by Alice Wilde
“Then what do you—”
“How about you just sit back and watch,” Ero says, cutting him off. “If at some point you feel like joining, do so.”
Ero turns back to me, his grin returning and one of his eyebrows raised in anticipation.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask.
“I’m just imagining all the ways I…we can punish you.”
“Oh?” I take a step back as he and Roan continue to eye me, slowly closing the space between us. “I’m surprised you’re not thinking of ways to punish Roan instead.”
Ero’s eyes narrow and, without looking away from me, he signals with his hand. “Roan?”
Roan closes the remaining space between us even as I take several more steps backward…into a tree. He places a hand flat against the tree next to my head and leans in against me, his beautiful green eyes twinkling playfully.
“If anything gets to be too much, just say the word,” he whispers.
“What word—”
The words lost to me as he grabs my wrists and pulls them above my head just as Ero drops down to his knees and pulls my legs up over his shoulders, his head working its way between my legs.
A tremor ripples through me as he nuzzles the tip of his nose back and forth over my clit and then splits me with his tongue, lapping at me. I whimper, my thighs tensing around his head.
“Damn,” Ero gasps, pulling ever so slightly away so that every word sends a puff of hot air against the wet coolness of my exposed pussy. “You must have been imagining some very dirty things to be this wet already.”
“Is she?” Roan asks curiously leaning slightly away from me to look.
“Yeah, look,” Ero says, lightly tracing a finger over the outside of my pussy before spreading me, turning his hand palm-up and slipping the full length of his middle finger easily inside. I gasp as he slowly pulls out and slips a second finger in, wrapping his other arm up over my thigh to stimulate my clit while he continues to finger me.
Roan lets out a groan. I look up, worried that he’s upset, but it’s only now that I realize he’s holding me up with just one hand. He’s pulled his cock out and is stroking it as he watches Ero pleasure me.
Ero removes his fingers just as I begin to climax, but I’m only momentarily disappointed. His mouth baring down on me, and within seconds he’s once again nearly brought me to orgasm.
“My turn,” Roan demands, releasing himself and wrapping an arm around my waist as Ero bows out from between my legs and Roan lifts me up, adjusting his hips until I can feel him probing at me.
“Saints alive, you’re so wet,” he says biting his lip, his jawline hard.
“You’re welcome,” Ero says.
“Don’t ruin this,” Roan growls, still trying to get his cock inside me but failing as it slips wildly back and forth.
“You’re ruining this for us all,” Ero snorts. “Here.”
Before Roan has time to react Ero reaches over, grabs Roan’s dick, and guides the tip of it into my pussy. Roan grits his teeth and then looks down at Ero.
“We’ll talk about this later.”
“Sure, you can thank me then.”
Roan rolls his eyes but can no longer resist the temptation to bury himself inside me and does exactly that. Holding me around my waist, Roan drives into me with such force I’m certain he’ll split me in two if I don’t die from ecstasy first.
But, just as I am nearing my climax, Roan grits his teeth and his fingers dig into my skin and, from the sudden powerful warmth spilling into me, I know he’s finished. He grimaces as he removes himself from me.
“Sorry, lass,” Roan says, lowering me to the ground, “sometimes, you’re more woman than I can handle.”
“It’s okay,” I say, although I can’t say I’m not disappointed. I was so close…so very close.
“We’re not done yet,” Ero says slapping my butt so hard he leaves a red mark on my skin as he moves to stand behind me.
“No, we’re not,” Li says, surprising us all as he steps up in front of me, already naked.
Ero gives him an appreciative look. “Pick your poison.”
Li holds out his hand to me and I take it. He leads me over to a patch of thick grass and then asks me to get on my knees. I’d forgotten what a gentle lover—
I take it back. No sooner than I’m bent over in front of him, Li thrusts into me, clutching a butt cheek with one hand and one of my breasts with the other, taking me completely by surprise. I cry out in shock as he takes me roughly from behind. Closing my eyes, I moan as once again my own climax builds, faster and with more intensity than before. It’s during one of these moans that I open my eyes in alarm looking up through my lashes as Ero, guides his own cock in and out of my mouth.
Just as I’m sure I can’t handle any more, Roan walks up behind Ero with a mischievous grin. My eyes widen as he slips a hand between Ero’s legs and grabs him by the balls, rolling them in his palm. It’s too much for Ero and he grabs a handful of my hair to keep me from moving as he finishes. Something about the strange intensity of the situation and the overwhelming stimulation of so many different senses thrusts me over the edge and I come, my orgasm exploding through my body in a way I’ve never felt before just as Li moans, his dick throbbing and filling me with heat once again. Sweating, exhausted, and completely satisfied, all four of us collapse to the ground and huddle together for warmth.
Sleep has never come so fast.
~*~
A blinding burst of light startles us all awake, and we sit up, blinking as we try to make sense of our surroundings. As my mind catches up with my body, I notice a tall, white figure standing over us.
“What’s going on?” Ero asks, still half-asleep.
“Roan,” I whisper, my hand searching for his without looking away from the figure standing before us.
“Lass?”
