Morrigan wanted to say something to bring strength to the moment, but her voice was snatched away. She couldn’t seem to keep her eyes from the dark fairy hidden in the shadows. Morrigan never even got a full view of the man but still her heart beat rapidly and her stomach fluttered.
“I want to start patrols in our territory. Start close to the kingdom, slay any troll in our path, and work our way out,” Brook ordered. “We never leave the kingdom unattended. I think if Whisper, maybe Bray and Morrigan go out together, they can create a solid fighting party.”
Morrigan gazed at the map as Brook showed them where they would start. She couldn’t help but smile. Look at her cousin, strong, determined. Morrigan was proud despite the horrors that brought them all to this place.
“Did you bring your gun?”
“Of course.” Morrigan rolled her eyes and patted the bulge under her shirt.
“What will that tiny weapon do?” Thame, the fairy with the golden wings, asked.
“They’ve never seen a gun?” She raised her brow in suspicion. Just how far away from civilization did these fairies let themselves go? “I could shoot your nuts off from across the room. There’s even some, like sniper rifles, that could shoot them off from yards away.”
Thame shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Do not tell my mate that. She is heavy with child, and I fear what she will do as the pregnancy has not been without trouble.”
“So it’s set then?” Brook interrupted, her lips pressed together in a frown.
“Yes,” Morrigan said and kept her eyes from the shadows. Despite her desire to avoid Whisper, she would not let her cousin down. “Through the woods and off to grandmother’s house we go,” she muttered sarcastically.
Brook snorted.
Thame turned to her with such a confused expression. “We are not going to your grandmother’s home.”
Morrigan bit her lip to keep from laughing. This was not a situation for mirth, despite that comment. She adjusted her gun so it rested on her hip, in close proximity, without encumbrances. Then she shifted the bottom of her pants so the knives would also be easy to access. “Well, then let’s go kick some ass.”
Chapter Three
When she spoke of kicking ass, she wasn’t expecting it to be so…well, boring. Morrigan and Bray walked the woods around the kingdom, encountering nothing but the occasional wild animal and a few bugs she couldn’t possibly name. Bray was Flance’s mate and both of them were fairies with impressive wings. The fairy was one Morrigan instantly liked. Bray was a tough woman with a sharp sword. Her wings were brown and orange but looked bigger on her smaller frame. Morrigan admired the fairy’s shoulder length red-and-orange hair. At least the female fairies wore more than loincloths. Bray wore two strange dull armor pieces, one over her breasts and the other around her waist that reached mid-thigh. Her bare stomach was muscular and tanned. She must have noticed Morrigan checking her out because she turned quickly and spoke.
“Does my appearance offend you?” She had a look of defense and concern all at once.
“Nope, just glad you’re not wearing those loincloth things.”
Bray grinned. “But the men do look good in them.”
Morrigan chuckled. Speaking of good-looking men, the dark fairy was with them, but the moment they began patrol, he took to the sky. Apparently if he couldn’t hide in the shadows, he flew high enough to keep from prying eyes. That suited her better anyway. They walked the path with the quiet night surrounding them. They were still rather close to the kingdom, and it was a grassy field and petite green hills around them. Morrigan kept a sharp lookout for anything. “Do you think he found any?”
“Whisper? Well, if he did, we’d never know. He can wield a blade with deadly purpose.”
Morrigan wondered how he learned so well. Why did he always stay in the shadows? Her mind was quickly straying, and she took a breath of clean air. Stay focused. Do not think about stupid men that can do nothing but complicate life and try to dominate you. She shook her head, once again scanning the area. They were coming close to the tree line where the man in her thoughts was hunting. Morrigan shuffled over some prickly bushes and waited for her eyes to adjust. Here the leafy trees hindered the moonlight, and the darkness crept in closer. She placed her hand on the gun, turned the safety off, and continued to walk beside Bray. The fairy was also alert, grabbing the hilt of her sword and keeping her movements quiet. They were just inside the trees. They walked the area in a near circle. If nothing happened they would call it a night, knowing the immediate area was free of trolls.
