The Lightning Bearer

by April Zyon

  “Feel everything,” Thomas said. He met her gaze and held it. She felt a tickle run through her. It was almost like a physical caress, but not somewhere one of them could have touched her. He smiled slowly and gave her another gentle kiss. They were picking up the pace with their thrusts again. Jostling between them, Pepper was having trouble focusing on much of anything except whatever was happening deep inside her body.

  She felt her body tensing. It was so odd because at that moment, she could have sworn she felt both of their souls inside of hers. “There.” She saw stars with the pleasure that they were giving her. There was something pivotal about what was going on among the three of them. “Now.” She squeezed her legs around Thomas’s waist. “Please. Now.” God, she needed to come. She was so close that she was sure she was going to explode.

  Lincoln tightened his arm around her middle, and she felt him closing in on his own orgasm. She didn’t know how it was possible, but she knew how close he was. Thomas was almost there. It was impossible to know that, and yet she did. Then Lincoln came pushing her into her own orgasm while Thomas drove his cock into her pussy harder, and faster, his grip on her leg bruising now.

  It was impossible, but she felt their pleasure mingling with her own. She screamed as she came, her whole body shuddering with the pleasure that these men gave her. She felt it, like a sonic boom. Thunder and lightning tore through the skies as she came hard with both men. She could feel their pleasure mingled with her own and bit her lower lip.

  “Gods.” She whispered that one single word with the pleasure that these men gave her. “How?” How could she feel their pleasure? How could she feel the concussion of their bonding? What’s more, how could the thunder and lightning still be streaking the skies as much as it was?

  Both of them were panting as hard as she was, Lincoln with his forehead pressed to her shoulder, and Thomas with his head thrown back sucking in air almost desperately. It took a few more deep inhales before Thomas shifted his head on the pillows to look at her.

  “The bond,” he said. A small pause to take another deep breath. “It lets us feel the other’s emotions, ties us together on a level beyond marriage. Our souls are all intertwined now. The rest, not even the foggiest clue.”

  “Love it.” She shivered again. “You feel so good. I feel your emotions, what you are thinking and feeling.” She looked up with wide eyes so she could see Thomas. “From here out they won’t know when we make love, right?” She rubbed her cheek to his and squeezed both of their cocks inside of her body and whimpered. “God, that feels so good.”

  Wrapping an arm around her neck, he hugged her close. “No, they won’t know when we make love ever again. Although I think this time the entire county knew what we were up to. That’s a rather impressive light show you have going on out there, darling.”

  “Help me make it stop?” She nuzzled in closer to Thomas’s heat. “It just happens without my control. I can’t help it.” Right now, it felt far too good, far too right with both of them inside of her as they were. The storms outside were only an echo of her pleasure.

  A particularly loud crack of thunder rattled the windows. “I don’t think it is you,” Lincoln said. She felt him pull free from her body. At her whimper, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and rubbed a hand to her back. Getting off the bed, he wandered over to take a look outside. “Uh, not really sure how to tell you this, but I think we’re getting a visit from the new in-law.”

  “What?” Pepper looked back over her shoulder at Lincoln and frowned. “Who? Whose in-law? One of your parents?” Oh, she could only hope that it was one of their parents because if it was hers—Oh, shit. “Zeus?” She whispered the name in horror. “I’m so not ready to meet a god, not one that ran out on my grandmother at least.”

  “Well on the good news front it appears he can’t get through the warding. On the bad news front.” Lincoln jerked back when another bolt of lightning hit way too close to the house. “It seems all that electricity can. Oh, even better, Ares is heading out to chat with him. This should be fun and totally calm the situation down.”

  “Maybe we should get dressed in case we need to go out and separate them,” Thomas said.

  “We need to clean up first,” Lincoln muttered. “Hopefully they don’t get into a pissing match out on the lawn. Mikhail is going to kill him for the damage he’s done to the flower beds.”

  “Why?” Pepper was completely uncertain why this man was coming to see her now. “Why in the world would he come to see me now? He didn’t try to see my grandmother again, never tried to see my mother, and never tried to see me. Just because we made love and we bonded does not give him the right to throw a shit fit like a five-year-old child would. He so doesn’t want to get on my bad side. I was having too much fun just being here between the two of you.”

