10
Farron
“Iknew it!” Dayton cries. Sand sticks to his skin, still wet with ocean water, and moonlight paints him in shimmering
strokes. He’s positioned in the center of Captain Katharine’s Isle, right in the middle of a square formed by four palm
trees. “I told you it’d be here.”
“You told me,” I murmur. I’m lying against one of the trees, still marveling at the turn of events. The gentle roar of the
waves is the only sound that accompanies us, a soothing rhythm that mirrors the steady beat of my heart. This has to be the
strangest—and most wonderful—night of my life. Never did I think I’d end up off the coast of Hadria on a supposedly cursed
isle with the Prince of Summer. And that he’d be looking at me with those turquoise eyes so filled with joy, especially after I
almost got him killed.
I still don’t know what came over me. Walking to the coastline. Staring into the abyss, drawn to the dark depths. Feeling
like if I was losing Dayton, I could at least feel a sense of him within the sea.
But he’d followed me. Followed me all the way off the edge.
These waters, supposedly cursed by Captain Katharine, were none other than the territory of a kelpie. They’re common
inhabitants in the lochs and rivers of Autumn; this one must have lost its way in the waterways between our two realms. No
wonder it was so scared and angry. I’d been able to calm the beast and let it take in my scent. Hopefully that will be enough for
it to find the path back to Autumn.
Dayton looks handsome beyond comprehension. His long hair is slightly wavy with dried saltwater, his skin caked in sand.
Most beautiful of all is that delighted smile on his face. He should be furious at me for jumping in. For risking my life and his.
But when we reached the shore, the only thing he wanted to do was start looking for the treasure.
Now, he reaches down into the hole he’s dug, tugging out a wooden chest.
I walk over and crouch beside him. “Captain Katharine’s treasure,” I breathe. “It’s real.”
“Of course, it’s real! You need to have more faith,” Dayton says, a victorious grin on his face.
I keep my eyes on him, instead of the treasure. “Maybe I do.” With an easy yank, Dayton breaks the rusty lock. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
Our fingers brush as we both grasp the lid. It creaks in protest, revealing...
“Sand,” Dayton whispers. “Captain Katharine’s treasure is sand?”
Inside, there’s a mound of red dust. I reach within, sifting the grains through my fingers. They’re fine and velvety. Perhaps
once, they were something more, the ashes of a forgotten world. But now, they’re nothing but dirt in a rotting box.
Disappointment is clear in Dayton’s expression. “All these years, I pictured what it could be. Jewels and gems, mythical
weapons, or maps to hidden cities. I guess none of the stories were real. It’s just sand.”
“Maybe not,” I say. “Let me try something.”
I pick up a large handful, holding it tight between my palms. Warmth radiates from my chest down into my fingertips. I
prefer written spells to help channel my magic, but burning...burning I know how to do.
Especially around Dayton.
The red sand begins to coalesce, grains fusing together with the heat.
“Quickly,” I whisper. “We need to cool it.”
Dayton raises a brow, then covers my hands with his. A stream of cold water pours from his palms. Steam rises from our
clasped grip, a symphony of fire and water. Our power seems to meet where our skin touches. I think of the legends in Autumn,
of magic weaving together. It feels like that now, our individual powers braiding into something more.
The steam ebbs out, and Dayton pulls away from me. I open my palms, revealing a piece of red sea glass, smooth and
luminous.
A smile tugs at the edge of Dayton’s lip as he takes the sea glass and holds it up to the moonlight. “We made this together,”
he whispers.
“Something to remember me by, when I go back to Autumn.”
Dayton clasps the sea glass tight in his palm, then tucks it into a fold of the purple wrap around his waist. “I’ll never be
able to forget you, Fare. Trust me.”
My throat tightens. I don’t want to become a memory to Dayton. To be nothing but fading conversations, a face once clear
that becomes foggy over time. Doesn’t he understand this is so much more than political alliance or family scheming? Whatever
this is between us is so real, I feel like I could touch it. I need to touch it.
I trail a hand across Dayton’s sandy cheek before clasping his neck. “I barely remember who I was when I first came here.
You’ve changed me, Day. I can’t go back to who I was before you.”
