by Ivy Asher
Bastien looks up at me, and we watch each other as he moves lower down my body until his head hovers over my slick slit. It’s hot as fuck when he stares at me as he extends his tongue and takes a long lick, coating his mouth with my arousal. He wraps his massive arms around my thighs and hips, trapping me against his mouth and he starts to devour me. I gasp when he sucks my clit into his mouth, but I don’t drop my head back and get lost in the sensation, because watching Bastien bury his face in my pussy is a sight I want to remember.
I moan and encourage him when he hits the perfect combo of suction and pressure and an orgasm surges inside me, so close to tipping over the edge. I press his head against me and grind against his face trying to ride into my release, and he groans his encouragement. He nips my clit and shakes his head from side to side quickly, and sensation explodes through me as he pushes me over the edge and straight into an orgasm that has me moaning out his name and riding his face.
I pinch my own nipples as Bastien sucks on my pussy lips and then moves back up my body. I spread wide to accommodate his large muscular body, and he brings his elbows to rest on each side of my head. He kisses the runes on the top of my shoulder, and I feel his hardness line back up with me, and he thrusts deep inside of me. We both moan, and I run my hands up the muscles of his strong back as he pulls out and grinds back into me.
His lips take control of mine, and he swallows my desire as he increases his pace.
“Fuck, Bastien!” I shout when he pounds into me, and the sound of our skin slapping together echoes around the gym walls. He suddenly slows the punishing pace I was enjoying and trades it out for a slower deep thrust. He swirls his hips against me which hits my clit in this perfect way that has me begging for more.
“Come for me again, love,” he demands, grinding in and against me a few more times before a new orgasm rushes through me. I start to call out my release, and Bastien moves his arms underneath my knees, pushing them up by my shoulders. I ride the explosion of sensation shooting from my clit throughout the rest of my body, and then he rocks my fucking world when starts to pound into me, hard and fast from this new angle.
“Yes love, tighten around me, just like that! Yes, that feels so fucking good!”
I hold tight to Bastien’s biceps as he fucks me deep and hard, his pace and angle extending the orgasm he just gave me, and it all feels so incredible. His breaths grow ragged, and his moans and exclamations grow louder, his pace growing even more punishing inside of me until he suddenly stills, shouting his release as he comes inside of me. I’m just coming down from my orgasm, and my walls clench and constrict around his thick shaft, and he grunts his approval.
Bastien kisses me deeply, content to stay buried inside of me. He reaches a hand between us and circles my clit, and immediately it sets me off again. I arch into him, and he pinches a nipple between his fingers, still massaging my clit with his other hand. He whispers all kinds of things against my lips as I moan through another orgasm, telling me how beautiful I am, and how good I feel, how happy he is. I lose myself to his words and the sensations he’s coaxing from me, wishing somehow this would never end.
38
Why I do anything other than just stay in bed with my Chosen, or on gym mats like I currently am, I will never know. I run my hands through Bastien’s dark waves as he rests his head on my stomach, running his fingers leisurely over the various lines of runes on my body. I’m not sure how long it will take before the pain starts. I feel nervous for him, but he seems relaxed. There’s a calm and contentedness radiating from his every move right now.
“What made you change your mind about sex?” Bastien asks me, as he lazily traces the patterns of my runes.
“What do you mean?”
“I got the impression that you were going to try and avoid marking any more of us if you could.”
I snicker and shake my head.
“You, Bastien Fierro, are way too observant.”
He chuckles.
“I get that a lot. What can I say? I’m an emotionally sensitive guy.”
I laugh, but even though he’s trying to play it off as a joke, I realize that he is really is. He picks up on little things that most people miss and reads me, and the others around him, with an eerie accuracy I’ve never seen before. Behind his spontaneous actions and live-for-fun attitude, is an incredibly sensitive soul.
“I’m trying to not be Edward Cullen.”
He looks up at me confused. “Who is that?”
I smile. “We are so downloading some books and reading them together.”
He shrugs and kisses my stomach.
“Edward is a sparkly fictional creature that was full of angst and made all these decisions that just fucked everything up. I’m trying not to do that. I don’t want you guys to hurt, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I can think of ways to put it off, but at some point, it’s going to happen. I said I was in, and that means for the good things and the hard things. You all know what will happen when we’re intimate. If you’re initiating sex, then I’m taking that as you’re telling me you’re ready for the next hard step. Who am I to tell you that you’re not?”
The barely-there stubble on Bastien’s cheek rubs against my skin as he nods his head.
“Plus, I’ve discovered I really like sex. So, there’s that, too.”
We both crack up and then fall back into companionable silence for a while, just touching and learning the intricacies of each other’s bodies with our fingertips.
“What’s your favorite color?”
I grin at the random question.
“Purple. What about you?”
“Blue, I really like gray, too, but Valen said that’s not a color so he’d never let me pick it as my favorite when we were younger,” he chuckles.
“Gray is totally a color,” I challenge. “You can have that as your favorite; I won’t tell Valen.”
