What Goes Bump In The Night

by C. R. Jane

  I returned to the box and pulled out a pair of ankle boots, black with silver threads through the leather unlike anything I’d ever seen. Next I retrieved golden sandals with a silk ribbon to wrap around my ankles while the third was a heeled fancy shoe made to match the color of the sun.

  “You have our original gifts?” Truid’s voice climbed with excitement. “On that first day we left you the gifts, we had waited for your decision in the woods near your house, eager to sense which shoe you’d select. But the sensation never came. So we assumed you rejected them, which was why we made more. Then we saw you selling them and assumed you got rid of the first three as well.”

  “I forgot I had them, but I remembered putting them aside because I wasn’t sure where they’d come from. Can you believe I’ve never tried on any of your presents?”

  He huffed a laugh. “Oh, we know or we would have felt the connection with you.”

  “True, I guess. So what happens next? I pick one and try it on?”

  He ran a hand through his short, dark hair. “I can’t tell you this part. You must do this alone.” Truid kissed my nose and retreated into the hallway.

  I stared down at the three pairs on the counter and gripped my hips. “All right. Which one of you is the right pick?”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  A sudden thundering bang resonated from outside, the house rattling, as if all the orcs had thrown themselves against the walls at the same time. I flinched and shot a glance out the window as several figures darted in every direction. My stomach tightened at knowing the creatures out there wanted to rip my wing out, not caring if it caused my death. And for the first time tonight, rage pumped through my veins instead of fear. I had three men who risked their lives to protect me, and I couldn’t sit back and hide any longer. Tonight I fought for my life or lost everything.

  I glanced down at the three pairs of shoes on the counter. They glinted in the moonlight streaming in from the windows. Part of me wondered which shoe came from which elf. Not that it mattered because I wasn’t sure I could pick one of them, anyway. I hardly knew them, yet each had shown me kindness and loyalty, not to mention their own version of how incredibly sexy they were. I still tasted Truid on my lips, trembling at the memory of his fingers pressed into my flesh at his desire to claim me. Then there was Luca’s kiss up in the bedroom. And there was something about the way Brey had carried me out of harm’s way with such swiftness, as if he put my safety above all else. These memories left me needing more of them. Any other time, I would have loved to spend months getting to know the three elves before I contemplated jumping into bed with any of them. But that liberty was lost tonight if I had any intention of continuing to breathe tomorrow. So I’d swallow my pride and do what was needed. I mean, they weren’t going anywhere apparently, so I had time to get to know them. That was if we lived to see another day.

  With a deep inhale, I ran my hands across the tops of the shoes. With no way to choose, I dragged the boots onto my feet first, figuring I’d try them on and see which ones fit best. The leather shifted around my feet, fitting perfectly, not too tight or loose. Just right. Pacing back and forth, I bounced on the cushiony shoes, which were like fingers massaging my soles. I smiled, adoring them so much that I couldn’t bring myself to take them off. I closed my eyes and felt I could be floating on air. When I opened my eyes to find myself actually floating a foot off the ground, then I fell to my feet. An exhilarating joy swept within my chest, and I smiled, unable to remember the last time I had felt such excitement. These boots were magical.

  Wow! Okay, I had a favorite already, except I had to try the others, as it wouldn’t be fair. I pulled the boots off and set them on the counter before picking up the golden sandals.

  The drumming against the walls continued, so I hurried, sliding into the sandals and wrapping the ribbon around my legs all the way to my knees. Their silkiness against my skin was almost immediate, as were the tiny pinpricks racing up my body. A scent of fallen rain wafted past, and the tips of my fingers tingled. I raised my hands to find tiny jolts of lightning jumping from one digit to the next as if I somehow controlled such energy. It buzzed within me, intoxicating and powerful. I giggled as a line of white light jumped from one hand to the next. Out of curiosity, I flung a finger toward a small box at my feet.

  At once, the container burst into flames.

