Fevered: A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance (The Carnal Court Book 1) Page 6

  There’s a space of silence so complete I have to look back to make sure that he’s still there. He is, looking at me again, but his gaze is different now.

  I watch as his eyes go dark. There’s no chance that he misunderstands what I’m saying, and he takes a step forward. Then he pauses. “Are you sure?”

  No. Because there’s something deep in my gut that tells me that this is going to change everything. But out loud, I say, “Please.”

  It’s my only pleading prayer.

  He kneels beside me, and his hand finds that place, low on my belly, where it rested before, and the magic he gave me stirs at his touch, swirling light. I can’t ignore the fact that he’s beautiful, and I am attracted to him. Who wouldn’t be? I feel drawn to him, even though we barely know each other. But he’s been saving my life from the second we met, and he didn’t say no. He only asked me if I was sure. Is it possible he wants this too?

  The thought makes my brain stutter. That I want this beyond just the practical, and he’s there with me. Oh my god. I can’t believe that I’m doing this. That I asked for this. That he’s going to touch me. I want him to touch me. But that doesn’t stop my skin from flushing.

  He speaks again, drawing my attention back. “Why are you crying?”

  I do my best to swipe the tears away. It doesn’t work that well. The embarrassment wells in my throat and it takes me a moment to speak. “I’m…” More tears spill over. “I’m so embarrassed.”

  “Don’t be.” His tone is gentle but firm. “Don’t ever be embarrassed about asking for what you want or need.” Ever so slightly, his fingers move across the silk of my dress. There’s so little separating him from my skin. It’s basically nothing. “But Kari, this isn’t something that we take lightly,” he says. “I don’t want there to be any question.”

  I’m looking into his eyes. They’re dark and clear, and asking me to be certain, but I don’t see any other hesitation from him. It’s down to me. And yes, I want this. I need it. “I’m sure,” I breathe. “Help me. Please.”

  Brae’s hand cups the back of my neck, tilting my face to his, and his mouth covers mine. This kiss is soft and slow, but deliberate. Little bits of magic fly up through my body to meet him, and my lips tingle and fizz with it. It tastes like honey. Or maybe that’s him. His tongue grazes my lips, and I open to him with a gasp.

  Electricity hums through me, my whole body coming to attention. This isn’t like any kiss I’ve ever had. It’s more, somehow. Exquisite, and now I’m a different kind of dizzy. How do I feel like this just from a kiss? How can I feel like this even when my body is thrumming with pain?

  I’m kissing a fae. A stunning, powerful fae whose very essence comes from sex. I feel like an idiot for not putting two and two together. No one could be as beautiful as these males are and not be living gods of pleasure.

  My body is on more familiar ground now, reacting to Brae’s kiss. Goosebumps roll across my skin and my nipples harden through the thin fabric of my dress. I’m already wetter than I was touching myself, and it’s just his lips. And tongue. God, I’m imagining what he could do with his tongue as it dances with mine, and it’s making me blush.

  Brae’s free hand drifts from my stomach lower, grazing my exposed thigh before moving upward again. His fingers barely brush my skin, teasing me as his hand disappears beneath my dress. I can feel the magic move lower, warming me with heat and arousal as he guides it. My pain recedes a little, and I’m filled with a new, different ache.

  He breaks the kiss but doesn’t move, keeping our gazes locked together. When he touches me for the first time, he’s watching me. It’s barely a touch, just a brush across my clit, but I shudder. Slow circles, gentle at first and getting firmer. I relax into his touch, not even realizing that I had tensed. But this…this feels good.

  Magic swirls under my skin, sending a pulse of pleasure through me, and I let out a slow breath. It’s going to work. This is going somewhere. Fingers tease downwards until they find my entrance, and the hand on my neck grips me a little harder as he slips a finger inside. I’m so wet now that he goes in easily, and I have to close my eyes.

  Brae’s fingers are long, and he doesn’t even have to stretch to brush that spot inside that makes me shake with pleasure. It sends sparkles across the darkness of my vision, and I arch into his touch. I can’t remember what it’s like to feel this. Pain can do that. It can make you forget there are good things in the world and fuck, this is a good thing.

