by M F Adele
York smirked at me and yelled, “Starfish.”
I covered my face with my hands while I tried not to laugh at him. Attempting some semblance of authority, I rolled my shoulders back and gave him a blank look as I warned, “Don’t start that shit again.”
“What does that mean?” Stone questioned us.
“He’s an ass man.” I shrugged. That was enough. I really didn’t want to explain York’s outburst.
“Yeah. And?” Vaughn prompted, biting his lips so he didn’t smile.
“And he calls it a starfish,” I admitted begrudgingly.
Novak tilted his head sideways to inspect my ass from a different angle. “Your ass? Why? It looks nothing like a starfish. A peach maybe…”
“Fuck,” I muttered, scrubbing a hand down my face.
“York stumbled across an online article one night that listed alternative names for an asshole, and yeah.” I sighed, defeated because it had taken me years to not think of my asshole as a starfish.
“He took it seriously and picked out his favorite. I’ve never understood it, but I didn’t see the point in arguing about it either.”
York stared at me in disbelief. “Have you ever seen the bottom side of a starfish?”
“Yes,” Briggs drawled, playing with his beard.
My druid nodded expectantly at the rest of my mates, waiting for them to catch on. When they didn’t, he huffed and slung his arms wide, nearly knocking a bottle of beer off the counter.
“An asshole kind of looks like a starfish.”
“No, it doesn’t. Not at all,” Palmer stated, widening his eyes as he surveyed York. “Have ye been drinking those druid herbs again? When did ye last see a starfish with yer own eyes? Next, ye’ll be telling us to call our cocks elephant trunks.”
Palmer’s dry sarcasm made me laugh, but I tried to cover it by coughing when York glowered at us.
“Use your fucking imagination.”
“I am,” my mage commented.
Briggs squinted, studying my ass as if he’d suddenly gained X-ray vision and could see through the denim covering me. “Ohh, I get it. Sort of…”
I scoffed at him. “Don’t get any ideas. It’ll take a lot of practice to get that monster near my fucking starfish.”
He grinned at me, shrugging like he couldn’t be bothered, before pointing to his chest with his thumb.
“Not an ass man.”
“Thank the devil,” I mumbled, and Briggs threw his head back, roaring with laughter.
“Ass man,” Stone commented, holding his left hand up. “Don't thank the devil.”
“Thinking about switching over, though,” Briggs informed Stone.
I glared at him, sweetly suggesting, “Test it on someone else first.”
My shifter padded over to me, and I leaned my head back to look into his eyes. His fucking eyes that were twinkling with amusement as he wrapped his arms around me.
“You don’t mean that,” Briggs rumbled seductively.
The sound of his voice was dark and as sticky as honey. My brain was screaming trap while my stupid heart was already fucking stuck.
“No, but I mean this, so listen closely,” I purred. “If your dick breaches my starfish, then something goes in yours. I don’t know what yet, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. I‘ve got some toys laying around that should get the job done.”
I grinned at him, arching a brow as he dropped his arms and took a step back. He shook his head at me, fighting to keep his lips from curling up.
“I fold.”
“Aww, it’s not so bad, Briggs,” Novak cajoled, waggling his eyebrows minus the usual metal that adorned them. His septum ring had been missing for a week or so, but it was back in today.
“You keep your wandering hands to yourself, Vampire. Palmer might threaten you over them, but I will remove them with no other warning than this one,” Briggs stated, eyeing Novak suspiciously.
As they had their silent stare-off, I grabbed two oranges from the fruit basket on the counter and slid out the back door. We’d been home for hours, but I hadn’t seen Pete yet.
I spun one of the patio chairs around and sat down to peel my orange. Vaughn followed me, setting my half-chewed shoe on the table. He chuckled when Helios snatched it and ran away. I just shook my head.
I surveyed the yard, searching for any movement from Atlas, Cronus, or Pete in the trees before my eyes fell upon the scorched ground. Whistling low, I grimaced at the sight.
“Damn, I burned my grass last week, didn’t I?”
