Fae High Summer Hunt Read online

  A Total-E-Bound Publication

  www.total-e-bound.com

  Fae High Summer Hunt

  ISBN # 978-1-78184-418-2

  ©Copyright Renee Michaels 2013

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright July 2013

  Edited by Eleanor Boyall

  Total-E-Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2013 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

  Warning:

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Total-e-burning and a sexometer of 3.

  This story contains 56 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book containing 7 pages.

  FAE HIGH SUMMER HUNT

  Renee Michaels

  One driving need, two passionate Fae—the loving can only be magical.

  Banished by Titania, Queen of the Fairies, sensual and wilful, Naeme longs to bask in the heat only a lover with Fae blood can generate. With the High Summer Hunt about to begin, all she has to do is capture the interest of a member of the royal guard to re-enter the Queen’s gilded, decadent court.

  Baylor intends to claim Naeme. But he is the captain of the Queen’s guard and the last man she would take to her bed. Titania is a jealous sovereign and given the reason for Naeme’s exile, he knows he has a battle on his hands in order to coax Naeme to his arms.

  But the forbidden is so tempting, and there is nothing like making love after war.

  Dedication

  For Jenny who nags me to write.

  Prologue

  Naeme yawned, stretched and eased away from Panos’ supine body. He lay sprawled on the branch of the great redwood where they’d passed the night snoring. Despite their sexual romps across the lakes, up the mountain and through the forest, his cock stood rigid between his furry thighs. That was a satyr for you. Anyone would have thought he’d be limp as a wet leaf.

  A rueful grin spread across her face. Who was she to judge? Sated and a little sore, she’d like nothing more than to climb up on his morning erection and ride him to mind-blanking blissfulness. However, the lure of something visceral urged her to make a connection with Mother Earth. She unfurled her wings, glided down to the ground and curled her toes into the damp soil.

  She took note of the season and frowned. They were deep into the summer but she couldn’t remember the passing of spring. Even more perplexing, there was a chill in the air. She should be immersed in the heat that accompanied the season. Odd that the forest didn’t appear as verdant as it should and the air was perfumed by wild flowers in bloom. All was not as it should be but she couldn’t quite understand why. She shivered from a sense of foreboding and for a moment considered returning to Panos to snuggle into his warmth. Summer was almost at its zenith and her senses quickened in a way only another Fae would appreciate. The temperature of the dirt under her feet warmed her, but not enough. She felt a connection to the other Fae. Her sex burgeoned, became full and heavy with need, as if she hadn’t spent the night rutting with the insatiable satyr.

  The High Summer Hunt would take place in a few turns of the sun. It was the only time that Titania gave her guardsmen leave to hunt through the forests for a lover of their choice.

  Her intent was to catch the interest of a guard to secure her return to court for the great gathering. If the lucky females managed to hold the guardsmen’s interest, their possessive, bitchy Queen would grant them permission to stay at court, where they’d remain for four seasons, fucking to their heart’s content with those of their kind.

  She wanted to see her kith and kin, to partake in the balls and the celebration of the equinoxes. The yearning was so strong that she ached.

  She must prepare.

  Naeme had no intention of living on the fringes for another year. She’d been banished because she’d caught Oberon’s eye and he’d spread her legs one time too many, which had angered Titania. Their couplings were primal and thrilling—even a year later Naeme trembled with pleasure from the memory of those moon-bathed nights.

  A mischievous grin spread across Naeme’s face. It might just be worth another year of exile, to share some loving with Titania’s consort again.

  First, a bath. Naeme studied the landscape. What she needed wasn’t native to the redwood forest. With a swirl of her hand, she conjured a night-blooming cereus. Its heavy aroma was overpowering, but she only needed a tiny bit to scent her skin. She dipped her fingers between the petals, pressed the nectaries and harvested what she needed. With a flick of her wrist, she dissolved her enchantment.

  “What are you up to, my pet?” Panos leapt down to the ground, trotted over to her side and sniffed her neck. “Hmm, pretty.” He cupped her breasts and tweaked her nipple. The playful glint in his eyes sharpened to a lusty gleam.

  Usually her body responded to his rough caresses, but his touch now left her cold. The prospect of lying with a male of her kind was the only thing that would stir desire in her now.

  “I’m afraid we have to part ways, Panos. I have to get ready for the Great Hunt.” She unfurled her wings and prepared to take to the air, but he grasped her wrist and kept her earth-bound.

  Gone was the playful lover. The grim cruelty on his face surprised Naeme. “I am not quite finished playing with you.”

  “You overstep, satyr. Unhand me.” The iciness in her voice chilled the air to the point that his hot breath formed vapour.

  “Listen to me, you cold Fae bitch. I knew the time would come when you’d toss me aside. I want you, I have you and I will keep you.”

  Amused at his arrogance, she tapped him on his nose. “And how do you intend to do that, my furry lover?”

