by Kathryn Moon
And then Amon burst into the room.
"Oh Lord, here we go," I muttered. Ezra chuckled, and I pinched his arm.
"What on earth happened?" Amon gasped. "What kind of establishment are you running? Have you no care for our property?"
"Property?!" I squawked, feeling as though I was choking again.
"And what is that abominable man doing back here!" Amon snarled and pointed at Ezra.
"This abominable man saved my life, which is, in fact, my own property and no one else's," I snapped, wincing as I struggled to sit up and jostled my own ankle. "Oh, damn this whole conversation. Everyone, sit down!"
Auguste, who was used to seeing my patience at an end and apparently rather fond of it, just bloomed a grin and returned to the edge of the bed. Booker, who had finished passing out tea to those of us who weren't busy arguing unnecessarily, did as well.
Magdalena's lips pursed, but she floated haughtily into a chair. Amon glared at the crowd on my bed—which left him no room to sit anywhere near me—and then around the room that held no more chairs, and instead folded his arms over his chest.
"If you will calm down and keep your mouth shut, everything can be explained in an orderly manner," I said to Amon.
His eyes practically flamed to life, lips curving sharply like a knife. "Very well, my star," he said in a tone that implied I would pay later for saying such things to him.
Which was fine, really. It would be fun. But for now, he was being a horrible beast.
Ezra's touch teased from my jaw down to my shoulder, and I realized suddenly that I was naked under a sheet, which was resting just barely high enough to hide my breasts from the entire room. Not that anyone in here hadn't seen them.
"Could someone pass me a nightdress?" I asked, ignoring the blush rising up my cheeks.
"That was a wraith, not a demon," Magdalena said, running a fingertip back and forth over her bottom lip. She'd worked a little charm on the wrappings Jonathon had used on my ankle, so that the bandage was cool one moment, then slowly warmed, and back again. It seemed to keep the worst of the throbbing at bay, combined with Auguste's elegant hands holding it propped up so gently.
"Which explains its skill with illusion," Amon said, pacing back and forth at the end of the bed.
"But not how it was able to warp your good judgment," Auguste said, glaring at Magdalena.
I wiggled my foot in his hand, gritting my teeth against the pain, but it did the trick. Auguste's head ducked in surrender or apology.
"Do these…wraiths have usual allies?" Ezra asked. He was petting me beneath the cover of the sheet, nuzzling against me in that puppy way of his, but I noticed that as constant as the offerings of affection were, they were a bit more determined when Amon was looking in our direction. My wicked invisible man was intentionally trying to cause trouble.
"Quite the opposite," Magdalena said, frowning. "Whoever its master is, they have the wraith in a powerful thrall to convince them to do their bidding."
"You'll call in reinforcements?" Dr. Underwood asked her.
"Absolutely." Magdalena looked between us and then arched an eyebrow. "Any other questions for me?"
"I'd like to remove Esther to my new home," Amon said.
"No," I said before anyone else got an opportunity.
Auguste hummed and glanced between us, but it was Magdalena who spoke up. "It might be safer until we know the aims of our intruder."
Ezra was stiff behind me, and Booker was frowning, but both Underwood and Auguste looked as though they might agree with the idea.
"Your objections?" Amon said, teeth gritted, and a more serious offense sharpening the edges of his face.
I took a deep breath and met his eyes, but I was too afraid to say what I was thinking so I turned to Magdalena instead. "Did you feel compelled to send me to the grotto?"
Magdalena shook her head. "No, I asked two others first, but they weren't interested."
I nodded and turned back to Amon. "I don't believe I'm in any more danger than any of the other women here. And can you honestly tell me that if I stay with you, you will be welcoming and fair to the others?"
"Fair is relative," Amon growled.
Auguste's eyebrows ticked up at that. "Ah. Well, let's see. Mags, who is on Esther's schedule at the moment?"
"If she's feeling up for it, Dr. Underwood until tomorrow evening, when you both had planned to take her to London."
"I've been looking forward to it. I want to go," I said, immediately.
