Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Colbie
H e kisses me, and it’s like coming home. I melt into his body, wrapping my arms around his back and dragging him against me. A finger trails up my calf, tickling the back of my knee, before continuing its upward path. I gasp into Nox’s mouth when Titus replaces his finger with his lips and presses a kiss to my inner thigh a few inches below my opening. I thrust my hips up and hear him chuckle.
“Settle, pretty lady. Patience is a virtue in a queen,” he mumbles against my skin, but my attention is quickly dragged back to Nox as he slides his lips down my throat and swipes his tongue across my other mate marks, sucking sharply on each of them.
My body floods with desire as the other guys’ lust flows into my bond. “You are wicked,” I murmur to Nox, and he grins at me.
“I didn’t want them to feel left out.”
“I’m sure they are going to be thrilled to suddenly have raging hard-ons in the company of Loki and the goddess.” I feel Titus shake with amusement as Nox’s own chuckles fill the room. He moves lower, sucking sharply on both the heart scale beneath my skin and the living flame inside my chest, and both start to pulse in time to the beat of my heart.
I groan as every single one of my nerve endings feels like they are coated with sparkles, snapping and spitting with energy that has my body buzzing with heady desire.
Nox licks a path over my left nipple before using his teeth to scrape it, the sharp bite of pain sending the buzzing need into a frenzy. Titus pushes my thighs farther apart, and his long hair brushes against them as he leans in and presses a gentle kiss to my clit.
“Fuck,” I groan, desperate for more, and I roll my hips up into his mouth, grinding against him.
His moan is music to my ears as he slides his hands under my thighs and holds me in place as he licks and sucks my cunt like a starving man, finally giving me the pressure I need. I slide my hand between Nox and me, and wrap it around his length, stroking it with a tight grip I know he likes.
He mutters a curse and thrusts into my hold, and I smirk, happy to get that kind of reaction from him. I push him back and coax him farther up the bed until he’s kneeling at my head, then I wrap my lips around it and try to give him as much pleasure as Titus is giving me, but he makes it very difficult to concentrate. Nox doesn’t seem to care, and he mutters words of praise as I sloppily suck his dick.
Titus slows slightly, and when I drop my gaze to him, I find him watching us with intense need in his eyes, completely distracted by what I’m doing to Nox.
“Get up here,” I growl with a sudden need to have my mouth on both of them. His eyes widen at the command he can’t ignore, my queen energy forcing him to do what I want. He prowls up the bed, his beautiful wings fluttering behind him, and kneels on the opposite side of Nox. I scramble to change positions to make it easier for me to move back and forth between them.
I alternate between them, lavishing attention on their delicious lengths. Their taste floods my mouth as their cocks drip with precum. I look up and find the two of them kissing, and it’s so fucking sexy, I moan as my pussy throbs with excitement.
I’m done waiting, my creatures whining for me to finish sealing all of my mates to me, and I am done denying our needs. My jaw shifts, and I lurch forward, sinking my teeth into Nox’s thigh, waiting until his red-hot life liquid fills my mouth. His shout of surprise turns to a guttural moan as I swallow the blood and instinctively run my tongue over the wound. It closes, leaving behind a perfect imprint of my hydra’s teeth. I growl with delight before turning my head and doing the same thing to Titus. Titus grunts but holds perfectly still. Once his bond mark seals, I look up at them, allowing my need to shine in my eyes.
“Fuck me, please,” I beg, wanting to feel them both inside me. They look down at me with matching sinful smiles.
“As our queen commands.” Nox bows a head as a bottle of lube appears in Titus’s hand. I watch, feeling breathless, as he squeezes some into his palm before wrapping it around Nox’s length, covering him before doing the same to himself.
“How do you want us?” he asks bluntly when he’s done. “Both in your pussy or one in your pussy and one in your ass?”
I groan as images flood my mind of each scenario. I’m not sure if it’s Titus’s magic or Nox’s power of illusion that is showing me my options, but I’m too far gone in my desire to choose.
“I don’t care. You decide,” I reply, sliding my hand to my pussy where I rub a finger over my clit, trying to ease some of the desperate ache.
They must have a private conversation, because Nox quickly slides onto his back, and Titus lifts me to straddle him, holding me just above his cock, which Nox is angling so it’s an easy slide for me as Titus allows me to lower.
