Luca (Veiled City #3)

Chapter Seven

CAIR

Luca had slept fitfully through the night, stirring and whimpering as if reliving the fight in the dark. My heart had wrenched for him, the guilt in my stomach an unpleasant companion as I’d whispered soft encouragements into his ear. I’d stroked his curls, reminding him that I was there, they were gone, and he didn’t need to be afraid, all while resenting my own carelessness. I’d watched over him even once he’d settled, mapping out each line and contour of his face and body, matching them to what was already in my memory, proving to myself that this was not just a figment of my imagination.

He’d woken with exhaustion hanging over him, his eyes shadowed with the type of weariness that followed a night of wrestling through bad dreams, and for that reason, I’d urged him to stay in bed most of the day. He was stubborn, but he’d relented, making it clear that he only did so because he was eager to dive into the book on carnivorous plants he’d picked up at the market.

And apparently, the jet bathtub was “pretty neat.”

Whatever his reasoning, I was just glad he remained inside, where I could keep him in my sights and attend to his wound. It was a mere scratch, logically I knew that, but all I could envision was how much worse it might have been. How close they’d come to taking him from me.

I’d scrubbed him raw, but I could still smell their blood on his skin, could still see the fear in his eyes as it had pinned him to the forest floor. That look would haunt me, as would the defeat I’d felt through our bond, and the way he’d accepted death as he saw no other way. The creature had warped his mind, had reached into his soul and filled it with darkness, all because I’d been too late to save him from it.

Despite my mate’s reassurance that he was unscathed and it had been an unpredictable situation, the fact remained that I’d failed him. I could not have foreseen the future, there was no way I could have known their plan, but there could have been more preparation. I was a prince with unlimited resources, for Creators’ sake, I should have shielded him better, been more alert, hired more guards. There was no reason for him to ever feel fear or be in danger, not with me, not with our people. Safety and comfort were what I had promised him, and knowing I’d broken that trust would be a burden I’d carry with me always.

And I would do everything in my power to ensure it never happened again.

“I’m going downstairs to speak with the innkeeper,” I said, brushing my knuckles over his cheek. He looked up from his book. “I won’t be long, but don’t do anything too strenuous while I’m gone, alright? That includes building a blanket fort next to the fire.”

“Dammit.” He gave me an exaggerated pout. “There goes my afternoon. What about cartwheels in the hall?”

“Don’t pretend you weren’t thinking about it.”

He sniffed derisively and returned to reading, flipping the page. “Haven’t the faintest idea what you mean.”

With a laugh, I kissed his temple before leaving the room. Cee was pacing the hallway, and I called her over, requesting an update on Rathe and the scouts we’d sent ahead. There had been no word from the palace as of yet; however, there had been sightings of more reapers several towns over, seemingly docile, but we couldn’t be certain of that at a glance.

“Our best interrogators are on the job,” she assured me. Her face covering was lowered, so I saw the slight smirk twitch at the corner of her wide mouth. “I suspect you’ll know of their intentions before the evening is out.”

“Glad to hear it,” I said before excusing myself and heading downstairs. Thankfully, the inn was still as empty as it had been when we’d arrived last night. Either the owner had cleared the place out for the sake of our privacy, or it wasn’t a popular spot. I couldn’t tell, and I wouldn’t insult them by asking, though I found the latter hard to believe.

I hadn’t spent much of my spare time frequenting taverns in the Otherworld—hadn’t the time as a youngling—but by my standards, this was by far the most presentable. These types of places were often much the same—the same ale smell, same wooden benches, same food on the menu. They were pit stops for weary travelers passing through, or locals wishing to get drunk and enjoy an evening of live entertainment. They served a purpose, much like the lounge I’d built in the human realm, and I couldn’t find fault with that. Though it was refreshing to not have my boots sticking to the floorboards, or the scent of vomit clinging to my nostrils. Whoever ran this establishment did so with pride, care, and attention to detail, and it was especially reassuring to feel the vibration of defensive wards by the door.

There was an older naga behind the bar, humming a simple tune, a cloth in one hand and a tankard in the other. I wasn’t sure who she was in relation to the place, as we hadn’t left our room since sneaking in through the back door yesterday evening. I knew nothing of our hosts, hadn’t had the presence of mind to probe Cee or Gary for details, and I felt somewhat guilty about it.

Especially since I had yet another request to make of them.

I strode toward the bar, and she lifted her head, the humming subsiding as a polite smile formed over her scaled mouth. “Your Highness.” She nodded, and a strand of her gray-flecked red hair fell from underneath the floral-patterned bandanna she wore. She continued with her task. “What can I do for you?”

