Hell on Wheels (Faetal Attraction #1)

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I make my way through the crowd, standing in the circle surrounding the Bombers. Rogue and Anita are spinning on the trick poles like they’re in a strip club, and the cheers are deafening. This isn’t unlike either of them, but I guarantee some of Dragonfly’s rebellion tonight is about Reb being so domineering. She doesn’t enjoy being caged, and her stepbrother is desperately trying to put as many barriers as possible between her and anyone who might have accepted that fucking contract.

Damon swears he’s working on tracing the original post on the dark web layers, but that takes time unless we figure out access to a much stronger network or a supercomputer. I’ve put a call into my parents to see if they can use their large donations to CSU to arrange a time for D to use their multi-million dollar quantum processor, but I haven’t heard yet.

That’s not surprising… Esmerelda and Diego are infamous for ignoring my existence unless they need an heir to prance about in front of their Society friends. If I don’t hear soon, I’ll do something they can’t ignore. It’s the only way I can force them to respond, though I despise having to behave like a recalcitrant child.

“Take it off!”

The shout from the crowd picks up quickly, turning into a loud chant before I can register where it came from. I wouldn’t put it past one of Mina’s minions to encourage Rogue to do something that might violate her contracts. A strip tease video would certainly ruffle the feathers of the Society, if not her team management. I can’t let her feed off the energy in this mass of people and make a decision she’ll regret later. Her succubus side is probably champing at the bit because of the lust in the air as it is.

“Dragonfly,” I say as I walk up to her. She’s upside down on the pole, her hands gripping it as she spreads her legs in an invert. “Maybe we should take a brief break from the limelight, eh? You look thirsty.”

She snorts, twisting her body into another position, and I have to duck a skate. “I can’t imagine why you’d show up right as people are hooting for me to get naked. Reb is probably off acting like I have to be a nun and he dispatched the most passive friend he could.”

Passive? Oh, she has not been paying attention.

“I weigh the probabilities before I act, but that doesn’t make me passive. You’re looking at it… upside down.”

“That was bad , Javi. Ugh.” Rogue flips to her feet gracefully before she gives me an irritated expression. “I don’t react well to being caged without my consent, and Reb knows it. Danger comes and goes—I won’t let the terrorists win their campaign. Hiding isn’t my style.”

I grab her hand, lifting her knuckles to my lips playfully. “That doesn’t mean you have to be foolish. You can go out and have fun without letting the bastards grind you down without risking your ass. The two things are not mutually exclusive.”

“Fine. Show me a good time, King. Prove your thesis or be gone with you.” Her eyes dance as she turns on her heel, using her grasp on mine to tug me over to an empty VIP table in the corner.

What the hell am I going to do now?

Following her into the booth, I scoot until we’re sitting next to each other. Her lips quirk and she bats her lashes. “Now what, arbiter of safe fun? Shall we continue the game from the other night?”

“Do you mean the one where you drank all of us under the table? I’m not sure that’s a smart plan. This place is packed and Reb’s meeting with Sariah and her girl. I don’t want to carry you out when we leave.”

Rogue waves her hand at the server to call them over. “I suggest you gird your loins, Mr. Proper. If we have to sit here and watch the party, we’re going to get schnockered, whether you like it or not.”

The poor server recognizes her, so I watch them chatter for a few minutes before Dragonfly instructs her to bring a fairy princess cart to the table. The girl sneaks a look at me and giggles, then takes off.

This is very, very bad.

“I don’t think a fairy princess cart is a good idea…” I start, feeling the fire in my veins flicker to life as I think about it. “That’s a bit much , Dragonfly. Plus, the rest of them are going to murder me if I let you?—”

“ Let me ?” Her growl is dark and I blink. It doesn’t sound like her normal fury. “Javier Emil King, I will not tell you fools again. You. Don’t. Own. Me.”

I shake my head ruefully. “I’m well aware of that. But a fairy princess cart?”

