by Jana Downs
“Want you inside me,” Destin said, starting to shake. “Need you deep. Want to feel you for days afterwards.” The words had Salvatore biting back a snarl of satisfaction. There was nothing more beautiful than Destin’s surrender.
“Like that,” Destin encouraged, scoring Salvatore’s back with his claws. Where the claws had come from, Salvatore had no idea but they felt right digging into his back as their bodies joined. “Come on, baby. All the way. I want all of you.”
“Don’t know if I’ll fit,” Salvatore grunted. As aroused as he was, his base was thicker than normal, and he was terrified of hurting his lover. He was sweating profusely, the liquid making a trail down his spine and down his face. The restraint was admirable but unneeded.
“I won’t break, Salvatore,” Destin said gently, reading his mind. “Forward and back. Shallow thrusts. It’ll help you get there.” He smiled as if he found something amusing despite the depth and breadth of their mutual arousal.
“What?” Salvatore asked.
Destin shook his head. “Nothing. You’re just cute.” Salvatore frowned.
“I’m not cute.”
Destin nodded. “Yes, you are. Beautiful, too, especially when you’re showing me how much you want to please me.” Salvatore rumbled but didn’t reply. There was entirely too much talking going on for lovemaking. He knew his inexperience was showing. Yes, he’d gotten more since coming to Underhill but he still wasn’t entirely used to it.
“I’m sorry,” Salvatore panted, twisting his hips. The swelling on his base had never happened to him before. It was throwing him off. He started moving, obeying the suggestion that his lover had given him.
The plunge and withdrawal had him adjusting in no time until Destin was shuddering with each forward movement and whimpering with each withdrawal.
* * * *
His thickness was filling Destin up in a way that he’d never been filled before and would probably never be filled again. Salvatore meant business about making love because the entire time he was moving, it was a gentle motion with just an edge of lust and his eyes never left Destin. Each thrust nailed his prostate, making his nerves sing.
It wasn’t long before he was cursing again, demanding Salvatore finish him. Release was minutes if not seconds away. “Go faster, you fucking bastard!” Destin growled in frustration, straining toward the peak. “You’re toying with me! Please. Let me come. Fill me up. Please!” His cursing always ended in begging, and Salvatore seemed to like that just fine.
“Love you,” Salvatore murmured, his hips finally snapping a bit faster as his body neared his peak. Destin cried out.
“Yes! Love me! Love me just like this. Love me always. Salvatore!” Cum shot from the tip of his engorged length, splattering against his torso and splashing both their chests. He tossed his head in abandon as he went even higher than he had before. Stars danced behind his vision, and his power, which he normally held tightly in check, ignited the room in a sunburst of light.
* * * *
Salvatore shouted as Destin came apart in his arms, his body demanding its own release. The wings at his back sprang to full form, flapping wildly as his body became nothing but instinct, driving him even harder into his lover’s body. Destin’s power was singing through the Demon Prince’s blood, filling him like no other fae had been filled since transition. His sac drew up almost painfully against his body as Destin’s body milked him for seed. He didn’t have to wait long.
The demon roared his release, his scream ending in an animal sound of pleasure as he and his other self flew toward the heavens. His body jerked once, twice, three times, and then he was pouring himself into Destin’s clenching ass. His orgasm went on and on, shudder after shudder, until Destin’s pert backside was overflowing with Salvatore’s release. He felt something inside him harden and swell, locking him in place. What the hell is that?
* * * *
Destin screamed as the swelling increased with Salvatore’s release. The Demon Prince hoped that he wasn’t hurting him because he was helpless to stop it. Another release had Destin’s back bowing and his ass clamping down hard on Salvatore’s pulsing rod which the Prince took as a good sign.
“So good,” Destin whispered as the shudders racked him. “So, so good.”
Salvatore’s whole body was trembling as he tried to pull back and out of his lover. It was no good. He was stuck. His heart began to pound. He didn’t want to hurt Destin, but his cock wouldn’t turn off and pulling out would just hurt him worse. He was still seeping cum into Destin’s flooded passage, and it didn’t feel like it would be stopping anytime soon.
