Evans, Gabrielle - Reckoning [Fatefully Yours 9] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) Read online

  Fatefully Yours 9

  Reckoning

  What started as a simple night out with his warriors quickly turns into one of Echo’s worst nightmares. If being kidnapped and assaulted isn’t bad enough, no one is prepared for the revelation of who is behind the attack.

  More questions arise. Echo’s mother is strangely absent, and when he meets his father, it’s not the happy reunion he’d anticipated. Even more disturbing is the reasoning behind his conception and the newest task entrusted to him. Will he have the courage to see it through, though?

  Delving into Hex’s memories opens more heartache and pain, but finally gives the demons some of the answers they seek. When everything comes out in the open, only one thing is clear to Echo—the gods are not to be trusted. Having all the answers wrapped in a pretty, red bow still doesn’t prepare him for the twist that no one saw coming.

  NOTE! You are purchasing Siren's newest serialized imprint, the LoveXtreme Forever Series. This is the conclusion of the Fatefully Yours collection. These books are not stand alone. Each is a continuation of the previous book and must be read in the numbered order. The final book contains a happily forever after for the beta hero and all his men.

  Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Fantasy, Ménage a Trois/Quatre

  Length: 41,714 words

  RECKONING

  Fatefully Yours 9

  Gabrielle Evans

  LOVEXTREME FOREVER

  MANLOVE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: LoveXtreme Forever ManLove

  RECKONING

  Copyright © 2011 by Gabrielle Evans

  E-book ISBN: 1-61034-820-6

  First E-book Publication: September 2011

  Cover design by Jinger Heaston

  All art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Reckoning by Gabrielle Evans from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

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  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

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  This is Gabrielle Evans’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Evans’s right to earn a living from her work.

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  RECKONING

  Fatefully Yours 9

  GABRIELLE EVANS

  Copyright © 2011

  Prologue

  June 12th

  Syx gave me this journal yesterday and said I should use it to write down my thoughts and feelings, or maybe to tell my story. He thinks it might make a great book one day.

  So, where do I begin?

  I would like to tell you that my story has a happy ending, but I’m afraid that is not for me to say. So many things have happened in such a short amount of time.

  I met and fell in love with seven magnificent demons who treat me as though I am the most precious thing in their world. I have faced, fought, and come out victorious against numerous enemies that would seek to destroy me.

  I died.

  But not even death could conquer me.

  So, again, I’d like to tell you that I lived happily ever after with my warriors, but the final battle has yet to come. Of all the challenges we have faced, this will decide my fate.

  So, why do I write this if I do not yet know my ending?

  I write in hopes that one day, no matter where I find myself, someone will know my story. Not the story of how I defeated or fell to a god, whatever the outcome may be. But the story of triumph and victory over a personal hell, and the shining light at the end of the tunnel that beckons me forward.

  The war does not frighten me. Even if Ares should stand victorious, covered in my blood, I have already won. In this life or the next, I have two things he can never take from me.

  I have love. I have hope.

  Bring on the Reckoning.

  — Echo

  Chapter One

  “He’s so cute when he’s drunk.”

  “S’not drunk,” Echo slurred to Myst. He wound his arms around Hex’s neck and rested his head on the warrior’s shoulder. “Had fun.”

  “Yeah, it was a good night.” Hex kissed the top of his head and chuckled.

  “I’ll second that!”

  Echo smiled at Myst’s enthusiasm. He imagined getting fucked in an alley behind the club had made the demon’s entire month. He was just happy he could help. “I’m starving.”

  “How about that room service?” Hex asked as he stepped into the elevator. There was a little hang-up about whether or not the small compartment would hold them all and what the weight limit was. Finally, they agreed they could ride together, and everyone crammed into the confined space.

  Echo giggled. He wasn’t sure why he found it so funny, but in that moment, they were all adorable. “Not what I’m hungry for.” He licked his lips, scraping his tongue over his canines when they lengthened. Damn, his throat burned, and he needed something he was pretty sure wasn’t on any takeout menu.

  Without warning, without even thinking about it, he struck. His fangs sank through Hex’s flesh like a hot knife through butter, and sweet, delicious blood flowed into his parched mouth. Growling like an animal, he wiggled and squirmed, pulling at Hex until he’d flipped around so he could lock his ankles behind his mate’s back.

