by Lexi Blake
We will fight when the time comes. We will fight in this terrible war that is coming. I pray I don’t lose them. Please don’t let me lose them.
Gray moves up, ceding his place to Trent, who moves his muscled body with the grace of the predator living inside him.
“My turn,” Trent says, putting his mouth on me and beginning the process all over again.
“Do you know how good you taste?” Gray kisses me and I can taste my own desire.
The hands on me change.
God, I don’t know how much more I can handle. It moves so quickly now. I never leave the room, but I can feel fate shifting, changing.
I am with Gray but we do not speak, the hostility between us a palpable thing.
I am with Marcus and he looks down at the ring he’s recently placed on my finger, and I remember the way she cried as we left the ceremony.
Jacob’s voice intrudes. Hold on. Not much more. He’s almost there.
I flash through a hundred wedding nights, some changes so minute I wouldn’t recognize that they were different if I wasn’t in this place.
Gray tears down the door, attacking Marcus, and I am helpless as they fight. They will kill each other and I will be alone.
Shift.
Trent holds me while I cry, mourning my lost husband. Shift.
My whole body is flush with desire as I look down at my brand new husband. Trent smiles up at me, my Boston boy.
“I love you. Take me you crazy she-wolf. He’s not going to wait forever.” Trent’s massive hands tug on my hips, and I can feel his big cock begin to enter. So good. I’ve waited so long for this night.
A perfect sense of happiness settles on me. There is nothing here but joy between the three of us. We need each other. There is no one else waiting, no other destiny. We’re the right people at the right time.
I need them. My demon and my wolf. The war we averted could come back to haunt us, but I know we’ll be stronger then.
We’ll have children to protect. I’m already carrying him.
“Relax, Kelsey mine.” Gray gently pushes me down.
I know what he’s planning. My men love to get me in between them. I’m convinced they like the feel of their cocks sliding against one another, though they’re far too manly to ever admit it. They claim we’re a perfectly straight ménage, but I have hopes.
I’m having lunch with the queen tomorrow and I intend to ask her how to get my men to play.
My body is pressed against Trent’s. Chest to chest. I look into his eyes, a hint of his wolf there, claiming his mate. Claiming me. His cock fills me, but I can’t be completely full. Not without Gray.
I feel him. The broad head of his cock begins to press inside. So much pressure, but it doesn’t matter. I know the pleasure it will bring. He is relentless.
The scene shifts and it is Marcus beneath me as Gray thrusts his way inside.
“That feels so good, bella. You’re so tight this way.”
I kiss him as Gray begins to thrust in earnest. Marcus presses up and my men go to town. I’m lost in between them. Lost in the pleasure they bring me. Lost in their overwhelming love.
Pleasure crashes over me and I scream out their names.
The scene shifts and I scream as they drag Gray from my arms. So many demons. I don’t know how they fit into the room. I try to hold on to him, but they’re too strong. They can’t take him from me. Not now. Not when we’ve just started our lives together. I watch his eyes as he fulfills his contract and he’s lost to me.
Another shift and I’m weeping in Trent’s arms. I’ve lost them both.
“It’s all right, Kelsey. I’ll take care of you.”
The scene shifts and it seems as though the whole world stops. The room is the same, but I feel a change. Time has shifted as surely as the fates do. I am older. There’s a child bouncing on the bed. A boy with dark hair and my eyes. I yell at him to stop jumping on the bed. It’s a nice hotel. I don’t mention that’s probably the bed he was conceived on.
His sister joins him. Little she-wolf and my demon child. They jump and laugh and I can’t help but give in and join them. When their fathers walk in, they laugh at us, too.
A bright light flashes and I try to hold on. I don’t want to leave this scene. This potential is everything I desire. God, I didn’t even know I wanted it until this moment, until I can feel the love I have for them. My husbands. My children. In this scene, I am complete and happy and everyone I love is whole and alive.
