Prince of the Night Court x female reader - Part Two (nsfw) *commission* (Patreon)

It was my very great pleasure to be commissioned to do a Part Two to the story of Naeryn, the Prince of the Court of Night in my Fae Realm. This time we have some strife with his sister, who's trying to take over his rule and destabilise everything by honing in on our female reader!! But it's not all drama - you know me! - there's a lot of fluff and feelings, and some nsfw too. Anyway, here's 5710 words or so, and I hope you enjoy! 

It'll be up on Tumblr in a while, but as ever, things that aren't ko-fi commissions get previewed on here for you folks! 

 Brief background/passing mentions of dealing with a mother’s death in childbirth, and of pretending to be a fae’s plaything/pet/slave.  And some violence, but not for long, and mostly directed at an attacker...

“I’ll come again soon,” he whispered, his fingers stroking through your hair. “I promise.” 

“Don’t take more risks than you have to, will you?” you murmured pleadingly.  

The  prince of the Court of Night smiled softly and closed his eyes as he  kissed you gently. “I won’t. But I…” he dropped one last kiss on your  forehead and then drew back with a sigh, standing on your little  cottage’s doorstep. “These visits to the Mortal Realm… they’re frankly  all that’s keeping me sane. Kinethara  is ramping up her attempts to undermine my rule, and I’m honestly  terrified that if I don’t do something drastic soon, she’s going to  stage something to try and win the support of the nobles in my court  and… I need this,” he said, taking your hands in his and squeezing your  fingers hard. His eyes scanned the horizon for the faint glimmer of  dawn, and he sighed. “But, unfortunately, I have to return.”  

“Take  care of yourself,” you murmured. “Please. I couldn’t bear it if  something happened to you because you were trying to get here to see  me.” 

You'd  been thinking about his offer to live with him in the Fae Realm, and  all that it would entail, from playing his pretend ‘pet’ in public to  being with him more often. Despite the obvious drawbacks and dangers, it  was honestly more than tempting, but he was still reluctant to  entertain the idea at the moment, especially with things going the way  they were with his sister.  

As  if to validate that worry, the next time you saw him, over a fortnight  later, he carried a horrific bruise over the arch of his left eye, and a  set of thick bandages around his neck. “Nae!” you gasped, rushing  towards him as he stood sheepishly on the doorstep. “What the hell  happened to you? Come inside…” 

He  was clearly moved by your shock and concern, and allowed you to usher  him inside, fussing and fretting for a good few minutes before he cut  you off with a kiss that stole your breath and made your heart sing. “I  missed you,” he said, drawing back and carefully taking off his cloak of  flowing, liquid night to leave it neatly on a chair beside the door.  “I’m sorry I was away for so long.” 

“Never mind that, what happened?” you asked, bringing trembling fingers to the bandages across his throat  

He sighed. “Let me sit down then.” 

“Drink?” you asked, and he nodded. “Thank you.” 

To the fae,  human food and drink tasted like little more than ash and muddy water,  so he’d brought a small stash of his favourite brandy with him a while  back, and had advised you not to try more than a sip. Apparently  its strength and magic combined had been known to make mortals lose  their minds at much more than a mouthful, and you weren’t prepared to  risk that. You poured him a glass and took it to him. The prince looked  tired, worn out, and even paler than usual, which was saying something.  

The  sharp lines of his face seemed almost harsh now, and his eyes, usually  such a bright and vivid blue, had dulled visibly, as though the magic  that flowed in him had been leeched away. You set his glass down and  looped your hands around his shoulders, hugging him from behind as he  sat at your dining table. He gave a huge, gaping sigh, and then  chuckled, kissing your forearm affectionately. “Oh where to begin. Well, I suppose the long and the short of it is that Kinethara  found out that I’ve been making frequent trips to the Mortal Realm. She  ambushed me after my last visit here, and attacked with a small  contingent of her guard. I fought them off, but…” his fingers drifted up  to the tight wrappings. “She nearly killed me. Not with a knife,  though,” he added wryly. “She bit me.” His laugh was hollow, and he  muttered, “She’s going the same way as our father…” 

Terror  gripped you, cold and unyielding as winter. You knew his fears on the  topic of mental stability, given that grief had seen his father all but  lose his mind, and now Kinethara… “Nae…” you breathed, hugging him as tightly as you dared. He still winced slightly, but he chuckled.  

