by Lynn Hagen
Yet when he wanted time to hurry up so he could be with Silo, the hands on the clock seemed to be moving backward. Time dragged, and the longer Palmino had to wait, the more irritated he became.
“Got a hot date?” Kyle teased.
Gary had the motor fixed, and within an hour, the walk-in cooler was freezing again. Mr. Cooper had left as soon as Gary had finished the job. Palmino was glad the upright human was gone. With his patience on a thin thread, he just might have buried the man’s body.
Palmino hadn’t said anything to Kyle about Silo until the shop had cleared of people. When the customer who had called about the potted plants finally left, Palmino locked the door and turned to Kyle.
“I found my mate.” He said casually, yet Palmino was bursting on the inside. His colorful and thin wings shot out from where they folded into his back and began fluttering as he levitated from the ground and flew toward Kyle.
Kyle laughed, his light blue eyes sparkling. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing you do that.” He leaned his arms on the counter. “So, who’s the lucky guy?”
Palmino twirled, finally able to burst with happiness. “His name is Silo.”
Kyle’s blond brows shot up. “The winged beast?”
Palmino nodded and then landed, grabbing Kyle and turning the impala shifter to face him. “What do you know about him?”
Kyle shrugged. “Not much. He’s a computer expert and handles all the surveillance equipment at the castle. He is also a hacker, if that’s what it’s still called. I never know these days.”
So the guy was intelligent, as well as good-looking. Palmino rested his elbows on the counter, cradling his face against his fists. “He’s so dreamy.”
Kyle chuckled. “Yeah, he is gorgeous. I really don’t know him all that well, but from what I’ve seen, he’s got a pretty good personality. He’s gonna end up pulling his short hair out after dealing with you.”
Palmino straighten and stared at Kyle with a frown. “What does that mean?”
“You know,” Kyle said as he waved at Palmino. “You’re a bit bitchy and sometimes your attitude sucks.”
Palmino frowned. That statement hurt his feelings. Since befriending Kyle, he’d done his utmost to be nice and friendly. He’d thought they had gotten along just fine, but Kyle obviously still held their first meeting against him. What had the guy expected? Palmino had been attacked by a soul-sucker, and he’d been scared out of his mind. It hadn’t been his fault that he’d acted like a jerk.
For the past month he and Kyle had gotten along fabulously, but now Palmino saw that those feelings had been one-sided. “Whatever.”
He started to walk away, but Kyle grabbed his arm. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to bring down your mood. I was just teasing you.”
Pulling his arm away, Palmino went to the back of the shop and started straightening shelves. Six o’clock couldn’t get there fast enough.
Chapter Two
Palmino checked his hair in the glass of the cooler. He really didn’t like how it looked. It was his natural color, but there was no spark, no flair. It just hung there like a black ink waterfall. Maybe later tonight he would do something about that. He smiled when he thought about changing the black to pink. Would Silo like it or would he frown at Palmino’s need to express himself?
Glancing at the clock, he saw it was time to go. Kyle was behind the counter, leaning over it as he sucked face with Nikoli. They were truly a cute couple, but Palmino had smooching of his own to do.
Right on time, Silo pulled the door open and stepped inside the flower shop. He glanced around, at the array of arrangements before his gaze landed on Palmino.
Good Lord, the man looked at him as if he wanted to eat Palmino alive.
“What’s up, Silo?” Nikoli asked as the two tapped knuckles. “What’re you doing here?”
Silo’s baby blues shot to Palmino. Nikoli turned and stared at Palmino before his gaze swung back to Silo. “Don’t tell me he’s your zaterio.”
Silo smirked as he walked with a predatory gait toward Palmino, and Palmino’s heart sped up with a sexy walk like that. His body grew tight as his gaze zeroed in on Silo’s thick waist, his hips, and the large outline of his groin. That along with the blue of his eyes made Palmino feel as if an ice shelf were moving toward him, large imposing, and powerful.
Palmino sucked in a deep breath right before Silo slid an arm around him and hauled him close. Oh yeah, that was exactly what he needed after his shitty-ass day. Palmino melted into his mate as Silo’s soft lips descended on him.
