A spark lightens his otherworldly eyes. I… I think he’s catching on.
“I don’t have much. You paid seven hundred coins. If those are mine, I’ve only got the fifty.” I bite my lip, trying to look as coy as possible so that he picks up what I’m throwing down just a little easier. “Maybe… maybe there’s another way I can make it even…”
“Hm. You assume I’d let you buy your freedom back. Since, as you rightly admit, you do belong to me now.”
My heart just about stops. “Well? Would you?”
“The auction is binding.”
“Unless you break it. Unless you set me free.”
“Ah, my darling… why would I ever do that?”
His musical voice drops just enough to be husky. I don’t even try to cover up the way it sends shivers coursing up and down my spine.
“Do you really mean that?” I whisper.
“You doubt me? Then let me make it perfectly clear. I have no ffrindau, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have you. I’ve already told you as much. And, yes, I didn’t want to rush you… but you’re mine, Leannán.” His hands settle on my shoulders. “You’ve always been mine.”
Even through the thin material, I feel the power in his touch. God, I love it.
I love him.
“Took you long enough to realize that.”
Rys shifts his right hand, caressing my shoulder, the light touch of his fingers trailing down my arm before he moves, cupping my left boob in his palm. He uses his thumb to rub the sensitive peak of my nipple, hardening it instantly.
As I swallow my moan, Rys gives me that overly pleased grin that tugs on my heart the same way his possessive touch goes straight to my pussy.
“Maybe I was distracted,” he murmurs, lowering his head so that we’re sharing the same breath. “I didn’t show you how much I want you. That was my mistake.” I can feel the heat of his skin on mine the second before he moves in, capturing my lips as he gives my tit a squeeze. “I won’t make that again.”
I gasp, and he takes the chance to slip his tongue into my mouth, stroking mine expertly. He’s warm and slick—kind of like what’s going inside of my panties right now, not gonna lie—and I melt right into his arms.
He catches me, because of course he does. I trust Rys with my life, just like I trust him with my body. Even though I’m not supposed to trust anyone in Faerie, Rys doesn’t count. He’s never counted. I think I’ve trusted him from the moment I first let him touch me, when I made the decision to give up that part of my soul to a Seelie I barely knew.
Now?
Now I want to give him everything.
I don’t stop kissing him, angling my chin so that I can kiss him deeper as I cling to his chest. Rys wraps his arms around me, moving me into a better position, and suddenly I’m off the ground.
Don’t care. I’m desperate for this. And I know the fae can’t lie. I know that a direct statement like “You’re mine” is almost as ironclad as being bought at the auction.
But I’ve gone weeks without being this close to Rys and until he claims me again, I know I’ll just worry that he’ll try to pull away if only because he thinks that’s what I want.
I want Rys. And it doesn’t matter to me if I’m his ffrindau or not. It’s just a title. Kind of like how I was content being with Jim without being a wife. Our relationship is what we make it, and if there’s one thing I know about Faerie, it’s that the fae respect the power of the bargain almost as much as balance. So what if he owns me? I’m a human living in Faerie. It was always bound to be my fate if I stayed.
But I’m not a pet. I’m his partner. His mate. And, as he leads me to his bed, I beg Rys to prove it.
“Claim me. Touch me. Make me yours.”
He pulls back just enough so that I can see his face. His scar crinkles a bit as he gives me the biggest shit-eating grin I’ve ever seen him wear.
“You’ve always been. But tonight, and forever, Rysdan of the Seelie Court is yours.”
His name.
His true name.