Bray stilled quickly and Morrigan followed. She slowed her breath, straining to hear anything out of the ordinary. Being from the city, she wasn’t exactly sure what that would be. Bray tilted her head, slowly removed her sword. Morrigan frowned. She didn’t hear anything strange. Still she removed her gun, holding it in her hands. Bray moved closer, leaned and began to speak very quietly directly into her ear.
“I do not believe we are alone.” The moment the words left her lips a twig snapped.
A troll ran from the dense cropping of trees, and Morrigan saw the glint of a sword. Bray let out a cry of her own, only this was far from feminine. It was more like a determined, angry snarl, and she met the attacker’s blade with her own.
Morrigan cursed, unable to get a shot as they battled with steel. The sound of it clashing seemed to echo. She pulled out her knife, keeping her gun poised in her other hand. There. Another figure. It ran toward Bray, but Morrigan blocked its path. She aimed the gun. Morrigan was tackled from the side. The gun fell from her hands like a life preserver in the middle of a hurricane. She shoved the knife, still gripped tightly, into the thing’s side. It squealed above her, its paw-like hand coming down hard across her face. Painful sure, but all that smack did was piss her off. Morrigan locked her legs around the troll, shoved her hips upward, and slammed the knife down into its back. This time it pulled its own weapon free and she pulled her knife from flesh to defend her face from the blade. It was struggle of force and brute strength. One that ended as there was an angry roar and down swooped her dark fairy.
Whisper still managed to hide from the rays of moonlight as he grabbed hold of the troll atop her. The weight lifted, and Morrigan leapt to her feet. Bray was battling three of them. It was time to even the odds.
Morrigan grabbed her other knife from the sheath around her ankle. She may not know a thing about a sword except which end was pointy, but she knew knives like the back of her hand. Besides, she didn’t have time to go looking for the gun in the dark. She attacked the nearest troll, jumping onto his back and shoving the knives into his neck. He squealed and spun rapidly before falling to a heap on the ground. Morrigan ignored the disgusting black blood that covered her arms. She went for another, slicing at his legs. When he turned from Bray, Morrigan shoved the knife into his stomach and the other blade sank into his chest. He hissed, falling backwards with a thump.
Now they knew she was here and that she was a threat.
Two of them turned toward her. Morrigan caught sight of Whisper. His dark wings blended with the darkness as he tore apart trolls with his sword at a terrifying speed. Bray was battling with her own group, and Morrigan faced off against two ugly suckers. Each had a long sword. She made a mental note to learn to fight with these archaic weapons before focusing fully on her attackers.
One lunged. She blocked the sword with her knife, slicing at his hand with the other. The sword fell on the forest floor, and she used her kickboxing skills to the maximum. Her fists balled around the hilt of the knives. She kicked and elbowed until the troll fell back unconscious. Morrigan turned and shoved her body backwards just as the sword swung wide. It missed her midsection by inches. She stumbled slightly, regained her balance, and faced off against another troll. The creature before her hissed, a sword suddenly protruding from the troll’s chest. Black blood sprayed all over her and she cringed. The troll fell, revealing Whisper in the moonlight like a gift from the gods.
He was covered in the enemy’s blood, a slight grin on his face, and oh, what a face it was. Morrigan swallowed hard at the hard angle of his jaw, the full lips, and his slightly crooked nose. He had dark, almost black, eyes that seemed to radiate strength and power. “Thanks,” Morrigan croaked.
Whisper nodded his head, his blue hair mussed and streaked with black liquid from his recent kills. He stepped back, once again one with the darkness around them.
Morrigan turned to Bray who was wiping off her sword. There was a snap in the forest some feet away.
Bray scowled. “And where do you think you’re going!” she yelled, running into the forest, her feet coming off the ground as she flew after the last troll.
Morrigan surveyed the area and the bodies strewn around her. The beautiful summer night now had the stink of death and trolls. She felt Whisper’s presence rather than saw him, although Morrigan thought she heard quick breathing to her right.