Palmino moaned, sliding his arms around Silo’s neck. He pulled back to catch his breath. “Ready to blow this Popsicle stand?”
“Ready to make you mine,” Silo said in a low and husky tone.
Palmino began to pant at the image of Silo fucking him. He nodded as Silo straightened. It hadn’t dawned on him until now that Silo had to practically bend in half to kiss him. Maybe he would invest in a stepstool and save his mate future back problems.
Grabbing his hand, Silo led Palmino toward the door.
“Well, is he?” Nikoli asked.
“Yep.” Silo winked at Nikoli. “Sexy little thing, isn’t he?”
“If you can get past his mouth,” Nikoli said with a grin. Silo’s smile faded as his brows furrowed. His lips thinned as he glared at Nikoli.
“I’d watch what you say about my zaterio, Nikoli.”
Nikoli held up his hands. “I meant no offense.”
Palmino got along great with Kyle, but he still didn’t like Nikoli. The guy still held their first meeting against Palmino. Judging by his earlier conversation with Kyle, so did his friend, but Palmino was willing to overlook that.
Palmino smirked at Nikoli. “Later, bitches.”
Nikoli glared at Palmino as he and Silo walked outside. Fuck Nikoli. If he couldn’t get past Palmino’s meltdown, then he wasn’t worth the time to get to know as a friend.
“Something I need to know about?” Silo asked as they crossed the street, heading for Theo’s.
“I was being attacked by a soul-sucker in an alley and Nikoli rescued me. I was scared, shaken up, and didn’t know who I could trust. I may have been a bit bitchy and mouthy at the time, but can you blame me?”
Silo stopped walking and stared down at Palmino. “Do you know why that demon was after you?”
“No clue.” That was the honest truth. “I was in the demon realm visiting a friend when he attacked me. The next thing I knew, we were in that alley. I have no idea how we even got there.”
“So, it wasn’t personal?” Silo asked as they approached the tavern.
“Nope. Wrong place, wrong time,” he said as he stepped inside to the wonderful smell of fries and burgers. His stomach growled. He hadn’t gotten a chance to eat lunch, and on his budget, couldn’t really afford to eat out.
Amazingly, Bryck had been nice enough to allow Palmino to eat at Theo’s for free, but Palmino hadn’t wanted to take advantage of the wolf’s generosity, so he never took anything from the bar for his lunch at work.
“Seems we need to take care of your rumbling belly before I fuck you into a coma.”
Palmino nearly swallowed his tongue. He looked Silo up and down and then smiled. “Will be well worth it.”
Silo winked. “I can guarantee that it will.”
Chapter Three
Silo ordered his zaterio something to eat as he stood there staring at the sexy fairy. He still couldn’t believe he’d found his chosen one. For the past few hours he’d stayed close to the flower shop, afraid it had all been some sort of dream and Palmino would disappear into thin air.
It had taken every ounce of his will not to go into that shop any earlier and snatch his mate away. God, he was mated to a fairy. How fucking cool was that? Silo just couldn’t get over how little and gorgeous the guy was. Pocket-sized. Nice.
Leaning his arm on the counter, Silo faced his mate. “So, where are you from?” He slid his fingers down Pa
lmino’s smooth, dark skin. It was as soft as it looked.
The fairy pointed toward the ceiling. “I’m from apartment B. Where are you from?”
A sense of humor. Silo loved it. “Nowhere Google Maps can find.”
But there was something about the guy. Silo couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something very…different about his mate. It was just a gut feeling, but not enough to stop him from claiming the man.
“Have a seat and I’ll have Lucas bring you your food,” Bryck said after handing Silo a bottle of beer.
“No drink?” Silo asked his mate.
“You definitely don’t want to see me drunk,” Palmino said. “I’ll just have a soda.”
A drunken fairy. Now that was something Silo would love to see. The guy was small enough that he would probably be adorable staggering around. “How about I take a bottle of wine upstairs with us?”
“Is it fae wine?”
“I don’t think so,” Silo said. “I could get some bourbon or whiskey.”