Before I can talk her out of it, the girl returns with a mischievous grin. She’s pushing the fancy looking cart full of Fae drinks and treats carefully—the slightest jostle could send dust into the air and wreak havoc with the other patrons. Everyone knows to avoid these like the plague unless you plan on getting so thrashed you barely remember your name, but Rogue isn’t your typical woman.

Also, she’s Dark Unseelie and this shit won’t affect her nearly as much as it will me. That's her gambit.

“Javier Emil King, do you accept my challenge?” Her expression is playful, but I know she’s deadly serious. Using my full name means she’s asking for definitive consent, and I can’t ignore what that might mean.

I’m surprised, maybe, but not stupid enough to decline.

“I do, Rogue Olive Kelly.” A sharp elbow connects with my ribs when I say her middle name and I laugh. “Why is it that your people can make such a big deal of everyone else’s name, but you get pissed if we reciprocate?”

She picks up a delicate pink and green petit four , holding it up for me. “There’s power in a true name, Javi, particularly for us. The names you know are only the ones given to us by a witch and a Brownie—our true names are only known to one another. Even the Society knows not to list them in our documents. So the most powerful elements are protected, sure, but you don’t need a nuke to drive a nail. A lower magic user can do damage with the full ‘normie’ name as well.”

I take a bite, considering when I hear my full name—outside of her and Rebel. Even when it’s not a Fae, the use of my entire name is typically reserved for my disappointed parents or some legal form. It makes sense that other species have picked up the Fae’s aversion to giving that kind of power away. “Okay. I’ll use Dragonfly instead.”

“Good boy,” she chuckles, winking at me. “How does that taste?”

“Like fucking springtime in cake form. How the hell do you people do this shit?” I swallow and a warm, languid feeling spreads through my limbs immediately.

“It’s in our blood.” Her eyes dance and she pops a midnight blue cake with stars on it into her mouth with a moan that makes my cock jump. “I prefer the Midnight Court’s version because, even though I can’t remember, it tastes like home.”

My head buzzes a little as I accept the martini glass of light colored alcohol she lifts from the cart despite the fog and sparkles emanating from it. “I’m only familiar with the Spring Court—which I’d guess these are from—and the Winter Court.”

Rogue snorts. “Rumors and garbage. There are Seelie and Unseelie. The Seelie prefer the warmer climes, which is why everyone thinks they are summer and spring. Unseelie are seen as darker and more unforgiving, so they are relegated to Winter and Fall. Death touches us all, so the assignation of morals based on what weather we prefer is simplistic at best.”

I sip my drink, tasting sunshine and meadows. “So correct the gossip. I’m a captive audience—something I hear your people also prefer.”

Her face turns bright red and she mutters something I don’t catch before she nods. “Okay. Like everyone else, we have inherently good and inherently bad people in both races. The majority are more ambiguous, just like humans or other supe groups. However, if you’re looking for our classification system, it won’t match what legends and media tell you.”

After selecting a purple bonbon, she pauses as she chews, clearly deciding how to explain. “There are Seelie and Unseelie. Royals, royal adjacents, craftsman, artisans, academics, and healers are part of all Fae life. But when we look at who’s in charge—the royals—we prefer the Midnight Court, the Daybreak Court, the Harvest Court, and the Court of Reaping.”

I didn’t expect her to be so candid about Fae life. Usually, their kind won’t even speak of life in the Faerie on this side of the divide.

“Will you get in trouble for telling me this?” I ask. She shrugs and pours herself a glass that looks like it’s filled with something poured from the heart of a glacier. “Rogue, will you get in trouble?”

“Only if you tell anyone. I can share with specific people at specific times. I’m choosing you now because you asked me,” she replies. The sip she takes must be ice cold because she shivers and gives me a delighted look. “I rarely partake in the Court of Reaping’s goodies, but this is amazing.”

Leaning in, I tilt the glass towards me and take a drink. The icy blast on my tongue is amazing. I look into her eyes as I savor the flavor, watching her cheeks pinken slightly. Fae magic is swirling in my body and it makes the tattoos on her skin illuminate without the help of black light. When I pull away, my eyes catch on something I couldn’t see before I consumed the faerie treats: mating marks.

