15. Hellena

15

HELLENA

W e've already cleaned up and cleaned off by the time Tell gets back.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he took his time for just this reason. To give us a chance to catch up, to vent our… unresolved conflict. Assuming he knew they would get back while he was gone.

Not that any of us did much talking.

They didn’t even fill me in on what happened to them last night. I didn’t really give them a chance, to be fair. I had needs first.

After another shower to rinse off our delightful disaster, we all head downstairs just in time for the door to open, Tell stopping short as we all look up at him at the same time. Almost like he caught us doing something we weren’t supposed to be doing.

A little smile pulls at my mouth.

“Uh. Why are you all looking at me like that?” He grins, his eyes flicking from me, to Gavin, to Evan, and back.

“No reason,” Gavin answers too quickly.

“Welcome home!” I hop up, trotting over to help him with his bags and steal a kiss.

Depositing everything on the counter, Tell swoops in for a proper hello, scooping me into a hug and devouring my lips. I let it linger, taking him in, reveling in my spoiled rotten high.

“You all smell so fresh,” he quips, eyeing Evan as I plop back down on the stool next to him. “Glad to see you finally made it out, Heaven.”

Evan scowls, leaning on the bartop. “Tellbert.”

“Lame. But keep trying. What’s crawled up his ass? Uh-oh, is she making him pay for it?” Tell mutters to Gavin out of the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, yeah. Big time.” Gavin rolls his eyes a little at all the drama.

And me? I just sit there in the middle of the three most amazing men in my life, grinning like a fool.

“She gave me a little guff too. You’ll get over it, right, Hella?’

“Depends on whether Evan ever stops pouting.”

“You’re unbearable.” Evan feigns disinterest.

“I'll get over it eventually,” I say offhandedly, snacking on some chips and salsa. “What did you bring me to eat?”

“Oh, is that how this works? Am I here only to service you, milady?” Tell snickers.

“Yes. Please. I am starving and there isn't any food.”

Tell points to my snack, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t give me logic. Give me tacos!”

Snatching the loaded chip out of my hand, Tell gobbles it up and sticks his tongue out at me. Gavin chuffs a big laugh and pushes him out of the way. “Alright. Let me work.”

Soon, the glorious smells of sauteing onions and peppers fill the house.

“That. Smells. Amazing.” I skip by, trying to sample everything he’s working on. Gavin shifts to block me, thwarting me.

Sticking my tongue out at him, I grab a drink and plop back down.

The next few minutes slip by, the four of us snacking, drinking beers and just… being.

Looking around, I nearly fall apart, emotion threatening to overwhelm me. Could this be my life one day? When all the threats are gone, when the danger passes…

Could we be a family?

It’s a moment of true peace in an otherwise stormy sea of doubt and worry. Sanctum is in turmoil. But right now, this is my safe harbor.

Tell is sharing stories, jokes, making everyone laugh. Evan’s playing the straight guy, egging him on, teasing him by shutting him down. Gavi’s in the background, goading both of them on or siding with whoever is losing, all while taking care of each of us, refilling out drinks.

They’re each wonderful in their own way.

It flicks a switch on something I haven't addressed yet, haven’t had the guts to really think about.

The fact that we're all here, the fact that they're all willing to be here. With me. It makes my heart ache. Makes my stomach ache a little bit, too.

The idea that I should ever have to choose one of them… It's not something I'm prepared to face. And I hope it's something that we'll never have to face.

But I can hear Rachelle’s voice in the back of my head, my mother's voice, representing what I’m sure most people would say about our situation. “You can’t have everything you want.”

You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Especially three cakes.

But that's a problem for another day. For now, we dig in as the huge bear of a host lays out the plates of meat, tortillas, veggies, and sauces. This is beyond heavenly.

“Alright, so you guys clearly had a great time while I was out!” Tell complains, tromping back down the stairs after changing his clothes, admiring the spread of food. “I feel left out.”

“You really should.” Evan clicks his tongue.

“Asshole.”

“Assclown.”

“Don’t worry, Tell, only Gavin was allowed to touch.”

“HA!” Tell flicks Evan’s nose as he walks by, making Evan shake his head angrily at him.

“That's not the only thing you got left out of,” I snark, pointing to Gavin and Evan. “Apparently, these two got in a fight and got wasted last night. Care to share?”

Gavin gives Evan a look over his shoulder, stirring his pan absently.

“Fine. I’ll tell you.”

