by L. A. Boruff
"We talked about this," Landon says calmly, while Levi snarls and struggles in his grip. "Enough. She needs to rest, and eat."
"I want to see the little firebird burn," Levi hisses the word out, yanking his head around to stare at me. Landon snaps, and spins Levi like he's a rag doll, lifting him up and slams him against the cupboard. Dishes go flying, and I cry out, covering my head with my arms as it rains worn-out dishes, shards of glass and pottery going flying.
It's too much. The twisted wire inside me snaps and I burst into hysterical tears. I can't control them or my body as I curl there, my shoulders shuddering as I gasp and struggle to breathe.
Cold arms wrap around me and I'm being cradled against Landon's chest. I don't want that, but I can't fight him, the bravery gone, the energy sapped, the will to scratch and claw snuffed out of me. Instead I lay against him, whimpering, a broken girl replacing the promise of what I could have been.
"You scared her now, you jackass," Levi says from the other end of the kitchen and I flinch like he's hit me. Landon holds me tight, thumb wiping away my tears despite the fact more come to replace them in seconds.
The ground falls away as he lifts me up, curling me against his chest.
"Shut up," Landon says, stepping past Levi, his boots crunching over broken dishes. "And clean that shit up."
My eyes are bleary, the living room a smoky smudge, but he's taking me to the bedroom.
"No," I whisper, turning my face from it and into his neck. Landon doesn't say anything, and he's laying me out on the bed before I can protest.
"Good girl," Landon says, even though I'm anything but. The things I've done for them both these last few days? I'll never be a good girl ever again. He clears his throat as I sit up, his eyes falling to my shirt. My breasts are hanging out. I stare back at him, feeling vulnerable and untouchable at the same time.
An expression of something, shame maybe, crosses his face. That sparks something inside me. When his eyes flick away, I snap.
"Look at me," my voice is shaky, the empty place in me suddenly full to overflowing. The heat surges up inside me. "Look at me, goddammit!"
Landon startles, head jerking up as his eyes cut back to me.
"You did this," I say. "Don't act like you didn't."
"Mackenzie," he calls me by my full name when he's serious about something, which, with Landon, is always. A shiver of anger makes my hands tremble and I wrap them under the hem of my shirt and yank it off, the mesh dragging on my skin. I kneel in the middle of the bed, the sheets rumpled and worn under me.
"What, you don't want me now? That's not what you were like last night," I spit each word, slapping him with them. His eyes narrow in frustration. He'd been hot for it last night, driven on by something I didn't understand and when he was done with me, Levi took over, fucking me until I was too tired for more. The two of them are monsters, pretending to keep me safe while taking whatever they want from me as payment. "It's kinda too late to have regrets now."
Landon's eyes flash and he moves so fast it takes my breath away. I'm down on my back in an instant, and he's pressing me there.
"This is better than what waits for you outside," he says, and I know he's not lying from the hitch in his breath. Then he kisses me, his mouth so cold on mine that it makes me shake. His fingers tangle in my hair. This is safer. This is a sanctuary even though it feels like hell. There are people out there, Wolfe tells me, who'd hurt me until I burned down whatever they asked me to. I'm a walking fire-starter, capable of horrific acts that maim and murder. I'm supposed to be a symbol of purity, of rebirth, of redemption. All I am to the wrong kind of people is a walking firebomb, to be used for political or financial gain. I'm a fire-starter that doesn't leave a trace of origin. Landon and Levi might be monsters, but they're only using me for my body, not for the things my body can destroy.
Landon's chest is broad as it weighs me down and he's biting at my lip, forcing his tongue into my mouth. I can't help but moan, because it feels good, his fingers dragging over my skin like he wants to scratch me, his cock hard in his jeans as he rubs his hips into mine.
They might be inhuman monsters, but they still want me. I have some small power, and it's this, when I reach my hand down between us and rub it over his cock through the thick denim.
Landon growls in response, the sound like fire crackling in his chest.
"I thought you said she needed to rest, eat, or whatever," Levi says from the doorway. "I was gonna make her a cheese-plate, but there you are, serving up some sorta beef injection. The doctor in me doesn't approve."
