by Erin R Flynn
“I thought I could sow some dissent and get them fighting like the warlock elders,” he admitted.
“Not a bad idea,” one of the other fairies defended him.
No, it wasn’t, so I let it go.
The question became what to do right then. We weren’t sure, so we called in some adults. Namely Dean White.
We promptly read her in on the situation and didn’t have to wait long for her quick mind to come up with an answer.
“Collins was on the right track, but take it up a notch,” she decided. “Change his memory that he didn’t ask you now, but make him realize he wanted to, but was interrupted by a message from Melvin that he was needed. That will sow the distrust more.”
I nodded that I understood. “He’ll see Melvin pulling him out and then come back to find Collins gone, a crappy packing job and vehicles left behind meaning it’s a cover-up of a murder or not to be tracked. We’ve got the emails ready to send that don’t sound like them. Ozorio will suspect Melvin who will think it crazy and then suspect him, and I’ve got Shurr imploding so… Yeah, that works.”
We jumped right to it, changing his memories and making him think his upset was Councilman Melvin bugging him. Then, we unfroze them and got a huge bomb dropped on us.
“Fucking Melvin,” Ozorio growled, tucking away his phone from reading the imaginary message that required him to leave. “If he didn’t have a viable contact at HAVEN, I would have dropkicked him with all of this.”
Collins was smart and took the chance. “Oh? I would have thought whoever that is knew Vale was still tight with the Rothchilds. Two of them run the havens after all.”
Ozorio did a double take. “Yes, yes they do. What is Melvin up to now?” He let out a growl. “I wonder if it’s all bullshit then. His aide supposedly has a niece at HAVEN, pulled out because her mate was mean to her or some such nonsense. The man is an elite with enough money to buy an aide position but doesn’t understand it’s not an actual path to having a council seat, but to becoming one of our lackeys.”
“Not everyone can see the big picture,” Collins agreed, trying to move him along.
“Too right. But if any of it’s true, it’s the best lead we have. He’s trying to woo her to our side with promises of dissolving the mating and she won’t have to ever go back there, nor to her parents who would pick a different alliance. He would set her up on her own so she was independent and free to do as she pleases.”
“That sounds like a fair deal she’d be a fool not to take. It’s very generous since his sibling couldn’t be happy about it all.”
Ozorio snorted. “Oh please. As if he would waste time with any of that. He’ll return his niece to her mate and lay into the idiot to control her better, keep her in check, and then probably never speak to her again. She went to him with objections to the mating originally and he wouldn’t even hear her out which is why she’s hesitant now. Stupid girl. She hasn’t even produced a child, and she dares demands anything.”
It took two of the Dark Guardians holding me back from where we were cloaked to not go right for Ozorio’s throat. It sounded like a valid fucking option to me.
But yeah, would ruin our plans for sure. Asshole.
He left and then I did, knowing everyone would handle what they needed to. I went back to the Caribbean and there was already a mess there that the dragon royals were taking vampire council aides and guards into custody.
Their defense was pretty damn fun to watch and valid if we hadn’t set the trap.
A ton of food was waiting at the private cottage we were staying at. It was only Darby and I and all our security for the night, but it was nice to have some time just for us.
Even if we spent it watching supe news reporting on everything that had happened. My favorite was someone interviewing Trigger Rothchild when he was clearly done with the stupid.
“I don’t know how to rephrase this so my English is better understood, but the vampire council tried to abduct someone under our protection. Under the Vogels’ protection. Under all the royal dragons’ protection, and Tamsin Vale is not a vampire. And two of the dragon princes and their friends were there with her. They took pictures as a group at some of the stalls minutes before it happened.
“The princes witnessed the whole thing, along with the son of a respected bear sloth Alpha. All of them were in danger when over two hundred vampire council guards poured out of portals in front of humans, not caring about surveillance or any social media that might have been broadcasting live, and tried to abduct Vale. There is no reason under the gods they have a legal justification to have done this.
