Page 19 of Slaying With Sylphs (Haven Ever After #6)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

DIRK

I t’s against my nature not to spy on my mates. Every instinct tells me to go windy and fly up to the glass front of Connall’s home to stare at them. Will they touch without me there? I’d like to know. But…I made him a promise.

So instead of spying on them as Louanna entered his home, I gave them a few minutes to themselves. Then I forced myself to wait another few minutes before flying up to an open living room window and slipping through.

Lou stands in the middle of the room, mouth open as she stares around. I brush around her, teasing her hair up as she crosses her arms.

“Dirk, come out this instant,” she demands.

Reappearing in human form, I tug her braid and flash her and Connall both a ravishing smile.

Connall smiles at me. “I’m glad you’re here, Dirk. I was just about to give Lou a quick tour.”

“Bedroom first, I hope,” I say with a wink.

He shakes his head. “Actually, Lou’s in trouble. She challenged me, said she’d go to you for what I wasn’t willing to give just yet.”

Her mouth falls open as she scoffs. “Are you freaking kidding me? Tattletale!”

I tsk as I move to Connall’s side in solidarity. Oh, I like this game very much.

“Louanna, my beauty. Did you think having two males meant yeh could play us against one another? That’s not how it works, love.”

She crosses her arms and lifts her chin defiantly. “I’ll get my way eventually. I always do.”

Connall chuckles and glances at me. “See what I mean?”

I smile back up at my big wolf. “Perhaps yeh can give to me what yeh won’t give to her.”

His smile goes soft and lax at the corners as he bends down, bringing his mouth to the shell of my ear. “Maybe, Sylph. If you’re a very good boy.”

Oh fook. Oh godsdamn fook. I hold down a groan as I beam at Lou. “I’m a star fookin’ student, Louanna. Might wanna take a lesson from my excellent behavior.”

Connall laughs low in my ear, a soft growl tumbling from his lips. It brings me back to how he brushed his cheek along mine before, so I turn just enough to rub my cheek along his mouth now.

At the touch, he bristles, then growls again, but there’s no malice to it. It’s all heat as our sweet Louanna stands before us, practically panting at the sight of us together.

Gods, this is fun.

“How about that tour?” I ask roughly, staring deep into her flashing eyes. It’s a challenge, a dare for her to give in to our playful teasing.

“Follow me,” Connall commands when the moment passes and Louanna says nothing.

I reach for her hand, and to my surprise, she places her palm in mine without complaint, comment or sass. I’ve broken past another of her walls, making my way to that sweet, gooey center where she allows me to care for her. I just know that, deep inside, she’s a sticky, caramel-filled croissant of deliciousness.

Connall leads us past a black marble kitchen with wood accents. It’s masculine and elegant all at the same time. All black appliances, black cabinets and countertops. We pass through an arched doorway and down a short hall. Doors on either side reveal a few bedrooms and a bathroom.

When he doesn’t open the door at the end of the hall, I grin. “Bedroom?”

He smirks at Lou. “Yeah. Think I’ll save that for another night, though.”

“Asshole,” Lou mutters. “I don’t even care about your bedroom.”

He and I share a look.

“What a brat,” I say. “A spanking would do nicely, Connall.”

“Edging would do better,” he returns. “Maybe we should lick her pussy until she’s ready to come, then stop and send her home.”

Lou gasps, and my cock goes ramrod-straight in my pants. “Gods, yes, let’s do that. I want that,” I all but beg.

Connall licks his lips but passes us both by, heading toward the main living area again.

I give Louanna a faux shocked look. “Who knew our wolf was such a tease?”

She mutters something but follows him back into the living room, slipping onto a barstool as he moves to a pot simmering on the stove.

He grabs the pot by the handles and shoves it to the back burner. As he turns the stove off, I slide onto the barstool next to my Louanna. Leaning into her space, I nudge her carefully with my elbow. “Beautiful home, isn’t it?”

