by Amy Sumida
Emergency measures. Those two words encompassed a lot of complicated magic. Every rath lord is magically bound to his or her rath for the length of their service. During an emergency, when raths are compromised, the Rath Lords activate a spell that turns their bodies into a sort of living fuse. If they were hurt or killed or if they simply panicked, they could magically light this fuse and seal the rath. A ward would descend over it—one that would be practically impenetrable and even the rath lord would be unable to remove the spell once laid. Only the fairies—usually members of the High Council—who cast the fuse spell upon the rath lord could remove it. That way, even if the rath lord were captured, they couldn't be compelled to open the rath. Yes, it was a well thought out contingency plan. But then, Fairies have had a lot of time to think about such things and they take rath protection very seriously. Raths are the only way to reach Fairy, after all.
“He's not getting into Fairy,” Daxon concluded. “And we can rule out our Seelie suspect.”
“But he's likely left Delhi, if not India entirely,” Raza said. “With that pearl, he could simply wish himself to another location.”
“Wouldn't that have caused another magical surge?” I asked.
“Probably,” Raza agreed. “But it would be smaller than the surge resulting from turning a three hundred acre slum into a high-class neighborhood.”
“Fair enough.” I grimaced. “He could be anywhere on the planet.”
“At least we only have one planet to worry about,” Tiernan said.
“Let's go back to Twilight,” Killian suggested. “We need to collect our guards anyway and if we're waiting for this guy to reveal himself, we might as well be waiting with our family.”
Everyone agreed to that. It was late night in Delhi which meant it was late morning at Castle Twilight. With the time difference and the travel we had ahead of us, we could possibly make it home by dinner. So, we bid farewell to Avi and headed for the expanded rath.
“What in all the realms?” I whispered as we stepped up to the rath.
“Raths are ancient magic, mo shíorghrá,” Raza said with a smug grin.
The door that we had blasted off when we widened the way for the elephants was back in place, only larger. It fit the new hole precisely. Also, the edges had been smoothed as if a master mason had done some work before the carpenter arrived. Although, I'm not sure if carpenter is the correct job title for a person who installs metal doors. I think blacksmith is more accurate but I suppose it doesn't matter. The magic of the rath had made and installed this door and, just like the last one, this golden door had a silver star upon it. Beneath that star stood a silver forest and castle—the symbol of the Twilight Kingdom.
“Let's go home,” I said to my husbands. “I want to kiss our children and hug Cat.”
We walked the rath and stepped out into the middle of a merry campsite. Our guards weren't sunning themselves this time—there was no sunshine, for one thing—but they were basking in the glow of firelight and companionship—not all of which was Fey. Monkeys had invaded the camp; they sat atop shoulders, hung from tent poles, and sat on the ground next to the knights. Our guards laughed at monkey antics as they played and generally made themselves at home. Only the Pukas seemed to be unimpressed.
Around the edges of the camp loomed another group of animals—the elephants. They didn't play like the monkeys but they did look at home, or at least at peace. They clustered in groups, or families, rather, with their young corralled between them. They didn't spook when fairies approached them. In fact, they gladly accepted the friendly strokes and food our knights offered them. Some were standing but most were sitting, their thick legs tucked up beneath them, and some were even lying on their sides, sleeping. In the branches above them, a multitude of birds roosted, cooing peacefully.
I stepped into the campsite and just stared, a feeling of awe coming over me. We hadn't caught the thief but we had helped these amazing animals get to safety. That mattered; I'd take is a win. I briefly wondered about the predators—the lions and leopards and such—that had come through as well. How were they doing in the Twilight Forest? What were they doing? But there were all kinds of creatures here and I had faith in our Goddess to sort things out. She had offered them sanctuary and that meant they would be safe.
“Your Majesties!” Sir Ainsley declared as he jumped up. “How did the hunt go?”
“It's still going,” Raza said as he shifted back to normal, then took a seat by the fire. He stretched his wings out as if they'd been cramped, wherever they'd been.
