The Faerie Queen told each of them to agree to their contract. When Tomnat said, “I so vow,” he repeated the words. Bodach clapped his hands twice, and the brief, brutal ceremony was complete.
The floating bunting disappeared. The trees silenced. Adhna hovered near his shoulder, but the Faerie Queen hadn’t finished with them.
She leaned in to hug Tomnat, holding her in a brief embrace. Then, to his intense surprise, she did the same to Fingin.
With a furious whisper, she said, “Be careful and quiet for now, my grandson. I am not free to act as I wish. I will work to get you out of Faerie. Bide your time.”
Chapter Thirteen
The small pavilion remained open on all sides, except for translucent fabric draped on the edge. A soft, round cushion lay inside, big enough to have filled his entire roundhouse back in the mortal realm.
Tomnat took his hand with cold detachment and led him to the cushion. She still hadn’t spoken with him apart from the exchange of vows or even glanced at him. He got the impression this entire arrangement would be nothing but a chore to complete to achieve her desire for children. No clue existed that their forced union would be anything but that.
She pushed aside one edge of the fabric, and they both entered the pavilion. Once the fabric fell again, the outside became awash with pale mystery. Their entire world narrowed to this space.
Tomnat undressed, folding each item and placing them on the floor of the pavilion near the edge of the cushion. He followed her actions, embarrassed at his nakedness in front of his new avowed mate.
He wouldn’t call her wife. The ceremony had been nothing he’d known from the human realm, but more of an exchange of contract terms. Any romance and beauty of a human marriage had been stripped down to the bare bones of the vow.
The entire day had been odd and somehow unreal. The bare-bones ceremony, the contract, the words his grandmother had whispered in his ear. The impact of his grandmother’s parting words echoed in his mind, but he had no luxury of considering them yet.
His Fae mate sat cross-legged and naked across from him. They stared at each other, meeting eyes for the first time since they’d danced together at Adhna’s home. She let out a sigh. “Very well. I don’t imagine you have the needed experience. Here, lie on your back.” She took him by the shoulders and pushed him back. He stretched out his legs so he lay prone. Exposed and vulnerable, he swallowed. The imagined protection of their veiled bed meant nothing.
She climbed atop him and rubbed herself against his groin. His body reacted, despite his own love for another. He hadn’t expected this betrayal but remained powerless to stop. She continued her gyrations until she judged the time right, shifted, and inserted him into her warmth. He closed his eyes, unable to resist enjoying the incredible sensation.
His enjoyment didn’t last long. His reaction came quick and violent. When he’d finished, she dismounted and dressed. “You may return to Adhna’s for now. If required, we will try again. I will find you.”
Tomnat left.
Fingin lay in his own mess, aghast at both her methodical actions and his unintended reaction.
What had he expected from such an encounter? Sexual congress between his parents had been no mystery. Few mysteries remained long in a small roundhouse. He’d witnessed animals mating all their life. However, even animals had more complex courting than he’d just had with Tomnat. He remained a means to an end and nothing else. She had never even called him by his name.
After wiping his mess with some leaves from the surrounding glade, he dressed and walked back down the path. Fingin remembered Adhna’s roundhouse stood near the palace, the soaring towers edging the horizon. It would be nice to see Bran again. Since Bran hadn’t bounded through the brush to find him, he assumed Adhna had reassured the hound that Fingin would return.
The colorful trees seemed muted now. Without day or night, without weather or seasons, this land made him uneasy and off-balance. Time became difficult to measure by any familiar means.
He walked toward his new home, the place he must live until Tomnat conceived his child. He felt like a prize bull, set out to stud against his own will. Were women so helpless when their fathers married them to a wealthy farmer? Most women he’d met at least had some say in their eventual husbands, but arranged marriages happened all the time, especially for those with a great wealth of land and kine.
The roundhouse came into view. He glanced around for Bran but didn’t see him. The hound might be inside sleeping the day away. Rest sounded wonderful. He hoped Sean rested safely in the mortal world, and that he’d given up on them returning.
Adhna walked out his door just as Fingin arrived. “Ah, there you are, young man. I would ask if you enjoyed your nuptial bliss, but I can tell by your face it was less than you’d hoped.”
He nodded, peering inside. Nothing seemed to stir. “I never imagined such a wedding. Is Bran sleeping inside? Did he eat?”
Adhna glanced inside and turned back to Fingin. “About that. Bran has… found a temporary home. Just for a little while, mind you, until the first portion of your contract is complete.”
“What?” His heart beat faster, and he shoved the Fae aside. Fingin ran into the roundhouse, searching for any trace of his friend. “Bran? Bran, where are you? Bran!”
“Settle down, young man, settle down. He’ll
