Chapter Two
Beck
Sometimes it’s hard to believe I was once the heir to
the Seelie Fae throne, all of the White Palace to be mine and my brother’s one
day. But that was a long time ago.
I sink into the too-small chair in the gnome’s tiny but
well-appointed office. Everything seems too small right now. My trousers
certainly are. Touching Meg has me hard enough to pound nails with my cock.
She’s the one. I know it deep in my soul. I was able to feel
what was happening to her at the moment of her orgasm. She can bond. She can
stop Cian’s slow descent into madness. It took everything I had not to form the
bond with her, but now is not the time, and certainly not the place. Forming a
bond with one’s soulmate is a sacred thing, and I won’t do it here. I’m going
to have to put her through far too much to force that on her as well.
Reeve of the Gentle Hills walks in and places a large
platter of food on the desk between us. “I thought Your Highness might join me
in the noon meal.”
My stomach rumbles at the sight and smell of so much good
food. Gnomes know how to cook. I nod shortly, trying not to betray my
excitement at the thought of being full for once. “I would be honored. I thank
you for your hospitality, but you have to get out of the habit of calling me by
titles that no longer have any meaning.”
I pick up two slices of dark bread and make a huge sandwich
of venison and a pleasant-smelling cheese.
Reeve pours water into two mugs. “You’re giving up, then?
You’re content to allow your Uncle Torin to remain on your father’s throne? The
very throne he slew your father on?”
The food turns to sawdust in my mouth. I can still see my
father sometimes. I see him slumped on the ground in front of the throne he
loved.
I take a long drink and force myself to continue eating.
I’ll need the energy for the battle to come. Control. It is everything in life.
I have to stay in control or I could lose everything.
“There is nothing of contentment in my life. There hasn’t
been for the past thirteen years.” Naturally this talk sends my brain back to
the terrible night when I lost both my parents and my sister. The guilt still
gnaws at me, like a rat chewing and chewing. I had only been able to save my
twin, Cian. I force the thoughts back. I choose, as I have since that day when
I was seventeen, to look to the future. “It is not that I don’t dream of taking
back what rightfully belongs to me. It is simply a matter of practicality. My
loyalists are gone.”
Reeve’s bearded head shakes vigorously. “That is untrue,
Your Highness. There are many here, and many more on the home plane. Tír na nòg
is full of Fae longing for Your Highness.”
I sigh because I’m going to have to put this to the gnome in
blunt words. It will likely ruin the man’s illusions of me, but then, I no
longer have use for illusions. “Peasants. You’re talking about peasants. While
I am thrilled to have the love of the people, money is needed to wage war, and
I have none. I am barely able to buy my way into this tourney. I have no idea
how I’m going to clothe my mate after I’ve won her. She’ll be roaming the
forests in one of my beat-up old shirts. If I can’t even take care of my mate,
I’ve got no idea how I should go about fighting a war.”
Reeve leans forward. “The loyalists heard that Cian is
fading. They know that if Cian dies, you will be half a man. Symbiotic twins
are very powerful, my liege, but everyone knows that if your intellectual half
fades, you will not be fit to rule.”
“Hence my long ride through that bloody forest to get here,”
I admit. “Cian is fading because we have no woman. We’re long past the age when
a suitable bondmate would have been found and our triad formed. He has lost
hope. He’s dying. Your summons could not have come at a better time, old
friend. We’re desperate.”
I polish off my second sandwich and give serious
consideration to making a third. But I stop myself. It seems rude to eat the
majority of the meal.
Reeve pushes the plate toward me. “Please, Your Highness.
I’m not the richest man but allow me to aid you. Our food is plentiful. My wife
will make sure your mate has suitable clothing. My son has ensured that your
steed is stabled and well-fed. You will find your saddle bags filled with
everything you need for the journey. I’m pleased to serve my king.”
A deep sense of gratitude fills me. Reeve’s family had once
served the King of the Seelie Fae, and Reeve and his family had preferred exile
to serving Torin, the Pretender. “I don’t know how to thank you, old friend. If
you ever have need of a sword, I trust you will call on me.”
The gnome grins. “I know who to call, but no one bothers us.
The deal we made with the Planeswalker clan protects us.”
I know the deal well. The Planeswalkers come from a plane
many call Hell. They’re a demonic clan and quite mercenary, but easily
controlled with an ironclad contract. Demons can access all planes and are
great believers in contracts. Reeve and his tribe of ex-patriots serve as
salesmen for the demons’ wares. The demon tribe travel and gather items of
interest. Reeve sells them and takes a cut. It’s a partnership that works well
for both sides.
I finish the last of the food and take a deep breath. It
feels good to be full. Now I can use a nap. The tourney isn’t set for another
several hours. A nap and food will make me sharp and ready. I just have to be
sure of a couple of things before I find a corner to curl up in. “I want my
mate covered.”
I can’t stand the thought of her beautiful body on display.
She’s mine. I should be the only one to enjoy her loveliness.
Reeve frowns. “You know I cannot, Your Highness. The female
must be properly displayed. If the Planeswalker discovered I was treating you
differently, he would accuse me of breaking our contract.”
I don’t like the answer, but I suppose I’ll have to accept
it. I’ve been forced to accept many unsavory truths since the day the world
fell apart. “Do the vamps know she’s here?”
“Yes,” comes the quiet reply. “I had to inform the Vampire
Governments as well. I gave them short notice, but fifteen have already shown
up. You know they can move very quickly when they want to. You were the first
to see her. I have to open her to public view soon. I must have at least ten
warriors in the tourney to see a profit.”
“Well, you’ll have that if fifteen vampires are here.
