a_l_mcintosh

From the world of the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.

Keep reading for a sneak peak.

Masdann, Unseelie Prince of Dreams, is visited by MacKayla Lane O'Connor, Queen of the Fae. During her visits to his court, she occasionally gets lost in dreams and possibilities. Eventually, Masdann begins crafting them for her as a tribute--particularly a long and lengthy one where she and her consort Jericho Barrons have a child.

If you've read any of these books, you know that Mac and Barrons having a child can't even begin to be described as 'interesting'.

It's Mac and Barrons so there is definitely some mature content.

--SNEAK PEAK--

It had been almost ten years since Barrons’s son had been here. There was still a stain on the ground from where he had ripped out my throat and I had bled out multiple times as my body had worked to restore itself. 

“I’m sorry,” I said softly as I felt the earth offer and begin to replenish me. He shifted closer and took my hand. “I don’t like this room, either.”

“Just hurry up and replenish, Mac,” he told me. “That stain on the floor forces me to remember watching you repeatedly die. It’s filling me with the need to fuck you.”

I smiled and laid my head on his shoulder as I said, “Everything fills you with the need to fuck me.”

He snorted a laugh and slanted me a look, saying, “Yes, because nothing makes you want to take me anywhere, anytime. Remembering holding you as you repeatedly bled out shortly after you admitted you should have voluntarily fucked me *really* fills me with the need to fuck you.” I was chuckling by the time he got to the end of his sentence and I opened my eyes to see him smiling down at me. 

I smiled back up at him before I said, “It’s been—what? almost ten years since I stumbled into the bookstore?”

“Something like that.”

“It’s been almost ten years since I met you,” I said as I squeezed his hand. My voice was just above a whisper. “Ten years and I am still ripped-down-raw in love with you, Jericho Barrons.”

Barrons was exultant, and I couldn’t breathe when I saw something I’d only seen once before in his eyes: joy. The only other time I’d seen it was when I’d lied to him because I wanted him to have some peace of mind. He’d known I was lying but hadn’t cared; I’d lied because I loved him. 

“These past ten years with you have been the best of my life,” he told me and I preened as I grinned; he’d lived a very long life.

“I want it to always be like this,” I told him. “I at least want to always feel this way when I look at you.”

“What do you feel, Rainbow Girl?” 

“Complete,” I said after a moment of thought so I could find the right word. 

He was still exultant when he leaned down and kissed me, tender at first before growing hot and hungry.

“I seriously need to fuck you now, Mac,” he growled.

“Soon,” I assured him.

I preened a little when I thought about what he was looking at: a Barbie-lookalike he knew had knives hidden all over her with the Spear of Destiny and a gun holstered to her legs, rounds of ammunition in her pockets and belt.

A woman ready for anything and anyone that came at her. A woman he’d trained to be ready for anything. A woman who could drive him bugfuck crazy and was deeply and firmly embedded under his skin.

The woman who had been prepared to remake the world for him. The woman who existed outside of all rules for him. The mother of his child.

His beast saw its mate, a monster who could turn off every emotion so she could do what needed to be done.

Barrons saw his sun, moon, and stars. 

His Rainbow Girl. 

*His* woman. 

———————————

If you liked that, you should start reading. Major spoilers if you’ve never read the books. Most can be found on Amazon for less than $10. I recommend them to everyone I meet. This is still a good read if you haven’t read them. I give plenty of explanation throughout. 

Enjoy!

The Court of Dreams

(Anything in asterisks is meant to be italicized.)


She sat there for a moment, seeming to bask in the glow of what he had just shown her. Then she smiled at him and said, "That was incredible. Thank you."


He shrugged and said, "No need to thank me. That was your dream."


"Yes, but for some reason I don't remember ever dreaming it."


"I've discovered that to be quite common among humans."


She nodded before she studied him for a moment. As if reading his mind, she said, "She's almost ready. We're just teaching her a few more things. She asks about you a lot. But don't tell her I told you that. She'll be really embarrassed."


"Of course," Mac said with a laugh. "We couldn't not tell her why she existed or what we were preparing her for. Besides, she comes from me, which Barrons says means she's a born snooper."


"And she was okay with it? The reason for her creation?" he asked skeptically.


"Not at first," Mac admitted. "Then she saw Barrons and I together, how happy we are. And she and I had a long conversation. Several, actually. She's happy to have a purpose in life, and someone she can share it with. It's been…really weird, having conversations with someone who looks like me and sounds like me but isn't me."


"I know what you mean," he said with an incline of his head.


"Just take your time with her," she told him. "Let her feel things out first. You've had a few more years to find your place and become comfortable in your own skin." He inclined his head again. "If there's anyone who can get her through her entry into this world, it's you."


He smiled and said, "I am grateful for your confidence in me, and the time you've spent with me. I know my existence startled you at first, but I am glad you've begun to feel more comfortable in my presence."


"It's like you said," she told him. "I can see the differences between the two of you. You smile and laugh more than he does. Of course there are others, but that's what I first noticed." He suddenly looked away from her and smiled after a second, his feathers ruffling a little.


"It seems Barrons is here for you," he said as he turned back to her. Then he looked away again, an eyebrow arching slightly. "It seems he's feeling very impatient today."


"He ate earlier but we haven't had a chance to be alone yet," she explained, her face flushing a little.


"Then I will give this to you here," he said before he went over to an armoire by the mother-of-pearl doors, opening a drawer and pulling something out. It was wrapped in a starry black velvet bag. "It's the dream I concocted for you, based on mutual and more or less unspoken desires shared between you and Barrons. I know you love to read which is why I made it in the form of a book so you may enjoy it as often as possible. You'll find smaller ones in there as well for the dreams and possibilities you've previously experienced here. However, I must caution you against letting any humans read them. They will seem much too real. I also advise keeping them in the bag when you're not enjoying them. It's enchanted. Fae objects, as you know, tend to evolve and take on a life of their own."


"I look forward to reading them," she told him as she accepted the starry bag, "as well as to receiving your answer to my latest invitation to join my high council."


"You'll have it when I meet her," he told her softly. 


"Soon then," she said with a satisfied smile. She took his proffered hand and they sifted to the wall of fog before he escorted her through it.


Lucid Four, Chapter Thirteen