by River Ramsey
This was obviously news to Dionysus, but he said nothing and listened intently.
“I think that’s the name of whatever possessed me,” I admitted, wincing when I realized how crazy that sounded. It was bad enough in my head, but out loud, it sounded like a one-way ticket to a padded cell. “No...not possessed. It’s part of me. I’m still responsible for what I did.”
“You defended yourself,” Loki said, his voice as stern as I’d expected it to be when he found me. “He attacked you, and as far as we know, he did it on Cronus’ order. If you hadn’t killed him, I would have.”
His words hit me like a ton of bricks, and I wasn’t at all sure how to respond. “Loki…”
“I don’t blame you, Kore,” he murmured, his tone softening as he covered my hand with his. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”
My heart ached, both with relief that he didn’t hate me and guilt for what I’d done to him, regardless. All I could do was apologize and pull my arms around him, holding tight and never wanting to let him go. He held me back and his fingers in my hair were more comfort than I deserved, but I didn’t have the strength to deny it.
Dionysus was the first to break the long, heavy silence, and even though he’d said little, his presence gave me more strength than he could ever know. “We can contact Hades and let them know you’re safe, but I think we should stay here for the night.”
Loki nodded in agreement, already sending out a text. “You need to rest.”
“I’m not tired,” I protested, finding myself led over to the bed regardless.
“If Eris is still in there, you’ll need all the energy you can get to fight her,” Dionysus said, blocking me in on the other side of the bed as Loki slipped in beside me and pulled the covers over me.
“I’m not sure that’s necessary,” Loki mused, sitting back against the headboard. Dionysus and I were both looking at him in confusion, so he added, “Eris only seems to come out when Kore is in danger. Maybe it has something to do with why she was chosen to fight Cronus.”
“That’s a possibility,” Dionysus said thoughtfully.
I realized they weren’t letting me up without a fight, so I settled in and decided to enjoy the fact that they were both close, even though I couldn’t help but worry about Fenrir and Hades. I knew they both would have laughed their asses off if I ever admitted as much, and I’d certainly never hear the end of it.
“Something felt different about this time,” I said warily, regretting my words when I realized how intently they were both watching. “Like we…integrated.” I could tell that didn’t provide the clarification I’d hoped from the way they were still looking at me. “I know how that sounds, but…”
“No,” Dionysus said quickly. “No, it makes as much sense as any of this.”
“I have a theory,” Loki finally said.
“Oh?” asked Dionysus.
“Maybe Eris isn’t separate at all. I mean, Kore is half Ares, so it’s possible that’s just another repressed aspect of her power,” he mused. “No offense, but I’d be surprised if it was limited to a super green thumb.”
I gave him a halfhearted glare. “Not much taken.”
His mischievous smile reassured me that things were going to be okay between us more than any words of comfort ever could.
“It’s an interesting thought,” said Dionysus. “We’re definitely going to need all the power we can get to stop Cronus.”
I hesitated, looking over at him worriedly. “Dionysus, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, and I’m so glad you’re here, but I don’t want you involved in this any more than you already are. Being connected to me isn’t just a matter of getting bullied anymore. If anyone found out you were even here…”
“She has a point,” Loki agreed. “You’re courting treason.”
“Courting?” Dionysus scoffed. “I’d say treason and I tied the knot the moment I agreed to keep your coup against Cronus a secret.”
I sighed. “Still. You haven’t done anything that can’t be undone yet, and we haven’t even found the fourth consort.”
Dionysus’ face went blank and something about the way he was watching me made me uneasy.
“What?” I asked.
“About that,” Dionysus said, his voice tense with uncertainty. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was blushing and he seemed suddenly incapable of meeting my gaze.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Loki muttered.
“What?” I demanded, looking between them. “Will someone tell me what I’m missing?”
“I think it’s me,” Dionysus finally admitted. He winced, as if he was afraid of what my reaction was going to be.
Disbelief. That was the only thing I could muster. And a self-defeating glimmer of hope, because as impossible as it seemed, that was the only answer that would justify the traitorous feelings I’d been harboring for him for longer than I wanted to confess.
