Kings and Sirens (The Blood Falls Book 2)
Kings and Sirens: Chapter 22

Leena

There had to be something wrong with me.

It wasn’t uncommon in the shifter world to mate in either your samhain or alternate form. Many preferred the benefits of a partially shifted state where the advantages of one’s other half can come into play. I knew all this and felt good about it.

But the way I craved another night with Atsila, playing all my favorite mind games on him, was damn near deadly. At least I felt half dead. That’s what insatiable lust could do to a female. I kept remembering the way it all felt to look up and see Atsila as his inner bear, taking what he wanted from me.

I loved playing with our sizes and making my breasts seem huge or my body seem very tiny. But that wild part…it was hot.

But so was that first time in the archives. There was something very special about that. Seeing Atsila finally give in…give himself to me…and the way our bodies worked together? Nothing short of incredible.

It was like I was made for him. Sculpted out of the Plane to be his sexual mate. Of course I’d seen it with others, the nearly magical connection of the Fated souls, the perfection of their coupling.

But it was something very different to see the benefits for myself.

Fist and cock.

I couldn’t get enough. Even that last night, when I was broken and sad, I’d hoped Atsila could fuck it all out of me. We had sex for hours. Hours! Coming over and over, never enough.

But there was nothing to do about it now except enjoy those few memories and touch myself. Luckily I lived alone and had a well-stocked imagination. I conjured Atsila’s image from memory. My mind trick didn’t speak, didn’t have a scent, didn’t even have warmth, but I pretended he was real just the same.

He stalked across the room, naked and hard, coming to a stop between my legs. He reached out and pinched my lips around my clit. I sighed with relief. I was too amped up. Too horny to function. Then he reached up and brushed his hands over my nipples. Teasing them up, then pinching lightly.

I moaned loudly since there was no one to hear but me.

He bent over and sucked me into his mouth. One nipple then the other. They swelled, reddened. He pushed the head of his cock against my entrance. I expanded until his thick crown slipped in, stretching me wide. At the same time my imaginary Atsila pushed my other breast to my mouth.

I latched on and pleasured myself.

He began to rock deeper into my core. Since it was my fantasy I made him large, thick, and heavy. The monstrosity that was his erection when we were together long enough to make his body respond to mine, like another arm or a third fucking leg. Huge and pulsing.

And since this was all fantasy, it all worked somehow. He became a giant over me. Large, looming, with hands that could reach me and a cock I could somehow take.

He pinched at my clit and tugged on my nipples, filled me over and over.

I came with a scream.

And then I was alone again.

“When the Gatlin arrive I will take Shoshanna to the library. Bridge will review what we’ve found and what we still have to go through. Kris will meet with their version of Bridge in the dining room and go over everything they have.” Bo paced as he spoke.

The rest of us were draped over various parts of the living room couches, drinking and relaxing. I licked away from Aethel’s wrist. “Do we know who is coming? I mean, other than Shoshanna?” She was the current head of the House of Gatlin and our second cousin on our mother’s side. I sank back into Aethel and sighed as her blood sent a warm sizzle through my brain.

“Rever, Malachi, Rhiannon, Bash, and Malynda for sure,” he said, ticking their names off on his fingers.

“I bet Rhiannon is the one doing their research,” Aethel mumbled, high as a kite. “She’s good at it. Like Bridge.”

Bridge blushed a little. “I agree. She is probably their point person. We’ve traded a few messages, so I know she’s involved.”

“Little Rain?” Kris chuckled, using his old nickname for Rhiannon.

Bridge shot him a look. “We’re the same age, asshole.”

Kris paused and blinked a few times. “Huh. I guess I haven’t seen her in a while.”

Bridge rolled her eyes. “I guess I better prepare myself for the same treatment. You do remember that you’re only four years older than me, right?”

Kris shrugged, grinning with pride that he’d riled our little sister up. “Four very important years.”

Which was true. Bridge and her twin Cass had only reached the age of maturity the year before. Recognized now by the samhain world as being fully independent adults, free to mate with whomever they wished. The difference between one year of maturity and four was vast.

At least it was for most samhain.

I actually didn’t know anything about either of their sex lives. Kris was quiet about everything. Private. And, truth be told, I hadn’t paid any attention to my youngest siblings in the last year. In my defense, there was a lot going on between Rhysa’s Awakening and a rift forming between worlds and all.

For all I knew, Bridge was attending Blood Parties on the daily. Maybe her Midnight Dreams was as wild as the Heida. I simply didn’t know, and I had a feeling neither did anyone else.

After lunch I double checked that all the guest rooms were prepared for the arrival of the Gatlins, stoked some fires, and then joined my siblings in the kitchen for some wine and waiting.

I only had a sip before there was a knock at the door.

