By Fairy Means or Foul: A Starfig Investigations Novel(54)

“Twig, I’m not trying to control you—”

“Sure. For now. But how long? You can’t tell me it’s not tempting. All that leashed power at your fingertips.” We bumped into the bed and I hoisted him up onto it. He still didn’t resist, though his frame went rigid. He scooted back on the mattress making room for me.

“Do you really think I’d do that to you? After being at Brandsome’s mercy? You think I ever want that kind of control over another?” He crossed his arms over his chest, waited for me to launch myself on the bed. I felt his outrage through our link.

If I wasn’t so panicked I might have felt sorry for comparing him to Brandsome. Except I was. And there was no guarantee he wouldn’t become like the unicorn once he got used to the idea.

After pulling myself up next to him, I shoved him to his back and rolled on top of him before he could react. Though his eyes widened, he didn’t look scared.

“It doesn’t matter if you want the power or not, Quinn. You have it.” I pushed up on my forearms so I wouldn’t squish him with my weight. “It makes me so angry that I want to hurt you, put you under me, make you feel what I’m feeling. Own you right back.”

He sucked in a sharp breath, his skin flushing. His hand trembled as he brought it to my cheek. “Please, Twig, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to trap you, I swear. And if it makes you feel better, it goes both ways. Just as my emotions influence you, yours influence me. When you’re unhappy, I’m unhappy too.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. Was he speaking the truth?

“It doesn’t need to be like a traditional wizard-familiar bond,” he continued, his palm now stroking my cheek. “You aren’t simply an animal, so it makes sense we’d change things. I-I can’t give you your freedom, but I can not take advantage of the link. You don’t want me in your thoughts? Done. You don’t want me to order you around? Okay, I won’t. I-I don’t know if I can shield our emotions from one another, but when we get back to Lighthelm, I can look in one of my books and see if there’s a way.”

His words were heartfelt and I sensed his sincerity through our link. That wasn’t what doused my anger, though. After saying his piece, he turned his face away, tipping his chin back and baring his neck. The sign of submission sent molten heat shooting throughout my nerve endings. My dragon surged forward, canines dropping, the desire to mate Quinn almost unbearable. His gesture was his acquiescence and my dragon couldn’t be happier.

I needed to pull back. I wasn’t ready to mate him, even though my dragon disagreed. And his submission wasn’t freely given. Not really. As he’d said, he’d been under Brandsome’s hoof for three long years. That he was offering to give over his control to me doused my anger in a way that nothing else could. I shook with the desire to bite him and used all of my strength to shove my dragon down. I panted with desire, and throughout it all, Quinn just lay quietly under me, waiting for my decision.

After several minutes of deep breathing, I leaned in and licked his neck above his collar, then latched on and sucked up a large mark. I needed to give my dragon something or he wouldn’t quit until I’d buried my fangs deep into Quinn’s flesh. Quinn moaned as I left mark after mark along his beautiful skin.

He was perfect. His skin mottled with the nips, his eyes closed as he panted. When his legs parted farther, I wedged my hips in between. We both groaned from the pressure of our hard cocks rubbing against each other.

I reached between us, made short work of my clothes, then went to work on his. In moments I stripped us both naked, pressed skin to skin. Though he was short in comparison to me, he was a nice size for a human, with long graceful limbs and well-developed muscles. I ran a hand along his side, then gripped his hip, pulling us even more snug.

His hands still remained on the mattress, his knuckles turning white from gripping the sheets, and his head still turned away from me with his neck bared. I’d never seen a more gorgeous sight. His lashes fluttered as I leaned in and licked a stripe down his neck.

His heart beat rapidly, his breathing shallow. He wanted this as much as I did.

“Damn, you’re magnificent,” I muttered between kisses and licks.

“Me? You’re the one who’s too good to believe.”

I stilled. “Quinn, are you sure you want to do this? You have the right to say no. You’ll always have that right with me.”

“Shut up and fuck me. We can swap tender words later.” Quinn’s voice ended on a laugh.

I smiled against his skin. “Demanding human. I’m going to go slow, but I need to be inside you. Now.”

He nodded, his thighs suddenly clutching me tight. It killed me to break his grip on my hips, but I needed to grab some lubricant. I was large enough to hurt him if he wasn’t ready. I had a feeling he was definitely up for the challenge.

Rummaging around in the bedside drawer, I pulled out a pot of Slick Dick’s Enchanted Snail Lubricant—guaranteed to give any creature a slick ride. I set the lubricant pot on top of a new stack of bedside books. I noticed a distinct theme. Sex with Humans for Dummies. So, You Want to Screw a Human. And Human Bed Slaves: Yay or Nay? Nice. Giants had some sense of humor.

Removing the lubricant lid, I dipped my fingers in the smooth oil, a faint smell of dragon-licorice scenting the air. Mmm.

Reaching for Quinn again, I ran my fingers over his cock, not giving him a tight fist, just gently slicking him up, teasing him with my loose grip. He grunted, swore under his breath. His hips thrust up once.