She sat up, her heartbeat like a jackhammer against her chest. The comment was enough to force her fully awake.
Shay stared at his long, muscled body, glossy with the moonlight that filtered in through her large window. Curtains of webbed vines stirred with the breeze.
She shivered, but not from the cold. The soft breeze actually felt heavenly along her body. It was his sudden presence that stirred her.
"Do you make a habit of appearing naked in someone else's bedroom?” she returned as she propped herself up on her elbows. A lazy smile curved the edge of her lips. Her vision was clear from slumber now, free for her to enjoy the brilliance of his muscled arms and legs and the flat stomach ridged with muscles that contracted with every breath he took.
"Technically, this isn't your bedroom anymore,” Glen answered.
For a second, she wondered if this was some sort of dream. She'd been dreaming about him a lot lately. “Yeah, so how did you find me?"
"You know, I think you've spent too much time in Sydney. I haven't heard anyone else in Breena say ‘yeah’ instead of ‘yes'.” The teasing glance made her realize Glen might be guarded about how much he was able to reveal to her.
"Answer my question."
He shrugged. “They keep telling me I'm king, so I thought I'd start to test the theory. When I didn't find you in the castle, I used some of my ‘talent’ to track you down."
"Why didn't you find me sooner?"
"Do you know how hard it is to get past the security at the castle?” Glen took a step forward. His quadriceps caught her attention as the muscles shifted beautifully with every stride.
Her gaze naturally moved to his groin area. The obvious arousal affected her, even if it was temporarily hidden behind his silky, gold-colored shorts. Shay felt the wetness build between her legs as her nipples tightened. “You don't have to tell me about the pesky guards. They won't even let me go into Sydney on my own. I've been itching to get back into the hunt, but they insist on coming with me."
"What else have you itched for since we've been apart?” Glen asked with a glimmer in his green eyes. He dropped his gaze to her breasts with an intensity that further turned her on.
When he looked up again, Shay met his gaze.
She nodded then leaned back and lifted her arms above her head to stretch out her petite frame so he'd be able to read what she'd wanted more than anything else. “Come here and find out."
His golden wings glimmered against the moonlight that caught them as he moved closer. One knee after the other pressed against the soft mattress. Her body reacted to every inch he gained toward her.
Glen crawled his way to Shay and collapsed on the bed next to her. His wings faded instantly.
She took a deep breath and released it slowly. If he was able to make his own wings fade at random, Glen's control over his faerie power was stronger than she'd suspected after so little time.
His fingertips skimmed the top of her arms as she turned on her side to face him. Her own wings shimmered behind her as she willed them to reappear once she was off her back. The ability to control the appearance and disappearance of faerie wings was a neat talent. One that took most fae years to master, even though sleeping with wings sprouted was an uncomfortable and sometimes impossible situation.
"One of these days, I will make love to you under the light of the sun,” she whispered with a smile.
"I hope that's a promise.” His smile widened as his fingertips trailed down her forearm and fell to her hip, only to slide up to rest on the scar between her ribs, the one Rhiannon had given her. Glen touched it softly, gazing on the once damaged skin that had fully healed.
"Are you almost done with the training, Glen?"
"Not sure, but I do know I can't talk about it with anyone,” he whispered as he avoided her eyes.
"Not even me?"
Glen shook his head. “No, but I didn't sneak out from the watchful eyes of the elders so I could visit you to chat about my learning curve. I'm here because I couldn't resist the urge to hold you in my arms any longer."
Shay leaned closer to press her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and swiveled her small frame so she was on top of him. She straddled him, their lips still connected, and her wings fully spread out behind her.
With every sweep of her tongue inside his mouth, Shay felt the ball of desire grow inside her like a balloon filled to maximum capacity and very much ready to explode.
"I haven't had the chance to tell you this yet, Shay, but I love you. The way I feel about you makes the distance between us so much harder to bear."
"That's great to know, because I love you too, Glen,” she whispered against his full lips. “You have no idea how much I've wanted this again."
"Oh, I think I do.” His silky laughter filled her bedroom; it washed over her body. “Kiss me."
She obliged his demand, pressing her breasts harder against his chest. Shay crushed her lips against his, finding their groove. The fire of desire burned deep inside her. Even the soft touch of her nipples against his hairless chest made the arousal rise further.
Shay moved her hips lower, eager to find his erection and feel him inside her again. But he stopped her, forcing her higher along his body until her legs were spread above his face. She looked down into his eyes and read exactly what he wanted from her. Glen wanted to taste her, wanted to know her in every way possible, as much as she wanted to know him.
He wrapped his hands around her buttocks, and her pelvis fell over his mouth. Glen held on tighter. He planted one soft kiss after the other on the inside of each thigh, followed by one in between her legs.
Shay shivered with anticipation. She'd never engaged in this part of sex. The opportunity had risen many times while in intimate moments with those she'd hunted, but she usually stopped it. The best way to bring on their change was to directly release her faerie dust over their bodies at climax. Yet, she hadn't thought about doing it this way before. Her dust would have surely fallen over them enough to enhance their release. Still, Shay was glad the first time was with Glen.
