Goddess in the Middle (28 page)

The young woman who’d inherited Lusna’s powers as the Goddess of the Moon had attempted to rouse Amity, as had Lusna, Thesan, and Nortia, the Goddess of Fate. None of them had had any luck.

Rom had even refused a direct request from Cole to talk about the two
Malandante
they’d brought back from the dream plane.

Frankly, Remy was glad he’d turned that one down because it probably would’ve turned into a blood bath. Cole had a couple of guys working on them but so far they’d gotten nothing more than vague threats.

Remy had told Cole that when they needed someone to gnaw on the men to come get him. Cole had promised he’d be the first in line.

Now, the house was so fucking quiet it hurt Remy’s head. Which might have more to do with a lack of sleep than anything.

He knew Rom had to be feeling just as bad. Neither of them had slept in more than twenty-four hours.

“You need to lie down.”

Rom’s voice startled him, he’d become so used to the silence.

His cousin sat on a chair by the side of the bed, one hand wrapped around Amity’s resting on top of the quilt. Rom’s gaze was glued to their joined hands. Almost as if he didn’t want to miss the moment she woke.

Remy had the awful thought that Rom would die in that chair waiting for her to move.

“You haven’t slept any more than I have, Rom, what—”

“You need to let her know you’re here and you’re okay.”

Remy frowned, trying to make sense of his cousin’s words. Had Rom finally cracked?

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Can’t you sense her? Don’t you still feel her? She’s here. She just can’t find her way back. You need to show her the way.”

Remy opened his mouth to tell Rom to snap out of it. That he was freaking him out. But before he did, he closed his mouth and thought about what Rom was saying.

He didn’t sound crazy. He sounded as rational as he always did.

And it was rationale that Remy latched onto.

“What do you sense?”

Rom finally lifted his head to look at Remy, and Remy breathed a sigh of relief at the completely sane look in Rom’s eyes.

“All the other people, it was too much. I felt her retreating. Maybe now, with just the two of us here…”

Could that really be it? Or was Rom grasping at straws?

Remy slammed his eyes closed and forced out every other distraction but Amity’s scent and Rom’s presence as they lived inside him.

He latched onto that other sense, the one he knew was Rom’s consciousness, and followed it.

“Lie down and
hold
her, Remy. Let her know you’re here. I’ve been trying to reach her for hours but… I don’t think she can sense you.”

That’s why he’d been so silent, so withdrawn.

Uni’s ass, Rom had been holding her for hours. Mentally. And Remy hadn’t realized.
Fuck
.

Remy knelt on the bed, careful not to jostle her. He forced himself to look, to really look at her. She appeared to be sleeping. Her cheeks still had faint color in them. And not a flush like a fever, but a healthy glow.

Her lungs rose and fell in a slow, steady pace and her expression looked worried. Not blank or slack, but as if she couldn’t stop thinking about something and it’d followed her into her dreams.

Hope began to pound like adrenaline through his veins. Toeing off his sneakers, he pulled back the covers and slid onto the bed next to her. Wrapping his arms around her, he turned her onto her side so his chest was plastered against her back.

Tucking her head under his chin, he got her as close as he could, hoping against hope that she felt him. That she sensed he was there.

They’d removed her clothes and slipped her into an oversized T-shirt of Rom’s before putting her in bed. Now Remy let his hands rub her bare forearms and thighs, her skin warming beneath his touch.

He held her, losing track of time as he tried to reach her. He didn’t realize he was murmuring in her ear until he felt Rom begin to pull away.

“No.” He reached for Rom and Amity’s joined hands and added his to the mix. “You have to stay too.”

After a second, Rom nodded, his jaw loosening just the tiniest bit. And Remy let his hand slide back up Amity’s arm.

Lowering his head, he put his lips directly against her ear. “Come back to us, Amity. We’re both here. We’re not going anywhere. You can’t leave us. Not now. We love you.”

He felt Rom still even more at that last statement but he didn’t move away. And he didn’t deny it. Instead, Rom bent over their joined hands and pressed his lips to her fingers.

Remy thought he felt her move, just a slight tremor in the arm holding onto Rom’s hand.