“I wished to thank you for your hospitality,” I said, which was half the truth, but I knew Luca would scold me if I didn’t practice pleasantries first.

I forgot how human he was sometimes.

“It’s no hardship,” she offered, her voice a deep, throaty hiss. “I must admit, having a royal under my roof won’t be bad for business.”

I hummed, pretending the silence of the room proved her statement otherwise. The sound must not have hit the correct note as she snorted. “I thought you might appreciate peace and privacy,” she explained. “Only myself, my two mates, and a few of the staff remain.”

My assumption had been correct then. “Thank you. You will be compensated.”

“As I informed your comrades, I have no need for anything.” She set down the tankard in her hand, giving me her undivided attention. “It is our pleasure to serve you and your mate, my prince. We are honored to have you grace our humble bar, and I wish only for your contentment.”

“Your loyalty is valued,” I said, knowing it was not enough but was all I could offer. No words could do justice to how grateful I was to have the support of my people, and I could only hope to live up to their expectations and strive to deserve that allegiance. “Though I fear I must impose on you further.”

Her back straightened, and she wiped her scaled hands on her apron in preparation for my request. “Name it, it will be done.”

“A group of reapers were set upon us. Thankfully, they failed to carry out their task, but I’m not convinced there won’t be others sent in their place. I resent bringing darkness to your doorstep, but for my mate’s safety, I had no other choice.”

Her flat nose wrinkled in disgust. “Reapers are nasty little bastards, but easy enough to kill if they don’t catch you in their thrall. You did the right thing coming here—” She reached under the bar, withdrawing a bow and quiver of arrows. “As I am fully equipped to deal with them, should they decide to swing by for a drink.”

“Glad to hear it, though if it can be helped, I’d rather use your abilities as a barkeeper than those with a bow,” I said, and she tilted her head, listening to my proposition. “My scouts are doing what they can to track down the culprit, though I believe we’d benefit from more eyes and ears in the places where secrets are often spilled and the gossip is rife. As the owner of such an establishment myself, it’s something of a common theme for drunken souls to put their trust in the ones who pour their drink.”

At the beginning of our time in the human realm, Teighan would often complain about the nights he’d have to suffer through the rambles of an intoxicated patron who’d lounge on one of the barstools, sharing their life story and lamenting their greatest woes, uncaring that my brother couldn’t have given less of a shit about them or their recent breakup. Despite it often being a fruitless endeavor—Tee had limited patience—it had become a useful way to learn the inner goings on of my people, a tool to gather any information that would offer me an advantage in certain situations.

A tool I was counting on now.

The naga made a sound of realization, her slitted pupils expanding. “I understand completely, and I will make you aware of anything we hear that may be of interest to you and your cause.”

“Thank you.”

“May I be so bold as to advise that there is also power in the circulation of whispers?” she said, and I gestured for her to continue. “If a specific rumor—say, a royal guard being on its way to drag those responsible back to the palace—was to spark here and be carried from one drunken creature to the next inn, then the next, then the next, perhaps you’ll startle your opponent out of hiding much quicker. No one makes foolish missteps quite like a scared little fox that believes it has been cornered.”

My face split with a wicked grin. “Oh, I like you.”

She laughed. “I am merely an old soul, doing whatever I can to help.”

“May I know your name?”

“Elysia, Your Highness,” she said, her forked tongue flicking out on the s’s. I’d mention her name to Rathe, and ask him to make sure she and her family wanted for nothing. I might even hire her, if she was so inclined. “Now, you head on back up to your mate, and trust that everything here is in order. Just let me heat up some broth for you to take to him. It should help him sleep, and settle any lingering effects of the reapers.” She gestured to the end of the bar. “Take a seat, I’ll be a moment.”

I dipped my head in gratitude. “Your assistance will not be forgotten.”

Once I had the bowl of soup in hand, I headed back upstairs with a sense of relief that I’d been missing for the past twenty-four hours. It would always gratify me to know we could rely on our people, and it set my mind at ease having other measures now in place to catch whoever was responsible. It would not erase what had happened, and going forward, I would take extra precautions to be sure that Luca’s safety was paramount, but it allowed me the chance to breathe. Which, after all my “mother-henning” as he called it, I was sure my mate would greatly appreciate.

I nodded to Cee as I passed her in the corridor before nudging the door open with my hip. “I brought you soup, pet, but you don’t have to eat it if?—”

Words stuck in my throat, and all intelligent thoughts flitted from my head as my eyes fixed on the unexpected display that greeted me on the other side of the room.

