Chapter 32 Thorne
THORNE
After our slight detour to indulge in Rion’s thirst for vengeance, we make our way through the awful hallways of rock before exiting through another steel door to find more comforting accommodations awaiting us.
Neutral tones fill the space, and real walls guide us as we take the small flight of stairs and move down the corridor, where a few doors frame the hallway.
Elodie’s parents’ names are engraved on the first door, while Ocean’s name is inscribed in the next along, leaving the final door at the end of the hall with four names: Elodie, Kael, Rion, and me.
Thankfully, Ocean slips into her assigned room, sans severed head, and the four of us file into our room in a comfortable air of silence. It's funny how everybody assumes correctly, placing us together.
Kael closes the door behind him, sealing the four of us away, and Rion heads straight for the adjoining bathroom at the other end of the room. Elodie flops down on the bed, and I perch on the edge beside her, exhaling slowly as I take in the comforts of our new space.
We're lucky enough to have the attached bathroom available, but there are still no windows. We’re underground, and that's not going to change until we completely leave. The room is decorated in the same neutral tones as the halls, which doesn’t make it feel comforting, but the people I’m surrounded by do.
The bed is big enough for the four of us to sleep comfortably and there’s a small chest of drawers across the room for storage, as well as nightstands on either side of the bed. Otherwise, it's quite sparse.
It'll do. It’s at least enough for us to regroup.
Kael kicks off his shoes and loosens his jacket, getting comfortable as I glance down at Elodie lying beside me. Her eyes are closed. Her fingers are laced across her stomach as she exhales slowly, letting the latest cluster of mayhem wash away.
The sound of the shower turning on in the distance fills the air, and Elodie jolts up, eyes narrowed at the door that separates her from Rion.
“Should I check on him?” she asks, and I falter.
I don’t want to answer for him, but I don’t want to get it wrong either.
“He would probably appreciate the distraction,” I admit, rubbing at the back of my neck.
“But I think he needs a moment to digest what just happened, and if you go in there, he’s not going to take care of himself because he’ll be hellbent on caring for you,” I add, and her eyebrows knit together, concern washing over her features, but she nods as she gnaws on her bottom lip.
“He was there for me after I killed Warren. I want to be there for him too,” she states, and I wrap my arm around her reassuringly,
“And you will be.”
She exhales, leaning into me as she kicks her sneakers off and crosses her legs, tilting her attention toward Kael as she clears her throat.
“So, we both got to see our parents today,” she murmurs, and he hums from his spot, leaning against the wall by the door.
“How do you feel?” he asks, and she shrugs.
“Overwhelmed,” she admits, her chin dipping as she admits the truth, and I press my hand against her thigh, squeezing with comfort.
“They're good people, though. That's obvious,” I murmur, and Kael clears his throat.
“He's right. Their intentions are nothing but pure when it comes to you,” he adds, and when I glance at him, I see the uncertainty in his eyes, sensing exactly what he's not saying.
“And you don't think your parents are?” I ask, and he shrugs, confirming my concerns.
“Instead of taking me with them to shield me from my brother's bullshit, they left me susceptible to it.”
“That's pretty shit,” I answer honestly, and his lips set in a thin line as Elodie winces.
“They do seem to care,” she adds, and he offers her a tight smile.
“I know. I guess seeing them reminds me I'm a child in someone's eyes, and I start acting like one,” he grumbles, more irritated with himself than anything.
Elodie shrugs. “We're all allowed to have our feelings, and there's no judgment here,” she promises.
“But I think it also reminded me of what they lacked when I was younger too.” He drags a hand down his face.
“The reality is, it hasn’t changed. Their focus has always been on a bigger issue, leaving me alone to deal with the consequences of being faced with that kind of mental and emotional neglect. ”
“Fuck, that’s raw, Kael. I’m sorry,” she breathes, and he waves her off as he stands away from the wall.
“Don’t be, it wasn’t your doing,” he insists as he cuts the distance between us, taking the spot on her other side as he reaches for her hand, taking the physical support along with the mental offering.
Elodie watches as Kael strokes his thumb across her skin, seemingly taking her own strength from him too. “On the topic of families,” she murmurs, peering at me.
