Page 202 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

Now fully naked, he climbs onto the bed, kneeling in front of me, and like two magnets, we can’t stay apart any longer. With our arms wrapped around each other and our chests pressed together, our lips meet. I finally reach down and wrap my fingers around his cock, squeezing the base and enjoying his groan of pleasure. Pumping the hard length, I gasp into his mouth as he reaches between our bodies and sharply tweaks my swollen clit.It should hurt, after all, it’s sensitive from my previous orgasm, but thanks to the fae desire roaring through my veins, it only makes me want him more.

“Fuck me,” I demand, biting down on his lip again.

“I thought you’d never ask.” His voice is deep and rumbles through me as he kisses me fiercely. “I want you to ride me. Do you think you can handle that?” He says it with a smile, but he means it as a genuine question. With me on top, it will be a tighter fit, and Tor’s cock, although not the longest of my mates, is wide. My fae side is thrilled by the idea. Being in charge and riding our mate as we claim him—it’s perfect.

“Not a problem,” I purr, my heart flipping at his expression of joy at my response.

Tor moves up the bed so he’s leaning against the headboard, his legs out before him and his cock in his hand, lazily stroking it as he watches me with a smile. He holds his free hand out to me, and I crawl towards him. The way he watches me gives me a sense of confidence I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Being naked has always been uncomfortable for me, but right now, he makes me feel beautiful.

I straddle his hips and hover over his cock. Lowering myself so I can feel him pressing against my entrance, I pause as he brushes himself against me, using some of my own slick as lubricant. He clears his throat, and I lift my eyes to meet his, realising I’ve been transfixed while watching his cock. Smiling, he places his hand on my lower back and gently applies pressure, guiding me down as I impale myself on his cock. We groan in unison as I reach the hilt, feeling that glorious stretch which is almost too intense. Tor leans forward and presses soft, gentle kisses against my lips as I adjust to his size, my pussy clenching around him. Our kisses start to get more heated and our hands roam each other’s bodies as I begin to grind against his cock. I rock forward, feeling him harden even more inside me. Myinstincts take over my body as I bounce up and down on his cock, our hands and mouths everywhere as the pleasure builds. I can feel my second orgasm about to peak, and before I can stop myself, I lean forward and bite down on Tor’s neck as pleasure sweeps through my body, hitting him seconds after. The bond snaps into place at that exact moment, heightening our orgasms, sending us into a spiral as I clench tightly around his length, drawing out his pleasure.

I’m not sure how long we stay connected that way, wrapped around each other, our foreheads pressed together, chests heaving as we try to catch our breaths. At some point, I must have let go of his neck, and we fall onto our sides, our bodies still entwined. There is a mess between our thighs, and I’ve got that slight ache that comes after really great sex, but right now, I’m so focused on this new connection with Tor that I don’t care. There is a lot to deal with in the morning—the complication with my other mates, the looming threat of war, and my responsibilities—but all that can wait. Right now, I lie in silence, wrapped up in the arms of my new mate, communicating only by the raw feelings of our newly cemented bond.

“The bond chafing a bit, mountain man?” Naril chirps happily from the other side of the training ring, a large grin on his face as he watches Tor pacing the edge of the pit. Tor doesn’t reply, at least not verbally, instead picking up a rock from the ground and throwing it at the elf. Laughing, Naril easily dodges it, but I know if Tor actually wanted to hit the elf, he would have. I’ve seen him in training, and his aim is lethal.

“Naril, not helpful.” Through gritted teeth, I try to break free of the hold I’m currently in. My arms are pinned to my sides as I struggle to stay upright, and I have to admit, it’s not looking great.

After I left Tor’s tent this morning with three fully formed bonds in my chest, it’s been more difficult to manage them, especially considering my mates all have large personalities. Tor has been more protective and possessive, which I know is a side effect right after completing the bond, but I think he must be channelling my fae side through our connection.

