Breathing hard, he still couldn’t rise. But his thoughts began to clear.
A roar shook the air.
Letting his head drop to the side, he was shocked to see the dragon he’d rescued. He’d transformed again, but this time he no longer looked as sickly. Still too thin, but his scales were a brilliant gold, and his wings looked stronger.
The angels scattered back from him.
He lashed out at them, and the angels scattered into the air. Summer rose into the air, following them like a being focused only on revenge. On the shore, Spring shifted. Where the woman once stood, a silver dragon rose. Without slowing, she followed Summer into the sky.
Winter shifted into a black dragon. A massive creature with dark eyes. And Autumn changed beside her, into a red dragon. They too launched into the air.
The angels Mark and Daniel fought were plucked off the ground. Thrown, ripped into pieces, and torn with vicious teeth. Tristan had seen many battles in his lifetimes and had seen a lot of blood, but this was different. These dragons were out for blood. They didn’t just want to kill the angels, or win the fight. They wanted to make the angels suffer.
Screams filled the air. And with each second that passed, Tristan fought to rise. He didn’t know what he would do, but he was determined this would not be the first battle he didn’t fight in.
When he managed to climb to his feet on unsteady legs, he looked down at Frink. How many times had they killed the damn angel? He was growing tired of killing him.
In the air, the dragons circled the sky, roaring fire. No angels remained, but still, the dragons circled. Their flight changing slowly from one of rage to one of pleasure.
When Daniel and Mark moved and took his arms, placing them over their shoulders, he relaxed between them. They watched the dragons with an unspoken amazement. They were beautiful creatures. It was rare to see one. The beings were powerful enough to create glamours that even demons couldn’t see through.
And there was something amazing about seeing them free. Never, in all his days, would he forget the sight of the broken dragon, of its dull scales and broken wings.
Beauty like that should never be destroyed so thoughtlessly.
At last, the dragons landed lightly on the shore. Within seconds, they transformed. For the first time, the four Immortals truly looked like powerful beings of legend. Magic surrounded them and lit them from the inside out, like a glow.
Summer moved forward. His broad shoulders and muscles humming with strength. “Thank you.”
Daniel responded. “You’re welcome.”
After a quiet moment, Mark spoke. “You know we sought you out because we intend to overthrow Caine.”
Summer nodded. “Because he controls your angel.”
Tristan stiffened. “He does not.”
Summer’s silver eyes focused on him. “He does. He could call her back at any time. Make it so painful that she has no choice but to return. But he doesn’t, because she’s his spy.”
Tristan pushed away from the demons who held him. “No! She would never!”
The shifter tilted his head. “She does not have a choice. None of us had a choice. Caine plays with our minds. Our memories. He plucks what he wishes from her, and erases her memories of what he has done.”
He felt sick, so sick he thought he might hurl right on the beach. “That can’t be true.”
Spring moved forward, the bright, lively flowers in her long, golden hair, moving slightly. “It’s true. Her life is in his hands as long as he sits upon the throne in Zedussa. When we are restored to power, the angels will be under our control once more.”
“I can’t believe it,” Mark murmured softly.
Summer looked sad. “How do you think the angels found us? Don’t forgot this.”
The massive shifter moved toward the water and Shifted back into the golden dragon, before gracefully leaping into the sky.
Spring followed him, but paused at the water’s edge. “We will not forget what you’ve done for us.”
When she transformed, and Autumn followed her, only Winter remained.
The woman was stunning. Long black hair framed a pale face that was overwhelmed by two dark eyes. “You might love her, but you cannot trust her. Even though it is against her will. Do you understand?”
Tristan nodded, numbly.
Winter turned to look at the sky. “We will go to this sanctuary of yours, until it’s time. But you should also know, none of us believe you will be able to save the others. The odds are simply... against you.”
She shifted, and then the dragons circled overhead several times before shooting off into the sky.
“Do you think they’re right?” Daniel whispered.
Tristan was surprised when Mark answered. “The angels took me because of the God Finder. I couldn’t figure out how they found out about it, but if they can pull information out of Surcy...”
Tristan collapsed onto his knees. The bodies of the angels turned to light and disappeared, leaving behind golden sands covered in blood. And yet, none of that mattered, because now they knew the truth. Surcy was not safe. Surcy was not free.
And Surcy could no longer help them in their search for the Immortals. Yet, if she wasn’t useful to Caine anymore, what would he do to her then?
They heard a sound behind them.
Surcy’s voice came, soft and shocked. “What happened?”
How can we possibly tell her?
Chapter Twenty
Surcy sat at the dining room table with her demons. They’d barely spoken since returning, just enough to say they’d been attacked by angels, and that the Immortals had returned to the sanctuary. A tension she didn’t understand hung in the air, and no matter how she tried, it remained.
Even Mark wouldn’t look at her.
They ate their spaghetti and salad in silence.
“How are you feeling?” she asked Tristan, turning to the stoic gargoyle.
Instead of answering, he set his fork down, rose from the table, and left.
What happened? How do I fix this?
“Is he okay?” she asked the other two.
