by Ivy Asher
“Fuck, you feel good,” Ryker tells me as he pulls out and grinds back in.
I moan, and Sabin sucks on my bottom lip and then peppers kisses across my jaw. He pinches my nipples as Ryker increases his speed, and I cry out, loving every touch and stroke and thrust.
“That’s it, Vinna,” Sabin encourages as I mewl and groan and gasp. Ryker grips my hips tightly as he fucks me faster and harder with each thrust. I hold onto Sabin’s shoulders as he moves his mouth to my ear.
“Do you know how beautiful you are right now?” he whispers into my ear and then nips at my lobe. I moan, and Ryker groans behind me. The sound of Ryker’s hips slapping against my ass gets louder and louder as he fucks me harder and harder.
“Come, Vinna,” Sabin tells me quietly, his mouth inches from my ear. “Come all over your mate’s dick. Call his name as he worships your pussy.”
Sabin’s words push me over the edge, and I call out for Ryker and come all over his dick just as instructed. Ryker moans out my name in return as he thrusts in deeply and comes. I push off of Sabin’s shoulders, arching my back to keep Ryker deep inside of me and reach for his face. I kiss him and whisper my “I love you” against his mouth as we pull apart to catch our breath.
Ryker pulls out of me, and the next thing I know, Sabin’s lifting me up on the counter of the bathroom. My bare ass hits the cold stone of the counter, and I squeak out a protest. Sabin thrusts into me, turning that protest into a breathy moan. Ryker gives an amused snort as he watches us, and I flip him off playfully. Sabin bends down and sucks a nipple into his mouth at the same time he buries himself deep inside of me and grinds against my clit. I pant and throw my head back, relishing the feel of him.
“Eyes on mine, Vinna,” he tells me. “You know how much I love to watch you come.”
“Then make me come, Sabin,” I order.
I pull his lips to mine and moan my encouragement as he speeds up. “I can’t believe we almost lost you,” he laments against my lips.
“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere,” I promise, looking from his forest green gaze to Ryker’s sky-blue one. “I’m here,” I repeat, and Ryker steps to my side and kisses me deeply. I can taste the fear and worry in his kiss. I steal it from his lips and replace it with reassurance and devotion.
Sabin changes the angle of his thrusts, and I pull away from Ryker and ride the edge of another impending orgasm.
“Right there,” I urge and run my nails up his back the way I know he loves.
“Never letting you out of my sight again,” Sabin growls out, and I fall into bliss and sensation as I come again.
He stills deep inside of me, and I watch him lose himself to his orgasm. His cheeks are flushed and his hair disheveled. I look at Ryker, surveying his kiss swollen lips and just fucked hair. I chuckle, loving it when my Chosen look like this.
“Fuck, we’re going to be late,” Sabin comments as he grinds against me again.
I laugh and roll my eyes. “I’m game for round two if you guys are.”
Sabin nips at my bottom lip and boops my nose. He pulls out of me and steps back, grinning at the overexaggerated pout I give him.
“Nope, you have to go, and you know it,” Sabin states, his tone brooking no argument. My greedy vagina clenches, loving it when he gets all growly and demanding.
“Tok and Marn would have our heads, and I for one like where my head currently is, thank you very much,” Ryker declares.
I look down at his pants-clad crotch and arch an eyebrow. “I personally like it better when your head is buried deep inside of me, but maybe that’s just me.”
I wink and hop off the counter as he swats me with a towel. I snag it from his hands and clean up. I tuck my breasts back into my dress and straighten everything the way it should be. Maybe these slits and deep Vs aren’t so bad after all.
I quickly dry my hair into loose flowing curls and step back to study my reflection. Ryker and Sabin watch me, and I tilt my head appreciatively, a salacious smile slowly spreading across my face.
“No,” Sabin commands, and I roll my eyes.
I salute him. “Aye, aye, Captain!”
Sabin shakes his head and fights a smile. “Be good and we’ll all make sure you’re screaming our names all night long,” he tells me, and a shiver of desire snakes up my spine.