A monkey approached Raza cautiously and he casually extended a clawed hand to it. The monkey used the hand as a springboard to launch himself onto Raza's shoulder, then made himself comfortable beneath the curve of a dragon wing. Raza smiled softly at his new companion, looking perfectly at ease with a monkey on his shoulder. It wasn't all that surprising to me; I'd seen him treat Kuperi—tiny fairy critters that glow—with the same respect he showed lords of his court. My husband is a complicated man.
“Don't you want to get moving?” I asked Raza.
“This is... nice,” Raza said as he looked around the clearing. “I'd be open to camping here for the night if the rest of you aren't against it.”
I looked at my other husbands and they shrugged.
“I think I'm seeing the benefit of being without my son,” Tiernan said. “Yes, let's spend the night here, in the arms of our goddess.”
“And our wife,” Killian added as he scooped me up and ran into the woods with me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Killian found a small clearing with moonlight streaming onto a patch of soft grass. He set me on my feet there, then pulled me back into his arms.
“Moonlight in starry eyes,” Killian murmured as he stared down at me and stroked the side of my face. “So beautiful.”
He leaned down and kissed me tenderly, emotion filling every stroke, every brush of lips on lips. I slid my hands over his shoulders and held on as my body came to life—woke up as if it had been hibernating. One kiss was all it took with Killian. Sometimes even less than that. I could catch his scent and shiver. I moved my hands down, over the hard curves of his chest, and pressed them there until I could feel his heart beating into my palm. As I did, I caught a whiff of something smoky, sweet, and utterly masculine—like a clean man drinking hot cider by a campfire. No, not a man: a dragon. Killian's scent wasn't the only one that could make me shiver. I trembled and sighed into Killian's mouth as Raza swept my hair away from my neck and started kissing me there.
Claws coasted along my jeans, then popped open the button. Raza eased the jeans down slowly as Killian helped me out of my blouse. It was all done without urgency, just a languorous slide of fabric along flesh. My boots went with the jeans, then Raza removed my panties, growling in delight as he drew them over my ass. The growl vibrated across my skin just before I felt the press of his lips at the small of my back. The claws vanished as Raza moved his hands forward, curling them around my thighs. His fingertips tickled my sex while Killian removed my bra.
Warm night air on flushed skin. Hard muscles beneath my hands. The scent of male musk and dragon arousal. I breathed in deeply as I eased out of Killian's kiss, then glanced around the Fey woods. Daxon and Tiernan stood nearby, casually leaning against tree trunks as they watched us. Even in the moonshine-dappled shadows, I could see the arousal that sharpened their stares and softened their lips. The call of a night creature echoed and Daxon grinned slowly—wickedly. So, it was going to be like that, eh?
I cried out as Raza worked his magic, one finger moving in lazy circles over my most sensitive spot as another delved deeper. I felt his chest brush my ass; he was naked already. When had that happened? I started helping Killian out of his clothes but I was going weak from Raza's ministrations. The dragon stood and pressed himself tightly against my back, his hand working me more urgently, and I lost my ability to undo buttons. Killian didn't need my help anyway; he shucked out of his
clothes in seconds, tossing them away carelessly, then was back to kissing me. This time, he started at the base of my throat, then got on his knees, sliding his lips down my body as he went. His mouth crested my breast and started a gentle sucking. I pulled him closer with one hand as my other went behind me to grab Raza's ass.
Dear Danu, was there anything greater than this? Pressed between two men who loved me and made the focus of their ardent attention. I prayed that it would never stop.
Raza's wings were gone, leaving nothing in my way. His mouth returned to my neck, teeth nipping my tender skin, and he ground the heel of his palm against me as he sank his fingers all the way inside. I moaned through my first release, hands clenching on my husbands and legs giving out. Raza supported me with Air magic, a move so subtle I wouldn't have known what he'd done if I hadn't felt the currents against my skin.
