by Mila Young
The notion of who I really am and what this means still doesn't feel real, but I haven't been able to stop smiling or spinning around on the spot each time I think about how things ended up.
I recall a corny saying about how when life gives you lemons, you give it lemonade back. Well, I’ve just created the fucking golden ambrosia of the gods’ kind of drink with my lemons.
Don't get me wrong... I'm nervous as hell to become a Queen. But I get to be with my three princes unquestionably now, and that is what I really care about.
Yesterday's events at Ahren’s wedding to a princess turned into a whirlwind. Everyone keeps telling me, the day will go down in history, talked about across the realm, and my name will be on their lips. The cursed girl who will become Queen. Songs will be written about me, and in truth, that just makes me laugh because it can’t be me they are talking about.
The princes had assured me, they are by my side and I will make a strong leader, and while I believe them, the trepidation that I will fail everyone drags heavily through me.
So, I escaped to my room where it's quiet. After all, the princes have been dealing with the guests who came to our court from far away kingdoms for a wedding that never happened, not to mention the princess and her family. Everyone has been welcomed to remain a few extra days so they may attend the real wedding.
A buzz runs down my spine at the thought of my marriage, and those butterflies spring up in my stomach. This is happening.
This is actually happening.
Goosebumps cover me with elation.
A knock at the door has me spinning around to find Michae in the doorway, hands stiff by his side, a relaxed expression on his face. “Prince Ahren has requested your presence.” He bows his head forward. “He has something to show you.”
“For me?” My nerves start dancing beneath my skin.
Michae smiles calmly, reassuring me. Then he gives me a cheeky grin. “Shall we go, my lady?”
I follow him out into the hallway where it's quiet. Majority of the staff are in the palace to clean up after yesterday. Others are helping with my wedding. Apparently, I don't get a say in how it runs. Under Fae customs, it's up to the mothers of the bride and groom to arrange all the whole event. I am hoping this means my mother and the princes will start to get along.
Michae walks me through the mansion, over the bridge and soon brings me to a small enclosed courtyard with a clear ceiling to view the sky. The castle walls surround the gardens on four sides. Flowering trees of pinks and whites dot the land. Roses and flowers scatter in between, along with shrubs. There’s a small vegetable garden to my right, and even a round marble fountain, spouting water. This is a greenhouse, and it’s spectacular.
Half a dozen butterflies flutter through the air, and I already want to move my bed here.
“Follow the path,” Michae tells me, and when I turn toward him, he's retreating inside and shuts the door.
There's only exhilaration in my veins. The two fae from the court who wanted me dead are gone, and I doubt Michae would put me in danger after everything we'd all experienced recently.
I take a step forward, then another over the cobblestones dotting the ground, while flowers of every color surround me while the butterflies sweep around. I pass trees with gold and red globes like apples, the air heavily perfumed with lilac and vanilla scents. I feel like Alice in Wonderland, my stomach a buzz with adrenaline of what I’ll find. And why haven’t I been taken to this garden before? Only once I curve around a large weeping tree, does a wooden hut with a pointy roof come into view. No windows, but there’s an open doorway.
Curiosity has me lifting my deep red dress that dances around my ankles and hurry forward.
Stepping up to the doorway, I meet Ahren inside, sitting on a black leather chaise lounge that looks more like it belongs in the throne room, rather than as garden furniture. My prince stands at my presence, his smirk captivating. White long hair is combed and parts just over his temple. Full lips pull into a devious grin, while those jeweled green eyes draw me closer. There is a different air about him today. Gone is the sorrow and anger on his face because now he knows he doesn’t have to marry someone else. That memory knots in my chest with a surge of desperation at how close we came to having both our lives ruined. But that’s the past now, and I refuse to hold onto that fear any longer.
“Is this your secret getaway place?” I ask, stepping inside, taking in the little clear globes filled with lights hanging on the walls, making the place appear magical.
Ahren steps toward me and takes my hand, drawing me into his arms instantly. The magnetic attraction is instant between us as I push myself onto my toes, our mouths meeting. His kiss is hungry and fast like we haven’t seen each other in months. I return the passion, grasping onto his shoulders, pressing my breasts against him.
Strong hands wrap around my back, sliding down, cupping my ass.
I can’t breathe with the desire of how much I crave him. Mouths join together, our bodies pressed tight, it hits me how much I would have lost if he married someone else. To never feel his touch, his lips, his body would have killed me.
“I never thought I’d be with you again,” he breathes against me. His lips fell to my neck, where his licks and small bites sent shivers through me.
His words coat me, as does his fear of losing me. The breath I suck in is hitches because it mirrors my own dread. I knew this already but to hear it from him means everything to me.
I cup the sides of his face, whispering, “We’re never going to be apart again.” Then I kiss him with an addictive fever, and he responds with a raw, primal growl, his fingers digging into my lower back. I give a soft moan as he takes handfuls of my dress, bunching it up around my waist. He breaks from me suddenly and kneels in front of me.
My chest heaves with breath as I wait to see what he’ll do.
