by Helen Scott
“I love you,” he whispered. The emotion shone out of his face like the summer sun. I knew with every fiber of my being that it was true, and when I smiled, I felt lighter than I had in ages.
“I love you too,” I said.
He pushed forward then, his face slipping through my hands until they were draped over his shoulders while his lips crashed into my own. His hands slid around my waist, tugging me close.
We had exchanged kisses before, and they always left me weak in the knees, even when it was just a peck. There was something different about connecting with Hunter, something that made me feel as if we were all together, as if this big crazy life I was living might actually work. It wasn’t that the other guys didn’t give that to me, but I had always felt something was missing. Now that his lips were scorching my own, I knew that something had been the physical connection with Hunter.
I was intensely aware that the only thing I was wearing was my robe. It was the closest that Hunter and I had ever come to having a physical relationship, and I didn’t want to ruin it. This moment, as painful as it had been to get to, was perfect.
My tongue darted out and teased his lips, which earned a groan from Hunter. His hands clenched around my waist and began to slowly move toward my butt, but they were moving at such a glacial pace that I wasn’t sure if he was even aware he was doing it.
I pushed back from the kiss. “What are we doing, Hunter?” I gasped as the sensation of his lips was like a ghost on my own even though we were no longer touching.
His sharp green eyes watched me. “Whatever you want. I just want to be here with you. It doesn’t matter what we do.”
“What do you want?” I breathed the question, hoping for an answer that was similar to the clawing beast inside my chest. The one that was screaming at me for ruining the moment.
“I want you, Poppy.”
“Want me how?” I asked, playing innocent for the moment, as though my mind didn’t immediately jump up and cheer when he said those four words. If I’d been wearing panties, they would have disintegrated on the spot.
He gently took my hand and kissed each knuckle before he looked me in the eyes and said, “How do you think?” while placing my hand over the bulge in his jeans.
I couldn’t have stopped the smile that spread across my face even if I tried, not that I did. Now it was my turn to push forward. My lips connected with his, and my hands looped around his neck once more, pulling him closer to me. Part of my brain demanded that I still be angry with him for everything that had happened, but I couldn’t, especially not with everything else that had been going on. When Knox had told me to forgive Hunter, I had taken that advice seriously.
His body pressed more firmly against mine, and all I could think about was the clothes he was still wearing and how to get them off the fastest. My hands began to work the fabric of his T-shirt up and over his skin. I felt the small hairs on his stomach and chest tickle my fingers as my hands rose higher and higher. Apparently sensing my frustration, Hunter whipped the shirt over his head, momentarily breaking our connection before his mouth was on mine again, and our connection became even more intense than before.
“Pants off,” I said, breathing heavily from his kisses.
I could feel my pulse everywhere in my body as he stepped away from me and unbuttoned his jeans. It was as if I were one burning ball of need, and the only way to get any relief had just stepped out of my reach. My eyes ate up the skin revealed to me as he let his jeans fall to the floor. Freckles covered most of his body and seemed to almost form patterns or constellations. I wanted to kiss each and every one of them, find all the patterns on his skin, and love him in the best way possible.
As he approached me, the scent of him clouded my brain to the point that I didn’t even realized he was pushing me backward so he could climb onto the bed with me. His hands were like fire on my skin, and they were branding me on my hips, marking me as his while his body pressed against my own.
When I backed up a little more, he stayed put. His hands skimmed over the front of my robe, the thin, silky material leaving nothing to the imagination as his fingers began deftly untying the knot that held it closed. Once the belt was loose, Hunter’s hands slipped under the fabric at my shoulders, slowly pushing it down and revealing me to him. His eyes traveled down my body like a warm breeze, heating my blood and making me crave his touch even more.
His hand moved to cup my head while his mouth descended on mine once more, hungry and fierce. He only kissed my mouth for a moment, though, before he moved to my neck, nibbling at the delicate skin just over my collarbone. Every touch rocketed through me straight to my core, and when his mouth found my nipples, I groaned, pleasure overwhelming me as he massaged my breasts.
One of his hands traveled down my back, stroking the curve of my spine before cupping my butt, squeezing and holding. I pressed myself back into his hand, wanting his touch more than anything. He slid his hand lower, his fingers almost tickling the sensitive skin of my thighs as he nudged my legs open with his hand.
I awkwardly shuffled my stance wider for him, and his hand slipped between my legs, teasing the aching flesh that resided there. As he felt the most intimate part of me, he moaned around my nipple. I was on fire with need, and I knew if we didn’t progress further soon, I was going to get impatient.
“You’re so fucking wet for me,” he growled as he straightened.
“I want you,” I said softly as I touched his face.
Hunter’s arms wrapped around me as he slowly lay us both down on the bed. The comforter puffed out under me as we landed, and all I could think was that I wished his boxers weren’t between us so that I could take him inside me. As though my thoughts were relayed to him, and perhaps they were through our strengthening bond, he shoved them down his legs until they caught on one of his ankles. I couldn’t help but laugh as he frantically kicked to get them off.
“Now, where were we?” His voice was husky with need.
“I believe you were about to fuck my brains out?”
