But Alexei allowed himself to enjoy it, to take everything they offered and revel in it. He should have been ashamed of himself for accepting their caresses, but right now, he didn't give a damn.
Still, he realized he could not hold still and, on instinct, tried to push up into Lyetah’s mouth. Lyetah chuckled, and the vibrations traveled straight through Alexei’s dick, making him gasp in pleasure. At the same time, his lover held him down, the pressure on his hips combining with the perfect suction in a unique blend. Ohsyn’s caresses became even bolder, and his tongue left trails of fire all over Alexei’s skin. Oh, it was so good, so perfect, and Alexei needed to come so badly he would have begged for it.
The ecstasy escalated to unbearable proportions, the onslaught of the four men on his body too intense for him to bear. He cried out in Zimah’s mouth, his climax sweeping through him, turning him into a creature of sheer sensation. Only he and his men remained. The rest of the world dissipated, unimportant, abandoned.
He didn’t know how long he floated in the orgasmic daze, but when he recovered, the first thing he saw was Zimah’s beautiful eyes. And quite a sight they were, like one of the rare warm winter mornings when the promise of spring loomed ahead and the sun shone over the beautiful snowy hills.
“Hello there,” Zimah said. “You okay?”
“Never better,” Alexei replied breathlessly. When his mind began to work, he realized they’d all focused on him, and he’d just selfishly taken without giving anything back, again. “What about you?” he said, his gaze going from Zimah to Visnah, Lyetah, and Ohsyn.
“Don’t worry about us,” Ohsyn replied, smiling. “We’re fine. We have time to explore all possibilities.”
Visnah nodded. “Better not to rush.”
Alexei began to protest. “But…”
Lyetah pressed a finger to his lips. “Trust us, all right?” He began to help Alexei into his clothing. Alexei helped insofar as he could, still troubled by their refusal.
“Seriously, lyubimiy moi, don’t look so glum,” Zimah said. “It’s not like we’re all alone and abandoned here.”
A wink from Lyetah made Alexei grasp the meaning of Zimah’s words. The four of them were lovers. It made sense, in a way. Just like the seasons fit together, so did these men. But Alexei didn’t know what to think about that. He didn’t want to interfere in their relationship or spoil what they had.
“You’re thinking too hard again,” Visnah whispered. “Don’t doubt what you know to be true.”
Alexei nodded. He clung to Visnah’s reassuring words, forcing himself to stop dwelling over glum predictions. “And on that note, Alexei, you need to pick your apples,” Ohsyn said.
Alexei gasped as he realized the reason why he’d been sent here in the first place. He’d forgotten about Eva and her fruit entirely. Sure, his family didn’t know how long the trip to the grove took. Alexei could spend some more time here with his men. “I don’t want to go,” he said. “I just want to be here with you.”
“I know,” Lyetah answered. “That time will come. You have to be patient.”
Sighing, Alexei picked a couple of apples and placed them in his saddlebag. Afterwards, he turned to his men. “When will I see you again?”
“Soon,” Visnah answered. “For now, go on home. And remember, we’ll miss you.”
On impulse, Alexei stole another kiss from each of his men. He hated saying goodbye, especially now, when it meant being separated from his lovers. But he forced himself to be strong and break away from them. “I’ll miss you, too.”
He got on his horse and rode off. Behind him, he felt a slight whisper of the wind and knew his men had vanished. His mind and heart in turmoil, he headed home.
Predictably, upon his arrival, Eva snatched the apples without even a thank you. Yet again, she commented on his swollen lips, and he ignored her. Huffing, Eva took her apples to her room while Alexei sat in front of the crackling fire. What would happen tomorrow? Would he really see his lovers again, or had it all been a weird hallucination? What were these newly emerging feelings in his heart? So many questions, so few answers. For once, the fire didn’t speak to him, leaving Alexei alone and lost in his dilemmas.
Chapter Four
The following day had Alexei still dwelling on the memories of the incredible orgasm he’d experienced at the four men’s hands and clever mouths. He’d slept poorly, tormented by sensual dreams, and now, his mind kept drifting off to ice-blue or amber eyes, gentle voices, and sweet, wine-tasting lips.
