“He’s baenthahndorse, and he’s my friend. Thank you,” she said, hugging his large frame.
Tythahn smiled down at her and gave her a bow of his head. “You are very welcome. Yes,” he said to Trikyia. “I am baenthahndorse. My other isn’t something I can explain. But when I am my other, I, too, have powers. One of those powers is the ability to pull others into my body.”
“Like a vaem wolf?” asked Trikyia.
Tythahn seemed to think about that, and then nodded. “I suppose so. Some say that baenthahndorse have ties to many things. Who knows? But the fairy…she was brown.”
“There’s no such thing as a brown fairy,” Raenos said. “Fairies are the hues of colors. There’s no such thing as a black, white, gray, or brown fairy.”
“Many believe that there is no such thing as a baenthahndorse,” Tythahn said, with confidence. They all nodded in agreement to that fact.
Theoch was shaking his head. “You said she told you she was more. Fairies mate with men of all types. Humans. The hyaeth people of the north—”
“Distant relatives of baenthahndorse,” Tythahn interrupted.
“But all people,” Theoch continued. “Who’s to say they haven’t mated with some unknown human and made a brown fairy?”
“The other fairies apparently didn’t accept her,” said Tythahn. “I have a feeling that given the chance, they would have killed her, or were going to in the future. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her. She also didn’t speak in fairy whisper.”
“Shit,” Faeswyn said. “Could she be more human-like than fairy?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Trikyia said. “Nice observation on the fairy, baen-person,” she said, motioning to Tythahn. “That still doesn’t answer a lot of questions.”
“Tythahn,” he said, staring directly and intensely at her.
Trikyia nodded slowly to him. “Okay…Tythahn. It doesn’t answer a lot of questions. Why does Balaedras want him?” she said, pointing at Raenos. “Why are all of the vaedra suddenly converged on Yaelvoch? Why are all of our powers, in case you haven’t noticed, getting…? Shit. Better?”
“And why did the fairies come into the guard camp, right when Balaedras’ air transport was about to land?” Eielawyn asked.
“What?” someone asked.
“When was this?” Kinsbithu asked her. “I tried not to watch after you ran down there. I didn’t want to watch you die.”
“Balaedras was in the camp?” Raenos asked.
Eielawyn looked around at nine pairs of eyes staring at her. “Yeah,” she said. “Right after Raenos was shot. I left Kinsbithu on the hillside, and I saw her transport about to land. It did land right when I got to Raenos. She fuckin’ looked right at me and smiled. I swear she smiled, and then stayed in the transport, and it took off. But that’s when Tythahn yelled out that fairies were coming.”
There was silence among all of them for some time, before Theoch spoke. “I don’t scare easily. I’ve seen a lot of shit since becoming ambassador, and I just don’t scare easily. But the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. She wants Raenos for some reason. We can try to assume that she’s fallen in love with him, but I seriously doubt that’s all of it. She needs him. We know she’s working with the fairies. We’ve known that for some time.”
“Since the wind witches took me last year,” said Faeswyn. “The fairies were working with the witches to find Naihr and Draeis. Balaedras used the fairies to attack Drisa.”
“And she almost took Drisa,” said Draeis. “If it hadn’t been for Filkothinor, I’m sure Drisa would have fallen. May the goddesses protect his essence.” The others echoed the sentiment.
“I’m going to just throw a theory out, and the rest of you can tell me if I’m fuckin’ nuts or what. Okay?” Theoch asked them. They all nodded. “She’s working with the fairies. What if she’d doing that so the fairies can mount their own attack with the fairies of Jahlmerikahl? If the fairies of Ai can take over all of the fairies, Balaedras will have a fairy power that no one will be able to defeat.”
“No,” said Eielawyn. “That’s too fuckin’ scary to even think about.”
“I just said it was a theory,” Theoch said. “Not a fact.”
“For whatever reason does she want Raenos, though?” Glywyn said. “But it’s late, and they need rest. They’ve been through a lot. We can all meet in the morning to discuss this further. Now, I want everyone to get to bed and rest.” She walked over to Eielawyn, pulling her warmly into her arms. “I missed you.”
