Rorik snorted. “Jovanka wasn’t one of the people I meant. She would order me to be with you if it would help.”

  My brows furrowed as I stared at him and his sudden change in demeanor. “Then…?”

  “So many have fallen, fighting by my side. Others gave their lives in service to Tanaquill. Yet I survived when they did not. I don’t deserve happiness. I don’t deserve the honor of becoming consort.” He bowed his head. “I don’t deserve you.”

  I blinked in surprise. With his head bowed and his shoulders hunched, I realized I’d never had the faintest idea how deep his shame went. Seeing him now, I remembered that he’d mentioned it before, when we’d talked in the Last Queen’s chambers, and I’d told him then that he was deserving. As if that would be enough to prompt him to overcome the survivor’s guilt that had plagued him for over a thousand years. I hadn’t realized he thought himself unworthy of being consort, even to me, the girl shaping up to be the worst queen in Fae history. He’d generally treated me as if I was undeserving of the throne — how deep was his shame that he considered himself unworthy of even me?

  It was clear to me that I couldn’t let this strong warrior continue to think so poorly of himself, but I was even less prepared to tackle that than to convince him to become my consort. All I could do was wing it and hope for the best. Perhaps I needed to be his strength now, until he healed enough to recognize his own worthiness.

  “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  He might not have enough self-respect to see it, but I did. I’d longed for his approval this entire time while he also thought so little of himself. To find this similarity in us surprised me. What comfort could I give him in return?

  He straightened slightly at my words, and his hands came together in front of him, as though he wasn’t sure what to do with them. Yet he didn’t speak, and the tension built between us. Was I getting through to him? My apprehension was killing me, so I took a page from Angel’s book and used some humor to lighten the mood.

  “Besides, being my consort isn’t much of an honor.” I gave him a small smile. “But you do deserve happiness, Rory.”

  He sighed at the old nickname. Yet he still seemed distant and closed off from me. I’d failed somehow. I’d taken a wrong turn somewhere in this conversation, and I had no idea where.

  What I did know was it was his turn to talk. I couldn’t figure out what to say if he didn’t give me something to go on. “Talk to me, Rorik.”

  I winced as I felt the geas link him to me, forcing him to do what I commanded. Yet instead of feeling his angry winds around me, his lavender eyes fell to my lips.

  “I like it when you take charge.” His voice came out husky and low. “I like it when you use your geas over me.”

  My eyes widened. He’d been so offended that I’d placed him under my geas by healing him. But now he liked it? Nothing was ever straightforward with this Veela. His hands again twisted in front of him as though he held himself back. It was so strange to see Rorik act so hesitant.

  I tilted my head, remembering the way he’d looked at me in the Last Queen’s chambers when I’d ordered him to wait. Suddenly, it clicked, Jovanka’s words about how Rorik liked being told what to do springing to mind. He’d gone from hating the geas… to being excited by it.

  “You want me to…” I couldn’t believe it.

  “If you ever want to kiss me again…” His voice rumbled in his chest. He took a deep breath, as if bracing himself to finish the sentence. “You’ll have to make me.” The shiver that passed through him couldn’t be mistaken as anything other than sheer lust, which then spiked my arousal.

  He’d been so angry at me for putting the geas on him, but now he was basically daring me to use it? I couldn’t have imagined the turn this conversation would take, but I wouldn’t let this opportunity pass. I leaned in, playing my fingertips along his sensual lips. His eyes half-lidded, he stared at me through long eyelashes, waiting.

  “Kiss me,” I whispered, and the command took hold.

  He could do nothing but obey.

  He kissed me deeply and desperately. His thick lips covered mine as his hands came up to clutch at my arms. But then he broke away, avoiding my gaze and dropping his hands.

  I rocked back, completely confused. “I can’t tell what you want. One minute I think you want to become my consort, the next, I’m not so sure.”

  “Yes, my lady.” He bowed low. “I consent to becoming your consort.” His lavender eyes rose to mine in a challenging stare. “But only if you make me do it.”

