Chapter 28
Evangeline
Iwake up draped over Niko’s naked body. His feathery-light touch glides up and down my spine in a gentle caress.
There’s still a delicious ache between my thighs, a reminder of what transpired between the three of us last night.
Except, when I lift my head, blinking away the grogginess, the spot next to us is empty.
Zephyr’s gone. Like he was never here in the first place.
“He went to check in with the patrolling guards,” Niko’s gentle voice answers my unasked question. “He’ll be back soon, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?”
Considering I didn’t wake up once throughout the night and slept later than both Niko and Zephyr, I slept fantastically and tell him as much. “Have you been awake long?”
“A little while. I didn’t want to wake you.
You looked so peaceful,” he admits, bringing one hand to the back of my head, gently pushing it down so he can press a soft kiss to my forehead.
A girl could definitely get used to waking up like this.
I cuddle closer, burrowing my face into his neck.
I never took myself as a cuddler before, but if I could spend the rest of the day wrapped in his embrace, I would.
Except I can’t. Because we have a kingdom to save. Lazy days wrapped up in my mate’s arms will have to wait.
With great reluctance, I pry myself away from Niko.
His hold on me tightens for a fraction of a second before finally releasing me.
I make the mistake of meeting his eyes. A primal need reflects in his gaze, smoldering in its intensity.
Despite the slight soreness from yesterday, my body heats with desire.
After last night, I didn’t think I would want more, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
I don’t know who this horny woman is, but one taste of him isn’t enough.
I want Niko. It’s a bone-deep feeling that spreads throughout my body. The need to touch, kiss, and taste him. To have him fill me, pumping deep inside with long, hard strokes. To hear his moans and whimpers of ecstasy. For Zephyr to be here too, fucking Niko while Niko takes me.
The room heats up. Or maybe I do. I’m not certain who moves first, but soon I’m back in Niko’s arms, his hands roaming my body.
My lips find his in a desperate, needy kiss.
He makes a sound of pleasure, a deep sigh that reverberates throughout his body.
The first swipe of his tongue has me coming undone.
We have so many things we need to do.
Except I can’t bring myself to care about a single one of them.
“Niko…” My voice is a needy plea, desperate for a follow-up act from yesterday. He hardens under me, his body responding to mine with each touch and kiss we share. I’ve never had a man be so receptive to my touch before. It’s intoxicating—thrilling—and it only turns me on more.
“Was once not enough for you, Evangeline?” he asks, voice low and rough, trying for smug but failing miserably. The way his chest rises, the flush on his neck—he’s barely holding it together. Just like me.
I grind down, his cock pressing against my thigh, and it pulls a groan from his lips. “Not even close.”
His jaw tightens, breath catching. For a moment, neither one of us moves.
I stare into his eyes, seeing his need and desire burning into me.
But there is also something else. Something tender.
Love? He said he loved me yesterday in the midst of passion, but I didn’t truly believe it.
Not really. Not until now. It’s an all-consuming feeling, starting from my head and trickling all the way to my toes.
A warmth that wraps around my body, making me feel safe and needed.
Then, a fire erupts, even brighter and hotter than before. Niko cups my face, kissing me hard. Rough. His mouth dominates mine, prying my lips apart. Eagerly, I bend to his will, and the moment my lips part, his tongue claims more. I want him to have every part of me.
He kisses me in earnest, slightly frenzied. Like any moment, we could be pulled apart. Niko holds me tighter, as if he’s thinking the same thing.
Desperation urges me on. I reach down between us, my hand wrapping around his shaft. His very large and thick shaft. He grunts, thrusting into my hand once. I apply pressure, squeezing gently, which earns me a soft moan.
Fuck, I like his moans and how vocal Niko is. He’s not afraid to show me exactly how he feels when I touch him. Confidence grows stronger inside me as I pump my hand up and down.
“Fuck, Evangeline. I need to be inside that sweet pussy. I’m not going to last much longer with your hand on my dick and that pretty cunt rubbing itself all over me,” Niko groans, his dirty words leaving me breathless.
Was I rubbing myself on him? I can’t be held responsible for what my body does to this man when he touches me. A raw, primal instinct takes over, and I’m no longer just Evangeline the chef. No, with him, I’m Evangeline the Fae Queen. And I feel powerful. So damn powerful.
My hand stills on his cock as nerves flutter in my chest. Slowly, I shift my hips to straddle him, my thighs trembling as I hover just above.
I’ve never been on top before. The position feels foreign, exposing all my insecurities.
My movements are clumsy as I try to line myself up, and I bite my lip, unsure.
But Niko—gods, Niko—he doesn’t rush me. His big hands grip my hips, grounding and steadying me. “I’ve got you,” he murmurs, voice rough with restraint. Then he guides me down, inch by inch, until his cock is buried deep inside me. I gasp, overwhelmed. Full. Stretched. Owned.
And still, he waits for me to move, to take control. To fall apart on him. Just like we did last night. Only now it’s just us.
The first movement of my hips has him moving almost all the way out of me before I sheath him inside me once again.
And Niko whimpers. Whimpers. It does something to me.
Flipping on a switch that has lain dormant until this very moment.
