by Shea Balik
He nearly got up and did a dance when he saw acceptance in Eirik’s eyes. “Promise me you’ll tell me if I hurt you.”
Ryley nodded as he said, “I swear it.”
When Eirik kissed him again, Ryley swore every cell in his body sighed in relief. Well, that and rejoicing by dancing around wildly in excitement.
He’d expected slow, but apparently Eirik felt the same way Ryley did. The need to reconnect was too strong to deny. Each touch was still gentle and loving, but Eirik also didn’t spend as much time teasing Ryley’s body like he sometimes did.
There was more of a rush as he stroked his hands along Ryley’s flesh. When his teeth scraped across Ryley’s nipples, his fingers were pushing against the muscles guarding his entrance, loosening them up.
Thankfully, with all the sex they’d been having, it didn’t take much time at all before the tip of Eirik’s index finger was sinking into his channel. When Eirik had gotten the lube, Ryley couldn’t be sure, but he wasn’t about to stop things by asking.
Eirik’s mouth nipped and licked its way to his other nipple. This time he sucked it into his mouth as another finger joined the first one inside of him. Ryley was riding them as much as he could without causing his side to hurt, which wasn’t easy, as the wound hurt like a son of a bitch when he was just lying there.
“Yessss,” he hissed out when Eirik’s mouth moved down his abdomen. His prick was pulsing with desire to feel Eirik’s wet heat surround him, but instead, Eirik bypassed his dick and licked his balls. “Fuck,” Ryley shouted, his hands digging into Eirik’s shaggy hair as he tried to guide him to closer to his straining erection.
But Eirik didn’t let Ryley take control as he continued to lap at his ball sac. His deep chuckle vibrated around through his body, sending goosebumps along his flesh.
“Please, please, please,” Ryley begged, completely unashamed to do so. Hell, he’d get down on his knees and prostrate himself in front of Eirik if needed to get that delicious mouth on his cock.
Sure Eirik’s goal was to punish him for some reason, Ryley was about to yell and scream at the man for torturing him as he was. But then, he felt it. Scorching wet heat surrounding the head of his dick.
“Ughn,” Ryley moaned as his fingers twisted into the strands of Eirik’s hair, tugging him closer as he tried to lift his hips up to drive in deeper.
But Eirik had been prepared and held Ryley down with a hand on his abdomen, ensuring Ryley couldn’t hurt himself by moving too much. Damn him.
“Pleeeaasssee,” he whined as he pulled harder on Eirik’s hair.
Apparently, that really was the magic word, for in the next second, Eirik had swallowed him down to the root as three fingers entered his ass. Bliss infused Ryley’s body as he soared to the heavens.
No one had ever made Ryley feel this good and they hadn’t even gotten to the best part. Enjoying the feeling of being the center of Eirik’s world as the man pleasured him, Ryley literally shouted out how much he loved everything about Eirik. Or at least he tried to. Mostly he only managed a word or two that probably made no sense.
“Love the sounds you make,” Eirik said as he popped off Ryley’s length and tugged his fingers free. “Let’s see what else I can get to come out of that pretty mouth.”
Ryley didn’t even have time to whine about the loss of sensation before that big thick cock was sliding home. This time, it was them both making noise as they moaned.
Nothing was better than Eirik filling him to the brim. It was as if his lover had a way of driving out everything else from his mind, body, and soul, replacing it with his love. God, was he corny. But Ryley couldn’t help it. He was head over heels for this strong, determined man, who had a way of making everything in Ryley’s life better.
Like now, when Ryley’s injury hurt, Eirik took care not to jar him with hard thrusts. Instead, he allowed the slow drag of his bulbous head to stimulate every goddamn inch of Ryley’s channel, sending off sparks that lit up his body until he was mindless with need. That, combined with the way Eirik made sure to brush along Ryley’s prostate, had his body on edge within minutes.
“I…uhn…yes…that…right…fuuuckk,” Ryley groaned out as tingling started in the base of his spine and raced through him. His mouth opened on a silent scream as fluid gushed from his dick, coating his abdomen.
He could feel the muscles surrounding Eirik’s hard length clamp down. Eirik threw back his head and roared Ryley’s name. The sight was stunning as the corded muscles of his neck strained, while his chest and arms bulged with the strength of his orgasm.
Heat poured into Ryley’s channel, filling him with Eirik’s seed. In the next instant, Eirik lunged down, sinking his canines into Ryley’s neck.
There was an instant of pain that morphed into white hot pleasure as another orgasm ripped through Ryley. He’d forgotten just how erotic that bite could be as Eirik hadn’t repeated it since that first time. Ryley just hoped this wouldn’t be the last.
After gently pulling his teeth free of Ryley’s flesh and licking at the fresh wound, Eirik rolled to his side, keeping Ryley close without jostling him. “I love you, kitten.”
