Page 27 of A Kiss from the Fae (Mistress of Magic #2)

‘You didn’t call or text. Nothing from you for over twenty-four hours!

Where were you?’ Rav paced the lounge in his flat, furious.

Faye stood in the corner of the room, watching his bare feet on the faded red and cream rug.

Lyr had transported her back to the rose garden after her time in Falias where Gabriel had waited patiently for the hours that had passed until she returned.

‘I stayed at Annie’s. I forgot to text.’ It was a lie, but if she told him the truth, she didn’t know if he would understand.

‘Faye, I was worried sick!’ Rav yelled. She understood why he was annoyed, but bristled at his tone.

‘I do have a life of my own, you know.’ The trauma of her time with Lyr hit her suddenly, like a rough shove; perhaps it was also the exhaustion that came from visiting the faerie realms. Her head pounded, and she sat down heavily on the sofa.

It was too much, too real all of a sudden.

Did I really expect anything else from my faerie father ?

she thought angrily as she closed her eyes and massaged her temples with her fingers.

He doesn’t want me. He wants what I can give him. He’s as heartless as the rest of them.

‘I know that. I was worried something had happened. Surely you can understand that given our recent history?’ Rav’s tone softened.

‘I know,’ she breathed, trying not to exacerbate her headache. She should tell him, even if it caused an argument, or worse. She sighed. ‘I…I was…’

She opened her eyes carefully, blinking at the light, thinking that she’d tell Rav, but the expression in his eyes halted her. His voice might have been soft, but his eyes were watchful. There was no trust there. She swallowed the words she’d been about to say.

Instead, Faye looked around the room; a half-eaten takeaway sat on the coffee table along with a few empty beer cans.

‘You kept yourself busy, I guess. Dinner for one…or two?’ It was a pointed question, but she was angry and confused; and she hadn’t forgotten – or forgiven – coming home to Rav and Mallory’s cosy night in together.

‘What does that mean?’ Rav shot back.

‘You know what it means,’ she snapped, her throat tense with the words she could have said. But would it have made this better or worse? She didn’t know, and the moment had gone.

‘I can’t believe you’re still going on about that.

’ He stormed out of the room and into the kitchen.

He came back, holding a bouquet of flowers – blue iris and white chrysanthemums – and threw them at her feet.

‘Mallory actually felt so bad about that night she dropped these around for you earlier. There’s a note.

’ He shook his head, watching as she bent to pick the flowers up.

‘She wants to be your friend, Faye. Shame you don’t want to do the grown-up thing and just get on with her. ’

I’ve had quite the day , Faye thought wearily, so excuse me if I’m too tired for another argument. Nevertheless, she opened the white envelope. Inside, there was a tasteful card featuring a detail from a painting she didn’t recognise. She read Mallory’s spiky, slanted handwriting:

Dear Faye,

I’m so sorry that you thought I was being inappropriate by visiting Rav the other night.

Maybe I was – I’m used to him being there for me when I feel low.

Yes, we were a couple once, but now we are really ‘just good friends’ as the saying goes.

However, I recognise that it’s not okay for me to just come around and pour out all my troubles to him any more; he’s got you now.

I would like us to be friends, even though maybe I haven’t made the best start.

I hope you like the flowers. Maybe we can go out for a coffee sometime, just the two of us?

But if you don’t want to, that’s totally okay and I will understand.

All the best,

Mallory

Faye’s first instinct was to distrust the letter. But, maybe Mallory really did want to be friends, in which case, Faye had totally misread her.

‘Oh.’ She didn’t know what else to say.

‘ Oh is right. Maybe you should give her a call and say thank you.’ Rav held out his phone.

‘Give me her number. I’ll text,’ she replied tersely. Rav called it out to her, looking at his screen.

‘Fine.’

Thanks for the flowers and card, Mallory. Faye x . It was noncommittal but pleasant. She didn’t expect a reply. She very much suspected that the flowers were intended as a public relations exercise to raise Mallory’s profile with Rav, rather than sent with any particular care for her feelings.

But Mallory replied almost immediately. So glad you like them. Coffee?

Faye was surprised. She didn’t really want to meet up with Mallory, but what if the girl was genuine?

She tapped out a quick reply. Sure, let me know where and when .

Mallory suggested a coffee shop somewhere in the West End in a couple of days’ time. She was definitely keen to be friendly all of a sudden, but why?

She gave Rav a bright smile. Paper over the cracks, be happy! She felt like a 1950’s wife. Don’t bring your husband your worries! He’s had a busy day. Put a ribbon in your hair and make sure the children play quietly.

