by A. K. Koonce
Linkin
I’d forgotten how good she felt. Just to be near her is this feeling of being alive. It’s a swirling energy that drills through my veins. That feeling alone makes me want to never let her go.
Nollix didn’t say it, but I know where we are. We’re in the underworld. I willingly dropped into the underworld for this woman.
I must be madman.
I’m lucky her father didn’t find me trailing after her and Nollix in the hall.
Her fingers slip away from me before I can even say a word. Her soft curves pull away from me and my hands fall to my sides.
There’s a tension in the air. It’s a thick feeling of unspoken words. When I lock eyes with my friend, no one has to say a word for me to understand.
Because his attention darts away.
He might never admit it, but I know he likes her. She might never admit that she feels the same way. And I’m the only idiot who confessed his love just to be asked why I fucking said that.
The air pushes forcefully through my lungs. When did our lives become so complicated?
My palms settle against my hips and my gaze drifts back to her. It’s a magnetic thing. I’m always drifting back to her.
Violence stands in the middle of the room and suddenly all attention is on her small frame.
“Let’s lie down and plan for the morning.” Her voice is quiet and I’m not sure I heard her right.
I look to the bed that the Warlock is occupying. His lengthy body takes up nearly the entire mattress.
“Have you all been sleeping there?” My brows crease, and when I look to Nollix for understanding, laughter starts to shake through me.
His jaw tightens just slightly and he looks to the floor once more. The image of the three of them in bed circles my mind and for some damn reason all I can picture is Nollix spooning Cameron while Cameron snuggles Vi.
Harder I laugh, until a pretty smile pulls at her lips as well.
It sobers me just slightly. I take a single step closer to her.
I want to kiss her again. I want to feel her body against mine. I want her to understand exactly why I said what I said back in that bell tower.
“What’s so funny?” Her fingers skim against mine, sending a shiver through right down to my bones.
I swallow hard.
“Nothing.” I can’t think of a single funny thing right now.
Her amber eyes search mine. The darkness of the room can’t take away how gorgeous her eyes are. It’s like the sun itself was poured out into her gaze.
“Then come to bed,” she whispers.
I nod and she pulls lightly on my hand.
Cameron shifts on the thin blanket. He sets a book down on the nightstand. It looks like a book of religion sitting there; dark and leather bound.
When the three of us step closer to the edge of the small bed, he speaks.
“I’m going to sleep in the bathtub tonight, I think.” Cameron pushes from the bed but before he stands, she pulls away from me and is right there in front of him.
Her legs fit just between his thighs and I notice the small twitch of his right hand that’s nearest to her. My brow arches just slightly. He wants to touch her. He wants to run his fucking hand up her thigh right now. Irrational jealousy pounds through my heart.
My fuming gaze pulls away when I notice Nollix staring a hole through my head. Is it weird that I don’t feel that same jealousy knowing that he’s touched her? He’s held her. He might even have kissed her.
When I think about that, there’s no rage at all. The three of us share a bond that no one in the world will ever understand. I know that he feels the same thing I feel for her.
But this fuck …
My eyes narrow on Cameron once more and I note that she’s touching his shoulder now.
Another forceful breath pushes through my nose as my jaw clenches tighter.
“Please stay.” The quiet sound of her voice dissolves some of my anger. “I can’t sleep when you’re not around.” She pauses, her fingers pushing down his body to linger along his arm. “Please.”
Cameron’s dark eyes shift from her, to Nollix, to me.
Awkward doesn’t even begin to cover how this feels right now.
Gruffly, my throat clears and I look away.
“If that’s what you want.” His response makes me feel guilty.
Only a little. A sinking feeling makes me realize he doesn’t want to be pressed up against her while Nollix and I are pressed up against her as well.
Do I want that?
Do I really want to share this woman in the world’s smallest fucking bed?
She turns back to me with that peaceful smile that sets my heart into a chaotic rhythm.
Yes. Yes, I want to share her.
Dammit. What is wrong with me?
Chapter Eighteen
What Love Feels Like
Violence
A plan has been made. I’ve been here for nearly a month, but finally, a plan has been made. It’s dangerous but it’s the only way. I didn’t realize I needed them until they were here.
I wish it didn’t have to be all of us. I wish they’d understand how responsible I feel for the three of them.
My head tilts to find that Cameron has turned away from me. His back is to the three of us while he faces the wall. My fingers push through Link’s hair. He lies against me. His hard body rests between my legs while his head uses my torso like pillow.
I peek down at him. It’s late. Everyone’s been asleep for hours, but all I can think about is what tomorrow will bring. Until his pretty eyes meet mine.
The flickering candle light gleams against Link’s gaze while we stare quietly at one another. There’s so much magic in his strange but beautiful eyes, he’ll never know how much I lose myself in his gaze sometimes.
As much as I tried to avoid it, Link was my friend when I thought I didn’t have any. He forced that friendship and I never even realized how much it kept me from slipping into my dark thoughts.
His attention drifts to Cameron before he starts to shift against me. He drags his body up mine until we’re face to face. His lips are poised just above mine.
