18. Surprise of a Lifetime

Chapter 18

Surprise of a Lifetime

Never doubt the power of a hot bath, good food, and a new set of snazzy clothes.

While the elf servants might not have been too keen about making a suit of clothes for a human, they still turned out spectacular. And really, I looked damn good in black, like some wicked rogue about to slash and seduce his way through a ball.

Of course, just as I was feeling good about myself, Nylian had to step out of the bathroom wrapped in a pale-green suit that perfectly complimented his golden hair and bright-green eyes. I might have choked on air a bit as I tried to remember how to close my mouth. Until now, his clothes had been finely made but simple and functional. Not much call for delicate stitching and fabrics when you're going to be running through the woods.

"You're like a prince from a storybook," I murmured, unable to tear my eyes away.

"So are you."

I snorted and found the power to turn away from him, but he caught my arm and dragged me over to the full-length mirror in one corner. He placed me in front of it and stood behind me, smiling. "Remember that we are two very different creatures. Elves are about grace and elegance. Dark colors are for every day. Pale pastels like fragile flowers are for social events. Humans value power and strength in all things. Especially among the men. You embody strength, power, and virility."

I grinned at his reflection. "You're saying I'm going to stand out like a sore thumb? That I'll be an outcast?"

"Yes, which is exactly how I want it. I don't want them hitting on you. You're mine."

With a wave of my hand, I stepped away from the mirror. "Yes, yes, I'm your pet. I promise to stick close to you and follow your cues all night. I swear."

Nylian looked as if he were going to say something, but he just shook his head. After adjusting his clothes one last time in the glass, he returned his attention to me. "If we're separated during the night, I want you to locate the king and queen, then put as much distance between yourself and them. They will be the most dangerous people in the room, but not the only ones. If you find yourself in a situation where you feel uncomfortable and can't reach me, return to our room. I'll come find you."

"Got it." That was an order I wouldn't argue with. "Speaking of…the king and queen…is it just me or does he seem a little…" I paused, not sure how to put it. Instead, I tapped on the side of my head. In short, the man wasn't all there, but I wasn't saying those words out loud even if we were alone.

Nylian closed the distance between us and his nimble fingers lightly fiddled with my tunic and cape, even though both were perfect. "The true power holder in Galinaes is Queen Sumina. This kingdom has been a matriarchy for several generations now, ever since Queen Pyria seized power. The crown has been handed down to princesses and they've been wed to men who could be manipulated and controlled. King Beldroth is nothing more than a figurehead and troublemaker, but don't underestimate him. He will take your life as easily as the queen if you cross him."

"Because I'm a human," I finished, his warning sinking its icy claws into my flesh.

Nylian smiled, but it felt forced and didn't come close to touching his eyes. "But everything is going to be fine because you're going to be near me. It should be a few hours of mingling. Then, when everyone has become intoxicated, we will slip away to do some snooping. I doubt anyone will even notice we're missing."

Despite Nylian's reassurances and my stylish new clothes, anxiety bubbled within my stomach. I was an introvert at heart. As curious as I was to see what constituted an elf party thrown by royalty, most of me wanted to stay in our room, eat more food, and find a book to read. I wouldn't have been opposed to staring at the ceiling and talking to Nylian about nothing at all.

Somewhere during our twisting journey, I'd grown comfortable with the man. We were friends, and my brain didn't feel the need to worry about every little thing that came out of my mouth with him. I could share the same space with him and be at ease.

That was fucking rare.

In my world, I could count on one hand the number of people I felt that way with.

It was a shame he couldn't come home with me when I figured out how to get home.

Before my brain could even analyze that strange thought, we were walking into the glittering ballroom filled with elves in elaborate gowns and elegant suits. Fans fluttered while gems caught and winked in the warm light that came from magical globes floating in the air. Along the edges of the room were hundreds of plants creating a wall of green dotted with delicate flowers of every color.

Music played in the background from a quartet of musicians. It was light and fluffy, all strings and flutes. Nothing with hard edges or deep thumping.

