55. Seth
Seth
“TRUTH OR DARE, brIELLA.”
Citizen Soldier Playlist
“I Believe You”
“Buried Alive”
“Good Old Days”
“Ilove this game!” I shout.
I couldn’t be more excited if you put me in a store full of gold axes.
“I hate this game,” grumbles Vincent, opposite me.
After a full day of decorating however Briella wanted, we’ve finally taken a break.
Rory made everyone a snack of apple cider and one of those flat boards with all the cheese, fruit, meat slices, nuts, etc.
Raphael said no dinner until after the game.
Makes sense with how many orgasms we’ll have.
More than ever with Briella in the middle.
She’s adorable, curled up like that, hugging her legs to her chest, rocking just a little. Her royal blue dress rides up, showing off more of the stockings on her thighs. Pretty silver stars all over the fabric. And a circlet of holly berries resting on the newsboy’s cap she always wears.
I reach out and pick out a sprig of evergreen from her curls.
She smiles. Blushes. But she doesn’t speak.
Must be a little intense, being the center of attention—surrounded by all of us, watching her like she’s a present we can’t wait to unwrap.
She keeps sneaking peeks at each of us, not flustered so much as flushed—like the heat rolling off her is more arousal than nerves.
Rory’s lounging next to me as usual, idly inspecting his fingernails. Occasionally, he winks at Briella and mouths the words “I love you”, milking it for all its worth—her giggles, red cheeks, twinkling eyes.
If Raphael lets me have her tonight like he hinted, I’ll make sure to get all those and more. But I’m sure we’ll wear her out beforehand with this game.
Pew Pew hobbles into the center of the circle, nudging her for attention. She coos and strokes the back of his fur.
“Vincent, if you’ll take the skunk to its designated room so we may begin the proceedings,” Raphael uses his “official” voice.
“Bye for now, little stinker,” she scratches under his chin before Vincent follows Raphael’s order, then comes back not long after.
Raphael nods to Jude, who signals the rest of us. Vincent groans. Rory mutters something unintelligible, but ultimately, we all join hands. Briella keeps rocking, doe eyes straying to us.
Jude bows his head, squeezing Vincent and Raphael’s hands. “Spirit of play and to our supreme leader, we thank you for the gift placed in the center of our circle.”
I can’t help watching Briella. How she parts her lips before huffing.
“For laughter, for desire, for truth yet to rise from shadow,” continues Jude with that reverence of his.
“May this game reveal what needs revealing, and dare what needs daring. Keep our minds sharp, our hearts open, and our bodies safe. And should any of us fall tonight…” He cracks one eye open and grins. “Let it be from pleasure.”
It reminds me of Thanksgiving.
Now, that was a great day. My dick jerks in my pants when I remember how we tied her buck naked in a pretty X on the dinner table and loaded up our curvy, plump platter with the Thanksgiving feast. A bit of stuffing and cranberry sauce along her pussy and between her thighs.
Mashed potatoes on her sweet stomach. Butter honey rolls cut in half for her tits. Turkey cutlets between her fingers.
Best part was Jude joining all our hands and thanking Raphael for the bounty bestowed upon us.
Briella glared daggers the whole time, but by the end, she was quite thankful indeed.
Now, she lifts her head, glances at Jude, then Raphael. “Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Truth or Dare,” I say.
She turns to me, lets the words settle in, then questions, “Is this some kind of joke? New holiday hazing ritual or something?”
“Call it whatever ye want. Ye still be playin’ it with us.” Rory bobs his brows.
“The Solstice is a good time to ponder and reflect,” Jude explains, his jaw ticking as she meets his stare, “as well as to be mindful of our blessings and grateful for the warmth we share in the dark. This game is not just for kicks and dares. It’s a way to strip things down, to see each other more clearly.
We ask. We reveal. We risk. And sometimes what comes out changes everything.
It’s not always easy. But it’s always necessary. ”
She’s all swooning and melting for the doctor. Jude is the mouthpiece when Raphael doesn’t want to explain shit.
“So, who goes first?” she wonders.
“You do!” I chime in.
“Explain the rules.” Raphael’s tone drops.
Jude leans over and tenderly tucks a few curls behind her ear. “If someone chooses Truth when you propose, you must remove an article of clothing. They are revealing something. You will, too.”
She blushes something even fiercer. Crazy how she’s still shy after all this time.
“And the opposite?” she verifies, and Jude nods.
“The Dare must be something within conceivable limitations,” Jude continues. “For example, no one may dare you to do something that would endanger yourself. Dares are mostly the opportunity to do something playful and bond through humor.”
