Pain (Curse of the Gods Book 5)

by Jaymin Eve

  It was the oddest thing to feel his pain colliding with that tight ball—a manufactured discomfort tore through my natural discomfort, dissolving it and dissolving me at the same time. The ball of emotion eased, and I opened myself up, tears leaking from my eyes as our kiss turned frenzied.

  “Gods, Willa.” He broke the kiss, sucking in an unsteady breath, half falling back against the trunk of the tree he stood beneath as though his legs had grown weak. “Don’t cry. What’s wrong?”

  His breathing was still ragged, but he had paused to wipe the tears from my cheeks, his darkened eyes searching mine.

  “You … used … your … power,” I choked out, still rolled by my emotion.

  He looked confused, and he pressed a soft kiss against my mouth again as though he couldn’t help himself, before pulling back again. “Did I hurt you? I don’t sense any hurt …” His eyes widened. “Fuck. Did I hurt you?”

  “No.” I tightened my arms and legs around him fiercely, gaining back a little of my control.

  I took his mouth in another kiss, squirming against him as it grew deeper, the pressure of his hands increasing as they passed over my spine, pressing me desperately into him. With a curse, he pulled away again, leaning his head back against the tree and closing his eyes, trying to regain control.

  “What happened?” he asked when he finally fixed me with a serious stare. “Tell me, Will.”

  “You used your power like I asked you to. You didn’t hold yourself back from me … even though you’re so drained. Even though you have no energy …” I was tearing up again, so I trailed off.

  His smile was slow, his eyes almost returning to their usual bright green, before his attention caught on my lips again and then suddenly our positions were reversed. My back hit the tree, his hands pulled at my thighs, forcing me into his body and almost crushing me against the bark. His mouth took mine fiercely and it felt as though his control had just snapped, but there was no time for me to enjoy it before the sound of approaching voices broke us apart. He pulled away with a tense groan, resting his forehead on mine for a micro-click before he reversed our positions once more. Emmy and Cyrus had almost reached the top of the stairs, so Coen lowered me down, setting me firmly in front of him.

  “What—” I started, but his hand landed on my hip and dragged me backwards, right against the hard, rigid length of him that definitely would have shown if Emmy and Cyrus had been able to see him clearly.

  I bit my lip, trying not to react in an embarrassing way—like moaning or reaching behind me to feel him better—because that definitely wasn’t something I wanted to do in front of my sister and the Neutral God.

  “All clear?” Cyrus called out, spotting us and hurrying over to where we stood. They were each carrying large baskets covered with blankets, and there was a sizable pack slung over Cyrus’s shoulder.

  They had definitely found supplies.

  “The god-residences were empty,” Coen replied, his voice underlined in so much gravel that I couldn’t help the responding tremble that passed through the length of my body. His hand tightened on my hip, and he fell silent for a moment before continuing. “We found your old room, Neutral, and cleared it out for you both. The main room has a fire burning so we can go down there to plan our next step and eat—if you found food?”

  “We did,” Emmy confirmed, patting the top of her basket. “It won’t be perfect, but there’s dried fruit and meat, cheese, crispbreads, and some wine. It’ll be enough. Everything else has spoiled.”

  “What else did you find?” Coen asked, nodding at the packs Cyrus was carrying.

  “Weapons,” Cyrus replied. “Dropped by some of the servers, I’m guessing. I figured that it was a good idea to arm ourselves. We have all spent so much energy over the past few sun-cycles, and if we continue like this and are ambushed by another group of Staviti’s servers, or whatever else he has hiding up his sleeve, we’re practically defenceless. None of us are practised in fighting without our power.”

  “Actually …” I shook my head. “The Abcurses are definitely practised in that. They used to have to fight at the arena in Blesswood all the time, and they would see how long they could last without using their powers—besides, they were all weakened from being in Minatsol, just like we are now.”

  “She’s right,” Coen confirmed. “But you would be defenceless, and so would Emmy. So it’s good you found weapons.”

