Slippers at Midnight

A/N I'm so sorry for the long gaps between installments. Please forgive me. My life has been a little nutty with the loss of some work and the start of something new that will, I hope, generate enough revenue that I don't have to spin quite as many plates as I am currently.

I'm posting part 7 today and I have written about 2/3 of what I want to publish for part 8 so that should be much quicker than this piece was. The sex is mostly implied in this installment. I wanted to focus on more elements of the story and more elements of sexuality in this one. Don't worry, the next part will have graphic descriptions again. I promise. XP

Thank you, all, so much for your support.

-Lola

********

Chapter 24

"How would you feel about a sexnic?" My mate's face was bright and excited.

"A what now?"

"Sex-nic. It's a combination of sex and picnic. A sex picnic. A sexnic."

"Dach you still haven't explained what..."

Daciana sighed. "We take a picnic blanket and a basket of food. We go off someplace alone. We eat and then we have sex. Or sex and then eat. Or both. The order isn't really important. The eating and having sex is important."

I squinted my eyes. "Outside?"

Daciana laughed, "Yes. Outside. That is how picnics work. And sexnics. It's more fun than it sounds." Daciana shrugged and I could tell she was disappointed by my lack of enthusiasm.

I smiled at her. "I hate the name but I love the idea. To be fair I love the idea of having sex with you anywhere so..."

Daciana giggled and kissed me. "Yay! Thanks, Babe. You are gonna love it."

I couldn't help but smile as I watched her bound away to make preparations. I wasn't sold on the idea of a picnic/sex hybrid but I was definitely sold on her. Aiden plopped down beside me.

"So you, Dachee, and Julian hung back at the house yesterday when the rest of us went to the lake. Does that mean you guys told him about you?" I nodded. "He seems to have taken it fine." I nodded again.

"Yeah. She told Julian and April and Felicia. The prince and April both took it in stride. Kind of like the rest of us. They don't really understand how or why but they figure there must be a reason."

"And Felicia?"

I shook my head. "I'm getting it second-hand from Dachee, but she seems to think we are imagining our bond."

Aiden grimaced. "Ugh. Sorry. That sucks."

I shrugged. "She won't be the last. Even Andrew thought that."

Aiden shook his head. "Only for a minute. Trust me, Drew and I talked on the way home. He is one hundred percent behind you. It just caught him off guard."

I hugged my brother. "I am so lucky to have you."

"I have told you that for years." He grinned.

I could see Daciana making her way back over. Aiden watched her approach. "I love the way she looks at you, Elle."

"Me, too," I admitted.

Daciana stopped a few feet from us. "Am I interrupting?"

Aiden shook his head and stood up. "Nope. I am on my way to get my ass kicked at Scrabble by April and Marley. She is all yours."

Daciana beamed. "I know."

Daciana led me down a path past the family house she had shown me the first day. There was a swing set and slide behind the house and I had an adorable mental image of little Dachee and Julian playing here as kids. I grinned.

"What?" Daciana's smile was curious.

I linked my fingers through hers. "I love the idea of your family here. Just a family. Not the King and Queen and Princes and Princesses just the Horias."

Daciana leaned her head on my shoulder. "Someday we can bring our family here." My stomach lurched but she squeezed my hand. "We will figure that all out later. Right now, you are all I need."

There was a small meadow beyond the trees. It was beautiful and Daciana walked to the middle of it and spun in a circle. "This is one of my favorite places on the earth."

I smiled at her. "Thank you for sharing it with me."

We worked together to spread out the picnic blanket I had carried. Daciana set the picnic basket on top and opened it. Delicious smells wafted from the basket and my stomach growled. We sat and Daciana unpacked our lunch. There was a rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, honey and jam, some kind of pie, and cookies. "This is amazing, Dachee. It's a whole feast."

"I wanted it to be special. Like a holiday. Don't eat so much that you get overstuffed, though, because I still want to fuck you. Look." She tilted the basket and under all the food she had stashed a variety of sex toys.

Electric shocks shot through my body at the sight of them. Food, and sex, and my very own mate. Maybe I would like sexnics-- even with that stupid name.