  I stood still, turning over his words in my mind. He froze, too, as though afraid any movement might make me flee, or worse, tell him he wasn’t deserving after all.

  “You’ll become my consort… if I order you to?” From what I’d heard, the consort bond could only be formed through willing participation from both sides. Would the geas invalidate that?

  His eyes lit with excitement as he bowed his head. “You’ve seen Jovanka and me together. I prefer my lovers to take charge. Make me do what you demand. Anything you like, so long as it’s what you want.”

  To hear this powerful warrior’s seductive voice telling me to use him however I wanted simultaneously filled me with a sinking dread and a rising excitement. Rorik was centuries older than me, and I wasn’t the most experienced lover. I didn’t know what he might like.

  Then I tilted my head and observed him. The way he waited, holding his breath. No, I didn’t need to second guess myself. This was exactly what he liked. Surrendering to my whims and desires, never knowing what I might demand next. Letting go of his sense of responsibility and getting out of his head, where he dealt with so much doubt and self-recrimination, so that he could actually feel good for a change. I could give him that, simplify his life so all he needed to do was obey, at least for short periods of time. It would literally be my pleasure… as long as I knew for sure that’s what he wanted.

  “That’s a good idea.” I grinned. “Why don’t you start with an apology?”

  A smile crept out, cracking Rorik’s tough facade. He shook his head. “You’ll have to do better than that.”

  I raised my chin and gave him a heavy-lidded stare. Did he expect me to use the geas for everything? “You think I’ll give you what you crave when you haven’t given me what I need?”

  “Order me to apologize, and I will.”

  I shook my head. “No. I won’t make this so easy for you.”

  “Tell me what you want, my lady.” He still sounded contrite, yet there was a note of challenge in his voice.

  “An apology,” I said. “A sincere one.” Part of me wanted to let this go, the part that never rocked the boat. But we couldn’t embark on this relationship without wiping the slate clean first.

  “Make me.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “The bond needs a true connection, and I can’t feel connected to you without this. It has to be of your own free will, or I won’t believe you mean it. I can’t take control until you prove you respect me enough to have it. I need a sign of your commitment before you get what you want.”

  He stepped even closer to me, and every part of my body froze.

  “And what do I want?” he asked in a low voice that sent a zing of energy straight between my legs.

  I met his lavender gaze. “You want to surrender.”

  His lips curled up in a smile. “You’re right.” Then he looked away. “I apologize for disrespecting you in front of the other heir and her guards.”

  “And?” I asked. If that was all he was sorry for, being disrespectful in front of other people, I wasn’t sure that would be enough.

  He tilted his head. “I apologize for giving you such a lame apology before. I was a prideful fool. I apologize for denying you, denying my feelings for you. I’ll spend the rest of my days apologizing if it’ll make things right between us at last.”

  His words shocked me. That was… more of a commitment from him than I’d expected.

  “Now,” his voice was a growl, “make me beg you for forgiveness for taking so long to become your final consort.”

  His seductive voice ignited something within me. I’d desired him for so long, but I never thought I’d actually have him. Now he was telling me I could, but only if I took what I wanted.

  “Good idea,” I said. “I want you to beg me for forgiveness… while naked. Take off your clothes, Rory.”

  His lavender eyes now smoldered with desire. He didn’t break eye contact as he slowly reached for the ties binding his fabrics together. I held my breath.

  My eyes devoured his strong pectorals above a perfectly formed six-pack. He was every inch a warrior in his prime. And he wanted to do whatever I asked. No, whatever I commanded.

  As his fingers worked on the ties binding the fabric to his lower body, I realized this was what Rorik had always been pushing for. He’d needled me and belittled me, but it wasn’t to undercut me. It was to force me to become stronger — strong enough that I could put him in his place, that I could compel him to surrender to me. He wanted me to lead, so he could follow.

  To dominate, so he could submit.

