The Marked and the Broken

by Ivy Asher

  I look in the mirror and take in the disaster that is everything about me right now. I haven’t showered in way too long, and after this battle, I’m covered in a layer of ash and blood. Tear tracks mark my face, and on one cheek, the streaks reveal what looks like blood under the ash. I wipe at it, and the ash disappears to show a bloody handprint on my cheek. I stare at the mark Lachlan left on my face and make a mental note to call the sisters. None of us have had much of a chance to discuss what just happened to Lachlan or Keegan. I feel sad about what happened, how it happened. I can’t imagine how the twins feel or the rest of the guys who grew up around a happy and loving Lachlan and Keegan.

  It feels surreal to know I’ll never see them again, but when I focus on that, I just feel hollow about it. Like I can feel their absence, but I don’t know how it will really affect me. I guess time will tell. I strip out of my underwear and bra and throw them into the garbage. I turn the shower on, and the spray comes out warm, probably from Sabin having just been in here. I step underneath the spray and adjust the dial until the water is scalding. A river of black and red flows off my body and disappears down the drain, and I stand under the downpour from the showerhead until the water at my feet runs clear.

  I wash my hair and try not to get too lost in the masculine smell of the shampoo. I rinse and scrub my hair twice to make sure it’s clean, and I squeak in delight when I find conditioner in the shower too. It smells citrusy and not nearly as good as the shampoo, but it’s a fucking miracle. I fill my palm with it and start working it through my very knotted and tangled hair. I’m methodically finger combing the mixture through every snarl when the door to the bathroom opens and shuts.

  My vagina instantly clenches in anticipation, and I tell it to calm the fuck down. Someone could just be in here to pee. No one announces themselves, and I wait awkwardly in the quiet bathroom, wondering what the hell is going on. I wipe at the foggy condensation on the glass wall of the shower, and I’m startled when Siah suddenly appears on the other side of it.

  “Hey,” I greet him awkwardly, my eyes fixed on his icy blue gaze.

  He runs his palm over the back of his head and drops his gaze for a minute before bringing it back up, his stare more determined. “They were…um…doing rock, paper, scissors to see who got to come in here with you, but when I stepped in to participate, they said it should be me.”

  I chuckle and shake my head at the guys and their fucking rock, paper, scissors shenanigans.

  “Is…is that okay?” Siah asks, his gaze more unsure with every word.

  “Yeah,” I tell him matter-of-factly. “If you’ve decided this is what’s right for you, then I’m glad you’re here.”

  I high-five myself for playing it cool, but inside I’m relieved, and I’m leading a fucking marching band in celebration from my heart right down to my vagina. Excitement zings through me and pools at my core, and I step away from the steamy glass and rinse the conditioner out of my hair. Siah watches me through the foggy barrier for a minute as I grab the body wash and quickly clean my body. Heat and anticipation simmer inside of me, and I gasp quietly when Siah pulls his shirt off and moves to drop his pants. I quickly run my magic from head to toe and magic away any unwanted body hair. My nipples pebble as I watch a blurry Siah undress.

  I can’t make out many details, but my imagination is not left to its own devices for long. The glass door to the shower opens, and in steps Siah in all his naked glory. I’m not shy or reserved in my perusal of him, and he chuckles at my brazen visual exploration. His skin is silky and perfect. He’s soft and smooth over muscles that are a hint too big to be called lean. He has a trail of brown hair that starts just below his belly button, moves down past his Adonis belt, and disappears into more hair around his thick hard cock.

  Siah reaches down and strokes himself as he returns my perusal. His light blue eyes rake down my body and caress slowly and appreciatively back up. I wait for him under the stream of hot water, liking how it flows down my hard nipples, past my stomach, and through the dark curls that crest my thighs. I dip my head back so water can stream down my back, and I squeak in surprise when Siah flashes in front of me pressing his chest into mine and wrapping his arms around my waist.

  He pulls me into him, and his mouth is on mine in a blink. He sucks on each of my lips in turn and coaxes me to open up for him. One of his palms traces down to squeeze my ass, and the other is pressed up between my shoulder blades, both of our hard nipples pressed firmly against each other’s chest. He kneads my ass and groans into my mouth, and I grind against him. He feels foreign to me as I trace the planes of his arms and shoulders and lose myself in our kiss. And yet there’s that pull, that strange foundation of comfort that I’ve had with all of my Chosen.

