1. Alana

ONE

His lips trail a hot, torturous line down my throat. He tugs at my dress, my nipples pebbling with the anticipations of his touch. But instead of caressing them, he lets his hands levitate over my body. I lean into him – desperate to feel him. But he does not give in.

Instead, he tightens the bonds around my wrists and shakes his head. “You will not come until I tell you to, Alana, do you understand?”

I fix my eyes on his, but do not reply. I want his wrath. I want him to punish me with his pleasure.

His gaze darkens, his eyes narrow. He smiles then and tweaks his thumb under my chin. My dress is open, my breasts exposed to the cool night-time air. He looks down and licks his lips. Then he thrusts his hand between my thighs and cups my pussy, hard. He does not move it, just applies pressure that sends waves of heat to my core, and continues to stare into my eyes.

“Tell me you understand?”

Finally, I nod. “I understand, my lord.”

I expect him to touch me, a reward for giving him the answer he wanted. Instead, he beats his wings and kneels down in front of me. He lifts my skirts and blows warm air onto my clit. I sigh and my eyes roll back as I sink into the anticipation of his tongue.

He does not give it to me.

He takes his index finger and runs it gently through my folds, gathering my wetness, then he looks up at me, reaches up, and makes me suck his finger into my mouth.

“How do you taste?” he asks.

“Why don’t you find out for yourself?” I swirl my tongue around the tip of my finger, teasing him, knowing this answer will drive him wild. Then I watch as he tilts his head, considers his next move, and finally gives me what I need... his tongue.

With expertly torturous slowness, he kisses the inside of my thighs. When he finally licks my clit, making perfect circles before tugging it gently with his teeth, a vicious moan escapes my lips and my body arches towards him.

Except, I can’t move because he has me tied too tightly. All I can do is writhe beneath his mouth as he explores all the ways he can make me feel.

When he stands and starts to take off his clothes, I am shaking. My breasts long for his touch, and I long to touch him.

He peels off his shirt, exposing his perfectly chiselled torso.

I want to lick his stomach all the way down until I reach his cock.

He unfastens his belt and drops his pants to the floor. He is not wearing any underwear.

I take in the sight of him because I have never seen him like this before; fully exposed in front of me. He is glorious. His silver hair hangs loose over his shoulders. Every inch of him makes me feel like he could both destroy me and claim me and worship me.

My eyes drop to his cock, admiring his length. Then my breath catches in my chest. He is pierced, and suddenly there is nothing I want more than to swirl my tongue over his metal and to feel it inside me.

How did I not notice before? In the tunnels? Was I so overcome with pleasure that I couldn’t even tell what was happening inside my own body? Was every sensation so overwhelming that it was impossible to know where they were coming from and what was causing them?

I strain against the ties that bind me to the wooden post.

Eldrion beats his wings and rises up into the air, drawing closer until his cock is level with my mouth. He treads the air just in front of my face, just out of reach. I stick out my tongue, desperate to reach him, but he simply smirks and refuses to move closer.

“Please...” I open my mouth again. This time, while he fists his dick, he lets me take his balls into my mouth. I groan as I suck and tease them.

He groans too.

Then he grabs my hair and jerks my head back. He stares at me for a moment, then strokes my cheek. Tender. Loving.

A look that makes me hate him even more. Because how can he look at me like that when he has evil in his veins?

The look lasts only a second before he bends down and kisses me. Hard. Searching. He grabs hold of my face, then finally he lowers himself to the floor and begins to kiss my breasts, my nipples.

I want to touch myself. I need to touch myself.

I can feel the wetness pooling between my thighs.

Eldrion raises his head and meets my gaze. Then he lifts my leg and, without warning, thrusts up inside me.

He holds my hands still, never breaking eye contact with me.

He thrusts again, then slips his free hand between us to play with my clit.

I call his name – shout it like a curse word – and it disappears in the air between us, swallowed by the moans that reverberate in my chest as pleasure sweeps like molten silver through my body, destroying my resolve.

