12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Ruya

I stopped in my tracks, confused by his weird demand for a moment before my brain caught up. There was steam in the air. And I could hear the soft sound of water trickling over stone. "You brought me to the bathing pools?"

He still held my arm as he leaned in and whispered in my ear. "Wasn't that what you wanted? Your fake mate to attend to you? What? Are you suddenly shy, witch?"

I huffed. "Don't be stupid."

Pulling my arm from his, I grasped the hem of my loose shirt and pulled it off over my head. If he wanted to play this game, I would call his bluff. Yukio had already seen me at my worst—in the midst of my omega heat, begging for sex. He had kissed me, traced his hands over my skin… then pulled away when his fear and overthinking caught up with him.

Despite my sheltered upbringing, I wasn't shy.

The pants were next. I pulled the tie, then let them drop to the floor, leaving me completely bare before him. "Alright," I said with a bland smile in his general direction. "Where to?"

He was silent for a moment, and I could feel his eyes on me, taking in my naked body. Then he burst out laughing.

I smiled at the sound of his honest, unfiltered amusement. This was a glimpse of the real Yukio. The one he always hid behind his bluster and sharp words. Crossing my arms over my chest, I made sure to press my breasts upward in what I hoped was a nice display. "What's so funny?" I asked.

"Oh," he said between chuckles. "Nothing. Just how riveted your audience is. You are certainly giving everyone in the communal bathing area quite the show."

A hot blush flooded my chest and cheeks as his words sank in. But I refused to show any other sign of my embarrassment. I had been so intent on shocking Yukio that I hadn't given a single thought to my surroundings. "Surely the fae don't bathe with their clothes on," I said, lifting my chin. "And I don't believe for a single moment that wild fae are shocked by nudity. Honestly, Yukio. How can you be so na?ve. "

His laughter subsided a bit, but there was still amusement in his voice. "You really are a spoilsport, you know?" he informed me. "There's no one else in here at the moment, silly witch. But that shade of red really suits you."

I rolled my eyes. "You're an ass."

His voice moved closer, and his hand touched my arm. "Thank you. I do strive to meet expectations. Now, would you like to actually soak, or did you plan to just stand there airing out your bits all day?"

I held out my hand. "Lead on. Though why I should trust a liar like you is beyond me."

He chuckled darkly. "You shouldn't. See? So hopelessly na?ve, little witch. Letting a dangerous high fae assassin lead you blindly into your demise."

I grinned. "Ooh… scary."

But then I forgot to tease him as my toes touched hot, steamy water that lapped at the stone under my feet. "They're natural hot springs," Yuki informed me as I steadied myself on his hand and shuffled forward. "There's a decline there, into a rock formation that makes up a little pool. There are half a dozen of them scattered around this section of the cave."

Despite how I might tease, I really did trust him implicitly. I walked forward slowly but confidently, trusting Yukio to keep me from falling or injuring myself as the deliciously hot water and steam rose up over my body.

"That's the depth of it there," Yukio said, his silky voice just a touch deeper and huskier, softer. "If you turn you can sit down and rest your back against the wall, I think."

I did as instructed, sighing in bliss as the water enfolded me. "Oh, goddess, this is amazing."

Yukio released my hand and moved away. The surface where I sat was surprisingly smooth, probably worn down by years of use by the fae who lived here. I couldn't fault them for that. If I was wild fae, I would live right here, in this hot spring, for the rest of my life.

"Do you realize what kind of sounds you're making right now?" Yukio asked, and I froze at how close his voice sounded. The water rippled slightly, and I realized he was joining me in the pool.

I tried to swallow down my excitement. It was just a bath. A warm swim. Fae weren't prudish about nakedness. This meant nothing.

Until he settled in beside me.

His muscular thigh brushed along mine, his skin cooler than mine, even in this heat. "You do these things on purpose to test my restraint," he accused lightly.

I couldn't really argue. It was one-hundred percent true. "Do I?" I asked curiously. "Test your restraint?"

He sighed. "You know you do."

