An Unseelie Understanding

by Amy Sumida

  Drostan went to the door, opened it, and shouted for his guards. Then he turned and saw me standing nearby.

  “Riley?” Drostan's hands went to my face. “Are you all right, sweetheart? It's okay now; he's dead.”

  “I'm fine,” I whispered.

  He didn't look reassured.

  “Come back to bed,” Drostan said gently. “The guards will be here at any moment, and you're naked.”

  “I am?” I looked down at myself, then over at him. “So are you.”

  “Yes, but I don't mind my soldiers seeing me like this.” Drostan gave me a gentle smile. “However, I do mind them seeing you. Come here, Aja.”

  Drostan lifted me and carried me back to bed; tucking me in just as a group of those large men with the bleeding caps ran through the door.

  “Sire?” One of the men gaped at the dead assassin and then at Drostan. “What the fuck happened?”

  “Someone tried to kill me,” Drostan said simply as he shrugged into a robe. “And my concubine saved my life. She's worth more than all of you Redcaps put together!”

  Had I done that? Did I save Drostan's life?

  The men (Redcaps evidently; what a creative name) looked deeply unsettled. They hurried forward and picked up the corpse.

  “We'll increase security, Your Majesty,” one of them said. “Our humblest apologies.”

  “Get this trash out of my presence and then do exactly that!” Drostan shouted. “I want the guard doubled as of now. And I want spies put into place; we need to discover if this is Tana's doing or if my own people are against me.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty!”

  The Redcaps tromped out of the room, and Drostan slammed the door behind them. He glanced over and saw me watching him, and his expression softened. After closing the door to the antechamber, he strode over, shrugged out of his robe, and slipped into the bed beside me.

  “It seems that it's impossible for me to keep my promises to you,” Drostan whispered as he pulled me close. “Not only do I find myself in the uncomfortable position of apologizing once more, but I'm also in your debt. Thank you, Riley.”

  “You're welcome,” I whispered into his chest.

  Drostan eased me back so that he could see my face.

  “You saved my life,” he said tenderly. “No one has ever risked themselves for me.”

  I nearly asked if this would cancel our Understanding, but I knew that would only accomplish one of two things; either it would make Drostan feel guilty enough to release me (unlikely), or he would be deeply insulted and this burgeoning bond between us would be destroyed by his anger. So, I decided to use the moment to further my goal.

  “It was instinct,” I whispered as I stroked his cheek tenderly. “I couldn't let you be hurt. You don't owe me anything, Drostan.”

  Drostan's mouth fell open, and his eyes misted. He swallowed roughly and pulled me back against his chest. I heard his heart pounding violently as he stroked my hair.

  “Riley, there's something I have to tell you,” he murmured. “I—”

  “Your Majesty?” A knock followed the call.

  Drostan cursed and set me away from him gently. He went to the outer door and cast it open. It was Conall. He looked from Drostan to me and back again with obvious relief.

  “Thank the Goddess,” Conall murmured. “I heard there was an attempted assassination, but you appear unharmed.”

  I frowned at this. Conall and Drostan had the oddest relationship. They almost acted like enemies. At the very least, they were rivals. But Conall seemed genuinely relieved that Drostan was alive and well.

  “No thanks to your—” Drostan broke off and cleared his throat. “No thanks to the guards,” he growled. “It was Riley who saw the assassin and pulled me to safety just before he struck.”

  “Riley?” Conall looked at me in shock. “A human saved your life?”

  “My consort saved my life,” Drostan corrected.

  I froze, my stare happening upon Conall's—which had gone beyond shocked and into horrified. Had Drostan just called me his consort instead of his concubine? I had done it; I had achieved the status of consort; something no one had been able to do with Drostan. Damn; this plan was working fast. But I couldn't push it. Now, was the time to ease back. So, I looked away and pretended not to notice the change in my status.

  “Can I speak with you privately, Your Majesty?” Conall asked with a tense tone.

  “The library.” Drostan waved to the antechamber.