Even Igor noticed the change in him. Concerned, he urged Alexei to get some rest. “You’ve run around too much these days. Perhaps you’re coming down with something.” Alexei’s father shook his head. “I knew I shouldn’t have allowed you to leave in such weather.”
Alexei accepted his father’s kindness shamelessly. He knew that if he tried to get some work done today, he’d just be in the way. He simply couldn’t focus on chores when his entire being ached to just feel his men close. Even hearing their voices would have sufficed.
Sitting by the fire helped, however, the flame singing a low chant to him. “You’ll be with them,” it said. “Don’t fret and be patient.”
Unfortunately, Eva intruded on his moment of peace and quiet. “Alexei? Oh, Alexei, would you come over here for a moment?”
Alexei gave his sister a bored look. “You come if you want to.”
He knew she would not do it. Eva never sat down in front of the fire. In fact, excessive heat made her violently ill.
Eva frowned at him. “Stop being such a jerk. I asked you nicely.”
“If you want something, just say it from there,” he said. Whatever urged her to approach him couldn’t be good, Alexei just knew it.
Eva crossed her hands over her chest and huffed. “Fine. Since you’re clearly not busy today, I want you to go get me more apples. The ones you brought yesterday dried up already.”
Alexei couldn’t bring himself to be surprised by her request. She seemed to be getting more and more spoiled by the second, and indulging her whims didn’t help. “Like I said yesterday,” he answered, “I’m not doing it again.”
“Right,” Eva drawled, “you’re afraid of a little winter wind. Poor little Alexei.” She laughed, and Alexei forced himself to remain calm.
“And how many times did you leave the house last summer, hmm?” he asked. “At least I don’t hide in my room like you.”
Unfortunately, Elga chose this particular moment to come inside. “Don’t talk to your sister like that,” she said. “If she wants apples, you’ll get her apples.”
Alexei shot to his feet. “I said no more after yesterday, and I haven’t changed my mind.”
Eva let out a sigh of theatrical exasperation. “Fine. Then can you just show me the way? From now on, I’ll get my own fruit.”
Alexei’s mind went blank. He started to come up with an argument, but knew he’d been defeated. “You can’t be serious,” he tried to say. “What’s the point of going trekking through the forest? You ate apples yesterday. Just drop it.”
“I don’t want to,” Eva answered stubbornly. “And if you won’t do it, I will.”
Elga looked like she doubted the success of this plan. “Darling, I don’t know if it’s wise. The road is too long and dangerous.”
Pain coursed through Alexei at the sight of their mother fussing over Eva so visibly. She hadn’t shown a trickle of concern for him. Granted, Alexei was male and could take care of himself better, but she knew his vulnerability to the cold. She could have at least acknowledged it.
“Mama is right, Eva. It is too risky for you,” he said tiredly.
“No, it’s not.” His sister shook her head. “I’ll be just fine. You just need to show me the way, and I’ll stop bothering you.”
A few hours later, Alexei and Eva left their house on his horse. Alexei still couldn’t figure out how she’d managed to convince them all, their parents included. But he felt terrified she would discover the
truth about his four lovers. What would she do if she saw them? Would they ask her for kisses, just like they had with him? Jealousy and fear swelled inside him, terrible and hurtful. For the first time, he hoped his men would not make their appearance, or he would not manage to find the grove.
Halfway to their destination, Eva complained she could no longer withstand riding. She was not used to it, so Alexei didn’t hold it against her. However, he couldn’t refrain from pointing out that she should have expected such difficulties. “How easy did you think it would be?” he asked as he helped her dismount.
She frowned at him. “It’s just an animal. I didn’t think mounting it would actually hurt me. Let’s just walk for a while.”
Of course, Eva’s proposed method ended up taking more out of Alexei than out of her. As the cold wind intensified, Eva seemed to gain more and more strength, and Alexei weakened. After a while, Alexei suggested riding the horse again, arguing that it would be faster, but Eva declined. “What point is there to be fast if I’m going to be in pain? Come on, lazy bones. Move it.”
