Heavy is the Crown: A Gothic Grove Novel, page 21
Casually, I walk over to the couch that I was laid on all those years ago to heal. The men track me, not even realizing they’ve both followed me over, Shadow in front and Drago on his heels. I’m like a gods damn pied piper for dragons right now.
I sit down slowly, letting my legs spread just a bit, the sheer skirt shifting. Arms splayed over the back of the dark leather, I raise an eyebrow at Shadow. “Kneel,” I command. He drops down in front of me, head bowed. The power I feel as he doesn’t question, just trusts me in this moment, is intoxicating. “Fuck, you look good like that. Don’t you agree, Drago?” Drago only chuckles behind me.
I place my hand under Shadow’s chin, tilting his face up to mine. His eyes are whiskey colored, not yet golden. I sense Drago come up behind me, feel his hands move down over my shoulders until they grip my breasts firmly. I let out a low moan as Drago pulls my hair back and kisses up my neck from behind, causing my legs to part even more and giving Shadow a view of my wet core behind the lace. No doubt, the smell of my arousal invades the room.
“What will it be, rakkaani?” Drago murmurs as he pulls off my neck, only to place his hand tightly around it. My nipples harden under the lace at the show of dominance. The question is directed at Shadow, whose eyes seem to burn into us. Drago nuzzles at my face before licking me. Shadow’s eyes track the movement. “Will you take her? Take what is ours?” The way he claims me for them sends bolts of pleasure through me.
Shadow’s hands curl into tight fists on his thighs, the tension in his body clear. His eyes close for a moment before they snap open again, a brilliant gold blazing.
“Good boy,” I murmur.
“Now, worship our queen, rakkaani,” Drago demands.
Shadow surges forward, ripping apart the lace panties I was wearing before diving into my wet pussy. I arch off the couch, the sensation of his mouth on me overwhelming. I had forgotten the feeling of him, how he consumes me the moment he touches me. He moans as he laps at me before focusing on my clit, slowly circling it and sucking on it. The sounds coming from me echo through the room as Drago pulls on my nipple one more time with his ringed fingers before his body moves away from me. I’m about to argue, but Shadow takes that moment to push his fingers into me, and I see stars.
The combined feeling of his rough fingers and smooth tongue sends me reeling, my whole body on fire with want and need. Looking down and watching his head between my legs has me clenching, but looking over his head and seeing Drago’s expression as he watches us, stroking his hard length? Fuck, that has me weeping.
“Oh, gods. Yes. Fuck, you are going to make me come,” I cry out. But Drago leans down and pulls Shadow’s head from between my legs, earning a whimper from me and a deep growl from Shadow. The normally submissive Shadow is gone and in his place is the feral dragon. The one who has waited far too long to claim his mates.
(“Closer” – Nine Inch Nails)
“Don’t you growl at me. I’m in charge. Not you,” Drago scolds. “You know the rules.” Dragging Shadow up by his hair, he smashes his mouth to Shadow’s, licking my arousal off his lips before pulling back. “Jesus, she tastes good on you.” He releases Shadow, whose eyes are glazed over with heady need. Drago moves around the couch until he’s standing next to Shadow.
“I think our needy mate needs to show us just how much she needs this,” he says. I glare up at him before thinking better of it. He raises an eyebrow at me in a clear challenge. “That was naughty.”
At some point between Shadow feasting on me and now, Drago removed all his clothing, and standing this close to me, I can see the four barbells down his shaft making a perfect Jacob’s ladder. My mouth waters and I must whimper, because he smiles savagely.
“Show me how much you want this, Ava, choke on my cock while Shadow eats your cunt.” I scoot forward on the couch as he moves to stand over Shadow, so Shadow has better access to my dripping pussy while I swallow Drago down. Before I can take him into my mouth, he grips my hair hard. “No coming. The first time you get off will be with my cock in your pussy and Shadow’s in your ass. Understand?”
I shudder, a fresh gush of arousal leaving me at the thought, but I manage a small nod.
Slowly, he feeds me his thick cock, my jaw already hurting due to his size. When he hits the back of my throat, I gag around him.