  Loud groans reverberated off the walls of the elevator, but Echo barely
heard them. Keeping a firm hold on the back of Hex’s neck, he used his other hand to fumble with the button on his suddenly too-tight jeans.

  His cock throbbed, straining against his zipper until he thought the damn thing would snap in two.

  “Not here,” Syx warned, touching Echo’s arm to still his movements. “We’re almost to the top floor.”

  Echo pulled his teeth from Hex’s neck and turned to snarl at his lover. Ripping his arm away from Syx, he tore at his jeans until the button flew off and he could reach inside to pull out his weeping cock. Gripping the pulsing flesh, he jerked it quickly, his head dropping back on his shoulders as he moaned like a wanton slut.

  “Holy fuck.” Fiero groaned. “Can’t someone control him?”

  “Are you really complaining?” Hex asked, his voice none too steady.

  “He’s going to get our asses arrested.”

  Echo blocked them out as he rocked in Hex’s arms, stroking his heated cock from tip to root. “Fuck me,” he pleaded. “Someone fuck me.” Releasing his hold on his rigid dick, he reached between them and began jerking on Hex’s waistband, trying to pop the button free. “Now!”

  The ding sounded, indicating that they’d reached their floor, and there was a collective sigh of relief when the doors hissed open. “Please, please, please,” Echo chanted, still fumbling with his mate’s skin-tight leather pants.

  “Shh, baby. One minute. We’re almost there.” Hex breathed heavily as he rushed them down the hallway. “Who has the damn key?” His large hand wrapped around Echo’s cock and began jacking him slowly. “Guys?”

  Someone must have pulled their head out of the lusty haze and unlocked the door, because the next thing Echo knew, he was on the floor inside their suite. “Mmm.” He purred as he writhed beneath his mates when they all converged on him.

  Hands were everywhere, clothes started flying, and loud growls permeated the room. Echo’s cock was stroked and licked. His nipples were pinched, pulled, and bitten. His head whipped back and forth, a continuous stream of moans and whimpers falling from his panting lips.

  Then his knees were pushed to his chest, and a lubed finger found his needy entrance, pushing in and hitting his pleasure button without error. Crying out, he peeked down his body to find Vapre kneeling between his legs with lidded eyes and a sultry smile.

  Looking beyond Vapre’s shoulder, Echo also realized that they’d neglected to close the door in their eagerness to get to him. He started to comment, but Vapre chose that moment to insert a second finger into Echo’s quivering hole at the same time Myst dove down to engulf the crown of his cock.

  Echo went off like a firecracker. Arching his back, he pushed deeper into Myst’s mouth as he shouted out his release and poured his cream down the man’s throat.

  “Disgusting,” someone spat.

  Disoriented from the intense orgasm, Echo frowned. It certainly seemed like an odd statement considering their current situation.

  “Fucking faggots, man,” another voice said in disdain.

  Lifting his head, Echo met the eyes of two very large and menacing looking men standing just outside the doorway in the hall.

  “I don’t know, Jeff. He’s kind of pretty. I might let him suck my cock. I bet he’d love that.” The man met Echo’s eyes and leered.

  The room erupted into loud snarls, and Echo mentally cursed himself for not saying something about the open door. He didn’t fear the two assholes. He had the biggest, toughest bodyguards on earth. No, his fear was for the men. They had no idea who they were taunting. The men who treated him with such care were preparing to rip the two idiots apart.

  “Guys,” Echo croaked. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “Guys! Snap out of it. They’re just a couple of rednecks. It’s not worth it.”

  “Yeah, listen to the little slut,” the biggest man sneered. Then he and his partner turned to walk away.

  Sensing his demons were about to follow, Echo jumped up and dove across the room to slam the door shut. Pressing his back to it, he stared them all down. “They’re not worth it,” he repeated. “Just let it go.”

  The warriors nodded grudgingly, but no one looked in the mood to continue their fun. His dick was still damp from Myst’s mouth. That’s how quickly things had had gone downhill. Fucking wonderful.

  Shaking his head sadly, Echo made his way to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He shut the door and locked it. He wasn’t angry with his mates, but he did need a minute alone. His men weren’t the only ones upset by the comments made by the two douche bags in the hallway. Echo imagined he was upset for an entirely different reason, though.

