Chapter Text
Nesta and Azriel navigated their way along frost-gilded streets toward the Palace of Thread and Jewels, coming to a stop outside a small shopfront.
Silver and gold jewellery glittered in the front window: simple rings, hoops, studs, and barbells; modest pieces, designed for—
“Right,” Nesta said. “This is what you meant by we have an appointment to make.”
Az smiled back at her as he led them into the shop, setting off a little bell above the door.
A blue-skinned lesser fae, adorned with a truly impressive array of piercings and tattoos, popped out from behind a screen.
With uncharacteristic familiarity, Azriel said, “Nes, meet Valyn. Val, this is Nesta.”
“Hello, Nesta,” the fae greeted warmly.
Nesta returned the greeting, and the smile. “Az has been here before, I take it?”
“He likes to pop in here every few years to add to the collection.”
“They’ve done almost every one of these,” Az said, running a finger along the rings in his ear.
Haven’t seen you in a while, though,” they said, eyes narrowing good-naturedly.
“Running out of room,” Az replied, his smile widening.
The two of them began debating the validity of that statement—foreign words like tragus and daith getting thrown around—Valyn seeming to be arguing that Az apparently had plenty of space left for more piercings.
Valyn’s skin, Nesta noted, seemed to shift slightly with the animated gestures they made as they spoke. Looking closely, she realised that what she’d initially thought were tattoos, were actually clusters of thousands of blue-black freckles, concentrated in certain areas to form swirling, organic designs. That, combined with the truly staggering number of piercings catching the light every time they moved, made it appear as if they were almost…flickering.
Nesta looked up to find Valyn’s eyes on her and Az’s entangled hands.
They shot her a charming, knowing smile. “Now, I like to mind my business—”
“No, you don’t,” Azriel interrupted.
“Okay, fine. I like to know everything about everyone. Therefore, I have to ask—why are you hand in hand with the High Lady’s sister?” They returned their gaze to Nesta. “Are you not mated to the Illyrian general?”
Azriel rolled his eyes fondly. “Val, you know his name is Cassian.”
The amusement in his voice was something she’d so rarely heard outside of their own home. Apparently, Az knew this fae well enough to have mentioned Cass before; a few times, by the sounds of things. He had to truly like this person, feel genuinely comfortable with them, to have done so.
These two were…friends.
She hadn’t realised he had friends, outside of their family.
“I am,” she answered, unable to help her smile as she gestured to Azriel. “This one is a recent addition.”
It was unexpected, the ease she felt around this fae. Usually, new people were something to tolerate until she could find a way to escape the situation. But Valyn had kind eyes, and an easy, affable disposition. And it certainly helped that Az—one of the most closed-off people she knew—was exchanging banter with them like it was nothing.
Their gaze flicked back to Azriel, brows raised. “Didn’t take you as one to get involved with a mated pair.”
“Not my fault,” he shot back readily, turning a grin on Nesta. “She and Cass played me right into their little trap—I was left with no choice, really.”
She and Cass…had done that.
“You’re missing a fairly important detail,” she pressed.
“We’re also mated,” he said, simply, proudly.
Valyn observed them. “Just her, or the gorgeous general, too?”
“Both,” he replied, his wings splaying slightly, in that way that meant a pleased shiver had just passed through him.
Valyn’s assessing gaze remained a moment longer.
“I don’t see you enough,” they grumbled. Valyn turned and walked behind the partition screen, gesturing for Nesta and Az to follow. “Come and sit. Are you still a coffee-even-in-the-afternoon person, Azriel?”
They were pulling mugs down from a cupboard, setting a kettle to boil over the small hearth fire.
“Yes,” Nesta answered for him, taking a seat in one of the chairs Valyn had waved an absentminded hand at.
They shook their head. “Bizarre habit. And now that I’ve said that, I’m hoping you’re a tea person, Nesta, for fear of having offended you.”
“I am,” she said reassuringly. “But it takes more than that to offend me, so you would’ve been fine either way.”
Valyn shot her a pleased grin over their shoulder, then went back to scooping tea leaves into a delicate porcelain pot. When the kettle started whistling, they reached in and just picked it up, seeming to take no mind to the boiling heat of the metal.
They caught her staring, and smiled wryly. “Lesser fae magic might not be as fancy as what all you High Fae get up to, but we still have a few tricks up our sleeves.”
“Oh, no, that’s not what I—”
“Don’t worry,” they said, smirking. “Takes more than that to offend me.”
“How do you do it?” she asked, then added quickly, “If it’s not rude to ask.”
“Not at all.”
They held up their hand so she could watch those dark freckles flow down their arm, concentrating so heavily over their palm, the entire thing turned a solid shade of midnight-blue.
“Oh,” she said a bit dumbly. “I thought I saw them moving before—assumed it was a trick of the light.”
“Nope,” they said, smiling that big, easy smile. “All me.”
“Reminds me of your shadows,” she said, turning to Az.
Said shadows made themselves known, moving slowly, drowsy in the cosy warmth of the room. Valyn brought over their drinks, setting mugs and milk and sugar alongside the pots of tea and coffee.
“That’s beautiful,” Nesta said, nodding at the teapot as they set it down on the low coffee table. It looked like a few of the mugs they had back at the House, had that same iridescent finish to it. “Can I ask where you got it?”
“Made it,” they shrugged. “Started as a hobby, turned into a bit of an obsession. Good way to keep my hands busy.”
They winked—a gesture Nesta wasn’t entirely sure how to interpret.
“Looks like our mugs at home,” she said to Az.
He hummed in agreement. “They were all gifts from Val, over the years.”
Valyn asked, incredulous, “You still have those?”
“Of course. They were gifts.”
“Can’t believe you kept them—they weren’t exactly my best work.” They turned to Nesta, speaking in hushed tones, as if Az wasn’t right there. “Gave him all my practice ones. Shocked they’re still in one piece, if I’m honest.”
Nesta couldn’t help her snort of laughter. But she was sincere when she said, “I find it hard to believe those were your practice pieces—they’re so well made.”
Another shrug. “Like I said, just a hobby. This—” they gestured around them at their shop “—is what I really love doing.”
The conversation paused as Valyn poured their drinks, asking after Nesta’s preference for milk and sugar, not needing to check with Az before stirring copious amounts of both into his coffee.
When they all had mugs warming their hands, Nesta broached, “So, I’m assuming Az told you what we want to get done?”
Valyn nodded, settling back into their chair, perfectly at ease.
“I have a few questions.”
Their posture stayed relaxed, even as their tone become notably more professional. “Ask away.”
“What’s the healing time?”
“For most fae, about a week or so. But there’s room on either side of that, depending on the thickness of the flesh being pierced, and an individual fae’s healing capacity.”
She nodded. “Can you talk us through the process?”
“I’ll clean the area, and mark either side to ensure we’re lined up properly. Then I’ll clamp the nipple, push the needle through, and follow that with the jewellery.”
Nesta took a sip of her tea, considering, wondering how much this was going to hurt. “Do you recommend anything in particular?”
