To Noemi’s left was a sign pointing downhill, directing her to the train station. She started down the steep hill, confidence in her step. Once again, she reached for the amulet, touching the skin of her throat instead.
West. She needed to go west.
When she made it down to the station, she purchased a ticket to Glasgow, which lay directly west of Edinburgh. She’d know where to get off once she got there.
Chapter Five
“Would you look at this?”
Rion stretched and grinned, partly in reaction to Rex’s delight, partly in relief that their round-the-clock marathon of travel had finally come to an end. The Sidhe stood at the base of his property and gazed up at the croft on the gentle green slope.
It was exactly as they’d left it a century and a half ago. Even the ginger cat looked the same. Had it been caught in the web of magic, or was it a distant descendent of Rex’s old barn cat?
“I suppose we’ll have to see about putting in a road from the highway.” Rex sounded reluctant, and Rion understood why. A century ago this area had been remote and wild. Now it was laced with roadways and towns had sprung up like mushrooms. Above the forest, clouds traveled heavy and wet, ready to shower them with Scotland’s magical rain. This tiny place was a bit of heaven. Magic still lingered on the air.
“Just a track of some sort. Enough to drive up. We don’t really want to advertise that we’re here.”
Rex smiled and his tail stretched over to draw Rion closer. “Eventually this croft will be noticed again. Folks will wonder why they never realized what a lovely old wood grew along this way. The military will be particularly curious.” His voice was sad. Most of Scotland’s old-growth forests had been decimated during the wars of the twentieth century.
Rex’s forest still grew wild and untouched, frozen in time. It was a treasure beyond imagining. Rion wondered how many plants and animals lived here that were now extinct in the outside world.
Rex set down his bags and as Rion watched, the Sidhe breathed in, and became…more. His color intensified, his posture became taut with life. His aura whirled around his body in colors of green and gold and brilliant white light. He dropped the glamour and laughed in sheer delight. He picked up his bags again and started walking.
The croft seemed smaller, and as they passed the barn, Rion trailed his hand over the old pump. The orange cat leaped from a stack of hay that hadn’t decayed in all these years. It was as though they’d been gone a day rather than a century. They passed the old stone water trough and Rex bent slightly, trailing his fingers through the crystal clear water.
They climbed the path to the house and paused at the doorway, pushing the door inward. They hadn’t even locked it when they’d left. The hinges were quiet and well-oiled. The fragrance of lavender drifted out and Rex inhaled deeply. Rion stifled a gasp.
The bottle of oil they’d used the last time they’d made love here was exactly where they’d left it, sitting on the floor next to the bed that was built into the wall. The furniture was still lovely in its rough-hewn fashion, the bed rumpled from the last time they’d risen. They’d been in too much of a hurry to make it up.
“It’s as though we’d just walked out this morning,” Rion breathed. He’d known Rex’s enchantment would keep it hidden, but he hadn’t realized it would be so completely frozen in time. Where was the dust? The cobwebs?
“If you’ll get the fire, Rion, I’ll be gettin’ some water. We can get some porridge started.” Rex’s voice was thick with the emotion of the moment. Rion suspected he needed a few minutes to greet his old home in private.
They’d brought food, but Rex needed this. He needed to reconnect with his past. Rion found tinder and quickly started a small blaze, building it up with bits of dried peat. He went to the kitchen and rummaged around, finding oats, as fresh as if they’d just been delivered from the miller. He set them aside and found vegetables in the root cellar. He put those on the table and set out a still-sharp kitchen knife. Rex could live on oats, but Rion preferred to have other food as well.
The ghillie dubh hadn’t returned yet, so Rion sat on the edge of the bed, remembering the night he’d staggered in so long ago, covered with mud, nearly mute with confusion and fear. He remembered the morning he’d woken with a raging erection. In fear, he’d called Rex, who’d calmly taught him the facts of life.