“You look so pretty with my cock shoved in your mouth.” He thrusts hard into me again. “The perfect little slut for us.” I moan, those words fire in my veins, making me clench around the empty air. It’s at that moment that Shadow resumes licking me. The sensations are overwhelming, and I’m close to begging to be allowed to come.
Drago’s pace is relentless as he fucks himself in my mouth. “Shadow,” he commands. “Take out your cock and touch yourself while you feast on our mate. But the same rules apply. We aren’t finishing until we are inside her. I want her marked outside and inside.” The words send me reeling, my cunt clenching and my body ready to fall apart.
I pull off his cock. “Please, Drago. Please, I'm so close,” I whimper.
“No,” he says mercilessly before pushing the head of his cock past my lips again.
I keep my eyes open, trying to watch both while sucking on his length, Drago with his head thrown back in a rare moment of vulnerability, and Shadow feasting on me while he viciously grips his own cock. My pussy starts to clench, and I know that one more lick from Shadow will push me over the edge. Drago must sense the shift because after a few more thrusts, he pulls out of my mouth, spit following his cock.
“Shadow.” His voice is harsh and unwavering. He sits down next to me, his cock glistening with my saliva as it juts out proudly, the silver piercings glinting in the light. “Put her on me.”
“Fuck.” Shadow grumbles. “Gods damn.” He lets go of his own length and grabs me around the waist, lifting my small frame and hovering my opening over Drago’s cock. He starts to lower me down slowly, and I throw my head back against Shadow’s chest at the delicious burn of stretching around Drago.
I whimper as he continues to push in. “I can’t take both of you,” I pant, suddenly panicking at the thought of both their cocks in me when Drago alone feels like he might split me in half.
Shadow doesn’t stop trying to impale me on Drago. Instead, he plants soft kisses on my neck and says, “That’s it, you were made to take us, rakkaani. Such a good girl.” Before I know it, I’m fully seated on Drago. He thrusts up into me slowly, letting my pussy relax around him. Shadow continues his tender assault on my neck.
“I can’t stop—oh, fuck, I’m going to come,” I cry out. My body gives up the fight, and my release barrels into me like an uncontrollable freight train. I dig my nails hard into Drago’s flesh, causing him to groan and hiss. Nothing matters other than the feeling of my pussy squeezing his cock.
Drago stops pumping into me and swiftly pulls me off his hard dick. I cry at the loss of movement, the loss of him inside me. “That was very naughty. I told you to wait,” he growls.
I whimper, desperate to have him back inside me again. “I’m sorry,” I pant. “I couldn’t . . . I couldn’t stop. Please, just . . . fuck, I need you inside me again. Fucking please.” The words tumble from my lips without any thought as to how I sound saying them. My mind is only focused on completing the bond.
Shadow’s hands push me forward so I’m flush against Drago’s chest. Warm liquid is dribbled down my ass, and I feel Shadow’s fingers start to probe me, slowly pushing in to open me up. His fingers feel thick and overwhelming. Drago smiles when he sees me bite my lip. “Shadow, I want you to finish the claiming mark between us.” Drago’s eyes don’t leave mine as he says it. The fingers in my ass pause for a moment before they are removed. I see Shadow move around the couch so he can reach Drago. His movements are jerky and uncoordinated, as though he’s unsure. Drago tilts his head to the side, allowing Shadow access to his neck.
“Fucking claim me so we can finish claiming her,” Drago growls. Shadow’s golden eyes bore into my silver ones as he hesitates only a moment longer before striking into Drago’s flesh. Drago spears me back down onto him in the same moment, and I scream as he thrusts into me roughly. His hands dig into my hips hard enough I know I’ll be bruised tomorrow. When Shadow finally pulls off Drago’s neck, his eyes are glazed over.
“Good boy,” Drago growls. “So fucking good. Now, come fuck our mate and let’s finish this.”
Shadow growls, his dragon still in charge.
Drago’s eyes flash, his teeth elongating. “Try that again.” But Shadow backs off, moving back around so he’s behind me, and as I feel the head of his cock pressing into my tight channel, I cry out.
“I can’t . . .” I whimper. “It’s too much.” But Drago swallows my cries with a kiss.
