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He pressed his plush lips together for a moment as if weighing whether to say what was on his mind, but finally, with a brief glance at the sky and the eerie brightness that was creeping toward the treetops, he spoke. "I've passed many a wild moon with the others. Not all of them indoors under wards. In my experience, indulging in sensual pleasures with an enthusiastic partner makes things more tolerable. Keeps one from more violent delights."
He paused for a moment to let that sink in. My brain stuttered to a halt, stuck on the overwhelmingly pleasant thought of Bach, Mirri, Adder, and Fife, all sharing an "enthusiastic partner" to pass the night of the wild moon.
"I don't want to risk your position with your employer," He finally continued, drawing me out of my lusty haze. "None of us do. We all respect you. We like you.” He snorted. "And I also don't want you to think that this team is made up of the sort of males who would take advantage of you in any way."
Reaching down between us, he slowly took my hand, giving it a squeeze, those green eyes sharp and glittering with magic. "However, I feel it might be smart to be direct and honest with you. The wild moon is cresting. You are a beautiful female in the presence of four highborn fae who are about to lose their minds to their primal urges. It may be…beneficial…if we were to all agree that whatever happens tonight cannot be held against any of us in the morning."
Spoken like a true bard. I blinked at him in the growing glow of the moon. My skin felt like it was buzzing as the moon rose, like every sensation, every brush of the breeze and call of the night insects was a sensual experience pushing me toward some new peak. Was Fife suggesting that I…what? That I make love to them all, here in the forest? I licked my lips, tempted beyond all belief.
I didn't want them to think less of me. Sex among our people wasn't stigmatized the way it was in some other cultures. But this was a bit of an odd circumstance. Then again, I really did want them. All of them. The effects of the moon weren't telling me anything I didn't already know. It was just making it harder to deny.
Fife was patient, waiting for me to think things through, not pressuring me or touching me any further. He simply held my hand and waited. I closed my eyes in a slow blink as a shudder raced through me. I suddenly found that I did want to howl at the moon like a wild creature. I wanted to run, and dance, and feel every sensation my body could feel. I wanted. Deeply. And I couldn't seem to find any reason to deny that need.
Opening my eyes, I met Fife's glowing green gaze. I nodded, feeling like I was under a spell. But I knew it wasn't the cleric's fault. This wasn't some trick he played upon me. No, this was entirely between me and the moon, and my own wild heart. "No one will hold this against us. I promise you that," I whispered.
It was the closest to the truth that I could manage. The Prize certainly wouldn't mind if I dallied with her potential mates. And though they might all be honorable to a fault, there was no actual rule saying they had to be celibate until the end of the tournament. They weren't yet bonded to anyone. There would be no repercussions on my end, or theirs. But I couldn't fully explain to him how I knew that.
Fife let out a soft sigh, the exhalation flowing from him like he had been holding his breath while he waited for my answer. It was his turn to shudder this time, his compact body rippling with the motion as magic unwound around him. His lips parted and his white teeth seemed just a bit more pointed than they had been before.
His eyes really were glowing now, and I realized he had been holding back, tamping down on his magic and on his own reactions to the rising energy around us. Fife was highborn. Pureblooded fae. And his magic was deep and strong. Whatever I was feeling, he was probably feeling it far worse.
I leaned into his touch as he drew me close, the firewood forgotten, nothing existing except the way our breath mingled, his aura reaching for mine, magic caressing my own limited well of power. Fae lights danced around us as I leaned in, pressing my lips to his perfect mouth, drinking him in as if he were mine.
I moaned at the taste of him, like a lightning strike on a rain-swept hill of wildflowers. Graceful hands tangled in my hair, holding me close while Fife devoured my mouth, our tongues tangling and bodies pressed together as if we wanted nothing more than to fuse, to merge into one. My own hands fell to his narrow waist as I leaned back against a nearby tree trunk, pulling his hips flush against my own, feeling the press of a surprisingly large, hard heat through the layers of our clothing.
The desire poured through me like a warm toddy swirling through my system, heating me from the inside, the need building under the watchful eye of the wild moon. Fife's night-black curls were silky against my cheek and shoulder as he broke away to nuzzle against my jaw, before trailing featherlight kisses along my throat. One hand cupped my breast, thumb gliding over my nipple, strumming it like an instrument through my thin cotton shirt.
