I wanted kids one day. Two seemed like a good number—a girl and a boy a few years apart. But that was years away, of course, after I was an adult and had become archery champion of the elven realm. If I lived on Earth, I’d have shelves lined with trophies and ribbons. Elves had no need for awards. Reputation was enough. But that hadn’t stopped Aunt Mel from having one made up for me during one of her routine trips to the mortal realm. She’d had my name engraved on a gold-toned plate attached to the base of a metal shield with a target and arrows jutting out of the bull’s-eye in the middle. It was one of my favorite gifts and sat on the middle of my shelf in my room back in Pinemist. Aunt Mel was the best! It was no wonder she’d snagged the hearts of two Fae males.
I’d recently discovered the appeal of the Fae. I’d kissed a couple of elves back home. They were nice males, though hesitant and awkward, looking to me for direction. I liked a male to take charge. The Fae took charge. One in particular.
My heart rate quickened.
Alok was waiting for me in the attic when I walked into the narrow space located above the castle’s ballroom. Light filtered in through a single window, catching the brilliant blue highlights in his midnight hair. He was more gorgeous than any male I’d ever seen in the elven realms or Faerie.
I put my hands on my hips. “Did you portal here?” I’d meant to beat him to our meeting spot.
With his back to the small square window, Alok’s face was shadowed, making his smile appear dangerous. There had always been a dark energy surrounding him like a black hole. Looking at him, heat radiated from my neck to my core all the way down to each toe bound by my leather boots.
“Maybe, or maybe I’m just faster.” He smiled deviously.
I scowled. The rogue knew how competitive I was. I thought only Fae royals and their chosen guards were capable of portaling, but there was still so much I didn’t know about Faerie. Alok must have raced here the moment I headed out. Sadly, Fae trumped elves in speed. At least he was as eager as I.
“I’ve missed you, Fraya.” The longing in Alok’s voice pulled me toward him.
We met in the middle of the attic, grabbing one another roughly. I fisted Alok’s black tunic near his neck as he gripped me around my waist. Midnight black hair spilled over his forehead as though to eclipse the preternatural glow in his penetrating brown eyes.
I breathed in bergamot along with faint hints of lemon, ginger, sage, fir, and cedar musk. The smell of him drew out a wildness deep within me.
I’d missed Alok too—more than I was willing to admit out loud. I missed him every time one of the males back home tried to flirt or show off. They were like dull smudges compared to Alok’s dark pulsating energy. I longed for him to appear inside my bed chamber at night, even in a dreamscape if only to see and speak to him in the stolen hours before sleep. Father’s entire estate was heavily warded against dreamscaping. Mom had a special room only Uncle Ryo, Uncle Lyklor, or Folas could access if they needed to contact her.
We were worlds apart, and my need for him only grew more desperate after each absence.
Digging my fingers into his back, my hungry lips covered his. With a flick of his tongue, Alok drew out a strangled moan from low in my throat. Our kiss deepened, tongues pushing past teeth to plunder with savage demand.
Alok’s deft fingers slipped up my sides to my shoulders. His lips moved from my mouth to my neck. I tilted my head back, eyes fluttering closed as I exposed my throat to him. I wanted to both surrender to him and conquer him in one breath. Never one to shy away, Alok’s teeth scraped along my neck, his tongue tracing my collarbone, feeding the furnace inside my belly. Flames descended and pulsed between my thighs.
My body responded in kind. Heady arousal turned to sleek heat. There was nowhere to breathe inside the tight bodysuit. The attic felt like it was tightening us in together, cocooning me and Alok in a lovers’ embrace.
I only wanted more. More kisses. More friction. More of him.
We might as well have portaled into the middle of the galaxy. There was only Alok, a dark, carnal mass of swirling desire. My body trembled against him. The castle and the attic faded. There was nothing beyond the dampness soaking through my snug body suit and the empty ache high above my thighs.