And the stillness, that sense of waiting he’d felt from her before was gone. He swore he felt her struggling toward consciousness.

Remy put his mouth close to her ear and dug deep for that well of power he and Remy shared, the power that made them able to defeat a
tukhulkha
demon.

The power they’d always believed was meant for fighting and destruction Remy now channeled to reach Amity.

“Amity,” he whispered in her ear. “Wake up now. We need you here with us.”

Remy heard her breathing change, a slight hitch that hadn’t been there before.

“Open your eyes, Lady.” Remy reinforced his words with a blast of power so strong, not even a goddess could ignore it, apparently.

Amity took a deep breath and Remy held his until he heard her take another.

And when she rolled onto her back and opened her eyes, her hazy gaze going first to Rom and finally to him, Remy could breathe again.

“Bossy men.” Her voice sounded weak but steady and Remy closed his eyes as his arms tightened around her. “I love you too. Both of you.”

Remy couldn’t get his vocal cords in gear. Luckily Rom wasn’t having as much trouble.

“Good. Because we’re not going anywhere and neither are you. We will bind you to us if we have too. We’re not losing you again.”

Remy lifted up on one elbow so he could see her face. Rom still held her one hand so she threaded her other with Remy’s and lifted it to her lips.

Her weak smile made Remy’s heart pound. “That’s good to hear. How about we start right now?”

The look in her eyes made Remy’s blood run hot even as Rom shook his head.

“You need to rest.”

She released Rom’s hand so she could stroke her fingers across his jaw. “No, what I need is the two of you.”

Rom flashed him a look, but Remy figured she was entitled to make that decision.

“I’m not one to say no to my goddess.”

Her smile lit him up inside. “Then strip and let me show you how much I love you.”

Remy shot off the bed, dropping clothes without saying a word, but Rom only stood by the side of the bed.

“I don’t think—”

“Exactly.” She grabbed Rom’s hand. “Don’t think.”

Amity rose onto her knees to face Rom, and Remy slipped his hands under the shirt she wore, sliding his hands over the smooth skin of her stomach until he could cup her breasts in his hands.

Leaning back into him, her hands reached behind her to slide into Remy’s hair and draw his lips closer to her neck.

He did as she silently asked and put his mouth on the skin just below her ear. She shuddered beneath his hands and her arms reached for Rom, who moved closer so she could hold onto his shoulders.

“I can’t stop thinking.” Rom’s voice had dropped another octave. “About how we almost lost you.”

“Then think about how good you’ll feel when you’re flat on your back and deep inside me.”

Aw fuck. Remy’s cock throbbed at the promise in her voice. And when she slipped her hand behind her back to stroke him, he groaned.

“And how tight it’ll feel with you inside me too.”

If Remy had had any hope of holding onto his control, she’d just blown it to smithereens.

Luckily Rom had slightly better control.

“Take her down, Remy. On her side.”

And fuck her. Rom didn’t have to add that part. He knew Rom wanted to watch first.

And Remy couldn’t wait to get inside her. First, he swept the shirt over her head, hearing Rom’s indrawn breath as he revealed the beauty of her body.

Then he swept her off her knees and laid her out like Rom had demanded.

He laid down beside her, his cock sliding into the crease of her ass, making her moan as he grabbed her hips and rubbed against her.

“No, watch me, baby,” Rom demanded. “Don’t close your eyes.”

Remy didn’t know if she obeyed but she must have because Rom leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. His face was set in rigid lines, his eyes laser-sharp as they slid down her body, following Remy’s hand as it moved from her hip to between her legs. She moaned as his fingers found her clit and began a slow, sensual assault that had her writhing in his arms.

Her ass rubbed against his cock, inflaming his already fast-burning lust. Damn it, he needed lube. He didn’t want to hurt her.

He looked at Rom as he continued to stroke Amity. His cousin was one step ahead of him. He was already bending over and rummaging through the bag at his feet.

Rom tossed the small tube and Remy had to release her to catch it.

“Hurry.”

That one word, whispered in her voice, nearly had him coming all over her back. As fast as he could, he made his cock slick then slipped his fingers between her cheeks and rubbed the excess against the tiny opening there. When he was sure he wouldn’t hurt her, he pressed the head of his cock to the entrance and pushed.