“She’s  locked up now as well,” he said. “Barring my mother, who died birthing  her, it’s just me that’s not been locked away. Perhaps my time will  come,” he added darkly, sipping his brandy and swirling it around the  glass.  

“If she’s secure, then you don’t have to worry anymore,” you said. “You’re safe, right?” 

“For  now, it seems,” he said. “I’ve quashed thoughts of rebellion, I think. I  had to do some ugly things to the guards who betrayed me. I… I do not  regret doing it, but I regret that it was necessary.” 

You tried to hide your shudder. Naeryn was the  prince  of a court full of darkness and chaos. Things that lurked in the  shadows of his territory were beyond mortal imagination, and if he  couldn’t control his own court, its nobles and its employees, then he  had little chance of keeping control over the corners where the true  nightmares hid. You knew that, but still, there was a side to him that  you were not allowed to see.  

The  rest of his visit was spent in quiet talk. He wasn’t up to much, with  his neck injury still raw, but you managed to draw him out of himself a  little, returning a faint sparkle to his eyes again by the time he rose  stiffly and rolled out his shoulders. “I have to return,” he said,  turning and holding open his arms. “I love you,” he whispered as you  stepped into his embrace. He spoke into your hair, as though he didn’t  have the strength to spill his heart out face to face. “I know that  without a doubt. I wish I could be more for you than I am. You deserve  the world, and all I have to offer you is violence.” 

“No,” you said, stroking his cheek with your thumb. “No, that’s not true.” 

He  smiled, kissed you once more, and vanished a heartbeat later. He always  liked to appear outside your house so as not to startle you or catch  you unawares, but he had no such need when it came to leaving. It was  only in the silence left behind that you realised he’d left his cloak of  night behind, still folded on a chair by the door.  

The creak of wood on the veranda made you smile, and you opened the door, swinging it wide and laughing, “Forget something?”  

But it was not Naeryn standing there. Instead, a tall, slender fae  leered down at you, with a skull-like face, skin stretched tight over  bone, and no lips. Where the lips should have been, its skin was peeled  back off the fae’s teeth to reveal a row of jagged, pointed needles, from behind which, a black, viscous liquid oozed. “Princess Kinethara sends her regards, human,” the fae said in a harsh, scraping voice.  

Before  you had time to process what was happening, the creature lunged at you.  Long, spindly fingers shot out and tried to grab you as you stumbled  backwards into your hut, trying futilely to shut the door in its face. A  vile sound like a bone saw’s rasp filled the room, and you realised  that the creature was laughing at you.  

You  tripped over your own feet in your panic and went down hard, but just  as the creature was about to strike, darkness exploded into the room.  The scent of ozone wafted out around you, and you recognised the unique  feel of Naeryn’s  magic on the air. Tendrils shot out from the inky darkness,  solidifying, spearing, gripping the creature and hauling it back off  you, and as the void snapped back to its point of origin, you saw Naeryn standing there, face white with anger.  

His expression was pure ire as he snarled, “Who sent you?” 

“Your  sister did, oh great prince,” the creature simpered as shards of onyx  darkness lanced into its body. No blood or ichor oozed from the  punctures, but the creature writhed and howled all the same, pinned to  the wall like a taxidermy specimen.  

“Why?  Why send one of your kind all the way out here for some human?” he  asked, and his words stung, even though you could read the lie in them. 

His fingers trembled as he clenched them, trying to contain his temper just long enough to extract the information he needed.  

The creature’s dead-looking eyes flitted to you and Naeryn hissed, “Look at me, you piece of bilge filth. Answer my question.” 

“Yes,  great prince,” it simpered. “When she leaned that you were still  returning to the Mortal Realm, to the same location, she realised your…  attachment, to the human, you see, and she… she wished to exploit that.”  The fae coughed and struggled against its bonds. “If she dies, what effect would that have on your mind, great prince?” 

