Unexpected Sting Read online

  The skirt was slit on either side to expose her soft leather boots that had hematite patterns running down the front. She wrapped her bands around her wrists, kissed Nessa’s cheek, and headed up to the tent for the ceremony. The wedding was small by faerie and mage standards, with two hundred faeries, mages, and a few mythicals seated under the tent and waiting for the bride to arrive.

  Leetha took her hand, and Stinger smiled at her mother. “You look lovely, baby.”

  “Thanks, Mom. You look amazing. More like a younger sister than a mom.” She chuckled and leaned her head toward her mother’s.

  “You say the sweetest things.”

  “Only to you, Mom. To the rest of the world, I am a cast-iron bitch.” She winked. “You taught me well.”

  Leetha chuckled and squeezed her hand. “That’s my girl.”

  They sat together and watched Hector forge his way through the layers of resistance that the shadow faerie arranged, and he was sweating slightly when he and Tynan reached the floral archway while the officiant bound them as a triad.

  When that happened, Stinger realized that there were no humans at the party. She grinned. Oh, this was going to be a lot of fun.

  The dinner went well. Stinger chatted with Orvis and asked if she needed help.

  “The party is amazing, but it feels weird not to be doing something.”

  “Just have fun, Stinger. Having you here was special for Nessa.”

  “Well, you called me home, so it was an honour to be here for it.”

  Orvis chuckled. “When I talked to Kallie, you were high on her wish list for attendees. Anything to make this accelerated day better for Nessa.”

  “Thanks anyway. Well, the dancing is starting, and I have to uphold family honour. We will see you on the floor?”

  Orvis had her clipboard near her chest. “Nope. I save my dancing for after events are done.”

  “Well, I am off for the night, so I can enjoy myself.” She squeezed Orvis’s hand and nodded to the shadow with glowing red eyes behind her friend.

  The triad was having their first dance, and the female mages were waiting their turn. A woman that was vaguely familiar stepped up next to Stinger. “What are we waiting for, aside from the first dance?”

  “Oh, as witches, the dance floor at a wedding belongs to us. We can invite the men in, but they have to wait. That is how our family does it.”

  “Really? Neat. I am Maven, by the way.”

  Stinger shook her hand and felt the waves of power. “Oh, you are one of the sources. Hi. I am Stinger. Stiila.” She sighed. “Everybody calls me Stinger.”

  “Nice to meet you, Stinger. So, what kind of dancing? I don’t get out much.”

  Stinger explained, “There is karaoke, folk dance, techno, wind song, light dances, anything we can think of to let off some of the energy that the bride and grooms are putting out. We are here to disperse it for the night. These three pack quite the charge.”

  Maven chuckled. “I am familiar with the sensation of the overload. My two are over there with that group of nervous-looking men.”

  “What happens when you get together?”

  “Olmin eats it. Well, he stores it. I make it, Argo processes it, and Olmin is the battery waiting to discharge, so to speak.”

  “Oh. You are part of that triad. I have been out of town for a while. So then that is Krys and Kelnen. He is able to come out if he wants.”

  An angry sound made Stinger and half the guests turn to look as Orvis was heaved onto Stovos’s shoulder. The dark elves laughed uproariously, and the triad on the dance floor first frowned in concern and then started laughing. The mages, witches, and warlocks were a little confused. The shadow faerie didn’t care. Neither of the folk involved was theirs.

  The triad grinned, bowed, and touched friends and family on their way out. Stinger high-fived Tynan and kissed Nessa on the cheek before bowing to Hector. He inclined his head in return.

  The three left the party, one of the cousins spoke to the DJ, and the women took to the floor.

  * * * *

  Arthur sat with other officers of the company and watched the female mages, witches, and sources start to dance on the polished wood. Stinger was with them; she was moving to the beat but also helping the other ladies find their rhythm. Some of the women had thrown their hands up and were writhing along to the music.

  She was smiling as she helped everyone get involved, and then, something odd happened. The floor began to glow, and Stinger and her mother looked at each other, nodded, and looked around the sea of male faces.

  A man next to him said, “Stand up.”

  “What?”

  The man had bronze skin and a long black braid. He was wearing a standard black suit and a slight smile. The man got to his feet. “Stand up. You will see.”

  The stranger walked forward to the edge of the crowd, and Leetha stopped in front of him. He offered her his hand, and she scowled but took it. The word behave was easy to read.

  Arthur shrugged and got up, walking through the crowd, watching Stinger on her search. She looked at him and spoke with her hand on his chest. “How much power can you hold?”

  “Whatever I need to.”

  She nodded. “Good; this is going to hurt a bit.”

  “Me or you?”

  “Both.”

  “What would you like me to do?”

  “Can you dance?”

  “Occasionally.”

  “Will you be willing to act as a stripper pole?”

  He grinned. “Definitely.”

  “Good. You are about to become the focal point for the lust of twenty-five women.”

  The music began the early strains, and she faced him as the Spanish guitar and tango started up. He could see the cleavage at the top of her soft neckline, and she lifted her head, and to his shock, her eyes went solid black as she started to dance. She touched him lightly as the music and dance went on. She slid, spun, clapped, whirled, and stomped.

