Ascension

by Sadie Moss

  I study his face and realize the sharp angles are lessened. For both of them, my mother and brother. They look healthier and stronger than before. I’m sure I only see it because of the weave, but it gives me a glimpse into their future.

  A future they can now have.

  The truth of it slams into me full force. I may have to say goodbye to them, but I can truly take care of them now. I can make sure their lives—and the lives of other people the world over—are comfortable, safe, and happy.

  “Yes. It’s better. So much better,” I reply, hot tears stinging my eyes. “We have to go now. But I’ll always be with you.” I press my hand to his chest, right over his beating heart. The weave allows me to feel that steady thrum, to feel the strength of the blood pumping through him. I know inherently that his heart will keep beating long after I’ve left him.

  We hug again, a bit more fiercely this time. Then I turn back to my mother.

  “I’ll be watching over you,” I promise her. “Every day.”

  She touches my face with trembling fingers. “I don’t understand what you’ve been through since you left me, but I know in my heart of hearts, you’re going to do great things.”

  I wait until all the other gods have left my village before grabbing hold of my men and carrying the four of us back to the blood-soaked field outside Ironholde. My mother’s firm declaration stays with me, a hope for the future as I stand before a crowd of waiting gods.

  Kaius and Zelus’s once-allies have been beaten down, though not destroyed. They wait patiently with our own allies, eyeing me as if I’ve grown a new head. I’m not sure what they saw from the outside while I was inside the weave destroying Kaius and Zelus, but it was certainly enough to put them on edge.

  Sierian steps up to greet me. Her sword is already sheathed at her shapely hip, and she takes my hands with a warm smile. “Well, well. I suppose there’s more to you than meets the eye, Sage. Or should I say, Weaver?”

  She seems pleased with my change, and I can see a hint of respect in her dark gaze that sets my heart pounding. I’m not sure I’m ready for the responsibility that’s about to fall to me, but I’m glad I’ve gained her trust and respect through all of this. I hope I’ll have her to advise me along the way.

  “We’ll need to address Kaius and Zelus’s kingdoms,” Sierian goes on, seeming to recognize how overwhelmed I feel. “They’ll need new leaders. I believe I know two outlier gods who may be perfect for the job.”

  “Could you set up a meeting?” I ask, straightening my shoulders to give my statement a little more authority. “I’d like to speak with them myself and ensure they’ll take good care of their people. That they understand the gravity of their charge.”

  Sierian inclines her head, a twinkle in her eye. “Yes, my lady.”

  “Are Kaius and Zelus’s allies a threat?” I ask, speaking in a low voice as I cast my gaze their way. The other gods who fought beside us have encircled the four men who sided with the rogue gods, and they appear to be waiting for my command.

  “That remains to be seen.” Sierian purses her lips, her gaze following mine.

  I turn to the others and say, “Lock them away. We’ll give them some time to consider their actions before they face trial. With me.”

  My allies bow deeply, and there’s worshipful awe painted plainly on a few of their faces. I cringe, because I don’t know how to be on the receiving end of something like that.

  The gods who fought on our side disappear, dragging our captive enemies with them, presumably to their own palaces to be put away in their dungeons. I assume that when the time comes, I’ll be able to find them no matter where they are, thanks to my connection to the weave.

  Sierian squeezes my hands. “Come. We have much to discuss. We’ll feast at my palace and make plans for the future.”

  I nod and release her hands to step back into the waiting circle of my men. “We’ll be right behind you.”

  As she disappears from view, I turn around and let out a long breath.

  Callum’s palm rests on the pommel of his sheathed sword as he stares at me, while Paris has fallen into his usual languid, casual pose, as if he has all the time in the world to wait on me.

  Echo grins. “Ready for a new beginning?”

  “Again?” Paris quips, his lips curving up.

  I return his smile, and we all take hands for the journey to Sierian’s realm.

  It is a new beginning—the beginning of a new world order.

  28

  The castle’s halls bustle with movement and laughter as I navigate toward my favorite tower.

  My staff is in a whirlwind of action, preparing for the upcoming delegation. All of the afterworld gods will be joining us at our palace for an update on how things are progressing for them now that the realms have all begun to heal. It will be the first time I’ve attempted to bring anyone else to the third realm, beyond those messengers and souls who were handpicked from death to join me and work for me here.

  But as I’ve discovered, there isn’t much I can’t do.

  Violet was one of the first people I asked to come to this realm, and I felt truly nervous as I waited for her answer. With the power I hold at my fingertips, I could compel any messenger or soul in existence to do my bidding, but I would never do that. It was important to me that anyone who came to assist me and my men in the third realm do so because they wanted to.

  Her answer was slightly hesitant at first. She was afraid of me, I think, unsettled by the change she could see in me. But after we sat down and talked for a long while, she finally began to relax, and the easy friendship that existed between us before bloomed again.

  I’m glad to have her here with me. And I’m glad that, more and more, she treats me like the old Sage, the soul she became friends with in the afterworld, although I know she’ll never forget that I’m the Weaver too.

