by Godiva Glenn
“Oh,” Cam said. Understanding dawned on his face. “I see where you’re going.”
“I don’t,” Annika admitted. “This is fever talk.”
“I would hold you back,” Teall said. “Because I’ve been down that path and know where it leads.”
“Exactly.” Pavel placed a hand on Annika’s back and turned her back to Teall. “The three of us would eventually collapse. But the four of us wouldn’t.”
Annika’s jaw dropped as Pavel placed her hand in Teall’s and folded them together. She met Pavel’s eyes, unwilling to trust what she saw or even what she heard. He couldn’t be saying this. “Pavel…”
“Iona is incredibly pessimistic when it comes to true love,” Pavel said. He leaned to her ear and lowered his voice to a whisper. “But she let me in on a secret. The rift didn’t reappear. Teall’s desperation tore a hole in the universe.”
Annika gasped. She looked at Teall, who watched her intently and had obviously not heard Pavel’s words.
True love.
The kind of earth-shattering devotion that she always wanted… she literally had it. She caressed Pavel’s cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you more,” he replied.
She lifted Teall’s hand, which had remained squeezed in hers, and kissed his knuckles. “And I love you.”
Teall gave her a hard stare then his eyes flicked to Pavel. “Are you sure about this?”
Pavel shrugged. “Back home the tabloids always painted my life to be orgies and fancy food. I suppose I’m tired of fighting it.”
Annika laughed and rolled her eyes. “Aren’t those supposed to be orgies of gorgeous women?”
“I only want the one,” he replied.
Cam walked up and slapped Pavel’s shoulder. “You’re going to tell me everything.”
“I’ll tell everyone everything,” Pavel promised. “But I think this calls for some make-up sex.”
Teall lifted Annika in his arms. “The human is right.”
* * * *
Annika woke to Teall kissing her bared shoulder. Memories of the previous night assailed her, bringing heat to her cheeks and a curve to her lips. She rolled over to face him but found it wasn’t Teall after all, but Cam.
“When did you get here?” she asked. She rubbed at her eyes and peered around.
He pressed a finger to her lips, quieting her. The morning sun filtered into the room, bringing a light glow to his deep brown eyes. He kissed her forehead and pulled her against himself, and she went along willingly.
She climbed atop him and spread her hands over his broad chest. She could still recall falling asleep underneath Teall—after the sex, of course—and her body now hungered for more. When she thought she’d lost Pavel, the fear had exhausted her emotions, and intimacy helped her to recover.
“Where is…”
Cam’s chin lifted and she glanced over her shoulder. Pavel and Teall stood in the doorway of her room holding a tray of food and drink. Her stomach rumbled, but not for what was on the tray.
“Then I wasn’t dreaming.” She looked back at Cam. “And how do feel about it?”
“You know I’ve only ever wanted your happiness,” he replied.
“Be honest.”
“I honestly have always wanted to join in when Teall makes you scream.”
She grinned. “I always hoped.” She leaned down and gave him a light kiss. “No one has to watch anymore.”
“Am I the only one who isn’t a voyeur?” Pavel asked.
Annika rubbed her nose against Cam’s before she straightened. The night before, Cam had watched her and Teall, as he often had in the past. Selkies enjoyed watching others, after all. Apparently, they’d never gotten around to telling Pavel as much, and he was somewhat flustered to discover that in the past, Cam had watched him and Annika as well.
“You don’t have to watch now.” She leaned back and held her hand out to the standing men.
Teall put his tray down without hesitation, but Pavel looked down at the steaming mugs.
“The tea will get cold.”
“Is that truly your priority?” Teall asked.
“No. It just seemed like one of us had to attempt to be the voice of reason.” Pavel ducked out of the room for a moment and returned empty-handed.
Cam lifted Annika and slid into her slick heat in an instant, filling her with his thick length and making her cry out in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to move so quick, not that she was complaining.
“No foreplay?” Pavel asked.
“Who has time?” Cam asked. “The tea will get cold.”
Annika rolled her eyes as her hips rocked and rode Cam at a torturously slow pace. Teall gripped her long hair and tugged her head to one side to expose her neck, which he licked and nibbled. A wet finger circled the tight entrance of her rear, making her flinch.
“After you come, how about I go here?” Teall growled into her ear.
“Fu-fuck,” she stammered, bouncing in anticipation.
Pavel appeared at her side and he took her chin in his hands. Their stares met, and she smiled up at his strangely unique eyes. The green spot seemed to be more blue today, and she fell even deeper than usual into his attentive gaze.
He leaned down and kissed her. Teall’s rough grip disappeared from her hair, replaced by Pavel’s gentle but commanding touch. His fingers tangled into her long locks and he massaged her nape as their tongues entwined. Swallowing his taste when being filled by Cam overwhelmed her, and she moaned as she tried to catch her breath.
Pavel moved behind her, his hands rubbing her shoulders. She slumped forward, holding herself up by flattening her palms against Cam’s chest. He helped to steady her by holding her waist. He lifted himself from the bed, plunging deep into her core and slamming into her body with desperate need.
