by Eden Rivers
Alec might have several inches on him, but Zach packed in more pounds in sheer, beefy muscle. Although Zach had his mom’s Asian eyes and light brown skin, he favored his brawler of a dad hands down for physique. When they wrestled for the top, Zach always got that spot, and tonight, he looked more than ready to kick Alec’s butt.
“Look, Zach…” Although Alec extended his hand in what he’d intended as a placating gesture, Zach’s magic flared as if he expected Alec to pick a fight.
His own power rose in response, and he feared they’d reached the point where they might do each other some serious harm. Brawls were one thing, but fighting with the full resources of their power left open the possibility for some seriously fucked-up shit.
Swimming in more testosterone than any woman should have to put up with, and sick and tired of all the male feather ruffling, Skyler shook her head. “The heat I’m sensing between you two seems to have a hell of a lot more to do with him screwing your ass than kicking it.”
“Is this your real personality peeking out?” Alec’s breath escaped through his teeth as Zach called home his energy. Leave it to Sky to find a way to diffuse the tension. “Because if it is, although I’m glad you’re feeling more at ease, I think I’m more afraid of you than Zach.”
Zach shook his head, and Sky regarded Alec coolly.
“You haven’t had sex since what happened with Jaimis, have you?” She watched carefully for Alec’s response, but he didn’t so much as flinch. In fact, she might as well have been evaluating a statue. “Shit, please don’t shut down on me. I crossed a line there ‑‑ I’m sorry. It’s just, earlier, when you bent over backward to create a scene where we never actually touched each other, I got the sense that wasn’t just for me. You weren’t ready, either. And seeing you with Zach… It’s as if you’d rather risk coming to magical blows than face a little intimacy.”
“Okay, you win. I surrender.” Grabbing a corner of the white blanket he sat on, Alec flapped it back and forth. “Next topic, please.”
Hunched over, his furrowed brow illuminated by the flickering green light of Zach’s glow sphere, naked and vulnerable, Alec looked like he wanted to be left alone. Which was what she read when she brushed his thoughts. But he’d started something earlier, and dragged her right into the middle of who knows what with him and Zach. The landscape right now was all about survival, and if Alec had issues, best to flush them out into the open where they couldn’t provide a potentially lethal distraction during the next crisis.
“We’ll make this about me, then. Before I left, the healers told me that emotionally, I’m about where a human would be five years out following an attack that savage and prolonged. They did their best with their amulets, sacred baths, healing rites, and daily care of my battered psyche.”
She paused, glancing over at Zach to see if this was all more information than he could handle, but he nodded at her to continue.
“For all intents and purposes, other than the additional benefits of putting more time between me and what I suffered at Jaimis’s hands, this is about as healed as I’m going to get.” She darted a glance at Alec. “Short of recovering my memories somehow, and repairing my damaged aura so my magic works right again.”
“Your point is?” Alec looked half-strangled, his skin more pale than golden, and strands of wavy brown hair clung to his sweaty forehead.
“I made sure I had sex before I left the healers’ care. A couple women, and then a man. Didn’t tilt my universe, and it sure as hell reinforced that vanilla isn’t my flavor, but I did it. As part of the healing process.”
“I’m thinking she may have a point here, friend.” Zach raised an eyebrow in Alec’s direction.
“Right. So just because I don’t do casual sex ‑‑” Alec ran his hands over the back of his neck, grimaced, and rolled his shoulders as if he were fighting a mother of a headache. ‑‑ “and wasn’t interested in a quick fuck just for the sake of proving I’m able.” Alec glanced at Sky, then down at his hands, and she caught a flood of turmoil that made her want to weep. “That makes me less healed? Less able to cope? More easily distracted during a crisis?”
For all his bravado, she felt his pain like physical blows and knew she’d hit a nerve. Witches were a sensual lot. Sex was as natural as breathing, all tied up with energy and magic. Mess with that, and over time, it couldn’t help but throw a witch off center.
