Blood Legion: Adamantine Chronicles Book Two

by D. R. Rosier

  She sighed, “She talked to us about you a lot, you were pretty much all she talked about during the small amount of times we hung out. She was so beautiful, so animated, I couldn’t help but fall for her. I’ve had exactly two lovers in this life, and Carol is one of them, and now Alyssa. I’d finally forgiven myself enough to accept love from a woman, if not forgiven men enough to be with a man.

  “Anyway, about two weeks ago was when Carol started to talk about you. She thought the sun rose out of your evil ass, and she fell in love with you, partially because of the way you treated her and looked past her admittedly oddly intense focus, and of course from Alyssa’s stories about you, the wonderful and giving lover you were, and how sweet you were.

  “It was alarming, you’d seduced Alyssa who I was being seduced by just by her being herself, and you had my current lover on the hook as well. She’d do just about anything for you, you know. It was then I started to tell stories about Oracle’s Maidens, told a little of my past, and introduced the polyamory idea.

  “I purposefully seduced Alyssa, and I whispered the possibilities in her ear. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t encourage her to be unfaithful, or even try to kiss her, but I made my attraction and feelings toward her clear in innocent ways. Carol as well, she wanted you badly by then, by last week.

  “Then I suggested a good way to get closer was to switch partners, I set that seed in Alyssa’s heart, although I’m not sure she even remembers that, because she apologized to us for breaking me and Carol apart. Regardless, my plan was to have you and Carol together, and me and Alyssa together. I’d hoped that Carol would tempt you to show your true colors, which of course was a mistake, but I didn’t know it at the time.

  “That backfired, and I was pissed off about getting partnered with you, so that was Karma’s first bitch slap for me being a manipulating bitch, even if at the time I thought I was doing the right thing. Regardless, that was my hope, that you’d see the truth in Carol, that she loved you, and show your true colors by trying to take advantage of it. All while I deepened the connection with Alyssa.

  “The plan of course, was for you to reveal yourself, and for us three girls to end up together. My true plans never included you at all, I tried to set you up to lose Alyssa, to lose everything, but I did it to save Alyssa, and to prove to Carol what an ass you were. Sorry, I’m repeating myself.”

  I was silent so far, but I really was starting to get angry.

  “So, what happened then?”

  She sighed, “Karma’s second bitch slap. We had a girl’s night out, and Alyssa was obviously attracted to us both, and Carol’s such a sweetheart she ate it up. Alyssa decided I was right, and she told me that she needed a day to think it over, but she thought she wanted to try polyamory, and see if you were interested.

  “Needless to say, the next day, when you saved Mara, I realized what a stupid hypocritical bitch I’d been, and that you were everything they said, everything that I’d already seen but wouldn’t believe, because I couldn’t believe it. No man was that disciplined, that warm, and that confident, all rolled up into one. Yet, I did believe it, the way you handled Mara with honest compassion, and in such an offhand manner so that she’d calm down. You were perfect. I saw it then, and I knew I was in deep shit.

  “So that night, our second girl’s night out, she said she wanted to do it. She took my angle to steal her away from you, and she turned it into her reality. Of course, you not being the shallow asshole who was just a player pretending to be nice had a lot to do with my plan failing as well,” she added in a tone of self-disgust.

  “I see, then she came home and sold me on it.”

  She nodded, “I was stuck with what I’d done. I felt trapped, guilty, stupid, and I just went along with it. I decided to actually give it a try, for real. I had no other choice, I knew I’d wind up losing Alyssa and maybe even Carol if I about faced and tried to bullshit my way out of it. Plus, by that second girl’s night out, I actually admired you, so why not? It could even work, if I could stand you touching me.

  “So, I dated Alyssa, and damn, she was wilder, sweeter, and more open than I’d thought. That told me a lot about you, because she’d told me she was a virgin before you. I’d never met a woman that loved sex so much, or was so… free and unencumbered by bad situations, or… you get the point. Of course, the next morning Carol absolutely gushed about you, and by gushed I mean she blushed and stammered about how great you are and how wonderful and giving you were in bed. She even said you were sweet, and she had to give you a hint about her three Myriad sex slave time.”

