by Macy Blake
He pushed his pants down and kicked them off. Loch’s scowl eased and he looked Henry up and down with a predatory gleam in his eye. He stalked forward again, pushing Henry back until his thighs bumped against the table.
“I cannot get enough of you,” Loch confessed. His ran his hand down Henry’s side, then guided him back so he was spread out on the table. Henry pushed the books aside without taking his eyes away from his mate’s.
“The feeling is mutual,” Henry said.
“It is such a strange thing to feel,” Loch added. He traced his fingers over Henry’s chest, tweaking his nipples as he went. Then over his belly to rest at Henry’s groin, framing his cock with his long, thin fingers.
“How so?” Henry gasped, fighting the urge to push up against Loch’s touch.
“I devoted my life to the prince, and would have given my life to protect his, as was my position. But my mates,” Loch said. He met Henry’s gaze once more. “I would defeat an army for my mates. I would fight to my last breath for you all. It is… it is more than I ever imagined to feel for anyone, and it is everything.”
“Yeah,” Henry agreed. “It is.”
“I have never known pleasure such as this. Each of my mates pleases me in their own way. It is overwhelming at times. I crave each of you.”
Henry laid his hand on top of Loch’s. “It’s not just you. I don’t know if that helps, but I feel the same way. I can’t imagine my life without each of you in it. Every one of you has a place and without one, there’s not all of us. I don’t know.”
“Yes,” Loch said. “You understand.”
He leaned over, tracing his hands up Henry’s body until he cupped Henry’s face in his hands. “I would sheathe my sword in you now.”
Henry grinned and pointed to the desk in the corner. “Top left drawer.”
Loch scowled but moved quickly away, returning a moment later with a beaming smile and a pot of oil. “This is magical,” Loch said. “Although I did ask Puteri, and she said magic is not used in its making.”
Henry choked out a laugh even as Loch began to coat his hole with oil. He trembled and tried to relax. “You actually asked Puteri?”
“Yes. She knows many things about magic. She has lived a long time.”
Henry wouldn’t mind asking more, but his thoughts scattered in the wind as Loch touched him. He lost himself to the sensations, letting his fear escape. Loch didn’t make him wait long, but pulled him close and kissed him sweetly.
“I would have you on your belly so I can see my sword being sheathed.”
Henry couldn’t help but snicker. “You’ve gotta stop saying that.”
“Yes,” Loch agreed. “I would fuck you now, Henry, my mage. My air.”
Henry sighed and rolled over, letting Loch’s hands guide him into position.
He braced himself against the table as Loch positioned his cock at Henry’s hole and slid it into him. The stretch ached— it always did, even after he’d been with his mates as long as he had. It was Henry’s favorite sensation on the planet.
Something soft tickled over his back and Henry couldn’t help but shiver even as Loch sunk deeper inside him. He glanced over his shoulder and found another loose feather in Loch’s hand. He smiled wickedly as he lowered it again, brushing it over Henry’s back and down his ass.
“Loch. Fuck.”
“Yes, love. That is what we are doing.”
Henry would have growled but Loch began to move once more, a pounding rhythm at odds with the soft brushes against his back. He couldn’t focus on one sensation over the other. They kept him off balance as his body responded to it all, surging higher, faster.
Just when he thought he couldn’t get any more turned on, Loch pulled him up and wrapped his arms around Henry’s chest. He continued thrusting, but the new position forced him to slow down again.
Henry whimpered, needing release desperately. The pressure built and he ached for it. “Loch.”
“Brace yourself on the table.”
Henry did as his mate demanded and pressed his hands into the table. Loch began using the feather again, this time on Henry’s front. It tingled, their magic combining in a way that enhanced each stroke against his skin. He wanted to fight it, to reach up and capture Loch’s hand and still that wicked feather from moving over him, teasing him. But he didn’t. Henry liked the edge. He liked losing control. And his mate was making him absolutely crazy, balancing him on the edge of pleasure.
