“Peachy,” I groaned, and the Shifter grinned to reveal a beautiful smile.
“As I was saying, my King, Silan has no wish to challenge your wisdom of the choice to scout for the Mages. Our thought was to offer our trackers. As the alpha of the wolf pack, I am more than willing to use the pack to assist you in any way you need us,” he said and bowed his head to Ryder.
“Silas, your father served my father. I understand the need to get the King’s attention. Make no mistake, I am not my father. Your father was much like my own, and I have no plans of accepting the favors of those who think to gain it through the ways of our fathers.”
“I took my father’s head soon after you did the same to your own,” Silas said and looked briefly at me. “You took the Blood Princess as a Gift, did you not?”
“I did, but only because my Seer had a vision of our child healing this world. Had it not been seen, I wouldn’t have asked for her. I have not asked for a female since the day I made the contract with the Blood King.”
“This child, the one she carries, it will mend our world?”
“I was told this by Ristan, who was given the information by Danu. She gave him the vision and so it shall be,” Ryder said, narrowing his eyes as he dared the Shifter to challenge it.
“Then so shall it be.” His ice blue eyes swung to me and then lowered to my stomach. I lifted a brow at him, because there was nothing to see.
When his head slanted and an amused grin lifted his lips, I got an uneasy feeling that he was doing more than just looking at the flatness of my stomach. I watched as those beautiful eyes slowly rose to my face and his head righted. “Your pregnancy is definitely blessed of the Goddess, Princess.”
I sat beside Ryder in silence, with Darynda smiling like an idiot nearby. Several more cases were heard by the King before he finally stood and announced that he was done for the day. We had to wait until every last creature left the room (and there were a lot of them) before we could leave. I couldn’t, however, get the look of the Shifter’s eyes, and what he had said, out of my head.
“We need to talk,” I said, barely above a whisper.
“We can talk at dinner,” he said, turning as he leaned his head against the back of the throne.
“Who the hell said I was having dinner with you?” I glared at him to get my point across.
“You did,” he said smugly, and grabbed for my hand with a smile plastered on his lips. “Sinjinn, next time, tie her to the bed and gag her. She wasn’t supposed to be up yet. She’s carrying the heir, which makes her health your number one concern.”
“Syn is very persuasive,” Sinjinn replied, smiling.
“That she is. Come.” Ryder held his hand out for me to accept. I stared at it for several seconds before I lifted my head.
“Remove this collar,” I demanded.
“No,” he replied easily without even considering it.
“Afraid I will leave you?”
“No, Synthia, I should just mark you. It would allow me to be able to find you anywhere you go; you already know how that works. The collar is necessary for now, and it is there for your safety. I told you, I won’t allow you to run from me again.”
“I didn’t run from you, Ryder. You handed me over the Dark King with a freaking bow on my head.”
“Which won’t happen again, nor will you be lost to me. With my mark on your skin, I’d be able to find you if anyone decided to pop in and steal you. I’d rather be safe, than sorry where you are concerned. You are a trouble magnet.”
“You afraid you can’t protect me?” I taunted him. Unwise? Yes. Did I care? No. I’d worn his mark before. It was tempting, but at the same time, I wanted him to trust me.
“You carry my child inside of you,” his hand moved to touch my stomach. “There is no fucking chance of anything happening to either of you. Even if it means that I have to protect you from yourself.”
Chapter Thirteen
I was dressed via Ristan, who had stopped by to assure me that I needed to go to dinner. I, on the other hand, was not impressed. He’d dressed me in a white baby doll dress that barely covered my ass, and black stockings that had the heads of cats on the front of them just above my knees, and tails that went up my legs, and stopped at the lace bottom of the dress. He was chuckling “here kitty-kitty” and prompting me to throw things at him as he winked in and out, sifting as he avoided the missiles.
Darynda thought it was cute and convinced me to keep the outfit on, and then brought in Faelyn and they’d whipped my hair up in a magical updo (and by magical, I mean they’d used magic and it was done), and once again, my face was done with a light touch of make-up.
“I really don’t think I should be going to dinner with Ryder. Not when I want to neuter him and watch him writhe in pain,” I mumbled unhappily.
Darynda snorted and scrunched up her face. “You need heels,” she mused and glamoured a pair of white heels, with black trim. She leaned down and helped me into them.
When she was done, she stood back and smiled. “Looking like that, you guys won’t even notice the food!” she clapped happily, proud with her efforts.
I shook my head. “This is stupid,” I complained.
“Syn, he asked for this. Just give him a shot. He’s trying.” Ristan grinned with a mischievous look in his eyes.
“Give him a shot? I’m more likely to get shot around him! I’m pregnant; he’s done what he needed to do with me. His job as King is finished where I am concerned, so what is the point of this?”
“You should know better than that, Flower. Ryder isn’t done with you, nor is he likely to ever be done with you. He didn’t plan on this pregnancy, and if you need to be pissed at someone about what you have been through, it’s me. I’m the one who told him what I saw in the vision.”
