Story excerpt

Silence fell as a small airplane appeared against the horizon. The seconds seemed to drag forever until at last, the plane hovered above the platform where Corbin stood. Corbin wondered how in the world his mate would come to him. He could hardly see a ladder descending from the tiny plane.

The door of the plane opened, and much to Corbin’s dismay, several Sidhe stepped out of the aircraft. True enough, the distance between the platform and the plane wasn’t very large, but Corbin still hadn’t expected it.

The first people who showed up were the Sidhe priests who would be officiating the ceremony. The great prelate always looked like he’d just bitten into a lemon, and today was no different. Winter had told Corbin it was highly unusual for the prelate to leave Sidhe grounds, and the man must probably be in fear for his life. They jumped out of the plane, falling slowly, as if some force was fighting gravity for them. It was quite impressive.

All thoughts of other people vanished, though, when Winter appeared from above. The only word that came to Corbin’s mind was angel. Winter jumped out of the plane, like the priests had. As his mate stepped out of the plane, his majestic motions left no doubt as to his royal blood. His fall was graceful, as if he were a petal that even the planet’s force didn’t dare to harm.

Winter landed next to Corbin, a smile on his beautiful face. The lining of his clothes seemed to make him glow, and the fall of his crimson hair contrasted with the silver of the outfit. Winter’s wedding garb as a whole was not composed out of shirts and pants, but rather robes that were tight against the chest and flared at the bottom. They were almost like Chinese changshans, only with a distinctive magical feel. He was almost too gorgeous, so much so that for a minute, Corbin actually stopped breathing. He couldn’t possibly be the one meant to wed this ethereal creature. It was too much of a gift. He didn’t deserve it.

“Hello, Corbin,” Winter said in a soft voice, and that was enough to snap Corbin out of his trance.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Corbin answered. “You look amazing.”

And then Winter dropped his outer cloak, and Corbin’s mind just about melted. He’d known about the sequence in the ceremony, but merely the swish of the fabric made him want to pounce on Winter. Everything inside him roared to ignore all the guests intruding on their private moment, steal his mate away, and claim him the shifter way.

But this ceremony was important for Winter, so Corbin swallowed his frustration and leashed his beast. Like Winter had taught him, he took his mate’s hand and stepped in front of the stoic-looking prelate. Skylar and Byron stood on the side, ready to take heed of the vows.

At last, the Sidhe priest started to speak. Corbin didn’t understand quite everything since Winter hadn’t actually had the time to teach Corbin the ancient Sidhe tongue. However, for the purpose of the ceremony, Corbin had been provided with a minuscule headset where another Sidhe translated what the prelate was saying.

The translator’s voice droned in his ear. “The Nameless One has blessed us all today to witness the union of two souls and two energies. May the blessings of his magic shower over this, your servant, and grant me the power to reach them in his name.”

In a way, the words were distracting and somehow didn’t suit with the way the prelate actually spoke. The ancient Sidhe tongue was a beautiful language, far too beautiful for the translator to fully grasp its flow in English words, and Corbin looked forward to learning it. He could bet it sounded great when Winter was screaming in passion.

Shaking off his lustful thoughts, Corbin focused on the ceremony. Finally, the prelate finished his discourse and the most important moment arrived. Corbin and Winter turned toward each other, entwining their fingers together. Corbin looked straight into Winter’s eyes, entranced by the happiness he saw there.

“K’arian yadar k’adar challa Hastri D’Or orti gar,” they said at the same time. It literally meant “I vow myself to you under the blessings of the Nameless One.”

The words flowed from Corbin’s tongue with far more ease than he’d expected. Almost instantly, Corbin felt a power flow over him, foreign but so familiar. It was warm, almost liquid, like the water in a pool lapping against Corbin’s skin, and yet electric. Where his hands touched Winter’s, it felt like he was touching an outlet. Energy and magic sizzled over his skin, so powerful, but so kind.

Corbin had never been a religious person, but in that moment, he truly sensed there was a higher power watching over them. The prelate’s words, beautiful simply through the way they’d sounded, had also been true. And right then and there, Corbin understood that his entire life he’d waited for this. He’d waited for Winter, the only one who could complete him.

