“Why don’t I show you instead, hmm?” I lick my lips.
Of course, his gaze fixes on my mouth. His jaw tenses and color floods his cheeks.
“Why do I feel like I am being taken in, that you are using my own words against me, that you are running circles around me, acushla, and that…I don’t mind it at all.” He blinks, then shakes his head. He tips his head forward so his chin touches his chest.
“You don’t?” My mouth falls open in surprise. It reflects the same amazement that threads his tone.
He slides his arm up my back and yanks me close. My breath hitches. I fall over his chest. My breasts graze those hard planes, and my gaze is caught by those mesmerizing blue eyes.
“I do believe you are crawling under my skin. That your essence is catching me unawares, softening my reactions. You are making me more human, Starlight.” His nostrils flare. His eyes gleam. “And you know what?”
I swallow, “Wh…what?”
“I think you need to be punished for bringing me down.”
My throat closes. My insides curl with anticipation.
“What do you say?” He moves his hips so his dick curves inside me.
My pussy squeezes in reflex. Pleasure zings at my nerve endings. I’ll never get used to this feeling, this need to have him inside me, owning me, claiming me.
“I don’t trust that look.” I pout.
He glares down that beautiful hooked nose. His thin upper lip tightens. Anticipation crawls up my spine. I shiver. “And I can’t wait for whatever deviousness you’re thinking up next.”
44
Dante
I swagger up the driveway of the low-lying building that is our new headquarters of the Fae Corps in Singapore. The bastard Boris had claimed it for his own when he headed up the Corps. He hasn’t been seen since I took him down…with Starlight’s help, so we’d commandeered his home to house the next generation of the Corps who were being trained by me and my fellow team members.
The entire experience had taught me that I am not invincible. Failings and all that. Imagine that? Me, the asshole who hadn’t given a damn about anything else, who’d preferred to live life fast and on the edge, now actually paused for thought. And no, it isn’t because my life is at risk, but because hers is even more important.
Because I can’t stand the thought of anyone else laying claim to her. Besides, there is no way I am going to put her through the agony of waiting for me while I go off on missions.
Not that I can stop myself from the buzz of adrenaline either… The goals of the Fae Corps have changed. We no longer kill, we protect. And isn’t that the irony of it all? The fact that I have always had it in me. It just took the attentions of my Starlight to bring that out. Now don’t go thinking that I've gone all wooly inside. Well, a little, just a tad. Especially when she gazes at me with those silver eyes as she is now. My woman stalks forward next to me, her hand grasped in mine. Her shoulders square, and her spine is erect. She swings that thick hair back and jerks her chin toward the courtyard that comes into sight.
“You gonna kick his ass, Dante?”
I grunt. No, I don’t reply, for that would be giving away just how much her nearness still affects me. That even now the feel of her skin against mine heats my blood. That her scent tugs at my nerves and her cries from when she last came apart in my arms rings in my ears. No, I don’t need to tell her all that because I know she is aware of it already. I reach out through the mating bond and flick out a lick of heat toward her. I ease it down her chest, heading straight for that secret core of hers, the one that belongs to me, that is owned by me. I did break her after all, only I ruined myself in the process. I knew what I was doing, no regrets.
She shivers, and her fingernails dig into the palm of my hand. Already the blood rushes to my groin. I pause at the perimeter of the courtyard before we enter the fray where my opponent awaits, then I pull her to me.
She swings around and gasps. Her eyes dilate, her cheeks flush. “Fuck, Dante, you turn me on the way no one ever has.”
“You better remember that, Starlight.” I know I sound way too possessive, and I don’t care. That’s what I am. No longer a killer but a lover, a man mated to the most seductive woman of all.
She is mine, and I belong to her. Hey, no shame in admitting that I’m chained to her, that when it comes to her, I am helpless. And I am going to make sure everyone else gets the message. That they can’t touch her. She is my property. To break and put back together, again and again. Each time I find a different part of her, a side she’s hidden away. Parts she still tries to hold on to, not knowing that I won’t stop, not until I know her every secret.
