Page 10 of Crucible

THORIN

T urning Aurelia around until her back is to my chest, I hook an arm around her neck. Her hands fly up the moment I tighten my hold, gripping my bicep and forearm. It’s foolish to waste all her strength fighting me when she’s going to need it. Aurelia stubbornly tugs at my arm, and when force fails to free her, she resorts to pain, digging her sharp nails into my skin.

God, it makes me harder.

“Let me go,” she chokes out.

“We tried to do this the easy way, but I’m starting to think you like it rough.” I grab one of her hands and force it between our bodies. “All you had to do was sing for us, songbird.” I press her palm firmly against the hard ridge trapped by my sweats. Aurelia muffles her disgust at the last moment, denying me the satisfaction. My dick feels like it will snap in half if I don’t get off soon. “What do you think, boys? Should we give her what she wants?”

I look at Khalil and then Seth. The latter is practically bouncing from excitement. If it were up to me, I’d choose someone with fewer claws and teeth for Seth’s first time with a woman, but it’s not like we had options. And even if we did, he’d still choose her. Seth would beg to bleed for her.

I shove her into him, and he catches her. “Gonna give it to her good,” Seth promises.

She goes to Khalil next. He catches her by the neck and plants a kiss on her lips. Aurelia squeals and tries to turn her head this way and that, but Khalil follows her, keeping their lips connected until he’s good and ready. When he breaks the forced kiss, he stares down at her like someone standing over a buffet after a years-long fast. “I thought you’d never ask, Goldilocks.”

When he shoves her toward me, I don’t try to catch her.

I let her fall to her knees at my feet and wait while she stares at the floor for a moment, her entire body trembling as she tries to find a way out of this. I don’t let her think for long before I grab Aurelia under her arms and haul her back to her feet.

“The answer is no. There’s nothing you can do or say to change our minds. You’re ours until we’re done with you.”

There’s disdain in her eyes when they search mine. I expect tears, pleas, or even an attempt to appeal to our good side. I even expect another loogie.

I don’t expect her to lean her head back and then drive it forward as hard as she can.

Because Aurelia’s so much shorter, she’s in the perfect position to minimize damage to herself while maximizing my pain. The skin of my bottom lip splits the moment her head connects with my face. Pain bounces between my teeth like the vibration of a bell after it’s struck.The last of my resistance falls away the moment the metallic taste of my blood fills my mouth. I need to have this woman as surely as I need air to breathe.

While blood is still pooling in my mouth, I tighten my hold on her arms. My grip isn’t tight enough to warrant her cry of pain until I remember the second-degree frostbite on her arms. I use her distraction to press my lips against hers, but I go a step further than Khalil, shoving my tongue between her lips and making her swallow my pain.

I accepted a long time ago that there would be no redemption for me, but fuck…Aurelia tastes like the forbidden fruit that cements my place in hell.

She cries and struggles when she tastes my blood, but it only makes me devour her faster. It’s the first of many times that blood will be shed—from both sides, I’m sure.

Aurelia will never know this, but if she’d kept her mouth shut and played the helpless damsel in distress, the worst thing I might have done was toss her out into the snow to die, but she had to go and make herself a challenge.

She had to prove that she could handle us.

We rarely do anything if it’s not unanimous, and now it’s three against one. The way it should be.

Khalil and Seth are still closing in when I finally come up for air and turn her around to face them. She belongs to them, too, and though having to share is a novelty that will take some time to get used to, it already feels natural.

Aurelia pants hard, too focused on catching her breath to notice them, but then she does, her wary gaze bouncing between them when Seth and Khalil block out the rest of the den.

It might be wishful thinking or my imagination amusing itself, but I swear she presses closer to me for protection before remembering I’m her dragon, too, and there are no white knights here.

Aurelia makes a sound of distress. My dick twitches in my sweats, liking the sound, even while her gasps draw my attention over to Khalil.

I give him a less-than-amused look when I see what startled her.

Khalil has already whipped out his cock, stroking the thick length shamelessly with his gaze fixed on Aurelia’s chest, which is half-exposed from her struggles. “You would be the first with your dick out,” I remark wryly.

Without looking away from her breasts, Khalil shrugs. “Show us your tits, Goldilocks.”

