by JL Madore
“His long, mane of hair falling forward, brushing over the soft rounds of your tits. I know that feeling. It’s like silk seduction.”
It is. That’s exactly what it feels like. And with every thrust and retreat, that silk drape tickles and teases my flesh. Tension tightens deep inside me and my orgasm builds.
“And then there’s the view. Fuck, Kotah, your muscles are so tight and toned beneath that beautiful copper skin of your heritage. Your body so supple and ready for the taking.”
That’s true too. Kotah’s a beautifully made male. All tight lines and chiseled musculature beneath the velvet skin of a noble prince.
“Run your hands over his shoulders and down to his ass. Grab that ass, Calli, both hands. Yeah, dig your nails into the fleshy globes and pull him inside deeper.”
I do as I’m told and Kotah grunts, his eyes wild with approval. “You like that wolf?”
“I do,” he gasps, his breath coming out in bursts as the pumping gets wild and the two of us are rocking behind the force of his pounding thrusts. “Grip harder. Don’t be afraid to hurt me.”
I tighten my grip, knowing I’m probably breaking skin, but he’s so hot for it. Gawd, I know the need for that sensation of pleasure-pain. And judging by the sweat beading on his forehead and the catch in his breath, he’s not suffering.
His hunger triggers a keening of sensation in my clit, and my insides start to convulse. His cock feels so thick and long and is hitting me in all the right spots.
“Yes, sugar,” I gasp, arching my back off the mattress. My orgasm detonates and my insides grab hold of his cock and milk the satin skin sliding over steel. I grip the sheets in my hands and let the sensation shatter me. “Don’t stop.”
“I’ll never stop, Chigua.”
The breathless reverence of his voice follows me as I retreat into the passionate waves of my orgasm as it crests and recedes. So good. So freaking good.
I’m still catching my breath when Jaxx rises on his knees behind Kotah. “Mind if I join in? You waggling your fine ass in the air is more than I can take and look, I made this special creamy lube just for you.”
Kotah’s smile is pure, sexy joy. “Ready and waiting, mate. My sexy ass is yours to claim whatever you want.”
“Great answer.” Jaxx’s cum-filled hand disappears behind the round of Kotah’s very fine backside and they both groan. Kotah’s eyes roll closed as he pushes back against Jaxx’s ministration and I’m cranking up again.
“This is what I want, wolf. I want to finger you until I can fuck you hard and then I’ll mark you as mine. Again. And maybe again and again.”
Kotah’s jaw flexes as he swallows. “I want that too.”
Jaxx’s golden bicep flexes as he works to prime Kotah and gets him stretched for what’s to come. “How does that feel my king?”
“So good.”
Jaxx works him over a little longer and then positions himself behind Kotah. The lube bottle gives off a little squelch and then Jaxx is squaring up and penetrating him.
It can take a few minutes to relax the muscles enough to get rocking with anal, so I spend the time sticking my tongue in his mouth and winding myself up again for round two. A few minutes later, Jaxx presses inside Kotah as Kotah presses inside me.
I stretch and close my eyes, soaking up the rock and thrust of Jaxx fucking us both.
“Life is good.”
CHAPTER SIX
Hawk
Brant and I finish speaking with the members of the Fae Council and help palace security with the aftermath of the attack. It feels like ages before we’re done and back at our suite. When we get inside and lock the door, all the angst and turmoil of the past two hours is set aside.
“Hey, mates.” Jaxx meets us at the door with a hug. “Another attack and we’re all still standing.”
Brant claps him on the back and then looks around. “Where are Calli and Kotah?”
“In the master snuggled up with snacks and watching Princess Bride.”
“Again? Inconceivable.” Brant takes off his boots and points to the cheese and meat tray on the kitchen island. “Is this going up?”
“Yeah, thanks. Go ahead. We’ll be right up.”
I make an event of unlacing my dress shoes and once Brant is upstairs and in the bedroom, I straighten and ease in. “What’s wrong?”
