by Helen Scott
I let my lip pop out from between my teeth, even though part of me wanted to see exactly how far he would go to make good on that threat. As I walked next to him, I realized just how tall he was. Knox maybe had a couple inches on him, but not much. My head barely came up to his shoulder. His face was longer and more angular than Knox’s, though, and his nose looked as if it had been broken a few times. A few dark hairs had sprouted along his jaw since he hadn’t shaved in a couple days. They stood out in contrast to the paler skin of where he’d cut his hair the other day. The back and sides were faded down to the skin, while the top wasn’t even an inch long.
The motel’s office was in front of us then, and as Nolan opened the door, the man behind the counter looked up from his book. He pushed large aviator-style glasses up on his nose and straightened the rumpled jacket he was wearing, which had the name Tom embroidered over the chest pocket. A faded Hawaiian shirt was hiding underneath, and Tom stroked his goatee as we approached.
“Hi, we would like a room, please. Somewhere close to Room 134,” Nolan said, his voice full of authority.
I looked around the small room. Keys hung on the wall behind Tom, with a great big fish sculpture hanging just above them. As I turned away, I saw the old bell on the counter, as if he were going anywhere, the silver metal covered in a thick patina from disuse. The walls were an off-white color, and part of me wondered if that was intentional or if the paint had just aged and changed color over time. A small rack of maps and tourism brochures was next to the door, along with a large fake plant. I had no idea what it was supposed to be, but it was as tall as me and covered in dust.
“Weren’t you with that other group?” the man said, smacking some gum between his teeth.
“We were, but now I’m asking for our own room.”
“ID and credit card,” Tom said.
Nolan handed both over, and I had a moment of feeling guilty for not paying, but I reminded myself that getting our own room was his choice. A moment later, Tom handed the cards back, along with the key to Room 132. We took it and left. I tried to ignore the creepy feeling I got from the guy, but it was hard, especially when I looked over my shoulder and found him watching my ass as we walked away.
“That guy gave me the creeps,” I whispered as I took Nolan’s hand.
“You’re the most beautiful thing he’s seen in weeks, that’s all.” He squeezed my hand, and the further away we walked from the office, the better I felt.
As soon as I saw the door to the room, I realized it was the one right next to the other room we had. Embarrassment flushed my face as I thought about what they might overhear. There was only one way around it—I would just have to be quieter than normal. Easy. Right?
Nolan opened the door and gestured for me to go through first. As he closed it behind us, I heard him flip the deadbolt and turned. He was in front of me in two strides, his hands going to my hips and lifting me into the air. On instinct, I wrapped my legs around his waist and found myself settled against his rapidly growing cock. His hands slid down over my ass and cupped it tightly, pressing my core even closer to him.
“Fuck, princess, you taste so damn good,” he breathed as he pulled away from my lips.
“Get naked,” I said before giving him a quick peck on the lips.
My whole body was on fire for him, and we hadn’t even really touched yet. I unwound my legs, and he lowered me to the floor. He took a step backward, and his hands went to the bottom of his T-shirt, pulling it up over his head and revealing the sleek muscles on his chest and abdomen.
I yanked my T-shirt off, and as his hands went to his jeans, mine mirrored his actions. My eyes wouldn’t leave his body, though. I glanced up at his face to find a devilish smirk stretching his dusty pink lips and lust burning brightly in his eyes.
He had a tattoo on each side of his ribcage. On the right was a tree with multiple branches, but instead of a tree trunk, it was a double helix before each side separated out into roots. On the left was a blue whale, but the dark smooth skin of its back had been turned into the night sky. They were both gorgeous pieces of art. My hands went to them, tracing the lines of ink embedded in his skin before coming around to his chest and running over the darker skin of his nipples.
The straining fabric of his boxers let me know exactly what my touch was doing to him. As he freed himself from the thin cotton, my hands dropped, grasping his length and gently tugging him toward me. His hands went to my breasts, feeling their softness, their hard little peaks, everything through the sheer bra I was wearing. The black mesh and lace did nothing to hide my flesh from him. As he stepped closer, one hand reached behind my back, and with a flick of his wrist and a couple fingers, the hooks were unlatched and the bra fell forward.