It could have been Loch’s masterful use of his body that drove him over the edge. His body responded to each thrust, his release building and drawing his balls up tight. It could have been the feather, the magic sparking between them as Loch teased him and made him fight for control. But instead, it was Loch, leaning forward and blowing a light breath over the sweat dampened-skin of his neck. That one additional sensation, combined with all the others, pulled his release from him.
Henry cried out even as Loch dropped the feather onto the table and grabbed his hips. His mate came inside him, claiming him once again. Henry’s body trembled and he moved positions, unable to support himself any further. He didn’t even care that one hand landed on one of his precious books. He rode the waves as Loch continued to use him. They both collapsed against the table, Loch’s breaths gasping into his neck. Henry’s own chest heaved as well.
“That was… wow.”
“Yes.”
“The feather thing.”
“Hmm,” Loch mumbled.
“Don’t fall asleep on me. This table is not comfortable. And I think I ruined one of my books.”
Henry looked at his hand, really not caring at the moment, but knowing he’d curse himself later if he’d actually damaged the book. His breath caught. His hand laid on top of the mark of the goddess, the page opened from earlier. He’d stared at it over and over again.
But now, his hand laid just the right way and he was finally able to see what he’d not seen before.
“Loch,” Henry said.
His mate realized something was wrong and raised up. His cock slipped from Henry’s body, and Henry had to close his eyes for a moment as another wave of sensation flowed through him. His knees wobbled, and his heart skipped a beat.
“Look,” Henry said.
His thumb rested on one of the black lines representing the sisters. His middle finger did as well. So did his pinkie. Nothing too crazy. Except for his other two fingers. They rested on the spaces in between. His pointer and ring fingers. Right there. All five equally represented in the glyph. They just hadn’t seen it before. They didn’t consider the blank spaces significant. But they were.
Henry laughed and moved his hand, spinning around in Loch’s arms and kissing him soundly. “Come on. We’ve gotta go talk to Sawyer.”
The feather had stuck to his belly and Henry didn’t even care. He grabbed it, waving it in the air like an idiot as he ran for the bedroom. “I’ve got it!”
Sawyer
“I got it!”
Sawyer jerked in Draco’s hold as Henry flung open the bedroom door and ran to the bed. He dive-bombed them, somehow managing to land across Sawyer’s legs without causing anyone permanent damage. It was a close call. Draco had his dick shielded, still worried about where Henry’s knee would go next.
“What?” Sawyer couldn’t help but smile at Henry’s excitement even as Henry managed to settle across his belly and put his ass in a perfect spot for Sawyer to—
“I totally got it.”
“So tell us,” Draco said.
Henry drew a circle with one of Loch’s feathers on Sawyer’s chest. “The mother goddess. Right? The circle at the top.”
“Yeah.” Sawyer shivered, the feather tickling and sending a spark of pleasure down his spine.
“The sisters.” He drew three lines down.
“Yeah.”
“And the brothers,” Henry said. He drew his hand down twice more, this time in between the others. “It might have looked like there was nothing there,
but we both know that in this world, nothing is usually something.”
It took Sawyer a second, and then he gasped. “You totally got it.”
There were five all along, they just hadn’t seen it. The black lines in the symbol so present and obvious. But there were spaces in between. Two of them. The five children of the goddess were all accounted for after all.
“And that’s not all.”
“You’re on a roll.”
“I am. Wait. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. I feel good.”
“Did you, like, get your memories back or whatever? Do you know all of this now and I’m babbling like an idiot?”
“No. I don’t know. Tell me.”
Henry grinned and leaned down, kissing Sawyer quickly. It was only then that he realized Henry was stark naked.
“What exactly were you doing?”
“Oh, Loch did the feather thing and, well, you know how fucking sexy his wings are.”
Sawyer grinned. He did know. “Got it.”
“Anyway, so Loch gave Puteri a feather, right? She took it to the lake, and the lake let her bring some water back to you.”
“He did? I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah. The hot tub thing. I thought you knew. Anyway, you soaked in some lake water and then you felt better.”
