32. Unexpected Karma
32
UNEXPECTED KARMA
TESSA
I wake to Kurtis snuggling me in Evan’s bed, his hard cock pressing into my backside.
When I shift ever so slightly, he groans and grinds his dick against my ass.
“Where are Dante and Evan?” I ask, ignoring his movements since I’m still sore after last night.
“They’re getting things ready.”
“For what?”
“You.” Kurtis leaves a trail of kisses along my shoulder up to my neck.
Goosebumps erupt, and I giggle when he hits a sensitive spot at the nape of my neck.
“Oh, I’ll have to remember that spot,” he hums happily. When I turn onto my back to look at him, he gives me a sweet kiss and asks, “Feel like getting up now?”
I glance at the curtained window, dim daylight seeping through the crack. “How late is it?”
“You slept the entire day.” Kurtis rolls out of bed and slips on a pair of sweatpants. He’s holding up one of my robes for me to thread my arms into as I get up too.
“I suppose being possessed and exorcizing a goddess takes a lot out of someone,” I joke.
“And almost drowning,” he reminds me. “You scared the fuck out of me. We almost didn’t find you in time.”
“How did you find me?” I ask as he leads me down to the community bathroom to freshen up.
“We heard your prayers or thoughts… whatever you want to call them.” He blushes and pulls me into a side hug. “Thank you, by the way. It meant so much to know when you thought all was lost, that you were thinking of me—thanking me for giving you something special in our short time together.”
Turning him to face me, I capture him in a tight hug. “I’m so happy we have more time to explore all we are to each other.”
“Me too.” He presses his lips to my forehead, and I nearly crumble into a softhearted mess with the sweetness of his gesture.
Thankfully, no one is in the bathroom when we enter.
Kurtis draws me into the huge shower area, lathers up a loofa, and softly washes every inch of me.
I luxuriate over his gentle attention, such a contrast to his usual ways. But why can’t he be soft too? I suppose we’re so fast to judge and label people in our lives.
We want others to fit into tiny boxes. We often want to make them small.
But if my time as a reaper has taught me anything, it’s that we are more than just this body of flesh and the stories we accumulate. Our personal histories and pasts are just one fragment of who we really are. Each person is a powerful being, beyond what they can imagine. We are divine sparks inhabiting walking miracles called human bodies.
We brush it off because life seems so abundant since we experience so much of it on Earth. But life is rare in the universe. Precious.
And a human’s life is fleeting in the context of the universe. We’re born, and in a blink of an eye, we’re dropping our mortal coil.
With that in mind, I don’t want to waste any more time labeling or judging. I want to enjoy every second I can with the people I care for.
I want to give and receive this massive amount of love I have in my heart.
Love —that was just waiting for the right souls to come along.
“Hey, sweetheart. Where did you go?” Kurtis whispers.
“Oh, just thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life.”
He gives me a sexy smirk, turns off the water, and helps to dry me off. I don’t think I’ve ever been spoiled quite like this. Not even when I was a kid by my mother.
We swing by my room, and I pick out a skirt and a cute blouse. I’m not sure what the guys have in store for me today, but I want to be prepared. Kurtis nods his approval at my choice in outfits before we head downstairs to the kitchen.
The room is dark, which is odd. It’s the one room in the house that’s always lit up. Instead of worrying about that or putting out my psychic feelers, I’m distracted by Kurtis tickling my side.
As I step past the threshold, the lights come on and several people shout, “Surprise!”
“Shit!” I stumble back into Kurtis’s muscular arms, and he laughs.
Dante rushes forward, holding my hand. “You okay?” he asks. When I nod, he gives me a sheepish look. “Sorry. We figured you would sense what was happening and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.”
“I didn’t try to pick anything up since I didn’t want to spoil anything you prepared,” I explain, then glance around to see who’s here. The other Karma agents and a few of the Death agents give me either a little wave or a nod hello. Original Karma has joined us as well.
Karma steps closer. “Congratulations, Tessa. Thank you for removing Instant from her destructive path.”
Irritation rubs at me. Why couldn’t she have handled her poor imitation of a goddess?