‘We’re meeting for coffee this week,’ she said. He smiled, looking relieved.

‘Ah. That’s great.’ He patted the cushion on the sofa next to him. ‘Sorry if I was a bit…you know. I really was worried about you.’ He kissed her gently, and despite everything, she felt herself respond.

‘I’m sorry too. I’ll text next time.’

Rav always made her feel so cherished; his presence was always so reassuringly warm and masculine. Usually, she felt so safe around him, so protected. During the last few days, with the Mallory thing, Faye had felt horribly disconnected from Rav, and it hurt.

‘Just tell me so I don’t worry.’ He kissed her more deeply, roughly even. There was something between them that needed to be mended. Faye could feel him slipping away from her, and she didn’t want him to.

Perhaps he felt the same, because he kissed her harder and held her to him firmly. She could feel him harden against her.

There was no game playing now.

Rav growled under his breath. His hand went to the neckline of her dress and pulled hard; the top three buttons were ripped away.

Faye gasped, but Rav didn’t stop. His hands found her rounded breasts and twisted her nipples; she cried out. He kissed her again roughly, and one of his hands pushed into her underwear. She was chagrined to realise that she was already slick with wetness.

He made a low noise in his throat at his discovery.

He grunted, and taking her by the waist, he turned her onto her front on the sofa, facing the wall so that she was on her knees. There was no talking between them now; everything was urgent.

She felt him position the end of his thick, hard cock at the entrance of her pussy and moaned at the sensation; maybe it was the stress of everything that had happened recently, but she found that she so desperately needed to be fucked, hard, that she couldn’t think about anything else.

Then, he pushed it all the way into her, steadily and deeply, making her cry out.

It felt so good; for the moment, there was no other sensation apart from being split apart by Rav; being taken, being consumed by lust. Almost immediately, she felt the muscle of her pussy contract and pulse against him.

She pushed back against him, needing him to fill her completely.

To feel him right in the deepest part of her vagina, a place of deep pleasure that she knew would radiate through her, given enough pressure.

‘Fuck. That feels so fucking good,’ he muttered in a gravelly tone, edging her knees apart with his. ‘Yeah. Open wide for me,’ he added, and pulled his cock out almost all the way, before pushing it back in so slowly that it made her whine for it in the back of her throat.

‘Greedy little baby,’ he muttered, and pushed in again, harder. Faye moaned as he gripped both of her hips with his hands and started pounding her, hard. ‘Is that what you want? Is that what you need?’

‘Y…yes,’ she moaned again, feeling the orgasm starting to build within her. Her pussy muscles were contracted tight around him like a fist. He groaned.

‘Oh, fuck. I want to come,’ he muttered in her ear. ‘You’re going to take it from me for once, my Queen. And you’re going to like it,’ he said.

Faye felt the wave of sugar-sweet ecstasy coming and let out a primal howl.

She needed it, needed him – to bellow, to be a wild animal, to be his.

And, in the back of her mind, there was the need to eradicate all trace of Mallory – whatever had happened, and she hoped that there had been nothing.

She hoped it was all in her imagination.

But if it wasn’t, Faye had a primal urge to replace whatever other woman had been with Rav with her own wetness, her own DNA, as if it could be a deterrent. A warning.

This is mine.

She ground herself back onto his rock-hard shaft and screamed as the orgasm hit her.

Rav pushed her head into the back of the sofa with one hand and began to bellow as his orgasm followed hers.

He was like a bull, pounding her, a wall of muscle, bound to chase after his own ecstasy.

Faye felt his hot cum fill her, and revelled in the sensation.

She felt as if she and Rav were one body, one mind and one heart.

He slumped on top of her and kissed the side of her neck.

‘Baby,’ he whispered, still hard inside her. ‘Baby, I was so worried. I missed you. I love you. Don’t you know that?’

‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘I’m sorry.’

He was hers again. Faye felt the aftershocks of the orgasm – small echoes of the tsunami that had hit her.

She wished he could be inside her always.

She wanted to stay as they were – connected, close, together – forever in that moment.

After everything that had happened, the feeling of his chest on her back, her legs spread for him and him inside her, was everything she needed.

Finally, she felt comforted in the way that she needed, and she started to cry, letting go the last of the tension she had been holding.

‘That’s it, baby. Let it all go.’ He gently removed himself from her, turned her around so that he was holding her tight to his chest and held her as the tears coursed down her cheeks. ‘I’ve got you. I’ve got you.’