Page 57 of Illusory (The Marked Saga #8)

56. BLISS IN THE BLINDNESS

I awoke to the late afternoon sun peeking in through the curtains, my body deliciously sore in all the right places, and not a single regret to be found. Dominic and Trace were still asleep, their beautiful, naked bodies pressed against me on both sides, and I blushed as memories of the night before flooded back to me.

I had been thoroughly convinced that hooking up with either one of them again would spell our demise, let alone what sleeping with the both of them at the same time would do to us. I had never even let my mind go there. At least not with the clarity of daylight.

But laying there now, with Dominic’s arm draped over my waist, his chest rising and falling steadily against my arm and Trace curled up to me, his legs tangled with mine as he slept soundly beside me, I had never been happier to be as wrong as I was right then.

Being with them last night had been more than just a fantasy come true, more than just an exhilarating night of giving into our carnal desires. It had been easy and natural, as though it had always been that way between us. I didn’t have to worry about hurting them or feel guilty about having feelings for both of them. My heart hadn’t felt broken or painfully divided between the two of them. It was implied, and understood, and respected, and…well, almost too good to be true.

Had they not still been naked and sprawled out in my bed, I may have thought I had dreamed up the whole night in my head. With how badly I had been wanting them, it wouldn’t have been that big of a stretch. But it hadn’t been a dream. It was real, and it had been perfect.

I’d never felt so thoroughly satisfied, so utterly cherished and desired as I had last night. Every inch of me had been worshipped by their hands and mouths and bodies. They’d taken me to heights I didn’t know existed, over and over again, until I was a trembling, boneless mess between them.

My body tingled at the memories even then, my skin still covered in their handprints and bite marks that had yet to fully heal. I shifted slightly, trying to quell the warmth growing low in my belly, but the movement only served to press me more firmly against them, which was precisely the opposite of what I needed to calm myself down.

Dominic stirred beside me, his arm tightening around my waist as he pulled me into his chest and buried his head into my neck to breathe me in. “I can practically taste your arousal, angel,” he murmured groggily, the sound of his voice doing very bad things to my insides.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, trying not to disturb Trace from his restful slumber. “I was just thinking about last night. I mean, not thinking about it…just remembering.” My face flushed as I tattled on myself.

Dominic chuckled softly, the vibration of it sending tingles down my spine. “You never have to apologize to me, angel, and certainly not for that,” he said as he pressed a kiss against my neck, his fingertips trailing over my hip and along my thigh. The feel of his hands on me only intensified the ache.

“Do you need me to take care of you, love?” he asked softly, his hand already sliding between my legs to touch me. The sound of his pleased growl felt like a purr against my chest.

“ Oh, god .”

“Shh,” he said as he licked along the seam of my lips. “I need you to be quiet for me, love. Do you think you can do that?” he asked as he torturously increased his speed and pressure, knowing full well what he was doing to me.

I nodded eagerly, unable to form words as I bit down on my lip to keep from moaning.

“We wouldn’t want to disturb Romeo from his sleep, would we?” he asked, his dark eyes looking between mine.

I shook my head, my hips rocking against his hand as his fingers deftly stroked me. He always knew exactly how to touch me to bring me to the edge quickly, his fingers working their magic and building pressure inside me with every relentless stroke and swirl.

His lips curved into a wicked smirk as he watched me struggle to stay quiet, my breath coming in short, silent gasps as I clutched onto his shoulders.

“I could watch you like this forever,” he said, his lips catching mine in a slow, sensual kiss that made my heart thrum and my body shiver.

I melted into his kiss, the warmth and pressure quickly building until my body tensed, unable to hold it back for a second longer.

“This one is all mine,” he purred as my orgasm broke free, soaring through my body in delicious waves, his mouth swallowing every moan and whimper that slipped passed my lips.