“Fare—”
I can’t let him speak. Because he’ll tell me to stop being ridiculous. That I’ve fallen too hard, too fast for him. Instead, I
pull his lips to mine. So what if this is what Summer’s made me? Ridiculous. Down in the muck of this thing...whatever it is.
Need. Obsession.
Love.
Dayton kisses me back. Hard. His hands wrap around my body, fingers so rough, I imagine bruises forming on my skin. His
handprints, marring me. I wish they were brands, claiming me as his forever. Our kiss grows more frantic, my fingers gripping
his hair. It feels like we’re fighting with our lips, a battle we’re both too afraid to wage with words.
“Fuck, Farron,” Dayton growls against my mouth. He grabs my ass and thrusts his pelvis against me. His iron-stiff arousal
sends my pulse skittering. I can’t stop moving; I have to keep kissing him, have to keep roaming my hands across his skin. If any
of this stops, he might suggest going back to the keep. The keep with all those judging eyes that force us apart. Then, tomorrow,
I’ll be gone.
A fading memory.
I push firmly on Dayton’s chest, guiding him down to the sand. He tugs me with him, and I land on top of his solid body,
never tearing my mouth from his lips. His cock feels hard as steel, pressing against my abdomen. My own presses painfully
against my breeches. Shifting positions, I jut forward so he can feel my arousal against his. He pulls away from my kiss to
groan, the sound part curse, part my name, and part unintelligible blather.
Pride swells in my chest. He isn’t so infallible after all.
I go to capture Dayton’s mouth again, but he grabs the side of my head and holds me at a distance. His gaze is so intense.
“Farron,” he says lowly, “I want to do right by you. You know that, don’t you?”
“Of course,” I say. He doesn’t know that he could ask me to crawl behind him and I would consider it a privilege.
Dayton pushes the hair back from my eyes. “I will never ask you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”
“I want this,” I breathe.
“But you’ve never... I’m not exactly the kind of person I’d choose for my first time.”
Turning my face to kiss his hand, I murmur, “Well, I guess I’m smarter than you.”
Dayton barks a laugh before his gaze softens. “You sure about this, Little Leaf?”
“I’ve never been sure about anything in my life. But I’m sure about this. About you.”
“Here?”
“Here,” I breathe. “Anywhere. Any time. Any weather. Any season. As long as you’re you.”
Dayton brushes tears from my cheeks that I hadn’t realized were falling. “A deal. I promise to always be me. And you’ve
got to promise me you’ll always be you, okay?”
“It’s a promise,” I whisper.
The smile that crosses Dayton’s face is so beautiful, I swear it could rival the sun. He pulls me flat to his chest, caging me
in with his arms, and simply holds me. I close my eyes, feeling the strong beat of his heart.
After a moment, I look up at him. His gaze has shifted from its softness. There’s a hunger there that makes my stomach flip.
Dayton pushes me to the sand, so I land on my back. Then he clambers over me, running his rough and calloused fingers
along my chest. With my body pinned by his muscular legs, I’m completely at his mercy.
He’s going to touch me. He’ll reach down and grab my cock. I can picture it now, his huge hands wrapped around my
length, handling me with aggressive strokes.
But he doesn’t. Minute after minute passes with him only rubbing my chest. He flicks a tongue over his lips, and I notice his
gaze has shifted again, his moods as changeable as the wind.
Is he...nervous? Nervous to touch me?
Perhaps he thinks I’m fragile, an Autumn leaf easily crumbled. I’ll show him how much I’ve changed since that first night.
I reach underneath the folds of his purple wrap and grasp the base of his cock.
Dayton arches his back and pushes into my grip. I tug on the knot tying the wrap together and pull the cloth free, tossing it to
the ground. Dayton springs loose in all his glory, his lower abdomen rippling with muscle, a line of blond hair trailing from his
belly button. The sides of his ass are carved like marble.
And his cock.
Freed from the fabric, it erupts forth, thick and hard. It curves upward, the tip glistening in the moonlight. Blood rushes in
my ears, and I have to remind myself to breathe. A million ideas burst inside my head, all the desire I’ve fought down these last
few weeks. But he’s right in front of me, his cock as beautiful as he is.