Our girl stubbornly remains motionless, so I grab her hands. She growls like a feral cat as I lead them to the top of her dress and force her delicate fingers to curl around the material. Her long, flowing sleeves hang off her shoulders naturally, so there isn’t much holding her dress up except the fragile knot forming a keyhole in her bodice and the silk laces of her corset that are already dangerously loose.

Aurelia’s eyes grow wide with panic when she realizes my intent. “No! Wait. Please !” she begs.

Finally.

Her pleas taste even sweeter than her venom.

Using our combined strength, I force her hands to shove the bodice down. The heavy globes of her perfect tits bounce free, and my balls tighten at the sight of her nipples.

Across from us, Khalil groans, and I see a bead of pre-cum leaking from his tip. Catching the pearly drop before it can spill onto the floor, he uses it to stroke the head.

Seth reaches out a trembling hand to gently thumb one of her dark nipples. His touch is hesitant and testing, his green eyes darting back and forth between Aurelia’s tear-soaked face and her flushed tits to see how she reacts.

Her eyes are firmly closed in a poor attempt to block it out, but the soft sounds she makes give her away. I can’t decide if they’re moans of despair or moans of pleasure. If it’s despair, why try to hide it? I find myself fighting a smile.

She really is too good to be true.

“Seth.” My ears perk at her whisper, and I tear my gaze away from my hand that’s tugging and tweaking her other nipple, covertly showing Seth what to do. Aurelia’s eyes are open again, and she’s staring at him.

“I’ll ride the roller coaster with you,” she blurts, making me pause. “I’ll hold your hand.”

Seth stops mimicking my movements, and his green eyes flare with hope. “You will?”

“Yes.” Aurelia licks her dry lips, which are cracked from the cold and dehydration and swollen from our kisses. “And not just on the rides. I’ll even buy you all the candy apples, churros, and funnel cakes you can stand.”

Seth drops his fucking hand, and my nostrils flare when I realize what Aurelia’s doing.

She’s a cunning little bitch. I’ll give her that.

Aurelia doesn’t mean a word of it, and Seth’s too green to know the difference. Somehow, she’s already picked up on it.

Seth’s development wasn’t so much arrested as it was catapulted. He was born twelve years ago inside the mind of a twenty-two-year-old man with none of the experiences or rights of passage to guide him.

Khalil and I have spent the last decade bringing his most willful alter up to speed with mostly promising results. Some things Seth just knows thanks to Zeke’s memories and sharing his mind, but others he falls woefully short on.

Women and sex primarily.

Far away from the rest of the world, it hasn’t been a problem—until now.

“She’s lying, Seth.”

He doesn’t even glance my way when he asks, “What’s a funnel cake?”

“Oh, my God, it’s the best ,” Aurelia gushes tearfully. She’s overselling it if you ask me. “It’s deep-fried batter, similar to pancakes, that’s all twisted up and covered in powdered sugar and syrup.”

Seth gives a curious tilt of his head. “What kind of syrup?”

“Any kind you like, Seth. Chocolate, strawberry, caramel,” she lists.

Seth looks her over slowly, meaningfully, and then says, “I like chocolate.”

Aurelia forces a smile to keep up the charade. “Chocolate’s the best.”

“Yeah, well, you know what I like?” Khalil pipes in sarcastically. “Getting my dick sucked.” With a scowl tossed at Aurelia, Khalil tucks his dick into his sweats and shoves his hands inside his pockets. “Seth.” Finally, Zeke’s alter breaks free of Aurelia’s thrall to meet Khalil’s softened gaze. “She’s playing you, man. Remember when I told you how girls will give guys their number and block them the moment they walk away?”

Seth nods slowly.

“Well, this is like that,” he tells him gently. “She’s selling you a dream.”

Warily, Seth’s gaze travels back to Aurelia. “Sunshine?”

I’m not sure what causes her change of heart—pity, sympathy, hatred that burns too deeply to allow her to pretend a second longer, or maybe a combination of all three—but Aurelia drops the act.

Her eyes and voice are both cold when she answers him. “Make them stop, and I’ll buy you a fucking ticket to Disneyland, but I’ll cut off my arms before I hold your hand, you fucking weirdo. Sorry. ”

Hurt flashes in Seth’s eyes, and even though he’s tried to kill me more than once, I’m ready to make Aurelia eat those words. Who the fuck does she think she is? Out here, her name means nothing. She has no power. She’s who we say she is.

