Mayhem for Suckers

by Lacey Carter Andersen

But when he moves to my breasts, the energy between us seems to change. His touch isn’t just nice, it’s torture. I almost demand he get on with it when that hot mouth of his closes over one of my nipples, and my blood turns to lava, racing through my veins. He takes his time enjoying my breasts, and by the time he moves lower, I’m more than ready to go.

  Not that I mind when he puts my legs over his shoulders and spreads me wide before licking me slowly. His tongue feels rough and absolutely delicious, everything I didn’t know I wanted and more. I press my hands to the back of his head and hold him closer, then thrust against his mouth.

  And oh, hell. I see stars.

  I work myself against him until the heat threatens to consume me, and then I make a strangled sound, and Reid finally pulls back from me. My tense body collapses back on the bed, but I’m not ready to be done yet.

  Hell, if he stops now, I’ll be pissed.

  But my Reid is still a good guy. He still wants to give me everything I want. In that way, he could never change. He rises above me, the tip of his cock pressing between my folds, then slowly eases himself inside of me.

  My pulse fills my ears. I wrap my legs behind his back and pull him in deep, frustrated by his slow pace. A string of curses leaves his lips, and then he begins to fuck me hard. Each thrust sends stars dancing in front of my vision. And instead of just an overwhelming sense of pleasure, the tension in my muscles winds tighter and tighter until I finally explode.

  My orgasm slams into both of us, and a second later, Reid is coming too. My name is a chant on his lips as he makes every nerve inside my body scream in pleasure, and then I’m screaming his name too.

  I don’t know how long we go on like that before I come back to myself, lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his arms around me. But the moment...it’s perfect. Absolutely what I need in that moment, the night before I might face my sister as an enemy.

  And then I hear the door to my room creak open.

  On the other side, Aiden, Van, and Wilder all stand.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Van lifts a brow. “We figured either you two were fucking or you were being attacked.”

  I feel my cheeks heat.

  Aiden clears his throat. “On that note, we’re already up.”

  I grin, trying to push aside my embarrassment. “This is a pretty big bed…”

  Chapter Ten

  Izzy

  The next morning, Mr. Time and Brenda are waiting for us with a suburban outside the house. Mr. Time stands in a grey suit that makes him appear even taller, if that’s possible, and his flawless hair is smoothed back. Brenda stands at complete odds next to him, wearing a leather vest, a black choker, leather pants, and boots. The tattoos on her arms are on display, and her expression is thunderous.

  It’s strange how much he looks like some rich guy with a fearsome bodyguard. But even while I’m thinking about that, Beth runs up with bags in her hands. She has a wide smile plastered across her face, but the smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

  Beth hugs us goodbye and gives us a lunch she’s packed for us.

  “Does this mean you really believe we’re not evil?” Wilder asks, peeking inside. “You’re baking us cookies for the road?”

  “I baked you cookies even when I thought you were too weak to fend off those evil gods,” she corrects, her voice scolding. Then she tweaks his nose. “But now, yes, I feel better about baking for you.”

  Once we get into the car and pull away from the school, Mr. Time speaks over his shoulder. “Why don’t you tell us about the man who trained all of you, Oliver?”

  Oliver stiffens, and for a minute I don’t think he’s going to talk, but then he begins, very slowly, “I don’t want to talk about him.”

  “I thought you wanted to help us?” Van says, an aggressive note to his voice.

  Oliver lets out a slow breath. “He has powers from the gods.”

  “What kind of powers?” Mr. Time’s voice holds no emotion.

  “He always has one or two weird creatures that protect him, although I get the sense it takes a lot of energy for him to control them. He can also cause pain…a lot of pain. And he’s strong.” He pauses, then begins again, his voice even softer, “He’s also a complete asshole and very dangerous.”

  I expect Mr. Time to ask more questions, but instead he says nothing more, and I change the subject, awkwardly talking with Oliver about his favorite foods. He doesn’t say much, but I keep trying for a while before I finally give up. Wordlessly, Mr. Time turns up the radio, and I’m glad to just relax and enjoy the rest of the drive.

