Tik-Tok (Faeries of Oz Book 4) Read online

  Tik-Tok

  Candace Robinson & Amber R. Duell

  Copyright ©2021 by Candace Robinson & Amber R. Duell

  Edited by Tracy Auerbach

  Cover Design by Covers by Juan

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This book may not be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Epilogue

  For Lauren

  Chapter One

  Tik-Tok

  Twenty-Three Years Ago

  Sand was a pain in the ass.

  Literally.

  That was what Tik-Tok got for letting the sea witch, Celyna, ride him, buck-naked, on the beach all afternoon. Decades upon decades of yearly trysts and still, he hadn’t learned his lesson. Against a tree or in her glass house were the only reasonable options on the island of Isa Poso. There wasn’t anything but sand here—save for trees, sea life, and an occasional patch of salt grass. It didn’t matter if they kept their clothes mostly on because the gritty particles snuck into every crevice.

  Celyna was worth the irritating chafe between his ass cheeks though. Her light blue skin, the iridescent scales scattered up and down her arms, how her dark green hair floated around her head as if she were underwater, the fluid way her body shifted over his. His cock twitched despite the fact that he had just come inside her minutes ago. She fucked gracefully, each movement as smooth as if she were swimming. Honestly, he’d be willing to make the trip to Isa Poso twice a year instead of once if she were willing to use her second-sight that often.

  The silver waves of the Nonestic Ocean gently rocked the sea witch where she floated, sprawled on its surface. As Tik-Tok treaded water beside her, the middle finger of his left hand grazed over her abdomen. Up and down, leaving goosebumps in its wake, teasing. Tracing her hips, gliding along the curve of her breast, circling her hard nipples. If he were the sort of male to settle for one female, he might be tempted to ask for more, but he wasn’t. And neither was she.

  Thank the sea gods. There was nothing worse than a clingy female.

  Celyna’s dark, orb-like eyes turned languidly to his red ones, just as his fingertips met the curls between her legs. “You should head back to your ship before it gets dark.”

  Tik-Tok took in the setting sun and let his hand drift lower. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  “Am I?” She ground against his palm. “Perhaps I need another reminder.”

  Tik-Tok growled playfully as he grabbed her hips and pulled her toward him. Her second-sight worked only during an orgasm and he’d given her multiple. “I would love nothing more than to bury myself in you a third time today, but”—he paused to stroke his tongue up the length of her sex, tasting her sweet flavor—“as you pointed out, it will be dark soon.”

  With a dissatisfied grunt, Celyna lowered her legs into the sea. “You must bargain with an unknown queen for two things,” the witch said as if she were suddenly bored with his presence. “First, the ring I gave you.”

  “My ring?” He held his right arm up—the low rays of sunlight gleamed on the golden surface, the joints clearly mechanical—and stared at the silver band. The ring was always cold where it circled his digit, his metal hand having no body heat to transfer, but he’d grown accustomed to the sensation. Celyna had given him the trinket the year before with the instruction to keep it close—a useless task that left him restless all year. At first, he’d assumed the reason would make itself known as the months stretched on, but it had only served to calm the clash of different powers inside himself. It also had the power to transfer magic between fae, but there was no way in hell he was doing that. Tik-Tok’s gaze darted to the other rings he wore, all gold, some with gems and some plain. “Which?”

  Celyna rolled her eyes. “You know which, pirate.”

  He grunted. There was a bigger picture to keep in mind—a portal to find. To open. To explore. Among … other, more important things. “And the second thing?”

  “When you retrieve the ring from the unknown queen, you must exchange it for possession of a female who has yet to be born.”

  “Come again,” he blurted, jerking back. There were a lot of calculating things Tik-Tok didn’t mind doing, but possessing a female? No. He didn’t want a slave, nor did he want anyone on board his ship who wasn’t part of the crew.

  “Do you want your portal or not?” she asked, impatient.

  Of course he wanted his portal. He’d spent far too long and sacrificed too much to let the quest fail.

  When Tik-Tok said nothing, she continued, “You will collect your ring from the queen at the same time you collect a female with silver hair and brown eyes. She will be well-known to the queen. Bargain for both things at once or the queen will not let the female go.”

  His nostrils flared. “And what am I supposed to do with her?”

  The witch smirked. “She’s the only one who can open the portal—but not until she’s ready.”

  She can open the portal? His pulse raced. Finally. Everything was about to pay off. All he had to do was find an unknown queen. How hard could that be? While he was stuck doing the deranged Wizard’s bidding—another one of Celyna’s tasks—he’d sailed the entire world. The fae he must bargain with was bound to show up eventually—they always did if Celyna saw them in her visions.

  Celyna slid forward and pressed her lips to his. His fingers tangled in her hair, holding her close, extending the kiss a few moments longer. As they broke apart, he nipped playfully at her bottom lip.