She gets that cute little smirk, her eyes gleaming since she’s already done that.
Even Jude was on her receiving end earlier today.
Apparently, when she, Vincent, and Rory went shopping, she grabbed a bunch of Goodwill-store dolls.
It was hilarious when she drew creepy clown faces on them and put them all over Jude’s bed.
A little birdie, who likes to swing an axe, may have told her about Jude’s clown phobia.
Now, he’ll always remember them when he calls her “Babydoll”.
“Jude,” Briella breaks the silence, addressing him.
“Truth.”
His attention goes to her dress, but Briella merely removes the holly crown on the hat. Proud heat fills my chest.
Clever girl.
“How did all of you meet and manage to form such a bond?” She circles her finger to all of us.
“We all went through the same hell,” Rory pipes up, leaning closer to her.
“By the way,” Jude adds, summoning her attention, “any of us may speak out…to answer in their own way.”
I stab a finger at my partner. “You should expect him to be the most chatty.”
“Aye, Lad. And I can still make ye sing in tongues. Don’t forget it.” He narrows his eyes, but he still gets that playful side. Something he only lets out with me…and now, Briella.
“We all came from complicated and problematic backgrounds,” Jude goes on.
“Just say ‘fucked up’, Doc,” I blow out laughter.
Poor Briella keeps having to swing her head to each side, trying to follow our words. We’ll wear her out before I get to fuck her, and my wood is raging.
“Fair enough,” Jude goes on, adjusting his collar. “We all ended up in the same horror house of a foster group home. There are layers to our history of forming a bond, but you did not ask for them,” he points out with that silky, warm smile of his. The kind she swoons for.
“Fair enough,” she echoes him, but her attention drifts to Raphael, who remains still as a well-dressed statue as usual. But Jude goes next.
“Truth or dare, Briella.”
“Truth,” she responds without another heartbeat, but given the way she’s huddling tighter into herself, rocking her pretty self, this is taking a lot for her.
Each of us removes our shirts. Well, Vincent still wears the hoodie, but over his bare tatted chest now. And Raphael simply removes his vest, unbuttons his collar to his upper chest, and rolls up his sleeves to show his forearms, veins throbbing.
“Where did you come from, sweet girl?” Jude flexes his hand, and I get the sense he suspects, but this is just to confirm. And to ease her into our fun games.
She lifts her head. Glances at each of us. Then uncurls herself ever so little before scooting closer to Raphael. He doesn’t hesitate to pull her into his lap, their bodies and souls speaking the same language. Like he knows just what she needs in this moment. And that’s pain.
His fingers are purposeful and steady when they press down upon the limp. Not damaging. Just enough for her to feel it. She gasps, and he sinks his teeth into the base of her neck. Jude narrows his eyes, but he doesn’t interfere.
“Mmm, I told you all already.” A moan leaves her throat when Raphael licks the mark left by his teeth. Her voice cracks. “I escaped an insane asylum.”
Rory’s jaw hits the floor.
My chest grows tight, and he and I share a shocked stare.
Vincent’s muscles bulge, his shoulders growing tense with that innate protectiveness.
Jude looks at her with that heartbreaking gaze before he turns to Raphael. “You knew?”
Raphael touches his lips to the base of her ear. “I believed.”
He listened to her. Believed her when all of us thought she was joking. Fuck us. Fuck all our sorry jackasses. Who knows how many demons she’s carrying inside her? Good thing we’re bigger and badder than all of them combined.
Rory clenches his fist, his jaw hardening to iron, because he knows what real crazy is. So does Raph. And it’s the last place on earth Briella would deserve to live. No. Survive. There’s no living in a place like that.
“How did you escape?” I wonder.
She winks at me before Raphael loosens his hold on her, urging her back to the center. “That’s a different question.”
“Aww, crap.” Maybe I can torment it out of her later. Might even invite my partner to join me since he’s an expert in the craft, especially with her.
“Your turn again, Briella,” I chime in as she begins to rock herself again.
“Hmm…” She scans all of us, inspecting, and choosing…when they lock on me. Her gaze briefly flicks to Rory, then back to me. “Can I ask two of you like a bundle package deal?”
Raphael has barely moved a muscle, other than folding his hands and staring intensely at our Queen. Creepy son of a bitch. And while she checks with him, it’s Jude who answers, “I believe we can make this allowance.”
Her hazel eyes turn warm and heady as she stares at me and my partner from beneath those long, tempting eyelashes. “Rory, Seth. Truth or Dare. Please say Truth!”