Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
ARENA
Legs still weak from two orgasms in a row, I stood in the hallway, thinking. What I’d overheard while in the bathroom gave me mixed feelings.
The rumors had never said how many fey there were, but based on their conversation, I knew there were at least three more, including Belak, who were searching for women, and one fey who had recently found one.
Here. Or close to here.
And because of that, these two had come looking for more. How many more fey were out there searching?
Worried, I nibbled on my bottom lip and studied Belak as he stirred the soup.
He hadn’t looked at me once since Nav walked away.
His ridiculous promise that he’d never looked without permission before made me want to scoff again.
He hadn’t just glanced. He’d been watching Nav finger me with laser focus.
Any woman in my shoes would think what I was thinking. This new guy wanted in on the action.
I don’t want to share you. Ever.
Could I trust that Nav was telling the truth?
I’m surprised she was willing so quickly if she was mistreated by other humans.
Did they honestly think we were being held captive by human traffickers because of what I’d said when I first met Nav? Why did that make me feel bad that he’d misunderstood? It was a good thing and explained why he was being patient and not pushing for anything.
Why are there so many rules?
I’d barely held back my snort when I heard that part of the conversation.
They had to be kidding, right? Except…so much of what he had said was true.
No woman wanted a man who was acting desperate.
At least, not in an aggressive, owed kind of way.
The hint of sad desperation in their quiet conversation had been a little cute.
And his outrage about not wanting cat food?
Crossing my arms, I glanced down the hall where Nav had disappeared into a bedroom.
He’d told me he liked cat food. Gross, but whatever.
Times were hard, and food was scarce. If handed a can of cat food, I probably would have eaten it too.
But given a choice between cat food and chocolate? My answer was obvious.
The parts that worried me most about their conversation were Nav’s suspicion that I wanted to leave and Belak’s obvious fascination with “pussy.” Were all fey like that? I thought of Nav’s insistence that I don’t wear clothes and how he wanted me to sleep on top of him.
We need every female.
Was it really that simple? Were they desperate and horny for women? If so, would Nav simply forget about me if I—no, when—I finally escaped?
I thought about the way he’d watched himself finger me and knew it was unlikely he would simply forget. He’d search. Extensively. And if he couldn’t find me, he would keep looking until he found some other woman.
And I had to admit the truth to myself.
My current situation wasn’t horrible enough to fuck over some unknown woman like that. Nav kept me safe. He got me whatever I asked for—food, a warm house, a shower. And the oral was off-the-charts amazing.
Why did I want to leave again?
Sure, I missed the islanders, but I didn’t miss the water. Or the boat rides.
What was I even thinking?
I shook my head to clear it. But my thoughts went right back to what Nav and I had been doing before Belak’s arrival, the second he walked out of the bedroom. His leather pants were molded to his thighs and his impressively large and very hard dick.
Do you think it will like my cock?
My core clenched at the thought of that inside of me. It would either be really, really good or very painful.
Your pussy is greedy for my fingers. It took three without hesitation.
“Your cheeks are pink.”
Tearing my gaze from his pants, I watched him close the distance between us. He gently brushed his fingertips over my flushed face.
“Do you feel unwell? Do you need medicine?”
I shook my head quickly, my face heating further.
A shadow of concern flickered in his gaze.
“Did I hurt you?”
“No. How many more fey are coming here?”
Nav blinked at me and glanced at Belak. I followed his gaze and found the other fey watching me.
Without thinking, I shuffled a step closer to Nav.
His arm wrapped around me, and he pulled me against his side.
The house wasn’t freezing…in the living room.
But the rooms farther away from the fireplace, like the bathroom, were still chilly, especially after leaving the warm bed.
I wasn’t aware of how cold I’d gotten until my side was pressed against his.
I shivered and leaned in, resting my cheek on his bare pec.
“If things do not go well for Eljek, I think he will join us soon,” Belak said.
“Belak and Eljek do not need to stay with us,” Nav said. “They can use one of the other houses.”
“Yes,” Belak said quickly. “You will have privacy for sex.”
I turned my face into Nav’s chest, unsure if I wanted to laugh, cry, or just die of embarrassment. Nav stroked my hair, helping calm that storm of emotions.
“Hard nipples can mean sex interest or the need for warmth,” Belak said suddenly. “I think it is too cold in here for your female.”
