The Desperate Fay King

Kidnapped by a Fay

The Desperate Fay King Reed, the newly crowned fay king, can't afford to be nice. Chase is the beginning of a new era on Ardinio. With a hardened heart, Reed kidnaps Chase for the survival of his people. When Chase realizes he has been taken away from all he knows, his emotions rage out of control. His mind says go but his body says no. Chase's bodily reaction to Reed has his analytical mind scrambling for a logical explanation. Reed is cold with flashes of burning heat. With time, Chase longs to be singed by Reed but brokenheartedly fears he'll never melt the ice that surrounds Reed's heart. After losing all of his family, Reed is determined to never love anyone again. Ice proudly runs through his veins. Unhappily, Reed hits a small bump in the road to coldly rebuilding his kingdom—his growing feelings for Chase, his cute little human. Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Fantasy Length: 41,499 words

THE DESPERATE FAY KING Kidnapped by a Fay

Dakota Dawn

MENAGE AND MORE MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Ménage and More ManLove

THE DESPERATE FAY KING Copyright © 2011 by Dakota Dawn E-book ISBN: 1-61926-056-5 First E-book Publication: November 2011 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of The Desperate Fay King by Dakota Dawn from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Dakota Dawn’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Dawn’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

DEDICATION To my husband and children for all their crazy support. Love ya! To Hunter for his insight on fighting scenes! And to all the people who love a zany adventure. I hope this one warms your heart.

THE DESPERATE FAY KING Kidnapped by a Fay 1 DAKOTA DAWN Copyright © 2011

Chapter One “Prince Reed Rexton, it is time for you to retrieve your male mystic mate.” Reed shot to his feet in disbelief. “Not right now. I don’t have time for this. The trollettes are at this very moment plotting new ways to try to take our lands. Evidence of them in our territory is growing. Last time they came onto our lands they tried to claim all we had. It took years to totally defeat them.” Stroud, an ancient fairy, wiggled his pointed ears. “We will defeat the trollettes with ease this time. Our technology and fighting skills have improved, but theirs have not. The Enlightened Ones have assured me of this. It is our population that worries me and the Enlightened Ones. Now that the cure has been discovered for the virus that wiped out over half of our population fifty years ago, it is time to repopulate.” “Why can’t I just do that with one of our own women? A few will mature in ten years. It would be faster and easier.” Reed couldn’t seem to catch a break. He wasn’t even supposed to be the prince of his people. It was true he had royal blood running through his veins, but there were many cousins in line for the throne ahead of him. He

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hadn’t been properly prepared for the job. All who stood a good chance of being king were trained from birth. Unfortunately, the virus had taken all of them, as well as his whole family. First had been his staunch but loving father. Reed remembered coming home with a bruised cheek when he was twelve. His father had been livid when Reed told him a bully had hit him. He’d started Reed’s warrior training that night. No one had messed with Reed since then. His beautiful mother suddenly popped into his thoughts. The warmth of her smile had always made Reed feel loved. What he wouldn’t give to see her smile again. A picture of his twin brothers flashed into his mind. They had been so full of life, there wasn’t a moment in the day that they stood still, much to his parents’ chagrin. He ached to hear the twins bantering playfully. A knot formed in his throat when his sweet little sister’s face appeared in his mind. Her eyes had been the same teal color as his. She used to pull his face close to hers and give him butterfly kisses with her long black lashes. When he focused hard enough he could feel her lashes brush his cheek. The pain of their loss ate at him every single day. Never again would he get close to anyone. Stroud put his wrinkled hand on Reed’s shoulder. “I know this is hard for you, but it is time to rebuild. There are only a few female fairies. Nowhere near enough to restore our people. As a warrior you understand that the more of us there are, the less we have to fight. If we are many, other people will not be so quick to try to conquer us.” “Why do we have to mate with humans? Surely there are some realms that are overpopulated with fairies. Those fairies would be glad to come here.” Reed was grasping at straws. He knew if the Enlightened Ones had found an overpopulated realm they would have said so. “I’m sorry to say there are no realms like that. We have to rebuild on our own. The humans are the best choice. Our DNA will dominate theirs. After a few couplings with your mates, they will have fairy DNA. You are about to be king. The people will follow your lead.

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Their respect for you has grown over the years. They trust you to guide them to their survival. We must take the humans. We don’t have a choice.” Reed’s shoulders dropped. “How do they know mating the humans will work? I don’t want to take humans from their homes and bring hope to our people for no reason.” Stroud looked at the ground then cleared his throat. “We know it will work because a few fairies on the planet Picron brought three humans home as pets.” That snapped Reed to attention. “Pets? Are they that slow? We will die before we mate with pets.” Disgust dripped from every word Reed said. Stroud waved his hands. “No, no. They are not slow. That was found out after they were brought to Picron. It wasn’t long after the three humans were taken that they proved themselves to be smart and tough. The Enlightened Ones mystic mated them with their captors.” Stroud smiled. “I thought that was just punishment for the stickyfingered fairies. What amazed the Enlightened Ones was the way the human DNA changed into fay DNA. All the couples are happy, but I can tell you, the fairies there are very careful not to bring back the ruling species from any more planets they are visiting.” Intrigued, Reed asked, “Have any babies been born? And how well have the humans adjusted?” Stroud smiled and held up two fingers. “Two healthy babies have been born. About them adjusting, I won’t lie. It took a little time, but now the humans have accepted it and seem to be happy on their new planet.” Stroud went to the window and looked out. “It’s time to strengthen Ardinio. There are no children here. It is a sad sight.” Stroud turned to Reed. “You have to go retrieve your male mate. Time is running out. You will be king soon.” Reed felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach. “How bad is my uncle? He seemed fine yesterday, just tired. I think he’ll be better in no time.” Reed needed his uncle. He’d been guiding him in the ways

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of their people and how to rule firmly but with compassion. There was still much to be learned. A loud, quick knock drew their attention to the door. “Come in,” Reed bellowed. A tall, slender, young male bowed before Reed. “I’m sorry. Your uncle he…he just passed on.” Reed rushed from the room and went straight to his uncle. Pain shot through his chest. The last of his kin was dead. The ninehundred-year-old fairy had taken him in and taught him many things in the last fifty years. He had become Reed’s father figure, teacher, and friend. Tears slipped down Reed’s cheeks. He wasn’t ready to be alone. Through his tears he saw his uncle’s hand move. Hope came to life in his chest. “He’s alive. I just saw his hand move. He was just sleeping deeply.” Relief flowed through every pore in Reed’s body. The doctor standing nearby hurriedly moved forward and checked his uncle’s pulse. With a solemn face, he said, “I’m sorry, sir. He has no pulse. Shortly after death, the nervous system can twitch, making a limb move. He’s gone.” Reed couldn’t accept it. He checked his uncle’s pulse. Be alive, be alive. I need you. No pulse. Reed moved his fingers and pressed again. Come on, be alive. I can’t lose the last of my family. More tears slipped down his cheeks, but he didn’t give up. He moved his fingers again and pressed. No pulse. Pain wracked his body. Loneliness enveloped him. He kissed his uncle’s forehead then knelt by his bed and cried out his pain and sorrow. Night had fallen by the time the new king rose and left the room. He didn’t look back. From this moment on, he was keeping his distance from all people. Losing them was too painful. A thick wall of ice now surrounded his heart, and he’d make sure no one ever melted it. ****

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Chase Dolan rubbed his hands together in glee. His phone rang on cue. “How did you like your present?” he asked his best friend, Craig. “The male strippers were great…until my man came home and tried to shoot them all,” Craig answered with a snarl. “Oops! Next year I’ll send them and you to a hotel room.” Chase held back a laugh as he openly lied. “Oops, my ass! You sent them to my house on purpose. You damn well knew Adrian would come home and catch me with your birthday presents. He’s mad enough to spit nails.” Chase grinned to himself. “Good, that’s just what I wanted. When Adrian gets mad, the make-up sex you two have is awesome. Your make-up sex is my real present. Enjoy yourself.” Craig groaned. “He’s really mad. It is going to take me hours to cool him down enough to get him to fuck me. I’m sure I’m going to love it, but you are still going to pay for this. Plans are already swirling around in my mind. Look over your shoulder, payback is coming.” Chase could hear Adrian commanding Craig to get off the phone and kneel at his feet. Craig sounded excited as he ended the call. “Got to go. Master is calling.” Chase smiled as he put his phone back in his pocket. Craig was in for some hot loving tonight. Too bad he wasn’t getting any, but at least his best friend was. He’d just gotten off work and was walking through the parking lot to his truck when he heard someone call his name. Looking over his shoulder, he looked into a wide chest. Turning quickly, he swallowed hard as he looked up into the man’s vivid teal eyes. An electrical shock shot through his body and settled in his balls. The man’s mesmerizing eyes cut over to the new marking on his cheek. Chase had awakened with the design of a crown surrounded by

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a heart on his right cheek two days ago. His friends were sure he had gotten drunk and had it tattooed on, but he knew better. He had been feeling funny most of the day and had gone to bed early, and then woke up the next morning with the marking about the size of a quarter on his cheek. He had scrubbed and scrubbed, but it wouldn’t come off. Great! Who the hell would get a crown inside a heart permanently put on their right cheek? People were sure to think he was crazy. At least he knew how to fight. Anybody fucked with him and they’d be sorry. Chase watched the man step closer. The tingling in his balls escalated. What was up with that? He’d never reacted to anyone this way before. “Chase Andrew Dolan, you will come with me.” Chase took a step back. He didn’t care how cute the man was, he was not about to just do what he demanded. Chase looked him up and down. “Who are you?” “My name is Reed Rexton, and you are my mystic mate.” Reed held his hand out. “Take my hand, I don’t have all day.” As he took another step back, Chase shook his head. “I don’t think so. Go try that on someone who’s desperate for attention. Maybe you’ll get lucky.” Reed shook his head. “No other male will do. You wear my mark. You are mine.” Chase raised his hand to his cheek. “Did you do this?” “Not personally. The Enlightened Ones of my people gave you my mark when they located you for me.” Reed unbuttoned his shirt and moved it aside. Chase’s breath hitched. A few inches above Reed’s right nipple was a crown surrounded by a heart. Their marks matched perfectly. Anger boiled up in Chase. “Your people marked me on the fucking face and you on the chest. What kind of crazy shit is this?” Chase shook his head. “No. I don’t care. All I want to know is how to remove your mark from me.”

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“You belong to me. That mark lets everyone know you are mine. It will never come off. Plus, with it on your face, it was easy for me to identify you. I find it rather convenient and am glad it’s staying.” Reed held out his hand again. “Can we go now? I have other places to be.” “Gee, let me think about it for a second. Go with an arrogant ass and possibly get killed, or leave and live happily ever after.” Chase tapped his chin. “I think I’ll take the latter.” Chase bolted for the walking park that was next to the parking lot. There were plenty of places to hide in there and plenty of exits. He knew that park like the back of his hand. He darted across the path and straight into the thick wooded area inside the path. Stepping lightly and quickly, he moved deeper in. A smile crossed his face when he heard Reed cursing. After jumping a small stream of swift-moving water, Chase hauled ass to an exit. If Reed didn’t know anything about the park, it would take him a little while to find the exit. That would give Chase plenty of time to head home. Too bad the guy had to be a complete jerk. His body had reacted strongly to Reed’s. Hell, his balls were still tingling, and his ass wanted to be taken like never before. It looked like he was going to have to pull out his toys tonight. Running quickly out of the park, Chase grinned as he circled back around to his truck. After retrieving his keys, he unlocked the door and turned to blow a kiss toward the fool looking for him in the park. “Eek!” Chase leapt back at the sight of the fool standing right next to him. “Damn, man. You almost gave me a heart attack.” Chase’s heart pounded in his chest. The fucker had scared the hell out of him. “You deserved it. Now let’s go. I have a lot to do today. After I take you home and mate you, I have to start training you.” “Fuck you, man. I’m not going anywhere with you.” Reed stepped closer. Chase didn’t want to hurt the man, so he dropped to the ground and quickly bolted around Reed’s legs. Freedom was not to be found.

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Instead, Chase felt himself being lifted into the air by his shirt. Did he look like a puppy or what? This wasn’t right. “Look, dude, I’m getting tired of you. Put me down, now!” A squeak escaped from Chase’s throat when, in a lightning-quick move, Reed squeezed him tightly to his body. Fear shot up Chase’s spine when Reed spoke a few unrecognizable words. Shit, was this guy a cult leader or something else really bad? Chase tried to hit the man, but his arms didn’t work. Fuck! Chase screamed when the ground disappeared and a purple cloud swirled around them. A woozy sensation filled his head. He felt disconnected from his body. “I don’t feel too good.” “You’ll be fine soon. Hang in there. We are almost home.” Reed’s words were soothing for a change. Just when Chase was starting to feel better, the purple cloud stopped circling them then disappeared. Chase looked around. “Where the hell are we?” “We are home. In our rooms, to be exact. Get used to it.” Reed pointed toward a large wooden door. “The bathroom is in there. Go take a bath. I’ll be back in two hours to mate you.” The woozy feeling was wearing off fast and was replaced with anger. “Excuse me. I didn’t agree to come here, and I sure as hell didn’t agree to let you mate me.” At the word mate Chase’s dick hardened and his balls rolled. What was wrong with him? His body wanted Reed to fuck him, but his mind was having trouble with the idea of having sex with a stranger. Reed ran his hand over his face. “Have a seat.” He pointed to a large chair in the corner. Chase scowled as his body immediately did what Reed asked. “The longer you are around me, the more your body will do as I command. That is why I have to be careful with what I tell you to do. So don’t piss me off.” Reed sat in the chair across from Chase. “Stop scowling. You will get your free will back after we have mated a few times.”

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“You’re kidding me, right?” Chase questioned. “Look, this is hard for both of us. I didn’t want to bring my mystic male mate home for at least a few more years.” “Then why am I here? Take me home.” Part of Chase wanted to escape, but another part of him was telling him he was home. “I can’t. You’re already here. The Enlightened Ones want us to start mating tonight. You are the first human mate on our planet. It is our job to show the others that it can be done and that humans are smart and strong enough to be mated to fairies.” “Fairies! I am not having sex with a fairy.” Chase pressed his hands to his face. “This is a dream. Just a dream.” “Calm yourself. This is not a dream, and you are about to be mated to a fairy. It doesn’t matter what we want, my people need this to work. Our numbers are few, but mating with humans will solve that problem.” Reed twirled a lock of his long black hair around his finger. “News flash, I’m not a female.” Could this get any worse? I’ve been kidnapped by a slow fairy. Chase decided then and there to start working out more often. Oh yeah, and to start being meaner to strangers. A smile crossed Reed’s face. “I know. You are my male mystic mate. After you are trained in our ways, we will go get our female mystic mate. She will be the one to produce our children.” Let’s see how Mister Crazy answers this question. “If you just need babies, why are you taking males?” Mentally, Chase did a victory dance. Sorrow etched Reed’s features. “Because a lot of our young males died, too. We need warriors as well as women. I’m sure you understand the concept of strength in numbers.” Reed eyed Chase. “You are one of those numbers. Your warrior training will start soon.” Chase stopped his mental victory dance. Reed wasn’t supposed to come up with such a good answer. Chase started feeling snippety. “What if I don’t want to have sex with her? I might prefer men only.”

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Reed shook his head. “You are bisexual. The Enlightened Ones would not have marked you if you weren’t. You are supposed to be my perfect mate.” The tingling in Chase’s balls was intensifying. Reed was so hot. Still, Chase didn’t feel like giving in just yet. “Is she here? I don’t think I’m going to like her or you.” Reed laughed. “You are already attracted to me just as much as I’m attracted to you. To answer your question about our other mate, she’s not here. Remember, I just told you about her. When the time is right, we will go get her.” Chase scowled. “I remembered. I was just trying to catch you in a lie.” Reed’s brows drew together sharply. “Fairies don’t lie. Now back to your role in all this. One of your tasks will be to help her adjust to her new home. You don’t have to worry about that right now, though. We won’t retrieve her until we are a strong couple and the trollettes are taken care of.” “Trollettes? You’re kidding me, right?” This couldn’t be happening. “No, I’m not kidding. It’s not in my nature. A small band of trollettes are trying to take over our lands, or cause trouble of some other sort, but they won’t succeed.” Reed’s voice had turned icy. Chase shivered visibly. Reed stood and from his towering height stared down at Chase. Chase thought he saw a flicker of warmth, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye. Maybe he had imagined it. Why did this beautiful man have to be so cold? Reed reached out and twirled a finger in one of Chase’s curly brown locks of hair. “Soft. That’s good, but it needs to be longer. Go take your bath then wait for me on the bed.” Chase watched as Reed turned and left the room. There was no way he was going to jump every time Reed told him to do something. Chase crossed his arms and planned on staying put. Without warning,

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Chase’s body stood up and headed for the bathroom. Damn that coldassed fairy. This was wrong on so many levels. He wanted to cry when his hands started removing his clothes and his body went to the tub and sank into the warm water that was waiting on him. Fear washed over him. Reed was almost emotionless. Would he be a cold lover? A tear trickled down his cheek as his hands started washing his body. Would this auto-mode he was in lead him to a horrible sexual experience? Another tear raced down his cheek. What was wrong with him? His emotions were just as out of control as his body. He tried once again to turn off this strange auto-mode, but his hands kept on washing his body. A large lump formed in his throat. He wished he could make it all stop.

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Chapter Two Chase was making himself sick. After his bath, the cursed auto-mode made him dry himself off. He watched in horror as his hands grabbed the waiting towel and started rubbing every inch of his body. Closing his eyes and thinking hard, Chase tried to get control of his body. He mentally refused to put on the sheer blue, thigh-length robe that hung from a decorative hook on the back of the door. Cursing loudly, Chase slid into the robe that screamed “I’m a male whore, use me, please.” He cursed even louder when his body went into the bedroom and climbed onto the massive bed. What would happen now? The wait was eating him up. He wouldn’t do this. He had rights, right? Scooting to the edge of the bed, he tried to slide off the bed. Nothing happened. It was like an invisible wall was surrounding the bed. Surely that couldn’t be. Getting on his knees, he felt the edge of the bed. Sure enough, something was there blocking him from leaving. Chase scratched his head. That had not been there when he’d gotten on the bed. Sliding his hands up the invisible wall, he stood up and stretched his arms as high as he could. The wall was taller than him. Needing to see how high the wall went, he jumped, never taking his hand off the strange invisible wall. To his sorrow, it didn’t end. It must go all the way to the twelve-foot ceiling. Plopping himself back down on the bed, he flopped back and stared at the ceiling. This was so screwed up. Feeling an air current swirl around his balls, he reached down and straightened his robe to make sure nothing was showing. One look down and he remembered

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he was wearing a sheer robe. Everything was showing. He might as well be naked. The reason he was on this big bed practically naked rushed to the forefront of his mind. A big hot man…scratch that, a big hot fairy wanted to fuck him, then train him to be a fairy, then go retrieve their female mate and live happily ever after. Chase ran his hand through his curly brown hair. This had to be a joke. As he tapped his chin, the light bulb came on. Craig must have preplanned his payback. He was a brilliant little fucker. Craig knew he always planned some kind of crazy fun for his birthday. If it was over the top, he would pay Chase back. Looks like payback was quick in coming this year. Whew! It felt good to have that figured out. As a problem solver, it was important for him to be able to assess a situation and figure out what was going on. The purple cloud must have had some kind of hypnotic stuff in it. Why else would his body obey the hot fairy? That also explained the invisible wall around the bed. At least the purple cloud hadn’t messed with his mind, figuring things out was important to his sanity. The thought of that purple cloud surrounding them made him smile. Those special effects had been awesome! Even the ground had disappeared. Chase reached up and touched the fake tattoo on his cheek. It was probably some kind of enhanced henna. That would explain how his matched the fairy’s. One day he’d have to ask Craig how he had gotten it on his face without him feeling a thing. Craig had gone to a lot of trouble to pull this off. To show how much he appreciated his friend’s effort, he would play along. Reed seemed to like to dominate. Chase didn’t usually play the submissive role, but for Reed he would. The whole mating thing was a genius way for Craig to get him laid. Craig had been hounding him to get laid for over six months. Chase didn’t feel he was picky. He just needed more than sex in a relationship. That’s why he hadn’t gotten laid in over a year. At the

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ripe age of thirty, he was needing a change. He chuckled at the thought of the big fairy. Now that was a change! Thank goodness Craig was into safe sex. He would never set up a mating if both partners weren’t clean and healthy. Chase was glad he’d had time to analyze the situation. Now that he knew what was really happening, he could enjoy the ride freely. Getting laid by a hot fairy was suddenly very appealing. Heat surrounded his balls. Chase reached down and stroked them. Ever since he’d met the hot fairy, his body had been waiting for a mating. He chuckled at his own rhyming words. As he stroked his sac, he wondered if the gorgeous man was hung. He hoped so. A fire was building in his veins that only a well-hung man could put out. Stop thinking about sex. The man’s not even here. Chase quit stroking his balls and looked around the room. It was massive. Shimmering beige walls contrasted beautifully with rich dark blue curtains and carpet. Thick carpet. A picture of him on his knees sucking off a couple of men eased into his mind. Peace and pleasure tingled throughout his body. His brain struggled for a moment. He usually only had sex one-on-one. But for some reason he felt like being fucked while he sucked off a couple of other men. That was new. Maybe it was just his brain playing out its part in this wacky, wonderful scene that Craig had set up. The large wooden door swung open, startling Chase. Reed walked in wearing nothing but a towel. His blue-black hair brushed the top of his thighs with each step he took. Its length was amazing. His unique teal eyes were a bit cold, but that was the way they were supposed to look, right? He looked just like the dominating warrior he was playing. Remembering to act submissive, Chase quickly moved into a slave pose. He sat on his feet with his thighs spread wide and his hands on his thighs. Reed stopped close to the bed. Pleasure flickered in his eyes. “I’m pleased to see that you have accepted your fate.”

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The look that had flickered in Reed’s eyes made Chase’s dick stand at attention. He’d do whatever it took to get that look back. “Yes, Master.” Reed eased onto the bed and knelt in front of Chase. “I am not your master. I am your king and mystic mate.” The closer Reed got, the hotter Chase’s balls became. The chemistry was so strong between them that Chase’s ass was starving for the feel of Reed’s hard cock. Needing a distraction and wanting to play along, Chase asked, “What’s a mystic mate? “Mystic mates are perfectly balanced souls that are supernaturally found and bound together forever.” Reed leaned in and brushed his lips across Chase’s. Electricity arced between them. Chase loved Reed’s explanation of what mystic mates were. At this moment in time it felt like Reed’s words were truthful. Reed was great at his job. Fire licked at Chase’s skin, causing him to moan and melt into Reed. His lips opened, letting Reed in. Reed’s tongue invaded Chase’s mouth in a deliciously conquering way. Slowly it explored every inch of Chase’s mouth. A shudder raced down Chase’s spine when Reed groaned then started kissing a path to his ear. Reed nipped at his earlobe, sending pure fire to Chase’s groin. It had been too long. Chase needed Reed now. “Please. I need you in me.” Reed leaned back. The heat in his eyes made Chase’s cock twitch. “Take off your robe, then lie down and spread your legs.” Moving quickly, Chase did as he was told. Reed moved between his legs and started stroking his thighs. Chase needed more than his thighs stroked and was just about to say so when Reed’s hands moved up and over his balls and engorged cock. In his mind, he begged Reed to fuck him. He looked into Reed’s eyes, and the heat that was there stopped him from trying to hurry the man. The intense pleasure on his face as his hands roamed Chase’s body was breathtaking.

