by Riley Moreno
His chest tightened painfully as tears filled her eyes, turning them a darker, hazy purple. “I am so, so sorry. If I had thought that you would be in danger…If I’d known I might hurt you.” Hazel stopped again, staring at them for a long moment before her gaze firmed. “You have to go. You can’t stay here.”
“No way.”
“Absolutely not.” They both spoke over each other, shaking their heads to refute her words.
“But I might…what if I really hurt you?”
“No, little witch. We are not going anywhere. So just stop trying to argue with those big eyes of yours.” Jayce said sternly, realizing she was shivering wildly in his arms, the icy water still drenching their clothes.
“Come on, now. Let’s get you dried and warmed up.” Hastily, Nika grabbed a new night shirt, an old t-shirt with some sort of cartoon character on the front that fell almost to her knees. Jayce carried her down the stairs, leaving her in the bathroom alone for barely a minute before scooping her back in his arms and situating them once more on the couch. Hazel huddled even closer in between him and Nika and he desperately tried to still the ache that had clung to him since that morning’s kiss, not to bring the fire back to life. But it was a lost cause.
Stoically, he gritted his teeth as she climbed even more on top of him, fitting all of her soft curves against him as she sighed sweetly under the blanket Nika draped over the three of them. Jayce watched, transfixed, as Nika’s pale fingers ran across the bare skin of her legs, dipping under the hem of the t-shirt only to sweep back out only to repeat the movement. Up and down, up and down.
He knew it was only meant to be comforting but his body suddenly had ideas all of its own and he found himself shifting slightly to ease some of the ache that he had a feeling would be his constant companion whenever this little minx was around. Nika glanced at him over her now sleeping form, a fire burning deep and hot in his gaze. A fire that he knew was reflected in his own.
Chapter 12
“Are you sure it’s going to work this time?” Hazel asked distractedly as she focused on stepping over an emerald green moss covered log, one of many that littered the forest this far in. They had been walking for almost an hour straight into the Black Hills, and it grew denser and denser as they did.
Jayce sighed for the hundredth time as he answered her question, again. “I’m not sure, little witch. It is obvious you have an affinity with nature, we will see if this makes it easier for you to access your powers. But the rest is up to you.”
Hazel was silent for another long moment, thinking about the night before and the intense manifestation of her dream that had threatened to drown them all. To her mind, she had done enough already. The idea that she had put them in danger, either one of the dragon warriors, had her heart thumping slow and painful in her chest. She rubbed at the spot right over her heart, where it ached the most.
Almost without realizing what he was doing, Nika reached over, grabbed her hand and twined his fingers through hers as he pulled it away from the spot she was rubbing, all the while still looking forward at where his feet where going. They walked like that for a long moment, their hands linked as they trudged ever forward.
Hazel took a deep breath, inhaling the soothing scent of pine needles and earthy peat moss that always reminded her of her childhood spent exploring and adventuring out in the woods. There was something so beautifully wild and uninhibited about the setting that always seemed to put her at peace, no matter how distraught she had been, or how lonely. With her mother constantly gone for weeks or sometimes even months at a time, and the expectations of the coven pressuring her at the same time, it had been very lonely indeed.
Nika’s hand tightened on hers as he picked up on her melancholy reverie and she sent him a grateful look from the corner of her eye. She looked back just in time to stumble to a halt before running into the suddenly stopped Jayce but she still had to reach a hand out, pressing it lightly to his back to help regain some of the lost balance and as soon as she did a spark shot through her. It traveled straight from where she made contact with Jayce’s back to her hand, still twined with Nika’s and then all the way through her body, coalescing at her center all in the blink of an eye.
Hastily, she pulled her hand back, holding it close to her, still feeling the residual after shocks of that small, shared touch. Maybe Jayce was right, and things would be more intense, easier to access her hidden power out here in the wilds, but she remembered the last time they had attempted the Archon’s test. It was so easy for her to remember the way it felt to have Nika at her back, Jayce’s mouth hard and furious on her own. Suddenly short of breath, she took a small step away. If it was like this already, what would happen when they actually started the test itself?
Jayce cast one molten gold look over his should, holding her own burning gaze for a long, tense moment before finally moving, revealing the open glade right in front of him. It was so beautiful, it distracted her for a moment from the ache that had started to build deep within her body, the ache that had been her constant companion since she had first broken apart their prison and freed them.
“Come on,” Jayce’s voice was deep and rough, and it washed over her like warm spiced honey, “let’s begin.”
Silently, they followed him until they were all standing in the middle and Hazel couldn’t stop the wide grin as she looked at everything, her violet eyes sparkling in the afternoon sunlight. It was absolutely breathtaking, so many shades of green and yellow, browns and blacks all layered on top of each other so that it looked like a painting done by the hand of a master. Small tracks in the still damp earth spoke of animals hunting, or being hunted in the night and a den hidden under one of the logs contained a family of foxes that would be fast asleep until darkness fell. It just felt so…right to her, to be standing in such a wild, untouched place with two such wild men.