  “That wasn’t all,” Cyrus said, and I was basically floored by his apparent lack of care at the fact that Coen had just insulted his strength. He continued speaking as though being told that he wasn’t as strong as another god was no big deal to him. “We also found some maps that might be useful, and some spare clothes—”

  “Oh thank the gods,” I burst out. “If I have to sleep in this leather outfit one more night, I’m going to just throw myself into the Great River because my life might as well be over.”

  “Um …” Emmy blinked at me. “That was a little dramatic.”

  “She’s a bit emotional right now,” Coen replied, both of his hands now on my hips as I smiled at the smugness in his voice.

  “I’m not emotional,” I said with a huff. “I’m … hungry. There’s a difference.”

  Siret appeared from the same direction Cyrus and Emmy had, and his expression was worrying at first, haggard, eyes blazing, but he must have heard my words because he said, “Sometimes it’s hard to tell, Soldier. Emotional, hungry, tired …”

  “Horny,” Yael added, striding over as well.

  I coughed, trying to stifle a laugh. I probably should be annoyed that I apparently had so many “emotional” moods—and they were having fun pointing it out—but I was mostly happy to be on the receiving end of their teasing once more.

  “What did you two find?” Coen asked, his hand tensing briefly on my hips, the hard length of him still pressed against me, sending small tingles of his power through my body. “I’m assuming the lower levels were empty?”

  Siret and Yael’s careless grins faded. “Not exactly.” Siret wore that disturbed look again.

  “Care to elaborate?” Cyrus requested.

  “Some of the servers were bound and left down there,” Yael said in a low voice. “A few must have gotten free and they killed and ate the others before turning on each other.”

  I flinched, gagging at the mental images that I would now never be able to get rid of.

  “Rome and Aros managed to ignite most of the … leftovers,” Siret said. “They’re making sure the area is cleared out.”

  Emmy made a low sound that tugged at my heart. “Staviti probably gave them an order like ‘succeed at any cost’ or ‘survive no matter what’ and they were forced to obey.”

  “I’d really like to kill him now,” I said, almost choking on my words, I was so angry. “But since that would make me as bad as him, I’ll settle for stripping away his power so he can never hurt another innocent being again.”

  Coen’s touch was no longer sexual; instead it turned to comfort as his hands rubbed along my sides, up and down in a soothing motion.

  By the time Rome and Aros returned, smelling of salt air and ash, we were all more than ready to get some rest. No one asked them for more details about the lower levels; we’d heard more than enough from Yael and Siret. We started to move, no one talking much. I was desperate for some alone time with the Abcurses. We needed some moments together. The bond needed it as well.

  On the stairs Aros was the one to keep a hand on me, making sure that I didn’t trip and plummet into the water below. It was an old habit of theirs from my clumsier sun-cycles, but I appreciated the gesture all the same. The lights Siret had lit earlier were still burning brightly, their warmth washing away the shadowy landscape of the cave. It almost felt homey in there.

  My feet were really dragging by the time we ended up in the main room with the fire. It was burning strongly, despite the limited wood that had been left behind to use.

  “You certainly have a way w
ith that element, Will,” Emmy said, chuckling before she yawned. “I recognise your handiwork.”

  A look passed between us and I wondered if she too thought about the dweller I had burned in Soldel. Evie. She was on my mind a lot; it was one more wrong I had to right in the very near future.

  “We’re going to my old room,” Cyrus said shortly, cutting off my dark thoughts. “I might consider you all family now, but I sure as shit am not sharing an orgy room with you fuckers. Emmy and I will be far enough away not to hear the begging and bondage that I’m sure you’re all into.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Siret said, crossing his arms, his grin wry. “No one has to beg when I’m in the room.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Yael chimed in, cutting his brother off.