“It’s… Kai.”
Roan scrambles to his feet and then he hurries to cover himself with his hand, realizing he’s still naked. “Kai! What brings you here?”
The ethereal being doesn’t answer, his white eyes roving over all of us. “A peculiar scene indeed.”
I stand next to Roan, looping my arm through his. “Is there something we can help you with?”
Kai’s eyes gradually return to my face, his own expression completely unreadable as he continues to watch us in silence for a few agonizing minutes. “Yes.”
“How can we help you?” Roan asks.
“Something happened here,” Kai says, his voice silken and airy. “Roan, did you touch another other than your wife of your own volition?”
“What?”
“Did you have a sexual encounter with another being other than your mate?”
“I…well…”
“We had one together,” I answer for him.
The Fae’s head tilts ever so slightly to the side. “Explain.”
I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks, my mouth suddenly a dry wasteland. “We, and by we, I mean everyone you see in front of you, all had an intimate experience together.”
“And your mate, Roan,” the Fae says carefully, “he touched another with your permission?”
“Yes.”
“Fascinating,” Kai whispers. “This is not at all what I was expecting but—”
We all stare as he abruptly goes quiet, his eyes widen and his ears twitch but otherwise he is motionless.
“Kai?”
“We are not alone.”
“What are you talking about?” Ero asks, looking around the clearing. “I don’t hear or see anything out of the ordinary.”
“No, of course not.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“To the untrained eye, these creatures are nearly invisible,” Kai answers, gradually tilting his head to look up into the sky. “And they are very far from their home…very far indeed.”
“What is?” Li asks.
“Nightwalkers,” Kai says. “They shouldn’t be in
this part of the world…”
“What the hell are nightwalkers?” Roan asks.
“A being born of darkness. They’re sometimes found in the Unseelie Courts, but they have their deepest roots set in the Shadowlands.”
“I thought the Unseelie Courts were the Shadowlands,” I say.
“No,” Kai says, “the Shadowlands are the gateway to black magic, and the creatures that roam there seldom make their way into this world…”
“So?” Ero probes.
“They should not be here,” Kai states. “Especially not in this number. Something is opening the barrier between your world and theirs. This is a dark day indeed.”
“How many of these things are there?” Li asks.
“More than there are trees in this forest. They have not yet arrived, but,” Kai pauses and closes his eyes for a long moment, “it is only a matter of days. Their stronger shadow cousins have already passed into this world.”
“Shadow cousins,” Ero mutters and then growls. “Damn it! This is Damien’s doing. If what this…being is telling us is true, he must be using his black magic to open a portal between worlds.”
“Damien,” Kai says, tasting the name on his lips, “you mentioned this name before, but it did not strike me at the time. You say he is a sorcerer?”
“He isn’t a sorcerer,” Ero snorts, and Kai tilts his head slightly, “he’s the dark sorcerer. Everything we’ve done up until today has been to try to stop him from unleashing the black magic he found in Dark Book of Lethe on the world.”
“The Dark Book of Lethe,” Kai breathes, his white eyes wide and staring. “I must go, the Seelie Courts need to be informed.”
“Informed?” Roan asks as Kai turns away.
“Yes, a great battle lies ahead of you… You must not go alone.”
“We have a dragon,” I announce.
Kai stops in his tracks, and for a long, silent moment I wish I hadn’t said anything.
“And soon, you shall have Fae.”
We cover our eyes as a burst of blinding light bursts over us before we’re left, once again, in the inky shadows of night…
Nineteen
Annalise
I wake early the next morning and cry out in surprise, the sky still a cool grey.
“What happened?” Li asks, and I look up just as he steps out from some nearby trees, tying his pants closed, his long black hair spilling over his shoulders.
“Something kicked me.”
“Really?” His amethyst eyes sparkle with excitement as he strides over to me, pulling his hair up in a not before crouching down to place a hand on my stomach. Almost instantly I feel a series of kicks, this time even stronger, and I watch in wide-eyed terror as I see movement across my belly.
“It’s trying to claw its way out of me!”
“No,” Li laughs, “it’s just exercising, you have nothing to worry about.”
I relax slightly, even though I’m still somewhat disturbed by what just happened. How is there a child growing inside me? I haven’t even had enough time to come to terms with being pregnant… and now, I can literally see the child moving inside me, and I’m terrified.
“Good morning, lass,” Roan says waking and stretching beside me, Ero is still asleep, curled up next to us on the grass.
I smile at him, but my mind is still miles away, trying to process the thousand and one thoughts about babies and pregnancy that are racing through it.
“We should head back to the main camp soon,” Li says, “we don’t want to keep a dragon waiting.”
Roan yawns and gets to his feet, walking away to relieve himself before realizing he has no idea where he left his pants. I watch him search the area, staring at his naked form as the majority of my reasoning mind continues to work through my feelings.
“You’re starting to make me uncomfortable,” Roan says, causing me to blink and actually see what I’ve been staring at without really knowing it.
“Gods,” I gasp, my face flushing in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, I was a thousand miles away in thought.”
