Lincoln just nods. He is still a bit astounded that he has landed here in this really bright palace. He doesn’t how Aefre deals with all the white and gold lights. She generally favors the dark, as do most of them. It makes him wince and Sebastian’s hand tightens around his throat.
“Understood?” Sebastian growls at him.
“Yes,” Lincoln says. He will play along for now, but he will find a way to tell Aefre everything that her husband has been doing to her. Right now, he can feel her presence close by and it wraps itself around his heart, making him feel more at peace than he has since she left him.
“And one more thing. Whatever Xane has told you…It. Wasn’t. Me. Got it?” Sebastian says in his face.
“Got it,” Lincoln says with a gulp. There are very few creatures that can intimidate him to the point that Sebastian currently is. There is something very sinister about him now, it is all around him like a dark shroud. He will do anything to keep his secrets and Lincoln must tread very, very carefully.
“Good,” Sebastian says genially and shoves him through a door into an ornate, cream-colored bedroom. “Wait here.”
Lincoln has a look around while he waits. He is trying to wrap his head around why Sebastian would risk bringing him here, threats notwithstanding. Aefre must be missing him but it doesn’t make sense to take the chance that he will keep his mouth shut. Not that he should be looking a gift horse in the mouth, of course. He is thrilled to be here, to see his love once again, and hopefully he will find a way to rescue her and be her white knight. Devon wasn’t all wrong about that. Yeah, she likes to be able to kick ass and take care of herself, but deep down he knows that she wants someone to fight for her, to prove to her how much they love her.
“Lincoln!” Aefre exclaims as she races through the door, followed more sedately by Sebastian. She wraps her arms around him, and he holds her close, breathing in her scent and pushing his hand into her hair.
“Oh, my love,” he murmurs.
She pulls away and throws Sebastian a huge, adoring beam that makes Lincoln cringe. “Thank you,” she says.
Sebastian accepts the gratitude with a regal nod and then says, “Remember the deal.”
Aefre nods dutifully, as does Lincoln, and he wonders what deal Aefre has struck with Sebastian to get him here.
Lincoln expects Sebastian to stick around to make sure that he doesn’t start spilling the beans, but to his surprise, he leaves them alone.
“I have missed you,” she says to him, taking his hand and leading her to the bed to sit down.
“Is that why I am here?” he asks, carefully searching her eyes. He is devastated by what he sees there. Or, more to the point, what he doesn’t see there. Her essence has been crushed. There is no sign of her spirit behind the blank look in her eyes. Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes; it is like she is a puppet having her strings pulled.
“Kalen has granted me your presence here,” she answers him just as carefully. “He understands our bond.”
Lincoln just nods and tries to keep the grimace off his face. Granted me your presence? Shit, Sebastian has her spelled up good and proper. It twists his stomach and he opens his mouth to tell her everything, but then she leans forward to press her lips to his and he forgets everything else. He lets her push him back to the bed and he whimpers when she
crawls up his body to settle herself over his cock. She wiggles and he is in rapture.
“Oh, Aefre,” he whispers. “I love you.”
It doesn’t escape his notice that she doesn’t say it back. Has she been spelled to forget her feelings, but the Alpha bond is just too strong to deny? It makes him sad to think that but also angry. How dare Sebastian mess with her like this? It’s repugnant and, whatever the consequences, he must tell her.
“Aefre,” he says, sitting up. “I have to tell you something.”
“Mm, can it wait?” she asks, tugging on his bottom lip with her teeth.
“Uh,” he mumbles, momentarily distracted.
Her hands go up under his t-shirt and he pulls them away, needing to remain clearheaded.
“Aefre,” he says as she snakes her hand down to his crotch. “Fuck,” he breathes as she squeezes and lets out a little moan.
Before he can form another coherent thought, she has undone his jeans, pulled out his cock, and has wriggled down to wrap her tongue around him.
“Oh, Jesus,” he says and then gives up. He flops back to the bed to let her have her way with him. There will be time enough later to tell her what is being done to her.
Chapter 3
The Dark Fae Kingdom, October 2014 - Vito
“Where in these lands have you been?” Maurelle snaps at him the second she opens the door.