Beginning of Chapter 33

Rue

Fucking Emperors.

Rue snarled, fingers on the syllabus, flipping through the pages, thumb snagging on the screen. The field trip was a part of the curriculum, a hands-on experience. An opportunity for Guides to reconsider their decision to continue this hallowed path. Not many understood the true consequences of what it meant to be a licensed Guide, and there were a handful of idiots like Rue who had only glimpsed the fame, money and presumed safety it would bring.

Stupid, stupid Rue.

In the fine print of page 173, graduating Guides had to tag along with the army throughout their curriculum. It was all part of the plan to coax enlistment, to tie stupid motherfuckers to a pack of Espers on the front lines. A so-called 'decent' exchange for years of blood, sweat and tears. Hakon couldn't control the rich bastards that flocked its halls, but they sure could nudge them towards a path of glory in the army.

So, the little outdoor adventure had been tailored, manipulated, and moulded. It should be a battlefield on an easy enough planet, a moderately dangerous hive that would spike interest in the Guides. A fight that should brainwash their minds to think guiding could be easy on the battleground. That the money, the fame and the prestige would be fucking amazing. Some just wanted a strong pack to fuck them and take them in forever.

And then fresh out of school, the idiots would sign away their lives for five to ten years. An effortless gambit for the royal army. Only now the emperors were tagging along with the newbies, like overkill insect repellent for the tiniest ant. And they were bringing all the attention to her.

"Is this normal?" She jabbed a finger on the list and turned to Theo with a squint.

"The emperors?" Theo raised a brow, a pause as if pondering. "No."

"Fucking knew it—"

"But they do have S-ranks for the occasional prodigy because this will be graded appropriately based on ranking." He regarded her then, a sweep of his single eye that settled on her with mock contempt. "I guess they thought you needed the experience. You could destroy the bell curve with your skills."

Rue gave him a pinched smile, Theo could be a bit of a jealous prick. "I don't fuck Espers. I'll get a C at best."

"You survived them," Theo told her. "I'll say a touch would be all anyone else needs."

"It still doesn't make sense for the emperors to take part in a stupid school trip."

The alien shrugged. "The monster hives have been getting worse. I'll say we're lucky to have them there."

The monsters.

It should be cruel to call them as such with aliens and foreign entities so commonplace in their universe. But these being were said to be demonic, to refuse communication, to lack the intelligence for more. They were mere beasts that plagued space and swarmed like pests. The hives would plant themselves upon the planets and descend upon the worlds, eating at the flesh of stars and drinking from the galaxies. They stole energy until all that was left was dust and destruction.

Those beasts were said to resemble insects with glossy-shelled heads, snapping teeth and twisting tendrils of floating ink-like wings. They flocked in buzzing groups, poisoning all, destroying everything. And it was only the Espers that could kill them, Espers like the seven with enough power to slice through their hides and shred their spines. And with the use of such abilities burning the fuel of their soul, the need for Guides would continue to grow.

Every week, the emperors were tasked with taking down colonies of monsters, and yet there never seemed to be an end. News claimed that the monsters were fucking too fast to be killed, but Rue tasted a lie running through those headlines. She could make one of the emperors tell her the truth, but truly, she had better things to think about than giving a shit about the universe's worst enemy.

She'd survive longer staying far away from those demons.

But it was ridiculous for the seven to be there as high-positioned officials, and she made her opinion known bursting into their dormitory after class. The emperors were drawing too much attention to her, putting her name on the news, on the boards, in the eyes of their people. It felt like a fucking trap to chain her down.

"Do you have to take part in my field trip?" She'd snapped out in a rush, all wrung up, all angry. But her words faltered then, regarding the two before her with stumbling steps.

Kieran sat on the couch, bare-chested sunny gold, every ligament and muscle strained tight, pecs flexing, sweat glistening, body all swathed in his eternal glow. Gorgeous, of course. And then Levi, between his thighs, knelt with his face in his abs like some slut, inky locks tugged on by a straining Kieran. She should be used to their horny shit, if not for Levi's tonguing at the long gash that ran from Kieran's belly to the dusty curls at his groin, blood dripping down his happy trail and soaking the seat.

It was a horrible, horrible wound that revealed sinews, that bubbled a sparkling fountain of light — Kieran's blood.

"Rue," Kieran chirped like that shit was normal, voice all whiny. A hand to his lips, looking debauched, pleading pretty, leaned back to flex and puff like a pigeon preening for its mate. Levi continued, like a cat with milk at his wounds, but his shoulders stiffened, and his inhales grew deeper. "Let me scent you."

"Kieran, what the fuck happened?" Rue gaped.

"He was careless," Levi answered between Kieran's thighs, mouth noisily and suspiciously full. Still buried, still deep in the healing. "Monster almost chopped off his fucking dick. Had to lick it back into place."

"You're crazy," she snapped, stepping close because they had a deal, because her mom was in the best hospital in the world receiving new organs monthly, and because she was paid for this.