“Steel,” they said. “Or gold, if you’re fancy. And you’ll want to go with a barbell while they’re healing—rings are far too likely to catch on your clothes. I’m happy to change it out though, once it’s healed, if that’s what you’d prefer.”
“I…hadn’t actually thought about it.”
“That’s fine. You’ve got plenty of time to think it over.”
Nesta nodded. “Good to know.”
Azriel asked, “When you say healed in a week, does that mean in the interim—”
“Outside of cleaning,” Valyn cut in firmly, “do not touch them before that week is up. Do not put your own hands on them, do not let your partners touch them, and, gods above, do not put mouths on them.”
“If we do?” Nesta asked.
Valyn levelled her with a somewhat unimpressed look. “Trust me when I say nothing is worth infected nipples. I’ve seen it happen, it is haunting.”
Nesta shuddered inwardly at the thought, suddenly very much amenable to Valyn’s suggestion, if it meant she never had to consider the concept of infected nipples ever again.
“Your body will take care of the healing, and things should go fine as long as you leave them alone. On that note,” they continued perkily, “do you have any other questions for me?”
She didn’t, and neither did Az. Their conversation turned to idle chatter as they finished their drinks.
Valyn was fascinated by the Valkyries, wanted to hear all about how Nesta and her friends had brought back those ancient warrior traditions.
Nesta found herself all too happy to launch into descriptions of her friends’ cunning and bravery, the progress that the priestesses were making, the overall success of her beloved Valkyries. She even told them bits and pieces from the Blood Rite, when they asked if she’d ever seen actual combat.
She barely realised that they’d been chatting for hours, until she happened to glance outside to find the sun sinking low behind the mountains.
“Gods,” she said apologetically, “we’ve taken up your entire afternoon.”
Valyn waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re a delight. And seeing this one—” they gestured to Az “—is a once-in-a-blue-moon treat.”
Azriel smirked. “A treat?”
Nesta and Valyn’s eye rolls were almost perfectly synched.
“Before you go,” they said, ignoring him, “come have a look at jewellery. See if anything catches your eye.”
Az took Nesta’s hand as they followed Valyn back through to the front of the shop.
They pulled two trays of jewellery from the front window display, bringing them over to the counter, laying them out for her and Az to look through. Neatly arranged were several different sets of rings and barbells, some made of simple metals, others ornate, adorned with precious gems.
Nesta skimmed over the entire selection, and kept coming back to a pair of plain, silver barbells, the metal matching what she already had in her ears.
Valyn followed her line of sight. “Those are what I’ll put in initially, so if they’re the ones you like, that makes things easy—I’ll only need to change them if you end up needing them downsized.”
“Is that likely to happen?” she asked.
“Depends. Case by case basis. I’ll get you to pop back when they’re healed, and I can let you know then.”
Nesta smiled gratefully, and turned to Az. “How about you? Anything standing out?”
“I like these,” he said, pointing at a set of delicate ball-closure rings.
She had a sudden, vivid vision of getting them between her teeth, tugging gently—what sounds could she get out of him like that? How easy would it be to make him come?
Her cheeks heated when he turned a knowing look her way, but she ignored it.
“I think those will look great,” she said, making sure her voice remained steady.
“Perfect,” Valyn said. “Decisive clients. I like that.”
They put the jewellery away and pulled out a large diary, flipping open to today’s date.
“When suits you?” they asked. “I’m fully booked this week, but I can fit you in from Wednesday next week.”
Azriel hesitated for just a moment. “They’re a gift…for Cass. His birthday is in a fortnight.”
Valyn didn’t miss a beat. “Earliest possible appointment next week then, so we can make sure they have enough time to heal before your boy’s birthday.”
They winked up at him.
Az sighed. “Thanks, Val.”
Valyn sent a mocking salute his way, noting down the date and time in their diary, then scrawling it onto a little card.
“Midday, next Wednesday,” they said, handing it to Az.
They walked around the counter to give Az a hug, then surprised Nesta by giving her one too. Even more surprising was how easily she returned it.
“It was lovely to meet you,” she told them.
“You too, Nesta.” They smiled. “I should’ve said before, but, congratulations to you both on your bonds. Mother-blessed, twice over.”
“Thank you. You might be the first person who hasn’t reacted with…outright shock.” She smiled, shaking her head a little. “Ourselves included.”
“Makes perfect sense to me.” They jerked their head at Az. “This one needs to be kept on his toes, otherwise he starts doing weird shit, like coming in three times in one week for more ear piercings.”
Azriel’s cheeks coloured. “It was a bad week,” he grumbled softly, not looking at either of them.
Through their laughter, she and Valyn said their final goodbyes to each other.
Az rolled his eyes, taking Nesta’s hand as they stepped back out onto the street. The sun had disappeared behind the mountains, those last vestiges of warm, golden light slowly fading into twilit evening. The lanterns and street lamps lining the walkways would soon flare to life, and the city would begin to glisten beneath the soft glow of thousands of faelights.
They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Nesta said softly, “I really like Valyn.”
“I’m glad,” he said, returning her smile. “I’d hoped you would.”
A few more beats of silence, then she asked, “Did you two ever…?”
“Once or twice.” He glanced at her. “Does that…bother you?”
“Of course not,” she said easily. She shot him a wry smile. “I was under no illusions that you were sleeping alone before me and Cass.”
He didn’t dignify that with an answer.
“So,” she continued, teasing him now, “you went to go get a piercing and ended up taking the hot piercer home?”
He smirked. “Hot?”
“I have eyes,” she said defensively.
Valyn was attractive; there was some otherworldly loveliness to them that was hard to look past—fully black eyes, pointed teeth, fingers tipped with glistening onyx talons; and their tongue, Nesta had noted when they’d spoken, was pointed, pierced down the middle three times. They were all features she was still growing accustomed to the mere existence of, and couldn’t help being…drawn in by.
“I think we’ve already established we have similar tastes,” she continued.
“If I didn’t know better Nes, I’d think you wanted to invite them home with us.”
She laughed, pulling him along. “Our bed is plenty crowded as it is. You and Cass, with your ridiculously big wings, taking up all the space.”
“I thought you liked our wings.”
She hummed noncommittally. “I suppose they’re alright.”
“People don’t usually put their mouths all over things that are just ‘alright’.”
Nesta ignored that, asking instead, “So, how did you meet Valyn?”
His smile dropped. The good humour in his voice was suddenly replaced with something far too melancholy for her liking.
“We met at Rita’s during… When Rhys was—while he was gone.”
Nesta squeezed his hand.
“Sorry,” she said regretfully. “I didn’t mean to…”
She trailed off, unsure how to finish the thought. I didn’t mean to ruin the mood? To inadvertently bring up some of the worst years of your life?
“No,” he said gently. “You couldn’t have known.”
He brought their joined hands up, kissing the back of hers, the bond humming between them. She managed a smile, that thread between them pulling taut before settling again, warm and golden in her chest, driving out some of that sadness.
“They were…a brightness, during that time,” he continued. “Kind and open, and…entirely separate from the bittersweetness of our floundering Inner Circle.”
“I’m glad you had someone like that,” she said softly.
His quick glance her way was somewhat apprehensive. “We only slept together a few times. Quickly realised we worked better as friends.”
