CHAPTER FIFTY（Untitled）Grace

CHAPTER FIFTY

Grace

An explosion of pleasure carries me up, up, up to giddy heights as Branikk fills all of me. His tongue in my mouth, his huge body over mine, his tentacles stroking me everywhere, his massive length buried deep… all and everything is Branikk.

When I come down from my peak, he continues to move, slow and steady, stroking into me, sending tingles racing through me all over again. He tilts his hips, and his piercings hit a new spot inside, making me gasp.

He smiles, his eyes holding so much love. Only a week ago, I would have looked away, sure it was all part of the act, but now I know better. Branikk's love is the truest thing in the universe.

"I love you," I whisper. He makes me want to get good at saying it, at becoming a person able to feel more easily. Because he's easy to love, this husband of mine. Especially when he looks at me like he is now, his eyes shining with joy.

Joy that we're alive, joy that we're together, joy that we're in love.

I say it again, louder this time, the words freeing, "I love you, Branikk."

"My Grace, how I love you." He cups the side of my cheek and pauses for a moment, buried deep inside me. "I used to think I was happy, that I had a full life. I was a fool, not realizing how much I lacked before I met you. You are my everything."

Oh! Emotion swells in my chest, so big it fills up my throat, and all I can do is stretch upward and kiss him, licking over his tusks, my mouth opening under his as I let myself be completely vulnerable.

We rock together, eyes locked, the pleasure building slowly and in perfect synch.

My legs lift higher to hold him closer, making him groan. His hand slides down to lift my butt just that extra bit that makes him hit a new place, and I gasp. Slow and deliberate, we touch each other, exploring to find the spots each likes best.

Murmured words of love fall from his lips like the sweetest of songs. "I love you, my bride, my moon bound, the greatest gift of my life."

"Oh, Branikk!" My words are simpler, but I pour my heart into each. "My love!"

Eyes locked, lips locked, bodies locked together, Branikk slides forward one last time, filling me full of him and his love until fireworks course through my body, setting every nerve alight with pleasure that goes on and on.

His groan still echoes in my ears several moments later as his weight presses me into the mattress with a delicious solidity. I hum happily and kiss his neck, tasting the salt from our loving. The room smells like the sweet cream of his seed, and I breathe deep.

The hand on my butt flexes, holding me close, and he rolls us onto our sides. A huge feeling of pressure fills me, tugging at my entrance, and my muscles tighten around it, sending aftershocks of pleasure through me, and making him groan.

"Is that your knot?" I squeeze again, getting another jolt of delight. It looked so big when it formed those previous times, but now that I feel it… God, nothing's ever been like this.

He smirks. "Yes. Now you're truly mine, locked to me for hours."

"Hours, huh?"

"I might give you a baby this very night."

Oh! I gasp. Emotions billowing inside me, stealing my breath.

"It is what you want, yes?" His dark eyes search mine.

Unable to talk, all I can do is nod. I know when we talked about it, he said he wanted to have children with me, but talk is one thing. This is commitment from him on a whole other level.

"You will make the most amazing mother ever. And I cannot wait to share that joy with you, my bride."

I trace my fingers over his chest, wanting to feel his heartbeat. There's something… "Branikk. When did you get a tattoo?"

He glances down, breaking into a smile when he sees the fancy crescent moon on his chest. "It's a moon bound mate mark. It confirms that the goddess mated us for life." His fingers touch my chest. "You have one, too."

I crane my neck. Mine's a smaller moon in solid dark-green. No, make that orc green. I grin.

"Our union is blessed by the Moon Goddess." He cups my face. "But I needed no marks to tell me how perfect you are for me, my bride."

"Oh, Branikk." I melt against him, stretching up for a kiss to seal this perfect connection we have.

His knot locks us together, but it's his arms and his love that hold me close all through the night.

The next two days are a relaxed repeat of the one before, complete with dinner down at the pub and wonderful nights of loving with my doting husband. Which is good, because we're woken on the third morning by a loud pounding on the door.

Branikk rolls from the bed and pulls the furs up over me. "You can stay here."

