"I swear to Gaia, Taryk, you don't step on the fucking gas, I'm going to pitch you out of this van and run you over," I snarled at him. The snail's pace we were traveling to the agreed upon address to get Kiema was rubbing against my nerves like sandpaper. "And what if someone else is there waiting? Slow and steady wi - ""Finish that sentence and die."He clamped his mouth shut, swallowed. "Good man." I looked out the side window. Barely any light could be seen down any of these streets. And yet you wanted him to plow down these streets like a maniac? He could hit Kiema. I shrugged off the cooler, calmer me. I'd thank the man later. When I had Kiema back. When she was safe. "What the fuck is that?" Taryk asked as he stepped on the brakes. The van rocked to a gentle stop as the block ahead of us erupted into full daylight. I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach. "That's her. It's going to fucking be her.""Not sitting, Ransom. She's not fucking sitting for a month.
The thing that was Asta held the now eviscerated Ferria by the neck. Ferria's entrails were dangling from the open gash in her belly. At least she wasn't still picking at herself. I felt the push and pull of magic as Ferria's body sack expanded to almost four times its regular size. Asta pulled it on like a sweater. As her head popped through Ferria's neck, I felt my gorge rise.Like she was pulling a snagged thread from a sweater, Asta yanked on Ferria's spine. The length of connected bones rattled in the still air. Asta threw it down to the ground and kicked it aside. Ferria's head tipped back to make room for Asta's head where the neck used to be. With a casual tug, Ferria's legs came off with a pulpy sounding snap. Asta, giggling now, pulled Ferria's legs on like pants. She danced a little jig in the street. At the end, Asta wiggled her fingers in the air. Ferria's hands flapped in the wind like attached mittens. I could feel my stomach trying to escape through my
Of course, my mate is fucking crazy. Why wouldn't she be? I pushed the man who was cradling her to one side. He snarled at me as honest to Gaia smoke filtered from his nose and mouth. I stared in shock. Shook it off. "I can help her. I'm her mate. Give her to me." I reached for her. "I'm her mate, too. And if you try to take her from my arms, I'll rip yours off and beat you to death with them," he said. His eyes flickered from green/gold and vertical to brown and round like watching a coin spin on the table. I'd have to take the risk. Pulling Kiema into my arms, I curled around her. Saying the ancient words, I felt her sputtering spark of magic ignite once more into a steady flame. "I need everyone to touch some piece of her. All of you," I said around clenched teeth. I hadn't expected to need this spell, but I'm glad my father forced me to learn it. "When I say so, everyone needs to dribble some blood on the ground. I don't care how you do it, but it needs to hit the
"Little sister, you have your family concerned," Anda said as she appeared in my spirit landscape. "I know. And it breaks my heart, but I can't get back to them. I don't know how, all my doors are locked." I blew the handful of grass I'd ripped from the earth into the air. An invisible breeze caught the blades and danced them towards the forest. "And you just sit here and give up? You let them grieve you when you are not yet gone?" She sat beside me, her magic looking like a dark purple dress that lay in layers of gossamer fabric around her. "I don't know how to get back to them. It's like I'm trapped in here."Anda scoffed. "Little sister. You just battled Asta and you think your magic traps you? Perhaps you are just afraid because you were losing." She looked around the backyard of my cabin. "This is not your coffin. Rise up, take your rightful place in the universes."I shuddered. "Just the fact that you said universes makes me want to vomit."She laughed, elbowed me
Just as I was giving up hope of ever getting Kiema back, she sprang up into a seated position. Her eyes were flooded with tears as she curled in on herself. "She's gone. She's gone."The dipshit that had stolen Kiema from me the first time thought to reach for her first. An elbow point to his temple had him going to sleep. He would get his turn after Ransom and I had ours. Gathering Kiema into my arms, I curled around her, rocked her. "Who's gone, honey?""A-A-Anda. She gave me her power because I was locked away in the..." the rest of her words trailed off into incoherent sobs. The love of my life shuddered in my arms, breaking my heart with the sorrow pouring off of her. "Gaia's shitballs," the new male said. He must have a crazy hard head to be awake after the blow I dealt him. His deep voice distracted me from Kiema. I snarled at him without turning around. "Where the fuck have you all been hiding?" he asked in a scratchy voice. His voice pulled like rough velvet ov
"Is she going to be okay?" I asked Asher after he'd turned back into his human form. "Kiema?"He turned as he pulled his shirt over his head. "I knew who you meant, Cherry. And yeah, the guys will take care of her.""I feel like I should be with her." I rubbed a hand over my arm. Something felt like it was prickling under my skin. "Doing something for her.""What would you do?" he asked as he joined me on his couch.I shrugged. "I have no idea. I've never been around someone who's lost someone like that."He chuckled. "I'm pretty sure none of us have. Asta was a bitch of the highest order before she started wearing humans as winter coats. One thing I know about my little sister though: give her time. She'll share when she's ready."Another prickle surged under my skin. I nodded. "Okay."We sat there in silence for a while. It was nice to be around someone else, even if just sitting in the quiet. "I don't know if I've said it yet, but I really am sorry for how I acted w
I threw my clothes off like my body was on fire and Cherry was my extinguisher. I was all up in her business the nanosecond I was bare naked. I chuckled. More like bear naked. Our kiss turned from loving to a clash of lips and teeth as a low moan slid from her sexy pink mouth. Her head tipped back as I nibbled my way down her neck. The wavering, pulsing brand on her chest...I traced it with my tongue. One of the points was directing me to her right nipple. I had to follow its demand. Wrapping my tongue around the hard point, I rolled it with my tongue. Taking the sensitive nub between my teeth, I flicked my tongue over the tip as fast as I possibly could. "Switch," Xander called. I almost pouted as I handed her over, but I was so fucking excited she was mine, ours, that I didn't mind. Too much.I helped Cherry climb into Xander's arms. As she got settled, I ran my hands over all of her skin I could touch. It was as smooth as silk and made my mouth water. I leaned forward and
"How many was that, honey? I think you stopped counting," I called to my restrained mate. Her ass was the prettiest shade of pink. Her pussy was dripping her cream all over my sheets. "Of course, I stopped counting. You kept starting over at one, you demon." She wiggled her ass at me. I smacked it again. Her muscles bucked and jumped under my hand. "Fuck that's hot," Kord said from the couch. Hearing his voice had me turning to look over at him. He'd been invited to stay. Kiema hadn't let him participate. I smiled as I remembered what she'd done as we pushed through the door up to my level. I'd smothered a laugh as she'd glared at Kord and said, "You know what you did, you asshat." She pointed to the couch. "Maybe if you aren't a bitch, you'll get to play next time."He'd opened his mouth to argue, shut it when she glared harder at him. He had trudged to the couch, his head hanging low. He'd gotten on the couch and blatantly turned to watch us.I barely knew the man