Page 10 of Unrestrained

Chapter Five

With his eyes closed, Taurus savored the moment as Stellar brushed his hair and braided it. He didn’t want to think about anything. Stygian had gone silent. Taurus knew he was still there. He could feel him. On stars, he loved when Stellar played with his hair. Of course, he loved it when Stellar touched him in any way. He wanted to tell himself that addiction was why he hadn’t halted anything the moment Stellar had straddled his lap or when Stellar had woken him in the middle of the night to make love to him again. Unfortunately, that would be a lie. One thing Taurus never did was lie to himself. He hadn’t stopped because he wanted Stygian there. Taurus wanted Stygian to be a part of them. Their minds and thoughts were already tangled. He felt more brazen with Stellar, and oddly protective of Stygian’s presence inside him. When a person lived as long as Taurus had, it became impossible to not see the strings. Fate’s threads tying everything together, pulling toward a destiny. He felt that tug now.

His hand lifted and stroked his bare stomach. Taurus immediately knew it wasn’t him who caressed him.

Beautiful.

Stellar’s lips touched his shoulder. “I agree.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He was a contented cat.

Stellar skimmed another kiss along Taurus’ shoulder, heading for his neck. “What should we do with our day?”

Taurus fought the temptation to say he could go another round.

I can’t. Laughter laced Stygian’s claim.

A sexy-sounding chuckle rumbled against his skin.

Two guards burst into the room. They both froze when Taurus shot to his feet. The instinct to protect Stellar was ingrained in him. He didn’t care he wore no clothes. There was no modesty in Faerie. Their eyes landed on Taurus’ collar at the same time, as if the guards shared one brain. Simultaneously, they bowed and averted their eyes.

“For fuck’s sake. Stand up. You obviously burst in here for a reason.” Taurus might have been slightly irritated by the interruption.

The pair straightened. “Apologies, my lords. We have a problem. River is missing.”

Did we just get called “my lord”?

The pair’s gazes focused on Taurus again and slid away as they mentioned River.

Great. I have a feeling they think you did him in.

At Stygian’s words, Stellar jumped in. “My mate has been with me for the past twenty-four hours, and we saw River wandering about the castle before we secluded ourselves.” Don’t really know how to explain this mate situation yet. “I’ll not allow anyone to disrespect Taurus in any way.”

“Of course, my lord,” the pair chanted.

Stellar turned his way. Heat flared in his eyes as they swept Taurus’ body. “As much as I hate covering this work of art.” Fine clothes, befitting a royal, appeared against his skin.

It hit Taurus. Stellar had always done this. His armor outshone every other member of the prince’s guard. Any time Stellar dressed him, he always chose the royal colors of their faedom. Since he was Stellar’s personal guard, he never looked too closely at things. Now he couldn’t stop.

I have always loved you. Don’t pretend you don’t know that.

Taurus melted, and with a fairy missing, he couldn’t be soft right now.

With a single turn, Stellar was dressed as the prince he was. He held out his hand for Taurus to take.

A smile tugged at Taurus’ lips. “It’s my job to watch your back.”

A sexy smile exploded across Stellar’s face. “You just like staring at my ass.”

One of the guards cleared his throat, snapping them back to reality.

Stellar squared his shoulders and took Taurus’ hand. “These are worthy guards. They can watch our backs.”

Taurus gave him a sharp nod as they headed down the hall together. He swore the soldiers stood taller as Stellar and Taurus passed. It would definitely take time for him to become accustomed to being a royal mate. While he had always dreamed, he hadn’t dared to hope Stellar could be his. He hadn’t even toyed with the idea of what life as Stellar’s mate would look like.

Stygian snorted. You never thought. Now, I never thought.

Taurus shook his head. They had a lot to talk about. If only they could keep their hands to themselves.