  I’ve never run my hands all over his wet hard body like I am now, but he still feels like he’s mine as I explore him with my fingertips. His hard cock is pushed up and trapped between our stomachs, and I stick my ass out to create room and press it down between my thighs. I stroke him a couple times, liking his growl that fills my mouth and the feel of him in my palm. I grind against his hard shaft as his tongue leads mine, and we kiss until we’re both panting.

  “Are you sure?” I ask him as magic comes to life all over my arms, and he moans as he absorbs it.

  “Yes,” he pants and claims my mouth again.

  I shove Sentinel magic into him, pulling away and sucking on his bottom lip as I fill him with my power and will it to mark him. I’ve never marked any of my Chosen and then immediately after had sex with them, and I’m not sure if Siah will just get Chosen runes or all of them when this is done. He squeezes my ass even harder and guides my hips up his length, and I love the sensation, but I need more. I open my mouth to demand it, when Siah kisses down my throat and laps at my sensitive, hard nipple. He picks me up with his other hand and leans me back against the wet, cool stone of the shower wall.

  He teases my nipple, each flick of his tongue like lightning straight to my clit, and then he sucks on it hard and thrusts into me. I moan and grind down against him, and he pauses inside of me for a minute before pulling out shallowly and then pumping back in. His pace starts out slow, languid and disciplined. He circles his hips against my clit with each deep push inside of me, and he moves up to kiss me. He explores my mouth and my body, learning what elicits a moan or a pant or encouragement. He fucks me slowly against the wall until he knows my body better, and then he moves down and sucks hard on my nipples and picks up his pace.

  The sound of his hips slamming against mine fills the shower, mixing with our moans. Siah’s attention moves from my breasts back up my body, and I feel the tips of his fangs teasing my skin as he sucks on my neck and then my shoulder. Magic and need surge inside of me, and I press his head more firmly against my neck. He groans and moves in and out of me faster. I nip at his earlobe.

  “Siah, I need you to fuck me harder and sink those fangs in my neck,” I demand, but instead of immediately listening, he brings a claw up to his neck and nicks his right side.

  He doesn’t even have tell me what he wants me to do, because as soon as he moves his hand away, I lock my lips around the cut and suck at his neck. His blood fills my mouth, and he tastes and feels so fucking good. I hold on to him tighter, moaning against his skin as his blood and cock fill me up and light up all of the nerve endings in my body.

  He bites into me right where my neck meets my shoulder, and as soon as his fangs are in me, it takes everything to a whole other level. It’s like every inch of me becomes a million times more sensitive. I can feel everything so much more intensely, and it immediately sends me into a mind-blowing orgasm. I suck on his neck hard and then have to pull away to moan and mewl through my release.

  Siah feeds on and fucks me hard right into another orgasm, and my entire body starts to tingle from the overload of pleasure. He buries himself deep inside of me and licks at my neck, and just when he comes, he bites me again, and I shatter around him for a third time. I spasm a
round his cock over and over again, and he grinds against me, riding out his release. Blood trickles down his chest, and I lean forward and lap it up. He moans, and a thought pops into my head. I lick at the cut on his neck and then bite down a little on it and suck hard. Siah shouts out and tries to move even deeper inside of me, and I know I just made him come again.

  After a minute, he relaxes against me, and I nuzzle his shoulder for a beat before I bite him again. I laugh as I do it, and he tenses and groans and dives right into another orgasm. I choke on my evil giggles when Siah gives me a payback bite, and the orgasm that slams into me is so intense I almost black the fuck out. I scream and hold him tightly, begging him to have mercy on me, and then I sag against his shoulders and feel him chuckle against me. We lean against each other, panting, and I’m not even sure if I have the energy to separate myself from him.

  “Sneaky mate,” he mumbles into my shoulder, and I vibrate with lazy laughter and realize I have the muscle power of a wet noodle.

  “Well, it’s official, you’re stuck with me now,” I tell him, my tone deliciously sated and way more chirpy than usual, but I guess multiple back-to-back orgasms will do that to a girl.

