CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Saylor
“In my defense, it’s not okay to keep a female locked up against her will,” I argue, hands on my hips and fire in my eyes. “She wasn’t doing well, Bane.”
“I get where you are coming from, but it was August’s call.”
“And he was making the wrong one,” I snap, continuing to pace back and forth.
Bane watches me with interest, and I can see his mind working a hundred miles per hour. However, he never gets angry at me. He doesn’t raise his voice, and he doesn’t give me the silent treatment.
Instead, he snapped at his brothers and father, telling them to back off, and took me out of there.
Then, he softened his tone and told me to tell him what happened. It’s then I realize his voice actually changes when he speaks to me, becoming gentler and calmer than when he speaks to anyone else.
“Sunshine, come here,” he commands.
And he’s still calling me his sunshine, not his thunderbolt or his heavy rain with no umbrella.
I stop my pacing and sit next to him on the bed. He lifts me onto his lap and kisses my forehead. “I’m sorry I’ve put you in an awkward place with August.”
“Do you think you could come to me the next time?” he asks, kissing my neck. “I know you are impulsive, but we are a team now. What if Milana tried to hurt you? Or someone you love?”
I consider his words. “All the people I love are badass, so I don’t need to really worry about them.”
Except look what happened to Shadow.
I guess anything could happen. And although I have met Milana a few times, I don’t really know her.
“Okay, I’ll come to you,” I promise, wrapping my arm around his neck. “I love you, Bane.”
Yes, it’s soon.
Yes, I’ve never said those words to anyone other than my brothers.
But I mean them.
His eyes flicker to amber, and his strong hand cradles my jaw. “Say it again.”
That tone. Demanding. Hot.
My nipples pebble.
“I love you,” I repeat, softer this time.
His eyes search mine. The way he’s looking at me is almost unnerving like nothing can be hidden from him. He sees all of me, just like he can see through the illusion, and it’s a type of intimacy I’ve never experienced before. I know better than most that people see what you show them.
But Bane sees through all that.
He simply sees me.
“I love you, too, Sunshine,” he rasps, kissing my lips and letting his tongue taste mine. “You’re mine, no matter how much of a pain in the ass you are.”
I grin.
“Now get on your knees. I’m still hard from you touching me at breakfast, and you’re going to fix that for me, little wolf.”
Fuck, every time he calls me that, I know he wants to play. Sweet Bane has flipped to a dominating one, and I love it.
Moving to my knees in front of him, his eyes darken at my obedience. He slowly rolls up his shirt’s long sleeves, exposing his tattooed, corded forearms. He then spreads his muscular thighs, and I settle in between them.
“You have the sexiest thighs,” I blurt out, and his lip twitches. “They are big and hard and…”
He lowers his face to me. “I’ve had females say that about other parts of me but not my thighs.”
My eyes narrow, and the bastard simply smirks.
“Hands behind your back,” he orders while he pulls out his cock, leaning back and stroking himself as he watches me. “You’re going to make me come with just your mouth on me.”
He feeds me his cock slowly, and I moan when my mouth is full, sucking him as deep as I can take him. He grips my hair into a ponytail, using it to control my movements. My hands fall to my sides, and his eyes dart to the movement. “Hands in place.”
They cross over at my back once more as I continue to pleasure my mate, loving every moan and the way his fingers tighten on my scalp. “I’m going to come, and you’re going to swallow every drop like a good girl, aren’t you?”
I nod, and he strokes my cheek.
“Fuck,” he grits out as he finishes, his head falling back and his eyes closing. The veins in his neck pop out, and I want to run my tongue over them. I swallow every drop of his sweet and salty taste and then moan as he lets go of my hair and leans forward to slide his hand in my pants.
“You’re so wet, just from having my cock in your mouth,” he says in a husky tone, lifting his finger to his lips and sucking it into his mouth. “Fuck. Clothes off, little wolf, and then lay back on the bed. I’m suddenly starving.”
Fuck.
