Tarsus

It takes all my willpower to leave Clavicle in that cell as he shouts out my name. Old habits die fucking hard, and all I wanted to do was draw him into my arms and apologize and tell him how much I missed him. I wanted to feel those lips pressed against mine, to hold him and never ever let go. If I didn't walk out when I did, I'm pretty sure I would have released him. I can see why Aden was fooled by him.

My hands are trembling when I finally reach my chambers, closing the door behind me with trembling hands. I lean back against the wood and close my eyes, inhaling deeply.

"Think you went a little far?"

My lids crack open and I find Aden sitting in his favorite chair in front of the fireplace. He usually has a book in hand and a mug of coffee or tea sitting on the stand beside him. But tonight, he's hunched forward, elbows resting on his thighs, hands clasped between his knees, a distressed look in those shamrock eyes.

"Not far enough," I say, straightening. "You know he was never in real danger. The greatest danger he was in was when he leapt off the balcony like an idiot."

"He didn't know he wasn't in danger. You scared him shitless."

I huff out a laugh. "This whole thing was your idea." I wink. "And a brilliant one at that."

Aden drops his gaze, and now I feel bad. Crossing the room, I pour a drink at the mini bar, then walk toward him. "You cannot let your human empathy get the best of you, Aden. He might look human, but he is every inch a ruthless Fae king, and he'll throw you into the volcano the first opportunity he gets."

Aden blinks and reaches into his pocket, pulling out Clav's pair of glasses. "You forgot to give him these."

I'm constantly reminded of Clav's human weakness. I would have left Clav's glasses on the battlefield and not thought twice about it.

"You really care about him," I say, taking a drink and wincing at the Bane's Brew as it burns my throat. "Why?"

Aden fiddles with the glasses, biting his lower lip. "I don't know. He was so genuine. So fucking real, you know?" His eyes meet mine. "You don't find that a lot where I'm from. People put up a front. Humans spend a lot of time talking about themselves, trying to impress everyone around them. He wasn't like that."

"Because he has secrets to hide."

He snorts, then flinches. "I guess."

I finish off the glass of Banes Brew and set the empty glass on the low lying table before sitting in my armchair before the fire.

"Come'ere," I say.

Setting his book aside, Aden crosses the space between us and curls onto my lap. He's short for a human, and I'm tall for a Fae, but that's never been an issue for either of us. Wrapping my arms around his small body, I pull him close and kiss his temple.

"Were you really going to turn yourself into the bats today?" My heart breaks at the reminder, the shock of what he'd been planning on doing.

"Yes." His voice is low as his body tenses, no-doubt waiting for me to get angry. Not that I get angry often, but communication is the biggest part of our relationship, and the fact that he didn't communicate any part of his plan with me is…well, it's a kick to the gut. That's for sure.

"You know I can't lose you, Aden. It would…kill me to lose you." My voice catches, and I swallow hard, my arms tightening around him."

"It'll kill your world not to lose me, assuming Clavicle can't actually help us."

I bury my face into his hair, hating how right he is. "Will you please tell me next time?" I pull away, tilt his chin up and search his eyes. "If you jump, I jump. I don't want to live one moment without you."

His beautiful, full lips press together, his throat bobbing in a hard swallow, but thank the gods he nods. "I promise to tell you any future plans I have."

"Thank you."

We sit there in silence for a bit, watching the flames in the fire while embracing this moment between us. A moment that wouldn't exist right now if Clavicle hadn't shown up. Because Aden…Aden would be dead. I guess I can appreciate Clavicle for that one thing, at least.

"So what's the plan with Clavicle?" Aden asks.

"We have to scare him so he knows who's in charge," I say as I watch the tongues of fire lick the air in the hearth. "If he sees even a hint of weakness in us, he'll use it to his advantage. He's incredibly shrewd, Aden. Remember that."

Aden nods against my chest, then tilts his head back and looks at me. "You already made him believe he would be Weaver's dinner. What can top that?"

I hum in thought. "It'd have to be something his weak, mortal body could take."

"Watch it," Aden warns, a dark smile easing on his face. "I'm mortal too, Babe."

I tense by the challenge in his eyes, and my cock stirs to life. "And?"

His countenance darkens. Reaching up, he runs his fingers down my jawline, and now my dick is rock hard. "I'll show you just how weak we are when my cock is down your throat."

Fuck. I like it when Aden gets like this. Defensive, possessive, controlling. It's so unlike him in his day-to-day meek and kind character. He's what humans call a golden retriever, but in bed…in bed he's a wolf. An alpha knotting werewolf, as he likes to put it, based off the books he reads.

"Prove it," I say, brushing some blond strands of hair from his forehead.

Aden's eyes become hooded with desire. "On the bed. Now."

