32. Finnian

THIRTY-TWO

FINNIAN

Hovering above Taryn, my body’s still trembling from the aftermath of her hot mouth on my cock and coming down her throat. It felt like absolute heaven, if such a place exists, and I’ve never seen anything sexier than her on her knees, gazing up at me with those lavender doe eyes through dark lashes.

In the dim light of the Ember Pixies above us, her brown skin glows with a sheen of sweat, her eyes half-lidded and filled with desire. The way she looks at me, her lips swollen and parted, sends a fresh wave of desire coursing through me.

She’s expecting me to start moving inside her after she threw down that little gauntlet of a challenge. Which is exactly why I’m not.

I trail kisses down her neck, savoring the taste of her, the way she shivers beneath me. Her soft gasps are music to my ears. My lips find her breasts, teasing and sucking her puckered nipples until she arches into me, her fingers tangling in my hair. When I start to move lower again, the tangling turns into fisting, effectively holding me hostage over her smooth stomach.

“Where are you going?” she pants, her brows knitted in confusion. “That’s not what we agreed came next.”

I use my hands to dislodge hers from my hair, then bring them together behind her back, pinning them in place. “This is what happens when you make demands, little sun. Now lie back and enjoy, because you are definitely what’s coming next.”

“I suppose there are worse ways to go than death by orgasm,” she says, giving in and letting her head drop back to the blanket. Her feigned disinterest makes me chuckle as I map a path of kisses across her belly until I reach the apex of her thighs once more. I’m pretending this is a lesson in patience, but it’s purely selfish on my part. The scent of her arousal is intoxicating, a heady mix that drives me wild with need. I can’t resist tasting her again. Dipping my tongue into her folds, I savor the sweet, salty essence of her.

Gasping, she lets out a sharp cry, her hips jerking involuntarily. I press my tongue flat against her, licking a wide path from her entrance to her clit. She tenses beneath me, her muscles quivering, her breath hitching in her throat.

I release her wrists to slide my hands up her thighs, spreading her wider, giving me better access. I focus on her clit, circling it with my tongue, teasing it with light, feathery strokes. She moans, her back arching off the blankets, her fingers gripping the fabric so tightly her knuckles turn white.

I slide two fingers into her, curling them to find that perfect spot inside her, and she gasps, her inner walls clenching around me.

Encouraged by her response, I increase the pressure, flicking my tongue faster, alternating between sucking gently and lapping at her with fervent intensity. Her moans turn into desperate, breathless cries, each sound spurring me on.

She thrashes beneath me, her hands flying to my head, fingers tangling in my hair, pulling me closer as if she can’t bear to let go. I can feel her getting closer, her breaths coming in short, ragged pants, her thighs trembling around my head.

I redouble my efforts, my tongue and fingers working in perfect harmony, driving her higher and higher. Her cries become more urgent, her entire body tensing as she teeters on the edge of release. I suck hard on her clit, and that’s all it takes to push her over.

She comes with a broken scream, her body convulsing, her inner muscles squeezing my fingers rhythmically. I drink her down, reveling in the taste of every drop that’s second only to the taste of her blood essence. I feel positively drunk on her.

And I only want more.

Needing to be inside her, I climb back up and align the head of my cock at her entrance. Her eyes meet mine, lust-glazed and pleading, and I push into her slowly, savoring the tight, wet heat that surrounds me.

We both groan as I sink deeper, the sensation overwhelming. I still for a moment, letting her adjust to me, our breaths mingling in the charged air. But my queen is done letting me call the shots.

Before I realize what’s happening, she’s flipped our positions, putting me on my back as she straddles my hips. My hands slide around to grip the cheeks of her ass, but I let her control her movements, watching enraptured as she lifts her hair off her neck and grinds herself on my cock.

She’s a fucking goddess, strong and powerful, yet soft and graceful. I’m definitely not complaining about the view. Skin gleaming, breasts swaying, pelvis rocking. The sight of her slick cunt swallowing my cock again and again is deviance in motion, living fucking art. Then something behind her snags my attention, and the air gets trapped in my chest when I realize what it is.

