by Bea Paige
It’s too much.
It’s not enough.
My lips seek hers, whilst my free hand tangles in her long hair. Our lips smash together, our teeth scrape against each other’s in our desperation to appease the light within her chest and the darkness in mine. Her hips grind against my cock, stoking sensation over and over again.
It’s too much.
It isn’t enough.
“I need to be inside you, Fern. Please…” The last word comes out as half groan, half moan.
Yes.
Her response reveals itself in my head, then fades as I wrap an arm around her back, lift her off my lap, then lower her to the floor. I stand quickly, rip the remaining shreds of my top from my back, then remove the rest of my clothes until I am standing naked in front of her. My cock jerks as her eyes rove over my body. Her bare breasts rise and fall with her breathing.
She holds her arms up to me. “Come here, Gabe,” she says.
I do as she asks. I kneel between her parted legs, naked and ready to bare my soul.
Chapter Eleven
Fern
My heart clangs inside my chest. Gabe’s stare shreds me to pieces.
He believes that he’s the only one who feels such sweet torture. But I feel it too. God, how I feel it. These men, my angels. What are they doing to me?
Ether’s touch was passionate, wrapped in a fine layer of control. It burned with fire. It devoured the pain. It satiated the need in me. And yet, here I am needing more, wanting more.
Gabe’s touch is possessive, edged with a large dose of danger. His ice cuts right into my flesh, making me feel both entirely vulnerable and infinitely strong at the same time.
“Remind me again why we dress?” Gabe mutters, his eyebrows pulling together in consternation. My responding laugh is stifled under his touch as his ice-cold hands reach for the zip of my jeans. Gabe slides open the fly, and smooths his hands out over my hips, parting the material. My body hums with sensation as his curled fingers slide over my skin with slow, deliberate movements. Gabe pulls my jeans from me, taking my knickers with them too. I watch how his muscles flex and tense as he chucks them across the room. The dark hair of his chest grows in a line straight to his groin and mingles with the dark hair there. His full, thick cock pulses between his legs.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” Gabe says.
I want to return the compliment but find that the words are stuck in my throat. It’s the second time I’ve been naked today. The old me would have been ashamed. This me, the one who is worshipped by these men, feels nothing but powerful. Womanly. Adored.
Gabe crawls up my body on his hands and knees. I spread my legs, giving him access to my molten core.
“I’m going to fuck you now,” he says, the darkness glittering behind his eyes. It thrills me, the darkness calls to my soul. Like the inky shade of night calls to the featherlight touch of dawn.
“Then I’m going to make love to you, Fern. I’m going to fucking love you until there is nothing left of me to give. I want to give you it all. I want to give you everything that I am.”
Gabe gathers my hands and pulls them up above my head, just like he did the first time we kissed. Then he lowers his body over mine and in one smooth motion enters me. I cry out with the force of his entrance, not because he hurts me, but because of the raw emotion I feel.
His.
Mine.
All tangled together between us.
With one hand holding my wrists, the other slides over my breasts. He squeezes them, moulds them under his palm as his cock slides into me with possession. Gabe doesn’t give my body time to adjust. He takes what he needs, and I let him. I let him, because I want all of him. I want every thrust, every hot breath, every ice-cold touch, every possessive kiss.
This is who he is. This dark angel of mine.
And as much as he is possessing me, I’m possessing him too.
He pulls away from my lips, letting my hands go as he falls into the lust that is billowing around us. I immediately grab at his back, urging him closer.
My body tightens around him. His eyes close in ecstasy whilst he moves within me. I watch him as he loses himself to sensation. I can feel my own body doing the same. The cool touch of his skin against mine sends waves of pleasure out over every inch of me and then, like the returning tide, that sensation zeros in on the tiny nub between my legs.
Gabe’s breathing becomes more and more ragged as his hips pump faster.
I can feel Gabe’s cock swell inside me and my internal muscles clamp around him in response. Pulling my legs up, I wrap them around his lower back, drawing him closer. My nails graze over his skin. Gabe responds by quickening his pace. I push my hips up to meet his, matching his rhythm with my own. His muscles flex as he holds the weight of his wings and body.
He is strong, and beautiful, and mine.
My angel.
Just like Ether, just like Mihr.
I tip my head back and call out his name.
With the next thrust, his wings shoot out, flaring like a peacock displaying its feathers. His hips still, his eyes snap open and a deep groan escapes his lips as he comes hard.
Inside, my muscles pulse around him, my pleasure drawing out his own.
For a moment there is no thought in his head. There is no light or dark, there is only now. This finite moment between us.
And in this moment, he is free.
Free from pain, from anger, from despair.
There is only the quiet silence of joy and release.
Gradually, Gabe returns to the present. He leans over, kissing me deeply.
“Fern, my love,” he whispers, wiping a strand of hair away from my face.
He pulls back slightly, his ice-blue eyes drinking me in. I reach out to him through our connection, needing him to understand that I am coiled up tight, that now I’m the one who needs release. A slow, sexy smile brightens his face, and understanding what I need, he rotates his hips. Once, twice, three times, more.
