by Jeze Xyn
“Maybe. So, what’s next?” I really just wanted to go soak in the tub in my quarters, but I had the feeling it would be awhile before that happened.
“Malik, you’re up.”
The wicked grin the Shadow Demon gave me had butterflies taking flight in my stomach. Fuck. Me.
“You managed to track a vampire, let’s see how you do with shadows.”
I blinked at him in confusion and then blinked again when he vanished. There was a sensation tickling my mind, and I turned just as he materialized out of the shadows behind me. I ducked his outstretched hand, dropped to the ground, and rolled away, before I bounced back to my feet.
“What were you feeling just now?” There was a hint of curiosity in Malik’s voice.
“I’m not quite sure. It was like...a tickling in my mind. Just this sensation I had that I needed to turn around and I reacted the way I was taught to during an attack.”
“Good. That’s incredibly good, Kesah. It means your senses are already picking up when you’re in danger.”
I was watching Malik, but again I had this sensation that said turn around, but this time my reflexes weren’t quite fast enough. I found myself flat on my back with a black jaguar in war form hovering over me. A rough tongue licked my cheek and I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up.
“Let’s hope that you don’t react like that if you’re in danger,” Bas scoffed.
I glared over at the Fae. “If I were in danger, I’d have already brought my knee up, nailed him between the legs, and then pushed him off of me. I’m not inclined to hurt someone who is just trying to train me.”
“Fair enough, Kesah.” He inclined his head in acknowledgment even as Dax shifted back to human above me.
“Thanks, Doll. I’m not in the mood to have to ice my junk today.”
“Are you two quite finished?”
Calix’s voice had me arching my neck to look toward the door.
“When did you get here?”
After rolling off me and getting to his feet, Dax held his hand out to help me up and I let him.
“Well?” I asked my twin.
“Right about the time Malik came out of the shadows.”
“You should have been here earlier, Cal. She put Zaine on his ass. You’d have loved it,” Dax told her.
“That’s damn impressive. I’m sorry I missed it. Not that he didn’t deserve it after the bullshit he pulled getting her here.”
“Someone want to clue me in on why Calix is here?” I looked to Zaine, because I had the feeling he was the one who had her come to the training room.
“I, sister dear, am here to see how you do with weapons. You have years worth of training to make up for in a fairly short amount of time.”
“I’m still not sure why I need to train so much.” I arched a brow and looked at them all.
“It’s quite simple, Sweetness. Once your magic is unbound, there will be consequences. One of those will be less savory characters being drawn to you and if you don’t know how to protect yourself, you could end up drained and dead in a ditch somewhere.”
“Or worse,” Dax interjected.
“What’s worse than dead?”
“Being turned into a slave.” This came from Malik.
I frowned. “Slave? In what way?”
“Sex, blood, and magic. There are those who would siphon just enough of your magic, and drain just enough of your blood, to keep you weak, and then use you and pass you around.” There was a hardness in Bastien’s voice that made me shiver.
The growls that filled the room came from Dax. He was close enough for me to reach out to touch and I had an overwhelming need to calm his beast. I reached up and placed my palm against his cheek. “I’ll learn everything I need to know to keep that from happening.”
His eyes slowly faded from the dark gold I’d seen when he was in his jaguar form to their normal pale yellow and I could see the tension leave his body.
“Thank you, Kesah.”
I was beginning to think they’d not told me the complete truth about what that word meant, but I had other things to focus on. While I was reassuring Dax, Calix had moved to the wall lined with weapons and pulled down a pair of swords.
“We’ll start with these. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you.”
I rolled my eyes at her and caught the sword she tossed at me. “It has really good balance,” I said before I held it at the ready. When she came at me, I blocked and parried, and soon had her backing up as she countered my own thrusts.
“Okay, you know how to fight with a sword. Let’s see how you do with a kris.”
When she gave me the sheathed blade, I removed it and arched a brow. “Okay. This is different. I’ve never seen a wavy blade before.”
