Second Chance Heat, a reverse harem magical academy HEA paranormal romance: Book Four of the Second Chance Academy Series

by Ella J. Smyth

  "Relax," I whispered.

  Lance allowed his legs to drop apart. I cradled his balls, tugging on them gently, then ran a finger down his taint. Lance obligingly lifted his knees to his chest, giving me a clear view of his hole. It glistened with Kiernan's come, and when I pushed two fingers into him, he opened up easily. I crooked them until I found a spongy area, and Lance's eyes rolled upwards.

  "Oh God," he moaned. His legs trembled, and his fingers pressed hard into his knees as he pulled them up higher. "Don't tease. Just do it."

  I grabbed my cock and pushed the head against Lance's opening. But I was still invisible, and as I sank deeper, his hole stretched into a round opening, seemingly of its own accord. Kiernan and Amber's gazes were as riveted as mine. It was bizarre, being able to see all the way into Lance's body, but I couldn't focus on that. Instead, I slipped as deeply as I could, then pulled out again. The pressure was as great as when I'd fucked Kiernan. Gasping with every stroke, I collapsed on top of Lance's chest.

  I held on to him, pushing my tongue into his mouth. That's gotta look just as weird, I thought. But Lance had closed his eyes and sucked on my tongue while his lower body rocked into my strokes. His moans got louder and louder, and I knew I had to stop him. With the last bit of my mental strength, I identified our throbbing bond. His color was blazing like a solar flare. He would come within seconds if I didn't do something. So I ignored my body's demands and threw myself into the bond, cooling Lance's ardent passion with my own ghost being.

  "No, I was so close," he sobbed, but I didn't stop. I strangled the bond until it was calm again. When it was done, and Lance stopped moving, it only took me two, three strokes, before my balls contracted and my cock erupted. "The second vessel filled," I whispered in his ear.

  Lance chuckled. "That was horrible."

  Amber glanced at the tealights. "Guys. We really got to move along. You still need to fill Julian, and then all of you need to fuck me."

  Kiernan and Lance look at each other with alarm in their eyes.

  "It's going to be tight," Lance said.

  "Said she."

  Lance punched Kiernan.

  "Oh, come on, guys. We don't have time for that." Amber picked up the sheets of paper, while holding on to Slug with the other hand. "It says here, every participant needs to be filled, but not how. Do you think we could save some time if you take Julian from both ends?"

  "Good thinking," I whispered.

  She was right—the candles were flickering as if they'd only last ten minutes more. I floated on top of Lance who was still on his back, recovering from the drilling I'd given him. I grabbed his cock and impaled myself. If I hadn't been a ghost, it would have hurt. Then I reached out to Kiernan, grabbed his cock, and pulled him into my mouth.

  "Fuck, he's cold." Kiernan's cock was horizontal, moving forward and backward in the air. It should have looked ridiculous, but Amber's eyes were fixed on the sight. Lance's shaft stood upright, the flesh being squeezed as I bounced up and down. It didn't take them long to blow, come streaming from both cocks as their owners gasped and groaned.

  "Come on, guys." The urgency in Amber's voice spurred us into action. "We've only got minutes left."

  "Remind me to get big, fat altar candles next time." Lance got to his hands and knees in front of her.

  30

  Amber

  It was time. The build-up of magic was strong around us. I couldn't see it, but there was a buzzing on my skin, a density in the air I pulled into my lungs that said "magic" more clearly than anything I'd encountered at the Academy. Maybe the ritual still works with only four of us.

  Slug had fallen asleep again which suited me fine. He only needed to be around for another five minutes while the guys pounded me into oblivion. After the last hour and a half of being edged by my ghost boyfriend and teased by the visuals playing out right next to me, I was so ready for them.

  "How will we do it?" Lance pulled the cover off me.

  "I don't care." My voice was whiny with frustration. Kiernan and Lance exchanged glances, then Lance pulled me on top of him as he stretched out on the bed. Without any finesse, he lifted and impaled me with one swift move. I grappled for purchase on his shoulders.

  "Give a girl some warning," I gasped.

