Faerie (23 page)

Virginia was teasing them and enjoying it.

“You, dear children, are destined to go back to Elphame and rule there as King and Queen of all of the Seelie courts.”

Connor’s expression had moved from confusion to consideration.

“And the Shadow People need to stop that happening.”

“Yes, they do.,” Virginia said. “When you take your rightful place, you will have the power to defeat those creatures once and for all. They must stop you now.”

The enormity of it was almost too much for Lily; she felt herself retreating into a protective shell, where she could hide from all of this. All she wanted to do was to get the children back and go home to Elphame, or even bring them back to Hale Hall if that’s what it meant to keep them safe. She just needed to get back to something that she understood and could cope with. When she looked across at Connor, his face was set in grim determination. She could sense his thoughts, and far from wanting to run away, he was ready to go into battle.

“You know what the Black King did to me, don’t you.” Lily said. It was a statement, not a question.

Virginia gave a long sigh.

“I do, my dear, and I am so deeply sorry that you had to suffer that terrible injury.”

“What I don’t understand is why he did it – was it just some kind of sick perversity to try and hurt me?”

“Oh no my dear, far from it, his reasons for despoiling you were entirely practical, although I’m not saying he didn’t get some enjoyment from it. Can you imagine how powerful an offspring of one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and a djinn would be? It would have the strengths of both parents and would be more or less invincible. His sole aim was for you to bear him a child so powerful that nothing could stand against it.”

Lily felt faint, her mind rebelling at the thought.

“Oh my God... I’m not...”

“Pregnant? No, thank Hecate, but he would have kept coming back until you were. You were fortunate to escape in time,” Virginia said.

Lily tightened her jaw and said:

“I would never have let it be born anyway. I would die first.”

She meant every word of it as well; she would never bring an aberration like that into any world. Connor slipped his arm around her and gave her a hug.

“It didn’t happen, and you’re safe now,” he said kissing her forehead. “I will never let him hurt you again, I promise.”

Lily pulled away.

“You can’t make a promise like that, because none of us know what's going to happen,” Lily said.

Connor didn’t answer for a moment, his face grave. Then he said:

“I promise I’ll try.”

He looked so solemn, so determined, that she couldn’t doubt him. Virginia was still watching them with a sharp and perceptive gaze, and Lily couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. Despite everything Lily still wasn’t totally sure she could trust her. Perhaps it was just a woman’s intuition or some kind of fey magic, but even though she was trying her hardest too accept Virginia's word on everything, she still felt a desperate unease. Perhaps it was that she was trying a bit to hard to please, eager to pass on information. For the time being she would give her the benefit of the doubt, but she was certainly going to keep her eye on her.

“Can you send us home?” Lily asked.

“Of course, but first you must rest. I’ve had Sun Lin prepare a bedchamber for you.”

The smile crept back momentarily as she said this, as if she knew that a large bed would be very welcome to both of them.

Sun Lin came gangling in, arms and legs flailing, and motioned for them to follow her.

“Sleep well, children... tomorrow you go home,” Virginia said.

They both nodded their thanks and followed the diminutive creature through a long corridor, and were shown into a large, dimly lit room, furnished with lavish velvets and silks, decorated with beautiful embroidery and filled with flowers. The smell as she walked in almost overwhelmed Lily, and made her feel heady – the most delicious smell that made her stand for a moment on the threshold just drinking it in. The Urisk bowed low, giggling quietly, and putting her stick hand over her face to cover her titters.

“Sun Lin had very happy time, making the room nice for Lord and Lady Mac Aleister.”

“Mac Aleister?” Connor asked.

“That is your name, Sir,” Sun Lin said, bowing again, “...until you become king. It is an old an honourable name.”

Connor managed a smile.

“Thank you, we’ve got so much to learn.”

He went and sat on the bed, tentative, as if he were frightened that it might collapse under him.

Lily went and sat down beside him, squashed up beside him as if he were her shelter from the storm.

