by River Ramsey
Kore
Usually anger was the one emotion that kept me up at night more than any other, but it took a shamefully short amount of time to pass out. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally, from the journey and the bizarre revelation it had led me to.
That night, my dreams were filled with gods of war and time, chaos and endlessness. They whispered foreign words into my ears that fled my mind as soon as they’d left the speaker’s lips, and I went tumbling into an abyss of my own confusion. My eternal fall was interrupted by a pair of bony white hands wrapping around my neck.
Like the siren’s song, this crushing grasp was so strangely familiar, even as it forced the breath from my lungs. No matter how I struggled, I couldn’t get away from it. The swirling hiss of the void took on a shape that was barely distinguishable as one word, echoing through the nothingness.
No. Not a word. A name.
Eris…
“Kore!”
The familiar voice pulled me from those grasping hands before they seemed like they were going to crush and wrench me out of existence. I gasped sharply as I shot up from the bed and tore free of the sheets constricting my limbs. I found myself in the embrace of surprisingly strong arms and Loki’s scent enveloped me, familiar and more soothing than I wanted it to be.
“Hey,” he said, his blue eyes glinting with concern in the pale light coming in from the window. It was still night, assuming there was anything else in this wasteland, but it felt like I’d been falling forever. “Easy. You’re okay.”
As reality set in, humiliation began to bleed in at the edges. I pulled out of Loki’s arms in time to see Hades rise from the burgundy sofa across the room, looking half-asleep. He’d shed his shirt at some point in the night, so his pale, sculpted torso was on full display.
“What the fuck are you shrieking about?” he growled.
Loki gave him a scolding look before turning back to me. “That must have been some dream.”
“It wasn’t a dream,” I said, but I felt the absurdity of those words before they were all the way out of my mouth. Rather than the mockery I was expecting, Loki was watching me with an unreadable expression and even Hades seemed to have shifted from irritated to concerned.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice still rough with sleep. His white hair was mussed up, and I’d never seen him look less than completely put together. It was almost endearing.
“Nothing,” I answered, drawing my legs up to my chest. Usually when I had a nightmare this bad, I woke up in a cold sweat, but my skin was just...cold. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with being brought back from the dead, but I wasn’t in any shape to entertain such a disturbing thought after the dream I’d just had.
“It must have been bad to have you shaken,” Loki said, studying my face. I could tell he knew I was lying, but I was more taken aback by his words than anything. It seemed like he was oblivious to the fact that he’d just given me a compliment, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“You’re freezing, and shaking like a leaf,” he said before I could respond, and I realized only then that he’d taken my hands in his. I hadn’t even noticed that I’d been shivering, but he was right. My hands were trembling and I couldn’t stop it. He looked up at Hades. “What’s going on?”
“How should I know?”
“You’re the one she’s bound to,” Loki said, his voice laced with irritation I’d never heard in it before. Certainly not toward his friend. “It must have something to do with the death magic.”
Hades frowned, but the sheen of fear in his gaze put me off more than that dream had. He sat next to me and when he reached out to touch my cheek, I froze. Everything within me, however, grew warmer. I wasn’t sure if the shift was a hallucination, but he seemed to notice it, too. Hades looked down at his hand and when he pulled away, the cold returned.
“What is it?” Loki demanded impatiently.
“I think you might be right,” he said in a tone that made it clear the concession was physically painful for him. He looked back at me, his somber gaze boring holes into my soul. “Did you feel warmer when I touched you?”
“Yes,” I answered warily. “What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
For some reason, I actually believed him. Maybe it was the fact that he seemed as confused as I was.
“I told you it was related to the necromancy,” Loki snapped.
While driving a wedge between them had once been my goal, I didn’t like being the object of any “I told you so.” “What, are you saying it didn’t take?”
“Don’t be dramatic,” Hades muttered. “This is the first time I’ve brought someone back, so there are bound to be glitches.”
“That’s comforting,” I said flatly. I glanced across the room where Fenrir had been sleeping on the rug by the window only to find the pane open and the rug bare. “Wait. Where is Fenrir?”
Hades and Loki looked around the room and seemed to realize their friend’s absence only then.
“I opened the window last night. He must’ve jumped out for a run,” said Hades.
“Jumped?” I echoed. “Wouldn’t he get hurt?”
Loki snorted. “Trust me, he’s hardier than that. I’m more worried about you.”
Loki’s hand on my shoulder drew my attention, but when I realized what he was doing, I stopped short of smacking it away. His fingers brushed over my bare skin and I shivered for a different reason. “Feel anything?”
I swallowed hard, afraid to let the answer out before I’d mulled it over. The truth was, I did feel something. The coldness had been so stark that I’d hardly even notice the numbness that set in. What Hades’ touch had done to ease the cold, Loki’s was doing to return sensation to my flesh. “Yeah,” I answered, my voice hoarse. “I do.”
“What?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. I wasn’t sure if he was curious because this was all just another game to him, but I was more afraid to believe the sincerity in his gaze.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I felt numb before, but… not there.”
