The Summer Court

Emily and Cooper look confused, like they've been suddenly awoken from a deep sleep. Spiraling from beneath Emily's hair is a pair of dark antlers, which her hand keeps reaching up to touch as though they've sprouted out of nowhere. Cooper takes in the scene with slack-jawed disbelief. Something snaps into place in my mind as I take in the sight of them, and the spell of devotion I've been under shatters.

I realize then how I must look. On my knees, the king's cock shining with my spit.

My breath comes out shaky. "Please," I say, and I'm surprised by the desperation in my own voice. "Please, let them go. I'll give you anything."

Raya laughs. "Oh, the little mortal wants to trade," she says, "How precious. And what is it you're offering in return?"

"Anything," I repeat, unable to stop the words spilling from my lips, "Whatever you need. In return for their safe passage out of here." Stupid. I'm so terribly stupid, but there's no other choice.

"Lily, no!" Emily exclaims, "Have you never read a book? You can't bargain with fairies!"

"Silence," Thalion says. His voice is quiet, yet commanding. Emily's mouth snaps shut instantly, although she looks like she was going to say more.

"You would offer us... anything? Anything at all, for these mortals?" Raya's smile is sharp, all teeth. "What do you think, darling?"

Thalion strokes a hand down the side of my face. He takes a handful of my hair and twists. A pained gasp escapes my lips, and I look up at him, trying to discern his expression. "Please," I whisper.

"Very well, then," he says, a hint of amusement in his tone, "Before we were so rudely interrupted, you were showing quite the talent for cock-sucking. It would please me greatly if you could show the same skills to our friend Silvas. If you can bring him to completion, by whatever means necessary, then both you and your friends will be free to go."

A cold wave of dread washes over me, although the request is no different from what I've just done. My eyes flicker over to Silvas. The fairy's silver eyes are gleaming, and the ghost of a smirk is playing across his lips. He raises an eyebrow in challenge. My cheeks flush, and I can't hold his gaze.

"And if I don't?"

"Then we'll keep you, and your friends will remain guests here for the rest of their lives. Or perhaps even longer. Perhaps we'll make them servants, like you. That might suit them well. They'd be together, at least, and we can be very generous hosts."

I look back at my friends, the desperate confusion wrought across both their faces. This seems like a small price to pay for their lives. My humiliation for their freedom. I almost laugh at the absurdity. How have we possibly gotten into this situation?

"Lily-" Cooper starts, his voice rough.

"It's okay," I tell him, trying to sound reassuring. I hide trembling hands behind my back. "I accept your conditions," I say to Thalion, summoning a bravado that I don't have. He smiles. Raya looks like she wants to say something, but she sinks back into her seat and watches instead.

Silvas steps closer to the throne, the front of his trousers straining, expectant. I'm too embarrassed to look anywhere but at the ground, knowing everyone is watching this. Now that Thalion's spell is broken, I'm all too aware of what's happening.

When I don't move immediately, he laughs. "Come now, pet, I thought you were eager to get on your knees."

I flush at the insinuation. And worse, the fact that he can't lie. He takes yet another step closer to me, until we're only inches apart. "Do you need some encouragement?" Silvas asks in a low voice, leaning down to my ear.

He presses himself still closer to me, the heat of him overwhelming, and then his lips are on mine, and I melt into his embrace. I can't help but kiss him back, my lips parting. He's a good kisser, and the only thing that feels solid and real right now. He tastes sweet, citrusy. Soft hands roam my body, cupping my ass, squeezing the soft flesh of my thighs. He bites down on my bottom lip. When I make a small sound, he smiles into the kiss.

I reach out tentatively and place a hand on his chest. I can feel his lean muscles through the thin shirt. He covers my hand with his and guides it lower, until I'm palming his hardening cock. He moves my hand up and down, guiding me to stroke his cock through the fabric.

For some reason, I find myself responding to his attention. It's almost enough to make me forget we have an audience. Almost.

Silvas breaks the kiss and trails his lips across my neck. "This is your last chance, mortal," he says, brushing my ear. His voice is a low whisper, barely audible. "If you wish to leave, we can come up with some other way."

I'm momentarily thrown by his offer. "You don't think this will work?" I respond in the same low tone.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think so."

He bites my earlobe and I shiver, and it's not entirely from his attention. I can't tell if this is a ruse. But why would he suggest some other plan, one that wouldn't involve him getting his cock sucked? Is he acting in the king and queen's interests, trying to get me to renege on the deal?

"I think you're trying to trick me."

"It's not like you would believe me," he murmurs, "But I'd hate to see your friends end up like the others. You mortals are such fleeting things, it's a shame to waste you on servitude." The others? Other mortals?

"Enough," Thalion says. "Either you keep your end of the bargain, or we will keep ours."

