Chapter Seven
Lonan
My eyes open to a very mussed Oleander sitting up and stretching. I chuckle roughly and roll to Finn, who is still asleep.
Burying my face in his sleek hair, I say to Ollie, “I heard you come in last night. Have fun?”
“Mmm-hmm,” she says, smiling at me over her shoulder. “Looks like you three did too.” Her grin takes on a knowing edge.
I narrow my eyes at her. “Was that why you wanted a girls’ night?”
She giggles and stands. “I need a shower.”
I grumble, “Don’t go sneaking off to that dragon until you’ve sucked my cock.” And my eyes close to her laughter.
I AWAKE THE SECOND time to Oleander screaming. My body reacts before my brain, so I’m crouching nude, holding my sword, when I realize that she’s merely being pleasured by Kai in the shower.
Finn sits up and promptly laughs at me in my fighting pose, naked.
I turn and point the sword in his direction. “Listen, my friend, danger comes at unexpected times.” I arch an eyebrow and his smile turns sultry.
“Why don’t you put that one down and point the other one at me?” Finn asks, though a blush spreads prettily over his green skin.
“Happily,” I purr, dropping it and climbing on the bed, over him. My knees pin his hands under the covers as he lays.
“Open that pretty mouth, Finn,” I rumble, cock hard already. “I want you to swallow me deep.”
He groans and opens for me. I feed my cock to him, rubbing the head on his tongue.
“Do you like the taste of me, love?” I murmur.
He nods, desperate, and I groan. I shove myself deep.
He gags and I back up a bit.
“Swallow. Easy. You can do it,” I encourage. I wait until he nods under me, before I start to slowly, smoothly, work my cock in and out of his mouth. He makes these sweet little sounds as I do.
When the bathroom door opens, I turn to see Ollie, dressed in her forest-green dress that makes her hair absolutely luminous.
“Where are you going, sweetheart?” I ask, loudly, over the sound of Finn taking me down his throat. My hips don’t slow as I fuck his face.
She rises a single eyebrow and tosses her thick braid over her shoulder. “Downstairs.”
Kai growls from the bathroom door but if it’s me using Finn’s mouth or Ollie being deliberately obtuse, I am unsure.
She disappears down the stairs and I hear the door open and close.
“Do you think she’s headed to that dragon?” I ask, looking to Kai.
“Maybe. But I wrung four orgasms out of her, so hopefully she’s sated.”
Finn gags and I stroke his hair back. “Swallow and breathe through your nose, Finnick,” I say softly as I pull back a bit. “That’s a good boy.”
“We’re gonna have to make peace with him,” I say to Kai as I resume thrusting. My hands hit the headboard in front of me.
Kai growls, “Unlikely.”
I sigh, thrusting harder. “Almost, sweet boy, keep going,” I grit through clenched teeth.
“Kai, challenge him to a friendly duel so you can get this out of your system.”
He nods and grabs his breeches to start getting dressed.
“Don’t dress yet,” I say to him, “I think Finn here has a greedy little ass that needs attention.”
And my back arches as I release down his throat. He makes a surprised noise but purrs around my dick, swallowing happily as I continue to work my hips.
As my body goes slack, still gripping the headboard, Finn turns his head to get my cock out of it, then starts meekly licking my balls.
“Fuuuck,” I gasp, “Did you teach him this, Kai?” I look to my mate.
Kai nods as Finn makes a satisfied sound.
“Mmm, it’s delightful. Good boy,” I praise, before I climb off him. “Let Kai fuck you now so maybe you can cum.”
He scrambles off the bed and bends over it without a word.
“Hands and knees on the bed, pretty boy,” Kai growls as he grabs lube.
I head to the bathroom just as I hear Finn’s squeal of pleasure.
VALE IS SITTING AT the table in the main hall when we get down there. Ollie is not. My eyes narrow but I quickly blank my face.
Asshole. ‘Tell me how my dick tastes,’ I sing-song his words in my head. We’ll just see about that, prick.
I sit, nodding to Zola who is chatting with Vale, as a rather mussed-looking Lilac and Tazi enter.
“How was girls’ night?” I ask grinning.
Lilac grumbles but Tazi answers, “It was lovely. Rosie had to pour Lilac home.” She elbows her.
Tazi continues, “It was so cute! I’ve never seen Lilac that relaxed. She climbed onto a barstool and composed an ad hoc poem about how sweet Rosie’s pussy is.”
I choke on my apple juice. It quickly turns into laughter and Lilac snarls.
“I’m never drinking again.”
Tazi and I laugh harder as Finn and Kai enter.
Vale straightens, ocean blue eyes flicking around nervously. “And where is Oleander?” he asks archly.
“Kitchens, I’d bet,” Finn reassures him.
“And you’d be right, husband,” Ollie chirps, using her hip to open the door from the kitchen, holding a large tray. Finn looks visibly pleased and it makes my heart soften.
She crosses the room and places it on the edge of the table near me, handing me a plate of eggs and crusted bread with goat cheese. She passes out plates, leaving one in her spot and turns to return the tray to the kitchen.
When she sits, I pour her a juice. Her hand drops below the table and squeezes my knee.
Zola swallows a bite of bread. “I am planning on leaving this afternoon, to head back to Stockmont.”
I nod. “You have guards staying at the training hall, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Good. The lands should be safe enough but in these unprecedented times, I don’t like to see anyone travel alone, by land or by water.”
She nods, her motherly gaze rolling between us all.
I add, “If you are willing to carry it, I have another donation of coin. Also, some spices, apples, and berry preserves from our kitchen, to pass to your cooks.”
She grins, “Oh, aye, that’ll be most welcome. Your kitchen staff, and your consort, have spoiled me. I’ll not be happy with ‘roots and wildlife’ as we call it, anymore.” And she laughs in an infectious way.
