Chapter 49 Steam and Surrender #2
“Rest, Spitfire,” Daire murmurs, and though sleep feels like a million miles away, my body prone, naked, and surrounded by water—all things that should have me terrified and awake—as Daire’s arms band tighter around me, I’ve never felt so safe. So warm. So secure.
So undeniably whole.
I wake up with warmth filling more than just my skin, and it isn’t the sun, which is barely glinting through the large windows in my room due to the early hour, making everything look like it’s from an old movie, soft and pastel.
Griffin’s facing me, his rune covered forearm linked with mine.
Daire’s pressed against my back, his solid arm draped over my waist. I trace the dark line of his imprint twice before realizing how well-rested and good I feel.
The dull achiness in my muscles has receded, the bone-deep exhaustion a mild yawn. Even my breaths feel lighter.
I should move. I should get up and train. I should study.
I don’t want to do any of it.
The realization sinks deep, spreading through me like slow-burning embers.
I never expected—wanted—to need them like this, to crave their closeness.
But an undeniable part of me does.
A sleepy hum vibrates against my shoulder, and then Daire’s fingers flex at my hip—my bare hip—holding me tighter before he stills again. My pulse thrums at the slightly possessive gesture. “You’re so much stronger this morning.”
Griffin hums. “We should have been doing this all week. We’re going to go soak again. Keep your body and cindrel happy and healing. Want me to pick your bathing suit?” His voice is thick with sleep and edged with something that stirs heat low in my belly.
“Will I hate it?”
A wicked smile has my blood heating. “Probably,” he admits.
“I love seeing you in your sweats and cute bathing suits, but I’d pay an obscene amount to see you in those tiny scraps that Gwen packed for you.
” He drags his finger down my exposed collarbone and over the swell of my chest, revealing my bared breasts.
Heat pools between my legs as his eyes darken.
“Fuck yes,” Daire agrees, his fingers at my waist tightening. “But the rest of the Vestra is going to soak with us this morning.” He leans forward, teasing my nipple with his tongue. “We want to see if their elements accelerate your healing.”
My body is on fire as they sit up, leaving me wound so tight, it feels like I’m going to snap.
Both are dressed only in their underwear, their imprints an anchor my gaze keeps returning to as I admire their stacks of muscles and the long, thick erections they shift as they dress, exchanging words I can’t hear because I’m too lost in lust.
Daire disappears into my closet, returning with a bikini that is a bright shade of coral.
For a second, I nearly refuse. Nearly pull the sheet fully off, and widen my knees so he can see how wet and desperate I am. How badly I need him.
Instead, I grab the top and pull it on. Though it reveals much cleavage, it offers support unlike the lavender one from yesterday.
I slip on the bottoms, wrap my hair into a top knot, and try to maintain space, realizing whether it’s the bond or my body, I can’t be too close to either of them right now without acting on the desire.
They seem to recognize this—maybe even feel the same—respecting the distance as they head off to change before we go down to the baths.
Lochlan, Kai, and Holden are waiting for us, gathered in front of that damn dais—inviting unwanted thoughts into my head. Skin against stone. My knees spread. Fingers. Tongues.
They wash away as quickly as they formed as I near the edge of the baths, thoughts of those long white fingers wrapping around my ankle causing me to flinch.
I take a step before Daire or Griffin can offer their support. Not because I don’t want it—maybe even need it, I’m realizing—but because I refuse to let that moment define me. I’ve let too many damn things control my life and movements.
I make it to my thighs before pausing, the rush of water triggering a reminder of how fast and deep that monster had dragged me.
Griffin’s hand settles on the small of my back, soothing the nerves that begin to take root.
Daire steps closer on my opposite side and takes my hand.
We continue, wading to the seats adjacent to the others.
Like yesterday, the warmth eases my weary muscles, and my breath becomes both deeper and fuller.
The silence stretches, comfortable yet laden with unspoken thoughts. I can sense them watching me, their gazes carrying different weights. I’ve grown sensitive to their presence, to the way their elements silently and discreetly pulse around them, even when not being used.
“You said you got copies of my background yourselves,” I say, breaking the silence. “How did you know where to find them?” The question has been gnawing at me for weeks.
“One was created here,” Kai says. “One of the Wardens. It told us where to go.”
“Did you go to Vermont? To Danbury?”
Kai nods. “Twice. We couldn’t find anything.”
“How?” I don’t mean for hurt and disbelief to bleed into my tone. “Are you sure you were in the right place?”
Kai grips the back of his neck. “We went to your old high school,” he admits. “I recognized it from our training, but there was nothing there. No record or mention of you.”
“How is that possible?” Confusion furrows my brow.
Lochlan runs his fingers along his squared jaw. “That’s the question that we’ve been asking a thousand times a day since you arrived, for a thousand different reasons.”
“But we suspected something was off,” Daire adds. “There are gaps in the file that someone here in Bryxton created. Changes were made after the team brought you here.”
“The team you weren’t supposed to be a part of,” Griffin looks across me at Daire. “Karraelas wanted you there because he felt like something was off.”
Daire curses. “Inconsistencies he couldn’t figure out.”
“He knew better than to report them. Tarkan and Karraelas sent me the files at the medical center,” Lochlan says. “But he assumed it was an entire coven or a trap.” The reminder brings me back to that first day.
