Page 52 of Their Fated Magic

I’m about to collapse, but Drogo’s hand in my hair doesn’t let me. He holds me there until I clean them off, every last drop of them, before he finally murmurs, “Good girl,” and lets me collapse onto Arlys.

We’re all breathing hard. Rinan and Drogo lay at my sides. But to my shock, Garrick starts working my asshole again, pounding in and out of me until I feel Arlys hard inside me once more. I grasp onto Arlys’ shoulders as they pound me into dust, and then I’m orgasming again, screaming their names, every hair on my body standing on end, my nipples hard enough to cut glass.

I’m putty. No muscles. No bones. Garrick is running his hands over my ass, spreading me, whispering about how good I feel, how he never wants to pull out of me. And I don’t blame him. I kind of want to ride his giant rod forever. And when he and Arlys come again, I feel amazing. Like the most wanted woman alive.

“So, is this how it’s going to be?” I whisper, panting.

Rinan runs a hand along my back. “Yeah, probably this, but with more sex.”

I laugh, shaking my head, feeling good. Although I do wonder… was Garrick serious about never pulling out of my ass? Because he seems to be.

TWENTY-FIVE

Tara

I scoop water into my hands at the riverbank, like I’ve been doing every couple of hours all day. I can feel the magic in it as it rests in my palm, but I taste it to make sure. Metal and magic explodes on my tongue, a terrible combination, and so different from the rainwater we’ve been drinking on our journey.

Wincing, I drop what’s left in my hands back into the river. “We’re definitely close. It’s really strong here.”

My men tense at my words, although I know this news is technically good. It means we’re getting closer to the source of the curse. And once we reach it, we can fix it.

I get up and dust my knees off, and we continue walking along the river. The sun is high in the sky, but it’s cool this high up on the mountain. Birds sing their songs, and the sound of the water is strangely soothing.

The five of us have found a peaceful rhythm since our time together in the cave the day before. It’s like everything clicked into place once we were together as a group. Not only did my relationships with the men take more steps forward, but their relationships with each other grew too.

And our night together was good. Ridiculously good.

They were so passionate and yet so careful with me, taking their time and focusing on making me happy. I wouldn’t have thought they’d work so well together, especially in terms of sharing me, but they did, and it makes me really happy. Maybe I am their mate.

I turn to them, deciding just to ask. “What does it mean that I’m a mate to all of you? A mate to wolves and bears?”

How does that work?

“Being mates in a group like this means that you are our one and only,” Garrick tells me, moving closer to me. “It means we’ll always be together, always treat you well, always love you.”

Always. Love. Me?

I try to speak, but my throat feels like it’s closing up, and my eyes sting. I sputter and take a deep breath. Each of the men, somehow aware of how I’m feeling, close in the distance between us, pulling me into a hug. A hug that involves having four men squish me between them.

It’s hard to say how I’m feeling, but I try, feeling silly, needing to say the words out loud. “I’ve only been special to two people in my whole life. My dad. And Baldemar. And I lost them both. They were the only people to make me feel important and special, and they’re gone now. Baldemar has gone back home, and my dad… gone forever.” Suddenly, I’m blinking back tears.

Somehow, it feels inevitable that I’ll lose these men too. I don’t know why that thought has me in its claws, but it does, and I can’t seem to escape it. All being together. Being married. It feels different than being their mate, and I don’t know why.

I feel loved again, and that feeling is terrifying.

“We aren’t going anywhere,” Arlys reassures me, holding me close. I let my body melt into his, and I let his warm strength calm me.

“There’s nothing that can keep us away from you,” Rinan adds, his voice low and soothing.

Maybe. Or maybe not. I think of what could or couldn’t happen when we get to the source of the curse. I think about the possibility that I might not be good enough with my magic to help them.

I pull away from their hug and take a deep breath. It’s time to tell them the truth. “I want there to be no secrets between us.”

The men look at each other, eyebrows knitted. Then they stare at me with curious eyes.

I take another deep breath, trying to steady myself for this confession. “I know I said before that my mom punished me for being a bad witch, but I didn’t make the truth clear. I’m really not a good witch. I meant it.” I look down at my feet in shame. “For years I’ve been messing up spells. Someone would ask me to grow plants, and snakes would come out of the dirt instead. Or I’d try to move water, and start a fire instead. I have no idea why my magic has been working so well since I’ve been with you. When I told you I'd never been able to do Battle Magic I wasn't lying. We can’t rely on my magic.”

They don’t say anything, and I don’t dare to look up at them.

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