Chapter 16

I scream again. My flesh is carved open. My blood spills from my body.

Cut. Cut. Cut.

Then… the sound of waves. The warmth of sunshine. The taste of salt on a breeze.

I blink at the clear blue sky overhead. My toes wriggle in the sand. And fingers run through my hair as I lie on the beach.

I look up to see Shaw on his back, my head on his stomach.

‘Do you ever have nice dreams?' he asks. ‘Or is it always blood, screaming and gore?'

I choose not to answer and instead look out at the gentle breaking waves.

‘Where is this place?' I ask. ‘I've never been here before.'

‘It was my favourite place growing up,' he says. ‘I lived in a village a few miles from this beach. Spent a lot of my time here.'

‘It's beautiful,' I admire.

‘It's peaceful,' he replies.

‘What were you like as a child?' I ask. ‘Did you need to drink blood even back then?'

‘Save it for when you earn your questions.'

‘I took all three of you tonight. I think I've earned my questions.'

‘And you came hard. We're even. Now be quiet, and let me enjoy the sound of the waves.'

‘Pretty sure I told you to stay out of my dreams, dream walker,' I groan, feeling myself awake in the very real world.

‘Pretty sure I don't follow your orders, Pixie, ' Shaw replies with a sleepy yet happy tone. His fingers glide up and down the back of my naked leg as his head rests on my lower back. He plants kisses on my skin.

My face is on Dorian's bare chest. He's sprawled on his back, absolutely naked and sleeping deeply. His hand is buried in the knotted mess of my hair. Every time I shift, his fingers curl, keeping a tighter grip so I can't get too far.

I'm naked, sprawled across the middle of the bed, with both men draped around or over me like vines.

‘I need to wash. I smell of sweat and blood,' I grumble.

‘You smell fucking fantastic,' Shaw mumbles, his lips still kissing lazily. ‘I think you should always smell like this.' Kiss. ‘Our sweat.' Kiss. ‘Our blood.' Kiss. ‘Our sex.'

The bedroom door flies open. I yell as Dorian sits up, my head hurtling from his torso as he readies himself with a dagger.

Shaw has also sat bolt upright.

‘We've been summoned,' Archie announces, standing in the doorway and holding a letter. He looks to Shaw. ‘He wants us there tonight.'

‘Tonight?' Shaw repeats, getting up and taking the letter.

Everyone watches him read it. The muscles in his back tense. His reaction makes the others tense, too. I pull up the sheet to cover myself.

Now does not feel like a time to be naked.

‘Tonight…' Shaw mutters, lowering the letter and looking at Dorian. ‘And he wants us to bring her.'

‘He wants us to bring her?' Dorian asks. ‘How does he even know about her?'

‘He calls her the…' He takes another look at the letter. ‘Runaway Earth Witch.' Shaw replies.

‘We can't take her.' Dorian scoffs.

‘Excuse me,' I interrupt. ‘Her has a name.'

‘We don't have a choice. Not if he's demanding we bring her,' Archie adds, walking towards me with his child-like grin to plant a kiss on the top of my nose. ‘Morning.' He ruffles my hair. ‘You seem to glow brighter when you're filled with our cum.'

‘Gross,' I hiss, slapping his hand away. ‘Who even says shit like that, Archie?'

‘Me. I do.' He sits beside me and watches the others stare intently at each other.

‘What do we do?' Dorian asks.

‘What we have to.' Shaw folds the letter. ‘We go.'

‘All of us?' Dorian looks at me.

‘All of us,' he agrees.

A heavy silence falls, and there's a tension so damn thick I could cut it with the dagger Dorian still holds.

‘I'm sorry,' I say, shuffling to the end of the bed. ‘But, who exactly has summoned us all?'

Shaw hands me the letter.

I read it, and my stomach falls so far that the centre of the earth isn't deep enough to catch it.

