by R. E. Butler
“If the person were small enough, like a child, I could, but I can’t put a ton of weight on my wings. Male fairies have feathered wings, and they can carry a second person, but the translucent wings like I have aren’t meant for that sort of thing.”
She filled the vases half full with clear marbles and water. Then she paused in front of the first vase with her palm down over the opening. The marbles jostled inside the vase and the water rippled, and then tiny green stalks shot up between the marbles, swiftly growing toward the opening. She lifted her hand as if she were drawing the foliage up, and the stalks followed, thickening and lengthening as leaves sprouted and buds appeared and bloomed. She wiggled her fingers, and he met her gaze.
A dozen crimson roses had risen from seeds within the vase. He’d never seen anything like it. “That was amazing, love.”
She winked. “Thanks. Red roses are my best seller.”
As she moved to the next vase, he said, “What’s your favorite?”
“I like daisies.”
“Really?” He crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter. “Daisies?”
“What’s wrong with daisies?” she asked, peeking around the second vase of perfect red roses.
“You could make any flower out of seeds, but your favorite is the daisy. It’s just…surprising.”
“Oh, I’m full of surprises, Galen.”
“Are you?”
Her eyes darkened slightly, and he felt something tickle his wrists. Glancing down, he found vines snaking around his wrists. As he watched, the vines thickened and then tugged with surprising strength, pulling his arms straight out to rest against the counter.
“I stand corrected,” he said, chuckling. The vines released him and slithered away under the counter.
As she continued to grow roses in the vases, she told him about growing up in the fairy commune, with the king who expected everyone to tow the line and the fairy council, of which her dad was a member, backing him up. She’d been exiled for only a year, but she clearly missed her family and was worried about her sister. He thought it was admirable that she was willing to marry a man she didn’t love to save her sister from the same fate. He was just thankful she’d come home to Belle Terra first and they’d found each other.
“Is there nothing we can do for Alanah?” he asked. He helped her carry the completed vases of red roses out to the refrigerated cases.
“Not without getting in a lot of trouble. I’d be jailed for even stepping onto the commune’s property. And thank you.”
“For what, love?” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and kissed her gently.
“Asking what we could do, not what I could do.”
“I said you weren’t alone any longer, Serena, and I meant every word.”
She rose on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close. Their lips met and parted, their tongues touching and dancing like old lovers. He felt like he knew her already, as if she’d already been part of his heart and soul all along, he just hadn’t known it.
He lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her back into the workshop and kicked the door shut. Her wings disappeared. Laying her down on an empty counter, he pushed her shirt up her stomach and kissed her navel. He inhaled her wildflower scent and nuzzled her soft skin. Her fingers fisted his hair and she tilted her hips, making him chuckle.
“We’ve got at least two beds waiting upstairs,” he pointed out, pushing her shirt up a little higher until he could see her pink bra.
“You’re the one kissing my stomach.”
“I can stop.”
“Don’t you dare!”
He straightened, leaning over her and cupping her face with one hand. “Be mine, Serena. I promise to be the best mate.”
“I’m yours, Galen.”
“I’m yours, too, love.”
She twisted the center of her bra and it opened, freeing her breasts. They kissed as he slowly pushed the satin cups away from her breasts and grazed the nipples with his fingertips. Their tongues danced together, as the sweet taste of her filled him. His cat purred, anxious to mate her completely. It wasn’t an ideal situation – she was on a hard counter instead of a soft bed; they were in her shop and not their bedroom. He just couldn’t bring himself to stop touching her and kissing her.
He kissed down her jaw to her neck, nipping at her throat as his finger and thumb plucked lightly at her nipple. He moved down slowly to her breasts, kissing both hardened tips before licking and sucking them to tight perfection. She writhed under him, her hands tightening in his hair as he kissed down her stomach and began to undo her jeans. She released her hold on his hair as he moved lower, lifting her hips as he tugged her jeans and panties down her legs. He removed her shoes first before taking her pants off completely, and then he stood between her parted legs and removed his shirt.
“Oh, mine,” she whispered, raising her hands and gripping the edge of the counter above her head. “You look good enough to eat.”
He gazed down at her pussy, her flesh bare and wet. “You do, too.”
Planting his hands on her thighs, he pushed them apart slowly until he could see all of her, from the pearl of her clit to the deep pink of her core. Her scent was intoxicating – a mixture of flowers and sugar – and he could think of nothing better than tasting her and finding out what she sounded like when she fell apart.
He bent and kissed her clit. His cat purred, and the sound rumbled in his chest. Tilting his head, he pushed his tongue into her pussy, groaning at the sweet taste of her. He slid her thighs over his shoulders and slipped his hands under her butt to lift her closer. Licking her as deeply as he could, he purred and she moaned.
“Oh, that feels so good!”
