Lugh and Flynn stayed out of the dead zone this time. They still came into the house with me. Flynn offered to help me move a dead bird of paradise’s pot into place, but the plant floated across the room when I glanced at it. Then they waited in the kitchen. They’d be close enough if I needed help, but they wouldn’t get blinded by the magic again. I’d expected more of a fight. Maybe they would have if not for how things bent to my will. The car and house doors opened in anticipation of my path. I hoped it didn’t scare them as much as it did me.
When I’d absorbed Peter’s magic, I had more control as I continuously used the magic to lure the demon to me. This time the power leaked out of me as if it couldn’t hold back. The little conveniences didn’t even skim off the top of what I had left, though. The need to release the rest of the magic built by the second. As soon as the kitchen door closed, I poured the magic into the room, concentrating on my intention to heal the dead zone. As the power drained out of me, my muscles relaxed. The dome of light encompassed me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Once the light faded, fatigue set in. It wasn’t the worrisome exhaustion I’d been dealing with since fighting the demon, though. It felt like the natural enervation after a long day.
Lugh hugged me when I joined them in the kitchen. I leaned on him as we walked back to the car. I could’ve made the walk alone, but the physical contact felt good. He rubbed between my shoulders as we walked. I rested my head on his shoulder once we piled into the truck. The drive back to their apartment passed quickly as I drifted closer to sleep. Flynn took over as my leaning post when we got out. Lugh levitated the two large pots we’d commandeered from the former dead zones. An excited shine filled his eyes when he looked at them. Like the fae in the park, he must have felt that these plants transformed into something new during the purification spell.
“How are you feeling?” Flynn asked as we sank down to the couch.
“Almost normal,” I told him.
“Almost?” Flynn asked.
“I’m tired, but not unnaturally so,” I clarified.
“So we don’t need to do any more potion experiments?” Lugh asked.
“I don’t think so. It’s like that magic hit the reset button for me or something,” I answered.
“That’s good,” Flynn said, rubbing down my shoulder to my biceps and back up.
“So it’s over now, right?” Lugh asked. “Smith is dead. We have his research. And you’ve fixed the dead zones.”
“I think so,” I said. Smith’s mentor was still out there somewhere, but I couldn’t take on that responsibility. As long as he didn’t return to Minneapolis and pick up where his student left off, I’d rather not encounter another demon summoner in this lifetime.
“Are you going to stay with the DPI?” Flynn asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said. The Bentons couldn’t pressure me to stay once I paid them off. But Boone might not let me go so easily. Despite my distrust of the larger organization, I didn’t know that I actually wanted to leave. If I stayed, I could make a difference there.
“I thought you’d only joined up to find Peter’s killer?” Lugh asked.
“That was the plan. Is it crazy to stay? It’s not like picking up odd jobs brought me much stability,” I said.
“It’s not crazy. I wouldn’t trust them wholesale, but if you keep doing this kind of work with them, you could help a lot of people,” Flynn said.
“And you don’t have to decide right now just because you closed Peter’s case,” Lugh added.
“Yeah, that’s true,” I agreed. “Thanks, guys.”
“Of course,” Flynn said casually.
“No, seriously, I couldn’t have done this without you two.”
“Remember that next time you try to talk us out of helping you,” Lugh quipped.
“I’ll try,” I relented.
Flynn gently turned my face toward his. “You’re important to us.”
I kissed him softly and felt the spark of his magic. He wanted more. We pressed into each other harder. Lugh’s tongue slid up my neck and then along my jaw before he interrupted Flynn. I turned to return his kiss. Flynn’s lips moved down Lugh’s neck, and he moaned against my mouth. I unbuttoned Lugh’s shirt. Flynn and I worked our way down Lugh’s torso. I pulled down his pants and boxers together. His fingers tangled in my hair as I took him in my mouth. Flynn undressed while I occupied Lugh.
Lugh pulled me toward his lips again, and I ran my tongue up his skin along the way. As we kissed, Flynn unzipped my pants and pulled them down. His hands ran up my inner thighs, then spread my cheeks. Warm, wet strokes flicked across my hole, making my legs wobble. I lowered my knees to the couch, straddling Lugh in the process, before I collapsed from the pleasure. Flynn slipped a wet finger in as he continued to rim me. I broke off my kiss with Lugh and arched my back at the sensation. Lugh took the opportunity to pull my shirt over my head. I returned to kissing him as I relaxed around Flynn’s finger.
A second finger glided into me, and I moaned. I needed more. I rode his fingers, showing my urgency. Flynn’s other hand reached between Lugh and me. He lubed Lugh’s dick and then guided me down onto it. Lugh and I moaned as we kept kissing. I held still as I adjusted to the new girth, then slowly rose and fell, drawing more pleasurable groans. Flynn climbed onto the couch, sitting on the back next to Lugh’s head. I broke away from our kiss and sucked Flynn with the same rhythm I used to ride Lugh.
Lugh’s lips moved down my neck until he bit my shoulder. His teeth and tongue marked me, and I hummed around Flynn’s shaft to encourage him. Lugh reached between us and gripped my cock. He didn’t need to stroke. My movement let me create the necessary friction. I didn’t last long. Their simultaneous stimulation in my mouth and ass turned me on so much that I came after a few thrusts in Lugh’s grip. My ass muscles tightened with my orgasm. Lugh grabbed my hips and pulled me down, bursting as he sheathed himself as deep as he could inside me. I added a hand to Flynn’s shaft and moved my mouth faster on the tip until he warned me how close he was. I massaged the soft skin under his balls with my other hand, pushing him over the edge. A powerful groan tore out of his throat as salty spurts filled my mouth.
We showered together and got into bed naked. I drifted off, sandwiched between them. The comfort of their skin on mine kept away any dreams.