Storm Chaser (Storms of Blackwood Book 3)

by Elle Middaugh

  A light flickered in my brain, and I realized I hadn't yet gone on my date with Dan. Yes, a date would probably seem trivial and petty next to the catastrophe that had recently transpired, but I also knew my Sea Prince needed to de-stress. He wouldn't feel up to doing anything normal or fun—he'd feel too guilty to even consider it—but he might be up for mixing some fun in with some humanitarianism.

  Of course, now that Ash was back, I owed him some time too. Maybe we could do like Cal, Ben, and I had and make it a double date?

  "Good morning, beautiful," Cal muttered, shuffling over to where I stood on the balcony with bleary blue eyes.

  I smiled and kissed him. "Morning. I thought you usually woke up early?"

  He chuckled, but the laugh came out gruff from all the sleep. "I usually do, but these past couple days have just been a blur."

  I nodded my agreement. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

  Cal shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe helping the soldiers and sailors prepare for our voyage? Whenever that may be."

  "Tomorrow," I told him, my voice suddenly solemn. "I heard Dan talking to his General last night. We head to Brineton as soon as the men are rested."

  Cal nodded, staring out across the vast expanse of sea. "Good."

  I tried to smile, but the thought of war had me feeling sick. "I'd like to take Dan and Ash on a date today," I told him. "Can you handle Dan's affairs while he's gone?"

  "Of course I can, Peach. No worries."

  His response warmed my heart. I reached over and wrapped my arms around his waist, snuggling my head into his broad chest. "I love you, Cal."

  He kissed the top of my head and stroked my long dark hair. "I love you too, Alexis."

  Soon, another set of bare feet shuffled onto the balcony and a different prince appeared on my left. Dan. He sighed and leaned his elbows on the stone banister, staring intently across the sea.

  I slipped out of Cal's arms and curled up next to our newest arrival.

  "Morning," I said quietly. I didn't dare say good morning, just in case it triggered any guilt.

  "Morning," he muttered back, smiling faintly as he leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Sleep well?"

  "For the most part." I tried to keep my tone light. "I was wondering if we might be able to have our date today?"

  He smiled, but it looked pained. "Oh, Lexi, I wish we could. I just have so much shit to prepare for with this counterattack and with restoring the city... You understand, right?"

  I nodded. "I do. That's why I thought we could spend our date helping the citizens."

  He turned to me, pale green eyes filled with interest but also love and longing. "Oh yeah?"

  "Yeah." I reached down and laced our fingers together. "I figured we could volunteer at the emergency food bank or the makeshift healing clinic. Then I thought we could gather the local children and play a game. Kids don't need to be experiencing the harshness of this world so soon."

  Dan smiled for real this time before glancing over my head toward Cal. "Would you mind taking over my—"

  "Already done," Cal informed him with a genuine smile. "She beat you to it."

  Dan's gaze shifted back to mine, and his love for me filled the air around us, not even swayed by the gentle ocean breeze. "Thank you, Lexi."

  I blushed and shrugged a shoulder. "You're welcome. Is it okay if Ash joins us? I haven't spent time with him either, and I kind of assumed this date would be more... platonic."

  Dan nodded. "I think you're right. And, yes, Ash can definitely come. I've missed him too."

  Gods, I loved that about them. There were times they got jealous, yes, but most of the time? They loved each other too much to be spiteful. They'd rather spend time together than apart, whether I had anything to do with it or not.

  "Besides," Dan added in a low voice, "even if things miraculously get a little heated, you know I love to share."

  He really did. I thought he enjoyed seeing his brothers take me as much as he enjoyed taking me himself. Just imagining the heated look in his eye as he watched Ash fuck me senseless had my panties growing damp.

  "Let's wake him up and get going then," I replied, my voice equally as low and tempting.

  We walked back into the lounge, and Dan threw a pillow at Asher's head. "Wake up, lazy ass. Time to rise and shine."

  Ash grinned and used the pillow to block his eyes from the sunlight. "I'm still asleep."

  Dan rolled his eyes and smirked. "Guess you're not going out with Alexis and me today then."

