He let go, turning so his lips could linger over my stomach, then down farther, and I gently spread my legs as he lowered his head between them, stroking my clit with his tongue, firing me up, bathing me with his love. Shaking, I cried out, but he rose again, grabbing my hands and holding them to my sides as he once again burrowed deep between my thighs. The stroke of his tongue, the feel of his lips, sent me into a spiral, and I couldn’t stop, but let out a long shriek as I came hard and swift.

As I came, Morio rose to his knees, his eyes fully topaz, and I could tell he was trying not to shift. When he was in demonic form, our sex was rough, harsh, and powerful—and I loved it—but today he kept control of his urges and, instead, plunged inside me with a dark grunt, grinding to fill me with his cock. He held my hands over my head and I closed my eyes, letting his thrusts carry me away.

His hips swiveling against me, he drove me deep into the soft mulch of the soil, and the pungent scent filled my nostrils even as I thrust up to meet him, to give him the best leverage. The pulse of his cock inside of me mirrored the drumbeats that echoed through the air around us. As he slid in and out of my cunt, each stroke sent me higher into the sex haze that surrounded us.

For a second, I flashed back to our first tryst—under the spell of a Faerie Queen—but then my mind cleared and the power of our union grew strong as the magic we were building surged between us. Letting out a growl, I broke free and rolled him over, straddling him, his cock so deep in my pussy that I could swear we’d merged into one being.

I rode him, rode him like a stallion, and as I looked up toward the opening to the clearing, there stood Trillian and Smoky. Both were watching us, their eyes lighting with hunger, and I opened my arms to them. Morio smiled craftily as he grabbed my waist, still moving beneath me.

Smoky and Trillian shed their clothes and, Smoky’s hair dancing in the breeze, they joined us, Trillian on one side, Smoky on the other. I took their hands in mine, as they began to kiss their way up my arms. Tendrils of Smoky’s hair rose to trace gentle patterns against my skin, and Trillian leaned around to gaze into my face, one hand stroking my back.

Morio let out a long yip, his voice echoing through the woodland, and as he came, I merged with his spirit as we rose, winging higher in the mist of passion that stirred from our lovemaking.

A slow cloud, sparkling purple and silver and green, began to filter through the meadow, and as Morio came, it swirled and spun, a dizzying vortex of energy. Even as I still rode the wave, Smoky scooped me up and was now holding me, his hair securing my back as I wrapped my legs around his waist. He used his hands to brace against the picnic table as he thrust himself in me, and I joyfully rode my dragon, pressing against him, rubbing my breasts against his chest. He whispered something so low in my ear that I could barely hear it, but then I nodded. I knew what he’d asked. He put me down and slid his fingers inside me, then began lubing his cock with my juices.

Trillian smiled darkly and lay down in the grass. As I straddled him, sliding down onto his cock, I pressed my breasts against his chest and raised my butt a little. Slowly, gently, Smoky knelt in back of me, guiding himself into my ass, slowly pressing forward, letting me lead the pace. I slowly leaned into him, knowing just how much pressure I could handle, and he used his hands to keep himself from putting his full weight on both Trillian and me.

They fucked me in rhythm, the drums buoying up our movements, driving us on. Feeling so full I could burst, the friction driving me on, I let out a strangled cry. I needed to come again, wanted to come, wanted to fuck the entire world.

Morio began stroking himself as he watched us, his eyes still glittering. He began to transform into his full demonic self, eight feet of gorgeous youkai, and my breath came in ragged pants as Smoky and Trillian drove me higher into the blur of desire and hunger.

As Morio knelt in front of me, I began licking that gigantic youkai cock of his. It was too big for me to take fully in my mouth, but I slid my lips over the tip and flicked my tongue against him as he stroked himself harder. Watching him was all it took then. With a sudden, sharp ache that echoed through my body, I came, pulsing with the waves of orgasm. Smoky and Trillian came, too, letting out groans as they filled me to overflowing.

We broke apart, but the music became more urgent, and I realized I was building up again. I needed more. I fell onto my knees in the soft grass, clutching at the blades, digging into the ground with my fingers, feeling the rich earth crumble under my touch.

