by Reese Rivers
My mind shuts down at the overstimulation and without the two of them holding me up I would have slid boneless to the bed. They hold me in place as they kiss and lick at the spots where they bit me soothing the sharp pain that quickly turns to a low burn. I let them tend to me as I recover and then snuggle up to a hard chest as they lay me down on the bed with the heat of their bodies front and back. I feel so cared for and safe, connected to these men in a way I’ve never felt before that I let myself drift into sleep with a contented smile on my lips.
When I wake, the room is full of shadows. I’m so warm and comfortable but also sticky in many places. I try and ignore the feeling of it not wanting to leave the cozy nest of men and blankets but eventually I give up and squirm out from under a thigh and arm until I reach the end of the bed and hop down. I snag a billowy white shirt from the floor and toss it and a washcloth behind the privacy screen before grabbing a cloth bag of the crumbly soap and the water jug and bowl and take it all behind the screen to clean myself up. I’m sore and stretched in all the right places from the intense lovemaking we did but when I run the soapy cloth over my shoulder I hiss at the flare of pain. Craning my neck and dropping my shoulder forward lets me see part of the pink swollen bite mark. I wince as I gently wash it and then remember that they both bit me just as we came together so look to my other shoulder. My brow furrows as I see the identical matching mark there. I finish cleaning up and slide the borrowed shirt over my head, thankful for its looseness so it won’t rub against the bites. I’m all for a few love nibbles during sex but the matching bites on my shoulders are deep and I’m almost positive they will take a long time to fade if they don’t end up scarring.
My stomach takes that moment to rumble loudly reminding me that I had skipped lunch and it’s close to or even after suppertime. I lay the washcloth over the screen to dry and step out from behind it to find my wolves waiting for me perched against the side of the bed. They both look me up and down as if checking me for injury but their expressions quickly fill with lust as they stare at my bare legs under the loose ends of whoever’s shirt I’m wearing. Finn whistles in admiration.
“Now there’s a bonny sight to see. Come here, lass.”
I cross my arms over my chest and shake my head. “No! No more sex…right now. I’m sore and hungry and no more biting!”
It comes out way more whiny than I meant to say it but the sweet looks that fill their faces have me melting as they push off the bed and pull me towards them. Cade tugs the open neck of the shirt to the side and studies the mark he put on me with what I swear is smug satisfaction.
“Aye and I’m sure as sorry for the pain, lass. Let me ease it for you.”
I don’t have a chance to pull away before he dips his head down and swipes his tongue over the mark. I expect it to burn and tense against it but instead the pain eases immediately and a bolt of heat flashes between my legs. I start to shake my head at the greedy sex monster that has awakened inside of me but Finn tugs the shirt the other way and does the same thing with his tongue to the bite he put on me. My eyes want to roll back into my head as my legs go weak. I can’t believe how responsive I am to these two men but before I spread my legs like the hussy I’m becoming, my stomach growls loudly and both of them chuckle. Cade presses a soft kiss to my temple and lets me go.
“Alright then, lass. I’ll fetch us a feast to tame the beast in your belly as I’m not ready to end our time together and share you with the others yet.”
I feel the heat of a blush climb my neck and fill my face at the reminder that I will have to face Sebastian and Luca. Not only do I have to apologize for running out of the training room earlier but I’m sure they will have an idea of what I’ve been up to with Cade and Finn all day and probably will be tonight, judging by the way Finn is looking at my bare legs.
I let out a deep sigh as Cade leaves to get us food and resign myself to facing them over breakfast. It’s not like I can hide in this room forever and I really do want to try and convince Sebastian to help me get control when fighting. Finn breaks me from my thoughts as he pulls me closer and strokes my tousled hair.
“Ease yourself, Eden. All will be well. Cade and I will take care of you and keep you from harm.”
I snuggle against his chest and close my eyes and just let myself enjoy being cared for after so long being alone but I could have sworn I heard him whisper into my hair, “Forevermore.”