“Az,” she said, fighting a smile, “I really don’t mind that you have a past. I’d find it stranger if you didn’t, to be honest.”
“Okay. Just—there’s no one else I’d go to for this—” he gestured vaguely at his chest. “But you’re owed the truth, especially if you’re to trust Val to do something so…intimate—”
“You trust them,” she said simply. “That’s plenty enough for me.”
“That easy?”
She shrugged. “You don’t warm to people unless you deem them worth it. I trust your judgement,” she reiterated. “And mine, obviously—I thought they were lovely.”
“Plus,” she continued, reaching up to run a finger along the rings lining his ear, “they’re responsible for these, which I’m very grateful for.”
He shuddered under her touch, and she laughed, pulling him to a stop for the simple joy of kissing him soundly. His moan seemed to startle even him, and they broke apart, looking around furtively, hoping no one had heard.
Coast clear, Nesta kissed him again, just for the hell of it. He was very warm, and his mouth felt very good.
“Take me home,” she breathed.
She wanted him to peel her out of all these damned layers, put that mouth on other parts of her body.
He…did not look as enthused as she felt.
“Everything alright?” she asked.
Frustration and regret warred on his face. “You are unbelievably tempting.”
“So…what’s the problem then?”
“I have a huge backlog of reports I need to sort through. I’ve been putting them off for days—I can’t any longer.”
“Oh,” she said, mood lifting once more. “We can work around that easy.”
“I really do need to get this done, Nes,” he insisted, sounding so regretful it was almost funny.
She smiled pleasantly at him. “I have no intention of getting in the way of that.”
Cassian arrived home well after dark, shaking snow from his wings and hair, sighing with relief when he entered the toasty warmth of the House.
There was still food laid out on the table, and he fixed himself a plate before going in search of his mates, eating bits and pieces with his hands as he went.
He found them both in Az’s office, Nes perched in Azriel’s lap while he went over what looked to be an extensive pile of reports.
They looked up when he entered, offering him pleased smiles.
“Hello, my loves,” Cassian said jovially, settling himself into one of the chairs before the desk.
He crossed an ankle over a knee, happily continuing to work through his dinner.
“I know you’ve heard of cutlery, Cass,” Nesta said sweetly. “I’ve seen you use it with relative proficiency, even.”
He grinned, wide and taunting, making a show of finishing his whole plate with his hands, dismissing Nesta’s pointed look of disgust.
Azriel, for the most part, ignored him, continuing to take down notes, comparing documents, the whole time keeping an arm securely around Nesta’s waist.
Nesta, though—she was watching him. Cassian tilted his head at her, setting his empty plate on the floor beside his chair.
“Had a good day, Nes?”
“Yes,” she said haughtily. “You?”
“Great day. Be even better if you came and said hi to me.”
“Hello, Cassian.”
“I don’t even get a kiss?”
She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Why not, Nes? Haven’t done something to upset you, have I?”
“No,” she replied, looking down her nose at him. “I just like it here.”
He couldn’t keep the laughter from his voice. “Oh, I’m sure you do.”
Cassian rose to his feet, navigating around the desk to stand beside them. He leaned his weight against it, making sure not to disturb Az’s reports.
Just because it would annoy both of them, he ignored Nes, instead dragging Az from his paperwork, kissing him deeply.
Azriel made an irritated noise, which didn’t really land, because at the same time, his tongue was meeting Cassian’s quite enthusiastically.
Az wrenched himself away, scowling at Cassian. “I’m busy.”
“I can tell,” Cassian replied.
Finally, he turned to Nes, who was also scowling at him.
“You been keeping him company, sweetheart?”
She scowled harder.
“I like your dress,” he informed her. “Great colour on you—brings out your eyes.”
He reached out, rubbing the fabric between his fingers. She tracked the movement closely.
“What would I find,” he mused, “if I were to pull this skirt up?”
His fingers grazed the laces down the front of her bodice.
Azriel, he noted with delight, was not writing so fervently anymore, seemed to perhaps have become a little distracted.
“Wanna hear my theory?” Cassian leaned in. “I think, under all that strategically laid fabric, you might have Az’s cock buried in your sweet little cunt.”
Nes, to her credit, barely moved. It was Azriel whose hips jerked, even as he kept pretending to work.
Cassian grinned, slowly dragging that fabric up Nesta’s legs. “Exactly how long have you been keeping him company, Nes?”
He’d been able to scent their arousal the moment he’d walked in the room. Now, as he pulled her skirt up to reveal where she was stretched around Az’s cock—dripping on it—that scent became absolutely intoxicating.
He spread her thighs further apart, draping them over either side of Azriel’s. Two of his fingers grazed over where they were joined, slipping in the wetness there. Finally, he got them both moaning, Nesta’s turning into a choked-off sound when he slid up to roughly circle her clit.
“How long, Nes?”
“Since we got home,” she admitted with a gasp.
He started circling tighter, faster. “And when was that?”
She glanced at the clock above the mantle. “Three hours ago.”
Cassian’s cock twitched where it was straining against the front of his pants. “Did he let you come?”
“Didn’t want to,” she panted, pushing against his fingers, grinding down onto Az’s cock. “Wanted him to keep me like this.”
“So you’ve been a really good girl for him, then?”
Azriel groaned, giving up the pretence of working, wrapping both his hands around her waist.
Cassian tilted Nes’ chin up. “Want to come now, sweetheart?”
She nodded helplessly, looking up at him with wide eyes.
“Ask nicely—”
“Please,” she gasped.
Cassian stood, towering over her, getting a fistful of her hair and pulling her head back so her gaze remained on him. His other hand kept working between her legs, faster and harder, making her moan his name.
“Fuck yourself on his cock, baby. Come all over him.”
He watched her thighs flex, her calves tense, as she raised herself up, reaching back to grasp the arm of the chair for leverage. Azriel’s grip on her waist looked almost punishing, which, knowing Nes, was probably getting her off even faster. It took about a minute of her bouncing on his cock to have her crying out, back bowing as she came around him.
He would never tire of that look on her face as she fell apart, the colour in her cheeks, the way her pulse fluttered, her plush mouth red and wet and open.
“Better?” he purred.
To his surprise, she shook her head.
“Wanted him to come inside me,” she all but whined.
He held up a finger, indicating for her to stay there.
Moving around to the other side of the desk, he began sorting Az’s reports into piles, gathering them out of the way.
The moment he had the desk cleared, Az had Nes over it, her skirt bunched roughly up to her waist.
Cassian retook his seat from earlier, settling in to watch his mates fuck against that unforgiving wooden surface.
Just like Nes, Azriel wasn’t going to last long; he was too worked up, had denied himself that release too long. His hand was tangled in her hair, pulling her head back, which meant she was maintaining unrelenting eye-contact with Cassian. Her fingers were scratching at the wood, trying to find purchase.
Slowly, tauntingly, Cassian unfastened his pants, freeing his cock so he could stroke it leisurely as he watched.
Nes moaned, pushing back onto Az, making him drive into her even harder, both of them getting louder the faster he moved.