  Smiling to myself, I take the familiar narrow staircase up the tower, catching glimpses of the day’s third eclipse ending. We usually sup before the fourth eclipse, then retire for the night after that. Every so often, when my men are busy and no one needs me, I like to slip away and find a few moments to myself, to catch my breath and check in on things elsewhere.

  The day is beautiful and warm when I let the tower door close behind me and step out onto the stone balcony. It’s been a couple weeks since my last visit to the afterworld. It’s become habit to travel there every month or so, to ensure peace is kept among the gods—and to ensure the gods are taking care of their subjects the way I expect them to.

  If any of the gods are as rotten as Kaius and Zelus, they’ve yet to show their hands. Everyone has been on their best behavior, and it tickles me to think that’s probably because word of how I defeated Kaius and Zelus by ripping them apart from the inside out has spread.

  I look out over my land and open the door inside me that protects me from being inundated by the weave at all times. I learned fairly early how to shut down the special sight that allows me to see every bit of existence from here all the way to the ends of the universe.

  But when I open it, I can shift inside the weave, giving my form over so that I become one with the magic, and from there, I can see every part of the weave—the full complexity of existence and the bonds between everything.

  The afterworld is a glowing paradise that I zoom through quickly, ensuring all appears to be well from the inside. Then I slide through the strands into earth’s realm, doing a cursory search of the weave for anything out of balance. With every passing week, this world heals just a little more.

  I constantly sense new life forming, being birthed, new growth giving food to the people. Death exists too, as necessary as life when the two exist in balance with each other.

  There are still pockets where things aren’t quite back to normal, and when I find them, I dispatch one of my messengers to ensure that part of the world is tended to.

  After I swing by to check on my mother and Nolan, who are healthy and well as my vill
age booms for the first time in so many years, I hurry over to the small town where I recently sent Paris. I’m not even fully immersed in the village’s weave magic before I can feel that he’s done his job. Everything here is brighter, the air and water clearer.

  I’m startled from my search by a throat clearing behind me—all the way back in the third plane.

  I crash back into my body and whirl around to find Paris standing on the balcony behind me.

  “You’re home!” I rush forward and throw my arms around him, breathing in deeply as I absorb his scent. Then his lips find mine, and for a long moment, I’m too lost in the sensation of his kiss, of his hard body pressed against mine, to ask how his trip was.

  Finally, he releases me and kisses my forehead affectionately. “Job complete, my love.”

  “You did well. I was just checking in.” I brush back his soft, silky blond hair. He must have just come through his portal, because his hair is usually much more coiffed than this. “You came straight to me,” I observe, my cheeks warming.

  “Of course I did. I missed you.” He slings an arm around my shoulders, then steers me back toward the tower door. “I’m famished. What’s the kitchen come up with for dinner? I know the meals are never as good when I’m not here to supervise.”

  I feel whole as I sit at the massive table in our dining hall with my three men. They all appear more relaxed than ever, happier, more content. We laugh and eat, while Paris regales us with amusing anecdotes from his short journey to earth. And when we’re done, we retire to our shared quarters.

  Paris hardly waits for the door to close behind us before he’s wrapped around me, his hands on my body and his lips on mine. I return his kiss with just as much fervor—our bed has felt partly empty without him these past few nights.

  Callum and Echo can no doubt feel the fierce need surging between me and Paris as the four of us tumble onto the bed, so they settle on either side of me. All three men kiss and caress my skin as we tug each other’s clothes off, and when the four of us are naked, Paris drapes himself over me, settling his lean hips between my legs.

  His fingers breach my opening, testing my readiness, and when he finds me slick and wet with desire, heat flares in his eyes.

  He drops his head to kiss me again, and as he slides inside me, my legs wrap around him. Echo bites down on my shoulder, and the little spike of pain makes the pleasure surge higher in my body. I can feel Callum on my other side, and when I break my kiss with Paris, I turn my head to find the big warrior’s waiting lips.

  All three men ground me and worship me as an orgasm tears through my body, my inner walls rippling around Paris’s cock as he comes with a few more hard strokes.

  He presses another kiss to my mouth, and I can feel the smile curving his lips as he murmurs, “It’s good to be home.”

  Then he pulls out of me, rolling to one side. I mirror the action, rolling to the other side to climb atop Callum, who watches me with glittering green eyes and a smile on his face. As I settle my knees on either side of his hips, his hands come up to grasp my waist, helping me sink down onto his thick cock.

  I let out a breathy sigh at the feeling of him stretching me, of my body adjusting to accommodate his thick length, and he watches the expression on my face with a hungry look.

  We begin to move together, and Paris and Echo are right there with us, stroking my clit, teasing my breasts, stealing deep, hot kisses as the fire inside me flares all over again, burning brighter and brighter.

  When I hurtle over the edge, I throw my head back, letting out a raw cry of ecstasy.

