Dar chuckled from beneath me.
Chief glowered down at my dog. "You knew about this?"
Dar sighed. He got up off the floor and went straight from canine to blue demon. Derek choked on his steak when he saw the naked, horned man standing in front of him. I turned my head. Dar was…rather handsome. And at eye level.
Jimmy was wiggling his eyebrows at me.
I sighed and turned to look at Derek. At least he had clothes on and wasn't a pervert.
"Yes. I was the one who stopped the first arrow."
"But not the second."
"No. She was ahead of me and the elf fletched his arrows with owl feathers. I did not hear it coming. I am sorry." He bowed.
Don't bow. You have nothing to apologize for, I told him.
I failed you.
I'm still breathing. The other team is bound to get a lucky shot in once in a while. Plus, it made him change tactics, which is a good thing. Arrows hurt.
"It's not your fault. It's hers. She should have told us!"
"Why?" Everyone's attention shifted to Derek who had asked the question around a mouthful of steak.
"Because she was in danger! She's always doing shit like this. Shouldering everything by herself, never asking for help, always putting herself in harm's way. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is?"
He nodded. "As a matter of fact, I do, Chiefy." He finished chewing his morsel, setting his fork and knife down on the table. "But, do ye think it's any less frustratin' fer her?" He paused to push his chair back, grabbed his beer bottle and hopped up on the counter, perching and taking a long swig. We were in for a speech and I was curious as to what he was going to say.
"Comfy?" Chief cocked an eyebrow.
"Aye. Where was I? Oh, yes. There's one thing ya need to be knowin' about our precious Dorothea. She doesn't give a shit about yer sensibilities. That's not how she was raised. Blame her ma, blame her nan, but she was taught to be more than self-sufficient. She was taught to handle her own damned problems. So, unless ye want ta piss her off, my suggestion would be to stop tryin' ta coddle her."
I clapped.
It was totally inappropriate, but damn if his speech didn't totally remind me of why I fell in love with Derek in the first place. He didn't worship me. He didn't see me as some sort of princess that needed a royal guard. He saw me as a witch and saw me as an equal.
I stopped clapping when I saw Chief's face.
Derek handed me my container of food.
"I don't coddle her!"
Even Jimmy laughed.
"Do I?"
I nodded, practically ripping the lid off. "Most of the time I find it charming. But, when shit gets sour, you have a tendency of being overbearing and kind of dickish."
He sat down with a hard thump.
"Don't feel bad, Bill. I get cranky when she gets hurt, too," Jimmy said and patted my leg.
"I'm sorry," Chief said, quietly.
I looked up in confusion, making sure it was Chief who had said it. "Wha?"
"I said I'm sorry. For being overbearingly dickish."
"Well, you do have an abundance of dick," Jimmy said and chortled.
I punched his thigh. "You're oversharing again, sweetie."
"Oops."
Derek blinked in confusion, settled his eyes on Chief and smirked. "Well, now. That's settled. Shall we let Dot eat in peace?"
Nervously cutting a piece off my rib, I popped it in my mouth. I wanted to cry because it tasted like the wing of an angel, but I didn't tear into it like a ravenous she-beast. I smiled and chewed happily.
Jimmy looked disappointed. If I were being honest with myself, Chief did, too.
Perverts.
Chapter 5
"You coming in?"
"Do you want company or are you tired? You did almost die twice today. That takes a lot out of a witch."
"I ate. I'm fine."
"Okay." Jimmy put his truck into park and shut off the engine.
"Thanks for a wonderful evening."
"Yeah. That was fun, huh?"
We laughed and got out of the truck. "Not what you were expecting?"
"Nope," he answered.
"Well, I'm sure your expectations had something to do with three naked men pleasuring me senseless." I put my key in the lock and turned it, trying to hurry because my eyelashes were freezing. By the time the door opened, I was shivering. I let Jimmy and Dar in and shut the door, throwing the lock back on and casting a little bit of a sealing spell. It wasn't for the cold, it was for any unwanted elven guests. Kicking off my shoes, I stood by the door and let the magic flow from me into the house, kicking up the defenses and wards. Safe was better than sorry.
