by Twyla Turner
“Alright,” she said as she took a deep breath.
“Faerien City, we are gathered here tonight to witness the union of Imogen and Prince Rafe.” My father’s voice boomed out to the crowd. “Their unity was forged with a touch and solidified with a soul surge. From the moment their souls recognized each other as lifemates, they became one. Now I ask, faeries, do you recognize this couple as lifemates?” He shouted out the question.
“Yea!” The crowd yelled back.
“Then I pronounce you, Princess Imogen and Prince Rafe, mated for life.” My father smiled happily at both of us. “You may now kiss your mate.”
I looked at Immy, and her eyes were shining with tears. I leaned down and pressed my mouth against her lush, red lips. Before I closed my eyes, I saw her imprints wave wildly from yellow to orange, to red. Like the flames of a fire. The crowd burst out in a deafening cheer. And our kiss broke into smiles. I rested my forehead against hers and breathed in her fresh scent.
“I love you, Princess.”
“I love you too, Prince.” She smiled, and her round cheeks flushed with color, making her adorable freckles stand out even more. “I can’t believe I’m a freaking PRINCESS! Aagh!”
I chuckled at her outburst and then grabbed her hand. I led her down into the crowd of faeries awaiting the opportunity to congratulate us.
Chapter 45
Imogen
The party was still going when Rafe pulled me inside the palace. We’d feasted on delicious food. We’d danced, and I was finally able to lift myself off of the dance floor to dance with the other faeries. Which was definitely a highlight of the night for me. But the exhaustion from our weeks’ long quest, the impromptu wedding and celebration, and all the emotions to go along with them, were finally starting to wear me down.
I followed Rafe gladly as we walked through the palace and out over a bridge that connected to one of the smaller tree buildings. We walked across the softly lit, and quite romantic, I might add, bridge to the doorway. Rafe took out a golden key and unlocked the door. He swung the door open and then lifted me up into his arms to carry me over the threshold.
“I know that’s something humans do on Earth. So I thought I’d do that for you.” Rafe grinned at me self-consciously.
“Thank you.”
“This will be our home until my parents choose to step down. I hope you like it.” Rafe set me back down once we were inside.
If I could think of any way to describe it, I would say it looked like an elaborate New York apartment, designed for the super wealthy. It had different floors, with a spiraling staircase that led up to each one. The bottom floor was designated for relaxing and entertaining guests. The upper floors were private offices, elegant bathrooms, and grand bedrooms. The master bedroom at the very top, being the grandest of them all.
It had the biggest four-poster bed I had ever seen. It was made out of wood. Carved directly from the tree, so that it actually looked like it grew from the floor and wall. Sheer curtains draped from each post. Sconces on the wall cast the room in a soft dreamy glow. The ceiling was made of glass, and the view was breathtaking. I could see the night sky with its waving, colorful Aurora Borealis streaking across it. I turned to Rafe and looked at him with watery eyes.
“I never imagined living in a place like this. It’s beautiful, Rafe.”
“It’s just trying to match its owner.” He complimented.
I flushed, and he stepped closer to me. I looked up at his handsome face. His bright blue eyes asked me a question without even speaking. I took a deep breath and nodded my head. It had been days since the night we’d given each other our virginity. We hadn’t been alone to have any intimate moments. So the banked passion we’d both been holding back, threatened to explode.
Rafe grasped both sides of my face and his lips crushed mine in a searing kiss. I could tell that with all of his other kisses he had used restraint. Now that we were completely alone with no chance of interruption or prying eyes and ears, he devoured my mouth with complete abandon. He released my lips on a gasp. His lips kissed every inch of my face and my breath hitched with each one. I had never felt so loved and adored in all my life.
Rafe walked around me, stopping once he was behind me. Slowly, he unbuttoned each of the buttons on the back of my dress. I felt his lips find the skin of my back as he bared every inch of flesh. When he reached the base of my spine, I felt Rafe’s tongue touch the sensitive skin there as the weight of the dress pulled it down to fall at my feet. My mouth popped open on a silent breath and the muscles of my dampening sex, flinched in response.
“Rafe,” I said on a desperate whisper.
He stood up, trailing his fingertips against my skin as he went, leaving goosebumps in his wake. I shivered and my breath came faster. Rafe kissed my shoulder and his tongue flicked out to caress my skin as his hands reached around to cup my heavy breasts. I looked back at him and he captured my mouth. Our tongues danced and stroked against each other and my hips rolled, causing my ass to rub the front of his trousers. I could feel his hard shaft through his pants, straining to be released from its confines.
I turned in his arms without breaking out kiss. Frantically, my hands stripped him of his clothes. My fingers trembled as I found the clasp of his pants. I unbuttoned them and gripped the waistband to slide them down his hips, releasing the weight of his heavy arousal. My fingers cupped his sac and then trailed up his impressive length. Rafe gasped and opened his eyes. They were like blue fire, the cobalt color smoldering with his intensity.
A smile spread across my face as I drew my finger around the sensitive tip of his manhood. I felt a single pearly drop ready to drip down. I collected the evidence of his excitement on the tip of my finger and lifted it to my lips. My tongue came out to taste him. I didn’t know if it was a faery trait or if all men tasted the same, but he tasted so sweet that I sucked my finger into my mouth and moaned.
