To Catch A Bandit

by Emma Dean

  The tone in the room shifted and she straightened. “I am.” Emily preened. Knowing she was the best and being told she was were two very different things.

  “You win,” Aiden said softly. “Can we reward you?”

  The husky words from her favorite made her entire body tighten in anticipation – the delicious kind.

  “Depends,” she whispered. “I’m not interested in having an audience.”

  Ben didn’t glance at the door where there were indeed rebels watching. Jace glared at them and they scrambled to make themselves scarce while Chance took one of the bedrolls and tacked it over the door.

  “How about now?” Ben asked, crossing the room in two massive steps. He picked her up like she weighed nothing, and Emily wrapped her hands around his neck.

  Fuck he was so tall.

  Maybe Ben was her favorite.

  His quiet domination and gentleness always made her feel…treasured. Something she’d only felt a few times in her life, so few she could count them all on one hand. And all except one, Ben or one of the other raccoons had been a part of.

  “Now’s good,” Emily said, a little breathlessly as the other three converged on them. “But I want to hear you all say it.”

  Chance came up behind Ben and gripped her thighs while Aiden came up on her left. Jace though, he pressed against her back and squeezed her ass.

  “You win Emily,” Jace whispered in her ear, making her shiver. “You’re the best.”

  21

  Jace

  Her heart pounded as Ben stared into her eyes. It was like he could see through everything, her shitty attitude, her mood swings, and her craziness straight down to what made her who she was. The way he looked at her…

  She was beautiful.

  Emily sank her fingers into his hair, feeling breathless and exposed and needy all at the same time. The rest of the world went away and all she could see was the honey-brown of his eyes and the soothing blues of his aura. Deep navies so dark they were nearly black mixed with Caribbean blue and teal and varying shades that reminded her of rain on a lazy afternoon.

  What love looked like on him was breathtaking. It made his aura swirl and pulse in time with her heart and Emily was entranced by him, by his strength, and his gentle touch with large hands that were used to breaking and hurting as scarred as they were on the outside.

  Ben moved and laid her down on top of the pile of bed rolls. She held on, kissing him with her eyes open so she didn’t have to stop seeing the way he saw her, the way he felt.

  His lips were soft, and his hands were hard as they tightened on her torso before loosening and sliding under her shirt.

  Someone held her head and she looked up to see Jace. He leaned down and kissed her while Ben removed her shoes. Aiden took one hand and pressed a kiss to her palm, then inside her wrist, and inside her elbow.

  Emily didn’t know what to say or do when Chance whipped out a knife and sliced it through her shirt, clenching her thighs together at the memory of him telling her how much he hated these shirts Aiden had bought for her.

  Between the four of them she felt loved and dominated and cherished all at once. All of them together had her body trembling as four sets of hands undressed her and caressed her. They trailed fingers up and down her skin, teasing and tantalizing until she was naked and writhing on the bed rolls.

  Desperate for them to touch her.

  Ben’s hand ran up her thigh and she shuddered when he skimmed right over the top of her pussy. Chance bent down and sucked her nipple into his mouth and Aiden worked on the other one.

  She studied Jace, wondering what he was going to do this time, how he was going to manage this situation. They’d only all slept together once before as a group, and Emily wasn’t sure she was ready for something quite that intense yet, not when they’d just found out they were mates.

  Emily sat up and reached for Aiden, pulling him toward her and taking initiation. She hadn’t had the time to reacquaint herself with him yet, not the way she had with Ben and Chance, and even Jace.

  He looked surprised when she gave him her full attention. Emily smiled slightly and pulled off his shirt, admiring the lean muscles. Aiden wasn’t huge, but he was defined and strong and built like a swimmer or maybe an ice skater.

  She ran her finger down, from the hollow of his throat, between his pecs, and down to the belt on his pants, enjoying the way his heart started beating harder and his chest rose and fell in quick breaths.

