Fae High Summer Hunt Read online

  “Tell me about this Panos you spoke of.” The quiet tone of his voice had her turning to face him. He studied her with a probing intensity that made her shift with unease.

  “What more is there to tell? He was the satyr I kept company with to while away the time.” She frowned. “He was at the battle but stood on the sidelines while his brothers fought.”

  “The satyrs fight as a collective. He should’ve been in the midst of the skirmish. You said he acted strangely when you took your leave of him—how exactly did he react?”

  “He said I was his, and he would keep me.” Repeating Panos’ declaration, Naeme heard the uncharacteristic possessiveness in the words. “What are you thinking, Baylor?” She had a feeling that Panos was the root of her memory lapses.

  “Presumptuous of him. I say we find Puck.”

  With a pop, a nude Valen manifested before them. “What—?” He spun around, nonplussed by his sudden relocation. “Couldn’t you have waited five minutes?”

  Unsympathetic to Valen’s disgruntlement Baylor returned his glare with one of cool indifference. “Is that all the time you need? Then I can send you back, I have a few moments to spare.”

  “The mood is lost. Why have you dragged me to this dreary place? Where are we anyway?” Like Naeme had earlier, Valen surveyed the room and by the disdain on his face, he found the décor not at all to his taste.

  “These are my private quarters.” Baylor’s terse reply didn’t deter Valen from looking his fill.

  Valen’s jaundiced glance skimmed over the room. “Do you ever try to futter a woman here? This place would banish any amorous thoughts.”

  “I never bring women here. There is no need for everyone to know where I lay my head at night.”

  “Don’t you now?” Valen shot Naeme a knowing smirk. “What have we done to earn this privilege?”

  “I have a need for secrecy and oddly I trust you both. Tomorrow I want to scout the forests but appear to obey the Queen’s edict. Since I’ve been ordered not to leave Havenglade, I need you to do something for me.”

  “How may I be of service?” Valen shot Baylor a sexy grin and flexed his pelvis, which made his cock bob in the air.

  Baylor fixed Valen with a hard glower. “Will you put that thing away?”

  “Killjoy, I thought you were finally going to give me a little nibble.” Valen sighed. “Is he as tasty as he looks, Naeme?” Valen was trying to needle Baylor, who was ignoring his overtures.

  “Oh, what little I did taste of him was good, but I am hoping to get a bigger bite later.” Her reply earned her a sharp look promising reprisals from Baylor. He was so easy to irk and temper gave rise to passion. She couldn’t wait to see how far she could drive him. She gave him a sunny smile, which seemed to rouse a wariness in him.

  “Ohh, so you haven’t done that thing I taught you, where you wrap your tongue around the head of his cock?” Valen asked, as always interested in the details of anything carnal. A shared interest, she admitted to herself.

  “Could we focus on the fact that the Queen is going to throw open our doors to every lordling to watch our ritual loving?” Snapped out like a lash, Baylor’s statement brought them back to reality. “Adding to the problems I anticipate is the fact that our guests may or may not be allowed to participate. It’ll breed envy, add fuel to the dissent that’s being cultivated amongst our neighbours.”

  The teasing gleam in Valen’s eyes died. He garbed himself in sky-blue velvet with silver piping, his demeanour serious. “Yes, we’ll be at a disadvantage since we’ll all have our pants down around our ankles. It’s hard to defend Queen, home and heart if you don’t have a weapon to hand. At least not one you can use to spar with. What do you need of me?”

  “I need you to find Puck.”

  “Done, but how will you cover my absence? Oberon is bound to notice.”

  Baylor shook his head in denial. “Oberon doesn’t like it when Titania is unhappy. The Queen’s furious. When that happens we all live on tenterhooks.” He bared his teeth, his expression flattened, turned icy. “I have my orders from both our sovereigns, spoken and unspoken. The King expects me to use any and every resource to remove any threats. You are one of those tools.”

  “Nice, like a hammer or shovel. And what will you be doing while I’m off to the hinterlands?”

  “I’ll be paying assiduous court to our Naeme here at the priming salons, readying ourselves for the gathering. At the same time, I’ll seek to find out if there’s any real plot to dethrone the Queen.”