My mate was no longer in bed where I’d left him. Nor was he in the armchair by the fire where I might have expected him to relocate. No, he stood near the entryway to the bathroom, stock still and breathing shakily, wearing nothing but a baby-blue nightdress…

And panties.

My cock throbbed.

“Do you like it?” he asked nervously, beginning to fidget in my silence.

My gaze snapped to his, and I hoped he saw the purple flicker of my irises as they conveyed my answer. I barely had enough presence of mind to kick the door closed behind me, let alone form a coherent sentence with how rapidly my blood flowed south. Thankfully, rationality hadn’t yet abandoned me entirely, as I was able to carefully set down the bowl on the side table before advancing on him like a starving hound.

Luca yelped as I gripped the undersides of his bare thighs and lifted him with little effort. He recovered quickly, crossing his legs around my waist and clinging on tight, a puff of air escaping his lax mouth as his back connected with the wall. I leaned into him, pinning him there before crushing our lips together, drinking down his pleased groan. His hands drifted from my shoulders to the back of my head, his fingers threading through my hair and tugging on the strands.

I kissed him harder, growling into his mouth as the wet slide of our tongues fueled my hunger.

He tastes so sweet.

“Welcome back,” Luca panted against my mouth as we parted, a note of humor in his voice. I still couldn’t find the words to respond, so instead, I explored.

My hand roved over my mate’s chiffon-covered belly, watching his muscles flex and goose bumps rise as my fingers grazed his belly button before trailing upward. I admired the way the fabric cinched around his ribcage then flared out to drape over the tops of his soft thighs, the lace trim weighing it down. The sheer material hugged the delicate curve of his pecs, accentuating his nipples as they hardened under my gaze. I couldn’t help but brush my thumb over one of those rosy peaks, delighting in how he arched into the touch.

“My heart, you look resplendent,” I said easily, my voice already gruff.

“Yeah?”

I hummed absently, distracted by thoughts of all the filthy things I wanted to do to prove how much I desired him. Dropping to my knees and worshipping him with my tongue until he cried was my current favorite. “Is this my surprise from the market?”

“Yeah.” His fingers flexed against my neck. “Wanted to try something new.”

“I approve.” I carefully set him down before lowering myself to the floor at his feet, unable to deny myself the pleasure any longer. Leisurely, I traced the intricate lace pattern at the edges of the dress with my fingertips, praising each stitch as it twisted into a delicate yet detailed swirl.

A soft laugh came from above. “Bit late to act all gentle, don’t you think?” He gave an impatient wiggle. “You body slammed me into the wall.”

My hands froze halfway down his thighs, and my shoulders tensed. Shit .

What was I thinking? I wasn’t, that was the issue. I’d allowed my lust to overpower my composure and I’d pounced on him without a second’s hesitation. How could I be so reckless? I’d been too rough, acted too impulsively.

Were his bandages still intact?

Is he in pain?

I began to rise again, to check over his injuries, when Luca’s hand darted to my horn and gripped tight, rooting me in place. I grunted at the zing of pleasure that raced down my spine.

“Don’t you dare,” he warned, and the uncharacteristic note of command in his tone and demeanor was unbelievably arousing. “The wound is fine, I am fine, but I won’t be fine if you stop now. I’ll feel pretty damned rejected, actually.”

That thought had a bitter taste building on my tongue but… “Are you sure you’re feeling up to this, pet? I don’t want to overexert you.”

“Cair, I need this. I need you .” His voice wavered, and though he wasn’t fully divulging the cause of his eagerness, deep in my soul, I understood his reasoning. “Let me feel close to you.”

I nodded and settled on my knees once more. I continued my exploration, lifting the hem to his hips, letting the fabric bunch in one hand to display the silk clinging to my mate’s cock. “These are delightful,” I rasped, and no words that left my lips had ever been more true.

The baby blue was perfect against his skin, and it strained to conceal what lay underneath, leaving nothing to the imagination. I grazed my knuckles over the hard outline, feeling him twitch through the barrier before I swiped my thumb over the dark blue wet spot at the tip. Just as he began to rock into the touch, I withdrew, instead following the thin string of silk around his hip to the small dimple of his tailbone. It disappeared into the crease, leaving his cheeks exposed, and I couldn’t bite back my appreciative groan.

“You’re gorgeous, pet.” The praise elicited a delightful blush over my mate’s skin. “So pretty and perfect, just for me.”