“Feels so good getting fucked by that cock, right Nes? Stretches you so wide, thrusts so deep.” He twisted his hand up his shaft, grunting at the sensation of it. “You take him beautifully, sweetheart—that pretty cunt of yours is so greedy for it.”
“Fuck, Cass,” Azriel hissed, thrusting one final time before he was spilling inside her with a groan.
She whined when he pulled out, hips pressing back as if chasing that fullness.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Cassian beckoned. “Finish on my cock.”
Nes walked to him on shaky legs, settling her thighs astride his, sinking straight down onto him. The slide was so fucking easy, wet as she was with her own slick and Azriel’s come.
“Tired, baby? I’ll happily do all the work.” It was a challenge; she knew it as well as he did.
She braced her hands on his shoulders, using it as leverage to start riding him at a near brutal pace.
“That’s it,” he crooned. “Just like that, Nes, so fucking good—”
She started bouncing even harder.
“Do all the work,” she muttered angrily.
“What was that, love?”
“I said you’re an arrogant prick.”
He thrust up hard, startling a shout from her. “I think you like it, though.”
“I can—hold my own,” she said, defiant as she was able around her breathlessness.
He watched her move on him, her thighs flexing, muscles rippling in the low faelight. “Yeah, Nes. You can.”
“That being said,” he continued, “I don’t think you’re going to come from my cock alone.”
“I can use my own fingers,” she countered.
“Mmm, but I think you want mine.”
“Gods, you’re a pain in the ass,” Azriel said from behind them, still sprawled in his seat.
“Being pretty doesn’t entitle you to an opinion.”
“Then why,” Nes panted, “are you always offering yours.”
He snaked a hand beneath the gathered fabric of her dress, sliding two fingers against her clit, making her jolt.
Nesta, never one to be outdone, reached out and wrapped her hand around the base of his talon, and his vision dimmed for a second, pleasure racing down his spine, sending him hurtling over the edge.
He had her screaming as he worked his fingers over her clit, her cunt clenching around him as she followed a second later, drawing out his orgasm, his cock pulsing inside her again and again.
She all but collapsed in his arms, her warm weight settling in his lap. He brought his arms around her, sweeping the hair from her neck so he could kiss that soft spot beneath her jaw. She wriggled herself somehow closer, tucking her face against him. He was still inside her, so the movement made pleasure roll down his spine, made his cock twitch.
He asked, more seriously this time, “You tired, baby?”
“No,” she said, the words forming against his skin. “Just like it here.”
He glanced over at Az, who’d regained some of his composure, sitting back up at his desk, half focused on them, half on the papers before him.
“How much more work have you got, Az?”
His mate looked up briefly, meeting his gaze over Nesta’s shoulder. “An hour, if you two are quiet.”
“Think you can manage that, sweetheart?” he asked Nes. “Sit quietly for an hour with my cock inside you?”
She clenched around him, and Azriel groaned.
“Things like that,” Az said, sounding pained. “I need you to not say things like that until I’m done with this stupid paperwork.”
Cassian leaned in to whisper in Nes’ ear, “When that hour’s up, I’m laying you out over that desk and eating our come out of you.”
That earned him a soft moan from Nesta, and a sharp, “Cassian,” from Az.
Grinning to himself, he lay his head against the back of the chair, settling in for the next hour.
They made it—in his opinion, a very admirable—fifty-three minutes.
A week later, Nesta and Azriel were back at Valyn’s shop. When they stepped inside, she found herself being greeted by the fae as if they were old friends, complete with a hug and a cheek kiss.
“Welcome back! Come inside and warm up, it’s damned freezing out there.”
Nesta was grateful to be brought out the back to where the hearth fire blazed, spilling warmth into the space.
“Okay,” they said. “Stay here, defrost. I’m going to set up my station.”
She did as she was told, standing beside Az, their backs to the fire. Butterflies were well and truly fluttering in her stomach, the anticipation building this into something more daunting than it probably was.
She could handle pain, she told herself. She was more than adept at it.
“Do you want me to go first?” Az asked, watching her shift on her feet.
Yes. “No.”
There was a good chance she’d chicken out if she waited too long.
She turned to him. “Hold my hand, though?”
He grinned. “Only if you hold mine.”
Valyn called them over with a cheery, “Ready for my first victim!” which did little to settled Nesta’s nerves.
She settled in the chair, Valyn on one side of her, Azriel on the other.
The moment she sat down, Valyn’s demeanour became entirely professional. “Alright, Nesta, let me walk you through what we’re going to do.”
She let her body settle against the cool leather of the seat, easing into the slight recline.
“I talked you through the steps last time you were here, but I’ll recap for you quickly. I’m going to clean the area with this—” they held up a bottle of that pine-scented, amber liquid “—then I’ll mark the nipple, clamp it, send the needle through, and follow with the jewellery. All good?”
Nesta nodded, keeping her breathing as even as she could.
“Great,” they said, offering her a small smile. “Just quickly, before we start—are you likely to faint? If so, I’ll lie you back a bit further, that way you won’t fall forward if you do.”
“No,” Nesta said with a confidence she didn’t feel. “I’m not a fainter.”
Valyn didn’t look like they entirely believed her—she imagined they got a lot of people who ‘weren’t fainters’, right up until the needle went in.
But they let it slide with a shrug. “Worst case, your boy can catch you.”
She exchanged a glance with Az, her mouth twitching up at your boy.
“Alright, Nesta, could you open up your shirt for me please?”
Nesta had followed their instructions to wear something loose—her shirt was a light cotton, held closed by series of ties in the front. Her hands were steadier than she expected as she worked them open, the fabric coming apart, parting around her breasts.
“Can I touch you?” Valyn asked.
She nodded, and they pulled the shirt open further, tucking the fabric down by her sides. Their talons, she noted, had been retracted, for which Nesta was grateful.
“Do you have a preference for which I do first?” they asked.
“No, up to you,” Nesta said, finding herself evermore at ease.
“Alright, I’ll do the one I’m next to, and then I’ll swap sides with your beau, and do the other one. Sound good?”
“Sounds good.”
While Valyn finished organising their equipment, Nesta turned to Az, smirking.
My beau, she mouthed.
He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, taking her hand when she held it out to him, entwining their fingers.
Valyn took a seat on the stool beside her. “I’m going to clean the area now.”
She nodded, squeezing Az’s hand. The smell of pine pierced the air as Valyn brought a cotton pad doused in the stuff to her breast, swiping it over and around her nipple.
The cleaning solution was cold, Valyn’s movements quick and perfunctory. Nesta felt the flesh pebble beneath their touch, surprised to find her nerves translating into a slight…arousal.
She bit her lip, hoping neither of them noticed.
Valyn brought forth a pen with an extremely delicate nib, taking a moment to line up the placement visually, before marking it in ink. This scratched, just slightly. Nesta took a deep breath, another little spark of heat travelling through her, which was somewhat humiliating.
If they couldn’t already, Azriel and Valyn were going to start scenting this on her soon.
“How are you feeling, Nesta? Alright for me to continue?”
“Good. Yes. You can—yes.”
Mother above, where the fuck was her composure?
