by Tamara White
“Always,” he murmurs. Then he presses his lips to mine, rolling me onto my back.
He doesn’t break the kiss as he slides inside me. He moves slowly, as if he thinks I’m going to break if he’s too rough, but I need him. I lift my hands to run them through his hair, knowing I want to feed from him while he feeds from me.
I use my grip on Nik’s hair and pull him toward me, licking a line from his collarbone to his ear. He shivers and pauses his slow thrusts. I clench around him, enjoying the groan that slips free from his lips. Then he thrusts hard, drawing a gasp from me.
“What do you need, Emerald?”
“I need you. I want your blood on my tongue while your cock explodes inside me, filling me until I pass out from how fulfilled I am. I want you to bite down just as I reach my climax and take me over that edge into blissful oblivion. Most of all, I don’t want you to stop, ever.”
It takes a few seconds, but then the ferocious lover that appeared the night of our picnic is in my arms, fucking me hard while I cry out in overwhelming pleasure. I feel myself getting close, and judging by his erratic movements, Nik is too.
I pull him close, needing to drink from the man I love before my orgasm hits. He bites down at the same time I do. I cry out against his neck as he gives one final thrust before spilling himself inside me.
We continue to drink from each other, and his thoughts enter my mind. So fucking amazing. I can’t believe we got this lucky.
I seal the marks my fangs left with my saliva, and pull back to look up into his eyes, unsure how I was able to hear his words. I thought my barriers were solidly in place. Taking a moment to focus on them, I notice they are still holding strong. So what was that then?
Nik? I question, without lowering my barrier to project the thought.
To my surprise, his head shoots up, blood still dribbling down his chin as he stares at me in shock. “You heard that, didn’t you?” I ask out loud.
He nods and I frown in confusion. “Nik, I didn’t project that. I only thought it. And I heard you a second ago, but that shouldn’t be possible when my barrier is in place.”
He leans forward and licks the wound on my neck, sealing it because he seemed to have forgotten to earlier. Then he rolls off the bed and holds a hand out for me. “Let’s go join Dev in the shower. Then we can talk about what just happened. We also need to give Talon a call to see if he’s felt the tie come back.”
I take his hand with a nod, my mind swirling over all the possibilities. Could it be that my telepathic ability is getting stronger? Or is the soul-tie evolving somehow now that it’s back? Either way, I decide to push it to the back of my mind for the moment, climbing into the shower with both of them.
Dev kisses me passionately and looks over the marks on my neck. Instead of offering to clean me off, he leans forward and slowly licks the blood off my skin. It’s started to turn sticky, and while I should feel grossed out, I find myself turned on once again.
I don’t understand why my body is lit up like a firecracker right now. It’s as if one touch is enough to make me weak in the knees and I end up panting for more. Which is what I’m doing now as Nik presses against me from behind, his hands running down over my ribs, and settling on my hips. He holds me still as Dev slips a hand between my legs, stroking my clit ever so gently.
His hand and tongue move at the same pace as he licks my neck clean. When I’m finally clean of blood on my skin, his fangs pierce me and my legs turn to jelly. Now I know why Nik is holding my hips. It’s so I don’t fall forward, which I definitely would have done otherwise.
After Dev has drank his fill, he seals the wound. Then he starts kissing his way down my body, stopping when his lips are mere centimeters from my aching pussy.
“Emerald, I’m going to taste you now. I want you to hold still and lean against Nik for support. But, I also want you to remain quiet. Utter a noise, and I’ll stop and start all over again. Do you understand?” he inquires, his voice filled with a level of dominance I’ve never heard from him before.
I simply nod, finding myself unable to speak. He smirks devilishly before pressing his lips to the part of me that craves his touch more than ever.
I struggle, but manage to remain quiet as Dev uses his tongue to explore my most intimate places. For the third time tonight, I feel the crest of my orgasm as it builds and comes crashing down like a tidal wave. I cry out, unable to hold in my ecstasy.