“About what I said in the bell tower,” he pauses. His words give an odd sinking feeling within my stomach but there’s a smile on his lips. A smile that almost makes the awful feeling slip away, “I didn’t say all that stuff to force your feelings. I didn’t even know that’s how I felt until I said it. I—I won’t say it again. I didn’t mean to make anything strange between us.”
Suddenly, that sinking feeling changes. It’s my heart that’s sinking now instead of my nerves.
He won’t say it again …
My brows pull low as I try to think of something to say. Why do I suddenly want him to say it?
I lean into him, my lips skimming his smooth jaw line. My mouth is just against his ear as our bodies align with every single touch.
“Say it.” It’s a quiet and pleading request that makes him shift against me. My lips press lightly just beneath his jaw, right along his neck.
When I pull back from him, a hesitant smile creeps over his features.
“No.” He studies me as he says the simple rejection.
My eyes narrow on him. I’m all but pouting because he won’t confess his love for me. Once again, he and I are playing a game with our emotions. Maybe it’s the only way we know how. Or maybe it just feels safe. It’s safer to tease one another than to actually admit I lov…
The smooth feel of his jaw meets my lips again as I lean close his other ear. Another sweet kiss is pressed just below his ear and he shivers against me. The feel of him weak beneath my touch sends his shaking feelings into my own body.
“Please say it.” My voice is breathy against his skin. His palm slips beneath my shirt and presses to my ribs before stroking slowly down the length of my body. A fiery line of tingles is left in the wake of his touch.
He tilts his head toward mine, our lips skimming but n
ot quiet brushing.
“No.” Warm breaths kiss my mouth and I can’t help but run my tongue along my lips at the feel of it.
We pause there just like that for several seconds. Our gazes lock with the lantern light gleaming in our eyes. The space between us is nonexistent and yet enormous all at the same time. The heavy breaths that fall from my lungs come so rapidly it seems like they’re trying to keep pace with the hammering of my heart.
We’re playing a game. And I feel like I’m losing.
I try only once more. Just slightly, I tilt my head until my lips skim across his. It’s the smallest of touches, his soft lips just lightly against mine.
It steals my breath away entirely.
“Please?” The whimpering sound is barely a whisper.
But it seems to break him.
“I love you, Violence.” The warmth of his gaze strikes across mine. I’ve never seen him more serious than he is right now. Whatever he sees in my features seems to terrify him, or maybe it’s my silence that’s owning him in this moment.
His simple words pour warmth all through my body and it settles in right in my heart.
“I–I love you too.” A smile tilts my lips but I can’t manage to look at him. I don’t know why. I guess I’m afraid. The few people I’ve ever loved in this world have always been taken from me. It’s a terrifying and consuming sort of fear that threatens to smother out the excited feeling of love.
When he kisses me, that fear disappears.
It’s a gentle press of his lips against mine. He pulls back just slightly and when he kisses me once more, his tongue flicks against my mouth before my lips part and I kiss him deeper. The feel of his tongue slipping over mine has my legs spreading wider until his hips are firmly against my core.
His palm pushes slowly up my stomach. The light pressure of his hands on my body sends a shiver through me and I can’t help but shift my hips against his.
The mattress dips and rough fingertips skim along my jaw. Warm lips tease against my throat, and I hum from the feel of it as Link kisses me harder, locking our lips in place. A tingling pain bites through my lips from the force of his kiss, but the way his tongue flicks against mine washes out all other sensations.
I’m very aware that Nollix’s hand is lowering from my neck as his teeth rake across skin. Lower, his fingers travel. My thin shirt prevents the feel of his hands on my body but it doesn’t stop the heat of his touch from searing into me. Link shifts, making room for Nollix as his fingers trails down my body. Nollix’s big palm pushes against my breast, and I hum against Link’s mouth just as his hips start to rock hard against mine.
Somewhere, during the euphoric feeling of love and the consuming feeling of lust, logic sneaks into my mind.
I pull back from both of them, a heavy gasp falls between us. Their hooded attention holds on me, beckoning me while I try to grab ahold of that little starving piece of rational thought right now.
“Sorry,” I whisper quietly, my attention drifting toward Cameron, whose back is literally touching my arm. I’m grinding on Link and basking in Nollix while poor fucking Cameron is just trying to sleep.
Nollix’s lips skim my jaw. “Why are you sorry?” His breath fans along my ear and my lashes flutter from the feel of it.
No! Stay strong, Violence. Try not to let these sexy men distract you when you’re weakest beneath them.
“We—We’re not doing …” I pause before whispering in a hiss, “this.” With my eyes I gesture to the limited amount of space between the three of us.
Nollix smirks before laughing quietly. His teeth rake slowly across my skin, sending a shiver down my body.
“We could, though.” Another kiss is press to the curve of my neck as I start to shake my head back and forth.
Link’s thumb pushes slow circles over my hip.
“When we have sex,” his gaze bores into mine, “it won’t be with a room full of people, Vi.” His lips tease mine just lightly. “It won’t be hushed and repressed.” His words make me shift beneath him, my hips rocking slightly. “It’ll be wild and free.” Another slow kiss presses to my lips. “Just like you.”
