The Beckoning of Bravelicious Things (The Beckoning Series Book 3) Read online

  “All you think about is your dick.”

  “Don’t you?”

  Armando shakes his head.

  The door pops open again and Nurse Ratched sticks her head in. “Thirty seconds.”

  “We’re done,” Armando says, waving his good hand at the three goons. “Get your asses out of here.”

  A high pitched, vicious scream comes out of the viewing device, followed by a loud growl.

  “Shit,” Armando says. “The Annihilator took that poor bastard’s meal.” He chuckles.

  They all glance at the screen, watching as the Annihilator tears at the remains of the Maimer, the Shredders and other beasts a good distance away.

  “No one messes with an Annihilator,” Freddy comments.

  “No one with a lick of sense,” the Schemer says.

  “Such a pity. I plan on immobilizing my son and feeding him to that very creature. Such a shame. He’ll be consumed by his own world.” He reaches for another smoke. “Light this for me and let yourselves out. We’ll meet again in three days.”

  Chapter 18

  “I feel cheated,” River says, coming up behind me in the kitchen. He nuzzles my ear and wraps an arm around me.

  “Cheated how?” I say, reaching for a strip of bacon from a plate on the counter.

  “I still want to slip inside your pussy and fuck you long and hard,” he growls softly. “Daniel might be the boss dog, but still…”

  My body surges with light. Damn.

  “Whatever you just said that made her body respond like that…it might be arranged,” Daniel says, swaggering into the kitchen. “Marissa, leave that to Karen. I want you out here, with me, in the dining room.”

  “Yes, master,” I mumble under my breath, slipping from beneath River’s embrace. “We’ll see what we can do,” I whisper to him. “I want that, too.” Actually, I’m not the least upset. I’m in heaven. Last night was incredible. If Daniel needs to be the boss dog and I get to experience that kind of loving on a regular basis, I’m in. I suspect we’re all in. We’ve all been in a good mood since we awoke.

  I saunter into the dining room. Rafe’s sitting at the table drinking coffee, munching on whole grain toast. He’s already devoured the six egg omelet Karen made him. “Morning, darlin’.”

  “Good morning,” I say, giving him a warm smile. I settle next to Daniel as River steps into the room. “What’s the plan today?”

  “You tell us,” Daniel says, reaching for a pitcher of cream. He pours some into his coffee, then picks up a silver spoon and stirs.

  “Why me? I thought you were in charge.” I pour tea into my mug.

  “Only in some things,” he says, sliding his warm palm up my inner thigh. “This is your gig, remember?” He brings the dark brew to his lips and slurps.

  “Yeah, boss. What do you have in mind for training?” Rafe asks.

  “Well,” I say thoughtfully, taking a sip of tea. “I hadn’t given it much thought.”

  “You’d best start doing that—we’ve got three days left,” River says. He sits on the opposite side of the table from me.

  “Hmm,” I say, stroking my mouth with a fingertip. I glance at River, who’s watching me, hungrily.

  He lifts the syrup, pouring it on his waffles without paying attention.

  “You going to drown that thing or eat it?” Daniel asks.

  River catches himself, jerks the syrup container upright, and sets it on the table. “Shit.”

  “She’s not going anywhere,” Daniel says. “And we have a lot to do today, wouldn’t you agree, dulzura?”

  “Right,” I say, nodding my head. Someone feels smug today, I’d say.

  Daniel squeezes my leg and smiles at me. Got what I wanted. You’re happy, the guys are happy…

  What about you? I wrap my fingers around his hand.

  I’m happy you’re happy. That’s my job—to make sure you’re content, safe, protected and sexually satisfied…as well as mine.

  I bite my lip in response, looking at him through my lashes.

  “You two doing that mind meld thing again?” Rafe asks, standing. He gathers his plate and mug.

  “What’s the mind meld thing?” River asks.

  “I’ll tell you later.” Rafe hands the plates to Karen, who’s hustled into the room.

  “Let me take that, sir. Please. Sit.” She grabs the plates and hurries from the room. “You’ve all been in my hair this morning.”

