Dark Crown: A Fae Shifter Romance (Guardians of the Fae Realms Book 8)

by JL Madore

  I roll my eyes thankful there’s nobody within earshot to notice our king’s behavior. As hard as I tried to wrangle him back to the castle to wallow in private, he insisted on hitting the first bar we came to.

  Thankfully it’s not the kind of place to gather a large crowd in the middle of the afternoon… which I suppose is closing in on evening now.

  Damn. How long have we been here?

  The crowd of empty glasses littering our tabletop doesn’t bode well for making it home unscathed. He’s been pounding them down for too long and with much too much enthusiasm. Now we are solidly in public intoxication territory.

  Our server is a rough-around-the-edges half-drow with an ink fetish. When she returns with two more glasses of haze, I curse under my breath. “You can stop bringing drinks now. He’s had enough.”

  She lifts a shoulder and rolls her eyes. “Maybe if you were the king I’d stop, but you’re not. When my king says to keep them coming, you better believe that’s what I’m going to do.”

  Perfect. Thanks for nothing.

  I glance down the back hall toward the bathrooms and wonder what’s taking so long. Hopefully, he hasn’t clocked out with his cock out. That would be an amazing news story for his first week on the throne.

  I pull out my credits card and point to her scanner. “Call up our bill. I’m paying out. If you bring anything beyond those two last drinks you don’t get paid for them. Are we clear?”

  Her lip curls as she rolls her eyes. After scrolling through her data scanner, she holds it out for me to read. Ouch. Slecking hell, Creed’s paying me back for this.

  I tap my card and the credits are exchanged. When that’s taken care of, I slide my card back into its holder and then into the inside pocket of my leather jacket.

  There’s still no sign of Creed’s return, so I head back. Thankfully, instead of open, public washrooms, this bar has six private rooms.

  Drawing a deep breath, I sort through the aromas of greasy pub fare and booze and search for the rich, dark scent that is Creed. After assessing the six doors, I knock on the last one on the right. “You fall in?”

  “Fuck off. I’m not in the mood for your mouth.”

  I try the handle and sigh. “Well, I’m not in the mood to shout through a door. If you’re done pissing, come back and sit down.”

  The door to the washroom opens and Creed grabs the front of my shirt. Pulling me inside he slams the door shut and flips the lock. “On second thought, I am in the mood for your mouth.”

  He slams me up against the wall, grabs the front of my pants, and drops his mouth to suck on my throat.

  The change of direction almost gives me whiplash.

  Still, my body responds without fail. When your mate calls you out for some sexual healing, you do your best to comply. My blood rushes south. My cock hardens. And my drunken buzz takes me on a trippy ride.

  “I need you, Rhy.” He runs an explorative hand under my jacket and across the plains of my chest. The heat of his touch is searing and I swallow as it moves lower.

  “But not here,” I say, kicking myself for shining a light of sanity on this moment. “You haven’t claimed me in public. As far as the quadrant knows, you’re happily mated to Keyla and Dillan.”

  He winces. “Don’t say her name. I can’t… this isn’t about her. It’s about you and me.”

  If only that were true.

  He pegs me with a look that’s so anguished and lost it kills my resolve to resist. “I need you, Rhy. You and me… uncomplicated… working off the brutality of life like before. Please.”

  How do I say no to that? He needs me. I’m the only one he wants at this moment. I meet him nose-to-nose and a rush of his desire hits me.

  Damn, he smells good.

  Easing him a half-step back, I soak in his beauty and my cock makes a solid attempt to break free from my jeans. Creed can be elegant and regal, but there’s also another side to him that is raw and primal.

  That’s who’s looking at me now.

  I try to focus my drunken mind to assess the situation. The bathroom is a five-by-five box, somewhat clean, and private enough that we can take a moment to polish the countertop. I’m sure we’re not the first two people to ejaculate in here.

  He needs this. My dragon and I need it too.

  “And then we go home,” I say. “Without argument.”

  He dips his chin. “Whatever you say.”

