Chapter 16 Evira #2
He chuckled, then eased from me. “Message them and tell them I’m fine now. And that I’m sorry. Also… that I’ll talk to them about it soon.”
“Well, you can do the last two yourself,” I said as I pulled my phone out and fired off a text to Zayn and Vaxan.
He frowned.
“They’re not gonna wait. As soon as they get this, they’ll head right here.”
“Right.” He glanced at the ruins where he’d been earlier. “There is actually some good news I was able to determine.”
“What’s that?”
“Whatever that thing is… the infection… it’s no longer impacting my magic,” he informed me. “When I cast it out, the glitching stopped. Maybe it was just a challenge from somebody or something.”
“That would still be for a purpose. To gauge your abilities and strength to threats like that… interior ones, invasive ones. Now your necromantic magic is stable, give it some time to acclimate, give your mind a rest. Then we’ll pursue this and—”
A rush of citrine magic erupted just a couple of feet from us.
Vaxan materialized with Zayn right beside him.
I arched an eyebrow at the lovely sight of them wrapped around one another. No more tension and tight postures around one another. In fact, Zayn was basically clinging to him.
I scented the air instinctively. “Wow, you two really took the edge off while you were waiting on my word, huh?”
Zayn smirked and extricated himself.
Vaxan winked at me.
“Hmm,” Winter said, reacting with a whole lot of intrigue. I felt his fingers in my hair. Our gazes clashed and I saw his eyes flaming with clear arousal, darting from me to Vaxan and Zayn.
I had to shift my weight to break the thrall of it.
“Whoa, what’s this place?” Zayn asked, striding up to the castle ruins.
“Zayn, wait—” I called out.
But it was too late.
He smacked into the barrier and was knocked back, a grunt escaping him.
“What the—you can’t even see the ward or feel its magic.”
Vaxan shook his head at Zayn’s lack of care, and just barging headlong toward it.
Not that I was one to talk. I’d basically done the same thing as a result of my worry for Winter.
I eyed Winter. “How did you pass through it?”
“It keeps out life. I’m a loophole to that. They didn’t think to erect it to keep out death, because that doesn’t exist on this plane. Me being the only exception. It allows me to take advantage of certain things once in a while.”
“That’s really cool.”
“I suppose.” He looked out at Vaxan. “I’m sorry for what I—”
“No need for yet another apology.”
“Yeah, he’s all extra peaceable and satiated right now,” Zayn teased, moving away from the barrier and coming back to us so we were basically standing in a circle. “Power of my mouth and all that. Right, Your Majesty?”
Vaxan rolled his eyes. “I see you’ve moved from the tranquility of the afterglow into a hyperactive brazen state.”
“It’s actually a compliment,” Winter said with a chuckle.
“Being greedy for more, are you, hellion?” I asked Zayn.
“Is that an offer to assist, icicle?”
“Yes.”
He jolted.
All of them did.
Vaxan’s eyes flashed briefly with their serpentine form, a primal hiss escaping him, which had my dragon instinctively growling.
Zayn’s fuchsia flame sparked on his fingertips, and he hurriedly snuffed it out in surprise.
“My magic is stabilized,” Winter rumbled at Vaxan.
“Even if it wasn’t, that would pose no barrier to this intensity.”
“Damn straight,” Zayn uttered.
Heat rolled through me.
And as Zayn stepped up to Winter close on my left, that skyrocketed when he swept a gash across his own throat with a spark of his Ifrit flame, then tilted it in offering.
A choked sound escaped Winter.
“Been a long time, huh?” Zayn said. “Seems appropriate given what happened tonight. And what you need with you going to Polaris for it.”
“For what?” I asked. “Feeding?”
Winter looked out at me worriedly. His gaze darted to Vaxan. “You know… you were at Polaris looking for me and… Carter was still there?”
“Yes. And all is well.”
Ah. I saw what they were getting at. “It makes you feel alive, lovely?”
Winter gulped and could only nod at me.
“Then feeding from an Ifrit will be amazing, won’t it?”
“Oh, hell fucking yes.” Zayn said. He grinned at Winter.
“Makes you all fucking wild.” His eyes softened and it had Vaxan and me smiling at each other as Zayn reached out and stroked Winter’s arm.
“Look, only if you want. No pressure ever. I just figured with the way things went tonight… all the insanity for you… that it’s what you’d need, but be too embarrassed to ask for.
I’m here now either way.” He stepped back, emotion making him choke up as he said, “I swear to fuck that I’m here with you now. ”
Winter’s hand shot out and grasped Zayn’s arm. “I know.”
Zayn’s lip trembled. “You do?”
“Yes.”
Zayn’s eyes sparkled and it had me choking up at the sheer relief coming off him, that he’d finally been accepted by Winter again, that they’d finally made amends.
