“Tap into it,” Sorrow says as Vyce watches with his hands on his hips and Wolfe keeps glaring and scowling. It’s impressive, how good he is at keeping up that façade. But I won’t forget that he opened up to me earlier. Loneliness is something I know all about.
I just stand there and stare, and Sorrow sighs, stepping forward and literally tapping at my chest with his finger.
“Magic is just coiled energy,” Vyce explains as Sorrow traces that same finger up to my pulse and draws the breath from my lungs without even trying. “It’s like that feeling when your body is crouched and tensed, all that power waiting in your muscles that hasn’t been unleashed yet. Find it…” He turns and glances at the guards, exhaling long and slow and then throwing out a hand. Wind ripples through the courtyard, fluttering the leaves on the trees, teasing the delicate petals of roses. It feels like a punch to the gut, that magic.
“You won’t be able to do this overnight or anything, but it’s never too late to start,” Sorrow says, curling his fingers around the back of my neck and leaning in close. He hovers his mouth above my own, like he’s waiting for permission from me before taking the moment any further. When I don’t make any move to protest, Sorrow presses our mouths together, sliding his hot tongue between my lips and using his fingers on the back of my neck to pull me even closer.
As he does that, he draws something up and out of me with his mouth, an energy that’s both familiar and foreign. Magic. It tastes hot and metallic, and the scent of fire and ash in the air is unmistakable. Stepping back from me suddenly, Sorrow releases that energy and it snaps across the garden area the way Vyce’s did.
“Did you feel that?” he asks me, panting slightly, his mouth shiny from our kiss.
“It feels like you cracked my ribs open,” I say, putting a hand to my chest. “Or like you broke something.” Energy seems to bubble up from deep down, spilling past my lips.
“You’re not used to it,” Wolfe says, stepping forward and shouldering Sorrow out of the way. He offers his large hand, the sleeve of his jacket sliding up and revealing more of those gorgeous tattoos underneath. I wonder what he looks like naked? I should’ve added that to the contract—nudity required.
I reach out and take his hand, letting him lead me through the thick tangle of foliage over to the wall. Our guards don’t even seem to be interested in us anymore, drifting away and leaving the four of us alone out here.
Sick.
Now that is what I call magic. Rolling a human is easy, but doing the same thing to a vamp? That takes some serious skill. I don’t know what, exactly, these guys did to the king’s soldiers, but it’s like they either can’t see us anymore or just don’t give a shit.
“Now, climb,” Wolfe says, his expression just slightly less intimidating. “Fast.”
I don’t hesitate, reaching out and hooking my fingers around the edge of a stone block.
I’m up and over the Verenim Family House walls before I can even consider the consequences of jumping ship.
But then, consequences require getting caught.
Yeah, I don’t fucking think so, not with the Stiltz brothers on my side. No goddamn way.
10
Harry really isn’t all that happy to see me. He’s acting like a dick—even for an ogre, and that’s really saying something.
“You’re inviting the devil in and what, praying that he doesn’t prick you with his horns?”
“Actually, I’m hoping to be pricked—it’s part of the contract—but yeah, I see where you’re coming from.” I’m leaning over the bar in my tight purple dress, knowing that it’s riding up and loving it. I bet I’ve got all three of those vampire assholes looking my way. Now, if only I could get them to return the favor, maybe convince Wolfe to strip down so I can ogle all his tats? “I’ll be fine, Harry.”
“Even after they find out you’ve duped them?” he growls under his breath, shoving a drink with a lavender sprig in it my way. I take it and pop the straw between my lips. It takes me several sips to realize it, but…this one doesn’t taste like gin or tequila. My brows slide up my forehead. Touché, Harry, touché. The drink is actually good this time; it’s bright and fresh, with the slightest hint of lavender.
“Why don’t you say that a little louder, just in case they didn’t hear you the first time?” I say, flicking my eyes over to Miri. Her green braid is undone and she looks a tad disheveled. Seeing as my hair’s in a similar state, I know right away she’s donning the just-fucked look. Turning back to Harry, I can see that he’s most definitely trying not to look her way. “You didn’t?!” I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand. “You slept with Miri, didn’t you?” I mumble from behind my palm.
