by Jen Talty
You like this, don’t you? he projected.
“I like your voice.”
She felt his slight laugh seep deep inside her, sending her to places she’d only imagined. A kaleidoscope of colors danced over them in a cloud of everything pure and right in this world.
The throbbing ache between her legs screamed for release. He kissed, licked, sucked, and teased her like a conductor bringing the band to the crescendo of a song of epic proportion.
“Nico.” She rolled her head side to side moaning, digging her heels into the bed. She might not have experienced sex before, but she’d given herself orgasms.
This was nothing like anything she’d ever felt.
The bed rocked with their bodies, his intimate kisses growing more powerful.
Do you trust me? he asked.
I trust you. Even in her projections, she sounded out of breath.
It’s going to hurt a little, but I think only for a second.
Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as a deep, guttural groan exploded from her lips. A ripple of heat coated her insides, building as her muscles twitched and tightened. Even her toes curled.
For a brief moment he stopped, climbing on top of her, settling between her legs, his fingers rubbing her hard nub.
In an instant, he pushed himself deep inside her, growling as if he were the one in pain.
“Nico,” she yelled as she arched her back, raising her hips to meet him, making sure all of him was wrapped protectively inside her. She dug her nails into his back. The decadent sensations smothering her body eased the sharp pain that jabbed at her the moment he entered her.
He remained very still, holding her gaze with his lips drawn in a tight line. Cupping her face, he kissed her lips softly. “Are you okay?”
“Are you kidding? I’m wonderful,” she said, rolling her hips. She wanted more. Her body demanded more.
He took her mouth in a wild fury of passion, his hips moving with hers in a perfect waltz into oblivion. With every deep stroke, her stomach muscles tightened. With every swirl of his tongue in her mouth, an electric current slammed through her body.
“Oh my God,” she said softly. “It’s happening again.”
He grunted, riding her harder and faster until she clamped down around him, both of their releases turning into one big, thrilling moment in time that only the two of them would be able to repeat over and over again. The specks flying from her body, through his. lit up the room like it was the Fourth of July.
His movements slowed as he nuzzled his face in her neck, nipping at her earlobe.
“I had no idea what I was missing,” she mused, her fingers tracing the perspiration beading off his back, enjoying how he fit so perfectly inside her, next to her, with her.
Sucking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly.
He shifted to the side, pulling the covers over their naked bodies.
She draped herself across his body, her foot between his and her hand over his heart, feeling it beat against her palm.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“For what?” She tilted her head, glancing up at him.
“When wolves mate, we kind of stop using condoms. We’re with the person we’re supposed to be, so we kind of stop thinking about it. Not that I brought any with me.”
“Fuck.” She jumped to a sitting position. “I’m not on birth control.”
He reached out, pushing her hair over her shoulder. “I love that you have no modesty when it comes to me.”
“Now you’re just dodging our conundrum.”
“Nothing we can do about it now.”
“That’s true. But what I want to know is why didn’t you bring any to begin with?”
He closed his eyes. “I came into this thinking I could resist fate.”
“Yeah. Me too.” She let out long breath, easing back down into the bed, snuggling against him. “So, since we’ve already played a game of Russian roulette, think we might do that again sometime before the sun rises?”
“Absolutely, but let’s work on controlling the fireworks. I bet half the camp saw those sparkles light up this cabin like a Christmas tree.”
Chapter 7
IT’S ME, BROTHER.
Nico stood one hundred paces off the trail between the first and second lookouts on Buck Mountain, looking over Camp Uncas where he and his siblings attended during regular summer season. Other species used it during different times and for different reasons.
The moon and stars still dotted the dark sky, but daylight was only an hour away.
A small opening in the protective bubble unzipped much like a sleeping bag, and Nico stepped in, taking his brother in a quick manly hug with a slap on the back.
“Damn it,” Chaz muttered, standing near a fancy tent, shaking his head.
“What’s the problem?” Daphne asked right before she kissed Nico on the cheek. “Oh. Wow. You mated. That was even faster than me and Chaz.”
“I know, but we ran into a witch on a hunt, and Isidore made a choice to defend me and every other wolf in that room.”
Chaz arched a brow. “Only royals mate that way.”
“She’s a walking rainbow right now, really struggling to control the fireflies whooshing off her skin.” Nico pointed to a log in front of the campfire. “Can we sit?”
“Of course.” Chaz sat on the ground in front of his wife, who rubbed her growing belly, a reminder of what would be some day.
He always wanted to find his mate, settle down, have a bunch of pups, and live out his days on the farm with the rest of his family.
“We have a couple of issues we need to figure out. First, she is their chosen one.”
Chaz growled. “A warrior trained with the sole purpose of killing wolves and fairies.”
“But that means she’s also a traitor to her coven, according to the legend,” Daphne said, pressing her hand over Chaz’s shoulder. “And she’s a protector, your brothers fated mate, making her my protector as well.”
“And a fairy,” Nico interjected. Now that he had a few moments away from Isidore, the entire situation started to sink in. He still couldn’t wrap his brain around what it all meant. “But she didn’t start showing signs of being a fairy until she stood in front of me. At first, she smelled like a witch with a hint of vanilla. But when we met, damn, that scent changed.”
