Compounding Traumas (Artemis University Book 6)

by Erin R Flynn

  “So where are the fairy ones?” he asked hesitantly, finally breaching what he knew I’d been hiding… And sort of the elephant in the room or issue between us. Not just because of what his family used to do, but simply a vampire’s reaction to fairy blood.

  “There’s a lot I can’t let you read,” I warned. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t let Craftsman either. I don’t know enough to know what’s always safe to share, so it’s mostly best to be careful. That’s what I’ve read over and over again.”

  He glanced around and slowly nodded. “That’s fair. I’m not your mate. I want to know more mostly to know you and try to help. I don’t want any secrets between us either, but that’s fair, and I accept that.”

  Good, because I wouldn’t budge on it either.

  “You’re gonna have to add this to your tat as only a few people know. Even Izzy doesn’t,” I informed him as I walked back out of the library… Much to his surprise. He assumed I had one shelf hidden in plain sight or something.

  I had, but I’d long since grown out of that.

  After working with Natalie’s uncle, and with Katrina Calloway’s help, I had added to the Townsend estate I had inherited. Namely, a few secret rooms to store all of the vast everything fae, and from Faerie, I had been buying up. Most of it seemed legit in the way it was sold… But sometimes I got vibes that things didn’t belong where they were.

  I had the first one after I’d won the Power Playoffs and found a fae artifact in the Artemis vaults. I still didn’t know what it did or who put it there, but I knew it shouldn’t have been there. I’d found others, and I knew my powers weren’t always honed as much as I would like.

  I wouldn’t keep getting hurt or in trouble if they were.

  So I got what I could, when I could. I had the money and was making gobs more. Especially now that I was making more investments in the human world and the constant expanding with the hobgoblins. The co-op was thrilled when I let it slip I was reclaiming fae belongings in the supe world and started working even harder to help.

  Clearly that was the right path then.

  But the rooms were hidden on the far side of the estate, along the outer wall, so they weren’t all that noticeable if anyone tried to compare the layout with the blueprints. They’d have to really look, or know the house, to find them. Plus, they went into the basement. It gave me a lot of extra room in a smart way.

  And the crews who had done it had been fine with Calloway taking the memory of it. They knew it was important and wanted to stay out of it. I appreciated it and gave them a very handsome bonus.

  “Agra, you’re running out of house to take me to,” Darby muttered as he glanced around.

  “Which is why I had an addition put on,” I chuckled, moving a side table to reveal a very small biometrics reader. I put my thumb on it, used to the small prick as it took my print and blood. It was some combo of human tech and magic, so it was extra hard to bypass.

  “Holy fuck me,” he whispered as the hidden door no one could see with the naked eye opened.

  I nodded and flipped on the lights, leading him into the first of the connected rooms that had all the locked up artifacts I’d gotten so far. I waved him to keep coming when he stopped to ask questions.

  It was better to let him see it all and then ask the list he would have.

  Next, was the room with all the fairy and fae weapons. Then the books I had gotten through—or enough for the moment—and organized. From there, we went downstairs to the three rooms that had crates more of books I hadn’t even gotten to, lots in Faerie.

  “So this is part of what I hid from you,” I said as I turned around to him, gesturing to the crazy. “And I’m sorry for that. I never said that, and I should have because you deserve a girlfriend who doesn’t lie to you. I hope you can forgive me.”

  I hadn’t realized until that moment, but I had needed to say that. Whether it was understandable or not, I needed to be forgive by him for hiding all of this when we loved each other.

  I didn’t have to wait long for him to pass judgment. I blinked and he was kissing me, passionately and in a way that healed my soul.

  “I would forgive you anything you did to protect yourself, agra. Always.”

  “I love you, Darby, so much,” I rasped and hugged him, tears of relief overflowing my eyes.

  No more secrets between us besides the ones I had to keep to protect my people.

  23

  The next morning, I got up early since I was used to my normal schedule. I headed for the kitchen in nothing but Darby’s t-shirt since… It seemed like a goofy girlfriend thing to do when we had the house to ourselves, and we didn’t normally get that luxury. Or at school with Izzy.

