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November 12 - November 12, 2022
He was sitting on the grey couch as I came up, still not shielding his emotions from me as he looked at something on his Atlas. Whatever it was was confusing him a hell of a lot. There was some lust, longing, anger, irritation and a hell of a lot of pain. I stepped closer and snatched his Atlas from his hand before he could stop me. I flipped it around to look at it, expecting something from his father or maybe a newspaper article. I did not expect to see a photograph of Tory Vega in her underwear and a pair of filthy walking boots.
“I’ll tell you a secret as well,” Caleb agreed, shifting closer, his leg pressed against Darius’s. The four of us were huddled so close together that it should have been uncomfortable but somehow it wasn’t. This was the bond of our brotherhood. Darius needed us and we were going to show him that we’d be here no matter what.
“I’ve never been worried about you hurting me when you bite me,” Seth added, grinning wolfishly and breaking the tension as Caleb smiled back. “Good.”
“I don’t wanna hear it!” Darius barked a laugh and reared back in disgust. “I’m stuck between morbid fascination and total repulsion,” Caleb admitted. “No. Fuck no, I don’t need to hear anything else about you and that weird suckling thing. This secret session is officially over,” I said.
We were born to rule. I just hoped that when we sat on the Celestial Council, we’d still be able to do this. That we’d still be as close as we were now, still love each other as brothers. Because there was nothing more important to me than the three men in this room. And one day, we were going to rule the world together.
“Princess Mer-Geraldine would never be seen dead with some common hagfish,” Geraldine said dismissively and a snort escaped me. Max’s jaw clenched. “I’m not a hagfish, I’m Poseidon, king of the sea.” “Oh, well why would the mighty King Poseidon wear a hagfish costume?” Geraldine asked with a frown and Max’s eyes flared with rage. “He’s not - I mean, I’m not. It’s not a hagfish costume!”
She couldn’t like him like that. He was just some asshole teacher with failed dreams. I mean sure, he was ripped as fuck, magically powerful and I’d had plenty of my own wet dreams about him, but whatever.
“Well spread me on a slice of honey wheat bread,” Geraldine breathed, handing another drink to Darcy, but she didn’t touch this one. “We’ve all gone down under to play on an Heir’s dickeridoo. But you can put the instrument down, Darcy. I for one would never play it again in my life.” “Did I just get rejected again?” Max grumbled.
There was something about the way that she looked at me sometimes that made me feel like she could see through every wall I put up, spot every lie and piece of armour I wore and look straight upon the creature which hid in the depths of my soul.
“I came because all I want is to be free. And fear shackles you just as easily as chains if you let it. So do your worst…or don’t. I can’t control what you choose to do, but I can choose what I do.”
She reached out sleepily, taking my hand in hers and pulling me down to join her. And I let her. Because I was weak and selfish. And because I knew this had been my last chance to prove to her that I could be more than just the asshole who made her miserable and I’d fucked it up. It felt like this had been a test and I’d failed before I’d even begun. I lay down and she curled against me, laying her head on my chest and fitting so perfectly into the curve of my body that it was like she’d been made to fit there. The ache in my chest lessened as I held her close, my fingers toying with the
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I turned and stormed from the room before she could respond, my heart breaking into a thousand pieces. And not because of the lies the Heirs had told about us. But because for the first time in my life, I truly felt alone.
“Good. Because I’m not a better man,” he said in a low growl, his eyes full of shadows. “I’m the devil and I want you. I want you like I’ve never wanted anything or anyone. And I will fight to make you mine, no matter what it takes. No force in Solaria will rip us apart.”
“One day I’m going to crush you under my heel,” I promised. “I’m going to deliver every ounce of pain on you that you’ve delivered on me and everyone I love.”
“You’re nothing, Seth Capella. You’re just a boy kicking his toys out of the pram because I bother you. I get under your skin and you can’t handle that like a man. This isn’t facing me like Fae, it’s pathetic. And if you think you’ve won, you are so wrong. The stars are on my side because they see you for the worthless creature that you are. And they’ll pay you back through me.”