Servants in white uniforms slipped through the crowd, silver platters balanced on one hand, offering snacks and colorful drinks in delicate champagne glasses.

In a heartbeat, I realized I was the one shadow in this crowd of spring blossoms. Nylian was right that no one was wearing anything darker than a pastel. I stood out like a black beacon of evil among them. There was no way in hell I'd be able to hide or blend in with this crowd.

Yeah, there was no way Nylian was getting rid of me. If they were going to make me a blot on their party, I was going to become Nylian's shadow, clinging to his every move.

"Lockhart?"

I jerked my gaze away from the assembled group who'd paused to stare at us to find Nylian smiling at me.

"You look beautiful to me."

Those words formed an armor that wrapped around every inch of me. No matter their stares or what they said, it couldn't touch me. The one person who mattered had already staked their claim. My friend.

As we entered the room, a servant came forward wearing a more elaborate uniform than the others and a more imperious attitude. He stated we should follow, and the crowd parted to form an aisle leading to a pair of thrones set up on a dais where the king and queen were sitting. Both wore glittering gold outfits. In fact, they were the only ones wearing the color gold, much like I was the only one wearing black. I was the night to their brilliant sunny day.

We bowed to the royals, and the king was instantly on his feet. His eyes skimmed over me for a second, but he didn't say a word as he moved to Nylian's side and clapped him on the shoulder. "You and your pet are looking much better now. Had a good rest? The finest of food to fill your stomach? No more of that nasty human fare, right?"

"Your Majesty has been most gracious in our care," Nylian replied with a bow of his head. The king ushered Nylian through the ballroom while I fell several steps behind him, following like a good, obedient pet. It was galling and degrading, but it was also the safest thing for me. I didn't know the social customs or graces that would be expected of me among the elves. I didn't have the protective armor of being one of the Edros princes. Here, I was just a human, looked down upon as if I were a rat who'd crawled into their party, covered in feces.

Since I was following Nylian, no one expected me to make polite small talk with the other party guests. That was a relief. I was that awkward person who stood in the corner of a room and spent all their time staring at their drink. The only thing worse was when someone hit on one of the three topics that I could talk about, and then it was like I couldn't keep my mouth shut. Yeah, being Nylian's shadow was much safer.

The king escorted Nylian around the room, bragging about this and that, not saying much of value. It was more like he was showing off his newest acquisition to his party guests rather than having any interest in Nylian. When he was done with his parade, we were nearly back at the thrones. Beldroth flitted away for something else that seemed shinier, leaving us to ourselves.

But that didn't last long.

Now that Nylian had the royal seal of approval, the other guests flocked to his side. I was bumped away from him twice, but Nylian turned from the person who was talking to him and smiled as he grabbed my hand and pulled me close again. He was careful to make it obvious to everyone in the room that I belonged to him and that no one could shove me aside.

"He is a rather dashing-looking pet," a woman with bright lilac-and-silver hair murmured as she pointed her closed fan in my general direction. "Did he require much training?"

"Not really. He's quite intelligent and has picked up a lot of useful things on his own," Nylian stated. "He is very good at getting himself into trouble, though."

I narrowed my eyes at the back of his head. Screw him . As if I were the only one who was good at finding trouble. He'd stumbled into more than his fair share along the road.

And why the hell didn't he have a harem of lovers yet? That made no sense. The man was sexy, funny, and smart. If I'd been writing this book, we would have been past the halfway mark. He should have had a lover or two by now. Where was the sex?

If I didn't know better, I'd say Nylian was fucking up my story on purpose just to be an asshole.

Holding in a sigh, I turned my gaze away from my annoying companion and glanced around the room, letting my mind wander away from the people who were busy complimenting Nylian and inspecting his merchandise. That was when I saw them. The ones who would break the stalemate.

With a small clearing of my throat, I leaned forward and whispered into Nylian's ear. "Would you like me to fetch you a refreshment?"