“A witch fairy. That’s a new one,” Chaz said, rubbing his temples. “This could all be smoke and mirrors, and this fairy thing just some black magic spell.”
“She’s my mate, so watch what you say, and of course, I thought of that, but I know she’ll stand with us,” Nico didn’t hold the bite back in his tone. He couldn’t have if he tried when it came to Isidore and what she meant to him.
“And if you’re wrong?” Chaz asked.
Nico swallowed. Hard. “I’ll do whatever it takes to fulfill my role, protect you and your children, even if it means I have to do the unthinkable. But it won’t come to that.”
“I hope you’re right,” Chaz said.
Now came the hard part. “There are some things you need to know, and I need a favor.”
“Like what?”
Nico sucked in a deep breath. These weren’t his stories to tell, but this was his family to protect.
Including Isidore.
“Kidar has been abusing Isidore for years.”
Daphne gasped, and Chaz let out a low, painful howl.
“She’s been waiting for her younger sister, who is a seer, to come of age, go through her branding ceremony, and then she planned on leaving her coven, the only reason why she went to Gerri.”
“To find someone duty bound to help her,” Chaz said, nodding his head. “A smart girl.”
“Only her father found out somehow, which means he knows she’s my mate.”
“That’s not good,” Daphne interjected.
“It gets worse.” Nico hated asking to pull resources to help Isidore and her sister, but he had to and not just because it
was his duty as her mate.
It was just the right thing to do.
“Thing is, she’s only got six more days to complete her mission and, in that time, she’ll run out of some potion that masks her location, but her sister’s ceremony isn’t for eight days.”
“That’s a problem,” Chaz said, leaning back against Daphne’s leg. “With a seer, if they don’t go through the ceremony, they lose all their powers and even their magic is weakened.”
“I had Drew do a little digging.” Nico’s other brother was an excellent officer as well, and Nico knew he’d get the information quickly considering all his connections. “Isidore’s sister can do a ceremony with another coven if we can find one who is willing to stand up to the Unseen Moon officers and have a valid reason for pulling her away.”
“That coven has been banned from participating in anything for years. I can’t imagine another coven wanting to take her in,” Chaz said, holding up his hand. “I’m just trying to be realistic.”
Nico nodded, understanding his brother’s concern. “That’s what Isidore thinks. She thought once she and her sister went on the run, they’d be coven-less, and she’d be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life.”
“That’s no way to live,” Daphne said in that sweet motherly tone she had that made everyone around her feel like everything was going to be just fine, no matter what.
“Neither is taking a punch in the gut, so her sister won’t have to ever experience that.” Nico clenched his fists, heaving in large gulps of air, trying to calm his rage.
“What else do I need to know?” Chaz asked.
“That’s it.”
“So, what’s the favor?” Chaz folded his arms across his chest. Rarely did his brother pull the ‘I’m the alpha of this pack, so do as I say’ with his siblings, but he had that look in his eyes, the one that said, doesn’t matter what or why, I’m going to say no.
“On the way up, I spoke with Goodier of the Coven of the Raindrops.”
“You did what!?” His brother leapt to his feet, reaching down, curling his fingers around Nico’s arm and hurling him to a standing position. “You had no right to do that.”
“They lost their seer many moons ago,” Nico said, ignoring his brother’s tirade. He understood the concern, but the Raindrops have been taking in lost witches from covens that don’t play by the rules for decades. They welcome the Wolfairy and everything that comes with them. “Without a seer, their coven weakens. It affects their community morale, and they’d love to take one that could potentially bring a fairy into their coven, being the first to accept them, and the Wolfairy.”
“And how do you propose we get this young woman to the Raindrops and protect all of them?”
“We kidnap her and bring her here,” Nico said, holding his brother, and his Alpha’s, glare.
“You’ve fucking lost your marbles or that witch has cast a spell—”
“Chaz,” Daphne said with a commanding voice as she stood. “That’s enough.”
Chaz growled. As Alpha, no one dared to speak back to him. But she’d also been crowned Queen of the Royal Fairy Family, and while he was their king, she was ruler of that world.
Interesting dynamic.
“As I needed to accept that I am indeed a fairy, and your mate, in like a week I might add, then we need to at least acknowledge the possibility that Isidore is one of my kin. A sister perhaps. And belongs with us.”
“But,” Chaz said, hands firmly planted on his hips. “We know nothing of her sister.”
“Same flesh and blood.” Daphne glided across the ground with the grace of an angel. “If Isidore is a Royal, then so is her sister. I want you to help them by doing what your brother, our protector, has asked.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Chaz muttered.
“We can’t turn our backs on fairies.” Daphne took her husband’s hand. “You know it’s the right thing to do.”
Nico held his breath, waiting for his brother’s decision. If he said no, Nico would be forced to go rouge, which wouldn’t be good.
Chaz cupped Daphne’s face, kissing her lips. “I couldn’t live without you or our babies.”
