Chapter 22

She undid the clasp of her dress. The silk slithered to her ankles. When she struggled with her corset, Wendel I stepped behind her.

“Allow me,” he said.

He hooked his fingers in the laces, tugging them loose, the heat of his body radiating against her back. Wendel II watched them through slitted eyes, his gaze intense behind his dark lashes, his body tense with coiled energy.

The corset fell to the floor. Wendel I kissed the nape of her neck.

Naked, she shivered, her nipples hard. “It’s cold in here.”

“Let me warm you,” Wendel I murmured in her ear, nearly a growl.

She licked her lips before stalking over to the second Wendel. He glanced into her eyes, a flicker of worry in his own. She slipped her hands behind his head, her fingers slipping into his hair, and pulled him down into a kiss.

A groan escaped his throat. He dragged her closer; he was already hard.

“Take off your clothes,” she whispered against his mouth.

Miraculously, he obeyed. Wendel II kicked off his boots, while Wendel I unbuttoned his dress shirt. They refused to look at each other, but she had no such qualms. Her gaze wandered over their lean muscles and pale skin.

“You’re hurt,” Ardis said to Wendel II.

He glanced at his bandaged hand, as if he had forgotten catching a blade with his fingers. Another bandage circled his right arm.

He shrugged. “It can heal without temporal magic.”

“Had enough of that?” she said.

“More than enough.”

Wendel I glanced at his twin. “Like looking at myself in a mirror,” he muttered.

“Not quite.” Wendel II advanced on him with glittering eyes. “Never thought I would feel another necromancer.”

When they touched fingertips, Ardis heard a sharp intake of breath, and she wasn’t sure who had gasped. They locked stares, neither one blinking, and she knew they had to be feeling the cold burning of each other’s magic.

Watching them accelerated her heartbeat. She licked her lips.

Between one blink and the next, Wendel II kissed his doppelgänger, his fingers knotted in his hair. Wendel I let out a grunt; he didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands. She pressed her knees together, an ache between her thighs.

They broke apart. Wendel I looked bleary-eyed from the kiss.

“I wondered what that felt like,” Wendel II said.

Squinting, Wendel I tilted his head. “Since when?”

His twin laughed. “Longer than I would care to admit.”

“God, you’re arrogant.”

“You, too.”

“Isn’t it wonderful?”

Ardis arched her eyebrows. “Well…”

Both of them glanced at her, at the same time, with the same devilish glint in their eyes. Like they remembered she existed.

“Are we distracting you?” Wendel I said.

The lust in their stares made her giddy. “No,” she lied.

Shamelessly, she looked between them. Never had she dreamed of two men in her bedroom. No, that wasn’t true–she had dreamed, just never expected it to come true. It didn’t hurt that Wendel was so damn attractive.

“Have you done this before?” She swallowed hard. “A devil’s three-way?”

Both of them shared a glance; she couldn’t decipher the look between them.

“No,” Wendel II said. “Not many tolerate the touch of a necromancer.”

Her stomach tightened with guilt. When she had first met him, she had thought of him as an abomination, his magic disgusting.

Wendel I laughed. “Has anyone ever had a three-way with himself?”

“Good point,” she said.

Cornering her against the wall, Wendel I caged her between his arms. Every time she took a breath, her breasts touched him.

She licked her lips. Deliberately. “Is that all?”

He dragged her to him, swept her off her feet, and dropped her on the bed. That’s where the other Wendel pounced. Kneeling over her, Wendel I pinned her arms above her head, letting Wendel II steal a kiss from her mouth.

She shivered at the feel of his beard. “Are you ganging up on me?”

“Excellent suggestion,” Wendel II said.

“We have you exactly where we want you,” Wendel I added.

The rasp in his voice was beautiful to hear. Her heartbeat hammered where his fingers pressed against her wrists.

“Exactly?” She rocked against him. “Are you sure?”

His eyes half-closed, Wendel II stroked himself in his fist. “Would you like to watch?” He spoke in velvety murmur.

