by Sadie Moss
Her body jerked, and she seemed to simultaneously try to pull away and press closer. But I didn’t let her. I was controlling this show, not her. Keeping her core just where I wanted it, I sucked and licked and tormented her. I alternated between fluttering my tongue over her clit in a fast rhythm and lapping at her in broad, flat strokes.
Helpless moans and cries fell from her lips, and when her body spasmed with a powerful orgasm, I barely let up the pace, riding her through the pleasure and over another peak. The second orgasm made her sag weakly against the wall, but I still wasn’t done. Using my grip on her thighs, I flipped her onto her back on the mattress. Then I tugged her legs, pulling her toward me.
My cock was oozing precum, so hard from the scents and sounds of her pleasure that I worried I wouldn’t last long enough to keep my promise. I squeezed the base hard to give myself a fighting chance, breathing deeply as I positioned myself at her entrance.
“Look down, Willow tree. Do you see what you do to me?”
She tipped her head down, and a low moan fell from her lips.
“Keep your eyes right there. Watch me as I fill you up.”
I felt her nod, her breath turning into soft pants. Bracing myself on one arm, I used the head of my cock to massage her sensitized clit, making her writhe beneath me. I teased her as long as I could, and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I surged forward, sliding into her slick heat in one smooth stroke.
Willow cried out, her legs wrapping around me, her heels pressing into my ass to try to bring me even closer.
“What do you see, Willow?” My voice was rough, the words strained.
“I see… you buried inside me. Your thick cock stretching me, and my body wrapped so tight around you. You’re filling me. We’re… one.”
Her voice was breathless with lust, awe, and something else that made my heart surge with happiness.
“Yes. We are.” I drew back slowly, knowing she was watching my cock, its veins pulsing and slick with her wetness. I could feel her gaze like a physical touch, and it heightened every sensation. “Now hold on to me. And don’t come until I tell you to.”
Her inner walls clenched at the commanding tone in my voice. She was close again already, I could feel it. But she would learn that delaying pleasure only heightened it. Using one hand on her hip to steady her, I set a hard pace, driving into her over and over. Our pelvises met with wet slapping sounds, and I broke the rhythm occasionally to grind into her.
Willow’s fingernails dug into my shoulder. “Sol. I’m gonna come… I can’t stop it.”
“Yes, you can.” I picked up my pace, feeling the waves of heat coming off her skin.
“I can’t!” She tossed her head back and forth, her whole body tensing beneath mine.
Feeling her come apart around me was rapidly shredding any self-control I had left. I palmed her breast, still driving into her, then buried myself to the hilt and pinched her nipple hard.
“Come, Willow tree. Come for me now.”
The orgasm tore through her as if an electric current traveled from her nipple to her clit and back again. I hurtled off the edge at the same time she did, emptying myself inside her in several long pulses.
I pulled out and collapsed beside her, wrapping an arm around her and drawing her sweaty body close to mine. Her leg draped over me, and her hand splayed across my stomach as she made an adorable little noise of contentment.
The churning agitation of her aura had calmed. I lifted my head to press a kiss to her hair. “Better?”
She made another sleepy noise of assent, and I chuckled.
A knock at the door startled us both out of our post-sex haze. I’d been too distracted to notice footsteps approaching.
“Uh, hey, guys?” Jerrett’s sardonic drawl filtered through the door. “While you two were fucking like vampire bunnies, some of us were doing actual work out here. We may have a lead.”
20
Willow
I sat up quickly, pushing my damp hair off my face. At some point, my ponytail had come completely loose, and the messy strands now brushed my shoulders. With a noise somewhere between a laugh and a moan, I grabbed my scattered clothes before tossing Sol his things. He snatched them out of the air, his senses on point as always.
“Just a minute!” I called, a giggle rising up on the last word. I was having a hard time getting my brain to function, and my limbs felt weak as a baby deer’s as I dressed quickly.