Right now, although I’m safe, he’s struggling to watch me train, acting more like Vaeril and Eldrin, who seem to be on their best behaviour today. I understand why I need to train and get stronger, but unfortunately, I seem to have become somewhat of a celebrity, and what seems like half of the tribespeople have turned up to view me train. I’m not sure what they’re expecting to see me do, but right now, I’m probably not living up to their expectations. Vaeril and Tor, now I can understand why they are here. I can even understand why Naril is here, looking for any opportunity to watch me embarrass myself. I am surprised Eldrin is still here though. After I failed to break out of the first few holds, I thought he would have stormed off. Although after our talk last night, perhaps my words meant something to him after all.

“Concentrate,” Arne, my new chief, calls from the side of the ring, snapping my focus back to the task at hand.

Closing my eyes, I try to focus on my strength, planning my movements as I remember Eldrin’s lessons. He taught me ways to defend myself, even with my human strength, but with my opponent, it’s like trying to move a brick wall.Focus, Clarissa, I chide myself, visualising the movement in my thoughts, and a second before I go to move, something shifts in my head. It’s almost like I’ve been pushing against a bubble in my mind, and all of a sudden, I slip through it. Opening my eyes, and with a speed I didn’t know I possessed, I drop to the ground, using my weight to drag my attacker with me, before swinging my right leg out in the process so he topples to the ground. Utilising his momentum, I spin so I’m on top of him, pinning him to the ground and baring my teeth as I snarl in his face.

Silence greets me, the whole action taking less than a second as my opponent blinks up at me in shock before a grin spreads across his face. Suddenly remembering where we are and that I’m not in danger, my cheeks flush and I climb off my sparringpartner, smiling back at him as I offer a hand to help him to his feet.

“Clarissa,” Tor calls, immediately appearing at my side, glaring at my partner, his eyes darkening as he takes a threatening step towards him.

“Hey, Tor,” I call, slapping a hand on his chest to get his attention. “Enough.” I don’t have enough energy to deal with another alpha today.

He instantly looks down at me, his expression heating as his eyes roam over my face. “You did well.” His pride is obvious in his tone, and even though I failed the previous attempts, he seems oblivious, focusing only on the positive.

The bond warms in my chest, and a smile spreads across my face. I feel high off his praise. He pulls me into his embrace, and I revel in his touch. The need to touch, to be close, is strong, and I know it will wear off, but for now, I give into the urge. That feeling grows, and I know my other mate is getting closer without having to look. It’s intense and almost too much, their bonds wrestling for space inside me. Closing my eyes, I cling to Tor’s chest as I steady my breathing and try to focus, the overwhelming impression of them filling my mind.

Feeling my panic, Vaeril pauses, and after a few seconds, I feel him pulling back from me. Not physically, but it’s like his presence in my mind withdraws a little. He’s still there, I can still feel him, still sense his emotions and general whereabouts, but I feel like I can breathe again. Slowly, I sense him start to move towards me, and soon enough, his body heat radiates against my back. Fighting the urge to push into him and purr like a cat, I settle for leaning my head back against his chest and looking up at him.

“Mate.” The amusement in his voice tells me that he picked up on my inner thoughts, and there is a fondness in his gaze as he places his hands on my shoulders. “Well done.” Pressedbetween two of my mates, I’m reminded of last night when my fae instincts were riding me, and all of those images push into my head. My cheeks flush. Thankfully, that instinct disappeared after I completed my bond with Tor. I’m still attracted to them and have…urges, but they are my usual ones rather than a supernatural need to form the connection. Sensing the direction my thoughts are going down, Vaeril stiffens slightly behind me, and I open my mouth to say something. However, detecting the same thing, Tor has other ideas and chuckles low in his throat, moving closer and pushing me up against Vaeril’s firm body. With a gasp, my hands come up and brace against Tor’s chest, my body alight with sensation as I’m held between my two mates. Above me, the two of them seem to be locked in a staring match. Tor’s gaze is challenging, and I know what he’s trying to do. He’s been open to the fact he’s willing to ‘share’ me if it meant he could be a part of my life, but could he be talking about… My mind immediately starts playing images of the three of us together again, in a position much like this. Tor kissing my breasts and Vaeril pressed against my back, his hand snaking around my hip and between my legs, seeking out my aching—wait. These aren’t my thoughts.