  The pillow suddenly vanished from Ash's face as he whipped it across the room. "I'm awake."

  "That's what I thought." Dan chuckled and led the two of us into his bedroom where all our suitcases had been stowed. "Grab a change of clothes. We need to hit the bathing pools before we go anywhere near civilization. We smell like smoke and sweat and staleness."

  Ash laughed and shook his head as he rummaged through his bag. "I thought charm was supposed to be your second power? Telling people how awful they smell is rude, you know."

  I grinned at Ash's teasing and pulled out a dress I'd never seen. It was one of those short-skirted, super-soft numbers that the beachgoers liked to wear, and it was a deep plum purple with lace around the edges.

  Dan sighed heavily in Asher's direction. "Well, it's true. And after the night we had, it's not surprising. I'm not insulting any of us. I'm honestly incredibly grateful that we smell like smoke; it means we were out there doing as much as we possibly could to stop the fires. But now, it's time to look and smell like royalty. We need to show the people that we're strong and resilient. That we'll bounce back from this in no time."

  He had a good point. The people probably did need as much encouragement as they could get.

  I held up the dress and turned around. "Who put this in here?"

  Dan smiled. "Ben. He's always mentioning gifts he wants to get you. He actually bought you a dress back in Northern Blackwood while we were staying at Nightshade. But since Bria had also given you a dress, he decided to save it for later."

  I remembered that day. The very first date Ben and I had ever been on. We walked through Blackhaven, and I'd pointed to a shop where a beautiful gown hung in the window. He'd said it was probably ordered in special from his kingdom or Eristan, because the silk was so shimmery and rich.

  I smiled at the memory as I hugged my new dress to my chest. Ben really was the sweetest man ever. I was going to have to think of a special way to thank him. On my knees underneath a table, perhaps...

  "What's that devious look about?" Ash asked me as he slung his clothes over his shoulder.

  I shook my head. "Nothing."

  "Hey," Dan said with a raised brow. "This is our date. No fawning over Ben while you're with us."

  I rolled my eyes but smiled. "I'll try not to. He's just so sweet."

  "Sweet?" Ash protested. "I brought you sweets every time I saw you back in Blackleaf. If anyone's sweet, it's me."

  I shoved his chest and strolled toward the door. "You haven't brought me sweets in years, Asher Storm."

  "What about me?" Dan asked before Ash had a chance to protest. "I might not shower you in gifts, but I do shower you in compliments."

  "Ha! You mean like telling me how stale I smell?"

  He groaned. "Oh, come on, Lexi, you know what I mean. I'm always telling you how sexy and beautiful you are."

  "Sure you are," I teased as we made our way downstairs.

  Dan led us outside and over to a series of small pools that cascaded into each other. It looked like a private, tiered river leading all the way down to the coast. Steam rose from the surface of each pool despite the air already being quite warm.

  The guys stripped totally naked without any of hesitation and waded into the water, waiting on me to do the same.

  I raised a brow and put both hands on my hips. "I thought you said it'd be a miracle if things turned heated?"

  Dan grinned devilishly, his pearly white smile making me weak in the knees. "We're ju
st bathing, Sexy Lexi. Why don't you strip and get in the water?"

  I pursed my lips, dithering only a moment longer before giving in. "Fine."

  I tugged the dirty white dress up over my head and dropped it on the ground, fully aware of their darkened gazes as they roamed my naked body. Step by step, I waded slowly into the steamy pool and sat down beside them, the water coming up to my neck. I leaned back into the smooth stone wall and sighed. The heat felt amazing on my muscles, and the smell was fantastic, like roses, lilies, peaches, and papaya.

  Dan and Ash sat too, but the water only came midchest on them, leaving their bulging pecks and dark nipples above water. It turned me right the hell on. I pressed my thighs together as Dan reached for a bar of soap sitting on a nearby stone. He lathered his hands up and cocked his chin my way. "Come here, Sexy."

  I floated over and settled between his legs, my back pressed to his chiseled chest, his semi-hard dick poking into my butt cheeks. The soft slide of our slippery skin had my breathing going shallow, but when his fingers tangled in my hair, massaging my scalp with soapy bubbles, I freaking moaned out loud.

