Chapter 53

Lionel's army was getting too close to the illusion. Every winged scout that swept down to investigate it was destroyed by the Councillors' might, but too many of them were coming this way.

I shared a glance with Darius, telling me he knew this was coming to an end as surely as I did, and there was still no sign of the twins.

"Xavier, if they discover the magic before they return, you need to run. I'll wait for Roxy and Gwen, but you-"

"No," I snapped, stamping my foot in anger at the suggestion. "They're my queens too. And I am long past running for safety while you stand in my place."

Darius looked like he wanted to argue, but his eyes softened, and he nodded in acknowledgement of my choice. I wasn't a boy he could command anymore, and I'd be here at his side ‘til the bitter end.

A heavy wind was blowing through the valley, certainly created by Antonia, trying to push Lionel's army back and slow it down. But one of Lionel's Bonded Dragons broke rank near the rear of the fight, a horn blaring out as the grey beast flew towards the illusion, his powerful wings carving through the onslaught of air and forcing his way towards our fake army.

I knew that Dragon. Uncle Erkin. Though he was no brother of Lionel's, just some distant cousin I was forced to address as such. A man who had been campaigning for the compulsory sterilisation of Fae deemed ‘lesser' by law, and he would no doubt get his way if Lionel won the war. He swept down towards our mirage, and I wielded a false soldier, making him run out from the front line and raise his hands. I blasted the earth up at his feet, sending giant stones hurling at the Dragon above, pelting him with as much force as I could muster.

He roared in anger, falling back, but I cast vines into the air that webbed around him, trapping his wings to his sides. He fell, thrashing and fighting, slamming to the ground with a resounding bang.

With a surge of determination, I urged the soil to swallow him up, my teeth bared as I did what had to be done and dragged him into the depths of the earth then closed it up above him, hoping I'd just rid the world of him for good.

Cries of fury came up from Lionel's army and a familiar roar sounded that was more terrifying than the rest.

My father flew at the very back of his warriors, beating his wings, the light winking off of his jade scales. He released a second roar that spurred the first rows of the army into a charge, the whole mountainside quaking with the pounding of their boots, hooves and paws.

My magic began to gutter, and I could see Darius's was failing too. We had poured all of our energy into this and we were almost tapped out.

"This is it," Darius growled, his brow taut with tension.

I nodded, waiting for the first row of Fae to clash with our illusion. My breath got stuck in my lungs as they came in swinging weapons and blasting magic, colliding with nothing and staggering forward, many falling over and more piling on top of them.

There was a scramble to get up and a halo of panicked confusion before shouts carried from Lionel's soldiers.

"It's an illusion!" someone amplified their voice. "A trick!"

Lionel roared in fury, and I steeled my nerves for what was to come. Our concealment spells were weakened by how much magic we'd offered elsewhere, and they wouldn't be enough to keep us hidden for long. It was game over, and our next move would determine whether we lived or died.

A flare of glittering magic shot up from the Councillors where they were hidden within the illusion, a signal for us to run. Darius and I let our magic fall, dropping our hands, the mirage flickering out of sight and revealing the Councillors standing at its heart.

Lionel bellowed as he spotted them, his Bonded Dragons flying after him at a furious speed, but before any of them could make it there, the Councillors tossed stardust over their heads and disappeared.

I felt the concealment spells around my brother and I fading, and we had no more power to bolster them. The moment our spells shattered, Lionel's green eyes locked on the two sons he had long disowned, and the look of rage in him only brought satisfaction to me where I'd expected it to bring fear. I was no longer a cowering boy at the feet of his father, but a man on a mountaintop making a stand against my monster. Not even death could take that truth away from me now.

"Come on, Roxy," Darius hissed as Lionel veered back towards us.

My heart thrashed in my chest and I prepared to shift and fly out there to meet him if I had to.

His wings beat faster, his beady eyes set on us, a vicious hunger in them promising our suffering. But even his manic desire for my blood didn't strike terror in me; I was prepared to face him with all I had left, and no matter what happened, he would never see me tremble before him again.

Shrieks suddenly carried up from the rear of Lionel's army, followed by terrified, blood-curdling screams.