“Well,” Ollie says, “Do let me know if there is aught we could send you. And let us know when you are finished there, as we’d love to see you again.”
Zola smiles at her and Ollie grins back. I beam, again pleased with how magnetic my spirit mate is.
Kai clears his throat. “We got word from Korben and Caspian. Things are just about tied up at Squall’s End. They should be heading home soon.”
I look at Vale, who is gazing at Ollie in a plaintive way, for an explanation.
She answers his silent plea, “Misery’s other two captains. We left them to settle things up with Alder’s forces that we... decimated.”
I catch Finn taking Ollie’s hand on top of the table, squeezing. He had had his first kill there; it had been a hard time for them both. But they had both done brilliantly. I should tell them that, I realize, feeling guilty for being a bad partner. Again.
Zola pushes her plate back. “I best be off to collect my guards. Thank you again, all of you, for the wonderful visit.”
Ollie stands and hugs her, as does Tazi.
I smile. “Thank you Engineer Zola. Please stop by and see Steward Nell on the way out.”
She grins and waves as she slips out.
Tazi looks us over, letting her wings rub together. “We need to talk about Monkwick.” She glances at Vale, but has apparently decided he’s gonna hear it all anyway. She flops back into her chair.
“What about them?” Kai asks angrily. He’s still rather upset about how Ollie was treated by the one—well the two, I suppose, and has decided they all need to suffer for it.
I’m not really opposed to this plan.
“This armada,” she starts.
“Ragtag flotilla, more like,” Kai grumbles under his breath.
Tazi, used to his snarling, ignores him and continues, “I’m not sure they are under Alder’s deranged command.”
Ollie snorts, “He commands nothing himself, not even his dick. He’s told where to—attempt—to stick it.” She sighs. “I remember him as an imposing Fae. Cold, but I looked up to him. He’s aged, at least in mind, more quickly than one would expect.”
Tazi cocks her head, wings fluttering. “Huh.” She pauses for a tick but quickly continues, “Anyway, are they under the orders of Monkwick?”
I shrug and I catch Vale watching me. His fingers tap on the table, a tiny sign of nerves.
Huh.
“Matters not. They must be sunk.”
Vale clears his throat, “Colette brought me word from the south ports a month or so back. Several of the sailors let slip, to her or the troupe, that there was big money behind an operation looking for boats. I imagine it’s one and the same.” He lifts his hand and studies his nails.
“Fine, good. We’ll end their aspiration of a navy, no matter the genius behind it,” I say flatly, clearly ending the conversation.
Tazi and Lilac both stand and slip out, no doubt going to manage some of the new recruits that will become the griffon riders.
Finn and I both start to stand but Ollie snaps, “No. I need to talk to the four of you.”
Her gaze is hard as she looks between us. We both slowly sit as we look to Oleander.
Once we all have our attention trained on her, she starts, voice even and brokering no disagreement. “The four of you are going to have to become reluctant, polite acquaintances.”
She glares at Kai, followed by me, and finally, Vale.
“If this is going to work, and it will, because I want you all, you will have to get along. That does not mean that you have to touch each other or even touch my body at the same time. But I cannot have the four of you threatening to beat the shit out of each other every time I turn around.”
She sounds angry. She pushes away from the table and crosses to the fireplace, turning.
Her black gown, the one with loose, drapey sleeves, is covered by her plum corset and she’s never looked more delectable than now, with that pissed-off look on her face.
Fuck, I cannot believe I love an angry woman.
Or maybe I can.
“All of you, here,” she points in front of her. I stand without glancing around, happily going to stand wherever my little Queen wants me to. Finn is right behind me and Kai falls in next to Vale. We all stand shoulder to shoulder and I see Vale’s blue dragon tail whip out.
Ollie rolls her eyes. “Put that away! Why are you trying to make my life harder, Vale?” she exclaims exasperatedly.
I glance over and the tail disappears. He looks at her with large, repentant eyes, but as soon as he sees me looking at him, pompous disdain immediately replaces it.
I’ll be a shifter’s uncle, Finn was right.
“Kneel,” Ollie commands.
We obey as one.
“Do I need to make you four strip naked to get you to listen?” she asks.
I raise a brow, “Don’t threaten me with a good time, my little mate.”
She levels a glare at me but her face gentles seeing Finnick, head bowed and silky hair draped over his shoulders.
She continues, softer, “I mean it. I need you all to learn to get along. I want all of you. And I’ll be queen. So who will gainsay me?” She steps forward, her hand out, and cups Finn’s cheek. “You see, I love you all. How could I ever choose?”
Finn looks up, surprised by her words, but I’m not. I had seen her love for him in her eyes. And when she spoke of that... Vale, too. I sigh.
“Alright, little Queen, but I don’t have to like it,” I say.
She looks to Vale.
He’s silent and they stare each other down for a moment.
“Fine,” he puffs, rolling his eyes, “I won’t harm any of them.”
I swear I hear him mutter ‘much.’
Ollie nods a grumpy acceptance and looks to Kai.
“Princess.”
His one word is a plea.
My heart aches for him. This is hard for him, though I’m not exactly sure why he was so alright with Finn joining us, but not Vale.
Probably because Vale is a jackass.
Ollie drops to her knees in front of Kai and takes both his hands, gazing at him silently.
Kai lets out a long breath. “I... I will do my best. But he is not to share your body while I am there.”
She nods, squeezing his hands and a tear dripping down her cheek.
She looks to Finn.
He smiles, “Don’t ask; You know I am at your command, wife.”
She leans over, kissing Finn, then Kai. Vale and I crawl to her from either edge of the line and she turns and kisses us in turn as well.
She drops back on her haunches, grinning widely. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”