I heard several growls and opened my eyes to find Owen leaning on one elbow on a towel next to ours. He had one leg raised and I could see the excitement in his dark brown eyes. Behind him Amras stood with his own legs spread as if to brace himself from falling to the ground. His hands were clenched at his sides, his eyes wild. Kit went still beneath me and looked down my body.
On our towel down between our legs, Cursed was kneeling. His face looked hungry his dark eyes burning. “Say yes,” Kit urged and I felt myself fall into Cursed eyes and nodded, not sure what I was saying yes to. Of all my men, Cursed is the most fragile. He had been my Mother’s head guard and when she’d tricked him and escaped the Sidhe to help the humans he had been blamed, then thrown into a prison cell by the Queen. All had suspected he’d been seduced by my Mother and allowed her to escape. As punishment he’d been denied sexual gratification of any kind. Then he’d been regularly forced to watch others have intercourse in front of him while he was chained to the wall. It was a lesson designed to instill in him that he was of mixed blood and therefore not entitled to touch one of the pure fey. An unfair lesson given that he’d never touched my Mother.
Cursed’s torture went on for more than a quarter century, until nearly twenty three years ago when I’d first played my golden flute and freed him from his cell. Since then he’d been left to wander the Sidhe unmolested but had been stripped of his office and shunned by all. He’d been further punished by being given over to me, a half breed mongrel whom all Faerie suspected as being part human. The stipulation had been that he could not come to me until I called for him. Difficult to do since I had no idea he even existed, let alone that he was mine. It wasn’t until a few days ago that I had inadvertently freed him from the Sidhe and brought him into my presence. As you might well imagine, he had not been pleased with me. It was hard to say if that was because I’d taken so long to call him forth, or because he was now in my service. At the time he’d still thought I was half human. Things changed drastically when he discovered I was not. However, seeing me with any of the others was still quite difficult on him for all the obvious reasons. Right then he looked like he needed something badly and I couldn’t find it in my heart to deny him.
At my nod he slid his hands up my thighs and leaned forward. Kit pushed our legs farther apart to give him more room and he eased forward, leaning over me. When he lowered his mouth to me the heat from his tongue drew a moan as I lifted myself to him. Kit made a pleased noise and covered my breasts with his hands, using his fingers to squeeze my nipples while he rolled his hips. Cursed brought me, shuddering and clenching around Kit twice before he lifted his head and placed his hand on my stomach, waiting until I opened my eyes to glance down at him. His face was flushed, his eyes burning with a need so intense I shivered and felt Kit also lift his head to glance down our bodies. When their eyes met I felt the unspoken request. Kit made a pleased noise next to my cheek and whispered, “Trust us.”
“I don’t understand…”
“Let us show you,” he breathed, his words soft and seductive. I hesitated for a moment while they both held their breaths, then nodded and lay back on Kit’s chest. My eyes widened as Cursed slid a leg over ours positioning himself above me. I felt Kit grow smaller while Cursed pressed his head into me.
I pulled air into my lungs and held onto Cursed’s shoulders while he gently forced himself in until I held them both. I could barely breathe from the exquisite fullness. And then they moved and my mind stuttered and my lids flickered closed. Above me Cursed made a rumbling noise in his throat as he rolled his hips and worked himself in me. I opened my eyes and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him down for a kiss as I fanned the doorway and coated them all with the lust I created. Cursed dipped his tongue into my mouth and groaned his hips pumping faster and I hit them again. This time Kit bucked beneath me his fingers digging into my hips as he lifted us all off the sand. Cursed pulled his mouth from mine and gasped.
“Now…,” Kit gritted out between his teeth and I cried out and spasmed around them, my body gripping tightly. Cursed’s neck muscles flexed and he shoved his hips against us, driving us back to the sand and crushing me between their bodies. “Again!” Kit gasped and my body jerked as I came for them again. Cursed threw back his head and yelled and I felt his release flood me. Kit’s breathing changed and his fingers dug into my hips while he raised us up off the floor. “Once more,” he rasped and I moaned and arched off Kit, my body actually lifting Cursed. Inside I felt Kit grow larger and both Cursed and I sucked air as he shoved me down, Kit lifting his hips one last time and reached his own orgasm.
