by Heather Long
Pulling random books out, he listened for a snick or any sign that it was the mechanical trigger he needed. Zhan must have tipped out two full shelves of books—placing them back in, not tossing them on the ground—before Seth shoved him out of the way.
“All you have to do is grab the lip of the shelf and pull it out like you’re opening a door,” he huffed and Zhan grinned.
He’d forgotten how much fun it was to aggravate his brother.
The bookcase opened, revealing a darkened hallway. Other than the natural sunlight from the library, there wasn’t an ounce of light from the inside. Seth must have boarded up the windows at some point.
“Well, aren’t you going to lead the way?” Dahlia peered at him with her lustrous black eyes.
“Are you afraid?” A smirk curled one side of his mouth as he squeezed between her and Seth.
“No. But with such a short amount of time on my clock, also yes. Who knows if any strange monsters are lurking in there? It’s been deserted for so long, it’s musty.”
That little comment sobered him up, he loathed any reminder of how short her time with them would be. “Monsters aren’t real,” he tossed out as he entered the hallway. His room was a little farther down on the left. If Seth had left everything as it was, there would be matches and candles on the dresser by the door. Or he could tear off whatever boarded the windows.
“Um,” Dahlia called from behind him. “Angels are real, so I’m not discounting anything at this point. There’s probably a friendly neighborhood ghost around here somewhere.”
“We aren’t angels. How many times do we have to discuss this?” The irritation in Seth’s voice was gold, and Zhan took way too much entertainment from it. He’d always preferred to be the instigator, but Dahlia was better.
“Sure, okay. You aren’t angels. You’re just magical beings with wings that somehow have the power to extend my death. Or my life.”
Everyone was right on his heels when he threw his old door open. Little slivers of light shone through boards. Tearing off the boards it was.
Seth muttered under his breath, but Zhan didn’t catch it.
“Okay. Sure. I’ll take your word that you're not actually magical. You just have your grace that does magical things.” She snickered.
Thin wooden planks had been hammered in, but the nails were weak against Zhan’s strength. Easily ripping them off, he spun around to see what his brothers and Dahlia were doing.
His good mood plummeted when he was faced with Seth wrapped around Dahlia, wearing an expression that could only be described as an ecstatic grumpy cat. She had a way of making him happy and irritating the hell out of him all at the same time. And Dahlia was just soaking it up. Maybe too much as she wiggled against him and buried her nose in his chest.
Seth combed his fingers through her hair before tugging gently to tip her head back. “Is this what you want, my sweet? For them to stay? I can give you all the pleasure you can stand. They don’t need to be here for that. I can take you flying…”
Zhan frowned. Still, he wanted to push them out? He didn’t even try to hide the hope in his voice, the bastard.
“I don’t think you understand. A little oral is great, but hiding Pedro is so much more satisfying. For my last few weeks, this is definitely what I want.” Dahlia patted his chest as a consolation.
Halfway through her response, Seth jerked his head back. “Who the hell is Pedro?”
Giggling, she hopped up and kissed the underside of his jaw. “You’re Pedro. At least your dick is. And Tarus’ and Zhan’s.”
While his eyebrows kissed his hairline, he didn’t respond. Seth was probably trying to work out why a dick would be referred to as a Spanish man’s name, and Zhan enjoyed his reaction too much to explain it.
“Fine, fine.” Then Seth looked to him and Tarus, who was still by the door. “I think you can each stay in your old rooms, no need for you to be under my feet unless absolutely necessary.”
“No, brother. I don’t think that’s going to work.” Tarus slapped Seth hard enough that he bent forward. “Look at the state of this room. Dust is everywhere, and it’s a mess. This isn’t suitable for us. You wouldn’t ever ask another Keeper to stay here in this state.”
There was a light layer of dust over every available surface, but other than that, the room was pristine. Seth had definitely come in to clean before he boarded everything up. Maybe even periodically over the centuries.
Still, Zhan wasn’t about to point that out. Instead he said, “The bedding is dirty, and quite honestly, it looks like it’s ready to disintegrate. We cannot stay here.”