  “Talented as you are, Baylor, not even you can fuck and hunt at the same time.” She wasn’t sure how he meant to carry out his plans. The salons were just a precursor to the sex, which would take place on the night of the full moon.

  “Do you know what my alter name is?” Baylor inquired.

  Puzzled as to why he’d ask such an odd question, she frowned at him. “Ahh, no, of course not.” Only one’s most intimate companions were privy to that information.

  “It is Janus.” With his lips twisted into a grimace, Baylor split into two men.

  Naeme’s mouth dropped open. “By the Great Orb of the moon, a Gemini. You are not supposed to exist.”

  “We are creatures of myth and magic, Naeme. With us all things are possible. The ability is my most useful weapon. I hope you will guard my secret well.” Both men spoke, the timbre of their voices identical. It was unsettling to say the least.

  As if anybody would believe her.

  “Well, what an enchanting surprise. Does Naeme get to play with both of you? Because if she won’t I would.” Always irrepressible, Valen chimed in, ogling both men with equal interest.

  “Get me what I want, Valen—I may just let you.” One of the Baylors spoke.

  And with an exaggerated shudder of anticipation Valen poofed out of the room, leaving her still gaping at dual Baylors.

  With Valen’s departure Naeme found herself left with two familiar strangers. Feeling an unusual skittishness, she took a veiled glance from under her lashes at the two of them. Her eyes widened at what she read in their expressions.

  The blatant hunger she saw in their eyes had her flustered. She took a step back and they moved with a predatory grace to flank her. She was cautious, but the imp in her filled her mind with the possibilities. Baylor times two, his virility and stamina doubled—it begged to be explored.

  She licked her lips, not from nervousness, but from a sudden rush of desire. “Don’t you have duties to perform?”

  “The Queen hasn’t returned to the ballroom. Oberon is with her, so unless she calls me to her side I don’t need to attend to her. I have planted instructions in my most trusted lieutenants’ minds to watch and listen for any significant activities that seem suspicious.” They gave her a teasing smile. “No reason why we can’t linger here for a short while.”

  “That’s not like you to leave such an important undertaking in your subordinates’ hands.”

  “My absence will be noted, true, but as I said I have my eyes and ears in place.” Both men inched closer. Her body reacted to the heat emanating from their bodies, softening, preparing itself for sex. Her breasts felt weighted down. The tissues in the cleft between her thighs pulsed and dampened with that sweet painful ache that accompanied arousal.

  “You know there are still things I want to do that I haven’t done. For obvious reasons, I couldn’t reveal my ability to just all and sundry. So I’ll grasp the opportunity to indulge in two unfulfilled desires.” His fingers slid under her hair and caressed the sensitive skin on her nape. A hand cupped her tit and pinched her taut nipple. A bliss-filled shudder racked her body, and she braced her hands on the chests of the men on either side of her to steady herself.

  “And what would that be?” she asked facetiously, her voice raspy.

  Two very hard bulges pressed into her hips, hot fragrant breath eddied over her earlobes and Naeme’s body grew tense with carnal expectancy. “In this dual incarnation I want to fuck you while
I suck your succulent clit. You can suckle on my shaft as you ride me at the same time. I will feel it all because after all I am one man. I should warn you, though, my needs are twofold what they usually are, and they take twice as long to sate.”

  Naeme’s breath hitched in her throat. She couldn’t tell if it was from the lack of air or the images that Baylor’s words etched into her mind.

  She’d taken more than one lover to her bed before, but it had never evoked such virulent passion in her. A fever of lust raced through her. She could deny him nothing, and no demand would be too outrageous. To do so would be to deprive herself of a unique experience.

  “Will you grant me a small boon and help realise my wish?” His seductive voice put her on the cusp of enthrallment. A wide palm cupped her ass, her mons cradled in another. Blunt fingers pressed into her moist flesh.

  Naeme’s lips twitched. She swallowed the lump in her throat to choose her words carefully. “Well, whatever I can do to help you.”

  Masculine laughter rumbled above her ears, a little smug, a lot satisfied. “Then we’d best get started.”

