Bonds of the Mazza

by Blake Blessing

  Fuck Nato. Not him too. It wasn’t his life and he didn’t get to force these kinds of decisions on me. I narrowed my eyes and imagined spitting fire out of my eyelids.

  “Issy girl,” Egan moved closer on the couch, taking my hand in his. His deep green eyes were so calming, I let go of some of the tension coiling around my heart. “You only have one bond left. You can pick Sage or you can pick Rand. You have a choice and we will support you on whatever you decide. But we need to have you protected. We need to protect each other by not bringing more attention to us than necessary. The way men react to you, that’s definitely attention.”

  Sage or Rand. It was my choice. Of course it was my fucking choice but Rand’s words echoed in my head. He couldn’t be my fourth. Or he didn’t want to. I guessed I wouldn’t ever know the truth unless I asked Yunez. But I was afraid what that would reveal if I picked at it. Who the hell was I kidding? Yunez probably knew my every thought before it popped in my head, the rat bastard.

  “Sage,” I stood and added an extra sway to my hips as I approached him on the loveseat. “I need to know your exact feelings for me. If we do this, I need to know what I’m getting into. What to expect. I don’t want my heart broken, and Sage, I think you could very easily break my heart.” My tongue was thick in my mouth as I laid out exactly what I needed from him.

  Rand’s words circled my mind again, but I refused to acknowledge them. There was no use bringing them up and I would never want Sage to feel like he was second best.

  Sage studied me, not giving anything away with his posture or his expression. He was completely relaxed and if I hadn’t come to know him so well, I would have thought he didn’t care at all. But I did know him, and I knew he cared. Or else he wouldn’t be fighting so hard.

  The question was, what was he fighting for—me or his family?

  His knees brushed mine as he stood, but I held my ground. He towered over me and I studied his face for any signs of his true feelings. Sage had such a sharp and commanding presence, it could almost rival Nato’s if he pushed it. The appeal was different for him, though. He was all masculine beauty and breathed an I don’t give a fuck attitude. Except for his morals and his family. Those were very important to him and he cared what they thought.

  “Isolde… From the moment you walked into our life I thought you were the beginning of the end for me. For my relationship with Lucia, the bond with my brothers. I thought it was all going to break apart.” Sage took a deep breath and spanned his fingers over my hips. “It took me about two days to realize that wasn’t how it was going to go down at all. It was the end of Lucia, but I didn’t love her like that anyway. It was more of a convenience than anything. I just get attached to people easily, I guess because of my childhood.” His fingers tightened the barest fraction.

  Sorrow for the lost little boy he was washed over me as I raised a hand to cup his jaw. The pull to gauge Nato’s and Egan’s expressions was fierce, but I kept my attention on Sage. If he was fine with them being here, then so was I. And he deserved all of my attention.

  “As for my brothers, I can see that their relationship isn’t broken, fighting and arguing over who gets to spend time with you. Instead they’re closer than ever before. It’s like they’re one unit, taking care of you, working toward saving Fennina.”

  “Hold up.” I held up my hand. He had me for a minute. I melted into a puddle of Mazza mush at his feet as he spoke—then he started into exactly what I feared. All that was important to him was the bond with his brothers and doing something heroic for his people.

  “Sage, you cannot tell me you want a tighter bond to your brothers and to be included in the plan to save Fennina, and expect me to want to bond with you.” I shoved at his chest.

  Egan and Nato sprang into position on either side of us, their eyes widening as they ping-ponged between Sage and me. It was almost comical how they were afraid to jump in.

  “That’s not what I meant, Isolde.” Sage snarled.

  He wanted to get angry. Fine, I was already there.

  “You know what. Fine, dandy. I’ll bond to you, because I have to. You obviously don’t have the kind of feelings I’m looking for, at least not for me, but I have three other bonds for that. Maybe someday you’ll learn to love me for who I am and not what I represent. But who knows when or if that day will ever get here.”

  “Rand has the bed so the only other room is the bathroom. Let’s go.” I locked onto his wrist, dragging him behind me. I was fuming, I didn’t care what this looked like to the others. Even to Sage, because frankly, he could go to hell.

