Dawn, Dakota - The Desperate Fay King [Kidnapped by a Fay] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More ManLove) (16 page)

Two hours later Reed was able to slip away from his now-sleeping mate. He went to his office and poured himself a drink. Leaving his drink untouched on his deck, Reed plopped down in his chair and buried his head in his hands. Pain clawed at his chest, making every breath sheer agony.

Tate strolled into the room a few minutes later. “This is a sight I’d hoped not to see.”

Without raising his head, Reed answered, “That’s what you get when you invade a person’s private room uninvited.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Worse. He asked me to take him home.” Reed sat up and ran his hand through his hair. “I won’t, of course. He’s fay now. His ears changed while we were making love tonight. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I didn’t bring it up. Maybe I should have. When I went to get us some food, he saw his ears and freaked out.” Reed took a shuddering breath. “I don’t know if we should bring any more humans here. He was so sad, and he cried himself to sleep.”

“He’ll come around. He just had a hard day. We expected as much.” Tate’s eyes were full of compassion and determination. “Chase can’t be the last human brought here. You have to be strong, Reed. Our future depends on it.”

Reed slammed his fist down on the table. “Damn it! What am I supposed to do?”

Tate stared into Reed’s eyes and told the truth. “Let him know you love him.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Yes, it is. I know you fear love, but it’s too late. You already love him.” Tate got up and walked to the door. “Good night, my king.”

Reed watched Tate leave and cursed Tate’s ability to sense when he was in need. The sensitive bastard. At times it was damned inconvenient. He couldn’t even wallow in pity for ten minutes with Tate around.

Reed acknowledged that everything Tate said was painfully true. Soon he’d have to let Chase know how he felt. Chase needed to know. Reed just wasn’t sure how to do it and keep Chase from becoming a bigger target. He rubbed his left forearm and knew there was no way he could live through the loss of Chase again.

Chapter Thirteen

Chase woke up in Reed’s arms. He sniffed Reed’s scent and relaxed into Reed. Reed must think he was a baby after the breakdown he’d had last night. This whole situation was messed up. Why couldn’t Reed be human? They should have been on Earth and living happily ever after. Tate and Simon pushed into Chase’s mind. If Reed had stayed on Earth, then he would have been the one having a breakdown last night. Chase sighed dejectedly, and Reed’s hair reached out to comfort him. Chase looked up and saw that Reed was still asleep. The big dope loved him so much that even his hair reached out to Chase in its sleep. Did Reed’s hair have a mind of its own? He’d have to ask Reed about that sometime.

Chase let Reed’s hair comfort him. This was terrible. Chase knew he wouldn’t be able to hold his feelings in for long.

Reed’s phone rang, and he jerked awake. Dazed teal eyes looked down at Chase. In his sleepy state, he smiled and kissed Chase. The phone rang again, and Reed groaned, then rolled over and answered it. As he talked, Chase knew he could never leave Reed. No matter how bad he wanted to see his family and friends. Reed was his family now.

When Reed finished his conversation, he rolled over and took Chase in his arms. “Are you all right, little lover?”

“I’m getting there. Who was on the phone?” Chase didn’t want to talk about his emotional state last night. Today was a new day.

“It was Simon. He was checking to see if I was ready to meet with a few of the locals who have some concerns they want to share with me.” Reed stroked his hand down Chase’s back.

Chase had to force himself not to purr. He loved it when Reed caressed his body. Coming back to reality, Chase said, “You mean they want to bitch at you? I didn’t know kings really had to sit through stuff like that.”

Reed laughed then kissed Chase’s nose. “Yes. Good kings do have to sit down and listen to their people’s concerns.”

Chase frowned. “How do you have any time for anything else? Don’t they want to dominate all of your time?”

“That’s very astute of you. Yes, they would if I let them, but I don’t. I only meet with the public once a month.”

“What if someone really needs to talk to you and it’s not a day you are in public?” Chase questioned.

“They can talk to one of my assistants, and they will pass an important message on to Tate, and he’ll decide if I need to know about it.”