  Ash took the bar once Dan was finished with it, and as his brother washed my hair, he rubbed my feet. My eyelids flitted shut, and I was sure I'd died and gone to Elysium. How else could I explain two sexy Greek demigods worshiping my body in a heated outdoor pool? I mean seriously...

  Dan's fingers drifted lower, rubbing my neck and shoulders, while Ash's fingers glided higher, working the muscles of my calves and thighs.

  Ash glanced up over my head and nodded, and I knew he and Dan must've just had some unspoken conversation. Then his hands moved even further up my legs, gripping my hips as he settled his torso between my thighs.

  "I missed you, Sweets," he muttered, gliding his hands up my stomach and cupping my breasts. Bending down, he sucked my left nipple into his mouth, then moved right and suckled the other. My hips rolled on instinct, brushing into Ash's rock-hard erection in the front and Dan's in the back.

  "I missed you too," I whispered. "I'm so glad we're all back together."

  Dan kissed the side of my neck, making me shiver. As my nipples pebbled, Ash dipped down and took one into his mouth once more.

  I moaned as lust washed over me like a tidal wave. I hadn't felt this horny without the prodding of my magic in a while.

  Turning my head, I captured Dan's mouth in mine, and a moment later, Ash slowly pressed his rigid length into me. And oh my gods, it felt amazing. I rocked my hips slowly as Ash slid in and out, and I flicked my tongue as Dan owned my mouth.

  Sometime later—I didn't know when, I was in a blissful haze of oblivion—Dan's lips were gone and replaced by Ash's as he pulled me tight against his body. I wrapped my legs around his waist and slid my arms around his neck, deepening our kiss as Dan drifted off to the side, getting a better view of the action.

  I stole a glance at Dan, pleased to find that same heated look I'd imagined blazing behind his sea green eyes. He loved this, watching me get fucked by his brother right in front of him. And surprisingly enough, I loved it too. It was so naughty and sinful, it made my toes curl.

  Or maybe that was Ash making them curl?

  He thrusted up into me, harder and faster than before, his kiss intensifying with the pace of his movements. It wasn't wild and reckless though. It was intimate and impassioned. We were joined in as many ways as possible, our souls connecting as our bodies delved in and out of one another.

  I had to break our kiss when my breaths started coming in panting waves. With my forehead pressed to his, I moaned that I was close. He responded by squeezing my ass and pumping in deeper, stroking me longer, and dragging out every last bit of pleasure from my body before I came apart in his arms.

  As I shuddered, he growled and rooted himself deep inside me, holding that position until he finally finished coming.

  The next thing I knew, Dan swept me out of Ash's arms and into his lap. In that position, the water just barely touched the tops of my shoulders. His cock was rigid beneath me, and his gaze was locked so intensely onto mine that everything except those sea green eyes just drifted away.

  And then he started to move.

  Slowly, inch by inch, he pressed up into me as I rolled my hips.

  "What do you want, my queen?" he whispered so low I was sure Ash hadn't heard him. "I want to please you."

  As his cock pushed further into me, grazing that elusive hot spot inside, I moaned and damn near saw stars. "Trust me, you are pleasing me."

  Then the pool water started moving between us, swirling like fast rolling waves, or maybe pulsing like invisible bubbles trying to escape. The sensation moved from my breasts to my stomach and then down to my clit. From above, there was nothing strange to be see, but from below, it was driving me insane with need.

  "You're doing that?" I panted in question.

  He bit his lip and nodded darkly. "You like it?"

  "Gods, yes."

  It was like nothing I'd ever felt. Not as forceful as a finger or as carnal as a tongue, but still just as intense. Coupled with his cock reaming me, his fingers gliding up to roll my nipples, and the fact that I'd orgasmed once already, I was a fucking goner in seconds.

  "Come with me," I begged him.

  He groaned and did just that, letting loose as we both exploded into each other.

