“Just protect me if someone comes,” Fox ordered him.
Deryn stood up and spun around so that he was facing away from us, watching for danger.
Fox closed his eyes, inhaled, and his hands started glowing.
“Healing takes a lot of my energy,” Fox explained. “I’ll be useless in a fight after I’m done, so I don’t heal others often.”
“You all heal fast anyway,” I whispered.
“Shush,” he snapped. “No more talking.”
I obeyed.
“When I first learned how to heal, I didn’t understand the energy it would take. I healed Deryn’s broken leg and slept for two days. Deryn thought I’d killed myself by fixing him and freaked out.”
“Did not,” Deryn mumbled.
“He cried,” Rhys said.
“We were four!” Deryn growled.
“My parents spent a lot of time with me to teach me to heal properly. I’m still not anywhere as great as my mother. She can heal a hundred soldiers and just needs an hour nap afterwards. She’s amazing.”
“And hot,” Rhys replied with a smirk.
Nico and Deryn nodded their heads with the same smirk.
“Shut it,” Fox growled, but it was obviously a conversation they’d had several times before and he didn’t really care.
My breathing became easier and my side stopped hurting completely. I leaned forward and kissed him, just a brush of lips across lips. “Thank you.”
“Where else are you hurt?” he asked.
“Everything else is just bruised,” I told him and stood up.
“Where?” he asked and saw my cheek.
“Leave it. It’s not life threatening,” I said and moved away from him.
“Let’s go,” Rhys said and headed outside.
We stepped outside into an ambush. Fifty vampires stood in a loose semicircle around the porch, their eyes glowing in the moonlight.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
“Ready?” Rhys whispered.
“Yes,” the three others replied.
Deryn picked me up and tensed, waiting for something.
“Give up and we won’t kill you,” a tall vampire with shoulder length dark hair said.
Rhys flipped him off and then shifted into his huge dragon form and immediately sent out a wave of fire at the gathered vampires, making them jump back several yards.
Deryn leapt up onto Rhys’s back, as did the other two, and then Rhys took to the sky. I clutched Deryn tightly and buried my face in his chest as we flew.
What were the odds that I’d be carried by a dragon twice in one day?
“It’s okay,” Deryn assured me. “Rhys is an excellent flyer.”
I didn’t respond.
“Why were you so scared when we found you?” Fox asked me. He was lying on his back on the center of Rhys’s back, which was just wide enough for it.
“It’s stupid and embarrassing,” I whispered, “but he tossed me in there for days at a time as a kid with no light or anything. It’s terrifying.”
“It’s not stupid,” Nico assured me.
“He’s the one who had the artifact,” I informed them. “He wants the war because he said that while you are all fighting each other, he can grow an army.”
“For what?” Deryn asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “To take over? He’s always been power hungry.”
“We need to let the elders know,” Nico said and pulled out his phone.
I looked around at the men, sitting or lying on the back of their friend in dragon form, texting and playing games on their phones. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I burst into laughter and all of them looked at me questioningly, even Rhys’s large dragon head turned to look at me.
“What?” Deryn asked.
I waved my arm at all of them. “This scene,” I gasped out between laughs.
They looked at each other and slowly smiles took the place of the scowls that had been there.
“Thank you,” I whispered and looked at them each in turn. “Thank you for rescuing me, again.”
Deryn kissed my cheek. “You don’t have to thank us.”
“We wish we could have been here sooner,” Nico said. “We were attacked as soon as we stepped outside of the apartment building by a group of vampires. That’s why we were delayed.”
“We came as fast as we could,” Deryn assured me.
Rhys snarled.
“Rhys flew as fast as he could,” Deryn amended with a smirk.
“So, Lamar was the one who stole the artifact to start the war,” Fox whispered. “I shouldn’t be surprised. I am surprised that he is your father though.”
“Only by blood,” I grumbled.
“We felt your pain multiple times. What happened?” Nico asked me.
“Well, I talked back and he didn’t like that. So, he hit me a few times. Then I told him I wasn’t going to help him by betraying you and that really pissed him off. I told him just to kill me, but he decided torture was better and threw me in the closet. He would have left me in there for days before coming to get me to see if I would agree to what he wanted.”
“Has he always been like this?” Fox asked softly.
I nodded. “Yes. He started when I was eight…nine? Somewhere around there.”
“And you didn’t know about the artifact?” Deryn asked me.
I shook my head. “My Grandma gave it to me after I escaped from Demarcus. She just told me it would keep my location a secret from him and keep his group from finding me.”
Now I wondered if Grandma had known more than she let on. Maybe she had hoped I would return it to its rightful place.
“Your cheek is going to be really bruised tomorrow,” Deryn whispered.
“I know, but at least he held back that hit,” I said and sighed. “He may be psychotic, but he won’t kill me. I know that much.”
Or, at least I hoped that much. He had seemed like he was planning to kill me at the end there.
Rhys landed and we climbed off of him. He switched forms, walked into the apartment building, and then hugged me. “I’m sorry we weren’t faster.”
I scoffed. “I’m just glad you came.”
