Page 8

Aldronn

The splash of water follows me into the forest, punctuated by the happy noises my bride makes. Goddess, May’s little gasps of delight will be my undoing!

I stop, leaning back against a tree as my ears strain for the next sounds from her. Cloth rustles, sending heated images of her undressing running through my mind. My cock hardens, tingling at the base, aching to knot for the first time in my life.

If the bond lodged in my heart wasn’t hint enough, the desire to knot her makes it clear.

She really is my moon bound bride.

My mate.

Another soft rustle followed by a moaned sigh makes my cock leap, straining against the leather of my pants. If she could read my mind right now, oh, the things she’d see! Such as my knot swelling and locking us together for the entire night.

No. I dig a fist into my thigh. Even if she wanted to have sex this quickly instead of being “wooed” in the human way, there’s no way I can knot her in dangerous conditions. The ogre could return at any moment. I grit my teeth and force myself forward. We’re both hungry after barely eating all day. I need to provide a good meal.

I quiet my footfalls and calm my movements, sliding through the forest, at one with it. My magic tingles in my chest as I use it, pulling me to the right. I don’t have my cousin’s tracking magic, but getting a premonition of where I’ll find prey works almost as well.

By the time I return with two rabbits and mushrooms and fiddleheads, May is dressed and standing with Starfall, chatting away.

A ridiculous twinge of disappointment goes through me. What did I hope? That my mate would lounge naked on my furs?

May leans close and murmurs something to the unicorn before shooting me a mischievous grin.

My old friend gives a whinnied laugh and rips up another mouthful of grass.

“You two are getting along.” I set everything down and begin clearing an area of ground for a campfire, then pull over a log for a seat.

“Of course we are,” May says. “I’m good company, and so is Starfall.”

I leave them to it as I enter the forest to gather wood.

If my bride can charm the grumpy unicorn, then she’ll be able to charm anyone.

Much like me, Starfall has known from a young age she’s destined to rule. It adds a weight to everything in life, and it sets one apart from those who would otherwise be peers. In her case, even the other grumpy unicorns remain a bit guarded around my friend.

In contrast, May treats my friend like a regular person, perhaps because she doesn’t know Starfall’s position. Then again, May knows I’m king and doesn’t treat me with any deference, either.

When I return to the meadow, May gives Starfall one last pat and trots over to me. “How can I help?”

“Do you know how to start a fire?”

“Not without lighter fluid and a lighter.” She shoots me a grin. “But I can learn.”

I nod and show her how to build a small cone of tinder, then spark it to life with my fire stone.

“You’ve got a lighter!” she says, picking up the crystal and staring at it. “A magical one.”

I feed more tiny twigs to the fire, working up to larger ones.

She watches me closely and mimics my actions.

“Good. Keep feeding it larger pieces, while I clean the rabbits.”

I prepare them where the creek runs from the meadow, letting the water wash away the blood. Then I bury the discarded parts in the forest, to keep predators away from our campsite.

May has a decent-sized fire burning by the time I get back. She grins up at my approving nod. “I like learning things.”

I rub salt and herbs onto the spitted rabbits and extend one of the sticks toward her.

She takes it readily and holds it over the fire, a bit too far from the flames.

I reach out to show her the right height, and my hand swallows hers as a flash of awareness goes through me at the contact.

“Won’t…” She swallows. “Won’t it burn that close?”

My fingers move over hers, delighting in the softness of her skin. “Not if you keep turning it constantly.”

She nods, and I reluctantly release my grip so I can prepare the vegetables, chopping them and adding them to a greased pan with salt.

“You sure do travel prepared.”

“I have to,” I say. “I spend over half the year traveling from one orc village to the next. We have to camp in between villages.”

“Why?” Her eyes flicker up to my crown. “You’re king. Why aren’t you sitting in a castle somewhere ordering other people around?”

“That’s never been the orc way. Even in Faerie of old, orc rulers always led from the front. We’re traditionally a warrior race, and a ruler who can’t fight isn’t much of a leader.

“Then, when the doors of Faerie closed and the Moon Goddess brought us to Alarria, everything changed for my people. We were fractured, torn in two, with almost half our population left behind in Avalon.” I stare into the fire, remembering all the stories passed down through the royal family. “Alarria was completely wild and unsettled, and we were cut off from the magic of the elves, which we used to trade our services for. Suddenly, there were no farms, no buildings, and no help. We had to rebuild a civilization from scratch.”

“That bitch! Going around and messing with people’s lives,” May spits. “Why the hell did she do that to you?”

