The Faery Princess Read online

  The Faery Princess

  by

  Marteeka Karland

  When Ellsinore is found by the strange – and deliciously handsome – Devlin, her first thought really should have been one of self-preservation. Instead, even after whacking him in the face with a frying pan, she’s struck at how devilishly sexy he is. Devlin has come to take her away from her beloved home. He claims she’s royalty. If she dares to believe, she could finally find out why the forest calls to her.

  If he acts on his intense need for the delectable Ellie, Devlin will have a death sentence imposed on him. As granddaughter to the king of the Magical Forest, her virtue and her body are to be protected above anything else. As captain of the king’s guard, there could be no one more capable then Devin. But he hadn’t counted this woman being irresistible to him. No other woman ever had been…

  Until the Faery Princess.

  Chapter One

  Ellsinore sighed and blotted her face with the tail of her apron. She’d just finished canning one hundred and five jars of green beans and freezing eighty-two pints of creamed corn. Exhausted didn’t begin to cover how she felt.

  But it felt good.

  With all the fruits and vegetables she’d frozen and canned this summer, she’d be set for the winter for sure. She’d moved to the mountains of Eastern Tennessee in the hopes of being left alone, and this year, she just might make it. She had plenty of beef and pork in the freezer, and with any luck, the chickens and milk cow would yield plenty of eggs and milk to curb the need to trek to the grocery in town.

  Alone. Blessed seclusion. Life was good.

  Well, alone except for the cat. Clover wound around her legs lazily, looking at Ellie as if to say, “Sit down. Take a load off. And while you’re at it, hold me and pet me and scratch that spot between my ears…”

  “Not until I wash, Clover. I’m hot and sweaty and I just want to be clean. Not sticky.

  Clover seemed to take it well, though she was still a bit disgruntled. She jumped on the worn but comfortable couch, turned around a couple of times, then lay down and closed her eyes. Ellie smiled and scratched the yellow tabby’s ears before heading down the short hallway to the bathroom.

  She took her time in a cool shower, enjoying the water washing away the sweat. She soaped her hair and body before rinsing thoroughly. As an afterthought, she brushed her fingers through her sex, lingering a moment on her clit. She shivered. It was a pleasing sensation and she always repeated it in the shower. It made her feel deliciously naughty, and sometimes it led to the most wonderful sensations. Not this time, though. She was too tired to devote much effort to it.

  After a while, she stepped out of the tiny shower and dried off. As she did, she caught her reflection in the mirror. She let her hands wander down her body to mold her curves. Her pale skin was still damp, and her body lotion made it silky soft. Dark chestnut hair floated around her, hanging down her back in a cloud of springy curls. She wandered nude back to the main room as the late-evening breeze caressed her skin like a gentle lover. Her nipples puckered and pebbled and she shivered. It was a good feeling. Perhaps she’d explore her secret places more, after all.

  She checked on the jars of beans she’d canned. All of them were sealed tight. With a satisfied smile, Ellie stood and rested one hand on the still warm stove. It had been a good day. All was peaceful. The way life should be.

  “Good evening, Ellsinore.”

  Ellie screamed and grabbed the cast-iron skillet as she spun around. The deep, gravelly, quiet voice startled her so badly, she thought her heart might explode. With one mighty swing, Ellie hit the man in the face as hard as she could. His head snapped back, but unfortunately, he seemed otherwise unaffected.

  “Oh, God!” she whispered. He just stood there. One eyebrow rose, but other than that, he didn’t move. Ellie was sure she should be terrified. He obviously wasn’t human and could probably do some real harm to her if he chose, but all she could see was the man.

  And he was very special, indeed.

  His skin was the color of rich, dark soil and his hair the color of red-clay mud. Tall, dark, and muscular, he filled her tiny living room with his big body. Dark red hair dusted his skin liberally, especially the thatch nestled around his groin. Ellie tried not to stare there, but it was quite difficult. Her gaze kept wandering to that thick cock hanging lazily between his legs as he stood there, tall and proud. He certainly didn’t seem to mind he was naked, so why should she? All she could think about was what he could do to her secret places if she allowed him to play with her.