A breeze lifted my thighs and moved them apart as Killian came forward. Raza eased back, lowering me into a horizontal hover. I expected him to continue to lift me with his Air magic, but Killian crooked a finger and vines descended from the trees. The thick, slick ropes curled beneath me and wove together until I was fully supported, then flowers blossomed along them. I laughed in delight as I swayed gently, then met Killian's gaze. He smiled softly as he guided himself between my thighs. I stared down my body at the thick shaft nudging my entrance. Kill moved the tip over me, slicking us both before easing inside. Little by little, inch by inch, he pumped deeper and deeper, using the vine-swing's movement to gently bring us together while he held my stare. Star eyes to snake eyes. Softness to steel. We cried out together when he was fully seated.
I flung my head back as Killian began a steady tempo. Raza was there, waiting. His ebony cock shone silver in the moonlight, its red tip turned nearly the same color as the rest of him by that soft rays. He curved a hand over my cheek adoringly before moving closer. I grabbed his hips to steady myself. The tip of his shaft brushed my lips and my tongue flicked out to lick it. Raza's whole body went rigid and his eyes flashed gold.
“Mo shíorghrá,” he whispered, that was all.
I opened my mouth and let the dragon in. He moved inside slowly, Killian's deep thrusts doing more to bring him in than Raza did. My tongue tasted the sweetness of his arousal, and I moaned, sucking him in further as I used my grip on his hips to pull myself closer to him. To pull him deeper. Raza gave in, thrusting himself into my mouth, past my tightening lips, as I bent my head further back to receive him. He went deep, his dark curls tickling my skin and his scent—darker and more masculine there—filling my nose as surely as his shaft filled my mouth.
Then my beasts found their rhythm.
Hands at my hips, Killian pumped into me, his thrusts deep and sure. My hanging legs curved around his hips to anchor myself. The wet slap of flesh and arousal echoed in my ears along with the moans of my husbands. Flower petals rained over us. My hands clenched on Raza's ass—slick skin and tight muscles filling my palms. His cock thickened, stretching my lips. I ran my tongue along it, seeking more of his sublime taste. More of everything.
“Soon, mo shíorghrá,” Raza promised as he began massaging flower petals over my breasts. “Soon,” he growled.
The men sped up, working in harmony—entering me at the same time. Pleasure curled toward my center from two places, violently colliding. I screamed around Raza's cock, my body trembling through another orgasm. The beasts kept thrusting, their grips tightening as they drew closer to their releases as well. As my screams subsided, Killian shouted and gave one last thrust before emptying into me. He moved away moments later and so did Raza.
I looked up at Raza in surprise, but he only grinned as he flicked away Killian's vines with his own Earth magic and caught me when I fell. He set me down on the grass, on my knees before him, then offered himself to me once more. I sucked him in eagerly and used my hands to stroke him. He growled, deep in his chest, as his palms bracketed my face.
“Seren,” Raza whispered brokenly, “I'm coming.”
I held the base of his shaft as I worked my mouth over him, preparing to receive his release. Raza gave an echoing roar and released my face suddenly, doubtless afraid he might hurt me. His back arched, his hands curled as claws sprouted from them, and his face lifted to the Moon as he emptied into my mouth. The sweet, musky taste of him tingled across my tongue before I drank him down. My hands tightened on his clenching ass, holding the dragon until he was spent. One last shiver, then he dropped onto his knees before me. Raza's thick arms came around me and his mouth found mine. I languished in the kiss with him, pressing my breasts against the hard plane of his chest while he tenderly stroked my back. Finally, he drew away, kissed my forehead, and got to his feet before helping me up as well.
Tiernan and Daxon moved forward then—both were naked.
I shivered to see the strength of their arousal—their muscles twitched with it and their eyes glowed. After watching me with Raza and Kill, they wouldn't be able to give me the slow build-up the other men had. But at that point, I didn't want it. Raza stepped back silently and I went into their arms of my other husbands with erotic urgency.