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Reed’s voice was husky. “You are magnificent. I must have one more taste of your heavenly mouth before I see what your begging cock tastes like.” With controlled ease, Reed removed his towel and tossed it aside. His cock was a little small but beautiful. Chase almost came when Reed eased his body down to rest on his. Their cocks touched a second before Reed’s mouth took possession of Chase’s. Chase flexed his hips upward and gloried in the feel of their cocks sliding against each other. Reed’s cock felt way larger than it had looked. Needing to touch Reed, Chase let his hands glide over Reed’s back. His hard body was splendid. The need to be one with him was driving Chase wild. Chase bucked his hips and groaned as sparks shot through his pelvis. Reed’s cock felt huge, and his balls pressed down erotically on Chase’s. Reed stopped kissing Chase’s mouth and started moving down his body. “That’s it, baby. Let the heat take you.” Chase shuddered when Reed took his cock in his hands and breathed his hot breath across the tip. A hiss escaped Chase’s lips when Reed took his cock deep into his mouth then slowly bobbed up and down. His fingers moved down to cradle Chase’s balls. Fire shot from Chase’s sac and raced to the head of his dick. His hands rushed to Reed’s head and tangled in his hair. For a second it felt like the silky strands had tightened around Chase’s hands. When Reed’s tongue started lapping the crown of his cock, Chase forgot about the strange moment and focused on Reed’s hot, wet mouth. Absolutely awesome. Reed kneaded Chase’s balls with one hand while the other moved to Chase’s lovely little hole. He stroked it and groaned when Chase pushed down, making his finger sink into the tight, hot channel. “I can’t wait to sink into this lovely little ass.” Chase was starting to pant. “Please.” His voice was no more than a whisper.

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“Soon, my little mate, but first I need to taste your seed. This will be the last time your semen tastes this way. After I mate you, your seed will taste just like mine.” As he talked, he slid another finger in Chase’s ass and spread them to loosen Chase up. His long fingers hit a sweet spot at the same time he took Chase’s cock to the back of his throat and sucked hard. Chase’s cries filled the room as stars danced before his eyes. Reed swirled his fingers, caressing Chase’s inner muscles. Chase started panting when Reed zeroed in on a sensitive spot and pressed hard. Something electrical shot through his groin, raced up his spine, and shot off fireworks in his head and heart. His cum shot from his body and raced down Reed’s wondrous throat. Reed continued to suck at his softening cock. Tingles of heated contentment and satisfaction continued to wash through his body. He lay there boneless. Never before had he experienced anything like that. Chase glanced down, and his eyes locked with Reed’s. His teal eyes glowed. Not one to leave a person hanging, he forced his legs up to his chest. Reed slowly removed his fingers then moved over to the nightstand and pulled out some lube. He moved back to the bed and drizzled lube on Chase’s puckered hole then poured a generous amount on his cock. Chase didn’t think he needed that much lube. Reed’s cock wasn’t that big. But he wasn’t about to say anything. The man had just given him the best blow job of his life. Needing another kiss, Chase moved his hands to Reed’s shoulders. “Kiss me while you take me.” He tried to pull Reed down, but he wouldn’t budge. “Not this time. I need to watch your face as I impale you. I want to make sure I don’t hurt you.” This poor guy really thinks he is hung. Chase didn’t want to hurt Reed’s feelings, so he urged him along instead. “Take me, my king. Make me yours.”

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Reed’s eyes glowed even brighter at Chase’s words. Chase groaned when he felt Reed’s hot cock line up with his ass. “This will only hurt for a moment.” I don’t think s—Reed flexed his ass and thrust deeply into Chase’s body. Holy fuck! Chase held his breath then looked down to see what Reed had just stuffed up his ass. He blinked when all he saw was Reed’s cock partially buried in him. He looked into Reed’s face and saw that his lips were twisted in a half smile. All thought left his mind when Reed started carefully moving his hips. Each added inch was heaven and hell. Bliss and pain rocked his body. By the time he was all the way in, Chase was panting. Reed stroked his hands down Chase’s chest and rested them on his cock. Chase’s cock twitched, and the pain started to ebb. “Damn, man. You feel way bigger than you look.” Reed rocked his hips then whispered huskily, “In a second you’re going to feel nothing but pleasure.” His hands started stroking Chase’s cock until it was rock hard and ready to erupt. Chase started moaning loudly. “Is the pain all gone now?” Chase nodded and a shudder shook his body. “Good. That’s it. Let this pleasurable moment sweep you away. Focus on how good my big cock feels. It’s all the way in now. Soon I’m going to come in your tight little ass and heat is going to singe your balls. Don’t be afraid. It’s part of the bonding.” Chase couldn’t stop moaning. It felt so good. So fucking good. All he could do was lay there and let Reed take control. His ass was so full he was quaking, and the way Reed was stroking his cock was about to push him over the edge. Reed’s eyes suddenly changed. Small sparks seemed to be dancing in them. Before Chase could say a word, Reed’s hands heated up and tingles shot through Chase’s dick and balls. A savage need to be fucked hard had Chase begging. “Harder. Please fuck me harder.”

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“Oh, I’m going to.” Reed moved one hand to Chase’s chest and pinned him down. His other hand continued to stroke Chase’s cock. Chase was going to explode. Every cell in his body was on high alert. Reed had him pinned, and he didn’t care. All he wanted was for the larger man to go wild on him. In a second, his dream came true. Reed tightened his glutes and started ramming his cock in and out of Chase’s quivering body. All of the sudden Reed lunged forward harder than ever. He roared, and his cock expanded right before his white-hot seed gushed out of his body. Chase cried out as his ass filled with Reed’s essence. Fire spread from his ass to his balls. His body convulsed, and he screamed as his cum erupted from his cock. Reed collapsed on him and murmured softly into his ear. Heat continued to radiate deliciously through his groin. As Chase floated, he smiled. I owe Craig big-time!

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Chapter Three Reed knew he should roll off Chase, but he couldn’t. His dick never wanted to leave Chase’s tight hole. It just felt too good. Never before had sex been that awesome for Reed. Sure, it had always been good, but with Chase it had felt better than good. It had felt satisfying. Something tugged at Reed’s heart. Fear quickly loomed over him. He could not and would not fall in love with Chase. That was unacceptable. Rolling off Chase, Reed hurriedly got off the bed. He moved to the closet and retrieved a robe, then slid into it. He stepped back into the bedroom and looked at Chase. He still looked dazed. A smile threatened, but Reed pushed it away. “It’s almost time for dinner. Go to the restroom and freshen up, then put your robe back on. Our mating is nowhere near over.” Chase groaned. “Do I have to?” “Yes. I’m going to make sure everything has been prepared. Be ready in five minutes.” A smile played across Chase’s handsome face. “Yes, my king.” As Reed left the room, a frown marred his brow. Chase seemed too eager to follow orders. Why wasn’t he mad as hell? If the roles had been reversed, Reed knew he would be giving his kidnappers pure hell, no matter how good the sex was. Could the Enlightened Ones have made a mistake? Chase seemed too weak to be his mate. A fay king needed a strong mate. The stronger the better. Enemies and trouble lurked around every corner. If this weakness continued, his people would never accept Chase.

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Entering the private dining room, Reed spotted Tate and Simon, his two top men. They were part of the mating ceremony. He wondered how Chase would react when he found out he had to suck each of them off and swallow their cum. Reed hoped he showed some backbone and fought them. Of course, with Reed’s ability to command Chase to follow through on all parts of the mating ceremony, Chase didn’t stand a chance. Tate approached and patted Reed on the shoulder. “How’s it going? Is he giving you much trouble?” Simon moved over to them, his brow furrowed. “You’re not being too hard on him, are you? Remember, this is totally unexpected for him. One second he’s on his home planet. The next he’s on ours. I’d be furious.” Only his two best friends could talk to him like this and live. Reed snorted. “The only time he gave me any trouble was when I took him and when we showed up in my bedroom. I left him to get ready, and when I came back, he seemed eager to start the mating ceremony.” Reed rubbed his chin. “I fear he’s too weak.” Simon looked doubtful. “Surely the Enlightened Ones didn’t make a mistake. He carries your mark, right?” Reed’s shoulders slumped. “Yes, he carries my mark.” Reed straightened. “Maybe the shock has worn off and he’ll show us his warrior side in just a few minutes.” Looking from Simon to Tate, Reed warned them both. “Prepare yourselves. Shortly after I bring him in, I’m going to command him to suck you two off. Without him knowing our ways, he won’t know it’s necessary for him to bond with you two.” Tate shook his head. “I don’t know about this. Shouldn’t you explain things to him first?” “I’ve already told him he’s my mystic mate.” Simon cleared his throat and then asked, “You told him every step of the mating process, right?”

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Reed’s eyes turned cold. “No. I want to see how he reacts under stress.” With that said, Reed strolled from the room. Within minutes, Chase was going to be tested again. Reed hoped he proved to them all that he was strong and had a mind of his own. **** Chase was still floating happily as he slid back into the sheer robe. He was glad he hadn’t taken Reed out when he’d met him. If he had, Reed would be in jail and he’d be sitting on his couch watching TV and wondering how hot the make-up sex was between Craig and his man. The silly smile Reed caused wouldn’t leave his face. He would have to come up with something really special to thank Craig. Chase looked around his lush surroundings and wondered how long his stay was. Was he here for the whole weekend? His dick twitched at that thought. He ran his hand over the marble edge that surrounded the tub and guessed he was at some high-end resort. Reed must work here. What a worker he was. Reed was the best lover he’d ever had. The chemistry between them was off the charts. When this was over, he’d have to ask for Reed’s number. The sound of a door opening had Chase peeking out of the bathroom. He relaxed when he saw Reed. No one but Reed needed to see him in this all-revealing robe. Reed stared him down then ordered, “Come. It is time to eat.” Chase looked down at his sheer robe then looked at Reed’s robe. “Why is my robe sheer when yours isn’t?” “Because that’s the way I like it.” Fairness obviously wasn’t one of Reed’s strong points. Chase thought about protesting, but remembered he was playing the role of the submissive. “Yes, my king.” A cold shiver played along Chase’s spine. Had Reed just looked disappointed? Why? He was playing his part. Chase looked deeper into Reed’s eyes. The only thing he saw

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now was a nonchalant look. That was the way Doms were supposed to look, right? Maybe he was seeing things. Reed turned on his heel and left the room. “Follow me.” Chase hurried after him, all the while wondering if Reed felt the electricity that sparked between them. What if it was one-sided? Chase didn’t like that idea. Just in case he was the only one feeling anything, he decided to try and get Reed out of his system as fast as possible. After a short walk down the hall, Reed opened a huge door and motioned Chase inside. The first thing he saw was a table set for four. Then he saw two rather large men standing on a plush rug in front of a fireplace. His hands immediately moved to cover his groin. He wasn’t ready to give them a free show. Reed pushed him forward. “No need to be shy. They are part of the mating ceremony. After tomorrow they will be bonded to you in a way that allows them to locate you up to a mile away.” Chase guessed Reed was in full skit mode. Knowing Craig would never send him to people who would hurt him, he played along. “Whatever you wish, my king.” His dick grew hard at the thought of exploring his dark sexual side. Reed frowned but continued to lead him toward the men. “Chase. These men are my best friends, and they are my two top commanders.” He pointed to the tallest man Chase had ever seen. “This is Tate Moag. He is my second-in-command.” Next Reed pointed to the other man. “He is Simon Strong, my third in command. You can trust their judgment in all things.” Fuck they are tall. Chase was five feet ten inches, and he felt like a shrimp in their company. Reed and Simon were at least six feet five inches, and Tate was closer to six feet eight or nine inches. They were all fine with a capital F. Reed pulled Chase from his musing. “On your knees.”

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Chase swallowed hard then slowly lowered himself to his knees. This weekend was all about living out his fantasies. It would be a crime to waste Craig’s gift. Reed scowled, looking every bit the in-control Dom. “As part of your mating, you have to suck off Tate and Simon. You will swallow their cum. Tomorrow morning they will get you off and swallow your cum. The sharing of fluids will allow them to hone in on you.” Wanting to play along, Chase asked, “Why would they need to find me?” “As the king’s mystic mate, you could be the target of any of my enemies. It is necessary for all three of us to be connected to you. Sometimes when I leave I take Tate or Simon with me. There will never be a time when you are left here without one of us.” Reed paused then looked deeply into Chase’s eyes. “Do you have a problem with the ceremony?” “No, my king.” Did disappointment just flash through Reed’s eyes? Chase couldn’t stop the ache that pierced his heart. Deep down, he needed to please Reed. Reed nodded. “Fine. Strip.” Shock caused Chase’s jaw to drop. “What?” “I said strip. I will be fucking that splendid ass of yours while you extract their bonding cum.” Reed’s voice was telling. He expected to be obeyed. I can do this. I can do this. With slightly trembling hands, Chase removed his robe. It was time he expanded his sexual experiences. And hadn’t he just been fantasizing about doing this very thing? Chase couldn’t think of anyone better than Reed to guide him through this. As Tate moved in front of Chase and pulled out his big cock, Reed grabbed hold of Chase’s hips and lined his cock up with Chase’s still-lubed ass. Reed rubbed his velvety cockhead all around Chase’s needy entrance then probed lightly until Chase opened, and then without warning he thrust forward and buried his dick balls deep.

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Chase gasped at the pleasure-pain and grabbed hold of Tate’s legs. Tate used that shocked moment to plunge his cock into Chase’s mouth. Chase moaned and looked up at Tate. Tate’s brown eyes were locked on Reed. The man was huge. His thighs felt like tree trunks. Chase started flicking his tongue as Tate worked in and out of his mouth. To his satisfaction, Tate closed his eyes and let his head fall back. His dark auburn hair hung past his shoulders. The man is hot. Not as hot as Reed, but he is hot, and so is blond-haired Simon. This was one weekend he was sure to remember for life. Reed growled then slapped Chase on the ass. “Make him come. I don’t plan on sharing you for long.” Needing to please Reed, Chase cupped Tate’s balls and started sucking hard as he bobbed faster up and down Tate’s huge rod. The man’s big rod tasted so good. Chase didn’t mind slurping him down at all. Reed growled, reminding Chase he was supposed to be hurrying Tate’s release along quickly. Chase groaned and started kneading Tate’s big balls. To his relief, he felt Tate stiffen. Chase squeezed Tate’s sac and was rewarded with a spurt of Tate’s cum. Damn, his flavor is splendid. Using both hands, Chase started stroking and kneading Tate’s shaft and balls. He wanted more of Tate. Tate moved his hands to Chase’s head and held him in place as his seed coated Chase’s throat. While Tate was coming, Reed roared as he rammed one last time into Chase’s channel and released his bonding seed. In a flash, Tate pulled out and Simon thrust his cock down Chase’s throat. Mmmm. Simon’s sweet pre-cum danced across Chase’s taste buds. Reed started moving again. A groan of pure pleasure vibrated out of Chase’s throat. Chase loved both men fucking him at the same time. Reed felt awesome in his ass. His cock hit all the right spots. Simon groaned and thrust four more times then splashed his semen across the back of Chase’s throat. Reed thrust his hips hard and roared again as he came along with Simon. Reed was a stud.

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Chase groaned and lapped at Simon’s dick. He tasted just as good as Tate. Chase could suck him off all day. Three-way loving was better than Chase had ever imagined it could be. Reed and Simon kept their cocks buried in Chase for several minutes. Chase was in heaven. Or was it hell? All of the sudden fire burned in his belly and balls. What have these guys been eating? They tasted great, but their seed was different from any he’d ever had. Chase yelped when both men pulled out of his body and Reed flipped him over onto his back and spread his legs wide. His whole body jerked when Reed deep-throated his hard cock. Fuck, the back of Reed’s throat feels good. Simon and Tate knelt next to Chase and each took a nipple into their mouths. Chase moaned as all three men nipped and sucked at his most sensitive spots. Four-way loving wasn’t so bad either. Sensory overload had Chase’s toes curling and his balls churning. The fiery heat in his ass and stomach had receded and was replaced with an overwhelming need to come. Reed tugged on his balls and swirled his tongue around the tip of his cock. “Come for me.” Tate and Simon bit down on his nipples and Reed quickly swallowed Chase’s throbbing dick. Chase cried out and his body shook as his climax pushed him over the edge and into the dreamy land of nirvana. Time seemed to stand still as he drifted. He’d been right. Chase knew he’d never forget his time with Reed and his friends. Slowly, Chase came back to reality. He was cradled in Reed’s arms. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to stay here forever—until Reed spoke, that is. “Glad to see you’re back. Now get up and take your place at the table.” Chase had to hold back the tears. “Why do you have to be so mean? This is my weekend.” He wished Reed would stop the dominant act for just a while. “This is your mating time, but you have to understand I’m the one in control. You have much to learn, and if the Enlightened Ones have

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their way, I fear you won’t have enough time to learn everything you need to know. Now let’s get up and eat. Tate and Simon are waiting.” Reed stood straight up with Chase in his arms and carried him over to the seat Tate pulled out. Once they were all settled and Chase had slid on his robe, the staff came in and started bringing one course after another. By the time they finished some sweet, delicious, creamy creation, Chase’s eyelids were drooping. Reed said something then lifted Chase into his arms and carried him back to the bed they had made love in earlier. Chase didn’t protest when Reed tucked him in and kissed him lightly on the lips. Darkness descended as Chase snuggled deeper into the soft covers. **** Reed went back into the dining room and dropped himself wearily down into his chair. “See what I mean? He’s adorable, but he’s weak. The little guy couldn’t even walk after a couple of rounds of sex. How could he possibly fight off an enemy? What am I going to do?” Simon swirled his froosh, a blue sparkling alcohol, around and around his glass. After pursing his lips, he said, “We can train him to be tougher.” Tate nodded. “Yeah. That’ll work.” With a groan, Reed buried his face in his hands. Simon patted him on the shoulder. “No worries, man. We’ll toughen him up in no time at all. You’ll see.” Reed ran his fingers through his hair. “Why did the Enlightened Ones want him here now? He’s too weak and gullible. He didn’t fight us at all tonight. What if the trollettes get to him?” A shiver raced down Reed’s body. “I can clearly see him bowing before the trollette king.” Tate leaned back in his chair and rested his arms over his chest. “We won’t let that happen. Bring him down to watch the men train

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tomorrow. After he watches for a while, you can take him back to your rooms and start training him. Call us if you need some help. He’s taller than any trollette I’ve ever seen. Surely with just a little fighting skill he can defend himself from a trollette.” Simon agreed. “Yeah, you are probably worrying for no reason. How bad of a fighter could he be?” Reed’s heart felt lighter. “I think you guys are right. If the Enlightened Ones picked him, he has to have some skills, right?”

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Chapter Four After letting himself be thrown for what felt like the hundredth time, Chase just laid on the ground and let his mind carry him away to that very morning. He’d awakened to Simon and Tate sucking and licking at his cock and balls while Reed stroked his chest and whispered into his ear. They tormented him for at least an hour before letting him come. Then Tate and Simon lapped his semen off his abdomen and quietly left the room. As soon as they were gone, Reed had crawled on top of him and filled his ass full of cock. Ah, he could still vividly remember the feel of Reed’s stiff rod caressing and filling his hungry ass. Hitting all the right spots. The ones that led to paradise. The way Reed’s teal eyes glowed and sparkled when he was about to come was breathtaking. That beautiful sight always made Chase’s groin heat up to the point of eruption. Once they had both come, Reed had kissed him gently and said that the first part of the bonding was complete. Chase wasn’t sure what Reed had meant, but who could care when Reed had his cock up their ass. A large foot pressing down on Chase’s chest brought him back to the moment. Looking up, he saw Reed frowning down at him. What the fuck is his problem? Chase was playing the submissive role as best he could. Reed stepped back and Chase just laid there. “Is exercise time over? I want to just kick back for the rest of the weekend.” Chase wiggled his eyebrows. “Exploring your body sounds like fun.” With a loud sigh, Reed extended his hand. Chase took it and quickly sprang off the ground. “I’ll let you explore me tonight. For

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now you have to learn to defend yourself. This room is for private training, but I think you need to see my men defending themselves before we carry on. Follow me.” Chase held back a sigh of his own as he followed Reed. With widened eyes, Chase took in as much of the place as he could. It was huge! They didn’t come across any people at all. This must be one extremely expensive resort. Chase’s jaw dropped when they walked up to a massive, beautifully carved, jewel-inlaid door. Reed waved his hand and the door opened to reveal an elevator. After they walked into the elevator, Reed waved his hand again and the doors whooshed shut. Reed pushed a jeweled button, and the elevator started moving downward. Chase whistled as he noted that this side of the door was jewel inlaid as well. “This is one high-end elevator.” Reed grunted. Chase wasn’t sure what that grunt meant. He hoped he hadn’t insulted Reed by talking about the richness of the resort. Maybe the guests didn’t normally talk about things like that. When the elevator stopped, the huge door whooshed open. Two big men stood on the other side as if they were guarding the door or something. They must be posted there to make sure none of the guests steal the jewels from the door. Chase grinned at his own reasoning. The man closest to him caught his attention. Chase did a double take. His hair was pulled back, clearly showing his ears. They had points on the upper tips. Chase quickly looked at the other man and saw the same thing. Needing to verify his latest thought, Chase squinted as he looked at Reed’s head. His hair was down, so it was hard to tell, and then Reed turned and spoke to one of the guards and Chase caught a glimpse of a point. These people must do this fay gig all the time. Everything looked so real. Reed caught his attention. “Chase, this is Ryan and Tyner.” Both men bowed toward Chase. “They always guard the door during the

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day. You can ask them questions, but never ask them to leave their post.” “Got it.” This resort is wild. Everyone seemed to take their job very seriously. Apparently Ryan and Tyner were there to guard the jeweled door. If this was Chase’s resort, he would have used fake jewels. That way nobody would be stuck guarding a door. He couldn’t even imagine standing around guarding a door. In no time flat he’d be fired for sleeping on the job. They walked down a long impressive hallway and passed a couple of doors before Reed finally opened one. This door led to another equally impressive hallway. At the end of it, Reed opened another door. Chase gasped at the sight. Past an enormous marble-looking terrace were hundreds of large men sweating in battle. Is this some kind of historical resort? Chase squinted his eyes. Why was the sky light purple, and why was the grass blue tinged? Someone had really shelled the bucks out when they built this place. Craig must know the owner. Reed leaned in close to Chase. “I want you to pay attention. See how they attack and defend? I need you to be able to do that as soon as possible.” Someone shouted, and to Chase’s amazement all the men turned and bowed toward them. Wow! That was quite the show. Reed signaled them, and they went back to training. After a couple of hours of watching the men and Reed explaining moves, Chase’s stomach growled like a lion. “Let’s go eat. I’m a little hungry myself.” Reed led the way to what looked like a mall dining area. Chase was impressed. He could go to several vendors to get a variety of different foods then eat it at one of the tables in the middle of the massive room. At least three hundred people could eat in here at the same time. Pointed ears. Chase couldn’t help but notice how everyone in this room who had their hair pulled back had pointed ears. He also noted

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that they all bowed to Reed. Maybe Reed was the owner’s son. That would explain a lot. He hoped Reed wasn’t one of those spoiled kids who thought everyone should bow to him just because he’d been born. Chase didn’t care much for people like that. Silently he begged Reed to be a kind and caring man. Reed walked Chase through all the vendors and bought him several things to try. Where did they get this food from? It was like nothing he’d ever seen before. It smelled good. Taking a bite from each serving, Chase decided he liked everything except the fiery hot soup-looking stuff. When he stuck out his tongue and waved his hand in front of it, Reed laughed and passed him a drink. Whew, that was better. A serious-looking man with the bushiest eyebrows Chase had ever seen walked up and bowed to Reed then passed him a note. Reed scanned it then quickly got up. Turning to Chase, he said, “Go ahead and eat. I’ll be back in just a moment.” Turning to the bushy-browed man, he said, “Byron, watch over him.” Byron bowed again and then took up his post a few feet from Chase. What was up with all the guards? Were they just for show? Chase watched as Reed rushed off. His eyes strayed to Reed’s tight ass, and he wondered if he would be able to get any of that before he had to leave. Chase took a bite of food and noticed that he was being watched by almost everyone in the room. A creepy feeling that something wasn’t quite right slithered across his skin. Where were the other guests? All these pointed-eared people worked here, right? Or, were they the guests and they were looking at him because he hadn’t had makeup point his ears? He guessed they didn’t realize this was his first time here and he didn’t know where makeup was. Chase made a mental note to ask Reed about that later. Deciding not to stay here long, he quickly ate his food and rose to leave. While Byron talked to a curvaceous woman, a thin man with red hair smoothly walked up and whispered, “Watch your back, round ears.”

