Page 10 of Fairy’s Forbidden Touch (Wings & Whispers #2)

“Let me guess—they’re not thrilled about you and me.”

“They have begun to make their objections known,” he confirmed. “Nothing overt yet, but the whispers grow louder.”

“Political complications,” I summarized. “Because of course there had to be political complications.”

He stepped closer, cool hands framing my face. “I will protect you, Jesse. From any who would seek to interfere or cause harm. You have my word.”

The fierceness in his tone was new—a glimpse of the powerful prince beneath the reserved exterior I’d grown accustomed to. It was both reassuring and slightly terrifying to be reminded of exactly who and what he was.

“I believe you,” I said softly. “But I need time to think about all this. It’s a lot to take in.”

He nodded, though I could see the concern lingering in his eyes. “Of course. I should perhaps leave you to your thoughts.”

“No,” I said quickly, surprising myself with the vehemence of my response. “Stay. Please. Just because I need to process doesn’t mean I want you to go.”

Relief washed over his features. “I am glad. I find I… do not like being apart from you.”

The simple admission made something warm unfurl in my chest. Whatever magical bond might exist between us, there was something very real and very human in the way he looked at me—in the vulnerability he showed only when we were alone.

“Help me unpack?” I suggested, needing something mundane to ground myself after such earth-shaking revelations.

He nodded immediately. “I would be honored to assist in establishing your dwelling.”

For the next few hours, we fell into an easy rhythm of unpacking boxes and arranging my meager possessions.

Thalen approached the task with the same meticulous attention he gave everything, asking questions about the purpose and significance of various items. It was domestic and normal in a way that helped calm my racing thoughts.

As evening fell, we ordered takeout—another human experience Thalen had come to appreciate, particularly spicy foods that apparently were rare in the fae realm. We ate sitting on the floor, using the coffee table Maya had donated as a dining surface.

“Can I ask you something?” I said as we finished our meal. “About this bond thing.”

“Of course,” he replied, setting aside his empty container.

“When did you first suspect? That I might be… whatever this is to you.”

He considered the question carefully. “I felt something unusual the first night you served me at the café. A resonance I had never experienced before. But I did not truly understand its significance until the moment we touched and you remained unharmed.”

“And you believe it? That we’re magically meant for each other or whatever?”

His expression turned serious. “I believe that what exists between us is extraordinary, regardless of what name we give it. The fact that you alone can touch me without harm is undeniable. Whether that makes us ‘destined’ is perhaps less important than what we choose to build together.”

It was a good answer—thoughtful and measured, leaving room for both magic and free will. Typical Thalen.

“One more question,” I said. “If I… if we decided to pursue this officially. To acknowledge the bond. What would that actually mean for me? For my life here?”

“It would mean division of your time between realms,” he explained. “Learning our ways, our language, our governance. Eventually, standing beside me in official capacities.” He paused, adding, “It would also mean extended lifespan, as the bond naturally aligns your temporal energy with mine.”

I nearly choked. “Extended lifespan? As in, I would live longer?”

“Significantly longer,” he confirmed. “Though not immortal. Perhaps several centuries, based on historical precedent.”

“Centuries,” I repeated faintly. “That’s… a lot to process.”

“Indeed. Which is why I did not wish to burden you with these matters until necessary.”

I moved to sit beside him on the floor, leaning against the couch. “Why did it become necessary now? What changed?”

He hesitated, then admitted, “The opposition grows more organized. There have been… suggestions that steps should be taken to separate us before the bond deepens further.”

“What kind of steps?” I asked, suddenly alert.

“Nothing that will come to pass,” he assured me quickly. “My position protects you. But I felt you should know the full situation.”

I studied his face, sensing there was still something he wasn’t telling me. “Thalen. What aren’t you saying?”

He sighed, the formal facade slipping. “There is a tradition… when a true bond is confirmed, it must be formally acknowledged within a certain timeframe. Otherwise, it is considered rejected, and measures can be taken to sever it.”

“What kind of timeframe are we talking about?”

“One lunar cycle from official recognition,” he said. “Which, in our case, would be… three days from now.”

“Three days?!” I exclaimed. “And you’re just telling me this now?”

He looked genuinely remorseful. “I had hoped to find an alternative. To give you more time. But the court astrologers have set the date, and tradition is… inflexible in these matters.”

I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the pressure of this impossible decision. “So I have three days to decide whether to become magically bonded to you for centuries, or reject the bond and… what? Never see you again?”

