In the Nyx of Time
Page 22
His thrusts were sliding me over the marble table, but I kept my hands where they were. And they made a world of difference; Blue was able to go so deep, and every thrust swung his balls against my clit. Blue leaned over me and grasped the edge of the table; using it as leverage to go even deeper. I was pressed hard between the stone and his body, and, amazingly enough, no jokes about rocks and hard places came to mind; I was that into it.
Blue suddenly swept my hair back from my neck—flinging it over my face—and as we both reached our climax, he bit me. My whole body shook with powerful jolts of pleasure as he drank from me, and then he pulled back to join his triumphant shout with mine. Blue collapsed over me, and we laid there; breathing hard together.
“Blue?” I whispered.
“Yes, my love?”
“Can I let go of my ass now?”
Chapter Forty-One
“Are you all right?” Blue asked as he carried me to the bathroom. “I wasn't too rough on you, was I?”
“No; it was... quite enjoyable,” I admitted.
“I'm relieved that you think so,” he said. “I'm not usually so demanding, but this situation with the other men... it's had an effect on me.”
“If you're unsure, Blue—”
“I'm not,” he cut me off. “I know I haven't been as accepting as your fiance, but that doesn't mean I want to give up on us. I love you, Vervain.”
“I love you too.”
Blue took me to the tub and set me down in the stone basin. I had screeched in delight the first time I saw his bathroom; it was as if he'd brought a forest waterfall into his home. There was a stone counter running down the left side of the room, with a rock wall behind it that was embedded with plant life. Across from this; glass doors were open to the jungle and grass flowed in from outside. At the far end of the room, there was a bathtub that looked like a natural pool; complete with a shower head that was more like a waterfall.
Blue turned on the faucet instead, and water began to fill the tub. I eased back onto a shelf, and he climbed in beside me. Around us, soft plants grew abundantly; some of them blossoming with fragrant flowers. I leaned back on the smooth stone and breathed deeply as the liquid warmth rose around me. It was perfect; just what I needed to relax.
“I'm scared,” Blue whispered.
“What?” My eyes popped open. “Why?”
“I don't want to lose this,” he said. “I believe you when you say that we were married; that our other time is better than this one, but—”
“But what if it isn't?” I asked. “Or what if we lose ourselves in our old selves?”
“It's hard to imagine losing the consciousness you have and replacing it with another.” He nodded. “Our experiences form us; that has never been more clear to me as it is now. And I don't want to lose this experience.”
“Me either,” I said softly. “But we're starting to remember that other time; it's coming back to us despite the past changing.”
“So, you think that this time will also return to us?” Blue asked.
I took a deep breath and told him what I hadn't told the others, “I'm experiencing memories that I don't understand. They contradict each other.”
“What do you mean?” Blue leaned forward; turning off the faucet absently.
He moved across the pool to where I sat and slid onto the shelf beside me.
“Alaric says that this is the third time that Aion has changed our past,” I said. “I don't think that all of my memories are from that original timeline.”
“You think that you're remembering other times that have been changed?” Blue's eyes widened.
“I had a memory of being married to Thor,” I said. “Only Thor.”
“Thor?” Blue scowled.
“And I think I was having an affair with his father,” I whispered.
Blue gaped at me. “Did you just say that you were cheating on Thor with Odin?”
“I think that I may have been married to Odin in our original time,” I explained. “The pull he had on me was similar to those I've felt recently.”
“I don't know what to say to that.” Blue blinked in shock.
“I haven't told anyone else, Blue.”
“Why not?”
“Because I was afraid of seeing that look.” I waved to his face. “I was afraid that they would think less of me.”
“I don't think less of you.” Blue pulled me over to straddle his lap. “I was just shocked. I've worked with Odin before, and he doesn't seem like the sort of man who's interested in romance.”
“Oh?”
“I believe there was a tragedy in his past.” Blue shrugged. “To hear that he was drawn to you so passionately that he betrayed his son is shocking.”
“And I betrayed my husband,” I said. “That shocks me too. I don't want to believe that I'm capable of that kind of behavior.”
“You're only seeing pieces of the story,” he said gently. “You could easily be misinterpreting them.”
Well, that's ironic; coming from him, Alaric huffed.
Am I an adulterer? I ignored his tone.
It depends on how you look at it. Technically, you had some very romantic interludes with men other than Thor, when you were married to him. But that's only because you were being pulled back to your real husbands.
And Odin was one of them?
Yes. Don't ask me for more information; I'm still hoping it will return on its own.
Will I remember all of this if we succeed and history is corrected?
I don't know, V. Your collection of memories from these new timelines suggests yes, but Time is a tricky thing, and so is magic.
“Vervain?” Blue smoothed back my hair. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah; I was just talking to Alaric,” I said. “He doesn't know if our memories from this time will return, but he thinks there's a good chance of it.”
“So, we may not lose this.” Blue smiled as he leaned forward to kiss me.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and let Blue's kiss consume me. We had two days left before we confronted Nyx and Aion, and I knew I'd only have this one night with Blue. I had to be with my other men too; not just to be together intimately, but also to prepare for battle. This was our last shot at making time right again.
