Chapter 24
EMME
By the time Slade brought me home, he was covered in my scent. There was nothing quite like having both horsepower and a dragon between my thighs. These are a few of my favorite things.
Slade took a longer path home than usual, and it was the perfect end to a day filled with training and magical revelations. I found a sense of peace knowing that I hadn’t hurt any of my mates. Their essences were as strong as ever in our quintet bond.
Their beasts lingered near mine, and I might be imagining it, but there was a new sense of closeness between us that hadn’t been there before.
When we walked into the house, I followed the tugging of my bond to find Hunter and Talon in the gaming room, desperately trying to shoot each other. Or at least one of them was desperate, right before he threw the controller into the wall.
To see my rather unflappable mate in this state was hilarious.
Talon was so used to being excellent at everything he attempted to do, including driving for the first time, that he was flummoxed with his lack of skills at gaming.
“Brother, I could have warned you not to go up against our resident nerd,” Slade said with an amused huff, close at my back as he’d been all afternoon.
Fighting the urge to lean into him, in case it was all too much for one day, I jolted when his heavy arm snaked around my middle and yanked me back.
I rested my head against his chest, meeting his gaze. “Did you just pick up on my thoughts again?”
His nose traced down my cheek, and who the hell was this shifter? Not my usually stoic mate. “Only the ones you scream really loudly through our bond,” he murmured, as his lips grazed mine. “You don’t even bother to try and hide them. You and your thoughts belong to me.”
Hunter chuckled, giving off the vibes that he totally agreed. Possessive bastards.
That thought went freely into our quintet and all three of them released low, husky laughs.
It was almost cute when they ganged up on me. Almost.
Hunter jumped to his feet, and within two strides was in front of me, caging me between him and the dragon.
“You’re our number one priority,” he said, going all entitled alpha.
“We might outnumber you, but we’ll never use that to gang up on you, Emme.
You hold all the power here, and I hope you know that. ”
Talon propped himself up on the couch as he turned my way. “Just say the word, Honey. I’ll kill any of these bastards and not lose a night of sleep.”
Hunter and Slade didn’t even flinch at what was absolutely a real threat.
“That’s disturbing,” I noted, narrowing my eyes on them.
“Please don’t talk about killing each other to make me happy.
I can tell you all right now that would be the farthest thing from happy, and we’d probably all suffer from some sort of bond sickness and die. ”
“Who we killing?” Kellan chirped cheerfully as he strode into the room, practically beaming.
Finley was right behind him, and as our gazes locked, his expression softened, his big body relaxed.
“They’re showing their love for me by threatening to kill anyone who bothers me,” I told them. “Including you five in my pack.”
There was a long beat of silence, and then Finley’s big belly laughter set them all off again.
I just shook my head and scowled. “Figures that my alphas would be a bunch of psychos.”
Hunter wiped a hand over his mouth, but his smile remained. “I mean, I wouldn’t enjoy destroying my brothers,” he said. “But you come first.”
Kellan snorted again. “I’d take all you fuckers out for my Shortcake.”
Disengaging from the alphas, I marched over to the couch and somewhat dramatically threw myself into the soft cushion. My faux-annoyance faded when I noticed the tray of snacks on the coffee table.
Selecting a small pizza roll, I shoved it in my mouth, muttering as I chewed, “Why don’t you idiots kill each other in Call of Duty.” I swallowed the bite. “There’s clearly some frustration to work out here, and I promise, I’ll be very upset if any of you hurt each other in real life.”
Talon, the only one on the couch with me, slid over to settle by my side. “I missed you today,” I said with a sigh.
That had him wrapping his arms around me, holding me close in a moment of calm and silence. “I missed you so much,” he breathed. “It was a dull ache that had nothing to do with our bond separation and everything to do with not being close to you.”
That was exactly how I’d felt too. Burying my face against his hard chest, I just breathed him in. It really wasn’t just Slade and Hunter like this… it was all of us. Disgustingly obsessed.
“And proud of it,” Talon said with a rumble, once again picking up on thoughts that hadn’t really been meant for him.
When we pulled apart, I found myself staring at the split screen, which was paused in the middle of a warzone. “Do you know how to play?” Talon asked, as the others started to make their way over to us.
