A Lost Paige (Hidden Kingdom Trilogy Book 2)

by L. Rose

  Alex slumped against me, breathing hard. Paige and I broke apart, and my eyes landed on a grinning Ezra, where he rested his head against Paige’s chest. I moved my gaze to the top of her breast and caught his handprint burned into her skin. He’d marked her as his, and it didn’t bother me because I knew, like all of us did, he was a part of our family.

  “I could use a shower, food, and sleep,” Nate said from across the room. After I helped Alex off my lap, he clicked his fingers and I felt my skin clean. I wasn’t the only one he’d cleaned up either.

  “I wouldn’t mind feeding,” Asher stated, his eyes trained on a blushing Alex from where he and Nate sat leaning against the wall. They’d been watching us and were already hard again.

  Remembering Nate being inside me, I couldn’t help but want it again since it had been so long.

  Nate’s eyes also shone with lust.

  “We’ll go to my room,” Paige said, and then she cried out when Ezra swept her up into his arms.

  He started for the door, but Paige wouldn’t like the thought of all of us naked. I called out, “Alex, clothes please.” I heard his click and felt silk against my skin. I started laughing when my body, as well as everyone else’s, was covered from chest to feet in silk pajamas.

  Happiness had my chest swelling. We were all possessive and protective of one another.

  We were perfect together.

  As soon as we’d entered my room, Alex had replaced the men’s pajamas with boxers, and I was in a short purple see-through teddy. I went straight for the bed and sat on the edge of it. I lifted my gaze from the nightie, smiling. It quickly drifted from my lips, and I bit my bottom one to keep my moan contained, already aroused again. And I wasn’t the only one. Watching Asher drink from Alex was erotic in itself, but seeing Alex between Asher’s spread legs on the couch and with his hand in Alex’s boxers amped up my desire to a new height. I didn’t know how I could possibly want more after what we’d just done, but I did, and I knew my males wouldn’t deny me.

  As I watched Asher and Alex, I didn’t even need to ask for attention. Ezra, my newly bonded male, dropped to his knees in front of me, and I shifted my gaze down when he pushed my legs apart.

  “I’ve been wanting a taste for a fucking long time,” he said huskily.

  Smiling, I reached out and ran a hand through his wild hair. “Who am I to deny you then.”

  He grinned. Thankfully Alex hadn’t put anything but the teddy on my body, so when my legs were wide, Ezra could see how ready I was for him. He groaned and ducked in. On the first swipe of his tongue, I planted my hands on the bed and lifted my pussy to him.

  When he sucked on my clit, I cried out, slamming my eyes closed, only to quickly open them and look down at his heated gaze. His tongue swirled around, and then he licked down, flicking his tongue over my entrance.

  “Ezra,” I whimpered.

  “You taste better than I imagined, and I did a lot of that.” He kissed my thigh and pushed two fingers inside me. I clamped down around them, causing him to hiss out a breath.

  A moan sounded over at the couch. I lifted my hooded gaze and saw Asher had pulled down the front of Alex’s boxers. His hand ran up and down Alex’s length at a fast pace. Their eyes were on me and Ezra between my legs.

  A growl to my left had me searching for my other two males. Nate had Thorn on the floor, on all fours with Nate behind Thorn, fucking him slowly. Their eyes were also on Ezra and me.

  Nate grabbed Thorn’s shoulder. He pulled him back to wrap his arms around Thorn’s chest. Nate kissed Thorn’s shoulder as he pumped into Thorn harder, drawing out a ragged groan from my ghoul. God, I loved seeing them together.

  I glanced back to Asher and Alex. Alex’s arms were holding Asher tightly. His hips ground up and down. I knew he was rubbing his ass against Asher, who licked and nibbled at Alex’s neck.

  Ezra surged up, his fingers still sliding in and out of me, but when he claimed my mouth, his finger disappeared. I heard a rip and pulled back to look around at my exposed front.

  “Fucking stunning, isn’t she?”

