23. EIGHTEEN

EIGHTEEN

Wren

“Comeon!Youneed a break. You’ve been through so much shit.” Trixie pulled on my hand as she dragged me down the halls of Arcane Hall.

“That’s true, and I’m still sorry about how I acted—”

“Babe, old news! You were infected with dark magic. Hello?”

“Thank you, but why are we going to Rowan’s office?” I pursed my lips at her.

Rowan had been working overtime, which for Rowan, is like working all day except for like four hours of sleep at night. Four hours of sleep that I had to force him to get.

After what we learned from eavesdropping on the humans, it threw the Supernatural Council into a panic. Which I understood. They’d called a meeting with Rebeka immediately. Even Alister had been suspicious of his mother after hearing who the wizard was, but Rebeka had vanished. Nobody could locate her, not even her own son.

It only added to the suspicion that she wasn’t on our side, and it broke my heart for Alister. I wanted to comfort him, but he’d been spending all his time not teaching but on locating his mother. It had only been a couple of days, but the stress of this information was palpable for everyone.

“Because Rowan decided you needed a break and some good news.”

“Good news?” My ears perked up at that. The heat had me semi-shifted almost constantly. I’d officially declared a hatred of summer weather. Back in Briesia, summers were as bitterly cold as the winters. It was the only thing I missed about that place.

A brief thought about the pack entered my head since Grayson was dead, but I pushed it away. They didn’t deserve my concern.

She paused at the door, knocked twice, then flung it open. Rowan, Kian with Shade on his shoulder, Lachlan, and Damien’s scents wrapped around me tightly, and we went into his office.

“Dibs on telling her first,” Damien whispered harshly before moving forward in a blur of movement, his face only an inch or so from mine as he leaned down. “Found the facility, little bird.”

I took a slight step back before launching myself into Damien’s arms. “Are you serious?” My voice was shaky, and I scanned the faces of my mates over Damien’s shoulder.

“Yes, fledgling. Damien located it by following a human he’d found wandering in the snow,” Rowan said, planting his hands on his desk as he stood.

Squeezing my arms tighter around Damien’s neck, I planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”

“I would do anything for you, little bird.” His tail wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer. “I love you.”

“I love you,” I murmured, hot tears settled in my eyes. “Where is it? Why couldn’t you find it?”

“The bitch left out the part that the facility is underground,” he muttered bitterly.

“Which makes sense that you weren’t able to see it,” Lachlan said.

“But not why I couldn’t see it,” Kian added with a frown.

“When do we go?” I asked.

Kian not seeing it was a problem, but I didn’t care about anything other than the fact that we found the facility that had my dad.

“You and Damien are going tomorrow,” Rowan said, clearing his throat and circling the desk. “I’ve spoken with the council, and they’re sending a team to meet you in the morning at the facility.”

“Plan is simple, little bird. Eliminate all the humans and save all the supernaturals held there, including your father.” His breath fanned over my ear as he pulled away. “I’m going to scope out the facility tonight so we’re ready in the morning.”

“Can’t I come?” I asked, letting arms fall from his neck.

“Sorry, but we don’t know what they have there. If they have a crystal or even the relic…”

“Then I don’t want you to go either.” I crossed my arms.

“Little bird, I need to make sure it’s safe. I’ll shadow-travel out at the smallest hint of real danger—and, if I find your father while scoping it out, I promise I’ll get him.”

I swallowed thickly and nodded, but before I could reply, Lachlan wrapped an arm around my shoulders and Kian ruffled his hair a bit as he stepped closer to me.

“Since you are in desperate need of a break, Lachlan and Kian are taking you to a hot spring this evening so you can relax!” Trixie squealed, and the guys shot her a look that caused her to put her hands up in defense. “What? You were taking too long to tell her.”

