Fate's Journey (Scourge Survivor Series Book 5)

by JL Madore

  The mingling of our three scents was an aphrodisiac which burned my heated core even hotter. I was so damp, I couldn’t imagine how wet I’d be if one of them reached between my legs and ran their fingers across my—

  “Are we neglecting you, Lacy?” Kobi asked, catching my wrist as I was about to touch myself. “Aust, our lady love needs some attention. You should have the honors. Zo, would you like kisses or touch?”

  “Kisses.” I laid back on the plush mattress of the platform bed and dropped my knees open wider to make room for him. “Watching you two has me wound. I won’t take long.”

  “Take as long as you like, neelan.” Aust settled between my legs and met my gaze from below. “You honor me with the use of your body. I shall cherish every touch.”

  “A girl could get used to that smooth and sultry talk.”

  “Then get used to it,” he said, nuzzling the inside of my thigh. “It is a great honor for a Highborne to pleasure a woman. I intend to pleasure you thoroughly . . . and often.”

  Yes, please. Aust dropped his head, and my back arched off the ground. I groaned, and my eyes rolled shut.

  “So fucking hot.” Kobi crawled over me and suckled one nipple before moving over to the second. “Learn your way around, Aust. Zo’s not shy, and she’s not quiet. You can figure out what’s working pretty easily.”

  “Bastard.” I pinched his nipple ring, and he laughed.

  His eyes flashed scarlet, and he trapped the tight bud of my nipple between his teeth. I cried out, afraid he might bite. “You win. Behave. Let me focus on what Aust’s doing.”

  Aust’s laughter tickled, his breath warm between my legs.

  Every brush of their lips was a fantasy come true. The hard, strong man of battle. The brave, sweet man of nature.

  And they were mine. Both mine.

  “Do you feel how she’s tensing, Aust? Finger her.”

  Aust shifted his weight to one shoulder and dragged two fingers through the damp mess they’d made at my core. Slicked and strong, he eased inside.

  It took only the slightest pressure to make me seize up. A cry ripped from my chest as waves of pleasure crashed through me. Aust gripped my hips with a growl, lapping at me like he needed to consume every ounce he could.

  “That’s it,” Kobi said, his voice a breathy whisper. “Ease back a bit and let her ride it out. Tease out her shudders. Fuck, I’m losing it just watching.”

  The slap of skin on skin preceded Kobi arching back and him coming with a shout. His hand gripped hard, his punishing pace shooting creamy jets out and over his hand. I watched his chest pump as he rode out the aftershocks and slowed his rhythm.

  “Well, that’s new,” he said, breathing heavily. “Not like me to go off early, but holy fuck. Aust, you have to get inside her. You must be dying.”

  “Aching, yes,” Aust said, tension noticeable in his voice. “But not dying.”

  I pulled his shoulders, and he crawled up my body. Reaching between us, I notched his erection where he needed to be. “Then let’s take care of that. Are you still sure this is what you want—that we’re who you want for a lifetime?”

  His answer was a thrust and a groan as he mated me.

  Aust pressed inside me and stilled, eyes closed, jaw tight. The look on his face burned straight into my heart—erotic yet vulnerable. As he began the sway of his hips, his rhythm was cautious, tentative.

  I laid back and brushed his golden waves back from his face while I etched the moment into my memory—the image of him, sweat beading on his brow—the look in Kobi’s eyes as he knelt behind him, watching the two of us—the feeling of security settling over me for the first time.

  Highbornes mated for life. Despite Aust’s offer for us not to feel obligated by the laws of his race, I wasn’t about to back out on that. “For life,” I whispered.

  “For life,” they both repeated.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Dawn came all too soon. The gossamer draping of our mating platform swayed in the breeze as the gray of morning began to warm to gold. When I woke, Faolan sat next to the bed, her head on the sheets as she watched me sleep.

  “Were you told to watch over me?”

  Her tail thumped on the grass of the clearing.

  “And where are our men this morning?”