Jaxx leads me through the living room and into the office. The fact that we need distance and privacy puts me on edge. By the time we get to where we’re going, my pulse is pumping hard.
Jaxx sees my alarm and raises his palms. “It’s fine now, but I think we need to be extra sensitive around Kotah for a while.”
“Is he still raw because of the ceremony and his mother?”
“No. Nothing like that. He wanted us to take his mind off things and forget for a while, so I took him into the Den.”
Shit. The look on Jaxx’s face makes me afraid to ask. “And what went wrong?”
“He froze up and shut down.”
I’ve played in the lifestyle long and hard enough to know that it absolutely happens, but damn, I wish I’d been here for him. “How badly?”
“Not bad. We hadn’t even gotten started really. Calli and I blindfolded him, cuffed him, and locked him onto the cross, and that was it. His wolf ascended and his cock softened.”
“How’d you end it?”
“We got him unhooked fast, took him onto the bed, and had a normal, love-in session.”
“And that went okay? Brant and I felt the connection of the three of you, so you were able to bring him back around?”
He nods. “That went great. Super successful like always. I just think he’s in his head now… like maybe he won’t be enough for us in the future.”
I curse and exhale. “And when you say us… you mean me. Fuck. This is what I was afraid of. Okay, well, it was bound to happen because he and Calli have both been pushing, so we’ll deal with it. I’ll spend extra time showing him how perfect he is being his sexy and sweet self.”
Jaxx nods. “You’ve been hesitant with Calli too. Do you think she’ll have trouble?”
“Yeah, I do. She was stalked by her uncle, and then pinned and almost raped and beaten by the trucker, the drow, and gods only know how many others over a decade on the streets. I honestly think restraint and dominance is the last thing she needs. Her subconscious mind has locked shit down and built up walls for a reason. I say we don’t fuck with it.”
“She thinks she wants more.”
“I read people for a living and have been in the lifestyle for my entire adult life. No matter what she thinks, she doesn’t want what we do.”
“So how do you want to handle it?”
I cast a glance past Jaxx and ensure there are no prying ears. “With Kotah, we relish the love. With Calli, when she wants to be naughty, we take her in for some light play. I honestly don’t believe she’ll enjoy the dominance and power exchange that you and Brant do.”
Jaxx nods. “Agreed, so we keep it kink lite unless it’s the two of us or Brant.”
I nod. “And we keep the full details of our sessions really fucking private.”
“Agreed.” Jaxx closes the distance and hugs me.
The tension in Jaxx’s frame is unwelcome. I don’t doubt that Kotah freezing up on him, affected him deeply. Easing back, I grasp his jaw and lay a long, hot kiss on those lips I love so much. “This is not your fault. It happens. We’ll fix it like we fix everything—together.”
Jaxx exhales a heavy breath and nods. “Yeah, okay.”
I kiss him again for good measure and step back. “Now, let’s get upstairs before Brant eats all the snacks.”
Jaxx snorts. “Oh, I’m sure the ship has sailed on that one. I’ll make more.”
Calli
Jaxx and Hawk join us about ten minutes after Brant. I have no doubt our jaguar filled him in on what happened and the fact that Hawk beelines it straight for Kotah proves me right. “Shove over Bear,” he says, climbing in fro
m the foot of the bed and crawling up to join us.
Kotah stiffens and the tension and emotion from earlier resurfaces. When Hawk pulls him against his chest, Kotah’s eyes are far too glassy for my liking. When the tears start, I’m curling in too.
“What’s wrong?” Brant says, looking around. “What did I miss?’
“It’s been a day,” Jaxx says, bringing in more food. “Kotah’s taken enough hits to warrant an emotional meltdown, don’t you think?”
“Shit yeah. Today’s been shit all the way around.”
I snuggle into Brant and steal the last piece of kielbasa. “It’s over now and we survive to fight another day. Go, team.”
