by Helen Scott
My blood felt like it had been set on fire as it swirled through my veins, and all I wanted was for Griff to be with me, to love me the way I was falling in love with him. When I leaned forward and kissed him this time, it wasn't a gentle brush or a passionate devouring of each other, it was a promise. A promise to care for him if he would do the same for me.
23
Tessa
When his lips moved against mine I knew that he was making the same promise to me that I was making to him. The soft, tender kisses and the way he gently caressed my body spoke volumes.
I reached down and pushed my hands under the leather hem of his shirt, slowly inching it upward and baring his skin to me. He pulled away from the kiss and stripped the same way I had earlier. His skin looked pale out of the sunlight, not unhealthy, just more alabaster in color with an almost pink jewel-like undertone to it. The more of it that became visible the harder my heart began to pound in my chest.
Griff's fingers popped the button to his pants and slid the supple leather down, along with the boxers he had been wearing underneath. My breath hitched as his cock sprang free of the confines of his pants, and my whole body seemed to tighten with need just at the sight of it. When he straightened, my hand reached out and grasped his manhood stroking the smooth velvet skin.
"Back up," he said, his voice rough with his own need.
I did as he asked and delighted in the sensation of him crawling up the bed so he could position himself over me. There was something about the weight of him on top of me that felt so right, so perfect, that I couldn't get enough of it.
He kissed my neck, sucking on the skin in the hollow of my collar bone. My hips canted toward his of their own free will, and I couldn't stop the low moan that escaped me when one of his hands found one of my breasts. He squeezed and massaged the sensitive flesh until my nipples had turned to hard peaks under his ministrations.
"Don't tease me, Griffin, I can't take it. Not today," I said, my voice breathy in his ear as I leaned forward and nipped at it.
"As my mate commands," he replied before kissing me silly. His tongue tangled with my own while the hand that had been tugging on my nipple was suddenly between my legs, playing with my clit. The motions of his fingers mimicked that of his tongue, and I was rendered into a puddle of a being, the only thing registering for me was Griff and the sensations he was making my body feel.
A moment later and I could feel the thick, blunt head of his cock at my entrance. I rocked my hips up and pushed him into me ever so slightly which made him chuckle. Then, with one slow thrust he filled me. Each and every inch of space was taken up by him, and I loved it. My body stretched and moved to accommodate his thick manhood.
Griff didn't stop until his hips met my own. Finally, once our bodies were as connected as possible, he let out a growl that only turned me on even more. His hands slid under my back as he scooped me up and brought us both into a sitting position on the bed. Normally, I would have been nervous about a man moving me around like that, but Griff treated me as though I was his favorite toy.
He didn't hesitate when he touched me as though I was delicate and made of glass, and he wasn't too rough either so that I wasn't enjoying myself. Every time he moved me, it was to heighten our pleasure, both his and mine, and mostly I just had to hang on for the ride, because although we were in a more awkward position, he didn't let that slow him down at all.
With his assistance I bounced up and down on his lap, his cock thrusting into me over and over again while my whole body throbbed with need. His face nuzzled into my neck and collar bone, showering me with kisses, licks, and nips.
"Are you sure?" he asked quietly.
I nodded frantically before the words tumbled out of me. "Bite me, feed from me, whatever it is you need to do, do it. I'm yours, Griff."
As though that was what he'd been waiting for all along, his fangs scraped over my skin making me groan in pleasure as a shiver seemed to travel from my neck, down my spine, and straight into my pussy. I felt like this was the beginning of something magical, both literally and figuratively, and I couldn't wait for more.
The moment he struck it was as if time stopped. His fangs slipped into my skin as he thrust his cock into me at the same time, pausing after I was fully seated on him. The sensation was exquisite and pushed me over the edge I didn't even realize I was near. My orgasm erupted, spreading through me in waves until my toes curled in pleasure and my fingers clenched in Griff's hair as I held his head to my neck.
It was almost too much. For a moment I could feel my blood entering him like some strange kind of extension of myself, but then it all changed. The pleasure that was rolling through me was doubled as I felt him begin to thrust into me all over again. He wasn't slow or timid either. His long, sure strokes prolonged the last waves of my orgasm and made me feel like we were untouchable.
Within moments I felt more connected to him than I'd ever felt to anyone, like a string had been tied between our two hearts and neither of us was willing to let go. He drank me down and I ground my hips against his, until he was moving without thinking, seeking his own pleasure as he feasted on mine.
Two thrusts later and I felt every muscle in his body stiffen as he bit down even harder into my neck. The feel of his fangs and his cock impaling me all at once pushed me into another orgasm. We both clenched around each other while I felt his cock twitching and spasming in my core.
When he released my neck, I expected it to be sore, or feel like I had just been bitten by a vampire, but it didn't. Everything was blissful. My body was content for the first time in a long time, and I was ready to sleep for an age.
Griff pricked his thumb with his still somewhat descended fang and offered it to me.