Glaring at a grinning Tor, I pull away from both of them, suddenly aware of our audience. I push back the stray strands of hair that have fallen into my face.He needs to learn to control his side of the bond, quickly, I grouch internally, although I have to admit, the fact he was able to send me an image I believed was my own shows that he has good control already.Perhaps he just doesn’t want to control it, I muse, trying to put a bit of space between us. With the bond still so new and raw, he makes me flustered.

When I walk to the edge of the ring, Naril smirks at me, and I expect him to say something, but he doesn’t. Instead, his brother strolls over to me. Stopping just in front of me, he crosses hisarms and stares down at me. The brothers may be twins, but years of training and fighting have given Eldrin a soldier’s body, and his wild, mane-like golden hair and matching catlike eyes give him a feral appearance, whereas Naril is always groomed and impeccable, ever the court lord. The brutal scars on his neck and across his face do nothing to take away from the vicious vibe that Eldrin gives off.

“You remembered some of your training,” he states, and I have to fight a smile as I look up at him, his expression stoic as he continues to stare down at me. This is the closest I will ever come to praise from Eldrin, and I wouldn’t expect any different. Nodding my head, I cross my arms over my chest in a mirror of his posture as Chief Arne walks over to join us. Eldrin shifts his weight and dips his head slightly in respect to the chief before turning his attention back to me, a frown tugging at his brow. “You were able to access your fae abilities. How?”

Ah, that’s what’s bugging him. Back in Galandell, we had been working on trying to unlock my fae skills, but without much success. Everyone’s attention falls on me, suddenly interested in the answer. I feel a little uncomfortable discussing this with so many unknown people around, my gaze darting over all the unfamiliar faces.

“Leave us,” Chief Arne calls, his voice loud and leaving no room for argument. There are several grumbles, but the tribespeople start to clear out and return to their jobs. The training ring is a flat area that’s been carved out of the mountain not too far from the meeting place. There are several tents set up nearby, and the main path passes it, so there is the occasional onlooker, but soon enough, it’s quiet and I’m left with only my friends and Chief Arne. Tor and Vaeril use the opportunity to come closer, but they make sure to give me some space while I’m still trying to settle from earlier, although their eyes never leave me for long.

Now that the area is clear and quiet, I smile gratefully at the chief before taking a deep breath as I try to put what happened into words. “I’m not sure, something seemed to…shift when I concentrated on it.” I’m not certain anything I’m saying makes any sense, but Tor’s wearing an odd expression.

“Shift?” His eyes move from me to Chief Arne. “Could that have to do with the magic that’s containing her memories? Could the magic be enclosing other abilities also?”

This isn’t the first time there’s been mention of a block on my memories. I hadn’t realised the chief was aware of it too, but from his thoughtful expression, this obviously isn’t news to him. I’m not quite sure how I feel about the fact that other people know more about my past than I do, that they know about this…block of mine, yet I still know so little about it. It makes me feel like…like it’s a failing of mine. How is it possible not to remember my past? Before, when I was a slave, I just lived in a state of numbness. I did what I needed to survive. But now that my life has changed so drastically and I actually have the possibility of a future, I want to know more about my past. I expected my memories to come back with time, or as I learned more, but there is just this…blank nothingness every time I try to look back. Even when I met my mother, the queen, there was a sense of familiarity, but that was it, and now she’s dead and I have to live with the regret that I didn’t get to say anything to her before she died. That I couldn’t save her.

Humming in thought, the chief nods his head slowly as he looks over at me. “It could be.” Everyone’s eyes follow his and land on me.

Feeling uncomfortable under their stares, I run my hands up and down my arms, feigning being cold in my sparring clothes, when really, I just need something to do with my nervous energy. It seems to work, because Tor removes his cloak and drapes it over my shoulders, my mantle still left in a pile on thefloor of his tent. A slight tug in my chest has me looking up, and my gaze instantly slides over to Vaeril, who’s wearing the smallest of smiles. Busted. Since he’s been my mate the longest, he’s able to sort through my more subtle feelings, and he’s just seen right through my attempt at hiding my discomfort.

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