within me. “My husband is away, and that means I cannot play. Keep your fuck-me vibes under control because I can’t even go to his camp to ease the ache, asshole.”
“Mmm, he wouldn’t find it amiss should you end up on his warhorse, needing a good pounding? He’d probably enjoy it, what with the bloodletting happening out there.” Asher smirked at my discomfort, trailing his pretty eyes over my body in a slow caress. “I’m positive his sword is at the ready should you land on it, Queen of the Horde. But I have issues that I need you to explain to me. You see these?” he asked, discarding his shirt with magic to expose the iridescent and silver intertwining brands. “What the fuck are they?”
“They’re brands, Asher.”
“I know that much, pretty girl. I have brands, perfectly good ones that mark me as Seelie royalty. I want to know why the fuck these silver brands are on my arms, legs, and other things that I won’t mention since you’re the queen. I’m assuming you know what they mean, judging by the humor you are finding in my discovery of them on my flesh.”
“They’re the Light Heir brands. Faery has chosen a new King of the Light Kingdom to sit upon the throne in the Palace of Lights.”
“Suck my dick,” he muttered. Dristan growled once more, and Asher turned to stare at him. “I am the Seelie King.”
“You are, but the Seelie have no home. You have no throne, Asher. It is my understanding that the Seelie Court barely escaped the palace before it collapsed around you. The land followed, forcing you out until all that remained was the prison in which you escaped. My guess is this: Faery chose you because your home is in ruins. You needed a new home for your people. Faery needed a new king to rule the Light Kingdom. Improvising, it looks like Faery selected you to fill the void.”
I smiled tightly at his watchful gaze, enjoying the way he flinched a little at the explanation. I was an asshole for the small enjoyment it gave me to catch him off-guard with the truth of my words.
“You are a king without an official court. Your entire lands were destroyed, were they not?” I paused, waiting for his nod. “Faery is a living creation from Danu’s magic. It finds balance one way or another, and it chose you to balance the courts. It just so happens the guardian we appointed was murdered, and now you are here. That isn’t a coincidence, it was destined for you to assume that role.”
“I don’t want to be king of anything. All I ever wanted was to be free of the fucking prison that held us, and I am. I’m not king material, nor do I care to rule over anyone. I just wanted to be free and fuck as many women as I can that aren’t related to me. Is that too much to ask? Point me to a willing woman, and I will be the happiest cock in the kingdom.”
“No one who sits upon the thrones of Faery ever wished to become rulers, and yet three new kings have been crowned in the last twenty-four hours. You’re one of them.”
“I hate to be the downer here, but how the fuck is the Dark Heir supposed to fuck the Light Heir if both have dicks?” Dristan mused.
“I’m not fucking a guy,” Asher sputtered.
“I have no idea, but Asher’s brands aren’t like the ones that Icelyn had. They are the same as Adam’s and mine, meaning they are permanent.” I studied the pulsing brands, placing my fingers on them before yanking them back. “Jesus, would you dim it the fuck down?” I demanded, fighting against the need to come undone and make a total ass of myself.
“It is down, Synthia. It is down as far as it will go without finding release. I’m Seelie, sex in the purest form of the word, created to fuck and feed. This is what happens when you lock something like me up for centuries and forget to fucking feed it.”