Chapter 32
Chapter
Thirty-Two
GRIM
“ C haos! Malice! Grimsby! Get in here! I need your help!” Sin’s voice ricocheted down the hall, tearing my focus from the candles I was lighting in the parlor.
I turned toward the sound just as he kicked open the door and came stumbling in with a barely conscious Merri in his arms. She was naked from the waist up, her long hair covering most of her delectable curves.
“Oh good, you’re already here.”
“What happened?”
I don’t know why I bothered asking the question; it was obvious enough. I’d seen her in a near enough state barely a week ago. She must not have been able to feed before the power went out. I could feel that same tug to be close to her. I hadn’t understood or maybe even clocked it at the time, but looking back, I’d definitely felt it. Her inner demon was trying to lure potential targets. An internal fail-safe to protect her from starvation.
Chaos barreled into the room like an angry bull, all grunts and growls as he watched Sin lay Merri down on a chaise longue , her red tresses spilling across the silver fabric reminiscent of blood in the dim light.
“What the fuck did you do to her, Sinclair?”
Sin stepped back away from her, his hands held up in supplication. “It wasn’t me. She was trying to feed, and the power went out.”
The light of Malice’s torch preceded his entrance into the room. “Is everyth—oh, bloody hell, not again,” he said, taking in Merri and immediately piecing together what had happened.
“Is this a true storm, or an attack?” Chaos asked, moving to the window and lifting the curtain to peer out into the night. As if on cue, thunder boomed, and a bright flash of light streaked across the clouds.
“Does it fucking matter? Either way, Merri needs us,” Sin practically snarled.
Chaos dropped the heavy fabric. “Of course it matters. We need to know if demons are about to break through the windows. Unless you’d rather not take any precaution and be caught with your literal pants down, Sinclair.”
Malice sent his focus outward before saying, “Just a storm. Although it’s less clear if it's a side effect of the apocalypse or truly natural.”
“And they say global warming is fake,” Sin muttered, turning his attention back to Merri.
No one seemed to notice as I backed slowly away from the tableaux the three of them created. Or so I thought until Sin called my name.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“You know I can’t be a part of this. You three have things well in hand.”
“You’re not getting out of it this time, Grimsby. You don’t have to touch her, but you need to participate. It will be safer for all of us.”
“What do you mean?” Chaos asked, gaze sharpening on Sin’s face.
“She’s gone too long without again.” Sin shot a pointed glare at me. “It’s neither safe nor smart to let her drain one of us in order to charge her battery. Think of her like a bear who didn’t eat enough before hibernation and woke up early, ravenous, blowing through any available food source in order to survive.”
“She’s a... bear?” I asked slowly, trying to make sense of his ramble.
“No. But I see what he’s saying,” Chaos said, already taking off his shirt. “Scarcity breeds desperation.”
“He’s right. She nearly put me in a coma because her need to replenish her energy was so great the last time.” Malice pulled up a chair and sat only a few feet from Merri. “All of us together give her a supply she won’t drain. More of us equals a bigger pool to draw from. Less risk all around.”
Ah. That made sense.
I scowled at Sin. “Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?”
“Pretty sure I did. Not my fault you don’t understand metaphor, Grimsby.”
“Piss off.”
Didn’t they understand how dangerous I was to her? Could she feed off of me safely? Or would my darkness corrupt her simply by taking my energy as sustenance? I was the personification of death. How could anything about me nourish instead of destroy?
Sin finally seemed to register my internal debate. He brushed Merri’s hair away from her forehead before whispering instructions to her. “Get comfortable.” Then he came to me. Keeping his voice low, he met my stare straight on. “You’re not going to hurt her, Grim.”
“How can you know that?”
“For one thing, the three of us won’t let you. For another, Hades fucks without killing all the time. If he can do it, so can you. You don’t own the market on death magic.”
“Hades doesn’t kill everything he touches.”
“You’re not going to touch her.”
I was ashamed of the tightness in my chest at the thought. “But?—”
Sin reached out and grabbed my shoulder, the heat of his palm radiating through the fabric of my shirt and startling me. Touches were few and far between with the four of us. We kept to ourselves, and they certainly gave me a wide berth, but right now, this bit of connection grounded me.
“For once, we aren’t the bad guys, Grim. Lilith came to us so we could save her. You and I both know she would never risk Merri’s safety by doing so if she thought we would do more harm than good. Feeding her is part of that.”
He was right. In all my years, I’d never once been charged with saving anyone. But that was exactly what I wanted to do for Merri. I wanted to save her as many times as she needed me.
Heaving a sigh, I nodded before unbuttoning the cuffs of both of my sleeves and rolling them up. “Fine. Where do you want me?”
“You can sit anywhere you’re comfortable,” Merri answered, her voice raspy with exhaustion. “I don’t even need to be able to see you if you don’t want me to. But it will work best if you’re in the room.”
