Old Traditions

By Angela Fiddler

To Matt, “making love” has always been a particularly sadistic phrase. He’s only known sex to be something that can be taken or sold. Even in Matt’s darkest years, though, Christmas was the one time he didn’t have to sell his body. Now, his new life with a man like Kevin in his bed is full of happiness and pleasure. Sex is fascinating and his body is learning how good it can feel in this shiny newfangled world.

Ever since Matt met Kevin, his life has been a Faerie story. As the Fae King, the amazing life he now has with his Fae Prince should be perfect. But Matt can’t forget that without Kevin, everything he has—from the safe place he lives to his brother’s future—could be taken away instantly. The Fae court is a world full of scheming manipulators, and Matt’s first holiday with Kevin that should be safe and warm is at risk, no matter what Kevin promises.

But the Fae world isn’t all full of princes and happy ever afters. Even Kevin has superiors who can use the Fae New Year celebrations for their own means. Matt would give anything he has to keep Kevin and his family safe when a higher-ranking prince could take everything Matt has--even Matt’s crown and all hope of future happiness.

Content notes: This work contains discussion of past child sexual abuse and coerced sex, attempted assault, sex within a relationship negotiated with consent, and a happy/hopeful ending.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Angela
• Release date: Dec 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005719524

Angela Fiddler

Angela Fiddler is the occasional pen name of Barbara Geiger. Barbara didn’t learn that she had lived in three out of the four Northern Alberta towns that had a known or suspected Wendigo attack until well after she’d moved south to Lethbridge. She grew up loving ghost stories and pony books, and spent most of her summers on the British Columbia coast, where she fell in love with the ocean.As Angela Fiddler, she has written The Master of the Lines series as well as Cy and his sex demon problem books. As Barbara Geiger, she has written The Tempest trilogy, starting with Coral Were his Bones, which exists in the same universe as the Middlehill series, starting with Changeling, as well as various other novellas and short stories.When she’s not following the exploits of selkies, sex demons and vampires, she writes epic fantasy and makes the occasional foray into science fiction and short stories.

Book preview

MIDDLEHILL BOOK ONE POINT FIVE

OLD TRADITIONS

by Angela Fiddler

Copyright 2014 by Barbara Geiger writing as Angela Fiddler

Smashwords edition 2021

ISBN 9781005719524

*****

This book contains sexually explicit scenes and is meant to be enjoyed by adults.

This book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment, and may not be re-sold.

Original Loose Id edition edited by Kierstin Cherry.

OLD TRADITIONS

To Matt, making love has always been a particularly sadistic phrase. He’s only known sex to be something that can be taken or sold. Even in Matt’s darkest years, though, Christmas was the one time he didn’t have to sell his body. Now, his new life with a man like Kevin in his bed is full of happiness and pleasure. Sex is fascinating and his body is learning how good it can feel in this shiny new world.

Ever since Matt met Kevin, his life has been a Faerie story. As the Fae King, the amazing life he now has with his Fae Prince should be perfect. But Matt can’t forget that without Kevin, everything he has—from the safe place he lives to his brother’s future—could be taken away instantly. The Fae court is a world full of scheming manipulators, and Matt’s first holiday with Kevin that should be safe and warm is at risk, no matter what Kevin promises.

But the Fae world isn’t all full of princes and happy ever afters. Even Kevin has superiors who can use the Fae New Year celebrations for their own means. Matt would give anything he has to keep Kevin and his family safe when a higher-ranking prince could take everything Matt has—including Matt’s crown and all hope of future happiness.

Content notes: This work contains discussion of past child sexual abuse and coerced sex, attempted assault, sex within a relationship negotiated with consent, and a happy/hopeful ending.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Epilogue

About Angela Fiddler

Angela’s other books

Dedication

For Elisabeth, who made me the list.

Chapter One

The sky was heavy, and the air felt like more snow was coming. Matt was glad he’d bundled up. His little house was two minutes away from Cornelius’s stately old home, but he was planning to drive right from the appointment to the grocery store, and the truck the school had given him had a slow heater.

Three weeks ago when Matt first came up the private school headmaster’s front steps, he’d been desperate to salvage an already crooked deal. Matt had been up all night at the police station the night before answering questions about a murder he’d only been tangentially involved in. His now boyfriend, Kevin, had been just another stranger promising Matt the moon, and Matt had heard it all before.

