Careless Wishes

by Amy Sumida

  I started singing “Rump Shaker” by Wreckx-N-Effect under my breath. Shake it, baby.

  Raza had slept without his wings, as usual, it's just more comfortable for both of us. This meant that the entire expanse of his majestic back was bare for my viewing pleasure; it clenched and released as he stood. He looked over his shoulder at me, raising a brow at my singing, then spotted the way I was watching him. Raza's lips came together in a wicked smile and he made a show of shoving his pants back down. I held up a hand when he started to crawl over the bed toward me.

  “We don't have time for sex,” I warned him. “Don't start anything, Dragon.”

  “We don't have time to make love,” he corrected. “But there's always time for sex.”

  “Raza,” I groaned and laughed.

  “No, mo shíorghrá, you don't get to look at me like that and sing a song about wanting to zoom and boom—don't think I don't know what that means—then put me off.”

  “It's zoom zoom and boom boom, not zoom boom,” I corrected him primly.

  “You told me to shake my ass, Seren.” He grinned. “Correction: you sang it. It's not the most romantic way I've been seduced, but I'll allow it since you're so beautiful in those tangled sheets and your smell is making my dragon and my cock rise.”

  Oh, damn.

  “We'll have to be quick,” I said breathlessly.

  “It's early. The others may not awake for hours yet.” He grabbed me by the waist, one clawed hand pulling me beneath him as he slid above me.

  “That's doubtful.”

  Raza eased between my thighs and nestled himself against my sex. I sighed and stopped protesting. A pleased growl rumbled up his throat and he reached between us to guide himself home. Mornings are made for sex; both men and women tend to be ready for it when they wake up. I was no exception; Raza's thrust took him smoothly in to the hilt. That delightful bone nudged me where it was meant to, and I moaned as pleasure instantly shivered upward and over my chest.

  Raza started a rapid tempo, and I latched onto his shoulders to keep from getting battered against the headboard. The bed, one not made to deal with randy dragons, began to creak something fierce. Neither of us cared. The creaking sped up as my husband did. I dug my fingers into his back and lifted my hips to meet his thrusts. Sweet Goddess, that little bone kept hitting me just right. I started to grind myself against it with every thrust. So close. My thighs began to tense. Then, suddenly, Raza jerked out and grabbed my thighs.

  I made an angry growl but then the Unseelie King pushed my thighs up and out to the sides as he descended on me with his own growl—one deeper and more rumbling than mine. His hot mouth covered my tender flesh, sucking ardently, then eased back so he could flick his tongue over me. My thighs went into immediate spasms and my body thrashed its way into orgasm. I bucked uncontrollably, my hands fisting in the sheets. Raza growled again, against my skin, and held on tightly as he shoved his tongue inside me. It thickened and lengthened—a Djinn trick—and he began to pump it with gentle rocks of his head.

  “You beautiful, amazing dragon!” I cried. “Don't stop!”

  Only when my screaming had subsided did Raza retract his tongue back to its normal length and give me one last, languid kiss before rising onto his knees. With a wicked, wet grin, he drove himself forward and impaled me. I was just coming down from that head-spinning high but the feeling of his thick shaft drove me back up again. My climb continued as Raza pushed my legs even further back and thrust himself deeper—so deep that it felt as if we'd never be two separate people again.

  I was good with that.

  Raza's hips slapped the back of my thighs as he nearly bent me in two. His palms went to the mattress as he leaned down to give me a savage kiss. I moaned into it, and he breathed in my pleasure. Then he lifted his head, his eyes flashing gold, and with the pound of flesh and the slam of the headboard against the wall serving as his drumbeat, my dragon roared out a primal song of his own.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  “Damn, Brother!” Killian exclaimed as Raza and I stepped into the dining room, hand-in-hand. “Could you be any louder? Between the creaking and the pounding and the roaring, you woke the whole damn house. You don't have to be such a jerk about her picking you last night. We get it.”

  “The bed wasn't up to my standards,” Raza said with a smug grin. He held a chair out for me and added, “I'm very vigorous.”

  “No shit.” Killian laughed. “We're all vigorous but that was—”

  “All right, that's enough,” Tiernan cut Kill off with a pointed look at Rory. “How are you this morning, Seren?”

  “Good, thank you.” I sat back as Raza filled a plate for me. He likes to feed me after sex. I don't know if it's a dragon thing or a Raza thing, but I've grown to enjoy it—mainly because he's so damn adorable when he does it. “I was thinking about what Killian said last night.”

  “About how you use your Mommy skills on us?” Killian asked before taking a bite of bacon.

  Rory cleared his throat. “If this is going to get personal—more personal—I'll take my breakfast outside.”

  “It's not,” I assured him. “I was referring to the thing about Christ healing the sick.”

