Pounding Earth

by ERIN BEDFORD

  I pursed my lips, not believing him for one moment. I wasn’t naïve, I knew that the longer it took to find Firestar the less likely of a chance he would be found alive. That was a possibility that I couldn’t grasp. I needed Firestar. His child needed him. I knew we’d be alright if something happened to him, I had Jack and Raiden, but it wouldn’t be the same. I’d always feel like a part of me was missing. The same way I’d felt when he left the first time.

  Chewing on my nail, I tried to force down all the awful things that my mind played through my mind of what could have happened to Firestar. Could they be torturing him right now? For fun or for information? Maybe he was being held hostage to get to me? My hand went to my stomach, and my heart jumped into my throat. Or maybe to get to our baby?

  “Maya.” Jack’s soothing tone caught my attention. “Whatever you are thinking, you need to stop.” His words made me stop pacing, and I looked up to meet his eyes, but they weren’t on me, they were on my hands. I glanced down quickly and frowned when I saw them glowing yellow-white, like Raiden’s powers.

  Crap.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. Opening my eyes, I was happy to see the power had dissipated. I dragged my hands through my hair and sat down on the side of my bed. “What are we going to do?”

  “I don’t know about this guy,” Raiden pointed a thumb at Jack and then wandered over to me. “But I plan on taking my woman down to the kitchen and stuffing her with so much food, she won’t be worrying about anything but how full she is.” He leaned forward until our faces were close to each other, his hands on either side of me.

  Pushing him away with a laugh, I shook my head. “As much as I’d love that, I can’t think about food right now. Not while Firestar is missing.”

  Jack frowned and stepped beside us. “You cannot neglect yourself because of this. You have others to care for.”

  “I know, I know.” I fluttered my hand in the air and sighed. “I’ll eat something, just not right now. Right now, I need to …” My voice trailed off, my brow furrowing as I remembered something.

  “Need to what?” Raiden asked, moving away from me slightly.

  I put my hand up to stop him from talking as I tried to recall all of last night’s dream. Or what I’d thought was a dream. The beginning for sure had been one but the rest. The bag being pulled over my head, the gag in my mouth, that had been different. Too real to be a dream.

  “Maya,” Jack said, his head tilting to the side making his hair cascade over his shoulders. I couldn’t appreciate the beauty of it though, I was too caught up in remembering.

  “I think I had a vision last night,” I told them finally.

  “A vision?” Raiden asked and then met Jack’s eyes before turning back to me. “What kind of vision?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. It didn’t start out as a vision. I’d been having a nightmare about Gretchen.” When I said her name, Jack tensed, but I waved him off. “Then it changed.”

  “Changed how?” Jack asked, curiosity in his strained gaze.

  “I was being taken away. Someone – no, more than one person - grabbed me. I didn’t see who they were. They put a bag over my head, it smelled like …” I paused and closed my eyes trying to recall the smell of it. “Dirt. The bag smelled of dirt and trees. I remember it vividly, the bag made me claustrophobic. It was hard to breathe through it and the gag.”

  “Maybe it was just a dream.” Raiden stroked my arms, trying to reassure me.

  “No,” I shook my head. “It wasn’t. I’ve had visions before.”

  “You have? Why didn’t you tell us?” Jack seemed offended by my lack of sharing, but I didn’t apologize.

  “I wasn’t sure it was real. I thought it might be a fluke or something that seer did to me.” I shifted on the bed and focused on what happened before. “During the hunt, when you were trying to find me.” I waited for them to nod that they understood before continuing. “I had a dream. You were arguing about my going off on my own. I saw through Jack’s eyes. I could feel how upset you felt about keeping things from me. That’s why it was easy for me to forgive you.” I offered Jack a soft smile, knowing he still felt guilty about the whole Gretchen ordeal. “Plus, Raiden and Firestar were giving you enough shit about it. Me piling in on you wasn’t going to help much.”

  “I still say you should have beaten him up for that one. I would have helped,” Raiden grinned cheekily at me, earning him a snort from Jack.

  “Anyway,” I continued, ignoring Raiden’s attempt to start something, “you guys found the blood from where Gretchen clawed me by the river, and that’s it. I didn’t get any more than that.”

