Angelic Union (15 page)

“I agree with Levi. I want a tattoo, too. We’ll wear the bands, but we want the tattoos as well.”

“For the love of the Creator, you two! Why are you being so stubborn?” Axis asked in exasperation.

“Because they’re our mates and they want to stand with us and not behind us,” Marius said. He’d been the first one in the chair, shirtless with his wings out, waiting for the tattooing to commence. “Let them get our marks on them. This isn’t a bind between guardians and their consorts. This is between Elites and their consorts. We can buck convention a bit, can’t we?”

Axis’s frown just deepened. “Spoiled. You’ve spoiled our mates rotten.”

Marius grinned unapologetically, the expression boyish in comparison to the other faces Mar had made before meeting the Elites. It’d been three days since Madigan’s visit, and Levi had been itching to have this done in time for their portrait session on Friday.

“We’re going to have to work on this being spoiled issue.” Axis sighed.

Hmph. We’ll see about that.
Levi knew how to twist Erik and Marius around his finger. He looked at Brax, who was looking more than a little torn by the exchange. It looked like Brax wasn’t too far behind in falling into the give-Levi-what-he-wants club. He did a mental happy dance. It was good to be loved.
Wait, do they love me
?

The thought made him frown. They were his mates, so they had to care about him, but did they
really
like him or were they just tolerating him because he was destined to be theirs or whatever? Did it even matter?
Too much thinking. It makes my head hurt. It doesn’t
matter
. He’d wait on the I love yous from them. That would be
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something special, and it wouldn’t happen overnight even if the marriage did.
Two weddings in one week. I’m a lucky guy.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Axis. Let the little ones have their tattoos.

I like the idea of having our names in their skin.” Keer was unexpected help in the argument, but Levi would take it. He so deserved a reward for being awesome.

Erik’s nostrils flared.
Uh-oh.
Levi knew what that Latino temper was about to do. “Hey, bud, I didn’t ask you to take up for me, and for your 411, I am
not
little. I don’t need tall, dark, and purple-eyed to come to my rescue. I can handle Axis.”

Levi smothered a giggle.
Oh, boy
. Keer looked like he’d been slapped through his handsome face.

“Handle me?” Axis asked dryly, his lips twitching. “I’m twice as big as you and outweigh you by a good forty pounds. That’s not even including the fact that by angelic power standards you’re an infant and I’m a grown man.”

Erik pointed his finger in Axis’s face. “Honey”—that honorific was only reserved for when Marius had done something that meant Erik was about to flip his shit—“I hate to inform you, but I will kick your butt up one wall and down the other. Feel me?” He dissolved in a Spanish litany detailing all the ways he was going to put Axis in his place. Levi did giggle then.
Oh, boy
. They’d really got him going. As wound up as Erik was, it’d be midnight before they actually got to the ceremony.

With a groan of surrender, Axis crossed the distance between them and claimed Erik’s still-talking mouth in a kiss. He struggled at first but eventually relaxed underneath the sensual assault that the Elite commander had just leveled at him.

“Now why didn’t I think of that?” Marius asked, grinning.

Axis broke the kiss and gasped as Erik bit his bottom lip. “Fine. I give. You two can get our names on you.” Levi clapped his hands together happily, and Erik got this satisfied cat-that-ate-the-canary
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look on his face. “We’ll do the regular bonding ceremony first and then a part at the end for your tattoos. Okay?”

“Fine by me,” Levi said in a chipper tone.

“Me, too,” Erik echoed.

“Great. Now may we please get this show on the road? It takes forever to organize you guys.” The complaint was delivered with a smile. Levi had thought that his first wedding would be the happiest moment of his life, but he realized that this was probably going to be the best one ever. He’d finally found his peace, his protection, his men, and even though they’d met at different intervals, his family now felt complete.

* * * *

Keer had never in a million years thought he was going to mark his skin with anything other than cologne. He’d been surprised how right it had felt to be able to ink the names of his two new beloveds in his skin. He touched the tattoo beneath the white gauze pad as he waited for the last Elite, Axis, to get tattooed. He could already feel the bond running through him, soothing away the fear of rejection and loss with a magic older than time. His animal may have been satisfied by their physical union, but even it felt better once the magic settled onto his skin. It felt like coming home.

Levi and Erik had already stripped off their shirts and had the stenciled names applied to the center of their chests. The marks were going to look beautiful, and a fierce possessiveness filled him at the thought.
Mine. Ours
. Yep. He could already see himself falling hard for the two. His eyes went over to Marius. The surliest member of the threesome had evened out temperament-wise since his redemption.

He seemed much more content and lovable now than he had before.

There was gratitude where there had been resentment before. Keer was happy that they could take some of his burden. Their fallen mate
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had done so well protecting the nephilim over the past year, and he deserved a much-needed break to enjoy life.

Levi sidled up to him where he stood beside the doorway. “Keer?”

“Yes, little one?”

“Will you be the one who inks me? Erik wants Marius to do him, and since we have two of the gun-thingies, I thought you could do me.”

Tears sprain to Keer’s eyes. “Y–You want me to? Me? Why?” He’d figured that he’d get Brax to do it since they’d been so chummy with the video games lately. They’d even hooked up the giant flatscreen to an Xbox, Wii, and old Super Nintendo and had taken to playing it after dinner. Out of all of them, Brax was the one who seemed to make fast friends with the little nephilim.

“Yes.” The word was soft. “You know what I need.” Keer’s cock hardened at the thought. He did. He knew that when Levi said “no” and “too much” sometimes he meant that he was just getting to the place where he could fly into space. He understood Levi’s limits. “I won’t hurt you.”
I won’t hurt you in any way that you
don’t want me to, anyway
. Sexually, Keer had always been a little rougher than the other Elites. Levi was the yin to his yang.