Rowan huffed out a breath that sounded close to a chuckle as he stepped beside Damien and ran a heated finger down my cheek. “We want you to relax. You’ve had a hellish week, and you need time to process before going to rescue your father. Rhett and Alister agreed, but they’re leading a staff meeting right now otherwise you know they’d be here to see you off too. We want you to let go of everything that has happened and focus on relaxing, okay?”

My heart swelled as love thrummed through my bonds. “Okay, but only if you promise once everything settles, you’ll take two entire months off to relax too. All of us.”

His lips curved into a smile as he dropped his hand. “How about a week?”

“How about one month or I won’t relax?” I pouted, and his resolve crumbled.

“Deal, fledgling. One month, but only after this war.”

“Off you go, babe!” Trixie clapped her hands before pointing between Kian and Lachlan. “You two take care of her. She’s precious cargo!”

“We won’t let anything happen,” Lachlan growled.

“And we promise to help her relax,” Kian said before blushing. “I mean, like actually relax. Not like something ah—you know, like that.”

‘Actually, he means exactly that.’ Shade snickered, his paw covering his nose.

Everyone laughed, and I smiled at them.

“Oh, no, familiar,” Rowan said with a stern tone as he reached over and picked Shade up off Kian’s shoulder and held him to his chest. “You’re not going with them.”

‘But what if Kian needs me?’ He squeaked in protest, wiggling but not managing to escape Rowan’s grasp. ‘What if my mistress needs me?’

“She won’t,” Kian assured him, patting his head lovingly. “We’ll make it up to you.”

“Besides, you don’t get to see my little bird naked.” Damien’s shadow tendril tickled under Shade’s chin.

‘I’ve already seen her naked. I saw her naked before even my master!’ Shade grumbled, still trying to wiggle free.

Damien, Lachlan, and Rowan growled as Trixie’s gaze flicked between them. Kian ran a hand down his face as he sighed.

“Thank you. All of you,” I dropped my voice to a whisper as they turned their attention from Shade to me. “I’ve never felt so cared for before, and I don’t know how to truly show my appreciation.”

“By being happy, tiny fox.” Lachlan squeezed me into his chest.

“Exactly right,” Damien said with a smirk. “Now, I’m going to drop you off at the hot springs, and Thorn will pick you up and take you home after a few hours. If my little bird isn’t fully sated by the time I get home, I’ll take over and play.”

An electric jolt shot down my back before heat pooled between my legs. “Play?”

“Eager, are we?” Damien patted my butt. “Don’t worry. We’ll have time to play later.”

I wiggled against Lachlan and turned just as Damien shadow-traveled us out of the office.

We stepped onto a stone platform, and a slight gasp left my lips as I noticed how large the area was. Snow blanketed the ground, but huge stone springs full of steaming water nestled into the earth until it moved closer to the raging waves on the horizon. It was stunning, and the sound of the surges crashing over each other in the distance was peaceful.

Damien’s hand wrapped around my throat as he tugged me forward and leaned in until his teeth caught my bottom lip. “Have fun, little bird.” He faded into the shadows before I could reply, the bite wound on my lip healing without pain.

“We’re in the Bizarre,” Lachlan said, clearing his throat.

Fates, let Damien scope out the facility with no issues. I turned my attention back to Lachlan and Kian.

“Professor Cunningham suggested it.” Kian rubbed the back of his neck. “Plus, I remember you mentioning that you had been to one before with your parents. I figured it’d bring back fond memories.”

Images of my parents bringing me to the hot springs in Briesia flashed in my mind. A carefree little girl who wanted nothing more than a moment of peace with her parents. That trip to the hot springs was one of the only times we were able to just relax—something I never understood as a child.

My eyes fluttered shut as I sucked in a deep breath of the moist minerals hanging in the cold air, and I opened them again. “Thank you so much. This… it means a lot.” An excited flutter filled my belly as I moved forward and kissed both Kian and Lachlan on the lips and stepped forward.

There weren’t any supernaturals out, the hot springs were completely deserted. The burble of the water pushed to the surface of the pool in front of us, causing bubbles to ripple up through the water.

