by Tasha Black
She looked pointedly at the hourglass he had shattered on the stones.
“I changed my mind,” he said mildly.
“You changed your mind and broke the glass to save them,” she said angrily. “Even though you knew it would doom you.”
“There was no rule about not breaking the hourglass,” he said. “And you still have me to take over the midnight loop.”
“No,” she said. “I don’t have anything. Not even the girl.”
“I agreed,” he told her. “I won’t go back on my word.”
“You agreed to deliver the King of Pain,” the Queen of Silence snapped. “But that’s not you anymore, if it ever was. That selfless act you just pulled bought you a fresh title.”
Selfless act…
“Oh my God,” Jessica murmured.
She was looking at his crown.
He reached for it with shaking hands.
It was a beautiful thing. The golden vines that comprised it had a muted shine that made anything reflected in it appear deep within.
Along the side, the word Compassion was etched in plain script.
“The King of Compassion indeed,” the queen sniffed. “You’re the King of Deception, if you ask me.”
“It’s not possible,” Cullen said to himself. “I take my power from other people’s pain. I know what a monster I am.”
“No,” Jessica said softly. “You don’t. You’re not. I’ve seen it.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“Your touch takes away pain,” she told him. “You did it to me, to the troll, and even to the little old man at the hospital. Your power is compassionate. It always has been.”
“Yes, but he didn’t realize it,” the queen said. “And he used the power anyway. So he’s a towering jerk who accidentally helps people, at best.”
“Not anymore,” Dorian spoke up suddenly.
Cullen watched in wonder as his brother faced off with the queen.
“He sacrificed himself willingly to protect us,” Dorian turned to Cullen. “Brother, we spent a lot of years misjudging you. I hope you can forgive us.”
“You did not misjudge me,” Cullen told him. “I was unhappy and cruel. But I’m learning to be kind. Now that I have something to care about.”
He smiled at Jessica.
She squeezed his hands.
“Ugh. I’m out of here,” the Queen of Silence said.
There was an audible pop and she was gone.
Cullen looked around at his brothers, their queens, and his sweet Jessica.
“I hope one day I can make up for my past,” he told them quietly. “I know we can’t be friends now. But I will try to earn your trust. My foolish pride and anger have robbed me of so much happiness and so many opportunities to help.”
“Listen, this is beautiful and all, but I have some questions,” Miranda broke in.
“Of course,” Cullen said, smiling encouragingly.
“Did you just say that I’m your daughter?” she asked, looking back and forth between Jessica and Cullen.
“It’s kind of hard to explain,” Jessica said. “But I was trapped in a single day in the fae realm for twenty-five years. That’s why I don’t seem old enough to be your mother.”
“And you’re really my dad.” It wasn’t a question. “Is there some reason you chose not to share this information with me during the years I worked for you?”
“I didn’t know,” Cullen said simply. “Though I felt an affinity toward you from the beginning.”
“Okay,” Miranda said. “I’m going to have some follow-up questions, but there’s one more thing that feels pretty freaking urgent.”
“Of course,” Jessica said. “We’ll answer as many questions as you want.”
“If you’re my dad,” Miranda asked, pointing at Bron, her king and husband. “Does that make him my uncle?”
Bron immediately roared with laughter.
“This is not funny,” Miranda yelled.
But Bron doubled over, helpless with mirth.
“What my brother is, er, trying to say,” Cullen explained, “is that we are brothers in spirit, although we share no blood. Each of us was adopted by the King and Queen of Shadows because of our raw powers. So it’s fine that you two are married. Though it is a little weird for me, I’m not going to lie.”
Bron was wiping tears from his eyes.
Miranda gave him a smack on the shoulder, and he dissolved into laughter again.
“Well, I guess that went about as well as it could have,” Cullen said, turning to Jessica.
“I love your new outfit,” she said with a smile.
“It’s going to take some getting used to,” he said dubiously. “I don’t know how to be the King of Compassion. I’m really not sure what to do with myself.”
“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea of how to keep you busy,” Miranda said with a smile.
“First thing I’ll need to do is find a job, since someone gave away all my money,” he teased.
“I didn’t give away all of it,” Miranda sniffed. “But I did put enough into the Dolor Foundation that it’s been more than a full-time job for me to run it. I could use some help.”
“Seriously?” Cullen asked.
Jessica tried not to giggle at the expression of wonder on his face.
“Sure,” Miranda said. “But don’t go tousling my hair or anything.”
“Miranda, we know you already have parents who love you,” Jessica said. “I would just be honored to get to know you, if you decide that’s something you would like.”
“I would,” Miranda agreed. Her eyes twinkled when she smiled, and Jessica knew she was telling the truth.
“This is very touching and all, but I’m getting hungry,” Tristan said hopefully.
“Let’s all go to the Barry White Diner,” Sara cried.