"I want to come. It sounds urgent." I get up and pull on a pair of my new leather pants, which are pliant and soft and amazing, the tanner having spelled the material for extra comfort. A new linen shirt slips over my head, handmade to my exact shape by Reta, the weaver. A gal sure could get used to having clothes that fit without any mess of shopping. My build always made that hard on Earth. Yet another thing that's so much better here.

My eyes flick to Branikk. Along with gorgeous orc husbands, that is.

I run a hand over my hair, but I don't need to do anything to it. Branikk braided it for me last night, playing with my hair as a new, delicious form of foreplay.

He strides through the main room of the cottage to throw open the door.

"Took you long enough," Aurora says grumpily. "It's not as if I ran for days to get here to see if you're both okay or anything." Which means that's exactly what she's done. She can grump all she wants. It doesn't hide the fact that she's a true friend.

"Aurora!" I duck around my husband and launch myself at the unicorn, wrapping my arms around her neck in a hug.

"So you're okay," she says, her voice soft.

"I am."

When I step back, she touches my shoulder with her horn. It glows gold, and a tingle of magic runs through me. She gives a pleased humph.

"It's so good to see you again," I say. "How is everyone? How are the puppies? Are the cu sith part of the alliance?"

She stomps. "Well, if certain people got out of bed, then certain people could come to the big meeting at the cleaning stone to discuss all of this."

Branikk just laughs, ducks inside, and reappears with our boots, his sword now belted around his hips. We slip our shoes on, and he lifts me into the saddle and takes a seat behind me, his large body surrounding mine.

I sigh and lean back into him as Aurora sets off at an easy trot. "Just like old times."

"Better." His hand tightens on my stomach and he kisses the top of my head. "Because now you love me."

"She loved you before, you big dolt. Almost as much as you loved her." Aurora tosses her head and whinnies a laugh. "Bipeds are so clueless."

Then she gallops, making Branikk hold me even tighter as the ten-minute walk to the standing stone blurs into a trip of only a minute. In a flash, we're out of the village and running between pine trees. Then the way lightens ahead, and several other unicorns step out to block the way into the clearing.

"Halt in the name of King Aldronn," an unfamiliar orc says.

"We're expected." Aurora flashes her horn.

"It's okay. The king's guard is just doing his job." Branikk dismounts and lifts me down. "We're Aurora of the Umbriall Plains, Grace, the human witch, and Branikk of the Moon Blade Clan."

It's a little weird the way they ignore my last name and focus on my magical powers instead, but it also makes a kind of sense. Why would a human name mean anything in Faerie?

The orc strides away, leaving us standing with several unknown unicorns, all saddled. I expect them to talk to Aurora, but they're quiet. When I lean close to ask Branikk, he says, "They're from a different herd."

"And they can hear everything you say," Aurora adds.

The other unicorns remain icy, but I could swear a couple of them pose for Aurora, heads raised majestically, chests thrust out. If she notices, she doesn't let on.

The orc guard returns. "You're expected."

The unicorns step aside, and we walk into the clearing dominated by the twenty-foot standing stone on one side, and the equally tall green dragon on the other.

Dear god, she's hella big, like the-size-of-a-house big. I come to an abrupt halt. Branikk had told me the story of how he got me to the village, but… Whew.

"Sheevora the Magnificent." Branikk offers a bow. "I thank you again for aiding me in getting my bride to medical aid so quickly."

"And I thank her for her assistance in saving my son," a booming alto rings through the clearing."

Drake takes a step forward, and I finally notice him at his mother's side. In fact, there are several people in the clearing that I've ignored until now, because dragon .

There are a couple of unicorns, there's Mist, and there's Ashley and Dravarr, standing with Sturrm beside another orc. He's a bit older, like Sturrm, and he's dressed the same as the other orcs in brown leather pants and boots and a dark-purple linen shirt. He even wears a sword with the ease of familiarity. The only thing that tells me he's the king is the air of command that seems to emanate from him.

Branikk takes us over to stand with them while Aurora joins the unicorns.

Then tiny balls of black fluff run out from under the trees. "Grace! Grace!"

