Thwarting Cheaters (Artemis University Book 5)

by Erin R Flynn

  “I agree.” I leaned over and gave him a soft kiss. “Be dirty with me all you need. You give me everything I need as well and I love when you’re real with me.” I swallowed loudly. “There’s lots I love that you do with me.”

  His eyes flashed shock but then smiled. “Me too, Tamsin. There’s lots I love too.”

  Glad we settled that and hopefully could leave it at that for now.

  Hopefully.

  “Time for rest,” he murmured as he ran his hand over my arms.

  “Mmm, I’m still horny,” I confessed as I leaned down and ran my tongue along his nipple.

  “Shit, I like that,” he hissed. “I didn’t know I’d like that so much. Fuck, you’re insatiable, agra.”

  I snorted. “You have no idea. Getting good sex is addictive. I want it all the time.”

  “Me too,” he admitted.

  I kissed and licked every line of his lean, defined muscles, driving him crazy and not only enjoying that but the chance to take my time to fully explore his ripped, sexy body. I moved lower and swallowed loudly as I stared at his cock. It really was time I returned the favor of oral sex but something still held me back. I knew it was weird that I was fine with sex but I wouldn’t perform oral sex.

  “If you’re not ready, you’re not ready,” he said gently.

  “I want to,” I whispered. “But I’ve seen so many guys mistreat women with it. I can’t unsee it. It’s like once they get their dicks sucked, they lose all respect for them. I know that’s not real but I just… There are other things we should discuss and trust each other with first. It makes sense in my head.” I glanced at him from under my lashes. “Do you resent me because I won’t?”

  “No, not at all. I know guys like that and you’re not—it’s valid given what you’ve lived.” He reached out and ran his fingers through my hair. “Will you try something for me?”

  I slowly nodded, expecting him to ask me to simply kiss his dick. I could handle that, try it.

  “Nuzzle me. Don’t lick or suck me, just nuzzle me, agra. I just want to see you comfortable with me like I am with you.”

  I melted. It was so sweet—while still sort of fucking kinky—and understanding that I couldn’t help but melt. I leaned over and ran my nose along his hard dick, smirking when it twitched against me. His breath caught as the soft skin rubbed against my cheek and I nuzzled his balls.

  “Oh fuck, Tamsin,” he moaned. “Fuck a blow job, this is so much more sensual. Jesus, fuck, and all the gods, please don’t stop. Tease me more and then come sit on my face, I beg you.”

  I swallowed a giggle. Um, okay then. Sure. Again, I wasn’t sure how I ended up getting all the orgasms when this was supposed to be his thank you or reward but I could suffer through it.

  And bed he did. I swung around and straddled his head, moaning loudly as he ate me out while I nuzzled his groin and stroked him. That was all he wanted, that I was interested in him in that way even if I wasn’t ready for more. I think he liked how much attention I was giving him as opposed to simply my mouth. I mean, both hands were touching him, my face, and my hair was brushing his most sensitive parts.

  Who knew the minds of men? I certainly didn’t but given how aggressively he ate me out he wasn’t faking how much he enjoyed what I was doing to him.

  And I enjoyed it too so maybe that was enough for right then. So, three-quarters of a sixty-nine and my boyfriend was a satisfied man?

  Nice. No really, that was nice considering how much shit was going on in my life that was seriously complicated.

  When we were finished, I curled up against his chest, lying naked with him and my leg thrown over his hip. He hugged me to him as I started to fall into a deep, contented sleep.

  “I love you, agra,” he whispered, thinking I was already asleep. “I’m so fucking in love with you I had to say it. I know you’re not ready and I’ll wait forever until you are. You are a miracle to everyone but I’m selfish and I only care you’re a miracle to me because I never thought anyone could make me feel this way or make me feel loved. So if you never say it, know I feel your love. I do. And it makes me whole.”

  I smiled as I fell asleep. My prickly pear wasn’t so prickly after all.

  He was downright sweet and sappy sometimes and I loved it.