All sex should start with a gorgeous woman eating rotisserie chicken with her fingers. Holy fuck! I stared, slack-jawed, as my graceful, elegant mate, tore into that bird exactly like the animals our people had once been. Her teeth in the tender flesh, the oil on her chin and fingers, the happy sounds she made as she ate... all of it... all of it was just indescribable. I can tell you that I have never enjoyed a meal so much and I'm not even sure how much I actually ate. I'd been ravenous when we'd arrived but now I was only hungry for her.

Don't get me wrong, I did eat, and the food was really good, but nothing was as mouthwatering as Daciana. I wondered, briefly, what it would be like to turn into a wolf and explore her body in that form. I had never changed, had never felt any interest in doing so, but something wild stirred in me as I watched her, and I considered it for the first time. What would it be like to give myself to that feral side and claim my mate? We could run wild together.

I was pulled from my fantasy and back to the moment when Daciana handed me a slice of pie. It was strawberry rhubarb. My favorite. I thought back through all our conversations and tried to remember if I had ever mentioned it. Was it just a coincidence?

Daciana was studying me. "Is it not good? Aiden said--"

Aiden! She had asked my brother. My heart swelled. "I love it." I cut her off.

She smiled and we ate our pie in happy silence.

Chapter 25

Yep. Sex with Daciana in a clearing with the sun shining on us was... everything it sounds like it could be. Admittedly there were a few comical moments of rolling over onto a rock or hard branch, or looking up and into the sun by mistake, or that bird that flew overhead and pooped, thankfully not on us, but very near our blanket. BUT, the warmth of summer, the cool breeze, Daciana's form in the bright sunlight... It was beautiful.

And so I was a bit sleepy, very content, and basically blissful stretched out on a picnic blanket, next to Daciana, with a lightweight throw on top of us. It had been a while since our last round and I was considering letting myself drift off to sleep when I felt her shift next to me. Her breathing changed and I could tell she was winding up again. My eyes still closed, I grinned as I felt her hand slide between my legs. I giggled and wiggled and she rolled and pressed her lips to my shoulder.

"Don't fall asleep, Baby," she whispered.

"How can I?" I laughed, "There is this indefatigable princess who thinks I am her personal sex toy."

Daciana laughed and bit my shoulder. "No. You are my personal sex goddess. My sex toys are in that basket," she gestured vaguely with her free hand, " and my indefatigable-ness didn't seem to be a problem when you were begging me 'don't stop' about ten minutes ago." She slipped a finger inside me and I groaned in pleasure. "I'm gonna make you beg all over again." She moved so we were face to face and locked her eyes on mine. All I could do was bite my lips and nod.

Daciana grinned and looked like she had more to say but instead, she froze. Her finger slipped out, and clutching the blanket to her chest she sat up. Her sudden alertness put me on edge and I sat up next to her. A man I didn't recognize, a wolf, stalked out of the trees. Something in Daciana shifted when she saw him and I knew she recognized him. He was obviously dangerous and I realized that I wasn't sure if we were still in the protected grounds of the compound.

I was just wondering whether I should scream for help when a second man walked out of the trees. This one, I recognized. I scrambled to get my knees under me and wished with all my heart that I was wearing my clothes as I clutched the blanket and bowed my head in the presence of His Royal Highness, Alpha Constantin Drago Horia, my king.

"Dad?" Daciana gasped. The king stopped at the tree line and waited. "What are you doing here?"

The king inclined his head. "I need to speak with you, Daciana. Would you be so kind as to put clothes on?"

Daciana did a fair impression of a fish as her mouth opened and closed several times. I imagined many of the same thoughts and feelings were speeding through her mind as mine. Finally, she exhaled. "Would you and your guards mind turning away, please?" Her voice was tight.

A nod from the king and the dangerous stranger turned to face the king and the trees. The king followed suit. Daciana looked at me. There was an apology on her face as well as concern. She opened her mouth to say something to me but instead just shrugged and scrambled out of the blanket to grab her clothes.

I could smell the sex on us and I blushed deeply. I didn't think the king's patience would keep if I also decided to take a shower. I looked, again, at Daciana and grabbed my own clothes. I don't think I'd ever dressed so quickly in my life.

I was at odds and ends. I sank back to my knees as the king returned his attention to us. He strode over to the blanket. "Daciana, may I ask you to introduce me to your friend?"