Just as I’m ready to push her to her knees, Seth exhales and then perks up again. Aurelia squints, no doubt wondering who was playing who. Seth’s hurt was one hundred percent real, but there was no way he was taking that deal with a sweeter offer on the table.

“Good. I’m sorry, Sunshine. A roller coaster does sound fun, but I’d rather ride you.”

Seth reaches for her, and I give her to him.

“No!” Aurelia screams as she slaps and scratches his face until it turns red and welted. Seth’s masochistic ass doesn’t try to dodge a single blow. “Please don’t do this. Please! I’ll do anything but that!”

“Oh, please, no,” Khalil mocks in falsetto. His expression and voice flattens as he looks to me. “Is she broken already?”

Somehow, Aurelia succeeds in breaking free of Seth and sending a punch Khalil’s way, which he dodges easily. Seth catches her around the waist again and hauls her up, kicking and screaming.

“Get your fucking hands off me!”

Khalil watches her flail dispassionately. “Damn, I wish we could gag her.”

“Fuck you!” she explodes.

“All right, enough.” Seth lets her go when I step forward, and I wrap a hand around her jaw and squeeze just in case she resorts to spitting again. “One way or another, superstar, you’re using that mouth for something other than talking back. A song or our cocks?” I offer once more. It might surprise her to learn that forcing her isn’t my first choice, but I’m too hungry for it to bother with wooing her. I’m also no fucking good at it, so little chance there. “Which will it be?”

Realizing there’s a way out of this, Aurelia calms down again, and I loosen my grip enough for her to answer. “I’ll…I’ll leave.”

Goddamn this fucking stubborn, bullheaded, vicious fucking girl.

Losing my grip on patience, I exhale through my nose and shake my head. “Maybe the cold froze your memory, but there’s nowhere for you to go, and leaving is no longer on the table even if there were. Last chance. Sing us a song, or get on your knees. Your choice.”

Hearing her choices, Aurelia makes one last desperate play to get away, but my hold is unbreakable.

It doesn’t stop her from driving a knee into my nuts.

It’s not a perfect blow, but it still hurts like a bitch. Fortunately, I can be bullheaded too. I grunt in pain but keep my hand where it is. “Why are you being so goddamn stubborn? It’s just one lousy song.”

“I’m starting to think she wants to suck our dicks,” Seth muses.

An angry flush creeps up her neck, and then I let her go when she whips around to face him. “The only thing I want to do with your dick is cut it off and make you choke on it, you psycho!”

“Hmmm. Bad choice of words, baby girl.” I shove her into Seth’s arms.

“ Stop …pushing me!”

“Sunshine.” Seth’s gaze is soft and adoring as he looks down at her as if she’s his entire reason for being. And then he forces her to her knees and rips open the button on the jeans he changed into at some point. “Suck my cock, Sunshine. Make it good.”

Aurelia scrambles away on her hands and knees before Seth can get his dick out, and the genuine shock and confusion on his face is fucking hysterical.

Unfortunately, I don’t have time for shits and giggles.

Our little tyrant is getting away.

I reach down just as she tries to crawl through the small gap between our legs and grip a fistful of her golden curls.

“No!” Aurelia screams and kicks out as I drag her ass back.

Since I’m a greedy bastard, I don’t give her back to Seth. I position her until she’s kneeling and trembling in front of me. I’ve got one hand in her hair and the other freeing my dick from my sweats, but Aurelia still has the gall to jerk back and glare up at me when I press forward.

“Put that thing anywhere near my mouth, and I’ll bite it off!”

I believe her.

Unfortunately for her, it changes nothing.

Releasing Aurelia’s hair to pinch her nose between my fingers, I hold her fiery gaze so that she can see the sincerity in mine when I speak. “You survived that crash with barely a scratch on you, but if your teeth so much as graze my dick, I swear I’ll beat that gorgeous ass black and blue and make you suck me anyway. Now heel , songbird.”

An interesting shiver works its way through her body despite the warm room. I don’t have time to dissect her reaction to my promise to degrade her. Aurelia’s lips finally part in a desperate grab for air, and I allow her one meager breath before I shove my dick between those pouty, pretty lips and shut her the fuck up for good.

The tension tightening my shoulders melts away as I’m enveloped in her warm mouth.