  When she wrapped her arm around his waist and walked slowly around him, he extended his arm to catch her, and they started to move together. Her body was tense in his grip, and her shallow breathing was a sign of pain. The glow that was coming up from the ground under them was dissipating, and her breathing continued to get rougher as the dance continued as he spun her, dipped her, and finally, she slid around his leg with her head leaning against his thigh at the end of the song.

  There was a lot of applause, and he helped her to her feet. She staggered out of the tent and bent over, exhaling a column of vapour that swirled and then lifted into the air.

  She coughed, and he went to her, lifting her up and cupping her cheek. “Give it to me.”

  He kissed her, and the rush of power from her nearly knocked him to his knees.

  * * * *

  She watched her mother choose a partner for the dance and looked at the familiar face. She didn’t know where to place him from, but her mother obviously knew him because she chewed him out as she hauled him onto the dance floor.

  Stinger looked over the offerings, and something familiar came to the edge. She pressed a hand to his chest to gauge his containment capability. “How much power can you hold?”

  “Whatever I need to.” It was a calm boast, but he had plenty of space for it.

  She nodded. “Good; this is going to hurt a bit.”

  He frowned. “Me or you?”

  She was honest and said, “Both.”

  Arthur smiled slightly. “What would you like me to do?”

  “Can you dance?” It would be so much easier if he couldn’t. She would have more room to work with him.

  “Occasionally.”

  She arched her brows. “Will you be willing to act as a stripper pole?”

  He grinned. “Definitely.”

  “Good. You are about to become the focal point for the lust of twenty-five women.” It was closer to fifty and a horny fertility fae, but she didn’t want to spook him. She could field half of it.

&
nbsp; The music started, and she and her mother started to bleed off the power with every movement, every step, shimmy, and twist. Stinger’s dance was more martial, and her mother’s was more seductive, but that is where they differed. They were the same in intensity, drawing the countering power from the men, and things were going well until halfway through the song when Orvis’s lust hit them hard. That was a lot of pent-up longing that snapped loose.

  She was panting and tense as hell as they finished the dance. Her mother finished it in the stranger’s arms, and she finished it on the floor wrapped around Arthur’s thigh. He helped her up, and she left the dance floor to try and expel some of the power in a controlled manner.

  She felt the first bleed of power, but it was only a drop of energy compared to what was swirling through her. She exhaled, and it curled out and away. She tried to cough up some more, but she was grabbed and held up in Arthur’s arms. He whispered, “Give it to me.”

  His rough hand stroked her cheek, and he kissed her.

  The female energy spotted his own and made a rush for the exit. She tried to pull back, but he held her to him. She groaned and locked her hands behind his head, holding his head so the power could take what it wanted. Him.

  * * * *

  Leetha stood with her back to her dance partner, watching her daughter make out with the ogre hybrid.

  “You will have to speak to me eventually, little one.”

  The moment she had seen him, their days together came back in a rush. “No, Abrax, I don’t. My daughter and I have a good life. You are neither needed nor required.”

  He touched her arms. “My daughter, you mean.”

  “No. Mine. I carried her, birthed her, and raised her. You were not a thought in my head. You made sure of that.”

  “I did not know you were carrying. Nor did you.”

  She turned around and prodded him in the chest with two fingers. “You used venom on me, you jackass. You could have killed me or her.”

  He tried to hold her again, and she slapped his arms away. “I thought you would be better off at home. You were brought to me as a sacrifice, and I do think that we got along together very well.” He touched her cheek. “For several weeks. I have never forgotten you.”

  She growled and stepped back. “Why are you here?”

  “I am doing business locally, and I was invited to this event. I was not expecting to see you here, but I am very glad you were.”

  “Done. I am done with you, Abrax. Do your business, and go home.”

  He gripped her arm. “You once said that I was the love of your life.”

  “You were. For three weeks. And then you made sure you weren’t. Congratulations. You win.” Leetha looked toward her daughter. “And don’t you dare go near her. I will break your fucking stinger off. Both of them.”

  “If you could not hurt me then, why would you now?”

  “Then, I didn’t want to hurt you, and I wanted you. Now, I don’t give a fuck. Stay out of my way, and stay away from my daughter.” She drove a fist into his abdomen and followed it up with a strike to his face.

  He was still the handsomest man she had ever seen; he needed to be a little less pretty.

  Leetha stalked back to the party and grabbed one of the dark elves as a dance partner. She needed something hormonal and mindless for a few hours, and the dark fae were always willing to oblige.

  * * * *

  The low laugh came to him, and he sat up, rubbing his jaw.

  “I don’t know what you did to make her mad, cousin, but you have picked the wrong woman to piss off.”

  Abrax looked at the djinn that was crouching near him. “I am learning that. She was much more amenable the last time I saw her.”

  “She was younger?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did she have Stinger yet?” Cale was crouching with his brows raised.

  “No. She did not yet have her daughter when we first met.” Abrax phrased it carefully. “She was young and carefree with hair on fire and the light of a thousand suns in her eyes.”