I glared at him, raising my chin defiantly, daring him to do his worst as he reached out and snatched a handful of my hair into his grasp, tugging on it hard enough to tilt my head back. A gasp of pain parted my lips and his mouth collided with mine a moment later as my heart leapt at the unexpected turn of this argument.
Darius Acrux was probably the most pig headed, arrogant, infuriating man I’d ever met. But he was fucking mind blowing in the sack.
“What is it?” I dashed forward in a blur, resting my hand on his arm. My skin had prickled and hurt a while ago, though not seriously enough for me to be concerned, but now the Leo tattoo on my inner arm was pulsing uncomfortably. He locked me in an embrace and my heart pounded harder as I clutched him against me, the bond between us drawing us together and making me ache.
“Maybe nothing. When we were together I felt so connected to her, like our souls were trying to tear their way free of our flesh to press against each other. It wasn’t just good, it was completely overwhelming, I swear I can still feel the imprint of her skin against mine and taste her kisses on my lips…” He trailed off like he didn’t even have words for it
“I know what we said back then. That we agreed the best thing to do was to make sure they could never rise to power. But that was before we knew them. Before I realised that they might be just what Solaria needs,” I insisted.
Orion grabbed me so quickly that a gasp of surprise escaped my lips just as I was locked in the iron embrace of his arms. It took my brain half a second to realise he was hugging me. He was relieved. He clearly hadn’t been sure if I’d agree to helping him on this, but it really didn’t seem like much of a choice to me. I half laughed as I hugged him back, patting his shoulder awkwardly when he didn’t let go right away. “This is kinda inappropriate, dude,” I joked and he barked a laugh as he released me.
The darkness called to me with the promise of oblivion and for the first time, I found myself truly tempted to give in to its call.
“Fuck you,” she snarled, pointing right into Seth’s face before aiming her finger at me. “And fuck you.” She turned to point at Darius last. “And fuck you up the ass with a rusty spoon.”
“You’re serious?” “Why not? Am I gonna be getting laid when you catch me like Tory did too?” Seth’s smile widened and I wasn’t entirely sure if that was a joke or not but I laughed anyway. “I dunno, man. Her blood is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted and the way I feel when I hunt her down…I’m not sure if it would really be the same with someone else…” Seth rolled his eyes at me. “Fuck that. You get off on the hunt as much as the girl. Besides, you don’t have to be careful with me, I like it rough.”
My smile grew despite myself and my fangs started tingling in anticipation. I leaned towards him, my gaze skimming over his neck and taking in the way his
“No,” I said, shaking my head as I watched him unbuckle his belt. Seth grinned as he kicked his shoes off and my blood heated with the promise of the hunt as I sat watching him remove his clothes. “You sure you don’t want this to end in sex?” Seth teased as I continued to watch him. For a moment I was reminded of the time he’d kissed me in the Shimmering Springs last year. We’d both been drunk as fuck and had been starting up on a three way with a girl from his pack, but for some reason she’d left and the next thing I knew, his mouth was on mine and I was pulling him closer and… I cleared my
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I grabbed a fistful of his long hair, yanked his head aside and drove my fangs straight into his neck before he could stop me. Pure fucking ecstasy rolled through my body and I groaned as I drank deeply from the vein in his neck.
“Come on then, put me out of my misery. Was I as good as Tory Vega?” Seth’s gaze slid from my eyes to my mouth and a tingle ran along my skin as I considered his question.
“Better,” I replied. “Maybe I should hunt you more often.” “I won’t let you win next time,” Seth replied, pulling his hand back out from beneath my shirt. “You didn’t let me win anything,” I growled. Seth’s only response was a smirk and I got to my feet, offering him a hand up as my gaze slid down his muscular body which was shining with sweat from our fight.
