Grave Decisions (Hellgate Guardians Book 3)

by Ivy Asher

  Reachin’ down, I yank the towel off of Alder’s waist and then turn my head and lock lips with Flint. His tongue dives in past my lips, plungin’ in and out like he’s showin’ me what he wants to do with his cock. My mouth waters.

  Alder rises up in front of me, a gleam of arrogance over his expression as he swipes the back of his hand against his mouth. “You taste delicious,” he croons.

  Need slams through me so violently that I gasp again at the surgin’ emotion. I need them right now. I need more. I need to feel all of them, every inch of their bodies, as they move with mine. Each of us connectin’ and claimin’ as we stamp our names all over each other.

  I waste no time turnin’ chest to chest with Flint and then bendin’ over, archin’ my back in the process and unapologetically takin’ what’s mine. Before he can even get his hands in my hair, my mouth is on Flint’s rock hard cock.

  “Fuck,” he pants out, fingers delvin’ into my scalp.

  I pop off to lick him from base to tip, and then I dive back on, makin’ sure there’s plenty of lubrication so my mouth slides over his pulsin’ length with sloppy ease. “Shit. Fuck. Just like that, Peaches.”

  Behind me, I feel Alder grip his dick and start slidin’ it between my thighs, lettin’ the wetness from my orgasm coat his length. “Mmm, I’m going to fuck your pretty pussy now, Medley,” he murmurs, a hand comin’ up to stroke the arc of my spine before he pets the sensitive curve of my wing. “You ready, Petal?”

  I whimper around Flint’s cock because I need exactly that. I want to be completely filled, to be connected and share pleasure with them, to erase thoughts and talk of others that don’t matter and never could in the context of our bond—of our forever.

  “Shit, I think her enthusiasm means yes,” Flint grits out, one of his hands movin’ from my hair to the top of my wing. When he delves beneath the feathers, Alder lines the head of his cock up with my entrance.

  “Keep rubbing her wing like that,” I hear Alder murmur, and Flint follows suit.

  Steady fingers curve into the erogenous spots of my wings, and then Alder is pushin’ inside of me, and the sensation of both things happenin’ at the same time is enough to make my toes curl.

  In and out he eases, slow enough that the bulbous head of his cock presses into me just right, strokin’ up a fire deep in my belly while my pussy strains to accommodate him.

  I get distracted from workin’ Flint’s length with my mouth when Alder reaches around me, one hand goin’ up to my breast, and the other settlin’ right back on my swollen clit. I jolt in surprise, my nub overly sensitive from his mouth’s earlier attentions.

  “Keep sucking me, Medley,” Flint rumbles, and I quickly get back to pleasurin’ him. I swirl my tongue over his head before I hollow my cheeks and work my hands against his base and my mouth up and down his length.

  With exquisite slowness, my pussy flutters over Alder’s thick girth, until finally, he bottoms out, his hand squeezin’ my nipple as he thrusts all the way in. I move to pull off of Flint’s cock at the stretch, but Alder’s movements jerk me forward, and I get lowered back down, Flint’s dick hittin’ the back of my throat and makin’ me gag.

  “Oh, fuck the Morning Star, choke on my cock again,” he grits out.

  I pull back, feelin’ Alder pull back at the same time, and when he thrusts his hips hard again, my mouth rams down over Flint. The head of his cock goes so deep I gag around him once more, but instead of poppin’ immediately off, I force myself to breathe through my nose and swallow, makin’ the muscles of my throat relax and take him.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck, yes,” Flint chants, hands fistin’ my hair. “Take it, Peaches. That feels so fucking good.”

  Like my good work is spurrin’ Alder on too, the hand at my breast grips my hip instead, and he starts fuckin’ me rough and fast, without any more restraint. Every time he plunges into me, my mouth thrusts just as hard onto Flint, until they’re workin’ my body in perfect rhythm to fuck them both.

  I can feel and taste every inch of them as they fill me completely, my breath comin’ in fast pants as I breathe through the steam that clogs the air and surrounds us in a haze of carnal desire.

  I come hard around Alder’s cock, his fingers pinchin’ my clit as he slams into me again and again. I scream around Flint, feelin’ it the moment Alder roars, and he comes inside of me in scaldin’ hot ribbons.