“Great. I’m going to place the clamp now.”
Her heart was racing, halfway anticipation, halfway because she was definitely turned on at this point, and really hoping everyone decided to just ignore it.
Valyn secured the clamp around her nipple, and fuck if it didn’t feel good, cool and tight against the sensitive flesh, biting slightly, just how she liked.
There was no way they couldn’t scent her arousal by now. She was wet and aching between her thighs, and she knew from the heat in her cheeks that she was blushing.
Valyn—Mother bless them—did not react at all, that professional manner remaining solidly in place.
Azriel’s fingers were flexing against hers, and he was taking shallow breaths through his mouth—trying not to inhale too much of her scent.
Valyn held the clamp in one hand, lined up the needle with the other.
“Nesta, I’m going to get you to take a deep breath in for me,” they instructed, “and exhale hard. On the exhale, I’ll push the needle through, okay?”
Az’s fingers tightened around hers, and she did as she’d been told, filling her lungs as much as she could. Valyn counted her down—on one, Nesta breathed out, hard and measured, and the needle went through, lighting up what felt like every nerve in her body.
It hurt, the pain bright and sharp, ricocheting through her. She had to work to keep her hips from jerking, her back from bowing. It felt good, so fucking good, the pain translating into pleasure, especially as it started to cycle down from that initial flare.
She was horrified to hear a little sound escape her, half-gasp, half-moan. Valyn—kind, lovely Valyn—made absolutely no indication that they’d heard this. They only went about quickly, efficiently placing the jewellery, their fingers deft and sure as they closed off the end by screwing on the ball-closure.
When they were done, they turned back to their instruments, surreptitiously giving her a little privacy, for which she was immensely grateful. She was panting, her face embarrassingly hot, and she could smell her own arousal by this point, which meant there was no way they couldn’t.
She turned to Az, meeting his gaze, blushing harder at the heat she found there.
He squeezed her hand again. “You okay?”
Nodding was about all she could manage right now. She certainly didn’t trust her voice.
“Happy for me to do the other side now, Nesta?” Valyn asked.
She liked the way they said her name, she thought dazedly. Firm yet caring, checking in with her, bringing her back into the moment.
“Yes,” she replied, relieved to find it was steady.
They swapped places with Azriel, who promptly took her other hand.
Valyn seated themselves once more, beginning the process anew, cleaning the area, marking it, clamping. Nesta’s every heartbeat was pulsing between her legs now, making her throb, making her unbearably wet.
She tried not to squirm, but she couldn’t help it, had to press her thighs together, just for a moment.
“Everything alright, Nesta?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, flushing what had to be bright red. “About…this.” She gestured along her body.
“Very, very normal,” Valyn assured her immediately. “Especially with piercings like this. Happy to keep going if you are.”
She nodded, untrusting of her own voice.
“Another deep breath for me,” they said, counting her down and pushing that needle through.
The pain flared again, bright and delicious, and her exhale definitely ended in a moan that time—even Az had colour dusting his cheeks by this point.
But Valyn only repeated those quick, deft movements, placing the second barbell even faster than the first.
“Really great job, Nesta,” they said, setting off pleasant tingles down her spine. “You sat beautifully for me.”
Once more, they offered that illusion of privacy by turning away to sort their tools, resetting everything for Azriel.
“Good?” he asked, and she knew he was just asking after her wellbeing, but it sounded so much like how he said it after he’d just fucked her into an earth-shattering release.
“Good,” she confirmed, forcing herself to ignore the throbbing between her thighs. “How do they look?”
He glanced down—his gaze seemed to stick for a moment, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip.
“Cass is going to love them.”
“And you? What do you think?”
He shook his head, eyes dark. She could read his response in his face: You don’t want me to tell you what I think.
She turned to Valyn. “Should I swap with Az?”
“Whenever you’re ready. Take your time, especially if you feel lightheaded.”
Nesta wasn’t dizzy, but her brain was somewhat lust-fogged, so she made herself take a few calming breaths, taming her arousal down to a manageable simmer before rising, letting Az take her place.
Her shirt was still untied, but the fabric covered her well enough that she was happy to leave it for now. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t just had her entire chest exposed anyway. And, despite the pain having settled to a dull ache, she wasn’t quite ready to secure fabric over herself yet.
“Alright Azriel, same deal. Shirt open, please.”
Az worked the buttons loose, revealing the broad, warm planes of his chest. Nesta never got tired of tracing her eyes over those tattoos, tracking the way they moved with the lines of his body.
It was interesting, watching the process from this angle, able to concentrate now that her body had settled somewhat. Az’s fingers were warm in hers as Valyn prepped his skin, marked him, put the clamp in place.
He showed absolutely no outward sign that he was affected by any of this, right up until Valyn pushed the needle through, and Nesta heard his breath catch halfway through the exhale.
The jewellery was placed, and Valyn swapped sides with her. Nesta couldn’t drag her eyes from the round flashes of silver nestled against the dusky brown, slightly reddened flesh of Az’s nipple.
A week, she realised, was going to be a very long time to keep her mouth off of these. She wanted to feel the soft give of the pebbled skin, juxtaposed against the unforgiving hardness of the metal. She wanted the taste of him and the taste of silver to mix on her tongue. Fuck, she wanted Cass to come all over Az’s chest so she could lick it off, slow and taunting, until he was writhing, begging.
Az’s fingers flexed in hers—a warning, a caution; maybe a gesture of solidarity. She could smell his arousal now, too.
Gods, Valyn was putting up with a lot from them, Nesta thought guiltily.
They’d assured her that it was okay, natural even. But that didn’t mean Nesta shouldn’t at least try to reign in her thoughts.
Valyn finished Az’s other side, and brought him and Nesta over to a full length mirror against the far wall.
Nesta wasn’t above admitting that she looked good. The metal was bright and shiny where it bracketed the flushed-pink of her nipples; she knew they’d look even better when the flesh had settled back to its usual rosy hue, when it wasn’t quite so swollen.
She exchanged a glance with Az in the mirror, and had to look away quickly from his dark, charged gaze.
“Take your time having a look,” Valyn said from somewhere behind them. “I’ll be out the front when you’re ready.”
With that, they disappeared around the divider screen, leaving Nesta and Azriel once more in that illusory privacy.
“They look good,” Az said softly, looking very appreciatively at her chest.
She went up on her toes, bringing her mouth right beside his ear. “I’m really fucking wet, Az. The second we get home, I expect you to do something about it.”
Nesta leaned back in time to watch his pupils nearly eclipse his irises, barely a sliver of that hazel remaining.
“We should probably go, then.”
Only because she knew him so well could she pick up on the slight hitch in his breathing, the difficulty he was having getting the words out smoothly.
She retied her shirt, glad of the light fabric over what was very sensitive, aching flesh. Every breath made her aware of what she’d just put herself through.
They joined Valyn out the front of the shop, where the fae tried to undercharge Az, to which he responded by trying to hand over almost double. Valyn rolled their eyes, eventually conceding to the standard price.
