Page 88 of A City of Emeralds and Envy
His hands are spread over my whole ass now, pulling the cheeks apart, and quivers of his magic delve into every crease I own, slip into my second hole, skate up my spine and curl around my trembling breasts. I’m helpless to a fucking predator, a god of sexual torment.
I scream when I come—a pure, shrill shriek of ecstasy. It’s an orgasm like breathing the clear, bright air at the top of a high hill—like staring straight into the sun, like welcoming a lightning bolt to the heart. I scream again, while West holds my sex against his face.
Panting, I collapse, and he settles me into his lap, against his chest. His face is nearly as messy as mine was, slicked with my arousal. I pick up the same cloth and wipe his cheekbones, his lips, his chin.
“Well fucking done,” I tell him, my voice still shaky and hoarse.
He smirks. “Still angry with me?”
“Yes. You led me through the marking ritual without telling me what it was.” He starts to speak, and I hold up my hand. “Iknowyou didn’t think anything would happen. You still should have told me.”
He nods, pursing his lips. “What if I tell you something else instead? My true name?”
My heart jumps. “That might help.”
He moves me astride his hips, nudging his cock head inside my slick entrance. As he slips in fully, he says softly, “My name is Darec.”
I try out his name over and over as we enjoy each other for hours, until we are both sated with sex and starving for food. Then we dress and go down to the dining hall, where the castle staff serve us a rich meal. Fiero devours his own feast nearby, then settles on the plush rug between our table and the great fireplace.
“You can’t free your thralls, can you?” I ask Darec, when the servants have left to fetch another course.
He shakes his head. “Normally I’d be able to alter the level of my influence at will. Since I lost my powers, the spell on them is permanent. Lucky for them, I was never as keen on total control as my other siblings. I only made their dispositions happy, loyal, and hard-working, nothing more. Beyond that, their choices are their own.”
“What about the Village of Crows? Do you plan to interfere there and stop their sacrifices?”
He shrugs. “Sacrifice is an Unseelie practice as old as time, and though I may not perform it myself, I see no reason not to allow those villagers to govern themselves as they see fit. As for the crows, they serve a purpose, to protect the Well of Undoing. We can’t have its waters being splashed upon us at the slightest provocation, now can we? So I’m of a mind to leave the crows and their worshipers alone. But if they become a more widespread problem, I will deal with them.”
Someone like Alice or Jasper might not accept that answer. And perhaps it’s wretched of me not to care more about the thralls having total freedom, or the Village of Crows being dealt with—but his answer contents me for the moment. I have other things on my mind.
“I’d like to alter the spell on my shoes—or perhaps layer another spell on top of the existing charm,” I tell him. “I want the ability to travel between realms.”
“Do you now?” He frowns slightly. “And why is that?”
“So I can bid my parents farewell. And so you and I can go to the human realm whenever we like. It may not be quite as fantastical as Faerie, but I’ve heard of some wondrous and beautiful places in the mortal world. We could do some traveling.”
His face lights up with interest. “And how do you think the humans of your world would react to someone who looks like me? This green skin is a god-star’s curse—I can’t glamour it.”
“Well…” I smirk. “Does it matter? Together, we are more powerful than anyone in that world. In fact… we could conquer it if we wanted to. We can certainly take care of anyone who might dare to oppose us. And I wouldn’t feel bad about it…” I hesitate, checking my emotions, my conscience—all perfectly smooth and silent. Satisfied, I smile at him. “No, I wouldn’t feel bad, not one bit.”
He chuckles darkly. “Kin-Slayer, I do believe you and I have the same idea of fun. I’ll help you with your research as much as I can, though you may have to consult with your brother as well. And I think you’ll need a little help from this.” He reaches for his discarded pants and tugs a small, thick book from the back pocket. “It was a job of work wedging it in there. Perhaps I wear my clothes too tight.”
“Not at all.” I give him a sultry, teasing smile, but I’m tense, too, eyeing the book. Waiting for his next move.
He sighs and shakes his head, riffling the pages with his thumb. “You don’t trust me, do you?”
“You’ll have to earn that.”
“Consider this my first effort toward that goal.” He hands me the book. “Dorothy, I give you the Tama Olc. It belongs to you. And I vow that I will never steal it from you.”
The book hums violently as my fingers close around it, and I’m suddenly conscious of Riordan. I believe I could go to him, if I wanted, even without seeing his location first. A blend of the book’s power, our familial connection, and the magic of my silver shoes.
But I have more control now, and I’m able to quiet the stirring of the impulse. The book settles under my palm.
West’s mouth twitches, and I realize, with sudden clarity, what it cost him to hand over that book. He yielded it to me as Riordan once gave it to Alice—as a mark of love.
But I will be its final owner. It belongs to me, a member of the Gale bloodline—daughter of both human and Fae worlds.
“The things we could do with this, you and I,” I murmur, stroking the leather binding.
