I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, holding him close. “Stop listening to Crane. He just likes to stir up trouble and make you anxious. I’m not going anywhere.”
I kissed his lips, then hugged him tight. “I’m always going to be with you, Sin.”
“I don’t please you, though,” he whispered.
I pulled back, searching his face. “What are you talking about?” Sin was always doubting himself, always a little paranoid—thanks to Hoax, his father, who made him feel small and always questioned his worth.
“The fairy honey doesn’t come out of you when we’re together,” he said quietly.
“It rarely happens to anyone, Sin. We’re traditional—we only ever do it one way. Maybe if we tried something different, like me getting on top…”
He shook his head, looking scandalized. “That’s forbidden. My ancestors would shame me.”
“No, they won’t. Intimacy is like dancing—it’s supposed to be wild, hips moving, full of passion. Hoax won’t know. It’ll be our secret.”
I was willing to do anything to help Sin feel like he wasn’t worthless, so I lured him out of the pond and onto the damp soil. “Lie down,” I told him softly. Sin hesitated, then nervously settled onto a pile of wet leaves. I straddled him, pressing my lips to his, letting my tongue trace a slow path down his neck. I’d watched humans make love in movies before, but I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right—at least, not until Sin thrust upwards, his nails digging into my ass cheeks.
“Eboeniaaa,” he chanted, his voice heavy with lust.
My wings fluttered, blending seamlessly with the pink garden surrounding us, scattering a hazy dust into the air that circled us like a golden cloud. Its fragrance made Sin relax, coaxing arousal from him. He tensed beneath me as I gripped his shaft, gliding him into my tight haven. His hands found my breasts, squeezing anxiously as I rode him. My wings guided me, lifting my knees from the ground, keeping me balanced atop him as if I were riding a unicorn.
“You’re the best at everything,” Sin groaned, biting his lip.
Just as I was about to slide down further, I heard bushes rustling—a warning that someone was near. Before I could react, a searing pain shot through my back. I twisted around to see Hoax, floating a few feet away, the gravity of his staff carrying him through the air. I scrambled off Sin as flames from Hoax’s staff burned through my flesh.
“Father!” Sin cried, scrambling to his feet. He rushed to my side, trying desperately to blow on the wound where my skin was turning to ash. The pain weakened me, paralyzing my limbs. Hoax landed before us, murder in his eyes.
“You let a promiscuous spirit get on top of you and steal your strength? You’re already weak, Son! Is this what you’ve been doing? Sneaking off during training to let her overpower you?” Hoax’s voice thundered at Sin.
“It burns!” I screamed, writhing.
Hoax swung his staff at me, the blow splitting my face open. Blood poured down my chest like molten lava. “Father! Please, leave her alone. I’ll go back to training! Can I at least heal her?” Sin begged, his voice breaking as I lay in excruciating pain, vision swimming with stars. Through the blur, I saw Hoax strike Sin to the ground.
“You are a disgrace! No offspring of mine will lay on his back! Only females lay on their backs, and that is to breed! I told your mother you weren’t a true warrior! I’ve had to slice off the heads of many men who whispered devious things about you, calling you weak and sweet like maple sap!” Hoax spat at Sin.
I looked down at my side and saw a hole the size of a wasp nest, flesh charred and raw. My skin had stopped falling away, but the pain still burned from within, ripping another scream from my throat.
“Father, please help her!” Sin pleaded, but Hoax only berated him further.
Hoax seized Sin by the throat and hauled him up. “Challenge me, and if you make me bleed, I’ll cure her,” he growled.
“Leave him…leave him alone,” I managed to gasp.
Hoax’s sharp-toothed smirk twisted as he looked at me. “Oh, a rebel. You’re just like your mother. She was a fighter, too.”
He shoved Sin aside, then knelt before me. Hoax’s hand closed around my neck. “Son, I’m going to show you how to take what you want,” he told Sin. In desperation, I tried to summon my wand, risking everything for a chance at freedom, but nothing happened. Sin sat against a tree, looking like a frightened child, watching his father hover over my battered body.
“If you even turn your head, I’ll kill her! I want you to see how you capture a fairy’s soul!” Hoax barked at Sin.
“NOOOOOO!” I cried as he forced my legs apart.
He leaned in, his breath thick with the scent of tree bark and mud. “My son can have you, but your body will belong to me. The way you move your hips reminds me of someone—I wonder if you feel just like her,” Hoax whispered, but he trespassed where only Sin had been.
I shut my eyes, enduring his violent thrusts, his guttural noises echoing through the trees. Sin watched, helpless, as his father finished inside me. Hoax stood, adjusting his robe. “Head back to the village, Sin! She’s a strong one—she’ll heal by sunrise,” he said coldly.
I curled into a fetal position, wings wrapped tightly around me like a cocoon. Blood loss left me too weak to move, the cold of the forest seeping into my bones.
“If you shed a tear, I’ll do worse to you than her, pretty boy. GO!” Hoax barked at Sin.