“Final notes,” they said, handing over a small metal tin. “This balm will help promote healing—rub a thin coating of it over the piercings after you bathe, make sure the area is completely dry first. Do this twice a day and you should have no problems healing right up.”
Nesta thanked them, pocketing the tin.
“It’s also important you avoid bumping them into anything, and continue wearing light clothing as much as possible.”
She nodded. “So, back in a week?”
“I’ve already pencilled you in, same time and day,” they confirmed. A smile spread across their face, all those wicked-sharp teeth on display. “I won’t hug you goodbye, but it was lovely to see you both.”
“You too,” Nesta said earnestly. “Thank you, again. This went…much easier than I expected.”
“Glad to hear it.”
She and Az offered final goodbyes on their way out the door, and then they were winnowing home. Azriel was very gentle with her—a little too gentle, in her opinion.
“Come on,” she said, taking his hand, leading him down the hall. “I gave you a mission.”
“To…fuck you?” he asked wryly, following along obediently.
“Make me scream for it, Shadowsinger.”
Something was…off at dinner that evening. Cassian couldn’t place it, but his mates were acting strangely, and would not say why. Every time he asked, they exchanged secretive little glances, which did nothing to assuage his suspicions.
When he’d arrived home, neither of them had been willing to kiss him anywhere beyond chastely. Which was…fine. They weren’t obligated to touch him, obviously. But he was used to coming home to one or both of them tearing him out of his clothes, so this had been an unexpected change of pace.
They got to their bedroom, and Nesta had him sit in one of the chairs by the fire, while she and Az stood before him.
“Am I in trouble?” he asked, halfway flirting, halfway serious.
“No, sweetheart,” Nes said, her voice like honey.
She began working open the buttons of her shirt, which Cassian took to be a good sign.
“So,” she continued conversationally, “it’s your birthday in a week.”
Cassian’s brows pulled together. “I— yeah?”
“Your present is a bit complicated,” she explained. “You’re getting it early, but you aren’t allowed to play with it until the actual day.”
He tilted his head, very, very intrigued. She had her shirt unbuttoned by now, both sides hanging loose, still covering her, showing only a tantalising strip of her chest and stomach.
Slowly, performatively, she slid the fabric from her shoulders.
Holy fucking hell.
He might’ve said the words aloud. He had no idea, had no idea about anything beyond the sight before him.
It was one of the hottest things he’d ever seen—one of the prettiest, holy fuck. Delicate bits of metal glinted at either side of her nipples, contrasting against the rosy skin. They were pebbled, a bit puffy, kept that way by the metal bar running through them.
“What the fuck, Nes,” he breathed, awed and dizzy, and so fucking turned on.
She beamed at him, her bare skin creamy and slightly flushed from her proximity to the fire, those fucking piercings glinting in the faelight.
“That’s only half of it,” she said slyly.
Gods, he didn’t think he could handle anything else. He’d never wanted to put something in his mouth so badly, never needed to feel something beneath his tongue this much—
Azriel was removing his shirt.
“No fucking way,” Cassian rasped. “No fucking way, Az, you—” he broke off with a groan, for Az had indeed slid off his shirt to reveal a matching pair of nipple piercings, and holy fuck, what was Cassian supposed to do with himself? “Mother above, you two are actually trying to kill me.”
“Happy early birthday,” Nesta crooned.
It was then that Cassian remembered the other part of what she’d said.
“I can’t— I can’t touch? For a week?”
Nes shrugged. “Sorry. They have to heal.”
“A week?” He’d rather go a week without eating.
“Big tough Illyrian like you—I know you can handle it, sweetheart.”
…
It was an exceptionally long week. Cassian managed to complain exorbitantly enough that his mates finally relented to allowing him to help rub the balm in morning and night.
That might have ended up being a mistake, because the second he’d been allowed to touch, he hadn’t wanted to stop. The fucking feel of them beneath his fingers, the perfect contrast of hard and soft—he wanted them in his mouth so badly he ached with it, wanted to make them come just by sucking and licking at that delicate flesh.
And they didn’t fucking help, with all the little breathy sounds they made as he touched them, pushing harder against his fingers, the occasional moan slipping past their lips.
Then, inevitably, they’d make him stop, because the piercings weren’t to be touched any more than absolutely necessary, and that boundary was already being pushed.
It was a long fucking week.
He’d awoken the morning of his birthday very excited to finally get those damned things in his mouth, only to be told sorry, they had to go check with the piercer first.
He’d had a lot to say about that, right up until Nes had straddled his face, and Az had taken his cock down his throat, and then he’d kind of forgotten what he’d been talking about.
They brought him along to the piercing shop, because they’d insisted they were to spend the entire day together.
Nesta got him very worked up on the flight into the city, stroking his wings and running her damned tongue over his neck, whispering filthy things in his ear. By the time they’d landed, he’d needed a moment to calm himself down before they went inside, lest he enter this poor fae’s shop with a visible bulge in his pants.
Nesta and Azriel had laughed at him mercilessly, which wasn’t fair, especially on his birthday.
They were greeted by a blue-skinned lesser fae, whom Nesta introduced as Valyn. It became immediately clear that Nesta and Azriel were fond of this person, which caught Cassian off guard. His mates were usually so reserved around people outside of their family.
The three of them were led out the back, and Nes took a seat at Valyn’s behest, unlacing her shirt and pulling it open.
Just like every other time he’d seen them this week, the sight of her already perfect tits, now adorned with those glinting bits of metal, made him almost weak at the knees.
He glanced to Az, who was grinning at him, eyes alight with bad intentions.
Cassian crossed his fingers and prayed Valyn would tell them the piercings were healed.
“These look perfect, Nesta—” fuck yeah, they did “—we can swap out the jewellery, if you like.”
Her eyes met his, a question in them. “What do you think, Cass? Do you like these, or should I change them?”
His eyes fell upon the array of barbells and rings on a tray beside Valyn.
“I like those,” he decided.
He wanted to swirl his tongue over the rounded metal.
Nes got dressed again, rising from the chair and thanking Valyn. Az took her place, his shirt already undone. Cassian bit his lip, his wings twitching when Nes came to stand at his side.
When she leaned into him, he put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, breathing in her scent while they watched Valyn replace Az’s barbells with silver rings. Cassian couldn’t look away from Az’s face, his drawn brows, his unsteady breathing.
Nes smelled so fucking good, arousal dripping into her scent like syrup. Valyn finished up with Az, and Cassian was so ready to go home.
All three of them thanked Valyn profusely, until the fae was almost shooing them from their shop, smiling happily, wishing Cassian a happy birthday with a very exaggerated wink.
Cass scooped Nes up and shot into the sky, Azriel following close behind.
“You’re flying quickly,” she observed, her mouth pressed just below his ear. “Is someone a bit eager?”
His fucking demon of a mate reached out and grazed over the ridge of his wing, making him groan.
“Want me to see if I can get you off before we’re home?”
“Want me to drop you?” he retorted.
Her laugh was so damn lovely—he didn’t care that it was at his expense.
“You think it’d be that good?”
“Nes, everything you do to me is that good. Lose my fucking mind whenever you touch me.”
Her scent deepened, that thick, syrupy sweetness enveloping them. Thank the Mother they were nearly home.
