Dark Fae (Skeleton Key)

by Lillian Cartier

  “Do you have wings, too? Can you fly? Is that why you have this on?” I place my fingers on the edge of his cloak, wondering if the reason he’s wearing this is to hide what’s under it.

  “I do, I can, and I didn’t want to scare you. Mine are…” he hesitates for a moment before continuing, “…unique.” He lowers his hand and pulls me closer to him. I can’t help myself but to lean into him. Part of me is happy that he is considerate enough to think of me, but I don’t want him to hide or be uncomfortable in his home.

  “I want you to be comfortable in your home. I’m sure it can’t be comfortable having this on,” I declare to him softly, as I play with the bow that is holding it on his body. I want to see more of him, and he gazes at me with that look again. I have never touched someone like this before, and as much as I want to pull away, I know that I am unable to.

  “I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me. I want to make sure you’re okay. Your wants, needs, and concerns will always come first. Only yours, Tessa.” Placing a kiss on the top of my head, I cuddle against his chest. Hearing his heart beat relaxes me. He’s able to alleviate the stress and tension I’ve been holding, which I wasn’t aware of, as my muscles relax. “I would do anything to protect you, kitten.”

  “Can I see them?” His body tenses when I ask. He knows I’m asking to see his wings. I don’t like the idea of any part of him hiding from me. I want to see all of him, every inch of him. I crave to learn every part of his body, mind, and soul. I want to know his likes and dislikes. I want to know everything about him. He is doing something to me that I can’t explain, but I want more from him. It sounds selfish of me when I think about it. After everything that’s been taken away from me, and what I’ve lacked in my life, there is something about him that I desire more than anything. I want Nyx to myself.

  “Are you sure?” I lift my head from his chest, peering into his eyes.

  “I don’t want you to have to hide anything from me.” Nyx nods his head; his concern is evident since his body is still very tense. I reach up to grasp the cord, pulling slowly, and untying the cloak that covers his aforementioned wings. As the material falls away to the ground, I see the smooth steel-like plates layered on top of one another, like feathers on a bird. I’m in awe at how gorgeous his wings are. They don’t look like the wings I anticipated. I don’t have anything real to compare them to, since I hadn't looked closely at his cousin. It’s not what I saw on television as a kid, where they lit up and would spread glitter like fairy dust everywhere they went. They are oddly masculine.

  I reach out my hand to touch an edge, and they slide back in a rapid motion that scares me. I quickly pull my hand back, caught off guard from the movement of his wings. “I’m sorry. I'm not used to anyone touching. Do they scare you?” I can see there’s concern in his eyes when he hesitantly asks, as if he’s afraid I will turn around and run.

  “No, not at all. They are...” I hesitate since there isn’t a word that describes what I’m thinking. None of them negative in the way Nyx is probably thinking. “…fascinating. They look great on you. Can I see more?”

  “What do you want to see?”

  “I just want to see all of them. I promise I won’t touch...if you don’t want me to.” I want to, but I also want to respect his space and not be intrusive. Giving me a slight nod of his head, I move back to walk behind him to get a full view of his gorgeous wings. I notice that he’s following my every movement. Each wing is lying against his back, attached to his shoulders. They don’t look uncomfortable for him. Appearing like these very wings were meant for him, they fit him perfectly. The top of his wings tuck nicely between his shoulder blades, extending to just a few inches off the ground.

  “Wow,” I whisper, enchanted with how elegant but powerful they look.

  “You’re okay with them? I’m pretty attached to them.” Responding with a charming smile, I can tell he’s still cautiously watching my reaction.

  I can’t help but laugh at his response. “I suppose you would be slightly attached to them.”

  “Let me clean up and I’ll show you around?” he asks. I nod my head in response.

  “What are you going to show me?” I ask out of curiosity. I’m not sure if he is just showing me around the house, or if we are leaving and going somewhere. I don’t have any clothes with me, and I can’t imagine wearing his clothes in public would be entirely appealing.