"Expecting a thermonuclear attack?"
"What?"
"I'm no mega-witch like you. I have trouble even seeing energy flows. But, it feels like you just sealed us inside NORAD." He was looking up at the ceiling with a glazed look in his eyes. "Lady bless, Dot. That's a hell of a shield."
I shrugged. "Chief's got me all paranoid. It would be my luck, the minute he decides to let me be, that I would get attacked and end up on the pointy end of an elven sword."
"Good call."
"Yeah. If I died, I'd never hear the end of it."
"You can knock that off, Mrs. Jokerman."
"That better not be a marriage proposal."
"Nope. Don't worry. When, and if, I do, it will be spectacular. Lots of surprise, probably a flash-mob or two. Music. And baby platypuses."
"Baby platypuses?"
"They're fucking adorable. You won't be able to say no, inundated by their cuteness. You'll be begging me to marry you."
"You're evil."
"Only on Thursdays."
I laughed and slid my jacket off, tossing it on the hook by the door. Jimmy hadn't gotten his off yet, but I hugged him anyway, wrapping my arms through it and around him, pressing my face against his chest.
"Love you," he whispered and kissed the top of my head.
I grinned and rubbed my face against him more. "Love you, too. Even on Thursdays."
I felt his chuckle in his chest.
"Oh. It's the love birds." Josie was standing by the kitchen, arms crossed and tapping her foot. She looked like she had run a marathon. Through a pack of hyenas, wearing pork chop leg warmers. Not that she was tore up, just emotionally exhausted.
"You okay?"
"No," she hissed and quietly stamped her foot.
"Oh, sweetie." I let go of Jimmy and practically ran over to her, hugging her tightly. "Mom?"
She nodded against me, sniffling.
"Where is she?"
"She finally drank enough wine to pass out. Yuki picked her up and threw her in her room. You're out of wine, by the way."
"That's okay. It was for a good cause."
"We need to find her a place. In Albuquerque. Before she wakes up and can find her way back here."
"I'm sorry. I tried to get her to stay at a hotel. Was it that bad?"
"She won't shut up. Ever."
At least I knew where Josie got it from. "That sounds horrible."
"Don't joke. It wouldn't have been if every other sentence out of her mouth wasn't a criticism. Candace isn't talking to me, my mother hates me almost as much as she hates you, and I'm out of chocolate!"
Jimmy laughed, coughed, and ran when he saw her face.
"Why isn't Candace talking to you?"
"I don't know! She's been acting weird ever since Mom and I got back from dinner. She says polite things, but it's like she's hiding something. Like somebody got shot or something."
If there was one thing I hated about my best friend, it was her intuitiveness. Okay, there were a lot of things that I hated about my best friend but that was the most inconvenient of them. Sometimes. "Yeah. I did."
"And then– Wait. What?"
"I got shot."
"By?"
"An elf."
"With?"
"An arrow."
"Why?"
"Don't know."
She stepped back, trying to tell if I was joking. I nodded my head. "Really?"
"Yes. I also instructed your girlfriend not to say anything, I didn't want people to worry."
"And you're okay?"
"Superhuman healing ability."
She sighed in relief, grinned, and practically skipped back to her room. "Night!"
"Night, Jose."
She's such a simple girl.
I looked down at Dar and nodded.
"Uh, Dot?"
"Yeah?" I looked over at Jimmy standing in my bedroom doorway.
"There's um…somebody sleeping in your bed. Looks like Purplylocks."
"Shit. Sorry, papa bear. Forgot she was going to be staying in my bed."
He wiggled his eyebrows again.
"Come on. You can sleep here but no threesomes."
"Aw, man. I took one for the team with Jason."
"I didn't see him putting his dick in you. So, technically, I took two for the team. Top that."
"You win."