Lionel twisted around to look that way and my lips parted at the sight of the monsters pouring out into my father's ranks, tearing through Fae and Nymphs with savage abandon. Some were scaled, hulking creatures while others were winged and insect-like, a few slithering, while more crawled. All of them displayed a range of monstrous features and twisted limbs, nothing about them seeming at all natural. The sight of the beasts made a knot form in my chest, but hell, it looked like they were on our side.

Lionel's head twisted back to face us and fire brimmed between his jaws as he swept toward us again, leaving his army to deal with the monsters while he focused his ire on us.

A hoard of Dragons flew at his back and Darius took a step forward, clearly about to shift just as I was.

"Together," I called over the bellowing of beasts, and Darius nodded to me, our brotherly bond flaring between us, never to be broken.

But as hellfire came tumbling from Lionel's jaws and I readied to dive off the mountainside and shift on the way down, Tory and Darcy came flying up from the crevice between us and our bastard father with outstretched wings and Phoenix flames flaring into a giant shield at their backs.

The Dragon fire billowed across it but made no path through their barrier, their fire far superior to his.

"Did you miss us?" Darcy asked, her eyes glittering in the face of the chaos.

"We got side-tracked releasing monsters," Tory said like that was a totally normal thing for the two of them to have been doing. But shit, it looked like it had saved our asses.

They flew towards us as Lionel and his Dragons descended from behind and Darius caught Tory by the ankle, yanking her down to the ground with stardust twinkling in his fist.

Darcy swooped closer too, sending a blast of blinding Phoenix fire out behind her to hold back the Dragons a moment longer, before touching her feet lightly to the ground as we grouped close together.

Darius tossed the stardust into the air and I stared at the swarm of vicious Dragons swooping down on us, my eyes locking with my father's. Hatred spewed from his eyes and met with a vitriol of my own, then the stars snatched us away and brought us home to the gates of Zodiac Academy.

"You cut it close," I said with a relieved laugh, and the twins shared an unconvincingly innocent look. "Did you do it?"

"Yes, did you?" Melinda asked, jogging over to us with Tiberius and Antonia on her heels.

"You mean, did we track down the star Lionel was keeping in a pit in his castle and free it so it could do that sparkly power release thing?" Darcy asked sweetly.

"Yeah, that," Darius said intently.

"Well?" Tiberius boomed. "Did you really manage it?"

"Yup," they said at the same time, sharing a grin.

"Holy shit," I said, then neighed in joy, lunging at the two of them and dragging them into a hug. Glitter tumbled from my hair and my skin began to shine with how star damned happy I was.

"And the star cleaned the shadows," Darcy said as I released them.

"Which means?" Darius frowned.

"Fuck knows. But I need a coffee." Tory let her wings flutter away.

We headed through the gates, and part of me expected a welcome home parade from what we'd achieved, but all was quiet on campus.

"Do you think the others are back yet?" Darcy asked curiously, but the undertone of concern in her voice reminded me there were plenty of our group who had gone out and risked their lives today. What if not all of them had made it back?

With that heavy thought on my heart, we made our way to The Orb and the second we stepped inside, a tense silence greeted us. All eyes swung our way, then we were descended on like war heroes. Orion collided with Darcy so fast they went flying back out the door and she squeaked as she disappeared.

Caleb, Seth and Max dog-piled Darius, while Geraldine created a magical rainfall of flowers over Tory's head, weeping as she fell at her feet and hugged her legs. Tory patted her red hair as Gabriel came running over to greet her, and I looked beyond them all for my herd, my heart beating faster.

"They're at Terra House," Gabriel called to me, and I grinned in thanks before turning and racing back out of The Orb, passing by Orion who had Darcy pinned against a tree, kissing her with a savage desire that he probably thought was private.

I stripped off my clothes, figuring I'd fly to Terra House quicker than I could walk, but as I kicked off my boots, Orion's head snapped around and the two of them found me standing there butt ass naked.

"I wasn't watching you," I blurted, and Orion's eyes narrowed, the silver rings in them glimmering menacingly.

It didn't help that the moonlight was catching in the gemstones adorning my cock, winking right at them.

"You've got five seconds to leave," Orion warned.

"He's just shifting," Darcy said with a laugh. "Aren't you, Xavier?"