She makes a gurgling noise when I hit the back of her throat, but it’s drowned out by my bone-deep shudder the moment I feel her tongue stroke the shaft unintentionally. My next breath gets caught in my chest as I watch those full lips stretch to accommodate my cock.

Meanwhile, she’s panicking, her hands clawing at me for purchase as I choke her with it. The hand I have on the back of her head keeps her from going anywhere, though.

Still, all her floundering is getting in the way of me fully enjoying the head.

“Breathe, songbird. Breathe through your fucking nose,” I instruct. She frowns like she’s confused, but then I feel the smallest puff of air blowing through my pubes. My fingers start moving on their own as I gently stroke her scalp. “Good girl. That’s it. Be sweet for me, and I’ll think about returning the favor.”

Aurelia blinks at the praise and then does it again. It takes a while for her panic to fade, but once it does, she’s leaning back on her heels, getting comfortable while her hands go still on my hips.

I almost snort at her finally giving up the pretense.

She’s an enigma, though.

Not her resistance. That’s natural. We are forcing her.

It’s her inexperience that confuses me. The head isn’t terrible, but it’s not great either.

Aurelia’s got to be in her mid-twenties—old enough to know what the fuck to do, yet she’s fumbling through it.

And then there’s her sex appeal.

Even bruised, exhausted, dirty, and disheveled, she oozes it.

I bet if she woke up next to me tomorrow with crust in her eyes, hair all over the place, and drool dried on the side of her mouth, I’d still want to fuck.

Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I focus on busting a nut as a groan slips free.

“Fuck, I missed this.”

Completely overcome with pleasure, I let my head fall back, confident that Aurelia will take heed of my warning and that my brothers are watching her every move, even if Khalil and Seth are busy stroking their own cocks and silently urging me to hurry so they can have their turn.

After a few more rounds of amateur deepthroating, I can’t resist staring into those cruel almond eyes full of hate and fury as I pull all the way out. Aurelia gasps and coughs while a thick string of pre-cum and saliva keeps us connected until it lands on her chin before dripping down to her chest.

She’s even more beautiful like this—used and learning her place.

“ Please ,” she whispers as soon as she’s caught her breath.

“What’s the matter?” I gently ask as I take her chin and rub her swollen lip with my thumb. “You want me to stop?” She closes her eyes and nods. “I understand.” When she opens her eyes again, there’s hope there. Hope that I have zero qualms crushing. “But I haven’t come yet, and my brothers are waiting, so what are you going to do? Are you going to put in some fucking effort, or are you going to stay on your knees for us all night? No one’s leaving this room until we’re paid in full, Aurelia.”

“I…”

“Have you never sucked dick before?” I ask her.

When she shakes her head, I narrow my gaze.

No fucking way.

She’s got to be playing me like she tried with Seth.

I consider choking her with my cock again to punish her, but the sincerity in her gaze makes me hesitate.

Shit. Could she be telling the truth?

No. No way.

Aurelia’s already confirmed she’s not a virgin, so what the fuck gives?

Annoyed, I start to shove her away. Let Khalil waste his time teaching her.

But then she squirms.

Aurelia does it again, but this time, she writhes more than squirms like she’s…searching for friction. My gaze narrows on the subtle movement and the way her eyes remain firmly fixed on the floor.

“Aurelia.” Her gaze shoots back to me and then guiltily widens when I shift my hold to her neck. Tilting her head back, I command, “Open wide.” When she hesitates, I rub the tip of my cock over the seam of her pretty lips. “Or I can tell my brothers your secret, songbird.” Her brows dip further, but her gulp is telling. “I bet it’s just dripping to be free.”

She gasps at the same time Seth asks, “What secret?”

Ignoring Seth, I ask, “What will it be, my slippery little cocksucker?”

Aurelia’s glare turns sharp, and then she slowly opens her mouth. I waste no time stuffing my dick inside with a groan, but this time I don’t go as deep.

Instead, I fuck her mouth. It’s a damn good thing I rubbed one out in the shower earlier, or I’d be coming down her throat already.

“Come on, you fuck,” I grunt when I can feel my release hovering woefully out of reach. “Use that tongue for something other than pissing me off. Stroke it .”

Those little angry divots between her brows appear again, and then I feel her tongue give a testing lash. My toes curl into the carpet while my stomach dips violently at the sensation.

And then the impossible happens.

Aurelia’s instincts finally take over, and she wraps her small hand around my thick shaft.