And so, Alexei resigned himself to accepting the cold trek. In the end, walking didn’t prove to be quite so bad, since the effort heated Alexei up. Eva soon seemed to show signs of fatigue, and Alexei guessed it must be happening to her as well.
The trip seemed to take forever. Several times, Alexei considered just forcing Eva onto the horse and heading back home, but something stopped him. The blaze inside him rebelled at the thought of giving up in front of a challenge. So onward they went until they at last spotted the woods in the distance.
They stopped to catch their breath at the very edge of the forest. “Here we are,” Alexei said, “but there’s still quite a way to go to reach the grove.”
Eva nodded, scanning the area thoughtfully. “The shrubbery seems very thick.”
“I suppose,” Alexei answered, not really understanding what she meant to say by that.
“It’s going to be difficult to move with this big, useless beast behind us,” she said. Before Alexei could stop her, she stole the reins of the horse from him and kicked the poor animal hard. The horse neighed in protest and took off in a heavy gallop.
Alexei rushed after the animal and called out, but, predictably, it ignored him. Furious, he stalked back to his sister. “Are you mad? How are we going to get home?”
Eva arched a brow at him. “Walking, of course, just like we came.”
“You idiot!” Alexei shouted. “Can’t you see it will be getting dark soon? When night falls, the woods will be teeming with wolves and the road with bandits. And what about your many apples? How do you intend to carry them?”
Eva’s eyes widened. Obviously, she hadn’t considered those aspects. She’d always disliked animals since she considered them dirty and disgusting. It was just like her to disregard their safety for something so trivial.
In that moment, she looked so very young Alexei didn’t have the heart to continue a shouting match. “Look, let’s just head on home, and we should be fine. If we keep a good pace, we’ll reach the house before dusk.”
To his surprise and dismay, Eva shook her head. “No. We’ve come this far already. We’re not going back.”
“Eva, be reasonable,” he started to say.
He shouldn’t have bothered with trying to convince her. She took off, running straight into the forest. Alexei cursed and rushed after her. The foolish girl would get herself killed. Even if the cold didn’t hurt her, the wolves certainly would.
Desperate, he tried to find his sister, calling out her name. On and on he searched, acutely aware of every second that passed. Even if they didn’t get along, Eva was his twin and he loved her. In his heart, he’d always hoped they’d get over their differences one day. They wouldn’t have this chance if something happened to Eva.
He tried to follow the footsteps in the snow, but Eva moved on light feet, barely leaving any trace at all. Darkness began to creep into the forest, ominous and threatening. A feeling of decision invaded him, a hidden warmth fueling his body from deep inside. He would not allow any harm to come to his sister.
As his mind cleared, he could sense the way she’d gone. He rushed in that direction when, out of the blue, a bloodcurdling scream sounded straight ahead. “Alexei!”
It was Eva’s voice, and the terror in it turned Alexei’s blood into ice. He moved as quickly as he could, and at last, saw his sister ahead. She lay still on the ground, her eyes fixed somewhere in front of her.
Alexei reached her side and realized why she’d screamed. In the pale light of dusk, he spotted the wolves approach. Oh, Goddess. This couldn’t be happening.
Trying to keep his composure, he knelt at Eva’s side. “Are you all right, Eva?”
“I tripped against a root,” Eva whispered back. She showed him her bloody hand. “I scratched myself when I fell.”
The wolves must have scented Eva’s blood in the air then and come hunting before they usually did. “Can you walk?” he asked. The beasts were approaching now, and it would only be a matter of seconds for them to attack.
She nodded. “I can walk. I didn’t twist my ankle.”
Alexei gently helped her up, careful so as not to make any sudden movements. “When I say go, run back as fast as you can. Try to find your way to the road using my footsteps.”
“But Alexei…” she protested. Her eyes filled with tears, and for once, they looked genuine.
“Shh, sestrichka,” Alexei murmured. “It will be fine.”
They’d never used terms of endearment with each other, not even as children, but somehow, in this moment, it fit. Eva seemed to think the same. “Bratishka,” she murmured, “I don’t want to leave you.”
