Chapter 22
HEKLA
We followed the bat-shifter to a guest room in a small house. Opening a door, she said, “We used this for the occasional fae who’d wander into our territory. They’d be able to stay here as a place to rest safely so no one could prey upon them in their sleep. We kept it in decent condition out of nostalgia and… in hopes we’d have more visitors someday who could help us.” She looked sadly around the room, and I had to wonder if she’d ever seen it used in her lifetime. I didn’t have the heart to ask.
“Soon you’ll see all sorts of people,” I said softly, moving to put a hand on her arm. She wrinkled her nose and stepped away from me.
“Please… don’t come any closer. You and your mate smell… well, you are tempting to put it mildly, and I am hungry. I will leave now.” She wandered out then, looking lost in a haze.
I closed the door and finally allowed myself to cry. Seeing so many innocents suffering tortured me. I needed them out of here as soon as possible. Belenus led me to the bed, tucked us in, and let me vent my despair and anger for these people .
“It’s hard to accept what’s happened to them,” he said quietly and squeezed me. His thumb found my wet cheeks to wipe away the tears. “Just remember you’re saving them. Take solace in the reality that you got here in time. I’m so… honored to be your mate. I don’t deserve you, but I’m grateful for it.”
“Don’t talk like that,” I whispered hoarsely. He nodded, sighed, and buried his face in my hair. Worried about him as well, I asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Drained… I’m barely making progress. Tomorrow will be a struggle to move everyone.”
“Does my mate touch really not do anything?” I reached up to palm his cheek, stroking his scruff with a thumb. He leaned into it and didn’t respond immediately.
“Now that I can pay attention, I think it does. I know it speeds up healing, but maybe it helps me absorb magic faster? Hard to say…” he murmured and placed a large gold-dusted hand over mine, holding my palm in place. “Feels amazing either way.”
I sat up, loosened my dress, and slipped it over my head. Belenus swallowed heavily when I removed my undergarments and placed them in a neat pile by the bed. Then, I crawled up next to him and ordered, “Lean up.” He allowed me to slip his tunic over his head and untie his pants.
“What… are you doing?” he asked curiously but sluggishly.
“Giving you as much of the mate touch as I can,” I said, slipping off his pants and undergarment to be greeted by his swelling erection. Oh hi. I hadn’t expected seeing that considering how tired he was.
“I-ignore that. That just happens often around you,” he admitted, smirking weakly in good humor. I beamed from such a pleasing compliment and lay down on top of him, straddling his hips and nuzzling into his hard chest. The mate touch tingled everywhere we met, and I basked in it, holding back a sigh of pleasure. It also worked to distract my grief.
“How’s this?” I asked him. “Better? ”
“Yes and no,” he replied, chuckling lightly. I felt that his cock had swollen against a butt cheek, throbbing and wet with precum. I didn’t have to ask what he meant by ‘no.’
I traced a finger along his chest, dipping it into the tight creases between his muscles. The room was lit by several potted plants, casting an orange glow that made his skin look all the more golden. “You’re beautiful, Belenus,” I murmured, staring at his fascinating skin. “Did you know that?”
“Yes,” was his simple reply, a grin in his voice. He definitely knew he was attractive. I restrained a derisive snort and continued to caress him, enjoying the little sparks and tingles.
The fae were a radiant people, and even the oddest of the folk fae had their otherworldly charm. This realm had truly shattered my expectations. Nothing, truly, could have prepared me for moving here.
Belenus broke through my quiet thoughts, softly adding, “But not as dazzling as you, my dear. Like I told you before, you’re the most beautiful female in history.”
“You’re sweet…”
“Not as sweet as what’s between your legs.”
I glanced up at him, and though his eyes were closed, one corner of his lip was curled into the tiniest smile. Was he delirious? He wrapped his arms around me and sighed in contentment. “I always feel like I can’t get close enough to you,” he said while flexing his arms. “Perhaps that’s the instinct to mark.”
“Perhaps,” I echoed thoughtfully, wishing we could mark each other without the threat of death looming over our heads. “I can’t wait to do it,” I said.
He hummed in agreement, slid a hand down to cup my bottom, and patted it. “Can’t wait to make this mine for all eternity,” he mumbled.
I failed to hold back a chuckle. He was so bold when he was tired. It was also, unfortunately, arousing me quite a bit, and I prayed to the Moon Goddess that I wouldn’t drip on him. This position may have been a mistake.
Or maybe it was just what Belenus needed. Curious to see if it’d make a difference, I lifted my hips, aligned his prodding length with my core, and sat down on his lap, squeezing him into my channel with one smooth move.
