Chapter Seventeen

"I left some clothes on the bed for you, baby." Bastion broke my focus on the cart with a knowing smirk.
I blushed, dropping my towel in defiance just to show him what he would have to wait to have. It worked and his smile was immediately replaced with blackened eyes and a lustful glare. Rory's glowing eyes served as a reminder that I had two loves who desired me, and it did wonders for my fragile self-esteem.
I giggled, moving towards where he set my clothes and dressing with haste before appearing before the cart.
Gods, I wasn't sure if it was because I hadn't been eating or because I was finally out of bed, but I was starving, literally having to keep my mouth shut to prevent my drool from leaking out.
I took my place between my men, already chewing on a perfectly fried strip of pig. My moan made both men chuckle, and I glanced at Rory to my right.
He was sipping on a cup of coffee, eyeing me beneath his half drawn lids in an almost seductive manner.
Then, I shifted my gaze to Bastion who was... Holy shit, actually drinking milk.
I choked on my food, covering my mouth before I could shoot half-chewed bacon across the room. He bit his cheek as he lowered and capped the bottle, his eyes alight with amusement.
"Love, are you okay?" I felt Rory's reassuring hand on my shoulder.
"She's fine. She just isn't a fan of me drinking from her, so I improvised." I glared at the cocky bastard, but he just smiled sweetly back.
"How would you drink fro- Shit, did you drink her breast milk?" Rory's voice came out as a harsh whisper, but I could see the delight in his blue eyes.
"Not on purpose. It's better than I expected though." He shrugged, and Rory's eyes shot to my braless chest.
"Rory, tell him that my milk isn't for him." I groaned, but he ignored me completely, leaning back and rubbing his chin in curiosity.
"What did it taste like?" He asked casually.
"Rory!" I protested, but apparently I was invisible, because they just kept talking over me.
"Hmm... Like sugar water, maybe?"
"Interesting..."
"Shot out like a hose, though, so be careful."
"It does make me curious."
I hmphed, eating my food and trying to ignore them. It wasn't that I thought Bastion tasting my milk was gross, I was just embarrassed because I didn't expect it to happen. I also didn't expect him to like it. I couldn't let them like it too much, I had their children to feed. What kind of mom would that make me if I gave their dads their food?
I jumped when I felt Rory's warm lips pressed against my partially exposed shoulder.
"Can I try some?" He purred, the vibrations going straight to my groin.
I growled.
He was lucky I had just finished eating or else I might've actually snapped at him. I moved my plate to the coffee table, crossing my arms under my breasts and making them both take a sharp breath.
"If I let you, will you both stop asking?" I asked, eyeing them both. They nodded absentmindedly, both of them still zeroed in on my chest.
"For goodness sake, fine." I pulled my arm through my right sleeve, freeing my right breast. "But be gentle. And only take a little. I want to try breastfeeding the twins after this."
"Of course, love. Lean back and relax." Rory's smooth voice prompted, his eyes aglow once again.
Was this turning him on?
Both he and Bastion gently pushed back on my shoulders until they hit the sofa and my chest was more exposed. I kept my mind clear, seeing as I really didn't wish to associate breastfeeding with my horny lovers.
Rory at least was much easier on my breast, latching on with his soft lips and putting an ounce of pressure on my breast using his hand until his mouth was filled with the thin liquid.
He leaned back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Very sweet. Though, I prefer the sweetness of your blood much more." He concluded matter-of-factly.
I scoffed, pulling my shirt back on and standing up.
"Good, because that's all you'll be drinking from me in the future." I turned to leave, but Bastion caught my wrist, pulling me to fall onto his lap.
"Don't be mad at me, baby. I'm sorry for being an ass." His lashes fluttered as he placed feathery kisses on my shoulder.
I huffed in defeat, turning to face him so I could brush my lips against his.
"I'm not mad. I love you."
Was I letting him off too easy? Probably. But I missed him and didn't want to fight on his first day back.
Within ten minutes, our two crying bundles appeared.
"I'm glad you called when you did. It was actually their feeding time." The nurse informed me. The men wasted no time grabbing their respective child from the bassinet and walking them over to me. I loved seeing them both trying to console their baby.
I knew Rory would be a natural father, but watching Bastion interact with our daughter was an experience in and of itself. He was like a completely different man with her, and I knew she would have him wrapped around her little finger in no time.
The nurse decided I should try to take turns with the feeding to get started, not wanting to overwhelm me with both at the same time. It wasn't nearly as easy as the movies made it seem, and ended with James falling asleep on one boob, while Lilly bit the shit out of the other.
By the time it was over, I had decided that I would stick to pumping and bottle feeding, which the nurse thankfully didn't judge me for.
"That'll make it easier for the nanny, anyway." Rory commented, giving Lilly a soft kiss before placing her full self back in the rocker.