  He kisses me again, harder this time. Less cautious. I kiss him back, letting go and giving in. The second I do, pleasure spreads through me, easing everything back and it’s like getting hit with a burst of adrenaline.

  Gently at first, he pulls his finger back, and slides it home again. He’s easing me into it, setting up a rhythm that brushes the tip of his finger inside and the palm of his hand across my clit. That magic—which in my mind shines with sunny light—rises to meet him, sending pulses from where he touches me deep into my core.

  Another finger joins the first, and he speeds up, breaking our kiss once more. I open my eyes to his, and we’re so close together. His focus is on nothing but me and it’s intoxicating.

  Suddenly I can feel it coming, the climax that felt impossible. I reach out, holding onto his arm, still holding me close. Pleasure snaps up my spine, and as much as it feels good, it feels like freedom. Like I’m shedding weight that was bound to me.

  I can feel Brae’s magic seeping into me, being used up in the pleasure, making it greater. And I can feel it when it centers, narrowing to just my clit and inside, where he’s fucking me furiously with his hand. So fast I can’t breathe, I’m gasping and on the edge, ready to go over.

  His palm grinds down into my clit, and the wave breaks, carrying me away. It’s like stepping into the sun after days in darkness. Magic and pleasure sweep upward through me, banishing any pain. It’s fast and sharp, a bright line of sensation drawing a line between me and my agony. Plus it feels fucking fantastic. Ecstasy carrying me away in waves.

  I come back to myself in bits. The sensation of breathing hits me first. It’s easy, and I don’t feel like something is sitting on my chest. Although he isn’t moving anymore, Brae is still touching me, and I open my eyes to see him. He’s searching my face, and I smile. “It worked,” I say. “Thank you.”

  His face eases into a small smile too. “It was very much my pleasure.”

  My breath catches, because I can think clearly now. I asked him to help me, and that could have meant anything. He could have just made me come. It didn’t have to be intimate or special to get the job done, but it felt that way.

  He didn’t have to kiss me…

  I glance down, and there’s no mistaking his arousal through the human trousers that he’s still wearing from when he rescued me. His fingers move just slightly on the back of my neck, and I shiver. When I look back up into his eyes, I can see the change.

  I’m honestly not sure what it is yet, but something is different. For both of us.

  It should have been nothing. So why does it feel like everything?

  Brae glances down at my lips, and I think that he might kiss me again. I wouldn’t mind. I want to know what his kisses feel like now that I can breathe and feel without the fog of pain. He moves closer, and I hold my breath.

  Our lips are a breath apart when I hear the clattering of stone, and I hear Kent’s voice explode through the cavern. “What the fuck?”

  Brae turns, revealing the others standing in the mouth of the cave. They’ve brought back something they hunted, and every expression is different. But I can only see Kent and his horror. For the briefest of seconds, I see what he must see: My torn dress shoved up around my hips, with Brae leaning over me, his hand still between my legs.

  Verys and Aeric barely catch Kent before he lunges.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ________

  VERYS

  I throw my arms around Kent’s shoulders as soon as I feel him tense to
spring. Aeric does the same. It’s not even a conscious movement, just sheer instinct from years of training and observation.

  He strains against us, the sound of his struggle echoing off the crystal walls. Kari is saying his name, and I’m distracted for a second because she’s on her feet. Standing on her own.

  The distraction costs me, and he shoves his elbow into my stomach. This human is strong—stronger than some fae, and even with the two of us holding him back, it’s not an easy fight.

  Brae is on his feet now, and he’s speaking too. They’re both trying to explain, but he’s not listening, practically screaming with strain. Thank the goddess that he doesn’t have fae senses and can’t smell the scent of sex that’s dripping through this cave.

  It’s not just the scent of union though, it’s her. She smells sweet, and that scent sinks down through me, tugging on my gut. I look at her now, and she’s upset watching Kent. Instinct takes over, and I rip Kent away from Aeric and slam him down onto the cave floor harder than strictly necessary. “You need to listen,” I hiss in his ear. “She’s trying to talk to you.”