  I gasped, panic gripping me. I stomped on it with the sandals, not thinking, but the fire sizzled at once, and not a single flame singed my flesh. Inhaling sharply, I knew at once who these shoes belonged to. Brey. And I wanted to keep them on just as much as I had the boots. But when the front door trembled on its hinges, I flinched and removed them quick and slipped into the golden heels. Time was running out. Like the others, the material shifted to fit around my feet perfectly. A strange sensation snaked up my legs, and I couldn’t wait to discover what power it promised.

  The higher the sensation climbed, the more I tickled, and I held back the urge to burst out laughing. Under my skirt, the energy moved like fingers stroking my thighs, gliding under the edge of my underwear.

  “Oh!” My heart leaped.

  The touch glided lower between my legs without pause, the invisible touch reaching deeper within me.

  I moaned and stumbled backward involuntarily, the counter catching me. The arousal worked so fast, gliding across my growing wetness, and I gasped for air. My nipples tightened, and I burned up with each delicate stroke across my most sensitive lips. The pace intensified, moving so fast, my knees buckled beneath me, and I fell to a crouching position, convinced I would explode any second now. My underwear was so wet, and all I wanted was to run into my room and finish this alone.

  But the snarls outside brought me back to reality. I hurried and toed the heels off. At once, the pleasure faded, leaving me buzzing. I stood there at first, my body humming, my cheeks on fire. What the hell were those last shoes? Because I had to keep them forever. Maybe hidden under my bed to wear when I was alone.

  I knew what I had to do now, so I swooped them all into my arms and rushed into the kitchen, the apex between my legs a scorching lava. Why would one of them send me the power of arousal? Not that I was complaining, but it had been so unexpected. And amazing!

  All three men stood in the kitchen, facing me, wearing the biggest grins.

  Before I could say anything, Brey said, “You’ve chosen all of us!”

  I halted. “How do you know?”

  “We felt everything you did, little one,” Luca said, smiling, and I couldn’t help but lower my gaze to notice the huge bulge in his pants. I smiled and shook my head. “The heels were yours, weren’t they?”

  He waltzed over, leaning closer, his breath on my ears. “I can’t wait to hear you scream in ecstacy.”

  His voice left me quivering, remembering the pleasure that still lingered between my legs. I expelled a long breath, and he winked my way. Good gods, if they could affect me this easily with mere shoes…

  But the howls outside escalated, and I flinched each time the walls rattled. “They’ll tear down my home.” My stomach hurt that I’d lose my home. The place I held my fondest memories with Dad.

  “Then we hurry.” Luca collected the shoes from my arms and placed them on the table, then took my hand and rushed me upstairs.

  Behind me, Truid followed while Brey stood in the middle of the room, his arms stretched outward, the familiar crackle of energy bouncing across his fingers. And my hands tingled with the buzzing sensation I’d felt back in the shop. If we got out of this alive, I wanted him to show me how to master his ability.

  Once in the bedroom, still dim from the low-burning candle, Luca drew me into his arms while Truid pressed up against me, sandwiching me between them like the perfect filling.

  “Are you okay with this?” Luca asked, his question genuine, though what option did we have? Regardless of the duty required, I desperately wanted them for my satisfaction and curiosity. Three hunky men staring at me like candy wasn
’t an everyday occurrence, and after Truid’s sensual shoes, I couldn’t stop vibrating with the need to release the pent-up excitement inside me.

  “Yes. So how does this work then?” I asked, wondering if it meant I would go with each one, taking turns.

  Truid pushed my hair from my neck and kissed me beneath my ear, so tender, I shivered with anticipation. “For the connection to work, we must all be in you at once.”

  “Oh,” was all I said because I’d only ever been with one man at a time, yet the idea was exhilarating.

  “Don’t worry, little one.” Luca’s hands slid under my top, finding the warm flesh of my stomach. “We’ll be gentle.” And his mouth found mine, his kiss deep and attentive.

  Truid’s thumbs hooked into the top of my underwear and he slid them down my legs. I stepped out of them as Luca peeled the top up my stomach and over an arm and head, then carefully slid it over my other arm and wing. I stood naked in front of these men I’d met tonight, yet it somehow felt natural. Their stares weren’t judging, but admiring me. No one had ever looked at me the way they did in that moment.