  This one was so sweet, so romantic, it made her conflicted. Emily wanted to love him as tenderly as he loved her, but she also wanted to ruin him, make him beg and submit as she took him.

  Emily was naked and ready, and she wanted Aiden first.

  She climbed up on his lap, straddling him, and somehow, she still felt delicate in his arms. Maybe it was the way he held her, like something precious – something soft and breakable. Aiden was not stupid; he knew exactly what she was capable of and how strong she was.

  And still he loved her for that as well as the part of her that was soft and bubbly and carefree – the part of her she rarely let anyone see, and still Aiden knew it was there. She could see it in his smile when he wrapped his arms around her, when he pressed his lips to hers and opened his mouth so she could taste him.

  Emily sighed into him, grinding against him as that need spiked and she suddenly felt like she couldn't wait any longer.

  Aiden pushed his pants down just enough and held his dick in his hand, waiting and ready for her to sink down on top of him.

  Without hesitation she pressed down on him, fingers digging into his shoulders, ignoring the others so she could have this moment with Aiden, and Aiden alone.

  To her surprise, no one grumbled or tried to interfere. All she heard was the three of them undressing, watching with racing hearts and dicks hard as rocks. Emily could smell their desire, all of them, and it spurred her on as she sank down with a soft moan.

  Aiden groaned into her shoulder and his hands slid up her back as he tightened his hold, thrusting upward ever so slightly. She gasped and her eyes rolled back into her head as she started riding him.

  She felt the other three’s attention on her and Aiden, watching like hawks. This was the kind of audience she didn’t mind, the kind of audience she was hoping to torture until they were just as desperate as she was.

  Emily picked up her pace, feeling the pleasure spike hard and fast thanks to all the foreplay, their little fight and the moment with Jace in the forest, all the looks and touches Aiden had given her over the last week.

  His softness was delicious and contrasted with the hardness of his body. They were opposites in that sense. His heart was gentle where hers was bloody and bruised when it wasn’t made of stone.

  Emily kissed Aiden hard as she grew closer and closer, biting his bottom lip, digging her nails into his shoulders, lifting herself up and pushing down hard and fast until his hands were holding her hips so tight she knew they would leave bruises and Emily wanted those marks on her. She wanted Chance and Jace to see them and know where they’d come from.

  “Emily,” Aiden groaned, his entire body tightening, and she knew he was close too. His words were garbled, and she held on as that pleasure speared through her like lightning. “Fuck!”

  Aiden thrust upward one last time before freezing, his entire body taut as he came. She yanked back on his hair and bit his neck as she came too, right on the edge of his.

  She wanted to eat him alive.

  Her entire body shook as she held onto Aiden, kissing where she’d bit him in silent apology. Aiden kissed her shoulder, her throat, her mouth.

  “Emily,” he murmured. This time it was a prayer instead of a plea and she let him lift her up as he stood, taking all her weight with him.

  Then she felt someone press against her back, his hard cock like a brand on her ass and instantly she wanted more, pulsing around Aiden like she might just force him into another orgasm from her own desire.

  He
groaned and pressed her into the other raccoon’s arms. Emily wrapped her arm around his neck, not caring who it was as he took her from Aiden. All she knew was she wanted him inside her now.

  She slid down his body, aching everywhere their skin touched until her toes touched the floor. When he bent her over, hand on her neck to hold her in place, Emily knew exactly who it was.

  “Jace,” she murmured, pressing her hands on the male in front of her, not Aiden from the feel of him and the hard length in front of her.

  Then the alpha slammed into her hard and fast and Emily screamed, clenching around him, pulsing as he hit deep inside, right where she needed him, where the flutters of her last orgasm started anew.

  “Harder,” she insisted when he paused. “Don’t let me down now.”

  Jace chuckled and tightened his grip on her neck as he took her hard and fast. Emily gripped the cock in front of her and looked up to see Chance grinning down at her, one hand over the one she had on his chest to keep from falling over.

