11. Brax

ELEVEN

BRAX

Ican see her pain, feel her anguish, and if I lean in close, run my nose up the column of her throat, I’m certain I’ll catch the scent of rage at the world crumbling around us. It has me twisted up inside. Everything is going to complete shit, but that’s my life, it’s always been a downward spiral. Raven, though, she doesn’t deserve this and I don’t know how to fix it.

Wordlessly, we step through my gateway and into our lounge, misery clinging to the air around us. Raven takes a seat on the sofa, a sigh parting her lips as her head falls into her hands. I hate her feeling like this, but even more so, I hate her wallowing in it. She might not be, but the knot forming in my chest tells me otherwise and I can’t shake the feeling. Which can only mean one thing.

I need to do something about it.

She needs a distraction. Fuck, we all do. Ari isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and our first point of contact needs to be Professor Figgins, who isn’t going to be so easily accessible over the weekend, so we’re at a standstill.

Creed flops down onto the opposite sofa, directly facing Raven with his own quiet look, which I know will be linked to his father on top of all this. I don’t know how I would feel if I found out my father was a weapon for the enemy after believing him to be dead, and I’m not going to try to, but I know he needs us right now. Eldon slumps down beside Raven, his hand stroking up and down her spine comfortingly, while Zane paces back and forth, running his hands through his hair. He’s a solver, too, but the puzzle laid out before us isn’t easy.

Feelings and emotions are all tangled and I sure as shit don’t know how to handle my own, nevermind anyone else’s.

My hands clench at my sides, irritation creeping through my bones at the unsolvable situation placed before me. We’ve spent all week running on adrenaline under Erikel’s new rule and I want to forget about it all. I want all of us to.

“We can’t just sit here worrying all weekend,” Zane blurts, and I cock a brow and fold my arms over my chest as I stare at him, waiting for him to continue. This fucker is going to think out loud and I’m intrigued to hear what he has to say. He paces back and forth a few more times before raking his fingers through his hair as he spins to a stop. “I can reach out to my Pops and see what he knows on his end with regards to… all of this,” he rambles, throwing his arms out to the side. “But I don’t think our lives are going to magically go back to how they were over the weekend.” He sighs, his mind going a mile a minute as his brows furrow.

“Or…” The encouragement comes from Raven, who looks at him with a hopeful glint in her blue eyes.

“Or we forget all of this bullshit, like literally, and just fucking be us without worrying for the rest of the weekend, or until the end of today at least.”

We all stare at him in surprise as he nods lightly, as if his own words are fueling his decision to push for the latter. Which actually does sound appealing. But even I know that I can’t be selfish with the decision-making here; really, it has to come down to Raven and Creed. Raven more than Creed from my standpoint, but only because she does things to my fucking soul, and I’m a sucker for her mere existence.

“When you say forget…” she breathes, staring at Zane with a hint of wonder mixed with uncertainty drifting in her eyes.

“I mean, make Creed work his magic,” he explains, tapping at his temple. “I know it’s not as simple as that, and we wouldn’t want to leave ourselves exposed, but I like the thought of having nothing to worry about when we’re so helpless right now.”

Pursing my lips, I consider the bigger picture. What would we need in order to do this?

The house would need to be on lockdown. We wouldn’t be able to go outside, not even into the yard, that’s vulnerable. The memory of the Guild taking us only a few weeks ago is a stark reminder.

“What does everyone else think?” Raven asks, pulling me from my thoughts, and that’s an instant tell that she wants to do this.

“I think we could make it work for the day,” Creed answers, and a shimmer of excitement seems to spread across her face.

“What do we need to do?” she continues, bracing her elbows on her knees as she looks at each of us, making sure she has all of our attention.

“Brax,” Eldon calls, nodding at me like he knows damn well I’ve already started to go over all of the aspects.

“We can’t leave the house, not even to the back yard,” I state, pointing to the full glass wall. “I would also tint them for the entire time, just to be safe, and I would place two gateways at both entry points so if someone did manage to get in, they would be transported somewhere else the moment they crossed the threshold.”

“What else?” Zane asks, a grin spreading over his face at the fact that his plan is coming together.

“One of us will have to remember, because I don’t think Creed’s magic comes with a timer.” I look to Creed and he nods in agreement. “But otherwise, I think we’re covered. We’ll still have our magic if anything becomes a problem.” I shrug, failing to downplay the hint of excitement flowing through my veins. “I’ll also be the one to remember.”