  “I believe I said lepers and—”

  “Do not start with me, young...” I trailed off and looked down at my pointed finger in shock. “Oh, sweet Goddess, I do use Mommy skills on you.”

  Killian chortled while the other men laughed more modestly. Even Rory hid a grin.

  “Anyway,” I got back to it, “I think the Pearl Thief—that's his name now, by the way—is going to try to heal the sick next.”

  “Sure, good guess,” Daxon acknowledged flippantly. “Any idea of where he might do that healing?”

  “If he wants to go for the most impact, he'd head to another third world country,” Conri drawled as he sauntered in. He paused by Raza and held up his hand.

  Raza stared at Conri's hand as if considering if it would be the extra protein he needed with his breakfast. “What are you doing?”

  “I'm high-fiving you for that performance, Your Majesty,” Conri said. “You know high-fives; you slap palms with another person in an expression of achievement.”

  “My achievements with my wife are none of your concern and are definitely not for you to remark upon,” Raza said in a deadly tone. “If you ever do so again, I will roast you with my breath and feed you to my Pukas.”

  “Man, that's just wrong.” Killian shook his head.

  “Thank you, Your Highness,” Conri huffed.

  “They're practically related,” Kill went on. “You'd be making your Pukas into cannibals. Better to eat him yourself.”

  Conri gaped at Killian, his hand still lifted to high-five Raza.

  “Kill,” I chided.

  “What? You don't want to waste the meat.” He waved a fork at Conri. “He's got a lot of USDA Prime beef there.”

  “Lower your hand, Sir Conri,” Daxon whispered to the Bargest.

  Conri yanked his hand down with a snarl. “I'm not fat!” he shouted, then stormed out of the room.

  “That's what bothered him about that conversation?” Daxon asked with a lifted blue brow.

  “He has a good point,” I noted.

  “I wasn't implying that he was fat,” Killian grumbled. “I said beef, not fat.”

  “No, not that.” I gave Killian a beleaguered look before continuing, “The Pearl Thief has only visited third world countries so far.”

  “Actually, the term 'third world' was coined during the Cold War to define countries that weren't allied with either NATO or the Communist Bloc. I believe the correct term these days is either 'developing countries' or 'least developed countries,'” Killian informed me.

  “Well, look at that,” Tiernan declared. “It does have a brain.”

  “Yes, I do,” Killian said proudly. “I don't just think with two out of my three heads.”

  “For the Goddess' sake, will you please stop talking about yo
ur genitalia?” Daxon asked in exasperation. “It's giving me nightmares and that is not acceptable. I'm the one who gives other people nightmares, not the other way around.”

  Killian chortled unapologetically.

  “I am so sorry, Lord Rory,” I said sincerely. “Some personal information about Killian has been revealed recently and it's made my husbands a bit... uncouth.”

  “Not at all, Your Majesty,” Rory said generously. “I'm a hunter, I've heard far worse. But if we could get back to the Pearl Thief, as you've named him, I would like to point out that there are several areas nearby that would provide him with ample patients to heal.”

  “It seems to me that he's making his way around the world,” Daxon noted. “I wonder if that's another tactic to spread out the damage?”

  “Could be.” Kill nodded.

  “So, either, he'll go upward, toward the United States, or outward across the sea. Perhaps to China,” Tiernan concluded.

  “That would bring him back full circle.” Raza nodded.

  “China or Mexico: those would be my guesses.” Killian tapped the table for emphasis.

  “Let's call the Councils, Coven, and Casters,” I suggested.

  “The Triple Cs.” Killian nodded as he pulled out his cellphone. “Will do.”

  “I know everyone is already on high alert but they can at least warn their people in China and Mexico that their area is likely next,” I said.

  “I'll call my Mom just in case we have Casters traveling abroad,” Killian offered. “You wanna take Murdock, babe?”

  I nodded and looked at my other husbands.

  “I'll scry the Coven,” Tiernan offered before anyone could snag it, then pulled out his scry phone.

  Raza and Daxon grimaced at each other.

  “I will be happy to scry the Fairy Council on your behalf,” Rory offered. “I made a report last night, but I'm sure they'll be interested in hearing your theory.”

  “Thank you, Lord Rory,” Raza said, barely masking his relief. None of us wanted to talk to Timberstride again. “I think we'd best stay put until we know where we're headed. If our stay here is too much of an imposition, we can find other accommodations.”

  “Not at all, Your Majesty,” Rory protested. “You're most welcome here.”

  “Thank you. Then you can tell Councilman Timberstride that we'll be here until we get more... what is it you call it, Seren? Intelligence?”

  “Intel.” I smiled at him for trying. “Yes.

  “We'll be here until we receive more intel,” Raza finished.

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” Rory stood, bowed, then headed out of the room.

