by Helene Gadot
Sky moved his grip from his hips to my breasts, playing with my nipples while he and Whist picked up the pace until they were almost pounding into me. They moved completely in sync and it only took a second for Saber to join their pace. My body shook like I was about to split apart and shatter into pieces. Stars danced and flickered behind my closed lids and the warmth grew until it was a raging inferno and I was going to explode like a live volcano.
"Not yet, gorgeous." Whist leaned over my back to growl the words in my ear.
I groaned. They were killing me. I tried to hold the tide back, but it was strong and determined to overtake me. Sky and Whist sped up and fucked me harder while Saber hissed and groaned as he fucked my mouth.
Nothing had ever felt so amazing, so hot, so perfect.
Whist's grip was harsh and Sky abandoned my breasts to stroke my back and ass. Saber still had a fistful of my hair, the sting of it keeping me from completely floating away.
"Now, gorgeous. Come for us." Whist's words were a command my body immediately obeyed.
Saber swelled and stiffened in my mouth while I screamed around him, ropes of come shooting down my throat. I swallowed every bit while I shuddered and shook and tried not to break apart while Whist and Sky sank deep and joined our climax.
They gently pulled out of me and I crumpled onto my side, fighting to catch my breath, my body completely boneless, my mind shut down. I was only half aware as they cleaned me up and moved me around until I was under the covers and they were snuggled up against me. I wasn't even aware who I was caught between.
But it didn't matter. Because I was safe and satisfied and with my kindreds.
TEN
I woke up alone to the smell of bacon wafting from the kitchen. I rolled over and buried my face into the pillow, groaning as my body reminded me of the night before. Even tender and sore, a smile spread across my face.
Worth it.
With another groan, I slid out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom. A hot bath would help with the soreness. Everything the guys helped me forget came rushing back, battering at my mind, taking away any relaxation I might have found in the steaming water.
What would the day bring? The king mentioned classes? No, thank you. Maybe I could hide and get out of them somehow. I wasn't some uncouth piece of trash. I didn't need etiquette classes.
But the guys were right. We had to play the game for now, be smart. But every single moment I had to pretend was going to be painful. I was used to being open with my disdain and dissent. I was not used to fake smiles and politics and playing nice.
I rose from the bath and toweled off, most of the ache gone, able to move a lot easier. If anything, it was a pleasant reminder of our night together. My entire body flushed with warmth as I had flashbacks of the three of them inside me at the same time. Our bond felt stronger, I wasn't sure if it was real or all in my mind.
And I didn't care. They were mine and they made me happy.
I dressed in the first clean clothes I found, I assumed they were Sky's since I took them from his closet. At some point, we'd need to find out what the guards did with my pack. I rolled the bottom of the pant legs up so I don't trip and emerged from Sky's room. I considered following the scents of bacon and coffee, but decided to nose around instead.
I went in the opposite direction of the kitchen and poked my head into rooms. Their home was lavish and comfortable, but nowhere near as bad as I expected from the way Whist and Saber teased Sky. They clearly enjoyed the finer things in life and certainly didn't want for money or things, but it wasn't grotesque and ostentatious like the palace was. It was well-loved and cared for.
Whist's mother must have kept things in order after they left to find me and didn't return. I opened the last room and my jaw dropped in shock. Art covered the walls and paint splattered across the floor. The paintings were amazing. They were filled with longing and hope. Sky and Whist were the objects of a lot of them.
The door creaked open behind me and I whirled to see Saber standing there with a soft smile. "Making yourself at home, love?"
I grimaced at being caught. "Sorry. I went snooping."
He chuckled. "I don't mind. We have nothing to hide from you and you're welcome anywhere. I like seeing you in here."
"Did you paint these?" I gestured to the walls.
"I did."
"Saber, they're... they're beautiful. Why didn't you tell me you painted?"
He shrugged. "I told you I love art."
"Yes, but I didn't imagine this."
"It's not something I talk about very often. And it was something I planned to share with you later, once things had calmed down."
I didn't reply, too busy staring at a specific painting that caught my eye. It was of Sky and Whistler, a moment between them caught forever. They grinned at each other, arms tossed around one another's shoulders. There was such a warmth and love shining from the canvas.
Saber stepped up behind me. "You like that one?"
"I think it's my favorite." I leaned back against him and his arms crept around my middle.
"Then it's yours."
I twisted in his grip. "Saber, no."
"Why?"
"I'm not going to steal your paintings."
He laughed. "We're never letting you get away. Or even have your own room. So it's not like I'm really losing it."
I chuckled. "True. Fine. But leave it there for now. I don't think we're at the part where I move in and redecorate everything yet."
"You won't hear us complain, love." He snorted. "Well, maybe Sky will. He's strange about that stuff."
I slid my arm through his as we moved towards the door. "I wouldn't change anything anyway."
"And we're just kidding about your room. We want you to have your own space."
I shrugged. "I'd prefer a music room to a bedroom, actually. I have no desire to sleep alone."
Saber gripped me tighter. "That we can definitely do. Come have breakfast. And I should warn you. We have a guest."