  “I’ll show you anything you want to see.” As he winks at me, I begin to blush, thinking of how much of this guy, I mean Fae; I want to see. He rocks something deep inside me, and while I can’t explain or digest it, I feel there is something about him that calls to me. More than a want, it’s almost a need, and I can’t grasp why I feel this way. I need my body wrapped around him in every way possible, emotionally and… oh, yes, physically. Images begin to pop into my head like a slideshow of how it would feel to have him cloaked around me, thrusting into me, his hand cupping my breasts as he whispered the words telling how much I affect him. “Tessa?” I pull myself out of my state of obvious daydreaming, and I can feel the dampness between my legs, hoping Nyx doesn’t catch on to the thoughts that I am having. I begin to pick up the plates off the counter.

  “I’ll clean these up.” I smile back at him, attempting to cover up the dirty thoughts I have of this man. There is a fire in his eyes, and I note the way his entire body tenses; it seems as if he is going to pounce on me at any moment. There’s a lot of power radiating off this guy, and I want to fuel that fire sparking between the two of us.

  “I can smell how turned on you are; I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s taking every bit of me not to just take you, and claim you as mine,” he growls and fuck; I am embarrassed that he knows. but that only turns me on more. Setting the plates in the sink, I turn around, and crash right into him. I look up at Nyx, wondering how he ended up right next to me so quickly, when he was just on the other side of the counter.

  “How did you…” He cuts me off by kissing me. His lips press against mine, and I offer myself to him. His tongue swipes the seam of my lips, causing me to gasp as he wraps his hand around the curve of my ass. His taste becomes addicting, as I feel his tongue against mine, when I part my lips. I press my hips against his and feel his hard cock pressing against my core. Running my hands up along his side, I feel a breeze against my hands as he grabs a hold and places them around his neck. He rocks his hips against mine, rubbing my body in just the right ways. His fingers dig into mine, and I can feel it through the fabric.

  I’m sure there will be bruises but I don’t care. I don’t mind the bit of pain with the sensual passion he is delivering. I feel my hunger for him get stronger, and I begin to undress Nyx, having a hard time removing his shirt. I give a slight groan, getting frustrated. He leans back just enough, and rips the shirt off himself as the buttons of his shirt bounce off the floor in every direction. With a low snarl, he grabs me and places me on the kitchen counter. “I want you; I can’t wait,” he growls.

  “Take me; I want you, too.” I place a kiss on his shoulder, moving to the curve of his neck. I take a slight glance, and I see his wings are fully extended back, and the power that those wings represent is overwhelming. The power and strength that these very wings represent, that happen to be attached to this man, calls to me; making me crave him that much more. He pulls me closer to him, and I wrap my legs around his hips. He begins to move down slowly, while running his hands up the sides of my body, lifting my shirt and exposing my breasts.

  “You’re stunning,” he whispers before placing his mouth on the peak of my breast, kissing one and sucking on it, while grasping the other and massaging it. I lean my head back and a moan escapes me. This man’s touch is unraveling me. I am completely mesmerized by every brush of his hands, lips, and body. His hand makes its way down the flannel pajamas, moving toward my very core. “You’re so wet. Fuck, you feel good. I love how you react to me,” he rumbles into my ear; my breathing is getting heavier. He places h
is fingers against my clit and a whimper escapes me.

  “Please, Nyx,” I beg mercilessly, as he presses against me and I jerk.

  “What do you need, love?” His voice is husky and I moan his name again.

  “You. Please,” I respond desperately. "Now."

  “You will have me; I promise you.” He plunges a finger into me, and I clutch onto Nyx. He feels so good inside of me that I can feel myself on the edge of an orgasm, and I want to fall over. I want to let go, confident that Nyx will catch me. Every time. Thrusting his fingers in me, my whimpers escape me. He curves his fingers just slightly, and he’s hit the magic spot. “Come for me, baby,” he whispers. “Give me what’s mine, I’ll always catch you. Fall into me.” These words send me over the edge, and I come for him. I scream out his name as my orgasm washes over me. “Yes, that’s it,” he says as he kisses my jaw. He pulls his fingers out of my pants, brings them up to his lips, and licks them, and I’m ready to go again. “You taste amazing; I want more.” The flames in his eyes are burning, and he pulls me to him.