  “Not fair you’re both still wearing clothes,” I said.

  Luca pulled back, unbuttoning his shirt while Truid wrapped his arms around me from behind. One hand landed on my breast, plucking at my tight nipple, while his other hand wriggled down my stomach, over my small patch of hair, a finger sliding across my heat. I melted against him, adoring the way he took what he wanted, and I offered myself freely.

  “You’re so wet,” he whispered. “You liked my gift, didn’t you?”

  I hummed my approval, leaning against him while watching a topless Luca flip open the buttons on his pants, the muscles in his chest moving beneath his skin. The tattoo of a rune I didn’t recognize sat above his heart, but my attention fell to him pushing his pants down, leaving him completely naked—erect and powerful. I chewed on my lower lip at what was coming, the friction from Truid stroking me built into an inferno. And Luca stood there at first, watching me getting felt up, his hand on his cock, thrusting it a few times.

  “You’re so sexy,” he said. “Come to me.” Luca stretched out a hand, and I accepted him. He leaned closer and scooped an arm under my knees, the other at my back, and lifted me with ease, carrying me to the bed. He laid me there as Truid kicked off his pants, his tanned body stronger and larger than Luca’s, not to mention his erection. Oh, my!

  Brey stalked into the room, shutting the door behind him. He met my eyes and smiled the sexiest grin. “I’ve arrived at the best time. The protective forces around the house are reinforced, but they won’t last long.”

  Truid jumped alongside me, making the bed bounce. “Little one, I wished we had more time to show you how you how much we could love your body on your first time. I promise you that after this, we will show you a delight you could never imagine.”

  I tingled all over at having three strong men surrounding me as Brey undressed in record time, his flat, muscular stomach tapering down into a V to the most perfect package, ready to go. God, was this happening?

  The house shuddered, and so many emotions flooded me—from the fear of losing my home to the orcs rushing inside and killing us to my growing attraction to these three men whom I’d just met, yet I desired them more than anything in the world. If Luca and the others spoke the truth about spending more time with me like this in the future, then I was ready to uncover a whole new side to life.

  Truid picked up my hand. “Climb on top of me. We all need to be inside you at once.”

  Just hearing him say those words had me shaking with desire. I was already a melted puddle between my legs and ready, so I rolled over and straddled Truid, his hardness so hot and already rubbing against my heat. He lifted his head and reached for my breast, taking it into his mouth.

  I arched at his tenderness, at the flicker of his tongue, the adrenaline soaring through me. When his cock inched into me, I moaned with the ecstatic sensation of him stretching me wider. Luca climbed onto the bed behind me, rubbing my ass cheeks, his thumb stroking the length of my crack.

  “You are so ready, little one.” Luca’s finger penetrated me so easy as I was wet with arousal, but out of instinct, I tensed. He stroked my back. “Relax. We won’t hurt you.”

  The head of his cock slid across my ass, stopping at my entrance, and slowly, he pushed into me. I cried out as the growing arousal of having two incredible men inside me at once, their tenderness kindling something within me. Brey moved to stand in front of me.

  Truid shifted beneath me slightly to the left, while Brey stayed on the right. He leaned down and kissed me. His tongue found mine, and I adored how he sucked on my lips, how he growled from the kiss alone. When he broke, he stared into my eyes and smiled. “You’re so beautiful. Are you ready to take all three of us?”

  My approval came out as a moan while the others thrust deeper into me, and I vibrated at the anticipation of needing them to thrust into me, wanting that friction to ignite the lingering climax. “Yes,” I said, and Brey set one knee on the edge of his bed, his erection inches from my face. I licked my lips, needing him.

  The walls shook violently around us, and dust trickled down from the ceiling. Here I was having the most amazing time of my life when danger roared just outside. But I pushed away the fear bubbling in my chest and leaned forward, taking Brey’s tip into my mouth. Adjusting himself closer, I took him deeper.

