43 LONNIE
ABOARD THE FORESIGHT
The evening was surprisingly warm, the weather pleasant, as we sailed back out of the red waters of Underneath. Out on the dock, Lin shouted orders at the crew, and Riven steered the ship toward home.
Inside, however, we couldn’t hear any of it.
It had been several hours since the fight on the shore, and after proving many times over that I was unharmed, I now found myself back in Ambrose's cabin. The room had always felt small, but now, it seemed impossibly overcrowded. Between Ambrose, Bael and Scion, there was hardly any space left for me. For once, I didn’t mind.
I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that we were all still alive, and the overwhelming feeling of joy drowned out any other emotions.
At least, it did for me. The same could not be said for all of us.
Ambrose and Scion stood on opposite sides of the room, refusing to look at one another. Whatever brief truce they’d shared to reach the ship had evaporated, and the air between them was thick with unspoken animosity. Fortunately, it didn’t matter, as Bael and I seemed to have made a silent agreement to broker the tension.
In any case, we had far more important things to focus on than the feud between the two brothers.
When we’d boarded the ship, Riven had taken charge of my mother, immediately bringing her below deck. She was still alive–for now–but unconscious. If and when she woke up, we were due for a long conversation. However, thinking about it caused me so much anxiety that I’d all but pushed it from my mind for the time being.
In the meantime, it had taken over an hour for me to relay everything we’d done while in Underneath to Bael and Scion, and in turn, for them to recount where they’d been this last week. I was pleased to hear that they’d managed to void my bargain with the quarry serpent, but shocked by what they’d learned from it before it died.
It was almost too much to process that Scion was now the King of Elsewhere, and more importantly, my husband. The only person unsurprised by that revelation was Ambrose, who insisted he’d known all along. Personally, I didn’t know how to feel about it. For me, it didn’t change much. I was already certain we were mates.
What interested me more, was the fact none of my princes were princes any longer.
They were kings.
A knock sounded on the door, which pulled all of us from our respective musings. I stood to answer it, but three Fae males moved to shove me back. I sighed. I had a strange feeling that I was about to have even less freedom than I’d had before.
Bael–who was closest to the door–went to open it. On the threshold, stood the prisoner we’d rescued from the dungeon. We all tensed as one.
I realized in that moment that it was not only my mother I’d pushed from my mind. I’d all but forgotten the prisoner was here. I certainly hadn’t thought to warn anyone where we’d found him, or that he might be dangerous.
For the first time, I realized that beneath all his hair and the rags that had once been clothes, he was not as thin nor as injured as I might have expected. In fact, he was quite as muscular as Bael and nearly as tall as Ambrose. For some reason, that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Not that size was always an indicator of strength, but what kind of magic must this male have to survive in a dungeon for seven-thousand years?
With me still unable to use magic, and both Bael and Scion recovering from the dungeons, only Ambrose’s sword stood between us and potentially deadly power.
The prisoner stepped inside, seeming to either ignore, or be unaware of the tension in the room. He glanced around, his violet eyes flashing with interest. “I apologize for interrupting.”
“You didn’t,”
Scion spat. “What do you want?”
“I was hoping to speak to you.”
Bael narrowed his gaze on the male. “All of us?”
“No.”
The prisoner smiled slightly beneath his matted beard. His eyes fell on Ambrose. “Only the seer.”
I felt a tension fall over the room, and was sure that we were all thinking the same thing: what did this male want to know, and why couldn’t he ask in front of all of us?
“I don’t think–”
I began, just as Ambrose shoved past Scion and toward the door.
“It will be fine, love.”
Scion stiffened at the sound of Ambrose’s endearment toward me, while Bael simply looked curious. Neither commented however, their attention still focused on the prisoner.
“Are you certain?”
I asked, my voice wavering slightly with nerves.
Ambrose tapped his head and grinned at me, before stepping out onto the deck. “Very certain. I’ll see you soon.”
The door closed behind them with a defining snap, and an ominous silence rang through the room.
“What do you think he wants?”
I asked to break the silence.
“Hopefully to commit a quick murder,”
Scion mumbled. “If we were not in the middle of the ocean, I’d–”
“Well, it’s a good thing we are, then,”
I interrupted, having no wish to hear all the ways he wanted to kill his brother.
“You don’t understand.”
“I do,”
I said. “Perhaps better than you do, for once.”
Scion glared at me, practically vibrating with an anger that seemed a bit disproportionate to the issue at hand.