But the scene slips away and I continue on.
* * * *
I woke on the hard floor, a chill shaking me to reality. My head pounded like someone was taking a hammer to it.
“Are you all right?”
I hated that voice. So very upper-crust and British, and so wrong coming from my brother’s mouth. Placing my palms on the stone floor beneath me, I lifted my head and saw Jamie sitting there, leaning back against the wall of the prison we found ourselves in. “Get out of my brother.”
My brother’s normally brown eyes shone a nasty red. “When my brother is safe and not a moment before. Now be polite and tell me if you’re all right.”
I flipped him off. All right was definitely not a phrase I would use at that moment. My stomach wasn’t resting easy, but I didn’t think I was going to puke.
So many choices. I’d seen so many possibilities, and I had zero idea how to make any of them come true. I’d seen a piece of the tapestry but not the threads that came before or after it.
Even as I sat up, the images were fleeing my brain. I couldn’t hold on to them. They were too fast, too many of them, so I chose one.
Those children jumping on the bed. Little monkeys. I loved them so much.
One memory of something that might or might not be. Not a memory at all really. Just a hope. I’d been happy there. I’d been complete.
“Whatever happened in that place, it’s changed you,” Matthew said quietly. “I can feel something from you I’ve never felt before. It’s as if you finally found what you want.”
For that second, I’d understood what it meant to be more than me. I was part of something, integral but not alone. That was my family.
“Why does it make you sad?”
Because no matter how hard I tried, now I couldn’t see their small faces, couldn’t remember who had walked into the room behind me. Had it been Gray? I could only remember that brief burst of joy.
I was sure Gray had been there. And Marcus. I think there was someone else, but he eludes me. A wolf, perhaps. Yes. A werewolf. Why can’t I see his face? I loved him and now I can’t see his face.
Now I knew why Gray had tried to get the vision back. I knew why he wanted to be in that room. That hotel room was somehow tied to us—to me. It was where I would start or end my life.
“Where’s Gray?” My mouth felt dry.
“He’s behind you. He hasn’t woken yet. I wondered if he will, but I think so. Otherwise, why would our father have left? He’s begun the night’s chaos. I don’t even know the full extent of what he’s planning. Where did the prophet go?”
I glanced around our cell. It was nice to know Winter had put a dungeon in while he was redecorating. Gray was on the only bed in the cell. I moved toward him, needing to see that he was breathing and alive. Jacob was nowhere to be found.
“He said he wouldn’t be here when I woke up. I think he had another appointment.” I sat down on the cot, putting a hand on Gray. His body was still, but he was breathing. I smoothed back his hair, his forehead hot under my hand. “He’s got a fever.”
“I believe it’s part of the transition.”
“Why won’t you leave Jamie’s body?” I decided to ask the question I didn’t want an answer to. “Are you going to kill Jamie if Gray doesn’t survive?”
The idea that I could lose them both ate at me.
“No. I simply don’t have another body to jump into. Do you understand that they would have killed both you and Gray had I not forced h
im into this? My brother is too stubborn to live. I did this for him, but no, I’m not going to be petty and kill this human. I don’t need to. The way he’s going, he’ll almost certainly kill himself soon.”
“What is that supposed to mean? And why didn’t you take that idiot Bellamy? You know there’s a guy I wouldn’t mind killing.”
Jamie’s lips curled up. “Bellamy is a smart chap. He has a specific symbol tattooed on his body that keeps demons like me out. As for this vessel, he smiles but he’s full of self-hatred. He hates himself for everything. He hates that he didn’t protect you and Nathan. Hates that his father is still breathing. Hates that he’s weak and has to watch while you go off and save the world. He definitely hates what happened that night.” Matthew winced. “Fine. Apparently I’m not supposed to talk about that. You’re not ever supposed to know. He thinks he’s weak but he’s quite strong when he wants to be. That hurt.”
