Tangled Innocence (19 page)

“Get out of my way,” Levi said as he pushed his way through
the dragons, angels, and bears to kneel next to them. His face paled at the
sight of Faith in Jace’s arms, his body shaking.

“Give her to me. I can help her.”

“You can’t bring back the dead, wizard,” Jace’s father
whispered, and Nadie sucked in a breath against Dante’s chest.

Dante ran a hand down her back, trying to comfort, though
there was nothing left inside him to do so. They’d lost so much today, yet what
had they gained? Had it been worth it?

“She’s my true half,” Levi explained, and everyone around
them quieted. “I have only a small window, but I can bond with her so she can
live. Her life force will be tied to mine, but at least she’ll live.”

“How can you do that?” Nadie asked, a small kernel of hope
in her voice. If this wizard was lying, Dante would kill the man himself for
giving Nadie hope where there was none.

“I’m a wizard. I can use my powers and tie her to me in a
form of the mating bond.” His hands shook as he placed them on Faith’s wounds.
“It’s not a full mating bond. That can only be formed one way.”

“Do it, please,” Nadie begged.

Dante met Jace’s eyes over Faith’s body. “She’s not going to
forgive us for this,” he said.

Levi shook his head. “You said her name is Faith?” the man
asked of the one he was about to tie himself forever.

“Yes,” Nadie answered. “Faith. She’s so strong.” She
hiccupped a cry, and Dante squeezed her tighter. “She’ll hate you for this. I
know it’s selfish, but I don’t care. We can fix that later. I promise you, if
you heal her, I’ll do all in my power to pave the way for you to have the mate
you want.”

“We’ll never forget this,” Jace said, his voice hollow.
Dante knew they hadn’t dealt with the pain of losing Torrent, probably never
would, but right then, Faith was someone they might be able to save.

Levi nodded then closed his eyes. Magic filled the air as
the wizard chanted. Dante pulled Nadie closer, needing to know she was alive,
safe.

An hour passed, and others moved to clear the dead and mend
their own wounds, but their circle never broke. Finally, Levi fell to his side,
and Ambrose held the other man up.

“It’s done,” Levi whispered.

They watched Faith’s body. Waited.

Finally, she sucked in a breath, and Dante let out one of
his own. The wounds had closed up on Faith’s body. The wizard’s healing had
worked, though the man looked drained from it. Nadie cried softly against his
skin, and he held her close.

“The bond…” Levi rasped out. “The bond is weak, but it’s
there. It will grow with time. She will have to sleep for a long time before
she’s fully recovered.” Levi met Dante’s gaze. “Keep her somewhere safe. She’ll
sleep for months, if not more. I don’t know. I’ve never done this before, but I
know the magic. She won’t need to eat or be cared for other than be kept in a
safe place. That’s all I can promise you.”

“What about you?” Nadie asked.

Levi looked at the woman in his arms, and Dante had no idea
what the man could be thinking.

“I don’t know her,” the man whispered. “We’re tied together,
but I don’t know her. I’m not leaving, but I cannot stay either.”

Dante nodded and stood, understanding. He brought Nadie to
his chest, refusing to let her stand on her own. His dragon couldn’t handle not
touching her.

“Thank you,” Nadie said. “Thank you so much. I know you
don’t know my friend, but what you did…it cannot be repaid. I know that. All of
us will be here if you need us. Please know that.”

The others agreed, and Levi stood, holding Faith to his
chest as if he, too was unable to let go of the woman who was his mate. The
woman he’d never known before this battle.

“We’ll take Faith to Amara’s Inn,” Ambrose said, breaking
through the silence. “She’ll be safe there, and we can set up wards. That way
you’ll be free to come and go, and she won’t be in danger from other factions.”

It made sense, and the others nodded while Levi handed over
the woman he’d just met to the angel they all knew would care for her like his
own.

Others left them one by one, Jace’s family taking Torrent’s
body with them. Dante knew he and his mates would follow soon, the battle over,
the war won. The costs were almost too much to bear.

Jace threw his arms around them, and the three of them stood
in the center of the silent battlefield, tears streaming down their faces,
their bodies shaking.

