by Charlie Hart
It feels so good to be coated in them, in their manhood. I feel powerful and beautiful and like they are worshipping me. Like I am their altar and their goddess and their one and only mate.
It makes no sense yet, as Keegan pulls his length from me, coming on my belly, three hard cocks coming in my willing body, I feel like it makes all the sense in the world. I am theirs. And they are mine.
The sun filters through the curtain the next morning and for a brief second, I think all is right in the world.
But then I jolt up in bed, my three naked lovers surrounding me, and I run to the bathroom. I wretch in the toilet, but there is nothing there - we didn’t eat dinner last night. I mean, unless you count the fact they ate me out for hours. And I may have sucked down more than a few loads of cum. I’d be smiling if I didn’t feel so damn ill.
Can you swallow too much cum? Is that a thing? Because if so, we’re gonna have a problem. I can’t seem to get enough of their big thick cocks in my mouth.
And even though I feel ill, I also feel oddly horny. My pussy is wet at the thought of them running their palms over my bare skin, finger fucking me until I can’t see straight.
God, this cabin makes me crazy, frenzied with want.
It’s delicious, this sexual appetite I never realized I had.
But also, a little exhausting. I drink a glass of water, and Aiden comes in, that cock tempting as hell. “You okay?” he asks.
I shrug. “I thought I was going to be sick. I threw up yesterday. I don’t know what it is.”
He looks down, at my belly.
Belly.
A belly that wasn’t there yesterday.
He lifts his eyebrows. “Are you pregnant?”
I laugh, patting his bare chest. “Considering you’re a bear, I’d think you’d know a bit more about the birds and the bees.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, but we need to go to town, get you a test. Be sure.”
I smirk. “You literally know nothing about a woman’s uterus, do you? I can’t be pregnant three days after the first time I had sex. It’s not possible.”
“Oh, and you know about fae-women and their pregnancies?”
That shuts me up. “Okay, fine. But we need to eat first. I’m starving. I need waffles and bacon and eggs and...” My words trail off as I realize these are all the typical pregnancy symptoms. Aiden’s eyes meet my own. “Shit.” My voice cracks when I say, “I can’t be...”
He takes my hand. “Look, whatever happens, whatever you are, whatever this is - we’re family now. No matter what.”
Chapter Eight
Keegan
This is insane. But it feels so damn right.
Our mate is fae. Or at least half-fae, and she’s going to have our baby - soon. At least that’s what the pregnancy test showed. And after talking to Gwen, one of the witches who knows practically everything there is to know about Diablo Falls and all its creatures, that baby will be here in days.
The fae don’t give birth often. They’re only fertile at certain points of the year. And we had mated her the exact day. In the fae realm, a full-blooded fae could give birth only hours after conceiving. But Maisie is half human, and here, in this realm, every day coincides with a month of gestation.
It’s a lot to take in. Especially for Maisie, who is currently sitting on the couch, curled up in a ball, blanket wrapped around her, looking pale.
“What do we do?” I ask Gwen, unable to pull my eyes away from my mate.
She gives me a sympathetic look. “Just comfort her. I can't imagine what she’s feeling, especially since she didn’t even know about who and what she was a few days ago.”
“Do you know anything about her mother?” Maddox asks quietly.
“I can hear you, you know,” Maisie says, glancing over at us. “You don’t need to tiptoe around me like I’m going to break. I’m just...just trying to process everything. Like why my mom would keep this from me.”
Gwen sits down beside her and takes her hand. “I don’t know. But I think it has to do with who your father was.”
“Was?” Maisie asks. “So, he’s dead.”
Gwen nods. “The old fae king died several years ago. There was some kind of battle for power.” She shakes her head. “It didn’t happen in the realm, so I don’t know much about what went on. Only that afterward, there were far fewer fae in Diablo Falls.”
“You really think that Maisie is fae royalty?” Aiden asks, arms crossed and frowning.
“There were rumors about a fae princess being lost after the battle, but I just thought they were rumors. Everyone assumed that all the other royal fae had been killed off. Your brother—”
“He’s not my brother,” Maisie says. “My mother never had any children but me.”
“No. But the old fae king had many mistresses. The current king is also half-fae, born from the blood of the old king and seer named Vivianne.”
“And this new king,” I say. “Do you know anything about him?”
“Only that he’s ruthless.” Gwen frowns between us. “If he thinks Maisie is here for his crown, then she’s in danger.”
“We need to get her out of Diablo Falls as soon as possible,” Maddox growls out.
I don’t argue with him, because I know it’s the only way to protect her. There are very few fae portals left on this plane, he’d be risking his own life if he followed us out of the safety of Diablo Falls.
Other creatures don’t thrive in the outside world. Especially shifters. But we can’t be thinking of ourselves right now. The only thing that matters is keeping Maisie safe.
When Gwen is gone, we start packing, loading everything we can take with us into the back of Maisie’s Jeep. What we don’t bring now, we can come back for.
The sun is setting when I finally get the last piece of luggage into the Wrangler, and find Maisie in the living room, wrapped in Aiden’s embrace.
