STORY EXCERPT

“What is that?” Fiero demanded.

Echo rolled his eyes. “This is Serenity. Be nice.”

“What?” Fiero asked indignantly. “I’m nice. When am I not nice?” He tilted his head to the side as Serenity hid herself behind Syx’s leg. “What is it?”

“Uh, Echo, can I talk to you in the living room for a minute?” Hex was looking at the child like she might sprout talons and claw his eyes out at any moment.

“Where did it come from?” Fiero asked when no one answered his first question. “It’s all small and squirmy.”

“You’re not being very nice,” Serenity chastised in a small but clear voice that carried around the room. “It’s not okay to call names.”

“Yeah,” Myst said through his chuckles as he elbowed Fiero in the ribs. “It’s not nice to be a dick.”

“Myst!” Hex barked. “Watch your mouth.”

“Oh, for fuck sakes.”

“That’s a bad word,” Serenity reprimanded again. “Why do you say bad words?”

“Because they’re all overgrown little boys with more testosterone than brains.” Echo doubted the girl understood anything he’d just said, but he received a small measure of satisfaction at all the glares aimed in his direction. “Don’t worry, princess. We’ll straighten them out.”

It took him a second to realize what he’d just said, and when he did, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to smile or groan. He was already calling the child by a pet name just minutes after meeting her. Did that mean he was already becoming attached?

“Echo,” Hex said again, “we really need to talk.”

“I’m a Watcher. Serenity needs watching. That’s as much as I know, and we can discuss it later.” There was nothing any of them could say that would change what had happened. Whether they liked it or not, Serenity was there to stay, and his mates might as well start wrapping their minds around it. “It was either this or I’d have to leave,” he added quietly so that only Hex could hear him. “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you first, but it was kind of a do-or-die thing.”

The alpha groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose as though he found Echo completely exasperating. “I believe that you didn’t have a choice, but we’re still going to talk about this. What the hell do we know about raising a kid?”

“You take care of me,” he countered.

“That’s not the same and you know it. You’re spoiled, but you could take care of yourself if you had to.” Hex glanced at Serenity and shook his head. “Gods, I didn’t know they made people that small.”

“She’s cute, though,” Eyce whispered, stepping in between them. He had a dopey grin on his face, and Echo thought he was going to melt into a pile of goo just from watching the big, bad warrior go all lovey over the girl. “She’s got spunk, too. She sure put Fiero in his place.”

Fiero and Onyx would be the true test, but Echo had little doubt that Serenity could win them over with nothing more than a smile. There was something about her, something that made Echo feel warm and peaceful just from being in her presence. Maybe it was her gift. “Do all demons have gifts?”

“Not all,” Hex answered slowly. “Are you saying she’s a demon?”

“That’s what Athena said. So, you can see why Mom chose us to watch over her.”

A high-pitched giggle erupted from across the room, and Echo watched in amazement as Myst used his telekinetic abilities to make Serenity’s doll dance across the floor. The little demon laughed and clapped her hands together, twirling around in circles to mimic her toy.

It appeared Syx, Myst, and Eyce were already smitten with the child. Onyx, Hex, and Vapre just looked terrified—which was kind of funny—and that only left Fiero. Echo didn’t know what the guy’s problem was, but he figured it was that same fear that gave some of the others reservations.

Having a little one in the house would be a big adjustment for everyone, but Echo knew there were worse things. Being separated from the men he loved was only the beginning of it. He could imagine the type of punishment the gods would come up with if he didn’t comply with their demands.

“So, are we going to eat or what?” Fiero demanded in his usual gruff demeanor.

Serenity jerked her head up as though she’d forgotten there were other people in the room besides her and Myst. Once she realized it was Fiero who had spoken, she grabbed her doll up from the floor and scurried back to Syx’s side, tucking herself behind his leg once more.

It broke Echo’s heart to see her so afraid, especially since he knew Fiero wasn’t nearly the asshole he made himself out to be. There was a soft, warm center beneath that rough exterior that few people ever got the chance to see.