His hands went to my shoulders, pulling the straps down my arms until the material fell free. When he started to do the same to my panties, I took over. I pulled them down my hips and let the material slide down my thighs, but since I was bent over slightly, I took a moment to kiss his hardened length. The groan that escaped his mouth had me lowering to my knees on the floor.
Nolan’s cock was at eye level, and it looked as if it would feel amazing. I wrapped my lips around it and swirled my tongue over the soft mushroom head before swallowing him as deep as I could. The salty taste of him exploded over my tongue as I took him in.
My mouth was filled to the brim, and I couldn’t even reach his hips. While he wasn’t as wide as some of the other men, he was definitely longer. I worked up and down his shaft, adding my hand to the equation so I could reach all the way to the base of his cock. Soon, his hands were buried in my hair once more as he held my head in place, thrusting into my mouth. He was so conscious of his movements that I was more than comfortable letting him move however felt best to him.
“God, Poppy, if I do that anymore, I’m going to come in your mouth.” He ground the words out as he pulled his cock away from me, gripping it firmly by the base. “Get on the bed,” he whispered, his voice strained by desire.
I did as he asked, but when he climbed on, I shoved his shoulders and rolled him over, straddling him once he landed on his back. As I positioned myself over the tip of his cock, I looked up at him. “Okay?”
He nodded frantically, and I grinned. Slowly, I lowered myself on top of him and made it about halfway down before I had to pull back. I repeated the motion, easing down on top of him until he was fully sheathed within me. When I felt our hips connect, I let my breath exhale slowly before I started moving. I knew he was stretching me as far as I could go lengthwise, but that wasn’t going to stop me from feeling every ridge and vein on his cock as I rode it.
Nolan’s hands gripped my hips and began urging me on as I moved up and down in almost a vertical circular motion. His hips began to thrust up to meet mine, and the deep brown eyes that had been watching me closed in bliss. My own rolled back as well, moans quietly escaping me while I took him as deeply as I could within myself.
A moment later, he growled, and it was all the warning I had before he flipped us over. He lifted my legs by the ankles and pulled my hips into the air as he moved within me. He made my pace look gentle and sedate as he began thrusting into me harder and faster.
I gasped, my moans becoming high-pitched and uncontrollable as I felt the tip of him connect with every part of my body on the way in and again on the way out. One hand reached out and grabbed my breast while the other held my legs and hips in place. Nolan’s muscles flexed as he moved me around to slightly different angles. Each time he began thrusting again, I would have to brace myself against the headboard. I had never been so thankful for all the pillows hotels put on beds as I was in that moment.
Just as I was getting used to the speed and angle that was on the verge of taking my breath away, he pulled out completely and picked me up as though I weighed nothing. He turned us both toward the mirrored closet doors that I hadn’t even noticed until that point and moved us to the edge of the bed. His arms slid under my legs, pull
ing them to each side and pinning my breasts in the middle. I could see everything in the mirror—his hooded, lust-filled eyes, my body, my wetness shimmering on my skin, and his cock as he thrust up into me from that position.
It wasn’t as intense as before, but being able to watch him slide in and out of me was something I’d never really experienced before. I could see my lower lips were swollen and flushed from the friction and my own lust. My eyes traveled up my body, and I watched him in the mirror. His gaze was focused on where we connected, and even though he never looked away, his hands found my nipples as he reached around my legs. I couldn’t help but stare at him, watch as his muscles bulged with the effort of lifting me up and down while he also thrust his hips. It was the most complicated position I’d ever had sex in, but being able to alternate between so clearly watching his face and watching his cock move in and out of me was heaven. For a moment, I let my head roll back onto his shoulder with my eyes closed and just enjoyed the sensations roaring through my body.
“Don’t stop watching,” he whispered, biting my ear as I made eye contact with him in the mirror.
