Stolen by the Fae

by Laxmi Hariharan

  But none of them was your mate. The thought crashes over me with the force of a storm. I stiffen.

  He hauls me up, so my legs are wrapped around his waist. Then he thrusts the hard column of his dick into the soft skin at the apex of my thighs.

  A wave of pleasure grips me. I can’t stop the moan that spills from me.

  “Do you know how you sound just now, Starlight?” He lowers his nose to my throat and nuzzles the skin there.

  The fine hairs on my nape rise. He hasn’t even touched me properly, and already I am melting inside.

  “Answer me.”

  His voice shoves aside the sexual haze that grips my brain.

  “Wha…what did you say?”

  “I asked if you heard yourself.” He nips the soft skin at the base of my throat.

  A hot swirl of desire erupts in my belly. It’s only when his hardness pushes into my core that I realize I’ve pushed myself up, thrust out my pelvis, and tried to brush more of that throbbing center of mine against the only part of him that will provide me with relief.

  However much I want to deny it, my body wants him…has wanted him from the moment I set eyes on him. I bite down on my lower lip. Pain pushes aside the white noise in my head. I hold on to it and center myself. “Yes.” I focus my eyes on him. “I sound like someone who wants every filthy thing you can do to me. I sound like I want you to fuck me.”

  The muscles of his shoulders bunch, the planes of his chest flex, and his thighs, they seem to harden to blocks of stone as he leans a little bit more of his weight on me.

  “Do you?” His voice slithers over my skin.

  A pulse bubbles to life at my throat. It mirrors the throbbing beat between my legs.

  I swallow. I want to tell him, yes. Yes. I shake my head.

  “Liar.” He peels back his lips, revealing those pointed canines.

  My stomach flip-flops. The flesh between my thighs quivers. Why does he turn me on so?

  He can hurt me, emotionally, physically, and definitely on a soul level. He can rip me to shreds and put me back together, over and over again as he already has. And yet I can’t wait to feel those teeth on me, can’t wait for him to sink them into my skin, to mark me all over. To…

  A plume of heat sweeps out of him and whips over me. Beads of sweat pop on my forehead. That ball of fire in my chest grows and expands until it seems to fill me up completely, radiating out to my fingers and toes. I need to do something now, or else I’ll be lost forever, in him. He’ll take me, own me completely, and I can’t let that happen. Not yet. I need to show him I can stand up to him. That I am not afraid of him. I raise my head then swipe my tongue over his teeth.

  16

  Dante

  I feel her touch all the way to the tip of my cock. Desire hurtles through me, hot and hard. I am not sure why I bared my teeth just then, but if I had been trying to scare her off, I obviously didn’t succeed. She peers up at me. She's waiting, waiting for me to make the next move. And I want to tear off all her clothes and bury myself balls deep in her.

  I want to scrape my bare skin over hers, rub my essence into her, and show her I meant everything I said to her. And I do. Yet I need more, something more from her. “You confuse me, Gia.”

  She blinks. “I am not sure what you do to me.” Her forehead furrows. “I should be afraid of you and yet I am not.”

  “That makes two of us.” What the fuck? Now I am confessing my insecurities? Sharing my innermost feelings? Not my usual behavior, I promise.

  Being a soldier has taught me one thing.

  You fix your target and go after it.

  No hesitation. When there is an opportunity, you go in for the kill.

  But faced with Starlight, I am paralyzed.

  There’s more at stake than I realize. This is one bull’s-eye I can’t miss. This is one female who can lay me low. I can’t let her go and yet I can’t do to her everything I want to.

  “What do you need?” She licks her lips as if absorbing my taste.

  I drop my gaze to her mouth, to where her chin quivers and the plump flesh of her lips glistens. “I have to kiss you.” Maybe it really is that simple? Maybe I just need to do this one step at a time. Maybe I don’t need to plan this conquest. For once, I simply let my instincts drive and see where it takes me.

  “You can, on one condition.”

  I curl my lips, “Bargaining, are we?”

  She doesn’t reply, just looks at me with those beseeching eyes. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’d never be able to refuse her anything. My heart stutters. I push aside that crazy thought. All she is, is someone I need to tame and make sure the mating bond is consolidated so she cannot live without me. She must become dependent on me. It’s the only way to ensure that she’ll never betray me.

  “Well?” I hold her gaze.

  “You promise to not stop there.” She bites her lips, and her gaze skitters away. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

  “I wish I could tell you why I need to do this. Why it’s important for me to consolidate the bond.”

  “You can trust me, Dante.”

  “I have never trusted anyone before.”

  “No one? Not even your commander?”

  “You really were listening in on the entire conversation, weren’t you?” I should feel angrier about that, but strangely, it’s a relief.

  “You don’t sound upset.” She frowns.

  “No, you did me a favor.” I crack my neck.

  “How?”

  “You took the decision out of my hands; you sealed your fate with that little stunt.”

  The color ebbs from her cheeks. “I didn’t do anything wrong. You’re the one who brought me here and is holding me against my will.” Her shoulders flex, then she straightens her back.

  She wants to fight; she needs to feel like she’s being given a choice? Fine.

