Pounding Earth

by ERIN BEDFORD

  “Doesn’t mean I’m not still sore,” Firestar grumbled and shifted uncomfortably.

  I straightened his shoulder pad, so it sat better underneath his armor. I had my own set of armor, but I didn’t think I would be fitting into that anytime soon. Not that they guys would even think of letting me anywhere near the battle.

  I might be a badass with my new powers, but I was still pregnant, and a pregnant woman in battle wasn’t a good idea. I’d be a nice distance from the battle, but not so far away I couldn’t see how it was going. I’d have about fifty or so soldiers with me as well as Lord Amun keeping me company. We were supposed to take out any stragglers that got away from the fight and tried to escape for the trees.

  “Why aren’t you giving the other guys the same treatment?” Firestar asked, brushing my hands away to adjust the straps himself.

  Crossing my arms under my chest, I shrugged. “Who said I’m not? You’re just the first one on my list because you’re the one who needs the most—”

  “Pity?”

  “Help,” I corrected him with a raised brow. “Are you sure you want to be doing this? Like you said, you’re still sore. I almost lost you once. I don’t want you getting put in danger again if you’re not up for it.”

  “I’m up for it,” Firestar snapped, glaring at me for even mentioning it.

  Hands up in defense, I backed up a step. “Hey, don’t bite my head off for being concerned. You’re just as afraid of me getting hurt as I am for you. Or have you forgotten?” I slid a hand over my stomach, daring him to argue.

  Firestar sighed and ran a hand through his hair, mussing it. “I’m sorry, I just hate being treated like an invalid.”

  I snorted. “I know how you feel.”

  Not bothering to argue with me, Firestar bent down and re-tied his boots for the hundredth time. “I know I scared you, hell everyone, but you have to remember I was in the last war. I’ve been hurt far worse than what that piece of shit Blorder could do.”

  As he stood up straight, I stepped closer to him. I placed my hand on his chest and arched up on my tiptoes until our mouths were brushing each other. “If you get hurt, I will kill you.”

  Firestar grunted. I nipped at his lower lip, drawing it away from him before letting it go with a pop. “You think I’m kidding, but if you ever scare me like that again …” I reached down, my hand trailing down his chest and across his stomach, then to the front of his pants where his hardened length waited for me. I stroked him twice, long and hard before grabbing hold of him. “I will rip your favorite appendage from your body and serve it to your men on a platter. Do you understand?”

  Barking a laugh, Firestar knocked his forehead against mine before his hand covered the one holding his precious bits. “I missed you too.”

  I released him but not before giving him another tight squeeze, pressing my lips hard against his mouth so our teeth butted. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Firestar’s laughter followed me as I left his tent and went to hunt down the other two members of our foursome.

  No one paid me much mind as I made my way through the camp. Everyone was too busy either getting ready for the battle or making the most of what could be their last night alive. I hoped that later tonight, I would be one of those people. I finally had all three of my guys back together, and I wanted to make sure I memorized every inch of them before we went into the thick of things.

  I found Raiden with his brothers, playing dice with my sister and a few others. From the looks of it, all of them, from the way my sister had her hair undone, and her hand on Raijin’s thigh, had already started the drinking.

  Coming up behind them, I let my hand trail along the back of Raiden’s shoulders. He glanced up from the game, his eyes softening when he saw me. Suddenly, his arm wrapped around my waist and dragged me into his lap.

  Giggling, I slapped his chest but snuggled against him. “I see you aren’t too worried about the upcoming fight.” I splayed my fingertips along the side of his jaw, tracing his lips.

  He nipped at my fingers playfully. “Why worry? We outnumber them by more than a thousand. We have three overpowered dragons, thanks to your delicious pu—”

  I slapped a hand over his mouth as his eyes lowered to my lap. Chuckling behind my hand, his tongue darted out to lick my palm.

  I pulled it away with a giggle and a grimace. “Ew. I can’t believe you did that.”