Mark said nothing.
Daniel took another bite of his food. “None of us are.”
“But none of you will tell me a thing,” she pressed, sounding frustrated.
“We need to discuss it first... without you.”
She felt her brows rise. “Without me? Why?”
He shrugged. “That’s just how it is.”
Suddenly, she couldn’t take it anymore. She tossed her napkin on the table and rose. “Fine. I’m going out for a little while.”
Neither man said anything, so spinning on her heels, she marched to the door. Looking back, she glared at them. “Do you have any idea how crappy it feels to feel like the three men I love are hiding something from me?”
Both turned to stare at her, but she didn’t wait for their response, she slammed the door instead. Rushing down the pathway through the garden, she felt her anger grasping her like rough hands. But as the autumn winds swept over her, teasing her hair, she calmed slightly. Going to the little door on the wall that led out into the city, she pushed it open and slipped out onto the sidewalk.
Shoving her hands into her pockets, she didn’t look at the people she passed. She felt... lost. Maybe it was because their strange behavior came after the Immortal who didn’t want to trust her for being an angel, but she was angry. Maybe she didn’t have her memory. Maybe she was still kind of an angel. But she was also Surcy, the woman they’d fought so hard to prove she could trust them, to get her to love them.
Freezing in the street, she stared across a little park squeezed in-between buildings. Multicolored leaves drifted from the trees, their orange and red leaves beautiful as they drifted in the wind. But her mind seemed to be frozen on them. Frozen on a thought.
Did she say she loved her demons?
Her heart squeezed. She did!
Searching her feeling, her hands slid out o
f her pockets. She did love them. Each of them.
She wasn’t sure how it happened, or when it happened, but it had. Suddenly she couldn’t imagine a life without them, and that had a significance that made her legs feel weak.
Waiting until a car passed, she sprinted across the street until she reached the park and sat down. She loved demons! She no longer had wings. She still didn’t remember being human, or her time with the demons before, but she somehow felt that the time she did have with them was enough.
If she never remembered anything else... she might be okay.
She thought of their mission and about rescuing the Immortals. There were still three remaining, somewhere out there. Once they rescued them, they could overthrow Caine. Yes, there would be a war between the realms like nothing that had been seen before, but after that, the world would be the way it was always meant to be.
Even though she was a wingless angel, she would be part of the force that changes everything.
She smiled and stood. She didn’t know what the hell was going on with her demons, but they’d been through a lot. She could put aside her hurt feelings and fix things between them.
And she knew exactly how to do it.
Rushing home, she ignored the fact that Mark and Daniel stopped talking at the table when she walked past. She went to her room and took a long shower, scrubbing every inch of her body. When she was done, she looked in her mirror. She didn’t have makeup, or a hair dryer, so she brushed her hair until it didn’t look like a wet dog, and then went to her closet.
There was nothing sexy. Not. One. Single. Thing.
But she saw one of Tristan’s simple white shirts and put it on. Going back to the mirror, she felt a wave of nervousness. The shirt was see-through. It might be too much... but then, she was going for sexy. They’d find this sexy, right? Taking a deep breath, she went to her bed and slid between the sheets. Lying down, she stared at the ceiling. Did she just, call them? How exactly did a woman coax three sexy men into bed with her?
She kind of wished she could just make them start things.
Curling her hands around the covers, she gritted her teeth. Nope, she could be brave. She could show them that she loved them and wanted to be with them. And that she didn’t care if things were strained between them, she just wanted them.
She cleared her throat. Then, said nothing.
I feel stupid.
Climbing out of bed, she stood in the center of the room, still uncertain what to do. Calling, “come sex me up, boys,” sounds wrong, somehow.
She stared hopelessly at her open door, striving for something that didn’t make her sound like an idiot.
But to her relief, she didn’t have to say a thing. The three men suddenly appeared at her door, Mark knocking awkwardly on the frame of the door. When his gaze rose and landed on her, it widened, then slid over her.
“Come in,” she said, her voice no louder than a whisper.
They entered. There was tension in their shoulders, even in their expressions, but when they saw her, the air changed.
A shiver went through her body. Daniel was staring at her as if she truly wore nothing at all. His gaze moved to her breasts, where she knew her nipples were clearly visible, then down to the junction between her thighs. Mark, on the other hand, looked like he’d been smacked. His mouth hung slightly open, and his gaze was fixed on her body.
Tristan stood frozen. His hands curled into fists. “Surcy—“ His deep voice was a groan of warning.
“I want you. All of you,” she said, forcing the words past her lips.
He started to shake his head, “I told you—“
“I love you.”
His face seemed to pale.
“It hit me today, that I do. And that I don’t care about anything else. I just want all of you.”
He crossed the room and touched her cheek, his fingers feather light. For a minute he seemed lost for words and she hung on the air, waiting. Finally, he cleared his throat. “We need to talk to you first.”
Willing herself to be bold, she stood up on her tiptoes and pulled him down into a kiss. Instantly, he melted against her, his lips desperate. When their kiss finally broke, she reached for his shirt and began to pull it up, revealing his mouthwatering stomach. Her fingers instantly brushed the muscles, glorying in the fact that she got to touch them, loving the way her body heated up as she stroked his flesh.