“They want her and her power isn’t an actual defense of crimes like insanity, no matter how what they did was insane. They heard an aide say that Darby Moore was to be imprisoned for life because he refused to carry out his council’s illegal demands of him, and Tamsin Vale was to be brought to a black site. So yes, we are taking all of these people into custody and charging them with their damn crimes.”
He added some muttering about people being idiots to not demand more of their leaders, and a few things had to be bleeped out when different aides showed up and demanded the guards be released because they had immunity. Actually, there was a lot of bleeping then, and Mr. Silva had the greatest line asking what kind of bullshit was simply saying immunity like a fucking mulligan.
I really liked that man too.
But once all the food was done, I shut off the TV—surprising Darby—and focused on him.
“I’m sorry about earlier.”
He cleared his throat and was careful not to look at me as he cleaned up our containers. “I don’t know what to do here. I want to talk about it all, but after how you reacted and went straight to Hudson, I’m scared to say much of anything.”
“That’s not unfair,” I accepted. “I’m sorry. I don’t want that between us.”
He bobbed his head, sighing when I reached out and touched his thigh. “Can we talk about why you did that?”
“I’d like that. I was hoping we could.”
“Really?” He glanced at me and I saw the shock there.
“I’m trying, Darby,” I whispered. “I know I’m damaged and it’s too much, too often, but I do try.”
“You do, but you shut down and run first.”
“I know. I can’t erase two decades of life teaching me that’s safe. I’m trying to trust you that we can… I’m trying to trust you.”
He leaned in and rubbed his nose over mine in that way that made me melt. “Thank you, agra. I’m glad we can talk.”
I nodded, glad when there ended up being dessert to fidget with as I told him what went through my mind, the realization I’d had.
“You’re right. I was incredibly judgmental, and I shouldn’t have been.” He waited until I seemed to accept that. “But there have been lots of times I’m not.”
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right, and I’m thinking of those times now that I’m pushing myself to talk to you about this stuff and not run. It’s hard, but you are normally supportive. I can’t help my knee-jerk reaction. I don’t know if I can explain how it is for me, Darby. I’ve been hurt to a level that I can’t risk again. I’m fine until I get near that territory and then I panic I will break if it happens again.”
“I know that line well,” he murmured. “It was when I lost you.” He leaned in and licked my ice cream right from the bowl. “Look at us being all mature adults and talking like this.”
“It’s nice,” I admitted. “I wouldn’t expect it always.”
“I’ll chase you wherever you go, agra. We all have wounds and yours make you run. I know this. I love you still.” He shook his head when I tried to say that wasn’t okay. “I have mine as well. You know my issues with my glasses and eyes. You tell me at least once a week that you think they’re sexy or how I fidget with them is. You say it so I hear it. I know you do.”
He wasn’t wrong. “I do think it. You’re a super sexy geek and it drives me
crazy sometimes.”
“But you make sure to say it to help me. I’ll chase you to help you. It’s how relationships work.”
I nodded, liking the sound of that and feeling more secure with us that we could talk like this. “Can I try something? I’ve been working with Taeral on visuals and ideas of how to grow my magic and stuff. His sister is a telepath, so he knows a bit about this with a fairy whereas Tanesha knows it as a normal supe.”
He gave me a curious look but accepted.
I set my dessert off to the side and turned us so we were facing each other, but then realized I wanted more contact. I climbed on his lap and pressed our foreheads together, cupping his face so I was completely connected to him.
And then I replayed what happened with Shurr from the moment I walked through the portal. I gasped when I was back there in my mind, almost like the dreamscape… And Darby was there with me.
“What is this?” he whispered.
I moved my hand over his mouth, nodding for him to look to our left instead of only at me from where we sat on Shurr’s couch. “What happened.”
And then I remembered what had taken place on that couch later, getting us to hurry and move off of it. Gross.
