16. Hiero

Chapter sixteen

Hiero

I needed to lock that shit down.

Frito’s advice played on repeat over the next few days, every time I caught Skylar smiling at me from across the bar, every time I sank deep into the sanctuary of his body.

My boy hadn’t said anything more to me about his future plans, despite my gentle probing, and he hadn’t taken me up on my offer to find him a spot in town or the several hints that he simply move in with me. He had been spending most nights at my place, and I’d cleared out a couple of drawers for his belongings. His makeup and hair products were slowly taking over the bathroom as well, which made me think he’d need his own vanity when I built our home.

And there I went again. Making long-term plans without any sort of commitment. If making me jealous was Skylar’s toxic trait, then mine must be planning an entire future without getting my partner’s buy-in .

I was desperate for a sign, which was the reason for me heading over to The Magic Shop one afternoon with two empty buckets. The bar’s patrons had become accustomed to the enchanted ice, and it did make our drinks taste better, not to mention I could store some of it in my bedside table to torment my boy. Skylar was spending the day preparing for an upcoming visit from his friend Monica, which meant that I could investigate the possibility of giving him a little nudge in my direction. It was only research after all.

At the tinkling of the bell, The Owner materialized behind the counter in a cloud of vapor, or perhaps it was only a trick of the lighting. He did, in fact, have a pipe in his hand. “Hierophant Wolfsbane,” he said with a light touch to the brim of his black top hat. “Back for some more of my enchanted ice?”

“It would seem that way,” I said, but instead of heading directly toward the machine, I lingered over the many elixirs and potions lined up on a shelf. The sunlight shone through the vials in a kaleidoscope of color, reminding me of the stained-glass windows of Church and the way the light played on Skylar’s wings when we were making love.

“Does something ail you, Mr. Wolfsbane?” The Owner asked. Something was ailing me alright, but I didn’t exactly want to admit my condition to the man.

“I’m looking for a potion,” I said.

“Yes, I gathered as much since you are perusing my ‘potions’ section,” he snarked. “May I ask, what are your symptoms? ”

“Heart palpitations, clammy palms, an infatuation that borders on obsession.”

“I see. Sounds serious.”

“Feels pretty dire to me.”

“And may I ask, are your affections returned?”

Over the past few weeks, Skylar and I had gone from strangers to lovers to Daddy and boy. Objectively speaking, it had been a fast progression, but he’d told me he wanted it at every turn. Surely, my imagination wasn’t so rich as to invent an entire one-sided relationship?

“I think so,” I said at last.

“Well, that is a promising start,” The Owner said.

Skylar enjoyed my company and was thriving under my direction, but I worried it wasn’t enough to keep him from the many allures of Emrallt Valley. All-night raves and gourmet eateries, rooftop bars, theater and concerts–he’d said he liked music. About the only diversion I could offer him here was our annual battle of the bands and our tawdry themed nights at Church. His best friend lived there too, and of course, there was the surly, spoiled prince to contend with. Even if he was an entitled asshole, who was I when compared with royalty?

I’d entertained the idea of joining him in the fae realm (not that he’d asked me, mind you), but my kin were here, my business was here, and my land was here too. I didn’t want to start all over as an outcast in a foreign realm. I supposed that I was just a bit set in my ways .

“So, what seems to be the problem?” The Owner asked, startling me from my mental tangent.

“I need this one to stick,” I said, now knowing how else to characterize it. “A binding enchantment, perhaps?”

“Those typically work better when both parties are consenting,” The Owner said tactfully.

Obviously, I didn’t want to coerce Skylar into staying. I only wanted to open his mind to the possibilities of how sweet our lives could be, a quiet but meaningful existence spent together in the mountains with my shifter clan.

“Do you have anything less potent? A scent I might spray on myself to make me more attractive to my partner?”

“I don’t think attraction is what you are seeking,” The Owner said.

I exhaled a long-suffering sigh, for he was right.

“Though I do have some colognes imported from the elvish territories. They smell like emotional unavailability and money. Very popular right now.”

“No thanks,” I said, stuffing a bucket under the ice machine and pressing the button. I watched it fill in fits and spurts, frowning all the while.

“There is one thing I might prescribe you, Mr. Wolfsbane, to get your lover to stay,” The Owner said once I’d set my buckets aside.

“I’m listening,” I replied, for it seemed he was stalling just to build suspense .

“Patience.”

