Dragon: Bridge & Sword: The Final War (Bridge & Sword Series Book 9)

by JC Andrijeski

  Jon smacked Wreg in the chest from the other side, using the flat of his hand.

  I felt a pulse of real anger on him as he did it. When I glanced at Jon, quirking an eyebrow, I saw him flush, blushing nearly to the roots of his blond-streaked hair.

  He barely looked at me. When I continued to stare at him, he exuded a pale cloud of annoyance in my general direction.

  Do you mind? he sent. I’m trying to forget you’re here.

  I laughed. My voice sounded strange to my ears. But then, it was probably more discomfort and surprise than real humor.

  Still, I sent a pulse of agreement his way.

  I plan to be as far away from you as humanly possible, Jon added, maybe to emphasize the point. So control your husband’s exhibitionist tendencies. Or at least warn me. Jesus.

  Yeah. I sighed. Gotcha. And ditto. But you’re on your own with Revik.

  I mean it, Al––

  So do I. Trust me. If I could control him, I would.

  Jon’s light retracted, conceding defeat, but I felt his discomfort there still. More than discomfort. His emotions felt charged into a near-anger, mixed with confusion as he gazed out over the city lights now visible past the edges of the roof. I could feel him reacting to the group dynamic already, which probably only jacked up his emotions even more.

  It reminded me that Jon had never dealt with this before.

  Meaning the whole group-light thing with seers. He was probably having a lot harder time with this than I’d really let myself think about before now.

  You can leave, I offered to him. Seriously, Jon. I know Revik really wants you and Wreg here, but if this flat-out isn’t working for you––

  I’ll be fine, Jon sent back, sharper. I get what this is for. Revik was articulate on the why, and I promised him I’d stay. Just keep your distance, Al. Stay away from Wreg, too. I mean it.

  I fought another weird burst of inappropriate laughter.

  It only hit me then that Jon was drunk.

  Like, really drunk. Drunker than I’d felt on him since me and Revik’s wedding ceremony.

  Jon was drunker than Wreg, which had to be a first.

  I looked away from both of them when Revik started nuzzling my neck. Pain pulsed off his light as he felt me react. I found myself looking up at him that time, turning my head before I thought about it well enough to stop myself. When I met his gaze, I got lost there for a few seconds. His eyes were glowing, which was part of it.

  His face was infiltrator smooth, but even with the light in his eyes, they were strangely expressive. Or maybe that was his light, too.

  Either way, I reached up, caressing his jaw with my hand. I found myself looking at what I could see of his collarbones and chest at the V of his partly open shirt. I had a nearly overwhelming urge to slide my hand under the fabric, even before I felt him reacting to my stare.

  It hit me again how long it had been.

  I noticed his hand then, where he’d coiled it around my thigh.

  His knuckles were bruised. With new bruises. Brand new––the knuckles on his left hand were swollen and still red.

  How had I not noticed that before now?

  Knowing him, he’d been hiding it from me.

  I clicked at him, frowning before the thought fully penetrated.

  “Jesus,” I slid my fingers under his palm, raising his hand closer to my eyes. “Revik. You didn’t. Did you? Really?”

  When I glanced up, his skin had darkened.

  I didn’t feel embarrassment on him, though, more a low throb of anger. The pain in his light retracted slightly, but his expression didn’t change and he didn’t let me go.

  After a few more seconds, he shrugged. The infiltrator thing leaked to his eyes.

  “It’s none of your business, Allie,” he said.

  I gave an incredulous snort. “It’s not?”

  He met my gaze, his eyes a touch colder. “No, it’s not. Not unless she’s your lover. Then it’s your business. Otherwise, stay the fuck out of it.”

  I frowned, less bothered by his tone than lost somewhere in the nuances of seer logic. I knew they had different rules when it came to this kind of thing. It scared me that I almost understood what he’d just said, even though it didn’t make any sense whatsoever.

  “It makes perfect sense,” Revik muttered.

  “Punching one of your oldest friends?” I said, exasperated.

