by Amelia Shaw
Tavlor moved his head across my chest to the other nipple, taking that one into his mouth and swirling around with his tongue. I moaned again. How was it he could render me absolutely helpless without doing a thing with his hands or his weapons?
Unless I considered his tongue a weapon.
Which I did—now.
I gasped and cried out, as arrows of desire shot through my belly, and I wriggled and yearned for so much more.
He rolled onto his side, letting one of his hands tease my thigh. His fingers created patterns on my skin as he danced his hand up to the juncture between my legs. Goosebumps followed the trail he made across my flesh.
I pressed my lips together. I didn’t want to keep making sounds like I was some sort of lost cause. I didn’t want to scare him off.
“Don’t hide yourself from me,” he murmured, his lips vibrating against my skin. “I want to hear you.”
I let out a soft sigh. The words were exactly what I needed to hear. I opened for him eagerly, wanting him to help me assuage the ache there. I would mess it up. I would do it wrong. I could admit it. It wasn’t a shot to my pride. I needed help and I wanted him to guide me.
He looked up, and I opened my eyes so that I could see his face, anxiously watching me as his fingers moved over my most intimate flesh.
I gasped when he circled me, sensations unlike any I’d ever felt pulsing through me. His eyes were narrowed, searching my face. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for but I hoped he found it. I couldn’t have him stopping, not when I was so close.
“Don’t stop,” I whispered. I wasn’t sure if he heard me or if he just knew to continue.
His lips curled into a grin.
“I won’t,” he promised.
Warm explosions took over my pelvis and I leaned back, hoping to give him better access to me. Then he was teasing me with slow movements, up and down, while I ached so badly, deep in my belly.
I bit my lip and thrashed my head, drawing his head up to kiss him once again. I needed to feel his lips on mine. I needed to know this wasn’t a dream.
As my mouth opened to receive his tongue, his fingers slipped inside me, cracking open my world and pushing me into the depths of pleasure. My body curled around him instinctively. Every nerve was set on fire and I didn’t think there was any way for me to escape.
I cried out, breaking our kiss as I arched my back and grabbed a hold of his arms, looking for an anchor in the maelstrom of sensation he was creating. I needed him to keep me afloat, but even if I drowned, I doubted I would care. Everything felt good, too good.
He set his lips to my neck.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered into my ear, his breath hot on my skin. “I can’t believe how lucky I am to be able to touch you like this. God, I want to touch you always. You’re mine, Ava. Mine.”
I shivered, my eyes closing. The way he said my name made my chest light up with fire, hopping from one place to the next. It was hard to breathe, but I didn’t care, just as long as he said my name again.
I wanted to reply, to tell him how lucky I felt, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything, let alone speak. I could only ride the wave as he moved his fingers inside me, strumming me like an instrument.
I squeezed my inner walls against his fingers. I didn’t even know what I was doing. My body reacted and I went with it. I didn’t want to appear so uninhibited, so out of control, but I couldn’t help it. Not with him doing what he was doing to me.
I writhed underneath him, rocking my hips. The strangest noises I’d ever heard came out of my mouth. I think I said things in a language I didn’t know. Maybe I conjured some spells. What the hell did I care? All I cared about was Tavlor touching me the way he was. I didn’t even mind that it made me look absolutely bonkers. If anything, I embraced the sounds as I abandoned any preconceived notions of propriety.
I could feel something happening inside of me. Building, cresting, aching.
“I...” How did I ask him for help in this? I didn’t know what I could do. I didn’t know the right words to say to get him to understand. And yet, I needed him to do something about it.
He whispered into my ear. “I know,” he murmured, his husky voice causing my pelvis to throb even further. “Just trust me, feel it. Don’t fight it.”
I nodded and squeezed his arms even tighter, keeping him close to me as his hand began to move faster.
My belly tightened, and then the tension broke, a soundless cry echoed in my throat as wave upon wave of pleasure shook through my body.
I had no idea what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. I convulsed in his arms and he swallowed down my cries as he kissed me. Over and over again.
I should have soundproofed my room so my sisters wouldn’t overhear us, but that thought—already so pathetically fragile—disappeared as soon as he kissed me once more.
By the time he took his hand back, my whole body was relaxed. As though I’d turned into a puddle, melting into a heap of pleasure at his feet.
I forced my heavy eye lids open to look at him.
He was smiling and he looked almost as relaxed as I felt.
God, he was beautiful.
“I...” I swallowed, not sure how to communicate how overwhelmed I was now feeling. Who knew anything at all after that? My brain was mush. I didn’t try to fight it. All I could do was give him what I hoped was a smile and said, “Thank you.”
He pressed a kiss to my lips and clicked his fingers, magicking up a blanket that now lay over both of us. My hair was matted with sweat, and yet, I wasn’t hot.
“Can I stay to hold you for a little while longer?” he asked.
I rolled onto my side and pressed my back against him. “Please.”
Never leave me.
I kept those words to myself. I didn’t want to scare him away. After everything that happened just now, we had already shared something I never thought we would before.
His arm came around my belly and held me tight, his breath on my neck as I relaxed into the best sleep I’d had in a very long time.