They had switched children at some point, so as not to play favorites with their own.
Bastion looked up from the glider with furrowed brows, a sleeping James in his arms.
"Nanny? Why the hell would we need a nanny?"
Rory sat beside me, pulling me onto his lap. "Why wouldn't we use a nanny? We are royalty, we can't be expected to step away to raise children. There's no maternity leave for a Queen. Besides, I had a nanny until I was ten. It's perfectly normal." Rory explained rationally, twirling my hair in his fingers. Bastion flinched as if he was opposed to the very idea.
"I don't want someone else raising our kids. I want to spend time with them, too. Having a nanny just seems like we're pawning them off on someone else, right Aria?" *Shit*. Why'd they have to drag me into this?
I bit my lip, looking between their expecting glances.
"I think... That a nanny would be good." I felt Rory's body loosen a bit and continued quickly. "But, I don't think we should be hands off either. Obviously, we will still spend plenty of time with our children. A nanny will only be used when we need to attend to palace issues. Don't worry, Bas, our kids will know us well. I just want to keep them safe. It's not like I can take them with me in a papoose to fight the Sire King."
Both men flinched at my words, and I felt the tension in the room climb exponentially. We had been avoiding the topic all day, but I was trying to be honest. We weren't out of the woods yet. Which reminded me...
"Um, Lysander?" I called.
It took less than a second for him to appear in front of me, making me wonder if he had been there the whole time.
He grinned, his glowing eyes twinkling in the sunlight creeping through the blinds.
"Yes, darling?"
"Am I strong enough to do the, um, power thing?" He pursed his lips, eyeing me carefully.
"I imagine that your body could handle it. Are you wanting to do it now?"
I nodded, looking at both men who were watching each other with confused expressions.
"Aria, what are you- holy shit!" Bastion whisper shouted, covering James as if the sudden appearance of Lysander could hurt him.
"Charming to finally meet you, King Bastion." Lysander did a slight bow, appearing all regal and nothing like how he acted with me.
Rory suppressed a hiss, pulling me tightly against him and making me wonder why he would react to his god that way. Before I got the chance to ask, he continued.
"Perhaps you should send the babes off beforehand, sweetheart. The light could hurt their sensitive eyes."
I nodded, getting off the couch to call the nurse while ignoring Bastion's confused babbling centered on Lysander's pet name.
By the time I returned from seeing the twins and nurse out, Bastion and Rory were seated on the sofa with Lysander leaning against the hearth of the fireplace.
He pretended not to see my Kings glaring, but judging by his subtle smirk, he was very aware.
"So shall you tell them, or shall I?" He asked me, his eyes excitedly pleading to be the one to break the news, but there was no way in hell that was happening. I rolled my eyes, standing between my two loves.
"So. Lord Lysander has agreed to bless me with some of his power in order to aide me in defeating the Sire. I requested that he do this visibly for you, too." My eyes nervously flickered between the two who watched me with confused hesitancy.
"Why did you want them to see, my dear?" Lysander asked, sauntering to stand behind me and placing both of his large hands on either side of my arms, rubbing circles on them with his thumbs. I tried to step away, but he held me still, so I turned my attention back to my men whose faces had now contorted to disgust and suspicion.
"Ah, well. Lord Lysander has to, um, kiss me." I said with a shrug in hopes that it would lighten the news. It did not have its intended effect.
Bastion growled from deep in his chest and Rory already had his fangs bared. Seemingly unable to pick up the tension, Lysander laughed, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling my back against his chest.
"It's sweet, really. She couldn't stand the idea of doing the ritual without you two knowing. As if it was some sort of candid affair. I mean, it's not even like it's the first-" I swung my arm back, connecting with his stomach and knocking the air out of him temporarily.
"It's really not romantic or anything." I explained to my men carefully. Judging by the look in their eyes, they were two seconds from becoming god-killers. "And if you don't want to look, that's fine. I just didn't want it to be in secret."
They softened slightly as I spoke, taking a break from boring holes into the Lord so that they could look at me.
"Yea, like hell I'd not watch. I don't trust this bastard to keep his hands to himself." Bastion barked.
"I second that. I will also be watching. Closely." Rory crossed his arms, spitting his venom through gritted teeth.
I knew that Lysander was on cloud nine with their reactions, and I just wanted to get it over with so he could leave us alone. I stepped to his side, squaring my shoulders as he turned to face me.
"Are you ready my Queen?" His sultry voice echoed, bouncing off each corner of the emaculate space.
"Yes." I answered, hiding my nerves behind a steel resolve. If doing this would protect my family, I was more than willing. Sure, I was scared. I didn't know if it would hurt or what the power would even be, but I knew I needed to trust him.
His lips curled into a proud grin. "Very well. Let's begin."