9. ~Talon~

9

~Talon~

I’d known Orpheus had been bullshitting me earlier.

Normally, he would have been able to fool me, but his mind was elsewhere on a dozen different things, so he hadn’t been as on the ball as much as he usually was.

After I’d left his chambers and made my way back to mine, I’d caught sight of Professor Callum Cornwell making his way up toward Orpheus’ wing from the back corridor, trying to be stealthy about it. He probably would’ve succeeded if I hadn’t already been in a suspicious state of mind that had put me in a highly alert state.

As soon as I’d seen him nearing Ore’s territory, I’d put the pieces together all too easily. And then I’d called Alena.

I was done with this bullshit.

That fucker’s threats.

Ore capitulating to him in order to protect the three of us from Obsidian backlash.

I’d needed somebody who had great magical prowess who could both rival Cornwell’s power and Ore’s in case he objected and didn’t see what was really good for him—getting that shithead out of his vicinity going forward, ending their sick relationship.

Outside of burning the fucker to ash, or holding his power at bay, I couldn’t defeat him without severely harming him—or killing him—which would only make things worse.

But Alena could.

And, boy, had she!

I was as amazed as I was turned the fuck on by what she’d done.

And, yeah, I was also kind of taken aback too when she’d gone the dark route, the way she’d threatened him and what she’d threatened him with.

I hoped she’d just been playing it up for Cornwell’s benefit.

The last thing I needed was having to deal with another one of us about to make a dive into the darkness and become submerged.

I had enough with Orpheus.

At my suggestion, he’d been focusing on his magical map, fortunately, which had sublimated all of that for now.

But that wouldn’t last much longer, especially not after his father’s Commander arrived and filled in the rest of the intel for him.

Then it would move from intelligence and planning to taking dangerous action.

It was all Constantine’s fault. He’d triggered Ore’s dark side and after he’d taken that hit, Ore now obviously figured he needed to embrace that all the way in order to stand a chance against him the next time a battle raged between them—one Ore was gonna bring about in a bid to rescue his father.

And then there was X going dark in a whole other way.

I needed Alena not to be following the same path as Ore.

I needed somebody stable and steady beside me. I couldn’t hold all three of them at bay and keep them on the right side of things.

Yeah, sure, I believed Constantine needed to die. Of course I did, and not just because of what he’d done to me, taking my parents from me in the most brutal way imaginable, but because he was an irredeemable threat to all of us, and it had been proven that he couldn’t be caged for long.

But I didn’t believe in doing demented things along the way to achieving that. That sort of defeat was dark enough without all the rest—torture, doing sick things, getting a thrill out of it, and whatever the fuck. We needed to stay in full control and be strategic about it. Even I could recognize how imperative that was. I guess I’d come a long way, since I’d let go of a lot of my rage.

Or, things were so fucked-up that I was now the voice of reason. Maybe a bit of both.

As I looked between Alena and Orpheus, a shitload of sexual tension filled the air.

He smirked at her. “So, I’m yours, hmm?”

“You heard me right, little prince.” She turned to me. “You’re mine too, angry bird.”

I chuckled. “I’m liking that a lot.”

“As am I,” Ore spoke.

Alena was there then, fisting her hands in his tee, then jerking him down to her, getting him up nice and close. “Very bad prince playing with that snake of a professor.”

“I know we need to discuss what—”

She shoved him onto the bed with her angelic strength. “Talk later, we need each other now,” she uttered on a growl, before pouncing on top of him.

“Damn fucking straight,” I said, pulling my tank over my head as I made my way over there.

By the time I did, she was all over Orpheus, grinding her hot little body on him, fisting her hands in his hair and angling him how she wanted as she thrust her tongue down his throat.

Those sexy, throaty groans of his were spilling from him in moments.

I wrenched my pants and boxers off, completely stripped naked, as I climbed on the bed and joined Alena, slicking my tongue over Orpheus’ throat, before my tongue collided with theirs, the three of us kissing messily, slurping on one another and taking our fill.

Orpheus reached out and grabbed my nape, then shoved my face into Alena’s breasts.

I yanked down her bralette with my teeth, then sucked on her nipples, making her whimper in need for me. For us.

Ore jerked her kimono off, then his magic sparked, stripping off her shorts and panties too, leaving just her bralette pushed down beneath her breasts. I made quick work of that, calling my phoenix claws forth and slicing through it, nicking her on purpose in the process. A hiss sounded from her and then I was there slicking up the pearls of blood dripping down just beneath her breasts.