“Fine, but if this goes bad, you guys are going to owe me non-stop orgasms every day for fucking ever,” I warn them both.
“Pshhh, pretty sure you’re in for that even if this goes well,” Ryker tells me. “Sabin’s right, none of us have any intention of letting you out of our sight again, and the easiest way to do that is to never let you out of bed. Now let’s go,” Ryker orders, and I squeak again as he slaps me on the ass.
“They’re gonna kick our asses, aren’t they?” Ryker asks Sabin as we make our way out of the bathroom.
“They knew you were a goner when you didn’t come back out five seconds after you went in. It’s me they’re gonna harass. I was supposed to be the levelheaded one.”
I chuckle and internally high-five my vagina. Go us, corrupting the incorruptible.
Sabin steps in front of me and opens the bedroom door for me. “You look ravishing, Vinna,” he tells me as I walk past, and I get all girly and smiley.
“Mm-hmmm,” Ryker agrees from behind me. “I’m looking forward to eating you all up later.”
Heat burns low in my stomach, but I don’t have enough time to say anything that will get him as equally hot and bothered as he just got me. The rest of my Chosen are all lounging in the massive main room that our new bedroom feeds into. After the battle in our old suite, we’ve been moved and massively upgraded. Bastien, Valen and Torrez rise to their feet from the plush cream sofas. Siah and Knox push off from the walls they’re leaning against.
Knox reaches for my hand and gives me a good twirl.
“You look stunning,” he tells me. “No wonder they caved. Fuck, I’d still have you in there.” I laugh and give him a quick peck.
“Fuck it, let’s go!” he declares and moves to throw me over his shoulder.
“Whoa!” the guys all shout out and intercept him.
“Everyone is already down there, we’re late, let’s go,” Siah announces and pulls a grumbling Knox away from me.
I huff but fall in step with them as they lead the way out of our suite. Our new digs put us closer to all the action, and in less than five minutes, we’re standing outside of tall, black, ornately carved doors. My guys surround me, and I’m nestled in the middle of all their strength and support. I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly. The doors open, and Bastien and Valen step to the side so I can walk forward.
A guard slams his fist over his bicep and then turns to announce my arrival.
“All hail Sovereign Aylin, Ruler of Tierit, Bond Restorer, Liberator of Illusions, the Found Sentinel, Collar Breaker, the Prime Marked, and Gate Keeper.”
He steps aside with a nod, his booming announcement still echoing around the walls of the packed room. I swallow back my unease.
Fuck, I’m pretty much never going to get used to that.
32
I step into the room. At once, everyone places their fist over their bicep in greeting. They move so precisely and in sync that it gives me the chills, and I’m honored by the show of respect. It’s a far cry from how I thought I’d be received, that’s for fucking sure. It’s standing room only, it seems, in here, but the crowd parts as much as they can to allow me through to the large round table at the center. This space feels very different from the last time I was here being questioned by the tribunal. There’s a vitality and hum of excitement around me that feels contagious.
Tok pulls out a chair next to him, and I give him a happy smile as I make my way over to it and sit down.
“You look absolutely regal, Vinna,” he tells me.
I snort and try not to roll my eyes. No matter what I tell him, he’s still convinced that the Sovereign title is going to stick.
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The room starts to settle as we all take our seats. I look over to see Suryn on the other side of the table, Tawv and her dad, Sauriel, on each side of her. Enoch, Nash, Kallan, and Becket are seated off to her right, and I study them and then her. I haven’t seen any of them since the big turn up in my room after I woke up, and I wonder how everyone has been doing since then.
“You look well,” Suryn tells me with a polite nod.
I give her an equally polite nod in return. “You do too,” I reply.
Tawv rises from his seat, and the quiet muttering in the room stops. “We are gathered here today to come to discuss which of the interim Sovereigns should lead the people. We will hear arguments for and against, with a final vote being cast three days from now. Let us begin.”