I drop to my knees and open my arms as Astrid and Agnar race up, closely followed by Riselda and Rune. Soon I have a lapful of wiggling puppies, little puppy kisses tickling my chin.

"I thought we were going to vote before bringing the cu sith in," Mist says.

"I apologize. I'm afraid the little ones got away from me." Riselda tips her head to the dragon, ignoring the feline fae.

"Younglings will be younglings," Sheevora says, wrapping massive claws around Drake in what must be the dragon equivalent of a hug. "Let the cu sith stay while we vote."

"Then I call the vote," King Aldronn says, his deep voice ringing through the clearing. "Do we add the cu sith to our alliance? What say the human witches?"

Ashley elbows me in the ribs and whispers. "That's you. You vote."

"Me? I'm brand new!"

"You also spent the most time with them and made the first friendships."

I look at Rune, who watches me with serious eyes, and say, "The human witches say yes."

Rune dips his head. "My lady."

"The orcs say yes," Kind Aldronn says.

"So do the unicorns," Aurora adds.

"The dragons are in agreement," Sheevora says. "What say you, cat sith?"

Mist saunters forward, her green eyes sparkling with mischief as she stares at the wolves for a few seconds too long, ratcheting the tension in the clearing higher. Then she sits and offers her wide grin, showing off lots of teeth. "Yes."

Riselda lets out a bark of surprise and says, "The cat sith have long been our enemy."

"I already told you those days are in the past." The cat's voice goes serious. "Besides, the cat sith are no fools. You are good fighters, and we need all we can muster to face the sluagh."

"We are glad to join you," Riselda says. "And my brother Rune will stay here to participate in the council. I trust him to speak with my voice."

Happiness fills me at the thought that I won't have to say goodbye to my new friend, and him living here means I might get more puppy visits from his niece and nephew.

"Then let the first proposal of the cu sith be this," Rune says. "Our dens are protected by the fabulous machine made by the human witch, Grace. But we must find the other vulnerable populations of Wild Fae scattered across Alarria and warn them about the sluagh."

Everyone agrees.

Then Branikk says, "We've got another thing we have to do right away as well. We have to find an antidote to this new version of the deathsleep! The Moon Goddess brings us human witches to help our fight, and we need to be able to cure them of the deathsleep as easily as we can any fae." He looks at me, worry in his eyes.

I reach out and squeeze his hand.

"The dragons have found something in our historical archives that might work," Sheevora says. "A special crystal we believe might be found in the Dular Mountains."

"Can you give us some of the crystals and tell us what to do?" Branikk asks. To me he whispers, "They live there."

"We will give you the information on how to use them. Alas, the caves they may be in are far too small for dragons." When Drake lifts his wings, she adds, "Even younglings."

"Then the orcs will send someone." The king claps a hand to Sturrm's shoulder. "I have here a retired member of my guard. One of the finest fighters I've ever battled beside, determined and unflagging. Sturrm will find these crystals."

"You honor me, my king," Sturrm says, sounding grumpy like usual, so I can't tell if he's happy, upset, or indifferent about his quest.

"Then it seems today's business is done, but for one thing." King Aldronn turns to me. "I would see this new magic that can protect against the sluagh."

Everyone looks at me. I glance around. "There's not enough room here, not with the standing stone in the way."

"I offer Moon Blade Village as the first site," Dravarr says. Then he growls at Branikk, "Since the well's already destroyed."

My husband squeezes my hand again. "It was for the very best of reasons."

Sheevora takes her leave, promising to find the information needed on the crystals and send it by cat sith messenger.

Everyone else hurries back to the village, Aurora running as hard as the rest. "I don't know why I bother," she says, hooves pounding against the ground. "It will make that horrible racket I hate."

"I'll turn off the music as soon as possible," I promise, patting her neck.

We all gather on the village green, with the rest of the villagers coming out to watch as well. Kora waves excitedly, a smiling Bronn at her side. The crowd is rowdy, as is any gathering of orcs, I've learned, with shouted conversations and lots of jostling, which hopefully won't turn into fistfights—they like those a lot, too.

"Can you ask everyone to clear the center?" I say to Branikk.

