Chapter 22Sasha

Chapter

Twenty-Two

SASHA

W e lay together in the bed after taking a shower, where Varos finally removed all of his clothing. He’d been so ready to take me that all he’d done was unzip his slacks and pull down his pants and boxer briefs far enough to release his cock. When he’d first climbed off of me, and I saw the state of undress he was in, I didn’t know whether to blush or laugh, so I just bit my lip until he growled and lifted me into his arms. From there, he carried me into the bathroom.

When he began to wash my hair, I really did laugh at the amount of shampoo he pumped into his hand. It was dripping down his arm and onto the floor of the shower. When I showed him the correct amount, he just shrugged and said it worked fine on his hair. I had to admit, his hair looked so much better than it did after I tried to brush it out in the caves. But I noticed that he used quite a bit less afterward when he did his own.

There was a fair bit of touching and groping as we played under the water spray. I enjoyed seeing that side of him. It made my heart happy to see him relaxed and enjoying the moment with me.

“Have you spent much time with your brothers?” I asked as I washed his back. Though, what I was doing could be considered more exploring than washing as I ran my fingertips over the lines of muscles that bunched and moved under my touch.

He glanced at me over his shoulder. “I couldn’t focus on anything but you,” he muttered to my dismay.

I took a step back to let him turn around. “Varos! You have been waiting forever to see them! I would have been fine while you got to know each other again!”

He shook his head as he looked down at me and ran a finger over my cheek and down to my jaw before tipping my head back further with a rough palm under my chin. “Since the moment we discovered we were mates, you were, are , the most important thing to me. Yes, I want to see my brothers. But until I knew you were alive and well, I could never have left your side, and I didn’t want anyone else to come near you. So,” he said as he reached down and picked me up by my thighs and pressed me against the tiled wall, “they waited, just as they would have expected me to if it were their mate lying in that bed.”

I placed my arms over his shoulders, allowing him to adjust me in his hands as he wanted. I felt how hard he was pressing against my stomach and felt myself grow wet for him again. I wiggled my hips until he was lined up properly with my entrance, and we both groaned as he slid slowly inside. I didn’t know if I would ever be able to take him without that initial bite of pain as he stretched me open. Still, I was already coming to love it because I knew what would follow.

When he took me against the shower wall, it was slow and deep, making us both moan as the pleasure mounted until we reached the peak of our pleasures together again. It wasn’t the frenzied fucking we’d done the other times. It was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes, and as he placed his face in my neck and grunted his release, I realized how much I had quickly come to care about this male who had saved me right back.

After we caught our breath, I looked up at him sternly. “We need to go see them. Now. No putting it off!”

He nipped at my chin before placing a quick kiss on my lips. “I didn’t realize that my mate could be so bossy.”

I wiggled my hips in a gesture to put me down, and as his semi-hard cock slid out of me, I moaned. I snapped my eyes open at his chuckle, then pointed my finger at his chest, tapping him there for emphasis. “You haven’t seen anything yet, mister. Now, wash me so we can get out of here.”

“As you wish, mate.”

Varos became intimately acquainted with my breasts, and I had to smack his hand away more than once, reminding him that he’d already made his brothers wait long enough to get to know him again. He finally relented, and the rest of the shower went quickly with only the occasional X-rated touch.

As we dried off and got dressed, I noticed Varos hesitating. “Hey,” I said softly, moving close to him and resting my hands on his chest to get his attention. “You have nothing to be nervous about. Varek and Valen are thrilled to have you back.”

He cleared his throat and looked down at me before darting his eyes away. “I’ve changed, princess. I’m not the same young man I was before I was imprisoned. I’m not sure that I can be what I once was.”

I placed my hand on his jaw and gently turned his face back to mine. “Varos, you may not be that same person, but you’re still their brother. I guarantee that they will welcome you with open arms. Did you know that they had no memories of each other at all? You know what they did? Well, after the initial growling bit that you guys tend to do,” I laughed. “They hugged each other. That’s what they will do to you, because you are special to them. And when you find your fourth brother, you will embrace him, too.”

He shifted, his shoulders going back just a little bit, though I could still see a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

I took his hand, and we walked out of the room after scratching Max behind the ears, where he was curled up on the bed. It was adorable how he had already gotten so comfortable in his new living situation.

When we stepped into the hall, I looked around, trying to situate myself since I had been unconscious when we’d arrived, then headed toward the elevator.

“I hate this metal box,” he grumbled as he stepped in next to me and waited for me to push the button for the ground floor where Varek’s office was located. Even though he had handed off the day to day operations years ao, he still kept his original office for when he visited to check on things.

I squeezed his hand with a grin. “Just wait until you ride in a car.”

“I think I’d rather walk if it’s anything like this,” he grumbled as the floor jolted.

The doors slid open again and we began to walk down the corridor, the few demons we passed doing a double take at yet another look-a-like brother. “Not exactly the same,” I chuckled. “They can actually be quite comfortable. I’m sure we will be heading back to the mansion soon. You can ride on the back of my motorcycle if you like. It’s like riding a horse. Kind of.” I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

Once we reached the office door, I gave a short knock before poking my head around the corner. I’d walked in on things I didn’t want to see between mates more than once. I was relieved to see Varek, Valen, Juliette, and Kallista sitting around the small area Varek had set up to relax with guests. Juliette gasped and jumped up, running over to me to wrap me in a big hug.