The last vestiges of colour in Naeryn’s already pale face vanished. 

Dark  veins spread down his face as his eyes turned black, and he brought his  hand up in front of him, watching the assassin closely. The full force  of his dark powers reared up in him and he unleashed them on the  creature.  

“No!” it screamed when it realised what was happening. But it was too late.  

Naeryn  twisted his wrist and the creature folded inwards on itself, the  darkness wrapping around it and coiling inside its mouth until it  vanished into a single pinprick and disappeared for good. The moment it  was gone, Naeryn’s  face returned to its usual, regal beauty and he staggered sideways a  little before rushing to your side and dropping to his knees beside you.  “Are you hurt? Did it touch you?” 

“I’m… I’m fine… Naeryn… I…” Shock overtook you and you began to tremble.  

“You  can’t stay here,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry. This has gone too far. I  must send my sister somewhere she will not be able to influence others,  and you must come with me to the palace. I don’t know what other plans  she has in place for you that have not yet been enacted.” 

“Wait,” you rasped, throat thick and mouth dry. “I… I have to leave with you? Now?” 

He  nodded. “It’s my only option. I swear on my true name that you will be  free, though you will have to pretend, at least at first, that you are  my human plaything. It sickens me, but… it is all I can offer to keep  you safe right now. Do you accept?” 

“What if I say no?” 

His  lip trembled and he stood suddenly, turning away and crossing the room  to gather up his cloak of night. “That is your prerogative,” he said. “I  will not take you away from here against your will. But I cannot  protect you here. I cannot keep you safe from…” his voice cracked and he  choked off. “From those who would seek to hurt you in order to get to  me. This is all my fault. I never should have begun any of this. I  should have just returned you to the Mortal Realm the moment she dragged  you in front of me.”  

Tears  of anger and guilt poured down his beautiful face, and you rose shakily  and went to him, and took his trembling hands in yours. “Shh. None of  that. Let’s go. I’m ready.” 

He  raised his noble head and looked deeply into your eyes, as though  searching for doubt or fear. When he found none, the corner of his lips  twitched, and he sighed. “You are so brave. Come.” And he draped his  cloak of night around your shoulders and took your hands. “This journey  will be as unpleasant for you as the last time I bore you like this,” he  said. “I’m sorry.” 

The  journey through the veil between worlds was indeed every bit as  unpleasant as the time he’d brought you back home from the Fae Realm,  but he steadied you at the other end just as he had before, and he took  you over to the bed in the corner of his room and made you sit and drink  a little draft of something so strong it made your eyes water. “There,”  he laughed. “All better.” 

You  handed the little, sparkling glass tumbler back to him and smiled,  looking around the room. “Still no colour in your bedroom then,” you  said with a grin, and he chuckled, taking the glass back.  

“As ever, you are the colour in my life.” 

“Gods, does that line work with the girls here in the Fae Realm?” you snorted, and Naeryn favoured you with a true, open laugh, head tossed back, dark hair shimmering as it shook.  

“You know,” he said a moment later when he’d recovered. “I’ve never tried it.” 

“Well, do me a favour and don’t use it again!” 

“Duly  noted,” he said. He let out a sigh and came back to sit on the bed,  draping an arm around you and pulling you tight. “I know I shouldn’t be  selfish, but having you here is already a balm I never imagined I would  feel.” 

“Yeah…” you said slowly. “Well, I’ll let you know how much fun it turns out for me…” 

“For now, it’s best if you stay in here. I have some… unpleasant business to attend to.” 

“What are you going to do?” 

He  released his grip on you and tangled his fingers in his lap for a  moment. In a very quiet voice, he said, “I am going to sentence her to  life in the Everdark.” 

“I… I don’t know what that is,” you said after a while.  

“Oh. It’s… It’s partly a prison, and partly just an awful place. The Shadowborne guard it.” 

“They're the big ones with the wings and the bird feet, right?” you asked, and he snorted as you had essentially described Ghosrin, the head of his palace guard and the monstrously strong fae who had first escorted you out of the throne room on being dragged in there by Kinethara all those months before.  

