Veiled Fae (Fractured Fae 2)

“You two are too much," he says.

“Don’t be jealous that we’re the epitome of fun and perfection," Jacob says with a dramatic hair flip.

“I’m not sure why people still try to understand us," I add. “Hell, even I don’t understand us sometimes.”

“It’s one of life’s greatest mysteries. We’re beyond explanations and understanding," he replies in a serious tone.

“You ready?” Maddox asks, reminding me that he claimed me for the evening. Jacob lets out a huff of annoyance, but I see his eyes dart toward the kitchens were Andras is.

“I am. Go find your man, Jacob,” I tease. “And these are amazing, thanks for doing all that work.”

“Well, I didn’t do it alone,” he says. “Tristan is really good at this. Now behave, you two.”

I roll my eyes at his snark but link my arm through Maddox’s. “Come on, we have a date to enjoy," Maddox says as he leads me away.

“Did you know about the town plans?” I ask as Maddox leads me toward the Court of Spring.

“We may or may not have been included in some of the planning," he offers with a smile.

“When?!” I ask. “We’ve all been together this whole time.”

“You also have been training with Emrick frequently.” He has a point, but I’m still shocked they got so far in so little time.

He doesn’t say much as we walk. Maddox isn’t one for small talk, which I’m fine with. He seems relaxed today and I’m glad. Things have been intense since the attack and we’ve barely had alone time. Not with Emrick on a rampage and me worried about Jacob.

I’m not familiar enough with Faerie or the Spring Court enough to know where Maddox is leading me, and I don’t bother to ask. I’m happy to soak up the silence and have a moment to just breathe.

We walked into the garden toward the familiar stone gazebo. Instead of heading into the main area of Spring, he leads me down a path I’ve never noticed before. The vines and plants are thicker here, and I can already feel how much healthier they are, my magic thrumming along my skin as it reacts to the land it saved.

There is still an unnerving silence in the land, an aspect of the current Faerie that I’ll never be able to come to terms with. The only thing we can hear are our own footsteps in the soft grass and the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. And even that is muted, the air fairly still after this morning's rain that still hangs on the leaves and grass.

The sound of a waterfall starts to fill the air, faint at first and near thunderous by the time we step out of the covering of trees. It flows down from the mountain and into the crystal-clear lake below. I remember Jacob adding it to the map when Faerie was still a new concept to me. Being in front of it makes me feel like I’m in a magical land for the first time. There’s a vast difference between this natural beauty, vibrant colors, and the hint of magic in the air, and the land we saw upon arrival.

“It’s beautiful," I whisper in awe, as my eyes continue to study our surroundings. It’s like I can’t stop myself from taking in every single inch of its beauty. The sun streams down, reflecting on the lake’s surface. The water ripples out from the impact of the waterfall, but I can still see the bottom and I want to dive in. Though it comes from the mountain, so it’s likely freezing.

“Yes, you are," Maddox says softly, turning my head so he can give me a gentle kiss. He releases me and steps away so he can pull a blanket from his backpack. Maddox works meticulously, spreading out the blanket and putting a bottle of wine, glasses, and food down. My heart clenches at the thoughtfulness of it all. We don’t have many options for dates at the moment and he’s made all this happen. He’s clearly challenging Em for the most romantic title.

“I thought maybe a swim first, and then we can have a small picnic before we head back? I just don’t trust that there won’t be wildlife after you’ve given the land its power back,” he says solemnly. As vigilant as always, I watch as he carefully scans our surroundings before relaxing again.

“As wonderful as that sounds, I don’t have a swimsuit,” I point out. “And isn’t the water icy?” Mentally I’m trying to remember what my bra set looks like underneath. The last thing I want is for him to see me in a ratty old set and ruining the mood. We’re still in that stage of our relationship where there’s a hint of uncertainty and shyness. Faerie may have chosen them for me, and we in turn chose each other, but we still have to put in the work to get to know each other on a level that would make us strong. We’re almost like an arranged marriage at this point, with amazing attraction, but first date jitters.

“Me either," he says with a smirk. My jaw drops as he rips off his pants and shirt, leaving only his tight-fitting boxers behind. The man is sculpted like a fucking Greek god. Each inch of him muscled and fit. His tanned skin is dusted in golden hair, from his chiseled chest down to the perfectly sculpted vee that disappeared into his boxers. When I look back up at him, his blue eyes are full of amusement as I gape at him. I don’t bother to look away or feel embarrassed, if he didn’t want to be ogled, he wouldn’t have ripped his clothes off and stood there on display for me.

“If you keep staring at me, we’re never going to make it into the water,” he warns. His cock twitches at the attention and I force myself to look away before I start doing something embarrassing, like drooling.

No matter how hard I try to think of a coherent thought, my mind refuses to comply. So instead I strip down in a hasty, completely unsexy way. But Mads isn’t deterred in the least, returning the favor by slowly running his gaze over every inch of me. And I swear I can feel it like phantom caresses, my body already begging him to fuck me.

After several long minutes of neither of us making a move, I have to pull myself away from his gaze before I spontaneously combust. The heat and desire he evokes in me are almost too much to handle. Needing to cool off and wanting to break the sexual tension a bit, I take off at a run and jump as high as I can, tucking my legs under me to do a cannonball. When I resurface, I have to giggle at Maddox’s expression. He’s soaking wet and has water dripping down his face, a mix of shock and amusement on his face.

“How does someone so small cause such a ridiculous splash?” He laughs and wipes a hand down his face, before he gives me an evil smile. Turning, I try to swim as far out as I can, but he’s faster. I expect him to splash me, but instead he dives seamlessly into the water. Now that we’ve disturbed the water, I can’t figure out where he’s gone. My heart pounds in anticipation, expecting him to reach out and yank me under at any second. Even if he’s not as playful as Bo, I don’t trust him not to scare me. Slowly spinning in a circle, I keep my eyes glued to the water, watching and waiting for him to emerge.

A surge of water is my only warning before Maddox resurfaces and snatches me up in one movement. My squeals and his laughter are loud enough to be heard over the waterfall. Relief floods me and I let out a string of laughter as he holds me, shaking his long hair so I get a shower of water.

We aren’t quiet, but out here no one should hear us. And the idea of someone coming to join us is not appealing. Our spot feels so secluded and special that I want it to be just ours.

As he keeps his hold on me, I put on a show of trying to struggle against him, but my heart isn’t in it. The feel of his arms wrapped around me is too perfect and it’s helping fight off the chill of

the water.