I nodded then hurriedly shifted, abandoning my clothes and taking for the sky. I flew to Terra House, shaking off my embarrassment and thinking of my herd.

I flew right to the skylight that sat above Tyler's room, landing beside it and tapping my hoof on the glass. It swung open a beat later and I shifted back into my Fae form, jumping inside and landing on the bed.

"Did you do it?" Sofia gasped, hurrying up from a chair at the desk.

"Yeah. The star's gone. Lavinia can't wield it anymore." I leapt off the bed, catching her waist and pulling her against me. Her lips met mine and I tangled my fingers in her short blonde hair, my pulse slowing with the relief of reuniting with her.

"We should head to The Orb to celebrate," Tyler said excitedly. "I just published an article about-"

"After," I cut him off, and his blue eyes heated as I took his hand and guided it onto Sofia.

He moved behind her to kiss her neck, nipping and licking to make her moan, and I watched them with my blood rising.

I was so hard for them both already, and a buzz of adrenaline was still flooding my limbs. I needed this, and I needed it now.

I slid my hand beneath Sofia's waistband, pushing into her panties and trailing my fingers over the gemstones adorning her pussy. She moaned, leaning back against Tyler for support as I dropped my hand lower and ground the heel of my palm over her clit. I found her perfectly wet for me and I slicked my fingers over her tight hole, toying with her and deciding what to do next.

"I want you both," Sofia panted. "I want to taste you, Xavier."

Her soft hand ran down my body to caress my cock and a heady groan left me as she began pumping it in her fist.

"On your knees then," I rasped, and she moved onto the bed, wetting her lips and beckoning me closer.

"Tyler, go with her," I commanded. "Fuck her slow for me."

Tyler smirked as he obeyed, dropping his sweatpants and kicking them away before moving to kneel behind Sofia on the mattress.

I watched as he eased his thick cock inside her and she let out a breathy moan, her back arching as he splayed his hand across it. He fucked her with slow, intense movements that drove his shaft in deep and had her panting within minutes.

"Good," I praised them both then stepped closer to Sofia, sliding my fingers into her silky hair.

Her lips closed around the tip of my cock and I gasped, letting her do the work as she sucked and licked her way along it. Her tongue dragged over each of the gemstones on my rainbow Jacob's ladder like she was worshipping each one, then she licked the underside of my cock with one long, languid stroke. Then another, and another. I cursed, my fingers tightening in her hair, but I didn't try to control her movements, admiring her as she worked to please me just how she wanted.

Her tongue flicked over the tip of my cock, then ran all the way down to the base, sending a shiver of pleasure through me. She did that twice more before her hand slid beneath my dick to grip my balls in her warm palm, massaging them as she took me into her mouth once more. Tyler's thrusts were slow and even, and she started sucking me in time with his movements, her head bobbing up and down as she took me in a little further each time.

The tip of my cock was tingling in a way that felt so fucking good. Between the heat in my skin and the rising tension in my body, I was drawing closer and closer to bliss. But I'd been this close before and I hadn't been able to finish. I wanted Sofia so badly and her lips were the perfect kind of sin, but could I really do it this time? She deserved everything from me and more. She was the reason for my freedom, my first desire in a world where I'd been denied everything I'd ever wanted. Then she'd come blazing into my life and claimed my heart.

I'd never expected to find room for more love, but as my gaze fell on Tyler, I knew he had been as inevitable in my life as Sofia. Sure, he had been one hell of a fucking surprise, but the best kind of one, and I loved him as deeply as I loved her. His eyes met mine, hooded and full of lust, his gaze trailing over my body, taking in the way my muscles flexed before falling on Sofia as she sucked my cock.

The three of us groaned our delight in each other's bodies, this rhythm between us an ecstasy devised by the stars themselves.

Tyler's thrusts became deeper, harder and his fingers dug into Sofia's hips, telling me he was close. But his gaze locked with mine, silently vowing he wouldn't finish until I gave him the order. For both of their sakes, I wanted to come first for once, to prove to them I desired them, that there was nothing holding me back anymore.