Dev looks up at me, his stare primal. He takes me from Nik, turning me to face the wall and pressing me against the cool tiled wall. My nipples tingle and harden from the cold but the water that cascades over me keeps me warm as Dev positions me how he wants, spreading my legs apart. I look over my shoulder, my eyes hooded at the thought of what’s to come.
No matter how tired I am, I feel like we have to keep going for some reason. And it seems both of the guys feel the same need I do.
I feel it as Dev lines himself up at my entrance, his cock hard and throbbing. Slowly, he slides inside until he’s fully sheathed within me.
Why do I feel empty, even as he fills me? Don’t get me wrong, it feels amazing, but it’s like there’s something missing.
Em, your barrier is still up. You need to let go so your magic can feed. It needs to recharge. You will all stay down there until you pass out if you don’t feed from their energy, I hear Blaine whisper into my mind.
I startle a little at his voice, but relax when I remember how the guys talked about Britt recharging with her husbands. Maybe that’s why we seem driven by this desire, because I need energy from them.
I do as he says and let go of my control on my magic, feeling a shiver run over my skin a moment later. Blaine’s quietly adds, You need to concentrate, Emerald. Focus on their touch, on their ties linking them to you, and on the feelings you have for them.
I feel a phantom touch along the side of my breast, and for a moment, I imagine Blaine in here, touching me, kissing me while Dev fucks me and Nik watches us. Em, Blaine groans, Don’t think those kind of things when I’m in your mind. It makes it harder for me to concentrate.
Well, get out then, I respond, just as my skin lights with sensation, feeling like a thousand ants are crawling all over me.
Dev keeps thrusting and I feel magic being siphoned from him and into me. He starts to lose his rhythm, thrusting one final time. I cry out in pleasure, but my orgasm evades me. I press my head against the cool tiles as water continues to rain down on me.
I feel like nothing has changed. I sigh in frustration, still overwhelmed by my arousal. Why am I still not over this? I ask Blaine mentally, hoping he has an answer.
Nik reaches for me before Blaine has a chance to reply. Again, that need rises up, just as strong as before. I seal my lips against Nik’s, eager for someone to help ease my ache. He breaks the kiss, pushing me away a little. “What’s going on? This doesn’t feel normal,” he questions. I glance at Dev and see him looking at me with concern.
Tell Nik to let me in. Your magic won’t be satiated with a vampire. You need a witch.
I repeat the words out loud and Nik frowns, before handing me over to Dev. He tries to wash me, but I find myself unable to stop touching him. He seems exhausted, but my body is still fired up. Even though I can see in his eyes that he would gladly fuck me again, I can also tell he’s not up to it. He needs to drink and energize himself first.
Using all the restraint I have, I peel myself away from him and climb out of the shower. I wrap myself in a towel and walk back out into the bedroom, heading straight for the closet I saw when we passed the bathroom.
I walk straight inside, not bothering to turn the light on. I make my way to the very back, sitting down among the hanging clothes as I try to get a grip on myself. I don’t need sex, I tell myself over and over again.
After a while, the door opens. A thin strip of light is visible for a moment before it closes again. I didn’t see who entered, but if I had to guess, I’d bet it’s Nik. Dev wouldn’t come after
me, having seen the amount of effort it took me to peel away from him.
“Nik, please leave. I don’t know what’s wrong with me and I’m scared I’m going to hurt one of you.”
My heart races with excitement that Nik is near, but also with fear because I have no idea what this magic will do. Hopefully they let Blaine in, and he was able to tell them something that would help the guys so they can snuff out this need without exhausting themselves completely.
“Emerald, I’m here to help you,” I hear Blaine call out, and realize he’s here too. My pussy clenches at the sound of his voice, which caresses my skin as if he was touching it.
“You need to leave, and quickly. I don’t know what’s going on with me, but it’s not right!” I practically shout, my voice filled with panic. I can feel him moving closer, and by feel him, I mean I can sense it within me, like he’s connected to me.