Breaking things off with Tory Vega might have been a terrible fucking call, but if I could keep on hunting Seth like that then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
The girls around him swore at me and Max scowled as he appeared behind a cloud of smoke. A snort escaped me as I realised I’d burned his eyebrows clean off and several of the girls started pointing and frantically jumping up and down.
“Are you surprised? I can’t tell…” I called. He made a noise like a strangled frog as he took in his singed forehead then two chasms of rage opened up in his eyes. “VEGA!”
“I don’t know who you mean, you blown up seashell fart,” she said lightly to a round of sniggers from the table. “And where in the name of Frangelica the fifth are your eyebrows? Did they sprout legs and run away from the frightful fish boy who grew them? I mean, I could hardly blame them.”
Max growled furiously then stepped away from the table. “I don’t have fucking fish breath,” he muttered as he stalked away with a snarl and the laugh I’d been holding in my lungs finally tumbled from my chest. If there was one way to make my day go from shit to walking on a goddamn rainbow, it was burning off an Heir’s eyebrows and living to tell the tale.
“Right. Maybe we can focus on more team based encouragement instead of Heir ass licking?” I suggested because there was no way in hell I was going to be jumping up and down and praising Seth Capella’s luscious hair or Max Rigel’s thick thighs. I’d been refusing to participate in those cheers since I’d been forced onto the team in the first place and I had no intention of jumping on the ass licking train now.
“The next time you want to drown in them, tell me about it.” “Why?”
“Because if you’re going to drown then I’m going to drown with you.”
I didn’t know what the hell I was supposed to make of that declaration. Did he crave the kiss of the shadows too? Or was he really just offering to hold my hand if I fell?
Walking away from Roxy Vega felt something akin to being kicked in the balls.
I knew because I often walked to her door in the middle of the night and pressed my hand to it, reaching out with my own magic until it brushed against hers and reassured me that she was okay. Or if not okay, then at least alive.
I glanced down at my fingers and found them stained with her blood from where I’d healed her. I only wished I could fix the wounds inside her as easily as those marking her flesh.
Don’t be with him because we were together once. For one, too brief, earth shattering moment, you were mine. And I never should have let you go.
“C’mon, man,” Xavier groaned. “I’m literally cooped up in a tower here like a sparkly Rapunzel. The closest I come to having my own life is by hearing about yours.”
The door flew open just before I reached it and Lance’s eyes were wide with excitement as he held his arms wide. I crashed into him and we wrapped our arms around each other and damn near fell over with the force of our collision.
“Fuck, you smell so good,” I groaned as the scent of cinnamon enveloped me. “I’m really having to fight against the urge to kiss you right now,” he joked, though as he said it, I was half tempted to turn my mouth towards his. This fucking Guardian bond!
“I think if we just give each other blowjobs we’ll be all good,” I laughed and he nuzzled into me. “By the stars, that doesn’t even sound like the worst idea,” he groaned and I laughed harder.
“Well let’s just be glad we aren’t related,” he teased. “Because if we both had the temper of a Dragon then we’d probably have a lot more of these arguments to contend with – and the blowjobs would be extra wrong.”
Lance looked at me for a long moment then sighed. “I do. But not now. Now I just wanna enjoy some time in your company and quite probably spend the night spooning you in the totally platonic, utterly fucking ridiculous way that this bond needs.” “Fuck, that sounds so good,” I groaned, knocking my head back on the couch with a breath of laughter.
“That sounds like its own kind of heaven,” I admitted because I really needed to spend some time just doing nothing and forgetting about all the shit in our lives. Tonight there would be no Nymphs or Councillors or politics or Vegas. Just two fully grown men watching action flicks and quite likely holding hands throughout. Which was pretty much the best kind of night I could imagine having right now. And as Orion reached out and took my hand, I felt myself grinning like a kid at Christmas and all of my problems seemed a little more bearable.
He created little worlds that belonged just to us. Beneath a swimming pool, between the sheets, under a willow tree. He could make anywhere ours and shut out every other living thing.
