Aftermath

  "Trista."

  So lost in thought she had not heard him approach, she jumped when Braedon spoke her name. Her hand flew to her chest to calm her thumping heartbeat. "I did not hear you. You frightened me!" His lips quirked. "You? Magical faerie and you did not hear my approach?"

  "I was thinking."

  "I see." He put his hands behind his back and stepped toward her, so handsome and imposing as he swaggered along the banks of the stream and stopped in front of her. He picked up a curl of her hair that rested on her breast and teased it between his fingers.

  "Why are you here, Braedon?"

  "I seek my betrothed."

  "I was about to go back to the castle."

  "I wish to speak to you. Here will do."

  She waited to hear what he had to say, certain now that he had her alone he would berate her for the party. Nothing he said could hurt her more than he already had.

  "I have been watching you the past week."

  And still she waited, but he said nothing further. "And?"

  "You have learned much about your duties."

  "Yes, I have."

  "You have done...an adequate job."

  She snorted. She supposed, for Braedon, that could be considered a compliment. "Thank you."

  "However..."

  Ah. Now she knew what was coming.

  "You cannot have parties without my permission. 'Tis not allowed." Sniffing, she turned her head away and looked into the forest, refusing to let him see the tears pooling in her eyes.

  "Therefore, I will have to punish you."

  Jerking her head back to look at him, her eyes widened. "What did you say?"

  "I said you will be punished for arranging the celebration without permission." How dare he?! Punish her? Surely he could not be serious to assume that he would beat her for having a party at the castle? Why he... "Braedon, what are you doing?"

  "Undressing."

  She watched in confusion as he removed his clothing, taking his time and making no effort to explain why he had to be naked to punish her. "Did you not just say that you were going to punish me?" He smiled. "Aye."

  "Then I ask again, what are you doing?"

  "And I answer again. Undressing."

  Naked, his cock already hard and magnificently showcased in the moonlight, her mouth watered. How could she be so enraged and aroused at the same time? This was ridiculous! She hated him and wanted him with a ferocity that astounded her. The man was making her mad!

  "Remove your clothing, Trista," he commanded.

  "No." She lifted her chin.

  "I said, remove your clothing. You are to be punished."

  "I will not do as you say. This is insane."

  "Do it or I will strip you myself."

  Her sex swelled and moistened at the thought, fury and desire mixing together and confusing her. What was happening to her? She stood firm, refusing to budge or do his bidding.

  In one swift move he was upon her, jerking the laces of her dress apart. Though she did not fight him, she did not help him either other than to retract her wings to keep them from becoming injured. Instead, she stood rigid while he stripped the dress from her body. Every glide of his hand across her bare flesh was like a flame against her skin.

  She both loathed and craved Braedon at this moment. Confusion reigned inside her and she needed the counsel of her sisters, these emotions and sensations too foreign to comprehend. He was furious with her, yet he sprouted an erection. She was angered at him, yet her cunt swelled and heated, spilling cream of arousal down her thighs. How could this be?

  Braedon sat on the stump of a fallen tree and pulled Trista over his lap. She fought him mightly, to no avail. He held her firm within his grasp. "For defying me, you will be given the sound spanking I have threatened you with and should have given you long ago."

  "Braedon, you will do no such thing!"

  But before she could finish speaking, his hand made contact with the bare skin of her buttocks with a resounding swat. She cried out at the hot sting and jerked against his thighs. He held her in place with his hand against her back, but instead of slapping her bare behind again, he rubbed the spot he had just spanked then caressed her thighs, coming close to touching her heated pussy.

  Was he teasing her?

  Trista stilled, realizing that after the first uncomfortable swat, the tender ministrations he gave were not at all unpleasant. In fact, they were quite, quite nice, indeed.

  But then he spanked her again, only this time she realized something. His swats felt...good. Stimulating, actually, when followed by a tender caress. Her core heated and she licked her lips. She found herself anticipating the next time he would spank her, the next time he would caress her, hoping he would touch her pussy, her clit, massage the ache forming between her legs.

  She began to relax against him, move against his thighs. She moaned when he slapped her buttocks, even lifted up into the spanking to generate more of the fiery heat when his hand made contact with her skin.

  Stars, these were amazing sensations!

  "I think you are enjoying this spanking," he teased, his voice low and dark.

  "Aye," she whimpered, no longer caring that she begged. "Please, Braedon. More."

  He smoothed his hand over her buttocks then came down hard on one globe before sliding between her legs to cup her wet mound. He swatted her pussy, though not as hard as her buttocks, and she cried out at the delicious sensation. Sparks flew to her core and she nearly had an orgasm.

  Then he withdrew his hand, concentrating on hard, punishing swats to her behind again. Oh, it hurt. But it was indescribably erotic too. And as soon as she thought she could take no more, as soon as she felt pain, he would stop spanking her, rubbing the spots he had smacked, circling her tender flesh with gentle caresses.

  Her buttocks were on fire, her pussy needy. She spread her legs wider and he swatted her cunt again.

  "You are a very bad girl, Trista. Drop to your knees and suck my cock." He pulled her off his lap and she readily complied, eagerly engulfing his hard shaft between her hungry lips. His own cream spilled onto her tongue as he thrust his cock into her mouth, holding the back of her head as he fed her.

