Chapter 25 The Proposal #2
Candles flickered on every surface, their flames casting dancing shadows across the massive four-poster bed.
Rose petals—deep red and soft pink and pure white—were scattered across the silk sheets.
The air smelled of jasmine and sandalwood and something sweeter, something that reminded me of all of them at once.
They undressed me slowly, reverently, each of them taking a turn.
Lucien's rough hands drew my shirt over my head, his lips pressing kisses to each newly exposed inch of skin.
Selene's clever fingers worked the clasp of my bra, her emerald eyes dark with desire.
Azrael knelt to remove my leggings, his golden gaze worshipful as he pressed a kiss to the demon's mark on my inner thigh.
And Darius—Darius lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to the ring, his silver eyes blazing with possessive pride.
"Ours," he murmured against my skin. "Finally, completely, ours."
They laid me on the bed like I was something precious. Something sacred. The silk was cool against my bare skin, the rose petals soft beneath me, and I reached for them—all of them—needing to feel their weight, their warmth, their love.
And they gave me everything.
It wasn't the desperate, feral claiming of our earlier encounters. It wasn't the playful teasing or the reverent worship or the controlled domination. It was something else entirely. Something new.
It was slow.
Lucien entered me first, his body covering mine, his amber eyes locked on my face. He moved with gentle, rolling thrusts, his forehead pressed to mine, his breath mingling with my own. "I love you," he whispered against my lips. "I love you. I love you. I love you."
I came with a soft cry, my inner walls fluttering around him, and he followed moments later—his release hot and thick, his body trembling with the force of his emotion.
Then Azrael.
He turned me onto my side and curled behind me, his cool body a perfect counterpoint to Lucien's lingering warmth. His cock pressed into me slowly, reverently, and his golden magic pulsed with each thrust—amplifying every sensation until I was gasping, clutching at the sheets, begging for more.
"You're everything," he breathed against my ear. "My heart. My home. My reason for being."
I shattered around him, and he groaned my name as he filled me with his cool, electric release.
Darius came next.
He lifted me into his lap, my legs wrapped around his waist, and entered me with one smooth, devastating thrust. His silver eyes never left mine as he moved—slow, deep, claiming. His hand cupped my face, his thumb brushing away the tears that wouldn't stop falling.
"You're the center of our world," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "The heart that holds us together. We were broken before you. Fragments. You made us whole."
I sobbed his name as I came, and he swallowed the sound with a kiss, his own release flooding me as his body shuddered against mine.
And finally, Selene.
She laid me back against the pillows and settled between my thighs, her emerald eyes bright with love and desire.
Her mouth found my clit—already sensitive, already aching—and she worshipped me with slow, devastating strokes of her tongue.
Her fingers pressed inside me, curling against that perfect spot, and I felt her magic pulse through me—green and growing, nurturing and fierce.
"You're mine," she murmured against my flesh. "Ours. And we're yours. Forever."
I came with a scream, my back arching off the bed, my hands fisting in her dark hair. She worked me through it, gentling her touch but never stopping, drawing out every last pulse until I was boneless and sobbing and utterly, completely claimed.
They gathered me into their arms—Lucien's warmth at my back, Azrael's cool presence at my side, Darius's steady strength beneath my head, Selene's gentle fingers stroking my hair.
I was covered in their releases, marked by their love bites, wearing nothing but the ring that glowed softly on my finger.
I had never felt more loved. More cherished. More home.
"Thank you," I whispered, my voice hoarse from crying and screaming and pouring out every emotion I'd been holding. "Thank you for choosing me. For loving me. For making me yours."
"Thank you," Selene murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple. "For choosing us. For loving us. For making us whole."
Lucien's arms tightened around me. "We're a family now. Really, truly, forever."
"Forever," Azrael echoed, his golden eyes soft.
"Forever," Darius agreed, his silver gaze warm.
I closed my eyes and let myself drift, surrounded by warmth and safety and the quiet, steady pulse of the bond that connected us all. The ring on my finger hummed with their love—a constant reminder of the vows we'd exchanged, the promises we'd made, the family we'd become.
I was theirs. They were mine.
And nothing—not time, not distance, not all the forces of the supernatural world—would ever change that.
We were unbreakable.
We were us.
And we were just beginning.
I woke to sunlight streaming through the curtains and the sensation of being watched.
Four sets of eyes looked down at me—silver, amber, gold, and emerald—each filled with varying degrees of love and satisfaction and possessive pride. I was still tangled in their arms, still covered in the evidence of their claiming, still wearing nothing but the ring.
"Good morning," I murmured, my voice rough with sleep.
"Good morning," they answered in unison, and the sound made my heart swell.
Selene pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Breakfast is waiting. And then we have plans."
"Plans?"
Darius's silver eyes glinted. "The coven is neutralized. The detective is being investigated. Our business is secure. I thought we might take a day. Just the five of us. To celebrate."
"Celebrate how?"
Lucien's amber eyes darkened with hunger. "I have some ideas."
Azrael's golden gaze was warm. "As do I."
Selene's smile was wicked. "I think we all do."
I laughed, bright and genuine, and pulled them closer—all of them, my family, my home, my everything.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
The day that followed was a blur of pleasure and laughter and love.
They took me in every room, on every surface, in every position we could imagine.
They fed me by hand—sweet fruits and rich chocolates and champagne that tasted like starlight.
They held me when I cried from the overwhelming intensity of it all, and they kissed away my tears and promised me forever.
And when night fell again, they gathered me into their arms and carried me back to the bed—our bed, the heart of our home—and made love to me until I couldn't remember my own name. Until all I knew was them.
I fell asleep surrounded by their warmth, their love, their unwavering devotion.
The ring on my finger glowed softly in the darkness—a symbol of the oath we'd sworn, the bond we'd forged, the family we'd become.
I was Lizzie Saltz. Chaos agent. Accidental mafia queen. Beloved of a vampire, a werewolf, a demon, and a witch.
And I was exactly where I belonged.
Ours, the bond whispered, pulsing with four distinct signatures—silver and amber and gold and emerald.
Always ours.
I smiled and let sleep claim me, safe in the arms of my family.
Forever.