  “Hey, stud muffin, what are you doing?” I hear another woman’s voice, and I immediately panic. I pull my shirt down and try to right myself, embarrassed that someone may have caught us. That is before I wonder what another woman is doing in the home of my mate.

  Nyx drops his hands on the counter and groans slowly, still caging me in. “What are you doing in my house, Rebekah?” Rebekah?

  Who’s Rebekah? This woman just welcomes herself into his house. I hear footsteps coming up from behind me. I don’t turn around, not wanting to know whom she is or what she is doing here. I just want to get off this counter, scurry back to the bedroom, change, and leave.

  “I wanted to come by and say hi, darling. I missed you. I heard you brought a pet home for us to share,” she says in a seductive voice. Her voice is close, so I know she’s only a mere few steps behind. She sounds beautiful and sexy, everything I am starting not to feel about myself, as doubt sets in.

  Us. There’s an “us”? Nyx and Rebekah. I begin to panic, and push Nyx out of the way, getting down from the counter. I don’t want to face Nyx anymore; I can’t believe he is the type of guy that can’t be monogamous. I should know better, since I don’t know him, after all. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. Excuse me.” I hang my head, not wanting to face either of them. “I need to go.” I push past Nyx, so I can go back to the room and grab my belongings.

  “Tessa, listen to me,” Nyx says, as he tries to grab my hand. I pull back from him.

  “There’s nothing to say. I should go,” I respond, as I scurry my way down to his room. I hear the two of them talking, but I can’t make out the words from the distance I’ve created. I should have listened to my head. I don’t know why but it hurts to leave Nyx. I can’t explain why there is some connection on a deeper level, but I need to listen to my head and not my heart, which is starting to fracture inside of my chest. I just found someone that I thought cared about me, here in this amazing place.

  Rebekah is something to him. He appears annoyed that we were interrupted, but he certainly didn’t kick her out. I go into the bathroom to see myself in the mirror, and my whole body is flushed. Embarrassed, I turn away, not able to look at myself, and I change into my clothes as quickly as I can.

  I step out of the bedroom in search of Nyx, so he can point me in the direction home. It’s awkward to be in someone’s home and experiencing this feeling after lying in a stranger’s bed for three days. I didn’t have to search for him as Nyx is making his way down the hallway toward me. “Nyx, if you can give me a general idea on how to get back to my aunt’s cabin, I’ll get out of your hair. I really should go,” I plead with him, so he’ll just point me in the right direction, then I can escape from all that’s transpired.

  Walking up to me, he pins me with his stare, and I can feel the anger vibrating from him. “Let me explain. Don’t leave. I know how it looks. Rebekah means nothing. She likes to cause trouble.”

  “You don’t have to explain. I’m not anyone. You certainly don’t have to report to me.” I try to hide my reaction, not wanting him to see how he is affecting me.

  He lifts my chin, forcing me to look at him. “I know it’s hard to understand. As Fae, we only get to feel a connection with one person our entire lives. The person we get to have until we die. The feeling is hard to explain, other than there’s a constant pull and need to be with that one person. That person for me is you. I know you feel the very same connection I’m talking about. I will never do anything to hurt you or betray you. You’re the one meant for me. The one I’ve been waiting for. Please. Don’t leave. It would destroy me knowing that I’ve found you and to lose you, I couldn’t go on.” His words penetrate through me, and I feel every word he says. I know deep down that they are genuine. “Rebekah has been pursuing me, but there will never be anyone but you. I’ve never come remotely close to feeling this way with anyone, except with you. I can’t. I didn’t even think she was still around, to be honest. She left to go to your world a few months ago for some reason. I was glad.”

  Curiosity gets the best of me, and I ask, “What do you mean you can’t?”