“Video games weren’t part of my life growing up or in the human world,” I said. “But I’ve sat with Hunter a few times and watched him absolutely demolish anyone who goes up against him.”
Hunter slid in on my other side, Kellan crashed on the floor between my legs, and Finley pouted briefly, before slumping down beside Hunter.
When I turned to Slade, the dragon shifter remained perched near the doorway. “I’m going to get a workout in,” he said. “As much as I’d enjoy seeing Talon smash more controllers, I’ve had you all day. I can share for a few hours so the others get their bonding time in.”
He strode over to trace his finger down my cheek, in a very Slade move. “But I will see you later,” he murmured, and I nodded.
Before he left, he said to Talon, “We must train tonight too. Emme can’t be the only one building strength when we’re the perfect weapon to use against magic. We need to ensure our ultimate beast is as strong as possible.”
“I’m ready,” Talon assured him, and I caught the glimmer of excitement in his expression. “I’ll be down in an hour or so.”
The dragons didn’t need much sleep, which no doubt meant they’d be out most of the night, strengthening Slalon.
For the next hour we focused on eating, gaming, and generally enjoying the company of our pack.
That new sense of closeness after the magical merge didn’t dissipate, and even Hunter commented on how content his alpha wolf was in our bond.
Not that we really spoke about what had happened, but it was still on my mind.
They played a range of games, most of which required them to stab or shoot something, and all of them were good…
except for Talon. The dragon couldn’t figure out how to make his massive fingers mash little buttons, and it was lucky that Hunter had dozens of controllers in the storage cupboard.
Talon went through at least four in the hour.
“You can’t be good at everything,” I said, patting his arm consolingly. “I sucked too.”
I’d only played once, and all of them had refused to kill me.
They were my opponents, but they spent the entire round camping and guarding me, so there was nothing for me to kill, and not a single bullet touched me.
I shot them, tried to run from them, and still those possessive asses stayed right with me, absolutely annihilating everyone in the field.
“You didn’t suck,” Hunter argued. “Everyone else died and you didn’t have to respawn once.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “Yeah, and that had nothing to do with my skills and everything to do with being mated into a group of over-the-top alphas who—”
“Will never let anyone hurt you,” Finley declared with a decisive nod. “Not even in a fucking video game. I’m pissed just thinking about it.” He turned to Hunter. “Let’s buy this company and destroy this game. That bullet almost grazed Emme’s arm.”
Hunter furrowed his brow like he was seriously considering it, and I pressed my lips together to stem my laughter. They were unhinged, and I wasn’t even mad about it.
When a yawn almost took me out, I was reminded once again of my magical training. “Did Constantine get home?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t heard or felt him in the house.
Hunter pulled out his phone and scrolled through the security feed. “Yep, he’s in his room,” he said. “Appears to be sleeping. You can see him tomorrow.”
I nodded, accepting that while tonight was a great reprieve from reality, tomorrow we’d be focused on our task of tracking Jewels. Whether we wanted it to be or not, the full moon was closing in on us.
“I’m going to use the restroom and then say goodnight to Slade,” I said, jumping up from the couch. The alphas watched me leave, but thankfully none of them actually followed me inside to watch me empty my disc.
After washing my hands, I emerged to find Talon waiting for me. “I might as well train with Slade now,” he said, holding his hand out for me to take.
“Sounds like a plan.”
“See you in my room, little omega,” Hunter called, and I glanced over my shoulder to find my remaining three alphas staring at me with heated gazes. Whoa. Juggling five mates was not for the faint of heart, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Talon’s hand was warm and firm in mine as we headed toward the gym, but we didn’t make it halfway there before his beast roared in his chest. He swung me around and had me pressed against the wall in a beat.
“I missed you so much today,” he breathed against my lips, crowding and heating me in all the best ways.
His hands slowly slid down my spine, the path burning. I parted my lips to taste him, and fuck he tasted as good as he smelled. His tongue brushed over mine, and I was hit with a sense of desperation that had me climbing him in an attempt to get closer.
