by A. K. Koonce
“Ouch.” I mumble wondering if Lincoln can hear what I hear too. Maybe it’s just an echo of my thoughts as I process it.
You jealous? I ask.
Hmm, no. Just hate to see Rowan drooling over you. How embarrassing for him.
Of course. I smile to myself. An image flashes through my head. It’s me but not as I see me with all my flaws. Instead it’s how Lincoln sees me.
And I’m beautiful. Truly, endlessly so.
My breaths become shallow as another image flashes through my mind. This one is blurry. A scenario made from one’s imagination.
Lincoln stands behind me, running a hand down my arm. He turns me to face him. It flashes and I’m lowered to my knees, my lips locked around his cock.
My eyes widen and my cheeks burn painfully red.
Lincoln Ziko.
What? He asks so innocently I’m unsure even he is aware of what he’s shared. Then his rumbling laughter follows. Don’t let your panties get too wet, Rowan will sniff that out faster than Violet got you into that apparatus in the first place.
I try not to think too hard on the way I’m overly aware of my body and the wind that touches far too much of my skin. I try to be as confident as I need to be to pull off this attire that they consider so normal.
The attendant admires all of their choices as they magically fold into their bags. Violet hands them off to Rowan who looks pleased by the options. At least he likes them. That makes one of us.
“Let’s hurry home. I’m sure Kai wants to see the bill he is footing and the outfits we picked out for his little play thing.” The Princess sings cheerfully.
I swallow, trying to ease the dryness of my throat and follow them from the shop. I can only hope that Kai doesn’t treat me like his play thing. I’m not sure my acting skills are good enough for that.
At the mention of Kai’s name Lincoln’s presence in my mind goes quiet, hidden behind his thick and sturdy wall. My small smile fades as he does.
Three
Nearly Naked and Very Afraid
Every step I take my thighs rub forcibly together. There is no humanly way my walk can be attractive when I’m scared to un-pinch the fabric I’m gripping together my lady canal. I’m not sure the universe was ready for me and my ‘endless beauty’, just as I’m not ready for it. I sure as hell am not beautiful now.
My head still feels dizzy from our abrupt arrival back at the castle. Still, Violet and Rowan wheel me ahead. This time I try to take in the hallways, to memorize some sort of path or escape route if necessary, but I wasn’t imagining it when I realized the hallways all look exactly the same. No matter which way you turn there are an assortment of doors broken up only by a few lavender tinted windows and at the end of the hall a large balcony. Though, in the day the wispy curtains are drawn back allowing the sun and the mild weather into the castle.
“Kai is going to flip when he sees you.” Violet grins.
She pulls me to a stop just short of what I’m assuming is Kai’s office and makes a show of fiddling with my hair. I try not to stare into her iron tainted gaze but she’s as much mesmerizing as she is wicked and undoubtedly deadly.
“Don’t stare too long,” she whispers, “wouldn’t want you falling in love with me.”
My eyes flair, my cheeks turning a brilliant shade of red. I’m not so much as attracted to Violet as I am intrigued by the way she holds herself. Jealous. I’m minimally jealous.
“Lincoln would never allow that,” Rowan says bitterly, already leaning into the door.
“You all forget that Lincoln isn’t my boss and I’ll damn well fall in love with whomever I wish.” I tug the sheer fabric down as if that will hide all the skin poking out from the strips of fabric underneath.
“Okay.” The Prince scoffs before calling to his brother. “Kai, we’ve brought you a sexy little toy.”
“I’ll pretend as if it’s necessary for you to call her that when no one else is around. But I’m sure our Mortal Queen would enjoy just an ounce more of respect.” Kai pinches his nose between his index finger and his thumb.
My boots have long since been replaced with what I would consider stripper heels. They’re far too tall, and the heel far too skinny for my incoordination. I shuffle forward.
Kai blinks, letting go of his nose. He looks from me to his siblings then back to me, swallowing hard.