“Don’t panic,” Destin murmured, opening his sleepy eyes and giving him a small half smile. He drew Salvatore’s head down for a kiss, kicking off another pulse inside him. “You’re a dragon, love. Dragons knot with their mates the same way wolves do. It’s just a part of you now.” Salvatore’s other self all but purred in contentment.
He swallowed. “I didn’t do it with any of the others.” What if they never came unstuck? What would happen?
“None of them was the one your dragon wanted. He’s a part of you, but unless you two are in alignment, it won’t happen.” Destin stroked his sweaty back and ran his other hand through Salvatore’s new, shorter locks. “I read up on it when you demanded I watch you through your hunger and transition. You were trying to bond with me even before the hunger hit. That’s unusual, but this is to be expected. The knot will start to go down in another ten or fifteen minutes. Until then, just relax. I’m comfortable.”
Salvatore let himself relax a fraction of an inch and leaned his forehead against Destin’s. He felt so complete. This felt so right. “Does this mean we’re bonded now?”
Destin chuckled. “Hardly. It just means that we could. Your dragon is telling you I’m an eligible candidate.”
The only candidate, he and his other self asserted internally.
Chapter Ten
They fell silent for a few minutes, each lost in his own thoughts until at last Salvatore spoke.
“Underhill is a wonderful place,” he said, stroking a hand down Destin’s face. “It’s very peaceful compared to home.” Destin reached up and rubbed his eyes. He was getting sleepy from all the vigorous activities of the moment before. He usually wasn’t awake long enough to pillow talk afterward. Yet, with Salvatore, it felt natural.
“I worked really hard to get it as stable as it is. It’s not easy trying to rule a group of people who feed on the emotions of others, but I was lucky enough to know most of the originals when we came here. Fae are pretty nomadic by nature, but some of us wanted a permanent home like the ones we’d had in ancient times. Underhill was the original kingdom, so back to it we came. More fae came afterward, but in that crucial transitional period, I had close friends and family around me to work out the kinks.”
“I wish…” Salvatore began but then shook his head. “I think I’m soft enough to try and pull out now. That okay?” Destin nodded and bit his lip as Salvatore pulled from his body. It was still a tight fit after fifteen minutes.
“What did you wish?” Destin wondered as Salvatore settled onto his back. The fae couldn’t resist reaching out and plucking at the new silver hoops hanging in Salvatore’s nipples. The demon growled and swatted his hand.
“Don’t start things you and I both know you’re not able to finish,” he chastised with a smile. He looked so right lying in Destin’s bed.
“What did you wish?” Destin repeated. His lover was avoiding personal questions again. Salvatore looked at him pointedly.
“What’s your real name?”
Destin sighed. “So that’s the way of it, eh? Unless I come clean, you don’t tell me anything personal. Like why you have bodyguards? Or why the vampires watch out for you? Or, I don’t know, what you were wishing so hard for after chatting about how peaceful my kingdom was?”
Salvatore shrugged. “It’s fair I think. All I want is your name.”
“A name is a thi
ng of power,” Destin protested. It wasn’t the same thing.
“My past is a thing of power. So we’re even. When you agree to let me be your Consort, we’ll talk deep. Until then, we’re just dating, which means casual conversation.”
“Still on that? Lord and Lady, Salvatore, we can have the occasional roll in the hay, but I will not make you my Consort. It’s official, and it’s supposed to be forever.”
“Exactly why you should give it to me,” Salvatore said. It looked like he was getting as annoyed with the conversation as Destin was getting frustrated. “I want official and forever. I don’t say ‘I love you’ lightly.”
“Please don’t ruin this,” Destin murmured, rolling over onto his stomach. “Let’s just enjoy this time we have together.”
“I’m not trying to ruin anything. I’m just trying to understand why you insist on keeping this distance between us. What do I have to do to prove to you that I’m not going to hurt you?” Salvatore demanded.