The fully blooded members of the House of Gatlin were tall and slender, like our mother. So they loomed without being overly imposing. Their faces were angular and attractive. Shoshanna had long, thick blonde hair braided back. The men behind her were even taller. Rever and Malachi had shoulder-length blond hair, while Bash had shorter brown hair and a full beard. Rhiannon definitely matured since the last time I saw her. She was elegant, with an impish smile, shiny, dark hair that hung in waves to her elbows.

I noticed the way Kris stared at her. A mix of awe and confusion. It was going to be a lot of fun to tease him about this. Finally time to shovel back all the shit he’d given us over the years.

“Get in here and out of the cold!” I pushed the door closed behind the group of ten and helped them out of their coats. Duffle bags were stacked in the hallway by the stairs.

Shoshanna took the glass of wine I offered her with a smile. “It is good to see you. The winter has already been long and cold.”

I clinked my glass against hers. “And we have much to discuss.”

Her eyes sparkled a little. “Some more than others. Tell me about the Heida.”

I needed to come to terms with the fact that I would be asked to do this many, many times and for the rest of my life. It was like being the only person who survived an earthquake or met an alien from another planet.

So I sucked it up and gave her the answers she wanted with a smile and some enthusiasm. “They’re enormous, reclusive, and a little wild at times.”

Her eyebrows bounced. “So it’s true? They’re uncontrolled with lust?”

I shook my hand. “Eh, yes and no. As with all things, the stories get exaggerated. The females are definitely in charge and the males do relish taking control in bed…” I didn’t realize I’d stopped talking until Shoshanna touched my hand.

“And?”

I snapped my attention back to her and away from the memories of Atsila roaring as he came. “And things can get out of control.”

“You speak from experience. Oh…that’s why you weren’t at the ball. You were there for Midnight Dreams.” She covered her mouth with her hand.

“I was there in the days leading up, but the festival was canceled when they were attacked.” The guilt hit hard all over again.

“I hurt for them.” She looked away, giving me space.

I didn’t want space, though. So I picked up where I left off. “Midnight Dreams felt stronger in the North. It was hard, if not impossible, to ignore it. So I didn’t. And yes, it was all bigger, badder, and more than anything I’d experienced before.”

Her smile returned. “Well then. I might just need to make a trip to the North, Head of House to Head of House. How is the Queen?”

“Well. Focused.”

“That sounds like code for boring. I still can’t get over the fact they still cling to a royal hierarchy, although I suppose it makes sense for their lifestyle.”

We chatted for a little while longer about more practical things. Like the Line, the Salishan, and the new paging system we created for them. Since I was helping Bridge the most, I filtered into the library to act as support while she brought Shoshanna and Rever up to speed. It took nearly two hours. And while all the information was helpful, none of it provided answers.

Rever—his full name was Revenge—paced in front of the fireplace. “Something is missing. From our archives and yours. Maybe everyone’s.”

“What do you mean?” The words left my mouth first, but were echoed by Bridge, Shoshanna, and Bo.

Rever shook his head and cupped his chin like a thoughtful professor who also happened to ride Harleys and wear leather. He was just a little bit rough and dangerous, but also deeply intellectual. “Our lore—all of our lore—tells us that after the Dark Times we formed our Houses. Those Houses were designed, as they are today, to be led by a Head of House. We have armor from the Dark Times, swords named for the battles they fought. We have colors and mascots…why don’t we know the details of how that happened?” He looked around the room like he was genuinely looking for answers. For someone to have a perfectly logical reason that made it all frivolous.

It was Bridge’s soft voice that broke the silence. “We follow the traditions because we respect them. They give us comfort and purpose. It’s not the same thing as knowledge…and that is concerning in and of itself.” She scanned the room until she found me. “Samhain are smart, intellectual, curious. Why have we been so comfortable with letting this go?”

Bo balked. “Letting what go? Our family sword is an heirloom. A point of pride.”

“It’s more than that,” Rhysa appeared from the shadows of the doorway. Probably having just arrived with Gigi. “The swords are connected to the Plane. They call to their users and form a bond.”

The color drained from Bo’s face. “I know that.”

“You only know what it’s like to have a casual bond to Dreadnought. It isn’t the same connection Dray has to it. And it’s not the same connection I have to it.”

Now that…that was new. At least I didn’t know that.

“I believe,” she continued, her voice low and her eyes unfocused, “that all of this has meaning. Maybe I see it clearer because I’m new. I have the outsider’s perspective. The human perspective. To you the swords and traditions are as normal as living in this beautiful house. But to me they all have a purpose, a reason for being. Find that and you’ll find your answers.”

Silence hung for several beats before Bridge cleared her throat. “Or, finding out why that information is hidden will tell us who has betrayed us all.”

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