  She rolled her eyes, “How did you miss that one, you really are too good to be true.”

  I snorted, “One was quite enough, and it was our first time. I wanted it to be special, and intimate, we can have fun with naughty orders and three Myriads another time. She loves me, and I don’t quite feel that yet, although I care about her a lot. It’d be hard not to, she’s as sweet as Alyssa, but shyly instead of mischievously and wildly. She’s wonderful. I suppose my point is, I didn’t want to take advantage of her at all, I wanted her to feel cherished, important, and valued, even if I don’t love her yet.”

  Tina sighed, “I fucked up so bad. So, you know the end of the story. I have no doubts about those two, you’re right, they’re far too sweet and loving but opposites in other ways that will make them mesh perfectly. There’s no way they won’t fall for each other tonight, they were most of the way already. As for me and you, that was my hope, after seeing you with Mara, and after last night’s dates went so well.

  “I told myself that you were really just that wonderful, that you’d be someone to guard my heart, and not abuse, humiliate, or hurt me. That you were what they said, and what I at that point saw. It wasn’t enough. You’re the first man I’ve ever wanted to sleep with, in the last ten years. You have no idea what that means, you can’t possibly understand how that feels.

  “But… at the same time I’m terrified of it, of being with you. I’m sorry. I fucked this up, and everything’s going to blow up tomorrow because of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if you three formed a triad, I know Alyssa won’t have mercy on me, when she learns the truth. I’m sorry, I really am, I just can’t…”

  She trailed off when I covered her lips a moment.

  “But you can lay in my arms? I mean, what’s the limit, is it me touching any intimate part of your body, your lips, tits, ass, and pussy, to be crude. Sorry, anger management, you’re safe. I’ve never hit a woman in my twenty-four years of life, outside of taking down a supervillain of course, and I never will, no matter how angry I get.”

  And I was, pissed. The thing was though, I also understood why she did it, and the messed-up place she figuratively lived and came from. I felt compassion, I still felt protective of her, despite everything she’d just told me I wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be alright. She was safe, cared for, and worth far more than she believed.

  It was screwed up, majorly, but at the same time I hadn’t really lost anything. Her plans had completely failed, and it’d all backfired on her in a major way. The idea of trying to punish her for it turned my stomach, hadn’t she suffered enough? She’d sobbed, and she had said she was sorry. I knew she hadn’t faked that.

  My mind came up with a plan then, as I forgave her on the spot. That was probably crazy, and probably made me a sucker. Whatever. All I know is the anger ran from me like water from a drain with the plug pulled up. Still, if she betrayed me again, now that she said she knew me and saw me for who I truly was, that forgiveness wouldn’t come again. Honestly, I didn’t for a second believe she would.

  She replied softly, in a confused and insecure voice, “I don’t know.”

  I teasingly brushed her lower back, and I even pushed it a bit by caressing the very top of her tight supple pear-shaped ass. Then I worked my way back up. I caressed her slowly up her long silky red hair, and then I teased the back of her neck with my fingertips, which I knew was sensitive sk
in on most women, just like the top of the ass.

  “How’s that?”

  She shivered, but not in a bad way that time, “Feels good, I feel warm, really safe in your arms, and like a piece of shit.”

  I shushed her at that last, then stroked her back and side lightly, as I asked, “So, do you think you could make love to Alyssa, or Carol, with me in the same bed. Maybe even accept a stroke of affection from me while you and one of the others are raising each other toward bliss?”

  She frowned, and put her arm on my chest and lifted her head for the first time, her green eyes were clouded with confusion and doubt, “What are you talking about? What are you asking me to do?”

  I marshalled my thoughts, trying to put my feelings and idea in some semblance of order.