As the last of my tremors slowly subsided, Dominic’s lips curved into a satisfied smile against mine, his hand still cupping me possessively. I sagged in his arms, my breath still ragged, and my skin warm all over as he held me close, peppering soft kisses along my jaw and neck.

The mattress dipped as Trace stirred beside me, his arm reaching out to snake around my waist before he paused, his head snapping up to look between the two of us. “What the fuck did I miss now?”

“Whatever do you mean?” asked Dominic, feigning ignorance and looking like a cat who’d already drank up all the milk.

“Alright. So, it’s like that now?” His dimples popped as he nodded at Dominic, his brilliant blue eyes sparking with challenge. “Alright, Goldilocks. It’s fucking on,” he said, and I instantly knew I was in for a world of trouble. But something told me it was going to be the very best kind.

* * *

“So, I was thinking we should start working on teaching me how to port today,” I announced suddenly at the breakfast table later that afternoon. Mostly because I needed Gabriel to focus on something else and stop staring at me like he was—all judgy and knowing

The number of times his gaze had snagged on the many bite marks littering my neck was enough to make me wish I was dead. The only saving grace was the fact that he couldn’t see the ones hidden underneath my clothes.

“I thought we agreed to wait?” questioned Gabriel, apprehension clouding his features as his gaze lifted from my neck to meet my eyes again.

“Right, but…what’s the point of waiting anymore? I’ve Ascended. I’m finally in control of my wings, and Jackie’s safe and sound in the basement dungeon,” I reminded, unable to remember why we’d decided to hold off in the first place. “We can’t just keep sitting around waiting.”

“She has a point, brother,” agreed Dominic as he fixed a plate of food for me, filling it with all my favorites. Even though it was well into the afternoon, Isa had been kind enough to prepare her famous breakfast spread for me since I’d been too busy to make it down to the first seating that morning.

I felt horrible about missing breakfast, but Isa reassured me that Tessa hadn’t let a single bit of it go to waste.

“The Horsemen aren’t going anywhere, and as long as they’re still here, I’m still at risk of being forced into becoming one of them,” I continued, feeling the thread of anxiety unfurl in my stomach. “And frankly, I’m really not interested in becoming a baby killing cowgirl. I think I have enough whacked out blood running through my veins as it is. We need the Sang Noir, and we need it now.”

Gabriel didn’t argue my point, but he still didn’t look convinced.

Luckily, I only needed to convince one person at that table. I turned to Trace, who was eyeing me as if he were replaying last night in his mind on an endless loop. “That is, if you’re up to teaching me today?” I asked him.

His gaze flicked up to meet mine, darkness flitting through them. “I’m up to it,” he said as he gripped my thigh and squeezed, making my cheeks warm.

“Then it’s settled,” I said, turning back to Gabriel, fully determined to make this happen.

Gabriel looked as though he wanted to say more—as if he thought this was a really bad idea—but he buried it before I could be sure. “And you’re certain you’re ready to start training her in that capacity?” he asked Trace instead, a sharp line appearing between his brows.

Trace turned to me again, a maelstrom of emotions swirling in his eyes. His gaze flicked down to my mouth as he licked his own lips and nodded. “I’ll teach her anything she wants to know.”

I wasn’t sure why, but my heart raced at his words, at the way he was looking at me—like I was everything to him. Like he’d give me anything and everything I could ever want or need, and all I had to do was ask.

I balled my hands into my lap, feeling like I was holding a whole lot of power in the palm of my hands.

Maybe too much power .

After finishing breakfast, Dominic, Trace, and I gathered in the living room as we waited for Gabriel to rejoin us. He’d gone to check on Tessa, who was still holed up in her room. Apparently, she was still feeling the aftereffects of her hangover from the other night and had tossed her breakfast shortly after eating it.

I sat on the sofa with my feet tucked into my side as I busied myself with my phone and the dozens of pages of spam I’d been ignoring in my inbox. Trace flopped down into the spot beside me, his legs spreading wide as he pushed his hands through his hair and then stretched his arms along the backrest of the sofa.