  Like I believe that. I shrug off my jacket and hang it and my shoulder harness on the door handle. While I’m doing that, Creed’s fine, loose slacks drop to the floor. He steps free of them and looks me over like he’s about to devour me.

  “You’re sure you want to do this here?”

  “Don’t I look sure?” He stalks forward, his cock hard and thick, and pointed straight at me. “I need what only you and I have. You aren’t afraid of my anger. You know how to defuse me and make the hurting stop.”

  It’s true. I know what he needs and I’m up for the punishment.

  After unbuckling my weapons belt, I push my pants and boxers down my thighs and let them pool around my ankles. Then, I lean back against the counter of the sink and grin as Creed’s gaze locks on.

  With strong, sure strokes I grab my cock and prime myself, running my grip from base to tip and then back down again. “We’ve got no liquid glide here, so we’ll have to self-lubricate.”

  He licks his lips and another rush of that heady spice of his fills the air. “I’ll help.”

  Bending at the waist, he lowers himself before me and sucks my erection between his lips. My hips buck, the heat of his mouth sending a bolt of sensation straight to my balls. “Yeah. That helps. That’s good… so good.”

  I lace my fingers into the fall of his long, silver hair, and pull him against my hips. My cock pulses as he takes me in fully. I close my eyes and the room spins in a chaotic swirl so I open them up again.

  Okay, I’ve got too much of a buzz going to close my eyes. Lesson learned.

  Heat blooms at the base of my sac as the pressure of release starts to build. “Damn, you’re a beast tonight.”

  “I need inside you before I lose my mind.”

  Straightening, he pushes up against my side, gripping me hard. My breath escapes in a wild rush as he starts a rough rub and tug.

  We’ve played this game many times and my dragon paces within, knowing what comes next. Creed and I are both dominant males, but when we come together, one of us has to take the punishment for the other one to give it.

  There’s never been any confusion about how those lines are drawn.

  Creed fucks me… and I love it.

  I growl as the tick-tick-tick of precum counts off his strokes. With every pounding glide up and down my shaft, the tension burns hotter.

  “Yes,” I growl, my chest pumping as my balls burn with the need to release. “Don’t stop. Pump my cock.”

  He does. With a fierceness that speaks of how desperate he is, he pumps his hand, squeezing with such a delicious grip that I spill the slick cream he’s after.

  I close my eyes and ride out the convulsions of my release. Breathing heavily, the drugging scent of his need and anticipation fills my senses.

  Creed is addictive.

  He spins me around without fanfare. One moment I’m enjoying the sensations of shattering and the next I’m bent at the waist and pinned on the countertop beside the sink.

  A rough hand between my shoulder blades holds me in place as the cum he primed from me is put to use. He swipes warm moisture against my ass and then slicks over the head of his cock.

  Watching him in the mirror is a rare gift.

  I revel in the focus in his expression. Heated desire lights up his dark, haunted gaze as he grinds his cock against my ass. The blunt head of his crown presses at my opening.

  He’s so slecking beautiful.

  “Brace yourself.”

  I always do. My blood roars.

  I love our dark and dirty moments.

&n
bsp; The penetration is hard and very deep. It stings at first—it always does. Creed’s a big boy and without proper lubrication, sex with him is that much more invasive. Still, it’s amazing.

  The crown breaching is my favorite part.

  There’s an erotic moment at the entry point when his cock demands to be accepted. It’s both mindless pleasure and breathless anticipation at once.

  And then he breaches.

  Sensation explodes up my spine and I groan and arch back into the cradle of his hips. He hesitates, for half a beat while our bodies absorb and settle. That one moment of relative calm is all I get before the storm.

  He starts a deep in and out, and I push up onto my elbows to leverage his thrusts. Greedy fingers grip my hips as his strength comes into play. The intensity of the ride gears up quickly from hunger to pounding into me with almost violent force.

  Creed is carnal impulse… I’m his willing vessel.

