by Auryn Hadley
Sal murmured again and snuggled closer, tucking her head against Zep's shoulder. She kissed his chest, dragging her leg up the inside of his thigh. He pressed a hand against her hip to stop the movement.
Jase grinned and leaned back against the wall. "Do na be so human, Zep."
"Bro, I have your girl's tits pressed against my chest and her leg is touching my balls. My dick's fucking hard as a rock. She moves that thing again, and I'm not gonna care if you're in the room."
Jase shifted his gaze to the white form cuddled against him. "Yer right, kitten. He is iliri."
"Mmhmm," she agreed, pulling Zep's face to her mouth. She kissed him, and he cupped the back of her head, letting his thumb caress the line of her cheekbone before he turned to Jase again.
"Can't you wait in the hall or something?"
"I was na seen coming in. They do na know me. I slip out that door, and one a them is either gonna try and attack me, or they will make their way in here to check on ya. Two, maybe three are out there, now." Jase just grinned at him, his sharp teeth showing. "Think of it as initiation."
"Fuck you, man," Zep grumbled.
Jase shook his head. "That's her job. Your job is ta fuck her."
Zep glared at Jase, then turned to Sal. Her pale eyes met his, and she pulled him to her again. He kissed her, his tongue slipping into her mouth and brushing her sharp teeth. But she didn't bite him. Instead, she shifted onto him, pulling herself higher to reach his mouth. Her posture pressed his head back against the pillow. Zep moaned softly and guided her hips across his. The touch of her non-human skin was tantalizing. The blanket fell away, and she held his eyes as she settled across his body. Jase shifted against the wall, but Zep ignored him.
"Sal?" Zep whispered.
"Shh," was all she said, and he felt her mind reach for him.
He pulled her to his lips and entwined his soul in hers, experiencing her passion as if it was his own. She wanted this. Jase's presence didn't bother her at all. In a thought, she showed him that it shouldn't bother him, either. This was nothing to be ashamed of. That was a human thought, and he was not human. Not to her. Zep sucked in his breath and grabbed her hips, leaning forward to kiss her throat as he eased their bodies together. The pale demon in his arms began to writhe - and then it hit him.
Jase joined the link. Sal wrapped herself in him, ensnaring Zep between them. Jase's desire at watching his woman flooded through them, and he amplified everything Sal felt, nearly smothering Zep with it. Every scent, every caress, and every last desire was magnified until his human mind couldn't comprehend anything but the love between them. All of them. It was pure, raw, and like nothing he'd ever imagined. It was honest.
Zep cried out, his back arching, and Sal took control, thrusting herself onto him as she dragged her mouth across his chest. Her teeth left dark lines in their wake but never broke the skin. She teased him, each hint of pain made into pleasure in her mind, fed back to him by her cessivi. Zep heard her cry out in her passion, and he lost control, the sound of her voice suddenly more erotic to him than anything else, but that wasn't his fetish. It didn't matter. He didn't care. Pulling her shoulders closer, he shoved her head to the side and gave in to the primal needs of his partners. Bearing her neck, his dull human teeth pressed into the soft flesh as he thrust beneath her. That was all she needed. Her climax hit them, echoed back, and he couldn't imagine anything more perfect. They were together. They were one. He belonged here, just like this. Zep poured himself into the link both physically and mentally, groaning like an animal as his body shuddered and his girl collapsed into his arms, panting. It hadn't even taken five minutes to throw his world off balance.
Zep wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head, never wanting to let her go. "What did you do to me?" he whispered into the room.
Sal sighed contentedly. "That." She lifted herself above him and caressed his face. "That is what it means to be with an iliri."
"There's a reason the Kaisae keeps a harem," Jase said, a wry smile on his lips. He pulled his weight from the wall and walked to them. "Men tend ta focus on the woman's pleasure. Women focus on the woman's pleasure. The more minds ya add," he chuckled and kissed Sal deeply as she sat across Zep's body. Zep felt himself begin to stir again inside her. "The more pleasure we all get," Jase finished.
Sal grabbed Jase's shirt and pulled him back to her. "I have missed you, killer" she whispered.
