by Ivy Clyde
An hour had already passed away since I came to Coran’s manor to attend the feast. Sounds of music filtered through the walls, telling me that his guests were enjoying themselves in the ballroom. I didn’t think Moira would like to be among the garish crowd of fae nobles, so I’d waited in the dining hall to meet her. However, I was starting to wonder whether my assumption was wrong. Moira didn’t come here at all. Could she be looking for me elsewhere?
A passing valet brushed against me. I recognized him instantly. He was one of the many soldiers I’d placed in Coran’s manor tonight to make sure Moira and I could escape if he tried anything funny.
“Upstairs,” he whispered through the corner of his mouth.
Relief spread through me instantly. Moira had been seen in the manor. I nodded as the man walked away with a meaningful glance at me. Putting the bunch of grapes down on the platter, I hurried toward the door. Just as I was about to pass through, a veiled figure blocked my path.
“Excuse me, madam,” I said, side-stepping around the woman.
To my irritation, she blocked my way again. “Why are you in such a hurry, Your Highness?” said a familiar voice. It was Deirdre.
“Move out of my way,” I said.
“You won’t find her,” she said in a cool tone. “In fact, you’d never want to touch or even think of sinking your cock inside her.”
My eyebrows knitted together. Deirdre was no longer even pretending to speak in a civil tongue anymore. She was already aware of my feelings for Moira. Had I been this hopelessly transparent all this time? Did the queen realize it too?
A cold laugh escaped her. “She is probably being pleasured by the gancanaugh I sent to service her. Or she is already lying somewhere in this manor with an iron dagger buried in her heart.”
My heart nearly stopped beating. “What have you done?”
She shrugged. “I told you to get rid of her but then thought what was the point in waiting for you to do what I can do on my own quite easily.” Her face contorted in a disgusting expression. “A gancanaugh is the best creature to deal with a whore like her.”
“Where is she?” I shouted.
“Sshh.” She put a finger to lips. “Do you want everyone to hear what your fiancé and supposedly fated mate is up to right now?”
Rage flared inside me. Grabbing Deirdre by the arm, I threw her aside. Her body hit the floor but I didn’t care to see whether she was all right. My way was cleared. Ignoring her loud, vicious curses, I hurried out of the dining hall.
My guard told me Moira had been spotted going upstairs. Like a man possessed, I ran up and down the corridors, looking for the closest staircase so I could go to the upper floors to find her.
“Which way are the staircase?” I demanded of a waiter who’d just approached me with a tray of wine.
“Staircase?” he stammered as my hands grabbed onto the front of his tunic. “Which way do you want to go, sir? There are too many here.”
“The closest one,” I barked as the tray slipped out of his hand, showering our ankles with wine and shards of broken crystal.
“K-keep going down that way until you come to a bend,” stammered the man. “You will find a staircase there.”
I pushed the shaking man away from me and bolted down the hallway. People stared at me and whispered behind their painted fans but I paid no mind to them. My heart pounded in my chest. Just the thought of my sweet, innocent mate in the hands of a gancanaugh was driving me insane. If he bit her, she wouldn’t be able to stop him from fucking her. He wouldn’t even have to force her. She would comply just to quench the fiery lust his venom would unleash in her.
I raced up the winding staircase, feeling like time was slipping between my fingers like sand. Moira wouldn’t even know of the existence of a creature like a gancanaugh until someone taught her of the dark sidhe that roamed our lands. Queen Brenna forced her out of Belenus Court, stopping her from learning anything useful. It was probably part of her plan to keep her as isolated from any knowledge of our realm, keeping her as ignorant as possible.
Reaching the upper floor, I gazed down the long corridor. There were closed doors on both sides. Which room was she in?
I opened the doors and battled with the ones that were locked. Where are you, Moira? I thought as desperation flooded me. How would I face my brothers who entrusted me with you?
