17. Chapter 17
M att picks me up, cradling me against this chest. I smile drowsily, fighting to keep my eyes open.
“Did we do it?” I murmur.
“You did,” he answers, brushing a kiss over my forehead.
I hear voices in the background but can’t force myself to pay attention to what they are saying. I vaguely feel myself being carried somewhere but I trust Matt and the others to take care of me, allowing my thoughts to drift.
The light behind my eyelids darkens, and I blink my eyes open and realize we are back inside the O’Byrne manor. Making our way back to the study, Matt sits me down on the pallet we set up earlier.
Josh settles on the floor next to me, grabbing a granola bar and pressing it into my hands. “How do you feel?” When I don’t move to open the bar, he does it for me before pushing it back into my hand. “Eat.”
I take a small nibble. “Really tired, but hey, it could have been worse. I didn’t pass out this time. That has to count for something, right?”
Patrick facepalms where he stands at the edge of the room.
“What?”
“It does mean you’re getting stronger in your magic, but it still shouldn’t drain you this much. We’re still missing a piece to unlocking it completely.” He moves closer, finding his own place on the blanket. “I was using fire to fight the birds, and I’m still moving. You can’t keep going like this. It could burn your magic out.”
“So she wouldn’t be a witch?” asks Matt.
Patrick shakes his head, looking down at the floor. “No, she wouldn’t be a witch anymore if she burns out,” he answers quietly.
“That’s not the worst thing,” Josh says, squeezing my shoulder. “We’ll still be here for you, with or without your magic.”
“She won’t be a witch, because she won’t be alive,” Patrick says.
Silence reigns as we process this news.
“Well, damn,” I say. “That’s not good.”
“Not good at all,” Matt whispers.
“But there has to be another way, right?” asks Josh, looking between Patrick and me.
“We will think of something,” Patrick says. “Maybe I should reach out to the coven and see if any of our elders have an idea.”
“That could be a good idea.” I notice movement at the door. “The governess is back. I think she has something to say.”
I rise somewhat unsteadily to my feet. The guys stay put—not that they would hear what she has to say, anyway—and I make my way out of the warded room.
She turns and walks across the hall to the living room with me trailing in her wake. When we are almost in the kitchen, she spins around to face me.
“You are making good progress, Morrigan. You are living up to the O’Byrne name.” She raises her hand toward my cheek but stops short of touching me.
“Thank you,” I tell her. “Does it feel different to you?”
“It does.” She nods. “There was a brief lull, but the curse is now calling stronger than before. It used to only really call to us if we got near the crypts. I kept the girls safe by convincing them that outside wasn’t safe and we could just play inside instead. Timmy wouldn’t go for it, but I think he’s helped you, so maybe it’s for the best.”
“Would Timmy be the young boy who was here when I woke up last time?”
“He is. He’s a good boy. He was the cook’s son and helped out wherever he could to earn extra money, but he was never one of my charges, so he decided the new rule didn’t apply to him. But before they brought you back in, I caught the girls almost at the back door.” She raises a translucent hand to her mouth, stifling a sob. “They were trying to go outside. They said they could hear other children playing and calling for them. They had to go. If I had been even thirty seconds later, they would have been trapped. I just know it.”
“I’m glad you were able to save them,” I tell her sincerely. “But I feel like you have more to say.”
She steps closer to me. “You are running out of time, Morrigan. The curse knows it is under attack and is trying to power itself by trapping any of us who are left. You need to end this before it consumes all of us and goes after anything living around here.”
“I want to,” I tell her. “My magic doesn’t want to respond when I call it. When it does, it works for a spell or two before locking itself away again. We are going to reach out to the closest coven and see if they have any ideas on how to unlock my magic.”
“I fear you don’t have time for that,” she says. “How have you unlocked it before?”
My face flushes in embarrassment. “Ummm… When I’m with one of the guys, it can, uh, get my mind off the fear of my magic and focused on other emotions. But that only seems to be a temporary patch.”
“Can you do more?” she asks. “Make those emotions bigger and see if that will open up your powers?”
I snort, thinking about getting magic—and love, apparently—advice from a ghost, but agree. “I have an idea, but I’ll need to talk to the guys. And you should keep the girls upstairs for a while.”
“Of course,” she nods. “It’s probably safer they stay upstairs, anyway.” She turns and fades away through the wall.
* * *
Walking back into the study, I’m met with three sets of eyes tracking me. I fill them in quickly on how the curse seems to be making a last-ditch effort to strengthen itself to make it harder to defeat.
I finally get to my idea of how to unlock my magic. “If a make-out session is enough to unlock for a little bit, I think if we went further, it could unlock my powers more fully.” I drop my eyes to the floor, not used to being the one who makes the first move.
“Are you suggesting sex?” asks Josh, wiggling his eyebrows.
I nod.
“Is this something you want, or do you feel like you have to?” asks Matt. “I don’t want you to regret our first time.”
My head jerks up to meet his eyes. “I want it. I like all of you. Hell, I love you, even if it is too soon in a relationship to say it. And yes, I hope it will help, but even if it doesn’t, I won’t regret it.”