Sol dressed too, much more calmly and gracefully than me. Then he scooted up on the bed, leaning against the headboard and patting the spot next to him. I crawled up just as Jerrett, apparently tired of waiting, opened the door.
He stopped, lifting his nose to take in the scent of the room. I didn’t even need vampire senses to know the smell of sex hung heavy in the air. Jerrett’s eyes dilated as he bit his lip; when Malcolm stepped inside, a similar hungry expression crossed his face. Somehow, my sated and exhausted body sparked back to life as the smell of their arousal mingled with ours. But Jerrett shook his head to clear it, refocusing on his original point.
“I talked to Eustice. He can’t help us find the missing fae, but according to him, you can.”
His blue gaze settled on me, and I was tempted to glance over my shoulder, just in case there was someone behind me far more suited to the task.
“Me?”
“Yep. Supposedly all fae are connected somehow, by a single shared soul or something.” He squinted at me. “Do you feel anything like that?”
A single shared soul? My head spun, and I shot a glance at Sol. “Oh shit. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to have you fuck all my brain cells away.”
Sol chuckled, the sound warm and happy.
“Un-fucking-fair,” Jerrett muttered, looking so put out it was almost comical.
I suppressed another giggle. This was serious business, but I felt a little like I was drunk. It was hard to make my mind focus.
“Actually, it may be a good thing.” Sol sat up, kneeling on the mattress to face me. “Your barriers are down. Your mind and soul are probably more open now than usual. If a connection truly exists between you and the remaining fae, now is the perfect time to try to reach out and search for them.”
Hmm. He had a point. And if it meant I could lean into this loopy feeling instead of trying to make my brain cells work normally, all the better.
I sat up too, crossing my legs and glancing between all three of the guys. “Okay. So how do I do it? I mean, I know how to control my Sight… kind of. But the rest of my fae powers are a little iffy.”
Jerrett climbed onto the bed next to Sol. Malcolm followed, until they all sat around me, their presence both soothing and empowering.
“I dunno, Will.” Jerrett quirked his eyebrow, making the metal ring flash. “I don’t know fae magic. But I believe in you. I know you can do it.”
Pulling in a deep breath, I closed my eyes. Hands settled on my legs, anchoring my body.
Reach out and find the fae. Find their soul.
It couldn’t be the same as falling into a vision. This had to be something more conscious, more deeply connected to me. Tentatively, I reached out with my feelings, searching for some sign.
The first thing I felt was the three men gathered around me. I could sense their strength, their power. Their feelings for me.
Leaving the safe cocoon of their love behind, I extended my reach even farther, stretching out into the ether. I sat like that for what felt like hours, calling out into the blackness of space, hoping some signal would come back to me.
When it finally came, it shocked the hell out of me.
My soul felt like it was thousands of miles away from my body when it connected to something strong and bright, powerful and mercurial. It was foreign, yet somehow completely familiar. As if it had always been a part of me.
A gasp flew from my lips in the body I’d nearly forgotten I had. From far away, I heard myself whisper, “I found them.”
Our flight lasted longer
than I would’ve liked.
That was mainly because I was a terrible navigator—though in my defense, it’s really hard to give good directions when you’re following an indescribable tug deep in your soul. The plane’s pilot was incredibly patient with me as I adjusted our course countless times, and we touched down to refuel in Texas before continuing south.
The closer we got, the more intense the pull became, and I was practically jumping up and down by the time I instructed the sandy-haired man to land in Costa Rica. He found a small airstrip in a remote, wild area, and the brothers and I slipped off the plane, hiding in the shadows. Our long day of travel meant we arrived just after sunset, which was perfect. I wouldn’t have had the patience to wait inside the plane like we had in the car back in Wales.
Leaving the pilot to deal with the humans, we ventured deeper into the thick forest surrounding the small air field.