Eden
When I wake in the morning my wolves are gone but I can still smell them on the pillows and feel the residual heat of them next to me. A large smile crosses my face when I stretch and feel the aches in various parts from being so well-loved the day and night before. I close my eyes and do a replay of some of the things we got up to together and hum in happiness. I find myself laughing out loud in the empty room. I’m happy? Somehow I managed to travel back in time almost four hundred years, I have no way to get home and I’m at the complete mercy of vampires and wolf shifters and I’m happy? Hell yes, I am! I mean, let’s face it - home wasn’t so great anyway. I literally had no one left in my life that really meant anything to me. Dealing with my anxiety and PTSD was a full-time job and it’s not like those issues have now been fucked out of me after one amazing day and night but this is the first time in as long as I can remember that I feel peaceful, safe, and cared for. If these men will have me, I don’t care if I ever go home.
I wrap my arms around my bare chest and hug the memory of how Finn and Cade took care of me by having steaming buckets of water brought in to fill the tub where they washed every part of me with tenderness like I was so delicate and special to them. The way they dried me off and laid me out on the bed so that they could rub perfumed oil into my skin in the most erotic massage I’ve ever had and then held me pressed between them as we slept. I fling my arms back out and gather the pillows with their scent and press them to my chest missing them already.
The thought makes me laugh in giddiness and I roll off the bed in search of clothes so I can go find them. Even knowing I’ll be facing Sebastian and Luca this morning doesn’t dim the glow I’m feeling. I shimmy into my panties and bra and lift one of their shirts that they left for me bringing it to my nose to take a deep breath of their scent before shaking it out and lifting it to slide over my head.
There’s a sharp knock against the door a half a second before it’s shoved open and Bridgette stomps in only to freeze in her tracks as her eyes catch sight of my nearly naked body. She sniffs in disdain, causing her eyes to narrow. I know exactly what the room smells like after multiple rounds of lovemaking from the night before. It definitely needs a good airing out.
Her narrowed eyes flick to the rumpled bed before coming back to me with a slight sneer but when she catches sight of the shirt tangled above my head the sneer turns to pure female outrage. She takes two hard steps towards me looking like she’s going to scratch out my eyes and spits something in French at me but all I understand is Cade’s name so I’m guessing she’s got history there with him. As she reaches to snatch the shirt from me her eyes drop down my body and she freezes again but this time her eyes widen with a hint of fear. I look down my body to see what she’s looking at, fearing I’m bleeding or something, and realize she’s staring at the four moon tattoos clearly visible with my arms up this way. I open my mouth to tell her that they’re just tattoos but my phone chimes out from across the room and Siri announces, “Reminder, you have a lawyer’s appointment today at two o’clock. Reminder!”
Bridgette almost gives herself whiplash from the head jerk in its direction and I would have laughed out loud at the scene but she’s in a panic now. She stumbles back towards the door almost tripping over her feet in her haste but before she leaves, her pale arms come up and she makes the sign of the cross with two shaking fingers. I take a step towards her to try and calm her down and explain but the hate I see radiating out of her blazing eyes tells me it’s pointless. As she steps out into the hall she hisses at me.
“Sorc
ière!” Then runs away down the hall.
I stand in the doorway with Cade’s shirt clutched in my fist for a moment. I might not be fluent in French but I’m pretty confident she just called me a sorcerer, also known as a witch. I want to roll my eyes at the girl’s dramatics. I mean, bitch, please! You work in a house owned by vampires and shifters, how scary can a witch be, even if I’m not one but a sour feeling in my belly tells me she might cause some trouble for me in some way if I can’t talk her down from it. As I step back into the room and close the door to finish dressing I grumble a little in pettiness. The French tart probably hates me more for being with Cade than any witchy powers she thinks I have. She either has or had a thing with my wolf and a woman scorned and all that can be pretty fucking dangerous if not handled properly.