It’s as if freeing Dayton of his clothes has reawakened him. He grabs my hand and directs it to the base of his cock, then
covers my fingers with his. Together, we move over his length, stroking up and down. I feel myself panting, heart near breaking
through my ribs. I want to know what Dayton’s expression is, but I can’t tear my gaze away from the titanic erection in front of
me.
“Fuck,” Dayton growls, increasing our speed. “I love the feel of your hand, Fare.”
Finally, I shift my eyes upward to hold his gaze. His turquoise eyes shimmer. “Let me,” I beg.
He nods and pulls his hand away. Now, I clasp his cock with both my palms, one stacked on top of the other, and start a
rhythm. Up and down, each action eliciting a shiver or moan from Dayton. The weight of his body on my hips and the look of
pleasure on his face make my cock surge with blood. I grit my teeth, moving faster, wanting to give him more and more—
I drop his length and sit up on my elbows. Dayton smiles down at me, expression almost drunk. “Wrists hurt?”
“No.” My gaze darts back to his pulsing member, the pearl of moisture on the tip. “I want to try something.”
“We don’t have to move so fast—”
I push on his chest, guiding him off me and onto the sand. He lies on his back, gaze questioning. “Trust me, Dayton. Can you
trust me?”
“Of course,” he breathes.
I kiss him softly on the lips, then work my way down, along his jaw, the thick cords of his neck, his collarbone, over his
muscular pectorals. I lick my way along the ridges of his abdomen, tasting dried saltwater. When I get to his hip bones, I suck
in a deep breath. His body tenses.
I’ve never felt this before—this intense, sickening yearning. Before, I thought this kind of desire was saved for fairy tales.
Or maybe it only existed for people with mate bonds, that rare, inescapable love that’s descended from the stars.
But that’s how I feel now: possessed. As though, if I don’t have a part of my skin against his skin, I might go mad with
longing.
Slowly, I kiss the base of his cock. It’s so close, I’m a bit intimidated by its length and girth. But I’ll take my time. It seems
like I’ve been waiting forever.
Flicking my tongue out, I lick up and down. Like his torso, it’s hard and tastes of salt.
Dayton groans. Encouraged, my tongue sweeps in longer strokes before swirling around his tip. With a greedy motion, I
suck the head into my hollowed cheeks. His hips jerk upward, slamming his cock into the back of my throat. I gag, but don’t let
go. With one hand, I cup his heavy balls. They’re flushed with color, and I run a soft finger down the seam.
He jerks a hand out, weaving his fingers through my hair. “Gods, Farron, you’re so good at this.”
I don’t stop my motion, but my mind races. Am I actually good or is he just saying that? Surely, Dayton has had a plethora
of partners, ones who might have even studied the art of pleasure. Here I am, having done nothing but reviewed some pictures
from books at the back of the library—
I stop myself. No, I won’t let my self-doubt get to me. Not when every part of me is screaming how right this is. How my
lips belong on him, how he belongs in me. I know how to pleasure him, as if the instructions were written on my heart. With one hand on his balls, the other stroking his shaft, and my mouth around the tip, I work Dayton until he’s quivering and
moaning underneath me. His fingers dig trenches into the sand. Deeper and deeper, I try to take him, my pace increasing—
“Okay.” Dayton sits up, pushing me off his cock with a wet pop. His face is flushed, and he’s starry-eyed, as if having
awoken from a dream.
“Everything okay?” I ask. “Did I do something wrong?”
“The opposite.” He grabs my chin and drags me up for a kiss. “I want more of you.”
My pulse skitters, and all I can manage is a nod.
“But first,” Dayton says, guiding me to my back, “there’s something you have to know about me. I never let my lovers come
only once.”
He wants me to know this about him. Because he thinks we’ll do this again? I have to fight to keep the embarrassing smile
off my face.
“First, these need to go.” Dayton grabs the waistband of my breeches. “Wearing pants to a Summer gala? Tsk tsk. Even your
father was wearing traditional Summer garb.”
“I tried the wrap skirt. Too breezy,” I mumble.
“Afraid I might see something?” Dayton smirks. “May I?”
I nod. Dayton pulls on my waistband and yanks my breeches straight off my feet, tossing them to the side. My cock, hard to
the point of pain, flings free.