"You want me to drink your blood? Won't that change me or something?" I asked hesitantly as the red liquid seemed to bubble up onto the pad of his finger like a small, perfectly round ruby. I couldn't deny there was something in me that wanted to suck it into my mouth, but the rational part of my brain was overriding that particular impulse.
"No, it will just help you replace the blood I just took. It's kind of like a vitamin c boost. It will protect your immune system from being too overloaded with all the new bacteria that you're encountering in our worlds and the fact that your blood cell count just dropped."
Hesitantly I opened my mouth and closed it around his thumb, sucking on the pad. As soon as the warm liquid touched my tongue, I realized I had nothing to be worried about. It didn't have the same bitter metallic taste that my own blood did. Griff's blood was sweet and warm like standing in an orchard on a hot summer day.
Almost as soon as I had accepted the idea the blood coming from his finger seemed to dry up. I released his thumb, licking my lips and making a show of how tasty he was before I flopped back into the bed. He carefully removed himself from me, but because I was still so sensitive it caused another round of twitches and sparks of pleasure exploding throughout my system.
When he lay down next to me, I expected him to pass out like most of the guys I'd been with, but he didn't. Instead, he just watched me, a look of awe on his face. As I rolled to face him, I couldn't stop the smile from spreading over my own face. I felt loved. We hadn't said the words, and I honestly didn't think I was ready to, but that didn't mean the feeling wasn't there. It was a warmth that spread through my chest and out to every part of my body.
Griff sighed and looked away from me. "We should pack," he said, sounding disappointed.
"We should."
Neither of us made a move to get up which made me want to laugh. Instead, I snuggled up against him. "When this is over, we are going to have so much sex. I just wanted to give you fair warning." I kissed him on the cheek and rolled back over so I could get up.
When he spanked my butt, I couldn't help but let you a gasp of faux outrage. "Why, sir! How dare you!" I held my fingertips to my chest as though I was an old school southern belle. I couldn't keep the fake expression on my face for more
than a moment before he lunged across the bed to get to me, a grin covering his face.
As he tackled me and pulled me back into bed a knock came at the door. Before either of us could answer, the door opened and Finn strolled in as casual as anything. My shock must have shown on my face because all he said was, "What? We had a threesome the other night. I figure this is fine, especially if you're going to date all of us."
I snort-laughed and rolled off the bed, meandering over to the drawers where I kept my clothing. Something moved out of the corner of my eye, and I turned just in time to see Kai's face turn bright red before he disappeared from view. Well, that was awkward. I sighed and shimmied into some clean panties and pulled my leggings, top, and bra back on while Griff and Finn lazed about on my bed.
"What?" I asked when I turned around to find them both staring at me.
"You're beautiful. Is it too much for us just to sit and absorb it sometimes?" Finn asked.
"Maybe," I countered, not really knowing what to say to that. The last thing I pulled on was my glove. I couldn't believe how comfortable I'd become with them to take it off and leave it off, even while we were being intimate.
"Oh, little siren, you'll have to learn to take a compliment if you're going to keep dating all of us, you know?" Finn said.
"All of you? There are only two of you," I blustered. The thought of all four of them being in here and looking at me the way was almost too much. Even though Griff had just given me two orgasms, my body was responding to the idea of all four of them. It shouldn't, not after what Griff and I had just been doing. It should be done, ready to rest for a while. For some reason, the thought of the guys meeting my family entered my mind. It would be a disaster. My parents and grandparents would be horrified by my actions and choices, but I didn't care. Finn was right, I would totally date all four of them if they were interested.
"For now..." Finn drawled, like he knew what had just been going on in my mind. That wasn't his skill though, so I knew he didn't truly know. He was just getting way too good at reading my facial expressions and body language. "Anyway, I just came in to tell you that the rest of us are ready to go if you two are done screwing each other's brains out?" Finn said as he pushed up from the bed. He leaned over and grabbed Griff's pants, with the boxers still inside and tossed them at the other man. "Come on, we've got a world to go and save." He threw a wink in my direction before disappearing out the door.
Griff stood up, butt naked, and sauntered out after his friend, clothes in hand.
"Aren't you going to get dressed first?" I hissed.
"Why? I need to put formal clothes on anyway, and it's not like they don't all know what we were just doing. I have nothing to be ashamed of." He put his arms out to the side as though he was displaying his body to me. As much as I hated to admit it, and would never say it to his face, the man truly had nothing to be ashamed of. His body was like a Michelangelo sculpture, only better, if that was possible.
24
Tessa
We had said goodbye to the queen and her advisers, and the castle guard had offered to escort us to the portal chamber, but my guys had declined. On the way there we had decided that I needed to get my dragon back before we went anywhere. So, we were taking a detour to the outer areas of the palace.
The fresh air filled my lungs as we ducked out into the open courtyard. My bangle was securely in hand and I was ready to get this dragon and get out of Atlantis. The damn world had tried to kill me more times than not, so I was good with trying my welcome elsewhere.
"Here, dragon, dragon," I called quietly.
Kai snorted behind me. "Like a caretaker is going to respond to that."