“Oh?” He grinned at me, and it was slightly lopsided.
“Oh, yes. I have high hopes for you, Hunter.”
Before he could respond, I pressed my tongue to his neck and gently bit the fragile skin there. He rolled his hips against me, and I let my head fall back against the bed as I gasped. With one quick thrust, he was inside me, and I yelped in surprise. Concern spread over his face as he watched me, not moving after the squeaking noise I’d made. He filled me completely, to the point that I could almost swear I felt him when I took a deep breath.
“I’m fine. You just surprised me is all,” I whispered while my hands tangled in his hair.
He grinned wickedly at me then, and his hazel eyes shone with lust and love, an intoxicating combination. Slowly, Hunter leaned down and bit my lower lip, sending little bolts of electricity through me.
“Do you know how long I’ve dreamed about this? About having you all to myself, just for a moment?”
I smile, but concern edged its way in. “You know you have to share, right?”
“Of course, but sometimes I want to be selfish and have it be just you and me.” He paused. “I’m going to move now, if you’re ready?”
I chuckled at him and nodded. He eased out of me and thrust in even further than before to the point that it almost stung as he stretched me. My hands clenched around the sheets as he pulled out again, rocking further and further into me every time until I finally felt his hips flush against mine.
“By the gods, Poppy, you feel amazing,” he breathed.
“So do you,” I said, panting slightly as my body adjusted to being filled by him.
He really started to move then, pulling all the way out before sliding back in. I rocked my hips in time with his so our skin slapped together softly. In my head, I knew he was the longest of all my guys, but I would never tell him that. The man didn’t need an ego boost.
When he picked up speed, I couldn’t keep up anym
ore. He pushed me so far that I was dancing the line between pleasure and pain. Moans and mumbled words escaped my lips while my hands released the sheets and gripped his shoulders instead, my fingers digging into his muscular flesh.
I didn’t know how long it lasted, and I didn’t remember changing positions. All I could do was lose myself in the rhythm of his thrusts and the pleasure I found there. Each time he slid into me was like the first time all over again, and I loved every second of it.
At some point, he flipped me over and was taking me from behind, which made me scream his name, along with various obscenities, into the mattress. A moment later, he shifted my position so I was lying on my stomach with my legs pressed together while he straddled them and pushed into me once more. He felt amazing, and in the new position, he felt even bigger, which made me scream for him all over again.
“Fuck, Poppy! I can’t keep going with you making noises like that,” he groaned.
I tried to be quiet, but as he moved within me, I could only control myself for a moment before another moan that bordered on a scream ripped from me. He jerked then as his hips slammed into mine. I could feel him push against my cervix as he came. His cock pulsed within me for what felt like minutes.
When Hunter was done, he collapsed next to me, a dazed look on his face. I couldn't help but smile as he slowly blinked back to awareness.
"Damn," he whispered, still catching his breath. "I knew you would feel amazing, but . . . damn."
I grinned over at him. "Don't wait so long next time, yeah?"
His eyebrows drew together in confusion.
"I mean, to take me to bed. You can make the sex as long as you want because that was fucking fantastic."
A laugh barked out of him, surprising both of us. He opened his arms, and I rolled toward him, putting my head on his shoulder. For once, I didn't need to check the bond in my mind's eye. It rang through me like a bell tolling the hour. I wasn't sure if it was because he was the last one for me to form a physical relationship with, or if it was because he had resisted it for so long. Either way, it felt damn good to have a solid bond with him.
17
Poppy
I woke with a start. Something had yanked me out of my dreamless sleep, but as I lay listening to Hunter’s breathing, I couldn’t figure out what it was. My mind was fully awake, the list of things to worry about already beginning to spin around, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep.
Carefully, I moved to look at Hunter. The man was everything I had thought he would be, except for the snoring. It had surprised me at first, but now that I could see how he was lying, I wasn’t shocked. His head and upper torso were pulled to the side with one arm thrown up over the pillow. He looked uncomfortable to me, but to each his own. I slid out of the bed, trying my best not to jostle it too much and wake him up. The mattress was firm and didn’t seem to transfer much movement, but I wasn’t completely confident in that, either.
Once I was free of the covers and up off the bed, I began to search around for my clothes, only belatedly remembering that I’d just been wearing a robe when I’d gone to bed. Tiptoeing into the bathroom, I found the clothes I had set aside before my shower and slipped them on, thankful that I had been able to find something clean and wasn’t being forced to put on dirty clothes.
After I had freshened up as much as I could without another shower, I slipped from the bathroom and padded through the bedroom and out into the living area. I expected someone to be up, but as the door clicked quietly closed behind me, all I saw was Derek asleep on the couch. I peeked into the other bedroom and saw Knox and Nolan asleep on the bed.
No one was on watch. It was my first thought, and it sent a thrill of fear through me. My second thought was no one was watching me. For the moment, I could do whatever I wanted, and it had been way too long since that had been an option.
If Derek had slept somewhere else, I might have done a little dance or something, but as it was, I didn’t want to disturb any of them. They had all been fighting and needed their rest.