  Snapping her eyes back to his face, Ellie tried her best to regain some sense and asked sharply, “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

  “I’ve come to bring you home, Ellie.” His expression was unreadable, but not frightening or unkind as she might have been had he’d just socked the hell out of her with a cast-iron skillet. It was as if he were simply stating a fact she should accept without hesitation. Like nothing about this situation affected him in any way.

  “I am home, and you still haven’t answered my first question. Who are you?”

  He seemed to hesitate a moment before replying, “I am Devlin, a messenger from King Glendon. He sent me to bring you back to the Magical Forest.”

  Ellie narrowed her eyes. She was distinctly aware he stood between her and the door. He had effectively cut off her escape route. “What the heck are you talking about?”

  Devlin didn’t move for a very long time. He just stared at her, and Ellie started to squirm. He seemed to penetrate her soul with his gaze, measuring her up, and she had no idea if he found her lacking or not.

  “You have his eyes, you know.” His face gave away little, but Ellie got the impression he hadn’t meant to say that. Something about the way his eyes widened slightly before he resumed his unreadable expression said as much. The statement startled her enough to ask the obvious rather than try to flee.

  “I have whose eyes?”

  “His majesty, King Glendon,” Devlin said, raising his head a notch. “I can see him in you. Your eyes are the same.”

  “Why would you say that?” Ellie had to know what was going on, despite the surreal situation.

  “You were raised in the human world, Ellsinore, but your heart knows there is more out there. You came to this place to find solitude and happiness in nature.” For the first time since he had appeared, Devlin took a deliberate step toward her and extended his hand. “Come see the magic of the Forest. I promise you won’t regret it.”

  More than anything, Ellie wanted to take his hand and go wherever he led her, but she was a woman living alone in seclusion. She didn’t trust just any handsome face.

  “As appealing as you are, Devlin, I’m not going anywhere with you.” She crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself before she could take his hand despite her objections. She was acutely aware of her nakedness as well as his. His muscles played underneath his skin, an erotic invitation she was actually eager to accept. For the first time since her mother died, Ellie found she actually craved the company of someone else.

  Correction—not just any “someone.” She wanted to be with Devlin. Funny that, even though she had no idea who or what he was.

  “You require an explanation.” He finally moved from his position in front of her door and raised an eyebrow at her. “Will you invite me in to stay and…” He grinned—the first voluntary show of emotion. “Talk.”

  Ellie’s breath caught and her face heated in an instant. “Oh, my!” she whispered. Suddenly, urges Ellie had convinced herself she didn’t possess roared to life. She craved the touch of this man. She needed him like she needed to breathe. All sorts of erotic images charged through her mind with the force of a sw
elling river roaring to the sea.

  She walked to him as if she were in a dream—maybe she was—and couldn’t stop her hands from resting on his chest for the briefest of moments. His skin was warm and beckoned her fingers to linger, but that was too personal. Too intimate. She didn’t know Devlin, didn’t know what he or his agenda was.

  With a little sigh she couldn’t smother, Ellie stepped around Devlin. She needed some clothes. For the first time since she’d moved in, the house seemed cramped.

  Ellie hurried down the tiny hallway past the bathroom to her bedroom. Hurriedly, she slid on a pair of panties and an oversized shirt. When she turned around, she ran smack into Devlin. Like running into a brick wall, she actually bounced off and landed on her butt in the middle of the floor.

  “What are you?” She stared at him, dazed.

  He bent and offered her a hand that she took without hesitation. He pulled her gently to her feet and gripped her upper arms. When he captured her gaze with his, she felt like she was falling into him. Then her eyes closed, her lips parted, and she realized she was falling. Toward him. Wanting him to kiss her. Needing him to touch her.

  But he didn’t, his grip tightening to keep her at arm’s length. Disappointment swamped Ellie and she shrugged away from him before she could embarrass herself further.