“I’ll stick to what I’m drinking. The last time I drank alcohol, I shaved the family cat. My extended family was there for a visit, and I walked into the living room…naked, claiming I was the new king and all should bow to me. It’s not a memory I care to repeat. Embarrassing myself to death isn’t my idea of having fun.”
Silo hooted with laughter as he listened to his mate. He could only imagine the mortification Palmino felt once he’d sobered. “Okay, I promise not to get you drunk.”
“Thank you.”
Silo watched as Palmino ate his dinner like a starving man. He didn’t leave a single crumb behind. For a skinny guy, he sure ate heartily. Silo frowned when Palmino let out a big belch.
“Sorry about that, but man, I was hungry.” His mate pushed his plate aside. “Okay, I’m well fed. Are we going to get to the sex part now?”
Silo chuckled. “You know how to stroke a man’s ego.”
Palmino wiggled his dark brows. “That’s not the only thing I want to stroke.”
“Okay, then.” Silo pushed up from the booth and grabbed his mate’s hand, heading straight for the kitchen. He grinned when he felt Palmino squeeze his ass.
“So firm and nicely shaped.”
“I’m glad you like it.” On the right side of the kitchen was the stairway that led to the apartments above the tavern. Silo opened the door, pulling his mate behind him.
“Of course, I’ll have better access to your ass once you’re naked.”
Silo was so hard his dick was ready to explode. He found his zaterio’s door, which had a large B nailed against the wood. He held his hand out to his mate. “Keys?”
Palmino reached around Silo and twisted the handle. The door opened.
“You don’t lock your door?” Was the fairy insane? “Why in the hell not?’
His mate shrugged. “I don’t have anything worth stealing.”
“And what if someone was in there waiting for you?”
With a long sigh, Palmino said, “Can we talk about this later? I’m too horny to think right now.”
Silo narrowed his eyes. “We’ll definitely talk about this later.”
If he had his way, Silo would have his mate packed by the end of the night and moved into the castle. Pride Pack Valley may be a quaint little town, and the crime rate may be close to nonexistent, but it was filled with preternatural beings, and not all of them were the friendly type.
For fuck’s sake, it was Silo’s job to kill as many hellhounds as possible. He’d have to school his little mate on the dangers of not staying vigilant.
He forgot those thoughts as soon as Silo kicked the door closed. Palmino was already undressing, tossing his clothes aside as his dark, luscious skin was revealed inch by inch.
Silo could only stand there and watch. The fairy’s body was sleek, well-toned, and he had a nicely rounded ass. Silo’s body tightened in anticipation.
“Get those damn clothes off,” Palmino demanded. “Can’t suck your dick if it’s covered in denim.”
Well damn. Silo quickly removed his shoes and socks, and shoved his jeans and boxers down and off. He yanked his shirt over his head, letting it fall to the pile of clothes at his feet.
Palmino stood there for a moment, just staring at Silo.
“Something wrong?” Silo asked. From the way his mate had acted, he’d expected the guy to jump on him already.
“Just appreciating the view.” Palmino licked his lips. “Were you born with that well-defined cut, or do you work out?”
Silo ran a hand over his chest, unable to stop smiling. “I wasn’t born, zaterio. I was created.” He waved a hand over his chest. “This was how I was made.”
Palmino crossed the room and dropped to his knees. Silo watched in utter amazement as his mate took Silo’s cock into his mouth. His body clenched and his lips parted as Palmino licked him from base to head, sliding his tongue in the slit that had droplets of precum escaping.
“Oh fuck,” Silo whispered as he grabbed a handful of Palmino’s long hair and tugged. That was when he noticed the pointy ears. The sight only made him harder.
He brushed his fingers along one of the points, fascinated when Palmino whimpered. “Sensitive,” he said with a grin. “I like that.”
Palmino’s fingers dug into Silo’s thighs as he swallowed Silo down his throat, working the muscles to make a tighter grip.
“Shit,” Silo hissed, tugging at Palmino’s hair. His legs trembled as the fairy’s tongue licked up and down the large vein on the underside of Silo’s cock. He wasn’t going to last long. Not when his mate had such a talented and wicked tongue.
