Fey Marked Read online

  She finally managed to step back a few paces, and his hand fell back to his side. Her gaze remained on him, unwavering. Worn open to the front, his silver cloak swirled around his feet. But unlike before, he wore a tunic of some kind of blue silken material. The fabric stretched over his wide shoulders, highlighting the muscles she knew so well, if only from her dreams. She gulped, trying to swallow the desire to touch him. He was supposed to be creepy, haunting. Her dreams and the strange things that happened when she tried to date should prove that.

  Oh, he was haunting all right. Just not in way she was prepared to deal with. For some reason, she hadn’t thought reality would live up to memory and dreams of him. But as her gaze slid over him, heat rose in her face, settling in her core. He was a sight her hormones wouldn’t forget for a long time.

  A silver belt rode low on lean hips, highlighting the contrast between his slim waist and muscular chest. Gray formfitting pants molded to long, well-built legs. Soft leather boots that laced to the knee rounded out the ensemble.

  And his face…that was even more heart stopping, even in its impassivity. Gray eyes slightly tilted at the outer corners gave way to high cheekbones and a firm mouth that could do wicked things. Oh, in her dreams his tongue sure….

  Her lascivious thoughts screeched to a halt. This was the thing that had overtaken her life, hijacked her dreams. So what if he gave her the best phantom sex of her life, admittedly the only sex in her life.

  She hadn’t asked for it or for him. In fact, was it only dream intercourse? How had her shirt and panties mysteriously disappeared? He’d better not been having real sex with her. Anger kindled, and she leveled a glare at him, pushing past her fear and awe. Time for some answers.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and forced her voice through tight vocal cords. “What kind of hold do you have over me? My dreams are not my own. I can’t have sex with anyone but you, and even then, it’s dream sex. At least that’s all it better be.”

  He raised a brow, the only outward hint of any emotion. “You are fey marked. You were warned.”

  “Warned?” Her voice rose in a screech. “Warned of what? I was merely told. No explanation. Nothing.”

  His mouth firmed. “We protect what is ours.”

  “I’m my own person. No one owns me. Why was I even ‘marked?’”

  “We had need of you.”

  They had need of her? What the hell did that mean? “Care to expand on that a little more? You messed with my life because you had a need?”

  “What life?” His sensuous mouth widened in smirk. “Back to sniveling men whom you neither love nor like, not to mention can’t sleep with? Back to your empty life that leaves you unfulfilled. Ever since that night, you have yearned for more.”

  Her open mouth closed with an audible snap. He didn’t just go there, about sex and her life in general, but she knew he had. What a bastard. “Well, un-fey mark me. Now, Mr. Fae.” Damn, she didn’t know his name, and as satisfying as calling him Mr. Fae was, she still wanted that information. Needed it, even. Supposedly Fae names held power. “What’s your name?”

  “I can’t do that. And you can call me Tillon.”

  She ignored the giving of his name but filed it away for later. “Can’t or won’t?”

  “The semantics amount to the same thing, don’t they?”

  The smooth coolness of his voice fanned her anger. “No, one just means you’re incompetent, the other one an ass.”

  He stalked over the few feet that separated them, nearly standing on top of her. Holding her position, she didn’t stumble away from his looming aura this time. Oh, he was undoubtedly dangerous, but for some reason she didn’t fear violence on his part.

  The way every nerve ending fired at his nearness concerned her, though. Electric zings and jolts moved in and out of her skin, drawing her closer. She gravitated toward him, the Earth to his sun. A fine trembling spread over her. He was too much, too real, not fading away like the phantom she had become accustomed to. His body looked quite solid. The hand he had trailed over her neck earlier backed up this observation, too. But there was a glow about him that wasn’t human. But this didn’t detract from the overall package. God, if anything, it only enhanced it.

  If he had been mysterious and irresistible in dreams, that was nothing to the picture he presented now. She was so screwed.

  The breath stilled in her lungs as his hand came up to cup her cheek, and her lips parted. Anticipation kept her gaze glued to his face.

  He rubbed his thumb over her lips. “Foolish mortal, you know not of what you speak.”

  The reprimand in his tone killed the moment, and she yanked away from him. What the heck was she doing? He befuddled her mind and turned her into a mass of longing and desire.

  Through lips that still tingled from his touch, she forced out, “I don’t know you. I don’t love you. And my life is my own.”

  “Ah, but something calls out to you, nevertheless. Who says your life won’t remain your own? I’m not looking for a toy.”

  She stiffened at that possibility. “What are you looking for?”

  “Our bodies – we’re more ethereal than humans.” His mouth twisted. “Insubstantial. Human blood gives us a future.”

  She shrunk away from him. Human blood? Were they some sort of vampire?

  “No, nothing of the kind, though I daresay that would be easier. We cannot reproduce as we should.”

  What the heck? “Did you read my mind?”

  “Your face gives away all.” His lip curled. “Most humans don’t know how to mask their emotions.”

