Page 56 of Hell on Wheels
She heaves a sigh, tilting her head back to look up at the glowing power threads in the air above her. I feel her wings before they pop out and mine do the same in response. The way we’re linked makes it hard to block one another unless we’re actively trying. Right now, I’m only actively trying not to piss off wild magic. With a tiny grin, Rogue reaches up, grabbing for the bottom of the strings. The minute she touches them, they drop out of the air, zipping around her and all of us with a stinging slap.
“Fuck!” Archie grumbles as he buries his face in her hair. “That hurts.”
I squint as I watch the magical ink on Rogue’s skin mutate, swirling and changing as the strings continue to whirl through the air. When they hit me, I wince, knowing my ink is likely doing the same dance as hers. Our tattoos are living magic—as are all Fae ink—but I’m still shocked when I see droplets scatter and drip onto my friends, creating brands on their forearms.
Rogue finally comes back to reality and looks at me with glowing eyes. “Reb, are these…?”
“I think so.”
“Are theywhat?” Angelo grits out.
Turning my gaze to him, I chuckle and shrug. “Well, I’ve never seen it happen before, so I didn’t expect… this.” I gesture around helplessly. “But the change in our ink and the appearance of it on you guys… These are Faerie mating marks. And… I don’t know for sure, but maybe we both claimed you all? I’m very unclear on the process. Graciella and Odhran were extremely vague when they mentioned it to me as a teen.”
“At least they fuckingtoldyou,” Rogue grumbles.
All the tails and wings tighten around her and I feel my chest tighten with the need to be in that group…now. “They didn’t mention it could be triggered like this. I mean, no one’s…”
“Having sex. Fucking. Bumping uglies. Boning. Shagging. Screwing. Shaking the Sheets. Knocking boots. Playing hide the sausage. Merciful Aphrodite, Reb, if you can’t say it, you’re never going to do it!”
I blink at Javi in surprise. He’s usually the quiet one, but the way his fire is kicking up now is completely out of character. “Yes. That. No one is having sex.”
“Perhaps mating doesn’t require it for the Unseelie?” Damon gives me a knowing smile. “Or perhaps it only requires commitment in both heart and mind.”
That would explain this fucking mess.
“Whatever triggers it, it’s done,” Rogue says with a sigh. “If anyone was unsure, you’ve run out of time.”
A chorus of rebuttals starts up, and I roll my eyes. My friends were all in before I knew it and if I don’t show her I’m serious, this will never work. Before I can stop myself, I stride over to the girl I’ve loved for most of life and kiss her breathless.
Suddenly, I’m home.
When our lips break, the guys are hooting and hollering and our girl is looking at me with a shy smile. I run my thumb over her lip and she bites it playfully.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Archie says. “Rogue likes to bite.”
I tilt my head, smirking at him. “All Fae do, dumbass. We have very sharp teeth.”
“All the better to eat you with, my dear.”
My eyes widen and before I can reply, Rogue nods at the twins and we’re blinked out of the pool area.
Oh, shit.
Overwhelmed
The shock that runs through me when Reb’s hand touches my skin makes my entire body lock up. My head falls back against Archie and I moan softly at the sensation of the tails, hands, and bodies pressed against me. When I pry my lids open, I see Reb’s multi-faceted eyes staring at me as his wings flutter behind him.
This is the moment… This is when we cross the Rubicon.
Tilting my face to the side, I capture Archie’s lips with mine. He kisses me hungrily, his body emanating heat against my backas the magic dances over my skin. Angelo and Damon growl in unison, their hands coming up to cup my breasts through my top as they nip at my shoulders. Javier darts forwards, rubbing his nose against my stomach as his fingers pull down my pants.
When they drop to the ground, a simultaneous groan echoes out of the boys. Pulling away from Archie, I chuckle softly. “What was that?”
“You smellintoxicating,” Javi murmurs against the skin under my navel. “They can smell, too. It’s enough to make a guy almost come in his pants.”
“Agreed,” Damon and Angelo echo. Their fingers pinch my nipples and my hips buck up to Javi’s face, then back to grind against Archie’s cock.
The lion shifter behind me grips my chin, his eyes golden as he looks at me. “Good enough to eat, so the fiery bird better get to work or he’s getting evicted.”