I glanced at Bael, and found that he too was scowling. With a start, I realized that the last time we’d been together like this, all three of us, had been the night in the inn. The night of the bathing tub…and the night I left.
“If you’re both angry at me, just say so,”
I said, my own frustration rising.
“This isn’t about you,”
Scion snapped.
“Isn’t it?”
I held my breath as the air seemed to thicken, my eyes darting between the two males.
“Fine,”
Scion burst out. He rose from his chair and strode over to me, intense fire burning in his silver eyes. “You fucking left.”
“I know,”
I swallowed thickly. “But if I hadn’t?—”
“It doesn’t matter,”
he raged, moving so close I had to back against the wall to keep him in view. “You could’ve fucking died.”
“And you would’ve died if I stayed,”
I snapped, fire rising within me.
He shook his head. “I don’t care.”
He might not care, but I did.
No matter how painful this last week had been for all of us, I wasn’t sorry for what I’d done. If I could go back and live that night over again, I would still leave. Leave to keep them safe, and because ultimately it had led to so many other things. To meeting Ambrose, to finding my mother…to this moment, right now.
I suddenly entirely understood what Ambrose had been trying to tell me about prophecy. About how a single decision would have far reaching consequences.
The thought of losing them, of being responsible for their deaths, felt like an anvil hanging over my head. I couldn't bear the weight of that guilt, the knowledge that I could have saved them. They may not care, but I did. They were everything to me, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing them because of my own mistakes.
I looked to Bael over Scion’s shoulder. “Don’t you have anything to say about this?”
His face held a serious look, unlike the usual playful expression I was accustomed to seeing. When our eyes met, there was a strong intensity in his gaze that I had never noticed before.
Silently, he rose from his seat on the bed and moved across the room. My heartbeat began to pound with some strange combination of fear and anticipation.
He pushed Scion aside, making his way to me. Surprisingly, Scion didn't object and simply moved over. The two of them stood next to each other, gazing down at me.
Bael's hand closed around a fistful of my hair, tugging me toward him. My head tilted back, and I found myself staring into his too-intense eyes. A shiver ran down my spine as he whispered, "Look at me. Never do that again. Do you hear me?”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “I can’t?—”
He let out a frustrated growl and forcefully tugged me toward him. Bending his head down, he captured my lower lip between his sharp teeth. “Promise me.”
“No,”
I whispered against his mouth. “I won’t help you die.”
With a guttural sound, he flipped our positions, holding me firm against his chest. “I daresay you’ve solved it, little monster. I will never be fucking happy knowing you have one foot out the door.”
My chest panged. He was wrong, and I was likely lying to myself. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to leave him again—any of them—but if believing I would kept them breathing…
“Good,”
I breathed. “I hope I make you miserable.”
Bael bent his head to my neck and ran his tongue over my skin up to the shell of my ear. I gasped.
Feeling a pair of eyes on us, I glanced up to see Scion staring at us with a hungry expression. With only a look, I beckoned him to approach, and he did so without hesitation.
As Scion pressed in toward me, his hot breath tickling my lips, I could feel Bael's soft kisses trailing down the side of my neck from behind. My heart raced with anticipation as their combined touches sent warmth skating over my skin.
I opened my mouth wide to Scion, and playfully flicked my tongue against his lips in a slow, leisurely kiss.
I was still fully clothed, but my skin felt like it was on fire.
I bit down on his lip, but he pulled back before I could break the skin. “None of that, rebel.”
My eyes were glassy and dazed as I looked at him. “But?—"
Did that mean he was finally admitting we were mates, as well as husband and wife? My heart pounded a rapid staccato against my ribs, as Scion’s intense gaze gave me all the confirmation I needed.
Bael chuckled against my neck. “Just because we’re not likely to fall off the tower doesn’t mean we should jump. No biting, little monster, but don’t worry. You’ll hardly notice when we’re done with you.”
Bael held both my arms behind my back, trapping me as Scion lowered himself to the floor in front of me. Scion's knees hit the ground with a loud thud, and his eyes burned with hunger as he reached for my boots. His fingers clumsily fumbled with the laces, eager to take them off. I felt a surge of heat spread through my body.
“What are you doing?”
I demanded, though I already knew the answer.
He tugged off one boot, then the other, and tossed them unceremoniously across the room. Then, I held my breath as he ran both hands up and down the outside of my thighs. I moaned, unable to help myself.
Bael clapped a hand over my mouth. “You don’t want to have the whole ship running in here, do you?”