When they landed, Az didn’t waste any time before winnowing them to their bedroom, apparently also impatient to get this part of Cassian’s birthday started.
They stood before him, waiting, presenting themselves to him. Now that he was here, he almost didn’t know what to do with himself. He wanted to tear their clothes off and ravish them; he wanted to draw this out for hours, make up for days of lost time.
The latter, he decided. If they were to be gifts, he would take his time unwrapping them, revealing pieces, bit by bit. If he played his cards right, he might even get them begging.
Actually, he decided, they could do it themselves. He was going to be lazy, leisurely. He was going to watch.
Taking one of the chairs by the fire and turning it around to face them, he sprawled in it, palming himself through his pants, smirking when both their gazes dropped to track the movement.
“Strip,” he commanded. “Slowly.”
Nes and Az exchanged a glance. Without a word, she reached up and started working open the buttons of his shirt.
This hadn’t quite been what Cassian meant, but he found he liked this more anyway. Nes was kissing down Az’s chest, laying her mouth to each new bit of skin she revealed.
“Don’t you dare touch those piercings before I do, Nes,” Cassian warned.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, General,” she purred.
He pressed the heel of his hand against his cock—gods, it got him hot when she called him that, and she fucking knew it, too.
She was smirking, watching his hand move. “You like that? Should I call you Sir, too?”
“Keep taking his shirt off, Nes.”
She offered him a mock salute. “Yes, Sir. Right away.”
He didn’t…hate it. But he wasn’t sure about it tonight. “Just my name, Nes.”
Her nod was more serious, and she went back to slowly divesting Az of his shirt, kissing and licking as she went, dutifully staying away from those gorgeous rings.
“Pants, too?” she asked, once she’d stripped Az to the waist.
“Not yet. Let Az do you now.”
“Az knows he’s free to do me whenever he wants.”
Azriel groaned, “You spend too much time with Cassian,” trying and failing to hide a smile.
“So, you don’t want to do me?” she asked, fluttering innocent lashes at him.
In response, he pulled her in so her back was flush against his chest, his head hooked over her shoulder so he could watch what he was doing as he continued unbuttoning her shirt. Now Cassian had an uninterrupted view of Azriel’s long, slender fingers while they deftly undid button after button, trailing over Nesta’s flawless skin as they went.
She was breathing hard, colour high in her cheeks, watching Cassian watch her. Her hips were moving, pressing back into Az, her ass sliding against his cock.
“Is he hard for you, baby?” Cassian asked. “Does he feel good, pressed against your ass like that?”
Both of them groaned, Azriel working open the final button of her shirt, sliding it gently from her shoulders.
“So fucking pretty,” Cassian breathed, watching fire and faelight shift over their skin, catching in the metal. “So good to me, both of you—I’m absolutely spoiled, being mated to you.”
Az’s hips jerked against Nes, which coaxed a whine from her.
“Az, kiss Nes for me. She needs to be touched.”
Azriel’s hand slid up her throat, turning her head so he could lean down and slot their mouths together. From this angle, Cassian got to watch Azriel’s tongue slide against hers, watch as he pulled back to lick over her lips, teasing her, making her chase after him.
“Touch her over her pants. Bet you’re desperate for something to take the edge off, huh, Nes?”
The hand that wasn’t around her neck slid between her legs, Az’s fingers curling slightly as they dragged over her.
“Wet?” Cassian asked.
Az made a low, possessive sound. “Soaked.”
Nesta, to Cassian’s delight, whimpered.
“Fuck her on your fingers.”
Az made quick work unfastening Nesta’s pants, his hand sliding into them, forearm flexing as he began thrusting his fingers into her. She tensed, going halfway up onto her toes, seemingly caught between grinding into the touch, and getting away from the overwhelming sensation of it.
Cassian let this go on for about a minute before rising from his chair, striding the few steps it took to get to them. He wrapped his hand around Azriel’s wrist, drawing his fingers out, sliding them into his mouth.
He took them deep, hollowing his cheeks, sucking every bit of Nesta’s sweetness from them. Az watched his fingers disappear into Cassian’s mouth with a dazed expression, the fingers of his other hand flexing at Nesta’s throat.
Cassian couldn’t wait any longer—he let Az go with a final, hard suck, lowered his head, and put his mouth to Nesta’s beautifully rosy nipple.
It was everything he’d wanted it to be: soft and sweet, balanced by the unforgiving hardness of the metal, the taste of her mixing with the sharp tang of silver.
Her hands flew up to tangle in his hair, a long moan tearing from her throat. He took that as encouragement to suck her nipple into his mouth, and her whole body jerked, another of those gorgeous sounds spilling from her.
He did it again, alternating between suction, and hard, laving swipes of his tongue. He brought his fingers to her other nipple, dragging the pad of his thumb over her, letting his nail catch, first against flesh, then metal, making sure it tugged.
“Az, hold her still for me.”
Azriel’s hand tightened at her throat, his other coming around her waist, pressing against her abdomen.
“Hard or slow, Nes?”
“Up to you,” she answered shakily, her body shuddering every time he swiped his thumb over her.
He closed his fingers around her nipple, pinching. “I want to know how you want it.”
“Hard,” she gasped. “More, please.”
“Good girl,” he said, sliding his hand beneath her waistband. “Lean back against Az.”
She did as she was told, her head lolling against his shoulder. Cassian curled three fingers into her and did not go gently, his thumb finding her clit as he set a punishing rhythm. At the same time, he took her nipple back into his mouth, losing himself to the sensation of it on his tongue, swirling over it, licking up and down, experimenting with alternating pressure.
He got a feel for what she liked from the way her fingers tugged in his hair, the sounds he coaxed out of her. When he dragged his teeth over it, he got her squealing.
When he bit down and tugged, Az had to tighten his grasp on her, her body practically convulsing in his arms, her cunt clenching around Cassian’s fingers as she came in long, shuddering waves.
“Fuck, baby,” Cassian sighed, watching the last of her orgasm ripple along her body, her mouth parted, chest heaving. “So damned beautiful.”
Az hummed in agreement, and Cassian caught his eye over her shoulder. Maintaining that gaze, he went to his knees, working Nes out of her remaining clothes, leaving her gloriously naked before him.
Because he could, he parted her folds with one hand, licking up her centre, getting the taste of her release all over his mouth. The second her fingers went to tangle in his hair again, he stood, leaving her whining.
“I thought you were mine to play with tonight, Nes. Doesn’t that mean I get to do whatever I want with you?”
Her eyes flew open, heat and defiance blazing in them. Gods, he loved that look.
She said nothing, though, merely waited for his next instruction.
“Come kiss me while Az gets naked,” he said, sliding a hand around her waist.
Az relinquished his grip on her, and Nes’ arms went around Cassian’s neck, her soft curves so fucking perfect in his hands, the feel of her mouth against his like paradise.
Even through his clothes, he could feel the press of her tits against his chest, feel the drag of the piercings.
He groaned loudly when Nes caught his lip between her teeth. He was wearing too many clothes, a fact his mates seemed to notice at the same moment he did.
