Fox picked me up and carried me out of Rhys’s apartment, despite the guys’ protests. He took the elevator to his apartment and once inside, set me on a soft fur rug in front of a fire that had started as soon as we had entered. His apartment had very few decorations and hardly any furniture. I stayed in my fetal position on the rug while he did whatever he was doing in the kitchen.
A few minutes later, he came back and set a cup of hot chocolate on the ground in front of me. Hot chocolate was my favorite.
“Do you have a peppermint stick?” I asked softly, trying so hard to hold it together.
He disappeared and then came right back and put a peppermint stick in the cup.
I sat up and sipped it carefully, but it was the perfect temperature. He sat down behind me, his legs on either side of my body, and scooted close enough that I could lean back against him and still drink the cocoa.
“I know this is a lot to deal with,” he whispered and pet my hair. “I know there are lots of crazy things going on. This is not how you expected your new life in Jinla to be. I know.”
He was right about all of that.
“The bond is something unexpected for all of us.”
“Do you hate me for it?” I asked him.
He kissed my temple. “No, Jolie. None of this is your fault. You didn’t seduce us and trick us. You didn’t do any of this. This, is life. This is fate. You may not believe in fate, but I do. You are meant to be with us. We are meant to be your protectors. I can feel it, deep inside of me, I know this is right.”
“My life is a curse,” I told him, letting the hand holding the cocoa cup fall to my lap.
“Tell me,” he requested.
His phone vibrated in his pocket and he took it out, holding it far enough back that I couldn’t see the screen. I didn’t care. It was probably just the other guys texting to see what was going on.
“When I was eighteen, I was attacked by a vampire. My boyfriend at the time was a werewolf. He defended me from the vampire. Two years later, a witch and I bumped into each other on the street and she put a hex on me. It put me in a coma for a year until my grandma found someone who could remove it. A year after that, a human went on a shooting spree. He shot me in the leg and I almost bled to death. Last year…last year Demarcus captured me. I had been dating a human at the time. The human tried to protect me, but he couldn’t defeat Demarcus and his men. Demarcus tore him to pieces, slowly, and made me watch. I thought I was going to die there. I thought I was done for. Then, I escaped. I moved here, hoping to avoid all of this. I thought it was the town I had lived in. Clearly, I’m just cursed. I’m a curse, Fox. I’ll get you all killed if I stay.”
“You’ve had a very unfair life,” he whispered.
I nodded.
“Don’t you think it’s okay to let yourself indulge a little, then?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, tilting my head back to look up at him.
He smiled. “You deserve friends. You deserve happiness. You deserve to be loved.”
“Justina could have been killed today. My coworkers could have been killed,” I reminded him.
He took my cocoa and set it away from us. “They weren’t. Justina is a dhampir. She is very capable of protecting herself. We are capable of protecting ourselves. We are capable of protecting you.”
He did something with his phone and pushed it away from us. I watched it slide and then he turned me around to face him and brushed my hair behind my ear.
“Do you want to be happy?” he asked.
I nodded.
He brushed his knuckles down my cheek and then leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the lips. Instead of the raging fire I felt with Rhys and Deryn, I felt a slowly building fire. It was like the fire in the fireplace— small, but warming and relaxing.
I kissed him in return, and he laid me back on the rug, kissing me deeply and slowly, possessing me in a way that I had never experienced before. His movements were slow and deliberate, not rushed and demanding. It was even more of a turn on than the fast and passionate sex I’d experienced before.
He peeled my clothes off slowly and kissed from my toes to my forehead. He settled between my legs and slowly entered me, giving my body time to adjust to his size.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered as he began to slide in and out of me. “Your soul is beautiful. Everything about you is vibrant and pure.”
How could I be pure if I’d slept with other men before?
“You may not think you’re worthy of us or of being our queen,” he whispered into my ear, “but you are.”
His warm lips covered mine and I lost myself to his gentle and consuming touch.
Chapter 7
Fox drew me a bath and while I soaked, the others came into the apartment. I closed my eyes and relaxed, completely at ease. I never knew sex like that existed. I never knew someone could fuck you into calmness.
It was incredible.
“How is she?” Rhys asked.
“Relaxed,” Fox replied softly.
“What’s happening tomorrow?” Deryn asked.
“Her work won’t be open until they can clean up and ensure the building is safe for them to return to,” Rhys explained. “Plus, a lot of employees were feeling traumatized over the experience. She’s got at least the rest of the week off.”
“Fox?” I called, looking for shampoo or soap near the tub.
He walked into the bathroom and knelt next to it. “Yes?”
“I can’t find the shampoo or soap,” I explained.
He grabbed some bottles in a carrying tray from beneath the sink and set them next to the tub. He started to roll up his sleeves, but I grabbed his hand and shook my head.
“I got it,” I whispered.
He nodded and left me alone in the bathroom.
I washed quickly and then wrapped the robe he had left me around myself and tied it securely before walking out to join the guys. They were eating pizza and talking quietly. Thankfully, they didn’t stop talking when I walked in. That was something I hated.