I pressed my body into his lean fame, wanting to hear him groan with need. At fifteen, Alok was tall, trim, and already toned with muscles from endless activity at the castle. My first memory of him was as a sulky child after he was first adopted, but Lulu’s love and his life at Dahlquist had shaped him into the robust and mature young male he’d become.
The first time we kissed, he said he was going to marry me one day. I’d found his declaration both amusing and naively romantic. But the more time I spent with Alok, the more I felt like a starfish caught in a whirlpool.
His arm circled my waist. Bold fingers from his second hand stroked my thigh then cupped me between the legs. The warmth of his fingers spread through the tight material of my bodysuit. I rubbed shamelessly against his hand. The steady friction generated bolts of pleasure rippling along my thighs. My desire seeped through the fabric pants, permeating the dank attic air and dampening Alok’s finger where he stroked.
We stumbled over to a pile of blankets I suspected Alok had arranged before my arrival.
I climbed on top of Alok and rubbed against the hard length straining beneath his tunic and trousers. Our kisses grew sloppy as we gyrated over the attic floor. With a gasp and a pant, I broke off the kiss and sat upright over the beautiful Fae male.
“I want you to be my first,” I told him. I’d given it a lot of consideration. Like my mom, I was a planner. I wasn’t sure she ever planned this sort of thing, though. According to my parents, they hadn’t even liked each other when they first met.
Alok and I didn’t have a lot of opportunities together. My family only ever came to Dahlquist when Aunt Mel was in residence, and even then, our visits were rare. Mom preferred to spend time with her sister when she was in Pinemist.
I’d been craving this for months. Living a realm away, unable to talk or touch, was torture.
Alok gazed at me with eyes that shimmered in the dark. “Are you sure?” he asked. “You know I’ll wait for you, Fraya.”
I dipped down and gave him a quick, hard kiss.
“I don’t want to wait.”
###
Continue the Saga in HOLIDAY CROWN.
Nikki News!
Sign up for Nikki’s spam-free newsletter. Receive cover reveals, excerpts, and new release news before the general public; enter to win prizes; and get the scoop on special offers, contests, and more.
Visit Nikki’s website to put your name on the list, then confirm your email so you won’t miss out. www.NikkiJefford.com
See you on the other side!
MORE PLACES TO FIND NIKKI JEFFORD
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/nikkijefford
Facebook Author Page:
www.facebook.com/authornikkijefford
Facebook Reading Group – The Fantasy Fix with Nikki Jefford:
www.facebook.com/groups/2051858141768660/
Twitter:
@NikkiJefford
BookBub:
www.bookbub.com/profile/nikki-jefford?list=author_about
GoodReads:
www.goodreads.com/author/show/5424286.Nikki_Jefford
Newsletter:
http://nikkijefford.com/newsletter/
Slaying, Magic Making, Running Wild, AND RULING THE WORLD!
Discover your next fantasy fix with these riveting paranormal romance titles by Nikki Jefford:
AURORA SKY: VAMPIRE HUNTER
Night Stalker
Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter
Northern Bites
Stakeout
Evil Red
Bad Blood
Hunting Season
Night of the Living Dante
Whiteout
True North
SPELLBOUND TRILOGY
Entang
led
Duplicity
Enchantment
Holiday Magic
WOLF HOLLOW SHIFTERS
Wolf Hollow
Mating Games
Born Wild
Moon Cursed
Animal Attraction
Bear Claimed
Forever Free
ROYAL CONQUEST SAGA
Stolen Princess
False Queen
Three Kings
Holiday Crown
The Golden Prince
The Dark Pretender
The Ice Twins
The Forever Princess
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nikki Jefford is a third-generation Alaskan now living in North Carolina with her French husband and their Westie, Cosmo. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys nature, hiking, and motorcycling. Nikki is the author of the Royal Conquest Saga, Wolf Hollow Shifters series, Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter series, and Spellbound Trilogy.
To find out more about her books and new releases, please visit her website: www.nikkijefford.com
Three Kings Page 28