  He’s out of his head and that’s the entire point. For this moment, there is only him and me and the sound of flesh meeting flesh and the smell of his need and my mating scent pouring out of my skin.

  We are frenzy.

  We are racing hearts and throbbing need.

  Bracing my palms on the backsplash of the sink, I watch our joining in the reflection of the mirror. He’s close. Over the past two years, I’ve memorized every expression, breath, and sound he makes.

  His orgasm is burning, aching to gain freedom.

  “Do it… fill me.”

  He grimaces, his breath coming in panting gasps. “Fuck you feel good.” He shoves a hand under my chest and locks a hold onto my shoulder.

  With the leveraged grip, he pistons even harder.

  I use all of my dragon strength to keep from getting driven head-first into the mirror above the sink. The muscles in my left arm burn with the exertion as I shift my right arm between my thighs.

  Gripping my shaft, I orgasm instantly.

  I thrust my hips forward, tossing and coming in hot spurts down the front of the counter. Maybe I should care about the mess, but I don’t.

  I don’t give a shit where my cum ends up.

  Creed curses behind me and the release he pumps into me is soul-shattering for both of us.

  Panting hard, I bring my arm back up to the countertop to steady my balance and to avoid buckling to the floor. “Shit, Creed. That was next-level,” I pant, my drunken buzz and loss of fluids making my head spin. “Did you manage to clear your head? Creed?”

  He meets my gaze briefly, his gaze unfocused… and then his eyes roll back and he drops like a rock.

  “Slecking hell.”

  Keyla

  By the time we wrap up with the officers and get back to the castle, it’s close to the dinner hour. Doc’s stomach is growling so loudly he’s drawing attention as we exit the shuttle bus and head for the entrance. I laugh and pat the rock hard ridges of his belly. “I should pack snacks for you as they do for Calli now that she’s pregnant.”

  Doc grins. “Sorry. Not much I can do about it. I ate what Creed made for me this morning, but I don’t think he’s got a handle on how to feed a bear wildling yet.”

  “I don’t suppose it’s that different from a dragon.”

  “You’re likely right, but I’m not sure he and Rhy were sharing breakfast. From what Rhy mentioned it was more an after-dark workout between them and then he slipped back to his room.”

  It hurts a little that Rhylan didn’t get cast off with guilt and anger as I did, but I try not to look too closely at it. Grief is tricky.

  “Majesty.” Two castle guards open the door for us.

  “Thank you, gentlemen.” I offer each of them a smile and continue deeper into the castle proper. “I think it’s best if we go back with Kotah to handle the Raven situation at the palace. It’ll give Creed a moment to be alone with his grief and maybe sort out a few things.”

  “Do you think it’s wise to pull back? He snubbed us, but that was a knee-jerk reaction to finding a female he loved tortured and breathing her last breath.”

  The horror of that makes it difficult to pull oxygen into my lungs. The pressure in my chest feels like someone has parked one of Hawk’s SUVs on my sternum and refuses to back it off.

  “I’m not giving up or running away. I’m simply giving him a day or two to confront his feelings without our presence complicating things. I have things to deal with and so does he.”

  When we arrive at the doors leading to the royal residences, two more guards open things up to let us pass. “Majesty.”

  “Thank you, gentlemen.”

  Our suite is quickly becoming home to me and even more so because when we step into the living room, Kotah, Jaxx, and Hawk are lounging on the couches, chatting and sharing a drink.

  The three of them stand as I enter and I chuckle. “I’m your sister-in-law, not your princess. You don’t need to be so formal.”

  “A princess in one realm, a queen in another,” Jaxx says, holding up his glass. “Seems to me we should not only stand but also bow.”

  I snort. “Please don’t. If you want to do something for me, you can make me a drink.”

  “Coming up,” Jaxx says, heading over to the bar.

  Kotah’s gaze narrows as he studies me. “What happened? It didn’t go well for you in Clarinta?”

  I draw a deep breath and smile at Doc. “Would you mind asking Calli to join us, so I only have to tell the story once?”