My gaze briefly drifted to Dominic, who was already fixing himself a drink, even though it was the middle of the afternoon. I couldn’t believe how easy things were between us. How nice it felt to be with them without all hell breaking loose.

For some reason, I knew I had Dominic to thank for that. That somehow, he’d made this happen by planting the seeds that had blossomed into the garden we now had. For the first time in my life, I felt truly happy, truly complete, like everything was finally right in my heart—and that terrified me more than anything. I couldn’t help but wonder when the other shoe would drop, as it inevitably always did.

“Care for a drink, angel?” he asked, as though he could feel me looking at him, even though his back was still turned to me. “It might help you relax a little.”

“I’m relaxed,” I lied as he turned around with his tumbler in his hand and smiled at me.

“You haven’t been relaxed since I removed my hand from between your legs this morning,” he informed lowly.

My eyes swelled into saucers as a firestorm ripped across my face and neck. Before I could even attempt to form some kind of response to that, Gabriel came striding back into the room, his forehead already crinkling with unease, though I wasn’t sure if it was over my mess of a sister or something else entirely.

He stopped short at the doorway and blinked at me. “What is it? What happened?”

“Nothing happened,” I squeaked defensively. The heat in my cheeks intensifying until I was positive I had broken out in hives. “We were just waiting for you.”

His suspicious gaze moved across the three of us before he clenched his jaw and then fully entered the room. Taking off his leather jacket, he strung it along the back of one of the chairs and then sat down in it. “Have you fed?” he asked Trace, his expression still tense.

“Yeah,” he said, his attention sliding over to me as his dimples made a minor appearance. “I fed.”

Gabriel glanced up at Dominic as if expecting a reaction from him, but he just took a sip of his drink and watched me with an undecipherable look in his eyes. Gabriel returned his focus to me and frowned.

I couldn’t have felt more awkward and exposed if I had been standing in the room with my boobs out. “Um, what was that thing you showed me back at the cabin?” I asked Trace, eager to shift the conversation to something less uncomfortable. “You said it would help us?”

“Yeah, I got it right here.” Lifting his hips from the couch, he sank his hand into his front pocket and then pulled out the strange looking piece of rope as I tried and failed to keep my gaze from roaming all over him.

God, something was seriously wrong with me.

“What is that?” asked Gabriel, surprising me since, you know, he usually knew everything.

“It’s a Transfer Bind,” said Trace, turning it over in his hand. “Nikki made it for me way back when I needed a way to be able to port without the Council finding out about it.”

Oh, right. I’d forgotten all about her doing that for him. Whatever, she was still a megawatt bitch.

“But it’s not just for that,” he said, eyeing me then. “It can also tether me to a specific place and time, or more importantly, a person .” He waggled his brows and waited to see if I’d catch up.

I blinked at him. “Why would you need to tether yourself to someone in order to port?”

“It’s not so that I can port. It’s so that you can.”

I blinked a few more times, still not following.

He smiled at me, like he thought my fried brain was cute. “The bind would let me port you to wherever you need to go without me having to step foot there myself. It’s usually used as a safety net when traveling somewhere where the risk of changing something in the past is high. One person stays grounded on our Timeline while the other travels back.” He licked his lips and shrugged. “We can use it just as easily for porting. I could still teach you how to port yourself. I mean, I will . But if we need to get this book as badly as you’re saying, this is the quickest way to do it.”

Despite the nervous pinch in my chest, my lips curled into a smile. Because this was precisely what we needed! “Are you saying you can port me to Temple today ?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

I looked at Gabriel and Dominic for reassurance, for confirmation that I had actually heard what I thought I had. That this was really happening.

Gabriel immediately shook his head. “You’re not porting to Temple today. That’s out of the question. We need to formulate a proper plan. To look at this from all angles and make sure we have a contingency plan in place in case something goes wrong.”

“What can go wrong? I’d be tethered to Trace,” I quickly argued back.

