Page 15

May

It’s almost evening by the time Aldronn washes the breakfast dishes the next day, the sun beginning to lower to the west. His dark purple shirt stretches tight over his shoulders as he crouches by the water, his hands moving with easy swipes of the cleaning cloth. Maybe I would have camped more on Earth if it had been like this—magical cleaning, magical lights, magical fire starters.

Who am I kidding? We’ve got lighters and lanterns and things on Earth. It’s not the magical implements making this special—it’s him. The way he does everything for me, setting up the tent, hunting and cooking all the food. Besides the crown, which stays in the saddlebags these days, you’d never guess he was royalty, not with the way he takes care of me.

We lazed away the day, resting on the soft moss and chatting in between moments of comfortable silence. And boy, is that a new thing—I don’t do silence when I’m around other people.

But it felt right, in this place of peace and beauty. Sunlight bathed the glen in warmth, sparkling off the waterfall and turning it into a tumble of diamonds. Every time he tried to get up and do something constructive, I got him to lie back down beside me and just be in the moment.

The longer we held still, the more wildlife visited, little squirrels and mice sipping from the pond. Ten minutes ago, a couple of deer picked their way to the water, their dainty legs deceptively strong when they heard something and bolted back into the trees. Even now, birds wing overhead, trilling out happy songs, the bright flash of golden wings turned molten by sunshine.

Aldronn packs away the morning dishes and cook pot and the single mug. His body vibrates with pent up energy, his hand drifting to his sword hilt. He’s reached his limit. Guy can’t even go a single day without being productive.

I stand and stretch, arms lifted high, back arched. “You know what? I’m feeling a lot better.” It’s no lie. “Why don’t you go and hunt?”

“We have venison.” He gestures to where he stored several large pieces of meat in special leather bags spelled to keep food fresh.

“But do we have potatoes?” I grin. “I’m going to lose my pixie best-friend card if we don’t make them potato pizza again.”

His lips twitch.

“I love your home fries, too,” I say. “They might be my new favorite thing.”

“In that case, I will do as you bid, my little queen.” He tips his head, and humor quirks his lips.

Warmth pools low in my belly. I like his playfulness a lot.

“Is there anything else you’d like?” His voice goes deep and husky as he steps closer. “Any other favorites?”

That voice combined with the look in his eye is so not making me think about food. When he cocks his brow and gives me a knowing look, I shake off my lust daze.

“Hazelnuts? Can we have more hazelnuts? I love them.” It’s only a partial lie. The hazelnuts here taste amazing, the flavor dialed up to eleven, but that’s not why I want them. No, what I want is to watch those strong, capable hands of his crack the hard shells. To see his big fingers work with amazing precision to tease out each small piece of nutty goodness.

To imagine those hands on me, plucking pleasure from my body just as expertly.

Something must show on my face, because even more heat fills his dark eyes, and his deep voice thrums with wicked promise. “It will be so.”

My pulse quickens as I imagine he offered to fulfill my hidden desires instead of talking about dinner. Is he actually thinking dirty thoughts, or am I seeing what I want to see? Without realizing I’m going to do it, my power pulses for a split second, and I wince as a spike of pain flares behind my right eye.

“What is it?” Aldronn’s hands grip my shoulders, his eyes searching my face.

“I tried to use my magic.” At his scowl, I say, “I didn’t mean to!”

“It hurt you.”

“Just a little headache. Already better.” It’s not a lie. The pain faded as quickly as it came. “And at least the rest of my body didn’t feel like my nerves were burning.”

“That’s good, but you need more recovery time.” He lets go and steps away. “I’ll return soon with hazelnuts and potatoes so that you will dine well this evening.”

His long legs eat the ground as he strides away, his large body slipping between the trees with a stealth that should be impossible for his size. In no time at all, he’s out of sight.

Damn. There goes my shot at trying orgasm therapy. Aren’t orgasms supposed to make you heal faster or something?

