by Helen Scott
“Play with your nipples,” he growled, with his eyes latched onto my breasts as they jiggled back and forth with his rhythm.
I followed his command, eager to comply as I rolled my taut peaks between my fingertips. My moans were becoming louder as he kept moving, pushing me closer to the edge I wished I could go over.
Somehow, I didn’t know how because my eyes were rolled back in my head in pleasure, he managed to support me with just one arm, while his other hand slipped between my legs. His fingers danced over my bundle of nerves, and all I could do was squirm under the attention. He circled my clit a few times before flicking his fingertips back and forth over the sensitive nub. My moans were turning into shouts as he worked me with masterful skill.
My whole body vibrated with need, but the edge of my orgasm remained elusive. I stopped playing with my breasts and reached my hand down to his, pulling it away from my clit and up to my mouth. I leaned up and began to suck on his finger, and I could taste myself on him still. I could taste our joining. It made me quake with pleasure as I swirled my tongue over his fingertip.
He groaned and thrust into me even harder than before as I sucked on his finger. The sound of our skin slapping together echoed around the room, bouncing off the hard tiles. I released his finger and pushed on his chest.
Derek backed up, letting me do what I wanted. I moved him backward until he was the one lying down, and I was able to straddle his hips, positioning his cock just below my entrance. I sank down on him in one smooth motion, making both of us groan.
Inch by inch, I lifted myself back up and sank down on him again, drawing out the motion as I watched him. Now, it was his turn to squirm under me. His hands went to my hips, urging me to move faster, but I was having none of it. I was in control now, and I didn’t want to start fast. I wanted to build to it, which was exactly what I did.
I moved from kneeling to almost a squatting position with my feet on the floor, which allowed me to move faster and harder. Derek’s hips seemed to be moving out of his control as they rose up to meet my own, eager for him to be fully sheathed inside me once more.
We moved like waves crashing against the shore, my hips to his, until we were both panting and sweaty. His hands came up and cupped my breasts, squeezing and pinching at my nipples, making me jerk and twitch as I tried to focus on my movements.
“I can’t last much longer, Poppy,” Derek ground out between my movements. His eyebrows were pulled together in concentration.
“Then don’t,” I panted.
It was as though that was all the permission he needed to take back some control. His hands moved back down from my breasts to my hips, squeezing so hard, I knew I would have fingerprints there for a while once we were done. He pushed and pulled me, showing me the exact rhythm he wanted. I complied and moved faster and harder for him, urging him toward his pleasure.
The dark brown orbs of his eyes focused on me, drifting down to my mouth every once in a while, when my tongue slid out to wet my lips. I knew he was getting close when his eyes closed hard, wrinkles forming around the edges as his mouth opened as though to let loose an almighty shout, but no sound came out.
I sank onto him a few more times, all in rapid succession, and suddenly, a growl exploded from him. His hands gripped me, holding me in place over his hips as I felt his cock twitch inside me. The evidence of his pleasure burst forth, while he groaned with every twitch and pulse.
After a moment, I tried to pull away, but he continued to hold me in place, so I lay down, letting my sweaty self connect with his as his heart beat thundered in my ear. Both of us were breathing hard as his arms wrapped around me, holding me close. He dropped a kiss on the top of my head.
“Was that okay?” I grinned up at him, already knowing the answer.
“More than okay,” he whispered, and kissed my hair again.
He squeezed me into a hug once more, and when he released me, I rolled to the side, letting his cock gently slip out of me, while the cold tile shocked my skin as I lay next to him. I opened my mind’s eye and looked at the bond between us, which was now glowing, strong and steady. I knew it was unbreakable now.
I knew that he already cared deeply for me, just as I did for him. I could sense it radiating out from the bond. His upper arm acted as my pillow when I rolled to the side a little more, and his lower arm circled around my back until his hand rested on my ass and hip. Derek lazily drew little shapes with his fingers on my skin, and I daydreamed of when we would be able to do this in a bed without the threat of attack.
13
Poppy
A throat cleared, startling me out of my post-sex haze. My eyes snapped open as I looked for who had made the sound. I knew it wasn’t Derek, since he was still relaxed next to me. When I scanned the room, my eyes settled on Achilles, who was leaning against the doorway. Part of me demanded that I cover up, but I honestly didn’t care all that much. Besides, he saw naked people all day every day, if there even were days down here.
“You may want to move to a different location, Your Majesty. The magic that rippled out from your joining has not only made every being on the island come to the baths but has drawn attention from others as well.
“Who?”
“I don’t know who they are. All I know is that they have found a way to cross the river Acheron to the island. They are currently recovering from their trip, though, so you have time. Crossing the river of woe doesn’t come without a price.”
“Shit,” I breathed as I reached over to wake Derek, only to find his deep-brown eyes watching me. “Can you get back to the others? I don’t know where to go.”
He nodded and began pulling on clothes. Within a minute, he was gone, and I wrestled with still-wet clothes as I dressed in front of a bored Achilles.