“It’s not. You're made for us,” Shadow says again. “Just relax.” His tongue licks up and down my neck, around that mark he left years ago.
He is slow as he pumps into me, letting me adjust in a way I don’t think Drago would. “Fuck, you both feel so fucking good,” Shadow whispers in my ear. “Rakkaani.” The word is a breathy prayer on his lips. “I’ve dreamed about this for so long. You felt like heaven all those years ago, you feel even better now.” My body melts at the words, allowing him to ease in the rest of the way.
I can barely breathe with how full I feel once they are both in me, but it’s nothing compared to the feeling of the two of them once they start moving. I’m lost in the feelings of pleasure and pain, my head thrown back in a silent scream. Drago’s piercings hit spots I didn’t know existed. And feeling the two rub together between that thin wall inside me? It’s enough to make my vision swim. I gush around Drago’s cock, my pussy pulsing as I try to hold back the tide of my release.
The feel of Drago and Shadow kissing their respective claiming marks on my neck has me crying. Tears stream down my face as my magic pushes out toward them, the room around us enveloped in the soft red glow of it as the strings of our bonds form between us. We are nothing more than marionettes for each other. It’s overwhelming to the point of feeling like I’m drowning. I can hardly catch my breath, the high so intense I almost back off, almost need a moment to ground myself.
I don’t realize my eyes have been closed until I feel Drago’s hands on either side of my face, his golden eyes locked onto mine in understanding. But Drago has always been our anchor, the person who keeps our ships safe at sea, so it’s only for a moment that he lets me see that vulnerability before he locks eyes with Shadow behind me. Checking in on him. He gives a subtle nod, and Shadow’s wrist appears in front of me.
“Take his blood, make his bond complete,” Drago commands me. His eyes are wide as he watches me lower my lips to Shadow’s wrist. The taste of Shadow explodes in my mouth, his power slamming into me. I must have screamed, because Drago quickly claims my mouth, before I feel Shadow pump harder into me, then his release coating me. He doesn’t move, though. He stays in me as Drago pulls off my mouth and tilts his neck to the side, one thin claw slicing a small cut.
“Give us one more while you claim me,” Drago demands. “I want Shadow to feel you.”
I nod, my sweat-slicked body barely hanging on to sanity. Someone moves their fingers to my clit and begins stroking the oversensitive nerves. The room swims as my body attempts to adjust to the mate bond with Shadow, even as I lean forward and take Drago’s blood into my mouth. When I pull back, the two bonds dancing inside me, the power vibrating through my body threatens to pull me under.
“That’s it, scream for us, rakkaani,” Shadow says, uncharacteristically demanding.
My magic pushes out toward their dragons. While Shadow is rage and fire, Drago is control and death. The two balance each other. Both their dragons preen as they rub against my bond, while my magic wraps around them, branding them in silvery and red light
I collapse onto Drago, eyes fluttering shut. My energy is entirely spent. I feel Shadow slip slowly out of my ass before he lifts me off Drago’s cock. He sets me down on the couch opposite them without a word and takes a seat next to Drago. The two watch me with hungry golden eyes as their releases seep out of me onto the couch.
Drago’s eyes zero in on my pussy as his cum leaks from me before he looks back up at my eyes. “You need our magic, Ava.”
Shadow grunts in agreement.
“We can wait,” I say, taking in their faces. I don’t want to make this about my magic. This perfect moment. “We don’t have to do it now.” But they both shake their heads.
“It’s okay, rakkaani. I know you need this, and we need to do this for you,” Drago says.
Letting out a long sigh, I stand up and walk over to stand in front of them. “Okay, who wants to go first?”
“Me.” Shadow doesn’t hesitate. My heart warms and tears fill my eyes as I sit down on his lap. Cupping his face in my hands, I bring his lips to mine in a deep kiss. I slowly pull, and his magic starts to flood into me, the feeling eliciting a moan. The taste is exquisite. A drug that I never want to stop tasting. His magic tastes like smoke and feels hot down my throat. My entire body ignites with the most delicious sensations, the type that make me want to keep going forever. My body feels alive for the first time in what seems like a lifetime. Drago steadily stroking my back sets my skin on fire, and when I finally pull off Shadow, I know my eyes are luminous in the dark room.
