolas.

“It’s all right, Rianne. You’re safe,” Dorin assured her.

A subtle shift above her let her know Nikolas had returned to his human form as well. Almost instantly, he had her in his arms, her colder body huddling into his for warmth.

“Kesring, report,” Nikolas barked, his harsh voice startling her.

Rianne watched as one of the wolves, this one a lighter gray than Dorin, stepped forward, making the shift to man flawlessly. He was dressed in clothing that reminded her of the historic romance novels displayed in her living room. The shirt he wore was well made but simple, a dark-forest color that made his golden and mint-green eyes pop. As he walked forward, he shoved his sandy-colored hair out of his face, revealing a playful smile as he bowed to Nikolas.

“Sir. Highness. We were sent by the Majesties and the High Priestess of the Order of Witches to accompany you back to the palace. The witch was most eager for your arrival,” Kesring explained, bowing to Nikolas and Dorin in turn.

“Return to the palace and inform them we will be arriving by nightfall. Tell the servants to have a bath and supper prepared for our mate upon our arrival,” Nikolas instructed.

“Yes, sir,” Kesring said, bowing once more before he shifted again and returned the way he had come.

“Palace?” Rianne questioned, looking between the two men with her.

“Yes,
danalya
. It is our home and will soon be yours,” Dorin told her.

“I told you Dorin was of royal blood. He is actually the only heir to the throne. His parents wish to step down and spend the remainder of their lives quietly. Dorin cannot take the throne until he finds his third, a female to carry on the royal blood,” Nikolas explained as he began to follow the pack of wolves through the trees.

“And now that has happened. My parents will be free to step down and the three of us will rule together,” Dorin continued, smiling happily.

Rianne didn’t bother to tell Dorin that she probably wouldn’t be sticking around long enough for that to happen. Part of her couldn’t believe this place was real, that shifters actually existed. The other half of her was completely freaked by the fact that they were real. Either way, she knew she would have to find a way to return home. While she and her parents weren’t exactly close, she enjoyed her job, and Dr. Cull relied on her to do the grunt work he couldn’t pile on the students. Just the thought of one of those graduate students getting their paws on her text had her gritting her teeth.

No, she couldn’t stay in this weird place. She had to get back home.

* * * *

Nikolas noticed the way Rianne seemed to retreat into herself and wondered if maybe he and Dorin should have waited to tell her about her future as queen. He tried to remember that all of this was new to her, that she hadn’t grown up hearing stories of their world the way he and Dorin had of hers. The human realm was studied in all areas of Laurasia and Gondwanaland, along with their own history.

There was once a time when the two realms coexisted, where humans, shifters, and magi walked between the two worlds without issue. It was so long ago, though, that no one alive could remember such a time. The humans began to fear the shifters and magi, creating weapons to use against them. In an attempt to keep their realm safe, they blocked off ancient passageways between the worlds. They built monuments on their side of the portals, barring shifters and magi from crossing.

The shifters who became stuck in the human world were forced to keep to their animal selves, slowly losing their humanity until they became completely wild. Because of the swiftness with which the portals were closed, the magi who were barred from returning to Gondwanaland began working on spells that would allow them to create their own portals. It had taken them centuries, and by the time they returned, they had aged well beyond their families.

Time began to move differently with the closing of the portals. The human world sped ahead of the shifters’ and magi’s world, creating a time flux. Human lives decreased rapidly over the course of a few millennia, resulting in the human population being unable to live past one hundred years where they had once lived for millennia. The humans forgot about their once-connection with the magical realm, and the memories of the portals faded into extinction.

At least until the Hunters returned.

Nikolas knew he and Dorin would have to teach Rianne about the history of the three species, how they came to be, and how her species had forced the divide. He wondered how she would take the news, whether she would accept her place with them or attempt to return to her own world.