Seducing the Sun Fae

by Rebecca Rivard

  He glanced at where Luis and Marina had come to their knees as well. Silent tears dripped down Marina’s cheeks. She reached for Xavier, then at a hiss from Luis, curled her fingers into tight balls and brought them back to her thighs.

  His hands fisted. Deus, what should he do?

  As he hesitated, Cleia’s eyes rolled back in her head and he knew, with a mate’s sure instinct, that she was a heartbeat away from going into a fatal convulsion. In that moment, the decision was made for him. He lunged across the grass and caught her by the shoulders. Energy surged into him, arching his spine and snapping his head back. He gritted his teeth and hung on.

  Cleia drew a shuddering breath. “That’s it,” she gasped out. “Steady me. Focus on healing Xavier.”

  “Pelo amor de Deus,” he rasped, “it’s like…grabbing a fucking tiger…by the tail.” It was as if he’d taken hold of a live wire. He had a moment to be thankful that at least they hadn’t all burst into flames. Then the pain increased and he was afraid he’d be forced to let go—or even thrown from her against his will.

  No. He had to hang on. The thought of losing Cleia had him digging deep within, his animal throwing itself into the struggle to save the mate. For a few seconds he thought he’d gained control, then the power increased, the pain screaming through his nerves.

  His groan seemed to come from somewhere outside of himself. “Can’t,” he heard himself say. “So sorry, querida.”

  “Work the energy,” she said through tight lips. “Don’t…fight it.”

  But his fingers started to open, the pain so great he could no longer control the muscles.

  He sensed Cleia’s despair. Somehow he forced his fingers to close on her shoulders again.

  Work the energy.

  Of course. This was energy, and he had a Gift for working it. True, a storm’s energy was a wild, elemental vortex, while this was more like an eruption of lava, a fast-moving, searing stream. But at their core, they were the same. Energy. The essence of life.

  If he could channel one, surely he could channel the other. He closed his eyes and called on his Gift with everything he had, visualizing himself gathering the energy to him as he would that of a storm. But the solar stream bucked and twisted, refusing to be controlled. Bracing his legs apart, he clung grimly to Cleia and tried again, this time visualizing himself as the stream bed through which the power flowed.

  And suddenly, he was doing it. The tremendous flow narrowed into a workable stream. It still flowed from the sun through Cleia, but he was able to guide it now.

  “Yes,” Cleia breathed. “Now—Xavier.”

  Together, they directed the energy stream toward Xavier. Dion felt the connection running from the little boy to her to him and back again, saw how she’d been taking energy from Xavier, and how she’d given it all back to him and then some.

  “Enough,” Cleia muttered. There was a tangible snap as she disengaged whatever was connecting her to Xavier.

  The breath left Cleia’s lungs in a whoosh. Her hands dropped from Xavier and she swayed under Dion’s grip. He held onto her shoulders, steadying her, both their gazes on the boy.

  Xavier’s chest lifted, then fell. Then he raised his head and grinned, and the entire crowd released its collective breath. “I knowed you’d fix me, lady.”

  “Thank the Goddess.” Cleia sat back on her heels.

  “Sim,” Dion echoed, his heart almost too full to speak. “Graças a Deus.”

  The crowd murmured excitedly. As Dion helped Cleia back to her feet, Marina burst into tears and gathered her son into her arms, covering his face with kisses while Luis enveloped them both in a tight hug.

  “You did it.” Dion took both of Cleia’s hands in his.

  She smiled up at him, bright eyes gleaming. “We did it.”

  His grip tightened. “I thought I was going to lose you.” His stomach was still in knots, recalling the moment when her eyes had rolled back in her head.

  “I’m not that easy to kill.”

  There was only one answer to that. He brought his mouth down on hers and kissed her. Hard.

  Behind them, Marina and Luis came to their feet, Marina still holding Xavier. Dion put his arm around Cleia and turned toward the little family.

  Luis dropped to his knees before them. “Saúde, minha senhora,” he said to Cleia. “Bless you with all of my heart.” He took her hands in his and kissed them. “We’ll never forget this. Never. And you, meu senhor.” He looked at Dion. “Muito, muito obrigado.”