“I can help you ease the ache. Let me help you,” he murmurs into the dark closet. I groan at the way his voice affects my traitorous body, slamming my hands over my ears.
“Why is this happening? And why aren’t you with Britt right now? She needs you more than I do. Just leave me here alone to ride out whatever magic this is,” I beg him, trying to shrink into the wall and wishing I could just transport myself to another place entirely.
As I focus on how to make myself appear somewhere else, knowing that with my magic it’s possible, Blaine speaks and his words stop me. “Britt sent me here. She was the one that heard your magic cry out. And she realized that neither of your soul-ties could give you what you needed right now. If you had only done the tracking spell, then maybe you would have been fine feeding off their energy, but what you did? Well, it’s high-level magic, honey. And high-level magic means a high recharge. You need a grade-one witch, and that left only Britt or me. And I’m sorry to say, but Britt does not have the juice to rejuvenate you right now, which leaves me.”
“No,” I say quickly, shaking my head adamantly even though he can’t see it. “My guys would kill me if I betrayed them like that, and I’m sure Britt would kill me if I touched you. So no, just go!” I demand, putting my anger and frustration into my tone, hoping he will just leave me alone.
“I’ve already explained to Nikoli and Devin what’s happening to you. Both of them just want you alive and safe, but if you keep trying to deny recharging your magic, you will die. And as far as we know, only two of your ties are back, at least according to Nikoli. So if you die right now, there’s no knowing whether you would come back or not. And as for how Britt feels, how about you ask her yourself? She’s in your mind now since you opened the connection.”
I look inside myself and feel her presence there, but before I can speak, she does. You don’t want to accept my husbands yet, Em, I know that. But this is life or death. Trust me and trust that Blaine would never hurt you. He just wants to give you enough energy to recharge you. That’s all. I’m going to cut our connection off, as well as shield the closet you’re hiding in. That way, no one but you and Blaine will know what happens in there.
Then poof, she disappears from my mind. I open my eyes to the darkness, blinking a few times until my eyes adjust, and I see Blaine’s blue eyes. He sits on the floor in front of me while I whimper, pain taking over as I deny my body’s need to reach out and touch him.
“What exactly does you recharging me entail?” I ask, trying to keep my desire from my voice. Maybe if I view this as nothing more than a necessity, it won’t be as bad. Like feeding on blood? Yes, it’s just like feeding on blood to keep your beast contained, I tell myself.
“It all depends on how much energy you need and your power level in general. You may be able to recharge just from skin-to-skin contact, or you may require a kiss. If it comes to anything more than that, we will discuss it before going any further.” He reaches out and grips my hand in his. Right away, the pain that had been running through my body eases. The cramps between my legs lessen too and I let out a relieved breath.
“I want you to climb into my lap, Em. I know you’re wearing a towel so you’ll still be covered, but we need as much touch as we can manage if we want to have a hope of this working through just contact.”
After a moment of hesitation, I relent. I crawl out of my hiding spot and eagerly climb onto his lap, straddling him. My magic rides me hard and I want to touch his bare skin. I manage to resist, even though it feels like it’s killing me to do so. As if he senses my need for contact, he wraps his arms around my body, holding me close enough that my head rests against the bare skin of his neck. I sigh in momentary relief.
Touching him, I already feel a thousand times better, but I can still feel that gnawing ache under the surface.
I pull back to look at Blaine, my eyes now fully adjusted to the dark, and see him smiling reassuringly at me. “What is your body telling you to do?” he queries, his voice so quiet I can barely hear him.
“To kiss you. To reach down between our bodies and see if you’re hard and ready. But I’m fighting it as best as I can,” I admit honestly.
He moves one of his arms from my back, reaching up to cup my cheek tenderly. I moan, leaning into the gentle caress. “Stop fighting it,” he murmurs, before pressing his lips to my other cheek. “Give into what your body needs. Trust the magic to know how much you can handle, and what you can’t.”
