Protectors and Kings (Mists of the Fae Book 4)

by Jaime Marks

  Cymeryn rested his hand lightly on her stomach as he met her eyes. “No, but it is ours, Reyana and it is your first as Fae. You forget that our Mother died on her birthing bed. Forgive us, but we intend to fuss over you greatly and take whatever precautions we deem necessary.”

  “Besides, my love, I cannot see how it would be a bad thing to allow your mates to pamper you, attending to your needs,” Marcus smiled brushing the hair out of face.

  She closed her eyes. She had forgotten that their Mother had passed from the strain of birthing them both. “Alright, I promise I’ll try not to give you a hard time about it.”

  Glancing between them she noticed they were in a far better mood than she expected them to come back in. “How did things go?”

  “Well, I won’t deny we got off to a rough start, but surprisingly, things went quite well,” Marcus offered.

  Cymeryn nodded with a smirk, “Thanks to Steph, anyway.”

  “Steph? What does she have to do with anything?” Reyana couldn’t even imagine why they had allowed her to be present for such a meeting.

  “As it turns out, Steph is the blooded daughter of Ceryn a Cerulyion and his human bride Madelyna Grifyion. She was dormant Fae similarly to your human parents.” Marcus explained before adding with a smirk, “And if I had to venture a guess I would say that the King is quite taken with the girl.”

  Cymeryn chuckled, “Indeed, their connection is more profound than even they are aware. Though I must admit, I about fell over when she called him to heel so easily…and did you notice only he may call her Stephanie? I assure you, she quite about bit my head off for doing so.”

  Marcus laughed, “I did. She also corrected Kato for it rather harshly. I’ve never seen your brother react that way to any Fae.”

  She stared at them taking in everything they were saying in disbelief. “But she’s so young. She’s only Star’s age.”

  “Indeed, Reyana, but you forget our ways. In four years she will awaken. Once she is of age the difference between them will matter not,” Cymeryn assured her.

  “If there’s anyfae who you could expect to respect her in the meantime, it’s certainly Mythos. Besides love, you must remember how quickly bonding can set in when it’s simply meant to be.” Marcus trailed his finger over her collarbone.

  “Speaking of Bonding…” Cymeryn smiled.

  “I already told you I’m not Bonding to either of you separately so don’t even start, Cymeryn,” she cut him off meeting him dead in the eye.

  “I would not dream of it, Rey,” he smiled as they both repositioned her to a sitting position, which she allowed willingly.

  They knelt on the bed on either side of her, each taking her hand. She felt their essences wrap around her and they began to speak as one. “Queen Reyana a Mythion, you are Light and beauty beyond measure. We give to you freely our hearts and our souls. We would sooner die than be without you. Will you do us the honor of accepting us as your bonded mates?”

  She looked between them as they watched her, awaiting her answer. “But…what about…”

  “No buts, my love, Mythos himself said he expects us both to complete the rituals,” Marcus smiled.

  “And your subjects have already accepted us as their Kings to rule at your side which by virtue implies that you are our mate,” Cymeryn added.

  She smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. She never really thought that they would be able to bond as one, but it was something she wanted more than anything. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes I will bond to you, both of you.”

  They pulled her to her knees and Marcus drew her into him, kissing her softly passionately. When he released her, Cymeryn pulled her against him following his brother’s lead, before pulling back and guiding her back to Marcus.

  He gazed into her eyes as he knelt before her naked, reaching down to untie the knot at her side. “I do so enjoy these gowns you favor,” he whispered reverently as he parted the fabric revealing the thin slip that covered her underneath.

  She felt Cymeryn’s hands sliding the fabric off her shoulders as he whispered in her ear, “They are quite enjoyable.”

  They moved in closer, pressing against her. Marcus took her breast in his mouth suckling her nipple through the satin sheathing as Cymeryn’s arm slipped around her and began to caress and tease the other. She felt Marcus’s hand slip down below the slip of fabric as he teased her delicate folds and Cymeryn’s hand slid under her as his fingers slid into her core. She moaned softly as she let her head rest back against him and Marcus slowly pulled the sheathing from her body.