  Callum grunts, tightening his grip on my hips and grinding my pelvis against his. “Farse, little soul. I can never get enough of you.”

  I feel him thicken inside me, his cock swelling and pulsing as he fills me with his cum. And although I can’t find the words to express it in this moment, I’m sure the way I clench around him tells him exactly how I feel.

  I can never get enough of him either.

  We rest for a few minutes like that as we catch our breath, three sets of hands still roaming my body freely.

  There’s no rush, no hurry. We have a massive bed and all the time in the world. Finally, Echo’s lips find mine in a kiss that grows deeper and more desperate. His hands cradle my face, and my own clasp his square jaw as I lose myself in the connection between us.

  Callum lifts me off his slowly softening shaft before sliding out from beneath me, and I rise up onto my knees as I continue kissing Echo, feeling his hard length press into my belly.

  Finally, he drags his lips away from mine, trailing them down the column of my neck and over my shoulder, then across my upper back as he circles behind me, pushing my hair out of the way.

  One arm loops around my waist, and I feel his cock tease my entrance from behind. Callum and Paris settle onto the large mattress in front of us, greedily soaking up the sight of their brother sliding inside me.

  I let out a noise that’s something between a groan and a sigh, letting my head fall back against Echo’s shoulder as he hits delicious new spots inside me. The arm that’s wrapped around me drops lower, holding me up even as his fingers play against my clit, and his other hand palms my heavy, aching breast.

  My eyelids droop with pleasure, but I don’t let them close. I like this too much. I like seeing Callum and Paris watch us, sharing the connection with them as our gazes lock.

  Through the soul bond we share, they can feel the pleasure that ricochets through my body as Echo begins to thrust, slow and deep. And I know they can see it in my face too, in the flush of my skin and the way my mouth falls open slightly on another moan.

  Only one of them may be touching me right now, but we’re all joined.

  We stay like that as Echo and I move together, and the feel of the love and desire coursing through the bond we all share is finally too much. I come once more on a ragged shout, my body convulsing against Echo’s as he teases my clit, drawing out the sensation into wave after wave of pleasure.

  Only once he’s sure he’s pushed me as far as my body can take does he allow himself to follow me over the edge, driving into me hard and fast until he freezes, buried deep inside me.

  We’re sweaty and sticky, and as Echo pulls out of me, pressing small kisses to my shoulder and neck, I feel a combination of all of our arousal sliding down my thigh.

  Paris bounds off the bed to grab a cloth, cleaning me quickly and stealing another soft kiss before we all settle in together on the bed. We’ve never discussed the sleeping arrangements, but then again, it’s never seemed necessary. It’s almost hard to remember the days back when I first came to live with them, when we each slept in our own beds in our own rooms.

  That wouldn’t feel right now. I sleep better with the other parts of my soul, the keepers of my heart, close by my side.

  Beneath the soft blankets, I cuddle against Callum’s side and rest my head on his chest as his breathing slowly shifts from consciousness to sleep. Echo is wrapped around me from behind, his face pressed into my shoulder, while Paris already snores lightly on his other side.

  At some point in the night, the latter man will shove the former away and wedge himself in next to me for some quality cuddling, and Echo will let him. The love we share is whole and beautiful. I love them all with every fiber of my being, and I know they love each other and me the same way.

  As I drift off to sleep with Callum’s heartbeat in my ears, I allow myself one more peek into the weave.

  Earth opens before me like a vast horizon of possibility. Flowers bloom and animals hunt. Humans are born, and they die to join my gods in the afterworld, but always, there’s balance.

  All things are in balance. Just as they should be.

  THANK YOU FOR READING!

  Thanks so much for reading the Her Soulkeepers series! If you’re not ready to say goodbye yet, click here to read a bonus scene featuring Sage and her men, or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://BookHip.com/TZTWCX


  And if you’re looking for more reverse harem romance, I have a new series coming soon called Feathers and Fate. Turn the page to find out more…

  Nobody warned me that the seven sins are hot as hell.

  Cast down from Heaven thirty years ago,

  I’ve been waiting for my chance to go home, desperate to return to the light.

  But when that chance finally comes, there are strings attached.

  Seven of them.

  According to my angelic superiors,

  the only way I can earn redemption for myself

  is by redeeming the seven incarnations of sin.

  Distractingly gorgeous and overwhelmingly powerful,

  these men throw me completely off balance.

  I thought I could handle this assignment,

  but when a demonic portal appears in the middle of Manhattan,

  I suddenly need their help for an entirely new reason.

  Now we’re stuck together in a race against an unknown enemy.

  And with every day that passes, the darkness in them calls to the light in me.

  Tempting me.

  Taunting me.

  Testing me.

  Will I redeem them? Or will I be the one corrupted?

  Pre-order on Amazon HERE.

  You can also check out my complete reverse harem urban fantasy series, Magic Awakened, starting with the free prequel novella, Kissed by Shadows. Click here to join my mailing list, and I’ll send you your FREE copy of Kissed by Shadows!

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