  Rand still slept soundly. If it weren’t for the steady sound of his breathing I’d have been worried about him. Inside the bathroom the mirror was still foggy from our earlier shower, although the air was much cooler than before. It had to be a thin pane on the window.

  I held the door open, and once he was inside I flung it shut.

  “Undress.” I pulled the shift over my head and dropped my panties, watching him the entire time.

  He was frozen, like he wasn’t sure what to do or how to handle the situation.

  “Unless you know of a secret bonding trick that allows you to stay dressed, I’d suggest you lose them.” I tossed my bra onto my dress and panties. I was completely naked, waiting for his next move.

  Desire warred with anger in his eyes as his gaze slid down my body, catching on my pebbled nipples. When his eyes snapped back up, he bared his teeth.

  “Why don’t you be a good little boy and lie down. I can do all the work and you won’t even have to look at me.” I was furious and lashing out. It wasn’t fair to treat him this way, but I literally couldn’t stop. It felt too good as it soothed my wounded ego.

  “Fuck that,” Sage yanked his shirt off as it hit the mirror. His pants were next, revealing no underwear. His angry, turgid cock jutted toward me as he stalked closer. His body was a masterpiece. In any other setting I could have admitted that out loud. Right now though, there wasn’t a chance in hell I would tell him his body rivaled that of the Greek gods.

  His jaw ground so hard the noise was easily heard over my labored breathing.

  “Sage, what are you doing?” It came out all breathy and I wanted to smack a bitch. Only, I was the only bitch here.

  “Showing you exactly how much I want to watch you while we bond. Because I want to bond. You aren’t making me. And you can’t feed yourself those lies any more. I don’t know what crawled up your ass since I left, but it needs to stop now.” His words were hard and his eyes blazed.

  “Excuse me.” My hands smacked against his chest, trying to shove him away from me. He grunted and pushed closer.

  Sage grabbed my arms and lifted me off the floor, as he tossed me onto the pile of clothes we’d created, following me down.

  “Sage!” I screamed, flailing my arms and legs as I simultaneously try to roll away from him. “That hurt my ass, you jerk,” I seethed.

  He straddled my legs and pinned my arms over my head. The strength of his hold was unbreakable no matter how much I fought against him. As a last ditch effort I brought my leg up to knee him in the balls, but he squeezed my thighs together, effectively thwarting my movement.

  I opened my mouth to scream at him but he slammed his lips to mine, greedily sucking at my mouth before biting my lips, cheeks and chin.

  He widened his thighs and ground his hard length against me. It felt so good. I couldn’t believe it was Sage here with me, sexing me up like this.

  Kisses rained down on my face and neck and he lowered his body onto mine, spreading my thighs with a knee. Our bodies rolled together like the waves of the ocean as he surged against me. He wasn’t even hitting my clit, only sliding his body seductively over mine.

  A wave of heat flowed over my skin as he lined up the head of his cock and started to push inside. I was still slick from Egan so he had no trouble seating himself to the hilt. Frustration swelled as he stopped completely.

  I missed his heat as soon as
he backed away from me. Anticipation nipped at my skin, chasing the resentment from my mind as I met his half-lidded gaze. It was easy to get lost in the oblivion of lust when he owned me in this moment.

  Hushed voices filtered in through the closed door, bringing sound to the quiet room. As soon as I closed my eyes, rough hands seized my waist and he flipped me over to my stomach. The air was punched out of me as he landed on my back.

  “I changed my mind. I’ll take you this way.” He tangled his fingers in my hair and yanked my head back. His knees pressed against the outside of my thighs, effectively forcing my legs to stay together.

  “Sage,” I got out but he fiercely tugged on my hair. Tingles shot straight from my head to my core.

  Fuck, this was a completely different side of Sage. As much as I wanted to fight with him, this dominant streak turned me on. Never had I had a partner that treated me this way, but I loved it. I tried to lift my ass against him but his weight on my legs prevented any movement.

  “Shh. I want to take you like this.” His fingers trailed down my spine.