  Cymeryn shifted repositioning her as he moved to lay back on the bed, pulling her back so that she lie against him. Marcus leaned down running his tongue up her delicate folds, teasing her as he stared up at her through hooded eyes.

  Cymeryn kissed and bit her neck, “Tell us my beautiful, Rey.”

  “You are exquisite, Reya.” Marcus nipped and teased her clit as she moaned softly.

  They teased and caressed her taking her to the edge, driving her harder every time she moaned. “Please Cymeryn, Please Marcus.”

  Marcus latched on to her core as Cymeryn teased her body and they drove her until she crested over before they both slid into her. She was lost to them completely, the sensations of them, the love they felt for her. They rode her through waves of pleasure before spilling into her as they took her over. When they slid out of her, moving so that she was cradled between them, they kissed her stomach and pulled the covers over them.

  Cymeryn kissed her softly, “It will always be thus, Rey. I will never leave you again.”

  “Neither of us will, my love.” Marcus kissed her head, “Not to pressure you, but your brother wants an answer from us of when we intend to complete the Bonding in the morn.”

  “We will push it off if it is too soon, love. We do not wish for you to be overwhelmed.” Cymeryn brushed the hair out of her eyes.

  She smiled, “I’ll be fine. Sanytia only said she wants me to rest in for two days and that’s when we have that meeting right?”

  “It is,” Marcus confirmed.

  “So if the meeting is on Thursday, we can perform the rituals Friday night and sneak away for the weekend,” she smiled slyly.

  “Rey, you know you are supposed to take it easy,” Cymeryn lectured.

  “Yes, but no one says where I have to relax at.”

  Marcus shook his head, “And you say we’re incorrigible?”

  “It would just be two days and we can just go to the grove in the Sacred Creak.” She shrugged, “Besides, nothing much happens over the weekend and Mythos will be here.”

  “How about we see how you are and what Sanytia says first, hmm?” Cymeryn offered.

  “But Friday will work perfectly for the Bonding,” Marcus added kissing her softly.

  Byryn leaned against his desk as he watched Staryana settle into his bed. There was something all too satisfying about it. They had decided after spending some time with Kylion that they both could use some rest and apparently she felt safer with the idea of returning to his room instead of going to hers.

  He went over and sat down bedside her. “So, now that things have settled for the night, be honest with me. How are you handling all this?”

  She shrugged, “It’s a bit weird having Cymeryn around and I definitely know more about my Mother’s love life then I ever wanted to.”

  “Agreed,” he laughed.

  “But like I said, Cymeryn saved all of us today. You, me, my Mother, Steph, we all owe him our lives. He deserves a chance. As far and the entire thing with Mom, he and Marcus. I don’t know,” she shrugged again. “I guess as long as they treat her right and she’s happy I really shouldn’t judge. It’s all just gonna take time to get used to, for everyone.”

  He nodded, “Definitely. What about the rest of it? Have either Syneous or Alayne tried to reach out to you?”

  “No, I was fighting Alayne pretty hard all day and then suddenly it was as if the link was broken.�
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  “Good, I wounded Alayne pretty badly.” If he’d been a normal Shade he’d be dead but the blade hadn’t killed him and his essence alone wasn’t enough. “I’m hoping it buys you a reprieve so that we can work on ways to protect you.” He lay down beside her and pulled one of her curls down letting it bounce back.

  She smiled at him amused at his playfulness despite the severity of the topic. “Steph was actually a pretty big help. She was able to distract me a bit and help to calm me down.”

  “I’m glad she was here with you when everything was going crazy.”

  He thought back to earlier in the evening. He hadn’t really been sure he wanted Steph here. She had a tendency to be a bit over the top and she liked to monopolize Staryana’s time to begin with, but he’d also thought she was just human. That would’ve be an added complication they didn’t need with everything else going on. He never imagined she’d be unawakened.