But as Winter patted Zayn’s arm, then just released him, and looked between me and Vaxan nervously, I saw the retreat about to happen.
Retreat rooted in his clear shame about the feeding.
“You’re surrounded by a beautifully volatile Ifrit who would eat you alive sexually if he could, and a dragon and a Basilisk—two primal supernatural species.
You drinking blood is so very far from a negative thing to any of us, lovely,” I told him.
“In fact, it’s another very interesting facet of who you are.
And it being out there now… I fucking love it, honestly.
” I gestured at Vaxan, and he gave a nod of agreement.
“With that sleazy sorcerer, however… not sitting well with me.”
“Ah! There it is!” Zayn cried, spinning to face him. “I knew you couldn’t stay behind that arbitrary line of us not claiming exclusivity yet.”
Winter stared, taking in the exchange. “I do it with people like Carter because there’s no sexual attraction—on my end. It makes it easier to feed without worrying about losing control, because I can ensure it’s just about the blood.”
“You’ve handled it with me before,” Zayn said.
“Your blood is insanely charged with Ifrit heat. It’s like hot sauce in a way, so I can’t ever draw too quickly where you’d be in danger. But with Evira and Vaxan here… the desire sparking furiously right now, that might not even be enough. It could push me over the edge.”
“Then let it,” Vaxan said, stepping closer. “Allow it to consume you. You’ll see for yourself, then—there’s a perfect balance between all four of us. It will catch you. It will catch us all.”
Zayn gestured at me. “And you won’t believe how dominant our stunning dragon can be, so there’s that.”
“I’m aware,” Winter told him.
Zayn looked impressed as he smiled at me. “Wow, even during your first time ever you brought that, baby?”
“I had the scratches to prove it,” Winter said, entering a teasing state now.
“Careful. You’re close to throwing down a challenge there.”
Vaxan came to me and took my hand, stroking my fingers. “You’re certain you’re ready to do this? Things don’t need to escalate beyond some light petting and Winter feeding, if that is what you wish. We should determine boundaries now, however.”
“Light petting,” Zayn chuckled. “Your Majesty indeed. Sweet little sexual fiend.”
Vaxan slapped Zayn’s dick through his jeans, making him grunt, but his eyes light up.
And also… calm.
Winter looked on amazed.
Vaxan turned his attention back to me. “The body and mind aren’t always in sync.”
Oh. He was also aware of my inexperience.
And now, after his encounter with Zayn, also aware of how overwhelming this sort of thing could be, how it could have your head spinning.
But that wasn’t the case for me. Sure, it was overwhelming, but in a good way.
And my head was clear. I knew what I wanted.
I knew what I could handle. It felt… right.
I wove my fingers in his. “I’m all good.” I added for Zayn and Winter who were looking on concerned too, “Promise, lovelies.”
Vaxan lifted our joined hands, then pressed a tender kiss to my knuckles. “To be clear, dragon princess, this will be the only real act of restrained gentleness, should things escalate tonight.”
“Mmm,” I uttered on a growl. “I can’t wait.”
“Hell fucking yes,” Zayn exclaimed. “That’s about—”
Vaxan released me and spun rapidly with his supernatural speed, snagging Zayn by his nape. He crushed his mouth to our hellion’s, taking him in a wild, feral kiss that could only be described as a devouring.
When he eased back, he had to grasp Zayn’s biceps to steady him.
He stroked his fingers over his throat where Zayn had sliced a wound for Winter. “Already healed, smoldering beauty. Do you wish to make your offer again now that Winter is ready?”
“Yeah,” Zayn breathed, a moment before Vaxan drew another wound across his throat with his magic, which had Winter’s eyes hooding.
A hiss escaped Vaxan.
My growl became more ferocious.
And that was it.
I was done.
All roadblocks down.
In the next second, I swept my ice-blue glacial magic around us all and teleported us away from the creepy locale.
The three of them spun toward me as we rematerialized in my dorm suite.
I smirked, then flicked my fingers, stripping Winter of his hoodie and T-shirt and baring his powerhouse muscular chest. He dipped his head, taking me in a deep kiss, which I escalated in a heartbeat.
Our tongues lashed and clashed, and I grasped the belt of his jeans, earning a sexy groan from him as I ground against his already hard dick.
I pulled back, panting, then shoved him onto the end of my fluffy white couch in the seating area before us.
“Feed first,” I encouraged him.
I caught sight of Vaxan shoving Zayn’s jacket off, then yanking open his shirt and lapping at Zayn’s sculpted chest with his forked tongue.
He eased Zayn toward the couch, while he tasted all that hard muscle, then Zayn fell onto the soft cushion right beside Winter.