by E. M. Moore
My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to understand his explanation. The same way his family did…
“A djinn,” he said simply. “The Pryors had control of a djinn.”
“The fuck?” Norah breathed behind us.
Yeah. My sentiments exactly.
10
Randy
I knew this would fucking happen. This was why I was relieved Liam wasn’t around when the Reid’s were brought into this the first time. Not that I was happy he had a familiar on him and was fighting for himself over the evil festering inside him, but this…I knew what it was like to have your past dredged up like some unwanted haunting memory. Since I was from Salem, I knew about the Pryor’s and the Reid’s. I knew getting them involved would somehow bring up what had happened to Liam in his past, and sometimes those things were better left forgotten.
Norah’s muscles were locked tight, and I reached up to massage them out. I felt her need to go to Liam as the same want surged inside me. He blinked as he took in the information. He’d been rapid firing questions at Dean but no longer. Now he was deep in thought, searching for memories that were no longer there because his real parents had his memory wiped right before they adopted him out to the Castries. There was nothing there, but Liam always thought he would come up with something.
Finally, he turned his chin to look Dean in the eye again. To think that they used to be friends. Liam was nothing like Dean and I couldn’t help but be glad that he got out of that social circle when he did. He never would’ve talked to me if he hadn’t. “So, they had a djinn. You grew up with your parents and they had a djinn.”
I looked at Dean expectantly, making sure to keep my touch on Norah’s shoulders just as calm and sure as it had been even though I was fuming inside. I wished one of the other guys would take over for a second. I needed to blow off some steam and Dean may just get the worst of it.
“Again, I just want to reiterate that I don’t know, okay?”
“Stop fucking saying that and tell us,” I snapped.
Gabe moved in beside me, gently nudging me out of the way. I looked at him gratefully as he took over the spot behind Norah, holding her in place and caressing her shoulders.
Dean glared at me, but I had no fucks to give. None. The spoiled brat just needed to come out with it. We were talking about someone’s life he’d been kept ignorant of. He looked back at Liam. “The djinn they had started…misbehaving? That’s probably not a great word for it, but it went dark. It started acting on its own accord, doing whatever it wanted, or at least that’s what Mr. Pryor kept saying.”
My hands turned to fists. Sounded familiar. “And you didn’t think this was relevant to what’s going on with your family djinn? Why the fuck didn’t you tell us sooner?”
Liam turned to me. “It’s okay, Randy.”
“The fuck it is. He’s intentionally keeping stuff from us.”
“I’m not,” Dean seethed, finally losing some of his cool exterior. One of the perfectly gelled strands of hair fell over his forehead. “I just didn’t think Liam would want to find out about that this way.”
“I like information,” Liam said. “The more the better. I can handle it.”
Dean shook his head. “It’s not about the djinn going bad. That’s not what I don’t want to tell you, it’s what the djinn did. You know your parents died, right? But you don’t know why or how. There’s been rumors, but that’s all you’ve heard. Well, I know what happened, and I didn’t think you just wanted me springing it on you when we were talking about my family djinn. I’m not trying to hide anything from anybody,” he said, eyeing me. “I’m just trying to be conscientious of your feelings.”
I gulped as the tension in the air thickened. Travis and I moved in on Liam. I lost sight of Norah and Gabe, but things were coming to a climax. This was what Liam had wanted to know ever since he got to Salem and found out about his parents.
“What happened?” Liam said softly.
“It was the djinn,” Dean said. “The djinn turned on your parents. They wiped your memory and put you up for adoption so you wouldn’t be involved in any of it. They tried to fight it, but it didn’t work.”
“The djinn,” Liam said, realization dawning on him. “The djinn killed my parents.”
Dean nodded.
“They gave me to the Castries to keep me safe?”
Dean nodded again, and Liam’s shoulders sagged. Norah made a choked sound in the back of her throat, but Liam was wavering. I went up behind him and put my hands under his arms, holding him to me. I looked down at his pale face, my heart going out to him. For so long, he’d hated his parents.