  While he does that, I accept the tumbler from Jaxx and swallow some of the haze and grapefruit juice concoction he’s been working on. “That’s good. Thanks.”

  Calli and Dillan come back into the living room and I tell them about how our morning circled the drain.

  “And the witch had her all this time?” Calli says.

  Doc nods. “She was sucking her dry of life force. Lukas said the power Bloom would’ve given her was both physical and magical.”

  “That’s appalling,” Hawk says. “I can’t imagine the suffering the poor girl endured.”

  “And now Creed is flaying himself for being happy and in love with you while she suffered,” Calli says.

  I nod. “Which is why I’ve decided now is the time to deal with the treachery of our own realm.”

  Kotah shakes his head. “What do you mean? What treachery?”

  Hawk steps to the side and I join my brother on the sofa. Pulling him down to sit with me, I shift on the cushion to face him. Squeezing his hands, I meet his troubled gaze. “When we were in the Travon badlands the other day, Rhylan told me what he knew about Laryssa and Sebastian’s plot to take control of our realm.”

  His gaze narrows. “More than her trying to seize us by force when the portal gate opened?”

  “Yes. For the past few years, Sebastian had someone on the palace staff poisoning Father. Adahi was right. Raven is no friend to our realm.”

  Kotah rubs a rough hand over his mouth and sighs. “So, weaken the realm by killing off the Fae Prime and then kill me at the coronation to seize control.”

  “That was their fallback objective, yes, but originally, they intended to put you into office assuming your age and indifference to ruling would make you weak in the eyes of the realm. Sebastian planned on offering them a strong leader.”

  I squeeze his hands, waiting for the hurt and self-recrimination to come.

  Only it doesn’t.

  “Are you all right?” I cant my head to the side, assessing his scent and physical cues.

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Hawk shifts to sit on the stone coffee table and sets his glass down. “Keyla told me about this last night, worried you might feel in some way responsible for your father’s death or hurt to be so underestimated.”

  Kotah returns his gaze to me and his surprise is genuine. “Sister mine, I have run through every possible scenario for how and why I ended up as Fae Prime. I realized months ago that if Father was being poisoned as Adahi claimed that inserting a weak and unprepared le
ader was the objective.”

  “You did?”

  “Of course. Why do you think I’ve spent so much energy transforming into the leader our world needs. It certainly isn’t because I want it or because Father passed and it’s my duty. I did it because the fae citizens of our realm deserve to live in peace with a strong leader who cares for them. It’s the only reason I took the throne.”

  “So people like my father couldn’t,” Hawk says, the scent of his pride strong in the air.

  “You never cease to amaze us, Wolf,” Jaxx says, raising his tumbler.

  Calli looks at me and rolls her eyes. “Why do we worry so much about them?”

  “Apparently for no reason at all.” I let out a long breath and lean forward to hug my brother. “I’m so relieved. I didn’t want this to hurt you.”

  “There is nothing anybody outside our family can do to hurt me, Keyla. As long as my mates and you and yours are well—all is well.”

  Calli winks at me from over Kotah’s shoulder. “Does this mean we’re headed back to the palace to kick Raven’s ass?”

  “Hells yeah, it does,” Jaxx says. “About time too. I bet she thinks she got away with it.”

  Hawk nods. “The moment we get back through the portal gate, I’ll find out what my people have learned. If she thought herself in the clear, maybe she let her guard down. Maybe something she did will lead us to my double-crossing half-brother.”

  “Dayam,” Calli says. “If we could get Raven and Hunter in the same takedown that would be doubly sweet.”

  Jaxx nods. “When do we leave?”

  Cue all eyes turning to me. “When Lukas and Brant get back. If Creed hasn’t returned from delivering Bloom’s body to her family, I’ll leave him a note.”

  “A detailed, kind note,” Kotah says, warily.

  “Yes, brother mine. I’m not angry or burning any bridges, I simply believe he needs some solitude to sort through things. I would. And since we’re mirrored souls, I’m guessing he feels the same way.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT