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To think, just a day ago, I’d thought the ride to Detroit was awkward. The drive back was a million times worse, now that I’d “fed” Orion and seen Derek Fucking White naked. Rhys and Chike at least saved their bazillion inappropriate questions about that whole thing until we got home. But I could feel them wanting to ask the whole way back, two pairs of perceptive supe eyes studying me every time they thought I wasn’t watching.
Desperate to escape the awkwardness that was my love life these days, I resorted to needling White with questions that apparently he didn’t want to answer. Questions like just what the hell was actually going on.
I got a lot of information, and absolutely none at the same time. Apparently, the angelic looking psychopath who attacked the convoy was named Apophis. Or at least, that’s what he went by on the Earth plane.
“He no doubt blames me for his exile from the demon realm,” White said calmly, “since I released his slaves and destroyed his ancestral holdings before I left.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure that would do it.”
So I was right, this dude was a demon. And he had a beef with White. I remembered what Orion had told me back at the motel. About his old master. But I didn’t bring it up now. I was currently sitting between Orion and Chike again, and I quietly reached over and took Orion’s gloved hand in my own, giving it a squeeze that I hoped was reassuring.
He seemed surprised, but didn’t resist, the supple, butter-soft leather that covered his fingers wrapping around my own. Chike draped an arm along the back of the seat, behind my shoulders, and I glanced at him. He raised his lavender brows at me, an amused expression on his face. Orion must have caught the exchange, because he pulled his hand away and turned to look out the window, his hands folded primly in his lap.
Hel’s hairy hounds, how was I going to convince Orion to join my man posse? Because that had to happen. Soon. I realized I’d gone off on a stupid relationship tangent again and firmly steered myself back on track. Seriously, I blamed the godspark thing. I mean, the gods in mythology always seemed to have nothing better to do than party, war, and have orgies, right? Reel it in, Troy.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” I said abruptly, meeting White’s black eyes in the rearview. “You said someone was stirring things up, making this whole reveal thing way worse than it should be.”
He frowned and returned his attention to the road. “I’m fairly certain he’s responsible. Chaos and malcontent are his elements.” His gaze flicked to mine again. “Though I’m not entirely certain your people aren’t involved as well.”
I blinked at him stupidly. “My people?”
Orion’s soft voice still carried a hint of his seductive powers. Maybe that was what he was supposed to sound like when he was healthy, and not wasting away. “The gods,” he said, his light blue eyes on me once more.
I rolled my eyes. “Those aren’t my people.”
“They were once,” White said calmly. “But then...I forgot. You chose humans, didn’t you?”
I narrowed my eyes at him at the dagger-thrust of his words. When you abandoned me, his tone said.
“Not my fault someone drove me to it,” I muttered.
Rhys glanced at White, then turned around in his seat to look at me. “Can you two just not do this for like, one damned day?”
I turned my glare on him. “Careful whose side you take, vampire. I know where you sleep. Would make it really easy to stake you.”
One corner of his lips twitched. “So bloodthirsty.” Then he turned back around in his seat. “I’m not siding with an asshole demon,” he added, just for fun. “Can you imagine how much more intolerable he’d be if he thought anyone liked his pompous, overbearing ass?”
Derek didn’t even acknowledge the vampire’s insults. “Orion, please let the appropriate parties know our estimated arrival time.”
The incubus pulled a sleek phone from his pocket and set about calling the appropriate people in Ontonagon, ever the efficient secretary. My head hurt.
“You realize you didn’t really answer most of my questions, right?” I said to the dark-haired demon in the driver’s seat. “So, this other demon guy has some beef with you.” I glanced at Orion, then back at White, hoping my meaning was clear. “What are you going to do about it?”
How the fuck are you going to make sure that asshole doesn’t get his hands on our incubus again? Our incubus. Gods. My brain was rotting.
He snorted. “In case you have forgotten, my darling little human, I’m a demon. I’m more than capable of handling demon business. Apophis will be taken care of just as soon as we are home and the patients we’ve liberated are tended to.”
Fine. So he wasn’t going to elaborate or share any of his devious demon plans with me.
“You know, you might not even have these problems if you’d share information with people and ask for help. Do you always try to run everything on your own?”
Orion made a noise beside me that sounded a lot like a hastily covered laugh. White just kept that same haughty, unconcerned look on his stupidly attractive face. Attractive to my fist, maybe. I’d never wanted to hit someone quite so often or so hard as I wanted to hit Derek White on a regular basis.
It must be his demon nature rubbing off on me, making me more prone to violence and stupidity.
Once Orion finished his calls, we all lapsed into silence. I was lost in my own thoughts, trying to make sense of everything that was going on around and within me. I was pretty sure White was plotting someone’s death, judging by the way his square jaw clenched. Rhys pulled out his tablet and started honest to the gods grading papers. Chike curled up like the lithe, flexible thing he was and managed to fall asleep with his head on my shoulder.
At some point, my poor brain must have worn itself out with all the what-ifs and rumination. Or maybe from all the feeding demons. I woke in the still mostly-dark of early morning, confused at the brush of silk against my cheek. Then a gloved hand stroked my hair back from my face and I sat up, blinking. Orion’s blue eyes glowed faintly. “We’ve arrived,” he whispered, the tenderness in his expression making my heart stutter. Then he smoothed out his face, packed his feelings away, and glanced at his employer, ignoring the faint drool mark I’d made on his silk vest. “I will stay here and ensure everything is taken care of, if you wish to...proceed to more important matters.”
I looked around and realized we had parked outside the clinic. The bus was unloading its patients into the waiting arms of the sympathetic supe staff.
