“No matter how much dirt Ruin rubs on you, you look like yourself. I already see deep fissures in your plan, and we haven’t even started yet.”
“We just need to build it up more,” I said. Reaching down, I grabbed another couple of handfuls of mud and rubbed it on her arms.
“Here,” Ash said, and then he scooped up a handful of mud and moved behind her to smear it over Kori’s shoulders.
Watching Kori stand there naked while both Ash and my hands were caressing down her skin definitely wasn’t helping how fucking hard I was right now. My whole body hummed, and I had an immediate, overwhelming urge to close that tiny bit of distance.
As if Kori sensed how much I wanted her to touch me, she lifted her muddy fingers and wiped it down my cheek while her eyes sparkled with mischief.
“You going to rub dirt on my naked body now?” I asked her as my semi-hardened cock popped into a full-blown tent pole.
She bit her lip. “I think you’re dirty enough, Ruin.”
“And, I think you like me dirty, too.” I knew she fucking loved how dirty I was, and I knew it because even now, her eyes were filling with lust. I leaned in and brushed my lips against her ear, making her breath hitch. “How about a dirty three-way fuck for good luck?”
She blew out a laugh. “What’s a dirty fuck entail, Ruin?”
“It’s when Ash and I fuck you while you’re covered in dirt— and just in case it’s the last thing we ever do, it has to be a really dirty fuck.” I punctuated the words by lightly nipping her ear.
She jumped a little and then pressed forward, grabbing onto my hips for balance. Kori leaned back to look into my eyes, biting her lip.
“Is that a yes, Kori?”
“Are you being serious?” she asked.
I grinned wide. “I would never joke about getting that dirty with you.”
Her breath faltered. “What if I said yes?”
My cock twitched, growing so hard, the friction of it rubbing against my pants was almost too much. “Are you going to say yes?”
“We don’t really have time for it, and I’ve probably lost my senses and—”
I kissed her, and holy sweet fuck, she kissed me back. I forgot what it was like to kiss Kori. If just being inches away from her made my body hum, pressing flush against her while her lips pressed gently into mine made my whole body electric.
I didn’t just go for a sweet chaste peck, I opened her mouth with my tongue and caressed hers. I sucked and nibbled on her perfect lips.
My fingers went to my button, and I undid my fly and finally released my cock.
“Fuck…” Ash groaned, as he leaned into Kori’s back. “We don’t have time for this.” That’s what he said, but his hands went to his hem, and he pulled off his shirt. Ash slipped his hand between us, and he pressed his fingers into her pussy. As his fingers worked her clit, the back of his hand rubbed against my length, and it was almost too fucking much.
Kori whimpered onto my lips, and I knew that we couldn’t break our kiss for a single second, or we’d risk detection, so I kissed her harder.
Ash grabbed onto Kori’s hips, and she gasped as he slid inside her pussy from behind.
“This is such a bad fucking idea,” he said through pants as he pumped into Kori.
I cupped her cheeks and swallowed her moans as Ash thrust deep inside her. His hand slid up, slick with her wetness, and he gripped my cock. Her hand gripped it too, and they worked together, as pressure immediately built in my shaft and sensation coursed over the head.
Now it was I who was moaning into her mouth as Ash and Kori’s hands slid up and down on me.
“I’m pulling out now,” Ash whispered as his eyes shuttered. He slid back, but his hand kept up a rhythm on my shaft.
Not breaking our kiss, I scooped under Kori’s thighs and hoisted her up. All three of our motions were frantic and desperate. Ash gripped me tighter, bringing the head of my cock to Kori’s entrance. Kori wrapped her legs around my hips and slid down on my shaft. All the while, she kissed me for dear life.
Ash’s hand worked between us, gathering Kori’s wetness, and then he said, “I’m pushing one finger into your ass, Kori. Right now…”
Kori gasped onto my mouth as she clenched around my cock. Holding her hips, I pumped gently into her so Ash could work his magic on her ass. Whatever he was doing, it was making her quiver and moan.