“I am glad you returned.” His voice was like a purr, silk sheets on bare skin. It made her shudder, and she fought hard against such a weak reaction. This was why she ran the first time. He was why she fled this kingdom as if the devil were nipping at her heels.
Whisper.
Would she be able to give up control? Whisper let the thought linger as the silence stretched between them. He knew there was but one troll left, and the faint sound of blades clashing meant Bray was already taking care of the problem. Now here he was with the mate that had run from him. Was she afraid of him? No, she was too tough for that. She showed her strength when she fought those trolls without hesitation. Did she dislike the sight of him? He stayed in the shadows because his appearance tended to scare…well, everyone. He didn’t have the obvious scars like Keyn but being kidnapped by the trolls when he was younger had changed him. Whisper pushed the thought from his mind. No need to go down that dark route when this lovely lass was before him. He stepped forward and felt the moonlight on his face. His skin was more sensitive from his childhood in the caves. “You do not speak.” He said the words low.
“Nothing to say,” Morrigan replied. Her spine was straight and her back toward him.
Whisper grinned, flashing his white teeth and the two fangs that no one knew about. Those were another side effect of his childhood. His cock stirred beneath his loincloth as footsteps approached. There was the dainty flutter of wings, and he knew it was Bray returning from the kill. Whisper used his wings to glide toward Morrigan. His lips close to her ear, he quietly spoke so only she could hear. “Make no mistake, you are my prey.” He then took off into the sky. The wind rushed by his wings and caressed his warm skin. Did the moon look brighter this night? Did the air not feel cleaner? Did the stars twinkle just a bit brighter? All because his mate had returned.
Whisper grinned into the night, his black wings blending with the darkness until all that was visible was his fangs.
Chapter Four
You are my prey, blah, blah, blah. Morrigan tried to shake off the words, but for some reason, they kept replaying in her head, despite the long walk back to the kingdom and the visual effect of seeing the ruined kingdom by moonlight. She gave Brook the short version of what happened. The fight had drained her energy but dealing with Whisper had exhausted her. She yawned loudly, unable to hold it in, and Brook took pity. Her cousin showed her a good-sized, clean room. It was sparsely furnished, but Morrigan didn’t give a fig about the decor. She found her way toward a big claw-foot tub that was really rather modern day. Morrigan made sure all the doors were locked, including the ones to the small balcony. She did not need a repeat of the incident with Flance. She pulled her soiled clothes from her body and left them to rot on the floor. All she wanted to do was soak in water and get this grimy troll blood off her skin. While the tub filled, she walked around naked. It felt good to be free from clothing and let her skin breathe. Before long, the tub was filled with steaming water, and Morrigan sank into it was a sigh.
After enjoying the clean feeling for nearly an hour, she got out, threw a towel on, and fell face first on the nearest bed. It was merely seconds before her breathing slowed with the blessing of peaceful sleep.
****
Whisper inhaled sharply. His eyes widened as he took in the feast before him. Morrigan was lying on the bed. A mere piece of cloth covered her from thigh to hip. Her tanned, bare back was nearly his undoing. She looked scrumptious. His cock twitched at the thought, and he felt the tip pressing against the loincloth around his hips. He entertained thoughts of tying her to this very bed with soft silk around her wrists and ankles, enough to restrain but not mar that beautiful skin. His tongue ran over the fangs as he thought of sinking them into her flesh while she writhed around his cock in absolute bliss. Whisper’s black wings fluttered as if excited by his stream of thoughts.
There was a soft click, and Morrigan turned quickly to her back, revealing that shiny weapon again. Her eyes were puffy from sleep, and she had this wild hair around her face. Did she sleep with that little weapon?
“You have four seconds to explain why you’re here or I will put a hole in your dick.” She aimed down toward the intended target.
Foolish human, she had no idea the speed he was capable of. Whisper spun to the left and heard the loud click of the trigger. Some projectile flew past his head faster than a shooting star. He plunged down, over the bed and half atop Morrigan. She gave a very girlish squeak before shoving the gun in his face. Apparently, he underestimated that weapon. “What is that?” he asked, a little more concerned now that it was pressed against his cheek.
