Chapter 28
With my creature settled and my heart now thawing, relaxation came to me in a luxurious, chilly wave, making me boneless.
I had ported us deep into the woods behind my castle—what was soon to be our castle.
It could be days before Diedre found us if she bothered to look after the last grain of sand fell.
I’d carve that look on her face when she realized she lost, seeing us mated, into my bone marrow.
Fuck her. I’ve been a fair and just king toward her, giving her a kingdom, her own lands.
She chose to show her appreciation by cursing me, threatening my crown, and my mate.
Winter’s night only knew the punishment I’d bestow on her, but perhaps still being her ruler with a new queen at my side would be punishment enough.
I sculpted the snow into a lounging bank, our naked forms lying nuzzled against it.
Sylvie was curled into the crook of my arm, my fingers making lazy circles on her arm.
She rested her head on my chest and played with the snowflake pendant hanging from my neck.
Snow fell silently around us, but didn’t collect on us from my magical shield.
I dared say it was one of the most memorable moments of my celestial existence—for today.
My mark glowed ever brightly on my faerie’s chest, its glacial hue matching the colored tips of her hair and making her amethyst eyes radiate. Grinning, one canine poking over my bottom lip, I traced my thumb over the icy diamond patch.
“You look far too satisfied with yourself, Jack,” Sylvie mused, her tone calm and sleepy. A smile graced her lips, and she gazed up at me with hooded lids.
“Mm,” I groaned, switching to rubbing her chin. “Can you blame me? I’ve searched for you for so long, Sylvie. To see my mark on my mate. To have you here in my arms, and for you to accept me? I’m not sure what else could top it.”
Sylvie, still smiling, scraped her nails over my stomach, tracing each curve of my abdominal muscles before trailing to the blonde hair that led to my still hard as packed ice cock. “I can certainly try.”
My heart raced as my mate moved to straddle me, her thighs clutching my hips.
She positioned my cock at her entrance, the slick, chilly heat of her driving me mad as she slid down, sheathing me inside her.
It was a revelation to feel such warmth, not only comforting but godsdamned euphoric.
Sylvie rocked her hips back and forth, her insides clenching my length like a fucking vise.
I rested my hands on her waist, kneading her there, trying not to let my head fall back the way it wanted.
I didn’t want to miss one damn glimpse of the beauty writhing on top of me.
Those gorgeous winter wings of hers flapped somberly, their sparkle amplified from the falling snowflakes.
Sylvie’s lips parted, her hands gripping her hair, and gasps, moans, and whimpers delicately echoed from her throat.
When she opened her eyes, a pulsing sky-blue glow replaced the usual violet, my mark radiating so profusely it was almost blinding.
I grunted as her thrusts grew more frantic, bringing me ever closer to the edge.
No sooner had Sylvie cried out, exploding through her release, the pulse of it shuddering around my cock, than I tore through my own climax.
My back arched from the snow bank, my fingers digging into her hips, my neck and spine tensing.
With me still buried inside her, Sylvie leaned forward, her petite fingers tilting my chin upward.
Her mouth slightly opened, but instead of kissing me like I thought she would, tendrils of blue, white, and shimmering silver flowed from her lips, traveling into my mouth, down my throat, and settling in my chest.
The inside of my left forearm burned and sizzled before turning icy hot.
Sylvie’s wings flared excitedly as if they were in on whatever my mate had just done to me.
Grinning, Sylvie’s eyes turning back to their normal purple hue, she lifted my forearm into view.
A winged pattern was carved into my flesh, the bulk of the design on the inside of my arm, wrapping around to the outside.
It wasn’t created with ink like a tattoo, more like crystals, preserved ice and snow, and bits of Sylvie’s magic.
“Now, you too, are mine, Jakzair,” Sylvie whispered, petting my new marking with pride.
It was exquisite and uniquely hers.
“You know,” I teased, leaning back on the snowbank with my arms propped. “I was already yours; you didn’t have to take it a step further.”
Sylvie danced her fingers up my abs before wrapping her fist around my snowflake charm and holding the chain taut. “A gal can never be too sure.” The grin plastered on her face, one of a female who was satisfied, joyous, and enamored with her mate, had my chest going tight.