  I can feel Siah’s smile against my shoulder. He kisses each of the bites on my neck and shoulder and then pulls out of me. I slide down the wall like a lethargic jellyfish and thank the fucking stars that I don’t crumble to the ground when I get my feet underneath me.

  “Jokes on you,” Siah teases. “I’m a cover hog, I leave piles of dirty clothes around my room all the time, and I dog ear pages in books.”

  I gasp in mock horror at the last one. “Not the books,” I plead.

  Siah shakes his head shamefully. “I know, I know. I buy bookmarks in bulk, but do you think I can find the sneaky fuckers when I need one? Nope, like socks in the dryer, they just disappear,” he tells me and then looks off into the distance longingly.

  “I’m pretty sure they go to the same place all my hair ties disappear to,” I sigh.

  “I just hope they’re happy, wherever they are,” he whispers dramatically, and I crack up and hop under the still warm spray to clean up.

  “So if I bite you right now, will you come again?” I ask, half teasing and half curious.

  Siah takes a step away from me, and I chuckle.

  “I honestly don’t know how long that particular side effect lasts,” he admits and grabs the shampoo.

  Siah lathers up his hair, and that yummy man smell fills the shower again. I step out of the warm spray and lean against the wall and breathe deeply until my head is swimming with the deep scent.

  “I wonder how many orgasms I could have consecutively before I imploded?” I ask offhandedly, and Siah laughs as he rinses his hair out.

  “I don’t think I could handle more than four before I shriveled up into nothing. Pretty sure males aren’t meant for multiple back-to-back releases.”

  “Yeah, that is a lot of magical ball butter to lose in one go,” I agree, and Siah barks out a laugh.

  “What the hell did you just say?” he questions on a guffaw, and his laughter is contagious.

  “I read it somewhere, and it cracked me the fuck up. I’ve always wanted to use it in the right context, and here we are.” I motion to his dick and then the shower. “Look at you, owning this mate shit already and making my dreams come true,” I razz and raise my hand for a high five. He gives me one and laughs even harder. “For real though, don’t shrivel up and die; I really like your blood, so as a good mate, I vow to not force you to have more than four orgasms consecutively,” I tell him.

  Siah snickers and shakes his head at me. “Fine, as a good mate, I vow to make sure that you do have at least four orgasms consecutively.”

  I laugh, and we shake hands to seal the deal. Siah pulls me back under the warm water and runs his gaze over my face before dipping down to kiss me slowly. I run my fingers through his wet hair and get lost in the feel of his lips on mine.

  “Mmmm,” he mumbles against my lips. “Look at you, owning this mate shit already and making my dreams come true,” he parrots on a whisper, his lips skimming mine. I smile, and we both study each other for a moment.

  “I think I like you, Siah,” I tease, and he hums his approval.

  “Good ’cause you’re stuck with me,” he counters.

  “What made you finally decide?” I ask, curious.

  “Your mate Sabin told me to trust the magic. He explained that there was a time when he had doubts and worries and didn’t know how things were going to work out. But he said when all else fails, he’s learned to trust magic because it’s pure, makes us who we are, and always leads us exactly where we need to be.”

  My throat gets tight, and my eyes sting with emotion. He told me the same thing once, and I never really thought much about how true it is. “Fuck, I have some good mates,” I announce and wipe a stray tear away.

  “Looks like you do,” Siah agrees.

  “We should probably get you dry and somewhere comfortable before your runes show up and you question whether being my mate is all it’s cracked up to be,” I joke and push the shower door open and reach for a towel.

  “Sorik told me once about what it felt like to get his Chosen runes. I know what I’m in for, Vinna, and there won’t be a moment, no matter how agonizing it is, where I’m not completely honored and grateful for what I’m being given.”

  I hand him a towel and swallow past emotion that’s making my throat tight. “Thank you, Siah. That means a lot.” I give him a small smile and step out of the shower to dry off.

  I use my magic to dry my hair until it’s straight and shiny. Siah watches me, fascinated, as he towels off and steps into a pair of sweatpants. A knock sounds on the door. I open it to find Knox standing there squeaky clean with a smile on his face. He extends his arms and offers me clothes that I recognize.