Darby got to see my memory of the whole thing, most of the room fuzzy, but certain details sharp as could be. We came back out of it when I walked through the portal, blinking at each other in shock as we sat in the cottage again.
“I have so many questions,” he admitted, his voice shaky. “Did that hurt you to do?”
I didn’t answer immediately. “My head aches a bit. I’m sensitive, but it’s not bad. Definitely worth it to show you and try to do. That was a trip.”
“It was,” he agreed. “Why were some things so clear, but most of the room fuzzy?”
I bit back a chuckle. “I really liked his paintings. They caught my eye. It was random given why I was there, but I really liked them. I had a weird thought I should try and get prints made, but clearly they stuck in my head if the images were so clear and the rest was just background.”
“That’s so… The mind is truly magnificent,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Wow.”
“I know, right?” I cleared my throat and tried to move off his lap, stopping when he tightened his grip on my hips.
“I don’t judge what you did, agra. It’s not how I would have done it, but I’m not as bold as you. I felt how it hurt you to use what happened with us to tie up that monster, and I’m not sure I could have done that.”
I rubbed my nose against his. “Take me to bed, my sexy Irishman.”
“That’s not why I said it.”
“I know. I don’t want you to take me to bed because you said it. I just want to do more adult things with my boyfriend after we did all this adulting.”
“Mmm, we should do adult things,” he murmured against my lips, easily standing with me. He chuckled when I wrapped my legs around him. “What about your dessert?”
“Fuck it. I want you.”
“And you own the resort, so you can order more.”
“Yeah, that too.”
He buried his face against my neck and tried to smother his laugh, but failed miserably. It turned into a moan as I kissed along his neck and nibbled on his ear. Once we reached our room, he tossed me on the bed and started getting undressed. “Are you only going to watch?”
“Yup. I’m a perv like that.” Just to add to that, I pushed up on my elbows and licked my lips as I eyed him over like my next meal.
“I don’t know if it’s getting me hotter for you, or I’m worried I won’t stand up,” he admitted as he blushed, still undoing his belt.
“Oh, you stand up just fine, Darby.”
“Get naked or I’m going to have my dirty way with you however I want.”
I raised an eyebrow at that and made no inkling to move. “I’m good with that.”
He groaned. Deeply. Then he moved almost faster than I could keep up with and was naked moments later.
I smiled as he climbed on the bed with me, over me, and brushed his lips against mine. They moved lower as I lost my shirt, grazing my neck and then my collarbone. He took off my bra and kissed every inch of my breasts before focusing on my nipples.
“I’m going to make love to you, agra,” he whispered, his breath teasing my perky nipple he’d been sucking on. He smirked when it made me squirm again. “I’m going to make love to you in new ways and until you can’t take anymore.”
“I’m good with that,” I panted, so turned on I could barely stand it.
He kissed along my stomach and worked on getting my jeans off as the muscles quivered for him… But left the panties on. I wasn’t sure what that was about until he spent an excruciating amount of time running his tongue along the line of them. Then, he turned me over and kissed every inch of my butt peeking out of the cheeky cut before slowly peeling them off of me.
I moaned as he spread my legs and fingered me that way, moving over me and whispering how much he loved me while teasing my ears and neck. When he finished me, I turned over and kissed him, pulling him between my legs and spreading them in invitation.
He didn’t hesitate, wanting me just as much too. He gently thrust in me and moaned as he locked together the fingers of one of our hands while his other moved under my ass to hold me to him.
It made me think of something and suddenly I wanted to trust him more. I wanted more from him, but also to give us a chance to return to how things had once been.
If that made any sense. It was all jumbled in my hormone-filled mind.
I moved our joined hands up above my head and then slid my other hand under them so he was basically holding my hands down.
Something he immediately noticed. He let go and barely caught himself on the bed before he crashed on top of me. “Sorry. Sorry, agra.”
