Obsessed (73 page)

Evvan’s hand clamped firmly over her mouth and he held her tight against him. She struggled but couldn’t break his hold.
Asshole
, she thought, wishing she could project the sentiment right into his Neanderthal brain.

Anistana gave a wicked smile and Evvan cut a sharp glance at Nat before turning back to the Faerie and asking, “What may we do for you, Queen Anistana?”

Queen, huh? Well, I don’t give a flying fu—

“Natalie,” Evvan barked. “Silence your thoughts.”

She went completely still.
He heard me?

“Aye.” Anistana giggled and flipped her flame-red hair over her shoulder. “But do continue. I am quite entertained.”

Nat narrowed her eyes at the Queen who turned her gaze on Evvan. Slowly Anistana looked over him, from his sleep-tousled black hair, down his broad chest to his narrow hips and his large and pleasingly ridged cock. “A pity I did not fuck you at least once before I found my heartmate,” Anistana said with a sly look at Natalie. “I am sure you would have been an enjoyable ride.”

Anger rushed through Nat like a hoard of frustrated women shoppers at a Bloomingdale’s shoe sale. As in,
touch those Pradas and die, missy
. She barely heard Evvan’s, “No, l’tiani,” through the blood rushing in her ears. With all the force she’d practiced over the past few days, she shoved her magical power at the redheaded bitch.

Nothing.

Not a damn thing happened.

Anistana’s smile turned cold. “You project your thoughts too loudly. If you are to survive the Fae killer, you must not give him a chance to block your powers.” The Queen turned her attention to Evvan. “Release my sister.”

“Rein your temper, l’tiani,” Evvan murmured as he removed his hand from her mouth. “All of Fae is in danger, including you.”

“The Sorcerer Voral murdered our mother when we were but sprites,” Anistana said. “After Mother’s death, Voral was not seen for over a decade. It was later learned that Zanden, his apprentice, had betrayed him. Zanden trapped Voral in an alternate existence—in a prison created by sorcery. A sort of death, if you will.” Anistana’s wings snapped open and shut as she spoke, as if she was agitated. “Only recently, shortly before Zanden’s demise, did Voral escape that prison and return to plague us.”

Natalie frowned, her eyebrows pinching together. “Like a genie trapped in a bottle?” she asked while the image of Disney’s large blue genie popped into her mind.

Anistana narrowed her emerald gaze. “Do not take this threat lightly, sister.”

Thoughts of Fae killers and danger were too overwhelming at the moment, and Nat thought her head might explode.

“What do you mean, our mother?” Nat said as it suddenly dawned on her. She raised her chin and glared at Anistana. “Why do you keep calling me sister?”

The Queen sighed. “This conversation is eerily familiar. Could it possibly be due to the fact that I recently had a similar discussion with another long lost sister?”

Whoa. Sister. Fae. What the—

Pinching her eyebrows together, Nat glanced from Evvan and back to Anistana. “You’re trying to tell me I’m a Faerie. But you have wings. Obviously I don’t.”

Anistana shrugged her slender shoulders in a dismissive gesture. “Apparently you are a second born of twins, and second born Fae never have wings.”

“Well of course,” Natalie snapped. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Nat’s new sis continued, ignoring the sarcasm. “Which leads to the conclusion that there is yet another sister hidden somewhere…” Anistana’s wing beats slowed and her emerald eyes looked thoughtful. “…although that sister would be a bit harder to hide as she would have wings.”

“You knew, didn’t you?” Natalie sliced her gaze toward Evvan. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It was not for me to tell.” He reached up to caress her ear. “The starmark behind your left earlobe. It matches the one on Anistana’s right. I noticed hers the day Simoone died.”

“Starmark?” Natalie leaned into Evvan’s touch without thinking. “You mean my star birthmark?”

The Queen pointed with a delicate finger to the silver leaved tree growing in the middle of the room, whose branches swayed far above the bed. “The star we were born with matches the pattern on mishnui leaves. The mishnui is a most sacred tree to Astral.”

Anistana turned her gaze to the tattoo around Nat’s belly button. “’Twas most unwise to flaunt the symbol of Astral royalty.” Her lips tightened. “You put yourself and our family in extreme danger.”

“Astral royalty?” Natalie caressed the tattoo and the gold ring. “Could that be why I was brought here?”

Evvan nodded. “That has been my thought.”

Wow. The conversation all but overwhelmed Nat. It was almost too much info to process all at once.

