Beyond the Darkness (Dark Court 1) (9 page)

Aes Sídhe
. We don’t know who has Monte.”
“Come on, love, let’s go talk with King Tuathal and his security council,” Roland said. “We’ll come up with a plan to get our son back. Besides, you have insight into the human world that we do not. You might be able to help.”
Gunny nodded, almost as if he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Roland wrapped his arms around Gunny. “We’ll get him back, I promise.”
“You’re damn right we will,” Gunny said. “If I have to search every damn inch of land on both sides of the veil, we’ll get him back.”
Eljin’s heart ached for the two men as he watched them walk away. There was no way Gunny wouldn’t have a mixture of joy at finding Roland and sorrow at the loss of his son. Eljin was just glad he had Roland to help him get through the days to come.
“Fayerye?”
one of the guards asked. “What would you like us to do with your
leannan
and his friends?”
“Oh, bring them inside. You can take my
leannan
to my quarters. Rocky and Doc should be put in the room across the hall. They are to be considered honored guests and treated as such.”
“Yes,
fayerye
.”
Eljin trailed along behind the guards who carried Zack, concerned that the man hadn’t woken up yet. If he hadn’t been injured he should be awake by now. Eljin turned to one of the guards.
“Have my
fayer
and the healer join me in my quarters.”
“Yes,
fayerye
.” The guard turned and hurried off.
Eljin took in his surroundings as he walked inside. He’d never lived anywhere else. This was home. Would Zack want him to leave here? To live with him in the human world? He hoped not.
“Eljin!”
Eljin glanced up at the sound of someone crying out his name. He could see his
fayer
, the father of his creation, on the balcony above the great entrance. He waved and hurried up the stairs toward him.
“Fayer!”
Eljin said as he threw himself into the arms of his other father. It was good to be home. The castle, with all of its opulence, white stone, and spiraling towers was nice, but this—being in the arms of his family—this was really home.
“Oh, my son, your father has been so worried about you.”
Eljin smiled as he buried his face in his father’s tunic. He knew that was his
fayer’s
way of telling him that he missed him too. His
fayer
didn’t like to admit to emotion. He was the big, bad, commander of the Seelie Court’s army. He was supposed to be unemotional but he’d always had a soft spot for Eljin.
“I missed my father too.”
“Come,” his
fayer
said as he slapped Eljin on the back, “tell me where you’ve been all of this time.”
“Oh, can that wait,
Fayer
?” Eljin gestured to the guards carrying Zack and Rocky up the long winding stairway. “My
leannan
and one of his friends have been hurt. I’d like to get them settled and have the healer look at them.”
Gavril’s eyebrows drew together as he frowned. “Of course, my son.”
Eljin wrapped an arm around his father’s waist. “I have more news,” he said as he walked with his father toward his private quarters. “Zack and I have bonded and I’m carrying.”
Gavril’s mouth dropped open. Eljin wasn’t sure he’d ever seen his father so surprised. “And this is a good thing, my son?”
Eljin grinned. “It’s a very good thing. Zack is a wonderful man. He and his friends have done everything they could to keep me safe while we journeyed here. Gunny even had his house burned down and Rocky was shot by the men who were after me.”
“Gunny?”
“It’s a long story,
Fayer
,” Eljin said. “I’ve already promised
Mayer
I would tell him everything once I was assured that Zack was okay. I’d prefer to tell you both at the same time, if you don’t mind?”
“Where is your
mayer
? Why isn’t he here with you?”
“He went to talk to the Security Council. I wasn’t taken by the Unseelie Court. I was taken by humans on this side of the veil then taken to the human world.”
Gavril’s face paled. “Humans? On this side of the veil?”
“That’s the same thing
Mayer
said right before he ran off to convene his security council.”
“Yes, I can see where he might be concerned.” Gavril patted Eljin’s back a little more gently this time. He was a large man. “Get your
leannan
and your friends settled. I’m going to go talk with your
mayer
. We’ll discuss this after you’ve had some rest.” Gavril wrinkled his nose. “And a bath.”

Zack blinked several times at the bright light shining in his eyes. It took him a moment to realize it was the sun. The last time he closed his eyes, darkness had surrounded him. It had clearly been a while since then.

It was also clear he wasn’t home in his small one-bedroom apartment. For one, the ceiling he looked up at was dome-shaped with beautiful carvings lining the edges. It looked to be made of smooth white stone.

Zack pushed himself up against the pillows behind him and looked around the spacious room. He lay on the largest bed he’d ever seen, which sat on a small platform on the floor. The covers were a deep blue, almost like Eljin’s azure eyes.

