Authors: Dakota Dawn
Chapter Nine
Heart soaring, Chase rapidly put his clothes on. His name forever burned into Reed’s left forearm showed how much Reed had mourned him. It was the most extreme thing Chase had ever seen. A part of him didn’t think he deserved that kind of love. Reed was definitely an action man. Chase would have to pay close attention to what Reed did, not what he said.
Reed walked to the door that led out of their bedroom. “On the ground floor of the castle, it is normal to see warriors coming and going. They work, train, and eat here. Visitors check in at the lounge that’s to the left of the front doors. So don’t be surprised if you see strangers here sometimes. Tate and Simon live on the second floor. If you ever need them at night, they are nice and close. There are also a few visitor suites for high-ranking guests on the second floor. We live on the third floor of Heartland Castle. Above us is our personal rooftop space. I’ll show it to you in a bit.” Reed opened the door and stepped into the lush, long hallway. “This hallway leads to all the rooms on this floor. For the most part we will spend our time in the rooms on the right.”
Chase followed Reed into the first door on the right. It was a large office with a huge decorative desk that Chase had to touch. The polished wood gleamed almost as brightly as the row of jewels embedded in the thick wood. “It is beautiful, and it looks sturdy.”
Sturdy enough for some hot loving.
“It’s made of our strongest wood.” Reed looked around the room appreciatively. “I spend a lot of time in here. You are welcome to come in and read while I work. The chairs are comfortable enough to sit in for long periods of time.”
Chase noted that they did look comfy, but the sturdy, massive desk still held his attention. “How strong is this desk?”
Reed growled, and passion lit his eyes. “Extremely strong. Would you like to test it?”
Chase nodded and helped Reed move his papers to a small table by the fireplace. Moving back to the desk, Chase eased onto it and spread his legs. Oh man, Chase loved the way his whole body fit on it. The fun they could have on it was unending.
Reed crawled up between Chase’s legs. Holding himself up on his forearms, Reed stared into Chase’s eyes.
Chase squirmed beneath Reed when his teal eyes glowed lightly. Needing a kiss, Chase reached up and pulled Reed’s mouth to his. Lovingly, he explored Reed’s mouth. The man was delicious. Chase moaned as he glided his hands over Reed’s strong back and arms. In his current position Reed was using his muscles to keep from crushing Chase. Chase gloried in Reed’s strength.
Reed trembled when Chase glided his hand down Reed’s back and grabbed his taut ass and squeezed. “You have the tightest ass. I loved getting a piece of it today.”
“No, little love. You have the tightest ass. I’m glad that you love my ass so much because it will be the only ass you’ll be getting until we retrieve our female mystic mate.” Reed ground his pelvis into Chase’s. “Tonight I’m going to get some more of your tight tail.” Reed slanted his mouth over Chase’s and showed him with his tongue what he planned to do to Chase later.
Chase opened wide for Reed, silently letting Reed know he’d always be open to him. Their tongues tangled in a love dance for several luscious minutes before Reed pulled back and got off the desk. Chase groaned loudly, causing Reed to chuckle.
“Soon, little one. For now we need to continue with our tour.” Reed helped Chase off the desk and guided him out of the room.
The next room down was the living room. A marble fireplace caught Chase’s attention. “I love all the fireplaces. Does it get cold here?”
“Yes. Our winters last about five months and can be deadly if you don’t dress properly.”
Chase shivered. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Chase looked around. “Are all the rooms large?”
“Yes. Fairies like a lot of room to move around in.”
Trying to take it all in, Chase walked around and touched the sixty-inch TV, twenty-inch laptop, leather couch, and two leather recliners. Spotting what looked like a small closet, Chase walked over and opened it. He gasped when cold air hit him. It was a fridge full of drinks and snacks. “This is cool.”
“Yeah, Tate and Simon like it, too. Tate goes for the froosh, and Simon goes for the sweets.” Chase saw Reed’s grin fade when sadness whipped over his face. “What’s wrong?”
