by Sin
The words shouldn’t have left my lips but they were true. I thought I could suppress the feelings for Rowan but that was before I found out who Rowan truly was.
“Mackenzie,” he said, my name coming out in a swoosh. “W-what?”
My nerves left me teetering on the edge of trying to cover my admission but I held firm. He’d been through so much, suffered at the hands of a man I’d given not only my body to, but a piece of my soul. I owed Cedric the truth. “I love you, Cedric.”
A slow, sexy smile spread over his handsome face and my heart soared. “That’s what I thought you said.” He lifted me high off the ground. I wrapped my legs around him and hugged him tight. It felt so good to be near him again. I kissed the edges of his jaw until I came to his soft lips. Cedric smelled of jasmine and lilies. He too, was powerful and a year locked away in a dungeon hadn’t taken away from that. I took in all that he had to offer and savored the scent of him. I had missed it so.
As I ran my fingers through his silky hair, it fell all around us, enclosing us in a veil of warmth, a veil of Cedric. He kneaded my butt as he held me off the ground, moving towards the bed we had shared for the past few weeks, but had never actually had sex in. He laid my body down gently on it then slid up and over me. Our mouths never once lost contact and the heat building between us was almost suffocating. I wanted to be touched by him, to be loved by him.
“Mmm, Cedric.”
He pulled away from me.
I wanted to protest, but didn’t when he parted my legs. Separating my velvety folds, he opened me to the marvel of his gentle touch. I grabbed at the sheets as his tongue flickered over my clit. Teasing it. Making it throb with need. Cedric pushed two fingers into my hot, wet channel before skimming the edges of my pussy with his long tongue. Tipping my head back, I cried out as he withdrew his fingers and replaced them with his tongue. It wasn’t long before my thighs were threatening to seize hold of his head from the involuntary jerking that he caused in me. The combination of his warm tongue and his fingers encased in my body proved to be too much and I let my magik loose on him.
My power flowed over his face first then move down his body. Cedric pulled back from me and looked down at himself. He was glowing. “Mackenzie?”
Stunned, I shook my head, not understanding what was going on anymore than him. “Does it hurt?”
“No.” He slid his pants down, exposing the full length of his long, thick erection. I let out a breath that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. His cock was perfect, erect, unmarred, and ready to enter me. I’d worried that perhaps he’d sustained some damage during his year of torture, but as far as I could tell he looked fine. No, better than fine, perfect. I moved up the bed and slithered towards him, stopping long enough to remove my dress, then continuing onward with only one thing on my mind--pleasing Cedric.
He stood as still as a statue at the foot of the bed, waiting for me to reach him. When I did, I cupped his balls gently, massaging them in my hands before moving my fingers up and encircling them, as far as I could, around his shaft. Cedric moaned, tipping his head back as he laced his fingers through my hair.
“Mack,” he whispered, panting softly.
Pressing my face to the base of his tight, auburn curls, I nibbled, making him moan once more. Knowing it drove Cedric mad with lust spurred me on, pushing me to lick my way to the head of his cock.
As I took his erection into my mouth, I rolled it around with my tongue. His fingers moved into my hair and laced gently into it. I varied the speed at which my hands stroked him and took all ten inches of him into my mouth. It was hard to do, but somehow I managed. I cupped his sac in my hand and worked at it gingerly. Finding a steady rhythm by sliding my mouth over the length of his veined cock and sucking gently, closed my mouth tight around his shaft and sucked harder, pulling my mouth up as I went. When I got to the top, I stopped and pushed my tongue into the tiny hole at the head of his penis.
A sultry laugh escaped me as Cedric moaned and bucked against me, pushing his cock in further than even I could take. I wanted to wear his seed, bathe in it, know it once again spilled under the weight of my touch. I had missed him so and never wanted to be without him again. Sliding my mouth back over him, I repeated my actions.