“Playing the part well? Right, brother?” Rowan purrs, melting against the door as it closes behind him.
Kai adverts his gaze back down to his desk. “You look stunning. Absolutely playing into the ruse.”
“Do you not like it?” It’s almost a hopeful question. If it doesn’t please him then maybe I could slip into something that’s actually more comfortable.
His eyes pan from my feet slowly up to my face. The right side of his mouth edges up into a smirk. “It’s perfect.”
Double damn it.
“Now that we have your keeper’s approval, perhaps I can give her a tour?” Rowan suggests.
“What are you doing?” I say quickly, stepping closer to Kai’s desk.
His hand rests with a pen pressed to a long document that he scribbles over. A few books are stacked together, one propped open against the pile with a feather stuffed between the pages. Kai drops the pen and runs his hand over his outfit. It’s less flashy than usual, a dull brown jacket over a cream-colored billowing blouse.
“I’m about to leave for a little hunt with a few Dukes bidding for my attention.”
“I love to hunt,” I rush to say. Then I try not to scrunch up my face with the rotten feeling of the lie afterwards.
Kai leans back in his chair, both hands flat against the desk. Violet looks appalled at the very idea and Rowan arches a skeptical brow.
“It would look good for our ruse for me to come along, yes?”
“I mean, yes. If it pleases you so, who am I to decline the offer of being in your presence?” Kai stands, accessing my outfit in a new scrutinous way. “You’ll have to sit side saddle.”
I’m not even sure I know how to get up on a horse by myself. But sure, I can hang off the side of one and not fall off. How hard can it be?
“I can do that.”
“You’d rather go for a hunt than tour the castle?” Rowan drawls.
“I’ll be here plenty long enough for you to give me the grand tour. Right? We can go tomorrow.” No offense, Rowan, but I’m desperate for an escape. Every second spent with you and Violet feels like a dangerous opportunity for one of you to pick the meat off my bones.
“Tour tomorrow, then,” Kai confirms. He brushes back a loose strand of blonde hair from his face and smiles weakly. “So scurry along now, you two surely have something better you could be doing right now.” He waves off his siblings.
Violet may have something better to do, and she seems unaffected by the dismissal as she slides out the door. Rowan, on the other hand, he seems to have nothing but time available to him. Rowan’s face falls to a neutral expression. He stuffs his hands into the pocket of his long jacket and walks out the door.
I let loose a sigh.
“So did you hunt much in the human realm?” Kai looks down as he speaks. He reaches under his desk, pulling a brown leather belt around his waist. The hilt of a long sword pats against his hip, the blade within the sheath bouncing against his thigh.
“Yeah, all the time.”
“Yeah.” He mimics my accent like the night before. From under his long lashes he shoots me an impish grin.
“I mean, yes.”
Veins in his neck pop out a little as he shrugs out of his jacket. He tugs open a drawer, revealing a baldric he buckles across his chest, another smaller blade protruding from it.
“We use guns.” I clear my throat. I’m familiar with guns. I’ve taken a couple different courses and learned the particular one I keep well enough to take it apart and put it back together. Still, the basics of owning a firearm.
“Guns?” he hums. “That seems… easy.”
Kai picks up his jacket and pulls it back over his arms. His honey filled gaze is amused to say the least.
“And magic.”
He hovers near me, placing a hand behind my back, but not touching my skin. I’m relieved with the level of respect he offers me. Chewing my lips, I walk beside him. It’s a short walk from his office out to the stables.
The warm sun covers my skin in a soothing way as it moves out from behind a cloud. Dark fluffy clouds dot the sky off toward the horizon. We weave through a garden not so much unlike Cordelia’s.
A horse is already saddled and ready, tied to a wooden post. Behind the stable is a vast valley, far away from the woods I’d ventured through when I first arrived here. That must have been the back entrance. A few men ride together in the valley, dressed in much similar fashions to Kai atop their horses.
This is when I know I’m way over my head. Though, I probably should have figured that out sooner.