“I’m thinking maybe so.” Zach’s black hair gleamed like obsidian in the green light, and he hunched his shoulders with his hands around his knees, as if to make himself appear less threatening. Not an easy feat for someone with that much muscle. “Sorry, I call it like I see it.”
“Whatever craziness is between us, you sure as hell can’t call it casual.” Skyler inched closer, until her hair brushed Alec’s knee.
“Your point?”
“Like I said, what didn’t happen upstairs earlier ‑‑ I think you played it that way as much for your sake as for mine.”
Channeling every bit of her old brashness, Sky rested her hands on Alec’s thighs and let the blanket fall away from her breasts. “So if casual sex is a problem, we’ve established there’s nothing casual about us. And you blessed well have something solid, something real, going on with Zach.”
The room got quiet enough to hear the wind outside and the soft scrape of a branch against the windowpane. But this time, when her instincts raised a red alert, she knew it had more to do with what might happen here than with any of Jaimis’s thugs sneaking up on them.
“Look, you’ve made your point, Sky. Alec knows it. And I know it. He’s still got some healing to do ‑‑ and despite assertions to the contrary, I’m pretty sure you do, too. But I think the best thing for all of us right now is for you two to head back upstairs and get some sleep. Goddess knows what morning will bring, and we should get some rest while…”
“No!”
Sky and Zach flinched at Alec’s shout, and a few moments of strained silence followed.
“I. Will. Not. Accept. Your. Pity.” The words rasped out of Alec’s throat with the force of wind tearing at a mountainside. A mask of pain settled over his face, his eyes narrowed, and lines furrowed his forehead. “And damn it, I won’t have you treat me as anything less than an equal!”
Sky gasped as Alec’s aura flared to life, crackling around him white hot and furious. But Zach simply moved closer and wrapped his arms around his friend, entering into the raging field of energy until it encompassed him, as well.
“You’re the bravest motherfucker I’ve ever met. But I don’t see any good coming of you and me getting naked and wet together on your first night back in the U.S. Don’t see it doing Sky any good to watch, either. And things being as tense as they are, I’m not about to send her back upstairs on her own.”
“I’ve watched before. Bless it, there’s not much of anything I haven’t done in the past. Although I’ll admit, the thing in the bathtub with the fruit earlier was a bit of a novelty, even for me.” Her heart pounded, skipped a couple beats, and skittered erratically before settling back into a normal rhythm.
Sky couldn’t for the life of her say what she wanted to happen here tonight. But she knew she didn’t want to think about Jaimis. Or the past. Or being hurt. Or what lay ahead. And she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Alec’s fear would dissipate once he fought his way past it and admitted he deserved a bit of love.
“I thought we were talking about sex and healing, not love.” Although he glared at her, his eyes reflected a heap of pain. “I know, I need to stay the fuck out of your head. But I just can’t seem to manage that. You’re like this magnet, and I’m so caught up in your mind, I can’t escape.”
When Zach started taking off his sleep-rumpled shirt, both of them whirled to watch. Sky couldn’t have called what would happen next if her life depended on it. So she waited. Tense. Alert. All but holding her breath.
When the burly bodyguard of a witch stripped off his shirt, she gasped at the sheer
magnificence of his rock-hard abs, his broad shoulders, and the intricate tattoo on his left shoulder. The hawk stretched its wings in living color, each feather outlined with meticulous precision. Inching forward, Sky reached out to trace her finger along the outline.
Zach’s skin felt warm under her fingertips, solid and reassuring. “I bet that hurt.”
“Not as much as taking a bullet. But yeah, it smarted some.”
Oooh, a tough guy. Smiling, she leaned into his body heat and waited to see what Alec would do.
“North!”
Well, she hadn’t anticipated that move. As he shifted on the bed, turning toward the east, or rather toward the oversized closets that lined the eastern wall, she raised a quizzical eyebrow.
“East!” When this guy called the quarters, he put everything he had into it.
“South!” White yellow light flared around the bed, shimmering in an incomplete half-dome overhead.
“West!” As Alec called the final point, the circle closed around them, snug and secure as the magic sealed them off from outside interference, a cocoon protecting them from harm, magnifying both magic and emotions within its boundaries.