  "No time." He pulled me to his chest, lifting my ass off his pelvis. Kiernan was right behind me, pouring some of the olive oil into my crack. Before I could complain about the ickyness, he pushed a finger into my back entrance. It didn't hurt a lot, just stretched me out. But then he moved away, and next, a blunt force exerted pressure on my hole. It grew stronger and more painful, pushing inward. I tried to move away, but Kiernan held me tight. "Just a little more, acushla. I know you can do it."

  I took a deep breath, and suddenly, the pressure turned into a long slide into my body, lighting me up from the inside. Maybe it was the ritual, or maybe it was Kiernan's incubus power, but I went from, "Ouch, stop," to "Holy shit, fuck me hard." Within seconds, they were slamming into my body, pulling me to and fro between them. My legs were shaking, and I babbled nonsense as my orgasm rose. I couldn't remember if I was allowed to come, but there was no stopping it.

  "Julian," Kiernan gasped. "Julian, you need to get in as well. Amber, grab Slug's fur. We need to all be connected."

  I opened my mouth to protest, but a freezing cock pushed into it, shutting off my airways. I moaned as Julian filled my throat with his large shaft. Blindly, I grabbed for Slug and kept my hand on his scruff. I couldn't breathe anymore, feeling like a leaf in a hurricane. Three men were pounding every opening I had, and my brain short-circuited.

  As black spots encroached on my vision, I felt like I was leaving my body. Looking down, I saw myself being jostled like a ragdoll by two gorgeous men, my mouth wide open around an invisible cock. Was I dying? Had Julian choked me to death? But no, my body still felt ecstasy, and my lightning power was sparking where the boys touched me.

  And yet I was drifting above the scene, aware of a network of threads connecting me to my men. As I watched, Kiernan threw his head back and roared out his orgasm. His body lit up with sparks, his hair standing on end, and his skin radiating lightning. It jumped to Lance, sizzling and popping. The moment it struck him, Lance also came, turning himself into a Bengal candle. Yet they didn’t burn, and neither did the bedsheet under our writhing bodies.

  And then the miracle happened. The tealights at the five pentagram points flared and arced, engulfing us all, including Slug. My lighting jumped from Lance to Julian. He was outlined by a white flare, clearly visible against the curtain of orange flames. As quickly as I had drifted away, I was sucked back into my thrashing body.

  This was no ordinary fire. It baptized us, fusing our individual heart strings into one single bond with me at the center. I couldn’t open my eyes against the glare, but felt my every opening filled with my partners’ essence. As much as I’d mocked the ancient phrase, I now knew what it meant. It wasn’t simply their ejaculate. No, what they’d poured into me was part of themselves. And I gave back by exploding into a million sparks, my orgasmic energy overwhelming me with such exquisite pleasure, I ceased to exist while the sweet agony burned away my nerve endings.

  For one blissful minute, we were all connected: Kiernan, Lance, Julian, and Slug filled me with their life energy, and I boosted theirs more than should be humanly possible.

  When I was finally able to open my eyes, the room was dark. The candles had extinguished themselves. I lifted my hand and marveled at its exquisite design. Then I giggled. “I’m high, guys. High as a kite.”

  Lance pushed himself up on his elbow and stared at me. “Amber. Your eyes. They’re silver.”

  I laughed again. I’d never felt as light and powerful. “Really? That I gotta see.”

  I sat up. Next to Lance, Kiernan opened his eyes and smiled. “You’re gorgeous, acushla.”

  He sounded as fried as I felt. I was going to say something witty when another body moved next to Kiernan. He turned his
head, and his smile widened as he addressed the third man in our bed.

  “Julian. I dreamed of you.”

  It took several hours for the spell to wear off. We accepted Julian back as if nothing had happened. Soon, we’d talk about the trauma we’d all gone through, but for now, we petted his arms and legs to make sure he was okay. And then we drifted off to sleep.

  When I woke up in the morning, I sat up so fast, I got lightheaded. There was no Julian, and I was alone in the bed. I called out his name desperately. Then I heard voices drifting through the heating system. I got dressed as quickly as I could and ran downstairs.

  Julian, Kiernan, Lance, and Justin Whitehall sat around the kitchen table, gorging themselves on pancakes. Callahan acknowledged me with a nod and fetched another plate. “There’s plenty here for you. I assume you’re as hungry as your friends after your spellwork.”