Jase laughed. "Na that much. He was good to ya last night. Both times." He kissed her again, and Zep groaned. Jase flicked his eyes to him, then back to her. "Now stop that or yer gonna kill him, kitten. Ya will na be fit for Parliament if ya let us both have our way with ya."
Sal locked her eyes with his, and Jase held them. She looked quickly at Zep beneath her, then back to Jase, a low rumble just audible.
"Uh uh," Zep laughed. "I need a few minutes before I do that shit again. If she wants it that bad, then it's all you, little brother."
Jase's lip lifted. Zep wasn't sure if it was a smile or a snarl, but the little man pulled Sal into his arms, and she didn't resist. Zep chuckled as she wrapped her fingers in Cyno's hair, and laid back to give them what privacy he could. Strangely, he couldn't pull his eyes away. Their minds were still wound around his, sharing every sensation that passed between them, warped by their Iliran perceptions into something so perfect. Shame didn't exist, nor did regret. All Sal and Jase knew was the need to prove their feelings through touch, and he wanted it as bad as either of them.
Sal pulled Jase's shirt over his head, her mouth leaving his only long enough for the cloth to pass between them. Jase caught her lip in his teeth quickly, and she moaned as a flash of red was sucked away into his mouth. The taste was bitter, pungent, but addictive. Her eyes closed, breaking their gaze, and she worked at the laces of his pants, slipping her hands inside. She found what she needed, and Jase sucked in a breath, lifting his head to give her control. Sal reached for his throat. Sharp teeth pierced the skin, feeling seductive instead of painful, but there was something more. Each tear in his flesh felt sweeter than the last, marking him. Claiming him as hers. Jase growled and shoved her into the wall. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed at his breeches, their teeth never slowing on the other's skin.
Zep's heart raced, matching the rhythm theirs set. When Sal slid down the wall onto Jase, the rush of intense pleasure passed among them, tripled by the mental link they shared and then amplified again with each pass it made between them. Her nails tore pallid skin, and he groaned, driving himself into her harder and faster as he reached for her throat. She opened her mouth, and he growled, pressing his hand across her lips to hold in her cries. Zep watched Sal's eyes close, and he saw her body relax as Jase rammed into her. He didn't even try to fight his need to watch, entranced by the pale beauty of their entwined bodies, the swirling lines of their tattoos blending together as if they were meant to never be apart. He could feel every pleasure, every passion, and every need between them, and was included in it all.
Sal screamed against Jase's hand, again and again, her fingers clinging to him tightly. Jase leaned toward her throat, but Zep felt it. Her smooth skin. His sharp teeth. For a moment, he forgot they weren't truly his as lips brushed across the silver lines on her neck. One soft, careful kiss and she went over the edge, pulling both men with her. Jase groaned and Zep sighed as the hand slid away from Sal's face. Spent, she sank against his shoulder, one leg reaching for the ground, clinging to her cessivi's neck for balance. Jase shifted his hips and held her against his chest until they all remembered which body was theirs.
"Cessivi, sae corvae," he whispered.
"I love you too, my killer," Sal replied softly.
Zep groaned and flopped on his back, reaching across to the table beside him. He should be embarrassed, but Sal and Jase left no room in his mind for that. It wasn't something they could understand. To them, all that mattered was being together. Love wasn't something they could ever see as shameful. Zep grabbed one of the cle
an, soft cloths that he kept for his weapons, and chuckled.
"Here, little brother, you may need this." He tossed it at Jase.
The assassin caught it, releasing his woman, and Sal staggered to the bed, flopping onto the edge. Exhausted, she pulled herself beside him. Zep shifted over, dragging Sal with him, and Jase smiled. After tying his pants closed again, he grabbed his shirt from the floor and sat beside her. Gently, Jase brushed her hair away from her face and across Zep's arm, then leaned over and kissed her.
"Ya gonna tell him, Sal?"
She giggled, her voice languid. "I already did."
"Really?" Jase asked. "When?"
"About your link?" Zep shifted Sal so she faced her other lover. "When you left me with her in the infirmary."
Jase glanced up at his friend. "That what made ya take so long, then?"