  I cleared my throat, hoping my face wasn’t too red—the heat in my cheeks was strong, and it wasn’t all because of the fire. Cyrus shook his head and reached out to grab some of the food before his other arm wrapped around his girl, hauling her into his chest. Emmy went willingly, moulding herself against the Neutral God like a stick of butter against a hot pan. Cyrus being the pan of course—unyielding bastard.

  I heard her breathy words for a few more clicks, and then they were far enough away that I couldn’t hear anything. I turned from where I’d been standing to find the five Abcurses lined up across from me. Silent. Staring at me in a way that had the fire in my face spreading lower, until it lit up my insides and had me squirming on the spot.

  “Choose!” Yael demanded, his eyes blazing green.

  I faltered, my body aching. Need rocked me forward, but I couldn’t move yet—the last thing I needed tonight was a god fight. I’d seen more than enough Abcurses go through walls to last me for the rest of my life.

  But how the hell could I choose one of them, when I needed them all so much.

  “I can’t,” I finally said, my voice husky. “I can’t choose tonight. You’re going to have to figure it out because right now I feel like I need all of you.”

  Not even for sex—although that was definitely something I wanted—but more for the bonding and rejuvenation of our energy.

  They moved together as a single unit, somehow keeping in perfect unison. They circled around me, surrounding me with their warmth. Their power. The heat of my energy flickered lightly. It was still wispy compared to normal, but it was a relief to feel the familiar warmth once more.

  “We should sleep first,” I suggested, even though I had said I wouldn’t choose. “All of us, together. Our bond needs this time in close proximity. And then sex … we’ll see what happens in the morning.”

  When I’d possibly have enough energy to handle the five of them, if that was the way it worked out. Yael reached first for me, and his brothers let him because that was something he needed in that moment. As he picked me up I wrapped my legs around his waist and lifted my hands to thread my fingers deep into his thick hair. The gold and onyx of the strands strongly reflected in the lamp light as I tightened my hold and pulled him down to my lips.

  Our kiss was light, a brief brush of lips. “You don’t get to be the dominant one,” he murmured, before his teeth captured my bottom lip, pressing down with force.

  I cried out, jerking into him as desire filled me. “Quiet,” he ordered, and my moans died off in an instant.

  The others remained in a circle around us, their expressions hard to read. Yael had me almost ready to change my mind about the sleep first thing, but I knew that while they would replenish my energy, theirs was depleted too. And they needed time.

  Yael’s eyes glittered, and I swallowed hard. “Sleep first,” I said, keeping my voice low and compliant. I did not want to rile the competitive dominant in him right now, because he knew which buttons of mine to push to get his own way.

  His eyes were hooded as he regarded me for many long clicks, but eventually he let me drop back down to the ground. His hands remained on my body, sliding up the leather until they rested on my shoulder blades. “Time to get you out of this outfit,” he murmured.

  Someone stepped in behind me, and while I couldn’t see who it was, I felt the tinge of seduction when Aros touched me. Together, Aros and Yael peeled me out of the leather outfit, leaving me clad in nothing more than a thin bra and panties. “I need to clean up,” I said, trying not to let the heavy looks from my guys dissolve my resolve to sleep first.

  The six of us moved out of the well-lit room into the bathing chamber that was nearby. It was similar to the style of bathing area that had been in Blesswood.

  One by one the guys stripped off, Rome and Siret remaining in their underwear, the others getting completely naked, and then all of us moving into the steam-filled chamber. I wanted to moan when the first caress of heat surrounded me, but I knew that would be a bad idea when I was surrounded by mostly naked gods. This was about getting clean and then sleeping. Even though I couldn’t keep from watching each of them closely, the way the steam caused water to roll down their golden skin, catching in each crevice of their abdominal muscles.

  “You’re going to have to stop that, Willa-toy,” Yael warned me, his gaze dark. “Most of us aren’t into sharing, and there’s not enough of you to go around.”

  Fuck.

  Unfortunately he was right. I couldn’t quite figure out how to handle five huge gods at the same time, especially while I was this exhausted, which meant that I would have to table my desire. For now.