“The kris, or keris in Indonesia and Malaysia, is a unique blade. When piercing an attacker, it doesn’t leave a clean hole the way a sword or dagger would,” Zaine explained from the sidelines.
After that we tried daggers.
When the training session first began, I was just fighting with Calix, but soon Dax, Bas, Zaine, and Malik had joined in as well.
Dax’s blade of choice was a sabre, for Zaine it was a scimitar. When Malik grinned while holding a battle axe, I shook my head. Of course the demon would prefer a double headed blade.
At times, I was fighting off two or three at once, and by the time Zaine called an end to the session three hours later, my muscles were screaming at me. My ponytail hung like a limp dish rag, and my clothes clung to my skin from all the sweating I’d done. I really needed that soak in the tub after the way they’d put me through my paces.
“Thank Goddess that’s over. I have muscles hurting in places I didn’t even realize existed. Now all I want to do is soak in the tub, eat something, and pass out.”
“You’ll find several oils to use to help with the soreness in the cabinet next to the tub,” Calix informed me before she left the training room.
“Once you’re done soaking, come to the main floor and we’ll have dinner ready,” Zaine said while the others left the training room as well.
“Sure thing.” I nodded at him and waited until he was gone before I looked around the room and followed him out the door.
My feet dragged as I made my way back to my quarters. As soon as I was in the door, I was stripping my clothes off and left a trail on the way to the bathroom. Once there, I looked over the different oils—Eucalyptus, Chamomile, and Yarrow, along with along with Rosemary, Lavender and Rose—and opted to go with Rosemary. Whoever set it up knew that essential oils needed a carrier oil first because each was combined with Jojoba.
Once the tub was full, I climbed in, sank into hot water up to my neck, and closed my eyes. Little by little I could feel the Rosemary seeping into my pores, and inch by slow inch, my muscles began to relax.
Chapter 7
Zaine
I glanced at the time and frowned. “Where is she?”
“Maybe she fell asleep?” Bas suggested.
“That would be bad if she fell asleep in the tub,” was Dax’s growled comment. “Want me to check on her?”
“No. I’ll go. I’ll be back shortly.” I rose from where I’d been sitting and made my way down one level to Arianna’s door. After a few knocks, with no answer, I turned the knob to find it unlocked. I wasn’t sure if that was because she trusted us or if she just forgot. After stepping inside, I smirked at the trail of clothing along her floor. A sound reached my ears—a faint sputtering—and I knew in an instant why she’d not joined us yet. She had indeed fallen asleep in the tub and she was drowning. I moved with the speed of my race and was at her side in seconds. My gaze took in her nakedness even as I reached in and pulled her from the water.
Laying her on her back, I immediately began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After only a few breaths, she began coughing water up and I moved her to her side. “Easy, Sweetness. You almost drowned.”
I was trying to keep myself calm, but I’d be lying if I sai
d I hadn’t felt a moment of fear that we’d lost her so soon after finding her. It wasn’t because of her magic and what she could possibly do for the Council—this was completely personal. She was mine, ours, and we weren’t going to lose her now.
“Zaine?”
The fear and confusion in her voice damn near shattered me. “It’s okay, Sweetness. You’re okay now.” I picked her up and carried her toward her bed. I needed her close, even for just a few moments.
When her hand lifted to my cheek, my resolve crumbled. A groan escaped me and before I could talk myself out of it, my lips crashed down on hers.
What shocked me more than my own desire was the sudden need I felt coming from her. Her hands went to my shirt and I let her remove it.
“I thought we lost you, Sweetness. Do you have any idea what that would have done to us? Of course not, how could you.” I kissed her again and when her hand slid into my hair to grip it, I deepened the kiss.
“I don’t understand this...I’ve never felt such need before—and definitely not for four men at once—but from the moment I met all of you, I’ve wanted you.”
Her voice was so unsure, as if she feared my reaction.