  It pleased me our new member of the family didn’t mind what was going on around us. How my other men shared their desires with each other. In fact, as Ezra glanced over to Nate and Thorn, I could sense his lust at their show.

  “Christ, yes,” Nate said roughly.

  Alex and Thorn hummed their approval, and Asher called, “She is, and she’s all ours.”

  I felt Ezra’s smile against my breast before he latched his lips around my nipple. Yes, he liked being a part of our family, loved our connection. He was just as special as the rest of them. Something I had always known when he’d been only my hellhound, but more so now that he proved he was my mate and within our fold.

  Ezra cupped my other breast and massaged it. I felt his hand between us before the tip of his dick pressed against my entrance.

  His mouth went away from my nipple with a pop. He blew cool air over it. “You’ll have me inside again?”

  “I’ll always have you inside me.”

  He surged forward and embedded deep. I cried out and gripped his shoulders. He buried his head into my neck and rocked in and out of me. I savored his touch, his feel, and already I couldn’t wait for the next time with Ezra, even with Asher, Thorn, Nate, and Alex.

  “Fuck,” Nate clipped. “So goddamn tight,” he added just as I caught, even without touching himself, Thorn’s cum squirt out the tip and onto the floor. Nate’s hand snaked down and tugged on Thorn’s cock, drawing more out of him as he bit Thorn’s shoulder and grunted through his own release into Thorn.

  Seeing it had my walls clamping tighter around Ezra. He groaned, his thrusts more urgent, knowing I was close. My lower belly swirled, and I tipped my head to the other side in time to watch Asher’s fangs slide into Alex’s neck again. His bite harsh, his eyes green, he was lost in his release against Alex’s back. Alex then arched, his cum shooting out and coating his lean stomach and Asher’s hand.

  “Ezra,” I yelled as my orgasm crashed into me. I held Ezra tighter against me and heard his sharp intake of breath before he released inside me.

  A woman sure could get used to this.

  After we all showered in the actual shower that time, to which I thanked God for my large bathroom, I crawled back into bed. The men moved around the room, some drinking, some eating, while Thorn and Alex spoke of their time in Hell. I listened intently and kept pushing the fear down. They were home. They were safe, I reminded myself.

  It was strange yet comforting to see Ezra mold into the family as if he’d always been there. Since his presence was the same, I guessed it made it easy to adjust to him, and in a way, he had been always there, only not in his human form. When he spoke, my other men listened. I could already see the respect they held for him.

  Eventually, Alex drifted over to the bed. I opened my arms, and he pulled the sheet back enough to climb in. Rather than lying beside me, he hovered over me until I spread my legs; only then did he rest on me gently. I wrapped my arms around him, and then with one hand, I ran my fingers through his hair. He sighed into my chest.

  “Am I too heavy?” he asked groggily. He must have been exhausted since they’d refused to sleep much in Hell. It wasn’t that they were scared; they just didn’t trust the demons, and I couldn’t blame them, even when they had Ezra’s protection.

  “You’re perfect where you are,” I told him, and then it didn’t take him long before he drifted off. My other men then retired with us. Nate and Ezra close to my sides, while Asher lay behind Nate and Thorn behind Ezra. I’d been blessed with such amazing men in my life. I loved them fully, and I was beyond elated they shared love between each other as well.

  Nothing was perfect. I wasn’t foolish enough to think what we had would always be sunshine and roses, but I’d enjoy each and every day as they came because my men would be by my side.

  “We still have so much to deal with,” I said softly into the room. My body tensed
just thinking about it all.

  “I have been thinking on the matter,” Asher said.

  “And?” Nate clipped.

  “I believe the best way to gain people’s attention is, as Lucifer said, to have proof. It is time our queen makes herself known. Not with just the council, but with others.”

  “What will it gain?” Thorn asked.

  “Attention,” Ezra added. “If people see what kind of queen Paige is, how respected she is, who she has at her side, others may be willing to listen to Paige and her ways. It will be an asset before things go head-to-head with the council.”

  “Agreed,” Asher said. “I think we need to use the month before seeing the council to our advantage.”

