Page 64 of Hell Gate

Training this hard also means I have an excuse not to talk to Matthias about Alder and Vale. It’s shitty of me, but when I see his affectionate smile, my chest constricts. I’m terrified my mate will look at me with hatred like every other person that was supposed to love me. Choked by the fear he’ll be angry because I have feelings for the others. I couldn’t bear it, but I’m powerless to stop what I feel.

It’s not just Alder and Matthias I’m torn between. It’s Vale, too. Almost losing him made it clear that I don’t want a world without him in it, challenging me, pushing my buttons, igniting my need to fight back.

Matthias said I belonged to both of them, yet I can’t quiet the fear lurking in the back of my mind that he’ll reject me.

I shove everything stressing me out from my mind, bracing my hands on my hips as I catch my breath. My panting clouds the night air in the woods behind the cabin where I’ve cobbled together my practice area.

Gritting my teeth at the ache in my arms, I lift them and force my hellfire to spill into my palms. The lid I pulled off the broken hot tub—my makeshift target—has holes singed in it. This time I’ll hit a bullseye. My focus zeroes in on the spot I want to go. I push with all my might, the fireball bursting from my hands.

The force knocks me back and my twinging legs give out.

“Fuck!” The fireball skews to the left, taking out a bush as I tumble backwards, landing on my ass in the dirt.

“Stop shifting your center of balance to compensate for pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion.” I jump at Alder’s stern tone. He steps out of the trees behind me, shirtless, wearing only a pair of gray sweatpants that make my mouth water with the memory of his dick filling my mouth. “You’re training too hard. Control isn’t just about hours of practice, Lily. It comes when you learn to rest, too.”

I climb to my feet, rubbing my sweaty face with the back of my hand. “How long have you been watching?”

“Every night you’ve snuck out here after pretending to fall asleep.” He frowns at my crappy form when I prepare to try again, nudging the inside of my knee for a sturdier center of gravity and tucking my elbows. “I didn’t appreciate the sight of you leaving me alone in bed. I’m sure Matthias hasn’t enjoyed it, either.”

I falter, screwing up my fireball blast before the flames have swirled into a mass. They sputter out as I whip around, my throat stinging.

His stoic expression softens and he smooths his hands over my shoulders, massaging the aches and pains from my overworked muscles with magic heat emanating from his touch. I wobble on my feet with a feeble moan, ready to sway into him. He hushes me, working out the kinks in my tired body until blissful tingles spread throughout it.

“Why are you so stubborn?” He doesn’t seem to expect an answer, talking more to himself. “You don’t have to do this alone. You have me. Matthias. Vale, in his own way. We’ll take care of you, blossom. You only need to ask.”

I give up my fight with gravity, leaning against him. He supports me without question, adjusting his embrace to keep me upright while massaging the back of my neck. My eyes flutter. God, this feels incredible. Safe, warm. All the things he reminds me I have now.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble with my head against his chest. “I just want to get better. I don’t want to fail again if it means any of you getting hurt trying to protect me.”

“It’s alright. We swore to protect you, Lily. I understand your desire to be your best.” My heart thumps with his promise. I wind my arms around his waist, hugging him. He sighs. “I don’t want to see you push yourself as hard as my father pushed me. You’ll only end up hurting yourself. I won’t allow it.”

A smile twitches my lips, cutting through my waning exhaustion. “Yes, sir,” I sass. “Are you going to punish me for being such a brat?”

He stills, then adjusts his embrace. His woodsmoke scent grows thicker, snaking around me with a heavy swirl of charcoal mixing with it.

The air between us shifts, crackling with tension as he catches me in a hold we’ve been practicing. Our bodies are plastered together, his grip tightening on my arm to tug me against him, making the invisible tether in my chest flutter. The hard ridge of his dick grinds against my spine.

“Get away,” he challenges.

“I thought I needed rest?” My words are light and breathless, too distracted by the throbbing heat building in my core.

“You need something else. No more holding back.”

His nose grazes my neck, inhaling with a low, pleased rumble. I rub my thighs together. Can he smell how wet I am? How much it turns me on to be trapped by him?

“I’ve grown tired of Matthias’ teasing. He doesn’t get to keep you to himself anymore,” he rumbles. “I won’t wait around for him to share you.”

The flutter in my chest ricochets around my heart. “Alder—”

“Break out of my hold, Lily.” His gruff tone makes it hard to deny his wishes.

Focusing on what to do is a struggle with the distraction of his scent and every place we touch. I drag in a breath, wanting to earn one of his proud smiles when I get things right. Wriggling my shoulders to fake a struggle, I wedge my hands into position and drive them up in the circle of his arms with a tight spiral of flames to add to my force while stomping on his foot.

Breaking away, I whirl with a satisfied grin. It feels badass when I execute these moves. Size and shape don’t matter. Only technique and understanding balance. Alder taught me that and with his lessons, he’s giving me something even more powerful—the ability and confidence to defend myself.

I open my mouth to go off about my success, but the words never come.

Our eyes meet. My breath hitches at the primal darkness in his piercing stare.

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