The Marked and the Broken

by Ivy Asher

  “Greedy vagina, greedy magic…we might be screwed, fellas,” Torrez throws out.

  “Not often enough if she keeps adding mates,” Knox grumbles, and I glare at him.

  “We need to trust the magic. If he’s lucky number seven, it is what it is,” Sabin argues.

  “I agree,” Ryker and Valen add.

  “Well, I am not looking to keep adding mates. Enough is fucking enough.”

  “No amount of fucking is ever enough,” Knox counters with a smirk, and I roll my eyes.

  “That is not what I mean, and you know it.”

  I turn back to the others. I’m completely perplexed by the fact that they’re discussing this like it’s all just no big deal. Don’t mind us, we’re just deciding whether you need to add another mate, no biggie.

  “Why do you guys seem so casual about this anyway? You all went berserk when Enoch and his coven showed up on our doorstep. My Sentinel magic lights up for some random dude, and you all are just chill about it?”

  “Because Enoch, Kallan, Nash, and Becket don’t feel right as your Chosen,” Valen defends.

  “Oh, but this lamia none of us even knows shit about does?” I challenge.

  “Your magic seems to think so,” Sabin argues.

  “My magic is out of control and needs to be forced into a chastity belt,” I inform him, and laughter bounces around the room.

  “So if you guys are all kumbaya with whatever my magic chooses for us, then why do all of you reject the possibility that my magic chose Kallan, Nash, Becket and Enoch?”

  “Nope, it’s different,” Ryker tells me, shaking his head. “We can feel it, and we know you can too. You said from the beginning that they didn’t feel like Chosen to you. Has that changed?”

  “No,” I answer without having to give it any thought.

  “What does Siah feel like to you?” Sabin asks.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t even really thought about it. You know, with being busy trying to figure out how we can kill Adriel and shit,” I snark.

  “Why did you feed him, then?” Ryker probes.

  “I would have done that for any lamia in his situation. He was being tortured and needed help to heal. That has nothing to do with my magic going all swoony over his eyes.”

  “Called it,” Bastien announces, and the other guys grumble and swear.

  “Called what?” I ask, confused.

  “I said his eyes would be the first thing you’d admit to liking. Knox said muscles, Ryker said lips, Valen refused to play, Sabin said his mysterious air, and Torrez said you wouldn’t admit anything until you were called out, which I guess technically is right in this case too, since we’re all calling you out right now.”

  Torrez smiles, and he and Bastien fist bump.

  “What did you win?” I ask, irritated by how amusing they think this is.

  “Cuddle rights at night for a week.”

  I slap a palm to my forehead and shake my head. “I thought you three didn’t want another mate?”

  “Your magic keeps trying to spark up and mark him as something. I don’t know that any of us have much of a choice, including you, Bruiser,” Bastien teases.

  “I still get my night in the rotation, though, because I didn’t play your dumb game,” Valen warns his brother.

  “Party pooper,” Knox cough-accuses.

  Valen flips him the bird. “Nope, I’m the smart one. You’re going to be all cold and cuddling your compeer for the next seven days, and I’ll still be in the rotation to have my arms wrapped around our mate’s tight body, twice this week.”

  My skin heats at Valen’s words, and I try not to yell out “nap time.” Torrez chuckles, and when I look at him, he taps at his nose.

  Busted!

  Torrez rearranges what is clearly his hardening dick in his pants, and I lick my lips as I watch him, completely unashamed of the fact that I’m perving out. Maybe they’re right, and I’m not as opposed to this whole group situation as I thought. I wonder how many orgasms a female body can handle before it combusts into flames?

  “She’s thinking about sex again, isn’t she?” Knox asks Torrez.

  “Oh yeah, this room just filled up with so much lust, I’m going to be hard for the rest of the day,” Torrez informs him.

  “By the moon, will you all stop distracting me? We’re not here to talk about group sex, or adding mates, cuddle parties, or erections that last all day. We’re here to argue about the Adriel plan until you all realize that the plan we just came up with is the best and possibly the only way.”

