Chapter 15
S hannon
I was still trying to get my head around Stone having another name, a secret name, when he told me to duck and led me through a curtain of vines covered in the prettiest white and purple flowers I’d ever seen. Inside the protection of the Fae flora, the air was musty, and dampness tickled my nose. The light was muted enough that, even when I squinted, I couldn’t see and stumbled over exposed roots.
“Okay?”
“Fine.” I wouldn’t admit it, but I was tired. Not only had I just had an emotional meltdown and bared my soul to the male by my side, but I hadn’t slept, and the effects of my alcohol withdrawal hadn’t completely settled despite my shifter healing and the Fae medications. I’d also run from the house before eating. I sighed, remembering my hasty exit. It had been so hard listening to Finchley talk to Stone about Gwen.
My face heated even though the cool, damp air caressed my skin. My behaviour had been childish and rude. Stone’s past was real, his relationship with Gwen was real, and reacting as I did was downright embarrassing. My emotions were clearly not as stable as they could be, and I was still working through my feelings for Stone. They’d become so deep so quickly, it was terrifying. Or maybe they had been deep for a while, and allowing myself to admit them was the frightening part.
A weight had lifted from my shoulders when I talked to Stone about my Dad. It had been cathartic to finally tell someone what he’d been doing to me—for years. It hadn’t erased my self-disgust for allowing it, but it was a relief that he understood why I sometimes behaved the way I did. Changing my behaviour was something I wanted to work on, but I‘d spent a lifetime pushing people away and convincing myself I didn’t need anyone. I was petrified of both giving Stone any more power to hurt me and the soul-deep yearning in my heart to believe we could have a future together.
Stone didn’t slow until we exited through another curtain of vines and stepped into the sunshine. I sighed with relief as the dampness evaporated from my skin almost immediately, and warmth seeped into my bones. Despite that lovely feeling, my limbs shook, and it was all I could do to not sink onto the lush green grass and beg to rest.
“Come on, Butterfly, nearly there.”
Fatigue dogged me, but I trailed after Stone. Mother Wolf, I was so tired. It took all my concentration to watch where I stepped so I didn’t slip. Suddenly, Stone stopped walking, and I barrelled into his back with an “oomph!”
He grinned over his shoulder at me. “We’re here.”
I peered around his ridiculously broad shoulders, my gasp immediate and genuine. Before us was a glade that was so bewitching it stole my breath. A small cliff face made a crescent of protection, thick vines and bushes creating an impenetrable barrier around the edge while behind us, the trees covered in the purple and white flowering vines hid the entrance.
Slowly, I turned on the spot, my mouth gaping open. Water cascaded over the edge of high cliffs from streams that wound through the fauna above. A gentle mist rose from the sparkling pool, where those crystal waters fell. Droplets of water that sparkled like jewels caught in the air before settling on our skin.
“Wow,” I whispered, looking down into the deep pool. Strangely, the pool surface had no ripples. It was crystal clear and beautiful, revealing a rock bottom that sloped into a dark, watery chasm. Yet, the darkness only made the underwater world, where sunlight penetrated, more beautiful. A forest of rainbow-coloured fronds dotted with bright flowers gently swayed with the current while fish and other pretty creatures I’d never seen before darted through the water, some staring up at us with bold curiosity, others swimming away to hide in the safety of the underwater world.
“Are they good Faeries, or bad?” I whispered from where I’d edged onto the bank and stared down into the water.
Stone walked up behind me, and my breath caught, my body melting against him when he slipped his big hands onto my waist. My heart fluttered at the intimate contact and the heat searing my skin from his touch. Yet, a different kind of warmth radiated through my chest, along with a strange, aching need for more. A lump lodged in my throat. How many times had I wanted to do just this, to feel his arms around me and be close enough to absorb his strength and comfort as he held me close but had been too terrified of what it might mean? I almost didn’t want to breathe in case he took his touch away.
