Sired: A Dark Reverse Harem Romance (Ascension Book 3)

by Kenna Bardot

  And I'd met some gossipy humans and Sylfes.

  "People will say anything if they think it will gain them popularity," I said. "I'm sure they would love to predict the demise of Lathyn Majele," I drawled mockingly. Silence came as the only response and anger roared through my head like the steady dripping of melting ice in a silent room. "You believe them?" I asked, the challenge clear in my voice. I glared at them, silently willing them to consider their response carefully.

  I wouldn't tolerate any hit to my character or hint that there was a lack of trust between us. Not from them. An insinuation like that after everything I’d tolerated, everything I’d forgiven would be a betrayal in itself.

  The threat of them thinking me capable of something like that made my heart stall in my chest.

  Hollis stepped forward cautiously, glancing back at the others in a moment of support before he spoke. "Of course we don't believe them, Mireyah," Hollis whispered. "We trust you, but the fact that others think it is true is problematic. I think it would just be best for all involved if you and Lathyn kept a certain distance between you until things died down." The others gave gentle nods, seeming to support his suggestion fully. That it would come from the one who had been more supportive of me in the past only made it hurt worse.

  "So I should alter my life based on gossip and rumors? Funny you think that now, when the rumors do not concern you for the first time," I grumbled. “You didn’t seem to think I should cater to them when the rumors were about how inappropriate our relationship was.”

  “Mireyah, think about this. You weren’t in any danger with our rumors. If people try to substantiate the claims, you could go to the Unwanted,” Tate said, his eyes intense on the stern set to my face as if he could convince me to live my life in fear of what other Gods thought of me.

  “But there’s nothing to substantiate! I can’t be sent to the Unwanted for infidelity without proof, and there will never be proof because it didn’t happen.” Scrubbing my hands over my face, I desperately tried to understand their side of the argument. There was no logic, nothing behind the ridiculous notion to support the claim I could be punished for something I’d never done.

  "This is ridiculous. What difference does it make in the grand scheme?" Shep asked. "He is not your Sire. Keeping some distance from him should be a relatively simple thing to do for us."

  I shook my head, releasing a sigh as I tried to think of the best way to explain the situation to them without it devolving into a huge fight. Already Hydra bristled in her comfy spot, feeling the tension within the room grow. "When have you ever expected one another to cater to what society expects of you? If you did, you wouldn't be together. You only expect it of me because I'm a woman, and that isn't fair to me." I paused, letting the truth of my words sink in. The truth that I was still just their wife, whereas they were all even. Char didn't treat Tate with the same ruthlessly demanding nature he gave to all aspects of my life. Ryle and Shep never expected Hollis to stop speaking to all the women he treated regularly because they feared rumors of infidelity.

  It was because I was a female. Because I had five Sires.

  Like the very fact that I belonged to them meant that I needed to proceed with extreme caution, because it already made me a whore and subject to scrutiny. I expected that from the rest of Demiorgo.

  I was done tolerating it from them. From the men who claimed to love me.

  "I've asked Lathyn to help me advocate for changes in Godsfell. He hasn't agreed technically, but I think tonight confirmed that he's at the very least on the side of positively siding with it. He agreed with me publicly that Collections should be for volunteers rather than everyone who is of age. I'm willing to tolerate rumors with no validity in order to achieve my goal. It's a part of me, and ingrained in me, and all of you knew that when you chose to Sire me," I said, shaking my head at Char when he moved to take a step toward me.

  “You spoke to Lathyn before you spoke to us. Do you really not see how problematic that is for our relationship? You should always come to us first,” Shep argued, and that was the one point I had to give them. The truth to the words vibrated through me.

  “I should have, and I will in the future. But it wasn’t a secret that I would do this. You’ve always known this would be my goal. Lathyn can help me,” I murmured, hoping they would understand. Hoping they knew that while I loved them, I truly felt that I had to find my allies elsewhere.