She threw her head back in rapture and started grinding roughly on Ore.

He shoved down his pants and then he ground with her, his cock gliding back and forth through her wet cunt, leaking all over his shaft deliciously.

I got low and leaned in, lapping at Ore’s shaft and her cunt as she slid down onto his cock nice and slow.

“Ah, fuck,” Ore choked.

I grinned at his reaction and Alena trembling, little moans spilling from her as I teased them both.

Then I lashed my tongue all over his balls as she started riding him.

He grabbed at the railings of the headboard, thrusting his hips and fucking up into her sweet cunt, losing his shit for us.

I fucking loved driving him crazy like this.

Every time her cunt came down, I started sucking on her lips and she trembled, clawing at her breasts, getting lost in the pleasure also.

“Ah, I’m gonna come!” she was crying out not long afterward.

“Yeah,” Ore grunted. “Drench my cock. Squeeze me like a vise with that tight, hot cunt.”

His dirty talk had my cock jerking with need.

And then she came, shuddering and screaming out, raking her nails down his chest, scoring red-raw marks down the length of it that had him hissing and clenching his fists around the headboard, clearly trying to hold off on coming.

As usual, he wanted to prolong the pleasure.

And I needed more.

I pulled away, then settled near her ass as she ceased her thrusts and she started kissing Ore sloppily, while he ground slowly into her over-sensitized cunt.

He caught sight of me, knowing me so well that he deduced what I was about to do.

Pulling from her kisses, he called out to me, “That’s right, show her what that magic tongue of yours can do.”

She went to look over her shoulder and that was when I did it, spreading her ass open, then burying my face in it.

She squealed as I ate her, licking, sucking, and nipping all around her sensitive hole.

It set her off again and she started fucking herself on Ore’s cock again.

When I eased my thumbs inside and spread her asshole open, she gasped and looked over her shoulder at me, eyes wide.

I spat inside and she squirmed.

“Fuck, yeah,” Ore uttered, as I did it again and again. “You feel it dripping inside you? You like that, dirty girl?” he teased her.

“Mmm… yes,” she breathed.

I dipped my finger inside and swirled it around, coating her walls and she bucked on my finger, pushing back against me, begging me for more.

Shit, yeah.

“Ah!” she screamed as I drove two fingers all the way inside, right to the last knuckles, then twisted them around.

I looked out at Ore, signaling him, and he grasped her hips, stilling her thrusting.

And then I lined my cock up and pushed inside her tight little ass.

She welcomed me easily and I slid deep within moments, the pressure on my cock fucking out of this world, especially with Ore already lodged deep in her cunt.

He released her hips and wrenched her down to him, locking his arms around her and trapping her to him. “You’re gonna take us, take it all as we use you, little angel.”

“Yes,” she choked. “Oh fuck. Fuck me.”

I loved how she was on the same page, right there with us, loving what we did with her and each other.

I pulled almost all the way out, then slammed in deep, eliciting a pleasurable scream from her as her whole body rocked into Ore.

He powered up into her and we worked in tandem, filling her, fucking her, damn well owning her together, until she was shrieking into Ore’s shoulder and biting down as she shuddered and tried to fuck back against us both even while Ore held her making her take it, something she was absolutely getting off on, no fucking question.

My balls were already drawing tight as it all took me over.

I picked up my pace, grunting and growling and scraping my nails down her back, then fisting her hair, losing my ever-loving shit.

Her whole body went rigid as she came, bucking against us wildly.

It took Ore over the edge and then he was roaring out into the room as he came inside her.

I couldn’t hold it, feeling his cock pulsing, seeing her dripping all over him.

“Shit, yeah,” I cried as pleasure engulfed me and I filled her ass.

As I pulled out, I wiped my cock over her cheeks, then leaned in and licked it all up.

She squirmed and moaned, and when I was done, I collapsed onto the bed beside Ore.

He lifted Alena off him and settled her down between us.

“Fucking shit,” I breathed.

As Ore gathered her closer, holding her against his chest, I noticed her shuddering.

He caught my eye and shook his head sadly.

And then I heard it.

Her muffled cries.

She was sobbing.

I sidled closer and stroked her hair and back. “Is this about X, darling?”