She leans into my space. I wonder if she even realizes she’s done it. Spreading my legs wide, I pull her stool between them so I can settle her body against mine. She doesn’t protest but looks around the room. It’s exactly how I’d imagine Connall’s home would look—masculine, peaceful, dark, comfortable.

Connall leans over the black marble countertop onto his forearms, stretching a hand toward us. When I spin us to face him, he smiles. “What can I get you both to drink? I’ve got mead from Biergarten and Ohken’s personal stores, whiskey, tequila from Santa Alaya. Plenty of mixers too.”

“Surprise me,” Louanna says, her tone playful. There’s an undercurrent of challenge there too. Gods, I love the way she pushes our wolf. He’s a rock, though, confident and a classically trained therapist. He won’t let this slip of a girl push a button he doesn’t want pushed.

I grin at him. “Same, Wolf.”

He rises tall and turns from us, stalking to our left where a giant built-in holds all sorts of drinkware, plates, cups and a myriad of alcohols. A mirror on the back wall lets us see him as he grabs three glasses. Next he pulls two bottles of something clear off the shelf.

When he begins mixing them together, I bring my lips to Louanna’s ear. “Can we get yeh a little drunk, my beauty? I would dearly love to see yeh wild and free.”

She spins just enough to shoot me a sassy look. “If you’re lucky, Dirk.”

“I make my luck,” I growl back, nipping at her earlobe.

She jumps between my legs, elbowing me in the gut. “Ouch, that hurt.”

“Did not.”

“Did too. I bet I’m bleeding.”

I lick her earlobe, then suck it between my lips. When she giggles, I nuzzle below her ear with the tip of my nose. “Not bleeding. Jest delicious, Louanna.”

Connall joins us, setting three short glasses on the island. He opens the fridge and grabs a decanter of what looks like cherry juice. Dropping a splash into the glasses, he adds an orange twist on top and pushes two glasses toward us.

“My take on what the triplets tell me is called an Old-Fashioned. I’ll admit I comm’d Morgan to ask what you like.”

Lou reaches for the glass as I resist the urge to lift it to her lips myself. Instead, I reach for mine and take a tentative sip. Orange, cherry and the deep, oaky flavor of whiskey burst across my senses.

“How about a toast?” Connall smiles at us both, leaning over the counter and lifting his glass.

We clink ours together as his eyes rove between Louanna and me. “To surprises. To new beginnings. To delicious food and delightful company.”

“And hot sex,” I add. “Don’t ferget that, Wolf.”

His nostrils flare. “Thought I was covering that with delicious food.”

Louanna chokes on her drink, sputtering as she laughs at his comment.

He gives me a superior look and turns to the fridge once more, withdrawing a tray covered in filets. He sets it on the countertop and looks between us. “I thought filet, salad and mashed potatoes was a pretty good start. Any allergies or dislikes among those foods, though? It’s easy to make something else.”

“This looks amazing, Connall.” Louanna reaches across the counter to rub the back of his hand.

I lock my gaze to his. “I’ll eat whatever yeh give me, Wolf.”

Louanna slaps my stomach. “Jesus, Dirk, do you make everything sexual?”

I snort, pretending to be affronted. “I’m not a picky eater, Louanna. I’ve no allergies. I’ll eat anything.”

“Grab your drinks.” Connall lifts the tray of steaks and grabs a spatula from a drawer. “Let’s go outside.”

When he turns, he calls out a command to the treehouse. The entire back wall of the living room goes clear as glass, giving us an unobstructed view of the verdant green forest at the edges of Shifter Hollow. Lou gasps and runs to the door, stepping out onto a wide deck with simple wooden rails. She holds the door for Connall as we follow her outside.

The deck is gorgeous, running the full length of his home, nearly fifty or sixty feet long. At the far back end, it bumps out, and there’s a covered hot tub. Up against the wall stands a built-in grill with a countertop running five feet on either side. The deck is deep, stretching maybe fifteen feet out into the forest. Comfortable-looking chairs and sofas form a half-moon shape around the grill area. A glass table in the middle has a tray of fruit, cheese, and crackers on it.