Nylian turned toward me, one eyebrow lifted in question. I smiled, hoping to appear a little pathetic. Even if he didn't want a drink, I hoped he would believe that I needed a break from all the scrutiny. At the very least, I was being a good, trained pet and seeing to his needs as the others expected.

"Yes, that would be lovely," Nylian replied.

I didn't wait another second, slipping out of the crowd and making my way to the far side of the ballroom. Along the way, I tried to make it seem as if I were casually taking in the scenery of beautiful flowers and expensive decorations while keeping my hands locked together behind my back.

A servant swept past me, and I plucked one of the full glasses off his platter, but didn't drink it. There was no way in hell I was eating or drinking anything at this ball without Nylian approving of it first. Elves were known for playing magical tricks on humans, particularly in the form of food and drinks. I didn't put it past them to poison me for the fun of it.

"You're that prince's pet human, aren't you?"

My head popped up, and my heart skipped a beat to find that my quarry had come to me. Standing in front of me were identical twins with pale-blond hair and enormous sky-blue eyes. Their features were as delicate as spun glass, and their skin looked as soft as baby rose petals. The only difference between them was that one was wearing a pale-yellow dress, and the other was wearing pink.

They were Fiona and Rowena. The twins who were supposed to fall in love with Nylian and join his harem. And they were my last shot at getting Nylian's harem plotline on track.

"I am." I sketched a quick bow to them while holding Nylian's drink out to the side. "My name is Adam Lockhart, and I belong to Prince Xeran Elrich."

They giggled in unison, their hands flying up to their lips and their eyes sparkling. "Oh, my! He's adorable," one of them announced.

"Adorable? No, he's positively handsome!" the other cooed. "I didn't know humans could be so handsome."

"Well, Prince Xeran takes excellent care of me. He is always concerned about my well-being and is very compassionate," I replied.

"And articulate!" the one in yellow said. "Amazing!"

"I wonder what else he's good at." The one in pink reached out a hand and slid a single finger along the sleeve of my tunic from my shoulder to my wrist, while the one in yellow also took a step closer.

"I bet your master has trained you to be good at all kinds of wonderful things to make him happy," Yellow purred. Shit, I knew their names, but I didn't know which one was which.

This was taking a turn I hadn't expected. I'd thought if I moseyed over and caught their attention, I could lead them over to where Nylian was standing. Once there, they would fall head over heels in love with him at first glance. This was supposed to be easy, dammit!

" Ummm …" I paused and swallowed hard, frantically searching for something to say while they shrank the space between us. "Would…would you like me to introduce you to the prince? I'm sure he would be happy to meet you."

"No, I'm quite enjoying our private conversation here. Aren't you, Fiona?" Pink asked. Yes! A name. Yellow was Fiona, which meant Pink had to be Rowena.

"I thought maybe we could make our conversation even more private ," Fiona replied. "Do you think Prince Xeran would loan you to us for a while?"

"I-I-I…" I stammered. I was in so much fucking trouble.

"We promise to return you in the same condition we found you," Rowena teased.

Fiona giggled. "Well, almost the same condition."

Yep, needed to get out of here. This was a mistake. A huge freaking mistake, and I was sinking deeper into trouble. This was reminding me of those Regency novels that Jack liked to read where all the nobility met up to pretend to be respectable at a party and then ran off to the gardens or secret alcoves to fuck each other's brains out.

Hopefully, this wasn't more of a Roman-style party where it devolved into one big orgy.

Either way, I needed to get out of there. Preferably with Nylian. I might have wanted him to build a harem of lovers, but the key thing was that the people in his harem loved him . This was just sex, and these people were too dangerous.

"I…I think I should be returning to Prince Xeran. He?—"

"But we don't want you to leave us," Fiona pouted.

"Yes, we're getting to know each other."

I took a step back, and they answered by taking a step closer. It was time to run for it. Sure, it would make a scene, but that felt safer than spending another second alone with them.