“What? That’s… that’s not even--” I sputtered, trying to collect my thoughts. When I finally managed, the finished thought I blurted out was more lacking in art than I’d hoped. “But you’re gay.”
Dionysus’ face flushed to the point where his embarrassment was undeniable, as implausible as it seemed on my behalf. “There’s more than just gay and straight,” he mumbled.
“No argument there,” Loki said, clearly amused by the turn the conversation was taking. He was never more his old self than when he was having fun at someone else’s expense. Dionysus seemed to be a favored target of his mischief, which made me wonder if things were really as over between them as they both wanted to believe.
“I don’t get it,” I finally said, desperate to understand and afraid that if I rushed to any conclusions, I’d be putting our friendship in even more jeopardy.
“I love you, Kore,” Dionysus said softly. “For a long time, I tried to tell myself it was just as a friend, but…”
My throat tightened, making it impossible to speak even if I had the words. It felt like a small eternity before I had the composure to do anything other than stare at him like an idiot. “You do?”
“I know you don’t feel the same way, and I wouldn’t have said anything if it wasn’t for all this,” Dionysus said, grimacing. “But I think I’m supposed to be part of this. Even if I’m not, I’m not leaving you.”
His words made my heart race, and my mind was a flurry of thoughts I’d kept buried for so long they all wanted out at once. The one that finally won out was, “I do.” When the confusion in his eyes didn’t fade, I clarified, “I love you, too. Not just as a friend. I just didn’t want to risk making things weird, especially after the kiss…”
“Kiss?” Loki raised an eyebrow. “This is news to me.”
Dionysus glared at him. “That’s none of your business,” he snapped before turning back to me. I realized only then that my hand was in his, and I couldn’t remember who’d initiated it. I just didn’t want him to let go. “Are you serious? You’re not just saying that?”
“No,” I answered, struggling to understand why he was the one in disbelief. It was a no-brainer that anyone would be drawn to Dionysus. He was beautiful inside and out, and smart, and kind, and unexpectedly brave… While I was still trying to figure out a way to tell him all those things without sounding like a desperate schoolgirl with a crush, Loki interrupted.
“You know, there’s one way to find out for sure.”
His dry tone belied the glimmer of mischief in his eyes.
This time, I was the one who blushed. There was no mistaking his implication, at least not on my end.
“What?” Dionysus asked, frowning.
“The first time Kore slept with each of us, the consort bond activated,” Loki answered. “Seems like a pretty straightforward litmus test.”
For a moment, neither of us seemed to know how to respond. When I finally met Dionysus’ gaze, I saw it. That look I’d seen a thousand times and only recognized now, even though it was the same one
I’d worn since the day we met.
“That’s up to you,” Dionysus said, his voice hoarse with nerves.
I realized the only way to calm them and say everything that was in my heart was to respond without words at all. I leaned in and pressed my lips to his, and he returned the kiss fiercely. This time, neither of us made any apologies. Instead, he took me into his arms and took control, digging his hands into my hair as he moved on top of me.
“Guess my work here is done,” Loki said, clearing his throat. I felt him start to get up and grabbed his wrist. He looked down at me in confusion.
“Stay,” I whispered, looking back up at Dionysus, whose eyes were still glazed with lust. “If that’s okay with you.”
He looked over at Loki and nodded, a look of understanding passing between them. He shifted slightly, allowing Loki to move closer, pressing in on my other side. Dionysus put off so much heat compared to Loki, whose touch always had a frosty bite to it. The ice running through his veins did nothing but ignite the heat in my core and as he turned me back to face Dionysus, he covered the side of my neck in sensuous little nips.
My head lolled back in bliss as Dionysus’ lips claimed the other side of my throat. Loki’s hands were on my hips and Dionysus’ still in my hair, but as they traveled down my body, I lost track of whose were where. Not that it mattered. I was too dizzy from what they were doing to my neck to process anything else, until a hand slipped between my thighs and started rubbing me through my jeans.
