by Anna LaVerne
“Help me forget I am a monster. Remind me I am a person worth life,” the tears continue to stream down my face. I bare it all before four men who haven’t even earned it in the Ring yet. I do it on trust and faith in them and the invisible path I follow.
Aden steps forward, tipping my chin up to his lips, “You are more than a person, Meri. You are a goddess of compassion and war. I will worship you until the end of my days for your beauty and your heart.”
Aden’s lips crash into mine, gentle at first and then more demanding. I allow my body to take control and match his kiss with the same need. Hands land on my shoulders, causing me to temporarily break away. It is Morgan massaging my sore muscles. He lowers his head, moving my long blonde hair out of the way, and kisses my neck.
I shiver in delight. Laki is standing next to me and bends in for a passionate kiss, showing me how badly he wants me by how forcefully his tongue plunges into my mouth. My core ignites, and I want more of what they are all offering.
I move back to Aden’s mouth from Laki and then over to Breck. Breck is taller than them all. He pulls me into him wrapping one hand around the back of my neck and the other on my back just above my butt. While in that position, I feel fingers flick over my sex from behind.
Startled, I press further into Breck. The fingers don’t stop, and soon, I realize how good they feel. I release the muscles in my back, pushing myself onto them harder and grinding my hips. A moan escapes me as Breck moves, and Morgan takes over.
Morgan’s lips connect with mine, and his hands hold me beneath my ass. He lifts me from the ground, and I instinctively wrap my legs around his waist. I have never been with a man before; not long ago I was nervous with one. Today, I am craving all four and whatever they are willing to give me.
Morgan releases me when I am on the bed. My eyes are only half open from the delicious game of kisses, but I do notice all four men are now sans clothing as well. A mouth sprinkles kisses at my feet. I observe Aden working his way up my legs. He peppers kisses all the way until he reaches the folds betwixt my legs. My heart pounds in my chest as I try to squirm away from the intensity of pleasure.
Instead, Aden holds my hips in place, so I can’t escape the incredible things he is doing to me with his mouth. My eyes open, and I see Laki in all his bronzed glory moving his hand up and down upon his shaft. His eyes are glazed over with need.
The image does something to me, turning me on more than ever. I arch my back, expecting something huge to burst within me, sending me to the stars, but right before the explosion, Aden stops and pulls away. I whimper in protest. I sit up, but Laki appears at my side pushing me back down.
“Let us worship you,” his husky voice caresses my being.
All I can do in response is moan. Laki’s thick length is pressed against my leg making me want more. Soon my legs are stretched apart, and I see Morgan moving down between them. He begins to taste me as Laki gently fondles my breasts. It is almost too much, but they don’t allow me to even move an inch.
Breck runs his fingers through my hair. I turn my head to the side to see Aden watching me. My eyes stay glued to the first real friend I have ever made. I can see in his expression that he will never leave me, none of these men will. I am not sure how I know it, I just do.
I keep his gaze as Morgan’s mouth brings me the explosion I have been desperately seeking. My body arches and convulses as pleasure flashes through me like an electrical current. My breath stays quick in my chest, and I am left on the bed quivering.
“The sweetest thing I ever witnessed,” Aden replies, staring at me.
“The sweetest nectar I have ever tasted,” Morgan whispers from the foot of the bed.
“Have you forgotten what you needed to forget?” Laki asks from my side.
I smile my first true smile in days, “Not yet.”
I roll over in bed, gathering my knees beneath me and crawl to Breck, who is standing at the head of the bed. I run my hands down his chiseled chest and look upon his long length that matches his long swimmer’s body.
Without hesitation, I take him within my mouth running my tongue from his base to the tip. I keep my tongue along the ridge and bring my hand up to help assist. Breck’s long fingers entwine in my hair as he moans.
“So hot,” Laki explains as he maneuvers himself beneath me. Before I know it, I am straddling him, reverse cowgirl style. His hands spread my ass cheeks as he prods my entrance.