The memory of the night I found her in the clutches of a night-walker flashed in my mind. I halted, calming down momentarily. Back then, I didn’t even know what she looked like. Lord Artemis had appeared before me, looking disturbed after losing the young woman he was supposed to take back to Aelia. How exactly did I find her back then? The night-walker took her to an abandoned street corner, a place where people rarely went to. How had I ended up being in that exact spot without even thinking about searching there?
A new idea blossomed in my head. Moira and I were meant to be mates, destined by the Fates themselves. We already had a connection with each other. I was able to find her in a vastly crowded place like the Troll Bazaar of Lost Sanctum. I should definitely be able to locate her here.
Hope flickered through the suffocating haze of panic. Calming down, I closed my eyes and tried to reach out to Moira with my mind. Slowly, I turned on the spot. A touch of warmth flared up inside me just as I faced the right. Keeping my eyes closed, I walked a few steps that way. Tiny tingles of magic continued to pop up in my veins. A few seconds, the stench of burning meat wafted into my nostrils.
I opened my eyes and found myself standing before a door. The strange smell of burning hair and silk mingled with the burning meat odor. It was the reek of a high fae being incinerated. Moira? Could it be her work? That’s the violent reaction she always had when someone tried to attack her. Heart pounding in my chest, I tried the door handle. It gave way and swung open to reveal a sight I wasn’t prepared for.
A corpse lay smoldering on the ground. The needle-like teeth protruding from its burned face told me the creature was a gancanaugh. My gaze swung forward when sounds of pained groans reached my ears. Moira lay on a bed, her body writhing and twisting.
“Moira!” I shouted.
“Rowan?” My name was like a pained whisper on her lips.
I ran toward her at once. Moira’s clothes were badly torn, exposing her arms, breasts, and legs. Thin streams of blood poured out of a wound on her wrist. The deep punctures were definitely created by the gancanaugh’s needle-like teeth. She thrashed on the bed, bunching up the sheets underneath her.
My heart throbbed in my chest, realizing what she’d done. Moira chose to bear the agonizing torment of gancanaugh venom than letting the vile creature touch her.
“Moira…” My voice felt choked with tears at the sight of her pain.
Moira turned her face toward me and opened her eyes. “Rowan?” She reached out with a tentative hand and touched my cheek. “Is this an illusion?”
My hand closed over hers. “No, love. I am real.”
A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Her eyelashes fluttered closed.
I suddenly realized what happened. Gancanaugh venom was like a double-edged sword. The poison was a powerful aphrodisiac which could ignite someone’s lust and bring them intense pleasure with the faintest touch. However, if the infected person didn’t go through actual sex, they would die from agonizing pain. Once someone consumed the poison, they would have to act fast or die.
I’d often fantasized the first time I would make love to my beloved mate. There were flowers, wine, delicate sweets in the mix but it would all be beautiful and fit for a princess. I never imagined I would be taking her in a strange room on a plain bed with a smoking corpse on the ground. But it couldn’t be helped. I had to fuck her plain and hard to save her life.
“Rowan,” moaned Moira. She pulled away the delicate tiara from her forehead and ran her fingers through the thick strands of her gleaming sunshine-gold tresses. The long, unbound length of her hair cascaded past her shoulders while her sky-blue eyes gl
azed with unbridled lust.
She tore off the rest of her dress from her body, baring her luscious curves to my wide-eyed gaze. Momentarily stunned, I took in all her naked glory, my cock instantly growing hard. Her breasts were full and perky, making my hands itch to squeeze them, to roll those dusky rose nipples beneath my thumbs and make her moan with pleasure.
Her small waist flared into wide hips, which in turn flowed gracefully into long, beautifully shaped legs. And between her thighs was a patch of gold curls I ached to dive into…
Moira rose on her knees and moved closer to me. Winding her arms around my neck, she pressed her naked breasts against my chest, sending a jolt of heat running straight to my groin.
While some sense reminded me of the corpse and the stench wafting from it, I couldn’t bear the sweet torture Moira was unleashing on me.
Moira leaned in and nipped at my bottom lip. “Rowan, kiss me,” she pleaded.