Once I was dressed, I said, “Thank you for letting us know.” I paused before I took a deep breath and asked the question I knew the guys would hate. “If there was a way for me to get you to the battle, would you be willing to fight for us?” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as I waited for his answer.
“How would you get me to the battlefield?” His eyes narrowed as though he thought I was full of shit.
“I’m a descendant of Melinoe and am able to control the dead.”
The twitch of his eyebrows was all that gave away his surprise. After a long dramatic pause, he went down on one knee, placed a fist over his heart, and said, “I will stay and fight the intruders on the island with my battle brothers and sisters, but if you need me, I will happily fight by your side as well.”
“Thank you,” I breathed.
Of course, Knox and Derek appeared before Achilles could stand up. Their eyebrows practically raised to their hairlines as they took in the scene before them. I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t want them to start to feel jealous.
“It’s time to go, Angel,” Knox said, holding his hand out to me.
“Thank you for your pledge, Achilles,” I said, placing my hand on his shoulder before turning fully to Knox.
He raised an eyebrow once more in question, but a subtle shake of my head brought both eyebrows down into a frown over his beautiful eyes. “Hold on tight, Angel,” he said as he wrapped his arms around me, and the world pressed in for a brief moment.
As we passed through the space between realms, I could feel the spirits that resided there reaching out to me. I knew I needed to get them out of there sooner rather than later, but there were only so many things I could handle at one time.
When we reappeared, everything had changed. Just like when I’d first landed on the Isle of the Blessed, wherever we were now was a completely different environment. There were still trees and grasses, but they were nothing like the ones I had just left behind. They were covered in thick, waxy black leaves, while the tall grasses that lay to the sides of the clearing were a dark blood-red color. The light was different too. It wasn’t the bright light that mimicked the sun; this was darker, and there was an almost purple haze over ever
ything.
Old-school streetlamps stood on either side of the clearing. They looked as if they belonged in the 1800s or something. What was most daunting, though, was the structure in front of them. It was black and gray and seemed to fade into its surroundings.
It looked like a cathedral crossed with one of those fancy old university buildings. Spires shot forth from every column that I could see and helped hide the size of the structure. The doors directly in front of us looked as if they were solid marble with spidery gray veins spreading over them.
“Where are we?” I whispered.
“The Land of Dreams. These”—Knox gestured to the building—“are the Halls of Night.” He tugged at my hand, trying to get me to move forward, but I didn’t want to move, and I definitely didn’t want to go anywhere in that building. It looked terrifying.
Derek walked ahead of the two of us, and I watched as the marble doors swung silently open, almost as if he were at a super-creepy grocery store. He stopped at the opening and turned to grin at me. “Nothing to be scared of, Poppy.”
He acted as though it were the most normal thing in the world, like he wasn’t standing in front of what looked like a yawning chasm of darkness. It made me want to scream and throw a fit. Everyone, myself included, had been so accepting of the changes, as if they had always known something was missing or wrong with the life they were leading. I was happy that they had all been relatively easy to convince, but just once, I’d like one of my guys to throw a fit about how weird all this shit was.
Knox tugged again, worry furrowing the skin between his eyebrows when I didn’t move. “Angel, you’re the queen of the Underworld. This belongs to you. All of it, and I promise that none of the residents here will do you harm.”
This time, I gave in and followed him. What other choice did I have? It wasn’t as if I had enough of a grasp on where anything was to travel by darkness to get there. Sure, I could go to the place between realms, but that would leave me hoping for the ghosts who lived there to protect me as they had before. Somehow, I just knew that if I went there again without a way to bring the ghosts back with me or give them a way out of their situation, they wouldn’t help me. That meant the only way forward was, well, forward. We walked into the darkness, and I held my breath, expecting the doors to slam shut as they did in every horror movie I’d ever seen. Instead, there was only the slightest murmur of sound to indicate that they had closed.
A warm glow made me squint my eyes as I took in the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling at even intervals, as well as the sconces on the walls. What had appeared as a dark cavern was more like a dimly lit palace. One wall was mostly windows, while the other was made up of mirrors that reflected the light back to the room. As my eyes adapted, I could see further into the room. A few people were gathered in front of a waterfall that flow over the middle of the staircase that split around it before connecting to the floor. Heads turned, and I could feel their eyes focus on us.
Knox strode forward, all confidence and swagger, reminding me that it had been too long since we had been in bed together. His ass in those jeans was delicious, and I loved seeing him all feisty. When I didn’t immediately follow, he paused and looked back at me with a jerk of his head. Derek and I obediently caught up and followed him. Part of me felt as if I should be leading—after all, I was the future queen—but I still didn’t know the place or the people who lived here.
“What business do you have here, hellhound?” a male voice called out when we were about halfway to the group. It bounced around and echoed off the walls, making it seem as if the man were everywhere, when she could clearly see him in front of them.
“We seek sanctuary for the queen,” Knox said in a careful voice.
“I was unaware we had a new queen. There has been no surge in magic, no ceremony. Who is this potential queen you speak of, and what makes you think she could handle the Underworld?”
