by Cece Rose
They pull apart and Rhydian tugs me onto his lap, brushing his lips over my neck, before biting, and then kissing the spot again. Beside us, Darren slides off his dark, faded jeans, and then comes back over. I can’t help but notice he’d neglected to put anything on underneath them.
He pulls me back off Rhydian’s lap, shifting our positions on the bed so that I’m on my knees with him behind me. For the first time, I let my eyes shamelessly explore Rhydian’s naked body. His pale skin looks ethereal under the moonlight creeping in, every inch of him is physical perfection. Almost. There’s a long, thin, but jagged scar trailing down the left side of his body that I hadn’t noticed before. It’s so old and faded, you’d have to really look for it. I follow it down, and let my eyes sweep across his hips and below, swallowing at the sight of him.
One of Darren’s hands clenches my hip tightly, as he lets the other smooth down over my back and ass, before curving underneath me. I let out a soft moan as his fingers brush against my clit. He moves the hand that was holding my hip, caressing up the side of my body, before gripping into the back of my hair. He uses his hold to guide my head forward towards Rhydian. Realising what they’re going for, I part my lips and let my tongue lick around the head teasingly, before taking him into my mouth properly. He groans softly in pleasure.
Behind me, I feel Darren shifting his position, the bed rocking slightly beneath us as he presses himself against my entrance. He slowly pushes himself inside, as I bob my head back down on Rhydian, my fingers curling into the sheets. Fuck.
He continues to thrust in and out, as I continue sucking Rhydian. A hand brushes across my breasts, tweaking a nipple before moving to the other to repeat the motion. I’m not even sure which of them did it, and at this point I’m so far beyond caring.
I feel Darren getting rougher, both of his hands moving to grip my hips as he slams into me, at the same time as Rhydian moves a hand into my hair. He starts to guide the pace a little more, moving us into a rhythm with Darren’s thrusts. I look up at him, meeting his heated gaze with my own.
As if totally in sync, they both pull out from me, and I’m rolled over on the bed, looking up as Rhydian crawls on top of me. Darren lays down beside us, turning my head towards him to kiss my lips, as Rhydian trails kisses down my neck and collar bone.
I pull back from Darren a little to look at him, noticing that any concern or apprehension I saw in his eyes earlier is gone, replaced completely by the haze of lust as he watches Rhydian kiss and bite anywhere he seems to deem necessary. There’s something so unspeakably hot about him watching us like that.
Feeling impatient, I hook a leg behind Rhydian and pull him closer to me. Taking the hint, he moves to line himself up with me. Not needing any further encouragement, he pushes himself in all the way, in one deliberate thrust. We continue to move with each other, as I keep switching between kissing him and kissing Darren, feeling hands caressing my body all over. Someone moves their fingers back over my clit as Rhydian keeps fucking me, the added pleasure pushing at my limits.
Our eyes lock again, neither of us able to look away, and I know that I was right. Doing this does change things for me; there’s no way I can deny the feelings that I have for him, not anymore. No matter what happens, I’m not prepared to give up either of them after tonight. I don’t care how selfish that makes me.
Suddenly, I feel the familiar sensation of my magic swirling around between us, before the full rush of power returns to me, leaving a total sense of euphoria. Pushed over the edge, I climax, spilling out curses as my legs clench around Rhydian’s hips in an attempt to calm the tremble seizing through them.
Just as I’m done riding out the sensations of my release, I feel Rhydian shudder above me as he comes to his own, his face contorting in pleasure. After kissing me senseless again, he shifts off me and falls to the bed at my other side.
There’s an abrupt burning sensation on my ring finger. I yelp and glance down, noticing that the ring that had caused all of this is gone. Replacing it is a delicate, tattoo-like design curved around my finger. It’s so small and intricate, there’s no way anyone would be able to replicate such a design by tattooing it. It’s beautiful.
“Holy shit,” I breathe. I feel utterly weightless, a pleasant tinging throughout my entire body. “I could sleep for a week off of that high.” I glance between the two of them, seeing a devious little smirk on Rhydian’s face.
“Oh, sweetheart, we are nowhere near done with you,” he promises.
“Not even close,” Darren agrees as he pulls me back to him.
“I’m not complaining,” I mumble through a smile, before pressing my lips against his, as I feel Rhydian’s on the back of my neck.
I guess three’s not always a crowd…
Twenty-Three
Killing Gods & Kings
The dulled sound of commotion and shouting in the distance pulls me from my light sleep. I feel around the bed with my hands drowsily, finding no one in the sheets beside me. To my left side, the bed is warmer, so one of them must have only just gotten up. I glance up, the moonlight illuminating the room enough still to see the door has been left wide open.
Where could they both have gone?
Unable to make out what's being said, but concerned that the guys may already be arguing, I reluctantly crawl out of the bed, wishing I had a pair of slippers handy when my feet meet the ice-cold floor.
With none of my own clothing handy, I consider using the sheet as a toga or something momentarily, before my eyes settle on Darren's dark maroon shirt. From experience, I know that the shirt is just long enough on me to cover everything important. Not that anyone in this world gives a shit about nudity...
