Chapter 55
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule fifty-five: Try to avoid reliving tentacle porn at a work party.
The party is still going strong when we finally rejoin the crowd. I’m pretty sure I look sunburned from how much I’m blushing.
Sin, on the other hand, seems completely satisfied. There’s a grin plastered to his face as he walks beside me, his hand resting at the small of my back.
I scan the crowd, looking for Ragna, in hopes that we can talk to her now and then slip away from the party. Unfortunately, she’s still using the rebel leaders as armor. As if sensing my stare, she glances our way, only to throw us an exasperated look.
She definitely knows what we just did.
Again.
Mortification might not be a strong enough word for what I’m feeling right now, but Sin only chuckles and leads us to a circle of friendly faces. Rosie, Arianna, Conner, Isaac, and Sarah are laughing and joking together, and the sight has me smiling.
They’ve claimed a corner of the room and pulled up a small table for Rosie to perch on. Her legs dangle as she surveys the chaos.
They erupt into cheers when they see us, and Sin’s hand leaves my back, giving me space for hugs and congratulations.
“So, does this mean you aren’t coming back to school?” Isaac asks once they’ve all settled down.
His tone is a little too casual, like he’s trying to hide the real emotion beneath.
I open my mouth to answer, only to shut it again when I realize it’s no longer an impossible dream.
If we win this war, I could go back. Sin and I could probably share an apartment while I finish my degree, and I could stay in a familiar place.
The mental picture sends warmth and nostalgia flooding through me, until my thoughts drift over to my life now. Even if we win the war, there will still be a multitude of issues left to tackle: soul slavery, the demigod children, prejudice against interspecies breeding, and so much more.
My gaze flickers back to the throne.
I’m in a position to help.
Whether I feel like I deserve the job or not, how can I walk away when others are still trapped?
Clearing my throat, I finally answer, “No. I don’t belong there anymore.” My eyes find Sin’s.
At some point during the hugging, everyone shifted to make a circle, and he ended up standing across from me. “My home is here,” I finish.
The others continue talking, but their voices fade to the background as I take in his expression. He looks at me with fierce pride, and something warm swells in my chest.
I’m proud of myself, too.
An elbow lightly bumps me in the ribs, and I only catch a glimpse of Sin’s darkening expression when I look over my shoulder and find Magnus, Damien, and Varian standing behind me.
They offer their congratulations, and everyone shifts to make room for them.
When Varian immediately tries to take the spot beside me, Damien shoves him and takes it instead.
Magnus rolls his eyes at the exchange, and there’s something almost frazzled about his expression. It catches me off guard, since I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him look anything other than suave and composed.
Damien and Varian don’t look quite as bothered until I watch them more closely. They’re smiling and laughing, but a muscle in Damien’s neck is clenched, and Varian’s hands are tightly fisted behind his back.
But before I can mull the thought over any further, Varian pokes his head out from behind Damien to grin at me. “Nice speech today,” he says, his eyes gleaming.
I frown. “What speech?”
His grin turns wolfish. “You know, the one where you moaned your way into a revolution. Though, if I may, you don’t smell nearly satisfied enough. Shame, really.”
Magnus smacks him in the back of his head. “Down, boy,” he warns. It’s a playful gesture, but some unspoken tension sparks between them.
Damien, on the other hand, starts howling with laughter, and Conner soon joins in.
I shake my head at them and turn to Sin, wondering if he’s about to go all possessive Destroyer again.
He smirks back, and his tattoos give the faintest pulse of power.
A moment later, I feel it – the faint, yet familiar slithering sensation in my mind.
Sin is in my thoughts.
He cocks his head to the side, wordlessly making sure this is okay.
I arch a brow, considering my answer. Sin wouldn’t dig through my deepest thoughts in the middle of a party.
Whatever he’s up to, it’s for fun.
There’s a slight knocking sensation in my mind, and I bite back a smile before giving him a slight nod.
He grins and turns his attention to the others, looking thoroughly invested in the conversation.
At the same time, his voice rings out in my mind, as clear as if he were standing beside me, “I happen to agree with the dragon. We should pay a second visit to your throne. This time, I’ll make sure they hear you scream. ”
I choke on air, and Rosie hands me a glass of water. There’s a pause in the conversation as the group looks at me, concerned.