“They aren’t good or bad. Most Fae aren’t.” His teeth grazed the back of my neck, and he huffed a sexy chuckle at my shuddered response. “Though some are more bad than good. Remember, we aren’t human. Our morals, just like the shifters, are very different.”
The whimper that escaped me was involuntary as he nipped me again before laving the skin, sending a jolt of pain followed by a wave of pleasure that went right to my already aching centre.
“ They are harmless enough as long as you don’t treat their home with anything less than the utmost respect.”
His fingers tightened on my curves before he slid his arms around me, one big hand landing on my lower stomach, one on my upper chest. Then he urged me back until my head rested against his shoulder, and my backside was nestled against his hips. It registered that his arms were bare, and I could feel the hardness of his pecs against the back of my neck, but it was his hard arousal against the upper curve of my arse that had my breath catching and my face heating with lust. Heat from his naked chest scorched me through my thin top, making the situation between my legs worse. Not only did I ache like only he could make me, but I could smell my own arousal just from his touch. Mother Wolf, I was so fucked if this is how I reacted just being near him. My blood heated, that intimate ache spiralling higher until my lower belly clenched with desire.
“Respect is important. Wouldn’t you say, Butterfly? Especially when you’re in someone else’s home.” His voice lowered and was as gravelly as I’d ever heard it. Was he as affected by touching me as I was by being touched? It somehow made me feel better; the knowledge that I had affected him, too.
“Yes,” I whispered, totally distracted from my internal thoughts by his soft lips brushing the sensitive skin beneath my ear. I tilted my head, giving him access—and permission. A loud groan escaped my parted lips when he grazed his fangs on my skin. Fuck me, I wanted to melt into a puddle at his feet at the promise of those fangs in my neck. Did he really think I was good enough for him? As a Fae and a shifter, his bite meant becoming his—forever. I had never even considered that we might have a future, and my heart jumped at the possibility. The shift of his hand to wrap lightly around my neck under my jaw pulled me out of my worry and back to him—to his touch.
“What would I do to someone who disrespects my home?”
I couldn’t think straight when he was brushing light kisses over my ear, his breath hot and making me shiver with pleasure.
“I-I…I don’t know…Punish them?” What was the question again?
His hands held me in place as he ground his now very obvious and very impressive erection against the curve of my backside.
My wolf perked up, suddenly interested in the emotions running through me. Was this really happening? The gorgeous, unattainable shifter I’d hidden a storm of feelings from for so many years was blanketing me with his body, the scent of his desire sending my senses reeling. I groaned, pushing back into his seductively rolling pelvis, my eyes fluttering closed.
“Stone…”
“Shh, no talking.” His lips granted me small teasing kisses across the sensitive shell of my ear, his tongue driving me wild as he kissed and licked along my jaw. Tortured, needy sounds came from me but were muffled as the tingle of magic touched my mouth. My eyes flew open at the strange sensation.
His chuckle was deep and so very sinful as he slid in front of me, his eyes hooded and shining with lust. “Like I said, no talking…” He was joking, right? I couldn’t talk, not when all that intense Fae attention, burning with desire, was fixed on me and addling my brain. That intensity only increased, my skin on fire as he leaned in and brushed his lips over mine. He did it again and again until I grabbed his hair and slammed my mouth to his. His eyes fluttered shut, and a deep groan rumbled from him as I took and took. It didn’t take long until he gained the upper hand, winding his fingers through my hair and angling my head to deepen the slide of our mouths. When his tongue skated along mine, I had to grab onto his shoulders just to stay on my feet. My body melted, my legs unsteady at the taste and feel of him owning me with just a kiss. Our ragged breaths fused as our tongues and teeth clashed. I never wanted it to stop. The world faded away, and for the first time in my life, my soul settled. Home. My fingers curled into his skin, holding him tightly, and I almost wished I could climb inside him just to get closer.
It was Stone who pulled away. “No…” he panted, a slight smirk on his lips when I tried to chase his lips with mine. He cupped my face with one big hand, his other holding tightly to my hip. His eyes flashed with purple lightning in their grey, stormy depths as his thumb traced over my bottom lip. Holding his gaze, I sucked his thumb inside my mouth, flicking my tongue over it.