And it was my last chance to love Blue.
Chapter Forty-Two
The next morning, I went home. I had to make sure that Nick had enough food and water, and I needed to get some real clothes. I was so tired of wearing that slutty dress. I didn't have a tracing chant to get home, so Blue had to trace me to Duat, and then Re took all of us—Blue and Trevor included—to my home in Hawaii. Neither Blue nor Trevor had been to my house yet, so they couldn't direct the trace. The first time I had brought Re, we had to go from the gallery; where I'd left my car. But now, all of them would know how to reach me.
I said goodbye to Blue—who promised to meet us in Duat the next day—and then to Re. I was returning to Duat after I changed and collected a few things; including my cat. I'd feel safer with Nick in the God Realm when all of this went down. Re and Blue traced away, but Trevor didn't.
“I'd like to stay with you while you pack if that's okay,” Trevor said.
“Sure.” I shrugged. “You wanna grab us some sodas from the fridge?” I waved to the kitchen that was open to the living room. “I'll be in the bedroom at the end of the hallway.”
“Can we talk first?” He asked gently.
“Um; sure.” I went to the Moroccan sofa and sat down. “What about?”
“Blue,” Trevor said as he sat beside me. “Vervain, I've been having a lot of memories return now that we've mated, and I don't think Blue is one of your husbands.”
I sighed deeply and looked into my lap.
“You already knew that,” he said in surprise.
“Alaric told me,” I admitted. “But it wasn't until after Blue and I had been intimate. At that point, it felt as if I should just stick it out until our history was corre
cted.”
“So, you're going to keep sleeping with him because of what? You don't want to hurt his feelings?”
“Yes. I love him as a friend, and I don't want to hurt him right after he's been healed,” I explained. “It could do horrible things to Blue. But I also enjoy being with him, Trevor.”
“I don't like it, but I'll deal,” Trevor said softly.
“So, you won't tell him?”
“No, but if we fail tomorrow, Minn Elska, then you must,” he said soberly. “I won't share you with a man who you don't truly love.”
“Fair enough,” I agreed. “Now, can I go pack?”
“One more thing.” Trevor slid a hand around my waist and eased me closer. Then he buried his face in my neck and breathed in deeply. “Okay, now you can go.”
I turned my head and kissed him tenderly; loving the way our wolves rose inside us to brush against each other through our lips.
“Now, I can go,” I whispered against his lips, and he grinned.
“But be fast about it,” he added.
“Demanding men,” I muttered as I stood. “I wonder if all of my husbands are so aggressive.”
“They can't possibly be,” Trevor huffed. “You can only have so many alphas in one group before things start getting tricky.”
“How many alphas do the Froekn have?” I paused in the hallway.
“A lot,” he admitted. “But there's an alpha hierarchy. My father rules, then his three eldest sons—with me at the top—and then it trickles down from there by age and strength.”
“Why couldn't we have something similar?”
“Because it's different when all the alphas have mated with the same woman,” Trevor said. “Frankly, that never happens with Froekn; wolves mate with one person for life.”
“Hmm.” I wandered off.
“What does 'hmm' mean?” Trevor called after me. “Vervain?”
I smiled to myself as I continued to my bedroom; I had a feeling that most of my husbands were alphas. Regardless of what Trevor said, I simply prefer strong men. I couldn't see myself falling for a beta type. But, you never know; life can take us to strange places.
“Like Tartarus,” I murmured as I yanked off Aphrodite's dress.
I tossed the thing in the hamper and grabbed some underwear. I was not a woman who enjoyed walking around without panties on. The tightness of the dress had made being braless bearable, but not wearing panties felt indecent. It made that dress seem even trashier.
“Sorry, Dolce,” I murmured, “but you're going to be reserved for intimate evenings at home.”
I put on a loose, cotton dress and then gathered my things. As I did, I heard Trevor talking to someone. I stopped to listen—wondering if he was on the phone—and realized that he was talking to Nick. Perfect timing. I snatched up Nick's carrier and returned to the living room.
“Is he coming with us?” Trevor asked.
“Yeah; I thought it might be best to take him to Duat for now,” I said. “Hey, fur face,” I said as I crouched down.
Nick sauntered over and rubbed against me.
“We're going on a trip,” I said as I scooted him into the carrier. Then I thought of something. “Will it be okay to take him through the Aether?” I asked Trevor.
“Perfectly safe,” he assured me. “I know of several animals who have made the trip; including myself when I've been in wolf form.”
“I hope it doesn't scare him too much,” I said as I set the carrier beside Trevor. “I'm almost ready; just let me grab a few spell components in case I need them.”
“No problem.” Trevor put Nick on his lap and leaned back on the couch. “We're good.”
Nick made an annoyed sound.
“On second thought; best to hurry,” Trevor said. “It looks as if I'm not the only demanding male here.”
“No kidding,” I huffed as I headed back down the hallway. “I'm surrounded.”
Chapter Forty-Three
When Trevor and I returned to Re's palace, we found it decked out with flowers and silk. There was also a crowd of gods milling about. They smiled and congratulated me as Trevor and I made our way through them, and I thanked them automatically. My mom raised me to be polite.