Zane claps his hands before rushing across the room and slapping me on the back. “You’re awesome, man.”

I roll my eyes at him. I don’t care if anyone thinks I’m awesome.

That’s a lie. I care if she does. I just don’t like leaving myself exposed.

“So we’re doing it,” Raven murmurs, lacing her fingers together in her lap.

“If that’s what you want, Shadow.”

Her eyes meet mine, a slow smile trailing over her lips as she nods. “Just for today, I want to forget all of our problems.”

“And what are we going to do instead, Little Bird?” Eldon asks, tucking a loose tendril of hair behind her ear.

“Eat, laugh, and fuck.”

Raven’s headfalls back against the sofa as she laughs wholeheartedly from her belly. It’s so intoxicating I’m close to grinning along with her, but I catch myself at the last second. I’m happy to admire her from afar right now.

My cock doesn’t like that decision, though. Nor does it like the fact that I declared delayed gratification on her sweet pussy until Sebastian is dead. Even now, I’m wondering if I overshot my mouth, but fuck, I won’t go back on my word.

Lacing my fingers together, I brace my elbows on my knees and keep my gaze fixed on her. None of them are aware of the troubles swirling around us, none of them seem to know anything else exists except the five of us in here, and it’s almost… serene.

I’ve done security checks on all the entry points and triple-checked my gateways as discreetly as possible, so I don’t burst their bubble. They were occupied with baking cakes and eating pizza earlier, but now they’re relaxing on the sofa like we’re normal. This is probably the hardest I’ve ever had to blend in before in my life, but it’s still amusing to watch.

“I bet you’ve never embarrassed yourself with your magic,” Raven says with a soft chuckle, pointing at Eldon, who just recalled the time she made food with her magic and forgot to create the plate for it.

“Please, I’ve embarrassed myself more times than I care to admit,” he retorts, his gaze drifting to mine, and I shake my head, fighting off another grin. “Tell her, Brax. Tell her it’s true.”

Raven’s bright blue eyes swoop my way, eager to hear the story to back up Eldon’s words, and I’m a sucker to deny her, even if it embarrasses me too. “There was the time he wanted to go swimming and he was adamant he could figure out our swimwear,” I state, making Zane chuckle as he sits on the floor by Raven’s feet.

“Please tell me you flashed everyone, because that would be priceless and I would need to see a reenactment,” Raven giggles, and I shake my head, wishing that’s what it was.

“We wish,” Creed says with a smirk as Eldon swipes a hand down his face to try and hide his pink cheeks. “Instead, Eldon had been fixated on the popular girl at school in her little pink two-piece, and the next thing we know, we’re all fucking wearing them as well.”

Raven claps a hand over her mouth, attempting to smother the burst of laughter on her tongue, but it’s impossible. Amusement swirls around the room, intoxicating each of us as she laughs at our expense.

“Wait, how old were you guys?” Raven asks, looking specifically at Eldon.

“How old? Dove, it was less than twelve months ago. None of us get our powers until we’re eighteen,” Zane explains, and I watch as Raven’s lips purse.

“Do I know her?”

The four of us look at Raven in confusion. “Know who?” Eldon asks, his hands no longer hiding his face.

“The girl.”

It takes me a second to understand where she’s going with this, and I decide to keep my mouth shut and enjoy the front-row seat to Eldon fucking it all up for himself.

“Dotty Bramwell.”

“Does Dotty go here too?” I can practically taste Raven’s jealousy, and the strength it takes to bite back my smile gets harder and harder with every passing second.

“Does it matter?” I ask, earning a deathly glare from my pink-haired shadow as I stoke the fire brewing before me. But before she can answer, Zane cuts in.

“Dotty died the first week of having her powers,” he admits, and Raven’s eyebrows shoot up to her hairline. I watch the slight cringe as she looks down at her lap, likely feeling foolish for being so green with jealousy just moments earlier.

“Now I feel bad.” Raven pinches the bridge of her nose, instantly flustered, and I’m just as quickly irritated by the fact that it’s completely uprooted the lighthearted vibe that was rocking the room.

Maybe I should have stepped in earlier and redirected the conversation before her jealousy got so potent, but it’s too late to change that now. What I can do is redirect everything from now on so it doesn’t continue to gut my good mood.

I cut the distance between us in three strides, eating up the space just as hungrily as I want to feast on her.

“I didn’t think green was your color, Shadow,” I breathe, crouching in front of her.

She rolls her eyes, knowing exactly what I’m talking about. “It isn’t.”

