With a glance at his hips, she realized that he was indeed wearing a sarong that was more opaque than the one he’d been in the day before, though the rest of his toned and muscular body was pleasingly on display—and glistening wet now, to top it off.
“Now, do you want me to dry you off, or can you deal with the exposure?” He dropped his eyes to her chest and smiled. “Because you really may as well be naked.”
Her nipples pricked and she slapped her hands back over her breasts, face blazing almost as hot as the flames that licked through her lower body in response to his frank appraisal of her.
“Dry me, please.”
He nodded. “Move your hands.”
She obediently dropped them and waited. Llyr stepped closer and lifted his hands to her shoulders. “I need to touch you for this to work, all right? When I’m done, your dress will be as dry as I can make it, though I think it’s pointless.”
Deva swallowed and nodded, her pulse racing at his proximity. He squeezed her shoulders gently and began to lower his hands, flattening them along her collarbone and moving down.
“You’re not just doing this to cop a feel, are you?” she asked, voice shaking.
His lips twisted and his eyes twinkled. “You did give me the perfect excuse, but no, I genuinely need to be in contact to absorb the moisture from your dress. See?”
He lifted one warm palm from the front of her chest just at the edge of her bodice, and she glanced down. The soft white fabric where his hand had been was bone-dry. Her eyes widened.
“That’s amazing! Can you teach me to do that?”
“Sure, but after we take care of this task.” He slid his hands lower and Deva gasped at the sudden warmth that covered her breasts. Her nipples ached beneath his palms and Llyr’s brows twitched briefly, his aura spiking red for a split-second before he moved on, sliding his hands down her stomach. He left behind dry cloth covering hot skin, and when he dropped his hands to his sides again, Deva mourned the loss of contact.
He stepped back and waved his hands in a little flourish. “All dry. Well, except for the hem, but you’re kind of standing in a puddle.”
“Thank you,” she said with a hesitant smile. “I’m sorry I’m such a pain.”
“Nonsense. We need you to be as free from distractions as possible for this. Are you ready? The others are waiting for word from us before they begin.”
Deva spun to face the tree and surveyed the tangle of roots near the pool Llyr had indicated. She finally found one big root that jutted up enough to provide a rudimentary bench for her to rest on. The water from the Source moved in a constant flow beneath and within the tree, emerging in a cascade over the tops of the roots. She sat on the wet root with her feet still dangling in the water, feeling ridiculous for worrying about her dress now that she had no choice but to let it get drenched again. At least the part that covered her breasts was dry now.
She settled down and hiked up the hem to her knees so the wet fabric didn’t wind up tangled around her feet if she needed to move. Then she leaned back against the rough tree trunk and closed her eyes.
Inhaling deeply, she worked to center herself and focus on the core of power within her. She’d learned to recognize the five different aspects of her energy and had hoped that with gentle nurturing they would grow, but they still remained small and dim, like dormant seeds waiting for the rain and sun. Perhaps this task would infuse her with enough magic to kick-start her true power.
Reaching out, she could feel the bloodline, but at the moment it only consisted of the few individuals in the Haven who were linked: Nikhil, Marcus, Sterlyn, and Naaz, as well as her dragon father, Aodh, whose tie to it was faint. Her mother Neela had once been part of it, but when they’d tried to link to her, there was no sign of the bloodline to be found. They concluded that Zorion’s dragon fire had burned away the taint of Meri’s blood when he brought Neela back to life as a phoenix the year before.
Deva hoped that by the end of the ritual, Nikhil would relax a little. With Llyr as her companion and guardian, she finally had an excuse to spend time in the human world without worrying about the potential dangers that probably were all in her parents’ heads. And if they weren’t, this message she was about to send should solve the problem.
At the sound of splashing, she opened her eyes to see Llyr hop over a thick root and settle down on a lower one in front of her with his feet in the water on either side of hers. “Are you ready?” he asked. “Dionysus and Numa will begin the ritual. At any point if you need anything, you tell me, all right? If it’s less power, more power . . . anything.”
