Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
Eris
I could hear everything. The soft gasps, the slick sounds of skin on skin, the low rumble of Percy’s voice.
All of it reverberated through our bond like a live wire connected directly to my cock.
I sat in the common room, alone in the darkness, my hand working furiously as Jupiter’s pleasure pulsed through me.
Fuck, this wasn’t supposed to happen. I’d just been heading to the kitchen for water when I felt it, that first surge of raw need that tore through our bond when Percy pinned her against his door.
Now I was trapped in the undertow, drowning in sensations that weren’t mine but felt like they were burning me alive.
“Christ,” I hissed through clenched teeth.
I caught flashes—Jupiter’s silver eyes rolling back, her lips parted on a silent scream, those perfect heavy breasts bouncing with each of Percy’s thrusts.
It’d been the same when she’d been with Draco. The bond amplified everything during sex, turning private moments into shared experiences none of us could escape. I knew that Aiden and Draco were in their rooms doing exactly what I was—chasing the phantom pleasure of Jupiter’s body.
My hand moved faster, twisting on the upstroke as I felt Jupiter’s orgasm building. I saw her in my mind—not Percy’s version of her, but mine. The way she’d looked at me this morning over breakfast, eyes bright with laughter. The curve of her neck as she bent over a textbook.
I wanted her beneath me, around me, those full lips parting on my name instead of Percy’s. I wanted to be the one making her back arch like that, making her come so hard she saw stars.
When her climax hit, it crashed through all of us like a tidal wave. I bit down on my forearm to muffle my groan as I came harder than I ever had in my life, spurting hot cum over my hand as stars burst behind my eyelids.
For a moment, I just sat there, breathing hard in the darkness, my heart hammering against my ribs. Shame crept in as the pleasure receded. This wasn’t right. Taking pleasure from her without her knowledge, even if it was just through the bond. It made me feel like a fucking voyeur.
I cleaned myself up in the bathroom, standing under the shower’s scalding spray for nearly an hour, as if I could wash away the guilt along with the evidence. By the time I emerged, wrapped in a towel with water still beading on my chest, the shield quarters had fallen silent.
I padded back toward my room, but stopped when I spotted a figure on the couch. Jupiter was curled up there, fast asleep, wearing nothing but one of Percy’s t-shirts that swallowed her small frame. Her black hair spilled across the cushions like ink, and in sleep, her face looked softer.
Something twisted in my chest at the sight of her. Something possessive and protective and terrifying.
I should have walked away. Should have left her there or woken her to go back to her or Percy’s room. Instead, I found myself sitting beside her, gently lifting her onto my lap. She stirred slightly, murmuring something incoherent before settling against my chest, her head tucked under my chin.
I ran my fingers through her silky hair, marveling at how soft it was. My fingers traced the curve of one of her tattoos, following its path up her arm to where it disappeared beneath the sleeve of Percy’s shirt.
“What are you doing to us, lass?” I whispered against her hair. “Three years we managed without an axis. Three years of perfect control. Then you come along and suddenly nothing makes sense anymore.”
She didn’t answer, of course. Just continued her soft, even breathing against my chest. I sat there for what felt like hours, just watching her sleep, memorizing the curve of her cheekbone, the small beauty mark near her right eye, the way her lashes fanned against her skin.
I knew I should take her back to Percy’s room.
He would wake soon and find her gone, and that wouldn’t end well for anyone.
But I couldn’t bring myself to let her go just yet.
The bond between us hummed contentedly, stronger than it had been even a day ago. I could feel her even when she wasn’t in the room now, a constant silver presence in the back of my mind.
It was addictive.
“Eris?” Her sleepy voice startled me from my thoughts. Her eyes were half-open.
“Hey there,” I said softly, my hand stilling in her hair. “Sorry if I woke you.”
She blinked slowly, seeming to register her position on my lap. But instead of pulling away as I expected, she relaxed against me again. “S’okay. What time is it?”
“Late. Or early, depending on how you look at it.” I resumed stroking her hair, unable to stop myself. “You fell asleep on the couch.”
“Mmm.” She yawned, her body stretching slightly against mine. “Percy’s parents are coming tomorrow. He told me.”
I tensed. “Aye, they are. Right bastards, the both of them.”
She laughed softly, the sound vibrating against my chest. “So I’ve gathered.”
