Farron’s laugh dies as we approach the ruins, and he sighs. “Even Nymphia couldn’t stop the frost.”
Crumbling ruins spread across the field. Moss and vines crawl over long-fallen statues and pillars. This was once a place of worship, but now only a circular broken staircase leads to a fallen tower.
Worse than the passage of time is the frost. It covers everything with a pale-blue gleam.
“Poor Nym.” I follow Farron to inspect the worst of the frost. “I suppose you know all about her too?”
“I do,” he says. His hand dangles loose at his side, and I almost grab it. “She was the first High Ruler of Autumn and said to be a great friend of Queen Aurelia.”
“Ahh, yes,” I say. “Our lost Queen. Would be nice to have her help right about now.”
“You don’t think she’s ever coming back, do you?”
“I don’t know, Fare.” I run a hand through my hair. “Five hundred years is a long time to be gone. What do you think?”
“I think she’s out there,” he says softly. “Only because Castletree is still standing. It was her magic that created it. I think… I think we’d feel it if she were truly gone.”
We lap the ruins twice, investigating the ice, but there seems to be no source. This trail only leads to the nearby creek. Frustration lines Farron’s face.
Desperately, I search the ruins again, my gaze landing on the tower. Despite the collapsed walls, I’m sure we can still make it to the top.
“Come on.” I grab his arm. “We can see for forever up there. Might find a clue.”
We ascend the spiraling staircase. Despite its decay, the tower still holds a haunting beauty. The sun shines in through the broken windows, casting the stone in a golden light. As we climb higher, Farron’s hand slips into mine, our fingers intertwining. I wonder how this tower would have looked in its prime, with its walls gleaming and halls filled with the laughter of fae nobles. Did the Queen herself visit here?
As we reach the top of the tower, we step out onto the remains of a circular room. The roof has long since rotted away, giving us an unobstructed view of the Autumn Realm.
It is magnificent. But nothing is so enchanting as the man beside me.
He leans on the collapsed wall, his auburn strands dancing in the wind. He really belongs here.
If only he could see it. “Fare.”
He looks up at me, blinking. I cup his cheeks and pull him into a kiss.
A soft, surprised sound comes from the back of his throat. For a moment, the ruins fade away, and all that exists is the warmth and softness of Farron’s lips against mine.
A smile plays at the corners of his mouth. “It’s been a while since you kissed me.”
“Too long. But for the record, my mouth is available for you anytime. My body, too.”
He sighs deeply, and my cock hardens at the sound. Gently, I kiss along his jaw, breathing in the scent of his skin. My hands drift through his soft hair and down his neck, but something cuts my finger.
Farron lets out a sigh and adjusts his shirt over the thorn collar. “Sorry.”
“I fucking hate that thing,” I growl.
“And you think I like it? But I’m grateful for Caspian in a way. There’s a peace knowing if I turn, this thing will take over, day or night. I don’t want that beast to hurt anyone anymore. I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”
There are scars all over my body from Farron’s beast, like the three jagged lines down my back from our first year being cursed. Ez can heal the injuries, but the scars remain. A mark inflicted by a cursed beast is a hard thing to get rid of, even with Spring’s Blessing. Most recently added to the collection is the one down my chest and the other across my eye. But the biggest scar he left was not from the beast, but the man. One right into my heart.
I think he broke it. Broke it so badly I don’t ever want to find my mate, even if it means never breaking my fucking curse. A sick, twisted part of me would rather stay a beast forever than give him up.
And Rosalina… I need her, too. That became obvious when she left us. We need her.
“You’ve got a strange look on your face, Day,” Farron says tentatively.
I comb my fingers through my hair, attempting to recall what he said. “It’s hard seeing you tangled up in those thorns.”
“It’s my wolf, not me.”
“But you’re in there, just like the beast is in you now.”
I touch his jaw, unable to take my gaze off the thorns. I hated the way Caspian looked at him when they made the bargain, like he’d been offered the most delicious spread of food, and Farron was the main course.
“A beast for a ruler,” Farron mutters. “No wonder my people have no faith in me.”
“You just need to show them who you are.”
“What?”
“The High Prince of Autumn has returned,” I say, voice rising. “Remind them who you are.”
“It shouldn’t be me,” he says. “What are you doing?”
“Bending the knee for the High Prince of Autumn.” I lower to the stone.
“There isn’t a High Prince of Autumn. At least the people don’t think so.”
“Well, I see one.” I undo the laces of his pants. “He’s tall and handsome and smart. And deserves to be worshipped… passionately.”
“Day,” he whispers as I slide his pants down. His hard cock bounces up to his stomach. “Here? What if someone sees?”
“There’s no one around.” I press my lips to his inner thigh. “Let me do this for you.”
He grips the stone wall, scanning the surroundings.
“See anyone?” I ask, dragging my tongue along his soft skin.
“No, but—” He cuts off in a long sigh as I take his cock in my mouth.
The feeling is exquisite. My hands slip beneath his tunic to touch his skin. His hips jerk, thrusting into my mouth.
He brings his hands to my hair. “Daytonales…”
I keep going, taking him deep, swirling my tongue up his steel length, drawing out his pleasure until his whole body quakes.
“W-wait,” he stammers, pulling my head back.
“What?”
“I, well, I want to come with you. If you want…”
I grip his thighs hard enough to bruise. “High Princes don’t ask. Tell me what you want.”
He bites his lip. “I want to come as you fuck me.”
“There you go.” I laugh, smacking his bare ass. “I can promise you that, love. But remember what I told Rosalina in the hot springs? I don’t let those I care about come only once. First, you’re going to come in my mouth, then you’ll take my cock like a good boy. Deal?”
“Yes.” He smiles down at me, looking so damned beautiful with the golden sky swirling behind him.
“Now picture our girl bouncing up and down on my lap, screaming your name as I worship your beautiful cock.”
Fast, that’s how I take him, one hand on his waist, as his hips thrust into my mouth, again and again and again. When his fingers grip my hair tight, and his body shudders, I know he’s close.
“Fucking give it to me,” I release him quick enough to whisper before placing my lips around him again.
He moans, thrusting his hips once more, and then he’s coming, spilling his delicious pleasure onto my tongue. I swallow it all down, and he collapses into my arms, panting.
Farron brings his mouth to mine, and I part my lips, knowing he’s tasting himself on me. When we’re together in this way, my soul feels ablaze.
“You’re not fucking done, pup,” I remind him.
He gives me a devious smirk, one that shows me he craves me just as much as I do him. His hand slides down my chest.
“I could just leave you like this,” he teases, massaging my bulging pants.
“No,” I murmur huskily, “because this hard cock is going to fuck you raw, right here out in the open as you look over this land and know that it belongs to you. That I belong to you.”
“But—” he begins. I cut him off with a kiss, hauling us both up. I grasp at his shirt, pulling it up over his head to reveal his bare chest.
“What if someone shows up?” Farron stammers, flushing. His nipples harden in the chill air, and I can’t help but tug on one. He grimaces, swearing.
“There’s no one around.” I force him to bend over the low wall. “See for yourself.”