  All he knew about the Cerulyions were that they’d been the greatest warriors of the Fae and they were all supposed to be dead. It was one of the biggest boasts of the Shade that they’d eliminated them but other than that he’d never heard anything about them. “Hey, Brightness? You study better than I do. What do you know about the Cerulyion Line?”

  She shook her head, “Don’t you ever read through your materials?”

  He gave her an apologetic smile. “Sometimes.”

  “They’re one of the seven Lines of Lucerna and were revered as the greatest warriors of the Fae. Sixteen or Seventeen years ago the Kyndra organized a strike to wipe out their entire line. They specifically targeted their young and mates and the males died in the battle that followed,” she explained. “I’m guessing Steph was masked in some way to protect her.”

  “Probably. Did you see how Mythos listened to her? He was completely enraged and she calmed him without barely putting forth any effort and I’ve never seen Steph that respectful with anyone,” he mused thinking she’d never even behaved that well when she’d been with John, and he’d kept her in line pretty well.

  “Yeah.” Staryana stared up at the ceiling. “It’s weird don’t you think? He even moved her into the quarters adjacent to his without telling anyone. I mean did you see how everyone looked at him, none of them knew.”

  “What’s troubling you, Brightness?” Byryn asked playing with her hair.

  “I don’t know, she’s my friend, Byryn…and he’s my uncle. Not to mention he’s over a hundred years old and Steph’s sixteen. It’s just really weird.”

  “Well, on Earth it would be, but here? Think about it. Grifyn and Trina are about eighty years apart. Age doesn’t work the same here. Steph should go into her awakening in about four years and then per custom, she’s of age,” he shrugged. With the vast differences in ages and the longevity of the races it had always been that way. It was nothing new to him, although here the unawakened were protected from being taken advantage of and the Fae only mated out of love.

  “I guess you’re right. I just remember that look.” She gave him a seductive smile.

  Now he was confused. “What look?”

  “That confused look you used to give me when you were trying to make sense of how you felt after we first met,” she laughed. “They both had it.”

  “Ahh well, give it time Brightness. From what I saw it might be a good thing for both of them. Besides, you were complaining that Mythos is almost never here anymore.” He smiled smugly, “If he’s anywhere near as taken with Steph as I am with you, he’s probably gonna move in.”

  Byryn watched as the essence pulsed through her, Light and Dark, pain slowly building within her. He reached into her and balanced her as best as he could, easing her pain. “You alright?”

  “Yeah, it’s actually not as bad as what Alayne puts me through.” She sighed as their essences merged, balancing her and granting her relief.

  “How many times has that happened today?” He studied her sensing her out.

  “Umm, three I think? It’s hard to gage with all the Dark chaos that was surging through me.” She reached over pulling him closer and he went to her holding her in his arms. “Do you think it’s the awakening?”

  He smiled, “I do, but I don’t know that it’s quite time yet. It’s probably best if you stay close until we’re sure, though. I’ll talk to your Da…wow, that is weird.” He made a face.

  She laughed, “See. I was just getting used to Marcus kind of being my Dad and now suddenly there are two of them.”

  “Well, either way, I’ll talk to them both and your uncle in the morning.” He kissed her softly. “Brightness?”

  “Hmmm?” She stared at him a playful smile on her lips. He could feel her desire but she was in complete control of herself which was just perfect.

  “I can’t wait until your awakening,” he whispered running his hand lightly down her side. “I plan on showing you how very much you’re mine and only mine.”

  He kissed her soft lips and she moved closer so her body pressed into his. His hand ran over her hip and he pulled her even tighter, pressing his erection against her. Her soft moan was sheer ecstasy and he couldn’t help but roll her on her back. Slowly grinding against her as she squirmed, he massaged and teased her nipple through the thin satin slip she wore to sleep in.

  “Mmmm, I thought you were worried about my honor?” She moaned.

  “Oh, I’m not going to dishonor you, Brightness. I told you, when I take you it will mean something,” he teased with a seductive smile. “But there are so many other things I can do to you, so much pleasure I can bring you without even coming close. You tell me, baby? Do you want me to stop, hmmm?” She shook her head as she moaned his name so softly.

