Page 17 of Darkness and Deceit (Obsidian Academy #2)

Fourteen

LILITH

I wake with a gasp, heart racing, breath caught somewhere between a scream and a sob.

The room is dim. Firelight flickers low against stone walls, and for a second, I can’t remember where I am. The shadows feel too close. Too heavy. Like they followed me out of the dream.

I sit up fast, breathing hard.

“Lilith,” Simon’s voice reaches me first, low and careful. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe.”

I blink, forcing my vision to clear.

They’re here.

Simon sits on the edge of the bed, close but not touching. Kai is leaned against the wall nearby, arms crossed, eyes sharp with worry. Vaughn’s pacing at the foot of the bed, muttering something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like “should’ve stayed closer.”

The nightmare clings to me like damp air. I can still feel the chains. The fire. That voice.

“I’m fine,” I lie, voice hoarse.

Simon doesn’t call me on it.

Kai steps closer. “What did you see?”

I shake my head, hugging my knees to my chest. “Nothing I want to remember.”

Silence hangs between us for a beat. The three of them hover—close, steady—but it’s like they don’t know how to reach me.

So I reach for them.

“Distract me,” I whisper.

Simon tilts his head. “From the dream?”

“From everything,” I say, louder this time. I meet each of their eyes in turn. “Please.”

It’s not just a plea. It’s permission.

And they understand.

Vaughn moves first—naturally. Always the bold one. He slides onto the bed beside me and brushes a strand of hair from my face.

“You sure?” he asks, his voice lower than usual. Rougher.

“I need you.”

That’s all he needs.

He kisses me—slow and unhurried. Not cocky. Not teasing. Just present . Like he wants to ease the panic out of my lungs and replace it with his air. Then he eases back, our foreheads pressed together, breath mingling, eyes scanning mine like he’s checking I’m still with him.

Simon shifts closer on my other side, his hand finding my bare thigh beneath the blanket, his touch featherlight. “We’ll be gentle,” he murmurs. “You call the pace.”

I nod, swallowing hard. The tight coil of tension inside me begins to loosen.

Kai still hasn’t moved. He watches from the foot of the bed, gaze burning. Silent. Steady. His presence is pressure, but not the kind that overwhelms. The kind that anchors.

I reach for him. “You too.”

His jaw tightens. Then he moves, slowly, carefully, like he’s checking every step.

When he reaches me, he crouches in front of the bed, his fingers brushing over my knee beneath the blanket.

“If you want out at any point,” he says, an echo from his same words not that long ago, his voice like smoke, “just say it.”

“I won’t,” I whisper. “I want this.”

Simon leans in first. His lips press to my neck, just below my ear, while Vaughn kisses my shoulder. Their hands map over me like they already know where I carry tension and where I crave touch.

Every part of me is pulled taut, but not from fear.

From want.

Kai slips the blanket back just enough to expose my legs, trailing his fingers along my calves as he presses soft, grounding kisses to the inside of my knee. I exhale slowly, head tipping back as Simon cups my face and deepens his kiss.

The world fades.

There’s no nightmare here. No whispers. No chains.

Only their hands. Their mouths. The weight of their bodies and the warmth of their breath.

Simon’s hand slips beneath the hem of my shirt while Vaughn murmurs something filthy against my skin that makes me shiver and laugh at the same time.

They don’t rush.

It’s not about taking.

It’s about giving.

Kai’s hand finds mine and laces our fingers together as his lips travel lower. Simon helps me shed my shirt. Vaughn strokes slow circles over my hip bone like he’s memorizing it.

Their touches burn away the cold the nightmare left behind. Their mouths replace fear with heat.

When Kai finally presses his lips between my thighs, my back arches. I don’t bite back the moan. I don’t apologize for needing this.

Simon’s breath brushes my ear. “That’s it. Let go.”

And I do.

I lose track of whose hands are where, which mouth is on my skin, whose voice is rasping praise into my neck. I only know that I am here—held, wanted, worshipped—and for the first time in too long, I feel whole.

Pleasure coils through me in deep, rising waves—then crashes, pulling a gasp from my throat as I clutch at whoever’s closest. My body pulses with the aftershock as Simon kisses my collarbone and Vaughn brushes my hair back, whispering, “Good girl.”

Kai lifts his head, eyes dark and intense as they lock with mine. He presses a kiss to my inner thigh, then slowly makes his way up my body. His lips graze my stomach, my ribs, the curve of my breast. When he reaches my mouth, the kiss is deep and consuming.