Crimson darkened Seth’s cheeks as he listened to each of their explanations of why they couldn’t stay in these slightly dusty rooms.
“And where do you think you’re going to sleep?” Frost chilled the air.
“With you, of course.” Zhan grinned. “Your bed is three times the size of ours. You always were extra like that. It would be a perfect fit. Even with our wings out.”
“No,” Seth gritted out, gripping the sheet around Dahlia so he could pull her closer into him.
“Brother, you must see the logic in this. Especially if we’re needed when you pleasure her.” The shit eating grin on Tarus’ face would have incited Seth’s fury if he had seen it. At this point, he seemed so frustrated with their pushing that he buried his nose in Dahlia’s hair, as if they would disappear while his attention was placed elsewhere.
“Dahlia.” Zhan took another chance and approached the couple. She turned her head to see him when he got close. “What are your thoughts on sharing a bed with us?” He ran a single finger over the apple of her cheek and shivered at the shock of electricity that traveled through him at the simple touch of skin.
Her eyes fluttered shut from pleasure. The beast inside him strained to be closer to her. This connection was what it craved. What it needed. She was so close, he could easily separate her from Seth and carry her away.
But he wouldn’t. At least not yet.
“You’re asking me if I want to spend sleepless, sexy nights in a big bed with three of the most gorgeous specimens I have ever laid eyes on? I don’t even think that’s a proper question.”
The compliment to his brothers scorched through him, but he worked hard to keep his beast tethered. He didn’t understand why she would look to other men. But Zhan also understood that this was the price he had to pay for failing her not once, but twice.
Breathing through this strange emotion, he caught Seth’s attention. “In case you’ve been so out of touch with humans that you didn’t understand that, she would like nothing more than to share a bed with the three of us.”
“If that’s what would make Dahlia happy.” His voice was so harsh, it must have taken all of Seth’s self-control to force the words out.
“Perfect!” Dahlia stepped back, clutching the sheet to her chest. “If that’s all, I’d like to take a shower, and you three should get reacquainted. You probably should be on good speaking terms before your swords start crossing.”
“What do our swords have to do with your shower?” Seth rubbed the bridge of his nose like this entire conversation had given him a torturous headache.
“Don’t worry, Zhan or Tarus can explain it to you.” She winked over her shoulder as she strutted toward the door. When she was just inside the doorframe, she turned. “And just for a little incentive…”
Then she unclenched her fist at her chest, and Zhan’s chin dropped to the floor as he waited for what he knew was coming.
It was a slow, tantalizing descent as the bedsheet slid over her form. First it revealed the tops of her lush breasts, then the pert tips of her nipples. It seemed like hours passed as he watched as every inch of her body was uncovered. Her trim waist, rounded hips, and the small triangle of midnight curls between her legs.
Her laugh was loud and boisterous as she sashayed out of sight.
Zhan tried to follow her, but Seth stopped him with a clenched fis
t to the chest.
Sighing, he turned to face his brother, ready for whatever he felt he needed to do.
Seth was the master cockblocker in more ways than one.
15
Three things I’ve learned. First, brothers are probably the most irritating creatures alive to each other, angels or not. Second, these ‘angels’ in particular seem to swing easily between proud as peacocks while showing off for me and driving each other crazy. Third? As adorable as they all can be, I’m going to die horny because despite sharing a bed, no one is touching me. - Dahlia
Dahlia
“What are you doing out here, Beauty?” Tarus’s honeyed-voice skated up my spine as he strolled out the open doors to where I’d been watching the sunrise with my coffee. Weirdly, I’d never been a morning person. Not even when I’d had to be a morning person for my job. Then I’d kind of been a morning hostage.
Today marked just over a week since I’d ‘died,’ and I woke before the sun, curled up against Seth’s chest on the far side of the bed from Tarus or Zhan. I slept with one giant angel-blocker between me and his brothers. Not that having one of his wings over me while I slept wasn’t comforting as hell or that he didn’t more than keep me warm.