She resisted the urge to claw at the Wendel holding her down. “I want you inside me.”

“Who?” Wendel II said.

“Either.” Heat scorched her face. “Both.”

The time for talk seemed to be over. Wordlessly, Wendel I gripped her hips and thrust inside her. The hard length of him was too much–yet it wasn’t enough. She held him by the buttocks, her fingernails biting his skin.

Wendel II swore in German, inventively, adding to her vocabulary.

“Impressive,” she said.

“Thank you,” Wendel I said.

She smirked. “I meant the profanity.”

His eyes darkened before he lowered his head, tongue darting over her nipple. She gasped and arched against him.

“Harder,” she said.

He slid out before ramming back home. Wendel II walked to the pillow, inches from her mouth, still stroking himself in his fist.

“Both?” he said.

She understood and curled her fingers around him. He let out a groan and staggered nearer, his knees hitting the mattress, while his twin tortured her with the precise savagery of his thrusts. She ached with unspent desire.

“Closer,” she said to Wendel II.

He leaned against the bed and she twisted until she could lick him. She took him into her mouth and sucked, tasting salt.

“Christ.” Wendel I watched them as he thrust. “That’s–”

She pulled back. “Distracting?” she murmured.

“Very,” Wendel II said, breathless.

“You aren’t allowed to come.” She met his gaze before she circled him with her tongue. “Unless it’s inside me.”

“Ardis.” Wendel I stiffened, the muscles in his arms taut. “That’s tempting.”

She looked him in the eye. “I want you to fill me.”

He held himself, frozen, before pounding into her, hard and fast and at an angle that hit her with intense pleasure.

When he came, spurting into her, his groan brought her to the brink.

Wendel II watched with shadowy eyes. “But I want to come in your mouth.” He tilted his head. “Or between your breasts.”

“Wait,” she said. “Let me ride you.”

Panting, Wendel I climbed off of her. “Give me a moment.”

When she stood, wetness slid down her thighs. Wendel II’s gaze dropped, his lips parted. She shoved him on the bed and straddled him. He bucked his hips, eager to enter her, but she took him slowly and savored every inch.

“Touch yourself,” he said.

And she did, flinging her hair back and closing her eyes while she came in hard waves. Panting, she bent over him and kissed him. He took advantage of the lull to stroke inside her, gently, since she was still sensitive.

“Come again,” he murmured into her mouth. “Moan for me.”

It was easier the second time, and the third. She arched her spine, her bones liquid. Lying beside them on the bed, Wendel I watched them with heavy-lidded eyes, caressing himself with lazy satisfaction and simmering hunger.

“I’m close,” Wendel II said.

She circled her hips, tormenting him, until he drove even deeper and grunted, coming hard. Sweat glittered on his forehead.

Wendel I let out a husky little laugh. “My turn.”

He flipped her onto her back and sank into her, bollocks deep. “You’re so wet.”

She let out a breathless laugh. “Your fault as much as mine.”

While Wendel I started to thrust again, Wendel II knelt beside him and kissed him, with surprising tenderness.

“Oh, God,” she gasped.

They broke apart, if only so Wendel I could concentrate on hammering into her harder. Pleasure hit her in a tsunami, obliterating all thought, and she clung to him. When she opened her eyes, she saw him smirking at her.

“Is it that easy?” Wendel I said. “We only have to kiss?”

“Why not more?” she said, daring him with her eyes.

They glanced at each other.

“Would that please you?” Wendel II said, his voice gravelly.

“I’m asking you the same question,” she said.

Wendel I grunted. “I would prefer to come inside you.”

“Oh? Then come.”

He didn’t have to be told twice. Closing his eyes, he took her fast, then slow, throbbing deep inside her with a hoarse moan.

Spent, the three of them lay on the bed in a tangle of limbs and sweaty skin.

“My God,” Wendel II said. “I should get married more often.”

Wendel I laughed. “Agreed.”

Like a shadow, the thought of Thorsten darted across her mind. But tonight didn’t belong to him. She tugged a sheet over herself, shivered, and closed her eyes. Wendel–she wasn’t sure which one–kissed her on the forehead.

