Curse of the Fae King (11 page)

With him, she tingled deep inside her cunt. And could his dimples be any sexier? His free hand kneaded her breasts while his hips rotated against hers, and all the while, he kept her helpless, her wrists over her head. “My turn to tease you now.”

He unfastened her jeans one-handed. He rubbed one finger over her clit, then slid it inside her. Meena groaned, opened her legs wider, and tried to ride his hand.

She bucked her hips and almost wept with need, but he withdrew his hand and frowned. “Earlier, I only wanted you safe, but I swear I never once thought of giving up on our quest. Now, are we a team again?”

She nodded and ground her hips against his cock, willing to do or say anything as long as he fucked her. Her words came out in a throaty whimper. “I was wrong. Damn it, Leo, take me now.”

He had the most sensual chuckle. He released her wrists and unlaced her top to bare her breasts. His fingers were gentle, nimble even, and she wanted them caressing her clit. He lowered his head and laved lazy circles around each nipple in turn. When he licked his way down her body, he teased her clit with tiny kisses and nibbles. Their sexual tension exploded into torn-off buttons and ripped laces. They shed their clothes quick and urgent—bodies writhing. Naked, she rubbed against his bare chest and parted her legs.

“You want it like an animal in the woods?” There he went with that spine-tingling chuckle again. “Then turn over, and I’ll do this right.”

Obedient, excited, her body burning for him, she went to her hands and knees. Totally vulnerable, she spread her legs wide and wiggled her ass as an unspoken invitation. Was that her humming when he stroked his hand over her bared butt?
Yeah, definitely me. I didn’t know I did that during foreplay
. Eight inches of hard cock slammed into her—hard and fast. The invasion of her vagina made her cry out in delight. She loved the way he took charge, pumping in and out of her vagina while he teased her clit with his fingers. When he laved her ear and thrust again, she panted, “More.”

She could feel every urgent movement inside her, filling her completely. He mantled his body around her and kissed and nibbled at her neck.
Bite me. Claim me. Make me yours forever
. When she glanced up at him over her shoulder, he flashed her his heart-stopping smile and supported himself on one arm while his other hand fondled her aching breasts. Then he thrust harder and deeper.

Goddess, how much of him can my body take? I’m definitely willing to find out.

Breasts heavy, buttocks bared against his groin, she responded with animal thrusts and small savage growls. One buck of her hips, one perfect moment of bliss. He drove inside her like a piston in a speeding sports car. She swore his cock brushed against her womb. She responded with a rush of liquid heat that flooded her pussy. Her hot honey coated his dick as her arms gave way, and she rested her elbows on the ground.

As she came over and over, she screamed, “Leonidas. Sweet Hekate. Don’t stop!”

With a shudder of satisfaction, he climaxed inside her. Finally, bodies sated, they collapsed, panting, on the ground—his cock still inside her as he held her against his chest and ran his fingers through her multihued hair.

* * * *

The most seductive woman Leonidas had ever met lay beneath him—hot, wet, and willing. So eager, she hummed. A good man would have gritted his teeth and keep his cock in his pants, but Leonidas had never hungered for a woman the way he did her. This lesser creature—whether a druidess or a sprite—drove him bat-shit crazy. And showed him the best sex of his life.

There was nothing lesser about his Meena. Truly, he didn’t care about her origins or species. She was sexy, seductive, and loyal to a fault—everything he could want in his queen.

His curse made him a serial seducer, but Meena—with her sharp edges and soft curves—made him want a forever they couldn’t share. With her, he needed the future the Witch Elizbetta had denied him. He wrapped his arms around Meena and clutched her to his chest.
Elves’ blood, I’ll remember her wild heather and sweet herb perfume until the end of time
. He felt the sort of bone-deep contentment he’d only ever dreamed of. If he could, he’d offer her his heart. Truthfully, it was already hers, but she didn’t need to know that. Bad enough that he pined for a true-mate he could never claim. No way would he let her do the same.

A decade of bedding woman after woman had left him numb inside—until he met Meena. His pride made him a competent lover, one who gave but never really got back. Meena challenged him, stood up to him, and loved him like he was her world. He’d prayed he’d never find his true-mate, not with the curse hanging over his head. Now he wanted her beside him forever, but their future was bleak.