My friend ignores me as I slam my fist on the counter and chortle. Can’t help it. Now this was worth breaking out of the Verenim Family House for, no doubt about it.
“You sly dog,” I say as the man gives me a look.
“It was an accident, won’t happen again,” he says, but the expression on his face says otherwise. I bet they were the perfect match, half-ogre and quarter-ogre. Miri probably appreciated the size of his dick. Good for them. I’ve been waiting almost two years for them to hop into bed together. “Now take that drink and fuck off.”
“We need another round of Heartbeats,” I tell him and he sighs, like I’m the dumbest person he’s ever met in his life. So thinks the man who hasn’t figured out that ogre girls hate the size of his dick after years of disappointed looks.
I push Vyce’s Three Wishes card across the counter and rejoin the guys at a table in the center. Harry might not like what I’m doing, but I know he enjoys turning a profit; he’ll bring us our drinks.
“You guys really want to train me, huh?” I ask and Vyce lets this wicked little smile curve across his face.
“Why not? It’s always fun to have a capable student around.” He traces a symbol on the tabletop in an absentminded sort of way. The movement draws my attention. I like the way he keeps his nails long and slightly sharp at the tip.
Wolfe draws my attention a split-second later by removing his jacket and showing off two full sleeves of ink. I notice demons and werewolves, the face of Dracula, an angel with a sword. Holy hell. I could spend hours tracing all those lines, discovering all the hidden little gems in the work.
“We have other sorts of things we could teach you,” Sorrow says, ruffling up his blond and red hair and giving me a dark look, one that promises naughty things under the covers.
“If you’re referring to sexual intercourse,” I say with a smug little smile, “then I highly doubt you could teach me a damn thing. I know all sorts of fun stuff. Besides, have you ever used a fox tail butt plug? I don’t think so.”
“Oh?” Sorrow asks, leaning across the table and pausing when Miri comes over with our drinks. Her cheeks are all pink and she’s got this hop to her step that I well recognize. “That’s one of those kinky ones with the fur on the end? Makes it look like you’ve got a tail and all that? I’ve seen horse ones, but never a fox.”
“So you see?” I say, pulling my drink over and taking a massive sip. Right away, I feel that euphoria sweep over me, clouding my head and mixing with the happy sex pheromones in my blood. “I’m at master level when it comes to bedroom tricks. Although I won’t say no if y’all want to impart some magical wisdom my way. Nobody does magic like a Stiltz.”
“Have you ever seen one of these?” Sorrow asks, sitting forward and flashing me a fluffy red tail from the back of his pants. His demon tail. That’s seriously effing hawt. Again, misspelled it’s that sexy.
“I can safely say that I have not,” I agree, grinning back when he gives me a wide smile. The speakers in the corners of the room give a rough cough before some old ass rock music starts leaking out. Harry has weird taste, I’ll admit. It’s supposed to be dance night down here at The Dragonfly, but who dances to the Rolling Stones anymore?
“You want to hit the floor?” Sorrow asks anyway, sipping down the rest of his drin
k and gesturing loosely with his thumb. I take him up on the offer, grabbing another sip of my own Heartbeat before grabbing his hand and snatching a space on the crowded dance floor. There aren’t a lot of places in town for supernaturals to mix, and this is the safest one by far. The Dragonfly always draws a crowd on dance night.
Sorrow spins me around in the most ridiculous way, making me chuckle before he’s quite rudely pushed out of the way by Wolfe. Vyce just watches us in that careful, calculating way of his, but I never forget that he’s looking.
“I didn’t peg you for a dancer,” I admit as Wolfe leads us in some semblance of actual dancing. Whereas Sorrow was just dicking around, this guy knows exactly what he’s doing.
Of course, all I get is a rough grunt in return.
“Who turns a three-year-old anyway?” I ask after a while, my arms around Wolfe’s neck, his thundercloud gray eyes staring into my own mismatched ones.