  “Fuck off,” I gritted my teeth, but the husky tone in my voice betrayed me. Revealed how much I wanted him. Wanted this.

  “I like you at my mercy, not able to do anything about it.”

  “Yeah, don’t get used to it. You have me now though. Make it good or you can kiss this sex with me goodbye.” I snarled the challenge. I wanted this—him. But dammit, his mixed signals threatened to drive me crazy and at this point, I was sexually frustrated and it was all his fault. He straight up pissed me off.

  “You make me so furious sometimes, Iss. This will be good for both of us.”

  “Yes, fuck. Get on with it then! What are you waiting on asshole?” Didn’t he understand I wanted him? All he had to do was reach out and claim me, but he hesitated. He always hesitated.

  His cock found my entrance and he slowly started to work himself inside me. Sage released my hair, caging me when he braced his forearms beside my head. There wasn’t a single piece of skin that wasn’t touching. He nuzzled the side of my head as he pulled out, then pushed back in.

  I was so wet, it was ridiculous.

  “This isn’t so bad, is it Iss?” He whispered in my ear as he kissed the side of my head.

  Unintelligible noises were the only sounds I could get out. What did he want me to say?

  He bottomed out in the next thrust with a deep, guttural groan in my ear.

  My eyes roll back from the intensity of this position. He was so deep, and I couldn’t move against him or with him. He rolled against me again, his hips tight against my ass.

  It felt so fucking good. The slow, sweet torture Sage inflicted on my body.

  This went on forever. The decadent pull and torturous push.

  “Faster,” I mumbled into my arms.

  “Faster, I can do that for you.” The sex in his voice seemed to twine around my clit, as it throbbed with every word.

  And he did. He picked up the pace, riding me into oblivion. Soon, I was falling and pulsing around him.

  He pulled my hair, tilting my head up. He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth and bit so hard he drew blood. I yelped as he continued to suck, somehow drawing out my orgasm. Then his tongue slid along my lip, easing the hurt and co-mingling our blood for the bond. I didn’t think I would be the kind of person to get off on a little pain and domination, but I couldn’t deny it was hot.

  Sage planted deep inside me, as his tongue danced with mine. His guttural groan rang around the room as he came. I dropped my head, taking in a deep, shattered breath. Sage’s fingers intertwined with mine as he rested his forehead on my arm, the air cooling rapidly around us.

  This was not the Sage I knew. He hadn’t moved like he didn’t want to be with me. He moved like he wanted me, like he owned me. I wanted to believe it was real and maybe he didn’t really mean the words he said earlier, but I was afraid. My heart was a fragile thing and I was scared it would shatter if I put my faith in the wrong man.

  Dreams of what life could be like with all of us happy crept into my thoughts, bringing an unwelcome longing. That kind of thinking would only lead to heartbreak.

  “That was—” I stopped. I didn’t want to share how it affected me.

  “That was pretty epic. Believe it or not—”

  Screams saturated the room as fire raced along my skin, singing all the hair on my head and arms. This was what it felt like to burn to death. My back bowed and Sage’s weight completely disappeared.

  I heard shouting but I couldn’t understand anything through the haze of acute pain. Somehow, I managed to curl into the fetal position but I had no recollection of it. After a while my panic started to dull with the pain, and I floated away on a cloud of nothingness.

  It wasn’t until an eternity later that I opened my eyes.

  Neon lights swirled around my head and body, separating me from the rest of the room. This cocoon of sorts grew lighter with every stinging throb that left me. My breathing came easier and I was able to stretch out my legs.

  The last tendril of torment evaporated and the light became one giant white moving cloud. It shimmered and glistened as if I was in a giant snow globe. The burning pain was gone completely and I felt like a completely new person.

  My fingers skimmed the surface and it surprised me when a cool foam-like substance licked up my hand. I laughed and sucked in a deep breath just to be in the moment.

  All too soon the white cloud dissipated, leaving me on the bed surrounded by four men. One of those men being Rand who was wide awake and frowning.