  In that same moment, a spark of energy sizzled across my flesh as it had back in the store. A fiery charge shot through me. Luca and Truid pumped into me, falling into a rhythm, rubbing me so perfectly, I groaned with a desire for more. And with their movements, I ran my mouth back and forth over Brey’s shaft.

  Faster we moved in unison, my exhilarations growing, my body heating. Sweat dripped down my back, but no one stopped, only our delicious groans and slapping sounds flooding my ears. I was truly unable to believe I was with three men at once.

  Their strokes intensified, and I burned from the inside out, unsure where I started and ended. And in that heightened moment when I wasn’t sure if I could feel any hotter, an explosive storm of euphoria crashed through me, bringing with it the climax that had lingered within me. It ripped through me, shaking me. And with the peak came a tremendous electrifying light that pierced every inch of my body.

  We convulsed together, none of us pulling away, just as a great bang had the door to the bedroom thrown off its hinges. In stormed Luronk the orc, followed by others, shoving into the doorway to enter the room.

  The men drew out of me in unison, my head spinning as I climbed off Truid, who joined the others. My head swung between the orgasm still thrumming inside me to the fear hammering in my chest that we would die.

  But as I stared at the three elves in front of me, a wall between me and the orcs, my heart melted. They were laying their lives down to protect me.

  And with that came a powerful surge of power rolling through my chest and down my arms. An anger to stop this madness.

  Luronk burst into a thundering snarl and lunged for Truid, both of them hitting the bed and tumbling aside with a thud. More orcs stormed the room, charging for Luca and Brey.

  Shock rattled me, except I couldn’t sit back. Not now or ever again. And rage pushed me forward at knowing my mother had lost her life to these monsters, and now they came after me. That these elves who risked everything might die today because of me.

  Fury scalded me, but a terrible ache started across my shoulder blades, and this time I welcomed it, well aware of what it meant. Around me were a tangle of arms and legs, blood and fangs. My heart bled at seeing the barbaric fight, the viciousness.

  Half a dozen new orcs rushed into the room, flooding the place. But they snorted, beady eyes set on me, and scrambled toward me, shoving anyone in their way away.

  Panic gripped my chest, squeezing my lungs.

  Except the pain across my back intensified as if my entire body was splitting in two. I screamed with agony, my heart
racing. And in that same moment, two wings jostled out of my back, flapping me, lifting me until I hit the high ceiling with my head. All right, I had no control over them yet.

  The monsters were on my bed now, reaching up for me, inches away. The men were under orcs, fighting them. But my arms were so hot, and when I looked down at them, electrical currents skipped over my fingers and curled around my arms like snakes.

  An orc leaped up and snagged my ankle in his grip. I screamed. He yanked me down.

  Brey threw himself at the orc holding on to me, both crashing against to the floor. Several others jumped onto the elf, and I yelled with despair. “Stop!” My voice thundered so loud, even the walls trembled.

  The orcs in the room halted for a few moments, frozen it seemed. Everything fell silent, except for my elves, who untangled themselves free. But on my next breath, the orcs snapped out of whatever trance I’d put them in and swarmed my men once again.

  An orc with red hair jumped up and snatched my leg, hauling me toward him, teeth bared, and my death flashing in his eyes. I kicked him in the head with my other foot, but he wasn’t budging.

  I remembered Brey’s gift of magic, and I hurled my hands in his direction, the energy splintering outward in small bursts and doing nothing more than tossing sparks against their chests. Luronk’s eyes widened, scared it seemed at first, but when nothing happened, he snorted a laugh and dragged me lower.

  Luronk’s twisted mouth was grinning with satisfaction as he eyed me.

  My men were fighting too many orcs. They were losing.

  I couldn’t die—they couldn’t. Not like this.

  Did this mean our connection would only stop additional orcs from arriving? But what good was that if we couldn’t defeat the ones already here?

  So I did the only thing I could and beat my wings to escape, hoping it would give me the leverage. Yet instead of pulling me away, the white glinting wings unleashed dozens of lightning bolts, striking outward in every direction, slamming into every orc in the room. Hitting them in the chest, the head, the limbs. The affected convulsed, frothing at the mouth before collapsing. But not one bolt touched the elves.