I go silence the reminder alert on the phone and then flip it the bird for good measure. I’m beyond happy that I won’t be facing off against my ex, Troy today as our lawyers dig for blood. Every appointment I’ve had in the past has left me a quivering mess of anxiety. As I turn away I pause and look inside for tendrils of that anxiety but I find none. Hmm, maybe that means I’m healing. I shrug and pull the shirt over my head and work my leggings up over my hips. Doesn’t matter. If luck is on my side, I won’t ever have to see Troy or a lawyer again. I slide my shoes on, stick my phone in the bra band on my side and go in search of coffee, food, and my men.
As I walk towards the dining room we have been having breakfast in a few servants do double-takes at what I’m wearing, but really? The shirt hits me mid-thigh and if they’re having scandalized spasms over my black body-hugging leggings they can get bent for all I care. The dresses Luca got for me are gorgeous but there’s just no way I can wear them every day.
When I reach the door to the dining room I slow as nerves hit me. I’m embarrassed by the way I acted yesterday but I’m also nervous about how Finn and Cade will treat me in front of Luca and Sebastian. Not that I plan on hiding what happened with them but…yeah nervous. I step through the doors with a tentative smile on my lips that only wobbles a bit and walk to the table where all four are seated.
“Good morning, everyone.”
I try for casual and square up my shoulders to give myself more confidence.
Four heads turn my way and three of them rise to their feet. Good mornings ringing out from them but the fourth arches an eyebrow with a cold look and takes a few minutes before he too finally stands. I can feel the heat filling my cheeks but just turn away from him and send a tight smile to Cade and Finn and a quick shake of my head as they move to come to me before taking my seat. I look towards Luca and when he nods with a small smile at me let out the breath I’m holding. Ok, best to just dive right in.
“I would like to apologize to all of you for the way I reacted yesterday in the training room. You were kind enough to allow me to join you in training and I…I…” Turning to Sebastian, I swallow the lump in my throat and plow ahead. “I’m sorry! Everything you said was true. I don’t have control or discipline and it will get me into trouble someday when I blank out like that.” I let out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry. I can’t seem to control it and I don’t want to be a danger to anyone else or myself. I was frustrated and well, embarrassed that it happened after you agreed to train with me. I can’t promise it won’t happen again but if you would work with me then maybe I can overcome it.”
I chew on my bottom lip as he stares coldly at me and when he tosses his napkin over his plate and leans back in his chair I see a flash of something not nice in his eyes that immediately puts me further on edge.
“It seems you have two willing males to tend to all your needs so I don’t see why I should waste my time with that.”
There’s a beat of stunned silence around the table as my mouth drops open and I blink at him a few times. Cade and Finn shove to their feet with growls and even Luca makes an outraged noise but I just sit staring at him. I can’t fucking believe the asshole went there with me. It takes a minute for my temper to surge but once it’s roaring I throw up a hand towards the others to quiet them without ever taking my eyes from Sebastian’s.
Once there is silence I ask in a deadly calm voice with just a hint of snap in it, “Did you just try to slut shame me?”
His eyes widen slightly and then slide away from mine and I wonder if the word slut is around in this time so I ask again with a word I know he will understand and this time I say it with a lot of snap.
“Whore! You basically just called me a whore, didn’t you?”
I see his features tighten but he keeps his eyes down on his plate. I give him a moment to reply but I’m met with silence so I shove to my feet, knocking my chair over behind me in the process which finally has him looking up and I put him on blast. Not with heat but with the ice he likes so fucking much.
“Don’t trouble yourself, Sebastian. I don’t need your help. Besides, that giant stick you have shoved up your ass would probably get in the way anyways.”
I make to turn and leave it at that but nope, not done yet, and here comes the heat.
“Also, go fuck yourself sideways, you narrow-minded prick!”
Now I’m done. I spin away and stalk towards the door but I only make it halfway when his hard voice barks out, “Wait!”