  I raise my hands and step back, putting distance between us.

  She doesn’t move, she just stiffens. “What are you doing?”

  “Go." I jerk my chin toward the door. "I am not holding you back.”

  “You don’t mean it.” Her lips thin.

  “Try me.”

  She balls her fists at her sides. “You’d let me go, just like that?”

  I nod. I am also going to chase her... but I don't say that aloud. I never did play straight, and with this woman, I plan to take any advantage I can get.

  Her scent deepens; her chest heaves. She takes a step back, then another as she sidles toward the door.

  All the time, her gaze is fixed on my face. There is a frown between her eyebrows as if she’s trying to figure out if what I am saying is true. She holds her fists in front of her. Her tunic rises with the move. The pale skin of her thigh flashes and I can’t stop my gaze from dropping to the sliver of her skin.

  I take a step forward, and it seems to snap her out of her daze. Turning, she darts out of the room, down the corridor to the main door.

  I follow her and come to a stop just outside the front entrance.

  She pounds down the path that weaves past the trees. She's headed for what I know is the edge of a cliff. Worry twists my guts.

  I am not sure I know exactly what I am doing, except I can’t take her against her will. I need her to make a choice. I need her to choose me. And I am going about it all wrong. I drum my fingers against my chest.

  Why am I even trying to do this differently? I have no answer, except that I am perhaps a better man than I thought. I can’t hurt her…and I can’t let her hurt herself either. I race down the steps after her.

  She’s nowhere in sight. Then there’s a rustle from the direction of the trees.

  I wait. A second. Two. Then I teleport.

  17

  Gia

  I almost slam into the wall at the perimeter of the property, then swerve at the last minute to avoid it.

  I go rolling over the undergrowth, hit a bush, then come to a stop. Springing back to my feet, I gaze at the wall
. I have to tilt my neck back, all the way back, to see the top.

  It’s tall enough to shut out the sight of the trees that I had seen from the window. I can’t scale this, no way. I break into a run, close to the perimeter.

  My feet slip on some sharp stones. I stumble and pain shoots up the side of my leg. I bite down on my lips to stifle a groan. I won’t give the bastard that satisfaction. And he’s listening to me, I have no doubt about it. He’s Fae, and I have no idea what his additional powers extend to. He can teleport, he is stronger than any shifter I have met. His senses are acute, no doubt about that. He told me I could leave. It has to be a trap, but why?

  Why carry out this charade and give me this notion of freedom if I can’t actually escape the place?

  There has to be a way out. Has to. I run, my steps speed up, my breath comes in pants. I jump over a small brush of thorns, catching the edge of it against my shin. The scent of copper filters into the air.

  He’ll find me just by the signs I leave behind. He’ll find me anyway. Fear twists my gut. Focus. Focus. Just find the door, there has to be a door in this wall. I rake my glance over the wall, looking for anything. Any sign of an opening. Something that can be a way out. Another few steps and I come upon iron footholds embedded into the wall.

  They go up all the way to the top. I grab one and start to climb.

  The iron is rough and scrapes against my palms. Pain shimmers up my arms, and I push it aside. I just need to keep going.

  Sweat drips into my eyes, and I blink it away. Push one arm forward, grab, hoist myself up. My biceps scream. My thighs strain with the load I am putting on them. Keep going. Don’t stop.

  I fix my gaze on the wall at the top. Keep going. My breath screams in my ears. I grab another step, catch my nail on the rusted metal and lose half of it. Pain burns my palm. A sob catches in my throat.

  My arms ache. My legs protest at each step. There is a catch in my side. My stomach heaves and the acrid taste of bile fills my mouth. No, I can't be sick now. This is my only chance. I have to take it. Up, keep going up. I grab another bar, but it comes off in my hand.

  There’s a scream, as if from far off. I know it’s me, and I can’t stop.

  Then the wind rushes past me, and my body arcs back. I close my eyes and prepare for the inevitable jolt. Only to find myself being caught, then swung upright and placed on my feet.

  His scent is all around me again.

  My heart stutters. There is a ball of emotion in my chest which I interpret as hope. I should be grateful to him for saving me, right? My body leans into him. The still thinking part of my mind tells me that I walked into the trap he set for me. "You never planned to let me escape." My chin wobbles.

  He tilts his head.

  “You knew I wouldn’t be able to scale the wall.”

  “I wasn’t sure.” He steps back; the heat of his body retreats.

  I sway on my feet, but he doesn’t right me. It’s as if he knows the emotions that hold me in thrall. That if he touches me now, I’ll lash out or do something crazy…like what? Try to get over the wall again, knowing those bars don’t lead anywhere?

  “There is no door in the wall, is there?” I crack my eyes open in time to see him shake his head.

  “It’s my summer retreat.” He folds his arms over his chest, and his gaze rakes over my face. He’s watching me closely, waiting to see what I’ll do next.

  “You always teleport in and out.” Realization sinks into my blood.

  “It keeps out unwanted visitors.” He leans back on his heels.

  “Keeps in your guests, too.”

  “I’ve never brought anyone here before.”

  “Should I be flattered?” A scream bubbles up, and I bite the inside of my cheek to swallow it down.

