“Be my guest.”
Kenzie opens the bag, tastes the salt, gags, and hands it back to Maven. “Never mind. Gods, I still cannot believe you werealmost burned at the stake on live TV by your rich in-laws. I’m so fucking glad you went all demigoddess on their asses because watching that stupid fake trial wasawful.You would not believe how much I was crying—and Vivienne was a total wreck, too. But now that everyone knows you're back, my quintet and I are fielding a bajillion questions and trying to keep all of the Halfton refugees from storming the castle and…oof. It's just pure chaos. Felix was right that people are not handling your return well. I mean, a lot of them are thrilled you're back, but they're being so weird about it, too. I’m pretty sure some of them are trying to, like…worship you.”
Maven makes a face and pulls her etherium knife from her boot to fidget with it. “Thanks for dealing with the shit show.”
“Anything for you,” Kenzie answers brightly, tossing her hair and adjusting her scarf. “Besides, I’m willing to take one for the team. Now that you have all of your guys back, you probably need to get back to having wild, unhinged sex with them, right? Come on, spill the deets,” she teases, elbowing my keeper lightly. “Crazy person sex is the best sex—how nasty do you guys get in bed now that they're missing a few marbles?”
Maven spins her knife, glaring at the ghosts in the corner again. “I wish I knew. But too much just happened, and they need time to process. No matter how much I’m aching for them, I can't just jump their bones whenever I feel like it.”
29
SILAS
She’saching?
Thank the gods. That makes five of us.
Even with my fragmented ability to piece things together at the moment, I haven’t missed the way my other quintet members have been stealing looks at Maven, aching for her despite our conditions. We’ve all been reigning ourselves in.
Personally, I’ve managed to keep my hands off her for this long because I remind myself I’m a threat to her, but I’m honestly impressed the others have behaved themselves.
Even with our curses and the fiasco we’ve been going through, after six months, it’s a fucking miracle we haven’t ripped her clothes off yet.
But if our keeper has also been holding back, I may as well share the good news with the others.
Filthy, deviant abomination to the living,someone whispers in my head.
My birth mother’s voice makes a rare appearance.How lascivious you have become, son.
“Not to mention, they're all in such rough shape,” Maven goes on with a sigh. “And I have a plan to follow, so now isn’t?—”
Kenzie holds up a hand. “Hang on. You just got your quintet of Maven-obsessed, sanity-lacking, gorgeous-albeit-cursed, morallysuper dark greymatches back, and you haven't started fucking the ever-living daylights out of them every tiny chance you get? Girl. What the hell are you doing? I'll ward off the weirdos outside as long as you need me to, but go get on that pronto—and bythat,I mean their penises.”
Their conversation is creating an excited thrum in my veins that moves steadily lower as I observe my blood blossom fidget, clearly flustered as she clears her throat.
She'll be the death of you,a voice reminds me.
I ignore it.
“The timing is wrong,” Maven mutters.
“The timing is wrong?”Kenzie bursts, throwing her manicured hands in the air before making a sound like a buzzer going off. “Excuse denied! Look, no matter what my quintet and I have gone through so far, we’ve prioritized our bond and staying intimate in every way, and that’s made us so much stronger and everything else so much fucking better. Your quintet needs to feel close to their keeper, and you need it, too, you traumatized little reaper baby. I promise. Now go get some DP action going or something. Rile them up, explore some kinks, and celebrate having them all back!”
The shifter’s first suggestion makes me so flushed that I break out into a small sweat despite the cold and the fact that I never remembered to put on clothes. I'm practically leaning forward to gauge Maven's reaction to that erotic idea, but she just tips her head with a slight frown.
“DP?”
Godsdamn it all, she has no idea.
So excited over sharing a whore,someone scowls inside my head.How depraved are you?
Very depraved. And very thirsty for my blood blossom in every way possible, especially if I get to watch her pleasured twice over at once. My slowly growing erection is proof of my desire.
The shifter gasps, hand going to her chest. “What?Oh, my sweet summer child. My innocent little demigoddess?—”
“Innocent? I just massacred the elites,” Maven points out dryly.
“—it’s the best thing ever,” Kenzie goes on without losing the dramatic flair. “One guy in front. One guy behind—butuse lube. And if you're feeling extra saucy, one ding dong in the hand and one in the mouth,” she winks.
