by Maya Nicole
He looked up at me and then stood, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not going to have sex with you."
I rolled my eyes and walked towards the two men who were moaning on the beach. I thought for sure that Nico would stop me, but he didn't. When I looked back over my shoulder, he was gone. He was either a squirrel or had taken off into the trees.
I should have gone after him, but then what? We'd apologize to each other and then repeat the same scene a few days later? No. I needed a distraction.
"Samara… What are you doing?" Val's words interrupted my pity party.
I looked down at him. His face was flushed. Amari slowed his pace and narrowed his eyes at me as if he couldn't understand why I had approached them.
I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I'd had my fair share of lovers, even more than one at a time, but never with my former lover and his boyfriend. That was a new one.
"Well? Are you going to join us or just stand there and watch?" Amari's voice was heated. I was pretty sure he'd planned for this to happen, or at least knew it was a possibility when he came over to Val and straddled him.
I bit my lip and ran my eyes down to where he was fisting his cock. He ran his thumb over the head of it and tilted his head back with a moan.
I looked back at the trees. If it were two women on the beach inviting Nico for a good time, he would have jumped between them in a heartbeat.
"Come here." His voice was husky, and he continued to rock back and forth on Val. "Let us take care of you."
I lowered to my knees next to him, and his fingers jabbed into my hair, pulling me towards him and bringing his lips to mine.
He kissed me like he was starving. I melted into him, and his hands reached around my back and unclasped my bra. Val reached up and pulled it off me, cupping one of my breasts in his hand.
"Kiss me," Val commanded.
I didn't like being bossed around in the bedroom, but in the moment, it made me even wetter. The ache between my legs had reached a crescendo.
I broke my kiss with Amari and straddled Val's torso, bringing my face down to his. His hands came to my cheeks, and he searched my face.
"Are you okay with this?" His words came out in between pants and small grunts.
Amari's hand trailed down my spine and then squeezed my ass cheek. I sighed, savoring the feeling of being between the two men. "Yes. Amari's still an asshole, though."
He let out a chuckle from behind me as he slid his hand between my legs and ran it up my slit. I rocked into his touch, needing more.
"He told me what he did to you against the tree." I didn't know whether to be horrified or relieved Amari was so honest with Val. "I told him I kissed you."
I shut my eyes as Amari's fingers spread my folds. His fingers were so gentle as they rubbed between my lips, spreading my wetness. My walls clenched around emptiness as his fingers thrummed against my clit like he was plucking an instrument.
Val's hand snaked around my neck and pulled my face towards his. His lips captured mine, and I moaned as Amari pushed a finger inside me. I could feel his erection against my ass as he began moving his finger in and out of me. His strokes were gentle and in sharp contrast to his gruff personality. It was driving me wild.
I ripped my lips away from Val's and turned my head back to look at Amari. "I need more, kitty."
His eyes flared, and his other hand pinched my ass cheek. He thrust two fingers in me and stopped holding back.
Val grabbed my chin and brought my lips back to his. He nibbled lightly on my bottom lip and then plunged his tongue into my mouth, swirling it around mine.
He moved his lips to my neck and scraped his teeth across my collarbone. I never let him bite me before, and now didn't really seem like the time to start. But maybe I would let him eventually. It was a big step to let a vampire bite you.
I felt the tip of Amari's dick at my entrance. I pushed back against him. He thrust his hips forward and sheathed himself in me, his skin smacking into mine.
Val rolled one of my nipples between his fingers.
"You're so fucking tight." Amari moved his hips in a circular motion before he pulled out and thrust in again.
Val buried his face in between my breasts, licking and nipping at the delicate skin. His tongue swirled around one of my nipples, and I groaned as the pleasure jolted down to my pussy.
"Fuck. You two feel so good." Amari's voice was strained as his thrusts became short and deep. I clenched around him, and he moved his hips in a way that sent sharp stabs of pleasure through my body.
Amari's hand was flat on my back, and his nails dug slightly into my skin. I wanted him to tear me apart in the worst way possible. The sound of our skin smacking, the mouth on my breasts, the fingers that had found my clit sent me over the edge.
I cried out with my release, my pussy clenching around Amari.
"I'm going to come," Amari growled as his thrusts grew more erratic. A hot jet of his cum filled me, and my pussy squeezed him until every last drop was out.
He continued moving inside of me as my orgasm ebbed. My ears were buzzing, and my nipples ached.
Val let out a hiss, and he pulled away from me as his teeth descended. Amari stopped moving, and we collapsed in a heap of sweating bodies.
My breath was just returning to me, and I let out a soft laugh. "That was something I've never experienced before."
"That was magic." Amari stood and looked down at me, wrapped in Val's arms. "Where'd the squirrel run off to?"
We had just had sex, and the first thing out of his mouth was a question about who I really wanted to fuck. I didn't want to be reminded of Nico. The sex was mind-blowing, and the thought of Nico being out in the forest somewhere upset with me came rushing back.
"Let's rinse off in the lake and start heading back to the castle." Val spoke softly, like he was half asleep. He looked across the sand.
