Chapter 40

OncetheAlliancepeople finished talking with my houseguests and left, I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I still had a nagging feeling that there was more going on there than I realized, but for now I could breathe easy knowing I wasn"t about to be arrested and that this was the last we"d see of the oh-so-charming field mage number 3765 and her partners. I could get back to more important things. Like destroying the bestiary. And finding a way to save Elijah.

I had just let Dyre out of his closet hidey-hole. But I got the feeling the necromancer wasn"t feeling up to talking about spellwork at the moment. He had looked even paler than usual, and his hands shook when he pushed the dark red hair back off his sweaty brow. I felt kind of bad. I hadn"t realized he was quite so scared of the Supernatural Alliance. He looked slightly traumatized. He had brushed past me and muttered something about food and sleep to restore his powers before we got back to work.

I didn"t push him.

I was headed to the workroom to review what notes we had gathered so far, when a strong arm wrapped around my waist and dragged me to a halt. I gripped Zhong"s smooth gray forearm and blew out a puff of air, attempting to get my hair out of my face. "What now?"

He chuckled softly and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "You were going to go back to work, weren"t you?"

I turned in his arms, relaxing into his embrace a little, even though I knew I should be focused on the bestiary. It was kind of rare for Zhong to assert himself this way. I should enjoy it while I could. "Of course," I answered him honestly. "You"ll all be safer once that thing is destroyed."

"I"m sure you"re right," the big gargoyle said, slowly dragging me down the hall toward my bedroom. "But you"re no use to anyone when you"re tired and stressed. Come relax for a bit." His yellow eyes met mine, and I didn"t miss the yearning and vulnerability there. "Let me take care of you, Andy. Just for a little while. I"m not as strong magically as the others. And the research you"re doing now is way over my head. This is the only way I know how to help."

I laughed as he dragged me into the room and closed the door. But my laughter trailed off when I saw Niamh sitting on the edge of my bed. She gave me a little smirk and I glanced between the two of them. Suspicious? Just a bit. "Hi?" I said warily.

Niamh"s smirk grew into a full-on lusty smile. "Hi." Then she stood and crossed the room to stand in front of me, so I was trapped between her and Zhong. "I knew you"d listen to the big softie here before you"d ever listen to me." Her hands came to rest on my hips. "It"s been a while since we spent time together," she said softly. But her voice wasn"t sad or pleading, it was the soft purr of a hunter, of a predator with prey in its sights. I had just been expertly trapped.

She slid her hands under my shirt, nimble fingers finding my insertion site and disconnecting my insulin pump. It was touching, how she thought of it in the moment. How she had been eager to learn about this so early on and knew what buttons to press to suspend my insulin deliveries before she set it aside on the nightstand. Her smile this time was softer as she stepped close.

I returned her smile, tilting my head back to accept her slow, thorough kiss. She molded her lean body to mine, and I pressed into her taller frame, loving the contrast between us, as always. Niamh was beautiful and strong, feminine still, but with that sort of energy you"d expect from a warrior queen, rather than a soft, sweet little thing. At first, I"d been a little intimidated by being with her, since I was so not that kind of woman. But somehow, we fit together, without me ever feeling like my particular brand of womanhood was better or worse than her own. There was no comparison between us. Just mutual appreciation. My arms went around her neck, and I pressed my generous breasts against her pert curves before trailing my lips down the long, graceful line of her neck to nibble at her collarbone.

Zhong pressed close to my back, a massive, solid wall of granite-like muscle and masculine strength. But he was patient, not pushing us or asking for more. His big hands moved unobtrusively from around my waist, getting out of Niamh"s way. Pulling away from my fae, I leaned back into the gargoyle, telling him without words not to leave us.

Niamh took the opportunity to rid me and herself of our clothes, alternating hot, open-mouthed kisses and sharp nips of her little fae fangs against my skin as she went. Zhong cupped my breasts from behind, caressing and kneading, pressing them upward like an offering to my fae lover as he nuzzled along my neck, his thick erection pressing against my ass through his pants.

Niamh had never really shown an interest in the men around us, but she didn"t shy from Zhong"s help, her hands covering his as she bent to suckle at my breasts. I tangled my hands in her soft, wavy golden-brown hair and tilted my head back against Zhong"s broad chest, moaning my approval.

I lifted my head when I felt another presence in the room. Sensing that I had noticed him, Elijah slowly made himself visible, his wispy form barely there. "I"m sorry, Andy," he whispered in his hollow voice. "I only meant to speak with you about the book, but…."

I held out a hand. "Come here, spook. You know you"re always welcome."

Zhong lifted his head as the ghost merged with my aura, joining with me in the voluntary possession that was the only way we could touch. "Elijah?" the gargoyle asked, searching my eyes for some sign of the other presence inside me.

I nodded. "He"s here, but I"m still me."

Zhong smiled softly. "You"re both so sweet."

I snorted at that. "I think the word you"re looking for is depraved. Kinky maybe?"