At last, she fell asleep.

~

In the snowy light of morning, Ardis took a bath. At least, she meant to, but each Wendel had other plans. They abandoned the tub only after the water went cold. Shivering, she toweled herself dry and combed the tangles from her hair.

“My muscles are sore,” she said.

“Which?” His hair wet, Wendel I rubbed fog from the mirror.

“Everywhere.”

Wendel II laughed. “You’re welcome.” He stroked his beard. “Should I shave?”

“Don’t,” she said. “Makes it easier to tell you two apart.”

“Oh?” Wendel I arched an eyebrow. “I thought it was obvious he was the evil one.”

Wendel II snorted. “You’re no saint yourself.”

Ignoring their banter, Ardis tugged on a clean pair of clothes. “I’m starving.”

“You should be,” Wendel I said.

She rolled her eyes. “Get dressed. No nudity at breakfast.”

They headed down to the lobby together. Lured by the scent of coffee and bread, she entered the cafe. She lowered herself into a chair and winced at her aching thighs. Hopefully no one had heard them last night. Or this morning.

“Good morning, madam and sirs.” A waiter slid menus across their table. “Could I interest you with something to drink?”

“Coffee,” Wendel II said.

“Plenty of it,” Wendel I added.

Ardis smiled. “I’ll have the same.” After the waiter left, she spread the napkin in her lap. “We have work to do today.”

Wendel I looked at her with simmering eyes. “Work or work?”

“Thorsten.”

Wendel II grimaced. “How disappointing.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but Himmel strode into the cafe. The captain’s hair was rumpled rather than combed smooth.

“Have you seen Konstantin?” Himmel said.

“I haven’t,” Ardis said.

“He took Fang on a walk. I thought he might stop for a cup of coffee.”

Wendel II leaned forward in his chair. “When did he leave?”

“An hour ago.” Himmel raked his fingers through his hair. “Why?”

Wendel I glanced at his doppelgänger. Though neither necromancer said anything, they both had tension in their shoulders.

“Tell him,” Ardis said.

“Christ,” Wendel II said. “Thorsten Magnusson is alive.”

Himmel frowned. “What does the Grandmaster have to do with this? You don’t think–?”

“Thorsten loves to play with his prey.” Wendel I spoke in a hollow voice. “The more defenseless, the better.”

“But Konstantin?” Himmel said, glancing between them. “Why?”

The waiter returned. No one spoke, the silence broken only by the gurgle of coffee pouring, until he left their table.

Wendel I peered around the cafe. “I know what’s been driving Thorsten insane.”

“There are two of us,” Wendel II said.

“Exactly. He knows we can’t be twins, not by birth, because he saw the two black daggers. He forged only one Amarant.”

Ardis raised her eyebrows. “Thorsten forged your dagger?”

“Had it forged.” Wendel II brushed a crumb off the table. “He wanted to find more ways to exploit my necromancy.”

“Is that why he wants Konstantin?” Himmel said.

“No.” Wendel I matched stares with his doppelgänger, his eyes piercing. “He wants to know if one of us traveled through time.”

Wendel II nodded. “And Konstantin is the expert on temporal magic.”

Fear tightened Himmel’s face, but he squared his shoulders. “Understood.”

Ardis stared into her black coffee, watching steam whirl and vanish. She hadn’t drunk a drop. Dread weighted down her stomach.

“Has anyone seen my mother?” she said.

“No,” Wendel I said.

She shoved her chair from the table and strode from the cafe, at a normal pace, though her heartbeat thudded against her ribs.

Upstairs, she knocked on Jin Hua’s door. To her immense relief, it opened.

“Yu Lan?” Bleary-eyed, her mother wore a dressing gown. “What is it?”

“Nothing.” Ardis bit the inside of her cheek. “Not nothing. Wendel II returned last night, and he knows Thorsten isn’t dead.”

Jin Hua swore in Chinese. “I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.”

“It gets worse. Konstantin has been missing for the last hour.”