Eielawyn smiled, as she hugged her back. “I missed you, too.”
Faeswyn joined them, as they all hugged one another. “So, you’re the one that’s put a smile on my girl’s face, huh?” she asked Raenos.
Raenos stared down into Eielawyn’s eyes. “Yes. And she’s put a smile on mine.”
Glywyn and Faeswyn both nodded and stared at Raenos. “Take care of her,” Glywyn said.
“He will,” said Eielawyn.
“I have rooms for you all,” Glywyn said, motioning to a guard Eielawyn hadn’t realized was still standing in the room. “Sleep, and then in the morning we can all meet for breakfast and talk some more. There’s still so much we have to figure out.”
“Should we go before King Lavaerion?” Eielawyn asked.
Draedon walked over to stand with Glywyn, as did Theoch. “King Lavaerion is only a figurehead of the throne. Since the birth of our daughter, Leiahrahwyn,” said Glywyn, “we rule as regents until she comes of age. It wasn’t what we wanted, but Lavaerion was insistent, as were the people of Yaeltaran, King Tathasdahbaenan of Valwithia, and the people of Valwithia. Theoch has been in talks with Balknae and Zinvia, but…”
Theoch nodded, putting an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “In the morning,” he said, as they all left the room together.
In the morning, Eielawyn thought. She knew that a new day was supposed to usher in a feeling of a new beginning. Of hope. And as hard as she tried, she wanted to believe there was hope for them all. But she agreed with Trikyia. The young girl was wiser than her years. There had to be a reason for why they’d all come to Yaelvoch. She wanted to believe that they were all safe. And as she walked arm in arm with Raenos to a room given to them for the night—and who knew how much longer—she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all only the beginning.
Chapter Eighteen
Raenos closed the door behind him, and Eielawyn was immediately in his arms. “I thought you were gone,” she whispered to him, as he steadily kissed her lips, her eyes, and her neck. He kissed each and every part of her skin, as she found his lips with her own.
“I thought I’d lost you,” she said to him, as tears began to trail down her face.
Raenos began to kiss her warm tears away. “I’m right here, baby. I always will be.” He gazed down into her eyes, and in that moment she knew he was always supposed to be in her life.
“I know this sounds so needy, but…” She was unable to finish, as Raenos knelt on the floor in front of her.
“Raenos?” Her heart began to beat faster, and those tears she’d thought she’d wiped from her face began to run down her cheeks once again.
He took her hand in his. “Eielawyn, I come to you with a full heart, and a clear mind. I pledge to you my essence from this moment on, until my heart no longer beats and beyond, for our essence will be bound forever.”
Eielawyn’s tears began to flow steadily, as she smiled down at him. She nodded, knowing in her heart that it was right. “Raenos, I accept your essence, and give you mine. I come to you with a full heart, and a clear mind. I pledge to you my essence from this moment on, until my heart no longer beats and beyond, for our essence will be bound forever.”
He stood, and took her into his arms, kissing her passionately. She laughed through his kisses, knowing that it was all foretold from the moment she’d left her parents in Mocmoran. She hadn’t been running away from the registration. She’d been running toward love. To Raenos.
He smiled at her, trailing his finger gently along her cheek. “I promise you, we’ll have a true ceremony with all of the trimmings as soon—”
“Shut up,” she said, putting her finger to his lips. “I’m your wife, now. I don’t want or need any fancy ceremony. I don’t want to waste any more time that could be spent being your wife worrying over a ceremony.”
“Yeah, I know. Sitting in that fuckin’ cell, you’re the only thing I thought about. Even when I felt that tracer rip through my body, I saw your face, baby.”
She stepped away from him, as she began to unbutton her dress. “Are you too hurt?” she asked him.
He shook his head, as he followed her actions, removing his shirt and tossing it to the side. “Not in the least.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, taking the time to slowly pull the straps of her bra off of her shoulders.