Eva’s words meant the world to Alexei, but he couldn’t allow her to stay. “You have to go. Our parents are going to need you.”
They didn’t have time to continue the debate. The wolves lunged, their wild eyes shining with hunger. Alexei pushed Eva onto the path and positioned himself strategically between her way out and the wolves. One of the animals pounced on Alexei, embedding its fangs in his flesh and sending him crashing into the cool ground. Alexei knew he was going to die here. He wished he could have seen his men one last time. But at least his sister would escape.
Unfortunately, the wolves were more numerous than Alexei had originally thought. He heard Eva scream and realized they’d been surrounded by a whole pack of the beasts.
He didn’t know how it happened, but upon his sister’s desperate shout, he felt a deep blaze swell inside him, the same thing that always kept him from abandoning a job he disliked. Fire burst out of his very heart, and the wolf that had attacked him went flying into the air with a pained yelp.
Dazed, Alexei struggled to his feet and looked around, searching for Eva. He found her just a few feet away from him, staring at a snow drift that hadn’t been there before. Wolves attempted to get out of the icy trap. It seemed like an odd dream, and Alexei expected to wake any moment now.
He tried to push the wolves back using the fire he could suddenly summon, but he the heat inside him soon began to get unbearable. Alexei had never been hurt by warmth before, but this fever sent agony into his brain. He threw his gaze back toward his sister, and saw her lips had gone blue and her body very still. They would not be able to hang on for much longer.
Just when he thought all was lost, he felt a familiar presence close in. It brought with it a soothing touch, and in spite of the molten heat torturing him, his mind and vision cleared up a bit. His men surrounded him and Eva, their power so palpable that it made Alexei both humbled and awed.
A slideshow of images flashed around him. The ground seemed to shift from winter, to spring, summer and autumn, rain, hail, and light all flaring around them. When it was over, the wolves had vanished, gone to hide from the more powerful opponent.
Overwhelming relief filled Alexei, bringing with it a striking feeling of exhaustion. He could not have held himself upright to save his life.
His knees buckled, and he swooned, threatening to fall to the ground once again. Visnah caught him and pulled him against his solid warmth. “Oh, radost moia, we’re so sorry,” Visnah whispered. “We should have gotten here sooner.”
“This should have never happened,” Ohsyn said, his voice laced with pain.
Alexei clung to his lovers, finding comfort in their presence. He wanted to tell them it was all right, that he didn’t blame them for not being here, but his concern for Eva won over his desire to soothe them. “Eva?” he asked.
“She will be fine.” Zimah’s voice held strength and decision. “You will both be fine.” His tone turned a touch rougher when he spoke again, this time to his three companions. “Come on. We need to hurry.”
Zimah took Alexei from Visnah, lifting him in his arms while Lyetah carried Eva. Zimah’s cool body sent away some of the painful heat, but Alexei felt tired, so very tired. “Don’t fall asleep, lyubimiy moi,” Zimah said. “Stay with me. Hang in there, just a little longer.”
It suddenly seemed very important for Alexei to tell them how he felt. “Thank you,” he whispered, hoping all of them would hear. “Thank you for showing me passion and… and making me feel these incredible things. I wish… I wish we could have more time together. Please, help Eva, and remember me fondly.”
Chapter Five
Alexei was dying. Zimah knew it, as did all the others. He could see it in the way Alexei’s bright red hair clung limply to his sweaty forehead. His beautiful coal-black eyes shut when he surrendered to unconsciousness. Eva seemed in a similar state, and Zimah knew it all amounted to the foolishness and disregard the four of them had shown.
He still remembered the day when Alexei and Eva had been conceived. As earth spirits, Zimah and his lovers were assigned to watch over the land in their particular assigned territory. Sometimes, however, they fulfilled wishes, and when they’d seen the middle-aged woman happily dancing in the snow and making a snow angel, they’d decided of common accord to give the couple the child they desired so much.
Hyacinth, Scarlet - Fire of the Four Seasons (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove) Page 4