I hastily pull his shirt on as I'm leaving the room, heading in the direction of the noise. As I get closer, I realise it can't be the guys arguing, the shouting voice is too high-pitched to be either of them. At the sound of a furious scream, I start running, my bare feet pounding against the cold, marble floor. I rush around a corner, seeing a huge, open door at the end of the new hallway.
I stumble to an abrupt halt as I spot Darren holding Cia back from something or someone in the doorway, attempting to drag her kicking and screaming from the room. She's putting up way more of a fight than I'd expect for someone as tiny as she is, apparently determined to kill whoever it is inside. However, her physical strength isn't a match for the shifter, and she's slowly being dragged from the room. The horrific noise coming from her is a mixture of wailing and profanity as she both objects to her removal and swears a bloody vengeance upon everyone.
My eyes meet Darren's over Cia as he notices my arrival. He shakes his head quickly, silently telling me to get the hell out of here. Unwilling to just step away from whatever is going on, and anxious to know what's happening, I dart past the struggling pair and into the large room.
Dead on the floor at the centre of what appears to be some kind of throne room, is the body of King Cirrus, a pool of blood surrounding him at the neck. His throat has been completely cut open from one end to the other. And behind him, sitting in the dead man's towering, black throne, is Rhydian.
Having somehow slipped Darren's grasp, Cia rushes back into the room after me and launches herself in the direction of her older brother. She slams into an invisible barrier that stands just before the throne, and stumbles back, screeching something unintelligible.
“What the actual fuck is happening here?” I ask the room, praying that someone will give me an answer that will get rid of the sinking feeling in my gut as my suspicion rises. I look to Rhydian first, desperate for him to explain this all away, but he remains silent, not even looking at us. Instead, he takes a damn sip of a drink that was resting on the arm of the throne.
This only seems to infuriate Cia further as she turns to me, her usually pale face red, and bluntly answers my question with, “Rhydian just fucking murdered our father, that's what.”
“Maybe it's not what it looks like, he's your brother, how could you think he'd do this?
” Darren interjects softly, trying to reason with the enraged, fae princess, but she’s not having any of it.
“I don't have a brother anymore,” she retorts flippantly.
Rhydian stands, finally seeming to decide to engage in the conversation as he turns to address her. “You're correct, Cia. I'm not your brother anymore. I'm your king.”
“You're not anything to me,” she hisses, backing up a few paces from the barrier before adding, “I won't forgive you for this.”
Darren darts forward with an unnatural speed and grabs her shoulders, holding down her arms to stop her as she goes to cast some kind of magical attack on her older brother.
Letting his drink fall to the floor, the delicate glass smashing on impact, Rhydian steps forward. He seamlessly passes through the invisible barrier that had held Cia back. “You don't have to like it.”
He raises his right arm, and a look of panic crosses Cia's face briefly before she phases out of the room, unwittingly dragging Darren with her. Damn it! Why didn't he let go of her quicker?
I slowly turn my head to look back at Rhydian, staring at him in a mixture of horror and disbelief as it becomes painfully obvious that despite Darren’s defence of him, Cia was correct in her assumption. “Why would you do this?”
He shrugs, choosing not to answer my question.
“Why do all of this—why make me marry you and trick me into doing all of this, if you were going to kill him anyway. Was this your fucked up plan all along?” I carry on, insisting that he answers. “I need to know what the hell is happening, Rhydian.” Because I think my heart is shattering.
His green eyes meet mine, completely devoid of any emotion. “There was no plan. The idea struck, and I so just decided to do it.”
“No...” I trail off, swallowing thickly before continuing, “You wouldn't—couldn't just do this out of nowhere. It's not like you.”
“Maybe you don't know me at all, Kayla,” he responds coldly.
Unnerved by his utterly dispassionate response to all of this, I blink my eyes, calling on my second sight to allow me to see beyond the physical for a moment. Luckily for me, I can actually do this again with ease now that I have my returned magic from Rhydian.
His aura has completely changed from all the times I've glanced at it before, and is now entirely black. However it seems more like a void of dark rather than any substance of it. A pit of true emptiness. Suddenly I know what's wrong with Rhydian, and truly afraid for the first time since stepping into the room, I stumble back.
He watches me as I flee the room, waiting until I'm out the door before calling after me, “Where do you think you're going?”
I ignore him and run, turning the corner so abruptly that I skid across the floor. Sparing a glance over my shoulder to see if I'm being followed, I let out a sigh of relief, only to smack right into something hard. I try to step back, but firm hands cling onto my shoulders, not allowing my escape.
My head tilts up, expecting to see Rhydian, but instead finding the last creature in the universe that I want to see right now. “You. You did this!”
He smiles beamingly at my accusation. “So, you figured it out then? That was quick. I honestly expected a little more flailing around, perhaps even you misguidedly asking for my help before finally realising what has been done.”
“Give Rhydian back his soul, now!” I demand, finally shaking off his hands as I step away from him, though his black eyes follow my every movement like the predator he is.