Deryn held out a plate with two pieces of pizza on it to me and I gratefully accepted it. Everyone sat on the ground, because there weren’t any chairs or couches, so I joined them, sitting behind Fox and leaning against the wall. The pizza was warm and delicious, no doubt the best pizza I had ever eaten.
“This pizza is great,” I whispered to no one in particular.
“It’s from my parents’ shop,” Deryn explained.
“Your parents own a pizza parlor?” I asked, looking up at him.
“Among other things,” he said.
“Well, they’re great at making pizza,” I praised and took another bite.
“Would you like a drink?” Fox asked me.
I nodded, but my mouth was too full to reply.
He went to the fridge and got out a bottle and brought it to me.
“What’s that?” Nico asked.
“It’s a cider,” Fox replied.
I took a drink of it and moaned. It was a pear cider, pear was my absolute favorite.
All eyes focused on me.
I took another, bigger drink and closed my eyes as the delicious, sweet liquor went down my throat. It was perfect.
“I’ll take watch tonight,” Deryn said.
“I need to go to speak to my father. I shouldn’t be more than an hour or two,” Rhys said and stood up.
I drank more of the cider, surprised that I was still so calm and relaxed.
Rhys squatted in front of me and smiled. “You stay with Deryn and do what he says, okay?”
I saluted him. “Yes, sir.”
He leaned forward and I met him halfway, kissing him lightly on the lips.
“Stay safe,” I whispered to him.
He kissed my forehead and whispered, “Yes, my queen.”
Part of me wanted to argue that I wasn’t a queen, but I liked hearing them say it. A girl could get used to having sexy men call her their queen.
“Do
you want more pizza?” Fox asked.
“No, thank you. I’m full,” I replied. A small frown creased my brow. “Did you put a spell on me?”
Fox shook his head and smiled. “No. I promise I wouldn’t do something like that.”
“Interesting,” I whispered.
“Are you ready to go?” Deryn asked me.
“My clothes are at Rhys’s,” I said and looked down at the robe I was in. Slowly, the euphoria was wearing off, but contentment was its replacement, which I was okay with.
Deryn picked me up and grabbed one of the six-packs of cider out of Fox’s fridge. “I’m going to take this for her,” he told Fox.
Fox waved as we left his apartment.
“Want to play karting when we get to my apartment?” Deryn asked.
“That sounds fun,” I agreed and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Are you feeling better now?”
I nodded. “Fox is…magical.”
He snorted. “I’ve heard that before.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, feeling bad for admitting that I had slept with Fox.
“For what?” he asked and looked down at me as we waited for the elevator.
“I just…don’t know what I can and can’t talk about with you guys.”
“You mean about when you sleep with one of us?” he guessed.
I nodded.
“You don’t have to walk on pins and needles with us,” he assured me. “Plus, we all knew when we came in that you had slept with him.”
“How?”
He cringed. “Uh, we just did.”
“Deryn.”
“We could smell that you had,” he admitted finally.
“Ew,” I whispered and scrunched my nose.
He laughed. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I can walk,” I told him. “You don’t have to carry me.”
The elevator came, and he set me on my feet beside him. “Better?”
Now I felt cold. I wrapped my arms around myself and frowned.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Cold,” I admitted.
He laughed and picked me up again. “I can remedy that easily.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and nuzzled my cold nose into his neck.
“Cold!” he gasped, but didn’t move away.
“Warm,” I purred and nuzzled him.
“None of that,” he chastised.
“Of what?” I asked, but chuckled and moved my face away from him. “Sorry.”
When we got to his apartment, he gave me a pair of his sweats and a shirt to change into. Once changed, I sat next to him on the couch and grabbed a controller.
“Ready to lose?” I asked with a smirk and wiggled the joysticks.
He smirked. “No one beats me at karting.”
“Promise not to cry?” I asked.
“Oh! Alright. Let’s make a bet. I win and you share my bed tonight. You win and-”
“I win and you give me a massage,” I said.
“Deal.”
The apartment was warm and I was already feeling drowsy. I had to focus if I was going to win.
The game started and I focused on the track.
“No,” I screeched as I started to slide off the edge.
He laughed victoriously and slid around me.
After I was brought back onto course, I raced after him, using every trick and shortcut that I knew.
“Come on. It’s like you want me to win,” he teased.
Sharing a bed with him wasn’t something I was actively trying to avoid, but I was very competitive.
“We’ve only gone one lap!” I reminded him just as I slid around him and pushed him off the edge.
“No!” he yelled and tapped his foot as he waited for the flying guy to put him back on the track.
We were neck and neck right up to the end and I would have won, but he reached over and grabbed my leg, squeezing and making me squeal and slide off the couch to get away so he couldn’t tickle me more. He past the finish line first and jumped up, pumping his fists in the air.
“Woo! I won!” he yelled victoriously.
“You, cheater!” I shouted and pushed him.
He laughed and laughed and eventually, I started laughing too.