I pause to watch, partly fascinated but mostly dubious of what she’ll do.

Her flushed cheeks hollow out a moment later as she takes a little more of me before pulling back. She does that repeatedly, each time taking a little more, testing how much she’s comfortable with until her head begins to bob back and forth and she has a rhythm.

Suddenly, she’s in charge of the pace and depth, and I don’t have time to feel salty over losing control because, holy shit, I was wrong before.

She’s mind-blowing.

Her mouth is like a vacuum as she sucks me up.

And for the little time that I last, she owns me.

“Goddamn…she’s doing it,” I think I hear one of my brothers say in awe.

Everything is muted and muddled under the roaring in my ears and pounding of my heart as I erupt, coming like a fire hose down her throat. Aurelia makes a sound of alarm at the first bitter taste of my cum and tries to pull away, but I tighten my hold on her hair and keep her there.

“Cabin rule number three,” I grunt as I feed her my cum. “Swallow every drop we give you. Understand?”

Her mouth is full, so I’m not really expecting her to respond, but she nods like a good pet anyway.

Damn. I can’t stop my thumb from stroking her soft cheek.

She’s staring up at me through wide, vulnerable eyes, and even though hatred and fear are still very much present, there’s something new there, too.

“Come on, asshole. Stop hogging her.”

It’s not until I hear Khalil’s impatient demand that I realize I’m no longer coming, and my softened cock is just resting inside Aurelia’s viperous mouth while we stare at one another like long-lost lovers.

“That was almost decent,” I say, breaking free of her spell. Withdrawing, I tuck my dick back into my sweats. “Lucky for us, we’ll have what’s left of winter to work on your skills.”

It’s a dick move but a necessary one.

I’m grasping for some of the distance I’d lost when Aurelia blew my fucking mind. It works, too, because the docility in her gaze is gone, and she’s back to looking at me like I’m scum.

I am. I won’t deny it.

Khalil stomps forward and is on her before Aurelia can catch her bearings. Some of her fight returns when she realizes it’s not over yet. He drags her away, and the more she resists him, the rougher he gets. I almost snap at him to give her a moment until I remember he’s my brother, and she’s just some girl who picked the wrong cabin.

Sighing, I shake off the afterglow of my nut and sink to my knees behind her. Grabbing her arms, I force them behind her back before she hurts herself and lock her wrists in one of my hands. I use the other to hold her chin.

“Shhh,” I soothe when she whines and tries to get away. “We talked about this, remember? Khalil is an ass, but he’s not so bad. He just wants to feel that velvet mouth. You made me feel so good, and now it’s his turn. Come on, songbird. Open up and show him what you’ve learned.”

“Please,” she whispers desperately. “ Please don’t make me do that again.”

“Aurelia…” I kiss her soft cheek and then slide my lips to her ear. “Be a good girl,” I whisper so that only she hears, “or I’ll have to tell my brothers your secret.”

And so that there is no doubt about what I know, I slip my hand under her costume.

Her incredibly thick thighs are as soft as I imagined, and I can feel myself growing hard again as I fantasize about tossing her to the floor and wedging myself between them.

She starts to squirm again the closer I get to the searing heat of her pussy, but I stop when I reach her damp inner thighs. I can feel Khalil and Seth watching us closely, but I keep what I find to myself—at least for now.

“Do as we say,” I warn, my voice low, “or I’ll show them.”

“No. It’s not…that’s not—”

My post-nut glow fades a little when she tries to lie to me. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

Hooking my fingers into her panties, I wrench them aside, and she cries out from the force and lack of barrier between us now. Cupping her hot puss in my palm, I give her one last warning. “Lie to me again, and I won’t just show them your pussy, Aurelia. I’ll spank it.”

Pulling my hand back just enough, I strike her exposed pussy once to show her I’m not fucking around. The sound of our skin connecting echoes around the mostly silent room, mixing with her surprised yelp and the crackling fire.

“ Don’t. Please. ” Her lashes flutter, and suddenly, Aurelia’s dancing in my lap. No, not dancing. Her movements are too unskilled and frantic, telling me they are fueled by impulse alone.

I hide my smile in her wild, golden curls when I realize why.

The heel of my hand is pressing into her clit, and she’s chasing the friction.

My own breath shudders out of me, knowing she wants to come. Bad enough to risk us seeing, apparently.