"Nah, bro," Zep assured him. "It's the fear of jumping off the cliff. We all share so much shit between us. That?" He laughed, Sal bouncing against his shoulder which made her giggle. "Ok, shit like this, it ain't nothing. We good, bro?"
Jase cocked his head slightly but was smiling. "Oh yeah. I think we're good. Yer still naked, and ya were na supposed ta let me ruin her neck. Fig're that means we do na have a thing ta worry about."
Sal sighed dramatically but grabbed Jase's hand as she pulled Zep's arm tighter to her with the other. "There's how many grauori around? You really think a few nips are going to be noticed by anyone besides a human?"
Jase squeezed her fingers. "It's all about impressions. Now, ya started yer day out pretty good, so go get dressed. Kiss him first, then me."
Sal obeyed. Turning to Zep, she kissed him deeply, then sat up and wrapped her arms around Jase before she climbed from the bed. The men smiled, watching her walk around the room.
"I love her, ya know that, right?" Jase asked.
"Yeah, man. We all know that. She's your world. I know my place, Cyno."
Jase patted his friend's bare shoulder. "Just making sure, big brother."
Zep waved him off. "I'm not anything for you to worry about. Just here to keep her safe."
Jase shrugged, glancing at her. "Does na mean ya could na become more. Yer already in over yer head."
"Problem is I don't know how to swim," Zep said softly.
Sal was across the room, definitely within hearing, but she busied herself with her clothes. Zep noticed, but he didn't care. If he didn't want her to hear, he would be thinking instead of talking.
"There's enough of us to keep ya afloat until ya learn," Jase told him.
Zep shook his head. "I can't go back. You know that. I'm fucking human, and I can't imagine living without this thing in my head."
Jase grabbed Zep's arm, making the dark man look at him. "Yer na human. Ya have na been human since she joined. Tell her. She's na human." He glanced at Sal, then turned back to Zep. "Yer leaking it tween the three of us already, and if ya keep this up, it'll be ta the whole damned pack. Ya can na lie ta her 'bout this, even if she lets ya."
"Fuck," Zep whispered, rubbing his hands across his face as he sat up. "I'm leaking?"
"She believes what ya say, and she's na gonna push ya. Take yer time ta commit, but just fucking tell her?"
Zep sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "You can stop playing deaf, Sal."
"It's a small room, Zep, and a private conversation. Not hearing is different than not listening," she pointed out.
"Fair 'nough. Come here, demon. I think we need to talk."
Chapter 32
Sal walked the handful of steps to the bed and sat carefully beside him. Jase smiled and leaned back, kicking his feet across the rumpled covers, as Zep pulled himself up to sit beside her. The three of them fit so perfectly like this.
"Look, kid, I've been telling you a long time that you're like a little sister to me, and I'm full of it." He smiled at her, running his fingers through the tangles in her hair. "You've put me in my place more times than I can even count, and each time made it just a bit harder for me to keep lying to you."
Sal shook her head. "I told you. You never lied to me." She ran her finger down his bare chest to tap at his sternum. "You lied to you. Zep?" She smiled. "Valcor. I have always trusted you. You've saved my life over and over. Why do you think I wanted you with me when I was in the maast the first time? It's not because you're just a big brother to me."
He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, demon. I thought that was just because I was there."
Sal shook her head against him. "No. It's because I knew you wouldn't think less of me. I love you Zep. You're my best friend."
"That's not the type of love I really want from you, though, demon," he whispered. "I want what he has. I know it won't be as much, and I'm ok with that. But I want that kind."
Sal kissed him. "Having one does not mean you don't have the other," she whispered against his lips. "What we just did? That's a lot more than just a friend, but if you weren't a friend, it never would have happened."
Zep smiled and looked in her eyes, forgetting his Iliran conditioning, and stared into them as he would a human lover’s. Sal's gaze never flinched or hardened; she simply watched him. He spoke softly as he caressed her face. "I've been in love with you since you bit me. I tried to tell myself it was just the shock of it, but it never went away. I buried it in our friendship, but I knew I couldn't hide it anymore in Anglia." He smiled and looked down. "When you told me it had worked, and that I was iliri?" A deep sigh fell out. "I can't even explain that. I can't stop thinking about you, demon. I'm in love with you, and I don't think I'll ever stop."