I hadn’t even been paying attention to the way I looked in the mirror, but apparently, he liked it, so I opened my eyes and looked at him. Green fire burned within him, and I pulled up my mental image of our flames. The bond I had with Nolan and with Hunter had just been a blood bond until that point. When I looked at the bond I had with Nolan now, it was a thick line of green flame that wrapped around my own fire, while a similar yellow line wrapped around his. As I refocused on what was happening in reality, I bit my lip and made direct eye contact with him.
“Damn it, princess, you know what that does to me,” he growled, and nipped my ear.
“I know, that’s why I did it,” I turned and looked at him with a grin.
He moved so fast, I hadn’t even realized it. His mouth was on mine and his tongue was winding around my own while he bit down hard on my lower lip.
“Fuck, Nolan,” I breathed as he pulled away.
He leaned in and bit the fleshy part of my shoulder between the bone and my neck. Seeing and feeling it, I let loose a loud moan. It was enough to almost push him over the edge. I could feel his movements becoming jerky and losing their rhythm. A growl bellowed out of him a second later, and his hips fused to mine. I felt his cock pulsing inside me, and his hands gripped my breasts to the edge of pain.
“God, Poppy, I’ve never come so hard in my life,” he said between gasps as he let my legs down and released my breasts.
I loved the feeling of being well fucked. The soreness in my pussy and the tenderness of my nipples. He had given me exactly that. I leaned back against him, feeling the sweat between us for the first time, and said, “Glad to be a record breaker.”
“You’ve broken every rule I ever had and ground them to dust while you became my whole world. I can’t wait to go on this adventure with you, and to fuck you for the rest of your life.”
His cock twitched within me as he spoke, as though it wanted to get hard again, but it was still too soon. We rolled back onto the bed as he slipped out of me and went to get cleaned up. He came back with some tissues for me and a cup of water. A few moments later, we were both collapsed onto the bed and I had snuggled up to him, drowning myself in the scent of our sex session, as well as just his own scent. I hadn’t even realized I’d fallen asleep when I felt the blackness open up in front of me like a yawning chasm.
Chapter Five
Knox
Hearing Poppy’s pleasure echoing through the walls had us all discretely adjusting ourselves and was making staying on topic almost impossible. It’s not that I wasn’t glad she was cementing her bond with Nolan, I just hadn’t expected to hear it.
“As I was saying”—I cleared my throat for the umpteenth time—“the reason you’re seeing ghosts or spirits or whatever you want to call them is because you are one of the judges needed in the Underworld.”
“Just to make sure I’m clear,” Cass said as we went over it for the third—or was it the fourth?—time. “I’m supposed to give up my life to live in the Underworld to be one of three judges who decides where souls go based on their activities in life?”
I nodded, and he asked the question I had been dreading.
“Why me? I haven’t done anything special. Hell, I’m probably one of the worst people who could have been picked for a job like that.”
“We don’t know why. All we know is that the fates have engineered it so the future queen knows the hellhounds who will defend the entrances to the Underworld and the judges who will help her run it for as long as she wants,” Emmett said as he took some of the burden off me explaining everything. I was grateful, especially since he was the only one who could. Hunter had stalked out of the room as soon as we started hearing the noises from next door.
“You know it’s what you were born to do. You can feel it, just like you felt her,” I added, thinking of my own gnawing sensation to be around Poppy.
Cass nodded eventually. “I can’t believe I’m just supposed to leave everything, though. What about friends and family?”
“What you tell them is up to you. It just can’t be the truth.” I shrugged.
We were all feeling a little tense, and in my long life, I’d never had an erection for so long before. Poppy made me want, no, need, her contact. I was sure it was more than just the formality of the bond, though. There was something special about her.
Part of me wondered if this was how Hunter had felt about Katherine. Had he thought she was special? Had he loved her the same way I loved Poppy? The thought was sobering. If he had, then I couldn’t imagine how hard this situation would be for him. The only other thought I had before the echo of Nolan’s pleasure rippled through Poppy into the bond was whether Hunter would ever be able to have more than just a blood bond with our future queen.