Sawyer turned to find Loch watching them from beside the bed. “That was dangerous.”
“A gift freely given,” Loch said. “And worth it since it helped.”
Sawyer wanted to argue, but Henry was vibrating with excitement. “What else?”
“And Draco’s family gave you the armor. Also, freely given.”
“Yes.”
“And it’s dangerous because it can be used against you. Dragons protect their scales just like fae protect their feathers. Because your own magic can be used against you. So that’s why you don’t just spread your magic out all willy-nilly. And it’s especially why you don’t try to take someone’s magic against their will. It’s really bad.”
“I’m not following.”
Henry grinned again, then leaned down so he was inches away from Sawyer’s face. “He messed up, Sawyer.”
“What?”
“Your brother. He messed up. He tried to take my magic. He did take some of it. But it wasn’t freely given so it didn’t do anything for him. Not really. But it did leave a residue. I think that’s why the visions hurt so badly. But it’s there, and that means I can use it against him. We can use the visions to find the eighth guardian.”
“Henry, I don’t—”
“Master Sawyer, the grimoire from Leader Hartwig has arrived for Master Henry. As you recall, Gamayun said it would be what he needed.”
Another significant look.
“Ha!” Henry said. He scrambled off the bed and ran toward Cecil and the book. Still naked.
“Henry,” Sawyer groaned.
“Serendipity, Sawyer! See? This is it. We can fight fire with fire. Except air with air. Kinda.”
“I don’t… it’s not. Henry.”
“It’s perfect. That’s why the visions hurt, Sawyer. Don’t you get it? They’re not natural. And that’s why he had all the mages hunted down. He was trying to power up. He was trying to figure all this out by using our visions to get the answers. Air power for the air god. But it doesn’t work if it’s not freely given.”
Henry grabbed the book and bounced back over to the bed. Only Saeward’s quick movement kept Henry from injuring them all. He caught Henry and put him gently down across Sawyer’s stomach again.
“Thanks, Ward,” Henry said. He kissed Ward’s chest before turning back to Sawyer with the book clutched in his arms. “I know you’re worried but I have another air elemental to shield me. With his sexy as fuck wings. His powerful held-off-Puteri’s-really-strong-magic wings. And the others can help too. Hell, you can help. All the help, Sawyer. The book will have the answers. Just wait. I know it will. And then we can get number eight. And then we can tell your stupid brother to kiss our asses.”
Henry leaned over and kissed Sawyer again before dropping the book on Sawyer’s chest. Then he flung himself against Draco, kissing their dragon until he panted for breath. Then Eduard, who he left a disheveled mess. And Andvari, who panted and ended up grabbing Eduard once Henry was done with him. Ward got his attentions next, and then Henry surprised even himself by jumping at Dakota.
The new guardian caught Henry in his arms. “I’d kiss you too, but I don’t know if I like you. But I do know that you’re a lynx and I’m super glad you’re here. I think I’m going to need your help with ward issues. You can’t be held within wards, right?”
“I can’t be held captive at all,” Dakota rumbled.
Sawyer trembled at the power in Dakota’s voice. A lynx. He’d read about them in their books. Elusive and powerful. Dangerous creatures who preferred to be alone, and could never be locked away. Their magic wouldn’t allow it. They had to be free.
“Definitely gonna need your help,” Henry said. “All the pieces had to be in place before it would work, Sawyer.” Henry wiggled out of Dakota’s embrace and ran back to the bed. “Your plan is coming together. Can’t you feel it?”
Sawyer wanted to let Henry’s excitement flow through him, to fill him with hope, but he couldn’t ignore the pain he could see in his newest guardian’s eyes.
Dakota glanced at him, golden eyes locking on his. “Your brother tried and failed to hold me.”
That caught everyone’s attention. Sawyer pushed up, moving the book aside. “What?”
“I’m caught in a war between brothers. But I will lose.”
Sawyer scrambled off the bed. “No, you won’t.”
Dakota laughed, but it was dark and bitter. “You know nothing.”
