Glamour Bites

We remained in the passage for what felt like forever when I heard the sound of footsteps coming quickly up the hall. I stood, pulling Raiden with me, as Erin Hatchet ran around the corner. “What the fuck is going on, Alexia?”



“I’d like to ask you the same thing, Erin. You’re a dragon and in no way Fey, so how did you get into the Mounds?” I glanced at Raiden who looked as surprised as I was.



“I touched her.” Kingston came around the corner, shaking his head. “I felt this burning through my body and knew that I loved you, but it was more like a brother and sister type thing. Erin came into Glamour Hunts as I was leaving and I ran into her, touching her arm. The next thing I knew, we were, um …”



“We were fucking in the bathroom.” Erin finished the sentence, blushing bright red. “And I had this weird ass vine tattoo on my hand.”



She held her arm out and I moved to see the tattoo on her arm. I sighed and leaned against the wall. “The Goddess works in mysterious ways.”



“Spoken like a true Fey, Alexia.”



“Thanks, Raiden. So, Kingston, Erin, here’s the deal. I’m some great Queen that has to have a King, but no Consorts. When I bound to Raiden, my King, I lost Andreas and Kingston. The Goddess has given you, Kingston, Erin as my replacement in your heart.”



“That explains a lot.” Kingston took Erin’s hand and sighed. “I hate metaphysics.” Erin nodded in agreement.



“Yeah, me too.” I heard more feet and looked up as Andreas came around the corner. I ran to him, throwing my arms around his waist, burying my head in his chest. “I’m so sorry, Andreas.”



“Shh, Alexia, we both knew that this was going to happen. We were only meant to be the best of friends. It is vampyre law.” He kissed my forehead and pulled back to look at my face. “Kingston has a replacement, so I have no doubt that I will be sent one as well.”



I opened my mouth to talk and heard Raiden. “Lira!” I glanced up and saw him run at a beautiful red haired Fey with rich brown eyes framed by dark eyelashes. He hugged her and I was instantly jealous. “Lira, what are you doing down here?”



“Oberon told us that you were the new Queen’s Consort. I had to see for myself. I don’t want to lose you, Raiden.” The young Fey burst into tears, burying her head into Raiden’s shoulder. He looked at me and frowned.



I moved to step toward them and felt the Mound move around me. I looked up and tilted my head to the side. Smiling, I turned to Raiden and Lira. “Lira Honeycloud, I would like to introduce you to Andreas Quinlan.”



Andreas looked at me like I had sprouted another head, but held his hand out to the young Faerie. “It’s a pleasure, Lira.”



Lira hesitated for a moment before taking Andreas’s hand. Her eyes grew wide as she moved toward him, kissing him without preamble. She pulled back and frowned. “What in the world …?”



“Congrats, the Goddess has paired you two.” I sounded tired, all the power play wearing me out, but I had other things to do. “Take him back to your room, Lira, make him yours completely.”



Oberon flew around the corner and I sighed. “Yes, Oberon?”



“Your highness, there are two thrones in the throne room. We thought that you would like to know.”



I nodded and gestured to Kingston and Erin. “Find them a room in the Mound. Raiden and I will handle the second throne.”



He nodded and walked down the hall with Kingston and Erin in tow, Andreas and Lira already having left. “We’ll have to see the Sheol entrance later, Raiden. We have to take our throne together now.”



Raiden nodded and took my hand, following me through the halls until we came to the throne room. He stopped me and shook his head. “Everyone will be in there, Alexia. They will have noticed the second throne and will wonder what it’s for. As soon as I ascend those stairs with you, you’re in trouble.”



“Don’t worry, Raiden.” I kissed him and smiled. “The Mound will protect me.”



“I’m still a little freaked out about that, but it seems to like you.” Raiden shrugged and opened the door to the throne room, revealing hundreds of thousands of Faeries.



Everyone cleared the way for me as I walked through the crowd with Raiden beside me. I could see the different royal families sitting in their high boxes, looking at me with disdain, but I knew that the Mound would show them just how much they were to like me if they did something wrong.



I began to climb the stairs, feeling Raiden hesitate behind me. He seemed to collect himself and caught up to me, walking beside me as the other Fey began to whisper about where he thought he was going.



I turned when I got to my throne and sat down, half expecting something to happen and disappointed when nothing occurred. Raiden looked at the throne he was to sit in and turned, sitting in it quickly.



He gasped and I knew that he was going through the same Test I had gone through. I took his hand and the power moved to me, but it didn’t do as it had when I took the throne. Instead, I could feel the green dress I had been wearing change again. It began to flow to longer than it had been before, engulfing me in skin tight silk. It was low cut with a high neck in the back, framing my face in green. I felt the vine covered crown cover my head before I saw it in the mirror across from me.



I turned eyes to Raiden and found his normal armor was gold plated. The shirt he had worn underneath the armor was a green that same shade as the swirls of green in his eyes. A crown identical to my own sat atop his head, showing his status as my King.



He turned pleasure-filled eyes to me and smiled. “Was it that good for you?”



“Better. I took some of it from you because it would have killed you so soon after binding with me.” I leaned into him, kissing him softly as I whispered against his lips. “When we bind later, I’ll make sure you get that little bit of pleasure you missed back.”



Raiden smiled and then turned back to look at the kneeling Faeries below us. He frowned and looked back at me. “Guess it’s too late to turn back now, huh?”



I nodded and stood, pulling him to his feet. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, hugging him to me. I hugged him back and kissed him gently. “Would you want to turn back?”



“An eternity with you, or an eternity alone? I would choose you over anything, Alexia.”



I smiled and kissed him before turning back to the crowd of Fey. “Fey of the Mound, I have been your Queen for less than a day and have found my King. I have no need for Consorts. I only need my King.”



Everyone started to whisper about the Prophecy coming to life and I let them. I took Raiden’s hand and walked down the stairs with his beside me. The crowd parted and I led him down the hall to the bedchambers that would now be both mine and Raiden’s.



As soon as the door was closed and let out the breath I had been holding. I looked at Raiden and shook my head. “I need sleep, bad.” Raiden nodded and turned to leave the room, but I grabbed his arm. “You are my King, my love, my lover. Stay with me. Sleep with me.”



I stood on tiptoes to kiss him. He returned the kiss and allowed me to lead him to the bed. I pulled the green dress over my head, tossing it to the floor. I put the crown on the stand beside the bed and turned to him wearing nothing but what I was born in.



I slipped into the bed and watched as he started to strip out of his armor. He pulled the green shirt over his head and then slipped out of the dark brown pants he was wearing. He slipped into the bed beside me and wrapped his arms around. “Just sleep, right?”



“For right now, yes, Raiden. Just sleep.” I breathed in the heavy scent of damp leaves and his skin. I moved closer to his body and felt his body respond, but he was being a gentleman and letting me sleep.



I yawned and felt his arms go around me tighter, more protective. I smiled slightly as I fell into a fit sleep for the first time in days. Seemed like I had been passing out more than sleeping lately. Maybe it was time for that to change.