The  prince nodded. “Yes. They have abilities which make them more resilient  to the effects of the darkness in there, and they are tough and hard to  kill or corrupt. I will have to sentence her publicly, but the charge  will… will be as distasteful to you as it is to me.” 

“Oh?” 

Naeryn  kept his head bowed, looking suddenly more like a young boy than the  centuries-old prince he was. “I will have to say she attempted to  destroy my property in a final attempt to destabilise me. To own a human  as a slave is a mark of rank, and to touch another’s slave is a crime  in itself. We fae  often use humans as vessels for strength, using the untapped magic of  human blood to fuel our power. To corrupt a vessel by touch or worse is  vile, akin to poisoning a well in someone’s home… To attempt to destroy  that vessel can mean death for the offending fae.” 

“I  had no idea we were so highly prized,” you said flippantly. “I mean,  when I first got here, you were going to have me work as some kitchen  slave or something for the rest of my life.” 

“You  were unclaimed,” he countered. “And… And I did not know you. You have  since reminded me that I am not my sister or my father.” He ground his  jaw and added through clenched teeth, “I deeply regret all of this.” 

“I  don’t,” you said. “Not all of it, anyway. You’ve made me the happiest  woman who’s ever lived, and that’s not something I ever thought I’d be  saying to someone else. Before you, I was content, but you’ve shown me  more, Naeryn.”  You stood unsteadily and came to stand in front of where he still sat  on the bed, nudging his knees apart with yours so that you could stand  closer to him. “I will trust whatever you decide is best, so long as you  always give me a choice while I’m here.” 

“Always,” he said, snatching your hands up in his.  

“Then,  I agree to become your pretend pet while I’m here…” you said slowly.  “Just… don’t humiliate me or make me wear stupid clothing or something,  will you?” 

Naeryn’s  eyes glowed a vibrant blue, almost with a light of their own shining in  their depths, and he took your face in his hands and kissed you  tenderly. “I swear on my True Name to protect you, and to allow you the  freedom of choice in all matters.”  

You felt the force of his oath settle around your chest like a physical weight, and you gasped.  

“There,” he said. “My oath is binding.” 

Naeryn  vanished not long after that to take care of the nasty business of  sentencing his sister. When he returned, hours later, all that  briefly-kindled joy had left him and he sloughed off his clothes and  climbed wordlessly into a bath that you’d not even realised had been  waiting for him in the adjacent bathroom. Was that part of his magic?  Could he just summon a bath full of hot water at will? That could  certainly prove useful.  

You  left him to his private thoughts for a long time, but eventually joined  him in there when he showed no signs of emerging. At your arrival, he  smiled weakly, looking up at you from the water as you took off your  clothes and stepped into the enormous bath, immediately straddling his  hips. His cock twitched beneath you, and he was hard in no time as you  rocked your hips back and forth over him. He groaned, his torso heaving  as he sucked in a breath at the rake of your nails over his chest. You  knew him well enough by now to know that this might just be a welcome  distraction for a while.  

“Forget all that,” you said, scraping your nails over his scalp and making him moan. “Right now, you’re mine.” 

He  liked the sound of that, apparently, and he took your hips in his hands  and guided himself into you. Neither of you lasted long, and he washed  your body lovingly afterwards before taking you to his bed and  collapsing down into the black silk of the bedclothes, drawing you down  into sleep even as his head hit the pillow.  

As dawn greeted you the next morning, your stomach grumbled loudly, and Naeryn  summoned a sumptuous array of food to a table in the courtyard that  backed onto his room. He told you succinctly how the sentencing had  gone, and how one or two of his nobles had attempted to disappear when  he announced Kinethara’s  punishment. He scowled fiercely as he obviously replayed the  punishments in his mind, and you let him stew for a while before asking  him what would happen next.  

He sighed. “I need to speak with the commander of my Shadowborne forces. She will be largely responsible for transporting ’Thara to her prison.” 

“I’ve never heard you call your sister that before…” you said, taking his hand across the table.  