Feeling generous, I grind my hand against the swollen nub a few times, and she stops breathing. I can feel the physical toll it takes for her to keep quiet. She doesn’t want to give in, but she doesn’t have a fucking choice.

I’m like a dog with a bone now, and my brothers are waiting.

Got to get her ready for them.

She needs to be as soft and eager to please as she was moments ago if she wants to survive the night. It may have been fleeting—like the blink of an eye—but it’s enough for now.

“Yeah? You want to come?” I whisper when she presses against my hand. Cruelly, I shift my focus lower, away from her clit.

Aurelia’s eyes fly open, but the alarm in them as I slip my fingers through her slick pussy and beeline for her opening doesn’t deter me. “Wait. No!” she yelps too late.

I’m already pushing a finger inside.

Fuck, she’s tight.

I’m a second from saying fuck my brothers and taking her to the floor when she yells, “I’ll do it!” I’m nearly buried to the second knuckle when I pause. “I’ll…I’ll suck you off,” she says to Khalil. “Just, please. Make him stop.”

Something irrational and possessive coils tighter in my chest at her turning to Khalil. Aurelia has no fucking idea that out of the three of us, he’s the least likely to come to her rescue.

Snatching my hand from her pussy, I grip her jaw. It’s a testament to my jealousy that I ignore the scent of her arousal suddenly filling my nose. “You want Khalil to save you from me, songbird? Fine. What happens next is on you. You’re on your own.” I let her wrists and neck go to stand.

Khalil raises a brow at me in question since my anger is a little misplaced, but I just shrug off the rejection and storm out of the basement.

Leaving her alone with those two is exactly what she deserves.

For the next ten minutes or so, I pretend not to hear the sounds coming from the basement as I stomp around upstairs with no real purpose except not to be down there .

I clean up the mess Khalil made from dinner and then check all the doors and windows. We’re alone up here, so we never worried about locking it before, but Aurelia changed all that. She showed us that we’d become too lax. Too comfortable. We’d forgotten what it meant to guard our territory, but those instincts were rising swiftly once more with her presence.

Ours.

Aurelia was ours, and over my dead body would anyone take her from us.

Eventually, I stop sulking enough to return to the basement, balancing a bowl of lukewarm stew, a glass of water, and a bottle of painkillers in hand.

The scene I’m greeted with stops me in my tracks.

Aurelia is in the same place I left her, but she’s flanked by Khalil and Seth, who both have their cocks out. Right now, she’s being choked by Seth’s cock while Khalil has a punishing grip on her nape, holding her— keeping her—there. His other hand is busy stroking his dick, which is already glistening from Aurelia’s saliva.

No tears though.

Huh…

If there was any part of me that rebelled at the idea of being the villain in her story vanishes when my dick goes brick-hard at the sight.

Up here, the only rules that matter are the ones we make.

Seth finally lets Aurelia come up for air, and I’m expecting more tears and pleas for mercy, but there are none. The subdued look in her eyes isn’t like before. Aurelia looks resigned to be used when she’s done with her coughing fit, turns, and swallows Khalil’s dick in the next breath.

It hadn’t taken her nearly as long as I thought to accept the inevitable. We’re the key to her survival, and she knows it now.

While her mouth pleasures Khalil, she reaches back with one hand and wraps it around Seth, twisting and pumping his dick until he groans and fucks her fist.

Clearly, the two of them had no qualms teaching her what they like.

I walk deeper into the den and set the items on the metal footlocker we use as a coffee table before collapsing onto the couch to watch.

Unlike when she blew me, Aurelia’s eyes are squeezed tightly closed, so she can’t see the terrifying possession with which Khalil is watching her—like she’s his already. He’s got her pinned down, not just with his dick but with his fucking suffocating intensity.

He doesn’t even moan or make a sound because he’s so into watching her, but I know he’s close.

It’s in the tenseness of his jaw and furrow in his brow. He’s wound tight, and just like any bomb, it’ll be nothing less than devastating when he erupts.

Khalil doesn’t stop watching her even when she releases him to take Seth. He watches her as if she’ll disappear if he takes his eyes off her for even a second. Something tells me she can feel it, though, and looking away is her way of running from it.

Because she still thinks there’s a chance she can escape.

I’m not aware of reaching inside my sweats and pulling my dick free. I absently stroke it with one hand and cup my balls with the other as I watch the three of them.

