Steal the Moon

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“It worked,” Declan said with wonder in his voice. He’d stepped forward but not too close, as though he was unsure he should get too near whatever had taken over Dev’s body.

Good to know he was a little scared.

“Zoey, it’s fine.” Padric kept his voice calm, trying to reassure me. “He won’t hurt you.”

I wasn’t so damn sure about that. Dev sported completely green eyes and spoke with a voice that didn’t sound like him. His eyes had no white at all, a bit like Daniel’s when his beast was off the leash. His hair had grown, too, as though all that magic pouring off him had to change him in some way. It had been at the top of his neck just past his ears before, but now it was thicker and hit past his shoulders. He was a gorgeous god of a man. If he was still a man at all. He studied me with great curiosity, and I knew it wasn’t my Dev who stared at me. I used my feet to push away from him, thinking to go off the other side of the altar. When I got to the ground, I could run.

His hand shot out, catching my ankle and pulling me back to him.

“Do not run,” he said, his voice deep and dark. “This one’s instincts are to chase you, to bend you to his will. They’re quite powerful. I don’t know if I can resist them. I’m stronger than he is, but I’m not sure how to use this body yet. I do not wish to harm you.”

“Zoey,” Declan was speaking now. “Relax, it is Dev. This is the ascension. He did it.”

I shook my head because it wasn’t Dev. And I really didn’t give a shit about the ascension.

“I am Devinshea,” the man above me said with a thick Irish brogue. “I’m Dev and something more.” He was looking at my body, his eyes more than curious now. They were hot and his body was aroused, the cock I knew so well swelling again.

“Yeah, well, it’s the ‘more’ part I’m scared of.” I tried to fight my instinct to run. I wished like hell I had some damn clothes on. It hadn’t bothered me before, but now I felt so vulnerable.

“She was not prepared for this?” The god in my lover asked, his mouth curling down as he frowned back at Padric and Declan. “You sent her into this unaware and ignorant. Perhaps you were looking to bond this one with another god. I do not take advantage of mortals. If she does not consent, then I will leave this bonding.”

Padric shook his head. “Please don’t. I do not understand, My Lord. My…the prince is very thorough. I assure you he followed every rule and tradition of this ritual. He would never have allowed her to come into it ignorant.”

“I might not have been listening,” I admitted even as I tried to gently pull away. “I don’t always do as I’m told.”

“No goddess worth her salt would,” he said with a chuckle, relaxing again. “I believe you about the priest.” His hand slid from my chest to my naval, where the little ring I’d put in glinted in the light. He seemed fascinated by it. He gazed at the two gems on either side of the ring. “The emerald is for this one, for Devinshea. Who is the sapphire for? Ahh. Very intriguing. A vampire? You have interesting tastes. And he’s your partner? No, I do not mind. I do not mind at all. You are in control. I am merely a guest, priest.”

I was pretty sure he wasn’t talking to me. It’s odd to have a conversation with someone who has two people in their body.

He smiled fondly down at me and pulled me close, wrapping my legs around his waist. I could feel his release had done nothing to curb his appetite. He was huge and pressed against my core, though he made no moves to impale me yet. “The priest loves the ring. He’s very aroused by it. He says your vampire will enjoy it as well.”

“I’m glad he likes it.” I tried to relax because it didn’t look like I would be going anywhere soon.

He seemed content for the moment to run his hands along my skin and rub his face in my hair. The magic was softer now, warming my skin and making me the slightest bit drunk. “Do not fight me, sweet goddess. It’s been so long since I held soft flesh in my arms. It feels so good to have a body again. Your lover is here. I would not shut him out.” His eyes were thoughtful for a moment as though he was listening for something. “He wants to know where you were when someone named Ingrid told you this could happen. He wants to know what you were daydreaming about. I don’t know what that means exactly.”

I laughed because Dev was definitely in there. I did remember now she had said something about ancient gods and taking their aspects, but it had seemed like one of those non-literal things at the time, like calling Dev a fertility god because his magic came from sex. He was actually mortal, but now I wondered about the god part.

This particular ancient god smiled down at me as he played with my hair, his fingers stroking lightly. “He’s so grateful to you, Zoey. He knows you did not want that…what is a brat?”

“He’s talking about his brother,” I replied.

Dev’s lips kissed my forehead and while I wasn’t sure about the whole “god taking over his body” thing, it felt really good. He was being so gentle and loving, and I needed that after the brutal pleasure of before. I needed to be reminded he loved me. I could play all the parts he required and I enjoyed it, but after I wanted his sweetness and care.

