Page 3 of Mistake of Magic
2
Tye
Tye smiled as he pulled Lera away from Shade, who was now staying back while he mastered himself. Had Tye’s Lilac Girl found a way into River’s or—by stars’ own miracle—Coal’s arms, he’d have given the pair their space. But Shade... Tye’s grin deepened. It was simply too enjoyable to prod Shade now that the bastard was back in fae form and no stranger to the wonders of Lera’s body.
Plus, Tye was doing Shade a service. Fae males were a protective and territorial lot to begin with, but Shade’s wolf added a whole new level to the instinct. Shade was already laying claim to the girl, and Tye suspected that his wolf was trying to mate. If Tye’s suspicion was correct, Shade would soon have a damn unpleasant battle on his hands in trying to maintain civility. Stars knew that Tye himself needed a dunk in cold water most mornings now to keep himself in check—and Shade would have it much worse.
Tye whistled a raunchy tune as he led Lera back to the breakfast campfire, pleasantly situated on the edge of a bluff overlooking the forested hills they’d trekked through. Far in the distance, a river glinted on the valley floor—the same river that ran all the way to Slait, emptying into the deep lake near the palace.
“Is there a reason you are so pleased with yourself, Tye?” River asked. The quint commander was checking the horses and gear, his dark eyes grave with planning their Citadel approach, his shoulders spread to carry the weight of responsibility—which he was more than welcome to, as far as Tye was concerned. Following orders was a great deal easier than giving them, and Tye was all about easy.
Like fine wine, life needed to be savored.
Lera wriggled away from Tye to wrap her hands around a mug of coffee sitting beside the flames, her curvy silhouette making Tye’s heart beat just a little faster than normal. Tye was an expert in very few things... But when it came to females, his was a forte few others could match. Which qualified Tye to say, with authority, that Lera was like no one else in Lunos. Her sensuality went beyond that lush red-brown hair and creamy skin, those chocolate eyes that sent heat along Tye’s veins. Even beyond her tight, gently swaying backside and breasts that peaked deliciously in the mountains’ chill air. What made the lass unique lay somewhere in her soul and made her gaze at the world with eyes full of wonder and questions.
Maybe Lera’s mortality had something to do with it, the way shelivedevery moment and made those around her want to live it with her.
“Tye,” River’s low voice prompted.
Tye’s eyes remained on Lera’s backside as she straightened. “What’s wrong with me being pleased with myself?”
“Because it is typically an indication that you’ve stolen something or are smuggling contraband,” River said dryly.
Tye turned to his commander, who had paused in the middle of attaching a saddlebag to glare suspiciously at Tye. Yes, River oozed confidence and responsibility the way piranhas oozed slime. It was just an inseparable part of the prince of Slait Court that was always there, always awake, always braced to take on the weight of the world. Tye grinned, opening his arms to encompass the whole mountainside. “Where the bloody hell would I find something to steal around here?”
“That’s what I want to know.” River’s eyes narrowed on a spot behind Tye, where Shade must have finally appeared. “Oh, for stars’ sake, you two.”
Blinking in innocence, Tye grabbed a skewer of rabbit meat from the flames.
The female blushed, ignoring them all and settling herself on a log. Her shyness. That was another one of Lera’s delightful little sparks that Tye enjoyed stirring. Her body longed for touch, but often as not, her mind seemed to scold her for savoring the pleasure she deserved. Fortunately, between himself and Shade, Tye was certain they’d conquer that little barrier.
Tye’s chest tightened. He’d had a chance to “conquer a barrier” in a very literal sense a week ago. Finding herself alone with him for once, Lilac Girl had actually asked him to bed her. Being no stranger to the proposition—on either the asking or the receiving end—Tye still didn’t fully understand why he’d said no, insisting on some nonsense about the whole quint being present. Lera didn’t need the whole damn quint there for her first time.
Was it that he was afraid of hurting her—and quietly leaving that job to someone else? No. The first time could be rough on a female, but Tye knew he could make it worth her while. Prepare her until she was so wet and clenching with need that the pleasure of her release would swallow the sting. Make the hurt so good that it morphed into an ecstasy that had her screaming Tye’s name.
Tye shifted his weight, the pressure in his cock growing from uncomfortable to downright painful with each colorful thought. Ripping his mind from Lera’s phantom release—and his own matching pleasure—Tye forced himself to return to the question at hand.
Certainly, Tye wanted Lera. More than he’d ever wanted a female in his centuries of sampling them. He swallowed, his throat suddenly too narrow. Yes, that was it. His longing for Lera went beyond just bedding her. He wanted an exchange of intimacy that he’d not yet earned. Perhaps didn’t deserve. Perhaps never would.
“So today is the day?” Lera said, handing her drained coffee mug to River for packing as Coal joined the group, his blond hair down for once and damp with lake water. “We go enter the Citadel and come out as the official, sanctioned quint that we already are? It seems like a lot of ceremony for little effect.”
“As much could be said for wedding vows,” Tye replied, though he sensed the ease of the lass’s words was as much a lie as his own.
River shot him a glare then settled his gaze heavily on Lera. “This is a binding oath, not a formality. A pledge of obedience to the Citadel and a promise to protect Lunos.”
Tye sighed. That was not the way to sell something—it was the way to chase a buyer off with a broom.
River’s voice softened, making Tye dread the words he had no doubt his commander would say next. “Until the oath is spoken, you can still walk away, Leralynn. Youshouldwalk away. It would be the smart thing to do.”
Lera crossed her slender arms over her chest, holding the commander’s gaze in a way few immortals dared to. “And if I do, we would either need to sever the bond between us or all go live in the mortal lands?”
“Yes,” River said.
“Then stop calling something a choice when it isn’t, River,” Lera said primly, snatching one of the meat skewers still remaining by the breakfast fire. Her teeth closed on a morsel of rabbit, pulling it delicately off the stick. “On a philosophical level, does it bother anyone that whoever the magic deigns to select for quint-ness must then bow to the Citadel? What if the chosen fae all want to be basket weavers, not warriors?”
Tye grabbed himself another meat skewer and dug out a wine cask from the saddlebags. Coffee was nice, but this conversation would go better with wine. Something dry and a bit tangy. “Mornings have become infinitely more entertaining since you joined our little gathering, Lilac Girl,” he said around a mouthful of rabbit.
Shade gave Tye a warning look, a subtle show of rank from River’s second-in-command.
