Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Sage
Before I died, the last time, I was very aware of the fact that I didn’t belong in this world. The Shade, in particular. Now, though, it’s as though I don’t exist. Or, at least, the other kyn don’t care that I do.
Walking through the portal into the train station type space still feels kinda odd, like a prickle across my skin, but it doesn’t have the same impact as it once did. I’m not all starry-eyed and full of wonder, more suspicious and taking everything in for very different reasons.
“These handcuffs are fucking brilliant. Can I get a pair for myself?” Slash tugs on the chain connecting the cuffs on Baba Yaga’s wrists, the same ones Hekate used to bind me in my sleep—although they weren’t linked at the time.
“If you want to be the one to let Hekate know I stole them before we left, then yeah. Otherwise, I probably have to return them at some point.” I side-eye him, kicking myself for giving him the option, because this is Slash.
“She’s practically my in-law now. Sure she won’t mind.” Wagging his brows, he charges forward through the throng of kyn trying to get to their destinations.
“Would you be mad if I killed my brother for being a dick?” Hack grumbles beside me, no longer in need of help to stand or walk. Thankfully, his demon strength has kicked in and he’s all healed up from the life sucking Baba Yaga did.
She looks a little fresher than she did when I first saw her in that cave, her cane long forgotten, but her wild hair and crazy eyes are still exactly the same, if not worse.
“How about you just maim him a little?” I blink up at Hack and smile sweetly.
“Just one more reason why we were made for each other, Satapti.” He chuckles and we continue walking toward the tall doors of the Great Library.
I didn’t get to go inside last time we came here, but this time…I won’t lie to myself; I’m a little excited.
Slash has pushed the doors open and is waiting for us to follow through as Baba tries to fight against her restraints beside him.
There are thick vines wrapped around her mouth—because she wouldn’t shut the fuck up—and the golden cuffs are suppressing her magic, meaning this is all a lot easier than I thought it would be.
I don’t know if I’m happy about that or not. There hasn’t been much opportunity to dissect my feelings on all the new information being thrown at me and a large part of me is pissed. Like, mega pissed.
The gasp that escapes my throat as we walk inside is involuntary, but I’d do it again because wow. This place is spectacular. The concept reminds me of Doctor Who’s Tardis; bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
Kyn of all shapes and sizes are gliding around wearing long, dark-brown robes, hoods pulled up and everything, like some magical…okay, it is magical…but fuck me, there’s so much to take in. I would go as far to say it’s more otherworldly than the actual other worlds I’ve seen so far.
Faloria, yeah, there are huge pink flower things that absolutely do not exist on Earth. Lympana, well, that place was pretty damn magical too, with all the glass and gold flying people—kyn.
This library, though, is straight out of a book lover’s wet dream, with moving ladders, winding stairs, and a squillion levels up and down. Minus the books, though, which is a damn shame because I would live here if it was filled with stories instead of glowing orbs.
“Liege Slash, Liege Hack, are you depositing a soul?” The kyn with deep-set black eyes and three tails poking out of the back of his robe steeples his fingers together and tilts his hooded head, completely ignoring me and Baba Yaga.
“Yes. This one has a special request.” Hack hands over the ball of Trina’s soul and my breath hitches.
“Wait.” Reaching out, I grab it and hold it close, a single tear dripping onto the glass-like finish. “I know I said it before, but thank you. For just…” I pause and take a breath, looking to Hack. “Can she hear me?”
“Yes.” His eyes are soft and he gives me a light smile, not pushing me to hurry with my goodbye, but I can see the robed kyn sighing deeply in frustration out of the corner of my eye.
Hack must notice too because he turns to the kyn and glares at him. No words needed.
“Okay. This is weird, but I think it’s kinda helping.
I don’t think I would want to let you go if you were here for real.
” Hugging the ball tight to my chest, I close my eyes and picture Trina in my mind’s eye.
“Thank you for taking a chance on us, you sweet, sweet woman. I will never forget everything you did for us, for me.” Bringing the ball to my lips, I place a soft kiss against the cold surface.
“I love you, Trina.” I thrust the ball back toward Hack because if I keep hold of it for much longer, I’m going to run away with her and never bring her back.