Before either of my guys could stop me, I stepped out from behind Knox and walked forward. “I am the future queen,” I said, pride filling me as my voice rang clear and true.
“You are nothing but a child.”
“And you are nothing but an old man.”
The form I had been addressing disappeared in a cloud of smoke. “I may be old, but I am no mere man,” his voice sounded all around me. “I am the god of nightmares.”
“That’s cute,” I said as I put my hand on my hip and waited for him to cool it with the dramatics. A part of me was scared, but I knew if I wanted to convince someone who had the audacity to challenge Knox of my worthiness as a future queen, I couldn’t appear weak.
His form coalesced in front of me, and I barely had time to school my face before his eyes were on me. Large yellow orbs peered out from behind a veil of chains. The metal was dark, but it gleamed in the light. It didn’t completely obscure his eyes from me, and it definitely didn’t lessen the impact of his hard stare; at least, not when I was trying to stand my ground.
“You are a supple young thing, aren’t you?” A black tongue swiped across his lips as he watched me, clearly trying to provoke a reaction. The words were muttered as though he intended for only me to hear them, but judging from the growls emanating from behind me, he wasn’t successful.
“Are you done?” I asked, unwilling to back down.
“I’m only just getting started, but for now, we can call it a draw.” He turned and strutted away from me, and I was left feeling more than a little confused.
“Good job, angel,” Knox whispered in my ear as he passed me.
I followed along, watching the god of nightmares as I went. His skin was a ghostly white, making him almost looked carved from marble. The wide leather pants he wore looked more like a skirt when he turned to face us again. They hung low on his hips, chains wrapping around his waist before snaking up to bands that wound around his upper arms, as if he were trying to take the goth look to a whole new level.
The horns protruding from his head were what interested me the most, though. They were different from my own, but he was the only other being I’d met that had any. They curved around his head, making it look as if he were wearing a crown. The points were sharp and covered in detailed metal work. I wondered why he covered them, and if they still grew. I had so many questions, but I also realized that he probably couldn’t answer them since he was a god and I was just part demon.
Another man at the table stood as we came closer. He was the opposite of the god of nightmares. Dark wavy hair covered his head, and his skin was nowhere near as pale. He looked much more human. It didn’t hurt that he was wearing more modern clothes, either—a black T-shirt, jeans, and a black leather jacket. Metal on his ring finger winked in the light, drawing my attention, and I wondered if someone who lived in the Halls of Night could be married.
The man came around the large circular table he had been sitting at and extended his hand. “I’m Lycus. I apologize for my father. He tends to judge a little too quickly,” he said, stressing the words so I knew they had a greater meaning to his father, probably part of an ongoing discussion or something.
I reached out and took his hand. “I’m Poppy. This is Knox, and this is Derek,” I said, gesturing to each of the guys in turn.
He smiled, and it reached all the way up to his impossibly blue eyes. The thick black slashes of eyebrows had risen when I’d said my name, and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Was I being too trusting? What if Alpha or Hel had turned these men to their causes?
“My daughter is a seer and told me of your arrival,” he said.
I tried to hide my surprise, but I knew I wasn’t successful when his smile grew even wider.
“Sorry, I don’t mean it to be off-putting. She sent me down here to make sure my father behaved,” Lycus said, looking over at his father with meaningful eyes.
The god of nightmares harrumphed and walked toward the waterfall, ignoring them and everyone else around the table.
“So, this is Morpheus
. You might also see Thanatos, Hypnos, or Phantasos wandering around here somewhere, but they tend to keep to themselves. And of course, you already met my father, Phobetor.”
I felt better now that I had names to go with the faces all looking at me as if I were an alien who had just asked to be taken to their leader, well, all with the exception of Lycus.
“Sit,” Morpheus said, his voice so soothing that it was unsurprising he was the god of dreams. “Eat and drink. We will keep you safe here.”
“Thank you,” I said as I took a seat at the table with Knox on one side and Derek on the other. An awkward silence descended, so I tried my hand at small talk with some gods, ’cause that was completely normal. Yeah, right. “So, Lycus, you don’t live here?”
“No, I live in the mortal realm with my wife—”
“Corrupting woman,” Phobetor muttered.
Lycus sighed and continued. “Not far from our daughter and grandson.” He smiled, and I knew he was truly happy with his life, no matter what Phobetor said. “Aster sent me down here to meet you and make sure these guys didn’t kick you out.”
“Well, thank you for making my arrival more pleasant,” I said as Phobetor glared at me over his shoulder.
“I’ve got a suite of rooms set up for you when you’re ready.”
“What’s made the new queen run for shelter?” Morpheus asked, clearly indifferent to me so far.
Before I could respond, Knox jumped in. “Hel is trying to take over the Underworld and use it as a secondary realm in addition to her own. There is also a human group who seeks to control it.”
“Humans?” Hypnos asked. “Surely they cannot survive in the Underworld.”
“They attacked Poppy in the human realm and gained some of her blood in the process, so if they are able to beat Hel’s forces and us to the throne room, they may very well take control for themselves.”