MORE SHOPPING
Anhedonia (noun): a psychological condition characterized by inability to experience pleasure in normally pleasurable acts.
DAY 20, HOUR 9
“You can’t come in here,” I hissed as the kings slipped inside the cloth curtains of the narrow dressing room.
I was half-naked, clothed only in my bra and the miniskirt I was trying on.
Silver eyes hardened to steel. “You’re never allowed to wear that in public.” Malum trailed his eyes across my body, like he was devouring me with his gaze.
My heart rate increased.
I put my hands on my hips and whispered furiously, “Get out. This is highly inappropriate.”
Scorpius glided forward and grabbed my waist with both his hands. “Shhhh,” he whispered. “Let me feel.” He dragged his hands upward across my abs.
Things were escalating.
Pain streaked across my back, and I swallowed a whimper.
I meant to push him away.
I meant to stand my ground.
Scorpius’s long, elegant fingers trailed mercilessly up to my chest. He pushed my bra up and made a harsh noise as he cupped my chest with his hands.
My knees knocked together, and my head spun with pleasure.
Orion moved closer.
So did Malum.
The three kings crowded me against the ice covered mirror.
I shivered.
Scorpius plucked at my nipples as Orion claimed my mouth in a fierce kiss.
I drowned in whiskey, tobacco, chocolate-covered raspberries, bergamot, and musk.
They were intoxicating.
“Don’t be cold,” Malum whispered as he dragged flaming hands gently over my body. “I got you.”
The three men devoured me.
It was overwhelming.
Overstimulating.
Pain and pleasure rose to impossible heights.
Scorpius muttered, “I just need a taste,” then he leaned forward and took my nipple into his mouth. As he scraped his teeth against my sensitive flesh, I whimpered into Orion’s openmouthed kisses.
Malum tangled his fingers in my curls and yanked my head back, so my spine was arched.
Orion didn’t break the kiss; his lips were soft, and his tongue was merciless.
As the men worshipped me, I reached out blindly.
My hands grabbed Malum’s hardness, and I stroked him through his sweatpants. I could barely get my hand around him. His heat burned through the fabric, and I squeezed.
Scorpius laved at my chest.
Malum whispered against the shell of my ear, “Good fucking girl.” He nipped at my sensitive flesh and ordered, “Stroke me harder.”
My vision warped with pleasure, and everything became heady.
An unfamiliar warmth spread through my chest.
My skin tingled.
There were noises nearby as people entered the changing room, and Malum whispered in my ear, “You better be quiet, or you’ll get us in trouble.”
“Do you need help in there?” a female attendant called outside my curtain.
Malum whispered, “You better answer her.”
Orion stopped kissing me, and his hands dragged up my thigh and pushed my panties to the side.
Orion stroked across my clit as Scorpius sucked on my nipple.
“Answer,” Malum ordered.
“N-N-No,” I stuttered breathlessly. “I’m good.”
“Okay, let me know if you need help,” the woman called as she walked away. Scorpius sucked harder, and Orion put his hand over my mouth.
I moaned against his fingers.
Scorpius pulled away and moved to the side so his mates could have access to my body.
Malum’s hardness jerked against my hand, and then he pulled away to tug down his sweatpants. Orion’s pupils were blown wide as he kept one hand over my mouth and took Malum’s impressive girth in his other. He guided it toward me.
Malum cupped my pussy and spread me wide. “Fuck, you’re dripping.” His voice was an octave deeper.
Orion dragged the head of Malum’s obscene cock teasingly through my heat.
Slowly.
I forgot how to breathe.
Sun god, I wanted him inside me.
As my pleasure reached new heights, the pain streaking down my spine became unbearable.
The agony brought clarity. I remembered that being intimate with the kings would complete the soul bond. We’d be mated for life.
Not like this.
My knees gave out, and I shoved at the men. “Please stop,” I begged as I grimaced and pushed them away.
The kings immediately staggered back.
“Are you okay?” Orion whispered with concern. Malum’s silver eyes were wide and frantic as he tucked himself away. Scorpius scrunched his face with worry.
“I’m fine.” I smoothed down my skirt and struggled to catch my breath. “I don’t want to bond, not like this…in a dressing room.”
Malum blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “That wasn’t what we were doing.”
I arched my brow at him and tried to look classy as I stuffed my boobs back into my bra. “Then what were you doing?”
I tried not to glance below his belt.
“We just wanted a moment alone with you,” Orion whispered. “It’s rare that all three of us are together with free time.”
“Some moment,” I whispered as I tried to get control of myself.
I was flustered.
“Things escalated unexpectedly,” Scorpius conceded as he reached into Orion’s pants and adjusted his dick for him.
The quiet king jerked his hips and groaned roughly.
Scorpius licked his lips and pumped him before he pulled away and licked precum off his fingers.