Cedric’s legs tightened along with his grip of my hair. I reached around and seized hold of his butt, pulling him closer to me, taking every bit of him deep into my throat, sucking, tugging, fucking him with my mouth. His balls drew up, followed quickly by his hot release. I drank his hot cum down and licked slowly as I pulled away, not wanting to miss any of his salty delights.
“Uh, Mack.”
I giggled.
Cedric tackled me to the bed, smothering me with kisses along the way. The taste of the other’s sweet juices on our mouths drove us crazy with desire. He pulled me close to him and wrapped his body around me. “Mackenzie, I don’t want this moment to end.”
“Neither do I,” I said, lacing my fingers through his and staring at our joined hands.
He brought my hand to his lips and planted a tiny kiss upon it. “Mackenzie, will you do me the honor of being my wife—my lifemate?”
Time stood still for me. I didn’t know what to say. Of course I wanted to be Mrs. Cedric James McKinney. I’d wanted it ever since I’d been a young girl, but so much had changed, so many things stood in our way now. “My mother will never allow it.”
He kissed my forehead. “I’m not expecting to take you back to the Blessed Court for a ceremony. We could do it here, like the humans do. What do you say?”
“It won’t be legal. It will never hold up at the Blessed Court.”
A small chuckle rose from him as he held me to him. “I know, but it would mean something to us. We could handfast if you’d prefer. I’ll take anything, Mack. Anything that will add to our bond and make you mine. What do you say?”
“Yes, I say yes.”
Epilogue
Cedric and I are doing well. We decided to stay in the cabin. It’s turned into quite a cozy little home for the two of us. Being this close to nature keeps our magik strong and being this secluded keeps our whereabouts a secret. It’s a treat to get to walk among the creatures of the earth each and every day. We went ahead with a traditional human ceremony and are now considered man and wife. This is of no value in the eyes of faerie law but it means something to us. We would have been better off hand fasting. At least that way my mother would be forced to acknowledge us as a couple.
Cedric is working in the city as a security consultant. His military background and past time spent here gave him all the credentials he needed. I volunteer at the local women’s shelter and am still trying to learn to cook. Most of my time is spent scanning the surrounding areas with my powers to try and pick up on any faeries that may be closing in on us. I’m certain that my mother is searching for us, as is Rowan. I had made him a promise to let him know where I was once I was settled and I haven’t held up my end of the agreement. I’m not sure what I’ll do if I see Rowan. Cedric thinks that we were successful in breaking his hold over me, I’m not so sure.
Peace Offerings II:
REVELATIONS
© copyright September 2004, Mandy M. Roth
Chapter One
"Thanks for all your help, Mackenzie," Cherri said, smiling at me as I headed for the door.
"I’ve told you at least a hundred times to stop thanking me. I enjoy what I do here. I like making a difference." It was the truth. I did love working at the women’s shelter. They were desperate for funding and I seemed to find my niche when it came to rubbing elbows with high society for fundraising purposes. Could be from all my years as a faerie princess, but I wasn’t sure.
Spending a lifetime with aristocrats will make you into a social butterfly--at least that’s what they tell me.
Cedric had been furious with me for agreeing to take on this added bit, but once he actually saw how many women and their children passed through our doors, he changed his tune. He gave a
sizeable donation and made me promise to avoid using my name or having my photo taken while in public. I agreed to that. The shelter was all about privacy so it wasn’t as if they’d hand my name out to anyone.
"Is your husband coming to pick you up? You seem run down lately. You feeling all right?" Cherri asked, as she ran her fingers through her short brown hair.
I nodded and headed for the door. It was a lie, but Cherri would worry if I told her that Cedric would be at his office until late, again, and if I told her how I’d really been feeling, she’d rush me to the nearest hospital.
"Night, Cherri," I called out as I put my jacket on and headed outside. The cool air blew past me, sending locks of blonde hair flying into my face. Brushing them away, I growled slightly.
