23. Axe

Chapter 23

Axe

THE PHANTOM

W ilder circles the deadly sharp maw of the bear trap in the center of the room and lets out a low whistle. "Sweetwitch's mama is full of surprises."

"You don't say?" Kaspian deadpans.

Elara rushes into the room, Cav on her heels.

From my stance near the door, my hand snakes out, fingers curling around her wrist. "Not so fast. You're leading us on quite the chase. Wilder almost losing a leg should finish it."

I glance from her to the others, reading the hunger in their eyes, the wolfish intent. Anticipation fires through my veins, hot and potent.

And by the look in her eye, we're not the only ones in desperate need of distraction.

"Then come and claim it," she breathes.

Wrenching free of my grip, she bolts for the door, nervous laughter bubbling up her throat as our footsteps pounding behind her, the thrill of the hunt spurring us on.

Elara's game has reached its fevered pitch, and I'm no longer certain whether I'm the hunter or the prey. All I know is, Elara craves the chase, the capture, with every fiber of her being if she's baiting us like this.

I race through the halls, my shoes silent on the flagstones, my brothers' careful breaths mingling with her gasping laughter. She leads us on a winding path, darting through narrow passageways and up twisting staircases, putting all her knowledge of the manor and her mother to use.

But in the end, as I knew it would, her flight proves futile. We corner her, caging her against the wall with our much larger bodies.

Kaspian braces a hand beside her head, lips curving. "Caught you, little beastie."

Elara squirms, trapped between us, my body humming at her proximity and the arousal flushing her cheeks.

She's so fucking beautiful.

"Then do your worst," she says.

Wilder, flanking Kaspian, responds, "Oh, trust me. Our worst is better than most men's best."

"Prove it," she dares.

It's Cav who reacts first, reaching under her nightgown and pulling at her panties, the silk fabric swishing down her elegant, toned legs and pooling at her ankles before he teasingly reveals her glistening arousal. Elara steps out of them and he tosses them to me.

I catch them with a half-cocked smile as Elara tracks the movement, her eyes growing hooded. She remembers my longing for the scent of her pussy, wet and inviting.

The sight makes my pants tighten further—if that's possible.

Elara rewards Kaspian by allowing him to caress her fiery hair and cup her breast in his hand through her nightgown. His fingers gently squeeze and massage her flesh, feeling the hardness of her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

Whatever went on earlier between Elara and Kaspian wasn't good, because Elara rewards Wilder differently altogether.

She lets him take her soft breast into his mouth, his tongue flicking over the hard, sensitive nipple. His face becomes as peaceful as I've ever seen it, savoring the warm taste of her skin and the feeling of power that comes with controlling her pleasure.

Fuck. Finally , it's my turn.

I place myself between Wilder and Kaspian the moment Cav peels off her nightgown, Elara now completely naked except for that cursed amulet, gleaming between her breasts like a captivating witch's eye. I ignore it and kiss her, my tongue slipping past her lips, her teeth, to play with hers.

She cups my jaw and tips my head back, plunging as deep as she wants, sucking up my saliva, my soul. The heat between us skyrockets. Our bodies press together. She grinds herself against me, moaning softly into my mouth.

The adrenaline from impressing her fades, replaced by a carnal lust that's as deep as it is dark.

Her scent wraps around me like a chain, driving me absolutely batshit insane at the same time. My fingers twitch with the urge to touch her, to claim what's ours. I'll to rip apart anyone who dares to lay his fucking eyes on her once she leaves this manor.

She's ours she's ours she's ours.

That's a sentiment I will remember forever.

"Can't play nice anymore," I rasp as I sever the kiss.

She looks up at me, her eyes misted over with lust. "Well, you're all so fond of playing rough."

The light in her eyes gutters after she says it before she quickly blinks it back in place.

I angle my head, reading her face. "You don't like it?"

A throat clears beside us.

"My fault," Kaspian says.

Acknowledgement from him? A rarity.

With that said, places an arm between me and Wilder, to our disgruntlement, and scoops Elara up in his arms. Elara releases a vocal gasp of shock, her limbs flailing before he holds her hard against his chest and grumbles, "I'll make up for it."

Obviously, Wilder, me and Cav follow as Kaspian backtracks through the manor.

Kaspian kicks open a door to a guest bedroom with more force than necessary, but right now, restraint isn't high on his list of virtues.

The bed is a four-poster draped in soft, buttery sheets. Placing Elara onto it, he peels off his shirt slowly, matching Elara's earlier tease with his own strip show. She watches with bated breath and eager, yet wary, eyes.