I looked up at Dean myself, who averted his eyes. “You’re sure?”
“One-hundred percent. My father was very good friends with Mr. Pryor. He knew what was happening.”
Liam stiffened, finally getting his bearings and stepped out of my arms. His face was stoic, calm. “Do you think that’s what’s happening here? Maybe the djinn is turning on your family like the other djinn did to the Pryor’s.”
Norah moved forward. “Liam, we don’t have to do this now.” She slid her hand into his and they interlaced their fingers.
Dean’s gaze dropped down to their hands, a wrinkle creeping up between his eyes.
“I’m fine,” Liam said. “We need to figure this out.”
“Not right now we don’t,” Norah urged. “There’s no djinn here. We can go back to the house and the djinn won’t be able to get through the wards there either.”
“I’m sorry,” Dean ventured. His mouth worked. “To be the one to tell you, I mean. I know you don’t remember me, Liam, but I remember you.”
For once, the fucker looked sincere, not his pasted on holier-than-thou asshole eating bullshit.
Liam swallowed, and I saw Norah grasp his hand tighter. “Can you just point me in the direction of one of your books about the djinn? If you don’t mind, I’ll take it home and read it.”
Dean scanned the shelves and then pulled out a leather-bound book that looked ancient even to Order standards. He handed it to Liam, not relinquishing control right away until Liam looked up at him. Then, he said, “Keep in touch.”
“We’ll definitely be keeping in touch,” I rumbled. “If you hear anything about your djinn, let us know right away.”
Dean tilted his chin in the air. “Same goes for you, I hope.”
“Let’s hope it’s not really stalking me,” Norah said. “Then again, we don’t know which djinn it is now. Whatever happened to the Pryors’ djinn?”
Dean shrugged. “Hadn’t been heard from since. When the owner passes and there’s no one else to give ownership to, they’re allowed to leave the family until someone else finds them.”
I put a hand on Liam’s shoulder and he turned away, Norah in tow. We left the basement room and walked up the steps and out of the house without even saying goodbye to Dean. Owen was at the gate and he gave Norah a once over that I couldn’t even get mad at him for. Call it shock or something else, but I wasn’t in the mood to kick his ass.
She waved at him and we made it back to the Jeep. Travis slid into the driver’s seat and I got into the passenger’s side. When all the doors shut, I said, “I think—”
“One thing,” Liam said, cutting me off. “I don’t want to talk about my parents. When I’m ready, I’ll come to you guys.”
I turned. He slunk back into his seat and Norah curled into him with Gabe laying a hand on her thigh as she did so. If I wasn’t so big, I’d crawl back in there next to them all.
11
Liam.
Holy shit, Liam
It started with kisses on my neck, then he reached up to touch my breasts. It was dark in the car, but everyone else was there. Right there. Gabe knew what was going on. He got fidgety, pulling his pants out and rearranging himself, but when Liam’s hand ventured to my crotch, my breath caught. That’s when Randy turned. His eyes focused on me as Liam passed his fingers over my inseam until I was
breathing heavy. This was like in the club, but better because no one else was around but my guys.
He kissed my ear, then whispered. “I want you. You’re one of the few things in my life that’s real. I need to feel that right now.”
I made a low groan, and the car swerved.
“I guess we know how it felt for them in the club,” Gabe said, once again fidgeting next to us in the car. Gabe wasn’t one not to jump right in and help, but maybe he sensed what Liam needed, and he needed me.
He held his hand over my jeans and they popped open like he’d showed me this morning. I was beginning to like that trick more and more. His hand swept inside the deep cut of my shirt and closed around my breast. “Holy shit,” I moaned. His other hand ran over my panties. His breath caught when he felt the dampness. Of course I was. We were doing this in front of everyone. It was hot. I knew I should be getting him to talk about what he’d just found out, but when he started with things like this, I just lost control of myself. I ran my hands over his jeans, pulling his button from the hole and then tearing the zipper down the old-fashioned way. Randy growled deep in his throat. I looked back, already poising to move. “I hope you guys don’t mind if I just slip Liam inside of me for a little while.”