I flush, needing to turn their attention before Sin says something else that will make me forget how to do basic things like breathing.
“So, did you guys know each other before all of this?” I ask Damien, Varian, and Magnus.
Magnus looks… embarrassed?
Yeah, there’s definitely something going on with them.
Varian jumps in to answer. “An excellent question! Yes, I met both of them, separately, before I was imprisoned,” he pauses to grin at Magnus before he continues, “I met Magnus first when he was rob–”
“Allegedly!” Magnus interrupts, looking like he would rather be anywhere else.
Varian grins, clearly enjoying the effect he’s having. “The snake shifter thought he could enter my lair and rob me blind. But–” his eyes turn to reptilian slits, “he got caught.”
I do my best to look surprised, even though I already know Magnus has a history of borrowing things without permission.
No judgment though, since same.
Arianna snorts, “Seriously, Magnus? You tried to rob a dragon?”
Her gown catches the low, twinkling orb lights. The black fabric shimmers, crisscrossing in wide bands, before turning to a sheer fabric that drapes down her thighs.
There are just enough layers of the fabric to hide her more intimate parts, but Conner is still drooling. He’s taken the spot beside her, and she’s been steadfastly ignoring his whispers.
“I’ll rob him if it means Ari will finally give me a chance,” Conner boasts, trying a new technique to get her attention.
It works. Arianna finally turns to look at him.
“Sweet baby Jesus, we are going to have beautiful babies,” he blurts, catching himself on the wall when his knees nearly buckle.
Sarah gives Isaac a look, and he holds out his hands in a ‘what do you expect me to do?’ gesture.
At least this time, Conner is smart enough to keep his hands to himself.
Arianna looks thoughtful for a moment before nodding. “I probably would – because no one robs a dragon. They guard their hoard fiercely. I’m surprised Magnus is still breathing. I’ve never met someone who survived an attempt before.”
Conner’s grin drops.
Magnus shrugs. “I was young, ambitious.”
Varian arches a cocky brow. “I kept him alive because I thought it might be entertaining.”
“Was it?” I ask, thoroughly invested.
“Absolutely. I made him polish every last piece of my hoard,” Varian answers, laughing.
The others join in, and Magnus blushes. I don’t miss the way Damien’s arm presses against Varian’s.
“Damien, on the other hand, I didn’t bother keeping around,” Varian adds, and Magnus immediately perks up.
“No way! I’m telling this one,” Damien interrupts, gladly taking the spotlight. “It’s one of my most harrowing tales. Red, you remember that story about the two naked guards, a dragon, and a horse?”
My jaw drops, remembering the story he told me in the Shadow Realm. “No…” I start.
He winks back. “Oh yeah,” he answers with a mischievous grin, and then turns to address our friends.
“So here I was, a newly minted guard, and the captain says we need to bring in a dragon. A literal freaking dragon! It’s supposed to be a huge covert operation, but my buddy and I figure this is our chance to make a name for ourselves. ”
His voice grows lower as he continues, “So that night, we ride up the mountain where the dragon supposedly has his lair. It’s dark, but the moon guides us. The path is rocky, and there’s no tree cover, but we figure it’s safe, since we’ll see him coming.”
He pauses for dramatic effect, and even though I’ve heard the story before, I’m just as enthralled.
“We make it to a big ledge, just shy of the peak. That’s when we finally see it – the entrance to a massive cave.
We dismount, just a dozen feet below, but there’s nowhere to tie the horses.
But we figure they won’t wander off. We make our way to the entrance, and I crack a joke about how dragons must be lazy, since he didn’t even bother to build his lair on the peak. And that’s when it happens.”
He holds out his hands, letting the suspense build.
“The top of the mountain moves. It was so dark, we didn’t realize he’d been perched on top of the cave the entire time, watching us.
He is the top of the mountain. Massive fire-colored eyes narrow on us, and I’m sure we’re dead.
Like, there’s no way we’re getting out of this. This dragon is going to eat us.”
“I smelled you, I sure as fuck wasn’t going to eat you,” Varian quips.