The remaining furniture in the room was sparse—a desk and chair in one corner, a large fireplace in the other with low-sitting couches surrounding it, a sideboard on one wall and a series of bookshelves on the other. There were brightly colored tapestries hanging all around and some large potted plants. Other than that, the place seemed empty.

Zack turned to see Eljin walking in through a set of double doors. He looked good, a healthy glow on his face, his blond hair shinning as if recently washed. He wore white, loose-fitting pants and a long white tunic that fell almost to his knees. It had blue embroidery on the lapel.

“Hey, hummingbird,” Zack said as Eljin sat on the side of the bed. “How are you?” “Much better now that you’re awake.” Eljin’s smile lit the room up more than the sunshine. “I’ve been bathed, fed and examined by my family healer.” Eljin patted his rounded stomach. “We are both fine. It’s you I’ve been concerned about.”
“Where are we?” Zack waved his hand around to encompass the room. “This isn’t my apartment and Gunny’s house burned to the ground.”
“These are my private quarters in my family’s castle at the Seelie Court. We made it through the veil, Gunny and I. Guards were waiting on the other side. I sent them back for you, Doc and Rocky.”
“Well, that explains who grabbed me then.”
“I’m sorry about that. They didn’t have time to warn you. It seemed better to cut and run rather than stay and fight. Without one of the
Aes Sídhe
, the bad guys couldn’t make it through the gate. That’s what I was trying to tell you when you had Gunny pull me away. You have to be
Aes Sídhe
—or be with one of us—to get through the gate.”
“Sorry about that, Eljin,” Zack said as he reached up and cupped the side of Eljin’s face. “I just wanted to get you and the baby to safety.”
“Which is why I’m not mad at you.” Eljin laughed.
“So this is your place, huh?” Zack looked around the room. “It’s not bad, kind of nice digs.”
Eljin laughed again. “Just wait until I show you the rest of Seelie Court. This is a beautiful place to live.” A frown covered Eljin’s face and he twisted his hands together. “That’s something we’ve yet to talk about. Where are we going to live?”
“Where would you like to live?”
Eljin shrugged but there was tension in the stiffness of his body. Zack knew this mattered to Eljin. “I was kind of thinking that we could live here.”
“I can’t be a kept man, Eljin. I have to carry my own weight.”
“Oh, I know, and I’ve thought of the perfect thing for you,” Eljin said quickly. “It goes right along with your training as a Marine. We have a pretty good army here at Seelie Court but they know nothing of fighting in the human world. We don’t even have combat medics.”
Eljin began pulling at the fabric of the covers, his eyes downcast. “So I was thinking, with the danger of humans being on this side of the veil, that you might be able to teach our soldiers something about fighting in your world.”
“Humans on this side of the veil?” Zack asked. “What are you talking about? I thought you said humans couldn’t get through the veil without someone of the
Aes Sídhe
with them?”
“Usually that’s true but the people who took me from this side of the veil to the other were human. I don’t know if they had help or what, but they were definitely human. That means humans are somehow able to come and go through the veil and that makes things very dangerous for the
Aes Sídhe
.”
Zack grabbed Eljin’s hands and held them between his own as he thought about his words. He’d been drummed out of the service due to his head injury, a wound he now believed hadn’t been as severe as the doctors had claimed.
He would never be allowed back into any branch of the service and that’s all he knew how to do, be a soldier. Add the fact that someone inside the government wanted him dead and his opportunities in the human world didn’t look that good.
Here in the Seelie Court he might have a chance to use his abilities again and put his training to good use. Plus, he’d have Eljin and their child someplace safer than the human world. Eljin’s idea had a lot of promise.
“While I like the idea a lot, I need time to think about it, okay?” Zack asked. “I don’t know much about your world. Considering the circumstances, I’m not even sure that your people will accept me. I am human, after all.”
“You’re also my
leannan
, a royal consort.” Eljin snickered. “That gives you a lot of clout. Just ask my
fayer
.”
“Your
fayer
?”
“
Fayer
means father of my creation, basically, the sperm donor. You are our child’s
fayer
. I am the
mayer
, the birth father.” Eljin laughed. “You know, Doc asked the same thing. He said it would blow your mind when you found out that I had two fathers.”
“Two fathers?” Zack chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that is a little crazy sounding.”
“My
mayer
is King Tuathal. He’s of royal blood so he rules Seelie Court. Gavril, my
fayer
, is commander of our army. He is not of royal blood so he cannot rule but don’t let that fool you. My fathers rule side-by-side as equals. Anyone who doubts that should face my