  Without hesitation she took him in her mouth, all the way to the back of her throat and sucked as hard as she could. Chance’s curse as his knees nearly buckled was music to her ears.

  The harder Jace took her, the harder she sucked Chance off. The faster Jace went, well Emily dug her nails into Chance as she did everything she could to keep from falling.

  “Fuck Emily,” Chance gritted. “I’m going to come.”

  But she didn’t stop. Emily wanted him to beg as much as she wanted to beg Jace to fuck her so hard she couldn’t walk tomorrow. Everything she felt, that pleasure that was like fire up and down her spine, the way it spread outward to suffuse every limb…

  Then hot, sweet cum filled her mouth and she kept sucking until Chance’s knees literally gave out and he was kissing her instead, swallowing her scream as she came again. Her own legs were shaking so hard the only thing that kept her upright was Jace’s strength as he gripped her hips in the same place Aiden had.

  Her orgasm was so strong, so brutal it made bright light flash in her vision, going dark for a second as all she could do was hold onto Chance as she clenched around Jace, pulsing radiating outward until all she could hear was their heartbeats.

  Jace growled when he slammed into her one last time and the three of them collapsed on top of the bedrolls, panting and shaking and breathless.

  Emily rolled onto her back, breathing hard and sweaty. She reached out for Ben, so hard precum dripped from his dick from watching.

  Part of her had expected him to take her as Jace had taken her, but Ben always liked to thwart expectations.

  Slowly, gently, and carefully he covered her body with his, lacing his fingers through her outstretched ones as he settled over her.

  Even though she was exhausted, her body wanted more, she wanted more.

  The way Ben looked down at her, the way he brushed her hair back and studied her face like he was memorizing every tiny detail…

  Emily realized he loved her.

  That’s what love looked like, the deep red so like the anger she was used to – the hate and rage she’d seen time and time again. But this red was like…fire, like a setting sun, or a pulsing heart.

  Had she ever seen what love looked like before? Emily couldn’t remember, she didn’t know if she’d ever seen it, and if she had, she wasn’t sure she’d recognized it.

  “What are you thinking about?” she whispered, wide-eyed as he smiled slightly and pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

  “I’m thinking about how much I liked seeing you bring Chance to his knees,” Ben murmured, kissing her other shoulder.

  His hard dick was nestled between her legs, sticky with his fluid, hers, Aiden’s, and Jace’s. But Ben made no move to enter her, he was in no rush at all and somehow…that made her entire body burn alive with desire.

  “I’m thinking how beautiful you are,” he said, kissing the line of her jaw. “And how right this feels.”

  Then Ben took her wrists and slowly lifted them above her head until he’d pinned them to the floor, making her back arch and nipples harden. One knee spread her legs slightly and she inhaled sharply when he pressed against her, barely moving so the pressure was excruciatingly exquisite.

  His mouth found hers and it was slow, soft – a contrast to everything she’d taken from Aiden, everything Jace had taken from her, and even the way she’d forced Chance’s orgasm on him like a starving sex god.

  Ben pressed inside of her, filling her so slow she groaned and closed her eyes. They were all massive, but Ben made her feel every fucking inch as he penetrated her, loved her body with his. When he started stroking in and out, she thought she was going to lose her mind.

  Emily tried to rip her hands out of his, but he was stronger than her and her eyes flew open in shock. Ben’s half-smile made her whimper as he slid out just as slowly as he’d slid in.

  They were well and truly stronger than her, even with all her training and hard-won muscles, Ben was stronger than her. She couldn’t get out of this hold, not in this position, and Emily quivered underneath him when she realized just how vulnerable she was like this.

  All four of them zeroed in on her with intense focus and none of them moved. Even Ben had stopped as he frowned down at her.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, lightening his grip on her wrists. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No,” she groaned, arching her back even farther to regain some contact with his body. Emily pressed her hips up, wishing he wouldn’t stop, nearly ready to beg him, but Ben would have none of it.