  "We expected this. We’re working to be in a place to help you better, but we aren’t there yet, Mireyah. You haven't even been here a year, and you've already elevated to Dragon Guard. We're all still learning to cope with the changes that has brought, and the fact that you're increasingly busy with your training and trying to understand your Majele gifts. We miss you," Char said, reaching out a hand to grab my own. "This will take more time away from all of us being together."

  “You want to help me?” I whispered, feeling ashamed that I never considered my own husbands as my strongest allies. I didn’t doubt that they loved me, but in the back of my head I still remembered the way they treated humans - the coldness of the way they could use and abuse. Without a single thought.

  In my head, I would always have to conquer my war for Human Rights despite lacking their support. It never occurred to me that they would try to help.

  “You’re our wife. What’s important to you is important to us, but we cannot help you if you don’t let us. Why did you think I’ve worked so hard for promotions? That I would be willing to sacrifice time with you to do it? It puts me in a better position to help you, Mireyah. We all do what we can. Hollis gossips with women he detests because he can plant the seeds of change casually enough that they never even see it coming. I strive for office in the North where you’ll be the most resisted. Tate works with the next generation, so that change can begin in Godsvail. Ryle volunteers himself for jobs with particularly influential home owners so that he has connections. Shep gives you respite in your favorite fruit, but it’s also the favorite fruit of the rest of Demiorgo. Taking care of the finicky plants is a prestigious career for a Tempestas.”

  “You never said anything. Any of you. Clearly this has been in the works for some time, but you never gave me any sign of these motivations.” I felt my heart surge in pride that was marred with the hurt that they hadn’t spoken to me about it. They’d done it for me, but somehow it felt like they weren’t doing it with me.

  “Honestly, it slipped our mind. We discussed as we Ascended and started working our way to where we are as soon as we got to Demiorgo. We just,” Hollis said and paused. “Thought you knew that we were a team. Your goals are our goals too, Pet.”

  “I didn’t know. Given your opinion of humans-”

  “Before you. We’d never met a human like you. We want to change that. We want more to have the opportunity to be as strong as you are in the face of everything you overcame,” Shep argued, his face tense despite the warmth in his eyes. Sometimes, it felt like we’d been together forever. Like we’d had so much time to get to know one another and form our relationships, but in moments like these I realized just how new everything was to us. Supporting each other hadn’t always been a given, and somehow, we needed to find a way to get past our history if we wanted to find an easier future. "But I worry for your safety. You're already the center of gossip, with our relationship and the Dragon Guard. Being so central to a plot for a major revolution will put a target on your back on top of it," he added.

  "I can't just abandon my family to the hard lives I left them in. I have to at least try," I whispered.

  "You should have spoken to us first," Hollis sighed. "This doesn't only affect your life, Pet. This will change things for all of us, and all of us will bear the consequences of you speaking out against the status quo. Everything has turned on its head, and you needed to wait until things settled before starting this crusade. We never wanted you to give up. We wanted you to be patient."

  "You act like we don't matter. In your de
speration to prove your strength and independence, you don't let us do little things like walk you somewhere. You don't let us take care of you, and you make us feel like we have no purpose in your life aside from being here when you get home. You want us to treat you equally, but we never will. You are the glue that holds us all together, and without you our marriage falls apart. We protect you because we love you. Because even with all our bonds to one another, they start and end with you. You need to give a little, and let us do what we need to do to feel relevant in your life," Ryle argued. I stared at him in shock, not knowing what to do in response to his words. The appropriate action felt like reassuring him I needed them, but sometimes I got lost in my need to be a person as well as another one of our group. But I couldn’t find the words. My blunt man so rarely spoke, so much so for him to volunteer that much information, I knew I'd struck a chord.

  "You're vulnerable right now, Mireyah. Whether or not you like it, until Hydra is grown, she is a weakness for you. Let us keep you safe, because it is more for us than it is for you," Char said. “What do you think it would do to us if we lost you?” Again, I struggled with a response. It would crush me to lose any of them, but would it be the same if I was the one gone? We never discussed our time apart. I never wanted to think of it, but I knew I clung to that old pain. Being alone while they’d had one another.

