Page 30 of Tears of Tungsten
As we made our way through the academy, I drifted into a restless state of near-sleep. I was distantly aware of the hum of light conversation around me, but at the same time, I couldn’t quite understand what the others were saying. I only woke up when we reached the dorm and Brendan set me down on my bed.
For a few moments, I decided to just lie there. Brendan was petting my hair, and I had no desire to move. I didn’t stir even when I heard Brendan reach for that tablet of his and start tapping on the display.
“Can you think of anyone who could project an image of your sister in your mind?”
“My parents, maybe?” Pollux suggested. “But I don’t know why they’d want to do that, now of all times.”
“It might have been someone from the academy,” August said tiredly, “if the goal was to destroy your career. Tartarus only knows we have enough people interested in destroying us.”
Brendan let out a deep sigh. “My father claimed the attack at the tournament got out of hand, but I’m not sure I’m that convinced.”
“Chimeras have been the ultimate authority for centuries,” Knox offered. “It’s not out of the question that people would start having trouble with this. Since The Apsid Wars are over, they might not think destroying us is dangerous.”
At that, I finally decided to stop eavesdropping and cracked my eyes open. “We have to consider the possibility that it was someone from Terra. Based on the experience I’ve had as of late, they don’t like Chimera nobility much. Their opinion of Tartarus Base isn’t very different from what you all think of Terrans.”
Taking that into account, I could think of one powerful Terran who could have affected Scylla and Pollux. But I didn’t want to deem my mother capable of such a thing. She didn’t like the members of my unit, but she was too smart to make such rash decisions.
“Anyway, we’re not going to figure this out in one day.” Brendan set the tablet aside and curled around me on the bed. “We need to get some rest. It’s been a long day.”
That was the understatement of the century. The last time I’d been so exhausted must’ve been after that blasted tournament when I’d almost killed myself in the mirror trial, then healed August and gone hunting after Charybdis’s lost form.
The Chimera Flight Training session had been our last class for the day, so we had some free time until dinner. Normally, I’d spend that doing homework or extra workouts, but right now, both those things were a physical impossibility. We could, in theory, go along with Brendan’s idea.
Even so, I didn’t think I could sleep. Seeing Scylla like that had frightened me too much. “I’m not in a very relaxed mood,” I admitted. “Want to help?”
I didn’t mean for the words to come out flirtatious, but they did. Brendan shot me a surprised look. My face flamed and I opened my mouth to take back my foolish offer. Before I could do so, Pollux joined us on the bed and swept his hand over my thigh. Even through the material of my uniform, his touch felt electrifying. “Absolutely. We’d be happy to help. I think we all need some relaxation, and sometimes, rest just doesn’t cut it.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Brendan replied.
It came as no surprise that, once again, they decided to move me to Knox’s bed. It was the biggest one and we needed the room. I hoped that, at some point in the future, we’d be able to make different arrangements, because even like this, we barely fit and I kept feeling like I’d kick someone in the face or claw their eyes out.
I loved having four lovers, but seriously, sometimes the dynamic was so complicated.
For them, it was much easier. Once the decision was made—and that had probably been two seconds after I’d opened my big mouth to blurt out the suggestion—the plan was in place. They were already sliding off my uniform, moving in complete synch, already threatening to overheat my body.
Gaia’s Gift drifted to the back of my mind, overshadowed by the presence of four men with so much raw tachyon energy at their disposal. I didn’t mind it. I surrendered to them, even more eager to have them inside me than I usually was.
Everything was going wrong. Our relationship, our futures, our dreams—we were falling apart and we couldn’t track down the real reason. But we still had this, and I still had faith that they’d never be able to lie to me when our bodies were one.
Knox kissed me, and my doubts and fears vanished like they’d never been there at all. Brendan tossed off my boots and finished pulling off my uniform, but didn’t stop there. His fingers squeezed my ankle, the hold as unbreakable as a shackle. “Sometimes,” he confessed, “I just want to tie you down to us and never let you go. That way, I’ll always know that no one can steal you.”
I wanted to point out I wasn’t the one at risk here. August had been attacked at the tournament, and now Pollux had become a target. Brendan was important because of his position, and Knox’s long-term association with Brendan made him a person of interest too. If King Philip was to be believed, I wasn’t that important in the big picture.
But I was important to them, and at that moment, nothing else mattered. Pollux lowered his mouth to my left breast and started sucking on my nipple. As he flicked his tongue over the pebbled nub, I moaned into Knox’s kiss, wordlessly asking for more.
On my other side, August caressed my abdomen, his fingers making a beeline for the apex of my thighs. The promise in his touch made me spread my legs in invitation. Brendan groaned. He was right in front of me, so I’d given him a full view of my genitals. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how beautiful you are like this, princess.”
“I did tell you, Brendan,” August murmured, sliding his digits over my slick folds. “Like sunlight.”
After that, everyone set all thoughts of conversation aside. They all became too busy lavishing my body with attention, which was just the way I liked it.
At first, they took their time. They might have said we’d had a long day and we needed rest, but they were definitely not in a rush to reach the unavoidable conclusion of our intimacy. Knox made love to my mouth with almost uncharacteristic gentleness, while Pollux continued kissing and caressing my breasts. August slid a single finger into my pussy, whereas Brendan decided it was a great idea to explore my more unusual erogenous zones. He sucked on my toes, licked my feet and swirled his tongue around my ankle joint.
Their touches today contrasted sharply with most of what we’d shared in the past. They’d always been obscenely passionate with me, to the point of brutality. I’d loved it, because that fire and violence echoed the dark need that burned inside me. But now, they were almost worshipful, as if I was a deity, a part of Tartarus or maybe Gaia herself.
It confused me, but I let it happen. No matter what we did together, everything would always still feel right. My body was theirs to use and claim as they pleased. If this was what they wanted today, I was more than up for it.
As it turned out, it didn’t take them long to lose their patience. It was August who decided on a change. A surge of heat erupted through me, coming from that sole digit he was using to tease me. At the same time, he rubbed my clit with his thumb, and his skin was so hot it was a miracle I wasn’t in pain when he touched me.