Levi’s cornflower-blue eyes lifted to his. “I know.” Pleasure curled through his gut.

“Thank you, little one.”

“All finished,” Axis announced as the bandage was applied, and he was able to stand. “Grab another chair for Erik. Levi, sit here. Who do you want to do your tat?”

Levi linked their hands. “Keer said that he would do mine. I’d like that.”

His commander smiled. “Keer it is, then. Erik?”

“Marius,” Erik said instantly. “I want him to put your names in my skin so that he knows that he approved it.”
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Marius smirked. “Baby, I know I approved it. I put a ring on your finger a couple days ago. Let someone else ink up your skin. So long as my name is on the list, I’m content.”

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Keer was happy that Marius was finally letting them act like the lovers they were. At first Keer had been terrified that Marius would never come around. Axis had told them over and over that it would take time. Keer was just thrilled it only took a couple days and redemption to make Marius relax.

Erik only hesitated a bare moment. “Jade, will you…”

“You don’t even have to ask, hellcat.” Jade’s rumble of pleasure was filled with pride. It was strange how the most outspoken of the bunch was the one who’d bonded quickest with their quiet second-in-command.

Levi raced to the chair after it was wiped down and plopped down. Keer couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. He was so alive. So very alive in comparison to the rest of the world. Keer took up his place by the tattoo gun where the ink was as Axis set up the other machine for Jade’s use. He hoped that soon Axis would stop managing and start courting them. Despite the fact that he was openly encouraging the Elites to get to know and enjoy their new mates, he wasn’t really taking an active role in the process.

Keer dipped his needle tip in the inkwell and pressed a kiss to Levi’s forehead. The nephilim smiled up at him so sweetly that Keer fell a little bit more in love. He hadn’t done enough in his life to deserve this moment of happiness.

“It’s going to burn a bit,” Keer warned as the little needle started to move faster than his eye could see. He pulled the skin tight and applied the tip to the design. Axis’s name was at the top of the list as their commander and their ranks followed. He started in on the
A
.

Levi’s eyes widened as if he didn’t expect it, and then his mouth formed a puckered O.

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“You okay?”

Levi groaned and licked his lips. “Afterward I want you to fuck me, please.” Keer’s eyes flicked down Levi’s body and took in the cock straining against his denim. He resisted the urge to growl.

“Like that, sweetheart? Is it good for you?” Levi panted. “Hurts good. Finish, please.” He loved the way Levi said please. It was his magic word that got him everything, and Keer knew it.

The tattoo only took forty minutes, but to Keer it took forever as Levi panted and his hips swiveled as he tried to stay still under the pleasure/pain from the artwork. Sometime along the way Brax and Axis had gotten closer, and they, too, were as stimulated by Levi’s display as Keer was. As the last letter was completed and Keer used the solution to wipe down the tattoo of any additional ink, Levi let out a low moan of want.

“Want. Please.”

“Let me cover the tattoo, little one, and then you can have us.” He looked up at his fellow Elites. They wanted him badly. The naked want on his commander’s face was probably the sharpest though. He looked starved for attention, and Keer knew just how to give it to him.

He hastily applied the gauze. “Commander, why don’t you go first?

The little one needs someone to take control of his wants for a bit.”

“Yes!” Levi gasped, shimmying out of his blue jeans. “Right here.” He was trembling, and Keer had to reach down and squeeze his dick through his pants to keep from coming just at the sight. Naked, Levi was spread against the chair, his chest decorated with their names in swirling angelic script of protection. Though it wasn’t visible under the gauze, the knowledge that it was there was hot as hell. Keer had the sneaking suspicion that this would not be the last tattoo Levi wanted.

“Lube, Axis,” Brax said, handing their commander a small tube of the stuff. Axis hadn’t been the first to sate Levi before, and Keer knew he’d relish the experience.

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“Is this what you want?” Axis asked Levi, turning the smaller man’s chin so that he had to look at him.

“Yes. Oh, yes. Axis. Be with us. Please?”

It seemed that magic word worked with their commander as much as it worked with them. He groaned and popped the button off his pants in his haste to have them off. Keer sucked in a breath as his wonderfully thick cock was exposed to the warm air. Axis had the most gorgeous dick of anyone Keer had ever seen, and that was saying something considering that Keer had the privilege of having six other gorgeous male specimens as his mates. Axis’s arousal was made to be sucked.

“Let me slick you,” Keer said, snatching the lube from Axis’s fingers. “Brax, get Levi ready.”

“No problems there, Keer,” Brax said, dropping to his knees beside the chair and spreading Levi’s legs wide. “I want to taste your pretty ass, little one. Is that okay?”

“Fuck! Yes!” Mr. Monosyllable was back. Levi had to be enjoying himself. Brax wasted no time in devouring the hidden bit of flesh and using his hands to stretch Levi’s hole.

The sound of flesh smacking flesh drew Keer’s attention to the other chair. Erik must’ve enjoyed his tattoo as well because he was bent over it while Jade fucked him hard from behind and Marius shuttled in and out of the nephilim’s whimpering mouth.

Keer slicked his hand and reached for his commander’s cock.

Three firm strokes had Axis arching into the circle of Keer’s fist.

“Always wanted to jerk you like this, commander,” Keer admitted as he played with Axis’s hard flesh. It was so damn arousing to hold the length of his superior’s dick in his hands. He wanted to taste him, but he’d save that pleasure for another day.

Axis let out another low groan. “Yeah? You have fantastic hands, Keer. You, uh, gotta do this more often.”

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“Done.” Keer would agree to just about anything right now. All things considered, most of his reasoning capabilities had traveled the way of his blood, south.