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
Four days later"Fuck, Ki. You've got to stop. I can't handle anymore." I fought not to clench my fists; my head thrown back. My chest was heaving as the muscles in my arms quivered. "Whiner. If you were more flexible, it wouldn't hurt so much now." She pushed my hips down against the floor. "I'll remember that next time. For the love of Gaia, let me up." She sighed heavily. "Fine, but next time we go for at least half an hour." She stepped back, letting me come out of Cobra pose. "You've got to do something. You've gained at least thirty pounds of muscle. You don't keep it stretched out, you're going to be a hunched old man by the age of thirty-five." I collapsed onto the floor. I fucking hurt all over. Turning, I watched her. She slung her towel over her shoulder, using the ends to blot the beginnings of sweat beads from her brow. Her long black hair sat in a mess on top of her head. Her bouncy ass cupped like a lover by her pants. I was fucking jealous of thos
"Shit, shit, shit." I snatched my hand back and covered my mouth to bury my own scream.His body thrashed from the sofa to the floor as whatever had been inside him tried to get out. The sounds coming from his body made my stomach heave. Pops, rips, groans. It was a symphony of pain. I couldn't leave him to deal with this on his own. I'd done this. I would fix it. Ripping my psyche open, I found the place that held my magic. Pushing that spark from my chest into my hands, I settled them against his writhing chest. His body stilled. "Thank Gaia." I let out a heavy breath. "Please let this work." I shoved my magic into him.Forcing it from my own body, I willed it into his. It sank into his chest with a sigh. Just before my vision went black, I thought I heard something.But that couldn't have been right. There were no animals in the house.
That hurt like a son of a bitch. Thankfully that shit was done. I could finally breathe. Where was Kiema? Hopefully I hadn't hurt her when I grabbed her. I'd have to check on her. I stumbled to my hands and knees. How the hell had I ended up on the floor?Shaking my head to clear it, it dawned on me that something wasn't right. I called out, but what came from my mouth wasn't words. What the fuck?"Ransom?" Dr. Atlas called through my brain. "Something just went haywire with the circuitry here on our end. Your implant is going crazy.""What the fuck?" At least I still had a mental voice. "That's what I'm trying to understand, Ransom. Report your situation.""Kiema and I were working on her magic and my healing. Something happened. I just woke up on the floor. When I tried to talk to her, I swear I sounded like a huge cat.""We don't care about your sex games, Ransom. Unless you're going to share some pictures of Kiema," Asher butted in. I snarled. Yup, huge cat
Something was moving around the living room. It sounded huge and kept knocking into everything. The memory of the animalistic sound I'd heard right before passing out smashed into my consciousness. "Shit, shit, shit." I opened my eyes. All I could see was the floor and the far side of the room. Whatever was in here with me was behind me. I got ready to slide across the floor. Only my right side wouldn't move. Turning my head, AKA smashing my face into the floor, let me know that I wouldn't be moving anytime soon. I was stuck. I was stuck and there was a gigantic animal in the house with me. This would be a great time for me to have something other than healing magic. I needed to find Ransom and get the hell out of this cursed cabin.Something touched my foot. Shit, shit, shit. I stilled my breathing, going into a light trance. Maybe if it thought I was dead, it would leave me alone. I could feel its breath on my back. Great gusts of wind that moved the tendrils of h
For the first time since laying eyes on her, I held the beautiful woman in my arms. No grimaces, no winces, no pinched eyes, or taut body. She slept peacefully in my arms, her body soft and pliant. Warm. If I could just get back to my own body, I'd be in heaven. With that thought, pain ripped through my body. But this time, immense pleasure sprinkled through the agony, dulling the edge into something awfully wonderful. I must have woken her, because she was now rigid, and her chest was moving too fast. Her pale gray eyes were wide enough I could see white all around the iris. My body knit itself back together. Bone by bone, muscle by muscle. I felt myself emerging from the hide of the animal I had been. Thank Gaia I'd already been laying on the floor. I still fell the last couple of inches into the softness of Kiema. The loud OOMPH exploded from both of our mouths as I landed. "Ransom?" Her breath tickled my ear. "Yeah.""But...l-l-ion...d-d-dragon...""Yeah.
I started by his side. My chest almost burst with the joy spearing through my body. My gaze focused as I ran my hand lightly up and down his cock. It was a lot softer, almost silky, than what I'd had thought it would be. His powerful thighs moved restlessly on the huge bed. The texture of his skin was so different in different areas: rough, but soft on his legs. Soft as heated silk on his cock. Smooth and firm on his abs. Hard pebbles for his nipples. He was a smorgasbord of textures and tastes. And I intended to learn and memorize every single one. I leaned down, ran my nose up the length of his cock. The natural scent of his body made me clench my thighs together. I stuck my tongue out, following in my nose's wake. "Mm. I like the way you taste," I murmured, more to myself than to him. "Take me in your mouth, Ki. I want to feel your mouth."Turning my head, I looked up at him from under my lashes. His face was stark, his eyes a little wild. I settled myself betwee
"Ransom. Wake the fuck up, man."Someone was going to die for interrupting the best sleep of my life. I rolled over, sliding my arm over the woman cuddled against my side. "What, Atlas?" I growled through our mental connection."Are you back in your human body""Yes. Go away." I pulled Kiema closer to me. The events of the night rolled through my mind like a movie. If I wasn't so fucking happy that she was in my bed, in my arms, I'd be embarrassed about losing it that quickly. I hadn't felt that out of my head since the first time I'd had sex. Even then I felt I had a little more game than I'd had last night with Kiema. I laughed as I remembered her glare as she slapped me. I'd been about to beg her to touch me again. Then, out of nowhere, I get to show her how to please me. The woman was a goddess. No question. A snore interrupted my memories. I laughed mentally. Well, as goddess-like as a human can get, anyways. "Ransom!" Atlas yelled in my head. I got the feelin
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