This was the home of his birth and his childhood. This was where he’d learned to walk and talk as an adult, where he’d learned to love the whimsical man who’d been waiting to rescue him. They’d fled this house because of his fear, and Rex had never questioned him. He’d never resented Rion’s unreasonable panic.
Over a century of running, and he’d been fleeing the woman he’d once loved more than his life. He didn’t remember that time anymore, but the love was still there in his heart. So was the irony of the situation.
Rion rested his head on his knees and let the long pent-up tears flow.
* * * *
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Noemi wiped the sweat from her forehead and shielded her eyes from the sun. The voice had a thick Scot’s brogue that caused her heart to leap. Up there, at the crest of an old stone barn, she saw the outline of something magical.
“Rex?”
“Aye, lass.”
She swayed in fatigue, wondering if she’d begun to hallucinate. Surely Rex wasn’t sitting on the thatched roof of a barn? Noemi had taken the train west, and gotten off at a small station, switching to a northbound train. She’d had little to eat, and the hike… Well, she’d not expected it to take so long. She was hallucinating.
But she wasn’t. Rex stood, extended his wings, and glided easily through the air till he landed lightly at her side. “Ah, Anahita. You’re home now.” He wiped a tear trickling down her cheek. “You’ve had us in a world of worry.”
“How’d you know to meet me here?” She looked in wonder at the picturesque little croft. She hadn’t seen a thatched roof in ages. Flowers defied the climate and grew rampantly up the walls of the little house. Outside the barn, pens and green fields were forlorn, empty of the sheep that should be grazing. A cat sat on a fence rail, watching her with an enigmatic gaze that seemed as old as the land.
Something caressed her ankle. Looking down, she saw Rex’s magnificent tail, stroking her with tentative affection. “I sure could have used your company a few days ago. Nearly wore Rion out. I think the single time we had together made me need you more than I ever have, lass. I’m an addict. You’re my drug.”
He held out a hand and she clasped it, feeling strength and power flowing through every cell of his body. He was feeding her, simply by touch. Clearly she was addicted to him as well. She sighed and leaned forward, resting her forehead against his.
“Rion?”
He nodded. “He’s here too. He’s put a brave face on it, always trying to be the strong one. I told him, you know—who you are—but I think he always knew.”
She blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears. “When I was asleep in the motel, you were in my mind. It was like the warmest dream I’d ever had. But after you left, she came.”
“Carly?”
She nodded.
“She hurt you badly. I’m so sorry, Noemi. So sorry for everything.”
The brilliant smile had left his eyes and in its place were grief and guilt and love so deep she couldn’t fathom it. Then his arms were around her, his body shaking with emotion.
“It wasn’t your fault, Rex. Not at all.”
“I should have known, Noemi. I’ve known Carly all my life and had no idea she was so close to the edge.” He held her at arm’s length, looking down into her face. This time, she wiped the tears from his nut-brown cheeks. She leaned into him, settling a kiss on his smiling lips.
She whispered in his ear, “I have wings, Rex. I don’t know if I can fly, but when Anahita and I came together, my wings returned.”
“Oh, Noemi.” He hugged her tightly. “I can’t wait
to see. I can’t wait to fly with you.” He clasped her hand. “We have so much to talk about. But we need to do it together. All of us.”
She nodded, starting the final walk up the hill. Her legs were weary and when Rex scooped her up into his arms, she didn’t protest. When they levitated over the ground, she laughed.
“I’m too heavy for you to carry like this.”
He pressed a kiss on her forehead. “Light as a feather, Noemi.” And in truth, it appeared he had no problem flying her up the gentle slope.
“This is your home?”
“Aye. It’s been too long since I’ve been here. Later, I’ll go to the forest for a time and talk to the trees. They’ve missed me. I need to apologize for leaving.”
She smiled against his throat. She had no doubt that’s exactly what he’d do.
He settled her lightly on the front porch. “It’s a bit old-fashioned. I think Rion will appreciate indoor plumbing…” The door swung open and she was wrapped in magic. It was magic born of great power and even greater love. Rion was seated on the edge of a bed nestled into an alcove in the plastered wall. His eyes were red with tears, strands of hair clung to his cheeks. In a flash, she was at his side.