He  let the pad of his thumb play across your fingers for a moment. “We  were close as children,” he said. “Before father went insane… She always  had a cruel streak though. I remember her killing all my pet jackdaws.  I’d been training them and working with them for months while she had  ignored hers and they’d turned feral, and out of spite when she saw what  my birds could do, she killed my whole flock. Just like that.” He  clicked his teeth and added, “I should have known then that something  was going on more deeply that anyone realised.” 

“You  can’t blame yourself for her cruelty, Nae,” you said, squeezing his  hand tightly. “You had the same upbringing, and you turned out alright.  It’s on her to overcome whatever demons she carried, and she didn’t. She  let herself be cruel and hateful.”  

“Father blamed her for mother’s death,” he said quietly.  

With a scowl, you said, “She can’t believe it though, surely?” 

He  shrugged. He didn't respond for a while, staring into the depths of his  teacup as though trying to scry a deeper answer from it, but he  eventually smiled and looked up at you. “Thank you,” was all he said.  

“Can  I come with you today?” you asked, and immediately regretted it as you  watched his shoulders slump again. “Take that as a no?” 

“You  could…” he began slowly. “You could come with me. But you’d have to  bear my mark. You would have to be my… my chattel.” His lips curled in  disgust at the word, as though the taste of it on his tongue were as  abhorrent as the concept. 

“I’m free though, aren’t I?” you said. “It’s just a game…” 

“It’s not a game!” he snapped, eyes blazing. “Your life is not a game!” he spat in a harsh whisper. 

“That’s not what I meant. But if you'd rather I stay here like one of your pet jackdaws instead…” you said haughtily.  

Naeryn’s  gaze was flat and fixed. You had angered him, but you didn’t care. You  were not some trinket to be shelved when not needed, and he needed to  know that right from the outset. 

In  the end, the prince backed down, and you found yourself with a mark  around your neck a bit like a tattoo, except that it hadn’t hurt, and he  had promised he could remove it at no danger or cost to you.  

He  summoned a huge, coal-black, winged horse from his stables, and helped  you up onto its bare back before vaulting up behind you. Courtiers and  servants stared openly at you, dressed as you were in simple, soft  leggings and a long, plain tunic. “I’m clearly not the kind of pet  they’re used to,” you muttered dryly as Nae settled into place behind  you on the shifting, snorting stallion.  

“Hold on,” was all he said, tone somewhat grim. 

“Hold  on to what!” you yelped, lurching forwards and grabbing twin fistfuls  of the winged horse’ mane as his powerful, swan-like wings beat and he  surged forwards at a speedy canter, gathering lift and promptly soaring  up into the sky. You glimpsed four winged escorts, Shadowborne guards, flanking you below, but didn’t comment.  

The ride was exhilarating, and with Naeryn  holding you firmly in place, guiding the horse with a gentle nudge of  his calves against the horse’s side, it was a smooth and wonderful  journey that ended all too soon when he brought his mount down towards a  severe looking stone building in the heart of what was clearly a  military compound. In the meadows behind it, a huge wyvern was stalking  through the grass, apparently chasing butterflies or something, and a  number of winged Shadowborne soldiers in leather flying armour were milling about the stables at the back.  

The  moment that the prince arrived, the whole place exploded into a flurry  of action. Someone approached to take the horse away, and a moment  later, another soldier approached the pair of you. He was smaller and  slimmer than most of the other Shadowborne  warriors, with dark hair tied back off his face, and a quiet confidence  to his steps. When he saw you, however, his yellow eyes went wide and  he stared openly at you, gaping.  

“Captain Shaer?” Naeryn murmured. “Is there a problem?” 

The captain shook himself visibly and dropped to one knee, head bowed. “No, Highness. Please, forgive me.” 

“This is not the first human you’ve ever seen, is it?” he asked quietly.  

Shaer did not reply immediately.  

“Captain?” he pressed with surprising gentleness, given how you’d seen him behave with other leaders in his court.  

“No, Highness. She is not.” 

“You’ll have to tell me later. For now, take me to the Garrison Commander.” 

