Mistress of Souls, page 23
That aching dread that is coiled deep in my core has receded lately. It’s now noticeable, and my mind festers with the constant reminder that something was there and now isn’t and it is just as unnerving.
I’ve been having more flashbacks and nightmares, and my lack of confidence is soaring. This is not how I intended to run my business. I cannot be Mistress Mariax if I’m constantly looking over my shoulder, worried about what, or who, is lurking in the shadows.
I don’t know what I need to do. But one thing is for certain. I need to get more information out of Ian, and I have the perfect way.
I know torturing the information out of him won’t work. And I’m assuming he hasn’t been tortured himself recently. Although if he’s been in Inferuna all the time I’ve been in the human realm, it is still possible.
I digress.
Torture won’t work. So, I will create jealousy, need, and arousal so painful that his dick will feel like it is about to explode.
But I won’t let him come. Not yet. Not anytime soon. I don’t trust him. He keeps attempting to tell me what happened, and that he didn’t betray me. But I cannot trust him. He tortured my best fucking friend.
I’m going out of my damn mind. Anyway, I intend to get answers. Tonight. Hunter and Ian are due here in a few hours, and I need to prepare.
The game is on motherfucker.
Chapter 30
Hunter
Ian holds open the door for me as we enter Mariax’s suite.
I tromp into the room, my heavy boots leaving mud all over the entryway. I am not about to bring her wrath down upon me. So I toe them off. Plus, I know the kind of punishment she can inflict, not that I don’t enjoy most of it.
I’ve wanted to try all the dark, taboo kinks with her. I have a feeling if the three of us can make this work, there are endless possibilities.
We would make a perfect throuple.
My dreams don’t seem as far off now as they once were. My heart beats wildly at the thought. So many scenarios come to mind. I groan and reach down to rearrange my junk, not giving a shite that I’m noticeably adjusting myself.
Ian’s leaning on the doorway into her bedroom, back against the frame, to watch Mariax and me simultaneously.
I raise an eyebrow at him, nonverbally asking, What the fuck do we do now? This is yer shitshow arsehole.
He stares at me with a bored expression, ignoring my question.
The two of them being in the same room is overwhelming. Their power fills the space and feels like it’s seeping into my skin. I can’t wait to see what these two can teach me.
I understand that Ian is dominant, mostly for the power play. He needs control just as much as Mariax and I do. However, he has the power and means to be the alpha of both of us. I’ve only known Ian for a few months, but I know he is a good male, despite how he portrays himself.
How he looks at her speaks of deep devotion, or maybe its obsession. It’s possibly a bit of both. Ian is still deeply in love with Mariax, whether he wants to admit it or not. I’m enjoying him watching her, and it’s a new side of him I didn’t expect to see.
His pupils dilate as his arousal grows, the pulse in his jaw fluttering, a telltale sign that he’s trying to hold himself back.
I slowly rake my eyes down his muscular body, the hard planes looking ready to escape his clothing. Even dressed simply in a black T-shirt and snug jeans, he is sexy as sin. His neck tattoos and full sleeves are on display, the ink creating living art that never seems fully natural. They always seem to be pulsing with his power.
The outline of his cock is clear as he hardens along his thigh.
I thought I was big, but I have nothing on Ian. The first time we were sixty-nining, I nearly choked to death from asphyxiation. I passed out right as I came down his throat, his hands clenching my arse cheeks as he swallowed me down, and it was incredible.
His bottom lip is pulled under his top teeth, his hands in his pockets, and his breathing is slow and even, but his emotions are written on his face, and the tension in his shoulders. He eyes her like a hawk as we all stand here awkwardly.
“Are we all just going to stand here all day?” Mariax asks, raising her eyebrows.
“Ye are the one who invited us here, Cheetie,” I respond, a small smile pulling up at the corner of my right lip.
“Fine. What the fuck happened?” she questions us with anger and annoyance.