I moaned against Dionysus’ lips, and his fingers biting into my waist beneath my shirt told me Loki was the one touching me further down. I squirmed eagerly as he unbuttoned my jeans and tugged them down.
Dionysus’ hands drifted to my chest, and as he unbuttoned my blouse, my heart started racing again. It felt like I was seeing him for the first time, but there was something wonderfully familiar about it all the same. He ran his fingers down my bare shoulders as Loki peeled my shirt off the rest of the way, his fingertips brushing my lower arms.
“Wow,” Dionysus murmured, his breath hitching and his gaze darkening as it swept over me. His fingers danced along the lacy ridge of my bra and I had to breathe slowly just so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed by everything I was feeling. “You’re so beautiful.”
The words seemed absurd coming from someone who was the definition of beauty himself, but they filled me with pride. I took his perfect face in my hands and leaned in for another deep, languid kiss. Loki’s nimble fingers made quick work of my bra hook and soon all that was left between us was my panties and their jeans.
“Quite an exhibit, isn’t she?” Loki asked knowingly, his breath cool and tempting on the back of my neck. It felt too good to call him out on talking about me like a painting in a gallery, and to be fair, it wasn’t one of the more offensive things he and his crew had called me.
Dionysus didn’t respond verbally, but I could see the agreement in his eyes and feel it in the earnest way his hands roved my body. I sat up enough to allow him to slip my panties off the rest of the way and felt uneasily exposed all of a sudden. Dye job aside, I’d never been a shrinking violet in the bedroom, but it was different with the others. There was never any questioning our mutual attraction, no matter how much enmity it had been laced with in the beginning.
This was Dionysus. Not only was I pretty damn sure I was the first girl he’d ever been with, but we were already close. What if physical intimacy pushed him away? What if he changed his mind and didn’t want me after all?
“What’s wrong?” he asked, frowning in concern as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Nothing,” I said quickly, not sounding as convinced as I wanted to. Shy wasn’t my thing. Especially not when it came to guys, but Dionysus made me question things about myself that I never had before. At least I knew the feeling was mutual, to a degree. “I just don’t want this to change anything.”
“Nothing is going to change,” he said, his hand pressed to my cheek. “You’re my best friend.”
His words unfurled in my chest like a lotus, velvety petals blooming through my veins. I kissed him again, harder this time, until he broke away to explore the rest of my body. When his lips pressed against the pebbled flesh of my nipple, I gasped softly, surprised at how new it all felt with him. My fingers naturally gravitated to his golden locks, twirling and tugging gently at the silky strands as his tongue traveled the circumference of my sensitive bud. His kisses went from feathery soft to ravenous as he made his way down my torso. His hands traveled the curves of my body as Loki pressed into me from behind, his arm slipping beneath mine so he could knead my breast.
A moan escaped my lips as I leaned back against Loki’s firm chest and Dionysus gently pushed my thighs apart. The light kisses he left in a trail up the inside of my thigh had me quivering with anticipation. His tongue flicked against my clit, tasting and tentative, and I almost came from that alone. Loki seemed to notice, judging from the soft chuckle in my ear. He pinched my nipple between his thumb and forefinger, just hard enough to hurt pleasantly, as Dionysus delved into my sex with a moan of approval that vibrated through me.
I reached back, tangling my hand in Loki’s hair, somehow struggling to pull him closer and open myself wider to the man between my legs. For someone who’d never done it before, he ate pussy like a professional.
“You must be a natural,” Loki taunted in between his nips at my neck. What he was doing to my nipple was so mindbogglingly arousing that it bordered on torture, and I could scarcely get a full breath between their efforts.
Dionysus ignored him, working his tongue inside of me. My spine arched involuntarily and Loki grasped my wrists so I couldn’t unintentionally move away from the attention Dionysus was lavishing on me. My body began to tremble and fighting back the pleasured moans became a lost cause. Dionysus’ fingers bit into my thighs and he licked hungrily. I could feel the tinge of his euphoria in the air, mingled with the scent of sex, and I don’t think he even realized it.
