by Amy Sumida
“Slate can handle himself,” Aaro said. “Ellie-phant.”
“My father can call me anything he likes.” I turned a deadly stare toward Aaro. “You, however, are flirting with death.”
Cerberus chortled. “You gotta earn nicknames with my girl.”
“Doesn't Jago call you 'Diva?'” Aaro smirked; showing a little of Slate's attitude.
“Jago saved my life,” I said. “I like him.”
“You're going to like me too,” Aaro said confidently. “I'm a likable guy. And speaking of likable guys... it looks as if my brother and you were both correct and mistaken about the tingles.”
“Tingles?” Binx scowled at us. “What fucking tingles?”
“The Rooster Spell guided them together,” Aaro said patiently to Binx. “But they fell in love on their own. Just as I told them; love cannot be forced.”
“Love,” Binx scoffed. “Slate doesn't fall in love. That's for pussies.”
My lovers leaned forward with matching murderous expressions. Binx swallowed roughly and looked away.
“Excuse my brother,” Aaro said smoothly. “He's a cretin. He can't help it.”
“I'm a what?” Binx frowned at Aaro suspiciously.
“A man of few words and hard fists,” Aaro said with a straight face.
Binx grunted in approval. “That's right; I'm a cretin and don't you forget it.”
Cerberus bent over; his whole body shaking with repressed laughter.
“We've settled what we can for now,” Gage pointed out. “So, I'm going to ask again; can we go home?”
“Yes; we can go home,” I said tiredly. “I want to wash this blood off and crawl into bed. It's really fucking itchy.”
“And I'm crawling in right beside you,” Gage said with a soft smile.
“It's a good thing I had a bigger bed brought in while you were gone.” Darc shot back the rest of his drink.
“You switched out my bed while I was imprisoned?” I asked in surprise.
Slate walked in just in time to hear that. His brows rose as he looked over at Darc.
“No; I did so when I thought you were with the Sasq'ets.” Darc stood. “Now, make your goodbyes Elaria. We still have weddings to plan.”
“You hear this shit?” Binx asked Slate. “They're marrying her. You gonna put up with that?”
Slate considered this.
“Feel free to back out,” Darc smiled smugly. “Because Elaria's not going to back out of our wedding.”
“Darc,” I said with a sigh.
“No!” Darc slashed his hand. “We've been searching for you for weeks; all of us driven nearly mad with fear for you. Then we hear that your throat is cut and you're bleeding out in the dirt. We rush here to save you, only to find that not only are you healed, but you're also in the arms of a naked man. The man who imprisoned you in the first place! On top of that, the RS is alive and wants to add this man to her collection! And we have to accept it because if we don't we'll have to watch you die and possibly even die ourselves.”
“I'm sorry, Darc,” I whispered. “I'd get you free of this if I could.”
“My sweet fire.” Darc pulled me up and into his embrace. “I don't want to be free of you. I would do anything for you. Even this. But you must remember that I have needs as well. That we all do. And right now, I need to have you home. Safe. Surrounded by a fucking army of Shining Ones. Can you understand that?”
“Yes.” I hugged him tightly. “Of course, I do.”
“This is such bullshit,” Binx muttered.
Darc tensed and my other lovers started to growl, but before any of them could do anything, Slate's fist shot out and slammed into Binx's face. Binx crumpled off his seat and landed in a heap on the stone floor. Slate crossed his arms and gave the other men a crisp nod. Problem handled.
I started laughing; just a small giggle. It was infectious and soon everyone—those still conscious—was laughing along with me.
“You're not so bad, gargoyle.” Gage gave Slate a slap on the back; pushing Slate forward ever so slightly with it.
Slightly but significantly. Slate nodded at Gage but also gave him a considering look. Slate didn't budge easily. But it also took more than brute strength to impress him. All you had to do was look at his comatose brother to know that.
“You ever fight in an arena?” Slate asked Gage.
I groaned. I should have known Slate wasn't sizing Gage up as competition; at least not for himself.
