Chapter 7
VALANCE
Mercifully, no migraine brought me to my knees. I put it down to my curiosity over my father’s behavior casting everything else aside.
My cunning king of old may have returned.
I sipped red wine on my balcony, dressed in my white and ruffled shirt, exposing a decent ‘V’ of flesh, and my tightest white breeches. It always helped to display a bountiful package to the mer folk.
Before me, Sunrise Ocean sparkled in the moonlight. Boats adorned her, diamonds on the water traveling toward the Isle of Pleasures a mile off the east coast Summer. It glittered with its own lovely lights.
I adored my ocean view.
Butterflies danced in my tummy. The good kind. Excitement, even relief for the joys to come this evening. A wonderful distraction from this past day.
“What are you up to?” I whispered for the umpteenth time.
I had to let this go, to forget my father until I saw the sun again. Tomorrow’s problem.
With that in mind, I strode back inside my room and slipped on my black leather boots.
Specially made for me. Expensive. Seductive.
Yes, definitely seductive. I admired myself in the mirror.
My hair flowed in loose waves, shimmering silver and violet.
My alabaster skin had a healthy glow to it, thanks to my creams and lotions, and I radiated sex.
I’d fuck me.
Done with the mirror, I left the room, slowly passing Garret so he could enjoy the view of my ass encased in the tight white material accentuating my buttocks and bulge.
He nodded his approval, licked his lips.
“Are you undressing me with your eyes?” I enquired.
“Always, Your Highness.”
“Good. Goodbye for now.”
“Have a good night, my prince.”
I blew him a kiss over my shoulder and met Maeve on the stairs. She wore a short red dress, drawing the eyes to her ample cleavage and her amazing legs.
“I’ve said it many times,” I said, kiss her glittering cheek, “and I’ll say it again. I’d face a thousand trolls by myself to have your legs.”
“Always so dramatic,” she replied. A pinch of crimson flushed her cheeks, her blonde hair sleek.
“Always so modest.”
For a moment, a sad energy fell between us. For our missing friend. I took her arm, and we walked to see him, to show him our outfits.
He was full of praise on arrival, despite seeming a little worse for wear.
“Think I’m getting hard,” he said.
“That’s disgusting,” Maeve and I replied in sync.
His raspy laugh worried me.
“Incestuous,” Maeve added. “We’re basically family.”
That warmed my heart. “Listen carefully to her, Boyd.”
“I appreciate hotness when I see it,” he responded.
I moved to sit beside him, Maeve the other. “You don’t look so good. What’s the matter?”
“I’ve had a rough couple of hours. Leaking from both ends.”
He didn’t smell of sick and feces. “I’m so sorry. Do you want us to stay with you?”
“I want you to both get fucked.”
I quirked a brow at his humor. “Charming.”
“Only ever fucked in the good way,” he said.
“Seriously,” Maeve cut in, “we can stay. I’m worried.”
I nodded in agreement.
“You don’t need to worry,” he said. “My doctor told me I’d be fine, that this is a side effect of too much dirty magic in my system. My body is repairing itself.”
He still wore the brace around his neck, and his eyes were bloodshot.
“I’ll cut that Fomorian into a million pieces and make it last a year,” I contributed.
“Sounds good to me,” Boyd said. “Cut a few slices off for me.”
“They’re all for you.”
Goodness, tears threatened to spill. I couldn’t stand to see my strong friend like this, to know he’d been suffering while I’d been fucking Garret, enjoying a lazy afternoon.
“I’m sorry,” I said again. “I have to stay here.”
“Do that, and I’m not talking to you anymore.”
“I’m your prince. You have no choice.”
“Wait and see, Valy.”
He may have endured some rough hours, but his playfulness hadn’t failed him. Boyd liked to be naughty. That was his essence—a lively, carefree fae with the most incredible loyalty.
“Please enjoy yourselves,” he added. “You’ll only make me miserable. Do you want to make a sick elf miserable?”
“Emotional blackmail,” Maeve said. “Nice.”
“I’ll pull out all the stops if I need to.” Boyd shuddered as he spoke.
“Are you cold?” I asked.
“Stop. Now. I can’t take this. I don’t want to be a fucking patient, some pitiful weakling.”
“You’re sick, Boyd,” Maeve said. “You’re allowed to be weak when you’re sick.”
“Not me.”
“Don’t talk horseshit.”
But he wasn’t. We both knew he wasn’t. To be weak was the biggest insult for a man like Boyd.
The things he’d done, the evil he’d wiped out on the battlefield with his bow and blade.