“Dig in while I cook,” Connall says, setting the tray of steaks down. “Make yourselves at home.”

His words send something painfully tender stabbing through my guts.

Home.

A word that’s always been hard for me. Elementals don’t have homes the way other monsters do. We have home territories, but nothing like this. I’ve never lived in a house. Even during my hunter training, it was hard for me to live inside, and I never did well at it, preferring to spend time outside in my elemental form.

But the idea of a home with my mates is something I’ve dreamed of my whole life.

Clearing my throat, I lift my eyes to find Louanna staring at me. She’s fookin’ observant, but when she opens her mouth to say something, I make her a cracker and offer it to her instead.

“You okay?” she mouths.

“Never better,” I answer truthfully. Once my plan is complete and I have my mates locked down, Connall’s home will probably become our home. House Zefferus. Would they take my name? It’d be my honor if they did.

I cast my train of thought aside. I’ve wanted all of this for so long, but Connall invited us here so we could get to know one another better. My mates aren’t as far down the path toward claiming as I am. They likely haven’t been imagining the three of us together for ages like I have. I’d do well to remember that.

Lou takes the cracker and nibbles on it, staring at the wonder around us. When she’s done, she glances over at Connall. “This is absolutely beautiful. How long have you lived here?”

He smiles as he turns the grill on and waits for it to heat. “About ten haven-years. I spent most of my life in my home haven of Arcadia. That’s where Richard and Ohken are both from too.”

She tucks her knees to her chest and rests back in the chair. “Did you know them there?”

He leans against the countertop next to the grill. “No. Arcadia is pretty spread out, unlike Ever. The trolls primarily live in their villages deep in the mountains. The shifters stick to the forest in the foothills. We didn’t cross paths often. A lot of havens are like that, disparate communities.”

“Ever’s a little like that,” I offer. “What with shifters, pegasus and centaurs living down here in the Hollow instead of in downtown with everyone else.”

“I love it, though,” Lou says quietly. “It feels more peaceful to me out here.”

Connall gestures around us. “When I came here, Richard gave me the pick of what was available in Shifter Hollow, and I knew it’d be this treehouse the moment I set foot inside. You can’t beat this view. In the evenings, I get to watch the pegasi court in the meadow on the other side of the house.”

“Court?” Lou gives him a skeptical look.

“Yeah,” he says with a laugh. “Pegasi are very public in their courtship, and it involves a lot of sky dancing. They love an audience.”

She looks over at me. “You sure you’re not half pegasus or something? Sky dancing sounds like something you’d do.”

I laugh and take a sip of my drink, leaning forward to rest my forearms on my knees. “I’ve taken yeh both into the sky, yeh might remember. We danced on the currents, my beauty. That’s how an air elemental courts, partially. And it’s true I don’t mind an audience. I’d court yeh both in front of the entire haven system, if yeh wanted that.”

Connall blushes slightly and takes a sip of his drink. Am I pushing him too far? Dinner in his home is private, secretive. We can do whatever we want here without it feeling like an announcement. But maybe saying it aloud is still shocking for him.

He turns and throws the steaks on the grill, checking how we like them cooked. As he grills, we talk about everything and nothing. Simple things like how he feels about being Second to the shifter queen’s mate. How Lou feels about her work with Malik, which she loves. I give high-level answers about their questions regarding my work as a hunter. I don’t have to go back just yet. That’s a problem for another day, and it’s sure to be a problem indeed.

Once the steaks are cooked, we help Connall plate everything. Then I insist on feeding my Louanna every bite of food. She protests but allows it as Connall laughs at us. He likes it, though, seeing us together. I can tell in the way he observes whenever I touch her.

