by L. A. Boruff
"Next, wolf." The dealer filled another glass with a green liquid that bubbled. It was thick and looked more like a science experiment gone wrong.
"I don't think that's safe to take," Davies mused.
"He has to if we want to go to the next round," I said.
"It looks painful." Elliot leaned forward and sniffed it. He jumped back, his nose curled in disgust. "And smells like it will kill him too."
"It'll be fine," Venni said, grabbing the glass. He didn't sound so sure, but he took one for the team and knocked it back. I held my breath, ready to use my magic to do whatever needed to be done. His face turned pallid and he looked like he was ready to pass out. He shook his head, his eyes growing dull.
"Dammit," he said, glancing around.
"What?" I asked.
"There's a leprechaun dancing a jig on the counter. Please tell me you all see that."
We glanced where he was focused and saw nothing.
"That's all you, man." Davies snickered.
"And the pixies flying around Laila's head?" he asked.
"Definitely all you," I said.
"Dammit."
"That's not too bad," Elliot said.
"Until he sees something he perceives as a threat," I said as his eyes narrowed on something and his lips curled into a snarl. He stepped forward, toward no one, and I grabbed onto him. "Okay, big man, do me a favor, please."
"What," he asked, his skin moving as he fought against a shift. His eyes moved off to the side and I smacked both my hands against each cheek, forcing him to look at me.
"Me. Focus on me. No growling, no snarling, just focus on me. You're seeing things and I'd rather you don't start a brawl in the bar. At least wait until we get our clue."
He didn’t respond, but his eyes stay focused on me. I took that as a good sign.
"Next," I said to Davies.
"He has to do a body shot off a group member," the dealer said. She pulled out three cards and held them out to Davies. "Choose."
He glanced at me before the cards. "Please be Laila. Please be Laila," he chanted as he grabbed a card. He lifted it up slowly to show the dealer. In fat, cursive letters, it reads 'Venni'. Unable to hold back, I laughed hard, and Elliot joined me. Venni was too busy swatting at something in the air with a scowl. Davies looked sick as he stared at Venni. "Do I have too?" he asked.
"You do if you want us to win," I teased.
He groaned. "Fucking card game. Dammit." He rubbed a hand over his face and glared at Venni.
"Don't look at him, it's not his fault," I said and snickered.
"Please have your wolf lay on the counter," the dealer said, clearing it off so we had space.
"Venni," I said sweetly. He stopped trying to strangling something that by the size of his fists, was small.
He looked at me with an annoyed expression. "You really don't see them?" he asked.
"I really don't. We need you to lay on the counter so Davies can do a body shot off you."
"No."
"Yes." I smiled. "Don't you want us to win? I want to win."
He glared at Davies and then did as he was told and stretched out on the counter.
"Shirt off," the dealer said.
Davies groaned as Venni sat up and removed his shirt, showing off an impressive display of abs and chest muscles. He leaned back down and the dealer spread salt around his nipple, put the shot cup on his stomach, balancing it carefully on one of his abs. She then shoved the lime wedge into his mouth. I practically choked on my spit as my eyes bugged out. Heat danced low in my stomach and I was pretty sure my panties were damp now as the show played out.
"I'm doing this fast, so don't fucking move or touch me." Davies glowered.
"Don't flatter yourself," Venni replied dryly after pulling the wedge out of his mouth. The dealer grabbed it from him, shoved it back into his mouth, and then pushed his head down.
"Just do it." I laughed.
Davies' lip curled in disgust as he stepped up to Venni who was laid out like a feast for him. I had to admit, I was a little jealous. I wanted to do a body shot off of Venni.
"No, here," the dealer said. "Kneel here." She pushed Venni's legs off the counter so they dangled over the sides and patted the space between his legs.
"Fuck..." I whispered, so completely turned on by the sight. My breath hitched and my pussy clenched.
Davies' jaw clenched as he positioned himself careful between Venni's legs and leaned forward so his hands rested on the sides and he hovered over Venni. My breaths were heavier the closer they got and I didn't know where to look. My eyes met the dealer's and she sent a wink my way before stepping back. She just became my new best friend.
