Chasing Aledwen: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Novel (Fated Seasons: Spring Book 1)

by Laura Greenwood

  Looking up, she spotted a couple of attendants still watching.

  “Prepare a trundle bed in my rooms, please. And get Diana anything she needs.”

  Twin looks of shock crossed over the two fae she’d addressed, but they curtsied anyway, and ran off to do her bidding.

  Aledwen turned back to Drey, and stroked her finger down his cheek. “We’ll get you fixed soon,” she promised, sure that was going to be the truth.

  Ten

  Aledwen watched as Drey’s eyes flickered open, relief surging through her. He really was okay then. That was always a good sign.

  “Hi,” she whispered breathlessly.

  “Hi,” he returned, groaning low as he tried to move himself. The sound went right through Aledwen, and left her tingling all over in a way she’d never really experienced before. “Where am I?”

  “In my room,” she replied, thinking about the outrage it had caused to get him there. No one had been particularly happy about bringing him here. More fool them, really. It was far too late to protect her virginity, and he clearly hadn’t been in any fit state to hurt her anyway.

  He chuckled deeply.

  “Yes, it went about that well,” she told him, stroking a hand down his cheek and enjoying the smooth, warm skin against hers.

  Hesitating for a moment, not wanting the same rejection as she received before, Aledwen leaned down and pressed a kiss against his lips.

  It took him even less time than before to kiss her back, even going as far as tugging on her lower lip gently with his teeth. She moaned into his mouth, moving from the chair next to the trundle bed, and positioning herself on the mattress next to him.

  She pushed her body against his, feeling her breasts press against his naked chest, only the fabric of her clothes between them. It was too much. She wanted them gone so she could feel skin on skin.

  Where was this coming from? She was never like this. He just awoke something within her that hadn’t been there before. She didn’t want to admit how much she liked it just yet.

  His arms snaked around her, pulling her closer to him. Not that she was complaining. He was so warm. So enticing.

  Aledwen slipped her hand over the hard muscles of his chest, comparing how soft his skin was compared to his scales. She loved the feel of both, but this probably held the advantage.

  Until he took her flying again. That could give this intimacy a run for its money.

  She pulled back, looking down at him, his glazed eyes not really giving away how he was feeling.

  “You okay?” he asked, brushing back a strand of long brown hair behind her ear, and trailing his hand down her cheek after letting it go.

  “Yes,” she answered, nodding along needlessly. But her mind had gone a little blank, and all she could think of was Drey lying in front of her.

  She didn’t wait for him to say anything else, and leaned down to kiss him, pressing herself even more into his body. She filled her kiss with more passion than she’d ever imagined possible, and his hold on her body soon tightened. One of Drey’s hands strayed to the lacing on the back of Aledwen’s dress. She felt him tugging at the strings, and anticipation built inside her. She knew where this was going, and for the first time in her life she was truly excited by the prospect.

  He pulled back from her, his face screwing up in concentration, still struggling with her laces.

  “Do you need a hand there?” she asked softly, her voice coming out far huskier than she imagined it would.

  “No,” he replied instantly, resolve plain in his expression. But he was still struggling with the ties.

  Even so, she left him to it. If there’s one thing she’d learned over the years of only being able to watch life at court, it was that sometimes, letting a man believe he was needed and in charge, led to an easier time of it. They liked to feel necessary.

  Aledwen applied that logic now.

  “How fond are you of this dress?” he asked after a few moments more struggling.

  “Not particularly.” It was an awful colour, but comfortable and formal, perfect for the meeting with Fane she’d dressed for.

  “Good.” A wicked smile replaced the look of concentration, and a harsh ripping sound alerted her to what he’d planned.

  A small giggle escaped from her lips as the dress fell away in two halves. The tattered fabric was a problem for later. As was telling him he wasn’t allowed to rip her dresses every time he undressed her. So far he was two for two after all.

  “Better?” she asked coyly, kissing him chastely before rising to her feet and getting rid of the rest of her clothing. She should feel self-conscious, and somewhere underneath it all, she did. But the feelings growing inside her far overshadowed that. Her only thoughts were those of Drey and the pleasure he could bring to her.

  The pleasure she could take.

  He really did bring out a different side of her, and she couldn’t even bring herself to care. Maybe this was who she was really meant to be, and the slightly meeker version of herself was the shell before the man.

  No. She stopped in her tracks. She wasn’t ever going to be defined by a man. Any man. She was owning this moment because she wanted to. And if this moment ended, it would be on her terms.

  The idea settled well within her, and she smiled to herself, pleased her realisation had come now, and not after she’d slept with him. The difference was only going to be a matter of minutes, but that wasn’t the point.

  Aledwen’s skin heated as he gazed at her with hunger in his eyes. “Come back closer,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with tension.

  “Are you sure?” She smiled at him, surprisingly coyly for how out of the ordinary she was feeling.

  “Yes, I want to taste you.”

  Jolts of desire shot through Aledwen as she removed the last of the space between them. “So you can eat me?” She almost covered her mouth with her hand, shocked at how forward she was being.