His face darkened, his nostrils flaring. “Fuck, I lose my mind around you. We’re going to play now, Butterfly.I want to make you feel good. But before I do, you need to know that I will never hurt you.”
“I know. I trust you.” And I did. Completely.
My gasp was lost to his magic as purple mist danced around my arms. My heart started racing. I absolutely trusted Stone with my life, yet I couldn’t help the frisson of fear that shivered through me. As if sensing it, he swiftly cupped the back of my head and rested his forehead on mine. His wolf and Fae side battled for dominance in his irises. They flicked in a fascinating rhythm from vivid silver to purple, his canines sharper and longer than ever. As soon as his forehead touched mine, my anxiety settled.
He pulled gently on his magical ties, but it was only to get my attention, he didn’t tighten them. “I like to be in control, to dominate during sex but I will not do it unless you agree, and I will never force you to do anything you don’t want or like.” He took a shaky breath, his gaze boring into mine, but his eyes, his whole face, softened with a tenderness that made my heart flip. While we play, you have to be clear about what you like or don’t like, especially after your….revelations earlier.”
He brushed his lips against mine.
“I assumed you would want to be in control, but is that something you will want every time?” My voice was shakier than I liked, but no matter how far I’d come, I still had a past that had been stained with non-consensual and abusive sex. Except, I knew this was vastly different. This situation wasn’t anything like that, and Stone was nothing like those bastards. Besides, I was self-aware enough to feel a part of me relax as soon as he’d taken control, and so had my wolf, confirming what I’d always thought about her true nature. She wasn’t necessarily an Omega, but I definitely wasn’t the Alpha I pretended to be.
The ripped muscle over his chest and arms was covered in a sheen of sweat, and wildness glinted in his eyes, yet he was still in complete control. Tattoos rippled as he moved. Brotherhood. Strength. Loyalty. Bravery. Wrath. All were written in Fae symbols, and the way those pretty symbols wrapped over his arms and chest made my mouth dry.
“ Not all the time. You are a strong female, Butterfly, and you have fought hard every day of your life to survive in a male-dominated world, but when I had to bring you through the portal, and you were unconscious, your wolf submitted to mine.” His fingers tightened a little in my hair, but his kiss at the corner of my mouth was as gentle as any I’d ever felt. The stinging pain and soft touch warred in my brain. The satisfaction flashing in his eyes told me he knew it, too. “When I take decisions away from you because you’re struggling with them, you relax. I want to give you what you need, which is an immense amount of pleasure, and to remove any worries about how you’re going to get it or your safety while you do.” The fingers of his free hand brushed over my taught nipples that ached under the material of my shirt.
“I want to touch you.” My words were a needy whisper.
He dropped a chaste kiss on my lips, his voice gravel. “Fuck, baby, I’m already so turned on, if you touch me, I’m going to lose control. And this isn’t about me. Not this time.”
Not this time? That meant there would be other times, and my heart skipped, a little more trust in his promises of a future together solidifying. My gut tightened, my breaths grew heavy with that realisation.
He kissed me again, like being so close to me made his iron self-control slip. Our chests heaved when he pulled away. “Christ, I’m so turned on seeing you caught in my magic, waiting for me to give you pleasure, to know that I alone control it.” His lips trailed down my neck, sending delicious shivers through me. “Is that what you want? For me to command your gorgeous body?”
All I could do was groan as a wave of lust made my whole body shake.
He pulled back, a slow, feral grin stretching his beautiful mouth. “I thought so. But remember, you hold all the cards. You’re safe with me. Understand?”
I nodded as he used his magic to raise my arms until they were caught above my head. Dragging my bottom lip between my teeth, I stopped my demand for him to fuck me right then and taunt him into losing control. That would only earn me the kind of edging I’d read about in those hot romance books I’d been reading. And that wasn’t something I wanted.