“A million things could go wrong. Besides, Tessa isn’t…” He trailed off probably because neither of us had any idea what Tessa was and wasn’t. “And Jaqueline still hasn’t sobered up from her blood bender.”

“What does Jackie have to do with anything? It’s not like she’s going to port there with me,” I said, not getting why she was even factoring into this. She didn’t have a motherly bone in her body, at least not anymore, and frankly, I couldn’t see her giving a crap about this one way or the other.

“Until we know where she was and the reason for her not checking in, we’re not going to make any moves that could jeopardize everything,” he said sternly as if there were no two ways about it. “Just trust me for once, Jemma. I know what I’m talking about.”

Frustrated, I blew out a breath and folded my arms across my chest. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand where he was coming from. I did. I just…I wanted to get this over with. I wanted to accomplish one good thing today. To have something to busy my mind with. And Gabriel was making that really fucking hard at the moment.

“So, what are we supposed to do in the meantime?” I asked, trying not to sound like a sourpuss. “Just sit here and stare at each other?”

“No. The two of us will continue training as usual,” said Gabriel as I tried to conceal the disappointment from my face. “We’ll start with sparring.”

Dominic smirked at me, letting me know I hadn’t done a good job of hiding my displeasure about it. “I think her time will be much better served doing practice runs with Romeo,” he said and then drained the rest of his drink. “We ought to be sure that this Binding trinket works, and that she knows precisely how to use it, before blindly sending her off into enemy territory.”

I perked up at his suggestion. That sounded like a hell of a lot more fun than another boring day of sparring.

“Trust me, the Transfer Bind works. I wouldn’t risk it if I wasn’t sure. I’d never risk her ,” said Trace and then turned his steadfast gaze to mine. “But I still agree with Goldilocks. We need to go through this a few times before even attempting the real thing. It would be stupid not to.”

“Very stupid,” I agreed and then looked over at Gabriel to see if we’d swayed him enough to give in.

His jaw clenched as though he were grinding the crap out of his teeth. “Fine,” he finally conceded, though the apprehension in his eyes never let up. “But she doesn’t step foot anywhere near Temple today. And I mean it. Not a single foot.”

“So, how does it work?” I asked, angling my body toward Trace on the sofa and schooling my expression. The last thing I wanted was to appear too eager and give Gabriel any more reason to doubt my readiness than he already did.

“It basically works the same way as porting without it. We still need to be touching for me to get you where you want to go, and you’ll have to picture the place in your mind,” explained Trace, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “The only difference is that the Transfer Bind will keep me grounded here while you port. As long as we’re each holding our end, the tether keeps us bound together.”

I chewed my lip, processing that. “And how do I get back here afterward?”

“The same way you got there.”

Excitement punched through my gut, and I couldn’t help but smile. Any second now, I was going to magically beam myself to some random time and place on Earth, and I was going to take this trip completely by myself. If someone had told me a year ago that this was something I’d be doing today, I would have laughed in their face and told them to go back to the psych ward.

“You think you can handle that?” asked Trace, cocking his eyebrow at me.

“Damn straight I can.”

He chuckled, the sound all deep and completely sexy.

“Okay, so which end do I grab?” I asked, staring down at the rope dangling from his fingers like a piece of forbidden fruit.

“Hold on just a minute,” interrupted Gabriel before Trace could answer me. “You’re not going anywhere until we figure out all the details here.”

“Isn’t that what we just did?” I asked, legitimately confused.

His expression pinched at my question. “For starters, we need to know exactly where you’ll be porting to and what you’re going to do when you get there. Secondly, we need a set timeframe for how long you’re permitted to be there before you have to port yourself back. And lastly, but most importantly, you need to be damn sure you know how to get back here—and what to do should anything go wrong.”

“Why would anything go wrong? It’s a simple practice run,” I pointed out, hating that he was putting a damper on my cool new experience.