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Before Chase could say a word, the man turned and disappeared into the growing crowd. What the fuck was that all about? Fear sliced through Chase’s chest for a good minute. Then he remembered he was at a resort where they played out themes. Looking around, he found that most of the people around him were still looking at him. Some openly stared, while others were trying to hide their interest in him. Feeling like a bug under a microscope, Chase headed for an exit. Byron was next to him in an instant. “Where are you going?” “Out of here. Where is Reed?” “The king is taking care of business. Where would you like to go?” Byron asked. Chase thought for a moment. “Is there a game room here or a movie theater?” Byron grinned and nodded. “You wish to play a warrior’s game?” With a shrug, Chase answered, “Sure. Why not?” Byron led him outside to what looked like a shooting range. Targets were placed at different yardages. Chase hoped it was archery. He loved shooting his bow. Byron waved him over to a building that was almost hidden by vines. Chase’s eyes widened when he walked into the room. It was an archer’s heaven. Chase walked over to a row of bows that hung on the wall. It took a lot of effort for him not to drool. He had never seen such unique bows. Not at any of the weapons conventions he’d gone to. Not even in his special ops days. They must be special made by one bad-ass weapons designer. “Can I try one of them?” “I was hoping you’d say that. Pick any one you like and we’ll go out and shoot a few shots.” Byron stood back and watched Chase with curious eyes. Chase ran his hand over several until he found the one that called to him. As he picked it up, Byron said, “That’s a fine choice. The king likes that one as well. I’ll get you some arrows, and we’ll go out and see what you’re made of.”

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The hand grip was perfect. Excitement bubbled up in his chest. For the first time since he’d been brought here, Chase felt free to be himself. Without Reed around, he didn’t need to play the submissive, and it felt great. It was getting harder for him to play that role. He followed Byron outside and happily took an arrow. “This has got to be the lightest bow I’ve ever held.” Chase went to the line of the twenty-yard target and placed the arrow. He pulled back the bowstring, aimed, and let the arrow fly. Almost a bull’s-eye. Byron whooped then handed him another arrow. This time he hit the bull’s-eye. Within a few minutes, Chase talked Byron into getting a bow and shooting with him. It was the most fun he’d had in a long time. Byron was almost as good a shot as Chase was. Looking over at Byron, Chase said, “I bet you’ve won a few archery competitions, haven’t you?” Byron’s bushy brows rose comically and a blush touched his cheeks. “Yes I have, my king’s mate. But if you’d been there I believe I would have come in second place.” Chase shrugged and grinned. “There’s no telling. Maybe one day we’ll meet at a competition.” Chase thought it would be nice to meet up with Byron and shoot a few arrows sometime. He should get Byron’s number before he left. When Byron stiffened then turned and bowed, Chase looked over his shoulder and saw Reed standing not too far away. Tate and Simon were standing to his right and left. Reed strode over. “Did you have fun shooting?” Remembering to play along, Chase responded, “Yes, my king.” “Good, shoot a few arrows for me.” Staying in the role he was playing, Chase shot to the left and right of the center several times. Submissives weren’t supposed to be good with weapons, were they? If he’d known he was going to play this role, he would have looked it up before he came here.

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Byron looked shocked then said, “He must be getting tired, my king. He was shooting with excellent skill a moment ago.” Reed exhaled a long breath. “Byron, would you see to his bow and have it brought to our chambers?” Byron took Chase’s bow then bowed to Reed. “Yes, my king.” Reed turned to Chase. “I’ll take you back to our rooms and let you investigate them while I’m working. I’d feel better if you were there.” Chase nodded like a good servant and followed. Truth to tell, he could use a nap. His body was still a little sore from his wild sex adventures and the exercise. Plus, it was mentally exhausting to play Reed’s submissive. Paying close attention to the direction they were heading and his surroundings, Chase started getting a feel for where things were. Once they were back in their rooms, Reed informed him that he’d be working late and that food would be brought to his private dining room at seven that night. He’d also been informed that his closet was now full of clothes for him. As Reed walked out of the room, Chase had that same creepy feeling that something wasn’t right. He needed to call Craig. Something wasn’t right about this resort. After searching the room for a phone and not finding one, Chase decided to see the clothes Reed was talking about. He gasped when he stepped into the room. It was huge and full of clothes. The colors were spectacular. Some were solid while others had unique patterns. They all seemed fitted, like Reed’s. Chase couldn’t figure out why Reed thought he needed so many clothes. Surely he wasn’t staying here for a month. His prick of a boss would be furious. Chase looked through the closet for a good fifteen minutes before weariness drug him down. Quickly he slid into a T-shirt and some sleep pants he’d found in a drawer. A sigh of pleasure pushed past his lips. These were by far the softest clothes he’d ever put on. They must cost a fortune. Too bad he couldn’t take them home. Chase walked out of the closet and decided to give in to the bed that had been

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calling him. Looking around for a clock, Chase was disappointed not to see one. It must be about six o’clock. That would give him enough time for a quick nap. If he overslept, they surely would hold his supper for him. He crawled on the bed and within minutes was fast asleep.

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Chapter Five Chase woke to a rag being shoved into his mouth. If this was Reed’s idea of fun, he was about to get his ass kicked by the no-longer-submissive Chase. Through the darkness, Chase made out four bodies. He struggled against the two men tying his hands behind his back. Chase was pretty sure none of the men were Reed, Tate, or Simon. If those wannabe fairies thought they could share him with everybody at this resort, they were in for a big surprise. Chase Andrew Dolan was not an easy lay. One man knelt in front of him. “We refuse to breed with weak little humans. Our group will show the planet how easy it is to take you out.” Chase had had enough. He lunged forward and head-butted the fake fairy. Enough was enough. Attracted to Reed or not, he was leaving. The man in front of him howled then pulled a knife and held it to his throat. Maybe I’ll leave in a minute. The two men holding his arms slid from the bed and pulled Chase off with them. Chase lifted his legs and kicked out sideways. Both men grunted and one went down. Chase shrugged free and ran for the open door. The air whooshed from his lungs when one of the assholes jumped him and slammed him to the floor. Pain shot through his nose. If not for the thick carpet, he would have been knocked out. Chase could feel blood trickling from his nose, and then the coppery taste invaded his mouth. These motherfuckers are going to pay. Within seconds, his broken nose started to swell. With the bloodsoaked rag in his mouth cutting off his oxygen, Chase’s world started to dim.

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“Turn the feisty little fucker over,” a gruff voice said. Chase groaned and choked as he was turned over. “Oh shit. He’s suffocating.” “Doc, realign his nose,” the gruff voice ordered. A strong hand suddenly pulled and twisted Chase’s nose. He gagged, and his body jerked as pain engulfed him. It felt as if they’d shoved a red hot poker up his nose. Tears were running down his cheeks, and blood was still dripping from his nose. Surely, this isn’t part of the resort’s program. Fear rooted itself in Chase’s heart. If he was in the hands of madmen, his chances for survival were slim. Given the chance, he’d take out as many of them as he could. Chase mentally calmed himself down. His nose was too damaged to allow for fast breathing. Rage was crawling under his skin. He was lifted and kicked when he refused to walk. The pain that shot through his thigh fed the rage inside him. The man to his left whined, “He won’t walk.” “Then carry him,” growled the man behind him. Chase held back a moan when his arms were wrenched upward until his feet were a foot off the floor. Tall-ass fuckers. His head fell forward, and in a daze he watched his blood drip onto the carpet. One man scouted ahead while the leader followed, giving orders. “Hurry up, you fools.” They turned down so many halls Chase’s aching head couldn’t keep up. Long after his arms had gone numb, they left the building and Chase was shoved into the back of some sort of delivery vehicle. He had counted two rows of seats. Once they were all in, the driver took off. Chase rolled to his side and chewed on the blood-soaked rag until he could spit the nasty thing out. With it gone, he was able to gulp in deep breaths of air. His face hurt like hell. Where was Reed? Had they killed him? Agony ripped his heart apart. His hands itched to kill them all. Chase’s military training stealthily took over. The hairs on his neck stood up. He lay very still and evened his breathing. He’d learned to trust his instincts a long

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time ago. Sure enough, a split second later Chase heard the seat in front of him creak as the man in it shifted. “Looks like he spit out his rag, boss.” The gruff voice asked, “Why isn’t he talking?” “I think he passed out. That just shows how weak the humans are. When we take over, we will go capture fairies from another planet to repopulate our planet. They are our future, not these weak humans.” The disgust in the man’s voice fed Chase’s rage. “Good. When we get to the camp, we’ll find out if he knows any secrets about the king, and then we’ll kill him. After that we will kill the king and take over.” The leader’s voice was devoid of emotion. The other men snickered, and one of the men in the front turned on some music. The sound of their voices raked across Chase’s raw nerves. With a plan quickly forming in his mind, Chase quietly slid his bound hands over his hips and thanked his lucky stars for his long arms. Tucking his knees in close to his chest he watched the men in front of him as he pulled one foot at a time through his hands. His slender hips and flexibility may have just saved his and Reed’s lives. He hoped so, anyway. Blood raced through his arms, making them tingle and hurt like hell. He slowed his breathing and forced himself to wait until his arms felt close to normal. Each minute that passed took him farther from Reed. His balls rolled and his heart hurt at the thought of Reed. These animals planned on killing Reed. First they planned on killing him. Chase welcomed the rage that clawed at his chest. The four men started talking about women. Chase was glad. If they were absorbed in a discussion, they wouldn’t be paying attention to him. He grimaced in pain as he moved his hands to his mouth and started working the knots with his teeth. His eyes darted around the van. There was a blanket right behind the seat and a tool box was a foot away from him. The men grew quiet, and he feared they’d check on him.

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Relief swept through him when one of the men started yawning and the others did the same. Chase continued to work on the knots. Just a little more and he’d be free. His heart started thudding heavily when one of the men reached over the seat. Chase stayed perfectly still. The guy didn’t look at him. All he did was retrieve the blanket. That’s it, dumbass, underestimate me. This little, weak human could never be strong enough or smart enough to kill a fake wannabe fairy like you. Chase decided he wasn’t cut out for resort living. Chase patiently waited for the man to fall asleep. He guessed ten minutes passed before his straining ears heard snores coming from the man. The other man in the back seat was nodding off as well. Music pulsed through the small space. Most likely the driver was trying to stay awake. Chase ignored his throbbing head as he slowly reached out and opened the toolbox. Most of the items he didn’t recognize. One caught his attention. It was very similar to a screwdriver. Reaching in, he eased the tool out of the box. While he waited for the right song, he went over his plan one more time. Two songs later he smiled. Cutting his eyes to the right, he made sure the man was still asleep. Yes. He inched his way behind the man on the left and slid the screwdriver into his pocket. Just when the beat blared he struck. Adrenaline rushed through every cell of his body, adding speed and power. In a flash his right hand cupped the drowsy man’s nose and mouth. His left hand slammed into the back of the man’s head. One hard twist and it was over. The snap of the man’s neck was covered by the beat. Chase released the man. His body slumped slightly and looked like he was sleeping. Only his hand twitched. Chase planned on doing the same thing to the sleeping man, but the van hit a bump and the dead man’s body fell over and startled the sleeping man. Fuck! Fast as a striking snake, Chase pulled out the screwdriver and stabbed it through the man’s eye and deep into his brain. The man yelped, and blood oozed out his eye. His body

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twitched in death. Chase caught movement from the front seat and looked up just in time to see the fire shoot out of the gun barrel. Heat seared his left arm. The van veered hard to the right just as the second shot rang through the van. It missed Chase by an inch. Blood now oozed from his nose and arm. In a killing rage, he grabbed the dead man’s gun and shot the man in the forehead. Shock transformed his face as his brains splattered across the windshield. Chase aimed the gun at the driver and was about to threaten him when they hit a bump and the leader’s body shifted to the left. The gun fell from his lifeless fingers. As it hit the floor, it went off and shot the driver. The man’s last breath whistled from his body as he slumped forward. “Son of a bitch! I planned on interrogating him.” Chase was in the process on getting to the front seat when the vehicle suddenly took a nosedive. Chase held on tightly to the backseat as the van came to a jarring stop. All the dead bodies fell forward and smashed out the bloody, cracked windshield. He gulped when he saw nothing but air. Holy freaking hell. He couldn’t even see where the dead bodies were. It must be a hell of a long way down. His darting eyes spotted the edge of a branch. Damnation. Could things get any fucking worse? The van swayed, and his stomach dropped all the way to his toes. With the greatest of care, he slithered his way to the back door and slid it open. The van swayed again and he thought he was going to throw up. Taking a calming breath, he grasped the edge of the opening and pulled himself out of the van. As he sat on the edge he squinted to see through the darkness. It looked like they had gone over the edge of a cliff and been caught by a tree. The top of the cliff was at least eight feet up. On a good note, the walls were rough cut, which meant he had plenty of handholds. A gust of wind blew across the van. Chase swallowed hard and stayed as still as a statue. Another gust of wind came up and rocked the van. Fear and frustration pounded through his veins. Surely he

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hadn’t survived all that just to be killed by a gust of air. His luck couldn’t be that bad, could it? Crack! At the hideous sound, Chase leapt up and jumped for the tree. As he reached out, the van fell. The branch he was going for moved, and his hands grabbed nothing but air. His feet hit another branch, and he used all his core strength to pull himself toward it. With a thud, he hit the tree and held on for dear life. His right cheek hit hard and felt like it was on fire. A roaring kaboom sounded below him as the van exploded when it hit the ground. The tree vibrated violently from the impact. A piece of bark dug its way deeper into his injured right cheek. Motherfucker! If he made it out of here alive, he was going to be one big scab. Carefully, he started climbing up the branch then slid up the trunk. Once he reached the rough side of the cliff, he started slowly making his way to the top. As soon as he made it, he pulled himself up onto flat ground and lay down until his breathing was under control. He sat up when he was able and moved further away from the edge. The last thing he wanted to do was fall over the edge. Taking stock of his injuries, he started with his head and winced when he lightly touched his nose. It was swollen, but at least Doc had set it for him. There was a bump that indicated it wasn’t a perfect fix, but he didn’t care. He blinked and realized that his eyes were slightly swollen. “At least I can see,” he mumbled to himself. His fingers grazed his right cheek, and he cursed when he touched raw meat and bark. Mentally he prepared himself for the pain then quickly jerked the bark from his cheek. Like the tortured man he was, Chase sat there gasping for breath as pure agony encompassed his face. A grim grin turned his lips up. The bark had torn up his cheek in the same spot that Reed’s mark had been. It was gone for sure now. He was attracted to the man, but Reed equaled trouble. And trouble

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was something Chase didn’t need. Chase knew deep down that he was never going to forget Reed. Marked or not, Reed was in his soul. Moving on, he glided his hands down his arms and cursed again when he encountered the bullet wound. His shirt was bloody, but it felt like the bullet had just grazed him. Next he ran his hands along his sleep pants and winced when he touched his bruised thigh. If he could kill the guy who’d kicked him again, he would. Nobody fucks with me and Reed. The second the thought crossed his mind he wanted to kick himself. They were not a couple. Chase pushed himself to his feet and hobbled down the road in the direction he thought he’d come from. As the hours passed, he became more and more confused. He’d encountered several forked roads and had to guess which path to take every time. The sky brightened, and he saw a cabin in the distance. He walked in that direction. It took him a good hour to get there. Cupping his hands, he called out when he was fifty yards from the home. Several steps later he called out again. No one answered. He scouted around the cabin and saw no footprints. One thing he did see though was some of the vegetables he’d had at the resort. Going to the door, he knocked. No one came. He twisted the doorknob and was relieved when the door opened. Stepping inside, he looked around and called out again. The place was dusty but nice. Whoever lived here must have been away for a while. Walking through it, he discovered a bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen that opened up to the living room. It was like heaven. He’d been afraid he was going to have to make a camp along one of the roads. He glanced around. This was much better. He felt a little dizzy and his stomach growled as hunger pains pinched his belly. Chase answered its call by going back outside and gathering some food. After returning with an armload of food, he tested the faucet in the kitchen sink. His heart soared when clear water rushed out and started cleaning the dust out of the sink. Swishing the water around in the sink, he cleaned it out then washed off the food.

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His search through the cabinet right in front of him revealed the cup he so desperately needed. Chase filled it with water and quickly downed the whole cup. Taking two of the cleaned vegetables and another cup of water to the table, he plopped down wearily at the table and ate his meal. A yawn escaped his mouth the minute he was done. Pain radiated from every inch of his body. This little adventure had gone from being the best weekend of his life to the worst. His eyes started to droop, so he forced himself to his feet then headed for the bedroom. Chase dropped onto the bed and planned on staying just like that. Within minutes a chill swept through his body, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. Groaning loudly, Chase pulled the covers back and slid under them. He felt a little better. A couple of hours of sleep and he’d be good as new.

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Chapter Six Reed entered his bedroom and expected to see Chase on the bed. The bed was rumpled but empty. A dark spot on the floor had him rushing over to it. He dropped to his knees and ran his hand over the spot. It was almost dry. He rubbed the area harder, and this time his finger showed traces of blood. He leapt to his feet and frantically followed the blood trail a little ways down the hallway. When it stopped his heart raged and beat against his ribs. He remembered to call Tate, who was supposed to be tuned into Chase. As he pushed Tate’s button, he scanned for evidence. “Come on. Pick up the phone, Tate.” Going back into his room, Reed looked around more closely. Nothing. “Damn it, Tate. Pick up the fucking phone.” Tate never answered. Dread slithered up from the soles of Reed’s feet and rested heavily in his heart. Reed pushed Simon’s button as he rushed to Tate’s room. Relief washed over him when Simon answered. “Simon, something has happened to Chase. There’s blood in my bedroom and Chase seems to be gone. Tate’s not answering my call. I’m going to his room now. Gather our best men and meet me there.” Reed ran into Tate’s room and found him in a crumpled heap on the floor. Dried blood was crusted to the back of his head. With a shaky hand, he checked Tate’s neck for a pulse. Tears of relief welled in his eyes, and he blinked them back. Next he called the medical team and informed them they needed to come get Tate. Simon rushed into the room and dropped down next to Tate. “Is he alive?”

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“Yes, but his pulse is slow. The blood in my roo…” Reed’s throat cracked and closed, making it impossible for him to continue. “We’ll find him. They didn’t kill him. He’s too valuable. He’s alive.” Simon must have made sure his voice reflected more confidence than he felt. A shadow of doubt hid in Simon’s dark blue eyes. More men poured into Tate’s room, and the medical team came in and took Tate to the infirmary. Reed’s face hardened as he thought about killing the men who took his sweet little Chase. He turned to Simon. “They will all die. Not one is to be left alive.” Simon nodded. “I agree. We must find these traitors quickly.” Reed took a shuddering breath. “Let’s get this started. It will be light in an hour. Until then let’s scour the castle and its grounds. There has to be something here that can lead us to Chase.” They followed the blood and traced every path out of the castle. No room was left unturned. Reed and Simon focused on his location all the time. Nothing. Pouring rain washed over the castle and all its land right before the sun rose. All tracks were erased. The pearl-colored sun rose in the light purple sky. The day may have turned out bright, but darkness and sorrow hovered over Reed and everyone in the fay community. Tempers were flaring all around the grounds and beyond. Everyone was looking at everyone else. No one knew anything. Thirty hellish hours into the search, word finally came to Reed. A delivery van had been found fifty miles away. The people of that area hoped Chase hadn’t been in it, because it was burned and at the bottom of Deadfall Cliff. Reed ran a shaky hand through his hair as he hurried to his transport. To Reed’s dismay, thunder cracked and rain poured from the sky. This was the second time it had rained since Chase had been taken. The rain of sorrow that fell on Reed’s heart had not stopped at all.