I felt something tickle my hands, and when I looked down I saw the marigolds had exploded as though they had multiplied. They were rich, perfect blooms that should have been planted in fertile ground. They weren’t dying flowers. The magic was gentler now, but it still filled my lungs and hummed along my skin.

“Yes, he is pleased to have proven him wrong. It is often like that with brothers,” he said. “Devinshea wants you to know he understands why you went to him. He was faltering and you pulled him back. He couldn’t have done this without you. He also wants you to never do it again. He’s possessive for a priest. I find him an interesting host.”

“May we know your name, My Lord?” Padric asked carefully, as though the answer would tell him something important.

“I am Bris,” he replied absently, kissing my ear. He ran his tongue along the shell, and I shuddered in response. His hands found their way to my breasts, and he cupped them as he sighed in appreciation. I felt my nipples harden as he brushed his thumbs across the tips.

My female parts were all warming right back up again.

“Yes,” Padric said with satisfaction. “We hoped it would be you. It seemed a good match because you are right. The prince is not an ordinary priest. Zoey, Bris is a revered Irish god of fertility and agriculture. He is also known to be gentle. My Lord, I hope you find our prince a good match.”

He turned to the two Fae watching the scene with rapt intensity. I felt the loss of his attention and my head fell forward against his chest. His arms went around me to support me, cradling me close, surrounding me with his tenderness. “He is worthy. He’s mortal but strong, and his goddess is certainly most worthy. She’s lovely and feminine and so fertile. I’ve been dormant for a long time. I feel the world has changed. This language I’m speaking is odd. I’ve not heard it before. Am I not in my homeland? The land looks strange.”

“You’re in a country called America,” Declan explained. “It did not exist before.”

The god laughed and pulled me closer, as though he enjoyed the warmth of my body against his skin. His hands moved on me constantly, petting my hair, stroking down my back, caressing my breasts, as though he couldn’t get enough of me. “Perhaps its name didn’t exist, but the land did. You’re arrogant, but you’re a royal so it’s to be expected. Why has it taken so long for a host to appear? Is my magic no longer needed?”

“We left this plane.” Padric’s voice was sad as though he missed his former home. “The world changed too much for the Fae, and we sought refuge elsewhere. Our numbers are few now and your magic is needed more than ever. We lost the only one of our kind with fertility magic. Devinshea is the first in many generations to show an aptitude. We feared his mortality would displease you.”

“Nothing about this displeases me,” the man in Dev’s body said as he leaned down and kissed my lips. His tongue licked along the seam of my mouth, pouring magic into me. I was drowsy with that magic. Any urge I had to fight him was gone completely. “I’ve always preferred mortals. His mortality enhances his passions. Immortals tend to be less fiery. This one knows he must live while he can, and it makes him vital. He loves this female so much. It flows through him. I enjoy the feeling, the emotion.”

His fingers touched my chin, tipping my face up to gaze at him. “Please do not be afraid, little one. He is here. I’m staying, but I won’t take his place. I’ll strengthen him and he’ll share his passions with me. I’m lonely. I have been for millennia. Do not deny us. I can help you all. I can make this one strong for the fight. Yes, he is explaining everything to me and you should know that I will stand with you and with the vampire. I will be your truest friend.”

I was thinking it would be impossible to deny him anything right now because I needed. I needed so much. The magic was draining me of everything including my strength and certainly my will. It was leaving me with one thing and one thing only, the urge to meld with him, to be one with him.

“Zoey,” Dev’s voice cajoled. I sighed because now I knew he was with me. His voice was smooth. Maybe he wasn’t alone, but he was here and I trusted him to take care of me. “Zoey, relax. The hard part is over. The rest is pleasure. Let me thank you, my beautiful goddess. I would have failed without you.”

Dev lowered me to the altar and got to his knees, pulling my feet onto his shoulders and kissing me where I needed it the most. He pressed my knees apart, giving himself full access. His tongue licked all along my pussy, eagerly lapping up the cream of my arousal. I looked down between my legs where he was worshipping me now and saw his eyes were still not his own. This was Dev and something more, but I no longer cared as his tongue pressed against my clitoris, delicately at first and then with sweet, firm pressure. I moaned as my juices began to flow, coating his tongue and causing me to press against his mouth.

“You are sweeter than the mead,” he said, his voice deeper than usual, and I knew Bris was back in control. “And so much more intoxicating.”

He slid a long finger into my pussy, expertly finding my sweet spot and rubbing it. He slid a second finger in and stretched me gently. Those fingers scissored inside me and I shook with arousal. His tongue whirled around my clit, making it swell and beg for release. My back arched as his tongue and finger found a perfect rhythm, and I exploded against his mouth.

The magic was in full effect again and the wolves began to howl. Declan stepped back—or rather Padric pulled him back.

