Authors: Anna Keraleigh
“Get inside.” He clashed swords with one. “I must protect the king
and queen.”
“So protect them,” Trillian yelled and grabbed the dead troll’s
sword. The thing weighed a damn ton but she held it and took off down the dark
path with Keyn’s yelling fading in the distance. After another shriek, she sped
up, jogging through the night. Breena was the only one that made her feel
welcome. She couldn’t let her die. There was another shout. A door to her left
busted open, and an older lady threw small white pellets at an ugly troll.
Trillian came from behind him. She didn’t know if she should stab him or hit
him to knock him out? Could she take a life even if it wasn’t human?
“Are ye gonna kill ‘em or stare ‘em ta death?” the old woman asked
with a heavy Irish accent and a flick of her wrist.
Trillian used the butt of the sword. She jammed it against his
skull and he fell to the ground in a slump. Breena came charging out of the
house, sword in one hand and a bottle of salt in the other. “Salt? Really?” she
asked but no one answered her sarcasm. More trolls swarmed from the house.
There had to be at least ten of those nasty things.
One grabbed her arm. Trillian pulled it free and balled her fist.
She punched it right in the cheek and winced as pain shot through her hand.
Another seized Breena from behind. The tough little woman threw salt over her
shoulder. The thing hissed and cried out, which Breena used to her advantage.
She spun and thrust the blade. Black blood splashed everywhere. The smell was
damn near nauseating. This time four trolls advanced on their little posse.
The three women went back-to-back, swords and salt at the ready.
“Where the fuck are all the fairy warriors when you need them?” Trillian
shouted and swung of her sword. They could only keep these things at bay for so
long.
One lunged at Breena, clutching her sword hand and twisting. She
screamed out as Trillian lifted her sword, closed her eyes, and swung down. She
felt the blade hit against something. The creature let out this awful
high-pitched shriek and the sword fell to the ground to slam hard against it.
Trillian’s eyes shot open. “Damn.” She cut the fucker’s hand right off. There
was a flash of gold and the troll went down. Breena’s golden fairy had finally
shown up and he was freaking pissed. He went all badass on the trolls near his
mate with a fierce scowl on his face.
Keyn was suddenly before her. The men were magnificent to watch.
Their wings beat wildly, spread wide, as they slashed swords and used hovering
techniques to their benefit. They obliterated the enemy. Trillian’s vision
drifted to Keyn. She couldn’t not watch. He moved with speed and deadly
precision but also with a fascinating grace. His back muscles tensed and
shifted. The massive columns that were his legs were almost dancing as they
fought to save the women. That skimpy loincloth covered his tight butt and
Trillian found herself having some very naughty thoughts in the middle of a
bloody fucking battle.
Something grasped her arm and she yelped. Keyn turned, their eyes
locked, and he actually threw his sword. The blade went end over end to hit the
troll that grabbed her. It let go instantly, landing with a thud, and Trillian
watched him as if in slow motion.
Keyn walked toward her, splattered in blood and sweat. Each stride
was filled with determination. She could see the tent that now formed at the
front of his loincloth. Her tongue slipped out and she licked her suddenly dry
lips. Trillian’s breath caught as he neared. She watched his parted lips with a
spike in desire. Her thighs clenched and nipples hardened and then he spoke.
“Yeah, you took care of him real good.”
Her desire plunged.
That
stupid fucking fairy
. Trillian balled her fist and swung. She caught him
right in his perfectly formed nose.
Keyn’s eyes went wide and he held his throbbing nose, glaring at
her. “You hit like a girl.”
“I am a girl, asshole.”
“Why the hell are you hitting me? I’m the one that saved your
life. Again!”
“Enough.” The king’s deep voice rang out. “You two are like a
bunch of adolescent fairies, and in the middle of a battle.”
“On a hormonal rampage,” Wicked added with a grin. “You know I
could help you with that,” he said to Trillian with a wink.
