by Heather Long
“Why keep the braid all these years? It went out of fashion eons ago.” Zhan broke up the quiet.
Startled, Seth’s hand went back to his braid. “What does that matter? It’s part of who I am, the region I was born from.” At least in the only way Keepers could be born. “Anyway, I can hide it easily enough in my human form.” He shrugged.
The scrutiny that Zhan treated him to started to make him itch. “You’ve been in your original form since we’ve been here. That’s unusual for you, isn’t it?”
“Look who’s talking.” Seth pinned Zhan down with a knowing gaze. “Before you met Dahlia, how long had it been since you’d let your wings out?”
Dropping his chin to his chest, at first Seth didn’t think he would answer. “Since we fell,” he whispered. “Part of denying our grace is to separate ourselves as best we can. My grace is so strong, I had to mentally chain the beast down to block him out. It was so hard at first. I thought I would die. But over time, I found ways to regain control, and eventually, it was like it didn’t exist. You might not know, but to block your grace like that means that your original form is out of your reach. They are inexplicably tied together. We could not fly and chain our grace at the same time.” Sorrow drenched everything about Zhan, from his words to his expression and posture.
Seth reared back from surprise and sympathy. How hard would it have been to essentially kill one side of your nature? He began to view their sacrifice much differently than he had before. If he was being honest with himself, he had never viewed it as a sacrifice, but more of a selfish act to please themselves.
Now he knew it had been nothing like that.
“I’m so sorry, Zhan. I wish I would have known, I would not have shunned you for so long.” And he never would again.
“What’d I miss?” Tarus strolled back into the room with a large tray of sandwiches, chips, and drinks. Nothing that required utensils, but plenty that would leave crumbs.
The urge to take the tray back to the kitchen was strong, but Zhan’s stomach growled this time. And glancing at Dahlia, then his brothers, he knew none of them could leave her. So he pushed it down and hoped like hell he could find the small attachment to his handheld vacuum.
“Nothing,” Zhan muttered as he shifted Dahlia so he could free up one hand, then he reached for a chip. As soon as he put it in his mouth, Seth watched two miniscule crumbs land on Dahlia’s shirt, and he sighed.
He’d have to get her a clean set of clothes too.
“Yes, you did miss something.” Seth angled his shoulders so he could face both Tarus and Zhan together. “I just learned that you had to lock your wings away to stay sane all these centuries. And for that, I’m sorry. I had no idea that was the cost to deny your grace. I won’t ever forget it.”
Tarus’ eyes widened so much, and for a moment, he even stopped breathing. Then he chuckled under his breath and handed out the sandwiches.
“The world is going to end, isn’t it, Zhan? Seth making jokes, being reasonable, sharing his space with us. Next thing we know, he’ll cut off his precious braid.”
“Hey.” Seth frowned. “Why do you hate the braid so much? I never commented on how lame your face tattoo is.”
It was only visible when he was fully in his Keeper form, but in the days they’d spent together, he’d never let it come all the way through. Sadly, Seth wondered if he was still trying to keep his grace blocked as much as possible.
Tarus gasped. “One, tattoos never have and never will go out of style. You can thank the islanders for that,” he looked to the ceiling, “and probably Jason Mamoa. His role in Aquaman definitely brought the trend back, if it was even fading. But your braid, man, no one wears those like that anymore.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid the only place I’ve seen anything like that is in white supremist cults or The Vikings series on The History Channel.” Zhan nodded.
“I don’t know what any of that means.” Seth was starting to feel like he’d lived under a rock for so much of their time apart.
“Don’t worry, Seth. It just means that it’s not a thing anymore.” Both Zhan and Tarus cracked up, but quietly, just in case it would have disturbed Dahlia.
Seth held his own humor in, and wouldn’t have admitted it, but he was having a good time.
“The braid stays, so by your theory, it’s not the end of the world,” Seth said with a straight face, and his brothers laughed louder.
He had missed them so much. And all it took was one snarky, willful woman to bring them back into his life. No, not just any woman, but Dahlia.