“And Nico won’t survive if he loses Isidore.”
“All right,” Chaz said, turning to face Nico. “I want you and Drew to spearhead this. But I’m going to require you to file it with the council.”
Nico opened his mouth, but his brother spoke first.
“File it and then go ahead and gather who and what you need. I will make sure it passes, don’t worry about that. Make sure I’m looped in on everything.”
“Bring the seer to me,” Daphne said.
“It’s too dangerous.” Chaz shook his head.
“I want her in this bubble until her ceremony.” Over the course of the last couple of months, Daphne, who had thought she was a mere human, and raised by those who hated and hunted wolves, had come into her new role with poise only a Queen could possess. “We’ll be protected, and it will draw Kidar—”
“Oh, no,” Nico chimed in. “We don’t Kidar anywhere near this bubble.”
“We need to end this, so I can go back to the farm and have these twins. We deal with Kidar and his coven, we abolish the problem.” She swiped her palms together as if to get rid of a bit of dirt.
“You know what?” Chaz asked, looping his arm around Daphne. “My brilliant wife just might be onto something here, depending on what kind of fairy powers your mate has and how many council members we can gather to ensure we can arrest as many of Kidar’s coven as possible, giving us a reprieve just as Spring Fling approaches.”
Nico’s mouth dropped open as he rubbed the inside of his ear with his index finger. “Am I hearing this right? You want to set a trap, bring them here, where the twins and Daphne are?”
“We outnumber them and with the help of the Coven of the Raindrops, I think we can get the upper hand,” Chaz said. “I need to feel safe transporting Daphne in the last weeks of the pregnancy, or what’s the point of hiding out?”
“I’ll set things in motion.” Nico lowered his head in respect.
“I can’t wait to meet Isidore,” Daphne said, excitement bubbling with every word.
Nico let out a laugh. “She’s a bit of a rebel, has little refinement, and dresses about the same as me.”
“Sounds perfect,” Chaz chided. “But I have one awkward and uncomfortable question.”
“What’s that?”
“Are you ready to be a father?”
“Ha ha. You’re so fucking funny,” Nico said, his heart thumping against his ribs. “It will be a long time before that happens. Besides, she’s only twenty-one. We have plenty of time to figure that out later.”
“Right, because you remembered to use protection when you mated.”
Nico’s stomach fluttered. He didn’t know if it was a good nausea or a bad feeling or what that could even mean. He couldn’t even think about the idea of having children. He needed to get through the next two weeks, then take Isidore on a long vacation where they could have some time to really bond. “My mate would not appreciate this conversation.” He pointed to the spot where he’d entered. “I’ll be in touch.”
Chapter 8
“NO WAY. NOPE. Not gonna happen.” Isidore pulled her helmet back over her head. “When you said we were going to a safe place, I never expected you’d mean anywhere near your family. Your parents farm is only twenty miles from here. This is insane.”
“You just don’t want to meet my family.” Nico tugged at the strap under her chin, but she batted his hand away.
“Damn fucking right, I don’t.”
“For now, it’s just my little brother, Drew, and my cousin, Aron.” He pointed to the log cabin tucked far off the main road near the edge of the woods.
“This is putting your family in danger, and we agreed we wouldn’t do that.”
“My family is in danger regardless.” He looped his fingers in the belt holes of her jeans, heaving h
er toward his chest. “You’ve been using your drops, right?”
“Yes, but we don’t know how effective it is now that my dormant royal fairy personality is taking over.”
“Can witches track royals?” he asked with an arched brow.
“Not yet.”
“What about fairies?”
“If we have something of theirs, and my father has lots of my shit.”
“Do you any reason to think he has any idea—”
She covered his mouth with her hand, his whiskers tickling her palm. “I’m afraid your family won’t accept me.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.” He removed her helmet, draping it over the handlebars of her motorcycle. “You’re going to be family. They will love you like I—”
“I’m not ready to hear those words.”
He laughed. “I’m not sure I could have choked them out anyway.”
She slapped his shoulder. In less than twenty-four hours, she’d found out what life was supposed to be like. What normal was, even if none of this was normal.
It felt that way.
He pushed back a piece of her hair before fanning his thumb under the cut on her cheek. “I need to plan with them, so we can get your sister. They are the best Twilight Crossing has to offer. We need their help.”
She rested her hands on his hips, feeling his strength as he held her close. “It’s one thing for you to help me, but everyone else? I don’t think it’s right to expect them to walk in the line of fire, for me.”
“It’s not just about you.” He kissed her nose. His affection overwhelmed her at times. The way his hand glided across her skin or glanced at her from across the room had been something she’d never had from a man in her life. No one she’d ever come across touched her so tenderly, or kissed so gently, much less made it their life mission to make her happy and to protect her.
No one.
“We need to get Coral within the next thirty-six hours, sharing your drops while we put everything else in place, so we can trap your father, and the other high ranking officers committing crimes.”
“We don’t know if the drops will work on someone who isn’t a warrior.” They’d gone over all this before they’d left the cabin in Lake George, but she still wasn’t sure any of it would work.