At least they could share a few first times together. The first time she'd ever fallen in love, and the first time—
A shot of pure ecstasy cut every thought out of her mind. Glen's tongue was in between her legs, finding her pleasure point instantly. The swirls of his tongue made her back arch. With his mouth pressed between her legs, Glen opened her folds and reached an intimacy no one had ever given her before.
Shay moved her hips in a slow motion that enhanced his articulate rhythm, helping his tongue delve deeper. Her wings fluttered softly. The excitement beneath her skin shot her with electric shocks that threatened to tear her apart. As his tongue swirled faster, she felt the first tug of the orgasm sweep through her.
A little cloud of dust tumbled from her arms.
Glen's big hands held her buttocks tight, making it easier to keep her wings spread out so she could enjoy every second of pleasure he had to give. He licked her so deeply and thoroughly that Shay's eyelids closed. All she could concentrate on was her body; everything else faded to black. The room, the bed, none of it mattered. The sensations of desire and love intermingled with each other.
On her next hip thrust, the sensation was so strong she nearly doubled over. There was no holding back now. As much as she enjoyed this situation and wished she could prolong it, Shay was about ready to explode.
The scream tore out of her throat, shaking her body to the very core. The climax grabbed Shay so hard her body felt light, as if she had temporarily left her shell to become nothing more than a cloud of pleasure. The sweet warmth ran up from in between her legs and chased goose bumps along every bit of available skin. It enticed the glittery dust to spray out of her pores in all the brilliant colors she possessed.
"My Queen, are you all right in there?” The voice of one of the guards followed a knock on her bedroom door. “We're coming in."
"No!” Shay yelled as she caught her br
eath. “I'm fine, just a bad dream. That's all."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"I'm so sorry, Shay, I tried to stop them,” Flee's small voice added.
Shay took a few deep breaths to allow the last of the dust to shimmer off her arms and onto Glen with a shiver. “It's okay, please. I just need to get back to sleep."
"I'll get them outside,” Flee said.
Glen smiled at her when she lifted herself off his mouth with the aid of her wings. “What's so funny?” she asked.
"What do you think they'd say if they knew the king was having his way with you, and they had no bloody idea?” He lifted his body upright. The residue of faerie dust fell off his limbs as some seeped into his skin.
"I don't care what they'd say. But I do want to know if there's going to be more to follow that wonderful display of affection.” She willed her wings to fade and collapsed beside him.
"You enjoyed it then?"
"Couldn't you tell?"
"I've wanted to taste you since the first time I noticed you.” Glen licked his lips. “You're such a sexy little thing. And what I'm going to do to you now might make you scream some more. Will that be a problem?"
"Oh no, make me scream. Make me come again if that's what you want,” Shay said with a wink. At the moment, her body still buzzed with the orgasm and wanted more.
"Your wish is my command.” He saluted.
"You do realize that you're the king, right?"
He didn't answer. He pushed to his knees, made his way above her and looked down the long length of his chest. The shorts disappeared.
She was distracted by his erection. Her small hands encircled it as she ran her palm along the underside. He had both hands on his hips, eyes closed to her motions. Shay could've continued to stoke him all night, but he stopped her with a sexy smile.
He lay above her and parted her legs slowly. He ran those big hands up and down the lines of her thighs, teasing her some more.
She moaned and licked her lips.
"Do you like this?” he asked.
"You know I do."
"Then you'll probably like this.” He pressed his erection between her legs.
She quivered with want.
He pushed farther inside her until he was firmly planted within her. Glen pulled out enough to lean over and clasp his mouth over one nipple at a time, teasing each to points.
"Get back in there.” She panted.
He shoved the entire length inside with a hard thrust.
Shay moaned again when his erection pressed against the back wall within her. Her very soul felt as if it were being caressed by this gorgeous faerie.
"Is this better?” he whispered in her ear.
"Give me more.” She spread her legs farther to accommodate the invitation, thrusting her hips against his every time he moved forward.
He plunged in and out of her at a rapid rhythm that made her breath catch and her breasts jiggle. Glen lifted both of her legs up in the air to press them against his chest. He used them as leverage to pound flesh against flesh. His emerald gaze never left hers. His fingers caressed the back of her legs as the tease of another orgasm wove its way around her body. Glen shuddered above her as he hugged her legs tight.
Shay shook as a second climax took hold of her body, stirring a smaller amount of dust from her pores. It fell along the bed sheets beneath her. A smile of satisfaction was mirrored on his lips as the orgasm made her giddy with happiness.
This time there was no scream.
"Wow,” he gasped. He stopped, but kept his arms around her legs.
"Yeah, wow."
"I could stay inside you forever."
"I hope you do."
Glen smiled before slowly pulling out.
Shay watched as he lay down beside her. She curved into his body, pressing her head against his shoulder. “Will you stay with me?"
"I'll stay for as long as I can, Shay,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. “Don't be upset if I'm not here when you wake up, okay?"
"Okay,” she said, but knew it was a lie even before the words left her lips. She would continue to be upset every single morning until she could wake up beside him.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Four
A splash of blood hit her in the face.
