The Builder's Pride (The Legendary Builder Book 3)

by J. A. Cipriano

  24

  As I burst through the doors of the tent, I found Gwen looking at me. Only, I quickly realized something was wrong. The others in the room weren’t moving, and by not moving, I didn’t mean they were dead. No, they were frozen just like Mina had been when I’d met the spirit of Asmodai.

  “Hello, Arthur,” Gwen said, getting to her feet. Each movement drew my eyes along her body, highlighting each muscle as it moved. There was something sensual about it even though she’d done nothing more than rise to her feet. It was a little crazy too because as I tore my gaze from her body and settled onto her face, I realized how beautiful she was.

  Now, I’d always thought Gwen was a perfect ten, and until now, the only girl who had been close to her in terms of sheer beauty had been Lucifer. Now though? Now Gwen had something else, some kind of inner spark that drew me to her in a way I couldn’t explain.

  “Hi,” I said, swallowing hard and stepping into the tent. Only, as I did, I realized Mina hadn’t followed. She was still outside, one foot raised in the air, trapped in mid-step. The snowflakes had once again frozen in place, and I realized that whatever Asmodai had done earlier hadn’t been in my head. No, she’d actually stopped time somehow.

  “I can feel you now,” Gwen said, and as I turned back toward her, she was right in front of me. Her breasts pressed into my chest as she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me close to her. “Can you feel me too?”

  “Yes,” I whispered, my voice catching in my throat as she nipped at my ear. “How could I not?”

  “I don’t mean like this,” she said, voice hot on my throat as she took a step backward, disengaging from me while trailing one hand down chest. “I mean inside. I can feel you. I mean, I always could before, but now I can really feel you.”

  The heat in my chest pulsed, and then the mark Asmodai had given me flared to life, casting the glowing image of a heart with an arrow through it against my shirt. I sucked in a breath, looking down at the spot as Gwen pressed her hand to it.

  “What happened to you?” I asked, taking a step away from her. “Why is everyone frozen?”

  “Because we are having a moment.” She licked her lips. “And moments are not bound by time. No, they are bound to something ethereal.” She dragged her teeth over her bottom lip. “A certain je ne sais quoi.”

  “Right, okay,” I said, taking another step backward, suddenly concerned. She was looking at me hungrily, and as I studied her, I realized I didn’t know what to expect if we got together. I knew it wouldn’t be just sex since she was a succubus. Would she feed off me? Would that be okay?

  Her face twisted in confusion. “Why are you retreating, Arthur?” Uncertainty flickered across her face. “Why do you always pull away from me?” She looked down at herself and snorted. “I am the embodiment of lust now. The master of my domain, and still you pull away from me.”

  “It’s not that,” I said, swallowing hard. The truth was, she scared me. A lot. I know I said I’d tell her how I felt, tell her I wanted her, needed her, but the truth was, I was scared. I knew it was ridiculous since I also knew she wouldn’t deny me, but at the same time, whenever I was around her, I felt like the silly little boy in high school too scared to ask his crush to the dance.

  “What is it?” She moved toward me again and reached out, taking my left hand in hers. “What can I offer you? What do I need to do to prove myself to you?” She curled her fingers around the Uncontrollable Binding of Lust in my hand. “Do you require power?” She pulled my gauntlet from my hand and let it fall to the ground. As it hit with a clang, she slipped the ring onto my finger. Another surge of power exploded through me as it meshed with the other three Armaments I wore. “There, now you have it.” The heat in my chest burned and the light of her mark pulsed. “I give it freely to you.”

  “Gwen,” I said, shaking my head as I stared at her. Even if I wasn’t worried about the whole succubus thing, how could I possibly make her understand how special I wanted this to be? “It’s not that at all.”

  “I know what it is, Arthur.” She smiled at me as she took my hands and pulled me back a step, toward the bunk where she’d been sleeping just a few moments ago. “And I know all your fears, all your insecurities. I can smell them in the air, taste them in your words. I am saying I don’t care about any of that.” She met my eyes. “I just want you.” She touched my chest, resting her hand on the mark.