  “It’s not the only way,” Sabin insists, and I blow out an irritated breath.

  “Okay, so what’s the alternative?”

  I wait patiently for them to say anything, but everyone’s quiet.

  “What if we have Siah go back, work things from the inside like he’s planning now, and we still attack from the outside? That plan is the same, just without you in the middle or in any extra danger we might not be able to get you out of.”

  “That could work, but if I were there, it would be a useful distraction. Siah said it will be hard to organize the lamia. I imagine it will be even harder if all eyes are on him. You all know we can’t just attack from outside. The paladin have been there and done that; somehow Adriel gets the upper hand. You guys are here to rescue Lachlan and Keegan. I’m here to kill Adriel. Our best way of accomplishing what each of us wants is this way,” I explain.

  “I don’t like it, Killer. You said yourself that we should stick together. If we split up, we’re weaker targets,” Knox pleads.

  “Adriel doesn’t want me dead. He wants my abilities. He’ll be focused on trying to get what he wants from me, and it will leave him vulnerable in other places. He’s not going to kill me, and I may be there dealing with him alone for a little while, but we’re all connected,” I tell them motioning to each of them in the room. “I can talk with you, feed you information, help you fine tune the attack. This really is our best option.”

  “You act like death is the worst thing he can do to you,” Valen speaks up. “We don’t know what his tactics are like. You’re assuming he’s going to take his time trying to win you over, but what if he just tries to take them from you. What are we supposed to do if that’s what goes down? You’ll be on your own, no buffer, no protection.”

  I take a deep breath and consider what he’s saying. My eyes focus on Valen’s hazel gaze, and I wish I could smooth away all the worry I see in his face. “You’re right, we don’t know how I’ll be treated once I’m in Adriel’s hands. All I do know is that, as long as he’s alive, I will never stop being hunted. We will never be safe. I know he’s a monster. I know not to let my guard down. I am not defenseless. I can do this,” I reassure them, and I feel the truth of those words settling deep in my veins.

  Valen looks away from me, and I watch as he and the rest of my Chosen each lock eyes in turn.

  “She’ll have Sorik and Siah in there too. I’m not sure what condition Lachlan and Keegan will be in, but they’ll fight if they can,” Ryker adds, and they all nod their heads in agreement, even though they seem lost in thought.

  “Fuck, I wish there was a different way,” Bastien grumbles out, and I honestly wish there was too.

  This plan is better than the trade myself plan I’ve been wrestling with since Aydin told us what happened, but I still don’t like walking into this situation with so many unknowns. Then again, unknowns seem to be the way of life for me these days, so I should probably just get used to it. I blow out a deep breath and look around the room. I feel this sudden drive to commit the space to memory since I’ll probably never see it again. If we win, we’ll go home, and if we lose… I shove that thought away, not even willing to entertain the possibility.

  “Okay, well, it looks like we’re doing this,” Valen announces, and when no one argues with his statement, I push off the mattress I’m sitting on and stand up.

  “Right now?” Knox questions, tugging at my hand to try and
pull me down into his lap.

  “No time like the present,” I tell him and pull away to move to the doorway.

  The atmosphere in the room is solemn and suddenly heavy. This overwhelming feeling surges through me that I can’t leave like this. I’ve left too many moments open-ended, shoved away too many emotions I wasn’t sure how to interpret or communicate, but I can’t walk out of here leaving any possibility of doubt.

  “I love you,” I announce, turning around at the door. “I know it’s fast, and I know the feelings I have for each of you will deepen with time, but I just wanted you to know.” I look up at them finally as I run out of words, and I see smiles, looks of shock, and one really pissed off face.

  “Did you just in case I never see you again love bomb us?” Bastien asks me angrily.

  “Um…” I say as I search for the answer.

  Shit, did I?

  “No,” I finally say. “I just figured that each of you deserved to hear it now that I’ve realized that’s how I’ve been feeling. Like I said, it’s new,” I stammer on. “No pressure though, you don’t need to feel like you have to say that to me just because I said it,” I ramble, and then I bite down to keep myself from saying anything else. Fuck, why am I making this so awkward?

