Chapter Twelve
I slept under a dome of shadows that night and woke refreshed in the morning.
Opening my eyes to utter darkness should have been scary, but it was the most beautiful thing I'd seen in months.
I breathed in deeply, stretched my whole body, and sighed in delight.
It's amazing what a good night's sleep can do for you.
The shadows drifted away like smoke, replaced by soft morning light that seeped through the cracks between the curtains. Using telekinesis, I flung open the drapes and sat up to bask in the sunshine. A warm hand rubbed my back, and I looked over my shoulder to smile at my gorgeous husband.
My gorgeous, brilliant husband.
Tiernan smiled back, his amazing hair spread around him on the pillow and his eyes catching the light to flash silver. “Does that smile mean it worked?”
“Yes!” I flung myself onto him. “It worked! You're a genius! Well, your mother is, but it was partially your idea.”
He grunted as I landed but also grinned. Sliding his arms around me, he nuzzled my face. “I'm so relieved.”
“Me too. I should have told you sooner. Then it wouldn't have gone on so long.”
“Yes, you should have.” Tiernan brushed my hair back. “But it doesn't matter now. I protected my wife. My masculine pride is restored.” He winked at me.
“And I'm refreshed.” I waggled my eyebrows at him as I wriggled.
“Are you?” His grin widened. “Not so tired anymore, my Twilight Star?”
“Nope.” I sat up and yanked off my nightgown. “I guess even the World-Strider needs proper sleep. I feel like a new woman!”
It should have occurred to me that I was sleeping but not resting.
For eight months. Immortality can only go so far.
Everyone needs sleep. No wonder I'd been so cranky.
And so stupid! I'd been acting like a fool because I couldn't think clearly.
Of course, my first foolish act had been not telling my husbands after the first night.
I guess I couldn't blame it all on lack of rest.
But it was a new day, and I was ready to start fresh!
Tiernan's hands went to the sides of my panties, his fingertips sliding beneath the strips of silk. He ran them inward, behind the front panel, and found me. Those gleaming eyes widened. “You're soaking wet.”
He slipped a finger inside me, and I groaned, setting my hands on his chest. My scry phone chimed. Tiernan glanced toward it.
“I don't care who that is. They can wait.” I leaned down and kissed him.
Making a happy sound, Tiernan kissed me back and rolled with me.
He helped me out of my panties, and I helped him out of his pants.
Limbs entwined, we just kissed. We kissed and kissed and kissed, letting our passion build to a trembling height.
It felt so good to feel that kind of desire again.
Pure and wild, without anyone else haunting my thoughts or tarnishing it. Just Tiernan and me.
The phone chimed again.
I slid my hand down Tiernan's flank and grasped the firm globe of his ass. Pulled him forward. Bent to bite his neck. My husband writhed for me, his hands gripping me tightly, and wonderful, masculine sounds coming from deep in his throat to urge me on.
“Seren,” Tiernan growled and canted his hips forward to rub his length up my belly.
With an eager purr, I pushed him onto his back and slid down between his legs. He spread them for me, nestling me between his thighs, and presented me with a long piece of blushing flesh that already wept in need. I licked up the underside of his cock and then sucked him into my mouth.
Another chiming.
Growling, I flung out a hand and apportated the phone to the other side of the room.
With that done, I pushed my lips down Tiernan's flesh.
Then drew them up. Then down again. Shifting my stare up to his face, I watched him thrash in pleasure.
His hands went to my head, one sliding down to cup my face and feel my lips as they moved over him.
His taste filled my mouth, and his scent filled my nose, sending me into a heaven more real than the planet itself.
This was mine. This cock, these heavy sacs, these muscles clenching in ecstasy.
This man. He was more than any woman needed.
Tiernan had been all I wanted until Danu tore us apart just to make me open my heart to Raza.
The unfairness of it returned to me, surprising in its vehemence.
It had been years since I'd felt anger toward Danu.
I was grateful to have so much love in my life.
Grateful for a reason to love all these men.
