Tugging at her clothes, Ethan didn’t even attempt to rein in his desire to get inside her. “Whatever you want, I will gladly give you.”
Within seconds, they were all naked on the bed. Grant had retrieved the aloe from the nightstand and held it in his hand as he kissed her. A shiver zipped through Ethan’s balls when Orshy’s and Grant’s tongues came out to tangle in plain sight. She’d been made for the pair of them.
Turning his attention to the musky scent between her shapely thighs, Ethan drew in a deep breath, filling his senses with her alluring smell. He savored the aroma and lowered his mouth to her tasty muff. A flick of his tongue through her sweet juices yielded a prize. Her clit swelled with every quick flutter, and she pushed her cunt to his mouth, encouraging him to continue.
Above him, Grant spread gel on her beautiful mounds of flesh with their puckered nipples, making her moan and wiggle. “Did this idea come from your sex manual, dear Orshy?”
“Mm-hm. I’ve found lots of different positions I’d like to try with you.” She bowed off the mattress when Ethan plunged his tongue into her pussy. “I want your cock!”
Not willing to seek his own pleasure before hers, Ethan sucked her swollen nub between his lips. Her entire body bucked, and her breath came in short gasps. He grasped her hips, holding her in place as he tugged with gentle suction until a feminine cry emerged from the panting and moans.
“Fuck me, Ethan! Now, Grant!” Orshy’s urgent demands had them both clamoring to please her.
Ethan waited for Grant to straddle her waist and position his dick in the valley of her tits before rising to his knees to line up his own prick at her entrance. With Grant’s first rock forward, Ethan thrust into her tight, wet cunt. He hooked her legs over his forearms for a better angle as he withdrew and then sank even deeper into her. She clutched at him with every advance and retreat, the smooth glide bringing greater sensation.
Her soft cries filled the room. “More! Faster!”
Grant laid his hands over top of hers, pressing her pretend pussy tighter around him and plucking at her ripe nipples. His rhythm grew more erratic, suggesting he was nearing his release. “Ah, Orshy, I adore you. Come for us again.”
Her inner muscles contracted around Ethan’s cock, squeezing and milking him with exquisite friction. A long, high-pitched scream assured him she’d been granted the greatest pleasure, and he gave in to the need to follow her into paradise. Emptying his seed inside her, he pumped one last time and let out the yell creeping up his throat. Weightlessness overtook him, but he refused to disengage from her. A lifetime wasn’t enough time to express the depth of his love.
In front of him, Grant stiffened and hollered, his load spraying into Orshy’s open mouth and onto her chest and neck. “Yes, my love!”
She closed her eyes and licked the cum from her lips. Her body trembled and quaked. “That was amazing. Sex with you is always perfect.”
Grant leaned forward to kiss her and then rolled to lie next to her. “Because we are made for each other.”
Imitating his cousin’s actions, Ethan settled on her other side. “I believe we are meant to be together. A more logical explanation doesn’t exist to account for our time-travel adventure. Love knows no boundaries, sweet Orshy, and our joining on this day shall prove it.”
She slipped her hand into his palm. “We need to tell Great Grandmother soon to have the ceremony this evening. If we go now, she can make the announcement during lunch.”
“Rest for a few minutes with us.” He stroked her cheek with his free hand. “I enjoy the quiet time we spend together after loving.”
Grant turned to lay his arm across her bare stomach. “As do I. We are less likely to anger you with our improper behavior.”
Her soft laugh made Ethan smile. “I’m too satisfied to care, and besides, you’ve gotten better over the last few days.”
He linked his fingers through hers. “Only through the guidance and advice of Kata’s and Rebeka’s mates have we improved our conduct in your presence. They’ve warned us about the independent thinking of women of the twenty-first century.”
She laughed again. “You should be thankful I’m not as outspoken as Lujza. I might’ve resorted to a silencing spell days ago.”
“You are not spiteful.” Ethan raised her hand to his lips to kiss each fingertip. “Who would whisper amorous words to you in the night?”
Lifting his head, Grant peered over her and winked. “In the daylight hours as well.”