He breached the outer ring and worked himself inside with a slow steady motion. Amity pushed back against him, her hand resting over his as he gripped her hip and sank deep.

When he’d buried himself to the hilt, the tight grip of her ass squeezing him, he knew he couldn’t move or he’d go off like a lit firecracker.

But Amity wouldn’t stay still. She shifted her hips, making him groan as friction shot quicksilver through his balls and up his spine.

“Rom. Now.”

Rom was already pulling his shirt over his head and kicking off his sneakers when Remy gritted out that command.

His jeans and boxers followed just as fast, and he crawled onto the bed, lust making his hands shake.

Spreading his body down the length of hers, he wrapped his hand around her head and brought her forward for his kiss. Their lips met in a hard crush but he couldn’t stop to be gentle. And she didn’t seem to want gentle.

She ate at his lips, her hands cupping his jaw to hold him to her before running down his chest and straight to his cock. Wrapping her hands around him, she began to stroke him with a strong, impatient rhythm.

If she kept that up—

He reached for her hands, moving one behind her back, where Remy caught it in a gentle grip, and guided the other between his legs. She knew what he wanted and gathered his balls into her palm, testing their weight. His head kicked back as he soaked in the sensation but he couldn’t let her continue or he’d come in her hand.

And that was not gonna happen.

Just
a
few
more
seconds
.

Damn, he loved feeling her hands on his body, especially between his legs.

Maybe…

Remy groaned and he felt Amity’s lower body shift, trapping his cock between them.

“Now, Rom. God dammit.”

He heard the raw hunger in Remy’s voice and knew he couldn’t last much longer.

Sifting his fingers through her hair, he tugged her head back until he had a clear shot at the sensitive skin of her neck. He lapped up her taste as he nudged his cock between her thighs.

She was so tight, with Remy already lodged inside her. Each centimeter he invaded was a victory his body craved. Just as he craved the sound of her voice moaning his name, Remy’s name, urging them to move, to make her scream. To love her.

“Always,” Rom said as he came.

“Love you,” Remy groaned.

Amity went limp between them, allowing them to hold her up. “Forever.”

“So we still don’t know where they’re holding Kari.”

Cole shook his head, his mouth set in a hard line.

“No, I’m sorry, Lady Amity. We haven’t been able to get them to talk at all. But we won’t give up. We’ll find her.”

Amity had to continue to believe that. If she didn’t… well, no sense thinking about that just yet.

Not when the two men she loved so desperately had vowed swift and painful retribution to anyone who so much as mussed Kari’s hair.

She still sensed her sister, though the bond they usually shared was muted. Dulled. She had no idea why or even how, but at least she knew Kari still drew breath.

“I’m sure we will.” Amity gave Cole a brief smile.

She stood, prompting Cole to stand as well. They’d met in the tiny house in the den that she was beginning to think of as home. Mainly because of the two men who shared it with her.

A smile tugged at her lips as her gaze transferred first to Remy then to Rom, standing on either side of her. They hadn’t let her out of their sight all morning, shadowing her every step.

Which, she had to admit, she liked. Being alone for so many centuries would do that to a person.

“Lady,” Cole started then paused, as if he knew he shouldn’t bring the subject up again but couldn’t help himself. “I really wish you would rethink this meeting.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I have to go.”

Not even Remy and Rom had tried to talk her out of the meeting Charun had asked her to attend. Both of them had gritted their teeth… and started sharpening swords.

She could live with that. She couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t attempt to bargain for Perrin’s release from Aitás.

Hours later, she stood by the gate of Aitás. Only Cal accompanied them, though they were met on the other side by a tall, quiet man whom Cal called Diritas.

Amity didn’t even guess until Cal introduced them that the man was his father.

Diritas bowed his head to her, gave Remy and Rom a quick, dismissive glance then took them straight to the gate.

Where Perrin stood between Culsu and Charun. In Aitás.

Amity wanted to reach for Perrin and drag her out, but Perrin’s expression stopped her.

