Forged from the Ashes (Wings of War Book 1)

by J. Kearston

  “No, but we’re bored. What else were we supposed to do? I like sex, but I’m pretty sure we’d all pick something up doing it here,” I joke, lifting the tiny dragon I made out of Legos to show off.

  Yri scoots over so that Cai can sit, putting the two grocery bags down that he brought in. One is full of things like protein bars and such we can load in our bags and the other is takeout that’s still hot.

  He takes my dragon and makes a few adjustments, giving it a more streamlined design. I look between it and him, impressed as I take the container Soren passes me.

  “Bravo.”

  He shrugs, diving into his own food as Yri starts snickering. I look between the men, eyes widening as I start piecing it together.

  “Oh my Fate, they’re your hoard too?!"

  Honestly, that shouldn't be nearly as attractive as it is. If anything, it should make me more paranoid since chances are higher he'll have an interest in stealing from me. My instincts should be going haywire right now and throw me into defensive mode, yet nothing happens with the revelation. He must be running a similar train of thought through his head right now because his brow furrows before making eye contact with me, intentionally picking one up and shoving it in his pocket. He's outright challenging me, waiting to see if I'm going to attack him.

  "The fuck?" Vyrian eloquently states in confusion. "Why isn't she stabbing you in the face?"

  Soren laughs, but we're all stuck waiting for him to finish chewing before he elaborates. "Mates. I swear, how any of you graduated is beyond me. Once a female joins a flight, instinct takes over. The female is trusting you not only to protect her, but her hoard as well. All it means is she trusts us not to steal her shit and kill anyone that tries."

  As if he doesn't believe him, Yri scoops up a handful and shoves them deep in his pocket. When it's clear I'm not freaking out, he reaches over to my bag and pulls out one of the dual blades I got from Vince and a snarl forms on my lips. He releases it instantly, hands raised in surrender as he backs up.

  "Maybe I need to pass the next level to unlock access for that one," he teases and I snort, knowing exactly what he's implying.

  "You're suggesting I need to sleep with you before I'll let you touch my things?"

  He shrugs, going back to eating. "I'm just saying it couldn't hurt to try. You know, for science."

  We dissolve into a fit of laughter as we finish eating and start planning our next move. As expected, Cai didn't run into any trouble in the city, but he also didn't overhear anything useful, not that we assumed he would. Deciding not to waste anymore time, we load up and head out, marching on for the rest of the day.

  We set up camp, glad we've gotten this close without any incidents so far. Midday tomorrow, we should arrive, and the thought is as thrilling as it is terrifying. Now that I've already crossed that line with Cai, it's less imposing as it was before. Nobody is sure what exactly the ritual entails, but I would assume sex comes into play just by logic alone. To go from a life of celibacy to a ritualistic gangbang seems a little extreme, even for me. But it also means there's absolutely no going back. I'm not having second thoughts where the guys are concerned at all, but that sort of lifelong commitment is enough to make anyone freak out a little.

  "Fuck, Ezra," Soren groans, shaking my shoulder to wake me up. "I'm not sure what you're dreaming about, but there aren't any cold showers in the woods. Any chance you can dial it back a bit?"

  I sit up, shifting my thighs together and the heat pooled there. My skin feels tight and if I thought I was hot before? It's nothing compared to now. A whimper slips past my lips, sounding needy and foreign to my own ears. I've been dealing with a fraction of this for weeks, but this? Fuck, it's going to be impossible to walk another twenty miles.

  "Where are the others?" I manage, trying to think of every unsexy thing that I can to no avail.

  "You really have to ask?" he rumbles, smirking.

  I shift my thighs together again, trying to relieve the insurmountable need building. "How considerate of them." I breathe out a small laugh.

  The lumberjack is whacking wood alright.

  "Don't look at me like that," he groans, swiping a hand down his face. "We voted I'd stay to guard you since I'm more immune than the others and could keep my hands to myself."

  I give him an odd look. "Does something bad happen if I continue to have sex before the ritual?"

