Chapter 471: Fine. I’ll Climb In Front.

"Solveil." Maddox’s voice stayed calm, iron underneath it. "Put the light away. Nobody is dying in a sitting room tonight. Let’s sit down and discuss this like adults."

"I’ve heard enough." Landon’s eyes flashed with murder at Sterling and Ryker.

Maddox stepped into Ryker’s defense. "My Second would not make something like that up. That man is the best I know. If he says their scents are manufactured, they are manufactured."

Landon rounded on Brennan instead.

"And you. You were penetrating my Commander’s niece, Talia. And you had the other two on your lap. You tricked all three of them."

Brennan’s hands shot up like he was under arrest. "Your Highness, you are correct. I did have sexual relations—"

"What Brennan means to say," Nicholas cut in smoothly, "is that he did not pull a single one of them onto him, and he did not know who they were. Before we blame my mage, why don’t you ask the three of them who started it."

Brennan began his defense with a full confession. Nicholas intervened before the confession could develop a sequel. One look and Brennan closed his mouth. Let the Alpha handle it. Done.

Astrelle whirled around, livid. "Talia picked me up and moved me in the MIDDLE of riding Brennan."

"That’s because you were going too slow," Talia fired back. "Someone had to show him a rhythm, and it was not going to be you, Astrelle."

"TOO SLOW?"

Landon turned back to Brennan, temples already tightening. "You took two virginities."

"He was touching me as well, Your Highness," Velora announced, raising a hand. "With both hands. I believe it is only fair that he marries me and I go with him to Drakencrest."

"I don’t live in—"

The three women did not hear Brennan.

Astrelle launched across the couch at Velora. Talia grabbed a fistful of Astrelle’s hair to redirect her, which Astrelle took as an opening and used to swing.

"LET GO OF MY HAIR, YOU SLOW-RIDING TRAITOR!"

Velora went for Talia’s braid with both hands.

"HE LOOKED AT ME FIRST!"

"HE DIDN’T LOOK AT EITHER OF YOU, HE HAD HIS EYES CLOSED THE WHOLE TIME!"

All three went down in a tangle of flailing limbs and shrieking, rolling off the cushions and taking a side table with them. Feathers from somewhere earlier in the evening lifted off the floor and swirled back up into the air like the room had started snowing on itself. A glowing fruit bowl went airborne. Someone’s slipper hit the far wall.

"GET OFF ME!"

"YOU GET OFF HER SO I CAN GET ON HIM!"

Phaedra, still comforting the weeping Aurora, had to physically evacuate her out of the blast radius.

Nicholas looked at Brennan, who still had both hands in the air like a man awaiting processing.

Nicholas mindlinked him.

Nicholas: Put your hands down. Stop looking guilty.

Brennan blinked. His hands came down. Then his back straightened, his chest puffed out, and a grin of pure, incandescent pride spread across his face, because that was the first mindlink he had ever been included on. It had been a correction, and it had only been for him, and both of those facts were entirely beside the point. He had been in the loop.

The moment of the evening he would be retelling to Damon would be the mindlink part of the evening and not the three women.

Do you want me to show you, ASTRELLE?!" Velora broke free of a three-woman brawl, crossed the room, shoved a mage flat, and straddled him in front of three kings and two military officers.

The power move was either a declaration of war or a marriage proposal or both, and Brennan’s hands went right back up, like a man under arrest.

She caught his wrists and pinned them hard to the arms of the chair, fingers locked around them so he couldn’t move. With her other hand she worked his trousers open in a quick, practiced blur—buttons, fastenings, fabric shoved down just far enough. She hiked her dress up around her waist, bare underneath, and wrapped her hand around his cock, stroking once to line him up.

Then she sank down.

She took him in one smooth, deep drop, pussy stretching around him until he was buried to the hilt. A soft, satisfied sound left her as she settled fully in his lap. She didn’t give him time to adjust.

She pinned his wrists tighter and started riding him fast, hips snapping hard, taking him deep with every bounce. The wet sound of it carried. Her pace didn’t slow. She slammed down again and again, pussy gripping him, demanding it while the entire room watched.

"Does it feel good, Brennan?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now cum inside of me."

Brennan’s hands flexed uselessly under her grip. She just tightened her hold and kept fucking him.

Maddox looked at Nicholas. Nicholas looked at Maddox. No words. Just the look. The look said everything. The look said: what the hell is happening.

Astrelle and Talia stopped fighting each other mid-brawl. Their heads turned in unison to see Velora riding Brennan. Then both women charged across the room and tried to physically lift Velora off Brennan the same way Talia had lifted Astrelle.

Velora didn’t budge. Velora’s thighs were locked because she was expecting that move. Astrelle and Talia pulled harder. Velora rode harder. Brennan was the rope in a tug-of-war between three women and the rope was still inside one of them.

"FINE!" Astrelle climbed in front of Velora who was still riding him. Then she grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him. It was aggressive, territorial, and timed specifically to steal whatever expression Brennan was making during Velora’s moment. If Velora got his cock, Astrelle was taking his mouth. The territory had been divided without Brennan’s input.

Talia sat next to him and grabbed his arm. "Her angle is wrong and her pace is unsustainable. Right, Brennan?"

Brennan did not answer because his mouth was occupied. His eyes were also back to being shut.

Astrelle pulled away from their kiss. "He can’t answer, Talia. But yes, he’s going to finish from friction, not skill."

"Tragic."

"I CAN HEAR YOU."

"GOOD. FIX YOUR ANGLE."