By the time he brings dessert outside—a strawberry shortcake—I’ve refilled our drinks twice, and Louanna’s getting a touch tipsy. Her cheeks are flushed. Elementals don’t absorb alcohol. I couldn’t get drunk if I tried to. And shifters run so hot, it takes a boatful of booze to bypass their metabolisms. So, Connall and I are stone-cold sober as Lou begins to laugh more easily and touch us when we touch her.

It’s so perfect being with her like this—having the both of us focused on Louanna is a dream come true.

I hold her in my lap, seated sideways on a sofa with Connall at our feet. He holds a forkful of drippy strawberries.

“Open wide, Lou.” His wolf’s green flashes through his beautiful irises as he leans forward, reaching for her mouth with the fork. When she snaps at it but misses, strawberries and cream coat her lips, and she falls into a fit of giggles.

“Well,” I tease him, “you gonna clean her up, or shall I?”

He licks his lips. “Allow me.” Leaning forward, he crawls up our bodies until he’s hovering above us. We’re dwarfed beneath him. He’s so fookin’ big.

Lou’s head falls back against my chest as he dips down and licks a slow, sensual path along the seam of her lips. They fall open as he makes his second pass. It’s a steady, commanding perusal of her mouth as he licks the cream from her, wolf-green eyes flashing to mine. For a moment, I think he’ll growl out a challenge. But instead, he licks her again, focus returning to Lou’s pretty bow mouth.

He’s teasing me, testing this new thing I put into his brain. The idea of me. Of us. Separately from Louanna but also together with her.

“Ouch,” she complains, shifting against me. “Dirk, this gem thing is poking me in the back. Can you take it off?”

Connall’s eyes flick to me. He already knows it’s a big deal for me to remove it. When I sit upright, he pulls her toward him to give me space. Reaching underneath the gem’s housing, I unclip it and shrug the straps down my shoulders, my fingers trembling.

I want to share the same story with her that I mentioned to Connall. Mostly I want to give them both insight into me. “I haven’t taken this off since I was a teenager,” I admit. It feels awkward as I remove the gem and straps and hold them in my hand.

Lou spins and leans back into Connall’s arms. “Tell us about it. When did you get it? What all does it do? I want the full story.”

I sit back against the arm of the sofa, clutching the gem tightly in one hand. “Feels so odd removing it.” I stare into the blue depths that signify my power, then look up at my mates.

They look so comfortable at the other end of the sofa. Connall’s thighs are spread wide, Lou relaxing between them, the fingers of one hand rubbing circles on his thigh. It’s perfect, seeing them like this.

“I wasn’t a powerful elemental child,” I share. “I was small, overly confident but powerless. I got picked on a lot. Well,” I say quietly, “‘twas more than that. Elementals are solitary as adults but tend to stick in groups when there are young ones. We’re a harsh race, though. Lack of power isnae tolerated. I got roughed up a lot by the more powerful younglings.”

Lou stiffens in Connall’s arms, her amber eyes flashing as her nostrils flare. “Roughed up how?” Her tone is full steel.

I shrug. “They’d use their power against me. Trap me beneath a rock in the river or steal my starter gem so I couldnae focus my power. When we’re young, we’re not so good with our power. We’re first given small gems to channel the power until we can sense it well enough to use it. I could never quite seem to grab the wind, so I was a disappointment to me folks. I know that.”

Connall and Lou say nothing, but Lou looks ready to fly off the handle on my behalf.

“For years, I tried until I was all but shunned from my community. My parents left the group for the wilds, as is my people’s way. They left me to fend for myself. Looking back, they shoulda done more. But they couldnae think of anything to try. I simply wasn’t blessed with the kind of power they expected.” I wink at my mates, despite their shocked, sorrowful expressions.

“I was as plucky then as I am now, though. I left the wilds and went to the protector academy. I joined and learned more about elementals in general. One day, I had a breakthrough during a session with a kind mentor. My power came in, finally.”