  We go to an airport. After we’ve lifted our bags out of the trunk, Wilder frowns when Mr. Time leads us out onto the tarmac.

  “We don’t have to go through security?” he asks.

  “Private plane,” Mr. Time says.

  “We could’ve just teleported,” Van points out.

  “That would leave you without adult supervision,” Brenda says with a wicked smile. She draws the eye of the men in the airport.

  “You haven’t been to Scotland before, and it’s almost impossible to teleport successfully to a place you’ve never seen yourself,” Mr. Time says. “I’m not going to risk you all losing each other.”

  “And you want to keep an eye on us.” Aiden shakes his head slowly. “We’ll never prove ourselves to you really, will we?”

  Mr. Time turns on him in exasperation. “Did it ever occur to you, Aiden, that maybe I care about what happens to--”

  “Your granddaughter? Finally. Good,” Aiden interrupts.

  “Aiden!” I say, horrified. The relationship I have with my grandfather feels so new and tentative, and I can’t help feeling like the wrong words could ruin it. It’s hard to ever feel sure of yourself with a history like mine.

  “About all of you,” Mr. Time corrects. He quirks an eyebrow at Aiden and says, “No matter how rude you are.”

  I can feel Oliver’s irritation radiating from him in the way he crosses his arms. He doesn't want to be here with us, hearing this. I wonder if it hurts because of the way he’s been raised in that god-cult with Thea, or if it’s because he can’t wait until we’re gone.

  The jet we board seems enormous. There are several rows of huge, plush, white, leather seats and warm, dark wood everywhere. I stare around me in fascination, and Mr. Time says, “You can explore once we get underway. It’s a long flight--best to get started.”

  “Of course,” I say, trying to pretend like I take private jets every day.

  I can feel Wilder’s gaze on me. He catches my hand in his and tugs me next to his side. Together, the two of us slide into a pair of seats, and he makes sure I sit by the window.

  “This is your first flight,” he whispers into my ear.

  “You remember,” I say, surprised. I talked when we were kids about how I’d never flown in a plane, just once. Then I realized it was the kind of thing that made people feel sorry for me. I shouldn’t talk about stuff like that with someone like Wilder, who went to Disneyland and on Caribbean cruises with his family. They weren’t rich like Van was, but Wilder’s family still seemed plenty rich to me.

  “Don’t be nervous,” he says, right as Oliver drops into the seat across from me, which makes my anxiety spike up.

  Oliver crosses his arms and stares out the window. He has a sullen look across his face.

  “You know, friend, if you don’t want to be here, we don’t need you.” Van suddenly sprawls beside him. Van looks so comfortable with himself, as if he belongs here; of course, this isn’t his first private jet.

  But Van looks comfortable everywhere, no matter what.

  “You do, actually,” Oliver says icily.

  Wilder holds my hand, caressing the back of my hand with his thumb. The small, tender touch helps make my nerves dissipate. I’ll be fine once I get into the air, I’m sure. It’s just hard doing something for the first time as an adult. That’s true for so many things for me. I’m always trying new things I�
�ve never done before.

  Oliver and Van trade barbs as the plane leaps forward. I bite my lip, but it begins to smoothly taxi. When we start to pick up speed, the force pushes me back into my seat and my heart jumps.

  Wilder leans in toward me, wrapping his big arm around my shoulders. He tugs me into his side, and I lean into him. I feel a sudden rush of terror.

  “Hey, what’s wrong with her?” Oliver asks suddenly.

  “Nothing,” Wilder says. “Flying makes me nervous so she’s staying close to me.”

  He’s so ridiculous--and so sweet--that it makes me smile. I release my death grip on the chair railings and rest my hand lightly on his thigh instead. The plane is starting to level off, and I can finally relax.

  “You’ve never been on a plane before?” Oliver sneers.

  “We don’t need to, because we can teleport,” Van sneers right back. His cocky, rich bastard act is on full display right now, and I could kiss him for it as Oliver shrinks back a little. “We’re just trying to help you out.”