“Fuck, don’t do that,” Malum groaned as he fisted himself. “You three are going to be the death of me.”
I bit down on my inner cheek and tore my gaze away from the disheveled kings. They were incredibly tempting, but the pain pulsing down my spine was like a bucket of cold water.
“We can revisit this conversation later.” I pushed against the men.
It was like shoving a brick wall.
“Get out,” I hissed. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”
My stomach clenched at the memory of what we’d almost done, and I felt faint from arousal.
Malum looked unimpressed. “If anyone gives you trouble, we’ll kill them. Don’t worry about that.”
“Get out!” I shoved him with all my might.
“We’re going, relax,” he said as he straightened his clothes and raked a hand over his shaved head.
When I was alone, I collapsed against the wall and closed my eyes as I rode out the pain still shooting down my spine.
I stretched and jogged in place.
Finally, I worked up the courage to leave.
I found the men a few minutes later browsing through the department store.
My face flushed when I saw them.
I couldn’t believe what we’d almost just done.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Orion mouthed, lashes fluttering with concern. “Do you need us to get you water?”
A soft melody played throughout the store.
“I’m good,” I said with a confidence I didn’t feel as I smiled at him reassuringly.
He gave me a soft smile back.
Silver eyes narrowed with exasperation, and Malum ruined the nice moment. “You are clearly not well. You had some sort of panic attack five seconds ago. You seemed to be in pain.” His voice was rougher than usual and tinged with concern. “What happened?”
I scowled up at him. “Nothing, I just realized I didn’t want to mate in a public dressing room.”
It wasn’t a lie, after all.
“That’s not the full truth.” Scorpius’s concerned expression turned hostile, and he took a step closer. The harsh planes of his face scrunched up. “Her breathing was suddenly choppy, like she was in agony—something happened back there. Are you injured?”
Scorpius and Malum immediately patted me down like they were searching for hidden wounds.
“I’m fine,” I said with feigned calmness as I extracted myself from the men. “You have nothing to worry about.”
My smile was so fake it hurt.
The kings didn’t look convinced.
I gave them a thumbs-up.
Malum frowned harder.
“Done acting like a little bitch?” Cobra asked as he walked past with his arms full of leather jackets. Jax shook his head in exasperation as he followed behind his shifter mates.
Grateful for the distraction, I called after Cobra, “You’ll look like a clown in those jackets.”
“Um, so how can we help you shop?” Malum asked as he walked up behind us, and it took me a second to process what he’d said. “We want to help you feel better,” he repeated, softer this time like he was embarrassed the shifters were listening. His bronze cheekbones flushed.
Cobra said something rude under his breath, and Jax looked at the king with pity. Meanwhile, Ascher and Xerxes were arguing over who would look better in a pair of jeans.
The upscale department store gleamed with marble and fancy finishings. It was sprawling with sections for every type of clothing imaginable. Neon signs hung in the air, showcasing high-fashion shifter models.
There were a handful of shoppers and fancy-dressed salesclerks, who stared at the towering kings with open interest, but for the most part, the store was empty.
I shrugged. “Fine, you can hold my clothes for me,” I said to Malum.
Instead of blanching like I expected, he nodded with a serious expression and sidled closer as I handed him my mini skirt that he’d been defiling a few minutes earlier.
“We’ll also help,” Orion whispered, as he and Scorpius moved closer.
Sadie held up a jean jacket with rhinestones. “Is this cute?” Her nails were so long that she struggled to hold the hanger.
Closing my eyes, I prayed for inner peace and mental strength. Then I turned to my best friend and said, “Do you want the truth?”
She nodded with a big smile.
I ripped it from her hands, put it back on the rack, and hissed under my breath, “Stop being so tacky. If it has rhinestones on it, it’s an automatic no.” I pulled her down the aisle. “Try to search for high-quality fabrics and real diamonds. We are high-quality women.”
“Are we really?” Sadie asked with narrowed eyes.
I pursed my lips. “Not if you purchase that jacket.”
Sadie nodded with a big smile.
I might not be feeling my best (my back still hurt), but that didn’t mean I was going to purchase tacky clothes.
Some things were sacred.
I had a reputation.
Two hours later, the kings had their hands full of shoe boxes, miniskirts, and a fluffy white sweatshirt I couldn’t wait to wear.
Sadie and I had decided at the beginning of the trip that we’d focus on purchasing necessities.
She held up a third sparkly real-diamond thong with a silver S that sat over the butt crack. “Do I need this?”
I sucked on my pipe and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “What do you think?”
She shrugged. She was helpless without me.
“Obviously,” I drawled in an imitation of Jinx. “It has real diamonds and silk.”