“Wild, huh?” Nika smirked, tugging slightly on the hand he had refused to give up, even after they had stopped walking.
“Okay, we need to really concentrate now,” Jayce said, trying to look stern. “We know that Eidolon will be coming after you, and we will be able to protect you, but you also need to be able to protect yourself.”
They all grew suddenly sober at Jayce’s words, mainly because they were true. Hazel had tried to not think about the fact that she now had a big red target symbol painted on her back, and only just over two weeks before the next harvest moon. It was amazing for her to think that she had only know these two men for a week. It felt like it had been forever, longer than forever. She had never felt so at peace with another, or so connected. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that always seemed to know what she was thinking, even before she did herself sometimes.
It had forged a bond between them, and the thought that because of her they might be hurt or injured, let alone the fact that they still didn’t know what would happen to them when the harvest moon rose, broke her heart into a million tiny shards, each one sharper than the last.
“Hey, we will figure it out, okay? We are here for you, now. To make sure you can defend yourself if…” Nika let the words trail off into nothing, but they were all thinking the same thing.
Hazel took one more deep breath, drawing the forest deep inside her lungs before exhaling it back out again. “Okay, I’m ready.”
They all take their places, this time with Hazel sitting on a worn quilted blanket and Nika and Jayce both sitting in front of her, each of them slightly to either side of her. They began the breathing ritual again, and the heat started firing through her almost immediately. Wetness soaked her deepest, most secret part and she tried desperately to ignore it.
She could tell they could feel it to. Could see it in the suddenly dilated pupils, the way they leaned towards her, their hands white knuckled where they grabbed the blanket to keep them in place, to keep them from reaching out and grabbing her. Her heart raced, the ache growing and growing, a heaviness spreading through her limbs until she felt like s
he couldn’t have moved even if she wanted to, and still she tried to focus on that spark hidden deep inside her. The power that she so desperately needed to find if she was going to try and keep them all safe for Eidolon.
Her eyes slid shut, the lids too heavy to keep open and it made it somehow easier when she couldn’t see their eyes, burning with desire and want and lust, their jaws clenched with effort just as hers was.
She fought through the urge to melt into them, the images coming one right after the other, so fast and poignant it was impossible to ignore them, to push them away. Of both of their hard bodies twined around her own, moving in perfect tandem as the heat burned them all away, until nothing was left but bare skin sliding against bare skin. Hazel could see their mouths on her, moving over her body, all the most sensitive places and a rush of damp heat threatened to break her concentration but she fought through it with a low groan that was echoed by Jayce and Nika.
The mental images threatened to overwhelm her senses, but she pushed through, resisting somehow when all she wanted to do was give in, to have the ache satisfied in all the ways that were running through her lust drenched mind. But then something happened.
Hazel cast even deeper inside herself, and something began to open, like the petals of a flower opening to the sun, or a door cracked to reveal a hint of dusty rays of light. She pushed herself towards that light, burning dim and hazy in the deepest parts of herself.
She imagined pulling herself closer and closer until it became a little clearer, although the images in her mind were still indistinct. Mentally, she reached out towards it, getting the sense of a still pond that had been residing inside her always but was just seeing it now for the first time. Excitement bubbled through her, threatening her concentration and she pushed it away, locking it away with the images of her and Jayce and Nika that still played relentlessly through her overworked mind.
Hazel focused even harder on the still pond, casting herself deep into its murky depths and suddenly it was a vast ocean, stretching for untold miles inside her. So vast, in fact that she drew back just a little, a hint of fear flickering through her at the sheer power contained within.
Mentally, she steeled herself, determined to access the spark that lay hidden within, her power, her magic. The part of her that she had never fully understood or was able to touch. Somehow, she reached out, her resolve firming as she tried to sink into that massive ocean inside, but instead she hit…something.
Like a pane of unbreakable glass, something clear but infinite lay over the top and no matter how hard she pushed, how much she struggled against it, it wouldn’t budge. She couldn’t get past it.
Frustration filled her, sending her mind snapping back to reality with a sharp pain and she immediately grabbed both sides of her now pounding head.
“Dammit.” Hazel growled, as the two men sat in front of her, their eyes wide, “I was so close.”
“Yes, but Hazel, did you feel the power? The incredible amount of power you have?” Nika whispered.
Jayce looked thoughtful for a long moment. “How is your head, little witch?”
“It hurts like hell, why?”
He thought for another several minutes before answering, and when he did the words were slow and cautious. “I have an idea. It might work, it might…well, it might blow up in our faces, honestly.”
“I’ll try anything.” She said hastily, completely honest. Now that she had seen it, knew for a fact that their really was a hidden power inside her, she would put up with any amount of headaches to reach it, to be able to control it. She had to. Their lives were at stake and she had to try everything she possibly could to protect them.
“What are you thinking, Jayce?” Nika asked softly, his gaze curious on the other man. Jayce shook his head slightly, then stopped, answering.
“Well, I’ve noticed something. A pattern of sorts. Whenever you actually can perform magic, or a spell, it’s when your sleeping, or completely at ease. The moment your guard is up, it’s like you’re cut off from reaching it.”