"Now go," she said, sounding just a little breathy. There was something about seeing these two large men in such an intimate position together.
"Fuck," Davies said. His eyes met mine and stayed on me as he leaned forward, his groin and stomach so close to Venni. His tongue came out and he licked Venni's nipple, taking the salt. My breath stopped as he moved down Venni's body and pulled the shot glass into his mouth, knocking it back. The dealer grabbed it from him as Davies moved back up and completely covered Venni with barely an inch between them. Their groins were so close together and my mind short-circuited as new fantasies filled them.
Without realizing it, I moved closer so I could see clearly as he went down to take the lime wedge. I moaned as Davies' mouth wrap around the lime, his lips brushing against Venni's as he got a good hold on the fruit. The moment the lime was in his mouth, he dove off the counter, and stood next to me.
"Damn. Can you do that again?" I asked, shifting around, my core burning, my pussy drenched, and my undies soaked. That had to be the hottest thing I'd ever seen.
"Never fucking again," Davies said, pulling the lime out of his mouth.
I stuck my lips out, pouting. "Please."
"No," Venni said, sitting up. He jumped off the counter, refusing to look any of us in the eyes.
The next few rounds didn't compare to that first one. We quickly got through to the clue after Elliot's hair turned purple, and I got cat ears grown on my head. Davies wouldn't stop playing with them and they were all too real and sensitive to touch. If they kept this up, I was going to jump them all by the end of the night, and we still had all evening to go.
Venni ended up being the one who got the clue this time and after we did the last round of shots, we tried stumbling our way out of the bar.
Just as we got to the entrance, someone yelled, "Fucking bastard," and it was followed by a large thud.
"Watch it!"
"Shit!"
More swearing filtered through the yelling and glass broke. The energy in the air sharpened painfully against my skin as the violence grew.
"Bar fight," Venni snapped. "Out now."
Davies grabbed my arm and pushed me through the crowd as the others in the bar tried to either join in or get out. People shoved against us, wanting out, creating a dangerous flow of bodies. When I was almost trampled, Davies scooped me up into his arms, and held on tight as he followed behind Venni and Elliot as they shoved through the crowd. He didn't let me go until we were outside and away from the door. More people piled outside.
"Is it normally this violent?" I asked.
"No," Davies answered. "The leprechauns usually do a better job keeping the violence to a minimum. Fights like that won't last long. The guards will break it up before any real damage is done."
As he said that, someone came out with a bloody face and missing nose. His lips were curled into a snarl, long teeth too big to fit in his mouth hung out.
Davies scowled. "Usually. This is over the top."
"Should we stop," Elliot asked.
"No!" I snapped. "We're doing good. Let's just read the clue and see where the next place is."
Venni looked down at the card. "Nothing on here."
"Let me see." I grabbed it and the magic was pinpricks against my fingers. "Magic is hiding it," I s
aid and sent in my own. The two magic pushed against each other until mine coaxed it to show the message. People would have been screwed if they did what people normally would assume needed to be done: light it on fire. As I thought that, a group nearby used a lighter and their only card lit up before disintegrating, confirming my theory. Most likely, they’d need to go back inside and do a challenge again and by their cursing, they agreed. They stomped back inside.
"What does it say?" Elliot asked.
"Why can't you iron a four-leaf clover?" I read in a low voice, not wanting others to overhear.
"Oh, that's easy," Elliot said. "You shouldn't press your luck."
Davies rubbed his jaw as he stared down at his phone. The movement of his hand over his stubbled jaw enthralled me and I remembered what it felt like to trail my lips over his wide jaw, feeling the hair there brush against my skin. "About a mile's walk is a pub called Lucky Press."
"I guess that's where we're going then," Venni said, breaking me from my trance.
Davies led the way and we went off to the third location. Three more challenges left. I glanced back at the bar. A healer transport showed up and a man in a white uniform jumped out, meaning someone got dangerously hurt during that brief fight. I pushed those worries away as we picked up speed, feeling the time restraint on the race.