“Careful, Laki, she is a virgin,” Aden says from somewhere behind us.
I never once take a break from Breck’s shaft. The taste of him is akin to blood, and I want more. Thankfully, my fangs have stayed hidden, so I can take what I need. Laki continues to stay poised just below me taking his time rubbing himself upon my core.
I can’t help but moan and rock back on it. The vibration from my moaning pushes Breck over the edge, I can sense the same experience I felt, wash through him as his seed fills my mouth. The sweet taste of bodily fluids feels at home there after days of drinking blood. I allow it to slide down my throat like honey as he pulls out from my mouth.
“Sweet daughter of Aphrodite, you are incredible,” Breck sighs as he steps away.
I throw myself backwards upon Laki, not making intercourse yet. His mouth claims my shoulders as his fingers rub my nipples until they are razor sharp.
Before Laki and I have a chance to do anything else, Aden pulls me off of him and lays me out next to him. Laki rolls away as Aden spreads my knees apart and climbs in between. He takes my breast into his mouth, gently tugging at the nipple before releasing it and running his tongue from my nipple around the curve. I arch my back, begging for more.
He climbs upward more until his part is at my entrance, “I promise I will not hurt you, love,” he whispers into my neck.
I am glad that it is Aden who I am giving the gift of my virginity to. He enters me, slow and deliberate. He is so stiff, hard, and warm. I can’t resist grinding my hips on him as he pushes in a bit farther.
“You are not making this easy,” he growls as his tip has reached the barrier that marks me as the virgin I am. He pulls back and glides his cock into me in one solid movement. Aden’s mouth claims mine to keep me silent. The tinge of pain is minute and gone in a second.
In that moment, pain turns to pleasure I can’t resist the urge to grind my hips against him. His eyes roll back into his head. I feel powerful, but a new kind of power. The kind that brings strong men to their knees with need for me. This is a power Aphrodite possesses, and apparently, so do I.
Aden goes over the edge before me. He pulls himself free, spreading his seed on my abdomen. I am still breathless when I see Morgan step into view.
“Did you like that?” he asks, and I can only answer in a nod. “Roll over,” he demands.
It is the first time I have seen a man’s need for control in the bedroom. Tonight is a night of firsts. I do as he says and roll over, it feels nice being told what to do when most are too scared to even talk to me.
He bends over, biting my ass, causing me to squeal in both pain and delight. He groans as he stands up and slaps his large cock on my butt cheeks. I wiggle in response, signaling I want more.
In one solid strike, he enters me, he is thicker than Aden, filling me to my brim. I moan and push my hips back into him with my eyes closed.
“Take him into your mouth,” Morgan orders.
I open my eyes to see Laki standing before me, and I lick his tip without hesitation. With each pump of Morgan’s hips, Laki’s cock is pushed farther and farther down my throat.
My body is full, and I sense another wave of ecstasy descending upon me. I know I will not be able to hold it back. When it hits, my sex clamps down upon Morgan as I hold him in me. My mouth tightens around Laki, and I let out a moan that washes through my entire being. My orgasm triggers something in both men as they fill me with their seed at the same time.
When I release them, we fall onto the bed spent.
Peace shroud
s me in comfort as sleep takes me into darkness.
17
Breck nudges me gently, “Meri, Ari is here to take us to the celebration dinner. We have to go get dressed.”
His lips give me a peck on my forehead, spurring me to open my eyes. “I don’t want to go,” I whine.
“They were gracious enough to allow you to leave the arena the way they did. You need to attend tonight’s festivities out of respect,” Morgan answers as he pulls the covers off of me, “We will see you tonight.”
“Okay, Key, time to get up and moving,” Ari’s voice lacks the sneering tone it held the day before. I will never understand what got into her.
My men exit the room, each giving me a wave bye and an apologetic look. They know how much I dread recognition. I stand from the bed and head to the shower not even acknowledging Ari’s presence.
“Good idea, I will prep your gown.”