She must read my mind and answers, “It had to be you to remove her. My powers are not for taking on other gods. But I did send my support to help you, even the scales of karmic justice.”
Hmm. I believe I felt her power boosting me during my psychic battle against Instant.
“Will Hypnos’s trap hold her?” Evan asks as he comes to stand next to me.
“I believe it will hold. Hypnos is a clever one. Perhaps too clever sometimes,” she says with an arched brow, looking knowingly at me. “And now that he has hope in a future, he will do his part.”
Megan bounces over to us. “Death sends his regards. And he’s giving you a short vacation to spend with your harem and recover.”
“My harem ?” I blush, and the rest of the room chuckles.
“Yes, go, rest, heal all four of you,” Karma insists. “There’s a wonderful retreat house on a private island that Instant owned. You can use it.”
“Thank you.” I give her a slight bow.
Megan clears her throat, bringing our attention back to her. “Tessa, as for your powers, Death says they have grown beyond a reaper’s. He’ll talk to you when you come back from vacation to discuss if you want to remain in his employment.”
“What would I do if I didn’t work for him?” I ask aloud, but not directing it at anyone.
“Anything you want,” Karma says. “Except following in Instant’s footsteps.”
“I have no desire to be a goddess.” I scoff.
“Too bad. I think you already are,” Dante says, with a kiss on my cheek.
We have a lovely visit with the other agents, but as the party winds down, I find myself tucked in between my guys on the gaming couch.
“Should we go?” Evan asks. “To our getaway?”
We all nod and pop up to our rooms to quickly pack.
Gathering in the hallway, we use the directions that Karma gave us to find the remote retreat.
Kurtis whistles appreciatively as we take in the lavish house. Marble floors throughout an expansive square footage, finely decorated with antiques from various cultures, huge glass floor to ceiling windows that open like sliders to an ocean view. Top of the line furniture and high ceilings. It all looks too nice to relax.
“Looks like karma is finally on our side,” he jokes.
After giving him a smile that I know doesn’t reach my eyes, I set my bag down and stare out at the open sea. The sun’s rays glint off the waves as far as I can see. Fortunately, it looks shallow and a lot warmer than the waters below Karma’s mansion.
“Hey, listen to this,” Evan says from behind me, holding a card. “If you all wish to relocate here, the island getaway house is yours. With dharma, the OG.”
Ours? I’m shocked.
“What do you think?” Dante asks, as he sidles up to me.
“I’ve never had a home of my own. They’ve all felt temporary. Fragile. Even when I was a kid, my parents moved too much for me to feel connected to a place. But with you—” I trail off. I should let them say what they want before I influence them to please me. “No matter where we sleep, you’re my home.”
“Same, Tessa. But I’d like to officially start our lives together,” Evan says. “I don’t feel like we can do it at the mansion.”
“Too many people,” Kurtis chimes in.
“Too many bad memories,” Dante adds.
“Is this the place to settle down, though?” I ask, spinning around and taking it in again with a new context.
“Let’s try it out for the next couple of weeks.” Evan tucks a loose lock of hair behind my ear and smiles down at me with a peaceful expression I’ve never quite seen on him before. “And if we don’t like it, we can find somewhere else that feels right.”
I pull them all into a group hug. Then I whisper, “I appreciate we don’t have any neighbors.”
“No need for you to be quiet as we make you come on our cocks,” Evan says in his deep, sexy voice.
My pussy begins to throb with their proximity and the image of coming for them.
“We can fuck anywhere without worrying about someone walking in on us,” Kurtis purrs, nibbling that ticklish spot on my neck. “Maybe we should test that theory now. I want to finish that bonding ceremony you walked away from when you first joined us.”
I jerk my head back in question. “The bonding ceremony?”
Dante and Evan chuckle, then Evan reminds me, “Remember on your first day when we tried to get you to bond with us sexually in the gazebo as a prank?”
“Speak for yourself, that wasn’t a joke to me,” Kurtis says with a twinkle in his eye.
“Yes, well, better get your ritual robes out so we can get to it then,” I smirk.