Chapter
Sixty-Five
AXL
O phelia lies between Xavier and me, dressed only in a clean T-shirt of Malachi’s, with her hands resting on her stomach. The final rays of the evening sun bathe the room in soft amber hues. A movie plays on the TV in the background, but none of us are watching it. Alexandros is reading quietly next to Xavier, and Malachi is lying next to me, his fingertips trailing up and down my spine.
It’s an oddly ordinary scene given the extraordinary events of yesterday. Malachi scrapes his teeth over the nape of my neck now, his chest pressed up against my back. My dick stiffens. We’ve always been physical creatures, and this is how we reconnect. How we anchor ourselves back to each other after bad shit happens, and last night was the embodiment of bad shit. But I’m not sure if Ophelia is ready for that yet. We’re all fully healed now, and although she slept most of the day away, she’s still tired.
“You need anything, princess?”
She shakes her head. “Got everything I need right here.”
Xavier’s eyes lock on mine, and they’re filled with longing. He wants what Malachi is teasing at too.
Alexandros gives me a sideways look, letting me know he can feel the growing sexual tension in this room as much as we can.
“I lost my powers, didn’t I?” she asks, her voice small and quiet.
Alexandros closes his book and places it on the nightstand. “Do you still feel them?”
She shakes her head, biting down on her bottom lip.
“Like they are depleted or like they are gone?” he questions her further.
A tear rolls down her cheek, and it breaks my heart. She has lost so much in her short life. “Like they’re gone, I think.” I brush her cheek with the pad of my thumb. “I can still hear you all, but that’s our bond, right? I don’t feel the power anymore. The lightning in my veins. That simmering energy always right at my fingertips.”
Xavier presses a tender kiss on her forehead. “I’m sorry, Cupcake.”
Alexandros leans over Xavier and cups her jaw, turning her to face him. “You are still an elementai, Ophelia. You always will be. But yes, I believe you sacrificed your powers when you used your light to destroy the wraith.”
“Is it bad that I’m glad they’re gone?” Her voice is even quieter now. “Is it ungrateful? It’s just… I never wanted to be the Chosen One. I only want to be me.”
The relief that consumes us all is palpable. I didn’t want to admit that I haven’t felt a moment’s sadness for the loss of her powers. While I would be sad for her if she mourned them, it is so much safer for her—and for all of us—that she isn’t some all-powerful being capable of saving or destroying the earth. That version of Ophelia would have always been a target. There would always be someone who wanted what she had and was willing to try to take it from her. She couldn’t have had the normal life she’s always dreamed of.
“It is not selfish, Ophelia,” Alexandros assures her. “It is sensible, and it is a relief for all of us that you are no longer the target of every evil creature in existence.”
A smile lights up her face. “So I can finish my degree? Become a social worker?”
Alexandros rolls his eyes, but I laugh out loud, and I’m joined by Malachi and Xavier. And then our girl’s sweet laughter fills the room, and somehow Xavier’s hand is on her thigh and my mouth is on hers. Soon, all of our hands and mouths are on her beautiful body—exploring, kissing, biting.
All five of us become a tangle of limbs, seeking the comfort and connection that only comes from this carnal union. I lose count of how many times I’m inside her, of how many times she falls apart with my name on her lips. But the sun is almost ready to rise once more by the time we finally fall asleep, our bodies wrapped together, our hearts beating as one.