“Oh, my goodness. I didn’t expect to see you walking in here looking so healthy!”

Kallista was next, giving me a quick squeeze. “How are you feeling?”

I gave them a smile and lifted my shirt, revealing the pink scar and the black stitches that were still in my skin. “I have a lot to tell everyone. But do you think you can take these out of me? They’re a bit annoying and keeping snagging on my shirt.”

Juliette took a close look and hummed. “That’s amazing. With the way it looked when your mate brought you in, I was so scared. You weren’t healing, and, Sasha, I say this with all the love in my heart for you, but I never want to see your guts again.”

I laughed and looked up as Varek and Valen moved close, their eyes on Varos as they stalked forward. Varek placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a quick squeeze. “I’m happy to see you back on your feet and doing well.”

I smiled and thanked him quickly but moved out of the way, knowing what he truly wanted. Juliette took my arm in hers, and we girls moved over to Varek’s desk while trying to keep a close eye on the guys.

“I think I might cry,” she whispered as we watched the three of them eyeing each other. Varos hesitantly held out his hand, but when Varek took it in his own, he yanked, making Varos fall into his chest. Then Valen wrapped his arms around the two of them.

I turned my head away, unable to watch and hold in the sob that wanted to burst from my chest. “That’s so fucking beautiful,” I choked out, only to see Kallista wiping the tears from her eyes. “Oh gods, don’t, or I won’t be able to hold back!” I raised my chin and took several deep breaths while blinking rapidly at the ceiling.

Once I finally got my watery eyes under control, I took a chance at glancing back at the brothers to see that they had switched positions. Valen and Varos were now hugging as Varek wrapped both of them up in his arms.

“Gah! Take these out of me, Juliette! I need to concentrate on something else.”

Her giggle was watery as she wiped her face on the bottom of her shirt. She opened a drawer and removed a pair of scissors. Holding them up, she said, “These aren’t exactly sterile, but you seem to be fully healed other than that scar, so I doubt we will have any concerns with germs.”

I hopped up on the edge of the desk, always in awe all these years later that the desktop wasn’t cluttered with invoices and other paperwork the way it always had been before Juliette came along. Choosing instead to concentrate on his new mate, Varek assigned a manager to take care of his duties so he could take Juliette traveling the way she'd always wanted, then settled down to have a baby.

“Hey, where’s the baby? I haven’t had Adrien snuggles in forever.”

“He’s with my dad back at the house. He brought him by earlier so we could see him but took him back home just a little while ago. We felt that it would be safer for him at the house, and Varek and I didn’t want to leave until you got better.”

As she bent over and started snipping away at the stitches, I turned to watch the brothers again, smiling at how happy they looked. Varek gestured to the others to sit down on the couches, and Varos eyed the room. I could tell he was still trying to get used to the changes. I had forgotten how different our realms were until I’d gone back. When I lived there, everything we had, while lavish for the Underworld, was so much more primitive than in the Earth realm. I doubted much had changed. But then Varos wouldn’t know either way, since he’d been held in a cell.

“All done!” Juliette announced as she stepped back. Kallista had a handful of tiny black threads that had been used to hold my abdomen closed. Juliette put the scissors away, then reached under the desk for a small trash can. After dumping the stitches in the garbage, we all turned to watch the guys.

“Do you think we should give them some time?” Kallista asked quietly.

“Maybe,” I hesitated, unsure. I wanted to be there for Varos, but I also didn’t want to intrude on the brother’s bonding time. “Oh, shit,” I whispered as Varek handed Varos a glass of what I figured was his usual expensive aged scotch. I was surprised when he took a sip and only the hint of a wince passed over his expression. I had been expecting a coughing fit, but he didn’t seem affected by the strong liquor in the least.

Varek gestured at us females who were still trying to figure out if we should stay or go, making up our minds for us. Together, we all walked over to our mates. Varek pulled Juliette into his lap, where she happily snuggled against his side. Kallista and I sat beside our mates, but we were both immediately yanked in close.

I glanced up at Varos. “You drank that down pretty easily. I’m impressed.”

He scoffed. “Compared to the spirits we drank in the Underworld, this is little more than mother’s milk.”

“The alcohol couldn’t have been that bad there,” Kallista laughed.

Valen chuckled. “No, he’s right. The shit there is pretty much Hydra piss. I’m fairly sure if a human drank it, it would burn their stomach into ash.”

I gasped. “You guys are remembering things, then?”

Valen and Varek shared a look. “Things are coming quicker now. Some memories are still hazy, but we are beginning to understand what happened and why.”

I shifted in my seat and eyed everyone. “I think I need to tell you about who I saw while I was in the in-between.”

Everyone looked at me, and Valen stood, heading for the liquor cabinet. “Hell, I think we're going to need another bottle to hear this one.”