Pleasure rocked both Emmett and me while Cass just stared at us in confusion. Sometimes the bond was useful, while at others, it was damned inconvenient. I cleared my throat and began reciting various lists in my head to refocus. The states and state capitals, a chronological list of monarchs from England that I knew, the process of photosynthesis, anything I could think of.
Finally, when the wave ebbed and I was able to think clearly once more, I said, “We are all bonded to Poppy. Some of us, like Hunter, only have a blood bond, while others, like myself, have a more intense physical and emotional bond. It allows us to feel some of her emotions, at least to a certain extent, so we can tell what she needs, if she’s in trouble, that kind of thing. It’s something you and the other judges will need to complete with her before we descend into the Underworld.”
The dark slashes of Cass’s eyebrows raised. “You want me to sleep with her?”
“No, I’m saying at the very least, you need to do a blood bond with her, but if you two want to pursue a physical relationship, then that’s up to you. Just know that you will have to share her with the rest of us. It can never be exclusive.”
Cassian just stared at me. It was a lot for a man to take in. I should know—I’d had to have someone explain everything to me once before as well. The memory of that floated around me. I could almost feel the buckskin breeches and tailed coat, the cravat that felt strangling and the ever-present top hat.
“When I was first told about everything, I promptly insulted the man who was trying to convince me and went about my life. Hunting, running my estate, looking for a wife, betting on anything that moved, but no matter what I did, everything he’d said nagged at the back of my mind. Then, finally, one night, after a particularly brutal card game, my temper got the best of me. After I stumbled out of the tavern, I changed into a hellhound for the first time. It was terrifying and completely convincing. I married my sister off as quickly as possible and signed everything over to her and her husband, withholding just enough money to keep myself alive while I searched for the man I had spoken with. Eventually, after a few years, I ran into Emmett, and then f
inally, we found Hunter. You see, we’ve had decades to come to terms with all this, but I’m afraid time isn’t a luxury you can afford.”
“So, you actually turn into a dog?” Cass asked with a hint of humor in his voice.
“I wouldn’t describe it as a dog,” Emmett said. “Dog shaped, sure, but it’s bigger than a wolf, and more vicious. Not something you want to be on the wrong side of. Plus, Nolan and I can do this . . .” Within seconds, Emmett was covered in flames. Cassian sat there open-mouthed in shock for a moment before rubbing at his eyes as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
It was a new ability Emmett had gained ever since he had been with Poppy. Nolan could do it as well, but Hunter and I had yet to be able to master that specific trick. The flames didn’t hurt him, didn’t even phase him, and he could choose what burned with his flames and what didn’t, which was more than a little handy. For example, the carpet he was standing on was unmarked, not even a darkening color, because he wanted it to be that way.
A small flare of jealousy kicked up inside me, and I squashed it down. I knew with time our bonds would deliver gifts based on what Poppy would need once she took the throne, all part of the fates’ plan. I was just being impatient.
Emmett and Cassian talked into the night as I drowned in memories of my life before all of this began. Dances, courting women who never truly interested me, it was all so frivolous when I looked back on it. I had kept track of my family for a while, and I knew I had become an uncle and my niece and nephew had both gone on to have children who had children, but after a while, they stopped feeling like family anymore. They were strangers who didn’t even know my sister, so I focused solely on the task at hand, on finding my queen. Ever since then, I tried not to look back and focused only on the present and the future. The past could stay behind me where it belonged.
Now that I had found her? It felt as if the work were only just beginning. I was dreading this conversation happening for a fourth and fifth time. Explaining everything to Poppy and then Nolan and now Cassian was enough. I didn’t want to go through it all again, especially when we didn’t know the extent of the upcoming battle. I knew the fates would do as they will, and whichever side they preferred would win no matter what, but that didn’t mean we could coast by. We needed to be warriors, and Poppy would need to fight for what was rightfully hers.