Page 137 of Curse the Fae

I love it. And I love how we’re part of this wild world.

We swim in the lily pond afterward, prowling after each other, our fingers restless to grab. At last, we snatch. My curves mold to him, and my body straps around his torso, and his mouth sketches my collarbones.

The Fae layers his lips over mine, plying me with his tongue. In between kisses, I ask, “What is this place called?”

“The Lily Pond,” Elixir says, his reply muffled against the crook of my mouth.

“Why?”

“Because it’s a fucking lily pond,” he husks, and I chuckle, and he devours the sound.

I hug him to me and sigh, “I would make a home in this place. I mean, I have a home with my family, and I know we haven’t talked about where I’ll live in The Deep, but if I could pick anywhere down here, it would be this pond. No predators. The blue water is cooler than others. Though, the lighting would have to be brighter, otherwise I’ll turn into a nocturnal creature. I…ah,” a gasp trips from my mouth as he sucks on the dip between my clavicles.

“I…uhh…Fables, you’re good at that.” Winded, I lick my lips. “You know, I…I once camped for fun beside the creek near my house, but I was nervous the whole time because I…insisted on being…alone. Ohh.” His open-mouthed kisses ascend beneath my earlobe, where he draws the rounded top between his teeth. “I usually don’t like being alone…but that time, I was. Ahh.” I crush myself against him, my limbs tight around his waist while his tail swirls beneath us. “It’s not like the caravan my sisters and I huddle inside for stories. My tent was exposed. Though, I suppose camping isn’t the same as a home. I…what was I…what was I saying?”

Elixir’s masculine chuckle rumbles into my skin. He twists to meet my gaze and speaks hoarsely, repeating everything I’d said before admitting, “Forgive me. I need to sample your tongue while it slips like that. I want to know the taste of every sound you make.”

He means my lisp, so I nod. “Okay.”

And after that, we withdraw from the water. Glazed in the pond’s blue sheen, we crawl to the patch of grass where we’d first made love and collapse into the downy green. Resting on our sides, Elixir tucks me against him, kisses my shoulder, and settles his chin there.

Is it always like this? I think about his question, my lips tilting upward in response. Truly, I don’t think it is, because it’s different for every pair, even the ones who were enemies, then became lovers, then found happiness. It’s always unique.

That’s its own strength. That’s what makes it real.

I nestle into Elixir’s warmth, the world blurring as if we’re underwater. At last, we do something we’ve never been able to do together, without it being forbidden.

Finally, we sleep.

Epilogue

Elixir

The vipers are restless tonight. I listen to them slinking through the den, the corded slide of their bodies rattling the vegetation. It is a far cry from their customary dormancy. Usually they idle beneath the shrubbery, twine into corkscrews, and content themselves to watch me work.

On this eventide, they break from routine. While kneeling beside the brewing vat, my ears detect nearby slopes of movement—a cobra slicing through underbrush and a python weaving between stalks. These serpents have an exceptional ability to change pace. At once, they are gradual. The next instant, predatory. It is a beautiful progression to hear, akin to the lash of a whip. Rarely do they require a shift in size, for they strike faster just as they are.

At the moment, they harbor no interest in hunting prey. So instead of retiring to the terrarium pit, the vipers have migrated to the den, the motions slow despite their attentiveness to my every step.

They are in a curious mood. Perhaps they suspect my intentions.

The corners of my lips curl. A certain mortal would call it a grin. In which case, it is fortunate she’s not here to witness it. For the lady loves to tease me, and I lack the strength to deny her the diversion. She has always been impossible to resist.

She is also the reason I’m here. I could have remained in bed with her, soaking in the cadence of her breath while she dreamed. I could have listened to her pulse tap against her flesh, like a current lulling across a shoreline. I could have let her temperature seep into me. I could have watched her sleep, for I can do that now.

I could have awakened Cove, then fucked her deeply into the mattress. The memory of her wetness clenching around my cock mere hours ago sets my blood aflame. Desire floods my appendage. It is tempting to storm out of here. It would be a fierce pleasure to manifest into our bedroom, rip off the sheets, and strike hard and long until she comes. Though if we continue at this momentum, Cove will not be able to walk or swim straight.

I clench the vial in my fist. The pressure reminds me of the task at hand.

Instead of sinking between Cove’s legs, I have pried myself from the lady’s naked curves and materialized here. It was no trifling feat to leave her. However, a small globe of perspiration trailing down Cove’s neck while she rested had imbued me with a sudden thought. An inspiration, of sorts.

As my blood cools, I fixate on the sounds frothing from the vat. My palm levels over the steam. If a human were to do this, the act would blister them to the point of agony.

It has no such effect on a Fae. I tilt my head to assess the signs. Vapors lick my skin, the texture slick. Bubbles multiply in droves. Once the mixture has reached the appropriate degree, a sweet incense rises from the surface.

My nostrils flare in recognition. “Jasmine,” I murmur.

That is what the vipers smell. It is the scent of her.

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