Page 60 of Ruthless Fae King

Cyrene was no match to the light, to the goodness and the magic Terra had bestowed upon us, and even though I worried that the journey would be a tough one, I doubted we would fail.

We hadn’t come here to fail, and I wasn’t leaving Erol behind. Not now that I knew how I felt about him and how he felt about me. Not now that our bond had been forged and we were connected, bound to each other as mates. I wouldn’t leave my mate to suffer alone in the darkness while I continued living in the light.

22

EROL

I’d always had fitful nights until Hazel had come to me in the cabin. Since she’d slept next to me, her light had driven away the darkness enough that I’d been able to sleep. I felt more rested than I had in a long, long time.

After my family had been put up in their own rooms and taken care of, I’d worried that Hazel would go back to her room, and I would have to sleep alone again. She hadn’t. Without talking about it, without asking, she’d come to my quarters with me, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

It had felt like we’d always done this. Being with Hazel felt seamless and easy, and she fit into my life as if she’d been made for it.

When I woke up the next morning after another good night, Hazel lay next to me.

“You’re awake,” I said when I noticed her eyes were open.

She turned her head to me and smiled. “Good morning.”

“Are you okay?”

She nodded and turned onto her side, leaning forward to kiss me before she fell back onto the pillow.

“I’m all right,” she said. “I just have a lot on my mind. Today is going to be a big day.”

Today, we would start the process of trying to get rid of the Conjurite magic in me. Vanya and Hazel had both suggested we get to it as quickly as possible. There was no use postponing it—we had to face the music at some point. My mom and sister were here, now, as safe as they would get.

“Are you ready for this?” she asked.

I nodded slowly. “I’m ready to try get rid of this thing once and for all, but…I’m terrified that something will go wrong, and despite all our effort, I’ll lose them.”

“I’m here,” Hazel said, determined. “My mom is here. Zita is here. We all have the same goal, and we’re aware of the dangers. We won’t let anything happen to you or to them.”

I wanted to believe her. She had so much faith, and her childlike trust in the bigger picture was contagious. I still worried—she didn’t know Cyrene and how much the dark goddess was capable of. I’d been her servant for a long, long time, even though it hadn’t been direct. The orders had come through Falx or Lavinia, but Cyrene had been at the wheel all along, and she was more serious now than ever to stay in control. To just walk away wouldn’t be that easy. I worried that Hazel and Vanya weren’t aware of what it really meant.

“It’s going to be okay, Erol,” Hazel assured me. I sensed her determination and her blind faith in the process through our bond, and I knew she felt my uncertainty and fear, too.

I got up. “We should get ready. Shower with me?”

She smiled and nodded, and we walked to the shower together.

It took a while for the water to warm—in Jasfin, they used Fae magic to build and create and do small tasks like warming water, but here, the Conjurite magic didn’t allow for such luxuries. Dark magic didn’t allow for an easy life like that.

When the water was warm, I stripped off my clothes. Hazel did the same, and I stepped under the spray first. She followed, and when her naked body pressed against mine, the water running through her dark hair, wetting it, I kissed her. I tasted the hot water on her lips and traced my fingers over her curves.

When we’d been in the cabin, I’d slept with her again and again. I couldn’t get enough of her, and it felt like every time we had sex, it only strengthened our bond.

Now, I wanted to be with her before we tackled something as serious as me fighting this darkness. I was terrified something would go wrong, and this would be the last time we could be together.

Hazel reached up, throwing her arms around my neck. Her breasts pushed against my torso, her nipples erect. My cock was hard, and I grinded myself against her, letting her feel how much I wanted her.

I wanted to pleasure her, to explore her body with my fingers and my mouth. Hazel didn’t let me. Instead, she sank to her knees before me. She reached for my cock and wrapped her fingers around it. I hissed through my teeth and groaned when she sucked my head into her hot mouth.

Her lips were heaven, the feel of her mouth almost as perfect as the feel of her pussy.

She bobbed her head back and forth, taking me in as deep as she could before dragging her tongue up my length and encircling the tip with enough pressure to make me release all my inhibitions.

She repeated the process. With one hand, she gripped my shaft, closing the distance she couldn’t cover with her mouth.

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