“Unbelievable.” Natalie shook her head, her wine-red hair brushing across her nipples as she moved. Odd, but she was totally naked in front of a complete stranger—so what if that stranger was supposedly a long lost sister—and Nat didn’t feel in the least bit self-conscious about being naked.

What’s with that?

“So why have I been on Earth all this time?” Nat asked. “If I’m from this world, then why didn’t I grow up here?”

Anistana frowned, but even then the Queen was still beautiful. “I did not know of your existence ’til I sensed the starmark when you entered my realm. Apparently you were sent away to keep you safe from the Fae killer. To ensure the continuation of our kind should anything happen to me, or Tierra…”

The Queen’s voice trailed off as her eyes widened. “I am such a fool! Right beneath my nose—hidden in plain sight!”

Anistana’s wings beat faster as she rose above the bed. She no longer seemed to notice Natalie and Evvan.

“Améa,” the Faerie said softly as her gaze turned to the crystal walls. Through them Natalie could see blue mist swirling through the gardens outside, as though seeking something, or someone. “Ahh…there ’tis. A powerful spell masked Améa’s starmark—leaving it to be revealed only by a direct inquiry from a sister. No doubt our mother cast the spell before her death.”

“What?” Nat glanced up at Evvan. “Is she seeing something we’re not?”

“Aye.” He gestured toward the blue mist. “With her mist, Anistana can see everything within her realm. She knows immediately if a creature or being enters Wilding Wood.”

“Or Astral.” Anistana’s gaze returned to Evvan and Natalie, and there was a hint of a girlish smile on her lips that made her look less devious. “I must leave you as I have just sensed that my husband has returned from Vianale.” Silver sparkled around her as she said, “Be prepared to attend a feast in the garden alcove this eve.”

“Hold on,” Natalie said as the glitter grew brighter and Anistana began to fade. “We’re not going anywhere without some clothes…and a bath!”

Anistana disappeared.

“How rude.” Nat scowled as Anistana vanished. She started to turn to Evvan only to see more silver sparkles on either side of the bed. Her jaw dropped as a pair of gorgeous Faeries appeared, both as naked as Anistana had been. Heck, as naked as they all were.

The Faerie on Evvan’s side of the bed was wingless, but the one on Nat’s side had beautiful iridescent ebony wings. They both had night dark skin, exotic amber eyes, and their lips were full and a deep garnet shade. Long shimmering hair tumbled over their breasts and large burgundy nipples, and their mounds were shaved.

For a second Nat’s gaze lingered on the winged Faerie’s nipples. A flash of memory returned to her as she recalled the woman from the convention center who’d been wearing that sheer costume and had been dressed like a fairy—er, Faerie.

Nipples. Dark burgundy, full, and erect.

A sly smile curved the corner of the winged Faerie’s mouth, and heat rushed to Natalie’s cheeks. Had she projected her thoughts again?

Before she could say anything, Evvan inclined his head to the winged Faerie. “Elinni,” he said, and then nodded to the other one as well. “Ibella.”

“Welcome, Devline Enforcer,” Ibella said, her amber eyes taking in Evvan’s naked form. “’Tis good to see you again.” Her gaze lingered on his cock. “Very good.”

“Hey!” Nat scowled as jealousy burned in her chest. “What in the—”

“Come, newfound child of Fae,” the Faerie called Elinni interrupted. The perfume of lilies eased over Natalie as the Faerie took her hand. “’Tis time for your bath.”

“Enjoy Astral’s customs.” Evvan’s features remained stoic as he spoke to Nat. “You will learn much of the world to which you were born.”

Nat’s glare only deepened when she saw that the wingless Faerie was drawing Evvan from the bed. His cock wasn’t erect, but it was certainly just as impressive.

With her chin raised, Natalie avoided Evvan’s eyes and followed Elinni across the crystal and gold room and through a doorway that had been invisible to Nat before. Her jealous anger turned into wonder as Elinni and Ibella escorted them through gardens that were like nothing Natalie had ever seen.

Perfume of countless flowers filled the air…similar to the scent of orchids, star jasmine, lilies, roses, and the clean flower-shop smell of hundreds of carnations. Silver leaves tinkled above them, a light magical sound, and that powder blue mist whirled and swirled throughout the garden. It set Natalie a little on edge to know that Anistana could see and sense everything that went on with that mist.