  He drew his pan flute from the tether on his hip and brought it to his lips. The tune he played was meant to beguile, and mesmerised her for a moment.

  But she was Fae. Although she took lovers from every race when it suited her, only the lust of another Fae could hold her in his thrall for long.

  “Delightful, but you’re not powerful enough to craft a melody to hold me, Panos.” She cradled his bearded chin in her palm and leaned in.

  “Don’t!” he snarled.

  Her breath flowed over his harsh visage. Lavender-tinged, the gust of air sparked with miniature starbursts. Panos’ eyes went blank and his jaw slackened. His thoughts would be jumbled just enough to disorient him for a while. His memories of what they’d shared would dim and in time, his desire for her would fade.

  Naeme twisted her arm from his loosened grip. She felt no regret at their parting. With something akin to mild fondness, she brushed a parting kiss over his lips. He had given her many hours of bliss, which had helped her pass the time, so she felt a small bit of gratitude.

  She took flight, flitting through the canopy, a blur to all who caught a brief glimpse of her. Her thoughts were fixed on the pleasure
s to come.

  Chapter One

  Naeme bent over the glassy surface of the pond and studied her reflection. She’d dropped the blurring she’d used to lessen her beauty. For the first time in a year, she stared at her true self. Her Fae form.

  She’d gathered moonbeams and infused her skin and hair with them so she glowed with an unearthly silvery luminosity. Her almond-shaped eyes, the pale translucent green of a new leaf, sparked with excitement. Her oval face and lush pink mouth shimmered with Fae glamour. Vanity aside, she’d never looked better.

  She’d chosen her gown with care, fabricating it from the same material as iridescent dragonfly wings. When she moved, it rippled to show the full spectrum of colours. It was constructed so the collar stood up to frame her face, but with a slit that cut down between her breasts to end just above her plump mons. It’d offer enticing glimpses of the silvery dusting of hair protecting her core.

  Naeme trailed her fingertips between the exposed inner curves of her breasts and watched with satisfaction as her nipples popped up like pebbles.

  The relentless pounding of hoof beats approached and a grey mist spread across the forest like hoar frost. Titania’s guards were on the hunt. She’d capture a guardsman’s attention and hope he’d be worthy to service her needs.

  Unfurling her wings, she rose and hovered above the small clearing. She shone like a bright beacon suspended in the air with Fae allure dusting the air around her.

  A horseman passed through the trees, bringing with him the innate virility and magical appeal a male Fae possessed. Naeme’s body sang with the sweet symphony of need.

  Her mouth dropped open, and her wings froze in mid-motion. Naeme started to plummet to the ground, but she righted herself before she landed.

  Baylor… Austere, taciturn Baylor—the captain of the Queen’s guard who hadn’t partaken of the Hunt in two centuries.

  She didn’t want him. It’d be torturous to be bound to him for a year. He was Titania’s man. He wore her colours, a deep rich crimson piped with gold.

  Baylor slid off his mount, and her eyes were drawn to the intricate codpiece he wore. She’d heard the laughing titters bandied about that it didn’t need any stuffing to fill it out.

  He’d secured his waist-length, midnight-black hair at the back of his neck. This bared the strong bones in his face, the firm jaw and chiselled lips. However, his eyes were what disturbed her most.

  His gentian-blue eyes were heated with a mystifying anticipation, tinged with a possessive inflexibility. Baylor had never shown any marked interest in her before when they’d encountered each other in passing at court. Naeme knew when a man wanted her. She read desire like a second language. His desire spoke in volumes with a hunger that was both primal and lustful. Perplexed, she frowned at him.

  The urge to flee clamoured over Naeme’s senses, but the responsive flesh between her thighs throbbed.

  “You made it so easy for me. I claim you.” The very sound of his voice, melodic with a deep bass of thunder, held Naeme in place.

  With a flutter of her wings, Naeme rose into the air to put height and distance between them. Wariness had her poised for a fight as she untangled herself from the thrall of his voice. “What are you blabbering about? I don’t think your lady would like you consorting with the likes of me.”

  “I used the Hunt as a way to return you to court. Titania knows I have a need. She has granted me leave to fulfil my wish.”

  “A need?” She tilted her head. Suspicious of his sudden verboseness, she surreptitiously checked the shadows.

  “My burgeoning will coincides with yours come the spring.”

  Her pride pricked, she said coolly, “A vessel. You seek a vessel to bear a babe.” She couldn’t help but be astounded by the sheer arrogance of the man. Masking her growing rage with amusement, she laughed. The sound tinkled through the air with a bell-like clarity. “At the moment of the forming, we’d have to both want what we’d create, which I won’t even consider for many more changes of the seasons.” She sent him a mocking smile. “I doubt very much that once-in-a-blue-moon event would occur.”

  “Well, if he won’t do, perhaps I can proffer my services.” The laughing offer chimed out as Valen manifested out of thin air and grinned at them. “Well, hello, darling, you are looking particularly appetising tonight.”