  The men disappeared into the other room, and I took a deep breath.

  “Well done, you!” Hugo plopped onto the bed before me; scaring the bejesus out of me.

  “Where the fuck did you come from?” I hissed.

  “We pixies have our ways of getting around.” He shrugged. “We see a lot more than people know.”

  “I'll bet,” I huffed. “How long have you been up there, you little perv?”

  “Hey now, I would never spy on a friend.” He pouted. “I just got here. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  “Oh. Okay. Thank you.”

  “You're welcome.” He strode across the velvet comforter, looking around with interest. “It's nice in here. And you should get used to it, girly! Saving King Drostan's life was brilliant! What a stroke of luck for you. Now, he can never hurt you; it would go against his honor. And when you told him that he didn't owe you for it, I nearly peed myself! Woohee! I have to admit; I couldn't have given you better advice than that. The look on his face!” Hugo stopped and stared at me in surprise. “You don't even know what you've done, do you?”

  “I've indebted him to me,” I said. “And possibly wormed my way into his heart.”

  “Oh, no doubt he's half in love with you.” Hugo nodded. “No sidhe woman would have put herself in jeopardy to save him. But that's not what I meant.”

  “Sidhe woman?” I asked.

  “One of them.” He waved his hand toward the library. “The big ones that look like humans. Those are the Sidhe. I am a pixie. Got it?”

  “Yeah; okay.”

  “Do you want to hear how brilliant you are, or not?” Hugo huffed.

  “Of course I do,” I huffed back. “Who wouldn't want to hear a compliment?”

  “In fairy culture, no one refuses the offer of a favor. Favors are practically currency. The only time one is refused is when it's offered to a spouse or lover.” Hugo smirked. “What you did was practically a declaration of love, Riley.”

  “What?” I whispered. “But I don't...”

  “Who gives a shit?” Hugo interrupted me. “That's not the fucking point. Drostan knows that you don't know what it means; he didn't take it like that. But on an instinctual level, it will affect him. Those traditions are there for a reason. It's common sense, really. You do something debt-worthy for someone and then refuse payment; who does that? Only people who—”

  “Love each other,” I whispered.

  “Yep!” He smiled widely.

  “Why is that a good thing?”

  “Idiot girl,” Hugo rolled his eyes. “Half of getting a man to treasure you comes from making them believe that you value them. But Drostan brought you here as a slave. He would never have believed your declarations of love, had you flat out told him. Any offer of affection from you would be suspect for years. It would have taken precious time for you to prove yourself to him. But now—”

  “He has instant proof,” I said. “He'll believe that I care about him.”

  “That's right, honey,” Hugo said proudly. “And you don't even have to say the words. Heck, at this point, you could swear that you hate him, and he wouldn't believe you.”

  “Good to know.” I laughed.

  “Oh! Gotta go!” Hugo shimmied up the bed frame and disappeared just as the bedroom door opened.

  Drostan looked grimly satisfied, but Conall looked disturbed. The Seelie knight glanced at me as he left, and the look he gave me left me feeling just as unsettled as he had appeared. Drostan shut the inner
door and lowered a bar across it.

  “Not that this will keep out serious magic-users,” Drostan said as he turned toward me. “But it will at least give us some warning.”

  Drostan came back to bed and shrugged out of his robe. I laid down beside him, and let him draw me into the curve of his side. My palm slipped over his chest automatically, and Drostan sighed deeply.

  “I knew you were meant to be mine, Riley,” Drostan whispered. “And now my instincts have been proven true.”

  I smiled against his skin and drifted off to sleep with a deep sense of satisfaction. My world had just become a little more stable. If only I weren't starting to believe that I was meant to be there too.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I awoke on the back of a horse.

  Yes; it was very confusing. I blinked around myself in shock; taking in the forest as it passed by, and processing the jostling of the animal beneath me. I was naked; wrapped only in a blanket. Strong arms held me in place, and a muscular back was pressed against me. It wasn't Drostan; this man was a little smaller than my fairy king.

  And when the fuck had I started thinking of Drostan as mine?

