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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Vena and I shared a mutual cringe at Effora’s words.

“I’d like you right where you are, and how I’d like you is honest,” Shepard replied to her.

“Mmm, sounds interesting. Do you want to know how I’m touching myself?”

Vena pantomimed gagging, and I nodded.

“I want to know what you know about a fae relic that can pull an entire race into the fae realm.”

She was silent for a moment. “Pardon?”

“A very old fae relic, Effora. It’s rumored to be why the treaty was created in the first place.”

“The fae made it so they could pull all the humans into the fae realm,” Vena said. “The vampires got mad—I wonder if that’s where the story about Vlad the Impaler comes from. Maybe he wasn’t killing people but the fae who stole his meals. Anyway, the fae agreed not to use it, and here we are, all happily living in the same world. What happened to the relic?”

“I don’t know what relic you’re referring to.”

Effora was brash and abrasive most of the time. Haughty the rest of the time. She was rarely nervous, but that was exactly how she sounded. Shepard heard it too.

“I think you do know,” Shepard said, “and you’re worried. You should be. The Hunters, a well-renowned pair of treasure hunters, were hired by a private party to find the relic over a decade ago. They went missing after that. What are the chances they found what they were sent to find?”

She was quiet for a long moment. Vena opened her mouth to say something, but Shepard silenced her with a look.

Effora huffed. “The chances are high. Why else would the bitch want the rings or be willing to reveal her kind to the world after centuries in the dark?”

My stomach dropped as I understood what she was saying. Orphia was the one after the relic. She was the one responsible for Grandma and Grandpa Hunter’s disappearance. I glanced at Vena and saw her anger.

“Once she has all the stones, she’ll open the portals and send us all back, Shepard,” Effora said. “We can’t let that happen.”

“All the fae? Or all otherworlders?” I asked.

“Why leave anyone to compete for a food source? If the fae and werewolves are gone, the vampires have free control over the humans.”

“Is that why she’s starting to kill fae now too?” Vena asked. “Why not wait until she has the rings?”

“Never question the motivations of a fanatic. The bitch will do everything in her power to satiate her blood lust. Lust is a powerful motivator.”

“If you have suggestions for stopping her, we’re listening,” Cross said.

“As you know, we love our relics. I have something here that might help. Might. I make no guarantees, but it’s yours if you want it. You’ll need a human to transport it. It’s not dangerous to humans, but it is to our kind.

“It should help you locate Orphia and destroy her.”

“When can we have it?” Shepard asked.

“Immediately if you’d like. I’ll be home all evening.”

“We’ll come right away,” Shepard said.

She sighed audibly, her mood shifting. “If only that were true. Your coming is something I dream about, Shepard. It would be abundant and delicious.”

I reached over and hung up on her.

“Let’s get this over with,” I said. “I’ll be the human handling the artifact to make sure she doesn’t grope you again.

Shepard grinned at me. “I was hoping you’d protect me.”

“While you’re doing that, I’ll scout the pick-up location for later,” Cross said.

“Anchor and I will stay here,” Vena said. “Make sure you’re really loud when you all come back so you don’t walk into anything you don’t want to see.”

I rolled my eyes at her then left with Shepard.

“You heard Effora’s voice when you asked about the portal relic,” I said once we were in his SUV. “She’s hiding something.”

“I think you’re right, but I don’t know what. Which is why we’re going to her place, despite her lying to us when she said she had Orphia’s location. I want to know what she’s up to, and I think we’ll get more truth from her in person than over the phone.”

“As long it’s only the truth we get more of,” I said.

Shepard reached over and took my hand in his. “It will be okay. She’s a nuisance, but she’s not stupid. She won’t alienate her allies, especially now that we know what Orphia wants to do.”

We reached a gated entrance manned by fae guards. They took one look at Shepard and waved him through. The mansion that came into view looked like something out of a fantasy book. The white stucco between the glass walls and windows made it look like it belonged in the clouds with the blue summer sky as a backdrop, not on earth with the rest of the dwellings.