My mate widened his stance, yielding to the greedy exploration, whimpering sweetly. The sound shot straight to my dick, and the need to lavish the ethereal creature with affection became impossible to overcome. I shifted backward just enough to hook one of his legs over my shoulder, displaying him further, before placing a lingering kiss on the inside of his knee.

I received a full-body shiver in return.

I continued on, up and up, peppering a burning trail of adoring kisses right to the apex of his thighs—almost exactly where he ached for the touch most. Luca bucked his hips with more urgency, a blatant plea for friction, but I swerved away with a smirk. “Relax,” I said. “We’ll get there.”

“Sometime today?” he huffed, and I chided him by gently pressing my thumb into the sensitive skin of his groin.

“Brat.”

“Nope, just need you.” He flushed an even more delicious shade of pink.

My smile softened. “I know, sweetling, and I promise I’ll give you everything you need, but can you be patient a little longer for me? I want to take my time and worship you. It’s no more than you deserve.”

Luca’s mouth curved with a shy smile, and he gave a compliant nod. The tension in his body visibly loosened and he sagged against the wall, trusting me to take care of him. A purple hue flashed at the edges of my vision at the display, and driven by pure instinct, I leaned forward to latch onto the thickest part of his thigh.

He cried out as I sucked at the skin, letting my fangs nick the surface before I released him, my eyes fixed on the purple mark blooming within the indents of my lips. Satisfied, I kept going, unhurried as I descended again and again, licking, biting, claiming every inch of him. The pitch of my mate’s mewls told me he found pleasure in every sting, and it only spurred me on to mark him harder, to see how far I could push before he begged for relief.

I followed the trail my fingertips had already roamed, laving my tongue over his hips and lower belly, avoiding his bandages. The bulge in his underwear was obscene, the fabric soaked through with the evidence of his arousal. My lips hovered over the wet patch and I inhaled deeply. The scent of him, musk and citrus, had my belly tightening.

“You smell divine,” I said with a hint of a growl. “But I know you’ll taste even more so.”

There was no other warning for him before I closed the gap, mouthing at the outline of his cock, leaving a dark stripe in the silk. He released a shuddering moan as I flicked my tongue over the dampness at the tip. He was delicious, and I couldn’t help but suck the head between my lips and drink him in, letting my fangs lightly scrape him through the fabric.

“Cair…”

I looked up at the sweet sound, groaning at the sight of his hooded eyes and his spit-slick lips swollen from biting.

“ Please .”

The desperation in that single word threatened to melt away every shred of resolve I had. It coaxed me into forgoing my plan of dragging this out, it whispered for me to skip straight to the part where I gave Luca everything he wanted and made him feel good.

Ultimately, I listened.

How could I not? My mate was irresistible. He had dressed up in pretty things for me, and I desired nothing more than to bring him so much pleasure that he writhed and sobbed with it. So I peeled the front of the underwear down below his balls. His cock—flushed pink and glistening with arousal—stood proud against his belly, and this time, when I lowered my mouth, I didn’t tease, didn’t caress or draw back. This time, I gave the sweet creature exactly what he needed, and I swallowed him to the root.

A strangled cry hit my ears, and I smirked against his pelvis, tightening my throat reflexively to draw out another of those desperate little sounds. He hissed as I pulled almost all the way off, swirling my tongue around the leaking slit before sinking back down again, the saliva pooling in my mouth easing the glide. I sped up, greedily chasing that sensation of him kissing the back of my throat, almost choking me, with each bob of my head. I felt insatiable. My own length was so hard it ached, and my hips began twitching with each punch of breath that spilled from his gaping mouth, desperate for even a modicum of friction against my trousers.

I savored every moan and heeded every single reaction no matter how subtle. The leg dangling over my shoulder tensed as if urging me closer, and the other shook with the effort of balancing on his tiptoes. His hips undulated in a sloppy rhythm, but not forward into my mouth. They rolled back against the wall like he was mindlessly searching for something to fill the emptiness inside him. Typically, I’d make him ask for what he wanted, taunt him into begging, but losing the weight of him on my tongue, even for just a second to speak, was unappealing.

Instead, I appeased him without the added torment, and slid my finger between his cheeks. I was aiming just to graze the furled hole, offering him a brush of sensation, but I paused. He was already prepared for me.

Wet. Supple.

With a groan, I dipped a finger inside, feeling his hot, slick walls clench at the intrusion before relaxing. I added another, relishing the easy stretch before hooking them just right and finding his sweet spot with practiced ease.