  My scream of pleasure chokes off as Flint’s fingers tighten in my hair. His balls draw up, and then I’m swallowin’ his release, gulp after salty gulp, until he’s completely spent.

  We practically collapse on the sauna floor, a tangle of flushed limbs, sweat-soaked skin, and erratic breathin’. We try to float in our post-orgasmic bliss, but suddenly, this room is too hot and stiflin’.

  “Let’s get out of here before we fucking suffocate,” Alder puffs out, and then I’m bein’ helped to my feet, the three of us spillin’ out of the steam-filled room and into the small changin’ room next to the sauna.

  “That. Was. Amazin’,” I pant, suckin’ in great gulps of cool, fresh air.

  The guys chuckle at my flushed, sweaty face, and Flint smacks me on the ass as they pull me toward the large open shower to clean me up, but I’m droopier than a cut tulip, so I decide to just make them do all the work of washin’ me up.

  They don’t seem to mind one bit.

  33

  “Would you like another glass?” Echo asks me, his black eyes droppin’ to my empty cup.

  “Sure,” I chirp excitedly as he gets up from the sofa and grabs another bottle of demon spirits off the bar. He refills my glass and a couple other glasses, and I thank him as I focus on Delta’s story.

  “Wait, so Satan himself knew who our mother was but wouldn’t tell you or Tazreel?” I ask, shocked that Delta met the actual ruler of Hell and threatened him with her scythe.

  Damn, she’s got some balls.

  Flint leans back on the sofa that we commandeered and snakes his arm around my shoulders. Alder has his hand on my thigh, and across from us on the opposite couch sit all of Delta’s demons, while she sort of rests splayed across all of them. It’s adorable how they each need to touch her constantly like she’s the magnet and they simply have no choice but to succumb to her pull.

  It’s been two weeks since Nefta and Tazreel and their soldiers left. We’ve all fallen into a nice routine of breakfast, trainin’, alone time with our mates—which is code for very hot sex—more meals, more trainin’, and nights where we relax, tell stories, and just spend time enjoyin’ one another’s company.

  It’s nice, but I can also tell that Flint and Alder are anxious to get back home. I can’t lie, as much fun as I have with Delta and gettin’ to know each other better, I miss my mama and daddy, and I miss Alder and Flint’s house. Not that Perdition Estate isn’t nice in a very luxurious sort of way, but I’m a simple person, and I miss the homey feel of Alder and Flint’s place. Well, that, and my mama’s cookin’.

  Out of nowhere, Strut comes rushin’ into the sittin’ room with a black armored demon right on his heels. Delta immediately sits up on the laps of her guys, and the demon stops to salute her and then me as I quickly put my glass down. “I beg your pardon for the interruption, Progenies of Pride, but I have news from your father.” The soldier pauses, like he’s waitin’ for us to actually pardon him or give him permission to continue.

  “Yes, what is it?” Delta encourages worriedly, and the soldier slightly relaxes, hands clasped in front of him.

  “After much searching and interrogation, we’ve discovered that your sister Sable was sent to a facility for the insane when she was a child.”

  I blink through my sudden stupor as the soldier’s words hit me in the chest like a sledgehammer.

  Our sister was sent to an insane asylum at three years old?

  Outrage and shock bubble up my throat, and I can see that Delta is strugglin’ with the same feelings.

  “Does that mean you found her?” I ask, not sure
what that would even look like. How does someone grow up in a facility their whole life and come away from it anywhere close to okay?

  “Do you know why she was sent there?” Delta inquires, her voice small and her gray eyes equally as troubled as my own.

  The demon shakes his head. “We have not been able to locate her. The facility she grew up in was closed recently, and many of the permanent residents were moved to other places around the country. Your sire is working on it, so rest assured that it’s only a matter of time before he finds her,” the soldier answers, his voice filled with pride and unwaverin’ devotion.

  Disappointment floods me. So close. It feels like we’re so close to findin’ her, but she just keeps evadin’ everyone, slippin’ through our fingers like sand.