He caught her wrists, breathing hard, eyes closed. “We need to talk first.”
She shook her head. “No. It can wait.”
When he opened his mouth, she let her hands slide down to the button on his jeans. Flicking it open, she drew down the zipper, then pulled off his pants. His words died, and his eyes popped open as she knelt down and slid his boxers down.
And she stared. And stared.
It was like she was seeing him for the first time. So big, so hard, and all hers.
Running her finger slowly along the length of him, she was satisfied when his cock jerked.
“Surcy,” her name was ripped from his lips, the sound of a man being tortured.
Continuing her light exploration of him, her gaze was glued to the precum that shone at his tip. Unable to help herself, she leaned forward and licked him.
He groaned, his entire body spasming.
If he likes that...
Parting her lips, she took him inside of her hot mouth. The gargoyle shuddered, and his hands went lightly to the back of her hair. As she slid him in and out, Tristan bucked into her mouth, a man trying desperately to keep his control.
But she wanted to make him lose all control. She wanted to reward him for his patience with her and show him just how much he meant to her.
She cupped his balls, squeezing them softly, as she sucked harder and harder.
His movements became more rushed, wilder, but she knew the moment he snapped.
He roared, a sound that was all demon. His hands dug into the back of her hair, and he began to thrust into her mouth as if he owned her. Each time his cock hit the back of her throat, she gagged around him, but didn’t stop. She wanted to taste him when he released. She wanted to know she’d been the one to make him lose control.
When her name tore from his lips, and a shudder went through his body, he exploded. She continued to suck him as he fucked her mouth wildly. Until he slowed. Until he stopped, holding her hair lightly, keeping himself inside of her.
Looking up slowly, she met his hooded gaze.
“I love you,” he said, drawing himself out of her.
She felt herself tremble and her nipples harden. “I love you too.”
When Mark and Daniel moved to her sides, Mark helped her rise. Daniel’s warm hands caught the bottom of her shirt and drew it up, letting his knuckles drag against her exposed flesh. It made goose bumps erupt over her skin. It made her clench her teeth to keep her moan inside.
At last she stood before them, naked, and yet, it didn’t feel strange at all. It felt... right. Instead of being exposed, she was being freed.
Mark let his hand slide lightly over her back, circling around the scars. Instead of the reminder bringing her to tears, she felt... okay. If she had her wings, she couldn’t have her demons.
She’d trade her wings for her demons any day.
His lips followed the tail of his hands, pressing light kisses on her shoulders, then her back, and then cautiously, onto her scars.
It was like her soul smiled. Maybe the angels hated her. Maybe other beings might not accept her. But her demons always would.
Tristan made a small sound of contentment and lay back on the bed. He watched them with hooded eyes, his gaze never leaving their actions. Daniel moved closer, kissing her softly, his hands resting on her hips.
She moved without thinking, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off his broad shoulders. For a second she was overwhelmed by him. He was so good-looking. So impossibly beautiful.
Her hands slid down the hard muscles of his chest, past his stomach
, and began to work the button on his pants. Daniel moved closer.
“You know what you’re in for, sweetheart?”
She didn’t look up at him as she nodded and yanked his pants down.
His boxers and pants came off as one, and then she was left staring at his proud erection.
“I’ve seen you naked before,” she said, hating the husky quality to her words.
He leaned closer and nipped her ear, causing her breath to rush out. “I mean, are you ready to have three big dicks in you?”
She shuddered. “Yes.”
“Good,” he bit her ear again. “Because I can’t wait to sink into that glorious asshole of yours again.”
She felt her cheeks heat and her nipples tighten.
“Now, undress Mark.”
He spun her around.
With shaking hands, she undressed her demon. He watched her every move as she undid the buttons on his shirt and slid the material off his broad, delicious shoulders. He shuddered when she trailed her lips across his throat as she took off his pants, sinking to her knees to remove them.
And when she rose, she wasn’t surprised when Mark pulled her into his arms, lifting her off the ground. Her legs wrapped around his back, and his cock sat hard between them. Reaching down with one hand, she took him in her grip and used his length to slowly slide against. She didn’t let him enter her, just rubbed herself back and forth along him, feeling herself grow wetter with each stroke.
When he cursed, she almost smiled, if it weren’t for the heat uncurling in her belly.
Instead, she pressed his tip at her entrance and took him deeper and deeper into her tight channel. Her breathing hitched as her body squeezed around him, and when she reached his hilt, she dropped his length and wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing hard.
When Daniel grasped her breasts from behind, she moaned. His fingers teased her nipples, and he moved closer until he was firmly pressed against her... until she was practically sitting on his cock. Then, he reached one hand down and steered his length—in and out of her juices.
The word fuck became a chant behind him as he continued to coat himself, and then, he withdrew, growing silent. Holding her breath, she clamped her teeth together, waiting. But she didn’t have to wait long.
Mates of the Realms: The Complete Collection: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Box Set Page 55