I don't waste any time, removing my robes and tunic and crawling onto the king size bed.

"On your back."

By the time I obey the order, Aden is already undressed, his cock strapped around his hips as he makes his way to the bed, the promise of pleasure and pain in his eyes. He picked the purple tentacle dildo today. It's massive and twisted, with suctions built into it that promise pleasure.

"What did you call mortals?" he asks.

I arch a single, cocky brow. "Weak."

He tsks, then grabs some rope. Crawling on top of me, he straddles me while he pins my wrists together and binds them with the rope. Then he raises my wrists above my head and ties the other end of the rope to the headboard. His knees are on either side of me, his tentacle cock right at my chin as he peers down at me. My own cock is rock-hard, the precum dripping down the tip at the look in his eyes. There are very few people who get to see Aden's kinky side. Ash, Wolfsbane, and me. And I'm so fucking grateful to be among that group.

"Tell me again what you think about mortals," he says, poking my chin with his dick.

I meet his stare. "You're all fucking wea—"

I don't finish the sentence before his tentacle-dick is sliding down my throat, shutting me the fuck up. He pulls out, then shoves it back in, slowly at first, then faster. I love his massive dick in my throat. I love all his dicks and how he fills me with them. I love the power he has over me, both in bed and in real life. People might look at us and think I'm the one in charge, with me being fae and Aden being a human, but the reality is that Aden makes the call, all the gods-damned time.

He moans above me, his shaggy blond hair falling into his face as he fucks my throat. I want to reach up and touch his soft torso, feel his twin scars beneath my fingertips, but my hands are bound together and I'm useless.

"Let me touch you," I finally breathe when he pulls out long enough for me to get a word out.

He quickly unties the rope from around my wrists and I reach up and run my fingers down his abdomen, then reach down, lower, until my thumbs find his clit beneath the strap-on. He moans, his body shuddering with the touch as he sinks his cock back into my mouth. I move my fingers deeper into his center, gently running them in that tender spot between his folds, then plunging two fingers into his center the way he likes. I move my thumbs over his clit and pump my fingers to the rhythm that he fucks my mouth, giving him the sensation that his dick would feel.

"Fuck, I'm going to cum," he moans, eyes closed. He reaches behind and begins pumping my cock while fucking my throat. And fuck, I was already close, but with his fingers around my shaft, I can hardly hold it in. My balls draw in tight, and an explosion of pleasure washes over me as I cum. Aden finds his own release as my fluids cover his hand. His movements become slower and more deliberate, and I slow my pumping to match his rhythm.

His body shudders above me as he finds his own release, his head thrown back and his tentacle balls-deep in my throat. Slowly, he pulls out and flops down beside me, spent in the most delicious way. I watch him as he catches his breath, his chest rising and falling with each inhale and exhale. Sweat glistens on his forehead, and his eyes are closed, long lashes fanning over those high cheekbones.

"It never gets old with you, Aden."

He turns his head to the side and meets my gaze, and something in his eyes pains me. I know he's worried about…the future. Thirty, forty, fifty years from now, when he's old. He thinks I won't be in love with him anymore. But the reality is, I'll never stop loving him. I will cherish him, hold him, love him until he's lying on his deathbed. And when he releases his last breath, I fully intend to drink the poison I have stashed away. The poison a sorcerer concocted for me only days before I met Aden, when my heartbreak over losing Clavicle had grown so strong that all I wanted was to end the pain.

I decided to take a trip to the human realms one last time to spy on Clavicle in the human realms. It didn't help—seeing him from afar only made me realize what a conniving liar he was and how much I wanted him in spite of that.

I'd promised myself every gods-damned day that I wouldn't think of him. And every day for eighteen years, he was the first thought that popped into my head. Seeing him only made the pain worse.

Ash transported me to the city, then, thinking I needed some time before returning to my palace in the fae realms. She had no idea what I intended to do that night, how I fully planned to end it all with a vial of poison. I walked around the human city, ignoring the stares of the humans who complimented me on my costume.

I spotted Aden from afar. There was something about him that immediately drew me in. His smile, the way his eyes shone as he laughed at something his coworker said as they disappeared into the coffee shop. He was small, but there was something strong about him. Something far more fierce than any of my Spine Warriors possessed that spoke volumes of the fire he'd walked through time and time again. I hadn't realized I had followed him into the coffee shop or that I was standing across the counter from him, staring like an idiot, when he asked me for my order and told me I had the best cosplay that he'd ever seen in his life.

It was love at first sight for both of us. The hope he offered was a rope I clung to that pulled me out of the dark pit. Aden saved me from complete self-destruction that day. And without him…without this human boy by my side keeping me sane…I would have no reason to live at all.