  “Well, take it back,” Bastien demands. He’s pissed, and I’m not really sure how to feel about that.

  “You can tell me that when we see each other again. When I can feel it in your kiss and in the way your body feels against mine. Not as some afterthought as you walk out the door, worried that something could go wrong.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “It’s not an afterthought. I felt like I needed to say it, so I fucking said it. I won’t take it back, so you can just shove it up your ass.”

  Knox snorts. “Did you just tell him to shove I love you up his ass?”

  “Yup, and if any of the rest of you want to treat my expressing feelings as a declaration of war, you can shove it up your ass, too.”

  I turn around and stomp out of the room, reeling. I figured there might be surprise when I finally admitted how I was feeling, but I didn’t fucking think any of them would get pissed. They say females are confusing, but fuck that shit, males take the cake. I shove out of the front door, and I’m once again greeted by the night. Man, I miss the sun. I never knew how attached I was to that fiery little orb until I barely got to see it anymore.

  A hand seizes mine, and I’m yanked back and spun around. Lips press against mine, and I’m wrapped in strong, warm arms as I’m kissed senseless. I thread my hands in his thick wavy tresses and pull him impossibly closer to me. “I love you, Vinna. Bastien does too, he’s just scared.” I nod in understanding and kiss Valen tenderly one more time before he steps back to make room for Ryker.

  “I love you, Squeaks, be safe and come back to us.” I smile at him, and he cups my cheeks in his hands and guides my mouth to his. His lips are soft, his tongue expressive, and I can taste his reverence and his declaration on it. Ryker pulls away, and Knox shoves his way in.

  Knox picks me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist and hold on to his big shoulders. “I’m sorry, Killer. I’m sorry for being distant the past couple of weeks. Just know I’m always here. I love you. I always will, and we’ll figure everything out together, okay?”

  “Okay,” I tell him, and he hugs me tightly.

  Knox kisses me slowly, tenderly, before he pulls away, sets me on my feet and moves back to make room for the next Chosen. It’s like a love assembly line where they each take a turn adding a piece to me until I’m battle ready.

  “You love me, Witch?”

  “I do, Wolf.”

  “Well then, come kiss me before I huff and I puff and I blow your house down,” Torrez threatens, and I laugh.

  “Lame, Wolf, I can think of way better things you can blow,” I counter, and Torrez growls in appreciation of my statement.

  He kisses me with wild abandon and then moves to my shoulder where he nips at the runes that are there because of his mark. I moan a little when he does, and he pulls away with a salacious smile. “There’s my greedy girl,” he tells me, and then he pulls my lips to his again.

  The problem with this method of saying goodbye is that now I don’t want to actually say goodbye. I want to drag each and every one of them back to the room and say, “Fuck it, group sex it is.” Torrez steps away from me, knowing full well what he’s done to my body, and he fucking loves it. Dick. Shit, I can’t even curse him in my mind without getting even more hot and bothered. Sabin steps up to me, and his eyes are so full of love, his smile so full of happiness, that I can’t help but beam right back up at him.

  “You looove me. You want to bond with me, make love and have babies,” he singsongs to me, and I laugh and then choke on the word babies.

  “Babies are a hard pass, bro,” I tell him, and he smiles at me like I’ve said nothing. “For real, Sabin,” I warn him, but he just kisses me.

  He kisses me stupid, and for a minute, I have to remind myself why I was irritated.

  “You know how I feel about you, Vinna. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to us. So let’s kill this fucking lamia and start living the life we all deserve, together.”

  Joy takes over my face, and I have to squeeze my thighs together at Sabin’s words. “Fuck, it’s hot when you get all ruthless and shit,” I admit, and Sabin laughs. I salute him as he steps away. “Keep ’em in line, Captain Cockblock. You all need to be training every possible second of the day.” Sabin shakes his head at the nickname but gives me a weak salute back.