My steps falter, my heels dig into the earth with every step. Sighing, I raise a hand. “I just can’t with these. I’m sorry if it makes me less of a lady or look less like I’m here to be your…you know, but I can’t.” I fuss with the buckles, knowing full and well that I’m probably giving Kai a good show of my fun buns between my legs.
His gaze though is turned toward the men, he’s averted his attention, but grips my arm to steady me as I bend. A satisfied moan slips out as I set my bare feet down in the prickly grass.
“Better?” His accent is sweet.
“Much.” I hang the shoes from my fingers, not sure what else to do with them. Kai snaps his fingers and they disappear.
“They’ll be waiting inside your closet.”
I crinkle my nose as we approach and the decaying scent of horse dung greets us. If my human nose is this offended how are the Fae not gagging on it?
“Would you like to ride with me or would you like your own horse?” He asks, stopping to run his palm down the side of the horse. His stallion is grey with black speckles dotting its fur. The horse’s black mane has been cut relatively short, groomed so it’s perfectly straight and ends bluntly.
“I don’t mind riding with you.”
“You don’t know anything about horses, do you?” He pats the stallion then closes the distance between us.
“Not at all.”
“And hunting?”
“Only a vague idea of the concept.” I purse my lips.
He chuckles lightly. “Are my brother and sister so overwhelming that you’d really rather be doing this?”
“No, but yeah. Yes, kind of.” I wring my hands.
“Duly noted.” Kai nods and reaches toward my waist. “May I?”
“Yes.”
He grips my sides and lifts me up to the saddle. His hands slip down my legs as I adjust and balance on the horse’s back. His smile becomes tense, his gaze following his hands.
You have amazing legs. I remember Lincoln saying. Maybe Lincoln’s not the only one to notice.
“It may be better for you, since you’re new to this, to straddle. Hopefully it’s not too uncomfortable in that outfit.”
My hands quiver as I cling to the saddle and pull one leg over it. Nerves burst in popping bubbles inside my stomach. I try my best to ignore them.
Kai sniffles once before he unties the horse from its post and reaches for the horn of the saddle, swinging himself carefully around me. He pushes me forward gently, his legs cupping me and his chest hot against my back. Only the cool metal of his blade within the baldric soothes the heat.
“Ready?” he whispers over my shoulder.
“Never.”
He tilts his head with vigorous laughter, pulling the reins and digging his heels into the animal. We lurch forward. Every muscle tightens and I grip the horn tightly, my thighs clench down. Every step the horse makes, I can feel the meat of my body bounce. I’ll be lucky if there isn’t some sort of nip slip on this trip.
“If you can’t relax, I can slip you some Reminints.”
“I am relaxed.” I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to focus on releasing the tension with little success.
“Are you?” He leans to the side for a better look at my face.
“Yeah!” I say it with too much force and Kai has the nerve to look smug.
“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.” He tastes the word over and over again. “I both love it and hate it when you say that.”
I’m too scared to respond. The horse’s muscles roll underneath us and every movement threatens to pitch me off the side, I swear. Kai’s arms cage me in. He’s relaxed enough for the both of us.
I focus on my breathing, still trying not to look like I’m nervous. The horse gently trots off toward the valley where the others who wait for us to join finally coming into view.
“Prince Kai, nice of you to finally join us.” A man with black braids smiles with brilliant white teeth. He sits on top of a chestnut brown horse who exhales loudly, looking more beastly than tamed.
“What do you have here?” The other man, with his head completely shaved sports a black tattoo made of crescents, much like the one on the back of Kai’s neck, circling his scalp. Muscles bulge beneath his form fitted top. He slows his cream-colored stallion as he approaches, looking at me with a suggestive smile.
The Fae breathe in my scent together.
“Human?” The first snickers.
“Her name is Briar. Isn’t she lovely?” Kai says plainly.
Both men bob their heads.
“Briar, the goon on the brown horse is Michael. The white one somehow manages to hold up Nicholai. Both are Dukes”
“Lovely to meet you.” I smile.
