Page 25 of A Witch Out of Time
“Good girl,” Nox rumbled as he hauled Vasi back to sitting on his lap, spreading her thighs wider with his before thrusting into her again. She cried out, throwing her head back as she trembled, every soft inch of her bouncing deliciously in time with his movements. Like the pro he was, Nox reached down to pinch her clit at just the right moment, sinking his teeth into her neck while she screamed in release.
I caught Vasi in my arms as she collapsed forward, pulling her still shuddering body along with me as I laid back. The tether between us felt comfortably secure, and interestingly, I noticed a similar connection had now appeared between Nox and me. A third bond tugged faintly, as if it were having trouble locating the person on the other end, which made my heart ache.
“We’ll get him back,” Vasi whispered. All I could do was nod and tighten my grip around her squishable softness, enjoying my time with them while I could—before fate returned to remind me how little control I actually had.
Chapter 20
Vasilisa
“You may want to climb out of your fucknest and get dressed before Veles returns, Vasi.”
I grumbled and extracted myself from Tan’s arms, peering over the edge of the couch to where Marena was casually leaning against the doorway with a sly smile on her face. In response, my men helped gather my strewn articles of clothing before starting on themselves. Suddenly acutely aware that another woman was in the room while my Riders were in various stages of nakedness, I growled possessively, claws lengthening to protect what was mine.
Marena rolled her eyes. “Trust me, unlike the rest of the gods, I have zero interest in getting mixed up with mortals,especiallythese men.” She squinted her eyes appraisingly. “If they even are mortal…”
I growled again, and Tan laughed. “Easy, doll, before that sexy snarling gets you spit-roasted again.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and I swatted his arm, allowing him to draw me out of my dark mood with his playfulness.
I missed you, my Bright Dawn.
“What do you mean,ifwe’re mortal?” Nox was already dressed and scowling at the goddess, arms crossed and eyes narrowed, as usual. While I found his glaring oddly thrilling anyway, watching him direct it at another like a weapon made me want to straddle him again, despite the dull ache between my thighs. As if picking up on my thoughts, Nox sharply glanced down at me and smirked, gaze roaming over me as if imagining the next “spit-roast” for himself.
“Ugh, the pheromones in here are enough to give me a headache.” Veles entered the room, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand while clutching a thick book to his chest with the other. Slamming the book down on a lectern with a cloud of dust, he turned and gave my Riders and me a dour look. “Now if you three are quite done with…” he waved a hand as if clearing the air. “Then I would like to fill you in on what we need from you. We’ve wasted enough time already.”
“I want to know whatshemeant by us not being mortal, first,” Nox defiantly replied. Although he stood his ground against the god, I sensed apprehension in our bond, similar to what Matthew invoked in him.
Veles chuckled. “You of all people are in no position to negotiate, Nox…”
Marena loudly sighed. “Enough, Vel! If we want Vasi and her Riders to help us—which weneedthem to—then we have to tell them anything we can.” She turned to address the three of us. “The truth is, we don’t exactly know whatanyof you are. Vasi was born a human, but after traveling to the Nav twice, she somehow gained powers usually only available to those of us created this way. And as for you men—while you appear mortal, it doesn’t explain how you’ve been able to develop powers of your own. Or how you can overdose on blue roses and notdie.”That last part was aimed at Tan alone.
My Bright Dawn shrugged. “Eh, I was bored and the fucking Gamayun wouldn’t shut its beak. Besides, eating the blue roses was how I got to Ace in Koschei’s creepy cave.”
All eyes snapped to Tan, but it was Veles who spoke first. “Youphysicallytraveled to Koschei’s lair? I thought you only had an out-of-body-experience.”
Tan looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable as he picked at an invisible piece of lint on his shirt, avoiding meeting anyone’s gaze. “Oh, my body was certainly there, and I’m sure Ace would agree with that assessment.”
Gasping, I remembered how we’d unlocked the door to Nox's room at the Facility. “Ifeltyou two together!” I exclaimed. “Nox and I were...kissing, and I felt you and Asa kissing simultaneously. I believe it was that connection between all four of us that allowed us to escape!”
Veles stared at me as if I had two heads, while Marena rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Ooh, now,thisis interesting!” she exclaimed, running over to the book Veles had unceremoniously dropped onto the lectern. She began flipping through pages, as if searching for something, musing aloud, almost to herself. “I wonder if we could use this phenomenon to fuse these men with the original Riders…”
“Everybody just hold the fuck up!” Nox barked, seeming to grow larger with his accumulating irritation. “What. Do. Youmeanwe’re not mortal? My parents were mortal. My father may be a complete psychopath, but he’s a human psychopath.” He suddenly glanced at me, deep concern apparent on his face. “Right, Vasi?”
I chewed my lip, contemplating the short time I’d spent with Matthew, as unpleasant as it was. The fear he instilled in his men, including his own son, reminded me of the ruling top predators in certain shifter clans, but humans behaved that way most times as well. Shivering in disgust, I remembered how I’d felt when he cornered me in the dark hallway of the restricted area. How my rage had spiked with how powerless I’d felt to defend myself.
That man is lucky we didn’t have time to kill him.
“While my powers were definitely stifled in the Facility,” I began. “That was caused by something coming from the building itself, not your father. Matthew possesses some uncanny instincts, but he didn’t smell other to me. Although,” I turned to my men and grimaced. “Neither did any of you. I didn’t feel as if you were more than human when we met. The only time I’ve ever glimpsed anything otherworldly is when you seem to change during...climax. Almost like a mask passes over your face...with horns…” I trailed off, acutely aware I was discussing my personal business with the god of the close-under-place.
“Did you sayHORNS?!”Veles was suddenly looming over me, eyes burning with endless fire and the promise of painful death. “Why would pathetic humans havehorns?”
Tan huffed, although I noticed he moved closer to me, pulsing with a hint of threatening white light. “What’s the matter, V? Are you worried my horns might be bigger than yours?”
Veles' face was turning a fascinating shade of purplish-red when Marena smoothly intervened. “Only gods are supposed to have horns, sosome deitiesget a little touchy about the subject. However, etchings of the original Riders show them as wearing helmets made to look like horns. Perhaps the transformation has to do with that.”
The goddess pointed to a page in the book, motioning for me to join her for a closer look. I gasped as I took in the intricate illustrations perfectly matching the three men who had first led me to the Yaga’s hut all those years ago.
“My Riders…” I began, although I had no other words to explain the visceral memories I was experiencing. I’d first glimpsed these men when I was only a girl, and our interaction had been limited to marking the passage of time as I traveled to Baba Yaga’s, and my destiny. Even when I’d asked the Yaga about them, she’d simply said they were “her” Riders. However, even when I came to live with her as an adult, I never saw them again. The only additional hint of their presence came when my magical horses appeared in my stable, but that wasn’t until after I’d returned from the Nav as the newly appointed Yaga.
But Marena said I traveled to the Nav twice...