“Does Sir or Madam need anything else?” Sun Lin asked, wriggling her eyebrows and sending all sorts of subliminal messages with just that simple gesture. Lily blushed and Connor fidgeted.

“No, thank you, we’ve got everything we need,” Connor said, the colour coming to his cheeks as well. Sun Lin was about to leave when Lily had a thought.

“Oh, no, actually... Where do we go to... you know... do you have a toilet?” she asked.

Sun Lin gave a wide smile and pointed with a bony finger towards a door across the room. Lily smiled.

“Then, thank you, we have everything.”

Chapter Eighteen.

“Well, what the hell do we make of all of that?” Lily asked as soon as they were alone.

“I have no idea,” Connor said, shaking his head. “Some of what she said made sense, but the rest...”

She looked across at Connor, still marvelling at the change in him. It was a total transformation; he seemed so confident, so self assured.

“You seem so much better,” Lily said. “You’re like a different person, so confident and self assured. I hardly recognise you.”

He gave a gloomy smile.

“You can’t even imagine what it was like – I knew what I wanted to say... knew what I wanted to think, but it was like a whirlwind in my head. Sometimes it was a little better... but most of the time it was terrible.” He spoke with more confidence and fluency now, although his voice was still gentle, halting a little, groping carefully for each word.

Lily slipped her hand over his and kissed him on the cheek.

“Being stuck in Hawthorn Lodge with that evil bitch must have made it ten times worse for you. I saw what she did to you and the others. She’s out of harm’s way at the moment, but I wish I could have laid a worse curse on her before we left. As soon as she is better she is going to go back to her old ways.”

“You can do it from here,” Connor said, surprised. “I can work curses myself now. I couldn’t them before... I didn’t want to risk it going wrong and hurting anyone.”

Lily felt a warm glow filling her from toes to nose. She was desperate for some kind of payback against that bitch.

“What should we do to her?” she asked, her voice gleeful. “I don’t think anything can be bad enough.”

Connor flashed a grin at her.

“I know what to do... When Crichter hurts anyone, then it will come back on her three times over. When she does good, that too will come back to her as blessings. I think it will teach her a lesson… stop her hurting anyone else.”

Lily clapped her hands.

“That’s perfect. You do it, it was your idea, and I think you deserve payback.”

Connor closed his eyes, intent, but with a faint smile on his lips. Lily could actually feel the curse leave him; he had called on Azazel to give him the power he needed, and in return Lily felt the power going out from him, an exchange of dark magic for light. How or why this exchange benefited the demon, Lily had no idea, but it obviously had great value to them. There was a faint aura around him, a purple black glow that looked almost like a velvet cloak around him, and Lily gave a little shiver as she felt the curse take hold. Connor opened his eyes, and let out a sigh.

“It’s done.”

Lily gave a smug grin.

“One debt settled. Now we just need to settle the other one.”

Another sigh.

“That won’t be so easy. We should try and get some sleep,” he said.

There was a look in his eyes as he said this that really brought home to her how different he was, and although she hated thinking it, she wasn’t sure she liked it.

“You’re thinking too hard,” Connor said, teasing.

Lily pulled a face, embarrassed that she’d been caught out, and wondered just how many of her thoughts he had picked up on. She wasn’t entirely sure she liked having her thoughts plundered without her having any say in the matter. She could feel the colour rushing to her face and was forced to look away, unable to meet his gaze.

“It’s just that I really can’t believe the change in you...”

He gave a huff of a laugh, and putting his hand to her chin forced her head up so that their eyes met.

“You felt sorry for me before, pitied me... thought that you would have to take care of me—”

“I never thought that!” she snapped back. But of course she had. She had almost seen Connor as a lame dog, someone she needed to look after.

“It’s all right, I understand,” he said. “I probably would have felt the same if it were you.”

“But it wasn’t me, was it? Virginia saved me and sacrificed you to the curse. I feel so guilty that you suffered all of that when I almost had it cushy in comparison.”