“I’m not. I did it,” I whispered, my cheeks flushing lava hot. “I trust you.”
He swallowed loudly before raising his head and meeting my gaze. “I sensed your fear, Tamsin. That’s what made me react. I felt you suddenly get scared and realized what I’d done.”
“You didn’t,” I repeated, moving my hand to his cheek and leaning up to kiss him. “I did it on purpose. I didn’t—yes, I’m scared, but I still want to. I do trust you. Tons of stuff is scary to try or do again. That doesn’t mean I won’t do it.”
He searched my eyes for several moments. “You’re sure? I thought we were going to make love? You don’t want that?”
I was lost why he seemed upset, so I flipped on my telepathy.
“The way she loves Craftsman is deeper than she loves me. It has to be how he makes love to her. I can do that. I can—I want to make love to her too. I just get so wound up and have a hard time slowing down. She talks about sharing pieces of their souls, and I want her to love me like that.”
Shit. I didn’t talk about it like all the time, but they had asked me and I’d been honest. Darby was so worried about them being my mates, and he wasn’t, that I didn’t know what to do about it.
“Does it have to be one or the other?” I asked instead. “I think we can make love and I can show you I—I liked how we did this. I liked doing it with you.” I cleared my throat and stared at his chest instead of his intense gray eyes.
But then I couldn’t help but look. Darby was so fucking sexy and really didn’t comprehend it. I mean, he was like everyone’s hottest dream of the “sexy geek,” and his thoughts told me he simply thought he was a loser.
His shaggy red hair was a natural bedhead guys tried to recreate and stuck up for a moment when he ran his fingers through it. But his hair was a deep red and so soft that I itched to play with it most times when I was around him. He was right about six feet with a lean build, but had put on some extra muscle kicking up his workouts and training more.
Eyeing over his perfectly toned swimmer’s body had me licking my lips and making a quick decision.
I rolled us so I was on top, keeping him sitting up too. I
moved his hand behind my back and sort of held it to my wrists. “I want to try this.”
The heat that filled his eyes was unreal. “No, you’re scared.”
“I still do.” I licked my lips and nodded. “I’m not wearing my charms. You know I do.” I rocked my hips to make my point. “Hold me to you like you can’t…” It was honestly too embarrassing to say.
“Like what, agra?” he pushed.
“Like you can’t handle the idea of me getting away,” I answered in his head. “Hold me to you while I please my sexy Irishman, Darby. Please? Run your fangs along my neck and let’s make love with everything we used to do and some new flare. No more holding back with each other. I want to.”
“Fine, but then I want to see if I can make you orgasm just from giving your perfect tits attention for as long as I want,” he replied as if he didn’t want what I asked just as much as I did.
He honestly wanted it more. This was one of his biggest fantasies, and the fact I was begging to give it to him made him worry he was going to finish way too fast.
Nice.
I ground my hips and lifted a bit higher as he enclosed his long fingers around my wrists, moaning as he leaned down and kissed my breasts. He ran his fangs over my skin and it made me shiver, but he was still careful not to show me how he looked right then.
That was probably best. No reason to risk things going wrong when it was the rare time everything was going right.
His thoughts had been right and he did finish too fast—before making sure I orgasmed, which Darby never did—and I actually found it ridiculously sexy I could do that to him. Something he found shocking from the way I acted when he was embarrassed.
“You recover fast, and I’m so fucking hot I drive you that crazy you couldn’t hold out, I cannot even put it into words,” I growled in between kissing him. “I can’t believe my prickly pear lost his head so much because of what I did.”
“Agra, I lose my head for you all the damn time,” he panted. He hissed as I sucked marks on his neck. “You have to stop tightening around me. I’m—shit, I’m still orgasming.”
I moaned. I moaned so deeply, he felt it in his body too from his thoughts. I tried to keep going and ride him since he was still hard. I was practically out of my mind, I was so turned on.