Mind Over Matter

by Shea Balik

  “It was like they just disappeared,” Teagan said absently as he curled against Hrafn, who gladly held him.

  Was it wrong to be so jealous of his friends? It wasn’t like he begrudged them their happiness, but even though he’d thought he might have gotten through to Fritjof, the man was still acting so… distant.

  “Without Fen, how are we going to know where to find them?” Brandr asked.

  The patter of footsteps on the wood floor in the hallway alerted them to one of the kids being awake. Tess came into the room and made a beeline for Oluf. She held out a wall map to him with a red X marked on it. “You need to go first thing in the morning,” she told him.

  Oluf frowned as he looked at the map. “But that’s just Michigan. It shouldn’t take me more than a day to get to, even if it’s far from an airport, which,” he studied the map a little closer. “It looks to be within an hour’s drive at most from a large airport.”

  Her violet eyes seemed to shine brightly as she stared up at Oluf. “The Fae know where he is. They are going to kill him.”

  She then turned to face Wylie. “You all must go, for they will stop at nothing to get to him.”

  Wylie’s heart seized as he thought about his friend being in danger. The closer they got to Samhain the more the Fae were determined to destroy them, which meant going after the most vulnerable. “What about Logan?”

  Why he thought his five-year-old niece would know anything, Wylie couldn’t exactly say. Then again, he had no clue how she knew about Mingus.

  “Logan is still clouded. They can’t see him, but neither can I.” Then she blinked and her eyes dimmed to their normal color. “Good night,” she said. “I’ll be sure to be packed bright and early.”

  Then she raced back upstairs to her room as if what she’d said was perfectly normal.

  Stunned, Wylie stared after her.

  “Looks like the ritual dates no longer matter,” Kegan said.

  “One does,” Dermot said. “Samhain. For that will either end this, or…” he cocked his head to the side and frowned. “Actually, does anyone know what will happen if we don’t manage to seal the Veil on Samhain?”

  Silence fell as no one could answer that.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  Wylie waited anxiously for Fritjof to answer the door. Hell, he feared the man would refuse and Wylie wasn’t so sure he could blame him. Their binding had been… well, Wylie actually had no words.

  He’d pretty much made it the most terrible experience of their lives, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but remember the bliss he’d felt when Fritjof had bit him and bound them together for all eternity. But no matter that they both had gotten off, Wylie had still ruined it.

  It may take him forever but he was determined to make things right. He just wished he had a good plan. Knocking on Fritjof’s door had been as far as he’d gotten. Now that he was there, Wylie was beginning to realize he should have come up with what he was going to say.

  Begging seemed like a good idea. But, he wasn’t entirely sure it would be enough.

  His only real hope was that Fritjof had seen him in the Fae realm when all hell had broken loose. That had to mean something, right? God, he certainly prayed it did.

  The air was sucked from his lungs as the door opened and there stood Fritjof, looking fucking gorgeous with no shirt and the top of his pants undone. There was a moment when Wylie nearly dropped to his knees for a chance to finish opening those pants to find the prize inside.

  Instead, his mouth opened and everything he’d wanted to say came pouring out in one long sentence that didn’t seem to want to end. “I’m so damn sorry I fucked everything up with my stupid pride, it was childish and fuck are you like the sexiest damn man I’ve ever met, I mean… oh god, kill me now, no don’t… I mean… please forgive me for being an idiot and making you feel as if you aren’t the best thing that’s ever happened to me, because you are… I mean the best, most wonderful man I’ve ever known, who is way too damn hot to want a skinny, short, and well, to be honest, at times mouthy person like me, and I know I didn’t show it when you claimed me but I was hurt and feeling a bit… well, scared if you want to know the truth cause all I kept thinking was that I’d spilled all my secrets to you and you probably thought me a complete idiot for most of it, and I know I don’t deserve you even though I ache for you to hold me in your arms again, despite everything I’ve…”

  Thank god Fritjof clamped a hand over his mouth, stopping the verbal diarrhea that had exploded from his mouth. Heat suffused his body, pooling in his cheeks. He was sure he was as red as a person could get as he waited for Fritjof to say… anything.

  But all he received, for much longer than he’d ever thought he could bear, was silence. Golden eyes stared into his as if trying to figure out if Wylie was telling him the truth. He prayed Fritjof would see that not only was he being as honest as Wylie knew how to be, but that he would also see the love he felt for Fritjof written all over his face.

  Finally, the hand lifted from his mouth. “Did you mean it?” Fritjof asked, not needing to be more specific for Wylie to know exactly what he meant.

  “Yes,” he answered. “I know my actions didn’t show it, but I love you and I would love for a chance…” God he was utterly an idiot for even thinking this but said it anyway. “I would like a redo, I guess. I mean, that we are already bound together, is something I will never be willing to give up, but if maybe we could… I don’t know…” he let out a harsh breath, trying his best to say what was in his heart.