A growl erupted from my lips as all my sanity shattered. I crushed my mouth against hers, kissing her deeply as I wrapped my arms tightly around her. If a good fuck was what she needed, I’d be glad to give it to her.
Moira kissed me back just as fiercely, her mouth opening for me eagerly when I bit down on her bottom lip. Our tongues met in a clash of raw need and I devoured her like a starving man would a juicy plum. Her addictive apple blossom scent filled my nose, drugging me to the point where every thought disappeared from my mind except for one. All I could think about was getting inside her.
My rough palms roamed over her body, savoring the feel of her smooth skin. She arched into my touch while her hands found the belt of my tunic and tugged.
“I’ll do it,” I told her, removing my clothes as fast as I could.
Just as my trousers fell down my thighs, Moira reached out to grasp my cock with her slim, dainty fingers. I couldn’t believe how bold my shy, little mate had become. She stroked me, her fist moving up and down my aching shaft effortlessly. Her touch was divine and I could let her go on like that the whole night but she needed me to take care of her first.
“Enough,” I panted, pulling her hand away.
Making her lie back on the bed, I sank to my knees and kissed a path down the center of her body, stopping to taste her nipples. I rolled my tongue around a rose-tipped bud and sucked hard, making her cry out.
Moving my mouth further down, I kissed a trail down her midriff, her soft belly and dipped my tongue into her navel. Moira gasped with each nip and lick, writhing beneath me.
Gripping her hips to keep her steady, I finally reached the patch of curls between her legs. Her thighs opened readily for me, sliding up over my shoulders as I buried my face between her legs and licked her sopping-wet folds.
“Rowan,” she cried, burying a hand in my hair.
Gods, the sound of my name on her lips was nearly enough to make me come right there. She arched her hips into my face while I feasted on her pussy, finding her sweet spot easily. I teased it mercilessly with my tongue, alternating between lazy circles and hard flicks, until her thighs clamped hard around my head and her entire body trembled as she came.
Her body fell back against the bed as she panted hard.
“How do you feel, Moira?” I asked.
“So good,” she crooned, staring at me with lust-glazed eyes. Her cheeks were stained a deep red. “I want more. Please, Rowan.”
I delved back between her thighs and started licking her wet folds again. My tongue flicked against the swollen nub of her clitoris, making her groan with pleasure. I kept doing it until she came a second time, her body shuddering with the force of her climax.
“Rowan,” she called out when I paused for a break. “Please come inside me. I want you inside me.”
I moved over her and kissed her lips, letting her taste herself all over my tongue. She moaned and reached for my cock again.
Moving her hand away, I pinned both her wrists over her head with a hand. “A little patience, love,” I said, looking into the depths of her blue eyes. “Let me take my time with you.”
“I can’t stand it anymore. Please, Rowan.”
Despite knowing she was under the influence of gancanaugh venom, I couldn’t help but feel my cock harden at her open demand for my cock. Nudging her thighs apart, I aligned the tip of my cock’s head to her dripping folds. I pushed in slowly, hoping to give her the chance to get used to the feel of my thick girth breaching inside her tight core.
Moira moaned, lifting her hips to take me in deeper. I used my other hand to hold her steady as I slid into her, savoring her inch by glorious inch. Her pussy was incredible, so hot and tight and wet. Low groans escaped me as I finally buried myself to the hilt.
I started moving inside her with slow, unhurried strokes, feeling her tight walls enveloping my cock in a hot embrace.
A smile blossomed on Moira’s face as she stared up at me with sapphire eyes, glowing with passion. She traced the planes of my face while I thrust inside her.
Emotions I tried so hard to conceal welled up in my chest. Leaning down, I kissed her and thrust harder.
I couldn’t believe the intensity of my feelings for her. There was no doubt in my mind she was mine despite the fact she belonged equally to both my brothers. They’d both been inside her and yet, it didn’t bother me as much as I’d initially thought. It only spurred me on, urging me to do better, to fuck her harder and deeper until her mind and body were drenched in pleasure.