Ryley grinned, not only at the declaration but at the nickname Eirik refused to stop calling him. “I love you too, but I told you to stop calling me kitten.”
He wasn’t about to admit it, but Ryley loved it when Eirik called him that. It was like every time he said it, he was letting Ryley know how much he loved him. But that didn’t mean Ryley couldn’t give him a hard time.
Eirik clearly knew Ryley didn’t hate the name for he propped his head up on his elbow and grinned down at Ryley. “Not going to happen, so you might as well start getting used to it, kitten,” Eirik teased.
Ryley might have said more but his stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly. Eirik chuckled. “I guess you worked up quite the appetite.”
Not about to deny it, Ryley started to slide from the bed. “I hope Oluf made enough food.”
He’d only managed to get one leg on the floor when Eirik’s hand reached out and held him still. “Where do you think you’re going?” That hard, unyielding tone should have pissed him off, but for some unknown reason, Ryley melted at Eirik’s single-minded focus to keep him from harm.
At the same time, Ryley was getting out of bed. Keeping his own tone just as resolute at Eirik’s, he said, “To the kitchen for some food.”
Eirik was already shaking his head before Ryley had even finished talking. “No.”
There was no give in that one word. Good thing Ryley didn’t need any give. “I love that you want to take care of me, but I’m getting out of bed.” When Eirik started to climb from the mattress, most likely to carry Ryley, he stuck out his hand to stop the man. “Myself. I’m getting out all by myself. No more carrying. No more coddling. Just me.”
The look on Eirik’s face was crestfallen. As if Ryley had just kicked his puppy or something. Not about to give in, but also unwilling to let the love of his life think Ryley didn’t appreciate him, he carefully leaned in and placed his lips against Eirik’s.
“I love you,” he whispered. “And I love that you’ve wanted to take care of me. I even loved you carrying me around for the past few days, but its time for me to get back to normal.” He winced slightly as he leaned back. “Or as normal as possible. Please understand.”
For several long minutes, those green eyes studied him. Ryley hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath, until Eirik nodded and it all came whooshing from his lungs. “But if you even feel a twinge of pain…”
“I’ll tell you immediately,” Ryley assured him with another kiss.
CHAPTER 24
“Has Bjorn checked in yet?” Eirik asked as they entered the kitchen that afternoon for lunch.
Ryley, who’d been feeling as if he’d been walking on air after their morning of sex and now being allowed to finally leave that damn bed, stopped in his tracks. “Bjorn never checked in?”
Eirik had been vague in
answering his questions about if the men had found any other druids. He’d only told Ryley about Brandr, Arne, and Ulf, who had arrived where Fen had told them a fissure had opened and found anywhere from two to ten Unseelie minions. No druids anywhere to be found.
Apparently, that happened often. Fen could sense the tears in the veil, but not druids. While Eirik and the others could sense druids, they had to be nearby. How the Unseelie found them, no one was really sure.
Arne shook his head with a deep scowl. “No. I talked to him when I arrived in Scotland. Since he’d only had to go to Alaska, he was there, but was still trying to locate the Unseelie pets or the druids that had attracted them.”
It was Ryley’s turn to frown. “If the creatures are attracted to the druids, why didn’t you, Brandr, and Ulf find anyone?”
A twinge in his side must have showed on his face, because Eirik gently lifted him up into his arms and placed him on a chair around the table. Then Eirik went to the island and started scooping soup into a bowl. After he set it, along with crackers, in front of Ryley, Eirik went back to make him a sandwich.
There was no way Ryley was going to be able to eat all that, but he appreciated Eirik trying to take care of him. It caused his smile to return as he listened to the others try to answer his question.
“We can’t be sure,” Brandr started. “But we think there were druids nearby at one time. What we’re not sure is if the Unseelie are able to sense where the rituals had been performed before, sending their underlings in hopes of finding them still there.”
“Or,” Arne continued for Brandr. “Were the druids there, but somehow knew the lower beings had crossed the veil and ran?”
“Either way, we aren’t able to find them because they’re now too far away for us to sense,” Ulf finished. “Our only hope is that they managed to get away and are performing the ritual somewhere else.”
Fritjof let out a snort of derision. “Or, if they’re smart, they stop altogether and hope the creatures don’t find them.”
Meghan, who was still having nightmares after the ritual, tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at Fritjof for a moment before saying, “How would that help?” Before Fritjof could respond, she said, “According to all of you, if we don’t perform the rituals, the veil will come all the way down and we all die. Performing the rituals might put us at risk but wouldn’t not doing them ensure our demise?”
Ryley was impressed with his little sister. He’d half-expected her to beg that they never do the ritual again. Yet, there she was acting all grown up. “Well put, squirt.”