  I was pretty sure I loved him.

  And it scared the shit out of me even as it made my heart soar because soon, I would have to tell him the truth about what I was. It was only fair.

  Soon.

  19

  I woke in pain, ridiculous amounts of pain… And chained to a ceiling.

  What?

  The?

  Fuck?

  No, what the actual fuck? I’d gone to bed with Darby and now I was chained to a fucking ceiling in pain? How did that… I bit my lip to keep quiet as anguish sliced through my mind. No, that was Saturday night. This was Sunday.

  We woke up and had a lazy Sunday. We played with the dogs and checked out the estate. We harvested a bunch of the fae fruit that was already coming in from my personal groves even if it was still only April. We worked on stuff for school and he suggested we go somewhere nice and fun for dinner.

  He got a call during dinner. Something was wrong. That part was still fuzzy. He was upset. I remember that. I’d never seen him upset like that and his accent got really thick to the point I had trouble understanding him so I hurried to pay the bill and we left. He was going to take me home and handle whatever was going on but then…

  The portal. We were jumped at the portal.

  And I woke up here. Awesome.

  Just fucking awesome. Seriously, I was getting tired of being targeted and abducted twice in one semester was something I was not okay with.

  Anger burned through me and made me realize that was the pain on my body. It was my ribs that were the main source of my pain. Whoever had taken me had branded me.

  Oh, this fucker was gonna die and painfully.

  “Ah, you’re awake, we can get started,” a man said as he came back in the room. He had a thick Irish accent… And the same gray eyes as Darby’s. He smiled widely as he realized I made the connection. “Who knew my useless grandson would be the one to save this family and bag us the last remaining fairy, huh? He has the charm of a potato and yet he woos the only lass of ya all left. He might be worth something yet.”

  I thought back to what Darby told me about his family and wanted to curse myself for being stupid and not putting it together.

  “We were never rich but we had a more comfortable life as rare game hunters and it was fulfilling to them. I don’t know how I feel about it though and I think it’s on them they just never moved on.”

  Rare game hunters my ass. They hunted fairies as our blood did something to vampires. Collins had known that. Most vampires didn’t but of course, some did. I’d read the warnings in Conall Townsend’s journals that there were special teams of fairy warriors whose sole purpose was to protect fairies from vampires and make sure they didn’t find out about our blood and abuse us.

  “Started with what?” I croaked out.

  “Right, it’s been so long I almost forgot I have to explain it,” he muttered as he turned to face me. “Ya all go a bit mad if I don’t and I can’t have that since ya the last.”

  “Yes, that would be horrible as clearly you have great intentions,” I drawled. My cheek exploded in pain and I realized he’d backhanded me.

  He narrowed those gray eyes at me. “My grandson might have been willing to woo ya, but ya nothing but property now, girlie, and that brand proves it.” He pointed to the brand on my ribs that was showing and causing me so much pain. “That’s our family brand and ya owned so learn ya place.”

  “Good luck with that,” I chuckled darkly, spitting blood on the floor at his feet and smiling at him. I knew retribution was promised in my eyes but he seemed to be too stupid to care. “I don’t care that Darby’s your grandson either. I will burn you as well, old man.”

  He snorted. “Ya j
ust a little lass without your wings yet. Ya have no chance against what I’ll do. Don’t fight it or ya go mad.” Right, like that was the only option. “And after the potion, ya won’t be able to tell anyone or communicate any of this in any way.”

  Oh fuck. Okay, maybe he wasn’t so stupid. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  He smirked at me, my face probably showing what I was thinking. “The Moores have a long, long history of hunting and procuring ya kind, girlie. Ya might be the last but I’ll make sure that’s not true much longer.” He glanced at the brand again before meeting my eyes. “The moment ya mature the magic will kick in and all ya gonna wanna do is make babies. Lots and lots of babies.”

  And all of them would be his. I could see the giddy greed in his eyes. He didn’t just hunt fairies, he branded us like cattle, used magic to make us procreate, and then tracked our children for blood as well.