“Silly girl, you haven't really quite worked it all out, have you?” the demon drawls admonishingly, leaning forward and slowly pushing a strand of my blonde hair from my eyes, his knuckles brushing against my cheek as he tucks it behind my ear almost affectionately. “It's not only his existence at risk. You bound your soul to his, remember? I don't just own his soul now, but yours too.”
“Why are you doing this?” I ask, my voice cracking slightly from fear.
“Why does anyone do anything?” He narrows his black eyes at me when I don't respond, and then sighs. “That was a serious question, little witch. Tell me, why do people do anything?”
“Because they want results... or maybe reactions to what they’ve done? And stuff, and survival too... I guess?” I answer unsurely, trying to cover all the bases as I stumble over my words.
“More simply.”
“Because they want something,” I answer again, the words continuing to just slip out.
“There we are, people do things because they want something,” he praises me sarcastically, a permanent grin seemingly etched onto his demonic face.
“And what do you want?” I question, feeling my heart pound faster and faster in my chest.
“That's the right question, but tell me, what is it that you desire, Kayla Marie Harlow?”
“Lots of things, but mostly I just want mine and Rhydian’s souls free and clear, I want my magic back, and I really want you to stay the hell away from all of us,” I blurt, answering him again honestly, and taking myself by surprise at how quickly I’d just complied.
“Don't fret, dove. I just gave you a little something to ensure your honesty with me right now,” the demon reassures me, clearly having read the concern on my face. “Honesty always makes bargaining so much easier.”
I reach up and touch my cheek where he'd brushed up against it when pushing the strand of hair out of my face. “You did something when you touched me.”
“So clever sometimes for one so foolish.”
“Shut up and tell me what you want from me,” I snap.
“So assertive when unfiltered… I surprisingly like that sometimes,” Solas responds, adding an unneeded leer to make the double meaning of sentence terribly clear.
“Tell me.” I take a breath. “What you want.” And another. “Or get out of my face before I do something much worse than turning you into a cat.”
“Fine. If you truly want your freedom, and that wretched fae bastard’s soul returned to his body, I need you to do something for me. Something for which I had to ensure your total and utter compliance.”
“What could you possibly need me, of all the damn people, in all the planes of fucking existence, to do?” I demand, desperate to know once and for all just why this demon has been messing with my life for the last few years, and stalking my family for who knows how long before then.
“It’s quite simple, little witch,” he answers slowly, allowing each word to hit it’s mark before following with the next. “I need you… to kill a God.”
The story continues in Book four of The Grey Witch Series, grey gods and ancient blood!
Recommended Reading Order of the Grey Witch Series:
Black Spells and Twisted Souls (Book One)
White Charms and Dark Secrets (Book Two)
Grey Witch and Halloween Magic (A Grey Witch Prequel Novella set two years before the events of the main series.)
Grey Magic and Binding Deceptions (Book Three)
Grey Gods and Ancient Blood (Book Four - Coming July 2020)
About the Author
Cece Rose is the proud owner of one dog, two turtles, two cats, and one annoying boyfriend.
She hails from Devon in the South-West of England, but dreams of sunny skies and sand between her toes. Although, whenever abroad, she will moan about the heat and the sand that gets everywhere.
She has largely convinced all who know her that she’s a vampire, mainly due to her nocturnal habits and tendency to bite. In reality, it’s because her creativity only ever strikes when the sky is dark and the stars are shining. (Plus, it’s actually quiet enough to concentrate on writing.)
You can follow Cece on Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon. She’d also love it if you’d join her Facebook reader group, The Demon Den. It’s the best place to keep up with all her new releases, giveaways, and teasers.
Also by Cece Rose
The Grey Witch Series
Grey Witch and Halloween Magic (Prequel Novella)
Black Spel
ls and Twisted Souls (Book One)
White Charms and Dark Secrets (Book Two)
Grey Magic and Binding Deceptions (Book Three)
Grey Gods and Ancient Blood (Book Four - Coming July 2020)
Dark Powers Duet
Lux (Coming May 31st)
Psych (Coming in 2020)
The Marked Series (With G. Bailey)
Marked by Power (Book One)
Marked by Pain (Book Two)
Marked by Destruction (Book Three)
*Currently unavailable for purchase as undergoing revisions: Blood Sea, Vengeance, & Fractured Fate.
Also by Cece Rose… Writing as Cecelia Rose
Sins & Riches
Grit & Glamour
Violence & Charm (Coming 2020)
Standalone Novella
Snowflake
Lux
Please continue reading for a short sample from Cece’s upcoming book, Lux
Chapter One
The Day The World Ends
I have to kill him.
He’s sitting right there at his shiny desk in his dumb, oversized chair. I know he hears my footsteps as I approach, but he hasn’t bothered to turn around and face me. Either he’s confident I won’t take this as far as the others tried to, or he’s just not intimated by my abilities at all. But it’s not that surprising, considering how easily he’d defeated all of them. And now there’s only me.
Will my body also litter the floor soon?
Shaking like a leaf, I try to command my light to shine from my hand to send a burst at him through the back of the chair, but it’s no use. Nothing happens. So much for super powers, more like super unreliable powers. Well, when I’m feeling even a little emotionally conflicted, anyway.