Dayton’s eyes roam over me, from my toes, curling and uncurling in the sand, up my lean legs, to settle on my cock. He
licks his lips. Somehow, his gaze seems even more intimate than any touch.
“You are glorious,” he murmurs.
Although I’ve never felt a love for weaponry, it is part of being a Prince of Autumn to train. I have always fancied the art of
a duel, the satisfaction of the ache in muscles after training. I’ve also taken to long runs through the hillside, where my mind can
wander far away from reality. Though I’m not heavily muscled like Dayton or his brothers, the outlines of my muscles are clear
beneath my freckled skin.
I’ve never liked being on display for anyone. But I’d lie here forever if Dayton wanted me to.
“I’m going to make you feel like you’ve never felt before,” Dayton says. He lowers between my legs, then lifts my thighs up
onto his shoulders, so my lower back is off the sand. I gasp at the sudden vulnerability of it—not just my cock on display, but
my ass, too.
His tongue snakes out and begins to lap at my cock, running the length of my balls up to the tip of my head. I cry out, unable
to stop myself. He’s right; I’ve never felt anything like this before. His mouth is wet and warm, and every inch of skin that he
caresses comes alive. My heart feels like it may burst into flames.
His hands massage my thighs, soft and gentle, but his pace gets more demanding, sucking me deep into his throat. Need
pulses through me. With greedy gulps, he sucks my balls into his mouth, one then the other. Then his lips wander lower, kissing the skin
beneath, then lower...
I suck in a breath.
“Relax,” Dayton murmurs against my skin. “I’ll look after you.”
All I can do is surrender to his expert touch. I look up at the sky, swirling with stars, and let myself feel the sensation.
Dayton’s warm breath against my entrance, then a string of soft kisses that evolves into the lap of his tongue. All thoughts fly
from my mind and there is nothing but the soft caress of his mouth and the burning hot need in my cock.
“I’ll look after you,” Dayton says again. He slips my legs from over his shoulders. My eyes widen as I watch him spit onto
two fingers then rub his saliva on my hole. There’s an expression of reverence in his stare. “If it’s too much, you tell me to
stop, okay?”
“Okay,” I breathe.
One of his hands grips my cock. The other trails down to my ass. With synchronized movement, he strokes my length and
plunges a finger inside of me.
Stars erupt in my vision, and I gasp out. I barely have time to comprehend the intensity when Dayton begins his rhythm. Up
and down, in and out. My entire body shoots with electricity, like a lone tree in a lightning storm. His name tumbles from my
lips over and over again.
“I’m going to give you more now,” he grunts, and I see his own erection is harder than ever. “Two fingers. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” I cry. “Yes, yes, Dayton.”
My body responds for him, relaxing and opening. In a single movement, Dayton plunges two fingers within me. Nothing has
ever felt as good as this. I buck against his hand, wanting more of him in me, on me. Dayton grits his teeth and strokes my cock
faster. I’m like his dual swords, and he wields me perfectly.
My vision is a scattering of night sky and stars, but I catch his gaze. He holds my stare, and I can’t help myself anymore.
Desire and pleasure and pure joy erupt through me. His hands all over me are too good.
“Dayton, I have to—”
“Come for me, handsome. Come for me.” Dayton moves swiftly, leaning down and capturing me in his mouth. The warm
pressure of his tongue, combined with the rhythm of his hands, is too much for me to bear. I squeeze my eyes shut, and lights
skitter through the darkness. My body trembles over and over, and it feels like my whole chest has burst into the blaze that
started in my heart. Dayton gulps, greedily sucking up every drop of my pleasure.
I lie, quivering, vision clearing into the night sky. Dayton releases his hold on me, then scoots to my side. He’s got the
proudest grin I’ve ever seen.
“You taste amazing,” he says.
“Show me,” I murmur.
He leans down, embracing me with an open-mouth kiss. The soft roar of the waves against the beach, the warm air, the rich
smell of palm trees and briny water, and now the crash of his mouth on mine fill my head with an intoxicating rush.
I know what comes next. I imagined losing my virginity countless times. In my visions, there was always a bed, and usually
a pretty, soft-spoken woman. Nothing could be more different than this moonlit beach, with this brash, loud gladiator who
laughs too much and reads too little. Yet, I could not imagine anything more perfect.