  The guys were quiet for a moment, as if really letting my words sink in. Really, I wouldn’t blame them if they were upset at me for leaving this new ability out, but I hadn’t been sure it was real, and not just my overactive imagination or some pregnancy dream cooked up by the babies. We all knew they were chock full of surprises. Who knew if this wasn’t another one of theirs?

  Eventually, Jack was the one who broke the silence. “So, you are saying that you are having visions of things happening to us?” He circled his finger between him and Raiden. “No one else?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’ve only had dreams of your guys, no one else. Do you think it’s the babies? Or maybe it’s our bond?” I gave a nervous chuckle. “I don’t know about you, but I’m fine with how close we are now. I don’t need to be inside of your heads all the time.”

  “Thank God for that.” Raiden grinned causing me to frown, and he quickly added, “I think about sex a lot.” My eyes narrowed, and he smirked, his brows wagging. “With you. In all manner of places.”

  I puffed out a laugh and shoved his shoulder. “Pervert.”

  Jack didn’t bother commenting on Raiden’s admission but stroked his jaw in thought. “You said you smelled dirt and trees?” I nodded. “Anything else you can tell us?”

  I opened my mouth to say no but then stopped. There was something else. I just wasn’t sure if I was right or not. “They put me in some kind of vehicle. Maybe a carriage?”

  “Then there would be tracks of some sort, right?” Raiden provided. “If they hadn’t been smart enough to cover it up, then they should still be there. He hasn’t been gone long.”

  “But if it was here, then the recent snow might have covered it.” Jack gestured out the window.

  “It wasn’t cold,” I remembered suddenly. “I mean not like this cold. Though Firestar’s a virtual furnace, I don’t remember it being more of a balmy in-between?” I said, unsure of my description. “Where could that be?”

  Jack and Raiden exchanged a look and then said at the same time. “The unaligned.”

  10

  If I thought I was anxious before, waiting for Firestar to send word about his father’s decision, waiting to find out where he might be was even worse. I sat in the dining room with three empty cups of tea in front of me and my hands were still shaking.

  “Deep breaths,” Jack reminded me for the millionth time, and I was so close to punching him in the throat. It’d make me feel better but only for a second, and then I’d regret it. Instead of giving into my baser urges, I did as he suggested.

  Breathe in, breathe out. After another deep breath, I let it out with a growl. “This is utter bullshit. We should be out looking for him, not waiting for someone else to do it.”

  “Maya! Watch your mouth.” The way Aeis said my name reminded me of our mother which irritated me even more.

  “Aeis!” I quipped back with an eye roll. “You’re not the one with someone in danger. Don’t lecture me. Your mouth is worse than mine at times.”

  “N-no … it’s not.” She stuttered and flushed beet red, her eyes darting over to the twins who only grinned in response.

  “That’s okay.” Fujin smirked and draped an arm over the back of Aeis’s chair. “I like a dirty mouth.” His words made Aeis’s face turned even redder, and I squirme
d in my seat. It was one thing to play matchmaker, but it was another completely to see them flirting like that.

  “Dude, gross.” Raiden made a face and then gestured at his plate. “I’m eating. Just cause you and Raijin like to share doesn’t mean I want to be in on it. I have no desire to know anything about your sex life.”

  “You … you like to share?” Aeis barely got the words out her eyes going wide. My sister had been pledged to someone before, a really great guy that we all thought would be a great leader. Then he found out she was barren and took off for greater vaginas. Fucking idiot. Safe to say my sister hasn’t had much luck in the man department since that. I definitely couldn’t see her in any kind of threesome like I’d done with Raiden and Jack.

  The way she kept shifting in her seat told me she wasn’t completely unopposed to the idea. Ugh. Now, I lost my appetite.

  “What’s wrong?” Carl asked suddenly, having appeared next to our table. “Do you not like the tea?”

  My eyes widened, and I grabbed my cup, bringing it to my mouth. “No, no. I love the tea thank you. We were just talking about something unpleasant, is all.”

  Carl relaxed, seeming pacified for now. “Good, I made tonight’s meal especially with you in mind. No heavy seasoning or syrups. Just like you specified.”