And then Morio was behind me, sliding into my pussy with his engorged cock. In demon form he was huge, but at this point I was so aroused I could easily handle the girth and depth, and he howled, rearing back as he began thrusting against me. Panting, I leaned my forehead against the ground, pressing my breasts into the sweet earth, willing the magic to rise, to spin, to carry us up and aloft.

The beat of the drums grew frantic, and I looked up to see Smoky, eyes flashing, and Trillian, both caught in the web we were building. They knelt on either side and reached out, touching my shoulders, as Morio held my waist.

The power began to build into a cone. And then the bond that tied our souls together linked and we were in unison, all focused on the same outcome, and yet I had no clue what we were aiming for. Morio had set this up, though, and I trusted him. We were following instinct, music pouring around us, the driving beats pushing us higher.

And then I saw it—the cone of power that we were building—and I caught hold of it on the astral level, directing it, spinning it, guiding it as it grew taller and began to swirl.

A moment later, I caught a glimpse of the tethers that kept it tied to us. They were almost broken through. All it would take were a few more strokes from Morio, a few more deep breaths from me, and then…as Morio picked up the pace, the orgasm hit me—so hard and deep that I went spiraling out of my body, rising astride the cone of magic. Morio and Trillian and Smoky were there with me, connected to the energy, and I dropped my head back and all the joy and hunger and lust and love that I was feeling welled up into one piercing shriek.

The magical vortex we’d created hung in the air between us, and then, with a sudden swoosh, went shooting off into the astral, leaving us teetering for a moment before we went careening head over heels back to our bodies, back to the forest.

A moment later, I opened my eyes. The forest was silent. My men were sprawled around me as I pushed myself up to a sitting position. I glanced at the sky. The sun was just breaking over the horizon. We’d greeted the sunrise with a breath of fire, all right. But just where we’d sent the fire—and to whom or for what it was intended—I had no clue.

I let out a long breath as Morio transformed back into his human form and helped me up. Trillian and Smoky pushed themselves to their feet and began unpacking the picnic basket Morio had thrown together. As I brushed the soil and moss off my body and slid my nightgown and robe back on, it occurred to me that some mornings were worth waking up for.

Chapter 4

As we neared the house, it was obvious that either Hanna or Iris was up. The kitchen lights were on and the window over the sink was open. We could hear the sounds of breakfast being prepared.

As we got closer, I realized it must be Hanna, because Iris and Bruce emerged from their trailer as the four of us—in our robes, headed up the steps to the back porch. I rolled my eyes. We were in for it now.

Iris and Bruce stared at us as they joined us on the porch. Iris smirked. Bruce blushed like he’d just eaten a hot pepper.

“So, I take it the four of you’ve built up an appetite?” Iris slid past me and opened the kitchen door.

“Um…that would be an unqualified yes.” I inhaled deeply. What little we’d eaten for our breakfast picnic had barely touched my hunger, and the smells coming from the kitchen were tantalizing. I hurried in, eager to see what Hanna had cooked for us. She wasn’t quite as good as Iris yet, but she was no slouch in the chef’s department.

A big pot of oatmeal bubbled on the stove, along with a large skillet of scrambled eggs. Hanna was taking sausage links off the grill, and Iris quickly tied on her apron and washed her hands. She began to fix a stack of toast, while Roz, who had just wandered into the kitchen, took over mixing up a pitcher of concentrated orange juice.

We left them to work on breakfast and headed for our rooms. I was beginning to itch from the moss and the dirt, and I pulled off my nightgown and robe, dropping them into the hamper. Though I’d taken care with them, they were still covered with stray bits of forest debris.

“Dibs on the shower. Who’s joining me? And I do mean for a shower.”

Trillian jumped in with me and lathered me up thoroughly. I rinsed off the body wash as he washed his hair under the second shower head. We didn’t talk much. My thoughts were running between the scene in the forest—wondering what kind of magic we’d released—and the coming day.

“What are you doing today?” I finally asked as we toweled off and dressed.

“Working on Iris’s house. We’re really making headway, and we want to see how far we can get before the beginning of June. The plumber comes today, and the electrician.” He shrugged. “We want to be done in a month, if possible. Iris and Bruce can’t stay in that trailer for long, not with her pregnancy.”