After the initial letdown of a remedy so common, I nodded at his wisdom. Skylar would grow to love and trust me, and that might be enough to keep him. Or he’d become restless as so many had before him and leave. And there was nothing I could do to speed up the process or sway him to my side. I could merely demonstrate that I was a safe haven, a place where he might want to put down roots and build a home.

“Love can be painful at times,” The Owner said, not unkindly. “But it also heals. Two good hearts deserve one another, wouldn’t you say, Mr. Wolfsbane?”

I nodded and paid him his coin, then traversed the short walk back to the bar, resolved to be patient and wait for my handsome fae to come around.

I was restocking glasses when Skylar made his entrance at Church later that evening. The fading afternoon light blessed his fair skin, tattoos glowing in a prismatic shimmer. My mood brightened. It was hard to be broody in my boy’s presence.

“Hello, Daddy,” he said and planted himself on one of the barstools. Despite all the things we’d not addressed, we had solidified this aspect of our relationship at least—what he needed as my boy and what I could provide. But there wasn’t much for me to correct. Beyond making sure he was taking care of himself and spending his money wisely, my boy was perfect.

Tonight, he was wearing very high boots with very short shorts and a silver tank top that played peek-a-boo with his nipples. His long hair was tied up in a high ponytail that accentuated the sharp angles of his face, and if it weren’t for the obvious bulge in his pants, I might mistake him for a woman. Hotter than sin and sweeter than summer rain, Skylar Larkspur was a rare find indeed.

“Hi, baby, did you get everything done that you wanted?” I asked, handing him a lime and mint spritzer with a few cherries to top it off.

“Yes, and I got here early in case you were missing me?”

“I’m always missing you, sweet thing.”

“Then come over here and show me, Daddy,” he said with a little pout.

I rounded the bar and swiveled his stool toward me. He wrapped his long legs around my waist as I smoothed my hands along his tattooed thighs and gently squeezed the curve of his ass. I couldn’t wait until later that night when I’d have him back in my bed.

“I heard it’s karaoke night tonight,” he said.

“Yep.”

“And after the bar closes, all of the staff has to sing?”

“It’s tradition.”

“I practiced a song for you. ”

I was bewitched by him, body, mind, and soul, and I got lost for a moment in his violet eyes and long black lashes, the mischievous quirk of his mouth, his pointed ears and chin, and the many rings and bangles he wore that chimed like silver bells whenever he moved.

“I can’t wait to hear it,” I said, leaning down for a kiss. He slung his arms around my neck, and I drank deeply from his mouth. My tongue parried with his, a perpetual thirst I could not quench.

“You taste like strawberries,” I said, licking the sweetness from my lips.

“I had to sample them to make sure they were ripe. I picked up some things for when Monica visits.”

“She’s arriving tomorrow?”

“Yes. I miss her so much.” His gaze became wistful, and I worried at what that sentiment might portend.

“And you’re staying over tonight?” I asked while wishing I could demand more.

“Yes, I’m wearing new lace panties and the plug you gave me. Do you want to see?”

With my throat suddenly dry and my cock steadily expanding, I nodded. Skylar scooted off the bar stool and landed delicately on his high-heeled boots. Bending over, he pulled down his shorts to show me his periwinkle blue panties with a yawning split down the middle. The plug was familiar, black with a flared base and a ring to tug on it. I’d always favored black myself, but for Skylar, I’d need to invest in toys with color and jewels because my boy liked a little sparkle. I’d told him to wear my plug during his shift, as a reminder of who he belonged to.

“Where did you get these?” I asked as my fingers skirted the lace hem.

“From The Magic Shop.”

My eyes widened. “I must have missed the bottomless panties section.”

“The Owner keeps them behind a curtain. It’s called the Boom Boom Room.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about Skylar being alone in the Boom Boom Room with the wily Owner, but I also didn’t want to overreact.

“So, this is what you’ve been spending your money on?” I asked as I pulled apart the lace to inspect his smooth cheeks. The bruises from my spanking had healed, leaving only milky white skin behind. I didn’t necessarily need the flashy adornments, though I certainly appreciated them.

“I wanted to look sexy for my Daddy.”

“And you do.” I rearranged his panties, tracing the edges where they artfully framed his plugged hole, then tugged a little on the ring. Skylar whimpered and jutted out his ass for more. “But what did I tell you about saving your money?” I said.

“I paid myself first, just like you told me.”