"Always." I grinned at him and walked into my room. Yuki was passed out on top of my comforter. I smiled at her. She was wearing a simple white T-shirt that stopped just above her belly button and a pair of plain white cotton panties. Both of them nearly matched the color of her skin. She was simply adorable.
Jimmy thought so, too. He was openly staring, next to me. I smacked him in the back of the head. "Get a good look, perv?"
"You wouldn't blame me if you knew the amount of Japanese, school girl porn I've watched."
I gave him a disgusted look.
"What? They weren't really school girls, just women dressed like them."
"Yeah. I kind of figured that. The look was for sharing. I don't want to know what kind of porn you watch."
"Sure, you don't."
He was right. I kind of did. But, I didn't need him sneaking peeks at my familiar all night. Or getting any ideas. I went into my closet and got a light blanket, draping it over her.
"Spoilsport."
"Pervert."
"At least we're both aware of our shortcomings."
I pulled off my jeans and my shirt, tossing them in the hamper. My pretty bra took its place of honor atop my dresser. The panties I was wearing to bed. Lifting the cover, I slid into the middle, facing Yuki. I wanted to be spooned and coddled in a non-dickish way. "Kill the light."
"Yes, Lady."
The room plunged into darkness and I don't know why I bothered. I could still see clearly. Sighing, I closed my eyes.
"What's the matter?"
"Seeing in the dark has its advantages, but not when you're ready for bed."
"Huh. I can see that. You can see just like in daylight?"
"Yep."
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
I looked over my shoulder. He was making obscene gestures with his hands. One finger slowly sliding into the hole he'd made with the fingers of his other hand.
"You're holding up I want to sleep alone on the couch many."
"Damn. That's pretty cool."
"Sleeping alone on the couch?"
"No. That you can see in the dark."
I rolled back over.
"Hey, Dot. How many am I holding up now?"
I looked back over my shoulder. He was holding one, but it wasn't a finger. He had pushed down the front of his underwear and was stroking himself about a foot from my face.
"Your mother dropped you as a child. Repeatedly."
He chuckled and slid into the bed behind me. I smiled as he slid one arm under me and pulled me back against his chest with the other. I snuggled in for the night.
"Hey, Dot," he whispered into my ear.
"Yeah?"
"You asleep?"
"Yeah."
"Is Yuki still asleep?"
I opened my eyes. Yuki might have gained the ability to walk in sunlight and adopted a more human-like sleeping schedule, but she was still dead to the world. "Yeah," I whispered back.
His arm lifted off me for a moment as he leaned back. When it flopped back over me, something long and hard was pressing into my ass.
I shook my head, but still smiled, knowing he wouldn't be able to see it.
"Gosh. What is that?"
"Little Jimmy."
"No. Don't ever call it that. There's nothing little about it."
"Well I'd feel funny calling him big Jim."
"Yeah. That doesn't work, either."
"How about… The knob goblin?"
"Hell no."
"Sir Lancelot?"
"Over used."
"Jigglestick?"
"I'll laugh every time you say it."
"Shakespear?"
"You're not a poet."
"Beef Jerkme?"
"Too dry."
"I know! Let's just call it yours."
"Ooh. That I like," I whispered and grinned. Reaching between us, I slid my panties down over my butt and pushed back against him. "Quietly."
"Hey. You're the screamer, not me. I just grunt a little bit."
The game was on.
I let him take his time, slowly teasing me open with the tip. He used his hips to move himself back and forth, the sensation sending little ripples of pleasure through me. His head parted my flesh, dipping inside for just a moment before grazing my rapidly hardening spot above. My legs involuntarily parted for a moment.
His lips found the sensitive spot behind my ear and he dragged them across it, tickling the fine hair there. Turning my head, lost in the sensation, his arm slid under the comforter and gripped my breast.
"Jimmy."
"Yes, Dot?"
"Tease them."
"Yes, Dot."
He let go and his thumb and middle finger gently pinched my nipple. When his index finger grazed the tip, I nearly lost it. Turning my face into my pillow, I mewled as quietly as possible. His fingers were sending pleasure racing through my body as I curled my hips and bucked against him.