I become feral, a woman undone, desperate to hear that sound again.
I ride Niko. I’ve never ridden anyone in my life, but I fall into an easy rhythm, though my thighs are starting to burn.
It’s a good burn, one I barely register each time he thrusts back into me and hits that spot.
The spot that has me moaning and begging for him.
I feel like a volcano, ready to erupt at any second.
I clench around Niko, and he curses, eyes rolling back.
His fingers dig into my hips, mixing pain with pleasure. “Niko!” I moan over and over again.
My tits bounce with each of my movements, feeling heavy. I’ve never been one to touch myself, but I can’t help cupping my own breasts and rolling my nipples between my fingers. Pinching. Teasing. It feels so damn good.
I fuck him for my own pleasure. I fuck him because I couldn’t stand another moment without him inside of me. There’s no teasing or edging or making this last as long as possible. No, neither one of us needs that right now. We need to come and fast.
“I’m so close…” I pant, feeling him pulse inside me. The hard concentration on his face tells me he’s seconds away from exploding.
“What…do you need?” he asks breathlessly. “Tell me.”
Never being one to vocalize what I want, I bite my lip. But there’s no time to feel embarrassed. Not when the sex feels this good. Who cares if my words are crass? Niko wants to know, and I want to orgasm.
“Play with my clit,” I order. Niko doesn’t laugh or belittle me—not that I thought he would, but a small part of me wondered if I was doing this right.
He asks no questions, simply moves his hand between my legs.
The moment his fingers find my clit, I let out a startled cry.
He plays my body like an instrument, knowing exactly where to put his fingers without me telling him.
It’s all so much, my orgasm builds and builds until it becomes too big. Too much to hold in.
I scream and come hard on his cock, just as his warm release fills me, dripping down my thighs.
He comes and comes, his release combining with mine until we are both spent and I fall into his arms, panting hard.
Our bodies are sweaty, and the room smells of sex.
He’s still inside me, and I’m not eager to pull off him. Not yet.
It takes me a moment to come down from my high.
Not only the high of pleasure, but the power that comes with being on top and having a man who listens to exactly what I want.
A foreign feeling takes up residence inside my heart, something that has been growing stronger since last night when the seed was planted.
I look up at Niko, and he’s staring up at me like I’m the only person worth looking at. Like no one else exists.
I think I know at this moment what that feeling is.
“Niko, I—”
The bedroom door slams open with such force, it crashes against the wall and rattles the entire room. Niko and I jerk apart like we’ve been burned, the sudden intrusion shattering the spell between us. My breath catches as I scramble for the blanket, yanking it over my bare skin in a panic.
Heart hammering, I twist toward the door, dread curling in my gut—until I see him.
Zephyr stands in the doorway, framed by the dim light of the hallway, his eyes scanning the room with a sharp intensity.
Relief floods me, slowing the frantic beat of my heart.
My grip on the blanket loosens. But my relief is short-lived when I take him in.
Truly see him—jaw tight, chest rising and falling with measured breaths.
“What is it?” Niko pushes off the bed, completely naked, with the evidence of our combined release still on him.
Zephyr’s gaze roams over him before looking at me.
I swear I see unbridled lust, but then he blinks, and it’s replaced with urgency.
I push up to a sitting position, careful to keep myself covered, even though they both have seen me naked and in compromising positions. Modesty is hard to get over, I guess.
“All the patients who have eaten Evangeline’s dinner last night are showing signs of healing,” he says.
Niko’s shoulders sag, his muscles unclenching. He turns to me with a soft smile. “You’re incredible, Evangeline.”
His words hit me harder than I expected, sinking deep beneath my skin.
A warm bloom of pride unfurls in my chest, and I can’t stop the smile that stretches across my face in return.
It’s… intoxicating. Almost surreal. Something I made—just a meal, a recipe born from love and instinct—actually helped people. Helped him.
Cooking has always been a part of me, a quiet language of love I’ve used to care for others. But this? Healing cursed fae with something I created from scratch? That feels like magic. Like maybe I’m more powerful than I ever imagined. Perhaps The Guardian knew I was capable of this all along.
“Evangeline is incredible,” Zephyr agrees, but his words don’t fill me with a warm glow like Niko’s has. There’s something stiff in his tone. His posture is too rigid, and the air suddenly feels suffocating.
There’s something he’s not telling us. Niko seems to realize that at the same time I do and turns to face his mate. They lock eyes as a silent conversation passes between them. “What aren’t you telling us, Zephyr?” Niko asks.
I feel like I’m holding my breath, waiting for the next shoe to drop.
There’s pain in Zephyr’s eyes, like he doesn’t want to be the one to tell us, yet it is his burden to carry. He finally moves from his perch on the door into the room. I grip the blanket so tightly around me that my knuckles are white.
“What is it?” My voice is barely above a whisper, but Zephyr hears it.
When he speaks, he looks at me. “The guards reported that the last remaining crops have died. Our lakes are empty of marine life.” He pauses before finally pushing the last few inches of the dagger into our hearts.
“Our kingdom is on the brink of starvation, and more have fallen ill to the curse. The Nephilim are winning.”