Yeah, Jamie and I would be having a talk. I wanted to know what kind of chances he was taking and what night Matthew was talking about. He would also be getting one of those tattoos. “What do you know about what your father is planning for tonight?”
“Not much. I know he and Winter think taking out the king will lead to civil war among the vampires. If the king’s Council disintegrates, there will be a huge power vacuum. The supernatural world will be in chaos, and there’s always money and power to be had in the midst of chaos.”
“Why not simply wait until the contracts run out in a few years?” I asked as Gray was starting to stir. He moved closer until his body curled around mine. “Once the king allows the contracts to run out, y’all can war against the vamps all you like.”
That was a thing I didn’t like to think about. War. It would devastate both sides. I knew Donovan was basically leading us into war because a demon had killed my father, but I was worried the cost would be too great. What did vengeance serve if we were all dead?
“It’s not that simple. If Father were to wait, he wouldn’t be the first in line. It’s why he’s working with Abbas Hiberna. If they wait, they have to honor the hierarchical system, and we don’t fare as well as we do if we lead the charge. Secondly, this is the vampires’ natural plane. They’re stronger here than we are, and I don’t suspect they’ll all come down to the Hell plane for a battle. It’s best if they use other supernatural creatures to take out the strongest vampires before the war ever starts. We fracture them. We weaken them. None of this violates our contracts since we’re not the ones doing the actual damage. We’re poor demons trying to make our way in the world. It’s not against our contracts to manufacture drugs that don’t even have an effect on vampires.”
Demons really knew how to make a contract work for them. “I don’t suppose you would care to tell me what’s happening tonight?”
“I actually would. You see, I have a loved one who could get harmed in this battle. My beloved mate. He’s out there and he’s unprotected. Yes, I would tell you and I would help you stop it. I don’t want a war. He won’t sit it out and he’ll get killed. I can’t let that happen. Not when I’ve worked so hard to get us back together. Which is precisely why they told me nothing. They know I’ll betray them.”
So we had nothing and I was stuck in this cell with my possessed brother, a deeply tired prophet, and no weapons of any kind.
“Kelsey?” Gray tried to lift his head.
I urged him back down. “Rest, babe. I’m tired and I only saw one piece of the tapestry. I can’t imagine what you saw.”
“I still see it. It’s running through my head. You have to get out of here. You have to get to Ether.”
“What’s happening?”
He shook his head. “I can’t…it’s too much. It’s all here and I can’t pick what I want to see.”
“Don’t.” I remembered what Jacob had said. There was too much information, and fighting it would only make things worse. Until Gray got control, he wouldn’t be very helpful. “Let it go. Can you try to focus on the here and now?”
His eyes had gone completely white. He reached for my hand. “Keep talking to me.”
“Okay.” I was willing to try anything. I needed Gray if we were going to get out of here. “We need to figure out how to bust out of this cell and get to Ether. I think your hot demon ass is going to have to make another appearance tonight.”
“You liked his demonic form?” Matthew chuckled. “Well, I knew you were the right woman for him.”
“She’s a little perverted, but she’s not ready for me.” Gray took a long, shuddering breath. “I saw bits and pieces of us. We can make so many mistakes, Kelsey. We can cause each other so much pain. It’s best you go with Marcus for now. We’re not ready.”
We weren’t. We might never be. I leaned over and kissed him, a soft brushing of lips that had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with the fact that I still loved this man. I couldn’t stop loving him. At every turn he made the right decision based on what was best for me.
“We’ll be okay, Gray. Someday, we’ll be okay.” I had to believe it because I wanted those children. I wanted them with all my being. I’d never wanted to be a mom before. God, I would have told anyone who asked that it wasn’t for me. I didn’t want some nameless, faceless thing taking over my life. I still didn’t.
I wanted them. My boy and my girl. I would fight for the right to bring them into the world.
“One day.” This time, he breathed deeply but with steady intent. His eyes were slowly going back to normal.