  “Which I appreciate greatly.” I nodded, even though I found the meal tasteless and bland.

  To add to the façade, I picked up my fork and scooped up a spoonful of some kind of vegetable mash and shoved it into my mouth. I chewed it quickly and swallowed with a pained grin. After Carl left, I took another drink of my tea to wash down the remainder of the mash stuck to my throat. A mixture of chuckles caused me to glance up.

  “You’re a horrible liar,” Raiden muttered, leaning into me with another laugh.

  Pushing him away with my elbow, I wasn’t able to hide the grin on my lips. The rest of the table had equally amused expressions. Not wanting to be the butt of the joke any longer, I scooped up more of the mash and flicked it at Raiden. It hit him on the side of the face with a smack, not sticking but sliding down his cheek.

  The table erupted in laughter. Even Jack let out a chuckle or two. I knew that I’d pay for this later, but right now the look on Raiden’s face was worth it.

  “Did you just …?” Raiden’s voice trailed off as if not quite believing what happened. He reached up and brushed the remainder of the mash off the side of his face and looked at me with a gaping mouth.

  I tried to stifle a laugh but ended up snorting instead. Clamping a hand over my mouth didn’t help cover the giggles that forced their way out.

  “You’re gonna pay for that.” Raiden’s voice came out low and dangerous, the kind of voice he used when we were in the bedroom. My heart quickened, and for once, it had nothing to do with Firestar’s disappearance and everything to do with Raiden.

  I smiled coyly as I slipped another spoonful into my mouth, hoping it looked sexy. It must have worked because Raiden’s eyes darkened, and his hand landed on my inner thigh. I licked my lips and swallowed hard, need pulsating through my veins.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m not hungry anymore,” Raiden announced, getting to his feet. “At least, not for food.” A wicked grin spread across his lips, and I didn’t hesitate when he held his hand out to me.

  “Me either,” I couldn’t get out fast enough, shooting a look around the table. What met me were knowing glances and arched brows, the former from Jack. I locked eyes with him and then glanced shyly back at Raiden who seemed to get my unspoken question. Once he shrugged his approval, I offered a hand to Jack. “Come on, I could use help with … uh … some things.”

  “Smooth, Maya.” Raiden snickered and shook his head. “Real smooth.” To the rest of the table, he nodded and grinned. “Have a good night.”

  Chuckling amongst themselves, the twins draped an arm each around my sister’s shoulders. Raijin whispered something in her ear, making her blush again, and then he said to us, “I think we’re good.”

  Trying not to think of the implications that were behind those words, I let Raiden and Jack lead me out of the dining hall and toward our bedroom. It seemed to take forever to get there, and as soon as the door closed behind us, we were on each other. Hands grabbed at each other’s clothes and mouths blurred together until I wasn’t sure who was where.

  Eventually, I found myself on my knees before Raiden, my mouth wrapped around his length. My tongue slid down the base of him at the same time my hand moved along Jack’s, cupping him beneath. Raiden’s hand tangled in my hair, guiding me the way he wanted it. Jack didn’t need such control, he let me pull and tighten my grip on him however I liked. The contrast was strange and slightly liberating.

  “Enough,” Raiden gasped, his voice husky and low. I glanced up beneath my lashes to see the strain on his face and didn’t stop. He tightened his grip on my hair and gave me a tug, forcing me to release him from my mouth. I grinned and licked my lips, leaning back on my heels. Jack moved out of my grasp as well, watching as I stared down Raiden.

  “I think our girl needs to learn a lesson.” Raiden met Jack’s gaze. “A lesson about respect and thinking of others.”

  I stood and backed away from them, not in fear but desire. My hands gripped the edge of the bed. I slipped on it, my legs falling open wide, baring me to their hungry eyes.

  For a moment, Raiden stopped talking and just stared at me, but then he seemed to remember himself. He tisked and waved his finger at me like a naughty child. “You are not being fair. This isn’t about you. This is about us and how you don’t seem to think we might care if you take off after Firestar and get yourself hurt. What do you think Firestar would think of that?” He raised a brow as he approached the edge of the bed. His fingers played along my ankle and then up my calf before wrapping around it. He dragged me further down the bed so that my butt barely sat on the edge.