I smile when I see the way she looks at him, like he’s her protector, like she trusts him. And I want to make sure we earn that right. Nothing. Not even the king of the fae will harm her as long as we’re by her side.
Never in my thirty-two years have I ever felt like this. Like I would sacrifice my entire self for someone else. Like I would give every ounce of my being, my very soul, to keep her safe.
I love her.
I didn’t think it was possible. After all these years of being a bachelor, I was starting to wonder if I wasn’t capable of taking a mate. And then I kissed her, and something in my chest cracked. My bear growled with one truth - she is mine.
“What?” she asks, smiling up at me when she sees me watching them.
“I was just thinking about how lucky we are that we have you.”
She moves toward me and wraps her arms around my neck. “Pretty sure I’m the lucky one.”
“You can say that even with everything going on?”
She nods. “Yeah. No matter what happens, this, us, it’s worth it.”
“I agree.” I kiss her then, hard, possessive, laying claim to my mate. I don’t want to pull back, but I know I have to. “We need to go,” I tell her.
Both Maddox and Aiden nod, and I take Maisie’s hand and walk toward the door, but when we walk out onto the patio, the cool evening air rustling the leaves, my bear alerts me to danger.
“Get back in the house, Maisie,” I tell her.
“Why, what’s wrong?” She looks around, frowning.
“Just get inside—”
A blast whips past my head, blue fire that explodes when it hits the side of the house. And that’s when I see the danger my bear warned me about. More than a dozen fae warriors step out of the trees, and the man leading them carries a flaming sword.
A grin tugs at the fae king’s lips when he says, “Prepare to die, sister.”
Chapter Nine
Maisie
“Oh God,” I cry out when I see the men that surround us. Some carry swords, others hold flaming blue balls in their hands, and all look ready for
one thing, to kill and destroy.
“Get in the house,” Keegan says again.
“I’m not leaving you,” I tell him, but already Maddox and Aiden are shifting, and I can feel Keegan wanting to do the same.
“I need to know you’re safe so I can fight them without worrying about you.”
I nod, knowing I’m useless to them. I know nothing about fighting, other than a few self-defense classes I took in college. But that’s not going to help me against a dozen fae with swords and fireballs.
So I kiss Keegan quickly and rush back into the cabin, watching from the window as he shifts into his Kodiak form. My men are powerful, all strength and primal instinct, and I’m awed by their majesty as they go on full attack.
But fear slices through me as fireballs whip past them, singeing their fur, and swords cut through the air, making me gasp with every blow. At first, the fae seem taken aback by my mates’ quick reaction, and more than a few fall, defeated within the first few minutes of the fight. But then a fireball hits Keegan and he’s thrown backward.
The bear shakes its massive head, and I can tell he’s dazed, shaken.
And then Maddox takes a blow by the fae king’s sword and when my half-brother pulls his weapon back, it’s coated in my mate’s blood.
“No,” I scream.
I need to do something. Anything. But what?
The magic is inside of you, a soft voice whispers. Search yourself. See the energy. Allow it to manifest. Your babies will give you the strength you need.
I know I should question the eerie voice, and the fact that it said babies and not baby, but all I can focus on is the fact that my mates are losing the fight. I will not let the fathers of my children perish.
So I do what the voice said, I search inside of myself. At first, it’s like swimming through murky water, like trying to breathe in a room full of smoke. Everything burns, hurts, but it’s my mates’ growls that keep me digging deep, that push me past what I ever thought I could endure.
And then I find it.
The light.
The magic.
It’s not just inside me. It is me.
Power flows through my veins, and I take it, lose myself in it.
You are the true fae queen, the voice says. The power of the realm is yours to command.
I open my eyes, the world seeming crisper, more full of color and life than before. To open the door, all I have to do is think it, and it flies open. Wind whips around me, and I know I must make a sight when I walk through the door, because the fighting ceases, and the remaining fae warriors drop to their knees.
All except the fae king.
His eyes widen, and I see fear flash in his eyes. But then he’s holding up his hand, palm toward me, and blue fire comes streaming from him, straight toward me. On instinct, I lift my own hand and push back. White light courses from my palm, and when it hits the king’s energy, the sound is like the earth cracking in two.
“Sister,” he shouts. “You said you didn’t want the crown.”
“The only thing I want is to protect my family.” I keep my power centered and I feel his own give slightly.
“I am your family,” he says, and I hear the plea in his voice. He knows he’s losing.
“Family doesn’t try to harm each other,” I tell him, pushing harder. My light is all but consuming his now.
“And if I bow to you, you promise no harm will come to me?”
“Yes,” I tell him honestly.
“Then I submit,” he says, bending a knee.
I pull my power back and he does the same. “I don’t want your submission. I just want you to leave me and my mates alone.”
The fae king’s gaze is stoic, but he nods.
I let out a breath and turn to my mates who have shifted back into human form. They’re bruised and cut, but none of them are seriously injured.