“You don’t have to meet them if you don’t want to. We can run interference.”
Her fingers traced idle patterns on my arm, sending shivers across my skin. “No, I’ll meet them. I’m not afraid of entitled assholes. I’ve dealt with enough of them already.” She looked at me with a small smirk. “Present company included.”
I chuckled. “Fair enough.”
She fell silent for a moment, her expression growing more serious. “Eris... about what happened in Philadelphia...”
“You don’t need to talk about it if you’re not ready,” I said quickly.
“No, I want to.” She shifted slightly, sitting up straighter but not leaving my lap.
“When I saw that bane hurt Percy, something happened to me. Something I can’t explain.
It was like... like every rational thought just disappeared, and all that was left was this need to destroy anything that threatened him. That threatened any of you.”
I nodded, understanding perfectly. “That’s the bond, lass. It changes things.”
“Is it always like this? This intense?”
“No. This is different.”
She studied my face in the dim light, her silver eyes searching. “Different how?”
I chose my words carefully. “Most axis bonds are powerful, but they’re very controlled.
Professional, even when they’re intimate.
Most people develop romantic attachments with their bond mates due to proximity, or ease rather than genuine feelings.
This is...” I gestured between us, searching for the right words.
“It’s like you’ve tapped into something ancient in all of us. ”
Her hand came up to rest against my cheek, her touch feather-light. “It scares me sometimes, how much I feel for you guys. Even you, who obviously still wants other women.”
I hissed through my clenched teeth and pulled back, looking directly into her eyes. “I wouldn’t touch another woman with three pairs of gloves on, sweetheart. Since the second I laid eyes on your cute little ass, I’ve been fucking my own palm by my lonesome.”
She laughed, but I could feel her shock.
Before I could think better of it, I turned my face into her palm, pressing a kiss to the center. I felt her breath catch. “Jupiter,” I said, my voice scratchy. “You should go back to Percy’s room.”
“I know,” she whispered, but she didn’t move. Instead, her thumb traced the outline of my bottom lip, her eyes following the movement.
The tension between us stretched taut, a bowstring ready to snap. I knew if I kissed her now, there would be no going back. Percy would feel it. So would Aiden and Draco.
But gods help me, I wanted to. I wanted to crush my mouth to hers and taste the sighs I’d heard. I wanted to lay her down on this couch and make her forget any other man’s name, forget everyone but me.
As if sensing my thoughts, she slowly leaned forward, her eyes never leaving mine. Her lips hovered just a breath away from mine, close enough that I could feel the warmth of her sweet, minty breath.
“Eris,” she whispered, and my name on her lips was almost my undoing.
I couldn’t breathe as Jupiter leaned in, the air between us charged with electricity. My control—what little remained—shattered completely when her lips finally touched mine.
The kiss was tentative at first. I answered by pulling her closer, one hand cupping the back of her neck. I growled against her mouth, deepening the kiss as she shifted on my lap.
In a heartbeat, she moved to straddle my hips, her thighs spreading wide as she settled against me.
The towel I’d hastily wrapped around myself came undone, and my cock sprang free between us, hard and aching, glistening already.
Jupiter broke the kiss just long enough to look down, her eyes widening slightly before darkening with hunger.
“Fuck,” I whispered, suddenly realizing she wasn’t wearing anything beneath Percy’s oversized shirt. The hot, slick heat of her bare pussy pressed directly against my length, and I nearly lost my mind.
Her hands found their way into my still-damp hair, fingers raking through the copper strands as she pulled me back to her mouth. This time when she kissed me, her tongue traced the seam of my lips, demanding entry I eagerly granted.
“I want to feel you fill me up,” she whispered against my mouth, her voice a ragged plea that sent fire racing through my veins. “Please, Eris.”
My cock twitched violently at her words, harder than I’d ever been in my fucking life. She began to swivel her hips in slow, torturous circles, grinding her wet pussy along my pulsing length. The sensation was maddening—so close to what I needed but not quite there.
“Christ, lass,” I moaned as she continued her slow movements. Each roll of her hips spread her slickness along my shaft, her clit catching against the sensitive ridge beneath my head.
I could feel her pleasure, a current that amplified my own until I wasn’t sure where she ended and I began. She was breathing hard, little gasps and moans falling from her lips that I captured with my mouth, swallowing them as if they were air and I was drowning.