Rois nodded. “I shall await you. The Lady asked me to escort you to her.”

  Fiach shrugged and clicked the door in place. He crept to Cilia’s side of the bed and crawled onto the mattress behind her. His sex swelled. He rubbed the hard ridge of his erection in the crease sheltered between the satin cheeks of her ass. She moaned and rolled against him in sleep.

  The movement pressed his crown into her flesh until it rested against the opening of her anus. He shivered remembering all the times he had pleasured that forbidden spot. His cock throbbed as his hips tipped up helplessly to press deeper. He knew he could not be inside of her now. He had neither proper lubrication nor the time he needed to enjoy the fruit of such an exploration.

  He reached over her side to cup her breast and tweak the nipple between his fingers. She moaned and pressed back harder. He needed to wake her and dress them, or it would be hours before he allowed her to leave this chamber.

  “Cilia?”

  “Hmmm” was her only response.

  He rocked his hips forward and dipped into her puckered hole.

  “Oh!” She came awake fully then. “You can’t… We don’t have any…”

  “I know,” he grated between clenched teeth. “I just can’t stop yet.” The painful arousal propelled him forward as he sought relief.

  Cilia pulled away, and he groaned desperately. Then she planted her open palms on the mattress and presented herself to him.

  “You’ll come faster this way,” she said.

  He knew she was right. He went to his knees behind her and snuggled his cock in the soft valley of her ass. He rubbed his erection through the dry crease of skin; the heated friction coaxed him closer and closer to climax. When he felt Cilia’s hands reach down and squeeze his aching sack, his balls tightened as hot spurts of semen showered her bottom.

  He traced a finger through the fluid coating Cilia’s skin. The muscles in her lower belly clenched. She was still aroused and mewling beneath him as she ground her back to his front.

  His cock sprang to life; it’s only wish to be buried deep inside of her. Still, it would take time; time they really didn’t have. “Are you sure?”

  She rubbed against him again as a rumble of pleasure filled her throat. “Yes. Please, Fiach, I need you.”

  It was all the encouragement he required. He rubbed the head of his cock through his slick lubricating fluids. Then he coated his fingers and gently pressed one into the tightened pucker of her anus. She whimpered and stilled beneath him. He slipped a second finger inside and slumped further down on the bed, improving her angle.

  He poised his cock and prepared to penetrate her. He pressed slowly, and she began to wriggle and squirm. He kept the gentle pressure constant until, minutes later he breached the tight ring of muscle. Cilia exhaled and relaxed around him. He glided deeper inside her. She shivered; her breaths sawed in and out in harsh gasps. He had forgotten how much she liked to be taken this way.

  When he was buried completely inside her, he paused to let her accept his invasion. Tiny ripples contracted along his shaft, tearing a growl from his throat.

  He pulled out and thrust home; her flesh clutched him greedily. He made two long strokes and a short burst of come exploded from his cock and filled her. Instead of sating him, the small release made him harden further. He leaned down to massage Cilia’s clit as the extra moisture from his release made it easy to pump harder and harder into her ass. She cried out and came against his fingers; she coated him with her juices and bunched her muscles around his penis. His sex swelled and shivered as yet another orgasm overtook him. He pulsed as his seed erupted deep within her.

  A hesitant rap on the door brought Fiach to his senses. Even as he softened, he thrust one more time before slipping from her warmth. He collapsed face down beside her and reached for her hand. Their fingers intertwined, and she brought them to her lips for a kiss.

  “One minute,” Fiach called out breathlessly.

  He forced himself from the bed and walked around to where Cilia lay on her stomach, too tired to move. He rested his palms between her shoulder blades and closed his eyes. He envisioned them both clean and fabricated clothing over their sensitized skin.

  He pulled her from the bed to the door and found Rois with an ear cupped to the door opposite the one he had just opened. She blushed and straightened herself.

  “If you would follow me, I will take you to the Lady.” Rois grinned mischievously. “She does not like to be kept waiting, but I think this once she might be willing to forgive.”