Keyn growled.
“Everyone back to the palace,” the king ordered, his stern voice a
rumbling echo.
Fairies began to fly out into the night. The men carried those
without wings. Trillian lifted her chin and decided to walk. The night closed
around her as she headed toward the palace. Fear clenched at her gut as the
fluttering of wings faded and she was now alone. Then there was a sound of
beating wings. She smiled but hid it when Keyn landed beside her.
“I will not have you walk alone,” he simply said.
Damn him. How could he be so sweet and such an ass? “Thanks,” she
murmured.
He nodded, his face stone like.
They walked in silence. Oddly, it wasn’t the least bit awkward.
Trillian kept glancing over at his wings. They really were a thing of beauty.
She longed for a closer look at them. It was hard to see the black and red
wings now because they blended with the shadows around them.
They reached the palace and Trillian went inside to safety while
Keyn stood at the door, her protector.
Chapter Eight
Trillian curled on the couch to sleep. When she woke from slumber,
she inhaled deeply and looked out through the glass walls.
the city. Shadows were cut violently by the light and the sunflowers were
tilted on their giant stems toward the bright orb. She stretched her legs and
walked to the doors that led to the balcony. Fresh air wafted around her as she
took a single step out.
This was a glorious place. If she didn’t have Cameron to worry
about, she’d seriously consider staying.
A movement caught her attention. Trillian glanced at the nearest
hill and there was no mistaking the fairy. Keyn was standing tall with his
black and red wings spread out. He was watching the sunrise. Trillian smiled.
The stupid infuriating fairy was getting to her. She moved her hand to her neck
then slid it down to cover her breast. It had been a long time since she found
pleasure between her legs. Stress and time management had been her enemy. At
the moment, she couldn’t find a single excuse to stop. Trillian skimmed her
hand up under her shirt before pulling the cup of her bra down to free one
breast. She instantly found the hard nipple. Trillian pinched as Keyn’s
silhouette lifted his face to the sky.
He was so annoying and freaking handsome even with the scar down
his face. She wondered how he got it. Was it some war trophy or remnants of a
fierce battle? Trillian sat down on the nearest chair, a wooden rocker. Her
hand shifted to the waistband of her jeans. They were loose so she had no
problem slipping her hand beneath and down inside her lacy panties. She used
her fingers to spread her lower lips and dipped a finger into her core. All the
while, she watched the annoying fairy that always seemed to cause her desire to
spike and her anger to rise along with it.
Trillian exhaled slowly and found her sensitive nub with slick
fingers. The prickles of pleasure were so intense she closed her eyes. It was
just for a moment, and she savored the feel of flesh on wet flesh. Trillian
opened her eyes to catch another glimpse of Keyn.
The hill was empty.
There was a whoosh of wind.
Trillian gasped as Keyn landed before her. His nostrils flared and
his lips parted as a deep growl escaped. She immediately pulled her hand free.
Embarrassment colored her cheeks. She wanted to fade into the wall and never
come out.
“What the hell are you doing?” His voice was raspy.
“I...it’s...what the hell are you doing!” She stood to her full
height. He looked more than intimidating with his wings spread. He was pure
masculine beauty.
Keyn growled. “Don’t ever do that again.” He pointed to the chair.
“Fuck you.” It was all she could come up with at the moment. He
was ordering her never to touch herself. Who the hell did he think he was? “If
you find me that repulsive, go...fuck a tree and leave me alone.” She spun,
ready to run inside with her dignity in shreds and trying to figure the tree
comment out. Was she that disgusting to him? Trillian grunted as Keyn’s full
weight pressed her into the glass wall. “What are you doing?” Panic edged her
voice.
Keyn pressed his full body against her back. He buried his nose in
her hair and he took a deep breath.
Trillian shivered and it sure as hell wasn’t from fear. She could
feel his hard arousal against her hip. “Keyn?” she whispered.