“Now, who looks far too satisfied with themselves?” Smiling, I curled a hand around her neck and gave her a long, luxurious, universe-consuming kiss. Pulling away, I cinched my brow, hesitant to ask what had been itching my curiosity since she brought it up.
Sylvie sat back on her haunches and tilted her head. “Jack? What is it?” She rubbed the pointed tip of one of my ears, and it was such an effortless, intimate touch that it damn near took my breath away.
“You said your people, the faeries, cast you out because they feared your power. What were they if not winter faeries themselves?” My shoulders tensed after asking, awaiting her answer and fearing she’d either close herself off to me or worse, get angry.
Sylvie sighed and resettled herself so she was lying in my arms again, playing with my abs.
She had such a fascination for them, and it was hardly the moment to tease her about it, but eventually I would.
“I was the only winter faerie in our community. My parents died when I was a baby. To this day, I’m not entirely sure they were even my birth parents, given what I am, but it started out as my special powers being a gift. ”
Interlacing our fingers, I pressed a kiss to each of her knuckles. “Do you remember using your magic as a child?”
The skin across her forehead wrinkled, as if she were digging into repressed memories.
“Vaguely. But that was such a long time ago. I’d do little tricks like making ice roses or little cars for my friends.
We’d chase each other in the forests, and they’d sometimes get mad because my wings were bigger than theirs. ”
The wings flapped once, and I reached a hand toward them, tracing the edges in an effort to soothe them—to soothe her.
“Everyone else’s powers were nature-based—flowers, trees, sunlight. I never told anyone that I could create far larger things than small trinkets. In fact, I held back so much that I often wondered if I could make an entire castle if I tried hard enough.”
Gently pushing her back by her shoulders so our gazes met, I said, “Why don’t you try, then? These woods are the perfect opportunity for you to see what you can do, Syl. Go beyond what you did before.”
Her previous fears almost instantaneously had her curling her knees to her chest. “Jack, I don’t—”
When she turned her head from me, I brought it back with a single finger under her chin. “Let go, Sylvaria. You can’t hurt anyone or anything here. What do you have to lose?”’
Determination straightened her face, and she pushed to her feet, hands clenched at her sides and wings pressing together at her back.
She turned her gaze to me, brows arching as if to ask a final time if I was sure she should do it.
Rising, I opened my palm to her, creating a sheer, shimmering robe of glittering silver snowflakes over her gorgeous, porcelain body.
“Show me what you got, faerie,” I encouraged, holding my arm to the side and stepping back.
Sylvie lifted her chin and took in her surroundings before first throwing her left hand out, spirals of her snowy magic twirling through the air but conjuring nothing yet.
Smiling, she flicked her right hand now, repeating the action but adding interweaving tendrils of blue.
She used her wings to sprint deeper into the woods, and I was quick to follow, still ass naked just the way I preferred.
My mate found a clearing surrounded by thick birch trees as if it were waiting for her to fill the space.
She chewed on her bottom lip before poising her hands at the snow-covered ground, spinning circles, ice spreading around her like a skating rink.
I folded my arms, watching her unbridled and entirely in her element.
Having the opportunity to witness this, her first time using her powers in any way she pleased without fear?
Winter’s blessing, I must have been the luckiest son of a bitch in the universe.
Once satisfied with the icy ground, she swirled her arms, the blue, white, and shimmering silver magic continuing to coil in ornate patterns.
A spiral staircase formed next, followed by several pillars, rising past the tree tops.
She ran barefoot for the stairs, her wings flapping excitedly, and ascended the frozen steps.
I calmly followed her, taking my time with each stair, watching her tits and ass bounce through that sheer, shimmery fabric as she made her way upward.
When she reached the top, she thrust her hands at the skies, forming a roof over our heads.
When she was done, though it was entirely iced over, I could still see the wintry grey clouds and the aurora borealis shimmering in its glorious green, yellow, and pink hues like a magical sky light.
Sylvie’s arms fell slack at her sides, and her chest heaved.