“That’s a good boy. You’d let Daddy fuck you right here over this barstool if I felt like it, wouldn’t you, Skylar? ”

“Yes,” he said with a full-body shiver. Lord knows, I was tempted, but I didn’t want my sister to walk in on us. Or the Ministry of Health. It was bad enough I let him blow me most nights in the alleyway behind the bar where anyone might happen upon us. Skylar got off on the thrill of being caught. I got off on him.

His hole pulsed around the base of the plug, pink as a rosebud, and my cock twitched in my pants, wanting desperately to reunite with its new best friend. “I could keep you plugged and ready for me all the time,” I mused. He’d told me before, fae holes were for pleasure and breeding.

“You wouldn’t even need to prep me.”

My head was doing that thing again, getting distracted by his bendy body and his willingness to submit, but I wanted our relationship to be about more than just sex.

“Straighten up for Daddy,” I told him gruffly, and when he did, I grabbed him around his slender waist and pulled him close to me, holding onto one of his hands as if we were slow dancing. “You know that I like you for more than just your looks and your sexy body and the way you turn me on so shamelessly.”

He ducked his head and glanced away. “I know.”

“Do you?” I asked and lifted his chin.

He nodded, eyes going soft and wide. “This is new for me, being wanted for more than just sex.”

“It might take some time for you to get used to it, but it’s true. ”

He smiled while biting his lower lip. I placed one fingertip against his plush pout. “What have I told you about this?”

“You’re going to gag me, so I don’t bloody my lip.”

My cock twitched from the visual of a tearful Skylar on his knees, gagged and bound and completely under my control. “That’s right. Now, where did you get those boots?”

“Enid let me borrow them. Do you like them?” He bent one leg in a demure pose, and I recalled my sister rocking those bad boys back in the day. She was a real hellion when we were coming up, still was to be honest.

“They’re very sexy and your legs look amazing, but are you going to be able to work the floor all night in them?”

“I’m light on my feet,” he said with a wink.

My hand had somehow migrated to the cleft of his ass, digging inside his panties so that my finger hooked through the ring. Skylar melted in my arms, cooing softly as I manipulated the toy in and out, right up until the back door flung open and Frankie called out a greeting. I made us both presentable as Frankie and Frito rounded the corner, but our dueling erections gave us away. I told Skylar to go get his apron and tried to maintain a more professional mindset.

“Sup, cuz,” Frito said, eyes directed toward the bulge in my pants. “Sup, Skylar.”

“Hey, Frito,” Skylar called while on his way to the back. When he returned, the little black apron he wore was longer than his shorts, which made it look like he wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Gunther and Dorth were going to love that.

“Cute fit,” Frito said with an appraising look. “Boss is going to be messing up drinks all night.”

Skylar grinned and started helping Frankie take down the chairs, teetering on his platform boots and bending over in a way that had me thinking about his plugged hole and how quickly I could be inside him.

“So, how’s things?” Frito asked when Skylar was out of earshot.

“Well, I went looking for a love potion today.”

Frito’s loud guffaw caught Skylar’s attention and he glanced over, smiling at our exchange.

“You know we have a rule against slipping potions in people’s drinks,” Frito reminded me.

“Yeah, I quickly realized it was a terrible idea, so I’m switching to the old-fashioned method.”

“Which is?” Frito asked.

“Pining.”

Still chuckling, he slapped my back. “Just keep giving him that daily dose of vitamin D, cuz, and you’ll be right as rain.”

“I want this to be about more than sex,” I said to my cousin, just as I’d said to Skylar. I wanted everything from the fae. Wanted to put a ring on his finger and a bun in his oven, have him call me his husband in addition to his Daddy. But the last thing I wanted was to scare him off.

“You’ll get there. But good sex is a great place to start. ”

Was it? Should I have tried dating Skylar before falling into bed with him? Courted him properly? Had we gone about this in the wrong way?

I kept my eye on my naughty boy throughout the rest of our shift and ended up having to give away more than a few wrong cocktails. At the end of the night when it was just the staff left at the bar with the karaoke machine still going, Skylar took the stage. As promised, he dedicated his song to me then sang a sweet, melancholy ballad about wild ponies running free in his deep, husky baritone, glancing over at me from time to time with a shy smile. He had an incredible talent that had been wasted in his hometown due to all those ridiculous rules about who could do what. Skylar shined on stage, practically incandescent at being allowed to sing from his soul. The fact that he was singing for me…

The heart palpitations started up again, and I wasn’t sure I would survive it.

“He is either the best thing to happen to you or the worst,” Frito said at my side.

I nodded, lovesick to my core. “Either way, it will have been worth it.”