Lifting my head, I look at Shaw, swallow, and accidentally shout my following words as I get to my feet stark fucking naked.

‘The human king wants you to bring me to his court?' I look between them all. ‘Tonight?!'

Exasperated, they all look at the paper in my hand and slowly nod.

Well… this can't be good.

‘You can't stay under there forever,' Archie groans.

‘Watch me,' I reply, staring at the underside of the bed.

They've kept it clean and comfortable for me. Cushions and blankets cover every inch. Archie's arm hangs over the edge of the bed as he lies sprawled across the mattress.

‘You eaten any of that food yet?' he asks

‘Not hungry.'

‘You should eat. You need to keep your energy up.'

‘Why? What's the king going to want me to do?'

He chuckles.

‘I meant that we need to feed before we go so we're strong.'

‘You've had your two feeds this week,' I remind him, picking at a splinter above my head. ‘You're not getting anymore from me.'

‘We'll see,' he mumbles. The bed creaks as he shifts. His head suddenly dangles over the edge. ‘Why do you go under here, Pixie?'

I have no intention whatsoever of answering.

He just wants to know for the sake of knowing. Like an itch he wants to scratch.

‘You are a very strange little mud witch,' he says. ‘All the others I've met are uptight stiffs with a stick firmly up their arse. Rumour is they only fuck on the Rite and then once a month to make a kid. But here you are, taking three dicks in one single day.'

‘Rumours are wrong, Master.' I look back up at the wood of the bed, picking at that splinter. ‘Females are taught to be quiet. Obedient. We're told to be pretty and sweet. To smile and giggle, even when all we hear is boring, misogynistic bullshit and jokes as funny as shit sliding down the wall. We're told that sex is a duty. That to make a male cum is the greatest honour. We're told females are supposed to be in pain during sex. That pleasure isn't for us. It's for males. That orgasms aren't even possible.'

‘Lessons you clearly took to heart,' he laughs. ‘You're such a timid and mild-mannered female who clearly loathes sex.'

‘One night had me knowing differently. I could orgasm. No one believed me. I got beaten for even suggesting to the girls that we weren't obligated just to accept whatever dicks wanted to go inside us. That the fact we didn't climax was the male's fault. Not ours. I would say at least ten of the scars on my back are from me speaking out.' I shrug. ‘Cole would use his fingers on me, but whenever I tried to guide him in the right direction, he would get so mad, scolding me that I was trying to achieve the impossible. The unnatural. Sex is for males. For making children. And sometimes, when a friend wants to have a turn, you do that too.'

‘Cole had a friend, did he?' The words are a snarl. Strange. Not sure I've heard him snarl before.

‘Everyone has a friend. Or someone who they owe money to.'

‘Who owed money, Pixie?'

‘Doesn't matter,' I breathe.

‘It does. If someone hurt you-'

‘Like kidnap, bite and threaten me? Or took it in turns to face fuck me in front of all their little friends to punish me?' I snort. His logic is lacking. ‘You will tire of me. There will come a time when you only want to feed from me for your magic. Maybe fuck me when the mood takes you. And I will grow to become indifferent to you. Whenever they come, your bites and attentions will be just another part of my day or week.'

‘You would be happy with a life like that?'

‘I accepted the beatings. The punishments. The future I had laid out before me with Cole. I can adjust to anything, Master. And I will do it with my head high and get everything from life I can. We all die. I don't want to die without enjoying myself as much as possible.' Old memories slowly start resurfacing. Images seep through the cracks in the wall I put up so long ago. I'm a pro at blocking out the shit I don't want to think about, but yet I'm swamped by nightmares I thought long forgotten. ‘Strange,' I mumble absentmindedly.

‘What's strange?' he asks softly.

‘How much a man enjoys a little girl's tears…' I whisper.

I realise he's staring at me with a stern frown that ages him considerably. His mind is racing in there. Those eyes are trying to search my soul.