With great care, he takes it from me, understanding how precious this woman’s soul is, clear in his actions. Like a game of pass-the-parcel, he hands it to the robed kyn, who takes it with a small nod of his head.
“Please, fill in these forms, and the special request will be honored.” As if from nowhere, the kyn wafts several pieces of paper at Hack.
“Is he being serious? There’s paperwork?” I whisper this to Hack because I don’t know if this is the normal protocol or not and I don’t want to come across as rude and get us kicked out or something.
He chuckles. “Not usually, but this isn’t the usual kind of soul, Satapti. She’s a special one, so she deserves the extra attention.” Taking the forms, he leans against the beautifully crafted desk beside us, picking up the real-life quill, and begins to write.
It takes less than thirty seconds, which I’m not sad about, before he’s handing the papers back to the robed kyn.
“Thank you, Liege Hack. Good day.” Bowing his head, the robed kyn swiftly turns on his heel and places the soul orb on a plinth-type thing before it disappears. And without another word to us, he wanders off to do whatever it is these kyn do here.
“Where did she go?”
“Her soul will be sorted by the keepers and sent to her final resting place, awaiting George…as per the forms.” Smiling, Hack holds his hand out for me to take, so I link my fingers with his as we turn to leave.
The loss of Trina still sits heavy in my stomach, but it does feel lighter than before, knowing she’s happily at rest and having the chance for that final goodbye really helped.
As we leave the library through a different set of doors than where we entered, I allow the loss to settle because it’s a part of me now.
Who she was and how she died will live with me forever, and I’m grateful for the knowledge and experience she gave me.
A thud, followed by a grumble, brings my attention to the two behind us.
“What’s happening with Baba Yaga?” I gesture to where Slash is dragging her alongside him. She hasn’t fallen, no. She’s being a stubborn old witch and refusing to walk.
The urge to kill her, like actually, properly kill her, is super fucking high.
She stole years of my life from me, used me, hexed me, and yet this version of me is the one I love the most. My memories are still snippets, and I don’t know if I’ll ever fully get them back, but everything I have ever been has helped shape me into who I am now.
Including Baba Yaga.
Slash is right. She is a cunt.
It’s not like she would be the first person I have killed, but the others were an accident. I’m not entirely sure how I would feel about doing it on purpose when it comes to it.
“She’s a witch, so her fate is in the hands of her Dei. Who happens to be your mother, Hekate.” Hack says this last part closer to my ear, like it’s a secret between the two of us.
“So she’s gonna get her ass kicked?” I’m hopeful, with no idea how this is all going to pan out.
“You could say that, yeah.” His grin does things to my insides that I like very much.
“Do we have to take her there straight away? Or do we have some time?” I chew on my bottom lip, hoping it’s seductive and not as ridiculous as it feels.
Hack looks behind us to Slash and Baba Yaga as we trawl through the streets of The Shade.
“We’re going in the wrong direction to take her to Dei Hekate. So yeah, we have time.” The heat in his eyes speaks of pleasurable things for all of my holes and sparks a fire in my chest.
“And Slash is okay to babysit?” I almost don’t give a fuck, but he did help me save Hack. I’m being considerate, but I don’t want to be.
“Slash is surprised you two aren’t fucking already. I got this.” His dark chuckle comes from behind us and Hack shakes his head at his brother.
Before Hack can reply, though, I stop walking and leap onto his back, sliding my palms around to his chest and nibbling on his earlobe.
“Giddy up, Horseman. This witch-slash-goddess-slash-angel is ready to ride.” Not the most sensual thing to say, but it gets my point across and he moves. Fast.
We’re into the building the brothers share and up the stairs to Hack’s part of the apartment in seconds. He twists his arm to grip my ass before encouraging me to shuffle around to his front, where I can feel his massively delicious dick against my panties.
The pure joy has me throwing my head back, and I’m completely safe in his arms as he bends his head forward to kiss and suck at my neck. Scratches of his teeth against my skin make me moan and press my chest against his, needing a little friction on my nipples as well as my clit.