“Not never,” he said quickly. “But the connection would be… altered. Diminished.”

“Jesus,” I muttered. “Talk about relationship pressure.”

Thalen moved closer, taking my hands in his cool ones. “I will respect whatever choice you make, Jesse. If you wish to reject the formal bond, I will find ways to continue seeing you, court traditions be damned.”

The fierce determination in his voice made something shift inside me. This wasn’t just about magical bonds or court politics—it was about us, about what had grown between us over these past weeks. Something real and valuable, regardless of its magical origins.

“I need to think,” I said finally. “Can I have until tomorrow night? To make a decision?”

He nodded immediately. “Of course. Whatever time you need, within the constraints we face.”

I leaned forward to kiss him, needing the reassurance of physical connection amidst all this magical complexity. His response was immediate and intense, cool lips moving against mine with an urgency that spoke of his own emotional turmoil.

What had started as a gentle kiss quickly evolved into something more desperate, his hands tangling in my hair as mine sought the fastenings of his shirt. We’d become experts at undressing each other over the past weeks, and soon clothing was being discarded with frantic efficiency.

There was a new intensity to our encounter—a need to connect physically while so much remained uncertain emotionally. I pushed him back against the floor, taking control in a way he had come to enjoy despite his naturally commanding nature.

“I need you,” I murmured against his throat, working my way down his body with lips and teeth and tongue. “Right now.”

“Yes,” he breathed, the patterns beneath his skin flaring brightly in the dimly lit apartment. “Please, Jesse.”

I retrieved the lubricant from my hastily unpacked bedroom supplies, returning to find him gloriously naked on my living room floor, silver hair spread around him like a halo. The sight never failed to take my breath away—the otherworldly beauty of him, the fact that I alone could touch him.

Maybe there is something to this magical bond thing after all.

With practiced movements, I prepared him, watching as the patterns beneath his skin pulsed brighter with each touch. He had become more vocal over our time together, more willing to express his pleasure openly, and the sounds he made now echoed through my small apartment.

When I finally pushed inside him, the connection felt more significant than ever—not just physical pleasure but something deeper, a joining that transcended the merely carnal. His legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me deeper as his hands clutched at my shoulders.

“Jesse,” he gasped, my name in his musical accent sending shivers down my spine. “I can feel the bond. Between us. Can you feel it?”

And surprisingly, I could—a subtle vibration, a resonance that seemed to flow between us with each movement. Something that had perhaps always been there but that I was only now conscious enough to recognize.

“Yes,” I admitted, maintaining the rhythm that I knew drove him wild. “I feel it.”

His expression transformed with wonder and relief, the patterns beneath his skin brightening to illuminate the room. Around us, I became aware of a subtle shimmer in the air—similar to what had happened in his chambers in the fae realm, but more subdued in the human world.

“It grows stronger,” he whispered. “With acknowledgment.”

I leaned down to capture his lips, increasing the pace as our bodies moved together with practiced synchronicity. Whatever was happening between us—magic or chemistry or some combination of both—it felt right, felt necessary.

When release came, it crashed through both of us simultaneously, the patterns beneath his skin flaring blindingly bright as the shimmer in the air coalesced around us momentarily before dissipating like mist. I collapsed beside him, breathing hard, my mind struggling to process the intensity of what we’d just experienced.

“That was…” I began, then found myself without adequate words.

“The bond responding to our connection,” he explained softly, turning to face me. “It seeks acknowledgment.”

I traced the patterns on his chest, watching as they brightened under my touch. “Is it always going to be like that? If we… formalize things?”

“More so,” he admitted. “In my realm, the effects would be even more pronounced.”

The thought was both intimidating and incredibly appealing. Sex with Thalen was already mind-blowing—the idea that it could be even more intense was almost too much to contemplate.

We lay in comfortable silence for a while, my hand continuing its idle exploration of his skin while his fingers played with my hair. Despite the enormity of the decision facing me, I felt strangely peaceful in this moment.

“I should go,” he said eventually, though he made no move to disentangle himself. “To give you space for consideration.”

“Stay,” I said immediately. “First night in my new place. I want you here.”

The smile that bloomed across his face was worth any amount of magical complication. “Then I shall remain.”

We relocated to the bedroom, where my newly purchased bed—the first real adult furniture I’d ever owned—awaited.

As we settled beneath the covers, Thalen’s cool body pressed against mine in a now-familiar way, I found myself thinking that whatever decision I made, it would be based on this—on the simple rightness of being together, magical bond or no.