Horrified understanding had me jerking away from Nav to glance down at my shirt. Yep, my nipples were trying to cut through the material.
“I saw solar panels on a house not far from here. Would you like help moving them?” Belak asked.
“No. Arena does not want me to leave her sight,” Nav said.
“I’ve changed my mind,” I said quickly. “Go get the solar panels. But don’t go anywhere else, okay?”
Anything to get them out of the house for a bit.
Nav leaned down, touching his forehead to mine.
“I won’t go far. I promise. If you need me, call for me. I’ll hear you.”
I nodded against him. He pulled back just enough to search my gaze and let me think he was going to kiss me…in front of his friend. But he didn’t.
He caressed my hot cheek again, then led me to the table, where I sat while he got me a bowl of soup.
“Stay safe, Arena,” he said before they both left.
Once the door closed behind them, I covered my face with my cooler hands. After a few calming breaths, I ate and went to find some damn pants.
It didn’t take long for them to return with the first panel.
The murmur of their voices drew my attention from the boiling water to the window, just in time to watch them both jump straight off the ground.
The vertical leap up was impressive enough as it was.
That they also did it while holding solar panels over their heads stunned me.
I listened to them move around on the roof and watched them jump down once more.
They disappeared in an instant, leaving me with a new understanding.
Whatever I thought I knew about them was nothing compared to all the things I still didn’t know.
Yes, they were strong and killed infected, but what else were they capable of?
They made several trips back and forth. On the final trip, they carried stuff I only vaguely recognized. Batteries. Big ones. As they stepped onto the back porch, I realized they were bringing them inside and hurried to open the door for them.
Nav smiled his thanks. Belak glanced at me and nodded, but otherwise averted his gaze as they headed through the kitchen to the basement. The conversation previously muffled by the windows drifted up as they worked downstairs.
“Three fingers after her second orgasm is promising,” Belak said. “I heard some females need a full day of mouth orgasms before they can accept our cocks.”
I covered my mouth to smother my laugh and hide my embarrassment. Why would Nav tell him that? The thought barely formed when I remembered Belak had seen how many fingers were inside me.
“Arena is perfect,” Nav said, melting me a little. The awe-that’s-so-sweet feeling turned into mental cringing when he added, “Her pussy wanted more, but her heart is still unsure.”
Belak’s sigh was loud enough that I heard it upstairs.
“It is easy to be jealous of human males,” he said. “Their females prefer their smaller cocks and lack of desperation. They will give males their bodies even if they do not give their hearts.”
“It’s not human cocks females prefer,” Nav said. “It’s familiarity. They know what to expect from human males.”
Belak snorted. “Disinterest? Neglect? Selfishness?”
I cringed at how accurately he’d described my past relationships.
“Not all human males are like that,” Nav said. “Garrett, Ryan, Dad, and Matt are good males. And only Dad has a female.”
Belak’s answering grunt sounded like an acknowledgment, making me insanely curious about who the men they named were. So far, the pair had only talked about females.
“Why can't females see that we can give them more? Do you think Arena will ask for your fingers again tonight?” Belak asked.
I shifted in my seat.
“No. Seeing you scared her. I don’t think she will welcome my touches until she is certain I do not want to share her.”
His tone was a mix of sadness and pity and had me wondering what he would do if I suddenly asked for an encore of this morning’s performance…minus the peeping fey.
Keeping half my attention on their conversation, I studied the map in front of me.
It was a section of Superior’s shoreline, showing the Apostle Islands, Ashland, and the land in between.
How long would it take one of the fey to reach the islands if they ran from here?
I wasn’t sure. But based on how fast they’d disappeared today, it was a lot faster than a human.
And once they reached the shoreline, could they swim that distance in the open waters? Again, I wasn’t sure.
Did that mean the islanders would be safe if I left?
I sighed and looked out the window at the midday light.
The more I learned about the fey, about Nav, the more I questioned my need to escape. And it wasn’t just about keeping the islanders safe. I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave. Not yet. Not until I understood who these fey really were.
Were they the grey demons everyone claimed them to be, or were they something else entirely—a new, unexplained race that people were avoiding because we were too afraid of their differences to see their similarities?
Or were they just really good at gaslighting women to get sex?
I sighed again.
“Are you hungry?”
Nav’s question, spoken without warning right behind me, made me jolt in my seat.