I lift the gem. “Turns out, I’m the most powerful air elemental ever recorded. I can harness the wind to topple buildings and control the weather, although I’ve got to be careful with it. It jest took me some time to figure things out.” I place the gem and holster carefully on the table to my right. “Evenia herself gifted me that gem when I graduated and she headhunted me into Hearth HQ. I’ve nae taken it off since. That’s been, och, something like ninety haven years I’ve worn it.”

“And your parents?” Lou’s voice dips lower, her tone furious.

I shrug. “No idea. It’s uncommon for elemental families to stay together once the children come into their power. It’s likely they didn’t keep up with who I became.”

“And where are they now?” Lou delivers the question with violent intensity, her eyes narrowed as she looks at me.

“Och, Louanna. ‘Twasn’t all bad, my sweet,” I reassure her. “It turned out fine in the end. Although I love how you look ready to do violence on my behalf. Warms my cold, black heart.”

She lifts her chin. “I’m absolutely ready to do violence.” She glances over her shoulder at Connall. “You’d help me homicide some dickheads and hide bodies, right?”

He plants a kiss on top of her head as she grabs my gem and holster and pulls it to her chest. She sinks back against Connall’s chest. “Sounds like elementals are pretty solitary. So how would that work with us?”

“‘Tis true,” I offer. “But I’m the oddest elemental ever. I crave belonging, family, connection. It’s not common for my people, but it’s what I need.”

Connall reaches around Lou and takes my gem, bringing it closer to study. His wolf’s sheen shines through his eyes as they look deep into the gem. After a long, silent minute, he glances up at me.

“You’ve achieved so much,” he says. “But I’m sorry you had to deal with lack of support in your childhood.”

“Och, Connall,” I tease. “I’m a might distressed about it, sharing my sob story with yeh now. You could make it feel better though, with a kiss.”

His immediate blush has me preening. I love how easy he is to ruffle despite his dominant nature.

Between us, Lou’s scent explodes.

“Put our woman between us if yeh like,” I encourage. “But allow me my first kiss.”

When he stares hard, I feel pressed to continue, “If yeh hate it, we don’t have tae try again.”

He’s teased me plenty, but an actual kiss? That’s real. It’s new. I can’t wait, and yet I cannae push him either.

“Alright,” he says after an eternity of silence. “Inside, though, where we have space.” He stands and pulls Lou up into his arms, then stalks to the door and opens it.

Goosebumps cover my skin as I follow, watching him deposit Louanna on the sofa. She scoots to the back and nips at the edges of her lip. Connall crawls onto the sofa and sits next to her, their thighs touching.

“Come here, Dirk.” He pats his thigh then glances at Louanna. “I want you to watch, Lou.”

Her mouth falls open as I crawl onto the sofa and seat myself in my big mate’s lap, a thigh on either side of his hips. I can’t resist touching my Louanna, though. Reaching for her hand, I pull it to my mouth and suck her fingers between my teeth.

Nipping playfully, I wink at her. “I’m taking our first kiss next. One right after t’other. I’ve been ever so patient.”

Amber eyes move between us as I return my focus to Connall. He stares deeply into my eyes. “May I touch you, Dirk? Is there anything you don’t like in terms of kissing?”

“Yes and…no.” I grab one of his hands and plant it in the center of my chest. It’s by turns exhilarating and shocking for him to touch the sensitive skin my gem typically covers. His hands are warm, his fingers curling as he strokes a line down my chest and over my abs.

My entire stomach tenses, muscles rippling as his fingers trace the dips and valleys. I fight for control of my breath when his free hand slips to my throat, fingers curling possessively around it. I don’t mean to rock my hips, but I can’t stop myself as he uses his grip to pull me flush with his chest. We breathe the same air as his lips halt just in front of mine.

I need my woman, too, so I grip her thigh and hold onto it, risking a glance over to find her staring at me, rapt.

I always thought, in this moment, I’d be cheeky and teasing and in control of the experience, but I’m lost to this version of Connall who touches me like he’s more experienced with males than I know him tae be. And having my Louanna right there with me to bear witness? That means everything to me.