Finally, we found Re. He was directing a bunch of feral-looking men dressed in suits.
“All you have to do is walk around with these trays and stop when someone wants a drink,” Re was saying.
“They've been servers before,” a man said to Re.
This man had similar features to Re but a colder look to them. Amazingly, he appeared to be even more arrogant than Re; holding his chin in a constant, slightly-lifted position. His eyes were black but had swirls of color moving over them; a hypnotic look that intensified when he set his stare on me. I flinched.
Anubis. Re had been right; I had painted him perfectly.
“This is your bride, I presume?” Anubis asked with a lifted brow and disapproving tone.
“Wow; we haven't even been introduced and you already hate me,” I tried to cover my unease with humor—as usual. “This is a great start.”
“Vervain, this is my grandson, Anubis,” Re said as he moved beside me and took my hand. “Anubis, perhaps you could give Vervain a chance before you discredit her simply because of her race.”
“Fine.” Anubis sighed and then bowed his head to me. “Nice to meet you, Vervain.”
“Nice to meet you too, Anubis,” I said stiffly. Then I turned to Re. “Now, maybe you can tell me what all of these people are doing here, why you're dressed like that, and what exactly I'm being congratulated for.”
“Can you see to your jackals, Anubis?” Re asked.
“Of course,” Anubis said. “Leave it to me.”
Anubis turned back to the other men and started directing them on how to serve drinks and appetizers. Re led me upstairs, and Trevor followed us. The upper level of Re's palace was thankfully empty, but Re took us into his bedroom and shut the door anyway. Then he looked pointedly at Trevor.
“I think I'm going to check out the view from the balcony,” Trevor said as he headed outside.
“Re,” I drew out his name in a warning tone.
“Hear me out.” Re lifted a placating hand. “We don't know what will happen tomorrow; we could die, La-la.”
“It's possible,” I whispered.
“I don't want to die without being married to you,” he said gently.
Then Re dropped to one knee and pulled a black velvet box out of his inner jacket pocket. He opened the box and revealed a massive, brilliant cut, diamond solitaire. “Vervain Lavine, I love you more than sunshine, and I feel as if I've done so forever. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife... today?”
I inhaled deeply; looking from the ring to Re's hopeful face.
“Yes,” I whispered and held out my hand.
Re smiled brilliantly and pulled the ring out of its box. He tossed the box carelessly over his shoulder as he slid the diamond on my finger. Then Re stood and pulled me into an embrace. We were in the middle of a passionate kiss when Trevor strolled back in.
“Can I come in now?” Trevor asked.
Re and I eased apart, and Re leaned his forehead against mine as he answered, “You can come in, but don't expect me to pay you much attention.”
“Are you okay with watching us get married?” I asked Trevor gently.
“As far as I'm concerned, we're already married, Minn Elska,” Trevor said. “The Froekn bond is stronger than any exchange of vows. If you and Re want to do your own ceremony, I support that.”
“And then there's the fact that Trevor helped me plan this,” Re added.
“What?” I gaped at Trevor.
Trevor smirked and shrugged. “As I said; I support this.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“I only agreed because Re promised to share part of your wedding night with me,” Trevor said. “If this really is our last night together, I need to get my time in with you as well.”
“All right,” I agreed.
“Now, let's get you into your gown,” Re declared.
“You bought me a wedding dress?” I asked in surprise.
“I wasn't expecting you to walk down the aisle in that.” He looked down at my simple dress. “Although, you do look lovely, La-la.”
“Thank you.” I grimaced. “All right; show me the dress. I just hope it fits.”
“I have a very good eye for sizes,” Re said with a smirk.
“He means that he's very familiar with women's bodies,” Trevor translated.
“Yes; I got that,” I said dryly to Trevor.
Re cast Trevor an irritated look as he went to a wall and pushed against it. A panel slid open to reveal a hidden wardrobe. From this wardrobe, Re pulled out a garment bag full of pale fabric. He unzipped the bag and slid out a slinky, silk dress. I lifted my brows as he brought it over to me.
“That's a bit sexy for a wedding,” I noted.
“It's very elegant,” Re protested. “You'll see when you put it on.”
Re handed me the dress and went back to the wardrobe. There was a set of drawers beneath the clothes rack; he opened one and pulled out some sexy lingerie. I was still just standing there—holding the wedding dress—when Re returned to me with the underwear.
“Trevor, could you take the gown from her?” Re asked. “She seems to have forgotten how to undress.”
Trevor chuckled as he took the gown and stood aside. Re laid the scraps of silk on his bed and then came back to me with a sensuous smile. He held my gaze as he pulled up my dress and lifted it slowly off my body. Re tossed the dress aside, and then his hands coasted down; over my breasts and then around to the back of my bra. Re undid the clasp and then eased the bra off my shoulders; slowly easing it off me.
“If you keep doing shit like that, we're never going to make it downstairs,” Trevor said. “I'm barely holding on here, Re.”
“Sorry.” Re gave me a look that clearly said he wasn't sorry, and then he crouched to pull down my panties.