Vaughn rocked his head side-to-side. “You did, but that warped angelic magic that sucked Jack into the Underworld did a number too. York can fix it before we leave.”
I smiled at my fae, reaching down to pull one sock off. I preferred to be barefoot if I wasn’t wearing shoes, so I yanked the other one-off too. Earthy power crawled over my feet as I stretched to touch the grass from my seat.
I pushed the power out, repairing the lawn, and I could feel each step the boys took as they roamed the grounds. I called Pete to me, wanting to see how he liked his new form or if I needed to switch it up for him.
His hooves thundered against the grass, and he popped around the corner of the patio so fast that I didn’t have time to remind myself of his new appearance.
Pete no longer had the dark, leathery skin of a pedmar, the obsidian tusks, or the trunk that looked like an elephant.
A single scream graced my lips before I slapped my hand over my mouth.
Vaughn jumped out of his chair, glancing around us in a panic, but I couldn’t form the words to tell him why I had reacted like I did. All I could do was heave deep breaths in as I calmed myself.
The back door swung open, and the guys came running outside. Everyone stopped short with questioning expressions pointed at Vaughn and me, but he only shrugged his shoulders.
They all looked so worried, but I didn’t know how to explain that while I knew Pete was here, and I knew I’d gotten the magic-embedded collar to turn him into a horse… I still wasn’t expecting a horse. Even if I had called said horse to me.
As soon as York heard my rambling thoughts, he fucking cackled. He just lost his godsdamn mind right there on the patio, slapping his hands on his thighs as he leaned over.
He knew exactly why I had screamed and had probably been waiting for this to happen since I told him I’d be bringing the pedmar home as a horse.
I unsnapped Pete’s collar and watched the magic roll off him until he stood in all his leathery glory. And then I groaned as I rubbed the pedmar’s side affectionately and fed him my orange.
“Sorry, Pete. I didn’t really think about turning you into a horse while we were in Hell. They kind of freak me out.”
3
Palmer
Tuesday, June 2nd
Late Night
Sloane’s shriek had terrified me. Even upon seeing Pete in horse form, my heart still wouldn’t stop trying to escape my chest. There were no threats; nothing had attacked her or breached the barrier around the house.
York’s laughter was my only cue. He’d explained that she was scared of horses—something to do with Jack’s first shift—but I’d not believed him until now.
She could go head-to-head with Satan, take on an infected vampire, and stand on her own with small armies. Whatever happened with Jack must have been traumatizing to make horses one of her top fears.
I nodded my head to Briggs, silently asking him to follow me as we left Sloane on the patio with Vaughn. I needed an equally confused ear to work out my inner thoughts.
As we climbed the stairs, Briggs inquired, “Where are we going?”
“Sloane’s room.”
“Why?”
“I need yer nose.”
He huffed at me. “That’s a strange request. What do you need my nose for?”
“I’m looking for something,” I vaguely admitted.
“Palmer,” he fussed, “you can’t just dig through her room.”
I turned so that he could see me rolling my eyes. “I’m lookin’ for toys. Be a good lad and help me out.”
When I reached for her doorknob, he peeked over the stairwell reluctantly. “Are you sure about this?”
“Briggs, it’s not a cardinal sin to be nosy. If we get caught, I’ll tell her it was all my idea. Stop bein’ a pussycat.”
“There’s nothing feline about me,” he growled.
He tripped over literally nothing, and I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep myself quiet.
“Yer so graceful. Kick her door in while yer at it, sure.” The words were muffled, but I snickered as he glared daggers at me.
“Get fucked, Mage,” he snapped back, entering her suite behind me. “This shit feels sketchy as fuck.”
“We’re not doin’ anything wrong,” I reassured him as I headed toward her bedroom. “I just wanna know what kind of toys she’s got.”
Briggs closed his eyes, scrubbing his hand up his neck and over his face before he agreed, “Yeah. Sure. If we get caught, it’s all on you. I would have just asked her.”