  Oh I was really, really going to kill this fucker. I didn’t care how or what it took, I would find a way.

  “You’re a sick, sick fuck,” I hissed at him.

  That earned me a few slaps but it was worth it because I also spat blood in his face. Fine, my blood was great for a vampire, but still, the insult was clearly there.

  “I don’t have time to argue with property and food,” he declared, waving me off as if I was an annoyance. “If the bloody potion hadn’t expired since ya all have been gone so bloody long I could have done this sooner. The damn lad was being a pain in the arse and storing up the magic to ready the brand again took too long.”

  Oh yeah, poor, poor him. I bit back a sigh and let my anger build as he rambled on about how we got here like a bad Bond villain. I mentally smiled when my power snowballed and I thought of a healing rune so I could start thinking clearer. Once I felt better it ramped up faster and like it had before when I was pissed over the boot Glen had put on my bike, it shattered the metal chains holding me to the ceiling.

  Well that came in handy.

  Even better? Grandpa Moore was so into his ranting and preparations he didn’t notice the noise.

  I watched in awe as my magic also burned the brand off my ribs. Okay, so I was pretty sure I was definitely not the average fairy then if he was so certain I was fucked once I had it. I had to be from a noble bloodline or really my theory of being born from a light and dark fairy was making more and more sense.

  Or he’d picked on the weakest of the weak for his plans to work and stupidly took the risk on me with the unknown linage because I was the last. That might actually be the correct answer. The simplest answer was normally the correct one and all of that.

  Once it was fully burned away and healed with another rune as if it never existed, I quietly moved closer to Grandpa Moore. He turned around to grab something and instead my boot connected with his face as I kicked him with all I had. I smirked as his head bounced off the wall and he went down with a groan, out before he hit the floor.

  The door flew open behind me and I spun around for whatever was coming next… Only to freeze when I met Hudson’s vibrant blue eyes that were an extreme blue with anger and his dragon riding him. Mr. and Mrs. Vogel came rushing in behind him, dressed in fighting gear and the three of them carrying weapons.

  The four of us simply stared at each other a moment and then they looked at Grandpa Moore on the floor and back at me.

  Then it hit me. The charm bracelet Hudson had gotten me. It had alerted him I was in trouble and he came, telling his parents I was in danger. I had taken it off after I learned he was betrothed, unable to see the dragon charm light up every time he thought of me, mocking me.

  But I’d kept it on my belt or necklace just in case there was a problem as even I thought it was smart to have someone with that kind of warning should I be in danger. Score one for me and him for both being practical in this sort of fucked up world.

  “Do they know?” I asked Mrs. Vogel.

  Her eyes flashed shock. “It’s about that?”

  I slowly nodded. “And it’s bad. I don’t know how big it is and…” I blew out a harsh breath and before I even realized it, my foot was flying and kicking Grandpa Moore. “I don’t even fucking know how to fucking handle this fucking shit this time. I can’t keep doing this all myself! I can’t keep this burden to myself all the time!”

  “Then it’s time to tell other adults who are used to having too much burden on their shoulders,” Mr. Vogel counseled. “Someone needs to know what you’re doing in Faerie besides Geiger, Tamsin.”

  I blinked at him and so did Mrs. Vogel.

  And Hudson simply blinked at me. “Faerie?”

  “Okay,” I whispered, agreeing with him and knowing of anyone the Vogels had protected me—could protect me and this monumental task I was undertaking. “You’ll help me handle all of this?”

  “Yes, given you told Trigger what you are, I’m sure we can keep it quiet and figure out what needs to be done,” Mr. Vogel agreed.

  “Of course you knew,” Mrs. Vogel sighed.

  “I’m not nearly as in the dark as people think, my love,” he teased her, probably implying he knew exactly how she figured out I was a fairy.

  Whoops.

  I opened a temporary portal as I used a fairy rune to bind Grandpa Moore for the time being. Then I waved them to follow me and led them through to my house into the garage. The fae dogs were instantly on guard, Chief growling at them as they stepped through the portal. “They were invited. Stand down but be on alert and search the property. Someone bad knows.”