  The bed dipped beside me, and I turned my head slightly to see Jack. He shifted until he sat behind me, his hands curving over my shoulders. His front pressed against me, his hardness rubbing my lower back. I leaned into him as his mouth brushed against the side of my neck. Teeth skimmed the line of my throat at the same time as Raiden’s touched the inside of my thigh and I jerked.

  “How are you feeling right now?” Raiden breathed against my hot core, his hands sliding beneath my hips. “How you feel about Firestar is how we would feel if anything happened to you. Do you understand?”

  My head fell back against Jack’s shoulder as Raiden’s tongue lapped at my folds before pulling back, making me buck my hips. Jack’s arms slipped between mine and cupped my breasts. His fingers plucked at my nipples, dragging out my need. I moaned out a plea for more but was ignored.

  “Answer me,” Raiden’s voice rumbled between my thighs.

  I swallowed, my mouth thick with desire. “Yes. Yes, I understand.”

  I barely had gotten the words out when Raiden’s mouth closed over me. I gasped and groaned, my eyes rolling up into my head. Raiden sucked on my sensitive nub, pulling it into his mouth. My back arched, and a gurgling scream ripped from my throat. I could feel my release just on the other side of the cusp, but before I could reach it, Raiden moved away.

  “No, no.” I gasped, shaking my head from side to side. “I was almost there.”

  “I know,” Raiden smiled sadly. He glanced over my shoulder, I presumed at Jack, but my desire-muddled mind couldn’t care too much. They must have some kind of telepathy because they moved as one, pulling me further onto the bed and situating me so that I sat above Jack, Raiden at my back. The position was new and different. It excited me, but a small part of me hesitated, unsure.

  “Shh,” Raiden smoothed his hand down my back, murmuring reassurance in my ear. “It’s alright.” He was so close to me that I could feel his breath on my shoulder. His hand sat on my hip, and I waited to see what he’d do. Dozens of scenarios ran through my mind but what I didn’t expect was for Raiden’s hand to wrap aroun
d Jack in front of me.

  I gasped, my mouth dropping open at the sight of him touching Jack. My eyes trailed up Jack’s chest to his face, but the tension I thought I’d see there was nowhere to be seen. If anything, he seemed into it.

  Huh. Who knew?

  The hand on my hip shifted, lifting me up. The hand holding Jack aligned him with my center, stroking his head along my folds before Raiden urged me to sink down. The first bit of Jack stretched me, a stinging feeling that quickly turned to a dull throb. When Jack was fully seated inside of me, Raiden’s fingers dipped down to trace the top of my core, soothing away some of the aches that came from someone as large as Jack.

  Jack grunted, his hands finding the tops of my thighs. “Raiden.”

  The single word was enough for Raiden to let me move. I rocked on my knees, and Jack slowly drew out of me before I sank back down. The movement caused a deliriously delicious sensation throughout that I had to do it again and again. Soon, Jack and I had found a rhythm, our eyes firmly locked on each other. When Raiden’s fingers moved further down to stroke around my entrance, I hardly noticed, but as soon as they prodded my back entrance, I froze.

  “Do you want me to stop?” Raiden asked, the tip of his finger circling the puckered flesh.

  I swallowed and shook my head. It wasn’t like I’d never done it before, but doing it with more than one man? That would be a new experience for me. One that I wasn’t sure I’d survive but wanted to find out.

  Raiden’s digit slid in slowly. There was a bit of resistance, but I tried to breathe through it. Jack’s hands on my legs shifted up to my hips and lower back. He urged me to lean forward until my stomach brushed against his. The position made him move inside of me, and I let out a low groan.

  A hand settled on the back of my neck, the pressure of Raiden’s grasp telling me what he wanted me to do. I bent my knees, sinking back down onto Jack and the finger, the combination a thrilling fullness I could imagine would only be better with more. Determined to find my release, I braced myself against Jack’s chest and rocked my hips once more. Once I started, I couldn’t stop, I only paused when Raiden added another finger stretching me even more.