  The stunning wolf stood and turned toward the trees. Gathering Aust’s suede tunic from the ground as I walked, I swung it over my shoulders and followed. Bending my head from shoulder to shoulder, I stretched out some of the kinks brought on by an active night. And though I was a little stiff and sore, I had never felt so gloriously content.

  “Quite an evening,” Castian said, appearing out of the bergamot scented mist unique to him.

  I tied Aust’s tunic it at my hip and pulled my hair free. There was no hiding the flush of my cheeks. Privacy was something no member of the Fae Pantheon took as a given. At any point in time, there was certainly someone watching what you were doing. “The battle, or what came after?”

  Castian shrugged and swept his hand. A breakfast buffet table appeared by Jade’s childhood clubhouse. I poured two large butter-caramel coffees—milk in mine, black for him. I handed his over and picked out a berry pastry. “How’s Abbey?”

  Now it was he who blushed. “Well and whole. It will take time for her to adjust to realm life, but she is with us once again, and that is all that matters.”

  “Agreed. Has she been to see Jade and the twins?”

  He shook his head. “I’m taking her in a few hours, once she’s had a chance to get her bearings. Residual effects of Rheagan’s possession still linger. She wants to be wholly herself when she sees them.”

  He sipped his coffee, and I smiled. He had the same look of a man well-sated that I’d seen worn on two other faces this morning. “I’m happy for you, Uncle. I’m happy for all of us.”

  He nodded. “The both of them, eh?”

  “I know it’s likely not what you expected for me—”

  “In truth, it is exactly as I expected. Abbey foresaw it almost two decades ago. The trick was getting Kobi free of Hell and on the path for him to be worthy of you. And keeping his demon enemies from finding him.”

  I blinked up at the sparkle in his emerald eyes and remembered the warding in the hawk tattoo on Kobi’s shoulder. “I wondered why a demon was one of your Talon Enforcers. You knew all along?”

  “I knew of the possibility. Fates versus free will, right? Any of the three of you could have decided to take a different path. I’m only glad it worked out. They each are loyal, strong males.”

  I chewed on my pastry and thought about something Kobi said a week or two ago. “Did you cockblock the men in my life—make it so this path stayed open to me?”

  Castian sipped his coffee a little too long, and I had my answer. I thought about how unlucky I’d been in love.

  “Well, I suppose I can’t be angry with you. The ends justify the means, right?”

  “That’s what they say.”

  “And what of Dane and Rheagan?”

  “With their powers drained, I doubt they’ll cause much trouble. Your sisters are beside themselves though. I’m letting Zora and Zana stew in the worry that you and I have had enough and can take their powers if we so choose.”

  I laughed. “Looks good on them. What about Zinnia and Savage?”

  “Zinnia will surface, I’m sure. It’ll do her well to be lost and hated within the realm for a while. A little taste of what she put you through, I think. And Savage is well enough. With his brother taken care of, he’ll take a leave of absence. I hope he finds some happiness in his own life. He deserves it.”

  I agreed. “I hope he comes back, though. I’d like to get to know him.”

  Castian tipped back his coffee and set the empty mug on the table. “He’ll be back. Savage is a Talon Enforcer in every fiber of his being. Before too long, he’ll be back.”

  “I’m sad Mom didn’t get to see how it all ended.”

  Castian
pulled me against his chest and kissed the top of my head. “She’d be thrilled you’re finding your own way. She never once doubted that you would rise to be revered in the realms. I think it was solely her love for you that kept her tethered to this world at all, in the end.”

  “I’ll miss her forever.”

  Castian squeezed me tighter. “I will too, Zozo.”

  By the time Kobi and Aust sauntered out of the trees, I’d pulled myself back together and was ready to face my men. Both of them had damp hair and a mischievous look that said they’d been off forming their own bond while I slept.

  “If you were going skinny-dipping, you should have woken me up,” I said, kissing each of them as they came to see the wedding feast Castian left us. “Or was I not invited?”

  Aust tasted like berries and sunshine, a mouth-watering combination. “We thought we wore you out last night and wanted to allow you some rest from your insatiable males.”

