19. Erik

Chapter nineteen

Erik

S itting in the same room as Gregori Howell tried every ounce of my patience. I glowered at him as he leaned back in his office chair, Grace next to me, her shoulders tensed as Anders paced behind us restlessly.

“No formal response from the Harding household at this time, but my people have made sure to share the news through all the appropriate channels. There is no way that he is not aware of the new alliance.” Gregori looked smug, and I could see Grace’s hands clench tighter in her lap. I was sure Doug would react completely reasonably to this announcement. Gregori seemed to believe his hold over this city was unbreakable.

My father had believed the same thing, right up until I stole it from him and got him killed.

“Back to the original reason I had reached out,” I announced, drawing that calculating set of eyes toward me. It was like having a tiger’s full attention, unsettling and deeply inadvisable. “What do you know about Mundi Evolutionis? ”

His face tightened, ever so slightly, and his brow furrowed just a fraction. Anders stopped walking, his eyes glued to his father. If I didn’t know better, I’d say this man was close to… nervous?

“Douglas has been meeting with a couple of men from that place, suits. They…” I glanced over at Grace, and Anders dropped his hand to her shoulder, his lips pressed into a thin line. “They were interested in Grace. And I want to know why. I want their names.” My voice dropped low as I practically growled out that last sentence.

“Mundi Evolutionis is a private research firm. They do contract work for biomedical companies, the military, and the government,” Gregori replied slowly, his eyes shifting to Grace, looking pensive. “If Douglas is working with them, then you all need to stay far, far away from him.”

My eyebrows shot up, disbelief that a man as invincible as Gregori Howell was suggesting we turn tail and hide.

“Why were you doing business with them ten years ago?” Anders asked coolly.

“One of the researchers, a Dr. Montgomery, was receiving a commendation for a discovery of genetic markers for certain cancers. I volunteered to present it because I was curious about the work they were doing.” His lips turned down at the corners. “As it turns out, they are quite interested in the presence of extraordinary abilities in certain humans.”

Grace inhaled sharply next to me, and my blood ran cold, sensing a looming threat in his words. “Interested how?” I asked.

“I cannot say for certain as I was not permitted entry in their main building. But from the documents I saw and the information I got from Dr. Montgomery after several glasses of scotch, they are running some illegal experiments on powered individuals. I believe they may even have some locked away in that building,” he explained, and bile rose in my throat.

“You knew they might have people locked away somewhere, and you did nothing?” Anders bit out. Gregori nodded calmly, and the rage in my chest rose like a tidal wave, threatening to explode out of me. Grace reached over and took my hand, and I felt a gentle calm wash over me. I gave her a tender smile, running my thumb across her knuckles.

“As much as I would have loved to play savior, I had myself and my child to worry about. I’ve kept a close eye on Mundi Evolutionis over the years, but maintain a careful and necessary distance. I do not believe the powered individuals participating in their studies are there willingly, and they have powerful backers that overshadow a family of our standing. If Doug is working with them, he is playing a reckless and suicidal game.”

“So, should we be concerned that Grace is on their radar now?” I asked, worry filtering up through my chest despite Grace’s soothing charms.

“Absolutely. Their eyes anywhere near Grace or any of us is dangerous,” Gregori replied, and Grace gripped my hand tighter as Anders cursed under his breath.

“We have to kill Doug,” I announced coldly. “Before we have a powerful group of insane scientists breaking down our door.” Gregori and Anders nodded, while Grace looked more than a little green. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I won’t let him, or anyone else, hurt you,” I murmured, ignoring Gregori’s heated gaze. She would not be taken away from me again .

“The house is too fortified, we can’t attack him there,” Anders replied, apparently on board with the whole ‘murdering Douglas’ idea.

“He’s right, Doug’s gotten more paranoid,” Grace announced in a small voice. “The whole place is swarming with security. And he’s got cameras on every inch of the property. There’s no getting in or out.” I grimaced and glanced up at Anders.

“Take him out at Dante’s, then? There’s the risk of public casualties, but if we could get it cleared out somehow, fill it with our men, maybe Sparrow’s?” I ran a hand through my hair, hating this plan more and more by the second. Risking a massacre in public was not an option for me, and it would draw way too much attention, exactly what we needed to avoid.

“It would be better to take him out on route, run him off the road,” Anders muttered. “Preferable to another shootout. We’ll need to monitor his movements for a few days. I’ll ask Levy what he can do for that.” I nodded, the logistics of a plan slowly beginning to form in my head. It wasn’t a good plan, it wasn’t even a smart plan, but with a little luck, it might just work out.

After another hour of tentative deliberations, we had a starting point at least. Gregori, thankfully, had hospital affairs to deal with, so we were dismissed from the office with a promise of more discussions to come. I, for one, was just happy to be out of that tense and overbearing room, and I pulled Grace tightly into my arms as soon as the door was shut behind us. “I’m sorry, Angel,” I murmured into her hair as her arms wrapped around my waist.

“You’re really going to kill him, aren’t you?” she murmured against my chest, and I sighed heavily.