  Naeme lifted her hands to stay their actions. “Shouldn’t we wait until the Queen has retired for the night? I’d hate to begin only to have an untimely interruption.”

  “I know Titania’s moods, she’s sulking. Since our current crisis is of Oberon’s making she’ll make him grovel a bit before she deigns to forgive him. They both thrive on the tempests they create. Now where were we?” He crowded her to force her backwards, until the backs of her legs hit the bed.

  Sent off kilter, she stumbled and dropped onto her back with her calves dangling off the mattress. The duo fell on her. With no regard for her gown’s finely crafted material, they dragged her bodice down to her waist. Her breasts were immediately taken in hand, eager lips covering the nipples and drawing them into their mouths with a greedy rapaciousness.

  Naeme wrapped her arms around both dark heads, held them close and gave herself over to the sensations swamping her. The tug and release on her breasts sent sharp pleasure-driven ripples down her belly and into her core. Her hungry puss clenched and relaxed reflexively, working the muscles within her channel, giving her some measure of gratification.

  The men bundled her skirts up over her hips, grasped her legs and slung her calves over their hips. She was wide open and positioned for any urge they wished to fulfil.

  Callused hands slid up her inner thighs. Tiny goosebumps rose on her delicate skin. They teased her folds until, unable to help herself, she wiggled her hips, striving to draw their attention to the centre of her arousal. Any small caress would give her a little surcease. She let out a relieved sigh when one set of fingers peeled her folds back, while a different set of digits fondled her clit, labia, and teasingly circled her core.

  One Baylor sat up and on the edge of the bed. Naeme gasped when she was summarily hauled up and positioned to straddle his hips. Hiked up, the rotund head of his cock was set at her opening, and since she had no foothold on the floor he pulled her down onto his cock.

  “Ohhh, yes,” she moaned and gripped muscular thighs to keep her legs spread.

  The plump membranes in her passage separated to welcome the intrusion. He stretched her, his shaft glided over her susceptible tissues deep in her sheath, and a small release rocked through her by the time he was buried balls deep inside her.

  Faced by the second Baylor, she could only respond with a weak smile when he shot her a grin full of sensual promise. He dropped a kiss on her lips and squeezed her breasts as he trailed his mouth down her belly.

  She jerked when her clitoris was petted. Naeme glanced down to see her clitoris protruding from her folds.

  The man on his knees before her leaned in and took her clitoris into his mouth. He twirled his tongue around it and lapped at the nub. Each stroke had her easing up and down on the penis filling her. Hands took hold of her breasts, and the Baylor feeding on her fluids took hold of his own rigid shaft and thrust into his clenched fist.

  Naeme’s head fell back. Oh yes, yes, she could understand why her lover or lovers would want this duality of sensations. He fondled her clit while she had a cock plunging into her. But the flexibility of a tongue added another nuance to the encounter. Harsh grunts, throaty growls revealed the depth of the lovers’ pleasure. A tightness coiled in her belly, wound in her groin, awakened all her senses.

  Between Baylor’s upward thrusts into her pussy and his damp oral lashes over her clit Naeme’s entire body spasmed as she came. She drifted on a sea of orgasmic bliss as her men continued to love her until they joined her in her state of nirvana.

  Chapter Nine

  The next morning found Naeme in the Queen’s audience room stifling a yawn. She’d spent the previous night suspended in bliss, for the most part in the arms of two frisky, tireless lovers. For short periods, one man had departed, leaving her with a single partner, who indulged in his preferences to her surprise and delight. Naeme grinned. She’d reaped the benefits of those predilections. She was deliciously sore, sated to the point where all she could do was lie and bask in the aftermath. It had taken the first streaks of light dispersing the night-darkened sky to pull them apart, with gratifying reluctance.

  Drowsy from the lack of sleep, she’d hastily borrowed the pale blush pink from the dawn to infuse in the gown Baylor conjured for her. She joined Titania’s attendants on the last step of the dais seconds before the Queen entered the chamber escorted by her consort.