“Oh, fuck,” Travis said. The Jeep sped up.
I turned, and another hand was on my ass. Randy. He helped me pull my jeans and panties down and then kept the touch on me until I was too far away. With barely any room, I wiggled Liam’s jeans down until I could just see his cock. He lifted his hips, and we moved them down further. I straddled him, and Liam pulled the sides of my shirt away until my breasts were bare. He took one nipple in his mouth and Gabe sighed, his hand coming up to touch himself over his pants.
Liam lifted his hips. His hard cock jut out and I angled him toward me until I sank down on top of him. “Oh, fuck me, Yes,” I breathed.
He felt so amazing inside me, hard and reckless.
“Can you take her shirt off?” Gabe asked, his voice breathy. I looked over to find his dick in his fist, watching us. I zeroed in on it and sank down onto Liam again. Gabe matched his movements with mine, stroking his dick the way it would feel if I were on him instead.
Liam palmed my breasts, forcing them up into view and continued to wrap his lips around one then the other.
Gabe made a strangled noise and it wasn’t until then that Liam pulled my shirt off.
“Fuck,” Gabe said, his movements jerkier on his dick. “Watching you get fucked is almost as hot as being the one fucking you.”
“I hate you all,” Travis said.
I leaned over Liam, pressing my lips to his as I continued to roll my hips into his. “It’s Liam’s fault.”
Liam shook his head, his hips coming up to slam into mine. “It’s yours for making everything better.”
We gazed at one another. His beautiful brown eyes were large and open. I leaned forward, whispering in his ear. “I love the feel of you inside me.”
His hands surrounded my hips, pulling me down.
“Yes,” Gabe said. “Give it to her.”
I loved having an audience. Shit. So hot.
I ground my pelvis against his, making Liam hiss at the pleasure.
I moaned, and the rest of the car moaned in response.
“You’re torturing us,” Randy said.
“Fuck, sorry,” I said, moaning once more as I rolled my hips into Liam. “He just feels so good.”
“Liam. Fuck, man. Please?” Travis said.
Liam groaned, his hand coming up to rest on my clit. I pushed him away. “I don’t need it.” I rested my forehead against his, grinding our hips against one another repeatedly until the inside of the Jeep filled with our mixed moans.
I knew the moment Gabe lost it. He cried out, his other hand coming up to catch his cum.
I started to shake, the pleasure overcoming me. Liam was right there, his hand working its way up my back, pulling me in closer with each stroke. “Fuck, Norah. Yes.”
I moaned in response. “I’m almost there.”
“Thank fuck,” Randy said.
I barely even heard him. I rode Liam’s cock, it’s hardness hitting all the sensitive spots until I tipped my hips forward and flew right over the edge like a bird stretching out its wings. I screamed, and Liam pulled me close, his short and furious strokes driving me higher and higher until he stilled, his cock seated deep inside me before it constricted and relaxed several times.
“Oh my God,” Liam said.
The Jeep pulled to a stop and we all just sat there, breathless. Spent, I leaned against Liam while trying to control my breathing.
“Are we home?” Gabe asked. “I’m going to need a napkin.”
I chuckled at first, then burst out a laugh. “Things got a bit messy, did they?”
He glared at me as Randy opened the glove compartment and then handed back a stack of napkins left over from some fast food service restaurant. “Your fault.”
“I couldn’t help myself.”
“As much as I’d like to be pissed,” Randy said, his eyebrow raising. “I think we’re all pretty lucky that you just can’t help yourself sometimes, so I’ll take that as an excuse.”
“I’m going to have blue balls for a week,” Travis groaned.
I leaned away from Liam and we smiled at one another. “Thank you for that,” I told him.