“Thank you,” I mutter under my breath before entering the showering room. I waste no time in there, just scrubbing myself clean from the extra curricular activities I divulged in earlier in the day.
When I exit, I see a beautiful strapless black gown laid out upon my bed. My eyes stare at it in wonder. The skirt of the dress looks like water at night with sparkles of light woven within. I have never cared much about dresses, but this one is pure art.
“That is mine?” I question my worthiness of such a gown.
“It is, tonight is your night, after all,” Ari replies with a sweetness I can’t bring myself to trust.
“Why are you being nice to me?”
“Things have changed. I never wanted to be rude to you, that is all you need to know.”
Ari tosses her long red hair from over her shoulder to down her back and lifts the gown from the bed. She holds it out for me to step into and then pulls it up. Once on, she zips the back, and I am in awe of how well it fits.
“I need to get my dagger.”
“Is it necessary?” Ari asks.
“I feel naked without a weapon, so it is necessary to me.” I pull up the skirt and attach the sheath to my thigh with the dagger in place.
Ari rolls her eyes and gestures for me to sit. She then piles my hair upon my head. With deft fingers, she quickly braids strands together and pins them in place, making it evident she has done this many times. She brings a mirror up in front of me to view myself. I look . . . like an extension of my mother. Something has changed about me. My cheekbones are slightly more defined, my eyelashes a bit longer, and my lips are rosy without the assistance of makeup. My eyes wander lower to see the pendant around my neck. Subconsciously, my hand goes to it just to feel its warmth.
I place the mirror down on a nearby table, “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
After giving myself an internal pep talk, we leave the room. Ari leads me not to the large dining room we sat in before, but instead, to a small private dinner room with Poseidon, Amphitrite, Aphrodite, and Titan waiting. No one stands when I enter proving I am still low in comparison to them.
“You’re late,” Poseidon observes. He caresses the beard on his chin with his hand.
“Fashionably late,” Aphrodite defends me.
I give them all a slight bow, “My apologies.”
I don’t bother to offer them an excuse, because to them, it wouldn’t matter, anyways. Ari pulls my chair out for me, and I take my seat. A servant wastes no time filling my glass with blood, and then another servant goes around the room giving each of us our first entree.
After a minute of silence, Poseidon speaks, “Do you know what it means to be the Key?”
I swallow my food, “To protect Atlantis, to keep it safe and hidden.”
Poseidon nods, “Do you know how you are to protect Atlantis?”
My face goes blank, because I honestly don’t have a clue. When he senses my discomfort, he continues on.
“Your blood can be used to open the barrier and drown everything within. Your father, Ares, has waged a war against Atlantis since your birth. Although, your mother, hid your birth, so we were unaware of his reason,” Poseidon pauses before his deep voice begins again, “When the last Key was killed, I thought for certain that the war would be brought to our gates, and we would need to evacuate to Mt. Olympus until a new home could be created. Thankfully, her gatekeepers were able to escape with her body, guaranteeing Atlantis’ safety. When the fates demanded we find another Key, I tried to fight it. But without a Key, we noticed the barrier was failing all on it’s own, leaving us no choice except to go on the hunt for a new one. That brings us to you. Atlantis is solid with your arrival, but it is also at risk. It is your very father who is waging war. How can I trust you to resist him to protect your home?”
I take a moment to process all of the information he gave me before I answer.
“I never had a father. There was a brief time as a child where I wondered if I would be a different person, if I had one. I think my ability for war and battle would have been fed, if Ares had been in my life. My mother taught me empathy and compassion all while the warrior in me continued to train. I am not my father, nor am I my mother. I have no interest in having a father now, when I have gone my entire life without one, and I am just fine.”
Poseidon nods at my answer, turning his unearthly blue eyes back to the fish upon his plate. The dinner finishes in silence. The only reassurance I have is the twinkle of pride in Aphrodite’s eyes. I must have said the right thing.
