War of the Fae: A Fated Mates Fae Romance (Shadow Court Book 3)

by KJ Baker

  I took this news in silence. It was not what I’d hoped to hear. In the weeks following our victory at the Spire and the ensuing efforts to make peace, Felena Sand had not been found. She’d disappeared like mist under the morning sun. The ancient betrothal contract between myself and the woman had been annulled in her absence by Rillana. Felena would not be happy when she found out.

  “I want you to find her,” I said to Hawk. “Do whatever is necessary, go wherever is necessary. Find her and bring her back here to face justice. You’ll have the full authority of the Seelie and the Spire.”

  Hawk drained his cup and grinned. “Now that sounds like fun. Imagine what feathers I can ruffle? Perhaps I’ll go sniffing around the Court of the Sun. Won’t they just love that?”

  I grinned in turn. “Not as much as you would, I think.” I laid a hand on his shoulder. “I trust nobody else with this, my brother.”

  He nodded. “I’ll find her.”

  “I know you will. But tomorrow. For tonight let’s have a little fun, shall we?”

  He raised his glass. “I’ll drink to that.” Throwing me a wink, he snagged one of the passing servants and whirled her off into the crowd of dancers.

  I looked around. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Even Ffion was on the dance floor, being twirled around by some Rain Court warrior. I raised an eyebrow at that. I hoped the man knew what he was getting himself into.

  My eyes continued across the crowd and stopped. Ah. There she was.

  I slipped through the throng, people parting to let me pass, until I reached my queen. She was deep in conversation with Telia Rowan. In the last few weeks, the two of them had become firm friends.

  Telia leaned close, whispered something in Asha’s ear, and she burst into a fit of laughter, spraying wine all over the table in the process. I tried to hide my smile. Hardly becoming behavior for a queen. But Asha was no ordinary queen.

  “Am I interrupting?”

  Asha looked up at me. Her eyes filled with warmth and the smile she gave me was dazzling.

  “Of course not, your Majesty,” Telia Rowan said. She stood, gave us both a deep bow, and politely excused herself, leaving me alone with my queen.

  I pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her waist. She put her arms around my neck, sagging a little.

  “You’re drunk,” I observed.

  “I am not!” she replied indignantly. “I’ll have your tongue cut out for suggesting such a thing. Don’t you know I’m the queen?”

  I inclined my head. “My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty.”

  “Okay. You’re forgiven.” She paled a little. “Your Majesty. Oh hell. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

  “What do you say to getting out of here?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting we sneak out of our own party?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Thought you’d never ask.”

  I took her hand and together we slipped through the door and out into the foyer of the Spire. A squad of royal guards made to follow us but I waved them back. I led Asha out into the night and down to the lake’s edge. It was a warm, clear night and the stars overhead shone with a rare brilliance. I took Asha in my arms and we both gazed out over the lake.

  She sighed.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “I was just thinking of how I wish my grandma could have seen this. And Gracie. She would have loved it. Booze, food, music and lots of handsome men. It would definitely have been her thing.”

  I tightened my arms around her. “I’m sorry.”

  She turned in my embrace. Stars reflected in her eyes as she looked up at me. “I love you, Arion Storm. Do you know that?”

  I kissed her. “Maybe you should show me just how much.”

  She gave me a wicked smile and then went up on tiptoes. “If you insist.” She kissed me again, deeper this time, and my body responded. My groin tightened painfully as I hardened, stretching against the fabric of my pants. Fates take it, this woman aroused such desire in me. I wanted her. I always wanted her.

  And I had to have her.

  I kissed her back, our lips meeting in a savage, desperate crash, and I pushed my tongue into her mouth as heat roared to life in my veins. I was going to take her right now. It was a feral, primal need I could not deny.

  I waved a hand, sending out a wave of magic that would shield us from prying eyes, and then I was tearing at her clothes, wanting to get at the woman beneath.

  I don’t know how we ended up in the sand but we were suddenly tangled up together, touching each other all over, kissing in a wild frenzy. I yanked at her dress and she wriggled out of it, her undergarments following, until she was naked in the sand at my side. My eyes roved over the swell of her hips and breasts, my mouth going dry at the sight of her. I bent my head, laid kisses along her collarbone, her neck, her chest and then took one of her nipples into my mouth. She gasped, her back arching, her fingers tangling in my hair.

  Her scent deepened, flooding with arousal. A thrill of satisfaction went through me. My mate wanted me as much as I wanted her. I sucked and teased at her breast and walked my fingers across the smooth expanse of her belly, and then down into the space between her legs. She moaned, opening her thighs as I ran the tip of my forefinger gently across her nub. A shiver rippled across her skin as I did so, and my own desire roared inside me. The sight of my mate’s pleasure was intoxicating, like a drug. I wanted to give her more.

  My fingers dipped inside her, caressing gently at first but getting faster and faster. Asha shuddered, her grip tightening in my hair, becoming almost painful. She writhed, grinding against my hand, until a low cry burst from her lips and she shuddered as climax took her.

  I hardened even further, my whole body becoming hot with lust. Asha took a few gasping breaths as her climax ebbed and then turned her head to look at me, her eyes a little wild.