Yes.
***
Two hours later, we are standing in the throne room of the Fae Kingdom, and Bane is shaking his hands with the male who took my virginity, the same hands that had me screaming out his name just thirty minutes prior.
I don’t want to be here right now, but to find my brother, I will do anything.
Not to mention, these people mean something to Bane, so I need to put in the effort to get to know them. I probably should have just told Bane about my history with Rave. But maybe, just maybe, the fates will look down on me, and no one will bring up anything.
Astrid stands from her throne when she sees Bane and throws her arms around him. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Busy,” Bane replies, smirking. He turns to me and pulls me closer. “Astrid, I want you to meet my mate.”
Astrid finally notices me, her hazel eyes widening. “Just as beautiful as I remember,” she mutters, shaking her head and offering me her hand. I place my gloved one in hers—clean ones because I can’t be touching Bane’s dick and then going around touching others. “It’s nice to meet you. I knew you were coming, but I didn’t know the timeline.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.” I smile, hoping she soon won’t try to kill me.
The Shadow King looks over at me, his icy-blue eyes not giving anything away. He’s still as good-looking and imposing as I remember. He might expect me to bow, but I’m not going to. I feel like once you’ve bled on someone’s cock that should make things less formal, right? When Bane doesn’t bow, I’m guessing he doesn’t give a fuck either.
“Saylor, King Rave,” Bane introduces, his palm coming to rest on my lower back.
“Saylor?” Astrid mouths, looking between Rave and me, her lips pursing. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
Bane takes a protective step closer to me, angling himself in front of me. Rave notices the gesture, a muscle working in his jaw. “What?” Bane growls, his eyes on Astrid. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong,” Rave grits out, placing his hand on his mate’s nape.
But the tension that’s now in the room gives it all away. Bane is clearly the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on, and I don’t like that. I don’t want him to feel stupid because he didn’t hear this from me. I should have told him, and that’s on me.
I clear my throat. “I know we haven’t had the past-lovers conversation, Bane—”
“Saylor—” Rave warns, but the almost familiar way he says my name gives him away.
The castle windows suddenly slam shut as the wind picks up, the bang making me jump. Bane and I haven’t really spoken about how our magic has evolved after we bonded, which is one of the main reasons some people do because it can share and amplify their magic. For us, it clearly wasn’t about the magic, but I can tell that Bane has gotten stronger. He could probably start a fucking hurricane or tornado if he wanted.
Bane steps toward Rave, who mutters, “Fuck. Here we go again.”
“You shouldn’t have fucked so many females then,” Astrid mutters in a dry tone.
Dark, wispy shadows start to surround Rave, drifting from the floor upward. “The last incident was with August and Soren, not me.”
She sighs, stepping in front of Bane. “Soren makes you look like a saint.”
“You fucked my mate?” Bane snarls in a low, menacing tone. His fists clench at his side. I don’t know who would win in a fight between them, but I do know Rave’s reputation. “Out of all the females in the realm, you touched what’s mine?”
“He didn’t know,” Astrid says gently, putting her hands up. “And I didn’t either. I knew what she looked like from my vision, and I remember Saylor’s brothers mentioning Rave had slept with their sister, Saylor, but I didn’t connect the dots.”
My brothers said what? “Those assholes.” Going around and telling everyone my personal business.
“Step back, Sunshine,” Bane orders, gentling his tone. “Or go back to Chaos. I don’t want you to see this.”
I roll my eyes. “You think I’m leaving you here alone to fight the Shadow King? Bane, I didn’t know you then, and it was just one time. It didn’t mean anything.”
And I wish I saved myself for him.
“Might as well get it all out in the open like August did,” Astrid says between clenched teeth, nudging Rave with her dainty shoulder. “Tell him all of it, Rave.”
“Baby—”
“Rave!”
Wait, what?
No, he’s not going to… is he?
“I took Saylor’s virginity,” he mutters, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Déjà vu,” Astrid mutters.
