By the Horns Page 13

  We’ve been robbed by body snatching fae like highwaymen ransacking a coach! The queen and her lover, her trickster, thought to use us to... to... tup each other’s brains out. The tell-tale humming in my body at the thought was a dead giveaway.

  She could sense my thoughts, I felt. How the water could do that, I didn’t know. Tainted with magicks? Spelled?

  A beastly snout came towards my face, tongue out, mouth open. I gaped in horror inside as my own mouth opened as if to accept. No. No. Don’t you dare! Eep!

  A tittering laugh at my internal, mortified shrieking left my lips.

  Don’t do it, don’t do it, I thought, and yet when the moment came to pass, I wasn’t entirely traumatized.

  I tingled in awareness, renewed lust. This topped my oddest of odd happenings yet. On a certain level I wanted my Minotaur, but this wasn’t my Minotaur, this was her Puck. I could sense a similar yearning from her, not for my Minotaur but for the body snatcher within.

  This was going to be a long, long... eyeing the thick erection tenting those broad, masculine thighs, I sighed longingly, long night.

  ˜˙˜*˜˙˜

  By the time the effects of the water had worn off and the Minotaur and I were well and truly ourselves once again, we groaned in unison, laid out along the sand. Having dragged ourselves towards land, we flopped down in ungainly heaps, shaking our heads at the madness that’d just happened.

  “I’d- I’d apologize for what I did, uh, to your person, but it wasn’t me,” I got out between gasps, gesturing towards his nethers and beyond.

  “Vile, winged beasties,” my companion muttered, pressing his cheek to the sand. His hand reached for mine, the gesture foreign yet somehow right. “Never make a deal with those devils. Never.”

  Too late. “My... everything hurts,” I whispered, but on some level I knew deep down I’d sort of enjoyed it. The Queen’s price was paid. A sense of a debt owed to her lifted, along with it some of the weight on my back. Right bastards, the magick folk were.

  And kinky arses, those two were. Kinky arse, I was, for not feeling as utterly traumatized by the ordeal as I might’ve thought. Sexcapades, odd games, the things those two enjoyed doing to each other... through us, no less. And strangely enough, towards the end there it sort of felt like goodbye for those two. It certainly was on the Queen’s end.

  “My balls are about to crawl up inside me arse and stay there forever.” A chuff from the big guy sent sand flying right in my face. “Bloody fae. Tricksters and thieves, all o’ them. Knew better, went and did it anyhow.”

  “Desperation is a dangerous thing,” I agreed.

  “Ye too?” he muttered, grunting.

  “Done now.”

  “Wonder how they’d like someone playin’ in their body, with their body,” he grumbled.

  “I imagine they might like it,” I blurted before I’d thought better of it.

  “Right kinky arseholes,” he said with a snort. “Arsehole lovin’ arseholes.”

  I’d started to laugh, my sudden outburst teeming with hysteria, but ended up coughing, a face full of black sand and red dirt. Reaching out, he went to dust it from my face but stopped himself.

  “What was your deal?” I dared to ask. “Besides seducing the vile human?”

  I was feeling ten kinds of stupid, and funny all over. A part of me, a very big part of me, had been hoping he’d wanted me when we’d, ahem, because of the same insane, unexplainable instant attraction I’d felt for him, despite his otherworldly appearance. It had just felt... right. All of it. Even some of the bloodthirsty queen and her dirty companions sexual escapades. Had that just been one of his bargains?

  They might have borrowed our bodies, but every orgasm, twitch of my sex, tease to my breast, I’d felt it all, it had all to some extent been shared with me, become mine.

  Studying the beastman before me, I wondered the same.

  “I wasn’t told to fuck you,” he admitted. “I was supposed to take you with me. And take you to the pond to swim.”

  I blinked at that. “Wait, you were?”

  “I take it you were told to seduce the beast in the labyrinth?” he surmised, a dark look hardening his features. “Had no clue they’d be borrowin’ us to play for a bit.”