Belenus’s breath caught, and he peered up at me through one eye. Without saying anything, I lay down on him and kept him firmly nestled inside me. I held back a satisfied moan, wanting to focus completely on him. “Does this help more?” I asked and delivered a soft kiss to one of his pecs.
“If I said yes, can you do this every time I use magic?” he asked weakly, and I laughed silently into his chest. Oh, how I loved this male.
I froze, shocked by my own thought, and tried to recover quickly lest he thought there was something wrong. My face heated, and my heart pounded beneath my breasts, but I just nuzzled into his chest, trying to come back to the moment.
I decided not to leave my male unattended, so I sat up on his lap and lifted my hips, experimenting with this position. Belenus heaved a deep sigh and swallowed hard again. He rested his hands under his head to prop it up and watched my movements. I caressed his carved abdomen with my fingertips, admiring his physique, as I settled back down onto his lap and buried him down to the hilt. His stomach clenched from either the touch of my hands or how I stroked him with my sex.
“What do you feel?” I asked quietly, raising myself so that his tip was barely gripped by my threshold. I had to push myself up pretty high to do that as my mate was quite long, but I loved its shape, the rounded tip that massaged me so well. I sank back down to his lap, reveling in the wholeness I felt when his girth stretched my channel.
Belenus licked his lips and said, “I feel like I’m drawing something from you, but I don’t know if it’s energy or…” He trailed off, staring at me while I slid up and down his length. “That is such a sight… ”
“I wonder if it’s because the alpha in me is awake now.” I moved my hands to stroke his waist, loving to touch my Belenus. “Alphas give more energy. You mentioned not noticing anything on the flight here.”
“Right…” he said in a strained voice. His fingers twitched, and he closed his eyes.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-yes, you just feel very, very, very good.”
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, taking shallower strokes to do so. He groaned into my mouth and thrust his tongue inside. I shuddered like a wolf shaking off water and moaned in response, feeling heat wash down my body. Lemons and summer rain filled my veins as the heat settled into my core, slicking a cock that continued to harden within me. He stretched me almost uncomfortably wide, but the extra lubrication helped, and I was given some relief. Gods, I loved our perfect fit.
Belenus buried his fingers in my hair, massaging the back of my head while he explored my mouth. His smooth tongue slid across mine, continuing to show how he couldn’t get close enough to me. Every lick twisted sensually and stirred my ardor. Out of absolutely nowhere, though, he released my lips, tilted his head back, and cried out as he began bucking his hips, burying his cock into me with quick thrusts.
“B-Belenus!” I gasped in shock and braced myself against his sudden attack. “I-if you w-wanted it th-this h-hard, l-let me d-do it!” His pounding was making it hard to talk. “You’re d-drained!”
He merely grunted and shook his head, not breaking stride with his thrusts. “Oh gods,” I whimpered, white-knuckling the sheets to keep me in place while his hips slapped wetly against my bottom. What happened? What had come over him? Him storming my sex excited me by the heartbeat, and I thanked my core—from the bottom of my heart—for keeping me lubricated.
“Uh!” Belenus moaned and slapped both hands down on my bottom to cup my cheeks while he ravaged me. I dug my claws into the bed and buried my face in Belenus’s neck, unable to do anything but take what he gave. Each fervid pump into my depths sent a surge of arousal through me, and it wasn’t long before I was panting and whining from the sheer thrill of his taking. The alpha in me took a step aside, allowing me to enjoy my male taking over for now, though I had no idea how he’d gotten so energized.
“Be—le—nus!” I cried, biting his shoulder to muffle my screams. There were no windows in here, and the room was locked, but I was still self-conscious of enjoying myself while everyone outside was suffering.
Saying Belenus’s name only seemed to spur him on, and his wildness was bringing out my wolf. His fingers massaged my bottom, then gripped tight and yanked my hips down to meet his ravenous thrusts. I screamed into his flesh, sinking my canines in to stay secure, and I had just enough of my mind left to avoid the marking spot.
“Gods, yes!” he cried after grunting. “Bite me, filthy she-wolf!”
I growled into my male’s shoulder, warning him not to provoke me any further lest I lose all control. Nothing could stop my eagerness, though, and my channel clenched fiercely around him. He gasped and gave a guttural cry of pleasure, breaking his rhythm for just a second. He resumed with a fierce intensity, bucking with abandon and slamming as hard as he could. I placed my hands out farther with my claws, trying to keep myself from being pushed over Belenus’s head.