  “I apologize, Ellsinore. I shouldn’t have followed you.” He backed up a step and stood there like he was waiting for Ellie to say or do something.

  “Okay. I’m in over my head, here. I thought you wanted more.” She sat on the bed cross-legged. He followed to sit on the edge. Ellie couldn’t help but stare at his cock, now resting against one thigh. She might not get the chance to explore him physically, but as long as he sat there naked, she’d eye him all she wanted.

  He looked away from her and mumbled something she didn’t hear. He scrubbed a hand through his hair before speaking again. “You were right, Ellsinore. I do want more.” As if to emphasize his point, he looked directly at her, heat burning in his eyes. He looked ready to devour her, and Ellie knew she’d let him. Beg him to, in fact. But he spoke again before she could. “I was chosen to enter this realm to bring you back to the king for two reasons. I’m one of the king’s Elemental Guard. Each of us has special abilities, and mine is the strength of Mother Earth. I was chosen because it was determined I could protect you from anything in this realm.”

  He was looking at her again like she was something good to eat and he was starving. Something inside her roared to life, and she decided that if he didn’t make a move soon, she would.

  “And the second reason?”

  “As an Earth Elemental, I can mate only once. Since I’m over two hundred years old, it was believed your virtue would be safe with me.”

  “And what if I don’t want my virtue to be ‘safe’?” Ellie could scarcely believe she’d actually said that. She’d never had these feelings before, and now that the possibilities of pleasure were there, she refused to go back to sexual ignorance. She didn’t want just any man—she wanted this man. It didn’t matter who or what he was—all she knew was something primitive inside her called to him and she was powerless to resist it. She didn’t want to resist it.

  He seemed uncertain now, as if duty and need warred within him. “It isn’t up to you. I cannot betray my king’s trust, no matter what I want.”

  “And if I were to simply throw myself at you?”

  “You already know I’m stronger than you. I’m not going to simply fuck you and be done with it.”

  “Yes, but given your current state”—she paused and eyed his rapidly engorging cock—“I’m betting you wouldn’t try too hard.”

  “You don’t fully understand what I’ve said, Ellsinore. I don’t have casual sex.”

  She grinned at him. “So, you walk around all day with a boner the size of Texas?”

  He lifted his chin and scowled at her, rising from his seated position and striding the three steps across the room. “I’m generally not in this particular situation. I’ve never had such an obvious…boner…in my life.” He paced a moment or two. “This is not good.”

  “Looks good to me.” Ellie was certain now. No matter what it cost her, she would have him.

  She lunged for him. Expecting him to be unmovable as before, he instead fell back on the bed with her and allowed her to mold her body to his. She had no doubt he could stop her if he wanted, but he didn’t. Instead, he groaned and flipped them over.

  Devlin kissed her then, a claiming kiss, if ever there was one. The feelings building within her were explosive. The self-gratification she indulged in from time to time was nothing like this. He consumed her with sensation.

  He let her get a taste of him, of the wildness just beneath his surface, before he broke their kiss. “You know, if we do this, I’ll never let you go. Even if we don’t, I may still haunt you the rest of our days. You’ll never be free of me.”

  “You’re saying that like it’s a bad thing,” she breathed. “I want you. You want me. It would seem there is little left to discuss.”

  “I don’t suppose it matters much anyway.” He sounded grave, but a smile played at his lips. “The king will probably kill me when we return.”

  “So we won’t return. There’s no reason we can’t stay here.”

  “Later,” he growled. “I need you.”

  “Yes.”

  Devlin took her mouth once more. His tongue tangled with hers and Ellie whimpered. She loved kissing him, but she wanted more. Her pussy throbbed and burned. If he didn’t touch her soon, she thought she might die from the need. Instead, he kept kissing her, his hands tangling in her hair. He seemed in no hurry to undress her or move things along.

