Page 42 of The Never List (Never List #1)

Rylee

“Come with me,” Jax demands, his voice low and cold.

A pit opens up in my stomach as he silently guides me out of Lust and to his velomage, urging me to climb on after him. I wrap my arms around his middle, taking comfort in the fact that at least he and Pierce know the truth and haven’t fed me to the wolves. Yet.

Axl and Kal haven’t said a word to me since I showed them my power.

And as Jax drives us toward his estate, Axl, Kal, and Pierce following behind us on their own velomages, my worst fears play out in my mind.

What if this really is all part of the Choosing game?

Has my love for these Legends made me so biased that I can’t see the truth? Are they simply giving me whatever I want, treating me this well, so I’ll choose them in the end and they’ll get the power boost they’ve always craved? One that will make them ascend as the rightful kings of Lumathyst?

Maybe that truly is the only reason all of them have been so damn good to me. Even after learning my secret of being an Ashlander and now…

Now they know everything.

And not one of them is saying a fucking word to me.

Maybe they’re afraid that if they react, if they show their disappointment, it will ruin their shot at real power in the end of all this. That all their hard work and time invested into me will be a massive waste.

The doubt tastes like ash in my mouth and weighs heavy on my heart.

By the time Jax pulls into his estate, the rest of the Legends following in behind us, I’m certain I’ll puke any second. Shame threatens to overwhelm me, but I bat the bitch down. I’ve had enough hiding, enough secrets to last me a lifetime, and to be honest, the instant my power left my hands to protect someone I loved, I decided then and there to never let anyone shame me again.

Tough self-talk for someone who doesn’t open her mouth as she follows the Legends of Chaos into the Nightmare’s house. I keep my lips sealed as my pulse skyrockets while Jax leads us down to his basement. Suddenly, the dark living room I found so comforting before has lost all its effect.

Kal and Axl sink onto a black leather couch near the fireplace, and Jax and Pierce take the one across from it. There’s nothing between them but the plush silver rug lining the floor at their feet. I could take the coward’s way out and stomp to my room and lock the door, but I’m just so fucking exhausted. If they’re about to send me packing—or worse—I at least want to get it over with quickly.

I walk confidently between them, standing with my arms folded over my chest, the silver rug beneath my boots. “I can’t help what I am,” I finally say when they all seem content to stare at me. “Any more than you can.”

Kal tilts his head, confusion in his expression.

“Of course not, darling,” Pierce says.

Jax’s eyes are on me, not in a surveying way, but in a hungry way that makes me feel unsteady on my feet. “I silenced you before because it wasn’t safe to discuss, butterfly,” he says, motioning to the room around us. “This is a safe space. No one is listening.”

I close my eyes, thinking back to the Occuli that were no doubt lingering just outside of Lust and the enforcers who were scrambling as they took Turner into their custody. I give myself a second to hope that none of them saw my wind power, then dismiss it. I can’t do anything about that now.

A warm hand reaches for mine—Kal’s; I can tell from the feel—and I open my eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Kal’s words are soft and kind and full of understanding that I don’t deserve.

“What did you think, kitten?” Axl asks when I can’t answer. “That we’d reject you? Imprison you? Don’t you know us better than that?”

My bottom lip trembles, because I can see the hurt on each of their faces, even Jax, who rarely ever shows an ounce of weakness.

Did I think that of them? Honestly? Did I think they’d hurt me, cage me, get rid of me? Has that been keeping me from baring my truths to them even as they bared themselves to me?

I swallow hard, ripping from Kal’s grasp to bury my face in my hands. “I’m an Ashlander,” I blurt through my palms. “I’m a demi. And I can’t change that. Can’t change where or how I was born. In the beginning, I was certain you’d all flay me alive for the truth or at the very least imprison me. So many of my kind have walked that path before.” I suck in a sharp breath. “I will not be imprisoned for being born with power I didn’t ask for. And when Jax chose me, I decided I needed you all to fall for me simply to stay alive long enough to not choose you at the ceremony. And now…” I’m unable to hold back my tears.

Powerful hands pry my fingers from my face, and then indigo eyes meet mine. He’s the Nightmare, the stuff of legend, and yet he drops to his knees, sinking us both to the plush rug as he holds me. “And now?” he asks, voice softer than smoke.