  His chest rumbled as he laughed even harder. His voice lowered as he bumped his head against the side of mine, his breath hot in my ear. “I’ve been in every part of you, and you’re worried about my spit on your hand?”

  “I could think of a few places that might need a reminder.” I gave him a heated look, licking my lips in what I hoped was a seductive manner.

  “Alright, guys, I’m out.” Raiden suddenly announced, standing with me still in his arms. I squeaked and grabbed the back of his neck, holding on for dear life.

  The twins chuckled and Aeis made a face before turning her attention back to whispering in Fujin’s ear, her hand on his thigh now as well. I bet I wasn’t the only one getting some tonight.

  Raiden started away from the group, and I glanced around, noticing we weren’t headed toward the tent Firestar was in. “Wait, where are we going?”

  Raiden grinned cheekily. “You’ll see.” He headed out of the camp and toward the woods. When he kept walking for a few minutes, I pushed at his embrace.

  “If we’re going to be going much further, I’d rather walk, thanks.” To my relief, Raiden let me down. When my feet the ground, I searched around us once more. “Wait a moment, isn’t this …?”

  Raiden didn’t answer me but just kept up with his secretive smile. The area we were in was familiar. So much so that I started walking without him, moving where my feet knew I should go.

  Within a few moments, I heard water. My feet moved faster, and before long I broke the tree line and stood before a waterfall. The exact same one Raiden and I had—

  “Do you remember?” Raiden’s voice in my ear made me jump and spin around. “This is the first time we …”

  I glanced back at the waterfall and then to him. “I didn’t think we were this close to our border. How’d you even know?”

  His hands grasped my hips and drew me closer. “You think I’d forget something this important?” Raiden’s head dipped down, his lips brushing my ear. “Every taste, every touch. The very first time I was inside of you. It’s all ingrained in my memory.” He spun me around to see Jack and Firestar, who had somehow sneaked up behind us.

  The armor I’d worked so hard to fit onto Firestar had been removed. He stood shirtless, the scars of his recent injury still there. Even though it was dark, I could make out the red of newly-healed skin. My hands itched to touch him, to remind me he was still okay.

  Jack stood next to him, his suit jacket discarded, and his dress shirt unbuttoned. The line of skin beneath gleamed beneath the moonlight. He had left his hair undone, and it fluttered in the slight breeze. Just the sight of them together like this was almost too much for me.

  “Now, we’ll make a new memory.” Raiden interrupted my thoughts as he led me forward. “One you will keep close to heart.”

  I swallowed thickly, my heart pounding in my chest. “Not that I’m complaining, I’ve dreamed of us all together like this but … why? Why now?”

  Jack stepped forward, his hand outstretched to me. I took it letting him bring me near. “Tomorrow, the others will be here. We might not have a chance to have a moment like this for a long time. This battle could draw out for days, weeks even.”

  “Don’t talk like that.” I shook my head, my eyes burning. “We outnumber them. It’ll be like shooting fish in a bucket.”

  “You know that’s not true.” Firestar shifted closer, his hand on my waist. “We cannot predict what will happen tomorrow any more than we know what will happen in the next few minutes.”

  Raiden chuckled. “Well, I don’t kno
w about you guys, but I plan to see what Maya looks like naked and wet in the moonlight.”

  Firestar snorted. “Such a romantic.”

  “Hey, I thought it was,” Raiden turned his lust-filled gaze to mine. I held a hand out to him, bringing him closer to me.

  “Promise me something,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the ambiance or something. “Promise that you’ll come back to me. All of you.” I looked around at the three of them, my heart in my throat.

  Instead of answering me, hands - I didn’t know whose - pulled my shirt up and over my head. Another set worked on my pants, and before I knew it, I stood naked in the middle of three overly dressed men.

  “Now, that’s hardly fair,” I started and then my words caught in my throat as fingers stroked my wet slit. They were like a pack of starving wolves the way they fell upon me. Mouths here, hands there, I could only tell who was who if I focused really hard, but they weren’t letting me get a chance to do so.

