I jerked my eyes away from him at the thought. What waswrongwith me? Why would I think that and now of all times?
The travel back out of the cave went by quicker than expected with my desperate anticipation of being free. Caspian and Pollux kept trying to help me but I was doing fine, better than fine actually. The only sign anything had been off was the dried blood on my head and in my hair. Well and the black veining that seemed permanently etched into my hand.
My entire hand was blackened as if I was wearing some sort of glove. Black veining also trailed up my wrist. I couldn’t feel the splinter though. My hand didn’t hurt at all and I hadn’t seen the ghost girl at all since that tomb. I hadn’t seen any ghosts.
Finally, we emerged from the cave. I looked at the midday sun, a golden, burning globe in the blue sky. I stared in awe. Had I ever realized how beautiful the sky was? How awe-inspiring the vast spread of mountains was in the distance?
Mothman stood behind me, a steady presence. His hands pressed to my shoulders and his thumbs dug in to massage. I felt my eyes go half-closed, enjoying the touch he offered and wanting more.
“What do we do?” Brandon asked. He looked sad, his energy low, his eyes vacant. Caspian suddenly snatched me from Mothman and pressed his nose into my neck, inhaling the smell of my skin and hair. I felt goosebumps lift on my arms as I grasped his shoulders. Yes,thisis what I needed.
Caspian reached behind me and shoved Mothman further away then his mouth was on me, going straight for the bite mark he’d left on the base of my neck. The warmth of his mouth ignited my skin. When sharp teeth teased the spot, I felt wet between my legs. My chest heaved and I bent my neck, encouraging him further. Sexual want reared up strongly inside me. It felt like wildfire, uncontrolled and consuming.
Was this because I’d nearly just died? Was it because I faced my ghosts and won; feeling as if I could do anything now? Or was it because there was something inside me, altering how I felt and thought? Was Makwa really inside me? Had all of that really happened?
One thing for sure, this wasn’t like me. There were other things to be concerned about—finding our way through the forest, dealing with the aftermath of the hunters, trying to figure out what to do when all of our things had been burned to a crisp.
Yet all I wanted was someone inside me. I wanted to eat and be merry and have sex until I passed out. I wanted to run through the forest naked and laughing, enjoying all the spoils of being free from that cave.
“Ava,” Caspian breathed against me, his teeth teasing the mark he’d left. His hands swept over me, trying to find wounds that didn’t exist because I was perfectly healed. His calloused fingers swept over every inch of my head, then swept down my neck.
“Why is there so much blood on you?” He whispered, his lips dragging over the dried blood he asked about. “Why?” He pulled me into him, pressing our bodies tight together. I didn’t respond, I wasn’t sure what to say. His fingers threaded into my hair and he brought our mouths together, tasting my lips with a moan.
“Really? You’re doing this now?” Brandon asked in agitation. I turned to look at him and he gave me a concerned look. Brandon didn’t seem entirely at ease with Caspian and me. He definitely didn’t seem at ease with Mothman either. Caspian’s mouth trailed to my jaw, hot and wet, teeth nipping. I felt Mothman step up close, his body warm at my back, his hands gripping my hips, and his thumbs massaging my lower back.
This really wasn’t the most ideal time. No, not at all but I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to fully embrace the joy of being alive.
Caspian’s teeth pricked my skin and started to sink in, re-marking the bite he’d left before. I gasped in shock, my eyes widening. The pain focused me entirely on his touch, letting all the rest of my thoughts flit away.
Who cares about everything else? All I cared about was this—Caspian’s teeth buried in my skin, claiming me like a wild beast before rutting inside me, filling me up; Pollux suctioning me between my legs until I was shaking and spent before pushing that strange knobby cock of his where Caspian had just been.
I wanted more. Ineededmore.
When I gasped from the bite, Brandon surged forward, ripping Caspian from me. He locked his hand around my wrist and pulled me behind him, facing the two monsters in front of him.
“You’re hurting her,” he snapped at Caspian.
“Brandon, it’s okay,” I said, squeezing his arm. I saw his jaw clench as he shook his head.
“He shouldn’t hurt you,” he said.
“I… like it though,” I mumbled embarrassingly.
“What the fuck?” Caspian finally voiced, recovering from his shock. I looked around Brandon to see Caspian. There was violence thrumming through his body. How had I been so blind to it before? The man was all teeth, a vicious spirit. Suddenly I felt afraid for Brandon because Caspian was no man and he was shooting rage from his eyes, his body vibrating with the urge to attack.
I opened my mouth to try and fix the situation. I hated when they all fought. Hated they might get hurt and couldn’t get along.
“Let the boys fight,” a raspy male voice said in my head. It was laced with entertainment. I closed my mouth without saying anything.
Plus, there was a part of me that wanted to see the side of Caspian he hadn’t shown me before—the part bleeding through his eyes as he looked at Brandon. He looked enraged, his hands turning to fists, his pupils growing large. That strong, violent body made my heart beat faster and had me strangely excited to have him back inside me, reaching in deeper than anyone else could.
“Not deeper than everyone,” the voice whispered in my head, a devious chuckle, a distant sound inside my skull. I swallowed. I looked over at Pollux who stood to the side ignoring both Caspian and Brandon. Instead was looking at me with narrowed red eyes. He looked suspicious of me. Was I acting off? Could he tell something was different? I didn’t want him to know. I didn’t want any of them to know. I felt confused andtainted.
“It isn’t right,” Brandon practically snarled in response to the anger facing him. I’d have expected him to back down but he only seemed to grow angrier the more Caspian looked ready to kill him.
“Don’t tell me what's right or wrong with my mate and don’t stand between her and me.”
“I’m not going to let you hurt her,” Brandon said and I blinked in shock. I thought Brandon hated me. A sudden calm washed over Caspian. A slow smile spread over his face, a dark excitement twinkling in his eyes. A shiver raced up my spine but I couldn’t tell if it was because I was disturbed…or excited.
