Page 31 of Consort

She howls and shoots up onto her knees. I’m afraid I’ve gone too far until she reaches back to grasp my neck behind her with a groan. I wrap my arms around her small body and kiss her jaw and shoulder, pretending she feels the way her body is reacting.

I shouldn’t. It’s a terrible idea. But I don’t want to stop myself. No amount of magic would make me feel more powerful than this. Fuck the rest of the realm. I could die a hero after this.

But I have to keep my heart shielded. After the heat, she’ll be done with me. My mission still needs to matter when she turns and walks away from me. If it doesn’t, I’ll have nothing.

She falls back to her hands and knees, arching her back and twisting her body around the knot. I let her lead, simply holding onto her hips. The glamour tricks me as well, magnifying the sensations and making it hard to stay in control of myself. I let go of my nagging thoughts and focus on my body.

There’s no way I’ll last much longer, but I can at least maintain my glamour. She’ll be able to continue after I’ve succumbed to my release. And release comes swiftly. I grab her shoulders, thrust my hips forward, and just let it happen. I grunt with pleasure as each wave of my essence pours out of my body and into hers.

Pleasure continues to pulse through me long after my release has gone. I think I’m beginning to understand the nature of these heats. This part of their mating would serve as a strong foundation for their lives together. Fae don’t typically take mates. If we had heats, I bet having a mate would be as common for us as it is for them. I do wonder about the other shifters, the Betas. Is there a different mating ritual for them I’ve not heard of?

As my mind wanders, I stimulate the Omega’s clit with gentle swirls of my finger, hoping she’ll find full relief soon. She pulls every ounce of my attention back when a roar too big for her body blasts against the cave wall.

It worked. She clenches down even harder as she rides her release out to its end. Her walls flutter around me as her pleasure tapers off. I don’t know why, but she remains tense when she’s finished, gripping the knot just as tightly. My cock begins to soften anyway and starts to slip, taking the knot with it. She panics and pushes herself back onto me.

It’s obvious that she wants the knot to remain. I can make it easier for her. I grow the knot slowly until I feel snug pressure around it from all sides. When I pull my hips back a bit, the knot holds. I’m wedged securely inside, taking her burden away.

Her body immediately relaxes, and she begins rocking gently against me. Her sighs tell me she’s content, but tremors continue to roll through her legs. I gently lower us to the ground and shift us onto our sides, cradling her against me. I know it’s a bad idea. But she’s been through a lot and deserves to feel secure in her relief.

Worn out from mating and the time she spent in pain, she slips off to sleep. I watch her chest rise and fall with each soft, even breath. The act of trust sends a surge of power through me, like she’s grown my magic all on her own. But it’s just instinctual. I’ve tricked her brain into thinking I’m her Alpha.She would expect me to protect her.

And I will. But I’m not sure if there’s more an Alpha would do at this point. I don’t know how long she will need my help or how long Farris can cover for me. But right now, all I care about is her comfort.

And if I’m being honest, a bit of my own comfort as well.

***

We mate twice more before she rests again. Without the pain driving her, she becomes less frantic with her motions. Some of the time, she demands I take her aggressively. The rest, she climbs on top and rides me at a lazy pace. I lie back while she takes control, studying her sharp features and instinctual movements.

She’s captivating. I memorize the flicks of her eyes and the pursing of her lips when something feels good. I know I should reserve the space in my mind for things pertaining to the castle, but I don’t care. I’ll need something beautiful to revisit as I trudge through the darkness of my future.

If I even have a future after breaking the one rule I’ve been commanded to follow.

Though I’m exhausted, I find it hard to sleep. I’m afraid if I let myself drift off, she’ll be gone when I open my eyes. I know each moment I spend with her will make returning to my reality more difficult. But spending even minutes sleeping seems wasteful.

Also, I’m dying of thirst. She must be, too. I need to find some water. I shrink the knot enough to slip out of her body. After carefully untangling my limbs from hers, I sneak to the cave entrance to find something to drink. I haven’t heard any rain from outside, so I’m worried it will be difficult to find water. And I’m worried the gryphon won’t let me back in once I’ve left.

But the gryphon is nowhere to be found. Maybe she got tired of listening to all the moaning and growling coming from hercave. The only thing near the entrance is a jug of water and what looks like a package of food.

It must have been Farris. I grab the supplies and take a few big gulps of the water. I can’t imagine anything ever tasting better than this. Except maybe the Omega’s silky fluid. But that’s not a perk I’m willing to take from her heat.

I race back to her, hoping she’s still sleeping soundly. Unfortunately, I’m not so lucky. I find her trembling in the straw nest, clutching the cloak I’d covered her with. Her watery eyes dart around the cave until they come to rest on me. I expect her to calm down when she sees that I’m back, but her chin begins to quiver. The tears flow even faster.

My heart cracks as I realize she thought I’d abandoned her. That I used her need for my own pleasure and then dumped her. She couldn’t be more mistaken.

I walk over while holding out the jar and food. “Hey, it’s alright. I just went to find some water. You need to drink.”

She hugs my cloak tighter to her chest and peeks at the jug. Her shoulders slump when she sees that I’m not lying, but she’s still upset. She lets her head fall back, then takes a deep breath and sobs. Justsobs. Even though I returned, she’s completely devastated.

Seeing her look so betrayed is ripping a hole in my chest. What did I do wrong? I wish I’d learned more about shifters and heats. Did I break some important rule I was unaware of? There must be a way to fix this.

I sink to my knees and place the supplies aside. She doesn’t growl at me as I crawl into the nest, so I scoop her up and pull her into my arms. She tries to struggle, but I refuse to let go. Cradling her head against my chest, I pull us down onto the straw, then just hold her.

I brush her hair aside and trail my fingertips along her neck. I slide them along her spine, then back up to massage hershoulder. She finally eases up some, but holds me tightly and inhales my scent with each breath. This must be so exhausting and confusing for her. I curse myself for screwing up and making it even harder.

We lie there for a very long time. Eventually, she seems to accept that I’m not leaving again and relaxes in my arms. Holding her tightly, I sit up and grab the jug of water. I hold it up to her mouth, but she makes no attempt to drink from it.

“You need to drink, Omega,” I say, shifting her away from me slightly. “Here.”

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