I couldn't imagine my life without all five of them.
But no matter what the Gods did to me, I was still human.
They couldn't take that away. And my humanity screamed for a different life—a life shared with one soul alone.
Someone I could wake up to every morning, not just three days out of twelve.
My heart clenched, and my eyes watered at the thought.
I wanted that with Tiernan. But I also wanted it with Raza.
I wanted it with Killian, Daxon, and Sever.
It was insane. This was my life, and it was wonderful.
To want more was selfish and impossible.
Still, the heart wants what the heart wants.
Which basically means that the heart is dumb.
I pushed those thoughts away, filling my dumb heart with Tiernan.
This was how I made my life work—I focused on each man intensely when I was with them.
I gave them everything I had. Because love is the one thing you can give away, and it will only grow bigger.
I emptied my heart every time, refilled it, and emptied it again.
Shivers ran over me as I drew my mouth off Tiernan and rose onto my knees.
I straddled him as he brought his legs together.
We moved harmoniously. Always had. From our first kiss in Tiernan's car, it had been like this.
Had I thought Star was the one I was meant to be with—Astaroth alone?
No, Tiernan was right about so many things.
The mind can be tricked. All those nights in Star's arms had confused me.
Tiernan was the one. I would have stayed true to him and only him if Danu hadn't forced him to push me away.
It had always been him, from the moment we faced each other under the Hawaiian sky.
Tiernan and I had met in paradise, and it was an accurate portent of our love.
As I took my husband into my body, making us one, I remembered more.
He had urged me to look back, to remember us, and again, he was right.
The past rose to remind me why Tiernan was the greatest love of my life.
Every man who held my heart was special—Raza showed me the savage side of love, Killian understood me best, Daxon brought out my playfulness, Sever gave me wings, and Star .
. . no. Accepting my destiny had brought me everyone I loved, but if I took another gift from Fate, I'd lose them all.
The delicate balance of my life would falter under the weight of one more man, and the whole thing would come tumbling down.
So, I let him go. And I focused. I maintained my balance.
I remembered Tiernan and forgot Astaroth.
Tiernan and I came together slowly at first. I took my time moving against him, undulating my body for both of our pleasure.
Squeezing him inside me. Holding him as only I was allowed to do.
Tiernan's hands and eyes worshiped me, traveling over my body.
He swept them over my breasts, thumbing my nipples.
Then it was my arms. My thighs. My belly.
Watching me, Tiernan ran the pad of his pointer finger up the center of my sex and found that special spot.
I cried out, throwing my head back and speeding up.
But it wasn't enough. I couldn't get to the speed I wanted, and Tiernan knew it.
He grabbed my waist and rolled us. My legs hooked onto his hips as he began to thrust. Body rolling, moving faster and faster, I clung to Tiernan's shoulders and took all he gave me.
“Tiernan, I love you.” When he met my gaze, I added, “It should have been just you and me. You know I wanted that.”
Tiernan roared and slammed faster, his muscles clenching and releasing in beautiful waves.
I gaped at the glory of my husband—the wild, fey sensuality that overtook him as he let himself go.
His lean hips moved like pistons, driving him into me, and I opened myself wider, taking him deeper.
Mews and moans poured out of me. In seconds, I crested again.
“Tiernan!” I shouted and exploded into ecstasy.
Tiernan followed moments later, back bowed and hair wild as he climaxed. Spent at last, he fell forward. When he tried to brace himself on his forearms, I pulled him down.
“No, give me your weight,” I panted. “I need to feel you on me. My body needs to know this is real.”
Tiernan hesitated but then relaxed, and the feeling of his hard, heavy body on mine added a layer of security to my satisfaction. I felt protected and loved. As powerful as I had grown, I still wanted to feel cherished. It was about love, not strength.
“Seren.” Tiernan lifted his head to look at me. His hand went to my temple to stroke my purple stripe of hair. “Sometimes, I wish we could go back and relive our beginning over and over.”
“Just us.”
He nodded. “I'd be your knight, the head of your Star's Guard, for eternity. Protecting and loving you.”