Cursed collapsed upon my chest, his hair shrouding us in its inky blackness while we all struggled to breathe. Beneath me Kit made a pleased sound and ran his fingers up my arms while I felt him shift and jerk inside me. Cursed moaned and pressed his hips against us once more. I turned my head and looked at Owen, who had propped his cheek in his palm and was smiling. He looked like he was more than ready to take over for the two I was currently sandwiched between and I gave him a lopsided smile.
He winked, then reached out to run his finger down my cheek, slipping a lock of hair behind my ear. “Mmmm,” I murmured. “You’ll have to give me a moment.”
Owen chuckled and replied, “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.” Then he leaned over and kissed my cheek. I narrowed my eyes and rubbed my jaw across Kit’s springy black and silver tipped chest hair. My tongue reached out to lathe his nipple and he muttered and tightened his hands on my arms.
Behind Owen, Amras had dropped to his knees in the sand and there was such a look of longing on his face that I caught my breath. Cursed lifted his head and glanced toward Amras in concern.
“Amras?” I asked softly, then watched in dismay as his violet eyes filled with pain. Cursed kissed my chest just over my heart and carefully pulled out of me, then stretched out on his hip and elbow on the towel to the other side of us. Kit gave me a hug and a kiss on the brow before he lifted me to the towel between himself and Owen. “What is it?”
Amras closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “I do not want to leave you.”
We all scooted back and made room for him. I called to him, holding out my hand when he opened his eyes. He rose gracefully from the sand and came to us, letting us hold him, touching him gently. “Somehow we will find a way,” I promised, stroking his pale hair and clasping him to my breast as I leaned back against Kit’s chest.
“If not, Princess, I need only remember this day and I will be sustained,” he replied. My eyes met Owen’s over Amras’ back and silent tears flowed down my cheeks. Cursed’s face was pale; his lips pressed in a tight line as he rested his hand on Amras’ shoulder and stared down at the sand quietly.
Chapter 8
“Amras?”
“Yes, Princess.”
“Say something to me in Elvish,” I asked while my fingers stroked his back.
“Cormamin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au',” he replied.
I repeated it softly. “My heart shall… until it sees me again?”
He sighed and ran his fingers over my side. “My heart shall weep until it sees thee again,” he replied. I caught my breath and held him tighter.
“Another, please,” I choked out and he took a breath and replied.
“Amin naa lle nai. Amin khiluva lle a' gurtha ar' thar.”
“I am you… no yours to… What is the last word?”
“Command,” he replied. “I am yours to command.”
I pulled a breath into my lungs but worked on the rest of the phrase, though his words caused a pain in my heart. “I am yours to command,” I repeated. “I will… what is the word?”
“Follow.”
I nodded. “Follow you to the ends of the Earth?” I asked, and both Owen and Cursed nodded. “And past?”
“Beyond, My Lady” Cursed corrected. “To the ends of the Earth and beyond.”
“Another,” I demanded. Amras shifted and turned over in m
y arms so that he could tilt back his head and look up at me.
“What is this?” he asked, his eyes curious. “You’re speech was perfect last night.”
“Yes, yes… fine,” I told him. “Tell me of life at court. And do it like this,” I told him and closed my eyes, snuggling back into Kit’s arms while I held Amras to me. I took a moment and formed a picture in my mind of a green pickup truck and passed it to Amras, letting his mind see the picture while I spoke the word, “Truck.”
Next I thought of an escalator at the local mall and inserted Cursed and Owen riding it to the second floor. Again I passed it to him directly into his mind while I said the word, “escalator.”
Cursed leaned up on an elbow in surprise, apparently he was picking up the images from Amras’ mind. “Stairs that move, what magic is this?” he whispered, a disconcerted look on his face. Owen smiled but said nothing. Amras shook his head as if to dislodge the strange vision and frowned up at me.