He felt her push against his mind, and the warm embrace of her heart wrapped around him. Hints of passion and trust mingled with the scent of joy and faith, and suddenly his name on her skin made sense to him. She loved him in a way that humans never could, but she made it perfectly clear in that moment. She loved him for himself and wanted nothing more than to know he was safe and happy. She loved him enough that she'd give her life to make sure he had that, even if it meant she was no part of it.
"Do you believe me now?" Sal asked softly.
The only way to answer was to kiss her sweetly before leaning back on the bed. "Fuck me," he breathed.
"Yeah," Jase laughed beside him. "That was earlier. Do na tell me ya missed that part."
Zep swatted at him playfully. "No, man. I got that. But I got a fucking human question, too. How often does that shit happen?"
"Uh, once," Jase said.
"Nah, I mean with LT."
Sal laughed and pulled herself from the bed, grabbing her boots.
"Nope, that's yers ta answer, kitten," Jase teased.
She paused, slowly glancing back. "Never, Zep. Blaec doesn't link with me. He's only recently relaxed enough to not be ashamed that Jase knows what happens between us." She shrugged. "We still haven't told him about cessivi."
"You're fucking kidding me."
"Nah," Jase said. "Blaec's too human sometimes. The idea of my dick in the same room as his dick - even if they do na have a thing ta do with each other - it just freaks him out."
"Get dressed, Zep," Sal said, tossing a pair of greys at him.
Zep just chuckled. "Yeah, Cyno, don't take this the wrong way, but damn. That's potent shit you beasts are throwing around. You're welcome in my room anytime if that's the end result. My fucking life's complete."
"Na's not," Jase laughed, as Zep slid into his pants. "Ya've still na claimed Taunor."
Zep's head snapped around to look at him. "Not happenin'. There's so many more of you in line for that shit before me. I'm her play toy, and I'm good with that."
Jase shrugged. "Just sayin'. I gotta steal her, though. Ya good with that, big brother?"
"She's yours man." Zep met Jase's eyes. "I've always known my place."
"I meant fer the meeting, ya ass."
Zep shrugged. "I know. I didn't."
The two men smiled at each other for a second, until Sal threw Zep's shirt at him. "S
top posturing and kiss me then, you big lug."
Pulling her off her feet and to his chest, Zep obeyed, laughing when she squealed. "I do love you, you know," He whispered in her ear. "I mean it. I'm not gonna go making a spectacle of it like they do, but in private, I want you to know it."
Sal twisted to see his face. "I do. I always have, and yes, I've loved you for a while." She bit her lower lip, but it didn't stop the wistful smile. "You just kept saying no."
"I'm a dumb-ass. We good, demon?"
"Yeah. We're good."
"Then get to work." He hefted her back to her feet. "I'm tired of this country."
Sal chuckled and walked to Jase's side, slipping her hand in his to tug him toward the door. The little assassin fell in beside her like a pale shadow. When she reached for the handle, she paused and glanced at her Ahnor. Her ears flicked up and her brow creased, then her head twitched to Zep.
Jase followed her eyes. "Ya know I love history, right?" he asked Zep.
"Yeah?"
"There's two well-documented cases of a Kaisae having two cessivi." He shifted his attention to Sal. "Both of them were reported ta be very strong, and both ruled in wartime. Fer one, her Ahnor was lost in battle, and her Dernor - also cessivi - allowed her ta live on." He looked up at Zep.
Feeling like his knees turned to water, Zep sank to the bed with a thud. "Fuck me. I'm fucking human."
Jase chuckled as he pulled the door open. Before it closed behind him, he said softly, "Look at that tattoo, big brother. Na the one on yer neck."
In the hall, Sal turned to Jase, but he gestured for her to continue walking. "How long have you known about that?" she asked.
He shrugged. "A while, but I never thought much of it. Ya know how LT is with us. It did na seem ta apply." He squeezed her hand. "I know it's na my place, but..." They'd just reached the corner next to the stairs, and Jase turned to her. "He's a better Dernor fer ya."
Sal exhaled and thumped against the wall just as a quiet form slipped up the stairs beside them. "I'm not listening," Rayna said.