My muscles tense.

The pleasure is too much.

“Please, I need to come, let me come...”

Eldrion looks as if he is considering taking his hand away. Instead, he unties the bonds, turns me around, and grabs hold of my hips. He jerks me back onto his cock and reaches around to torture my clit with his fingers while his wings caress my breasts. Mine are pressed flat between us, and the pressure sends ripples of static pleasure skittering down my spine.

I can’t think.

I can’t breathe.

All I know is that I’m about to be pushed over the edge, and he’s going to push me there, and that nothing in the world feels like this.

Because I have never wanted anyone the way I want him.

Or hated anyone the way I hate him.

Eldrion slams into me hard, his cock touching the place inside me that makes everything go fuzzy and dark and my brain feel like it’s dissociating from my body.

When I come, I scream his name again but this time it sounds different. I tip my head back and he curls his fingers around my throat. He kisses my forehead. He kisses my neck, just below my ear, and he holds me close as I tremble against him.

Then he mutters, “Alana...” He pushes me forward, holding me up with his wings, and shakes as his orgasm takes hold of him. With his arms curled around me, he breathes hard against my neck. I am completely engulfed my him. He is inside me, and around me. Everything is him. There is nothing else.

But then he starts to fade.

Something shifts.

I look down. His arms have become translucent, dark, grey. His wings become smoke. It flutters away into the air.

I turn around, spinning to face him.

He opens his mouth and a cloud of shadows spills from inside it.

I reach for him.

I scream for him.

And then he is gone.

I am alone. I look down. There are no bonds around my wrists. My clothes are back on my body. I am surrounded by trees and someone else is calling my name. Not Eldrion.

“Alana?” Briony’s voice. It floats towards me through the trees.

“Alana...” I mutter, hearing my name as if Eldrion is speaking it. I pinch the bridge of my nose. “What is happening to me?”

My legs are still quivering as I weave my way through the trees towards Briony’s voice. I find her by the campfire. She looks worried but relaxes when she sees me. “You know we’re supposed to travel in pairs,” she says, reaching for my hand,

I take hers only briefly, still quivering with the memory of Eldrion’s touch.

Except, it wasn’t his touch.

Was it?

I rub my temples.

How am I supposed to know what is real? Since he gave me that vision, or I saw it, or whatever the hell happened in those tunnels, I’ve been having them more and more frequently.

Dreams about him.

Nightmares about the world ending.

I don’t know if he’s making me see them or if something else is happening.

I took Kayan’s powers. Is it possible I took Eldrion’s, too? Is he seeing what I’m seeing?

Something inside me feels dull and empty every time I realise I have been dreaming and that he’s not really here with me. It feels as if he is too far away, as if there is an invisible thread pulling me towards him, vicious voices in my head telling me to go to him.

One in particular. It could be his. It could be mine. It sounds like both and neither.

It whispers to me on the wind.

Go to him. Find him. You have to find him, Alana.

Briony tugs my sleeve. “Alana? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” I shake my head. She looks more ghostly than I do. She is pale and drawn. We have survived on little food for the past three weeks.

Trapped within our small protection shield, hiding from Eldrion’s gaze in the deepest part of the woods outside of Luminael, there are too many of us and not enough wildlife or edible vegetation to sustain us.

Yes, we have the river, thank goodness. But water will not sustain us forever.

“How are the Leafborne?” I ask.

The camp is very much divided. The Shadowkind are suspicious of us. We are suspicious of them.

I say we . . .

I am not one of them. Despite everything, my kin still do not trust me. I am neither Shadowkind nor Leafborne. I float between them, and both groups look at me with disgust.

Finn, as always, is the only one who treats me with kindness. Although, I wish he would treat me with more than kindness if I’m honest. He has barely touched me since we arrived here, and I’m not sure if it’s because we’re in such close quarters with the others or because something has changed.