“Beautiful,” Shadow murmurs. It strikes me that this might be the first time I’ve ever seen Shadow look peaceful.
Shadow
Silence. For the first time in my life, I don’t hear anything in my mind.
I don’t think about what I deserve and what I don’t deserve.
I’m not craving drugs or blades.
I’m just here. In this moment.
And it’s absolute fucking bliss.
THIRTY
Magic and power always come at a price. Most have to pay up in the end.
But we aren’t most.
– Mori Family Grimoire
Drago
I glare at the man in front of me, his blood splashed offensively across my knuckles. The deep red stands out against my skin. I should be in bed with my mates; the bond grinds on me to go back to them. But my phone rang shortly after they fell asleep, my security informing me they had caught someone trying to break into my penthouse. So, now, I am in the basement with this piece of shit, attempting to interrogate him.
“Here's the thing,” I say as I bring over a chair to sit on. Yellow light flickers overhead, illuminating the stained concrete floors and dark walls. The brown-haired man looks at me with both a small bit of fear and a lot of defiance, rattling the chains that hold him to the other chair, his arms looped behind his back at an uncomfortable angle. “I was having a very good night before this, and now that you’ve interrupted it, I’m going to need you to be forthcoming with the answers so we can all be on our way.”
He spits blood at me, the glob landing on my pants. I look down at it with disdain before glancing back up at him, my power now surging through my veins. “I’m not telling you shit; I know who you are. You’ll kill me anyway, so you can go ahead and do it now,” he says, his voice annoyingly high-pitched.
I let out a long sigh laced with boredom. He’s right, he is going to die, but up until that moment, he had the opportunity to die pleasantly. “I know Oisin sent you. I just want to know why.”
He lets out a barking laugh. “You’re a fucking idiot if you don’t already know.”
“He won’t gain Gothic Grove, and Hell won’t fall to him,” I say, counting down in my head until I can get home and watch Shadow feast on my come seeping out of Ava. Who knew that would be something I would love? Not me. But now that I know, I need it to happen again. Only this time, I want to be fucking Shadow as he does it. “So, here is the deal, Jeffery, let’s try this another way since my time is running short.” I let my power flow and push my compulsion into my voice. “Tell me Oisin’s plan.”
Jeffery, if that's really his name, struggles for a moment before my power overtakes him and he begins to spill all his secrets. “Lord Oisin is coming for his bride. Since the Harbinger mated, he has gone with his backup plan. Ava will help us take down the gates separating our realms. The Order will take control of Hell, and Gothic Grove will fall next.” He laughs. The frown deepens on my face. “We have all the grimoires of the families. We have everything we need.”
“Ava will never help you,” I reply. “How does Oisin plan on forcing that?”
“The witches gave us a spell. She will be collared and leashed to him. Forever bound to be his puppet.”
Rage envelops me at the idea of Oisin getting Ava. “And what of Jackson? You plan to just ignore the fact that he is king?”
My little puppet fights the words, but in the end, they fall from his mouth at my magic’s command. “Jackson has lost.”
My ability to remain in control snaps and I push my death power out as I grab the man by his throat. The lights flicker overhead as my power surges around me. True fear rushes through the man I hold at last as the shadow of my bone wings flashes behind me and he sees me, wide-eyed, for what I truly am. I feel my features turning animalistic, the fingers gripping his throat morphing into skeletal claw-tipped hands.
I lean in close to him. “People seem to forget what I am and what I can do because I live in this human suit all day. You think I’m afraid of Oisin? Or The Order? The magic they have is nothing compared to me. Shadow isn’t the monster they should have worried about. I am.” I snap his neck with a satisfying crunch and drop his lifeless body at my feet.
“Well, that was quick.” Jackson's voice comes from behind me. “I thought for sure you’d last longer with him.”
A growl erupts from me. “Didn’t you hear him?”
“Yes. But I would have liked some more information from him before you killed him.” He has a hardness in his voice as he looks at the corpse. I note a splash of dark blood on the white T-shirt tucked under his leather jacket. His hands, too, seem to be stained with the same blood. He’s been busy.