  “Why are you still wearing clothes?”

  She grabbed my tunic, almost tearing it in her eagerness, and I pulled it over my head and tossed it away, the rest of my clothes following until I was as naked as she was.

  Asha sat up, running her hands over my biceps, my chest, my stomach—then lower. I shuddered in ecstasy as she wrapped her fingers around the swollen length of me. A growl of pleasure rumbled in my throat.

  She always knew what I wanted, what I needed, and right now I needed to bury myself in her. I grabbed her hips, ready to flip her onto her back and do just that, but she gave me one of those wicked smiles of hers, pressed her palms against my chest and shoved me onto my back in the warm sand. I didn’t resist as Asha straddled me.

  ASHA

  It felt exhilarating. With the warm night air caressing my skin, the heat of Raven’s body radiating through my thighs, and only the lake and the night sky around us, I was sure I could conquer the world.

  But conquering Raven would be enough. I wanted to give him the same pleasure he’d just given me.

  His strong hands gripped my hips, his lavender eyes fixed on me as I held myself above him. Desire shone in his gaze. Need burned through the bond, matched only by my own.

  Slowly, keeping my eyes locked on his, I lowered myself onto him, taking him deep inside me. A low hiss escaped him as we came together, my body tightening around the length of him.

  Placing my palms flat against the sculpted muscles of his chest, I began to move, tiny rocking movements. Raven’s grip on my hips tightened and the hiss became a gasp and then a growl as my movements became deeper, grinding against him as he thrust upwards to meet me.

  I flung my head back as I rode him, the slap of our bodies drowned only by the waves lapping at the lakeshore. His hands came up to cup my breasts and his hips thrust forcefully up to meet me as I slammed myself down onto him over and over.

  I would never get enough of this. Never. How could anything feel this good?

  It was wild and raw and...perfect. Every nerve in my body tingled. It was like I was on fire. I fe
lt myself beginning to come apart again, my climax building, but I held on, held myself back and only when Raven suddenly gasped and juddered beneath me did I let myself go.

  I shattered into a million pieces, threw my head back, and shouted his name at the star-filled sky.

  I collapsed on top of him. Raven wrapped his arms around me, holding me close and kissing the top of my head. I slid off him and tucked myself into the crook of his arm, fitting my body alongside his.

  We lay in silence. No words needed to be said. It was enough that we were together and I was content to listen to the sound of his breathing. My lover. My mate. My king.

  “Hawk’s going after her,” Raven said at last.

  I knew exactly who he meant. I raised myself onto an elbow. “You think he’ll find her.”

  Raven’s eyes met mine. “He has to. Otherwise, she remains a threat.”

  I sighed. “And here’s me thinking we’d done the hard part. That we’d eliminated the threat.”

  He smiled wryly. “This is the Summerlands. There is always a threat.”

  “Killjoy.”

  I leaned down and kissed him again. Raven’s hands swept down my back, his kiss deepening—

  “Raven? Asha? Are you out here?”

  Ffion’s annoyed voice cut straight through our burgeoning desire, dousing it like a bucket of cold water.

  Irritation flashed in Raven’s eyes. “What is it?”

  “You’d better come! Lord Andros and Lord Tyrlis are about to draw blades on each other.”

  Raven let out a long sigh. “Didn’t I once tell you that being a king is sometimes more like being a nursemaid?” he said to me. He raised his voice and called to Ffion, “All right! We’ll be there in a second!”

  I heard Ffion mutter something under her breath and then her retreating footsteps. Raven lay back, staring at the stars above. He made no move to get up.

  “Shouldn’t we be going?” I asked.

  “Perhaps we should pretend we didn’t get Ffion’s message and go back to what we were doing.”

  It was tempting. Oh, it was tempting. But I didn’t take the bait.

  “That’s not very kingly of you.”

  He sat up. “Lord Andros and Lord Tyrlis. Two hot-heads who need no excuse to start beating seven bells out of each other. How would you handle them?”

  I sat up after him. “You’re asking me? I’ve no idea. I’ve no experience of...kinging.”

  “Kinging?”

  “Yes, you know, the art of being a king. Safe to say, it’s a little outside my realm of experience.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Yet dealing with arrogant Fae males has become your speciality.”

  I laughed and rose to my feet, pulling Raven up after me. “Come on then. We’ll both go. With your deadliness and my humanly charm, we’ll soon have them in their places. After all, we make quite the team.”

  He stepped close, put his finger under my chin and tilted my face up. “Yes,” he murmured. “Quite the team.”

  He kissed me again and I found myself wishing I’d taken him up on his offer to ignore Ffion’s message, but Raven released me and handed me my clothes. We dressed quickly and Raven waved a hand to release the privacy shield he’d woven around us.

  He held out his hand to me. “Ready?”

  I remembered the first time he’d asked me that as I was about to step into a portal to leave the mortal realm behind forever. So much had changed since that moment.

  I curled my fingers through his. “Ready.”

  Together, Raven and I, king and queen of the Shadow Court, walked back to the Spire where our people waited.

  THE END

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