by Eva Brandt
Of course, it was awkward now that Jared was present too, but I focused on Selene, on what she wanted. And as she relaxed in my arms, I found it strangely easy to forget about that discomfort.
When she melted against my chest, for the first time in months, I felt like I could breathe. It was the air in her lungs that gave me life, when everything else was suffocating me. The concept might have made no biological sense, but it was the only thing that reassured me, that kept me going.
We couldn’t take things further on the floor, so I picked her up and headed toward her bedroom. We shared an apartment by necessity, because none of us had been willing to leave Selene’s side while we were in the Apsid Quasar. Even so, we’d never been in her quarters, respecting her privacy.
Now that we were here, it seemed foolish that we’d waited for so long to come in the first place. Because the moment I set Selene down on the bed, the feeling of rightness I’d been missing for the past couple of months finally returned.
As we joined Selene, we threw aside all of our misgivings in favor of more practical matters—getting one another naked. It was a little more complicated than it used to be, since Jared was there too and we couldn’t exclude him. But in the end, Jared solved that problem himself. It was pretty useful to be an apsid, because with a thought, he managed to summon a burst of power that carbonized all of our clothing.
I had no idea how he’d managed to do that without scorching our skin too, but this was the Apsid Quasar, and even before, he’d proven he could manipulate the energies here to do whatever the hell he wanted. At this point, I didn’t care anymore. All I wanted was to stop thinking for a few hours, to stop hating, to stop being afraid, and to just let myself love.
The others must have agreed with me, because the shadow of their resentment faded. Knox hugged a now naked Selene from behind and kissed Selene’s neck. “Tell me you want this. Tell me you want us.”
“I… I do. I’m not sure about anything else, but I do want this. I want us to work.”
My heart hurt, because I knew the chances of that happening weren’t very high. I suspected she knew it too, but like me, she didn’t want to think about it. And when Knox met Brendan’s eyes, a switch seemed to flip.
Fire exploded around us, tachyons and photons dancing around our bodies in a wild array of power and need. Knox’s hands grew claws. Scales sprouted over Brendan’s body and my own. The abyss of the quasar burned inside Jared and August. And Selene… When I met her eyes, I saw something deep and ancient. Archibald had told me his interest in her was because of the child she carried, not Selene herself, but I knew then that he hadn’t been truthful.
Desperate to wipe that thought out of my head, I crushed my mouth to Selene’s. This time, our kiss was very different from before. She stabbed her hands through my hair, moaning, clutching my locks so tightly my scalp hurt.
As I pulled Selene into my lap, August’s hot hand landed on my thigh. Power vibrated through every cell of my body, into my bones, reaching Selene through our point of contact. She let out a small, muffled moan, but I didn’t let it get to me. Instead, I reached between her legs to play with her folds.
She was already so wet, and oh, Tartarus help me, I’d missed this so much. I’d missed her, and I wondered how the fuck I hadn’t lost my sanity completely when I’d been deprived of her for months on end.
Just sliding one finger inside her almost made me lose control. She bit my lower lip, her pussy instinctively clenching around my digit. She was tighter than I remembered, which was unsurprising considering that we hadn’t been together in what felt like ages. But in every other way, it was exactly the same, just as sweet and intense as it had always been.
Selene pressed her breasts against my chest and I threw all caution out the window. My mind burned with need, and my thoughts rotated around one concept and one concept alone—having her.
Pushing her back, I tumbled her onto the bed with her legs spread. I buried my face between her thighs, licking over her wet folds, reveling in the taste of her juices. Without me kissing her, I could now hear her beautiful cries and it was everything I’d hoped for and more.
“Pollux… Oh, please…”
The sound of my name on her lips was like a physical caress that went straight to my cock. Unfortunately, I was robbed of it mere seconds later, because Jared decided he had a claim to her mouth. I couldn’t blame him for it, and as he kissed her, I thrust my tongue deeper into her pussy.
