Page 20

CHAPTER 20

KAIDEN

Seated on a ledge submerged within the spring, I cradle Mira in my arms. The glow of ushha from the forest surrounds us, lending an aura of magic to the atmosphere. Home. Though I’m not in Linnshire, the Summer Court is still home, and I’m glad to have the little nymph on familiar lands. Even if we must depart in the morning and return to Trevos.

One day, I will bring her to Linnshire. Perhaps in a few months, we’ll manage a quick trip. I would take her there tonight, but the visit would add an extra day to our journey, and I’ve been away from Trevos for too long already. Plus, I don’t want to risk exposing her to the greshhlins until I’m better able to assess her powers.

Now that I know Mira is part-fae, I’ve been thinking more about the prophecy. Maybe she possesses powers of which she’s not yet aware. Of course, if she is only able to influence plant growth, I will not fault her for it, and I can’t deny it’s a good skill to have.

But if she’s not able to create and maintain wards, or fight malevolent spirit beings by any other methods, I will have to take extra care with her when we eventually relocate to Linnshire. I remind myself that I’ll likely be stationed in Trevos for many years, so we have time to assess her full powers and determine what kind of extra precautions must be taken.

No matter what, I will keep her safe. I will protect her from whatever dangers might come our way. I take solace in the knowledge that if she’s ever in danger, I’ll likely feel it again and be able to sense her location. Just like when she was being attacked by the creditors.

I imagine that once we consummate our union, the mating bond will become even stronger between us. Perhaps we’ll be able to share thoughts with one another. My parents could communicate that way, even from great distances, and I find myself growing more eager to discover how the mating bond will eventually manifest.

The sound of nighttime insects increases, swelling around us as the sun disappears completely behind the Trusshan Mountains. I press a kiss atop Mira’s head and draw in a deep inhale of her floral scent. Gods, everything about her is addictive and I’m not sure I’ll ever get enough.

My cock throbs beneath her bottom.

Tonight, I’ll claim her.

In the middle of a Summer Court forest.

She stretches her legs out a bit and gives me a sweet smile. “This feels amazing. I wish there were hot springs in Trevos. I could get used to this.”

I smile. “It’s only a few hours’ flight time from here to Trevos. We can visit now and then.”

“I still can’t believe how quickly you can fly and how great a distance you can cover in just a day. It’s very unfair. I want wings.”

“Unless your great great-grandfather, or however far back it goes, was an exceptionally high born fae, such as a prince, I doubt you will manage to summon wings.” I hug her close. “But I am more than happy to fly you around. You may consider me your personal transport.”

“Lucky me.” She caresses my chest softly as the steam from the pool swirls upward. Her eyes become hooded, and she squirms on my lap, causing me to groan as my cock slips directly between her thighs, sliding against her warm chasm.

“We’re supposed to be getting clean, little nymph, and here you are tempting me.” I give her a scolding look even as I grasp her hips and press her down on my appendage. My length throbs between her nether lips, but I’m not quite inside her. Not yet but soon.

Her breath falters and her cheeks become darker in the ushha glow. Blushing. She’s seated on my lap with my cock sliding along her core, blushing like a sweet little virgin. But I remind myself that perhaps she has experience. I’ve never asked. Not that it matters.

Even if she’s lain with others, I will be her last and her only until death one day parts us. I will also erase the memory of whoever might’ve come before with the exceptionally hard pounding I plan to give her. Even if she is an innocent, she’s part-fae and she can take it. She can withstand the rigors of a long, hard fucking.

Mischief glints in her eyes, and she squirms on my lap again.

I decide we’re clean enough, and I stand with her in my arms and exit the pool, eager to lay her down on a soft bed of moss and fuck her senseless. As though reading my mind, the moss growth I approach becomes thicker and larger. The long, glittering branches of a nearby willow tree also extend to create a makeshift curtain that dances in the breeze.

I lay my little nymph down on the green bed, and she smirks up at me. “Show off,” I mutter, then lean down to press my lips to hers.

Not breaking the kiss, I situate myself between her thighs and groan at the increasing scent of her arousal. She whimpers into my mouth as her tongue tangles with mine. I hold her face and deepen the kiss, beyond ravenous to finally claim what’s mine. My cock throbs at the entrance of her warm, slick pussy, but I don’t thrust inside. Before I pound her to oblivion, I intend to taste her.

Her whimpers and moans fill my ears, drowning out the sounds of nighttime insects. She runs her hands up and down my back, and occasionally, she thrusts her center upward as though trying to impale herself on my ready shaft. Impatient little nymph. I thrill at the realization that she’s just as eager as I am, and I resolve that I will make our first mating a night to remember.

I reach between our bodies and glide my fingers through her wet folds. She gasps and quivers beneath me, and I soon shift my focus to the engorged button I find within. Her pulsating little clit.

Wanting to glimpse her face, I break the kiss and stare down at her as I continue strumming her sensitive nubbin. Her fingers dig into my back, and she releases a keening moan. Her expression turns euphoric as I spread moisture from her core atop her clit and increase the pace of my caresses.

“Have you ever touched yourself like this, little nymph?”

Her eyes meet mine, then flutter shut as her face twists with pleasure. Close. She’s close to the precipice of a thunderous climax. I can sense it in the rhythm of her body as she gyrates her center against my stroking fingers.

“Yes,” she finally says. “Yes, I have touched myself before.”

“Have you ever made yourself come?”

Her eyes fly open, and she gives me a beseeching look as a fresh blush covers her face. Dark delight swirls through me knowing that my questions are causing her some degree of embarrassment. But she’s my mate and I expect an answer. There will be no secrets between us. And from this night forward, her pleasure will belong to me.

“I asked you a question and I expect an answer,” I say in a scolding tone as I pause the caresses to her clit. “Have you ever made yourself come?”

“Yes,” she says in a needy, anguished voice as she jerks her center upward and into my unmoving hand. “Yes, I have made myself orgasm many, many times. If you must know, I am no stranger to self-gratification.”

I resume circling her clit, but I keep the strokes slow, purposely teasing her. Watching her gasp and undulate against my hand while she gives me a pleading look is making my cock so fucking hard. A growl rumbles from my chest as my scrotum draws up tight with sensation, and pleasure coils at the base of my spine, ready to burst forth.

I move my fingers from her clit and nudge the slick opening of her pussy. Her eyes flare wide and her trembling increases. Her breaths also become ragged, her chest rising and falling rapidly. My gaze drifts to her glorious breasts and those tight, pink nipples I’ve been aching to suckle and bite. I wait until she meets my gaze before I ask my next question.

“Have you ever done what we’re about to do, little nymph?” I press two fingers inside her core, breaching her entrance but not shoving very deep. “Have you ever had a cock inside you?”

She whimpers and shakes her head. “No, no, I haven’t.”

I push deeper, until I encounter a fleshy obstacle that makes her wince. “Well, it’s going to be a pleasure breaking you in.” I keep my fingers submerged as I nudge at the barrier of her innocence a few more times. “But before I break you in, Mira, I’m going to feast on your slick, pink parts.” I withdraw my hand from between her thighs, slowly kiss my way down her body, then bury my face in her pussy.