The heat sizzled along her cheek, pushing her breath into an uncomfortable, ragged rhythm. Shay's heart beat a frantic pulse to match the breath.
She took an unsteady step back, her eyes focused on the naked body stained with green blood. The gashes were deep, especially on the faerie's face and arms, making it impossible to recognize who she was. Her long blonde hair was stained a sickly green color from the intense bleeding.
Shay made a move to get a closer look, but a cloud of darkness engulfed the battered body and made it disappear as if it had never been there in the first place. There was only darkness at every corner now, laced with a chill that made her gut tighten and skin crawl.
Faeries rarely felt the cold. They were warm-blooded and adapted to most climates. This was an intense chill Shay couldn't adapt to.
The loss of life hung thick in the air. There was another presence, too. It lurked somewhere inside all that black around her. Most likely the one responsible for the atrocity she had caught a mere glimpse of.
"Show yourself,” she called out. Her heart beat so hard against her chest that her legs shook. Shay collapsed to her knees, unable to control the fall.
Harsh laughter filled her ears, rough and heartless.
Inertia shook her stomach, causing her to double over and throw up into the darkness. The sickness stirred inside her stomach, but was surpassed by the sudden visions. Places flashed in front of her eyes like a slide show. Darling Harbour, Sussex Street, the AMP Tower, the city skyline—everything pointed to Sydney. Was that where she was now?
Shay pushed against her achy knees to stand up. She swung around in a semi-circle, but her legs caught and she stumbled forward again.
When she regained focus, her heart slowed a fraction.
Sunlight streamed in through her open window. The breeze from the night before no longer shook the curtain of vines. Her cooled skin warmed instantly. She was in the safety of her bedroom on the floor. Her fingers untangled the soft sheet from her ankles as the horrible dream continued to fill her mind.
After Glen had made love to her in the middle of the night, she should've woken up with a smile on her face. Not with the stench of rotting flesh, and the cold that grabbed hold of her in that dark place, still tingling her senses.
Shay lifted a hand to her cheek and stared at her fingertips. She was clear of any blood; just the memory stained her mind. Where had that awful dream come from? What had happened to that poor faerie she'd glimpsed for only seconds? And that horrid laugh, who did it belong to? A shiver raced down her spine as the Sydney scenery raced through her brain.
She'd never had a nightmare in her life. Mostly in her dreams she dreamt of her mother or nature. Lately her slumber was always filled with dreams of Glen.
The chill no longer clung to her skin, but was deep-rooted inside her gut.
Was that an actual vision she had suffered? Was it possible to wake up one day and have the ability to ‘see'? Then again, this wasn't just an average morning. The first time Shay had made love to Glen, she'd awakened his faerie side, and shortly after that, she'd defeated Rhiannon. What if the second time they connected, he had passed some of his Seer gift onto her? It made sense, and in a bizarre way it had to explain the nightmare.
But what did it all mean?
There were too many questions, but Shay knew that something terrible would happen in Sydney, and it affected faeries. The only faeries who could cross over to Sydney were the fae-hunters, so it had to involve them somehow. And the ability to ‘see’ things didn't necessarily mean that the vision had happened in real time. It could be in the future—one day, one week or even one year away.
S
he couldn't take the chance. Shay had to find out, maybe even stop it before it happened.
She used the bed to get to her feet, and held back the desire to clothe herself. Her legs were still a little shaky, but she made it into the small bathroom connected to her bedroom. First she needed a shower; after that, the clothes could materialize on her body.
As she stepped into the shower cubicle and turned on the water a little hotter than usual, she pressed her hands against the mossy tiles. Her mind filled with Glen and the way he had made her feel the night before.
Shay missed him so much. Maybe this was the assignment she'd been waiting for. Not only to save one, or some, of her kind, but to serve as a distraction until her king took the throne.
So far, this queen gig wasn't much fun.
* * * *
"Are you all right?” Flee asked as she buzzed around the living room. The sweep of her wings fluttered Shay's magically-altered hair.
Her natural hair color was an ugly tinge of green she used to love as a kid. More like the moss that settled on the sword always at her disposal. Altering it to a shade of brown that was acceptable within the human world had grown on her. She liked it better than her original color.
Shay shrugged. “Sure."
"That doesn't sound very convincing."
"Sorry."
"So, are you going to tell me about that nightmare that got the guards all wound up?” Flee raised one of the thin eyebrows on her beautiful face.
"It was nothing."
"I have to admit, it sounded more like a moan of pleasure to me."
"Flee!"
"I'm sorry. You can try to fool them...” Flee motioned toward the front door with her chin. “...but I know you, Shay. You don't have bad dreams. Someone was in there with you last night."
"You're wrong about one thing. I do have nightmares.” Shay looked past Flee, out the window. Right now she could really use a walk in the forest only a few minutes away from the apartment block. Connecting to the trees, flowers and grass would be therapeutic.
"Since when?"
"Since this morning,” Shay whispered.
"That doesn't make any sense.” Flee's smile fell from her dainty features.
Faerie Queen [Fae-Hunters #2] Page 2