Page 6 of Festive with a Grumpy Fae

Then he lowers his hand, but the ball stays exactly where it was, and that’s all the proof my brain needs.

I summoned a motherfucking faerie.

My knees give out, and I land on my arse in the dirt.Again.I don’t care, though, because Isummoned a motherfucking faerie.

“What’s wrong with you now?”he asks with another put-upon sigh, walking toward me.The ball of light moves with him, and if I wasn’t in the middle of having a crisis, I’d think that was epic.

“You need to go,” I manage between wheezing breaths.“Go home.Or… wherever you came from.This was a big mistake.”

He stops beside me, looming over me, and I tilt my head to see him properly because this is probably—hopefully—my one and only chance to see an actual real faerie and I want to make sure I remember everything about him.This close, and with better light, I can see that his hair and eyes are in fact brown—a beautiful, deep, rich brown that makes me think of creamy dark chocolate.His beard doesn’t quite hide the angles and planes of his face, which are too sharp to be classically handsome… to humans, anyway.But classically handsome isn’t the only form of hot as fuck, and he’s definitely that.

For what feels like eternity, he stares down at me.I stare back, tipsy, overwhelmed, and feeling utterly foolish.What kind of idiot summons a faerie because they’re lonely?

Finally, he mutters something I can’t catch under his breath, shakes his head, and says, “I can’t.”

I blink at him.“What do you mean, you can’t?Just… go back.Do I need to reverse the summoning?Tell me how, and I will.”

He reaches down, grabs me by the upper arms, and hauls me to my feet.I know I’m not a giant, but it’s still impressive how effortless he made it seem.I’m five-feet-ten of… well, there are muscles in my body.Everyone’s got them, even me.

“It can’t be done,” he says, still holding my arms.“You summoned me for a purpose, and I’m staying until it’s fulfilled.”

I stare into his eyes, wondering how it’s fair for any one being to be this good-lookingandhave such a nice voice.The rest of us never stood a chance.

I didn’t, anyway.

Then his words sink in.“Seriously?You can’t go back, just because I wanted someone to spend Christmas with?”

He shrugs.“It would seem so.”

“But… but… that’s weeks away!What are you going to do until then?”

That earns me another “foolish boy” look.“I am here to be your companion, aren’t I?”

I swallow hard.He didn’t mean it like that.I’m sure he didn’t.Shame on me for having a dirty mind.“Um… but where are you going to stay?”

He… smiles.At least, it looks like a smile, but the shiver it sends down my spine is half dread.

“With you, of course.”

Ohhhhhh noooooo.

four

“This is bad,”I mutter.“Very, very bad.Terrible.”My gaze tracks the sexy faerie as he… picks up my tote bag and starts tossing things inside.Is he cleaning up?

“What are you doing?”I demand.Maybe he’s a killer faerie and he doesn’t want to leave evidence that I was here for the police to find after he murders me.

The dirty look he shoots my way makes me wonder if he can read my mind.

“Typical human,” he scoffs.“You think nothing of leaving your trash strewn through nature, upsetting the balance?—”

“Are you lecturing me aboutlittering?”

“This planet can’t continue to regenerate if humans don’t make an effort not to destroy it.”

Oh my god and sweet potatoes, the sexy faerie is an environmentalist.

That just makes him hotter, dammit.