Before I could recover from the orgasm, he was climbing on top of me, spreading my knees and guiding his cock into me. As he worked himself into my slick pussy, he leaned over and kissed me, letting me taste myself on his mouth.

He thrust in as far as he could go. His body covered mine, chest to chest, my legs around his waist, arms holding him close. His tongue came out, licking along my lips before delving deep. But this was sweet, soft, in a way it had never been before.

I was being worshipped, and it felt so good.

“You are my goddess,” he whispered in my ear as his hips set a soft rhythm. I lay back, completely unwilling to fight him. I let him do whatever he wanted to me. I was his slave in that moment. “You are our goddess.”

The god in Dev’s body went up on his knees, pulling my legs around his waist, and began fucking me in earnest now. His hands were on my hips, holding me where he wanted me. He pounded himself in, his head thrown back, and the magic started to pulse against me.

I wanted to cry that it was too much, that my every nerve ending was raw and I couldn’t take another minute of this pleasure, but I could. I gave myself over to it and moaned as the man over me ground himself against my clit and released his semen with a shout. He pressed against me even as his need waned, trying to keep the connection, but he finally let his body rest against mine. Dev looked at me with a happy, tired smile.

“I love you,” he said as he let his head fall against my neck.

His heavy weight pushed my body into the cushion beneath me. I was sleepy as I let my arms wind around his neck. Everything seemed so far away now as his heart beat against mine. It was almost easy to forget that we’d done anything but make love. I didn’t think about the fact that there had been an audience or that Dev now had a deity living inside him. While his heart pounded against mine, it was easy to believe we were just two people who loved each other and needed each other.

Declan pulled me out of that fantasy.

“He could have done it with any female,” Declan was saying to Padric. “This proves nothing except that he had fantasies I never dreamed he would have.”

“Are you insane, Declan?” Padric shot back, his voice proving his annoyance with the younger man. “He would have failed had it not been for Zoey’s intervention. Did you see the way Bris reacted to her? He was completely enamored. He couldn’t resist her.”

“Well, after what she did to my brother, can you blame him?” Declan said. “I’m enamored, too.”

“I saw the way you reacted. Did you forget to wear the charm that kept us safe from the lust magic, Your Highness?”

“I am wearing the charm, Padric, but it did not make me blind,” Declan declared. “She was filthy. She was truly disgusting. It was beautiful. She is so small, but she managed to take all of him. I would never have imagined she could do that. He had to be halfway down her throat. I take back what I said. Any woman who can do that is worth fighting your brother over.”

“But you don’t think she is a proper goddess?”

Declan sighed. “I think my brother is still young. Why should he be tied to one woman? She will expect that from him. She will expect him to be faithful. He should be with a Fae girl who will be more realistic. He is a priest of the old ways. What will it be like for her when we go home? Our people will be shocked when she is unwilling to allow him sexual freedom. Bris is not going anywhere. Dev can keep the god and his freedom.”

Dev raised his head wearily from my body and shook his head at his brother. “Stop fighting, the two of you. Padric, give it up. He won’t give consent, and I no longer give a damn.” Dev kissed my lips and pushed up. He got to his knees and grinned down at me. “Are you all right, my goddess?”

I nodded, feeling a little more energetic now that the magic was gone. “Is Bris still there?”

At least now I understood what Daniel had been talking about.

Dev’s smile was wide and let me know he was thrilled with the outcome of the evening. “He’s with me. He’s content to stay with us. Zoey, he’s here, but I’m in control. I’m here with you. I can call on his strength but still be myself.” He chuckled as he leaned down and dropped a kiss on the ring in my belly button. “This is ridiculously sexy. Tell me Daniel hasn’t seen it.”

“Not yet,” I admitted.

“He will lose his mind,” Dev said, obviously looking forward to it.

“You aren’t mad?” I asked, thinking about Declan, who was being a complete ass.

Dev didn’t bother to feign misunderstanding. “It doesn’t matter. He can pretend, but I know what I am. I no longer need his approval.” He pushed himself off the altar and reached down. When he came back up, he was wearing his white pants and had my dress in his hands.

“Come along, my goddess,” he commanded, pulling me up. When I was in a seated position, he drew the gown over my head and arranged it properly on my body. He had to reach into the gown to draw my breasts into the right position. “I wish I had a camera. It’s not traditional in Fae culture to take pictures on a night such as this, but I wish we had them. You’re so beautiful. My beautiful goddess.”

Padric was scowling at Declan. “You are seriously going to deny what you have seen tonight?”