"You'll have to rest until then," Underwood said, but he was looking at the other men.
"I'll stay at the accommodations here for the day. Two if Esther's ankle isn't better," Auguste said with a quick exchange of glances between him and Underwood. "Mr. MacKenna, you are her guest as well now, officially,” —Amon growled under his breath— “and Mr…Booker is her companion, of course. Between us, we ought to be able to ensure her safety. Underwood and I will take great care with her in London. We can discuss any possible changes of residence after the trip, yes, sphinx?"
"Mr. MacKenna, if you would be willing to use your current advantage to keep an eye on the manor, I would certainly be willing to see about altering the magic placed on you to allow your invisibility to be more…voluntary," Magdalena said, rising from her seat.
I sat up straighter at that. "Oh, yes please!"
"Gladly, Madame," Ezra said, putting on that charm of his, his fingers secretly finding their way beneath the rumpled hem of my nightdress to stroke the inside of my thighs. "Then we can use that mirror idea of yours in any number of ways, puisín."
Magdalena headed for the door as I squirmed and blushed. She paused there, expression softening as she ignored the men who surrounded me. "Esther, I'm sorry again. I was so busy trying to tie up the wards, my gaze focused outward, that I risked your safety on what had already found its way in."
I stared back at her and studied myself. I was…a little wary now, but I didn't blame her. My own eager curiosity had drawn me into the water before the wraith had been able to grab hold of me. "I know you would never want to put me in harm's way," I said.
Magdalena's smile held sadness at its edges, but she nodded and let herself out of the room. I paused, finally alone in the room with my five gentlemen—whether they held such a title by society or not—and found myself a little uncertain of what to say.
"You should eat something if you're up to it. Let me cook for us?" Auguste asked.
I smiled at him, grateful he'd included the others, and next to me, Booker rose with a single declaration of, "Help."
"I'd be very grateful for it," Auguste said to the golem, eyeing him up and down with interest before flashing me a wink. I was rather excited to tell Auguste about Booker's declaration regarding mornings, and perhaps together, we could convince the golem to repeat the act in the evenings so Auguste might watch.
They shut the door behind them, and I was left with three. Jonathon rose from the bed, gathering up drained cups of tea, which left me wrapped in Ezra's arms, while Amon tried to pretend he wasn't glaring right back at us.
"I'd like to talk to Amon," I murmured, brushing my cheek briefly against Ezra's before meeting Amon's gaze, holding out my arms. "Will you talk with me in the other room?"
I'd expected to see triumph on Amon's face, especially as Ezra drew away from me, helping me slide down to the foot of the bed, but I could've sworn it was a flash of panic on his face—the wide eyes, lips pressing flat, and a hard bob of his Adam's apple in his throat. He stepped forward, scooping me up in his arms, and carried me gingerly into the connected sitting room.
"Sit me on your lap," I said, and beneath my arm, his shoulders loosened.
He settled us both into an armchair, and a lamp sparked to life on the wall. I sighed as the darkness burned away into warmth and leaned back against Amon's chest.
"Are you angry with me?" I asked.
Cuddled close, it was difficult to get a good read on Amon, or I was just too
distracted by the glow of him, the perfection of his features. I ran my fingers across his jawline, turning his face in my direction.
"No, my star," he whispered, his own eyes searching my face with equal interest.
"Even though I refused to stay with you?"
He winced at that, but his head dipped in a nod. "You were correct. I would find it difficult to be fair with your time. I am finding it difficult."
"But you'll try?" I was surprised by the pang in my heart as I waited for his answer. I'd never been so easily attached to men before. Then again, I'd never had men who treated me the way Amon and Auguste did, with such intense passion, not just for their own sake but for mine too. Amon was possessive and infuriating, but it was flattering for me too, to be so wanted.
Amon's expression warmed with my question. "I will learn what I must to keep you."
My eyes narrowed. "As your lover or your possession?"
Amon's head ducked, but I thought I caught the slight flush on his cheeks. "Lover," he said, in a rather unconvincing tone.
"Mhm."
