“She is,” Adeline agreed. “That’s why we think you should all go ahead to Soldel in the morning. Leave the evacuation to us and the other gods.”
“Be nice to them.” The words shot out of my mouth before I could stop them. “The dwellers, I mean.”
“We’ll be nice to them,” Adeline promised. “If you were once one of them, then they can’t be all that different to us, can they?”
“They are different to the gods.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “They’re humble, hard-working, and full of love.” I quickly shut my mouth, realising a little too late that I had just insultedallof them, but Adeline only smiled, and Abil chuckled.
“It sounds like we have a lot to live up to,” he said, shaking his head. “We will treat every dweller as our equal, Willa. You have our word. And in return, you need to save us all.”
“You have my word,” I promised.
“Now that everyone’s given their word …” Siret stood, stretching his arms out. “We should all find something to eat and somewhere to sleep.”
“You six will stay here,” Adeline decided. “Abil and I will find somewhere else to stay. Terrance is no doubt already living amongst the beasts of this area.”
“Then we can eat in the morning,” I decided, casting a look toward the door that I was pretty sure hid a bedroom.
I glanced to the others after a moment, making sure that they were on board. They nodded.
“Goodnight,” Adeline muttered, walking between each of her sons and kissing them all on the cheek. She reached me last, her dainty hands on my shoulders as she pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I look forward to us finally becoming a family, once all of this is over,” she whispered.
Adeline released me and walked with Abil to the door, closing it behind them. I didn’t waste a click, on my feet before anyone else could say anything. I walked to the door and opened it to find a bedroom with a neatly made bed. I didn’t exactly feel great about crawling between someone else’s sheets, so I quickly untied my makeshift dagger-harness and tossed it aside, jumping into the middle of the mattress and flinging my arms out across the pillows.
My intention had been to sleep, to conserve my energy and build myself back up for the inevitable fight ahead … but as soon as the guys began pulling their shirts off, the desires that I had pushed aside back in the seventh ring came rushing back. I quickly pushed myself up to my elbows, switching my gaze between them as though I couldn’t decide which one—or how many—to pick for the night. They paused, several of them in the process of tossing aside their shirts. They could either sense the change of my mood, or else they could read the sudden thoughts that had flitted through my head. Suddenly, all of us were struck with indecision.
None of them wanted to leave.
I didn’t want any of them to leave.
“Stop,” I muttered, when Rome took a step toward me.
They all froze, shirts dropping from hands and landing on the floor, forgotten.
“Don’t stop getting undressed though,” I added, a slight smile hooking up the corner of my mouth.
Coen groaned and Yael gave me a warning look. I didn’t care. They all began to step out of their pants, and I sat up a little straighter when they were standing before me, naked, waiting for my next request. I took hold of the hem of my shirt in both hands and slowly pulled it off, my stomach clenching at the heat in their eyes as they watched me. In truth, I still had no idea what I was doing orhowI was going to do anything, but I shrugged off those thoughts as easily as I shrugged my shirt all the way off, tossing it to the other end of the bed. My bra was next, and then I was on my back, shifting my pants over my hips.
Yael groaned then. “This show better have a happy ending, Willa-toy.”
I smiled, not answering as I pushed the pants to my ankles and kicked them over the side of the bed. My underwear went next, and when I was finally naked, they all took another step forward. I held up one hand, sitting up again, before walking on my knees to the edge of the bed. There were all right there, within reaching distance, and I moved to the very centre, my knees right at the edge.
“I don’t know how to do this,” I admitted. “But I want you all. I can’t let any of you leave tonight.”
That was all I needed to say, and they suddenly sprang into action. I didn’t try to hold them back again because I knew it wouldn’t work a second time … and I also didn’t want to. Siret reached me first, his hands shaping to my face, his lips taking mine. His tongue had barely brushed mine when he was pushed aside, Yael taking his place. Yael’s kiss was harder, almost punishing, but just as rapid, before Aros was snatching me away. His kiss melted me as his strong hands dragged me fully against him. I began to writhe, suddenly overcome with the need to have him between my legs as I pushed against his hardness.
I didn’t get a chance, though, because Rome’s hands were on my hips from behind, spinning me around, his lips claiming mine in a bruising kiss. His hands were just as bruising at my hips, but I loved every hint of his Strength as it leaked into his touches. I returned his kiss just as strongly, drawing a groan out of him that hung between us as Coen actuallyshovedhim out of the way, wrapping a hand in my hair and shooting pain down the back of my neck before his lips took mine, soothing away the quakes of discomfort that travelled the length of my spine. I pushed against him, and his hand caught my thigh, helping me to lift my leg until I was being hauled from the ground, one leg wrapped around Coen’s hip as he nestled himself against my centre.
He carried me like that back to bed and then gently placed me down, stepping back as the others all crowded in. I reached out, grabbing on to the nearest arm and pulling Yael down on top of me.
“Get on top of me,” he ordered, some steel leaking into his voice. “Let the others watch you.”
He rolled onto his back and I eagerly climbed on top of him, my hands balancing against his chest as I caught him between my legs and began to rub myself over him. We weren’t having sex yet, but I felt like I needed the build-up to combat the nervousness of all of them being there. Yael’s hands found my thighs, brushing up to my hips and around to my ass before his fingers dug in. Suddenly he was controlling my movements and the pressure with which I slid against him. His eyes were burning as he watched me, the mostly green colour darkening to a deep emerald. I let my head fall back as the heat built within me, a fire starting low in my stomach and travelling through my body. Since we were right at the edge of the bed, someone was able to step up behind me, their hands reaching around to my stomach. I looked down, recognising the golden tint of Aros’s skin just as a burst of bright, hot desire shot all the way through to my head, making me dizzy and forcing my whole body to bow back. Yael growled, shifting our hips, and then suddenly he was inside me, thrusting deep. Our rhythm became more frantic as I watched Aros’s hand stretch out over my stomach. He was barely applying any pressure; it was almost as though he was just feeling the movement of my body. I reached for his other hand, drawing it up over my ribs and to my chest, forcing his fingers to close around my breast as his other hand twitched on my stomach. That was all I needed to explode, and Yael followed closely behind me, his groans spurring the clenching of my body as I fell out of Aros’s hands and against Yael’s heaving chest.
It was only a fraction of a click before hands were pulling me up, and suddenly Rome was taking me into his arms. I wrapped my legs around him instinctively, and he pushed inside me before the shudders of my orgasm had even finished passing through my body. He was standing, taking all of my weight as I cried out and clung to him. It was an incredible feeling, having someone as big as Rome pushing into my body even as my body tried to recover from Yael. There was another standing at my back, a hand in my hair, a voice whispering in my ear.
Aros, again.
The same feeling as before shot through me, sending me spiralling close to that edge again as Aros’s words finally registered in my spinning head.