  “What’s wrong then?”

  Fuck, she wanted him so bad. Emily just wanted him to get her there, she didn’t want to talk about any of this. “Nothing’s wrong, just don’t stop.”

  Slowly, he slid back in and she sighed in relief.

  “Something’s wrong,” Ben insisted. “I can see it on you, I can smell it.” And then he took her wrist and yanked it up, biting down hard enough to draw blood.

  Did she trust him? That was the real question, wasn’t it?

  Emily looked up into those honey-brown eyes and wondered.

  She trusted the raccoons only so far. They were a lot like her, and she knew they would take whatever opportunity they were given, especially when they found out what she planned to do. There was no telling how they’d react to that, if they’d fight her, or what.

  They wouldn’t kill her since she was their mate, but Emily knew…she knew there was a risk, especially with four against one. This was exactly why ravens never worked solo.

  But in this moment, like this?

  Emily took a deep breath and relaxed her body, becoming pliant and soft in his hands once more. “I trust you,” she told him. “Not to hurt me.”

  Not to hurt her physically or emotionally.

  The rest of it was complicated, it was messy and risky, and she didn’t quite trust them completely yet, but for now, this was enough.

  Ben’s deep groan when she softened underneath him, when her legs spread wider, silently begging for more, it unraveled her completely and her body tightened and then released – a gentler orgasm that was somehow more exhausting than the others as she pulsed and fluttered around him.

  Then he was taking her faster and harder, lifting her up as they kissed and Emily held on, she let the others watch and see as Ben came, biting her again – unable to truly hide his vicious side and she secretly loved the duality of his nature.

  She loved that he fought against his violence to be a better man every day, before she’d even met him, and Emily relaxed in his arms. They tumbled to the floor and Aiden held her from behind, Ben from the front, and then Jace behind Aiden, and Chance behind Ben.

  All of them touching her, desiring her, exhausted for the moment, but she could sense and smell their insatiable need and Emily grinned as she closed her eyes for a well-deserved nap.

  With these four, she would never get bored.

  22

  Emily

  They’d waited until
the sun had set on Wonderland. It was safer in the sense that it would be more difficult for the Red Queen’s guards to see and sense them, but there were heinous creatures that came out to hunt after dark.

  Emily could feel them at the edge of her senses. They prowled and stalked and gnashed their teeth. Screams could be heard throughout the land, whether they were from the monsters or their prey, it was difficult to tell.

  Every sense she had was on alert. Every muscle was tense as she tried not to focus too hard on the four raccoons behind her, Alice and Louis leading the way. There was no such thing as scent charms in Wonderland, but Alice had some interesting plants she’d promised would mask their scents.

  It made Emily nervous to use something she had no previous experience with. It wasn’t as reliable as no scent at all, but she supposed it was better than nothing. The last thing they needed was any one of these things getting wind of them.

  She gave Alice, Jack, and Louis credit though, including their spies. They knew Wonderland as well as she knew her own eyrie. Their steps were strong and sure and careful. Every danger was avoided, and they’d briefed her and the raccoons on the plants and Madness and the various things that hunted Wonderland.

  It had never been a safe place, but before the Red Queen had taken Wonderland with force and ruled in tyranny, it had been manageable. The dangers were still there, but no more than a nuisance just like anything in their own world.

  Humans lived among poisonous plants, animals that hunted them, and various other modern dangers just fine. This was no different in that sense – the background was just unfamiliar.

  Jack glanced over his shoulder at her, the glittering white stars indicating the power in the universe. They were silent as death, quieter than a hush of wind. They couldn’t afford to bring the shadow monsters hunting on top of everything else in Wonderland.

  Alice and the raccoons couldn’t see her and Jack, but they had all agreed upon a marked path, one of many safe routes Alice and the other rebels had marked with various plants. Each glowing flower indicated where to go and paired with specific plants it painted a picture of what lived in the area.