by Amy Sumida
“I hate it when you do dangerous things without me,” Slate panted. “I feel so fucking helpless.”
“I'm sorry.”
“But I'm also damn proud of you,” he went on with a fierce grin. “You're amazing and you're mine. That's worth the annoyance of waiting at home for you to return to me.”
“I think I've got my second wind.” I smiled sensuously up at him.
“Do you now?” Slate slowed his rhythm and bent over me.
Lips pressed together and bodies grinding, we luxuriated in our love. The sheer bliss of joining our bodies and feeling the pleasure that brought. Slate was just speeding up, bringing us to a glorious apex, when Jago walked in.
“Hey, Boss, I—” Jago paused when he spotted us.
Slate groaned while I screamed and clawed at his back as we came together. Then he lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at the arena's warden.
“Oh, fuck!” Jago covered his face. “What the fuck? Come on! You have several bedrooms to choose from. Son of a bitch! I'm never going to get that image out of my head or those sounds out of my ears. I should not know what you sound like coming. Elaria, yes, but you, no! I'm going to have nightmares.”
I started to giggle as Jago backed out of the room with his hand still over his eyes.
“Turn around and leave faster!” Slate roared at Jago.
“Fine!” Jago turned and ran for it. “Fucking perverts. Use a damn bed next time!”
“Don't act as if you've never fucked on a desk before!” Slate shouted back.“And learn how to knock!”
Chapter Seventeen
Slate had to handle an issue with the arena so I traveled back to Kyanite alone. I arrived just in time to hear the screaming start.
I raced across the bridges to the tower we'd put the nymphs in and found everyone standing in front of a shrieking woman. Helene pulled the woman into her arms and cooed to her as she stroked the nymph's hair.
“Shh, Alexandra, it's all right now,” Helene helped the woman into a seat as the other nymphs stared off into the distance, completely unconcerned.
“What the hell is going on?” I demanded.
“Remember how I mentioned that healing the mind could be complicated?” Lucifer countered.
“The healing doesn't erase the trauma. I took the first bite, and I came through fine, but I can still remember everything, and I wasn't hurt nearly as bad as they were,” Helen said softly as she rocked Alexandra.
The nymph quieted into shaky breaths and silent tears.
“The fruit heals the damage done to the brain during a psychotic break but it doesn't erase the memories,” Lucifer added. “It brought them back to awareness, as I promised, but they'll still need to process the horrors that have been done to them. They will recover, it just may take some time.”
“I'll help them,” Helene said firmly. “They'll be okay.”
“Helene?” Alexandra whispered. “They... those satyrs hurt us.”
“I know.”
“Why? Why would they do that?”
“Because they were evil men,” Lucifer said as he stepped forward.
The nymph cringed away from him.
“I'm not going to hurt you.” Lucifer held up his hands and stepped back.
“This man rescued you,” Helene said. “And Elaria killed the man who captured us.”
Alexandra sniffed and blinked at Lucifer then at me. “Thank you.”
“Everyone here helped to get you free,” I amended. “We're all relieved that you're safe.”
“Will the others... ?” Alexandra trailed off as she stared at her friends.
“We're going to give them something to bring them out of their catatonic states, but they'll be scared at first, like you were,” Helene said. “Will you help me calm them?”
Alexandra straightened her spine and nodded.
“Good.” Helene stood and helped Alexandra up. “Leave the fruit and go, please. This will be easier without strangers here to scare them.”
“I'll stay,” Kasteo offered.
“No,” Helene said firmly. “I need you to go too, Kas.” She went to the cat-shifter and hugged him tightly. “Thank you for everything you've done, but I've got this.”
“Okay,” Kasteo whispered as Helene returned to her friend.
“Come on, Kas.” I took his hand and led him out of the guest tower and back to mine.
The screaming started again when we were halfway across the second bridge. Kasteo froze and started to turn around.
“She's got this,” I said to him. “It looks as if your nymph has some backbone in her.”
“One bite of that fruit and she became someone else,” he whispered.
“Isn't that a good thing?” I asked as I pulled him along.
“Yeah. Of course. I just...”
“You rescued the damsel in distress and now, she's not in distress anymore so you don't know how to deal with her,” I finished.
“I guess.”
“This is where the real relationship starts, Kas.” I squeezed his hand. “She doesn't need you and that means that if she stays, it's because she wants to.”
“I like being needed.”
“Fucking pussy,” Kosmos jeered from behind us.
“What?” Kasteo spun around, setting the bridge to bouncing.
“Hey, take it off the bridge!” Torin growled. “This isn't the place for a catfight.”
Kasteo stalked off the bridge and waited for his brother on the balcony. As soon as Kosmos stepped onto solid stone, Kas shoved him.