  I turned around and saw Conall. He smiled sensually at me.

  “What the fuck is going on?” I nearly screeched.

  I startled the horse, and Conall had to calm it before he could answer me.

  “Do you want to kill us both?” He growled. “Control yourself!”

  “Why am I here?” I snapped.

  “You've frightened our friend, the King,” Conall said with a huff. “He's having feelings for you that he knows will weaken him, and so he asked me to take you for awhile; long enough to let his feelings fade.”

  “What?!” I shouted.

  The horse reared again, and Conall cursed as he settled it.

  “Damn it all! Be still; do not take out your dismay on the horse,” Conall snarled as he turned me around to face him. “If you require proof, I'll give it to you.”

  Conall pulled a fine transparent chain from his pocket, and my eyes widened.

  “Yes; Drostan gave me the shiver chains,” Conall purred. “I won't force them on you, but you need to accept that I'm your master for now.”

  His hand slid beneath the blanket and started rubbing my stomach in lazy circles. I jerked away from him.

  “Riley,” Conall said in a deadly tone. “The course of our relationship shall be determined within these next few minutes. I'd rather not be cruel to you, but I cannot arrive at Seelie with a disobedient slave. So, you can either enjoy our time together as a small vacation from King Drostan, or you can force me to make it uncomfortable for you.”

  I clenched my jaw to still my trembling lips. To go to sleep believing that I was cherished and then wake up tossed aside like trash was hard enough. But then to find that I've been thrown from one man's bed to another was an added insult. My mind raced ahead, and I tried to find some clarity in my fear. Either way, I would survive, but I was being given a choice to do so in pleasure or pain.

  I chose the pleasure.

  “You win, Sir Conall,” I said softly as I let the blanket fall back.

  Conall inhaled sharply and laid his hand on my cheek. “You won't regret this, Riley.” He drew his hand slowly down my neck and then between my breasts. “You are so lovely. Drostan will feel your lack sharply, but I shall glory in my good fortune.”

  Perhaps this was just what I needed to ease the ache that Drostan's cold abandonment had put in my chest. I slipped my arms around Conall's neck and threaded my fingers through his fern-green hair as I kissed him. The Seelie knight growled and pulled me tightly to his muscular chest. I could feel his heart pounding rapidly through his tunic, and I rubbed my palms against that heartbeat. He was warm, and the scent of leather and cedar rose from him. I inhaled deeply as I lifted his tunic so I could rub my breasts against his bare skin.

  Conall fumbled with his pants, and I reached down to help him. His cock sprang free; a pale column of rigid flesh with a blushing tip. I rubbed the moisture gathering on its head over the entire shaft, and Conall's hips jerked.

  “I think I shall die if I'm not inside you soon,” he murmured.

  “It will only be a little death,” I whispered as I shifted myself over his lap.

  “Then give it to me,” he purred. “La petite mort.”

  I angled his cock into me and plunged onto it with the motion of the horse. Once there, I didn't have to do anymore; just wrap my legs around Conall and let the ride move me. The canter of the animal beneath us lifted me and slammed me down in a steady rhythm on Conall's cock. I grew wet, and he groaned; his head falling back as he went as deep as he could go with every pound of the hooves.

  “Oh, Goddess!” Conall groaned. “This is amazing. Lean back, Riley; let me see you.”

  I leaned back a little over the horse's neck, and one of Conall's hands went from my back to my front. He swept it up and cupped my breast appreciatively. An insistent thumb rubbed over my nipple as the arm around me lowered to pull my hips tighter to his. Conall kissed me again, and the passion built between us. My hands roamed his wide back beneath his tunic; clawing at him in need. When I pulled out of his kiss, his eyes were glowing acid green; feverish with desire.

  “Fuck; I love your pussy,” Conall growled into my neck. “I've been dreaming about it. So tight and sweet.” He leaned down and started sucking on my nipples. “And your lovely tits—so much larger than a fairy woman's—with large nipples that are perfect for sucking; not those barely-there nubs that I can hardly pinch.” He moaned and went back to enjoying them.