“All right. Just make me one promise.”
“Ask away.”
“Don’t ever shut me out to try to protect me. Especially not during this. I know I’m inexperienced, but I can’t test my limits with everyone erecting walls around me. If you think I need to push myself, I will—I can handle it.”
Llyr lifted his eyebrows and smiled. “I’m going to hold you to that. Especially after your meltdown over a little water. Getting naked is part of who we are, you know. And what you’re about to start feeling when they begin the ritual is also who we are. You are all of these things, Deva . . . It’s fine for you to want to take your time exploring your identity as a new breed of immortal, but don’t lose sight of all the individual parts, because they are all amazing.”
“I think as long as I have you to coach me, I’ll figure it out. Thank you. You can let them know I’m ready now.”
“Good.”
Chapter 8
The lattice of twisted vines that made up the roof of the new pavilion cast crisscrossing shadows over the pool beneath it. Numa surveyed the throne on the platform in the center that seemed to float on the water’s surface, boasting a wide walkway leading from the courtyard below. The immense chair had a high back and wide arms woven from more vines and was big enough for the god who sat upon it now. The vines twisted around each other, providing numerous hand-holds to facilitate a multitude of configurations for the throne’s true purpose. A shiver of pleasure cascaded through Numa at the very idea of what was to come very soon.
Dionysus idly observed his surroundings, though Numa sensed the vigilance in his body and aura. He could have just as easily been awaiting battle as an orgy. Her other mates loitered around the outer edges, waiting for the signal for the start of the festivities, all of them as eager to begin as she was.
She moved to the edge of the platform and dipped a toe in, kicking up a splash of water that hit Cade square in the face. He surged through the water with a growl, his fierce gaze tinged with salacious promise.
“It isn’t time for that yet,” Numa cautioned when he reached her and snatched at her legs. She hopped back with a giggle and fell against Dion’s knees, and he slipped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap. Numa managed an unconvincing protest, then gave in, sighing at the sensation of his lips along the side of her neck.
“It’s time now,” Dion rumbled against her ear. He yanked at the front of her sheer gown until the fabric tore, her breasts spilling out.
Numa wiggled against him. “Are you sure?”
Dion’s teeth grazed her throat as he palmed her breast, squeezing and tweaking her nipple. With his other hand he cupped her chin and tilted her head, granting himself better access to tease his tongue along the edge of her jaw.
“Yes. Llyr has confirmed that Deva is ready. Let’s make sure the first wave of power is potent enough for her to reach the entire bloodline. But even if it isn’t, we have all day to try.”
Numa felt like a doll in the god’s grasp. She’d missed his immense size over the past year. Reaching back, she clung to his neck, arching into his touch as he tore her gown completely off and lifted his head.
With a deep, bellowing voice that made her core clench, he yelled, “The ritual begins! Rejoice and take your pleasure, nymphs and satyrs, ursa and dragons and turul. Enjoy the fruits of each other’s desire, and come drink of the power whe
n you thirst!”
“The wine is not in this pavilion, you know this, right?” Numa asked, gasping as Cade slipped down to his knees in front of Dion’s throne and took her nipple into his mouth.
Dion shifted his hips up and gripped one of her thighs to reposition himself. She glanced down to see his cock in Zeph’s hands, the West Wind’s tongue sliding up and down the shaft.
“Wine isn’t the refreshment I’m offering, little one,” Dion said.
Her gaze fixed on Zeph’s lips where they wrapped around the thick head of Dion’s cock. The god slid his fingers up her thigh and parted her slick folds, toying with her clit with idle flicks.
She let out a sigh and clutched at Cade’s head, her gaze flickering with the heat of pleasure and enjoyment at the sight of Bekim and Theron, who each slipped into place at the rear of the two men kneeling closer to the throne. Cade grunted at the swift penetration of Bekim’s cock into his ass, but resumed his sucking and licking at her breast as if this were a normal occurrence.