Kotah
Keyla, Doc, Mama, Daddy, and Lukas arrive at our suite at six for dinner and a planning session. One thing I’ve learned about the Stanton family… when a crisis hits, they cook. Which, with a family of wildlings, is a good thing. Adahi had already sent up all my favorite desserts to console me on a difficult day, so we’re set to reset.
I’m still a little embarrassed by my reaction in the playroom and then falling apart when Hawk came in to join us, but true to my mates, they didn’t seem to mind a bit. My father would’ve been horrified I crumbled and did it in front of others. I’m the Fae Prime and should be held to a standard of strength above all others.
But my father is dead.
I’m not him and I’m glad about that.
My mates love me and support me and though I still need to have ‘the talk’ with Hawk, for now, everything is alright, and we can fake it until we make it.
“Eat up, baby boy,” Mama says, sliding another helping at me. “You need your strength for whatever comes next.”
I smile and start in on the offering. It doesn’t bother me that Mama calls me baby boy. She calls Jaxx that too. “Thank you, Mama.”
She winks and moves on to topping up Brant’s plate.
“What do we know for sure?” Hawk asks.
Lukas straightens in his stool at the island and swallows. “There are no crowd fatalities even though there were a lot of injuries due to the stampeding and several others caught by a ricochet. The only dead are the two members of the Fae Council and the only unaccounted for are three counselors—one being the Minister of the Council—the Prima, and Raven.
“Could it be…” Calli stops mid-sentence and waves the attention away. “Nevermind.”
“No, kitten,” Jaxx says. “Brainstorming is an all-thoughts considered process.”
Calli swallows and casts me an apologetic gaze. “Could it be the Black Knight—”
“—Daddy Dearest,” Hawk adds.
“Yeah. Could it be that Mr. Whitehouse gathered his collaborators either to contain them or to keep them from being discovered and interrogated?”
Keyla puffs up and I raise a hand before she jumps down Calli’s throat. “It’s possible.”
My sister pegs me with a hostile gaze and crosses her arms. “You don’t honestly believe that, do you?”
“I’m not writing her off as the enemy, Keyla, but it’s possible. Maybe Adahi is right and it’s all Raven. Mother might’ve been caught in the crossfire. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to take my oath today and Mother was going to step in. Maybe the Fae Council already had a plan in place if I was killed to put someone else into power who aligns with their objectives. We don’t know.”
Keyla swipes her fingers across her cheeks. “I know Mother would never agree to have you killed and I know she’d never stand with people who planned to do you harm.”
“And you know her best, so we’ll take that as truth.”
Brant finishes his plate and collects Calli’s and Jaxx’s before taking them to the sink.
“Are we any closer in finding out if the counselors who were taken were targeted because they were on board with the Black Knight or opposed?”
Cue the shaking heads.
“Hawk would have the greatest insight on the Minister of the Council,” Calli says.
Hawk sends her a scowl. “What makes you think that?”
I expect Calli to point out that he is the only person in the room who had sex with her, but she surprises me. “You vetted and put together the Fae Council.”
Hawk relaxes a little and gestures to Lukas. “We pulled the vetting files the moment doubt was cast on the council. Lukas cross-referenced them with bank records, social media comments, and political stances and found nothing definitive.”
“The Minister did speak out against expanding the governing council,” Daddy says.
“When was that?” Hawk asks.
“At the Monster Rights Conclave last month.”
Hawk frowns. “What session?”
“You weren’t there, son. It was after the panel spoke. A sprite in the audience asked about the recent protests and suggested that expanding representation to include some of the lesser fae races and diminutive classes might alleviate tensions.”
“And the Minister was opposed?”
“Oh, she said all the appropriate things like ‘the balance of representation is complex, and the council is always eager to consider ways of improving how they serve the people.”
“But you felt it was lip-service?”
“Oh, it definitely was. I was sitting close enough to smell their annoyance at the suggestion and the lie when she outright said she’d take it to the council for consideration.”