“I don’t mind you watching.”
I was startled by my admission, but the way her eyes seemed to flicker with interest was enough to soothe any embarrassment my vulnerability caused.
“How come that line never works when I say it?” Sin asked, choosing a spot that allowed him to touch Merri.
“Because we don’t like you?” Malice offered.
“Because she’s prettier than you are,” Chaos said right on his heels.
Sin pouted and rubbed at his chest. “Ouch, guys.”
Merri lifted her hand and gently touched Sin’s thigh. “I think you’re pretty.”
“Yeah?”
“So pretty, Sinclair.”
His smile was shockingly tender as he brushed his thumb over her lower lip. “They’re right, though. I’m nowhere near as pretty as you.”
She smiled, but it was weak and sent a bolt of worry through me.
“How do we start?” Chaos asked, his dark brows pulled together as he watched Sin flirt.
I didn’t blame him. Her attention was like the sun shining on you. Pure and beautiful, filled with warmth none of us thought we’d ever find.
“Well, first, I’m going to give our girl a little boost.”
“A boost?” Merri asked, her eyes locked on his as he leaned down.
“Uh huh. Just consider me a shot of espresso, kitten. I’ll perk you right up.”
“Idiot,” Malice muttered.
Merri’s lips twitched with laughter a second before Sin teased her with the merest hint of a kiss and then replaced his mouth with his thumb. He dragged her lower lip down as he pressed his thumb inside with a whispered command. “Suck.”
Her moan of approval as she obeyed had my cock jerking to attention. Fuck, but she was magnificent. And she hadn’t even done anything.
“It’s her arousal,” Malice explained, his face carefully blank, although his body betrayed how rigidly he was fighting for control.
“I felt it last time,” Chaos added, his voice low so as not to distract her from what Sin was doing. “It was like getting punched in the dick with lust.”
Malice nodded his agreement. “She’s hardwired to make sure we want to play with her.”
“I don’t need any interference to make me want to play. The last time she didn’t use a hint of her power, and I was ready to take her against the alley wall.”
“This isn’t just her being a succubus?” I asked, somehow needing to know I wasn’t the only one feeling helplessly drawn to our charge.
“Not for me,” Chaos said.
“Me either,” Malice muttered, though he seemed far more put out by the admission.
“Fuck.” I said it under my breath, but they all heard me.
Sin pulled his finger free with an approving hum and got on his knees next to the chaise. “Do you want me to touch you or keep my hands to myself?”
“I need you to take charge. You understand me better than anyone else in this room.”
He smirked. “Fuck yes, I do. Hips up, kitten. I can’t go another minute without showing them your pretty pussy.”
She let out a breathy whimper as she lifted her hips so he could tug her sweats down her toned legs. Jesus fucking Christ, the way her body returned to an effortlessly sensual position after she was bare had my cock throbbing. The flickering firelight mixed with the soft amber glow from the candles I’d lit made all of her curves appear even more mouthwatering.
Merri didn’t have to try to be seductive. She simply was. It was as natural to her as breathing.
“Fuck,” Chaos grunted, taking a seat on the sofa and palming his straining dick.
My body echoed the sentiment. I couldn’t remember a time I’d ever felt this primed. And when Merri whimpered as Sin brushed her hair behind her shoulders and exposed her bare breasts, I had to adjust in my seat to relieve some of the tension in my trousers. I’d positioned myself directly across from Merri but farther back than the others. It was darker here, and I felt safer tucked into the shadows.
Malice prowled around a writing desk, moving toward the fireplace. I glanced his way, wondering where the fuck he was going, when I realized he’d moved only so he could get a better view. Positioned as he was before, Sin was blocking almost everything worth seeing.
Sin moved just enough to the side and dropped to his knees that our view suddenly improved dramatically.
“Spread your thighs, pretty girl. Let them see how wet you are,” Sin whispered against her collarbone as he kissed his way down to her breast.
Her back arched and her legs spread wide as Sin sucked one nipple into his mouth. Her thighs glistened with arousal, the slick evidence of her need perfuming the room and making my mouth water. Sin slipped two fingers inside her and began a slow pump of his hand, causing her to whimper.
I squeezed my trouser-covered thigh hard enough my knuckles popped, but God help me, I stayed in my chair. Chaos let out a low groan and freed his dick from his joggers but wasn’t working it yet. The soft hiss of a zipper was my only clue that Malice was doing the same.
“Oh God,” Merri moaned, writhing against his touch.
“How are you doing, kitten?” Sin asked, nibbling his way up her neck.
“I need . . .”
“Tell us, baby. We are here to give you every fucking thing you want,” he encouraged when she faltered.
“I need more from them.”
Sin smirked as he leaned up and glanced over his shoulder. “You heard her, boys. Stroke ’em if you got ’em.”