Evan dives into the tale, filling us in on the details of his discovery, the mansion, glossing over the mundane details of getting there and Gavin’s sweet jeep. Several times, I almost interrupt, eager to ask silly questions about any and everything.

Being out of the loop, stuck inside for so long, has me hankering for juicy details.

“I promise, I’ll give you the play by play tomorrow.” Gavin chuckles, patting my leg.

“So anyway, we drag the safe upstairs when whoever was using the mansion as a base of operations decided to intercede.”

“By intercede, he means kick him in the head.”

“Tried to shoot you too.”

“And kick me in the face. My knee is still killing me, too.” Gavin’s smile falters a little at this, his eyes flicking to the side. I’ll have to ask him about it later.

“The way you threw her into the wall… I was genuinely flabbergasted when she got back up.”

“I’m just glad that she wasn’t aiming to kill us.”

“She?” I ask, not bothering to keep the incredulity out of my voice.

“Apparently. A very vicious ‘she’.”

“What makes you think she wasn’t trying to kill you?” I ask, the thrill of the story making me jittery.

“She got the drop on us. Could have shot Evan instead of attacking him.”

“The spray of bullets at the end might disagree with you.”

“No way. If she had wanted to kill us, we’d be dead. Long story short, I think that’s our shooter.”

“What do we know about her?” Tell interjects.

Gavin gets a distant look in his eyes. “Not enough to be sure.”

There’s a finality to his tone that makes me nervous, but I know better than to pry when he gets like that. He’s already exhausted, so I rest my hand on Tell’s knee, signaling him to back down for now.

Evan side-eyes Gavin before continuing. “After she took off on her bike, we took the long way home and decided to stay at Gav’s for the night just in case. We were both a bit shaken up, so we had a few.”

“And a few more. Gets a little fuzzy after that, though,” Gavin’s smile tells me he remembers every second of it.

“Agreed. I seem to remember rolling in the grass with our shirts off. And guns. There were guns involved.”

“And arm wrestling, I think.”

‘What?” Tell slaps the table, looking from one to the other. “I’d better get invited next time.”

“You’re like two violent peas in a pod!” I snort, rolling my eyes at their antics.

“Oh, man. I am womped.” Gavin stretches, yawning as he looks over the mess.

“I’ll get this.” Evan waves for me to stay seated as I move. Plates clatter in the sink as he shuffles around the kitchen. “Speaking of sleep, I didn’t really give much thought to it, but there are only two beds in the house.”

The day is wearing on. It's already starting to get dark outside. Everyone looks exhausted.

“I mean, you could all sleep with me,” I toss out innocently.

Evan sets his beer down and gives me a flat look.

“There is no way the four of us” —he points to each of them— “particularly us three, are gonna fit on that bed.”

“He's right. Maybe two of us and you." Gavin winks. “No worries. I'll take the couch.”

“Right, because you've already been taken care of,” Tell grumbles.

“Damn right, I have. Not that I’d turn down round two. Ever .”

“I could use a real night of sleep. I’ll take the spare bedroom,” Evan mutters, waving a hand dismissively. “Sleeping at the office has been less than restful.”

“Yes. Guess this is my lucky night.” Tell pumps his fist, practically bouncing in his seat.

“I’ll make sure you don’t feel left out.”

Tell laughs, dragging his fingernails up my thigh as I arch my ass into him.

“You did miss out a little bit.” I revel in the feel of the clean sheets, the smooth, firm skin pressed up against me. “I promise to make it up to you. Can’t have you unhappy, unsatisfied.”

“I’m always happy and satisfied when I’m with you.”

The words flush through me, blossoming into a swell of joy in my chest. How does he do it?

“Tell me about it.”

“Really?” I shift, rolling toward him.

“Yeah. I want to know how you felt… how they felt.”

Watching Tell’s eyes in the dimness, I smile incredulously, making sure he’s serious. “Well…

I start touching him as I talk, detailing the events of earlier.

“Every touch from Gavin felt like both of them, like Evan was living vicariously through him.”

Tell nuzzles into the crook of my neck, kissing, sucking. “Mmm, thinking about watching you come sounds incredible…”

“You can watch me anytime, but I’d rather you be part of making it happen.”

He starts nibbling up my neck, sending shivers down my spine. His hands find that spot behind my knee that sends jolts of desire through me.

And my hand finds its way into his snug, sexy black briefs, gliding around his shaft with a weak, teasing grip.