Tawv sits down, and Tok springs out of his seat like a bullet. He starts in on our lineage and the way of our people, talking about the Ouphe, The Light Marked, and the Sentinels as if they represented different times in our past. I tune him out and watch as Enoch, Kallan, and Nash sneak side glances at Suryn. What’s funny to me is that she sneaks glances at them too when they’re not looking. They play an entertaining game of cat and mouse with their peeks at one another. I watch them, oddly riveted, and find I’m quickly invested in whether or not they’ll get caught looking at each other.
“You perving out on Enoch and his crew?” Bastien asks me in my mind, his teasing tone making me chuckle.
“You know it,” I joke back. “Dude, just watch them. Enoch and his coven are sneakily making eyes at Suryn, but they’re completely oblivious that she’s making eyes at them too.”
Bastien looks at me with clear judgment in his gaze. I may have just sounded like a kid who was about to be handed a puppy. I clear my throat and try to rein in the ridiculous levels of excitement I just spewed out. Bastien laughs and then proceeds to watch them for a couple of minutes.
“How have they not made eye contact yet? It’s like they have a sixth sense that tells them when it’s safe to look.”
“Right! It’s completely weird,” I agree, loving that he gets it.
Tok sits down after a while, and Sauriel jumps to his feet and starts in.
“I want to try,” I announce, and then I start sneaking glances at Ryker, Valen, Siah, Torrez, Knox, and Sabin.
I only make it one round of glances until Knox’s gray eyes catch mine.
Dammit. Busted.
Bastien laughs, and Knox gives me a confused half smile.
“What are you weirdos doing?” Knox asks.
“You guys should really be paying attention to what’s going on, Vinna. They’re only discussing your potential reign over the Sentinels,” Sabin dutifully points out.
In response, I send him a mental image of what he looked like with my nipple in his mouth earlier. Sabin coughs, choking on air, and hits his chest to clear it. All of my Chosen’s heads snap over to me. I sigh.
“I sent that to all of you guys, didn’t I?” I ask.
It was only supposed to go to Sabin, but I swear my magic likes to fuck with me. Their laughter and salacious smiles are all the answer I need.
I shrug. “Sorry, not sorry,” I declare with a mischievous smile.
“What’d he do to deserve that? I want to do it too,” Torrez asks, and I crack up.
I put my hand over my mouth to try and hide it, but Suryn looks over at me. I cough and then give her an innocent smile. Her brow furrows, slightly perplexed, but she returns my small smile and looks away. Sauriel sits down, and someone else already standing starts to talk.
“He was lecturing me on the importance of this meeting,” I explain to all of them, and they all make noises expressing that they’re not surprised by that. Sabin shakes his head.
“In a couple of days, they’ll vote Suryn in. I’m not worried,” I tell Sabin.
“I don’t know, Squeaks. A lot of people are nodding their head and agreeing to arguments for new blood. A good chunk of the room agreed when Tok pointed out that because you’re of the First, you’re technically the rightful heir,” Ryker tells me, and nerves flurry up in my chest.
“I don’t want to be the Sovereign though,” I state. “I’m sure that has to factor in at some point, doesn’t it?” I ask, searching their faces.
“I know you keep saying that it’s not your thing, but you could be really good for these people,” Sabin tells me.
I shake my head.
“I’m not cut out for that, Sabin. I don’t want to rule anyone. I don’t want to be responsible for their futures. It just doesn’t feel right to me.”
Someone shouts out something that has the room grumbling, and it pulls my attention away. Tawv stands up to quiet whatever it was that set people off, and the crowd calms down again.
“If this doesn’t feel right to you, then what are you thinking does feel like the next right move?” Valen asks me.
I think about the question for a minute.
“I’m not really sure,” I admit. “And really, it’s not like it’s up to me either. We’re a team. Shouldn’t we be deciding that together?”
Tawv calls on a female leaning casually against the wall, and she dives right into voicing her concerns.
“True,” Ryker and the others agree in my mind. “So what do we want to be when we grow up?” he throws out there, and we all snicker.