"You're not a fucking doctor.“ Landon is not thrilled to be interrupted, and he covers me with his body. Demons, I've learned, are possessive motherfuckers, and as much as these two are partners in crime, they still seem to fight over me like I'm the last discount TV at Walmart’s Black Friday sale.
"C'mon Landon. Sharing is caring," Levi snickers before he comes to kneel at the edge of the bed, watching me with an inhuman hunger. Landon growled, the sound reverberating right to my core, and doing something to me I wasn't proud of. Maybe a tiny part of me liked how possessive he was. My ex-boyfriend, Craig, never so much as got jealous, he was as relaxed as a guy could be and while I appreciated that, Landon's insistence that I was his and only his? It made me warm all over.
Landon turns around, looming over me, his eyes dark with want as his gaze drags down my half-naked body.
"Ignore the asshole," Landon says, his hands cupping my waist, thumbs stroking along my skin until I shiver. "Let's take these off." He nods at my jeans. Levi scoffs behind him, but hesitates there at the edge of the bed, watching me. They're both so powerful, that it makes me feel like I'm nothing. At least Landon's giving me the chance to take them off by myself, instead of ripping them off me. Levi did that, a few nights back.
My fingers slip when I go to unbutton my jeans, and Landon makes a soft, rumbling noise before swatting my hands away. He slowly drags my zipper undone, his eyes catching and holding my gaze as he does. I've figured out he likes to see me when he does things to me; he wants to know what I'm feeling. My skin rises up in bumps when he lets out a slow, uneven breath.
"No panties?" he asks. Levi lets out a choked laugh behind him.
"I took them from her," Levi says. Landon shoots an irritated look at him over his shoulder, before glancing back at me. He dragged the jeans down my legs.
"Classless asshole," Landon mutters. Levi snickers again, and I feel his fingers on my ankle, tugging my jeans off me. They hit the floor with a thump.
I'm naked. It should feel so wrong, but as Landon leans back to look me over, the admiration and arousal on his face just ends up making me feel powerful. There's something wrong with me. He tugs his shirt off over his head, flicking open the button of his jeans and I swallow hard.
"This is how you treat a lady," Landon says to Levi, but he's looking at me, drinking me in. His hand runs along my thigh, smoothing my skin with his fingers. He reaches for my pussy and I close my eyes tight. The first light touch has me gasping, the second has my thighs shifting apart. No one can say I don't want this, even though I shouldn't. He's just too good, knows exactly how to touch me, his fingers gliding through my folds. "Pretty little cunt," he says and my cheeks heat up.
"Don't," the word dies on my lips as his thumb rubs over my clit.
"You like it," Landon torments me, "tell me I'm wrong."
I can't. He smirks, and his fingers drag down to my entrance.
"Didn't think so," he teases, and sinks two fingers inside me. I cry out, and Levi swoops in, wrapping a hand over my mouth.
"Shhh, shhhhh," Levi breathes into my ear as he bends down beside me. "We don't scream until we're told we can. You take it look a good girl. That's what you are, right? Our good girl?"
I shake my head and Landon's breath stutters; he twists his fingers inside me and my hips jerk up, my thighs shaking. Already it's so overwhelming.
"Nah, that's right, you're our bad girl,"
Levi says, laughing softly as Landon finger fucks me until I'm chasing his hand each time he pulls out. His other hand goes to his cock, working it out of his pants as they slouch around his hips. He's not even going to bother taking them off. He doesn't need to. I'll give him what he wants regardless. Levi keeps a hand over my mouth as Landon fits himself between my thighs and starts pushing his cock inside me. A thrill of excitement spirals down in my belly, making me arch up into him.
God, he was so cold at first, but the heat, my heat, is warming him up. His eyes are focused on me, his brow creased. I want to struggle, maybe, so that later I can pretend that I didn't want this. But I do, the fire is burning right under my skin.
Landon's fingers drag lines of ice over my skin and I moan. A smile flickers on Landon's mouth and his eyes close for a moment as he presses deeper inside me.
"How good's that feel?" Levi asks Landon. "She being good for you?"
Landon growls at him, but I feel the flex of his thighs between mine.