Belenus released my hips, removed my jaws from his shoulder, and pulled me up a little so he could wrap his sucking lips around one of my jostling nipples. I gasped and shouted through clenched teeth, feeling bursts of pleasure shoot from where his mouth suckled to deep within my breast. I had to hold on to his shoulders now as he made me arch into him, still wildly pumping his hips.
Between the new sensation of his lips pulling on my breast and his vigorous charging into my channel, I felt a lightning storm brew in my heated core. I whimpered, whined, and pawed at my male, desperate for him to finish and make me his. This she-wolf had waited too long, far too long for him to make a move. Didn’t my mate want me?
“Oh blisterin’ sun, the wild sounds my female makes!” my male snarled, releasing my breasts to thrust my hips into his brutal strokes once more. I tilted my head—still whining—and lapped at his ear, licking up to the tip to soak it in my saliva. “Shit! Fuck!” he roared and slammed my hips down hard to bottom out inside me. He arched his back as he came, gritting his pleasure out through his teeth as he spurted against my back wall. The fae grabbed my head, tilted it to the side, and sank his teeth into my marking spot.
I froze and screamed soundlessly, too wrought with euphoria to release any noise. I was struck by summer lightning from within, and the rays of sunlight that were bursting in through my shoulder violently pushed out my orgasm. My eyes shut tight, and I leaned into his iron grip, convulsing with the gifts he’d just given me. My channel clenched to keep my mate in there as he spent his seed, which made him moan deliriously into my shoulder.
When he pulled his teeth from me, I gripped his shoulder and dug my canines into his marking spot, finally claiming this strong, virile, male fae as my own. I let my mark sink deep past flesh and bone. I pushed it so far in that it touched his soul. It branded itself there, as permanent as any constellation in the sky. My unbreakable tether was there to protect and support him for the rest of our days. We were always meant to rule together.
The male screamed through his teeth, his call vibrating into me, and came a last time, his jerking nearly bucking me off. Fae fingers—large, rough, hot—dug into my back with bruising pressure, but I kept my canines buried deep as he unloaded against my cervix. My walls massaged him with the longest orgasm I’d ever had, hoping to herd his seed deeper to make a golden pup. My womb wanted it all. It wanted to make him an heir .
An heir?
For who? For a king? No, that wasn’t right… A prince? Prince. Prince Belenus. Belenus!
Clawing out of my feral mind, I released my canines from Belenus’s shoulders and put a hand to my bloody mouth, gaping at the permanent mark I’d given him.
It came out choked. “What have we done?”
BELENUS
I stared blankly at Hekla, who stared blankly at her bloody hand, a hand covered in both our blood. I sat up, still breathless, and brushed her hair away from her neck. I paled at the mark I’d left on her during our wild mating frenzy.
“What have we done?” she repeated, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I don’t know what came over me, Hekla,” I confessed in a thick voice. “I just… felt something take over. I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”
“What did it feel like?” she asked, her expression still locked, stunned, as she traced the mark she’d left on my neck. I could feel her shock through our new bond, and it only compounded my distress.
“It felt savage, like I was a beast that needed to claim you. It’s like you didn’t even have a name anymore. You were just… my female. Everything else was forgotten,” I answered, tracing a thumb over the bite mark that was already scabbing on her neck. She healed so fast… but I could still feel my magic there, permanently nestled inside her. If it was any other time, I’d be aroused by it. It was as erotic as the thought of impregnating her.
“That sounds an awful lot like your wolf’s instinct. That’s what I felt when I marked you. That’s actually what I feel when I’m the most aroused. The wolf takes over my mind,” she said, tapping her head and looking away from me. “I must have provoked him too much. Perhaps he didn’t like an alpha on top of him and needed to assert his dominance… Oh gods, this could be all my fault!” She covered her face with her hands.
“No… no, no. Stop that, mate,” I ordered, pulling her hands away from her pretty face. “I marked you first. I’m the one who lost control, and now we both will have to accept the truth and repercussions.” I’d broken the marriage contract. I’d no longer have extra time in public if we got home before the two-week deadline. I’d have to do everything from the shadows and stay far away from the queen and that document. It would lure me in to sign my failure. Then…
“I’m still sorry.” She didn’t seem comforted in the least.
“I’m not. I liked you on top,” I said with a weary chuckle, trying to make her smile a little. When she didn’t, I decided to use her own words against her. “When we get back, if anything goes wrong, I will make it go right, ok? We will survive this. I don’t care what I have to do. They won’t win. They won’t destroy our long life of love together.” I tipped her chin up to meet my gaze. “Is that understood, my mate?”