  Fiach snorted. Cilia hid her laughter behind her hand. Rois brought them to a set of double doors similar to the ones leading to his chamber, but these were gilded with gold and jewels in a rainbow of colors. Their guide’s pale hands pushed wide the doors and revealed the Lady sitting at a silver table with two empty silver chairs. The rest of the chamber was decorated in vibrant shades with gold-tone accents. The choice of silver seating was a concession to the fact that gold irritated Phoenix skin.

  The Lady nodded and Fiach returned the gesture. He pulled a chair out for Cilia and settled her down before claiming the remaining chair.

  “Lady, we owe you thanks.” Cilia began.

  The Lady held up her hand to silence Cilia. “Your debt is paid in full. I have longed

  my entire existence to see what you so graciously shared with my court.” She released a heady sigh. “It is something none of us will forget.” * Cilia blushed. Fiach laid his large warm palm over her own in silent support. She took a deep breath and addressed the Lady. “There are things neither of us remember.”

  The Lady nodded gravely. “Of course. The gaps in your memory are from the time it took to implant you each into a receptive womb, and the subsequent time it took for your rebirth. Also, there are some things you will not recall until you have been formally bound by the Noce. Some of the knowledge you seek is only found within in the mind of each mate.”

  Fiach’s brow wrinkled. “Forgive me, Lady, but I still don’t understand.”

  The Lady twisted to address the man who had been raised as her son. “You know of changelings?”

  Cilia and Fiach nodded that they did.

  The Lady leaned nearer; her voice was just a whisper. “That is what you both are. Only we took a greater risk by exchanging you each with an unborn fetus, instead of a newborn. By giving you new life, the bond between you was severed. It requires only the completion of the Noce, and things will be as they were.”

  Cilia felt her eyes rounding. Fiach’s face remained uncertain.

  The Lady rolled her eyes in a very human gesture. “I exchanged Cilia with the unborn of a member of my Court. Cilia went to live among humans, with just enough of her memory to be able to control and hide her power as she matured. She was Phoenix born and not made, as you now remember, so she had to be aware. In exchange, the female court member received a human child.” A secret smile lifted her lips as she looked at Cilia. “I believe you may have noticed him at the mating?”

  She meant the silver haired man. Cilia had been born of his mother and delighted in the pleasures of the son. She felt sick, cold to her core, and disgusted with the enjoyment she had gotten from watching him reach his climax as Fiach came inside her.

  Fiach pushed from the table, scooped Cilia into his arms, and then settled her onto his lap.

  “What is wrong?” the Lady asked.

  “You just told her we got off watching her birth mother’s son ejaculate,” he snapped.

  “Oh. I see,” The Lady replied, although she clearly didn’t. “Cilia you are not of the same blood. You were yourself, only given new life through the body of a willing human. There is no blood, no bond between yourself and Cayden.”

  Cilia relaxed. The tight ball of self-loathing slacked a little. She snuggled closer to Fiach’s chest. “What about Fiach? How did he end up being a demon born of the Sidhe? Why didn’t you allow him to join me with humans?”

  The Lady became saddened. “After your exchange was completed, the Morag attacked Faerie. I was able to hide Fiach through the first wave of the invasion. There was no time to arrange for his rebirth. A demon lord breached the fortress and came to the great hall. He agreed to leave us in peace as long as the rumors of our harboring the Phoenix were unfounded.” Her eyes met Fiach’s. “He also demanded a night of pleasure with a Sidhe woman.” It went unsaid that Harailt had singled her out. Fiach vibrated with fury at the sacrifice the Lady had given; Cilia’s heart ached for her sacrifice.

  “It is in the past. Demons make admirable lovers, so I enjoyed the exchange even if the choice to initiate it was not my own. The coupling was a perfect cover for Fiach’s revival. My court helped me fake the pregnancy. He was implanted in the womb of a demon lover belonging to one of my most loyal guards. The birth was natural to her, whereas if I had attempted it myself,” she pointed at his wings, “the result would have been much less favorable for us both.”

  “Harailt knew me. He claimed me.” Fiach spoke into the silence.