“I would say relax and enjoy this, and you will enjoy it—eventually, but you’re going to be cursing me to hell and back before I’m done.”
I tensed, my heart pounding and my internal muscles clenching at his dark and delicious threat. “Why, what are you going to do…?”
He stepped close, running his fingertips over my face before his gaze seared down my body. “So beautiful. But entirely too clothed.”
Claws punched through his nail beds, his wildness emerging as his features sharpened, becoming even more beautiful and defined. Cool air caressed my skin as he sliced through my clothes, not marking my skin even slightly. He gripped the remnants, making me groan at the look in his eyes as he tore them away from my skin. My nipples pebbled from the caress of cool air, aching viciously until he tweaked them to just the right side of pain. My hips punched forward, begging for some friction on my aching centre.
Stone took a step back to admire my nakedness. His face changed, becoming sterner and colder, and a dark chuckle rumbled from his chest. “Not yet. You need to learn what is disrespectful in Fae culture, and when you walked out without eating the food that Finchley prepared for you this morning, that counted as extremely disrespectful. You already said I should punish anyone who does that…disrespects me.”
I shook my head, trying to remember what I said. “What? No, I didn’t….” Did I? “Holy shit…”
His mouth enveloped my right nipple sucking more blood into the tip before he bit down, sending shots of sensation straight to my slick centre. A whimper escaped me when his tongue caressed the overly sensitive bud, soothing the sting.
My stomach flipped at the devious smirk that bared his sexy-as-hell fangs. “I’ve told you before that there are consequences for your actions. Besides, you told me to punish you, my Huntress, and I fully intend to do so. But as you’re still recovering, we must play safely. Have you used a safeword before?”
I blinked rapidly, trying to pull my scattered thoughts together. “N-no. Since I escaped my father, I’ve never let anyone else take control during sex.”
His stare was too intense to look at. I dropped my gaze. I doubted any of the men I’d willingly fucked in the past would have been interested in power plays. They wanted what I wanted, a quick release and no promises of tomorrow. I’d not let them fuck me; I’d been the one to ride them….until that last time when I’d been too damn drunk to remember anything. Fuck, I didn’t want to think about that….
“Hey.” Stone’s finger lifted my chin. “Come back to me. The past is the past, but from now on, we play safely, and that doesn’t just mean your body; it means your mind and your emotions, too. You understand? No matter what we’re doing, you will always have the power to stop me. If you say your safeword, I will stop immediately.”
I swallowed hard as he pulled back, giving me time to think. I hated it. Even that short distance between us. I wanted his heat back, his sinful mouth, his confident touch, and his beautiful body pressed up against me. Most of all, I wanted to hand myself over to him, craving his ability to let my mind go silent and fill it with only thoughts of him and what he was doing to me.
I met his gaze. “I trust you. And I really want this. I want you. I always have.”
His throat bobbed, his pupils enlarging, swallowing his irises until there was only a thin circle of purple-stained silver left. “Safeword?” he growled.
“Silver,” I said without hesitation. It was the colour of his eyes. They were my happy place. My safe place. They were what I thought about to ground myself in moments of utter panic, like on a mission if things were heating up and fear crept in or the last thing I pictured at night. I blushed a little as he cocked his head, looking a little taken aback. I didn’t know why. It was a simple little word. Except it wasn’t.
“Silver?” His brows rose. “Any reason?”
Could I tell him? Make myself even more vulnerable? “It’s you.”
His eyes narrowed. “How do you know that? Wait, what do you mean?”
I swallowed against the sudden dryness in my throat. “You are my safe place. You are silver. Your hair, your eyes, your wolf…”
“Fuck, Shan,” he whispered before his mouth descended on mine and devoured me, not letting me up for air until I was dizzy.
“I’m going to make you love every moment of this…,” he warned against my mouth as he kept on kissing me until my knees sagged. I wanted to touch him so badly that I yanked against my bonds.
“No. No touching—this time.” And he proceeded to drop open mouth kisses over every inch of my body, missing the slickest, most desperate part of me.