  He’d lived in the research facility for years. Sexual orientation was never an issue there. When you lived in a dormitory with only men for company, it was practically expected that they would turn to one another to scratch their itches.

  Since finding his mates, they’d done everything in their power to protect him from the world at large. Sure, they’d had to face down some truly terrifying creatures, but those beasts didn’t give a shit who they fucked.

  Honestly, why did it upset him so much? Stepping under the warm spray, Echo dropped his head and groaned. He’d been living inside a nice little bubble his entire life. Though it hadn’t always been pleasant, people hadn’t judged him based on the fact that he liked having a cock up his ass. Surrounded by the love and attentiveness of his mates, it was easy to forget that anything outside their home existed.

  The outside world was very real, though. And that world was a cruel one.

  “Life’s not fair,” Echo mumbled around a dark frown. He immediately chastised himself for his self-pitying thoughts. He had seven men who loved him desperately. He had good friends who had become more like his family. He’d finally found his mother.

  True, she was a goddess. She had lied to him, abandoned him, and rarely spoke to him, but Athena was still his mother. Too bad that just raised more questions than answers. The first and foremost in his mind was who the hell his father was.

  He pushed those thoughts away as well and began scrubbing his hair. They would be home soon enough, and all their troubles would still be waiting for them. Until then, he would enjoy what time they had left, the excitement of staying in a hotel for the first time, and the anticipation of room service for breakfast.

  * * * *

  Waking up cold, with no blankets, and his ass hanging off the bed, was not the way Echo imagined starting his morning. Myst and Hex were sprawled together in the king-size bed, hogging all the damn covers and leaving little room for him.

  Practically falling off the mattress, he padded naked out of the bedroom, crossed the common room, and peeked into the other bedroom.

  Syx, Vapre, and Onyx were wound around each other on one of the queen-size beds, while Eyce and Fiero took up the majority of the other. Well, it didn’t look like he’d find a place to squeeze in there either.

  Closing the door quietly, he glanced at the sofa. Before he could decide whether or not to try and get a couple more hours of sleep, his stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten before he’d crashed.

  Snatching up the phone on the small circular table, he read over the speed dial numbers and quickly pushed the button for room service. He was almost giddy about it. When an automated recording came over the line, his face fell. Room service did not begin until eight o’clock, but the recording did offer an alternative. A buffet-style breakfast would be served in the gathering hall beginning at six.

  Placing the phone back in its cradle, he glanced at the clock on the small microwave that sat atop the minifridge. It was only a few minutes after six. He wondered if he should wake his lovers to go down with him, or at least let them know he was leaving.

  Stepping back into the bedroom he’d been sharing with Myst and Hex, he dressed quietly and crept to the alpha’s side of the bed. “Hex,” he whispered into the man’s ear.

  “Hmm?” Hex didn’t even open his eyes.

  “I’m going down
stairs to get something to eat. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Give me a sec.” Hex yawned. “I’ll come with you.”

  Echo choked back a chuckle so as not to wake Myst. “That’s okay, big guy. Go back to sleep. I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn’t worry.”

  Hex opened his eyes and blinked blearily. “Do you have your phone?”

  “It’s in the car. I’ll only be downstairs.”

  “Take mine.”

  Rolling his eyes, Echo leaned closer and kissed Hex’s cheek. “Fine. Do you want me to bring you anything?”

  “Naw. Be careful.”

  Echo rolled his eyes again, but didn’t comment. Waiting until Hex curled around Myst’s back and drifted back to sleep, Echo slipped out of the room, grabbed the room key and Hex’s cell phone from the table, and headed out to find some grub.

  Making his way down the hall, he noticed several Do Not Disturb signs hanging from the doorknobs, and reached the elevator just as the double doors slid open. The two men from the night before curled their lips at him in identical sneers of disgust and hatred. Then, noticing he was alone, their expressions changed to something that Echo didn’t want to contemplate.

  Turning away from the elevators, he hurried back down the hall, digging in his pocket for the keycard to his room. He’d almost made it when a beefy arm wrapped around his midsection and hauled him off his feet.

  He started to scream, but a large hand clamped over his mouth, effectively cutting off his shouts for help. Though he kicked and flailed, the man carried him easily, taking him farther down the hall and waiting while the other man opened the door to another suite.