4
Just as we got to Lucky Press, I came to a stop as a wide smile broke out across my face. The rest of my guys were standing around outside, talking quietly together. Alijah's head popped up and he sniffed the air, before turning his head to look over at us. His orange eyes narrowed as they met mine and I swore his tiger pushed forward to look at me. The others realized they lost his attention, and Rhett, Cyril, and Dwight all turned to face us.
"Laila," Cyril said with a wide grin as he looked me over from head to toes. "A pleasant surprise." He came over and my breath caught as his energy nearly did me in. I was already sensitive and horny as hell because of the last challenge, and all the alcohol was making it difficult to focus, so when he swept me into his arms, I leaned forward and kissed him hard, loving the way he tasted. As one of the last remaining dragons left in the world, he had a unique flavor. He tasted of fresh air, freedom in the skies, the sharpness of clouds. It was an addicting taste and since I wanted more, I pushed harder against him, shoving my tongue into his mouth and claiming him as mine.
Cyril was never one to back down, especially when it came to a dominance match. He returned the kiss with just as much fever. Only large hands on my waist pulling me back was the reason we separated. At some point, my legs had wrapped around him and my shirt had ridden up to show my bra.
"Laila, what's with you?" Dwight asked, pulling me off Cyril. While the hardness in his voice should have warned me of the danger, I knew better. He was jealous. Dwight's jealousy only came out when Cyril was around. For the most part, the two of them kept it toned down and never aimed at me. Not wanting him feeling left out, I turned in his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself up so I could kiss him. Where Cyril was fresh air, Dwight was the opposite, his scent and taste more aligned with the burning depths of Hell, or in his case, from his little pocket of Tír na nÓg. The humans had taken his home realm and twisted the stories, creating the idea of Hell instead. Dwight was the hellhound rumored to come out of Hell to drag people down into its depths. He was a warm comfort, wrapped tightly around my body, a safe place, somewhere to return to if I needed to relax.
Dwight kissed back just as hungrily as I did before pulling away. I whined, wanting more, and he frowned.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked again.
"I like kissing," I said.
Davies snorted. "We're doing the bar-hop race. I'm pretty sure this is a mixture of the alcohol and the things we had to do." He smirked, so damn proud of himself.
"What did you have to do?" Rhett asked curiously, the six-hundred year old vampire moved closer. Dwight let me go so I went to Rhett, greeting him with a quick kiss and a big smile.
"I got to watch Davies do a body shot off of Venni," I declared proudly.
"Dammit, Babe, don't go around telling everyone." Davies groaned and rubbed his face. "I'm trying to forget here."
"Why?" I asked. "It was hot. I want to do body shots."
Cyril grinned. "That can be arranged."
My mind went straight into the gutter as I imagined doing shots off Cyril. Or better yet, having Dwight doing shots off Cyril. Damn...
"No," Davies said. "Not that look. Don't do that look. No fucking way," he said.
"What?" I asked.
"That's the same look you had when you saw me do one off Venni. You're imagining one of us doing it to another of us. No way. If any body shots are to be given or taken, then you'll be involved. None of that man on man shit."
I smirked. "Someone protests a lot. Are you afraid of losing your man-card?" I asked sweetly.
His eyes narrowed and in a hard voice, said, “We all have our hard limits. That’s mine.”
I considered what he said and nodded. “Fair enough.” He just gave me a boundary and I had to respect that.
"How about we just get going," Elliot said. "We still have three more."
"Oh, yeah." I turned to Cyril and Dwight. Alijah and Rhett flanked the two of them and they looked like they were ready to go to war. "Why are you guys here?" I asked.
"Hunting," Cyril responded, flashing all his teeth in a predatory smile. "An idiot thinks she can get away with crossing me, so we’re hunting her down. I’m going to eat her when I find her.”
"Well... I guess that's an effective way of getting rid of your opponents," I replied.
Cyril's smile widened.