“And I'd be the Princess of Twilight. Nothing else. No other lovers. No gods to interfere.”
“We would have been happy.” He rolled us onto our sides.
“Yeah. Really happy.” I blinked rapidly before the tears could fall.
“But then we might not have Fally.”
“Or Shahzy.”
“Or Rowan.”
“Caelum.”
“Miri.” He smirked. “And I guess my brothers are worth mentioning.”
I chuckled. “We can still pretend it's just us when I'm here. You, me, and Falcas. Another future.”
“I'd like that,” he whispered.
The phone chimed again, distant but persistent.
“Motherfucker!” I hissed.
Tiernan laughed. “Answer it, my love. We can return to our make-believe world whenever we want.”
“Now that's a world I look forward to striding.” I took a shaky breath. “Tiernan, I love you so damn much. Thank you for loving me back.”
“You are the only star in my sky, Seren. I cannot help loving you. Without you, I'd be in the dark.”
I leaned forward and kissed him, taking my time despite the continued chiming.
Everyone else could fuck off. This felt like a fresh start for me and T, and I was going to conclude our lovemaking properly.
The day before had been great, but Tiernan hadn't been completely himself. This felt more real.
We sank into our love together, sighing and breathing each other in. The soft movements of our tongues and lips were a spell woven between us—reinforcement of a promise we had made a long time ago. Forever. That's what we had vowed, and we would never break our promise.
I drew back and looked my fill at Tiernan before sliding out of bed and retrieving my scry phone from the table near the door.
I opened it, set it face up on the table, and swiped my finger across the crystal.
But then I walked away to grab my robe from a nearby chair.
I pulled it on, but it turned out to be unnecessary. Only a voice came from the crystal.
King Astaroth of Hell shouted, “Seren, what did you do?!”
Glad I had put some space between me and the phone, I grimaced at Tiernan. He was sitting up, his stare on the phone. As he got out of bed, he shifted his gaze to me and nodded.
I picked the phone up and sat down on a couch near the window. “Tiernan protected me last night. Fey magic worked where Anu's magic failed.”
Silence.
Tiernan sat down beside me. “Hello, Astaroth.”
“Gods damn it!” Star swore.
“Yes, she told us about your nightly interludes,” Tiernan went on. “And about your threat.”
“It's not a threat. I'm tired of fighting this, Tiernan. It's time that all of you admitted that Seren and I are inevitable. For fuck's sake, look at how long this has gone on. It's never going to get better.”
“We disagree.”
“Seren?” Star demanded.
“Star, I've been so tired. It was hard for me to think clearly. I'm sure it's been the same for you. Don't you feel better today? We needed the rest. Our dreams gave us no respite.”
“I am clearer-headed this morning, yes. And I see now that it was wrong to give you that ultimatum. I retract it. I don't wish to threaten any of you. That's not how I want you, Seren.”
I let out a sigh of relief.
“Besides, it's unnecessary.”
I choked on my sigh. “What does that mean?”
“I don't know how you kept her from me, Tiernan, but Seren can't hide behind you forever. I don't have to go to her. She will come to me. I feel it in my bones. No, I feel it in my soul—the piece that lives inside her.”
And then the crystal went clear.
“Star?! Damn it!” I snapped the case shut and lifted my gaze to meet Tiernan's. “Should I scry him back?”
“No, that was just the death rattle of dying hope.” Tiernan cupped my cheek. “I can't imagine how hard it is to come close to having you and then be forced to let you go. It will take time for Astaroth to accept this. Until then, you stay here. I will guard you every night.”
“And if the others want me to visit them?”
“When they forgive you, and you return to them, we can figure it out. I'm sure they can lay their own wards upon you as you sleep. We will protect you, my love.”
“I know you will.” I glanced at the phone. “I feel so awful about Star.”
“Maybe don't say that when you speak to Raza.” He winked at me.
I burst out laughing. Tiernan's jokes always landed harder because they were so unexpected coming from him.