“That wasn’t done with malicious intent, Demon. Ryder played me for a fool, and he will do it again. Can you tell me he won’t marry Abiageal? Can you tell me that he will be mine, and only mine?” I saw him flinch, so I didn’t need his answer. “I didn’t think so. I deserve better than that, I need better than that. I won’t become just another woman in his growing collection. He’s already got more than anyone should ever have. He won’t give them up, and I won’t change what I was raised to believe. I want more, and my child deserves more.” I lowered my eyes and exhaled a shaky breath.
“You need to let go of some of the social mores you learned in the human world, Flower. They will do you no good here. Sooner or later, you will see that. Now, come, your King awaits his woman.”
I took Ristan’s hand and was sifted out of the castle to a pool that had hundreds of white roses and lilies floating over the crystalline surface. Thousands of small white lights lit up the sky, and two full moons hung high in the sky. I looked around and found Ryder in a tux, and a cocky smile on his face. Great, I wanted to wipe the smug off his face. I also wanted to rip the tux off of him, and do naughty things.
“Princess,” he smiled wider.
“Fairy,” I groaned.
Why did he have to look so freaking sexy all decked out? It would be so much easier if he were a three headed monster with a pitchfork. And his smile…he knew just how to disarm me, and exactly how to make my center turn to pudding.
“Witch,” he amended.
“Asshat,” I growled and narrowed my eyes.
“Okay!” Ristan clapped loud enough that we both turned our glares on him. “Now that we got the foreplay out of the way, we can get right onto the main course.”
Ryder snorted, and I crossed my arms.
“Ryder,” Ristan said patiently, and I could tell they were doing the mind to mind thing again from the look passing over their faces.
“I’m trying. She’s the one who started it!” He growled out loud at Ristan, who shook his head as if he were annoyed with Ryder and sifted out.
I moved toward a hammock that looked comfortable, and sat on the edge. My eyes strayed toward the pool, and I sighed. It looked inviting
and utterly beautiful with the flowers floating over the surface.
On the other side of the spread was a small table and pillows set out to sit on. No chairs, but then the table itself were low to the ground. There were people standing at the entrance with platters of food, which smelled divine.
Ryder walked over to me and extended his hand. I swallowed past the fear of touching him, and accepted it. His warmth flooded through me, and I did my best to stifle the sliver of desire his touch always sent through me. Once I was standing, he walked us across the small distance, and around the pool where he seated me on a pillow.
He probably had enough pillows to give one to every human back home.
“Serve us,” he said loud enough for those by the door to hear. They rushed into motion before the first word was ordered.
Some kind of fruit was placed before us, which almost looked like strawberries, only it was twice the size of normal ones.
“Hybrids,” Ryder said after a moment passed in which I stared at the berries.
“Hybrid strawberries?”
“We brought fruit back after our first trip to Washington. We purchased seeds, and brought them back to plant. Faery soil is unpolluted like yours. They came up like this, and the juice and taste are far superior to the fruit I tasted there.”
I winced when he had said which state I was from. I missed home already. I chewed my bottom lip and glanced up to catch him staring at me. This had been a stupid idea. I should have just gone to bed and stayed there.
“Here,” he said and held one up. I moved my hand to take it from him, but he held it away.
“What the hell?”
“Let me feed you,” he grumbled.
“I’m pregnant, not disabled, Fairy!” I sputtered.
“I know that!”
“Then why the hell can’t I feed myself!?” I shouted.
“Because, I’m trying to be romantic!” he growled and scowled.
“Oh,” I whispered, shocked as I backed up an inch. “Why?”
“Does it matter why?” he grouched.
“No, I guess not.”
What.
The.
Hell!?
I opened my mouth and he held the berry up carefully. He allowed me to move my mouth to take it, but he refused to let me feed myself throughout the entire meal. When we were done eating, he smiled like a naughty child and stood, up pulling me with him.
“Come with me,” he said and walked me to the edge of the pool.
“I don’t have a swimsuit,” I said, eyeing him warily. It was official, Ryder was on drugs.
Before I could voice another complaint, he had me dressed in an ice blue bikini and had dragged me into and under the water with him. Music blared to life from somewhere unseen as my head popped back above the watery surface.
The Fray’s Never Say Never was playing softly, but loud enough that we could hear it above the small waterfall feeding the pool. I looked around in wonder as small flames leapt from the flowers all around us. We had enough space between us and them that our hair was safe.
I gasped as Ryder grabbed my waist beneath the water and pulled me to him. I placed my hands on his naked shoulders. He’d changed at the same time he’d changed my clothes. Ryder in a suit was disarming. Ryder half naked and wet was devastating.
“What do you think?” he asked, his eyes guarded.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered breathlessly. It was. It was beyond anything, anyone had ever done for me, or probably would ever do for me again.
“Good, can I undress you now?” he asked with a smirk lighting his eyes.
I shook my head, and splashed him and turned to move away from him. As if. He didn’t let me get more than a foot from him, before he took me beneath the water with him. I fought, but his arms calmed me and before I could even grasp what he was doing, my entire body jerked with desire as his lips landed on mine, and he fed me air as he kissed me softly.
When we both came up and broke the surface of the water, he laughed. “Shit, this is actually fun.”
