63. Sable
SABLE
My consciousness stirs, and I realize there’s something heavy weighing me down.
It’s too hot all around, and I can barely wiggle.
I suck in a breath and open my eyes slowly.
The bedroom lights are already on as they are every morning, but they didn’t wake me up today.
I guess a five-guy orgy really takes it out of a girl.
They don’t bother me as much as normal, as I come to realize at least three men are trying to get a piece of me to cuddle with.
My muscles are relaxed. It's like I’m fused to the bed, inside my legs ache, and that is quickly explained when I see that I’m right in the middle with five bulky bodies around me.
Just in front of me, almost nose to nose, is Soren.
His face is relaxed against the pillow, that frown of his completely gone.
It hits me how young he looks like this when he’s stripped of everything that worries him.
Just below and in an odd spot is Parker, curled at the side like a gigantic cat.
He is so big, his hair makes a luscious halo around him. Maybe he’s more of a lion than a cat.
At the bottom, spreading over our feet and almost falling off the bed is Hadrian.
For a man in control at all times, he’s a chaotic sleeper.
The immense pressure on my legs, preventing me from moving, is Orion.
His mouth is slack, and I can swear he’s drooling a little, though I can’t look at him properly from this angle.
Last, the hot bar over my waist is Lex, cuddling the life out of me.
I can barely see him as his nose is buried in my skin, breathing me in.
Fucking lunatic looks almost human. They all look so real.
I built them up to be a Bellthorn legend, almost, my enemies, protectors, and everything between, yet yesterday everything changed, and we became more.
My cheeks burn with the idea that this could be something good.
I turn my head, finding Soren awake, watching me.
“Good morning,” I mouth.
Soren blinks slowly and surprises me when a smile curves his lips.
Damn, he’s absolutely breathtaking when he smiles.
Now that I know them both well, I can’t imagine how people mix them up.
They hold their expressions entirely differently.
They might look identical, but I could tell them apart just by the way they walk.
Close like this? There’s no way to mistake him for his brother.
“I’m getting up,” he says, voice thick with sleep. “Do you want to come with me?”
It takes me a long moment to detangle myself from the others, but once I’m freed, I run to the bathroom. “Do you want to shower with me?”
Soren smiles and nods, following me in. My cheeks turn bright red as I wait for the shower to heat, and Soren devours me with his gaze.
I’m shocked that after everything we did last night that there’s still something to feel shy about, but showering with someone is a different type of intimacy.
Soren follows me in. His hard cock leads the way, but he doesn’t seem to be paying it any attention.
The smile he gives me melts my heart as the spray rains over us. He squirts shampoo into his hand.
“Turn around,” he says. I comply instantly, never too good for a scalp massage.
I moan when his thick fingers sink in. His skillful fingers work through my length, and I tip my head back to give him better access and keep the soap out of my eyes.
He hums under his breath as he makes sure it’s all perfectly clean, and not once does he mention his cock pushing against the small of my back.
It’s like he’s satisfied with just taking care of me, and nothing else.
I turn around in his arms, smiling like a lovesick teenager.
I had a better poker face than this, but I feel so good this morning that I can’t hold back.
“Let’s go?” he asks, and I nod.
Soren leaves me in my closet, running to his bedroom to get dressed.
I have the time to choose something from my wardrobe and dry my hair so it’s not sticking to my back.
I finish a few minutes later and step back into the bedroom.
Orion stirs, grimacing when he finds all his friends sleeping around him.
“You had a good night?” I giggle, and his gaze snaps to me.
“A dirty one,” he replies and gets on his feet. “By the way, you’re not allowed to get up and leave me sleeping with them all. It’s weird.”
“I wanted to take a shower.”
He’s still naked, and he grabs his cock by the base. “You can’t leave me lying naked in a bed with all my friends.”
“Why? Is that all for me?” I arch my eyebrow.
“Who else?”
Those simple words get me excited all over again. I like being taken care of more than I thought. What started as toxic demands feels now something deeper and stronger. Orion leaves the bed and comes closer. He’s so cocky and full of shit, but the attitude makes me smile today.
“Do you want to help me with my problem?” He nods down at his cock.
“No, we’re leaving.”
The answer comes from Soren arriving back in the bedroom, all dressed in black, his hair still damp from the shower and brushed back.
“Yes, we’re leaving.” I step back from Orion.
“Bullshit,” he complains, but steps away and goes straight to the door Soren just exited.
“Wait…” I shake my head. “Why are you going to Soren’s room?”
Goddamn naked-as-fuck Orion looks back at me over his shoulder for just a moment before knocking over the symbol at the door. “Rook’s quarters, you mean.”
My mouth falls open, but before I can ask more questions, he disappears inside, and I turn back to Soren.
“But there are five doors, and five of you.”
Hadrian shifts in his sleep, making a noise with his throat, and Soren grabs my hand and takes me out of the room and into the hall. Once outside, he finally talks.
“There were five founding families of Bellthorn, but I have no idea who the last one was. They don’t talk about them. The one with the symbol gauged out. My brother and I share the Rook apartment.”
“I always wondered about it, but I assumed it was one of you being a weirdo. I mean, it tracks.”
He chuckles. “Thanks.”
“So Orion is your roommate?”
“We have very separate living areas,” he explains, but I’m still confused.
As we walk, I realize we’re heading toward the wing where I found the abandoned student paper.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“I have some business with one of my professors. His office is up here.” He opens a door and sure enough, it’s the same place, just the opposite end of the hall.
The picture of my mother was forgotten beneath all the torment of that day, but that mystery is all I can think about now.
My eyes trail along, picking out the spot I’m sure it’s sitting.
I never did make it back over there to see if there was more about my mom and why she was ever at Bellthorn to begin with.
“You seem distracted,” Soren says.
“Yeah, there’s something down the hall I wanted to check out. Do you mind if I go over there while you talk to your professor?”
“Sable…” Soren is already shaking his head. “You know I can’t?—”
“After everything that went down with Arabella, I doubt she’s going to be out there trying to be an asshole, Soren. Plus, it's only the other end of the hall. No one will even know I’m there.”
He winces, something flashing in his face, and I think it’s guilt. He knows as much as I do that Arabella only did what she did to me because of her jealousy over him. And now her whole family has been exposed because Parker is my unhinged stalker. This problem only gets larger.
“She won’t ever mess with you again,” he promises me. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“I don’t think she will.” I agree, “She’s too busy to be thinking about me today.”
“It’s only the other end of the hall,” he says, convincing himself.
“That’s it.”
“Find me once you’re done,” he says, kissing me once, then turning to meet his professor.
Before he changes his mind, I run to the abandoned student paper.