What did he do to her, I wonder?

With great effort, I take my attention off Elara and do a fast scroll through my phone's notes in case his fuck-up was referenced earlier. It wasn't, not really.

It's hard to keep my mind on the task as I scroll through my phone, knowing that Elara is naked and writhing on the bed, that ruby glittering with no power but hers, waiting for Kaspian.

By the time I refocus on Elara, Kaspian stands between her splayed legs bare-chested, his pants hanging low on his hips and revealing a carved, V-shape arrow to his cock.

Her body arches toward him, pleading for contact, pussy gleaming.

He's potent and dominant, just like she wants it, and his body is a work of art under the soft light of the room. He towers over her, glistening with sweat from our earlier efforts.

As he lowers himself between her legs, her breath stops.

Elara spreads her legs wider, revealing her wetness to us all. We watch as he teases her entrance with his rough fingers.

"No objects this time, beastie. Promise. Only me. Always. Me. "

He pushes inside her all the way to his knuckles, grunting slightly at the tight fit, but he doesn't hesitate to push four fingers in as far as they can go.

Her moans caress the walls and fill our ears like music.

Every time he hits that sweet spot inside her, she gasps or cries out in delight mixed with pain, making our observation all the more unbearable.

If I don't get out of these pants, I'm going to bust the zipper.

Elara writhes, her hips arcing off the bed in a desperate bid for more. My eyes meet Wilder's across the room, the same hunger reflected back at me.

Without further hesitation, I liberate my throbbing erection.

The sight of Elara, bare and spread beneath Kaspian's touch elicits a rare, untamed counteraction from me.

Cav follows my lead, ripping open his own jeans with an impatient tug. His cobalt blue gaze settles first on the necklace, giving an annoyed eye-twitch at it's presence, but for once, it's not almighty enough to keep him from choosing to focus on Elara's face instead as she cries out in pleasure, her body bucking beneath Kaspian's relentless ministrations.

Wilder is making his own show of things; tearing off his shirt and tossing it to the side before turning his attention back to the bed. His hazel eyes are starved as he watches Kaspian's hand disappear inside her again and again. Wilder's entire demeanor is one of barely-leashed restraint.

My cock bobbing high and hard against my stomach, I stride over to where Elara lies squirming, her breath coming in harsh pants. I stroke myself slowly, matching the rhythm of Kaspian's hand thrusting inside her.

As if sensing my approach, she cracks her eyes open just enough to spot me before they slip shut again, lost in her ecstasy. A slow smile curves her lips as she beckons me closer.

The intoxicating concoction of their combined scent hits me; the musky aroma of Kaspian's arousal mixing with Elara's sweet cunt. It's enough to drive me to my knees.

Wilder moves to her other side, his hands trailing up her thigh and towards her breasts that are bouncing with each powerful plunge Kaspian delivers, the necklace pooling at her collarbone, face down, as if even it has accepted defeat when faced with our intent. He traces the outline of her breasts, then pinches her nipples until they stand swollen and erect.

The silent agreement passing between us needs no words. We'll take care of our woman.

Together. As it's meant to be.

I want her. We all want her.

Her cries grow louder, more frantic as Kaspian applies more pressure on her sweet spot. My fingers find their way to her clit, adding to the overwhelming sensations coursing through her body.

Cav gets on the bed, straddling her face.

She cums violently, a loud scream tearing from her throat as wave after wave of rapture courses through her, Cav positioning the tip of his cock so it pulls down her lower lip as she shouts.

Every man in the room groans at that goddamned perfect sight.

The image of her coming undone pushes me over the edge, my own release spilling onto the floor below.

With one last shudder, her body goes slack, her heavy breaths the only sound in the room. She gazes up at Cav with awe and something deeper, brushing a stray hair from his forehead before turning her attention to the rest of us.

Elara lies in the center, a masterpiece, flushed and spent.

"Your shirts," she says breathlessly to me and Cav. "Take them off."

Cav and I tense, exchanging similar looks of resistance.

To bare our scars in such an intimate, personal setting … well, now I have a partner in that, as terrible as it is. Cav, once as perfect as Kaspian and Wilder, and where I was once a perfect, trained, muscular specimen like the three of them, is now asked to expose his deformity, his descent from flawlessness, to this gorgeous, unblemished girl.

Then again, Elara isn't like any other woman we've met. And besides, she's seen our scars. In fact, she's seen all of us—the good and the bad, the highs and lows. We've been laid bare before her.