Sofia took me all the way to the back of her throat, her lips tightening and her palm rolling over my balls, making me suck in a gasp. I suddenly couldn't hold off, maddened by lust as I gripped her hair in my fist and fucked her sweet mouth, her moans vibrating right along the length of my dick.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I blurted, and then I was coming, exploding as pleasure sent me into a frenzy. I stilled, spilling every drop I had to give and groaning loudly, my head falling back in utter relief. It had been so long that I swear it had never felt that good, every muscle in my body tensing then relaxing all at once.

Sofia swallowed then I slowly eased out of her mouth and staggered back to slump down in the desk chair with a stupid smile on my face.

I nodded to Tyler and he knew exactly what that meant, reaching around to caress Sofia's clit, pinching and massaging it, making her cry out with want. A few more of his thrusts had her coming and he shoved her flat onto the bed, rearing over her as he fucked her faster and faster then came with a roar of delight, crushing her body beneath his and burying his face in her neck, their hands knotting together in the sheets.

He rolled off of her and she turned onto her back, the two of them laughing and panting in a tangle of limbs. I pushed out of my seat with such keenness that I sent it flying back into the desk, knocking something over that I didn't care to look at. I fisted my already rock hard dick, pumping it and taking in Tyler and Sofia's beautiful naked bodies. I was going to show them that I could come for them whenever I wanted, again and again.

"I'm Xavier Acrux," I announced, pumping my cock with furious strokes. "And I may have not been able to come for a long, long time, but now I can come anytime I want!"

Sofia and Tyler cheered and I rubbed my thumb over the tip of my cock, already on the brink of exploding again as I took in the two members of my herd, desiring them so fucking much.

I came with a whinny of purest pleasure, my ass hitting something behind me as I leaned back against the desk.

A frantic knocking came at the door and I looked over at it as I caught my breath. "We're busy," I called.

"Yes, indeed-oh-dandy," Geraldine squawked. "And we are all quite jubilant about your willy wanderings, but my dear Pego-brother, I must warn you that- that-"

"You're livestreaming on FaeBook!" Sofia cried, pointing to the computer.

"Shit." Tyler leapt off the bed, running over to the desk and I swung around, finding the webcam lined right up with my ass with a little red light blinking on it.

I stared at the screen in horror as Tyler cut the live stream and the video began to play back on the FaeBook post that had been seen by two thousand people already. It was mostly of my bare ass, but there was a fair bit of thrusting, then I said what I'd said, and I was pretty sure you could see my cock between my legs for a second then-

"No," I rasped in horror as I realised I hadn't just livestreamed it on my FaeBook page, I'd somehow tagged my mom in it. My dead fucking mother.

"Oh stars," I breathed. "Tyler, delete it," I begged.

"Working on it," Tyler said, and I saw a stream of comments coming in which had apparently been posted live.

Lindsey Staton:

Look at that ass! #Asscruxhasawholenewmeaning #bunsofsteel #Pegasass #hornyforthehorn #watchoutCalebAltairmightbeabout

Lindsay Kruse:

Is he jerking off??? I'm tagging EVERYONE I know @ Kylie Gibbons @Oriane Steiner @Danielle Frost @ Sophie Valenti @Amber Nicole

Kayla Latham:

Go, Xavier! Fuck your hand like there isn't a war on where everyone is gonna die – woo! #fuckthesystem #fucktheking #fuckthewar then #fuckyourhandinstead

Nicole MacInnes:

HE TAGGED HIS BELOVED MOTHER - STARS REST HER SOUL #RIPCatalina #Dragonmomma #lookawaybeyondtheveil

Ashley Mathews:

WOW! I saw his cock – it sparkled!! #glitterdick #gleamoftheday #itwinkedatme

It was the comment at the bottom that gutted me most, my lips pursing as I read it.

Gabriel Nox:

I saw this coming and could have stopped it #forthepubes #pubemeonce #revengeofthebush

Tyler finally got rid of the post and shut the computer down for good measure, looking to me with a frown. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I sighed, my gaze falling to the beautiful woman on my bed, then to Tyler's handsome face.

A smile broke across my lips and I leaned in and kissed him, our mouths coming together in perfect synchronicity. I was one helluva lucky asshole, even if I was an embarrassing one at times, and nothing was going to ruin my day.