“Ah, Sweetness, we were well aware of your desire. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Humans are the only ones who put such constraints on relationships.” I traced her jaw with my finger. “Tell me what you want, in this moment, Ri.”
“Ri? Why not Ari?”
“Because, Sweetness, you are far too unique for such a common name.”
“Oh.” There was a pause before she added, “I want you. All of you.”
“Who am I to deny a woman what she desires?” I growled. I stood and quickly removed the rest of my clothes, discreetly grabbing the condom I kept on me at all times, before I joined her on the bed.
When she reached for me, I smirked. “Not yet, Sweetness. I want to taste every inch of you first.” I kissed her before I trailed nibbling kisses along her jaw to her earlobe where I bit down gently. Then I moved down to the smooth column of her throat. Her blood called to me, but I ignored it.
I kissed a path down her neck to her chest, where I peppered her collarbones with kisses before I moved to her breasts. I took one nipple into my mouth and teased it, biting just enough to give her a bite of pain. The gasp that escaped her was one of pleasure and I grinned. Our girl liked some pain with her pleasure. She was fucking perfect for us.
I moved to her other breast and gave it the same attention before I continued my journey down her luscious curves. I kissed her stomach, then trailed nibbling kisses along her hip bones. She arched beneath me and I could smell her arousal. I knew if I touched her, she would be wet for me. Not yet, though. I wasn’t done worshiping her body. I trailed my lips down the inside of her left leg and then back up the right before I finally kissed her mound.
“Tell me what you need, Sweetness.” My voice was a husky growl filled with the lust and need I felt for the beauty beneath me.
“I need you, Zaine. Your fingers, mouth...cock...I need all of you. Please.”
“With pleasure, My Sweet.” I trailed a finger through her folds and groaned. “Fuck, you’re already so wet for me. Open your eyes, Ri. I want to watch the desire in them,” I commanded before I lowered my mouth to her glistening pussy. The first swipe of my tongue had me growling. “So fucking sweet,” I told her before I focused my attention on bringing her to the edge and over. My cock ached to be inside her, and my fangs longed to sink into her to taste more than just her arousal, but that could come later, when she was ready.
“Zaine! Oh shit…”
I watched her back arch as her hips began to writhe. I moved my lips and tongue to her already swollen clit and slid one and then a second finger into her. “I can’t wait to feel your sweet pussy wrapped around my cock.” I added a third finger and that was all it took to push her over with a scream. “Mmm music to my ears.”
I kissed my way back up to her lips and let her taste herself. I looked into her eyes and waited until the bliss of her orgasm faded a little. “There’s no going back from this, Sweetness. Once I have you, have all of you, I’m not letting go. This is your last chance to walk away.”
“Shut up and fuck me, Zaine,” came her husky reply.
“Perfect. You are fucking perfect,” I growled. I tore the condom wrapper open, quickly sheathed myself, and then positioned my cock at her entrance. I watched her face as I eased into her. No matter how much I wanted to bury myself in one thrust, I wasn’t going to—not yet.
I grabbed her wrists and tugged her hands above her head before I moved them to the headboard. That gave me the opportunity to hold myself up off her enough to watch her face. As soon as I was halfway in, I pulled out until just the tip was in. “Hold on, Sweetness,” I ordered and watched as her fingers tightened around the metal bars. One thrust and I was buried to the hilt. “So fucking good. You feel so good around my cock.”
I leaned in and kissed her hungrily as our bodies began to move. Each thrust was harder, deeper, and the other hunger within me tried to push to the forefront. I felt my fangs lengthen and throb with the need to sink into her breast.
“Do it.”
Her breathy words, combined with her arching so her breasts were closer to me, was all the invitation I needed. My fangs sank into her skin and her blood was like manna from the Gods. It was ambrosia, and I could easily spend an eternity buried in her. I drank only a little before I withdrew my fangs and moved to lick the holes to close them with my saliva.
“Don’t. Please don’t close them, Zaine. I want to have them, to remember this moment later.”