‘Why would the human king want me to attend his court tonight?' I ask, hoping to interrupt his thoughts before he asks me anything else.

‘No idea,' he replies, that same frown remaining. ‘But he calls, we go. That includes you.' He inhales sharply. ‘Ashe, did someone hurt you at the coven?'

The bedroom door opens. A few heavy steps and a pair of hands grab my ankles. I'm pulled out to see Shaw standing over me.

‘Why, good afternoon, Master,' I smirk, lying between his legs as he peers down at me. ‘And what can I do for you?'

‘You can get out from under my bed,' he sighs. His eyes look me up and down. ‘And you can wash, sort your hair, and get dressed. The carriage leaves in a couple of hours. You look like you've been screwed sideways by three Males all night long.'

‘Why, thank you.'

‘Normally, that would be a compliment. But today, I need you looking like a runaway earth witch who fell in love with a vampire who seduced you in the woods.'

‘Excuse me?'

‘That's the story. You and one of us are in love. You left your Coven to be together. The alternative is the truth, which will get us, and your coven, obliterated.'

‘Whose the lucky guy I'm besotted with?'

‘Undecided,' Dorian grunts from the doorway.

‘There's a dress by the bath,' Shaw tells me. ‘The banshee will be up to help you with your hair if needed.'

‘She'll be more likely to shave her bald after she saw you with your dick down her throat, Shaw.' Archie scoffs. ‘The banshee is in love with you.'

‘She is not in love with me,' he insists.

Archie and I both share a look. How can someone be so clueless?

I get to my feet and head to the bathroom.

Washed, dressed and ready for whatever the hell is coming, I head out of the bedroom and make my way to the main doors. As I approach the top of the stairs, I hear their voices down in the hall. They talk in a low yet jovial manner, laughing and teasing as they wait. As I reach the top of the stairs, I admire them all.

Dorian is dressed all in black. His hair is loose, with a few braids trailing down his back. His dark jacket has the collar pulled up, and a fresh shirt is unbuttoned, showing the dark tattoos on his chest. Archie is in a light grey coat and emerald green shirt that hangs loosely off his muscled frame. His hair is an unkempt mess, as usual. The pure white of it catches in the light coming through the open door. Shaw is in black and red, looking almost regal. His deep red shirt is unbuttoned at the top, and his coat falls past his knees.

Everything on these men fits to perfection.

All three look like gods in skin suits. I take a moment to admire them. Their muscular frames. Their confidence. Their power. How well their clothes hug their frames. How their smiles are enough to have me staring. Their swords rest at their hips, making me feel safe.

All three are walking monsters. Powerful killers. Fucking lethal.

And I love that I have had them all. Love I have tasted them. Felt them gasp. Made them mine for at least one night.

Dorian's eyes land on me first. They widen a little as he faces me. Then Archie. Followed by Shaw. All three look up at me, amazed.

‘Not bad for a mud witch, huh?' I offer, holding my arms wide.

‘Not bad for any witch,' Archie replies. ‘You are hot!'

Holding the wooden railing, I lift the hem of my long black dress made of pure silk and head down to meet them.

It's cut low, revealing a fair amount of cleavage. In the light, it shimmers like snakeskin. There's an indecent slit up my right thigh. Bracelets adorn my wrists, my glamour among them, and their delicate chain dangles around my neck. My hair dries with loose curls, and after using whatever lotions they had by the tub, it seems to be silky smooth for a change.

I reach the hall and stop before them.

‘So. Who's the love of my life tonight?' I ask.

‘That would be me,' Shaw replies. He pulls something from his pocket and kneels before sliding his hands under my dress.

‘Excuse me,' I laugh. 'Get out from between my legs.'

He starts securing something around my thigh as he peers up at me through his dark hair.

‘If you get into trouble, you're to use this,' he says.

I look down to see he's securing a small dagger to the inside of my thigh. The harness looks like black lace.