  “I don’t know, sweetheart. Come on, let’s go grab a shower, and hopefully, he’s gone by the time we get out. If he’s not, I’ll venture downstairs to see what’s going on.” Lincoln came back to the bed and held out a hand to her. “If he’s gone then we can climb back into bed to snuggle.”

  “I like that idea.” She put her hand into his and let him pull her up. They quickly showered, doing their best not to get turned on all over again. Though it was hard with washing, and rushing, they managed just fine. And in record time, too.

  “Hurry, I’m getting hungrier by the minute, and I don’t want to keep our uninvited guest waiting much longer.”

  She quickly dried herself off so that she could get dressed. Seeing the shirt and shorts that they put out for her she smiled. “You guys are too good to me.” It was one of Lincoln’s shirts and Thomas’s boxers. God, she loved those men.

  Once she was dressed, she pushed a brush through her hair and then nodded. “Okay, I’m ready. I get the first pieces of bacon that come out of the pan, though.”

  “Like we’d have it any other way,” Thomas said with a laugh. He was doing up the button fly of his jeans while walking her way. Lincoln was already dressed in an old ratty but a comfortable looking pair of jeans. He pulled open the door and waved her and Thomas through to the hall.

  “Do you think that Ares was able to talk Zeus out of coming in and chatting? Or do you think that he just went ahead and released Mik on the man?” Because if push came to shove she had an odd feeling that Mikhail would win.

  “Don’t know, but it’s damned quiet out there,” Thomas said. Outside the kitchen they all paused. Pepper could clearly hear voices talking quietly, all of which she recognized. Thomas eased his head through the doorway and took a look around before giving a shrug. “No sign of him, but we may need to feed some more of the troops since some them appear to be hanging out down here.”

  “Then let’s hope that we have lots of bacon or else we will be pulling the sausage out and making it for everyone else. I need bacon.” She was teasing them, grinning as she spoke. “Okay, what can I do to help?” She didn’t want to think about what was going on outside. She just wanted to focus on right now and right where they were.

  With those final words Pepper then helped make breakfast for everyone.

  Epilogue

  Two months later

  Pepper sat next to the two men that would protect her with their lives, not that she would need it today. It was the day of all days. She was meeting Zeus. But on her terms. Currently he sat cool as a cucumber while both men stared him down. It wasn’t often they were all on even ground.

  “Let’s just cut to the chase, shall we? I know you are here to talk to me, and though it might, might being the operative word, be out of the goodness of your heart, you broke mine when you left us all. Do you have any idea what we went through, what I went through?” Pepper wasn’t going to let him off the hook. She sat still sipping the coffee from her cup, while her men sat on either side. And all it would take is one word for the rest to come charging in as well. Her family, her real family, would always put her first no matter what.

  “Pepper, first
let me start by saying I am very grateful you have met with me. I am very proud of the woman you have become. But I do have some things to explain to you. I didn’t want to leave your grandmother, not for long at least. There was a war brewing, and your grandmother would have been caught in the mix if I had stayed. Her life was on the line, if I returned. I did love her. Just as I loved your mother, my daughter, and you.” He offered her a small smile, though for once, she could see the pain that lingered in his eyes.

  “Okay.” She did her best to process all the information given to her, but there were still too many holes that she needed answers to. She needed to move forward, and without knowing why, she never would.

  “You can ask me anything. I promised to give you honesty, and I intend to earn your trust, even a little of it.”

  Lincoln squeezed her leg, while Thomas rubbed her back in a soothing gesture. Even with them comforting her, their eyes never left Zeus. Always on alert for her.

  Nodding her head, she looked right back at the man who could have helped her, but didn’t. “Why? Why was I left to be beaten? Left with the feeling of being not wanted and unloved. Why didn’t you save me? You’re too powerful and a god for crying out loud, and you didn’t even help one little girl who was from your bloodline.” Her voice broke as she finally got out everything that was bottled up inside. She was broken, but not unloved. She felt love each and every time one of her men touched her. Or her friends smiled back just because they could. She’d made her own family.