“Ooh,” Moira moaned as she clung to me.
The bed shook underneath us as I pounded into her relentlessly, hunger clawing at me, demanding to take what was mine. I released her wrists, then guided one of her hands between her legs, urging her to stroke herself.
Moira’s eyes glazed over as she did so, and within seconds, she was screaming my name, her inner muscles clenching around my cock.
A wild groan escaped me as my body shuddered to a sudden halt. I shook with the force of my pleasure as my seeds spilled deep inside Moira’s core. “Yes,” I groaned, thrusting inside her until her clenching walls milked me completely.
I balanced my weight on my elbows, struggling not to collapse on Moira.
She gently stroked the backs of my legs as I clung to her for another minute, enjoying the heat of her body. Looking down at her, I saw her gazing back at me with clear blue eyes.
“Thank you, Rowan,” she whispered, tears springing to her eyes. “Thank you for what you did.”
“Ssh.” I placed a finger on her lips, stopping her needless gratitude. I’d needed her just as much as she’d needed me. I just hadn’t realized how much until this moment.
I gently pulled out of her and lay down on the bed beside her. Turning toward me, she wrapped an arm over my chest, snuggling in closer.
“Do you feel better?” I asked, caressing her hot, flushing cheeks.
“Yeah. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” A quiet sigh escaped her as she closed her eyes and rested her head on my chest.
Another surge of emotions flared inside me as I wrapped my arms around her possessively. Moira’s breathing slowly grew regular. My own senses returned to me, reminding me of where we were. Someone might come in here soon but I decided to give Moira a moment to rest before taking her away from the manor.
I’d come way too close to losing her tonight. Not again, I vowed. No matter what I had to do, no matter how many people I had to battle against, I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her again. This time, I didn’t feel as wretched or desperate as before. My brothers were on my side now. Together, we would make sure Moira stayed safe and ours.
37
Moira
The sound of explosions and men’s shouts broke me out of my doze. My eyes blinked open blearily and spotted Rowan by the bed. He was hurriedly pulling his boots on, staring fixedly at the door.
“What is happening?” I asked. My lovely evening gown was reduced to scraps by now. With nothing to cover my nakedness, I put my arm over my boobs.
“I don’t know,” said Rowan
. “My guards are present in the manor, so there is nothing to worry about. They will protect us.” He straightened up and glanced at me with a grim expression. “Stay here while I am gone,” he said. “Once things calm down, I will --” Before he could finish his sentence, the whole room shook with the force of another explosion, this one dangerously closer to us than before.
“I have to go,” he said, striding toward the door. “Lock the door and don’t let anyone come in. Understand?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod.
I walked around the still-smoking corpse of the gancanaugh and bolted the door. The room was horribly stuffy with the reek of burning flesh and hair. “Ugh!” I muttered, moving toward the windows. I opened all of them, letting in a gust of cold night breeze.
With a moment to spare, I gazed at the bloody wound on my wrist. The blood flow had stopped but the spot still stung. I’d have to ask someone whether there would be any more side effects from the lethal venom. My hands fisted into hard balls as the explosions continued. Anxiety weighed heavy in my chest. Rowan was out there somewhere. Would he be in danger or will his men be enough to protect him?
He’ll be okay, I told myself. He came to save you, didn’t he?
Memories of me begging him to come inside me rose up in my mind. Heat pooled in my cheeks, driving away some of the panic. The venom heightened by sensitivity taking me to the precipice of pain and pleasure each time Rowan touched me, kissed me, or thrust into me. The drug made my body shiver and shudder with the force of massive orgasms.
“Wow! I wasn’t expecting this,” said a strange female voice from behind me.
I turned around to see a tall, lean figure perched on the window sill. The lower half of the woman’s face was covered by a mask, giving me no clue to who she was. The long length of her silver-blond hair fluttered in the breeze. Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds.
She leaped lightly and landed on the floor before me. Her gaze took in my naked body from head to foot. “You’re really a beautiful maiden,” she whispered.