“Yeah?” I encourage her when she says nothing else.
“Well, probably not even just families. It's just… how old is Jude?”
“Seventeen years older than me,” Kael explains, and her crinkled forehead unravels.
“It’s just so strange. When I was reading through the books in The Sanctum, they made everything seem as if they had been in control for hundreds of years.
Especially with the Trial Games books, which read as if they didn’t happen every year, but there had been over forty of them or something like that.
” Her brows pinch together again and I scoff, but it's Kael who speaks.
“I think it’s fair to say we're learning not to trust the shit that they have to say, because it's mostly never true, especially if it’s written in one of their books,” he grumbles, and I can't deny that fact either.
“I think once we’re done here, we won’t have The Sanctum to worry about anymore,” I state, and they both nod in agreement.
“But for now, we need a moment for us to regroup and relax. By the sounds of things, everything is about to get even more intense before it gets better,” I declare, and they both murmur their agreement at the same time as the door to the adjoining bathroom opens.
Rion appears in the doorway, steam billowing around him. The blood is gone, and in its place remains a towel wrapped around his waist. Elodie leaps off the bed, darting toward him before she wraps her arms around his shoulders and he catches her midair.
They embrace for a moment, and it has a funny way of melting my insides too.
Before Elodie arrived, Rion was snappier than Kael, grumpier than most people I'd ever met, too afraid to let anyone close, which isn't surprising with everything he’s lived through, especially with his father and Professor Drayker.
But as I stare at them now, all I can see is how gentle he is with her.
They need each other. We all need each other.
The reality is, we're all dealing with some kind of loss, whether we like it or not.
Elodie and Kael are dealing with the lack of time and connection with their parents. Rion is acknowledging the loss of his father, and despite the circumstances, a loss is a loss.
All while I deal with the fact that my parents are no longer here, and I wish they were more than anything else in this entire world. I can't even bring myself to think about my sister too. It hurts.
“Hey, Thorne? Are you good? He's not in the Shadow Realm dreaming of you again, is he?” Rion grunts, cutting through my thoughts, and I blink at him.
“Huh?” I mutter, swiping a hand down my face as Kael interjects too.
“What does that mean?” he asks, and Rion snickers.
“Oh, nothing much. He just fucks her in her dreams,” he states, and Kael gapes at me, but the look in his eyes is a mixture of disbelief and awe.
“Now I'm jealous,” he states, making Elodie snicker as she shakes her head.
“You could have me now, but you're all the way over there,” she hums, her arms still wrapped around Rion's neck as Kael moves instantly, not wasting a second as he bolts from the bed, sandwiching her between them,
“Sharing is caring, Rion,” Kael sings, and I scoff.
“Technically, she was seated with me first. You two can't just show up here and steal her away. Unless that's how it is now,” I grumble playfully, taking far too much enjoyment when Elodie's eyebrows rise to her hairline in surprise.
“That's how it is,” she breathes, swiping her tongue along her bottom lip,
“Unless you want to share as well,” she adds, and I blink at them, recalling the other night when I did join them, only right at the end.
She cocks a brow in challenge, and I can't deny myself the taste I so desperately desire, especially if what we know is true and more disaster is yet to come.
I want one more breath of my Echo before my world falls apart any more than it already has.
“Share me, Thorne,” she encourages, her voice sultry as Rion snickers.
“Yeah, Thorne, join the victory fucking,” he declares, and my eyebrows gather.
“We haven't won anything,” I retort in confusion, and he shrugs.
“The end of my father is to be celebrated, small wins and all that,” he insists, and Kael whacks his arm.
“That’s not something we fuck to celebrate, asshole. You’ll kill the mood before it’s even started.”
“Regardless, we're not going to get very far if she's still dressed,” I rasp, watching her pupils dilate.
Her eyelids shutter as Rion takes the hint, lowering our girl to her feet.
Elodie needs no help unwrapping herself like a sweet treat, removing one layer of clothing at a time until she's standing between my spread thighs with no lick of fabric between us.
Fuck.
I know I’m hot for her, but watching her radiate such confidence floors me.