Her wings.

Streams of sparkling lights in deep purples and dark greens swirl in the air, then magically solidify into diaphanous, iridescent wings. The flame-shaped tips stretch six inches above her head with the bottoms lightly brushing the tops of my thighs every time she lowers herself.

Bracing her hands on my pecs for support as she picks up the pace, they open and close like a butterfly’s when it rests on a flower. They’re mesmerizing, delicate with thread-like veins that begin to glow and pulse with her magic in time with her movements.

Each time she impales herself on my cock brings me closer to the edge, her moans spurring me on. Losing the last vestiges of my control I grab her waist and hold her still as I thrust my hips up, going harder and faster, and harder still.

I’m fucking lost in her, in the feeling of her body wrapped around mine, the drugging scents of her sweat and arousal, the symphonic sounds of her consumed by pleasure filling the air. The pressure builds, a coil winding tighter and tighter in the base of my spine until I can’t hold it back any longer.

“Come for me, solnyshko ,” I growl. “I need to feel you. Come for me now .”

She throws her head back and screams my name as it hits her, and the feel of her sex convulsing around me like a fist triggers my own release. With a final, powerful thrust, I spill into her as it crashes over me like a tsunami.

As Taryn’s body shakes with aftershocks, I slowly lift her up and down on my shaft, guiding her through the ebbing waves of ecstasy until she collapses on top of me, drained and utterly replete. We’re a tangle of limbs and sweat-slicked skin, both of us struggling to catch our breath. I press a kiss to her temple then settle back with one of my arms folded under my head.

“If I had my way, this is how I would keep you,” I say in a low voice. “Sated and in my bed forever.”

“I’m too tired to think of a snarky feminist retort right now. I’ll have to get back to you on that one.”

Chuckling, I tip her chin up and press a kiss to her love-swollen lips. “Looking forward to it, solnyshko .”

Unable to help myself, I trail the fingers of my free hand along the edge of an ethereal wing. It’s petal soft, and I can feel the hum of magic, almost like touching an electric wire with really low voltage. She shivers in response. “Sorry, does that bother you?” I ask, realizing I should’ve gotten permission first.

She props her chin on top of her hands to meet my gaze. “Not at all,” she says with a shy smile. “It’s been so long since anyone’s touched them, I’d almost forgotten how nice it feels.”

Stroking over the edge again, I watch as her lids grow heavy with contentment, like a purring kitten. “They’re stunning, Taryn. Just like the rest of you.”

“Thank you, Finnian,” she whispers, a light blush tinting the apples of her cheeks.

Glancing down, she traces over the puckered scar on my chest. I know she’s curious about it—she’s seen it multiple times by now—but still doesn’t ask, so I offer the information.

“Edevane went after Bryn with an iron dagger,” I say solemnly, remembering that day. “He almost killed her and Caiden with a single blow.”

“Because of the blood curse,” she says, understanding. “If a king’s mate dies, so does he.”

“Yeah. Tiernan warmed up to Bryn right away, but I kept my distance. I hated that a stranger’s life was tied to my brother’s. Even when it was obvious they were starting to fall for each other, I didn’t fully trust her. She was patient with me and never forced the issue, though.

“I didn’t realize I’d started thinking of her as a sister until the moment I saw that blade going for her heart and knew I would lose them both. I’d never been more scared in my life.”

She tips her face up to look at me. “So you stepped in to save them, and then she saved you in return. That’s what you were talking about back at Abhaile when she was trying to heal my father.”

I nod. “I wouldn’t be here right now if she hadn’t tapped into her Darklight powers that night.”

“Neither of us would be here right now if she and the baby hadn’t found us in that cavern and blown us out of there,” she adds.

“Very true.” Wanting to lighten the mood, I say, “We should get her something to say thanks. Double points if it annoys Caiden. Let’s see, I don’t think he’s gotten her the cats he promised her yet.”

“If he made the promise, then he should be the one to deliver.”