  That’s when I felt her, really felt her. I saw all the events of our meeting over in my head but from her perspective. Watched as she bided her time waiting for me to come for her and not doing so. She’d wanted to be my first, but had understood when she wasn’t. Then I saw her worry when I’d been trapped within the Darkness for a year. I saw her leaping to her feet at the smallest sound, hoping it was me.

  I saw her after our fight when she’d resolved she wouldn’t like me anymore. Then I saw her open the box of donuts and stare at it. I saw her hate die away, saw it pass from her as she stared at the donuts. I had been dumb, and she knew it, knew better than me.

  No. It wasn’t that at all. She didn’t know better than me. She was better than me. When the archangels had come, she thought I’d choose Gabriella or Mammon. Someone with power. She had found me, but they had more claim than she could hope to have. After all, my sword had been broken.

  Only, now she didn’t feel inferior. Now she was an Archangel like them. Not born into power but given power because she was deserving and had earned the right. I saw Asmodai in her skull, saw their whispered conversations. I saw Gwen agree to give up herself for the cause and saw Asmodai turn her down.

  Happiness overtook me, and as I stood there, thanking the Archangel of Lust for letting Gwen live, Gwen moved, snapping my attention back to her. As my eyes met hers, she shut her eyes and leaned in toward me, lips slightly parted.

  The moment our lips touched, fireworks exploded in my brain. The mark on my chest blazed, but I could barely feel it as she trailed her hand down across my chest.

  “Arthur,” she whispered, leaning in close, so her breath was hot on my neck as she spoke. “I want you inside me.” Her hands found my belt then as she pulled me toward her while backing toward the bed. “Please.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked as she met my mouth with her own, her other hand went down the front of my pants. As she cupped me, I moaned into her mouth.

  “I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you.” She kissed me again before dropping to her knees in front of me. As her tongue flicked out, tasting me, she looked up, meeting my eyes, and I realized I was about to get my favorite thing in the world. “Let me show you what I’m good at.”

  25

  Even though it took another two days to finish mining out all the Stygian Iron from the mountaintop, I still couldn’t get my night with Gwen out of my mind. Every part of me ached for her touch, for her caress in a way that was nearly physically painful. It was almost better than I’d ever imagined it could possibly be. I had to return her and Mammon back to town so they could carry on with the whole alliance thing because if I hadn’t, I’d have never been able to stop touching her.

  “Look, I need a break,” Annabeth said as she rolled off of me and lay next to me inside the tent. “Please.” She got off the bed and moved to pick up her clothes. She turned and looked at me for a long time. “And while I’m sort of enjoying all the attention, I can tell your heart isn’t in it.”

  “That’s not true,” I said, shaking my head as I got up and moved toward her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her against me. “I enjoy your company.”

  “I get that, and I’m willing to tolerate it because you’ve become amazing in the sack over the last few days. Like mind-blowingly amazing.” She pushed me away and pulled her pants up as she turned to look at me. She stood there topless, giving me a great view of her breasts and dark nipples. Only as she looked at me, I saw them harden. She tore her gaze away. “Anyway, what I’m saying is I’m getting a bit worn out down there
.” She touched my chest, and as she did, she bit her lip.

  “Are you sure?” I asked as desire swam through her eyes. “Because I’m still good to go.” I bent down, and as I moved to lick her, she stepped back.

  “Yes. While I enjoy all the attention you’ve been giving me, I need a break.” She sighed loudly. “I’m going to start packing up, okay?” She pulled on her shirt and stepped into her shoes as she moved to the exit.

  “Okay,” I said, watching her go, and the only thing I could see was her naked even though I’d literally just had sex with her a second ago. Worse, I could feel myself getting ready to go again. I turned away as Annabeth exited the tent. She’d been a good sport about the whole thing, but part of me felt like I was using her, anyway.