She was breathless and exhausted, but that radiant smile never faded.
“I want to do more, but I think I might pass out if I push it.” Sylvie’s hands moved to her hips, and she gazed at her handiwork, her eyes glistening with tears.
Appearing behind her, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pressed my cheek to hers. “How do you feel?”
“Free, Jack,” she breathed out, leaning against me and letting me support her. “Free.”
I tenderly kissed her head and took a moment to gaze at the icy fortress she’d started. “You know, this may be even more impressive than our actual castle.”
Sylvie perked at this, whirling on a heel to face me. “Our castle?”
Chuckling, I bopped her nose with a single finger. “Yes. Did you forget the part about you becoming the Winter Queen?”
Sylvie frowned, her hands curling under her chin. “I suppose I did.”
“Are you still alright with all of this?” Gently, I rubbed the tip of her ear as she’d done with mine.
She melted against my touch before suddenly burying her face into my chest. “Yes, I just don’t know the first thing about being a queen,” she confessed, her words muffling against my skin.
Grinning, I curled my arms around her and rested my chin atop her head. “Small steps, Sylvie. You don’t have to learn it all in a day or even a month. I’ve been doing this alone for thousands of years.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, peeling back to peer at me with those amethyst eyes that still managed to captivate me.
“You know, we could keep coming back here to add onto your creation. Both of us.” I took her hand and led her away from the stairs, pulsing magic from my other hand to finish the second ice floor. “We could make it a refuge of sorts. An escape.”
Sylvie’s eyes brightened as she watched me use my powers. “I’d love that.” Her grip tightened against my palm. “But Jack, what about Diedre?”
“We’ll deal with her when we have to. I’m still willing to let her have her smaller kingdom if she agrees to leave us the fuck alone, or else I’ll banish her to live with the goblins.
” I clenched my jaw, wishing I could get rid of her entirely at times.
She’d have sought my demise eons ago if she were able.
“I’m certain she’ll show up at the most inconvenient time, and when that happens, we’ll deal with it.
For now, we have your coronation to plan. ”
Sylvie draped a hand over her face, but still smiled. “Have I told you I loathe being the center of attention?”
“You’d better get used to it, faerie,” I teased, tugging her closer. Peeling her fingers from her eyes, I added, “Because the public eye’s one thing, but you’ll always be the center of my universe.”
Sylvie bit back a sheepish smile, and her cheeks turned rosy. She gasped and slapped a hand on her face. “Jack, I blushed. I actually blushed.”
“Well, now that you can, I accept this challenge.” I grinned wickedly and welcomed her playful slap on my shoulder. “Now then, I’m sure we have a very disgruntled polar bear and stag we left in the cove wondering if we’re ever coming back.”
Sylvie’s eyes widened. “Winter’s curse, I feel terrible.”
“I’m sure they’re fine. I left them in the protection of the ice giant’s cave.”
“Ice giant?”
Wincing, I snapped my fingers, entirely forgetting there were still so many things Sylvie had yet to learn about winter folk. “Yes, you’ll meet him. He’s an okay guy, honestly.”
“Right,” Sylvie answered in a skeptical tone.
I held my hand out to her. “Might I suggest we take a frigid dip into the kingdom’s lake as a means of travel back to the Cove?”
Sylvie’s wings fluttered. “I thought you’d never ask, mate.”
That singular word had my cock twitching, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Sylvie, whose gaze snapped straight to it. She arched a mischievous brow.
Despite every bone in my body yearning to fuck my new mate for days on end, the ancient duty in me tethered me back to reality. I held a finger up. “Soon. First, we need our companions back.”
“You’re such a good king,” Sylvie mused, kissing the tip of her finger and touching it to my nose.
Soon, we stood on the lake’s edge, its chilly waters lapping at our toes. Sylvie curled against my side, hugging my arm and smiling at the northern lights dancing colorful patterns in the sky.
“Whatever you do, don’t let go of my hand, sweetheart. Understand?” With our fingers interlaced, I kissed the back of her hand.
Sylvie wrapped her hand around ours and smiled. “Never.”