Chapter 63
The morning after my initiation, my head had pounded like mad, and I’d been confused as if the memories I’d made the day prior belonged to somebody else.
But just as Cantarlann had promised, one of the healers had visited me.
She’d diagnosed me with a malady but had soothed me that if I took medication three times a day, I’d improve within a couple of weeks.
The soapy potion she’d prescribed was disgusting, but luckily, the mixture helped, and I could enjoy myself to the fullest.
The days had blended together, and I couldn’t even discern how long I’d already lodged at the Cuirt an Ghra.
I’d gotten used to some habits that had struck me as odd.
For example, there were no fixed bedrooms, and barely anyone slept alone at night.
This had been very alien to me at first, but after a few days, I didn’t bat an eyelash anymore if I woke up entangled in a pile of fae. It was actually quite cozy.
Moltach, a fae male I’d played a board game with yesterday, had kept me company again today after lunch, and soon after we’d sat down on a chaise, a female called Santai had joined us.
Both had dared me to wear a blindfold while they’d fed me with an array of foreign food and candy, and I’d risen to the occasion.
Just your ordinary day at the Cuirt an Ghra.
Later this afternoon, my next meeting with Cantarlann was scheduled. He’d been absent for a while, and according to rumor, he’d spent time with the Graigh, whom I had yet to encounter.
As I lounged on a couch in the same room where he’d initiated me, I realized how different I felt compared to the scared woman who’d arrived here a few days ago.
I was in a state of constant relaxation, and I wasn’t even shocked anymore by all the intimacy around me.
Everyone was shamelessly living out their sexuality, and though I might have developed a tiny taste for spying, no one had forced me to participate in their orgies.
And not once had I been tempted to join.
After all, no one captivated me as much as my dark prince.
“Nayana, nice to see you again.”
“Good afternoon, Cantarlann. How are you?”
“Oh, I’m fine. And I’m glad to see you relaxed and happy. Everyone praises you. You’ve adapted so well for the short time you’re here.”
“They make being comfortable so easy for me.”
Cantarlann smiled before offering me a chalice filled with white wine.
“So you’re enjoying your stay? Is your head still troubling you?”
“Only in the mornings before taking my potion. Apart from that, I’ve never been so serene in my entire life.”
Lifting the glass to my lips, I drank a generous sip.
Huh.
“Is everything alright?”
“The wine tastes off.”
Cantarlann drank from his own glass and shrugged. “This isn’t different from the last time you had this vintage. Maybe something you ate is messing with you?”
“Oh, that could be possible. Moltach and Santai had fun feeding me the weirdest fruits.” I laughed and took another sip.
The conversation flowed, and I told Cantarlann what I’d experienced during the past few days, and the longer we gossiped, the happier I became. At one point, the male refilled my goblet, being a perfect host.
I sank deeper into the couch, peaceful and warm yet somehow riled up.
Cantarlann beamed at me. “Would you like to join our full moon ceremony tomorrow? You’re ready, and the Graigh permitted your attendance.”
“Oh, I’d love to.” Beaming, I jumped up and embraced the fae in bliss. I’d definitely gotten used to hugging all the time.
“Then it’s settled. I’ll make sure you get help with preparing yourself. Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy our customs.”
After another glass of wine and more chatting, I excused myself and roamed the premises, delighted that I wouldn’t only experience a ceremony of the Cuirt but also finally meet the Graigh. With a spring in my step, I sauntered into the common room.
There were approximately fifty fae in the giant open recreational space this afternoon. I was euphoric, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if I’d suddenly sprouted wings and learned to fly.
When I told everyone around me I’d join the event tomorrow, I was enveloped in bodies, all ecstatic for me.
The way I was treated at the Cuirt an Ghra compared to the High Court of Alaiann was so vastly different, and I got drunk on emotions—I was cherished and fully accepted by a community for the first time in my life.
Even back in Credenta, I had dwelled more on the fringes of society than anything else.
When everybody had calmed down at least a little, two fae males and a female hauled me onto a chaise, and the latter maneuvered my head down so I was using her thigh as a pillow.
One of the males draped my legs over his own and, after a moment, started to massage my feet.
Despite never having talked to them before, a shower of warm safety washed over me, and a sound of pure enjoyment slipped from my lips.
The euphoria from earlier was coursing through my veins, electrifying me, and being treated with such affection by strangers heightened my elated mood.
“My name is Coir.” The fae who cradled me in her lap and played with my hair smiled.
She was beautiful—they all were—and had her long, chestnut-colored tresses confined in a thick braid while her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires.
She wore a loose white dress made from linen, and my breath hitched as I spotted the hand of the second male disappearing inside her neckline. “And this is Talann.”
Craning my neck, I looked at Talann, who observed Coir with hooded eyes.
He was blond, and his long, light hair was cascading down his back unbound, giving him an ethereal look.
His irises reminded me of dark rubies, so unusual I was almost stunned speechless.
“Hello.” My voice sounded as if I’d eaten a whole glass of honey.