Niamh took my hand and drew me to the bed, but I felt Elijah"s insecurities and worry rise up inside me. It shouldn"t surprise me, the way he always thought of others, but still, he managed to catch me off guard sometimes. Niamh crawled up onto the bed, tossing me a sly look as she half-reclined against the headboard, drawing one strong, graceful hand up the inside of her thigh in invitation.

I flushed, my skin warming all over at the sight of that beautiful body and the want in those sparkling green eyes. But Elijah"s worries were still loud in my head. I sighed, crawling onto the bed to kneel between Niamh"s long legs. "Elijah, it"s fine," I said aloud.

Niamh tilted her head curiously and I waved a hand. "He doesn"t want you to be uncomfortable. Because he"s here with me, feeling what I"m feeling. Doing what I"m doing. And he"s a man when you"re clearly more into women."

Niamh chuckled softly. "You"re right, Elijah. I"m not really attracted to dicks. But I have absolutely no objection to watching Andy with the others. I can appreciate beauty when I see it. And watching Andy find her pleasure will never not be hot." She winked, then her voice softened, a bit more serious as she looked through me to Elijah. "You"re a good friend, ghost. I respect you and I know you respect me. I"m not repulsed by the idea of making love to you—it"s just the physical bits that you don"t currently have that I don"t find interesting." She chuckled. "You"re riding along in a very attractive female body at the moment. You"re fine. More than fine. I want to make love to you, Elijah. I just happen to find you far more attractive without a dick."

I felt Elijah"s amusement burble up alongside my own. Yeah. Niamh had a different way of looking at the world. Fae in general were more accepting of things that didn"t fit into black and white categories. She was a creature who was strongly attuned with nature. And mother nature didn"t really care about the how and why of things, only that you lived in harmony with your needs and desires.

"Told you," I muttered to my ghost hitchhiker.

Zhong moved to kneel on the bed behind me, sliding one big hand over my ass as he shyly spoke up. "What about you, Elijah?" he asked, his deep, rumbly voice barely a whisper. "Do you prefer women? Is it strange for you when I make love to Andy while you"re there, making love with us?"

I turned my head enough to see the faint pink blush that tinged his grey marble cheeks. Zhong might be embarrassed, but he wasn"t a coward. As usual, he found a way to push past his fear and say what needed to be said. I felt what Elijah was feeling, and I spoke without needing him to give us words. "I think he has a crush on you, Zhong. Doesn"t bother him at all to know what it"s like to fuck you."

If Elijah"s emotions could be put into actions, he"d be hiding his face in his hands at my bluntness right now. But I wasn"t wrong.

Zhong smiled and touched my face, drawing his fingers along my cheek to cup my jaw as he turned me even further, so he could kiss me. Us. "I"ve never been with a man before, um…physically. But I like the idea of you with us, Elijah. I liked it when you joined us…before."

Then his lips were covering mine, soft at first, questioning. I kissed him back with all my pent-up passion. Then I pulled back mentally, seeing if I could leave some room….

Elijah"s soft surprise and warm joy suffused me as he joined us in the kiss, the three of us working together. I pulled away, breathless and giddy with anticipation. Turning, I slid my hands up Niamh"s silky, muscular thighs, leaning forward to kiss her, sharing that same breathless wonder with Elijah again. Her lips were softer on mine, but she caught my bottom lip between her teeth, the points of her fangs digging in, but not breaking the skin. A jolt of pleasure shot through me, and I slid lower, pausing to worship her perfect tits, trailing kisses lower, to the vee of her legs. I braced myself on my knees and elbows, moaning against Niamh"s sensitive folds as I felt Zhong"s thick fingers stroking me from behind.

The gargoyle"s big fingers stretched me, pumping in and out as he caressed my hip and ass, bending to press a kiss to the center of my back. Niamh"s fingers curled into my hair, pulling me closer, her hips arching to meet me as I swirled my tongue around her clit. Then Zhong slowly, steadily pressed his massive cock into my pussy.

He paused, giving me time to adjust. But I pushed back against him, egging him on, urging him to not be careful and polite, even if I knew he could destroy me with that cock and that gargoyle strength. I felt the rush of air as his wings unfurled, arching outward, then curling in around us as he pressed in deep. I moaned against Niamh"s sensitive skin.

Elijah"s pleasure was there too, merging with my own, urging me on and driving my own pleasure even higher. I let him in, let his will and my own merge, no longer making any effort to figure out which actions were my own and which were his. We gasped when Zhong pulled out and pressed back in. We reveled in the taste and the musky scent of the beautiful fae woman coming apart under us, elven curses spilling from her beautiful lips as we worked two fingers inside her while still flicking our tongue over her clit.

The tug of Niamh pulling our hair sent another jolt of pleasure rocketing through us, joined by the ragged sound of Zhong"s breathing as he picked up his pace.

Elijah became enraptured by the way my heavy breasts swung and bounced with Zhong"s every deep thrust, the way that thick cock dragged against my g-spot and made me see stars. Niamh was making little mewling sounds now, begging for more. We latched onto her clit and sucked hard, curling our fingers inside her, and she clenched around our fingers, head thrown back and skin flushed as she came.