“Hello, Amity.” Perrin gave her a smile, as if still trying to remember how to do it.

“Perrin, are you okay?”

“Actually, I’m fine.”

Amity tried to read any undercurrents the woman might be sending her, tried to read between the lines, but Amity sensed nothing other than calm in Perrin’s emotions.

“And… I’ve decided to stay for a while.”

Amity’s mouth dropped open as Perrin’s meaning sank in. Was the woman under a spell? Had Charun somehow entranced her?

Her startled gaze flashed to Charun, whose hard-edged features held absolutely no emotion. Was this another move in whatever game he was playing?

“Perrin, I don’t think you understand what that means. Do you really—”

“I asked her to stay, Munthukh. I am not keeping her here against her will.”

Charun’s even tone struck no false notes at all. Still, Amity couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Perrin, why?”

Perrin’s lips curved in a slight smile and her gaze flashed at Charun then held. Amity’s mouth dropped open for a brief second before she could close it.

“Because I… I find it peaceful here.”

“I’ve given her my word that she can depart at any time,” Charun said. “She’s not a prisoner here.”

Amity turned to Culsu, the Goddess of the Gate, who nodded, pale white hair flowing around her shoulders. “She’s staying of her own free will. I’ve told her the risks she incurs if she stays.”

“Amity, I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me but,” Perrin paused to flash another look at Charun, “I’m staying. For now.”

Amity opened her mouth several times, trying to find the right argument, the right words to get her to leave. But she could come up with nothing.

Instead, she turned to Charun. “Should I continue to be afraid to sleep?”

Did she sense a hint of amusement in him? No, she couldn’t quite believe that.

“No. And neither should any of the other goddesses. I’ve decided to stay where I am for the time being. But the time will come when we’ll revisit the situation. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be content to remain here.”

And when he finally decided to leave his post, to leave Aitás… nothing would stand in his way. She knew that.

Then Perrin reached through the gate and Amity stepped forward to take her hand, squeezing tight as the other woman nodded. “I’ll be fine, Amity. I’ll see you soon.”

“I’m going to hold you to that. Be safe, Perrin.”

***

Amity stared at the night sky from her chair on the tiny patio at the back of their house.

In the forest, she knew Remy and Rom were off for a run so she wasn’t surprised when a huge gray wolf stepped out of the trees. The girl at his side, however, was a bit of a shock.

“Hello, Lady Amity.” Cat stopped several feet away, as if she didn’t want to come any closer without leave.

Amity smiled at the girl, even though her chest tightened. So stupid to be jealous of this girl, who was still trying to find her way in a world that had shifted so drastically under her feet.

“Come sit with me, sweetheart. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

Cat sat next to her, so close Amity could feel the warmth of her body. And sense the soul-deep fear she kept hidden so very well.

Wrapping her arm around the girl’s shoulder, Amity pulled her closer as the wolf melted back into the trees.

“I don’t want to make them choose between us, Amity. But I sense that I need them.”

Ah. Seems they shared this fear. Good thing she’d already made up her mind about a few things. “Then you have nothing to worry about. We’re staying. Our people need us, Cat. We won’t desert them.”

Cat physically softened against her. “Thank you, Lady. I think I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

“And you’ll have it, dear. I’ll see to it.”

Remy and Rom walked out of the forest only minutes after the girl left, Tivr glued to her side.

Remy sprawled on the ground at her feet, still wearing his pelt, as Rom shifted before her in a moment of blurred reality. He bent down to kiss her, before lifting her into his arms so he could sit on the chair with her in his lap.

“Did you have a good run?”

“Yeah, until Remy decided he wanted to chase rabbits. Damn things are fast.”

A low growl made her laugh as she wrapped one arm around Rom’s naked shoulders and let her other fall to the side so she could run her fingers through Remy’s pelt.

“You’ll need to keep on your toes. I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.”

Rom kissed her as Remy shifted beneath her fingers until she felt warm, satin flesh. As she kissed Rom, Remy laced his hand with hers and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her palm.

“As long as we’ve got each other at our backs,” Rom said, “we’ll be fine.”

Amity smiled. They’d be more than fine. “We’ll be together. And that’s all that matters.”