Cold air skimmed over my body as I sucked in another deep breath. The scent was delightful. Minerals, damp rock, salt in the air, and a floral sweetness flittered around us.

“Professor Cunningham said the hot springs were usually dead unless there was an event of some sort going on. We should be alone for the most part,” Kian muttered, heat streaking across his cheeks.

“Alone, meaning we have the place to ourselves,” Lachlan added with a smirk before Kian shot him in the butt with a bolt of purple lightning.

“Stop propositioning her,” Kian hissed under his breath. “She probably doesn’t want to do anything like that after everything she’s been through this week. We’re supposed to let her relax.”

Lachlan pouted his lips and rubbed his butt. “But that is a way of relaxing.”

“Only if she wants to, Lachlan. Be a gentleman.”

“I am a gentleman,” he protested.

I giggled at their interaction and kicked off my shoes and socks. The uneven rocks underfoot were slick as I shimmied out of my skirt and panties.

“Insinuating that you’re going to do that with her is not gentlemanly,” Kian scolded, waggling his finger back and forth. “She’s supposed to take a break and do nothing.”

“But she doesn’t have to do anything. I’ll do the work,” Lachlan reasoned with him.

The two were so wrapped up in whether or not Lachlan’s insinuation was chivalrous that they didn’t stop to think about what I wanted. And I didn’t particularly care if it was chivalrous or not. I just wanted them, either in a sexual manner or not—actually, I wanted both.

I untied my tie and let it drop to the ground.

“Well, obviously that would be what you would have to do if that’s what she wanted,” Kian sputtered. “But we haven’t asked her what she wants, have we?”

Grabbing the hem of my top, I pulled it over my head. I hadn’t bothered with a bra today because I couldn’t find mine. I had a sneaking suspicion that Damien had stolen them all, but I had yet to ask him about it.

The cold air skimmed my exposed skin, and my nipples tightened from it as goosebumps formed over my body. The freezing temperatures alone were enough to calm me. Summer heat in Fate Hollow was not something I would be looking forward to.

“Then let’s ask—“ Lachlan’s words stopped short as he reached out and grabbed Kian’s shoulder to prevent himself from slipping. “Fuck, tiny fox.”

“Do you ever not perv on her?” Kian huffed, reaching out to make sure Lachlan didn’t fall before his eyes landed on me and dropped downward. “Oh, sweetheart. You’re beautiful. As always, of course. But oh my Fates. You look…”

“Good enough to eat.” Lachlan’s tongue darted out to wet his lips as a low rumble came from his chest.

My core tightened as I remembered how he pinned me against a tree and shoved his tongue between my legs.

“Pheromones,” Kian croaked.

“Don’t even fight it.” Lachlan let go of his shoulder, pushing him a bit. “You know a good release would help her relax. Then we can just enjoy the hot spring.”

I stifled another giggle with my hand and stepped into the hot spring.

The silky water slid over my skin as I sunk down. My feet moved against the sandy bottom as my head dipped under. The heated water warmed my body with ease, and I broke the surface of the water as I pushed up off the bottom and sat on a rock ledge that came out of the side of the rock pool.

By the time I turned my head toward them, Lachlan was butt-naked, tugging Kian’s shirt over his head as Kian swatted his hands away.

“I can get undressed myself!” Kian protested before snapping his fingers and proving his point.

“Damn, Kian. Your magic has gotten so much better, but I call dibs on our mate first.” Lachlan winked before sloshing into the water and moving toward me. His head disappeared below the water on his swim toward me, and his thick fingers dug into my thighs, parting them before his tongue delved between my folds.

I gasped, tangling my fingers in his hair and parting my legs further.

He moved up until he was above the water, and his breath ragged against my chest. He trailed his tongue to the side and glided it over my nipple.

“Mmf, Lachlan!” My legs circled his waist, and his erection slid inside me.