I looked in the same direction and saw the horses standing a little bit down the shoreline. I hadn't even noticed them there.
"I see him now. He's up in the trees." Amari was pointing back behind us.
My heart dropped into my stomach. He had watched us. It should have turned me on, but instead, it just made me sad.
I had wanted this with Nico. I had wanted him to make me feel this way. But he couldn't.
We were silent most of the way back to the castle. There were no signs of vacants on the way. It was like they had lost interest as soon as they lost our scent. Whatever was going on, it wasn't good. Usually, you could kill vacants before they killed you.
"I think we should take a hell serpent back and toast their asses." Val was trotting on his horse next to me. None of us had spoken about the night before. I didn't regret it, but I also wished it had gone down differently.
Like, maybe in a bedroom and not out in the open for anyone to see. Although the thought of being caught made me want to giggle.
Nico was farther back and quiet. His face was unreadable, and he hadn't looked at me since we left the lake. I tried to shake the unease it caused me, but it was damn near impossible.
When had I let my feelings for him spiral so out of control?
We stabled the horses and went into the castle. Everything was quiet besides the occasional sound of a guard walking the halls and the servants moving about.
"I'll send ravens for an emergency council meeting."
"I don't see why we can't just send Miles and Tony now." I thought it was ridiculous we needed approval to stop the vacants. "This is an emergency. What if they find a village?"
We still didn't know where all the people in the village had gone. Did the vacants go to their village? Did they go out on a hunting party to kill them all and die trying? Still, there should have been some of them somewhere.
"You know how it is." Val started up the stairs with Amari close behind.
"I do, but this is why we need change. It shouldn't take an entire day and a meeting to get approval on something necessary for the good of
Inferna. Tony and Miles can have it done before the council members even get here to approve it. How many people will die in the time it takes?"
Miles was one of the best hell serpents there was, and Tony, the giant, was his handler.
When we got into the hall with the bedrooms, there was an awkward moment where we paused outside the doors.
"Well, I'm going to get some rest and take a shower. We'll see you in the morning for breakfast." I looked at Amari and Val and bit my lip, remembering what we had done.
Would we ever have a repeat of that? My body definitely wanted a repeat, but my heart was still stuttering for Nico. I didn't want to lose my best friend over this.
We parted ways, and I walked into my room where Nico had already entered. I shut the door softly just as he threw our bags down on the floor.
He took his shirt off as he walked towards the bathroom. Not bothering to glance back in my direction or say anything, he shut the door firmly behind him.
I let out a shaky sigh and went and sat at my workbench. I'd left it a mess, but now everything sat neatly in a row. My bars of soap were piled in a new basket. My carving instruments were sitting in a cup.
I selected a bar of soap and brought it to my nose. The delicious smell of oranges filled my nostrils, and I smiled. I grabbed a knife and began carving.
I worked quickly at the carving, and it was done by the time Nico exited the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. He avoided my stare as he walked over to his bag, picked it up, and put it on the bed to go through it.
I stood and walked over to him and placed the bar of soap on top of the bag in front of him. He stared at it and then picked it up, examining it. Then, he stuck his hand out and handed it back to me.
"It's for you." I'd carved the shape of an acorn into it. I hoped it would lighten the mood. Apparently not.
"I already took my shower. I don't need soap." He pulled a shirt out of his bag and slipped it over his head, covering his rippling muscles and tattoos.
"Nico…"
His hand was back in his bag, searching around for what I could only guess was pants. I put my hand on his and stopped his movement.
His body tensed, and he didn't move for a few breaths. Then he yanked his hand away. "I'm going back home. To the camp."
My heart stopped, and my stomach churned. "What? Why?"
He yanked out a pair of boxers and slid them on under his towel before removing the towel, letting it drop to the floor. He violently shoved his feet into his pants. I was surprised they didn't rip with the force he jammed his legs into them. "You don't need me anymore."
I let out a pained laugh that morphed into a choked sound as I held back a sob. "I do need you. I can't do this alone."
"I need to get away from here. This life isn't for me." He moved his hand around in front of him. "You wanted to come back. Not me."
"It's because I had sex with them, isn't it?" I yanked his bag away from him as he tried to shove some of his things inside. "I'm allowed to have sex, Nico."
He frowned at me and reached for his bag. I pulled farther away from him.
"It's not because of that." A crease had formed between his eyebrows, and his breath grew heavier. "Give me the fucking bag, Samara."
"Don't lie to me. That's exactly what it is." He kept trying to grab the bag, so I picked it up and threw it over my shoulder. "You made your choice. You decided not to be with me. I can't help that I have needs."
He jabbed his fingers through his damp hair and then tied it back at the nape of his neck. "Are you going to give me my bag or not?"
"Not." I felt burning behind my eyes, and before I could stop them, a few tears escaped. "Am I that abhorrent to you that you can't even be with me?"
He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me. "How many times are you going to make me explain this to you? I. Do. Not. Want. To. Be. Intimate. Get it through your thick little skull."
"The other night though-"
"The other night was a mistake. I was drunk and horny. I apologize. Now give me my bag."