She tossed it at him, and he caught it, smiling in a way that bordered on wicked. He removed his pants, looking down at her bra held in his hand before letting it drop to the floor. “Oh, I’m surer than I’ve ever been about anything in my life.” He stepped out of his pants and walked over to her.
Eielawyn glanced at the bed behind her. Since that first time they’d been together, it hadn’t been in a bed. He’d deliciously and passionately fucked her against a wall. It had been the most erotic and carnal thing she’d ever felt in her life. But then they’d become closer, and made love in the small twin bed above the store. It had been beautiful, but they’d barely fit. She smiled to herself. It had been hard to fit their bodies on the bed, but it had also been a sensual experience once she realized how she felt about him. But now, there was a massive bed for them. Four large, wooden posters stood sentry at each corner, ornately carved and polished to a gleaming shine. The mattress was high and promising, with thick, tufted bedding, and several fluffy pillows. And he was her husband. He’d pledged his essence to her and she’d pledged hers to him. This was more. This was the difference between those other sexually erotic times. Their connection was complete. Her heart was branded with his soul. And he was alive.
Raenos seemed to know what she was thinking, sweeping her up into his arms, as she laughed and giggled, and falling into the bed with her. “This is the first time we’re in a bed-bed together. A real bed,” she said.
He was kissing her softly on her neck, trailing his lips along her shoulders. “Then, we should make good use of it.”
He kissed and played with her breasts, tasting and licking around her nipples before sucking the soft flesh into his mouth. Then she felt his tongue gliding under her breasts, as his hands continued to cup them with his hands. He kissed her along her belly, nipping and sucking on her skin before taking his finger and tracing down the slit of her pussy.
He glanced up at her with a sultry smile before trailing his tongue along the same path as his finger. She sighed softly, unconsciously opening her legs for him. She felt his tongue licking her clit as he teased and flicked it along the tight nub. But that wasn’t all. She moaned out loudly when she felt his tongue slide inside her. He spread her pussy with his fingers, as he tongue-fucked her with expertise. He delved, and sucked, and licked her to the edge of climax, but stopped just short of letting her jump off.
“Not yet,” he said, coming back to her side. He kissed her deeply, and she tasted herself on his lips. “You’re like honey, huh?”
“Maybe,” she said seductively. “But I know something that’s just as delicious, in my opinion.
“Oh yeah?”
She nodded, lying beside his body, as her hand moved to cup his hardened cock. She rubbed along his length, feeling the heat of his passion in her palm. She began to kiss his chest, flicking her tongue over the tightened pearls of his nipples, as he moaned aloud into the room.
Eielawyn smiled, as she moved down to take his cock into her mouth. She licked and sucked on the head, as her hands massaged his shaft. He grabbed handfuls of her hair, immersing his fingers through her waves. She sucked him down her throat until she had to fight to breathe. But how deliciously erotic it was not to take that breath. He was so thick and so long, his skin so soft, yet his cock so hard and holding so much promise.
She stopped what she was doing, and as his eyes fluttered open, he smiled as she straddled his body and took his length inside of her. She moaned in pleasure, as his hands cupped her breasts, kneading and massaging their fullness. She ground her pelvis, working all of his glorious cock inside of her. But then he turned her over onto her back, thrusting his hips and sending ripple after ripple of delectable pleasure throughout her body. The sound of their bodies joining, striving to pleasure one another, was erotic and stimulating, making her pussy grab onto his cock as he released a sound so animalistic and debased.
She wrapped her legs around him, as he thrusted deep and hard. She ran her nails down his back, eliciting a sensual moan from his lips. He dipped his head, sucking her nipple into his warm mouth. She cupped it for him, as he sucked even more of her flesh into his warmth.
In the past, she would feel the warmth of her aura begin to build deep inside of her body. There was no control. It just happened, and she was powerless to how or when it released itself. But that was in the past. She felt that familiar warmth begin to build deep inside her, but she wasn’t ready. This was more than fucking against the wall of her shop. Which had been erotically passionate and amazingly good, but this was more. This was making love to the one man that she’d given her soul to. This was the love, pleasure, immense sensuality, and intense carnal sexuality that only he could give to her. She would let her aura build until she knew he was ready for her.