He eased back to give me space, and when my legs were wrapped around his waist, the possessive rumbles spilling from his chest were enough to send me reeling.
Even fully clothed my core ached and pulsed, and Talon scented how wet I was in seconds.
His hands fumbled on my jeans, getting them unbuttoned and halfway down with my panties before I grabbed his arms.
“Periods,” I blurted out a breathless reminder.
His gaze was glassy as he got my lower half naked. “I don’t care, Honey. I need you. Now.”
My core pulsed again. I was so fucked up over him. “My disc is in, so it should keep the blood contained, and I cleaned up after training…”
“Don’t. Care.”
He wrapped his hands around my thighs and lifted me up above his head. Using the wall for support, he pressed me against it, his mouth landing on my clit. Thank the goddess this dragon was extra-strong even for a shifter.
When he buried his face and rumbled out more of those desperate, needy sounds, I almost came then and there. He lapped at my clit, dragging the tingling bundle of nerves into his mouth.
“Fuck, Honey,” he whispered, his voice a husky rasp. “You taste like heaven, spice, and fertility.”
“Tal. Please.” I started chanting, unable to do more than get swept up in the pleasure, and when I climaxed, there was a gush that would have covered the poor dragon in blood if my disc wasn’t in.
I choked out, “I still find it hard to believe you’ve never done that before… Your skills… I might be dead.”
He lowered his head to my sensitive clit, still circling it with his tongue, until I was racked with aftershocks. When he finally let me slide down to wrap myself around him again, I felt the pulse of his cock between us. “Let me taste you too,” I said, tracing my hands over his shadowed face.
Those shadows lifted as his lips tilted. “I need all of you,” he whispered, and a trill of excitement rocked through me.
In a moment, I was facing the wall, my hands pressed against the smooth surface, the head of his cock pressed against the junction of my thighs, and from this angle he felt even bigger. Which was ridiculous.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to go all the way in without hurting you or breaking the disc,” he said in a huff, his lips on my ear. “Does this still feel good?”
He rocked against me, and my head spun at how damn good it felt.
“So good,” I moaned, my walls pulsing around his length, already building to my next release.
“I want to do this every day until I die,” Talon stated, his teeth grazing my neck as if he were about to bite me. “I always knew I’d kill and die for you, but when I’m inside you, I truly understand why love is the most powerful emotion of all.”
My core pulsed with each thrust and word he spoke. “Sex and love don’t always go hand in hand,” I gasped.
“With us it does,” he said, fucking me harder, “and it’s the best feeling in the world. The pleasure we experience is heightened because we love each other. The bond between us grows stronger each time we come together.”
My head snapped back as I climaxed hard, crying out as Talon fucked me through that release and into the next. He groaned my name and his teeth sank into my skin right when he came too. He held me through all of our aftershocks, moving slowly until we were both sated.
I loved that we could exist together like this. Two broken shifters made whole by our bond and pack.
When he finally pulled out of me, I mourned the loss, though my body was achy and overstimulated. Bonus though: there was no period pain to be found.
Talon helped me clean up in the bathroom, and I shooed him out of the room when I emptied my disc again, even though he was quite insistent he could help with that too.
In the gym, we found Slade on the bench press. “Nice of you to join me,” he said, lifting one eyebrow as he took in my appearance. “Not that either of you blocked the bond well enough to hide what you were doing.”
Whoops. “Sorry about that,” I said, trying not to laugh, even as my cheeks heated. “We got a little carried away. But I wanted to come and say goodnight before you two go and train Slalon.”
Slade grimaced and dropped his million-pound weighted bar on the rack. “We need to chat about that name, mate. It’s not your best work.”
I shrugged. “Agree to disagree.”
I leaned down to kiss his cheek, only to find myself being lifted like the weights and dropped right on top of him. The bench groaned under us but we didn’t care, too caught up in a desperate kiss.
The tense muscles under my body were a decent sign that he was slightly worked up from what Talon and I had done in the hall. It also turned me on to know the others had been listening and feeling the effects through the bond.
“No time for that, brat,” Slade said as he groaned and smacked my ass. I moaned and arched against him, realizing that with these alphas, I was insatiable.
But, really, who could blame me?