  The pack gave a few barks and opened their side door and headed out. I ignored the Vogels’s shock and led them out of the garage and downstairs to the portal. I activated it and grabbed my bag just so we had some flashlights. I stepped through and when they joined me, I handed them out, smiling up at the now visible night sky.

  “Do not wander off,” I warned them. I went around to the other side of the portal and not a hundred feet later reached what I wanted to show them. My original plan was to do one huge diameter around the portal and clear out the area but then I realized that might be counter productive for moments just like right then when I might have to show what the situation was in Faerie.

  “What is that?” Mrs. Vogel asked as she shined her light into the caustic darkness.

  “We don’t know,” I confessed. “But it was everywhere. I tried the portal at school and I had a small, small circle around the portal that was safe. All I know is my instincts scream not to touch it. I’ve been working since I first found out I could activate the portal and push it back.”

  I went into the whole story of how Faerie needed magic from fairies and I was pretty sure cleansing us was what never allowed us to become corrupt. Also, how I went to Geiger and Claudia. And finally, how I recently did enough to reveal the sky.

  “But you’ve found no people, no life?” Mr. Vogel checked after several moments of letting all of that sink in.

  “No, nothing yet. A map of Faerie would be helpful but all the maps of Faerie seem to have magically vanished,” I grumbled, my sarcastic tone dripping to the point there should have been a puddle on the ground below me. “That can’t be an accident.”

  “No, it cannot, but you understand what that means, yes?” Mr. Vogel asked, studying me closely. I had a guess, but I didn’t answer, wanting to hear his thoughts. “If Geiger thought he remembered something about this type of magic that created darkness from something his fairy partner mentioned, that means this was done to Faerie by a fairy.”

  “And the maps disappearing was done outside of Faerie by people wanting to keep fairies trapped in their world,” Mrs. Vogel whispered in horror.

  I slowly nodded. “Yes, I know I’m fighting against that and those who believe that there is a fairy in the world still as that’s what keeps the protection on the estates and the magic working. There are lots of threats like that and those who would immediately want me dead in the hopes of getting all those treasures. Believe me I know this better than you.”

  He nodded as he g
lanced around, pain in his eyes and all over his expression before he focused on me again. “We will help you however we can, starting with whatever madness we walked in tonight. And not only because you are the last fairy but you are a friend to our family. I like you very much, Tamsin, my mate does as well.”

  I swallowed loudly. “But?”

  Mrs. Vogel moved her hand to her mate’s arm and stepped forward. “But while you helped us by telling us the true character of Hudson’s betrothed, you also made it clear you’re involved with our son which we suspected.”

  “Mother,” Hudson interjected.

  “And while we adore you,” she whispered sadly. “While I adore you and as a friend, you are not only the last but a comitissa. He—we can’t have that be who he’s involved with given what we face.”

  “No, wait,” Hudson argued as he stepped forward and yanked his father’s arm.

  “We’re trying to protect you,” his father said quietly.

  I swallowed loudly. “I understand. I do. Thank you for respecting me enough to explain it to me this way and make sure I knew you didn’t disapprove of me because of my background or anything else.”

  “No, never,” Mrs. Vogel rasped as her eyes filled with tears. “None of that would matter to us.”

  “Stop,” Hudson begged but we ignored him.

  “You are a lovely woman and I would be proud for you to be his, but your paths are…” She trailed off and gestured around Faerie. “This is yours. You need help with this and he needs help that can focus on him and our kingdom, our people. You both have too much on your shoulders to—”

  “Please don’t take my mate from me,” Hudson shouted, his loud voice booming in the quiet of the soundless and darkness of the magically bespelled world.

  Mr. Vogel found his voice first. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  That one word hit me like a punch to the gut and for the second time in one short night, I felt like such a fucking fool, a bitter chuckle escaping my lips before I could stop it. “That energy. That’s what that energy is between us, isn’t it?”