She nodded against Ore’s chest.

“It was our first time coming together without him,” Ore said to me. He held her tighter. “Little angel, he’ll come around. Don’t take what he said as being definitive.”

“Yeah, he’s just pushing you away because he’s trying to deal. He’s doing it to us, too. Won’t respond to our texts.”

She lifted her head a little, and as she looked between us, my gut twisted at her red, swollen eyes, the tears streaking her cheeks. “I don’t think his therapy is working. Before I left, all I heard for hours was him roaring through the house, completely enraged.”

“You were right,” I told Ore.

“Right about what?” Alena asked of my comment and the looks passing between us.

Ore told her, “He needs to let it out, to do what he fears. Teaching him to control it like I’m sure Wilhelm is doing is just going to reinforce that fear.”

“And stress him out, have him getting all up in his head.”

“They’re not gonna let him unleash like that, though,” Alena pointed out.

“But he could with us,” Ore said.

“He could with me ,” Alena returned.

“No. No way,” I spoke quickly.

“I can survive an attack. I can stop him.”

“You might not be able to survive it. Your human side is vulnerable to an attack from a rabid vampire, especially one like Xavier who’s never let go of his control,” Ore told her. “Besides, he’d never go for it. Not with you.”

“He’d never hurt you,” I emphasized. “Fucking ever.”

“But he would me,” Ore said. “Years of pent-up animosity of him not agreeing with harsh decisions I’ve made, stuff with you. I can trigger him to let go, and I can take a full-blown attack from him and allow him to let it all out over me.” He grimaced. “But that will have to be a recurring thing, because the fact is, without his magic he’s going to be like this constantly, reaching this point of frustration, desperation, and rage. Because he can’t accept a life without magic. I understand that more than most. My magic is the core of who I am. It’s my identity, my purpose, and my passion. It’s everything. Xavier and I share that understanding.”

Alena sat up, holding the covers to her naked body. “What if there was a way to get his magic back?”

“There is. Killing Constantine.”

“A shit-tastic tall order, Ore.”

“We need to put Obsidian into full effect,” he argued.

Alena shook her head. “There might be another way that doesn’t involve heavy casualties, which will be the result of any war we wage against him.”

We both stared at her in question.

She sucked in a breath, then revealed something awful, “He’s given me an in to get close to him. Very close. Once I’m in that position—”

“What in?” Ore interrupted, really fucking worried, mirroring my state of mind.

“Remember what he said during our battle?”

“How could we ever forget those creepy-ass words of his?” I said. “Him wanting all of us for different purposes involving whatever his crazy endgame is and then calling you his, saying he’d actually make you his.”

It was so fucked-up that Ore and I hadn’t even discussed it or given it breath.

It made it too real.

And the idea of her being taken away from us… it couldn’t be real. We wouldn’t allow it to be.

“Well, he came to me in a dreamscape to… enforce that. Like I said, I can get close to him and take him out.”

Ore sat up rigidly straight. “ Enforce. What does that mean? Did he attack you?”

“I don’t know. I mean… something happened. He said he’d stripped away everything else but my true wants and desires and then he… pleasured me.”

Ore jumped off the bed, dressing himself with his magic as he went. “He assaulted you!”

“No!” she cried, twisting to face him.

Ore looked at me, grimacing, matching my expression and the sickness I was feeling at hearing this.

And her reaction… she wasn’t recognizing it for what it was.

“Yes,” he told her firmly. “What he told you he was doing isn’t conducive to what happened. You’d still have had your wants and desires for us. There would have been conflict there. You wouldn’t have been able to succumb like it sounds like you did.”

“I did,” she admitted on a guilt-ridden murmur.

“It’s not your fault,” I told her.

“It’s his,” Ore seethed. “To create that… favorable… reaction in you, he would have been employing black magic to interfere with your free will. He would have been clouding your mind, essentially psychological reconditioning.”

“Brainwashing,” I added for simplicity.

“That means there wasn’t consent to be had. If you were fully human, it would have been like him using his vampiric mind control on you. It would have had the same effect.”

She started shaking her head vehemently. “No. I… it was me having a moment of weakness. He overwhelmed me and I gave into him. I made a mistake. I wanted it… him.”

Ore frowned at her. “You can’t stand being any sort of victim so much so that you’d rather we thought you cheated and also betrayed everyone by sleeping with the enemy?”

“Shut up!” she cried.