I glance from him, to Kal, to Axl, to Pierce, and finally, back to Jax. “Now I’m the one who can’t survive without you. I need each of you like I need air to breathe, and that scares the shit out of me. I was never meant to be a queen or a mate. And then, when the Faders came and I learned you all suspected demis were behind the rebel group… Goddess, don’t you see how terrible it looks? You’ve chosen a demi and are fighting a group of them at the same time. I never wanted you to think I had any part of it. Because I don’t. I would never support such irrational violence…but it doesn’t change what I am…an Ashlander, the lowest of the classes in Lumathyst, and a demi.”

A swirl of power fills the room, an angry sort of sharpness. If I concentrate hard enough, I can pick out whose power is whose.

Kal’s is like the sun, endless and warm.

Pierce’s is like the strands of a spiderweb, infinite and ever-changing.

Axl’s is like the ripping tides with a depth that rivals the deepest ocean.

And Jax’s…his is raw, intense, and multifaceted like the stars in the sky.

“It doesn’t matter that you’re an Ashlander or a demi,” Kal says, shifting to the edge of the couch so he’s eye level with me on my knees. He takes my hand from Jax’s, running his thumb over the ruby ring I wear. “I gave this to you because of your heart. Because of the way you were with my people and your hopes for the future of Lumathyst. I gave this to you because you made me laugh while challenging everything I’ve ever believed and made me desperate for you even while I’m right beside you. That’s love. It has nothing to do with where you’re from or what power runs through your veins.”

Axl grunts his agreement from where he takes up half the couch next to Kal, his powerful thighs spread and one arm strung along the back of it. His hair is a mess of black waves from the earlier chaos at Lust, resting over his shoulders in this seriously sexy way. “I told you that first day, kitten,” he says. “You’re mine. No matter what.”

I shiver at their words, and then Pierce is there, hand gliding over my chin to make me turn to look up at him. “I felt your incredible power the second I stepped into your mind. You know how I feel.”

I swallow hard, nodding, then drag my eyes to Jax, who still sits knee-to-knee with me.

He doesn’t say a word. Instead, he starts unbuttoning his shirt, discarding it behind him, baring his strong chest decorated with endless ink. “I don’t have a token, butterfly,” he says. “Not one you can wear like jewelry.” He slides two fingers across a design right over his heart—the black swirls of ink outline the mark of his mother: a full moon and five stars surrounding it. “You accept my token, and it’s inked onto your skin for life.”

A stuttered breath leaves my lips as I feel each of their powers rippling against my own, coaxing it to rise and play and merge. Fuck, it’s overwhelming, the sheer amount of power filling the room. With all of them here, their sole focus on me, I can feel it like a building storm in the skies. The atmosphere feels electrified, upping my heart rate and awakening every inch of my soul.

I’m theirs. They’re mine. And it feels right in a way that shouldn’t be possible.

“I’ll accept yours,” I say, my tone confident and smooth. I take my hands from them, reaching behind me to lift my hair above my neck and turn so they can all see what I’ve been hiding. “If you’ll accept mine,” I finish, certain I can feel their gazes like a hot brand as they take in the cloud-like mark on my skin. The one I’ve had since I turned ten.

Warm fingers trail over the mark, and I close my eyes, focusing as I realize who it is. It’s Jax, and his fingers trail down my back and circle around my hip. Another set of hands is on me then—Kal’s—all warmth and strength as he moves off the couch and kneels beside Jax and me. Axl’s lips are next as he comes around to face me, claiming my mouth while the other two plant kisses along my shoulder and back.

Then Pierce joins us, using his power to lift my shirt over my head. I shiver at the sensation of all their hands on me at once, losing myself in the tangle of touches and tongues as they take turns kissing me.

In a matter of breaths, clothes are shed, leaving me encased in a cocoon of powerful muscles and intoxicating scents that make every nerve ending in my body stand at attention.

Kal leans back, eyes glittering with mischief and love as he scoots back to the couch, deliciously naked and confident as he settles in for the show. “You know I love to watch,” he says when I whimper at his lack of contact. “Show me how good you can fuck my friends.”

Warm shivers make my muscles tremble, but I can’t hold Kal’s gaze for long because Pierce is there, jerking my mouth to his as Jax palms my breasts from behind, my back against his chest, his hard length grinding against my ass. Pierce slips into my mind, not speaking but feeling as he lets me know just how badly he wants me. I moan into his mouth at the sensation, at being wanted that much.

“Do that again,” Axl demands, his hand dipping beneath the band of my pants. His fingers find my heat, and he groans as he feels the wetness there. “Whatever you did, she fucking loved it.”