  “Peacock told me I should fuck you, but I’d, uhm, already sort of planned on it, should things progress that way, and my dealings with the King and Queen, their price was never said. And if you’ll remember, you came on to me, fella.” I was feeling defensive, sputtering, stumbling over words. A flush stole over my cheeks. Hey, I hadn’t asked for any of this! “I’m pretty sure the queen wanted me to free you, but I was already going to do that anyway, so, uhm, you know.” Hell, I didn’t even know.

  Propping up on his elbow, laying on his side facing me, his furry brow shot up. “Did you now?” His hand reached for mine, confusing me further.

  Hot, cold, soft, hard, did this male not know his own mind?!

  Unfurling my fisted hand, his fingers smoothed over them, tracing the bull’s head mark on my palm. Bright, Minotaur eyes lit with amusement. “And how were you going to do that?”

  “Do, uhm, what?” I mumbled. That finger teasing my palm was doing funny things to my stomach. The relief at it just being us and only us could not be put to words. When I would have pulled my hand back he held tight.

  “Rescue me.” Maroon eyes blinked down at me, the hardness of moments ago softening enough he didn’t look murderous.

  “Oh, uhm, I hadn’t gotten that far yet, but I would have figured it out, eventually.” Hopefully.

  “Why?” His hand stopped its soothing, slow, circular pattern.

  “Why what?”

  “Why help me?”

  “Well, because... because it’s the right thing to do, and I need help, too.”

  “Ah.” His face lit with understanding. “You’d free me so I’d help you.”

  “What? No!” I wriggled my wrist, twisting it this way and that, but his fingers simply tightened, holding me in place. “I helped my sister, helped her from you, I might add, the mythical, man slaughtering beast of legend that shouldn’t exist,” I fairly shouted, “then I’d come back and help you, beast, man killer, or not, and hopefully, if I could talk you into it, you’d- You’d help me.”

  “You thought to persuade me with sex?” he mused, looking pensive.

  “I thought to persuade you by any means necessary, a blade, threats, begging, and, yes, even sex!” There, I’d said it!

  “And if I wasn’t amenable?” One look at his raging erection, defying any sense of decency, and we both fought the twitching of our lips.

  “I’d have found another way.” The stubborn tilt of my chin and chips of green ice for eyes swore I’d try my damnedest.

  A thick finger traced my lips, then his cock. Oh, I didn’t know how we’d got on this, but here we were.

  “Except that. I’m horrible at it,” I lied.

  His sudden bellow of laughter said he was game to find out.

  “Honestly,” my expression sobered, “I meant to claim the beast of the labyrinth for myself, stealing away with him into the night. I even had a dream about it.” It sounded stupid, saying it aloud. Cheeks flushing, I looked away.

  A thick finger tipped my chin, forcing me to face him. Gulping, eyelids fluttering, the words on my tongue dried up in my throat.

  “A dream,” he asked, “truly?”

  When all I could do was nod he made a funny noise in his throat. I didn’t know if I should feel worried or reassured.

  “They say there’s a lot to dreams,” he murmured, his thick thumb rubbing the small dimple in my chin.

  “Where you’re from?” I found myself asking, beyond curious. I could only hope it was as magical, if not more, than the mythical being that came from there.

  Lost in thought, staring at my face, there was a hard look to his stern features, to my curious. “This isn’t the part where you murder me, just so it’s been said and we’re clear. And, uhm,”
I murmured in a blurt, “so it doesn’t happen.”

  “Pair with me,” he said suddenly, stunning me silly.

  My mouth worked, trying to form words. “What?!”

  “Pair with me.” The male was dead serious, and plumb crazy.

  “Isn’t that what we’ve bloody been doing?! And then some! I don’t think it gets any more intimate,” or intrusive, mind you, “than what we’ve been, and the bathing and such, and then standing by twiddling our thumbs while our possessed selves fuck each other in every hole—two beings that up until moments before then I was under the impression weren’t on good terms, mind you, the cuckolding liars—your giant bull cock shoved up my ah- well! Things, things we shall not speak of, shoved up, ah- ahem, while a queen speaks through my mouth, her raunchy peacock through yours. I can’t- She- Calling you a god damned, argh, naughty boy, and me a- a- a dirty little slag.” I gagged, mimicking their sickening cooing. “Do you even know how thick that thing is,” my hand waved wildly at his fat, semi-flaccid cock, “I probably won’t sit for a week!”