“Are you sure about that? It’s shimmering in your eyes, and I’m certain the ends of your hair are changing too,” I tease. Her pout and forced glare send a jolt of desire to my cock, fueling the embers already burning with need for her.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her splayed pussy ever since she agreed to forget all of her troubles while demanding food, fun, and fucking. My three new favorite words that all begin with an f.

“You’re an ass, Brax.”

I smirk at her poor attempt to snap at me, which only irritates her more. I think I like driving her crazy just as much as I enjoy hearing her scream. I want to hear the latter. It just can’t be at my touch. That’s not going to make this any less fun at all.

Planting my hands on both of her thighs, I squeeze, making her glare narrow even further. “Do you want me to spank your ass and see if you want to call me that again?”

She leans forward, jutting her chin up as a flicker of defiance shines in her eyes. “I said, you’re an ass, Brax.”

“Ohh, someone’s feisty today,” Zane says with a snicker as I swoop my hands to her hips and flip her over, earning me a yelp.

Her ass is up in the air, her face smushed into the back of the sofa, and my cock is hard as hell. Before she can come at me with that tongue of hers again, I slap my palm against the globe of her ass. The sweet sound of her muffled groan has me shaking my head in disbelief.

She’s an enigma. A teasing, wanton little brat who wants me to fucking spank her just as much as I want to do it.

“That sound is from the soundtrack of my dreams, man,” Eldon states, a moan lilting his voice as Raven pushes off the cushions to smirk over her shoulder at us.

She’s our undoing. There are no truer words than that. But if she thinks I’m going to play her game where she acts like a brat and gets what she wants, then she’s in for a surprise. Squeezing her thighs, I lean forward and sink my teeth into her ass cheek, just deep enough to force a squeak of surprise from her before I rush to my feet and take a step back.

The pout is right back on her lips and I smirk. “What do you want, Raven?”

“To come.” Her response is immediate, along with the shake of her hips.

“Do you want everyone all at once or one after the other?”

Her eyes widen, her jaw going slack as she drags her gaze from Creed to Eldon, then Zane, before settling back on me. “Two at a time,” she finally answers, cocking her brow.

Of course, she had to throw another scenario at me. The challenge is clear in her crystal blues, but that will work in my favor too. With a sweep of my hand, her clothes are gone, along with my own, and her eyes quickly drift to my cock that stands prominent and eagerly pointing in her direction.

“If you don’t let me join in on this one, I’m going to come before I get a chance,” Zane states, stepping forward with his clothes completely gone too, and protection secured around his dick.

Nodding, I turn my attention back to Raven. “On the coffee table,” I order as I step toward the wooden furniture. It’s the perfect height.

I expect another bout of defiance from her, but to my surprise, she rises to her feet, swooping her hair into a hair tie as she sways her hips with every step. Without any further commands, she climbs onto the table on all fours, looking up through her lashes at me with need shining in her eyes.

Taking two steps, I stand right in front of her, the curve of her lips perfectly in line with my dick as I wrap my fingers around my length. Her eyes track every move as I notice both Creed and Eldon silently move to get a better view. Their time will come and they know it. She’s so willing, so eager, so needy, it’s addictive.

“No prep, guys. I want to stretch our Raven and leave her aching in the morning.”

No one argues with my demand and Raven’s teeth sink into her bottom lip hungrily.

“Use me,” Raven pants, and I groan, my head falling back as my eyes drift closed. She hasn’t even touched me yet and my toes are already tingling with desire.

“If you say so, Shadow,” I breathe, glancing down at her through hooded eyes as I nudge my cock against her lips.

“I do, but I want to hear you,” she whispers, her breath floating over my sensitive head before I push past her lips and feel the warmth of her mouth around my dick.

“Fuck,” I hiss as she takes me to the back of her throat. She swallows around my length as she cups my balls, and any question of who is in control here is gone.

Raking my fingers through her hair, she hums around my cock as I tighten my grip. When she leans back to take a breath, I give her two short pants before I thrust into her mouth, grappling for control between us as ecstasy ripples through my bones.

“That’s it, Shadow. Fuck,” I groan, giving in to what she wants as she swallows around my cock again. Her hums around my length shift to garbled moans as she pauses, and I look down the length of her to see Zane balls deep in her pussy. “That’s it, stretch your sweet pussy around his cock, Raven. Fit him perfectly,” I rasp, watching her skin start to blotch in pink patches.

Hot. As. Fuck.