Watching his cock slide between Palmino’s plump lips had Silo’s breathing growing ragged. His balls tightened against his body as electrical currents ran up his spine. Silo fucked Palmino’s mouth in short bursts, his hands tightening in the fairy’s dark hair.
“Gonna blow,” he warned. His short thrusts quickened, and right before he came, Palmino swallowed him down.
“Ah, shit!” Silo clenched his jaw, and curled his toes as burst after burst of his cum shot down his mate’s throat, and Palmino drank every last drop. Silo eased his hold on his mate as he blinked a few times. He hissed and pulled back when Palmino tried to lick him clean. “Sensitive.”
His mate rose to his feet and smiled up at Silo. “Now for the main attraction.” He sauntered off down the hallway, and Silo’s gaze was riveted to the man’s backside.
As soon as Palmino was out of sight, Silo sat on the sofa, trying desperately to catch his breath. His jaw dropped when Palmino came back into the living room, bottle of lubricant in one hand, a pink dildo in the other.
He smiled at Silo. “Ready to play?”
“Fuck yeah.” Silo’s flaccid cock became semihard. He slid his teeth along his upper lip as he stared at the toy in Palmino’s hand. “You gonna use that on yourself, or do I get the honors?”
When Palmino tossed him the dildo, Silo caught it midair. His mate moved in front of Silo and then dropped to his hands and knees. Silo ran his hand up and down his half-hard cock and watched with intensity as his mate lubed his fingers and then started to stretch himself.
All of this had to be some sort of fantastic hallucination. There was no way Silo couldn’t believe he’d been lucky enough to not only to find his mate but to have his mate pleasuring himself like this.
As amped up as he was to fuck Palmino, Silo had to take a step back. This wasn’t just some random guy he was having fun with. The fairy was his mate. That meant something to Silo. That meant everything to him.
Sliding off the couch, he set the dildo aside. He skimmed his hands over Palmino’s back, pressing soft kisses along his nape. Silo had never seen skin so flawless before. He even pressed a kiss to one of Palmino’s thin and diaphanous wings. He had to lean back when they began to flutter furiously.
His hands slid down Palmino’s thighs as he watched his mate’s fingers plunge in and out of his ass. Silo got to all fours
and licked around the fairy’s fingers. He didn’t care for the taste of the lube, but he loved how Palmino sucked in a deep breath as Silo worked his tongue around the puckered hole.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured.
Palmino moaned as he arched his back. His fingers slid free before his shoulders lowered to the floor. Silo nipped his mate’s backside and then reared back. He grabbed the silicone toy and slowly worked it into Palmino’s body. “You like that, baby?”
All Palmino managed were throaty groans.
Ah, Silo was too impatient. He wanted to continue pleasuring his little fairy with the toy, but his cock throbbed to be buried deep inside his zaterio. He’d play later, when he wasn’t so wound up to claim his mate.
Pulling the dildo free, Silo tossed it aside. Palmino whimpered as his fingers curled inward.
“I gotcha, babe.” Silo reached for the discarded lube and lathered his cock. He lined the head up to Palmino’s stretched, slick hole and thrust forward.
Palmino cried out as Silo grabbed the man’s hips, and pounded his ass. The tight slickness had him ready to come, but he fought against the orgasm. Silo forced himself to pull out. He flipped Palmino over, tossed the man’s legs back, and then sank back into the welcoming heat.
In this new position, he was able to stare into those amazing green eyes. He grinned before rubbing the point of Palmino’s ear between his fingers. Palmino’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he writhed.
“You better stop doing that before I come. I’m not ready for this to end so quickly.”
Silo released his mate’s ear. He wasn’t ready for this to be over so soon, either. Grabbing the back of his mate’s knees, Silo spread the man’s legs wider, watching as his cock punched in and out of Palmino’s ass. His fangs elongated, and Silo had an overwhelming urge to sink them deep into Palmino’s neck.
He nearly bent the fairy in half as he licked along his zaterio’s neck, his tongue tracing the throbbing vein. When he had his first taste of the fairy’s blood, something inside Silo snapped.