  “That’s right,” Wilder says. “I should get over my flying fears, really, because if something did happen to the plane--I’d just teleport back to the academy.”

  “What would you do if someone got tired of your shit and threw you out of the plane?” Van asks, lowering his voice. “Just…hypothetically. Can you teleport?”

  Oliver glances out the window, refusing to answer.

  “I’ll take that as a no,” Wilder says.

  The plane has leveled off, and the little seatbelt warning has disappeared.

  “I’m not going to be your airline steward,” Mr. Time leans over the seat back, “but there’s a stocked fridge in the back. Feel free to get up and explore.”

  Wilder lets out a boyish whoop, and it makes me smile. It’s in such contrast to the intimidating way he acted a moment before with Oliver

  “I’ve never been on a private jet before like this,” he says. “Let’s check it out.”

  I have a funny feeling that without Wilder to distract me, I might still be clinging to the arms of my chair. Instead, I smile and take his hand. Together, the two of us roam from the pilots’ cockpit to the private bedroom in the back.

  “I think we’ve seen every inch of this place,” Wilder says, when the two of us are kneeling on the narrow bench underneath one of the plane’s windows in the bedroom, to get a glimpse of the clouds below. It’s starting to make my heart lift to be up among the clouds.

  “Thanks, Wilder,” I tell him.

  His lips part as if he has something to say, and then he just leans forward and kisses me.

  It’s a slow, sweet kiss. I kiss him back, my fingers tangling in his blond hair, as our kisses deepen and turn more passionate. His lips nudge mine open, then the tip of his tongue dances along my upper lip. When his tongue thrusts against mine, I moan softly, and his hands sweep down my sides, then wrap around my hips.

  “Oh, Izzy,” he breathes into my ear, just before his lips plunder my throat. I tilt my head back, inviting him in.

  My voice comes out in a breathy gasp when I ask, “Isn’t the mile high club a thing?”

  “Really going for broke on your first-ever flight, hm?”

  “Well, I’ve got to do something to calm my nerves.”

  “Well, as long as it’s all medicinal…” He suddenly slides behind me.

  Fluffy white clouds and the brilliant blue sky are in front of me through the window, and his hard, muscular body presses against me from behind. My fingers find the cool glass, holding myself steady as his hand slips across the front of my jeans. His thumb teases against the seam between my thighs, and just that faint touch makes my breath hitch.

  I breathe in the scent of his cologne. I feel enveloped by him--the way he smells, the way he’s holding me close, the safety I feel. I think of that night I ran from the library right into his arms--the night we began to all find our way back together again. Sometimes the gods have helped and sometimes they’ve made it harder, but the way these men love me has a feel of inevitability; we would’ve been together, magic or no.

  His fingers walk up the front of my jeans. He undoes the button, and when his fingertips glide over my cleft, my breath hitches. I lean back into him as he pushes my pants and underwear down with the back of his hand, his fingers already expertly strumming over my clit. He teases me until I’m grinding down on his palm, desperate for more of him, and I can feel him smile against my cheek before he kisses me again.

  I turn and face him, kissing him back fully, then walk him back toward the bed. He lets me push him, and when we reach the edge of the bed, I shove him. He lets himself fall, but he catches me around his waist, bringing me with him. I’m laughing as the two of us scramble across the bed, playfully wrestling to be on top. He wins. The faint scruff across his jaw tickles my skin as he kisses me over and over, and my hips roll up, wanting more of him. I catch him in my hand and draw him out, teasing his tip over my core. He glides easily through all the proof of how hot he’s made me for him.

  “Oh, Izzy,” he groans, and it’s good to see his breath hitch the way he did mine. I smile as I wrap my thighs around his lean waist, and he drives inside me over and over.

  I’m flying high, and I’m not scared anymore.

  Chapter Eleven

  Wilder

  The look on Izzy’s face when we arrive in Scotland, on a drizzly day, makes me smile. She stares around herself in wonder. I want to give her the world. Maybe one day, we can travel without having to fight.