  His grey eyes turn to molten steel. "Just continues to speed up the process throwing you into heat and higher chance you might get pregnant the closer you get to it," he admits, his voice low. "And none of us want you to think that's the only reason we want you."

  I roll on top of him and he doesn't put up a fight, hands settling on my hips as he lies back. "So that's a no?" My words come out breathless, leaning down above him.

  "It's reckless," he points out as I kiss him, squirming on top of him as another needy whimper slips out that he promptly swallows.

  "That's not an answer."

  The next instant he's tearing off my clothes as I help him strip, settling back on top of him. It's a flurry of hands, pinching and rolling my nipples as I rock against him, hot and needy, touching and caressing. My hands settle on his massive chest, lightly running my nails over his skin, tracing a path down. When I curl my fingers around him, guiding his length towards my center, he hisses in a sharp breath.

  "Fuck," he grits out, jaw tight.

  I rub the head of his cock back and forth over my slit, forcing myself not to slide down on top of him, just let him see how much I want this too. "Still not an answer."

  It takes him a moment as he wars with himself, so I lift my hips, trying to let him think a little clearer. I have no doubt that he wants this too, but I don't want to pressure him into it. Based on Yri's reaction during capture the flag, I think honor means a lot more in their country than here, means more to them. I don't want to make him regret anything or doubt himself just because I'm a horny mess.

  "Is there a river nearby?" I whisper. "We could jump in and try to cool off; clear our heads," I offer. "I don't want you to have to go back on your word."

  He meets my eye, reaching out to brush his thumb over my cheek. "Do you want to stop?"

  "Not particularly," I breathe, trying to remind myself of all of the reasons I need to keep my hands to myself.

  "Me either," he groans, seconds before capturing my lips, his tether on control snapping.

  His kiss is frenzied, not holding back anymore and I get my first glimpse at just how much he's been restraining himself up until now. His fingers tangle in my hair, holding me closer as I reach between us to guide his length. He presses in gently at first, hissing in a breath and murmuring against my lips. Cursing between breaths, he continues to fill me, stretching me to the point of pain.

  Every gasp, every breath, he takes it all from me. I rock back against him slowly, taking everything he has to give. Despite the lust flowing through my veins like a liquid entity, I still, adjusting to the sensation of being so full. I roll my hips, staying attuned to every sound or flex he makes to see what feels good.

  I settle into a rhythm, rocking against him faster and faster as desire pools low in my stomach. One of his hands slides down from the bruising grip on my hip to the junction between my legs, circling my clit with his thumb. My movements falter, stuttering as I try to remind myself to keep moving instead of just letting the pleasure wash over me.

  My orgasm crashes over me hard and fast as I clench around him, crying out and stilling as wave after wave of pleasure assaults me. He tugs my head to the side, fingers tangled in my hair in a firm grip. His teeth rake down my throat before he bites my shoulder, prolonging my release until I think I'm going to black out.

  He comes with a grunt muffled against my skin, using his grip to slam me down, driving further inside of me. I can feel his cock jerking, heat flooding me to blistering levels. I clench around him, driven by primal need as I roll my hips. He kisses the bite on my shoulder as he pulls away
before moving to my lips, less frantic now and savoring.

  "You're a terrible influence," he murmurs against my lips, cock twitching and making me groan. "This was reckless."

  "Regretting it already?" I try to keep my tone light to deflect from the honest concern and flash of hurt.

  He growls, his chest vibrating against mine. "Never. You're ours, Ezra, but for this moment you're mine."

  The cloud of lust starts to clear until I can think again. "Fuck, what if I actually get pregnant? We're not even mated yet; what will the neighbors think?" I try to tease to keep the anxiety from crippling me.

  Soren kisses me until my heart starts hammering for a different reason. "You're about to take three mates and all birth control was taken off the market ten years ago. I don't know about you, but I was trying to be a gentleman by waiting until we finished the ritual. Afterward though? Little dragon, we're not going to be able to keep our hands to ourselves."