Brant growls. “Well, she’s in for a rude awakening when we reunite the realms because there will be plenty of fae, of all power levels, who will need consideration. The power of eleven is ending. Who knows what the new Fae Council of the United Realms would look like?”
“Which goes to motive,” Lukas says. “Stop the merging of the realms and keep their power without question.”
“So, that implies that the counselors taken were with Hawk’s father and the ones who were killed were against,” Calli says.
“Question their spouses,” Mama says. “As you five know, when your mate is facing opposition and upset, a spouse is often informed beyond what he or she is supposed to know.”
Lukas nods. “Good thought, Maggie. I’ll track them down as soon as we’re done here.”
“Why take Raven and Mother?” Keyla asks. “They can’t influence the vote of the Fae Council, so why take them?”
Doc frowns. “I’m with Keyla on this. They have to know between the Guardians and the Fae Prime, you’ll amass a force and track them down. Taking the Fae Prima put them on every watch list on the continent.”
“I’m not sure they were the target,” Hawk says. “The Forest Lord was zoned in on Kotah. It was only when Calli’s firewall blocked him from getting to our wolf that he turned and went after the Prima and Raven.”
Keyla frowns. “You’re saying she might’ve been taken simply because his chance at grabbing Kotah and me was eliminated?”
“Yes,” Hawk says. “It’s a sleight of hand move like when he attacked us on the road to keep me from noticing he was kidnapping gifted kids and fucking with my company.”
“Language, love,” Mama says.
“Sorry, Maggie,” Hawk blushes. “But you get my point. They came at us in a big, flashy event and took one of the most iconic members of our community and it plays perfectly into his plans.”
“To distract us,” Jaxx says. “He wants us to stop searching the old portal gate sites.”
Hawk nods. “Yeah. And that means there’s something to find or he wouldn’t go to all the trouble.”
I sigh and run my fingers over my face. “He sounds as manipulative and twisted in strategy as my father.”
Hawk shrugs. “It’s all part of making us who we are and getting us to this place, wolf. Now we get to use all those years of mental anguish to turn the tables and beat them at their own game.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Keyla doesn’t look pleased about any of this. “That sounds like you’re not going to amass a force and start looking for our Mother. So, what, you�
��re going to carry on visiting old gate sights and ignore the Fae Prima’s kidnapping?”
“Technically, Calli is now the Fae Prima,” Brant says.
Keyla gets a strange look. “No. Technically, she’s not.”
“What do you mean?” Calli asks.
Keyla stares at me and frowns. “The coronation is over but you’re not Fae Prime until you sign the declaration and it’s registered downstairs. Mother was supposed to escort you there after the ceremony.”
“Well, that’s an important factoid you might’ve mentioned earlier,” Brant snaps.
Jaxx stands. “Okay, first things first. Let’s get the Prime stuff locked down and finalized. We didn’t go through all this to be voided out at the last minute.”
Jaxx
The procession down to the registry office might seem like overkill to anyone looking from the outside, but this is our family. The five of us, Mama and Daddy, Keyla and Doc, and Lukas. If my sister Laney was here, she’d be tromping down the stairs too.
And while we’re here to offer moral support, we’re also here to make sure no one tries to stop this from happening. As much as none of us likes the idea of Kotah being made a puppet in the politics of the realm, he’s the rightful heir to the position, and at least with him in power, we know there’s an honest and trustworthy leader at the helm.
When we get to the registrar’s office, the door is locked.
“That’s weird,” Keyla says, knocking on the glass. “This office is open nine until nine.”
When no one comes to let us in, Hawk steps aside and gestures for Lukas to try the door next.
Lukas tries the knob, presses his hand over the lock plate, and tries again. When the doorknob still doesn’t give way, he frowns and starts waving his hands the way he does when he’s doing mage spellwork.
I’m not sure why he’d need to go to so much effort to open a simple door but when he’s finished, it opens without trouble. The ten of us file in and what do you know, the staff are in there and working like normal.
When we step inside, the sprite at the front desk looks up and I wonder if she might faint.