Page 28 of Beyond the Veil (Endangered Fae #4)

“Under controlled conditions. Yes. With a spotter, just in case. There are always two fae warriors in the room when I feed. And fae feedings make me drunk, all happy and sleepy, which helps.”

Limpet tipped his head to the side. “My blood makes you happy and sleepy.”

“Yes, but I want you!” Theo choked out and buried his head in his hands. “And I can’t keep having feedings from you so close together. It’s not good for you.”

“So.” Limpet shifted off the rock, crawling over the sand until he could put his hand on Theo’s knee. “So. You have fed recently. You are uninjured and well again and should not need to.”

Theo nodded cautiously.

“Easy enough, then. We can just mate.” Limpet’s guileless, blinding smile almost made Theo believe it was that easy.

“But the sex…and the feeding…I’ve never…”

Limpet’s blue-gray eyebrows rose to try to meet his hairline. “From what you say, you’ve fed many times without sex. Which means the other should be possible. And now you tell me you never have? You’ve gone without since your change, what, four or five years ago?”

Theo nodded again, though this time with a miserable ache in his chest.

“My dear Theo the Nightwalker, you are honorable and courageous and strong. But you are an idiot.”

“No, I’m—”

“You are. You wish to keep control of your urges and yet you deny yourself the most basic one. How can you maintain control if you dam all that desire up inside, waiting for it to explode? Despite the temperature of your skin, you are not cold. Your passion burns hotter than the sands hereabouts. You can’t simply deny what is in your nature and hope that all will magically be well. ”

“I can. And I have. I don’t see why I should change that.”

Limpet moved in close to whisper in Theo’s ear.

“Because you are lonely. And, I’d wager, unhappy.

One day your carefully made levee will break in some storm, and goddesses help the world when it does.

” He leaned closer, dragging his tongue against Theo’s jaw.

“Because by then you will have stored an ocean’s worth behind that wall and the world will both burn and drown. ”

A sound stuck in Theo’s throat, embarrassingly close to a whimper. His muscles had locked. Unable to pull away or surge forward, he couldn’t figure out which he wanted more. “I don’t want to hurt you. Please.”

“I could tell you that you won’t,” Limpet murmured against Theo’s throat, “but it seems you won’t believe me. We should play a game. Mating is more fun with games.”

“You’ve got to—”

“Tsk, you haven’t even heard the rules yet. You must keep your hands to yourself. While you may touch me with anything else you please, lips, tongue, your cock that wants nothing more than to touch me—”

Theo moaned as his erection swelled from half-hard to concrete pillar.

“—anything but your hands.”

“What happens if I touch you?”

Limpet chuckled as he nibbled on Theo’s collarbone. “I win, of course.”

“And if I don’t?”

The nibbling stopped as Limpet jerked his head up, staring into Theo’s eyes with equal shares of heat and amusement. “I still win.”

Hands balled into fists, Theo leaned forward to press a gentle, searching kiss on the selkie’s lips. “Hardly seems fair,” he breathed against Limpet’s cheek.

“Oh, I think your notion of fair will be served before the end.” Limpet tangled his fingers in Theo’s hair and crashed their mouths together, his predatory hunger sparking a primal need in Theo’s belly.

His canines ached, begging to distend. Limpet’s pulse beat a war-drum tattoo against his brain. He broke the kiss, leaning his head back to distance his teeth but that only gave Limpet better access to this throat. “I can’t. It’s too hard.”

“A challenge. I know you do well with one.” Limpet pressed his hands against Theo’s chest. “Lie back. Head out of the water. That’s it.”

Theo swallowed hard, staring over Limpet’s head as clever hands stroked his arms and chest. The sun sat just atop the largest dune opposite, rising just in time to play voyeur as it peeked through the leaves.

They had plenty of shade here by the pool and it did mean they had to stop traveling for the day—

“Ah!” Theo arched up into Limpet’s grabby hand, fingers fastened tight around his cock. Too much, too soon . “Damn it, Limpet.”

Fine. You want it like that? He might have been reserved and reticent, but passive acceptance wasn’t something he managed well.

With a low growl, Theo wrapped his legs around Limpet and yanked him forward hard so he tumbled on top.

That was a completely different set of pleasurable agonies, but at least Theo had reasserted some control.

“Clever.” Limpet nuzzled under Theo’s jaw, his hard cock pressing against Theo’s hip. “Is this what you intended?”

“No. Damn it. Move over.” Theo shoved with his right thigh, putting Limpet more squarely between his legs as he hitched further out of the water.

Now it was Limpet’s turn to moan as their erections pressed alongside each other.

His hair spilled over Theo’s skin, a silken curtain to torment him even more, but he had the satisfaction of watching Limpet’s eyes cross, his body squirming in delight.

His movements became desperate and frustrated as he tried to find the right angle.

“Hey.” Theo waited until Limpet stilled. “You can still use your hands.”

Limpet reached between them, tearing a groan from both of them when he wrapped his long fingers around both cocks, stroking slowly. “So, so clever. One of the things I find most attractive about you. And how patient and heart-strong you are. And—”

“Hey.”

Again Limpet froze, waiting for Theo to speak.

“Quiet time. Kiss me.”

“So demanding, too,” Limpet whispered before he brought his lips down on Theo’s, the kiss searching and gentle at first, then catching desperate fire as he sped up his stroking.

Theo tightened his hold, locking his ankles over Limpet’s ass and humping up hard against him.

Feels so good, oh, fuck, it feels so good .

It wasn’t just the physical, which was incredible, but to have a heart beating next to his, to have this heart beating with his, this free-spirited, sometimes reckless, beautiful heart who saw the fangs and the peril and ran into his arms at full speed anyway.

Shivers ran the length of Limpet’s body as he whimpered and writhed against Theo, his tongue plundering Theo’s mouth, laying claim to every inch, sharp teeth meeting sharp teeth as Theo’s fangs came down fully.

“You can bite, you know,” Limpet whispered against his lips. “Bite without feeding. Your teeth ache to sink in, don’t they? Mine do.”

Theo cried out in shock when Limpet broke their kiss and bit down where shoulder met neck.

The pain was sharp and exquisite, shooting heated sparks through his balls.

That was it. He couldn’t hold out any longer.

With a roar, Theo reared up far enough to sink his fangs into Limpet’s biceps, the trickle of blood and Limpet’s sweet skin giving him that last shove, his bellows muffled against Limpet’s arm as he came harder than he could ever remember.

Finally, they both lay still, panting. Theo moved first, removing his fangs carefully, licking the little punctures and wrapping his arms around Limpet. “You win.”

Limpet smiled down at him and kissed him sweetly before he slid to the side, nestling against Theo. “So do you.”