His hand, which had been settled on my thigh, rose up to my ass, squeezing briefly. "Is it so bad if I am willing to share in the end?"
"Ohh, we are going to have work on you," I said with a huff, but I laughed and met Amon's mouth with mine as he tugged me closer for a kiss.
His tongue was hot against mine, and the warmth burned away a chill in me I hadn't even realized was lingering from the wraith's attack. I melted into the kiss, giving Amon control—he deserved the reward, I decided—and grumbling a little as he didn't push for more.
"The doctor is right, you should rest," Amon murmured, still grazing his mouth over mine, heat pooling on my skin where his lips and hands touched until I was drowsy and limp.
"I know what might make me feel better," I mumbled, trying to slide my hands under his coat.
He lifted me out of the chair without a grunt of effort and carried me back into my bedroom. "Another time. If I am to be fair, I should start now."
Bollocks. He would use that declaration just to deny me and make me pout. But it didn't last for long when Amon passed me back into Ezra's invisible arms on the bed. His eyes flicked over my shoulder to glare briefly at my thief, but it was gone a moment later when he brushed a final kiss over my forehead.
"When you return from London, I will claim my time with you," Amon said, growling just a little. "And while I wait, I'll prepare my home for your visit."
Well if that didn't sound like a trick—
"Goodnight, my star. Keep her safe," he added darkly to the others.
"Well, he's cheerful," Jonathon said mildly, after the door shut behind Amon.
"She'll tame him," Ezra said. "Won't you, puisín?"
"Working on it. Why won't you let me see Mr. Tanner?" I asked, turning my gaze to my doctor.
Jonathon chuckled and raised his hands in a gesture of innocence. "I share my time with Mr. Tanner, but I certainly don't control him. Possibly the opposite. You'll have to discuss it with him next time."
I leaned forward and batted my eyelashes at Jonathon, who didn't look the least bit moved. "When will that be, do you think?"
Jonathon leaned in, taking my chin between his fingers, eyes glinting green but only briefly. "When you aren't sore, and tired, and trying to distract yourself from a harrowing experience, Miss Reed. Mr. MacKenna—"
"You lot and your miss and misters. It's Ezra."
"Ezra, then. Would you mind helping Esther in the bath while I check on the others in the kitchen?"
"You…you wouldn't rather..." Ezra stalled out, but I knew what he was going to ask, and I wondered the same. Dr. Underwood didn't want to claim me for himself? It was meant to be his evening.
But calm, pleasant Jonathon only smiled. "I'll have Esther to myself plenty in London, and Magdalena said your...time together was rather abrupt. Perhaps you might like…"
I held my breath. I had been back and forth, up and down since Ezra had left the manor, mulling over and over what had happened between us. A month ago, I wouldn't have cared a whit if he had only been a brief roll between the sheets, but with Amon's fussing and Magdalena's frowns and my own affection growing for the others, I'd been given the first inklings of discomfort. Did I want Ezra to be more than a fuck?
Had I always wanted more than fucking, or was that the effect of these men?
"What I think he means, puisín, is that I owe you a proper cuddle," Ezra said, lips warm against my ear. He bundled me in invisible arms, and I caught my breath, clutching on what looked like air as he lifted me from the bed and marched me to the bathroom.
Chapter Fourteen
An Origin Story
Being alone in the bathroom with Ezra was a little too like being alone in the grotto. The light was dim and warm from candles burning, the water steaming and swirling with the touch of Ezra's arm, but when he wasn't touching me, it was hard to feel I wasn't alone.
"Ye don't have to get in," he said, and I stiffened my muscles to keep from jumping. "I could bathe you like this, if you'd rather."
His voice was thick and simple and human compared to the strange echo of the wraith, and my shoulders relaxed at the sound. I shook my head and lifted my chin.
"Brave little lass," he murmured. "Step forward and I'll hold you. Or to the left and you can move into the water on your own."
That was nice, the clear direction and the choice laid out for me. I stepped forward, toes accidentally stumbling on Ezra's, and then I was caught up in his arms again, sighing.
