“I guess I could wear an underskirt,” I muttered. “From some very heavy material. Like chainmail maybe?”
She pushed me down onto my back, then climbed on top of me with a happy giggle. “No skirt will contain that monster, and you know it. We’ll have to do something about it right now.”
I hissed in pleasure as she aligned my cock with her opening. My control waned, and the feelers of my mating cluster wiggled toward her.
“Ohhh…” She stilled at their contact.
I focused all my senses on my unruly wiggling appendages, making them stroke and rub her exactly where she needed them.
“Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better with you,” she breathed out, “you go ahead and grow those things. Ahh… Oh, it’s so good, Timur.”
She rotated her hips a little, getting used to all the new sensations that my mating cluster made her feel. Then with a long, blissful sigh, she lowered herself onto my cock.
Our combined pleasure rushed me. I tipped my head back and closed my eyes, savoring every drop of it.
“Elaine, my woman…my treasure…my salvation,” I chanted in reverence as she moved over me.
When the pleasure crested with our joint orgasm, Elaine exhaled a moan, and I caught her in my arms, our bodies warm and relaxed against each other.
“I love you, Timur,” she murmured into my chest, “more than I ever thought was possible.”
“I love you too, my sweet, precious darling.”
Happiness enveloped me. No longer a fae, never to become fully a dragon, I was completely at peace with who I was. As long as she loved me.
Twenty-Four
Elaine
Prince Rha’s guards found us before we managed to visit the palace. Timur and I had just washed each other’s hair, getting ready to leave, when a loud knocking came on the gate of the main entrance.
Timur flew downstairs to meet them, then returned to the bedroom, carrying a big, heavy trunk with him.
“For you from Dawn,” he said, setting the trunk on the floor by the bed. “I should’ve known the prince would comb the city to find where I’m hiding you.”
“Is Dawn here in the house?” I clapped my hands like a kid, too excited to hold it in.
“No, she’s waiting for us at the palace,” Timur stopped me from running out of the bedroom naked. “The guards will escort us. I suspect Dawn found out from the prince that I carried you off to Teneris without a stitch of clothing.”
I stopped, rooted in place at what that meant.
“Did Prince Rha see me naked?” A blush of mortification crept up my cheeks.
Timur shrugged, unconcerned.
“He might’ve glimpsed something while I held you in my arms, but trust me, he didn’t look too closely. All the fae who did look are now dead.”
His comment was sobering. So many had died. Yet I felt no sadness from their deaths. On the contrary, the air seemed cleaner now that most of the pleasure traders were gone.
Timur opened the lid of the trunk and pulled out a dress of gray-and-blue silk. I hadn’t seen colors like that in Alveari before. Shadow fae didn’t particularly care for aesthetics and used fabrics in the natural colors of the fibers they were made of, which were normally black, green, orange, or beige.
“It’s so pretty.” I ran a hand over the satin weave of the shimmering fabric. Dawn knew I’d like it because these were my favorite colors.
“There is more.” Timur gestured at the open trunk stuffed with silk clothes and velvet jewelry boxes. “The guards said Queen Abeille is arriving in Teneris today. I supposed Dawn wanted you to look your best.”
“Well, she clearly didn’t want me to show up naked. Oryou, for that matter.” I pulled out a black skirt in his size. The fabric shimmered with violet in the folds when draped.
I brushed and pinned up my hair, and we got dressed quickly. In addition to the new skirt, Timur also put on a black cloak. I didn’t question it. He seemed comfortable in his body now that the pain was gone. He’d been using his wings with ease. But I supposed he still preferred to wear a cloak in public to avoid unwelcome attention and intrusive stares.