  As the fabrics began to slide down his legs, I recognized the new sides of me that we could explore together. Even though Kenji, Angel, Lyall, and Nolan had helped me learn to take as well as give, I’d still been somewhat passive with all of them. With Lyall most of all, of course. He’d taken the lead and shown me how much pleasure I could have if I let him take over — now it was my turn to do the same with Rorik, to take everything I wanted and give only what I felt like giving, nothing more, certain in the knowledge that he preferred it that way.

  I’d never felt more powerful than this moment.

  In the back of my mind, I remembered people sometimes used safe words for fun like this, but that felt a little advanced for me. This was our first time together, and my first time doing anything like this. I wouldn’t ask him to do anything too crazy or go beyond what he was comfortable with.

  The geas could make his body obey, but if he showed any signs of struggling against it, I would stop. I’d never want to violate his limits — I knew all too well how that felt — but a tiny thrill of pure lust shot through me at the thought of pushing him right up against them, of having him at my mercy, of making him be the one to back down for once.

  Rorik stood naked before me, and my eyes drank in the sight. His powerful thighs and tattooed biceps made me wonder if he could lift me up and penetrate me as easily as Nolan had with his Duwende strength.

  I was a little surprised Rorik didn’t have tattoos elsewhere on his body, only his shoulders and upper arms. I circled him and saw that they did spill over somewhat onto his shoulder blades. When I came around beside him I stared openly at his delicious shaft, which rose strongly to attention. I longed to run my hand down his length, but not yet.

  I would take before I gave.

  That was what Rorik offered to me as my consort. Absolute surrender.

  “Well?” I said, breaking the lingering silence between us as Rorik stood passively waiting. “Beg me for forgiveness.”

  Forced by the geas, Rorik abruptly dropped to one knee and bowed his head, averting his eyes to the floor but not before I saw desire flare in them. His cock flexed as he begged. “Please, my lady, I understand now how foolish I was to resist your pull. Please forgive me for my unkind words after you healed me and cast your geas upon me. Please, please forgive me for delaying your ascension as queen.”

  His sweet words shocked me. I hadn’t specified what he needed to beg forgiveness for, so that was all him, not the geas.

  “Do go on,” I prompted, intrigued at what else he would share now that so much was laid bare between us. I circled him again, running a finger over his tattooed shoulders, letting my desires build as I gazed at his naked body. I enjoyed the way his strong back tapered down into a perfect ass.

  “I never should have wallowed in my own guilt and shame for so long. You are absolutely right that reviving the Tree of Life will strike a blow like no other to the Unseelie. I should have followed your lead when you first approached me about becoming your consort. Please forgive me for doubting your leadership in this matter. After all I’ve seen, I know you will become a good queen. Please, please forgive me and allow me to make amends.”

  From behind him, where he couldn’t see how much his efforts pleased me, I smiled at his sincerity. We didn’t have a bond yet, but I would find out whether there was truth to his words soon enough.

  Seeing him down on one knee put me in mind of a groom proposing to his bride, but Fae traditions were so different from human ones. Public displays of affection — and more — among the Fae weren’t one-time overtures meant to seal the deal. They were commonplace over centuries. The Fae had sex outside without caring who saw. The Fae didn’t regard sex or affection as things to be hidden away, ashamed of, or repelled by.

  To the Fae, affection, love, and sex were best when shared. The queen led her people in a giant orgy. Something we would soon have to do. I pushed aside my nervousness at the thought.

  First, we needed to see if we could create the consort bond together.

  “Good,” I said. “You may rise.”

  Rorik didn’t get to his feet. I sighed. Was this how he was with Jovanka? Maybe the geas was just a novelty he wanted to fully explore. Regardless, he clearly planned to make me compel him every step of the way. So be it.

  “Rise and help me out of these fabrics,” I ordered.

  It wasn’t my natural inclination, even if I was in charge, but I’d adapted to far more challenging things after learning I was Fae. Bossing the stubborn Veela around was definitely something I could get used to — happily.