His words make my heart pound to life with too many emotions that I can’t even begin to keep up with. Is this what love feels like? With all my confusing thoughts, I never pause to wonder why Nollix and Link are okay with sharing me between themselves.
In a weird way, I guess they always have.
Chapter Nineteen
The Plan
Violence
The following morning, I close my door on the three men I’m harboring in my room. My boots echo with determination. The plan circles my mind, twirling faster with every quick beat of my pounding heart.
Amandria’s whispers echo around me long before I ever enter the laboratory room.
“I just think it’s dangerous,” Jeriko says with a shake of his head.
The moment I enter, silence follows. Amandria passes me one of her sweetest smiles as she closes my father’s journal with a casual flick of her thin fingers. She’s been obsessing over that thing lately. At first, I thought it was an act to impress the King, but now I’m not so sure. She’s … suspicious.
“Good morning, Sister.” Her tone drips with honey. I return her pleasantries with a small scowl before taking my seat just near the drawer that I knows reverses the effects of my father’s sedatives. “I hope your friends slept well.”
I cock a brow at her statement but I know better than to feed the monster that is my sister’s curiosity.
“Tell me, which of them are you risking all of this for? Who’s the lucky guy who’s stolen my sister’s little, black heart?” Her chipper words make her eyes shine brighter. Too much interest and too much enthusiasm is in her tone.
The smallest of smiles tip my lips.
“All of them.” I say it simply and I say it assuredly, and I say it entirely just to confuse and piss her off. Her little mind is naive and sees the world in black and white.
Nothing about love is black and white, though.
Her blonde locks sway as she tilts her head up to look at Jeriko.
“All of them?” The thin line between her brows etches deep just like our fathers.
In a way, Amandria is just like our father. Deep down, beneath the pretty smile and the pretty dresses, lies a power that’s identical to our father’s. Someday, she’ll rule our people with that dangerous power. I just hope it doesn’t eat away at her mind the way it did the Mad King.
“What would three men possibly see in a mentally unstable train wreck like you?”
I don’t give the silence a moment to settle after her cruel words. I speak my mind immediately.
“Probably more than just the beautiful but controlling narcissist that Jeriko sees in you.” My even tone makes her lips curl with outrage.
“I am more than just an appearance. I am the most powerful woman in all of Fallen!” She says the city name as if it’s something she herself has conquered.
“Is that true?” I arch a brow at her before turning my attention to her boyfriend. “Is she the most powerful woman in the kingdom, Jeriko?” All those times he pushed me and I pushed back are probably flashing through his little tiny mind.
My sister’s big eyes spotlight him as the seconds tick by and he can’t seem to speak fast enough.
“Uh—” That spectacular statement is all he manages before my father saves him.
“Good morning, my children.” He wafts through the room as if he’s made of the air itself. “I hope you slept well, Violence.” His eyes gleam at me as he starts to pull the sedation from a pocket on his coat. He holds the vial against the counter with the smooth end of his arm as his hand starts the fill the syringe.
My throat becomes dry. If everything goes smoothly today, we will have saved a kingdom. If it goes terrible, we’ll die.
“Your power is the strongest I’ve seen yet. Even when it’s contained, it’s brimming. I can only imagine what you’d be like
unleashed.” My father takes a step closer to me as Jeriko locks the straps firmly into place against my wrists. The leather bites into my skin. I don’t fight any of it for a single second and it’s hard for me not to jerk away from them.
The needle sinks in my flesh and I don’t flinch away from the feel of it. I simply hold his manic gaze as my father pushes every ounce of the cold liquid into my veins.
The needle is pulled away, and as the effects start to fall across my drowsy mind, he speaks.
“Someday soon you’ll be retrieving the most powerful souls from the depths of the underworld.” His disgusting words begin to fade away but I hear him clearly when he says, “I’ll be cleaning your room today too. I’ve been told there’s an abundance of trash in there.”
Amandria’s pleased smirk stretches across her beautiful features as her fingers interlock with Jeriko’s. The gleam in his eyes sparkles against the dark scar that glints across his face. There’s a look of hunger in his gaze.
Dangerous hunger.
Chapter Twenty
Embracing the Darkness
Linkin
It takes everything in me not to slit his throat before the King even fully injects her. The three of us stand at the door, peering past it just as he sinks the needle into her arm. My jaw clenches tightly when he pulls back from her.
What is the point in all this? Why is he putting his own daughter through this? What does the sedative really do?
Nollix holds his sword in his right hand, ready for the plan that is clicking into place. Cameron stands just behind me. The Warlock is powerful. I’ve seen it myself, but the walls of this place seem to oppress us. The quicker we can get this over with, the quicker this guy can be on his way and I can go back to the solitude of the Wild Hunt.
The walls start to quiver, shaking with a sound of metal scraping. Nollix glances at me from the corner of his eye. I feel it. I feel everything about her anger and power rolling through my chest with waves so intense it makes it hard to breathe.
From between her father and Jeriko, I see her back arch, her fingers tensing as they tremble uncontrollably. It’s the painful sound of her screams that seems to make Nollix snap. He rushes forward and I barely manage to grip his arm and haul him back into the shadows before he does something that’ll ruin the plan.