“What are we going to do, brothers?” His sandwich finished, he set his napkin on the tray and bent forward to run the back of his knuckles over her cheek.
So soft. So fragile.
“We get to know her. Let her get to know us. And we cherish every moment we are blessed with.” Funnily enough, that bit of wisdom came from Zhan.
“This is getting too sentimental for me.” Tarus took a swig from his glass. “We can know this, but let’s not speak of it. Unless it’s with Dahlia, though I prefer these kinds of conversations between just me and her.” He gave them a look that was a cross between a grin and a grimace.
“I agree,” Seth chimed in as he temporarily moved out of his spot and used his hands to wipe the crumbs out of the bed. If he didn’t get these out now, he’d never be able to sleep well that night. Although, that was all dependent on if Dahlia awoke. If she did not, no one would get any rest.
Careful not to disturb Dahlia, even if she wouldn’t feel it, Seth brushed the crumbs off of her shirt into his hands.
“Ah yes, another of Seth’s traits that I had almost forgotten about. His incessant need for a tidy house.” Tarus moved the tray to the night stand.
“You’ll thank me later when you aren’t sleeping in a bed full of crisp bread crumbs,” he said, the snotty tone Seth used out of amusement rather than indignation.
“Mmm,” Dahlia hummed and then rolled her body into Zhan’s. The brief flash of jealousy that it wasn’t his chest she burrowed into was bright and sharp, but he managed to push it down. He was really just ecstatic that she did something other than laying comatose.
“Did you hear that?” Tarus said as they crowded over her. She was liable to scream if she woke up and found the three of them staring down at her. Barely a foot separated their heads from hers.
“Let’s back up just a bit, we don’t want to frighten her.” Seth tugged on Tarus’ sleeve, and they both moved back about two inches. Not much, but Seth couldn’t force himself to distance himself any more.
They waited for another sign of her waking. Seconds turned into minutes, and before they knew it, twenty minutes had passed.
“Her humming is a good sign, right?” Tarus asked.
“I think so.” Zhan nuzzled her temple with his cheek. “This should all be a normal part of her waking.”
Dahlia sighed and moved her hand to grip Zhan’s shoulder and collectively they all leaned forward.
“Dahlia?” Seth called softly. “My sweet?”
A tiny snore filled the air, and grins broke out over all of their faces. Such a graceful figure with a smart ass personality and a baby snore. It was adorable.
“Beauty?” Tarus rubbed small circles on her ankle with his thumb.
That was a good idea. Seth wanted to have contact with her too. He used the back of his hand to push the hair off of her neck, and then he cupped her nape. Just having that physical connection was everything to him in that moment.
Another sigh, and then, “Zhan?” Her voice was rusty, as if she’d partied all night and slept all day as some humans did.
The naked joy that filled Zhan’s face was beautiful and heartbreaking to witness. It was too much for Seth, so he immediately took his attention back to Dahlia.
“I’m here, Lovely,” he cooed to her as he shifted her higher up his chest.
“Good,” she whispered, but yawned right after. Slowly, as if she’d been asleep for yea
rs, she started to rouse. When she looked up at Zhan, she hummed again in contentment.
Pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead, Zhan surprised him with his next actions. He extended his arms and passed Dahlia to him.
She met Seth’s gaze and smiled up at him, her gaze still foggy from sleep. He bent his head and kissed her lips so sweetly, before he allowed Tarus to take her.
She was awake, and everything was right in the world.
For the moment.
Dread hung like a dark cloud on the horizon, however, even in Domum.
Their days were numbered.
18
There was no such thing as ‘guilty pleasure’ when Judgment was your lover. But I’d happily take a little side of Punishment, or even just a taste of Justice. Because this girl was ready for all the pleasure, and if they didn’t man up soon, they’d find a very sexually frustrated Dahlia on their hands. And that was good for nobody. - Dahlia
Zhan
After Dahlia’s sudden collapse, everything changed. Seth grew more approachable. Admitting that shackling his grace had cut him off from those aspects of himself, like his wings, had freed Zhan as surely as how in seeking out Dahlia, he’d shattered the chains he’d put in place. Tarus relaxed more, and his teasing grew more biting and familiar. The shift between the three of them led to more laughter, even if Seth finally gave into her while Zhan and Tarus had been in the kitchen when they indulged.