You  trailed along too, and although your presence was met with surprise, it  was the captain, Shaer, whose eyes kept drifting back to you most  often. There was nothing predatory in his gaze, only curiosity, and once  the arrangements had been made, you, Naeryn,  and Shaer all left the barracks to walk through the meadows at the rear  of the compound. Shaer remained a step behind the prince out of  deference until he was finally ushered forwards to they could have a proper conversation. Humans, it surprised you, were at the centre of it.  

“You’ve  been keeping a human of your own at the hunting lodge?” the prince  asked after Shaer had finally been coaxed to tell the entire story. “The  same one you told me had died which therefore meant that it was not  necessary for me to create a portal to send her home? Is that what  you’re telling me?” 

“Yes, Highness,” Shaer said very quietly, obvious terror in his voice. Not for himself, but for this human.  

You wanted to lay a hand on Naeryn’s  arm, to warn him, but you didn’t want to break the illusion of being  his pet so soon in the charade. It wasn’t necessary, however, because Naeryn laughed. “Is she still there?” 

“Yes, Highness.” 

“Is she happy and well cared for?” 

Shaer looked surprised. “Yes, Highness. She helps Anca in the kitchens and tends to the gardens… I visit her when I am able.” 

“I  am pleased to hear it,” he said. After a pause, he went on. “I am also  pleased to learn that not all in my territory are so against the rights  of humans. She will be cared for and under my protection there. If  anything happens to endanger her, you write directly to me and I will  act. I swear it.” 

“Thank you, Highness,” he said, dipping into a deep and grateful bow.  

“Now, go. I have to return to the palace and begin to organise the transfer of my traitorous sister.” 

Shaer  took off with one final bow and a nod at you, his wings sending dust  flying up into the air. When you’d opened your eyes again, you were  alone with Naeryn, and he embraced you and kissed you. “I’m so sorry,” he said, tracing the lines around your neck. “I hate to see this on you.” 

“Take it as a sign of my trust,” you said, and Naeryn ground his jaw and looked away. 

The prince did not let you come with him when he transported his sister to the Everdark,  and nor did you ask to go along this time. You remained behind in his  bedroom, where no one - not even a servant - had ever been permitted to  enter, waiting for his return.  

When  he did finally come back, he was ashen, his clothes and hair ruffled  from the wind of a long flight, and he bore shadows under his eyes.  Darkness roiled around him in a living cloak, but he took one look at  you, sitting cross-legged on his bed with a book in your lap, and he  gave you the most beautiful smile he’d ever given you. “It is done,” he  croaked.  

You  bathed him and drew him into bed that night, and he lay awake a long  time with his head resting on your shoulder, the flat of his hand across  your stomach. Eventually he fell asleep, and you followed not long  after. 

When  you woke the next morning, you found him curled around you, and you  smiled as you felt the hard line of his cock digging into your back. He  inhaled deeply and pressed a kiss into your neck. “Morning,” he  murmured.  

“Seems  I’ve got a little catching up to do,” you grinned, and he chuckled  softly into your ear, grinding his hips into you and moaning  deliciously.  

“Indeed  you do,” he said, taking your earlobe gently between his teeth. He  kissed you all down your body, rolling you over onto your back and  drawing your nightclothes off you so that he could get to every single  bit of you. His palms skated down your thighs and he kissed trails up  and down, paying particular attention to the junction between your hips  and your thighs. You’d mentioned before how you weren’t ever going to be  some light-boned and delicate fae,  but he had only smiled and said he could have probably ordered anyone  he liked to share his bed, but you had allowed him and he would have  none other.  

His  fingertips danced circles around your clit, stroking and teasing,  sending sparks down your spine as he worked you up. The prince then  lowered his lips to your sex and his tongue circled your swollen clit.  He moaned against you, grabbing your thighs and pulling you down so that  he could slide his tongue inside you, tasting you, worshipping you.  

He  took you right to the edge of your orgasm, and then, infuriatingly,  backed off with a smile. “Will you…?” he asked, and you rolled your  eyes. You knew what he wanted, and you nodded, grinning. 

He  rolled onto his back, his cock hard against his lower abs, leaking  pre-come, and he moved his arms away from his sides so that you could  straddle him. You lined him up beneath you, cheekily stroking him a  couple of times first until he half whimpered, “Please,” jutting his  chin upwards as his chest heaved.  