  “And I fared any better?” he shot back.

  “Oh shut it and sit on an icicle, that’s not the point! Wait...they have those where you’re from, don’t they?”

  “Pair with me,” he repeated stonily, as if I hadn’t just spoken so crudely, rudely. There was a wildness to his eyes, a flare of something that set my teeth on edge, sensing his already were. “You heard them. We already share a bond. She knows you can sense me. As I could sense you,” he whispered, leaning in, brushing his cheek along mine, closing his eyes.

  I knew exactly what he was implying, the weight of what this all could mean, should I say yes, pinning me in place.

  “Sure!” Tossing my hands up, I flopped to my back to stare at the ceiling. “Why not? If it means you’re going to cart my fat arse around and toss me a shag every now and then while I do your laundry, washing your dirty underthings, as I’m supposing you might wear, cooking and cleaning and what not, why the hell not. Come on, honey, let’s pair!”

  I wasn’t expecting the deep, boisterous belly laugh that suddenly rolled over him, the sound echoing throughout the chamber. “A union fit for the gods,” he got out between snorting bellows.

  Holding up his hand, palm out, he showed me his marking, the same mark of the beast raised on his own flesh like a brand. Leaning towards me, he pressed his forehead to mine.

  “Hey, that’s-”

  “I know. I knew, and then I felt it. Saw that wide, pale, bald arse jiggling as you wiggled from the ledge, even wanted you then. Never felt anything like it. Couldn’t let it, you, go, without seeing for myself. Once I did, don’t want it to end.”

  “Maybe it was just sex,” I muttered. He didn’t buy it for a moment.

  “You know you feel it, don’t you?” Moving closer, until he was almost on top of me, he pressed our marked palms together, weaving our fingers until they were locked.

  Warmth filled my palm, a tickling tingle that zinged.

  “Yes.” There was no sense in lying.

  “Good.” Rolling atop me, slowing wedging his thick thighs between mine, his lips tipped in a small semblance of a smile.

  “Again?” I whispered, gaping up at him. I didn’t stop him.

  Pressing his hips into mine, he wiggled us down the sand, laughing when I yelped at the rough bits sliding up my crack. We wiggled together until we were hips deep in water. The soreness of earlier slowly faded away as the dark waves lapped at us.

  “This time we’re going slowly. This time,” he murmured, his head dipping to tease my nape, “is for us.” His hand came down to smooth over my brow.

  “B-b-but what about your bollocks,” I reasoned, my hands sliding to his horns, giggling nervously as his tongue and lips did something to the sensitive flesh at the crook of my neck that both tickled and had my core tingling, “crawling up your arse and whatnot?

  Another burst of laughter erupted from the male. It was another deep belly laugh that made me feel all soft and warm inside.

  “For you,” his lips lifted into a mischievous smile I could feel against my skin, “for you, Addie-mine, just this once, I’ll make an exception.”

  “Well, thank the queen,” I taunted sarcastically.

  Lips pulling into a horrifying display, he grinned a teeth baring grin and laughed harder.

  I’m laughing with a Minotaur, I thought, joining him. We’re about to pair bond, and I’m giggling like a lunatic while a mountain of bull and man hovers over me—post body snatch frenetic fuck dealings with fae. I truly have gone mad!

  ˜˙˜*˜˙˜

  “Here.”

  “Hmm?” Glancing up, dusting sand from my body with my right hand, gritty with it, my shirt in my left, I found my beastly lover staring down at me.

  He held my daggers out to me, one in each hand. Thick fingers curling and uncurling around the glinting handles, he didn’t hesitate to hand them back, though I got the distinct feeling he didn’t really want to.

  Those daggers were mine—a gift from the labyrinth or the psychopaths overseeing it, it didn’t matter; I wasn’t about to hand either of them over—MINE.

  “Exquisite pieces,” his deep voice rumbled softly.

  “Yes.” My eyes darted back and forth between them and that intense gaze.

  Maroon eyes kept going to the hilts, staring at them for far longer than I was comfortable with, making me wonder if he was contemplating keeping them for himself but held back for whatever reason.