Running my fingers through his short hair and finding pieces of cave wall reminds me that he’s just been freed from imprisonment for over a day, and while fucking each other’s brains out is a priority right now, I can’t imagine he feels too good.
As if he can read my mind while we kiss and rub against each other, he walks me into the bathroom and turns the shower on.
The room steams up as quickly as we remove each other’s clothes, and before long, I’m back to clinging to my demon, my legs wrapped around his waist and my hands around his neck, our mouths fused together as he steps beneath the spray.
“It’s been too long since I tasted you, Satapti.”
“At least it hasn’t been decades…” My joke falls flat as he stops kissing me and glares, but a smile tugs at his lips and he rolls his eyes.
“And it never will be again.” His words are a deep growl before he pushes me against the tiled wall, hooks his arms under my thighs, and lifts me so that my legs are wrapped around his neck, my hands resting against his head.
“Oh fuck, yes!” I moan as soon as his tongue flicks against my clit and his fingers dig into my flesh, hopefully leaving his mark that I can preen over later.
He eats me out like a starving man and I encourage every lick, every suck, every nibble, rubbing myself against his face because I’m unable to remain still.
The rush of pleasure rolls through me and I cry out, gripping his short strands and tensing my thighs.
Aftershocks are still making me writhe, but he doesn’t let me ride it out on his face.
Instead, he helps me slide back down to his waist, where his cock is waiting eagerly.
It bounces against my ass crack and I think I like it.
Almost as much as the way his lips are glistening with my cum before he lets me taste myself on him.
Our tongues collide and my pussy aches. It’s practically begging me to fill it, and I obviously obey.
Lifting my hips, I reach down and hum with pleasure as I wrap a hand around his thick cock, stroking it the same way I’m sucking on his tongue.
A tickle against my ribs makes me look down, noticing a thin vine creeping up toward my nipples and wrapping around them before squeezing lightly.
It’s all too much and not enough.
Lining him up with my entrance, I make quick work of impaling myself on him, screaming out with relief as soon as he’s inside me. He feels like home.
He lets me control the speed for all of about two minutes, then his fingers dig in deep at my ass cheeks, the vines tighten around my nipples, and his kisses get fiercer as he thrusts inside me.
In and out, slow and hard, allowing me to feel every ridge of his huge cock.
Speeding up, the thrusts get deeper too, and if we weren’t standing beneath a spray of water, we’d be wet from sweat anyway.
Our bodies slap against each other, hands roaming, mouths kissing, then he grabs my hair and yanks my head to the side, biting at the spot where my neck meets my shoulder.
He doesn’t break the skin, but the dull pain is like a spark to a flame.
My orgasm builds, tingles from the tips of my toes, travelling up my legs, through my arms, and it doesn’t stop.
Tears build behind my eyes and the noises coming from my throat can’t be human because I can’t control myself. This is more pleasure than I thought possible.
“Cover my dick in your cum, Satapti.” His deep rumble is said directly into my ear, sending a tickle to mix with everything else and I’m done for.
“Fuck!” I scream out as the orgasm hits like waves crashing in the ocean. Over and over, my body spasms, my pussy tightening around Hack’s cock as he fills me up.
For a few minutes, we rest our heads against each other’s shoulders, breathing through it, and my vagina doesn’t seem to realize we have just had two orgasms. She’s greedy for more.
Still spasming from the first two, I begin to roll my hips, and thank fuck my chosen is a demon because he’s still hard as a rock.
For I don’t know how long, we make love, we fuck, and most importantly, we don’t separate. I don’t think I can cope with separating. Being physically connected to him like this feels right, like I should have been doing this for fucking centuries…
I side-eye Baba Yaga, sitting on the ground outside the building as Hack and I close the door behind us.
Hack sent Slash a message before we got dressed to let him know we were ready to take Baba to her Dei.
“I’ve had three sandwiches and a bowl of stew in the time it took you pair to fuck it out. I a—”
“How long it takes me to make love to my chosen is none of your fucking business, brother. Let’s get the fuck on with this so we can do it again.” Hack smirks at me and rubs my ass, the tight pants I’m wearing accentuating the roundness.
Time for Baba Yaga to finally get what’s coming to her.
Why do I keep wishing she would just die already?