"You don't know anything about him. I held him when he was born, I think that entitles me to call to him any way I want, don't you?" I said, my tone sharp.
"Damn, I thought after parading around naked you might have calmed down. Guess not," Kai mumbled.
I knew he wanted a reaction from me, but I wasn’t willing to give it, so I just ignored him and carried on. As I meandered through the trees I felt like I was being watched, but I wasn't sure whether it was just by my guys or something or someone else.
"Is there a fountain anywhere around here?" I asked Finn.
He simply nodded and led the way. As soon as I could hear the water falling I motioned for them to wait there, which earned me some glares and a roll of Kai's eyes. I ignored them and headed toward the noise, hoping that my instincts wouldn't be wrong.
A large brass fountain rose out of the ground. The base was a wide pool that ran along the wall of the garden in a soft arc. On the wall there were two brass dolphins and a manta ray. The dolphins were spraying water toward each other while the ray just looked majestic. It encompassed what I'd learned of Atlantis quite well. Playful but regal.
As I approached, I heard splashing that didn't sound like it was coming from the fountain itself. When I looked down into the pool of water there was my little dragon, his blue scales shimmering in the sunlight. Relief overwhelmed me as he dove to the bottom corner and came back up with the Atlantis stone. I wanted to shout with joy, but I didn't want to draw any attention to us, so instead, I just held my hand out.
"Thank you for taking care of that for me," I said quietly as the dragon dropped it into my hand. "We are going on a trip to El Dorado. I don't know if you understand what that means, and I don't know if you should come with me, but if you would like to join us we are leaving now."
"Is she talking to it?" I heard Dres whisper behind me. "Fascinating."
Without any hesitation or any sort of warning the dragon darted from the water and flew into me, disappearing as it did so. I felt the band on my arm warm and the tattoo spread over my skin. Waves, claws, and scales this time, as though the dragon was trying to warn people not to mess with me. I tried to hide my smile, enjoying the fluttering sensation in me as the dragon apparently found somewhere to rest. The cool, refreshing sensation spread over my body once it was settled, and when I turned back to face my guys, Dres and Kai were standing there with their eyes bugging out of their heads, while Finn and Griff were smiling with joy, seeming to understand my tenuous connection to the creature more than the others.
"Shall we?" I asked with a grin, happy to have my dragon back where he belonged. Somehow now that we were together again, I felt... more. More at peace with myself. Like I was almost whole again, for the first time in, well, ever. It was as though the dragon was awakening a part of my heart that I had locked away years ago when I was just a child. My gaze drifted over the men I was following. I wasn't sure where they fit in, but I was anxious to find out.
The portal room was empty, just as we had requested, and as Dres tossed something into the air a giant window filled with what looked like clouds appeared. It was different from the one I'd seen when we came to Atlantis, but then I supposed that should be expected, we were going to a different place after all. It made me wonder what the portal to earth looked like though. Was it a combination of all the others since, from my understanding, it had elements of each world? Or did it look sad and gray because there was no magic? Whatever it was, I hoped one day I would get to find out.
"Will you take my hand? I don't want you getting lost again, not when the country is at war," Dress said.
"That'll keep me with you?" I asked, suddenly feeling unsure after the reminder of my last portal trip.
"Yes. In fact, it would be a good idea if we all joined hands to prevent any of the shenanigans that happened last time," Dres suggested as he looked at the others.
The guys nodded. They had all picked up bags and various other items that they were carrying what they needed in. I grabbed my pack from where it was resting against the wall and took Dres' hand. It was no surprise that Griff was on my other side, with Finn next to him and Kai on the other side of Dres.
Once we all had a tight grip on our belongings and each other, Dres led the way into the portal. It was lucky that it was so wide, otherwise Kai would h
ave either had to go first or moved to take Finn's other hand. I knew they all liked each other, were best friends, as close as guys got without actually being brothers, but they each had their own favorite person, that much was obvious. For Kai it was Dres, and vice versa.
When I felt Dres tug on my hand, I had to fight not to hold my breath as I walked into the wall of cloud or fog or whatever it was. I wasn't sure what I was braced for, but I didn't expect to step into a literal cloud. It looked like a loading screen on a video game or something. When I tried to move I found myself locked, my body unresponsive as I tried to say something to Dres.
The sensation of smacking into a wall overwhelmed me, and my whole body hurt as I bounced off something. I felt like one of those people who doesn't see a glass door and just barrels into it, except it wasn't just me, if the sudden jerks on my hands were anything to go by. I tightened my grip, determined not to be separated from them again, and tried to will myself to be with them as much as possible.
Breathing was starting to become a concern as the cloud didn't let up and my body wasn't responding to my normal needs or actions. When everything seemed to tilt and shift, I had to hope that we were there, because I was starting to feel like I was suffocating. When wind brushed against my face, I took a deep shuddering breath, happy to have my senses back. My feet were on the ground once again, which I was more than a little thankful for. As the wind entered my lungs though, I realized that it wasn't clouds we were passing through but smoke. I couldn't help but cough as the particulate seemed to get stuck in the back of my throat.