  I don’t want to talk about this here, he sent, his thoughts warning.

  Did you have to hit her? I sent back. Seriously?

  “Allie, I don’t want to talk about it,” he growled. When others looked over at his tone, he switched back to my mind. She kissed my fucking wife. She grabbed my wife’s ass. She would have fucked my wife, if my wife had consented. She didn’t deny it. Nor did she dispute my right to lodge a strong fucking complaint as a result.

  I let out another snort. Nice euphemism.

  It’s not your business, Revik sent, sharper. I mean it, Allie. Stay out of it.

  Thinking about that, I nodded slowly.

  I did understand, when all was said and done.

  Chandre was his friend. She’d crossed a line with him. In that respect, it really wasn’t anything to do with me. I couldn’t decide if it reassured me or bothered me that he didn’t treat her any differently than he would have treated a male who’d made a pass at me.

  Either way, I could respect what he was telling me, in terms of the two of them.

  He was right; that end of it was a friendship thing.

  Seconds later, I nodded, softening my light. Shifting my weight, I snuggled my back into his chest.

  All right. None of my business. Got it.

  I didn’t say anything more. I just leaned there, feeding him light and waiting for him to get over it. Still holding my shoulder, he gradually relaxed.

  I felt it take him a few tries to let it go.

  When I glanced up next, his eyes were glowing again. That heat had returned to his expression, but I saw and felt more possessiveness in it that time. When I didn’t look away, he dropped his lips to my ear, speaking in a bare murmur so we wouldn’t be overheard.

  “I want veto power,” he said.

  I felt my chest clench, but I only nodded, once.

  “Yes,” I murmured back. “Of course.”

  “Good.” He nuzzled my face. I felt a denser coil of pain leave his light, not all of it separation pain. His voice remained low. “Jorag. Surli. Balidor.”

  “All ‘no’ I take it?” I murmured.

  Yes. Hard no.

  I nodded, barely perceptible.

  “…No on Chan now, too,” he added.

  I sent him a pulse of warmth, rolling my eyes a little.

  He seemed to be thinking. A harder stab of pain left his light. “You sleep with Jaden and I’ll fucking kill him,” he said, softer.

  I flinched, looking up.

  His jaw only hardened.

  “Zero promises, Alyson. Zero. I might even do it in front of you.”

  I started to answer, but his fingers exuded a warning pulse.

  I felt reassurance there, what might have been an apology.

  He didn’t retract the threat, though, and I honestly couldn’t decide if his words had been theatrics, meant for ears other than mine, or if he really meant them. I was still turning that over in my mind when he spoke again, pressing his mouth to my ear.

  “What if I picked the person?” he said, a bare murmur. “Would you go with who I picked? Would you trust me to do it for the right reasons?”

  I looked up, startled. I honestly couldn’t tell if he was serious.

  Once I met his gaze, however, I knew he was.

  “How would I even know?” I said, as soft as him. “Or are you going to tell me?”

  “You’ll know,” he said.

  I frowned slightly, but didn’t argue.

  I felt him watching me minutely as I turned over his words.

  Then I nodded, once. “Yes.”

/>   Relief expanded off him. “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  The pain coming off him worsened exponentially. I felt something else there too, what might have trepidation, or guilt––or maybe it was more jealousy. I honestly couldn’t tell if any of that was meant for me, either.

  I was still trying to decide when he lowered his mouth to my neck.

  That time he bit me––hard.

  Hard enough to break the skin, and to make me gasp, in surprise as much as anything. He was kissing me then, sucking on my skin with his tongue and lips. I closed my eyes, unable to move as he wrapped his fingers around my face and the back of my head, tugging my head sideways so he had more access to my neck. He pressed against me as he did it, his light sensual, pulling on mine so hard I lost control.

  I leaned my face into his chest, fighting to breathe as he massaged my thigh, still kissing my neck.

  A few minutes later, he pressed his face against mine, caressing my hair and jaw with the hand that held both.