  My cheeks grew hot as I avoided eye contact. Justin and he had to have heard us in their rooms. Kiernan took my hand under the table. “Don’t be embarrassed. We did what had to be done. So what if we enjoyed it?”

  I blushed even more furiously. Callahan sat down opposite me. “Pretty impressive. You managed to get your friend back. I have to call it in. I’d assume our magical research people will want to talk to you about the details of your spell.”

  I stuffed a forkful of pancake, drenched with maple syrup, into my mouth. The door moved, and Slug pushed his way into the kitchen. My stomach flipped. I’d hoped against all hope that he might have been changed back as well. My eyes welled up. Macha had been so afraid. And now he’d suffered a fate worse than death because of that bitch Farkas. He might still be alive somewhere in Slug’s body, but unable to ever come back.

  Swallowing my sorrow, I placed a piece of pancake on the floor. Slug sauntered over and picked it up carefully. With one graceful leap, he landed on the table top. I didn’t have the stomach to shoo him off. Neither did anybody else. Slug carried the pancake to my place and wiped it neatly through the puddle of syrup. Then he tossed it in the air and caught it.

  “Do cats do that?” Callahan stared at Slug with disbelief.

  “No. I don’t think so.” I petted Slug between his ears, the way he liked it. He purred, stretching into the caress. Then he opened his eyes and looked straight into mine. I gasped. “Macha.”

  The cat kept his gaze locked onto mine.

  Kiernan jumped up. “Is it him? Did the spell get him back?”

  I closed my eyes, keeping my hand on Slug’s fur. I felt it, pulsating between our bodies. There was a bond that hadn’t been there before.

  My voice broke. “It’s him. Macha’s back.”

  31

  Amber

  Hard knocks shook the bedroom door. We'd gone back upstairs to rest up after breakfast. My whole body was aching pleasantly, and I must have dozed off again. Sitting up, I shook Kiernan's shoulder when Callahan tore the door open.

  His face was red, and there was a look of panic in his eyes. "She's coming. I just got the news. She'll be here in a few minutes."

  "Oh, shit." That was Lance. We were frozen, staring at each other. There was only one person who could freak out Callahan like that. Farkas was on her way.

  "I'm not ready." Fear clenched my throat so tight, I could barely breathe. "We can't fight her. She's too strong."

  We needed to get away. Run so far she'd never find us. With feverish determination, I pulled on my shoes and found my jacket.

  Strong arms pulled me against a warm body. I struggled, but Kiernan held me until I slumped against him. "I know. I'm scared, too. We all are."

  My knees were shaking under the onslaught of adrenaline rushing through me. Kiernan stroked my hair as Julian and Lance stepped into a group hug. Macha mewled, and Julian lifted him from the bed to include him in the group. "We can't run forever. This is it, guys."

  Lance squeezed harder. Kiernan's voice was rough. "We'll beat that bitch. I know it."

  My men clutched each other and me, drawing strength from each other. They're afraid, too.

  That thought made me angry. How dared Farkas and the Fae threaten those wonderful guys? My guys? I held on to the anger, feeling their love all around me. She wouldn't destroy us. I lifted my head and stepped out of my men's embrace. "You're right. This is the moment we've been preparing for."

  This was happening too soon. We'd barely had time to digest the fact that Julian was back with us. We hadn't had time to discuss it, and now we might never get the chance. But the ritual had already worked a miracle.

  "Feel your power. Is it different after what we did?" I asked.

  Lance closed his eyes. He lifted his hand, turned it over, and a fireball appeared on his palm. I'd seen him do this countless of times. But what happened next made me gasp. The ball dissolved into his arm, the heat so intense we stepped back. Within seconds, his entire body glowed like a furnace. An angry red morphed to an intense white, like heated steel. The floorboards under his feet smoked and turned black.

  "Stop," Kiernan shouted. "You're going to burn the house down."

  As quickly as Lance had turned into a living blowtorch, he turned his power off. His clothes had burned to ashes, floating around us as black speckles. He stepped aside, looking to his feet. "Oops."

