39. Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Dyre
I shouldn't be surprised. Everyone in this house was apparently sex-crazed.
But still… When I first realized Andy was as attracted to me as I was to her, I thought it was a once in a lifetime miracle. I had eyes. I knew I was in no way handsome or beautiful, like the others. And my looks and my black aura made it impossible to hide the aberration I had become. It was usually enough to send most people running in the opposite direction. But Andy was Andy , and I had come to understand that she could see through all of that to the man underneath. To what was left of the good in me.
When Ambrose expressed his interest, well, I at first assumed it was just a passing thing. It could be argued that he was as monstrous as me, in his own way. I was sure some people would see his strange red eyes and sharp teeth, be caught up in the aura of fear and shadow that hovered near him at all times, and be put off. But he was compelling in a way I was not. His physical body wasn't wasted away, all leeched of color, and covered in scars. I knew I was probably just a curiosity to him. An amusement to pass the time now that he was free from the bestiary. And I told myself I could enjoy that attention while it lasted, fully expecting it to end. Except, it had turned out to be something more. Somehow he saw me too. Somehow, he also seemed to genuinely care about the abomination he'd bedded.
It had taken some time for me to accept that the two of them really did care for me. That it wasn't just about sex or some fun, perverse diversion at the necromancers expense. I knew now that they loved me as fiercely as I loved them. And that all of us here in this strange pocket world cared for the wellbeing of the others, even if we didn't always see eye-to-eye.
And, well, there was that strange interaction with the jinn. But I was pretty sure that was just him being impulsive and weird. There was no way I was going to try to figure out his feelings, not when he couldn't even figure them out himself most of the time.
But this… Hasumi seemed determined to show me that my perceptions of myself were wrong. Not long ago, in this very room, the stunning, perceptive water weaver had encouraged me to explore my feelings for Elijah. Then they had kissed me. And it fucking blew my mind.
Afterward I told myself they were simply being dramatic. Only trying to prove a point. That they couldn't really find me attractive. And yet… why bother to speak with me about Elijah? Why did Hasumi care what I did or what I felt? Unless my bottled-up emotions were leaking out, annoying the sensitive elemental.
Now, though, I couldn't hide behind my excuses and fears. It was obvious, if I let myself actually believe what common sense was telling me. Hasumi had pursued me that day, had insisted I follow my heart, and had even gone so far as to show me unexpected affection because… they genuinely cared. Somehow, I was permitted the strange, incomprehensible blessing of being loved by Andy and Ambrose, of being allowed to be part of this odd family we were building with the others, and now… Hasumi was watching me with those all-knowing turquoise eyes, standing half naked before me, making demands that made all the blood rush to my dick in a painful throb.
And… I tore my gaze away from the ethereal creature before me to glance at where Niamh had coaxed Andy to her feet and was slowly stripping our witch out of her clothes. She was good-looking, but I didn't see Niamh that way. The fae wasn't attracted to men, and I wasn't attracted to her. But still, something seemed to have changed. She wasn't shy about her body, or about sharing Andy with the rest of us. But… I thought she hated me. That deep down, she only tolerated me because she had to. And yet there was no feeling of awkwardness or resentment in the air right now.
Her eyes met mine for a brief moment, and she… winked. Could I have read her wrong as well? Could we be… friends? Platonic partners in this strange new world I found myself in?
Hasumi's graceful fingers tugged at my hair again, reminding me that I'd been given a request… no, an order. I shuddered, a full-body thrill going through me. This couldn't be real.
Do as they wish, Sunshine insisted, jolting me from my paralysis. Or I will take over completely. My patience is not endless, witch.
I smiled, both at Sunshine's impatience, and at the thought that I could, maybe, just let myself enjoy this moment.
Standing, I reached back and pulled the band out of my hair, then shook it out, letting the long, deep red locks spill down my back and over my shoulders, my one tiny point of vanity. The one bit of pretty or soft that I had left to my name.