Some of my emotions bleed through the bond, and that’s okay. It only adds to the excitement of this chase, this game between us, a secret language of our own that no one else knows about.
Her lips tremble, and her eyes grow hooded. I crush her breasts to my chest, and a shiver runs down her spine. I grab her hips and grind her against my already hard erection. “As you can see, the feeling is mutual.”
A smile lifts her lips, and damn, my heart stutters. This woman, she can cut me off at the knees. She can slay me with just a touch, lay me low with a kiss. She lifts her head and brushes her lips over mine. Then she steps on my feet, heaves herself up to tiptoe, and wriggles that deliciously soft core at the apex of her thighs against my erect dick. My cock throbs. I thrust my tongue into her mouth, suck on her essence, and take in a huge gulp of that sweet honey of her. She moans in her throat, and my head spins. I am tempted to simply teleport us away from here, back to my bedroom in our apartment in the city, where I’ve kept her captive for the last week. The only thing that dragged me out was the prospect of thrashing Tristan’s ass in the weekly Dare. The first one since Boris was defeated.
She bites down on my lower lip, and a growl rumbles up my throat. All other thought slips from my head. “Fuck this. Whose idea was it to keep this challenge today anyway?”
“Hey, lover boy, you want to show off just how powerful you are to your mate?” Tristan’s voice booms out.
“Right on cue.” I groan against her lips.
Starlight tears her mouth from mine. “You gotta go, Dante.”
“Says who?” I tighten my arms around her.
“Dante, Dante,” the crowd chants.
Right, the weekly Fae Corps challenge always had the locals turning up. It was the nature of the Fae, to go for the fight; to feel that edge of violence. Regardless of who the challengers were, the important thing was the faceoff itself. It wasn't just the prospect of two grown men beating the shit out of each other that attracted them either. Many came along in the hopes of bedding one of us…them. Yeah, I am officially off the scene, and I have no qualms about making that known either.
“Go.” She leans up and rubs her nose against my throat. Like a little kitten who likes to nuzzle into me.
There is a warm feeling in my chest. Yeah, I am well and truly a goner.
“What if I don’t want to?" I frown at her.
That’s a first, me shying away from a fight.
From the chance to beat up my annoying ex-partner. Yeah, I am not going on another mission, not for a while, for my duties have changed. Hell, I make the rules now and I’ve made it clear that I am not moving anywhere, not until my mate is well and truly settled and our mating bond has been consolidated; and yeah, not until she’s pregnant with my child. “Mine.” I dip my head and lick the scar of the mating bite, the one I marked her with on the side of her throat when I claimed her.
The one that signals to everyone that she belongs to me. That is, if they don’t already smell me on her.
Tristan's voice booms through the space, “Yo, Killer. Or should I change your name to pussywhipped now?”
“More like pussy breath,” I smirk, then rub my cheek against hers.
She giggles. And the sound is so light it’s a fucking ache in my heart. Yeah, that’s how the mighty have fallen. How my everything now
belongs to her. Only her.
“Go and whip his sorry ass, Kill.” Her breath flutters over my cheek.
“Damn, woman. From your throat, every one of my names sounds sexy.” She blushes, then steps back, knowing I am referring to all the other ways she’s called out to me, various secret names moaned by her, that I have torn from her, in the privacy of our bedroom.
It’s amazing how being mated to a woman makes everything so much more satisfying. I’d thought sex was something to be enjoyed on a purely physical level. I’d never been more wrong. When you bring the mating bond into the equation, you have the ability to reach out to each other. To interpret the unspoken commands, the ability to foresee what the other wants even before they have a chance to tell you themselves, it elevates the entire experience to one which is near cataclysmic in its ability to shake you to the core. Hell, she shakes me to my core every single time.