  I looked over to him, nodding my head in agreement I didn’t feel. Tate studied me, seeing through my bullshit, but he kept silent as he filed the information away for later like he so often did. Even if it threatened who I was trying to become, I knew it was my duty as a wife to do what I could to appease their worry. Their valid worries at least, though not the irrational jealousy. "Then we'll support you. You haven't left us much choice, but you have our support for what it's worth. Hesitantly, and with the expectation that you consult with us on things that may endanger you before you do them."

  Sighing, I had to relent.

  That wasn't an intolerable request, even if it felt like it to my more impulsive personality.

  “Now,” Hollis said, reaching a hand out for me to take. “Can we go to bed and make love? You’re all making me anxious.”

  The teasing lilt to his voice drove me to accept his hand, even if I did still want to stab him in the eye for the shock he’d given me with his change in position on Lathyn.

  Hollis laughed as he brought me into the room, finding that the others had already raced inside and claimed their positions. He pouted, eyeing the three naked men already on the bed with distaste.

  He wouldn’t get inside me. Not first, at the very least.

  “Come here, pretty boy. I’ll make you feel good while I fuck you,” Ryle teased from his spot in one of the comfortable chairs we’d positioned in the room. Hollis glared at him, but kissed me softly before he strutted his way over to the other man, shaking his ass like the Svadeni he was.

  “Sit on my face,” Tate smirked, laying out on the bed with his feet by the head. Shaking my head, I wondered how it could be possible that they undressed so quickly. I stripped out of my uniform quickly, climbing onto the bed by Tate’s head and straddling his face. With his eyes behind me, it gave me a perfect view of his sculpted muscles and the cock that strained toward the ceiling. Char straddled his legs, gripping both their cocks in his hands and jerking them as one. I watched, fixated on the motion and the sight of them touching so tightly. It always made me wonder if that was what they saw when they fucked me, when they made my pussy stretch around both of them. Shep’s hand touched my shoulder, pushing me forward until I bent at the waist and had to catch myself with my hands.

  Tate wasted no time, gripping me around the backs of my thighs and pulling my body down to his face so that my legs splayed wide. Breathing through his nose, he devoured me. Sucking at my clit and nipping. Tate liked to lick pussy nearly as much as he liked to fuck, and he showed that every time he got his mouth on me.

  I moaned as Char separated their shafts, drawing his hand down to the base of Tate to make it clear what he expected of me. “It’s only fair you make him feel good too,” Char drawled. I drew Tate’s head into my mouth, swirling my tongue around it teasingly as Char stared down at me and Tate groaned into my pussy.

  Given the argument, the desire to torment them with sex was a tangible need in my veins.

  “She thinks she’s cute,” Shep laughed behind me as Char buried a hand in my hair and pressed me further down onto my other Sires’ dick until he touched the back of my throat.

  “Tip that ass up for Shep, Pet,” Char murmured, and Shep’s skin tickled my ass and thighs as he straddled Tate’s face behind me. I had a moment to wonder if he’d be able to breathe, and then all thought went out the window as Shep repositioned my hips to tip up and pressed himself to my entrance. He slid inside slowly, taking me in smooth glides I felt along every inch of me. The feel of him brushing against Tate’s face as he fucked me only drove me higher, only added to the sensation of Tate’s tongue working my clit furiously.

  I drew back from Tate’s cock on a moan, relishing the brief breath I took before Char used his head to pry my lips open and slide inside. He took his turn with a few desperate pumps inside me and then pulled free to glide himself against Tate. I worshiped them with my tongue, drawing what I could inside as Char worked their lengths over.