fayer
in hand-to-hand combat.”
“Big man, huh?”
“Strong.” Eljin chuckled. “Just wait until you meet him and you’ll see what I mean.”
“I have to admit I’m a little nervous about meeting your fathers, Eljin.” Zack grabbed Eljin around the waist and moved him over so he straddled Zack’s lap. “What are they going to think when they find out I knocked up their youngest son?”
“They’ve already stated that you, Gunny, Doc and Rocky are to be treated as honored guests.”
“Guests, hmm? That doesn’t sound very promising, Eljin.”
“Although you are officially my
leannan
, you haven’t decided if we are going to stay or not.” Eljin shrugged but his eyes were on his fingers as he plucked at a thread on the comforter. “That kind of makes you a guest, doesn’t it?”
“I’ll think about, I promise,” Zack said. He reached over and grabbed the hem of Eljin’s white tunic and pulled it up over his head, tossing it over the side of the bed. “In the meantime, hummingbird, I need to examine you and make sure you’re okay.”
Eljin giggled. “Examining me means I need to be naked?”
Zack pulled at the hem of Eljin’s pants. Eljin lifted his hips so Zack could pull them down his legs. Once Eljin was naked, Zack pulled him down to his chest. “I need to examine you inside and out, just to be sure, you understand.”
Zack’s eyes widened when Eljin let out a little growl and practically jumped on him. Apparently Eljin was as interested in being examined as Zack was in examining him. Zack grabbed Eljin and rolled him over onto his back, his body coming down beside him. He moved up on his elbow and leaned over Eljin, careful to not put his weight on the baby bump.
“Hey, hummingbird, missed you.”
Eljin grinned. “Missed you to, my handsome
leannan
.”
Zack leaned into the hand Eljin cupped around his cheek, turning slightly to kiss the palm.
“I was so worried about you, Zack. I didn’t know if you would ever wake up.”
“Never going to leave you, Eljin.”
“You’d better not,” Eljin said fiercely. “I may only be five foot five but I’m not someone to mess with. I’d kick your butt.”
Zack laughed. The weight of the world lifted off his shoulders as Eljin’s joy and happiness filled him. “I have no doubt that you would, hummingbird.” There was delight shining in Eljin’s deep-blue eyes. They shined brighter than Zack had ever seen them. He reached up and rubbed the pad of his thumb along the curve of Eljin’s cheekbone, right under his eye.
“I know sometimes you have to hide your true eye color to keep yourself safe but don’t ever hide them from me, Eljin. I love the color of your eyes. That was the one thing I remembered when they tried to take my memories.”
“Really? You remembered my eyes?”
The air caught in Zack’s throat as he rubbed his thumb up along the curve of Eljin’s eye. “I saw them in my dreams, Eljin. I saw them when I was awake, even. No matter how many of those damn pills I took, I couldn’t forget your beautiful eyes.”
“I think I like that.”
Zack chuckled. “Where’s that bottle of lotion?”
“Got something better,” Eljin said as he pointed to a small purple jar sitting next to the bed. “This is made especially by my people for coupling. It’s supposed to enhance the experience for both parties.”
Zack grabbed the glass jar and pulled out the topper, leaning in to sniff at the contents. A sweet cinnamon-like scent filled his nostrils. His cock jerked and he wondered about the potion’s ingredients. He’d bet if he bottled it and sold it in the human world, he’d make millions. It was like a lube and aphrodisiac rolled into one.
Better to keep it in Seelie Court.
“On your hands and knees, hummingbird,” Zack growled as he patted at Eljin’s hip.
“I have a better idea,” Eljin said as he sat up and moved out of the way. “Lie down on your back.”
Zack was confused but did as Eljin directed. Once he was on his back, Eljin straddled him, his ass facing Zack’s head, his head down by Zack’s groin. The sight of Eljin’s puckered hole right in front of him was almost as good as his lips wrapped around his cock.
“Eljin,” Zack cried out as his eyes closed. His hips surged upward, pushing his cock farther into the wet heat surrounding it. It had been a long while since Zack had received a blowjob but he couldn’t ever remember it being this good.
Eljin’s lips were magical.
Zack opened his eyes and looked at the tight, hairless hole right in front of his face. Eljin’s silky sac dangled between his legs, his hard cock bobbing with each movement Eljin made. It was an arousing picture.
Zack lifted his hands and stroked them over the soft curve of Eljin’s ass. He pushed Eljin’s ass cheeks together then pulled them apart, watching the small entrance twinkle at him. Curious in a way he’d never been before, Zack leaned forward and licked at the puckered flesh. A strong, musky flavor entered his mouth. Zack wasn’t turned off, but rather intrigued, especially when Eljin cried out and his legs began to tremble.
“Zack, what are you doing?”
“I have no idea.” But he planned to do it again. He leaned forward and licked again, running his tongue over the quivering flesh before pushing inside. Eljin’s cry of delight vibrated around his cock, spurring him on.
