After I’d gotten naked and they stripped down to their undies, I pressed my hands into the Shadow King’s chest and said, “No.Youlie back this time.”
I’d figured I’d start with the king who required a whiteboard and a marker to mount his protest.
But the Shadow King just looked over my shoulder at Tadhg, who sat up from his usual watching position at the edge of the bed farthest from the lake-view wall.
“Strawberry, what are we on about?” His tone was half question, half warning. “It’s already been a day.”
“I know it has, and that’s why I want to give the two of you pleasure tonight, instead of the other way around.”
Not like me…not like me… but I made myself be bold. I reached into the band of the Shadow King’s black boxer briefs and took his length in my hand.
“Let me haveyoufor second supper, Shadow King.”
I stroked my hand back and forth over his length, the same way I stroked my core over Tadhg’s when he let me rub myself against him until I found my release.
The Shadow King’s eyes fluttered for a moment, but then his bright-blue gaze went back to Tadhg, obviously conflicted.
“Sadie…” Tadhg started.
“Didn’t you say that I had to be taught to please the High King?”
I continued to stroke the Shadow King, and his chest heaved… a quicker rise and fall as he balanced on his knees, visibly trying to resist the pleasure of my strokes.
“Jayzus Christ,” Tadhg groused behind me. “I knew letting you hang out with my sister, even for a little while, would be a colossally bad idea.”
I wanted to tell him Brigid had nothing to do with this, but he continued on before I could.
“The High King will never use your hand or your mouth. At least not until he’s planted a cub in you. That’s not how bears work.”
Tadhg’s voice became coarse again. “Once we have ye for proper, all we desire is to fill you with our babies, and we’re positively diabolical about it until we get what we want.”
I slowed my strokes. But maybe hewasright about Brigid being a bad influence on me.
“So you’re saying that if I want to have you for supper, it has to be now. Before the end of the year—which is in less than two weeks.”
“Sadie, you don’t have to—” Tadhg started.
“I want to,” I said, holding the Shadow King’s gaze. “Look at me. Not him. I want to. I want to.”
To his credit, the Shadow Kingdidlook me in the eye. It felt like getting scanned for every version of my consent until he gave in with a nod.
This time without looking to Tadhg for approval.
The Shadow King was not a moon god—I’d asked after a particular mind-shattering session ofeating me in a good way.
But the feeling of having been granted a divine audience wouldn’t leave my chest as I pushed his boxer briefs down and bent over to take him in my mouth as enthusiastically as he always did me?—
What is that?
I blinked. Then froze.
The Shadow King’s equally pale moon penis sported four black balls on its head. One on top, one on the bottom, and one on each side—left and right.
Not god tech. But piercings.Actual piercings.As if someone had stuck both a horizontal pin and a vertical pin through the head, then attached balls to all the ends. Four black balls, glinting in the low overhead light.
“Something wrong, Strawberry?” Tadhg’s question had more than a hint of amusement in it. “Pulled out more than you can eat for second supper?”
He infuriatingly didn’t add anything else. No explanations. No instructions. Just a quiet snerking sound.