Patrick, who hasn’t said anything since I came back in, comes behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “We don’t have to do anything. The governess could be wrong. We can go to the coven.”
I turn my head to look at him. “We can. After this,” I tell him. “I want this.”
I lean forward, pressing my mouth to the corner of his. For a moment, he’s as still as a statue and doubts start to fill my mind. What if he doesn’t really want this? It’s not like we’ve known each other for very long, and now I’m forcing myself on him. I pull back.
Suddenly Patrick’s arms are wrapping around me, crushing me into his chest as his lips crash into mine. “Mor, sweet cheeks, how can I resist when you’re this adorable?” he whispers against my skin, peppering my neck with kisses while he slides his hands down to grip my hips.
“Don’t forget about us, sweetheart,” Josh mutters from behind me. His voice is husky with need, and I shudder under his touch as he slowly peels my shirt over my head, tossing it off to the side. “Can we play, too, or do you want to do this one at a time? We’re yours to command.”
“Yes, please.” I gasp, arching into Josh. “I want to feel all of you.”
The guys grin, pressing closer to me until I’m surrounded by a wall of men, their shirts practically disintegrating from the mouth-watering muscles.
Patrick grabs my wrist and brings it to his chest, pressing my palm to his heart, and his eyes flutter shut. “You drive me crazy, Morrigan. I would give anything to keep you looking at me like this for the rest of our lives.”
“Hey, let the rest of us in on the fun,” Matt teases, nudging Patrick over a little bit so my attention flies to him. “There she is…” He breathes out a sigh. “I could get lost in your eyes forever, babe. Make sure you keep them on me while you’re screaming my name, hmm?”
As Matt talks, I can feel Josh chuckle behind me, ruffling the hair at the nape of my neck. His tongue flicks out to taste my neck while his hands work my pants off, dropping them to pool around my feet and leaving me in my underwear before the three ravenous men.
I don’t have time to feel embarrassed before Matt drops to his knees and hooks my leg over his shoulder as he proceeds to nuzzle into my thigh. He sucks in a deep breath, winking up at me. “You ready for this?” Never looking away from my face, Matt kisses me, using his tongue to work my underwear against me in a way that drives me mad.
I moan at the friction of fabric working itself against my heated pussy, my head falling back against Josh’s chest as I lose myself to the pleasure. My hands grasp for purchase, and I thread them through his thick, black hair.
“That’s it. Let us take care of you, Mor.”
Hands dance over my body, cupping my breasts, twisting and pinching my nipples, driving me into a mindless frenzy. Matt pushes my panties to the side, then slides a finger along my slit, the touch light and teasing.
“Please,” I whine, pushing my hips into him. “I’m going crazy, Matt. Please, I need you.”
“Shh. I’ve got you, babe. I promise to make you feel good, all right? Just stay with me.” Matt presses his tongue against me, this time without the barrier of fabric between us, and my knees threaten to buckle. He presses little kisses all over my center, finding his way to play with my clit, writing a melody with his tongue that makes my whole body sing.
“Oh my gosh, yes. Right there.”
I pant, worked up from the other two men who haven’t stopped their examinations of my body, worked up from all the kisses from earlier, worked up from having three wet-dreams-come-to-life standing here shirtless in front of me, worked up from having the attention of kind men who are convinced my brand of crazy is actually something wonderful.
Josh drags my head to the side, slanting our mouths together as his tongue darts between my parted lips to explore. I moan into his mouth and buck my hips against Matt’s mouth, wanting more.
“Not so fast.” Patrick’s hands find my hips again, tightening around them until I can’t move. His mouth closes over my nipple, and an electric charge shoots straight to my pussy. I squirm beneath their hold. “Do you trust us, sweet cheeks?”
“Yes,” I answer immediately.
Patrick groans against my breast. “You’re so perfect for us, Mor. I want to do so many dirty things to you.” His teeth graze along my taut peak, and I gasp into Josh’s mouth. “Such a good girl for us.”
Matt takes advantage of my immobilization, slowly sinking a finger inside my pussy. He strokes my walls, and I bite back a moan, overwhelmed with all the pleasure flooding my body.
“So good.” The words drop from my lips like a curse, and Matt grins up at me, adding a second finger, slowly pulsing in and out of me. He spreads his fingers open, stretching me.
I whimper, and Patrick and Josh jump to work, using their talented hands and mouths to distract me.
Soon Matt’s fingers are pumping steadily into my core, and he curls them against my g-spot, making me see stars. His mouth works against my clit in time with his thrusts, while Josh continues kissing me, his hands holding me in place. Patrick moves down beside Matt, nipping and sucking my hip bones until I’m shaking in their arms.
“I’m close!” I pant, feeling my orgasm rushing toward me like a freight train. “Please don’t stop. Please, I—”
“That’s it, Mor, fall apart for us.”
Matt picks up the pace, his fingers flicking into me faster. I grind my hips into his touch, chasing my release. Just as it reaches the crest, Matt adds a third finger while Josh pinches my nipples. I cry out, shuddering as wave after wave of my orgasm washes over me, and I fall apart into the arms of the three people I love most in the world.