  “I’m suggesting that we be family, Tina. Emotional lovers? A relationship of respect, admiration, and safety, we’d be family, but the two of us won’t have to do anything physical past what I’m doing right now, a show of simple physical affection. We both share Alyssa and Carol, in our bed, together. They will love and physically love both of us, and each other, while me and you will have a different kind of relationship. Perhaps one with just as strong a love, and as much respect, but without the ultimate physical intimacy.

  “Isn’t that what polyamory is all about, being what we need to be for each other, and supporting each other. I figure between Alyssa and Carol, they’ll more than satisfy the physical intimacies of our relationship, I suspect Carol is as much of a nymphomaniac as Alyssa is, so neither of us would feel an incompleteness or lack of physical intimacy. They both, would have three lovers, but you and I would only share two. Our physical intimacy, which would be just as important, could be maintained with simple caresses, sharing in the deeper intimacies as we love our other mates. That’s what I’m suggesting.”

  She looked speechless, and she looked at me in shocked amazement.

  “Why would you do that for me, after what I’ve done?”

  She looked like she was about to break down in tears again.

  I said carefully, “Because I care about you, and they both love you, why wouldn’t I? You would enrich my life in all other ways, you are more precious than you know Tina, and you’re worth it. Maybe one day things will change between us, and if they do I will feel a hundred times more joy in your healing than in any physical pleasure shared between us, but if things don’t change that’s okay too. I have no idea what you’ve gone through, I mean I could never truly understand what it felt like, but I know who you are now, and I want to be with that person in any way that I can.”

  She bit her lip, and tears gathered in her eyes. She tried to make a break for it that point, she pulled away from me, but I took a risk and held her tightly until she collapsed against me again, and she let it out as she cried on me for the second time that night. That time there were less tears, but the violent sobs felt like gashes across my heart. Perhaps I should have been mad at her, but she’d been right about revealing her whole life to me. Her quickening story, the horrific truth of her past, had engendered all my manly instincts to protect and cherish, and I just wanted to make her feel better, to keep her safe.

  Of course, fixing it was impossible, the best I could do was to hold her gently while she got it out.

  In truth, I was in awe at her strength, her foibles were more than understandable, it was a testament to her willpower and graceful nature that she wasn’t far more twisted than she was. She was a woman, a superheroine, that worked to make the world a safer place despite the horrors the world had allowed her to live through as a child and teen. If that wasn’t strength, I didn’t know what was.

  I said in an offhand tone, “Besides, who else would sing karaoke with me?”

  She snort-sobbed, then laughed, “There’s that silly sense of humor they told me about.”

  I shrugged, and said innocently, “If it’s too much for you, and you can’t put up with it, I suppose I’ll understand if you reject my offer.”

  She snickered, “You ass.”

  Maybe I was, but it got her to stop sobbing like that. My chest felt like it was in a vise, and I’d just wanted to stop it. Maybe that was selfish, and I should have let her sob it out, but I truly couldn’t bear it, it was hard enough the first time.

  I continued to caress her back, “Why don’t we give it a try out.”

  She looked at me suspiciously, “Try what?”

  I smirked, “Sleeping in the same bed of course, with affection but no physical love. Now rest your head on my shoulder, and we’ll sleep like babies. I’ll try not to grope you in my sleep.”

  She shook her head, but then her lips twitched.

  “You’re serious?”

  I said, “I am, well except for the groping, that won’t happen. One more experiment,” I pulled her tighter against me, and kissed the top of her head softly for a short moment. Her hair felt like silk on my lips.

  “Sorry, couldn’t help myself. Call it an expression of caring and adoration.”

  She shook her head, “You’re crazy.”

  “Maybe. But I think it’s a good plan, it keeps everyone together, and I truly do care for you Tina, despite your best efforts to run me off. Maybe part of that is my strong compassion for your past, but there is that respect and admiration I’ve seen in your eyes, and the way we sang together tonight and had a great time. Let’s just… go with it, see if it works. I don’t see why it wouldn’t.”