A noise jerks me awake. I push up to sitting, the soft moss pillowy beneath my palms. A yawn cracks my jaw. As much as I hate to admit Aldronn’s right about me needing more rest, I can’t believe I fell asleep.

My head swivels. Where is he? I assume he’s what woke me. I have no idea how long I slept, but it couldn’t have been long because the sun’s dropped only a little bit.

A high cry carries over the sound of falling water. It’s sure as shit not Aldronn’s deep voice, and the pixies usually only come out once it’s fully dark, so who is it?

Splashing yanks my gaze upward.

“What. The. Actual. Fuck.”

The kelpie freaking gallops down the waterfall like she’s running on flat ground. The ogre on her back keeps his seat even though he should have fallen off the second she started her descent. It all looks like something out of an Escher drawing, with gravity sticking the peoples’ feet to the floor, even when that “floor” curves upward into a wall or ceiling.

The kelpie’s front hooves touch the top of the pond, and she leaps forward, running across the surface instead of sinking in. It should be utterly impossible, but what’s one more impossible thing in this world of wonders?

“Magic and physics aren’t besties,” I say. “Good to know.”

The kelpie stops at the edge of the pond, her yellow-green scales shining with wetness, her seaweed mane dampened to darkness.

“Little human.” The ogre smiles at me as he dismounts, but it’s the creepy kind of smile that promises nothing good. His black eyes are completely empty of compassion. “There’s no one to save you this time.”

I scramble to my feet. Headache be damned. I grab my crystal and let out a telepathic yell. “Aldronn!”

Pain lances my forehead right as a high cry comes from the top of the waterfall, the one I heard before. Translucent shapes body surf down its face, screaming as they come, “You will leave our new friend alone! You will dance with us, water horse!”

The water nymphs slow when they reach the pond, visibly swimming instead of propelled by the water. But that doesn’t stop them. They surround the kelpie, water foam fingers grasping and tugging as they leap at her.

“Dance, dance, dance!” they shriek. This “dance” is a long way from playful, the movements pulling the kelpie down into the water.

The large fae lets out an angry whinny and half runs, half swims across the wide pond, her movements slower now that her legs are submerged. Nymphs cling to her mane and tail, pulling her even deeper as they enter the narrowing channel of the river again.

Shock ripples through me as they disappear, the river curving behind trees. I met the nymphs only that one time farther upstream, and they did this for me?

The ogre grunts and turns back to me, leering with meanness as he climbs out of the pond.

Dammit. For all their help, I’m still in the shit. Why can’t I have a rad power that will let me protect myself? Something like flying or super strength? Super strength would be really damned handy about now.

Running won’t do any good. He’s tall as hell. He’ll be on me in a second.

He makes a halfhearted grab, and I dodge under it, coming right to the edge of the water. He laughs. “Stupid human, you just trapped yourself.”

My teeth grind. I hate being laughed at. And he’s totally wrong.

“I’m not the one who made a mistake, asshole.” I leap forward, arms outstretched in a perfect dive. The pond is really deep close to the falls, and I hit the cool water in a splash, completely submerged in a second. I swim with everything I’ve got, battling toward the waterfall.

The ogre’s huge, and all that muscle looks dense as rocks. I sure as shit hope that means he’s a crap swimmer.

My lungs burn, demanding air as I fight my way forward against the current. Turbulence churns the water around me into a milky froth, impossible to see through. I force myself to stay under and keep moving forward. This only works if the ogre doesn’t see where I went.

My arms get heavy—so freaking heavy—and the need to breathe makes my teeth ache, I’m clenching my jaw and fighting it so hard. Each kick of my legs seems to move me barely an inch, but I have to keep going.

Yes! My extended fingers brush rock. I kick harder, plastering my body to the cliff face and raising my head, moving until I find a thin sliver of open air behind the solid curtain of water. It’s an old trick kids do in the waterfall back home—use the falling water to hide from parents or a friend and then jump out at them. I sure as shit hope it fools the ogre.

I have to buy Aldronn time to get here.

It’s my only shot.