"Shut the fuck up," he says, gruff voice distracted. He bends down and I turn my head to the side, knowing what he wants. His mouth brushes my neck and I close my eyes tight. He's not a vampire, neither is Levi, but they both feed off my fear, and Landon likes to bite. The first press of his teeth on my throat has me squirming, a high whine escaping me.
Levi laughs, his hand going to my thigh, pulling it away from Landon's body. My muscles protest, and I reach to claw at him. He grabs my hand and shoves it up against the bulge in his jeans.
"Look, she wants me too. What, you not doing a good enough job for her? Not giving her what she wants?" Levi's taunting makes Landon snarl and thrust into me so hard and fast that my breath stops, and I have to grab the worn sheet underneath me to hang on. Pleasure, but pain too, and it mingles together inside me until I reach for him. His eyes flicker with surprise when I wrap an arm around his neck, but he moves with me, hips churning as he rolls into me. I’m breathing hard, Levi splitting his fingers to let me gasp for air through them.
Landon grabs my leg, pulling it up his side, and I whimper as it makes him feel so much bigger inside me. But the new angle is doing it for me and I arch hard, tightening on him. He groans, and his fingers slip between us.
No, I want to say, but I can’t form the words. Isn’t it enough he’s inside me, using me? Does he have to bring me to the edge too?
“Multi-tasking,” Levi tsks and then slaps Landon’s hand away. “Focus on one thing at a time.” Levi turns to look at me, a wicked, wild smile on his face. “Want me to make you feel good, firebird? Light you up?”
It doesn’t matter if I want it or not, he’s going to make me. I know that by now, and the thought makes me clench down. Landon slaps my thigh, sparking up pain in the middle of the rocking, growing pleasure inside of me.
Levi’s hand rubs roughly over my pussy, spreading a warmth that doesn’t come from him, and Landon groans.
“Fuck, stop that,” Landon grates out, but doesn’t stop, the devastating drag of his cock inside me making everything so much more. Levi flops down beside me, his fingers trapping my clit between them until I’m squirming.
“You’re making him feel good, he’s gonna blow his load inside you. You worried about that, sweetheart? A demon fucking you, making you his? You won’t ever be the same after this, you’ll always feel him, any time someone touches you, it won’t be as good as-”
“Levi,” Landon snarls, and backhands the other demon hard across the face, hips still pistoning between mine. It’s too much, Levi’s fingers dragging over my clit, lighting up my skin, his words sinking into me and sparking up a fear that makes me cry out and bear down on Landon until I’m shuddering into an abrupt orgasm.
Silent, Landon pulls out of me, his cock twitching in his hand as he comes over my stomach, streaks of pearlescent, cold fluid on my skin. Levi doesn’t even wait, just curves his hand down, three fingers slipping inside me before I can close my thighs.
I cry out, hips jerking off the bed. Levi watches me, his eyes narrowed and focused. It’s too much, I’m just coming down from a shaking orgasm that’s still echoing through my veins, and my nerves are sparking from the overload.
“So tight,” he breathes reverently. Landon, sitting back on his heels, still holding his dick, lunges forward and punches him hard, catching Levi across the jaw. His hand yanks out of me, making me whimper and close my legs together tight to stop the burning sensation.
“Get the fuck out,” Landon orders him. Levi’s half fallen off the bed just from that one blow, and as he picks himself off, the glare he gives Landon nearly stops my heart. “You deaf?” Landon asks, jerking his head toward the door. “Get the fuck out and go get her some food.”
Levi snarls, upper lip curling but he staggers completely to his feet, shaking it off before shooting me a small smirk.
“Rain check,” he promises, before he swaggers out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
I’m breathing hard, feeling sticky and used, when Landon runs a thumb over my lips. He moves, lowers himself, and kisses me slowly. His tongue licks into my mouth, forcing my lips apart. The tears are already starting as he boxes me in with his arms, his body moving over mine until he’s laying on top of me. He’s hard again. Must be a demon thing.
He smudges my tears away with lazy kisses, before resting his head on the bed beside mine. He’s like a heavy, chilled blanket and I want to fight him, burn him, do something. I can’t though. I’m too worn down.