  She sucked him hard, licking the juices he gave her, loving the taste and texture of him. But even in this he punished her, because all too soon he pulled his shaft from her lips and drew her onto his lap once again.

  "More?" he asked, gently rubbing her buttocks.

  Her pussy clenched in spasm. "More," she begged.

  The spanking was welcome. She knew not this pleasure, but oh how she enjoyed it. Spreading her legs again, she whimpered when he swatted her cunt again, feeling the heat and wetness of her juices as they poured from her. Braedon rubbed her there, where she ached the most, taking her closer to the climax she craved, but then pulled his hand away to smack her again, repeating the process over and over again until her rear felt like it was on fire and her pussy throbbed with an incessant, pounding pulse of need.

  He finally stopped spanking her and concentrated on her pussy, driving his fingers inside her, stroking her, gathering her juices then withdrawing to coat her clit with her own cream. When she thought she could bear it no more, he slid his hand along her slit again and between the globes of her buttocks to coat her anus.

  "Such a beautiful ass you have, Trista," he murmured, keeping one hand firmly planted on the small of her back.

  She wriggled against him, positioning her pussy against his thigh, anything so her clit would make contact with his flesh. His hard cock jutted against her hip, but he ignored her silent pleas, instead circling the tight hole of her backside with her juices. She had never felt such incredible sensation there before. It was like magic! So intense, such a feeling of needing something more. She loved the feeling of his fingers circling the tight passage.

  "Have you ever penetrated yourself back here?"

  "No."

  "I'm going to. First with my finger and then with my cock." She s
huddered at the thought of his thick cock inside her anus, wondering if it would hurt. She'd heard of couples fucking that way but had never experimented on herself. Braedon slipped his fingers into her juices again and poured more of them between her buttocks.

  "So wet and slick there, so hot. It will feel good, my sweet faerie, I promise." He swirled his finger through the moistness and around the tight rosette.

  Stars, it did feel good to have him tease her back there. She had not expected to feel such pleasure.

  "Relax and you will enjoy it more. I will not hurt you. If it does, simply tell me to stop and I will." She believed him and relaxed the tension in her body, closing her eyes and once again concentrating on his touch. Soon, she was enveloped in the sensations of his hands on her, touching her clit, sliding inside her pussy, while the other hand circled her anus. When he pushed one finger past the tight barrier there, she tensed, but only for a moment as the sharp pain shocked her, then quickly subsided. Braedon dribbled her juices around his finger from his other hand, coating it and lubricating it, allowing his finger to glide easily inside the tight sheath. Then he maneuvered his other hand underneath to cup her mound and caress her clit, making her forget about any sort of pain.

  How could she feel pain when she felt such amazing pleasure? She lifted her hips as he swirled his hand over her sex and plunged his finger deeper into her anus. The pressure built, bringing her closer and closer until she could not hold back.

  "Braedon!"

  He withdrew his finger partially from her anus and then thrust it in deeply as she cried out, over the edge with an orgasm that made her magic burst within her. She held tight to his thigh and screamed her pleasure while he caressed her clit and slid the fingers of his other hand into her pussy, holding her in place while she rocked against him and rode out the sensations that threatened to topple her off his lap.

  She shuddered against him and finally gained her balance while he withdrew his hands and pulled her off his lap, then laid her on her back on the soft grass while he cleaned his hands in the water.

  She expected him to invade her anus with his cock right then and she prepared herself for it, trying to remain relaxed but knowing there would be a big difference between one finger and his thick shaft.

  But he did not. Instead, he leaned over her and captured her lips with his, teasing them back and forth across hers and licking at the tip of her tongue.

  She shuddered at the tenderness. Her lips parted and she reached for him, spreading her legs to accommodate his weight as he settled on top of her to take her mouth fully. Heat exploded inside her once again and she threaded her fingers in his hair to bring him closer, needing to feel him fully against her.

  But he withdrew, sliding down her body to capture one nipple in his mouth, flattening it against the roof of his mouth and his tongue, suckling it until she could not bear the exquisite torment and lifted her hips, wanting his cock buried inside her instead.

  "Patience, my faerie," he murmured against her breast, staring at the nipple he released from the clutches of his mouth.

  Patience? She had no patience. Not when he licked around the other nipple and then drew it between his teeth to tug at it until sparks burst behind her eyes and she cried out with the pleasure of it.

  When he trailed his tongue across her ribs and lower, excitement bloomed like dolaberries after the first rain of spring, bursting from deep inside her and covering her skin in a warm flush. He cradled her buttocks in his hands and lifted her bottom.

  "Spread your legs for me, Trista," he commanded.

  She did, opening herself for him, offering whatever he asked if he would only take her once again.

  When he circled his tongue around her clit, she laid her head on the soft grass and sighed in delight. He slid his tongue lower to capture the juices of her pussy and she tangled her fingers in the grass, felt the burning heat surround her. But then her world shattered as Braedon moved lower and lapped her anus with the warmth of his tongue. Her head shot up and she cried out, eyes widening in shock.