She moved against me, fucking my face, clutching the sheets, flailing, so full of life and vibrant. It was almost as if all these months we’d been apart had been completely wiped aside and we were back to being together, happy, the way we should have always been.
Brendan’s hands landed on Selene’s breasts, kneading and caressing. Her chest had grown again because of her pregnancy, and more than once, I’d wanted to touch her, to see if she was more sensitive now than before. Brendan did it in my stead. From my angle, I couldn’t see what he was doing, but I could feel her response, the way she was enjoying his touch. She moaned into Jared’s kiss, and the heat she emanated became even more intense.
If we hadn’t been in the Apsid Quasar and guarded by Tartarus’s power, we might have burst into flames. At this point, I wouldn’t have minded it that much, as long as it meant being with Selene again.
I was so tempted to caress the sweet swell of her belly. Even if the child growing inside her wasn’t mine, I still loved it. Selene was so utterly beautiful like this, like a fertility goddess fallen straight of a myth, a depiction of Gaia herself.
Need surged through me, hot and bright. I thrust my fingers into her clenching channel and sucked on her clit. Tachyons traveled through my flesh, into hers, and just like that, she tumbled into an explosive orgasm. Jared pulled away just in time to let me hear her cries. “Oh… Yes… Yes!”
It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. As she shook and convulsed through the waves of her climax, I lifted my head and pulled her upright into my arms. In one single thrust, I buried my cock into her pussy.
Selene let out a choked noise of surprise, overwhelmed by the sensation of being penetrated. But we weren’t done, not done my far. I leaned back, giving the others access to her body.
Another cock slid into her pussy, right next to mine. It was a tight fit, but August and I had always been in perfect sync with one another. It worked for us.
Selene lost all coherence. As we moved in and out of her, she abandoned herself to us, allowing us to do whatever we wanted with her body. Whimpers and sobs of pleasure escaped her sweet lips. And in the end, even those disappeared when Knox took hold of her hair and directed her head to his cock.
It wasn’t as forcible as it had been in the past. We were more careful with her, mindful not to hurt her because of her pregnancy. But even so, Selene instinctively sucked, greedily taking in Knox’s shaft, hollowing her cheeks as she shared her pleasure with him.
The power of Gaia and Tartarus mingled in her bloodstream, echoing inside me, inside all of us. She was like a star stolen from our galaxy, and she was mine.
Kissing her once again, I thrust inside her one more time and came. August followed me over the edge and Selene trembled in our arms as she absorbed the energy we emanated.
I didn’t know how Knox managed to hold back, but he did. His body was starting to look lupine again, his features a little more angular, and his nose flatter. But he didn’t come and he didn’t stop fucking Selene’s mouth.
I took one look over August’s shoulder and knew what he wanted.
August pulled out of Selene and Brendan took his place. I silently handed her over to him. It was different between them, because the shadow of resentment still lingered over them. But like me, they’d decided to change that. Brendan and Knox looked at each other over Selene’s shoulder. Then, Brendan leaned over and brushed his lips over Knox’s. It was almost a peck, nothing that special, and yet it meant a lot.
With Jared, it was even more complex. We’d
almost lost her once to him. But his affection for her was genuine. I didn’t fully understand it, but I wasn’t a Heliad, so I wasn’t supposed to.
For what it was worth, our lives were entwined now, so when Knox turned toward Jared and unexpectedly bit his neck, no one was surprised. Except maybe Selene. She let out a little choked noise, as if she was taken aback by this development. But if she’d wanted to ask anything, she changed her mind when Brendan slid into her pussy.
“Shh. We’ll take care of you. We’ll be together. You’ll see.”
In his strong hold, she calmed down. Dazed from her previous orgasm, she was completely at his mercy. She couldn’t even protest when Knox slid his cock into her ass.
With next to no preparation, it should have hurt, but it didn’t. They moved slowly and she embraced every second of it. And when Jared popped up within her view, his cock pointing accusingly at her mouth, she easily sucked him in.