You  ran your hands over his chest, his nipples hardening, his pecs  tightening as his whole body coiled up with the desperate need to be  inside you, and for release. His hair was ruffled from sleep, and his  eyes glowed blue as he gazed up at you. His hands wandered to your  breasts and he cupped them, playing with your nipples and begging you  silently just to take him all the way inside you.  

With  a smile, you sank onto him and watched as his eyes rolled and he let  out a long, deep, delicious moan. You went still for a moment, adjusting  to the sensation of him inside you, of being so full, but when you  moved again, he gripped your hips and guided you. At first you moved too  slowly for him, but when it became apparent that you would not speed  up, he relinquished his hold on your body and fell back, defeated, into  the pillows. “You’re a tease,” he hissed through a dazed smile.  

“You  asked for me on top,” you said, reaching behind you and carefully  raking your nails up his white thighs to leave raised, pink tracks. He  sucked in a breath and his body jerked. He began to move against you not  long after that, pushing deeper, his breath becoming irregular and  ragged, his eyes fluttering closed, his lips parted. He bit his lower  lip some time later and grunted, “I’m close…”  

He  moved his touch to your clit and began to circle and tease just the way  you liked it, and as that undeniable heat surged in you, you came,  clenching tight around him, head thrown back.  

You  traced your fingertips up over the curve of his balls and he cried out,  torso clenching, releasing inside you as waves of pleasure ripped  through him a few seconds later, even as you still came.  

Breathing  hard, he lay back and stared up at you with that glassy-eyed expression  of his that you had come to love in the months that you two had been  together. In that moment he was not the feared Prince of the Court of  Night, the one in charge of keeping the shadows tamed. That morning he  was simply Naeryn, and he was unquestionably in love with you.  

With  him still inside you, you pressed your palm down on his chest, right  over his thundering heartbeat, and said, “I’d like to stay…” 

“Here?” he asked, a new clarity washing in to replace the haze of lust. “In the Fae Realm with me?” 

You nodded. “I thought about it  last night. I belong with you, and I’m prepared for what that will mean  for me. As long as you promise me that I’ll never truly be bound or  enslaved, then I will stay.” 

“I swear it,” he said in an instant. “I swear it, but think about it, will you?” 

“I have,” you insisted.  

He nodded. “Alright, but I won’t hold you to your decision for at least another week. That’s my condition…” 

You smiled at him and rolled your hips, making him grunt. 

After  a quick clean up, you returned to the bed and slid in beside him. “I’m  going to need some of the herbs I’ve been taking,” you murmured quietly.  “Let’s not be thinking about royal half-breeds just yet, eh?” 

He grinned. “I will have the procured today for you, and anything else you need or want.” 

You laughed. “Some clothes would be good,” you said, eyeing your rather drab and shabby clothes from the Mortal Realm.  

“I will procure the finest gossamer and silk and lace for you, if you ask it of me.” 

“Shut up, you pretentious old man,” you laughed, smacking him in the chest.  

Naeryn’s  baritone laugh joined yours. “I’ve said it before, but I love the way  you speak to me. I love that you can joke with me like that. I have  never had that with anyone before.” He rolled onto his side and kissed  your neck, making you squeak and giggle, wriggling to get away from him  as he reduced you to a writhing tangle of limbs and black silk sheets.  

Being  his pretend thrall was not going to be without a lot of complications,  but if Shaer and his human were out there in the Fae Realm already, and  the gods knew how many others too, then perhaps there would be more fae in time who would come to see that humans could be worthy of love and respect.  

Looking up into Naeryn's handsome, laughing face as he finally ceased tickling you, you felt ‘home’ once again.  

I hope you enjoyed reading this one as much as I did writing it! If you want a commission of your own, you can find the info you need either here in this announcement post, or on my commissions page on Tumblr (it says they're closed, but they're not closed for you folks). Come and talk to me - here in messages or on Tumblr - and we can work something out for you!   

 Don't forget that you can browse my masterlist for other stories and posts (since the format of this site is not great for finding older works)