WHEN I WOKE UP, I COULDN’T tell what time it was. Night? Day? The lights were off and shadows danced on my walls. I closed my eyes and could hear the whispers of the wind just outside the window.
Tavlor was gone. The bed was empty and the mattress was cold where he’d once been. He must have been gone for a while.
I wished I had felt him leave. I wished I had the opportunity to say goodbye.
Then again, maybe it was better this way. Maybe goodbye would have been too hard. I might have started crying again and the last thing I wanted was Tavlor’s remembering me blubbering into his shoulder, holding onto him to keep from leaving.
I shook my head. I sat up, my stomach rumbling with hunger.
I glanced towards the curtains, noticing it was dark now, but how late was it?
I managed to slide off the bed and stand up, though my body felt weird. My breasts were heavy and my skin was sensitive. I closed my eyes. I could still feel his hands on my body and my pelvis throbbed with desire.
I wished he was still here. I wanted to do it again.
I grinned. Imagine how amazing it would be to lose my virginity to that man.
I didn’t have the energy to get dressed properly. So, I raised my hand and spoke a simple spell, calling on a light dress and appropriate underwear, though I was pretty sure I needed another shower. I didn’t want my sisters smelling Tavlor on me, and yet the thought of washing him off felt like agony.
I stood in front of my door and took a deep breath. Time to face the sister music. It was strangely embarrassing, wondering what they’d heard, what they knew.
I reached out and opened the door, walking out into the well-lit living room.
Bella was laying food out on the table in the dining room as though she’d known what time I would rise. Courtney was listening to music on her headphones lying on the couch.
They both turned to me with identical smirks as I appr
oached.
“Sleep well?” Courtney said, pulling her headphones off and leaving them to rest around her neck. She wiggled her eyebrows up and down.
Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t contain the blush that spread across my face. “Yes, thank you.” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. “What are we having for dinner?”
“Chicken,” Bella said. “Vegetables. Some pumpkin soup.” She sat down a bowl for us and I couldn’t help but lean closer, allowing the sweet scent to overcome my nostrils.
Simple, and probably, mostly homemade.
I moaned. “Sounds delicious,” I said. My stomach rumbled. I was hungrier than I anticipated. “Thank you.”
They joined me at the table and we began eating.
I concentrated on my soup but could feel the interested gazes from my sisters boring into me.
Eventually, I looked up. “What?”
Bella glanced down at her meal, but Courtney kept my gaze on me. “So? How was it?”
“How was, what?” What had they heard? What had they assumed had happened?
“You and the Fae...” Courtney let her voice trail off.
I opened my eyes wider and lifted my eyebrows. “Yeah?”
“You had sex. Right?”
I nearly choked on the soup and started to cough. The soup went down the wrong tube and it took me another moment before I was able to catch my breath. I waved my hands in the air. “No, no. Not at all.”
Well....
“What was with all the moaning and stuff coming from your room before, then? And you’ve been with him in other realms, so surely you’ve...”
I shook my head. “No. Well... look.” I had to be honest with them. Our mother had told us so little, and surely they were owed some details. “We kissed a couple of times before today, but nothing else.”
“And today?” Bella asked quietly and my gaze moved over to her.
She wanted to know as well? She didn’t seem as eager as Courtney. If anything, she appeared curious, like she wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
“Today he...” How could I say this? “He did some things to me, but didn’t take his pants off.”
“What!” Courtney said, practically spitting the word across the table. “You had that man in your bed and you let him leave his clothes on?” She shook her head as though greatly disappointed in me.
I laughed. I couldn’t do anything else. “I didn’t exactly have a choice,” I said, trying to defend myself. “He’s the experienced one. I just followed along with what he wanted to do.”
They both stopped talking and a strangely comfortable silence settled over the table.
I ate my soup and picked at the chicken, amazingly tired despite the great nap I’d had before. My body was ready for more sleep.
I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a yawn.
“I can’t believe how tired I am still,” I said.
Bella smiled at me. “Well, you’re home now,” she said. I was glad she didn’t make any jokes the way Courtney had. As much as I loved my sisters talking to me, I didn’t want to keep going over the same thing, especially when I didn’t know when Tavlor was going to come back. “You’re safe. Your body probably needs the rest.”
I nodded. “Speaking of that. Did Tavlor say anything when he left?”
I was embarrassed to say that I had passed out and had no idea what time he’d gone.
“Not really,” Bella said. “Just that he had to go back to the magic realm and that he would contact you when he knew anything more.”
I sighed and nodded, wrapping my arms around myself. I hated being left behind, but at least I had people working in the background for me. At least I was here with my sisters.
“If only Mother was here,” Bella said suddenly, shaking her head.
My eyes flew open. “Oh my God! You guys don’t know!”
“Don’t know what?” Bella asked.
I pushed my chair back and jumped to my feet, my heart pounding wild with excitement. “Wait here.”
I raced to the bedroom to grab the locket where our mother’s essence was stored.
They were going to have a fit when they found out they could talk to her again!
Chapter 8.
I grabbed up the locket and raced back to the kitchen, holding it out in front of me.
I must have been smiling hysterically, because both of my sisters were looking at me like I was crazy.