“We have to. He’s putting you in danger. All of us, really.” I grimaced, and she tilted her head up to look at me.

“He deserves it,” she whispered, and my grip on her tightened. He deserved an agonizingly slow death for what he did to her. I met Anders’ eyes behind her, his face a mirror-image of my rage. He was refusing to wear his sling anymore, his arm held stiffly at his side instead. Being back in this house was taking its toll on him, I could tell. The dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced than ever.

“We should find the others,” he muttered, and Grace pulled away from me, making my scowl deepen. She glanced up at him, but he just brushed past her, storming off down the hall.

“He’ll come around,” I told her softly, watching her shoulders fall. “Being back here makes him a little… on edge. Just give him time.” I took her hand and squeezed it gently, tugging her down the hall after him.

We congregated in Levy’s room once more since it was the furthest away from Gregori’s office and it was the biggest of the guest rooms. Jesse had already set up camp in there, cozying up to our Ghost while they convalesced together. Although, how much convalescing was happening was up for debate. When we walked in, Anders was watching with his arms crossed a shirtless Jesse and Levy, a fancy-looking decanter of whiskey on the end table as the two participated in some sort of drinking game. I didn’t know what the rules were, but I thought they were both losing, judging from the amount left in the decanter.

“What’s going on?” Grace giggled. Levy reclined on the loveseat, his hands above his head and a self-satisfied smirk on his face as Jesse rolled his eyes and signed a curse word, reaching for his glass.

“We’re playing charades,” Levy explained with a lazy grin that shocked me. When was the last time he’d been so… chill? Grace laughed and walked over to him. Quick as a whip, he caught her wrist and tugged her down onto his lap, making her yelp with laughter.

“I think you need more people to play charades,” Anders muttered, and Levy rolled his eyes.

“Want to play baby? It’s fun.” Levy smirked, and she kissed him on the tip of his nose.

“Okay, deal me in.” Grace smiled, signing to Jesse. I signed that I’d play too, sitting down next to Levy on the couch.

A sudden image of Grace, naked and writhing between Jesse and Levy flashed in my mind, and I let out a strangled sound. Grace’s jaw dropped open, a blush creeping over her cheeks.

“Eiffel Tower!” Levy announced, signing, and Jesse swore, taking a drink as Levy laughed.

“This is definitely not charades,” I concluded as Levy passed me his glass of whiskey.

“First person to guess the name wins; if you guess wrong, Jesse wins.” Levy shrugged. “Losers drink.” I rolled my eyes and took a swig of whiskey before passing it back to Grace. Her eyes narrowed at Jesse as she took her sip .

“You know I’m a married woman now,” she announced, and I glanced quickly at Anders, who bristled. “You shouldn’t be sending everyone salacious visions of me,” she signed, waggling her finger at Jesse. Jesse grinned, the stitches pulling on one side to give him an adorable, lopsided smirk.

Another image flashed through our heads of Grace and I naked, her legs wrapped around my hips as I sat on the couch. Her body was bent at the waist, spilling off the couch with her hair cascading toward the floor. I could feel myself getting hard.

“Waterfall,” Anders announced coolly, and we all turned to stare at him in shock as he signed his answer.

Jesse nodded, and we all took our penalty drink, Grace laughing as she stared at Anders. “And how do you know that one, dear husband?” she teased, and he cocked an eyebrow.

“Kama Sutra. That’s an advanced pose though, it requires a lot of flexibility, and the man needs to be quite strong,” Anders replied, his sharp eyes focusing on Levy.

“Pfft, it can’t be that hard,” Grace replied and shifted in Levy’s lap, forcing him to sit forward as her legs wrapped delicately around his hips, mindful of his stitches. Levy swore and grabbed her by the waist when she threw herself backward, arching back as her head came to rest between Levy’s calves, her hair brushing the floor. The temperature in the room suddenly peaked, and a quick glance around told me that every single one of us was now standing at attention.

“Mm, I could see how this would be fun.” Grace giggled, and Levy shifted underneath her, his hands slipping to her hips to keep a firm hold.

“Do another one,” Anders ordered, signing at Jesse. I raised an eyebrow, but Jesse nodded, grinning wickedly .

The next image that flashed before us was a frenzy of limbs and naked bodies. Grace was face down on the bed, with her ass up in the air. Levy’s chest was under her hip, his face buried in her pussy as he ate her like his last meal. Jesse was on the other side of her, sinking into her pussy, and I was kneeling behind her, fucking her tight, puckered hole.

No one said a word for a moment, Grace’s eyes wide as she pulled herself back up onto Levy’s lap. I glanced at Anders, who was smirking. “That’s just a foursome,” he signed, and Jesse nodded, a flush growing on his cheeks as we all took a drink.

“Now, that’s very inappropriate to do to a married woman,” Grace breathed, and I chuckled, watching Anders stare at her, his eyes alight with a heat that I’d never seen from him before.

“You think I would be upset to see my beautiful wife getting fucked by three men in my family home?” he asked, his voice low and husky. I signed to Jesse, and he nodded, standing and untying his shorts, sitting back on the bed to watch the decision unfold.