“Oh, and she has manners.” Michael raises his brows. “I thought humans were dang near barbaric.”
“They have to be, to get in bed with Kai,” Nicholai chortles. “She is very pretty. Maybe I’ll take her for a spin when you’re done.”
I can’t help but lean back into Kai as Nicholai speaks. I may be here under the pretense that I’m Kai’s special guest but I am by no means going to be whored out to any other Fae men.
Kai drops a hand to rest on my thigh, his grip lowers toward my knee and he squeezes gently. A show of affection but also a bit of reassurance for me.
“You know I don’t share,” Kai coos.
“Well with a girl like that.” Nicholai bits his lip. “I’ll give you time to reconsider when you’re done with her.”
“It’s unlikely that I’ll change my mind but you can keep trying to persuade me. I’m partial to bribery.” He laughs.
The others laugh with him while I watch with little interest. Kai clicks his tongue and their laughter ceases.
“Very well. What are we on the hunt for today lads?”
“White panther. Seen the beast roaming the wood on multiple occasions as of lately. He has a den nearly dead center. I suggest we split and meet in the middle. If we come across him before we hit the den, call out.” Michael steers his horse forward.
A panther. We’re hunting a fucking panther. Well he conveniently left that out. I thought I was out for a stroll in the woods while we spy for deer and squirrels. What sort of situation did I just get myself into? Maybe Violet and Rowan were the less deadly option.
“Lovely. Meet you there.” Kai smirks at the men, letting out a whoop as he yanks the reins and kicks at the horse. We surge past the men and my hair blows behind me.
It’s oddly freeing on top of this animal, even if every bump vibrates through me in not always the most pleasant of ways. Kai only slows the gallop as we ease into the woods.
Trees chase up toward the sky, ivy and green vines clinging to their trunks. Soft white flowers bloom at their bases every``` so often, emitting a soft cottony scent. The canopy above nearly blacks out the sun, shading us so much a shiver chases over my skin.
“Are you cold?” His voice is soft. I’d expect him not to want to talk much for fear of warning the panther of our hunt
.
“I’m prancing around in just my bra and underwear, practically. What do you think?”
“I’m just being polite.” If he is annoyed by my banter he hides it well. He loops the reins over the horn and leans away from me. With a fluid grace he pulls the brown jacket off of him and offers it to me.
“Thank you.”
I try to lean forward, create as much space as I can between us to push my arms into the sleeves, but I can only move so far. The soft material of his jacket instantly warms my body. I push my arm roughly through the other sleeve, my knuckles connecting with a loud crack against Kai’s face.
“Oof.” He grabs his nose.
“Oh my God. Oh my God. I am so sorry.” I gasp as I tug the jacket tighter to me. I try to twist to see if I’ve done any damage, but of course I haven’t.
“You really pack a punch, Killer.” Kai laughs.
“Seriously, it was an accident.”
“Honestly, I probably deserved it. I could use my ego taken down a stroke or two now and again.”
“Are you okay?” I whine in a meek voice.
“If your tiny human knuckles could break me then I wouldn’t be out riding alone.” He picks the reigns back up.
I grip the horn with a pout. Our bodies rock together, carried through the tangle of the forest floor by the horse. I reach forward and delicately touch a strand of its mane. The horse twitches as I brush over it.
In our silence my mind wanders. Yet, my eyes still roam the green for any signs of white fur jumping out to greet us.
How many days will I have to stay in the Iron Court? At what lengths will Cordelia go to find me? They’re maddening thoughts. A much scarier reality.
“I, uh, heard that Jase is doing well.” Kai softly breaks the anxious worries that pull my brows together.
“Is he?” I sit up straighter. “Have they moved him out of the castle?”
“Yes. I think Lylix has introduced him to a bar owner who had a room available above their business.”
Hopefully, he doesn’t drink his days away…
“Do…uh, do you and Jase talk often?” We keep our voices low.