  She nipped back and used one finger to push his body away from hers. “I’ll see you next year.” Then she sank beneath the silvery waves, her form disappearing from view.

  Tik-Tok let out a warm, victorious laugh as he swam back to shore for his clothes. The portal was within reach.

  Find the queen.

  Acquire the female.

  Fulfill his life’s work.

  A devious grin spread across his face.

  Chapter Two

  North

  Tonight was the night. North was going to confess her love to Birch. Then kiss him anywhere and everywhere. Be it her room, his room, the grass, the water, wherever he wanted.

  Birch.

  She’d been in love with him for as long as she could remember. His short blond curls, his dark orange eyes, his muscular body, his skills with a bow… But it wasn’t just how he looked. He was gentle, kind, strong, and valiant. He was everything.

  Birch was there when her father—Tin—was too strict, when her mother—Thelia—was too demanding. He’d brought her wildflowers when she’d felt lonely, sad, or just because. There were nights when Father and Mother were sleeping so deeply that she would sneak out of her room to watch him get in extra practice with his bow. Then, after, her body was always so wound up with wanting his kisses, his hands stroking her bare flesh, him inside her, that she would seek release from her own fingers. For years, she’d known he would only see her as a youngling, but she wasn’t anymore. North was twenty now. She wasn’t as shapely and alluring as her mother or grandmother, but she hoped he was able to see her.

  In personality, North wanted to be more like her grandmother—Reva. Bold. Daring. But she wasn’t as powerful as Reva or Thelia. She was without magic, while everyone else in her family could bring the Land of Oz to its knees if they chose.

  Thelia could tear the world apart, Tin was able to open portals and wield an axe better than anyone, Reva created storms, and Crow—her grandfather—had magic that allowed him to shift into a bird. While she had nothing…

  Outside her window, the night had already swallowed the world—it was time. Birch would be where he always was when they visited her grandparents in the North: behind the palace, practicing his archery near the stables. North had already told her family she was tired and would retire for the night, while Thelia and Reva played a game of cards, with Crow occasionally joining in, as her father watched. Tin and Crow rarely spoke to each other unless they had to, but they tolerated one another in the same room. An improvement from her youth when they’d constantly instigated arguments.

  North wiggled into a simple yellow dress with pearl buttons lining the front. She ran her hands through her silver wavy hair.

  Quietly, she tied the corner of her sheet to the bed post, then knotted a few more together before carrying them to the window. She pushed up the glass and let the sheets spill over the side. Giving it a sharp tug to make sure the fabric was sturdy enough, Nort
h grabbed onto the cloth and shimmied down the side of the palace. Green vines speckled with blue and white flowers covered the Northern palace walls. A cold wind blew fiercely, disheveling her hair as tiny snowflakes swirled around her. The cold didn’t affect her though, not as it would a human’s sensitive flesh.

  Once her feet hit the ground, North craned her neck to search the garden. Trees with ivory blossoms and pale azure leaves enveloped the area—icicles caught the moonlight where they hung across the curved branches. Snowdrop flowers cloaked almost every inch of the landscape at the palace, aside from the winding paths leading to the entrances. Stars painted the sky around a sliver of moon, giving off a bright yellowish radiance.

  In the distance, faeries sang a slow, melodic song. A blue glow flickered from small snow bugs as they danced above the faeries. North inched to the side of the palace and peered around to the back where two guards chatted with one another.

  “Gods,” she muttered under her breath, knowing if the guards found her, they would report her to her grandparents right away.

  North hesitated, deciding to go the longer route, but then a faerie with iridescent wings hovered above her, seeming to notice her predicament. Holding her breath, North motioned her head at the guards. The faerie gave her a beaming smile and darted forward, spewing an elaborate question. As soon as the guards’ attention fell on the faerie and her inquiry, North hurried past them on light feet to a cluster of trees, then straight for her grandmother’s stables.

  She trekked across the hard ground, wearing her warmest boots, and skirted around the icy trunks. In the distance, she caught a glimpse of soft light spilling over the field.

  North sidled up to the dark building, its obsidian bricks glistening from the glow. The light coming from the field turned out to be dozens of lit candles, forming a circle, with two lanterns in its center. The flames highlighted Birch’s golden hair, the deer-like antlers at his forehead, his tight tunic and pants. Was this for her? Did he somehow know she was coming to confess to him how she felt?

  “Birch?” North called, taking a few steps forward.

  He whirled around, his eyes wide. “North?” he said. “You shouldn’t be out here.”

  Shouldn’t be out here? Her stomach sank as realization struck her. “This isn’t for me…” She should have known—he’d never treated her as more than a sister.

  “For you? It’s for Gemma.” He paused, moving toward her. “I’m planning to ask her to marry me tonight.”

  Her cousin. Not North. Her cousin.

