Holier Than Thou

[Emora Deen]

Tenele sighed when she'd finally regained her breath, and her mind felt less sensitive to sensation. Her body felt blissfully numb, and exhaustion started to weight in. Vlad had a habit of wearing her out in general, but this was overreaching. She enjoyed the gentle kisses on her neck. "Can we cuddle now?" Tenele asked softly. "You can move. Just move slow." Tenele's legs were getting tired from their pinned up position. "I'm going to have trouble getting out of bed tomorrow," she groaned against his skin, remembering how exhausted her body had been from their last venture, and then to go beyond that into this.

[Soran Nightblade]

Atul, following her lead, slowly withdrew. Vlad hissed at the burning sensation; outside of the heat of the moment, the friction was no longer pleasant. He freed himself and slid to his side next to Tenele. Vlad rolled to her other side, groaning slightly. It had been a long time since he'd felt stiff. In moments, both men were glued to her side, leaving her with little more room than she'd had before. Vlad's face was nestled possessively in the crook of her neck, as if he wanted to stay as close to her pulse as possible. Atul was lower on the bed, his forehead tucked against her side and his arm across her stomach a few inches below Vlad's.

There wasn't much to talk about. The thoughts flowed freely between them and left them in a comfortable haze of exhaustion. "I love you," Vlad whispered to Tenele.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smiled at his words. She shut her eyes, content with the heat of their bodies and with the position. It was nice to be in a place where it was so warm that she didn't even care to bother with the covers at the moment, though she suspected she might get cold in the night when the heat of sex wore off. She reached down and stroked fingers lightly through Atul's hair until she fell a sleep. Her hand slipped from his head and her breathing grew even.

Tenele woke some time later when the candles had been spent and the room was dark. She blinked at the bed, wondering where her lovers were. The massive mattress was empty, save her. Her brow furrowed with confusion. She glanced about the room, her gaze caught by a dark substance trailing down the pillars that supported the massive ceiling. Tenele screamed, seeing Vlad and Atul staked to the highest point of the post. Their blood trailing down in rivers. Her eyes caught movement, and Verin standing in front of her bed. Black-scaled hands shot up from the mattress, wrapped about her wrists and hair and pulled her back into the mattress. Another covered her mouth. Tenele struggled to get away, watching as Verin knelt on the bed and crawled forward. He took her, brutal and savage and unrelenting. She couldn't call for help. Her husband couldn't save her. She couldn't call for Knight.

Tenele woke, jerking up out of bed with a ragged gasp. Her hands pushed at the air around her hips, like she was trying to push him away until she realized she was awake. So, Tenele leaned forward, drawing her knees up and resting her damp forehead against it. She worked to calm her beating heart, still able to feel her husband and Atul's consciousness floating in her mind. It was then that it struck her with horror and embarrassed that she wasn't sure whether the two men could share her dreams. She was afraid to look behind her and see their faces after a nightmare like that. Tenele grabbed the covers from the edge of the bed and slipped back down between the two men.

[Soran Nightblade]

The men were both wide awake and already half-upright, staring at her with sharp, alert eyes.

"Tenele," Atul spoke first. "We're not going to leave you."

"We're not going to fail, either," Vlad said, his voice low and strong.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele nodded, curling against her husband's side. She didn't want to speak about it, so she rested her head against his shoulder and draped her arm across his chest. She felt Atul curl in behind her. "I know," she finally said with a sigh. "It was just a dream. A silly dream." Tenele pressed a kiss to her husband's chest. She smiled. She felt so safe like this. "I love you."

Tenele was exhausted, but couldn't get her mind to turn off. She trailed her finger tips up and down his side. "What if something goes wrong?" she asked Vlad softly. "What if... what if you can't make it in time?" Tenele's throat tightened. The memory of how he reacted to Verin's kiss was still hot and fresh in her mind. "Never mind," she whispered. "That's a stupid question."

[Soran Nightblade]

"It won't happen. The three of us are linked now. We won't go wrong," Vlad assured her, running fingers through her hair. "As Knight, we will put an end to all of it. Just as soon as my ass isn't so sore," he smirked, kissing her nose.

He didn't tell her.

He couldn't tell her that the dream had been his.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele giggled softly, snuggling up to him more. "Maybe it will feel better in the morning," she told him. She drummed her fingers against his skin. "Orrrr... We could go take a hot bath. Maybe that would make you feel better? I'm not sleepy anymore. I mean, I'm exhausted... but I can't sleep."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad smiled "I can arrange that, if you'd like." Atul nodded at him, gesturing to a separate room at the corner of their chamber. The bath had a balcony window as well, just as the room did. Vlad stood up slowly and went to turn on the water. Atul stroked her forehead, ever the good cuddler. Then Vlad was there again, curling her up in his arms and sweeping her to the freshly drawn bath. He set her gently in the water and slipped in opposite her, poking his wet toes against her cheek. Then he picked up each of hers and massaged them for a long time, letting the hot water calm them both down.