  “After some persuasion,” the soldier goes on, a glint in his eyes sparkin’ at that word, “the adoptive parents said that she was hallucinating and had become a danger to herself and those around her,” he states simply, and my stomach drops even more.

  I lean forward, placin’ my elbows on my knees and my hands over my mouth. I feel Flint rub a comfortin’ hand over my back as I take all of this in. Sable was seein’ things. How is a three-year-old a danger to anythin’?

  I look up at Delta, and our eyes meet. “Her blocks must have not worked,” I say quietly, and she nods solemnly.

  “That’s what I was thinking too.”

  For a little girl to be seein’ demons and angels from the get-go and not havin’ anyone believe her...my eyes burn with the emotion that wells up inside of me at that thought.

  “Is there anything else we need to know?” Rafferty asks, takin’ the lead when he sees Delta and I are too overwhelmed.

  “No, sir, and I must get back.”

  Rafferty nods. “Thank you for the report.”

  The soldier bows to us and then does this fancy lookin’ pivot thing before he quickly strides out of the room, Strut now on his tail so he can show him out.

  I feel like the messenger took all the air in the room with him when he left. I don’t even know what to think or where to begin, but I can’t help worryin’ that we might be too late for Sable. I hate the thought, but I can’t help feelin’ as though even if she wasn’t insane goin’ into a mental hospital, she could very well be when she comes out.

  “What are we going to do?” Delta asks no one in particular as Crux rubs calmin’ circles over the back of her wing.

  “We wait and see,” Alder tells us. “We won’t know what we’re dealing with until we can meet her and see for ourselves.”

  I nod, and my thoughts drift to a million possibilities of what life must have been like for her.

  “They’ll find her,” Rafferty announces, and he wraps an arm around Delta’s shoulders and pulls her into his side. “This is a good thing. They’ll find her, and then we’ll all do everything we can to help her heal.”

  “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t that,” she admits, and I nod absently in agreement.

  “Do you think Nefta knows?” I ask Delta, and she shrugs hollowly.

  I wonder what her reaction to that news will be. Based on the short amount of time I’ve known her, I don’t think she’s gonna take it well.

  We sit in silence for a few moments, everyone just digestin’ this news, all of us probably thinkin’ about poor Sable and what kind of life she’s had. I can’t help thinkin’ that could’ve been Delta. Or me.

  I already had blackouts as a kid, my tribulations made it seem like someone or somethin’ else seemed to surface out of me, protective by any means necessary. But I had wonderful parents who not only accepted me, but supported and helped me every step of the way. Parents who taught me to love myself for who I was. Sable was abandoned. Not only that, but she was called insane and thrown away, shoved into a psychiatric ward. Who the hell does that to a little kid?

  I turn to look at Alder. “I need to call my mama and daddy later,” I tell him in a small voice. I need to hear their comfortin’ voices.

  His eyes soften and lavender lips press against my temple. “Of course, Petal.”

  I smile softly at him. “Thanks.”

  A sigh escapes me as I slump back on the couch, my fingers runnin’ through my hair. “Can we talk about somethin’ else? I feel like I might throw up worryin’ about Sable. I hate that we can’t do more other than just sit here and wait,” I say honestly.

  Delta puffs up her cheeks before lettin’ out a long exhale. “Yeah. We need to stay busy.”

  “And ready,” I add, feelin’ a renewed conviction in my bones.

  “Want to go train some more?” Jerif asks, fiery hair shimmerin’ in the gas-lamp light of the room.

  Delta grimaces. “Ugh, no. I meant stay busy by doing something else. Like cleaning out a junk drawer or folding laundry,” she tells him. “Or sex.”

  I snicker, her mates givin’ her bemused expressions.

  “Careful, Jeter,” Crux tells her. “You’re getting gluttonous.”

  “Yeah, you’re the daughter of Pride, not Gluttony,” Echo tells her, his shadows movin’ across his pale skin.

  Delta shrugs, and then a thought pops in my head. “Oh, you mentioned somethin’ about Flint’s past,” I say, lookin’ over to my mate. “You were gonna tell her the story about how you first became a Guardian.”

  Flint cocks a dark eyebrow. “You really want to hear that story right now?”

  Delta and I exchange a look and both nod. “Yep.”