“Oh. I feel sorry for your assistants and Tate,” Chase said as he snuggled deeper into Reed’s arms.

Reed slapped Chase’s ass. “You don’t have time to feel sorry for them. You are having breakfast with Rhett in twenty minutes.”

Chase sat up and stared down at Reed. “What?”

“I said, you are having breakfast with Rhett in twenty minutes. If I were you, I’d get dressed.” Reed sat up and got off the bed.

“Why am I having breakfast with Rhett?” Chase was having trouble understanding why things were suddenly changing.

“Because I think it would be good for you to interact with other fairies. I believe you get on well with Rhett, so he’s the one you will be hanging out with today,” Reed said in a matter-of-fact voice.

Heat rushed to the tips of Chase’s pointed ears. “You can’t push me on Rhett. I don’t need a pity friend.” Chase pointed his finger at Reed. “If our roles were reversed, you would have been the one breaking down, not me.”

Reed stepped in front of Chase and rubbed Chase’s arms. “Hey, little one. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. You are right, though. And I’d hope that if our roles were reversed you’d do all you could to make sure I fit in on Earth.”

Chase dropped his head and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I need to make some friends here. I do like Rhett.” Chase looked up at Reed. “Do you think he really likes me?”

Reed hugged Chase to him. “I know he does. If I didn’t trust him, I wouldn’t let you near him. He’s a good guy. I know. I had him checked out.”

Chase gasped in horror and pulled back to look into Reed’s eyes. “He doesn’t know you checked him out, does he? You are going to scare everyone off.”

“No, he doesn’t know. Simon was very discreet. Never expect me to stand back and let just anyone near you. You are precious to me. Now go get dressed. You have a breakfast appointment.”

Fifteen minutes later, Chase and his guard met Rhett in the castle food court.

Rhett’s smile seemed genuine. Rhett bowed before Chase. “Hello, Chase.”

“Hi. You didn’t have something else you needed to do today, did you?” Chase still didn’t like the idea of Reed making Rhett hang out with him. It was sweet of Reed, but that didn’t make the situation less awkward.

Shock struck Rhett’s face. “No. It is an honor to eat with you and show you around.”

Sincerity flowed from Rhett. That made Chase feel much better. “Well, let’s get to it then.” Rhett led Chase to his favorite breakfast vendor, and after sampling some of their food, Chase decided on a colorful vegetable-filled omelet and a fruit cup. As they ate, they talked about where they wanted to go.

The food had been good, but Chase was more than ready to wander around with Rhett. It was kind of weird, but regularly Chase noticed people bowing to him. If he was walking in their direction and they noticed, they immediately bowed. Chase just smiled and nodded his head. Thank goodness the castle didn’t let everyone in. The only people allowed in the castle were guests, staff, and the army of men that trained daily to protect the king and the castle.

“I can’t believe you haven’t seen the Great Room. It’s spectacular. If times had been different, a party would have been thrown in here to celebrate the mating of the king.” Rhett’s tone was wistful.

Once again, Chase was struck by how much they had lost. Soon things would be much better. Rhett opened the huge decorative door and smiled as he gestured Chase in. Chase gasped when he stepped into the room. It was opulent, from the elegant chandeliers to the swirling pattern inlaid in the marble floor. Chase turned to Rhett. “This is the largest room I’ve ever been in. When they named this the Great Room, they really meant it. I can see the musicians playing on the stage and a roomful of people dancing.”

Rhett nodded. “It is a glorious sight to see. I saw it once when I was very young.”

Chase had a wild urge to dance across the floor. “I’d love to dance in here.”

A gleam entered Rhett’s eyes, and he held out his hand. “Would you like to dance across the floor, my king’s mate?”

“There isn’t any music.”

Rhett crossed to a panel and pushed a button. Music flowed into the room. Rhett came back and extended his hand. Chase took it, and they danced around the room. A natural grace is what Rhett had, and Chase loved it. They smoothly moved around the room several times. Chase openly laughed when Rhett turned him. It looked like the fays’ height was good for more than intimidating shorter people.