“Why would Thorsten want the archmage?”

She shook her head. “Come down to breakfast. Wendel can explain it better than I can.”

“Give me a minute.”

When Ardis brought her mother down to the cafe, Himmel and Wendel II had already left. She glanced at Wendel I.

“Where did they go?” she said.

“To look for Konstantin.” He grabbed his coat from his chair. “No time to lose.”

~

Snow blotted out the sky as Ardis, Wendel I, and Jin Hua walked the streets of Kiel.

They found Fang on the dirty slush of the street. The white shepherd paced, whining, her flanks quivering. Blood stained her muzzle.

“Come here, girl.” Wendel dropped to his knees by the dog. “Are you hurt?”

With a whimper, Fang held still and let him inspect her.

“She’s fine,” Wendel said. “The blood must not be her own.”

Gripping her sheathed sword, Ardis glanced around the street. “Any sign of Konstantin?”

“Not yet.”

From the rooftops, Krampus winged overhead. “Grok.” He landed on a lamp post with a thunk of talons and feathers.

“Ask the raven,” Jin Hua said.

Wendel tilted his head. “Krampus? Find Konstantin.”

Fang barked at the raven, who leapt into flight. Ardis spotted the dog’s leash trailing in the slush and wrapped it around her fist.

“This might be a waste of time,” Wendel said.

Fang tugged on her leash, following the raven, and dragged Ardis along.

“Any brilliant insights?” she said.

“Not at the moment.” He shook his head with a grim smile. “Hardly Sherlock Holmes.”

Bitter wind howled though Kiel and stole their warmth. Ardis hugged herself tight, her jacket no match for the Prussian winter.

Krampus flew over the city, away from the Hotel am Meer, parallel to the shoreline.

Jin Hua kept pace beside them. “Where are the others?”

“By the docks,” Wendel said. “Searching near the airship sheds.”

The buildings were decaying here; bricks crumbled into dust. Fang barked and dragged Ardis across the street, toward a hotel with boarded windows. In an alley nearby, Krampus perched on the hood of a black automobile.

“Ardis,” Wendel said.

Blood dotted the snow, a single drop outside the auto.

A homeless man huddled, sleeping under a ragged blanket, on the threshold of the hotel. Maybe he had seen something.

When Ardis crouched by him, Fang let out a low growl. “Excuse me.”

The homeless man didn’t stir. The scent of alcohol and urine clung to him.

“He’s dead,” Wendel said.

She leapt back. “Why didn’t you say so?”

“I wasn’t sure.” He tugged the blanket away. “Too recent.”

Ugly bruises purpled the man’s neck. He had been strangled in his sleep.

“Thorsten,” Jin Hua said. It wasn’t a question. “No witnesses.”

Wendel braced himself, his knuckles in the snow, before he glanced at the door to the lobby. “I should go alone.”

“No,” Ardis and Jin Hua said, at the same time.

He pushed himself to his feet. “You don’t understand. Thorsten–”

“Thorsten will kill you.” Jin Hua stared at him with hard eyes. “Again.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” Wendel muttered.

“She’s right,” Ardis said. “We get Konstantin and we get out.”

Another growl rumbled from Fang’s throat. The dog wanted to fight, but she would be too noisy for a stealthy approach.

“Take Fang.” Ardis held out the leash. “Find the others.”

Jin Hua locked gazes with her. “Hurry.”

“We will.”

The fur along Fang’s spine bristled, but she obeyed Jin Hua. Together, they crossed the street and vanished around the corner.

When Wendel stared at the blank sky, his eyes looked gray, almost colorless.

“If I die,” he said, “my doppelgänger won’t be here to bring me back.”

“Lend me your necromancy,” Ardis said. “It worked in Constantinople.”

He grimaced. “You want to revive me?”

“Insurance.”

“Good point.”

Wendel cradled her face between his hands. His skin burned with cold fire. Closing his eyes, he kissed her on the forehead.

She gasped at the surge of magic. His necromancy–only a little–settling in her bones.