“The last damn thing you’ll see unless you get the fuck off me.”
He grinned despite the threat, keeping his lips closed as his eyes traveled down the column of her neck, over the lush skin of her breasts to Morrigan’s small nipples. The nipples were just above the rim of the towel, teasing him with the hard peaks.
Morrigan shoved the hard weapon into his face, and he felt the impact as he rolled to a landing beside the bed. Blood dripped from his mouth where his fang punctured his lip. Whisper growled. He grabbed her wrist, shoving the gun aside, and quickly straddled her body. “That was not wise.” He licked the leaking wound with his tongue.
“Morrigan!” Brook came charging in the room wielding a sword, a dagger, and two pissed-off fairies behind her. She took one look at the scene, and her mouth fell open.
“Care to tell this asshole to get off me before I kick him in the nuts?” Morrigan said. She sounded slightly calmer than she appeared.
Whisper hissed and removed his heated body from her. He hovered about her until the queen sharply called his name. “My queen.” He bowed his head, landing on his feet without a sound.
“What is going on here?”
“I was to wake her for our mission. She hit me.” He swiped at the blood that dripped down his lips.
Brook looked unsure for a moment, and then she lifted her chin. “Whisper. Downstairs. Now. Morrigan, get dressed and let’s get this day started.”
He detested being told what to do but he nodded. The queen was their leader. Human or not, he would follow. He took one last peek at Morrigan who was scowling at him as if he was a rodent and then trudged out the door to deal with his punishment. He only made it down the landing when Brook spoke.
“Morrigan is your mate, isn’t she?” Her eyes darted from him to the fairies behind him.
Whisper really didn’t want to announce that just yet. But he nodded, his black wings spreading to fill most of the hall. Brook was watching his wings. Very rarely was he in close proximity to anyone, and he shifted feet as she examined his form.
“That’s why she ran away last time.” Brook eased from a frown to a smile. “Wow, who the hell thought that was a good match?” She chuckled and walked past him.
Whisper tilted his head, blue locks falling into his eyes. He pushed them away and listened to the sound above. His body was still hard from the brief touch with Morrigan, his mate.
****
M
orrigan was actually trembling and her core creamed. The heat from his body, the way he held her down, it was the ultimate high combined with her greatest fear. Whisper wanted to dominate her and she almost let him. Morrigan hardly put up a fight as he straddled her body. That skin against hers. Knowing he could see her hard nipples. She remained sitting on the bed, shaken by her thoughts and her reaction. It took several minutes for her to gain her composure. She changed quickly into new white lace panties, black jeans, and a black T-shirt. She decided against the bra since she really didn’t need it. Her breasts weren’t big enough to need the constriction. Besides, they needed some freedom as every little touch was making her core quiver with need.
Damn it, she had to concentrate on the battle ahead, the revenge for the death of Carrick. Then there was her cousin. The poor woman was now a widow with a small child. She took a breath and opened the door. Morrigan made her way down the steps, keeping a watch for the dark fairy, and headed for the main room. She entered and stopped mid-step as she spotted a child. That could not possibly be Brook’s child. “Is that Adara?”
The fairies were gathered around the table. Each took turns playing with the small plump child. Adara had only been born a few days ago. She should be tiny and yet Morrigan was staring at a toddler. She was sitting up, cooing and smiling. “Yes.” Brook grinned as she glanced at the child.
“How...”
“Is it possible?” Brook finished her question. “You got me, but that is the child I gave birth to nearly four days ago. Apparently fairy children grow very quickly and then slow once they reach maturity.”
Morrigan was too stunned to comment.
“Which is what...sixteen, seventeen?” Brook walked over to the group, picked up Adara, and held her close. “Say hi to your aunty Morrigan.”
Adara waved her little arms and wiggled her fingers in Morrigan’s direction. Kids were not her strong suit. She smiled awkwardly and waved back. Adara cooed again, smiling and bouncing around in her mother’s arms.
Fairy Prey Page 2