“That sounds right,” he rasped, pulling his face up to mine. “My name on your lips, and my cock buried inside of you.” He planted his hands on the rock behind me and started thrusting. “So perfect, tiny fox.”

My head fell back, hitting the rock with a thud. Pain rippled from my head, but I moaned as it mixed with the pleasure Lachlan pounded between my legs.

“Lachlan,” Kian hissed as he slipped behind me, his hardness pressing against my back entrance as he sat me on his lap and put my head on his shoulder. “Watch her head!”

“Sorry,” he moaned as his rough strokes rocked my body.

“Kian, please,” I whined, moving my hand back and gripping his length before pressing it against me. “I need you too.”

“At the same time as Lachlan?” His breath caught. “But I’ve never been inside you here. Are you sure?”

“More sure than anything!” I cried as Lachlan drove into me harder and deeper, pushing me toward my climax.

“Let me do this,” Kian murmured, sweeping his fingers over the entrance, leaving a tingling sensation behind before he pushed himself inside.

Immediately, his magic melded with mine and Lachlan’s, sending me into an oblivion of pleasure.

A scream tore from my throat, and my body clamped down on them, eliciting strained moans from them.

“Fuck, she’s squeezing me so hard.” Lachlan panted before crashing his lips to mine, taking my breath away as the orgasm tore me in two.

Kian mumbled something incoherent into my ear, his hot breath sending tremors throughout my body.

Strangled moans ripped from the three of us as Kian’s magic coaxed us into ecstasy. Waves of pleasure submerged us as the warm water moved around us. I felt them both empty their seed inside of me, and I broke from Lachlan’s kiss with a gasp.

“Oh, fuck, Kian. What the hell? I could’ve gone longer,” Lachlan whined, accompanied by a sigh.

“Sex magic apparently affects all involved,” Kian murmured, his embarrassment piercing our bond.

“That magic is a gift.” I panted, sucking in the thick air and filling my lungs as they pulled out at the same time, a feeling of emptiness being left behind as my limbs buzzed with satisfaction.

I stayed on Kian’s lap as Lachlan moved to our side. Magic brimmed within the pool, giving off a faint purple glow from the aftermath of Kian’s involvement.

His face was pink as he stared at me, glasses clear of fog due to the usefulness of his magic. “I love you, sweetheart. How are you feeling?”

“Just to add, I love you too, tiny fox.” Lachlan’s hand rested on my thigh under the water, and my love for them swelled through the bonds.

“I love you both, and I’m doing great right now with you.” My heartbeat slowed its rapid pace as the warmth from the hot springs seeped into my muscles. I moved my head onto Kian’s shoulder, swiping my wet bangs back from my forehead. “Plus, knowing the dark magic is out of me and Grayson’s dead, well… it feels amazing.”

“I can imagine,” Lachlan murmured, his thumb making a circle on my thigh.

“You know we all felt the pain of the rejected bond before he died, right?” Kian asked softly. “I’ve been wondering… was it always that painful for you?”

I had suspected that they felt it, but nobody confirmed it for me until now. Guilt snaked through me at the thought of them having to deal with that pain because of me, but I pushed it away because they’d never be upset with me for something I couldn’t control.

“Yes. It was.”

“I remember how the bond affected you when you were around him. You managed that much better than I would’ve.” Lachlan swallowed hard, running a wet hand through his brown locks.

“But it’s over now, and it feels so freeing to finally be done with Grayson and the dark magic that ran rampant due to the ritual.” I smiled and pressed a kiss to Kian’s chest. The minerals from the water tasted earthy.

“And tomorrow, you’re going to find your father.” Kian’s hand glided down my spine, tingles shooting through me and relaxing me further.

Would Dad recognize me? Would he even be in his right mind after being held for so long under such horrid circumstances?

I couldn’t be too sure, but even with the scary possibilities, there was a small part of me that was overwhelmed with excitement at being reunited with my dad.