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Hope slowly trickled away. Pain seared Reed’s heart. If he could go back in time, Reed would never have left Chase’s side. At Deadfall Cliff, Reed looked down at the burnt van and prayed Chase hadn’t been in it. As he looked down at the remains of the van, something in him snapped. The thought of Chase plunging to his death and catching on fire was more than he could mentally take. His chest felt crushed by the weight of so much sorrow and agony. Simon had remained calm through it all. He was the one who organized the investigative team and held Reed back when he demanded to go with them. “You can’t go, Reed. It’s too dangerous. You are our king.” Reed knew Simon was right, but he couldn’t control himself. “Let go of me, Simon. I have to go with them.” “No. I can’t let you do this. You are too important to our people. Think, man. You are needed.” Simon tightened his grip on Reed when Reed tried to follow the team. “Let go of me. Don’t make me hurt you.” Simon’s blue eyes glowed with determination. “You know I can’t let you go. Not like this. You’re not yourself right now. Let me handle this situation.” Deep down Reed knew Simon was right. But, as he watched the last investigator drop out of sight, he lost it. A driving need to see Chase had his fist connecting with Simon’s cheek. Simon swayed but didn’t let go of Reed’s arm. “Give it up. They are gone. Let them do their job.” Fury stormed across Reed’s nerves. Simon was keeping him from Chase. In a flash, Reed’s long hair wrapped around Simon’s wrist and tightened until Simon’s hand was forced to relax. Reed turned to the cliff and started running. Simon tackled him in a heartbeat. Reed roared his displeasure. In a quick move he rolled them until he was on top then smashed his fist into Simon’s face. Simon jerked his head out of the way of Reed’s next blow. Reed growled when his hand struck the hard ground.

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“Reed, stop this,” Simon pleaded. After jumping to his feet, Reed headed for the cliff again. Simon tackled him again. Several of their men came over, looking lost. Simon commanded them back. Reed struggled, then head-butted Simon. “Leave me the fuck alone. I have to get to him.” Reed reared back to head-butt Simon again. Tears of compassion flowed down Simon’s cheeks. “You leave me no choice.” Reed screamed, “Nooo.” Tuning in to his inner power and focusing on Reed’s brainwaves, Simon saturated Reed’s mind with the message that it was time to sleep. He blinked back more tears as Reed’s eyes closed. A confused Reed woke to a thunderous sound. He glared at Simon when he saw that the van had just been loaded onto a transport vehicle. Simon looked grim. “Welcome back, my king. Part of the team is securing the van and the others are still below, investigating.” Reed headed for the transport vehicle and climbed up. Simon followed. All that was there was charred seats. No dead bodies. Hope bloomed in his chest. “Maybe they made it out.” “It’s possible,” Simon agreed, but he didn’t sound very hopeful. Reed’s phone buzzed, causing him to jump before he answered it. “What did you find?” Maybe Chase had been found. His heart stopped beating. The team leader answered gravely, “We found four bodies. Three are burned beyond recognition. The fourth man was found thirty meters from the van. He was a criminal we’ve been looking for. I’m not positive, but it looks like he was stabbed through the eye with a screwdriver. There is a chance that he could have been impaled during the fall, but the team doesn’t think so. He is covered in blood. We are sending him to the lab to get a blood analysis. Do you have any special orders for us?”

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Reed couldn’t speak, so he handed the phone to Simon. He wished he could special order them to bring Chase back. The lump in his throat was growing larger by the second. Simon handled the team and brought Reed back home. After a short visit with Tate, who was rapidly improving, Reed went to his room and didn’t even bother to wipe the tears off his cheeks. In his rooms he was free to let his emotions out. Reed plopped down on the bed and pressed his face into Chase’s pillow. **** The following day Reed was informed that Chase’s blood had been found on the murdered man. Chase was one of the men who had been in the van. All of Reed’s people mourned, but none more than him. As pain burned a hole in his heart, Reed started a fire, and with his favorite knife, letter by painful letter, he burned “Chase” into his forearm. As he formed the C, he thought of how cute his little Chase had been. The H in Chase’s name stood for humble. Chase had bowed down to all of Reed’s demands without complaint. Enjoying the pain that matched the pain in his heart, Reed burned an A into his arm and thought about how awesome his little lover had been in bed. S was for how sweet his little lover had been. Tears slid down Reed’s cheeks as he burned the letter E into his arm. E stood for the everlasting love he would feel for Chase. His sweet little Chase. Tossing the knife aside, Reed crawled over to Chase’s pillow and sobbed out his sorrow. For days he was inconsolable. A week after hearing of Chase’s death, Reed pulled himself together and held a memorial service for his lost love. That night, when he returned to his room, his carpet had been replaced. He knew Tate and Simon were behind the removal of the blood-stained carpet. Death would have come to anyone else who had done it. Looking at

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his healing arm, he knew he’d never forget his sweet little mystic mate. **** Chase woke up and looked around. “Where the fuck am I?” He noted that he was on a bed in a small room. The door opened, and an old woman walked in. Her wrinkly smile reminded him of a kindly grandmother. “Ah, I see you are awake. It’s about time you get your lazy ass up. Your fever broke two days ago.” Maybe she wasn’t a nice little old lady after all. The world tilted when Chase tried to sit up. “Not so quick, boy.” She placed her time-worn hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back down. “What happened to me?” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. You look like someone beat the shit out of you. Either that or you fell down a cliff.” Chase’s stomach churned as memories flooded his mind. His captors were dead. He didn’t know who to trust. And he was lost as hell. Shit, he may have even lost his job. “How long have I been here?” “I found you a week ago. I don’t think you had been fevered for long. Otherwise, you’d be dead.” “What state am I in?” She pursed her lips and eyed him up and down. “I’d say you’re in a pretty good state of health. You look like shit, but you are slowly healing.” Chase shook his head. “No, what state, the land kind? Am I still in Texas?” “Maybe your state of health isn’t so good after all. I’ll go make you some broth. Rest for now, you’ll need it.” Chase’s head was pounding. He raised the covers and saw that he was still dressed in his long-sleeved T-shirt and sleep pants. As he

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dropped the sheet, his body odor rose up and invaded his nose. He stank. After he rested a minute, he’d go take a shower. A rattling sound startled Chase awake. Looking toward the sound, he relaxed when he saw the old lady retrieving a cup from the tray she had just set down. “Prop up on the pillows.” Chase stacked two pillows behind him then scooted up against the headboard. He was out of breath by the time he was done. A couple of minutes passed before he was able to ask, “What’s your name?” “Nori. What’s yours?” As she asked the question, she handed him a cup of broth. “Chase.” He took the offered cup and sniffed it. It didn’t smell bad. Chase took a sip. It was kind of bland, but his stomach couldn’t handle more than the broth anyway. “Go ahead. Drink as much as you can. You need the vitamins in it.” She paused then cackled. “I can’t have you laying in my bed forever. Three hundred years ago, yes. Today, no.” She eyeballed him. “You are not so pretty, but you are young.” Chase scowled at her, but all she did was grin and leave the room. His luck had to be some of the worst in the world. He hurriedly drank down the rest of his broth and placed the cup on the tray. Closing his eyes, he rested for a bit. When he woke up, the tray was gone and it was dark. The only light in the room came from the bathroom. Needing to go pee, he eased off the bed and headed for the bathroom. Seeing the tub reminded him that he stank. After he relieved himself, he turned on the water and waited a minute before sinking into the rising water. The warm water eased some of his sore muscles. As he soaked, his mind wandered. What was he going to do next? How the hell was he going to get back home?—Reed. He was the key. If he could find Reed, he’d make him take him home. Nori was kind, in her own crazy way, but she didn’t seem to be playing with a full deck. Tomorrow he’d scout around and see if he could find someone else to tell him what state he was in.

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The bathroom door opened, and Chase squealed and covered his groin. “Use extra soap. You stink.” Nori shocked him by gathering up his dirty clothes. “Hey, I need those.” “You won’t need these until tomorrow. In the morning you will find them on the chair by the bed.” “Oh, okay. Thanks.” Chase couldn’t argue with her. She was right. His clothes did smell bad. She nodded. “I already changed your sheets. I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well.” “Good night,” Chase called out to her retreating back. The next morning, after putting on his clean clothes, Chase met Nori in the kitchen. He was feeling much stronger. She served him some more broth, bread, and stuff that tasted like fruit. He ate like the starved man he was. “It’s good to see you eating. A young man needs his strength.” “I’m feeling much better. Thanks for nursing me back to health.” He took his last bite then leaned back. “I’m going to do a little scouting today.” “Don’t go far. You’re too heavy for me to carry home.” Nori looked thoughtful for a moment. “Where are you from?” “Texas.” “Is that what you are scouting for?” Chase had no reason to lie. “Yes.” Pity transformed her face. “Don’t go far.” “Okay.” She didn’t have a mirror, so he couldn’t see himself. Did he look mental? “That’s a good boy.” She got up and went to the cabinet and pulled out a maroon-colored plant. Holding it up for him to see, she said, “While you are out, if you come across any more of this, pull it and bring it back home. I used most of what I had on your cuts.” Nori walked over to Chase and took his chin in her hand, then turned his

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face and looked him over. “In a few days your scabs should fall off. Your nose looks much better. How are you feeling?” “Stronger.” Chase didn’t like the look of pity that lingered in her eyes. She picked up their dishes and brought them to the sink, then turned to look at Chase. “If you get lost, just whistle and I’ll come for you.” Chase felt his temper growing. “I’m not slow.” A patient smile crossed her lips. “Of course not. Just remember what I told you.” Knowing he couldn’t win, Chase just went along with her. “I’ll do that.” He pushed away from the table and strode out the door. Five feet from the house, he stubbed his toe on a rock and cursed softly. If he’d known he was going to be taken from his bed, he would have slept with his boots on. He looked around and cursed again. Where the hell was he? There was not one plant he recognized, and the sky was light purple. Even the grass had a bluish tinge and the trees had brown trunks with blue leaves. All of these things had been at the castle, too. Who landscaped for miles on end? This must have cost the owner big bucks. Chase kept walking. Nothing clicked in his mind. It was like he was on another planet. A large knot formed in his stomach. No! Reed hadn’t really kidnapped him and brought him to another planet, had he? He reached up and touched his right cheek. A scab covered Reed’s mark. Reed said he was marked for life. If that was true, the heart should still be there. Chase ran all the way back to the cabin. On shaky legs he entered and went straight to Nori. “Do you have a mirror?” “Yes, it’s in the bedroom closet. I haven’t gotten around to hanging it. I don’t have much need to see myself these days.”

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Chase rushed to the closet and dragged the mirror out. He placed it on the bathroom sink and looked at his cheek as he picked at the scab. “Stop that. You are going to scar yourself. Trust me. You need your looks, boy.” Nori gasped when Chase turned around. “Y—you belong to King Reed. You wear his mark. He must be called.” Nori rushed away as quickly as her old legs would carry her. Yes, you do that. I’d love to talk to the king. If what he feared was true, Reed was in for an ass kicking. **** As Reed sat at his desk going through a pile of paperwork, his office door burst open. Tate rushed in. “Chase might be alive.” Shock shot Reed to his feet. His heart beat erratically. Chase was alive! “Tell me everything you know.” Tate quickly started talking. “Nori, one of the wilderness wanderers, called and said she’d been taking care of an injured young man. She found him in her cabin, near Darkton Village, about a week ago. He was beat up and burning with fever. His right cheek was scraped up pretty badly. A few minutes ago he picked off the scab. She said he wears your mark. And that he seems angry.” Reed walked around his desk and headed for the door. “Tell Simon to meet us at transport.” “Already done. He’s waiting for us.” Within minutes they were speeding away. Reed’s heart felt like it was going to explode. Tears of relief and joy threatened to spill over, but he blinked them back. He rubbed his forearm and remembered the pain he had felt the last time he lost Chase. That was something he couldn’t live through again. Hardening his heart was necessary. Chase was nothing but a breeder for his

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people. All he had to do was bury his true feelings, and everything would be fine. He would have to keep his distance from Chase. Love fought against Reed’s cold determination. “If the man turns out to be Chase, I want one of the best warriors posted by him at all times. We need the humans to build our population. The males we will turn into warriors and the females we will breed. From now on all humans will be guarded closely.” Cold determination won.

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Chapter Seven Chase waited for Reed outside. Rage rippled under his skin. That rage was quickly directed at the fucking otherworldly vehicle that glided a foot above the road. Couldn’t he have been abducted, the second time, by someone rich enough to afford one of those? Hell fucking no. He’d been tossed into a trashy, cheap-ass van that hadn’t missed a single bump in the road. Reed jumped from the vehicle, looking magnificent, of course. Tate and Simon followed him as usual. Reed’s magnificent teal eyes locked in on Chase. The fucking teal eyes were another giveaway. Chase moved at the speed of lightning. Reed never saw the blow that smashed into his nose. Reed landed on his ass. Chase stared down at him. “Where the fuck am I?” Reed rose slowly to his feet. Tate and Simon stepped closer to him, but Reed motioned them back. Reed turned slightly. “Simon, go tell Nori thank you, then come back. She is due an appreciation gift.” As Simon left, Reed gave Chase his full attention. “You are on Ardinio. It is a planet five hundred thousand miles from Earth.” Reed gestured toward Tate and Simon. “We are all fairies. Trollettes and leprechauns live here, too.” Chase held up his hand to stop Reed. “No.” He swept his hand up then down. Does Reed think I’m a complete fool? “If you are a fairy, where are your wings? You don’t look like a fairy to me. You look like a fucking Amazon.” Reed ran his hand over his face. “Although winged fairies do exist, we are a larger wingless genus. I know this is hard on you, but

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we need you in order to survive. Let’s go back to the castle and talk about this in private.” Chase’s mind brought up a clear picture of his family and friends. “This has all been interesting, but I really need to get back home. By now my family and friends are looking for me.” “I’m your family now. You are bonded to me.” Reed’s words were compassionate but firm. The rage was back. “Take. Me. Home. Now.” “I can’t do that.” “My parents and friends are looking for me. Whip up that purple mist and let’s go.” Chase couldn’t believe how mixed up he felt. The twisted part of him wanted to stay, but his smarter part wanted to leave. Reed took a step closer, and sorrow shone in his eyes. “No one is looking for you.” Chase shook his head. “They are. I know they are.” It was obvious Reed knew nothing about him or his friends. By now Craig had probably called all his cop friends and at least two private investigators. Adrian would be calling his military buddies, and some not-so-legal missions would be in progress. Even his dad and mom would be pounding the streets looking for him. Nobody messed with their only child. Reed’s shoulders sagged as if the weight of the world was on them. Before Reed spoke, he straightened his shoulders and his eyes turned cool. “The Enlightened Ones gave them a memory of your death. To them you died a valiant death. You are remembered as a hero.” Chase charged at Reed, and his fist connected with Reed’s chin. “You motherfucker. My parents and friends need me.” Between hits, Reed stated, “Their pain was blurred, and your parents were given five million dollars for their suffering.” Chase’s fist connected again with Reed’s now-sore jaw. Chase pulled back to hit him again. This time Reed blocked the blow.

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They danced around each other for thirty minutes of kicks, punches, and blocks. Mental and physical exhaustion finally took their toll. Chase crumpled to the ground. Reed walked calmly to his side. Chase threw up a fist. “Stay back. Go back to your castle and leave me alone. I’ll make it on my own.” “I can’t stay back. You are bonded to me. We belong together. You will come back with me. We have a lot to talk about.” Chase jumped to his feet and started for the road. “Stay the fuck away from me.” With his mind racing, Chase walked down the road. What the hell was he going to do? If Reed was telling the truth, no one on Earth was looking for him. Chase blinked back tears as he thought about the pain his family and friends had endured because of Reed. This was so messed up. He was stuck on another planet with absolutely no way to get home to the people he loved. Reed ran up to him then physically blocked him from moving forward. Releasing more of his pent-up anger, Chase hooked his leg around Reed’s knee and knocked him to the ground. In a blur of motion, he tangled his legs with Reed’s and put Reed in a headlock. Letting his rage out, he tightened his arm around Reed’s neck and stated, “I could kill you if I wanted to.” Reed’s long hair suddenly came to life and wrapped around Chase’s neck. “And I could kill you if I wanted to.” Chase was so shocked he let go of Reed. Reed quickly flipped over, grabbed Chase, then rolled until he was on top. His hair loosened its grip on Chase’s neck. “How did you do that?” Chase asked in a stunned voice. In all his years of training Chase had never seen anything like it. Reed’s silky strands were strong and deadly. “All fairies have special powers. The ability to control my hair is one of mine. Now that you are bonded to me, anything you did well before you will now be able to do extremely well.” Reed ground his hips into Chase’s. “You can’t fight the bond. We need each other,

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mentally and physically. Come back with me so I can teach you about your new people.” For a brief second Chase had seen a pleading look in Reed’s nowcool eyes. What was up with this guy? He was cold with flashes of hot. Then there was the wild heat that sizzled through Chase’s groin at the mere thought of Reed. Truth be told, Chase was stuck. He couldn’t go home, and he couldn’t stay with Nori. Plus, he had an uncontrollable need to be with Reed. “I’ll go with you, but don’t think I’m playing your submissive anymore.” Surprise flickered in Reed’s eyes. “You were playing a role?” “Yeah, I thought you were sent by my friend Craig as payback for something I did to him. When you came on all gruff and demanding, I thought I was supposed to play the submissive role.” Chase looked over Reed’s shoulder and saw Tate and Simon standing nearby. Tate starting laughing. “So that’s why you seemed so weak. But it’s obviously not true.” Reed’s teal eyes glowed with passion. “I was worried you were too weak to make it here, but all along you were a bad-ass hiding who you truly are.” Something dark flickered in Reed’s eyes. “What happened in the van?” Chase’s voice turned cold when he remembered those fools. “They jumped me when I was sleeping. Tied me up and threw me in their old-ass van. I pretended to be passed out. They were talking about how they were going to see what all I knew about you. They said they were going to kill me and you so they could take over. I heard them say they wouldn’t mate with humans. Their plan was to steal fairies from other planets to repopulate with.” Chase stopped for a second as he tried to get his anger under control. All three fairies gasped in shock. In a calm voice, Chase continued. “When their guard was down, I killed them.”

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Reed’s teal eyes glowed with wrath. “I’m glad you killed them. If we find any others that agree with them and are plotting to carry out their plan, they will be killed as well.” Tate bumped fists with Simon. “The Enlightened Ones did a good job picking him.” Reed looked over his shoulder and ordered, “Wait for us in the vehicle. We’ll be there in a second.” When the men were gone, he stroked Chase’s cheek then kissed him gently on the lips. “I’m sorry that happened to you. Later I want a full report of everything that happened.” Pride shone in Reed’s eyes. “Your strength is one of the reasons you were picked to help us repopulate. Will you help us?” Chase caved at the sincerity in Reed’s voice and eyes. “Yes.” Love bloomed in Chase’s chest, and he knew he’d do anything for Reed. **** A doctor was called to Reed’s rooms the second they returned. He deemed Chase healthy but recommended he take it easy for a few days. Chase had rolled his eyes when he’d heard that. Rest from what? He didn’t have a job here…other than trying to stay alive. The repeated kidnappings were starting to get old, too. Maybe he could use some rest. Needing some clothes that didn’t have holes or stains, Chase went to his closet. He still couldn’t get over how big it was and how soft his new clothes were. They fit his body like a glove. When he walked out of the closet, Reed informed him it was time to eat lunch. Chase raised a brow but didn’t say anything. He just followed Reed to the private dining room like a good puppy would. If this was his new home, he was going to have to start taking control of his destiny. During their meal, which was quite good, Reed pressed him for details. Chase started with the young man in the food court telling him

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to watch his back and ended with him picking his scab off to see if Reed’s mark was still there. As soon as he was finished, Reed called Tate and had him start looking for the man from the food court. Chase’s stomach fluttered as he listened to Reed’s conversation. Reed seemed very serious about removing the threat to him. He was falling hard for Reed. Cool, controlling Reed. Chase watched as Reed ended the call. His breath hitched when Reed’s glowing teal eyes locked with his. From experience, Chase knew Reed’s eyes glowed when he was aroused. Reed pushed back from the table and stood. “Let’s go to our bedroom. I want to check you out personally.” Time to start shaping his destiny. “That won’t be necessary. The doctor already checked me out.” Reed’s brows shot straight up. “I’m the boss here. I told you to go to our bedroom, and I meant it. Now get up and let’s go.” Chase stayed seated. “You being gorgeous doesn’t impress me. One thing you need to understand is that I’m not your puppet.” The glow intensified in Reed’s eyes. Reed stalked over to Chase and looked down at him. “You belong to me. As my mystic mate, you do what I tell you to do.” Chase flung his arms out. “Do I look like I was born here? You kidnapped me because you need me. That you need me shifts the power to me.” Reed’s brows snapped together. “You are a population builder, not a king. Now go to our bedroom and strip.” Well, that hurt like hell. A dagger shoved through his heart would have been kinder. Chase pushed to his feet and looked up at Reed. Why did the asshole have to be so tall? “Kiss my ass.” “Oh, I plan to. Now go do what I told you to do.” Reed pointed toward the door. Reed being king was turning out to be a negative. “I don’t have to take this shit.” Chase tapped his head. “I’ve got a brain. I analyze things for a living.” Chase looked Reed up and down. “My analysis is

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that you are an unfeeling bully who is used to getting his way. Go find someone else to repopulate with.” As the last words left his mouth, Chase felt the sting of tears. He quickly turned and headed for the door. Reed sighed loudly, and his hair darted out and circled Chase’s wrist. Chase jumped and turned around. “Keep your hair to yourself. It’s freaky when you use it.” “I know some freaky ways to use my hair that will make your toes curl. Go to our bedroom and I’ll show you.” A sinfully wicked smile curled Reed’s sensual lips. Chase’s dick jumped. Trying to control his growing need, he rolled his eyes and said, “Have you forgotten my analysis of you already?” Reed’s hair spiraled up Chase’s arm and pulled him in close. “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. But it’s important that you understand your role on my planet. You are here for population building. Soon your DNA will be fairy. You belong to me.” Chase’s lips tightened and a lump formed in his throat. “So what you’re saying is that I am your whore and that I’m supposed to accept my place on your planet happily.” Chase’s face was heating up and his voice rose. “I’m supposed to live a lonely, loveless life all because Your Highness said so.” Pain flickered through Reed’s eyes. “I can’t love you or anyone else, but I am fond of you and I’m very attracted to you. I’ll make sure you aren’t lonely. You can have a good life here. Let’s go to our room and talk about it.” Reed lightly kissed Chase on the lips then gave him a tight hug. “Please.” That was it. Chase once again caved. “Okay.” That was most likely the first time King Reed had ever said please in his life. As Chase followed Reed, he puzzled over why Reed couldn’t love anyone. Compassion bloomed in Chase’s heart. Maybe Reed needed

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him more than he realized. Could Reed be coldhearted because nobody loved him? Chase’s heart bled at that thought. In their room, Reed’s kingly side took over. “Strip.” As Chase removed his clothes, he reminded himself that Reed needed him. Not able to totally cow down, Chase spread his arms and snapped sarcastically, “There. Are you happy now?”

