Page 35 of Witch's Rite
"Let's see what kind of tea you have stashed here," Raum smirked as he, also completely naked, joined Sal in the kitchen.
Both of their perfect, biteable asses hovered in my view as they raided my cupboards. My heart ached with the sensation of being pulled in two opposing directions. I wanted a witch family more than anything, but I would never let go of my demon lovers. They were mine for eternity.
"Unfortunately Seth won't be around much to make googly eyes at you," Juno teased, cutting into my thoughts. "But I could introduce you to more magical guys if you want."
"Oh, hm?" I said, feigning interest as if three men weren't enough to handle. "Seth's off on his uh, business?"
"Yeah, sounds like he's leaving for the Amazon jungle or somewhere tomorrow. Lots of evil spirit activity."
"I see." Joining the coven without him around sounded much more appealing, though I still had my doubts.
"You still there?" Juno asked gently.
"Yeah, sorry." I blew out an exhale. "Just a lot on my mind. I'll call you later with a more definitive answer."
I ended the call and strode into the kitchen to join my two naked men. Sal held out a steaming mug of Irish Breakfast to me.
"I don't have your skills but I think the caffeine will do the job," he said with a sheepish grin.
I took a tentative sip. "It's perfect," I said, standing on tiptoes to kiss him. "Thank you, my lion." The nickname tumbled out automatically like muscle memory, even though I never knowingly called him that before.
Sal looked just as surprised as I was, but with more joy and less confusion.
"You're remembering," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "That's what you always used to call me."
"The body of a warrior and the head of a roaring lion. A god of war. The creator and destroyer of cities." My mouth moved as if controlled by someone else, but the images came to me as clearly as if I'd been there.
Because Ihadbeen there.
Like it was yesterday I saw myself walking next to Sal on an ancient, bloody battlefield, his lion head roaring victoriously. I saw him the moment he was created in that cavernous throne room in Hell. He dropped to his knees and pledged his undying loyalty to me.
"Yes," I breathed. "I'm remembering so much of our time together now." Tears welled up in my eyes as seven thousand years of love and adoration for this man hit me all at once. His passion fueled his fury. And the unique connection we had was the only thing that tempered his flames.
"And you, Raum." I turned to my dark-eyed demon to find a rare, serious look on his face. "Your visions used to hurt you. They would come on suddenly like violent headaches that you couldn't control. Nothing I did could take the pain away. I would just hold your head in my lap until the vision faded."
"Just your hands on me helped with the pain a little," he replied. "You were my immediate pain relief. But I learned to control it, after a few centuries."
I leaned into him while reaching behind me for Sal's hand at the same time. Surrounded by warmth and affection on all sides and my heart stilled ached for Ash. I missed him terribly, now that I could feel the full weight of being without these men for so many lifetimes.
"What do you two think I should do?" I said after a long silence. "Join a coven where they accept people who hunt your kind? Or tell them to fuck off and strike it out on my own?"
Raum's chuckle rumbled against my chest. "You wouldn't have kept us around so long if we were the kind that told you what to do."
"Even if we did, it would ensure you did the exact opposite," Sal agreed.
"I just hate that those who've opened up to me, accepted me, and want me to grow, are the same people who want me to stay away from you," I groaned.
"That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes." Sal took a sip from my Irish Breakfast while I openly stared at him in bewilderment. How could he of all people feel so nonchalant about this?
"This situation has happened several times before," Raum said, noticing my confusion. "Think of yourself as an undercover agent. Infiltrate the enemy, befriend them. And slowly make them see the error of their ways."
"Can you see the outcome?" I asked, looking up at him. "Will I be able to make them come around to you guys?"
"I have seen it," he confirmed. "But whether good or bad, I can't change what's already set in motion, nor can I use my sight to influence your decision making." His playful smirk dropped once again. "The last time I tried desperately to change an outcome, we lost you anyway."
I draped my arms around his neck and he nestled his large hands in the curves of my waist.
"If we've learned one thing," he murmured against my forehead. "It's that existence as a whole is much bigger than us. What happens in one year, one lifetime or even one century is just a small building block in the grand scheme of existence. We've been trying to steer the course for millennia. Sometimes we make great strides, other times we're pushed back." His smile returned. "As long as there's a need for a little corruption, our work is never done."