  Where he'd stood was a perfectly singed outline of his feet. "Maybe we should go outside to try those new powers out?"

  I agreed, nodding weakly as I closed my mouth. That had been spectacular. Lance grabbed some spare clothes, but I reckoned he'd better get used to battling naked. Not that I minded.

  We'd joined Callahan in the kitchen when his cell phone rang again. He listened grimly. "She's here."

  Julian said quietly, "We'll get through this. All of us. Okay?"

  Our former Tech-Mag teacher carried several augmented FBMA weapons. His eyes were sparkling with anger. "Yes. This has gone on long enough. I'm with you all the way. Let's do this."

  Then we opened the door and stepped outside.

  The forest surrounding the house was peaceful. Birds were singing among the trees, and the buzzing of insects was loud in the calm late-spring air. The long, graveled driveway was empty, except for a small figure in the distance.

  One second, Farkas was hundreds of yards away, the next, she stood in front of us. I'd seen her do this before, so it didn’t come as a surprise to me or my men. Justin flinched, but stood his ground.

  "Alone this time?" I couldn't help the challenge in my voice. If we had to fight, might as well get on with it.

  "I don't need anybody else to deal with you." Farkas flapped her hand as if to bat away some minor inconvenience. "The Fae turn out not to be as reliable as I'd thought they were. Apparently, some of them are upset after they learned the details of our deal. No matter. This ends now."

  "Damn right, it does." Justin stepped forward, lifted his augmented gun, and shot her in the head.

  Or at least that's where the bullet should have gone, had her magic not deflected the metal. Our gazes followed the deformed slug as it fell to the ground with a quiet "plick".

  Justin stared at her, his face white. "That gun penetrates every material known to man."

  "And that's where you went wrong, Mr. Whitehall." Farkas lifted her hand, and Justin screamed. A blemish appeared on his cheek, growing larger rapidly. Within seconds, his skin peeled off his flesh in strips. As his wails turned louder and shriller, blood obscured his features until his clothes were soaked through. It happened so fast, none of us reacted until our former teacher's screams grew weaker and stopped. His body swayed and fell forward. He made no attempt to catch himself. He was dead before his body hit the ground.

  The silence after Whitehall's screams was deafening. Our eyes were wide with horror. All of us stared at Farkas, standing in front of us with a satisfied smirk on her face. My knees were shaking so hard, I could barely stay upright. My whole being wanted to fall to my knees and beg for mercy, but I also knew I'd find none. My gaze fell on my men who stood tall, their faces
white, but determined. I hated myself for being so weak, so cowardly.

  Julian whispered, "I'm scared, too. There's no shame in that. But if we go, we'll go together. There are worse things than dying."

  His words were all I needed. We'd either beat her or die together. The moment I made the decision, my fear fell away, and I stepped up next to my men. Macha jumped onto my shoulder, hissing at Farkas. The Quint was together, ready to throw down with the Head Bitch.

  We nodded at each other, and then threw everything we had at Farkas. For several minutes, the place exploded in mayhem. Kiernan pulled boulders from the ground and dropped them on her head. Lance burned off his clothes again as he poured a molten stream of white fire onto our enemy. Callahan fired every gun in his arsenal. And I hit her with a million volt of lightning.

  The constant rattatat, the hissing of fire as it hit its target, the rumbling of rocks grinding together were so loud, it blocked out every other noise. When Callahan's guns were silent, my ears rang. I'd probably blown out my eardrums, but that was the least of my problems. Because after the dust and ash had settled, Farkas's tall figure stood upright and without any visible damage. All our power hadn't touched her.

  "My turn," she said smugly. She lifted her hands and an invisible force grabbed us by the throat and threw us to the ground. My shoulders hit the gravel and scraped my back. It felt like somebody's foot was on my neck. Gasping for breath, I struggled to get out from under it. My men either side of me weren't faring any better.

  A pair of sensible dark shoes appeared in my field of vision. Farkas stood right next to me. Her voice sounded amused. "Well, look at that. The high and mighty Amber Whitman, helpless on her back. I'll keep you till last after I feasted on your delicious men. You're so much stronger than them, but this is the end of the road for you."