Sky paused a moment to wonder why she felt safe, rather than trapped, but figured at this hour it didn’t bear examining. Zach seemed to make some sort of decision after Alec created the circle, and he popped the button over his fly, slid the zipper down, and wiggled out of his jeans. No boxers or briefs under there. Just stone-hard, naked witch.
Despite her bravado, having two bare-ass male witches in a sealed circle ‑‑ when she didn’t have anything more than a blanket wrapped around her ‑‑ left her more than a little on edge. Zach’s cock jutted out, the swollen veins displayed prominently in the flickering light of the circle.
“Look, I can do this ‑‑ watch, I mean ‑‑ so long as everything stays sort of…” Calm? Gentle? Safe?
Not generally words that applied to sex between a couple of horny male witches. And Alec radiated just as many hot and hungry vibes as Zach. The vignettes flashing through his mind both startled and aroused her. These two owned a lot of history together. No doubt about that.
“Nobody’s after a wild roll on the sheets tonight.” Zach held out his hand, and after a moment, Alec took it and let his friend pull him up against his side. “Slow and easy. No one gets hurt, and no one gets spooked.”
“Treading awfully fucking close to sympathy again.”
“No.” Zach cut off Alec’s protest, and reached out to rest a hand on Sky’s shoulder, never taking his eyes off Alec. “Never that, so get the chip off your shoulder before I knock it off for you. Fact is, you and Skyler have more than a little reason to be skittish. No amount of bluster will change that, so let’s call it like it is and deal with it. And I’m inclined to agree with Sky that if we get past this awkward bit and release some tension, all of us will be more focused, and thus apt to stay alive when the dark witch throws everything he has our way.”
“You don’t put up with a lot of bullshit, do you?” Bless it, she liked this guy.
Everything about Zach made her curious, from his tough cop exterior, to the compassion she sensed welling under the surface, even the contradiction of his delicate Asian features and his brawny, broad-shouldered physique. Curious enough to ignore the possessive little whisper at the back of her mind that wanted to jump out and start marking her territory, plastering “No Trespassing” signs all over Alec’s golden chest.
“Watch yourself.” Alec turned to face Zach. “Sky’s got her back up a bit on this one.”
Rather than protest once again that he should get the fuck out of her mind, she broadcasted an image of Alec in a very cold place ‑‑ naked ‑‑ with his cock all hunched up against his body like a teeny little turtle tucking its head back into its shell.
“I don’t have any kind of claim on Alec.” Her witch’s sense for truth detected a shiver of falsehood in her own voice, though she wasn’t inclined to stop and examine why. “Okay, fine, even if I did, you two have a longer history, a stronger…”
When Zach leaned forward, cupped the back of her neck, and kissed her, her mind stuttered to a halt. He tasted like licorice, and he smelled like the forest, clean and fresh, like sunshine on trees. Kissing him hadn’t been in the plan, but it felt ‑‑ right. Good.
When Alec growled low under his breath, she backed away. “Want to give me something to compare it too?”
What was that old cliché? Something about, Be careful what you wish for? Alec wrapped his arms around her, his cock pressed tight against her thigh and his chest hot against her breasts. The blanket remained abandoned back by Zach, and she curled into the strength of Alec’s arms, naked and warm. His hair brushed her cheek as he leaned closer still, a wild brown mane warm with the heat of his body and rich with the scent of fresh air and forests.
The kiss teased across her senses like a promise, as gentle as the brush of butterfly wings. Once she relaxed into the lulling warmth of his mouth, lost in the taste of honey and the scent of fresh picked berries, he nipped her bottom lip. She gasped in surprise, and he took advantage of the moment to slide his tongue past her lips. Darting her tongue against his, she gasped for air, drowning in the sensual pressure of his mouth moving against hers.
By the time he let her go, little darts of pleasure traveled across her chest and then sank lower, landing in the general vicinity of her clit. Oh, goddess, she’d forgotten this. The heady pleasure of being with someone she cared about. The last time she had feelings like this for a partner, well, she’d probably have to count back to those few months with Lena during college.