“Angel, you will have to be more specific than that. Too many events have occurred to decipher which exact one you are speaking of,” Ian says pompously, eager to stoke her temper.
Taking his bait, Mariax stomps over, hands balled into tight fists, and glares up at him. “Maybe you appearing out of nowhere and fucking Hunter in front of me?”
Ian smirks and leans down until she is forced to bow her spine or meet his lips with hers.
She fists the material of his t-shirt with her tail and grabs his shoulders to keep herself upright. “If you believe Hunter is yours, then he is mine as well because I own you,” Ian whispers darkly.
“He’s mine,” she hisses harshly, her lips nearly grazing Ian’s. “You thought you could just waltz in and claim him for yourself? I don’t fucking think so.” Her voice is rising in pitch as her anger consumes her control.
I can do nothing but stare at the scene before me. They have no idea how much they are drawn to one another. If they would have the courtesy to ask me themselves, I would’ve already told them I belong with both of them. I am theirs just as much as they are mine.
Mariax shoves Ian in the chest and turns on her heel, muttering curses and barely veiled threats as she walks towards her living room, Ian and I trailing behind her like well-trained dogs.
She sighs deeply and sits on the right side of her love seat, curling her legs into her chest and wrapping her arms around her shins. She looks so tiny like this, her wee form curled into a ball. Her expression is mostly blank, but a slight pinching of her features tells of the emotions she barely contains within.
I take the seat next to Mariax and Ian seats himself in the papasan chair. He looks out of place in this cozy environment. He tries to sit with his back straight, but the rounded shape of the chair is at odds with his posture. He’s forced to lean forward, resting his elbows on his bent knees, his index fingers steepled in front of his inviting mouth.
I take in the space; soft lighting comes from a reading lamp on the end table between the couch and the chair Ian is occupying. A gas fire with fake logs burns soundlessly in the small fireplace directly across from the couch. A large bookshelf dominates the space, running along the wall to my left.
Every space on the bookshelf is filled from floor to ceiling. Books are stacked, slipped in sideways, and even stacked on the floor surrounding it.
Her interest in dark romance piques my curiosity. My fingers itch to graze their spines and listen to their whispered secrets. I rise halfway off of the couch, intending to dive into her cozy wee library, but her tail wraps around my hips and pulls me back down to the couch.
I grin at her and stroke the end of her tail that’s still wrapped around me, the heart shape spade at the tip curling around my hand. Mariax shivers next to me. She’s so responsive to my touch.
She clears her throat and I turn towards her at the sound. Mistress Mariax is now taking command of the room, all pretenses of friendly nature gone. She rips her tail out of my gentle hold and begins what sounds like a well-practiced speech.
“You didn’t answer my first question, Cupcake. Why are you here? What was the purpose of showing up in my club unannounced?” she intones with anger and annoyance.
“Because I wanted to test your connection to me, to see if you still feel the pull of our bond. To listen to your pulse race as you took in everything you left behind,” Ian explains seriously. “I also wanted to watch the veil of jealousy cloud your features.”
“Really? Why do you have to be such an asshole?” I question him.
“You thought you could leave me and there would not be repercussions?” Ian fires back in response.
“He’s just made that way, Cheetie,” I chuckle, sinking deeper into the couch cushions and resting my arms across the back.
I don’t miss the way Mariax tenses and then sighs as my arm grazes her shoulders.
She slowly turns her head to glare at me, and then returns her ire back to Ian before she continues, “Fine, I will play along like a good girl for now. But know this.” Her voice lowers an octave, sounding like a deadly purr.
Ian interrupts her, living up to the arsehole status she accused him of. “Let me save us all a frivolous discussion and educate you on current matters.”
Mariax leans back on my arm and huffs, but waves at Ian to continue.
“What you truly desire to know is why I tortured Tiffany in Inferuna. However, there is a more dire topic we must discuss first. I will not be interrupted by either of you.”