Fingers curl over the top of my underwear and tug it down my legs. I step out of them as his hand, feather-soft, touches me across the apex of my thighs, over the small mound of hair, while holding the material of my dress up. Ahren just stares at my pussy like he’s taking in what he hasn’t seen for a while, and kisses me there so tenderly, my heart flutters. Though he moans with a hunger that drives me crazy with lust.
He’s on his feet in seconds, a hand behind my head, and he pulls me in. We kiss again, his other hand tugging the fabric down my shoulder so harshly, my whole body shakes. But I don’t care, not when I’m starved for this fae.
My breasts pop free, and he lowers his head, sucking on my pebbled nipple.
“Please make it hurt,” I ask.
His gaze drifts up at me and smiles, then he gnaws on my nipple harder, while his other hand finds the heat between my legs again. Fingers slide between my soaking lips, parting them, and he pushes two fingers into me unceremoniously.
I throw my head back, groaning, giving myself to this fae. He traces his mouth over my collarbones, my throat, and he kisses me, bruising my lips.
Everything about him calls to me.
My hands thread through his hair, holding onto to him as he releases his fingers from within me.
“Fuck me, Ahren,” I purr.
His smile is wicked, and I clench my thighs, my clit pulsing just at the way he stares like he’s about to devour me. He unbuckles his belt and pants, dropping them so quick, he’s naked from the waist down in seconds. His thick cock is hard and moist on the tip. God, he is so big and I want him inside me.
“Come here, beautiful. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about your delicious little pussy, and how much I’m going to fuck you.”
My ovaries more than approve, and my whole body clenches at the sexiness of his words. I grab hold of his black top to drag him to me but he lifts me off my feet by my waist. I coil my legs around his hips, deftly lifting the skirt of my dress between us with one hand.
“Take me,” I demand. “Show me how much you’ve missed me.”
“When I’m finished with you,
the whole kingdom will be breathless.”
A shiver runs over me, and I shudder from his words alone.
He adjusts me slightly, until the tip of his cock kisses my entrance. I’m wide and spread for him.
“I make you a promise,” he says, slowly pushing into me. “That every time we fuck, you will scream and beg for more.”
Writhing against him, I tilt my pelvis to take him easier, to fit him. “Then show me already,” I challenge him.
Grasping my hips, he sinks into deep in one long thrust. I scream out, partly from the best kind of pain, and mostly from surprise at how fast he takes into me. I grip his strong, round shoulders as he fills me completely. There’s no pause as he fucks me standing up, his mouth on my neck
I moan and squeeze him inside me, the friction between us an inferno. He walks us over to the lounge, where he lays me onto my back effortlessly, one of his hands on the cushion, the other on my back. He remains embedded inside me the whole time. He is so strong.
Shifting slightly to accommodate him from this new angle, I lean forward and we kiss.
Our bodies are one, moving in rhythm, our breaths in a dance. My nipples prick the quicker he pummels into me. He’s relentless, showing no sign of slowing, and I’m drowning in his passion, our sex scent, in the way he claims me. His lips caress my neck, while his hips drive into me, over and over.
“Oh yes, fuck me harder,” I plead.
I’m floating on the clouds, loving every damn second of the way he makes love to me. I surrender completely to him.
We fuck, and I adore those sounds he makes… they are pure bliss. I am so turned on, his thrusts are incredible.
My entire body trembles, and a powerful shudder of euphoria coarse through my entire body so quick it surprises me. The orgasm comes suddenly, tearing through me. I scream out with pleasure, my back arching, as he keeps crashing into me, over and over, shaking the chaise lounge.
A thunderous growl rumbles out of his throat. His grip on my hips tightens, and after a final plunge, he pauses inside me, pulsing. He roars, and I fucking love him. I can’t stop staring at this gorgeous man lost in his own lust, buried deep inside me. And he’s mine. All mine.
We’re both breathing heavy, sweat beading across his brow.
He collapses on top of me. “You are fucking beautiful, and I love everything about you.” We stay embraced, locked together for I don’t know how long, but I don’t want to move. This is where I want to be always.
His breaths brush over my neck as he finally pulls back from me. He slides out of me and goes to collect his clothes, dressing himself. Then with my underwear in his hand, he cleans me up, then tucks them into his pocket. I can’t help but adore the way he cares for me.
I shuffle to sit upright, drawing my knees to my chest as I cover them with my dress. He flops down near me, our sides pressing together like neither of us can bear to be apart from each other for more than a few seconds.
“My intention was to talk to you first,” he says, half laughing. “But I have no control around you.”
Cradling in against his chest, I embrace the contentment that fills me. “I was perfect. I missed you so much.”
We don’t talk right away. He holds me, and I let myself start to believe that what I have is real. Then I decide I need to tell him things he doesn’t know. I clear my throat and say, “I wanted to tell you about my father earlier. But I didn't want to come across like I'm taking your throne. I never wanted it, Ahren. In truth, all I cared about was not losing you.”
With the way he looks at me, I see the hurt in his eyes like my words have taken him aback.
“Guendolyn, I would never think anything less of you if you'd told me the truth. And I should have been truthful about my arranged marriage the moment I found out. I kept hoping someone else would break the news to you. I didn’t want to lose you, so I put off the inevitable.” He wraps an arm around me, drawing me closer. I melt against this big, powerful fae who wants me as much as I do him. “We both tried to protect each other and only made things worse,” he admits.
