Page 103 of Crowned By the Fae King

Cass' expression melted into warm affection. "Yes and yes," he said, smiling up at me, his eyes as soft as a doe's. He let my hair trail through his fingers, then drew a heart on his cheek where I'd written my note to him.

I gave him a quick smooch on the nose before clambering off of him and getting to my feet. The cold air bit at me. "C'mon. Let's get our asses back to the Clement Palace before people start wondering if we've been kidnapped."

He snorted. "As if anyone could kidnap us," he said. Water sheeted off of him as he stood, all his skin steaming. "I survived fighting a goddess and you can melt people at will. I feel fairly untouchable."

I had to look away as he stretched his wings, because if I didn't, ogling would be the least of my sins. "Wasn't I just kissing you?" I asked playfully. I picked up my ice-cold panties and decided that I'd rather be dry and warm than have half-frozen cloth with a rime of ice right up against my pussy. "You seem pretty touchable to me."

Cass sauntered past me to grab his clothing. "One could even say you kidnapped me," he said in a cheerful voice as he collected his clothing from the branch he'd hung it over, "so perhaps I should update my statement to something like 'I feel like people would struggle to keep me somewhere I didn't want to be.'"

His yip of discomfort as he yanked on his own underthings made me grin. Yet another benefit to being comfortable with one's body: not having icy clothing making your balls retreat into your pelvis.

Mercy wasn't particularly excited to open a long-distance door from me to the palace. It hadn't been that difficult from the palace, but the Clement Palace itself was a focus for the power of the Court of Mercy, and it was easier to work Court magic there than anywhere else. There weren't any convenient cliffs or boulders to use as faux-walls, and while I didn't get hypothermic thanks to Cass, it was really fucking cold outside, and I didn't enjoy the experience of being wet and buck-ass naked while the evening breeze off the mountains had its wicked way with me.

I found a tree that had fallen into the vee of another tree, which made a vaguely door-shaped outline. It took me longer to convince Mercy to do what I wanted—but then Cass came up behind me and settled his hand over mine, and it was like being in the palace again. In some ineffable way, he was Mercy, and with him touching me, I had no barriers to that connection. The door snapped into place, opening up into our theoretically-shared bedroom that only I used.

Stepping into the warm air of the palace and setting my bare foot down on the woven wool carpet of the floor felt like coming home at the end of a wonderful vacation. I had to take a moment to luxuriate in the emotion, tilting my head back and inhaling the familiar scent of my room.

Cass followed, the cold breeze settling once the door closed. He made a thoughtful sound, then chucked his remaining clothing at the bed and picked me up by the hips.

I yelped like a startled puppy. "Cass!"

His warm laugh filled the room. Cass literally tossed me into the air, like I was a tiny child, putting enough spin on the motion that when he caught me I was facing him.

"Cass!" I squeaked again, bright elation and adrenaline sparkling under my skin.

He grinned at me, holding me up against him, high enough that I was looking down into his face from inches away. His expression softened. "Hi," he said, like I was the best thing he'd ever seen, and leaned his mouth up to mine.

I melted into the sweetness of his mouth. His lips moved against mine like poetry, exploring me even though he knew every part of my body. Cass luxuriated in me, and I fell into it, my arms going around his neck and my fingers sliding into his thick mane of hair.

The tip of his tongue grazed mine. I moaned from the contact, a shudder of pleasure running through my body. He was so strong and so gentle, savoring me like I was an incomparable treasure, his mouth my paradise. I licked him back, deepening the contact, and stole a panting whine from his throat.

I could do this forever. The thought flitted through my head with a feeling like the tide, the waves dragging me out to sea. I could do this forever, could spend the rest of my life finding ways to make him smile, to make him happy—

His hand slid higher on my back, until his thumb brushed against the delicate hairs of my nape. Our lips parted as I gasped from the tingling pleasure that ran down my spine.

Cass nuzzled me, his lips brushing against mine. "We should get ready for our dinner," he said softly, his voice rough and his heavy-lidded eyes focused on my mouth.

I combed my fingers through his wet hair. "We should," I agreed in a throaty voice.

Neither of us made any move to do so. We stayed there, breathing the same air, his thumb stroking along my skin and all my weight in his arms.

One corner of his mouth tugged up. "I feel like the luckiest man in the world," Cass murmured. "Whatever have you done to me?"

I started smiling at him, unable to suppress the joy. "You must be easy to please. I guess I should have taken you on a date months ago."

"I guess so," he said in a playful lilt. Cass kissed me once more, then set me down on the floor and smiled at me, his eyes warm and his ears canted forward in gentle attention. "Will you wear that midnight blue dress tonight? The one with the constellations picked out in diamonds?"

"The backless one?" I asked, my lips parting in surprise. He'd admired me before, of course, and I was sure he had favorite outfits of mine, but he always left the choice of clothing to our assistants.

His ears lifted. "That's the one."

"Well, okay," I said with a helpless smile. "Is it the backlessness or the sideboob you're enjoying? I can see if our Master of Wardrobe can get some more into rotation."

Cass laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "While I enjoy both, I was thinking of the color," he admitted. "Your hair looks lovely against blues, and the silver of your rapier hangs so nicely against a dark backdrop. Plus," he added, tucking my hair behind my ear before stepping back, "we have an unexpected visitor, and the starry motif is a quiet declaration of power."

I frowned at him with my brows pulled together.

"In the formal sitting room in this wing," Cass said, his lip lifting in distaste. "Do you feel that glamor-mage?"

---