Dayton sits up and moves between my legs. Just staring at his form is enough to return my cock to attention.
“Have I ever told you how happy I am you tried to escape out that window?” he asks, absently trailing a hand across my
body.
“Hey, I didn’t try to escape. I did, despite being hindered by a thief.”
Dayton laughs and rolls his eyes exaggeratedly. “I didn’t steal anything.”
Oh, but you did. You stole my sense, my reason, the very breath from my lungs. You stole the peace from my soul and
every thought that dared not be of you.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Dayton whispers.
I don’t know how I’m looking at him, so I give my head a shake, forcing on a normal smile. “You stole my time in Summer,
and I’ll forever be glad of it.”
Dayton lowers his body over mine, guiding my legs on either side of his hips, and positioning his cock at my entrance. “It’s
mine forever now.”
“Forever,” I whisper.
“You tell me to stop, and I stop, okay?” Dayton says, face serious.
I nod, and Dayton cups the side of my face. “Beautiful.” Then, holding himself up by his arms, he pushes into me.
My breath hitches, and my eyes flutter shut. Pain shoots through me as Dayton thrusts inch by inch. I suck in a deep breath,
willing my body to relax. Currents of pleasure begin to stream in, a river mixing with the ocean of tension. But when I open my
eyes to meet Dayton’s gaze, euphoria floods through me. We’re moving together, our bodies like one. All this distance I’ve felt
from him these weeks, all the fear, disappears with each stroke.
Every thrust sends tremors through my body, sharp jolts of sensation cutting through the heat and desire. Dayton’s breathing
quickens, and I match him. Everything we do is in sync, in rhythm. Two shards of sea glass, the broken pieces fitting perfectly
together.
The slap of our bodies rings out over the crash of waves. Dayton’s touch becomes rougher, his movements more urgent. His
gaze burns with rare intensity. I can see the animalistic hunger in him, the hunger for me. It’s intoxicating.
“Fuck, Farron,” he growls. “You’re perfect.”
Perfect for you? What else could I ask for? With Dayton, I feel the courage of a lion. Maybe I could be High Prince if he
were by my side. We could rule together, spending our days serving Autumn and our nights serving each other.
The thought heightens my desire. A strangled cry escapes me, and Dayton reaches down, fevered, and grabs my cock,
stroking again to match the rhythm. Stuffed full inside, my cock clenched in his grip, the wave of my passion begins to crest.
“Dayton, I-I need to—”
“Fuck, yes, Farron. I’m going to come with you, okay? You come and I’ll come. I’ll fill you up. Okay?”
His words are urgent, needy. I can’t keep it in anymore. The orgasm crashes over me as the ocean did when I leapt from the
rocks. It feels like falling. My cock twitches and erupts across my chest. Dayton roars out, shoving deeper than ever before. My
eyes nearly roll back into my head as I’m filled beyond what I thought possible.
The world dissolves into a haze. Dayton collapses on top of me, his weight calming. He murmurs unintelligible words
between kisses on my neck. I stroke his wavy hair and stare up at the stars. Which one did he come from? Which one did I?
Why does it feel like we came from the same one?
We lie there like that for what could be minutes or hours. Finally, Dayton groans and rolls off me, erupting into joyous
laughter for no reason at all, and I can’t help but join in. Then he stands, scoops me over his shoulder, and carries me into the
surf.
After we wash, we collapse back down on the small grassy patch around the palm tree, both staring up into the sky.
Dayton entwines our fingers. “I don’t want you to leave tomorrow.”
My breath catches. “Me neither.”
“There’re so many other places we could do this! There are thousands of isles in Summer. We should make it our goal to do
this on all of them.” He rolls over and gives me a wild grin.
Now, my breathing quickens. He wants to keep doing this with me. He doesn’t want me to leave.
I knew it. I knew Dayton felt the same way.
Facing him, I gently run my hand along his cheek. “Let’s do it. A thousand places. Even if it takes us forever.”
Dayton laughs. “Forever is a very long time.”
The words I want to say feel too big for this little island, so I smile and stare into his turquoise eyes.
Forever isn’t long enough if I’m with you.