CARLYLE

My back to the dark ocean, I saw what looked like a wet dream from Haret coming my way - Killian strode along the sand toward me, his face otherworldly in its furious rage.

Sand swirled around each of his strong steps, his air magic seeping out with every movement. His skin shone as pale as the moon above, and his golden eyes sparked with danger.

I faced off against him, keeping a ready grip on my magic. If he’d changed his mind and was here to convince me to leave Jack behind, I would siphon away before he knew what had happened.

“What do you want, fae?” I asked lightly, bouncing on the balls of my toes and pulling my thoughts around the partial image I’d seen when Jack was pulled into the Ringmaster’s siphon. Killian stopped about ten feet away, squaring his broad shoulders at me like he wanted a fight.

“You’re an idiot if you think you’re the only one who cares about Jack,” he spat.

“And you’re an idiot if you think you can stop me from going for him.” I rubbed my palms together, calling up the sparks of Dair’s magic. I didn’t have time for this.

“Donna waste your magic on me, Qilin,” he sneered. “For once, we wan’ the same fuckin’ thing.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What is that?” He needed to say it out loud.

“I wan’ Jack. I’m comin’ with you,” he answered, his voice fierce in the quiet night. I was startled into silence. He was coming with me?

“An’ you, Qilin. I wan’ you,” he added, the words lashing out like the crack of a whip. My body responded before my brain as my core clenched with desire for him.

I had no idea how to respond to his admission. Did he really want me? Just me - without Sol?

Or was this just a trick to stall me...

I took a hesitant step toward him, keeping a careful watch on his face. His eyes were completely open and honest, but his expression was angry about it. He hated admitting this to me - but why?

The initial anger that had coursed through my blood veered into a different sort of heat, but no less powerful. His magic called to me across the air, tendrils of breeze tugging at my hair and caressing my cheek. The flush of vulnerability that graced his high cheekbones sucked me in. I didn’t think this was a trick.

Sol had brought us together before, breaking Killian’s odd resolve to stay away. Before my eyes, I’d seen him crumble with need, but also with shame for that need.

I could take that shame and fling it into the night, building him back into the powerful fae I knew he must be.

“Fuckin’ Savage,” he murmured, as I took a final step, invading his space. He trembled but held his ground, not backing away as I laid my palm on his skin. He smelled like heaven - green woods and night forests and so much angry truth my head spun.

Oh, he wanted me all right. There was no hiding it now.

The air vibrated between us in a sensual dance across my skin, and I hummed in pleasure as I reached my hand up to cup his cheek. “I’ll be fucking savage for you,” I replied, my voice raw with need. I’d needed a wild card - here he was. “But don’t go getting high on your reflection. I need your magic.” In my heart, I understood he needed this bare excuse to feel justified in admitting his desire.

“Why else would I offer to fuck ya,” he taunted, already looking more confident. A growl of sweet frustration tingled in my chest. Ooh, I wanted to rough him up. Something told me he would like that.

Finally, his arm circled my waist, a hot band of muscle against my thin shirt. I pressed myself into his chest, snaking my hand down to rub at his ready cock.

The breeze at my back grew stronger, whipping the sand around us in a whirlwind, like we were at the eye of a hurricane. He slipped a finger under my chin and tilted my face back as my hair caught in the wind, floating up around me.

I met his lips without hesitating, opening for him. He groaned against my mouth as our tongues tangled in a terse battle. He wasn’t submissive any longer, but neither was he trying to overpower me the way Dair and Sol sometimes did.

With Killian, I was on top. In fact, that was a damn good idea.

My palm continued to stroke him hard through his jeans as I reached up to his shoulder with my other hand, pushing him to his knees in the sand. His lips broke from mine as he dropped, nipping at my throat, then my breasts through my thin shirt. I let him suckle me through the fabric a few seconds, enjoying the heady feel of his hot mouth and the cool breeze that followed as he switched to the other nipple.

It wasn’t enough, though. I shoved at his chest. “On the sand, fae,” I ordered, my lips twisting up in an impatient smirk.

I kicked off my shoes and followed him down, straddling his hips and pressing him into the cool wet sand at the edge of the beach. He reached up and stripped my shirt away, then my lace bra, and the air currents wrapped around me like fingers.

I moaned as he used his magic to tease my nipples tighter. He was masterful with the wind, pulling the heat from the clouds above us and twining it with the cool salt of the air from over the ocean.