“Grant is quite right, love. We wish to shower you with sweet sentiments at all times.” Nuzzling her neck, Ethan savored the silkiness of her hair against his cheek. He closed his eyes to fully appreciate the rhythm of her pulse on his lips. “My life would be lacking were you not a part of it.”
“My heart would not beat as strongly if yours was not united with mine, precious witch.” Grant groaned. “It would seem that my cock does not wish to spare a moment away from you, either.”
Orshy’s giggling shook the bed. “You’ve been spending too much time practicing your purple prose with Ranulf and Amalric. Let’s go talk to Great Grandmother before I change my mind.”
Not willing to risk a delay in their joining, Ethan pressed his lips to her bare shoulder as he climbed out of bed. “Do we have time to dress? Or shall I retrieve a trio of towels from the bathing room?”
Chapter 10
Hovering on the edge of sleep, Orsolya’s thoughts skipped from the matriarch’s satisfied expression at the request for a joining ceremony that evening to the wide smiles on Grant’s and Ethan’s faces as they’d left the dining room with Konrad and Sandor after lunch. An image of her lovers the first time she’d seen them sent her pulse skittering and her stomach flip-flopping. A light breeze rustled Ethan’s blond curls. Grant’s wicked grin chased away the fear of having spelled herself onto a pirate ship.
She tried to blink away the fogginess in her brain as a mesmerizing whisper dragged her back toward wakefulness.
Come, Orsolya. We need to gather hawthorn leaves for the ceremony. Walk to the north woods. Hurry!
Yes, hawthorn leaves for happiness. Why hadn’t she thought of that?
I’ll keep you safe.
She eased from under the covers to stand, holding onto the bed to gain her balance. The sense of floating above the floor made her lightheaded. The woods. She needed to go to the woods beyond the gardens and stable.
We don’t have much time. Faster, Orsolya.
Pushing her feet to a quicker gait, she left the suite and trotted along the hallway toward the back stairs. Have to hurry. Not much time.
Muffled voices carried from the kitchen as she scuttled down the steps, aiming for the rear entrance. When she stepped outside, she increased her pace. Faster. Have to go faster. Running across the grass, she skirted the vegetable gardens and barn. The woods lay only a short distance from her now. Almost there.
I’m waiting for you, Orsolya. Come into the woods, all the way to the fence. Look for the hawthorn trees.
Scanning the nearest branches, she looked for the distinctive spines and bunches of cream-colored flowers. She slowed as she entered the forest, keeping a watchful eye for the scaly plates of gray-brown bark on the trunks. Walnut. Hickory. Oak. Each step took her closer to the northern fence line.
Yes, Orsolya. You’re almost there.
The urgency of her task increased as she followed the crisscrossing wires to the west, finally spotting clumps of light-colored blooms through the limbs ahead of her. Hurry. Not much time. Have to gather hawthorn leaves for the ceremony. Jogging past the last few trees, relief swept over her. She grasped at the new green leaves, ignoring the slight sting of a sharp thorn.
Pick as many as your hands can hold, Orsolya. Fill your pockets. You need them for happiness. Remember the curse.
Stuffing a handful into her the deep pocket in the side seam of her skirt, she debated climbing the tree to reach the higher branches. More. I have to break the curse. Even the lowes
t branches were too high where they met the trunk, and the rotten odor of the blossoms was beginning to make her stomach churn.
She glanced at her hand, blinking to clear her vision when she saw blood dripping from her right thumb. A steady throb pulsed through her hand, magnifying the sudden pain. How had that happened? Shouldn’t she have noticed a spine stabbing her in the knuckle?
A faint crack had her looking behind her. Two human shapes moved between a pair of oaks near the edge of the woods, their footsteps crunching the upper layer of last year’s decaying leaves. The outlines were too tall and muscular to be women.
The woods. Why am I here? I’m not supposed to be here.
A filtered ray of sunlight danced off the golden hair of one of the men. Ethan. The light silhouetted the other man’s profile against the bright background. Grant. She’d know her mates anywhere.
