“Let’s get her cleaned up,” Tristan said. “Jon, get some fresh washcloths, please. Gray, I’ll raise her up, you pull the nightgown off.”
Jon went to the bathroom and Tristan slipped his hands beneath her neck and back and raised her to a sitting position so that Gray could remove the sweaty nightgown. As soon as he lifted it over her head, Tristan lowered her back to the bed.
“Look,” Gray said softly. Tristan looked at Gray, then followed his eyes to Faith’s bare rib cage. The thick, shiny scar tissue was gone. In its place was smooth, unmarked skin.
“I know that the scars were not a big issue for her,” Gray said. “Still, I think that she’ll like not having the reminder of how she got them.”
“I’m sure she will,” Tristan agreed. Jon returned with several warm damp cloths and they spent the next few minutes cleansing her skin of all signs of what she’d suffered. Jon used Air to dry her hair while Tristan and Gray changed the sheets on the bed. When she was settled once more with a sheet covering her they again stood around the bed, waiting for her to wake up.
“How long is it supposed to take?” Gray asked worriedly. “I thought it would be just a few minutes.”
“We’ll give her a little longer,” Tristan said. “If she doesn’t wake soon, we’ll call Doc.”
“Maybe we should call him now, just in case,” Jon suggested.
“You are such a worrier, Jon,” Faith said softly, surprising them all. They’d been so intent on their discussion that they hadn’t noticed her eyes open. “I love that about you though, so don’t try to change it.”
“I’m not sure I could if I wanted to,” Jon said, leaning down to kiss her gently. “Welcome back,
“Thanks,” she said, reaching up to stroke his jaw lightly. “You guys look rough. Was it that bad?”
“It may be several centuries before we are able to tolerate seeing you in pain of any sort,” Tristan said. “Other than that, it went well. How do you feel?”
“I think it will take a few centuries to get used to living that long,” she said. “But I feel good.” From what they’d told her, she’d expected to at least be sore. Or tired. Something. But she didn’t. She felt better than she had in a very long time. “Really good, in fact. Is that normal?”
“Yes, it is,” Tristan said, smiling. “You are now fully Clan Jasani, Faith. You have our regenerative abilities, and your body is, essentially, brand new. You are strong and healthy now.”
Faith sat up slowly as she absorbed what he was saying. She reached beneath the sheet that covered her and ran one hand slowly across the newly smooth skin on her ribs, her side, around to her back. She grinned. “This is amazing.” She looked up at the Falcorans and frowned. “It wasn’t too amazing for you three though, that’s obvious.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Tristan said. “Seeing you now, smiling and well, makes it all worth it.”
“So, what’s next?” Faith asked. “I’m pretty sure I remember you saying that there was another stage after this.”
“Yes,” Tristan said. “You will soon go into what is called a mating fever. When that happens we must either join with you to complete the linking process, or if you prefer, we will try to put you into a deep sleep. You need to make your choice now, Faith. Once the mating fever begins, there isn’t going to be much time.”
“I really appreciate you giving me a choice,” Faith said. “But if I’m not going to be with the three of you, then I don’t see much point in any of this.”
“You have a new body, Faith,” Gray said. “You can have children. You won’t age. You can begin a new life now.”
“I like my life as it is,” Faith said. The surprise on their faces almost made her smile. “Look, I know that a lot of bad things have happened to me over the past couple of years. If I could go back and change Grace’s death, I would. But I wouldn’t change anything else. Everything that has happened to me has led me here, to this moment, with the three of you. This is where I’m supposed to be, and if I changed anything that came before, then I wouldn’t be here. All things happen for a reason, and you guys are my reason.”
Tristan, Gray and Jon could only stare at her speechlessly, none of them able to think of a single thing to say that would come close to expressing how they felt. Just as Tristan opened his mouth to say he knew not what, Faith’s eyebrows rose in surprise and her face flushed pink.