  “I want us to make love, for real this time. For you to claim me, again.” He winced. “I can’t undo what I did, and to be honest, the fact that we have completed our binding is something I can’t… regret,” he finally said on a breath of air. “I hate what I did to you, but I love that you’re mine.”

  Lips crashed down upon his and Wylie felt his heart soar. It was the single best moment of his life. He’d wished for this but, if he were honest, he’d never truly thought Fritjof would ever be able to forgive him. Yet, there they were tearing at each other’s clothes as they tried to get skin on skin.

  Then he was blessedly naked and plastered against Fritjof’s body. Everything about them was so different. Wylie was slim and smooth, as he made sure to shave and wax at every opportunity. Fritjof’s muscles had muscles and there was hair along his chest that tapered to a nice treasure trail ending at his large cock, which was proudly jutting from his body and pressing against Wylie’s abdomen.

  Liquid fire raced through his veins as he wrapped his arms and legs around Fritjof, while the man strode to the bed, where he placed Wylie down on the mattress. Joy surrounded him as Fritjof joined him, blanketing Wylie’s body with his much larger one.

  Fritjof kept part of his weight on his elbows so as not to crush Wylie, giving him enough room to breathe. Although, with the way they were kissing, it wasn’t like he was taking in any oxygen anyway.

  Wylie’s dick pulsed as precum leaked from the tip when he felt the press of Fritjof on top of him. It was too much and not enough all at the same time. Desire swamped him as Fritjof ripped his mouth from Wylie’s to start kissing and licking a path down his throat to the place where Fritjof had marked him.

  Wylie cried out as his back arched up as much as Fritjof’s body would allow before pushing him back down upon the mattress. “Please,” he begged. “I need to feel you inside of me.”

  Fingers slick with lube, Wylie hadn’t even realized Fritjof had gotten were suddenly at his entrance, teasing the muscles there. Not about to prolong the chance to have Fritjof’s cock inside of him, Wylie reached down and took hold of two of those fingers that were playing with him and pushed them inside his channel.

  A hiss left his lips at the burn, but Wylie didn’t care about the discomfort. He wanted all of Fritjof, now. More importantly, he needed the connection of Fritjof coming inside of him while he sank his teeth into his neck.

  “Please, hurry,” he groaned out as Fritj
of brushed across his sweet spot. “I need to make this right.”

  Fritjof stilled. His head lifted up, removing his mouth from where he was scraping his teeth across the mark that Wylie bore from his claiming. “Is that all this is about?” Fritjof asked. “A do over so I won’t feel so bad?”

  Wylie cried out a denial. “No. I swear. But, I screwed up what should have been a special moment between us and I just want…” Wylie had no idea how to finish that sentence so he went with what was in his heart. “I just want to have one thing in my life be special. To know our connection is there even though I fucked it up before. To feel you, to know you in every way possible. To belong to you, body, heart, and soul without the stain of my stupidity.”

  A softness entered those golden eyes that gave Wylie hope he hadn’t just screwed everything up, yet again. “You do belong to me body, heart, and soul, princess. Just like I belong to you in the same way. Nothing, not even how it happened, will ever change that.”

  Wylie sobbed in relief. “Then please, give me this one moment where I can feel all of that without anything but love between us.”

  Fritjof smiled down at him. “Anything for you, princess.”

  Those fingers tugged free to be quickly replaced by the thickness of Fritjof’s cock. With one smooth thrust, Fritjof was right where he needed to be, buried deep within Wylie’s body.

  “Yes,” Wylie shouted.

  They both moved as if they couldn’t wait to seal their bond once more. Every stroke brought them closer to the brink, until Wylie’s body arched up and froze, as he felt his orgasm slam through him with the speed of a freight train while cum shot from the tip of his dick to land on his chest.

  Then teeth sank deep into his flesh and more fluid shot from his cock as he felt his channel being filled. Just like last time, every cell of his body flew apart as euphoria scrambled his brain while he floated on a cloud of bliss.

  Kisses were pressed along his throat up to his chin and finally landing on his lips, bringing Wylie back to himself. “Was that what you wanted, princess?” Fritjof said as he gave Wylie another kiss with a smile on those firm lips.

  “That was exactly what I wanted, Buttercup,” he teased back.

  Fritjof lifted his head with an eyebrow raised over one eye. “Buttercup, huh?”

  Wylie grinned up at him. “Princess, huh?”

  Two could play at that game.

  Those lips captured his again in a long lingering kiss. When Fritjof finally rolled to his side, he kept Wylie tight to his body. “So long as it’s you calling me Buttercup, I think I like it, princess.”

  They both were laughing, for they really didn’t care what their nicknames were, so long as they were together. It might have taken them both time to get there, but they proved that it was the wisdom of Mind Over Matter. Because finding love is everything.

  About the Author

  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.

  You can stay up to date with everything Shea by following any or all links below!

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