Zephyrus shifted positions and rested his knee atop Dion’s thigh to give Theron access. The bearded ursa went to his knees behind Zephyrus first, dipping his head to suck the West Wind’s balls into his mouth before teasing his tongue between his cheeks until he was forced to release Dion’s cock with a gasp of pleasure.
“I see,” Numa said. “You’re going to let all the revelers drink directly from the source, are you? Straight out of the bottle itself?”
She reached down and took Dion’s cock into her hand right as Zeph released it. Zeph bent lower across the god’s big thigh and offered his ass to Theron, who swiftly took advantage. Dion gripped the West Wind by the back of the neck and devoured his mouth, his fingers still strumming Numa’s clit.
Releasing Zephyrus with a low laugh, he gripped Numa by the hips. “No, little one. They will have the perfect vessel to drink from . . . your tasty snatch.”
With that, he lifted her up. She reached out, flailing for balance, and Cade and Zephyrus grasped each of her hands while Dion positioned her over his cock. The mere brush of his thick tip along the wet crease of her folds had her gasping, and she clutched at Cade’s and Zeph’s napes to tether herself through the rapture of the god’s giant cock.
Dion slouched lower in his seat and pulled her back against him. Legs spread wide, she braced her feet on the edge of his seat on either side of his hips, using the leverage to raise herself up off his hips and back down to meet his upward thrust. He speared her hard with a deep grunt, then raised one arm to grasp a coiled vine dangling above his throne.
With a swift yank, the vine tore the barrier of heavy palm leaves away from the torrent of the waterfall behind Dion’s throne, and a cascade of magic-rich water was diverted over his shoulders and down their joined bodies.
The cool wetness made Numa gasp and laugh, then moan in renewed pleasure when Zeph and Cade leaned in to tongue her water-slick breasts.
“We’ll come as one to start, then it’s all you, little one,” Dion rumbled. The other four men clutched each other tighter. Bekim leaned over Cade’s bent back and thrust harder into the big ursa. Dion had his hand between Cade’s thighs, working his cock with quick, slapping strokes.
On Numa’s other side, Theron rammed deep into Zephyrus, whose skin sparked with evidence of his ecstasy, sending pleasant tingles through his tongue where it teased her nipple. Dion firmly gripped Zeph’s cock with his free hand, the West Wind’s hips tilting rhythmically into the god’s sure grip while Theron nailed him from behind.
Their auras were a wild clash of pleasure, and beyond the pavilion, the reveling partiers were tangled in their own wild orgies, though their gazes were all fixed on Dion’s throne and the spectacle Numa was at the core of.
Her body was a tangled bundle of power, building up bit by bit with each thrust of Dion’s cock and flick of her other lovers’ tongues. She loved the convergence of all her mates’ auras with its kaleidoscopic swirls of power mixing with hers. They rarely came together as a full group, preferring simpler combinations of two or three at a time, but today she would have them all. By the end of today’s ritual, she would have a new life growing inside her, created from the combined essences of all five of these men she adored so much.
But until then, she had a task to complete—feeding as much power as possible to the center of the Haven, so Deva could make contact with the bloodline. It was not as onerous a task as the previous year’s ritual to open a sky portal, but it was just as crucial to the safety of the higher races. And she intended to enjoy every second of it.
Dion groaned against her ear and released Cade’s cock to hook her chin with one finger and pull her mouth to his. She latched on in a hungry kiss, her skin tingling with the crackle of their auras.
“Come for us, little one,” Dion said.
“You first,” she said, grinning at him and squeezing her core around his thick shaft. She used Cade and Zeph’s shoulders for leverage to fuck Dion harder and the big god cursed, slamming up into her with a deafening bellow. His head flew back and water flooded down his chest, soaking the place where they were joined, but the cool liquid felt like nothing amid the heat of his orgasm.
The rush of divine power lit her entire body on fire, and her orgasm exploded from her as if she’d combusted from the inside. Her core clenched and bright heat washed through her. On either side of her, the four other men cursed and tensed, her Nirvana infusing them with pleasure as potent as what Dion had given her. Their orgasms lit them up like beacons and she clutched at Cade and Zephyrus, absorbing every last drop of magic they gave and focusing to let the Haven’s water carry it where it needed to go.