“Damn, Dove,” Zane groans, giving her a moment to adjust around his length.

“Don’t pause. Fuck her.”

Zane’s eyes flash to mine, a reply likely on the tip of his tongue, but it’s quickly shut down when Raven shakes her hips ever so slightly. I know I’m rougher on her than the others, but she fucking loves it. She may like their softer approach too, but right now, she wants to be claimed, and who are we to deny her?

He moves so fast I’m not sure he’s moved at all until she jolts around my cock, gagging at how deep I am briefly before he pulls out and does it again. Her hand drops from my balls as she braces herself on all fours, letting Zane thrust into her pussy as I claim her mouth.

Back and forth she takes it, takes everything we give her as our moans mingle in the air and turn up the heat.

“Fuck, I’m going to come,” Zane groans. His breath coming in short pants.

“Take her over the edge with you,” I demand, tightening my hold on her hair as I relentlessly fuck her mouth.

Zane changes his angle slightly so he can reach around to swirl at her clit, but Creed beats him to it, teasing her folds, and a moment later, she’s screaming around my cock, eyes rolling to the back of her head as she comes apart at the seams.

“That’s it, Dove. Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he chants, embedding himself in her core as she sags between us. Only my hold on her hair keeps her up as her arms give out and Zane’s head lulls forward as he catches his breath, but I’m not done with her.

“Switch out. Now,” I bite, nodding at Eldon. I like Creed playing with her clit right now, and I want Eldon to chase her over the edge too.

Without a word, he slips protection over the end of his cock and fills the space Zane stumbles from a second later.

Raven moans around my length as she adjusts to the new dick between her folds. “How quickly can we make her come again, El?” I ask, my gaze on my shadow as she peers up at me through half-mast eyes. “I want her choking on my orgasm as she feels her own. Can you make that happen?” I ask, challenging my friend, who nods eagerly. He has no idea how close I’ve been since we began, but I can hold on a little longer.

“I want her creaming all over my cock in the next sixty seconds,” he retorts, gripping Raven’s hips tight as he slams into her, making her jolt on my dick again. Fuck, sixty seconds could be more than I can handle at this stage.

“Make it happen.” I keep my gaze fixed on Raven’s as I fist her hair and take control of her mouth, no longer keeping in tandem with Eldon.

She wants to be used. I can do that.

Creed at her clit, Eldon at her core, and Zane gaping from the sidelines; it all fades into the background as I focus on her and her alone. My balls tingle, the warmth of her mouth bringing me to the edge time and time again as she becomes pliant.

“Fuck. Fuck, Shadow,” I rasp, my chest tightening as pleasure floods my veins.

The words on my tongue have her eyes drifting closed as she moans around my length, and I shatter into an abyss as rope after rope of my release paints the back of her throat. Her entire body tightens, coiling like a spring until she explodes along with me.

A pleased smile tips the corner of my mouth as I try to catch my breath, my cock still twitching at the back of her throat as I drag out every ounce of my release.

“That’s it, Little Bird, squeeze my dick,” Eldon groans as I take my cock from Raven’s mouth but keep my hands fisted in her hair to hold her in place.

“Take over, Creed. She needs two to hold her up,” I grunt as Raven stares up at me in a sex-fueled daze.

The moment Creed’s cock is against her lips and his hands are in her hair, I take a step back and appreciate the wonder that we’re all addicted to. I want to drop to my knees and take Eldon’s place at her pussy, but my gut tells me that goes against my word.

That doesn’t mean I don’t want her to be drenched in euphoria, though.

“Fuck, I can’t last, Raven. I’m so close,” Eldon moans, breaking my thoughts, and I glare at him.

“You’ll hold the fuck out until she comes one more time,” I growl, not waiting for a response as I spin to Zane. “You. I want her clit fucking raw in the morning. Make her detonate.”

Crouching down beside Creed, I’m acutely aware of how close I am to his dick, but I don’t care. I want to be staring into her eyes when she falls apart again. Zane falls to his knees by her waist and does as I demand, finding her little pink nub as she groans with every thrust from Eldon and Creed.

She’s the center of my world, consuming my vision as I see her and only her. A second, a minute, an hour, I don’t fucking know how much time passes. But I know the softness in her eyes, despite the force of my brothers, I know the tremble in her shoulders when she’s close, and I know the smallest, sweetest moan that slips from her lips as she climaxes. All while her eyes remain fixed on mine.

For one moment, she got to forget.

For one moment, I’ll remember everything.