Page 79 of Storm

“Done,” he says, galloping his creature over to Sera, who has Sunny, grinning widely and hugging her from the back. She tilts her head, a mischievous grin on her lips. Damn fae. What does she think I’m going to do with Melek, heavily pregnant, on a moving animal?

They take off at a trot through the trees. Ren sidles back along my mount. “I’ll hang behind you. Just follow the others. Dulse knows the way.”

“Dulse?” I question.

“It’s the name of the gorgeous lady you’re riding.”

“Right. Thanks.”

Lifting Dulse’s hair, I urge her forward with a scratch behind her ear like Sera taught me, and off she walks behind the other kelpies.

Ren keeps pace at the back of our entourage through the wilderness. I’m glad he’s the only one holding the rear, considering the way Melek is fondling my body so openly. This is definitely not the man I’ve lived with for the last twelve years.

The dry humping is new. My thighs clench together.

And I can’t say I mind the way his hands and mouth claim me as his, even though it feels diabolical to admit that.

Slipping calloused fingers under the top of the nightgown holding my breasts in place, the beast makes contact with my firm chest, moving up and down to the time of our jostled motion. He purrs into my neck, lips lingering, tingling my over-sensitive flesh at his nearness in this state. His hands roam teasingly until they make contact with my nipples, which serve as a direct conduit to my clit.

He flicks the hardened peaks, making me moan deeply for him.

“Do you need us to stop?” Ren projects his voice.

What? We’ve barely made it a mile… Melek tugs on my nipple, my hands flying up to meet his, holding them still as I feel a wave crashing through my centre.

“I…” My voice sounds way too breathy, and I moan again as my mate grinds into my back. This is not like the last time he touched me at all. “I… Fuck, Melek. Stop it—” He growls into my neck, sending a shudder through me. What is this? Some mate pheromone I cannot resist? What happened to this being just a fae thing?

He ignores my plea, his hands massaging my very swollen breasts. “No. It’s fine,” I grit out through my teeth. Ren doesn’t hide his chuckle. He would find this funny. “How long until we get to your city?”

“I’d say no more than an hour.” There’s mirth in his voice. Under my breath, I whisper, “Fucker.”

Dulse walks on through an ever-changing forest, careful of her payload. Trees of every shape and size surround us, some with trunks wide enough to live in, and others tall enough that I can’t see the end of the canopy above. The closer we move, the more I start to notice the magic of this land, and how different it is from our wooded area back in Halo. Tiny lights fly around us, mushrooms bloom directly from the trees, and moss covers everything in sight.

The trunks get denser as we move further away from the barren land of Halo, a faint chirp along the whistling wind. The air here is lighter on my tongue, less laden down with heaviness. Freer. A true haven.

Not the pretentiousness of Halo’s walls and supposedly godliness. This. This is what connection, what life, feels like. Surrounded by nature. To know it as oneself. There is no going back for me now.

Along our journey, I’ve managed to tame the commander plastered to my back, placing a hand behind me and running fingers through his thick hair. I knew he secretly loved it when we were together. He practically confirms it with his head lolling to the side as I pet him, purrs erupting evenly from his chest—a most unnatural sound for a human to make. His hands firmly grasp my bump, feeling the little girl who woke up an hour ago, the soft nudges of our baby pacifying him further. As soon as he felt her foot digging into my skin, he was enamoured.

Leaves crunch with ‌increasing speed behind us, Ren making an appearance at our side. “This is the marker.” He shoots a quick glance up at a winding, looped circle carved into the tree before us. “If you ever come across one of these sigils, you know you’re only about five minutes from the Willow’s outer ring.”

Ren is correct, and a few minutes later, we meet the others at an outpost made of a giant wooden statue. The untamed beauty of a feminine figure with pointed ears, and flames emerging from her fingertips, a glorious sight to behold. “The original fire fae. You’ll find one of each of the elemental goddesses circling our village. They keep the invisible barrier intact. Only fae can pass through.”

“But I’m not fae.”

Ren glares at me and the newly minted quarter-fae male behind me. “Currently, you hold fae in your womb, do you not?”

“I-I suppose, but⁠—”

He interrupts me. “And once the child is born, if you ever need to leave or enter, you’ll need a fae escort.” I do have a fae permanently attached to me, so I guess that won’t be a problem.

Waiting for us by the statue is Sera and a wide-grinning Sunny on top of their kelpie. They both wave at me before they suddenly spur their creature into a run, disappearing.

My breath hitches, my heart pounds, and Melek growls in unison with my sudden distress. Our son has disappeared into literal thin air. “Where is he? Where’s Sunny?” I turn to Ren, panicked.

“He’s fine. Sunny is just on the other side of the barrier. All who cross the barrier are invisible to the naked eye. Another security measure in case any Halo keepers stumble onto our location.”

My heart slows down at the news, and I breathe a sigh of relief, leather, spice, and fresh pine filling me on my inhale, calming my senses. I release my hand from Melek’s hair and squeeze his fingers. “I’m okay.”