  “You need to get your head in the game,” I told little me. Then I moved across the tent and pulled on my pants and underwear. It was a little difficult because little me wasn’t exactly cooperating. To be fair, I had a feeling that had something to do with the mark Asmodai, Archangel of Lust, had given me. It had somehow turned me into a goddamned sexual tyrannosaurus, which was part of the problem. I could go and go and go.

  I finished dressing and moved outside to find Mina had already packed everything up and had been waiting beside the fire. As I approached, she handed me a mug of dwarven tea.

  “You finish getting your rocks off?” Mina asked, looking over at Annabeth who had already moved to the ledge where she’d been sculpting a dragon out of ice. It wasn’t quite done, but even still, I could tell it was far better than the ice sculpture she’d created during the competition, but then again, it also wasn’t melting.

  “More or less,” I shrugged and took a sip of tea.

  “Really?” Mina asked, raising an eyebrow. “Your sculptor is practically limping. Maybe you could get off of her for just a few minutes.” The dwarf smirked at me. “If you could, we’d have been out of here a day ago.”

  “I can’t help it,” I said, gesturing at my crotch before I realized what I was doing. As Mina’s eyes trailed down my body to rest on my crotch, she inhaled sharply.

  “I can see why she’s willing to try.” Mina looked at me. “Almost makes me wanna try if I didn’t think I’d break ye in two.” I met her eyes, and as I did, I could feel the mark on my chest begin to burn. It was a bit weird because while the dwarf was a bit on the short and stout side, she well, had a lot of cushion for the pushin’ as it were. And that was aside from the fact her breasts were bigger than my head.

  “I bet you’d give before me,” I said, touching the spot on my chest. Already purple light was beginning to show through my shirt. “There’s no question about it.”

  “I don’t believe you even slightly,” she said, eyes not leaving my crotch as I moved toward her. “Besides, it isn’t like we have time to find out.” She licked her lips. “We need to get all this metal back to your smith.”

  “I’d say we could be quick, but we won’t be.” I shrugged. “Not by a long shot.”

  “Look, Arthur,” Mina said, tearing her eyes from me and focusing on my face. It was weird because it seemed like it took a lot more effort than it should have. “Please just go pack before I do something I’ll regret, okay.” She turned away then, visible strain on her face, and as I watched her go, I could practically see her without clothes on in my mind’s eye. “And don’t help me with the tent. It’ll be faster for me to do it alone.” She glared at me over her shoulder. “I mean it.”

  I shook myself trying to get back in the right frame of mind. It didn’t really work, especially since I could feel the mark beneath my shirt burning with need. It was almost worse because I could feel the ring hanging on the chain around my neck. I’d originally tried to wear it, but it was too hard to wear that and my gauntlets so I’d hung it on the same chain as the sculpture Annabeth had given me. I knew part of it had nothing to do with the ring itself and more that I wasn’t used to wearing stuff around my neck.

  I stood there, feeling like an idiot in greaves, gauntlets, and a metal belt, but I didn’t want to take off the Armaments except when I had to. I sighed and touched the ring around my neck. Then I focused on finishing my tea.

  Even still, it felt like it was taking forever for Mina to break down the tent. I watched her for a few more moments before turning my attention toward Annabeth. She’d stopped working on the sculpture again and was instead, standing there looking at it. Then she glanced my way. When she saw me looking at her, she turned pointedly away and focused on her sculpture.

  “Why don’t you go back to town and take these with you,” Mina said, startling me by pressing the sack of ore into my hand. I’d remembered it being heavy, but it didn’t really feel heavy as I took it from her.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, hefting the bag over my shoulder. “You still haven’t really finished with the tent.” I gestured around the clearing. “There’s still other stuff to pack up too.”

  “I’d rather do it without you here.” She met my eyes, and that same look Annabeth had given me in the tent flashed through her eyes. “Because every second I’m around ye, all I can think about is tearing off your clothes.” She shook her head before staring at the sky. “Please just go. Come back in a couple hours, or don’t and we’ll just hike down. We have enough supplies to make it to the way station at the bottom.”

  “You want me to just leave you here?” I asked, confused.