  His words send a thrill through me as I move to get dressed, grabbing a discarded t-shirt to clean up. He's completely right, I'm just overwhelmed from having constant life revelations thrown at me over the last month.

  We climb out of the tent to cool down, going to look for the others. We find them both deeper into the woods, looking flustered. They’re fully dressed, so at least there’s absolutely not a single thing awkward about this. Just a couple of guys post-orgasm in the woods, playing cards in the dirt.

  “Hey, are you alright?” I ask suddenly, noting the blood staining the card Yri plays next.

  Despite the dark, his eyes manage to pierce me, and I doubt I’ll ever get over the unique color. “Yep, just dandy. You?” He says lightly, ignoring the awkward situation for my sake like always.

  Cai snorts. “He stabbed himself a couple of times.”

  My eyes widen. “What the hell? Why?”

  His lip twitches as his smile takes over his face. “A guy can only come so many times in a short period, angel, we’re not as lucky as you. I had to experiment new ideas to clear my brain.”

  I bite my lip, stifling a giggle at the ridiculous situation. “You know, for science.”

  He throws his head back, barking out a laugh. “You know me, always the academic. But enough about me, how was your day, dear?”

  We head back to camp so I can wrap the stab wounds on his arm before they get infected. “Oh you know, just Goldilocks-ing my way through dicks this week. You?”

  “Wait,” Cai interrupts then, helping Soren break down the tent since it’s clear we aren’t getting any more sleep tonight. “Which one’s too small then?”

  I may not be a crier, but tears gather in my eyes as I double over, struggling to speak. Every time I almost manage a coherent word, I dissolve into wheezing laughter.

  Yri is right there with me, wrapping his arm because I’m useless at the moment. “You kidding me? Ren, obviously. Those muscles scream ‘overcompensating’.”

  Soren looks indignant, and I’m pretty sure they’re about two seconds away from a dick measuring contest when a twig snapping nearby makes my head whip around.

  “Drop!”

  I don’t know all of their fancy hand signals yet, and I hope their reaction is instantaneous because a second later shots ring out around us. I roll towards my bag, yanking out the gun from the side pocket since I wasn’t sleeping with it on. Knife in the pocket, sure, but that was it.

  I fire off three rounds, and by the grunt that echoes, I hit at least one. There’s a flurry of motion as more men arrive, surrounding us. Screams fill the night air as I unload the clip, backing toward the guys. I don’t focus on what the three of them are doing beyond making sure they’re holding their own.

  When my gun clicks, I toss it in the direction of my bag, because those fuckers are expensive and I’m not leaving it behind unless I have to. Cai blocks a blow meant for me and I waste no time using my blade to slash through the stranger’s throat. His blood sprays back on me, but I’m more in my element now than traipsing through the woods and dealing with mating semantics.

  I sprint towards my bag and pull out one of my ornate dragon blades, trusting the guys to cover me. I ignore their shouts, not because I’m stupid and want to run headfirst into danger, but because I see three steps ahead to what the strangers are doing. By herding us into a group, all they need to do is surround us until our projectile ammo runs out and we’ll be sitting ducks with no escape. I’m not just going to crouch down and let the guys be living shields, just to lose the fight anyway.

  A shot hits my thigh, making it clear they aren’t aiming to kill me, just capture. I use that to my advantage, ignoring the pain and running straight towards a group of four men that no doubt think they’ll be able to overpower me. When I get within striking distance I jump, slashing my blade through the thin branch on my way. It’s not large enough to hurt a soul, but it’s big enough to knock them off balance and lose their aim for a second.

  I lash out, cutting straight through the bone of a man’s wrist as he screams in agony, dropping his weapon. I scoop it up a second later, putting bullets in each of their heads successfully. I’m a flurry of movement, never once slowing as I cut a path back towards camp. Bodies litter the ground, and Soren has his hand pressed to his arm to staunch the bleeding as he did the first time I ever saw him.

  Cai storms over, but never once does he yell or get in my face. He just puts his hands on my shoulders as he spins me to check me for wounds, mentally noting every scratch. I’m glad, because if he was stupid enough to try and scold me, I would have broken his nose on principle alone.