“A monster,” is the only response I get to that question. But there’s a sadness there I can’t resist, a pull that draws me forward. I end up with my cheek pressed to Wolfe’s chest, eyes closed, listening to his heart thunder behind his ribs as the song “Paint it Black” begins to play.
His hands start at my waist like a proper gentleman, but I push them down until he’s cupping my ass, and the euphoria from our drinks has really settled in. It’s a good excuse for us, considering how much we butt heads. If we’re drunk then, you know, it’s not really our fault if something naughty happens …
I can feel my nipples pebbling, my sex clenching with heat. And I’ll give you a hint: it’s not just because of the alcohol and the blood mixed into it. It’s just this guy. He’s big and tall, and his tattoos are killer, and he kind of…I don’t know, smells nice?
We stay that way for a good half-dozen songs before Wolfe takes my hand and pulls me out of the bar and away from the other guys, into a sudden rainstorm. We barely get half a block away before he’s pushing me into an alcove of a closed shop and slamming his palms on either side of my head. Our lips hover close for several long, agonizing seconds before he finally kisses me.
And mother of god, it’s a beautiful kiss.
An Old Hollywood kiss.
I don’t even know what to make of it,
My hands curl into the front of his sleeveless shirt, yanking him closer with a sudden need that I want filled right here, right now.
But we hardly make it to second base.
Someone clears their throat behind Wolfe and chills take over every inch of my body. He pulls away slightly and looks back at a man with long, dark hair and a cruel smile.
I know right away who that is.
“Rumpel,” Wolfe acknowledges as I cringe back into the alcove and pray he doesn’t get too close a look at me.
“Wolfe,” the other man says, his eyes flicking briefly to me and away again. “I see you’re taking this contract very seriously?” Just the sound of that man’s voice makes me want to scream, but I hold it together. Barely. Just barely.
“Yes, sir,” Wolfe growls out, and Rumpel nods, his eyes, this terrifyingly bright yellow color, landing on my face before he pulls them away again.
“Good work,” he adds with a leer that makes my skin crawl. He pats Wolfe on the shoulder and heads into The Dragonfly while both Wolfe and I stand there panting. I sort of had the idea that Rumpel was like a father figure to the Stiltz kin. But after seeing that very brief interaction, I’m not so sure.
A few moments later, Vyce and Sorrow come out of the bar and pause next to us. I was quite looking forward to a quickie in the small little alcove, but now I just want to get the hell out of here.
“Since we have a few other tasks to complete…” I say with a shrug. “That is to say, sex, why don’t we head back to House Verenim?” What can I say? I’m not a shy chick. Never have been, never will be. And the idea that Rumpel’s in Harry’s bar makes me feel sick. I just want to get as far away from here as I can before he figures out who I really am.
None of the guys argue—not much of a surprise there—and follow me back, using the same magic as before to climb the massive walls of House Verenim and sneak into the window of my temporary bedroom. I wonder if I’ll be expected to share a room with the king himself after the coronation? If this really will be my room? Who knows?
“Welcome to my not-so-humble abode,” I tell Sorrow as he enters the room with a whistle and takes a look around. Of course, he immediately zones in on the collection of silk and lace nightgowns.
“Hello, Your Majesty,” he says, peering through the clothing and then coming up with a red silk nightie. “Any chance I can get you into this?” he asks as I cross my arms and give him a look. The whole time I’m glaring at him though, I’m counting in my head how long it’s going to take him to notice that I left my clothes from last night on the floor. I don’t get maid service in here yet. Nobody’s allowed in or out until after the coronation.
Well, nobody but the three guys sent here to have sex with me. Just them.
“There’s no maid service,” I explain as Sorrow picks up my clothes and shoves the tank into the hamper and then hangs the leather pants back up in the wardrobe.
“No maid service, but you have two hands and ten fingers, right? You can pick up your own shirt.” The smile Sorrow throws me says that maybe he finds my disheveled weirdness sort of charming.
“Give me the damn nightgown,” I say, storming over and yanking it from the wardrobe while Wolfe takes off his duster and gets comfortable on the sofa I almost forced Vyce to sleep on.
