Page 40 of Demonic Affliction

She turns her head, giving me a beautiful, sleepy smile. “Dravik… Nyx… Rhune…” Her eyes close, but her smile remains. “So… happy…”

She shudders through the aftershocks, her body boneless between the three of us. For the first time since we started, the room goes almost quiet. There is only labored breath, the water lapping against stone, and the steady thud of our heartbeats, pulsing as one.

Rhune stays locked inside her for quite some time, in no rush to pull free even after his knot starts to go down. The three of us pepper her with kisses, whispering how well she's done, telling her what a good mate she is. Each of us takes a turn saying it because she deserves to hear it from all three of us, not just one.

She’s just that special.

When Rhune eventually slides out, I gather her limp body in my arms, settling her flush against my chest. The bond hums in bliss as I stare down at my beautiful mate, unable to believe she’s really mine.

“I will treasure you always, my heart,” I promise. “Forever and always. And then after that.”

She blinks up at me, smiling lazily, and the sight is enough to stop my heart. This little human is going to kill me one day, I just know it.

I carry her back to the pool, lowering us both into the warm water. Nyx and Rhune are right behind me, eager to get their hands on her once more. Silently, the three of us begin washing the sex from her skin, cleaning without urgency, only care and love.

"You did so well," I say. Willow hums a soft, sleepy sound in response. “My beautiful mate.”

“Our beautiful mate,” Nyx declares, pressing his lips to her forehead. Willow opens her mouth to yawn, and Nyx’s mouth tips into a loving smile. “We better get you back to bed. You need your rest for tomorrow.”

“What’s tomorrow?” she asks.

Rhune wiggles his brows, and she lets out a small laugh in understanding.

“In that case, let's go to bed.”

We dry her off and take her back to the bedroom. None of us can agree on who gets to carry Willow, so we take turns, each of us covering a third of the journey.

Willow finds this exceedingly cute, but I can’t help but feel irritated. We just bonded. Must I share her with them equally when they have had more time with her?

It doesn’t seem fair. Then again, maybe that is just my jealousy talking.

As soon as we step through the door, Kevin lets out a happy bleat, jumping off the bed and bounding over to where Willow is being held in Nyx’s arms. She reaches down, petting his head softly. Kevin notices her exhausted state and turns to me with an accusatory glare, as if to say, what the hell did you do to my mother?

“You don’t wanna know, little guy.” I laugh under my breath.

I look up and notice Rufus, Circe, and Sasu waiting at the foot of the bed, appearing much less judgmental than Kevin. In fact, they seem ecstatic that we are all bonded.

Sasu lets out a cheerful chirrup as we make our way to the bed, and Rufus lets out a rare, happy bray—like he’s proud of me for finally doing something right.

Me too, Rufus. Me too.

Nyx places Willow in the center of the bed, and the familiars spring into action. Circe hops up first, curling into the space at Willow's feet without waiting for permission, and Sasu isn't far behind. Rufus lowers himself to the floor with a heavy huff, resting his massive head against the edge of the rug, his eyes trained on the door, keeping watch.

I crawl into the bed, pulling Willow's body up on top of me—exactly where she belongs now. Rhune and Nyx settle in on either side of me, each one keeping a hand on Willow, needing to feel her. I understand completely. Now that I have her, I never want to be parted from her. This feeling… her on my chest, feeling safe enough to doze off… is everything. I do not know how I survived so long without it.

For the first time, I feel like I truly belong somewhere.

I press a kiss to the top of Willow's head, and her fingers curl loosely into my chest. “Good night, my heart,” I whisper. “Sweet dreams.”

Willow’s breathing evens out first, followed by Rhune's, then Nyx's. Soon, I am the only one awake, listening to the steady rhythm of their hearts.

This is heaven. This is absolutely, unequivocally perfect.

So then, why can’t I get rid of this pit of dread in my stomach?

I shake the feeling off, forcing my eyes to close, to enjoy the feel of my mate against my bare skin. If I just ignore it, the anxiety will fade, and everything will be okay.

That’s what I tell myself in order to sleep. If I knew what was about to happen, I never would have closed my eyes. I would have listened to that voice in the back of my mind.