The sight and feel of her pleasure made my own walls clench around Zhong and I cried out as my own orgasm burst over me. Zhong rode it out, wringing pleasure from me with long, slow thrusts. Elijah"s bliss and my own combined to make me dizzy.

Then Niamh was pulling away, crawling off the bed. "Stop for a second," she said to the gargoyle behind me. Her wicked smirk was the hottest thing I"d ever seen as she crooked a finger at me. "Come here, Andy."

Zhong wrapped an arm around me and lifted me off the bed with ease, like I weighed nothing, before setting me down on my feet beside the bed. I looked at Niamh in confusion for a second before she drew me into a deep, hot kiss. She cupped my breasts, gently pinching my engorged nipples before pulling away to kneel.

Oh.

Yes, please.

Niamh urged my leg up, guiding my knee to the bed behind her, exposing me, but also letting me support myself. Her green eyes twinkled up at me, full of mischief and lust before she leaned in, dragging her tongue over my aching folds and zeroing in on my clit.

Zhong moved behind me, wrapping an arm around me and nearly lifting me onto my toes as he teased me, dragging the head of his cock through my folds, and upward to tease my ass. He managed to be patient while Niamh drove me toward another orgasm. But it was obvious that his towering height had ruined the fae"s plans. Zhong was too tall to fuck me from behind while we were both standing.

Niamh pulled back at the last minute, leaving me at the brink panting and cursing. She looked around the room, then pointed to a stool. "Bring that over here by the rug."

Zhong did as he was told, positioning his prop so Naimh could save her knees by staying on the rug by the bed. Then the gargoyle sat and pulled me into his lap, my back to his chest. That huge cock slid inside me, and I scrabbled to keep my feet on the floor. I wasn"t small, and I certainly wasn"t very bendable. But Zhong was strong enough to support us both. He draped my legs over his thighs, spreading his knees to spread my legs so I was helpless and exposed, impaled on his dick, leaning back against his chest, the front of my body on display.

Niamh smiled like a cat about to pounce on her prey. "Oh, that"s more like it."

Then, they got back to making me lose my mind. Elijah"s gleeful humor and rising lust was palpable inside me as Niamh knelt between our legs and worked my clit with her talented mouth while Zhong thrust up into me from underneath. I couldn"t really move, couldn"t do anything but cling to Zhong"s wrists as he guided my hips, moving me up and down his massive length while Niamh worked my clit with her clever tongue.

The noises I made were ridiculous. I will blame that on Elijah until my dying day.

I wasn"t used to being so out of control in my sexual encounters, but between this manhandling and the dangerous games I played with Aahil, I was seriously forging some new territory. The pleasure built with every deep thrust and every hot flick of Niamh"s tongue. The fae reached up to play with one of my breasts, never stopping her torture while Zhong did his best to split me in half.

I curled forward, releasing my grip on Zhong"s wrists to grasp onto the base of Niamh"s antlers to keep her in place as I came so hard I forgot my own name.

Zhong grunted, the deep, gravely sound so desperate that it sent another pulse of pleasure through me as he slammed me down on his cock and bit my shoulder. I felt him pulsing inside me as he came, and fuck me, if I hadn"t been so utterly wrung out, that sensation would have had me ready to go again in an instant.

Thank the goddess that my gargoyle was strong enough to get us both up, clean, and to the bed, because I was pretty sure my legs wouldn"t work. As I stretched out between Zhong and Niamh, Elijah gently detached from my aura, flowing from me reluctantly to hover over me. He was more solid-looking than he had been in a long time, so much that I could make out a hint of his handsome, angelic features as he rippled in the air above me, settling over me like a lover with is head on my solar plexus.

I reached out a hand impulsively, wishing I could run my fingers through his hair and feel him there, his racing heartbeat slowing alongside my own as we came down from the euphoria of good sex. But almost corporeal as he may be, Elijah was still a ghost. My powers and his allowed me the barest cool sensation of touch as my fingers slid through his translucent essence. Those bright blue orbs of angel magic burned up at me from where his eyes should be. I knew he was thinking the same thing, yearning for touch as much as I yearned to touch.

And yet he was resigned to fading away. I had to destroy the bestiary to make sure no one ever used it against the others again. But if I did that, his tether would be broken. He"d be gone forever.

"I"ll find a way," I said suddenly.

Zong and Niamh didn"t seem confused or surprised. Niamh squeezed my hand where she was curled up on her side next to me. My head was pillowed on Zhong"s shoulder, and he pressed a soft kiss to my temple. "Of course you will," he said at once.

But Elijah just flickered for a moment before he disappeared entirely.

He didn"t believe I could save him. He had already accepted his fate.

"That"s bullshit," I muttered. "You hear me, Elijah?" I yelled, hoping to reach him wherever he"d gone. "You"re not going anywhere! I"m a goddamned Lovell. Death is nothing to us!"

We all ignored my tears as Zhong and Niamh bundled me under the covers and held me until I finally fell asleep.