Oracles' Light [PUP Squad Alpha 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (10 page)

Angus slammed into her one last time, grinding his pelvis against her ass as his own climax began. He grunted, jolting against her several times before holding her still. Dyson dragged against her hair, forcing his cock to the back of her throat as his orgasm began. She swallowed convulsively, the taste of his cum surprisingly appealing.

Finally, he stilled as well, his cock slowly softening in her mouth as she laved her tongue over the silky-feeling flesh.

“Fuck,” Angus said as he gently pulled his cock from her ass. “Baby girl, that was one hell of a ride.”

“Ditto,” Dyson said breathlessly.

Dyson reached down and dragged her up the mattress and into his embrace. Angus moved to lie down behind her. They held her close for so long she was starting to wonder if they’d fallen asleep, but then Angus pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and said, “Never doubt that we love you, Kristen. It doesn’t matter that you’re not an Oracle’s receptacle. You’re very special to both of us.”

“You’re special to me, too,” she confessed quietly. “And I do love you both, but it might take some time for me to break the habits of a lifetime. I spent a long time being almost invisible, so I may need reminding now and then that you two see me differently.”

Angus laughed as he caressed her bottom. “Not a problem, baby. Dyson and I both promise to spank your ass anytime you forget. We’ll make certain you remember who loves you every time you sit down.”

She moaned as everything they just shared replayed in her memory. If that was how she would feel every time she sat down, she had an awful lot to look forward to.

Dyson sat staring at the computer screen and wondered what the hell to do now. He hadn’t really expected to find anything, so the message Jason had left him was more than a little disturbing. Years ago, they’d set up e-mail addresses under the guise of gamers’ accounts. Anybody reading the e-mails would simply assume they were trash-talking each other’s skills from a particular online game. Ironically, that was actually what most of the e-mails were about. The game had been a pleasant distraction over the years, but as far as Dyson knew, neither of them had played online for quite a while now.

But sitting there in black and white was an e-mail that sent a chill down Dyson’s spine.

“My mage army has new weapons and will easily destroy your castle. Time for you to flee, ugly troll.”

He was still staring at the screen when Angus and Kristen came into the room. They both noticed his tension immediately.

“What is it?” Kristen asked as she came to stand beside him. He tried to force a smile, grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her onto his lap. She let him kiss her, but it didn’t deter her from getting an answer to her question.

“Just an e-mail,” he finally answered, trying not to put too much emphasis on the importance of it. “A friend and I used to play an online game a while ago. It’s just some gamer trash talk.”

“Uh-huh,” she said, obviously unconvinced by the half-truth. “If that was true, you wouldn’t be staring at it as if it were a live snake. Would this friend happen to be Jason?”

Apparently, he’d told them way too much about his ex–squad partner. Over the past week, both of them had helped him work through the feelings about Jason and his actions. Dyson had never been one for touchy-feely emotional crap—he hated the yearly psyche evaluation necessary to stay on the PUP squads—but he’d never really had to deal with something like this before. To say Jason’s actions had undermined everything he believed in was a total understatement, but somehow the three of them were supporting each other as they dealt with the changes in their lives. Kristen was becoming more confident and relaxed, no longer overeager to please but capable of expressing what she wanted. Angus had talked about his decision to retire, his anger toward some of the people he’d protected over the years, and his change in plans about going back to his hometown.

It was kind of weird. After spending his entire adult life holding his emotions inside, explaining his feelings to Kristen and Angus seemed perfectly natural. With these two people he felt like he had a family. But that didn’t mean he wanted to worry Kristen unnecessarily. She was still his to protect.

“Is it Jason?” Kristen asked again.

He glanced at Angus and finally nodded.

“Does it mean anything?” Angus asked as he read the e-mail over Dyson’s shoulder. “It’s dated three hours ago. Do you think maybe this is meant as a warning? Is he trying to tell us that Sugarvale is about to be attacked?”

