I couldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it. But the look on her face told me her story was true. Her parents were her slave owners. That explained her father's remark about her only having the thoughts he gave her. And why her mother had dismissed her from the dinner. They didn't see her as real. Just a thing to parade in front of others. Make her perform tricks and then put her back in her cage when she finished. I felt my blood start to heat. My fist clenched around the skillet handle. Those bastards. They pimped her out. For mind-boggling sums of money. Not a penny of which she saw. I would bet my own meager fortune. I'm just glad they don't pimp her out for sex. I stopped that train of thought before it could go any further.Not even my life had been that bad, and my life sucked ass. I gritted my teeth. Soon, that life would be nothing but a memory. But Kiema's? After this ritual, she would go back to that prison. Her entire life depended on her parents. I shuddered.
I sat there in shock. My heart in my throat. I couldn't blink. Afraid to even breathe. "Fuck. Kiema, I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Are you in any pain? What can I do? Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He pulled his hand back and had it behind his back before the words tumbled out of his mouth. I did a scan of my body. Nothing. No pain, no dizziness, no narrowing vision. Nothing. I wet my throat with a quick drink of water. "Do..." I had to swallow. "Do that again.""What?" He looked like he hadn't heard me right. A hysterical laugh threatened to close my throat. I lifted my hand, gave him the come ahead gesture. "I'm not touching you." I must be going crazy because it almost sounded like he was sad about that fact. "You didn't hurt me." I shook my head. "Do it again. Please." I edged my face forward the tiniest degree. He was shaking his head. "The last time we touched, you ended up vomiting and passing out. Call me crazy, but I'm not really in the mood to repeat that
I needed to get my head examined. The woman had been stalking me, fucking stalking me around the kitchen, and I had scuttled back like she had the plague. The skin I'd wanted to touch and taste had been within my grasp and I turned into a fucking saint. Banging my fists against the solid wood door, I lowered my head to the surface. "Kiema. Come on. Talk to me."No answer. "Shit." I turned and slid down to my ass, back against the door. All I could see was her convulsing body as she emptied herself into the toilet. The toilet that looked like it held a piece of her internal organs. I squeezed my eyes closed, rubbing my fingers against them. The scene played out in my mind again. The taut body bowed back like a crescent moon. The pale skin that held none of the life I'd come to expect of her honeyed tones. The blank eyes. I won't be the one to cause that again. Not in this lifetime. But what if she was right? What if my touch doesn't hurt her anymore?I knocked my h
"Aaah!" I crashed to the floor as I walked out of my room the next morning. "What the hell, Ki?" Ransom growled near my feet. "What the hell are you doing sleeping across my doorway? There's a perfectly good, oversized bed in your room." Adjusting my sleep tank back around my boobs, I pulled my feet free of his blankets. My boy short panties were riding up my butt now too. Jerk."You didn't come back out yesterday. I fell asleep waiting for you." His palm was on my ankle, rubbing gently over the bone. Warmth broke out under my skin. It felt so good to be touched.I stilled. Not wanting to scare him away. His fingers were just a little rough as they traced my ankle over and over. The heat built where he touched me. Soon it became a bonfire. One that threatened to blaze out of control.No, damn it. I almost cried out as my leg felt like it was being scorched from the inside out. I must have made a noise because Ransom pulled his hand away as if he could feel th
I could've sworn I not only felt, but heard, the fire being extinguished in her as soon as she stood trembling under the cold water.Looking at her soaking wet had me pushing her farther into the shower and stepping in behind her. Might as well cool some of my own flames while we were at it. I'd been with a lot of women. But nothing had turned me on harder or faster than having Kiema kiss my chest. Every hesitant graze of her lips shot fingers of fire to my cock. Every timid lave of her tongue had tightened my balls. I hadn't been lying when I told her that she could come check out if what she'd done was okay with me. I closed my eyes as I imagined showing her, all fucking day and night. "Are you okay?" she asked.I opened my eyes, shot her a wry smile "Except for my balls turning to icicles, yeah, peachy. Why?"She giggled. "You look like you're in pain.""I redirect you to my prior statement." I traced a finger over her mouth. "Your lips are turning blue. How're t
Hair scraped back in a high ponytail, shrouded in layers of clothes, I huddled under three blankets next to the roaring fire Ransom had built while he waited for me to come out of my room. I couldn't stop the shivers and trembles that wracked my body. I should be warm. Hell, I should be roasting. But I felt cold to my bones. Even my soul felt frozen. Ransom brought me a bowl of steaming tomato soup. "Here. Try this. It should help warm you from the inside."He was careful to keep his skin from touching mine. A piece of my heart shriveled. "Th-th-thank you.""Okay, there has to be a reasonable explanation for all this." He sat on the floor across from me, a bed sheet wrapped around his waist. Another sheet covered his top half. As much as I hated it, I was thankful he'd covered up. My face almost inside the bowl of steaming soup, I made a noise that he should keep talking. "All right. What do we know about healing magic?" He looked at me, his dark blue eyes serious