“Now two fingers,” Ash said, and Kori mewled into my mouth. Her whole body bowed, and my cock was pulsing with the tingles of an impending release. My pleasure was growing too high with her gripping me so tight.
I pushed deep inside and stayed there as I leaned back into the rock wall, giving Ash the opportunity to position himself behind Kori.
“Now, I’m pushing in my cock,” he said.
Ash’s cock rubbed up against mine, and I groaned at the feel of the head of his cock at the base of mine. One of his arms wrapped around Kori’s waist while the other hand reached over and held my shoulder. Then, he pushed into Kori from behind, and she whimpered into my mouth as he began to move in long, languid thrusts.
It took me a minute to contain myself enough to move within her too, and even then, my cock threatened to blow at any moment. I could feel Ash’s cock push against her inner walls as we both thrust inside her. Fuck, how I loved this woman and this man and the times we three were together.
Kori broke off our kiss. “I’m not sure I can hold off any longer.”
“Me neither,” Ash growled.
“Thank fuck,” I said before regaining her mouth. Kori made a keening sound as her core gripped me tight, and the pressure in my cock erupted. I kissed her harder, making the pressure on our lips almost bruising as we moaned out our orgasms. Ash released my shoulder and bit his fist as his eyes rolled up.
Leaning in, I pressed my lips to Kori’s ear. “If we survive today, what do you say we three recreate this scene in one of the queen’s bedrooms?”
Kori pushed her perfect breasts into my chest and gasped. “It’s a promise, so long as we can get Ash to agree.”
“Consider it a fucking pact,” Ash growled as he pulled out of Kori. His gaze moved from my eyes to Kori’s, and, with the arousal there, I could see that he was fighting his own battle to keep his head in the game. “But we need to survive for that, and that means getting our fucking heads on straight. We just fucked like we’re going to die… and we can’t think like that.”
“You’re right.” Kori laid her head on my shoulder. “But… I think I need another layer of mud on my front and my butt cheeks, Ruin.”
“Your wish is my command, goddess,” I said through a chuckle as she slid down my body. I dropped to my knees and carefully spread the mud over her two round butt cheeks that were now pink and tender from Ash’s ministrations.
“I think this is as covered as I’m going to get,” Kori said with a quiver in her voice. She stepped away, which was probably a good thing, because I could have kept at this all day. Kori took a couple steadying breaths. “All right, I’m going to wake Death.”
As soon as Kori walked away, Ash leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. “We have to stop fucking around. We need to keep our guard up.”
“I don’t think I could have got my head in the game without us three fucking around. I had a not-so-rude awakening last night, and I’ve been battling this beast all day.” I grabbed Kori’s jumpsuit, which was stuffed with clothing and covered in mud, and I busied myself with strapping on the dummy. We’d made it to look like a body hanging from my shoulders with legs entwined around my waist.
“I think we might have had the same wake-up call,” Ash said. “I’m glad Death and Kori are working their issues out. I noticed they haven’t said more than a few words to each other this whole week.”
I blinked up at Ash, shocked as all hell. “Honestly, Ash, I thought you were angry at all of us for how things went down in Nightendale—Kori especially. You’ve been even more abrasive than usual.”
Ash’s expression shuttered, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s complicated, but no. I want you three to be happy.”
“Us three?” I gestured between Death, Kori, and us two with a finger. “You mean us four, right?”
Ash kicked off the wall. “Forget it.”
“Forget what?”
He scowled. “It’s nothing. Anyway, I’ve been thinking. All of our odds of survival depended on if Ravage actually cares about keeping Kori alive, and I’m not convinced he does. Ravage already more than proved that he didn’t love her when he ordered Kori’s death back in Nightendale.”
“I don’t know,” I said as I scratched my chin. “Right before Ravage ordered his warriors to kill all of us, he told Kori that she would forgive him and forget. If our theory is right about the Tree of Life, it’s possible that Ravage planned to revive Kori using the tree and take her memories again. I don’t think he ever intended for her to die.”