“The most dangerous arena in existence.” Gage grinned broadly. “Th Griffin Training Arena on Torr-Chathair. GTA for short.”
“Let me know if you ever want to get some training time in against other races,” Slate said. “You know how to reach me.”
“Speaking of reaching people.” Torin strode over to Slate. “I'll trade you.” He pulled a traveling stone and contact charm out of a pouch on his belt and held them out to Slate. “I gave Elaria those charms; I'd like her to have them back.”
Slate looked as if he might protest, but I caught his eye and gave him a beseeching look.
“I understand.” Slate slipped the chain with both charms on it off his neck and handed it to Torin; taking the other charms in exchange.
I hadn't realized Slate had been wearing them this entire time.
“Thank you,” Torin said stiffly.
Slate nodded and stood. “I have much to do. The Zone needs to be set back to rights and its civilians reassured that the danger has passed. And then there are my men; they'll need an explanation for all of this.” He waved his hand at us.
“I believe we're being dismissed,” Declan said with a smirk at Torin.
“I believe you're right,” Torin smirked back. “He's a cocky motherfucker, isn't he?”
“And I believe I'm taking the opportunity to leave with my fiance.” Banning snatched my hand. “See you suckers at home.”
Banning took me through the Veil; the sound of annoyed male voices chasing after us. One, in particular, stood out.
“Did the bloodsucker just call all of you suckers?” That would be Cerberus.
It would have been funny if I hadn't been planning to say goodbye to Slate.
“Banning!” I snapped as soon as we appeared in my bedroom in Kyanite Castle. “I wanted—”
“To have a passionate goodbye with your new lover?” Banning asked grimly. “Do you know what that would have done to the rest of us, Elaria?”
I deflated.
“Slate Devon just slithered his way into your arms and then berated us for things we'd been doing wrong. Honestly, he seems like a good enough guy. I'm sure that we'll get over our issues and accept him, but you need to give us a little time to do that, sweetheart.” Banning pulled me back into his arms. “And a little love.”
“Not just a little,” I whispered as I pulled his face down to mine.
We were still kissing when the other men appeared. They didn't say anything, just quietly joined us. Thankfully, the RS and Kyanite stayed quiet, even though I felt the power of the Rooster rolling through us; collecting her due.
In moments, I was naked and pressed between hard, muscled bodies. Tongues and teeth and hands on my skin; licking, biting, and grasping. Breath quickened with our rapid heartbeats. Pleasure rocketed through me. And then I was lying between and beneath them; loving eyes shining down on me. I held onto them as they emptied their fear and pain into me, and together we made those ugly emotions into something beautiful.
Cradled by my lovers' bodies, I cried out in ecstasy; hands and heart full of them.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The next morning, I woke to a pair of insistent hands and lips. I moaned into Darc's kiss, but he hushed me.
“Don't wake them.” Darc helped me out of bed carefully so as not to disturb the other occupants.
“What are—”
“Shh.”
Darcraxis led me out to the balcony; both of us naked. I didn't mind; no one was out yet. Even if they were, we were far above t
he courtyard and people rarely looked up. Sunrise was just starting to tint the horizon pink; a few stars still fighting against the greater light of the Sun. I breathed in the sparkling air and shivered in the morning chill. The Zone had smelled fresh, but there was nothing like the pure air of Tír na nÓg. The crisp morning wasn't warm enough to lift the scent of tropical blooms to me; it was simply clean. Invigorating. It began to wake me up just as Darc intended. And then he brought me the rest of the way.
His warm hands slid up my back and pushed me gently forward until I was bent over the kyanite railing. I looked over my shoulder at him and sighed. Darc was larger than life; a god stuffed into a man's body. And what a body it was. Broad shoulders wrapped in muscles. Sculpted chest. Bulging biceps. His hands spread over my ass and then down; easing my legs apart. I watched him hungrily. The night had been glorious, but I had missed my lovers and one-on-one time was far more important to me than having them all together at once. I needed this connection; just him and me.