I jerked to a halt, not liking his tone. "Oh? Who?"
"The prince."
ELEVEN
A harsh sigh burst past my lips. "Why?"
"To discuss what we're going to do moving forward. And to see you. You know what I's like in the beginning when you first meet your kindred. You need to be near them."
Yeah and the closer I was to him, the harder it would be to stay away. So far, I'd been able to ignore the ache, the missing piece. But once I started spending time with him, it would get harder to ignore.
Saber nudged me. "Come on, love."
"Yeah, all right."
"Don't worry. He's not going to hurt you or force you into anything. Even if you weren't his kindred, he wouldn't do that."
"Fine." I took a last glance at the paintings as Saber lead me from the room, filling and calming myself with the beauty Saber created.
Sky and the prince were laughing at something while Whist served up plates of food when Saber and I walked in. The humor vanished from the prince's face at our entrance and he jerked to his feet, his eyes drinking me in. I gulped and edged around the opposite side of the table, unsure if I was supposed to curtsy or kiss his ring or something. Maybe I did need those proper lady classes after all.
He shook himself a bit and flashed me a wide, charming smile. It was too flawless, too practiced, too fake. It didn't reach his eyes, they remained serious and intense and watchful. I dipped my head in a slight nod and proceeded to ignore him and focused on the plate of food Whist set in front of me.
He bent over to whisper in my ear. "Feeling okay from last night, gorgeous?"
I flushed and smiled up at him. "I'm more than okay."
He nipped my ear and turned back to the stove. Saber slid into the seat next to me and placed his hand on my thigh. Goosebumps rose on my leg, but he was trying to soothe, not rile up. I assumed. There wasn't any telling with those three though.
Sky was seated next to the prince, and he winked at me. I
faked a scowl in response and once Whist sat down, I started eating. My stomach was roaring after our strenuous activities from the previous night. I was very aware of the prince's eyes on me, so I didn't shovel the food in my mouth like I wanted to. Though perhaps I should have in case it would have turned him off.
A few moments of awkward silence fell between us, but I had no intentions to break it as much as it turned the food in my stomach to stone. I had so many questions and worries I couldn't begin to straighten them out in my mind.
Sky was the one to finally break it, of course. "So, fill us in, Aster. What are the plans going forward."
Aster sat back with a cup of coffee cradled in his hands. "With this new wrench thrown in the mix? We are not certain yet. Indigo and I were up long into the night trying to sort it all out. We are delighted you three are back to assist us, and even more thrilled you will no longer be executed, but it certainly makes things a bit difficult. Indigo has a meeting with the dragons in a few weeks, they finally agreed to it. My father is demanding a ball in a couple days to celebrate me finally finding my kindred soul."
I recoiled in my seat, my eyes widening. A ball? I would have to come out publicly as his kindred?
Aster read the alarm on my face. "It is merely a show, Rhapsody. It doesn't mean you would have to follow through. But I must ask you, beg you really, to play your part. It is more important than ever that my father does not suspect anything. That he thinks he has us all well in hand. He will not care about keeping you four alive if he believes you are denying the bond and Indigo and I need all the allies we can get."
I pursed my lips in thought as I inspected him, trying to read beneath his prince charming surface to what lied beneath. He seemed sincere, but he was a royal. They were bred to lie and manipulate.
"What exactly is this going to include? What will I have to do?"
Aster grimaced. "You will have to agree to sit through those horrendous classes. I am truly sorry about that, but I cannot get you out of them. Every common citizen who ends up bonded to a royal has to go through them."
I groaned. "Fine. What else?"
"Not much. We will need to be seen together and I will be your main escort for the ball. My father will want to set up a ceremony for the five of us, but I will hold him off as long as I can. If you still have no interest in agreeing to the bond, we will need to smuggle you out of here to Havisam before the ceremony."
My eyes widened. He'd be willing to let me go? "Do you want to accept the bond?"
His sparkling sapphire eyes met mine. "More than anything."
"But you'd let me go?" I didn't bother trying to hide my skepticism.
His fingers whitened on his coffee mug. "Of course. I would never keep you against your will. But I hope you choose to stay."
I flinched. "I... I don't think I can. Your family's laws are the reason my family is dead. I'm not sure how to get past that."
Aster's eyes darkened with pain. "I understand." A more genuine smile, one a little bit wicked, lightened his face. "But I must warn you. I am going to try my hardest to change your mind."
My chest lurched, my entire body screaming at me to leap across the table into his lap, but I balled up my instincts and merely nodded. "Fair enough, I guess."
TWELVE
He wasn't what I expected. He wasn't the arrogant asshole I imagined and prepared myself for. I wasn't sure if his confident and charming exterior was real though. I didn't want to trust it or him.
"Tell her what you brought her," Sky said, pure mischief in his eyes.
"Ah." Aster rubbed the back of his neck. "Indigo and I put together a wardrobe for you. It will make things easier on all of us if you dress a little more appropriately for palace life. Though I admit, I'm partial to you just like this."
I gulped at the heat in his eyes as he raked me over with his gaze. "What kind of clothes?"