She squealed with delight and placed the thong on top of the sheer dress and thigh-high boots Jax was carrying for her. Necessities meant slutty clothes made from quality fabrics that we could wear to get absolutely obliterated in for the next party at Elite Academy.
I wanted men to look at me and be disturbed by how hot I looked.
I wanted men to be scared of how much of a slut I was.
That was the goal.
“Do they have an A?” I asked, and Sadie nodded as she picked up a matching thong for me and placed it on top of Malum’s full arms.
“How about an M?”
She handed it to me, and I held the tiny scrap of fabric up to the light. “Malum, how big do you think your butt crack is? Thirty-two inches?”
There was a sizzling noise as the fabric caught fire.
“Absolutely not,” he said harshly.
I stared at the eviscerated fabric in disbelief. “You’re paying for that.”
“Fine,” Malum said as he pulled me away from the table.
“Also, you never answered the question.” I held my hands up in front of my face. “This long?” I pulled them apart. “Tell me when to stop.”
He stared at me in silence.
My mouth dropped open. “That big? That can’t be healthy.”
If his silver eyes could have killed me, I’d have been dead.
“You’re a menace when you shop,” he said as he pulled me away from the nipple tassel section.
I put my hand over my heart. “Thank you.”
He dragged me towards the checkout counter where the rest of our group was headed.
Orion placed a black hoodie with a skull on top of Malum’s full arms, then draped his arm across my shoulder. He radiated warmth, and my mouth watered for chocolate-dipped raspberries.
He pressed a quick kiss to my temple and pain shot down my still sensitive spine.
I jolted.
Orion released me. Scorpius stopped petting a fuzzy coat, and his head snapped in my direction. “Why did you make a pained noise?”
“Uh, I didn’t.” I shuffled closer to Sadie for protection.
Unfortunately, that meant I was closer to Cobra. He was wearing a new floor length leather jacket and jewel-rimmed sunglasses even though we were inside.
“You look ridiculous,” I said.
He bared his dagger-sharp canines and hissed like a snake.
“Cute,” I drawled as we all moved to the check out.
“Oh wow, are you the don’s son?” The man at the checkout counter tittered as Jax dumped the pile of Sadie’s clothes down.
Cobra’s smirk turned into a frown as he glared at the worker. “No.”
The jewels embedded in his skin flashed into shadow snakes, and he radiated aggression as he threatened, “Don’t look at any of us.”
Cobra lunged forward threateningly, and the worker gulped as he stared at the counter and stuttered, “O-O-Of course, sir. We p-p-pride ourselves on the utmost discretion for our high-quality shoppers.”
Sadie chuckled and leaned over to me. “That’s us.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.
Who was going to tell her?
After all the shifter’s clothes purchases were wrapped up in tissue paper, Xerxes sauntered forward and pressed his thumb to the screen to pay.
The screen lit up, and his net worth was displayed. There were eight zeros.
Show-off.
The worker got flustered when he saw how rich Xerxes was and gave him his business card and a free cologne. Xerxes graciously took the card and smiled at the man. Since he’d grown up in the upper crust of shifter society, he was used to people fawning over his wealth.
Finally, when my clothes were wrapped up, I leaned forward to place my thumb on the enchanted pad.
Flaming fingers grabbed my forearm and stopped me.
“I got this,” Malum said he pressed his down.
I rolled my eyes and blew out a cloud of smoke. “Whatever.” Scorpius and Orion stood next to me, smirking like they had a secret, and I made a point of ignoring them.
“S-S-Sir,” the worker stuttered, and Malum shifted to the side.
Thirteen zeros filled the screen, and more were listed, but they were cut off by the edge of the monitor.
The worker gaped up at Malum with wide eyes like he was in the presence of a god, and I scoffed as the kings smirked. Nothing upset me more than seeing a male filled with confidence.
As we walked out of the store, Malum’s rough voice whispered in my ear, “The House of Malum is ancient and illustrious. Are you sure you don’t want to be our mate? We can go back to the dressing room right now.”
I blew smoke into his face and rolled my eyes. “Your money means nothing to me. I have my own.”
Surprisingly, it wasn’t Malum who responded. Orion whispered in my other ear, “Whatever you need to tell yourself, sweetheart.” His tone turned seductive. “Just imagine how much shopping you could do.”
Scorpius took the bags from my hands and smirked.
I inhaled smoke angrily as the three pompous, apparently filthy-rich devil kings escorted me through the mall. They thought they’d proven something with their little display.
Too bad for them, I was not swayed by the hollowness of materialism. Okay, only a little. Fine, I had a shopping addiction.
Sue me, I liked cute clothes.
There were worse things in the world. For example, I could have a drug addiction. I stared down at the pipe in my hand. Never mind.
As we walked through the mall, I fantasized about all the cute new outfits I could wear.
It was going great, until I saw the wall.
My vision blurred.
I forgot how to breathe.