  Drey chuckled throatily, his eyes never leaving her. “Only if you beg me to.”

  “Is that a challenge?” Aledwen cocked her head to the side, and attempted to look serious. Failing within moments. There was no way she could, not in this situation, when her body was desperate for his attention and crying out to be touched.

  “Would you like it to be?”

  She bit her lip, studying him intently. Did she? “What kind of game?” The words slipped out before she’d really considered if they were a good idea. But she trusted him, and knew he wouldn’t do anything to actually hurt her.

  “Let’s see who begs first.”

  A soft whimper tried to escape from her, but she just about managed to stop it from sounding. Looked like she wasn’t going to stand a chance. At least it was going to be fun to lose to him.

  “And the winner?” Her voice cracked as she asked, and the anticipation was mounting by the second.

  Drey sat up, surprising her with how well he’d already healed. He slipped his arms around her back, and pulled her into him, her bare skin touching his chest.

  “Gets to choose where I take you first.” He lifted a hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

  Not wanting him to have any kind of advantage, Aledwen lowered herself onto his lap and cupped his cheek in one hand, guiding his face to hers and kissing him deeply.

  She could feel him against her, making her smile against his lips. And get an idea. She dragged her hand over his clothed leg, and slowly drew it inwards. Drey’s breathing hitched, pleasing her more than she really wanted to admit. There was something about knowing this was his response to her which had her feeling hotter than she ever had before.

  And more beautiful.

  She flattened her hand against him, rubbing slightly, and receiving more groans in return. A good response, but not begging.

  She broke away from his kiss and pushed him back down onto the trundle bed, eager to get on with her devious plan.

  Giving him a wicked smile, she kissed along his jaw, moving to his neck, an
d trailing kisses across his chest. She raked her nails over one of his nipples, receiving noises in response that travelled right through her. A good response, there wasn’t any doubt about that, but it wasn’t exactly begging.

  Aledwen travelled lower, looking up at him periodically and meeting his hooded gaze. He was definitely as into this as she was.

  With deliberate ease, she unbuckled his belt and whipped off the rest of his clothes, leaving him gloriously naked before her. This she could get used to. She hoped he’d always be this willing in her bed.

  Well, this was technically his bed, but she didn’t want to get into specifics right now.

  She kissed lower, swirling around his taut stomach with her tongue and watching him shiver with intense satisfaction. Luckily, this was turning her on as much as it was him.

  Aledwen almost couldn’t believe she was doing this, but she looked up at him, holding his gaze as she settled between his legs and took him into her mouth. It took mere seconds for Drey’s hands to tangle in her hair, not pressuring her, but adding to the moment. And to the intensity she was feeling.

  “Dwen...please...” he groaned, but despite the begging, she didn’t stop. His reaction was too amazing for her to. She wanted to finish what she started now, no matter if he’d lost or not.

  He shuddered beneath her as she swirled her tongue around him, a string of indistinguishable words falling from his lips.

  “Dwen, stop.”

  The last word broke through everything, and it was as if a bucket of freezing cold water had been thrown over her head. She sat back on her heels, feeling exposed for the first time since they’d started.

  “Did I do something wrong?” she asked in a small voice, already hating how far away he was.

  She looked down briefly, and confusion filled her. He was clearly hard still, so why had he stopped her?

  “What? No! Of course not,” he assured her, and moved onto his knees before leaning in to kiss her, slipping his tongue into her mouth and teasing hers.

  “But you said stop?” she looked at him in confusion after ending the kiss, not quite knowing how to process what was going on.

  “Because I wasn’t going to last much longer,” he assured her, smoothing a hand against her cheek. “And because I need to show you how it feels. After that you can claim your prize.”

  “What prize?”

  “You made me beg, Dwen. Have you forgotten already?”

  Her mouth formed a little ‘o’, which caused Drey to run his thumb over it. Aledwen flicked her tongue out to taste it.

  “No.”

  “Good. Lie back, Dwen,” he commanded, but his tone was soft and fairly gentle. She was pretty sure that if she didn’t want to obey, then he wouldn’t make her. Which was comforting to say the least. And the main reason why she did as he asked.

  The trundle bed was harder than her own mattress, but she didn’t want to waste the time going to a better bed. Not when she’d be forgetting all about her discomfort in a matter of moments.

  “If you don’t like anything, you need to tell me.” Drey spoke softly, and she nodded, wondering what he was going to do, and looking forward to finding out. “You’re beautiful, Dwen.”

  She swallowed past a lump in her throat, her nervous excitement ramping up a notch. This was so much more than any of the other times she’d been with men. She wasn’t entirely sure how she knew it was, but she felt it in her bones. This was special. This could very well be forever.

  Soft kisses on the inside of her ankle chased all her thoughts away. The higher up her leg Drey got, the less coherent her thought got, even to herself. Her breathing became ragged, and she was vaguely aware of her chest already heaving. If this was the effect anticipation was having on her, what would happen when he actually got to the act itself.

  She could hardly wait.

  She didn’t have to.