Nox and I groan in unison as I force his cock into my tight channel in one go. He shudders as my pussy walls flutter around him, and I throw my head back and squeeze my eyes closed.
“So good,” he groans as I rise and fall a couple of times, enjoying the sensation of feeling full. He massages my breasts and tweaks my nipples, pushing my aching need higher.
“Lean forward for me,” Titus murmurs in my ear, pressing a hand to my back and coaxing me down so my breasts are squashed against Nox’s pecs.
Nox kisses me, keeping me distracted, but I feel Titus line up his length and push in next to Nox. Nox grunts, and a high-pitched keening sound comes from my mouth as Titus thrusts and retreats before pushing in again until he is buried deep in my cunt alongside Nox.
“Holy fuck,” he mutters, but I’m a sobbing, desperate mess, and I beg them to move.
“Fuck me, please. Mate me, I need you.” My words come out garbled, but they get the idea, and Titus starts to retreat before driving his cock in again hard, doing all the work as Nox pins me in place, giving small little thrusts with his hips.
The room is filled with the sound of our pleasure—moans and groans and grunts as well as me begging for more. They work my body like experts, and it’s not long until I’m on the edge of an orgasm. Nox turns his head and presses his lips to a gap on my neck as Titus curves himself over my body without stopping his onslaught, placing his mouth on the opposite side. I tense with anticipation, but nothing could have prepared me for the sensations when they both sink their teeth into me. Nox’s bite is blunt and painful, whereas Titus’s is a sharp, searing prick, but together, they send me flying over the cliff, screaming their names in praise as my orgasm explodes through my body.
My cunt clenches down, making it difficult for them to move, but it doesn’t matter. Nox pulls away and shouts his joy as I feel his cum fill my pussy. Titus continues to suckle the blood on my neck, and a second later, his whole body stiffens, and he, too, fills me with his seed. The bonds snap into place, and a wave of power explodes out of me, washing over both of them. They seize before they pound furiously into me, then another wave of heat tells me they are both coming again. My creatures croon with joy as my mates fill me with their seed once more. My own orgasm seems to be never ending as my brain and body short-circuit and I lose consciousness.
* * *
M y stomach rumbles so loudly, both guys look at me with shock. “What? I’m starving. I have barely eaten all day,” I defend.
It’s late into the evening now, and I know we missed the big meal my father put together. I feel a little guilty, but for the first time since I walked through the palace gates, I feel balanced and whole, like everything is right with the world. I feel kind of invincible, to be honest. I still haven’t shifted into my phoenix or fairy forms, though, and I definitely need to give my pegasus and wolf forms a trial run, but I feel like everything is going right—at least with the possibility of being crowned queen. I know there are other issues we need to deal with, but it’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
“Apologies, my mate. I was thoughtless when I dragged you away from dinner with your family.” Titus throws the covers back and climbs out of the bed the three of us had been basking in during our after sex glow. He pads naked across the room, and it’s no hardship for Nox and me to watch him go. His wings frame his ass perfectly when he holds them against his back.
A hiss in my ear has Nox shrieking and launching himself off the bed as Fluffy slithers down and makes himself comfortable against my naked body. I guess he’s drawn to my body heat.
“No, no, no. I draw the line at a snake in the bed.” Nox puts his hands on his hips and glares at the serpent. I run my hand over his triangular head, and he leans into it as I stare at Nox’s naked body this time. Damn, the goddess blessed me with what must be the most beautiful men in the whole of the shifter kingdom.
“I bet Stormheart sleeps on your bed,” I argue stubbornly, “and he has a violent vendetta against me. I think Fluffy should come along because then it might keep Stormheart in line.” I pick the viper up and carry him back to his tree branch perch, stroking a finger over his head, before turning my attention to Nox.
“But Stormheart won’t murder us all in our sleep.” He looks between me and the snake.
“Maybe not you, but I bet he’d slit my throat and eat my face if he could.”
Titus disappeared into what must be the bathroom, but he hears our conversation. “Colbie, you can literally change into a big cat and eat him. I bet if you roared in his face, he would never bother you again.”
Nox’s mouth drops open, his eyes wide. “You wouldn’t!”
“I so fucking would, so make sure you have a word with him if he is going to live in the palace,” I warn him.
“Maybe I will just leave him with my parents… or maybe my sister. Her kids love to spoil him.” He looks around for clothes, but Titus magicked both of ours off, and there is nothing for us to wear.