  “I need this,” he murmured against my neck. “Wife, I need this. Can we go over by the pool? Or do you want to stay here?”

  I felt my face tighten. I could feel enough to know it was some combination of nerves and desire, adrenaline mixed with pain, worsening that sick feeling in my gut.

  I needed this, too. So badly I couldn’t think straight anymore.

  We could talk about the rest of it later. Or not.

  I turned my head, gazing at the lit swimming pool.

  Someone must have cleaned that out, too.

  It looked beyond inviting, for more reasons than one. Golden lights shone from under the blue water. The edge of the pool itself was surrounded by small, flickering torches in and among the taller palm trees. Even with seers talking around us, I could hear the soothing sounds of a waterfall from the elevated platform that housed a ten-person hot tub. We were still above it where we sat, so I could see the steam rising from the bubbles, dancing across the red and orange lit water in faint, smoke-like curls.

  They’d really gone all out for this. I wondered if that was Revik, too.

  “Let’s go over there,” I said.

  My voice came out gruff.

  At his silence I glanced up.

  I caught him staring at my face. His eyes shone brighter as I returned his look.

  I heard and felt a few of the others murmuring, staring at his eyes. I could tell some of them liked it and it unnerved others, but I couldn’t make myself care.

  Well, I did care in some ways––mostly because I felt some of them getting turned on. I felt some of them wanting him, including that Mara chick, who I was about to punch in the face.

  He blew warmth at me, reassurance.

  His fingers traced my jaw, then continued to glide higher, over my skin and lips. He did it softly, sensually––almost lazily. That tension continued to ratchet higher in his light as he did it, until I could scarcely breathe.

  I honestly don’t know who kissed who.

  I know I couldn’t see straight not long after we started.

  I curled my arms around his neck somewhere in that, sitting astride his lap, gripping his hair, which was longer than I remembered it being since I’d known him. He let out a low sound when I slid closer to him, breaking off the kiss.

  His light opened more and I raised my head, looking down at him.

  He was fighting to breathe, staring at me, his eyes a thousand shimmering green crystals, live wires running in the tiny lines making up his irises.

  Gods, he was beautiful.

  The next thing I knew, he had me pinned to the cushions by the table.

  We kissed harder. I tried not to think about how long it had been since we’d even just kissed, but I could feel myself aware of it. The time. Too much time. Too many times, really. I could feel his awareness of it too, even as I fought to control my light.

  I think I forgot everyone else for a while.

  Some minutes, maybe a lot of minutes… that’s all we did.

  Revik had always been someone who liked to kiss. So was I. We’d joked about mutual oral fixations more than once. Now it had been so long we were already acting light-drunk.

  Or sex-drunk. Or kissing-drunk, maybe.

  He was the one to slow things down.

  He started using his light more, along with his lips and tongue.

  At one point I realized I was reacting to other lights getting close to ours, especially to his. Too close by a lot maybe, although I couldn’t think about it rationally enough to know if I was overreacting.

  I looked up at Revik. I was pretty sure it must have been me who opened the front of his shirt although I couldn’t remember doing that, either. He had a hand under my dress, wrapped around my ass, but otherwise we were still more or less clothed. He pressed his lower body against mine as I thought it, watching my eyes react.

  When I gripped his hair tighter, he lowered his mouth obediently.

  We were kissing again before I could remember what distracted me.

  I tried to remember what mattered about the rest of the room.

  Details flitted through my mind, questions. Were the others just watching us, or were they back to their conversations? Were any of them having sex already?

  Revik let out a low groan at the question, tugging harder on my hair.

  More urgent things lived there, too, but quieter.

  Was Tarsi still shielding us? Would she be able to shield Revik enough if one of us lost control? Would we blow it all, just because we couldn’t handle being apart?

  “Shut up, Allie…” he groaned, gripping my hair tighter.

  We kissed again, and the questions faded, even as he sank his body more heavily into mine.

  That anxiety lingered in the background of my light, though.

  Revik raised himself off me, that time with a heavier groan.