The grass was soft and cool beneath Natalie’s bare feet as they slipped through the gardens, and a breeze tickled her nipples and stroked the fine hair along her slit. Several Faeries laughed and chatted as they flitted like naked butterflies among the unusual crimson, blue, orange, yellow, and purple blossoms. The women were all stunning with perfect breasts and firm asses. It should have freaked her out to see women with wings flying through a garden on another world, but now somehow it seemed right and natural.

Natalie even felt a bit jealous that she hadn’t been born with wings, that her unknown twin had them. Améa wasn’t it? Yet if Nat had wings, she wouldn’t have grown up in New York with all the things she loved—the people, the culture, the modern conveniences, the shopping. Her adoptive parents had been wonderful to her, and so far she’d lived a fabulous life.

But what now? Was this where she belonged, in Faerie-land? Or her home in New York City, which was all she had known until this bizarre past week. Jeez, it was enough to drive a person nuts.

While she strolled through the garden with Evvan, Elinni and Ibella, Nat couldn’t help but wonder where the male Faeries were.

Ibella gave quite the un-Faerie-like snort and Elinni reached up and squeezed Natalie’s arm just above her elbow. “Faerie males are quite useless,” Elinni said in response to Nat’s unspoken thought. With a shake of her head, her midnight hair slid over her dark breasts. “They are naught more than drones, with no desires beyond pleasuring and gratifying themselves.”

“Are they around here?” Nat asked, trying to picture what a useless male Faerie looked like.

“The bastards fled Astral for the Dryad Realm when our Queen was a sprite, because they feared the Fae killer,” Ibella added and turned an appreciate gaze toward Evvan. “We need real males in the land of Fae, like To’en and Evvan, not simpering fools.”

Jealousy rose up again in Nat, but Evvan apparently sensed her fury. He took her hand in his and gave her that dark, sensual look that let her know he belonged to her.

Good lord, this powerful, dangerous stranger had claimed her in a way that she never would have allowed any man to back on Earth. And it certainly seemed that he considered himself just as claimed by her, which definitely was a pleasing thought.

When they reached a secluded pool, the Faeries drew Natalie and Evvan into it. The Faerie twins ignored Evvan as they began to bathe Natalie, despite her protests. “Really, I can bathe myself,” she insisted.

“’Tis our way,” Elinni replied as she positioned herself in front of Natalie, with Ibella to Nat’s back.

From out of nowhere Elinni produced a small rounded soap and began lathering it over Natalie’s breasts. Nat gasped and reflexively took a step back, only to feel Ibella’s breasts pressed against her shoulder blades.

“Relax,” Ibella murmured as she, too, began to soap Nat’s skin. “Enjoy the heritage that is yours.”

When they finished washing her skin and then her hair, the Faeries magically rinsed away the bubbles by causing the water to rise up and then flow back down. Every now and then she would look to Evvan to see him bathing himself, cleaning his long black hair and then the wiry curls around his cock. He was always watching her, his expression fierce as usual.

In the next moment Elinni lowered her head and flicked her tongue against Nat’s nipple while Ibella reached around from behind and slid her fingers slowly down Nat’s abdomen and into her pussy.

Natalie went rigid with surprise, too freaked to react. Her gaze shot to Evvan to see his dark eyes flash with hunger and desire, his cock now very erect. He was focused entirely on her, and she knew without a doubt that it was not the Faeries who filled him with such lust. It was the sight of them pleasuring her.

“’Tis the way of Astral, your people,” Evvan said, his voice a hoarse rumble, “as ’tis the way of mine.”

“Well it’s not my way.” Natalie struggled to get away from the Faeries, but they simply giggled and held her fast.

A combination of lust and rage stirred in Evvan’s gut at the sight of Elinni’s and Ibella’s dark skin pressed against his woman. He loved seeing Natalie pleasured, and hated it all at once. He wanted his mouth and hands on her body, and his cock plunging inside her. True it was the way of his people, and hers—sexual pleasuring was a gift of the goddess and intended to be shared. With satisfaction he reminded himself that no other man would ever enter Natalie’s core now that he had claimed her as his heartmate, and he would enter no one but her. She belonged to him.

A rumble rose up in Evvan’s chest, and when Natalie cried out with an orgasm, he let loose with a roar. He sloshed through the water and scooped up his woman, tearing her from the Faerie twins who giggled with delight. Natalie’s body trembled in his arms, her eyes still glazed from her orgasm as she stared up at him and licked her lips.