Levi chuckles. “Nice try, sweets. We need you sober.”
“Fuck. Fine.” I roll my eyes. “You all suck.”
“No, but you do,” my guys all say in unison before they look at one another and burst out laughing.
Asher giggles. “You guys are not at all what I expected.”
“We get that a lot,” I say with a shrug.
“Are we ready to get on with this? I’d prefer not to lie here all day.” Cole glares, but there’s a twinkle in his eyes that I’m pretty sure he reserves only for me.
For a moment, that sneaking sense of dread that’s been slowly consuming me lightens a little when I think of all the special little things my guys save for me and me alone. Like that twinkle in Cole’s eye, Mack’s playfulness, Knox’s domshell, and the sweet and sensitive sides of Thad and Levi that make me want to squeeze them like giant teddy bears. My eyes meet Cole’s, and I feel my familiar snark edging out the remaining worry.
“You can ignore that one.” I point to Cole. “He’s all bark and no bite.”
“Oh, there are a few things I’d love to bite, love, but now is not the time and this is not the place.”
The desire in his eyes has me sinking my teeth into my lower lip, causing a few of the guys to growl.
“You’re killing us here, little ghost,” Knox says hoarsely.
“I really will kill you if any of you even think about dying on me before we get you fixed.”
“Well, we’ll already be dead, so that’s not much of a threat, now is it?” Thad snarks.
“Okay, so that was an admittedly lame consequence,” I say, tapping my index finger on my lip as I glance at Asher. She’s distracted with her nose in a book, scanning the pages for something. “Let’s try a reward instead. If this works, group sexy times as soon as we’re back to the Gateway.”
“And if I’m not interested in group sexy times?” Cole asks.
“Don’t you sit there and pretend like you didn’t take part last time.”
He smirks. “My sword was nowhere near any of their swords.”
“Fine. We’ll create a safe No Sword Crossing Zone just for you then, babe.”
He considers me a moment, then nods. “Deal.”
Asher walks back over, blushing fiercely. Her cheeks and neck are so pink it looks like she’s got a sunburn. I guess she wasn’t as distracted as I thought.
“Sorry. We’re a little much.”
“Don’t be. It’s...intriguing.”
“Mmm. Is it now? Who else would be in Asher’s harem, I wonder? Sutton and…” I trail off as she becomes impossibly redder, her eyes getting this far off look in them. She’s embarrassed, oddly turned on, and suddenly, I wish I had some of Cole’s mind reading ability because I bet there are some naughty fantasies fluttering through that sweet little brain of hers.
“Look at how late it’s getting!” she says as she eyes the guys on the floor like they’re about to perish any second. “We should really get you guys fixed up now, right?”
“You can change the subject, but now that we’re besties, I will get it out of you sooner or later.”
Her gaze meets mine, and the laughter that’s sparking behind those big blue eyes tells me she’s really not as innocent as she wants everyone to think. There’s a darkness there that she’s not used to letting out of hiding, and it’s going to be so much fun to watch it come to life. Just thinking of how well her and Reggie will get along and all of the shenanigans we’ll get up to when we finally awaken her dark side is enough to have a smile spreading across my face.
Chuckling, I walk over and kneel at Cole’s head. He’s upside down when my eyes find his, but I lean forward and drop a kiss on his lips. The seriousness of the situation descending on the room with a heaviness that’s impossible to miss.
“I love you, Fate.”
“I love you too, Ass-Cole,” I whisper, my voice cracking as tears threaten to spill.
I move over to Knox, repeating the motion, and am inundated with love and worry and even a hint of desire. His hand comes up and grabs the back of my head, keeping me there before I can pull away. The kiss says everything we’re both feeling without words. When I pull away, his eyes lock with mine, and it’s all I can do to stay strong. To not break down in a sobbing mess. His hand trails down my face, catching a rogue tear before bringing it to his mouth with a look that sears my soul.
Scooching over to Macklin, my sexy nerd, he pushes his glasses up his nose nervously. My hand wraps around the back of his neck, my thumb caressing his cheek as we stare at one another upside down.
“Don’t worry, echo. We’ll be fine.”
“You better be,” I say softly before leaning down and letting my lips linger on his. I pull back just a bit, letting my lips whisper over his as I add, “Because my echo needs its counterpart.” He sighs against my lips before he deepens the kiss for just a moment before letting me go.
Thad is next, with a mischievous glint in his eyes that’s in direct opposition to the fear I can feel coursing through him.
“Well, woman? Get over here and kiss me.”
I smile because I know that’s what he needs right now. A little reassurance that I’m more than willing to give him. My lips smash into his, and the kiss is hot and passionate and totally us.
Another hand turns my head, and before I know it, I’m kissing Levi, switching between the two as they take their turns taunting me with their mouths.
“This isn’t over, sweets. We’ll continue this back at the Gateway as soon as we’re done here.”
“You’re damn right we will. You owe me a sexathon,” I murmur, my voice not as steady as I want it to be. It’s taking everything in me not to cry right now. These guys need me to be strong, and I’ll do it if it means things will go smoothly.
Standing, I look over my Fearsome Five. The guys who’ve made me whole again. They’ll be okay. They have to be.
They each remove their necklaces. Closing their eyes, they grit their teeth. Doing everything in their power to maintain control.
Standing opposite Asher, I nod, telling her without words that she can begin.
“Okay...so...you’re going to feel a...tug on your souls. Once the souls are unattached, the...uh...original marks should disappear until the new marks take hold.”
They all nod, not looking at all unsure, unlike my own nerves fighting to take over.
Asher holds out her hand, which is shaking slightly. Well, that’s not at all comforting. Be quiet, Fate, don’t freak out the uber-powerful newbie who’s about to play with your lovers’ souls. The ruby lights up, seeking out its targets as she begins to speak in Latin. “Tenebrae, ab hoc loco. Et non pertinent hic.”
Darkness, leave this place. You do not belong here.
“Redi, animarum, ut origins tuam.”
Return, souls, to your origins.
“Novis inter marchas rursum totum.”
With each of these new marks, you are once again whole.
“Coniunctio indissolubilis semper haec et punietur qui conantur.”
These bonds will forever be unbreakable, and any who try shall be punished.
The ruby suddenly flashes red, the color so intense my arm comes up to shield my eyes. As soon as the brightness recedes, I turn to my guys. Their backs are arched off the floor, their heads tilted back. There’s a sort of black sludge seeping from their mouths, whirling into the air, circling over their bodies. As the last of it joins the cloud of darkness hovering above us, their bodies relax onto the floor. Their eyes are still closed and their bodies unnervingly still.