She was a vision of beauty and lust. Her skin seemed to glow from within. I’d heard stories that pregnant women were supposed to look like that, but my experience with other women had led me to believe it was a false rumor.
Then again, Selene challenged everything and anything I’d always deemed true. That was exactly why five different men were able to love her and come together like this, for her sake.
August and I didn’t have a lot of room to reach for her and we couldn’t risk using our powers too much, not when she was like this. We still stayed close, caressing her sides, teasing her breasts, sliding our hands over every inch of exposed skin. At the same time, we jacked ourselves off, and she took pleasure in that touch. Even if Sphinx was gone, Selene’s telepathic abilities had not faded, and she could still feel us.
The pace was gentle, almost lazy, but for us, it was right. And when she came again, she cried out around Jared’s cock, and tears streamed down her face. It was an explosion of rapture and emotion that rushed over us like a supernova. Semen landed all over her face, in her hair, on her back, as Jared, August and I followed her over the edge. Brendan and Knox buried their cocks inside her one last time and filled her with their seed.
Spent, we collapsed together on the bed, in an exhausted pile. Brendan recovered first, at least a little. “I’m sorry,” he murmured into Selene’s hair. “I’m sorry for everything.”
“Don’t apologize,” Selene replied. “None of this is your fault.”
Jared opened his mouth, clearly intending to take the blame for the whole debacle too. Selene had other ideas. “No. Don’t say anything. I don’t want any regrets between us. This… This burden didn’t come to us just because we made mistakes. Commander Trevor was right. We’re not enemies here, and this would have happened no matter what. We did our best with the information we had at the time.”
“I’m not sure that’s true, Selene, but I suppose it’s too late now to take it back,” August said.
“It is,” Knox offered with a nod. “We have to move forward now, to get our family back.”
“We will,” Selene promised. “The Grand Judiciary isn’t the only one who can control chimeras, remember? We still have an advantage on our side.”
There was a dark tone in her voice, something I didn’t like. I squeezed her harder in my arms and kissed her temple.
I didn’t want that advantage to be her. I didn’t want her to have to do anything that would endanger her. But unfortunately, we might not have a choice.
* * *
Selene
“Breathe, Selene. Come on, breathe with me. You’re very close now.”
I gritted my teeth, fire dancing at my fingertips as I struggled to not blast away the idiot who was by my side. I failed, but when my power hit Jared, it dissipated harmlessly. “Fuck you!” I screamed. “You had no right to do this to me.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Breathe. I promise you it’ll hurt less.”
Somehow, I doubted that. The contractions had started almost an hour ago and since then, I’d been in constant pain. Even so, I tried to listen to him. He was the apsid—the Heliad—here, and this was a Heliad pregnancy. He might be right.
I inhaled and exhaled, and the familiar scent of flowers filled my nostrils. My head started to spin and the pain dimmed. “There you go,” the apsid healer who was tending to me said encouragingly. “You’re doing so much better. Go on.”
Those flowers… They were the same plants that had once caused me to fall straight into Jared’s arms. They should have made me wary. But their smell was different today, relaxing, and I let it envelop me in a comforting embrace.
It wasn’t powerful enough to completely save me from the agony of childbirth, but it helped. I screamed, pushed, and struggled, but in the end, I persevered and succeeded.
After what seemed like forever, the sound of a baby’s cry filled the medical room. I slumped down on the bed, feeling utterly drained and so empty.
That emptiness had been growing for a while now and I’d tried to fill it with sex and with thinking about my child. But now that the baby was gone, I could feel it even more, clawing at my center, making me want to scream.
“Selene? Are you all right? How do you feel?”
Jared was holding our child and shooting me a concerned look. I had no real answer for him, at least, not one I could vocalize, so I stayed silent.
“Do you want to see him?” Jared tried again.
I did. Gaia help me, I did. But at the same time, I didn’t. That small bundle in Jared’s arms was my child and I loved him. But he was also an obstacle in my path, keeping me from what I needed to do.