She turned her narrowed gaze to him. “I told you to stop calling me that.”
Ryley smirked at her. “Not going to happen, so you might as well get used to it.”
Eirik tilted back his head and laughed to have his own words used so soon after he’d said them. “Anyway,” he said to change the topic from going off in another direction. “Should some of us go in search for Bjorn?”
It was Ulf who let out a snort this time. “In Alaska? Do you have any idea how big and remote that place is? We’d never find him, especially if he’s trying to hide.”
“I hate to admit it,” Fritjof said. “But Ulf is right. Although, it might not hurt for a couple of us to go north, so we’re closer if he does make contact.”
Ryley didn’t know much about finding people, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving Bjorn and whoever he might be trying to protect. “It’s Alaska, in the middle of winter. Not only is it freezing up there, they get like, what? Two hours of light a day? I would think Bjorn would need help.”
“Actually, Bjorn is probably the only one of us who could survive,” Ulf said. “The man can shift into a grizzly, which will not only keep him and whoever he’s with warm if they can’t find shelter, but he’ll be able to protect them from any predators.”
Ryley sure as hell hoped so. They were going to need every druid possible to keep that veil from coming down.
“How’s your wound?” Brandr asked, changing the subject.
Ryley shrugged. “Hurts, but nothing like I thought it would after only three days. I guess it wasn’t that deep.”
Eirik brows drew together, but it was Meghan who practically yelled, “Yes, it was. It took Eirik forever to stitch you back together because of how deep it was.”
“I couldn’t exactly tell how far down the wound went since I saw it after Eirik put in the stitches, but based on how much blood you lost, it wasn’t just a scrape,” Brandr said. Then he got up, washed his hands and came over to kneel next to Ryley. “Lift up your shirt so I can look at it.”
If Brandr heard Eirik’s growl, he ignored it. As Ryley did as Brandr asked, Eirik moved closer to Ryley as if staking a claim on his territory. It was endearing as well as irritating. Considering how close he’d come to dying, Ryley decided to go with the former and not cause any waves.
Gently, Brandr peeled off the surgical tape and removed the bandage. His gasp had Ryley daring to look at what he was sure an ugly wound. He felt his jaw drop as he looked at a row of fairly neat stitches and a mostly healed injury. Or, at least, he thought it was mostly healed.
“Is it supposed to look like that?” he asked, sure Eirik and Meghan must have exaggerated how bad it was.
“Definitely not.” Brandr’s voice seemed as if he wasn’t sure what to make of what he was seeing.
Then he stood up and indicated that Ryley could drop his shirt. “We need to get you into the med room to remove those stitches.”
Eirik growled again. “What is going on, Brandr?”
Brandrs silver eyes met Eirik’s head on, the seriousness in his expression daunting. “He’s healing as fast as we do.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Arne slammed a hand onto the table. “Is he becoming immortal, like us?”
Ulf grunted. “The curse did say we’d have a choice to stay with the one we loved for all eternity. If that is to happen, then it would stand to reason Ryley would have to become immortal, like us.”
All the hairs along Ryley’s body stood on end, indicating Fen was about to appear. “Not quite,” Fen said when he shimmered into the room. “Until the veil is sealed, they can be killed. They don’t become immortal until you’ve made the choice to stay with your beloved.”
He nodded to Ryley and added, “But his body is changing for that decision, which means he will heal more quickly.”
“Holy fuck,” they all said in unison.
Fen grinned at them, clearly about to cause more mischief. “Oh, and did I forget to mention, there is more to the curse?” Then he disappeared.
“Fucking Fae,” Oluf grumbled as he started to clean up.
“Did he really just say I would become immortal if you decide to remain cursed?” Ryley whispered as he leaned against Eirik.
“There’s no if about it. I will always choose you, even if that means I’ll have to fight the whole of the Fae army every damn day of our lives. It would be worth it to hold you each night.” Eirik sealed their mouths together in a sweet kiss that showed Ryley just how much Eirik loved him.
Ryley never would wish for his family to have been killed, but he had to admit, being with Eirik made fighting creatures he’d never imagined existed worth it. “I love you,” he whispered against Eirik’s lips.
“I love you too, kitten,” Eirik said. “Now and forever.”
Thanks to his ancestors, forever had a whole new meaning, a much brighter one.
Who is Shea Balik, you ask?
Best Selling author of the Cedar Falls Series, Paranormal War Series, and Miracle Series, Shea Balik has always had a vivid imagination with stories running around in her head. Often her stories are taken from observations of other people with her own spin.
Traveling is one of her favorite ways of fulfilling her passion of people watching. You never know, one day you may spark her imagination for her next book.
Whether at home or traveling she is usually in front of her computer writing or curled up
with a good book.
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