  Garbed in deep pink, the Queen looked like a rose in full bloom as she glided into the room. Her cheeks were flushed, her mouth puffy, as if bruised from rough kisses. Any sign of last eve’s ill temper had been banished. In fact Titania looked almost serene.

  Oberon settled his mate before he took his seat beside her. He glanced over the room, eyes at half-mast, and studied the inhabitants with a heavy-eyed languor—a sure sign that he was well sated. He flicked a glance at Baylor, standing on the balcony a floor above them, a brief silent exchange ending with a barely perceptible dip of her lover’s head.

  Her gaze collided with Baylor’s. Or half of him, she could be sure. As she looked at the grim sentinel, his stance was warrior-like, eyes eagle-sharp, emotions contained. No one seeing him now could imagine him at his most primal, caught in the throes of his release—the way she had seen him, enjoyed him and come to understand him. He gave his all to whatever mien he assumed. She pulled her attention away from him, not wanting to reveal her giddiness.

  The King gestured with long elegant fingers, signalling for the first salon to commence. For a fortunate few would catch the royal couple’s eye, and garner an invitation to their bed.

  Dressed in their very best, fashioned from petals and hides, satin and the like, with pastel hues to greet the dawn, the Fae strutted like peacocks, primping and preening to catch the attention of desired lovers. With the coming of the dusk the guests would arrive to witness their most envied tradition, the Greening.

  Need quickened in Naeme.

  As she watched the promenade and the jostling for attention, the young and the green tittered while the experienced sought old lovers to ensure satisfaction or to explore new diversions to rouse jaded appetites. Under all that joviality, a fraught tension put constraints on the proceedings—fear or guilt perhaps. She saw strained smiles and stilted movements that lacked fluidity. A full complement of the guard didn’t help. Replacing the expected footmen, members of both guards manned the doors.

  A butterfly, their sovereigns’ favoured messenger, manifested above their heads. Its wings were red and gold, the Queen’s colours. Titania was issuing the first invitation.

  It fluttered, flirtatious and playful. As a collective, the courtiers drew in a sharp breath and waited to see who would receive the coveted accolade. It flew in her direction, and unease sent an icy frisson through Naeme.

  Titania’s herald settled on her shoulder, a singular honour considering their history, or a sign she wasn’t quite forgiven and sti
ll had penalties to pay. She looked to Baylor, seeking reassurance. Seemingly unfazed, he gave her a slight nod. He’d expected this to happen. Heartening. He could have warned her. She hesitated and sent him a damning glare. The gleam in his eyes hardened, willing her to comply, as if she’d dare to rebuff the invitation that was all but a command.

  Adhering to protocol, she made her curtsies to the Queen. As she rose Naeme chanced a tentative glance at Titania, whose amusement and calculation were evident on her face. Baylor might not have any concerns, but Naeme had a feeling she wouldn’t come out unscathed. Oberon would be in the bed and she might be hard pressed to avoid him.

  From Oberon’s palm a second courier took flight and went directly to Baylor. His acceptance was assumed.

  More invitations were relayed. Elated females gasped in delight. Masculine rumbles faded in the background as Naeme noted who received them. They were sent to the most talented, inventive, indefatigable voluptuaries.

  Valen popped up beside her, bringing with him the pine odour of the northern forests. He was perfectly groomed, clad in Oberon’s signature silver and blue velvet, a jaunty feather in the hat he wore. Nothing in his demeanour revealed that he’d spent the previous night on a hunt, or whether he had met with success or failure.

  He winked cheekily at her, and with an elaborate bow, mischievous rather than respectful, he genuflected before King and Queen. “I beg your pardon for my tardiness.”

  “You seem to be in a jovial mood this morning, Valen. You have good news to share?” Oberon drawled. His question was casual, but there was an underlying steeliness in his tone.

  “How can I not be happy, your majesty? Tonight is the great gathering. I do have a place in your intimate entourage for the rites, don’t I?”

  “You do.” The affirmation came from Titania.

  “Then what more could a Fae such as myself ask for?” Valen’s cheeriness wasn’t forced. There was an almost manic anticipation about his manner. It set Naeme’s teeth on edge, but then Valen thrived on the theatrical.