  “Yes. Someone leaked word that I had conceived. He wanted you. He thought my blood mingled with his would provide him with a stronger, more agile and magically proficient heir. He was right about you, but not because our powers had bred such a powerful child. You had been demon born when Cilia found you the first time and gifted you with the power of your Phoenix. Harailt did not know that was where the power drew from. I refused to give you up. I knew I had to protect you from the Morag until the time was right, until Cilia could find you again. The only solution was sharing you. He would have you half a mortal year and I, the other half.” Her face grew pained then. “I know the things he forced on you, the way he corrupted your youth and innocence. If I had tried to stop him, he would have killed you. He would not have succeeded, but our cover would have been blown. He would have enslaved you and murdered my people. Then he would have gone after Cilia as well, and I could not allow that.”

  “It’s all right. I understand.”

  The Lady’s eyes shined with regret as she looked to Cilia. “I would have kept him innocent for you. I had hoped to experience your mating fires while you lost the virginities of your new bodies.”

  Cilia’s heart hurt. It hurt for the loss of so much time with her mate and for the fact that he had shared the gift of himself with others. She looked into Fiach’s dark and desolate eyes. Shame burned there. His sense of disloyalty was crippling. Cilia tipped her head back, cupped the base of his neck, and pulled him down to her lips. She welcomed him as sweetly as she knew how. She put into words her undying love of him and her acceptance of what had happened to them; she offered forgiveness for what deeds he had committed simply to survive until they found one another again.

  When they parted she could feel the quickening of his heart against her cheek, which she laid to rest against him.

  His voice rumbled in her ear. “Can you forgive me, Cilia?”

  She sat up and rested her palms on either side of his beloved face. “There is nothing to forgive.” Then she rested her forehead against his. “I love you, Fiach.”

  His lips pulled up into a sensuous curve. “And, I love you. So much, I want to set the world ablaze and dance in the fire as we watch it all burn down around us.”

  He pulled her in for another kiss. Her blood thrummed in her veins. He lowered to trace the vein below her ear with his tongue. His teeth rasped against the soft flesh. Cilia wanted him to pierce her, to feed from her essence and live from her always.

  The Lady’s harsh intake of breath broke the spell of the moment. Cilia looked to their friend, their ally and savior. Her eyes were wide and dark, and her lips were parted;

  her chest rose and fell with her excitement.

  “It is true.” The Lady rasped.

  Cilia and Fiach’s eyes met. Cilia had been born a Phoenix, but by claiming Fiach as her mate she made him dependent on her fiery blood to live. The sheer eroticism of the act ensured that both parties found pleasure with the exchange. By the heated look on the Lady’s face, she was not immune to the ritual either.

  Cilia arched her neck and brushed the fall of hair and feathers from her throat; she waited for her lover to claim her. *

  Fiach remembered; with relief, he knew why every sexual act and every drop of blood that he had taken from others had been found wanting. He knew, now, that his body had primed itself for taking Cilia’s essence and had been starving without it. He had fed from other lovers, but it had never slacked the hunger.

  When Cilia revealed the silky strip of flesh at her neck, he lowered his head to nibble along the delicate column of her throat. A soft moan incited him as he bared his fangs and pierced her deeply. Her heat rolled over his tongue and filled his body, making him feel alive with her flame. He suckled the small punctures and coaxed the life-giving liquid from them. The fiery tang of her blood bathed his mouth with her taste and left him wanting more, needing more. He needed a taste of flesh to temper the sweetly spiced richness of her blood. He pulled away and watched a rivulet of blood flow down her neck to curve over one breast.

  Cilia moved in tandem, reading the needs of his body. She shifted on his lap until she straddled him and then reached between them to free the erection eagerly pressing against his zipper. Fiach had dressed her in another diaphanous gown, and since he made sure his clothing procuring skills excluded undergarments of any kind, she was deliciously bare and open for him.

  He lowered in his chair. His hips tipped upward and positioned the wet tip of his arousal at her entrance. The Lady gasped; her hands slipped beneath the table where Fiach imagined she would pleasure herself as she watched them mate and him feed.