I fell onto the couch and clutched at my sore stomach. “Too much laughing,” I gasped.
“No such thing,” he said and sat on the ground in front of the couch, leaning his head back so that his head lay on my stomach.
“Deryn, what if-”
“Do you want to go on a date tomorrow?” he asked me.
“Huh?” I asked, shocked by the topic shift and him interrupting me.
“Will you go on a date with me tomorrow?”
“Yes,” I agreed immediately. “Are we allowed to leave the apartment, though?”
He smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m taking you somewhere very secure.”
“Is it a dungeon?” I asked and moved away from him with a fake gasp. “Are you going to put me in a dungeon and give me lotion?”
He laughed and then stalked towards me on all fours. “Dungeons are no fun. They don’t give me enough room to chase you.”
I had played with werewolves before, so seeing him stalking me was thrilling instead of terrifying. My heart sped as I leapt over the back of the couch to put some space between us.
“Oh no, the big, bad wolf is hunting me. What ever shall I do?” I asked dramatically and continued walking backwards, a shit eating grin on my face.
He got onto his feet and stalked around the couch towards me. “Where will you go, little girl?”
“Well, I’d take you to Grandmother’s house, but we both know what happens there,” I teased.
He laughed and charged after me.
I squealed and raced around the couch, as fast as I could, and ran into his room. He pounced on me, wrapping his entire body around me as we fell onto the bed, softening the impact, so that it didn’t hurt me at all.
He pinned my arms above my head and leaned down to nip the tip of my nose. “Caught you.”
“Are you to eat me?” I asked with a fake accent.
He arched an eyebrow. “Very straightforward, aren’t we? Most women at least have the decency to wait until I’ve gotten their clothes off to ask.”
My heart quickened and I licked my lips. “I didn’t mean like-”
He crushed his mouth to mine and he grabbed both of my wrists in one hand. “Now, you’re helpless. What shall I do with you?”
I squirmed, trying to get my wrists free, knowing full well that I had zero chance of doing so.
He wiggled his fingers and said, “I believe you shall be punished for knocking me off the track in that second lap.”
“What?” I asked just before he started tickling me.
I laughed and squealed as he tickled me.
“Torturer!” I wiggled and tried to get free.
“Retribution!” he yelled as he continued.
Someone knocked on the door and he stopped tickling me. Rhys walked in and I yelled, “My savior!”
He smirked. “Am I interrupting?”
“He’s torturing me!” I yelled and struggled in Deryn’s hold.
Deryn kissed my forehead and then released me.
“What’s up?” he asked Rhys.
“I brought her stuff here,” he said and nodded at my bag that was now on the floor.
“Thanks,” I replied, but stayed where I was on the bed. Feeling tired. “I think I’ll sleep in this,” I told them.
“Sleep in whatever you want,” Deryn told me.
“Thank you, your majesty,” I said and scoffed.
Rhys chuckled. “Deryn, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“No secrets!” I yelled and sat up.
“It’s not regarding you,” Rhys informed me. He walked over and kissed my cheek. “Go to sleep. Deryn will join you in a few minutes.”
“It’s still weird that you’re okay with that,” I whispered
, but crawled under the covers.
“You’ll get used to it,” he assured me before leaving.
“I’ll be right back,” Deryn said. “Yell if you need something.” He kissed me lightly and tickled my sides before running out of the room after Rhys.
I lay on the bed with a smile on my face. The smile slowly disappeared. Four men. I was dating four men who were all friends. They were all bound to me, and I brought nothing to the table, except my body.
What could I do for them? What could I offer them aside from myself? There had to be something or someway for me to prove worthy of them. The more time I spent with each of them individually, the deeper the bonds became, not on a metaphysical level or anything, but in my heart. They were great guys, and it just felt right to be with them. I felt like I was home, despite never having been with them before.
Was this what people meant when they felt like they had a soulmate? Was this feeling of home and rightness the feeling of what soulmates experienced?
Maybe Fox was right. Maybe this was fate. Maybe it was my destiny to be with them.
I scoffed and rolled over. “Right? It’s your destiny to be with four men. That’s called dreaming,” I reminded myself callously.
For now, I would enjoy the ride. Who knew when it would end? If the people trying to kill me had anything to say about it, that ride would end sooner rather than later. It could be tomorrow or the next day and I could be dead.
Or, the men I was slowly falling for could die trying to protect me.
No, I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t let any of them die.
Deryn’s date ended up being a trip to visit his pack. I practically bounced in my seat as we drove towards his pack’s headquarters.
“You’re lively today,” he teased me.
“I’m excited to meet your pack,” I said honestly. “It’s been a long time since I was with a werewolf pack, but when I used to visit, we had all kinds of fun.”
“How long were you dating that werewolf?”
“A year, but we lived in a small town and were friends before that. His alpha let me go on a hunt with them one time. It was so-”
“They took you on a hunt?” Deryn asked, his eyes going gold.
“Yeah,” I whispered, stilling at his seriousness.
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