Pierce unleashes another wave of desire inside me, and I rock against Axl’s hand, kissing Pierce back with every ounce of need I possess. Then Jax grazes his teeth along my shoulder blade, and fire sparks beneath my skin.

It’s all so much—Kal’s eyes on me, the others’ hands and tongues and bodies on me—and their power . Goddess damn, their power. It will consume me if I let it. It will send me into absolute madness if I allow it, but wouldn’t it be such a sweet way to go?

“Axl,” Kal says from the couch. “Make her come on your fingers.”

Pierce grins as he releases my mouth, moving to work at my breasts, ensuring he doesn’t get in the way of Axl.

Axl, who slips a finger inside me, then two, cupping me with his large hand.

“Goddess,” I moan, my head spinning as he fucks me with his fingers while Jax and Pierce are doing their best to worship every other spot on my body.

“Eyes on me, love,” Kal demands, and I obey. My body melts another degree at the way he watches me, watches his friends wind me up. He grins at me, his lips full and totally kissable if I could only reach him. “I want to watch while he unravels you.”

His words have me tightening around Axl’s fingers, and he immediately groans at the reaction. “Fuck, Kal,” he says, biting his lower lip as he rocks his fingers into me. “You should feel her right now. So slick and pulsing.”

Kal shifts on the couch, fisting his hard length in a display of confidence that has me shaking. “Stop toying with her,” he says. “She has a long night ahead of her.”

The promise in those words steals my breath, but before I can respond, Axl smirks and there’s a burst of cool water against my hot, sensitive flesh. He pumps his fingers in and out of me while his power spirals a constant stream of water over that sensitive bundle of nerves, making it shiver and ache all at the same time.

I lean back, my head braced against Jax’s chest as he nips at my neck. Pierce pinches my peaked nipples, rolling the buds between his fingers before setting his mouth on them. Each sensation pushes me toward the edge of pleasure, a steady build that increases with each new touch—

“Fuck!” I cry out as my orgasm rips through me, my eyes flaring wide, locked with Kal’s, who delights at the sight of me coming.

Axl’s water disappears, his power allowing him to withdraw it so he doesn’t soak the rug beneath us, and he gently slides his fingers from me, instantly bringing them to his lips and sucking on my flavor. He moans at the taste of me, and my core trembles.

Pierce draws back, flicking his wrist until ribbons of emerald green swirl around my hips, hoisting me off the ground effortlessly.

Jax doesn’t hesitate, using the opportunity to peel my pants down my legs, shucking them to wherever all the other clothes have gone.

Pierce guides me back down, the softness of the rug tickling my bare skin.

And then I’m kneeling there, naked and breathless with all their eyes on me. We’ve all had sex, so it’s not like this is totally new, but having them all at once? Being together like this with no secrets or games between us? It’s intense to say the least.

But I love every second of it. Every graze of power against mine, every time my own power rises to help tame theirs so they don’t consume me, every time they get territorial over my mouth… goddess , do I fucking love it.

Jax’s hands grip my shoulders, turning me to face him. My breasts brush over his strong chest, sending jolts of pleasure along my bones. His indigo eyes are severe as he glances behind me, no doubt eyeing the others. “You’ve each had her for longer,” he says, no hint of debate in his voice. “I get her needy little pussy first.”

Pierce smacks my ass from behind, and I squeal a little. “Then I get her remarkable ass,” he says, and I tremble at the way they’re claiming pieces of me.

Axl laughs but mumbles an agreement, moving to sit on the couch opposite Kal. “We can wait, can’t we, Kal?” he asks.

“Absolutely,” Kal answers, sucking in a deep breath. “I want to watch these two ruin her before you and I put her back together.”

I whimper at his words, the absolute truth of his statement rattling through me like a lick of flame. He couldn’t be more accurate. Pierce and Jax are a deadly duo who will fuck me within an inch of madness. And Axl and Kal are the warmth that will coax me back to reality.

A perfect match, each of them and me.

I bite back a smile at the thought, and Jax captures my lower lip between his teeth. “What’s that smile for?” he asks, leaning back and guiding me with him. “Eager to ride my cock, butterfly?” His hands fly to my hips, situating me over him with ease. I’m slick from Axl’s fingers, so I glide against him in a teasing rock that makes him groan.