In the end, his dragon would heal, would one day fly again
knowing that he’d done all he could to protect his people, his family. They’d
lost so much today, yet as he held his two mates, he knew that he’d fight it
all again to have them in his arms.

Jace and Nadie were his reasons for breathing, and he’d tear
down the fabric of the realms to keep them.

He’d proven it today, and as he held the soft weight of
Nadie against him and felt Jace’s strong hold along his side, he knew it had
been worth it.

They were his mates, his salvation.

His everything.

By the time they got home, Nadie was ready to be in her
mates’ arms. She couldn’t wait any longer. While she should have been tired, she
wanted. No, she wanted her mates, there, now, and everything.

She needed to know they would be there, be in her life and
in her arms.

The three of them took a silent shower in the master
bathroom. She’d long since given up the idea of calling it Dante’s. No, it was
the three of theirs.

There was nothing sensual in the movements, just the idea of
wiping off the grime and who knows what else made her body feel better.

When they finished, Dante and Jace took turns drying her off
then she took the extra towel to do the same to them. She gently patted them
dry, checking their bruises and wounds. Luckily they had all started to heal
quickly and she had a feeling with what she wanted to do next, they’d heal
fully.

There were perks to being a succubus after all.

“Ready for bed?” Dante asked, his voice low, cautious.

She turned naked in his arms and stood on her tip toes.
Dante seemed to get the message and lowered his head for her. She cupped his
face and kissed him.

“Make love to me. Both of you. I need you both inside me.
We’ll heal, we’ll be together. Please.”

Dante’s eyebrow rose, the glint from the overhead light on
his eyebrow ring looking just as sexy as it had when she’d first seen him.

“Both of us?” he asked, his voice even huskier.

She reached out and slid her arm down Jace’s chest. He stood
beside her, his breath coming in pants. “Yes. Please. We’ve waited long enough
for this.”

“Anything, my sprite, anything,” Dante growled and took her
mouth.

She gasped into him then tangled her tongue with his. Her
other hand drifted down to Jace’s cock, squeezing.

Jace let out a grunt then ran his hand down her back,
cupping her ass. She moved into his touch, rocking her hips. She could feel him
moving behind her, sliding his hands down her legs as he knelt.

Dante kept his mouth on hers, kissing her with all the
passion of an age old dragon. His hands played with her nipples, egging her on.

Jace spread her cheeks and she moaned. He massaged the
globes of her ass, then licked her pussy from behind. She wiggled in her men’s
hold, trying to get more of…something. She just wanted them both, the
sensations so intense, yet not hard enough.

He licked around her hole, then tonged her ass, preparing
her. God, it felt so good, so dirty. She loved it.

Dante fucked her mouth with his tongue while Jace fucked her
ass with his. Her inner succubus reveled in it, wanting more. Before she could
pull back and ask for more, Dante stood back and Jace did the same. Her two men
shared a look before leaning over her and kissing, hard, full of desire.

They pulled back, breathing heavily, before leading her out
of the bathroom.

“Jace is going to fuck your pussy while I take your ass,”
Dante purred. “Does that sound good?”

She nodded, breathless. “Yes, and the other way too. I want
it all.”

Dante grinned. “We’ll try the other way tomorrow. And then
maybe put Jace between us again.”

“And then our dragon can play the creamy center of our
Oreo,” Jace added in.

Nadie snorted then pushed her bear onto the bed. He let her
and fell on his back. She climbed up on top of him, beyond ready for his cock.

On her way up, she stopped at his dick and took a quick
swipe, loving the flavor on her tongue. He groanded and tangled his fingers in
her hair.

“I’ll come down your throat next, baby. Now jump on so our
dragon can get that ass ready.”

She did as she was told and hovered above his cock. He
grinned at her as she rocked against him, sliding her pussy along his cock, but
not letting the head enter her.

“Tease,” he grunted.

“You know it,” she teased, then rose up so he was at her
entrance. He gripped her hips and she held his cock in one hand and his wrist
in the other for balance. With their gazes locked, she lowered herself on him,
his girth stretching her in all the best ways.

When she was fully seated, they both let out a groan. “I
love the way you feel around me, Nadie. All warm, wet, and
mine
.”