Damien ignores him. “So, what does he do? He opens his massive mouth. Huge teeth flash in the moonlight, and then a stream of fire comes for us. We run, but the flames swallow us. Our clothes and armor turn to ash. I’m sure we’re done for.
But then, it just… stops. We don’t slow down to ask why he’s left us alive, and only one of the horses is waiting for us, so we scramble onto it and ride down together.
The sun is just rising when we make it to the barracks, completely naked.
I think our dragon friend here liked the view,” he finishes, and everyone bursts out laughing.
“Wait, why are we wondering why he left you alive? Varian’s standing right here,” Sarah asks.
Rosie sits up a little straighter. “Yes! Please tell us. He tells this story at least twenty times a year. We need closure.”
Varian grins, and for once, it’s filled with warmth, not teasing.
“He was just so… young. And he talked the entire way up the mountain. I’d never seen such a terrible guard.
I figured at the very least, he’d be a good early warning system if the guards wanted to give me more trouble.
And then there was the smell… Those clothes had to go. ”
There’s more laughing, and something in my heart warms at the way the three of them look at each other.
“Vivian has an exercise she needs to do with you all tomorrow,” Sin notes when there’s a pause in the laughter.
I whirl back to him, giving him a betrayed look. We are not completing Dr. Parnard’s homework.
“Oh! Group run? Finally!” Damien exclaims before I can shut it down.
“Yes! Finally! The pre-war runner’s group!” Sarah squeals, jumping up and down. “Should we make shirts?”
“Guys, no. It’s not a run–” I start.
“Vivi, if this ‘exercise’ involves another throne, I’m skipping,” Arianna deadpans, taking another sip of wine.
I choke on my water. Twice in one night might be a record.
Rosie pats me on the back. “Either way, hydration is probably important,” she giggles as she says it, but it sounds weak.
The answering laughter is forced, all of us concerned over the way she’s withering before us. Her shoulders creep to her ears, hating the attention. But before I can help, Conner sweeps in to save the day.
“I knew Viv was going to rule someday,” he exclaims confidently.
His comment is so ludicrous, I don’t manage to contain my snort. “What on earth gave you that impression?”
He taps the side of his head, grinning knowingly. “Because you’re scary smart. You always had your nose in a book.”
I flush, mentally begging him not to go there.
Isaac, my fellow introvert, is the one who betrays me. “She’s stone cold, too. Who else can read about a chick being railed by a literal kraken while sitting in class, surrounded by people, and not bat an eye?”
Dying inside, I decide I’m going to find a charm that makes his laptop play Baby Shark on full volume, every time he opens it in class.
As always, Sarah saves me from their antics. “So, how many rebel armies are there? Where are they coming from?”
Her question has its intended effect, and the conversation steers away from me as they start discussing the war. Of course, that topic is also anxiety-inducing, and I begin spiraling all over again.
“Tentacles, kitten?” Sin purrs in my mind.
My cheeks are officially on fire.
“I was curious,” I think back, wondering if he’ll hear me.
He smirks, and his power gives a slight pulse again.
The moment he does it, it feels like something is snaking up my leg. It’s wet and coils around my thigh, higher and higher, heading toward my center.
It’s a fucking tentacle.
Sin is making me hallucinate a tentacle.
My eyes widen, darting to the others, but they aren’t watching me.
“Want to use your safe word?” He asks.
He’s still smirking, and it takes me a second to realize he’s trying to distract me from my spiraling. And while I appreciate the effort, I think it’s high time I mess with him instead.
I give him an innocent smile and turn back to the conversation, occasionally nodding, even though I’m not listening to a word.
Instead, I picture this throne room, tugging on Sin’s presence in my mind until he’s in the mental picture with me.
Once he’s there, I give him a very vivid show.
I take his hand, leading him back up the raised dais. We’re naked now, and he’s sitting on the throne. I climb atop him, and he watches as I sink onto his cock. I’m slow, making sure he can feel how wet I am as my walls squeeze him.
The tentacle illusion immediately dissipates.
Sin stalks over to me, ignoring our friends as he takes my hand and starts leading me from the room.
“Where are you two going?” Sarah calls out.
Sin doesn’t slow as he answers, “Vivian just reminded me that we have very important plans.”
I bite my lip to contain my laugh.
Nailed it.