“Dragonfly!” I whisper as I look around us carefully for any lurkers. “You… There are… you have three mate marks.”

Have I lost my chance? Who did this?

This time, her face turns scarlet, and all the Fae tattoos glow eerily. “I… I do.”

“Rebel is going to lose his fucking mind .” Muttering as I run a hand through my hair, I feel the fire in my gut roar in fury. The phoenix is pushing its way out, demanding to be recognized by the girl in front of me. I swallow hard, unsure what to do. Whoever dared to mate with her is going to have a tough row to hoe, particularly when Rebel finds out. And multiple mates are always a struggle at the beginning, unless their families are polyamorous by species.

She crosses her arms over her chest and I have to look away to keep the fire from dancing over my skin. “Rebel can get fucked. No one asked for his opinion and if I wanted it, I’d beat it out of him in the ring.”

“Why the fuck didn’t we think of that before now?” I shake my head, realizing that putting the two of them in a sparring ring when they’re fighting might have prevented what is sure to be a nuclear event. “Nevermind. Tell me who.”

“No.”

I frown. “Why the hell not?”

Her lips curve as she tosses back the rest of the icy martini. “Because it’s none of your business.”

“It most certainly is!” Shit. That popped out before I could stop it.

“Uh-huh. What makes you think my sex life is your business, Javi King?” Her smirk is satisfied as she nibbles one of the Spring Court cakes daintily.

“Well, I…” My brain is much slower than normal, and I have no idea what the right answer is at this moment. “It just is !”

Way to sound like an idiot, Javi.

“It absolutely is not , unless you’re trying to become part of it.” Rogue holds up a Midnight court treat and I bite into it with a groan.

Fuck, her people taste like stars and sin.

“Well, I…”

My friend’s stepsister heaves a giant sigh as though I’m the most tiresome person she’s ever met. In a blink, she’s pushed me back onto the leather seat of the booth, ranging over me as she presses the tip of a sharp Fae blade to my throat. “Don’t make me stab you. Something tells me you’d like it.”

Her guess is right, and how she knew I’m fond of the dangerous end of pain play, I can’t say. No one else has ever expected it, and I typically have to be quite selective of bedroom partners to ensure my safety. I swallow and the enchanted blade nicks my skin, drawing another soft moan out of me. Her lips curve as she sits directly on my growing dick, her long rainbow Rapunzel-like ponytails spilling over her shoulders.

I’m being dommed by fucking Sailor Moon, I goddamned swear.

“Ahhhh. So I’m right. You do like to live on the edge.” Another sigh. “Unfortunately, we’re nowhere near an actual room, so the knife I tucked in my skate is the only toy available. However, if you’re a good boy and admit what your body is already telling me, I might be tempted to play somewhere more adventurous another day.”

“And who’s marked you?” I take a chance that given the overload of horniness I’m feeling, she might be affected by her succubus side as well. After all, I’ll be feeding her for sure.

“Someone has their big boy pants on,” she mutters as she swivels her hips twice. “But, yes, I’ll tell you and I’ll take you to my personal room at Pretty in Kink .”

It’s hard to make my brain work as she strokes the blade down the column of my neck slowly, but I force myself to mumble, “ You own a room at Pretty in Kink ?”

“Baby, I am a room at PK. I helped the owner get their funding and design it. You boys think you know me so well, but you only saw what you wanted to see: the out of reach little sister. I’m a three-dimensional woman , Javi, and I grew up a long time ago.”

We sure as fuck have to see her now. Goddamn.

“I’m in,” I whisper.

“Oh, goody!” Rogue bounces on me, full of a bubbly enthusiasm that has to be from the narcotic Fairy Cart. “There are too many people to get naked, so I’m going to make do. Lie still, darling birdy, and I’ll give you what you need.”

My phoenix stretches inside, spreading its wings as it fuels the need pumping through me. “Yes, ma’am.”

That makes her eyes darken from their usual rainbow color to a deep, swirling black. I know the second her succubus takes control, because the air gets thick with her lust fog. Every cell in my body is screaming for her to move, touch me, do anything to ease the influx of pure heat raging inside of me. Her tongue darts out to lick her lower lip slowly, and I know she can feel the need seeping out of me.