“You and I have a lot to talk about later, sweet witch, but tonight, Zach and I need to get some things straight.” Alec sat back on his heels and frowned. “For starters, he needs to understand I can take anything he has to give.”
“You think?” Zach sat absolutely still, waiting for Alec to come to him. “Because my dick’s so stiff right about now, I’m not in the mood to be teased.”
Skyler dragged the blanket back over her shoulders and curled up near the end of the bed.
“Not a good plan. Hang out down there, and you’re likely to get kicked when things get hot and hectic.” Zach patted the spot beside him, on the right side of the bed, and she shifted to accommodate.
Next, he held out his hand to Alec. Time froze for a few seconds, and then Alec moved closer, until his knees pressed against Zach’s.
Zach swallowed hard and knotted his fists in the blankets. He didn’t have fancy words to describe the shit unfolding here. And he didn’t have Alec’s fancy education to help him understand it. Never took a philosophy class ‑‑ knew Jack shit about psychology.
But as a cop, his instincts never let him down. And as a witch, his foresight often served him ‑‑ both as a blessing and a curse. By the Horned God, he couldn’t say how they’d all come out of this mess, but he knew deep in his bones they had to do it together. Knew that even before he’d called Sorren to throw in his lot with Sky and Alec, come what may.
“We’ll be okay.” Reaching up to touch Alec’s hair, Zach tried to believe his own words of reassurance.
In the end, he thought they all had a decent chance of coming out of this whole. But first, they needed to raise the stakes. Weave themselves so fucking close together, they’d fight like wildcats to protect each other. Get close enough that the thought of Jaimis’s soldiers getting their hands on any one of them would provoke raw, unchecked wrath. Close enough that the fear of losing a single member of this crazy little group would trigger grief strong enough to foster a killing rage. A rage they’d need if push came to shove and they found themselves with their backs against the wall.
One fucked-up divination, that.
“Zach?” Skyler inched closer and touched his face, and recalling from Sorren’s briefings that she’d picked up telepathic skills in direct proportion to the magic she’d lost, he buried his thoughts so deep she wouldn’t be able to knock them l
oose with land mines.
“Just thinking. Bad habit, for a cop. Can only lead to trouble.” Holding back the want bubbling just beneath the surface, he brushed a tender kiss across her neck. “What say you help me tame an ornery witch?”
Her laughter bubbled up clear and light, and as Zach gripped Alec’s shoulder and eased him down onto his back, Sky scooted around to the other side and helped pile pillows around him to make a sort of nest. Cozy and secure.
Zach grabbed Sky’s hand, held on tight, and bent down to kiss Alec. When his friend flinched and turned away, Zach pressed forward to link with him.
Easy does it.
If Alec were the one comforting him, he could probably come up with a bit of poetry, a phrase from a song, something perfect enough to soothe away all the hurt. But the only resources Zach had at his fingertips were simple words and touch. He pressed his hand against Alec’s chest, felt his heartbeat skitter like a frightened animal.
Sky, bless her messed-up little heart, lay beside Alec with her head resting on his shoulder, as if she were the one seeking comfort. That seemed to do the trick, since Alec whispered soothing words to her, and his heartbeat slowed down to something approaching normal speed.
You’re wrong. I don’t have any poetry for this. Nothing to put you at ease. No bits of songs. But I know this is hard for you, too.
Zach smiled as Alec’s thoughts wound through his mind, content that the link they shared still held after all these years. Just hearing Alec’s voice in his head did him a heap of good. This time, when he leaned in for a kiss, Alec accepted his tongue, sucking and making hungry noises.
You taste like honey. Something new, that. Zach wondered if he was tasting Sky’s juices on Alec’s lips, and the thought sent an erotic charge straight to his groin.
Sky tossed her head, her black hair lashing out across them, all soft and sweet smelling. “No. What you taste is just that. Honey. We, ah, did some kinky shit in the bathtub earlier. Trust me, Alec hasn’t had a taste of me yet.”