  Bastien charges me like an angry bull, and my stomach flips with excitement by the challenge pouring out of his eyes. I’m a weirdo. He stops when his chest is pressed against mine, the tip of his nose skimming the tip of mine, both of us breathing heavily.

  “No goodbye kisses and professions of love from me, Bruiser. You can have them when I see you again and I’m deep inside of you. You can scream my name and confess your love as your pussy clenches around my cock. I’ll show you what you mean to me then, when you can feel me loving you as I say it. Until then, stay safe and come back to us.”

  Bastien’s hazel eyes are molten, and I’m pretty sure if he says cock one more time, I’m going to come. He steps back, and I immediately feel the absence of all of them. They stand in a line, shoulder to shoulder. My Chosen. More than I could have ever hoped for, and I realize I don’t want to go. I’m not sure how to process my hesitancy, because normally I’m bloodthirsty and ready for any fight. I revel in the anticipation of a good match, but as I stare at each of them, feel the ghost of their lips on mine, and hear the echo of their words in my head, I’m aware that for the first time in my life, I have so much to lose.

  It’s terrifying and uplifting all at the same time, and I don’t know what to do. I take a deep breath, searing this moment into my soul. I tell myself that I have to do this for them just as much as I have to do this for me. Killing Adriel is not just about revenge or justice anymore; I need my Chosen to be safe. I want a life with them, and the only way that’s going to happen is if I rip this fucking lamia apart.

  For us.

  18

  I wake up with the taste of goodbye on my tongue. I can still feel my Chosen’s lips on mine, feel Aydin’s big arms around me as he crushed me in a hug and made me promise not to get hurt. The brush of Evrin’s reassurances that this will all be over soon tickle at my ear. And the concerned look that Enoch and his coven wore as I climbed into the sedan with a lamia I don’t really know and drove off into the dark of day, sit heavy on my shoulders.

  The sound of tires against pavement are like a siren’s song, lulling me back to sleep, but I blink away the call to unconsciousness. I sit up, instantly missing the feel of the cool car window against my face. It’s roasting in here. I run my sleepy gaze over the setting for the heater and notice it’s on high.

  “Do you mind if I turn this down?” I ask Siah, whose light blue eyes are trained on the dark road in
front of us.

  “Go ahead. I didn’t want you to get cold,” is all he says, and I nod while turning the temperature down.

  I crack my window a little and sigh at the relief I feel when cool air sneaks in to brush over me. “How close?” I ask, my voice feeling like a violation of the quiet that’s been shrouding us since we left.

  “Another hour.”

  Siah falls quiet once again. I don’t typically feel the urge to fill silence with small talk, but seeing as how we’re going to be depending on each other to get out of this situation as unscathed as possible, I feel the need to find out more about him. I don’t know much about lamia aside from the vampire comparison that’s been made and what they look like when they die, but I’m not sure if it’s okay to ask much about that.

  “So, you and Sorik are close?” I ask, figuring that’s a better place to start than tell me every detail about your life from birth until now, ready…set…go!

  “We are.”

  I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t. “I appreciate that the silent broody thing you’ve got on lock probably does it for a lot of ladies, but I’m going to need you to shed your monosyllabic cocoon for the next hour. I’d like to get some idea of what I’m walking into and exactly how you fit in all of it,” I tell him and watch as his face remains stone-like and focused on the road.

  He waits a few seconds past uncomfortable silence before he starts to speak again. “Sorik and I were blooded about a year apart, from the same sire. He helped me navigate my new life, and we moved up in the ranks together.”

  “Blooded?” I interrupt, not able to help myself.

  Siah looks at me curiously for a beat before turning his eyes forward again.

  “Did Talon not teach you about our kind?” he asks me, and I wince.

  I try to cover it up, but hearing Talon’s name out of nowhere feels like a slash against my heart. It’s like I forget that Talon was a lamia or the fact that he is from the same nest until it’s shoved in my face. Then as soon as I remember, his confession in the back of that SUV cuts me open all over again.