Warmth folded around her breasts—Pavel’s firm hands cupping and lifting them. He pinched each tip until she thought she would cry from the sharp pleasure of his attention. They hadn’t made love to her together before, and now it seemed like too much. Being between them shook her with desire.
“I want to join in,” Pavel murmured into her ear.
Her brows furrowed, and she couldn’t quite think, but wasn’t he already? She opened her mouth to speak but only a whimper escaped—Pavel’s cock was sliding along her folds and testing her soaked entrance. Her eyes shut and spots swam across her darkened vision as she gave in to the sensation of him pushing against her already filled channel. Seconds passed, maybe even minutes, but finally… finally, the head of him breached the tight seal and slid in beside Cam.
She couldn’t move. Luckily, they moved for her. Pavel’s muscled chest met her back and he thrust into her, driving his length deeper and deeper until he was fully buried in her heat. She felt stretched and impossibly full, but also, incredibly loved.
Cam and Pavel’s hands traveled her body as she did her best to simply keep from falling apart. Their sensual caresses built up the fire looming at her center, and she held her breath to keep it from bursting free. Her head fell to one side as she lost the fight. They kept her upright and secure as moved within her in steady alternating strokes, pushing her over the edge.
A hand combed the hair from her face through her heavy lids she saw Teall watching and waiting for his turn. His rumbled words played through her mind and her body clenched. The flinch was enough to finish her off, and she exhaled a heavy cry as her orgasm crested and pulsed through her every tingling nerve.
Pavel’s hold on her tightened and he groaned against her neck. Her walls shook and squeezed him as he emptied in her, flooding her with his cum. Cam continued to pump into her, but he too began to twitch within her. She fell forward, bringing Pavel with her as she landed flat against Cam’s chest.
Her muscles felt warm and liquid, and she knew without moving that her legs were completely jelly. Cool air brushed her back as Pavel rolled over, but she didn’t get a moment’s rest. Teall yanked her toward the edge of the bed
and slid his hand through the fluid escaping her pussy. He wiped it between her bottom cheeks, and she whimpered, remembering that it had been months since he’d entered her ass.
The flared top of him pushed in, and she struggled against the sharp pleasure and burn as he shoved in deep. His hips slammed against her flesh with an audible slap, and he wasted no time, thrusting hard and quick.
She breathed in and out as her dizzy mind tried to catch up to the moment. Her ass was up in the air, but her chest was flat to the soft mattress. Her two spent men, Pavel and Cam, lay before her, watching Teall fuck her ass while she succumbed to the numbing pleasure of it all. Caught so quick after her climax, she was in a continuous state of euphoria. Each rough stroke sent shock waves through her body, and she never wanted it to end.
With weak hands, she attempted to crawl up the bed. Not to escape Teall, but to be closer to her other men. He allowed her to move and followed her the few inches necessary for her to rest her cheek against Cam’s thigh. He brushed his fingers through her hair and spoke, but her hearing didn’t work.
She could only feel. Pavel rolled toward her and caressed her cheek. The gentle glance of his fingers contrasted with Teall’s powerful movements within her and stirred her bliss to a higher level. Her hands balled into fists as she came again, this time screaming into Pavel’s hand.
Teall stretched his body over hers and arched into her one last time, the movement slow and deep. His cock pulsed and filled her, the sensation causing her eyes to roll back.
She collapsed and arms drew her up. She didn’t know who held her now, but she felt safe beyond imagining, and joyful besides. The sunlight danced beyond her closed eyes, but she had no energy to offer the day. She held tight to her men and drifted back to sleep.
Twenty-Seven
Pavel
The tea had gotten cold.
Not that this was a surprise, but more of an awakening.
Pavel would now be living with two other men and his gorgeous, amazing, brilliant fucking girlfriend. The prospect both excited and terrified him.
Once things settled down—and hopefully it wouldn’t take too long—he needed a way to contact Vevina again. And Gerri. And Alethea. And damn, his family, too.
But for now, he dumped out the cold tea and watched a still jelly-legged Annika hobble through the living room. They’d all napped, of course, but she was still recovering. It gave him a rush of pride to have participated in her current limpy state.
“Morning swim?” he asked.
“You want to?” She smiled and peeked out the window. “It’s cold.”
“You know that long story I have to tell?”
She nodded.
“I’ll tell it, but part of it is that I can now swim with you.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“So, diving for ‘breakfast’ oysters it is.” He grinned.
She headed back to the room and he heard her talking to Teall and Cam, who were grumbling about needing a bigger bed or a sleeping schedule.
Pavel ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He’d woken up a new man. Not this morning, but last night on the ocean floor.
Iona had found him, and to his surprise, she wasn’t mad at him at all. She’d been expecting him, actually, and couldn’t believe it had taken him as long as it had to reach out to her the second time. He pointed out that he had been trying to talk to her, but she had missed his infrequent bowl-staring sessions somehow.
Regardless, she had a message for him, and a remedy.
The problem with yanking a human across the galaxy was that humans weren’t meant to enter Prism without a bit of preparation. And while humans did occasionally stumble across an errant fae portal, magic generally prepped their arrival automatically.
