Page 15 of Fey Empire (Fey Lords #5)

Chapter fourteen

I ’m slowly drifting awake. But I am so comfortable, I don’t want to stir. I’m warm and safe, and I never want to move. I’m floating. The empty void inside me is now home to a tiny flickering flame of magic. Its presence is soothing. If I wake up, I won’t be able to sense it so clearly.

Despite my reluctance, reality is coalescing around me. Awareness is coming piece by piece.

Oh no. I fell asleep at Selwyn’s feet. Under the table. With my head on his thigh.

I’m not there anymore. I’m somewhere else. Which means I slept so deeply I didn't wake when someone moved me. That’s unsettling. I know I’ve had several nights of no sleep at all, scattered with a few hours here and there on other nights, but still. I don’t think I’ve ever slept so deeply.

Nobody has ever carried me since I was a small child. It is disorienting to fall asleep in one place and wake up in another.

Where am I?

I don’t want to open my eyes yet. I’m still too sleepy. The long weeks of sleeplessness have finally caught up with me. But I would like to know where I am .

Slowly, I take stock. Oh my goddess. I’m curled up on Selwyn’s lap like a baby. I’m using his shoulder as a pillow, and he is just sitting here quietly holding me. I think we are still in the meeting room, and it sounds like we are alone.

The sound of a door quietly opening reaches me. Footsteps draw near.

“If you wake my consort,” Selwyn whispers. “I will gut you like a fish.”

Oh my. My eyelids scrunch. I cannot let him know I’m awake now, or this poor person will get into trouble.

Footsteps retreat far quicker than they arrived. Silence resumes. Selwyn hasn’t moved, but I think he is on to me.

Suddenly, he stands, and it's all I can do not to yelp. He strides forward with me in his arms as if I weigh nothing. Heavens, I should let him know I am awake.

But this feels so damn nice. Who wouldn’t want to be carried in the arms of a handsome prince?

I keep my eyes closed and savour every moment of being carried through the fey court. I have no idea if anyone sees me, and strangely, I don’t care.

Somehow, even though I can’t see, I recognise my bedchamber. Selwyn gently places me down on the sheets. Then, he carefully pulls off my soft doeskin boots.

This bed is so comfortable. The pillow is so soft. I feel like I’m lying on a cloud. And I’m still so very sleepy. My limbs are heavy and my heartbeat is languid.

Selwyn’s hand runs lightly over my hair. Then he is gone, the door shutting quietly behind him.

I curl up a little more, and let sleep take me away again.

The next time I wake up, it’s morning. I blink as disorientation swirls through me. How on earth did I sleep for so long ?

Selwyn is lying beside me. Awake, and watching me calmly. I swallow and stare back at him. I cannot see any anger in his gold-flecked eyes. He doesn’t mind that I fell asleep and stayed gone for the whole night.

Slowly, he pulls back the sheets, revealing his naked body and his hard cock.

Oh yes. Morning duties.

I scramble up into a sitting position. “May I use my mouth?”

Selwyn raises an eyebrow. Heat burns my cheeks.

He chuckles. “Yes, I grant you the honour of sucking my cock.”

It does feel like an honour. He doesn’t need to tease. But it is fine, because actually, I like his gentle taunting. It feels intimate. People don’t joke with those they hate. My mother never jokes at all. With anyone.

I give Selwyn a tentative, small smile. I’m not sure if I should smile at him, but I’m feeling brave this morning. He blinks, and his eyes gleam.

Okay, that went better than expected. However, he is going to run out of patience if I don’t get on with things.

I move onto my hands and knees, facing sideways on the bed with my head directly above his cock. The strange yearning, fluttery feeling is back. I think it is desire. Or lust. Perhaps both, even though I’m not quite sure what the difference is.

I lower my head. My thoughts go offline.

Selwyn’s cock is hot. Silk and steel. Heavy and divine. He smells incredible, and I cannot get enough of him .

I worship his heavenly cock for an unknown length of time. My mind is calm. Bliss is humming in my veins .

His oiled finger appears at my hole and pulls a gasp from me. I had no awareness of him reaching for the oil, or sliding my robes up to bare my ass.

Now, his finger is teasing around my puckered rim. Caressing the sensitive skin. I moan, and my shameless hips push back, seeking more of his touch.

He doesn’t relent. His finger goes around and around, a taunting brush over, and then around and around in the other direction.