Bastien smiles and nuzzles my abs. The light of the setting sun peeks through the windows and brightens his features, making him glow and even more breathtaking.
“Favorite food?”
‘Ooh, that’s a hard one,” I admit, thinking about it for a moment. “Maybe burgers, I am always down for a burger. And carrot cake; ooh and a good gooey cinnamon roll.”
He laughs. “Well, I guess that covers favorite dessert too.”
“What about you?”
“Pasta, all kinds of pasta. Dessert... probably brownies and ice cream.”
“Mmmmm,” we both groan at the same time and then chuckle.
“What was it like growing up here?” I ask, tracing the dark hair of his eyebrows.
“When Silva wasn’t on assignment, he was always doing stuff with us, teaching us things. We all love the outdoors, and he taught us how to fix cars and fight. He was preparing us to be paladin before we even understood what that was,” he chuckles. “The sisters, Lachlan, and the others, they’re family, at least the only family Valen and I have ever known. Our upbringing was pretty laid back. For the most part, we could do whatever we wanted as long as we did well in school and didn’t cause too much trouble. ”
I laugh at that and Bastien looks up at me, a cheeky twinkle in his eyes.
“Why do I have a feeling that you and Valen caused more trouble than you ever got caught for?”
He chuckles. “Because you’d be right. You’d be surprised what you could get away with when people can’t tell you apart, or they feel bad that you’re a poor motherless child and can’t help your feral ways,” he snorts.
“Do you remember your parents at all? I know you were young when they went missing... ”
“I have some memories, but it’s hard to know if they’re authentic, or if it’s a mash-up of my brain’s wishful thinking and images I’ve seen in pictures. Silva would always tell us stories about our mom. She was wild, always getting into one thing or another, and she gave her mates a run for their money. She was independent and opinionated, and I think if she were around, she would have l
oved you.”
Bastien’s eyes widen suddenly, and at first, I think it’s because he dropped the L word and feels weird about it, but his breathing suddenly becomes rapid, and he presses his face into my stomach and grabs tightly onto my hips.
“I think it’s happening!” he grits out, and I sit up and wrap myself around him.
“Do you want me to talk, or shut the fuck up and just be here?” I ask, trying to figure out what will help him most while attempting to hide the panic in my voice.
“Talk...give...me...something…else...to...focus….on!”
Bastien’s jaw clenches, and he pulls his knees underneath him. He folds in on himself while he also leans into my chest and wraps his arms around my waist. I push his hair out of his face with one hand, and hold him to me with the other.
“Breathe, Bas. It’ll be over soon. It won’t last, I promise. I’m here. I’ll always be here. Just breathe through it.”
I repeat my attempt at comfort over and over again and watch Bastien struggle against what’s happening inside of him. The door to the gym flies open with a large boom that echoes around the walls. Valen rushes in, his face radiating pure panic as he searches the room. He spots us on the mats and realization sinks into his features.
“My adrenaline spiked out of nowhere, and I knew something was wrong,” Valen rushes out, and I can tell he’s not sure if he should go or stay.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, Valen. I didn’t even think about how it would feel to you when his runes showed up. I didn’t factor in the twin aspect, or I would have warned you.”
Valen hesitates for another second and then walks over and kneels down next to us. He puts his hand on Bastien’s shoulder and leans down towards his twin.
“I’m here, Bas.”
“Fuck!” Bastien shouts out in pain and tightens his grip around me.
I try to soothe him with more promises that it will be over soon, as black runes swirl into solid symbols forming one line and then another up Bastien’s spine. He screams out again, as the black marks stamp themselves all over him and the burn of the magic settles permanently there.
“I’m sorry, Bruiser!” he grits out, and I lean back to get a look at his face.
“What the fuck are you sorry for? I did this to you!”
“Worth it!”
I snort at his pained declaration.
“I’d do it...a...mill...ion...times...over...for...you...Bruiser! You...are...worth...it!”
He bites down against a groan, and I fight against the sudden stinging sensation in my eyes. Leave it to Bastien to be worried about me when he’s the one going through hell right now. Valen leans down towards his brother and places his hand on the back of Bastien’s neck.
“Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.”
“Again!” Bastien demands of his brother and Valen complies, repeating the poem over and over again until I also have it memorized and join in on the poetic chant.
Slowly Bastien’s grip around my waist softens, and I can feel the taut muscles in his back start to loosen. Valen gives me a huge smile, and I’m filled with tender affection for how relieved he is.
“Whose poem is that?” I ask, unable quash my curiosity.
I would have never pegged either of them as poetry buffs.
“It’s by William Ernest Henley. It’s called Invictus. Silva didn’t know any lullabies or nursery rhymes, but he knew poems. At night when we were young, we would fall asleep to him reading or reciting things to us. This one was always one of our favorites. It just became a thing we did for each other when we were scared or struggling with something; we’d pick out a favorite and recite it until the other felt better.”