The knowledge that he was enjoying himself as much as I was pushed me over the edge and my nails dug into Loki’s scalp hard enough to elicit a halfhearted growl from him as I came.
“Fuck,” I panted, still convulsing as Dionysus came up for air. His little smile was pure sex, and when he drew two fingers into his mouth, a familiar heat rose up my spine, sated but far from extinguished.
“You taste amazing,” he purred.
“My turn,” Loki said before I could formulate a proper response. He pulled me onto his lap and I gasped, catching myself against his bare torso. His muscular shoulders were firm beneath my fingers, and I could feel his cock, stiff and ready for action pressed against my thigh.
“I guess you have been patient,” I taunted, enjoying the surprise that flashed in his icy blues as I rose up enough to position him at my entrance. His breath caught in his throat, and he wrapped his arms securely around me as I straddled him.
“Thanks for getting her ready for me, but she’s still fucking tight,” Loki teased, always needing to have the last word. Tonight, he was out of luck.
Dionysus snorted in mild irritation, but when I glanced back at him, there was nothing but hunger in the way he was watching us. Knowing he was attracted to us both, that he was getting turned on just by watching us, was hot as hell.
I ran my fingers through Loki’s glorious black locks, lowering all the way onto his cock. I rocked my hips and dragged my nails down his chest until he was panting with need. His mouth closed around my nipple and he sucked hard, his hips jutting up into me.
My head fell back again and I caught Dionysus’ approving gaze. “Enjoying the show?”
His lips quirked enticingly. “I’m just impressed anyone managed to get Loki to shut up for this long.”
That got his attention. He shot Dionysus an icy glare, his fingers stroking the small of my back. “I can think of better ways to occupy your mouth.”
I could tell from his biting tone that for once, he didn’t actuall
y mean it as a double entendre, but it was certainly an appealing idea. I bit my lip, wondering if I dared to speak my fantasy out loud.
“I know that look,” Dionysus said warily.
Loki turned my chin toward him, suspicion in the furrow of his brow. “What are you thinking?”
“How hot it would be for Dionysus to suck you off while he fucks me,” I admitted.
Loki’s eyes widened at my candor. He seemed surprised, but there was a first time for everything. “And how would that work logistically?”
“Use your imagination,” I said dryly.
He snorted. “I’m up for it if you are,” he said, looking Dionysus’ way.
Dionysus shrugged, but I knew he was interested. Hell, maybe this would go some way toward fixing things between them, or at least getting them on speaking terms. If they could come together to find me, there had to be hope for them getting along under normal circumstances.
I lifted myself off Loki’s erect shaft, giving it a conciliatory stroke before I turned my attention back to Dionysus. If we were going to find out if he was one of my consorts, I was pretty sure we needed to go all the way.
Dionysus’ chest was firm and smooth, and I took my time running my hands down it before pushing him onto his back in front of Loki, not far from where I wanted him. I climbed onto him, straddling him the same way I’d done with Loki.
“Kore,” Dionysus whispered, my name sweet on his breath as I took his long shaft all the way, easing down carefully. He stared up at me in wonder, my hair falling like a veil between us.
I smiled knowingly, riding him until he was breathless. I caught Loki’s eyes and he seemed to understand my intent, his own glazed with lust as he watched us. He grew hesitant as he looked down at Dionysus, his dick inches away from the other man’s face. I knew they’d slept together, and this definitely wasn’t Loki’s first threesome, but it was interesting to see this side of him. Raw. Vulnerable.
Dionysus lifted his head, running a hand up Loki’s thigh before gripping his shaft. He was still on his back between the other god’s knees, running his tongue along the underside of Loki’s cock. Loki cursed something in a language I didn’t understand. Probably Asgardian. I licked my lips as I watched his full lips seal around the other man’s crown. My sex tightened around him, heat flooding my veins as I enjoyed the view. I’d already found the perfect angle for riding Dionysus’ cock, and every time it hit my spot, I drew closer to an orgasm that promised to be even more intense than the last one.