Before I knew what was happening, I went airborne as Rafe tossed me onto the bed. His patience had finally snapped. He was positioned between my legs a second later and he plunged within my depths, so fast and deep that a scream of pleasure ripped through my throat. The feel of him finally inside me once more nearly brought tears of joy to my eyes. Though this time it was different. This time I was a faery with the ability to soul surge. So now the connection was on another level.
As Rafe stroked into my creamy warmth, my skin felt feverish and tingled all over. I felt a ball of heat in my center that lit me up from the inside out. Every pump of his hips expanded the heat.
“Oh God, Immy!” Rafe growled as he lifted both of my legs to his shoulders.
I knew that he must be feeling the same intensity that I was. He plunged deeper, rotating his hips as his head hit the top of my womb. My legs began to shake. Actually, my whole body was trembling uncontrollably as the tension grew.
Rafe lifted me up to straddle his hips as he sat in the middle of the enormous bed. We were now face to face. I rolled my hips down to his as he stroked up. Our bodies strained towards each other. Our moans and flesh slapping together punctuated the room loudly. Rafe pulled me to him, chest to chest, and kissed me deeply. My eyes fluttered closed. His tongue matched his upward thrusts and I felt the heat spread through my entire body.
I suddenly felt lightweight, as if I was floating. I broke the kiss and threw my head back. Rafe gripped me tightly and found one of my aching nipples. His tongue swirled around the turgid peak and he stroked into me hard and fast.
Suddenly the tension exploded, sending me into the most intense climax of my life. Golden light literally burst from my skin as I flexed around him. A second later, Rafe shouted out his release and a blue light burst from his entire being as he jetted his climax into me.
I tried to catch my breath as I looked at him with wide eyes. It was the most amazing experience of my life. I happened to glance down and realized why I felt weightless and like I was floating. It was because I was.
At some point d
uring our lovemaking, our wings had unraveled and floated us up a few feet above the bed. Rafe grinned at me and clutched me to him as he guided us back down to earth. Literally and figuratively. My back sunk into the soft mattress as Rafe’s comforting weight blanketed me. His hand stroked down my body, easing me down from my high.
I rarely thought about my plush body any longer or worried about him thinking I was too fat or too heavy. I accepted my body and so did he. And the way he looked at me, touched me and tasted me, let me know that he more than accepted all of me. He cherished me as well.
Rafe brushed a tendril from my cheek and leaned down to kiss my nose.
“That was…was…” I giggled. “I don’t know what that was, but it was definitely the most incredible thing that’s ever happened to me. Well, aside from meeting you. Let’s do it again!”
Rafe chuckled deeply. “We will. We have all the time in the world now. I am yours, Immy.” He said sincerely. “In this life and the next.”
I reached up and laid my hand against his beautiful face and finally admitted, unashamed. “I am yours, Rafe. Forever.”
Epilogue
Imogen
I walked out of my new high school, built in one of the giant trees and saw Rafe standing outside waiting for me. I walked over to him, and he kissed me softly on the lips. I felt electricity shoot through my body, and I tingled all over. Even after being married for two months, it was always the same. I pulled away before the kiss got out of hand in front of my classmates. Once we got going, it was hard to stop, and nobody needed to see that. Though I did give him a look that said, ‘Just you wait. It’s going down soon.’
“I missed you.” Rafe kissed my temple. “How was school?”
“It was alright. It’s school.” I rolled my eyes.
“I remember.” He cringed.
Even though I was on Empyrean and things were slightly different here than on Earth. I still didn’t want to be a high school dropout. The school wasn’t much different, except for the classes that taught us how to hone our special gifts. There weren’t electronics like computers, tablets, and cell phones either. Things were simpler on Empyrean, and surprisingly, I loved it.
Saffi and Rae had introduced me to other faery girls that were really nice. We all hung out, went shopping, ate at restaurants, and threw parties at our houses. We talked about everything, went to see live music, and danced with our guys. I don’t think I could’ve been more content.
Daegan had come to visit a few times, and I went to see him in Unicris. The annual Trade festival was coming soon, and we were all planning to attend. The dragons had taken over as the palace guards. And Wakeley had used his powers and grown them new trees to nest in as their homes.
The only difficult moment after the battle for light had been won, was the Oracle deciding to leave Empyrean and go on to Elysium. She said that she’d fulfilled her duty as Faery Oracle and that she was tired and ready to get some much-needed rest. But before she went, she had projected out her vision of Earth for me to see one last time.
After we had defeated Hafgrim and the dark ones of Myrkur, the tension, hatred, and war that had plagued Earth for several years suddenly dissipated. Petty crimes and things like that still surfaced. But the cruelty and destruction, to the surprise and confusion of many humans, had practically vanished. And I felt the last of my worries disappear along with them.
The vision faded away, and the Oracle had smiled at me kindly.
“Another like me will be born soon to take my place. As for me, my vision stops here. And since I can no longer see into the future, my wish for you, is to have many years of peace and love.” The Oracle finished.