  Kent goes still, and I look over at Kari. But now she’s speechless, staring at Kent on the ground. Fine. I can make it clear that he’s made a mistake. “Violating someone’s will is the most serious offense a fae can perform in our court. The sentence is often death, and even if it is not, most do not survive the torment. And, regardless of the punishment, that is not something any one of us would do.” He flexes against my hold, and I push him down again. “We’ve been fighting to keep Kari alive. You keep forgetting that.”

  Kent twists towards Kari. “You asked for this? Tell me you didn’t so I can kill him.”

  I watch as Kari rises to a height that seems greater than her own, and her face darkens with anger. “Yes, Kent, I asked for it. If you have to know—not that it’s any of your business—I tried on my own but was in too much pain. And now there is no pain. I feel good for the first time since this happened, and that is entirely thanks to Brae. Are you really so selfish that you wouldn’t want that? I do not belong to you.”

  He goes limp in my hands, and I release him. If there’s one thing I’ve seen, it’s that he listens to Kari. When she can get through.

  I move away from Kent towards the fire. I don’t want to be near him and the look he gives me when he stands. He goes to stand in front of Kari. Brave man. Reaching out, he strokes down both her arms with his hands. I ignore the rolling of my stomach as he does so.

  “I just thought…” Kent says, swallowing. “The two of us.”

  Kari softens and pulls him to her. “I know, and yes. But please stop attacking them. I would be dead if they weren’t here.”

  Kent pulls her into an embrace, and I catch the jealousy in Brae’s eyes. I can feel it too, deep in my gut. And I don’t understand it. I’m not used to jealousy or…longing.

  It’s been a long time since I’ve joined the Carnal Court, and it was never my choice. And in all that time, I’ve never been tempted like this.

  I made my choice a long time ago, and I’ve never broken it. I’m celibate. I never wanted any part of the Carnal Court magic when my Lunar magic was taken from me. I don’t need much to survive. But Kari…something about her is pulling me closer in a way I’ve never felt before. I know Brae and Aeric are feeling it too. It’s a bond that shouldn’t exist and that none of us can explain.

  Something that all three of us are afraid to put a name too. Once we do, it’s real, and we won’t be able to turn back.

  I move away from her and Brae, as far as I can across the cavern. The scent of her is strong, sweeter than roses but still light. And the fact that Brae touched her, pleasured her, unsettles me in a way that I don’t like. There’s a prayer for answers to the Goddess on my lips, but I hold it back.

  I don’t know if I’m ready for the answer.

  Regardless of it all, watching Kari stand and stretch, come and sit by the fire without any trace of pain in her movement, that’s amazing. She’s graceful and fluid. I can’t seem to keep my eyes away. Which is why I’m all the way over here. I don’t know what to do with this.

  “We still have a long way to go,” Aeric says. “Can we portal now?”

  Brae shakes his head. “I wouldn’t risk it. This curse isn’t something I’ve dealt with, and just because we’ve tricked it into receding doesn’t mean it won’t react badly to other forms of magic.”

  I clear my throat. “We’re not far from the Crystal Court. We can ask them for help, more reliable mounts than fae beasts.”

  “Good idea,” Aeric nods. “We’re too exposed out here.”

  “And clothes,” Kent adds. “Kari can’t keep wearing a dress that’s falling to pieces.”

  No, she can’t, though I don’t think any of us mind the view.

  Kent turns and glares at me, and I realize that I’ve spoken those words out loud. Shit. Brae has a tiny smirk on his face, Aeric is looking at me like I’m an idiot, and Kari…Kari is looking at me, even though she’s blushing.

  I can’t read the expression on her face, but it isn’t angry.