The air was hot and muggy, the humidity making the flyaway hairs that had escaped my ponytail curl slightly. Sounds of hundreds of insects and animals buzzed around us, making the entire jungle seem to pulse with life. Very little moonlight pierced the thick canopy, and the large leaves of trees and plants appeared black and shiny in the dim light.
“So, what do you say, Will?” Jerrett turned to me, only the sharp angles of his face visible. “Where to?”
I let my eyes drift closed, tapping into the shared soul again. It was becoming easier and easier as I became familiar with that part of myself. Then I raised my hand and pointed through the trees.
“That way.”
We took off, shadow running in the dark, since it made navigating the thick undergrowth easier. The men followed my lead, and I ran with wild abandon, loving the rich smell of earth and flora that surrounded me. I felt so at home in it, and I realized it was probably my fae side rising to the surface. The part of me that had always loved getting lost in the woods, that loved good food and drink.
As we made our way deeper into the jungle, the feel of the other fae began to strengthen. We were close. However many fae still existed in the world, we were very near the only large community of them left.
I slowed, slipping out of a shadow and jogging lightly, lifting my nose into the air. Now I could smell them as well as sense them. The rich, earthy scent of fae blood filled my nostrils, and a sharp pang of hunger hit me. My vampire side craved that taste, and for just a moment, I understood what the vampires back at the Penumbra had felt when they were near me.
Ugh. Creepy.
Shaking off the bloodlust, I refocused on my fae half, letting that side of me lead the hunt. Beside me, I saw Malcolm running his tongue over his sharp fangs, white teeth flashing in the darkness.
Shit. I hope it wasn’t a huge mistake to come here.
My fangs had dropped too. But I had to believe I could maintain control around the fae, and that my men could too.
Sol cocked his head, his nostrils flaring. “We’re close. We must be. The scent is incredibly strong.”
I nodded, stepping forward. “I think we are. I can—”
But before I could finish that thought, the world shifted. A massive net rose up from the jungle floor, wrapping all four of us in an awkward jumble of limbs as it lifted us high in the air. I yelped, and Malcolm grunted. Jerrett swore.
Wedged between two hard bodies, I snaked an arm out to push against the mesh net. When my hand touched the material, a burning sensation spread through my body, as if the net channeled low voltage electricity. Ignoring the pain, I slipped the fingers of my other hand through the webbing and pulled, trying to tear a hole in it.
The material didn’t give.
I gave it everything I had, but my muscles felt weak—as if were no more powerful than a human.
“Fuck,” I panted. “I can’t rip through it.”
“Me neither.” Sol shifted against me. “It’s negating our vampire powers. I can’t drop into a shadow below us either.”
“Shit.” I let go of the net. I couldn’t avoid touching the painful material, but if I wasn’t going to be able to tear through it, there was no point in holding onto fistfuls of it.
“Wildcat.” Malcolm’s head was somewhere around my stomach. “How close are those fae you sensed?”
I swallowed. Summoning my focus despite the pain and fear ricocheting through me, I tapped into the all-soul again.
“Close. Very close.”
“Yeah.” Jerrett’s voice was dry. “No fucking shit.”
Light flared in the undergrowth around us. Torches lit by a magical red-orange flame glowed in the darkness. I twisted inside the net, craning my neck to see better.
Below us, figures stepped out from the cover of the jungle. Their shadowed eyes were trained on us.
21
Willow
My breath hitched. The figures gathering beneath us were fae; I was sure of that. Many of them had strangely colored hair that looked even more inhuman in the light of their flickering red torches.
They also carried wicked-looking weapons—spears and swords and long, curved daggers.
Shit. That’s not a great sign.
If this band of fae had managed to survive the vampire massacre and stay alive all these years, it was probably because they dealt with any intruders in their realm swiftly and brutally. And they’d obviously figured out ways to protect themselves from vampires specifically. All our supernatural advantages were wiped out by whatever magic was in this net.