“More,” I growled, rocking my hips against his. I raised up just enough for him to unbutton his jeans and shove them down, freeing his massive cock.

A piercing glinted in the moonlight, and I sucked in a breath. Holy fuck. How was I ever going to keep my dignity through this?

He grinned and lifted an eyebrow in challenge, “Too much, Savage?”

Oh, it was fucking on.

“I can take anything you give me except all this goddamn chit-chat.” I scooted down his legs and wrapped my lips around his thick head, swirling my tongue across the odd smoothness of the metal. I opened my jaw and took him deep in my throat, sucking along the bottom of his cock with my tongue. He whispered a steady stream of curses as I worked him up and down.

Just when his thighs started to tense beneath me, I pulled away. He yanked off my leggings and underwear, baring me completely to the night air, and I crawled up his body again.

I dragged my pussy across the wet tip of his cock, and he tried to shove me down on it. I resisted, and goddamn if I wasn’t stronger than him.

A throaty laugh of power spilled from my throat. Ah, hell. Being in charge was fun - no wonder Dair liked it so much.

“I thought you had a dirty mouth, but you’re keeping it awfully fucking clean up there,” I said, raising my eyebrow at him as I widened my legs enough to slide up his chest, pushing his shirt up as I went so my pussy could glide along his muscles.

He said something in a completely different language before grasping my hips and yanking me forward. His tongue lashed out at my clit, sucking and licking without mercy as his hands held me right where he wanted. We both knew I could get free, and as he rushed me relentlessly toward orgasm, I felt like a goddess getting the offering I’d waited way too long for.

“Fuck yes,” I cried out, letting my head tip back to stare at the stars while he sucked harder, chasing the aftershocks. I righted myself and shoved a hand in his flame-red hair, pushing him away. I pried his fingers off my skin and wiggled back down to his lap, taking his cock in my hand.

He was so hard he could probably win a sword fight, and I was primed and ready. Lining him up, I gave him a look of warning to keep still, then I eased the piercing past my opening. Moaning as I felt it scrape against every inch of my insides, I pressed down and down, until I had a brief moment of worry that maybe I couldn’t handle him.

He took my moment of hesitation to shove the rest of the way in, and the tightness took my breath away. I stared down at him with wide eyes, and he grinned like the cocky ass he was.

“Still ready to take it?” he asked.

“Chitty chat chat,” I challenged, bracing myself for the payback. Gripping my ass, he ground up into me and rocked me forward at the same time, his piercing hitting my G-spot and his skin rubbing straight against my clit.

Ah, fuck. I was damn near ready to cum again, and he’d barely even gotten a rhythm going.

“Don’t take your time, fae. We have shit to do,” I panted, giving him the opening he’d been waiting for. He flipped me on my back and threw my legs wide without breaking contact, slamming into me hard and fast.

“Donna worry - I can be quick if you keep your mouth shut, Qilin,” he said, scowling down at me and moving faster than should be humanly possible. Ah, right. Not human.

I couldn’t be bothered to respond, as my breathing was already reduced to tiny puffs. My breasts were bouncing so hard it felt like I was sprinting, but the feeling of him inside me was better than any workout high I’d ever had.

“Yes,” I moaned, my orgasm clawing its way out of my core and stealing my last bit of sanity. I dug my fingernails deep into his back, and he started to mutter again in that other language as his thrusts grew even wilder. With a rough word that had to be a curse, he tensed and pulsed inside of me, his beautiful face thrown back to the moonlight.

His magic spilled into me, and I gasped, transfixed as I glimpsed his fae form past his glamor - pointed ears, sharper cheekbones, and gold-dusted skin.

His beauty was raw and pure and deliciously evil as he fastened his glinting golden eyes on me. “Now, tha’ was a good fuck,” he whispered. I snorted a laugh.

“What a damn romantic,” I teased. He smirked and shrugged a shoulder as if I shouldn’t have expected anything different. I shoved him off me, the movement playful, but my strength enough to manhandle him a bit.

“Let’s go get your mate, Qilin,” he responded, tossing me my sandy clothes as he tugged his pants back up. With a flick of his magic, he sucked the bits of wet sand from our bodies, and I fell in love with him just a tiny bit. No girl wanted sand in their lady bits, no matter how fun sex on the beach was.

“Hold on tight,” I said. “You know I suck at siphoning.” His jaw clenched as I wrapped my arm around his waist and closed my eyes, jerking us into the cosmos with my mind like an arrow to Jack’s soul.