“That’s right,” Flint tells me, his hand squeezin’ my thigh. “The Hellgate has been fucked up for centuries, ever since the Gatekeepers died out. Fuck the Ophidian. We’ll end him, and then you and your sisters can help us reset the damn Hellgate and reinstate the balance. We can actually make it so no one passes through who shouldn’t, just like it’s supposed to be. You’re better than just a measly Gate Guardian.”
I give him a grateful smile.
“The Gods knew what they were doing when they led you to us,” Alder says. “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, and you’re exactly who you’re supposed to be. We’re blessed, not burdened, in claiming you as ours.”
Emotion wells in my chest, and I turn my head to place a kiss on both of their cheeks—one stubbly, one smooth as granite, both of them one hundred percent mine.
“I love y’all,” I blurt out, and as soon as I say the words, both of their eyes widen. “I don’t care if that’s too soon to say, I’m sayin’ it anyway, and I won’t take it back, so y’all can just deal with it,” I say sternly.
A grin curls over Flint’s mouth, and that’s the only warnin’ I get before I’m tackled to the ground where he pins me beneath him, my wings plastered against the padded floor as he fuses his lips to mine. “Say it again,” he orders, nippin’ at my bottom lip.
I shift my hips up to press against him, earnin’ a groan. “What, you got cotton in your ears? I said it once, and I don’t have a mind to go repeatin’ myself,” I say with a mischievous curl of my lip. I hear Alder chuckle.
Flint rakes his teeth over my neck, and I can’t suppress the chills that sweep over me. “Just for that, I’m going to make you say it again and again and again before I let you come.”
Lord have mercy, that sounds like the best item on a to-do list that I’ve ever had.
“Oh good, you’re already sparring.”
My head snaps over to the sound of Delta’s voice, and I see her and her four mates walkin’ over to us from the far end of the gym.
“Uhh, yep,” I say, a guilty and slightly embarrassed blush risin’ to my cheeks.
Echo and Crux chuckle, while Delta grins.
I shove my hands against Flint to make him get off me so we can extricate ourselves from this very compromisin’ situation. He leans in and bites my ear before gettin’ up, a very satisfied male smirk on his face. “Later,” he promises before he moves so he can help me to my feet.
Alder pulls me back against him. “Never take it back, Medley,” he whispers in my ear, his voice a deep purr.
A promisin’ shiver works its way through me, and then Alder tilts my head back and kisses me deeply. He clearly doesn’t care that we have an audience or that this kind of kiss isn’t exactly appropriate in a public settin’, but after a few teasin’ strokes of his tongue, I find myself not carin’ much either.
“You want us to come back later? You can use those ropes for all kinds of fun training,” Crux offers, and Alder pulls away from my lips with a smile and rich chuckle.
“Good to know,” Flint answers, while Libido Medley just keeps wantin’ to call the shots, my head tilted back like I’m waitin’ for Alder to get back here and finish what he started.
“I think your mate’s on pause again,” Jerif points out, and Echo and Crux both laugh.
Alder leans down and nips my still open and eager lips one at a time. Then he tilts my head forward, and sure enough, as soon as my heated gaze lands on Delta’s smirk, I unpause.
Damn, who knew that was a thing?
“Okay, well now that things are nice and awkward...” Echo starts, clappin’ his hands together and makin’ me jump from the unexpected loud noise. “Let’s get to it, shall we?”
I nod, tryin’ to clear the daze of desire that swarmed over me. “Yep.”
“Medley, we were thinking we could start with flying and evasive maneuvers, and then dive right into weapons and sparring. How’s your stamina in general?”
“Oh, she’s got plenty of stamina,” Flint offers up, and another blush creeps up my neck into my cheeks. I shoot him a glare, but he just sends a wink back in return.
“Okay then,” Crux cuts in, and I try to rein in my mortification.
These are my sister’s mates, so why are mine makin’ this so damn awkward? And then it hits me. This is some weird form of retaliation. My guys are still pissed about bein’ left out of the loop and about me nearly gettin’ hurt or taken. I look to Flint and Alder and the hard glint in their eyes. Yep. This is definitely pay back. I’m not sure what they have in mind exactly, but I suspect today’s activities will be dotted with more than just innuendo and inappropriate, over-the-top shows of affection.
I roll my eyes. Demons.
“Flyin’, weapons, and then sparrin’ sounds good to me,” I tell Echo in answer to his question.
“While our mates are training, why don’t we do some training of our own?” Flint throws out there a little too innocently.
There it is.
There’s the master plan I was waitin’ to reveal itself. Can I get a little trainin’ with a large side of mate retribution?
Delta shakes her head, and I can see in her eyes that she’s picked up on the undercurrent of tension too.
Well, this should be interestin’.
###
I bring my practice scythe out and strike at Delta’s side. It has