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Chapter Eight Reed didn’t want to love Chase. Unfortunately, he was afraid that was what was happening. In his position it would be foolish to let anybody, including Chase, see how much Chase affected him. If word got out that Chase was Reed’s weakness, Chase would be in more danger than he already was. And Reed couldn’t have that. Slowly Reed circled Chase. Seeing a scar on his left upper arm and some yellowing bruises in different places on his body, including his handsome face, sent pain throughout his chest. This was a pain best kept hidden. Sticking to his hard-ass persona, Reed said, “Not quite. I’ll be happy when you are on the bed and willing to do whatever I tell you to do.” Chase’s dick leapt to attention. There was no denying his instantaneous arousal. “As you wish.” Reed’s own cock rapidly grew and fought for its release from his pants as he watched Chase follow his order. He crawled on the bed beside Chase and rose up on his elbow so he could look down at Chase. His beautiful little Chase. Looking at the slight bump on Chase’s nose and knowing it had been broken by one of his own people hurt badly. From now on he’d have to do more to protect his little mystic mate. Wanting to please Chase, Reed said, “Ask me anything about the planet.” Chase tapped his index finger on his lips for a moment. “Why do you need humans to repopulate?” The muscles in Reed’s body stiffened for a second. “Fifty years ago a virus killed a little over half of our people. After the initial wave of deaths, it has killed about a hundred people a year. The majority

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were women. We think the virus originated from a traveling trader from another planet. There’s a chance he or she doesn’t even know the destruction they caused. Because of that, we now scan all visitors as they enter into our world. That woozy feeling you felt was you being scanned.” “That feels like a lifetime ago even though it was only a little over a week ago.” Chase stroked Reed’s thigh. “I’m sorry about so many of your people dying. Did you know many of them?” The muscles in Reed’s body stiffened again. “Yes, but that was long ago. I only focus on the future now. Now that a cure has been found, the Enlightened Ones want us to start rebuilding our numbers. They looked into the fay population on other planets first and found that none had an overabundance of women or young men. They checked into others who would easily take our DNA and found that the humans were the best option.” “Who are the Enlightened Ones?” Chase asked. Reed thought for a minute. It was important for him to explain this correctly. “They are similar to a God on your planet, except they were all once fairies that lived on different planets. For unknown reasons they were chosen to be eternal guardians over the fay people. Sometimes we just call them our guardians. Some people believe they were chosen for their superior knowledge and kindness. Others believe they were chosen for their skills as warriors. I believe it could be a combination of both.” “I agree with you.” Chase’s eyes narrowed. “Do the Enlightened Ones live here? I’d really like to talk to them.” Laughter suddenly bubbled up from Reed. “I bet you would. If I were in your shoes, I’d want to talk to them to.” “If you let me talk to them, I promise not to kill them.” Chase’s chocolate-colored eyes turned solemn in a flash. “I’m starting to understand why I was taken.” Chase touched the mark on his right cheek. “I’d like this removed. It makes me feel uncomfortable to be

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marked as your property. I need to be just me sometimes. That’s what I’d like to mainly talk to the Enlightened Ones about.” Reed reached out and touched his mark on Chase’s cheek. It hurt a little that Chase didn’t wear it proudly, but Reed understood that Chase had been raised differently. One day Reed hoped Chase would be proud of his mark. “The Enlightened Ones don’t live here. They live on their own planet, and from it they watch all the fay-populated planets.” Reed laughed at the nervous look that washed over Chase’s face. “No, they are not watching you right now. They randomly monitor the health of us and of our planets. When a problem arises, they step in and help. They also identify and mark our mates.” “Does the mark ever come off?” Chase asked. “No. It tells others that you are taken.” “Oh, like a wedding ring on my planet.” Reed smiled and ran his fingers through Chase’s curly hair. “Yes, like a wedding ring.” “How come I haven’t noticed anyone else with a marking on their right cheek?” Pain speared through Reed. “That’s because when your mate dies, the mark fades away, and if you become mated again, your new mate’s mark will appear. There are still a few couples alive. Soon you will see that you are not alone.” “That’s confusing. Why don’t you have one on your face? You are mated.” “All fairies are born with their family mark on the right chest a few inches above the nipple. The dominating mate doesn’t get marked on the face. They hunt down their mates and bring them home.” Reed tensed as he waited for Chase’s response. Chase frowned then sat up rapidly. “Wait a minute. That’s fucked up. I’m not weak. I’ve been a little bit of an emotional wreck since I met you, but I’m not weak. I want to talk to those Enlightened Ones now.”

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Reed sighed. “You have a lot to learn. My people wear their mark proudly. It’s like a badge of honor. Just like humans proudly wear wedding rings.” Reed reached out and stroked Chase’s mated mark. “One day I hope you wear my mark proudly.” Chase’s cheeks pinked. “I’m sorry. With time, I’m sure I will. I’ll try to think of it as my wedding ring.” “I look forward to the day you fully accept it.” Reed cupped the back of Chase’s head and ran his tongue along Chase’s lips. Oh, how he loved those soft lips. Feeling his passion rising, he guided Chase down onto the bed as he devoured his luscious mouth. Maybe being mated now wasn’t so bad after all. Chase grounded him. Needing more contact, Reed pulled back long enough to remove his shirt and move between Chase’s legs. Chase shuddered prettily when Reed’s crotch made contact with his. Soon Reed would take off his pants and take Chase’s sweet little ass, but for now he was going to worship Chase’s hot body. “I’ve got to taste you.” Reed kissed his way down Chase’s body, loving the smooth texture of his skin. Once he reached his thick cock, he licked the tip and smiled when Chase groaned and slid his hands into Reed’s long hair. Wetting his lips, Reed slid down the length of Chase’s cock. He lapped at Chase’s balls until Chase’s body trembled. “Fuck that feels good. Take me, Reed.” Chase loosened his hold on Reed’s hair and encouraged him up. “Not yet, little one.” Reed licked his way up to the mushroomed top of Chase’s cock and eased it into his mouth. Chase thrashed under him and moaned as Reed flicked his tongue in strong lashes across the sensitive flesh. Every muscle in Chase’s body suddenly tightened, and he cried out as he lost his load in Reed’s mouth. Reed groaned and hungrily swallowed all Chase had to offer. As Chase slowly came down, Reed stroked his balls lightly and easily sucked his dick. Nothing was more beautiful than Chase in the throes of passion.

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Chase’s body melted into the bed. Reed loved the way Chase came so hard then totally relaxed. Satisfaction rippled through Reed. Rocking Chase’s world brought him great joy. Reed’s cock pressed painfully against his pants, reminding him of his own need. Seeing Chase come always made him horny as hell. Reed kissed his way back up Chase’s body and kissed him deeply. By the passionate fay spirit, he loved his little mystic mate. Chase grabbed hold of Reed’s ass and pulled it tightly to his body. Reed shuddered and eased back. Chase followed and kissed him. Reed trembled as Chase explored every inch of his mouth. Reed loved it when Chase kissed him like a starved man. The feel of his hungry tongue was mind melting. Chase dropped back onto the bed. Confusion clouded his eyes. “When we kissed, I tasted myself on your lips. It was different. My semen tastes a lot better now. Why is that?” Reed caressed Chase’s neck and shoulder. “That’s because your DNA is changing and becoming more fay every time we have sex.” “How’s that?” “Fairy semen is very different from human semen. It disperses into our mate’s body, which bonds us more closely every time we mate. At this point my semen is changing you slowly into a fairy. When I come in you, my essence bonds with your body.” Surprise widened Chase’s eyes. “Is that why your cum didn’t leak out of my body?” “Yes. My cum will never leave your body, and yours won’t leave my body. It just seeps into the cells. Bonding us tighter together.” The more they talked about bonding, the hotter Reed became. Needing to bury himself deeply into Chase’s body, Reed climbed off the bed, retrieved the lube, tossed it on the bed, and then quickly stripped out of his pants. His cock sprang free and slapped his belly. Chase looked over at him, and his jaw dropped. “Holy cow! That’s a monstrous fucking dick. Where did you get it?” Reed threw his head back and laughed. “I’ve always had it.”

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Chase pointed at Reed’s dick. “Trust me, it didn’t look like that the last time you fucked me. It felt like it was that large, but it sure as hell didn’t look that huge.” Reed stroked his dick as he got on the bed. “That was the mating blur. It makes the dominating male’s cock look smaller than it is so the one getting fucked doesn’t run from the room, screaming.” Chase’s eyes never left Reed’s cock. “I take it the mating blur has worn off.” “Yes. Once the original bonding is over the blur is removed and the auto-mode shuts off as well.” Chase swallowed hard. “I’m glad the auto-mode is off, but I think I’d like the blur back.” Reed’s heart ached for Chase. “I won’t hurt you.” He crawled up between Chase’s legs and took Chase’s lips in a passionate kiss, then whispered, “It’ll feel just as good as last time. I’ll make sure of it.” Reed held back his own need. Slowly he caressed and kissed Chase until he was writhing in need. In a crooning tone, Reed urged Chase to grab his ankles and spread his legs wide. His lover spread wide and willing almost made Reed come. Grabbing the lube, he drizzled it all over Chase’s puckered entrance to paradise. Reed slathered some on his own staff then lubed up his fingers and circled them around and around Chase’s sweet hole. Reed tossed the lube aside and focused all his attention on Chase. With one hand he kneaded Chase’s sac while the other hand steadily circled Chase’s little star. Chase jerked, and his hands released his ankles. The downward movement of his body forced two of Reed’s exploring fingers to slide into Chase’s heated canal. Chase groaned and fucked himself on Reed’s fingers. After a few moments, Reed removed his fingers and pushed Chase’s legs back up. “Hook your arms under your knees and keep your legs pulled wide.”

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Chase groaned unhappily but did as Reed requested. “Please. I need you in me.” Reed caressed Chase’s ass, loving the tremors that shook his little body. “In a moment. For now just enjoy my touch.” Reed stroked Chase’s entrance then plunged in two fingers. Chase groaned and pushed back. Reed leaned forward and took Chase’s cock into his mouth as his fingers fucked Chase. Reed didn’t stop until Chase’s body stiffened. At that moment, he pulled back and fitted his cock to Chase’s body. In a fluid move, he slid home. Chase screamed and started thrashing on the bed. Reed tightened his muscles and drove in and out of Chase’s tight, hot body. Fuck, the man felt great. Heat flared in Reed’s blood. Placing his hands on Chase’s thighs, he spread him wider and rammed in and out of him. His little ass milked Reed’s cock so beautifully. Wanting to come before Chase, Reed focused on the soft, wet ring of muscle he was tunneling in and out of. The tight muscles squeezed the large head of Reed’s cock as he pushed his way in over and over again. Their balls repeatedly slapped together. Paradise. Chase reached out and grabbed Reed’s hair and pulled as he moaned and tossed his head. The erotic pull of his hair was too much. Reed roared as he rammed forward one more time and held still, deeply embedded in Chase’s hot body. His semen rushed from his body and melded with Chase’s. He rocked his hips and gloried as his body released more of his seed. Reed pulled himself together quickly. Chase still needed to come. Reaching for the lube, he drizzled it over Chase’s cock then rubbed it in. “You’re going to let me take you?” Chase’s expressive brown eyes were full of wonder and excitement. Love zapped Reed’s heart. “Yes. It’s time for me to take your bonding seed.” Reed turned around and got on all fours in front of Chase.

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Chase’s arms circled Reed’s waist briefly and tightly hugged him. Chase poured more lube down Reed’s crack. Reed shuddered when Chase rubbed his cockhead across his entrance several times. His hungry ass needed Chase. “Do it, Chase. Become one with me.” Chase kissed Reed’s spine as he lined up his cock and slowly pushed in. With even strokes, he inched his way in. When their balls bumped into each other, Chase shuddered and circled his hips. “Your ass is unbelievable,” Chase said through gritted teeth. “I need to fuck you hard.” Chase’s dick felt awesome up his ass. Reed rocked his hips back. “Do it.” A hiss escaped Chase as he grabbed Reed’s hips and rammed into his snug hole. Glorious fire shot through Reed’s ass as Chase pounded into him. The slapping of their flesh echoed in the room, intensifying the erotic moment. A shiver shook Chase’s body, and he slammed home one more time then cried out as his cock erupted in Reed’s body. Convulsions shook Chase’s lovely body. Chase’s bonding semen heated Reed’s channel as it absorbed into his body. Dazed with pleasure, Reed eased down onto the bed and was happy when Chase followed him. Their bodies never parted. They both lay panting for long, leisurely minutes. With a groan, Chase rolled off Reed and landed heavily on the bed. “That was awesome.” Reed rolled over and looked at Chase. “You are awesome.” Chase blushed. “So are you.” Not wanting to continue down this path that could lead to talk of love, Reed asked, “Do you want me to take you on a tour of the castle and grounds?” “Sure. I need to know the layout if I’m going to be living here.” That Chase wanted to see and learn about his new home made Reed extremely happy. Reed pushed himself from the bed and reached to retrieve his pants.

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“What the fuck!” Chase hurried over to Reed and grabbed his arm. His brown eyes were wide with shock. Shit. Reed had forgotten about his arm. “It’s nothing. I just didn’t want to forget you. Get dressed. We have a tour to take.” “You really like me, don’t you?” Reed could see tears in Chase’s eyes. “You missed me.” “Of course I like you, and yes, I missed you.” Reed eased his arm from Chase’s grip. “Let’s get ready to go. You have a lot to learn.” And I have a lot to hide. “Yes, but I’ve learned the most important thing already.” Reed was relieved when Chase walked over to his clothes and started getting dressed. Love for Chase wiggled its way a little deeper into Reed’s heart. He didn’t like it, but there was nothing he could do about it. The little guy was just too loveable.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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 muchneeded 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

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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.”

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“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

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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.

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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.” “All those bedrooms on the left side are for our children.” Chase felt his cheeks heat up. “Oh.” Reed grinned and ran his fingers through Chase’s hair. “If I’m fucking you hard on my desk, I want you to be able to scream and not be heard by the tiny ones.” “I like the idea that we can’t be heard, but what if the children need us? If they call out, we won’t be able to hear them.” Chase didn’t like that at all. “No need to worry. Someone will be with them most of the time. If not one of us, then a nanny or a maid. There is also an intercom system in place so we can listen to them from the upper floor, our bedroom, and all the rooms on the right side.” “I can handle that. You scared me for a minute. I thought you were a child hater,” Chase said. Reed laughed as he led Chase back to their bedroom. “Not hardly. I plan on us filling all those rooms.” Reed walked to a door that was a little ways from their bathroom and stood aside. “Go ahead.” The door led to carved wooden stairs. When Chase got to the top of the stairs, his jaw once again dropped. They opened up to a magnificent tinted-glass tower. Chase walked to the center of the room and slowly turned around. Tall and short trees dotted the landscape. Their leaves went from dark blue to light bluish-green.

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Bushes hugged the ground. Their colors were varied from blues to greens to yellows to reds. Dark purple clouds floated through the light purple sky. Ardinio’s sun looked like a huge shimmering pearl. Stone houses were spread across the land. Rivers of blue, purple, and pink cut paths sporadically across the terrain. “It makes me happy to see that you are as infatuated with the view as I am. Come over to the telescope, and I’ll show you the villages that surround the castle.” Reed took Chase’s hand and led him to the telescope. He looked through it until he found a village. Standing back, he gestured for Chase to take a look. Chase raised a brow and looked at the scope, then Reed. “I’m noway near tall enough to look through it. Does it come down?” Reed looked apologetic. “Sorry. I’ll fix it.” With the turn of a knob and a little push, Reed had it ready. “That should do it, little lover.” Chase loved it when Reed tagged on an affectionate term to the end of his sentences. He probably didn’t even realize he was doing it. That was all right, Chase knew how Reed felt about him. Chase looked up at Reed and winked. “Thanks, lover.” “I’ve got it facing the front of the castle. What you’re looking at is Darkton Village. It’s sixty miles from here and is currently the furthest village from the castle. All the villages have their own things they do best. Darkton is known for its ice cream shops and movie theaters.” “I can’t believe that’s sixty miles away. It looks like I can reach out and touch it. This scope is awesome.” “We picked that scope’s specs up on a planet called Miron. I love it.” Reed moved up closer to Chase. “Go ahead move it slowly around. You will be able to see some of the people, businesses, and houses.” Chase moved the scope around. “I see an ice cream shop that looks promising. Does Thamer’s Cold Sensations sell good stuff?”

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“Oh yeah. They sell the best. I’ll have to take you sometime.” Reed slid his hand down Chase’s back. Turning to the side, Chase kissed Reed quickly then went back to looking at his new home. “That cliff a little bit in front of Darkton looks familiar.” Reed circled his hand on Chase’s lower back. “That’s because it is the cliff you almost died on. Baddgar, the leader, was taking you to their hideout twenty miles on the other side of Darkton. If you’ll move the scope a little further down, you will see Nori’s roof.” Within a minute, Chase found the cabin. “I see it. Nori is a tough but kind woman. Does she have any family?” “No. The virus took them all.” “How many people are left?” Chase couldn’t help but feel sorrow for the fairies of Ardinio. A virus could wipe hundreds of thousands out in the blink of an eye. “There are only two hundred fifty thousand of us left. Even before the virus, our people were worried and had just started encouraging couples to have more children.” Pain flickered in Reed’s eyes. “Then the virus came along, and now it’s up to us to rebuild the people of Ardinio.” Needing to comfort Reed, Chase wrapped his arms tightly around Reed’s solid waist and hugged him. “In a few years, everything will be all right.” After a moment, Chase kissed Reed’s chest. “How many villages are there?” “Six. Once the population grows too large for them, we have plenty of land for new villages to spring up. Currently, we are only using twenty percent of our land.” Reed moved the scope to the left. “This is Cane Village. Cattle production and processing is one of their main sources of income.” “What are those funny-looking animals? There are hundreds of them.” Chase couldn’t take his eyes off the long-necked cow-looking creatures.

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“They are called lukups. They are from this planet. You ate a lukup steak the first night you were here. I believe you were too tired to really taste it.” Reed rubbed Chase’s shoulder. “I’ll order you a lukup steak tonight. I think you’ll love it.” “Okay.” Chase moved the scope to see what else he could find. He found some lukups eating what looked like sugarcane. “Do the lukups eat sugarcane? And if so, is that why it is called Cane Village?” “That is part of the reason it’s called Cane Village. The lukups do eat sweet cane that is native to our planet. Sweet cane is similar to the sugarcane on Earth.” With a slow sweeping motion, Chase moved the scope. A moment later he gasped. “No fucking way! We have to stop this. A naked man is cuffed with his hands above his head and is being caned across his back and buttocks outside of what looks like a house.” Chase turned to look at Reed. Surely Reed would stop it. “Hold on, little one. Look again. Is the man struggling? Or does he seem relaxed and possibly have an erection?” Chase frowned but returned to the scope. Wide-eyed, Chase watched as the man was hit several more times. As the next hit struck his ass, he arched his body and his cum shot from his large cock. His partner hit his ass three more times, and another load of cum burst from his dick. Chase watched as the man’s partner dropped the cane and quickly uncuffed the man and led him inside the house. That was not something Chase wanted done to him, but watching the man come had been a turn-on. Reed slid his hand around to Chase’s cock and stroked its length. “The other reason it is called Cane Village is because most of the people from that village like to be caned. I see it turned you on. Would you like to be caned, or did it just heat you up to see someone orgasm?”

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Chase answered in a passion-roughened voice. “I just liked seeing him come. That part was hot. His whole body arched, and he came twice.” Reed turned them so the scope was behind him, and then he licked Chase’s lips as his hands unfastened Chase’s pants and pulled out his hard rod. As Reed lowered himself to his knees, he kissed a trail down to Chase’s throbbing cock. “This is going to be a quickie. Just to take the edge off. Look through the scope. Someone else has probably been cuffed by now. They don’t all get caned. Some just like bondage.” Chase’s dick was starting to hurt. It needed relief badly. Doing as Reed instructed, he looked through the scope. “You were right. Someone else just got cuffed.” “Good. Watch them and feel what I’m doing to you. Don’t take your eyes off them.” Reed’s voice had turned deep and seductive. To Chase’s amazement, the man who did the cuffing knelt in front of the cuffed man and started licking his cock. Chase jerked and groaned when he felt Reed’s tongue swirl around the head of his dick. He glanced down and was captured by Reed’s teal eyes. “Watch the scene, not me. Tell me, what are they doing?” Reed ordered just before he sucked Chase’s cockhead into his mouth. A loud moan passed Chase’s lips as he looked through the scope. “The kneeling man is deep-throating the cuffed man.” To Chase’s surprise and pleasure, Reed took his cock deeply down his throat and started sucking. Chase watched the cuffed man’s hand clench and unclench as his partner never stopped bobbing up and down his dick. When Reed started doing the same thing, Chase’s balls started tingling and a shiver raced from his head to his toes. Fuck, this is hot. “The…the man just moved down the naked man’s dick and is now sucking his balls.” Chase could barely get the words out. He was becoming dazed by passion. Reed slid his soft lips down the length of Chase’s shaft. Chase jumped when Reed took a smooth ball into his

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mouth and sucked gently. All he wanted to do was lay down and let Reed eat him, but he had orders to watch the other couple. Doing as he was told, Chase stared, mesmerized, as a third man walked up behind the cuffed man. “A…another man just walked up behind the cuffed man. Oh boy, the third man just spread the cuffed man’s legs wider.” Reed pulled Chase’s pants off and nudged his legs wider. Chase heard him spit, and then he jerked when he felt wet fingers caress his rear entrance. A loud groan shook Chase’s chest when Reed’s fingers continued to circle his puckered hole as his mouth sucked at Chase’s cockhead. Unable to speak, Chase watched the scene unfold. The man on his knees started bobbing faster, and the man behind lubed up the cuffed man’s ass. “The man behind just lubed…” Chase didn’t have to continue. Reed slid two fingers just past the tight ring of muscle then shoved them home as he swallowed Chase’s whole dick. Chase screamed and came just like the visibly-orgasming cuffed man being fucked and sucked. Chase hovered in paradise for several long moments. When he came back to reality, he was still standing in front of the scope. Reed was lapping his cock and helping support him. The naked man was now getting fucked by the man who had been sucking him off. As Chase watched, the man pounding into the cuffed man threw his head back and shoved deep one more time. He tightly held the cuffed man still as he orgasmed. Chase groaned as Reed slid his fingers out of Chase’s ass. The naked man was now being uncuffed and led to the house. Reed kissed the tip of Chase’s cock then reached for Chase’s pants and helped him into them. Once Chase was steady, Reed went to the bathroom and cleaned up. When Reed returned, Chase commented, “Ardinio is one interesting planet.” “I’m glad you think so. It’s a good place to live, and for the most part the people are good and work hard. As you saw, they also play

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hard.” Reed brushed his lips across Chase’s then turned Chase back to the scope. “Let’s continue with our tour. Cane Village is known for its cattle, caning, and masquerade parties.” “Masquerade parties? You mean those parties where everyone wears a costume and a mask?” Chase was very interested in that. “Exactly. Would you like to go one day?” “Yes. It sounds intriguing and fun. Have you ever been to one?” A naughty smile crossed Reed’s handsome face. “Several. I always have a great time. We must go to the next one they have. For now, I want you to move the scope to the left and find the next village.” It took a little bit of time, but Chase found the next village. “Oooh, these houses look more refined than the ones in the other villages. Why is that?” “That is one of Eventon Village’s draws. They have a more romantic atmosphere than the other villages. People go there to clothes shop, eat at fine restaurants, and dance the night away. With time we will go to each village.” Reed leaned down and whispered, “Dinner, dancing, and leisurely sex with you sounds extremely good to me.” “Mmmm. It sounds good to me, too.” Chase moved the scope then asked, “Since there aren’t many women here, do most of the men party, wine and dine, and have sex with each other as they wait for their mate to be revealed?” “That’s exactly what they do. The younger ones are learning how to please a future mate, and the older ones are just having fun and keeping their skills up at the same time.” Reed walked over to one of the glass walls and looked out. “Go ahead and find the next village.” Chase moved the scope slowly until movement caught his eye, and he stopped. It was one of the lukups. The animal was grazing the blue grass. Chase smiled when he noticed that the animal seemed to like the lighter blue grass best. It was passing a lot of dark blue grass. His smile grew larger as he thought of a child going for dessert before

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vegetables. Following the lukup, Chase smiled when it met up with another lukup and they rubbed noses. Reed walked over to Chase and asked, “Have you found the next village?” Chase mentally waved bye to the flirting lukups and moved the scope. “I just found it.” “The village you are looking at is Stroff Village. What do you think they do?” Chase looked closely at Stroff. “I see several large buildings. Are they factories?” “Some of them are. Others are for medical development. Stroff supplies us with medicines, electronics, containers, soaps, and many other things. The people there like to make all kinds of things that improve people’s lives.” “Hmmm. If the people of Stroff make the electronics, who makes the movies and music you have here? Do you have many singers, actors, and writers?” “Not many anymore. Most of our entertainment comes from other planets. You will recognize a lot from Earth. Once we knew our mates were coming from Earth, we brought in many things from there,” Reed said. “What do you do when you encounter a language you don’t know?” Chase asked. “We have a device that translates it and converts it to English, because that’s the language we use the most.” “You understand more than one language?” Chase loved learning about Reed and the other people of this planet. “Yes, and so do you, now. Your fairy DNA lets you understand the trollettes, leprechauns, and a few other languages.” “Damn, that’s cool.” Chase grew more impressed by the fairies every day. Reed chuckled. “I’m glad you think so. Go on to the next village.”

