Smothering a laugh, I clear my throat, donning a stoic face. “You caught me. Yes, that’s exactly why.”
His eyes widen as it clicks. “No.”
Pressing my lips into a thin line, I don’t respond. I simply let the horrifying realization sink into his head and watch in amusement as his neck mottles red. Storming past us, he pauses at the door, turning back to shout, “I’m sick of your mates mooching off of us, so they’re going to start working at the warehouse to earn their keep!”
The door slams shut behind him as Kaige carries us into our borrowed bedroom, tossing me onto the bed where I struggle to rein in my laughter. By some miracle, I manage to gasp out, “So, how did you get carried away?”
Without pausing in his search through our luggage pile, he declares, “I left Ash a message.”
That sobers me up quickly and I push myself upright. “Why?”
Withdrawing a familiar, sealed bag, he tosses it onto the bed beside me, eyeing me carefully to see if his answer is going to irreparably change the mood. “Because when people are emotional, they’re more likely to make a mistake like I did, and I wanted to return the favor.”
“They’re also more likely to lash out and hurt the people you care about to make a point.”
Without missing a beat, he counters, “Everyoneis at risk until that monster is dead and his ashes are spread across the earth, then burned again just to be safe. You saw what he arranged today, and we both know that it wasn’t meant as an apology gift, it was a test. Whether we failed or not, ultimately, we gave away our hand. Damian proved that he was willing to kill his own men without remorse in order to protect you, Hunter showed that beneath his bitchy exterior he actually contains a heart, so I wanted to turn things back around on him a little. Maybe it was pride, or maybe it was simply stupidity, but regardless, it felt necessary to both of us to make sure he understood that if he wanted to play games, we were happy to rise to the challenge.”
Reaching behind him, he grabs his shirt, and when I don’t make a move to stop him, he shucks it off, prowling closer. Placing his hands on the bed on either side of me, he cages me between him and the mattress, yet doesn’t crowd my space. He keeps just enough distance to remind me that for all of his bravado, the second I give a sign that I’m uncomfortable, he’ll back off.
It’s endearing, but frustrating when I just want to be manhandled and fucked six ways to Sunday to get my mind off of things for a while.
Each of these men are a convoluted mess of contradictions; overbearing, yet respectful. Obsessive, yet willing to hold back. Drowning, and willing to continue to do so alone if it means holding me above the surface, yet equally wanting to drag me down with them. While I love them for it, it also makes me want to scream. Everything’s so fucking involved, layers upon layers to decipher in order to get to the heart of things. For once, I wantsimple.Easy, stress-relieving fun.
“And I learned from the best.” Leaning in, he captures my lips, using the kiss to force me back into the mattress. “Thus, I wrote him a little note on how he could do better.” Sliding his hand between us, he flips open the button on my shorts, tearing his lips from mine so he can drag them down my legs along with my underwear. “I simply informed him that for a man that had already failed to win you over once, and had centuries to learn some new tricks, sending others to do his dirty work was pathetic at best. This charade may have been the wolf equivalent to flowers and a box of chocolates, but he couldn’t even be bothered to deliver them himself?” He clucks his tongue. “That’s not nearly enough for a woman that deserves the world, so he’s going to need to step up his efforts if he wants to get your attention when you already have seven men happily keeping you busy.”
Kicking my shorts off the rest of the way, I wrap an arm around his neck, keeping him from pulling away. “Wellthatsounds like it’s going to bite us in the ass. What the hell are you going to do if he shows up on our doorstep and professes his undying love, decides that he’s tired of playing games and kills you all, then tosses me in a pit to torment for eternity?”
––––––––
He recaptures my lips, kissing me as he slides my shirt up to my chest. “The same thing that I did to the idiot that thought he could take you from me.” Sliding my shirt over my head, he casts it aside. “Kill him, one way or another. No, I may not have been able to breach the demonic energy coating Ash’s skin any better than Boden did, but the man has a weakness, and as much as we all hate it, that weakness is you.”
“You’re leveraging me as an insurance policy?”
He grins. “More like the prettiest hostage I’ve ever had the pleasure of using.”
Arching my back, I encourage him to keep going. “If I’m going to be used regardless, might as well be the fun version. Fine, you win, we can make revenge porn and trade the tape in exchange for our freedom.”
Chuckling, he kisses a path down my arm. “He already slipped and called you Aurelia once; that’s agoodsign. It means that he’s nostalgic. Old wounds are the best; they’re the ones that reach the deepest and are the easiest to exploit.”
Snatching up the surprise bag from the toy shop and tearing it open, he dumps the contents onto the bed. “We’re never going to outsmart a man that’s had centuries to plan out exactly how to get what he wants.” Sifting through the contents, he declares with complete confidence, “But wecanoutsmart a desperate man determined to win your affection if we play our cards right. It’s a dangerous game, but both me and my volatile Jiminy Cricket think that it may be our best chance.”
He finishes stripping and steps between my legs, ripping open one of the packages. Gripping my thighs, he pulls me to the edge of the mattress, sinking to his knees in a fluid movement. Agonizingly slowly, he begins eating me out, ending with a flick of his tongue that has me hissing in a sharp breath.
“No need to defend yourself, Kaige. I was the one that suggested our chaotic plan, and I wholeheartedly believe in it. The only way to outmaneuver a man that can predict all of your plans is to not have one in the first place.”
Rolling the metal ball on his tongue over my clit, my hips buck, both wanting to flinch away from the overstimulation, and desperately wanting him to never stop. His fingers dig into my thighs as he jerks me back against his face, increasing his efforts and picking up the pace. Where I’ve never believed in any deity before now, I’m prepared to now if it means he’ll keep this up. He may not have much experience, but I’m ready to put money down on the fact that he’s better in tune with my body than any of the rest of them. A few awkward fumbles, sure, but the moment I hiss in a breath or tense in any way, he doubles down like his life depends on it.
One hand fisting the blanket, the other tangles in Kaige’s hair, my breathing growing ragged as I rock against his face. “Almost there, don’t stop. Just a little more.” The faint sound of a cap being flicked open is followed by the pressure of him working a finger into my ass. All of my muscles tighten as the building pressure finally breaks, heat flooding my system in a rush.
Collapsing back onto the bed, I pant, “Fuck, that stuff was cold. Maybe warm up the lube first next time.”
Warm breath fans across my hypersensitive flesh with his chuckle. “Noted, but not lube. Numbing cream to help us both out.” Rising to his feet, he warms up the tube in his hand for a few seconds before squirting some in his palm, stroking himself from tip to base and back again.
Lifting up on my elbows with a teasing smile, I raise an eyebrow. “Upgrading from virgin to gangbangs and anal within a week; I admire that kind of tenacity.”
The door creaks open and I don’t even have to glance over to know who stepped through the threshold. At this stage, I’m so intrinsically connected to my mates’ energy that I could identify them with my eyes closed. Now that I know to look for it, each of their presence has a unique thrill running down my spine that has my demeanor subtly shifting in response to whoever’s present. It’s a subtle change, but if I’m paying careful attention to it, it’s a distinguishable one. All I need to do is hone in on that subtle drive that encourages me to behave a certain way. While I hate the fact that I intrinsically become whatever one of them needs, a much quieter, darker part of me appreciates it for what it is.
I’m still me, and I always have been. But like I draw out the best and worst inthem,they each draw out a different facet of my personality. It allows me to beme,but the version of myself that they need at the current time. That’s nothing to be upset about, even if it took a while for me to wrap my head around.