Okay. Yeah, he is.
And that’s when Bane loses all control, the thread he was holding onto for dear life snapping. The loudest thunder I’ve ever heard crackles in the sky, the sound vibrating through the castle. Through the window, I can see heavy balls of hail the size of my palm crash into the earth.
Lightning strikes a tree in our vision, the tree falling to the grass as it burns.
Bane’s fangs are out, and then he’s charging for Rave before any of us can get a hold of him. Astrid steps in front of Rave at the last second, shielding her mate with her magic.
“Move,” Bane snarls at her, but she shakes her head.
“Fuck!” He tries to get through her shield, but even I can see that’s impossible. “Whenever you want to stop hiding behind your female, Rave, I’m going to fucking gut you.”
Rave wraps his arms around her from behind, looking amused. “I don’t need you to fight my battles, Astrid. But look what it does to me.” He pressed what I’m guessing is his hard cock into her from behind, and her eyes flare, flicking with heat.
“Let’s handle this situation, and then I will handle yours,” she replies, licking her lips. Her long, thick braid sits over her shoulder, the tip of it settling over her breasts. She’s dressed in head-to-toe leather like some warrior queen.
And look, she’s fucking hot.
If Bane ever gives me a hall pass, let’s just say I know who I’d be choosing. And hint—it’s not Rave.
All this sexual tension is happening between Rave and Astrid, all while Bane has his eyes closed as he tries to gain control over his desire to murder Rave.
“Did you have to add that in?” I scowl at Rave, reaching out to rest my hand on his shoulder. “He doesn’t need the fucking details!”
Astrid winces, flashing me a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, Saylor. It’s better to get this out in the open, or Bane will keep trying to go for him.”
“I’m sorry, Bane. I should have told you. I didn’t want to make things awkward.”
Like they are right now .
First, I let Milana go, and now this.
I wonder if Bane is already regretting bonding with me.
“Yes, you should have,” Bane replies in a lethal tone, his irises bleeding from black to amber and black again.
The hail stops, but the winds keep rustling. He’s more in control now but could lose his temper again at any provocation.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past, and to be honest, it wasn’t that fucking good,” I add, shrugging sheepishly. "Not to mention he boned and bailed, leaving me alone and never contacted me again.”
Thunder booms once more.
Yeah, okay. Probably shouldn’t have said that, but I don’t want him to think it meant something because it didn’t. It was just me being horny and finally getting a chance to be a bit naughty away from my brothers’ watchful eyes.
Rave was the hottest male in Rita’s Stomping Ground, the local inn here in the Fae Kingdom, so I fucked him.
End of.
“You’re a stupid fuck, Rave. You couldn’t even treat her properly after taking her virginity? Move aside, Astrid. You’re making him look weak by shielding him. Can’t the Shadow King take on one exiled Demon Prince?”
Astrid steps aside with a deep sigh, and Rave’s shadows burst from his palms, trying to contain Bane.
But Bane is strong, his magic pulsing throughout the room. Lightning continuously strikes the castle, and when the ceiling starts to crumble to the floor, I know Bane is about to bring his raging storm inside, destroying Rave’s castle.
“Bane,” I call out, needing him to calm down.
Soren decides to choose that moment to step into the room, smirking. “Why didn’t you dangle his ass from the roof like you did with me?”
“I’m trying,” Rave snarls through clenched teeth. “But he’s stronger after he bonded.”
Ah, yes, of course.
“You’re dead, Rave.” Bane roars, more of the roof falling.
Pulling off my gloves, I close my eyes and create the illusion of Bane and me alone.
Placing my palms together, I lock the illusion into place.
We aren’t leaving here until we speak with Soren, and Bane needs to calm down.
And then it’s just us.
The others can’t see us.
To them, it would look like we disappeared into thin air.
“What happened?” he asks, turning to face me. He rests his forehead against mine, taking deep breaths.
He was so angry, but I knew he would never turn that on me.
“Welcome to your first illusion.” I grin.