Page 22

CHAPTER 22

KAIDEN

It takes all my self-control not to climax at the same instant as Mira. Her pussy clamps down on my shaft so hard that dark spots mar my vision. I blink fast to clear the dizziness and stare down at my sweet, beautiful mate. Mira.

I’ve never put much thought into how long I wished to live until she became mine. Now that we’re together, I find myself hoping I’ll break age records among my people just so I have more time with her. An eternity isn’t long enough.

Her wavy hair is splayed around her head on the moss bed, and she peers up at me with those familiar green eyes in which I could happily drown.

How did I manage to resist her for weeks?

If I’d known how sweet she tasted and how prettily she moaned when excited, I might have grabbed her and rutted her in the receiving hall on Tribute Day.

“Kaiden,” she moans my name as her pussy finishes contracting around my plunging length, and something inside my soul shifts.

The warmth that fills me is endless as the skies, and my devotion for her knows no limits.

I hasten the pace of my thrusts, driving my cock between her quivering thighs again and again.

“Mira. My perfect little mate. My sweet little nymph. How I adore you,” I murmur as I lean down to capture a nipple between my teeth.

She groans and arches into my ministrations as I alternate suckling and biting each of her nipples. The salty but honeyed taste of her flesh makes me want to lick her all over, especially when the scent of her arousal heightens in the gentle summer breeze.

My cock suddenly throbs harder inside her, and the pleasure swelling in my loins explodes at last. I toss my head back with a growl and firm my grasp on her hips. My muscles tense as my seed erupts into her tight depths, spurt after spurt until it starts leaking from her core even as I continue the quick thrusts.

I don’t stop until the final gush of my essence fills her, and it’s at that moment, I experience an endless wave of warmth as the mating bond fully forms between us.

Breathless from my exertions, I brace my arms on either side of her, careful not to crush her with my weight. Our eyes meet and I swear the song of the nighttime insects becomes louder and more beautiful, a soulful echo throughout the swaying trees. The breeze has picked up, cooling our bodies in the aftermath of our lovemaking.

Lovemaking.

The word lingers in my thoughts as I hold Mira’s gaze.

We didn’t just mate, I realize. We made love.

Frantic, lust-fueled love.

My throat burns as emotion tightens in my chest. It’s early in our mating union, and yet I’m certain of the depths of my devotion for the little nymph. There’s no denying how much I care for her. How much I… love her. I swallow hard. Can I say it? Should I say it?

What if she doesn’t reciprocate?

I almost laugh at my own ridiculousness. I’m over nine hundred years old, and I happen to be one of the most powerful highborn fae males the Summer Court has ever known, yet I’m hesitant to utter the words that hover on my lips due to my own insecurities.

“What is it?” Mira places a hand on my chest and gives me a look that’s so filled with trust, it causes my heart to swell with tenderness.

I decide to be honest. Even if she laughs at me, though I don’t believe she will. Even if she needs more time until she feels the same way. I try to convince myself it doesn’t matter if she reciprocates my full affections just yet, since we’re already mated and she’s not going anywhere. The warmth of the mating bond will remain strong until she eventually falls in love with me.

A fae mating union lasts forever, I remind myself.

Forfuckingever.

I force in a deep breath and cup the side of her face. “I love you, little nymph. Gods, how I love you.”

Tears brim in her eyes, and after a long moment, her face illuminates with a gentle smile. Her apparent happiness is everything to me, though I still can’t help but feel nervous as I await her response.

She reaches for my face and pulls me down, until our lips meet in a soft, sweet kiss that heightens the warmth that’s flowing between us.

I love you too, you big, proud, arrogant fae.

I startle. I just heard her voice. Inside my head. But I don’t believe she realizes she just sent me the thought. She’s gazing up at me with a mildly teasing expression when there’s an abrupt hush in the forest that chills my blood.

The song of the nighttime insects halts, and so does the trilling of the tree frogs. I exchange a worried look with Mira and motion for her to remain silent.

I guide her to her feet, and we approach our discarded clothing. As rapidly and quietly as possible, we dress as the breeze turns chillier than usual on Summer Court lands.

The sudden, ominous silence. The drop in temperature.

Fucking gods, it can only mean one thing.

Greshhlins. There are greshhlins nearby.

If you can hear me, Mira, walk closer to the willow tree and use it and whatever else you need to create a sturdy structure to conceal yourself within. You must remain hidden. Promise me you’ll remain hidden.

Her eyes go huge and round, and I know she just heard me. Good. This aspect of our mating bond might very well save her life. The more noise we make, the more likely it is the greshhlins will find us. Talking would bring them to us within seconds.

I can hear you, Kaiden. What’s happening? She glances around the forest. Please explain. I sense something terribly cold and dead and evil is coming our way.

Back up to the willow tree and start making your hiding place now. Please don’t delay. I shoot her a pleading look. It’s greshhlins. There are greshhlins nearby, though they have never ventured this far away from Linnshire lands before.

I consider how and why the greshhlins might’ve left the Linnshire area. It’s said they were once fae who cannibalized other fae during a time of great famine, and the gods cursed them to become the foul, miserable creatures they are today. Creatures who feed off fear but can never satiate their wicked hunger.

According to the old stories, the greshhlins committed their worst deeds in the high mountain caves near my family’s holdings and now they’re bound to the Linnshire province of the Summer Court for eternity, unable to gratify their dark appetites or move on to the afterlife.

Yet the greshhlins are here .

There’s no mistaking it. I can sense their malevolent presence. It chills my blood and causes the hair on the back of my neck to prickle.

Bloody gods, Mira. Do as I say. Create a hiding place for yourself. Now. If it weren’t so dangerous to make a sound, I would growl at her. Instead, I make an urgent shooing gesture at the willow tree.

She reaches for my hands. Hide with me.

I can’t. I push her toward the willow tree. The greshhlins have never left Linnshire before. The faefolk who live in this area won’t know how to defend themselves, and they’ll face certain slaughter. I must try to erect wards and trap the greshhlins in the forest. Then I will take you back to Trevos where you’ll be safest, and I’ll rush to Linnshire to fetch the highborn guards for assistance. Even as I inform her of my plan, my gut twists. I don’t like the idea of us parting, even if I briefly left her in the safety of Trevos, and the hair on the back of my neck prickles anew.

All my instincts scream that I should stay close to Mira. That I shouldn’t let her out of my sight even for the briefest of moments. Not just because it’s my duty to protect her, but because we’re supposed to stay together .

Hide. Please, Mira, I am begging you. I am ordering you.

Shock fills her visage as she peers at something behind me. It’s too late. They’re here. By the way, I love you too.