“Why does anything ever go wrong?” he snapped back. “Anything could happen, and we need to make sure we have an emergency plan in place should anything go awry.”

“Right.” I nodded, knowing it was better to be safe than sorry. I looked at Trace, a nugget of doubt settling into my stomach. “What do I do if I can’t get back for some reason?”

Trace rubbed his hand along his jaw as he thought about it. “That shouldn’t be a problem. As long as you stay on this Timeline, and we know where you are, we can easily come and get you if something goes wrong.”

“Okay.” I nodded, feeling my anxiety ebb with his easy solution. “Problem solved then.”

“Now that we have that sorted out, have you decided where you’d like to go, angel?” asked Dominic.

I needed to pick somewhere safe. Somewhere close. Somewhere with the least amount of risk and witnesses. “How about Starry beach?” I suggested, thinking back to the place I’d visited during Spring Carnival. It was still light out and since it was the middle of the week, most people who liked to hang out there would probably be at work or at school. “I can set a timer on my phone so that I know when to port back.”

“Good idea,” said Gabriel as each of us pulled out our cell phones. “What time are we setting the timer for?”

I shrugged. “Five minutes?”

“Try again, angel.”

I furrowed my brows at Dominic.

“Five minutes is a very long time to sit around and wonder if everything is going as expected. Your first port should be shorter. One minute at most.”

Right. Couldn’t argue with him on that one. “Okay, one minute then,” I said as I programmed the new timer in my clock app and then looked up at Gabriel. “I’ll port to Starry Beach, take in the sights for sixty seconds, and then port myself back when the timer goes off. Does that work?”

He nodded, though he still didn’t look happy about it. Then again, Gabriel wasn’t usually happy about anything that even remotely put me at risk.

“Come here,” said Trace as he hauled me onto his lap, his arms wrapping tightly around my waist. Our soulmate bond instantly whirred to life. “Lay back against my chest and hold the thin end of the rope,” he said holding the straw-like braided material in front of us while his other hand stayed tightly around my waist.

“Like this?” I asked as I gripped the opposite end of the rope he was holding.

“Like that,” he murmured beside my ear. “Now put your head down on my shoulder and relax your body.”

Easy for him to say. His ass wasn’t pressed up against an Adonis he happened to be in love with. His arm around me tightened as I felt his length jump beneath me.

“Stop eavesdropping,” I said quietly, knowing he’d heard my thoughts, and liked what I’d said.

“Stop letting me,” he answered and then licked his lips as I turned my head to the side to look at him.

My gaze skimmed over his face, taking everything in. “I didn’t realize I had a choice?”

His dimples dug in as he flashed a secretive smile at me.

Gabriel cleared his throat loudly and I promptly faced forward again and gave him an apologetic look.

“Right. Where were we?”

“I was telling you to relax your body against me,” said Trace and I did as he said, resting my back against his chest and then my head against his shoulder. “Clear your mind of everything. Shut off the noise and push every thought out of your mind until it’s a blank canvas.”

Nodding, I got to work trying to clear the mess of thoughts from my mind. He must have been listening in because he didn’t say anything for a long while. Not until I’d finally found a quiet corner to retreat to.

“Good. Just like that,” he said softly, his voice feeling like it was inside my mind. “Now fill the space with one picture. One thought of the place you want to go.”

I breathed out and pictured Starry Beach. The bench we’d sat at last year where I first learned that Trace was a Reaper came into my mind, and I latched onto it.

“Now hold the picture,” said Trace as I continued to add layers to my memory of Starry Beach, locking it into place as though it were a polaroid inside my head. “And whatever you do, don’t let go of the Transfer Bind.”

My fingers tightened around my end of the rope as a thread of anxiety unfolded in my chest.

“ Ligatum in carne, ligatus in anima ,” he whispered as a blast of icy wind came down to sweep me away.