Darc's chest rose and fell with his aroused breaths as he took his shaft in hand and slid it into me. With the first slick stretch, I groaned in pleasure. He went slowly; teasing me with shallow thrusts that went deeper each time until he was in to the hilt. His pelvis pressed against my ass until my belly was tight against the railing and my torso hung out into open air. Only then did Darc reach forward and take hold of my breasts. Possessively, he began to shove himself into me with determined strokes.
“My fire,” his words were as soft as the sunshine starting to warm my skin. “My light, I've missed you. I...” Darc groaned and folded himself over me. “I feared for you. As I did before. It is such a crippling feeling.”
“Darc.” I angled my arm back and slid my hand through his hair; using it to pull his lips to mine. I kissed him and then said, “I was afraid too. But I'm home now. I'm here.”
“Here on the world we made,” Darc said it fiercely; as if I needed the reminder of who we were to each other. “Living the life we've chosen and facing all of its obstacles together.”
“You knew it wouldn't be easy.”
“I never wanted easy,” he murmured in my ear. “Just you.”
“You have me. Always.”
Darc's face pressed tightly against my cheek. “Convince me.”
“I love you.” I pressed back into him. “You are my dark god. But you are also my light.”
Darc growled in satisfaction and his thrusts quickened. He pulled me up so I could brace my hands against the railing and push back into him more forcefully. The slam of our hips brought savage sounds to our throats, and soon, we were both crying out in completion; our voices echoing out over Kyanite.
Darc sighed happily and laid himself over me. “I love you too, Elaria.”
“Well, that was a lovely sight to wake up to,” Declan murmured from the doorway. “Can it be my turn next?”
I was still shivering with aftershocks when the slippery feeling of Darc easing out of me was replaced with Declan's hard flesh. But Declan didn't want me like that. After a few thrusts, I was turned, lifted, and laid arching backward over the railing. Hands full of sunset hair, eyes full of sunrise sky, and body full of my shining one king; I started clenching and clawing my way back to that pleasured peak.
It was only the beginning. Each one of them had their time with me; pouring love and lust into my body and across my skin. I languished in a hedonistic haze of ecstasy; brought to such a heightened state of arousal that I couldn't think beyond the touch of their skin or the taste of them in my mouth. It never occurred to me that they were doing it on purpose; keeping me weary and euphoric. Every nerve in my body was stimulated until the barest brush of a finger had me moaning and reaching for them.
I didn't surface from my desire-fueled delirium for two days.
The third morning, I disentangled myself from my men and crept to the bathroom. Without my rapid healing, I knew I would have felt broken, swollen, and bruised, but instead, I felt incredible. I felt alive and loved and... guilty. I hadn't thought about Slate once. I'd been completely consumed by my lovers.
After seeing to my morning needs and splashing water on my face, I slid my contact charm in my ear and whispered Slate's name.
“Elaria?” Slate's voice was brusque; rough.
“Did I wake you?” I whispered.
“No.”
“Slate, I... how are you?”
A pause. It stretched out and made me start fidgeting with the gold chain.
“I'm adjusting,” he finally said. “We didn't get...”
“A chance to say goodbye,” I finished. “And they've kept me busy since I've returned. I'm sorry that I didn't contact you sooner.”
A mirthless chuckle. “I'll bet they have.”
“I don't know when I'll be able to—”
“I'm a grown man, Elaria; I know what I've gotten myself into,” Slate's voice was hard; it made my stomach clench. “I know you have responsibilities; as do I. Return when you're able.”
Gotten myself into. Wow; how romantic.
“Slate, I... Slate?”
He had cut the contact.
“Son of a bitch!” I hissed and yanked the charm out of my ear.
“Elaria?” Gage's voice came through the bathroom door. “You taking a shower? I'd like to join you if that's all right.”
“Sure, honey.” I dropped the chain with its two charms into a bathroom drawer and opened the door.
