Alpha Protector (Shadow Sentinels World #3)

Chapter 13

S hannon

I sat on the wooden veranda of the thatched cottage and stared out at the forest. Warmth from the midday sun caressed my face, its radiance bathing the trees and flowers with a soft light that made them sparkle. Huge, almost mushroom-like structures towered over the trees, creating a canopy in some areas. It was like no forest I’d ever seen. It was strange and utterly beautiful. Large yellow and red flowers bloomed nearby, swaying in the gentle breeze. Bees as big as my head were busy gathering pollen, zipping in and out of the trumpet-shaped blooms. The flowers were stunning, but I’d been sitting here long enough to know they only tolerated the bees on the stamens that protruded from their centre. As soon as one touched the petals with their wings or disappeared too far inside, short spikes shot from the petals, pricking the bees. I had no idea what happened to the bees after they were injured. They seemed to continue with their pollen gathering, but like many things in Faery, those flowers were probably as deadly as they were beautiful. Maybe the bees died later…

Stone was like that: beautiful to look at, yet deadly when he wanted to be. I shook off my sudden need to go inside and pull his mouth to mine, demanding a kiss that would finally tell me what it was like to be owned by him. Because I had no doubt that he would completely devour me. I wanted to give him that power, but I still couldn’t. My past was littered with situations where I’d been forced to concede control, and I’d promised myself I never would again.

But you already gave him control last night when his mouth was on you…

I wriggled to ease the ache of desire that had simmered since I woke up this morning and laid my eyes on him. He’d been freshly showered and dressed in loose, soft trousers, combat boots, and a blue t-shirt that hugged every fine contour of his torso and made his eyes seem more silver than ever. My mouth had watered, my lust fired up, and it hadn’t dimmed all day. His sharp inhale and heated look told me he’d scented my arousal, but he hadn’t acted on it, merely said a gruff good morning.

I’d flung my legs from the bed, not remembering until too late that I was naked from the waist down. He hadn’t looked at me, though, concentrating on setting out the breakfast things.

I’d scurried past, freezing when he’d reminded me that my orgasms belonged to him. I’d wanted to defy him and play while I showered, but, for reasons I didn’t fully understand, I couldn’t. By the time we’d eaten, and Ventry, as I’d been instructed to call B’nar now, had transported us here, I was horny and frustrated to the point I wanted to scream at him to touch me. Instead, I’d left him and the little pixie he’d called Finchley to put away the food Ventry had kindly provided. There wasn’t much, so I hoped that meant we’d be leaving after a few days.

The pixie was much smaller than I’d pictured—about the size of my hand. I’d never met a pixie before. Of all the creatures in Faery, they were considered the shyest. They weren’t helpless, but they could be easily caught because of their size and gentle magic. I doubted that Finchley was this pixie’s birth name. It was sad that only those close to and trusted by others would get to know the lesser Faerys’ names. Even fathers often didn’t, according to Stone. I huffed. Perhaps things would have been better for me if I’d been born in Faery and my mother had hidden my name from my father. My mouth twisted, and I shook my head. It wouldn’t have made any difference; he’d have abused his power either way. Just like on Earth, there were people in every society who would bully and exploit others for the control it gave them.

Finchley’s tinkling voice scolded Stone, and I couldn’t help but smile, my jealousy at her command of his time settling by the minute. He’d explained this was the family home of his mate, one he’d shared with her. I didn't quite know how I felt about that. Just like the rest of my feelings about Stone, it confused me. I was definitely a little jealous, but I guess I felt honoured that he trusted me enough to bring me to a place where they’d shared happy memories.

I tilted my head and listened, enjoying the soothing sounds of the forest. Birds fluttered around in the trees, and some larger winged animals seemed to glide from gigantic blue mushroom to mushroom, landing on their flat tops before launching themselves to the next. I wondered what they were. Probably nothing I’d ever heard of. I already knew this world was amazing, but I’d only ever seen brief glimpses when I’d visited with Connor and other Sentinels. Ventry rarely took any of us outside the grounds of his palace. Faery wasn’t kind to those who weren’t Fae, and he deemed it too risky to run or shift anywhere other than his royal forests.

I knew little about Faery except that powerful Fae could control humans and shifters if they knew your name. Hell, they could control a weaker Fae, too, if they had their birth names. It was some sort of Faery curse, though, what the goddess of Faery was thinking when she made it was beyond me. It just gave those who were already strong more power. And as always, they abused it….