"Oh. You like that."
"Just a tad," I managed to say.
"I love learning new things like that about you. I love you."
"Love you, too."
His hand left my chest and slid down over my stomach. "Lift your leg for a moment."
"Why?"
"Gasp. After all this time, you still don't trust me?"
I rolled my eyes and did it.
"Good girl," he whispered in my ear before licking the edge from lobe to tip. It was almost as pleasurable as him teasing my nipple.
His hand slid over my hair and cupped me, his middle finger dipping inside. I fought very hard not to push my legs together as he started sliding in and out of me. My breathing became more rapid until he pulled his finger out.
"Just wanted a little honey, honey." He pushed himself forward and used his fingers to slip inside me with his hardness. One knee in the air, he spread my wetness all around, using his cock to tease me as he slowly pushed it back and forth. When he had collected enough, he pushed my leg back down.
I thought he wanted to taste me, but I was wrong. He brought the tips of his fingers back to my chest and spread my wetness gently over my nipple, using it to make little circles. The sensation was overwhelming. I opened my mouth and hissed in pleasure.
"Fuuuck," I whispered.
"Okay."
He pushed against me, driving himself inside me. I felt every inch of him as he slid deeper. He was throbbing and hot, and I was addicted. Hopelessly and wondrously addicted to my Jimmy.
He didn't pound into me. He held me and made love to me, not wanting to wake up our guest. His lips danced across my neck as he teased my breast and used slow, long strokes to drive me to the edge.
"Are you going to come for me?"
I nodded, not able to do anything else.
"Climb on top of me. I want to be kissing you when you do."
He pulled back a little and I rolled over, facing him and sliding my leg over him. As gently as I could, I worked
my hips over him and used my arms to lift myself off the bed and on top of him. I reached down between us and guided him back into me, lowering myself until he was back where he belonged.
My hips began rocking, the motion moving him inside me. He reached up and grazed both my nipples with the back of his fingers before sliding them between them, gently pinching. The breath I'd been holding escaped in a soft moan.
"Kiss me," he whispered.
I leaned over and my lips met his. I started breathing again until his tongue met mine. My hips, which had been holding a subtle rhythm began bucking sporadically as I couldn't control myself any more.
His hands slid down my back, cupping my ass and pulling me into him even harder. My betraying body was tipped over the edge as I came, fighting for breath in his kiss. He moaned as he emptied himself inside me. I collapsed on top of him and curled into his neck.
"Woah."
"Woah," he echoed.
"Woah," Yuki said beside us.
I couldn't, or wouldn't, look over at her. I could feel her pleasure and happiness wash over me in a wave over our bond.
"Night, Yuke," Jimmy said with a chuckle.
"Night, Shakespear."
I groaned in embarrassment.
Chapter 6
My wards and shields flared and burst in a shower of sparks. The pain of having them ripped away woke me in a cry of agony. Lifting myself off Jimmy's chest, I blinked as I tried to fight through the haze of pain.
Jimmy's sleeping, smiling face came into focus. I shook him, and when he didn't wake up, I gently slapped his face repeatedly, trying to wake him. It wasn't working.
I flopped off him and looked at my vampire. She had rolled over and was facing the wall, head on the mattress and pillow clutched tightly in her arms. I reached over and shook her, too. "Yuki!"
There was no response. Something was terribly, horribly wrong. I pulled up my panties, slipped on my T-shirt, and crept from my room, spells at the ready.
There was no movement in the house, and I could barely make out the sounds of traffic and birds from outside. Light filtered through the front window, dimly illuminating the inside with a soft glow. It was after dawn, but not quite early enough to be called morning. That didn't happen until just before lunch.
Padding across the house, I slipped into Josie's room. She and Candace were cuddled under their fluffy pink comforter. I shook them both and practically shouted their names. Neither of them woke up either. Even a spell to wake them didn't work.
Fourth Rite: A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 4) Page 5