“Hey,” Talann answered, and his hand crept deeper under Coir’s dress. As I spied on him kneading her breast—with some kind of fascination so unlike me—I could feel her responsive hum vibrating through my head.
“Intimacy is love manifested physically,” Coir said when she noticed my enraptured gaze. The phrase wasn’t new to me, everyone repeated the line several times each day.
The other male, the one who had decided that reducing me to a boneless creature was his personal mission, at least according to the heavenly foot rub he administered, smiled. “I’m Curamoir, and by the way, your feet are really soft.”
I tore my gaze away from Coir’s chest to study Curamoir.
His hair was black, but not as saturated as Dion’s, nor as long.
Instead, his tresses were extremely straight and barely reached his chin.
His eyes reminded me of the aquamarine pendant my mother had worn on a bracelet every day.
Both males were clean-shaven, and now that I came to think about this, most fae males wore no beard.
Not that I’d complain; I preferred clean faces.
“Thank you.” Finally, I remembered to reply, and moments later, Curamoir switched from my right to my left foot. “Gods, this is indescribable.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” Curamoir owned a beautiful smile, but again, I was distracted and stared shamelessly at Coir as she gasped.
Talann’s hand wasn’t where I’d seen his fingers last anymore but had slipped under the female’s skirt.
With some fascination, I observed her rapt face flushing with desire.
I briefly considered distancing myself from them out of propriety, but I was too relaxed, too warm, and too curious about what would happen between them.
My breath hitched as Curamoir’s hands abandoned my foot and inched higher. When he kneaded my calf, I bit into my lower lip in bliss.
Coir shifted her legs slightly underneath my head and gave Talann better access, which he unabashedly took advantage of. His smile bordered on preening as his gaze caught mine. “Cantarlann said you’re shy, Nayana. Are you uncomfortable, or is this alright?”
Yes, I was easily embarrassed, but this wasn’t too bad. Even if a part of the pile of fae around me was making out. After all, I was accepted, and a pleasant heaviness tugged at my limbs.
For a moment, the massage stopped, and Curamoir leaned over to a small table, picking something up. He turned back to me, holding a dainty piece of confectionery in his hand. “Do you like sweets, sweet thing?”
My mouth watered, and I nodded. I reached out, but the male tutted as he brought the treat to my lips, which opened wide in an instant.
A burst of flavor exploded on my tongue. Cinnamon and vanilla battled with chocolate and some fruit I couldn’t identify, and I groaned with delight.
“Not only does this taste good, but it will also help you relax further.”
“Ah, don’t bore her with your words. Just let her feel, Talann.” Curamoir purred at the same moment as a needy whimper tumbled from Coir’s lips.
Instead of following their conversation, I scanned the female fae’s face again. Her lips were slightly parted, her cheeks flushed, and her breath accelerated. Her thigh twitched under my head, which made me giggle.
Something deep inside me protested that this was wrong, and for a brief second, Dion’s face flashed in front of my inner eye. Gods, I missed him. Did I wear the same expression as Coir when my prince touched me?
Sadness washed over me like a sudden tidal wave, and a tear ran over my cheek because he wasn’t here, also because Harc wasn’t with me.
Oh, my Harc.
And my Dion. Always him.
My misery was interrupted as Curamoir shifted closer, never taking his gaze off me.
His fingertips caught the tear, and then he—kissed me.
Cautiously, as if he were testing for any resistance, his lips met mine.
This was wrong.
Wrong.
Wrong.
Wrong.
When he realized I wasn’t kissing him back, he broke the contact, and I exhaled the breath I’d been holding, my body taut as a bowstring.
“Coir.” Talann’s voice vibrated all around me.
“Please.” Coir whimpered and writhed underneath me, but her expression morphed into something desperate as the male withdrew his hand.
I barely registered the visual exchange between the males.
“Patience, dearest Coir.”
In one fluid motion, Curamoir rose to his feet and, much to my surprise, picked me up. At the edge of my vision, I spotted Talann doing the same with Coir, who took the chance and met him in a bruising kiss.
Remembering the wrongness of the other male’s lips on mine, I shuddered. “What are you doing?”
“We’re moving somewhere more comfortable, little human. Are you fine with that?”
“I’m already pretty comfortable.” My thoughts slowed and became sluggish as fatigue barreled into me, so out of the blue that I almost blacked out. How could I be on top of the world in one moment, deadly tired in the next?
“Oh, shit.”
Why had he cursed?
And why did everyone wear alarmed expressions?
But—too tired to panic. So sleepy—
“Shhh, Nayana. Close your eyes, get some rest,” Coir coaxed, and I was unable to resist.
As I drifted away, disembodied voices reached my ears.
“Sorry. When I gave her the mood-enhancing chocolate, I forgot how much relaxant she’d already received today. Must have been too much for a human.”
“Then you’d better put her safely out of reach and get a healer to examine her. Cantarlann will lose his shit if she can’t participate tomorrow, or worse.”
Their words made little sense to me, and when I woke up the next morning, head pounding, the incident had already slipped my mind.