9
The Aftermath
The front door of the manor had barely closed behind us when the tension snapped.
I'd been on edge for hours—ever since Rowan the bartender had smiled at me, ever since Lucien's hand had found my thigh under the table, ever since Darius had whispered graphic threats in my ear while Azrael's cool fingers traced maddening patterns on my skin. I was soaked, aching, desperate. The mark on my inner thigh pulsed with golden light, visible through the thin fabric of my dress, announcing my arousal to anyone who cared to look.
And now, standing in the grand foyer with four supernatural predators surrounding me, I knew I wasn't leaving this room until they'd wrung every last drop of pleasure from my body.
"Living room," Selene said, her voice carrying that note of command that made my knees weak. "The rug. Now."
I didn't argue. I couldn't have formed words if I'd tried. I let them guide me through the darkened manor to the sitting room I'd redecorated—the one with the colorful blankets and pastel pillows and the massive, plush rug that covered most of the floor. The fire had burned low, casting dancing shadows across the walls, and the room smelled of woodsmoke and candle wax and the faint floral scent of Selene's magic.
Darius stopped me in the center of the rug. His silver eyes swept over me—my flushed cheeks, my heaving chest, the way my thighs pressed together in a futile attempt to ease the ache—and something dark and satisfied flickered in his gaze.
"Clothes off," he said. "All of them."
My hands trembled as I reached for the hem of my dress. Before I could lift it, Lucien was there, his rough hands pushing mine aside. He gripped the fabric andtore—the sound of ripping seams obscenely loud in the quiet room. My dress fell away in shreds, leaving me in nothing but my soaked underwear.
"Hey," I protested weakly. "I liked that dress."
"I'll buy you a new one." His amber eyes raked over my body, hungry and possessive. "I'll buy you a hundred new ones. But right now, I need you naked."
His hands found my underwear and dispensed with them just as efficiently. Cool air hit my heated skin, and I shivered—not from cold, but from the weight of four sets of eyes devouring every inch of my exposed body.
"Beautiful," Azrael breathed. His golden eyes glowed softly in the firelight, fixed on the mark pulsing on my inner thigh. "She's been like this for hours. Soaked. Desperate. The mark hasn't stopped glowing since we left the bar."
"Poor thing," Selene purred, circling behind me. Her hands settled on my shoulders, warm and grounding. "All that teasing and no release. You must be aching, darling."
"Yes," I gasped. "Please—I need—"
"Shh." Her lips brushed my ear. "We know what you need. And we're going to give it to you. But you have to trust us. Can you do that?"
I nodded frantically. "Yes. Yes, I trust you."
"Good girl." She pressed a kiss to my shoulder and stepped back. "Darius, she's all yours."
The vampire crime lord moved with that fluid, predatory grace that made my breath catch. He stopped in front of me, close enough that I could smell him—cedar and spice and ancient power—and reached up to loosen the silk tie at his collar.
"I told you what would happen if you flirted with someone else," he said, his voice low and dark. "Did you think I was bluffing?"
"No." The word came out breathless. "I hoped you weren't."
Something flickered in his silver eyes—approval, maybe, or hunger. He lifted the tie and pressed it over my eyes, wrapping it around my head and knotting it firmly at the back. The world went dark. I could still sense them—their heat, their presence, the crackle of magic in the air—but I couldn't see them. Couldn't anticipate their movements. Couldn't prepare for what was coming.
"Better," Darius murmured. His hand cupped my jaw, tilting my face up. "Now you can't see. You can only feel. And you're going to feeleverything."
His thumb traced my lower lip, and I opened my mouth instinctively. He guided himself past my lips—hot and thick and perfect—and I moaned around him, my hands coming up to grip his thighs.
"Slow," he commanded. "You take what I give you. Nothing more."
He fucked my throat with measured, deliberate strokes, never rushing, never losing control. I could feel every inch ofhim, could taste the salt of his skin and the dark, ancient flavor that was uniquelyhim. My jaw ached, my eyes watered behind the blindfold, and I loved every second of it.
Behind me, I felt Lucien's heat before his hands found my hips. He pressed against my back, his clothed erection grinding against my ass, and his lips found the curve of my neck.
"You smell so good," he growled against my skin. "Been smelling you all night. Watching you squirm. Knowing you were wet for us and couldn't do anything about it."
His hand slid between my thighs from behind, two fingers pushing inside me without warning. I cried out around Darius's cock, my hips bucking, but Lucien held me steady.