  Though she shot him a scowl, she let that jab slide for now. Nora roamed her gaze over him. “You look pretty substantial to me. So what do you need me for, and what does my blood have to do with it?”

  “In certain instances, we are able to draw on the Earth’s energy. Our forms become completely corporal on the mortal plane. The time around your Halloween is one of these. That is why we need to bond. That would strengthen my physical form. Any children we have would be bolstered by your human blood.”

  Her mind whirled to process all he said. “So I’m a broodmare? And I fail to see how this so-called bonding will give you more strength.” A thought occurred to her, horrifying and yet erotically fascinating. “You expect me to have sex with you? For real?” At her last words, heat crept over her cheeks.

  “That is the normal way one goes about having children, is it not?”

  “Well, yes.” Her voice rose in nervousness. “But not with a stranger.”

  Tillon stepped closer and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “But we’re not strangers, are we?”

  His body pressed against hers, his breath hot against the shell of her ear. God, how could he make a sentence sound so arousing? There was no doubt in her mind what he referred to. He threaded his fingers through her hair and drew her head back, so she looked up at him. With his free hand, he trailed a line from the arch of her eyebrow, down her nose, and to her lips. The touch of his finger burned along her cold skin and made it flare to life. She couldn’t keep the moan from her lips. Why did he affect her this way?

  That tracing finger worked its way around the contour of her lips. Her heart thudded in her chest, but she didn’t want to breathe in case she broke the spell. His hand slid out of her hair, and he cupped her face with both hands. He drew little circles on her cheeks with his thumbs. For claiming to be insubstantial, he sure felt real to her. More real than anything she’d ever felt. But then what did she….

  He cut off her thought with the soft pressure of his mouth against hers. As the force increased, her lips yielded, and his tongue swept in. Heat shot down to her core. He moaned and that only caused the peaks of her breasts to stiffen against his chest. His amazingly real chest.

  Tillon slid his hands to the back of her head, and his kiss became more desperate. His teeth and tongue explored every inch of her lips and mouth. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her whole body pushed insistentl
y against his. His arousal prodded her stomach, leaving no doubt of his desire for her. If he kept on the way he was, she’d let him take her right there on the slope of the hill.

  But finally he pulled away, his breathing ragged. Her heart shattered. She wanted to cry. She wanted to rage. How dare he start a fire he didn’t mean to put out?

  He stepped away, as if to put not only physical distance between them but emotional, too. “I’ve watched you from a young age. The stones foretold I’d find you here. Once the elder council discovered this, they decided I must have you.”

  Even though she still reeled from his kiss, a frisson of fear chilled her insides. Sanity set in and swept away the previous desire. He had stalked her for that long? “Here? Stones? Elder council?”

  “The elder council is exactly what it sounds like--a group of the most important elders who govern my people. My parents are part of the council, and they pushed for me to find you.”

  “You don’t sound too happy about that.”

  He sent her a frown. “Freedom of choice had been removed from me. No one goes against the elder council, even me. But I’ve become accustomed to the notion of you. You fascinate me.”

  Nora narrowed her eyes. Well, that was good to know. She passed the test and fascinated him. “What about the seeing stones you mentioned?”

  “They’re a tool for divination.”

  Divination. She’d only heard bad things at church and from her friends about the practice of that art. But church hadn’t exactly covered these people, had it? Neither had her friends. They’d merely seemed delighted to share stories designed to incite fear. Her voice came out faint. “Can’t say I know much about them. Never learned much about them. In fact, my church always discouraged such things.”

  Unbelievably, he rolled his eyes. Who knew a Fae could do that? She stifled the hysterical giggle that welled up in her throat. Really, Nora, such thoughts at a time like this? Is that necessary? But she had to ask him. She just did. “Was that a form of sarcasm from you?”

  “As the gods of mortal men hold no sway over us, what do you think?”

  That would be a yes, then. And they apparently didn’t hold similar religious views. “Why don’t they?”

  “They turned their backs on us long ago and we them.”

  Well, that told her nothing. And she still had no clue why their bonding would improve anything for him. “I don’t understand how bonding will change your condition.”

  “Did you learn nothing in that church of yours? You have a soul.”

  “Well, yes.” Her mind caught on a disturbing thought, and she paused. “Don’t you?”

  “Of a sorts.”

  Another mystery? Why didn’t he just tell her what he meant? “You have half a soul or something?”

  “Actually, that is exactly what I have.”

  Nora snapped her mouth closed once she became aware it hung open. Half a soul? How was that possible? She wanted to smack herself. Of course, it was possible. A Sidhe male was talking to her, kissing her….

  “If we join, bond, we will share souls. I will gain a part of the soul that allocates physicality, while you will gain a part that will keep your mortal body alive much longer than it normally would be.”

  “How much longer?”

  He shrugged. “My people don’t know the answer to that question. The oldest person of my kind is ten thousand years old. Injuries can kill us, though. As to natural death, all we can say is that we live long. But we will die. Everything has a time. We just haven’t found ours.”