Valen flashes me a shy grin and then looks down at Bastien when he grunts and starts to sit up. They make eye contact, and I watch as an unspoken conversation happens between them, it’s filled with worry and reassurance and love. It’s like I can physically see the unique and incredible connection they have as they communicate and reassure each other, without ever saying a single word.
Bastien turns to me. I’m not sure what I’m expecting to see in his eyes, but the awe I find there is not it. He pounces on me, and my surprised squeak gets lost against Bastien’s lips when they crash into mine. He follows me back down to the mat and kisses me so thoroughly that I stop questioning why he’s kissing me and just go with it. He pulls away, and his hazel eyes bounce between my light green ones.
“Holy shit, you are fucking powerful! I mean, I knew, I thought I did anyway, but not really. Now that I can feel it here...” He rubs the runes in between his pecs. “I could have never comprehended that this was what was in store for us. Thank you, Bruiser, thank you for choosing me...us.”
He gestures towards Valen who’s just grinning at us, not at all phased by our naked display. He slaps Bastien’s ass hard and gives me a wink.
“You need to go eat, Bas; you’ll need the calories right away just like Ryker and Knox did. I see that look in your eye, and no, I don’t mean eat Vinna.”
Bastien laughs and gives me a peck. He climbs off me and stands up offering me a hand while he rubs his ass cheek with the other. He teeters slightly, and both Valen and I rush up to make sure he doesn’t fall over.
“Fuck, head rush.”
I pick up his sweat pants and help him step into them while Valen holds him steady. I pull on my clothes and look up to find both of them watching me; heat banked in their eyes. I point to Bastien.
“You go eat and then rest, you’ll be shaky the rest of the night, but we’ll start training tomorrow. And you…” I point to Valen. “I need your help coming up with a training schedule. I need to know what you guys have learned in your paladin training, and we need to combine that with what I know, and how I use my magic.”
They both smile and salute me at exactly the same time. Valen helps a slightly trembling Bastien out the door, and I shamelessly watch their asses as they leave. Three down, two to go.
39
“Motherfucker!” Bastien shouts.
He snatches his hand out of his pocket and glares at the throwing knife he currently holds in his hand. Everyone in the car tries to keep from snickering, but Knox and Valen are close to losing their battle. Ever since Bastien woke up this morning spooning a long sword, he’s been having trouble accidentally calling his weapons, and the rest of the guys are having trouble not giving him shit about it.
“I’m just reaching for my phone, magic, I’m not calling any weapons for fuck’s sake,” he argues with the new power now flowing through him.
He glares at the small dagger in his hand before letting it fall towards the ground and watching it disappear. He throws a glare around the car daring anyone to have a go at him, and that’s what ultimately tips me over the edge. I burst out into a fit of laughter. He looks at me, his features incredulous, but it just makes me laugh harder.
I howl out my amusement, and it becomes contagious throughout the vehicle, not even Bastien can keep from letting some chuckles escape. It’s exactly what we need to help break up some of the tension that’s been mounting ever since I announced that we’re going to train at Enoch’s house this morning. No one seems happy, but after explaining about Enoch’s training ring and the plan Valen and I came up with, there wasn’t much they could argue with.
I’d prefer to leave Enoch and his coven out of it. I’m still not sure how things stand with them, and their connection to the elders is not ideal either, but the guys and I need help. I’m struggling with trying to explain how Sentinel magic works well enough that they can work to master it, and I’m in serious need of training on all aspects of magic in general. My time with Kallan, Nash, Enoch, and Becket was filled with all sorts of craziness and uncertainty, but one thing we did well together...was train.
When I spoke to Enoch yesterday, he seemed surprised to hear from me, but willing to get back to work. I haven’t talked to anyone else in his coven, but I’m hoping they all feel the same way. The last thing we need today is drama, or a bunch of hotheads and egos clashing, when three of my guys have spazzy Sentinel magic and no idea what they’re capable of. I’m also oddly nervous of what Enoch and the others are going to say when some of the guys show up with a matching set of my runes all over their bodies.
Enoch and his dad know what I am, but I don’t know if they know the ins and outs of being a Sentinel and what all it entails, or how much Enoch has shared with the rest of his coven. Some of them seemed pretty pissed that he had been keeping secrets, and if I were them, I would have demanded to know everything before even considering forgiving him for keeping shit from me. He’s lucky I’m not in his coven, I’d have probably stabbed him.
I reach over and pull Bastien’s finger from his mouth. I heal the small cut on the pad of his finger and then kiss the spot where the cut disappeared from. I give him a sweet smile, and he pulls me in towards him and places a gentle peck on my lips. He nuzzles my nose with his own, but the opening of Enoch’s gates pulls us back into reality. He huffs out a deep breath, and I sneak another kiss.
“You’ll get it. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since you got your runes and you’re doing better than I ever did; I stabbed myself for weeks. My magic still does shit I had no idea it could do, so cut yourself some slack.”
He smiles against my lips. “Thanks, Bruiser, I just can’t lose this bet with Knox.”