Over and over again he moves this way, his body pressing against my swollen nub, his cock still hard within me despite his own release. And all the while he stares at me with such love, such devotion, that I’m almost afraid of it.
“Don’t be, Fern. You’ve set me free,” he says, understanding my thoughts.
I feel his love through our connection, I see it by the way he looks at me and I hear it in his voice. Above us, the beautiful darkness of his wings casts a shadow, shutting out the light momentarily, and I find that my own wings ache to be free, to unravel. I shift my body, roll my shoulders, and with a flash of pain my wings spread out and curve upwards. The tips of my feathers touch the tips of his and with one final press of his hips against my swollen nub, I am no longer teetering on the edge of my orgasm, I’m falling hard, in more ways than one. Gabe falls forward and gathers me in his arms, pulling me upright. When my breathing eventually returns to a normal rhythm, I find that I can fold my wings behind me without any assistance. Once safely tucked away, Gabe lays down next to me and I snuggle into his chest. It isn’t long before we both fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Chapter Twelve
I’m standing back in the stone room, alone once more.
The air feels charged, different than the last time I was here. In my sleep I remember this room instantly. When I awoke before, the memory of this place had slipped from my consciousness with ease, only to resurface later in conversation with Ether.
This time I am certain I’ll remember.
Walking up to the door with the bluebell engraved across the surface, I reach out my hand and lay it flat against the wood. It seems to vibrate beneath my palm. The same feeling of electricity passes through my skin and into my bloodstream. I don’t know why, but I feel the sudden urge to sing. It’s the same kind of urge as when my wings first erupted from my back. I open my mouth, ready to let out the first note, when a warm blast of air lifts the feathers from my wings.
Turning around, I find my
beautiful, best friend Dani smiling at me.
“Hey, Ferny Pants, I’ve missed you.” Her hair is long, longer than I remember and not a shade of pink or purple or blue, but a beautiful dark reddish brown, her natural colour. Her eyes light up, the amber orbs I’m so used to glowing in the firelight. Her skin is a shade darker than I remember, as though she’s spent a lot of time naked in the sun.
“How are you…?”
Dani steps forward towards me, the door behind her ajar. It’s the one with the dahlia etched into the surface. Beyond it, I can see miles of golden sand. Not the kind you would find on a beach, where relief from the midday sun is found in an ocean. No, this place resembles the desert plains of North America. The land is arid, with very little vegetation as far as I can see. Even from where I’m standing I can feel the heat. Dani doesn’t look in the least bit bothered by it. I guess she’s pretty cool, given she’s wearing not much more than a bra and shorts. Her feet are bare, her long legs more muscular, her abs defined. She looks incredibly strong, sexy.
“Don’t I get a hug? Or is that impossible now with those wings?” she asks. Even though I can’t hear the lilt of her voice as she teases me, I know her well enough to recognise that she is.
“Dani…” My throat constricts on the words I want to say, so I sign them instead. “What’s going on?”
“Hug first, then we talk, okay?” she signs back.
We move towards each other. I throw my arms around her back whilst she gingerly slides hers around my waist. Relief, surprise, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude fills me. It’s been too long since we have seen each other. What the hell is she doing here?
“I’ve missed you so much,” I say, breathing her in. She even smells different. Almost like the animals she loves so much. Not in an unpleasant way, not at all. She smells powerful. There really is no other way to describe it.
“I always knew you were an angel,” she says, a broad smile lifting her lips.
“You know about this? About what I am?”
“No, silly, I just meant the wings. They suit you.”
“So you don’t know then?” I ask, confused.
Dani laughs. “I know a lot, but not everything.” She holds up her hand and wriggles her fingers at me. On her middle finger is a brass band, bent and scratched, just like mine.
“You’re one of the five sisters?” I ask, my mouth falling open in shock.
“Try not to look so surprised, Fern,” she smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing you need to worry about. I have my men, they will take care of me.”
“Dani, I know when something’s up. Tell me.”
Dani shakes her head. She talks in a rush and I must concentrate on her moving lips to pick up everything she says.
“My pack are close, I have very little time with you. Besides, I have my own gift now. I can look after myself.”
“Pack? Your own gift? Dani, explain.”
“Clan Spiritus are my people, the wolves my pack.”
“What?”
“Don’t look at me like that, Ferny. You have angel wings, for goodness’ sake.” She laughs, rolling her eyes.
“Point well made. Why wolves?”
“The curse changed them. They were a peaceful people before Queen Adrielle cast the spell. Kind, loyal, gentle. Queen Adrielle’s hate and evil flipped that and now they are the opposite of what they once were. Ruled by instinct, most of the clan turned violent, animalistic. Their inner wolf took over each of them and with no alpha to lead them, they were unable to fight the instinct to become more animal and less human. Some even forgot how to change back.”
“Change back?”
“Clan Spiritus can shift between their human form and wolf form, Fern.”
“Holy shit,” I say.
“No kidding, right? Finch was the first wolf-shifter I met.”
“Finch? As in hot guy with a cute kid called Tom?”
“The very one,” Dani replies with a smile.
“Is Tom a wolf too?”