Shepard parked in front, and I looked up at the two massive steel and glass doors that had to be two stories high. While he got out, I silently thanked Cross for being discreetly rich.

“Ready?” Shepard asked, opening the door and holding out his hand.

I nodded and walked up the sweeping portico with him.

Shirtless fae men opened the doors at our approach. My necklace thrummed against my skin, shielding me from their pull. Inside the furnished entryway, I saw another shirtless man waiting.

He inclined his head to Shepard. “Welcome back. Queen Effora is in her boudoir.”

“Tell her we’ll stay here,” I said. There was no way I was going deeper into the house.

“Please sit. Relax. I will inform the queen.” He indicated the high-back chairs at a small side table decorated with a mixed flower bouquet.

I sat at the edge of the chair, and Shepard stood next to me as the man walked up a grand glass staircase. It gave the illusion he was walking on air, and I was sure I’d break an ankle or neck if I tried to use them.

He returned several minutes later. “Queen Effora will be down in a moment. Would you care for a libation?”

“No, thank you,” I said. I didn’t trust Effora wouldn’t spike it with something and steal Shepard.

Shepard declined as well.

Eventually, Effora appeared wearing a ridiculous scrap of dressing gown that was as see-through as her glass house. Her nipple and belly button rings and chains slid against the sheer fabric with each step.

Once she reached the bottom of the steps, she smiled at Shepard. Her gaze barely flicked to me.

“Hello, darling,” she said to Shepard. “Do you desire anything?”

“The relic.”

“I was hoping for more, but you continue to tease me, Shepard. Very well, come with me.”

“We’re in a hurry, so can you have someone bring it to us?” I asked.

Her eyes narrowed on me. “As I said, it requires a human. My staff is fae. If you want it, you’ll have to follow me.”

Thinking of all the ways I’d ask Shepard to strangle her if she was lying, I reluctantly agreed.

We followed her down a white hallway, her hips swaying dramatically with each step, the fabric not covering the dimples above her rounded cheeks. I tried to look away, but it was almost like looking at a pendulum.

With each step farther into the house, the pull of fae magic grew until I had my hands fisted by my sides, keeping myself from jumping on Shepard. Judging by his fisted hands, he was having the same issue.

Effora stopped at a door with a guard standing outside of it. “Open.”

As soon as the door opened, I felt a familiar pulse. The globe’s magic swept over me, washing away my resistance to the desire riding me.

“Shepard.” The whining, desperate plea ripped from my lips without thought.

He growled softly.

“None of that in the hallway. In we go.”

With a nudge, she pushed us into the room. We both stumbled and reached out to steady ourselves on each other. That simple contact shattered what restraint he’d been holding onto.

He was there, touching me. Kissing me. The slide of his tongue against mine was unlike anything I’d felt before, and I moaned into his mouth.

“Oh, I found that relic you mentioned, Shepard,” Effora said, sounding far away even as I felt her hand trail over my back. “You know, the sex relic at the house your friends went to. I confiscated it. So, thank you for bringing it to my attention.”

She unclasped my bra through my shirt.

“That should feel better, doesn’t it?”

It did. My skin felt so hot and tight. I needed all my clothes gone and a few dozen orgasms.

I reached for Shepard as he broke off the kiss to pull my shirt off. The air on my skin felt so good that I moaned. He returned to my mouth, ignoring my loose bra in favor of my lips as his fingers threaded through my hair, coaxing me closer.

“Oh my,” Effora gasped, sounding delighted. “You are well endowed.”

He ripped his mouth from mine to growl savagely at her, and I drunkenly noted her hands on his pants. The button was undone, and the zipper was calling my name. In a trance, I eased it down and palmed his hard length.

The pained, desperate sound he made before he focused on my mouth again barely registered.