I desperately want to shoot him the finger over my shoulder and sail on out of the room but for some reason I can’t fucking move a muscle. I’m frozen in place with muscles quivering to move when his hand lands on my shoulder and he gently turns me to face him. His expression flashes between shame, sadness, and frustration, finally settling on exasperation as he holds me in place.
“I apologize. I shouldn’t have implied that. I didn’t mean it. I would…please, allow me to help you to overcome your affliction.”
When I just glare at him in answer, he nods slowly and looks a little bit lost.
“Please, stay. Enjoy your breakfast and if you wish to join me after, I will be waiting in the training hall.”
As soon as he drops his hand from my shoulder I’m able to move again and I find myself sagging slightly as he slides past me and leaves the room. My eyes dart between Cade, Finn, and Luca as I heave out a breath.
“What the fuck was that? I couldn’t move!”
Cade comes to me and places a soft kiss on the top of my head before guiding me to my seat that he rights and then sits back into his own. Finn is the one to answer me.
“He compelled you.”
I throw up my hands. “He what now?”
Cade reaches over and wraps one of my curls around his finger. “It’s one of his powers. He can compel you to do as he wishes.”
I send a big-eyed inquiring look Luca’s way and his lips twitch in a smile before nodding that it’s true. I shake my head and reach for my coffee that’s never been needed more.
“Huh, neat flex,” I say, slightly awed.
I fill my plate and think about if I even want to train with the Iceman anymore as I eat. The guys had told me last night that they were in a similar state but barely functional when they first met Sebastian and Luca. They said they were close to feral and would lash out blindly at anything and anyone when he first started working with them. I wrinkle my nose in annoyance because I know I need to try and get this rage issue under control and as much as he’s an Alpha-hole that makes me want to claw at, he’s the guy I need. Learning he can freeze me any time he wants doesn’t scare me, it actually would be a great tool to stop me in my tracks when I go all red ragey. Ugh, as much as I might not like the fucker, I think I need him.
“What has your head spinning, lass?” Finn asks causing me to look up from my plate and see that Luca has left at some point and it’s just the three of us plus all the servants against the wall in the room. “We’re sorry Bas was such a bastard to you. Some days, I don’t understand him at all. He needs to…uh, get his head on straight, yeah?”
I grin because I just know if it was in my time frame Finn would have said something like, he needs to ge
t laid. I wave his words away and change the subject.
“So, I had a little dust-up with Bridgette this morning.” I catch the quick looks they send towards each other and it confirms they hit that. “She was pretty pissed when she saw me with your shirt. I thought she was going to go all catfight on me and try and pull my hair. That was before she spotted my tattoos and my alarm went off. Then she was full-on witch, witch, witch! Grab the stake and the torches kind of thing - so that might be an issue.”
I almost burst out laughing at the dog with its tail between his legs looks they’re giving me at being caught out so I roll my eyes and shake my head.
“Guys, it’s not a big deal, I mean the sexing up the French tart part. The witch thing probably isn’t great, though. We’re all adults here and we’ve all been with other sex partners before. Just, you know, maybe let anyone current know there’s a new sheriff in town that doesn’t share.” As soon as I say it my stomach rolls. Shit, we didn’t exactly chat about the whole exclusive thing. I may have just gotten way ahead of myself here so I stutter out, “Uh, I mean, only if you want to continue uh, you know with uh, me?”
They both laugh which doesn’t make me feel any better but when Cade reaches over and snatches me from my chair to sit on his lap I swallow back some of the nerves I’m feeling. He tugs the neck of my shirt to the side and puts his hot lips and tongue on where he bit me causing me to squirm as heat pools between my legs. Finn comes around the table and does the same on the other side of my neck and I have visions of us clearing the table with an arm sweep, sending plates and glasses to shatter on the floor so we can fuck right here and now but when my head tilts back my hooded eyes catch sight of the servants lining the walls and it snaps me out of it. I push them away with a flaming red face and nod towards the nearest ones who stand with blank expressions and eyes averted.