His cat liked how much she enjoyed his purrs and he purred more, flicking his tongue over her clit a few times before delving into her pussy. He purred louder, moving a hand up to rub her clit. He wiggled the bud back and forth as he licked her pussy and purred, feasting on her. Her heels pressed into his back, and she screamed as she came, lifting her hips and rubbing herself against his vibrating tongue as he purred and licked her sweet climax straight from the source.
He gazed up the center of her body as he lazily licked her clit. She lifted her head, and their eyes met. “Make love to me, Galen.”
Lifting her gently, he kissed her as he set her on her feet. She stripped off her shirt and bra as he lowered his jeans, unable to take his eyes off her as she spun slowly to face the counter, planting her hands and spreading her legs. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, and he saw the marks where her wings disappeared into her back. The pink marks, a few inches in length, were angled over her shoulder blades. He kissed each mark, and she shivered.
He gripped his dick and set the head against her pussy. He pushed into her, and she gasped as he breeched her and pressed inside. Grasping her hips, he watched his dick disappear into her heated depths, the slick walls gripping him like a fist. He could have come right then, and it took all his will not to blast his load on the first stroke.
As their bodies touched and he was buried deeply, he slid one hand around to her clit and began to tease her tight bud with his fingers. She moaned and rested her hand on top of his as he slid his dick from her pussy until only the head was inside and then pressed in slowly. He kept the pace slow as he felt her pussy begin to contract rhythmically around him. Her nails dug into the top of his hand as she came, his name on her lips.
He began to move again, slowly picking up the pace until he was fucking her as fast as he could. The counter shook as they moved together, one of her hands gripped the counter while the other encouraged him to play with her clit, driving her to higher and higher plateaus of pleasure. She came again and again, moaning loudly and shouting his name. As he felt his climax reaching the point he couldn’t hold back anymore, he kissed the place where her shoulder and neck met.
“Yes, Galen, please,” she said with a rough voice.
“Holy shit that was wonderful,” she said.
“It really was, love,” he said. He leaned over, pushing one wing gently to the side as he nicked his tongue and swiped the mark on her neck with his own blood. His blood would mix with hers and cause the mark to scar and remain forever. He eased from her body and lifted her into his arms, finding an empty place against the wall to sit down, tucking her into his lap.
“I think we should put a couch back here,” she said with a chuckle.
“Now that’s a great idea.” He glanced around the room, and his mouth fell open. “Love?”
“Hmm?” she said, nuzzling his neck.
“Look what happened.”
She lifted her head from his shoulder and gasped. Flowers were blooming everywhere. From roses to lilies to other flowers he’d never seen before. Boxes, shelves, and tables overflowed with colorful foliage.
“Well, that’s a first.” She laughed. “I guess we’ll have plenty of flowers to sell at the shop this week.”
He rested his hand on her thigh. “Was this because of our mating?”
“It seems that way. When you marked me, it was like everything inside me went white hot, and I felt my power swell, but I thought it was just my wings coming out.”
His cat was preening like a peacock. He’d loved her so well that her power flared and made all the flowers bloom.
Kissing her forehead, he said, “Consider me your assistant. What do you want to do first?”
She moved swiftly, straddling him. Cupping his face, she said, “My sexy mate, as if you even have to ask. First we fuck and then we work.”
“We already fucked.” He groaned as she lowered herself onto his already hard dick.
“That was a marking sort of fucking. This is fucking because we’re mates, and I need to show you how crazy I am about you.”
Their bodies met, and he gripped her hips, his fingers digging into her flesh. “I’m crazy about you, too.”
“I know,” she said, smiling as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. “I can feel it deep in my heart.”
“Then it’s not fucking, Serena.”
“You’re right. I’m so lucky,” she said as she lifted herself from him and then drove down, letting her head fall back. “I’m the luckiest fairy in the world.”
“Not as lucky as this cat,” he promised, and it was the truth. He’d never felt so connected to someone so quickly. He was falling fast for his lovely fairy. He could think of nothing but making her happy for the rest of their lives.
They were off to a really good start.
Chapter 5
After they’d made love on the floor, and then again on the counter, they’d finally gotten to work. Galen was an eager helper, bringing her containers and supplies, carrying finished vases into the cases, and helping her clean up. The explosion of flowers because of her power flare was a surprise. She wished she could contact her mom or sister to see if they’d ever experienced it, but she had a feeling it was because Galen was her truemate. Her parents weren’t truemates. Theirs was an arranged marriage the king had overseen. She had no doubt they loved each other, but she didn’t believe the king cared whether couples were truemates or not. He arranged marriages based on the needs of the commune.
The refrigerated cases in the front of the store were full as were the ones in the workshop. She left a note for Jocelyn, explaining she was now mated and would be taking off a few extra days.
Galen pulled the security screen shut, and she locked it. “Shall we, sweetheart?” he asked, offering her his arm.
She smiled. “Which room?”
“Let me grab my things from my room first, and then we can go to your room, if that’s okay? I’m pretty sure that my family is going to offer to let us move into a suite on the fourteenth floor anyway.”
“Why?” she asked as he pushed the button for the eighth floor.