“I’m the one who needed it.”
It was my turn to raise my eyebrow. “In case we’re all not clear, I need it. Like, all the time. You guys try having four boyfriends and not being obsessed with sex.”
Randy was the first to open the car door. Gabe cleaned himself up as best he could and then hid his package away behind his pants again. With little to no room inside the Jeep, Liam opened the door and I backed away from him and out the door, standing out in the night air with no clothes on. Travis put his arm around me, tugging me close. “You are…a force.”
I smiled up at him, then stood on my tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the lips. “Thank you.”
“I’ll get your clothes, Norah,” Liam said, “Go ahead inside.”
I looked up at Randy and he nodded. I still didn’t want Liam anywhere by himself since the familiar and definitely not right now after figuring out what had actually happened to his birth parents. I stared up at the house, a smile gracing my lips.
“What is it?” Travis asked as we walked toward the house.
“I’d always felt kind of bad for loving this house when Liam hated it. Now we just found out that Liam’s parents weren’t all that bad. It’s kind of…nice to think that they were just trying to protect him.”
Travis sneaked a glance over his shoulder. “I agree. Look behind you.”
I peeked over our shoulders. Liam stood in the moonlight, staring up at the estate. He didn’t show much emotion on his face, but this was the first time I’d actually seen him look at the place for longer than a second. There may have even been a hint of pride twinkling in his eyes somewhere.
Good for him. I knew it was a lot to deal with, but maybe he could feel more settled. After all, Liam was all about having the information, and he’d just found out a major chunk of missing information he’d never had. Even though he was still processing it, the part of his brain that loved facts was probably all giddy with knowledge. No wonder why he’d felt feisty in the car. I looked away and turned to Travis again. “Sorry about your blue balls.”
He shrugged. “I was just teasing.”
“Only because you know I’ll eventually take care of it for you.”
“Are you offering?”
I pushed up on my tiptoes again and kissed his cheek before streaking naked into the house, giggling like a little girl. It was weird how I could find so much happiness in things when there were other, bigger obstacles that lay ahead of us. But, if we were only caught up in what was wrong, how were we ever going to live? Life was more than just bad magic and djinns and murdered parents. If it weren’t, there would be nothin
g to keep going for, nothing to live for.
Whenever I looked around at who I had around me, whether we were facing down Dupre—or some other bad guy—or not, I couldn’t help but feel grateful. I was blessed. There was just no other way around it, and a stalking djinn wasn’t going to ruin it for me.
12
Saturday morning came. Most of the guys were still asleep when I decided to roll out of bed, take a shower, and get out on the road. It dawned on me that I’d never been to where Randy worked before. I’d been to one of Gabe’s games, saw SSU where Travis, Liam, and Gabe still went as they finished their last semester, but I’d never gone to the gym and I’d only seen his tattoo parlor from afar.
So, I left the rest of the guys a note and took the Jeep to follow after Randy an hour or so after he left. The gym stood just on the outskirts of Historic Salem in a row of businesses with the same brick facade. Spotting it, I went around the block a few times before I noticed a small parking lot that said, ‘Gym Parking Only’ and pulled into that. I grabbed my bag and water bottle and hopped out of the seat before pushing the door closed and making the short trek down the sidewalk to the main entrance. Randy’s bike was parked in the first spot and I ran my fingers over it as I walked past.
The interior was far different from the exterior. There was no brick or anything else inside that could’ve been construed as historical. It had a modern feel, sleek lines and a lot of light. Immediately, the air pricked at my skin. A juice bar and a half moon shaped welcome desk were the first to catch my eye with the facing opaque glass. The cardio equipment was on the right and the weights and everything else was on the left. Just beyond the desk, a set of wrought iron stairs led up to a loft. When I followed the lines upward with my eyes, I saw a yoga studio complete with a class going on at that exact moment.
The girl behind the desk smiled at me as I took everything in. “Hi there.”