“It seems my abilities, enhanced by my ring and the power of the relic, are enough even for you to lose control, Shepard. I think I just discovered the fae version of Viagra. One hit, and you’ll stay hard for hours.

“It’s a pity you chose her, though. We could have been good together. I hope she’s worth it.”

“She is,” Shepard breathed against my lips.

“Then take her. I can feel what you want. Show me what it's like for a wolf to mark his mate.”

“Show me,” I echoed, mindlessly tugging at his shirt.

I needed more skin contact. His hands needed to be everywhere. So did what he was packing. My hand slipped into the waistband of his underwear and wrapped around his heat. He groaned into my mouth, and the next thing I knew, we were lying on a pile of cushions.

“I need you,” he rasped.

“Yes,” I breathed.

“I can’t…it won’t…”

“Stop fighting it,” Effora said. “If she’s truly your mate, she will accept everything you are. Even the animal side of you.”

Shepard snarled at her and looked at me with gold eyes.

“Tell me to stop if it’s too much.”

I nodded even as I realized it would never feel that way. I needed him too badly.

He stripped us of the rest of our clothes, flipped me like a pancake, and pulled back on my hips until those were up in the air. He bit my ass cheek roughly enough that I gasped and arched my back. His fingers swept through my wet folds before he positioned himself and thrust into me.

I cried out in relief and fisted the pillows as he set a brutal pace. What lingering awareness I had of the room and our audience faded completely.

Occasionally, I would hear Effora’s voice, but her words didn’t register. Sometimes, her touch did, especially when Shepard drew me upright from behind and she brushed a fingertip over my nipple. When he bit into my shoulder, she touched my clit to help me through the pain with an orgasm.

After that, though, the only thing that existed was Shepard and his ravenous appetite for me. We had sex on the pillows until they were damp with our sweat, then against the wall, then on the rug with me on top of him, then in the bed.

It went on forever. I was thirsty, and my bits were starting to chafe, but I couldn’t stop reaching for Shepard.

Then, suddenly, that extreme need started to fade.

Shepard came inside of me again with a groan, then rolled us to our sides without pulling out. I was glad he didn’t. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t survive. Everything was aching in a combined pleasant and unpleasant way.

“I’m not sure if I should hate her or thank her,” he murmured as he wrapped me tenderly in his arms.

“Both,” I breathed, unable to open my eyes. “I’m so thirsty. What time is it?”

I felt him move and hissed out a breath when he withdrew.

“Are you all right? Was I too rough?”

“No. Just a little too thorough. How many times was that?”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t stop. It looks like she left with the sex relic. Stay here, and I’ll grab our clothes.”

I couldn’t have moved even if I’d wanted to.

When I heard him curse, though, I lifted my head. He was sifting through our trail of clothes and looking around at the floor.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“My ring is gone.”

I struggled to sit up, and he hurried over to help me. In seconds, he had us both dressed.

“Hang tight, sweetheart.” He went to the door, yelling for Effora. He didn’t leave me, only poked his head into the hallway. Then he came back, his strides long and hurried.

“What’s going on, Shepard?” I asked as he handed me his phone and picked me up.

“That’s what I’d like to know. I think she took my necklace and ran.”

The seriousness of what had happened hit home. Effora had used the sex relic and Shepard’s need to mark me as a distraction to steal the ring.

“Call Cross,” Shepard said as we left the room.

As soon as I opened his phone, I saw several unread messages from Cross.

Cross: What’s happening? Why is Everly bleeding?

Shepard: Something to do with connecting to the relic. A small amount of blood. She’s fine. I’m not. This is going to take hours.

Cross: Keep me posted.

Cross: Don’t forget about the meetup.

Cross: If I don’t hear from you soon, I’ll find you.

“She messaged him,” I said.

Shepard glanced down at the messages. “He sensed when I marked you, and she used my phone to keep him from coming here. I bet his last message is why she finally took the relic and ran.”

Shepard growled. “I hope Cross lets me kill her before he kills me.”