“Aubrey is mated to my brother Alaric, and she was already living on the fourteenth floor, so he moved in with her. Gretchen is mated to Slade, and they moved into a suite on the fourteenth floor this week.”
“What about Lia?” She hadn’t gotten to meet Galen’s only sister yet.
“She’s living in the penthouse with Caleb.”
The elevator stopped on his floor, and she followed him to his room. He’d been living there since Alaric and Aubrey mated on Friday night after meeting at the fights. She was glad that Galen wasn’t fighting anymore. She wasn’t sure she could stand to watch him fight, even if he was a great fighter judging from the numerous fights he’d won during the year he’d been traveling with the NWFA. She had no idea that shifters enjoyed fighting each other for money.
After helping him pack his bags, they went to the twelfth floor. She could smell brimstone as she exited the elevator and smiled as Galen wrinkled his nose. “Dredge must be spell casting. He uses brimstone in some of his spells. He doesn’t do it very often, because people complain about the smell, but it will dissipate quickly.”
“What kind of spells?”
“He’s a warlock. He hires himself out for various things – tracking spells, protection spells, that kind of stuff.”
“Sounds dangerous.” Galen’s eyes narrowed as they passed by Dredge’s room.
“He’s not. He looks like the devil, but he’s got a good heart. He doesn’t hurt innocents, and he’s protective of the people he cares about.” Although she wasn’t certain if the surly, tattooed mountain of a male had ever had any real family. They spoke in passing, so she didn’t know him very well, but Caleb had vetted him thoroughly before allowing him to move in. “Brimstone is used in protection spells. He’s doing a good thing.”
“If you’re sure,” Galen said.
“I am.” She used the thumbprint pad to unlock the door to her room. Galen tossed his bags to the floor, hauled her into his arms, and carried her inside. He locked the door and said, “Now it’s time to love you right.”
“What was all that before in the workshop?” she asked as he carried her toward the bedroom.
“Just the warm-up.”
“I love the way you think, Galen.”
* * * * *
As dawn rose over the treetops that she could see out of her bedroom window, Serena listened to Galen’s heart beating as he slept underneath her. They’d made love twice more before both had succumbed to exhaustion. He was simply amazing. He held her tight, loved her well, and made sure she was blissed out every time they touched. She liked that he was a shifter, but she thought it was sad that he and his family were the last of their kind.
Galen purred as he woke, wrapping his arms around her and rolling them both to their sides. She giggled as he nuzzled her throat and sent shivers down her spine.
“Morning,” he murmured against her skin.
“Hi, yourself.”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Last night.”
“I must not have done a very good job if you’re not completely worn out.”
She eased her leg over his waist and hugged herself a little closer to him. He was all smooth skin and muscles. “You did a really good job, but I’m just a morning person.”
He nibbled on her throat and purred, making her whole body tighten in anticipation. And then her stomach growled.
He froze and then chuckled. “Hungry, love?”
Her cheeks flamed. “A little. You forget I was living in the woods for the last week, so I was eating a lot of fruits and nuts.”
He rolled her to her back and kissed her cheek, straightening his arms and looking down at her. “You order room service, and I’ll get the shower ready.”
&
nbsp; She reached for her phone. “Anything in particular you like?”
“You.”
She knew she was beaming with the compliment. “I like you, too, but I mean to eat.”
“I meant that too.”
She smiled so big that her cheeks hurt. He pushed the sheet aside and kissed down the center of her body, and then he paused just below her navel. His muscles bunched as he slipped his arms underneath her lower back and pressed his nose to her skin. As he inhaled slowly, he began to purr. He lifted his head and his eyes were gold.
“Galen?”
“You’re pregnant.”
Her brow arched. “How can you tell?”
“You smell like a pregnant tigress. It’s your wildflower scent mixed with a deeper scent of my people – jungle and heat and sunshine.” He lowered his head and inhaled again. She let her power flare a little, not enough to make her wings come out but enough to enhance her senses, and she searched for what he was scenting. She found it easily – the spark of new life within herself.
She fisted her hands in his hair, and he gazed at her with his beautiful golden eyes. “You knocked me up.”
He grinned. “It’s because we’re both awesome.”
“Or insatiable. We haven’t even talked about having kids.”
“I was too busy making you scream.”
“Galen,” she whispered thickly as emotions rose quickly within her.
His grin slipped away to gentle concern, and he moved quickly to join her, pulling her against him. “All joking aside, Serena, I’m so happy you’re mine. This baby is the result of two lonely people finding each other. We’ll never be alone, and we’ll make sure our kids aren’t ever alone either. They’ll always have each other for support, and their cousins, too.”
“I like that. Just how many kids are you talking about?”
He wiggled his brows. “As many as you want.”
“Will they be fairies or sabers?”
“The saber genes are dominant, so I would expect that most of our children will be shifters, but who knows? You’re clearly a powerful fairy. They could even be a combination of both – shifters with fairy powers.”