  Opening the fridge, I found tons of options for us. It was ridiculous to the point there was a huge container of pancakes all we had to do was zap in the microwave. I appreciated it all, but it was over the top.

  The only way the hobgoblins knew how to be.

  “Shirt thief,” Darby accused, his voice scratchy and deeper than normal from sleep.

  I opened my mouth to answer, but instead gasped as his hand moved under the shirt and his fingers found my pussy as he kissed under my ear. So someone wanted morning fun.

  Sign me up.

  He teased me a bit and then dropped on his knees, burying his face between my legs like he was dying for me. I gripped the door and placed my hand on the inside wall of the fridge for balance as I orgasmed. It was toe-curling, and my heart felt like it might beat out of my chest, it was going so wild.

  And then he stood and thrust in me. He didn’t even warn me, or check, which I sort of loved, when it was him. I was his, and we were together, always open to each other. It wasn’t demeaning or dismissive. We’d said that was what we wanted this weekend.

  Which made it super hot that he jumped me and screwed me silly.

  “That’s it, agra,” he growled. “Scream my name. Scream you’re mine. Scream my dick makes you feel this good.”

  Done, done, and done. And then I was done. I climaxed again, and he followed me over, letting me know he’d woken up wanting.

  As if I hadn’t already guessed.

  “Well, that’s one way to thank me for getting up to make breakfast,” I teased when we were done. “Do I get another round if I admit I was going to make you coffee?”

  “You want me to fuck you again, agra?” He chuckled when I shivered. “I want to ask why you’re okay with me being so aggressive, but…”

  I bit back a flinch. He’d seen it before with Hudson. “That was different. It’s not… I don’t need that play. I like doing it for you. It gets me hot to give you what you want and to see how desperate you get. You’d do the same for me. You fuck me all over the house today and next time, I’ll ride you in every room and not let you touch me. Who knows? It’s just fun.”

  “It is.” He kissed my neck again. “Thank you for giving me what I need.”

  It was still a bit awkward, so I tried for amusing. “So where did we land on that second round?”

  We landed with me flat on my back on the kitchen table, naked and screaming his name. Well, that worked out well for me.

  And him, from the way he was smiling when he made coffee.

  “So the way to turn a prickly pear into a smiling guy is lots of hot sex?”

  He snorted. “I think that’s true for any man if he got even a fraction of the hot sex we have.”

  Damn. Just dayumn.

  “Uh-huh. What do you want?” I teased, my eyes going wide when he flinched. I had kept my telepathy off, and I didn’t think he’d ever butter me up.

  He seemed to understand where my mind went because he set down the bag of coffee and came over to me. “I meant what I said. This is separate. There is something I want, so it seemed—sorry.” He brushed his lips over mine, but accepted when I didn’t want to do more.

  “What do you want?” I asked, my tone softer this time.

  “I want you to invite Lucca over,” he
admitted, smirking when I couldn’t hide my shock. He moved his hands along my arms and under his shirt to cup my breasts. He teased them and my nipples. “I want to see him fuck you, Tamsin. I want to see your mate, the bear who completely eats out of the palm of your hand and you’ve tamed, fuck my gorgeous girlfriend.”

  I worried my lower lip even as I pushed my breasts into his hands more. “But this was our weekend. I thought we could use the time?”

  He nodded. “We had last night and maybe he can’t get away. We’ll have it again.” He gave me a soft kiss as he pinched my nipples. “I want to see it, but I—this is a delicate balance, agra. You’re my girlfriend, and I love you, but you’re his mate. Vampires don’t have mates like shifters and dragons do. We don’t have huge flags, but subtle signs like witches and warlocks.”

  “I won’t dump you for him,” I promised. “I’m, um, yeah, that anyways.”