“Very good.” Her voice is almost a purr, and she sits back on her haunches. The knife moves from my jugular to slice through the fabric of my shirt. Once it’s pushed aside, Rogue bends to lick from my belly button to my sternum. “I know we’re on a clock, birdy, but damn… you’ve been hiding a lot from the group.”

I nod, watching her trail the knife down my chest to the button on my pants. She flicks the button open with the tip and unzips my fly with a lascivious grin. “I lied when we played the game.”

“Yes, you did. You may have tied a partner up, but it wasn’t because you wanted it. Someone told you to, but you don’t want them to know your… proclivities.” Her hand wraps around my cock, giving it a few pumps before sliding her fingertips over the steel balls of my piercing. “ And your dick is pierced more than once.”

Lifting my hips to push further into her palm, I groan as pleasure courses through me. “Yes.”

“I’d punish you, but we’re just so limited in this place.” My eyes pop open and I watch her pout as she nicks two lines along my Adonis belt. “I suppose I’ll have to save that for later. For now, I think I’d prefer to get us off.”

Hell yes, please.

“Javier Emil King, I’m going to fuck the living shit out of you,” Rogue murmurs as she does some clothing gymnastics to put my dick against her soaked pussy. “Hold on tight.”

When she sinks down on me, I almost lose it immediately. Between the succubus fog and her teasing, I’m struggling, but I won’t let go until she gives me permission. Her hips rock as she lifts and drops, bouncing hard enough to make her teeth rattle. My hands stay in place, gripped in fists at my sides as I fight the phoenix to keep it from bursting free. “Holy fuck, Dragonfly…”

“I can feel it, you know,” she gasps as I thrust upward to meet her. “Your fiery friend wants to play, and you’re keeping him caged.”

Blinking in shock, I nod wordlessly.

“Let him fly free, birdy. I can handle it.” Leaning forward as she rides me, she bites my earlobe and rubs the blade along my neck. “I enjoy playing with fire.”

Son of a bitch.

I close my eyes, allowing my phoenix to take over. Fire travels along my limbs, licking over both of us as she throws her head back and lets out a dark moan. This is insanely risky, but I can’t stop—everything about this girl is consuming me in both body and soul. A loud screech echoes in my head when I hit the peak, gritting my teeth to keep from coming before she tells me to.

A sharp sting at my collarbone makes me open my eyes and when I look over at the Fae riding my dick like a mechanical bull, she’s licking bloody lips. Our eyes meet and the phoenix cries out again in my mind. It wants to reciprocate, but that would mean…

Rogue grins with a mouthful of pointed Fae teeth. “This time, I was prepared for it. Burn with me as we come, birdy. I want you to.”

My arms lock around her immediately and I pull her down to place my lips just behind her pointed ear. As the fire brands her, I murmur softly to her. I never imagined I’d be doing this with Rogue Kelly, but the dark Gaelic she’s whispering in return tells me it’s real. Once the mark is sealed, I reach down to flick her clit as she rocks on me faster and harder. Her pleasure makes the fog almost suffocating, and within minutes, we’re both shouting as we orgasm.

Her sweaty brow and smug grin make my heart trip. “How did you…”

Spinning the blade in her palm, she shrugs. “I tripped over it the last three times. Why do you think I ordered a fairy cart? I had to loosen you up somehow.”

“Rogue Kelly, I think you took advantage of me!”

Throwing her head back, she cackles like a crazy woman. “I very specifically made you verbally consent multiple times, buddy. Cornerstone of our world and all.”

Our world.

“How do you suggest we clean up without everyone seeing the walk of shame?” I look down at where our bodies are joined with a sheepish grin.

“Oh! No problema!” She climbs off of me and adjusts her clothes, making another fire flicker inside of me. “I’ve picked up a few tricks, dirty birdy.”

With a flick of her wrist, a portal opens and I gape. “You owe me a shower and information.”

“All in good time, baby. Get your sweet ass in the portal and we’ll talk.”

I have a feeling this is going to be a good story.