  Sober trots into the room, licking kibble from his chin. He shakes, wanders over to me, and puts his head in my lap.

  “I’ve got it!” I say. “How about we include Sober in our training today?”

  “How so?” Daniel responds. He stabs a slice of ham from the serving dish in the center of the table and places it on his plate.

  “You’ve been working with him on his stealth creep, right?”

  “Right.” Daniel picks up his knife and slices the ham into bite sized bits.

  “And you’ve been schooling him in his lookout skills, right, Rafe?”

  “Roger that.” He takes a toothpick out of the holder and sticks it between his teeth, folding his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair.

  Damn that man is sexy. All of them.

  Focus, cariño.

  I shake my head. “So let’s take him to the outcropping in the hills at Tom’s…one of you will put on the bite suit and hide. That will be you, River.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “You’ll go into stealth mode, Rafe, and be the magic decoy for Sober to detect. Dazzle us. Daniel and I will remain with the pup, coaching him in the skills to recognize when magic in the form of danger is upon us.”

  “Your dog doesn’t strike me as aggressive, Marissa,” River says.

  “He’s not usually. But when he’s in Demon Slayer mode, he’s a force to be reckoned with. It’s like something emerges in him that he keeps locked inside until he needs it. And, now that he has his wings, I’ve seen him practicing Beelzebub maneuvers.”

  “Sounds like a good plan, Marissa. We’ll all need to have a game plan, even Sober.” He tosses a piece of ham at Sober who catches it mid-air, swallowing the tasty morsel.

  “That only teaches him to beg,” I say.

  “Not with me, it doesn’t.” Daniel says.

  As if on cue, Sober wanders up to Daniel, tail wagging, nose sniffing.

  “See?” I say.

  Daniel bares his teeth and growls.

  Sober backs away, tail between his legs.

  Rafe laughs. “Still a dick,” he says, but he says it with something like affection.

  Daniel smiles at him. “Takes one to know one.”

  “Okay,” I say decisively. I can get used to being in charge. “Let’s finish our breakfast and head to Tom’s.”

  A couple of hours later we’re gathered in the foothills outside Tom’s property. Tom and Betty are out shopping. Buster’s riding in the car with them.

  River’s wearing the bright blue bite suit, looking every bit the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. He and Rafe have snuck off somewhere, blending into the shadows of Warplandia.

  “Sit,” I tell Sober.

  He sits.

  Daniel gently grasps his muzzle and looks into his golden brown eyes.

  “What are you telling him?” I ask.

  “Shhh,” Daniel says. “This is important.”

  Sober paws the earth.

  “Okay, he’s got it. Let’s get down on our bellies, love.”

  We all lay down on our tummies. Sober’s lying next to us, alert, his wings spread out along his back, at the ready.

  Sober bares his teeth.

  “Okay,” Daniel whispers. “Danger’s coming. Can you feel it?”

  Sure enough, little stabs of fear prickle my consciousness. My mind ripples with goose flesh.

  Sober lets out a low, ominous growl.

  “Good, boy,” Daniel hisses. “We’re on it.”

  The growl vibrates in his canine throat.

 
Daniel makes a gesture with his hand and Sober belly crawls up the rise. Daniel and I follow. The air is still, ripe and pregnant with tension. All bird sound has ceased. The woods are completely still. We crawl stealthily, inches at a time.

  To our right, a flash bang grenade detonates with a sharp, loud bang, blinding us momentarily.

  Confused, bewildered, Sober yips and leaps out of the way, while River jumps out of the Shadow Lands from the left. Sober turns to attack him but he’s too late. River has pinned his neck and secured him on his side on the forest floor in two seconds flat.

  “Too slow, mutt,” Daniel says. “You got spanked. Release him.”

  River lets go and Sober scrambles to his feet, trotting up to Daniel, tail between his legs.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Daniel tells him, patting his head. “Good decoy, Rafe,” he calls to the invisible Stealth Numen. “Marissa, you give Sober the signals this time. Maybe he’ll do better with you in charge. Everyone, back to your places.”

  The three of us retreat down the hill, blinking, trying to regain sight, while River fades from view.