Relaxing against Dion’s torso, she hummed in contentment as the other men slowly extricated themselves from each other and slipped into one of the pools surrounding the throne.
“That was just the beginning, little one. Now it’s time to share the wine.”
He lifted her hips and slipped his erection out of her, then beckoned with one finger to the nearest group of a trio of nymphs who’d been tangled up with a pair of ursa males and a dragon. With hunger blazing in their eyes, they filed forward and fell to their knees between Dion’s thighs. But it wasn’t his cock they bowed for. Dion gripped Numa by her inner thighs and held her splayed wide as each of the supplicants dipped their heads and began to lick her clean of Dion’s juices.
The revelers took turns, some bowing before her two at a time to drink the creamy offering Dion had spilled deep into her. Numa found herself in a near constant state of orgasmic bliss, thanks to the teasing rush of Dion’s words in her ear and the brush of his fingers over her nipples.
Partway through, the crowd paused and waited long enough for Dion to bend her over in front of them and spear her from behind, filling her pussy with a fresh serving of the divine ambrosia that would fuel their fun for the rest of the day.
Chapter 9
Deva’s eyes flew open and she let out a breathy “Oh!” when the first wave of power flooded from the water up through her body. Her skin tingled with a delightful combination of warmth and electricity. Across from her, Llyr’s gaze was fixed on her face, intent and watchful despite his relaxed posture.
“How is it?” he asked.
Deva’s nipples pricked and tingled, and she was acutely conscious of the tightness of her bodice around her chest, certain that if he looked, Llyr would be able to see clearly how aroused she was. But he only looked into her eyes, though his aura had brightened considerably.
“It’s . . . amazing.”
He dipped his head and in a rougher voice said, “That was god Nirvana . . . Part of it, anyway. And it will continue for some time—they’re only just getting started. Why don’t you test your link to the bloodline? See how far you can reach.”
Deva nodded and closed her eyes, gripping the thick root she sat upon with both hands while she focused and reached out for the link.
In her mind, the bloodline blossomed, flowing outward from her cons
ciousness like a web of brightly colored filaments. She tested the threads cautiously to gauge the strength of the links. They were strong, but only extended a short distance farther than the links she’d been aware of when first practicing the ritual.
“Not very far yet, but the links are strong. Dionysus said there were millions of humans who were part of the bloodline. Right now, all I can see are a few thousand. I think I need more power to reach farther. I don’t want to waste energy on sending the message until I can get to all of them.”
She opened her eyes and her heart skipped a beat at the hunger in Llyr’s swirling aqua eyes. He blinked and looked away, then closed his eyes and nodded. “Done. The next group will join the ritual and add their power shortly. Remember to pace yourself. If you get overwhelmed, I’m here to help.”
“You can feel it all too, can’t you?” Deva asked, then added impulsively, “You’d be back there with the rest . . . participating . . . if you weren’t with me, wouldn’t you?”
Llyr exhaled slowly through his nostrils and nodded. “My brother Thiasoi are among the reveling nymphs in Dion’s retinue. They are drunk on the god’s ambrosia now. There is a strong chance they will find mates and perhaps even produce offspring today.”
Deva’s stomach clenched. “I’m sorry you got stuck with me.”
His gaze returned to her, fierce and intense, and his jaw flexed. “I’m not sorry. And I’m not stuck with you, Deva.
“I have a confession to make. I lied yesterday. My brothers and I all volunteered to guard you when Neph made the request. When he revealed that only one of us could have the job, we nearly came to blows over who would have the honor. In the end, Neph made the choice because we were unable to compromise on our own.
“You were bound to us by blood inside that lab where Meri held us prisoner, but my brothers will break that link when they find nymphs to blood meld and build families with. I alone will keep that tie to you. Protecting you is my life now. I want nothing more than to fulfill that promise.”
Dragon Avenged: Immortal Dragons Epilogue Page 6