The headmaster, Cornelius, was willing to give Matt’s younger brother Sam a full scholarship at a school that would challenge Sam for the first time. Cornelius would put Matt and his brother up in a house on the school property and pay Matt pocket money, all in exchange for three dates a week. Matt would have been crazy not to take it. Kevin had convinced Matt with his glowing rock and magical powers that Kevin was really a Fae prince of the Underhill, but Matt still had to take care of Sam first. Matt had known selling himself on the street was not sustainable, and Kevin was supposed to be just another john, magic or not.

Kevin was looking for the lost king of the Fae and thought at first it was Sam. As it turned out, it was Matt, and all of a sudden he had a hell of a lot more bargaining power than he was used to. Matt would keep his house and his stipend. Cornelius, thanks to the contract they’d both signed, still got a single monthly date with Matt, but there was no touching allowed.

Matt came up the steps to the porch. Before he could knock, Cornelius’s assistant, Corey, opened the door. Corey had made Matt’s life a living hell in the first week when Cornelius still had access to Matt’s body. When Matt redefined the contract because Matt was the motherfucking king of the Fae and he could do shit like that, Corey treated Matt as coolly as he could and still remain professional.

Is he here? Matt asked.

No, Corey said. Both Kevin and Corey were blonds, but Kevin pulled it off with the rest of his ruggedly handsome looks whereas Corey just looked washed out. Is that going to be a problem?

Matt didn’t know. Maybe. He didn’t actually interact with Cornelius during a date. Matt needed the illusion that the contract was still enforced so he wouldn’t have to give up the house that came with the position. He loved Kevin as much as he loved his brother, but he didn’t want to give up his space. After only three weeks, Matt loved his home even though it could fit into the great room of Kevin’s mansion. Matt needed a place of his own. If Kevin wanted to be with Matt, Kevin had to manage his business from the two-bedroom bungalow.

Kevin was at an official shindig in the Fae world. Matt hoped he would be done with Cornelius and finished shopping before Kevin got home so they’d have the rest of the day together to mess around while Sam was at his swim practice.

Three weeks ago, the only value a blowjob had was the fifty bucks Matt would get out of it. Wanting to have sex was a new sensation. Fucking was worth eight blowjobs but was a hundred times worse for Matt. Economy of scale was nothing.

Cornelius’s two-story house had a beautiful wooden banister leading off from the front door. In the summertime, the screened-in porch would be nice enough to sit out in, but Matt usually sprawled out on the sitting room couch. He bet if he found the name of the sofa, Kevin would get him the exact one. Kevin could get Matt anything he wanted, but most of the time, the only thing he wanted was to drag Kevin back to bed. Matt had spent a lot of time that month happily getting fucked. He hadn’t been taking dick the wrong way. He’d been taking the wrong dick.

He had been reading in the tub before his appointment; he still liked his long baths but didn’t have to spend the time any more scrubbing at his skin in order to feel clean, so he picked up reading fiction instead of the stupidly expensive and heavy textbooks that Sam wanted him to study. Matt had stopped at the point where the protagonist was dangling off the landing skids of a helicopter on fire off the edge of a cliff. Matt wanted Corey to go away so he could pick up where he left off.

Do you want some coffee? Corey asked, still blocking the way. He leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, waiting for Matt’s answer, and didn’t look like he’d be moving anytime soon.

Do you have decaf yet? Matt was trying not to drink any caffeine after noon to see if it helped him sleep better. He still wasn’t good with rooms that only had one exit. Cornelius just had regular caffeinated coffee the week before.

Corey’s mouth twitched. The headmaster picked some up for you.

Thank him for me, Matt said. Cornelius and Corey were always so polite about the weekly appointment, but the chill in Corey’s voice told Matt that Corey thought he was still taking advantage of the situation. Corey had been Cornelius’s lover just a couple of months before. The headmaster’s smell was all over Corey.

Not that Cornelius had much choice. He was still paying Matt the fifteen hundred dollars out of pocket. If Matt knew now what he knew then, he wouldn’t have taken Cornelius’s deal, but