He didn’t resent it as much as he’d expected. Tarus had just started prepping fruit for them to bring back in to her when the first moans reached them. Almost as one, they paused.
Then came her breathless little cry, and it went straight to Zhan’s cock. The fact that Seth’s groan reverberated with the sudden need in Zhan and his own wings stretched made him laugh rather than scowl.
“Good,” Tarus said after a moment. There was no mistaking the sound of the bed thumping or Dahlia’s intensifying cries. While a part of Zhan wished he was in the room, another part of him remained satisfied that the impasse they’d been at for days had finally broken. Dahlia had woken in Zhan’s arms and righted their world.
“She’s a screamer,” he murmured. He’d thought so. When she came against his thigh while tied to the wall, her cries had been intense, but he’d kissed her through most of it.
“She is,” Tarus said, and they shared a grin.
“I can work with that.”
Light blazed from the room, and they turned as one, abandoning the food prep to head toward the open door. Well, look at that, Seth hadn’t even shut them out. Tarus stopped abruptly at the edge, and Zhan nearly collided with his puffed wings.
Seth lay on the bed flat, Dahlia riding him. Her bare body glowed as Seth’s wings stretched out. Their auras…intertwined. The cascade of sunset shot through with silver and white dazzled their eyes, and he braced against the power surge.
The sensuous curve of her back arched as she tilted her head. Zhan swore he could see even her muscles rippling as she rolled her hips. Sweat gleamed against her skin, and the light intensified. Even braced for it, he wasn’t prepared for the stunning beauty of her orgasm, or how light seemed to shimmer and coalesce around both of them in a stunning cascade.
“Fuck,” Tarus exhaled, and Zhan could only silently agree. His cock was harder than stone, but more, tears wet his eyes from the beauty of it. She embodied Tarus’ name for her.
When she sagged forward, Zhan was already moving. Seth’s eyes were closed, and they were both breathing in ragged pants. Not slowing, Zhan gathered her damp hair away from her face and studied her closed eyes. Had she collapsed again?
Then her lashes fluttered, and those dark eyes opened to meet his gaze. Relief and lust collided in him as she smiled. “Did you watch us, Zhan?”
“Oh yeah,” he whispered. “It was fucking beautiful, Lovely.”
A pleased smile stretched her lips. “I liked it.”
Seth chuckled and spread a hand against her back. “As did I.”
“And look,” Dahlia teased as she stretched, all languid action and sensuous lines. “Your monster cock didn’t knock me out.”
Tarus’ chuckle eddied through the room, and even Zhan had to grin. Not letting himself think about it, he clasped Dahlia’s nape and dragged her face to his. Her lips parted as he slanted his mouth over hers. He wanted just a taste of that pure joy radiating from her. The glow diminished, but the flame that was her seemed to burn brighter than ever, and he had no compunction at flying into that sun.
Let it singe his wings. Her tongue dueled with his, and she feathered her fingers into his hair, gripping it almost as tightly as he held her. Seth let out another groan, and Dahlia sighed.
Little licks gave way to thrusts with his tongue when she began to move again. Seth had a hold of her hips, and he thrust up as he shifted her weight. Her cries began to build again, but Zhan never relinquished her lips. When she came this time, he wanted to swallow every luscious sound.
It didn’t take long, the heat of their coupling flooded the air around them, and when she came apart, he drowned in the sound of it. The surge of decadence hit him like the Nectar of Gods, and he had to brace a hand on the bed to keep from falling into the two of them as the aftershocks rolled through her and seemed to lash at him.
“Fuck,” Dahlia managed with a shudder as he pulled back to smile at her.
“Soon, Lovely,” he promised her. Promised himself, too. Then he pressed another kiss to her lips. “We’ll bring the food in a moment.”