Mariax and I glance at each other, too curious now to disobey.
“My reason for arriving in the human realm was simple. Find you, relay what information I have, and then claim you over and over until you remember without question who you belong to.”
“I. Am. Not. Yours. Get that through your thick djinn brain. We had a relationship centuries ago. You have no claim over me.”
A low rumble comes from Ian’s chest the more she denies him. The primal side of him is waking up and a dangerous gleam glints in his eyes.
“That is where you’re wrong. You do not have a choice in this matter. You gave yourself to me freely, invoking an irrevocable bond that spans lifetimes,” he proclaims, his upper lip curling.
“You thought that moving to a new realm would end my desire for you? Never,” he growls possessively, the sound waking my body up.
Ian is a dangerous creature. That knowledge causes my wolf to wake up. The fine hairs all over my body stand on end as it takes in the tension about to suffocate us all.
Mariax’s lips set into a firm line, her eyes narrowing, their opal-gray hue shining brighter with her emotions, is her only response.
Ian leans further forward on his forearms. “I came to warn you. The Potentate whispered his secrets too closely to the wrong shadow. I learned of a new plot to end your life. A creature was made in the fires of Inferuna, one unlike anything we have ever seen.”
The room is silent except for our breathing and the beating of our hearts. Anxiety blooms in my gut at the memory of hunting the creature in the woods. I was right in what I thought it was, and that is not a good thing. It seeks to harm her. I will do everything in my power to assure it never touches her.
“I hate to burst your bubble Ian, but I’ve known something is hunting me for years.”
He growls deeply with displeasure before responding, “Why have you done nothing to rid it from your life?”
“Until very recently, it was just a nuisance. I had no reason to worry over it because I barely left the Snuggle Pit as it is.”
“Only to go get pissed at Get Fucked, aye?” I interject cheekily.
Mariax’s tail squeezes between us and pokes me in the ribs. I chuckle at her small display of bratty playfulness and scoot closer to her on the couch. She ignores my question and responds to Ian.
“Seriously, I don’t need you to vancate here just to tell me what I already know. The only thing you accomplished is disrupting my life,” she responds haughtily, crossing her arms over her chest, causing her tits to sit higher in her thin tank top.
Ian and I both zero in on her chest, our predatory nature zinging through our bodies.
Ian stands and crosses the space to lean on the frame of Mariax’s bedroom doorway, struggling to contain his building power washing over Mariax and I.
Every muscle in my body stiffens as his magic seems to have a direct line to my cock, the dark power kissing my skin.
Mariax rubs her thighs together, brushing mine in the process. She’s probably feeling the desire his magic causes as well.
“I do not care if you want me in your life or not. You are mine, little one. You can choose to ignore the fact that your life is hanging precariously by the tip of this creature’s claws.” One of his shadows appears behind her back and pulls her hair sharply so that she must look directly at Ian. Another squeezes her jaw to force her eyes to his. “But I will not. Your life means more to me than my own. I will see that you are protected. Always.”
Mariax’s lips are slightly pursed from the shadow’s tight hold, and she breathes through her nose in irritation.
After a few moments, he releases her from his magic, and she stands abruptly.
“I’ve had enough of this bullshit for today,” she huffs and rolls her eyes.
Walking with determination into her bedroom, shoulder-checking Ian, who couldn’t be bothered to move, on the way inside.
“Both of you, in my bedroom, now,” she commands from within.
Ian sighs deeply but stays where he is planted.
I don’t like him disrespecting her. I will only allow so much before I tear into him. He has no right to come into her home and act like a dick.
I stalk towards him, the thick carpet masking any sound from my steps, and grab him by the back of the neck, dragging him into her bedroom. A shadow whips around my wrist and pries me off him. He faces me with violence, the air around him practically shivers.
“How dare you grab me like one of your mangy wolves? DO NOT ever treat me with such disrespect again,” he seethes, his violet eyes glowing with unchecked fury.