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Aiming the scope to the left, Chase saw what looked like vineyards. “Do fairies make their own wine?” “Yes. The people of Grape Village make the best wine I’ve ever tasted. They sell a lot of it to Everton Village.” “The name’s appropriate, then. What all does Grape Village offer?” Chase asked. “People go there for the open markets, wine tasting, and excellent bed and breakfast establishments.” Chase found one of the bed and breakfasts. It looked good to him. “Are the bed and breakfasts close to the wineries?” “Yes. It’s fun to go spend the day sampling the wine, checking out the markets, then crashing for the night at the home-based B&Bs. You get up the next day to a delicious breakfast then go home with all your goodies.” With a slight move of his wrist, Chase was able to watch some people stroll the market, buying what interested them. It was a little unnerving to see so many men and know they were patiently waiting for their female mates. So far he’d only seen a handful of older women. It was sad, but he was glad that soon each village would be repopulated with women and then children. Chase moved the scope downward until he came across the last village. The beauty and excitement of the place drew him in. There were lush parks with statues and vividly colored plants. Then he found the purple spraying water. “Oh my gosh! That is the biggest water park I’ve ever seen.” “It looks like you have found Lilly Village. The water park is one of their main attractions. People will go there and stay for a week or two several times a year. In the winter the owner shields the water park from the cold air and heats the water.” Chase put his hand up. “Whoa. How does he put a shield up? That place is massive.” “That’s his power. He can shield anything, including this planet.”

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“I wish I had some awesome powers.” Chase looked at the floor and wondered if humans were a good match for the powerful fairies. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Reed circled Chase in a tight embrace. “You have the power to help us survive. That power is even greater than shielding power.” Chase melted inside. “Thanks. I’ll do my best to help us survive.” Chase breathed Reed’s scent in deeply. “If I’d had shielding power, I wouldn’t have had to kill those men. I could have brought them in to receive their punishment.” Reed tightened his grip for a second. “Death was to be their punishment. You dished it out before I could.” Reed took a calming breath. “Back to the shielding power, before I get pissed. It only works if you know in advance to use it. Tate has shielding power, but they got to him. We think the leader had cloaking powers. But they didn’t cloak him from you because he underestimated you. No power is perfect.” Looking up, Chase asked, “Tate has shielding powers?” Reed nodded. “Yes. His father is the owner of the water park.” “No way. Does that mean that powers are passed down to the children?” “Most of the time.” “Great. Does that mean your kids are going to be tying all our kids up with their hair? I can picture the chaos now. My kids are going to have to analyze their way out.” “That’ll make them strong, like their father.” Reed kissed Chase lightly then said, “Seriously, the children won’t get their powers until they are about seventy-five years old. No need to worry.” Chase looked questioningly at Reed. “What other powers do you have?” A grin transformed Reed’s handsome face. “I have the power of persuasion.” Chase flashed back to him running from Reed in the park. “Why didn’t you persuade me to come peacefully with you when we met?”

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“Because you’re my mystic mate. I can’t use persuasion on you.” Reed wiggled his eyebrows. “Although, I wish I could sometimes.” This time a picture of Reed grabbing him with his hair flashed through Chase’s mind. “Why can you use your hair on me?” Chase wasn’t sure he liked Reed being able to grab him with his wild-ass hair. “Because it doesn’t directly affect your mind.” Reed grinned. “Oh, the things I have planned for you.” Chase’s dick twitched when Reed’s eyes started to glow. “I can’t wait to experience them all.” Reed’s phone rang, and he stepped back to answer it. Chase licked his lips as he watched Reed. The man was just too appealing. Chase hoped he never stopped feeling so strongly for Reed. After ending his call, Reed turned to Chase. “I’ve got to go take care of some things. Look around, go for a swim in the pool.” Reed kissed Chase then kissed him again before he left. Chase licked his lips and tasted Reed’s sweet flavor. He longed to have Reed back in his arms. Reed’s position was important, though, so Chase knew he’d have to get used to Reed leaving at any time. Chase stepped out of the glass room and into a lush rooftop garden complete with the loveliest pool he’d ever seen. The blue water glittered. Chase walked down a stone path that led to the pool. After taking off his shoes, Chase dipped a toe into the water and groaned at how good it felt. He stepped onto the second step and stared out at the pool and the surrounding gardens. It was magical. Plants of green, blue, yellow, and red grew around stone statues, paths, and an extended rooftop that shaded an enormous terrace. There were many lounges made of heavy wood and several benches made of stone and even a fire pit. He could easily see himself hanging out here with Reed for hours on end. Everywhere he looked Chase saw interesting flowers, some in colors he didn’t even have names for. He loved the smell of the large white flowers and small blue flowers. His face scrunched in distaste

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when he sniffed a large maroon flower. That one was eye candy only. Changing the direction of his exploration, he walked to edge of the pool. It had two stone shelves a few inches under the water. Perfect for making love. Close to one of the shelves was a waterfall. It poured down from a series of smooth rocks. The sound of flowing water had a calming effect on his nerves. The whole garden was absolutely lovely. Looking along the curving edges of the pool, he noticed that there was a built-in spa as well. It was all beautiful, but it wasn’t the same without Reed. Stepping out of the water, Chase picked up his shoes and headed back inside.

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Chapter Ten A week had passed since Reed had taken Chase on an in-depth tour of his rooms in his new home. Chase was starting to get around a little better. Reed had just left to take care of some kingly matter. Chase was bored and decided to go exploring some more. He had just stepped onto the terrace that led to the training field when nine young men approached him and his guard. The biggest one said, “Well, well. Look at what we’ve got here, boys. A weak little round ears. Do you cry for your mother every night?” Anger surfaced just under Chase’s skin. His eyes assessed each of the men. Byron, Chase’s guard, stepped up beside Chase. “Go on about your business. You know who he belongs to. Only a fool would ask for the king’s wrath.” The leader’s eyes narrowed. “The king shouldn’t have claimed such a weak mate. Humans are not good breeders for us. We should be allowed to claim fairy women from other planets.” The eight other men shouted out their agreement. Byron cursed, then defended the king. “The Enlightened Ones made the decision to mate with humans, not King Reed. Now go on and I’ll forget you ever insulted the king.” “We’re not going anywhere until we prove that humans are too weak to be fairy mates.” The gang’s leader nodded his head, and all hell broke loose. Three of the men rushed Byron and fought with him while the other six surrounded Chase. At first they came at him one at a time

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while the others called out encouragements. After two of them backed away limping, they started coming at him two at a time. Chase cleared his mind and let the beast in him run free. Going for blood, he broke the nose of the next man that attacked him. He took a hit to his right eyebrow. Pain shot through his head, and blood trickled down. He wiped it away and broke the arm of the next man dumb enough to come after him. Out of nowhere, the man who’d told him weeks ago to watch his back jumped into the fight. Chase’s stomach felt like a boiling cauldron. Fear, anger, frustration, and determination were all cooking up inside him. If more men jumped in and fought with these nine assholes, he and Byron were toast. To Chase’s amazement the newcomer started kicking Chase’s enemies’ asses. Back-to-back, they fought off the men until all of them lay on the ground, injured and knocked out. Byron had taken out his three attackers as Chase and his new friend handled the other six. Byron called for some guards to come and take the men to a holding cell. While Byron was making the call, Chase turned to the man who’d come to his aid. “You’re the man who told me to watch my back. Thanks for helping me out today. What’s your name?” The man bowed then answered Chase’s question. “Rhett. It was my pleasure to help you out. I’d fight by your side any day.” “Well, Rhett, let’s go get some froosh.” Byron hurried after the men, a black eye already starting to form. His bushy brows were scrunched together. Chase briefly wondered what all could hide in those wild brows. “I don’t think this is a good idea. The king is going to be furious. You should return to your rooms,” Byron stated firmly. Chase laughed and wiped the blood out of his eye. It was already starting to scab over. “That was nothing. We kicked their asses. After a good fight, it’s good to have a drink.”

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Once they arrived in the food court, Chase ordered them all a froosh, which was put on Reed’s tab, and then ordered them to drink it with him. Byron sipped his as he stood guard, glaring at everyone in the room. Rhett and Chase happily took a seat. Rhett took a long swig of his drink. “I’d heard that some of the younger men were mad at the decision to bring humans into our world. It was rumored that they were going to prove that you were not fit to be mated to the king. I wasn’t sure who they were, so all I could do was try to warn you and keep a watch for any fights that broke out.” Rhett looked at Chase’s throbbing eyebrow and winced. “I’m sorry I didn’t hear the fight sooner.” Chase looked at Rhett’s swollen lip. “Looks like we all took a few blows. But we beat them, and that’s what matters. Bullies, in my opinion, should never win.” Chase tapped the table as a thought struck him. “Why didn’t they use some fairy powers on us, and why didn’t you use any on them?” Rhett grinned then grimaced. “That’s because we are too young. Fairy powers don’t show up until a fairy is about seventy-five years old. All of us that want to fight for the king but are too young are here training.” With a sour stomach, Chase said, “You mean I just injured kids?” Rhett laughed. “Not totally. Their average age was sixty. I’m sixty-five.” “How old is the king?” Chase asked. Rhett could turn out to be a goldmine of information. Biting his lip, Rhett thought for a moment then counted up on his fingers. “He is two hundred years old.” Chase felt his eyes bulge. “How long do you guys live?” After taking another drink, Rhett answered, “About a thousand years.” Sorrow clouded his eyes. “Unless disaster strikes. Like the virus that killed so many of us.” Chase took another drink, and his blood heated up. A man walked up to Byron and started talking to him. This was his chance to learn

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something about Reed. Chase leaned in close and asked Rhett, “Did anyone close to the king die?” “Oh yeah. He lost everyone but his uncle, the king. King Reed’s mother was always smiling and friendly. Everyone loved her. His father was wise. Many went to him for counsel. His twin brothers were always bantering back and forth. They made everyone laugh.” Rhett paused for a second. “His baby sister was the prettiest little thing. She didn’t take any shit from her older brothers. She would have made a great mate and mother one day.” Rhett took a deep breath. “I lost two sweet little sisters and my mother. We all lost so many. But with the cure being found, and the knowledge that humans are good mates, the future looks promising. I’m glad you’re here, and I know many others are as well.” Pain for Reed swept through Chase. Now he understood Reed a little better. Drastic loss made some people keep their hearts safely locked away. Love equaled pain to them. To top it all off, Reed was responsible for the survival of his people. Reed had plausible reasons for everything he did. Including kidnapping. Chase’s heart bled for his desperate fay king. He knew Reed needed his love. And he’d have it until the day he died. A commotion at the door drew all eyes to Reed. Chase fidgeted in his seat when Reed sent him a hot, angry look. What had he done wrong? Loving Reed was not an easy task. Reed stormed to the table Chase sat at. He looked at their cups of froosh and then pulled Chase to his feet. Teal eyes took in Chase’s cut brow, and his eyes glowed. High emotion must cause his eyes to glow, Chase thought to himself. “Reed, what’s the—” In a low and somewhat scary voice, Reed ground out, “Go to our rooms now.” Reed turned to Byron. “Go with him. Make sure he gets there safely.” Not wanting to embarrass Reed, Chase quietly left the room. In their rooms he paced until Reed came in. “Don’t ever do that to me

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again. I’m not some naughty child you need to scold. I’ll have a drink of froosh with anyone I see fit.” Reed’s brows shot up. “You think I’m upset because you were drinking froosh with Rhett? What happened to your eye?” Reed tapped his foot and dug his phone from his pocket. “Where’s your phone?” Chase pulled his out of his pocket. “Right here, why?” “Why didn’t you answer it when I called to tell you to go to our rooms?” Reed tapped his foot some more. Chase looked at his phone. It was dead. He looked up at the stillangry Reed. “I forgot to charge it. Look, I’m sorry. Shouldn’t you guys have better technology than humans?” “I’m going to ignore that last comment.” Reed stared hard at Chase. “Were you even going to tell me you were in a fight? I only know about it because security called me after Byron called them.” Reed stepped right in front of Chase and caught him in his gaze. “From now on you don’t leave these rooms without me. You could have been killed today. Trust me, those men will be sorry they touched you.” Chase rolled his eyes. “Duh, I think they already are. We taught them a lesson. Have you seen Rhett and Byron get down? Byron was to the side of me, circled by three men. He was punching, blocking, and kicking. Hell, I think his eyebrows may have even slapped one of them. You should have seen it. I was kicking ass, then Rhett jumped in and, back-to-back, we started taking those idiots out. That was as good as any bar fight I’ve ever been in on Earth.” Reed grabbed Chase’s shoulders and shook him lightly before crushing him to his chest. “Don’t you understand? You are my mystic mate. You can’t take chances. When those fools surrounded you, a scream should have come from your mouth. Everyone a mile away should have heard you.” Reed leaned back and looked into Chase’s eyes. “You are the future of my people. You can’t die.”

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All of Chase’s recent adrenaline rush quickly dissipated. Reed was worried about him and the future of his people. Chase was swiftly struck by the importance of his role on this planet. “I think I understand now. I won’t take any more chances. I won’t fight again unless my life or the life of my mate or children is on the line. But I’m not sorry I whooped ass today. It was important for the fairies to see that humans are not weak people.” Reed groaned and hugged Chase tightly. “I have to ride a section of the borders tomorrow, and I’m taking you with me.” Chase rubbed his body into Reed’s. Damn, I love this man. “As you wish, my king.” A low growl came from Reed’s chest. “After I clean your wound, I expect you to fulfill more of my wishes.” A squeak came from Chase when Reed scooped him up and headed for the bathroom. Chase rested his head on Reed’s chiseled chest, and he melted into him. “I look forward to fulfilling your every wish, my king.”

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Chapter Eleven Was he kidding? They were checking the borders on those things? To Chase’s shock, Reed had led him up to two horse-looking things that had six legs. One was midnight black with brown lower legs, and the other was tan with white lower legs. The black one stepped closer to Reed. Chase looked between the animal and Reed. “You’re kidding me, right?” Reed slid his hand up the creature’s neck then rubbed its ears. The animal whinnied and rubbed into Reed. “Not at all. These animals are odas. We use odas a lot.” Reed ran his hand down the back of the animal. “They are fast and strong.” Chase wanted to go back inside and have Reed run his hands all over his body. The tan oda next to Chase whinnied, drawing Chase away from his fantasy. “I don’t know about this. Shouldn’t we take one of those cool hover vehicles?” Reed shook his head. “Okay. How about one of those old-ass vans?” “We only use hovercrafts when needed. And that old-ass van that you were thrown into was considered a classic.” Reed once again ran his hand along the oda’s back. “These are our main mode of transportation.” At Chase’s horrified look, Reed laughed. “Yes. We have sophisticated technology, but for the most part, we like to keep things simple.” Knowing he wasn’t going to win this time, Chase gently ran his hand down the back of his new ride. The tan, shiny skin was surprisingly soft for such a tough-looking animal. It was a little taller than any horse on Earth, and the mane that ran down its neck was

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long and bushy. As Chase smoothed his hand up the animal’s silky back, he noticed how wide it was. Excellent for riding. The oda’s head turned and it looked Chase straight in the eyes. Surprise held him in place. He was staring into the prettiest eyes he’d ever seen in an animal. They were dark purple with threads of white shooting through them. It felt like the animal was looking into his soul. “That’s it, get to know her,” Reed encouraged as he continued to stroke his animal. When his purple-eyed oda looked over at Reed’s oda, Chase whispered, “You’re a pretty thing, aren’t you.” Chase guided his hand up the oda’s body and up its neck. He rubbed its ears, and to his shock, he felt the animal’s pleasure. “I see she’s chosen you. They only share their feelings with one person. That person will forever be connected to them.” Reed’s voice was full of pride. “Does that mean they only allow the person they connect with to ride them?” Chase asked as he rubbed her ears. “No. An oda will let different people ride them. The sharing of their emotions just means that they like their chosen one best of all. Here at the castle, when an oda chooses a person, we put that person’s name on the stall the oda sleeps in at night. Your name will be put on Callie’s stall.” “Callie. I like her name.” A happy humming sensation whipped up Chase’s hand and warmed his heart. Chase cut his eyes to Reed. “Did you feel that?” Laughter rumbled up from Reed’s chest. “No. She’ll only share her feeling with you. Oh, and you have to be touching her for it to happen.” “That’s so cool. Is that one connected to you?” Chase pointed to the oda Reed was petting. “Yes. Her name is Tangee. They are both beautiful animals.” Reed walked over to Chase and took a handful of Callie’s mane. “The way you get on her is by grabbing this thick part of her mane that is

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close to her body.” Reed moved his hand down to a thick-muscled hump at the top of the oda’s front leg. “This is a bundle of solid muscles. When mounting from the left side of the oda, you put your right foot on this muscled hump and throw you left leg over her back. Don’t forget to pull yourself up, using her mane, at the same time. Odas can be mounted from either side. Are you ready to try?” “Are you sure my foot’s not going to hurt her?” Chase wasn’t so sure about this. He was a city boy. City boys didn’t ride horses all over the place. “No. You won’t hurt her. An oda’s hide is soft to the touch, but very thick and tough. Go ahead. Mount her.” At the word mount, Chase’s balls tingled. “I’d rather mount you.” Reed’s teal eyes glowed for a minute. “I’d like that myself, but we have work to do. Several of my men are coming with us. Let’s not keep them waiting.” Tenderness surrounded Chase’s heart. Reed’s thoughtfulness toward his men confirmed to Chase that Reed was the right man to rule the fairy people. Chase ran his fingers through Callie’s mane, and he was rewarded with her feelings of contentment. “Okay, Callie, let’s see if I can do this.” Chase grabbed hold of her mane, placed his foot properly on her body, then swung himself up and onto her back. Exhilaration had him smiling from ear to ear. “I did it! Did you see me, Reed?” Pride shone in Reed’s beautiful eyes. “Yes, I did, little one. You mounted her like a pro. Are you ready to see more of your new home?” “Yes.” Chase petted Callie’s neck. “How do I get her to go where I need her to go?” “That’s simple. Just tug on her lower mane, the part you pulled yourself up with, in the direction you wish to go. These animals are quite smart.” Reed stroked Tangee then tugged her mane to the right, and she turned until he stopped tugging and then started walking the way Reed wanted her to go.

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Chase gently tugged on Callie’s mane, and she turned and followed Tangee. Chase heard others following him and turned to see three men behind him. One of them was Tate. Chase blushed when their eyes met, and he quickly turned back around. His brown eyes clashed with Reed’s glowing teal eyes. Reed waved Chase up next to him. “Never be ashamed of what you did during the mating ceremony. You didn’t do anything to be embarrassed about.” Heat suffused Chase’s cheeks. “It’s just that I don’t normally do that with people I don’t know. I feel like a man-ho.” Anger flared in Reed’s eyes. “You are not a man-ho. To our people you are the king’s mystic mate. You hold a high position in the fay world. Always be proud of whom you are and the position you hold. As other humans are brought here, they will look to you. One of your jobs will be to ease their minds. The next human brought here will be our female mate.” Reed grinned mischievously. “You can practice on her. When you have her calmed down, I’ll come in and mate her.” “Funny. You are not leaving my side until it’s done.” Chase’s stomach knotted. “Do we have to do this? I don’t know if I can help you take and mate a fellow human.” “We don’t have a choice. I don’t like it either, but this has to be done. You’ve proven it’s possible for a human to come here and fit in. Another thing you’ve done is show fairies that some humans are incredibly strong and smart. It has been reported to me that the fairies respect you.” Reed slowed his oda, and Chase’s slowed as well. Reed rested his hand on Chase’s leg. “I know this is hard for you. Just think about it. On Earth you were just another human. Here you are needed. Without you and a select group of humans, the fairies will die off. On Ardinio you are the difference between life and death.” Chase groaned, and his stomach tightened. No stress here! Sweat beaded his brow as he analyzed the situation. On Earth he was just one of billions. Here on Ardinio he was needed. Reed had said our

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people a minute ago. Bone-deep, Chase knew he was home. If the Enlightened Ones chose all the humans carefully, this might work. “The Enlightened Ones, do they somehow know which humans will fit in best here? They wouldn’t take a human who had a spouse and children counting on them, would they?” “Never.” Reed’s quick and confident answered relieved Chase. “I’m in, then. You can count on me.” “Remind me later to thank you for saving our people.” A wicked gleam shone in Reed’s eyes. The knot in Chase’s stomach was replaced by anticipation. “Oh, I will.” “It’s a pleasure I look forward to.” Reed cut his eyes to the path ahead. “Let’s get this border check over with.” As they traveled Reed pointed out different plants and told what they were used for. A few miles down the path, a pink river came into view. The pink waves seemed to wink at Chase. Excitedly, Chase turned to Reed. “Can we swim in it? I’ve never swam in pink water before.” The three men riding with them and Reed said, “No,” at the same time. Chase’s excitement dimmed. “Why not?” Reed looked at Tate. “Show him.” Moving Tangee, Reed guided the animal over to Chase. “Yes, my king.” Chase watched as Tate moved to within fifty feet of the lovely pink water. He dismounted and picked up a rock, then hurled it toward the flowing water. Before the rock cleared the edge of the river, a huge snake-looking creature with massive fangs and a scary beard lunged from the water and swallowed the rock. Chase’s hands clutched at his chest. “Holy fuck! Why aren’t there any signs around here warning people about that big fucker?”

