Page 6 of Treasured By the Fae Royal

After the last man jumps, I launch into the sky while still holding my future bride, then hover over the drop off. I intentionally keep Yvette’s face pressed to my chest as I observe the spread of broken bodies on the rocky surface below. For some reason, I find myself wanting to protect her from what she might feel is a gruesome sight.

How odd, this gentleness she’s calling up from within me.

“You glamoured them, didn’t you?” Her voice resonates with shock, and she clutches the front of my leather shirt, holding on tight as though fearing I might drop her.

I fly back to our previous spot for a soft landing that I hope doesn’t jar her senses. I’m used to taking off quickly and landing just as quickly, sometimes hard enough to crack the ground. But if I’m to transport this female, I must remember that she’s a human. I have no wish to inadvertently cause her harm.

“Yes,” I finally reply. “I glamoured them. I would’ve preferred bloody, hand-to-hand combat, but I’m so enamored by you, little human, that I couldn’t bear the thought of putting you down. I like having you in my arms.” While I taunted her during our first encounter, there’s no mockery in my voice this time.

But judging by the look of suspicion she shoots me, I suspect she doesn’t quite believe my words. She thinks I’m teasing her again. Not that I can blame her. I was rather descriptive earlier when I spoke about dragging her into the forest to ravish her.

“You’re hurt.” I eye her wounds, and the rage starts to return. Maybe I shouldn’t have given those flesh traders such easy deaths. A growl builds in my throat as I imagine tearing their limbs from their bodies and leaving them to bleed out on the road.

A few of the prisoners call out to us, pleading to be released. But I’m far too concerned with the pretty, dark-haired human female to deal with them yet.

Yvette draws in a shaky breath, touches her split lip, and winces. “The big one clocked me after I bit his hand.” She swallows hard and gives me another suspicious look. “Thank you for saving me. If, uh, you would be so kind as to put me down, I would like to go unlock the cage now. I imagine some of those people have been stuck inside for a while.” In a hushed voice, she adds, “They smell atrocious.”

I vanish my wings, then walk toward the tree line and turn to face the wagon. Still holding Yvette close, I perform a quick flourish with my hand, sending a beam of blue, tangling light to the lock. The door of the cage creaks open and the prisoners start pouring out. Some of them take off down the road, while others raid the front of the wagon for supplies. I send a final wave of tangling blue light to release the horses from their confinement.

“Happy?” I ask Yvette. “They’re free.”

“Thank you.”

I carry her into the forest and take a seat on a fallen tree. She tries to slip off my lap, but I make a noise of disapproval and hold up a hand. Healing gold light swirls in the air and tingles up my arm. She stares at my palm with wide eyes.

“Are you trying to glamour me?” Worry enters her gaze, though she stills in my lap. Her bottom presses directly on my crotch, but given the circumstances, I try to ignore the blood that’s rushing to my cock. She’s injured, and I must tend to her wounds.

“No, little human, I’m not trying to glamour you.” I bring my face closer to hers. “I’m trying to heal you. Please, hold as still as possible and let the magic work.”

A gasp catches in her throat, but she obeys and remains unmoving on my lap. I watch as the golden light roams over her face. Within seconds, the scratches on her cheeks fade. Her split lip also mends.

“I…” Her voice trails off and she touches her face. “Wow, it doesn’t hurt anymore. My mouth doesn’t taste like blood anymore either.” She regards me with a look of deepening shock. “Thank you.”

“You are quite welcome.” I stroke a hand through her mussed hair, attempting to tame her locks. She’s no longer wearing the hat she had on earlier, and her hair must’ve gotten tangled as she fought the flesh traders. “I only wish I’d arrived before they got a chance to hurt you,” I add as I continue combing my fingers gently through her soft hair.

She starts to lean into my touch, only to jolt in my lap and attempt to slide to the ground. “I’m fine now. I can stand up. I can walk.”

Though I long to continue holding her on my lap, especially with her flailing around and grinding her bottom down on my shaft, I don’t wish to frighten her. So, I allow her to stand, though I remain ready to catch her should she become unsteady on her feet.

She glances toward the road. “I, uh, need to retrieve my pack. My hat and mittens, too. Oh, and my knife. If it’s all still there.”

“I would imagine one of the released prisoners has already swiped your belongings and run off. But you needn’t worry. I will help you. I won’t leave you alone on the mountain to fend for yourself without any supplies.”

She turns back to me, studying me with a shrewdness that most wouldn’t dare. Of course, she doesn’t know my identity. If she did, I imagine she would be cowering and perhaps pleading for mercy. Or maybe not. Despite her wariness in my presence, an undeniable air of bravery clings to her. It makes me curious about the importance of whatever errand she was running for her aunt.

“It’s very kind of you to offer to help me.” She steps back and brushes dust from the road off her cloak. Her hands eventually go still, and she squares her shoulders while giving me a direct look. “I must confess, I’m more than a bit shocked by your actions. You saved me from flesh traders, released their prisoners, the horses too, and healed my wounds. You’re a highborn fae and…” She shifts uncomfortably in place as her eyes dance around the forest.

“I’m a highborn fae and yet I saved over a dozen humans, including you. Ah, yes, I’m not living up to my people’s reputation as a proper monster.” I grin. “If you’d like, I could growl at you and threaten to eat your heart.” My joke falls flat and causes her to take another step back, and I immediately hold up my hands in a show of surrender. “Please, please, I was only teasing. Don’t go running off. I don’t have a taste for hearts. Well, actually, truth be told, I’ve never eventrieda human heart. Please promise you won’t tell the other highborn fae. I have a reputation to uphold.” I waggle my eyebrows at her, and though she doesn’t smile or laugh, her eyes finally glimmer with the faintest hint of amusement.

“You’re clearly a highborn fae from the Summer Court.”

“Clearly.” I send her a wave of summer warmth infused with the scents of jasmine and honeysuckle. I also swirl a hand and suddenly the forest glimmers with thousands of fireflies.

She gasps and turns to observe the sight. After a moment, she faces me again and asks, “Whoareyou?”

“My name is Lucas.”

“Come on. You know what I mean. What’s your full, proper title? You seem to possess more magic than Warden Valloc, although I must admit he’s the only other fae with whom I’ve interacted.”

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