The Lynx Who Purred for a Sidhe Prince (14 page)

“This bond will certainly help.”
Corbin felt Winter smile against his skin.
“I was so afraid that what I felt wasn’t real, that I was
deceiving myself into believing we could have a bond like my parents.

But in the end, it came true.”

The happiness coming from Winter enveloped Corbin in a cocoon

of warmth and contentment. Corbin realized that he was purring,

something he rarely did during or after sex. And now, with Winter, it had happened twice.

Winter chuckled.
“It’s cute,”
he said.
“Makes me feel nice.”

Corbin knew what his mate meant. The sweet familiarity and

comfort were unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. A

shadow intruded on it though, an ache settling over Winter’s heart and echoing inside Corbin. “They’d have loved to meet you,” Winter

whispered out loud. “My parents, that is.”

“I’m sure they’re watching over us as we speak,” Corbin replied.

The assassination of Winter’s family had affected the beautiful Sidhe greatly. Corbin only hoped that he could help Winter heal, if not

forget.

Winter wiped his eyes and released an embarrassed laugh. “I

should hope not. I wouldn’t want them to see me naked and covered

in your spunk.”

He looked away from Corbin, squeezing the bright white pendant

dangling from his neck. Corbin hugged his back, kissing his nape.

“Don’t hide from me. You don’t have to be strong when I’m around.

You can tell me anything.”

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“I just wish they could have been here to see my wedding day,”

Winter said as he leaned into Corbin’s embrace. “I’m sorry. I spoiled the mood.”

Corbin turned his mate around and lifted Winter’s chin, forcing

their eyes to meet. “No, you didn’t, sweetheart. We’re mates now, in

every way. I want you to tell me everything that’s on your mind.

Don’t be afraid to share it with me.” He grinned as his eyes fell on his and Winter’s abandoned clothing. “Besides, we should probably clean

up and go back to the party. Our friends must be jumping through

hoops to keep everyone in check.”

Winter heaved a sigh. “I guess. For the record, I’d much rather be

here, making love to you.” Even as he spoke, he rolled away from

Corbin and jumped off the bed.

Corbin licked his lips as he watched his mate’s naked ass sway

when Winter headed into the bathroom. How could he resist? He

followed behind Winter, shutting the bathroom door behind himself.

Winter was already starting the shower and turned to look at Corbin.

“So you decided to join me, huh?”

“Minx.” Corbin swatted Winter’s naked ass, thrilled when he saw

a little of his cum dribbling from his mate’s channel. “Get in there. I want you again.”

This was how, a few minutes later, Winter ended up on his knees,

sucking Corbin’s cock for all he was worth. After that, Corbin took

Winter again against the shower walls, the water streaming over them

like warm rain, teasing their oversensitized skin. And when it was all over, Corbin could honestly say that for the first time in his life, he felt truly happy.

Alas, their newly discovered bond didn’t change the fact that they

did, indeed, need to return to the party. Corbin took advantage of the opportunity to dry and comb Winter’s beautiful hair. He loved the feel of the silken strands as he caressed them. Several times, he stopped to just inhale his mate’s scent, and it was only by miracle that he didn’t respond to his lynx’s call and take Winter to bed again.

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Finally, they got dressed again, fixing their clothing the best way

they could when what they really wanted was to take it all off. They

left the room and headed downstairs. This time, the knowing looks on

the guards’ faces held a more congratulatory note, as if they knew

exactly just what had transpired. Perhaps they did. Corbin found it

impossible to hide how happy he felt as he walked hand in hand with

his mate.

They ran into Alexis just as they reached the gardens again.

“There you are,” the incubus said. “I stalled for as much as I could, but the guests were getting restless.”

“Sorry,” Corbin said with an unrepentant grin. “We got delayed.”

“Well, congratulations for the delay then,” Alexis replied. “Come

on. You can tell me the details later.”

Winter smiled indulgently at his friend, having obviously forgiven

the incubus for the earlier trick. It was impossible to get mad at Alexis for anything. The man truly meant well and he wanted everyone to be

happy.

As they entered the gardens, however, all the noise and the chatter

abruptly stopped. Corbin tried not to feel too self-conscious, but he thought that surely it wasn’t all that surprising that newlyweds wanted to spend some time alone. Right?

“We’re not just newlyweds,”
Winter said through their bond.

“We’re important figures, and as far as they know, we married for
political purposes. They must have jumped to all sorts of harebrained
conclusions.”

“Do you regret our little private party?”
Corbin asked.

Winter offered him a weak smile.
“Of course not. I’ll never regret
spending time with you. And now, we should clarify all

misunderstandings.”

They found Skylar and Byron in the crowd and made their way

toward the Cunningham couple. The two shifters didn’t look upset or

unsettled in the slightest. Instead, Skylar handed Corbin and Winter

flutes of champagne and said, “Our guests are waiting for a toast.”

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“Of course.” Corbin lifted the glass and raised his voice so that

everyone could hear. “Thank you all for coming here today to

celebrate with us. I apologize for our brief absence.” He wrapped an

arm around Winter’s waist as he spoke. “But I can’t be blamed for

having such an irresistible mate.”

Winter went bright red but didn’t protest the words. Instead, he

said, “I have been blessed with an amazing mating, and for that

reason, I’d like to make a toast. For love and for destiny. For

everyone who is here today and for those who couldn’t be.”

“For all our family and friends who made this possible,” Corbin

added. “Thank you. We can only wish to all of you that you find the

same thing we did.”

From somewhere to Corbin’s right, a voice that sounded

suspiciously like Reed’s shouted, “Kiss!”