A tall woman stepped forward. She had pale blue, spiky hair and darkly tanned skin. Her features were strong, almost masculine, but that somehow made her look even more strikingly beautiful. Another fae approached her, muttering quietly while gesturing up at us. She kept her eyes trained on the net as she listened, her gaze hard and assessing.
I tried to hear what the man was saying, but without my vampiric hearing, I could only make out unintelligible sounds. Shit. I had no idea how much I’d come to rely on my new powers until they were taken away from me. I felt handicapped, weak, and helpless.
Except… maybe I wasn’t.
This net negated vampire magic. But would it do the same to fae magic? I doubted it. Why would the fae design a weapon that could be used against them? Which meant that maybe I could…
I focused, imagining myself dissolving into smoke. Almost as soon as I had the thought, I felt myself begin to phase out, my form becoming incorporeal.
Jerrett twisted, looking over at me quickly. “Will? What are you doing?”
“It doesn’t block my fae magic. They can’t hold me.”
“No, Willow! Don’t—”
But before Sol could finish speaking, I slipped through the mesh netting, dropping to the ground below. Shouts and exclamations rose up from the crowd gathered around us, and as I straightened, the fae pressed in, every one of their weapons now pointed at me. The spiky-haired fae drew her own blade, a broad short sword made of a metal so bright it was almost white.
“How did you do that, vampire?” she demanded in a husky voice.
I held my hands up, trying to keep them from shaking. “I’m part fae.”
She cocked her head, narrowing her eyes. “That’s a new one. I’ve seen bloodsuckers try a lot of tricks over the years, but I’ve never heard of one claiming to be fae.”
“I’m not claiming to be fae. I am fae. That’s how I can do this.”
I remained incorporeal, worried that the second I solidified, I’d find a spear sticking out of my chest. But if this woman didn’t believe me, I’d have to do something else to prove I wasn’t lying.
Her gaze flickered up to the jumble of bodies contained in the net. Malcolm, Sol, and Jerrett had all twisted around to better observe what was happening on the ground.
“Kill them,” she ordered, jerking her chin upward.
“No!” The shout tore out of me as my heart slammed against my ribs. “Wait!”
The woman looked down at me again, suspicion tinting her silvery blue eyes. “Why?”
“The
y’re with me. I’m part-fae; that’s how I found you. And they’re with me. We mean you no harm. We came to ask for help.”
“Why would we help a bunch of lying bloodsuckers?”
“I’m not lying!” My voice rose in desperation. “I’ll prove it. Then will you hear me out?”
She didn’t answer, but her brows pinched together thoughtfully as she stared at me. I figured that was as close to a yes as I was going to get, and if I didn’t act soon, she’d grow impatient and have the men killed before I could do anything.
I phased back into solid form, ignoring the shouts of dismay from the vampires above me. Every fae clustered around me shifted slightly, drawing their weapons back to strike.
Fate, please let this work.
I’d only used glamour a few times, and I prayed my skills wouldn’t let me down now.
Keeping my unblinking gaze fixed on the fae leader, I began to alter my appearance in my mind’s eye. I replaced my dark brown hair with spiky blue strands, shifted my complexion, and broadened my features. My hazel eyes lightened to a bright, silvery blue.
When I was certain I’d altered every detail, I stopped, drawing in a deep breath.
The fae woman cocked her head at me, her eyebrows raised. Then, suddenly, she barked a laugh. I was so tense the sound made me jump about a foot in the air, but I kept a firm grasp on the glamour I’d cast.
She grinned. “You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that.” Her eyes narrowed. “And I can feel you through the All-Soul. You are part-fae.”
I let out a shaky breath, relief flooding through me. “I can feel you too. That’s how we found you all.”
The woman’s expression hardened, and she walked slowly toward me, the sharp tip of her sword aimed for my heart. “But that doesn’t explain what you’re doing bringing three bloodsuckers into our realm. Or why you smell like a bloodsucker yourself.”