He kissed the top of my head and tears started to fall. Damn him. I had held on during the flight here.
We got into the elevator and the guys crowded around me, placing a hand each on me as I cried. I cried surrounded by four males I was falling for deeper and deeper.
“Who’s watching her tonight?” Rhys asked.
“Me,” Deryn said.
“I need a shower,” I whispered and brushed some gravel off of my arms.
“You have dirt in your hair,” Fox pointed out.
I sighed and dropped my head. “Movies are so unrealistic. No one gets rescued looking perfect. They need to show the princesses covered in dirt and grime, not having showered for days.”
“You’re still beautiful,” Fox assured me and kissed my cheek. “Even covered in cobwebs and dirt.”
I chuckled and followed Deryn to his apartment, straight for the bathroom. I stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself. My cheek was swollen and I was covered in dirt with leaves and rocks in my hair.
“Gorgeous,” I scoffed.
“I think so,” Deryn said.
I turned to glare at him in the bathroom doorway. “Sneaking up on people isn’t nice.”
He smiled. “You just didn’t notice me. I’ve been here for a few minutes.” With long strides, he walked across the bathroom and turned the shower on. Steam began to rise and I couldn’t wait to get into it.
Without turning around, he took his shirt off and his pants.
“Uh,” I said intelligently.
He turned to look at me. “Mind if I join you?”
“No,” I replied immediately, waiting expectantly for the last piece of his clothing to be removed.
I was not disappointed when he did.
Blue rupis! He was fucking perfect. How could th
ey all be so perfect? It had to be against the law for them to be perfect and friends and all available for me to touch.
I shed my clothes and got into the shower behind him. The shower was large, big enough that four people could comfortably stand in it and shower together. There were jets in the walls that sprayed your body and a huge sprayer in the ceiling.
I stepped into the water and hissed in pain from the tiny cuts being hit by the water. Deryn turned around and looked me up and down slowly, his mouth curving upwards as he finished.
“See something you like?” I teased and reached for the soap.
He nodded and slid his hands along the tops of my hips. “All of this,” he responded and kissed me.
I opened my mouth to him, and he slid his tongue along mine. Damn he tasted good. The kiss deepened and I moved closer to him, squishing his erection between us while I ran my hands along his chest and abs.
“Why were you so jealous of Martin?” I asked him, stepping back and putting shampoo in my hair to distract me for a moment. It didn’t take long for the overhead spray to rinse my hair and I cringed when I saw the amount of dirt and debris going down the drain.
“Because, you’re my queen,” he replied, putting more shampoo in my hair and massaging it in.
“But you don’t get jealous of Rhys or Fox,” I reminded him.
“You’re their queen too.”
“So, if another male who isn’t part of our fivesome touches me, it’s going to make you jealous?” I asked and rinsed my hair.
When I opened my eyes, his face was level with mine. “No one else is allowed to touch you.”
“What if I want to be touched?” I asked breathlessly and backed away from him, towards the wall of the shower.
He rested his hands on either side of my head and leaned close to whisper, “Then you tell me.” He dropped one hand and slid two fingers inside of me, making me gasp and spread my legs wider for him.
“What if I want-”
I didn’t even get to finish the question. He dropped his head and took my nipple into his mouth, twirling his tongue around my nipple and then sucking on it while he continued to finger me.
“Yes,” I whispered and let my head fall back.
“What else do you want?” he asked me.
Instead of responding, I dropped to my knees, warm water sliding over my back, and took him into my mouth, surprised at his girth, but luckily able to accommodate it and still take most of him in before drawing back again.
“Fuck,” he groaned and watched me.
His dick would feel amazing inside and I couldn’t control my selfish desire any longer. I stood up, wrapped my arms around his neck, and climbed on him like a horny monkey, wrapping my legs around his waist.
He adjusted the angle and slid into me, groaning at the same time that I screamed.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he withdrew.
“For what?” I asked, confused.
“For being a jealous asshole. I’m not usually like that,” he replied.
I dropped my hips to pull him back into me. “You can fuck me in apology,” I suggested.
He gripped my hips and smiled. “I’ve never done an apology fuck before.”
“We can be each other’s first apology fuck,” I said with a smile and wiggled my hips.
He groaned and said, “If you keep that up, this will be a short apology.”
I chuckled and he gripped my hips tighter before slamming into me.
“Yes!” I screamed.
“You’re beautiful,” he told me and kissed me deeply.
“Deryn!” I screamed as he pounded into me over and over again, bringing orgasm after orgasm. I had never orgasmed so many times in my life.
He lay me on my back on the floor of the shower, water pelting us from every direction, and flicked his tongue across one nipple while playing with the other at the same time that his hips moved. Everything had become warm and wet, inside and out.
I reached down and rubbed my clit and moaned at the overload of sensations.
“Damn, you’re glorious,” he growled. Adjusting his position, he gripped my hips and slammed into me harder and faster, bringing another wave of pleasure that had me gripping his shoulders and screaming his name again.
He pulled out of me and orgasmed a moment later.
“Your…”
“Good?”