Zack didn’t know how long he’d last with the way Eljin was working his cock. He already felt close to the edge as it was. It seemed to always be that way with Eljin. The man merely had to breathe in his direction and Zack was hard as a rock.
Grabbing the jar of lube, Zack poured some out on his fingers then pushed one into Eljin’s ass. He was fascinated by the way Eljin’s body seemed to suck his finger right in as if it needed to be filled by him.
The second finger was just the same. Eljin’s tight circle of muscles widened enough to take him in, swallowing him up as if waiting just for him. Zack knew from the last time they’d been together that Eljin’s body would take his cock just the same way. He could hardly wait.
“Are you about ready for me?” Zack asked as he pushed a third finger into Eljin’s tight hole. He moved his fingers around to stretch Eljin out. Zack moved his fingers over a small bump and Eljin cried out, his back arching. Fascinated, Zack rubbed the spot again.
Eljin came unglued. He started thrusting back against Zack’s fingers, his body taut. Loud cries filled the room. Drops of pre-cum smeared across his stomach as Eljin moved frantically against him.
Zack was shocked. He’d never seen anyone so aroused just by a touch. He’d had anal sex with a lot of women but none of them had ever had this response. It fueled Zack’s desire to a fever pitch. It was imperative that he be inside of Eljin in the next few seconds.
“Eljin, I want you inside of me.”
Eljin immediately flipped around. His eyes zeroed in on Zack’s. Zack watched them widen as Eljin grabbed his cock and slowly sat back on it, impaling himself inch by inch. When Eljin was finally seated, his head fell back and he took several deep breaths. Zack thought he’d never looked sexier.
“Fuck, Eljin, you look good on my cock.” Zack brought his hands up and stroked them down Eljin’s slender chest. He moved them farther down until he passed over the bump made by their child to the hard cock jutting up from Eljin’s groin.
Zack looked up at Eljin at the same moment he wrapped his hand around Eljin’s hard shaft. The blissful look that crossed his face filled Zack with a deep sense of pride at the knowledge he could bring his love so much pleasure.
“Ride me, Eljin,” he commanded. “I want to see you fuck yourself on my cock.”
Eljin’s eyes blazed. He planted his hands on Zack’s chest and began riding him for all he was worth, his movements slow and steady but increasing with each thrust. Eljin’s inner muscles tightened around Zack’s cock even more with each plunge.
Zack watched Eljin’s face as he stroked him, moving his free hand down to cup his balls and gently massage them. He stroked the skin between Eljin’s balls and his ass then brushed around the skin gripping his cock.
Eljin’s cries increased, becoming louder and more frantic. His body trembled, his hands digging into Zack’s chest. Zack was ecstatic. “Make me come, Eljin.”
Zack had no idea how he did it but Eljin did exactly as ordered. His inner muscles squeezed and massaged Zack’s cock, sending him to a level of pleasure he’d never reached before. It was all Zack could do not to scream out his release as his cock swelled then spilled inside of Eljin, filling him.
Eljin cried out at the same time. His body shuddered uncontrollably as white pearly seed shot out of his cock and splattered all over Zack’s chest. Zack had just enough time to drop Eljin’s cock and catch him as the man fell forward.
He was concerned until he saw the smile on Eljin’s face and heard the satisfied sigh that fell from his lips. Zack stroked the blond hair back from Eljin’s flushed face. “Are you okay, hummingbird?”
“Hmmm, never better.” Eljin snuggled into Zack’s chest. “That was great.”
Zack chuckled. “You seemed to enjoy it. You went a little wild there.”
Eljin’s eyes popped open and he snorted. “I would have been fine if you hadn’t pegged my sweet spot.”
“Your sweet spot?”
Eljin’s eyebrow shot up. “My prostate.” He frowned then leaned up on his elbow. “Haven’t you ever had your prostate stroked?”
“Uh, no.” Zack waved his hand at himself. “Gay virgin here, remember?”
Eljin’s chuckle was evil. “Not for long,” he said as he scooted down to sit between Zak’s legs. “Hand me that purple jar and spread your legs.”
Zack grabbed the discarded jar of lube and handed it to Eljin. He watched the man pour some out on his fingers then set the jar aside. “I’m not so sure about this, Eljin. No one has ever been up there before.”
“Not to worry,
leannan
, I promise to be gentle.” Eljin patted Zack’s legs. “Now, spread them as wide as you can and tilt your butt up toward me. It might even work better for you to have a pillow under your ass.”
Zack took Eljin’s word for it, grabbing a pillow and shoving it under his ass until his hips were canted up toward the man then he spread his legs. This was a ridiculous position that had Zack exposed in ways he didn’t care for. But as Eljin skimmed his hands over Zack’s buttocks, he wondered if it mattered.