He returns, and his hair is brushed back and tied in a ponytail at the nape of his neck, and his wings are away. He’s wearing a pair of sweatpants and nothing else.
“Wow, you look casual,” I comment, running my gaze over his naked chest.
“I still prefer the little black pair of hot pants.” Nox winks, and I laugh. They explained their first meeting to me while we were coming down from all the amazing orgasms.
“Make sure you pack them when you come to the castle,” I say lightly, and he frowns, and my heart sinks.
“You aren’t coming to the castle?” I ask him, and he rubs his head awkwardly.
“I am one of Loki’s assassins and spies. I’m not sure he will allow me to leave.”
“We’ll see about that,” I say stubbornly, crossing my arms and tapping a foot, but then something occurs to me. “Unless you don’t want to come?”
He looks torn, and my heart aches. He winces and rubs a hand against the bond mark on his chest. “Oh, baby, don’t do that. I can feel how hurt you are. I didn’t mean for you to think that. I want to come, but I trained all my life for this position. It won’t be easy for him to find spies and assassins he trusts as much as me and my brothers.”
“But surely he won’t need you all anymore, not if the goddesses’ plan comes to fruition and five sisters rule the continents.” I feel hopeful, but Titus scoffs.
“Five sisters who know nothing about one another. Hell, it is one of the best kept secrets because although I know of their existence, none of us know their identity. Loki only shared yours with me once the magic passed to you. I certainly didn’t know I was your mate, and at that stage, I wasn’t. I think the goddesses are hoping you all get along, but what are the chances of that? Who knows what kind of upbringings the others had? Yours certainly wasn’t all roses, but you did have the steady presence of Jenny and Joseph.”
Titus has a point. “Well, no use speculating,” I say, trying to be positive. “How about you dress us? As much as our other mates may enjoy us coming to dinner naked, I doubt my father and the goddess want to see it.”
Titus flicks his hand, and Nox and I are fully clothed again. He put us both in comfy lounge clothes, Nox’s sweats matching his own, and he has a fitted shirt. I wear a soft pair of pajama style pants with a tank top, and none of us are wearing shoes.
“Shouldn’t we dress more formally around the king?” Nox asks, looking down at the tight shirt that hugs his beautiful body.
“Pfft, some days it’s a struggle to get Loki to wear pants. He prances around in his boxers more often than not, especially in his private living quarters. We will be fine.” Titus waves off Nox’s concerns.
He holds out a hand to each of us, and we both grab hold. I squeeze firmly, not wanting him to lose me somewhere along the ley lines. In a flash, we rematerialize in the family living area we were in before this started. Nausea rolls through me, and I grimace, struggling to get my bearings.
“Fucking finally,” Liam grumbles, speeding over to me and snatching me away from the others. “I missed you.” I lean into him, breathing in his scent to calm my racing heart.
I can hear my other guys and Father congratulating Nox and Titus and welcoming them to the family. The goddess remains seated on one of the sofas, her eyes soft when I meet her gaze.
“Finally. You are ready,” she says triumphantly, but before I can answer, my stomach rumbles again. I blush and press against Liam’s chest, trying to get him to put me down.
“I need to eat before we do anything else. I’m starting to get hangry,” I warn him, and he pales slightly, but instead of putting me down, he hurries over to the table and dumps me into a seat before piling a plate full of food that is conveniently warming on a sideboard.
Both Nox and Titus join me as the others take seats around the large table. Each of them have drinks in hand, but it’s just the three of us who are eating.
“So you’re mated to all of us now,” Gem points out, looking between the three of us. “That’s good. It means we can return to Aramis, and you can be crowned. That will secure your position, and then we can focus on going after the people who took the children and are raising a shifter army.”
“I also need to inform the council of my decision and face challenge day,” I remind him around a mouthful of food. Sure, it’s not very queenly, but I am seriously starving. I have expended a crap load of energy today, and I’m feeling the fatigue. Shifter mating is no fucking joke.
“Pfft. The shifters are going to take one look at the nine of you crowned, and no one will step forward to challenge you,” my father says wryly, looking at me with warmth and pride in his eyes. It makes me feel warm and tingly, and I hope that with whatever will come that I can cultivate a relationship with this man and my sisters.
“Don’t be so sure. Shifters are nothing if not stubborn. I’m sure she will get a few contenders, because no one knows what she shifts into yet,” Hunter tells him, not taking his eyes off me. I can see the possessive, greedy light of his dragon in his gaze. I blow him a kiss, and he slowly winks at me.