Tears welled in Chase’s eyes. Trying to be tough, he blinked them away. “It’s nothing. I was just remembering my friend, Craig. He would have gone for the froosh and the sweets.” Chase bit his lip. “I miss him, you know?”
Reed hugged Chase tightly to him and stroked his back. “With time, the pain will lessen. You’ll make new friends and be happy again.” Reed kissed the top of Chase’s head and crooned that all would be well.
Feeling emotionally weak, Chase cried into Reed’s chest and wondered if he’d ever get over the pain of being taken from his old life. His growing love for Reed and his family and friends was tearing him apart. Why couldn’t he have it all? Several minutes later, Reed’s soothing words started to work. With one last shuddering breath, Chase pulled away from Reed. Chase wiped his eyes on his sleeve and swallowed hard. He’d try to man up. If his military buddies saw him right now they’d kick his ass, but his parents would have hugged him tightly, just as Reed had done.
Reed took his hand and led him to the next room. “This is the dining room. I believe you remember it.”
Reed’s playful tone brought a smile to Chase and warmed his aching heart. “Who could forget the mating? It was quite hot. It was also my first ménage, I must confess.”
A growl vibrated up from Reed’s chest. “Don’t get used to it. I won’t be sharing you with anyone else except our female mate.”
Chase looked up into Reed’s lovely eyes. “I love it when you growl and get all possessive.”
With flared nostrils, Reed responded, “Don’t ever tempt me. You belong to me.” In a slow move, Reed leaned down and hungrily kissed Chase. When Chase grabbed Reed and smashed their bodies together, Reed moaned and took a step back. “Later. Let’s move on. We can’t let our need for each other stop us from taking this much-needed tour.”
Chase wasn’t sure they’d ever be able to do more than make out. His body constantly wanted Reed’s. Ignoring his tingling body, he followed Reed.
The kitchen was the next and last room on the right side of their floor. It was just as impressive as the rest of the castle. Wide granite counter tops seemed to go on for miles. A stove fit for a top chef made Chase wish he could cook. The fridge was once again hidden by a wooden panel. Reed showed him where it was and pulled them out a soda. “I love that Ardinio has some of the comforts of home.” Chase pulled the cap and took a sip. “This soda tastes better than the ones at home.”
“We’ve travelled to several planets. Almost every time we leave we bring back something we like. Once here, we reproduce it with homemade ingredients.”
Chase was puzzled. “How do you travel to other planets?”
“You know we fairies have powers.” At Chase’s nod Reed continued, “We all have different abilities except for one. The power to travel. On our one hundredth birthday, we receive the gift of the purple mist. As you’ve seen, that purple mist allows us to leave this planet and come back.”
“Can you leave anytime you want, or is there a limit to your ability to travel?” Chase was intrigued by the fay’s abilities.
“The only limits we have are time. That is especially true for me and my warriors. As you can imagine, we can’t all leave at the same time or stay gone for long periods of time. We usually only leave for short vacations that are logged by Tate or Simon. Nonmilitary people have much more freedom. All travel is monitored by the guardians.”
Chase bit the inside of his lip as he absorbed what Reed said. “How do you know where you are going?”
A smile curled Reed’s lips. “You are very curious. I like that. The answer to your question is detailed maps of the universe. We research the planet we want or need to go to by looking at in-depth maps the guardians have given us. They keep them up to date, thank goodness. Once we know it’s safe to go, we focus on where we want to go, say an enchanted phrase, and the purple mist transports us to our destination.”
“Why do you have vehicles when you could just ride the purple mist?”
Rich laughter rumbled from Reed’s chest. “Ride the purple mist. I like that. Unfortunately, the mist only works for space travel.”
“You said others come here to trade and sell items. Where do they stay? I haven’t seen anyone here except fairies.” Chase really hoped strange aliens couldn’t just pop in unexpectedly.