Whirling fury. Beautiful. I longed to see it again, and I would.
In no time. My friend was strong, a fae of rock.
Before I knew it, this moment would be cast into the vault of bad memories, and I’d be watching him pierce more unseelie scum with endless kill shots.
The two of them were bickering, and that wasn’t good for Boyd.
“Stop right now,” I chimed in.
My friends immediately shut up.
“That’s better. If you give me a headache, there will be consequences.”
They chuckled.
I rolled my eyes and took Boyd’s hand. “You’ll be fine. I know you will be fine. For now, rest and get better—without us making things worse.”
“Your faces make me better.”
“How sweet. But you know what I’m talking about.”
“I do.”
“Our unease is catching.”
“It is, Valy.”
“Then we’ll leave you be, visit you tomorrow.”
“Please do. Because your faces really do help. Your fears less so.”
“Exactly my point,” I said. “We need to be better with our energy.”
How convinced of that are you?
Fully. A sick person didn’t need to be reminded of their afflictions all the time.
They were already aware of them. Established details didn’t need constant reiteration.
Therefore, we would leave and enjoy the festival as he wished, then come back with renewed energy, plenty of stories, and positivity to get him back on his feet.
Now who is talking nonsense?
We each kissed him goodbye, and I explained my thoughts to Maeve.
“You’re right. It’s not good for him.”
“Indeed.”
“I’ll do better.”
“We’ll do better. This is a thing for us.”
She nodded, and we linked arms again, heading through the palace to the back gardens.
They were alive with the perfume of star jasmine and the fluttering of fireflies. A joy to behold and walk any time of day. There were plenty of benches to sit and read or watch the ocean beyond or listen to the trickle of the fountains dotted around.
Beyond the silver fences that encased the gardens was the private royal stairway leading down the east side of the mound, down to our private beach and harbor.
My excitement grew, my groin warming. Soon we’d be on a boat heading for the Isle of Pleasures like the other boats leaving the neighboring harbors.
“This past year has gone so quickly,” I said to Maeve.
“Too fast, Your Highness.”
Two guards opened the gates for us at the top of the stairs.
“Thank you,” I addressed the female human and elf in their resplendent golden armor.
“What a pretty night,” Maeve said.
Stars and endless inky blue sky, no clouds, and a full moon reflecting on the ocean. A balmy night, but not overly hot, with the cool breeze tickling my skin. The sounds of the waves soothed my soul. A beautiful sound. Gentle yet full of power.
A group of Sidhe, high-ranking courtiers, waited for us at the bottom of the stairs.
Human servants carried trays of wine and elegant refreshments.
We indulged in some canapes and a glass of red each, making small talk with the courtiers as some more humans played the harp and the violin on the beach.
“Such exquisite playing,” I complimented.
Another stone path cut across the top of the beach where Rosestar Hill met sand, leading to the harbor. My private yacht waited for me, with plenty more wine and food, plenty of supplies for sex, like the Oil of Passions for slick entry for a willing cock into my hungry backside.
Goodness, it was hungry. With every step closer to the harbor, my excitement grew, my breeches too tight for my arousal. I craved nakedness and flesh and sweat and mermen, Oil of Love spilling from many a bottle.
I quickened my pace to the golden yacht and hurried aboard, Maeve close behind.
Every year, the mer came from the southern waters of Sunrise Ocean and the Sea of Spring to the Isle of Passions.
Purely for pleasure. No breeding. Only mer could procreate with other mer.
They brought desires and many pleasures with them as much as we did.
It was the one night of the year you could experience toys from beneath the waves, if that was your idea of fun, learn new tricks, and fuck all night until you could fuck no more.
The whole thing was purely an excuse to have more sex dressed up as a festival.
I loved it and intended to do many a merman.
They were the most liberated creatures when it came to the bedroom.
I should have been a mer.
My yacht docked on the west side of the island, having gently sailed the mile to the island. Maeve and I finished our wine, done with relaxing on the deck.
She departed the boat first, heels clicking on the walkway down to the wooden pathway on the beach.
There was a bar and food and plenty of beds and seating areas dotted around the isle of greenery and flowers and fruit trees.
Lanterns were hung everywhere between trees, matching the bright twinkle of more fireflies.
Immediately, she drew the attention of a mermaid in the shallows, her green tail gently swishing back and forth. Two mermen, naked on the beach with their cocks already hard, waved at her.
She unzipped her dress and let it fall, leaving her in red underwear.
“That didn’t take long,” I said.
She turned to me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Happy fucking.”
“And to you, Your Highness.” She headed into the water, the two men slowly following her.