“Where are you going?” Sorrow asks as I head for the door in the corner.
“The bathroom? I’m at least allowed to go in there alone, right?” I ask, slipping into the room with my pajamas. Getting undressed in front of Vyce was one thing. But with all three men in the room, it’s a tad intimidating.
I change and purposely leave the expensive dress on the floor to see Sorrow’s reaction. Of course, he hones right in on it, picks it up and hangs it while swiping wrinkles from the fabric with his palm.
“Might as well deal with this shit now,” I say, moving into the room full of straw and taking care of it while the guys talk quietly amongst themselves. When I come back out, I sit on the edge of the bed and take a deep breath. “It’s been a while since I had a foursome. Remind me how this shit works again?”
“Foursome?” Wolfe asks, looking slightly terrified. “Whoever said anything about that?”
“That’s what we’re all doing up here, isn’t it?” I ask. Both Sorrow and Vyce glance at each other and grin, shedding jackets, boots…shirts and pants. Oh. And there goes the underwear. “What am I going to have to do to get you to participate?” I continue as I pause in front of the stoic motherfucker with his beautiful gray eyes. When he doesn’t answer—I get a scowl instead—I step forward and run my fingers through his short, dark hair.
He finally turns his gaze up to mine as I hook at thumb under one strap and tug it over my shoulder. I do the same on the other side, and the beautiful red nightie is gone as fast as I slipped into it.
Wolfe sits there, completely frozen for a moment, before he surges to his feet, scoops me up, and carries me over to the bed. It happens so quick that all I have time for is a gasp before he’s tossing me onto the mattress.
“Enjoy your night,” he says, and then he turns to leave!
I sit on my knees and grab his arm before he can get very far, something hot and dangerous sparking between us. Wolfe turns slowly to glance over his shoulder at me, and then pauses, spinning so that we’re facing one another. Without a word he reaches down and takes my face between his hands, kissing my mouth hard and fierce.
That’s all it takes.
I start undoing the buttons on Wolfe’s shirt until his chest is bare, rubbing my palms up his chest and over the hard points of his nipples. Behind me, I can feel both Sorrow and Vyce. They each put their mouths to my necks, hands sliding around to cup my breasts. It’s obvious that m
y first time with them was not their first time with a woman together. Oddly enough, that thought brings a small spark of jealousy that I do my best to ignore.
No way am I getting jealous over three dudes I’ve just met. Although standing here with them makes me wonder what it might be like to have a boyfriend or two or three… Vamps don’t have strict gender or dating/marriage roles. Basically, everyone does as they damn well please. Part of being a vampire, I guess. So can I date three dudes? Sure, why not?
Am I going to?
Never.
I’ll probably be alone until the day I die—even if I do marry the king. I don’t see us doing much together except fucking once in a while. I mean, if that. I can’t imagine myself being in a relationship with anyone, not yet. I’m not there. Not sure if I’ll ever be there.
My fingers drop to Wolfe’s pants and undo the buttons, my hand slipping inside so I can palm the thick length of his cock. He’s got a wide shaft, which I like, the skin nice and smooth. And his balls are hair-free, too. Also a plus. Somebody grooms down there. I massage his dick while the other two men take over my breasts, kissing and licking the nipples, biting down on the sensitive flesh and drawing blood.
My hand works Wolfe’s shaft as he stands there and stares down at me, lids drooping as he loses control over that bitchy face of his. He lets me work him until his stomach muscles tense and he looks like he’s about to come. That’s when he reaches down and carefully curls his fingers around my wrist, pulling my hand away.
“Scoot back,” Vyce growls, his mouth so close to my nipple that I can feel his words against the sensitive, puckered flesh. I do as he asks, and Wolfe follows us, shedding his pants before he climbs onto the bed. Sorrow pauses for a moment as I reach over and run my fingers through the…fur of his tattoo? Apparently when he gets excited, the demon on his skin moves and ripples, coming alive. Now it makes sense why he ran like hell that first day.
Stiltz Page 12