Then his lips slam down on mine. I gasp, pressing my chest against him, my pussy throbbing. His hands grip my legs under the towel and I growl in irritation, ripping the towel away. Blaine’s fingers stroke my wet folds and he lets out a groan of his own before pressing one finger inside me, moving so slowly I have to fight the urge to bite down on his shoulder.
I reach between us to find that Blaine is most definitely hard and ready, and know I need to have him inside me. The magic is riding me hard, and I just hope my ties will be able to forgive me for what I have to do.
Blaine doesn’t stop me as I go to unbutton his boxers, letting his cock spring free. I run my hand over his smooth, hard length, wanting to feel it before it’s buried deep within me. As if he knows exactly what I want, he pushes me back onto the hard floor of the closet, and I notice he’s laid the towel under me to soften the surface somewhat.
He hovers over me, his thick cock pressed against my entrance, and he looks down at me with concern. “Are you sure, Emerald? There’s no going back after this. We’ll be tied even closer together, to the point we’ll crave each other even more.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” I tell Blaine, even though I’m only half-convinced. But he takes me at my word and thrusts inside me. The moment he does, my skin tingles and I feel his magic slowly being pulled from him and into me. He starts to thrust harder, as if he, too, can feel that it’s starting to work.
He fucks me fast, my orgasm building quickly as the magic absorbs into my skin. Then I feel myself tip over that edge. When I come back down from my magic high, Blaine has finished and rolled to my side where he lies panting.
He props himself on his elbow after we’ve both caught our breath. “Emerald, I know you’re going to be questioning this, but I want you to know this wasn’t just sex between us, okay? Yes, I know you needed me, but even if you didn’t, I would have offered to help. Because, while I may love my wife, I’ve come to realize over the last few days that I may be falling in love with you too. It may just be a side effect of the blood oath, but I don’t care. I want to know you. I want you to be there with Britt. Obviously, there are things we should all talk about in the future, but I just want to make sure you don’t hate me for this.”
I sigh and look up at the ceiling as I gather my jumbled thoughts. “I thought I would feel guilty, but strangely, it’s like I feel complete. I don’t know how to really explain it, but what happened was weird for me. Nik and I were having sex when I sensed something was off. I felt exhausted, but like I had to keep going, if that makes sense? I thought I was just rejuvenated from the sex with Dev, but the moment I got into the shower, the feelings bec
ame so strong. It was like if Nik or Dev didn’t touch me, I would die from the pain. So no, I don’t hate you for bringing me back from that, but I’m just not to sure what box to put you in. You’re not a soul-tie. You’re not my mate. You’re my best friend’s husband. My dying best friend, I might add. That doesn’t exactly leave me with a clear conscience.”
He kisses me on the forehead and gets to his feet, before helping me stand. He grabs some clothes from the many around us and hands them to me to wear, for which I’m grateful. As I pull on what I assume are Dev’s clothes based on the scent, Blaine murmurs, “I’m sorry if this confused you even more. If you would prefer to think of me as just a friend who helped you when you were in need, then that’s exactly what I will be to you. A friend when you need one.”
I smile in the darkness and wrap my arms around him in a hug. “Thank you,” I mumble against his chest.
He strokes his hands up and down my back in a soothing gesture. “You’re more than welcome, Emerald, but it’s time for me to get back to Britt. She isn’t healing very well and we aren’t quite sure why. Will you come see her in a few hours? Maybe she will let you in on what happened, since she refuses to tell us.”
“Yeah, I’ll come up right after I talk to my guys. You should go now, before she murders one of the others for annoying her,” I tease.
He grimaces before turning to the closet door. He waves his hands, and a blue glow emanates from them as he undoes whatever spell Britt placed over the room. I will have to ask her how she did that, because it’s a pretty handy trick to have.
Finally, the spell is broken, but before we have the chance to move, the door is opened from the outside to reveal Nik, Dev, and Lincoln, all standing there with their arms crossed and concern in their eyes.