‘And what sort of trouble might that be?' I ask.

‘Any trouble that means you might get killed.'

‘If this is so dangerous, why are we going?'

‘Because if we don't, the king will send an army to fetch us. Then he'll want to know why we refused his invitation. And we don't want him to look too closely at you or us.'

‘And what happens if they find out what I am?' I ask, my heart racing at the possibility. He finishes securing the dagger and holds my thigh instead.

‘Then all our bones will end up on the village gates. So behave and keep your mouth shut unless spoken to.'

‘Have you seen my snake yet? I'd feel much better going with her.'

Shaw shakes his head. ‘And just to warn you, Dorian has your doll. If you run, he will break both your legs and arms. You will end up in that cell down in the cellar. I will make every dream a nightmare, and I will let Archie play with you in his wolf form. Am I understood?'

‘Play with me in his wolf form?' I repeat, glancing at a beaming Archie like the idea is the most delicious thing he has ever heard. ‘I hear you. Loud and clear. Can I drink when I'm there?'

He holds up a stern finger. ‘One drink. No Fae wine. It's extremely strong.'

Oh. I've never had Fae wine. But I've heard of it. Supposedly, it makes you high as the stars. Perhaps I can smuggle some out to have here.

When he goes to stand, I rest my hand on his shoulder, keeping him on his knees. Annoyance flashes in his eyes.

‘Please don't pass me around.'

‘Excuse me?' he asks.

‘I saw the human girls last night. They were free game to anyone. Toys to play with. Pretty things to enjoy. I am not any of those things. Not to humans. Not to anyone.'

‘Why would you even think we would?'

‘This dress makes one hell of a statement, Master. I'm not wearing it to sink into the background. Just… give me your word, and I'll make it worth your while.'

‘No one else is touching you, Poppet,' Dorian grunts. ‘You don't need to bargain for that right.'

I raise my brow, awaiting Shaw's agreement.

He slowly blinks, his hand gliding up my thigh at a torturous pace.

‘If anyone other than us touches you…' His fingers slide beneath my underwear. ‘You use that dagger on them, and you tell them…' Two fingers ease into me, and I can't hold in the whimper. ‘Precisely who you belong to. And they will get far worse than a dagger after I hear of someone touching what we have claimed as ours.' He hooks his finger into my wall and pulls me closer to him. He plants a chaste kiss on my stomach. ‘Got it?'

I nod, licking my lips as I try to get some moisture into my suddenly extremely dry mouth.

‘If anyone thinks they can touch a girl we have claimed, they must have a death wish,' Dorian agrees. ‘So oblige their needs and kill them.'

‘Okay,' I breathe.

Shaw pulls out his fingers, sucks them clean, then swiftly stands.

‘We're giving you the earth coven grimoire when we return,' he says. ‘We want you to study it.'

‘Why? I'm not powerful enough to read from it.'

‘You're powerful enough,' he scoffs. ‘Trust me. We're sure you will be able to read from it. And we want you strong. Besides, we believe the more connected you are to that side of your magic, the less darkness will settle in your soul when you use the other side.'

‘You think?'

‘You should be darker, Pixie. You should be cruel and craving blood. But you're not. It's the only reason we can think of. So, to keep you as you are… as we like you… we want you to use as much earth magic as possible. Is that okay with you?'

‘That's amazing,' I laugh, relief and appreciation making a lump form in my throat. ‘Thank you.'

He looks down at me, softly smiling.

‘Stay as you are,' he repeats. ‘Try. Okay?'

I nod, not wanting to ruin the moment by reminding him they're the ones encouraging my blood magic. Not me. I would carve it out if I could.

Shaw looks just past my shoulder.

‘Keep a look out for any trouble, Banshee,' he commands.

Peering back, I see her watching. Her fists are balled at her side, and her sharp teeth grind as she glares hatefully at me.

Shaw opens the door.

‘After you, Pixie.'