Wrenching pain was swallowed by searing heat as something was plunged repeatedly through my body. My chest felt like a herd of elephants were sitting on it while something was gnawing on my legs. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what was wrong, and I couldn't fucking open my eyes to see what it was either. The only thing I did know was that Kiema was with me. Her magic wrapped me in layers of love and peace even as agony rippled through me. Phantom fingers mussed my hair, smoothed my brow. A cool kiss was pressed to my head as a blazing inferno incinerated me from the inside out. "Xander." I grimaced. "Xan baby, I know you can hear me," a wrenching familiar voice said. I'd longed to hear that feminine voice one more time. To wrap it around me like a blanket, to store it forever in my memory. My memory hadn't done it justice. A husky chuckle that brought a tear to my eye. "Come on, Xan baby. Just open your eyes."I shook my head. If I didn't open them, maybe
I caught her before she tumbled to the floor in a dead faint. Xander disrupted his unit's embrace, almost shoving Scarlet to the side to get to Kiema. His face showed his horror. Saint grabbed Xander before he could hurt his own mate. "She's just exhausted, Xander. She's fine. I swear," Saint said. Xander looked up at me. I nodded. "She told us as soon as you both came out of the Gateway. Apparently, she used a lot of power and it drained her. She's going to be fine, I promise you." His dark brown eyes were flickering with the white, blue, and purple colors of his elemental tiger. "You swear on your life?"I dipped my head. "On my life."He fell back, scooped Scarlet back into his arms. Buried his head against her shoulders and began sobbing. "What the fuck do you think happened in there?" Saint asked me quietly as we moved out of the small room. I gave a low whistle as I looked at the carnage on the warehouse's former showroom floor. Pieces and parts of the Wa
"Good, luv?" I asked Atlas as he finished washing his hands for what had to be the millionth time after getting back to the warehouse.He nodded, not even bothering to look at me. His shoulders were trembling and small shoots of water sprang up from the sink at different intervals. I waited him out. One of the few things I'd learned about this enigmatic man, over and above the fact that he was a seriously good kisser, was that his love for his brothers and family was the solid core of him. I'd watched in helpless horror as the realization that he'd been unable to save Xander's life had washed over him back in that slaughterhouse.He turned from the sink, his head still down, his eyes closed tight. He shook his head. Still not bothering to look up at me. I walked over to him, careful not to get too close to invading his personal space. "Need some touch or rather not?"He nodded. The first tear splashed to the floor between my feet. I had him in my arms before the next cou
Xander was the last to slide into a seat at the huge dining table on Asher's level. The man himself was trying to play it cool by staying in the kitchen. But I could see the starkness in the gaze that had yet to leave his brother. He saw me looking at him. I nodded at him. He returned the gesture before going back to keep a close eye on his twin. "Anytime there, Kord," Ransom said from the far end of the table. The head of the table. I smiled at the unspoken hierarchy. I cleared my throat. "Right." Shit, now that the time was here, where did I freaking start? I rubbed my hands down my pants, trying to dry the suddenly damp palms. I wasn't quite sure where I fit in the hierarchy yet, but I knew I fucking wanted to. Damn, did they make family look appealing. I glanced at Kiema, she gave me a soft, if slightly unfocused smile. Fuck, she was a bright light in a world full of shitty darkness. And suddenly, I knew where to start. "Okay, so there are a total of four proph
"And I still don't care what it says. Unless they're just out there waiting to gobble me up, I'm going to freaking bed," I said for what felt like the tenth time. Ransom opened his mouth. I held up a hand, a frown pulling at the edges of my mouth. "If you suggest the Hold one more time, I'm going to shove you in there."He opened his mouth again."Without me," I said quickly.His mouth snapped closed with a click. I caught Scarlet's gaze. She rolled her eyes. So fucking true, girlfriend. So fucking true."Bed. Now. Any of my mates who want to join, there will be no sexy times. Sleeping is it. The end. The rest of you, good night. Pleasant dreams. I'll see you after I wake up. And I better not be woken up by any of you." I turned on my sock-covered heel and headed for the elevator. I couldn't handle their worry or expectation. The sliver of Scarlet's magic that I'd inherited made other people's emotions feel like weights around my neck while I was trying to just t
"I swear to Gaia if you keep hovering over me like mom used to, then I'm going to cock-shot you and lock you in the Hold," Xander said, his voice a hard whisper in my ear. We were hovering over Kord as he discussed the finer points of foreign language translation.I felt my shoulders relax at his hard tone. He was back. Fully. Completely. My belly unwound itself. I nodded, not looking at him. He bumped his shoulder into mine in response. "What the fuck happened in the warehouse today? How did it get decorated with body parts and blood?" he asked. The fucker! I just now relax and he brings it back up like he's discussing the fucking weather?He growled low next to me. "Our Cherrypie happened, bro," Taryk said. "I have no idea how she did it, but the bodies just ended up sliced and diced. She was either moving too fast or hidden under massive camouflage. The Wardens just ended up on the floor in different pieces.""I'm not convinced they were Wardens," Kord said befo
Two days later"Last chance, Alok. I won't be asking again. You can talk to me or to one of the women," I said. The blue-haired idiot strapped down to a chair scoffed. "I'll take one of the women." He leered at me, a sickening glint in his eye.Saint laughed. "Have a preference?""How about both?" I look at Saint. He was already looking at me. A different kind of glint in his eye. "Works for me if it works for you. Scarlet has been working with Kiema," he said over the implant network. I turned back to the asshole. "That works for us. But don't come begging and whining when they break you." We turned to leave the Hold, the door open. The two women this imbecile was mocking were waiting at the door. He laughed, the sound full of scorn and derision. "I break for no woman. Least of all two magical half-wits."Just outside the door, Kiema laughed. The sound low, husky, sexy. "Finally, a willing participant." She brushed past Saint and me as she tugged Scarlet in behind
"Harder, Taryk, please," I begged as I let Xander's dick fall from my mouth. Being stretched out between them was a delicious torture. Taryk slowed his pace but increased the force of his drives inside me. He slapped a hand to my upthrust ass. "Teasing us like that. I should make you wait until we're all done with you before you get to cum."My body clenched at the command in his voice, the threat that they would deny my orgasm had me zipping toward the finished line. Taryk grunted, "Ah, ah, ah, little minx. You liked that idea. I think we'll try it out."My core tightened even as I shook my head no. Xander chuckled as he tapped my cheek with his fingers. "Open up, Kaeru."I looked up at him, my confusion on my face. Running a hand down my cheek, he answered, "Means dear in one of the Earth languages. I asked Ten."My heart melting, I opened my mouth. I inhaled his cock, taking him straight to the back of my mouth as quickly as possible. Okay, I might have also want
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