I match his glare, my own eyes becoming obsidian as my ire rises.
“Disrespect ye? How about how ye disrespected Mariax? We were invited to her home to talk about everything yer dumb arse instigated. What makes ye think she is going to be willing to listen if ye continue to act like a fucking neep-head?” My Scottish accent is becoming clearer with every sentence. I cannot help but roll my Rs and use slang no one in this room understands but me.
“Enough!” she hisses, pushing between us before shoving us with the heel of her palm to each of our sternums.
My body shakes with fury and my wolf is seconds from making an appearance, close enough that I can feel my claws waiting and ready to gouge and maim. Ian doesn’t look much better. I don’t know what happens when he loses his temper, but I’m feeling just manic enough now to want to find out.
She holds us there for several minutes, standing between us, knowing we won’t risk harming her to attack each other. Mariax takes a deep breath in through her nose and out through her slightly parted glossy lips.
She briefly reaches up to cup my bearded cheek with her tail, and I nuzzle into it. I love that she has this extra appendage to play with. It’s very pliable, similar to a cheetie’s, but in place of fur is silky skin with hard, yet soft, ridges running down its length. A small smile creeps onto my face as I realize how perfectly her nickname suits her.
However, Mariax is going to have to learn that unless it’s just her and me in a session or scene, I will not play her submissive.
I’m not against us all being together. In fact, I’m obsessed with the idea. My desire to have two partners is just out of reach. I know I must work my way back into her good graces.
Although, I know there will be no mending the rift between them unless they sit down and have a rational discussion. Emotional and sexual tension hangs in the air around us thickly, so thick I’m inhaling with every breath.
Mariax stops in the middle of her room and eyes me, mischief and determination in her gaze.
“Pup, you’ve been awful quiet for someone who’s so loud when you’re getting fucked by him,” she says with a sarcastic attitude, gesturing to Ian.
A slight heat courses up my neck, but I shake it off, shrugging one shoulder and smirking at her.
We should never have fucked in one of her pain rooms. That is not how Mariax deserved to find out about Ian and my relationship. She’s pissed, and rightfully so. I know better. I should have put him off until permission was asked from my Mistress, as well as using her play space. He is just so…fucking irresistible, like her.
I’ve thought about how I would feel if I walked in on two males being intimate who I had been in a relationship with.
What the hell would I even do? Probably what Mariax did to Ian. Fuck my arse up and then throw me in a locked room.
Damn, I love that lass.
She strides quickly forward and snaps in my face, “Hello? Hunter? I’m speaking to you. Do you remember that I’m your mistress?”
My head rears back in shock at her rude gesture.
“Aye, I’m verra aware of who ye are to me,” I growl, both pissed and obsessed with this bonnie lass.
She surprises me again by grabbing me by the cock through my pants, and I unleash a mix between a groan and a growl, fisting my hands at my sides.
“Oh, I see you’re already here to play, good. I need something from you. Is that clear?”
“Aye, Mistress,” I say automatically.
A choking sound comes from Ian as he hears me address Mariax as my mistress and show her the respect she earned from me.
I glance over my shoulder. Eyeing him as he coughs and splutters, holding a glass of whiskey that he manifested out of nowhere. Well, half a glass of whiskey. The rest seems to be dribbled all down his front. I am seeing a completely different side of him. It is magnificent watching Mariax break down his stoic and cold demeanor.
“Aye, Mistress,” I say again, but I pitch my voice lower, grabbing her by the throat and surprising her. “However, I am not yer submissive when we are out of a session. Ye are not my mistress right now. Do I make myself clear?”
I release her throat, enjoying seeing Mariax so ruffled.
Her eyes are comically wide, her mouth hanging open.
I reach out a hand, gently lifting her chin, closing her mouth. This seems to bring her back to herself as she tries to shove me in the chest. But I don’t budge. She didn’t try that hard. I would have been flying across the room with her demonic power if she chose to wield it.