Gage stood there in all of his nude glory. No matter how many times I saw him like this, I never got used to it. Golden skin with the velvet softness of down stretched over an expanse of muscles that might have looked too bulky on any other man. But on Gage, it looked magnificent. I stared down the rippled plane of his abs to the thick rod rising only for me. I nearly dropped to my knees to worship it.
“Fuck me,” I whispered; this time, I meant it.
Gage grinned and stepped forward. He was the thickest of my men; a step away from being Binx, but it was an important step. The thought froze me; made me blink. Slate. I needed to fix things—
“Yes, Ma'am,” Gage's voice distracted me.
I tumbled back into delirium again.
Chapter Forty
“Enough!” I rolled away from the men who reached for me and scrambled out of bed on my hands and knees. “You are all very naughty boys!”
Five gorgeous men looked at me with varying degrees of wickedness. They had known exactly what they were doing, and they weren't done yet. As I watched, they all shifted slightly; muscles stretching, expressions softening, and flesh hardening. A feast of male flesh laid out before me. All of that delicious male beauty was mine and it took every ounce of my willpower to walk away from it.
“I'm not looking!” I cried as I hurried to my wardrobe.
I yanked out a pair of jeans—the harder to get off me, the better—underwear, and a thick sweater. I heard them grumbling and shifting behind me as I dressed.
“I want to check on Tessa today,” I called over my shoulder. “And I still need to go back to the Zone and—”
“Don't you dare speak his name.” Torin stood behind me; his hands sliding over my shoulders. He hadn't said it with anger, only a light warning. “We need more time, little bird. Will you give it to us?”
If he had said as a command or without that faint, undercurrent of anxiety, I may not have given in. But the look on his face cut me to the heart, and I knew I'd give Torin anything he needed to make it go away.
“All right,” I whispered; the fight seeping out of me as I went into his embrace.
Torin's arms clenched around me as if I might fly away; his little bird seeking another cage. That would never happen. No matter how much I wanted Slate, I had history with these men—with Torin—that no one could touch. Torin had been the first man that I had deeply, eternally fallen in love with. If he needed time, that's what he'd get.
“I love you, Tor, and I'll give you everything you need,” I said it into his chest; he still h
adn't released me. “But I really do want to check on Tessa.” I pushed out of his grip and looked at all of them. “If you wanted me to stay away from the Zone for awhile, all you had to do was ask. You didn't have to turn me into a nymphomaniac.”
Most of the men looked sheepish, but Declan groaned in disappointment.
“Does that mean that you're not a nymphomaniac?” Declan pouted.
I ignored him and went into the bathroom to fetch my necklace. I hoped that Slate hadn't been trying to call me while I'd been busy having wild sex with five men. With it in the drawer, and with me in the state they'd kept me in, I wouldn't have heard it chiming. And contact charms didn't have voicemail. I rubbed the barite cone absently after I slipped the chain over my head. It was the first time that I was anxious about a man calling. I felt like an idiot teenager.
“Why are you all just standing there? Get dressed,” I said to my naked lovers. “And put on something warm.”
They groaned and started pulling on their clothes.
Chapter Forty-One
The Sasq'et Community was overjoyed to see me. Cerberus had already been by to present them with the naga's skin and regale them with stories of our time in the Zone. The Sasq'et hadn't wanted the skin—not surprising—but they were grateful to Cerberus for bringing it to them. There was justice in that skin, and they deserved to see it; to hold it in their hands, even if only briefly. Cerberus took the naga skin home with him and had it made into a pair of boots; just as Slate suggested. I didn't tell the Sasq'ets about Cer's new shoes when I saw them. They were far too kind-hearted to savor the righteous satisfaction of knowing that the Hound of Hades was using the Shedder's skin to walk through the mud and muck.
They gave me a hero's welcome; putting on a huge party for my men and me. Not only had the murderer been killed, but Tessa had also been sent home safe and sound. They were beyond grateful.
“I thought we'd never see you again,” Fred murmured as he walked us through the village; toward Tessa's house. “When Cerberus went down.” He shook his head.