“If you say so,” Roan teases, pulling his pants up but not before giving me a little hip thrust action that only makes me blush deeper. He grins and then bends over to grab some clothes off the ground, tossing them onto Ero’s sleeping body. Ero jerks awake and looks around, his brow furrowed.
“Where is he?”
“Who?”
“The man made of light.”
“Oh, Kai,” Roan says.
“Kai?” I ask. “So, it wasn’t a dream then? He was really here last night?”
“Yes,” replies Roan. “And yes, he did say we’d have their help defeating Damien. Of course, what kind of help remains to be seen, but it’s something.”
“Then we really haven’t much time,” I say, starting to get to my feet and finding it much harder than normal. Roan notices and helps me up.
“Ero,” he says, “do you think she’s gotten bigger?”
“Bigger?”
“How could she possibly get bigger overnight,” Ero says, pulling his shirt over his head and turning toward us. “Damn. I take that back… You have gotten bigger.”
“How?” I ask in alarm, but it’s obvious, even to me that they’re right.
“We really don’t have a lot of time if we’re going to try to take on Damien before this baby makes an appearance.”
Gods.
My thoughts are suddenly flooded with questions and fears about childbirth, great.
Li steps back into the clearing and hands me a bunch of berries and edible plants he’s managed to find for breakfast. “This is all I could find nearby, but we’ll get you something with more sustenance as soon as possible.”
It doesn’t take me long to finish off the small meal, and I feel even hungrier than if I hadn’t eaten anything at all…
Avalon is waiting for us in the clearing by the time we get back, obviously agitated.
“Pick up the pace,” he growls, linking with us. “We should have left before dawn.”
“Did something happen?” Li asks.
The dragon shivers, his scales rattling against each other. “I’m not sure, but something just feels wrong.”
“I doubt you’re going to feel any better the closer we get to Damien,” Ero says. “In fact, I’d get used to it if I were you, from what I saw the last time I was there, things are only going to get worse.”
“Then we have no time to lose,” Avalon’s deep voice resonates through our minds. “Climb up before I change my mind.”
Ero, Li, and Roan start walking over to the dragon, but I stay where I am.
“Coming, lass?”
“I think I’d rather fly,” I answer.
They all share a look.
“Do you think that’s wise?” Li asks.
“Wise? Why wouldn’t it be wise?” I ask.
“Well, for one thing, a bird of fire isn’t exactly a common thing to see in these parts,” Li says.
“I don’t think it’s a normal sight to see anywhere,” Ero says.
“I can fly higher,” I say, trying to convince myself more than I am them, “and we won’t land too close to any town so we shouldn’t have to worry about anyone seeing us or trying to catch us.”
“Little Bird…”
I sigh. “I know.”
“There will be time for you to fly,” Li says reassuringly, “but be patient, it’s better if our enemies have as little knowledge of our strengths before we have a chance to prepare an attack.”
I hadn’t thought of it like that, but what Li says makes perfect sense. Li extends his hand and pulls me up onto the dragon’s back, and I’m happy to find they all look far less uncomfortable about flying today than they did yesterday. Ero has seated himself at the front, looking very much the part of a Viking commanding a dragon’s head ship. Roan and Li are sitting in the middle of Avalon’s back, with me placed snuggly between them. I doubt I have to worry about slipping off this time, although I secre
tly wouldn’t mind if I did.
Avalon glances over his shoulder at us, his long, white whiskers floating ethereally around him, and the soft morning light shimmers over his scales in all the colors of a sunrise. No sooner than he’s checked to make sure we’re all on top of him, the dragon crouches low and then leaps up into the air, his body weaving back and forth as we climb higher and higher into the sky.
I can still see all of us and Avalon. “I thought the point of traveling like this was to not be seen.”
“We are invisible,” the dragon answers, “at least, from below. Now, hold on.”
We barely have enough time to tighten our grip on him before his head flattens in line with his body. His legs press firmly against his side and he begins undulating in short, quick movements. The landscape below us rushes by, far faster than we’d traveled the day before, and my heart races with excitement. Ero has flattened himself against Avalon, but is leaning out to one side to look ahead. Li and Roan are firmly gripping the dragon’s sides with their thighs, while pressing themselves securely against me. I don’t think chains could keep me in place any better than they are right now.
The wind rushes by, and we all shiver as it sends a chill over the men’s bare torsos and my bare legs.
“I think,” Roan says, his teeth chattering, “we should consider making it a priority to get new clothes the next chance we get.”
“Agreed,” Li says through clenched teeth.
I decide to help take my mind off my body temperature by focusing on the changing landscape below us, it helps that Li and Roan’s bodies block most of the wind for me. As unnatural as it is to fly, it’s so much more pleasant and fascinating than traveling by sea. The world is so much bigger than it seems from the ground, and I’m completely in awe of how the scenery changes as we move. One minute we’re flying over a lush, vibrant forest and the next a barren, sandy desert. Even as strenuous as the past few months have been, the more I see of the world, the more I want to experience.
We’re moving far faster than I ever expected us to, and I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to go back to traveling by land…at least when it comes to long distances.