“I’m not sure,” Dyson answered honestly, “but I think Benjamin needs to see it.”

“The wards are still active,” Angus said out loud for Kristen’s benefit. Dyson could feel the wards that stopped slip, bounce, and vortex travel, but he didn’t miss Angus’s subtle suggestion that the attack would likely come from nonmagical weapons. “Why don’t you go speak to Benjamin while Kristen and I explore the cellar?”

Kristen wrinkled her nose at the word “cellar” but didn’t protest.

“I’ll be back quickly,” Dyson said as he lifted Kristen to her feet. He gave her a smile, kissed her quickly, and then headed for the front door.

He was halfway across the road when the first explosion sounded.

* * * *

Angus tried to act like everything was normal, but the sound of something exploding meant that he literally swept Kristen off her feet and used his superior speed to get them into the cellar fast. Thankfully, it was stone lined and seemed to be of very sturdy construction. Angus had explored this area of the house quite thoroughly and had been pleased to find several underground storage rooms. They weren’t exactly comfortable, but he’d brought enough gear down here that the three of them could stay several days underground if required.

“Dyson?” Kristen asked worriedly.

“Dyson is a well-trained soldier. He’ll be fine.” Angus understood Kristen’s fear, but he’d been working this kind of job long enough to know that you had to trust the people around you to be able to do their jobs.

Another explosion sounded, but it seemed to be quite a distance from the center of town. Apparently, Jed’s protection spells were managing to keep their attackers from entering the area. Any entry by a paranormal being would have set off the alarms. Whoever was attacking them—and from Jason’s e-mail it seemed to be warlocks and perhaps witches—was shooting from a distance and not entering the town limits.

Ten long minutes passed as a couple more explosive rounds detonated, but then everything went quiet once more. Kristen clung to him, but stayed calm and quiet. Angus heard the front door of the house open, and then Dyson’s familiar footsteps turn toward to the cellar.

“Warlocks,” he said as he opened his arms and Kristen stepped into his embrace. She was visibly shaking but otherwise showed no outward signs of panic. The woman truly was extraordinary. “We managed to apprehend two of them, but the rest escaped via bounce tunnels. Ronan thinks they underestimated the size of the wards or the range of their weapons. Either way, we were lucky this time, but we’re certain they’ll be back.”

“And they won’t make the same mistakes twice,” Angus said grimly. So much for being safe in Sugarvale. “When do we move out?”

“We’ve probably got a day or two, but sooner would be better.”

“Agreed.”

“I’ll go start packing,” Kristen said quietly. “Do we need to travel light?”

Before he could answer, Dyson’s cell phone started ringing. He glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Benjamin.” He pressed the screen to open the line. “Dyson,” he said, and then listened intently. Five seconds later he said, “Yes, sir,” and then hung up. “Benjamin wants us to sit tight for a little while. Hannah believes the Oracle’s receptacles can build some sort of barrier, a sort of shield that will be able to withstand physical attack. He’ll let us know in a few minutes if it worked.”

* * * *

Kristen couldn’t help but feel out of place. She was technically the only useless human in the whole town. Everyone else was either an Oracle’s receptacle, a highly trained soldier, or a paranormal of some kind. It seemed rather ironic that no matter how much her life had changed, some things simply stayed the same. She didn’t belong here anymore than she had at her job at the transport company. Kristen cuddled closer to Dyson, taking comfort from the fact that at least she wasn’t invisible. These two men loved her. That would have to be enough.

The all clear came a few minutes later. The Oracle’s receptacles had been able to create a shield that would bounce any weapons back at the shooter. Hopefully, the people attacking them would learn that without killing themselves. Benjamin had cautioned against using their human-style weapons inside the shield for the same reason. It left them without magic or weapons, but considering that the shield also formed a physical barrier against living beings that shouldn’t create any problems.

“I need to go get a situation report. It could take a while. Why don’t you and Angus get some rest? I’ll wake you when I get in.”