“To save us, it seems. When the doors to Faerie recently reopened, we discovered that Avalon, our home realm, had been taken over by a Dark God. That world is now stripped of magic, its fae made over into shadow creatures.” I take the cooked rabbit from her and set it on a pewter plate so I can cook the vegetables. “And the goddess gave us gifts. The standing stones of Alarria provide many of the big magics we used to get from elves. Alarria also has the heart trees, which we use to make our cottages. It’s a simpler existence, but a good one.”

“And you have unicorn allies now,” Starfall says. “That in and of itself is worth it.”

“You’re not from Avalon?” May asks.

“No, the wide grasslands of Umbria are our home realm.”

The mushrooms and fiddleheads cook quickly, adding their scent to the rich smell of the cooked meat. My bride’s stomach grumbles, and I make up a plate for her, offering her one of the thighs.

She bites into the meat with her little human teeth and makes that happy moan again.

The one that goes straight to my cock.

“Thish ish sho good,” she says, words slightly distorted as she keeps chewing.

I grin to see her appetite and use my tusks to rip off a large hunk of meat, the salt and savor of it heady on my tongue. The mushrooms are earthy and rich, and the bright, green taste of the fiddleheads sets off both other flavors nicely.

I finish quickly and cook the next rabbit while she works her way through her meal. By the time she’s cleaned her plate, I add another two thighs to it.

“Okay, whoa.” She chuckles and holds up a hand, palm forward. “Exactly how much do you think I can eat?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “But I’d rather give you too much than too little. Eat what you will, and I’ll finish the rest.”

“You’ve got a deal.” She picks up one of the thighs and takes a big bite—or big for a human, that is.

We eat for several more minutes, night falling around us.

The tiniest prickle of premonition sweeps over me.

My moon bound falls asleep between one bite and the next, slumping against my shoulder, her hands falling lax, her plate precariously perched on her lap.

The magical warning allows me to catch her. I scoop her into my arms and press a tooth cleaning berry between her lips. “Chew.”

She gives a little sound of protest but does as I ask, and I carry her to the tent, lay her down, and remove her little human boots. May curls onto her side, burrowing her face into the soft fur of the improvised pillow with a happy sigh. My bride looks so good on my furs, and I can only stare, caught rapt by the sight.

Starfall snorts behind me. “Are you going to crouch there all night?”

I straighten and stalk back to the fire, picking up the last of the rabbit and ripping at the meat with my tusks. When I’m done, I clean up and bank the flames.

Then I stand, my back to the last bit of firelight, and let the stillness of the night fill me. Starfall grazes nearby, the soft sound of her chewing louder than the faint scurries of tiny creatures moving through the tall grass.

My magic spirals out of me, seeking some premonition of when the ogre will attack, for I do not think he will give up the sky gift of my bride so easily. My magic is a diluted form. Elves used to get premonitions of far future events. For acute threats, I typically get only a few seconds of warning. Yet seconds are an eternity in a fight. My magic has saved my life many times, but I wish it worked better now that I have May to protect.

Yet there’s no warning prickle across my senses. Whatever will happen with him will hopefully not happen tonight.

I walk over to Starfall. “It should be a peaceful night.”

“Sleep. I will eat and stand guard.”

“You need your rest as well.” I lay a hand on her withers. Unicorns have to lie down to truly sleep, which leaves them vulnerable. We usually travel with so many of my guard that everyone gets a chance to rest, but these last couple of days, it’s been only the two of us. “You’ve run hard. I can keep watch.”

“As long as I get enough food, my self healing will take care of fatigue.” She taps my shoulder with her horn. “Go. I’ll doze standing. It will be enough.”

“But—”

“Go!” She lifts her head and pokes me with her horn, none too gently. Then she gives a soft whicker of a laugh. “You can’t tell me you don’t wish to join your moon bound bride in the furs.”

A huff of amusement escapes me. “You know me well.”

After removing my boots, sword belt, and crown, I crawl into the tent and settle onto the furs on my side, facing May.

Her sweet scent fills the confined space, and I breathe deeply. Only the faintest bit of light makes it into the tent, but it’s enough for my keen fae eyesight. Her beautiful face is lovely in repose, all her fire smoothed into the sweetness she’s shown glimpses of all day. I like seeing it, like knowing she feels both passion and peace.

My bride makes a delighted gasp in her sleep, the sound going straight to my cock. By the goddess, the delectable noises this woman makes! What will she sound like with my head buried between her thighs?

Imaginings fill my head as I drift off to sleep, and if my bride could read my mind in this moment, she’d laugh at how right she was about me.

All of my dreams are indeed filthy.