Jace moved one hand off her hip and fingered her clit. She’d
been so ready for him, for everything that came with her mates, that she came
with one touch.

A rustling behind her told her that Dante was ready for her,
and she bit her lip, bending over Jace so she was ready.

Dante’s hand ran down her back, and she shivered. “I’ll
never get over how beautiful you look with Jace’s cock in that pussy, her body
all blushed and ready for more. I’m going to prepare you now, my sprite. Get
you all nice and ready so you can take my cock.”

She nodded, unable to speak.

Jace wrapped his arms around her waist and started to move
slowly, his cock gliding in and out of her as Dante spread her ass. He’d warmed
up the lube before he touched her so she didn’t gasp like she had when they’d
played with her ass with their fingers before.

He slowly worked one finger in her tight sheath before
adding a second, then a third. The sweet pain that came from the intrusion
didn’t feel wrong, no, it made her want more. Made her want the dragon who was
so careful behind her.

He and Jace would never hurt her.

She wanted them.

Together.

Forever.

“Ready?” Dante asked when he pulled his fingers away.

She nodded and Jace stilled lifting his hips up so she was
in a better position for Dante. The bed dipped as Dante moved behind her.

“Push out when I tell you,” her dragon whispered.

“I’m ready,” she panted.

The head of his cock breached her entrance and she gasped,
not at pain, but at wanting him deeper. He froze and she couldn’t wait anymore.
With a deep breath, she pushed out, then moved her ass back.

“Sweet goddess, you feel so good,” Dante ground out.

She smiled and stilled when Dante gripped her hips hard
enough to leave bruises. Bruises she’d wear as a badge of honor, of passion.

By the time Dante was fully seated, sweat covered all three
of them. The tension from holding back almost too much to bear.

“I feel so…full…” she whispered.

“You’re so beautiful, baby,” Jace whispered, then kissed
her.

She kissed him back, wishing she could do the same to Dante,
but in this position on their first time, she wasn’t sure she could accomplish
that.

When they were ready, her men took turns slowly pushing in
and out of her. Their cocks rubbed together with that thin layer of tissue
between them and from the groans that escaped their mouths, she knew they loved
it.

She arched her back trying to take more of them as they sped
up. Her succubus, already raring to go from their first orgasm, pulled on the
bonds, taking her mates’ energies before pushing back.

Dante and Jace increased their tempo and she closed her
eyes, trying to memorize every breath, every touch.

Dante’s hand moved between her and Jace and fingered her
clit. With that one touch she shot off, coming hard. Her pussy and ass clamped
down on her men and they shouted, filling her up with their seed.

Panting, they moved with their cocks still deep inside of
her so they were laying down on their sides.

“Mine,” Jace whispered against her lips.

“Yours,” she whispered back.

“Ours,” Dante added in and she smiled.

Yes. Ours. Theirs.
Forever.

****

 
“Is it me, or is
Dante dancing behind the bar?” Becca asked as she leaned into Nadie’s side, a
couple weeks since the battle.

Nadie’s lemon drop almost went down the wrong pipe, and she
swallowed hard, setting her glass down to look at her very sexy, tattooed mate,
who was indeed shaking his ass behind the bar.

She licked her lips and leaned back, enjoying the view of
that jean-clad butt grooving it to the music coming out of the speakers on the
wall. In the months they’d been together, her dragon had loosened up somewhat.

Dante had been quieter in the days since the final battle.
He’d lost friends, family, and had to kill his own mother. The others had been
quiet, not knowing how to deal with such a brutal battle and its tattered
remains. Tonight they were supposed to learn to smile again. To show everyone
that, despite their losses, there was something worth fighting for. She didn’t
know how to comfort him other than be there for him. Be there for Jace. What
else could she do?

“Stop staring at my ass, Becca Brooks,” Dante said, his back
to them as he kept his focus on whatever he was doing behind the bar. “You have
your own mate and wolf right by your side, woman.”

Nadie snorted as Hunter, Becca’s mate, growled softly beside
her. She could tell, though, that he didn’t mean anything by it—it was just a
normal
I’m-a-dude-and-this-is-my-woman
growl.

“It’s a scrawny ass anyway,” Becca shot back, and Nadie did
her own growling.