“That,” I say, grinning still. Pierce comes up behind me, his bare chest smooth against my back as he teases my ass. I reach behind me with one hand, wrapping it around his neck as he nibbles at my ear. “And the fact that it’s no wonder no one else could handle the lot of you.” I laugh, making sure I meet each of their eyes before I speak again.

“Night isn’t over, kitten,” Axl says from the chair.

I wink at him, then focus on Jax, using my free hand to guide him right up to my entrance. I squeeze him tight, relishing the flare of need in his eyes. “You’ll all be lucky to survive me ,” I say, then sink onto him.

Jax hisses, his lips falling apart as I lift up and do it again and again, rolling my hips as he fills me only to pull out and do it all over again. His fingers grip my hips as he lets me take the reins, but I feel his power slipping, merging our emotions until I can’t tell where his need starts and mine ends.

Pierce stops kissing my neck, instead trailing his finger down the line of my spine and lower until he just grazes my ass, teasing the tight hole until I whimper. “Axl.” He uses his free hand to wrap around the back of my neck. “A little assistance, please.”

I glance over my shoulder to see what he means, gasping as Axl flicks his fingers and a warm, slick liquid slides over where Pierce teases me.

Jax reaches up, forcing me to look down at him while he thrusts his hips upward, connecting with me as I sink atop him. Pleasure bursts beneath my skin at the dominant move, and then Pierce is using his hand on my neck to push me down until my breasts are against Jax’s chest, our bodies flush as I rock against him, my ass totally, wholly exposed.

And then Pierce is gliding into my ass inch by inch until he bottoms out.

Jax holds us steady, pausing our movements as he gauges my response. My eyes flutter, little shocks of need cascading along my skin and making my core pulse.

Jax groans, a delicious smile on his face. “She’s more than ready, Pierce,” he says. “Fuck her hard enough for me to feel you.”

“You’re doing so well, darling,” Pierce praises me as he pulls out and plunges in again. The motion rocks me against Jax, the two of them seated so perfectly inside me.

The fact that they’re talking about how to use my body is another hit of pleasure, my heart soaring as Pierce fucks me from behind and Jax does from below. I may have thought I was in control, but there is no use now. I’m nothing but their plaything, a body they’re using for their pleasure, and I love it. There is a freedom in the way they claim me, both of them knowing each and every spot to tease and touch and taste until I’m whimpering, keening for them both.

“Goddess,” I moan as they fall into a rhythm that only a true intimacy can allow. I can feel them both, their lengths hard and filling as they drag in and out of me, winding me up into tight knots of need that I’m sure will break me soon. They’re edging me, the pricks.

Pierce laughs. “Language, darling.” He dips down to kiss my back, his hands on my hips as he moves us. Jax’s are on my breasts, plucking my nipples like an instrument he’s mastered, and I rock against him on instinct. “If you’re going to call us pricks for just this, then we’ll be total bastards to you by morning.”

I shiver at the promise, unable to keep the smile from my face as I surrender to their torturous demands of my body. They want me panting, gasping, begging for release, and goddess damn them, they have it.

“Please,” I beg after Pierce reaches around my hips and teases me with his fingers at the same time Jax thrusts up from underneath me. “I can’t take anymore.” I breathe the words, my body coiled tight with need.

“Fuck, you look so good taking them,” Kal groans from the couch. I whimper, almost daring to reach back in a plea for release. Kal would never leave me hanging this long; neither would Axl.

But these two? The Mind and the Nightmare? They hold me in the palms of their hands and keep me dancing on that knife’s edge of pleasure until I’m not even sure of my own name anymore.

“You can take more,” Pierce says, pumping into me harder, keeping the pressure against my sensitive flesh way too light.

“And you will,” Jax says, pinching my nipples. “Do you think once we’re done with you, they will be?” He jerks his head toward Kal and Axl, and I moan, rocking harder against him and pushing back against Pierce until he groans.

I can feel the rising need in both of them. They’re as close as I am—they’re just way better at hiding it. I push back harder, taking the reins as I move with Jax inside me, Pierce sinking in over and over again. They both groan, their grips on me tightening as I up our pace, chasing my pleasure right up to the cusp.

They harden another degree inside me, tearing a moan from my lips as Pierce presses down on that bundle of nerves, giving me the pressure I need as I take them both in hard, intense strokes—

I sigh as my orgasm crashes over me in a wave, the building pressure a burst of relief as my entire body trembles, my muscles convulsing as they empty themselves inside me. My breath is hard to catch, my nails digging into Jax’s inked chest as I come down—

I’m barely through the throes of it when Pierce gently slides out of me and I’m lifted off of Jax in one fluid motion. Axl has me in his arms and hauls me back to the chair, my spine against his chest as his hard length slides right into my oversensitive heat, the sensation like a crack of lightning down my center.