His father had bequeathed him the throne, some staid advisors, and a copy of the
Kama Sutra
he’d collected on one of his infrequent visits to the mundane world. He’d told his son it helped him deal with the boredom of fucking countless strangers. Now Leonidas used it to vary the monotony of mindless sex. With Meena, he needed to work his way from cover to cover, and then they’d start at the beginning again.
Yeah, that was one target I’ll happily meet.

“Foolish woman,” he chided softly. “Your mother’s kidnappers could have booby-trapped the barn, either with magic or human devices.”

She sighed and snuggled closer, her back resting against his chest. “Better to break them than run like a coward—then you used your body to shield me, even when you couldn’t access your magic. Dumb but brave, luscious Leo, and I definitely could get used to having you around. I guess that makes me the brains of the outfit. Don’t worry, you’re one brilliant piece of eye candy, and muscular enough to be the outfit’s brawn.”

At least “luscious Leo” was a step up from the “Fairy boy” she’d called him earlier. What he really wanted was for her to call him “Mine.” Because he was. And she should be his, forever and always. Clearly once she was well fucked and sated, she lost her sharp edges. He’d never expected her to feel the same. How could she, when he needed to sleep with strangers to stay sane?

Pushing his dreams and desires aside—just like always—he helped Meena to her feet. He hated how he’d taken her on a bed of dying plants, again. His woman deserved silk sheets or a sweet-smelling meadow, not wilted daises and brown grass. They dressed in silence, but if he spoke, he’d utter the words hidden in his heart. He wanted to see her in gossamer silks and decked in jewels. Instead she wore jeans that could have been painted on her ass and cute red pumps with skulls on them—a strange choice but something that was uniquely her.

“No one has left the barn to hunt us. We can check it out now, but I will lead the way.”

ANTICLIMACTIC OR WHAT? Not that she’d expected heartfelt declarations, but a girl could hope. And why did he always get to lead? Yeah, he was the warrior, yada, yada, yada.
Superior, conceited Fae
. Meena was surprised he didn’t beat his chest and fling her over his shoulder. Then again, caveman and possessive beat cool and uncaring any day.

He stalked toward the barn—all sleek muscles and taut buttocks—and since she could ogle his behind, she suddenly didn’t mind him going first. As he’d suspected, the barn was as deserted as the farmhouse. Once they’d checked out the living quarters, they stepped into a vast high-roofed space.

A mountain of cogs, gears, and connected machine parts almost reached the rafters. An elongated nuzzle was fixed to the front, and it pointed at a low, wide door set in a slab of rock. That stone was like nothing Meena had seen before, all red and purple flecks sparkling in a slice of darkest obsidian stone.

“What is this?” Leo demanded as he strode around the machine.

Meena stared the Heath Robinson machinery in wonder. Finally she tossed her rainbow curls over her shoulder and grinned. “Do I look like a physicist or an engineer? Honestly, I don’t have a clue, but I’d guess it opens that door.”

“One day, I’ll teach you to respect me.” He chuckled, clearly amused by her sparky tongue; then he ran his finger over the solid obsidian slice. “These markings feel like pencil marks etched into the stone, but it looks like a door.” When he shoulder charged it, it stood firm. “As a highly qualified non-engineer, can you tell me how we see what’s on the other side?”

“Maybe if you were brawny enough to smash your way through that stone doorway, we’d find out.” She smirked and blew him a kiss, then clambered up the side of the machine. “See? I knew you’d need my brains. I bet the big green button on the board by the seat is the On switch. Maybe this thing’s the key to your rock door. What sort of stone shines like black glass anyway? And how are those marks set in it?”

“The rarest kind, hewn from the heart of the Elves’ domain. Its beauty makes it almost as valuable as fire opals, and the Elves have the only workable fire opal mine. The colors in the stone sparkle like the colors in your hair.”

There he went with the compliments again. Goddess, a girl could get used to this. “At least it proves you were right about the Elves. Shall I try to turn it on, then?”

He appeared to think a moment, then answered carefully, “We should question the prisoners first. I suspect the red-and-purple-streaked door provides a portal between here and the Elven Lands. Even without my powers, I could pass for an Elf, but I won’t expose you to their ways.”

“Boring, Leo. This argument’s boring. My mother, my right to search for her. Okay?” Meena nonchalantly studied her nails, but her eyes flashed fury. No way would she let him leave her behind. “And is it me? Or is it awfully quiet outside? You don’t think Lipstick’s eaten the prisoners, do you?”