  Nato and Sage could have been marble statues, standing stiffly at the foot. Egan was the only one that moved by climbing up on the bed beside me.

  “Egan,” Nato warned.

  “You’re being ridiculous, Nato. She’s fine, look at her. If anything she’s glowing.” Egan slid an arm under my pillow and hooked a leg over my hips. I twisted my head to breathe him in, finding comfort and peace in the familiarity of him.

  “I feel wonderful,” I smiled into Egan’s neck, and laid my hand over his chest.

  “See? Nothing to worry about.” Smugness coated Egan’s word and I giggled.

  A deep sigh settled in the room and the mattress dipped behind me. An arm snaked over my waist and a body framed my back. I recognized Nato from the feel of his body on mine. I couldn’t believe how connected I was to them already.

  “You’re really not harmed in any way?” Nato’s breath fanned the hair at my nape.

  “No, for the first time since this all started, I feel a little bit of hope.” I wasn’t even sure why, I just felt lighter. Stronger, maybe? No that wasn’t it. I had the same strength. The only difference was the way I felt in my skin. I was more steady and calm. The longer I was awake, the more the painful episode on the floor seemed like a hazy dream. “What happened?”

  “Now that you’re bonded to all four Houses, we think that was you coming into your powers. I don’t think anyone realized how painful or sudden the change would be.” Melancholy leaked out of Rand’s words.

  “Does that mean I’ll get all of my powers now?” I probed the corners of my mind, searching for anything other, but everything seemed as it always had been.

  “Good question. No one really knows. Except Yunez, but he’s not here.” Egan chimed in, placing his hand over mine on his chest.

  “We can figure all of this out in a little bit. Egan and I are exhausted. We’re going to catch a nap while Sage and Rand guard the front. Right?” He pulled away and I could imagine the Nato glare he was shooting their way.

  “Of course, Sage and I would be glad to.”

  There was something slightly off about Rand’s voice, but I couldn’t pick out what it was. I stretched my neck to see if I could decipher what it was by looking at him, but he was already on his way toward the common area. He clapped Sage on the back to usher him through first.

  “I’d love to strip you down and give you exactly what you missed from the
se two. But I don’t think I can hold my eyes open any longer. Maybe when we wake up.” Nato finished on a yawn.

  With Nato tight to my back and Egan cuddling my front, sleep was the last thing I thought about. They were trying to tease me to death. I huffed and slid down into a better position and closed my eyes. Being all warm and toasty could make anyone tired.

  “The sun’s awake, doll. It’s time for you to get up.” Cabbie sang.

  I was still deliriously warm, wrapped up inside a luscious man burrito, but I at least mustered enough energy to peek out of one eye. There was Fab Cab in all his kimono glory, only this one was royal blue with little white buds stitched into it. He was way too cheery for my liking.

  Either something went really well while we were sleeping, or something went wrong and he couldn’t quite figure out how to tell us we were going to die. So he was beaming us to death with his smile instead.

  “Why the fuck should we get up? We’re still tired. It’s only been an hour since we laid down.” Egan growled from beside me.

  One hour? That wasn’t long at all, but I felt like I got at least ten hours of super comfy, beauty sleep.

  “It looks like there’s a group of Seva’s followers at the end of the street. They think they’re slick acting all nonchalant, but I recognize at least three of them as her past lovers.” He paused. “How odd for them to all be here together. Whatever turns her tap on, I guess.” Cabbie rolled his eyes.

  It was something bad, he hadn’t wanted to lead with that little snippet. I launched myself out of bed, throwing arms and legs off of me along the way. Man, I wondered if these guys slept with a body pillow before I came along. I mean, I loved the long pillow as much as the next person but I seriously doubted they could sleep next to me and not try to pin me to the bed with one of their limbs.

  “Nato, Egan. Wake up. We need to see what’s going on with these people and if it’s a real threat to Cabbie’s place.” I yelled at them as I landed on the floor.

  “Doll, I love you as much as I possibly can, but you need to cover the girls up. And I’m glad to see you clean your woman bits up. I always recommend it to all the Cherries. It could hurt their business otherwise.”