  Kobi came up behind me, and I became the creamy middle of the misfit Oreo. He moved my hair away from my neck and, tugging Aust’s tunic out of his way, trailed a kiss to my shoulder. “If you’re going to bathe, might as well make it worth the effort. Aust, take her back to bed and strip her naked, will you? I’ve got an idea.”

  Aust’s eyes were brighter than usual, and that was saying something. They were also lit with wild excitement, maybe even a touch of naughty. I knew, after multiple shared orgasms, how turned on he got when Kobi went all dominant lover on us. “Neelan? Are you game to see what is in store?”

  I gave him my hand, and he led me back to the bedding platform. Standing toe to toe, he reached for my hip and tugged loose the tie of the tunic. “As much as I savor you wearing my shirt,” he said, opening the two halves of suede to stare at my body. “Your naked body is too resplendent to cover.”

  I ran a hand over the seductive ridge rising against the laces of his pants and set him free. My gaze dropped as I shoved his leathers to the ground beside the discarded tunic. “You’re easy on the eyes too. You don’t mind if I look, do you?”

  Aust held his arms out to his sides and gave me the honor of ogling him as he made a slow runway turn. Broad shoulders, lean hips, toned and tanned musculature, and the hairless, silky skin of a Highborne elf. When he came back around to face me, his smile was even naughtier. “Verily, looking is wonderful, but I prefer touching.”

  His arm came around my back as he guided us down onto the wide, round mattress. With a gentle tug, he had me centered and sprawled out for his pleasure like a seasoned lover.

  “You’re a quick study at the whole seduction thing.”

  His smile warmed my insides and tightened in my belly. “I have time to make up for but, fear not, Kobi has vowed to teach me everything he knows.”

  I laughed. “I bet he has.”

  As if to demonstrate his commitment, Aust’s head dropped, and he sucked my nipple into his mouth. With a reverence I’d grown to expect from him, he toyed with the tightened bud, nipping, licking, and suckling until I started to squirm. “I do have two of those, you know?”

  He released my breast with a pop and slid across my body to the other side. “I would never neglect either one of them.”

  “Good job, blondie,” Kobi said, setting a heaping tray on the mattress above my head. “I hoped to find you two getting things started. Now, time for breakfast.”

  I was about to ask what he meant when he picked up two honey pastries and placed them perfectly over my breasts. “Am I breakfast or the table?”

  “Both.” Kobi picked up a dish of raspberry puree and a little silver spoon. With the attention of an artist at work, he drizzled the sticky red topping over each pastry and into my navel.

  “And we males shall feast?” Aust swept my hair out of the splash zone and fanned it out on the sheet above my head.

  “Once the table is set.” Kobi set the puree down and picked up the chocolate chips and syrup.

  “Those were supposed to go on the pancakes. Do I look like a pancake?”

  Kobi handed Aust a stack of fluffy, silver-dollar pancakes, and winked. “You look like a delectable canvas. Gentlemale’s choice, my man. Place these wherever you feel they would serve us best.”

  Aust’s cock twitched as he took in my body laid out beneath him. “Verily, I am a great admirer of art and have more than a few ideas. Have you any whipping cream?”

  “I like the way you think. Yeah, here you go.”

  Kobi handed Aust the bowl of cream, and he began laying the edible, golden discs in an overlapping circle around the raspberry puree in my navel.

  “A flower,” Kobi nodded. “And the whipped cream?”

  Aust leaned in and plopped two dollops on my rib cage. With his fingers, he spread and shaped the creamy mounds until they met with his approval. “Clouds. Have we anything for a stem for my flower?”

  Kobi roused himself from staring and walked over to the tray. “Um . . . bacon?”

  Aust nodded and accepted a few strips.

  Kobi poured warm honey onto a spoon and lowered it to the freshly shorn mound at the junction of my legs. The cool spoon moving over my skin, the heated look in his eyes, the smell of chocolate, honey, and raspberry in the air—it was all too erotic.

  My knees fell wider, and I undulated against the contact.

  “Aust, I think our hot little mate is getting impatient.” Kobi wriggled his brows suggestively, shifted the tray onto the grass, and crawled up the bed.