As I was about to pivot on one foot and dash wildly across the ballroom, a hand clamped on my wrist. My heart leaped into my throat and my eyes snapped up to see Nylian standing beside me. While his face was icy and expressionless, there was a fire flickering in his bright-green eyes.

He snatched the drink I was still holding, killed it in a single gulp, and placed it on the tray of a passing servant without breaking eye contact with the two women. "You'll excuse us."

That was it.

In the next moment, he was pulling me out of the ballroom and along the winding halls without another word. The corridors became a blur, and my heart raced. Had something happened? Had someone let something slip about the murder of his brother?

"What happened?" I demanded in a harsh whisper. I was growing more winded as we moved just short of a jog. The damn elf had longer legs than me and was maintaining a breakneck speed. While he was still technically walking, I had to skip and jog here and there, or risk being dragged.

Nylian said nothing as we hurried down the halls.

At long last, we reached our private chambers. He threw the door open with a loud bang and jerked me inside. I took a breath to ask him what the devil was going on, but the words were caught in my throat as he closed the door and shoved me against it.

"What the fuck?"

The elf turned to me, and his icy expression was gone. His handsome face was beautifully flushed, and his eyes sparkled like emeralds in the candlelight. "I am done watching you flirt with others. You belong to me."

My brain had zero chance of understanding that statement. The words had barely left his mouth when he slammed his long body into mine and kissed me as if our lives depended on it.

And then nothing.

Everything in my mind went to white static. I would have thought I'd died, except sensations flooded my body, replacing all thought. The warmth of Nylian's perfect lips. The enticing brush of his tongue. The firmness of his hand as it cradled my jaw, tilting my head up at just the perfect angle so he could deepen the kiss. Heat rushed through my veins, melting my knees so that my legs didn't want to hold me up while hardening my cock at a rate that was almost painful. This didn't make any sense.

As I began to long for the kiss to go on forever, the tiny man who ran my brain woke up from his faint. I could feel him frantically flipping switches to get common sense back online and searching through files.

I was straight.

Right?

Right?!?!

Somehow Nylian's other hand had sneaked between us to run up my chest. A moan of pleasure rumbled up my throat. The hands that I'd been holding up in the air came down on his shoulders, but instead of pushing him away, I dug my fingers into his muscles, pulling him in tighter.

Nylian ended the kiss but continued to press close, his lips rubbing mine as he spoke, teasing me. "Mine."

"I thought I was straight," I choked out. Yep, brain still trapped in a loop.

"I know you did, but I think it's obvious that it's more complicated than that." As he spoke, he pressed his hips forward, rubbing his hard dick against my own. A groan worthy of the filthiest porn erupted from my lips. God, that felt too good to be fucking real.

"Sadly, you still kiss like a straight man, but I think we can fix that."

Was that a dig at my kissing skills?

With a grunt, I leaned up, closing the tiny space between us, slamming our mouths together. This time, it was my tongue pushing into his mouth and wringing an answering cry of pleasure out of him. He released my jaw and sent both hands wandering along my body, lighting fires wherever he touched.

Unfortunately, nerves got the better of me. Kissing I could do, even though the asshole had made me self-conscious. But I'd never done anything with a man before. I wasn't sure how to touch him. If I could touch him.

I wanted to. If what he was doing to me felt this good, could I give him this kind of ecstasy, too?

Nylian's lips moved on mine, forming a smile. "You know, I can feel it every time your brain starts working? Parts of you stiffen up, and I don't mean the fun parts."

"Ny…Nylian," I began, his name getting caught in my throat. "This is new for me."

The hand that had been caressing my hip moved between us to cup my rock-hard cock. "How about I do something that I promise will shut down your brain?" As soon as he finished talking, he squeezed my dick, and I groaned. It was as close as I could get to a yes. Thankfully, he took it as such.

That sexy elf with the wicked grin dropped to his knees and his nimble fingers made quick work of loosening my pants. My cock sprang out like a puppy greeting its master at the front door. A hundred anxieties and fears rushed to the forefront of my brain in a heartbeat, and then that devilish tongue licked slowly up my dick from the root to the glistening purple head.