Tell me your secrets, Destin thought. Tell me something that gives me power over you, and then maybe I can trust you with my heart. I can’t be vulnerable like this. He squeezed his eyes shut but couldn’t say any of it aloud. It was too much.
“You said it was dangerous for me on Earth because I hadn’t learned control yet. I’ve learned control now. Take me back there with you. I want you to meet my…” Salvatore searched for the right word. “Well, I guess they’re my family now. I want you to meet my family. Everything about me will make sense then.” It was a switch in tactics but it was still Salvatore trying to get his way and Destin couldn’t give it to him. His lover didn’t understand.
“It’s still too soon for you to go back to Earth,” Destin said with a finality in his tone that didn’t sound like he’d be budging on that stance any time soon. Salvatore growled but didn’t correct him.
“Now I know how Tony feels,” Salvatore muttered half under his breath. Who the hell was Tony? Jealousy trickled into Destin’s afterglow and he had to count backwards from ten to gain a semblance of control over it. “Being a subject of a King is shit.” The last bit of that murmured statement was just as puzzling. Was Tony his former King or something? It was annoying not being able to demand answers from Salvatore.
“It’s too soon,” Destin repeated. The Fae King took some of the sting out by leaning over and kissing Salvatore’s cheek. Salvatore’s stony expression didn’t change. “Hey, don’t look so upset. The day will come soon enough. You’re already really strong. And who knows, maybe someday I’ll make you my Consort, but, for now, I’m not comfortable with that. Okay?” He dangled the carrot effectively. Salvatore nodded slowly.
“Okay.” He gave Destin a bone-melting smile. “You want to play a game of chess? I saw one around here earlier.” Destin blinked in surprise. Most fae didn’t have the patience for the game, but he loved it.
“Sure.”
* * * *
“I have claimed your castle, sir. That will cost you two articles of clothing,” Salvatore stated triumphantly in his chair across from Destin. Destin grumbled but handed over his arm cuffs and shirt. It hadn’t been long in their game play that they’d decided that both of them were too good to play against one another in the normal way. Salvatore’s solution had been three chess matches on three different boards, the best two out of three wins, and on top of that an extra inducement to play their best, strip chess. Whenever he took an opponent’s higher pieces, the queen, the rooks, the castles, and the knights, Salvatore had to surrender an article of clothing to him. It had definitely been the proper inducement to up both their games. Not only did it distract his opponent, it was damn odd to play chess naked. They’d already stopped twice for “intimate conversations with the enemy” which usually resulted in them getting offtrack for a good thirty minutes before they had to re-dress and begin game play again.
“Castles are only one article,” Destin protested as he crossed his arms across his naked chest.
“But my knight claiming your castle puts you in check, which is an additional article of clothing. So there.” Salvatore’s eyes were sparkling with mirth as Destin grumbled his acquiescence.
They were down to the last chess board now, and the stakes were high. Destin played with his lip ring as he was wont to do when he was concentrating on something. He sensed a trap but couldn’t find where Salvatore put it…There, he thought triumphantly. He moved his bishop.
“Check. I want the pants,” Destin demanded. Salvatore stripped and handed them across the table so the King could deposit them in the small pile he’d already made. Destin nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight of a mostly naked Salvatore sitting across from him. Maybe making him drop down to his skivvies wasn’t such a good idea. It was very distracting.
“So why do you work at Daylight?” Salvatore asked, snapping him back to the conversation. “I mean, you’re a King. Why do you work as a bartender?”
Destin shrugged and sat back in his chair as Salvatore studied the board. “I love my people, but it’s no fun being King all the time. It gets lonely being surrounded by people who consider you better than them because of some accident of birth. Sometimes I feel a little smothered. I go over there, and no one knows what I am or who I am. I can mingle as I see fit, and I can feed on Earth without having to ask or explain.”
