Page 4 of Bitten By the Fae
Wrong,I reminded myself.But feels so good.
I wanted to crumple into a pile of agony and ecstasy at the same time. But with every pull, I felt my connection to the elements faltering, the life energy I adored slipping from my grasp.
To give in to him, to lose myself in this way…No.I couldn’t. I had to fight. My fae brethren would understand. They’d prosecute him for this. Because it wasn’t my fault. They had to know that.
I hope.
However, if I didn’t at least make my displeasure known, they’d assume me to be complicit in this crime. And then we’d both be punished.
My limbs began to cool as my blood flowed in the wrong direction—toward his mouth. There wasn’t much time. I had to make my stand now, while the feed distracted him.
Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to go limp, feigning submission.Come to me,I called to the source of my elemental power.Fill me with the vitality I need.
This would be easier in the elemental world, the Human Realm far away from the core of my energy. But it heeded my call, recognizing my royal bloodline and filling me with enough strength to rock the foundation of the ground below.
It knocked the stranger’s footing out from under him, causing him to lose his grip for just a moment.
I sprang out of his hold, grabbed the nearby rocks of the walls, and commanded them to pelt him.
Only, he deflected them with a flick of his wrist, his icy gaze glowing with his dark essence. “You’re going to regret that, princess.”
“I think I’m going to regret a lot of things,” I countered, calling on a heftier brick to fly in his direction.
He shoved it aside before whirling into a gray cloud.
My lips parted, shocked by his disappearing act.
Which was exactly what he wanted—a distraction.
Shadowy ropes tied around my torso, yanking me backward into the nearby portal. “Oh Fae, no,” I said, trying futilely to break the smoky bands, but they just reattached every time I sliced through one.
And then the doors closed.
I dove toward the buttons, but he was faster, his hand appearing to key in a foreign code that definitely didn’t match the destination I had in mind.
“Oh dear,” he murmured, materializing beside me. “It seems I need to confess to committing a crime. I hope you don’t mind Midnight Fae, darling. Because you’re about to meet a whole council of them.”
I’d never been a particularlyviolent person, but I really wanted to kill the smirking lunatic sitting across from me. He’d wrapped my wrists in some sort of impenetrable smoke before shoving me into a chair in what appeared to be a reception area of sorts.
Only there wasn’t a receptionist.
And the room was anything but welcoming.
Snakelike vines climbed the walls, their beady red eyes glowing intently at the ends. I seemed to be the object of their focus, their rattling tails hissing to an ominous beat that unsettled my insides.
Every time I moved, they slithered faster. Just as they did now. The crazy Midnight Fae across from me tsked out a warning, suggesting I not irritate the guardian serpents, causing my jaw to clench. Not only wouldn’t he tell me his name, but he also refused to explain why he’d bitten me.
I shuddered, the sensation of his fangs in my neck still very tangible and real. He’d left behind some sort of inky bond that I could feel more than see.
I smacked at it again, then flinched as the wall hissed louder in response.
“What are they?” I demanded.
“Magicked vines,” my captor drawled. “Protects the royal grounds from intruders. Which, if I’m understanding their writhing correctly, they believe you’re a threat. So I would stay put, princess, or they might just bite.”
“Like you?” I snapped.
His lips curled. “Hmm, no, my bite inspires pleasure.” His icy blue eyes glanced at the snake closest to my head. “Their bite, not so much.”