She winks at me, then, turning, moves away to join the rest of the six in the Fae Corps. The only other males I trust her with. It’s the privilege of those of us who are so different, so powerful in our attributes. The fact that only eight of us remain with the power to teleport in the Fae world, now that Boris is gone, has only brought us closer. And it’s the only reason I am here, prowling into the ring in the center of the courtyard where Tristan awaits, instead of making passionate love to my mate.
“This had better be worth it, Chef,” I growl and step into the ring.
45
Gia
I watch my mate stride into the center of the courtyard. He tears off his shirt and looks around. I know he’s searching for me, so I duck behind the broad back of one of his Fae team members.
"You teasing me, Starlight?" His voice slinks down our shared bond.
"Just testing if this connection between us works."
"Oh, it does, and I can't wait to show you just how much more intense it can get." His chuckle echoes down the bond. The rich sound tugs at my nerve endings, and my belly flutters.
Nolan, aka Doc—no prizes for guessing how he got that name—shoots me a look over his shoulder.
“Your man treating you okay, beautiful?”
“What do you think, asshole?” Hawke, as tall and as sleekly built as the bird he’s named after, smirks from next to him.
“Hey, just wanna make sure the commander is paying attention to his mate. Want him to be well settled, and, ya know…” Nolan shoots me a sideways glance “…rested when he allocates our next mission.” He rubs the back of his neck.
My cheeks flush.
“No disrespect intended, ma’am.” He touches a finger to the visor of his baseball hat.
“None, taken,” I smirk. After being with Dante, nothing shocks me.
“Not that you need to worry about being sent off." Hawke scratches his jaw, "Tristan’s drawn the lot for the next assignment. It’s why he’s challenged Dante to a fight. One last hurrah for Dante to remember him by.”
“Speaking of which, here comes his new partner.” Nolan jerks his chin to the side.
I follow his gaze and stare. “Jessica?”
My ex-teammate flounces over, then throws her arms around me. “You are safe, sweetie pie?” Her arms tighten, and I wince.
She lets go at once and steps back, then searches my face.
“Of course I am safe.” I resist the urge to rub at the mating wound on my neck. I’d wanted to wear a scarf over it but knew Dante prefers that I bare the wound for all to see. Possessive alpha Fae.
“You look different somehow.” She frowns.
“Well, duh, I shaped my hair.” I huff out a breath, so my newly cut fringe flies up and off my face. Okay, so it's a desperate measure, maybe. But I hope it draws attention to my eyes and away from my ears... just in case the hidden traits of my Fae side, reveal themselves without warning. I don’t yet have the kind of control over my physical transformation and worry about giving away the state of my emotions. Dante assures me that in time I’ll get better with managing my body’s reactions.
In the meantime, he’s more than happy to teach me how to control my responses. Yeah, the man is having a field day bringing me to climax over and over again, trying to train me to manage my outward appearances. Not that I am complaining. Another blush rolls up my neck.
“Hmm, obviously you’re well taken care of.” She grins, her face lighting up.
My shoulders sag with relief. I’m not yet ready to tell my shifter friend exactly how much I’ve changed, or how mating a Fae completely transforms the anatomy of one’s constitution. It's not just humans like me who are affected, either. The impact varies with species and the resulting manifestations cannot always be predicted.
There's a shout from the center of the ring. My breath catches and I turn to where the two figures are rolling around in the middle of the space.
Of course Dante is fine; we are on his home ground, and Tristan is a friend…who is right now bashing his face in. A low cloud of pain seeps down the bond, followed by a reassuring pulse. “I am good. Just letting this fucker tire himself out before I get him.”
Right. I unclench my fists from my sides and instead twist my fingers together in front of me.
“So that’s Dante, huh?” Jessica taps her chin as she watches the two men. “And who’s the hunk he's sparring with?” She gnaws her lower lip.
“That’s Tristan. And he’s every bit of an alpha-hole as Dante.” Am I warning her off? Not that Jessica ever heeds anything I say, especially not with men.