  By the time they had me writhing and begging, they had discarded their own clothes. Their contrasting bodies rubbed against every inch of me, none of them fighting for dominance over the other. It almost felt like it was rehearsed.

  “Since when—” I breathed, cut off as I let out a sharp gasp as my leg found its way over someone’s shoulders, a tongue delving between my thighs. “Did you guys have time to plan this?”

  “When you were so busy spying on your sister and the twins,” Jack rumbled in my ear. Okay, not the one down under. His cool hand slid down my back and cupped my ass as his mouth found the junction of my neck. He kissed and nibbled there before pulling back. “Tonight, don’t think about tomorrow. Or what might happen. Just feel us. Love us. And let us love you.”

  My head fell back onto his shoulder as the mouth on me brought me to my release. Another mouth latched onto one of my nipples, its owner’s hand massaging the other one. My legs quivered and fell out from beneath me, making them have no choice but to hold on to me or let me fall.

  Someone’s arms wrapped around my waist and the cool night air brushed my folds. My eyes fluttered open to see a redhead move back to help lay me on the ground. Damn Firestar knew how to play me just right.

  Now, normally, I’d complain about the ground being cold and uncomfortable, but with three equally delicious men surrounding me, I hardly had a moment to think, let alone care what the ground felt like. Besides, I didn’t stay on the ground for long. Raiden pulled me half up into his lap, so my head leaned against his chest as he resumed his fondling of my breasts, pulling the peaks until I gasped in a mixture of pleasure and pain.

  Jack leaned down to capture my mouth, our tongues tangling as my legs were spread wide. I wrapped my arms around Raiden’s back, holding on to him in my strange position as I readied myself for what was to come. I didn’t have to wait long, the head of Firestar’s length bumped against my entrance before pushing completely in with one fell swoop.

  I cried out against Jack’s mouth, his hand moving from cupping my chin to holding me in place. Firestar dragged my legs up higher as he thrust into me at a different angle and I swore, my eyes rolled back into my head. A cool palm caressed my stomach lovingly, touching it before moving lower. Dipping between my legs, a finger pressed against my sensitive nub. My hips bucked just as Firestar withdrew, and this time I had to rip my mouth away from Jack to cry out.

  “Fuck!” My back arched as pleasure exploded through my core. Firestar grunted, his hands tightening on my thighs. He stayed there for a moment before moving out from between my legs. Raiden shifted out from behind me, so that he and Firestar could trade places.

  I’d barely come down from the peak when Raiden pushed into me. His movements were different than Firestar’s more demanding one. He didn’t just coax my orgasm from me, he commanded it, which only made it all the sweeter.

  My mind was too muddled to even comprehend what was happening as I was shifted around. I’d already been worked up so much by Raiden and Firestar that Jack just eased right in. It didn’t take many pumps before I was already on the edge. Each orgasm ended up stronger than the previous, and this one wasn’t any different.

  Screams ripped from my throat, echoing in the night. If I hadn’t been close to passing out, then I’d worry about the rest of the camp hearing us, but I couldn’t remember my own name, let alone care if my sister heard my cries of passion.

  Completely spent, I collapsed into the arms of Firestar - I thought it was him anyway - I couldn’t see anything but the inside of my eyelids at that point. The enemy could attack us at that very moment, and I could have cared less. I could barely focus on breathing, let alone fighting.

  “Man,” I half laughed, my breathing heavy. “If I’d known I’d get that kind of treatment, I’d say we should go to war more often.”

  A round of chuckles followed my admission. Hands stroked my skin in calming patterns. No one bothered to move as we caught our breath and soaked in what we’d just done.

  “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t think I can move.” I tried to sit up but gave up halfway. “Nope, not gonna happen.”

  Raiden laughed and stroked my hair away from my face. “Are you in a hurry?”

  I shook my head or tried to. It ended up being the barest of movements.

  “Not to be the bearer of bad news,” Jack said with a level voice. How was that even possible? He should be as shaken as me. Not fair, I tell you. “But we have a big day ahead of us. We should probably get Maya to bed soon.”