Daciana took my hand and pulled me to my feet. She signed. "Father, may I present Elle Bannister, daughter of Amelia and Gabriel Bannister? Elle, this is my father Constantin Horia."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Bannister."

I bent my knees and ducked my head in a very awkward courtesy. "Your Majesty."

The king turned his attention to his daughter. "I would like to speak with you, Daciana. Will you please return with me to the house? I'd like your brother to join us as well."

Daciana's brows knit together. "Is everything alright, Dad? Is Mom-"

"Your mother is fine. I need to speak with you about personal matters." His eyes flicked to me. My heart sank.

In my peripheral vision, I could see Daciana's jaw tighten. She spoke through nearly gritted teeth. "As you wish, Alpha."

The king nodded his head. "Thank you, my dear."

The king's bodyguard led the way and additional guards, who hadn't appeared before, followed behind us. I felt like I had been caught tagging and was being led to the principal's office. I tried to remind myself that Daciana and I hadn't done anything wrong but the thought did little to assuage my sense of dread.

As we approached the smaller family house, Daciana linked her fingers through mine. She met her father's eyes, daring him to say anything, as she pulled me inside with her. Julian was already inside when we walked into the living room. He grinned as we entered. He winked at me. When his father came in, Julian rose from his seat and approached the older man. "Dad? Martes said you were here but wouldn't give me any information as to why. Is everything ok?"

I could tell by the way he tried not to look at Daciana and me that Julian also suspected that we were the reason for the king's visit. His grin didn't falter, however, as he moved to drape his arm over the king's shoulders.

The king smiled at his oldest son. "Julian, I need to speak with Daciana and I would like for you to be present."

Julian shrugged, "Sure, Dad." He gestured around the room. "Shall we sit?"

The king cleared his throat. He looked at Daciana and me. We were still standing together with our fingers entwined. "I think it would be prudent, Dachee, for us to speak alone. Perhaps your friend could wait for us at the big house?"

I tried to release Daciana's hand but she held tight. "Dachee," I whispered but she shook her head at me.

"Dad, we do need to talk, and I wish Mom was here, but I really don't want to have this conversation without Elle."

The king pinched the bridge of his nose and sat down in an armchair. He waved his hand. "I don't think it is wise but as you wish, Daciana."

Daciana pulled me next to her on the sofa. "Dad, I want-"

The king leaned forward. "Daciana, I want to say that I am happy you have found someone who makes you happy. Elle, you seem very pleasant and I know your parents. I know you come from a good family. But, Dachee, you are 21. You have flipped. I worry for you. I know this," he waved his hand in our direction, "is probably very nice and may even feel like something real, and if you were a normal human I'd keep my mouth shut and let you live your life, but you aren't. You aren't even a normal wolf. You know that I know how confusing this time can be. More than anyone, you know I understand."

I was confused and glanced at Daciana. She shrugged and explained. "My dad is a cautionary tale. Growing up he was very close to his friend, Gloriana of N.A.T.O.W. Her father was N.A.T.O.W.'s second and it was always kind of expected that they would mate. They began to date when they were teenagers." I raised my eyebrows. Wolves didn't generally have serious relationships before they flipped. It was too likely that they would imprint on someone else and leave each other brokenhearted. Not to mention the risk of unplanned pups.

Daciana nodded and continued. "Their match made sense to everyone. It was advantageous to the packs, they were strong candidates for strong offspring, and they were in love. Often those long-term friendships do end in a mating bond." I nodded. "It was inconceivable that they wouldn't imprint on each other. The older wolves cautioned them but..."

I risked a glance at the king. He had his hand over his face.

"The day my father turned 21 he imprinted on my mother. Gloriana was heartbroken. His love ended but hers continued. She tried to be understanding. She knew it was nothing he could control but... her birthday came and she didn't imprint on anyone. Months passed. Nothing. Her family shipped her all across the world but she didn't find her mate."

"That's not that uncommon," I murmured.

"No, but she had gone from being loved to being alone and watching the man she loved fall in love with and marry someone else. Imprinting would have made things ok for her but she didn't and..."

The king drew a shaky breath and hung his head.

Daciana dropped her voice to almost a whisper. "She killed herself. She was convinced that Dad was her only love and she would never find another."

I covered my mouth with my hand. Tears sprang to my eyes for a wolf I had never met and for the king who had to live with the consequences.