“We can’t use his strength to get us out of here,” Matthew said, getting to Jamie’s feet. He put his hands on the bars. “They’re reinforced, made specifically to stop demons. And there are plenty of wards to keep someone from using magic to locate us or get us out. I’ll find another vessel and try to find a way.”
So having a non-corporeal demon could be a plus. “You could go to the king. You could find him or Marcus and they’ll come and get us out.”
Matthew grimaced. “Not really possible.”
“Why?” The king didn’t like demons, but Marcus dealt with them when he had to. This was kind of a worst-case scenario thing.
“Or I could use this key and let you out,” a new voice offered. Brandon Bellamy stood at the cell door, key dangling from his hand. “But I’m going to need a few promises from you first.”
“I promise to kill you quickly.” I could be magnanimous. It really was a good deal since my original plan had been to slowly eviscerate him and force him to watch as I fed his entrails to a cat.
“You see, that’s what I was afraid of.” Bellamy stayed outside of my reach. “Do you think I want all this chaos crap? Do you know what it’s going to do to my stock?”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “I don’t give a crap about your stock. You knew what you were getting into.”
He grimaced. “Sort of. Look, all the demons I’d met before had next to no interest in this plane. They wanted to be left alone to do their thing. I built this company. You all think I signed a contract, but I haven’t. I’ve managed to make myself valuable enough that I haven’t been forced to sell my soul, and I’m not going to.”
“You won’t have to. You’ll be dead as soon as Winter and my father figure out what’s happening,” Matthew pointed out.
“Not if we kill them all.” Gray groaned as he rolled off the cot. “I think I have this under control for the time being. I have to concentrate, but I can stay in the now. I wish Jacob had hung around though.”
“He said he would come back for you. I would bet anything he’s wherever this thing is going down.” Apparently we were in the middle of something important, and watching was what Jacob liked to do.
“We can’t kill Father,” Matthew argued. “I agree that we need to slaughter Abbas Hiberna, but without Father, both Gray and I are vulnerable. Especially now.”
Without his father, Gray didn’t have to go to Hell, so I was kind of all for killing Papa Sloane. “I think we’ll worry about t
hat later. I’m going to take out anyone who tries to disrupt the balance on this plane.”
“You don’t understand. All Father was trying to do was create his prophet. He wanted to give his son power and Abbas Hiberna was the only one who could help him. He’s already left this plane. You won’t be able to find him again. Abbas Hiberna, on the other hand, will be wherever the chaos is,” Matthew insisted.
“You give our dear old dad way too much credit,” Gray said, touching his forehead as though it pained him. “This was never about giving me power. It was about taking it for himself. He doesn’t care about us. He never has.”
“You are so cynical,” Matthew replied with a little snarl. “Family is all we have and you’ll see it one of these days. I’m going to do what I should have done hours ago. I’m going to protect the love of my life. Whether he likes it or not.”
His eyes went blank and he fell.
I shot over to try to catch him, but Gray got there before I did. Jamie opened his eyes and shuddered as Gray moved him to the cot.
“Dude, your brother’s an asshole,” Jamie said with a frown. “And I’m so getting inked.”
“Are you all right?” I knelt beside my brother, looking into his eyes because I wasn’t completely certain Matthew wouldn’t try to trick us.
“I’m never watching The Exorcist again. That was horrible. I could feel his…he was evil, Kelsey. So evil and he doesn’t even know it. I think he thinks he’s normal.” Jamie looked over at Gray. “You are not your brother. You are nothing like him.”
Gray sent him a sad smile. “Many would disagree with you. A demon’s a demon.”
The things Jacob had said to me made perfect sense. “Even a demon has choices. We choose who we become.” I looked back at Bellamy. “I promise no retribution if you let us out of this cage and tell us what Winter is planning.”
“And you’ll kill him? You’ll kill Julius Winter?” The key dangled from his hand.
“You better believe it, buddy.” That was one choice I had no problem making.