  Once we caught our breath, I climbed out of his lap and leaned back into the rocky edge of the pool, gazing skyward with a lopsided smile on my face. Every muscle, bone, and cell in my body was content.

  All that before our date had even officially begun.

  Holy shit.

  Chapter 26

  "Did you ever consider bestiality?" Dan asked Ash as we made our way into town.

  We officially smelled like roses—much to Dan's relief. And we were a fuck ton more relaxed. Literally, we'd fucked ourselves into relaxation. It was fantastic.

  Ash blinked a few times before bursting into laughter. "What?"

  "You know," Dan prodded, "like fucking her while you're a horse or something."

  Ash glanced at me and raised a brow. "Hey, Sweets, you feel like getting railed with a horse cock?"

  My eyes went wide. "Demigod cocks are quite massive enough for me, thanks."

  "Oh, come on," Dan teased. "You don't want that sloth dick?"

  I stuck my tongue out like I'd just licked a toad. "Nope."

  Dan glanced at Ash. "Seriously? You never fantasized about fucking her when you were a sloth?"

  "Oh no, I did," Ash assured him. "I just always pictured myself as a man when it happened."

  Dan shook his head and tried to hide a grin. "I just can't help but feel like you're missing a really unique opportunity here."

  Ash smirked and patted his brother's shoulder. "Sounds like you have some great new inspiration for your private jackoff sessions. Have fun with that, you creepy son of a bitch."

  As they cracked themselves up, the emergency food bank came into view up ahead. Lines of hungry citizens stretched on for at least a few blocks, people who'd lost their homes, their possessions, and maybe even some of their family members—hard working people who probably despised having to ask for food.

  My heart ached for them. But mostly, I was proud of them for even being there, for doing what they needed to do in order to survive when they could've just ended it all. They were true fighters. They'd endured much more than a brutal attack; they'd survived their own darkest thoughts.

  I turned to Ash and Dan, who'd sobered up at the sight before them. "Are you guys ready?"

  They each nodded solemnly. Clearly, they were as overcome as I was. I took each of their hands, and we made our way toward the entrance. The crowd parted as soon as we drew near, giving us a wide berth and a clear path to the building. They hung their head in both respect and shame—I could feel it in the air around them.

  It hurt so much to know that was how they felt.

  I reached out and touched the nearest shoulder. The man quickl
y lifted his head, looking shocked and confused, while I tried my best to smile. "Life is like an ocean—it comes in waves. We can't always be strong. Sometimes we have to ask for help. And that's okay. Soon, another wave will come, and we'll be sturdy once again."

  I touched another shoulder, that of a young woman. "Don't lose hope. All highs become lows, yes, but on the contrary, all lows become highs as well."

  As word spread of our arrival, the head volunteer soon met us at the door, curtsying deeply. "Your Royal Highnesses, how may we be of service?"

  I turned to Dan, smiling. "Actually, we'd like to be the ones in service today. Do you need any help cooking? Or spooning out soup? Perhaps washing dishes?"

  Tears filled the woman's eyes as she smiled gratefully and nodded. "You are too kind, Your Highness. But, yes, we could use all the help we can get."

  I smiled as my own eyes went misty. "We'd be honored to lend a hand."

  "Then, by all means, please follow me."

  She led us to the kitchens in the back and rearranged the volunteers so that Dan, Ash, and I were the ones spooning out soup. I assumed she'd thought it'd bolster the masses to see us serving them face-to-face. At least, that's what my train of thought had been. If they could see their own princes and princess serving soup to the needy, then perhaps they'd feel less ashamed of being needy in the first place? We were one in this thing—war, life, whatever—whether royal or not.

  With us captaining the ladles, we moved through the lines rather quickly. However, because it was us, the lines also grew considerably. People who never would have willingly joined the line were filing in, anxiously awaiting the chance to meet the Blackwood royals.

  By the time lunch was over, the head volunteer—named Addy—thanked us over and over for our service. We assured her it was our absolute pleasure, but still, as we exited the door, she prayed that the gods would bless us and any children we had for generations to come. It was a sweet sentiment, but with the Storm King's demand that I become pregnant in the back of my mind, it felt more like a warning.