Goddess, I’m slick with Jax’s come, and Axl doesn’t bat an eye while he lifts me until I’m bobbing up and down on his cock, his powerful arms encasing me so thoroughly, I don’t even have to move. I just have to let go. His lips are at the shell of my ear, teasing as he whispers, “Too much?”

He’s genuinely asking, and he slows his pace, even as he throbs inside me. If I want, I can end this now. Take the proper time to rest and try again another day.

But my body is tingling with need, with the power flying around the room, with the way Pierce and Jax are breathless and spent on the opposite couch, peaceful, hungry smiles on their faces as they watch me.

I feel like a queen .

They make me believe I’m something worthy of worship, of love, of respect, of passion intense enough to overtake everything else.

I grip Axl’s muscled forearm with one hand, urging him to continue as I curl my other fingers toward Kal in a come-hither motion. And the powerful, nearly indestructible god of a man stalks over to me at my beckoning, his shaft hard and glistening with a bit of precome as he stands before me.

He cups my cheek as I grin up at him, and then I flick my eyes at his length and pop open my lips. Kal shudders at the move but doesn’t hesitate at the invitation, and I moan around him as he fills my mouth.

Axl groans at the sight, moving me harder against him as I dip forward enough to take control of Kal in my mouth. I slick his thick length with my tongue, relishing the hot, salty taste of him before taking him deeper. My eyes water from the sheer size of him, but I relax, breathing through my nose as best I can as I reach for his hip, urging him forward.

“Fuck,” Kal hisses as I force him to thrust into my mouth. His hand flexes around my face, sliding to tangle in my hair. “You want me to fuck your mouth, my little demi?”

I moan my consent, my request, the tremors of my voice vibrating against his dick. He groans, then pumps into my mouth, falling into pace with the same intensity that Axl is fucking me. The sensation is unlike the one before but just as powerful, the pleasure building and ramping up in waves. Axl kisses my neck as he pumps into me, and Kal may be fucking my mouth, but his hand is tender in my hair.

“I love you,” Axl whispers into my ear. “Fucking love the way you can take us. All of us.”

“You were made for us.” Kal voices his agreement, and I suck a little harder, showing them both exactly how much I agree. No one else could be here and survive; no one else could look each of them in the eye and demand they give all they possess and live to tell the tale. Their power is endless, and they’re downright terrifying with how consuming they can be, but I eat it up like a starved woman.

“You’re mine,” I say, pulling away enough to speak. “You’re all mine.” I suck Kal back into my mouth before he can respond, the others silent in either awe or shock or pleasure-induced exhaustion. Axl ups his pace, as does Kal, both of them working me right up to the edge and then immediately shoving me over it.

I moan around Kal, my orgasm exploding as Axl rubs his hand against my heat, sending sparks of pleasure to each of my nerve endings as I clench tight around him.

Goddess, I’m lightheaded with the intensity of it, and I can feel the warm slickness gliding over my thighs as Axl takes his pleasure, coming inside me with hot throbs. Kal quickly follows, a groan tearing through him as he spills into my mouth. I swallow him down, and he gently pulls out of me, rubbing his thumbs over my cheeks to swipe away the tears.

Catching my breath seems an impossible task, as does moving in any sort of way, but I don’t have to do either, because Axl is moving me with an ease and gentleness that makes my heart swell, and before I know it, I’m in Jax’s massive tub, which is big enough for all five of us.

They take turns cleaning me up, massaging my tired, overworked muscles, and showering me with kisses. By the time I’m dried off and wrapped in a black silk robe that feels like heaven against my skin, I can barely hold my eyes open.

It’s Jax who scoops me into his arms, cradling me against his chest while he navigates down the hallway to his bedroom. There are a few mumbles I can barely make out because sleep is calling me down its endless tunnel, but I’m pretty sure he’s telling the others where they can sleep. No one argues, and I swear I fall in love with each of them a little more at the confirmation that there’s no jealousy among the four of them.

I’m theirs, and they know it.

Each owns my soul in his own unique way, and as Jax tucks me into his bed, sliding in behind me with a protectiveness that makes me want to cry, I can’t help but wonder how everything can be so right in a world that I’ve never, not once , fit into.