  I was overcome with pleasure, but Drostan's betrayal still lurked in the back of my mind. I pushed it away determinedly as I held onto Conall's shoulders and let the desire carry me away from my heartache. Conall spurred the horse on, and our pace quickened. I fell upon him hard and rapidly as the forest sped by. Within minutes, I was moaning my pleasure to the sky, and Conall quickly followed me; moaning with my nipple still in his mouth as he emptied himself into me.

  I collapsed against Conall's chest and made a satisfied sigh.

  “Oh, this is only the beginning, Riley,” Conall said as his cock hardened inside me. “It's a long journey to Castle Seelie.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Conall was still fucking me when we rode into the courtyard of Castle Seelie. He bucked up into me and came just before he stopped the horse. Then he set his clothing to rights, dismounted, and helped me down. Conall set me on my feet and settled the blanket around my shoulders. There was cum running down my legs, but I wasn't about to wipe it away with all of the fairies in the courtyard watching us. My face flushed, and I pulled the blanket tighter around me.

  “Drostan wouldn't permit me to clothe you,” Conall said apologetically. “He said that all of your clothing belonged to him. I'm sorry, but I will get you something to wear as soon as I can.” He swept off his cloak and wrapped it around me. “Is that a little better?”

  “Yes; thank you,” I whispered. “But I had things that I brought with me from Earth; items with sentimental value.”

  “I'm sure they'll be fine in Drostan's keeping until you return,” he assured me.

  Conall took my hand and led me to the main doors of the castle. Men smiled at me as we passed; looking me over as if I were on the auction block. Conall nodded to them casually and kept going.

  “Sir Conall”—one of the men stepped between us and the door—“who have you there?”

  “My new slave,” he said crisply. “She's on loan from King Drostan.”

  “King Drostan let you borrow a slave?” The man asked in surprise. “So, that's why you volunteered to take him Queen Tana's message. Perhaps next time, I shall volunteer.” He leered at me. “Especially if his slaves are so exceptional.”

  “Perhaps you should,” Conall said with narrowed eyes. “But this one's mine; so stop looking at her like that.”

  “You're the one who brought her here in only a cloak,” the man
huffed as he stepped out of our way. “How was I to know that you weren't willing to share?”

  “You can look,” Conall said. “Just don't look as if you're going to touch.”

  Then Drostan pushed by the man and escorted me into the castle. Everything was bright and shiny; gold featured predominantly in both fixtures and furniture. It was a little hard to look at. I ended up squinting a lot and staring at the floor. So, I didn't see the next person who approached us. But I heard her voice.

  “You're back,” the woman noted. “Good; the Queen has been asking for you.”

  “I'll attend her shortly,” Conall said.

  “You'll attend her now,” the woman growled.

  Conall's expression went furious, but he held his tongue and nodded. The woman looked mollified and stepped aside. Conall brushed past her and led me through throngs of fairies, deeper and deeper into the castle. We climbed a long, twisting staircase—the marble cold on my bare feet—and then went down a glass-walled hallway. A lush garden spread out to either side of the hallway—which was more of a tunnel—and gleamed with bright blossoms beneath the morning sun. Finally, we came to a gilded door guarded by a pair of knights. The knights nodded to Conall and then opened the double doors for us.

  We strode across a plush carpet, winding our way through luxurious and fanciful furniture, to stand before a throne set within the curve of a soaring, bay window. A woman sat on the throne; hair whiter than a snowdrift, skin like golden oak, and eyes like irises. She was more beautiful than any woman I've ever seen; on Earth or Tirne. A man stood beside her; leaning down to speak into her ear. But then she spotted us and smiled brightly. The man noted her distraction and looked up. He had a very similar appearance to the woman's; enough to mark them as relatives. It was startling to see her features in a masculine form; and even more startling to find that they worked. He was just as handsome as she was beautiful. He blinked his stunning eyes at me slowly; looking me over with what seemed to be shocked interest.