Winter released a small gasp, as if overwhelmed by the moment. His smaller hands squeezed Corbin’s in a nearly painful grip.

A voice seemed to whisper in Corbin’s ear. “Kiss him.”

It could have been the translator, or maybe this unseen deity that had blessed their union, but Corbin didn’t care. He just knew that he’d never heard of a better idea in his life, well, except the one that had brought them to this point in the first place.

Barely managing to suppress a growl, Corbin pressed his mouth to Winter’s. The beautiful Sidhe melted against his chest, his lips parting in a soft, soundless gasp. Corbin greedily thrust his tongue inside the wet cavern, devouring Winter, taking what was his. He hadn’t kissed Winter since the day of their rushed engagement, and he was ravenous.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Come on, sweetheart,” he told Winter. “Let me.”

Winter was biting his lower lip as if uncertain. Corbin cupped his face, forcing their eyes to meet. “It’s okay, Winter,” he said. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. But I promise, I’ll never hurt you.”

“I…I believe you,” Winter stammered. “I’m just nervous.”

Corbin gestured for Winter to climb into his lap. When the fae complied, Corbin opened the bottle of lubricant and poured a liberal amount on his fingers. He pressed butterfly-light kisses to Winter’s lips and face as he reached between Winter’s ass cheeks to prepare his mate. “Just relax, sweet,” he told Winter. “You’ll love this.”

Slowly, Winter surrendered to the kisses, and Corbin dared to push one finger inside. At first, his mate tensed a little, the invasion obviously surprising him. God, Winter felt so tight around Corbin’s finger. How would he feel wrapped around Corbin’s cock? Corbin pushed the mind-numbing thought away, focusing on soothing his unsettled mate. He gently pushed the finger in and out, allowing Winter to get used to the sensation and whispering encouragements in the fae’s ear. When Winter relaxed, Corbin dared to add another finger.

This time, Winter pushed out, groaning in pleasure. Corbin crooked the digits inside his mate’s body, seeking for that spot that would make Winter fly. He knew he’d found it when Winter went rigid and cried out, this time in ecstasy. “Oh, Corbin. Yes! There. Again, please, again! More.”

Corbin gave Winter some time to adjust, all the while mercilessly rubbing his mate’s prostate. At last, he added a third finger and scissored the digits gently, doing his best to prepare the fae’s passage. Corbin’s cock was much thicker than even three fingers, and Corbin wanted to avoid his mate’s pain at all costs.

By now, however, Winter was completely lost in need. His crimson hair clung to his face and body, humid with sweat, and he was thrusting back against Corbin’s fingers, begging and pleading. Corbin couldn’t refuse Winter any longer. He pulled his digits out of his lover’s body and slicked up his cock instead.

Lying back down, he allowed Winter to remain on top and positioned his cock at Winter’s hole. “Bear down on me, sweetheart,” he instructed. “Slowly. At your own pace.”

With his hands on Winter’s hips, Corbin guided his mate, tempering him when Winter would have impaled himself on Corbin’s shaft in one single thrust. He watched his lover’s face for all signs of discomfort, studiously keeping a leash on the beast within that just wanted to break free and ravage Winter.

They both groaned as Corbin’s prick finally breached Winter’s body. Only the awe Corbin experienced at watching the play of emotions on Winter’s face kept him from turning into a rutting animal. But at last, Winter’s body fully engulfed him, the silky heat of his passage gripping his cock in a tight fist.

For a few seconds, Corbin just waited. He knew he was spouting claws, and he couldn’t help it, but Winter needed the time to adjust. And then Winter lifted his body and thrust back down, impaling himself on Corbin’s prick.

Corbin snapped. He started thrusting up into his mate while his mate pushed down, crying out every time Corbin hit his prostate. They moved together like they’d been lovers forever, in perfect harmony. It was so carnal, and yet, at a deeply spiritual level, Corbin felt their bodies talking to each other. He felt Winter understand that there would never be anyone else for Corbin, that their bond was forever.

With his mate riding him with such abandon, it was a wonder that Corbin even lasted as long as he did. He blamed it on the previous orgasm that had taken the edge off. But an instinctual urge arose inside Corbin, awakening his every primal instinct.