  “Valen!” Naeme blew him a cheeky kiss, which he responded to with a brow-waggling leer.

  Valen was another of Oberon’s occasional lovers, who happened to be hers as well. He took care of any mundane tasks Oberon couldn’t be bothered with—instigator of all manner of mischievous pranks, primary facilitator of all things sexual.

  Fair as Baylor’s was dark, Valen’s sunny hair glistened even in the moonlight. He was tall and whippet-thin, his beauty almost feminine, but she knew from experience that he was thoroughly male. He leaned against a tree with the nonchalance of the confident.

  Naeme dashed into his arms and hugged him close. She inhaled the dear familiar scent of him. “How I’ve longed to see you,” she murmured against his velvety coat.

  “What are you doing here?” Baylor snarled. The dark menace in his voice, which had many a being quailing with fright, didn’t faze Valen one bit. In fact, he sent Baylor a sunny grin.

  “Well, Oberon had a rare pang of remorse. He felt our Naeme here paid too high a price for his, ahhh…enthusiastic attentions. After all, Titania forgave him months ago. I agreed because I’m fond of this delicious girl, who should have known better than to dally with the king for any length of time.” Wicked merriment gleamed in his eyes.

  “But our lord can be so deliciously attentive when he sets his mind to it. Who could say no? We had a fine time with him, didn’t we?” Naeme reminded him.

  “True, I’ve missed our little romps.” He grinned at her, sharing the memory.

  Naeme couldn’t help but respond. Valen was a favourite playmate of hers. They had loved and laughed too many times to count.

  “Besides, our sovereigns capriciously tup whoever takes their fancy. It seemed unfair to the dear girl to have to live on the fringes. The king has charged me with the task of ensuring she returns to the fold. Court hasn’t been the same without you, darling.”

  Baylor scoffed. “I can do without your interference right now. You are not of the guard. You can’t bring her back without Titania’s leave.”

  Valen shrugged. “True, but you can. And since you want her, and it’ll save me the trouble of having to solicit another guardsman to accomplish my mission…” At Naeme’s outraged gasp, he reached for her. She pulled away and glared at him. A speculative gleam in his eyes, he studied her with a hardness she had never seen on Valen before. “Now don’t look like that, my love.” Valen sighed, regret in the soft sound. She stepped back, feeling betrayed. “She might prove to be recalcitrant. I’m here to help if you can’t eliminate her resistance to your, ahhh…wooing.” He shot her a toothy, puckish grin. “And won’t it be fun to persuade her?”

  More than a bit put out, Naeme glowered at both men.

  “Well, you haven’t caught me yet, and it’ll take more than a yearning for home to get me to meekly fall into your plans.” With a dismissive jerk of her shoulders, she took flight and streamed through the dense growth, dodging trees and branches.

  * * * *

  Baylor and Valen watched her stream away. Electrical sparks snapped in the air, an indication of the depth of her indignation.

  “You let her go! Aren’t you going after her?” Valen grumbled. “Now I’ll have to linger while you fumble along.”

  “Of course I let her go. She needs to burn off her anger. I’m not worried. She’ll be mine by sunrise.”

  Valen snorted, “Oh, you were doing so well before I showed up. I’m going to see if any of the ardent couples will welcome a third. Call on me when you do catch up with her.”

  “I don’t need your help to get Naeme into my bed.”

  “Dear boy, you could be a great cocksman if you pu
t some effort into it. Just invoke my name if you encounter difficulties with our Naeme.” He looked at Baylor. “If you do summon me, I may take the opportunity to teach you a thing or two and share something you’ve never experienced before.”

  Valen vanished on a chuckle, leaving an irritated Baylor.

  Naeme wasn’t proving to be as compliant as Baylor had thought. He’d assumed she’d welcome any conduit that would get her back into court. He’d wanted her for too long to abandon his pursuit.

  A rare smile spread across his face. She’d always been an intriguing mixture of contradictions and sensuality. He’d take pleasure in this particular hunt, claim his prize and revel in his victory.

  Chapter Two

  Even as she fled, Naeme knew she didn’t have the slightest chance of evading Baylor for long. The court was a hotbed of plots. He’d earned his rank with his skill with a sword and the astuteness to outwit his adversaries. She knew he possessed the ability to track her through the infinitesimal trail of Fae dust she’d leave in her wake.

  It wasn’t his expertise as a huntsman. It was the wanting, the craving that went hand in hand with the pursuit, and that alone could be her downfall.

  Excitement shot through her. It grew in her fertile mind and stimulated her body to an eagerness she hadn’t experienced in ages. The result of the hunt no doubt—the knowledge that he’d chase and catch her, then make her weak with desire. Her breath came out in short jerky pants, and her body swelled full with lust as a nectar-filled flower. And she was full, wasn’t she? Bursting with a yearning, a long-denied want and a sudden inexplicable curiosity to know what it would be like to share some loveplay with Baylor.