I wonder if I was more... satisfied... whether the dreams of Eldrion would be fewer. Whether Finn could fuck Eldrion out of my head.

But I haven’t told him about them. I can’t.

If he knew what I saw and what Eldrion and I did in the tunnels... I swallow hard. It feels like a betrayal. Finn would see it as a betrayal. It is a betrayal.

My body betrayed me, and I betrayed Finn.

Perhaps the others are right; perhaps I am a monster.

Briony starts to walk towards the food station, where we take it in turns to volunteer as chefs and to hand out rations. She takes a cup of nettle tea and wrinkles her nose at the lack of sugar. She drinks it down anyway, but I opt for my one portion of walnut coffee.

No milk. No sugar, but better than nettles.

We find a space next to the fire and sit beside one another.

We are the only mixed friendship out of the two groups of fae. No one else has dared to cross the divide, and I appreciate Briony more than I can make her understand. The fact she has not shied away from me shows she is a true friend.

“Spirits are low,” she mutters. “The Leafborne accused the Shadowkind of giving themselves greater rations at breakfast.” She pauses and looks at me furtively from the corner of her eye. “You have been gone since breakfast. Where have you been?”

“Just walking,” I answer quickly. “Nowhere. And everywhere.” I smile slowly and sip my coffee. “Within the bounds of the shield, of course.”

Briony grimaces and sips her tea, then grimaces harder.

“Has Finn spoken to you about our next steps? I tried to talk to him about it, but he is reluctant. He says he is still thinking, and waiting on news from the elves.”

“The elves...” Briony rolls her eyes. “They have never been trustworthy. I still don’t understand why–” her words are broken off when Finn appears opposite us. Striding in front of the fire, he looks angry, his steps wide, his stance stiff and forceful.

He doesn’t even look in my direction, just marches over to a small group of Leafborne and grabs one of them by the throat. Hauling them to their feet, he stares down into their face and spits, “You accuse us of being unfair?”

The Leafborne, Pen, tries to pull away, but Finn is athletic and strong, despite his small wings. The piercings on their tips jingle as he draws himself taller and wider.

“No, I . . .” Pen replies shakily.

Finn’s jaw twitches. “If you accuse the Shadowkind, you accuse me. I am their leader.”

I sense Briony twitch a little beside me. Was she aware that’s how Finn had declared himself?

“I apologise,” Pen says tightly. “I only thought –”

Finn lets him go. His eyes soften, and I see an almost visible wave of regret wash over him. He shakes his head, then puts a firm hand on Pen’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I apologise, Pen. Tensions are high. I am as hungry and tired as the rest of you, and as frustrated by being stuck here for so long with no progress. I overreacted. Please accept my apologies.”

Pen nods but narrows his eyes at Finn as if he doesn’t quite believe him.

I stand and walk quickly over, thrusting my cup into Briony’s hands so mine are free.

“Not now, Alana,” Pen snaps. “I don’t need you manipulating me into not being angry with your boyfriend.” He glances at my fingers as if I’m going to attempt to cast a spell on him right this second.

“That’s not what I was trying to do. I was simply –”

Pen shakes his head, looks at me with disgust, and turns to walk away. The other Leafborne are muttering. Maura is the only one who continues to stare at me. I desperately want to let my gates down and search her feelings; to see if she really still hates me, despite everything. But if I do that, she’ll know. She’ll sense it, and I will have proved them all right.

They believe their thoughts aren’t safe around me.

I can’t do anything to fuel their fear.

As I inhale sharply, pain lodging between my ribs, Finn puts his hand on the base of my spine. “Ignore him. Ignore all of them. They’ll see what you are eventually.” He kisses the side of my cheek. “They’ll worship you eventually. You’ll see.”

I lean into him and sigh. He smells so good, and he feels so warm and familiar.

He is the only one who has truly seen me for who I am. He gives me exactly what I need, whenever I need it.

I owe him the truth about Eldrion, and the tunnels, and the visions.

But what if telling him means losing him forever?