The Shadow Prince’s Ruin (Dark Companions #2)

The Land of Sun

Hawk

This is the best day of my life!

Except, maybe, the day the prisoner transport crashed. And the day of my wedding. Fine. This is the third best day of my life, but I’ve spent them all with Sylvan, and that’s what counts.

After a whole year away from the human realm, the sun-bathed beach was a revelation, and I spent the first two hours alternating between diving in the blue waters and roasting on the beach. It’s fortunate that Sylvan has ensured we have a large supply of sunscreen, because without it, I’d now be red as a lobster. I feel sorry that this wonderful place is so bad for his own skin, so I took a break from lazing around and draped spare sheets from the cabin on the sides of the gazebo-like structure, so he doesn’t have to worry about the UV light attacking his skin after it reflects off the shimmering waves.

We’re vacationing like royals, in a cabin with its own beach, and with no one to spoil our delicious solitude, I don’t bother wearing any swimwear. If I’m to tan, I want it to be even.

Sadly, Sylvan has taken a more conservative approach. Worried about getting his legs sunburned, he donned a pair of navy blue swimming leggings. At least they’re so tight they leave little to the imagination, and his lovely chest remains on show.

For most of the day he was reading a book or having drinks with me. We also spent some time in the cabin while I explained to him some human inventions we saw on TV. He didn’t see the point of a ‘banana slicer’, and frankly, I don’t either, but we did get some bananas in our welcome basket, and he got to try them for the first time. Seeing him stuff too much of it in his mouth at once woke up the teenage boy in me, and we took a break to ease all the tension caused by him eating the fruit inappropriately.

I bet tomorrow he’s going to make that ‘mistake’ all over again.

I exhale and enjoy the warm breeze as the sun descends toward the horizon, and then dips into the ocean. It’s been too long. Maybe I can convince Sylvan I do need this kind of vacation once a year? The moonlight in the Nightmare Realm is indeed brighter, even warm at times, but nothing like sunshine.

“That’s so damn beautiful,” I say, sucking on an M&M.

Sylvan sits up in his sunchair and puts away his book. “What is?”

I slide the impromptu curtain open, so I can see him with more clarity, and gesture toward the orange disc. “Sunset. They’re magical.”

His lips form an ‘O’ when he looks out. “While I don’t like the burn, I have to admit that is an amazing natural phenomenon. Easily comparable to the beauty of a Blood Moon.”

“Yes! And it lasts only minutes,” I say, reaching out to grab his hand. The light’s gone a bit gray, darkening at a fast pace, so maybe it is time for him to leave his sanctuary and enjoy the wonders of the beach?

He hesitates, but then lets me pull him out onto the sand. “I guess I did reapply sunscreen,” Sylvan mumbles, but his eyes are on the sun, and he squeezes my hand. “Oh look! All the little lights on the pier are glowing.” He’s pointing out the lamps that should allow us a late-night swim.

“They’re powered by the sun.”

“What? Even when it’s gone?” Sylvan asks as we walk toward the calm waves. He limps a little, but I’m there for him, so he doesn’t need to take his cane. His pale skin seems golden in the last rays of sunshine.

“Yes. Humans invented those… energy collectors that gather the brightness of the sun all day, and then the lamps give that light back at night.”

“Ingenious,” Sylvan mutters absent-mindedly, but as the water touches my toes, he stalls like a donkey. “I… reasonably, I know you’ve been in the water many times today, but for me, the sea was never a place to frolic. More of a place to die.”

I frown. “Are you saying you’re never going in the water? The entire week? But it’s shallow here. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Sylvan purses his lips as he steps in an approaching wave with one foot. “I’m not sure, really. It is warm, but the idea of being submerged makes me uncomfortable. I can’t swim well, and the depths can hide all manner of deadly creatures.”

He’s so cute when he stares at the last of the sunshine as if he expects a dragon to appear and fly in our direction. “Babe, there’s no leviathans here. People swim in these waters all the time. It’s safe,” I say and nod toward the narwhal-shaped inflatable resting on the sand. “I could push you in this… air raft.”

He huffs, shifts his weight, but I love that he’s making this effort for me. “And that way I could be out there with you, but not submerged? I would rather like to join my beloved.” Sylvan kisses the back of my hand.

Isn’t he the most precious little dude in the world?

I nod and deepen our kiss, before running off to get the narwhal. It was in the cabin, likely left by one of the previous occupants, and while it’s cartoony, with blue eyes and a cute smile, I appreciate its presence.