“Isn't he my partner on the next mission?" She thrusts out her chin. "Think I should go up and introduce myself?”
“You mean right now?” I frown.
“Well, no time like the present.” Her eyes gleam.
“I know that look, Jess.” I firm my lips.
“What?” She turns and flutters her eyelashes at me. “He doesn’t know who I am. Now’s my time to have some fun, you know, establish some rules before we set off on this mission. Best to get the upper hand already.” She taps a finger to her chin. “Know what I mean”?”
“All too well.” I can’t stop the smirk that tugs at my lips. Maybe some of Dante’s asshole attitude is rubbing off on me. But the thought of my tiny, curvy friend getting a head start on showing a big bad Fae his place is going to be so entertaining. I hold up my fist. “Go get ’im, girlfriend.”
She fist bumps then shrugs off her jacket. Her bikini top underneath is cut low enough for her breasts to all but fall out. Her shorts barely cover her crotch. She ties her jacket around her waist, and that only emphasizes the roundness of her ass. As for her knee-high boots, well, the heels are high enough that they make her legs seem long, like really long. Enough for Nolan to whistle and Hawke to take a step forward in her direction before Nolan yanks him back.
“What?” He swivels around and blinks.
“More fun to watch from the sidelines.” Nolan grunts.
“You got that right,” I smirk.
“Hmph.” Hawke folds his arms over his massive chest.
His gaze follows Jessica as she prances right up to the edge of the ring. Then she pretends to drop something. She exclaims before she bends over, all the way from her waist, her butt sticking out. It’s as close to a stripper’s pose without actually performing a strip show. The man next to her drops to his knees and shuffles around trying to help her.
There is a commotion, and another man flings the first out of the way before offering to help. Only for a third to join the fray, and then it’s a full-fledged fight on the sidelines.
There’s enough noise being created for Tristan to lift his head and frown at the woman who straightens and shakes her hair back. It’s just a split second that he’s distracted, but it’s enough for Dante to land a punch to his jaw. Tristan falls over, out cold.
Jess turns to me and holds up the thumb, forefinger and little finger of her right hand. The universal sign of the devil.
I chuckle, then walk over to join her.
“That’s a go
od start, eh?” She cracks her knuckles.
“There’s one thing I forgot to tell you about these Fae Corps men.” I bite the inside of my cheek.
Her eyebrows draw down. “What?”
“They bite.”
Hang on there’s MORE! To find out what happens next, get Jess and Tristan’s story in PROPERTY OF THE FAE, HERE.
Read an excerpt
Jess
“You wanna get me killed?”
“Huh?” I peer up at the Fae Corps soldier. “What did I do?”
"You tell me," he nods at a point over my shoulder. “Judging by how Tristan is glowering at me from the corner, I'd say he wants to kill me for just looking at you.”
He sidles back so he's just out of my reach.
“Seriously, Doc?” I huff out a breath. "You’re acting as if Tristan has a claim on me.”
Doc drums his fingers on his chest. “W-e-l-l, he is your partner.”
“Work partner, and only on this upcoming mission to track down the Fae resistance,” I prop my hands on my hips.
“Or, we could call him your alpha-hole." Doc chuckles.
I glare at him, and Doc raises his hands faceup.
We are at the arena in Singapore, to celebrate Dante mating my best friend Gia. After he deposed of Boris, the previous commander of the Fae Corps, the Fae and the Bureau of Shifters had decided to bury their differences.
I have been chosen by the Bureau to partner with Tristan as a test to see if the two species can work together.
Still, given the rivalry between the dragons and the Fae, I am wary of these men. “All eight of you Fae Corps men can teleport?”
“You need to ask Tristan.” Doc shifts his weight from foot to foot. “Assuming he agrees to take on this mission with you."
I clench my hands. "Didn’t know Tristan had a choice in accepting me as his partner or not?” I need this assignment and it's not for the money.
Stolen by the Fae Page 18