"Daaaamn, man. No wonder you're getting all riled up about her," Asher exclaimed with a low whistle.I hadn't meant to send them the mental image of Kiema's tits. But, Gaia, they looked so damn good, even under the layers of shirts. Just the size to fill my palms with a little left over for my lips and tongue. "Caduceus," Doctor Atlas said, pulling everyone back on point. "The winged staff with two serpents is called the caduceus. Typically seen as the emblem of the medical profession."I slammed my eyes shut. I couldn't afford to get sidetracked right now. Not even for the two things I wanted to touch the most. "Ransom?" Kiema said, pulling my attention back to her for a moment.I held up a finger for her to give me a minute. I told them about the possible acronym, but didn't hold out much hope for anything to come back from that. "I finally found her file, Ransom. Kiema Rosalinda Feuer, aged twenty-eight, height of five-six, weight at time of admission of 157," Xand
I was afraid to look up at him. He'd never let me look inside him now. Never let me touch him again. Damn it. It was my body, my choice. I should get to make the decision on how I lived and died. My resolve hardened. He could take it or leave it, but I was the one in control of my own life. For the first time. Forever. No one else would get to make those decisions for me. Not ever again.I looked up, determination blazing in my eyes. He looked like he wanted to kiss me, vomit, and scream at me. All at once. A giggle escaped me. I slapped a hand over my mouth, eyes wide. His dark blond eyebrows dropped low over his eyes. "What the fuck did you just say?"I repeated it. This time, I said it with strength. I was the master of my own life. I'd heal as many fucking people as I want, and everyone else can just suck it."I'm going to FUCKING kill your parents!" He rocketed to his feet, bed sheets waving in the wind. He stomped around the open space like a lion prowls a zo
Three months later"And I'm telling you right now, dad, that if you want to ever see these babies, you'll stop sending my mates to the Underworld for a cooling off' period. That shit is getting old," I said as I waddled into the hospital built for gods and demi-gods. He chuckled beside me. "But, bubbles, they deserved it. Crowing like they built Olympus bare handed. They were getting on your Circle's nerves. I could tell." He said as he lifted me into the bed. "Bring them back, dad. Now." I glared at him. Even though, on the inside, I was smiling like a loon. This was the type of relationship I'd always dreamed of having with a father. He sighed, a smirk still pulling at his mouth. With a snap, my three mates stumbled into the room."Damn it, Apollo," Saint said as he flicked his shirt. "Cerberus almost got me that time."My dad's head tipped back as he laughed and laughed. The babies inside me loved that sound. They kicked at my belly. I rubbed at the spot. "Easy
Six months later"Last time, I'll ask. I swear." Kiema swallowed heavily as she moved around behind me. "You promise you're okay not getting your deer back?" Kiema asked me as flicked the fabric of my dress this way and that to get it to lay perfectly.I waited until she looked up at me. That look of slight hesitation on her face tugged at my heart. "I promise. I was never meant to be a deer. A shifter of any kind."She nodded, sniffled quietly. "You ready for the rest of this then?" Kiema asked me as she adjusted the crown of flowers in my hair. "So much more than ready. I've been waiting for this my entire life." I bit back the tears that wanted to flood my throat. Not today. I wouldn't ruin this day with tears.She smiled as she stepped back. "You look beautiful, little sister." Tears gathered in her eyes. I held up a hand, looked at the ceiling. "Don't do that. I told you I wasn't crying today. You start crying, then I'll start crying. Then we'll have to postpone e
The next night"Wake up, Saint," I said softly in our shared consciousness. I could barely contain myself. I had felt the swell of magic. Had felt it when it took root."Saint," I said again. The man slept like a rock at the bottom of a spring. "Mgmgs," he mumbled.Forcing our arm to move, I slapped our face. He shot up, his teeth bared. "Who's there?" he called out. "It's me, you buffoon," I said.Our head cocked to the side. "Ten? Why are you waking me up? Can't whatever it is wait until morning?" He snuggled back down into the comfortable bed in our new home. "No." I shook our head so he would fully wake up. "Wake up!"He sat up, pulling the blankets with him. "I'm awake. What can't wait until the morning, Ten?""Kiema is pregnant.""WHAT THE FUCK!?"I snickered as everyone in the room burst from the bed, fists and knives raised in defense. "What is it?" Ransom's head turned back and forth quickly, visually sweeping the room. With a grunt at its emp