  “My wings, they are unique to my bloodline. The metal runs through my blood, so I’m immune to it, and our bloodline is the only type of Fae that can carry the metal-like wings. To others, my wings can be deadly. Fae don't react well to metal and with enough in their blood, it’s fatal.” I look at his wings over his shoulder, and I can’t imagine Nyx without them, I can tell the wings completed him.

  “And me?”

  “I don’t know. It’s why I don’t want you to touch them. It would devastate me to be the cause of your pain.” He fascinates me. I don’t know why, but something in me is telling me it is okay, and that I don’t need to fear him. I know instinctively that somehow, I can embrace all of him, including his wings.

  “Can I touch them?” Fear crosses his face, and he takes a step back with agony in his eyes.

  “I can’t, I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice is urgent as he backs further away from me.

  “Please? You said only if enough metal enters a bloodstream. If anything happens, it will be minor. Maybe your wings won’t affect humans like they do Fae? Please, Nyx, I want to be able to touch you. All of you.” Hesitation is obvious but I take a step closer, and he’s not backing away. I circle behind him, his sharp eyes tracking my every movement.

  “Be careful, love.” I nod, and reach out toward his wings, wanting to do more than see them, while he’s still as a statue. I place my hand on the top of the right wing. I feel the smooth, warm metal surface, running my hand along the curve of his wing; I can see goosebumps form on his skin.

  “Can you feel me? Touching you?” I ask. He nods.

  “Only certain parts.” I run my hand down lower and follow one of the steel blades. They aren’t razor sharp, but I can see that each blade serves a purpose. “Careful.” As I move my hand closer to the edge of the blade, I can see, with enough power, each blade could deliver severe damage. Following the trail of the blade. I reach the tip of a single blade of his wing, and I move it. They are flexible, not stiff or heavy. I run my fingers along the edge that looks to be the sharpest, and it barely scrapes my fingers. “No!” Nyx panics, pulling away from me. Nyx grabs my hand, looking at the fingers that touched his wings and back at me in awe.

  “Does it hurt?” I shake my head no as I look up at him. “How is this possible? Anyone else that would have dared run their fingers along my wings would have had their fingers severed,” he says in amazement as his face lights up.

  “I don’t know, but something in me knew that they wouldn’t hurt me.”

  He wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me up, spinning us around. “You have no idea how happy this makes me. How relieved I am! Come on, follow me.” He pulls me toward the direction of the front door.

  As soon as we take a step out, with excitement in his voice, Nyx asks, “Are you ready?” He sounds lik
e he has just woken up and all his wishes had come true. I feed off his excitement.

  “What should I be ready for?” I respond cheekily. He wraps my arms around his neck before he reaches around me, and I fall into him.

  “Hold on tight, love.”

  “Why?” I ask, curious as to why I would need to hold onto him.

  “I’m going to do something I’ve never done. We’re going to fly. Do you trust me?” My eyes get big, and while a part of me is scared, a bigger part is excited. He places a finger below my chin, lifting my gaze to meet his. “I won’t let anything happen to you; you mean more to me than my next breath. I want you all to myself.” He gives me a feather light kiss on my forehead. I want to do this with him; I want to be his first. I can’t say no when he is this excited. I nod my head, and he gives me the biggest smile. His wings spread out and lift up partially above his head, with one powerful, smooth, downward motion; we rise into the air.

  I no longer feel the ground below me, and I’m clutching on to Nyx. He wraps his arms completely around me, which is my only assurance that I won’t fall. Part of me is having this rush of adrenaline and it’s fighting the other half of me that’s fearful. I’m not meant to be in the air. I don’t have wings that will keep me afloat. My brain is fighting between apprehension and excitement. “Open your eyes, love.” I hear Nyx whisper in my ear.

  I open my eyes, not aware that they were closed at all, and I see nothing but sky. The breathtaking scenery captivates me to the core, and Nyx was able to give me this. Taking a deep inhale of breath, the sight before me amazes me. I see clear blue skies, with white cotton clouds that blanket different sections of the sky, as well lush green trees as far as the eye can see. “Wow.” Nyx pulls his head back, and I meet his stare.

  “Hi.” He greets me with a smile.