“I love how hard you get for me.”

“I love how hard you made things for Evan earlier,” he jokes, twirling his tongue around the outer edge of one nipple, spiraling in to scrape his teeth over the tip.

“You should have seen how worked up he was. Gavin was taunting him the whole time he was inside me…”

“I don’t think I could have kept myself in check.”

“I almost caved. If he would have made a move, I would have let him.”

“Hmm… like this?” He cups one of my cheeks, palming my ass and dragging me right up against him.

“Mmm, yes.”

Tell’s long fingers stray between my legs, toying with me through the thin silk of my thong. Edging along the rim, the tips of his fingers brush my outer lips, electrifying my body and sending shockwaves cascading along my skin.

Reaching between us, I continue to tease him back, circling my finger around the head of his staggering length, poking out above his waistband.

“Fuck… that tickles!” He gasps, his abs twitching.

Tell lays me back, boldly sliding his hand down this time, palming me fully.

I push down the band of his underwear, stroking firmly to match his pressure, pacing to the rhythm of his fingers rubbing sweet friction along the crease of my bliss.

“Mmm…” A moan slips out. “You’re going to make me wake up Gavin and Evan.”

“Let them listen. They got theirs. I want mine.”

“I have to admit… I’m a little sore.” I laugh, feeling my cheeks flush.

“That’s alright, I only wanted to eat my desert, anyway,” Tell purrs into my ear, making my whole body flood with heat.

"How do you want your desert?”

“Like this.” With powerful arms, he pulls me up, lying back and dragging me onto him, hooking my leg to flip me around. I reach down to tug off my thong, but his hand stops me. “Leave it on.”

For some reason, it’s the hottest fucking thing he could ever say.

I feel his hot breath through the fabric, getting hotter as he pulls it aside, exposing me to his waiting lips, his tongue. A finger plays along my entrance, dragging through my arousal right before he tastes me, deeply.

Closing my eyes, I indulge in the sensation for several minutes, letting him explore every fold of my sex as he works his fingers into me slowly, easing me into a deeper state of excitement.

My hands have been rubbing softly against his calves, his thighs, working their way up to drag away the fabric keeping me from what I want more than anything. That smooth, solid stretch of luscious flesh rises up, so hard in my grip, stiffening more as I wrap one finger at a time around the base of him. Dragging my lips around his head, I prolong the inevitable.

I can’t resist tasting him.

He’s too fucking delicious.

My tongue glides down as I open as wide as I can, taking him in one inch at a time, letting my lips brush against the sides of him.

His gravelly moan tells me everything I need to know. And it vibrates straight into my core, driving me wild.

My hips roil to the sensation, bucking back against his face. Tell rolls with it, his kiss never leaving the pinnacle of my need. He’s a drumbeat, thrumming like a pulse in my core, his fingers slipping in and out in a flurry of swirling ecstasy.

I slurp him down again, this time easing him into my throat, accommodating the full scope of his prowess. Tell is so fucking long, but I manage to take every inch of him at this angle, the curve of his manhood arching over my tongue and down, down, down.

It takes every bit of control I have to keep him there before sumptuously raising my head, pulling with my lips and sucking lightly all the way to the crown. My lips pop as he slips out, giving me time to breathe.

“Hella!” His voice is muffled by my writhing ass and thighs, locked around his head.

I don’t want to crush him, but I can't help myself. My hips have a mind of their own, seesawing back and forth over him.

And bless that man because it actually sends him into a frenzy, his tongue batting with mind-numbing speed across my clit, keeping the pressure so light, like a feather touch.

“That’s going to fucking destroy me!” I grit out, working both hands up and down along him.

Tell can only growl his delight beneath me, doubling down with another finger into my depths, angling to press down into me.

My head drops again, bobbing up and down to match his pace.

Deeper and deeper, I take him into my mouth, losing all sense of myself, where he ends and I begin.

My brain turns to pure electric current as my orgasm builds, a rise that I can see on the horizon and rocketing toward me.

I'm moaning deep in my throat around the swelling girth of his dick, sensations running up my spine and down my legs, leaving me trembling.

Tell’s hips start to buck just as I start to gyrate mine, cresting to the beat of his fingers and his tongue sucking steadily on my apex. Somehow, he manages to find my breast with his other hand, caressing my nipple, another stimulus shocking my system with bliss.