“This way.” A low voice hissed the command just loud enough for her to hear.
Why would Ethan and Grant wander the estate when Great Grandmother had warned everyone to stay near the mansion? Orsolya ducked behind a wide trunk. They’d surely chastise her for being away from the house. That she had no idea why she had ventured so far worried her more.
* * * *
“We need to find a way to allow Kazmer inside the protection spell before he arrives. Perhaps we can locate a weak area along this part of the fence. The markings on the ground should’ve drawn him to the estate by now.” Ethan looked over his shoulder at Grant as they hiked through the northernmost section of woods. “Follow the fence to the east. I’ll search the western side.”
With a nod, Grant took a single step and then halted. He blew out a breathy sigh and glanced back at Ethan. His mouth straightened to a grim line. “She’s here. I can feel her. The time hasn’t come yet.”
Ethan’s heart dropped to his feet at his cousin’s whispered declaration. The joining ceremony was supposed to have happened first. How much had she heard? They hadn’t purposely informed her of their task, but the mistake could easily change the course of all their lives. “Orshy, where are you? Please don’t hide from us.”
Moving into the open from behind a tree several strides from them, she crossed her arms in front of her and pressed her lips together. She blinked several times in quick succession, sending a tear rolling down her cheek and a dagger into his heart. “I trusted you. My family trusted you.”
She heard enough to raise suspicion and make her doubt us.
Grant stepped toward her, but she backed away from him. “You don’t understand, Orshy.”
“You’re damn right, I don’t understand. You lied to me every time you spoke to me, every time you touched me. Why didn’t you let Kazmer take me on the ship if you were going to help him break through Great Grandmother’s spell? Or are you hoping to destroy all of us?” Each sentence she spoke took her farther from Grant and closer to the fence. She brushed at her face, dropping a handful of crushed leaves to the ground.
Ethan resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands and rub at the tightness in his forehead. “We can’t explain our motives right now, Orshy, but we will. Soon, I promise. Why are you here? Romána told everyone to stay close to the mansion. You shouldn’t be here.”
She opened her mouth, but then she closed it as if she’d changed her mind about speaking. Shaking her head, she turned away. “Your motive is clear. I was the means to a malicious end.”
A flash of movement drew Ethan’s attention away from her and to a barely visible dark cloak beyond the fence. Kazmer. He’d found the signs and acted quicker than Ethan or Grant had anticipated. They had no choice but to perform their duty now. The Fates had set their own plot into motion, destroying a well-constructed scheme of events. Even if he and Grant succeeded in the first step, they had no chance of carrying out the remainder of their plan. He swallowed past the lump in his throat. And this is how it comes to pass.
Focusing his thoughts on joining his mind with Grant’s, he imagined a fracture in the invisible wall surrounding the Macska estate. The fence blurred for a moment and then cleared. A burst of echoing laughter rang through the trees, and a bolt of lightning speared downward from the top of the fence to strike the tree closest to Orshy. The trunk split in two, the halves falling in opposite directions, one narrowly missing her.
Ethan’s heart jumped to his throat. Kazmer didn’t have the power to directly hurt anyone, but she could easily have been crushed by the damage he’d caused. Death was death, no matter the method.
She huddled behind the fallen tree and locked gazes with him. Contempt, hurt, and anger surged into his chest from the look. As she swept her arm out from her body, a palpable billow of energy threw him to the ground, knocking the air from his lungs. He gasped for breath and tried to stand, but his muscles refused to cooperate. Grant lay beside him, also seeming to struggle to rise.
A strange glow appeared around her as she pushed to her feet and faced the edge of the Macska property. Just beyond the fence, the gnarled old man from the Whydah Galley came into focus. She raised her arms, and a growling scream issued from her, hinting at the emotion behind the sudden flow of power from her fingertips.
The sensation of fire racing over his skin had Ethan rolling on the damp forest floor in agony. Grant groaned as he did the same. A howl came from the direction of Kazmer, and a cannon-like boom echoed through the air, shaking the leaves on the trees. Several minutes of absolute silence followed.