  “That has always been my biggest regret in my long life. To leave you in such a state. But you need to understand that I couldn’t have gotten to you. When the shield had been placed on you, there wasn’t a way for me to get you to someone else. I had always tried to break what was happening, but I was dealing with issues in my realm as well. That isn’t an excuse, or a good enough reason for me not trying even more. But I am sorry, Pepper. Very sorry.”

  Well, crap. What was she to say to all that? He had a reason, a shitty one, but he still had one. “I understand. Doesn’t mean I agree. I have learned that family comes first. Always there when you need them. I can’t promise this will fix things, but I do get it. We can work on trying to at least try to be friends. That’s all I can offer right now.”

  “Oh Pepper, that’s more than enough. I’ll take whatever you are freely giving me. As for what Hera has done, she will be dealt with. No one will ever bother you again. I give you my vow on that.” With a silent nod, he stood before Mik and Ares escorted him out of the house, and away from her.

  It was as if a weight had been lifted from her while she buried her hands in her face, crying. Closure. She finally had it, and now she could put the past to rest. Both men kissed her head, holding her tight while she finished her breakdown. This was now the first day of forever.

  ****

  “Does anyone know why Ares called us all here?” Camilla asked from her position on Mikhail’s lap.

  “No clue,” Rachael mumbled. “But he called a meeting at the ass-crack of dawn.” The woman yawned.

  “Well maybe if your guys would let you sleep?” This came from Ares when he flashed into the area where they were all waiting around a fire. “I called you all here to talk about what has happened. With Hera and Zeus, also with Hades and what his fate is.”

  “We are listening,” Pepper said and shifted slightly.

  “As you all know, Zeus blew a complete fuse when he returned after the little talk you had. Not only was Zeus pissed, but the Fates were livid. Hera thought to overstep them, and well, those bitches do not like it at all when anyone steps over them. They are vicious and brutal, and they aren’t held by the same laws we are because they are Fate. When someone tries to outwit the Fates, they get, well, testy,” Ares said with a coughing laugh. He looked over the fire, and the people sitting there and then smiled. “Sister, thank you for coming. I was just starting to tell them about Hera and Hades and everything else.”

  Aphrodite popped in and promptly moved to collapse into one of the chairs. “Good, you tell it. Holy hell, is it loud up there right now. I hate it when Zeus loses it like that. Do you have any idea how hard it is to sleep when the clouds all around you are smacking about? It’s damn well impossible. A goddess needs her beauty sleep, which ain’t happening on Olympus anytime soon.”

  Lincoln snickered and shook his head. “We have spare rooms here, Aphrodite. The beds are mortal made, but at least it will be quiet.”

  “I might take you up on that. Especially if they keep this up,” she muttered. Then she looked to Ares and waved a hand in an imperial manner. “Continue.”

  Ares nodded and continued. “Well, after he was turned away from here he went looking for his errant wife. When Pepper bonded with her men, a psychic boom went out all across the cosmos.” Ares shifted and grunted when Aphrodite put her feet in his lap. “Look, sister,” he muttered. “Okay. So the Fates, as I said, they are pissed. They brought the proverbial hammer down on Hera. With Zeus’s help, they stripped her of her power.” Ares saw the way that the women and men all seemed to tense. “Hera is now in a very specially constructed cell just outside of Hell. The gates that lead out of Hell have all been slammed shut and fused with the power that was stripped from Hera as well as a bit from all of us. Hades is forever trapped now. He can’t even reach out to his acolytes anymore with as tightly as we’ve sealed his ass in.” Ares nodded with a smile on his face.

  “Hera has to relive all of the pain that was heaped upon you, Pepper. Every strike, every cut, every bruise she’s living through it. As I said, the Fates get pissed if someone tries to get anything over on them.”

  “While I for one am happy to hear she’s paying for her crimes, I have to say this all feels rather anticlimactic,” Gareth said. “Not complaining, don’t get me wrong, but is anyone else feeling it as well?”