“You guys won’t believe what Palmer and I found in Barbie’s room.”
Briggs had yelled from two floors up, bounding down the stairs three at a time in an attempt to bypass our mate. If he hadn’t shouted it at the top of his lungs, it might have worked.
I knew he was only trying to rile her up, though.
“Don’t you dare,” Sloane quietly threatened as she rushed around the corner to cut us off in the hall. “Oh.”
“Or what?” Briggs shot back, dangling a corded vibrator between his fingers as he wiggled them.
She narrowed her eyes at him, flourishing her arm out to let him pass. “Go ahead. Find out.”
“Do it, Briggs,” I whispered, shoving at his back, even though we both knew it was a trap.
He grinned and lunged forward, trying to outrun her. She didn’t move until the last second, sticking her leg out to trip him. As he caught his balance, she tackled him from behind. They both slid across the rug in the hall in a tangle of limbs and laughter.
She was considerably smaller than him, but that didn’t stop her from crawling up his back.
He groaned as she shoved her left knee between his shoulder blades, and he struggled to tuck his fisted hands against his stomach. That simple movement had taken more effort than I’d recently seen from the wolf.
Briggs bucked and shoved at the floor to get her off of his back while Sloane giggled at his attempts to free himself.
When he managed to knock her sideways, she rolled his body with her, dislodging his hands. She freed herself before he trapped her under his mass.
Sloane snatched her vibrator back just as he yelled at the guys in the kitchen, “Help! A wild beast is attacking me in the hallway!”
“Help, help. I’m being repressed,” I mock-whispered.
Sloane covered her mouth and cackled as she jumped out of Briggs’ reach.
She dashed behind me when the guys started to peek around the corner to check out the commotion. Just as Stone spotted the silver bullet in her hand, she hid it between her breasts and zoomed back upstairs.
Vaughn scrunched his face up as he stared in the direction of our mate. “Was that a—”
“Yep,” York agreed. “Good old Buzz Lightyear. She doesn’t call them that, but I do. I swear that thing is faster than Novak.”
“Don’t call me a minute-man,” Novak griped, missing the point entirely.
Briggs glanced up at the vampire from the floor, placing his chin on his folded arms. “Call me confused. I don’t know for sure, but don’t people pay tons of money for something that moves as fast as you do?”
“Ha. Ha.” Novak rolled his eyes.
“That was a compliment.” The shifter tried to shrug before standing up.
Her door slammed shut, and I grinned at the guys. “I’ll be right back.”
“Sure you will,” Stone drawled like we’d interrupted his whole night.
The demon tipped his glass of bourbon at me. “Don’t be gone too long. Your whiskey might drink itself.”
“Drink it,” I called as I stepped into the Void to chase her down.
The chilling wind hit me hard, but I pushed myself straight to Sloane. She was leaning against her bedroom door, chuckling as she stared at the ceiling.
I popped out of the Void in her closet, waiting for her to move away from the door.
“Whatcha got there?” I asked when I saw her walk across her room.
I stepped out of the shadows of her closet and ambled toward her. She had a split second of surprise on her face before she schooled her features into a suspicious expression.
“Fuck. What were you doing in there? Looking for my secret stash of sex toys? You won’t find anything other than this,” she smarted, waving her vibrator at me like a red rag to a bull.
“Oh, I won’t?” I questioned, raising a single eyebrow. “Are ya sure about that, Love?
I’d never seen her eyes flare brighter than they did as I smirked at her. The minor shift in her attitude was how I knew she understood I wasn’t bluffing. Her gaze followed me as I prowled forward.
“You have some… interesting things in your collection,” I acknowledged.
“You didn’t find all of it,” she stated confidently.
I hummed. “I must’ve missed that memo, cause...”
I called a set of leather restraints from her closet, depositing them onto the bed. Then I brought forth a cane, a flogger, and some other weird torture devices.
I wasn’t sure what they were for, but I was positive they came from Dolyn’s toy room.