“Sweetness. You have no idea what you ask,” I growled but I couldn’t deny her. I kissed her, and I knew she tasted her own blood, but she didn’t shy away from it.
When her inner walls tightened around me, spasming in her second release, they dragged me over into my own and my roar of pleasure echoed in the room. I collapsed half atop her before I rolled, managing to remove the condom and tie it off, then pulled her into my side. “No turning back no, Ri. I am very possessive with what’s mine. There are only three males I’m willing to share you with, and they’re waiting for us upstairs. They will know I claimed you the moment we step onto the stairs leading up to the main floor.”
“Let them know. That goes both ways though, Zaine. I don’t share either. If I ever catch you sinking your cock or your teeth into some other woman—unless it’s a life or death situation—you will regret it. Understood?”
“Perfectly, Sweetness.” I chuckled and nuzzled her. “We need to dress and get upstairs before they come searching for us. If they smell the sex in this room, we won’t be leaving here for hours, and you, My Sweet, need food.”
The sigh she gave me made me chuckle. “Get dressed, woman.” I climbed out of bed and disposed of the condom before I returned to the bedroom to dress. My gaze tracked her as she moved from the dresser to the closet. The lace thong and bra she chose to wear with a dress that hugged her curves made me groan and had my cock twitching. She was definitely going to be a handful.
Arianna
Within seconds of stepping into the main area of the compound, I learned that Zaine was right—the others knew. Bas cocked a brow at us but Malik and Dax both growled.
“Couldn’t you have showered before coming up here smelling like sex?” Dax growled.
I moved to him and touched his chest. “What would be the fun in that. Thanks to Zaine, I have a little more understanding of how things work in the Supernatural world.” I leaned up and brushed my lips across his. “And Zaine made it very clear that the four of you are a packaged deal. One I’m incredibly happy to accept.” There was a purr in my voice as I moved from him to give Bastien and Malik a kiss as well. “I’m starving. Where’s dinner?”
It was as if those four words were just what we needed to break the tension in the room. All four men laughed and I grinned at them.
“You, Kesah, are a brat. I do believe thi
s is the beginning of quite the interesting relationship,” Malik chuckled and the others seemed to agree with him.
Chapter 8
Arianna
Dusk arrived, and with it came one of the most ethereal beauties I’d ever seen. This was the woman Bastien had turned away? How? Why? Compared to Selene, I was a Plain Jane.
“Selene. Thank you for coming.” I watched as Zaine inclined his head in respect at the Fae woman. “This is Arianna, the woman we need you to aid.”
“No need to thank me, Zaine. As soon as I found out my bitch of a sister was involved, I was more than happy to help.”
I arched a brow. “Sister? I think you guys have the wrong woman because Aunt Kiki wasn’t Fae.”
“Oh, Darling, I assure you the woman you call Aunt Kiki is very much Fae. We are directly descended from the Throne of the Light Fae. That’s why she and I are the only ones among our kind who can perform such an intricate binding spell.”
“Then why doesn’t she look Fae?” I propped my hands on my hips in defiance.
“You really are a babe, aren’t you? Magic, Darling. She, along with your mother, used magic to hide the truth from you.”
“My mother? No. No fucking way.”
“Yes fucking way, Arianna. Why do you think the Aegis Council wants the first from each generation of our family? In our case, it’s more than just Fae genetics they wanted.”
I noticed the look Calix shared with the others and wanted to ask but Selene stopped me.
“Enough. We are wasting precious time. Come, let us begin.” She motioned for all of us to follow her to the underground temple beyond the training room. “Once I have everything in place, Bastien, Malik, and Calix, you are to put up a barrier around us. Yes, Calix”—she said when my sister started to object—“I know you’re more assassin than High Witch, but you have magic that will be beneficial during the spell.”
When no one else questioned Selene’s instructions I kept my own questions to myself. They were the experts after all. I watched as Selene spread a silver cloth on the ground and motioned for me to sit.