Over the last couple of months, my main goal had been to protect my child. That was why I’d fought so hard to escape King Philip. That was why we were here. But the protection I could offer him came with other duties, with something I could no longer ignore.
“Have you named your son, Lady Selene?” the healer asked.
“Nestor,” I offered. The word held far more weight than she’d ever know.
The emptiness surged and I forced myself to stand. My knees shook and my legs almost failed me, but only for a second. My strength returned and I straightened my back, ready for the unavoidable confrontation.
“Lady Selene, what are you doing?” the healer screeched. “You shouldn’t be upright, not now of all times.”
“I’m done with this. I have a job to finish, and I can’t accomplish it here, cradling a baby to my chest.”
“And why are you in a hurry, all of a sudden?” Jared asked. “You have time aplenty to go back to Terra.”
“I don’t, Jared. We might all pretend time hasn’t passed because we’re in the quasar, but we know that’s not true.”
It took me an embarrassing amount of time to get dressed. The healers fussed over me and Jared seemed torn between helping me and caring for Nestor. I shot him a sharp look, and that held him at bay. Finally, I walked out of the infirmary without looking back. Jared followed me, still holding the baby.
A headache started pulsing at the back of my skull. Didn’t Nestor need to be fed and cared for? Surely, Jared wouldn’t prioritize my decision over the life and well-being of the baby.
I must have said that out loud, because Jared decided to explain. “I’m prioritizing my family. Yes, Nestor needs nourishment, but he also needs you. I won’t bring him on the battlefield if that’s where you want to go. But you’re not gone yet.”
No, I supposed I wasn’t, and it was unreasonable and irresponsible of me to just dump the child in Jared’s arms without caring about what would happen. Where did that leave me?
I wanted to cry, because this was so unfair. I’d made my bed and my choice when I’d decided to keep the baby. This was all for his sake, but I was afraid that if I let myself cling to Nestor, I would be unable to fulfill my goals, to keep him safe.
Archibald Chimera intercepted us outside the infirmary. He had been waiting for this moment too. His eyes were covered again, but I knew he could sense my child.
“You’
ve done it, Selene. You’ve brought my son into the world.”
It could have allowed him to take the child. I didn’t completely trust Brendan’s uncle, but I did believe that he wanted to protect Nestor.
And yet, when I saw him reach for Nestor, something rebellious rose up inside me. “My son,” I corrected him, stepping between him and Jared.
Jared handed me the baby without me having to ask for him. Meanwhile, Archibald clenched his fists and scowled at me fiercely. “That child may carry your blood, but that doesn’t change his true ancestry.”
“You don’t own his soul, Medusa. He was born to me. If he remembers, I’ll respect your bond, but I expect you to do the same.”
“And what bond is that, Selene Renard? You want to give him away. You weren’t even looking at him until a moment ago.”
My head hurt. My body ached. I didn’t have the strength for this argument, not right now.
“Just leave me alone. I don’t need to explain myself to you. Nestor is my son and that’s final.”
I hadn’t discussed my child’s name with my lovers. They’d left it up to me, and I hadn’t been able to make a decision until the healer had asked. This particular choice felt right, though. Hopeful. It echoed my wish to have a home, a refuge, somewhere I could shelter this tiny being I’d carried inside me. If only that had been enough.
Fortunately, my lovers were there and ushered Archibald out without me having to force matters. I ended up dropping down on an ornate bench, with several sun spirits hovering around me in concern. My lovers watched me in silence as I cradled Nestor to my chest.
His eyes were like stars, and it would have been so easy to lose myself in them. But I couldn’t do it, just like I couldn’t stay by his side.
My body did produce what Nestor needed, so I ended up feeding my son right there, in the hallway outside the infirmary. He drank greedily, and a pang of grief swept over me when I processed that I’d rejected this before.
What was I supposed to do? I knew the logical way forward, but my heart hurt at the mere idea of having to leave him behind.