  “I grabbed these for you when I went to get stuff for everyone.” I stare at a pair of black leggings and a gray slouchy t-shirt that belong to me, and my heart warms with gratitude. I didn’t even give much thought to the fact that I just threw away my bra, underwear and other destroyed clothes and didn’t have anything to replace them with. I take my pile of clean clothes, and Siah walks past me out the door. He smacks my ass as he leaves, and I let out a surprised squeak. Knox gives him an approving nod, and Siah smiles at me.

  “That Squeaks nickname makes a lot more sense now.”

  I roll my eyes and shut the door in both of their smiling faces. I search my pile of clothes for underwear and quickly realize there isn’t any.

  “Knox?” I ask as I open the door again, and all my Chosen turn to look at me. Each of them is clean and showered and look like they’re ready for bed.

  “How did this happen?” I ask, gesturing to their ash and blood free selves and the new mattresses that are spread out on the floor.

  “Siah told us the two rooms over belonged to Adriel’s guards. They’re not going to be needing them anymore, so we went and showered in there and rehomed their mattresses.

  “Oh,” I say nonchalantly, but inside I’m calling dibs on Siah’s mattress. At least I know who’s been sleeping in that one. I turn to Knox, suddenly feeling more tired by the second. It’s like just hearing Adriel’s name has reminded my body of everything it’s been through in the past twenty-four hours. “Um, I don’t have any underwear,” I tell him and then look around the room for my suitcase. It’s not there.

  “Oh…uh…I must have forgotten to grab you some,” he tells me, but something in his tone is off. I look over to Torrez and raise an eyebrow.

  “Total bullshit,” he confirms, and Knox throws a pillow at him, but Torrez catches it and fluffs it a couple times and lays it under his head.

  Knox looks at me and tries to adopt an even more innocent mien, and I narrow my eyes at him playfully. I walk out of the bathroom toward Knox, and when I’m about five feet away from him, I drop my towel. There’s a collective intake of breath in the room.


  “Oh, okay. I guess I’ll just have to go without,” I say to Knox, and then I bend over to pull my foot through my leggings. I put my other foot in and then do an exaggerated shimmy to pull them up my thighs and over my hips. I grab my heather-gray shirt and pull it on, and my hard nipples are very prevalent through the knit jersey fabric. I run my hands down my front in an oversexualized smoothing motion and then look up to heated stares. A couple of them adjust themselves, and I shoot Knox a wink and then run and belly flop on Siah’s bed.

  Knox gives me a hungry growl and rubs his face with an exasperated huff.

  “Serves you right for making me go commando.”

  “Fuck, Killer, don’t say commando right now. I’m too tired to punish you properly.”

  I laugh at Knox’s words, and Ryker gets up from the mattress on the ground and crawls into the bed next to me. He lays his head in my lap, and I bend over to kiss his temple. He looks exhausted. We all do. I run my hands through his hair, and he relaxes into me.

  “Can someone set an alarm for four hours? I need to go relieve Nash so he can sleep,” Ryker asks, and then the next thing I know, he’s breathing heavy in my lap, down for the count. I lean back against the headboard of the big bead and quickly follow Ryker’s lead and leap into oblivion.

  29

  Pain demands my attention, and I’m pulled from sleep by the flash of fire in my body. The first thing that runs through my mind is that I’m still in the cell. Do not fucking tell me that all of that was some kind of messed up dream. Panicked, I claw at my throat. I will rip this fucking collar off of me if it’s the last thing I do. A sob stutters out of my chest. Hands grab mine, and I whimper in frustration.

  “Squeaks. It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe with us in the room.”

  I go still as Ryker’s words permeate the pain and fear, and I try to breathe through the panic and agony coursing through my system. I open my eyes and relief mixes with the burning inside of me as I see that I am, in fact, in Siah’s room. I look for him and find him writhing in pain on the mattress on the ground. I move to go to him, but a new wave of agony seizes me, and Ryker pulls me into his lap and pushes my sweaty hair out of my face. “It’s okay, Vinna, we’ve got him,” Valen reassures me, and I slam my eyes shut and groan-screech through whatever new runes are showing up on my body.