There was no answer. He kept pressing her into the glass. His rock
hard body sent a silent torment to her swollen nether regions. Keyn lifted her
shirt up then pressed the scarred side of his face against her back. She didn’t
dare move, couldn’t. She suddenly realized what he was doing. He was listening
to her heart. His hands moved to the glass on either side of her body. Keyn
remained there, breathing deep, and the feel of his breath on her skin was
exquisitely sexual.
A low growl escaped his lips and he quickly spun her around.
Staring at him so close was an entirely new experience. His eyes were narrowed,
almost glaring at her. His breaths were hard pants and his wings spread wide
blocked out the approaching sun. His hands remained on the glass but he leaned
forward. To Trillian’s surprise, he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to
hers. It was so sudden. The action was so tender. Their breaths blended. When
he opened his eyes, he took a deep, shaky breath.
Keyn kissed Trillian.
His plump lips pressed to hers but he didn’t seem to know how to
proceed. He just held the kiss. She smiled, parting her lips to kiss him back.
This was the kind of kiss that only happened once in a lifetime. It was soul
opening, life changing, and then she felt him shiver against her.
Trillian pulled away. She saw the raised bumps on his skin and the
frown that lined his lips. “Keyn?” Why did he look so out of sorts and
conflicted? Why didn’t he take the kiss further?
Keyn growled before he turned away and jumped off the balcony. His
wings fluttered loudly as he made his escape. Trillian leaned against the
glass, stunned. What the hell was that? She watched him fly away from her and
then his wings looked like they collapsed. Keyn fell right out of the sky.
****
Keyn couldn’t breathe. Air puffed quickly from his lips as if he’d
fought an epic battle. He flew until he could hardly control his shaking limbs.
His wings refused his brain’s demands. Air rushed by him and his terror spiked,
sending his heart pumping rapidly. He spread his wings at the last second and
Keyn landed on his knees in the grass. He was on all fours trying to get oxygen
into his lungs. That touch, the kiss with Trillian, had been pure instinct and
the moment he came to his senses, Keyn shattered into broken pieces. His arms
and legs shook, goose bumps covered every inch of his flesh, and his cock
hardened between his legs.
He kissed a human.
The knowledge sent his body into a brief, violent convulsion.
Memories flooded his mind of that horrible night, of big manly hands on his
dick. Keyn fell to the dirt, tears cascaded from his eyes, and a scream rumbled
from his lips.
Keyn longed to forget, to have those memories fade away, but they
were still sharp as ever. Each gasp was torture; every throb of his cock
brought forth another recollection. The pleasure of hands pumping his cock, the
shame as those men laughed, the pain as they prodded and penetrated. His
fingers dug into the dirt, trying to tear the history right from his mind.
Hands touched his arm and he flinched. He couldn’t tell memory from reality.
No, those hands were soft and small.
A woman.
Keyn stared through watery eyes as Trillian knelt beside him. “I
saw you fall out of the sky,” she said on a gasp. Her own eyes filled with
tears.
That’s how the nightmare always began, falling from that bright
blue sky. Keyn was gasping for breath. Tears still leaked from his eyes.
“I think...I think you’re hyperventilating,” Trillian said with
wide eyes. “Calm down, slow your breathing.” Her hand fell against his back.
The back that held his wings, beautiful, black delicate things
that those men slashed with their knives. The pain was so bad and then they
dragged that blade down. The tearing had been so excruciating he cried out and
one of them had covered his mouth, lifted his legs and Keyn fell back to the
ground. He couldn’t gulp a single breath even as he tried to focus on Trillian,
on his mate.
“Keyn?” she whispered but this time her voice was laced with fear.
He smelled them first, the stink of trolls. Keyn felt Trillian
pull his sword free. He heard his mate clashing blades with the enemy. He had
to fight whatever this was. Trillian needed him. Her life hung in the balance.
She was outnumbered. His mate.