“Even so, what’s to stop him from doing that here? There’s a forest of those trees from Ravage’s garden,” Ash gestured out.
I examined the bone white trunks. “But Ravage doesn’t keep a forest of trees… he keeps only that one tree… his brother’s tree, if Kori’s dream is right. I’m guessing that the Tree of Life and this forest of trees serve different purposes for these vampire rulers. These trees let us through, and they won’t let us leave. I’m guessing that’s not by their will.”
Ash sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “If it’s the Queen of the Deep who let us through, then where the fuck is she? Isn’t she supposed to be all-powerful?”
I gestured toward the cave. “Ravage seems like he’s confident standing on the queen’s doorstep, but I haven’t seen a single warrior get close to the actual door to the kingdom. That probably means something.”
Ash worked his jaw back and forth. He’d taken a shift watching the army too, and I was guessing he noticed the same thing. “Maybe, but you know that I’m dubious of trusting your judgment, Ruin. You’ve led us into very tight spots.”
I studied Ash’s darkening expression, and then I cocked an eyebrow. “I love tight spots. I’m not going to stop getting myself into them anytime soon.”
“You can’t go fifteen minutes without a dirty comment, can you?” Ash growled, but there was a small grin on his lips.
“Can I? Sure…” I shrugged. “Will I? Fuck no.”
Across the cave, Kori helped Death assemble his dummy. She went to her tiptoes and gave him a gentle kiss.
“Those two look ready to start this cycle again,” I said, nodding to them.
Ash’s nostrils flared. “Playtime’s over, Ruin. We need to take this very seriously to bring Kori in safe.”
“You’re right,” I said, as all humor drained from me. I mussed a hand through my hair. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, you weren’t. You’re smart as fuck, Ruin, but you never think before you act,” Ash said as he turned away.
“Your compliment is fucked, Ash, but yeah, you’re right.” I clapped him on the shoulder and crossed over to Death. The dummy he wore was made of the canvas pack Kori got from the trolls. We’d stuffed it full of mud. Going around, I checked the knot that looped behind his neck. Hopefully, it was secure enough. Everything depended on these knots staying in place.
My adrenaline was riding me hard as I looked between Death’s dummy and the one I was wearing. They didn’t look anything like Kori.
Ash was probably right to worry about our plan, but our only other choice was to turn tail and flee through the tunnels for days with Ravage and his army in pursuit. It wasn’t an option while Kori continued to die on us.
Kori pivoted to face me. “So, can I say something that I definitely shouldn’t say right now.”
“The answer to that will always be yes,” I said as I stared into Kori’s amber gaze, finding her considering me.
Kori’s full lips tucked up at the corner. “I just don’t want us all to risk our lives while I keep a secret from you guys. And I know that this is definitely not the right time to say anything, but I want to anyway.”
I chuckled, even though I felt a little nervous. “Just say it, Kori.”
“I’m starting to remember things—not everything, but details are coming back. Now that’s happening, you have to believe me that the feelings I had for you three were always genuine—and they never changed. I missed everything about you three, even when my memories were stolen.”
Reaching up, I brushed a strand of her mud-caked hair away from her face. I had absolutely no idea what she was going to tell me, but what she said had my heart melting. “Ash is right, Kori,” I said. “We’re all acting a little like we’re going to die and be separated forever. But that’s not going to happen.”
Death ran a hand through Kori’s hair and leaned in to kiss her on the top of her muddy head. “This isn’t the end,” he said onto her hair.
Kori shut her eyes tight. “This wouldn’t be the first time one of my plans led people I love to their death.”
Leaning in, I regarded her. “Fuck that. Your plans are fantastic, but shit happens that no one can predict. We’re going to survive this because you came up with this plan in that sexy fucking brain of yours, and when we do, I want to know everything you remember. You agree, Kori?”
She pressed her head into Death’s arm. “Yes, I’ll tell you all about my scattered memories if—when we survive. But, I have one more thing that I need to tell you… and I promise that I’m not saying this because I think we’re going to die.”