Tiernan drew me into his arms and claimed my mouth. He began to massage my breasts, his thumbs rubbing circles over my nipples, as he took a tip from Raza and used Air magic to lift me vertically off my feet. Or maybe that was Daxon. The King of the Undergrounds moved into place behind me as my thighs were spread wide by the breeze. Daxon's hand went straight to my sex but only to rub my arousal back to that other place.
This wasn't something I'd been into before Daxon and it had taken a lot of work on his part to show me that I could enjoy it. But now, I didn't tense nervously when he slipped a finger into that other place. Instead, I moaned, my body writhing in anticipation. Daxon growled in response and removed his finger to surge upward with his shaft, thrusting into my sex to coat himself before abruptly pulling out. Tiernan's mouth left mine and replaced his hands, sucking at my nipples strongly as Daxon spread my ass and set his velvet tip against me. I groaned as he eased into me there, then cried out as he slid deep.
I leaned back onto Daxon's chest, laying my head on his shoulder as he began a steady thrusting. But then, Tiernan stood up and Dax went still to allow the Seelie King to sheath himself in my sex. Once Tiernan was firmly rooted, my husbands started a see-saw movement—one going in while the other went out. My thighs began to shake.
I clutched at Tiernan's shoulders as I tried to hold myself still for their surging shafts. Mind-boggling pleasure was building inside me—pleasure I couldn't focus on. The feeling of being filled in both of those channels at once was almost too much, especially with my body already so sensitized. It felt as if my entire body was an erogenous zone—tingling and aching. Tiernan moved a hand between us and started rubbing me expertly. The dam of my pleasure broke.
I screamed so loudly that I was certain everyone and everything in the forest had heard me. But I didn't care. As soon as I came down from that high, I wanted to rise again. I anxiously angled my head to kiss Daxon as my hand moved over the muscles of Tiernan's chest. Urgent sounds whimpered up my throat. Tiernan's hair was loose and shining nearly as bright as his eyes. The silk of it brushed my slick skin, clinging wherever it touched. My hair likewise adhered to Daxon's chest and it felt like one more connection between the three of us—one more way we were bound together.
The scent of sex rode the air as I did—with wild abandon. I breathed it in deeply, then gasped as Tiernan ran a hand down my chest. Moisture gathered in its wake, collected from the air. It cooled my hot body and slicked my skin.
“More,” I demanded.
Tiernan grinned. “As my queen demands.”
He waved a hand and my entire body went wet. Water gathered and ran down my legs, down my arms, and over my breasts. I licked a drop from Tiernan's throat and he grabbed the back of my head to roughly hold me there a moment, a rumble of desire climbing up his chest to tickle my lips. But then he suddenly released me and
stepped back.
I cried out in loss, but Tiernan was already getting to his knees. He set his mouth to the apex of my sex with a greedy sound. Daxon slowed his thrusts to keep me steady for Tiernan, his hands sliding around my waist and up to work my breasts. He bent his head over my shoulder and avidly watched the Seelie King pleasure me as he knelt before me. Hot tongue on cooled flesh. Flicking. Sucking. Twirling. Hands gripping my thighs. Moans vibrating against me. Tiernan has always had a way of making me scream. I came in seconds.
As I trembled through my release, Tiernan regained his feet and reclaimed his place. But my orgasm had sent Daxon over the edge. He pulled out to shout brokenly as he released onto the grass. Panting, Dax moved away and allowed Tiernan to finish alone. Tiernan made a low sound of pleasure and pulled me down on himself, going as deep as possible. I latched onto his shoulders, my thumbs stroking his throat, as he began a rapid pounding. His pelvis slapped my thighs with each thrust and water cascaded off our bodies in sparkling droplets.
The other men gathered around us, eyes hot and cocks rising, as Tiernan took me into ecstasy once more. Arms wound tightly around each other, mouths melding in a savage kiss, and bodies united in the most primal way, we crested. Our heads flung back and our muscles tightened, squeezing us even closer together as we roared our release to the Twilight sky. As the echo of our ecstasy faded, Tiernan cradled me against his chest and we shivered through the aftershocks together.