  Aust sat back on his knees. He stared at me with unchecked lust and licked his fingers. “Then I suppose it is time to eat.”

  “Fuck, I’m hungry.” Kobi unwound a leather tie from his wrist and stepped behind Aust. He gathered the long, flaxen waves of hair in his fingers and tied them back. “All right, let’s dig in.”

  I groaned as my two hungry husbands crawled over me. They licked and lapped and devoured their edible art, and it was a wonder I didn’t orgasm simply from the nuzzling touches and warm swipes of tongues.

  My breath hitched, but I clutched the sheets and managed to remain still. “Whenever you’re ready, boys. I’m on fire here.”

  Kobi lifted his head and frowned. “You’re never supposed to rush while eating. How rude.”

  Aust chuckled against the inside of my thigh, his breath warm. Thankfully, he took pity on me and lapped at Kobi’s honey pool between my legs. My eyes rolled closed as he cleaned me with tender pulls of his mouth.

  “Thank you, Aust,” I panted, pushing to strengthen the contact. “Sweet ecstasy, you’re a fast learner.”

  “Amin mela lle, neelan,” Aust said, gazing up at me from between my legs. “And please, I want you two to call me by my soul name. I am Rynn.”

  I blinked back tears. A Highborne’s soul name was a cherished secret, a declaration of commitment and trust. It was Aust’s most precious possession and he shared it with us.

  “I love you, Rynn,” I said, reaching down to brush his cheek. He pressed against my palm and closed his eyes. “Thank you.”

  Kobi straightened and shifted down the bed. When he opened his mouth, I prayed that he wouldn’t be a dick and ruin the moment. “Amin mela lle, Rynn. You honor us both, and I swear, we will never let you down.”

  Cue the tears. Our demon was an ass at times, but beneath that façade of mouthy selfishness, was a true, loyal gentleman. “How did I ever get so lucky.”

  Washed, dressed, and ready to face the world, the three of us headed to Jade’s house. Despite wanting to keep our private lives private a little longer, until we each wrapped our head around our bonding, the events of yesterday demanded our participation in Haven life.

  “And your uncle seemed cool,” Kobi asked, for the third time, “you know, with the three of us? He’s not going to cut my balls off or charbroil me with a bolt of lightning, is he?”

  I squeezed his hand. “Aunt Abbey foretold the three of us almost twenty years ago. He knows she’s never wrong, so he’s had ages to get used to the idea. He’s not goin
g to strike you down—either of you.”

  Kobi laughed. “Why would he strike down the Highborne? The guy is the perfect husband, but I’m—”

  I stopped abruptly, and Aust, Faolan, and Paladin collided outside the iron gate to Jade’s grounds. I pressed my fingers over his lips and frowned. “I won’t let you finish that sentence. You are as much a part of this marriage as Aust or me. You’re not a fallback or a bit of kink when things get dull. You, my precious, self-loathing demon, are an equal player here. As necessary in the mix as a salt rim on a margarita or the bitters in an old-fashioned.”

  “Agreed.” Aust wrapped a possessive arm around Kobi’s lower back and kissed his cheek. “What we share is our own. Let those who know no better judge and form an opinion. We three know what it is between us. That is all that matters.”

  I nodded and waited for Kobi to acknowledge we were right.

  He nodded but didn’t look at all convinced. “It’s hard not to hold my breath and wait for it to fall apart. I’m so damned scared I’m going to fuck this up.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” I said, smoothing a thumb over the frown in his pierced brow.

  “We are committed to loving one another,” Aust said. “That, and amazing sex will see us through anything.”

  We all laughed, and Kobi relaxed. “’Kay, group kiss, then we face the music.”

  Despite my urge to ensure we were alone, I joined the love in. I needed to follow my own advice. This was ours, and we needed to own it.

  Straightening, Aust caught something on the wind and frowned. “I shall join you inside in a moment. There is someone I need to speak to first.”

  Kobi seemed to understand what was about to happen and gathered me to his side. “You sure you want to do this alone?”