  "Braedon!"

  "Shh, relax, faerie," he murmured, "for I wish to taste you everywhere. To make you mine everywhere." He bent down and teased her anus again with his tongue, sliding it around the small opening again and again until she thought she'd die from the pleasure of it. She laid her head down and closed her eyes, biting her lip as the new sensations took her places she had never been before. He invaded the small hole with the tip of his tongue, fucking her ass as he had with his finger, as he soon would with his cock. She bucked against him, these strange sensations sending her spiraling out of control. She did not want them to stop, for they were truly magical.

  But then she grew cold as he moved away from her and opened her eyes to see what he was about. On his knees between her legs, he positioned his cock at her slit and slid inside her pussy.

  Magic. Her muscles gripped him as he pushed inside, welcoming him, squeezing him as he drove deep.

  She pulsed and came, crying out and grasping his arms, golden dust surrounding them as she rode out a hard and fast orgasm. Braedon rocked slowly against her until the waves subsided, then withdrew, letting her juices seep from her pussy to her anus, coating the small hole while he positioned his cock head there.

  "I want to be inside you there, my love," he said.

  She nodded, still pulsing, still needing to feel part of him. He lifted her legs and bent her knees, then pushed them back toward her head, opening her wide for him as he pushed against her anus with his cock head.

  He smiled down at her, his blue eyes as dark as a gathering storm in the heat of summer. Her heart filled with love for him and she reached out to touch his chest even as he leaned over her and pushed past the tight barrier within her. She gasped and he stilled, then reached down with one hand to coat his finger in her juices and caress her clit. Soon the pain subsided and all she felt was pleasure. Fiery hot pleasure and she wanted more of it.

  "More," she said and he inched deeper, sliding more fully inside her, still petting her clit, still taking her closer to that magical place again.

  "So tight," he said, pushing further until he was fully sheathed inside her. He leaned back and grasped her knees. "Touch yourself for me while I fuck you, Trista."

  She reached down and found the hard knot, flicked it with her finger, watching his brow arch as she did so.

  "That excites me," he said.

  "I know." She patted her pussy and slid two fingers in her cunt, feeling his cock inside her anus. She fucked herself in tandem with his strokes in her ass, using her other hand to swirl over her clit. The sensations were maddening, like being fucked by more than one man. Soon she could not speak, could only watch Braedon as he reared back and thrust forward. Sweat beaded on his brow, lines furrowing there as he concentrated on watching the movements of her hands as she fucked her fingers in and out of her pussy.

  She felt the tightening around her own fingers as her climax approached. Braedon pumped harder then drove deep and shuddered, roaring as he came. She screamed into the night and golden dust covered them both as her orgasm burst from her in a wave of shattering magic, lifting them both off the ground to hover until they were both spent and in each other's arms.

  When she took them to ground again, Braedon withdrew, picked her up and took them both to the water, where he bathed her tenderly and brought her back to the soft grass.

  She expected him to dress and return to the castle as he had every other time, but this time he pulled her into his arms and placed her head on his shoulders, caressing her back. Astounded at this change in him, she looked up at the night sky and stared at the stars, afraid to move or speak lest this magical spell be broken.

  "I have much to learn about this woman thing and how to deal with you. I know I have made mistakes." Her eyes widened.

  "But I am willing to try."

  She leaned up to gaze into his face, certain the real Braedon had been replaced by someone else. "All right."

>   He grinned and pulled her down for a kiss.

  Perhaps this man she was falling in love with was not such an ogre after all.

  She laid her head on his shoulder once again and thanked the stars, for the first time filled with hope that her life here at Greenbriar might work out after all.

  Chapter Ten

  Braedon knew the moment they stepped from the forest that something was not right. Several dozen of his guard stood at the entrance, their faces grim.

  "What happened?" he asked.

  "Wizards," Lavare said. "Attacked."

  Damn. "Casualties?"

  "A few guard. Injuries, no fatalities."

  But there was more and he knew it. He felt the squeeze of Trista's hand in his. "Tell me."

  "They took your brother, my king."

  Trista gasped and cried out, "Oh, no!"

  Donny. For a brief second Braedon squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again and pushed away the emotion threatening to swallow him whole. The nightmares of the past came rushing back at him. "Tell me everything so we can plan an attack and rescue."

  "I can help," Trista said, tugging on his arm as he began to walk away.

  He whirled on her, too furious to speak.

  "Braedon, please. Let me help. I am familiar with the wizards and their magic. I can help. My people can help."

  Unable to hold his anger in, he said, "You will do nothing. It is because of you that he is gone. We have not had a wizard attack since my father was killed because we were always on guard, always prepared. But since you arrived and arranged frivolity and this idiotic celebration, look at what happened! Because of you my brother has been taken! Because of you we relaxed our standards and because of you I might lose another one of the people I love! Go to your room, faerie. You have done quite enough to 'help'." He turned and walked away, ignoring her stricken look. He had neither the time nor the desire to make her feel better. 'Twas the truth that it was her fault Donny was taken and he would not let her hide from the facts.

  There was much to be done. He would get his brother back. The wizards would not harm another member of his family.