“Excellent point. Oh, I know.” I laugh just thinking about the ridiculous idea. “You wouldn’t have any dragons around here, would you? She’s a huge GOT fan. Caiden would shit a brick.”

“ Dragons ? Not last I checked, but we’ll keep an eye out,” she says, laughing with me. “Now get up and get dressed or it’ll be an uncomfortable reunion when the others get back.”

Her wings turn back into streams of light that disappear into her back. I’m both awed at the display and disappointed they’re gone. Seeing it on my face, she offers a half-shrug. “I’ve kept them hidden for so long, I feel too exposed leaving them out. Even here.”

“I understand.” I tuck a curl behind her ear and press a kiss to her lips.

There’s a beat where I can tell we’re both considering starting things all over again, but the sound of an Ember Pixie bouncing off the shield brings our situation back into focus. Chuckling at the pissed off pixie, we reluctantly gather our discarded clothes and get dressed.

We settle back into our makeshift bed and stare up at the stars dotting the midnight purple sky while I trace lazy circles on her arm. It isn’t long before Taryn tucks her face into the spot she’s claimed between my shoulder and chin, and seconds later falls fast asleep.

This is how I want to end every day for the rest of my life, with this incredible female wrapped in my arms and in my bed. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, I whisper, “Sweet dreams, moy tsarina .”

Most people would say it’s not possible to feel this strongly for someone I only just met. But my heart can’t comprehend time. It doesn’t know the difference between three days or three years. It only knows its very first beat after seeing Taryn Emory, and every beat since, has been for her .

Despite our invisible shield that should keep us safe from unwanted guests or tricks, I still won’t sleep until the guys make it back to camp. I’ll feel better knowing we have more muscle and more ears around Taryn. I know she can handle herself as well as any warrior, but I can’t help my innate protective streak that needs to keep her safe at all costs. I’m just not telling her that, because I like my balls where they are.

Hopefully they won’t be too much longer, and we can all get some sleep before our big day meeting with the fae queen who fucked my people over long before I was born. Should be good times.

Deciding I can still rely on my heightened sense of hearing to listen for anything suspicious, I allow myself to close my eyes and relax…

Taryn stands in the middle of a battlefield, wind whipping at her curls with streaks of ash on her face and neck. Her lavender eyes have brightened to a neon purple that spark with power. Jaw set in determination, her lips peeled back from clenched teeth, she throws her arms out wide and magic begins to crackle in the air around her.

She’s magnificent, a force of pure reckoning to all who threaten those she loves. Lifting her face to the sky, she screams in rage, preparing to deliver the ultimate retribution.

So she doesn’t see the golden Spear of Assal flying straight for her, the arrowhead slicing through everything in its path. Terror strikes me like a bolt of lightning. I run toward her, shouting her name so loud and so long my vocal cords bleed, but it’s no use. She can’t hear me above the fray.

The weapon strikes home, burying itself deep in her chest. Her hands instinctively grab at the protruding rod, a crimson river flowing from the wound. She looks over at me, a pained expression on her beautiful face, knowing I won’t make it to her in time. The violet light in her eyes flickers and dims just before they slide closed and she falls lifeless to the ground.

My eyes fly open with a jolt, my heart racing beneath Taryn’s warm palm on my chest. Willing my pulse to slow, I take deep breaths and tell myself it was only a nightmare. Except, it felt more like…a vision.

Fuck that, no way. I refuse to believe that was anything more than a bad dream brought on by fear of the unknown. Regardless, I’d rather not close my eyes again tonight. Sleeping is overrated, anyway. Reaching into the pack next to me, I take out Moira’s journal and begin to read under the glow of the Ember Pixies above.

Dearest Finnian,

I am leaving this treatise behind for you. Within its pages is my true accounting of the events leading up to our banishment and the ensuing bad blood between the Celestial Courts.

The truths as you were told have been woven with fabrics of omission and false perception. Read my words well, grandson, and you will see what was and was not, and how we came to arrive at the same place in a different era…