I held her hand as she reclined in her bed. The gold of her eyes and imprints began to glow brightly, her body fading until nothing was left but a nebulous floating light.
“Goodbye, sweet Imogen.” Her ethereal voice came from the light.
“Bye,” I said back.
Then the light shot up through the ceiling, and she was gone. Nothing was left of her, but the memory of her calming spirit.
I’d wiped away a tear and smiled fondly. Glad that I had gotten the chance to know her. Other than her absence, everything was perfect. I just had one last thing I needed to take care of.
“Are you ready?” Rafe asked, bringing me out of my reverie.
“I guess so.” I sighed. “Are you sure you want to come with me?”
“There is no way that I’m going to let you go without me. I’d be worried to death.” Rafe admitted.
“Thanks, Rafe. I really appreciate it.” I took a deep breath before continuing. “Alright, let’s go.”
~~~
We stood in front of what looked like a tear in the atmosphere, just on the outskirts of the woodland city. If you weren’t paying attention, you wouldn’t even notice the slight crack.
I looked at Rafe dressed in baggy jeans, white sneakers, and a blue t-shirt that I had the palace seamstress make for him, specifically for this trip. I smiled at how cute and “normal” he looked. My ensemble for this trip was the same as anything I’d normally wear on Empyrean since it wouldn’t seem that out of place. So I wore my fitted black leather pants and a red and black corset. Over it, I threw on a black long-sleeved shrug to cover my arms and shoulders. Lastly, I had pulled on a pair of knee-high black leather boots.
My ensemble may have been on purpose, but I wasn’t going to admit it out loud. Hey, what can I say, the clothing in Empyrean make me look badass.
“I’ll go through first, just in case.” Rafe offered.
“Oh, so chivalrous.” I teased him.
He smirked and then winked at me.
Rafe took my hand and then stepped through the crack. His leg immediately disappeared. Now somewhere on the other side. He stepped further inside and all that was left was his hand still holding mine. He began to pull me in, so I knew it must have been safe on the other side.
I took a deep breath and stepped through the tear. It felt like stepping through a bubble. I felt the atmosphere around me change and on the other side was a familiar place. Earth. Particularly, Sedona.
The giant red rocks surrounded us. It wasn’t the same spot I was first pulled through all those months ago. It was at another vortex in the little spiritual city. I knew exactly where we were. We were on the other side of The Rock where all the teens hung out. A place that didn’t hold the best memories for me.
I looked over to Rafe, and I smiled as I watched him look around taking everything in. It was early evening in late spring. And though nothing compared to the beauty of Empyrean, it wasn’t as dull and bleak as I thought it would be. Sedona still held a special place in my heart. It was where I grew up. Where I lived with my parents. Nothing could take away that beauty.
I looked at Rafe, and his imprints were gone. His eyes were still blue, but they didn’t glow like they normally did. I looked down at my right arm and saw that my imprints were gone as well. That must be what happens when faeries came to Earth so that they can blend in with humans.
“Come.” I pulled Rafe towards where I knew there would be an exit to the street. “I’d like to get this over with and get back before it gets too dark.”
“Okay.” He nodded and started following me over the rocks. “This isn’t so bad. I thought we’d walk into some kind of war-torn battle zone.”
“There is a lot of beauty here. It’s just that the darkness here is mixed in with beautiful parts, unlike Empyrean. Hiding in plain sight.” I informed him.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Now, I kind of wish I’d have brought my sword with me.” Rafe thought out loud.
“I’m not so sure that would’ve gone over very well.” I pulled a face. “People don’t walk around with swords here. Guns and knives, maybe. But not swords. And you don’t have to worry anyway. Things are much better now that the darkness has been reined in.”
Rafe nodded, but still looked wary as we
made our way to the road.
Unfortunately, I had no way of calling an Uber, so we had to walk. When it was safe, we unfurled our hidden wings and flew a bit to rest our feet. After about an hour we finally stood in front of the trailer I had called home for a year.
“This is it,” I said with a sigh, already knowing it was going to be a fight.
“This is where you lived?” Rafe asked doubtfully.
“Yep. Only for a year, though. It’s not the place, but the people inside that made life hell for me. But at least that’s over now.” I said positively.
“I’m glad you found your way to Empyrean, in more ways than one.” Rafe looked around the trailer park with a frown.
I remember the dangers I’d faced during our quest for light, and it gave me the courage to step up to the door and knock. I heard footsteps coming towards the door and then it was ripped open, and Carolyn stood on the other side.
“What do you want?” She sneered at me. So much for caring if I was okay or not. “I thought you had run away or something.”
“In a way, I did. Lucky for me, though, I found my home. Because this place definitely never was.” I said with my head cocked to the side.
“You always were an uppity brat. Too good for the trailer park.” Carolyn taunted me.
“I never thought that. I was just too good for you and your cruelty.” I responded, not willing to back down.
“What do you want?! I don’t have time to be fighting with you.” She shouted.
“I came to collect my things if you haven’t thrown them out,” I informed her.
“Well, aren’t you lucky? I just bagged up your stuff to set out with the trash. You made it just in time.” Carolyn smirked at me. “I’ll be right back.”