I’m trembling, but not from fear. From need. From the electric current running through my veins, ignited by their touch.

Simon’s hand cups my face, turning me towards him. His kiss is softer, a counterpoint to Kai’s intensity. Vaughn’s fingers trace patterns on my hip, teasing and playful.

“More,” I breathe against Simon’s lips.

They exchange glances, a silent communication passing between them.

Then Simon gently pulls me onto his lap, my back pressed to his chest. Kai and Vaughn flank us on either side, their hands roaming over my sensitive skin.

Simon’s arms encircle my waist, holding me securely against him as he trails kisses along my neck.

“Tell us what you want,” Kai murmurs, his voice low and husky.

I meet his gaze, feeling a surge of desire at the intensity in his eyes. “Everything,” I whisper. “I want to feel all of you.”

Vaughn grins, a wicked glint in his eye. “That can definitely be arranged.”

They move in perfect synchronicity, as if they’ve rehearsed this dance a hundred times. Clothes are shed with unhurried precision, hands and mouths exploring newly exposed skin. The air grows thick with desire, our breaths mingling as we lose ourselves in sensation.

Simon’s hands ghost over my breasts as Kai captures my lips in another searing kiss. Vaughn’s mouth trails down my stomach, his tongue dipping into my navel before moving lower. I gasp into Kai’s kiss as Vaughn’s lips find their target, his skilled tongue sending jolts of pleasure through me.

Simon’s grip on my waist tightens, his arousal pressing against my lower back. He nips at my earlobe, his voice rough as he murmurs, “You’re so beautiful like this.”

I reach back to tangle my fingers in his hair, arching into Vaughn’s ministrations. Kai breaks our kiss to lavish attention on my breasts, his teeth grazing my nipple in a way that makes me cry out.

The sensations build, overwhelming in their intensity. I’m floating, anchored only by their touch, their voices, the reverent way they worship my body.

When Vaughn slides two fingers inside me, curling them just right, I arch my back, gasping. Simon anchors me, his arms the only thing holding me together as the pleasure rips through me.

“That’s it,” Kai murmurs against my skin. “Let go for us.”

Vaughn’s fingers move faster, his tongue circling in perfect counterpoint. I’m trembling, balanced on the knife’s edge of release.

Simon’s hand joins Vaughn’s, the dual rhythm pushing me higher. And then?—

I shatter, crying out as the orgasm crashes over me, sharp and bright. My body bows, spine taut, as my vision whites out.

They work me through it gently, easing off as the aftershocks fade. I slump back against Simon’s chest, breathing hard. He presses a soft kiss to my temple.

“Beautiful,” he whispers.

“Please,” I whimper. “More.”

Kai’s eyes darken with desire. He cups my face, thumb brushing my lower lip. “Are you sure?”

I nod, pulse quickening. “I need you. All of you.”

Simon’s arms tighten around me as Vaughn rises, positioning himself between my thighs. He enters me slowly, letting me adjust to the stretch. I gasp, clutching Simon’s forearms.

Kai captures my lips in a searing kiss as Vaughn begins to move. The dual sensations overwhelm me—Vaughn’s steady thrusts, Kai’s demanding mouth, Simon’s solid warmth at my back.

“So good,” Vaughn groans, his pace increasing. “Fuck, Fox, you feel incredible.”

I break away from Kai’s kiss, panting. Simon’s lips find my neck, sucking gently as his hands caress my breasts.

Vaughn’s thrusts grow more urgent, his breathing ragged. I can feel the tension coiling in his body, mirroring the tightness in my own core. “Don’t hold back,” I whisper, meeting his eyes. “I want to feel all of it.”

With a guttural groan, Vaughn buries himself deep, his body shuddering as he finds his release, panting and whimpering.

I’ve never seen him like this. So raw, so undone . The sight hits me like a match to dry tinder. There’s something wickedly gratifying about being the one to bring him to this, to pull apart the sharp edges and coax out something real beneath all that normal swagger of his.

The twitch of his body, the pulsing inside me, it’s too much. I shatter with him, moaning into Simon’s chest as the pleasure crashes over me. Softer than before. But deeper. More complete.

As we catch our breath, Kai’s hand slides down my stomach, teasing. “My turn,” he murmurs, voice dark with promise.