Aurelia is a natural cock pleaser whether she wants to accept it or not.

She doesn’t give either of them a chance to get jealous or angry when her attention lingers for too long. She’s already picking up on their cues and alternates between them like she’s been mastering our cocks for years.

Khalil likes his head enthusiastic but unhurried. He gets off on having his cock worshipped like it’s magic while he looks on like some sort of god.

Seth is an incurable face fucker, just like Zeke. The latter was always about chasing the high and getting off sooner rather than later, which is why Seth comes first.

“Fuck, I knew it,” he babbles as he roughly fucks her mouth. “I knew you were it. You’re the one, aren’t you, Sunshine?”

Aurelia’s brows dip in confusion, but she doesn’t have time to wonder for long what he means. Seth shoves his cock to the hilt and comes. Aurelia gags but takes it, swallowing his cum like I told her to.

The moment his long cock slips free of her lips, he’s smiling down at her like they’re old friends.

She doesn’t return the gesture.

Aurelia just turns to finish off Khalil, but he has other plans.

For a moment, her mask drops, and shock erases the haunted look in her eyes at the first drop of my Khalil’s cum landing on her cheek. The only sound he makes as he comes is a single strangled groan while his entire body tenses like a tightly strung cord from the effort it takes to hold back the rest.

“Oh, fuck ,” I curse, my hips rising from the cushion as I join him. My dick gushes cum, watching Khalil vengefully pump his length—his cock as angry looking as his face—as he loses himself on her.

Of course, he does.

Khalil will want to stake his claim his own way.

I glance down at the mess I made of my hands, sweats, and the couch—irrefutable proof that once won’t nearly be enough to slake my lust.

The basement is eerily quiet once we catch our breath.

Aurelia doesn’t run off like I expected, and I’m impressed. She’s frozen in place, staring at nothing with cum on her cheek, nose, and tits, and the taste of Seth and me no doubt lingering as well. I cringe a little at the sight, and because I’m not completely apathetic to her plight, I force myself to rise and head for the bathroom. Feeling my cum already drying on my skin, I make quick work cleaning up and then grab a fresh cloth and wet it with warm water.

I carry it back into the den in time to see that Aurelia’s been moved to the couch, and Seth is draping a blanket around her shoulders as if that will erase the violation.

Nothing will.

Crouching in front of Aurelia, I reach out with the cloth to clean her face, but she flinches away. Dismissing her reaction as fear, I try again. This time, it’s her hand that moves, and I don’t try to block the blow I see coming a mile away.

Aurelia slaps the ever-loving shit out of me.

In hindsight, I should have expected it. I did just hurt her.

Even though I deserve worse, I still feel that itch to hit her back, so I spit out a terse, “Suit yourself.”

Standing, I toss the cloth in her face.

It’s sopping wet, just like her pussy, so it lands with a satisfying slap as I put some much-needed distance between us.

Aurelia snatches the cloth from her face and shoots me a withering look. I don’t give her the satisfaction of returning one as I watch her use the cloth to clean her face and chest.

She’s too damn quiet.

There should be tears and hysteria, but she doesn’t bother with either. We’ll have to make quick work of breaking her in if any of us hope to get a good night’s sleep anytime soon. I’ve heard it only takes a matter of days in some cases for Stockholm to set in.

First, we make her fear our wrath, and then we confuse her with random acts of kindness—make her feel safe until her brain is so scrambled she doesn’t have any choice but to trust what we tell her is real.

Honestly, it’s the most effort any of us have ever put into a woman—especially Khalil. Since my ears are still wringing from that slap, I don’t have to wonder if she’s flattered.

“Aurelia,” I call once she’s done cleaning Khalil’s spunk from her skin. If he feels guilty about what he did to her, he doesn’t show it. In fact, Khalil looks upset that his mark is already gone. If only on the outside .

I wait until Aurelia’s dead gaze rises to meet mine, and then I hesitate a moment longer because I’m about to violate her all over again. This time for her own good.

“What you’re feeling right now is understandable, all of it. I won’t make excuses for what we did when the truth is simple. We hurt you. We hurt you because we could. We’re bigger and stronger, and we hold all the cards. I want you to remember that when the shock wears off and you have only anger to numb you. You’ll tell yourself that you can live with what happened if you strike back at us, but I wouldn’t advise it.”

“We’re not very forgiving, Goldilocks.”