  “Fine.” Raiden sighed and stood, his lower lip poking out into a pout.

  I laughed and then groaned as everyone shifted from the ground. Firestar still had me in his lap as he stood. He lifted me from the ground, causing me to groan again. I ached everywhere but in the best of ways. In an ‘I better get to do that again’ kind of way.

  Firestar shot me a knowing grin. “Let’s go get you cleaned up.” Before he headed toward the waterfall. This was going to be cold.

  17

  The day should have been dreary and gray. That’s how all wars were fought, weren’t they? I remembered making the last battle of the Waesigar video game raining and dark. As if that would make the fight more dramatic. Harder.

  It didn’t though. The ominous setting only made those fighting grumpy and disheartened. Not that the sun beaming down on us now made me any happier.

  “Isn’t it supposed to be raining or something?” Raiden asked, staring up at the sky as if he read my mind.

  It was scary how the guys seemed so in tune with my thoughts and feelings lately. Probably a combination of our close relationship and the babies inside of me. I could only imagine what it would be like when I was further along. The same went for my powers. If they kept increasing over my pregnancy, I might have a problem just leaving the house, let alone being able to walk without waddling.

  “I know what you mean,” Jack added, pulling me from my thoughts. He adjusted the ties on his armor and tilted his face up. “If I close my eyes, I could almost pretend like we are out on a picnic.”

  Firestar snorted. “If you can get past the smell of dirty men and sulfur.” His nostrils flared to prove his point.

  He had a good one. It was hard to pretend that we weren’t going off to battle. There were too many of us in too small of an area.

  People liked to think that war was a big, magnificent thing. Hair streaming through the air as they sliced their swords into their enemies, blood spraying in perfect arcs as they painted the ground around them. But really, most of it was disgusting, with people pissing wherever they felt like it. Bathing was rare, though we were close enough to a small river to take care of that bit.

  I doubted Drac and his men were completely in the dark about what we were doing. Just a single uptake of wind, of which there had been many, and our collective stench would alert the enemy to our presence. I could only hope our numbers would outweigh our lack of a surprise attack.

  “Well,” I started, hoping to lessen
the tension we were all feeling, “maybe we’ll end the fight fast enough, we can have a picnic.” I gave them a small smile which they didn’t return. A series of stares turned on me, and I shrugged. “What?”

  Raiden chuckled and shook his head, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Sure, Maya. We’ll have a picnic right on top of the corpses. That’ll be romantic.”

  I shoved at his chest. “It’s not funny. I’m just trying to make everything not so …” I waved my hand in the air.

  “Morbid?” Jack leaned in to answer, a hint of a smile on his lips.

  Nodding, my throat thick with emotion, I replied, “Yeah, that.”

  Jack caressed the side of my face, warmth in his pale eyes. “Don’t get too caught up in what might happen. It’ll distract you from what is to come.”

  Letting out a heavy breath, I nodded again. Turning away from him slightly, I scanned the area around us. No one was really paying much attention to us, they were too absorbed in their preparations. I hadn’t seen my sister or the twins yet. Part of me didn’t want to know where they were, especially if they were doing naughty things.

  Don’t get me wrong. I was happy for her. She needed some fun in her life. After all the sadness and rejection, Aeis deserved happiness.

  As if knowing I was thinking of her, Aeis appeared with Lord Amun. She spoke quietly with him and then glanced up. Her eyes searched around before landing on me. With a grim expression on her face, she said something else to Lord Amun, who nodded and then looked my way. Leaving the lord, Aeis walked toward me.

  She looked like how a warrior dragoness should. Tall, commanding, her eye set with a fierce determination, like she knew what was to come and she couldn’t give a shit how big and bad they were. Plus, she looked way better in her armor than I did in mine.

  I frowned down at my own ill-fitting set. I couldn’t wear my normal suit, not with my belly protruding out like it was. The way the guys told it, I wouldn’t need it anyway because no one was getting past them to where I would be waiting.