Simon shifts, easing me onto my hands and knees.

Kai positions himself behind me, his touch reverent as he enters me with agonizing slowness. I gasp at the fullness, the slight burn of the stretch. Simon cups my face, guiding me to look at him. His eyes are dark with desire, pupils blown wide.

“Is this okay?” he asks softly.

I nod, unable to form words as Kai begins to move. Each thrust sends sparks of pleasure coursing through me.

Simon draws me into a deep kiss that steals what little breath I have left. Vaughn’s fingers tangle in my hair, gently tugging my head back to expose my throat. His lips and teeth work their way down the column of my neck, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.

Kai’s thrusts grow deeper, his grip on my hips tightening. The sound of skin on skin fills the room, punctuated by our ragged breaths and soft moans. Simon breaks our kiss, trailing his lips along my jaw to my ear.

“You’re doing so well,” he murmurs, his voice rough with desire. “Taking us all so beautifully.”

His words send a shiver down my spine, igniting a fresh wave of arousal.

Vaughn’s hand snakes between my legs, his fingers finding my sensitive flesh with unerring accuracy. The dual stimulation is almost too much to bear.

“Please,” I whimper, though I’m not sure what I’m begging for. More? Release? For this moment to never end? Maybe all three?

Kai’s rhythm falters, his breathing growing more erratic. “Lilith,” he groans, the sound of my name on his lips sending a shiver through me.

Simon’s eyes burn with intensity as he whispers, “Come for him, Lilith. Let him feel you shatter around his cock.”

The combination of his words, Kai’s relentless pace, and Vaughn’s skilled fingers pushes me over the edge. I shatter, my vision going white as pleasure explodes through every nerve ending. I vaguely hear Kai’s guttural moan as he follows me over the precipice, his hips stuttering against mine.

When Kai pulls out the loss makes me whimper, but I’m not empty for long.

Simon flips me, laying my back gently onto the bed before he slips between my thighs, sinking into me with one deep thrust. His pace is slower than Vaughn and Kai’s, more deliberate, each movement purposeful and deep.

He captures my lips in a tender kiss, swallowing my soft moans as he rocks into me.

Kai and Vaughn flank us on either side, their hands roaming over my sensitive skin. Vaughn’s fingers tease my nipples while Kai’s mouth leaves a trail of heated kisses along my collarbone.

Simon’s thrusts grow more urgent, his breathing ragged against my neck. “You feel incredible,” he murmurs, voice strained with the effort of holding back. “So perfect.”

His words send a shiver through me. I wrap my legs around his waist, urging him deeper.

“Lose yourself in me,” I murmur, threading my fingers into his hair. “I want to feel it.”

A low groan rumbles in Simon’s chest. His hips snap forward with renewed vigor, abandoning his carefully measured pace. I gasp at the change, arching into him as pleasure builds once more.

Kai’s lips find my ear, his voice a heated whisper. “That’s it. Take what you need.”

Simon’s rhythm grows erratic, his breathing harsh against my neck. “You’re right there,” he groans. “Fall with me.”

With a final, deep thrust, he stiffens above me, a strangled moan escaping his lips as he finds his release. I cry out, my body arching off the bed as waves of pleasure crash over me. Stars explode behind my eyes. For a moment, I forget where my body ends and theirs begin.

As the aftershocks fade, Simon gently pulls out and collapses beside me. We lie there in a tangle of limbs, our ragged breathing slowly steadying. Kai presses soft kisses along my shoulder while Vaughn’s fingers trace lazy patterns on my hip.

“Are you okay?” Simon murmurs, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

I nod, unable to find words just yet. My body feels wonderfully boneless.

Vaughn chuckles softly. “I think we broke her.”

“Shut up,” I mumble, but there’s no heat in it. I’m too blissed out to muster any real annoyance.

Kai’s arm drapes possessively across my waist. “How do you feel?” he asks, voice low and intimate.

I take a moment to assess. My body aches pleasantly, muscles loose and relaxed. The lingering tension from the nightmare has dissipated completely, replaced by a warm contentment.

“Safe,” I murmur, surprised by how true it feels. “Whole.”

Simon presses a gentle kiss to my temple. “Good. That’s what we wanted.”

Vaughn leans over me, grin softer than usual. “Think you can sleep now?”

I nod again, eyelids heavy.

I’m not alone.

I’m here.

And I’m safe.

At least, for now…