“Hey, my mate’s ass is firm and amazing. Don’t talk crap
about his glorious behind.”

Jace, who had been quietly chuckling beside her the entire
time, threw his head back and laughed.

She turned to him and tried to keep from smiling. “What? You
don’t agree about our mate’s fine ass?”

Jace cupped her face and kissed her softly. “I think you’re
at your limit on those lemon drops, love. But, yes, Dante does have one fine
ass.”

“Can we please stop saying ass?” Amara asked from the other
side of the table, her eyes practically rolling to the back of her head. She’d
been unsure she could join them that night. She’d been spending her days at her
closed inn—the owners having closed it for finacial reasons—caring for Faith and
watching the other woman sleep. Nadie knew it had to be hard and visited daily,
but the burden rested on Amara’s shoulders. Tonight, though, Levi had said he
would watch over Faith so she could leave and smile. Nadie knew the wizard had
to be reeling from what he’d discovered on the battlefield, but he was closed
off. She also knew Faith would wake up and never forgive them.

But Faith would live to be angry.

That’s all that mattered.

“Unlike
some
of
us,” Amara continued, “I don’t need to hear about your mates and their butts.
Considering I have a feeling you guys are all gonna go home and show off how
much you love those butts, I think we can stop the conversation here.”

Nadie met Jace’s gaze then started giggling like a lunatic.

“You are
really
obsessed with butts, aren’t you, Amara?” Eliana asked, batting her eyelashes as
she leaned into Jamie. “Is it because you aren’t getting to see any butts of
your own?”

“Shut it, Eliana.”

“That was too close to home,” Becca added in and then
squealed, as Hunter must have done something under the table that Nadie wasn’t
sure she wanted to know about.

It had been almost entirely too long since most of them had
been back to Dante’s Circle to drink—those who weren’t breastfeeding that
was—and hang out with their mates. It wasn’t the same without Faith, and it
never would be. She wasn’t ready to give up hope on her friend, and Levi had
told them that once Faith’s body was ready to wake up she would.

It didn’t make it any easier to move on. Faith was one of
her best friends and, frankly, one of the closest among the other women in the
room. When Faith had moved in front of her…

Nadie shook her head, swallowing hard.

Faith would heal. Levi had made sure of that.

Though Nadie didn’t want to think about how Faith would feel
once she woke up and found out just
exactly
how she’d been saved.

There might not be any coming back from that.

For any of them.

Nadie looked around the bar at the friends who were still
with her, sighing that they weren’t all together, but at least they were trying
to be strong for a woman they all loved. Even the women with babies and new
lives had come that night.

All of the new babies were currently in Hunter’s den being
fawned over by Fawkes and Leslie. Apparently, the new couple wanted to
“practice” to see if they were ready to jump head first into demon pups. Or
whatever they turned into since Nadie wasn’t sure which of the two had the most
dominant DNA. In Lily and Shade’s case, it had been the angelic DNA of course
that held true. Baby Kelly was an adorable little angel that would one day have
wings of her own—the same with Ambrose, Balin, and Jamie’s little Samantha.
Hunter and Becca’s daughter, Hazel, was a little wolf pup and already had the
Pack wrapped around her little finger.

Nadie sighed and looked up at Jace.

“What is it?” he asked, pulling her closer.

“Just thinking about babies and how cute little dragons and
bears are gonna be rolling around our house.”

Oh crap. Maybe she
was
a little drunk.

After all, she hadn’t even told the men she loved them, and
now she was talking about babies. Sure, they were mated, living together,
working together, and had fought for their right to be together, but she might
have been moving too fast.

“Dear gods, can you imagine little Dantes crawling around
and learning to use their fire?” Jace’s eyes went wide, but he didn’t look
panicked. No, he looked as though he couldn’t wait for it.

“We’ll teach them how to use that, just like you’ll teach
them how to use their claws,” Dante said as he came up and sat beside them, his
dancing jig apparently over.

Nadie sat back and stared at her two men. They never spoke
about how they felt. Sure, they cared for her, taught her how to fight for
herself, and discussed the future—come on, five hundred years was a freaking
long time. But, at some point, the words and promises for someone who had been
human her whole life would be nice.