Raenos gazed down into her eyes, as his body continued to move inside of her. “Don’t hold back, baby. I’m close.”
“Yes? Tell me when,” she said, as he took her lips into a seething kiss.
“Now,” he whispered into her mouth.
It was like a switch that she knew how to flick on. She released her aura over them both, and the hot intensity, the immense power of pleasure washed over them, as they both yelled out, holding onto one another. Their bodies continued to move as if on their own volition. Without guidance or consciousness, her aura took over the reins of pleasure, letting them experience all that they could before Raenos fell to the side of her, drained and panting.
“Holy.” She swallowed hard, as she tried to make coherent words. “Holy…shit.”
Raenos didn’t move beside her. She turned to look at him, seeing the satisfied smile on his face. It had happened. He’d finally passed out. Maybe it was the intensity of their love making, or maybe it was the fact that she knew how to control her aura. It didn’t matter. She pulled the ornately embroidered quilt over them both and snuggled next to his body, content, fulfilled, and in love.
* * * *
She was warm. That much she knew. She felt Raenos’ large, strong arm draped over her, and she was warm. That and happy. Extremely happy. Her eyes fluttered open, and she saw it was still dark out through the large windows across the room. She snuggled contentedly next to his body and began to close her eyes again.
“I am Nuashinah,” a voice said. “Don’t be afraid.”
Eielawyn sat up in the bed. “W-w-what the fuck?” she whispered softly into the darkness.
“I’m communicating to you in your mind,” Nuashinah said. “You’re the vaedra that can suggest and read thoughts. I feel that in you.”
“Where are—?”
“You can use your thoughts to communicate with me. It’s easier that way. Your lover is asleep.”
“I-I-I don’t think I can.”
“You can. Your powers are more developed now. Try it.”
“Where are you?”
Eielawyn was surprised to hear Nuashinah in her head in response. “See? You only have to have confidence in your powers,” Nuashinah said.
“Gifts,” Eielawyn corrected.
“If you wish.”
Eielawyn stood up from the bed and gr
abbed one of the robes that was lying on the small sofa to the side of the room. She glanced over at Raenos, still snoring contentedly in the bed. “No, powers are fine. That’s what they are. Where are you?”
“Please don’t be alarmed. I am close, but not too close. I didn’t know how I would be received, so I thought it best to keep my distance.”
“You don’t speak like any fairy I’ve ever been told about,” Eielawyn said, sitting on the sofa. “You don’t speak in fairy whisper. Or maybe that’s only how you sound in my head.”
“I am fairy, but I am also more. Is your lover well? I felt his wound inside the beast.”
“My husband. Yes, he’s well. And the beast’s name is Tythahn.”
“Tythahn. He’s well?”
“Yes. But he isn’t a beast. Not…not only, I mean.”
“Baenthahndorse. He said he was baenthahndorse.”
“How were you able to make it to Yaelvoch with all of the moon mint?” Eielawyn asked.
“As I said, I am more. I know how humans fear fairy. Most fae mean harm to humans. Especially fairy. I am not one of those fairy. But I want…I need to speak to all of you.”
Eielawyn frowned. “All of us? Who, all of us?”
“Eielawyn, I felt your aura. It was how I was able to know of what you call your gifts. Your powers. It was how I was able to seek you out in this dwelling. I can feel all of those here. I know of you all. I must speak with you all, but I’ve stayed a distance away because I know of the fear humans have of fairy. I am not like those fairy. Please believe that fact, Eielawyn.”
Eielawyn sat silently in the darkness of the room thinking about what Nuashinah had said. She glanced over to Raenos, as he moaned softly in his sleep and was still. There had to be a reason they had all come to Yaeltaran. Glywyn said something about a six-point star, whatever the hell that meant. Whether or not the others agreed, they needed to hear what Nuashinah had to say.
“Thank you,” said Nuashinah.
Eielawyn [The Maidens of Mocmoran 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 18