“Hop on,” I say, placing it in the shallows as the sun disappears altogether.

Just like everything at our luxury retreat, even this inflatable is sturdy, and could fit two adults as long as they’re sitting, so should be very stable for my tiny prince.

Sylvan takes a deep breath then walks into the water with his eyes glued to the bottom. “The sand is extremely soft,” he notes.

I love his inquisitive nature. He studies everything around him as though he’s about to crack the secrets of the universe. Maybe one day he will.

For now, I pick him up.

The water is pleasantly warm on my skin after heating up in the sun all day, so I get thigh-deep before making the decision to deposit my man on the float. He’s stiff as a log when I put him down. “All okay?” I ask to make sure he isn’t doing it just for me. But I do believe he’ll learn to enjoy the sea with time, and there’s only one way to get there.

Sylvan nods, holding on to the sides. “It is a bit like a small boat,” he says as if to convince himself, but then smiles at me. “Will you be like Lepearl’s kelpie and pull my sea chariot?”

“I can do you one better and be your sea wolf,” I say before giving the narwhal the gentlest nudge away from the shore. Seeing my husband stiffen, I keep talking, “I almost said sea lion, but they’re ugly creatures.”

“Oh, you must show them to me then. Do they have some kind of mane?” Sylvan eventually settles in the narwhal, and I’m glad to see him relaxing.

I never thought such paradise awaited me in the future. A private cabin on a beach in Thailand with a beautiful elven prince who loves nothing more than to give me head between mai tais. This is my perfect life.

“No. They don’t even have normal legs,” I say and laugh as the water deepens, and I propel the float forward with Sylvan’s cute little feet presented to me like an offering. I snigger, and then lean forward, giving a kiss to each one. “Not like your pretty stompers.”

He laughs, and when he presses his foot against my face to playfully push me away, I might just be developing a new fetish. “But really, are you sure it’s safe to be so far from shore? I know the waves are gentle, but sharks exist in the human realm. And octopi, even if they’re not as aggressive as ours.”

I shrug. “Most don’t attack people. It really depends on where in the world you are. Besides, what's life without a bit of risk, huh?” I ask and lean back, floating to see the stars above.

Damn, this place is so beautiful. The moon is rising, my belly is full of alcohol and ice cream, and I’m a free man when just last year I was facing life in prison. I smile wider.

“Safe? Comfortable? Pleasant?” Sylvan mumbles as he lies down on the float with his cheek on the edge.

I snort. “You say that, but I bet you take risks in your laboratory.”

His eyes widen. Caught red-handed. “Only necessary ones!”

“Well, taking risks is necessary to climb mountains or swim in the sea too. Just relax, I’ll protect you,” I tell him before splashing a bit of water his way. Droplets spray his bare chest, and I lick my lips when I see one drizzle past his nipple. He’s such a snack.

I expect the splash I get in return and cover my face in advance. He might not be comfortable in the water today, but by the end of the week, I’ll have him learning to swim.

“You say that, but if a sea lion appeared, you wouldn’t be laughing.” But he’s just teasing me.

“Oh, believe me, I would. They’re like waterproof beanbags.”

“What? Bags of beans? In the sea? I don’t understand.”

He doesn’t have a point of reference for my joke, but when I reimagine sea lions as actual bags of beans in the sea, my body trembles in fits of laughter. “Oh, babe, never change! You are the funniest guy I have ever met!”

“Hawk? Hawk! What is that? Is that a shark?” Sylvan yelps and I hear splashing.

I look up in alarm. He drifted away from me, but now he’s paddling back as if the water was on fire.

“I think it’s a shark! Get on here!” Sylvan yells, frantic with terror as he extends his hand toward me.

I look around, but while there is something dark in the water, I can still reach the sea floor with the tips of my toes, and a shark as small as the shape I spotted couldn’t possibly hurt me. Still, I swim toward Sylvan, for his peace of mind. “Babe, I’m not in danger,” I say, offering him my hand.

“No! Get on here right now! I will take no excuses!” His face is red, and his eyes dart from side to side, searching for the imaginary threat to my life.

By the time I realize he’s tugging me up hard, it’s too late. The narwhal topples over, seawater splashes in my face, and Sylvan gives a frantic, gurgling noise that has me reaching for him. It’s too deep for him to find his feet so I pull him close, making sure his mouth is above the surface.

At least he stops flapping his legs about.