With my lips tight, I pull my shirt over my head and toss it to the side. The air of the room hits the raw skin of my fresh scars, causing a tremor that has nothing to do with the beautiful woman in front of me. Still straddling her, Cav does the same, his usually confident gaze faltering when he meets Elara's eyes as he loosens his bandages and they fall away.

Yet, there is no disgust in her eyes as she takes us in. She doesn't flinch away from our mutilated bodies. On the contrary, she reaches out to trace her fingers along the jagged lines marring our muscles. Her touch is soft as she maps out our flaws with a care that makes something inside me tighten.

Then she smiles that radiant smile of hers, reaching up to trace the raised outline of one of my more prominent scars with her delicate caress. The touch sends shivers down my spine and stirs something akin to possessiveness within me.

Kaspian slides off the bed to give room for me to come closer. He crosses his arms over his chest, a move that on anyone else might look defensive. But on Kaspian... it's got this raw masculine appeal that leaves no doubt he considers Elara his as well.

I reach out to cup her face, my thumb tracing her swollen lips before pulling her into a deep kiss that makes her gasp. I salty taste of Cav's precum on her tongue sends another jolt of arousal between us.

When I lean back, Cav takes advantage of her open mouth and slips his dick inside. A soft mewl escapes from her throat and it's echoed by a deep groan from Cav.

Wilder pulls away from the bed long enough to slam the door shut, then prowls closer and kneels between her thighs and dips his head to suck on her pussy. Elara's cry is muffled by Cav pushing himself to the hilt inside her mouth.

When Kaspian goes for her breasts, I immediately get hard again. I could watch them pleasure her all night, but then I remember that I'm part of this, too.

I can touch and taste and have my own piece of Elara.

So that's exactly what I do.

I reach for her, my fingers slipping inside her pussy while Wilder's tongue swirls, pressing against her wet folds.

She's so slick, so ready that it takes a lot of control not to lose myself right there and then.

But instead, I take my turn, pushing into her warmth with a gratifying sigh. The men around me add their own touches, their own caresses until Elara is a writhing mess beneath us.

The sight of her coming apart under our hands, under our bodies, is a heady one. Her cries grow louder, more desperate as she gets closer to another climax.

Cav moves in rhythm with her, his pace increasing to match the frenzy around him. Kaspian closes his lips around a taut nipple with more fervor. Wilder growls against her clit and my fingers curl inside her, hitting the spot that makes her scream.

Eyes slammed shut, she bucks against me once, twice, then a final time, her walls clenching around my fingers as an orgasm rips through her.

It's at that moment Wilder bats my hand away, rises, and slams into her pussy with such acute force, the bed shifts sideways.

Cav groans, his back arching as he releases into her mouth, his hand fisting in her hair to keep her anchored. Wilder's growls deepen into long drawn out moans that vibrate against her skin. Kaspian's eyes flash dangerously as he watches Elara take Cav in her mouth and Wilder in her pussy, clearly unhinged by the image.

Wilder drives into her faster and harder. His hot, savage focus on Elara's pleasure matches the bestial lust in his eyes. Wilder takes full control, using every ounce of his strength to hit that G-spot inside her again and again.

Every time Wilder thrusts into Elara, each time Cav slides deep into her mouth, Elara convulses with delight. Her hands grip at Kaspian's arm holding her leg aloft and my shoulder as she seeks stability amidst a tsunami of greed.

Cav growls something incoherent, a slurry of curses and compliments, and pulls out from her mouth, shooting the rest of his load onto Elara's flushed face and chest. His release triggers Wilder, who buries himself deep inside Elara with a harsh shout.

Kaspian's hands are quick to smear it down her breasts, his fingers dipping into her cleavage before moving to her peaked nipples. I choke on a groan, my cock demanding its due attention.

I shift my position until my straining erection nudges Wilder's out of the way and I can claim her wet, swollen heat.

I move slowly at first, the sensation of Elara's tight walls around me too delicious to rush. I have to savor this moment, etch it into my memories for all eternity.

Her hands, previously holding tightly onto Kaspian and me, now claw at my back as soon as Cav shifts off her face. It's a pain I welcome—a testament I'll be proud to wear.

"God, Axe," she moans as I hit a particularly sensitive spot within her.

Wilder grunts in discontentment, shifting to slide into her mouth, taking what he can while watching me claim his territory. He pulses in her mouth, his lust incurable.

Cav moves beside me, his hand snaking down Elara's body until it reaches that perfect nub of flesh Kaspian had been tormenting earlier.

When I straighten to gain a better thrust advantage, Kaspian takes the available space and kneels around her waist, blocking my perfect view as he slides himself between her breasts and squeezes them around his cock, using Cav's release as lubrication.

