Dryad

Hawke opened one eye. Gods, his head ached, and his tongue had stuck to the top of his mouth. He yawned, then licked the taste of female arousal from his lips. The pungent aroma from many hours of sex filled the warm, humid air. He grinned, slid his palm over the soft, round buttocks of the female lying beside him, and then pushed the long, raven hair from the back of the Fae male sleeping on his chest. What a sinful night. He and the Fae twins, Dray and Dominic, had made the impulsive decision to visit the Demon’s Den Tavern in Dryad. The week before the Scenting, females from every realm traveled to Dryad, seeking long nights of passion.

He ran his tongue around his teeth and sighed, enjoying the multitude of tastes he found. Inside his mind, his cat purred in sated contentment. Hawke lifted his head and gazed into Dray’s sleepy, green eyes. “Good morning.”

“It will be a very good morning.” Dray moved his warm mouth against Hawke’s chest, nipping at his flat nipples. “I need you again.”

Hawke grew instantly hard. Dray’s dark hair brushed across his skin in a silken caress. He met the Faerie’s deep, green gaze and his mind filled with the image of driving his tongue deep inside the Fae’s soft mouth. Dear Lady, he could not get enough of the Fae twins. Dominic rose from the end of the bed, flashed Hawke a cheeky grin, and then lowered his sweet, wet mouth to his cock. He purred with pleasure; the twins always took care of him.

Fleeting memories crossed his mind, although in truth, most of the previous evening had leaked from his memory. Wine had flowed in great abundance, and the females, Lady’s blood, had begged for his attention. Rolling his hips to enjoy Dominic’s hot mouth, he tried to sequence the events of the evening. He vaguely remembered taking the twins and at least two females to his bed the previous night. He wracked his alcohol-frizzled brain for a name, any name to match the female with the tempting, golden ass under his palm. Angela? Annabel? No, she was the one with the silver braids. Suzanna?

The room crackled with energy, and a Circle of Light shattered the stillness. He groaned and stared into the angry face of his brother, King Blaise of Knight Watch. Standing beside him, with a bemused expression, stood Nox, the King of the Faerie. Great, a delegation of kings. Look at them, dressed in black with faces like prunes.

The Fae twins jumped off the bed and fell to their knees uttering apologies. The female slept on in blissful ignorance, curled with her smooth back, away from him. Hawke grunted his objection and reached down to drag a sheet over his nakedness. He heard Blaise’s sharp intake of breath, turned his back on the kings, and buried his face in the pillow.

* * * *

Blaise rolled his eyes. What could he to do with his brother? To find a prince in a brothel when plenty of females resided in the castle gave the wrong impression to the people of Dryad. Of late, his brother had become more cat than man. In truth, Hawke was constantly on the prowl for sex, and not many males or females escaped his charm. The twins practically lived at the castle.

He had no idea why Hawke needed to seek out the company of harlots, gauged on the constant stream of lovers climbing the stairs to Hawke’s bedroom. He ground his teeth. Somehow, his brother encouraged Nox as a lover, too. His hands clenched into fists. He glared at the back of Hawke’s golden head. “Do not ignore me, I know you are awake. Have you forgotten the Scenting?”

“No…but I am having too much fun here.” Hawke lifted his head and glowered at Blaise. “Will you please leave me alone?” He met Nox’s emerald gaze, and a seductive smile curled his lips. “You can stay.”

Flaring his nostrils, Blaise growled deep in his chest. The room stunk of sweat, sex, and spoiled wine. Bottles of Miza littered the floor, spilling sticky trails of red across the polished wood. He kicked a path through the clothes, strewn in piles around the room, and made his way closer to the bed. In a blink, the Fae twins vanished from sight. He turned to look at Nox, who lifted one broad shoulder and gave him a wink.

Blaise leaned over the bed and shook Hawke’s arm. “I am taking you home now. Have you forgotten who you are? Is this any way for a Knight Watch prince and the commander of my army to behave?”

“For the Lady’s sake stop screaming at me.” Hawke pulled a tub of lube from under the pillow and set it on the nightstand. “I am not a cub. I am off duty and entitled to do as I please. And for your information, I am extremely happy not having a mate.”

He dragged the sheet off Hawke and his companion. “Many have traveled from the far reaches of the Five Gates to bring their daughters to Feltich Castle. You are the prize they seek. Do you dishonor me by not attending?”

“Shut the hell up.” The female opened her eyes. She sat up and blinked at Nox. “Heavens, am I supposed to do you as well? No, not on an empty stomach. A girl needs to eat, you know? Well, big boy get me some food.”

Nox raised a brow at Blaise. “I am sorry, I do not supply breakfast for whores.”

Blaise shook his head and reached into his pocket for a gold coin. He dropped it on the bed and turned to Nox. “Get us out of here before I do something I regret.”

*

Nox grinned. Hawke had a sexy way of looking at him that turned his knees to jelly. His cock certainly had a mind of its own when it came to him. To be honest, the prince’s seductive, crooked smile and his smoldering gaze could lure lovers from twenty paces. Hawke knew instinctively which males enjoyed man love—he never made a mistake in that direction.

He sighed; in truth, he wanted him and silently wished the mate he chose would join the cozy relationship he had with Hawke and Allure the Fair. Allure, however, constantly insisted he should find his own mate. He considered this idea for a split second and gazed back at Hawke’s blatant invitation. He met the man’s royal-blue eyes and nodded slightly. “You stink. I believe an hour or so in the hot spring would be most beneficial.”

“So do I.” Blaise rubbed his nose. “I will insist your squire scrubs you from head to foot.”

“Okay, whatever makes you happy, brother.” Hawke’s gaze slid to Nox. “What have you done with the twins? You know very well they keep me out of trouble.” He slid to the edge of the bed and turned his attention to the female, who had dragged a sheet around her nakedness, the gold coin clutched in one hand. “You should leave, Nox here, might just change you into a toad.” He flashed Nox a mischievous grin and pulled on his pants.

Nox waited for the female to collect her clothes and flee the room. He flared his nostrils. The rich, musky smell in the room excited him. The heady allure of Hawke’s unique scent drew him like a sexual magnet. The sight of the delicious male, naked and aroused, made his mouth water. Gods, he could not drag his gaze away from his golden skin. He caught Blaise’s angry gaze and cleared his throat. “The twins will be back after the Scenting.”

He drew a Circle of Light and stood to one side, allowing Blaise to drag Hawke through the shimmering space. Nox picked up Hawke’s distinctive black, silver studded boots and grinned. Hmm, I think an hour or so with him will do us both good. He took one last glance around the filthy room, grimaced then stepped through the shimmering portal into the hot springs at Feltich Castle.