“Oh,” she gasped, tightening her arms around herself. “I think that mating fever just started.”
Before she finished speaking, the Falcorans began removing their clothes, all of them watching her intently. “I’ve got one more question,” she said.
“What’s that?” Tristan asked, gesturing to Jon who ran into the bathroom for the ointment.
“Will this hurt?” She shivered and held herself tighter. “I can handle pain, that’s not a problem. I’d just like to know what to expect.”
“No, Faith, it will not hurt,” Tristan promised. “We will not allow it to hurt.”
Faith nodded quickly as another wave of intense arousal crashed over her. She closed her eyes and bit her lip, trying to breathe through it the way she did with pain, but it did no good at all. When she opened her eyes the first thing she saw was Tristan standing in front of her near the foot of the bed. Without thinking, acting on overwhelming need, she threw back the sheet, scrambled to her knees, and leapt off the bed and into Tristan’s arms.
Tristan groaned as Faith’s arms and legs wrapped tightly around him, her hot, swollen sex pressed against his stomach, wrenching a groan from him. Faith’s body trembled uncontrollably and he tightened his arms around her.
“Jon?” he asked.
“I just need a minute,” Jon said from behind Faith. “I can’t hurt her.”
Faith whimpered and Tristan leaned back, horrified to see that she was biting her lip so hard that blood was running down her chin. He was holding her with both arms while Jon prepared her, and couldn’t let go.
“Gray,” he barked. Something in his tone caught the attention of both of his brothers and they immediately looked to Faith.
“Oh,
pixka
,” Gray said as he gently freed her lip from her teeth and wiped away the blood.
“What’s that mean?” Faith asked in a shaky voice.
“
Pixca
?” Gray asked. She nodded. “It means
beloved
little one
,” he said, then leaned down to run his tongue lightly over the small, half healed wound on her lip before kissing it. “Hang on just another moment. Can you do that for us?”
Faith nodded again, her teeth clenched against another whimper.
Gray smiled, then turned and climbed onto the bed.
“I love you,
Fedea
,” Tristan whispered softly.
Faith unclenched her teeth, her need to speak at this moment stronger than her need to whimper. “As I love you,” she whispered back. “I love all of you, so much.”
Tristan smiled even as he felt her body shudder from the heat building higher and higher within her. “Jon?” he asked.
“Ready,” Jon replied. Faith’s body shifted against him as Jon pressed his cock into her tight rear opening. Faith gasped, her eyes closing as her back arched toward Jon. The part of her mind that would have balked at this was silent beneath the raging heat and need that overwhelmed her senses. She wanted whatever they were willing to give her, and she wanted it fast, hard, and
now
.
Tristan held her straining body still, preventing her from causing herself an injury that she wouldn’t even notice until later. His own need was as strong as hers, but their fear of hurting her was stronger, and tempered their actions.
“All right,” Jon gasped after a few moments. He coaxed Faith to lay her head back against his shoulder, then supported her while Tristan reached down between them. The moment he pressed his cock into her he had to fight against the overwhelming need to fuck them both to orgasm. Instead, calling upon all of the will and self-discipline he possessed, he buried himself inside of her and held himself still. He took a moment to breathe, trying not to think about how tight and hot she felt with both him and Jon buried deeply inside of her.
“Are you ready, Gray?” Tristan asked, looking up to see Gray standing on the bed beside them, his cock level with Faith’s mouth. Faith was staring at it as though mesmerized.
“Yes, I’m ready,” Gray replied.
“Faith, you’re going to have to take Gray’s cock deep into your throat, like you did last night, remember?”
Faith felt a little better now that she had both Jon and Tristan inside of her. The heat and the need were still intense, and she wanted them to move more than anything, but at least she could think a little. She looked at Tristan and nodded. “Okay,” she said. “No problem. What then?”
“Once Gray is all the way in your throat, we’ll give you the final injection,” Tristan said. “It won’t take long. After that, you’ll be able to breathe. First, we need you to lift your arms up. Left one to Jon, right to Gray. Then take a deep breath and let me know when you’re ready.”