He put his hand to her cheek and stroked it tenderly, giving her a compassionate smile.

“You don’t need to feel guilty. Virginia did the right thing and I’m so glad she made the choice she did. But it’s all been put right now, and I can take care of both of us.” He moved in and kissed her. “I want to make love to you. Last time was wonderful... but I was trapped in that strange place where nothing seemed real. Now we’re together and I want to feel all of you, know all of you.”

“I thought you said we needed to get some sleep,” she said, smiling now.

“A bit of exercise will help us sleep better.”

Lily, a little self conscious, but determined not to let her modesty get in the way, peeled off her dress and knelt naked beside him on the bed. The fey were usually quite happy to spend much of their time naked... but she had been brought up amongst humankind, and many of the prejudices had rubbed off her her. The lights in the room were soft enough to take away most of her awkwardness, a soft golden glow that seemed to emanate from the walls, bathing the room in just enough light. Of course, they were both emitting a faint glow themselves, fey light, a silvery glow that covered them in a fine shimmer.

Connor fumbled to undo the buttons of his shorts and he spilled out against her, huge and ripe, pressing against the bare flesh of her thigh. He moved around a little, so that it pressed over the flat plain of her belly, the swell of it lying against the soft down of her pubes. He struggled to get the too-tight shorts off, wriggling against her, his hardness rubbing over her as he tried to yank them down. Lily helped him, sliding them over his hips, until he was able to kick them from him. She lay naked beneath him, suddenly vulnerable.

He moved down a little and laid soft kisses on her breast, letting his mouth slide down to her nipple, taking it into his mouth and biting down on it gently, sucking on it. He ran his tongue over it, and she felt a throbbing sensation between her legs, that sent tiny bolts of electricity up through her, with each tiny nip and suck. He was hot, covered in a sheen of sweat, his breathing ragged. He watched her almost mesmerised, as she put her hand down and closed her fingers around his hardness, moving her hand up and down on it, gently, a gliding caress. He threw his head back, eyes closed, revelling in every new sensation, soft moans of pleasure escaping from his lips.

He seemed content with that for long moments, and Lily was quite happy for him to take as much time as he wanted. He finally found the courage and slid his hand down, skimming it over her damp skin, slipping his hand between her legs, tentatively, giving her nervous glances to make sure that she was all right. She smiled her reassurance.

“I’m fine, really. I’m not afraid any more,” she said.

And as their thoughts mingled she saw his acceptance and he let his hand move further up into the moist warmth between her thighs. He let out a little laugh of pleasure as he found that tiny rosebud at her opening and explored it with his finger tips, pushing up into her cautiously. She let out a small moan of pleasure, as he gently teased her.

“I want to make this nice for you,” he said, “but... ”

“It will be wonderful, stop worrying,” she said, silencing him with a kiss.

Connor’s body was over hers now, lying against her, his hands running over her sweat-beaded skin. His lean body was pressed against her leg, his thick hardness against her thigh. Lily let her gaze travel down the length of him, taking in every inch of his perfect body.

He eased her legs apart, guiding himself to her opening. He just let the tip of him rest there for a moment, moving just over her without pushing inside, and she reached down and helped him to get into just the right position. She realised that he was shaking, so nervous he could hardly get himself in place, but he eased himself in carefully, a little at a time, as if he were fighting for every inch, not wanting to hurt her. Once he was halfway inside, he pushed up into her, not hard, not hitting the back of her, just inside, then began moving against her with gentle, controlled movements. She could see that he was struggling to control himself, holding back so that he didn’t hurt her. He braced himself on his hands, to keep his weight off of her, and moved against her with slow languorous movements.

“I’m not hurting you, am I?” he asked.

“You’re not hurting me, really, it’s good,” she whispered.