Both hands and my mouth are furiously taking him again and again in a succulent succession of slick swallows, eagerly awaiting what I know is coming soon. The room buzzes with our fever pitch, our cries intertwining in a sweet harmony of desire.

My throat opens to him, fully, relaxing to let him fuck my mouth fully as his hand slaps against my ass in rapid beats, driving his fingers with perfect aim right onto my inner target, shooting bolts of pleasure through me each time, each one growing more intense and more pronounced.

There’s no way I’ll last another minute.

My thighs clamp down around him, the only real warning I can give with my mouth full, every instinct focused on his length, fixated on sending him over the edge with me.

The gentle jackhammering of his fingers radiates into a full, lower body thrum as my release becomes imminent. Initial waves thunder up my back, out to my fingertips.

Our moans pitch up into a singing cry as he starts to throb, overwhelming me, pumping into my throat, gushing with molten hot love that I gulp down hungrily, shaking from head to toe as I crack apart and shatter into his mouth.

I’m still bobbing, his tongue still fluttering as we soar over the edge together, falling, falling, falling.

Both of our legs begin to shake with overstimulation as we ride out the aftershocks, a shuddering laugh escaping his lips as his head drops back onto the bed. I gasp as I release Tell’s shaft and slump to the side, clutching his legs in a cozy embrace for a few moments before we can move again.

A weary crawl and repositioning and we’re sprawled out, my arm draped across his abs as his fingers trace shapes down my sides, tingling into chills and shivers.

“How was dessert?” I whisper, rubbing my face along the smooth expanse of his chest.

“That was the best sundae I’ve ever had,” Tell murmurs into my hair.

A snort slips out of my mouth. “Really? That’s the best you got?”

“You’re the best I’ve got, so what else could compare?”

“Good save.”

He’s warm and firm, but so comfy under me that I feel myself drifting, fading into luxurious sleep. The perfect pillow. His heartbeat is the perfect lull to send me sailing into slumber.

That tipsy aura tingles on the edge of my perception just before everything winks out.

My eyes open again.

It’s still dark.

But I’m wide awake. Checking the clock, I marvel at the hour. I slept soundly for eight hours, but it felt like an instant. Slipping from the sheets, I gather a handful of clothes, sneaking out into the hall to dress in the bathroom.

Gavin is down below, snoring softly on the couch.

Total silence meets my ear when I press it to Evan’s door.

Carefully, so carefully, I sneak downstairs, keeping an eye and ear on Gavin as I ease the closet open and grab the box with the secret note and address. Tucking it under my arm, I scoop up Tell’s keys and scurry down the laundry room hall to the back door. The buttons are less likely to wake Gavin at this distance. Still, I position my fingers on the pad before smothering it with a scarf and punching in the code.

Outside, the morning is chilly, fog resting along the ground in the dim blue of pre-dawn.

Tell’s car pulled in last, so I gambled correctly. His little sedan is blocking Gavin’s truck to the long, curving driveway.

Easing into the car, I shiver, not just from the chill.

I’m shaky from sneaking.

And I’m about to do something kind of stupid.

“This is necessary, Hellena. Just stay cool.”

Shifting the car into gear, I thank the fates that Tell drives a stick shift, rolling the car back down the driveway almost to the road before I risk starting the engine. Points to my Aunt Rachelle for making me learn how to drive stick, too.

Probably more of her training for becoming a Sinful. Not sure how it applies, but everything she’s ever done comes into question, now.

I almost giggle at the absurdity of the thought.

Still.

Several miles from the house, my phone gets a signal, and I punch in the address. It’s not far from me, actually. Twenty minutes, tops.

The location is closer to Severance than Sanctum.

And of course, it’s in the middle of nowhere.

The quiet of the morning lets me calm my whirling thoughts, settling into the breathing techniques Tell taught me to sharpen my mind for the task at hand. By the time I arrive, pulling off at a mailbox and driving back a ways into the woods, I’m calm, steady.

The small house is quaint. Plain. Overgrown.

No one would see it from the road. Plus, the Private Property signs posted out by the road would deter most visitors. If anyone ever drove by it so far out along a no-name road.

Stepping from the car, I keep my head on a swivel, listening for any sounds.

I should have brought a weapon.

Not that I can stand the thought of using a gun. Or even holding one.

A holdover from my past. My old life.

Stepping up to the door, I am about to reach for the knob when I feel a presence behind me, followed by the click of a gun being cocked.

Fuck.

“Nice to finally meet you, Miss Michaels.”