  Byryn kissed and sucked at her neck letting his essence flow through her carefully so that he wouldn’t trigger her awakening. He slid his hand down her body to the satin panties she sometimes wore and smiled with satisfaction. She was going to find out just how much he liked them tonight, he thought as he lightly caressed her through the fabric knowing how much it amplified the sensations.

  He knew he was playing with fire. He knew that he wanted her every bit as badly as she did him, but he also understood now exactly how much she needed him to touch her this way. She needed him to show her how much he loved her, how much he wanted her and exactly how good her body could feel. Alayne had warped her mind to make sex about violence and pain. What she knew Byryn could do to her was like a balm, erasing the Taint of the High Priest’s touch that she sensed in her mind. He couldn’t deny her his touch, but he had already set limits in his mind and he would stay within those boundaries. He wouldn’t dishonor her by taking her before her awakening was upon her, but he could keep himself in check for her. He could give her this.

  When he knew she was on edge, he pulled back slowly sliding the panties from her while he held her gaze. He spread her legs apart slowly, sliding his body down the bed as he lay between them taking her core with his mouth. She watched him as he worked her savoring in the taste of her. Her hands slid through his hair, pulling him tight to her core and he let himself get lost in her pleasure. He was so lost that as he took her over, his own release rocketed through him causing him to groan as he drank deeply from her drawing her out.

  Byryn rose from her core and kissed her softly before climbing out of bed to clean up and change his pants. She watched him and he smirked at the seductive smile on her lips. He was going to thoroughly enjoy her awakening. It wouldn’t be much longer, he thought as he lay beside her, pulling her to him before pulling the covers over them both. Very soon he would be able to take her as his own.

  He kissed her deeply. “I love you, Brightness.”

  “I love you too, Byryn. Always,” she whispered, her eyes drooping as he ran his hand through her hair. He knew she would finally sleep tonight without fear of her dreams, and that was something precious and priceless.

  Chapter 11

  Mythos ran his hand through her hair as she stared at him expectantly. He pondere
d her question trying to decide exactly what to say. It was clear he was not going to be able to stay away from her, he had already all but moved her into his suite. Of course when he had made that choice he had not thought he would end up sitting here with her straddling him.

  “To be honest, Stephanie, I have never been in this situation before. I am uncertain of exactly what the rules should be.” He leaned forward kissing her head a moment. “I had not intended to let even this happen between us but I find myself quite enchanted with you.”

  Her skin blushed faintly and he could not help but smile. “You are an incredible young female. I would be lying if I told you that I am not attracted to you, but I cannot help but feel as though I am taking advantage of you in some way. As I said you are very new to this world. You have only been here but a day and no Fae has even had the chance to properly introduce you to it. I am not even sure if you understand what we are.”

  She looked down as she spoke. “There is a lot that I don’t understand about this place, Mythos. I know what we are, but I can’t tell you that I really understand what that means. I’m a bit uncomfortable here, but mainly because it seems like everyone wants to do for me and really I’m used to doing for myself. To be honest, this whole not knowing who I am thing, that’s not really new to me. It’s been that way my whole life. So whether I’m here or there, I’m good. I make my own way. What’s new though? I’ve never felt connections like I do here. I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve always felt like that with Star and a little with Byryn on some level, but yeah it’s new. I felt it with everyone that was in this room. I feel them but even though I notice them and recognize them in some way, they’re still kind of on the outside of my perception. I don’t really know them or what I feel about them yet.” Those topaz eyes looked up and met his gaze as they gleamed brightly and she inhaled deeply a moment. “You, on the other hand? I’ve never felt anything like this. It’s strong and it’s intense, but it doesn’t scare me. Maybe it should, but out of everyone else, you were the only one I was drawn to, the only one I knew without any doubt that I could trust. It’s like I don’t want to be apart from you. Almost as if I’m supposed to be by your side, like you’re the part of me that I’ve always felt was missing.” She shook her head and looked away. “I guess that’s incredibly clingy and crazy. I mean I’ve only known you a few hours.”