[Emora Deen]

When her nerves didn't feel so ragged, and her mind stopped filtering images of the dream before her, she settled in next to her husband. Tenele leaned forward, resting her weight against him because she knew it wouldn't bother him, and rested against his shoulder. Watching the steam waft up from the water, Tenele gave a heavy sigh.

"Let me wash you," Tenele told him softly. She reached for the rag and the spice scented oil soap. Tenele straddled his legs and began to wash Vlad tenderly, massaging the muscles across his chest and shoulders and down his arms. She paused for a moment, resting the rag on his shoulder, and took his face in her hands. She appraised him with soft smile before kissing his lips gently. "How lucky I am to have your love." Her lips brushed across his before dipping to his chin, and then his neck. She drew back and took the rag up again, washing down his chest and beneath the water, across his abs. Tenele took him in her hands, being attentive to him in only the way she could. She dipped her head low and trailed kisses across his chest.

"How's your ass feeling?" she snickered against his skin.

[Soran Nightblade]

"Be careful how to touch me, my love. Unless you're fishing for another round," Vlad warned smoothly, tilting his his back over the lip of the tub as the warm rag slid over his skin. He reached out and trapped her against his chest, breathing into her hair.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele sighed against his skin her hands trapped beneath the water around him. She closed her eyes and played idly along his skin, relaxing and enjoying the sensations she was getting off of him. She thought back to what had happened moments ago, feeling a tingle of lust trail through her. She knew she shouldn't want another round, or rather she wasn't sure whether she could handle another round after that. Her mind was caught up on what had happened between Vlad and Atul, and then her imagination played around with another idea, one that filled her stomach with butterflies.

She sat up slowly, taking the rag and running it over his chest where she paused. *Maybe next time... I can be in the middle?* she asked the two of them sheepishly. Her cheeks turned a deep crimson and she dipped her head to lick the water from her husband's skin, instead of face the expression he may hold for an answer. She felt embarrassed for asking it, but her imagination was stuck on it, and she tried to bottle it back up so the two of them wouldn't focus on it long.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad's and Atul's minds both paused. Vlad was staring at her, surprised, and Atul was blushing so hard from the other room that the other two could feel it through the link. The vampire thought for a second and then brushed his lips across her cheek, close to her ear. "Our friend is of a formidable size," he pointed out. "Don't be fooled by my unusual sensibilities; it will hurt you," he warned. There was true concern for her in his voice, but also something darker and more serpentine, alert at the thought of prey.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele bit her bottom lip, thinking about it as his lips brushed her cheek. She pressed her face into the gentle contact. "You made it look so easy," Tenele reprimanded with a smile. "I suppose it would hurt..." And yet, the idea wasn't entirely thrown out for her, but she wasn't settled on it either. So, instead she just let the idea role around in her head. The idea of being with the two of them like that was exciting, but her fantasies seemed to be leaving out the part concerning pain.

Tenele kissed his lips lightly, her hands lifting to frame his face. She pressed her chest flush with his. She smiled at him, one hand gliding over his skin and back below the water and around him. "Oh, well, it was an interesting thought." She dipped her lips again to kiss him. "Let's see if I can't make you feel better?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad shuddered at her warm kiss, his body mercilessly responsive despite all they'd just done. He could tell the reaction wasn't just his. Atul's body was feeding warm swells of excitement through their link.

*I could be gentle, if I chose," Atul said, his mental words a caress through both their minds, but especially Tenele's. *I simply was not because that was what Vlad desired.*

*Your care with me is not the issue. It's your size, Atul. You have to be aware that you're--...* Vlad said, swallowing as the words provoked a wave a of pleasure from Atul into them both.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele pondered the idea, feeling heat swell in her. She swallowed, repeating his words in her head. It sent her heart racing and her imagination on fire. She didn't respond back, not with words at least, but her thoughts were enough to let Atul know that she was not closed off to the idea, just unsure.

To distract herself, and possibly Vlad as well, she lifted her hips in the water and slowly guided her husband inside, gentle and slow and deep. She worked her hips in a gentle circle around him. "So you're impressed by his size?" Tenele asked with a snicker, dipping her head to his chest and pinching his skin between her teeth. "I'm impressed that your impressed."

There was no way she should be wanting this contact again, not after her mind nearly caved before... But, there was something about him, she always wanted to be connected to him.