  Van bumps my shoulder, and I look at him expecting a smart-ass remark. But he just looks at me with his lips tilting at one corner, as if he had the same thought I did.

  We drive long, wet streets to discover that Mr. Time had rented a castle.

  “It’s got good defensible positions, just in case they surprise us,” he says.

  “Got a dungeon for this guy?” Van asks, resting his elbow on Oliver’s shoulder.

  “Leave him alone,” Izzy chides Van. She gives Oliver an uncertain smile that twists at my heart. She’s so kind--definitely better than the rest of us.

  The castle’s gray rock exterior looks amazing, and the inside is even better. But we don’t have time to enjoy it; we throw our bags into our rooms, take quick showers, then head downstairs to the living room.

  Oliver walks us through the defenses of their castle, sketching out a map. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen horses that were more talented artists, and I frown at the pile of papers mounting up on the table.

  “Shouldn’t the godslayers be here?” Izzy interrupts. “We can do this together.”

  Mr. Time looks grim. “We lost contact with them after they went on a mission for me.”

  Izzy’s lips part in alarm. I don’t trust them after what happened, but I feel bad for them too. They’re probably dead.

  “Would they have killed them?” I ask Oliver.

  “Not if they thought you idiots would rush in to rescue him,” Oliver says. “But that doesn’t mean they aren’t dead now, depending on how much of a fight your friends put up.”

  His face takes on a contemptuous look. “How could you even be friends with them? They wanted you dead.”

  “Izzy’s very open-minded,” Aiden teases her, but I’m pretty sure he means it when he adds, “and we all try to make her happy.”

  Oliver doesn’t answer, but his sneer says plenty.

  Later on, while we’re still working on our plan, Izzy slips off to the kitchen to get a drink. I notice that Oliver leaves the room too. Maybe I should give Izzy her privacy, but I feel a flare of protectiveness that makes me too restless to stay still. I finally stretch and saunter out of the room, leaving the warm, wood-paneled study for the huge, bright kitchen at the other end of the house.

  Izzy is getting sodas out of the fridge for all of us when Oliver walks into the room.

  “You’ve really got them all wrapped around your little finger, don’t you?” he asks.

  She turns to face him,
pinning the sodas along her chest with one arm. “I wouldn’t say that. We all love each other and look out for each other.”

  “Sure.” The misogyny just drips from this guy. I wonder what happened to make him like this. I don’t think any guy comes out this toxic and obnoxious without a reason.

  Makes me wonder what Thea’s life is like.

  “I’m sure their love doesn’t have anything to do with what a slut you are,” he adds.

  And that’s it. I’m done.

  When I come around the corner, he twists toward me and horror washes over his face.

  I shove him. “Yeah, I heard you.”

  “It’s fine, Wilder,” Izzy says.

  “No, it’s not. No one’s going to talk to you that way when we’re around.”

  His magic sparks. He looks at me with narrowed, fearful eyes over the light of magic in his hands, which casts flickering shadows across his face. “You won’t always be around, will you?”

  His magic flares toward me. I roll to one side, and I don’t mean to, but when I punch him, he flies all the way across the room. He slams into the window at the other end and it shatters under his weight.

  His arms windmill before he plummets out of sight.

  “Oliver!” Izzy screams.

  The two of us rush to the window to see his bloodied, broken body on the rocks below.

  “I didn’t mean to,” I say. “I just--”

  “It’s okay,” Izzy says. She’s the one comforting me for real this time, as she pulls me into her arms.

  “I’m never going to let anyone hurt you,” I say fiercely, and the two of us cling to each other in the shattered wreckage of the glass.

  Chapter Twelve

  Van

  The instant we heard the sound of a fight and glass breaking, we raced into the kitchen. The three of us stare at Wilder as he holds Izzy, and then at the broken window, not quite comprehending what we’re seeing. But then, Mr. Time pushes past us, and his mouth draws into a thin line.