“No, he isn’t Finch’s biological child but the child of the woman he once loved. It doesn’t matter though, Finch treats him as a son and loves him like a father should.”
“That explains a lot,” I say, remembering the way Finch seemed to care for Tom. I still haven’t forgotten the way he sniffed the air when he was introduced to me. Then there’s the sound of a wolf howling when I left Dani’s place last.
“You’re not all that surprised?”
“The wolf part, yes. The fact you’re one of the missing clan daughters? No, strangely I’m not. We’ve always been a little different, the pair of us.”
I should be more surprised, given what’s happened over the last week or so, but I’ve gotten used to the weird and crazy that has become my life. Then a thought hits me. I’ve been with my angels, for what, a week? The last time I saw Dani and Finch together was a hell of a lot longer than that.
“Fucking hell, Dani. It’s been more than a year since I met Finch and his son…” I begin, but Dani interrupts me, waggling her finger.
“You know, your language isn’t very angelic, Fern.”
“The angels I belong to aren’t very angelic either,” I sigh.
“No?”
“Clan Vitae are the Angels of Death. The Queen’s Death Bringers. They are my people now. You remember what I told you about how little Blakely died? The curse makes Clan Vitae take human life to remain alive. They were once like me. They were midwives before the curse. Now everything they touch dies because that bitch Queen Adrielle deemed it so.” An overwhelming anger overtakes me for a minute. It’s the first time I’ve felt such pure hate.
“She’ll get her comeuppance, Fern. We will defeat her, together,” Dani says, reaching out and squeezing my arm. “That woman has taken far too much, and now we must get it back.”
“How?” I ask.
“Remember what the prophecy says, ‘five sisters will take command’? That’s how. We do it together, all of us.”
“I want to help. I want to, but…”
Her face softens, she knows me well. “Do you take life now too?”
“I don’t know. At least, I haven’t had to do that yet.”
“Well, you’ve touched me, and I’m still standing. Perhaps it’s different for you?” she says, hope lighting her eyes.
“I have no idea. I hope so…”
“But then again…”
“But then again, what?”
“I’m different now too.”
“Different how?” I ask slowly.
“Don’t freak out, okay.”
Dani doesn’t give me chance to ask why I will freak out because before I can even blink, human Dani is replaced with a big wolf-shaped Dani. I stumble back a few steps, backing up into the stone dais.
“Bloody hell.” I don’t know why I’m surprised. I have wings, for crying out loud. She’s referred to her men as her pack, and yet, I still didn’t put two and two together.
The wolf before me yips in response, then sits on her haunches. She opens her mouth, her long pink tongue lolling between a set of very sharp teeth. But I don’t feel afraid, especially not when she tips her head to the side, her tongue dangling further. In fact, I laugh.
“Dani, is that really you?”
The beautiful wolf with the same amber eyes and dark auburn fur matching her hair colour lifts her paw, flicking it to the side quickly.
“Yes,” she signs.
I reach out and put a tentative hand on her head. The wolf, Dani, closes her eyes and pushes up into my hand as she stands. She lets me stroke her briefly before backing away and returning to human form. This time utterly naked.
“You don’t shift with your clothes on then?” I say, trying to focus on her face rather than the rest of her.
“Ah yes, it would seem even in this dream realm I still lose my damn clothes.” We both eye the shredded material strewn across the floor.
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“This isn’t real, then? It’s all a dream?” My voice catches. I need this to be real.
“Oh, it’s real all right. But we aren’t here physically. No, our bodies are back where we left them, just our unconscious minds are here.”
“You seem to know a lot about this place.”
“I know enough. My friend Clover summoned me here, not long after I returned to Ever Vale.”
“You’re in Ever Vale? How?” What friend, Clover? How can she be summoned by a friend? I wait for her to answer my first questions before I ask her the others swimming in my head.
“I returned home with my pack, Fern, with my clan. Just like you did.” She gives me a small smile and shrugs her shoulders.
“And Clover, is she one of the five missing clan daughters?”
“Clover is fae now, part of Clan Terra. She’s Accacia’s best friend.”
“Oh, I remember the fae being mentioned. The fairies without wings.”
“Christ, don’t let them hear you say that. Pisses them off no end.”
“And Accacia, that name is familiar too,” I say, thinking for a minute. “Of course, she’s with Clan Lux.”
“That’s right, the vampires. Rhain, Devin and Ezra.”
We catch each other’s eye. A smirk appears on Dani’s face, her lip twitches. “Pretty unreal, huh?”
“You can say that again. A few weeks ago, I would have checked myself into the psych unit at the hospital. Zinnia would’ve had a field day.”
“You’re not wrong there,” Dani agrees, Zinnia being a mutual friend of ours both. Dani knows her through her therapy and psych connections and I do because we work at the same hospital - or should I say worked?
“So, what is this place?” I ask, changing the subject.
“This is one of the very few places Queen Adrielle’s magic cannot infiltrate. It’s hidden beneath the Forbidden forest in Ever Vale. Though this place is neither here nor there, not really.”
“You’re not making any sense, Dani. What do you mean, it’s neither here nor there?”