  She hadn’t even known that he and Gemma were more than friends. Hurt bubbled inside North, laced with anger. She turned, sprinting back toward the palace. But she wasn’t fast enough. Birch gripped her elbow, halting her. Her back struck his chest, and she couldn’t stop the butterflies from storming through her, even though he was going to propose to her cousin. North had always looked up to Gemma, and she could see why he would want to marry her, but that didn’t make it any better.

  “What are you doing?” Birch asked, the first to pull away. Otherwise, she would have stayed pressed up against him for all eternity.

  North looked around for her cousin, but she wasn’t there yet. Gemma probably knew about her infatuation. Both Reva and Thelia could tell, but North had always denied it.

  “You’re asking her to marry you?” North whispered.

  Birch bit his lip. “Yes.”

  “Why?” She could have said anything else, but apparently, she was one to relish in humiliation.

  “Why does anyone marry?” His tone came out low, steady. “Because they love one another.”

  “You can’t.” Why couldn’t she just stop talking? Why did she have to appear more like the child he saw in her, instead of the grown female she was?

  His face softened as he studied her. “North…”

  “I love you,” she rushed the words out. “I always have.” Her heart couldn’t hold it in any longer, and if it did, it would break. More than it already was.

  Birch placed his hands on her shoulders, and she hoped this was the moment. The one where he realized they were meant to be. His throat bobbed as he watched her, not seeming at all surprised at what she’d just confessed. “You don’t,” he finally said, his voice gentle.

  “I do.” She felt the tears pricking at her eyes, wishing he could slip directly into her heart, her mind, and see how much she did, because maybe then, he would love her too.

  “North, I can’t.”

  She winced. “You’re only saying that because of my father.”

  Birch released a sigh, not taking his hands from her shoulders. “I would sacrifice my life for you, you know that. You’re like a sister to me, and I love you, but I don’t feel the way you want me to.” He paused and gnawed on his lip. “Please go home before Tin finds you out here.”

  North inhaled sharply, her gaze darting everywhere but Birch’s face. Something in her broke … shattered. “I understand,” she forced out the words, even though she didn’t mean them. “I’ll go.”

  Turning out of his grasp, she started for the palace. North ducked behind a tree and glanced back as Birch slowly spun to go, as if he’d been debating whether to escort her home himself. She continued to watch while he walked back to his candles. And she knew that he would worship Gemma’s body right in the circle of flames after he proposed to her and she said yes. Taking a deep swallow, she wiped the hot tears from her cheeks.

  North peered at the castle, her chest as hollow as the collection of her grandmother’s vases inside. She couldn’t go back right now, simply to sit in her room alone, crying herself to sleep.

  Instead, she would do something daring. She’d been saving herself for Birch, for when the time was right. But it would never happen now.

  Blowing out a breath, she hurried to the front of the castle, across the bridge, to the part of the woods where fae went every night to have a good time, to not have to think, or worry.

  Faeries filled the air with laughter while dust from circling sprites lit up the night. The wind continued to bite her skin, but she barely felt it as she slipped past icy trees and snow-covered bushes to join the revelry.

  Fae skidded across the frozen lake, some half-dressed despite the cold evening. Along the bank, couples chatted, drank, and danced. Others were naked, mounted atop one another, their hips rolling. She lifted her chin, trying not to seem inexperienced, as she crept closer.

  A fae with bark covering most of his body glanced up as she passed and held out a vial full of emerald dust. North nodded—her usual set of rules didn’t apply tonight. He sprinkled some glittering flecks onto her wrist and she licked it clean, letting the high wash over her. Grabbing the full mug of mead at his side, North drank half of it before strolling off. The world seemed to brighten.

  She needed to find someone, anyone, who would serve her purpose. A fae stepping off of the ice caught her attention. He was already shirtless, his red hair spilling down over his shoulders. Beautiful was the only way to describe him. He wouldn’t be forever hers, and she didn’t need him to be. Whatever happened next would only be to keep the ache from her heart for tonight. Before anyone else could claim him, North sauntered to the male and grabbed him by the wrist.

  “Come on,” North said, not meeting his eyes. She would be brave while the dark of the night helped to conceal her nervousness.

  The male arched an eyebrow as he studied her. “Which tree?”

  With a false grin, she brought him to the nearest trunk. The drug pulsing through her made her too high to care if anyone watched—she only wanted to feel better.

  “Open your mouth,” he said, pressing a finger to her lower lip.

  North listened as he pulled out his own vial of emerald dust from his pants, sprinkling some on her tongue before coating his own with gold from a different pouch. He licked his tongue against hers, mingling the dust, and warmth spread through her, so much so that she forgot everything. It didn’t take much time to learn how to match the movements of his lips. Then, as she discovered what to do, their kisses became frantic, desperate, as the dust soared within her. She loosened the tie at his pants, pushing her hand inside and squeezing his length. It felt different than she’d imagined—smooth and soft, yet hard.