“So now that I’m fully mated, the crowning can take place at any time?” I ask, and Gryffin nods.
“Yes. The average time between a human being marked, gaining their magic, finding their mates, and being crowned is two weeks. You’re a little inside that, but being given a bond group saved you from having to pick from a group of random strangers.”
I wrinkle my nose and shudder. “Yeah, not sad I missed all of that,” I admit.
“You’re welcome,” the goddess tells me. “These men were picked for you from your birth. There was never going to be any other option.”
“Even us?” Micah points to himself and Titus, and the goddess purses her lips.
“No, not originally, but I’m nothing if not flexible. My magic saw an opportunity and grabbed it. Having her mate with not only the strongest shifters of their generation, but three of the shunned breeds, is actually a genius idea, and I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it from the beginning. I always knew there was potential for more for Colbie and—” She breaks off, biting her lip like she’s reluctant to admit something. She sighs. “The magic actually got away from me, took over, and marked both of you, but it all worked out for the best.” She stands up and brushes her hands over her pants. “Now I’m going to get back to my own mates. I’ll see you tomorrow at your coronation.”
“Tomorrow? That soon? Surely it will take a day or two to get back to Aramis. We also need to check in with Nox’s parents to see how they are doing with tracking the children.” A wave of intense nerves floods my body with adrenaline, and my hand starts to shake as I lift it toward my mouth again. Everything that was on my fork falls back to the plate, so I lower it until I can get control of myself.
“Titus will portal you all back to the palace, and yes, I will not risk anything happening to you before we can get that crown on your head. Get a good night’s sleep, and by this time tomorrow, you will be the undisputed queen.”
“But challenge day?” Brodie argues, and the goddess turns her gaze on him. He flinches.
“Challenge day is a ridiculous shifter custom that has nothing to do with any of my instructions. I’d like to see them challenge her in front of me.” Her voice has gone cold, and Brodie blanches, nodding his head.
“Of course,” he agrees solemnly, but then he grins and rubs his hands together. “Tomorrow is going to be fun.”
With a wave goodbye, the goddess disappears without another word.
Another rush of nerves swirls in my stomach, and the food I just ate threatens to reappear. I grab my glass of water, take a big sip, and breathe deeply.
“Baby, are you okay?” Nox reaches out, and I grimace.
“Yeah, it’s just a lot, you know?” I explain, giving his hand a squeeze. My nerves are replaced with a rush of emotions that barrel down my connection with the guys—love, pride, and fierce support flood through me, and I straighten my back and shoulders. “But as long as I have all of you beside me, I’m sure I will be fine.” I send them my own wave of emotions—love and thanks and utter joy at having them as my mates.
“Right, I think everyone needs to go to bed. You will all need a good night’s rest. I have assigned a family suite for you, Colbie. It will be yours whenever you visit my kingdom, and I hope you know you are welcome anytime.”
I smile at my father, hiding my amusement at his very dad-like suggestion.
“Thank you. I promise once we have the council sorted and rescue our missing shifter children, I will come back and spend time with you.”
“Ah, Colbie. I don’t think I have to warn you, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell your mother who I am. She only knew me as a human male. I have a feeling if you tell her I am Chaos Kingdom’s king, I may find her on my doorstep, trying to rekindle something.”
I frown. “You’re not wrong, but I don’t think my mother is talking to me at the moment. She did much the same thing to me and was subsequently evicted from the shifter zone.”
“Your mother is a piece of work. I shadowed her for a few weeks before I approached her, and she was constantly hitting on rich and influential men, even ones who had partners. All it took was me flashing around a bit of wealth, and she was attached to my hip like a barnacle. It was like shooting fish in a barrel,” he admits reluctantly, looking at me with worried eyes.
That sounds familiar, but I don’t feel sorry for my dad. There were obviously no feelings involved, and although he gave my mom and grandparents a different narrative to remember, my mother has never been one to be loyal to a man.
“I’m sorry. I know what I did is unforgivable, but I hope that someday, we might have a normal father daughter relationship. It’s my greatest wish for all my daughters.” He glares at where the goddess had been standing. I have a feeling their relationship might be a little dented since his discovery of his blocked mate bond and his other child he knew nothing about.