“Here.” I pushed the locket at Bella and she took it. “Put it on.”
Bella glanced at Courtney for help, but instead of doing anything useful, our youngest sister shrugged. I had to stifle a giggle. I loved Court, but she never seemed concerned about things. Not the way Bella was, especially when it came to things Bella wasn’t already informed about.
Bella reluctantly took the locket from my hand, though she eyed it warily.
“Put it on,” I urged her, flicking my wrists for emphasis. “Mother was always strict but she’s not going to bite you.”
She heaved a sigh the same way Courtney would have and put the locket on around her neck. For a moment, she did nothing but sit there, waiting.
Bella stared at me. “Okay,” she said. “What happens now?”
I looked back at her, a sinking feeling starting in my chest and dropping into my stomach. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Mother’s voice was supposed to fill her head and ask all the questions and tell her all the things.
“Can’t you hear her?” I asked tentatively. I cleared my throat. I thought for sure they’d be able to hear her just the way I did.
“Hear who?” Bella blinked.
I shook my head, not wanting to explain it out loud.
“Can I have it back for a sec?” I asked, frowning. This didn’t make sense. How could she not hear Mother’s voice? Did it only work for me?
Bella pulled the locket back over her head and handed it to me. I put it on and waited for the characteristic heating of the metal.
It didn’t come.
So, I put my hand around it and said, “Mother?”
Nothing.
My mouth went dry. What was going on here? Why wasn’t she responding?
I blew a stray strand out of my face and tried again. “M-mother?”
Bella’s eyes went wide. “Mother?” she asked, standing up from her seat and taking a step towards her. “What are you talking about?”
Courtney glanced between us.
I paced the kitchen. I wasn’t sure what I should tell them and what I should keep to myself. Was Mother was just keeping our secret because she didn’t want the others to know. But I was also worried that something had happened to her. Something had taken her away from me.
Again.
“When was the last time I heard her?” I asked myself, hands thrust behind my back. “In the human village? No... earlier. Back in the Fae realm.” I stopped suddenly. “Oh, no!”
I whirled around, nearly slipping, and stared at my sisters.
“Oh no... what?” Courtney demanded, her voice somehow insistent and flat at the same time. She furrowed her brow.
I continued to stare at them, my heart tight and worry pulsing through me like a heated storm.
“I think she’s gone,” I said. I tried to find the right words to figure this out. “But not like, properly gone. I think...” I chewed my bottom lip and shook my head. “But how...?”
Bella reached out and took my hand.
“Come and sit on the couch and tell us what’s going on,” she said in a gentle voice.
I swallowed hard, forcing the lump down my throat, and wobbled my way to the couch. I couldn’t lose her again, I couldn’t. We had our issues certainly, but that didn’t mean I wanted her gone. I had come to rely on her advice. A lot of times, I didn’t agree with her, and there were times she still needed to understand her role in my life. She didn’t have the same ability to control my every move the way she had when she was alive, but she could still help me when I needed her help.
And I still needed her help.
I began to shake, and Bella wrapped a blanket around my shoulder and sat next to me. Courtney sat down in the arm chair opposite us, her face pinched with worry. Both had puzzled glints in their eyes.
I took a few shuddering breaths and held tight to the blanket around me. I had to stop panicking. I needed to be strong for my sisters. Despite the fact that they had no idea what was going on, I needed to show them that all was well. If I unraveled, they certainly would, and the last thing we needed was to completely fall apart.
Calm yourself, Ava, I told myself. This may not be a bad thing.
“Okay,” I said slowly, picking my gaze up from my lap so I could look at them. I hoped my voice wasn’t as shaky as it seemed. I hoped I showed them a cool resolve. “I don’t know how this is all going to come out, so please just bear with me.”
“Alright,” Bella said, and Courtney nodded.
A tear escaped my eye and I wiped it away. The stress of the last month was finally spilling over.
“I... ah...” I swallowed, trying to get some control over my emotions and body. I needed to find the right words so they would understand. I didn’t want them to think I was keeping something from them, but at the same time, I needed to be honest with them as well.
“When Mother was dying, she took my locket, held it, then handed it back to me moments before she passed,” I said. “At the time, I had no idea what she’d done, and she didn’t tell me. I just thought it was her being her normal, mysterious self.”
Bella gasped, her hand covering her mouth. One look at her and I knew she knew. Of course, she did. Bella knew everything, thanks to all the books she read.
“Did she instill her essence in your locket?” she asked, her eyes wide as she let her hand fall to her lap.
“Yes, she did.” I nodded once. “I didn’t even know something like that was possible. When she spoke to me the first time, I nearly had a heart attack.”
Bella put a hand to her heart. “Oh, my god.” She shook her head, as though she didn’t believe what I said. “So, you’ve been talking to Mother.”
“Yes, I have been,” I said. I dropped my gaze to my hands, picking at the denim of my jeans. How was I supposed to tell them what happened to her when I didn’t even know? I sighed. I needed to be honest, I reminded myself. They deserved to know the truth. “But she... I don’t know where she’s gone now. Ever since I returned, I haven’t been able to contact her, and I’m not sure why that is.”