“What is?” I asked, narrowing my eyes on him as I shook the water and removed the hair that was plastered to my face away.
“Playing with you,” he whispered.
“Is that what we are doing, Ryder; playing?” I asked, feeling tears burn in my throat.
“I’d rather we were fucking,” he replied in a huskiness that sent heat shooting to places it shouldn’t be.
“What exactly are we doing? You’ve done what you needed to; you got me pregnant. I don’t understand what else you want from me,” I whispered as my eyes searched his.
“You are mine, Synthia. I’ve always told you that, never have I danced around what it is I want from you. I’ve kept many secrets for good reason, until it was the right time to reveal them. I won’t make any excuses for what I have done, or how I got you here, Pet. I’m glad you are here with me, and I’m happy that you are the Blood Heir. It makes it easy for me to keep you.” A small smile played on his mouth.
“Is that all you want? Because if I’m just another—”
He quieted me with his lips, and I was helpless to do anything except wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back. I was pissed, I was hormonal. I was also growing hungry; food did little to fill the emptiness in my stomach. He, however, could fill the ache, and would.
One minute we were in the pool wrapped around each other, and the next…I was on my back with him hovering above me, a soft blanket underneath us. His hands braced on either side of my head, before he lowered his hot mouth back to claim mine. I moaned as his kiss consumed and erased the troubles of my mind. I knew he was doing it on purpose to stop the fight.
When he pulled away, I was left breathless and panting.
“I didn’t bring you here to fight or argue,” he ground out as he shook his wet head, which made me squeal.
“You are as bad as a wet dog!”
“Speaking of wet dogs, yours is here. He’s found a pack of Shifters that has accepted him since his own was killed.”
“Gabe is here?” I smiled.
“I missed this,” he whispered, going down on his elbows as his finger skimmed the tender skin over my smile.
“Is that all you missed?” I inquired in a teasing tone. I was so lost around him. One minute I wanted him and in the next I turned mafia. I wanted him maimed in very bad ways.
His lips turned up in the corners and he shook his head, sending even more water shimmering from the inky tips. “I missed this,” he whispered before he dropped his head and kissed my lips gently. “And this,” he said when he pulled away and licked the pulse that was currently speeding up at the hollow column of my neck.
I felt his magic whisper through the air as it magnified his kiss as if he had a thousand mouths and all of them were touching my skin at once. I moaned and lifted my hips toward where his hardness pressed firmly against my need.
“I miss the sounds you make as I take you. I miss the noise you make when I fill you full of my cock. The way your eyes light up when they meet mine, wanting more,” he replied as our swimsuits disappeared from his magic. “I miss the feel of your nakedness against mine,” he continued, even as I parted my legs for him.
“I miss this, Pet. The way you let me, even though you’re unsure of what will happen,” he whispered against my ear, as his fingers skimmed over my stomach and stopped between my legs. “I love how wet you get when you know I’m going to fuck you sweet, long and hard.”
“I need you,” I whimpered, fighting the urge to flip him over and just take what I needed from him.
“I’m going to tell you how I plan to fuck you. Do you want to know what I plan on doing to you?” he asked as a growl rose from deep in his chest.
I nodded, unable to make words come out.
“I’m going to spread your legs.” He did, holding my legs apart until it was almost painful from being stretched as far as they would go. “I’m going to lick you.” His head lowered and his tongue la
vished my sleek heat until I thought I would go crazy from it. “I’m going to fuck you, like this.” One finger entered, and then another joined, and another, until it, too, became painful as he stretched me.
I moved my hips, or tried, but his hold on my stomach held me immobile. I moaned and tried to, anyway. He smiled as his eyes locked with mine, and then slowly he lowered his mouth and flicked the sensitive nub there. He continued to do it, holding my eyes locked with his golden heat.
His fingers entered and slid out, only to plunge deeper. He curved them, finding the place inside that made my mind grow dizzy as the impending orgasm tried to find purchase. The minute I got close, he pulled his hand out and waited.
“I’m going to fuck you so hard, and so deep that you will scream my name, Princess. Your body will tremble, your insides will melt, you will be wild with need, but you won’t come, not until I allow it. I want you so fucking wild with lust that you beg me to come. That you will beg me to allow you to find release, and only then will I allow you to come on my tongue.”
“Ryder, please,” I begged as his fingers penetrated me again.
“I love my name on your lips; the way you beg for me when I drive you wild,” he said as his mouth hovered against my pussy, close enough that his hot breath fanned the sensitive skin.
My hands dug into his silky hair, but he easily caught and detangled them, before he held them with one hand against my stomach. He lifted his head and started to slowly climb up my body.
“Do you want me, Synthia?”
“Yes,” I whimpered through the heavy panting of my breath that refused to slow and was steadily becoming labored from his ministrations.
“I miss this.” He entered me as his hands held my thighs apart. I hadn’t been prepared or ready and his fullness pulled a scream from deep in my throat. “Fuck, so tight and so sweet. I miss my cock being buried inside of you. I miss this.” His hips thrust as his ass gyrated and he plundered my wetness.
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