“Padric, stop,” Dev commanded, not taking his eyes off me. “It doesn’t matter. He can deny it all he likes. It changes not a whit of what happened tonight. It merely means I will not be returning to Faery with him. I do not need to. Look at how the lesser Fae have embraced her.”

Padric stepped closer, and I heard his startled intake of breath.

Dev grinned down at me. “Don’t be startled, my goddess, but the pixies have come to welcome you.”

“What?” I didn’t understand until I glanced out of the corner of my eye.

Butterflies were everywhere. They clung to me. They landed on my dress and my skin and in my hair. They were startlingly glorious shades of blue and green and yellow. I lifted my hand close to my face. A huge butterfly with sapphire and amethyst wings rested there. When it was close enough for me to see the details of the insect’s face, I realized Dev was correct. These were not butterflies. The winged creature stared back at me with an almost human face. He bowed his head to me and I turned to Dev, not knowing what to think of the action.

The pixies had landed on him as well, paying close attention to the midnight waterfall of his hair. “Say hello, Zoey. They’re welcoming their goddess.” He lifted his hand and greeted the smaller Fae. “It’s good to see you, pixies. I promise I will bring you fertility. I will be your good priest.”

Their wings fluttered in anticipation.

Wonder filled me as I took in the sight of pixies flying all around, a cloud of colors. “They’re so beautiful, Dev.”

“Yes, they are, my goddess, and they’re ours,” he replied with a satisfied voice. “I wish you luck, Declan. The pixies have made their choice. I’ll be staying on this plane with my true goddess, and I don’t doubt that others shall follow the pixies’ lead.” He breathed in the night air and let it out as he helped me from the altar. His smile was only for me now. “We’ll have to do some renovations or perhaps change our residence. I expect the pixies will follow us and the brownies not long after that. Once the sidhe realize my brother has denied a true fertility god, they’ll seek us out as well. He can be the king of an empty sithein.”

Padric had had enough. “By rights given me by the queen, I am taking over the ceremony. Queen Miria gives her royal consent to these proceedings. She welcomes your goddess as she would a daughter. Will you allow me to finish the ceremony so it can be made legal?”

Dev inclined his head, giving his consent.

“Zoey, take his arm,” Padric commanded as he unwound a long length of golden rope.

“No, sweetheart, like this,” Dev corrected gently and he moved my hand from his palm up to his elbow, aligning them. Our arms lay against each other, and Padric wound the gold chain around us, binding our arms together.

“Zoey, do you wish to be this priest’s goddess? You will be the maker of his magic, the keeper of his spirit, and the protector of his heart. You will hold nothing back from him and give him every piece of you, the good and the bad, the light and the darkness. You will be mother to his children. You will be his partner, his love, his goddess in all things. Are these vows you enter willingly and with an open heart?”

The only part that worried me was the part about the children, but that might have already been decided for me. I answered Padric solemnly. “I do.”

Padric turned to Dev. “High Priest, this is your true goddess. Do you take her? You will be her provider, her defender, her lover. You will pour your magic into her and be grateful for that magic flows only from her. You will hold nothing back from her but give her every piece of you, the good and the bad, the light and the darkness. You will be father to her children. You will be her partner, her love, her god in all things. Are these vows you make willingly and with an open heart?”

“I do,” Dev replied, looking down on me with a satisfied smile.

Padric shifted his attention to Declan who had watched the proceedings with a sort of weary resignation. “Do I have to fight you for the chain?”

He shook his head. “No, I will do it.”

He pulled a golden chain from his pocket. It glowed in the soft light from the torches. The pixies had landed on our joined hands and their wings fluttered at the sight of the Goddess Chain. Declan let the medallion drop so all could see it hanging from his hand. While the jeweler who had made the copy might have had all the surface elements right, that copy didn’t shine the way the real one did. It was stunning, and I knew the minute I saw it that it was mine.

Declan crossed to me and put the chain over my head. He gently arranged my hair around it and pulled the medallion into the proper place.

“Welcome, my sister.” He kissed me lightly on the cheek. “I welcome you to our family and wish you every happiness in your union.”

My eyes shot to Dev, who looked like a man who had just gotten everything he wanted. It all fell into place for me, and I was going to kill Daniel because he knew I had completely misunderstood the situation and he let me walk into it anyway.

I tried to make my question soft and merely academic because it wasn’t like Devinshea had tried to hide anything. I was just that stupid. I was really, really stupid. “Baby, did I just get married again?”

He stared at me for a moment, confusion plain on his face. “You have got to be kidding me.”

I winced as he unwound the rope and let go of my hand. “Unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath. “Padric, take care of my wife. I need a moment.”

Declan gave me a “told you so” smile. “I knew there would be trouble.”

I ignored him and ran off after my husband.