  “You don’t have to thank me,” Cleia said as Luis rose back up. “Just love him.”

  And then it was Marina’s turn. She handed Xavier to Luis and turned to Cleia, laughing and crying and thanking her somewhat incoherently until Luis nudged her out of the circle and back to where their relatives were waiting to exclaim over the little boy’s recovery. Xavier squirmed to be set down, making everyone grin.

  Dion sent up another prayer of thanks. He feared neither the clan—nor he—would’ve survived the young imp’s death.

  Cleia took Dion’s hand. “Thank you,” she murmured. “For trusting me.”

  “No.” He touched a finger to her lips. “I’m the one who should thank you. You didn’t have to help Xavier. Most fae wouldn’t, not for a fada, even if it was their fault he was sick. Especially”—his throat worked—“if it meant risking their own life. You almost died, Cleia. Promise me you’ll never, ever, put me through that again.”

  His hands were on her shoulders now, gripping her a little too tightly. “Eu te amo,” he said in a voice thick with emotion. “I meant it, you know.”

  Her gaze met his. But instead of telling him she loved him in return—or even better, melting into his arms for a hot, tongue-tangling kiss—she turned to face the crowd and raised their interlinked hands again.

  When she had everyone’s attention, she said, “I have one more announcement to make. Lord Dion is my love and my mate. We each love our people—would die for our people. But the sun fae are strong, while Rock Run is still struggling to come back from twenty years of ill-luck—damage I caused. And so, I will perform this ritual and then return with him to his river caverns as his mate—if he’ll have me. I’ll still be the Conduit, but you’ll have to choose a new ruler.”

  She brought their hands down and faced Dion. “It’s your choice,” she told him with a lopsided smile.

  All around them, the sun fae broke into angry exclamations but all Dion could see was Cleia. He grasped her by the shoulders, his chest tight.

  “No,” he rasped. “You can’t. I won’t let you.”

  Her jaw set. “I can and I will. Unless you don’t want me—”

  He gave her a little shake. “Of course I want you. But your people need you and I won’t be responsible for you fading away again. I—it would break me, too.”

  “Oh, Dion.” A smile dawned on her face. She brought her hands to his wrists, still on her shoulders. “Thank you for that. But I simply need to bathe daily in the sun. I assume you won’t be keeping me imprisoned underground this time.”

  His gaze searched hers. By healing Xavier, she’d proven that together, the two of them could use the links that bound her to various members of his clan to boost their energy rather than taking it from them—and that she could sever the link when necessary. Now his last misgivings evaporated as he understood what she was willing to give up for him. He’d walk through Hades before he’d let her get away now.

  Uncaring of their audience, he threaded his fingers through her hair and drew her to him. “Of course not,” he murmured against her lips. “Although I might tie you to the bed now and then—”

  She exhaled and he realized she hadn’t been as sure of him as she’d appeared. “Then it’s settled.”

  “Not quite.” He placed an arm around her waist and spoke to the assembled crowd. “Hear me now, people of Rock Run and Rising Sun and the rest of the sun fae clans. I declare before the rivers and oceans and the rain-giving clouds and all of
you that Queen Cleia of the sun fae is my mate. But I will not take her from her people any more than she will take me from mine. If the sun fae wish it, she will remain queen, and we will spend half our days here and half our days at Rock Run.”

  The crowd drew in a collective breath and then everyone roared with approval.

  Cleia looked at him, so happy her eyes seemed to glint with tiny gold stars. “You’d do that for me?”

  “Of course.” He drew her close for a deep kiss. As their lips touched, his heart lurched and he felt the mate bond click into place.

  Warmth filled his chest. He lifted his head and stared at her in wonder as energy hummed from him to her and back again.

  She linked their fingers and, keeping her gaze locked on his, raised their hands above their heads. The sun flared again and the energy increased a thousand fold, streaking along his neural pathways. His nerves hummed like a tuning fork and his cock began to harden. Elation filled him.