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Tate rode back toward them as Reed answered, “Everyone on Ardinio knows to avoid all pink water.” “We have to get rid of those things. They are too dangerous.” Chase’s whole body was shaking. “I can handle battling men, but wild creatures that can swallow men whole are totally beyond my training.” Leaning over and pressing his lips to Chase’s, Reed kissed him until he was relaxed. “I’m afraid there is no way to get rid of all the bearded snatchers. They are like the crocodiles on Earth. There are many of them, and they do help keep the ecosystem in order. I’ll see if I can get their numbers cut down.” At Chase’s skeptical look, Reed continued, “We have several hunters who can kill them.” With a shaky voice, Chase stated, “Well, all the humans brought here will have to be informed. How do your children not get eaten by that Loch Ness look-alike?” Reed’s face saddened. “We haven’t had any children in a long time. When we do have children, they are trained young to stay away from all pink rivers. The blue and purple rivers are the only ones we swim in.” Sorrow sliced through Chase’s chest. “When was the last baby born?” “A little over fifty years ago.” Reed gave Chase a small smile. “She’s a pretty little thing. The Enlightened Ones won’t be able to guide her to her mate for another twenty-five years. Young fairies aren’t fully matured until they are about seventy-five years old. We have about one hundred women who will be matured in about ten years. A big problem of ours is that currently we have one hundred and fifty thousand men waiting for a mate. The younger ones can easily wait another two hundred years for their female mate, but the ones who are already two hundred years old need their mate soon. We need females desperately.”

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Chase’s brow furrowed. “Why was I brought here?” He thought Reed had told him before but so much had happened since he’d come to Ardinio that he couldn’t remember. “A few human males are needed to comfort the human females and to raise our numbers quickly. The more there are of us the safer and stronger we all are. It would be irrational to bring females here and not have enough males here to protect them and the babies they will be having. We wouldn’t take anyone we didn’t desperately need.” Reed spoke logically but with compassion. Needing to reassure Reed, Chase reached out and squeezed his hand. “Times are already changing. Soon our world will be better.” Reed placed his free hand on Chase’s and patted it. “Spoken like a true king’s mate. Let’s move on.” Several more miles passed uneventfully. Chase finally asked, “Do you do this very often?” As Reed answered Chase, his eyes never stopped searching. “Once a month I ride a section. Some of the others ride the border every other day. That’s how we know the trollettes have been coming onto our side.” Reed was making Chase a little nervous. “What do trollettes look like? And why do you call them trollettes instead of trolls?” “Because they are short. The tallest ones are about five feet. Their noses and ears are kind of long. They are strong, but not real smart. We have trouble with them every so often, usually when a new leader takes over. Their lifespan is about fifty years. The last time they caused us problems, it took years to get rid of them.” The last Reed said with disgust. “If they are slow witted, why was it so hard to get rid of them?” Chase asked. “Because they are tenacious. The little bastards just don’t give up. Once, they got it in their heads that we stole half their land, and there was no stopping them. Without the Enlightened Ones’ assistance, we would have had to kill all of them.” Reed shivered. “That’s one scene

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I don’t want to replay. I want to nip whatever they are doing now in the bud.” “Have they made any demands?” Chase asked. Reed’s eyes kept scanning the ground as he answered. “No. That is the strange thing. In the past they always loudly let us know what they wanted. This time they seem to be quietly coming over two to three at a time. They may be scouting.” Chase’s mind went into full analytical mode. “You said they are a little slow?” “Yes. That slowness doesn’t stop them from going after what they want.” Reed suddenly stopped and looked at something on the ground. “Could someone else be prodding them?” Chase inquired as he watched Reed urge his oda on. “We think that’s what happened last time. Those damned leprechauns. I’m pretty sure they were involved with the trollettes thinking we stole their land.” Reed turned and looked at Chase. “The leprechauns are the ones you have to watch out for. They are small but sneaky, and they love to stir up trouble.” With a wary eye, Chase looked around. “Are there any of them here now?” A sweet smile curled Reed’s lips. “No. The only tracks we’ve found recently are trollettes. Plus, leprechauns leave a strong odor behind.” Something moved in the bushes next to Chase’s oda. He turned and saw the cutest little green, furry bunny-looking thing. “What’s that, Reed? It’s so cute. It reminds me of an Easter bunny hiding in the grass leaving goodies.” Tate spoke firmly. “Nobody move.” Chase blinked then screamed when the cute little critter opened its mouth, showing off big sharp teeth, and stretched up from the ground in a blur of green. Chase watched in paralyzed horror as it lunged at

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him. Just when Chase was about to feel teeth, a knife swooshed through the air and cut the animal’s head off. “Good throw, Tate.” Reed said as he rode Tangee over to Chase. Chase was starting to shake as he asked, “What the hell was that? A fucking sharp-toothed, stretchable bunny. First the Loch Ness and now this. I should have been told about them before we left the castle. What other scary shit lives here?” Reed encouraged Chase to slide in behind him. Once on Tangee, Chase wrapped his arms around Reed’s waist. Immediately his nerves calmed. With a comforting pat to Chase’s hand, Reed answered Chase’s question. “That was a furry springer. Its bite is deadly. The other vicious animal you met today was a bearded snatcher. It’s named that because it snatches its prey up before it even gets in the water. You have now officially met the only deadly animals on the planet. We do have some spiders that can make you sick, but they aren’t deadly. All in all you are safer here than on Earth.” Within minutes, Chase was relaxing into Reed and wishing they were alone. It always made Chase’s stomach flutter when Reed did caring things for him. Chase knew he’d never need Reed to say the words. With a satisfied sigh, Chase rested his head on Reed’s back. Chase jumped when Reed’s hair slid around his body and squeezed. When Chase felt Reed’s silent laughter vibrate through his chest, he promised himself he’d get used to Reed’s ability to wield his long hair one of these days. They traveled on for a while longer. Chase was starting to recognize some of the plants. That was a good feeling. Soon he’d be helping their female mate learn about her new planet. Excitement and fear fought a battle in Chase’s stomach. It was up to him to help her see how valuable she was to the fairies of Ardinio. And make sure a bearded snatcher didn’t eat her. Chase shivered, and Reed’s hair patted him. Chase smiled and knew that all would be well. He wasn’t

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sure how he knew everything was going to be okay, and right now he didn’t care. He was just glad the future was a promising one. All of Reed’s muscles tightened in the blink of an eye. Chase peeked around Reed. “Hold on tight,” Reed stated as he urged Tangee to a run. With sharp eyes, Chase watched the trollettes quickly pick as many berries from a tree as they could before they ran and jumped a stream of blue water. Reed cursed as they made it to the spot the trollettes had just left. Chase looked through the trees on the other side but couldn’t see any trollettes. They had vanished into the blue forest. That was disturbing. “Tate, look around and see if they left any sign of what they were doing here.” Reed guided Tangee close to the water and looked into trollette territory. “They are up to something.” Reed urged Tangee back to the group and dismounted. He guided Chase in dismounting, then they all scouted the area. An hour later they headed back to the castle. In their private living room, Chase paced as his mind raced. Reed sat in his favorite chair drinking some froosh. With a snap of his fingers, Chase came to a screeching halt in front of Reed. “Can I get a report of all the exact areas the trollettes have left tracks in recently?” “Sure. I’ll have Tate bring in the information. Do you need anything else?” “A map that covers the areas they’ve been.” Chase was getting excited. He felt he might be on to something. Reed made the call, and in no time Tate met them in the office. Chase quickly spread the map out and then looked at the report. He carefully marked the areas on the map. Something wasn’t right. The locations didn’t make sense. Turning to Reed and Tate, Chase asked, “Are there any military bases or science labs in these areas that are not on the map?”

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“No. There’s nothing there but trees and bushes,” Reed answered as he looked over the map. “Trees and bushes.” Chase mumbled to himself as he started pacing. Remembering what the trollettes had done, Chase played their actions over in his mind. Why hadn’t they run away the second they’d seen the fairies approaching? Chase analyzed their actions. They hadn’t run immediately, and they hadn’t made any demands. All they’d been doing was picking berries. He personally liked fruit, but not that much. A thought struck Chase and he rushed to the map. “Are there berry trees in all these locations?” Reed and Tate studied the locations and agreed that there were. “I think they are after the berries for some reason. They have left tracks under these trees, and they are not even trying to cover their presence. When we spotted them, they kept picking until the last possible second. They seem to be almost desperate for the berries.” Chase turned and looked up at Reed and Tate. “Are the berries considered male enhancers?” No, that wouldn’t be enough of a reason for most people to risk life and limb. Before Reed could answer, Chase’s eyes narrowed. “Or do the berries have any healing powers?” If the berries were some sort of medicine, that would explain why the trollettes could need them. “The fruit doesn’t have any enhancing abilities for fairies. It just tastes good and has lots of vitamins. I guess the trollettes could be affected differently by them.” Reed tapped his lower lip as he thought. “We have most of the berry trees on our land, but they do have some on theirs. The questions are, why do they need more than they have, and why now?” “The trollettes have never wanted the berries in the past?” Chase asked as he continued to study the map. “Never. That’s what makes this very strange. I’ll have to contact their king and find out what is going on. As far as I know, he wants peace as much as I do.” Reed moved over to Chase and kissed him

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full on the lips. “Thanks, little lover. I think you are on to something. Go to our bedroom, and I’ll come in and thank you after I talk to the trollette king.” It felt good to help Reed out, but it felt even better to be pinned naked beneath Reed. When Reed had told him to go to their bedroom, a slight glow had entered Reed’s eyes. That was all it took these days to get Chase’s balls tingling and his ass needy. “Anything you say, my king.” That got Reed’s eyes glowing a little brighter. Chase hurried to their bedroom. His cock was already starting to get hard. It was going to get even harder when Reed’s eyes started to sparkle as he took Chase. Chase rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

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Chapter Twelve After letting the trollette king know he wanted a meeting, Reed rushed to his bedroom. The sight of Chase analyzing the situation and bringing up questions he hadn’t thought of made Reed proud of Chase. It also made him extremely horny. He couldn’t have picked a better mate if he’d gone to Earth himself and searched for one. The little guy was just too smart and cute. Reed knew he’d never get enough of Chase. Once in their room, he led Chase up to their rooftop getaway. “What do you have planned, lover?” Chase asked as he tightened his grip on Reed’s hand. “Many things. First, I want you naked.” Once they were in the glass room, Reed started throwing his clothes off. He had to force himself not to jump Chase. The muscles in Chase’s back rippled as he ripped his shirt off then stripped his pants off. Reed stopped to admire Chase’s slender yet muscular physique. Walking slowly, Reed circled Chase. He was so hot for Chase he needed to touch Chase with his hair. Giving in to the need he usually restricted, Reed directed his hair to stroke Chase’s back. Reed shuddered when Chase shivered, sending vibrations shooting through his hair and into his skull. Magnificent. No other could make him feel the way Chase did. As he continued to circle Chase, he caressed his body with his hair. After a few circles, Reed wrapped Chase’s balls in his silken lengths. A moan escaped Chase. “That’s freaky, but so fucking good. It feels like you are wrapping me in silk.”

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Reed tightened his hold on Chase’s balls and leaned down to lick his ear. Chase trembled, and his legs buckled. Reed steadied him then released his balls. “Not yet, little lover. I’m glad you like the way I caress you. I plan on doing it a lot from here on out.” Reed’s desire for Chase was getting stronger every day. “Continue, please,” Chase begged prettily. “Oh, I will, but first I want you to know how hot you make me.” Reed stood in front of Chase and stroked his cock as he stared at his beautiful little lover. “When I watched you analyzing the trollette sightings, I wanted to bend you over the table and fuck that little ass of yours so badly. You are the hottest little thing I’ve ever seen.” Reed reached out with his midnight hair and threaded his strands through Chase’s curly brown locks. With a loud groan, he pulled Chase to him and kissed him full on the lips. Chase opened for Reed and wrapped his arms around Reed’s waist. When his hands started roaming Reed’s back and buttocks, Reed groaned and gloried in the feel of their bodies meshing into one another. The feel of Chase’s soft lips drove him crazy with lust and love. Needing more, Reed urged Chase up. “Straddle my hips, lover.” Chase jumped, and Reed caught him with his arms under Chase’s ass and his hair wrapped around Chase’s thighs. Chase locked his ankles around Reed’s hips. “That’s it. You are so hot I could eat you up. I think I’ll do just that. Hold on.” Chase snuggled into Reed’s chest as Reed walked out of the glass room and into the garden. Reed’s hard cock rubbed against Chase’s with ever step he took. Not wanting it to end too soon, Reed took a breath and focused on what he’d do next. At a lounge by the pool, Reed gently laid Chase down and stepped back to look at him. “Eating you up will be a pleasure.” Reed’s balls rolled when Chase licked his lips. Moving to a small wooden table with drawers, Reed pulled out lube and silk.

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Reed smiled when Chase gulped. “That’s right, little lover. I plan on playing with you for a bit. Put your arms up over your head.” When Chase’s hands were in place, Reed walked to the end of the lounge and tied his hands to a hidden metal loop on the back of the lounge. Running the last strip of silk down Chase’s body as he walked to the foot of the lounge, Reed grinned when Chase shivered. “Have you ever been blindfolded before?” “No.” Chase tugged on his silken bonds. Nothing happened. Reed grinned. “Well, you’re about to experience it. I love to blindfold my lovers. It should be an even greater experience to blindfold my mate. My innocent mate. Are you ready?” Reed’s blood was boiling, but he held himself back. He wanted Chase to explode like never before. “You’re not going to hurt me, are you? I will kick your ass when I get free if you do.” Chase’s brown eyes pleaded with Reed to make it good for him. Reed knelt beside Chase and kissed him lightly. “I’d never hurt you, but I will push you to experience new things. Now is one of those times. Close your lovely brown eyes.” As soon as Chase did as instructed, Reed put the silk blindfold in place and eased away from Chase. The animal in Reed howled as he watched Chase lie there bound and ready for anything he had planned. Going to the terrace fridge, Reed retrieved several items then went back to Chase. To prep Chase, Reed ran his hands slowly from Chase’s shoulders to his toes then back again. After taking a bite of sliced fruit, Reed pressed his lips to Chase’s. Chase opened, and Reed thrust his tongue into Chase’s mouth and explored it thoroughly. Pulling back, Reed placed a bite of fruit on Chase’s parted lips. “Eat, little one.”

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Chase ate the fruit then licked his lips. Reed moaned and kissed Chase again. He just couldn’t get enough of his sweet little mate. “You taste heavenly.” Chase answered in a husky voice. “So do you. Please don’t make me wait long. I need you.” Reed looked at Chase’s cock and smiled as he watched it throb. “Soon, little lover.” Reed kissed Chase’s ear, and his own cock throbbed when Chase moaned. Getting two small slices of cheese, Reed placed them over Chase’s nipples and was pleased when the cold squares made Chase’s flesh pebble. Reed fed Chase a bite of the cheese and watched as Chase licked his lips when he was done. Leaning down, Reed opened his mouth wide and sucked up the cheese as well as Chase’s taut nipple. Chase groaned when Reed raked his teeth over the sensitive nubbin. Leaning back, Reed chewed the cheese then kissed Chase’s lips again. Kissing a trail to Chase’s other taut peak, Reed scraped his teeth across Chase’s nipple as he scooped the cheese up then ate it. Going for more, Reed licked and sucked Chase’s sensitive flesh until he had Chase squirming and spreading his legs. Retrieving some sticky chocolate syrup that had a hint of fruit flavor, Reed moved between Chase’s legs and dribbled the syrup all over Chase’s thick cock and smooth balls. Chase jerked when the cool syrup hit his manly parts. “Fuck.” Reed reached over and put the syrup on the table and then leaned back to look at what he was about to eat. Heavenly. Chase’s flesh was smooth and satiny. Bending down between Chase’s legs, he started licking Chase’s sac. The taste of Chase and chocolate burst in Reed’s mouth, causing him to groan in delight. Chase jumped and tugged on his bonds. As Reed licked, Chase begged. “Set me free, I promise to let you play. I need to touch you. Please let me touch you.” Reed shook his head, letting his tongue slide from side to side across Chase’s balls. “No. This is my game. You need to feel what

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it’s like to come while being bound. It’s incredible. I’ll make you feel like your sweet balls are going to explode before I let you come.” Going back to the pleasure of tasting Chase, Reed slurped his way up Chase’s pretty cock. When his lips enveloped the head of Chase’s cock, Chase arched off the lounge and his legs closed a bit. Reed wrapped his hair around Chase’s thighs and spread them wide. Chase struggled, and his dick hardened and extended an inch. Going down on Chase was starting to boil Reed’s blood. Chase tasted so good. Running his tongue back down to Chase’s sac, Reed licked and sucked at the delicate flesh until Chase’s toes curled. Sliding his lips back up Chase’s throbbing shaft, Reed made sure he removed all the syrup from Chase’s flesh. Mmmm. So good. Chase moaned and struggled harder. Reed kept him bound and whispered against Chase’s plum-shaped head, “You like me overpowering you, little lover?” Chase groaned and nodded his head. Reed was starting to fly out of control. Reaching for the lube, he quickly slicked up Chase’s little star and his own cock. All the while he kept Chase held down and spread wide. His own cock was hard as marble. Stoking the flames higher, Reed commanded, “Struggle and beg me to fuck your sweet little ass. You know you want my big cock to fill you up. Beg me, little lover.” While fighting his bonds, Chase pleaded, “Yes. I need you. Please fuck me.” Passion’s fiery heat ignited every inch of Reed’s body, turning him into one burning flame. Lining his cockhead up with Chase’s tight little slick hole, Reed pinched Chase’s nipples as he plunged forward. The feel of Chase’s wet, hot channel had Reed hissing as he tunneled in deeper and deeper into paradise. With straining muscles, Reed slid all the way home. Chase cried out and struggled harder beneath Reed. Taking Chase’s pulsating shaft in his hands, Reed fisted Chase’s cock as he rammed in and out of Chase’s white-hot body. Panting and crying out,

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Reed slammed home even deeper. Chase rocked his head from side to side and arched his body as his cum shot from his beautiful cock. Fire shot through Reed’s balls and the tips of his ears at the same time. Unable to stop thrusting into Chase’s sweet body, he howled as he watched the tops of Chase’s ears glow then extend into small points. Needing to taste them, he leaned down and sucked the delicate point of Chase’s right ear. Chase bucked and screamed as he came again. His thrashing, coming body pushed Reed over the edge. Lava-hot cum roiled in Reed’s balls and rocketed from his body and into Chase’s. Reed’s ears tingled as he rocked his hips. With a final shudder, Reed sank onto Chase’s shivering body. Reed wrapped his arms around Chase and reveled in the afterglow of their lovemaking. His little mate’s DNA had just fully changed to fay. Chase could now easily live to be one thousand years old. Tears of love threatened, but Reed held them back. Reed feared one day he wouldn’t be able to hide his feelings for Chase. A lump formed in Reed’s throat. He needed to be strong to keep Chase safe. But right now no one was watching. Reed reached up and freed Chase’s hands then gently pulled off the blindfold. When Chase’s love-dazed eyes locked with Reed’s, Reed leaned down and kissed Chase with all the passion and love in his heart. **** Chase groaned as he kissed Reed back with just as much passion as Reed was kissing him with. Their lovemaking had been a soulshaking moment for Chase. Never had he felt like that. Hell, even his ears had been on fire for a moment. They still stung a little. “That was pure bliss. No one but you could have made me feel like I was dwelling in nirvana.” A part of Chase hoped Reed would feel the same. That what they had couldn’t be replicated by anyone else.

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Chase watched love flicker in Reed’s beautiful eyes. As usual, it only lasted a split second before he hid his feelings. It hurt, but Chase knew how Reed really felt. Chase stroked Reed’s branded left forearm, letting Reed know he knew how Reed felt about him. “This is how it’s supposed to feel between mates. We are bound, remember?” Chase’s stomach growled, giving Reed an exit from the conversation. “That reminds me. It’s a little past time to eat. I’ll go check on our food and come back with it.” As Reed hurried away, Chase checked out his tight ass. The fay king was just too hot. It was a shame Reed couldn’t express himself. Chase understood, but that only helped a little. Deep down he wanted to shout his love for Reed and have Reed do the same thing. Being mated to the king had some drawbacks. Chase sighed and looked around. The rooftop garden was gorgeous at night. The sun had gone down, and Chase looked at the light purple moon in wonder. All the plants and even the water in the pool were bathed in light purple. There were several soft white lights that gently lit up the garden and pool area. Living here was one of the perks of being mated to the cute-ass, uptight king. Noticing that his ears were still stinging slightly, Chase got up and went to the restroom that was hidden in the garden, a few feet from the door to the glass room. It had taken him some time to find the thing. It blended a little too well. Once inside, he looked at his right ear in the mirror. He squeaked when he saw that his ear was now pointed. Pulling his hair back, he looked at his left ear. It was now pointed as well. Chase clamped his hands over his ears then squeaked again when pain shot through them. He heard Reed come back and ran over to him. “Something’s wrong. I think I have fay flu or something. My ears are pointed, and they hurt when I touch them.” Chase put his palm on his own forehead then took it off. “Feel my head. Do I have a fever? Do you guys have fever reducers for humans?” Chase sat down

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at the table. His breathing was harsh. He looked up at Reed. “I’m dying, aren’t I?” Reed knelt in front of Chase and looked into his eyes. “You aren’t dying. Your body has just finished the changing process. Now your DNA is fay, like mine.” Reed reached up and tugged gently at the lobe of Chase’s ear. Chase shuddered, and his cock jumped to attention. “Your ears are a smaller version of a blood-born fay’s, but they seem to be just as sensitive.” Reed rose and bent to lick Chase’s left ear. When he sucked the point into his hot mouth, Chase cried out and came unexpectedly. “Perfect. You are perfect.” Chase sat there thunderstruck as Reed cleaned him up. “Th…that’s not going to happen every time you suck my ear, is it? What if someone accidentally grazes it? I won’t come in my pants, will I?” Chase was about to have a nervous breakdown. Was he supposed to stay in his bedroom forever? “Calm yourself, little lover. Your ears will always be sensitive to your mate’s touch, but nobody else’s. With time you will be able to hold off your orgasm when I suck your ears. Licking your mate’s ears is a delicious torture.” Reed poured Chase a glass of wine and handed it to him. “Drink up. It will calm your nerves. The chef has cooked us a feast. Let’s enjoy it.” Chase looked at the food on the table. Steak, potatoes, salad, and that seafood soup he loved. What more could he ask for? My family and friends. Chase burst into tears. He was a fairy now. He could never go home. And he didn’t even know what day it was on Earth. Was it his mom’s birthday? Was she crying for him? Did his friends miss him as much as he missed them? Reed leapt up and rushed to Chase’s side. He scooped Chase into his arms and carried him to the lounge. Chase couldn’t control himself at all. He sobbed for his lost life and an uncertain future. What if something happened to Reed? He’d be stuck here alone. When he calmed enough to talk, Chase voiced his doubts between ragged breaths. “I…I don’t think I can do this. I…I need to go home.