Her pretty pink nipples stand taut and needy, making my cock stiffen before she even reaches for the waistband of my pants.
Color me silenced.
She unfastens the button and drags down the zipper, looking at me through her lashes, and I arch my hips enough for her to drag them down my thighs—my boxer shorts too.
When my mind remembers to work, I aid in undressing myself, tugging my t-shirt off and discarding my shoes until I'm just as naked as she is.
Rion flicks the corner of his towel, speeding up his process while Kael takes every layer off until we’re all bare, staring needily at the girl before us with our cocks stiff and pulses thrumming.
“I want a repeat of last time,” she rasps, planting her hands on my thighs as she leans closer. “Only this time, I want the third person in my mouth. I want to taste their release, not just feel it against my skin.”
“I’m about to explode already,” I rasp, and she grins.
“Then let's make that happen,” she breathes, and my body takes over.
Grabbing her waist, I yank her toward me, and she yelps in surprise, but moves willingly as I roll her core along my stiff cock, the heat between her folds intense, and I want more.
“I call this sweet pussy mine,” I rasp before wrapping my lips around her nipple and sucking it into my mouth.
She groans, her head falling back as she bucks against me, seeking friction against her needy clit.
Raking my teeth over her flesh, I suck a little harder for good measure before shifting my attention to her other breast.
Her nails claw into my shoulders as she groans, and that sweet sound is all it takes for Rion and Kael to join us.
“Lie down, Thorne, and hold her up for us to share,” Rion grunts, and I grin when Elodie chuckles.
Shuffling up the bed, I bring her with me as I nestle my head against the pillows, but before anyone else can get in on the action, I drag her higher, bringing her core to my lips.
She cries out with pleasure as my tongue delves between her folds, and I hum against her pretty pink pussy as she grinds against me, eager to take for herself too.
I feel the bed shift at my side, and another moan elicits from Elodie’s lips, one that comes from her chest being touched, and it makes me work harder, desperate to hear the obsessive sounds she makes when she climaxes.
“That’s it, Petal. Take everything from them, and I’m going to prep this ass to be mine,” Rion rasps, the warmth from his body ghosting along my skin without touching me.
Elodie cries out, her excitement laced in every decibel.
She clings to the headboard in desperation, her movements becoming more frantic as we each bring her to new heights, her voice rising just as high until I plunge two fingers deep in her core and she shatters around me.
Her release coats my tongue in waves, sweeter than ever as she melts between us.
I want more, and so does she. So do all of us.
We move as one, maneuvering Elodie so she’s situated over my dick, with Rion between my spread thighs, while Kael remains at the side of my head, ready to give Elodie exactly what she wants, all three of us inside her at once.
I have no patience as I line her up with my cock, and she wraps her dainty fingers around my length, lining me up with her center, showing me just how much she wants it too.
She smiles down at me, languid and dazed as she takes me all the way. A content smile turns the corners of her mouth up, but her mouth quickly widens as Rion teases her ass. Excitement glistens in her eyes, and I’m obsessively thankful to be a part of this, of us, of importance to her.
I rock her on my dick, and with each sway of her hips, she accepts more of Rion. I can feel him against my length, a thin wall between us, while Elodie leans forward, eyes now focused on Kael, who inches closer, cock in hand.
The sweet hum she exhales when she has all three of us is a sound on another level, and I already know it’s going to be one I’m chasing forever.
We move in tandem, each filling her just as she wants and needs, chasing the euphoria that cascades through our veins. I want to see her fall apart, just like she did before I came all over her back. I want to feel her core ripple around me, dragging me over the edge of ecstasy with her.
As if sensing my desires, her hum turns to a scream as her pussy clenches, deep diving over the cliff of pleasure, and I’m right there with her, unable to stop.
My eyes roll to the back of my head as I find my release, and it takes three more thrusts from Rion for him to find the same, his pulsing cock noticeable since I’m still inside her.
And it’s the chanting from Kael, his fingers curled in Elodie’s hair as he comes down her throat, that unites us all as one.
Alone, we were nothing; together, we are everything. All from different backgrounds yet intertwined in ways that can’t be described.
Forever the outcasts, always a family.