Kristen nodded, wishing he didn’t have to go, but understanding the reason for it.

* * * *

It took way longer than expected, but Kristen was still staring at the ceiling when Dyson came into the bedroom. He started stripping off his clothes silently, but he laughed softly when he realized she and Angus were both wide awake. Kristen rolled onto her side, propping her head on her bent arm. Angus did the same, his other arm resting loosely over her middle.

“Hannah has invited us over for dinner Friday night.”

It seemed such an out-of-place comment that Kristen almost forgot her standard “I’ll meet them another day” line. They were very literally living in a town under siege. It seemed a rather strange time to be organizing group dinners. She shook her head, trying to form words polite enough to call Hannah completely crazy without actually calling the woman completely crazy.

But the look Dyson gave her suggested he knew the exact reason why she was hesitating.

The simple fact was that she didn’t want to meet the women who represented yet another group that she was sort of, but not quite, a part of. The only thing she had in common with them was that they were all being targeted by assassins. But, unlike the Oracle’s receptacles, Kristen wasn’t able to use telekinesis, or shield bubbles, or whatever other skills the women had developed, to hold her attackers off.

“I…um…”

“You have to meet them sometime, sweetheart. They’re all eager to meet you.”

“Why?” The bewildered question was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

Angus slapped her bottom so hard it stung even through the wool blanket. “We discussed this,” he said in a warning tone.

“Sorry,” she said, rubbing her offended skin. She shrugged. “Old habits die hard.”

“So dinner?” Dyson’s tone suggested that there was only one right answer.

She sighed, glanced at Angus over her shoulder, saw his determination, and tried to give in gracefully. “I suppose we still have to eat.”

“Good girl,” Dyson said. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, patted her bottom in the same place Angus had slapped it, and then turned his attention to Angus. “I spoke to Benjamin about Jason’s e-mail. We’ve sent a cryptic reply that warns him of the shield the Oracle’s receptacles created.”

“Why warn him?” Angus asked curiously. He didn’t seem upset, just intrigued at the thinking behind Benjamin’s request.

“Technically, he did tip us off to the warlock’s attack. Benjamin thinks he might be trying to determine whether I’m loyal to PUP Squad Alpha on this assignment or not. He could see me as the weakest link, or he could be trying to contact me for a whole different reason. Whatever is going on, Benjamin doesn’t want to miss this opportunity.”

“So you’re going to pretend to think the same way Jason does?” Angus asked.

“I’m not sure that’s possible. Jason knows me pretty well. He’d know that I’d never support anything that requires the death of innocent people.”

“So why bother?” Kristen asked quietly, her concern for him leaking into her words. Jason’s betrayal had hurt the man more than he was willing to admit, and she feared this was Dyson giving his ex–squad partner a chance to prove he really wasn’t a traitor.

“Because it might give us a chance to figure out who Victoria is. We know she’s behind the drugs used on the pixie assassins. Eric says that all of the miniature pixies currently in custody are suffering fireweed withdrawal symptoms. He can’t even understand how a species capable of regenerating from incineration can be drugged in the first place. Emmallina assures him it’s possible, but human medical science can’t explain any of it. Judging by the severity of Connistanterina’s withdrawals, he suspects she was drugged without her knowledge for years, maybe even decades.” Dyson sat on the edge of the bed and reached over to touch Kristen’s face with the back of his knuckles. “If we can figure out how Victoria fits into the big picture, we might be able to identify who is trying to kill the Oracle’s receptacles and why.”

“It seemed pretty obvious that it was warlocks trying to kill them earlier today,” Angus said. “You don’t think they hired the pixie assassins?”

“Benjamin doesn’t think so. Jed and Darian both confirm that humans are mostly disliked by warlocks and witches, but they feel it is someone manipulating the mob into reacting to the existence of humans with extrasensory skills rather than the controlled sort of hit pixie assassins would usually perform.”