“Still doesn’t explain you bartending. I mean, you could barhop and do that.” Salvatore considered a pawn before discarding it. Damn, he had sidestepped Destin’s trap. “But then I wouldn’t have my independence. Switching currencies are a bitch to begin with, and I like making my own money. Plus, I love the people. I meet so many interesting ones. You, for example,” he teased with a wink. “You’d be surprised at the high levels of emotions at the bar. You were lonely when you first came in despite being surrounded by your four companions. That’s what clued me in that they were your bodyguards. You tasted like summer rain.”
“So you were checking me out,” Salvatore teased back. “Did you really live in Georgia?”
Destiny nodded. “I really did. The accent is authentic.” He laughed. “I could get used to our conversations, darlin’.”
Salvatore smiled warmly. “Me, too.” He sat back in his chair in a mirror image of Destin. “I concede a draw. We’re just chasing each other around the board at this point.”
Destin nodded after examining the board. “Agreed.” He yawned. “You ready for one more ride before bed?” He loved being a Summer Fae. His sex drive could keep up with anyone.
Salvatore nodded, his face mostly a grin. “Hell yes.” He stood and all but dragged Destiny toward the bed. The Fae King laughed at his enthusiasm and went in through the chains. He couldn’t remember the last time a lover had so captivated him. Not even Terren had Salvatore’s power. They could be intense and passionate one minute, tender and loving another, and playful and goofy the next. It was great.
“Let me ride you this time, dragon boy,” Destin purred, straddling Salvatore’s hips and sinking onto the prominent erection he found there.
“Your wish, my command. Oh, gods, Destin!” Salvatore started his weird purring noises in the back of his throat. Destin shuddered and began moving his hips in a way sure to bring them both to their knees. He never wanted this night to end.
* * * *
Salvatore woke alone. The bed beside him was cool, and the room absolutely silent. Sunlight streamed through the windows, reflecting off of the metallic chains to create a wall of shimmering links. He sat up, pushing the covers off his chest so that it pooled at his waist.
“Destin?” he called. No answer. He sighed. He knew he was alone, but he’d hoped…He reached out and ran his hands back and forth across the chain canopy and watched them sway and slink together. Last night had been amazing, and he’d thought that he’d done a good job at wearing his lover out, but apparently not good enough.
They’d made love off and on all through the night, talking in the stretches in between. It had been just as magical as he
had imagined it would be. He put one arm across his eyes to block out the light and let his memories from the previous night replay in pleasant succession. They’d laughed a lot. Talked a lot. Loved a lot. A few more nights like that and Destin would be begging him to be his Consort.
He stretched luxuriously. His muscles were sore from overuse. It was great. He wondered where Destiny had run off to.
“Good morning, my lord.” Mar appeared out of nowhere just outside the curtains carrying a tray laden with food. Salvatore parted the curtain closest to the fae advisor.
“Morning, Mar,” he said cheerfully. “Where did your lovely King run off to? I’m starting to feel like Prince Charming when Cinderella left the ball.” Mar shifted uncomfortably, and Salvatore’s stomach sank.
“He’s gone back to Earth for work. He said he’d be gone for a while. He’s probably going to stay a few days.” Mar sounded apologetic.
Salvatore pursed his lips. “He’s avoiding me, isn’t he?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Salvatore cursed softly. “Why? We had a really great night.” He protested the situation, but deep down he knew.
“He’s running away because it was so good.” Mar set the tray of food on the bed beside Salvatore. “He’s trying to avoid you in an effort to get a handle on his own emotions. Give him a few days.”
“I won’t take anyone else into my bed,” Salvatore vowed. “Spread the word to the rest of Court. I don’t care how hungry I get. I won’t consume anyone else’s emotions but Destiny’s.”
“You can’t do that, Salvatore. You’re newly transitioned. You have to feed daily. It’s just like eating food. You can’t starve yourself for days on end.”
Salvatore felt familiar determination swell up inside him. It was the same type of determination that made Tony groan in frustration usually. “Mar, you underestimate my resolve. Spread the word.”