His eyes lit with understanding and he ran his fingers down my arm, his touch slow and sensuous. The return of full sensation wherever he touched was enough to make me gasp. “And here?”
“Yes,” I answered, my voice a tight whisper that barely made it out of my mouth. He was so close now, and I could feel Hades’ warmth at my back. I found myself trapped in Loki’s gaze, wondering if those blue depths were the distraction that made all his tricks so easy to fall for. When I was younger, Mom had taken me to the party of one of my classmates whose parents had hired a magician. I remembered him teaching us the secret behind the silly little trick. Whenever you wanted to get away with something right before someone’s eyes, all you had to do was get their attention. It was a skill I’d employed numerous times during my more illicit after school activities, but I was no more able to resist it for the knowledge.
No… this wasn’t a trick. It might have been its own form of magic, but there was something more honest about that touch than any words that had ever passed between us. It called to me, and I felt as lost in those blue depths as I had been in the siren’s well, only this time, I had even less of a chance of resurfacing.
Our lips brushed and the thrill of renewed sensation mingled with the curiosity of exploring a new lover’s touch. At first, I thought I was just responding to Loki’s kiss, but a mental replay made me keenly aware that I was the one who’d kissed him.
In front of Hades, no less.
I was never going to live this down.
He was the first to pull away, looking down at me with amusement glimmering in those devilish eyes. “Now that was a surprise.” His gaze flickered over to Hades, who was watching us in stony agitation. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that was jealousy on his face. “You know, it doesn’t count as coming onto your girl if she kissed me first.”
“I’m not his girl,” I muttered, running a hand through m
y hair. “I don’t know why I did that. I’m not thinking clearly.”
“You seemed pretty lucid to me,” Loki said in a knowing tone.
And he was right. I knew better, even as I’d leaned in for that kiss. Desire just won out, or maybe it was the elation I felt with feeling something. And whether I wanted to admit it or not, the three of them were capable of triggering a whole manner of responses more than anyone else ever had been.
“She did,” Hades said bitterly.
I should have enjoyed the jealousy that kiss had obviously stirred in him, but instead, my traitorous instinct was to soothe it. I turned to him and reached up, digging my hands into his white hair the way I’d done on the rooftop. His eyes widened in surprise and my lips came down on his before he could respond. His hands closed around my wrists, and to my amazement, he actually returned the kiss.
Warmth spread through me and this time, it wasn’t limited to where he touched. It flowed through my veins like an inferno, stirring the same euphoria my power usually initiated. I deepened the kiss as his hands settled on my waist and he leaned back as I straddled his lap.
I knew I’d probably regret this come morning, but it felt too good to feel something, anything but numbness, to care. And the two of them were the only things that felt real in this world of empty space and illusion. The only things that felt familiar.
The gentle brush of Loki’s soft lips swept along the side of my neck and my head fell back against his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me. “I think we found the cure for what ails her.”
“Seems so,” Hades responded, even though his eyes were fixed on me. I hadn’t even realized his hand had drifted down to rest on my thigh, and I barely even remembered kicking my pants off in the night. My panties were already soaked and I felt a surge of humiliation as he brushed his fingers over the thin cotton. Not enough to pull away, but still.
“Wouldn’t be the first time we’d shared something,” Loki said in a musical tone. There was no mistaking the request as he deferred to his friend’s “claim,” even though his erection pressing against my ass through his pants made it clear he wanted to do more than negotiate. I should have been furious, and I was, but not enough to derail wherever this was going. I’d chew them out for treating me like Hades’ property later, but at the moment, I was good with them using me however they saw fit, as long as they didn’t stop touching me.
Hades grunted an acknowledgment as he peeled my shirt over my head. I gasped as the cool air hit my bare skin, but they both pressed in close, filling me with enough heat to break a sweat.
Hades’ fingers trailed along the lacy cup of my bra while Loki expertly unfastened the clasp in the back. His long hair sweeping against my bare skin was nothing shy of erotic and I leaned back into him, unable to help but arch like a cat as he moulded my breast in his hand and claimed my neck with his lips once more.
“She’s responsive,” Loki mused, his words dancing against my sensitive flesh as Hades slipped his hand into my panties and started stroking me the way he’d done before. It was clear that he’d learned from the encounter and as much as the idea of him knowing how to push my buttons should have unnerved me, all I could do was get caught up in the rapture of it. “I see why she’s so much fun for you.”
Something in me bristled even through the lust, but Hades’ finger circled around my clit and it died out with another moan as I sank back into the offending party. Loki’s strong arms were now the only thing holding me upright and as his hands traveled down my arms, pinning my wrists at my side, I realized I was right all along. They really were deadly as a team.
Loki pulled me back onto his lap and Hades grabbed my ankle, tugging me further down onto the bed. “If we’re doing this, you follow my lead.”
“Why don’t you ask her?” Loki challenged.
The urge to tell Hades to go to hell was hard to resist, but the threat of not getting to enjoy the same bliss I’d known on the rooftop was enough to silence it. “I don’t care,” I muttered, squirming in Loki’s grasp even though the bite of his fingers was turning me on. “Just don’t stop.”
“Well?” Loki asked, his voice dripping with amusement. “Shall we give her what she wants?”