Just…
“Watching the sun rise,” I told him, glancing back in time to catch him curling his fingers against the hard eight-pack of his abdomen. Scruff covered his cheeks. Angels woke up a lot like human men did, scruffy, rumpled, scratching at the occasional itch, and—I dipped my gaze to his groin—sporting some delicious morning wood.
Not that I got to do anything about it.
Assholes.
Facing forward again, I took another sip of the coffee and melancholy swarmed through me like I’d swallowed it instead of the rich brew they made here. Seth restocked the coffee. I’d have adored him for that alone.
“Ahh.” Tarus came to a stop next to me, and the brush of his wing against my back almost made me sigh. “You’re unhappy, Beauty.”
“Am I?” I kept my gaze on the distance though. Accepting their bullshit tale that they needed to be there or Seth couldn’t engage in any actual fucking without killing me or speeding up my clock hadn’t been as much of a challenge as I thought. Sure, the original goal had been to punish his brothers, or maybe that was the lie Seth told himself. Yet, he missed them. Something he couldn’t even admit to himself.
How did I know?
Because as funny as his thinking he’d done me in with his monster cock—oh, how I missed that cock—the first people he’d reached out to and brought in were the same brothers who had made him so angry. I don’t know what they discussed when I gave them a good look at my naked ass while leaving them in the long shut off rooms, but when I emerged from my shower, they weren’t in the bedroom.
After dressing, albeit reluctantly, I found the three of them in the kitchen of all places, preparing a meal. They weren’t talking but the air practically vibrated with all the things they hadn’t said. Yes, I’d agreed to all of this because I wanted to get laid. Fuck, how I wanted to get laid. It was like I was in heat or something. I’d never wanted anyone the way I wanted these guys.
Seth… I loved Seth, and inside, I could admit it. I loved every literal inch of him. I loved his stern looks. His puzzled frowns. Even his quick flaring temper when Tarus or Zhan flirted with me. Dude, they could flirt. The pair still irked me on some levels, but the attraction was definitely off the charts. Sometimes, I caught Zhan looking at me, and I swore he was picturing me all tied up, and I couldn’t help but imagine it, too. Tarus, on the other hand…oh boy.
Like now, he did these little touches, barely there and then gone again. The caresses with the back of his knuckles down my arm or, as he did now, with the feathers of his wing just grazing the bare skin of my back, and it would send tingles all over. I’d hang there, right at the precipice, like the kiss you never quite got.
It freaking sucked. I swore they were going to drive me mad. In my better moments, I accepted the price because it meant that Seth wouldn’t be alone when the inevitable came. Tarus and Zhan might have let me walk out of that bar with Alex to meet my fate or whatever. Seth fought for me.
He’d given me this chance.
He deserved happiness, and maybe this was how we did it, which was why, even if I wanted to climb Tarus like a pole, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t until it didn’t threaten Seth with an aneurism. I could do that much for him, even if all he would give me right now were cuddles.
They were some freaking awesome cuddles.
“Hey.” Tarus’ voice gentled even further as I leaned against the balcony wall. The breeze was still perfect, cool but not cold. The fresh air carried not even a trace of pollution. The weather here was the same every day, too. Perfect. It was an ideal place. “Beauty?”
Dragging my attention from the distance, I met his dark brown eyes with that subtle gray ring. I had to tilt my head. Of the three, he was the tallest and towered over me. Some people might find these huge guys—who seemed even bigger with their wings—intimidating. I didn’t. My mouth went dry as I searched his gaze.
“Tell me,” he commanded in a voice that also asked as much as it demanded.
That was an improvement.
“It’s just been a little over a week,” I told him, and shrugged. “I never used to look at the sunrise, it was too damn early in the morning and now…that might be one of the last ones I see, so I should make the most of it, you know?”
His expression darkened, or maybe it was just his eyes. When he glanced toward the horizon, I blew out a breath. Sometimes, Tarus stared right through me. Zhan, at least, could be playful. Tarus flirted with an intensity on a whole other level. Sober, darker, and edged, even when he seemed playful.