Hazel thought about his words for a moment, her head tilted to one side sending her long auburn waves sliding over her shoulders. “What do you mean, like I can only access my magic when I’m not conscious of it?”
“I’m not sure, it’s just a theory, but when your sleeping, you mind is open, allowing you to unconsciously reach for the power inside you. All the other times you’ve tried, you’re fighting, struggling against it rather than letting it happen.”
“So, what are you suggesting?” Hazel asked, still not following.
“I want you to,” Jayce paused, sending one look toward Nika, who sat for a moment before finally nodding, then he turned back to face her, “I want you to try and reach for your magic while you’re kissing Nika.”
“But, I…” Her words trailed off, wanting to immediately agree to the plan but she knew it was just because she would finally get a chance to touch her lips to his. Nika shifted where he sat as the images flooded her brain. “Are you sure this will work?”
Jayce just cat her a sidelong look, which was answer enough.
“Well, I don’t have a better idea, but what, uh, what if…” She stopped, her breathless words fading as she tried and failed to voice the fear that had occurred to her.
“What if you lose control?” Jayce asked, and she just nodded. “Well, that’s kind of the point, little witch. Let your guard down, let your mind open.”
With a deep breath, she nodded again, this time determined as she moved closer until she was standing right in front of Nika, who slowly rose to his feet to tower over her. Her heart beat hard and fast in her chest, excitement and lust and a bit of panic all flooding through her so that she couldn’t tell one from the other.
“Are you ready?” He asked softly, his breath brushing over her cheek and sending an eruption of goose bumps shivering through her.
“I’m not sure,” Hazel answered with a slight chuckle, but humor was the last thing she felt. Her skin tingled with anticipation as he stepped somehow even closer, her breath backing up in her lungs as he leaned down, pausing just an inch away from her mouth as Jayce spoke.
“Remember, let your guard down, and when I say the words, try and let the power flood you. I will guide you through it, just remember to let it happen. Don’t fight, don’t struggle, or you will just run into the block again. Okay?”
“Yeah. Uh huh, okay.” The words barely whispered out of her mouth before Nika was there, swallowing them up. His soft lips touched hers and her body exploded, heat and burning desire stormed through her, obliterating thoughts of anything else. All she could feel, all she could focus on, was the way his mouth slanted to gain better access, the sweet slide of his tongue over hers, a rhythm that drew that ever present ache tighter and tighter until she felt like she would combust just from the kiss alone.
“Hazel, think of fire. Think of heat and fire.” Jayce’s voice whispered past her ear, distracting her for a moment but the insistent pressure of Nika’s mouth on hers drew her back. She could feel them surrounding her, and heat was no problem at all for her to imagine.
“Picture it in your mind,” his words continued to wash over her as he gently took her left hand, holding it until her palm was open and facing the afternoon sky overhead. “Imagine it here,” Jayce drew a small circle in the center of her palm and it was like a strike of lightning shooting through her body. But she did as he asked, or at least tried to. Whenever she focused on it too sharply, the image seemed to disappear but as Nika’s kiss grew deeper, it was easier for her to not just hold the picture in her mind, but to actually feel it. To feel the fire, rather than see it.
“Hazel, look.” His excited voice had her dragging her heavy lidded eyes open, despite the pang of disappointment as Nika slowly, reluctantly pulled away. They all stared at her open hand, and Hazel barely contained the squeal of excitement. There, right in the middle, sat a small, dancing violet flame. There was no heat that she could feel coming off it
as it licked across her skin, but as her excitement got the better of her it flickered out, her concentration lost.
“Oh my. Oh my, I did it! I really did it!” She threw her arms around Nika, instantly aware of the enormous, rock hard erection pressing against the soft parts of her. Instinctively, she ground herself against him, the fire he’d ignited still rushing through her blood like an inferno.
Sudden hands on her hips had her turning in his arms to find Jayce staring down at her with hard, golden hued eyes. “My turn.” He growled a second before his mouth impacted with hers.
This time there was no gentle pressure, no sweet exploration. It was just raw, hungry, and left no room for thoughts of anything else as he consumed her. Nika pressed harder into her back, his hips hard on her own as his hands roamed over every bit of her he could reach.
Jayce growled into her mouth, instructing her to feel the heat, to feel the fire, but with both men surrounding her, there was nothing else she could possibly do. All they had to do was be in the same room together for her to go up in flames, but with their bodies pressed tight against her own, Jayce’s mouth and Nika’s hands turning her into jelly in between them, she had no other choice.
A whooshing sound followed by a sudden crackle had them jumping apart, staring wide up into the sky as the violet fireball the size of a small pick up truck disappeared into the clouds.
“Whoops.” She whispered hoarsely after a long moment of silence, sharing a wondering, and slightly abashed, look with both of the men.
“Maybe we should go back to the house, before we set the entire forest on fire.” Nika said softly, and they all nodded in agreement, each still wrestling with the after effects as they slowly made their way back in silence.
Chapter 13