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My family needs me. Wh…what if something happens to you? I…I can’t live here without you.” **** “Nothing’s going to happen to me. I promise. Please stop crying, little one. You mean the world to me. I can’t stand to see you so sad. Your parents are doing fine. I had the Enlightened Ones check on them. They are currently in the process of buying and setting up a ranch that hires and mentors young adults. The Enlightened Ones made sure they were not pained by your death. When they think of you, they feel nothing but happiness.” With watery eyes, Chase looked hopefully at Reed. “Are you sure?” “Yes, little one. Their destiny was to have you, and they did. I’ll be grateful to them forever. But now their destiny is to help others grow and see that they can be anything they want to be.” Reed kissed Chase lightly then looked into his sad brown eyes. “Your destiny is to rule by my side. Together we can rebuild the fay community here on Ardinio.” Tears slipped down Chase’s face. “I miss them so much. I…I just don’t know if I can do this forever.” More sobs shook Chase’s slender frame. “Your destiny is here by my side.” The sound of Chase’s sorrow shattered Reed’s heart. He didn’t want Chase sad, but there was no way he was taking him back. Chase belonged with him, and that was that. Reed stood up and carried his sobbing mate to their bedroom. After he settled them on the bed, he ran his fingers through Chase’s curly brown hair and hummed the only part of a lullaby he could remember. Reed would do anything he could to make Chase feel more at home here. The first thing he was going to do was encourage Chase’s friendship with Rhett. Chase seemed to like him a lot. Reed decided

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he’d also get Chase involved in castle matters as well. His mate needed to become part of his new world. Two hours later Reed was able to slip away from his now-sleeping mate. He went to his office and poured himself a drink. Leaving his drink untouched on his deck, Reed plopped down in his chair and buried his head in his hands. Pain clawed at his chest, making every breath sheer agony. Tate strolled into the room a few minutes later. “This is a sight I’d hoped not to see.” Without raising his head, Reed answered, “That’s what you get when you invade a person’s private room uninvited.” “That bad, huh?” “Worse. He asked me to take him home.” Reed sat up and ran his hand through his hair. “I won’t, of course. He’s fay now. His ears changed while we were making love tonight. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I didn’t bring it up. Maybe I should have. When I went to get us some food, he saw his ears and freaked out.” Reed took a shuddering breath. “I don’t know if we should bring any more humans here. He was so sad, and he cried himself to sleep.” “He’ll come around. He just had a hard day. We expected as much.” Tate’s eyes were full of compassion and determination. “Chase can’t be the last human brought here. You have to be strong, Reed. Our future depends on it.” Reed slammed his fist down on the table. “Damn it! What am I supposed to do?” Tate stared into Reed’s eyes and told the truth. “Let him know you love him.” “It’s not that easy.” “Yes, it is. I know you fear love, but it’s too late. You already love him.” Tate got up and walked to the door. “Good night, my king.” Reed watched Tate leave and cursed Tate’s ability to sense when he was in need. The sensitive bastard. At times it was damned

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inconvenient. He couldn’t even wallow in pity for ten minutes with Tate around. Reed acknowledged that everything Tate said was painfully true. Soon he’d have to let Chase know how he felt. Chase needed to know. Reed just wasn’t sure how to do it and keep Chase from becoming a bigger target. He rubbed his left forearm and knew there was no way he could live through the loss of Chase again.

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Chapter Thirteen Chase woke up in Reed’s arms. He sniffed Reed’s scent and relaxed into Reed. Reed must think he was a baby after the breakdown he’d had last night. This whole situation was messed up. Why couldn’t Reed be human? They should have been on Earth and living happily ever after. Tate and Simon pushed into Chase’s mind. If Reed had stayed on Earth, then he would have been the one having a breakdown last night. Chase sighed dejectedly, and Reed’s hair reached out to comfort him. Chase looked up and saw that Reed was still asleep. The big dope loved him so much that even his hair reached out to Chase in its sleep. Did Reed’s hair have a mind of its own? He’d have to ask Reed about that sometime. Chase let Reed’s hair comfort him. This was terrible. Chase knew he wouldn’t be able to hold his feelings in for long. Reed’s phone rang, and he jerked awake. Dazed teal eyes looked down at Chase. In his sleepy state, he smiled and kissed Chase. The phone rang again, and Reed groaned, then rolled over and answered it. As he talked, Chase knew he could never leave Reed. No matter how bad he wanted to see his family and friends. Reed was his family now. When Reed finished his conversation, he rolled over and took Chase in his arms. “Are you all right, little lover?” “I’m getting there. Who was on the phone?” Chase didn’t want to talk about his emotional state last night. Today was a new day. “It was Simon. He was checking to see if I was ready to meet with a few of the locals who have some concerns they want to share with me.” Reed stroked his hand down Chase’s back.

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Chase had to force himself not to purr. He loved it when Reed caressed his body. Coming back to reality, Chase said, “You mean they want to bitch at you? I didn’t know kings really had to sit through stuff like that.” Reed laughed then kissed Chase’s nose. “Yes. Good kings do have to sit down and listen to their people’s concerns.” Chase frowned. “How do you have any time for anything else? Don’t they want to dominate all of your time?” “That’s very astute of you. Yes, they would if I let them, but I don’t. I only meet with the public once a month.” “What if someone really needs to talk to you and it’s not a day you are in public?” Chase questioned. “They can talk to one of my assistants, and they will pass an important message on to Tate, and he’ll decide if I need to know about it.” “Oh. I feel sorry for your assistants and Tate,” Chase said as he snuggled deeper into Reed’s arms. Reed slapped Chase’s ass. “You don’t have time to feel sorry for them. You are having breakfast with Rhett in twenty minutes.” Chase sat up and stared down at Reed. “What?” “I said, you are having breakfast with Rhett in twenty minutes. If I were you, I’d get dressed.” Reed sat up and got off the bed. “Why am I having breakfast with Rhett?” Chase was having trouble understanding why things were suddenly changing. “Because I think it would be good for you to interact with other fairies. I believe you get on well with Rhett, so he’s the one you will be hanging out with today,” Reed said in a matter-of-fact voice. Heat rushed to the tips of Chase’s pointed ears. “You can’t push me on Rhett. I don’t need a pity friend.” Chase pointed his finger at Reed. “If our roles were reversed, you would have been the one breaking down, not me.” Reed stepped in front of Chase and rubbed Chase’s arms. “Hey, little one. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. You are right, though.

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And I’d hope that if our roles were reversed you’d do all you could to make sure I fit in on Earth.” Chase dropped his head and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I need to make some friends here. I do like Rhett.” Chase looked up at Reed. “Do you think he really likes me?” Reed hugged Chase to him. “I know he does. If I didn’t trust him, I wouldn’t let you near him. He’s a good guy. I know. I had him checked out.” Chase gasped in horror and pulled back to look into Reed’s eyes. “He doesn’t know you checked him out, does he? You are going to scare everyone off.” “No, he doesn’t know. Simon was very discreet. Never expect me to stand back and let just anyone near you. You are precious to me. Now go get dressed. You have a breakfast appointment.” Fifteen minutes later, Chase and his guard met Rhett in the castle food court. Rhett’s smile seemed genuine. Rhett bowed before Chase. “Hello, Chase.” “Hi. You didn’t have something else you needed to do today, did you?” Chase still didn’t like the idea of Reed making Rhett hang out with him. It was sweet of Reed, but that didn’t make the situation less awkward. Shock struck Rhett’s face. “No. It is an honor to eat with you and show you around.” Sincerity flowed from Rhett. That made Chase feel much better. “Well, let’s get to it then.” Rhett led Chase to his favorite breakfast vendor, and after sampling some of their food, Chase decided on a colorful vegetable-filled omelet and a fruit cup. As they ate, they talked about where they wanted to go. The food had been good, but Chase was more than ready to wander around with Rhett. It was kind of weird, but regularly Chase noticed people bowing to him. If he was walking in their direction and they noticed, they immediately bowed. Chase just smiled and nodded

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his head. Thank goodness the castle didn’t let everyone in. The only people allowed in the castle were guests, staff, and the army of men that trained daily to protect the king and the castle. “I can’t believe you haven’t seen the Great Room. It’s spectacular. If times had been different, a party would have been thrown in here to celebrate the mating of the king.” Rhett’s tone was wistful. Once again, Chase was struck by how much they had lost. Soon things would be much better. Rhett opened the huge decorative door and smiled as he gestured Chase in. Chase gasped when he stepped into the room. It was opulent, from the elegant chandeliers to the swirling pattern inlaid in the marble floor. Chase turned to Rhett. “This is the largest room I’ve ever been in. When they named this the Great Room, they really meant it. I can see the musicians playing on the stage and a roomful of people dancing.” Rhett nodded. “It is a glorious sight to see. I saw it once when I was very young.” Chase had a wild urge to dance across the floor. “I’d love to dance in here.” A gleam entered Rhett’s eyes, and he held out his hand. “Would you like to dance across the floor, my king’s mate?” “There isn’t any music.” Rhett crossed to a panel and pushed a button. Music flowed into the room. Rhett came back and extended his hand. Chase took it, and they danced around the room. A natural grace is what Rhett had, and Chase loved it. They smoothly moved around the room several times. Chase openly laughed when Rhett turned him. It looked like the fays’ height was good for more than intimidating shorter people. “One day I want to throw a party in here,” Chase stated as they danced. “That would be wonderful. It’s been too long since one has been put on.” Rhett never skipped a beat as he talked. As they danced past a set of double doors, Chase asked, “What is behind those doors?”

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Rhett smiled down at Chase. “The maze. Have you checked it out yet?” Chase shook his head. A twinkle appeared in Rhett’s eyes. “Shall we go now? I think you are going to like it.” “I guess so.” Chase laughed when Rhett turned them and danced over to the doors. From the corner of his eye he saw Tine follow them. Byron was off today. Chase missed him when he was off. Once Rhett let Chase go, he bowed deeply. “Thank you for the dance, my king’s mate.” Chase nodded and snickered. “Please stop. This room brings out too many of your formal manners. Let’s go see this maze.” They stepped out onto a large terrace that led down to a wall of ten-foot-tall hedges. Chase spotted the entrance and rubbed his hands in delight. This was going to be fun. “How big is this maze?” “Too big. It’s five acres. More than once a person has had to be rescued. Sometimes the men train in here. It teaches them to be observant. I’ve only been in it a few times, and I’ve never made it to the far wall.” “That sounds intriguing.” Chase loved a challenge. Rhett’s brows rose. “It’s also tough. The hedges are four-feet deep, and the leaves are dense. There is no way to see through them. After a bit, they all look the same. Only a few people can maneuver their way through the whole thing without getting lost. Does your guard know who to call if you get lost?” “I don’t think that will happen, but if I do get lost, he can call Tate.” Chase was ready to exercise his brain. “Let’s go.” Chase’s guard stood outside and watched as they entered. They had two paths to choose from. “Let’s go right.” Rhett followed and gave Chase a few pointers about the different leaf colors. A little ways in they entered an open area that had a stone bench in the center and three paths to travel down. Chase noted the path that they had entered from and looked at the two remaining paths. “You take the one on the left, and I’ll take the one on the right.”

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With one brow raised, Rhett said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. This is your first time in the maze.” “Analyzing things is what I do. I’d like to try it on my own for a bit. Let’s plan on meeting at the entrance in an hour.” Chase looked at his watch and noted the time. “The practice will be good for both of us.” “I’m still not sure about this, but if you think you can do it alone, then I trust you. I’ll see you in an hour. Have fun.” “You, too. See you soon.” Chase headed down his path. His mind tried to note every detail around him. At first he could hear Rhett’s footfalls, but after a few turns he heard nothing but silence. A smile curved his lips when he turned a corner and found himself in an opening that had a statue of a naked man. It looked a lot like one they had in their rooftop garden. He stopped to admire the artwork. How people carved these things amazed him. Capturing real life in stone was an awe-inspiring sight. Moving on through the maze, he encountered another stone bench. Needing a break, Chase sat down and tried to remember every turn he’d made. When he thought he had it all down, he traveled on. The place was wonderful. He blushed three turns later when he came upon a statue of a couple making out. It was extremely erotic, with partial penetration. The man getting penetrated had an expression of bliss on his handsome face. Chase could relate to that. He thought about playing with himself, but decided to save his orgasm for Reed. Curious to see what else was hidden in the maze, Chase moved on. The next thing he encountered was a pointing naked woman. For a second he wished she were real. She was so cute, with her pointed ears and long hair. Deciding to go down the path she was pointing to, Chase made another four turns and ended up standing in front of the naked pointing woman again. Chase ran his hand through his hair and thought about the path he’d just travelled. What had he done wrong? He went back down the path she pointed to, but this time he paid close attention. There was no way he

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should encounter her again unless he wanted to. Three turns later he entered a clearing, and his jaw dropped. The woman was pointing at him. No fucking way! After taking a calming breath, Chase circled the woman. His eyes gleamed when he noticed a tiny difference in the way her hair flowed. This was not the same statue. The creator of this maze was a genius. Feeling invigorated, Chase carefully made his way further into the maze. After rounding a second corner, he came across another statue of the coupling men. This time his studied it carefully. Surely this wasn’t the one he’d seen earlier. Now that he’d studied it closely he would know if he circled back to it again. A light sweat broke out on his brow as he moved on. To his delight, he came upon a statue of an oda spitting water. At this point he wouldn’t have cared what end the water was coming from, he needed a drink. Chase cupped his hands and held them under the water. Once his hands were full, he took a drink. The water didn’t taste very good, but he was thirsty, so he took another drink. That hadn’t been good at all, but at least it hadn’t been pink. Thinking of the bearded snatchers made Chase shiver. He was glad they didn’t live too close to any of the pink rivers. Letting his curiosity take the lead, Chase investigated some more. Four turns later he came across a lounge. How convenient, he was feeling a little tired. Going to it, he laid down. It felt so good. He blinked, and it felt like his eyelids were moving very slowly. Maybe he had time for a nap. Chase looked at his watch, but the numbers were blurred. If he closed his eyes for just a moment, he’d probably be fine when he opened them again. He needed to be fresh when he met up with Rhett. The fay was probably breezing through the maze with no problems. His last thought was of how much he liked Rhett. Chase woke to Tate tapping his cheek. “Hey, little guy. Welcome back.”

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Confusion clouded Chase’s mind. Looking around, he realized he was still in the maze. Then he remembered how tired he’d been. “I was just taking a nap.” Tate laughed. “I’m sure you were. What I want to know is why you were taking a nap. Did you drink the water from the oda fountain?” Chase thought for a minute. “Yes. Then I got tired and decided to lie down. What’s the matter? Does Reed need me?” Rhett entered the clearing and reported to Tate. “All’s clear, sir.” “Good.” Tate scooped Chase up in his arms and started carrying him out of the maze. Chase could feel his ears heating up. “Put me down, I’m all right. I was just a little tired.” Tate laughed and kept on walking. “You were more than tired. You were drugged. We use this maze to train in. One lesson is to always be prepared. Never trust the water in enemy territory. If you had done that during a training exercise, you would have woken up with fake blood all over your chest. That’s how we let trainees know they would have been killed by the enemy.” Taking stock of how he really felt, Chase realized that his limbs weren’t working all that well and he was still very tired. “This isn’t permanent, is it?” Tate kept his steady pace as he answered. “No. You will be fine tomorrow.” “Tomorrow!” That felt like forever. What if Reed needed him? “Yeah, we like our trainees to remember the experience.” Tate was in full training mode. “Now you know not to drink strange water. How much did you drink?” Chase thought for a moment. “I drank from my hands twice.” “That’s about the amount most innocents drink. The taste discourages them from drinking much. You’ll get all your motor skills back tomorrow.”

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“Rhett came looking for me?” That thought warmed Chase’s heart. Tate laughed again. “Screaming was more like it. He lost it when he called your name a few times and you didn’t answer. He thought you must had fallen and hit your head. The poor guy was worried sick. He still did a good job. Even though he was distraught, he still remembered you’d told him to have the guard call me.” “Was I hard to find?” Chase asked curiously. “Not at all. Since I have a connection to you, I was able to easily find you, and since I know the maze, I was able to guess what most likely happened to you.” Tate left the maze and hurried to the elevator. Within minutes, he was placing Chase on his bed. Reed burst through the door and rushed to Chase’s side. He hugged Chase to his chest as he asked, “How are you feeling, baby?” Chase grimaced and wished he could hug Reed back. “Enlightened.” Tate grinned at Chase’s answer and left the room. “That water needs to be removed before anyone else accidently takes a drink of it.” Chase felt sorry for anyone that happened to, himself included. What kind of place had that kind of water in a public maze? Sorrow shot through his soul as he realized how it could have happened. Ardinio didn’t have women and children strolling around enjoying the maze. The majority of people who went into it were warriors in training. “It is being removed as we speak. Now that you are here, we are going to have to be more careful. You are an example of what is to come.” Reed paused and stroked Chase’s cheek. “A bright future. One we obviously need to change some things for.” Pleasure rocked through Chase’s chest, and he wished he could hug his mate. Reed settled in, and Chase noticed that Reed’s hair was stroking him comfortingly. “Does your hair have a mind of its own, or do you mentally order it to move?”

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“I see your curiosity didn’t diminish from you recent adventure.” Reed kissed Chase’s head and briefly squeezed him. “I’m glad about that. The answer to your question is both. I can mentally move my hair, but it is also strongly connected to my emotions, and sometimes it just does what I would have done if I’d thought about it. Like when it randomly caresses you. I guess it picks up some of my habits and does them without me thinking about it.” Chase was strangely comforted by Reed’s words. If Reed’s feeling weren’t strong for him, Reed’s hair wouldn’t automatically reach out to him in a comforting way. “I’m starting to appreciate your hair.” Reed chuckled. “I’m happy to hear you say that, since I plan on caressing you with it for a very long time.” Warmth bloomed in Chase’s chest and circled his heart. He could handle forever with Reed.

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Chapter Fourteen Chase paced as he waited for Reed to finish talking with the trollette king. A week had passed since Reed had contacted him. In that time the trollettes had been spotted many times under the berry trees. Deep down, Chase knew something was wrong. He’d analyzed the evidence repeatedly. The trollettes had to be in desperate need of the berries. No one in their right mind would take the chance of getting caught stealing and trespassing if it were for pleasure only. Not when the people they were stealing from were a lot larger and had better weapons than them. When Reed entered their living room, Chase pounced on him. “How did it go? What did you find out?” Reed went to their fridge and poured himself a glass of froosh. “It was as you suspected. They needed the berries. It took me forever to get that damn fool king of theirs to confess that the berries were needed as a medicine.” Reed sat on the lounge and made room for Chase. “Why didn’t you use your power of persuasion on him? That’s what I would have done.” Chase saw nothing wrong with doing whatever it took to help others. “I don’t like to use it if I don’t have to. I tried to get him to freely give me the information, but he was too stubborn. I eventually was forced into using it on him.” Reed didn’t sound happy about what he’d had to do. Chase scooted in next to Reed and plastered his body to Reed’s. He forced himself not to purr as their bodies made contact. Reed had a big heart and a delicious body. Laying his hand soothingly on

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Reed’s chest, Chase said, “You did the right thing. What was the medicine for?” “Their babies are dying.” A loud gasp escaped Chase. “That’s horrible! Do the berries heal them?” Please say yes! “Yes.” Reed sighed and shook his head. “Unfortunately, this has been going on for a few years. Recently, they accidently realized that the berries killed the bacteria that has been killing their infants. I made a deal with the king so that they can get all the berries they need and some young berry trees so they can start producing more of the berries on their land.” Chase rubbed his hand across Reed’s chest as he thought for a moment. “Did the bacteria affect only the babies, or were they just the main targets?” “The adults and older children weren’t affected, thank goodness.” Reed covered Chase’s hand and squeezed it lightly. “Without your help, we wouldn’t have been able to help the trollettes. They were too proud to ever ask for help. Because of you, their babies and future babies have a chance to live.” Heat rushed to Chase’s neck and face, even as his heart gloried in Reed’s praise. “I will always do whatever I can to help out my new planet. I love Ardinio and its people.” Reed smiled, and his fabulous eyes glowed lightly. “This was a history-making day. If our planet is ever attacked by someone from another planet, the trollettes and the fairies will fight the enemy together.” Love for Reed made Chase’s heart want to burst. Chase couldn’t help himself. His emotions were begging to be vocalized. He placed his hand over Reed’s heart and looked into his beautiful teal eyes. “I love you.” Chase didn’t care if Reed couldn’t say the words back. He knew Reed loved him. From this day on, Chase planned on telling Reed how much he loved him every day.

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Dakota Dawn

To Chase’s heart-pounding delight, Reed’s eyes sparked, and he swallowed hard. “You can’t tell anyone this…it would put you in serious danger…” Reed put his hand over Chase’s heart and leaned down, then whispered in Chase’s ear. “I love you, too.”

THE END HTTP://DAKOTADAWN.ORG

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Reading romance has been a passion of mine for a long time. I usually don’t have a clue what’s on TV or at the movie theaters. When people are shocked that I don’t know what’s playing I just smile and tell them I live in a cave ;) A love of mine is bringing joy to others through the tales I weave of dominatingly sexy men, witty women, good friends, and scorching scenes that get your juices flowing. Characters pop into my head, I grab a pen, and the journey begins. The trip through fantasyland to happily-ever-after is always a fascinating ride. Thank goodness it is a ride you can take over and over again!

Also by Dakota Dawn Ménage Amour: Blessed 1: Blessed Times Two Siren Classic: Blessed 2: Catch and Release Siren Classic: Hidden Angel Siren Allure: The Most Exquisite Gift

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