  The rest of the bath went quickly; I managed to keep my eyes and hands to myself, even though it was possibly the hardest thing I’d ever done. When we were dried off, we dressed from the various clothes that had been scavenged. I ended up in a long white shirt and what I could only hope was new underwear. They looked clean at least, and right now I didn’t have much choice. We then divided up the food, and I managed to choke down half a dozen bites of whatever was in front of me, but exhaustion kept me from truly enjoying any of it. I hadn’t realised how much I’d relied on my god power recently until it was taken away.

  When I couldn’t stay up any longer, I led them into our old room. I crawled into the middle of our bed; Yael followed, pressing along my right side, Aros on my left. The other three fitted themselves where they could, our bond veritably humming at the way we were all piled together like this. As my eyes closed, I felt a soft caress across my cheek and I snuggled into it. “Love you all so much,” I mumbled.

  They gave their love so freely to me now, and I was beyond blessed.

  I was out before I could hear if they replied, but I felt their emotions through the bond, and that was more than enough.

  Despite my exhaustion, I slept restlessly. Worry pushed in on me, keeping me from falling into a truly restful slumber. The huge drop in my energy was also messing with my equilibrium, because despite Cyrus declaring that I was now balanced, it felt like I was missing something.

  Feather-soft touches along my side were what woke me the next morning. I squirmed a little before pressing myself into the heat running along my left side. The heat moved, and my eyes flew open. “Coen!” I exclaimed, my knees parting so I could slide myself closer to him, pressing into his bare thigh.

  The burn of his energy hit my centre, and I groaned, sliding even harder against him. “You won the schedule?” I gasped, arching as his particular brand of Pain trailed across my senses. “Where are the others?”

  I didn’t feel anyone else in the room, but my instinct was still to check on them.

  His lips pressed to the sensitive spot under my ear as he murmured, “They said they’d check on the progress of the water and would let us know if there were any issues.” His hands pressed harder into me, his power zapping across my skin. “No one has returned yet.” His voice turned low and rumbly. “Which means that this morning … you’re mine.”

  Yael probably didn’t take that well, and I knew he’d punish me the next time we were together, but I didn’t even give a shit. His punishments were one of my favourite things.

  “I need you t
o touch me.” I groaned again, pushing myself harder against Coen’s firm thigh.

  He palmed across my stomach, sending more lightning-fast spikes of pain with each caress. It was stronger than I’d felt from him, but my body absorbed the sharp feelings like it had been designed to be a receptacle of Coen’s pain. When his fingers slipped down the front of my underwear, sliding across me and into my body, I cried out. The moment he was inside, his hand moved, and another bite of his power sent me right over the edge. I cried out again, my legs moving restlessly, my head thrown back.

  Coen’s lips landed against mine and I sucked in deeply before basically attacking him with the force of my kiss. I didn’t cry this time, but the depth of my emotion was strong. He continued to give me all of his power, and there was no Aros here to counter it. I wondered if there had ever been another that he’d shared his power with like this.

  “None,” he whispered against my lips. “Only you, dweller-baby.”

  Okay, I was going to cry if he didn’t stop being so damned perfect.

  I reached out for him, sliding the soft shorts he wore down his hips. The tip of his rock-hard dick popped out the top, and I couldn’t resist leaning down and running my tongue across it, tasting him before opening my mouth further and taking the head inside. He was large enough that more than an inch started to get uncomfortable, but he didn’t seem to mind. His hands ended up in my hair as I twisted myself around to get a better angle, his power running through my body. He let me taste him for longer than I expected, but eventually he lifted me up and on top of him.

  My shirt was removed in a fraction of a click. Underwear right after that. I rose up higher, arching my back as my hips shifted position so I was angled to take him inside. I’d never been on top with Coen before, and it took quite a lot of adjusting, because he was almost too large for comfort. Eventually we found a rhythm, though, and the more of his power that shot through my core, the more I was able to rock against him, moving deeper each time.