My rune was itching. It felt like I had bugs crawling under my skin. I rubbed at it. Again. When was my life going to settle down? Right now, I'd be down for boring, staid even. The room we entered was the one my guys and I had been sharing before the doomed ball. But now that everyone was going to be staying in here, it had been changed again. Several beds lined the edges of the room while the biggest table I'd ever seen dominated the middle of the space. Twelve chairs surrounded the table that was already groaning under the weight of a feast. I smiled as we all took our seats. As I looked around, I noticed that, except for Nix and Mason, we'd chosen our spots that we had in Asher's kitchen area. One big happy family. Conversation and laughter floated in and through the dinner. As if by some unspoken cue, no one talked about anything more serious than Faery's weather - gorgeous, or the clothes - bordering on ridiculous.After we'd stuffed our faces, we all sat back in our c
My Kona's mouth dropped wide as she spluttered at my comment. I hid my smile. She was easily riled, this female. I didn't want to hurt her feelings by laughing in her face. "But he's my uncle, too. Does that mean we are cousins?" she asked. She locked her expression away, her light gray eyes both guarded and softer than I had thought her capable of achieving."I carry the last vestiges of Bestia's Prime power in my body. If through no other means, that would make us family - in a way." I nodded. She tried to smile as her eyes filled with tears. "Good." She dashed her fingers under her eyes. "Good. That makes me happy.""And since Prime powers are gold, I would assume that you are carrying pieces of Hellion's power. If you can successfully integrate them into your magical well, you, too, would be a Prime," I explained. The tears vanished as if she'd been traversing a desert. "What?"I repeated myself. "B-bu-but I don't want to be a Prime. Why would Hellion give me powe
I closed my mouth with a soft click. Shook my head. "No. There's no way. Sebasti - " I shook my head again. "I cannot help you make sense of it if I don't get the rest of your meaning, mon amie," Mason said. "My great-grandfather's name was Sebastian. I never knew his wife's name. My grandfather's name was Silvere. He married Del - ""-phine." Mason's head tipped to the side as he stared at me. "But this does not make sense. You are in your younger years."I bristled. "I'm thirty-two." Instantly felt my cheeks heat as I imagined what that sounded like to a guy who had just admitted to sleeping for the last two hundred odd years.Mason nodded. "I did not mean to offend. What of your father? Your mother? Are they still alive?"I swallowed the ache talking about them usually brought me. "My father was Aleksandr and my mother was Lena. They were both killed in a car accident when I was younger.""Mes condoléances," Mason said as he laid a hand over his heart, dipped his hea
Two days laterAzica"We've got until tomorrow to get enough of these warehouses up and running for the Faeries, the Horde, the humans, and anyone else who wants to bunk with us. What can we do to make that happen?" I asked Saint as we walked back into the warehouse that I considered our home. He laughed as he picked me up and twirled me around. "You're the one practically overflowing with power. What do you say to giving your first couple lessons a real-life test?"I gulped. "S-sure. But let's use one of the ones down the street. That way if it implodes, it won't hurt our house."He laughed, right in my face, and set me down with a kiss on my nose. "I'll get the others." He ran from the room. "Great. Because I love an audience to my failures," I yelled after him. **We all met at the old mattress warehouse that Scarlet used to live in. Standing across the street - the safest distance I could get any of them to stand while I tried my hand at magicking a new building
"Finally, a meeting I know about in advance," I said as I rushed to my level. I was getting my notepad, my tablet, and a collection of pens. "You're cute when you're extra nerdy," Lukas said as he jogged beside me.I shot him a smile. "Just imagine what I know about your body and anatomy." I chuckled as he jerked to a stop, his blue eyes going dark and sexy. "There are advantages to being nerdy."I grabbed up what I needed, walked by him, pressed my mouth to his. I pulled away right as he began to respond. I bit his lower lip. "Come on. We've got a meeting to attend."He growled low. "I would say I'm going to get you back for that, but you wrap me up in knots too easily. So I'll just go along for the ride."I smiled as I flicked the light switch by the door. "Atlas," he said, his voice serious.I turned back to him. "Yeah?""About Mason..." he trailed off. His face pinched as he dropped his eyes.I walked back over to him. Took his face in my hands, raised it so I c
All the men growled and edged to their feet."No. I've got this," I said in all of their heads. "And what about the loves of my life, Hellion?" I asked softly. My voice a sharp contrast to the loudness of his. "Why does yours matter more than mine?""Because "I flung my magic at him. He stumbled back. Anger ate away the confused look that had taken over his face. "Be very careful with what you say next, Uncle," I sneered the last word. With a wave of his own magic, the warehouse was gone. We stood out in the open, sunlight beating down on us. "Do not think you can take me on, niece. You don't yet know how to use your magic. You are but an infant suckling at the nipple of the well I have available to me." He waved his hands in the air again, pulled magic to rest on his upturned palms.My family gathered around me, ranged themselves into the circles of Guardians and Mates that was repeated on my rune. "I suggest you think very carefully before you try to hurt the pe
"Why does fate hate me?" I mumbled to myself as I turned around to see a man I'd hoped had been blown up along with Juan. "What the fuck, mate?" Lukas called. "Surprised to see me, Lukas?" Aeron called as he showed up between two buildings off to our right. "Yeah. Hoped you were dead," I called. He tsked, tsked, tsked, me. "Now that's not very nice, you bitch. You're the one who undid Hellion's binding." He pointed to the side of his body. "This is all your fault." His left arm, torso, and leg were all charred skin and sinew that showed through the patchy skin he had left. "Um, I think being around Juan when he blew up was your fault, Aeron. It wasn't like we didn't tell you he had a bomb inside him," Taryk called. "But if she'd left me alone, I'd still be whole. I'd still be - " He cut his words off abruptly. Lukas started laughing. "Still be what, mate? Beautiful? Sexy? No matter what the outside looks like, you'd still be a poisonous person on the inside. Now th
"You doing okay?" I asked Kiema as we got the table cleaned up from dinner. She turned to me, smiled, nodded. "As well as can be expected, I guess. I'm still reeling from everything with Hellion. I think I'd come around to trusting him at some point over the last couple weeks. To have it all ripped out from underneath me like that?" She shook her head. "How am I supposed to deal with that?"My heart caught. She'd lived her life knowing exactly who her monsters were. What side of the line everyone stood on. Having the evidence shoved into your face that you didn't know where people stood...that could be life-altering. Damaging. "You realize that the people who truly know you and love you will never do that to you," I said. Grabbing her hand, I gave it a squeeze. She squeezed mine back. "Thanks, Scarlet. I'll stop whining here after a while. Just got to get it out."I giggle-snorted. "If this is you whining, would you mind giving lessons to Asher? He says he doesn't whine, b
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