"She’s starting brawls in the pubs taking part in the marathon," Dwight expanded. "We think there's one participant she's after, we're just narrowing down who exactly."
"Oh, there was a pretty bad brawl at the last place. It broke out just as we were leaving," I said.
"And that's why we're here," Cyril said. "Told you this would be a good spot to start."
Dwight glowered before pulling out bracelets similar to the ones we wore. Instead of being orange like ours, theirs was a light blue. Excitement at going against them bubbled up inside of me.
"Race you?" I asked.
"What do I get when I win?" Cyril asked.
I leaned forward, feeling bold as I licked my lips. When my lips were by his ear, I whispered, "Anything you want to do to me for a night." Something I learned about the guys with exceptionally hearing was that they loved my voice. I used it as I told him his reward, making my voice a lower pitch and smooth.
"Fuck. Yes." Cyril picked me up and carried me inside of the bar. I giggled as the other supernaturals spotted him and recognized him right away. They jumped out of his way and we got a straight path to the bar.
Beautiful men and women worked behind the bar. A man and woman came over to service us. There was a soft glow to their bright eyes. The woman’s was a bright green, and the man's was a light blue. They were entrancing. Their magic skittered across my skin and with the roll of their hips as they moved closer, the way they held themselves, I knew exactly what they were. The employees tonight were succubi and incubi. They hid behind glamor to attract their prey and then fed off their sexual energy. Nothing dangerous. They didn't suck out the life force like some rumors that circulated for a while.
"Ready to play?" the woman purred, leaning forward to give a good view of her voluptuous breasts. Her black hair fell straight, framing a heart-shaped face. Her lips were swollen, a light blush along her cheeks. Hungry eyes took in the men around me and I scowled at her.
"What are we playing?" I asked.
"Survive us," she said in a sultry voice. "That's all. Careful though, time here passes differently."
I narrowed my eyes and leaned forward. "Bring it," I challenged.
Her lips curled into a predatorily smile.
"Very well. First up, the dragon." Her magic flared as she le
aned toward Cyril.
They locked eyes for a moment and Cyril leaned forward. His lips curled into a smile and my breath hitched as anger swelled inside of me along with jealousy. "Sorry, doll, but I'm taken," he said and turned to me. He yanked me forward and plastered a hard kiss on my lips. I gasped against the unexpected move and he swept his tongue inside of my mouth. My thoughts short-circuited and I could dimly hear the woman laugh as I moved closer to Cyril, wanting to feel his rock hard body against mine.
"Okay, enough," Dwight said, cockblocking us. Cyril growled and the people around us stiffened at the clear threat nearby.
"Not here," I reminded them, barely gathering my thoughts after that kiss and that claiming.
"The dragon passes," the woman said. "But how about you, Black Dog, can you resist?" She reached out and clamped her hand around his wrist, her long green-painted nails reflecting the dancing blue sparkling lights floating by the ceiling.
Dwight smiled. "Don't even bother. We both know you can't do shit to me."
She huffed and eyed me briefly. I just smirked. When her eyes met Davies and Elliot's, her smile widened. "Maybe not with the supes, but how about with the humans?" Triumph filled her voice as she waved the two of them to her. We made room for them and I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek as I planned her death. I was never a jealous person, not until these men came into my life. While they had to share me, I didn't give them that same opportunity. I'd turn any woman who dared to touch them into those big beady-eyed aye-ayes and then squash them if they dared.
But this was the challenge. I gritted my teeth as she turned her magic onto two of my men. The two of them swayed, completely taken in with her. If we wanted to move on from the challenge, we'd need to break their trance.
Not wanting to overthink this, and knowing that the others in the bar were too distracted by the bartenders, I grabbed onto the person closest to me, which ended up being Alijah. I yanked him close and jumped up onto the bar to sit. If I couldn't touch Elliot and Davies, then I needed to get their attention the only way I knew how without forfeiting the challenge, by getting their attention. I wrapped my legs around Alijah and pulled him until I could feel him pressed up against my core.