  She sighed, “Alright, I’ll try it, and I’ll sleep here in your arms tonight. But what do we tell the others.”

  I shrugged, “The truth, you thought you could be with me, and really admire me, even like me, but your past has you frozen, and you couldn’t do it. They should be okay with that, as long as I am.”

  I really thought the idea could work. An intimate relationship can’t survive without a healthy sex life, but our quadruple would have plenty of sex. I couldn’t be sure of course, but a loving caress as she was in a sixty-nine with Carol or Alyssa? What could be more intimate than sharing in that physical expression of joy, even if we didn’t have sex ourselves, we could caress and share in it, using the others as a bridge to physical intimacy of sorts. The last concern being my libido, wasn’t a problem either. I knew Carol and Alyssa would more than take care of my manly needs and appetites, as well as their own and Tina’s.

  Tina sighed, “That’s more than I could ever ask, and thank you for that kind suggestion, but we need to tell the full truth, or the guilt will eat me alive.”

  “Alright. Do you want to do it? I can gloss over it in my morning report, and just tell her there’s more for you to share with her. I’ll just say we had a fantastic date, and spent a wonderful night in bed together, or something. It’s even the truth, you have no idea how good you feel against me, and in my arms.”

  She smirked, “You feel pretty good too, it’s strange, I even want you, but I know I’d freeze if I kissed you, and worse if I got even touchier.”

  Right.

  She answered, “That second one? I’ll tell Carol when we wake up, and Alyssa when you’re sparring with Carol. I really don’t deserve this.”

  I shushed her, “You’re wrong, the only thing you didn’t deserve is what came before. Don’t get me wrong, what you tried to do was horrible, but the fact it was done out of love and concern for the others makes all the difference, and with your past I can forgive you thinking the worst of me.”

  She bit her lip, clearly conflicted, but thankfully didn’t choose to argue. She laid her head down on my chest and the sigh of contentment took me by surprise and touched my heart.

  She fell asleep in a surprisingly short amount of time, probably emotionally wrung out. I hadn’t slept in my clothes in years, but I supposed us getting undressed would’ve been a step too far for our first night’s experiment. Plus, I was only a man, and she was sexy as hell. I’d be able to push away the temptation easily enough when all four of us were together, with other flesh to cling too, but if
we’d tried on that night, I’d have probably stared at the ceiling all night with a hard-on from hell.

  As it was, it took me about twenty minutes to fall asleep, her weight and warm supple body against mine was comforting. My tender feelings toward her also increased when I peeked down at her, she looked so peaceful, and so heartrendingly beautiful and innocent, in her sleep.

  It was a little crazy, my idea I mean, but maybe we’d pull off this polyamory thing after all. Polyamory was already unconventional, so what if I couldn’t kiss and make love to one of my lovers, I’d still have two, which is one more than I had when I was already satisfied.

  Seemed like a no-brainer, even if crazy. To me, anyway.

  Chapter Twelve

  Tina asked, “Did you just sniff my hair?”

  “Umm, maybe? Good morning. Sleep well?”

  She replied, “Very well, which is a good thing right? I must trust you.”

  I squeezed her against me and said teasingly, “Or… maybe I didn’t let you escape.”

  She laughed, “Maybe. Daniel, thank you for last night.”

  “Anytime.”

  She tried to roll away, and then she laughed when I wouldn’t let her go.

  I removed my arm, and she made her escape. In the morning it still seemed like a good idea, mostly, but I was worried about what Alyssa would think about it. No, that wasn’t true, I was worried about what she would think about Tina’s deception, I was fairly sure the plan part would be fine, if the other went well. I got up, took care of morning business, and got cleaned up and in my workout clothes. We’d woken up a half an hour early since we’d fallen asleep so early.

  By the time Alyssa arrived I was on the couch with a water in my hand. It was easy enough to see she had a good night, there was a flush in her face, and an excitement in her eyes that told me her and Carol had just had a naughty wakeup reprise of their fun last night. She had that wild freshly fucked look about her, that was so familiar to me.