A Fae's Deception: Adult Fairy Tale Romance, #5

By Joanna Mazurkiewicz

Final book in Adult Fairy Tale Romance Series

The corridors of the Seelie court had become so familiar to me that they now felt like home. I knew all of their features and peculiarities like those of the Unseelie court. I knew the walls and what hung on them; I knew the colours they were painted and I could picture each corridor before I turned the corner. I especially loved the one I was standing in and its right wall that I was facing with Darragh by my side. It had the most beautiful paintings of all of the Seelie court's past kings. Of them all, a particular one caught my attention. Not because the king had such a beautiful thick mane or because the painting of his silk robe was done to such fine detail that it almost seemed lifelike but the features of his face were so familiar to me that it felt eerie.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joanna Mazurkiewicz
• Release date: May 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201496463

Book preview

Chapter 1

Home

Martha

The corridors of the Seelie court had become so familiar to me that they now felt like home. I knew all of their features and peculiarities like those of the Unseelie court. I knew the walls and what hung on them; I knew the colours they were painted and I could picture each corridor before I turned the corner. I especially loved the one I was standing in and its right wall that I was facing with Darragh by my side. It had the most beautiful paintings of all of the Seelie court’s past kings. Of them all, a particular one caught my attention. Not because the king had such a beautiful thick mane or because the painting of his silk robe was done to such fine detail that it almost seemed lifelike but the features of his face were so familiar to me that it felt eerie. I knew the size of that nose, the shape of those lips and the blue of those eyes.

           That’s my grandfather, William, Darragh said beside me. He was watching me scrutinize the painting and he had an amused smile on his lips. The resemblance was not beyond him and he was enjoying how much it seemed to fascinate me.

           He looks just…

           Just like me, I know. He smiled.

I turned my attention from the painting to look at Darragh and then back at the painting. I could see that Darragh did not inherit just the looks from the grandfather. Even from the painting, a great amount of confidence and power was exuded and the same amount of those qualities were also present in Darragh, maybe even a little more.

I suddenly felt a feeling of pride come over me. I was standing next to the most powerful man I had ever known. I intertwined my hand in his. The electricity that shot from my fingers to the rest of my body was exhilarating. It was like nothing had changed between us from the first time we met up till now. I was just as excited about him now as I was then, maybe even more so. There aren’t many kings who have faced the threats that we have both faced; Sylius, Polius, the witches, and every single time we have come out on top. We are much more powerful than even we recognise.

Darragh gave me a gentle smile as if to agree silently with all that I had just said. We continued to hold hands as we turned away from the wall and began to walk down the corridor. It was a particularly long corridor and every time we ran into a soldier or two, they would stop in their tracks and bow their heads until we passed. Every time, I had to fight the urge to not bow back. I always had to remind myself that I was royalty and this was the custom. I was still not used to it.

           You know, Darragh began in his silky-smooth, strong voice that reverberated off the walls and down my spine. His voice was silky smooth. I don’t know why you and your court have to leave.

I gave him a sideways glance.

           Hear me out. We have made changes to our palace and court structure to accommodate you all  and you have settled into this place nicely. Why don’t we progress this into what we both want – the integration of our courts.

 I know how much we both desire this integration but we cannot stay here. The Unseelie palace is our home and we have to go back there.

Darragh stopped and turned so that we were now facing each other. We were at the end of the corridor which now forked in two opposite directions. One of them went towards my chambers and the other went to Darragh’s. 

           The Unseelie palace is a house, Martha. It’s not a home. The court is your home and it does not matter in which house it exists. He held both of my hands tightly and looked directly into my eyes. Stay. The way he held my gaze almost sent me into overdrive. It took all I had to not say yes right there and single handedly unpack all of our bags.

    I can’t. I looked away from him as I spoke. It was not that I was stubborn or that I wanted so badly to return to the Unseelie court but staying in the Seelie court was simply not an option that we could entertain yet. I had discussed this over and over with the members of my court and whilst they had become more liberal with the idea of integration and friendlier relations, total abandonment of our palace to move in here was something they rejected outright. Also, I was not entirely sure that Darragh was not asking us to stay of his own volition, without considering the opinion of his court members. For a man as powerful as he was, he might have seen nothing wrong in making court decisions all by himself.

           I’m sorry, my love. I put my hand on his cheek and rubbed gently. We simply cannot. Maybe someday in the future but not today.

Darragh smiled at me. We both knew what we wanted and hoped to achieve with both of our courts but we also knew the limitations that faced us. He kissed my forehead and turned away towards his chambers. I watched him walk a short distance before turning and heading to my chambers. 

I opened the door to my chambers to find a surprise guest waiting for me. Aria was sitting on my bed. She still wore her hair short and for some reason, I had still not gotten used to it. She was sitting with her legs folded and her hands on her thighs like she had been patiently waiting for me. I didn't know why but her presence in my room alone made me feel uneasy.

           Where have you been? she asked with a groan. I have been waiting forever for you.

I walked to the bed and sat down beside her. I was talking to Darragh. We saw a painting of his grandfather and were talking about him.

Aria raised an eyebrow. Have you two said goodbye?

Not quite. He wants us to stay. Aria chuckled and looked away from me.

           What’s so funny about that? I raised an eyebrow at her.

She stared at me for a few seconds as though she was considering whether or not to say what she had in mind.

           It’s just, she took a pause and sighed. I think Darragh suggesting we stay right now is a little misguided.