I turned my face toward him. "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do," I said honestly. "But Yukio, I know you want me. I know the others wouldn't mind if we had a relationship with each other. You're already in a poly relationship with Sanka and Robin. What is it that holds you back? Do you really detest my personality so much it cancels out the lust?"

He chuckled softly. "One would think that would be the case, wouldn't they?"

I shook my head at him. "Stop it. I'm being serious."

A cool, soft hand slid over my shoulder, up the side of my neck, to grip the back of my head and draw me close. His lips on mine were like heaven, cool and magical, and ever-so-slightly tingling, like peppermint candy. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine, his hand still gripping the back of my neck.

"I don't know," he breathed. "For fuck's sake, I don't know why you terrify me so much, witch. The whole situation is driving me insane. As if I don't have other things to worry about right now. More important things than how much I want to taste you or what kind of sounds you'd make as you sank down on my cock."

I shuddered at his words, an immediate bolt of lust shooting straight to my core. "Yukio--"

He kissed me again, cutting off my words. As if he was desperate to stop talking about his feelings. Which was probably true. He had been conditioned since birth to think that having and showing emotions was a weakness. He had been outed from his clan, nearly killed for daring to love someone. He had gotten over that with Sanka and Robin, but maybe… maybe each new love was a risk.

"It's okay to love people," I murmured against his lips as we pulled apart for a moment to draw breath. "Or to like them. Or just want them."

He swallowed audibly, his free hand coming up to grip my upper arm. "I know," he said softly, his voice barely a whisper. "I know, goddess damn it. But every time I feel this way for someone it's a new sort of hell. The terror rises up all over again and it feels like I might drown."

I lifted my damp hands to cup his face, smoothing my fingers over his angular jaw and chiseled lips. "I won't hurt you," I promised earnestly. "Yukio, I would never hurt you. You're safe with me. There's no need for fear."

He shivered slightly under my hands. This sharp, icy male was so very, very wounded. I was pretty sure even he didn't realize how deep the pain ran. "I know," he whispered. "And yet, the fear persists."

I nodded in understanding. "That's okay, too," I whispered back. "I can hold you and your fear at the same time. Just like Robin does. Just like Sanka. I think loving someone means loving everything about them, even the parts they can't love themselves."

He huffed a wry laugh. "You're a philosopher now."

I smiled softly in return. "Sometimes. I'm whatever I need to be if it helps heal the people I care about. And I do care about you. Deeply."

"Mmm," he mused. "Perhaps. But if you really cared, you'd spare me all this disgusting talk of feelings and come here."

His arms encircled me, pulling me toward him, and I went willingly, moving over to straddle his thighs as he held me close. His lips found the side of my neck, and his pointed fae teeth dragged along my skin, making me shudder.

"I won't let you hide forever," I informed him, with as much authority as I could muster. "We will talk about our feelings. Often. We won't just sleep together then part ways."

He huffed against my skin, giving me goosebumps. "Oh, I have no intention of sleeping with you, witch." His hands gripped my hips and shifted me forward, so his hard length pressed along my clit, making my whole body sing with need.

I moaned, leaning in to find his waiting lips, our tongues dancing as we devoured each other. He could make light of it all he wanted. But I knew he cared. I knew he wanted more than just a quick fuck. Otherwise, he would have had me long ago. I had certainly been willing for some time now.

His hands on my body didn't feel like the touch of a man who only wanted to take and use. He coaxed me to move, and I did, rolling my hips and enjoying the glide of his rigid dick against my clit. "Yukio?" I asked, breathless and wanting more. Always more.

"Mmm?" he murmured as he bent his head to kiss my breast.

"I want you. So badly. I've wanted you forever. And I'll still want you, even after the orgasm fades. Even when you're grumpy and frustrating. Even when you tease me or get on my nerves." I lifted my hips, and he obligingly gripped his cock, holding himself so I could sink down, earning a groan from both of us. "You're mine now," I managed to gasp. "No running away."

He growled, surprising me when he snapped his hips upward, gripping my hips at the same time to slam me down onto him, making me clench around his delicious length and girth. "The same goes for you, witch," he promised. "I own a piece of you, just as much as any of those other idiots. You're mine. Don't forget it."