I went back into the room and picked up the book Hunter had shown me before, the one with all the ghost’s names and locations in it. “Mabel and Bernard,” I whispered to myself as I opened the book. Suddenly the pages flipped past my hands, spreading the book open to a page where it listed a Bernard Baker who was married to a Mabel Baker. He resided in the Asphodel Meadows. I had found him, and all it had taken was Hunter risking his life. Stupid man.
I quietly closed the book and set it on the coffee table. Now, all I needed was to get Mabel’s ring back from the bag I’d been forced to abandon in the hellhound’s area. Since that wasn’t going to happen any time soon I padded through the room on silent feet before easing the main door open and slipping out into the hallway.
A burst of excitement buzzed in my chest, making me want to giggle and run around like a kid. I couldn’t wait for the time when the guys didn’t have to watch me and I could wander around without having to drag them with me.
The hall was quiet, not even the distant hum of voices for me to listen to. Awareness crept over my skin, and I turned toward the black door at the end of the hall. My body started moving toward it without me even realizing it until the door was much larger than it had been a moment ago. The black material that made up most of the door gleamed in the small amount of light. I stepped ever closer until my hand rested on the wrought iron ring that served as a door handle. That was when I realized the whole door was made of obsidian, black glass formed from volcano lava. I could hardly fathom it, since I’d only ever seen the glass used in jewelry, but there was no mistaking the strange luster.
I twisted the handle, and the door gave way easily, swinging open on silent hinges. The room was pitch black. I could barely see my hand in front of my face as I walked in. Cold filled me, making my skin immediately pucker with goosebumps. A creeping sensation covered my skin, and for a moment, I felt as if I were covered in a million tiny bugs before it eased and dissipated. I inched forward, and slowly, a glow began to fill the room.
A large moon lamp hung from the ceiling, and a faint glow emanated from it. Under it, I could see a bed with two figures. A woman was closest to me. The pale skin of her face was the only thing I could see above the covers. She looked peaceful and harmless, which made me wonder why Lycus had wanted to hide them from me. The longer I watched, the more it seemed as if small stars were coming to life all over the room, and not the cheesy glow-in-the-dark ones that covered my ceiling when I was little. There were more stars around the bed than anywhere else, illuminating the sleeping forms even more.
They both had hair darker than the night sky and pale skin that seemed to reflect the light coming from the moon above. The man had a gnarly beard that looked as if he hadn’t touched it in years, and the woman’s hair looked tangled and as though it needed a good brushing. When she turned her face to me and her eyes popped open, I had to suppress a scream. Her eyes were black, just like mine when my succubus side took over, but the longer they stared at me, more white specks appeared, making her eyes look like the night sky.
“Demon,” she whispered before closing her eyes and rolling toward the man.
It was enough to make my blood run cold. I turned and ran without a second thought and didn’t stop until I was back in our suite with the door shut and locked behind myself. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I should have listened to Lycus. I wanted nothing to do with whoever those people were in that room. I sat down in the chair opposite Derek, and the chill in my bones seemed to sink deeper as I waited for everyone to wake up.
I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep until I heard muffled yelling. My eyes snapped open, and I shot to my feet, searching for the source of the noise. Derek was gone from his makeshift bed, and the doors to the other bedrooms were open as well, meaning Hunter, Knox, and Nolan were all up.
When raised voices came from behind the door to the hallway, I marched over and yanked it open. All the guys we
re standing there, except for Emmett, Shadow, and Cass, along with two men I didn’t recognize. They were almost the opposite of one another. One of them had bright blue eyes and silvery-white hair that hung down to his waist, while the other had jet-black eyes and hair that was just long enough to need some styling product.
“Speak of the devil,” the man on the right said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Knox glowered at him and looked as if restraining himself from hitting the other man was actually causing him pain. “That is your future queen. Show some respect.” The anger dissipated as he turned to me and leaned down to give me a quick kiss. “Good morning, angel.”
“Good morning,” I said, squeezing his arm and sending a pulse of love through our bond to show I was grateful for his softness toward me. “What’s going on?”
“You broke into Nyx’s chambers, didn’t you?” the other man accused.
“I’m sorry, who are you?”
“Hypnos, the god of sleep, in case you aren’t familiar,” he said.
“Thanatos, the god of death,” the first man sneered as though he wanted to scare me when he spoke.
“Good to know.”
“Are you just going to ignore my question?” Thanatos demanded.
“I haven’t decided yet,” I said haughtily.
He took a step toward me, but then he was gone. When my eyes found him, Hunter had him pinned against the wall.
“You would threaten your queen?” he hissed in a way that made me shiver. We might not have been best friends in the beginning, but I was starting to understand that his behavior wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.
“She’s not my queen yet. Right now, she’s just a watered-down goddess, barely able to survive here, let alone rule the Underworld.”
“She will be queen, and she will rule over you for as long as she wishes,” Nolan chimed in, fury causing his fists to clench and unclench at his sides.
“Please, none of you are worthy of the positions you hold. You haven’t defeated any of your enemies, and you haven’t even figured out how Alpha got over the river Styx, have you?”