“If I am to go with you to court, Amras, I must… be prepared. Can you teach me names to go with faces? I do not wish to embarrass my family. And if I hope to have any chance to sway the Queen, I must…” I halted, holding out my hands. “Help me.”
Nodding thoughtfully he leaned back in my arms and we began. At some point Owen went to get food and Kit rearranged us so that I found myself being used as everyone’s pillow. When Owen returned he chuckled over the situation and slid his own body in under mine, then proceeded to feed me while Amras poured images of people and places into my mind. He was assisted by Cursed, who helped to keep the list flowing by offering suggestions. Kit napped and played with my hair in equal intervals. He seemed happy just being there and that in turn pleased me.
“Tell me of the races,” I asked him when we’d reached a lull. “I know that Elves and Goblins are not the only creatures that inhabit the Sidhe.”
Cursed glanced at Amras and raised an eyebrow, his look questioning.
Amras took a breath and began by saying. “The races are divided into four major categories: The Sidhe’s main residents are the two courts. The Seelie Court is primarily dominated by the high ranking Elfin families. This court also includes the brownies, pixies, and sprites, however only those of purest blood can hold official office. The Unseelie Courts include goblins and all clans of The Wild Host, which includes Ogres, Red Caps, Haflings, Spriggins, Pookahs, Seklies, Throws, Twlwwyth Tegs, among many others named and unnamed. It is the court which takes in all not pure Seelie. The Tree Spirits include faeries associated with woodlands. And last of all are the Water Faeries or merfolk and naiads.
“My mother is a Twlwwyth Tegs, a mixing of Elf and goblin. She is very beautiful, very fair. I do not know who my father is, only that he is Seelie,” Cursed offered, surprising me by his candidness.
“What is a Twlwwyth Tegs?” I asked and Cursed formed an image in his mind of a beautiful Elfin woman with long golden hair and light skin. She was tall and willowy with large black eyes.
“She is Daoine Sidhe.”
And what did that mean I wondered.
“The Daoine Sidhe are a warrior fighting class of the Sidhe. Ancestors of the Tuatha De Dannan. They were once Royal Guard in Annwn.”
I wasn’t sure who the Tuatha De Dannan were so this wasn’t making much sense to me.
“The Daoine Sidhe are ancestors of the Tuatha De Dannan. The Tuatha De Dannan came to this world from the West,” Amras sighed and added. “To the Fey, the West means… the Otherworld. The Otherworld exists next to this plane but cannot be seen. It is the land of the Goddess Danu who created us and where we go when our bodies leave this world. There was once a doorway between our worlds and once a year it would open. We would welcome the children of this land for that night, on the condition that nothing would be taken from Annwn when they returned in the morning.”
“Let me guess… someone got greedy?”
“A flower in a pocket, and all are locked away from Annwn forever except for those that the Goddess deems worthy, and to whom she speaks across the veil.”
Amras shook his head and Cursed murmured. He took a breath and continued, “The Tuatha De Dannan came through the door to this world to live. And when the humans overran their lands, the God Dagda or, The Good God, led them underground into the first Sidhe. The Tuatha split into four groups of which the Fennians were one. The others are the Gorias, the Finias, and The Tegs.”
Your Grandmother, the Queen of Light, is of the Finias the Ljosalfar, or Light Elves, also known as the High Elves, and she rules over the Seelie Court. I too am Finias which is why the Queen was for our union,” he admitted, then continued. “When the plague hit, she called the Water and Tree spirits to the Sidhe. The UnSeelie did not care either way and therefore did not argue the closing of the doors. It has been… difficult with them in residence. Should your Mother succeed in opening the doors, all will be in her debt.”
“And what of the Unseelie Court?” I asked, my hand brushing over Cursed’s brow. “Who rules this court?”
“The Slaug’s King is Tdem Stoneshadow. He is… like Cursed.” Amras added hesitantly. By that I took it to mean that he was part Elf and part Goblin. “He commands the Cwn Annwn. He is quite intelligent and rules his subjects without mercy or prejudice. I fear… he will be most interested in you, Princess.”