Sky snorted, holding his hands up when I scowled at him. "Our girl here isn't fond of dresses, my friend. You aren't doing yourself any favors."
Aster shrugged. "She has no other choice. My father will look for any excuse to end her. This is his worse nightmare, his son's kindred being someone who is so openly against the crown. You must at least pretend to fall in line. It is the only thing that will satisfy him. And we are nowhere near ready or prepared to take him on yet. You are going to need to act like you are cowed and obedient. Something I am assuming will be difficult for you."
Sky snorted again. "You have no idea."
I shrugged. "We're all assholes."
Even Whist let out a chuckle.
Aster grinned. "It would seem you have a type."
I fought the answering smile trying to curl across my lips. "Apparently."
The prince sat his mug onto the table. "Would you allow me to escort you to your class? It begins in half an hour."
I sighed. "I guess. Where are these fancy clothes I'm supposed to suffer through?"
Sky rose from his seat. "I'll help you."
I eyed him with suspicion. "I'm not wearing anything like that dress from last time."
"You'll have to tell me more about it. Only Whist got the pleasure of seeing you in it."
Whist sent me a heated look, one I tried to avoid, not comfortable discussing it in front of the prince. It was hard to believe it was only a couple weeks ago. It felt much longer, like I'd known them forever.
Without looking at any of them, I followed Sky down the hall. He led me to the one room I hadn't gotten a chance to snoop through before Saber found me. It was a simple room, one with only a couple plush chairs around a low table.
"What do you use this room for?" I asked.
Sky shrugged. "Nothing, really. It ended up being where we put extra furniture."
I glared at him. "So you do have a room that could be mine."
He shot me an unrepentant grin. "Nope. It's storage. Sorry."
I considered pushing him, but my eye caught the rack of dresses. The corners of my lips pulled down. They wanted to wrap me in frills and froth so thick I wouldn't be able to run away.
Sky ran a soothing hand up my back. "I know, doll. It's ridiculous."
"I suppose I need to get used to it. Let's find the least shitty one of the bunch."
"Indigo has excellent taste, and she isn't a huge fan of dresses either. She'll have chosen well for you."
I flicked through the choices, halting at a simple gray dress. Sky was right, the choices weren't bad. They were more elaborate than I preferred, but none of them were like the green dress Whist gave me to wear. The gray appealed to me. No flounces or heavy beading and the material was smooth and soft.
Sky narrowed his eyes as I held it up for his inspection and nodded. "I like that one. And it'll match a present Saber got you."
"What present?"
"I'm not going to tell you. It's a surprise. Now put the dress down and come here." His tone changed, the light good humor gone, his dominant, commanding nature taking its place.
I laid the dress along the back of the chair and approached him. He stared down at me a moment before his hands slid beneath the bottom of my shirt. I raised my arms as he slid it up my torso and off of me. Instead of touching me like I wanted him to, he grabbed the waistband of my pants and shoved them down my legs. I stepped out of them, his hands on my waist keeping me from falling over.
I stood before him in nothing but my underwear. He looked me up and down with his ice blue eyes bright with desire. My fingers ached to touch him, but I forced myself to stay still.
Sky reached out and drew a finger down the center of my body starting at the base of my neck all the way down to the band of my underwear. He dipped beneath the band and teased my clit. My knees buckled, and I gasped, but Sky's other hand caught me. He kept rubbing me as he settled me onto the other chair and knelt on the floor between my legs.
"While you're in that boring class, I want you to think about us and what we'll do to you once it's finished. How good we'll make you feel." He leaned
forward and took one of my nipples into his mouth.
My legs widened, wordlessly begging for more. Instead, he stood and stepped back, picking up the dress. "Let's see how this fits."
I groaned and scowled at him. "You are an evil asshole."
He winked. "I know. But we don't have enough time for me to properly ravish you. And I want you to think about us while you're in that class. Think about what's waiting for you when you're done."
"So the class is even more tortuous?" I hauled myself from the chair.
"The prince will be with you if you have an itch you can't scratch." Sky avoided my eyes as he unbuttoned the back of the dress.
"Are you trying to talk and tempt me into giving into the bond with him?"
"Maybe."
"Why?"
Sky shrugged and slid the dress over my head. "He's my friend. He's a good man. And your first three kindreds worked out really well. There's a reason you're bonded to him."
"Is there something between the two of you? Like with Saber?"
Sky turned me around to button up the back. "No. Nothing like that. We've just been friends for a long time. He's the spare, you know. His father never gave a shit about him, too busy grooming Indigo to be the next Queen. Somehow neither of them turned into him. I don't want you to miss out of something wonderful just because of who his father is. He's wanted his kindred as long as we have. Longer, actually."
A shard of guilt lodged in my stomach. "How do I reconcile it though? How do I ignore who his father is? How long can I play this game? And I don't want to be a princess trapped in the palace. It was never the life I wanted."
"I don't know, doll. But it's the life you've got right now. And you could do a lot of good here, help change things. None of us will push this on you. But we won't lie to you either." He twisted my hair up into a soft, simple bun.
"I don't want you to lie to me. I want to know what the three of you want."