Two weeks later"Are we finally going to try this? We've been prepping for what feels like forever." I licked my way up Saint's neck. He shivered as his fingers curled into the flesh of my ass. "Maybe we should wait one more day. I don't want to hurt you."I rolled my eyes under the cover of my closed lids. This man. So dominant. So caring. So sure I wasn't ready to take one of them in my ass. I guess I'll just have to show him that I was more than ready.I slid down his body. A wave of magic and all of us were naked as the day we were born. As I sucked his cock into my mouth, Kord came up behind me.Curling around my back, he pinched my nipples with one hand. With his other, he slid a hand down my belly and straight over my clit. With a sharp movement, his fingers were deep inside me. I groaned around Saint's dick as waves of pleasure washed over me. Sprinkled with the counterpoints of pain from Kord getting my nipples ready for the clover clamps. I felt my core cream at
The next day"Torture and then straight back to bed. I don't care that your father is the god of healing. This is ridiculous, Kiema," Atlas said as we stood in the elevator on our way to the basement level."Don't get trapped in the dungeons," Apollo had said as he laid his palm against the electronic plate on the wall of the elevator.Right. Dungeons in a god hospital. Gods were freaking weird.I patted his cheek. "I've got my main medical provider right next to me. I'll be fine. Besides I feel like a million bucks."He huffed a laugh as Mason and Lukas came up beside him. I wiggled my eyebrows at Atlas, looked over his shoulder, back to his face.He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Yes, little sister. We've decided to try being a thruple."I wrinkled my nose. "What kind of word is thruple?""A three-person couple, luv," Lukas answered. I snorted. "And you guys won't let me make up words? That's a heaping load of Berserker shit right there."We were all laughi
I pushed the other two through the doors. I wasn't waiting another minute to see my girl. I'd felt her die. Felt my spirit try to follow her down that long tunnel. My heart had stopped beating when I saw Heppni literally rip her heart from her chest and crush it. But here we were. Alive. Healing. She was pale against the bright white sheets of the hospital bed. Although it was unlike any hospital I'd ever been in. Apollo said something about it being a place for gods and goddesses. I shook my head. It didn't matter to me what it was as long as it made her better. She looked over as we rushed in. Her eyes searched each one of us before returning to me. Tears flooded her eyes as I pulled her into my arms. We all sat on the bed, curled and huddled together while she got it all out. The guys and I had had some truly brutal boxing matches to deal with our own emotions. I was still achy and sore from a couple of well-placed hits from Kord. The man might be a nerdy librarian, b
My chest hurt. I tried to rub it, but my arms were restrained. "Easy there, bubbles. You'll pull your stitches if you do that," a man said. His voice was soft and melodious. Like listening to angels sing. Angels. Something about that word tickled my brain.Angel. Almost. Almost.Ransom. As soon as I thought his name, his face popped into my brain. I tried to sit up. Made it a couple inches before I was pushed back to the bed beneath me. I opened my eyes. Ignoring the stabbing pain that slid into my eyeballs, I blinked to clear my vision. A bright white room greeted me. The only color in it was the man who had a hand against my chest. I looked down at his hand. Looked up at his face. Raised an eyebrow. "Get the fuck off, perv. My mates will rip you to shreds."He huffed a laugh and removed his hand. "I doubt your mates will be doing much more than breathing for a couple more hours, but I'm glad to see that you're back, bubbles. Have a nice nap?" I leaned ba
Everyone Hellion had made me vow to keep alive fell to the ground as if they were puppets and their strings had been cut. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I hurried to the closest one's side. Pushed two fingers to his neck. Gone. I was so fucking dead. I blasted an oncoming human with a burst of magic. He withered where he stood. I sank to my knees next to the small woman with bright white hair. She was gone as well. The woman with the long brown hair threw her blade into an approaching Direct. It sliced through him like he was air. With wild eyes, she didn't even try to gather the particles of his passing. She pushed me aside as she cradled the smaller woman to her chest. "No no no not my baby no no no please no no," she wailed. Her agonized scream was muffled against the smaller woman's head.The rest of the humans who had interrupted our plans were either dead or falling back the way they'd come. Movement drew my eye. I squinted as I tracked it across the street. It wa
I sent another stream of fiery magic at the Direct who thought to protect my mother. Some pansy-assed gifted asshole wasn't going to stop me from hunting my mother down and killing her. With a wave of my hand, a path cleared. With a curl of my fist, humans fell to the ground, their spines crumbled into dust. "I'm coming for you, Herpes," I screamed at the top of my lungs. She scurried away, down the side street towards the fighting arena I'd created for us to use for practice. I picked up my pace and followed her. "You better be fucking careful, honey," Saint said through my head. He was working with Arasne and Felix at the opening of the street where the humans were still grouped. The Faeries had set up a blockade of sorts, forcing the humans into a bottleneck situation. They were taken down one by one as Ransom had his horde of beasts funneled them through the line of magical warriors. "Always, Saint baby. See you in a bit." I rushed down the street Herpes had