  He seems uncomfortable under the sudden attention from everyone in the room. He moves a hand to the back of his neck and scratches at it awkwardly. “There’s not a whole lot to tell…” he hedges.

  Delta snorts. “Oh, come on. My guys insisted I come talk to you that day to hear your story. They were convinced that it would change my mind about embracing the duty of becoming a Gate Guardian. Not that I technically can become a Guardian, but we didn’t know that at the time...” she trails off. “Sorry, not important. Tell us what happened with you.”

  Flint straightens himself on the couch, and I move back until I’m settled sideways on Alder’s lap with my wings against the armrest so that I can face Flint while also givin’ him room to tell his story.

  He brushes a hand over his smooth jaw, his eyes movin’ to the carpet as he gathers his thoughts. “I wasn’t supposed to be a Guardian,” he begins. “Alder...he was a legacy, and he always knew he’d serve next. Guardianship passes down through the bloodlines that Lucifer selected a millennia ago. But me? I never could’ve anticipated that I’d be chosen for this.”

  “What were you planning to do before?” Rafferty asks curiously.

  “Serve one of the Abdicated,” Flint replies. “I was aiming for...umm...Lust,” he says quickly, eyes dartin’ over to me before he keeps goin’. “But I was in the running for both Lust and Avarice. It was going to give my family the social boost they wanted. Everyone was depending on me to get in good standing with the Abdicated. It was going to help my kin move up.”

  “But then you were called to be a Guardian instead,” Echo says.

  Flint nods. “I was pissed, to say the least. It was right before the Abdicated announced who they were going to take. I was a shoo-in for the position. My family was already celebrating, buying shit...and then it was all yanked out from under me, and I was called to be a Guardian. I didn’t understand what it all meant or how I was even chosen in the first place,” he says with a rueful shake of his head. “The disappointment in my family’s eyes...like I was the one who did something wrong. Like I chose it…”

  Delta’s brows pull together. “I thought being a Gate Guardian was pretty badass to you demons?”

  “To some,” Rafferty answers her. “To the legacy families who anticipate it, train for it, it’s a very big honor. But most demons…”

  “They don’t want to be tied down to a thankless duty for their entire lives,” Jerif cuts in. “They don’t want to be sucked dry of power until they’re a husk of themse
lves, all for the sake of humans who could never understand or appreciate the sacrifice.”

  Rafferty nods solemnly. “We don’t get to choose it. The gate chooses the next in the bloodline. Plus, with the Hellgate deteriorating, it keeps requiring more and more power to pull. Because of that, sometimes the chosen Guardians aren’t enough, like with us. That’s why we had to keep hiring Outer Ringers to help us,” he explains, lookin’ at Delta. “But it always drained them fast. Faster than they could survive. And then we were right back where we started, needing more help than we could get. It became harder and harder to get demons to bind themselves to the portal.”

  Damn.

  Echo nods. “Exactly. So, yeah, it’s a big deal what we do, and there’s a certain esteem that comes with the job, but it’s also an eventual death sentence, and everyone knows it.”

  “Yep,” Crux adds, runnin’ a hand through his blond hair. “Lots of demons hate the idea of becoming a Guardian for that reason alone. Demons crave power. The last thing most of us want is to be tied down to a Hellgate that constantly sucks that power from us.”

  My eyes move back to Flint. “So you were bitter,” I summarize.

  “I was bitter,” he agrees with a nod. “I basically went to meet Alder kicking and screaming.”

  “He was a complete bastard,” Alder says with a quirk of his lips.

  “Literally,” Flint announces with a hollow chuckle. “And once I realized the how in my being chosen, my life really blew up beyond recognition.”

  I stare at Flint with confusion as he pauses and shakes his head. I reach out and thread my fingers through his, and he brings my knuckles to his lips and kisses them softly.

  “My sire didn’t take too well to finding out that I wasn’t his progeny by blood. I lost my dreams for my future and my family in one fell swoop. It was hard.”

  My mouth pops open as realization dawns, and it suddenly becomes blatantly clear why Flint never expected to be selected as the next Guardian in his bloodline. He didn’t know he was even in that bloodline. That’s a pretty horrible way to find out your daddy ain’t your real daddy.