“You’re so warm,” he says into my ear, his fingers running up and down the side of my face before he fists them into my hair.
“I don’t know what to say to that,” my voice cracks and he chuckles, pulling off of me finally. He rummages around for the blanket, and tugs it up over me as he slides in next to me. I shiver; he’s pressing along my side, pulling me into him, his arm folding over my chest. He settles down, his chin on the top of my head.
When a sob hiccups out of me, his hand covers my mouth, his lips on my ear.
“Hush,” he says, and I close my eyes tight. It’s all a bad, terrible dream, I tell myself. I try to ignore where my mind goes after, that if this is just a dream, why can’t I wake up? It won’t be long before Levi is back, and I’ll have to feed his ego and thank him for whatever scraps of food he brings me. I try to settle, and rest, the unsettling feeling of Landon’s cool skin against my heated flesh doing nothing to calm me down. There’s one last thought that aches, tearing at me as I drift into a restless sleep.
If it’s a bad, terrible dream, then why am I getting off on it so much?
Want to read more about Max and her best friend Darcy as they find their harems? Check out all of KT Strange’s books on Amazon, available for free in Kindle Unlimited: https://amazon.com/author/ktstrange
Jaliza A. Burwell: Magical Ghost
Bonus Scene from the future for the Biomystic Security series
“What are we doing here again?” Elliot asked, standing to my left as the three of us stared up at the creepy old house. I turned to him and smiled. Elliot was tall and lean, with short dark brown hair, mesmerizing gray eyes, and smooth tan skin. The damn guy was even lucky with the thick eyelashes and full, bow-shaped lips. He was focused on the house and I knew why.
From research, the house was four floors, including a basement and the attic. Our goal was to get to the attic of the Gothic Revival. I eyed the steeply pitched roof with the arched windows. Even the doors screamed frightening with the old dark wood hidden deep in the shadows of the porch with intricate etchings around the frame. The setting sun didn’t help as it casted shadows over the decrepit house. Plant life added to the dreary mood, barely even existing as pointed bare branches.
I shivered and Venni wrapped an arm around my shoulder, sharing his wolf shifter warmth with me to block the chilling breeze that had seemed to flow through Springer City for the last couple of days. His energy danced across my skin and despite the situation and my attempt to remain stoic and professional,
he stoked a fire inside of me. I clamped it down, even as my body pressed into Venni, basking in the touch. Venni was tall, dark, and handsome, the usual stereotype. At least he didn’t have “asshole” attached to that description, and while he was dangerous, it was only sometimes, when lives were at risk.
“I never said,” I replied and pulled out the small pouch from my skinny jeans, showing it to them. Inside was a special powder that I had created with a few days of sweat and frustrations and one unfortunate case of hives on my arms.
“What is that?” Venni asked, eyeing the thing like it might explode at any moment. I was past that particular part of the phase, so I wasn’t worried.
“My current project. I’m calling it TGB.” I grinned wide.
Venni looked like he didn’t want to ask, so Elliot stepped up to the plate. “And that is what, exactly?”
“The Ghost Buster. This will let us see ghosts with the naked eye, even when they don’t want to be seen.” I was pretty proud of this little invention. My two men did not look impressed. I rolled my eyes and motioned for the bag Elliot carried for me. He tossed it over and I dug out my goggles.
“Think about it. People will be able to see ghosts with their bare eyes.” I shook the goggles to draw their attention. “Sorry, I only have one pair,” I said, giving the bag back to Elliot. “I wasn’t expecting company.”
And I wasn’t. When I was leaving work, these two decided to hop into my truck before I could pull away. They didn’t even ask first. I pulled the goggles on and let them hang around my neck as I grabbed the nearest hand. This ended up being Elliot’s, so I dragged him with me into the house, ignoring the adrenaline trying to pump through my body, screaming to turn back. Haunted houses were all about the aura of the place and this one screamed doom and gloom to the world.
Elliot grumbled behind me and Venni snorted at whatever he said. I was too focused on my goal to care about what they had to say. No doubt he was complaining about ghosts. No one liked them.