Faith nodded, and raised her arms, her body shuddering again as the brief reprieve faded and the arousal intensified again. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks but ignored them. She felt Jon take one wrist and Gray the other, then Tristan pushed her hair aside and bent his head, placing his mouth against the side of her neck. “When you’re ready,” he whispered.
“Now,” Faith said, then took a deep breath and opened her mouth. Gray guided himself between her lips and pressed steadily forward. Faith swallowed hard and fast, taking Gray deep into the tight channel of her throat.
“Now,” Tristan ordered. Then he slid his mating fangs into her flesh and released the last of his serum while at the same time feeling Jon and Gray do the same. When it was done, he licked the tiny wounds and raised his head, relieved to see Faith take a deep breath even though Gray was still buried deeply in her throat, a sight that nearly caused him to come far too soon.
Then his body began to move on its own, without his direction. He’d read about this and knew that he couldn’t fight it. He checked to be sure that Jon and Gray were relaxed, then let himself go, focusing on the pleasure of the experience.
The four of them were moving together in a precise rhythm that none of them controlled. They moved faster and faster, their breathing harsh in counterpoint to the slap of their bodies coming together harder and deeper with each thrust and stroke.
After a while, Tristan sensed a soft light growing inside of Faith. He saw it in his mind rather than with his eyes, but he knew absolutely that it was real. It was pale blue and very small at first, but grew rapidly with each stroke until suddenly, without warning, the four of them climaxed at the same time, their bodies straining against each other so tightly that, for a moment, they felt as though they were all one body. Tristan felt his seed rushing out of himself and into Faith. Somehow, he continued to follow it as it poured through her toward the light in the deepest part of her body, blending with the light itself, then Jon’s seed, and Gray’s. The light grew brighter and larger, became something more than light. It reached out to Tristan, Jon, and Gray, calling for something within them that responded instantly, flowing from their bodies into Faith just as their seed had.
It was their souls, Tristan thought in awe as he continued to watch the miracle of linking within his mind. Their souls, the very essence of their beings, flowed into Faith and raced towards the light in the center of her being, which, Tristan realized, was her soul. As they entered Faith, so too did a part of Faith enter them. He felt her in his blood, bone, and flesh and shivered with the pleasure of knowing she was now a part of his physical body forever. At the same time, he felt his own essence settle into her flesh, just as Gray’s did, and Jon’s. When it was finished, something within all of them seemed to sigh with relief. They were now as they were meant to be. Connected, one to the other. Their essence shared with each other. Their souls linked for all eternity, making them separate, but at the same time, one.
The blue light within Faith flared brightly as they climaxed again, their arms wrapped around each other, all of them holding on tightly as they shared the ultimate pleasure once more, their voices rising together in a chorus of ecstasy unlike anything they’d ever imagined possible.
They stood together, Faith between them, their bodies trembling from the violence of their experience as they slowly came back to themselves. Tristan carefully disengaged from Faith’s body, then Jon did the same. He looked up to see Faith release Gray and lay her head back against Jon’s shoulder.
“That was...,” Faith began, then trailed off.
“There are no words,” Tristan said, leaning over to kiss her lightly between her breasts.
“No, there aren’t,” she agreed. “I’m not sure I can stand up yet.”
“That’s all right, you don’t have to,” Tristan said as he lifted her away from Jon, her legs still wrapped loosely around his waist. He carried her around to the side of the bed and laid her down, then crawled onto the bed beside her, his own limbs still shaky. Jon and Gray joined them and they curled up together and rested for a little while.
The next time Tristan raised his head, he saw that both Jon and Gray were watching Faith sleep. He sat up and looked down at her, his breath catching in his throat at the sight of the
lau-lotu
on her shoulders and arms. He looked down at his own shoulders and felt tears sting his eyes.