  He grinned back at his mate and pressed his body against hers. She undulated against him, blatantly sensual, as the sun fae began to chant an ancient Celtic verse welcoming the sun.

  The energy increased until the elation became pain that scoured his nerves like gritty sand. He stiffened and clenched his teeth.

  Cleia squeezed his fingers. The stars in her eyes expanded and spread until her entire irises glowed a preternatural gold.

  “Trust me,” she mouthed.

  “Always,” he mouthed back.

  And with that one word, he let go, entrusting her with both himself and his clan.

  As if he’d flicked a switch, the mate bond came into full being. Energy began to flow from the two of them to the surrounding crowd. The sun fae threw up their hands in jubilation and swayed like plants in the wind. Behind them, the river fada linked arms and roared. Dion’s head swam but he kept his gaze on his mate and hung on.

  She spoke some sacred words. The stream of energy parted, flowing through the crowd to give an extra boost to those who needed it most, especially those among Rock Run’s people whom she’d drained.

  Dion muttered a prayer of thanks.

  But the flow continued, so that even those who’d remained at the base received their share of the life-giving energy. Then it continued to the rest of their territory, infusing the water and surrounding lands with much-needed vitality as well.

  The solar flow continued for several minutes and then gradually dissipated. Cleia slanted him a private smile that had him aching to get her alone, and then released him to face the crowd.

  “It is done,” she called. “May the coming year be filled with blessings. Peace to you and yours—and you’re all invited to our mating ball!”

  “Peace to you and yours,” the crowd returned joyfully.

  In an instant, Dion and Cleia were surrounded by well-wishers who hugged and kissed and squeezed indiscriminately. Rosana was especially gleeful, babbling about how she’d always wanted a sister.

  Cleia hugged her. “Me too, sweetheart.”

  Only Tiago didn’t offer his congratulations. Instead, he gave Cleia an anguished look that she met with a rueful smile and then pushed his way through the crowd to stalk away across the meadow. Dion set him from his mind. This was his mate-day. There would be time enough to deal with his brother tomorrow.

  He stood the congratulations for another few minutes, but the energy was still fizzing and buzzing in him in a decidedly sexual way. As everyone headed toward the meadow where the midsummer festival would take place, he placed a hand on the small of Cleia’s back and guided her in the opposite direction to a secluded glade he’d noticed on their walk yesterday.

  “Aren’t we going the wrong way?” she asked. When he said no, she slid him a teasing look and remarked, “I’d like to dance at my own mating ball.”

  He drew her into the shade of a large tree for a hard kiss. “Oh, you’ll dance at your ball,” he informed her, cupping her round, firm ass through the satin dress. “Later. First there’s something you need to take care of, mate.” He pulled her closer so that his aching cock was cradled in the soft curve of her belly.

  “Oh, yeah?” she returned. “Then tell me, mate, can you do that thing with the electricity again? Like you did the first night?”

  He nipped her neck. “That was bad of me, hm?” And he grew even harder just recalling it.

  “Very bad,” she agreed. “Of course, not so strong. I’d like to remain conscious this time, if you don’t mind.”

  She pulled out of his arms long enough to wriggle out of her dress, emerging with her long, lovely body bare so that his breath snagged in his throat and he stared at her, frozen with a mix of lust and love.

  Mine.

  But there was no desperation now, just gratitude mixed with wonder that he’d somehow won this amazing woman’s heart.

  Cleia was still speaking. “But that was the most incredible—”

  He recovered his power of movement and tore off his own clothes. “As you wish, minha rainha,” he said and followed her down onto the soft summer grass.

  EPILOGUE

  A hard, tribal beat rolled across the lawn, overlaid by guitar and bass and the husky voice of a woman singing a mix of blues and jazz and Latin American music.

  Tiago stood under a tree, drinking a beer and watching as fada and fae mingled over the feast set up under a large white tent on the lawn. Nearby, people were already dancing on a polished wood floor topped by another large tent. The sun fae dazzled in shimmering golds and reds and oranges, their bright hair and beautiful faces set off by glittering jewels; the river fada dark foils in deep greens or blues or blacks with only the occasional jewel or leather bracelet to adorn them. But everyone was smiling, the two races mixing easily—or at least pretending to, for Dion and Cleia’s sake.