She ignored the swell of concern growing plump in her chest, the worry when her eyes fixated on the chasm in Kieran's belly. But Kieran took her wrist before she could even consider her vexation. And he nosed at her pulse, inhaling as if she smelt so fucking good that his eyes had to roll back like he was going to cum.

Kieran moaned. "Mm, dick's still working."

Levi snorted then, a muffled response with his lips to his pubes, cheeks bulging from a prodding too-long cock. He spoke around Kieran like a skilled whore, and the helios shuddered against her, hips jerking. "Like it, don't you? Me sucking you off while our forbidden fruit hangs low before you."

Rue grimaced, now noticing the truth with the proximity to the two. The disappearance of cock so deep in Levi's throat it was almost disgusting— the way it bulged at the Adam's apple of his throat, the way he swallowed around it. "Quit it."

"Yes, princess." Levi popped off with one last long, noisy suck, gaze unwavering on her, eyes all molten fire. Lips red, eyes all cat-like coy, a devilishly handsome smirk growing on his gorgeous face. A wet smack from his release had Kieran groaning, dick slapping against his thighs, shaft all slick, head purple from the strain. Rue looked away with a flushed scowl.

"Put your dick away."

Kieran sighed, disappointed, but with his lips on her fingers and still kissing her palm, his lashes fluttered, all drowsy, all drunk. A snap of the waistband of his pants and she was turning back to look at him. "Blue balled."

And Levi stood now to inch fingers around her waist, scooping her closer for his own hit of her smell. Her body trembled, gasp spilling as he pressed a nose to her nape, always more open to lips to her throat, always so much closer to claiming with his incisors tracing her glands. Her legs quivered, and she tried to hold it all in with a hasty struggle, knees locking. Kieran's smile seemed to grow when her lower belly grew warmer with heat.

Pervert. It was only luck that she had the mint up her nose from a day of school.

Rue turned her head away from Levi. "Don't want to smell your dick cheese breath."

The hades laughed. "You're the one that used to smear rotting semen all over your neck." Rue squirmed at that, lost for words. "And Kieran has excellent hygiene."

Kieran nodded eagerly. "It comes with the Poseidon mate. Life on the battlefield keeps you yearning for cleanliness."

"And your field trip," Levi murmured to her earlobe, lips nibbling, voice low, raspy and dangerously seductive. "Just so happened to be a couple of miles from our next mission."

Rue glared but allowed them to pepper her skin with kisses. "Fantastic."

Kieran shrugged, tongue now flicking out to lick at the web between her fingers. The pink muscle straining so hard, she could see his damn uvula. A blush dusted her cheeks. Fucking obscene little shit. "Your professor needed volunteers, so we volunteered."

Levi nodded. "Community service."

"Increases morale," Kieran chimed in happily.

"Fantastic popularity boost."

Rue growled. "And an utter waste of manpower."

Levi chuckled, breath hot on her nape now painted wet and warm from his tender sucking. Her body squeezed, pussy all wet and drooling, just a little dizzy. His nose dragged over the swell of her cheek, heat all-encompassing. "On paper, it's just one of us, darling. But I suppose you might see all seven."

"Fuck."

Kieran's eyes widened then, all innocent, all false pretence. "Could I please have the chance to be the first one between your thighs? I'll go all out and come back just crazy enough to need a bit more than your taste."

Rue pinched at his bottom lip, nail digging into flesh. "No intercourse until I want you. And I don't want you."

Or at least until her Heat arrived again and she couldn't escape the need to fuck an Alpha. Rue narrowed her eyes. For now, she dangled it before them like a carrot for seven donkeys, and it seemed a good enough motivation for the boys to play nice and listen to her words. Only sometimes, she wondered if she were the donkey, and they were the ones dangling their fucking carrots.

Rue blanched at that, concealing her loss of composure with a grimace.

"I didn't say anything about sex," Kieran tilted his head, running fingers through his hair, combed back all sexy. "I just wanted to fuck your thighs after a good fight." His voice dipped into a sweet little purr. His light sparkled, flickering over his skin. "What do you think?" She snapped her legs shut tighter.

"No."

"Hands?"

"Don't be goddamn disgusting."

"You let Levi fuck your fist, it's not fair."

"That was different." Rue shot him a glare, and that only elicited a quiver that tingled through him. A dangerous little groan, he didn't seem to care that blood continued dribbling down his chest, that he wasn't sufficiently healed and continued weeping blood. "You treated me better when you thought I had a penis."

"How so?"

"You'd ask and give me the option to say no. You used to be embarrassed. I could tease you. Fuck!"

"You could try to control my light if you really wanted to," Kieran told her, a sudden drop in his cheery tone that had her staring at him confused. Then his smile lifted, sparks flying. "This is my payback," Kieran pointed out, raising a brow, cheeks coloured a brighter red. "Besides, you can command me to leave. And I've gotten used to how I feel about you, I understand myself now. I understand that I want you. I understand that I need you. You should accept it that you want me to."

"Fuck you."