Looking into his fathomless blue eyes, she remembered everything. She remembered the first time they’d kissed, and the wedding that had been the biggest social event in memory. She remembered Azrael standing with Kokabiel, his ebony hair floating on the light breeze that always drifted through the great halls of the Ministry.
She remembered him. Her husband. God’s Star.
“Kokabiel.” She was on her knees, looking up at the face of the man she’d fallen in love with twice. “I’m here.”
“Noemi.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Anahita?”
Hope speared through her heart, hope that he’d remember those same things Anahita had given back to her. Hope died as she gazed into his face.
“I don’t remember.” Worlds of grief lived in those blue eyes. “My first memories… They’re here. In this little house.”
She cupped his face in her hands. “That’s okay, Rion. I’ll remember for both of us. All of it.”
Behind her, Rex moved softly, sitting on the bed next to the angel. He wrapped his arms around broad shoulders, kissing the side of Rion’s neck. “No more tears now. Either of you.”
She sniffed and gave a little laugh, gazing around the homely interior of the croft house. It was quaint and charming, and much, much too small for three.
She looked up into the faces of her men.
“We’re going to need a bigger bed.”
Rion gave a sudden laugh, reaching down to pull her to her feet. When they fell backward into the cavern-like space, she fell squarely in the middle, just as she ought to. Rex’s hand on her thigh was a tickling, tempting reminder of what she needed.
“Are you hungry, lass?”
She sat up, allowing her red-gold glow to fill the tiny space.
“Yes, but food can wait.”
Chapter Six
She knelt, suddenly so needy, desperate for their touch, and for that indefinable something Anahita had been starving for. Wordlessly, she straddled their inner thighs, urging them closer together.
“You glow like an angel.”
“She has wings too.” Rex reached over, draping his arm over the top of Rion’s head. Their easy intimacy made her throat tighten.
“They’re black, like my brother’s wings.” She didn’t mention that long ago her wings had been the same silvery white as Kokabiel’s. Her second Fall had been a true fall from grace, thus her wings had turned black, just as it had molded a new woman from the ashes of Anahita.
She looked at them. They’d already shed their clothing and now waited for her. Rion’s pale form was the perfection of a Greek statue, pale and exquisite, and the ivory length of his cock was rising from the deep red of his pubic hair. Next to him, Rex was equally perfect, though different. His cock was darker, a bit wider, and the head was flushed with arousal. His tail roamed their bodies, stroking Rion’s thigh, moving up to fumble with her clothing. She suddenly wondered if he could undress her using only his tail.
“Noemi, watch what happens when I do this…” Rion rolled to his side, catching the pointed tip of Rex’s ear between his lips. The Sidhe cursed softly, hands digging into the coarse linen of the bedding. His cock had grown so heavy that it rested on his belly.
“Now grab his tail gently and stroke…”
She followed his instruction, breaking into a smile as Rex shuddered with abandon, pre-cum shining at the tip of his cockhead. He groaned, his belly shuddered and his hips came up involuntarily.
“Noemi, I’ll be sharing his secrets too…just as soon as I can move…” he gasped.
She already knew some of Rion’s secrets. There wasn’t space in the alcove for his wings, which were exceptionally erotic. Yet she knew Rion went limp with pleasure when she licked the back of his knee, so she did that, drawing it out as his eyes went wide and his skin pebbled with pleasure.
“How’d you do that?” Rex was leaning up on his elbows, watching her.
“He’s very tender there. And watch this…” She scooted lower, settling his foot between her breasts. Both men looked slightly dazed with anticipation. When she drew his big toe into her mouth he groaned, his cock jerking fully into hard, fast erection. She kissed the instep of his foot, then treated Rex to the same treatment.
“Oh shit.” Rex dropped back onto his pillow. “Get naked, woman.”