Trillian’s concern for Iris touched me. My alpha lover had gone from arrogant and snarky to arrogant and…caring. He still oozed that Svartan charm, and he still had a razor-sharp tongue when he was annoyed, but he always treated Iris with a deferential respect that made me adore him even more.

We hurried down to breakfast to find the oatmeal, a huge stack of toast, several pounds of bacon, a platter of eggs, a platter of sausage, and a giant bowl of fruit salad waiting. I piled my plate high and accepted a stiff cup of coffee from Hanna, who had discovered the joys of caffeine and, within a short few months, had become as bad an addict as I was.

Nerissa hurried up from the basement, where she shared Menolly’s lair. Once it had occurred to them that since Nerissa slept during the night, and Menolly during the day, they realized there wasn’t much of a danger if Nerissa shared the same sleeping space, and she’d moved in.

Menolly’s wife was gorgeous, a golden Amazon of a woman, and a werepuma. She worked for Chase as a victim’s rights counselor, and today she was dressed in tidy jeans and a button-down shirt.

“You don’t look like you’re dressed for the office,” Delilah said, peeking in from the laundry room. The washer rhythmically thumped in the background, and I gathered she was making an attempt to wash clothes. I hoped, for my own sake, that none of them were mine.

Nerissa shrugged, hugging Iris, then grabbed a plate and began to fill it with fruit salad, bacon, and sausage. She didn’t care for bread much and tended to follow her more carnivorous side.

“I have to go out to an apartment building that burned down during the night. There were a lot of displaced people there—mostly Supes—and they’re going to need someone to help them find temporary quarters. Better I dress like this rather than too fancy, considering most of them have just lost everything they have in the world.” She wrinkled her nose. “I hate working fires. The smells are always so strong they make me gag.”

“It wasn’t an explosion?” I glanced up. Not long ago, Supes had been the target of some pretty nasty hate crime actions. But she eased my mind.

“No, don’t sweat it. Faulty wiring. Slumlord stuff, and boy, is he going to pay, both monetarily and with a tidy jail term. He deliberately refused to bring the place up to code. Two people died, so he might even face negligent manslaughter charges, or whatever you call it.”

As I slid into a chair and dug into my food, Iris put the last platter of sausage onto the table, then stretched. She looked tired, and I realized that having twins was going to impact her a lot more than if she were carting around just one baby in that womb.

As if reading my mind, Iris eased herself into the rocking chair, letting Hanna take over. “Twins take it out of you. Oh! I forgot to mention it yesterday. Bruce got hired on for the fall semester at the UW. He’s going to continue as head of the Irish Studies Department for another year.” She beamed. Bruce, her leprechaun husband, was a professor, even though he had never needed to work a day in his life, considering how wealthy his parents were.

We all cheered. Good news was good news, and every drop was a reason for celebration.

“Thank you,” he said, blushing. “I love the work. But, I’m going to be late if I don’t get moving.” Grabbing his briefcase, he headed for the front door after giving Iris a deep kiss. His driver showed up every morning at eight A.M. promptly. Bruce had his own limo. We’d also discovered that he donated his entire salary to charity—mostly to the food banks and to the animal shelters—and lived off the family money.

Iris waved him off, then pushed herself out of the rocking chair. “I’m going out to the trailer for a nap. Hanna, hold down the fort for me.” Blowing a kiss to all of us, she headed out the back door.

I glanced over at the wards I’d set up on the house to make certain the crystals were still glowing clear. If they went off, we’d all know it, but it eased my mind to double-check, especially after a night like last night. Polishing off the last bite of toast, I carried my plate over to the sink, then turned around, leaning against the counter.

“I guess we should talk about what went down last night in the cemetery,” I started, but the phone rang, interrupting me.

Delilah picked up. After a few muffled answers, she hung up and motioned to me. “Hope you’re up for action, because Chase needs us.”

“Oh, crap. What now?”

“Another grave robbery—en masse—and another officer dead thanks to…well…something. He also mentioned concern about some missing witches.” She ran into the living room to gather her keys and purse. I was about to ask her how his ankle was doing, but the phone rang again. Trillian picked up and, after a moment, handed the receiver to me.