Lily wrapped her legs around his back, and putting her hands over his buttocks, forced him further into her. He gasped and almost collapsed on her as he hit home, hard. He began to move against her again, a slow movement, his hips circling, gliding, his hardness sliding in and out of her, silk against silk. He braced himself, his arms either side of her shoulders, hovering over her, his eyes ‒ those too-green eyes ‒ fixed on hers and she had to shut them out, closing her eyes and letting herself slip into darkness. She put her hands on his shoulders, grasping him, hanging onto him as he pushed harder into her, forcing her back further towards the edge of the bed with every thrust.

He began to move with a more urgent stroke, as he got closer to orgasm, still bracing himself on his arms, the tension of his muscles making them knot under his skin. He gave in to it, not holding back now; he let himself lose control and surrendered to the pleasure. He began to move faster now, his movement fierce, and all she could feel was him moving inside her; there was nothing else in the whole world.

There was a strange little throbbing between her legs, a dragging feeling that was heavy and made her feel swollen. She was so sore now, raw and throbbing and she didn’t think she could take much more; it was beginning to hurt too much, but it was a wonderful pain and one part of her didn’t want it to stop. She wanted him to stay inside her forever. Lily felt a delicious and almost unbearable fire inside her that filled her; she rode it until it tipped her over the edge. She let out a stifled scream as she climaxed, and Connor orgasmed just a moment after she did. She felt the throbbing heat as he let himself go inside her. It filled her belly and she could feel the pulse of him for moments after. He was clinging to her so tightly that his fingers were pressing into her flesh hard enough to cause bruises; every muscle in his body was so taut that he felt like a marble statue pressing down on her. Then suddenly he collapsed on top of her, his whole body boneless and limp. He lay for long minutes, his breathing torn from him, trembling, his face pressed into her hair. They just lay there holding each other for long minutes, trembling and sweat-heavy, pressed close together. Eventually Connor pulled away and his face was wet with tears.

“I love you so much,” he said, “We are never going to be separated ever again.”

“I hope that’s true... I really do.”

“Did you hear something?” Connor suddenly asked, cocking his head and listening intently.

Lily tilted her head and listened; she could hear nothing but the sound of the blood pounding through her temples, and her own still slightly laboured breathing.

“No, what can you hear?”

He still had his face screwed up in deep concentration.

“I thought I heard someone cry out.”

“I didn’t hear anything, really.”

Connor climbed from the bed, pulling on his shorts and moving towards the door. Lily had no choice but to follow him, dragging on her jeans and top, but leaving her feet bare.

“No, I’m sure I did.” He moved to the door, and turned the handle. It was locked. “She’s locked the door!”

“Why would she do that?” Lily asked.

“Unless she had something to hide,” Connor said, trying it again. Lily felt him send out his magic, but the spell that kept the door locked shut must have been a strong one.

“There’s a lot protection on this door – place your hand on top of mine,” Connor said. “Together our power should be enough to open it.” 

“Maybe we shouldn’t. She might have locked us in to keep us safe.”

Connor arched a disdainful eyebrow.

“If that was true, she would have told us what she was doing. Something is wrong here, trust me.”

Lily did trust him, and she did as she was told. The moment her hand went over his, she felt an incredible surge of power and she staggered slightly. The handle turned, and the door clicked open.  Connor moved out into the corridor first and he halted Lily with his hand before she could move passed him.

“Yes, I just heard a moan, or something like it,” he said.

Lily followed him out into the passage and listened. She could hear it too, a soft moan, that sounded male.

“I heard it that time,” Lily whispered.

“Stay here,” Connor said, halting her with his hand.

“You must be joking,” she said. “I’m staying with you.”

Connor moved along the corridor, listening at every door and finally stopping by one of them. He tried the handle – again it was locked.

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Lily asked. She thought it was being rather ungrateful to their host to go poking around her home without so much as a by your leave, even though what was going on did look a bit suspicious. Then Lily heard another groan coming from the door beside them, and there was no doubt that it was someone in pain. Connor, put his hand to the handle, and tried it ‒ surprisingly, it was unlocked. He pushed the door open cautiously and they went inside.