I only have a moment to glance between Thalion's stony expression and the imploring smile on Silvas's face before I'm being pushed down to my knees.

Those molten eyes stare down at me, and he must be a good actor, because he certainly looks like he wants this. He runs his thumb over my bottom lip, and I open my mouth for him without thinking about it. "Go on," Silvas urges, his voice rough with desire, "Finish me."

The words sound even more filthy from his mouth, the obscenity contrasting with everything around me. It's like a dream. The air is filled with the smell of summer, the sounds of revelry still continuing just beyond the hollow. The mossy ground is almost as soft as a bed. If I don't look to my left, at the king and queen, or to my right, where my friends are bound to the tree wall by invisible threads, then I can almost imagine wanting to be here.

But there's the man in front of me, and there's certainly nothing imaginary about the way his cock is straining against his trousers.

I glance over at my friends, which I regret immediately. Emily is staring at me with her mouth open. Cooper's face is red. They look equally shocked and embarrassed. Yet they don't try to intervene, and I know the fairies must have them bound, even if I can't see how.

I force myself to turn away. I reach for Silvas' trousers and start fumbling with the laces. He lets out a soft sigh when his cock springs free, and I can't help but stare at it. It's just as beautiful as the rest of him, long and slender, curved towards his belly. Its warm and heavy in my hand.

He's expecting me to suck his cock, but the thought sends a jolt of panic through me and I find myself gently stroking him instead, delaying. I don't know how to do this. Without Thalion's enchantment, I'm completely inept.

I freeze when Raya stands from her throne and walks over to me. "Here," she says. To my astonishment, the queen of faerie kneels beside me and takes Silvas' cock into her hand. I watch, hypnotized, as she strokes him, her small hand wrapping around him in long, slow movements. Then, without any hesitation, she leans forward and takes his cock into her mouth.

My stomach twists in a mix of embarrassment and arousal as I watch Raya's cheeks hollow as she sucks. I can't look away. She takes his cock slowly, leisurely, as if there's nowhere else in the world she'd rather be, as if she's done this many times before. Her eyes flutter closed, and she lets out a small, contented sound. She's devastatingly beautiful.

"My queen," Silvas groans.

Raya pulls off, giving him a teasing look. Her lips are puffy, wet. Then she leans back and pulls me into a kiss. Her lips are even softer than they appear, and her kiss is gentle. She tastes of wine and some strange sweetness that I can't place. The realization that I've kissed both her and her husband makes me feel suddenly dizzy.

When she pulls away, she whispers into my ear, "It's quite fun, isn't it?"

I swallow hard and nod, still stunned.

"Then get on with it," she says, her playful voice dropping low and dangerous, and I realize she's losing patience with me.

I take a deep breath and lean forward, wrapping my lips around the tip of his cock. His skin is smooth and hot. I take his cock deeper, hollowing my cheeks like Raya did. I can't help the blush spreading across my cheeks, knowing I'm being watched.

I try to summon the obedience and devotion I felt earlier, like I'm doing this only to serve. Like I only exist to please him. I bob my head, taking a bit more with each movement.

Raya's hand weaves into the curls of my hair, guiding me gently onto her friend's cock. She strokes the back of my neck with her thumb.

I can feel Silvas' pulse against my tongue, the faint throbbing of his erection. He groans as my tongue brushes the sensitive underside of his cock. I feel a slight twitch and he makes a soft sound. It makes me feel strangely powerful. Unlike with Thalion, there's no compulsion. I'm doing this entirely of my own free will. And to my astonishment, I find myself wanting to make him feel good.

I take him as deep as I can without gagging, feeling the tip of his cock hit the back of my throat. I feel him shiver, hear him gasp, his hands reaching for my hair but instead dropping back to his sides. It makes me wonder how much self-control he's showing.

He's much more responsive than Thalion and it gives me hope that I'm closer to finishing him. My lips are wrapped tightly around him, my tongue swirling around the head of his cock. I suck him deeper, faster, feeling him begin to throb and swell in my mouth. At that, I redouble my efforts, any shame put on the sidelines. If I can finish him, my friends will be free and the humiliation can finally end. And some strange part of me wants to make him cum.

I've never enjoyed giving blowjobs and most of my previous partners have been able to tell. Whoever this person is that's slobbering readily on Silvas' cock, it doesn't feel like me.

But as I continue sucking his cock, giving him everything I've got, every ounce of effort, it's not enough. I feel him buck his hips and clench his knuckles. His muscles shake with exertion. On the side of his waist, something begins to appear. First, a small glowing circle. Then a ring of glowing leaves around it. Etched into his skin like a tattoo, yet illuminated by magic.