  This time I grasp Sober’s muzzle and look into his eyes. You can do this, Sober. You’re a Demon Slayer. All senses on the alert, especially your decoy detector.

  He wags his tail with confidence and paws the soil.

  “Bellies,” I whisper. We all fall to our tummies. “Stealth,” I say, and give the hand gesture.

  Sober gives a deep guttural growl as magic fills the air. He belly crawls up the ridge where the magic seems the strongest.

  A string of firecrackers bursts behind us, popping and crackling. Sober whirls, disoriented for the slightest moment, before spying River springing from the trees in front of us. This time, my dog unleashes his Demon Slayer, leaps with his wings propelling him skyward, and lands fangs first on River’s arm. He shakes his head back and forth, tearing viciously at the padded suit around River’s forearm. River falls backwards, carrying the dog with him, in his own canine berserker mode.

  “Release,” I yell. “Release.” Sober’s in badass attack dog mode, barely registering I’m here. I race up to him and grab his collar. “Release!”

  Sober lets go. He’s panting but seems proud.

  “Good, boy!!” I pat his head as he wags furiously.

  “Damn, you were right,” River says, sitting up and pulling off his mask. “If I didn’t have this suit on, I would’ve had to use my own skills.”

  “Right,” I say, calming my dog. “About that. What kinds of things can you do besides make someone go into hypothermia?” I lift an eyebrow.

  River gives me a stern look. “I was as gentle as can be with the Stealth Numen. I’ve boiled beasts to death before with thought and intention. Ask your soul bound lover.”

  I frown and look at Daniel. “What’s he talking about?”

  “It was a long time ago,” Daniel says dismissively. “I paid him a visit, is all.”

  “Doesn’t sound like that’s all.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Everything’s resolved.”

  I look between the two men suspiciously.

  “It’s a guy thing, Marissa,” River says. “Chest thumping and all that. Let it go.”

  “Okay. Done. Rafe!” I call. I can pry into Daniel’s actions later.

  Rafe shimmers into view, stepping out of Warplandia.

  “Over here,” I say. “Let’s huddle.”

  “Yes, boss,” he says, stepping crisply to my side.

  “Let’s work some more with Sober while the skill is fresh in his mind. But first, let’s go over weaknesses. I need to know what all your weaknesses are.”

  “Besides you?” River says with a smirk.

  “We’re all each other’s weakness as well as each other’s strength. We’d die to protect one another, am I right?”

  They each murmur their assent.

  “Okay, I know what yours is, Rafe. You go berserk if you don’t get physical contact and you want to kill me if you go berserk. Definite liability.”

  “I’ll be there to handle that,” River says.

  “Only until I master it,” Rafe says with a frown. “It’s my responsibility to master.”

  “And it’s mine to help,” River says coolly.

  “Moving on,” I say decisively.

  Daniel gives me one of the warmest, brightest smiles I’ve ever seen. Proud of you, dulzura.

  Thank you. “River, what’s your weak spot? Where’s your vulnerability?”

  River shifts uncomfortably side to side.

  “Spill it. We’re allies here. We need to rely on each other’s strengths, as well as protect each other where we’re most vulnerable.”

  He swallows. “Okay. Each time I use blood magic, I lose a few red blood cells. If I have enough recovery time, it’s no big deal. If I don’t or if I’ve lost too many, I can get a host of exotic illnesses attacking my system.”

  I frown. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  He shrugs. “It comes with the territory. I deal.”

  I turn my attention to Daniel. “And you, lover boy, besides being bossy?” I give him a sweet smile.

  He scoffs. “I’d rather not say.”

  “I’d rather your father wasn’t after us, but big fucking deal.”

  “Oooh,” Rafe says. “You are turning into a badass babe.”

  Daniel’s face lines with frustration. “I’m not saying, Marissa. We all have strengths and liabilities and I prefer to keep mine close to my chest.”

  I cross my arms over my breasts and study him. You’re afraid you’ll be consumed by your own power, aren’t you. Afraid you’ll cross some indistinguishable line and won’t be able to recover.

  He scowls and turns away, letting me know I’m right on the money.