  He smoothly got to his feet and reached for me all in one motion, the tendrils of the geas connecting us. Since he was the only one in the room, the geas apparently had no trouble knowing whom I was ordering about. It appeared I didn’t need to use his name to command him.

  His fingers sought out the ties and made quick work of them. My fabrics soon pooled at both our feet. Our bodies were inches apart, and Rorik stared hungrily into my eyes. Every order I gave only heightened his excitement. But he would have to wait before getting what he wanted.

  Instead, I turned my back on him. “Follow me to my bedchamber,” I called over my shoulder, letting him gaze on my naked rear.

  As Rorik followed, I decided it was time to put him to the test.

  In my bedroom were several pieces of furniture. A small stool sat in one corner, a full-length mirror in another. There was a dresser and an end table on the other side of the bed.

  “Put the stool beside the bed,” I ordered. He rushed to obey as I seated myself on the soft blankets with my legs over the edge. “Move the mirror right here in front of me.”

  I might have explained my plan, but he seemed to enjoy not knowing what came next. He moved the mirror over against the wall directly opposite of me. I could now see myself fully nude. Growing up among humans, I’d been mocked for years for being so tall and lanky, told I could never be desirable because of those traits. That was before I discovered I was Fae and learned that Elves were supposed to be this tall. I’d always been embarrassed by my pointy ears, but I was captivated by Lyall’s and now considered my own as beautiful, too. What had once seemed a deformity now suited me. My long hair flowed down behind me to either side of my waist.

  “Move the nightstand over here.” I pointed.

  I didn’t like the thought of my feet being up in the air, but I didn’t have anything for the other one. One would have to do. I wouldn’t send Rorik naked to find another nightstand, though I was sure he wouldn’t mind. The Fae weren’t ashamed of nudity.

  Then it occurred to me that Rorik was tall enough to kneel beside the bed for what I had in mind. “Move the stool over.” I pointed.

  Rorik did so, and then waited, his eyes downcast and posture submissive. At that moment, I struggled to believe this was really happening. Powerful Rorik, letting me boss him around? No, he wasn’t just letting me. He required me to use the geas in order to make him my consort. It was part of the deal, and it blew my mind.

  I intended to take full advantage. The geas only made it that much more exciting, because he couldn’t resist. He was putting a lot of trust in me, and I took that implicit responsibility seriously — if I saw any signs that he wanted me to stop, I would free him of my commands in a heartbeat. Not that he could know that.

  “Look at me,” I demanded, and Rorik’s hungry gaze locked with mine. I put one foot up on the nightstand and another on the stool and leaned back. Rorik’s eyes devoured my naked body, spread before him. I let him stand there fully erect, awaiting my next command. “Get down on your knees.”

  “As you command, my queen.” The rough need in his voice only increased my desire, as did the way he dropped back to the floor in an instant, graceful as ever.

  Heat filled my body when his breath washed over my naked core. Of course, he wouldn’t move until I ordered it. I tried to let the moment stretch, to tease us both a little, but my impatience got the better of me. My excitement soared as I gave my next command.

  “Now lick and touch me until I scream your name.”

  Chapter 6

  Rorik

  I’d coaxed Gloriana into taking charge, but I could tell she was beginning to relish her dominant role. From her hesitations, I doubted it was something she’d ever done before.

  I would often play the brat when my lovers made hesitant attempts at commanding me in the bedroom. Fortunately, Gloriana only needed a couple reminders before taking over completely.

  At last, we were doing this. I’d resisted her pull as heir for so long, it felt natural to wait for her every command. When she ordered me to keep going until she screamed my name, though, it was all I could do to maintain control.

  But I couldn’t let her get away with such a vague command. She hadn’t ordered me to bring her to orgasm, after all. She hadn’t even demanded I make her scream in pleasure.

  With a grin, I ran my fingers over her opening and watched her hips buck in anticipation. With one finger alone, I slowly teased her as my tongue washed over her clit.