“What does Cwn Annwn mean?
“I am not certain how to describe it to you. They are called the Raging Host. They are Huntsmen some believe to be the souls of the dead and they serve the God Mensha, who is worshiped for enhancing the war-like side of all Elfin peoples. To the Dark Elves he is seen as the God of murder, death, and blood. But to the High Elves he embodies that side of our nature which makes us strong, but that we must strive to control in times of peace. Some believe the Raging Host are lost Fey who did not make their way to the shores of Annwn. They hunt, usually for a woman, who may be killed or kidnapped. Mortals that get in the way of the hunt are taken to the land of the dead. All about the Host is black, from the Hunters which are large and powerful, to their yeth hounds and the horses and goats that they ride. To command the Sluagh is to command the Raging Host. They hunt together, and the Sluagh can be fearsome creatures of which no Fey speaks lightly. They are, to put it simply, terrifying.”
“And is the King the only one that can control the Raging Host? Does it come with being King or is it a… gift or talent?”
“Only the King may call up the Huntsmen and only the King may send them back. They are a very powerful weapon and a King must have the gift and the strength to control the Host or they will turn on him and tear him to shreds. As long as a King is strong, Mensha will heed his request and release the Host into his keeping.”
Interesting I thought. “And why will the King be interested in me?”
“The courts recognize each other and are generally on speaking terms. However liaisons across classes can be punishable by death,” Cursed added softy. “You are not full Elf and will therefore be looked upon by the Lord of Air and Darkness as fair game. He has not yet chosen a new Queen… not since he fed his last one to the Cwn Annwn… the Raging Host.
“Why did he do that?” I demanded, a shiver going down my spine.
“She was accused of infidelity, Princess. No witnesses came forward to support her denials. And after several hundred years, she had not provided him with an heir. That was nearly… twenty three years ago now,” he added softly. I shivered again and ran my fingers through Amras’ hair as if to sooth myself.
Twenty three years? Was that significant, I wondered. Cursed made a low sound in his throat but refused to meet my eyes. Surely they didn’t believe this had anything to do with me! “I hardly think I’ll be there long enough to come to his attention,” I remarked.
“My Lady…” Cursed replied softly, “You already have.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
The two of them looked at each other across my body in one of those looks I was starting to dread, then Amras re
plied “Princess, your music fills the halls of the Sidhe, not only within the Seelie Court, but the Unseelie as well. Perhaps you do not know this, but there are few of sufficient power to play your flute. You were not yet three years old when you began forcing your will upon the Sidhe. It did not go unnoticed.”
“That may be, but I hardly think the King would have killed his Queen because I played the flute! Why would he care, I was just a baby at the time! As far as I know that was the only time anyone trapped in the Sidhe has seen me until you two showed up again just days ago. And there were only four of you back then, the two of you, my Great Aunt, and that other guard. All of you from the Seelie court, so how could he know unless one of you rushed right back and told him?
Amras shifted where he lay but remained silent. Cursed took a deep breath and replied, “Because I am not of the Seelie Court, though I was given over to it. The King is Lord of Air and Darkness and he is… my Uncle, my Mother’s twin.”
I sucked air into my lungs, my body going rigid from shock as his words sunk in. “And that would make you?”
“His heir.”
“Excuse me,” I muttered in a shaky voice, then pushed up from the pile and headed for the water. I was agitated and needed some alone time. I swam for over a minute beneath the surface, then felt Spot brush against me. My hands reached for him and he pulled me deeper while I clung to him and tried not to think at all.
My legs where shaking, my breath coming in ragged gasps, when I finally pulled myself from the water. I’d been at it long enough to exhaust myself. All of my men had fled; I just wasn’t sure if it was before or after my Father arrived. He was seated on my towel and scratching Spot. So that was where he’d gone to, I sighed, grabbing a handful of my hair and twisting it to get out the excess water as I walked toward him. I had a bad moment realizing I was naked, not because I was naked, but because I wasn’t sure if he knew I’d been naked amongst my naked men.
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