“Some of the inconsistencies were altered. We tracked them back to the Council,” Griffin explains.
“Why would they falsify my records?” I ask.
“Likely to cover a mistake,” Lochlan says, running a hand along his jaw again.
“What kind of mistake?”
“It might have been an attempt to cover their asses for failing to protect you, or related to your family. If your parents were rebels that escaped…” Holden shakes his head. “It could be something far more benign or more damning. It’s—” He blows out his cheeks.
“This is why we’ve been training you so hard,” Lochlan says. “Lyra is a strong Soul Elemental. She can mindwalk, but she can also detect lies. Not just verbal, but deeper deceptions. She can reveal someone’s true nature.”
Cold trickles down my spine despite the heated bath, realizing now why so much of my training has evolved around shielding.
“So am I supposed to pretend I’m from Montana? How am I going to shield against that?”
“You’re going to present a version of the truth that will satisfy her inquiries without revealing more,” Holden says.
“While you’re healing, let’s focus on collecting details. We’ll need this to plan our trip,” Daire says. “We need to know everything.”
We spend the next two hours dissecting my past—Danbury, my parents’ neighborhood, the house I couldn’t wait to escape.
They want details I’ve never considered: what it smelled like, what side of the house the sun rose on, where the property lines fell, and every neighbor.
Then we discuss how I moved out the day after graduation and the tiny apartment I loved and rarely saw.
By the time we finish, my mind is exhausted, but for the first time all week, I don’t feel residual bruises on my bones.
“You should soak at least twice a day for now,” Holden says, assessing me with clinical precision. “I can already feel a difference.”
“After breakfast, we’ll draw up a new schedule,” Lochlan says, heading for the edge of the bath.
Holden and Kai follow, making excuses about meetings and files. Their bodies dry as they step out, making their way to the door.
The energy in the room shifts. Or maybe it’s just my heightened sensitivity to their presence and building anticipation that hasn’t managed to settle since waking up naked between these two men.
“Are they coming back?”
Daire keeps his head back but opens his eyes to look at me. “Not unless you want them to.”
Griffin presses a kiss to my bare shoulder. “Do you want them to watch you get worshipped?”
Heat floods me as my nerve cells crackle. I shake my head. I still don’t feel like I can look Holden in the eye. Every part of this is new for me, from the experience to the trust.
Daire snakes his hand out, tracing the slips of fabric at my hip before slipping his fingers beneath the thin layer and my core. My breath catches, and my back arches. He groans but doesn’t touch me. “Do we want to leave these on and add a little more friction, or lay her bare?”
Griffin plucks at the knots in answer. The bottoms slowly drift under the calm waters. “Bare is always my answer.”
Daire releases another groan, kissing my shoulder as his fingers swipe along my clit. I pull in a breath through my teeth, the world stilling, focused on where he’s touching me—where he’s not—and most importantly, where I want him touching me.
Griffin pulls the strings holding my top in place, and the material floats away to join the bottom of my suit. He hums, brushing his fingers along the underside of my breasts. “I’ve wanted to do that since we set foot in here.”
I should be asking about Scarlet. Should be reading about prophecies and bonds. I should be plotting the story I need to memorize for Lyra, but it’s as though my body refuses to move except to spread my thighs wider to grant Daire better access.
“Contact heals you, and right now, your priority is healing,” Griffin tells me.
“I’m pretty sure this is more than contact,” I say.
“Mmm. It’s the contact your body needs. Craves.
” He plucks my nipple with his thumb, drawing a gasp from my lips.
“You’re so damn perfect.” He tilts my face toward him and kisses me.
I expect it to be deep and frantic, matching every beat of my heart, but instead, his tongue strokes mine in long, measured swipes, demanding my focus and pleasure.
Daire’s fingers finally return to my opening, and my body arches, falling out of rhythm with Griffin as I hiss a moan.
Daire pulls his fingers away. “You have to keep kissing him if you want me to touch you,” he warns.
My heart begins that rapid pace again, pleading for his touch—for release.
“She might need two orgasms,” Griffin says, running my nipple between his fingers.
My back bows, the pressure and friction becoming a new favorite sensation.
Daire tongues my other nipple, the contrast in feelings and the dual sensations make my skin feel too tight. Like the pressure building inside of me could shatter my very being.
“Please,” I gasp as Daire’s teeth graze my sensitive flesh.
“Stars, when you beg,” Griffin says, releasing a low, guttural moan as he pinches my nipple with one hand and draws my leg over one of his with the other, widening my thighs. Then his fingers are on that bundle of nerves that have been aching for attention.
I moan as I bury my fingers in Daire’s silky hair as he sucks my nipple into his mouth. Hard. I kiss his forehead as I grind my hips against Griffin’s fingers. The pressure is almost unbearable.
Griffin’s pace increases just slightly—right where I need it, and it feels like the world bends and I break as my orgasm shatters through me. Neither stops, but their touches lighten, pulling every ounce of pleasure from me until I’m boneless.
Daire kisses my lips. “Let’s get you some breakfast, and we’ll come back in here.”
“I’m pretty sure I was promised two orgasms,” I say, lust emboldening me.
Daire’s golden eyes flash brighter. “Oh, Spitfire. You’ll have to peel me off of you.” With that as my warning, he lifts me onto the edge of the dais, pushes my knees apart, and seals his mouth over my clit—and the world turn white again.