She nodded and sighed. I sensed her anxiety and fear of loss. “It’s just… as soon as we get back, if they see you, they’ll know the contract was broken. They could execute you on the spot.”
“I’ll make sure nothing bad happens. I promise,” I said and lifted her off me to tuck her in at my side. “I’ll fight with everything in me.”
She leaned her forehead into mine, and we embraced under the sheets. “I guess it doesn’t matter how long it takes for us to get back now,” she said with a sigh.
“That’s… a very good point. I still need to get back to my soldiers for the takeover, but yes… you made a good observation.” I blew out a breath, somewhat relieved. A weight lifted, a small one, but now it felt easier to focus on the takeover. My mind… cleared.
Hekla closed her eyes and sleepily said, “All things aside… I don’t regret marking you, Belenus. You’ll always be the one.”
I gave her a soft kiss on the lips and pulled her into my chest, taking this moment to treasure my fated mate. “I don’t either, my female. It’s you. It’s only ever you.”
·
We were woken in… the morning? How did one tell time in a place such as this? Hekla and I threw our clothes on and geared up for the road again. This time we’d be responsible for over four hundred hungry bat-shifters.
“We’re going to draw a lot of attention if we’re not careful,” I warned Nofre, who appeared to have taken charge of the migration. “We’ll have to stay clear of fae settlements and scouts. I doubt we’ll be leaving the Unseelie Court without the unseelie on our tails.”
Nofre’s expression hardened. “We were held unjustly for too long, Prince Belenus. I guarantee you that my people won’t fall easily once they get some food in their system. We will fight for our freedom.”
Hekla then introduced her plan for feeding everyone. “I’ll be taking small teams to hunt and bring back as much game as we can while Belenus works on transporting your people. You’ll have to ration and share at first, but we’ll keep hunting as we travel until everyone is in good shape and can assist in providing for themselves and others. I’d recommend bringing a mix of the strongest and weakest out first, so we can hunt and tend to the ones who are most at risk.”
“A good idea,” Nofre agreed. “I’ll make sure we prioritize as recommended.”
I asserted, “And get some reliable people to watch over the ones I send over. Let’s keep people from wandering. I know it will be tempting for them to go off and hunt, but we can’t risk getting separated and leaving someone behind. We need to stay organized.”
Nofre nodded again, surveying the crowd that had gathered at the border. “Understood.”
“Is this everyone?” I asked, feeling my heart tug at the sight of so many gaunt, starving faces.
“Yes, but we’ll do a head count at the end. If anyone is missing, we’ll come back and do a search, but this should be it. We’ve asked for individuals to partner up and make sure their partner isn’t left behind.”
“Good.” I scrubbed a hand over my chin, checking the list off in my head. “Ok, well, I’ll try to take ten people at a time, so this will be more than forty trips. You’re going to have to bear with me.”
“We’re traveling with a bear?” Nofre asked, his eyes squinting in confusion.
“Never mind. Just be patient. It’ll take a while,” I said, waving a hand to dismiss the misunderstanding. It was a miracle we’d been able to communicate as well as we had so far. No doubt fae visitors must have helped modernize their language once in a while.
Nofre summoned ten individuals, and once I rolled up my sleeves, I instructed them to hang onto my arms. They eyed my veins hungrily, and I did my best to ignore it, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make my skin crawl just a bit. I glanced over at Hekla, who seemed displeased to see females touching me, but I knew that reaction was the possessive wolf in her. I could feel both her jealousy and shame through our bond.
In the first batch, I dropped off the female who’d taken us to our guest room, Luzia, and the male with the white streaks in his hair, Ferrer. They were in charge of herding their people and keeping them together as I delivered them across the border.
When I dropped them off, the shifters covered their eyes, and the air was full of moans and hissing. Ferrer stumbled blindly over to me and braced himself on my shoulder. “Prince, it is too bright. It burns out here! This is the sun? It’s so hot! How do you stand it?” he asked through gritted teeth. His heart panicked, his breaths quickened, and his body had gone rigid.
Sun God’s fire! These people had evolved under starlight !
“Shit! I should have foreseen this! Follow me. Link hands everyone!” I shouted and gripped Ferrer by his wrist. We got a train of shifters going, and I guided them to the protection of the forest. It was shaded, and likely not enough to ease their distress, but it would have to do. Some had fallen behind and released strange clicks in their blind rush to catch up. I was about to ask but Ferrer interrupted my thoughts.
