Chapter Five
Wren
I can’t help but tremble in Thade’s tender grasp.With my heart in my throat, my insides aching for a release I don’t even understand, and every inch of my flesh alight with icy fire, I dare to give voice to something I never even imagined in my wildest dreams.“What if Idofind you worthy?”I ask, staring up into his haunting lilac eyes.“What if I want you too?”
“Wren,” Thade breathes reverently.“Are you sure?I understand our ways are not familiar to you.I will wait if I must.Soon, you will become fae, and we shall have all the time in the world.I do not mean to rush you.”
I lick my lips and place my hand over his heart, bringing one of his from my face to rest over mine.“This realm is new to me, your ways unfamiliar, and everything feels like a dream beyond my boldest imaginings ...but I can trustthis.I feel our connection, too.I trust you.I trust us, even if I can’t explain how or why.”
“Oh, my pretty bird,” Thade croons, his cool hand still pressed over my fast-beating heart.“You have made me the happiest fae in all of Faery.”
A new wave of tears flows down my cheeks, and I sob on a strangled laugh.“How can someone as beautiful and wonderful as you love someone like me?”I ask in earnest, overwhelmed by the magical suddenness of it all.“Mere hours ago, I was a poor peasant girl pining after another ...and now, I can lay claim to the heart of the Royal Bard of The Winter Court?I fear I might have died in the snow and that this is no more than a beautiful death dream.It seems too good to be true, Thade.”
“If this is a dream, pretty bird, I never wish to wake up.”Thade kisses my lips softly once more, before taking a step back.He refills our chalices and hands me mine, then raises his.“If we are to consummate our union, then we should drink,” he says, clinking his elaborate cup against mine.“To us and to our immortal love.May we dream together, always.”
I smile, my heart thundering in my chest.“Are you sure this is wise?”I ask.“Though I am old enough to drink where I come from, it is not seemly for women to drink the way men do.”
Thade takes a sip and smiles in return.“Here, we have no such prejudices,” he assures me.“A little will strengthen your nerve, embolden you, and lower your inhibitions,” he explains.“It will also help with the pain, too.”
“Pain?”I ask, my brow furrowing as I raise my cup and drink, trusting my Fated mate’s lead.I know in my heart, somehow, that he would not knowingly lead me astray.
“I learned long ago there is pain for your kind, the first time.You are fragile creatures.But it will pass, and then there will pleasure unlike any you’ve ever experienced,” he promises.
The sweet fae liquor thrills through my veins, potent, like icy fire.I drain my chalice and drop it on the daybed, the soft cushion saving the precious vessel from destruction.My mind swoons and I feel instantly more relaxed and emboldened, as promised.I sigh and with a giddy laugh, I playfully steal Thade’s chalice, draining what’s left in his.“Well,” I say, trailing a finger down his chest, over the fine, gauzy fabric of his shirt, “they say there is a fine line between pleasure and pain.And if I must have one to enjoy the other, so be it.”
Thade’s lips catch mine and I’m lost in the bliss of his cool kiss.His taste and scent overwhelm me—sweet, with a hint of fresh pine and ancient masculinity.I lean into him, my need to be closer all consuming.I don’t understand how I can feel so infatuated with and so trusting of a fae I’ve only just met, but I’ve never felt anything stronger or more true.He saved my life, and Fate guided our paths so that they might cross one another.I could argue it, but as my heart is swept away on the tides of destiny, I don’t want to.
My impossibly beautiful bard’s fingers work their magic once more, untying the lacing of my bodice faster than he laced them to begin with.He breaks our kiss then and guides me to the rug by the hearth, the warm flames crackling merrily just a few feet away.“I think you’ll be most comfortable here,” he says as he pushes my gown down, where it falls to pool at my feet in a river of purple velvet and shimmering, golden brocade.
Emboldened by the fae liquor, I stand before him, nude as the day I was born, willing myself not to cower or flinch under his hungry and appreciative gaze.“Do you like what you see, bard?”I ask, taking a step closer as I unlace the ties of his elegant shirt.
“You are a vision,” he breathes, flexing his fingers by his sides as I set to undressing him.
“Have you been with many women?”
“None that I have loved,” he answers without hesitation.“If I’d have met you centuries ago, pretty bird, you’d have been my first and only.”
Pleased with his answer, my heart is not burdened by jealousy or green with envy.“Well, perhaps I can be your last, then?”I say simply as I move to lift his shirt over his head.It falls to the floor to join my dress, forgotten.Thade’s body is even more striking and defined than I thought it would be.He’s rippled with muscle, but lithe and defined to a fault.I trail my splayed palms over his chest, admiring his soul-achingly beautiful form.“You’re perfect,” I whisper, my fingers straying to the laces of his breeches.
“As are you, my love,” he says without missing a beat, aiding me in getting his pants off.He steps out of them, gloriously naked.He stands tall.
My insides flutter as my gaze drops.I don’t know much about the ways of the world, it’s true, but I know a man has a cock, and my Fated mate’s is lovely to behold.Without thinking, I reach for it, stroking it’s smooth, pale flesh, marveling at the way it can be both soft and hard at the same time.
