A False Feast
TALIA
I felt trapped for so long, but I could have said ‘no’ so much sooner. What if the cage door was never even locked?
The world had softened at the edges somewhere between the first bite and the second cup of wine.
The flavors startled her. Sweet as honeycomb, then salt, then something like her favorite pastry from home.
How could it taste exactly right this far from Vaelis?
The warmth uncurling in her chest felt too good to question.
Her head buzzed, warm and fuzzy. Her shoulders relaxed for the first time in weeks. Her laughter felt too loud, but it didn’t embarrass her. Even the fact that they all might die tomorrow seemed less scary. She could worry about that later.
She heard chairs scrape back, Dawn’s and then Riven’s.
They moved toward the door, shadows stretching in front of them across the floor.
She could still feel Dawn in the bond. They’d come back if anything bad happened.
She leaned back and sucked sweetness off her fingers. She closed her eyes, just for a moment.
When she opened them, she wasn’t at the table anymore. She was standing at the far end of the hall near the fire. Lore and Holloway sat on a low couch in front of her.
Holloway was rigid, hands braced on his knees, breath uneven. Lore lounged beside him, shirt unbuttoned, one knee bent at an angle. His arm rested along the back of the couch behind Holloway’s shoulders.
She watched as Lore’s fingers brushed Holloway’s jaw, turning his face. Holloway’s breath hitched. His eyes fluttered closed. Then Lore leaned over and kissed him.
It was a real kiss, deep and claiming. Holloway’s hands fisted in the cushions. He let out a low moan, then a tiny inhale, as if he could take the noise back. Lore’s eyes opened mid-kiss and found hers, watching her watch them. His mouth curved against Holloway’s.
You want this too, that look said. Lore pulled back slowly, leaving Holloway flushed and gasping. Then he lifted two fingers in a quiet summons.
She’d been terrified of what they’d face tomorrow, but when Holloway saw her, a smile broke across his face, pure and reflexive, and her fears relaxed. All she had to do was exist, and he loved her. She didn't deserve it, but gods it felt good.
And Lore—the cut of his bare chest, the curve of his smile. She had wanted to put distance between them, but she couldn’t quite remember why. His hands were on Holloway, but she knew exactly how they’d feel on her. If this was going to be her last night, there were worse ways to spend it.
Lore shifted to make room between them, but as she sat, he tugged her back into his lap.
The cushions dipped, and Holloway’s thigh pressed warm against hers.
Lore’s hand settled at her waist, and his free arm reached behind her along the back of the couch.
Through the haze, she caught a flash of his emotion—satisfaction and relief.
Like pieces of a puzzle clicking into place.
“You’ve been holding everyone else up for so long.” Lore spoke softly to Holloway, sliding a hand through his golden curls. “Following rules you had no say in, that asked everything of you. You’re allowed to want this.”
Holloway’s throat worked. He tilted into Lore’s touch like he’d been starved for it. “Tally,” he whispered. “Will you really join us?”
Lore turned his gaze to Talia. “It will all be worth it,” he said quietly. “It will all be worth it.”
Lore’s hand slid higher on her waist, his thumb stroking up her ribs. Her pulse fluttered in her throat, and she swallowed hard.
She was seated fully on Lore’s lap, and he dropped both hands to her hips, twisting her to face Holloway. “Go ahead. If you want her, she’s right here.”
Holloway’s eyes went wide. “Tally—are you sure?”
“It’s okay,” she whispered.
She felt like she was in a dream, half-lucid, watching herself from a distance. She might wake up at any time, and she didn’t want to. She wanted to see what happened next.
The kiss was soft at first, tentative. Then Holloway made a low, broken sound and deepened it, his hand coming up to cradle her jaw. When he pulled back, Holloway was breathing fast and shallow, and Lore was watching them with dark, hungry eyes.
She couldn’t feel the bond anymore.
Lore’s grip tightened at Talia’s waist, pulling her tight against his chest. His arousal pressed into her back, hard and insistent.
“We could have this forever,” Lore murmured into her hair. “The true gods can make new gods. Imagine the three of us. Ascended. Infinitely powerful.”