White nodded to Orion. “Thank you. Please let me know if there are any issues.” Then the incubus slid from the transport and disappeared into the building. I started to climb out the door after him, intent on helping with the patients, but Chike wrapped his hand around my wrist and stopped me. “Nope.”
I turned to look at him in confusion. “I can help soothe the patients while they settle in.”
“Shut the door, Miss Vindler,” White said firmly. “You don’t know how feeding an incubus may have effected your infant powers. You’re tired and lost in your thoughts. You won’t do any good here.”
I glared at him, yanking the door shut hastily when he started pulling away from the curb. “How do you know what good I can do? You’re not a fucking god, you know. And—surprise!—not everyone has to listen to your every command.”
He ignored me and spoke to Rhys instead. “I’ll drop you off at your home. Please be sure she rests. And keep your teeth to yourself, bloodsucker. She’s had enough of her essence siphoned off for one day.”
Rhys huffed. “I agree with Troy. Not everyone has to listen to you.”
The demon smiled a dark, menacing smile. “Not everyone. Just those who wish to continue to enjoy the protections of the city I built. And my continued tolerance for their existence.”
Rhys bared his fangs. “One day, demon, someone will knock you right off that damned high horse of yours.”
White just shrugged and something flashed in his eyes, something dangerous and wicked. Like he was issuing a challenge. “I look forward to the attempt.”
By the time we reached the bookstore, I was just so glad to be home that nothing else mattered. I glanced back at the transport as it pulled away from the curb. I needed to figure out how to handle my budding relationship with a repressed incubus while plotting to murder his asshole employer, and learn how to live with a growing godspark inside me. Oh, and there was that whole thing about a rampaging demon making humans and supes want to kill each other. But honestly? I just needed my warm bed and my guys wrapped around me for a few hours. Then, maybe some of Rhys’s homemade food.
I had priorities.
I managed to stumble my way upstairs and strip. Then I fell face first into my bed, snuggling under my puffy down comforter. Rhys chuckled, his deep, rich voice like music to my ears as he slipped off his shirt and pants. “And you wanted to stay and work at the clinic.”
I huffed into the blankets. “I would have. But I was declared useless. Might as well take what I can get.”
Chike lifted the blanket and slid in next to me, pulling me against his lithe body and stealing my heat. “I’m with you. Actually lying down to sleep instead of curling up in a stuffy car seems like a fucking amazing idea.” He nuzzled into the crook of my neck and shoulder, breathing in deep, even though I’m pretty sure after the bus explosion and all that, my gritty hair probably smelled awful.
Chike had discarded his pants, but he’d kept on his soft cotton t-shirt and his silky boxer briefs. With his smooth, shimmery skin and his long, sleek hair, cuddling him was the best kind of sensory overload. He was all softness and sea-scented magic. I squeezed him back and then relaxed into bliss. His soft lips pressed sleepy butterfly kisses to my throat, and I sighed in utter contentment, feeling the edges of our auras in a way I didn’t usually notice unless I was trying. My power brushed up against his, like stroking a soft, slinky cat. I felt so in touch with my power I wanted to purr.
Rhys slid in on my other side, wrapping a long arm around both of us and fitting himself to my back. His rainbow aura of accumulated energies joined the happy hum of power around us. The vampire pressed a lingering kiss on my shoulder, then my neck, and I tilted my head farther to the side in invitation. I wasn’t sure if he’d had any of the bagged blood White brought for him on our rescue mission. And besides, I knew he got more energy when he fed directly from the source. Something about life force and all that.
He sighed against my skin, moving his hand to caress my hip. “You’re still tired from feeding the incubus,” he said softly, but his lips still traced their way toward the vein in my neck.
I pushed my butt back against his hips, feeling the growing hardness between us. “Don’t care.”
Chike chuckled and pressed closer to my front, slipping a leg between mine as he ghosted a graceful caress up my ribs toward my breast. “Just do it, Fangy. You can take a little from her and then fill up from me.”
I felt Rhys shudder at the suggestion, and I knew that was exactly what he’d been hoping for. The vampire was always aroused when he fed, but he seemed to really enjoy the Troy-Chike combo platter. He said it had something to do with how our energies wove together. I don’t know. I wasn’t really listening too closely when he tried to explain it. All I knew was it was good for everyone—even better than if it was just me and the vampire alone, which was saying something.
Chike’s hand cupped my breast, and his soft lips met mine in a slow, sleepy dance as Rhys brushed my hair off my neck and gripped my hip, pressing closer. The prick of his fangs was a bright point of pain that quickly turned to liquid heat in my veins. His hand snaked downward to rub my clit in slow, languid circles as he pulled at my life force while Chike swallowed down each gasp and sigh from my lips.
Orgasm washed over me in slow waves, different from our usual passion, but sweeter somehow. Rhys lifted his head and Chike reached over me to offer his wrist. The vampire pressed a few soft, sweet kisses to the tender flesh of the siren’s inner arm, trailing downward toward the wrist, where the veins were more exposed. I wiggled closer to Chike, kissing along his collar bones, and snaking a hand between us to get a hold of his long, hard cock. I stroked him slowly, reveling in the soft moan that escaped him when Rhys bit down and started feeding. The siren’s head fell back, exposing the long, graceful column of his throat, and I traced my lips upward, nipping at the spot where Rhys would feed if he were at the mer’s throat. Chike gasped and shuddered, spilling over my hand as I helped Rhys wring the pleasure out of him.
Rhys was gentleman enough to get me and Chike cleaned up, since we were both just useless puddles of post-orgasmic bliss at the moment. Then he crawled back under the covers with us, and we all shared soft touches and sleepy kisses until we finally fell asleep.