Hasumi's beautiful face shone with an approving smile that was half joy, half lust. “Lovely,” they purred. Then they stepped closer, their hands coming to rest on my hips, their willowy body brushing up against mine. “Now kiss me, necromancer. And none of that self-doubt nonsense. I want to taste you.”
Letting the last of my doubts fall away, I did as I was told. I cupped their face, glorying in the feel of their warm, soft skin, the beautiful angles of their sharp jaw, and the sparkle in those turquoise eyes. And, up this close, I saw the faint opal glint of the fine scales that swept across their cheekbones and along the side of their neck. My fingers ghosted over the soft scales along base of Hasumi’s throat, exploring, and their eyes grew heavy-lidded with pleasure.
I had never stopped to really think about it, but… Hasumi did have an almost serpentine quality sometimes, in the way they moved, those mesmerizing eyes…. I dipped my head without conscious thought, drawn in even as my mind whirled, trying to take in the beauty and wonder before me, pressed up against me, warm and waiting beneath my hands.
Hasumi's lips were soft, but sure, and they tasted like drinking from a cool, fresh stream. Those sweet lips parted, and I moaned softly as a forked tongue flicked against my mine. The kiss grew heated, as Hasumi pressed closer, letting me tilt their head further and deepen my exploration.
I pulled back when something sharp pricked my tongue.
The water weaver stared up at me, one pale brow raised in question. I shook my head. “I… is there something sharp in your mouth?” I tasted the faint tang of blood. Probably from a small nick, since it didn't seem to be flooding my mouth.
Hasumi huffed. “I apologize.”
Andy and Niamh had appeared behind the water weaver at some point. Andy laughed, shaking her head. “You really need to warn people about the fangs, if you're going to go making out with them,” she said as she leaned in to press a kiss to the side of Hasumi's neck. Then her teasing gray eyes met mine, and I was floored by the warmth there. She wasn't upset, she wasn't jealous or anything like that. She seemed genuinely happy for me. For us. “Don't worry,” she said with a wry look. “I've been told the venom isn't an issue unless Hasumi wants it to be.”
Venom? I looked into Hasumi's mesmerizing eyes. “You're venomous ?”
The water weaver shook their head, then sighed and opened their mouth. Niamh sidled up beside me and we both watched in surprise as a pair of thin, viper-like fangs flicked forward and down, unfolding from the roof of Hasumi's mouth. “I have complete control of the venom,” they informed us easily, with a tiny hint of a lisp. “But I do tend to forget that others are unaware of the risk of injury.”
I laughed. I couldn't help it. The whole situation was just so unreal. “Are you a snake then?” I asked, running my thumb along their soft bottom lip, where the fangs slightly dented the flesh. “An aquatic serpent?”
Hasumi shook their head. “More… dragonish, perhaps? Not the same as the dragon shifters that used to roam the realms. But I can take on a rather serpentine water form. I suppose the eastern ideas of a water dragon might be the closest description?”
We all stared at them in awe. Even Andy. Hasumi was a sea monster?
Then Niamh put an end to the distraction. Inserting an arm between me and Hasumi, she cupped the water weaver's cheek and turned their head toward hers, her green eyes flashing with curiosity and want as she stole Hasumi from my arms.
I might not feel any attraction to Niamh, but I could definitely appreciate how well the two of them fit together, how pretty they were, all wrapped up in each other. I sighed as Niamh slid her hands into the water weaver's silvery hair and kissed them, pausing to run her tongue along one dangerous fang.
Andy's warm hands slid up my chest, drawing my attention to her. There was just so much to wonder at here, it was hard to focus. Her amazing breasts pressed against my chest, warm and heavy against my cool skin. My hands fell to her lush hips, and I only then realized that I was the only one still completely clothed.
I felt Sunshine's impatience in the back of my mind. I knew how he felt about Andy. And I heartily agreed. We needed to be inside her. Now.