“One day I want to throw a party in here,” Chase stated as they danced.

“That would be wonderful. It’s been too long since one has been put on.” Rhett never skipped a beat as he talked.

As they danced past a set of double doors, Chase asked, “What is behind those doors?”

Rhett smiled down at Chase. “The maze. Have you checked it out yet?” Chase shook his head. A twinkle appeared in Rhett’s eyes. “Shall we go now? I think you are going to like it.”

“I guess so.” Chase laughed when Rhett turned them and danced over to the doors. From the corner of his eye he saw Tine follow them. Byron was off today. Chase missed him when he was off.

Once Rhett let Chase go, he bowed deeply. “Thank you for the dance, my king’s mate.”

Chase nodded and snickered. “Please stop. This room brings out too many of your formal manners. Let’s go see this maze.”

They stepped out onto a large terrace that led down to a wall of ten-foot-tall hedges. Chase spotted the entrance and rubbed his hands in delight. This was going to be fun. “How big is this maze?”

“Too big. It’s five acres. More than once a person has had to be rescued. Sometimes the men train in here. It teaches them to be observant. I’ve only been in it a few times, and I’ve never made it to the far wall.”

“That sounds intriguing.” Chase loved a challenge.

Rhett’s brows rose. “It’s also tough. The hedges are four-feet deep, and the leaves are dense. There is no way to see through them. After a bit, they all look the same. Only a few people can maneuver their way through the whole thing without getting lost. Does your guard know who to call if you get lost?”

“I don’t think that will happen, but if I do get lost, he can call Tate.” Chase was ready to exercise his brain. “Let’s go.”

Chase’s guard stood outside and watched as they entered. They had two paths to choose from. “Let’s go right.”

Rhett followed and gave Chase a few pointers about the different leaf colors. A little ways in they entered an open area that had a stone bench in the center and three paths to travel down. Chase noted the path that they had entered from and looked at the two remaining paths. “You take the one on the left, and I’ll take the one on the right.”

With one brow raised, Rhett said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. This is your first time in the maze.”

“Analyzing things is what I do. I’d like to try it on my own for a bit. Let’s plan on meeting at the entrance in an hour.” Chase looked at his watch and noted the time. “The practice will be good for both of us.”

“I’m still not sure about this, but if you think you can do it alone, then I trust you. I’ll see you in an hour. Have fun.”

“You, too. See you soon.” Chase headed down his path. His mind tried to note every detail around him. At first he could hear Rhett’s footfalls, but after a few turns he heard nothing but silence. A smile curved his lips when he turned a corner and found himself in an opening that had a statue of a naked man. It looked a lot like one they had in their rooftop garden. He stopped to admire the artwork. How people carved these things amazed him. Capturing real life in stone was an awe-inspiring sight. Moving on through the maze, he encountered another stone bench. Needing a break, Chase sat down and tried to remember every turn he’d made. When he thought he had it all down, he traveled on. The place was wonderful. He blushed three turns later when he came upon a statue of a couple making out. It was extremely erotic, with partial penetration. The man getting penetrated had an expression of bliss on his handsome face. Chase could relate to that. He thought about playing with himself, but decided to save his orgasm for Reed.

Curious to see what else was hidden in the maze, Chase moved on. The next thing he encountered was a pointing naked woman. For a second he wished she were real. She was so cute, with her pointed ears and long hair. Deciding to go down the path she was pointing to, Chase made another four turns and ended up standing in front of the naked pointing woman again. Chase ran his hand through his hair and thought about the path he’d just travelled.

What had he done wrong? He went back down the path she pointed to, but this time he paid close attention. There was no way he should encounter her again unless he wanted to. Three turns later he entered a clearing, and his jaw dropped. The woman was pointing at him.
No fucking way!
After taking a calming breath, Chase circled the woman. His eyes gleamed when he noticed a tiny difference in the way her hair flowed. This was not the same statue. The creator of this maze was a genius.