Jessica glanced over at Cullen.
He nodded.
There were tears in his eyes, but they were happy tears.
She knew because her own eyes were wet with them, too.
22
Cullen
Cullen stopped at the threshold of his house in the Rosethorn Valley woods with Jessica by his side.
It had been an incredibly long day from the start.
Then they had spent quite a while hanging out at the diner, eating pancakes and drinking coffee until the wee hours - long enough that it actually started to feel like something approaching normal to be around his brothers and the woman who apparently was his daughter. Long enough that started to feel like… home.
And it was all thanks to Jessica Bell.
“Come on, let’s go in,” his pretty savior said, stifling a yawn.
He smiled down at her.
“I know you’re tired,” he told her. “But we can’t just stagger into that house and go to sleep.”
“What else would we do?” she asked, looking a little bit like she thought he was suggesting they go for a twenty-mile hike.
“I’m turning over a new leaf,” he told her. “This is the beginning of your life with a new man.”
“You’re the same man,” she said, eyeing him. “You’ve just… chilled out a little.”
“I’ll take that praise,” he said. “If I’ve pleased you in any way, then I’m happy.”
“So what’s your plan?” she asked.
“I’m going to carry you over that threshold,” he told her. “And then I’m going to make love to you.”
She laughed and the sound was like a caress.
She threw an arm around his neck and he lifted her in his arms and carried her inside, reveling in her sweet weight and the scent of her hair.
The house was still and silent.
She nuzzled his neck as he carried her into his bedroom.
Moonlight flowed through the sliders and slanted onto the floor by the bed, as if the room were a stage and the moon their spotlight.
“Dance with me,” he suggested.
S
he smiled into his neck, he could feel her cheeks.
“Yes,” she whispered.
He lowered her slowly to her feet and she flowed up against him.
“Gods, they do this differently in your day,” he murmured, senses awash in her.
“You’ve been in this day longer than I have,” she teased.
He wanted to tease her back, but he found himself hypnotized by the movement of her hips and the warm press of her breasts against his chest.
“You’re nervous,” she observed.
“Mmm,” he agreed, wondering how she knew his mind before he did.
“We’ve done this before, you know,” she said.
“It feels like it means more now,” he told her, wishing he could put into words what it meant to him to be on the path to goodness.
“We have a daughter,” she said.
“We do.” It was so hard to believe, and yet somehow made perfect sense.
She leaned her head against his chest, and he knew they were both thinking about it - all they had lost, and yet how amazing Miranda was, how lucky they were to know her now.
“Jessica,” he said.
“Yes?” she asked, gazing up at him with luminous eyes.
“Let’s have another daughter one day,” he told her. “Or a son.”
“Do you mean that?” she asked.
“Whenever you’re ready,” he told her. “I won’t rush you, my love, but I want us to have a big family. I want to give our children everything I wanted - love, acceptance and a role model.”
“You’re going to be a great role model,” she told him.
“I meant you were going to be the role model,” he said. “But of course I’ll do everything in my power to be a good father.”
“Cullen,” she said quietly.
He felt the weight in her voice and inwardly mourned.
She wasn’t ready, she might never be ready. Because of him she, had given up Miranda and she would probably never be the same. He could not imagine her pain. He was only beginning to come to terms with his own.
It was wildly selfish to hope for anything more than the miracle of her forgiveness.
“We don’t need another child,” he added quickly. “I know I don’t even deserve you. I destroyed everything with my temper. Men like me don’t deserve second chances.”
“Cullen,” she said again, taking his hand and pressing it to her chest. “Can you feel my heart?”
He closed his eyes and felt the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat.
“It was broken,” she whispered. “I thought I would never feel happiness again. I didn’t want to feel anything.”
“I’m so sorry, Jessica,” he moaned, hating himself.
“I was a coward,” she went on. “I walked away and didn’t even tell you why.”
“I was so scared. I didn’t know what happened to you,” he told her. “But you weren’t a coward. You found her a good home. You did what you had to do to keep her safe.”
“That’s what I thought at the time,” she said, nodding. “But I didn’t even say goodbye to you. And I think I pushed you off the edge when I should have been talking you down.”
Pain shot through him and he struggled to find the words.
“I lost myself, Jessica,” he told her at last. “I knew you had gone through the veil. I could feel it. But I could not follow.”
“How did you know where I was?” she asked in wonder.
“I couldn’t feel you here anymore,” he told her, wishing he could describe it better.
She nodded.
“I was desperate,” he said. “I needed power to break through the veil and find you. I was willing to do anything. I was ruthless.”
“That’s why you tried to open a lab in Rosethorn Valley,” she said.
“I knew the veil was thin here. I thought if I could get people upset enough about the lab it would be enough,” he said. “I didn’t actually want to hurt any animals. I just wanted to cause enough turmoil and anguish to force my way back to Faerie. Back to you.”