  Cilia glowed above him. She rested her palms on his shoulders and began the slow slide up and down his cock. Her juices coated him; her pussy was so soft and warm that he could die now with sure knowledge that he would never find anything more pleasurable than being inside of her. He pulled her close and licked the line of blood still staining her pale skin. Where the line of crimson fluid stopped, he nestled into the sheer fabric of her dress to capture a pebbled nipple in his mouth. He sucked and nipped before returning to lave away the final traces of his earlier carelessness. When he reached her throat and licked over the pinpricks, his erection jumped. It wanted more. He continued to lap at her as the red beads formed against her delicate skin, still so hungry but afraid to feed again so soon.

  Cilia rocked against him, and he realized with shame that he had stopped thrusting into her. He was preoccupied with her blood, and his hunger had clouded his mind.

  “You need to feed,” she said and began slipping up and down his shaft.

  He groaned and let his head fall back. “It’s too soon. I would take too much.”

  “I trust you. You’ve gone too long without my blood; I can spare a little more.”

  Fiach was tired of fighting the desire to bury his teeth at her neck while he brought her to orgasm. With her permission granted, he planned to make them both enjoy it.

  He pulled her forward into the tight circle of his arms. He pressed her into his chest and brushed his cheek against hers. She slid down the thick stalk of his flesh as she settled further against him. When she flipped her hair over her shoulder, his eyes rolled back, and he pierced her skin below his first puncture. Cilia whimpered as his suckling pressure began, and he lowered his hands to her hips and surged upward. Her moan of pleasure rumbled in her throat and vibrated against his lips. He drank from her in slow languid pulls and savored the searing cinnamon of her vein.

  Cilia stilled as she settled more of her weight over him than before. Fiach’s eyes opened. Her face was pale but peaceful. He had taken too much, allowed himself to become drunk on her sweetness. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he whispered against her throat in between licks. The small wound sealed, and he rested his forehead on her shoulder.

  “Fiach…”

  “I was careless.”

  “Fiach!” she cried out.

  He pulled back to meet her eyes. They simmered with desire and impatience.

  “Please…” she whispered.

  He released his breath in a low rush as he stood, still buried inside of her, and pressed her back into the wall of the Lady’s chamber. He wound her legs around his waist and let her relax for a fraction of a second before he drove his crest to her womb. She clenched around him and writhed against the wall. Her nails bit into his shoulder and drew blood as he continued to pound himself into her weeping core.

  He heard sounds of pleasure over his shoulder and flicked a glance to the Lady, who cried out her release. His cock tingled, but her cries were not the ones he wanted. He cupped the cheeks of Cilia’s ass in his hands and ground into her. She gasped and bowed; her breath sounded ragged in his ear. He began to piston inside of her with hard fast strokes that had him gritting his teeth to keep from coming without her.

  Finally, her pelvic muscles began to contract and convulse around him. She drew him deeper and kept him there as she found her pleasure. Fiach managed one more thrust before his own orgasm claimed him. He throbbed and spurted inside her until he was replete; his climax erupted so greatly that moisture seeped from where they joined and dripped down onto the floor between them even though he stayed lodged in her sheath.

  “Oh, God.” Cilia collapsed on his chest. Fiach’s legs buckled, and he slid her gently down the wall as he went to his knees. The sharp burn of arousal that had plagued him finally subsided. The drug’s effects were all but gone. His body shone with sweat, but it was the product of their love play and not the feverish residue of the Fairy Dust that had coated his skin the past few days.

  The Lady rose and straightened her gown; her voice was a touch hoarse. “You may have the use of my chamber. Your Noce will commence at sundown.”

  “Can you send us back? When the time comes?” he asked.

  “You know how this magic works. We can bring you to Faerie at any time, from any point. Our magic cannot counteract that of the demons. The bars on your cage were enspelled. When you go back, you will go back to your cell.” She walked to the door. “Take all the time you need to devise a plan of action. Jarlath is not someone to cross lightly.” Then she stepped from the room and closed the door behind her.

 

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