Luca grunted, his hands flying to my horns again, using them for leverage as he started rocking with more purpose. He was slow at first, tentative, but grew in confidence as my fingers ruthlessly nailed his prostate, and soon enough, he was fucking me without mercy. Taking what he needed.

My free hand gripped his thigh, clutching him like a lifeline as I doubled my efforts and fought against the heat coiling in my stomach. Between the rough treatment of my horns, the sweet taste of him, and the aching sounds of his pleasure, I was at risk of going feral. Thankfully, my mate was just as close—I could tell by the way his breath hitched and his insides rippled—and it wasn’t long before his back began to bow off the wall.

“Please, Cair. Please…” he muttered. I plunged a third digit inside his hole, scissoring them wide, and that fullness, that stretch, must have been all he needed. “ Fuuuuck , I’m coming, I’m?—”

He jerked up once more then stilled, his cock pulsating in my mouth as his release shot down my throat. I swallowed every drop, a purr vibrating in my chest as I thoroughly sucked and licked him clean. Only when he tugged insistently at my hair did I reluctantly withdraw. I rested my head against his heaving belly as I willed myself not to spill in my pants. But the fire wouldn’t dissipate.

I needed more of him.

Luca deserved reverence, to be taken apart slowly and with the utmost care, every inch of him caressed until he felt like the divine being he was, but embarrassingly, I lacked the willpower. Seeing him in lingerie and having his release coating my tongue was erasing every sensible inclination in my brain. My cock had been hard as a rock since the second my eyes fell on my mate, and I needed to do something about it. I needed to feel his weight in my lap, to hold him, to kiss him and cover him in my scent. I needed to fuck into his tight little hole, and have him writhing and whining to be ruined, to be stuffed full.

He was mine, but right then, he didn’t smell enough like it to satisfy the beast clawing under my skin.

Luca gasped as I sat back on the rug in front of the fire and brought him tumbling down on top of me. I caught his hips in my hands, maneuvering his unsteady legs to either side of my thighs as he scrambled for my shoulders. Those wide blue eyes of his stared down at me, and my resolve shattered that little bit more. I had to kiss him, I had to consume him, but before I even managed to crane my neck toward him, nimble fingers threaded through my hair and soft lips slanted against mine. The kiss was more passionate and punishing than those before. I didn’t protest, just fell into rhythm, my tongue plundering his mouth, so close to drowning in the taste that I hardly realized it when I bucked upward, seeking friction.

Luca broke away, his breathing ragged. He ground down, meeting my movements, and soon we were rutting against each other like animals, in an urgent and sloppy rhythm. But it wasn’t enough. I longed for skin on skin, to merge his heat with mine without barriers, to feel the softness of his bare ass as I rocked up against him. There was no better sensation, and I was suddenly impatient to have it.

With a growl, I lifted Luca with one arm, as I tore at the ties on my trousers, yanking them down my thighs and freeing my cock. I tucked my fingers under the string between his cheeks, pulling it aside as my other hand raked up to his waist, ready to guide him back down against me, but I froze as my fingers grazed his bandages.

I had to slow down.

Fuck , I had to?—

Luca huffed in frustration and shoved at my shoulders until I lay flat on the rug. He batted away the hand that held him steady, and before I could voice my weak disapproval, he took my cock in his hand, notched the head against his wet hole, and sank down in one smooth rush.

I cursed under my breath, fingers dimpling the skin of his ass. “Luca…”

“You were hesitating,” he said, tone firm. “Don’t. When I said I need you, I meant it. I need to feel you inside me, I need you to fuck me how you want to and stop treating me like I’m delicate. Let go of your control and give it to me, for the love of?—”

Planting my feet against the rug, I thrust up into his tight heat, delighting in the wanton moan I forced from his throat. His walls pulsed around me, sucking me deeper and deeper as I used those soft mounds for leverage to lift him almost all the way off before burying myself to the hilt again. The faster and more brutally I fucked him, the louder and more unabashed were the wails echoing through the room. He was either oblivious to the fact that he’d be heard in every corner of the inn, or like me, he didn’t give a single solitary fuck. I wanted them to listen, to know how well I pleased my mate, and how prettily he sang for me. Luca had demanded that I lose myself, that I do whatever I wanted, and I was all too willing to oblige him.

Not that I would last much longer with how fire gathered at the base of my spine and my balls throbbed. I was already tiptoeing dangerously close to the edge, had been since I sheathed myself inside him, but I wanted to see my mate fall apart first. I wanted to feel him clench around me and milk my cock as I filled him.