  Other fae were beginning to arrive for the midsummer festival: the night fae, with their black hair and eyes and milk-pale complexions; ice fae, equally pale but with blond hair and scary light eyes; a trio of dryads who lived on islands in Rock Run territory, barefoot and dressed in various shades of green, their sun-streaked hair tumbling down their backs. An ethereal blonde strolled by, her gossamer wings furled against her back, a member of one of the few winged clans. There were others, too—gremlins and pixies, even a few nightmarish beings like the Celtic pooka, a shapeshifting black horse that even fada avoided.

  Xavier darted past, bare feet pounding on the grass, and nearly collided with a tiny sun fae with a big pink bow in her hair. The two of them careened off to join a group of other kids in an uninhibited dance that ended in everyone on their backs, waving their legs and giggling uncontrollably.

  Despite his inner turmoil, Tiago’s lips curved. At least something good had come of this mating.

  A sun fae man swept Rosana onto the dance floor. She laughed up him, her lithe body striking in an iridescent green dress. Tiago raised a brow. His baby sister was growing up.

  Dion and Cleia were nowhere to be seen, but he’d seen the two of them disappear into a grove of aspens. It didn’t take a genius to guess what they were doing.

  Tiago’s fingers trembled on the beer glass. He felt as if his heart were being strangled by a giant fist, but there was nothing he could do now—the two of them were mated, bonded for life.

  Worse, defying his brother to free Cleia had been a worthless act. Cleia had informed him earlier that Dion had been about to release her.

  And although she’d sworn she hadn’t told Dion who’d helped her, he knew. Tiago had seen it on his face.

  He figured his brother had two choices—kill him or banish him. Well, he’d save Dion the trouble of having to decide. He had only remained to keep an eye on Rosana. As soon as the newly mated couple returned, he was out of here.

  A shock of bleached blond hair caught his eye. Ric. No, make that Adric—Lord Adric. The man had apparently been working for the sun fae all along.

  Tiago swallowed sickly. He didn’t deserve to live. Not only had he let Dion down, he�
�d given a rival alpha the coordinates to his brother’s quarters.

  Adric inclined his head mockingly at Tiago. He jerked his gaze away and pretended he hadn’t seen.

  “Who’d ever think a fada would mate a fae?” It was his friend Chico, who’d come to stand next to him, a plate of raw oysters in one hand and a beer in the other.

  Tiago took a gulp of beer. “The two of them”—he couldn’t bring himself to say their names—“together will benefit both clans.”

  Chico tipped an oyster into his mouth. “You okay?” he said after swallowing.

  Tiago shrugged. The last thing he wanted was pity. “She was never really mine.” But she would’ve been, something dark and dangerous muttered. If not for Dion—

  “Tough luck. She sure is hot.” Chico elbowed Tiago in the ribs. “Pun intended.”

  He grunted. Chico was a good friend but right now he wished the man to Hades.

  Thankfully, Chico was eyeing the sun fae women now. A lush redhead caught his eye and he strolled off to ask her to dance. When Tiago glanced at Adric again, he was staring at Rosana with an arrested expression.

  A growl rumbled low in his throat. His sister was still a kid, and even if she wasn’t, no earth shifter was going to get within ten feet of her. Especially not Adric.

  If the man even got close enough to breathe on her, blood would flow.

  Tiago pushed off the tree. But before he could go more than a few feet, Cleia and Dion appeared. Every hair and article of clothing was in place, but Tiago could smell the sex on them from ten yards away. And you couldn’t miss the fact that his normally poker-faced brother was smiling and that Cleia’s cheeks were flushed.

  The people around them exchanged knowing grins but contented themselves with congratulating them on their mating.

  Glasses were raised. A mating was a rare, special thing. Everyone would be celebrating long into the night and for the two remaining days of the festival, and there would be more than one couple slipping off to express their joy in private.

  Adric stepped forward and Tiago held his breath. The other man could out him in front of his entire clan, in which case it might all be over here and now.