“And all we’ve done is linger here,” he said quietly.
I gave another shrug, more to feel his feathers tickle my back than anything else. I dressed in shorts and a halter top this morning. Yes, bare skin was on display, and while I was all for them working out their differences, I wanted more than just the walls of the apartment.
Though, the fact that they’d all started watching Cupcake Wars with me had been a moderate improvement. I’d had to turn off Nailed It after the unfortunate incident with the unicorn cake I’d admired and attempted to replicate. Zhan immediately wanted to help, then Tarus involved himself, and finally Seth joined all three of us in the kitchen. I didn’t even know grown men—angels, Keepers, whatever—could be so ridiculous in a cake making competition. The fact that there was still pink frosting on part of the light fixture entertained me though, and they had actually talked about something other than disappointing each other. I kept meaning to tell them about the frosting, it was kind of funny and marked progress, right?
Cutthroat Kitchen wasn’t much better, but when they argued about the contestants and the food choices, it was like they argued about something else entirely. The first day, it had been Tarus and Zhan versus Seth, and I’d waded in a couple of times. Fair was fair when it was two versus one. But on day two, Tarus and Zhan had taken a few shots at each other.
By day three, which had been the day before, their allegiances shifted. Who knew cooking shows could be therapeutic?
But that left me out here, staring at the sunrise and wondering if this would be my last good deed.
The silken tickle of his wing settled more firmly against my back as he looped an arm around my waist. Then I was leaning with my back pressed to his chest. Heat soaked right through me. He settled his chin against my head. Fingers stretched, he nudged up my shirt and settled his hands on my bare stomach.
A shiver raced right through me.
“What do you want to do today, Beauty? Tell me, and I’ll make it happen.”
“Fly maybe. Go explore this place. Go dancing for real. Maybe go to a bookstore that has books in a language I can read. Normal stuff, I guess, since I'm pretty sure getting fucked until I pass out again isn’t on the list.” The fact that I could say that with
out blushing amused me on a few levels. The heat spearing through me at the weight of his erection against my lower back and just brushing the top of my ass took care of the first round of giggles that tried to bubble up.
“Hmm,” Tarus murmured, and then shifted almost imperceptibly until he pressed his lips to my ear. “I could bend you over this balcony right here, spread you wide and take you for everyone to see. Would you like that?”
Fuck. Yes.
I groaned.
“Yes, I thought you might. The flimsy clothing you’re wearing could just tear away. Maybe I’d start here,” he whispered before biting down on my earlobe, and the pressure was sinful. The drag against his teeth seemed to resonate all the way to my clenching against nothing pussy. A sting followed the gentle suction. Some part of my mind registered that he’d bitten me, the rest of me just hummed.
He caressed his thumb in a circle around my belly button, and it wasn’t hard to imagine where else his hands could caress.
“Then I’d kiss my way to here.” He’d loosened his hold on me to slide a hand into my hair. He fisted it and then tugged. Oh, my whole scalp lit up, and I was suddenly back on that wall, tied immobile and riding Zhan’s thigh as Tarus pressed against my side. Then Tarus kissed his way down my throat. When he bit at my pulse point, the pain sent sparks through my system, and a little moan broke free.
“Yes,” he continued. “I’d work my way to these perfect breasts.” With purpose, he slid his hand under my shirt to cup one breast, and fuck, my nipples were already taut and waiting. One light teasing sweep of his thumb had me clenching my ass. It took everything I had not to grind back against him. “Sweet, pluckable nipples. You know what would look good on them?”
“Your mouth?” I asked almost lazily. If he kept teasing me, I was going to end up on a date with my hand, and I might just make them all watch.
“Hmm.” Another bite to my earlobe, then he closed his thumb and forefinger on one nipple so tightly, it stung and ached in the same instant. Pleasured pain held me captive. I had to set the coffee cup on the rail because my hands trembled. Just when I thought he’d release the nipple, he twisted it a little more, and I rose up on my toes. The languid heat in me had stretched taut, and he bit my shoulder as if to hold me still.