“It’s… there!” he utters between one cough and another, pointing somewhere to my side. I narrow my eyes to focus, and despite it being so dark, I manage to recognize the flat form the size of a satellite dish for what it is.

I try not to laugh only because it was sweet of Sylvan to take the risk of trying to pull me onto the flimsy narwhal. Rose from The Titanic would never. “Babe, don’t be scared. That’s just a small manta ray. It’s like a… flat fish,” I tell him and grab the inflated horn of the float, so I can tug it to shore. I doubt there’ll be any more swimming tonight.

Sylvan wraps his arm around my neck. “It’s following us,” he says as if he needs to warn me, but the baby manta ray must just be curious.

“When I was in high school, they took us to an aquarium, and we would just… pet them,” I say and gently lay my palm on the surface before lowering it enough to touch the smooth skin of the creature. “Most of them are harmless.”

“And you’re sure they don’t bite?” Sylvan is too curious to pass on this opportunity after all, and leans into the water, copying my gesture. When the manta approaches his hand, I can sense the tension in his body, but then he smiles. “In the Nightmare Realm most beasts are not friendly.”

“You never know in this realm either. But come on, look at that thing,” I say and push my mouth against the salty skin of his neck. “I bet it follows us because it can sense how delicious you are.”

Sylvan raises his eyebrows and points down my body. “Or because it can see the delicious banana ripe for a bite.”

As the manta fortunately doesn’t have any intention of nipping my dick, I carry Sylvan out of the water in peace.

“Someone’s having dirty thoughts,” I point out, hugging his damp body closer when the breeze tickles my back. It’s still so very warm.

“You’re the one walking around naked all day. Someone could surprise us here, you know,” he seems very serious about that when I put him down on a blanket, and then expertly spread his legs, diving in between. I could get drunk on the way his pupils swallow the rest of his eyes.

“Oh no. And what then?”

Sylvan gasps, and I know he’s mine when he can’t find words. “Then… then… it might be inappropriate,” he mumbles, but his fingers are already tracing the muscles of my shoulders.

Heat pools in my lower stomach as my bare cock stiffens against Sylvan. I rock my hips against his smooth, wet leggings. “Let them watch. They can’t have you anyway, husband.”

While he does tilt his head back to glance at the line of trees at the edge of the beach, he’s not pushing me away. My little prince has already proven to be as horny as me.

“I… guess it is dark,” he says and I can sense him harden through the fabric while he wraps one leg over my hip.

Good boy…

“It is dark,” I agree, rocking against him without ever looking away. His gaze is so intense, so scorching I can feel its delicious burn as we both sink into the sweet embrace of lust. I move in tune with the waves behind me, each thrust slow but deliberate, each fueling the flame inside my sweet elven prince.

“Fuck, I love you on top,” he whispers between one gasp and another, scrambling to pull his leggings down enough to release his cock. He then focuses on my lips for a heated kiss. It’s better than sunshine, and I’ll always trade a lifetime with him for the human realm.

“Oh yeah? What do you like most about it?” I tease, letting myself drop over him, and once I rest my weight on my elbows, he takes a sharp breath, trembling when I roll my hips and nuzzle his cheek.

“How overwhelming you feel…” He matches my movements, arching under me, all needy. He smells of the warm sand, the sea, and the pineapple shampoo he used in his hair. “My beast.”

The way he says that last word has my dick twitching. I know I’m not going to last, but it doesn’t matter, because we’re both riding our pleasure ever more frantically. I growl and nip at the underside of his chin, before biting his cheek.

His moan is so delicious it almost pushes me over the edge, but I pump harder and faster into the tight space between our stomachs, where I rub against his cock. When he tries to reach between our bodies, I grab his wrists and push them down.

He goes frantic under me, stretching like a cat in heat, eyes closed, face red, and he comes with such an erotic rasp on his parted lips, all I need is a few more thrusts over his cum-coated skin.

Feeling him jerk against me as hot cum sprays our skin is my undoing. Climax clashes over me like a series of hot waves, and I find myself clutching my husband with seed cooling on our flesh while we rest.

“So that… is a great end of the day.”

“And we still have the night to ourselves,” he whispers, cuddling against me, but I know he’ll be sleeping like a baby in two hours max.

Oh well, we can watch The Titanic tomorrow, so I can actually share my joke about Rose. I can’t wait to hold him as he bawls his pretty blue eyes out, as I’m sure he will, because my sweet prince is secretly a romantic.

The End