All those thoughts disintegrated to dust in an instant.

I couldn't tear my eyes away as he licked and kissed his way along my dick as if he were worshiping it. His tongue swirled around the head, and I whimpered. All my memories of other experiences disappeared without a trace. There was no past, no one else who'd ever touched me. The prince on his knees, working me into his mouth with excruciating slowness, was the beginning and end of all pleasure for me.

As my cock touched the back of his throat, he slipped a hand under my sac, massaging my balls. My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling lightly, but I wasn't sure if I was trying to pull him off before I lost it or hold him in place so I could fuck his luscious mouth. He was right. Thought was gone. My brain was mush. There was only the building feeling of my orgasm threatening to rip me apart.

A moan rattled up my throat, and the door creaked as I leaned more of my weight on it. That seemed to urge him on. He sucked me harder, bobbing on my cock even faster. One hand worked my balls while the other wrapped the base of my cock, stroking where his lips couldn't quite reach.

"Nylian!" I shouted. Just as the world broke apart, I pulled his hair, trying to move him off my cock, but he refused to budge. I came so fucking hard, everything whited out while I pumped every drop of cum down his welcoming throat.

Tiny whimpers tumbled out between the pants as he swallowed and licked me clean. I released my hold on his hair as he stood and cuddled close enough that I could feel the frantic racing of his heart pounding against my chest. He buried his face into my neck so that each desperate pant brushed my sweaty skin.

"You…didn't…come?" I asked, wincing at my awkwardness.

"Not yet."

I licked my lips and tried to gather my courage, but it was too soon, too new. "I don't…I don't think I can do that for you…yet."

"You don't have to. Just need this." He grabbed my wrist and pressed my palm to his hard cock, still trapped in his pants. Even with the material separating us, he was scorching hot. With a harsh grunt, he rutted against my hand, rubbing himself off, while guilt and hungry need swirled in my throat. Was I such a coward as to give him so little when he'd already done so much for me?

"Wait." I pulled my hand away, and Nylian instantly released me.

"It's okay. If you're not comfortable," he said, even though every word was strained.

"No, I mean help me with your pants," I cut him off. He froze for a second and then jumped into action, as if removing his pants were the only thing that would save his life.

A low chuckle left me, and I wrapped my other arm around his waist, drawing him close to me. "Don't get your hopes too high. I've never jerked off another guy."

"You don't have to…"

I didn't give him the chance to finish or let my nervousness get the best of me. As soon as his pants were open, I pushed a hand inside. My fingers rubbed along his long, hot cock and he shivered, burrowing his face into my shoulder as a moan fell from his lips.

That was the final thing I needed to gather up my wavering courage. To know that a small touch from me could give him such pleasure. I wanted to hear more of that, to feel every tremble as he crumbled at my touch.

Closing my fingers on his dick, I stroked him slowly at first, fearful that I might hurt him, but Nylian clung to me tighter, thrusting into my palm, and his breathing broke. His skin was scalding, and I could feel his frantic pulse beating in my hand. Pre-cum leaked from the head and I caught it, trying to smooth out the slide as I picked up the pace.

"Adam," Nylian whispered, his lips brushing my throat.

A new fire lit in my stomach and the hand resting on his waist tightened, pulling him in closer. "Say it again," I demanded, my voice so rough I barely recognized it.

"Adam." Nylian's voice cracked. "Gods, Adam. Don't stop. Please. Adam."

All the noise in my head was silent, and there was only Nylian saying my name over and over in that desperate tone. A song that had me turning to steal his lips in a deep, drugging kiss. He shouted, and I swallowed it as his cock pulsed in my hand, cum splashing across my fingers. My dick twitched and ached, wanting to come all over again at the mind-melting sexiness of the moment.

I wanted to never come down from this perfect high.

Because when I did, I'd have to figure out what the fuck had just happened.