  “Then, she became a mother, and those thousand suns were passed along. Stinger looks like you, by the way. She has other characteristics as well.”

  Abrax blinked. “She does?”

  “Yes. Why don’t you know that?”

  “Leetha was an offering. I took her, and I kept her for longer than the priesthood wanted. I sent her away with her memory of our time together erased. It did not occur to me that she could have carried my child. It normally takes generations of breeding and training to carry one of my kind.”

  “Her family has their speciality, as does my mate’s. Their family is irresistible to beings of power who are free to share their affection. At the time, you were. Are you still?”

  He nodded. “I am. Why?”

  “Because if you want her, you are going to have to court her all over again.” Cale smiled.

  “I didn’t court her the first time. She was shoved at me after being sedated and used her magic to knock me on my ass. A servant brought a meal for her, and in her rage, she almost struck the woman. I stopped her by taking the hit, but I must say, I prefer her magic to her fists. Her magic is far less precise.” He looked to the dance floor. “And now, a reunion is off the table for tonight.”

  “Perhaps I should not have suggested inviting you to the wedding. I thought it would help your connections locally.” Cale stood up. “Will you honour her request to not speak to your daughter?”

  “For now. Yes.” He looked over to where the only child he had produced in over three hundred years was kissing a man of mixed background. “Can you tell me about him?”

  “Name and clothing size. So, let me take you to some men who work with him.”

  Abrax grunted and got to his feet. “Good. Who is he?”

  “Arthur Orion.”

  Abrax looked at the couple and started laughing.

  Cale frowned. “What is it?”

  “Fate is a funny thing. His ancestors would be weeping right now.”

  Cale growled. “What are you saying about Stinger? Because you are on thin ice, Ancient Abrax.”

  “Our family and his have been at odds since the gods walked the earth.” He chuckled. “Things are finally making a bit more sense to me.”

  Cale nodded. “Good, because I am confused as hell.”

  Abrax chuckled. “Introduce me to the men who know him, and then, I will buy you a drink.”

  “It’s an open bar.”

  “Then, I will buy you two.” He chuckled.

  Cale snorted, and they returned to the tent where a few more men had been selected to dance with the ladies.

  The party continued.

  * * * *

  Stinger leaned back and said, “That’s it.”

  Arthur pulled her back to him, and he murmured, “Let’s check again.”

  She tried to smile, but the kiss broke her focus. When she came up for air, he tried to hold her, but she pushed back. “That was it. Thank you.”

  “I have never been thanked for a kiss before.” He smiled.

  “The last time I had to get rid of magic like that, it was like I had a stomach flu.” She shuddered. “So, thanks.”

  “Will you dance with me as reparations for using my body like that?”

  She blinked. She turned and looked at the dance floor. There were several couples dancing slowly, and the frenzy was winding down.

  She nodded. “Sure. Just set me down, and we can—”

  He turned and walked into the crowd, everyone moving away as they approached. He slid her down his body, took her hand, and placed the other hand on her waist. His hand spanned her back, and she shivered a little at the feeling. She felt petite and pretty, and it was not something that she felt often.

  “Do you have a case of macrophilia?” He was amused.

  She blushed. “No. I don’t have a height fetish. Thanks for bringing it up.”

  “What kind of fetishes do you have?”

 
She looked up, and he was smiling and looking attentive. “Nothing that you need to be concerned about.”

  “When was the last time you had sex?”

  She nearly stumbled on his feet, and then, she remembered she wasn’t around humans right now, and the air was thick with pheromones. “With someone else in the room? A few years.”

  “What about without someone else in the room?”

  Stinger smiled slowly. “Well, I had a quickie with myself after the gym, twice the night before, and an average of a few times per day as usual.”

  “I think I just asked a question that I didn’t want the answer to in a public place.”

  “Which is precisely why I answered it.”

  He blinked. “Oh, so you and Peggy...”

  “In the same room. She got her snack, and I took one of my allotted orgasms off my list.” She shrugged. “I don’t begrudge her need to feed. I just prefer to arrange my own methods.”

  “Why? I would think that it would be exciting to be touched by someone else.”

  She looked at him seriously. “Have you seen her nails? There is a topographical difference between women and men. No way do I want those claws anywhere near my internal bits.”

  He winced. “I see your point. It always looks so natural in the movies.”

  She laughed. “Another honest reply. Right, so you do know that those nice ladies get paid to do that, right? Porn isn’t a volunteer service.”

  “What would you qualify as the kinkiest thing that you have ever done?”

  The music ended, and she kept her mouth shut. They paused, and then the music resumed. Stinger grinned. “That could have been embarrassing.”

  He blinked. “You are actually going to answer?”

  “We are in a public venue surrounded by family members on my part and co-workers on yours. It is the perfect place. So, the question was what was the kinkiest thing I have ever done? I suppose that would be using a mirror projection of myself and having sex with myself in front of a college boyfriend. He got the memory wiped before he left my room, but he had a silly expression on his face for a few weeks.”