When I look back at him, he dips forward, capturing my lips softly, and all rational thought evaporates.

Because his lips are so fucking hot, so soft, so rough. He sucks my lower lip between his then slides his tongue across it. Lou lets out a strangled sound as I fight not to devour him. I don’t know how he feels about this first kiss.

When he deepens the kiss, big hips bucking beneath me, I have my answer in the form of the thick evidence between his thighs.

He grips my throat harder, his kiss turning rough, ragged. I respond in kind. I’m lost, utterly lost to him as the kiss grows frantic. His right hand roams up my back, and he uses it to hold me tightly to him as the kiss becomes more. We’re on the precipice of something here.

When I break it first, sitting back just enough to stare in wonder at my wolf, his eyes are full wolfy shine. “Mine,” he growls, his wolf’s tone evident in the way he speaks.

“Always,” I say back. “Yers and hers, Wolf.”

Connall turns to Lou. “Your turn, pretty girl.”

To my intense shock, she shifts onto her knees and sits by our side, eyes locked on Connall.

Connall releases his hold on my throat, dragging his claws carefully down my chest and stomach, raising red lines in their wake. “Kiss her, Sylph. Make it a good one. I want to watch you two.”

“Finally,” I murmur. “I’ve been waiting ages for this, Louanna.”

She stares as I slide my left arm around her body and pull her close. She’s off-kilter; the only thing holding her up is my much larger frame.

“Louanna,” I whisper, slanting my mouth over hers. “My beautiful mate.”

When her mouth drops open, eyelashes fluttering against tan cheeks, I take her mouth for the first time. Her scent, her taste, they wrap me up as my whole body tenses. She sinks harder into me as we pause, breathing the same air as I marvel at the perfection of my woman. But then my Louanna moans, and I lose my fookin’ mind.

Growling, I nip at her lips, her tongue, biting and sucking as she responds to me. It’s no less frantic and desperate than my kiss with Connall. But when she parts us to cry out in pleasure, I halt, surprised. Looking down, I see Connall’s slid the top of her dress down, exposing her pretty breasts. His mouth is locked on one, his cheeks hollowed as he sucks her nipple between his lips.

“Yes, Wolf,” I encourage. He smiles with his mouth wrapped around Lou’s breast.

“Oh gods, oh fuck,” she moans, one hand slipping into Connall’s waves. She grips his hair, a groan tumbling from her throat. He bites, and I go harder than granite watching him attack her breast as zealously as he kissed me.

I stroke his jawline until he looks up at me. “Shall we tease our woman, my sweet wolf?”

A ragged growl is my answer as he pushes Lou against the back of the sofa. Big hands come to her wrap dress and yank, breaking the soft belt as he opens the dress and unveils her beautiful body to us. She’s wearing a pale pink lace bra and matching panties, and I didn’t think I could get hotter. But her sexy lace sets me on fire.

Connall slips a hand behind her back and expertly undoes the bra, then pulls it and the dress off. When he tosses them down, I take a moment to admire the perfect roundness of her breasts. Pretty pink nipples tip them, hard and aching. Our mate dips forward and snarls, latching onto her breast as she arches to meet him.

I can’t resist. Moving forward, I lick a stripe up her belly to the underside of her breast. Then I meet Connall at her nipple, slipping my tongue between him and it to lave roughly.

Lou blurts out a stream of unintelligible words as our play turns into a rough kiss between him and me, followed by a hard bite to her breast by our wolf. His chest heaves as the hair rises on the back of my neck.

Bright eyes come to mine, narrowing. Bones shift and crack, and he grows bigger, taller, his ears tapering long and thin as he begins to shift. “Too much,” he growls, his voice nearly all wolf. “Too hot.”

Bones crack and clothing rips until a half-shifted wolf with luminescent green eyes hovers poised over Lou, his long, curved tail lashing from side to side.

Lou sinks into the sofa, eyes wide with fear as I put myself between them.

“Hello, Wolf,” I croon. “Allow me to show you more.”