“What a coincidence,” she retorts and drops the cloth on the floor next to her. “Neither am I.”

It’s meant to be cold and cautionary, but it just comes out despondent and delusional. She has no power here.

Khalil raises his brows, but I nod. I can’t help but respect someone who fights to the bitter, tragic end.

“I understand. We don’t expect you to forgive us, but you better get used to us. One chance, Aurelia. Prove to us even once that you’re not worth the trouble, and we’ll make you wish you perished in that plane crash.”

Aurelia doesn’t respond for the longest time, and then she gives the tiniest nod.

Khalil exhales heavily.

Out of the three of us, he’s the only one hell-bent on keeping her. Seth is too, but his attention span is shit.

Tossing Aurelia out would be as good as killing her, which would be the point.

And such a waste of a good piece of ass.

Aurelia sucked our cocks as if it gave her meaning, and she doesn’t even know us, despises us even. Imagine what a few months with nothing else to do but wait for the snow to melt will do. Imagine if she fell for us.

Seth helps her stand and then takes her face in his hands, bending a little to peer into her empty eyes—Aurelia’s here, but no one’s home. “Don’t let them scare you, Sunshine. They’re not so bad,” he tells her like he hadn’t used her to get off too. “Thorin and Khalil are just grumpy because we’re stuck up here, and it’s my fault.”

“Quiet, Seth,” Khalil snaps from Aurelia’s other side. They’re flanking her again, barely a few inches of space between them.

It’s unnecessary. Aurelia isn’t going to run, and she’s damn sure not going to ask questions. I doubt she cares what drove us to do what we did. What matters is that it happened.

Still, she doesn’t reject Seth’s touch as she did mine, and that acidic feeling from earlier burns a hole in my chest as I wonder if she likes him better.

It’s a fucking ridiculous thought.

Why should I care who Aurelia likes better? She belongs to all of us. She’ll sleep under my roof, warm my bed, and ride my dick when I tell her to, and that’s all that matters.

Aurelia is still staring at the floor, but there’s a furrow in her brow now, like she’s wrestling with something. It’s a far cry from the quiet desolation that seemed so deafening before.

I nod toward the bowl resting on the table. “Eat your stew, Aurelia. You’re safe here.”

I can see the question in her eyes, though—the uncertainty—when she does what I tell her.

Safe, but for how long?

Instead of asking or giving us the third degree, Aurelia exhales, her shoulders slumping, then picks up the food and starts to eat.

None of us speak, content with watching her slowly consume her second helping of stew. I don’t know if it’s the horrible taste or if we stole her appetite, but she eats like she’s on autopilot.

When she’s done, I take the empty bowl from her and set it aside before giving her two of the painkillers and making her down the entire glass of water.

“Take off your dress.” Her gaze shutters immediately at my command, and it’s all I can do not to roll mine. “ Relax . No one’s fucking you tonight. Your dress is filthy, and so are you,” I remind her. “You’ll sleep better after you shower. One of us can loan you some clean clothes until your dress is sorted.”

Aurelia still doesn’t move from the spot she’s in, and Seth waves his hand in front of her face. When he starts snapping his fingers, her eyes shift up and to the side to glare at him in irritation.

She’s heard every word. She doesn’t want to undress in front of us.

Tough shit.

We’ll be committing far worse atrocities to her body soon enough. Staring will be the least of our sins.

Since I don’t want to break our new toy before we’re done taking it out of the box, I exhale loudly and say, “There’s a bathroom by the stairs.”

The stark relief in her eyes is enough to cement me as a monster.

Aurelia nods and stands, and I force myself to stay put as the distance between us grows. The blanket is still around her shoulders for protection as much as warmth, but it’s ineffective. The memory of her warm mouth and perfect tits are forever imprinted on my brain.

I blame my distracting thoughts for not seeing her sway.

I’m even more annoyed that Khalil gets there first. He’s already lifting her from the floor where she collapsed by the time I’m even standing.

“Aurelia.” The demanding way he speaks her name belies the gentle touch he places on her cheek. He could never fool me, though. There’s a trace of alarm hidden underneath. He’s concerned .

Our songbird doesn’t respond. She doesn’t make a sound. At first, I think she’s just being stubborn as usual, but it takes me a moment longer to realize she’s limp in his arms.

My stomach sinks when we realize she’s unconscious.