I’m rocking and whining and trying to concentrate on pleasuring his cock, but it is so hard with all the sensations shooting through me. His touch has awakened every single one of my nerve endings and made them sing for him.

A deep groan escapes my lungs, reverberates around the cock filling my mouth, and reaches freedom.

Selwyn has sunk his finger inside me, and it feels so damn good.

“So responsive,” breathes Selwyn. “One day, you are going to love taking my cock.”

He pushes a second finger in, and I sob and drool around his cock.

“Good boy.”

His fingers slide in and out of me. My limbs are trembling. I’m only holding him in my mouth now. The pleasure crashing through me is far too distracting to remember how to coordinate my muscles.

His fingers slide in deeper. They pick up the pace. A confident rhythm that is maddening because it is not quite fast enough.

Nevertheless, I whine and writhe, and my orgasm builds and builds. Storm clouds of ecstasy gathering deep inside me, waiting to unleash their joint fury .

“Cum for me, consort,” growls Selwyn.

His fingers curl. I keen around his cock. I shudder. My body clenches around his fingers. His cock swells and throbs. His seed gushes down my throat. My seed spurts onto my belly and drips down onto the bed.

I release his cock and suck in a lungful of oxygen. His fingers leave me. It is hard not to whimper at the loss.

He rolls off the bed. Shrugs into a soft dressing gown, and strides out of the bedroom.

I continue to pant. Why does he leave like that? I don’t think I did anything wrong. Maybe it is a fey thing. Perhaps he believes he is being polite by giving me privacy to pull myself together?

I don’t know. And I have no idea how to find out.

Sighing. I climb off the bed. I need a bath, and a pee after being asleep for so long. Then I’m going to tape my pencil together and draw in the library.

Unless my husband needs me again.

A short while later, I’m clean and dressed and humming to myself as I walk to the library. I left my sketchbook and pencil in there yesterday, but both were on my dresser this morning. Peaony was able to find me some Sellotape, and my pencil repair is working better than I expected.

I place my hand on the handle of the library and push down. Nothing happens. I frown and try again.

It takes an embarrassingly long time to realise that the door is locked .

My heart sinks. Peaony said Selwyn didn’t use his library much, so I thought he wouldn’t mind. Clearly he does. And clearly the progress I thought we were making was all in my head. He is enjoying my body. He isn’t enjoying me.

I bite my bottom lip. It’s fine. I’ll just find somewhere else to draw.

The main sitting room is bright, but it is overflowing with his plants. It is obviously far too personal a space to invade.

I’ll go to the breakfast room. The light in there is not bad. It will do.

I hold my head high and go to the breakfast room and get settled. I open my sketchbook and seek the calm that drawing gives me.

Several hours later, a shadow falls over me. I yelp and look up. Selwyn stares down at me.

“I wish to show you something,” he says.

“Of course, my lord husband.”

I quickly put my drawing things down and get to my feet. He offers me his arm. I take it and am immediately hit with the tingly-fluttery feeling.

Prince Selwyn takes me to the library door.

I swallow, drop my gaze and wait to be berated. My heart is beating like a crazy thing. I hope he cannot hear it.

He opens the door and ushers me inside. I stare at my feet. We stop in the middle of the room.

Silence. I’m pretty sure I didn’t break anything. I don’t think I even touched anything. But clearly I did something wrong. Locking the library was not enough, the transgression was bad enough that he has had to bring me here for a scolding.

“Laurie, look. ”

I lift my gaze.

I blink, but my eyes stubbornly tell me the same thing.

The library has been transformed. The books are gone.

The gorgeous light streaming through the many high windows is now illuminating an easel.

And a large desk. As well as shelves full of pencils, paints and brushes.

And a huge stack of extremely high-quality sketchbooks of varying sizes and paper types.

I gasp and cover my mouth.

“Write a list of what else you need and I will see it brought to you.”

My gaze falls on the gorgeous draughtsman chair. And the beanbag. And the window seat that has been stocked with fresh cushions.

Tears roll down my cheeks.

Selwyn makes a distraught noise. I turn to him. His eyes are frantic.

“You are leaking again. Shall I fetch your brother?”

I shake my head and try to find the breath to talk.

“I’m happy. These are happy tears.”

Selwyn’s eyebrows lift. “Humans cry when they are happy?”

I nod some more. Then I fling myself at him. I wrap my arms around him and hold on tight.

At first, he is as stiff as a board. Then he melts. His arms wrap around me as if I am something precious.

“Laurie,” he whispers softly.

And it sounds like a prayer.