  Nate grunted. “You’re talking about traveling to see other communities, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. The ones we’ve heard of. The lost alphas, the fae king, the vampire master, all their people?”

  “It could be a good idea,” Nate said. “We can speak of our thoughts regarding the council’s part in their deaths or disappearances and see where it goes.”

  “Not everyone will trust,” I told them, my stomach swirling with unease. “It wasn’t simple here, and it’s not like everything here has been smoothed out with our people. I can still see problems popping up. So how will it be for the other kings or queens who know nothing about me, who have thought the ghouls extinct? Can we really ask them to trust us when the community and my people have been hidden for so long?”

  “All we can do is try,” Asher said softly.

  “It won’t be easy,” I replied. I felt sick to the gut. I hated the idea, but they made good points. We needed more people with us to go against the council. And if we could get their support, we had a better chance at defeating them.

  “No, it won’t,” Thorn said. “But Asher and Ezra are right. To have others at our back, for people to see the poison within the council, it’s best we at least try. If the people we go to, see what we have and witness how the missing or dead rulers have been respected, their replacements—and their people—will do anything to have their missing comrades back and seek vengeance of those kings who died.”

  “What happens if their replacements are in with the council already?” I questioned.

  Thorn’s lips thinned. “I’m sure between all of us we will be able to detect such things. Three of your bonded worked with the council for many years. Together, we’ll work out who is or isn’t to be trusted.”

  I didn’t like the thought of traveling and going into unfamiliar communities, but I believed in my men and their abilities. They would know the rules. They would guide me. All I could do was pray it would lead us to success. I forced myself to relax a little, even when fear for them touched my heart. “What will we use the other month for?” I asked, trying to distract myself.

  “Training,” Ezra said. “We’ll need to make sure we’re as strong as we can be.”

  That was a good idea. We all needed to be at our best for this horrid situation.

  “Especially since we’ll be going into others’ territory,” Nate grumbled.

  Nerves still fluttered in my stomach. “What about here? Who will take care of the kingdom when we’re gone?” I wouldn’t leave my people unguarded.

  “I’ll speak with my parents and see if they will come back while we’re gone,” Ezra said, and the room quieted.

  “They’d do that?” Thorn asked, sounding as surprised as I felt. We were talking about the devil. Though, from what he’d already shown, he wasn’t anything like I’d expected. Then again, Ezra was their son, and I was sure that had a lot to do with it.

  Ezra chuckled. “My mother has managed to mellow my father in the years they’ve been together. One thing I am certain of, they would do anything for me… within reason.”

  “If they’re not able to, there is always Felnick and the shifters,” Thorn said. They were options, and I knew, if asked, they would do everything within their power to safeguard our land. It still scared me, though, even the thought of asking them because they had their own lives, their own families to take care of.

  “Again, there’s so much to do,” I told them, letting unease seep into them.

  Ezra’s fingers tickled up my arm before resting his hand flat on my shoulder. “There is, but we’ll do it all together.” Tipping my head back, he leaned in, knowing what I wanted, and pressed his lips against mine. A little of the panic subsided.

  “Agreed,” Nate grumbled from my other side. I turned my head his way. He lifted his gaze from Alex, whose head still rested on my naked chest as he softly snored. Nate’s lips grazed against mine. More of the fear dashed away.

  “We’ll protect one another,” Asher said from behind Nate. His hand slid over Nate’s shoulder, reaching out for me. I removed my hand from Alex’s hair and took it.

  My men were my world. With them, it had me believing I could take on anything.

  “We will,” I told him. Because I would do anything to keep them all alive.

  “Family is always first,” Thorn muttered lazily. He got up to his elbow behind Ezra and smiled down at me. “For now, though, sweetheart, let’s get some rest.”

  Laughing, I nodded since my worry was under control. “Rest with all my males sounds like heaven.”

  Thorn pressed a kiss to the tips of his finger and then moved them to my lips, where I kissed.

  Yes, whatever was to come, I would do anything, fight anyone, kill everyone I had to, making sure I would come home with the men I loved. With the family I’d claimed.