Something as malevolent as it was arousing flashed in Hades’ gaze as he pulled my panties all the way off and pushed my legs apart. The air hit my sex a moment before his mouth claimed it and I couldn’t fight the moan welling in my throat.
“You’re in luck,” Loki purred in my ear. By now, he had my arms pinned behind my back and my body shifted enough to leave me open for the attention Hades was lavishing on my clit. “Mouthing off isn’t the only thing that sharp tongue is good for.”
I felt the rush of Hades’ breath between my legs in response to the remark, but when his tongue slipped inside of me, I no longer cared what they were saying. He was right, of course. Hades was as skilled with his mouth as he was with his hand and as his tongue slipped into me, my spine arched again in response.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Loki scolded, even though his tone made it clear he was enjoying the show. “You shouldn’t get to have all the fun.”
Hades didn’t come up immediately. He gave my clit one last sweep of his tongue and when he rose, the sight of him licking his lips with desire in his eyes was enough to make me dizzy with need.
I wanted him--no, both of them--to fuck me so much it was fucking terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Between the two of them, I could hardly make up my mind about who to touch, who to kiss. I reached back, digging my hands into Loki’s hair as Hades fondled my breasts, his cock pushed up against the slight curve of my stomach. Loki’s shaft was pressed hard against the bare skin on my ass. When had he even undressed?
I turned around to sate my curiosity and the sight of him naked took my breath away. He was even more gorgeous underneath those clothes than he was in them and I slipped my arms around his neck, shamelessly pushing myself up against him. And really, what was the point of shame, anyway? There were so many other vices that were infinitely more fun to indulge, like lust and possession and whatever the hell it was that stirred whenever his lips met mine.
Loki’s tongue slipped past my lips and into my mouth, silky and seeking as it brushed across mine. His hands skimmed the curve of my sides before resting on my hips as Hades took his place behind me. I didn’t particularly care which order they took me in, I just knew I wanted both of them to sate the need that had only grown within me from that first touch.
When I finally broke the ravenous kiss to come up for air, Loki’s eyes were glazed. “Damn, she’s intense…”
“Told you,” Hades snorted.
Before I could punish him for that remark, his hand slipped down over my stomach to tease at the sensitive flesh below. I moaned as he stroked me as easily and predictably as a violin, but it felt too good to care.
“You want him to fuck you?” Loki asked in a knowing, almost compassionate tone, as if the force of my need was enough to draw his pity.
All I could do was nod, desperate for him to kiss me again. Instead, his gaze darkened with mischief and his lips quirked in that faint yet deadly way they did so often, and to such great effect. “How much?” he asked, his hand pressed to my cheek as his thumb swept over my lips.
The implication of his words sank into my skin like the sun ray’s.
He was testing me. Seeing just how far I was willing to go.
Well, the joke was on him because if he thought he wasn’t going to be the one in control, even if I was blowing him, he was dead wrong. I sank down onto my hands and knees, taking a moment to get to know his glorious cock with my hands before I took him into my mouth. I relished the cessation of his breath as his body tensed and his erection grew even stiffer.
“Fuck,” he said in a rush of breath, his hand slipping into my hair as he cradled the back of my head. “I hate to break it to you, Hades, but I think your fiancee has sucked dick a few times in her life.”
Hades just snorted. I’d pay him back for that little remark later, but right now, I was enjoying the way he felt on my tongue as it swirled around the tip of his crown. He tasted like sin and sadism, all the things he was so good at in the form of a sensuous flavor I couldn’t get enough of. I sucked harder, well aware of Hades drawing closer, his hands resting on my hips. He stroked the curve of my ass with an admiring gentleness and his fingers disappeared inside of me the way his tongue had recently.
I moaned in approval as he pushed his fingers against my G-spot, stroking and teasing. The angle was definitely one of my favorites, and with Loki buried in my throat, it was twice as fun.
By the time Hades entered me, Loki’s breath was coming in pants and his fingers were stroking my hair absently, twirling and tangling in the strands. I was going to need a damn detangler by the time we were done, but when he started tugging, it was more enticing than irritating.
They were both being gentle, but I could tell they were used to rougher play. Maybe I’d have to find out just how far they were willing to go another time, but for now, this was more than satisfactory.
My body tightened instinctively as Hades’ thick cock pushed inside of me. My breath hitched for a moment and I withdrew Loki’s shaft from my mouth to focus on running my tongue along the underside of it, since that seemed to drive him wild. Even more so when I cupped his balls in my palm.
A delicious groan escaped Hades’ lips as he eased into me. He caved suddenly to the same need I felt and sheathed himself fully within me. I moaned against Loki’s cock, which made him clutch my hair even tighter.
“I think she likes it rough,” Loki said, his voice rich with the thrill of realization.
“I’ve noticed,” Hades panted. As he started thrusting in and out of me, finding a rhythm that matched up with the pulse throbbing in Loki’s swollen cock, I realized there was no going back from this night. No pretending like it had never happened.
Hell, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to. All I knew was that something had changed, maybe even before now, and we were well past the point of no return.
