Page 90 of Failed State

“Ohhhhh…” the bear mutters and the demon looks similarly clued in. “Now, I get it.”

“Shut up,” Sydney mutters as she worries her bottom lip with her teeth. “You all know I was working on bad information growing up. I was mistaken, but I didn’t know it, and I’m sorry.”

“Vicious,” Rory says softly. She doesn’t look up, and he puts a little more sound behind it. “Sydney, look at me.”

She lifts her eyes, looking guilty as hell and I think she might have done or said things she’s regretting now. “What, Rory?”

He squeezes her knees with his hands, his expression earnest as he holds her gaze. “It’s okay that you had a skewed view of what defined people because you didn’t know better. Should you have sought new information when your life changed drastically and you weren’t beholden to that influence? Yes. But you really had nothing but a poor substitute for education provided by the FSHA and a lot of rage about your circumstances. Plus, you BFFs were scared to break your brain, so they didn’t bring you back from the brink.”

“That’s true, sweet pea,” Huck says as he tilts his head at the dragon. “Give her a sip, Your Highness. She might need it.” Once she’s taken a drink, the demon continues, “Thad an’ I were worried that your psyche was so fragile after your dad died that revealing who and what he was would have damaged you in a way the camps don’t have treatment for. I’m sorry we didn’t try it; we really thought it would hurt you more than help.”

Thad stops the massage, his cheek brushing hers as he nods. “Huck isn’t lying. Tempest Seven doesn’t have mental health stuff, Syd. You worshipped your dad and were so angry about the Sweeps. Maybe we should have tried as the years went on, but the longer it went, the harder it was.”

I’m kind of impressed with these assholes—this is a lot of truth for one night.

“Regardless…” I interrupt before anyone starts up again. “The point stands that we realize you don’t have experience or knowledge in this area. And… that you’re still coming to terms with the rest of the shit dumped on you since this started.”

“But,” Elias rumbles and his tail flicks up her torso to rest just under her chin. “We want to teach you. That’s why the vampire is setting guidelines—it will be important for all of us to agree on them so we can take care of you.”

Sydney makes a very girly sound when his tail brushes back and forth over her, the tip moving to her collarbone. “I… um. Taking care of me… It includes… um, this?”

The uncertainty is unexpected; I thought she’d puff up and get angry, breaking the comforting quiet of our little nest. “We would like it to; would you like to explore with us?”

“Allof you? Like, all five?” I feel the heat in her frame and it makes me grin broadly. Her body likes the idea, even if her mind hasn’t wrapped around it yet. “Doesn’t that… bother any of you? Sharing me, I mean?”

That gets a chuckle from the magic user, and he slides his palms to her thighs to massage gently. When she doesn’t protest, he looks thrilled and I have to keep my own face from reflecting my excitement. “Not in the slightest, Vicious. Polyamory is very common amongst a lot of supe communities, including all our species. And we’re getting along so well that we think it will only get better when we’re focused on supporting you.”

Her brows furrow, and Sydney looks at me seriously. “I don’t know if I could handle this if you guys are going to… you know. Use your skills for, um, other things with other people in the Games. It would probably end up hurting me and I can’t really ask you to?—”

This time, the demon puts his finger on her lips gently. “Sweet pea, if you agree to this, I promise you that Thad and Iwill not play those kinds of games. We’ve wanted to be with you for a long time. You already had us, darlin’.”

Somehow, she looks completely shocked, and it makes me laugh. Everyone in this room knew those two were head over heels for her—the object of their affection—and they weren’t being sneaky in the slightest. The bear and the demon were ready to form this little alliance long before the rest of us got here.

I study her for a moment, letting it sink in before I add, “Sydney, no one in this room wants to harm you. In fact, despite your best efforts, we’re unable to do anything but orbit around you like fools. It’s very annoying, if I’m honest, especially since the three of us have known you for a short time in which you did everything you could to push us away.”

She licks her lips, looking at me through her thick lashes as she murmurs, “So… you’re saying just us? Like all of us? Only us, together?”

I open my mouth to answer and stop when she lets out a groan of pleasure that makes every eye move to the mage. He’s dusting small kisses on the skin above her knees, and I suddenly realize that her scent has filled the room while we’ve been talking. My eyes darken, and I know they’re a deep crimson as I inhale deeply.

That son of a bitch has been slowly getting her ready, carefully monitoring her reactions while we all gabbed, and now we’re past the point of no return.

THOSE PANTS WOULD LOOK BETTER ON MY FLOOR

SYDNEY

This entire evening is surreal—Ididn’t expect them to propose a night dedicated to making me feel better, but I also didn’t have them asking if we can all… date… for real on my bingo card. That’s supposing I had a bingo card, which I don’t. But if I had one, this would absolutelynotbe on it.

Is this for real?

Five men who almost everyone would consider top tier choices for boyfriends are surrounding me in a soft, warm nest with treats and gentle touches that make my body sing. And they want me to agree to letting them guide me through experiences that I should have had much younger, but didn’t because I was being a jackass. My reasons are actually offensive to one of them, but instead of chastising me, they accept that I am redefining myself on the fly now. Every single one of these gorgeous, powerful guys is pledging to share me even though I’m nothing special, especially compared to some men and women in this competition. They want me, flaws and all, and they’re willing to make our family exclusive.

I didn’t ask for any of this, nor did I consider it being possible. This situation hasn’t been a blip on my radar untilwe ended up in this dorm together, and I have no idea how to do any of the shit required in a genuine relationship—sexual or emotional. They seem to know what they’re doing, and it’s not a problem that I don’t. In fact, they’re offering to teach me. It should seem weird and creepy, I suppose, but it’s also… a little sweet? Like they somehow care enough to make certain I am not being pushed into things I’m not ready for, even if they are.

But what do I do? Saying ‘yes’ gives them power I’ve stubbornly withheld from everyone on the planet for the length of my brief life.

Rory’s hands are still massaging my thighs gently and it’s making me melt in ways I’ve ignored in the past. My skin is hot and my pussy is leaking fluid as steadily as it would for a period—but this is different. I’m turned on by what he’s doing, and by the rumbly vibrations of Elias’s voice behind me. Thad’s hands are magical as they push me forward a tiny bit to work on the muscles of my back. It’s yet another delicious feeling, and while I’m trying to get a grip on my emotions, Huck is bringing another piece of food up for me to sample.

“Sweet pea, I know this is a lot all at once.” He presses the piece of meat to my lips and I open up dutifully, surprising myself as I take it and chew. “It will take a lot of trust that’s in short supply in your heart. Finding out the world differs completely from what you thought makes that even harder.”

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