* * *

The rush of cold air slammed into my skin, chilling me right down to the marrow of my bones. There was nothing but blinding darkness peeking out at me through what felt like an endless tunnel, the wind slashing out at me like a whip. For a second, I wondered if something had gone wrong—if I’d gotten stuck somewhere in the in-between—before a picture finally started to form in front of my eyes.

Starry Beach slowly bled into existence as I held my breath and waited for the ground to solidify beneath my feet. Feeling the light drizzle peppering down on me, I released my breath and glanced around the area. The smell of the ocean wafted into my nose as a gentle breeze ruffled my hair, making my skin shiver. I glanced down at the rope still in my hand and tightened my hold on it.

It had worked. I’d actually ported here.

The realization made me burst out laughing. Luckily, there wasn’t a single soul anywhere on the boardwalk to witness my little outburst. It was peaceful here. Quiet.

I took a step back and sat down on the bench, closing my eyes as I lifted my chin to the sky and let the rain fall down on me and baptize my face. I’d forgotten how nice it was here. How tranquil it was. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I’d been on my own and actually felt at peace.

It was…nice.

Not wanting to forget, I made a silent promise to myself to come back here someday, when things were quieter, and the dust had a chance to settle. I’d take a walk on the beach and let the tide rush up to greet me. Maybe I’d bring a picnic and a good book to read, and I’d drink in the serenity like it was the breath to my lungs.

I just needed to make it to graduation first.

The timer on my phone blared, startling me back to the present. Flicking off the alarm, I hopped off the table and then slipped my phone back in my pocket with my free hand. Shutting my eyes again, I cleared my mind and thought of home. Of Trace. Of the spot in his arms where I had been, and I wished it back into existence.

Strong arms tightened around me as the cold air blasted me through the black tunnel of time and space and then set me back in Trace’s lap as though I had been there the entire time.

“Welcome back,” said Trace beside my ear as he tightened his hold on me like he never wanted to let me go again.

My gaze lifted to Dominic, who was seated next to his brother in the lounger across from me. His face eased in relief as he scanned me, content that I was still in one piece.

“Well? How did it go?” asked Gabriel, his dark hair sweeping low on his forehead as he furrowed his brows.

“It went really good,” I said, unsure how to even describe it. “I want to do it again.”

Trace chuckled behind me as Dominic smirked at me like I was being cute.

“I’m serious,” I said and eyed them pointedly. “I’d like to try porting to Temple next.”

“Out of the question,” snapped Gabriel.

“Not for the book. Not yet anyway,” I explained quickly before he could fully make up his mind. “But I think we need to make sure that we can even get in there otherwise we’re going to do this all for nothing. If they’ve put up some kind of block like they did with Morgan’s visions, I’d rather know now and not waste any more time on this when we could be using it to come up with another plan.”

The three of them exchanged looks as they mulled it over.

“She does have a point,” mused Dominic as he circled the rim of his tumbler with his index finger, his hard gaze on his brother.

Gabriel shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.”

“But it’s not going to be any less dangerous tomorrow or in a week from now,” I pointed out, my tenor restrained. “We need to make sure we can even port there before we waste any more time on it.”

Gabriel’s gaze shifted over my shoulder to Trace. “What do you think?” he asked him, and I could tell by the divot between his brows that he was hoping Trace would back him up on this.

I glanced back at Trace as his own gaze skittered across my face. “As long as she doesn’t try to go anywhere near the book yet,” he said purposely and then met Gabriel’s eyes. “I think a trial run is probably a smart move right now.”

I turned back to Gabriel, my expression carefully neutral. For some reason, even though we already outnumbered him, it didn’t feel right doing it without Gabriel’s approval—without his vote of confidence. “I can do this,” I said, doing my best to reassure him, to ease his trepidation.

“Fine,” he said through a tensed jaw. “But you do not, and I repeat, do not, under any circumstances, go anywhere near the book. Do you understand me, Jemma?”

“I understand.” I nodded, and in that moment, I truly had meant it.