“Hey.”

Stone’s deep voice made my heart jump, and my body go on instant alert. I continued studying the forest, noting the glimmering green and purple leaves on the nearest trees that were getting brighter as the sun moved across the most vividly blue sky I’d ever seen. Everything was so godsdamned pretty. But not as pretty as Stoney’s face. Which was why I couldn’t look at him. He hadn’t touched me since last night, and I was ready to climb him like a damned tree.

Silence settled between us. Braving my reaction, I stole a glance at him, unsure how to behave with him now. In the past, I’d have rebelled against being forced to be by his side, trapped in this isolated place. I’d have used insults to make him hate me, to make him want to push me away, and then I’d have run off, gotten drunk, and then found some random guy to fuck. Now, with the forest surrounding us, the peace of it settling into my bones, and his presence by my side, I had no desire to do any of that.

“It’s beautiful here,” I said, needing to break the tension.

“It is.” He shuffled so his back was leaning against the wooden verandah support, his attention searing the side of my face. “You know it's dangerous out there, don’t you, Butterfly?”

I snorted at the nickname he’d chosen for me. “So that’s my name now? Butterfly? I am so not pretty or elegant enough to be a butterfly.” I was more like a wounded cat, hissing and spitting at anyone who got too close.

He grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Now, that depends on your perspective. Besides, we can’t use your real name here.”

“Yeah, I know. But what about yours?”

His grin widened, his chest puffed out, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Oh, it’s safe to use mine. I’m strong enough to resist most other Fae. Besides, it's not my true birth name, so you can use it all you want. As loudly and as often as you need.”

Heat seeped into my cheeks, and he chuckled. “See those butterflies over there?” He pointed a calloused finger.

I nodded. One of the stunning creatures sat on a stamen, its proboscis unfurling to drink the pollen.

“Watch.”

Seconds later, another proboscis unfurled from its back, pushing deeper into the flower. Stone shimmied closer, his body heat seeping into me from my head to my toes and his presence causing my wolf to stir.

“Keep watching.” His whisper in the shell of my ear made me shiver.

I winced as the flower reacted, its needles stabbing the butterfly. But it didn’t hurt it. Instead, the butterfly had covered itself in a stunning layer of armour in the blink of an eye. Its jaw opened, and tiny black teeth ripped into the flower petal, devouring it.

“It’s called a Royal Huntress. It appears beautiful, yet fragile. It’s happy to drink the flower’s nectar but will devour it to protect itself. A Huntress knows how to incite the flower into defensiveness and uses that reaction to its advantage. It takes its fill from the bloom and then escapes.” His lips gently kissed my ear, and I bit back a groan. “You’re my butterfly, my Royal Huntress. But this time, you are well and truly caught.”

His butterfly? My mouth was dry. I wanted to believe I was his, but life had taught me repeatedly that people took what they wanted and then discarded me. I was terrified he’d do the same…

“Stop overthinking it, Butterfly.” His arm came around my shoulders, leaning me into his warmth.

His whispered words and closeness sent heat flooding my whole body, but at the same time, there was a kind of peace inside my soul. A feeling I’d never had with anyone else. Maybe it was time to be brave. “I don’t want to escape. Not anymore.”

“Good. You are still healing. You will have ups and downs, and I will be here for you, but I meant what I said; I will not have sex with you until you are ready.”

I rubbed a hand down my face. “So what was last night? Persuasion?”

He smiled against my hair. “Maybe. I’m not a saint, and once you’re stronger and we have addressed your demons, I will fight with everything in my arsenal to win your heart and your trust.” With that, he kissed my hair and stood before helping me to my feet. “For now, Finchley has prepared us some lunch. We will eat, and then I’ll take you into the forest and teach you how to survive there. If you’re not too tired, we’ll walk into the village, about three miles that way, to see what groceries and other essentials are there.”

I nodded and followed him inside, still trying to process that he wanted to win my heart and my trust. Since I’d liberated myself from my father, I’d convinced myself I was a strong, independent female who could survive on her own. Perhaps I was just an old-fashioned girl because the thought of Stone winning my heart, my respect, and my trust had a smile stretching my lips that I couldn’t hide.