He claps his hands and yells out the instructions. Soon the mossy center of the green stands clear but for a sad little pile of stone. He turns to me and makes a grand flourish with both arms, like a carnival barker showing off the main attraction. "It's all yours."

I pull my crystal from underneath my new shirt and hold it tightly. With my eyes closed, I try to picture what I felt when I made the last Whirling Swings ride. The panic and worry over Branikk and all of my friends. Nothing happens. I huff in frustration, my shoulders tightening.

"It's okay," Branikk whispers in my ear. "You've got this."

His faith in me fills me with happiness… and a new thought. I made the Ferris wheel when I longed for the known, the comfortable. I made the Whirly Swings when I was worried for Branikk and all of my friends. But I'm not feeling either of those emotions now.

So what if I instead use what I am feeling?

Happiness. Joy. Love. All the things I always wanted the carnival to mean for all the families visiting. All the magic I hoped the children riding the rides would feel. The Whirling Swings can help against the sluagh, sure. But the ride's original purpose is fun. I imagine smiling faces and shrieks of laughter.

My crystal heats my hands, and a loud calliope version of a Beatles song blares through the air. I open my eyes, and there it is, a Whirly Swings, its brightly painted disk flinging the swings wide.

"By the goddess!" Kora says. "It's huge!"

Bronn adds, "I didn't fully understand how powerful she is until now."

"She's amazing!" Branikk sounds so proud. "I have the best bride."

"And we have the best daughter!"

Then Aurora whinnies, and I remember my promise to her. I hurry over to the control panel mounted on the central column and turn off first the music and then the ride. While the swings slow enough to drop back toward the ground, I stomp my foot down once, then again. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat, I pound out.

"No!" Aurora says. "Not them ."

Branikk laughs and joins me in stomping.

All around us, clumps of moss stir, lifting from the ground in a swirl to become a gnome wearing a little moss hat. Pebble somersaults over to me. "Why have you called the gnomes?"

"To say hello and ask how you're doing with the Ferris wheel."

"We run it every day, and fae come for miles to ride it, both day and night."

Happiness fills me to hear it. "I just made a new ride. Would you like to try it?"

A chorus of yeses fills the air.

I raise my voice, trying my own ballyhoo for once. "Step right up, folks! Who wants to go spinning through the air, flying like you've never done before?"

The puppies run up to me, along with all the younglings of the village. It takes a little work, with Astrid and Agnar needing to be held by two of the orc teens, since the pups are too little for the seats. The gnomes also buddy up, making little pyramids of interlocked limbs to hold them in place. Soon, every swing is full, and I start the ride.

King Aldronn looks a little nonplussed, and Dravarr stands beside him, talking, his hands sketching things in the air. Once the ride's up to full speed, the swings fly outward from the center, perpendicular to the ground, creating a shield over the entire village green. The king nods, finally understanding, and he gives me an assessing look.

"Why do I feel like we're about to visit every orc village?" Branikk says.

"I suppose we need to do it soon," Aurora says. "Goddess knows, I don't want to travel with you once the babe comes. Biped babies require far too many things , and you'll only make me carry them all."

"Babe?" My heart skips. Does she mean…?

"You are with child."

"How do you know?"

"Magic!" Branikk laughs, picks me up, and twirls me around. "We're having a babe!"

Wonder and joy explode in my chest, making me feel like I'm flying even faster than the people in the swings.

I look up.

There they are—the smiling faces and shrieks of joy, just as I imagined—puppies, gnomes, and orc younglings, all having fun. And one day, my own child will be up there too, enjoying my ride, having the childhood I never had. I let out a happy sigh.

"You bring everyone joy." Branikk holds me close, his handsome face beaming, looking better than ever with love gleaming in his eyes. "But you bring me the greatest joy of all, for you've given me your heart, and now you will give me a wonderful child just as strong and amazing as their mother."

Love and happiness fill me, warm and wonderful and no longer overwhelming. Here, with him, in this magical place, my emotions feel just right.

My husband—my amazing and gorgeous husband—kisses me in front of everyone.

I kiss him right back. For the first time in my life, I don't care if anyone watches. Not even a little bit.