Scion reached up slowly, never breaking eye contact with me, as he undid my belt and slid my trousers down my legs. The cold air hit my bare skin and I gasped against Bael’s hand covering my mouth.
Scion smiled, wickedly. “I’m going to fucking destroy you.”
Oh gods. I could swear I’d had a dream like this once, but the real thing was so much better.
Releasing my arms just long enough to tug my shirt over my head, Bael continued to hold my hands behind my back with one large hand. He removed his free hand from my mouth, as he whispered in my ear. “Not too loud, little monster. Do you think you can do that?”
No, I absolutely did not think I could do that, but I wanted his hands all over me. I wanted him to touch me.
As if reading my mind, he massaged my breast, pinching my nipples just hard enough to hurt.
My body responded to his touch, and my back arched, as Scion leaned forward and pressed his forehead against my lower belly. His hair tickled my skin, his warm breath sending sparks of anticipation flying through me.
Behind me, I could feel Bael growing hard and I pressed my hips back, grinding my ass against him. He hissed.
“Patience, little monster. I want you already wet and trembling when I fuck you.”
I moaned. I didn’t think there was any doubt he’d get his wish.
Scion pressed a kiss right above my core, and ran his hands along the sides of my thighs. Then, he lifted one of my legs, throwing it over his shoulder, and dug his fingers firmly into my ass.
The first brush of his tongue sent tingles all over my body, and I closed my eyes tilting my head back.
Scion gripped my legs tight, not letting me squirm away as he dragged his tongue over and over me, in torturous, long strokes. I spread my legs wider, and Scion traced his mouth lightly over my throbbing clit. “Please…”
He lifted my other leg, until I was suspended between them, sitting on Scion’s shoulders while Bael supported my weight from behind. He thrust his tongue deep inside me, curling his tongue to lick my innermost walls.
I felt my entire body begin to tighten, and warmth and pressure grew deep in my core.
Bael reached over my shoulder, and grazed his fingers over my clit, rubbing small, intense circles. Bael’s hand brushed against Scion’s head, but they didn’t seem to notice or care, both entirely focused on me.
The building pressure inside me became too much, and I threw my head back against Bael’s shoulder as everything turned white hot. My legs shook, and I clamped them around Scion’s head. He didn’t stop licking inside me, and my face turned hot. I whimpered, my entire body feeling fluid and wrung out.
Scion stood, and Bael picked me up, whisking my trembling body across the room to the bed. He lay me flat on the soft mattress, my head facing the foot of the bed. I was completely naked while they were both still fully clothed, but it wouldn’t stay that way for long.
Bael undid his belt with a torturous slowness that had me quaking from anticipation once more. Then, with my legs hanging off the bed, he positioned himself over me. His hard cock pressed against my throbbing core in all the right ways.
I arched my back and pressed my hips against his. A low groan escaped from both of us as he slid into me, filling every inch. He set a steady rhythm, driving in and out with precision. Each thrust sent shivers through my body as I gripped the sheets and moaned in pleasure.
Scion approached and gracefully lowered himself onto the bed beside me. He must have undressed at some point, as I couldn't help but stare at his too-perfect body. My mouth watered as my eyes roamed over him.
He knelt beside my head, and I turned my face to take his hard cock into my mouth. Reaching up with my left hand, I gripped the base, covering what I couldn’t with my lips. He groaned, and leaned forward, catching himself against the bed.
Bael tilted my hips to get a better angle as he furiously thrust into me.
I was overwhelmed, feeling more aroused than I had ever been before. My mind was a jumble, unable to articulate the intense sensations that were pulsing through me.
Bael pushed my legs even wider, holding my knees open against the mattress. He moved slowly, going impossibly deep within me, and I let out a long groan.
Scion’s fingers found my clit, rubbing teasing circles, and once again tension started to rise within me.
I wondered suddenly what it would feel like to have both of them inside me at once…perhaps one day I’d get to find out.
Scion’s fingers moved faster against my clit as his movements began to stutter within my mouth. With his free hand, he gripped the back of my head, urging me to go faster.
“Oh fuck,”
Bael murmured, watching us.
I smiled slightly around Scion’s cock, liking the attention of Bael’s eyes on me.
Suddenly, a tension spread down my spine again and I couldn't help but whimper as my body writhed in pleasure. Another intense orgasm rippled through me, leaving me shuddering and breathless.
My stomach clenched, and I rose slightly off the bed as I came, driving Scion’s cock deeper down my throat. He made a strangled noise and followed me into orgasm, Bael not far behind.