Levering up on his elbows, Ethan scanned the area where the intruder had been standing. It was empty—only marked by a smoldering spot on the ground. Orshy sat upon one half of the split trunk, her whole body trembling.
He forced himself to his feet, giving Grant a hand up when he gained his balance. They shuffled toward her, with Ethan steeling himself against the ache in his lower back and the fiery sting still creeping over every inch of him.
“Leave me. Just go.” Her broken whisper carried to his ears. She rose, her skirt whipping around her ankles as she ran away from them, through the trees and toward the stable. Her braid unwound, sending wisps of ebony hair flowing behind her.
She crossed the open meadow and disappeared past the paddock, every step widening the emotional distance between them. Despair washed over Ethan. She’d begged Grant and him over and over not to go, and now she’d changed her mind. They had no choice but to carry out her wishes. That she didn’t know the motivation of their actions didn’t matter. Until they’d completed their task, secrecy had been of vital importance.
Such was the life of a Protector. More than three-quarters sacrificed their lives providing others with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to destroy one of the malevolent elders of the Black Triad. Of the survivors, another three-quarters spent the remainder of their lives isolated from the witch families they’d been destined to protect. Only a few had received thanks of any kind, and in a thousand years, less than a handful had found happiness with his chosen one. No pair of Protectors had shared the witch destined for greatness in the clan they’d been designated to protect. He and Grant had survived, but to what end?
Lowering himself to the split trunk, Grant kicked at the damp earth. “We cannot leave until we receive a message that we are absolved of our responsibility, but I don’t believe we’ll be welcome in the mansion. Let us retire to the stable for a much-needed rest. I am weary, and Orshy is safe.”
Ethan rubbed his arm, trying to ease the prickly sensation still coursing through his skin. “Kazmer lives. She damaged him, but he will heal himself and strike again. We must tell the matriarch before all else.”
Grant nodded. He pushed up from the fallen tree and limped alongside Ethan, past the tree line to the grassy area between the woods and the stable. They trudged toward the barn one slow step at a time without speaking. No words could possibly relate the utter loss in Ethan’s soul.
As he slowed at the paddock fence, a hawk alit on a post several strides in front of them, giving a single shrill call before spreading its wi
ngs and taking off again. It circled over them, shrieking half a dozen times, and then it winged away into the sky.
With a relieved sigh, he leaned against the top rail of the fence. “I’ll not question why we are told to stay on as Orshy’s Protectors. That we may inform her of our duty won’t change our past secrecy, but we have reason not to leave her now. To see only to her safety is more palatable than no connection.”
“She won’t like it.” A clap of thunder made them both start, and the darkening clouds overhead let loose with a sudden downpour. Grant groaned and raised his voice. “We must make amends, or suffer the weather that matches her mood.”
The pattern of sun and rainstorms over the past week had followed Orshy’s disposition far too closely to be coincidence. As an Elemental witch, she was linked to nature even more so than the Macskas.
Wiping at the water dripping in his eyes, Ethan ducked between the paddock railings to head for the barn door. “We must ask Romána whether we’ll be permitted to remain in residence. She may prefer to move our sleeping quarters to one of the outbuildings.”
“You will be staying in a larger suite on the second floor of the south wing.” The elder of the Macska clan stepped out into the wide entrance leading out of the stable into the paddock. Her slight build did nothing to diminish the aura of her authority and power. “Come inside the barn for now. We have much to discuss, Protectors.”
How did she know of their designation? No one was permitted access to that secret, especially those in the protected clan.
She narrowed her gaze and gestured for them to go inside. “We all have secrets.”
Chapter 11
Orsolya bit the inside of her cheek as she hurried up four flights of the rear steps from the kitchen to her room. With any luck, she wouldn’t see anyone on the way upstairs. The utter destruction of her heart wasn’t something she wanted to share on the day she was supposed to have joined with her mates. Mates? No, they were simply men who’d used her to further the death and destruction schemes of her family’s enemy.
Szereto, Mellanie - Two Pirates to Treasure [Bewitching Desires 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 8