I walked down the sidewalk, noticing how dark it really was. Every piece of me knew I should have left the shelter hours ago, but I had been so swept up in paperwork I’d let time get away from me. I silently cursed myself for not taking Cedric up on his offer to teach me to drive. It had taken me a month to get used to riding in the truck with him. I couldn’t imagine myself being the one behind the wheel. I still wasn’t doing so well with human machines. I’d already set the stove top on fire twice in the few short months we’d been living among mortals, and one of those times I was heating a pan of water. No, I don’t think Cedric would be letting me live that one down anytime soon.
Things were certainly easier back at the Blessed Court for me. I had servants to attend to my every need and an army of men to protect me. I missed the servants' part, and the army of men had its advantages, and I’m not just talking protection, but I was happier now then I’d ever been. Sex with only one man had become more fulfilling than I’d ever thought possible.
Granted, I wasn’t too happy about the circumstances surrounding Cedric and me leaving the Courts, but it was better this way. We were free from my mother’s sadistic behavior and the madness I like to call my life.
I zipped my ski jacket up tight and fished my gloves out of my pocket. Cherri said it wasn’t cold enough to warrant winter attire but I didn’t believe her. She told me to wait until November got here--I’d know cold then. I didn’t agree. I was used to a nice even temperature that was always just right. The Blessed Court wasn’t prone to cold blustering winds or snowfalls. This was new to me. The norm where I came from was a constant, regulated temperature and that was looking better and better every day.
Pulling my hair loose from its clip, I let it spill down and over my shoulders. There was very little point to keeping it tied up, since most of it had come loose and was blowing in my face already. My hopes were that it would keep me warmer. I was wrong. It did relieve some of the tension that had been building at the base of my head. Not sleeping very well was taking its toll on me. My dreams of the Goddess Morrigan had been bothering me to the point I’d taken up an unhealthy addiction to caffeine in an attempt to stay awake. My body wasn’t used to human inventions such as this, and it was proving to be more of a toxin than an aid but I used it all the same.
The Goddess Morrigan, according to Celtic mythology, is the Goddess of battle and death. Many a Si has witnessed her prior to a battle and all have perished. To see her is to see your end and I’d been seeing her on a regular basis in my dreams for close to two months now. It was amazing that I still took air in, let alone walked. She was coming for me with death and an end to my immortality. This much I could accept, but Cedric never would. It was best to keep it from him for as long as possible.
In my dreams, Morrigan would be bent over a river, washing bloody clothes. She looked exactly like me, yet somehow I knew that it was Morrigan and not me at all. The illusion of myself there may have been her way of easing me into the reality of my fate. There was no way for me to know for sure and asking her was out of the question. I couldn’t explain why she appeared to me that way, but the very fact she visited my sleep said my time as an immortal was drawing to an end--and soon.
I had tried to dismiss the dreams as nothing more than my overactive imagination and fear of my enemies finding me, but when the black raven started making appearances during my waking hours, I knew I was screwed. The raven is another form the Goddess Morrigan can take. Her persistence should have scared me, but it didn’t. I knew I was dying. I could tell by the weight and hair that I was losing and by the blood I’d been coughing up regularly. Cedric knew nothing of this, of course, and I had no intentions of telling him. There was nothing he could do for me now. There was nothing anyone could do.
Chapter Two
Walking towards the bus station, I thought about how upset Cedric would be if he found out that I’d come into the shelter after I’d told him I wouldn’t leave the cabin. He had another large security project he was working on and it had been taking up a lot of his time, so he wasn’t able to run me back and forth anymore. I hated missing out at the shelter because of that, so I’d been heading in anyways for almost a week now. So far, I’d been lucky and had beaten Cedric home every night. He’d be hurt that I lied to him, and worried about my safety if he found out what I’d been up to.
Who was I kidding? He’d be furious. He’d forbidden me to endanger myself and I knew that’s exactly how he’d perceive what I was doing.
Sitting down on the bench, I prepared to wait for the next bus to arrive. The stench of the human city at night was almost too much for me. It always seemed to smell of garbage. How humans could be so careless, and so destructive to the world, was beyond me. I’d been raised to not only respect nature but to cherish it. As a Fae, I was born to protect it, not use it as a trash receptacle.