“I don’t want to settle down here, but I can’t picture us only living in Solace either. I still feel like a paladin even though I know we’ll never have that title. It’s hard for me to picture a life that doesn’t include that kind of work,” Knox confesses.
“I feel the same way,” Valen states.
Bastien, Sabin, and Ryker all voice their agreement too.
“I was a beta in the Silas pack, and what that involved was similar to what paladin do. We police the pack, protect and defend as needed. We help broker deals with other territories and back up the alpha at all times. Obviously, my role as a mate is different, but I was built for what I did as a beta. I was good at it, and I liked it,” Torrez tells us.
The guys grunt their understanding.
“So we need to find a job that fits a beta, paladin, enforcer…and whatever Vinna is,” Siah adds, smiling at me.
“Badass. I think the word you’re looking for is badass,” I tease him with a wink.
“So a job fit for a beta, paladin, enforcer, and one all around badass,” Siah recounts with an amused tone. “Well, that shouldn’t be too hard,” he jokes, and we all give an incredulous grunt.
“What if it wasn’t though?” I ask after a couple of minutes.
My mind whirls with the possibility of something, and I’m not quite sure what to make of it.
“What do you mean?” Bastien asks me.
“I mean…” I trail off for a moment as I try to piece it all together in a way that makes sense. “The casters have the paladin, but really paladin only get involved with caster issues. Same goes for the shifter hierarchy and the lamia hierarchy. But what’s the problem we all have in common, including the Sentinels?” I ask.
They all look away, thoughtful.
“Corruption?” Knox points out on a snort.
“Exactly!” I exclaim.
“Wait. That was really the answer? I was kidding,” Knox declares.
“Kidding or not, it’s true. How many fucked up situations have we run into because people in power were abusing it?” I ask.
“I’d say like eighty-seven percent of our problems come from that,” Valen points out with a hollow laugh.
“So what are you saying? We go around and try to weed out all the corruption?” Siah asks, his eyes filled with doubt.
“Hell no, that’s pretty much impossible. But what if we were an alternative force that could somehow help if the case was bad enough? Like beta, paladin, enforcer, badasses, but for anyone who needs it, not just one kind of supe,” I explain.
Everyone goes quiet, and it’s not just the guys. Everyone in the room is suddenly quiet. I loo
k up, and the whole room is staring at me.
Shit. I wasn’t paying attention.
“Um, sorry, what was that?” I ask in an effort to cover my ass.
Fuck, I hope it was a question that has them all staring at me, and I didn’t just do that thing where I think I’m talking in my head, but I’m really talking out loud.
“The Seventh House was asking, if they vote for you to be the Sovereign, will you open up the barrier?” Tok tells me, and I flash him a grateful smile.
“That’s an excellent question,” I announce, stalling as I figure out what the fuck to say. “I think that’s an issue that needs to be discussed in greater detail before I could truly decide,” I start to say.
Several people narrow their gazes at me, and I quickly rethink my plan to spout off some polite political bullshit.
See, this is why I would suck at this job.
“I think the people of this city should have a say in what they think is best for them. I personally think it would be a good thing for Sentinels to get reacquainted with the world. We could open up the barrier so that the Sentinels who want to do that, can. And for those that don’t, Tierit could still be a safe haven for them. I think there’s probably a way to make both sides of the argument feel safe and happy.”
I lean back in my chair and close my mouth. Murmuring starts up in the room, and I look over to find Tok and Marn beaming at me.
Well, shit.
If they’re happy with that, then I didn’t help my I don’t want this job argument.
“Okay, let’s come back to what you said, Bruiser,” Bastien requests, pulling my attention back to him.
“About the barrier?” I ask.
“No, about the beta, paladin, enforcer, badass thing. So do supes hire us?” he queries.
“Um...we’re like hella rich already,” I point out, and some of the guys smile, while Siah says, “We are?”
“Yeah, we haven’t had much need to dive into the finances side of things yet, but the readers left me a fuck ton of money. Like our children’s children to infinity and beyond are going to be good, and I mean reaaallllyyyy good,” I tell him.