I rest my head against his shoulder, breathing in his masculine scent of fresh soap, pine, and our sex. “Pretty much. But we ended up together in the end. That’s all I care about.”
“I want to hear everything,” he coos, while kissing the top of my brow. “Tell me how you first met your mother, how you found out who you were. I feel like I missed out on so much to make sense of it all.”
For the first time in too long, I feel calm. There's no secret to conceal, no worry about what tomorrow will bring, no one hating me. Well, not that I'm aware of.
So, I take a long breath and explain the events from recent days from Jasion kidnapping me, to visiting my mother, the ruby shards in my hand, and even to Ramond helping us.
His hold tenses, and I sense him stiffening at hearing me. I expect him to bombard me with questions, but he doesn’t. When I glance up at him, his expression is of someone distraught.
“You know the rest as you were there in the great hall yesterday,” I say, but he doesn’t meet my gaze. “Did I say something wrong?”
He still doesn’t speak, and the struggle on his face intensifies, slicing through me that something is seriously not right here.
“Talk to me,” I prod.
“You were in danger and hurt, and I did nothing,” he murmurs, almost as if he’s speaking to himself. His voice darkens.
The piercing ache in his voice rips me apart because the point of reflection is to understand and learn, then move on, right?
“Ahren.”
“No, I was meant to protect you. I did nothing to stop you from being hurt.” His jaw clenches, and he stiffens against me like he's shutting off.
Except we've come too far, overcome so much, to let this get in our way.
I turn to face him.
“I’m alright.” He takes my hands and kisses the palms of both. “But I should have been there for you.”
“You're here now. That's what matters. We both did what we thought was right at the time.” I kiss him, stealing the hurt from him, replacing it with my love.
He doesn’t break away, but when I break our kiss, he leans his head against my chest. I hold him like that for a long while. We all deal with pain in our own ways, and if he needs me to just hold him, then I’ll do that.
I lose track of how long we stay bound together, and when he finally comes up, he just cups my face and kisses me. Tenderly, filled with love and affection. This isn’t about lust or desire, but the true feelings he holds for me inside. That’s why he hurts.
“I know I can’t undo the past, but I will show you how much you mean to me every single day for the rest of our lives together.”
I laugh as happy tears prick my eyes and I hug him. “That means the world to me.”
Chapter 22
Guendolyn
Three Days Later
I stare into Luther's gaze as he stands next to me grinning madly, dressed impeccably in deep blue pants and a doublet jacket, with a gold coat that hangs from his broad shoulders like a cape. The color matches the gold buttons running down the front of his jacket, bringing out the color of his amber eyes. Each time I look at him, my knees wobble... but let’s be real here. All three princes have the same effect on me.
Deimos stands next to him who winks my way, rousing giddiness inside me, while on my other side is Ahren. Tall and proud, dressed similarly to his brothers except in a deep red and silvery suit.
His smile is spectacular, the corners of his eyes crinkling, his strong jawline drawing my attention. I am so in love with my princes that it still overwhelms me.
Ahren leans toward me and whispers in my ear, “I'm going to ravage you tonight.”
A shiver of delight zips down my spine and curls in the pit of my stomach, recalling out time in the garden hut, and arousing the beast that is my libido. She’s completely out of control around them.
So I lean in and repay the favor, whispering
, “I'm not wearing any underwear today.”
The change in his expression is instant, lust gleaming in his eyes.
Normally I would laugh at him, but this may not be the most appropriate of places. I glance out to the thousands of fae spread throughout the Ash Court grounds, made up of both Seelie and Unseelie, here to celebrate our marriage and our acceptance of the throne. After this, a spectacular revelry is planned. Mother, who sits in the front row next to the princes' mother, arranged this for us.
Looking at the attendees, my stomach flip-flops with nerves. I don't think I will ever get used to this kind of attention.
The late afternoon sun is setting, coloring the sky in an array of bejeweled reds and oranges and pinks. Hundreds of fairies sit in the branches of the surrounding trees, watching and taking part in our gathering.
“Your Highnesses,” Michae announces and bows before us. He’s dressed in a crisp new guard’s uniform, his shoulders lined with the golden stripes of the captain. His new role, which he quickly accepted.
Behind him, several guards drag forward the old king of Ash Court and his mother, hands tied behind their backs, a blue aura around them. Courtesy of Ramond to ensure their magic is blocked.
My mother had them captured and imprisoned the day she arrived at Shadow Court, keeping them locked safely away until we could make a decision.
“Drop to your knees,” a guard bellows as he kicks in the back of the king’s legs. He falls, and his mother follows suit on her own.
My mother gets up from her seat. She looks incredible, dressed in a pale green dress that flows loosely to the floor, the hems and sleeves made of fabric as thin as a spider’s web, her hair pulled off her face by a tiara made of flowers.
She looks at me. “My Future Queen, I realize we are doing this a bit backward, but I don't want anything to interrupt your marriage and coronation. The decision is yours on what we should do with these two.”