  When Shep’s drives increased in tempo and he approached his orgasm, Char pulled free and separated just enough to watch as I leaned forward and took Tate deep. I toyed with his balls while I worked him over, giving Char the show that would drive him as crazy as he made me. Tate returned the favor, his tongue working me more manically until I hovered just at the precipice of my orgasm. Shep groaned, shoving deep and then withdrawing in harsh, punishing thrusts that struck against the end of me.

  All of it combined. The feeling of Char’s eyes on me as I sucked Tate and the feeling of his mouth on me while Shep fucked me sent me over the edge into my climax with a muffled scream.

  “Fuck!” Shep roared, shoving deep and stilling as he finished inside me. Tate groaned below me, flooding my mouth with his release as he licked me through the aftershocks. He didn’t even object to the leaking fluid when Shep collapsed to his side next to us, cleaning me gently as I did the same for him.

  Everything still felt sensitive when Char spun me around and drove inside me. His hand wrapped around the front of my throat, tugging me up so that my back pressed against his chest as he took me harder and harder with every pump of his hips against my ass.

  With his growing need to climax, his grip on my throat tightened until it limited my air. Lightheaded, I hovered in that space where nothing existed but sensation, nothing but the feel of his smooth skin stretched over taut muscles against my spine. Of his cock driving inside of me.

  When he grunted and shuddered with his own release, my body followed into the abyss and light flooded my vision when he let go of my throat and air returned.

  When my eyes opened, it was to the show of Hollis and Ryle finishing. Of Ryle fucking Hollis and his hand wrapped around the Svadeni’s cock as he brought him to his own release.

  I felt all the eyes on me. Felt the way they studied my reaction intently.

  Something had to give, and I knew — watching the steely resolve in their eyes, that it would need to be me. Our relationship might not have been perfect, but the thought of a life without them seemed unbearable.

  I’d fallen in love with them even in the worst circumstances imaginable. Our bond forged in blood and sweat and tears. I could love and accept them for who they were, or we could crash and burn.

  I just had to hope I could bend a little more before I broke in two.

  Sixteen

  Mireyah

  I mulled over my coffee thoughtfully. Yesterday opened my eyes in a way that I didn’t think they could be closed again. While given the intensity of my feelings for them it sometimes felt our relationship was on a smooth trajectory, there were still bumps and forks in it.

&
nbsp; Marrying them and loving them meant that I accepted the way our relationship was, for all the wrong it could be, I still questioned if it was the best for me. Yes, I knew that I would wither away for lack of them, but I hadn’t been wrong in telling them what I did either. I could and would survive everything life threw at me.

  It probably meant that I could survive without them in my life. That didn’t mean that I wanted to. What I needed was a unique perspective, which meant I needed Astraea. I stood, cleaning my cup of coffee and putting it away before I put my coat on.

  “Where are you headed?” I turned to face Ryle. I didn’t quite know what to expect after the events of the day before, but I gave him a smile and a kiss on the lips.

  “Astraea’s. It’s been a while since we visited.” I tensed a bit before I asked, “No work today?”

  “I’m going to go on at night today, so I suppose I have the morning off. Enjoy your visit.” He paused before continuing, “do you want me to walk with you?”

  I contemplated his question for a moment before I nodded. “Yes, Ryle, I would very much like you to walk me to Astraea’s.” I pulled him in for a deeper kiss. “Thank you.”

  “I’m happy to walk you anywhere, Mireyah.”

  I shook my head on a laugh. “Yes, I appreciate that, but I appreciate you asking more.”

  “Come on, Hydra. Let’s go see Aes." Hydra darted out the kitchen door the moment I opened it, and I shook my head.

  What it must have been like to have so much energy.

  Ryle wrapped his hand around mine and we walked in silence while Hydra chased after smaller animals. When we neared the house, I laid my head on Ryle’s shoulder. “The house you helped build for Oryn and Aes is beautiful, Ryle. I know they truly enjoy it.”

  “It was a pleasure to build their home.”

  “Are you mad at me?” I asked, although I was afraid of the answer.