  Her mind stumbled because it couldn’t fathom the first part of his reply, let alone the latter. Near infinity stretched out before her, and it wasn’t as attractive as she would’ve thought. Well, nothing had to be decided tonight? She froze. Dear heavens, she wasn’t actually thinking about it, was she? But she was still here and didn’t know if her life would ever be ‘normal.’ Maybe she didn’t even have a choice. Or at least choices she’d like.

  “Near eternity isn’t for me.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to affect a tough stance. The lift of Tillon’s brow and the subtle smile around his lips told her that he’d seen through the act.

  “We don’t die of natural causes like old age, but I never said we choose to live forever. My people’s beginnings date back much further than ten thousand years. The truly ancient left among the Sidhe have not yet given up their energy and, thus, their lives. You need live no longer than you desire, because, through me, you’ll share the part of the soul that will let you lay down your life.”

  She grimaced. Well, that was a relief. They had their own version of Fae suicide. But he said it was his part of the soul that allowed…. Damn, this didn’t look good. “So when I decide it’s time to end my life, what happens to yours since we’re sharing souls?”

  “It’ll die, along with me.”

  No way she wanted that kind of responsibility.

  “Why can’t you find another human?”

  “Some souls are better suited for one another. We are optimally matched.”

  His first sentence had sounded romantic, but his second killed that impression. “But my life--”

  “Has not truly begun. I know you’ve felt this. With me, it will be more than you ever dreamed.”

  She shook her head. How could he know? More important, how could she know?

  “And you’re fey marked and will always be until you die.” He hesitated. “And beyond.” A self-deprecating smile curved his lips. “There’s no escape from a Fae, I’m afraid. And since my parents took part in your marking, you are triply bound by it.”

  Nausea welled up her throat, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. Tears sprang up in her eyes, and fire burned in her veins. Her voice came out as a screech. “How dare you make that choice?”

  He schooled his face into an impassive expression. “Sometimes we do what we must.”

  A cold sweat broke out over her. She was shaking so hard, her teeth chattered. That was his excuse? Before she knew it, her hands fisted and beat against his chest. Over and over. He made no move to stop her. Her arms grew tired, and her fists hurt, but she pounded until her strength drained away.

  Her hands rested against his breast, the palms flat. The muscle felt so real beneath her fingers…yet why was his tunic fading before her gaze? That realization paused her, and she glanced up. His face had a transparent quality that hadn’t been there before, as if he were…disappearing.

  She stumbled back a pace, her arms dropping down by her sides. What was happening?

  “My body is becoming less corporal. In a matter of a few hours, I won’t be much more substantial than your so called phantoms, and my touch will be like a butterfly’s caress.”

  She licked her dry lips. “But--”

  He placed a finger to her lips. “Remember what I told you about the occasions where we can draw upon the Earth’s energies?”

  Nora nodded. The weight of his finger was so soft and gentle. But some part of her suspected it was in part due to the weakening of his body’s physicality.

  For the first time that night, a tender smile lit his face as he stared down at her. “Only during these periods are we able to experience the full range of sensations that humans feel. Such sensory deprivation isn’t easy for us to bear. When we found how to…rectify this situation, the fey mark was born. While it may seem cruel to you, we find our lives even crueler.”

  Her heart shattered at the pain in his voice, and she wanted nothing more than to comfort him. But her hands remained at her side. “How did you and your people come to be like this?”

  “It is a long story, but the abbreviated version is that humans and their gods drove us underground into an alternative dimension. We never suspected we needed the original Earth’s energy to be whole. As it turns out, you mortals have souls with energy patterns that are very similar to your Earth’s. Probably because you’re of the earth, while we’re merely tied to it.”

  Her brow furrowed. “
How are you tied to the Earth but not of it?”

  “It is not our homeland.”

  “Why not go back there, then?”

  “That world no longer exists, but even if it did, we no longer have the power to return. We were somewhat altered by coming here. Your Earth was very similar to our world, but it wasn’t an exact match. The dimension we now live in is even weaker and cannot fully sustain us.”

  Nora bit her lower lip. “Can’t you come back to this Earth?”

  “Because the damage has already been done. While we can obtain energy when it’s at its peak, we’ve lost the part of ourselves that can contain it. It runs through us like water through a sieve. Only through bonding and the inclusion of human blood into our population can we revert back into what we were.”

  “And I’m the best soul for you? Because of my energy patterns?”

  Tillon nodded and appeared to formulate a response because his eyes glazed over in a faraway look. “Since our patterns mesh well, we should also mesh well in all respects.” His hands went to her arms and slowly slid up them. “If we’re capable of loving, then that feeling should flourish between us.”

  Love. Such a simple, yet loaded word. She’d yearned for that sensation because she figured it would always be denied her. Now the reason for it stood in front of her, offering her the possibility of love. Could she love this being before her? In all those graphic dreams that had haunted her, there’d been passion, and yes, love in them. Then her mind spun with another question.

  “So were those dreams real?” Her cheeks flushed. “Did we really make love? In the last few ones, some of my clothing disappeared.”