After dinner, we do not get time to discuss anything else in depth. Instead, I am ushered along to the ballroom. The same room I was in the night we were attacked. Aphrodite and Amphitrite both have their faces covered with a scarf. Mine is bare, everyone saw my face in the Ring, so it no longer matters.
Aphrodite strides forward locking her arm in mine, “I’m proud of you daughter, but you made a few mistakes.”
I roll my eyes at my mother’s passive aggressive abilities, “And what mistakes did I make?”
“You saved the life of Lilly by giving her your blood, it has upset Poseidon.”
“How is that a bad thing?” I ask, not understanding where I went wrong.
“It is my fault for raising you to be someone you are not. When you give your blood to another, you gain their loyalty. It is how Ares builds his armies.”
Realization of what I did hits me, “You mean Poseidon may think I want to build an army?”
“Poseidon is trying to give you the benefit of the doubt because Amphitrite is asking him to, but you need to know he worries you are too much like Ares and does not trust you.”
With that, she melts back into the crowd, leaving me to stand alone. Ari finds me soon after and ushers me to the stage that Poseidon’s throne sits upon. He looks me up and down, and I can now see the questions within his eyes.
“I am going to announce you as the new Key to Atlantis. It will be your duty to wish all of tomorrow’s potential gatekeepers good luck.”
I acknowledge him with a simple nod. Poseidon stands from his throne, and the entire room quiets to listen to what the god of the Sea has to say.
“Today, we witnessed one of the most brutal Rings in the history of Atlantis. A new Key emerged as the fates predicted,” Poseidon pauses as the throngs of people cheer in response, “We gather here tonight to celebrate Meri, daughter of Aphrodite, Key of Atlantis!” His voice booms over the crowd, and everyone goes wild.
Turning to me, Poseidon gives me a slight bow to step forward and speak. Fear of saying the wrong thing threatens my ability, but I push it down, choosing to follow my instincts. I am going to say what I am called to speak; nothing more and nothing less. I raise my hand to silence everyone.
“Thank you all for the support. I am proud to be your Key and will do everything within my ability to keep Atlantis safe. I am going to start by canceling tomorrow’s Ring. I have already chosen my gatekeepers, and there is no reason to have an unnecessary battle to the death.”
Murmurs begin traveling through the crowd,
and I feel Poseidon's anger swelling up behind me. Following my instincts and not my head was a bad decision, but taking back my words now would be a sign of weakness. I continue.
“Aden, Morgan, Breck, and Laki, please step forward, as you are my chosen gatekeepers.”
This time, the crowd erupts into cheers, and I quickly turn to face Poseidon. I put on an apologetic face before he waves me off to leave the stage. As soon as I step off, Amphitrite and Aphrodite are there waiting. Triton is not far away with a mischievous grin plastered to his handsome face.
“What were you thinking?” Amphitrite demands an answer.
“I wasn’t thinking. I already bonded with my gatekeepers, and I don’t want any more death.”
“Further proof she is not like Ares,” Aphrodite interjects.
“Unfortunately, Poseidon won’t see it like that. Tell your men to watch their backs. Poseidon can be a snake, just like everyone else. He is not above betrayal, himself.”
The pit of my stomach sinks to the floor. What have I done? I begin to walk directly to my men when Triton’s strong hand takes hold of my arm.
“I wouldn’t go out there, if I were you,” he warns.
“Why not?”
“Because you won’t make it three steps into the crowd before being overwhelmed by people who see it as advantageous to be friends with the Key.”
“How will I warn my men?” I mimic his hushed tone.
“You won’t until later tonight. I guess you should have thought about that before blurting out who they are.”
Triton is gone as quickly he appeared, and I am officially sick to my stomach. For the rest of the night, I isolate myself on the god side of the ball not even risking interaction with any pures. I choose an advantageous spot that allows me to watch my men move about the ball. I have a few twinges of jealousy strike as they dance with various women who ask for their hand, but I’m aware they are being polite and playing a part. The thought of giving them my blood to keep them under control crosses my mind. I quickly shake the thought from my being, determined to not be like my father.