“Maisie,” Aiden cries out. “Watch—”
I’m thrown back by a blast. A blast of my brother’s power. But because of Aiden’s warning, I was able to brace myself and I blast him back, this time with everything inside of me. I push so hard that I’m not sure where the energy comes from.
The fae king screams, and it’s a scream that’s piercing, agonizing, before my power consumes him.
And then he’s gone.
I collapse to the ground, drained, and it’s only seconds before large arms wrap around me, cradling me to a hard chest.
Other hands are on me, touching me, making sure I’m alright.
“I’m okay,” I tell them, already drawing strength from their own power and from the energy around me. I don’t know how I know it, but I can feel it gathering in the cells of my body.
I look around. The fae who are still able to, bow to one knee, their heads bent, foreheads touching the hilt of their swords.
“The fae king?” I ask, not sure what actually just happened.
“He’s gone,” Aiden tells me.
“I killed him,” I whisper, overwhelmed.
“He would have killed you,” Maddox says, crouching beside me and placing a hand on my belly. “And our child.”
“Children,” I tell him.
“What?”
I smile despite everything, knowing the blessing I’m carrying. “I think I’m having twins.”
The men’s faces light up, but we don’t have time to celebrate, because one of the fae warriors approaches.
“Your Highness,” he says, bowing. “I’m Treylord, the hand to the Queen.”
I stand with the help of my mates and address him. “I am not your queen—”
“You are,” he says. “We all saw the power of the first fae on you. You were filled with her light. You are our queen by blood and chosen by the first light.”
“I don’t know what any of that means,” I tell him honestly, placing a hand on my slightly rounded belly.
“You must come home with us.”
“I can’t.” I shake my head, looking at my mates. There’s a part of me, I guess the fae part that wants to see the other realm. But the whole queen thing is so overwhelming. “I won’t leave my mates.”
“They can come with you,” Treylord says.
“That’s allowed?” I ask.
His face stoic, even though I swear I see a small smile tug at his lips. “It is your realm now, Your Highness. You make the rules.”
Aiden takes my hand, and I look up into his handsome face, so full of love and acceptance, and it’s his smile that gives me strength. “You’re half fae, my love. And you’re their queen. You need to go.”
“Will you come with me?”
He nods. “Wherever you go, we will always be there.”
Chapter Ten
Aiden
When we arrive in the realm of the fae, it’s hard to not feel completely overwhelmed. But at least this Treylord guy is with us, and he seems to know what the fuck is going on
With the crown on her head, it is impossible not to see Maisie as the queen she was born to be. But even now, after the dramatic - and unexpected - ceremony where all the fae from the realm gathered to proclaim her as queen, I see the way her eyes fill with worry.
Keegan, Maddox, and I pull her into her royal chamber, needing to be alone.
“What are you thinking?” Keegan asks. “You look terrified.”
She paces the room, draped in a red cape, the golden crown set atop her head. “It’s a lot to absorb. They truly see me as their queen...”
“It’s your rightful place, embrace it,” Maddox says. “We will never stand in your way.”
She runs her hand over her growing belly. “I know, but these babies are not just merely fae. They are also half you. How can I take them from the mountain?”
I step toward my mate, pressing my forehead to hers. “You have to follow your heart. We won’t make you choose one place over the other.”
“There has to be another way,” she says, tears filling her eyes.
A door behind us cracks open, and i
n walks Treylord. “You struggle with the choice, to stay or go?” he asks.
Maisie nods. “I’m honored, of course ... but my heart, it belongs to my mates. And they belong to Blackthorne Mountain.”
“If there is a will, there is a way,” Treylord says.
Maisie’s eyes brighten, and she wipes away her tears. “Tell me, please.”
Treylord smiles, and pulls a black velvet box from his robe, handing it to her.
“What is it?” she asks.
“Open it,” Treylord says.
She does, and out of it pours a bright, powerful light that is more intense than we’ve ever seen. All of us cover our faces, the blinding force overwhelming the room. Maisie snaps the box shut.
“What is it?” she asks, eyes wide.
He grins. “A portable portal.”
A laugh escapes her. “A portal for what?”
“For your cabin in this mountain of yours. So you can come and go as often as you need, as you wish. Consider your title like a job.” Then he frowns. “My Queen, have you had a job before?”
She nods. “Um, yeah, I was a journalist. For a newspaper.”
“Well, then consider your duties as Queen in the same way. You can come here on assignment and then go back to your mates to rest. That box is very rare, so you’ll need to keep it safe. But with it, you can have—”
“The best of both worlds,” she says, pressing the box to her heart.
The man smiles and nods.
“I’m so honored,” she says.
But Treylord just shakes his head. “My Queen, the honor is all ours.” Then he lifts his eyebrows and laughs. “So what are you waiting for? Go home!”
“And we can all portal with her?” I ask, a little worried since I’m still reeling from the ride here.
Treylord called my queasiness realm-sickness, but Maddox keeps teasing me that I’m having sympathy pregnancy symptoms. Either way, I can’t wait to get home.