  If anything, that look kindles hope inside me. It’s more than I’ve ever had before.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ________

  KARI

  I don’t know if it’s the fact that I feel normal for the first time in what feels like forever, or the leftover feelings from an amazing orgasm, but I’m very aware of all the men in this cave with me—both human and fae. And how utterly gorgeous every one of them is. But I hadn’t thought…

  Verys’s comment came out of nowhere. It was soft and matter-of-fact. He hadn't even realized he said it until a few seconds later. I hadn’t really thought about the fact that my dress is ripped and dirty, exposing patches of skin, along with its already scandalous back.

  What does he see when he looks at me? That moment between Brae and me made me realize that he could be attracted to me. And I know that Kent is. But Verys has been quiet and steady so far. With his pale skin and silvery hair, he’s been very much the angel standing watch. The way he looked at me just now, with a strange longing, makes something stir in me.

  I want to know what he’s thinking.

  It doesn’t seem possible that these gorgeous, powerful fae males could want me like that. Why would they? I’ve been nothing but a burden, barely able to stand. But that doesn’t change the fact that Brae said yes and the silver eyes locked with mine are drawing me in, making me wonder what it would have been like if it had been Verys’s hand between my legs. Kissing me.

  And Aeric is there in my mind too, taking his place. I shift the way I’m sitting, suddenly and fully aroused again, imagining what it would be like to have any of them there. Glancing up at Aeric, he’s staring at me hard, and I stifle a gasp.

  There’s hunger in his gaze. Dark and unbridled lust that sends a blast of heat down my spine. I have to look away, otherwise I’m going to stand and go to him.

  God, this can’t be happening, can it? It’s not possible that these men want me. I can’t make sense of it. I shake my head to clear it, ignoring the impulses of my body to reach out to touch them. All of them. Any of them.

  “I’m going to get some sleep, now that I can,” I say. And as soon as I say it, exhaustion takes over my body. I lay down, my skin still singing, even with the tiny scratches of the cave floor. It’s a little strange to be aroused when you’re running for your life. But the last few days have been nothing but strange. I should get used to it.

  ***

  I wake to the sound of popping. Or what I think is popping. The cave is darker than when I went to sleep—like the light is dimming. Maybe it’s sunset. Is there a sunset in Allwyn?

  Blinking my eyes, I sit up and turn towards the mouth of the cave. It’s not popping, it’s the sound of feet on stone. Fae beast feet. In front of me are four fae beasts, and like the ones from the jungle, they’re beautiful. Horse-like shapes made from crystalline stone and glass.

&n
bsp; One looks like it could be lapis and sunstone, another maybe jade. The colors and textures fade from one to another seamlessly. Even though it seems like we’re in the worst circumstances, I love it here. Who could have imagined this?

  The fae males are standing outside the cave, discussing something, but Kent is standing by one of the creatures and sees me watching. He doesn’t say anything, but his eyes are lit with a smile and he gestures for me to come closer.

  As I stand, I can feel a twinge. And it’s not from sleeping. It’s just barely there, but the curse is coming back already. I have some time, but that was fast. When Brae said it would move quickly, I hoped it would last at least a day. Though I don’t know how long I’ve been sleeping.

  I reach out and place my hand on the creature’s rocky side. It’s somehow both hard and soft, and most strangely alive. I’ve never felt a rock that was alive and breathing before. It turns its head and I see a blink, a rust-colored iris with a starry pupil. It expands and contracts, almost like a flower.

  “Hi,” I say softly. “Thank you for carrying us.”

  There’s a vibration under my fingers, a kind of purr. It’s soothing, calming. This creature is good, even if it’s called a beast. I can feel it. I close my eyes and rest my forehead against the creature’s side, listening to the sound before I sense a presence at my side. Kent.

  “How long was I asleep?”

  “A few hours. Verys says it’s not far to the Crystal Court, so we’re going to try to make it before full dark.”

  “Okay.”

  Verys’s voice comes from behind me. “And unfortunately you can’t ride together. Fae will be wary enough of two humans this deep in Allwyn. It’s safer for the two of you to ride separately.”

  I watch Kent’s jaw tense, but he nods before reaching for my hand and squeezing. “Can we have a second?” He waits until Verys slips away again before he sighs. “I’m sorry, Kari. I’ve been a real ass.”