  I nod.

  “Mind meld again,” Rafe says to River. “I’ll fill you in at lunch.”

  “Okay, that gives us all a better picture of where we’re at,” I say.

  “What about you, love?” River asks.

  “Oh, she’s got a temper,” Daniel says.

  “Yeah,” I scoff. “That and insecurity are my demons. Overkill or underwhelm. I’ve been working on mastering both.”

  “Well,” Rafe says, “we’ll have plenty of practice out there, I’m sure.”

  “No doubt,” I say. I turn to my dog. “Ready for more training, pup?”

  He wags in agreement.

  “He says he’s ready to go,” I tell the boys. “Gentlemen, take your places. We need to make our training count. This is the fine tuning we’ll need. We’re only a couple days away from heading into the unknown.”

  “Roger that,” Rafe says, stepping into his blurred world.

  “You got it, boss,” River says, joining him.

  “See what loads of super loving sex can do for me?” I say to Daniel when they’ve disappeared.

  “I do indeed, cariño,” he says with a grin. “Shall we proceed?” He places his arm around my shoulders and gives me a squeeze. “Oh, and make sure you give River a whirl before we go, will you? Fool’s going to be a serious liability of he doesn’t get you all to himself.” He shakes his head.

  “What, so now I’m the team amusement park ride?” I quip.

  “Don’t you want him?”

  I nod, shyly.

  “If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

  My generous, generous soul bound lover…

  Chapter 19

  The last few days were brutal. We trained, practiced, trained more, each of us—even Sober—getting his or her skills solid.

  We left this morning at 5 a.m. and we’ve zipped past mountains and streams, small towns, and beautiful forests as we head toward Mt. Spokane State Park in eastern Washington. We’ve all checked, re-checked, and double-checked our supplies. Tom and Betty insisted on driving us to the portal, so away we went, packed in the old Ford van that Tom keeps “for things like this,” or so he says.

  “You’re sure that’s the right place to enter,” I sa
y. “Mt. Spokane.” I’m in the middle seat with Daniel. Since this is an oversized van, the seat’s been pushed back, leaving generous room for Sober, who’s on the floor by our feet. Rafe and River sit behind us.

  “Yep,” says Tom. He slows the van to round a bend.

  “Tom’s right,” Betty says, stroking the transparent fur of her Chihuahua resting in her lap.

  “Absolutely positive?” I ask.

  “Marissa, I know the Shadow Lands. I know it better than this reality,” Rafe says, pointing to the flatlands and grassy fields we’re whizzing through. “If you can’t trust me, who can you trust?”

  Daniel leans over, grasps my hand, squeezes my fingers, and draws them away from my gnawing teeth. His mouth next to my ear, he says, “Leave at least a little nail, dulzura. I like when you draw them down my back when I’m inside you.”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  His hand lands on my thigh. “And stop with the sewing machine leg, amorcito.”

  “Crap, sorry, sorry.”

  River leans forward and massages my shoulders with his large hands. “We’re going to protect you, love.”

  He’s feeling content from our lovemaking last night. Rafe and Daniel went into town to shop for supplies and share a beer or two, leaving me and River to, um…well, get reacquainted. It was fabulous. Such a passionate, loving man. And the size of his…I close my eyes for a second, swallowed up in the memory of River moving inside me. So tender. So intense. It was like making love to a volcano. I’m now saturated with the essence of my three males. You’d think I’d be calm.

  “Here’s a little something Buddy wants you to have,” Betty says, leaning over the front seat to hand me a package. It’s wrapped in brown paper with tiny paw prints stamped on it.

  “How do you get a ghost dog to make a paw print?”

  “I already told you—mind what you say about him,” she says, putting her hands over his pint sized ears. “We had a plaster mold made before he crossed,” she whispers.

  “Well, tell him thanks,” I say, tugging at the twine.

  “He can hear you good enough,” she says. “Can’t you, my little champion,” she coos.

  “I thought I was your champion?” Tom says, looking askance at her.

  “You’re my big stallion,” she says. “Big difference. And he’s a dog, don’t forget. You’re a man—my man.”