  He was unbuckling his belt then, one-handed, leaning his shoulder into mine when he fell forward, losing his balance. He didn’t speak but I felt so much asking and pulling on his light I found myself responding as if he had.

  I pushed his hands out of the way, and finished undoing his belt and pants.

  He groaned as I did it, pressing into me, and that time I definitely felt flares of heat off other seers around the table. Some of them were familiar enough with Revik’s light that I gritted my teeth, fighting not to react.

  I felt that female Mara again and my possessiveness grew borderline homicidal.

  Even as I lay there, trying to get my light under control, Revik sat up, more or less naked, and I felt those reactions spark higher, especially in those sitting near enough to get a good look at him. He was fully extended, which didn’t surprise me, but when he put my hand on him, I realized he was past the point where I could probably get him to retract.

  I sent him a flicker of images instead and he groaned.

  “No,” he said, his voice still a groan. He shook his head. “No. I don’t want that. Not yet.”

  He looked out over the table, scanning faces.

  I didn’t feel desire on him aimed at anyone else, but I tensed. I was gripping his arms then, pulling him back to me, trying to get his eyes back on me alone.

  It’s all right, Allie. This is for you, he murmured. This is for you, wife.

  There was another pause while he looked around the table. Feeling some of them react to his stare, I felt that possessiveness worsen in my light.

  Revik… stop it. Please.

  Torek, he sent. He looked down at me. Are you okay with Torek? Or Raddi. You told me once you thought he was handsome.

  Am I okay with them? I stared up at him, alarmed. My mind slid back to our previous conversation, but he’d never ask me that inside the Barrier, no matter who shielded us. Thinking about what he probably did mean, I wondered if he was really suggesting what I thought he was suggesting.

  Okay with them for what? I sent, wary.

  He didn’t answer.

  I felt the pain in his lig
ht worsen.

  I barely could wrap my head around what he might be doing when he motioned towards someone with his head, indicating for them to come closer. I felt my whole body clench, my muscles turning to rock.

  Revik was caressing me then with both hands, his light bleeding reassurance.

  You wanted this, he sent, soft. You wanted this, Allie. You asked me for it. Let me do this for you, please. I won’t be able to after we start to fuck.

  I felt the pain and misgiving in my light worsen.

  Raddi was sitting beside us then, and I felt that pain shift into a kind of panic. I didn’t know which thing Revik was talking about that I wanted.

  I didn’t know what the hell he was––

  But Revik was already leaning by Raddi’s ear, murmuring to him, talking to him low, cajoling, in Prexci. It wasn’t so low I couldn’t hear him, though, and I realized Revik wanted me to hear, that there was still some element of asking permission in his light.

  “My wife wants to watch me give head, brother,” he said, glancing down at me. When I didn’t move, or shake my head to his lifted eyebrow, he looked back at Raddi.

  “Are you all right with that, brother?” he said.

  Raddi’s light exuded a thick pulse of heat, intense enough that it caught my breath.

  Before I could really think about what Revik had said, the other infiltrator was already unhooking his belt, his eagerness turning into an aggressive urgency, even as the fingers from Raddi’s free hand curled into my hair, clenching there.

  Once he had his pants undone, he caught hold of Revik’s hair with his other hand.

  The aggression in his light intensified.

  “Don’t get angry at me if I look at your wife,” Raddi murmured, still clutching Revik’s hair. He leaned closer, kissing Revik’s face. His hand tightened on me right before I saw him look down, staring at my face before returning his eyes to Revik. “I’m going to look at you too, brother,” he said softer. “I promise you, I will. But I won’t be able to help myself… don’t get angry, please.”

  I felt pain on Revik at his words, but he only nodded.

  Then he lowered his mouth.

  I watched, lost there in spite of the confused mess of emotional reactions that crashed violently into my light. As soon as I realized what he was doing, that he wasn’t just playing around with the idea this time but actually doing it, my pain worsened exponentially, twisting into a more intense jealousy as I watched.