I growl low in my throat as I sink into her warmth, the friction of our bodies adding another layer to the multitude of sensations already rippling through her. My hands grip her thighs, pulling her closer until there is no space left between our sexes. Elara's body welcomes me in, her soft moans spurring me on.

Cav's eyes turn a smoky blue as he watches me penetrate her. He circles her clit amid the tangle of limbs and sweat-soaked skin. His free hand pushes against one of her thighs, keeping her open and spread, his fingers digging into her flesh, leaving marks that will remind all of us of this night long after it ends.

And he doesn't wait his turn.

Cav steadies himself by placing one hand on the the bedpost before guiding his rigid cock to the place where Elara and I are connected.

He pushes inside slowly, his expression holding an intensity that borders on reverence.

The sensation of him filling Elara alongside me carbonates my veins. It's such a profound intimacy that we share with her —a perilous blend of possession and surrender that transcends anything else I've ever experienced.

Elara lifts her head and chokes on an inhale as she struggles to accommodate Wilder and I simultaneously.

"Shh, we got you," I whisper, my voice hoarse with longing as Cav finally bottoms out.

Elara's response is broken by a cry as Kaspian rises and shoves himself into her mouth, his ass muscles clenching. Her pussy clamps down around Cav and I and it sparks such sharp pleasure, my vision is dotted with stars.

Kaspian's hand moves from the headboard to cradle Elara's chin as she chokes on him, his thumb swiping at the tears trailing down her cheeks, his gaze filled with uncharacteristic softness as he looks down at her.

"Cum for us, Elara," Kaspian murmurs. It's a command more than a request.

And like the shattered jewel she is, she does.

She spasms around me and Cav both—a hot, tight clench that has us both grunting in satisfaction. Kaspian curses lowly as his seed shoots down her throat.

Wilder, on the other hand, was jerking off the entire time, watching intently as Elara swallows Kaspian's release, his gaze darkening to an obscure gold when, with a loud grunt, he spills his load onto her chest, too.

And then there are two.

Cav and I keep up the pace. Elara's eyes flutter open to meet each of us in turn.

Our breaths intermingle in the small space between us as we lose ourselves in each other's depths.

It's easy to forget that we're not alone—that Cav is still here—but it doesn't matter. I'll share.

She spasms around me and Cav both.

The moment my climax hits, it whitewashes everything else. I can't see, I can't hear—I'm lost to her.

When we pull out, Elara is left panting and flushed on the sheets, a mess of glistening limbs and tousled hair.

For a while, nobody moves. Nobody speaks. The only sound in the room is our collective, heavy breathing and the occasional grunt or sigh as we come down from our high. The air is thick with our mingled scents—cologne, sweat, fresh blood from re-opened wounds, sex.

We all collapse onto the bed, gasping for breath and fighting off the haze that threatens to pull us under. Elara is sandwiched between Cav and me, her body limp and sated.

Kaspian is the first to move, detangling himself from the mess of arms and legs to fetch a damp washcloth from the attached bathroom. He cleans Elara with a gentleness that seems out of character after what we've just done. His touch is gallant as he wipes away traces of our time together, a word I never thought I'd associate with him.

Wilder is silent, though his eyes speak volumes as he observes Kaspian clean up Elara. His gaze is hooded, lips pursed in a thin line. His way of regaining control after letting go so completely.

I shift slightly and pull Elara closer against my chest, relishing in her soft sighs against my skin. My hand lazily strokes her auburn hair, its strands around my fingers like the threads of a story we're still weaving.

Elara stirs, her amber eyes blinking owlishly as she looks up at me. A soft smile curves her lips as she regards us, her gaze drowsy, but content.

"Thank you," she murmurs, her voice raw from crying and screaming.

It's a simple sentiment, but it resonates within the uncertain space between us. It's an acknowledgment, a gratitude not only for the pleasure we brought her, but also for the trust we've placed in her...

…and she in us.

I ignore the stone in my gut, growing larger, harder, heavier . The world outside our sphere abruptly seeps back in, reminding me of its existence.

Of promises I made to the Sovereigns the last time they summoned me and the secrets I'm keeping from my brothers, Elara , because of it.

Of the looming dawn that would soon push away the cloak of darkness that had allowed me to stop pretending and just be.

I must think of Marianne.

Wilder drags himself to sit against the headboard, his kindled gaze drifting over Elara's body like a tangible caress. He looks as if he's about to say something, when a knock interrupts.

Our gazes snap towards the door just as Sasha's voice filters through.

"Um … hello? I have the coffee."