I went to her and reached out, taking her hand. “We’re just trying to help you understand what he really did, that you’re not at fault,” I told her gently.

“And that there’s no way in fuck you’re going anywhere near him again,” Ore growled. “He’s in your head. He’s still partially there. Refusing to acknowledge that he actually assaulted you, and forced you. Repeating that you should go to him, albeit under the guise of trying to kill him. It all adds up.” He stepped up to her. “Let me flush out the remnants he’s left you with.”

She jerked back from both of us. “You’re both overreacting. To everything.”

“Alena—”

“You don’t get it, Orpheus! I can take him out!”

“And how the fuck do you plan to do that? By the grace of the angels? A lucky break? Distract him while you somehow grab the Hellborn and run him through with it, all without his speed tripping you up and fucking up everything?”

“I can destroy dark magic!”

Ore’s eyes shot wide and he took a staggered step back.

“Holy shit,” I choked.

“No,” he kept saying, shoving his hand through his hair. “That can’t… it’s not… it’s unheard of.”

“So was a hybrid being not too long ago. So was there being a Dark Fae Prince with a secret heart of gold. A Nephilim with a dark side.” She sighed and revealed, “I found it out during my battle with him. I was destroying his stream of red magic.”

Pacing back and forth now, Ore murmured to himself, “This is why I was so drawn to you… that inexplicable pull… your odd ability to see my illusions from the outside… you were predisposed to be able to identify all dark magic so you can destroy it.” He raked his hand through his thick hair again. “This is incredibly dangerous.”

“Xavier was right!” she yelled, her anger sparking again so quickly. “He told me it was a bad idea to reveal this to you, that you’d freak and see it as a threat—see me as a threat!”

“X knows about this?” Ore asked.

“He saw me! He saw me and he didn’t react like this, thinking I’m dangerous now!”

“Alena, that wasn’t what I—”

“I don’t need your permission for anything!”

In the next second, she called her magic to teleport away.

Ore and I both darted forward to stop her, but she was gone too quickly.

“Shit,” I grunted.

“I didn’t mean that she was dangerous. I meant this development is dangerous for her,” Ore told me, looking distressed. I wasn’t surprised.

I laid my hand on his shoulder. “I know you did, brother.”

He cursed. “She’s not herself. He’s definitely inside her head.”

“But you can cast him out, right? When she calms down, I mean?”

“I can if he’s just using dark magic to establish the connection. I have enough power to overcome that. But if he’s using black magic, it’ll become dangerous. I’ll have to entertain the same. I can’t even try while she’s in such a state, though. She needs to be calm.” He paced back and forth, thinking. And then another curse left him, before he looked out at me. “We need to take this matter to Abigail.”

I started, absolutely stunned that he was willing to go that route, given everything.

“She’ll take Alena away.”

“The way things are, the longer Constantine has that connection with Alena, the deeper he’ll be able to burrow inside her head, and we’ll lose her anyway.”

Before anything more could be said, a whirring alert came through via the speakers throughout the Academy, stilling us both.

Then Dean Bronson’s voice sounded.

“This is an Onyx Alert. Constantine Vale and his army is on the move. The Oakley Coven has been decimated, along with the Wrightman Vampire Nest. All students are instructed to be on high alert. Lockdown protocol has been initialized. You are to remain inside the dome at all times and any special permissions have been cancelled effective immediately. We will keep you updated as more information reaches us. Be safe.”

“This is a distraction,” Ore surmised. “Neither of those targets are high-profile or key supernatural strongholds. It doesn’t make strategic sense from that point of view.”

“A distraction to what end?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. And being stuck here in lockdown really isn’t going to help to answer that question.”

“Now the Commander won’t be able to make it out here. Fuck, Ore, I’m so sorry. With the level of this alert, the whole of the supernatural world will also be taking up battle stations, so he won’t be able to even reach out to you at all.”

“I’ll find another way. I’ll get my father back. And I won’t stop until I do.”

A dark look flitted across his face and I grasped his shoulder, pulling him back to me.

“Please, Orpheus, don’t go dark. With Alena and Xavier pulling away from us, I can’t take it if you do this. I need you, brother. I fucking well need us.”

He laid his hand on mine. “I need you too. I won’t leave you. Ever.”

The fact that he’d uttered those words, that promise, was a major deal.

And I really wanted to believe he could live up to it.