Woven by Gold (Beasts of the Briar, #2)

“I’m only kidding.”

“I know, but it still makes me want to tear his throat out.”

I shake my head, but my smile turns serious. “It doesn’t bother me if you’re with Dayton, but the thought of you with anyone else—”

Farron places a firm kiss on my lips. “Sweetheart, there is no one in the world for me but you.” He tilts his head back and groans. “And that stupid bag of muscle in the other room.”

“Who we should go see.”

Farron takes my hand, and together, we find the Prince of Summer.



He’s laying out his armor on a large table: a beaten gold breast plate and a bronze helmet with the engraved motif of shells. The crest is shaped like waves silhouetted by a sunray. He’s twirling two short swords.

Dayton turns to us, his golden hair loose and tumbling over his shoulders. I feel an overwhelming sense of love through the bond—Farron’s feeling for Day. But it’s not just his. My own burns bright beside it.

Dayton seemed so happy for Farron when he found out about the curse being broken. But does he secretly resent me for being Farron’s mate?

Silence looms in the room, and I feel his heavy gaze. The short swords clatter over the armor as he drops then, then moves toward us.

Dayton cups a hand to my cheek, the other tight on Farron’s shoulder. His turquoise eyes sparkle with an unsaid question.

Farron presses his lips to Dayton’s. As soft as a first kiss, slow, tentative, exploring. Dayton grasps the back of Farron’s neck.

Surprise flickers in his eyes. “This better not be a dream.”

“It’s not, Day,” Farron says. “Nothing will ever part us.”

Dayton swallows, then he turns to me, and a shadow falls over his expression. “And what about you, Blossom?”

Nerves bubble in my stomach. His gaze is so intense, but I force myself to meet it. “Dayton. Daytonales.” I say his true name firmly, proudly. “You are brave and fierce and protective, and I cannot keep away from you any more than the tides can resist the pull of the moon.”

The warmest wave of emotion travels through the bond. But Dayton doesn’t reply.

Oh shit. I’ve gone too far. “Of course, if you want to continue with only Farron, that’s okay, too.” My cheeks burn, and I quickly move toward the exit, not looking at either of them. “And I totally won’t creep in anymore doorways—”

Dayton crosses the room in a flash, and pulls the door shut. He cages me in with his arms.

“You think I’d let you leave?” The scent of sunshine and sea washes over me.

Dayton towers above me, and behind him, Farron has a knowing smirk.

“Rosalina.” Dayton grips my chin. “Look at me.”

I drift my eyes from his chest to meet his striking gaze.

His voice is a rough rasp. “If you’re the tide and I’m the moon, pull me deep into your waves. I want to drown in you.”

Then he kisses me.





74





Dayton





The room disappears, and all I feel is her. I claim her lips with an unyielding hunger, pulling her into my embrace. Her taste and touch overpower my thoughts. Her tongue moves with an insatiable desire, while her hands roam over my body. I lift her up and press her against the door, yearning for more, needing her like air.

How is this possible? How can there be this much fire between us? How can she still want me when her mate is here? I pull back slightly and glance over my shoulder at Farron. He’s staring at me with an equally hungry expression.

“Come here, pup,” I say.

He crosses in two steps, kissing my back and gliding his lips to my neck. Rosie is pinned against the wall. She’s wearing a light tunic and dark leggings. But as my hand drifts between her legs, I realize she’s wet already. “You’re soaking, Baby. Tell me how badly you want this.”

“I need this.” It’s almost like I can sense her desire, and it’s not just for Farron. She wants me, too. They both do.

Farron snakes his hand between us, touching both my aching cock and her wetness. “Can we get to the bed, please?”

We make our way across the room, clothes flying off. Lips caress my body and hands slide over my skin until we land in a tangle of limbs. Rosie kisses me and laughs, the sweetest fucking smile on her face.

I’d kill for that smile.

Stars, I’d burn worlds for it.

“Fare.” I grab him and notice he’s trembling.

Slowly, I sit up on my forearms. His eyes are wide, shining, staring at my chest.

But when you fight a cursed wolf and get shot with arrows tipped with steel from the Spring Realm, well, it leaves a mark.

Or in my case, several.

Gashes crisscross my torso and back, and puckered wounds dot my chest where the arrowheads went through. Rosalina tentatively traces a hand across my flesh.

“These are not sad scars,” she says. “These are marks of your devotion, of your bravery and unyielding courage.”

“But Day—” Farron’s voice cracks. “I hurt you. Hurt you again.”

“Hey now.” I pull him closer to Rosie and I. “Ez was there, it’s all good.”

Ez just about killed himself keeping me alive. Guess I’ll have to lay off the metal jokes for a little while. Did he really think I was so worthy to live? Or was it all his righteous noble heart, the one I’ve made fun of for years? But even the High Prince of Spring’s Blessing has its limits. The scars of a beast still stain my body.

Tears slip down Farron’s cheeks.

“I need to know, are you crying because you hurt me? Or because you have marred the most gorgeous body in the world?”

“You’re such an idiot.” He shakes his head, messy locks of brown hair falling across his brow. “You’ll always be perfect to me.”

“Then stop these tears. If I died for you, it would be the greatest glory of my worthless life.”

I grab his face, pulling him into a fierce kiss, salty with his tears, before he can think too much about my words. Farron murmurs my name, and I roll, pushing him deep into the mattress.

A light kiss over a particularly gruesome scar on my back has me groaning. Blossom. Her mouth grazes along my spine, and she whispers, “Such bravery should be rewarded. What do you think, Farron?”

He gives a roguish smile.

Rosalina taps me on the chest. “Lie down.”

I fall onto the pillows, putting my hands behind my head.

“Take his pants off,” Rosalina orders.

“Damn, I like it when you’re bossy,” I say.

Farron grabs the band of my pants and pulls, revealing my hard cock.

“You both are too clothed.” I gesture to them. Rosalina’s lost her tunic and tights, but she’s still wearing her panties and a light cream chemise. Lucky for me, the fabric is thin enough I can see the pointed tips of her nipples. My breathing becomes ragged at the thought of her breasts in my mouth.

Fare lost his pants and dons a long, loose white shirt. That also needs to go.

“A problem for later.” Rosie smirks.

A deep groan escapes me as her lips slide over the tip of my cock. I haven’t forgotten that time in the hot springs. The thought of it haunts me daily.

Farron’s soft hair brushes my stomach as he moves beside her. His wet tongue glides over my balls, sending the most incredible vibration through my body.

“Fuck,” I moan. “You two are cruel. This is going to end with your faces covered in cum.”

“You want to come in my mouth, Day?” Rosie looks up at me through dark lashes. “Beg for it.”

“Now, where did my sweet girl learn such dirty words?” I stroke her cheek.

“From you.”

Farron laughs before popping one of my balls into his mouth. I grind my teeth, bucking my hips before Rosie pushes me down. The silky fabric of her chemise rubs against my thigh.

“Ready to beg?” She drags her tongue from the base of my cock to the tip.

Farron watches her with a heady expression before he joins in. Both of them lick either side of my cock like it’s the most delicious treat they’ve ever tasted. Their wet mouths are agonizing, the soft slurping sounds nearly sending me over the edge. “Fuck,” I groan. “Someone put me in your mouth.”

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