           I nodded. I agree. Which is why I told him no. We haven’t prepared either court well enough.

           Yes, that is a reason but also, who rules this new court? Surely, you cannot have two rulers for one court.

Aria’s question threw me off a little. It was not that that question had not occurred to me at all but I had pushed it to the back of my mind without consideration. Now, with Aria pointing it out so directly, it was smacking me right in the face. Would I have to forfeit my throne for Darragh? I knew that I would never expect that of him but neither did I know if he would expect it of me.

I have not given that much thought, I said.

Well then, it’s a good thing you did not agree to stay. We have time to properly think things through. Aria got on her feet and walked a metre or two towards the door before turning back to face me. I assumed she was leaving but she’d only created some distance between us. Now, to why I am here. I want to search for my father and Sylius. I want to bring them to justice. I want to end this war, once and for all. I am tired of just waiting for the next attack.

           I sighed. Aria, I am just as tired as you are but I cannot let you do that.

           Why not? We all agreed that we would be more offensive. Why can’t I look for them?

           Because for one, we have no idea where they are or who they are with now. If you go off by yourself or with a few men, you could be walking into an ambush. You have seen what they are willing to do to you, your father and your brother. I cannot allow you to suffer that again.

           This is not your decision to make. Aria had a confused frown that was slowly turning into a scowl. 

           Yes, it is. I am your queen and I do not want you to go looking for Sylius and Polius.

Aria and I were staring at each other. I could almost see the blood rushing around her body and the magic that flowed in that blood. She was furious but she could not react. I did my best to keep my expression neutral and firm. This was for her own good. I knew that she still harboured so much hatred for her father and brother. She didn’t just want to bring them to justice. She wanted to be the one to kill them herself. I could not have a person go on a mission with such intent. It would be a grave mistake.

Just so you know, Darragh’s grandfather was a piece-of-shit war criminal who hated your entire family.

With that, Aria turned away from me and stormed out of my chambers. I finally got out of the restrictive and bulky dress I had been wearing all day. Royal fashion was beautiful but so stressful. I poured myself a glass of wine and walked to the window which overlooked the courtyard. From where I was standing, I could see a few soldiers playing around with their magic. They were laughing, shouting and pretending to attack one another. This view, the people and the scenery were just a few of the things I would miss when I left.

That night, I dreamt about Darragh’s grandfather, only he was more Darragh than his grandfather. In the dream, he was chasing me through the Unseelie court and yelling profanities at me. He said terrible things about how the Unseelie blood was tainted and he would not stop until he got rid of us all. In my dreams, like all dreams, I could not run fast enough to escape him. He caught up with me and just as he raised his sword and swung at me, my eyes snapped open. I did not sleep again until the morning. It was Aria’s fault for turning him into a monster in my head.

By dawn, soldiers were already out and about, marching up and down the courtyard like they always did every morning. I decided to clean myself up and get dressed even though I was nowhere near feeling well-rested. The maids had already picked out my entire outfit the day before and hung it up. I stripped off of my nightclothes and walked into the bathroom naked. I stood for a few seconds as the bath prepared itself and I let my mind drift to the Unseelie court that we would soon be returning to.

I hadn’t seen the court at all since Sylius destroyed it months ago. Inquisitor Radella oversaw the rebuilding of the palace and she had mentioned that several changes had been made. I trusted her but I still worried about how the palace would now look. Control was not something that I easily relinquished. 

I stepped into the bath gently and allowed myself to relax in the embrace of the warm water. I closed my eyes and began to rub my body with my hands. I did not feel like I was dirty, I just loved the feeling of gently stroking my skin. I let my hands linger over my breasts and circled my nipples with the tip of my index finger. The warm water, the quietness and my wandering hands made for a very relaxing and serene situation that I allowed myself to get lost in the moment of it all. 

I kept my right hand on my left breast while my left hand travelled down my torso, over my navel and stopped right above my opening. I thought about Darragh for a while. I imagined what he would do if he was in the bath with me. I was certain that he would move so close to me until there was no space between us; until I felt the weight of his body pressing into me. I inserted my index finger into my vagina while my thumb found my clit, my entire body thorbbing with the idea of what was to come. If Darragh were here, he would travel down my body from the peak of each breast, lick around each areola and he would not stop until his face was buried deep between my thighs. He would flick his tongue over my sex and wet my pussy even more than the warm water was doing. Just when I would begin to beg him for more, Darragh would stop and bring his face back to mine. Then slowly, he would enter me as I was doing with my finger, in and out. 

Darragh always started with a great slow rhythm. We never had to rush and he would take his time to make sure that we were both into what we were doing. I rubbed my clit to the thought of Darragh’s cock going in and out of my hole while his entire body weight was on top of me crushing me onto the hardened wall of the ceramic bath. I imagined that after we had both settled into a slow rhythm, he would begin to go faster. I rubbed my clit faster and harder. My hips rocked back and forth in the bath as if I was grinding into him and I pushed my fingers in even harder. I let myself moan as loud as I could and I felt my voice echo in the bathroom. It turned me on even more and willed me to go faster.

           Oh, Darragh! I moaned even though he was only here in my wild imaginations.

I went faster and harder just as Darragh would have until I felt my eyes close by their own accord and my whole body stiffen. I released my orgasm into the bath and felt my energy dwindle as I relaxed some more into the warm water. I willed myself to finish my bath and dried myself hurriedly as I walked out of the bathroom. Just as I put my dress on, there was a knock on my door. I