I reached for his waistband, intent on freeing the gorgeous cleric, desperate to have him inside me, to have him take me here against this tree like two wild creatures in the night. But Fife took my hands in his, pulling away long enough to pin me in place with that stunning green gaze. "We probably should maintain some boundaries," he panted, silky voice turned spine-meltingly velvet with his lust. "Let tonight be all about you, Kat. It's safer that way."
I hated it. Hated that he was holding back from me for no reason, because I wasn't who he thought I was. And yet, I couldn't protest without explaining myself. So, I dropped my hands with a frustrated huff, my palms resting flat against the large, rough tree trunk behind me.
Fife chuckled, a rich, dancing sound that carried hints of his bard magic. I would pay any amount of money in the world to hear this man sing. But right now, that mouth was busy with other things. His lips met mine again, passionate and unashamed, as he trailed a hand downward, between my breasts and lower, across the gentle curve of my stomach and to the vee between my legs.
Even just that simple touch, over my clothing, was enough to send pleasure and want flaring through me, but when I felt the warmth spreading, little tingles of sensation flowing in its wake, I suddenly realized that it wasn't just me. Fife was doing something with his magic, sending little pulses and waves of his power through my clothing to accompany his rhythmic touch.
I gasped against his talented mouth, my arms coming up to loop around his shoulders. My eyes were riveted to his glittering green gaze, drinking in the beauty of his opal skin and the slight dusting of freckles, all turned to shades of silver in the moonlight. My head fell back as I was overwhelmed, my climax washing over me and threatening to shatter me into a million glittering pieces.
Fife's stroking motions slowed as the waves of pleasure crested and receded. He pressed lingering kisses to my face, my neck, and the tip of my nose. "Better?" he asked after a time, his arms curling around my waist to hold me close.
I chuckled, my voice lower and more throaty than usual. "Much," I said truthfully. Some of the edge had gone from the moon madness that danced over my skin. "But somehow I get the feeling the relief won't last for long."
He brushed the tip of his long, slightly upturned nose against my own, the gesture more endearing than it should be for the situation. "It won't. But the periods of lucidity are worth chasing." He swallowed, his throat bobbing. "It will help keep you anchored, keep you from completely losing your mind."
I touched his cheek, running my hands over skin so smooth and perfect it seemed unreal. I could still feel the restrained magic in him, simmering just under the surface. "What about you?" I whispered, glad that the night probably washed all the color out of my blush. "I seem to be the only one who benefits from this current lucidity."
He gave me a wry smile. "I'll manage," he said enigmatically.
I could hear the others calling for us now, probably wondering if we'd been swallowed up by the unpredictable forest around us or run off to hunt rabbits with our bare hands under the influence of the moon. "We should probably take the firewood back to camp," I said, very reluctantly.
Fife stepped away, lifting my hand to press a kiss to the back of it. "I suppose. They do tend to overreact. Next thing you know, they'll be lost in the woods again, and I'll have to go retrieve them."
A little twinge of something like envy twanged in my chest as I watched Fife bend to pick up his armload of wood. I had overheard the others telling Fife that he shouldn't go anywhere alone, back during the challenge in the stables. And they all seemed to worry about one another's safety. But now that I had seen Adder's clear affection toward Fife, I was sure there was more to it than that. Did they all fuss and worry over the pretty male because he was their lover? Did they share more than just an outside lover during wild moon nights?
It wasn't anger or betrayal that flared inside my heart. Nothing so selfish, though I did wonder what it would all mean for their future mate. But the men of Raven team had a long history together, while I had only known them a short time and in a very limited capacity as the queen’s employee. This feeling wasn't anger or disappointment, and not pure jealousy, really. It was envy for what they had. It was yearning to have someone worry over me and look out for me the way Fife's teammates did.
I wanted to be one of their group, part of their family. Wanted it so badly at that moment that it ached.
Just the effects of the moon, I told myself. Surely the wild moon was just amplifying my emotions, making me more maudlin than usual.