I tapped my foot on the pavement, doing my best to patiently await the next bus. I was still at least an hour from being home. The next bus wouldn’t be here for another ten minutes and then it would only take me so far. From there, I’d have to walk. Yes, Cedric would lose his mind if he knew I was out and doing this.
A man walked around the corner. I didn’t look up at him, but I stayed aware of where he was in proximity to me. His footsteps echoed behind me, allowing me to carefully track his movements.
Cedric had spent a lifetime teaching me to defend myself. I’d never thought I’d actually need to know any of it, but four months ago I found myself facing two giants, or at least part giants. Their mothers were faeries and had been raped during an attack on their village. They were the end product and they weren’t too friendly either. I’d managed to escape them with my life, but I wasn’t about to sign up for any sparring competitions because of it.
The man kept moving down the street, never once saying a word to me, and I began to relax. I was constantly on edge--worried that one of my mother’s royal guards would come looking for me. As Queen of the Blessed Court, she had endless resources at her fingertips to find me, and I’d no doubt she was looking. I had backed out of one of her most brilliant political plans to date, a marriage contract between myself and Prince Elwyn Rowan Lockland. I’d fallen in love with Rowan without realizing who he was. Only to find out that he was not only the Prince of the Unblessed Court, but the man responsible for torturing Cedric for over a year.
Thinking of Cedric’s throat being slit and his mind being raped by Rowan still turned my stomach. I was angry with myself for falling in love with a monster, but even more upset with the fact that now that I knew what Rowan was capable of, I still had feelings for him. Granted, my feelings for him always included hate, but in some strange way, I still loved him but I could never tell Cedric that. Prior to Rowan, Cedric had been the only man I’d ever loved since I was a young child. He was my best friend growing up, my closest companion, and now, at least according to human laws, he was my husband.
Human laws and ceremonies meant nothing to the faeries and our union would never stand up in the eyes of my mother or the Courts, but it made us feel closer and that was all that mattered. The time would come when we would need to answer for our choices. I only hoped today was not it.
The bus pulled up and I waited
for the driver to open the doors before standing. Something distracted me and I glanced over to see a lone black raven sitting on the bench where I’d been seated. A chill ran over me as the doors to the bus opened. The black bird omen of death had come so close that I could touch it should I so choose.
My gaze flickered to the bus driver. He smiled and nodded his head. He’d seen me every night for the past week. I think he was starting to consider me a regular. The sad thing is how much I began to look forward to seeing his friendly face. Too many nights away from Cedric and the knowledge that my death was near had caused a constant need for companionship in me and I hated it.
Chapter Three
I made my way up the tiny lane that led to our cabin. My cheeks burned from the cold and my toes were completely numb. When I saw the large black truck parked outside I stopped dead in my tracks, forgetting about the fact I was freezing.
All the lights in the cabin were on. My stomach twisted into a knot. Cedric was home, and he was well aware I was not. I took another step and felt Cedric’s magik find me. He’d cast a scanning spell, as I would have done should positions be reversed, and was searching the area for me.
His power wrapped around me, pulled me up and lifted me off my feet. It felt a little like a sitting in a swing but there was nothing but air around me. Cedric’s fury washed over me in pulsing waves. I swallowed hard, knowing that facing him was inevitable.
The door to the cabin opened and Cedric’s tall frame appeared in it. His blue eyes locked on me and relief washed over his face momentarily, followed closely by anger. He took the front steps two at a time and ran towards me. His magik lifted me higher, blowing my hair into my face. I pulled the long blonde strands back and didn’t bother fighting Cedric’s power. There was no point. In theory, I should have been the stronger of the two of us, but that wasn’t the case. Cedric was one of the most powerful faeries I’d ever known. He’d spent a year locked away in a dungeon with his powers bound. In the end, he came out stronger, harder and with a taste for vengeance.