“What the fuck was that?” Kasteo growled. “I'm a pussy because I want a woman to need me?”
“Yeah.” Kosmos grinned like an instigator. “You've always liked the needy ones. You're such a moron when it comes to women.”
“Fuck you, Kos!”
“Fuck you, pussy,” Kos shot back. “A real man chooses a woman who can stand on her own; a woman who will be a partner to him. A real cat looks for a mate who has claws and teeth. A female who will help you protect your young and prowl the night beside you. You've got that now—a beautiful woman who just turned from a doormat into a warrior—and you're whining about it? You're an idiot, Brother.”
Kasteo went quiet then ran a hand through his mottled tabby cat hair. I looked from Kasteo to Kosmos and then shook my head. This was between them. Now that the possibility of violence had abated, I could take my leave. I went inside with the others and left the brothers to work out their issues.
“How did it go with Samedi?” Torin asked me as we settled around the dining table.
I took a seat between him and Declan. “Pretty well, actually. He swore that he'd keep our secret.”
“That would be great if I actually trusted him,” Cer grumbled.
“It's better than Samedi running straight to the Demos Family,” Lucifer pointed out.
“What about the Lucas Raven situation?” I asked Cer. “Did you get the car crash story out?”
“My buddy is on it,” Cer said. “He's got someone in Beneather Services who will forge a death report for Lucas Raven and Elise Reynolds. Once that's in, he'll spread the word that Lucas crashed his car, killing himself and his girlfriend.”
“It'll get to the Satyrs by morning.” I nodded.
If Cer had someone who could post on the Beneather Services site, he didn't need to start a rumor but my bestie is nothing if not thorough.
More screaming filtered over from the nymph tower as Kasteo and Kosmos walked in. The Terrencal brothers cringed but kept walking. They sat down at the table with us.
“Thanks for putting us up, El,” Kasteo said with a lopsided grin.
“You can stay as long as you like,” I offered. “The nymphs too. I think they should hide out here until we get this handled. Then, when it's safe again, we can send them back to Olympus.”
“That would be great.” Kas nodded. “Hopefully, I can convince Helene to stay behind even after her friends leave.”
“So, you've dec
ided that the new Helene isn't so bad?” I teased him.
“I think she might be worth getting to know.” He smirked.
“Well, it seems as if I've done all I can do for tonight.” Lucifer declared as he stood. “I'd very much like to be included in future exploits. Will you contact me?”
“Yeah; you've earned your place at the table, Lucifer.” Cerberus stood and shook Luke's hand. “I'll contact you on the charm when we have something.”
“Thank you.” Lucifer glanced at me. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Luke,” I called after him.
Lucifer glanced at me over his shoulder and then left in his usual, glorious way.
“I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad Lucifer was there tonight,” Darc announced.
“Me too,” I whispered. “Without him, I might have burned that entire yacht before we could get the nymphs off it.”
“On that note, I think it's time for bed.” Torin got up and held out his hand to me.
“I'm sorry, honey, but I don't think I have the energy for what I promised you.” I took his hand anyway, feeling guilty for having sex with Slate when I had promised the night to Torin. But things like this happen when you're in a relationship with multiple men so I tried not to dwell on it.
“You promised him something energetic?” Kasteo lifted a brow at me.
“You can make it up to me in the morning,” Torin suggested as we both ignored Kasteo. “Why don't we go to your house in Hawaii?”
“Somewhere that no one will bother us,” I concluded. “That sounds perfect.”
I kissed my other husbands goodbye and bid everyone goodnight—even the brow-waggling Kasteo—before I traveled to Earth with Torin.
Chapter Eighteen
I woke to sunshine on my skin and salt air in my nose. I opened my eyes to find a gleaming stretch of creamy-tan skin tinted a darker shade of gold by the light. It covered the smooth muscles of a gently rising and falling chest. I slid my hand across and then down that chest, dipping below the crisp sheet to find something else that rose gently into my hand. Torin sighed and turned onto his side toward me, his eyes blinking slowly open.
“Is it time for you to fulfill your promise?” Torin's voice was roughened into raw-silk by sleep.
“It's time.”
I kissed my husband until he was groaning into my mouth and pumping up into my hand. Then I pushed him onto his back again, going with the movement to straddle his waist. The sheet was flung away. I leaned over to draw my nails across those warrior king muscles as I sucked in a taut nipple. Torin started making aroused rumbles, his hips shifting anxiously below me, but I took my time flicking my tongue over him then running it down his stomach as I breathed in deeply. Honey and cinnamon and something darker; that's what Torin smells like.