  * * *

  Read on for a sneak peek into

  A Final Paige.

  “Again,” Nate bellowed down at me.

  I groaned and rolled to my stomach. Slowly, I clambered to my feet and bared my teeth at him. “You yell at me one more time, I’m going to take your balls from your body.”

  He snorted, but before he could open his mouth, Thorn said, “I rather like his balls. Maybe take some toes instead, sweetheart.”

  I shot Thorn the finger, and he chuckled. Until Alex used his power and put him in a bubble. When Thorn started floating up to the roof, his eyes widened. He stumbled around like a fish out of water, cursing up a storm. He pounded at the outer layer, but we all knew nothing would penetrate it. We’d all tried.

  My anger disappeared, and I started laughing. But then my feet were knocked out from under me, and I landed with a thump on my back on the floor. Asher stood over me with his hands on his hips.

  “Being distracted could get you killed.”

  “I know,” I clipped.

  “It could also get someone you love killed,” Nate called. I twisted my head to see him standing behind Ezra with his hand around his throat. I knew he wouldn’t harm Ezra, but seeing it had me screaming at myself under my breath. They’d been teaching me how to protect myself for the last two weeks, and we’d now moved on to trying to show me how to work within a team. To make sure I not only had myself covered but those who would fight alongside me. I thought I’d made progress, but it was obvious I still had a lot of work to do. My body chilled in worry. I fisted my hands and pressed them against my churning stomach. I wouldn’t be ready in time.

  We were leaving in two weeks.

  Two weeks.

  It wasn’t enough time.

  A sense of failure and worry spread through my veins instead of blood. I didn’t want to be the weak link. I had to get better.

  Slapping the floor, I stood, ignoring Asher’s hand he’d held out to help me.

  “Love—” he started, but I shook my head.

  I ran a hand over my sweaty face. “Don’t give me sweet, encouraging words. I don’t want them right now.”

  He nodded. “All right.” He dodged left. I slid right and gripped his arm to take him to the ground, but he was too fast. He easily slipped out of my hold and wound his arm around my throat, pressing his front to my back. I grabbed his hand and bent, flipping him over my body. He landed in a crouch, stood, and turn
ed. His movements were a mere blur with every punch and kick as he drove me backward. I deflected each one.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nate approaching Alex, who still held Thorn in a bubble. I ducked under Asher’s punch, unsheathed my blade at my ankle, and threw it across the room; it landed just before Nate’s toes.

  His gaze hit me, but Alex had also noticed Nate now.

  Asher tripped me. I fell on my back, rolled, and jumped up.

  He stopped and smiled at me. “Better.”

  It was a good thing I didn’t breathe, or I would have been out of breath. Still, my heart was beating so hard in my chest I was surprised it didn’t fall out.

  It was wonderful to hear his praise, but I didn’t feel it was enough yet. Soon we would be walking into the fae territory, and even though we’d asked for permission and it had been given, I didn’t like not knowing what would happen. Actually, all of the meetings we’d set up had been agreed upon since they were all willing to meet with the new ghoul queen. Of course they would want to know if I would be a threat to them and theirs. They’d learn I wouldn’t be, unless something happened to someone I claimed as mine.

  I’d read up on fae between training, yet the information was limited. And those who had been around the fae told me never to trust them. They were conniving, tricky creatures. They could fly, glamour, and talk their way into your home and bed. I’d heard they were the most stunning creatures in existence, and yes, I’d seen pictures in the books I’d studied. Yet, all I could think was that I saw more beauty in my bonded mates.

  I wasn’t holding out hope in their help. The fae kept to themselves a lot. For all I knew, the new king, who was the son of the former one, wouldn’t care what was going on outside of his kingdom. I had asked why we were even going to see them, but Asher assured me they would be an advantage to have on our side. The council were the ones behind the former king’s death. Alex was certain the facts my men already had to show the fae, as well as what they could tell us about that night, would be enough for them to not trust the council and hopefully stand with us. Or if not, then to stay out of the fight when it was time for us to go to them.