“I’ll show them to their suite,” Titus offers, seeing that I’ve lost my appetite now that the crowning is imminent, and my nerves are wreaking havoc with my stomach.
“If you need anything or get hungry in the middle of the night, there is always someone on duty in the kitchen. Call down, and they can bring anything up,” my dad tells the guys as we push back from the table. “And there’s a fully stocked bar, but again, anything you need can be requested.” He sounds kind of frantic, like he needs to please us.
“Loki, they will be fine. I’ve got them,” Titus assures my father, and I wonder about their relationship. It kind of feels close. Hell, Titus has a room in the palace. If I had to hazard a guess, they are more than just employer and employee. It kind of feels familial. I wonder what his relationship is like with his own family.
“Thank you, my boy. Have you seen your brothers? I wanted to fill them in on everything that is happening.”
Titus shakes his head. “None of them are in residence at the moment. Each are in their respective kingdoms, and Luka is chasing down a lead in one of the gambling dens in the city. He’s trying to figure out who put the hit out on Colbie.”
“The what?” I ask, snapping my head around to look at my fairy mate.
“My assassin guild was offered a job to remove you,” Loki explains. “Of course we turned it down, but it didn’t mean others didn’t.”
“I guess that explains the attack on the way to Zalfari,” Liam grumbles, rubbing his chest where the arrow pierced him.
“You were attacked?” Titus growls. “By who?”
Micah and Hunter take turns explaining what happened, and by the end, the assassin, as well as my father and Nox, are looking at me with wide-eyed awe.
“Holy shit. Challenge day certainly wouldn’t be a problem, even if the goddess wasn’t going to put a stop to it,” Nox says admirably.
“Yeah, I’m not so sure about that. I’m still not particularly coordinated in hydra form,” I admit, and Titus snorts with amusement.
“I noticed. We will work on that tomorrow morning before we leave. The goddess can wait a few extra hours. You need to gain control of every one of your shifts. You never know when you might need them. Even with the crown on your head, those factions are still creating an army, and despite my and my brothers’ attempts, we still haven’t worked out who is behind it all. They have been very successful in hiding themselves.”
“Hopefully when Lena tracks down the missing children, we’ll find more clues,” Gem points out.
“My mother is very good at her job. She will have the location for the children before you know it,” Nox assures me. I didn’t share her hostility when we first met with him because she quickly came around to the idea of helping us, even if it was just for the children. I have hope going forward that our relationship won’t be so rocky.
We take our leave, and Titus directs us to my new suite. We don’t do much there but get ready for bed, our conversation avoiding any of the serious topics and just sticking to getting to know you kind of stuff. The others grill Titus and Nox, and the two are good sports and allow the interrogation. I think the guys realize I have reached my limit for the day, so they keep the focus off me. The bed in this suite is huge, big enough for all of us to climb in together. A sneaky goddess definitely had a hand in creating something this big. It’s basically one big mattress built into a sunken base in the floor, kind of like Hunter’s dragon nest. His smile stretches wide when he sees it, and he quickly shucks off all his clothes except for his boxers and throws himself into it. I blink, stunned to see him roll around in it.
“Ah, what is he doing?” I ask Liam.
“He’s covering the bed in his scent. The others will do it too, watch.” He’s right. Gem, Gryffin, Brodie, and Nox all strip down to their underwear and join Hunter on the bed. Liam follows them down, leaving Titus, Micah, and me on the side.
“Animal shifters,” Titus scoffs. “Ruled by their baser instincts. To be honest, mer and fairy shifters are most definitely the higher beings of the shifter race. We aren’t reduced to animal instincts and retain our logic when we shift,” he whispers quietly.
“Shh, don’t let them hear you,” Micah hisses, and I giggle. I think they are messing around, but I’m not entirely sure.
“Come, our queen. Let’s join the riffraff. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.” Micah holds out his hand, and I strip out of my pants, then he helps me step down into the bed.
My animals poke their heads up for the first time since we left Titus’s room, and I get the sudden urge to roll around on the bed too, but I grit my teeth and clench my fists, trying to control it.
“Just go with it, baby.” Brodie tugs me down into the pile of bodies. “Despite what those two assholes say, there is nothing wrong with giving into your baser instincts.”
I give in and throw myself onto the puppy pile, a feeling of contentment and pure happiness replacing all my worries. For now, I’m going to enjoy this. I’ll save the worries for tomorrow.