It sounded absurd. And yet. Some part of her whispered, if this was true, if this power existed, what could she do with it?
Lore’s lips brushed her ear as he whispered, “Let me show you.”
She felt his teeth graze her pulse point, his hand sliding to her breasts. Every place he’d touched before, he touched again, reminding her body what he could do.
The bond was dead quiet now. The fire snapped and flared.
Holloway leaned into them both and kissed her again. A trail of sweat tickled down her spine. Between three bodies and the raging fire, the heat was oppressive.
Holloway pulled back, gasping. “Tally, I—gods—I shouldn’t—”
“Keep going.” Lore’s voice was a silken rumble. “She wants you to give her an excuse.”
Lore guided all three of their hands to rest on her thigh, fingers laced, dragging them slowly higher.
Holloway let out a choked sound as her skirts peeled back. “Can I—please—can I touch you?”
Lore chuckled darkly and bit her ear. “I didn’t realize you’d never let him fuck you, all this time. You must have been curious.”
What if she let this happen? Even if they died tomorrow, she would have made this one indulgent choice.
Lore might be dangerous, but Holloway was here, and he would never hurt her.
The two men’s desire and desperation pulsed and crackled like the fire, a heady sensation that made her twist in Lore’s lap.
She closed her eyes and tipped her head back until she felt the sharp edge of the couch. She bit her lower lip and tasted honey. How had they gotten here again?
“Tally?” Holloway was still waiting for permission. He wanted it so badly his hands were shaking.
She glanced back to the table, but it was empty. Right, Dawn and Riven had left. How long had they been gone?
She was alone here, and if she kept going, she knew she wouldn’t stop. She tried to stand up, and Lore’s hand tightened on her waist. Holloway’s fingers tickled her leg, gentle but eager.
“Wait—I need a minute—” She reached across to pinch her left shoulder, hard enough to bruise.
Lore’s hand slid to her jaw, angling her face back toward him. Away from the door.
“Stay with me,” he murmured. “Stop thinking so much, just feel this with me. Please.”
That one word, please, broke the spell. Lore never begged. He needed her, Talia realized, but it didn’t go both ways. She was stronger without him.
“No,” she said. The word came out thin but steady. “Stop.”
He might have let her go on his own, but she’d never know. As soon as Dawn burst into the room, her revolvers cracked. Bits of chandelier rained down, clattering off the table, skittering across stone. The food sagged, green-black mold blooming across the bread, fruit collapsing in on itself.
Talia yanked her dress down, tearing herself out of the tangle of cushions and hands. Holloway jerked back, too, face going two shades lighter, then flushing so hard he looked fevered. He stared at his hand like it belonged to someone else.
Dawn stood in the doorway, gun smoking, a terrifying scowl on her face. Riven was moving, then he was at Talia’s side.
He crouched in front of her, one hand hovering near her shoulder. “Are you hurt?” he asked. His voice wavered, the control in it razor thin.
She clutched her dress closed, hands shaking. “I don’t think so.”
Holloway sat on the edge of the couch, staring at his hands. “I didn’t—” His voice cracked. “Gods, Tally, I wouldn’t have—not if you didn’t want it—”
The vacant look in his eyes made her feel guilty. He’d been so purely happy, and she shattered him again. Why had she waited so long to stop it?
Her mind was starting to spiral when Riven’s hand fell to her shoulder. Solid. Real. He radiated calm assurance, but when she looked up, his jaw was clenched tight, his eyes cold and flat. He looked furious.
“You’re safe now,” he said. “You’re in control.”
She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his shoulder, sucking in air that tasted like cedar instead of rot. He wrapped one arm around her, and it was just enough pressure to prove she wasn’t floating away.
He looked at Lore over her head. She felt his voice vibrate in her chest. “If you touch her again, you are dead.”
Lore’s tone was unrepentant. “Illusions don’t invent desire. They just remove the excuses.” There was a pause. “I didn’t force anyone,” he added quietly.
Talia’s cheeks burned. She should have stopped it sooner. But then again, would it have gone so far without the glamour, without the wine, without Lore steering their hands? No. It wasn’t her fault. He did this.
She borrowed a flicker of Riven’s anger and let it kindle in her own chest.