Sawyer moved to him. All of his mates gathered behind him, each of them wanting the answers Dakota clearly possessed. Even Henry’s excitement had waned with Dakota’s words, a less than subtle reminder that lives were at stake.
“I don’t know a lot, you’re right,” Sawyer said. “But I know that I won’t hold you here against your will. You can leave anytime you want. I won’t force you to do anything. That’s not what I want from you. Or what I want for you.”
“You know nothing,” Dakota repeated.
“So tell me, Dakota. Tell us.”
“You play at a game and do not know the rules. You flaunt your mates, and yet do not question why others are so desperate to find theirs. You pity the children who were tortured, and yet you do not question how they came to be or why. You love and laugh and are adored when others must hide in the shadows, frightened and tormented because of you.”
“Enough,” Draco yelled.
Sawyer reached for him, accepting the hand Draco reached out to him, but stopped Draco from intervening further with a look. His mate fumed, but Sawyer wanted to hear what Dakota had to say. He needed to hear the words.
“Tell me,” Sawyer said once more.
“Your mage is not the only one who sees,” Dakota snarled. “I see as well, and my visions showed me what choices you made and the consequences. Oh, noble chosen one, who sacrificed his magic to protect the world from his big bad brother. Is that really what you think? No, you were a petulant child, determined to beat your brother and prove that you were strong, that you were worthy. You cared not of the consequences. And your brother,” Dakota scoffed, “all he wanted was to steal enough power to defeat the Mother and take her place. You cared nothing of that, only wanted to be better than him in her eyes.”
Dakota’s breath came in pants, his anger filling the room. Sawyer’s mates were all livid, ready to strike out on his behalf. They all waited for him to defend himself. But he knew better.
“Sounds like me,” Sawyer said softly. “Do you know how much I used to torment Nick and Mikey, trying to get their attention, desperate to get them to see me? Well, I guess your visions probably didn’t show you that, but it’s true. There’s just one difference, Dakota
. My brothers weren’t evil, and they helped me grow stronger and smarter. They taught me how to look outside of myself and see what others around me needed. They taught me to care and to love. Can you say the same about him? I’m sure I made mistakes. I have no doubt that I did. I know I have an ego, and I really like to win. I still do. I also know that I love with all of my heart, and if I tried some desperate measure, even if it did go wrong, it wasn’t with evil intentions. I may be an idiot, but I wouldn’t do that.”
Dakota turned away and looked out the window.
“Tell me what he did to you,” Sawyer asked softly.
“To me?” Dakota answered, his voice dull and without emotion. “Nothing. His minions came after me, and they caught me. I thought it a game, at first. To me, it was. They didn’t know what I was. How could they? They were human, imbued with stolen powers to give them a boost. I played along, laughing at them the entire time, knowing I could walk away with little more than a thought.”
Sawyer looked out the window as well, waiting for Dakota to finish. The pain in his voice echoed in Sawyer’s mind, reaching a place deep inside of him. For the first time, he truly understood the depth of what was happening outside the bubble he lived in, surrounded by wards and mates and guards.
“But it wasn’t funny. I wasn’t the only one,” Dakota said. “They were all so scared. They thought I was there to hurt them more. They’d been hurt enough, though. Experimented on until it wasn’t even clear what they’d been at the beginning. I got them out of there, hid them away, and kept them safe. And then the visions came. Visions of you and your brother. Of a war that had no purpose, that should not have been. Magic destroyed, lives ruined, because two brothers played a game with their magic without a care for the consequences.”
If it was only anger in Dakota’s voice, Sawyer would probably be able to shrug it off a little easier and leave it to the decisions of the past-him. Choices he wouldn’t make this time. He could turn into Draco’s arms and be sheltered from all of it. Ward would hold him close and his cool energy would soothe the anger being thrown his way. But the heartbreak, the desolation and frustration, Sawyer couldn’t walk away from those. He couldn’t deny that he’d hurt Dakota deeply, even if it hadn’t been intentionally. Even if he didn’t remember any of it. He’d still done it. He was still responsible.