  I pulled out my cellphone as Killian and Tiernan started speaking with their contacts. It was the best we could do, but I knew it wasn't good enough. Even with possible locations in mind, we were still chasing shadows, or surges rather, and the surge-master could disappear with a wish. The mission seemed utterly impossible.

  “Where's Tom Cruise when you need him?” I muttered.

  “Extinguisher Sloane, is that you?” Murdock answered.

  “Yes, Sir!” I cleared my throat. “Sorry, Sir, I was speaking to someone else.”

  Daxon chuckled as I rolled my eyes.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  As I hung up my phone, Daxon got a call. He pulled out his cellphone, frowning at it as he opened the black leather case. When the caller ID popped up, his expression shifted into anxiety.

  “Raul, what's wrong?” Daxon answered.

  Daxon's expression didn't lighten as he listened. He lifted his gaze to mine and pressed his lips into a hard line. I cocked my head at him but he lifted his hand in a hold-on gesture. Tiernan and Killian ended their calls and joined Raza and me in watching Daxon.

  “Hey, I just—”

  “Not now, Conri,” Raza and I growled at the same time.

  “What the fuck?” Conri huffed as he stomped away. “You try to give a guy props for his prowess and you get ostracized.”

  “Yes, I'm at Cipriano's,” Daxon said. “I'll be waiting.” He hung up and looked around the table.

  Rory walked in at just that moment. “The Fairy Council has been informed and Councilman Timberstride agrees that you should remain here until... Is there something amiss?”

  “The Brazil Underground is on the verge of war,” Daxon declared.

  “Why?” Killian asked in astonishment.

  “Fairies started seeking refuge there when all the fighting broke out. Since the raths are closed, it became the best option.”

  “But why are they on the verge of war?” Raza asked.

  “Due to the circumstances, known Fey criminals—those who once lived in the Underground—were allowed back inside. Prince Raul thought it would be immoral to deny them sanctuary at such a time as this.”

  “But other fairies disagree,” I concluded.

  “Vehemently.” Daxon nodded. “The Undergrounds are finally a safe place for the Fey. My people have worked hard to make it so and the return of fairies who are viewed as a bad element make them uncomfortable.”

  “Isn't there an army in place?” Tiernan asked. “The Prince has his own military force, right?”

  “Yes, but he would prefer to keep things civil. It's one thing to allow criminals sanctuary but to defend them with his army would be unforgivable. One wrong move and the Underground will erupt into violence the likes of which it hasn't seen since it was first cleared. Adding to the criminals—most of whom are camped on the streets because none of the law-abiding Underground citizens will house them—are other issues. Many of the residents want to go above ground and help the humans, but Prince Raul wants them to stay out of it.”

  “He thinks you can talk some sense into them?” Raza asked.

  Daxon nodded. “He's hoping the presence of most of the Royalty of Fairy will help the residents see reason.”

  “It's not as if we're busy.” Killian shrugged.

  Daxon let out a deep breath. “Thank you.”

  “You thought we'd say no?” I asked in surprise.

  “I thought you might want to focus on one thing at a time,” he amended.

  “Dax-Dude, it's called multitasking.” Killian slapped Daxon on the back. “No problemo.”

  Daxon grimaced at me as if I could do something about Killian. I just shook my head. As far as Killian went, it was every man for himself. Or woman, as the case may be.

  “Do you require transportation?” Rory asked.

  “No, thank you. Prince Raul is sending a car for us.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  The car was an armored van.

  “Check out this apocalyptic shit!” Killian declared as it pulled up to the gate of the monitor's house.

  Kill was right; it wasn't merely the sort of vehicle used to transport large sums of money. This armored van had some special additions including metal spikes on all sides and a hatch in the roof. A fairy stood in said hatch, brandishing an automatic rifle. He scanned the area, then pounded on the roof. Rory opened the gate for us just as a door in the front of the van popped open and a man emerged.

  Well, not so much a man as a bird-man. The fairy was a Tengu—a Japanese bird shifter. In their most human form, they usually had at least one feature that revealed their avian nature but they usually hid that feature beneath a glamour when they were in HR. Bird wings or a bird head could be distressing to the average human. But this guy only had a beak so he relied on his shaggy, dark hair and baseball cap—pulled down low—to shield himself.

  “Your Majesties.” The Tengu set the butt of a wooden staff on the ground and bowed. “I'm Tadashi. Prince Raul sent me to fetch you.”

  “Nice to meet you, Tadashi,” I said as we stepped into the street.

  We were leaving most of our guards behind, only one from each group were joining us. And, just to be clear, Killian doesn't have a Royal Guard, he shared mine; a fact that annoyed me to no end. Why he got away with not having one while I had to put up with such nonsense is beyo
nd me and totally unfair. My father said it was because of Kill's Ambassador duties and the fact that he wasn't the heir to Twilight. I said that was BS. But back to our knights. I chose Ainsley from my group.