  I’m a lady after all, and nice ladies don’t take kindly to arrogant men telling them what they can or cannot do. He may have a nice dick, but that doesn’t give him an excuse to be one; I expect more from a mate than that.

  I teased Yri before about men only worrying about fucking or fighting, but it sounds like I was a bit of a hypocrite because I’ve had both in the span of an hour and feel fantastic. You know, if I ignore the screaming in my thigh from the bullet still embedded inside.

  The adrenaline is keeping the pain at bay, but I know soon enough it will fade and it’ll hurt like a bitch. He growls, spinning me to check for an exit wound and finding none.

  “We should probably move home base before playing operation,” I kindly point out, reaching for my bag.

  He snatches it from me and spits on the nearest corpse. “Yri, you mind? I’ll get the stuff, but with Ren’s arm, he shouldn’t.”

  “I can walk,” I protest, but Yri is already crouching in front of me.

  “Come on, angel, don’t leave me out in the cold. Take me for a ride too, see how you like it,” he teases easily, so I roll my eyes and climb on.

  He puts his hands under my thighs and I cringe, but bite my tongue. We head off, leaving a trail of bodies behind and making the unpleasant decision of detouring. It’s likely clear that someone’s figured out we’re headed towards a sanctuary and is going to intercept us on the most direct route. It will put us a day behind schedule, but better off that than imprisoned.

  Chapter 18

  Soren

  Cai takes point digging the bullet out of Ezra’s thigh and to give her credit, she never once cries out. She bites down on her wrist, breathing through her nose as he digs around in the wound with a dagger. When he finally gets it out, she audibly sighs her relief, until I’m forced to pour antiseptic on it. That gets her cussing me out, but I let her vent through the pain as I get it bandaged.

  “And you called me a pincushion.”

  She narrows her eyes at me as I smirk in response, helping her back up onto Yri’s back. We don’t risk stopping again until we’re all at the point we could collapse and agree to rotate shifts so we can all get a little sleep at least. After being ambushed at camp, none of us want to risk that again.

  Fuck, they could have killed her. How are we ever going to be able to keep her safe when she attracts danger as much as she does men?

  The day and night go
by without another incident, giving us a reprieve to heal. Yri and Cai are acting different, more guarded and haunted now. That attack must have thrown them right back into their recurring nightmares. They were the same way when they came back ten years ago, withdrawn and subdued. Ezra notices it as well, but doesn’t comment on it, knowing it won’t do any good.

  Not everything can be fixed.

  We can live with the scars, but all that blood on their hands at a young age changed them irrevocably. They can push past the trauma, heal and make their peace with it, but the memories are still there and no one can take them away, just replace them with better ones.

  “That asshole!” Cai growls, staring at the map and back in front of us.

  After our detour, we finally arrived at the base of the dragon dick Kinsley drew on the map, but his lines covered some important topography we would have liked to prepare ourselves for.

  “Well boys, ready to climb Mt. Dick?” Ezra mutters, eyes lighting up as she cranes her neck.

  “At least we know which one’s too big for Goldilocks here,” Yri teases, setting Ezra on her feet.

  She shakes her head, tightening the straps on her backpack. “Hey, I’ll try anything once. Can’t make any decisions until we try it out.”

  I frown, noting how she’s favoring her good leg. My arm’s healed well enough over the last day, so I’m not concerned, but with as steep of an angle as this is? I could carry her for part of the journey, but even I couldn’t make it to the top like that.

  “Maybe we should wait another day, give your leg more of a chance to heal.”

  She turns to look at me, shock painted across her face and gesturing at the last obstacle on our journey. “Dragons, Soren. Wings are waiting for us at the top of that mountain. If you’re getting cold feet about the mate thing, you can sit out on the celebratory gangbang, but I will chop off my own leg before sitting down here another day.”

  She turns, heading straight for the base of the mountain, the base at enough of an angle that we can hike for quite some time. Yri jogs off to catch up with her, leaving Cai and I a few steps behind.