When Iona had ushered Pavel over with two selkies, cells had been manipulated and altered. Essentially, he absorbed a touch of selkie essence. Enough to make him long for the water, but not enough to give him a true selkie skin, clearly.
He pulled his bangs into place and held the door open as everyone rushed out, chatting and joking and eager for a chilly afternoon swim.
Iona couldn’t make him into a selkie. Her magic didn’t work that way. She had to do something, however, or the call of the ocean would overtake him, and he would drown. Even if he had the immortality bond to Prism, it didn’t actually mean he couldn’t die. On Prism, immortality simply meant that the aging process was slowed nearly to a stop.
Iona’s solution was simple. She gave him more of herself. He now carried enough of her magical water essence to sate the hunger for the ocean, and with that came the magic to hold his breath indefinitely. Perhaps other side effects would reveal themselves later, but they’d only learn through time. It was nothing she’d ever done before, after all. There were bound to be consequences of some sort, but she was sure nothing would be too dire.
He stepped into the water, which didn’t feel cold as much as it felt like home. His bond with Iona was a bond with Prism. He wouldn’t have to choose a court now, and he’d given his condolences to each of them, as neither would receive magic from claiming him.
“How much of what happened with you is a secret?” Teall asked.
Pavel grinned. He’d read his mind. “I can tell you quite a bit. But really, it’s a long story but not a highly entertaining one.”
He was allowed to explain that he and Iona had bonded, but he couldn’t share the details of exactly what that meant. Truly, he didn’t know how to explain it. He was human, but not. Fae, but not. He carried the water of life within him. What that would come to mean, he had no idea.
Epilogue
Annika
Annika held out her hand as drop after drop of crystal clear rain fell down on her. Closing her eyes, she turned her face to the sky and let it hit her cheeks and wash away the tears of surprise and absolute joy brought by the sudden storm.
“Pavel… this is your gift,” she cried.
He stood at her side and shielded her eyes with his spread hand. “What are you talking about?”
Teall, who had walked up from the beach, crossed his arms. “I don’t understand.”
“I do.” Cam came to an abrupt stop, having run up from the water. His iridescent selkie skin hung across his shoulder. “Iona says some of the water deities have woken.”
“What?” Annika gasped. If this was true, it meant the world would be changing in a grand way. “You mean…”
“He didn’t gift rain. He gifted the water itself and basically shocked the deities back into action.” Cam grinned. “Iona is beside herself with amazement.”
“Anyone care to fill me in?” Pavel asked. “It’s been months since I bonded with Iona.”
Teall patted his shoulder. “Good job.”
“Good job at what? I’m still confused.”
Annika kissed each of his wet cheeks and squealed up to the sky. “We haven’t had rain since I was a child!”
“You know how we always talk about the fade?” Cam asked. “The older fae usually retire there. It’s like going to sleep, and most go forever. The aspects and deities started to leave shortly after the last war, and soon we had none. Or rather, none that held great significance. Every single water deity entered the fade.”
“Leaving Iona to handle everything, except she can’t do rain,” Teall pointed out. He squinted up into the heavy sprinkling. “It meant the fae had to adjust.”
“You can’t have plants without rain,” Pavel reasoned. “Prism is hardly a desert.”
“The sprites do that,” Annika said. “They used to act with the deities, but in their absence, the sprites and dryads and any other plant fae simply found a way to make it work.”
“But now… we’ll have seasons again. True seasons,” Cam said with awe. “I missed those.”
Pavel shook his head. Magic still surprised him, and Annika found it precious to watch the confusion play out over his face. “I thought you just had one perfect season.”
“
That’s not how it’s meant to be, though. Everything has been orchestrated to function regardless of the weather. Our winter became nonexistent, however, and our springs and autumns forced…” Annika’s mouth dropped open. “The mountains will have snow again!”
They all turned toward the distant shadows on the horizon.
“Magic should reawaken,” Teall mused. “The talents that came from the cold will return. Dormant no longer.”
“That’s not all,” Annika said. She cupped Pavel’s cheek. “I know you didn’t want to join a court, but you wanted to gift them both. Well, you certainly did.”
“Clearly,” he breathed. “I never thought… but this is incredible. What does this mean for the other water fae? The ones like Vevina?”
Annika smiled. She understood the plight of the hybrid fae, and Vevina was torn between just about every aspect of Prism. “This will ease her pain. Rain means that even land-locked water fae will be able to tap into their bond to the ocean. It’s how it was before.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I hope she’s outside right now, then,” Pavel said.
Teall hovered near and pulled Annika into his arms. “I’m always fond of witnessing miracles, but we should get you back inside.”
She burrowed against him, and his warmth showed her just how chilled she’d become standing in the rain. “I suppose.”
The wind picked up, lifting the rain and angling it at them harder. Cam moved to Teall’s side, joining him in keeping Annika guarded against the weather. They walked back to the house with Pavel following behind.
“I can feel Iona’s excitement,” Pavel murmured. “It’s like invisible ants crawling over my skin.”
“There had to be a downfall to bonding to an undine,” Teall reasoned. “Be glad that the invisible ants aren’t biting.”
Annika pinched Teall’s bicep. “Don’t be mean.”