I shifted my stare up to admire my husband's striking face. The sharp angles of his jaw, the sensual mouth with its slightly pouting lower lip that I loved to bite, those Shining One cheekbones, and his exotic eyes—shifting from deep to shallow waters with the stroke of the sun. His hand palmed my head, urging me back up to his lips. I laughed sensuously and went lower.
“Just relax, Onyx King,” I said before I lavished attention on his scepter.
Torin writhed beneath me; hands clenching in the sheets and hips lifting to send himself deeper into my mouth. I worked him until he was nice and wet then slid up and onto that beautiful shaft. Torin cried out when I seated him inside me, his hands going instantly to my hips.
“Wicked woman,” he purred.
“Do you want me to stop?” I teased him as I dropped firmly down.
Another groan. “Do so, and I shall bend you over that window ledge and finish what you started.”
I laughed as I rode him; slow and steady. Torin bucked, trying to set the speed to his liking, but I kept the pace I wanted. I took his hands and shifted them to my breasts, grinding him deeper when he started an eager massaging. Thumbs circling my nipples, ocean stare locked on mine, and cock churning within me, it all suddenly felt spiritual. I ran my hands down Torin's arms and over his biceps, letting myself fall into enlightenment with him. The steady pulse of pleasure rose and fell with us but each ascension took us higher until I was screaming and shaking above him. I started to fall forward, but Torin held me up.
“You've had your fun. Now, it's my turn.” Torin rocked up as he pushed me onto my back, bringing my knees to my chest before spreading my legs.
Torin leveraged himself on my thighs, pushing me wide open, and began a rapid rhythm. I tried to hold him, but he was moving too quickly and my position prevented me from getting a good grip. I had to give up control and just enjoy the ride.
“Touch yourself,” he demanded. “Spread your sex and rub that slick jewel.”
I slid my hand between my legs, and Torin followed the movement with his hot stare. Breath sawing out of him and shaft pumping into me, my husband watched me writhe for him with the expression of a king.
“I'm going to come,” Torin growled. “And you're going to take it in your mouth.”
All I could do was nod; I was so shocked by his display of dominance. Then he yanked out of me and pulled back, one hand lifting his shaft for me as I lurched forward and slipped my mouth over him. Hot, sweet, rich, Shining One essence poured across my tongue, and I swallowed as I pumped him with my hand, making sure I got every drop. Torin's hand slid over my head, stroking my hair back as I stared up at him.
“Now, you've made it up to me. Your husband is satisfied.”
I grinned mischievously and pushed him back on the bed. “But your wife is just getting started.”
Chapter Nineteen
Cerberus called as Torin and I were finishing our third round. I held Torin tightly through our release before I reached for the cellphone on the bedside table.
“Hello?” I panted through the aftershocks.
“Well, someone's having a good morning,” Cerberus drawled.
“Cer, what happened?” I put him on speaker.
Torin lifted his head from my chest and listened in.
“The ship's explosion was enough confirmation of death for the Demos Family. They sent Peter to replace Philip until the vote can be taken. He's already in Istanbul, and he's got his satyrs running wild all over the Bazaar.”
“Peter is Phillip's younger brother,” I explained to Torin.
“Who you talkin' to?” Cer asked.
“Torin. I got you on speaker.”
“Is this Peter hurting anyone?” Torin asked.
“He's had a few people roughed up but nothing major. Not yet. I heard that they questioned Samedi but it was done respectfully.”
“Sam was right; they don't want to upset the Lwas,” I murmured.
“Hell, neither would I,” Cerberus grumbled. “Those are some badass motherfuckers.”
“Any word on the funeral?” I asked.
“Not yet. They haven't officially announced Philip's death either. I expect that will come first. I want you to stay out of the Bazaar for now, El. I have a strange feeling.”
I went still. Cerberus isn't psychic, but he does have moments of sharp instinct. His animal brain picks up on things that the man part of him misses and communicates it to him as “strange feelings.” I've learned to heed his warnings.
“All right; I'll stay away for now,” I agreed. “Are you okay there?”
“I'll be fine. If anything happens, I have my traveling stone. I'll book it out of here before they can step one hoof into my office.”
“What about Mike?”
“I gave Mike the month off; sent him on vacation outside of the Bazaar with his family. It's just me here, waiting on reports.” He cleared his throat. “Lucifer and me.”
“Lucifer is there with you?” I asked in surprise.
“I called him this morning, and he offered to keep watch with me.”
“That actually makes me feel better,” I admitted.
“Hey, I'm a hellhound; I can handle
myself,” Cer reminded me.
“I know, Cer, but Lucifer's a god. I've seen him do some impressive shit, and I'm glad that he has your back. Thank him for me.”
“You just did that yourself.” Cer chuckled. “I have you on speaker too.”