Chapter Twelve

The prisoners knew nothing, not even when Meena brandished Leo’s knife—although they admitted the door led to a land of limitless resources that helped fund their People’s Defense League.

“Limitless, my ass,” Leonidas murmured in Meena’s ear.

Determined to punish their prisoners for her mother’s suffering, she grinned up at him and raised her voice. “Can I kill them now? Pretty please with sugar on top?”

“Woman, behave.” Leonidas almost laughed. “I struck a deal with them. Safety in exchange for information, remember? Since Lipstick will not fit through that stone door, he will stay here and guard them. One step out of line, one attempt to run, and he will roast them—slowly. Dragons, like cats, play with their prey before they eat it.”

Lipstick’s disappointed growl terrified the prisoners into obedience. The dragon coiled his tail around Meena’s waist as he followed them into the barn. He went to his belly to fit inside, and his sinuous curves flowed around the machine.

“Just how big is he going to get?” Meena demanded as she stroked beneath his chin.

“He’s just about three-quarters size now.” Leonidas patted the dragon’s haunch. “But he’s already too big to fit through that portal.”

Lipstick rubbed his cheek against Meena the way a cat marks its owner, ran his rough tongue down her cheek, and yowled. Meena wiped her face on her sleeve and climbed back up the monster machine in the barn. Her fingers hovered over the green button. “Here we go.”

The door didn’t swing open. It didn’t rise like a portcullis. It simply vanished. Sword in hand, Leonidas moved toward the opening, but Lipstick growled and shoved him aside. The dragon belched a stream of fire into the otherworld, then rammed his bulk against the barn wall to let Leonidas pass. Like a clumsy, oversize puppy, he ricocheted into the top-heavy machine where Meena still sat. It swayed precariously. She jumped down and ran clear. The machine toppled outward and crashed through the outer wall.

Brickwork bulged outward. Cracks appeared near the top, then zigzagged down the plasterwork. An exposed beam shattered, and the roof gave an ominous creak.

Leonidas stepped through the doorway like a silent assassin. He scanned the scorched undergrowth, then hurried back and almost dragged Meena toward it. “Come. We need to hurry in case the barn collapses around us, or the portal closes.”

“Dumb dragon.” Meena stopped to give Lipstick’s ears a final stroke. “Be good, and don’t eat the prisoners. At least not unless you have to.”

Leonidas raised his eyebrow, but all he said was, “Vegetarian?”

Meena bent and whispered in Lipstick’s ear, “Okay, don’t eat them. Try to subsist on grass or something. Better yet, growl and look hungry; then they’ll be happy to feed you the contents of their freezers. Maybe you could even chomp through their bonds, but don’t let them leave. Now, go on, get out of here.”

Meena grinned, happy their dragon would be well fed while they explored the otherworld. And if their prisoners worried a little too much, they deserved everything they got.

Lipstick growled and ran his tongue down her face. Leonidas laughed as she screwed up her face and wiped her sloppy cheek on her arm. He gave the dragon’s ear a farewell scratch and pulled Meena into the otherworld. “Now you see why the Fae bond with their war dragons. We feed and shelter them. In return, they protect us.”

“Then why did he breathe fire through the portal? What if my mother had been on the other side?” Meena snapped.

“You worry about nothing. Lipstick’s reactions are a million times quicker than ours. If he’d seen your mother, he’d have grasped her in his tail and dragged her to your side. Hurry now. We don’t know how long that door will stay open, and I’d hate it to rematerialize when we’re halfway through.”

* * * *

The clear green sky of the otherworld was the most welcome sight Meena had seen in years. Her flesh tingled where Lipstick had licked her, and her legs trembled as she stepped back into the world she’d once called home. The tangled jungle—all mysterious blues, off-whites, and brilliant golds—seethed with life. Stems shot out, trying to reclaim the land Lipstick had cleared, but as she stepped toward them, the plants fell back or died. Maybe some side effect of the dragon’s flame lingered, but no wonder the Fae and the Elves had trouble growing food.

Nothing so wild or invasive grew in the covens’ territory. Witches came in castes—green, red, blue, purple, and yellow. The green Witches had green streaks in their hair. They controlled and loved nature. By and large, they were vegetarian. The yellow caste—the meat eaters with the natural blond-streaked hair—dealt with animal husbandry and health. They grazed their meat cattle on weed-free meadows, but her mother insisted she and Meena ate only vegetables, never meat.