“I think he’s challenging you, Angel. Your husband doesn’t think you would do it,” I murmured, unbuttoning my jeans to relieve some of the pressure on my throbbing cock. Levy’s hands had disappeared underneath Grace’s shirt, and she was panting softly, her hips rocking against the bulge in his pants.

“He can count then,” she murmured, reaching down to tug her shirt up and over her head, grinding harder on Levy’s lap.

“Count what, baby?” Levy asked, helping her to unclasp her bra .

“The number of orgasms you give me,” Grace breathed, and Anders smirked. This was a fucked up marriage, and I was all for it. My shirt was off in a blink as Levy picked Grace up and carried her to the bed, flipping her over to lower her onto her stomach. Jesse helped remove her leggings and her panties as she raised her hips off the bed, her pussy already glistening with arousal. Levy’s pants hit the floor, and he crawled up on the bed, dropping onto his back and shifting Grace until she was partially on top of his chest, his mouth finding her clit immediately.

“Yes, fuck!” she whimpered, and my cock grew thicker as I gripped it, watching Jesse climb into position. A tap on my shoulder had me turning, and Anders handed me a small bottle of lube, his pupils blown with lust.

“We’re going to use your wife,” I told him softly as Grace moaned next to us. “Both of her holes, she’ll be coming so many times she won’t be able to walk until tomorrow.” He hissed out a breath, and a rush of blood to my groin had me swaying, my cock leaking as I stroked it.

“Good,” he ground out, and I smirked at him before moving toward the bed. Jesse was teasing Grace with his cock, and I could see her legs trembling already as he and Levy dragged her first orgasm out of her, the keening noise that escaped her making me groan.

“That’s one,” I told Anders, climbing up behind her just as Jesse sank into her pussy. Levy’s lips were shining with her arousal, his hands on her hips, steadying her as she shook with aftershocks.

“I’m going to get you ready Angel, you just tell me if it gets too much,” I said to her softly, stroking my hands over her creamy ass, spreading her open and watching Jesse pump in and out of her. “Fuck you look so good clenching around his cock. You take Jesse so well, you’re drenching Levy’s face, Angel.” I popped the cap on the lube and coated my finger, using it to gently tease her hole as she whimpered.

“Don’t tense up, just let me in and it’ll feel so good.” I rubbed her lower back reassuringly as I sank my finger in to the first knuckle.

“Oh god,” Grace moaned, and I did it again, sinking deeper and adding another finger, stretching her slowly. I could feel Jesse’s cock sliding inside of her, and I pressed on the thin wall separating us, stroking against him until he growled, his eyes meeting mine.

Grace cried out as she came again, and I heard Anders call out “Two,” from beside us.

“That’s it, Angel, nice and relaxed now,” I purred, stroking my hand down her spine as I poured a little more lube on myself. I removed my fingers and pressed the pierced tip of my cock into her tight hole, easing past the ring of muscle and moaning low in my throat when she clenched around me, threatening to strangle my cock as I sheathed myself inside of her. I caught Jesse’s eye, and his blown out pupils bored into mine.

“I can feel you,” he signed quickly, and I smirked, pulling out and thrusting back in just to watch his eyes squeeze shut, groaning softly. Grace shuddered underneath me, and I continued slowly, building up a steady rhythm with Jesse as we alternated thrusts.

“Please, oh fuck, I’m almost… fuck!” Grace trembled and clenched around us so tightly my own release threatened, and I had to concentrate to slow myself down .

“I want one more, Angel, then we’re going to fill you up with cum in front of your husband.” I smirked, kneading her ass with my hands as I buried myself in her again and again. Her legs started to shake, and I held her tightly so she wouldn’t smother Levy, although I doubted he would’ve minded too much. Grace was moaning so loudly I was sure half the household could hear us now, and I dug my fingers into her hip as the pressure started to build at the base of my spine.

“Scream for us, Angel,” I growled. “I want everyone to know who you belong to.” I felt Jesse’s cock pulsing as he came, just as Grace screamed, burying her face in the comforter to muffle the sounds. I grunted as I followed them both, filling her up as my thrusts slowed, and her body went limp in my arms.

Levy shifted out from underneath her, grinning like the Cheshire cat, a mess on his stomach from his own release. I helped Grace lower onto the bed as Jesse slid out from between us and tugged her onto his chest, letting her melt into his arms. I crawled off the bed and shot a smirk at Anders, who looked damn pleased with himself, and I sauntered to the bathroom to get cleaned up. Levy took care of Grace, cleaning her off with a washcloth as Anders got her one of our shirts—likely Jesse’s, judging from the size of it.

Grace stayed curled up in Jesse’s arms, boneless and spent with a small smile on her face, her eyes just about closed as he held her. To my surprise, Levy crawled up on the bed, laying on his stomach next to them, close enough that Grace’s legs brushed against his. We still had to talk to him about tracking Douglas, but I decided to wait until a little later. Everyone—hell, even Anders—was happy right now, and I refused to spoil it, not just yet.