  “God, yes.” Mina met my eyes. “Please just go.” She fidgeted slightly, cheeks flushing. “I want almost nothing more in the world than for you to not be here.”

  “Wow, alright.” I sighed. “Let me just say goodbye to Annabeth.” I turned to move toward the sculptor.

  “Arthur is going to head back to town. He’ll be back in a few hours!” Mina called before I’d made it three steps.

  “Okay!” Annabeth said, and I could have sworn I heard the relief in her voice. “See you soon, Arthur. Tell everyone I said hi.”

  As her words hit my ears, I stood there feeling a bit dumb. “Uh… guess that’s it,” I said, shrugging. “Later.”

  “Goodbye.” Mina nodded to me as I teleported away.

  I arrived back in the Graveyard of Statues next to the massive sculpture in the middle of town. As I stood there, I saw Maribelle’s two apprentices look up from where they were working almost a hundred meters away and fix on me. As they jumped to their feet, I waved.

  “Arthur!” they cried, dropping their tools and sprinting toward me. “We missed you.” The crazy thing was it sounded like they really had.

  “Missed you too,” I said right before I felt hands around my waist.

  “Welcome back, Arthur,” Maribelle purred into my ears. “You seem different.” She inhaled sharply. “And you smell so good.” She kissed me then, pressing her body against mine before shoving me down to the ground. She climbed on top of me, pausing only long enough to pull off her shirt, eyes wild with need. “I need you right now.” She swallowed hard, her hands moving down to my pants and tugging them down.

  “Um… outside?” I asked as her two apprentices appeared beside us. Their nipples jutted out against their shirts as they dropped down on either side of me. The blonde one moved to help Maribelle with my greaves while the brunette kissed me, hard. As her lips ground into mine, she grabbed my hand and put it on her breast.

  The mark on my chest blazed as the two girls finally got my pants off. As I tried to figure out what the hell was happening, I felt their tongues on me and realized I didn’t care.

  26

  “Oh! Just like that!” Maribelle cried, back arching as she thrust herself down on top of me again. “Never stop fucking me!” Another wave of pleasure hit me as I reached up, grabbing her breasts. She cried out, dropping down on top of me, face pressing against my chest, and sucked in another breath.

  Her two assistants were passed out on the ground next to us, and as Maribelle rolled off of me, I realized that we hadn’t moved from the spot by the sculpture in the middle of th
e town.

  “Still ready to go?” Maribelle asked, reaching down to cup me. “How is that possible?” She winced. “I’m done worn out.”

  “Huh, oh. Yeah.” I gave her a smile as I started to get up. Her hand trailed down my leg as I did. “Come on, we should probably get cleaned up.” I offered her my hand.

  “I will in a minute. I don’t think I can walk right now.” She stared at me for a moment. “If I could, I wouldn’t be helping you clean up. That’s for damned sure.”

  One of her assistants moaned, and as I turned to look at her, something grabbed me by the back of the neck. My feet left the ground as I tried to whirl around, but pain exploded across my temple. The next thing I knew I was being suspended over a volcano. Magma boiled down below, and the smell of sulfur hit my nose, making my eyes water and my throat clench in agony.

  “I gave you a very specific job, Builder,” Lucifer growled, her lips dangerously close to my ear as she spoke, causing a surge of fear to ripple through me. “And since then, what have you accomplished?” She shook me over the volcano’s edge.

  “I’ve been a bit busy,” I cried while reaching for my sword. Only I didn’t have it because I was naked. In fact, I didn’t have most of my armaments. The only one I had was the ring hanging around my neck.

  “I don’t want your excuses.” She threw me over the edge, and I plummeted down toward the molten rock below. Fear exploded through me as I tried to think of something, anything that could save me. The heat from below burned the moisture from my body, and I knew that I’d be flash fried long before I hit the pool at the bottom. As I sucked in a breath, I gagged, my body convulsing in midair.

  Lucifer caught me by the ankle. Her wings fluttered behind her all shimmering golds and silvers against a backdrop of black. She lifted me up, her arm extending heavenward until she was eye level with my crotch.