  Ellie snaked her arms around him, caressing his back, and let her hands slide to his buttocks. She gripped them and pulled him to her. He ground his engorged cock against her belly and grunted.

  “You’ll get what you want, my little faery. I promise I won’t disappoint you.” It was a heartfelt vow. Ellie had no doubt he’d make good on his word. Still, she yearned and burned. She wanted him like nothing she’d ever wanted in her entire life.

  Devlin blazed a trail of kisses from her mouth to her neck. He lifted himself off her long enough to whip the shirt from her body and latch on to one nipple before letting his weight settle down until he once again lay on top of her. Her cotton-covered sex now touched his belly, and she could no longer feel the evidence of his desire against her.

  She arched into his kisses, offering her breasts for his pleasure. His tongue wrapped around each nipple in turn, and every time he let one go, Ellie thought she’d die before he took the other in his mouth. When he abandoned her breasts completely, Ellie screeched in protest and fisted her hands in his silky hair, trying to pull him back to her. If he left her now, she’d surely spontaneously combust.

  Right after she killed him.

  He chuckled. “Patience, little faery. I’m not done with you yet.” Then he added in a whisper so soft she barely heard him, “Never be done with you.”

  His mouth skipped down her belly where he delved into her navel with his tongue. Ellie squealed and bucked against him. Sweat broke out all over her body at the promises his quest presented. Before this moment, she’d never dreamed anything like this was possible. Now, all she wanted was his tongue on her sex. She wanted him to do with his mouth what she’d only ever experienced with her own fingers.

  When he grasped the waistband of her panties, she lifted her hips so he could slide them from her body. His roughened hands abraded her skin slightly as he caressed her thighs. Once the barricade of her clothes was removed, he pulled back once and ravaged her with his eyes. This was definitely not the rock-steady, controlled man who had approached her in her kitchen only minutes before. This one was wild. For her. Ellie thought she could be a happy woman for the rest of her life if only this man looked at her this way every day.

  “Mine!” His soft growl thundered through her insides as if he’d shoute
d it, and she shivered. Her cunt throbbed more than ever, and she watched in fascination as he lowered his head to her sex. When he parted the fine hair and swiped his tongue from pussy to clit, stars flashed in front of Ellie’s eyes, and she barely recognized the scream as her own.

  Devlin was merciless in tormenting her cunt. Ellie screamed and screamed, wanting him to end it. Never wanting him to stop. She thrashed about, unable to stay still. When he would have lifted his head, she fisted her hands in his hair and held him to her. His chuckle vibrated her clit even more. Then he latched on to it and sucked, making her explode in a violent orgasm.

  Ellie’s muscles seized and she couldn’t move. Her lower body tingled and pulsed, and she couldn’t breathe. Her whole world centered on her clit and what Devlin was doing to it. He seemed to know when the spasms abated, and he lessened the pressure he put on the nub of flesh until he finally let go and crawled up her body, again covering her with his own.

  “Now, Ellsinore, I claim you as my own. My life will forever be linked with yours, as will my body and soul.”

  With one swift thrust, he entered her. The pain was fast yet soon replaced by more of the wonderful pleasure she’d experienced thus far. But her pleasure paled in comparison with the look of utter rapture on Devlin’s face right then.

  “So sweet and tight,” he ground out. Sweat dotted his face, and Ellie felt the tension in his body as he tried to take it slow. “Are you okay?” His question caught her off guard.

  “Are you kidding?” She smiled and cupped his face in one of her hands. “I’m fabulous. You’re fabulous.”

  He barked out a laugh and his face took on a pained expression. “I’m afraid this first time may be quick, my lovely Ellsinore.”

  “Take what you need, Devlin. I’ll be here for more when you’re ready.”

  As soon as she said the words, Ellie found she truly meant them. She would be ready whenever he wanted her. Now. Two days from now. Ten years from now. Somehow, being in Devlin’s arms was exactly where she needed to be. She didn’t know him, but something called to her and she knew—knew!—she’d never give herself to another man. Devlin was her first. He’d also be her only.