I shook my head. "If Becca could hear-"
At the mention of her name, Nico stalked forward, and I was left with no other choice but to back up. My ass hit my workstation table, and I gasped as both of his arms went to the surface and trapped me.
It was a low blow, bringing up Becca in the middle of a conversation about being intimate. His logic was so incredibly flawed. It pissed me off and made me want to smack him in the head with his bag.
We might not have been having sex, but we were far into the intimate zone. We were so close that they needed to erect a statue of us with a plaque that lamented the fact that he hadn't stuck his dick in my pussy yet.
"You have no idea what it's like. So don't you dare stand there and tell me what Becca, my Becca, would have thought of this." His voice dripped with anger and sadness. He reached for my shoulder and ripped the bag off my arm. His footfalls were heavy as he went to the door.
"Nicholas…" I never used his full name. But he stopped with his hand on the door handle. "Don't go. I love you."
He turned the door handle and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
I let out a sob and fell the floor. Why did I always have to lose everyone? I had no one except him, and now he was gone.
"Don't c-cry," a voice spoke softly, and my head snapped up.
A man stood near the wall, next to the armoire. He was tall with brown hair and brown eyes. He was dressed simply in pants and a light-colored T-shirt. His hands were balled at his sides, and he was looking at the floor, not at me.
I screamed. He held up his hands in front of him and sounded like he was starting to try to say something to me, but it was coming out in single sounds.
My door burst open. "What's going on?" Amari looked around the room, searching for what had caused me to scream. "Did that fucker hurt you?"
My eyes went to where the man was, but he was gone. It was like he had vanished into thin air, or maybe even the wall.
"There was a man in here.” It sounded crazy hearing it since the man definitely wasn’t in the room any longer.
Amari walked around the room, sniffing. He must have been standing guard in the hall to be able to get to the room so fast. Had he seen Nico leave?
"It's a brownie." He seemed confused by the idea.
"A brownie? But I thought those were no longer in existence?"
"Just because we haven't seen them in ages, doesn't mean they don't exist anymore. Kind of like witches. I'm sure there's still plenty out there." Amari stood in front of me and squatted down. He put his hand under my chin and lifted it up. "Why are you crying?"
I sniffled, and he wiped one of his thumbs across my cheek, getting rid of the tears.
"He left."
Amari nodded and then sat down on the ground next to me. He leaned against the desk and pulled me into his lap. It was a surprising move from a gruff feline.
"He loves you. He didn't leave." Amari pulled me close to him and wrapped his arms around me. He put his chin on my head and stroked my hair. It was such an odd sensation coming from him after everything that had happened between us.
"He doesn't love me. If he did, he wouldn't have left." I sighed and rested my head against his shoulder. "Why are you being nice to me? Was my pussy that good?"
He made a sound in his throat that almost sounded like a purr, but maybe I was imagining things.
"I'm drawn to you." One of his hands was playing with my hair. "Being inside you only made it worse."
The feeling of the strands of my hair being moved around helped me relax against his strong body. It had been a while since I was held.
New tears started to fall. He made comforting noises but didn't say another word.
I didn't like to cry, but there was something about being back in the castle, in my former home, when my family was gone. My mother, my father, Taylor. All gone. Reve was at least still alive, but he was on Earth.
"Why are
you drawn to me?" I bit my lip, knowing the answer already. It was the magic swirling around in me; it did something unexplainable to him. It took his curse away, at least for a short time.
"You're pretty feisty. I like that." He kissed the top of my head and then moved so he could look at me. "It's probably a little bit of the magic too, if I'm honest. I guess we'll find out if a whole bunch of guys come knocking at your door."
A smile tugged at my lips, despite my desire not to let it happen. I didn't know how I would take it if men all started falling at my feet.
Amari stood with me in his arms and set me on the bed. "You should get some sleep. It's been a long few days, and tomorrow you have to deal with those council assholes."
I laughed and snuggled down into the pillows, really needing a shower, but too exhausted to move.
Amari bent down and picked up something from the floor. He examined it and then brought it to his nose. "This one of your soap carvings?" He set it on the nightstand and then leaned over me and kissed me gently on the lips. "Goodnight, Samara."
He walked to the door. The room was dark, so the lights from the hall really showed his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He turned back and looked at me with his glowing green eyes. Panther shifters really did have amazing eyes.
"Your squirrel is in a room down the hall." He shut the door gently behind him.
Chapter 8
Nico
My anger and jealousy had gotten the best of me. After slamming the door behind me, I stopped and took a few steadying breaths.
Amari was standing as still as a statue. Hell, he was a statue. It was unnerving to see his green eyes staring back at me with a knowing look. I was pretty sure he heard everything that had gone on in the room.
It was odd to me that he could turn to stone as a demon and as a panther. But really, I wasn't surprised. Nothing surprised me anymore. The magic in Inferna was unstable and had been for a long time.
I was quite the example myself. Logically, I shouldn't be able to shift into such a tiny animal, but I could. No one really knew how much I could grow if I really wanted to.