“Not yet.” They were hers to play with. Hers to love. She crawled up their bodies, allowing a button to come open on her blouse. Rex’s tail was busily working at her shirt, pulling it loose from her pants. When she bent down and drew his cock into her mouth, the tail dropped to the mattress with a thud. With her right hand, she clasped Rion’s cock, gently stroking his length.
She explored with her tongue, dropping kisses on their tender ball sacs, wandering with her fingers and her mouth. She dragged her hair over their bodies, smiling when Rex clasped her head, holding it in place at his groin. At the same time, Rion clutched her hair in his fist, dragging it over his skin with a sigh of pleasure.
She wanted them to climax. Anahita wanted to bathe in the glow of their orgasms as though it was a shower of energy. She pumped, she sucked and she traded off, laughing as their hips thrust and jerked. In frustration, they blindly sought and found one another’s mouths, kissing with lips and tongues and teeth.
Their cocks pressed together and Noemi lowered her head again, feeling them shudder as her tongue fluttered over their cockheads. She squeezed their shafts in her hands, licking and pumping, making them slick with her saliva and their own moisture.
She tasted them… Air and water and earth. They were life. They were her life.
When they came, the men came together, so completely in tune that it was second nature. She watched in delight as their seed burst and mingled over her fingers and onto the skin of their bellies. Anahita bathed in the glow of the climax and at once Noemi felt better, more energized than she had felt since the last time the three of them had made love.
Moisture soaked her panties, and when the men undressed her with trembling hands, she didn’t protest. She was drunk with their essence. Rion’s sweet mouth covered hers, his tongue stroked the seam of her lips, teasing her to open.
Rex zeroed in on her throat, kissing, suckling, and no doubt leaving his mark for anyone to see. He trembled in his eagerness. The wild sexual energy whirling around them told her his heat had not been sated but had merely gone dormant, waiting for her touch to awaken it.
He was at her breast, sucking hard, and her knees drew up in reaction to the mind-numbing connection of nerves firing all over her body. His tail wrapped around her leg, stroking, landing the occasional sharp slap over her sensitive skin.
Anahita was in mindless, writhing ecstasy. There had been so many years of needing, but satisfaction always hover
ed just out of her reach. She reveled in the discovery of touch. Rex’s tail tapped lightly over her mons and she bucked, nearly coming with just that gentle stimulation.
Rion moved from her mouth. He traveled below Rex, and without warning, latched onto her clit, sucking hard, leaving that spot only to lick up the juices flowing from her pussy. She writhed, clutching dark curls in one hand, silken red in the other.
“Make her come, Rion.” Rex’s voice was hoarse with need. He latched down onto her nipple, his fingers pinching the other. At the exact same moment, Rion sucked her clit, and something slender glided into the slick folds of her body, working its way inside till it curled and pressed into that incredible, wonderful spot with a sensation that made Noemi arch off the bed. She stopped breathing and froze, unable to make a sound as her body went tight. White stars burst within her vision and she was free, her hips pumping, her fists clenching hair, and her scream echoed through the tiny croft.
The spasms held her for endless moments, finally spilling her weak and boneless onto the mattress, the weight of two heads holding her pinned into place. Noemi groaned, and swore she’d never move from this place and from these men, ever again.
* * * *
“Did we break her?” Rex knelt next to Noemi, studying her and stifling a smile.
The bed creaked and Noemi opened one eye. She was still panting, and eventually managed to lift the other eyelid. Her pretty lips curved in a lopsided smile and she gave them a thumbs-up.
“Not broken.” Rion’s husky voice held a bit of a laugh. “She might be a little bent, though.”
“Definitely twisted. That’s good, because I’m not finished with our little succubus.” Rex sat back, hungrily imagining their next move. His cock was hard, snapped tight to his belly. He’d long since passed want as far as Noemi was concerned. He’d now arrived at need. He needed to bury his cock into the wet depths of her body, he needed to pound his way into a brutal orgasm, spilling his seed onto fertile soil.
Heaven Page 6