They’ll all fight for her.” It’s a sad coincidence of fate that bondmates are
so alluring to vampires. Since my uncle closed the Seelie homelands to all
outsiders, it’s become difficult to find a bondmate, and the practice of
vampires wooing faery bondmates has disappeared. Luckily it’s not all vampires,
just the ones of royal blood who require a woman like Meg as a mate. I asked a
vampire once why they need Fae bondmates to procreate. I was told that there
was something about their blood that strengthens the vampire. They call the
women “consorts.” A vampire of royal blood can form a psychic bond with the
woman, much as I intend to form with Meg. “The vampires will all fight and they
will all lose.”
Reeve nods his head. “Yes, sire, they will. I’ll make you a
deal. I will personally ensure that no one else is allowed physical access to
the bondmate. The other suitors will only be allowed to view her. I will tell
the other Fae that we’ve had an expert prove her ability to bond. You are
certain she can form the bond? The demon seemed sure. He said she glows to him,
and that is how he knew.”
“I’m certain.” I felt her response to my every touch. She
was open and vulnerable. She didn’t hold anything back. “The vampires say our
bondmates glow, as well. I can’t see it, but I feel her. She’s perfect.”
“Perfect enough to form a true triad?” Reeve asks
speculatively. “You know what the legends say.”
I laugh long and hard at the thought. Legends. They’re
ridiculous. They’re stories to tell children at bedtime. The legend Reeve is
referring to claims that one day, a pair of symbiotic twins will be born of
royal blood. They will form a triad with a mysterious bondmate, and she will
allow their true powers to flow. The intellectual half, who the people call the
philosopher king, will become a Green Man, bringing prosperity to the tribes.
The warrior king will gain the strength of a Storm Lord. The threesome will
usher in a time of great joy for the Fae. It’s a nice story, but I stopped
believing in legends a long time ago.
“Don’t pin your hopes on that, my friend. Meggie is a
bondmate. Nothing more. Nothing less. She’s beautiful and suits my purposes.
She will save my brother and balance us. I’m not immune to the effects of not
bonding at a proper age. I feel it, too. Meg can reverse those.” I hope not
everyone is as prone to believing old stories as the gnome. “You mentioned a
deal? What is my end of this bargain?”
Reeve is every bit the savvy businessman. “Please stay out
of sight of the others until the tourney. If they realize you are fighting for
the female…”
“They’ll turn tail and walk off.”
“But, if they pay their money first, we have a strict no
refund policy, Your Highness,” Reeve explains.
“Fine,” I say, covering a yawn. “I’ll stay out of sight. I
need a nap, anyway.”
Reeve stands and gestures to the room at the back of his
office. “I had a pallet made out for just such an occasion.” I stand as the
gnome frowns. “Your Highness, would you like for me to find a female for you?
To take care of your needs?”
I bite back a growl. I’m still hard as a rock. “No. I can’t
now. I’ve seen her, touched her. She’s mine, and that makes me hers. I’ll be
fine.”
I push through the curtains and gratefully sink onto the
down mattress on the floor. The curtains close and I’m alone. I hear Reeve exit
the main section of the tent. I tug my boots off, thinking of what my mother
told me about the bonding. Meg is mine, and the thought of another woman is now
repugnant to me. I lay back and loosen my trousers. I might not want another
woman, but Goddess how I want her.
I close my hand around my swollen cock. Slowly pumping up
and down, I think of her luscious tits and that pretty mouth of hers. She can
spew some shrewish waste out of that mouth, but she can also kiss like a
goddess. Whenever she says something I don’t like, I’ll simply have to kiss her
until she forgets she was ever angry with me.
My cock lengthens further as I brush my thumb across the
swollen head. The small slit in the head of my dick is weeping. I use the cream
to facilitate every stroke. I move from the base to the head and back, taking
my time. I’m not in a hurry. While my hand works my cock, Meg plays through my
head. I want to get those breasts in my hands again. I’ll palm them and gently
pinch her nipples until they’re ready for my mouth. I’ll suck those ripe
berries until she begs me to move lower. I will, but in my own sweet time. I’m
going to learn her body. Once I have her gorgeous body between me and Cian,
she’ll know the true meaning of pleasure.
But I will always make sure I am in control. It’s a vow that
runs through my head all the time. Control is everything for a man like me. My
father taught me. Meg is small, and I don’t want to hurt her. She won’t be able
to handle my demanding nature, but I can please her all the same. Cian is going
to love her. It’s been almost a year since we shared a woman. I’ve been fucking
a local woman from our village. She’s lovely, but Cian can’t stand her. He
refuses to have anything to do with Liadan. She’s not perfect by any means.
Liadan is a bit cold. She’s a demure and perfect Fae lady. That has never done
it for Cian. Cian likes a woman who gives him a bit of hell. There’s no way
he’ll refuse their own sweet Meg. Cian is going to lose his mind when he sees
her.
My balls squeeze, and I pick up the pace, breath laboring in
and out of my chest. I squeeze my cock as it starts to swell. She’s going to
taste so good. That little snack I’d had will be nothing compared to making a
full meal of her. I’ll love eating that sweet pussy. I’m going to get my mouth
on her, and I won’t let up until she begs and pleads that she can’t take
another orgasm. A flush of sensation hits me and I know I’m close. I pound away
at my cock. She’s going to taste me, too, I promise myself, and sooner than she
can imagine.
But I have to remember to treat her with the gentle care a
bondmate requires.
I come hard, envisioning myself shoved halfway down her
throat. I come in hot spurts, covering my belly. I don’t care. For the first
time in a long time, I find it easy to fall asleep.