“Apology is accepted,” I replied and closed my eyes, lying on the floor in euphoria.
He chuckled and kissed my cheek as he helped me stand up. Then, we washed each other, taking turns using the bar of soap. When we were done, we dried off and I put on one of his shirts and a pair of underwear.
We sat on the couch and I climbed into his lap, letting him cuddle me while we watched a comedy.
“I’m sorry we let that guy take you,” he whispered in my ear. “We hoped we would find out who was behind it all. We didn’t think a dragoness would come and steal you away using a portal.”
I kissed his cheek and snuggled closer to him. “We found the culprit of this attempt, so it was probably for the best.”
“You being injured was not for the best,” he growled.
“I’m alive. That’s all that matters,” I whispered.
“We still don’t know everyone who is after you. It obviously wasn’t your dad who was trying to kill you. So, we’re back to square one.”
I hadn’t thought about that. He was right.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “You didn’t get to eat any pizza.”
“No,” I whispered, my thoughts swirling away. “Sleepy.”
“We have to go see the elders,” Rhys told me. We lay in Deryn’s apartment together, facing me while I sat on the couch, Rhys’s hands fisted on the back of the leather recliner.
“Okay,” I replied, not sure why all four were looking at me so strangely.
“We can’t take you,” Deryn said, frowning and leaning forward like he was prepared to punch something.
“So, you’ll be here alone,” Fox explained, putting a calming hand on Deryn’s shoulder.
“Oh,” I whispered. Being alone wasn’t a terrible thing, but having been with them constantly made being alone seem, well, lonely.
“We aren’t sure how long we will be. Maybe an hour or two,” Rhys said. “We’ll try to hurry back.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, pulling the blanket I had wrapped around me even tighter. “I’ll just play some video games.”
They all fidgeted. Rhys shuffled from one foot to the other. Deryn stuck his hands in his pockets. Fox chewed on his bottom lip. Nico scuffed the toe of his shoe on the hardwood floor.
“What?” I asked and stood up, letting the blanket fall on the couch.
They glanced at each other and had some type of silent communication go on between them.
They obviously wanted to say something or ask something, but were hesitant to. I stepped forward and hugged Rhys, then went down the line, hugging each of them. They relaxed slightly and they turned to leave.
“Deryn?” I called.
He turned. “Yeah?”
“Can I add my account to your system?”
He smiled and nodded. “Yeah, go ahead.”
“Thanks,” I replied with a smile for him in return.
“Don’t let anyone in,” he ordered me.
I locked the door behind them and went to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of cider, and returned to the couch to play some games. It took a bit to get my profile set up on his system, but once I was logged in, a smile plastered itself on my face. I didn’t like being away from the guys, but it had been far too long since I’d played games with my clan.
“I’ve returned!” I said when I joined the party chat.
“Jolie!” four male voices yelled joyously.
“We’ve missed you,” Dragonknight told me.
“Sorry, things got crazy over here. So, are we playing Ghost 2, or what?”
“Duh!” Orphan, one of the crazier one
s of our clan, said.
“I’m going to be rusty,” I said with a sigh. “So, don’t expect too much out of me.”
“We never do,” Turbo said.
Everyone laughed, even me, at his taunt.
The hours past as we played, my mind focused on the game and joking with my online friends. I didn’t realize how late it was until Orphan said he was getting off for the night. He was in a different time zone than me, two hours ahead.
“I should get off too,” I said, worried since the guys still weren’t back and hadn’t text me either.
“Night!” everyone yelled as we backed out of the chat lobby.
They said they would be an hour or two, but it had been four. I didn’t want to seem needy, but I was worried about them. Sending a text to the group chat seemed the best option.
Me: You guys okay? You’ve been gone awhile and I haven’t heard from you, so I was worried.
To distract myself, I heated up some of the leftover pizza and scrolled through the movies, trying to find one that would distract me enough not to worry about the guys. Thirty minutes past and I still hadn’t received a text or call. Something was wrong. They wouldn’t go silent like this and not respond to my messages.
I stood and paced. I didn’t know where they had gone. The elders were not people I had been introduced to. Plus, I couldn’t go outside on my own. Maybe Martin knew where they were.
Me: Hey, have you seen Deryn tonight?
Martin: No. I thought he was with you.
Me: He went to see the Elders. No idea where that is.
Martin: The Elders have a place in the center of all of the territories. I’ve never actually been there. Is something wrong? Do you need me to come over?
Me: No. No. I’m fine. Just being a worry wart because I haven’t heard from him in a few hours.
Martin: He’s really strong, Jolie. I’m sure he’s fine.
Me: You’re right. Sorry for bothering you.
Martin: If you need me to come over, just tell me.
Me: I’m fine. Thanks. Night.
Martin: Night.
I didn’t think Deryn would be okay with coming back to his apartment and finding Martin with me. Hitting play on the movie, I tried to focus on the story and forget about the boys. They were princes. They were strong and I was just being paranoid.
What would I do if they didn’t come back? I hadn’t known them long, but they had quickly become part of my life. A big part of my life.
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