Kori fell silent, like she wasn’t sure how to tell us something. I studied her beautiful face, but before I could demand she spit it out, Ash rushed out of the cave and called, “The first troll just stepped past the cave entrance.”
Kori spun to face me. “Ruin, go!”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kori
Dirt cascaded from Ruin as he dashed forward in long strides. He wrapped his hands around the dummy on his front and fearlessly charged out into the open ground. One hundred feet away, the first group of trolls charged out of a cave. Gathered together, they looked more like craggy boulders separating from the stone.
Pressing my back into the cave wall, I gripped my fingers into the cold stone. “Ruin is supposed to run slow.”
Death leaned in to look past me. “That’s slow for him.”
“Really slow,” Ash confirmed as he too leaned past me.
Maybe it was slow for Ruin, but he was approaching the army and the trolls were still a good distance behind.
If Ruin made it to the soldiers alone, Ravage would not hesitate to kill him.
The warriors spread out with Ravage standing in the middle of the bridge. The group held firearms at their sides, their gun barrels gleaming in the lantern light. Ravage held up a hand, ordering his army to hold, but the King of Nightendale strolled forward.
The trolls put on a burst of speed, eating up the distance with their long strides. I hadn’t planned for them to be out in the open for so long, but the gap between them and Ruin was closing. It still wasn’t enough.
“Ravage will see that it’s a dummy before they reach him,” I realized as panic welled in my heart.
Again. It was happening again. I got it all wrong, and someone I cared about was going to die on my orders. I should have never accepted this role. I knew better. “What have I done?”
A burst of blinding white flame erupted under my fingers, blasting up the cave wall and shooting through the entrance and into the air. It only lasted a brief second, the moist stone refusing to catch, but thick black smoke billowed out, filling the entrance of the cave.
Strong hands yanked me back. When the smoke cleared enough to see, I found myself pressed to Ash’s chest.
Behind him, Death’s white-blond hair sizzled and crackled, but he didn’t seem all that concerned as he patted it out. All of his concentration centered on me.
“Are you okay,” Ash squeezed me to him.
&nbs
p; “Of course, I’m an Ignis . . . are you two okay?”
“We’re fine.”
There was an echoing thunder of boots, and Death leaned past us. “The trolls have surrounded Ruin, but a group of warriors have broken off from the main force and are heading this way.”
“Go.” I touched Death’s arm. “Ravage knows our position. He’ll cut us off.”
Death hesitated one moment more. “If you need me, just shout my name and I’ll slay whoever I have to so I can come back for you.”
“Okay, we will,” I lied. If we did that, Ravage would know who was carrying me, and everyone would die. Maybe I put too much faith in my battle strategy, a plan that had already gone off course.
Rushing back to the smoking, blackened stone, I leaned out and around it to take in the scene awaiting me.
Ravage and his warriors were closing in on where Ruin was now surrounded in trolls when the soldiers that were charging us cried out.
“Death!” they called.
Ravage must have ordered his soldiers to look for Death, because the King of Nightendale immediately changed his course, heading for where Death cut across the open ground.
Ravage and his warriors did not hold back or slow, they surged through the clearing, beautiful and terrible all at once. Ravage called out orders that I couldn’t hear over the thunderous cacophony of running feet. The warriors broke into several divisions, and the smallest number physically blocked Ruin and his trolls from making it across the bridge. The largest group charged after Death with Ravage in the lead. The last faction of warriors headed straight for where we were hiding.
“We need to go,” Ash said, reaching down to scoop me up.
“No… just wait.” I held my breath as the warriors charged straight past the leading group.
Death took the charge, holding my stuffed jumpsuit to his body like he would gladly lay down his life to protect it.
Ravage thought he’d studied his enemy so clearly, but all he really understood about Death was that he would protect the rest of us at any cost, and that Death was the strongest of the group. I gave Ravage precisely what he expected, and he thought that he’d immediately outsmarted us.
Ash (Fire & Blood Book 2) Page 17