He dropped his hand and looked at Daciana. "And that is why I am here, My Love. The very week you turned 21 you disappeared, twice, to be with this woman. I understand that she must be important to you but one or the other of you will imprint soon. I am asking you to end this on your own terms. Don't wait for it to be done to you."

Daciana released my hand and rose to move closer to her father. She knelt before him and took his hand in hers. "Daddy, I understand why you are here. I appreciate your concern. I love you. But what happened to you and Gloriana-- that won't happen to us."

"Of course, it will-" the king began but Daciana interrupted him.

"No, Dad. It won't. Because Elle and I have already imprinted." She looked back to me. "On each other."

The king's head shot up. He looked from his daughter to me and back. "That's not possible."

"I know Daddy. But it is still true. She is my mate."

The king flew out of his chair and glowered down at his daughter. "What you are saying is sacrilege. Two women can not be mated."

"Dad, listen!"

"NO! You are wrong. The very idea is an affront to the goddess! I can't believe a child of mine would be so foolish."

Julian stood up, "Dad!"

"No! This is wrong. I... I can't believe this."

"Dad! You don't know what you are talking about!" Daciana was red in the face as she rose from the floor and faced her father.

The king exploded. "You are a child, Daciana! It is you who doesn't know what you are talking about. This," he jabbed a finger in my direction, "is absurd. I will not argue with you. She is not your mate. You will end this, you will send her back to where she came from, and then you will return home where we will figure out where to send you to begin looking for your true mate." The king spun to Julian. He jabbed his finger into Julian's chest. "I expect you to make sure it happens." With no other word, the king stormed from the house.

Chapter 26

Julian ran after the king. Daciana rushed to me, buried her face in my chest, and began to sob. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her tight. She squeezed me tighter as tears wracked her body. Mindlessly, I began to mumble into her hair. "It's ok, Baby. It's ok." It wasn't ok.

Julian burst back into the house. He was panting. "I couldn't catch him. He channeled his wolf. He was too fast."

Daciana spun on him. She jabbed an angry finger toward him. "If you try to make me leave her, Julian-"

The prince cut her off. He put his hands up in surrender. "Dach, I'm on your side. That... " He gestured to where their father had been standing. "Was total bullshit." He moved toward her cautiously and when she didn't snap at him he caught her extended arm and pulled her into him. He kissed her hair. "I'm on your side. We'll figure this out." Both twins reached for me and I joined their hug. Julian pulled my face to his chest. "We'll figure this out, guys,"

None of us much felt like returning to our friends. Julian, however, was able to put on a brave face and return to playing host. He made a joke about Daciana and I sneaking off and having more important things to do *wink* so he organized everyone for the ride back home and sent Ted and Aiden to the family house where Daciana and I were still sitting in shock in the living room.

With calmness I didn't feel, I explained to my brother and Ted what had happened and what the king had said. Aiden rocked back and looked shocked. Ted shot to his feet and began to pace. "He called you foolish! That old goat. Since you were 15 he has sent you all over the world, trusted you to speak for him, to represent him. Now, you need him to trust you and he insults you? He called you a child? Had I been here-"

Daciana's head snapped up. "It is lucky you were not here. If you had involved yourself, your Alpha would have compelled you. You would have been forced to his side and when we returned home you would have been punished. That would not have helped no one."

Ted growled and his muscles twitched. He sat down and I heard as he muttered under his breath, "He is absurd."

Aiden looked at me. "What will you do now?"

I stood and took over pacing. "What can we do? The Alpha made a declaration. We don't exactly have a choice."

"The hell we don't!" Daciana's voice was rough from crying but strong. "He can't keep us apart. We are meant to be together." Her eyes turned to me. "I can't live without you."

A sob caught in my throat and I turned away from her. "You might have to. At least for a while."

"No! You are part of me, Elle. I won't give you up. Not for my father or anyone."

Aiden spoke, "What if he compels you?"

"It won't work! I'll fight. I will always fight for Elle."

Ted and I shared a look. No one could fight the compulsion of the Alpha. Not even Daciana.

Julian sent his bodyguards ahead with the bus. They weren't happy about it but Ted swore to remain at his side until they were back in Avion. My brother also promised to guard the prince with his life. Micah and Max grumbled but boarded the bus with the others.