“Bloody clots,” he swore, blinking rapidly and trying to get his eyes to adjust. “I don’t know how we’re going to hunt in these conditions. This sun our ancestors spoke of is more brutal than I had imagined.” His reddish-brown eyes were so dark, I almost couldn’t tell how dilated his pupils were. They weren’t very small, and if that was his limit, these people would be better off traveling at nighttime. Their pale skin would burn easily too.
This complicated matters, but I believed it wasn’t anything we couldn’t work with. I placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort. “Get your people resting, Ferrer. I’ll see what we can do about food when I’m done moving people out. Hekla can get a start on finding game. Hang in there.”
“Hang in where? Oh, the trees? No, more shade at the bottom.” He turned before I could ask what he meant.
After ten trips, I called for a break and went to go see how Luzia and Ferrer fared with their group of one hundred. I was pleased to see some of the more emaciated shifters sharing game that Hekla had caught. She wasn’t around, so I had to assume that she was on another hunt. She had to be working hard, and I felt a surge of pride for my mate. When we returned, after we claimed the throne, I was going to spoil her beyond rotten. Mercilessly.
By noon, I’d finally finished moving everyone across the border. We agreed to let the bat-shifters rest so we could travel at night, and I shape-shifted into Escort to see if we could find something bigger for them to eat.
Long damn day. Going to be a long damn night too, Escort commented idly, sniffing the air as he loped west toward some plains we’d seen on the flight here .
It’s just a short while. We might be able to squeeze in a nap if we bring back enough for the weakest to share, I replied, helping him keep an eye out for larger prey. Escort had been much less of a little shit since he’d mated with Eventide. Curiosity about Hekla’s theory had me asking, Tell me how you feel about having an alpha for a mate. Was that why we lost control?
I’m too dominant to feel threatened by anyone. Escort snorted.
What an ego on this wolf, I thought to myself. Escort is nothing like me.
Ego? Excuse me, Mister I-know-I’m-beautiful, Escort retorted. Shit, he’d heard me.
So why’d we lose control? I asked, hastily returning to the previous subject.
Our beloved alpha revitalized us and triggered the fuck out of our feral lust, he answered. Our instincts demanded we claim our mate immediately because she is a powerful female. If she keeps us strong, we can keep her safe. Our pups will be invincible.
He seemed so cocksure. As much as I doubted the invincibility claim, I admired his conviction. I was about to ask another question when we caught the sound of thundering hooves. Fear invaded both Escort and me when we realized the nuckelavee had finally caught up to us. Had it just sped east at a dead run this entire time?
Hekla! Eventide! Escort screamed through our bond, hoping we were within range of her to send a warning. We were met with silence, and the terror became overwhelming, crawling and penetrating like brambles. What if it was tracking her instead of me? I’d clearly shown I had summer in my veins, so it’d probably avoid me.
Oh gods, run Escort! We have to find her! I shouted. My blond wolf bolted back the way we’d come. He ran faster than I thought any creature could, and I was once again grateful for being paired with a superior beast. I’d admit it at this point. Escort was a superior wolf .
The nuckelavee was finally visible over the southern tree line, its rider’s skinless head bobbing like a corpse’s. It moved parallel to my wolf, escalating this into a lethal race. Escort continued to scream for our mate over our bond, hoping she’d finally come within range of us.
Energy… Escort panted. Belenus, give me some energy so I can go faster!
I had no idea how in the shit to do that, but I fumbled around in my mind, trying to push what I could toward the wolf. After several panicky attempts, my efforts seem to have paid off, and Escort flew like a hurricane. He sure as shit was as mad as one.
Escort? What’s wrong? Eventide’s voice popped into our head. She’d finally heard us!
Are you out hunting? The nuckelavee is coming! Eventide you have to run! Escort shouted in desperation, terrified of losing her. His tone—he was as in love with Eventide as I was with Hekla, wasn’t he?
No! Oh no! I have to drive it away from the shifters! Eventide replied.
No, you have to run! we both screamed at the same time. Our mate had gone silent, and we veered toward where we’d left the shifters. Was she there? Had she left already?
We came to a stop by Nofre, scattering dirt everywhere and startling the shit out of him. I shape-shifted back, looking frantically around for Hekla while grabbing his arm.
“What’s going on?” he asked, alarmed.
“A nuckelavee is coming! It’ll be nearby any second! I have to find Hekla! It might be hunting her! Which way did she go?” I asked him, hoping to every single god that he’d seen her leave.
“How big is this knuckle lovey?” he asked, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes. Curiosity flickered in his sharp red gaze.
“Monstrous. Bigger than a barn. I don’t have time for th—”
Nofre interrupted me by turning to his people, cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting, “Everyone up! Lunch is here!”