I gripped his broad shoulders and let my head fall back, losing myself in the sensation of being joined with Yukio. Finally. The moment was charged with promises that we both knew were more important than words. He was trusting me in a way he rarely trusted anyone. And I chose to trust him with my na?ve, mushy heart.

His thumb found my clit, and he slowly circled the sensitive nub as he kept up his slow, deep thrusts beneath me, matching my motions with his own, driving me higher. Water sloshed around us, probably spilling over the edges of the pool, creating waves that echoed our movements.

Yukio sent a little tingle of his cool, tantalizing magic dancing from his fingertips, and it made me jolt against him as it hit my clit, making every nerve ending sing in shocked pleasure. Orgasm crashed over me, taking me by surprise with how rapid and violent it was.

But Yukio wasn't done with me. He wrapped his hands around my ass and stood, lifting me out of the pool and placing my back on the cold, hard floor. The contrast in temperature and sensations made me shudder and heightened my already aroused state. He waited for the clutching to ease, for my witch anatomy to loosen its strangling grip on his cock, patiently planting kisses on the overheated skin of my neck and breasts, alternating with cool bursts of tingling frost. Then he was pounding into me, wings snapping and fluttering behind him as he drove in deep and hard. He braced himself on one elbow, tangling his hand in my hair and urging my head back, pulling just enough to make me cry out in pleasure, never pausing in his powerful thrusts.

"Say it again," he demanded, his smooth voice carrying just a hint of fae magic. "Say you'll never leave. That you're mine."

I didn't hesitate. I didn't fear making promises to this particular fae. "I'll never leave you," I gasped out, clutching at his muscular back, fingers digging into the defined muscle that supported his pixie wings. "I'm yours, Yukio. I'm not going anywhere."

His lips met mine in a crushing kiss as he slammed home one last time and came, filling me the way I yearned to be filled. He shuddered as he swelled inside me, and I felt the cool, tingling sensation of his magic inside me. "Yuki!" I gasped as I convulsed beneath him, the feeling of his release triggering another orgasm, making me feel like I would turn inside out with the force of it.

He chuckled against my shoulder as we both lay panting, the last tingles fading, my unique inner muscles clenching him like we would never let him go. "Like that, did you?" he breathed, humor filling his voice. "Some people find the cold… unsettling."

I weakly nipped at the pointed tip of his ear. "So smug. I don't think I should answer that, fae."

He languidly moved his hips again, as much as he could, pressing even deeper, and I instinctively matched the movement, my body clearly craving more. "Mmm… that's all the answer I need." He chuckled.

I sucked in a sharp breath when I felt him twitch inside me, already growing hard once again. But Yukio took pity on me, withdrawing once my clutching eased, and pulling me back into the pool with him to relax in warm, boneless bliss.

"Do you think they clean these pools?" I mumbled into his long, damp hair as he held me on his lap. "Because we can't be the first ones to desecrate this place…"

He snorted. "Of course we aren't. Haven't you ever heard stories of fae and their orgies? But don't worry. They have cleaning spells for that. And the spring does slowly drain out and refill the basin. Now stop worrying about stupid things and cuddle. I don't allow it very often."

His strong arms wrapped around me, and I nestled in closer. I believed him. And I saw his tenderness for the hard-won gift it was. I wrapped my arms around his lean torso and clung to him. Yukio. Mine.

I had trouble keeping my eyes open thanks to the amazing sex and the steamy bath. Yukio noticed and hauled me out of the bathing pool, wrapping me up in an oversized towel and sweeping me into his arms as if I was some delicate damsel. I nodded off almost immediately in his arms.

I woke briefly some time later, when Yukio deposited me into the bed in our borrowed room and climbed in beside me. "Don't be concerned," he murmured when I tried to struggle against the overwhelming sleepiness. "There are healing spells and such on the pools. Meant to provide comfort and bliss. You are in no danger." Then he pressed a kiss to my forehead, a ridiculously sweet gesture for Yuki. "Sleep, witch," he said tiredly as he pulled me in against his chest. "It's not as if we have anything else to do while we wait out our imprisonment."