“How did you know I was reliving a single day?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you had broken through today, you would have had every reason to expect that I would be almost sixty years old,” she said. “But you still wanted to find me?”
“Of course I wanted to find you,” he said. “I will always find you.”
She began to sob against his chest then, and he pulled her close, kissing the top of her head, her forehead, her cheeks.
When she tilted her chin up it was the most natural thing in the world to press his lips to hers.
She kissed him back with so much passion it took his breath away.
Then suddenly they were fumbling with each other’s clothes, frantic to touch each other, to reaffirm their love.
When she was bare to him at last, he stepped back to gaze at her beauty in the moonlight.
She let him take her in for a moment, then she crawled onto the bed and opened her arms to him.
He stood over her, soaking in the sight of his queen, waiting for him with love in her eyes.
“Cullen,” she murmured.
He crawled in after her, pinning her to the bed, relishing the soft warmth of her curves beneath him.
“Jessica, I love you so much,” he told her solemnly.
“I love you, too,” she said, but she was already closing her eyes to be kissed.
He tasted her sweet lips again.
Like before, he could taste the agony of her desire for him. It pulsed between them like a living thing.
He pulled back and moved lower, nuzzling her breasts.
Another wave of her desire swept through him, taking his breath away.
He licked one stiff nipple into his mouth and the wave crested, her satisfaction humming inside him even as the next pulse of desire had him feeding on her breasts again and again.
He could feel it now that she was right. Her need fed him but assuaging her need fueled him even more.
He teased and lavished her breasts with kisses until he was pulsing with power and need of his own.
Then kissed his way down her sweet belly and nudged her thighs apart.
23
Jessica
Jessica let her head fall back against the pillow.
Sex with Cullen had always been incredible, but this was something else.
It was as if he had finally realized the power he held over her.
Her whole body sparked with pleasure.
She spread her legs, feeling her hips trembling already, overcome with need.
“Jess,” he sighed and pressed his lips to her sex.
Jessica lost track of her sounds as he alternately teased and nearly sated her need with his cruel mouth.
The pleasure was building in her, threatening to demolish her.
She expected him to pull back, but instead he redoubled his efforts and she felt herself fly apart.
He fed on her until the last tremors were gone, then he kissed his way up her belly, her breasts, her neck.
She smiled up at him.
His mouth was glistening with her moisture, but she didn’t care.
She pressed her lips to his and wrapped her legs around his waist.
“More?” he growled.
“More,” she agreed, lifting her hips. “Please.”
Then he was inside her, filling her, every thrust spiraling her closer and closer to finding ecstasy again.
He gazed down at her, his jaw set, eyes glowing with love and desperate need.
“Please,” she whimpered, not even sure what she was asking for.
He slid a hand between them and circled her clitoris firmly.
Jessica shivered once, and then her climax made her feel like she was flying.
“Oh, Jess,” he groaned.
She felt him fill her, his pleasure accentuating hers, until they both lay gasping in the night air.
“Wow,” she whispered.
Then he was kissing her cheeks, her eyelids, her forehead.
“I love you Jessica Bell,” he told her.
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
“Please don’t ever leave me again,” he murmured. “I don’t think I’ll survive it.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she told him.
“And if I mess up, you’ll set me straight?” he asked, a note of genuine concern in his deep voice.
He meant what he said. He wanted her to help him make the right choices moving forward.
“If you mess up, I will set you straight, Cullen Ward,” she promised. “Whether you like it or not.”
“If you’re doing it, I’m sure I’ll like it,” he told her, arching an eyebrow.
She laughed and pulled him close.
Exactly where he belonged.
24
Jessica
Jessica watched as Cullen carried a bucket of fish over to the naiad, his expression filled with the sweetest anticipation.
The last few months back in Rosethorn Valley had been nothing short of miraculous.
And Cullen had been living up to his new title.
The naiad, who looked for the most part like a gaunt old woman, smiled at Cullen shyly with rows of too-sharp teeth. She knew he was going to bring her fresh fish because he did so every week, when they came through the veil to the midnight loop to check on the magical creatures. Cullen had insisted on it, once he realized it was possible.
On the opposite side of the midnight garden, a huge black horse nudged Tristan’s hip from behind with a velvety muzzle.
“Kelpie,” Tristan cried, laughing and offering the horse an uncooked steak.
The big equine took the offering between his front teeth and galloped downhill toward the creek where he would transform and eat his treat.
Sara and Tabitha were politely admiring the Gan Ceanach’s muscles as he primped and posed. Admiration seemed to sustain him more than food, so the friends tried to help as best they could.
Miranda and Bron stood at the edge of the trees, where Miranda bent to deposit a large platter of meat.
Bron lifted his hands to his mouth and called out a long note, to alert the fachan that its meal was here.