It was one demand Corbin was happy to comply with. He turned

toward his mate and pressed their lips together. Compared to the

kisses they’d shared in their bedroom, this one was sedate, almost

tame, but it held all the emotion Corbin couldn’t contain for the life of him.

When they separated, they were both breathless, their bodies

instinctively reaching out for each other. Corbin didn’t know what he would have done had a loud cheer not erupted around them, snapping

him out of his trance. He managed to look away from Winter’s

hypnotizing gaze and took in the sight of their guests applauding.

Many of them seemed genuinely pleased for Corbin and Winter’s

happiness. On some faces, Corbin still read skepticism, but as far as he could tell, no one harbored any doubts about the stability of this union.

As they ended the short speech, Skylar and Byron pulled Corbin

and Winter away from the crowd. “Byron and I have prepared a little

wedding gift for you,” Skylar said. “Originally, we wanted to give it to you later tonight, but I think it’s better to do it now.”

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Byron retrieved a set of keys from his pocket and tossed them to

Corbin. “This is a key to my personal mansion on a private island,” he explained. “Go there. Stay as long as you want. Take some time for

yourself. All the arrangements have been made, and I have staff

already waiting for you. They’re all very discreet and know what to

do around a newlywed couple.”

“In many ways, we forced this upon you for our own personal

reasons,” Skylar continued. “Thankfully, you and Corbin are true

mates, but our selfishness could have destroyed your lives had it not been so.”

“You were right when we talked in the office, Corbin,” Byron

added. “We disappointed you, and we’re sorry.”

Corbin was overcome by emotion. He’d never heard Byron

Cunningham utter those words to anyone, and it was somewhat

humbling that he would do so now.

Winter seemed to realize the importance of the moment as well.

“You don’t have to apologize, sirs,” he told the Cunninghams. “You

did so much for me when, by rights, you should have thrown me out

from the very beginning. I owe you a lot.”

To Corbin’s surprise, Skylar embraced Winter. “You don’t owe us

anything, Winter. You’ve quickly become a member of our extended

family, so you’re going to have to accept our peace offer. Go there.

Live your love. You deserve it.”

Corbin didn’t know what to say, so he refrained from making any

comments at all. Instead, he wordlessly accepted the offer and shook

Byron’s hand. After releasing Winter, Skylar hugged him as well, and

the clear affection Corbin sensed coming from the seahorse did

wonders to heal the rift that had emerged between Corbin and the

Cunninghams.

As he broke away from Skylar, his parents approached him, twin

smiles on their faces. “Ready to go?” Garth asked.

“Go?” Corbin repeated. When Garth stole a look at the key in

Corbin’s hand, Corbin gaped. “You can’t mean…Now?”

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Winter echoed Corbin’s disbelief. “We couldn’t possibly leave.

There are still so many important guests. What will they think?”

“You’ll have your whole life to cater to the whims of others,”

Skylar said. “Believe me, I know. Don’t waste these beautiful early

days. Just think about yourself and your mate. We’ll take care of the rest.”

To Corbin’s surprise, Winter’s uncle appeared out of nowhere and

piped up, “I have to agree with Mr. Cunningham. Go. Enjoy your

surprise. I’m sure nothing will pop up we can’t deal with.”

“Will you be staying in LA after the wedding, Uncle?” Winter

inquired.

Sterling just smiled enigmatically. “Yes and no. I’ll be here for a

couple more days, and then I’ll make frequent visits. Not to offend

our hosts, but I want to see with my own eyes that you’re well taken

care of. This time, I won’t be able to, but I trust your mate will do a much better job than I ever could.”

Corbin still didn’t trust Sterling, but he figured the Cunninghams

could keep the Sidhe king in check. Skylar was right. They did need

to be a little selfish, at least now, when they could still afford it.

He shared a look with his mate. “All right,” they said at the same

time.

“Excellent.” Nicolas clapped his hands together. “I took the

liberty to have some basic items sent to you there, but you should

prepare your personal items. After that, we’re ready to go.”

Excitement coursed through Corbin as he and his mate rushed

back into the house to comply. For a little while at least, they would be free, free to explore their love. If anything could have made this day more perfect, it was this.

And then, just as they reached their room, Winter turned toward

him and said, “Corbin, I love you.”

Just like that, Corbin felt he’d begun a new life, one of happiness

and fulfillment. “I love you, too, sweetheart,” he replied. “Now, let’s go pack. Our tropical paradise is waiting for us.”

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Chapter Seven

A few weeks later

Winter knew a lot about islands. As a child, he’d grown up on

one. The island where the Seelie Sidhe palace was hidden had

countless wards around it and had been deemed invulnerable from

outside attacks. Any injuries could be healed at the Silver Pool in the temple. Winter had thought it the ideal place to live. Until his parents had been found dead in their beds, poisoned with a special iron-based substance that was lethal for Sidhe and virtually undetectable in food or drink. The Pool could do many things, but it could not bring people back to life.

After that, Winter had only ever come to his home on his uncle’s

summons and never visited any other island. But for some reason,

when Skylar and Byron Cunningham had made the suggestion, he’d

known it was the right thing to do. And he didn’t regret coming here

one bit.

Winter sighed in contentment as the sun’s rays caressed his face.

He loved the texture of the sand against his skin and the sound of the waves soothing his senses. He could have just stayed here forever and wallowed in nature’s glow. Well, if his mate’s presence didn’t

immediately alert him his day of peaceful relaxation was about to take an interesting turn.

Winter cracked his eyes open and looked up at his mate. Corbin

grinned at him and the image flashing through Corbin’s mind told

Winter what his mate planned. “Oh, no,” Winter said, already starting
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to get up. “We’re not doing that again. I love the beach as much as

everyone else, but it’s not the best place for making love.”

It was quite true. Contrarily to the view of all those classical