  “Thanks,” I said slowly, dropping my shirt to reach for what was mine.

  Those eyes automatically slid to my breasts, the full mounds, just hanging there heavily for all the world to see, like udders on a cow, gods help me. He watched as I moved, a study in motion.

  I only had two mammaries. Did Tauran women have more? Did he find me strange looking, as much as I did him?? And also oddly appealing, much the same as I him?

  “Where did you get them?” he said after a long moment.

  Kneeling, setting my daggers to my right, farthest away from him, I peered up from my long fall of wet hair. “These?” My shoulders shimmied from side to side as if to emphasize my assets, then I smirked and jerked my chin towards the eye catching blades. “Or you mean those?”

  “Both,” he got out curtly, a quick, sheepish look skittering across his sober features as he began to shift from foot to booted foot. He’d had human looking feet, down to his wiggly toes. Though covered with the strange fuzz like the rest of his body, chalk white pale beneath an even paler coat, his nails dark and thick much like his fingers, they were still very much human-like.

  “Those,” his finger jerked to my bosom, “should they come from yer Papi, I’d hope to be left in the dark.”

  “I dare say,” I began, then laughed.

  He grinned, and while it was odd, his eyes danced, the sight of it making my belly flip in response.

  Lifting my wrappings to bind my breasts, I’d just started to do the first go ‘round when a hand at my shoulder stopped me.

  “What manner is this?” He was curious, disconcerted, a hint of something in his words that gave me pause. Disapproval.

  “I’m binding them,” I said simply.

  Taking the strip from my hand with nary a protest from me, his free hand came up to cup one of my breasts. His thumb stroked down the side. “But why?”

  Shivering, instantly aroused as only he could incite in me, I swallowed hard, clearing my throat before answering, “To keep them out of the way.”

  “Leave them,” his hand squeezed gently, his thick index finger brushing my nipple, “I rather like them in the way.”

  He stepped towards me then, naked but for those thick boots he’d donned.

  “We should be going,” I murmured, staring up at him. He plucked my nipple, once, his other hand lifting to play.

  The bandage style wrap fluttered to my feet.

  “Yes,” he murmured, his voice thick, deep, rattling his chest as he spoke.


  “This isn’t the magick talking,” I pointed out unnecessarily.

  “No.” His horned head dipped, snout brushing my forehead. His hands slid to my sides and around my back, dragging me close. Steam gently blew across my forehead.

  Reaching up, I placed a peck of a kiss to his chin.

  “This is much more,” he intoned gravely, as if the idea terrified him.

  “What’s that?” My hands found him, sliding around his tapered waist. Worming my way closer, I pressed my cheek to his massive chest.

  Closing my eyes as he did, I soaked in the sound of his steady breaths, his heartbeat stuttering sputteringly to catch back up, grasping for some semblance of a natural rhythm, same as mine. They beat in time, his frantic staccato to mine.

  His chin rested atop my head, wide hands spanning my back. “Fate,” he said finally.

  Fate, I repeated that one word in my head.

  Fate...

  We were fate. No other explanation, this was to be it.

  “Fate,” I mumbled, muffling the word against his silky, thick hide. It made what the queen and her lover did that much more infuriating. She knew we were bound, knew we’d feel conflicted, aching for each other as she and her peacock took their fill. Our protests would be minimal. We were still craving each other, this wildness inside me for him barely sated even now. I was in a state of shock over the queen’s deceit, but it was slowly worming its way to my subconscious.

  “We should get going,” he said after a long moment, his hands falling to his sides. “There’s still a long journey ahead.”

  And just like that the spell was broken and we were once more strange bedfellows. I understood it, his apprehension, the holding back—I was much the same.

  Dressing quickly, slipping my daggers where they belonged, one in each boot, shouldering my pack, we were soon on our way.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Good thinking back there,” I mumbled between pinch-faced winces as I dared another step. My aches had aches. That dark, enchanted water’s numbing effects only lasted for so long after you dragged yourself out of it.

  “Bit of a soak never hurt anyone,” he agreed, doing a bit of wincing of his own. “Be due for another one soon. Pack too heavy?”