  “A comitessa,” he said for me. “I know. I just want to make sure I share you and welcome your mate so we stay on good terms and he welcomes me always.” One of his hands moved lower and fingered me. “Plus, I want to see him fuck my girlfriend’s tight pussy. I’m shocked that it does it for me, but I like watching you with the men you care for and who treat you well.”

  “Weirdo,” I panted as I spread my legs for him. “Because I’d fucking gut you if you even touched another woman. I’d lose—”

  He snorted. “You are the only one who puts up with me and needs glasses, Tamsin. I don’t want another woman, and I’m not the one with a line and—”

  “I am not the only one with self-esteem issues in this relationship,” I snapped, toning it back when he flinched. “Sorry, but you’re a bit dismissive of me when I’ve brought this up in the past.” I shook my head when he went to argue. “I hear thoughts, Darby. You are incredibly popular. You’re just unapproachable, and no one likes to get shot down.”

  He studied my eyes a moment and licked his lips. “I hear you, and I’m sorry I’ve been dismissive. It’s just hard to believe when I’ve been torn down so much, especially at that school. I’ve not seen any evidence of what you’re saying. None.”

  “Oh? And you paid such attention before me? Sitting in the corner alone, reading a book, while basically holding up a sign that said ‘fuck off?’”

  His lips twitched. “That’s not unfair.” He reached over to grab my phone I hadn’t realized he’d brought down from the counter … While keeping his fingers in me. He handed it to me and smirked. “Call your mate.”

  I nodded, getting the game. I yanked off his shirt and spread my legs as I called Lucca, rewarded with another finger and Darby’s lips on my nipple.

  “Hey, hi,” Lucca answered. “I didn’t expect to hear from you this weekend. You said you had a thing.”

  “I do, and he’s currently finger fucking me,” I moaned. “But he asked I invited you because he really, really wants to watch you fuck me all over my house. He worked hard to convince me, naked on my kitchen table.” I smirked at Darby when he snorted. “Are you fucking me again next, boyfriend?”

  “I want to see him stretch you wide if he can make—”

  “I can be there in half an hour!” Lucca blurted from the phone so loudly, he almost startled me into dropping it.

  “I think he wants you for breakfast and to feast all day on, agra.”

  “Twist my arm,” I gasped as he curled his fingers and touched that spot while teasing my clit. “Let me know when you’re ready in your room alone, and I’ll open a portal to you.”

  “Shit, yes, give him all your cream, kitten, and I’ll be there soon to lick it up.”

  I orgasmed. Right then, with that visual, I just spontaneously came. Shit, that was hot.

  But then Darby stopped, taking the phone and hanging up on Lucca. “Let’s get you food. You’re going to need your strength.”

  Okay then!

  We reheated or baked what we needed to as we ate other stuff while we waited, Darby with his coffee and me with juice. He stared at me a moment when we were finishing up and glanced at his drink.

  I nodded. “The caffeine thing is really part of my being a fairy. Also, we don’t tolerate human alcohols well. Drugs are a gray area. I know pot doesn’t work on me, but just gave me a headache. I thought that was a contact high, but apparently not. I haven’t found all that much yet as it’s probably just what fairy parents teach their kids.”

  “Makes sense,” he agreed after several moments of mulling that over. “The spicy thing?”

  I shrugged. “No clue.”

  He let it go and started cleaning up as I decided to make myself another plate. He didn’t pick on me, simply offering me a chance to take anything before he put it away.

  Smart man.

  Lucca messaged he was ready right as I truly did finish, and I opened a temp portal to his room… Naked.

  He didn’t hesitate, snatching me around the waist and kissing me as he dropped his overnight bag. “I need a shower and so do you, dirty kitten.”

  I let out a yelp as I was tossed on his shoulder, hurrying to pull my magic back for the portal. I rolled my eyes as I saw Darby’s gaze focused on my breasts bouncing as Lucca stormed off with me.

  He brought me to my master suite and turned on the shower to warm up before setting me on my feet. He whipped off his clothes in a flash and kissed me some more before pulling me into the extra large shower stall.

  Without Darby.