I dialed Cross’ number on speaker.

“Everly is fine. We’re on our way back,” Shepard said as soon as Cross answered.

“Vena’s waiting impatiently,” Cross said.

In the background, I heard Vena say, “I’ll go without Everly if I have to.”

“We’ll be there in twenty,” Shepard said.

I hung up the phone and noticed the absence of even the slightest fae pull. The place was completely empty.

“What is Effora going to do with the ring?” I asked after we were back in Shepard’s SUV.

“I don’t know.” Shepard cursed and slammed his hand against the steering wheel. “I fucked up. We shouldn’t have gone there alone.”

I ran a soothing hand down his arm. “Anyone with us would have been in the same situation. Who knows what would have happened then?”

He looked at me, his gaze going from angry to tender to guilty.

“I’m so sorry.”

“The only one who should apologize is Effora.”

“No. Not that. I mean, losing the ring is not good. But I mean…fuck, Everly. I shouldn’t have marked you like that. Not here. Not in front of her.

“I was so out of my mind. And so were you. You didn’t consent to any of this. I’m so sorry.”

He looked miserable, and his hurt tugged at me. “I don’t regret you marking me, Shepard. Yes, I wish it would have happened any place other than at Effora’s house, and definitely not with her there and touching me, but I’m okay with what happened between you and me. I love you.”

He tugged me to him, hugging me. “I love you so much. I swear I’ll make this right. She’ll pay for today.”

His body trembled from the force of his emotions. I hated that Effora did this to us, but I meant what I had said. I wasn’t upset with what we’d done, only that she forced something that should have naturally happened.

“Switch places with me,” I said.

“What?”

“I’ll drive while you make the calls I know you need to make.”

He nodded, and we quickly switched spots. As I drove, he kept his hand on my thigh and made two calls. One to Hugh, letting him know what had happened and the seriousness of the issue. One to Doc since he was second in command and needed to know.

I peeked in the rearview mirror at my shoulder, since it throbbed, and saw the two puncture wounds from Shepard, not dissimilar from the ones Cross had given me. They hurt a lot more, though. I didn't say anything since I didn’t want him to feel worse than he already did.

When we arrived home, Shepard told me to wait and hurried around the car to help me out.

“Does anything hurt?” he asked.

“Yes, but in good ways, not bad, okay?”

He nodded but didn’t look convinced, so I captured his face between my hands and pulled him down for a quick kiss.

“Shepard Ulv, I will have dreams about what we did together today. Dreams that will wake me up desperate to do it again. Am I lying?”

A tremor ran through his body as his eyes filled with gold.

“No,” he said roughly.

“Then stop apologizing for showing me an amazing time and focus on figuring out why that sexed-out lunatic took what she did.”

He exhaled heavily and was a little more his controlled self as we went inside.

Cross was in front of me the moment I opened the door to the second floor. He gently pulled the collar of my shirt, revealing the bite mark. His eyes flashed black at Shepard.

“She’s bruising. You promised not to hurt her,” Cross said.

“It wasn’t his fault,” I said. “It was Effora’s. She had that sex relic there and used her powers with it. We didn’t stand a chance, and I’m just grateful I can walk.”

“No, it’s my fault,” Shepard agreed with Cross. “I should have never taken you there, Everly.”

“Are you saying you were willing to go by yourself and be Effora’s sex puppet?” I asked.

Cross lifted me and started through the apartment.

When Shepard went to follow, Cross paused and softly snarled a warning. Worried that Cross was already mad at Shepard before he even knew about the ring, I lightly grasped Cross’ chin and turned his head toward me.

“Shepard wasn’t mad at you when you bit me. Be nice.”

Cross’ gaze swept over my face.

“I was careful.”

“You weren’t under the influence of a sex relic at the time.”

“When I was, I knew not to bite you.”

He turned away from Shepard, and I motioned for him to wait there. I’d talk to Cross first and calm him down before Shepard told him about the ring.