Page 48 of A Haven of Brimstone and Darkness

Kiera

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“Ugh.” A groan rumbles out of my chest as I lift a hand into the air and swat at the thumping noise in my head before lowering back down.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

I repeat the action, except this time, I realize that my pillow is as hard as a rock. Blinking open eyes with lashes that try to fuse together to prevent me from seeing the reality of morning, I realize that it’s not quite a rock, but damn near close. It’s a very hard, very male chest.

My eyes shoot to the face belonging to the man of said chest, which is covered in scratches and the half-moon marks of nails digging into flesh. I find Theos on his back beneath me. One arm is tossed over his upper face, but I can make out the light shadow of blond beard growth along his jawline and the familiar line of his regal nose. He breathes slowly, evenly, still lost in slumber. But I’m not.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

I sit up as the return of that irritating pounding in my head makes my insides coil like a snake about to strike. The back ofmy hand grazes something as I move, and I jerk my head over, finding Ruen on his side next to Theos and me.

His face is scrunched in a mass of agony despite his slow and steady breathing that mimics Theos’. Like Theos, his skin is covered in claw marks down his chest and abdomen as well as various smaller bruises on his throat and shoulders. I sway where I am, my body not seeming capable of holding itself up without a struggle. Still, I force myself to breathe through my teeth and take stock.

Like both Theos and Ruen, I’m completely naked. Examining my limbs and belly and hips, I frown at the copious marks—bruises, bitemarks, and scratches are everywhere. There’s a particularly sore area where my shoulder and neck meet but without looking into a mirror, I can’t see the reason for it. Glancing at Theos and Ruen emits the same result. The three of us appear as if we’d been involved in a brawl—nude. If that’s the case then there’s no doubt what occurred.

Sex.

As I move to get off Theos completely and slide down to the bottom of the bed, the soreness between my legs confirms the story. The achy pains aren’t just between my legs though. My back, my ass, my pussy, and my jaw all feel well used.

I try in vain to recollect the images of what might have happened the night before. All I get is a vague sense of pleasure and … pain? That could just be the continued discomfort in my head.

Planting one hand against my temple and hoping the pressure lessens the agony of a thousand hammers drilling into the inside of my skull, I glance around the room. The last thing I remember was dancing in the garden of statues during The Cleansing.

“When did we get back to our rooms?” I mumble absently, my eyes moving over the familiar surroundings.

From what I can tell, we had somehow managed to get back to the residential corridors and fall into Ruen’s bed. The sheets from the mattress are missing though, having been ripped free hours before most likely.

Ducking my head, I search around on the floor for something to slip into as cool air wafts over my naked form. My nipples pebble and I cross my arms over my chest, shivering a little.

Ironically, I don’t find any clothes—it's as if themors palliumfrom the night before has disappeared entirely—but I do find the bed sheet, half hidden beneath the foot of one of the bed posts. Deciding that it will do, I pull it free and wrap it around myself several times before tucking it into the place between my breasts.

My head still hurts, more so than ever before. The pounding is a steady presence in my mind that makes thought nearly impossible. I’d seen it many times before with others in the Underworld, including Regis and even Carcel. Though I’d never experienced one before due to my unwillingness to drink myself into a stupor, I know what it is. A hangover.

“Ugh.” Wanting to both throw up and dig my own brain out with a shovel, I stumble towards the door and open it to slip into the hallway. The corridor spins, the ceiling and floor trading places. My feet trip over one another and my side slams into the wall, causing a loud rush of air to escape me along with a mumbled curse.

“Not feeling quite yourself this morning?”

It takes me a moment to realize that someone has spoken to me. My insides practically quiver when I look up into a familiar pair of deep forest green eyes. Kalix, unlike his brothers and me, looks perfectly fine. His hair is slightly wet from a recent shower and raked away from his face.

My eyes travel down over the naked planes of his chest to the trousers riding low on his hips, causing the lines on either sideof his groin to stand out even more. There aren’t nearly as many marks on him as there are on the rest of us, and for a moment I wonder if perhaps he had snuck off the night before. Then my head supplies me with an image so vivid—his hands on my thighs, holding them open, spread as air slipped down the planes of my stomach and over my?—

I jerk myself from the image, not sure if it’s a memory or a dream. My stomach muscles tighten and my head seems to take that opportunity to start back up again, those thousands of hammers going faster than before.

The hallway spins again, and I slip off the wall, watching in morbid fascination as the ground comes rushing up to greet me. Thankfully, it stops midway and I feel strong arms close around me, lifting me off my feet.

“Can’t hold your liquor?” Kalix inquires, not seeming all that upset or even weary by the drink from the night before.

“You … didn’t drink?” I ask, my words sounding garbled to my own ears as he carries me off somewhere.

I don’t bother to ask where he’s taking me. It seems pointless. After all, once Kalix has decided he wants to do something he does it. Few people could stop him, and though I suspect I might be one of those few, I don’t have the energy to fight him right now.

Some great salvation I am,I think with a snort.

“I did.” It takes me a moment to remember what I’d said to Kalix to earn that response, but when I do, I find myself tipping my head back to look up at him.

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