  I was clued in on what he wanted when he pressed me up against the glass so I was facing my boyfriend. I kissed the glass to be cheeky and then moaned as Lucca thrust in me. I was totally into it… Until Lucca’s hand moved up between my breasts and over my throat. He didn’t apply any pressure, but it was… Disconcerting.

  “Trust me,” he growled when he felt my reaction. “It’s not dominance, but trust.”

  “It’s fairly possessive,” Darby muttered, clearly siding with me.

  “But she’s ours. She’s ours. The rest might want her, but she is yours and she is mine.”

  That sounded way more than some fun during sex, so I turned on my telepathy before even making the decision to do it.

  “Those fucking exchange students always talking about her and wanting her. They don’t know her and say such shit. They should have learned. She’s accepted at Artemis, and they want her to jump through their hoops to be accepted at their levels and not get labeled as practically human? A nice pet for the right man? She’s my fucking mate!

  “Gotta keep her safe. Can’t tell everyone yet. Not for a while. When we can, I’m going to fuck up all those fuckers. She’s mine. She’s ours. Fuck her pussy is so good. I can’t stay this mad while with her. Let me get possessive and say you’re mine, kitten. I don’t want to leash or own you. Just trust me enough to give me your throat and say you’re mine. It’s hard keeping this to ourselves.”

  Whoops! He knew I was listening.

  I swallowed down my hesitations, knowing it was hard for shifters who needed to lay claim to feel secure and at peace with their animal.

  Except I was too powerful to be claimed and let anyone show that to me more than a bit of play. There was a way that fairies laid claim to those they considered theirs while involved with someone, if it was more than playing around, but I didn’t have the first clue how to bring that up or how to handle this.

  “Yes, give me that rune,” Lucca snarled.

  Well shit. I was all-around not doing well. I had shown him in his head.

  “Soon?” I offered, but really asked. I wasn’t ready but maybe soon.

  He stopped moving and kissed my neck, rubbing the spot with his thumb. “Soon is good. I’m sorry. It’s hard when there are assholes.”

  “I know,” I forgave. I got it.

  Hell, I got it all the time from the assholes. Including his father. which was one of the big reasons we had to stay quiet.

  I thought maybe I hadn’t handled it right when he pulled out of me, but then he kissed me gently. Darby joined us,
and they washed me, confusing me even more.

  “We want you together,” Lucca explained when we were done.

  “Not like that,” Darby hurried to say when I gave them a panicked look. I was not ready for anal sex yet, and they were both huge.

  And then I panicked because that meant oral sex, and I still wasn’t ready for that either. It was mean, but well, it wasn’t just how I’d seen men treat women after getting it, but what I’d experienced with almost being raped and sexually assaulted a few times.

  “Not like that either, kitten,” Lucca murmured, guessing where my head went. He licked his lips when I looked at him. “Darby said you once—”

  “Remember when you nuzzled me, agra?” Darby cut in. “We want that. I hoped you might do that while your mate takes you. I want to be part of you guys together and see him please you.”

  I slowly nodded. I could do that. I felt completely sure when they both checked with me and made it clear I really didn’t have to. That was seriously sweet, and I appreciated it. For real.

  We climbed on my bed, and I crawled over Darby, who was sitting up against my headboard. I kissed him, and then down his body, licking his abs as I pushed my ass up and offered myself to Lucca.

  An offer he gladly took.

  I was moaning in pleasure when I moved lower and nuzzled Darby’s groin. I gave the base of his cock a few kisses, and then his balls. I sucked up a few marks as I stroked him, and all of that was completely fine with me, but that had to be the line for right then. They seemed more than okay with that.

  When Lucca finished, I climbed right on my boyfriend and rode him, smacking his hands away and smirking at him. He was primed, so he came fast.

  “Better than you pictured?” I asked him.

  “Yes,” they said together.

  Well, okay then. Nice.

  I teased Lucca about the overnight bag, but enjoyed when he “convinced” me he should get to stay as well. I wanted him to anyways, which they both knew, and I was glad he did.