What Lies Beyond the Veil (Of Flesh & Bone, #1)(54)

“According to my father’s books, this place was sacred to the Fae, once upon a time. The Old Gods were born from the Primordials, the first beings who didn’t have a human form unless they willed it for a time. This mountain was sacred to the Primordials Peri and Marat,” he said, gesturing to the couple at the center of the carvings in the rocks. A male and female Fae embraced, her legs wrapped around his hips and her back curved in ecstasy. “They were lovers once, before their only son was killed in one of the first Fae wars between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. They celebrated his birth every year by coming to the place of his conception and joining together amongst the Fae and humans who joined them.”

His fingers swept the hair off one side of my neck, his breath warm against my chilled skin. He chuckled as he undoubtedly watched my skin pebble with his proximity. “I think you can guess how they celebrated.”

I cleared my throat, stepping away from him and the canvas of rock that detailed every sordid event. The faces of the Old Gods stared back at me, twisted in pleasure as they toyed with one another or with the humans who had come to partake.

I’d never seen pleasure the likes of which was stamped onto every human’s face, with no traces of the pain I would have expected after everything I’d been taught about the ethereal beings. “How old are these carvings?” I asked, glancing at the haunting face of the God of the Dead. He sat on one of the chairs carved from stone at the side of the hot spring, two humans kneeling at his feet between his legs. His hair barely skimmed his bare shoulders, the rippling muscles of his physique bulging with effort. One of his hands was buried in a woman’s hair, pulling her toward his bare waist, with the entirety of his swollen cock revealed.

Holy Gods.

I turned away from the erotic image, my eyes landing on each of the Gods engaged in similar acts. It wasn’t only the male Fae who enjoyed the partnership of more than one human at a time; female Fae were shown grouped off with two to three human men at once, as well.

“I take it the Fae don’t believe in monogamy?” I asked, snorting as I gave the carvings my back. Facing Caelum, I watched his eyes drift down from the sexual art on the side of the mountain, a smirk on his lips as he met my gaze.

“What’s wrong, Little One? Never been with two lovers at once?” he asked, his lips curving into a full blown smile when I flushed.

“No,” I clipped out, sidestepping him and making my way to the hot spring where I knelt down. I skimmed the surface of the water with my fingers, immediately feeling the warmth of the water suffuse my skin. “Have you?”

“I imagine I have done a lot of things you haven’t done.”

“Eew,” I groaned, immediately regretting asking the question as envy consumed me. Men were free to do as they pleased, whether that involved one woman or six. If I’d done the same, they’d have sent me to be purified by the Priests or hung me for my crimes against The Mother.

It depended on Lord Byron and the High Priest’s mood that day.

Caelum shrugged, stepping up beside me. He tugged his tunic out of his trousers, tearing it off over his head. With me kneeling at the side of the pool, I was immediately reminded of the humans kneeling for the God of the Dead.

I glanced up at him, finding him staring down at me intently. Swallowing, I held his gaze for a few seconds. Seconds that felt like hours. The tension between us pulled taut, leaving no doubt to the accuracy of his earlier prediction.

I didn’t know how I would be able to travel at his side, sleep beside him every night, and never seek out the promise that lurked in his eyes as he watched me. The heat that blazed there was like nothing I’d ever seen: a desire so potent I didn’t think I’d be able to withstand it.

He reached out with a massive, calloused hand, cupping my cheek and running his thumb over my bottom lip. The tip sank inside, brushing against my tongue as the flavor of his skin teased my mouth.

“Tell me again how much you don’t want me, Estrella,” he said, pointedly using my name as he stared down at me. The arrogance of those words snapped something inside of me, my desire fleeing as rational thought returned.

I sank my teeth into his thumb, gratified when it twitched in response to the pinch of pain. When I pulled back, I stood fluidly and glared up at him as he raised his thumb to his mouth and sucked a drop of blood from his skin.

I ignored the last pulse of desire that still throbbed within me, ignored the strange urge to take his thumb into my mouth and suck. He stared at the expression on my face, something dark gleaming in his gaze. “You’re a dick,” I said, huffing and gathering my hair in my hands. I toyed with the snarled edges, wincing when I realized just how disgusting I must look.

How many days had it been since I’d bathed? Since I brushed my hair?

“Why don’t we find out just how much you like my dick, Little One?” he asked, his hands dropping to the ties on his trousers. He unknotted them while I watched in shock, my eyes caught on the smooth, nimble way his fingers worked the laces apart.

He kicked off his boots, sliding them to the side as my eyes snapped back up to his face. I held his probing stare, my lips pressing into a thin line when he smirked at me and shoved his trousers down his thighs.

I swallowed, compelling myself not to look, not even when he bent forward to push them off the rest of the way, pulling the fabric off his calves and taking his wool socks along with them. He stood up straight in front of me, running a hand through the short blond hair on top of his head. “It won’t bite you, Estrella,” he said with a grin, taking a single step closer to me.