She narrowed her eyes at me, and I shrugged, a smirk still firmly in place. All the items had been from different locations, so unless she was hoarding a whole store’s worth of toys, I didn’t think we’d missed any.
As she marched to her nightstand, I snapped my fingers, removing her clothes. They fell into a pile on the floor, and she gasped in disbelief.
“You just stole my move.”
I nodded my head, taking my time to fold my sleeves up and unbuckle my belt. Her eyes blazed as she watched me drop the brown leather onto the floor and toe my shoes off.
“Get on the bed, Love.”
She bit her lip, shaking her head slowly with her hands clasped behind her back. My fingers twitched with the need to tie her up and mark her skin until it turned a rosy pink, but I refrained.
For now, anyway.
“One might think this isn’t consensual,” I remarked, mentally categorizing all the places I wanted to leave my handprint.
She winked, grinning at me. “It’s not.”
“Sloane.”
“It’s consensual non-consent.”
I closed my eyes, shaking my head. “That’s not how this—”
“What is it that Briggs keeps calling me?” She tapped her chin as she stared at the ceiling in thought.
A smartass, I thought, but aloud I admitted, “A brat.”
“Mmm,” she agreed. “I’m not going to submit, Palmer. Not without a fight, anyway. Consider this me verbally consenting. I’ll submit… If you can make. Me.”
I growled under my breath at her defiance and started counting. Sloane shivered as she backed away, gearing up to play the prey, but I wasn’t going to chase her.
I closed the bedroom door with a sweep of my hand and snapped my fingers to form a magical dome within her room.
“Ya’ve got nowhere to run, Love.”
I stalked forward, fully aware that I’d gotten better at catching her off guard. I knew she was expecting the cuffs on her wrists. She wasn’t ready for shackles around her ankles, though.
As she stared down, stunned, I spun her. With her back pressed into my chest, I couldn’t see her expressions, but I could read her body like an open book.
Her shoulders and arms went slack while her thighs tensed ever so slightly. Flight, fight, or fuck; she couldn’t decide which route to take. I only needed
that one moment of indecision.
Running the fingers of my right hand through her hair, I tugged her head to the left. The cuffs hit her wrists as she tried to pull away. The unmistakable sound of rattling chains broke the silence in the room.
I dug the fingertips of my left hand against her hip, leaning in until my lips brushed her ear. Inhaling her wildflower scent, I let my hot breath caress her skin as I thought about the scene I’d had planned.
I was going to change it now that the dome was up. I couldn’t be sure if she’d heard anything before, but the barrier should block her talents.
“Ye can be a brat, Love, but yer not the one in charge right now.”
“I haven’t submitted yet.”
“Backtalk will get ya nowhere,” I chastised, upping my count to two. “I’ll have ya beggin’ before we leave this room.”
She turned her head, dislodging my hand as she attempted to glare at me, and I tsked at her. Spanking her briefly crossed my mind again, but I knew she wouldn’t see that as a punishment.
Three.
I swirled my right index finger in the air, stringing her up in the center of her room as I tightened the chains.
Her arms were above her head in a wide Y shape, long legs slightly parted. All her weight rested on the balls of her feet.
When she jerked her arms, she lost what little slack she had.
The chains weren’t attached to anything, but I’d learned how to divide my attention years ago. Keeping my intentions true while enjoying myself was second nature at this point in my life.
“Stay right there,” I commanded, grinning as I pointed at the floor.
A light, feral-sounding growl slipped past her lips as she tracked my movements across her room.
“I’m gonna count that as four,” I mumbled to myself as I unbuttoned my shirt.
“Four what?”
Her cautious question brought me a savage sort of joy. She couldn’t read my mind inside the dome I’d created. That was the whole purpose of it, but to know it was working was exactly what I needed to begin.
“Fancy a few denied orgasms, Love? I’m in the mood for a bit of torture.”
While Briggs and I had been looking for toys and gadgets earlier, I’d stumbled across my favorite type of wand. Not the wizarding type, either. I didn’t need a conduit to control my magic, but I had needed an electrical socket to charge this wand.