  Drey pushed her legs wider apart, looking up at her as he did to make sure she was still comfortable. Or at least, that’s what she hoped he was doing. Though he might have just been doing the same she did, and was enjoying the sight of her completely at his mercy.

  He lowered his mouth to her, and she lost herself in the sensations that his tongue and lips were causing, a stream of unintelligible words and whimpers escaping from her. Including some begging, she was sure. But she also didn’t care. Even if she hadn’t won their game, she didn’t think she would so long as he kept going and really didn’t stop.

  Deliberately slowly, probably to tease her more, Drey slipped a finger into her, and she cried out, her body beginning to shake and shudder. He had to know she wouldn’t last long now. She should be strong and tell him to stop, like he had with her. But she didn’t. She couldn’t.

  The pleasure became too much, and she arched up into him, screaming out as it crashed through her.

  It took a few moments for Aledwen to regain control of her thoughts, and she wasn’t surprised to see Drey leaning over her, a satisfied grin on his face. He leaned down and kissed her chastely.

  “Take me,” she murmured.

  “Are you sure?” he asked with a slight frown. But he didn’t seem very convinced of his own words. She wasn’t surprised. She couldn’t say she was particularly convinced by them either.

  “Yes. You said I could choose.”

  “Here?”

  “Now,” she replied. Really she was beyond caring on the exact location, so long as she could feel him moving inside her.

  Seeing he wasn’t going to do anything herself, she reached down and took him in her hand, causing a hissing moan to come from Drey. She smirked. That sound was worth it all.

  She drew him to her, and then he took over, entering her with one firm thrust.

  That was fine by Aledwen. Drey felt good. He felt right. Like they were both exactly where they were supposed to be.

  Eleven

  “You have to place your hands on the stone.” Her mother scowled at her, and Aledwen just about managed to refrain from rolling her eyes.

  Believe it or not, she got that she had to place her hands on the damned stone, because that’s what she’d been doing for the past hour. “I am doing.” She tried to sound as sweet as possible, aware that anything else would just rile her mother up more.

  “You can’t be doing it right. Step aside.”

  Hanging her head in shame, she backed away, her hands trailing from the stone and dropping to her sides. Dejected didn’t quite cover how Aledwen was feeling right now.

  Her mother placed both hands on it, and a soft green glow filled the room. “It’s not broken then.”

  “I know it isn’t,” Aledwen replied. “But it wasn’t working for me.”

  “Try again.”

  She sighed. There was no arguing with her mother when she was in a mood like this. She’d keep going until there was nothing else on either of their minds. It drove Aledwen mad. Even as a child. She needed gentle persuasion, not pushing to the point of exertion.

  Even so, she placed her hands back on the stone, hoping for a miracle, but unsurprisingly not receiving one. How on Earth was she going to perform the Birth if she couldn’t make the stupid stone glow. The ceremony required her to pull the power through herself and then do...something. She wasn’t quite so sure what though. Over the years, when she’d seen her mother performing it, she’d glowed green and then it had just faded.

  But her mother didn’t really want to give up the power. The only reason she was passing the reins to Aledwen was because she had to. Tradition dictated that the Fae Princess of Spring took over following her eighteenth birthday. Now that had come and gone, there really wasn’t anything that could be done. Not when it was a law written as far back as anyone could remember.

  No one broke those rules.

  Or no one that lived broke those rules.

  She focused on the stone, willing it to glow, or do something. Anything. Even a short burst of light would be good at this point. Just some indication that there was life within it,
then she could rest easy that the Birth was going to go to plan.

  “I give up,” her mother said, throwing up her hands dramatically, causing Aledwen to scowl. This was completely in character. Things got a little tough, and her mother no longer wanted to deal with them. No wonder she’d been so absent during Aledwen’s childhood.

  Despite knowing her mother had left the room, and she was perfectly fine to stop, Aledwen didn’t dare to. The Queen wasn’t the only person worried about the ceremony. She wanted it to go well too, or else she’d end up being a laughing stock.

  “Still not working?” Drey’s low voice caused butterflies in her stomach, and while she shouldn’t, she turned around to look at him, smiling broadly. She had no words to describe how amazing yesterday had felt for her. What it had unlocked inside her. Probably because she didn’t quite know what had changed. Just that she liked it.

  “No.” She dropped her hands to the side.

  “Let me try something?” He sounded genuinely curious, so she nodded. And not just because she wanted him closer to her, though that was a definite benefit.

  Drey stepped up behind her, and slid his hands down her arms, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. She pressed herself back into him, feeling his hot breath against her skin.

  “I’m going to put my hands over yours,” he whispered into her ear, and she nodded, willing to try anything she could to make this work.

  Their fingers entwined, and Aledwen focused on matching her breathing to his, not knowing if it would actually help with what he was trying to do, or if it was just a way of comforting herself. The latter seemed far more likely.

  “Try again.”

  “Sorry?” she asked, not quite knowing what he meant.

  “What you were doing before, to try and make the stone glow like your mother did? Do it again.” His words were firm, but gentle, filling her with a hope she hadn’t had before.