Reed grimaced and then blew out a long controlled breath. “After the virus, the Enlightened Ones only let travelers on Ardinio twice a year. We have a large trading depot that is close to the borders of both the trollettes and the leprechauns. On trade days they come over and we all set up booths. A few others come from different planets and set up booths as well. Once the doors open the haggling begins. I don’t like those days, but a lot of the Ardinio people do.”
“It sounds interesting to me, but I can see how those days would be nerve-wracking as well. How many days does the trading go on?” A shiver of apprehension slithered up Chase’s spine. He couldn’t shake the feeling that one day something very bad was going to happen during trading days.
“Five days at the beginning of the winter season and another five at the beginning of the sol season.” At Chase’s questioning look, Reed explained, “Our years are four hundred days long. We have four seasons, winter, blooming, sol, and mating.”
A shocked gasp erupted from Chase. “You have a mating season. Please don’t tell me that’s the only time you can have sex.”
Booming laughter poured from Reed. It was a full two minutes before he could speak. “No, little one. We fairies make love all year long. Mating season is when the animals on this planet go into heat. We fay are not much different, though. During this season we are more sexually charged than normal.”
“Are we in the mating season right now?”
“Yes.”
“Good gracious, no wonder I want you all the time. How long do your seasons last?” Chase hoped it wasn’t long. Otherwise walking was going to be difficult by the time it was over.
A sexy grin transformed Reed’s face. “One hundred days. Today is day twenty-one.”
Chase groaned loudly. He was doomed to bed rest for the first few days of winter. “How can your people pull off trading days right after going through the mating season?” It didn’t seem feasible at all.
“Trust me, you’ll get used to it. Any time desire heats our blood we just stop what we are doing, relieve ourselves, and go back to work.”
Horror whipped through Chase. “Please tell me everyone washes their hands a lot during the mating season.”
This time Reed grabbed his sides and bent over as he laughed. Once he had control of himself, he answered, “Yes, we all wash our hands and other parts regularly, my little concerned one.” A grin split his lips. “Even when it’s not mating season.”
An angry frown drew Chase’s brows down. “Don’t laugh at me. I’ve eaten food from the vendors recently, remember?”
With visible effort, Reed wiped the smile from his handsome face. “You have nothing to fear. The fay of this planet are very clean.” Reed took a drink then asked, “Ready to move on?”
“Yep. Thanks for the information.”
“Soon you will know everything about Ardinio.” Reed smiled encouragingly at Chase. Taking their drinks, they left the kitchen and continued the tour.
Reed led Chase to a door next to the elevator on the left side of the hall. Chase stepped inside, and his jaw dropped. It was a game room. “Holy cow! This room is great.” One wall was devoted to arcade games. Another had three large screens connected to consoles he’d never seen before. Close to the third wall, a ping-pong table with paddles and a ball stood ready and waiting. On the forth wall was a sixty-inch TV and four comfy-looking chairs. Chase knew this was going to be his second favorite room in the castle. The bedroom was number one, of course.
A smiling Reed urged Chase on. “Come on. There’s plenty more to see.”
Reed quickly walked Chase through the rest of the left side. There was a massive living room and six extremely nice bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. A kitchenette was against the far wall along with the training room Chase had been in once before. They stopped and threw their empty cans away. Chase couldn’t help but think the castle was grand. As they stepped back into the long hallway, Chase asked, “Why is this wall here? I like an open floor plan. Do you think we could remove this wall?”
“No.”
“Why not?” Chase demanded. That room was perfect for parties.
Reed grinned and tapped the wall. “These walls are soundproof, just like all the rest of them.”
Confusion clouded Chase’s mind. “Why do we need soundproof walls?”
Reed pushed Chase up against the wall and kissed and caressed him until he was moaning loudly. Reed himself was panting as he pulled back. “That’s why. You’re my loud little lover, and I don’t want you to ever change.”
Chase shifted his swollen cock and glared up at Reed. “That wasn’t nice.” Chase touched his needy cock. “I now have a painful erection, and you didn’t really answer my question.”