This first meeting had actually gone better than he’d anticipated. Things would get easier once they settled into a rhythm. It wasn’t just an empty promise he told himself, either. Echo truly believed that something special was happening. He’d just yet to figure out what it was.

ADULT EXCERPT

The minute the door was closed, Vapre began stripping out of his clothes. They didn’t have a lot of time, and they’d have to be quiet, but his body thrummed with barely contained lust, and his dick was already hard enough to pound nails. He could hardly believe it had been a week since he’d had his hands on even one of his mates, and the urgency that coursed through his blood was almost scary.

Once he’d divested his clothing, he reached for Syx’s waistband, popping the button open and wrestling the denim down his muscular thighs. “Off,” he demanded in a hoarse growl before slanting their lips together and plunging his tongue inside to explore the depths of his lover’s warm mouth.

Hex rested on the edge of the tub, his head bent as Myst knelt between his legs and gripped the base of his thick cock. “That’s it, baby,” he encouraged. “Take it all. You know how I like it.”

The quiet command, though not directed at him, sent electricity along Vapre’s spine, and he tackled Syx to the wet floor, rolling him to his stomach as he kissed, licked, and nipped at the creamy skin that stretched tight over his flexing muscles. “Don’t move.”

“I got it,” Myst panted before Hex pushed his head back down, and he swallowed the demon’s cock to the back of his throat.

Vapre wasn’t sure what the guy meant until the medicine cabinet opened of its own accord, and a bottle of lube flew across the room to land in his waiting hand. “Nice,” he complimented in gratitude while he flicked open the lid and coated his pulsing length with the cool gel. “Lift your ass, gorgeous.”

Slipping only once on the wet tiles, Syx got his knees under him and arched his hips, presenting his ass with a quiet moan. “Hurry.”

Pushing into Syx’s quivering entrance with two fingers, Vapre made quick work of stretching the muscles. His entire body was trembling by the time he extracted the digits and lined up the tip of his cock, and he wasn’t sure how gentle he could be with his lover.

“Don’t need it,” Syx assured him, clearly reading the war raging between his head and body. “Give me all you got.”

Taking him at his word, Vapre surged forward, burying himself to the hilt in one swift plunge as a deep, feral growl rumbled through his chest. Snug, wet heat surrounded him, and Syx’s clenching channel sucked him in deeper, massaging his cock and pushing him dangerously close to the edge. “Fuck, it’s been too long.”

A chorus of agreement echoed around the room, accompanied by growls, grunts, and muffled moans. Pulling Myst’s head back by his hair, Hex eased his cock from the man’s mouth and stood, ushering Myst across the room and pushing him to his knees by asserting pressure to his shoulder.

Grabbing the plastic bottle from the floor, Vapre passed it to his alpha with shaking hands. Rolling his hips, he thrust slowly, trying to get himself under control while he waited to see what Hex had planned. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he nearly came right there on the spot when Myst grabbed Syx by the chin and fed his engorged length between the demon’s lips.

“Oh, gods,” Myst groaned. “I so fucking needed this.” Leaning forward, he beckoned Vapre to him, thrusting into Syx’s mouth as he captured Vapre’s lips in a demanding kiss.

The tight suction on his cock combined with the slippery tongue twining around his own was almost more than he could take. “Can’t,” he warned, unsure how much longer he’d be able to last.

“Shh,” Myst whispered. “Look at me. Look right here at me.”

He did, which turned out to be a horrible idea when that beautiful mixture of pleasure and pain covered Myst’s features as Hex rocked into him, pounding his ass with hard, primal thrusts. Abandoning eye contact, he fell forward to cover Syx’s back, winding one arm around his chest and using his other hand to fist his mate’s leaking prick, stroking the shaft in jerky, uncoordinated movements.

“You gonna come for me, babe, or you gonna make me work for it?”