  It feels strange, that I am the first he’s brought here. It doesn’t mean anything, does it?

  “I am not sure.” He angles his head, and his gaze narrows. “I’ve never wanted to do to anyone else what I want to do to you either. I’ve never soul-bonded to anyone else before you.”

  “It’s why you need to let me go.” Panic flutters in my stomach. A part of me understands all too well what this means. But I don’t want to accept it. I don’t want to accept that this means anything to him, and yet I know it does. It has to. It’s the only reason he brought me here and saved my life. “I don’t mean anything to you.”

  “Not true.”

  I take a step back. “Why did you say that?”

  “You know why. You feel it, you just don’t want to accept it.”

  He doesn’t move, just stays there, and that scares me further. If he’d threatened me, tried to harm me, it would have been more in keeping with how I’d expect him to be. As a captor, if he’d forced me, I could have resisted.

  But this patient watching and waiting, it stretches my skin, twists my insides with heat. With anticipation. And he knows it. He knows the only way to get to me is to give me enough space to hang myself, literally.

  “It won’t work.” I shake my hair out of my eyes.

  “What?”

  “Whatever game you are playing…” I wrap my arms around my waist. “You think you can trick me into being conciliatory?”

  “I am not tricking you.” He flexes his shoulders. “I thought I could take you by force, but I can’t.”

  “Well, that’s honest.” I rub my forehead. “So why don’t you let me leave?”

  “I can’t do that either.” He leans back on the balls of his feet.

  “So then what?” I huff out a breath. “We just rattle around in this space until one of us breaks?”

  “Something like that.” He drops his arms to his sides as if coming to a decision. “You are bonded to me. I will keep you here until you accept your fate. Until you take me for your mate. I cannot let you leave without that.”

  “And if I don’t want to accept you?” I frown.

  “You will.”

  He draws himself up to his full height, and once more I am struck with how big he is, how powerful, how lethal. He could force himself on me and I wouldn’t be able to resist. Yet he hasn’t.

  “What if it’s you who breaks first?” I tap my toe on the ground.

  “No one’s ever brought me down—yet.” He props his arms on his waist.

  “Is that a challenge?” I raise my chin.

  I am insane. No way can I resist this man, not living in such close quarters with him. But what is the option? I can’t escape this place either. And damned if I’ll just submit to his will. No, I have to find a way to break this bond between us. I have to. Before I submit and accept my fate.

  His forehead creases and he pins back his ears…his back-to-normal human-shaped ears. Perfectly shaped to complement his face. Those high cheekbones, those intelligent blue eyes. My fingers tingle with the need to trace his profile. Touch his lips, feel his skin. Instead, I hold out my hand. “Don’t tell me you are worried about me getting the better of you?”

  His gaze drops to my hand, then he grips it, his thumb making slow circles over my wrist. His touch seeps into my blood, and my stomach flip-flops.

  I am definitely going to lose this game but damned if I am not going to fight until the bitter end.

  His lips flatten. “Challenge accepted.”

  18

  Dante

  I’d been so sure of myself when I’d accepted her challenge. I escorted her back to the safe house, to a room separate from my own bedroom, then left.

  Only I’d been worried about her.

  Enough to not have slept in the last two nights. Or maybe it was the frustration of knowing that she was next door that made me walk around with a raging hard-on.

  Carrying a tray filled with water and the sandwiches that I made, I shoulder open the door of the room and barge in.

  “You haven’t eaten much in the last few days.”

  “What do you care?” She sits up in bed, her shoulders tense. Then she scrambles back to rest her back against the
headboard.

  Fear radiates from her.

  “I won’t do anything to you.” I keep my voice low and reassuring.

  She snorts, and I can’t stop the smile that curves my lips.

  I stalk over to the table and place the food on the bed. “Well, not anything that you don’t want, that is.” I straighten and turn to face her.

  No way is she going to best me. How can she, when she has no access to the knowledge the Fae have? We are well-versed, and not just in weaponry.

  Every warrior trained by the Fae is schooled in the pleasures of seduction by courtesans. Women who taught us how to give and take pleasure so that we will never confuse the high of sex with emotional gratifications. Everything we needed to perform our tasks with the utmost efficiency.

  I hadn’t quite explained to her the nuances of what it means to be in a bonded pair either.

  A better mate would have done so. He’d have told her that sooner or later the force of the bond would kick in and bring her to me. The soul needs the body to comply, will make it comply.

  She stands no chance.

  Only I haven’t revealed that to her. I want her to think she has some kind of semblance of choice. Some measure of control over her destiny at least.

  All a charade. That’s what I am good at. Acting things out. Fooling myself. Like I have been all these years.

  Being a part of the Fae Corps is the only life I’ve ever known. I’ve always thought I’d been content with my choices, too, until I met her. Until I realized I wanted more with her. For the first time, I saw a future, with a mate, a family of my own.

  A vision powerful enough to have prompted me to flee with her.

  It had invigorated me enough to decide to go up against the Elders themselves. I realize that now.

  Already, I’ve turned my back on the only way of life I know…because I couldn’t leave her.

  The thought brings me up short.