Her sex-drenched smile was like a fist around his cock. He wanted to paint her face with that look, and he wanted it to be his cock buried in her, until she didn’t know where she ended and he began. With care, he eased her back into Seth’s arms, and she let out an almost purring sound of contentment.
Meeting his brother’s gaze, he braced for recrimination, but all he found was a glint of surprised welcome. “Help her shower,” he suggested. “I think she’ll be a little unsteady on her feet after that ride.”
“Me, too,” Dahlia enthused. “Just let me rest a bit, and I’m totally down for more dicking.”
The bark of laughter from Tarus and her own chuckles had Zhan grinning. An hour later, and after they’d taken turns feeding her bits of fruit, meat, and cheese, they took her to the first place on her list.
Paris.
“I can’t believe we’re here,” she exhaled. It was nearly midnight in Paris, but the city remained alive and pulsing. “But the museums are probably closed, aren’t they?”
“We can go anywhere you want, Lovely,” Zhan told her. They didn’t need doors. He’d have promised her the moon or the floor of the ocean for the way her eyes lit up. They spent most of the Paris night exploring the Louvre, walking along the Seine, and even taking her to a charming nightclub where she danced with all of them.
It had been perfect.
Another change that happened? Seth no longer kept her sequestered on the far side of the bed. He moved her to sleeping between him and Zhan, or she slept between Zhan and Tarus. Both of his brothers always took the outside, shielding her and him.
He’d forgotten how protective Seth could be. Tarus had never stopped, but they’d balanced it out over the centuries, and that balance shifted now that they were back. For Zhan’s part, he didn’t argue, it meant no matter where Dahlia slept, he could hold her. They’d taken care too, watchful for overexerting her, and as much as Zhan wanted to seduce her, he gave it time. Tarus also seemed to be waiting, though he’d indulged some of his needs. There was a contentment in just being in her presence.
A contentment that kept his beast from overwhelming him, despite the shattered chains and the wild strength of his grace. When Dahlia was there, it muted, and when she held his hand, he could almost forget that it had ever been a struggle. Justice hadn’t fought him.
Not yet.
In the meanwhile, they’d been making field trips to take her to places she’d always wanted to go. Today, Zhan was taking her with him.
Seth and Tarus had both had time with her on their own, and he wanted his. Over breakfast, he’d told his brothers he wanted to take her to the ranch, and Tarus gave him an amused look.
“To show her,” Zhan told him.
“Oh, do I get to see more than the green room of sexual denial?” Her excitement was contagious, but that question reminded him of the last time she’d been there. If he tied her to that wall this time, there would be no denial involved.
“Uh huh,” Tarus said. “To show her.”
“Hey,” Dahlia said with a slap to his arm. “Don’t pick on him. I went flying with you, and Seth is being my cuddle monster again. Zhan’s right, I want to get to know him, too.”
Pleasure pulsed through him at the claim, and he grinned. “Excellent. We’ll be a couple of hours, maybe even as long as four, but I’ll bring her back.” The last he said to all three of them. An oath.
“It’s not Dahlia-napping when I agree, and they know that,” she told him firmly. “What should I wear?”
“Nothing is always an option. And it’s still hot out.”
“Are we going riding?” The teasing glint in her eyes made Zhan laugh.
“You can ride anything you want, Lovely, but you will need pants if it’s one of the horses.”
Seth groaned and shook his head. “Don’t encourage her.”
“Why not?” Zhan asked.
Instead of answering him, Seth pinned Dahlia with a look. “Do you even know how to ride a horse?”
“I can ride you, big boy. How hard can a horse be?”
As funny as that had been, it meant enduring one of Seth’s lectures on her safety while she got changed. Zhan didn’t mind because very shortly, he would be escaping with his Lovely, and he couldn’t wait. Besides, the last thing he wanted was for Dahlia to be hurt. Their horses were gentle though, and while Tarus was more gifted with the animals than Zhan, he could persuade them to be quiet for her.