“Let us take these off?” Nes said sweetly, tugging at his shirt, batting her lashes up at him.
There was a good chance he wouldn’t survive this night.
“Yes.” he breathed. “Please.”
He felt Az’s hands at his back, unfastening the buttons that held his shirt closed around his wings. Nes, meanwhile had gone to her knees—a sight that never failed to make Cassian’s breath catch.
She had him lift in each foot in turn, sliding his boots free one at a time. She smiled up at him as she unlaced his pants, made a pleased humming sort of sound when she worked them over his hips, freeing his cock. Darting forward, she closed her mouth around the head, sliding her tongue along the slit, gathering up the bead of liquid there.
Cassian almost, almost begged her to take him deeper, to let him fuck her mouth. But he had plans, he had intentions, damn it, and he was going to adhere to them.
He took Azriel’s chin in his grip, kissing him hard for all of a few seconds before pulling back, laughing softly when Az tried to follow.
“Go lie on the bed, gorgeous.”
Azriel went, if a little petulantly. Nes came to stand at Cassian’s side, watching Az spread out against the pillows, his beautiful body practically glowing in the soft faelight, his cock hard and leaking against his stomach. And those damned piercings—
“I’m assuming you have a plan for him?” Nes said, speaking as if they were discussing battle strategy.
By this point, Cassian didn’t bother questioning why that got him so hot. It was Nes—everything she did was sinful.
She caught him staring at her tits again, which, in his defence, what else was he supposed to do? Grinning slowly, she reached up to wrap her hands around the creamy weight of them, squeezing, pushing them together, gasping when her fingers caught on the piercings.
“You could fuck between them. Come all over my chest?”
Both he and Az made embarrassing noises at that. Cassian’s cock twitched, somehow getting harder than it already was. He was staring at her dumbly, trying to remember all the components required to form speech.
“You are wicked, Nes,” he managed. “Go get on the bed before you ruin all my plans.”
That grin widened, and the sway of her hips could be nothing but deliberate as she crossed the room. She crawled over the bed to Az, pausing beside him to look back at Cassian expectantly.
“You going to join us or do you want to watch?” Nes asked, impatience creeping into her voice. “If it’s the latter, you’ll need to tell us what you’d like us to do.”
He went to them, kneeling beside Az, mirroring Nes’ position on his other side. “Someone feeling a bit needy? A little unfair, don’t you think? Since you’re the only one of us who’s come so far.”
“Tell me what you’d like me to do, and I’ll happily do it,” Nes insisted, and wasn’t that a rare sentence from her.
“Want you to put your mouth on Az while I also put my mouth on Az, and we play with him until he comes.”
He didn’t wait for her, just ducked down and finally got one of those pretty rings in his mouth. It was different from Nes—more metal, less flesh—though no less delicious, no less amazing on his tongue. He found himself tracing circles around and around the ring, spurred on by Azriel’s moans.
Cassian realised he could fit the tip of his tongue inside the ring, used that to tug on it. Az writhed beneath him, and that movement was soon paired with loud, throaty moans when Nes lowered her head to his other nipple.
She took the metal between her teeth, making Az squirm and cry out.
“Tell me how it feels, baby,” Cassian said, looking at Az.
He laved up the length of Az’s chest before returning to his nipple, working his tongue in and around the ring again.
“Good,” he gasped, hands fisted in the sheets beside him. “So fucking good. Feels like it’s going straight to my cock.”
Cassian hummed, which had Azriel grabbing a fistful of his hair.
Nes glanced at Cassian, biting her lip. “I think we can get him to come like this.”
Cassian chanced a look down to find Az’s thick, heavy cock leaking steadily, leaving glistening trails all over his abs.
Yeah, they could get him to come like this.
“Close, aren’t you, baby?”
Az only whined, and Cassian put his mouth back on him at the same time Nes did. He started a pattern of licking and sucking, scraping his teeth, tugging lightly. He had no idea what Nes was doing, but he assumed the unsynced, dual sensations were probably close to torturous for Az. Cassian had one hand braced against Azriel’s chest, pinning him, keeping his back from bowing all the way off the bed. As it was, his hips were jerking sporadically, his thighs flexing, his hand—
“Don’t even think about touching yourself, Az,” Cassian warned.
That hand fisted in the sheets again. “Please. Need it.”
“I decide what you need. I was even nice enough to give you Nes. Her pretty mouth is a damned miracle—you should be grateful.”
She turned to smile at him, radiant and warm. He leaned down, lining his own mouth up with that smile, needing to taste it. By the time he pulled away, her cheeks were pink; she tried to hide it by licking a rough line over Az.
He bucked beneath them. Cassian redoubled his efforts, sucking harder, biting just this side of cruel. Azriel was squirming and panting, broken moans scraping from his throat.
When Nes scraped her nails down the centre of his chest, almost gouging, he cried out, spilling onto his stomach, some of it hitting Cassian’s hand where he still held Az pinned.
Azriel hadn’t stopped shuddering, and Cassian realised it was because Nes was still toying with him, still licking and tugging at that ring.
“Gods, Nes,” he said, pulling her back by her hair. “Leave him be.”
“Sorry,” she grinned, not sounding it at all. “Was having too much fun.”
“Your fun is going to kill our poor mate.” He pulled her up by his grip on her hair. “If you want your mouth on something so badly, sweetheart, you can swallow my cock.”
That smile only widened as she pushed him onto his back beside Az, crawling between his legs, taking all of him in one go. Azriel rolled onto his side, pressing up against Cassian, placing lazy kisses along his torso, up his neck, eventually claiming his mouth.
He lay back and lost himself to it, the bond practically singing in his chest, the feeling of his mates’ mouths on him so good, so right. They should always be like this, always in their bed, always touching.
He came with Az’s tongue fucking leisurely into his mouth, spilling down Nesta’s throat, his orgasm drawn out by the feeling of her working to swallow it all down.
When he was finally spent, she let him fall from her mouth with a wet pop.
“Come here,” he beckoned, needing her closer.
She crawled up his body, stopping to slide her tongue over his hipbone, dip into his navel, trace the muscles of his abdomen. In a move that was clearly retaliatory, she licked and then bit his nipple as she passed it, drawing a hissed curse from him.
Finally, she spread out over him, blanketing his entire left side. Az curled against his right, throwing a leg over his, mouthing lightly at his neck.
“Good present?” Nes asked. “Worth the wait?”
“So good,” he said emphatically. “So worth it, even if you two are fucking evil for doing that to me.”
She shrugged, unapologetic. “Couldn’t be helped.”
Soft and loving, she leaned up to kiss his jaw, making pleasant shivers run down his spine. “Happy birthday, Cass.”
Az pressed a final, open-mouthed kiss to his neck. “Love you. Happy birthday.”
Cassian didn’t think one person should be capable of being this happy—certainly, his chest didn’t feel like it could contain it all.
Naturally, Nes went and blew it all out of the water, reaching up to tug at her piercing, saying casually, “So, next round, you’re coming all over these, right?”
“Fucking death of me,” he groaned, head falling back against the pillow. He turned to find Az grinning, which he answered with a glare. “Both of you.”