"You don't have to, you know," I said. Ezra hummed in response and I continued, "The cuddling."
He huffed, and one arm scooped under the back of my legs, making me gasp, seemingly suspended in air. He climbed into the water, holding me above it. "What makes you think I was done with ye just because I had my way with yer pretty little pussy, hm?"
My lips fought my own smile, and I glanced down at the water, amused by the obvious holes of his feet. "That's funny. Like boots. Do you think—"
Ezra cut off my question by sinking down into the water.
"Oh!" I said, sliding out of his arms and turning in the large tub to face him. It was still strange and eerie, this odd emptiness in the water, like the hollow of a statue, but it was the first hint of a glimpse I'd gotten of Ezra, and I was fascinated. "You're big."
Ezra laughed and spread his arms out, sinking down a little further so I could see the full breadth of his chest. It was all warped and wavering, and probably a little larger looking from the lens of the water, but it was definitely the breadth of muscle and man I'd felt against me. His legs were spread around me, bent so that the knees were just above the water, two odd hollows in place. I reached out and hovered my hands where they ought to have been until they touched.
"I hope that witch madame of yours makes good on her offer," Ezra rumbled. "I want to savor that moment when our eyes meet at last."
Warmth stirred in my chest. That was…a better kind of reassurance than the offer of a cuddle. I slid my hands down the thick expanse of Ezra's thighs, to the murky confusion of his cock and balls below, mapping them more easily with my touch than I could make sense of them through the water. Ezra grunted and sighed, sinking into the touch until I could just make out the impression of his neck and chin at the far end of the tub.
"Much as I'd like to pick up where we left things, puisín, I meant what I said in front of the doctor. I'm not happy with how I left ye. And I don't think getting my cock wet in the water is the right way of making it up."
In spite of his claim, he was growing hard in my hand, but it was more flattering to know he was ignoring his arousal than that it was there in the first place. I sighed and shifted forward again, Ezra sitting up so I could rest my cheek on his shoulder.
"I don't think you can help but get your cock wet in water," I answered, avoiding the obvious meaning.
"Very clever… I told you I'd be back soon."
I nodded. "You did, bu
t…" Ezra was quiet, one hand stroking my back and the other lifting my legs gently to drape over one of his. "Not all men come back for seconds."
"If a man is coming back, whether it be second or thirds or more, and ye know it's a matter of how many times he wants his helpings before he goes for good, he's not worth what ye have to offer."
My eyes widened at that and I lifted my face, wishing I really could see Ezra's face.
He chuckled, and a damp kiss pressed to my forehead. "I can't say I've never been one of those men. But I can say that I knew long before I found my way into your bed that a place there would be a privilege I wouldn't give up lightly."
"Are you being sweet because I nearly drowned?" I teased.
Ezra grumbled, and the hand resting on my thighs scooped through the water to swat my ass. "Tell me the truth. Did the sphinx have anything to do with your doubts?"
I frowned and glared down at the water, but Ezra just hummed. "Maybe…it makes a little more sense to me that the others pay, so they come back," I admitted quietly.
"If they thought they could have ye for free, you'd never see the back of them," Ezra answered.
I opened my mouth to say that they certainly could have me for free, and Ezra raised a wet finger to my lips. "Shh. Let us all earn you a little more, puisín. Then you can give them the good news. Now, sit up, and I'll wash every inch of you."
I grinned at that and followed orders, expecting Ezra's version of washing to lead somewhere…dirtier. He surprised me again though, his touch gentle and thorough, but not teasing or stirring. He was delicate with my twisted ankle, tender with my sex, and thoroughly strong on my shoulders and neck, right up into my hair, until I was a limp and happy mess in his arms. A tiny bit aroused, but also shy of the feeling too, aware that I'd been aroused in the water with the wraith and now a little ashamed of the fact that it came so quickly and with so little consideration.
Ezra either knew of my conflict or assumed I was sore and shaken, because he ignored any sexual temptation and only lifted me from the bath, drying me off with a fluffy towel as I balanced on my good foot.