He hisses in pain. Raya laughs. "Aww," she titters softly, "My dear friend, it's been so long since we had to invoke command of you. What a feeling it is."

I slow down, unsure if this is good or bad. At that, Raya grabs the back of my head and shoves my face down hard onto his cock. I nearly gag as he hits the back of my throat. She holds me there, pushing my head further down. The tears that sting the corners of my eyes are nothing compared to the shock of fear and arousal I feel. Fear that she might let me pass out like this, and arousal that I could do nothing to stop it.

When she finallty lets go, I pull off, gasping for breath, and Raya laughs.

"You're doing something," I choke out, "You're doing something to prevent the deal from working. What is that mark?"

I can sense that I've been cheated somehow. I don't even know how; this world is too unfamiliar to me. Silvas must have been trying to tell me that.

"I'm not doing anything," Raya replies, "Other than withholding my command. He won't be able to finish unless we give him permission to."

I feel sick to my stomach. A magical loophole. Silvas and Raya knew, but they watched me agree to Thalion's terms anyway. The sting of being tricked pricks tears at my eyes. I'm on my knees in their court, willing to humiliate myself to meet their conditions, only to become their plaything regardless. And I was too stupid to believe Silvas when he tried to warn me. I can't even look at Emily and Cooper.

Instead, I look up at Silvas, just in time to see something bitter flash across his face. It's gone as quickly as it arrives. "My queen," he says, voice low and raw. Pleading.

But Raya can't resist gloating. She ignores him and grins at me. "Centuries ago, Silvas pledged his loyalty to us as a cavalier, a condition which typically precludes any... future relations. How can a knight be loyal to his king and queen if his heart, or his cock, is elsewhere?" She glances at Thalion and they seem to be remembering something in the way they share a look. "We made some alterations to the vow."

"So this is it, then," I say, trying to keep the waver from my voice, "There was never any deal. You were just going to toy with me. Make me suck your servant's cock, but you'll never let me finish him. Never let us go."

Raya looks like she's considering this. Her eyes flicker to Thalion and back to me. "Well, perhaps we will," she says, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth, "What's one little mortal worth to you, my love?"

For a long moment Thalion is silent, his head cocked as he assesses all of us, then he glances towards the dim horizon. "The solstice is coming to an end," he says with amber eyes glittering, "You've had more than enough playtime, Raya."

He flicks his fingers at me and I stand up like a marionette on strings. I wobble for a moment my feet, relieved to be released from kneeling. Raya looks put out but she doesn't argue.

"A deal was made in deception," Thalion says, "Silvas is our vassal and thus bound to us."

"I thought you were supposed to be fair folk," I say in the most bitter tone I can manage.

"We are. In this case, I'm willing to bargain - but this is the only time this will happen, as we are not forgiving in matters of deals. Your friends will be allowed to leave tonight."

"And what do you want in return?" I ask, starting to understand how this game is played.

"In return for your friends' freedom, you will stay with us. A servant. If you please us, if you do not attempt to escape, then we will be generous and kind. But if you should break our trust... I'm sure one of your friends would do nicely as a replacement." His gaze is hard, cold, and I know it's no idle threat.

"So you'll let them go. They'll be safe, and they won't be harmed in any way. You won't try to hurt or enchant them. They won't be compelled to return. Unless the deal is broken." I wrack my brain for any other way that this could be a trick.

"You're getting better at this," says Silvas, now lying on the ground. The stars are bright in his eyes. He's beautiful, sprawled on the moss like he's been posed there. His shirt is rucked up, exposing his abdomen, his trousers unlaced, his cock resting half-hard against his thigh, but the silver-haired fairy looks entirely unconcerned about his undress. When my gaze catches on his, his eyes darken.

Thalion nods, once. "So we have a deal."

"Yes," I say, my tone biting, "Although I thought we already had one."

Ignoring me, Thalion waves a hand towards Emily and Cooper, and they abruptly fall away from the wall of the hollow as though released from invisible binds. Cooper rubs his wrists. For a moment, they seem too stunned to do anything, and I wonder if they've been enchanted in the same way I have. Maybe Raya has been showing them something that isn't there, or altering reality in some way.

But Emily looks at me with a piercing question in her eyes, showing a surprising amount of presence considering everything that's just happened. I know what she's asking me. Since we met, we've always been on the same wavelength and this is no different. I nod.

She takes Cooper's hand in hers and it seems to knock him momentarily from his stunned state. Then she pulls him towards the entrance to the hollow. Cooper seems reluctant, his gaze catching on mine briefly, but after a moment he lets himself be tugged away into the gathering darkness. And just like that, they're gone.

I stare after my friends for a long minute, mind blank. How can so much have happened in one long evening? I can only hope my deal was watertight, and that they can make it home safely. Because I won't.