  “It’s definitely a little odd,” Mik said with a nod. “While on the one hand, I’m glad we didn’t have to face off with Hera, and definitely not Hades, it does feel a bit like a letdown. I will say that I’m glad the Fates came out on our side of the equation for once. Knowing some of their history, and the history of how this whole key and Hades thing got started, I’m frankly shocked.”

  “They’re bitches, one and all, but they are devoted to their tasks in the grand scheme. No one is safe from their wrath if they dare to fuck with the Fates’ domain. I can’t stand them on the best of days, but I’ll tell you I was leading that cheer section when they smacked the sentence down on Hera,” Aphrodite said with a grin.

  “I, for one, am happy that the abilities that we all inherited from our ancestors never had to be used. I don’t think that I would like having to use those skills to hurt someone,” Pepper said with a sigh. “The lightning bothers me, a lot.”

  “I know, but you won’t ever have to worry about using it if you don’t want to, Pepper.” Ares said and reached out to touch her lightly. “We will continue to practice, though. Zeus is willing to help, should you wish.”

  “I know,” Pepper said with a sigh. “Thank you for offering to help me with that as well.” Ares noticed that she did shift away from his touch.

  “Sorry, I keep forgetting,” the man said and leaned back again. “That goes for all of you.” Ares looked at each woman and man in turn. “Anytime that you want to try to work on your skills, your abilities, let me know. Any of us would be happy to teach you to control the power that you all have inside of yourselves.”

  “Except Mik,” Aphrodite said with a wink to him. “Fucker’s already got more power than he’s letting on about. Sneaky, sneaky man.”

  Mikhail chuckled and squeezed Camilla closer. “You had fun the other day, Aphrodite. It’s okay to admit it. Figuring out some of this stuff buried deep is pretty amazing. Though some of what I got from the God of War here is definitely more than a little terrifying.”

  “Hey, I resemble that remark,” Ares said with a laugh. “And she did have fun. Don’t let her lie to you. For two ho
urs after you guys finished, I had to hear her harping on and on. I ended up having to leave my own home because she wouldn’t leave. Damn sisters.”

  “I have a feeling that you really didn’t mind it at all, did you, Uncle A?” Camilla asked with a grin. “Besides, you have a blast playing with these men. The whole lot of you have a ball blowing stuff up, admit it.” She looked at the people around the fire and snorted, “I see you all nodding, you all agree with me.”

  “Who would dare argue with you?” Stefan asked. “No, seriously, guys, who the hell is going to argue with Camilla? I mean she’s got Mik wrapped around her little finger on one hand, and Ares around the other so either way if we did dare to argue we’re all screwed.”

  Aphrodite threw her head back and laughed. “I do so love a man who says it like it is.” She blew Stefan a kiss and winked at him.

  Wyatt chuckled while Stefan blushed ferociously. “We all freely admit we have fun with the gods when they come around. They aren’t nearly as stuck up as Ares seemed to make out originally.”

  That had Aphrodite narrowing her eyes on Ares. “Oh, really?”

  “Yes really,” Ares said with a shrug. “I was on Earth from the moment that Camilla was born, and the rest of you couldn’t be bothered to do jack shit. So yeah, I told them that you were all stuck up.” He let out a whoosh of air when Aphrodite kicked him. “Watch it there, sister,” he said with a laugh. “I would be very cranky if you kicked me in the wrong place.”

  “I’ve been helping you from day one. I can’t believe you’d put me in with the rest of those losers. Thanks a lot, brother.” She crossed her arms and glared at him.

  “I think someone’s in trouble,” Gareth whispered loudly. “You may want to apologize to her, Ares. She’s been a pretty good sport. Plus, from your own accounting of things she has helped you out a lot. Maybe not here on Earth, but on the other front while you were here, and out of touch.”

  Ares snorted. “You know that I’m jerking your chain, Dite. You know that I love you, sister.” He began to rub her feet again. “She has helped a lot. She never questioned it when I asked for help, and she was always there for me as well. It’s good.” It was over, so that was all that they needed to know. “You are all free now to live your lives the way that you want to.” Which was a good thing.