by Kira Nyte
“I’ll follow. Still on for later, Bridget?”
“You betchya.”
Arrick couldn’t shake the chill that pierced him as he walked away. Bridget’s gaze remained glued to his back until he found a small booth and slid into the seat after Pandora. Her brows rose and she put a few more inches of space between them.
“I’m sitting here for a reason. Otherwise, I’d give you space, but I can’t chance someone overhearing things.”
“Uh, okay?”
Arrick dropped the notebook on the table and opened it to the first page. He pulled a pen from his jacket pocket and began to scribble.
“I hope this works,” he said under his breath. The midday crowd was rowdy, and his thoughts easily moved between the paper and his surroundings, obscuring his intentions. He didn’t trust the witch to leave his mind be for a minute. “Bear with me.”
He finished writing and turned the notebook to Pandora.
I can’t speak of the curse. She will know and come again. I’m desperate and I need your help. I need something to break free of her. Respond here. Don’t speak. She hears what I hear.
Pandora toyed with her bottom lip, her gaze moving between the notebook and Arrick. She gauged him, her thoughts playing over her expression. He didn’t blame her apprehension or indecision. The witch was no one to take lightly.
After a few tenuous minutes, Pandora lifted the pen from the paper and began responding. Arrick leaned close, reading as she wrote.
What are you?
Arrick held her gaze when she looked up at him. Then, he cast Bridget a short glance. Pandora added to her question.
Wolf?
Arrick nodded. This was going to get irritating, but he had no idea how to block the witch in his head. He took the pen.
I’m desperate. I need to get free of the witch that possesses me. I have no control over the wolf. She controls the beast. Please. She has me hunting someone and I want nothing more than to protect this person. I can’t do it when I control only the man, not the wolf.
Pandora read his scribble. A crease deepened over her brow as she read, followed by a long, low exhale.
“When do you need this help by?” she asked.
Arrick rubbed the back of his neck. “Six.”
Her eyes went wide. “That’s pretty much impossible.”
“Something. Anything. Even if it’s temporary.”
She took up the pen.
Who needs to be protected?
Arrick considered his answer before he wrote it down.
Someone who came here to escape a punishment she does not deserve.
Who?
A fairy princess.
Pandora’s head jerked up and her mouth dropped open. “Rhy?”
Arrick sighed, pressing his lips together. “Help me. Please.”
Pandora shoved against his arm. “Out. Now. I have an idea, but it’ll be very temporary. Anything more, you’ll have to trust me to talk to some…people I know.”
Chapter Eight
“Well, well, well. Look at you, Princess.” Dalila whistled from the doorway of Rhy’s bedroom, a sly smile coming to her lips. She clapped her hands beneath her chin and nodded. “I think this mystery man will certainly approve.”
Rhy laughed and angled one way, then the other, in the mirror. “Are you sure it’s not too much? I don’t want him to perceive me as…as…”
“Darling, I doubt anyone could perceive you as anything but the genuine, kind, open-hearted fairy that you are. You have a serenity about you that decries anything crass.” Dalila appeared in the mirror behind Rhy. She flounced Rhy’s red waves and sighed delightfully. “You have always been stunning, Rhyannon. From the day you were born, you captured Andallayne’s heart. Something special follows you. It’s a feeling people get.”
Rhy’s smile faltered at the mention of her home. Sweet spirits, how she longed to visit, just once. She missed her parents dearly. Missed the untainted land and the magic that resonated in the air.
Dalila rested a hand on her shoulder, drawing her from her thoughts. She smoothed her hands down the flared skirt of her dark green dress. Memories kept her home alive, but she was here now. And she had a date with Arrick.
Her heart did a funny beat that set off the dragon wings in her belly. Arrick could be a good reason to want to stay.
“This man must be something special to have captured you so thoroughly. Your eyes hide nothing.”
Rhy turned to Dalila and took her friend’s hands. She nodded once. “I can’t explain it, but there’s something so right about him. I’ve never felt this way about a man before.” The doorbell rang. Rhy took a deep breath and bounced on her toes. “He’s here.”
Dalila stepped back and held up her hands. Her eyes sparkled and her wings fluttered behind her. “Okay. You stay here. I’ll answer—”
“Oh, you sneaky pixie.”
Dalila winked. “I have to meet this guy. Finish up and I’ll let him stew a bit while he waits.”
“But—”
“Ah. No buts, darling. Always make a man wait.”
Rhy stared aghast as Dalila danced from the room. Make a man wait? What kind of woman made a man wait? She rubbed her temple with a single finger and shook her head. There was still so much she was learning about this human world and the rather peculiar concepts that came with being a member of this society.
She heard Dalila greet Arrick in an excited tone. When Rhy believed her friend was done with her greeting, Dalila horrified her by asking him question after question. Rhy grabbed up her jacket and purse and hurried to the living room to save her date from her overly curious friend.
She came to a halt in the doorway. Her mouth dried as her gaze landed on Arrick. If she thought him handsome before, he was everything and more now. In creased black pants, a charcoal button-down shirt, and his leather jacket, he looked like one of those actors on television. He had shaved and his hair was combed back, except for a few strands that fell over his forehead. The snow-white patch and scar added to his breathtaking appearance.
The instant those warm, honey brown eyes turned to her, her world stopped.
“Uh, hi,” Arrick said, his voice thick and deep and utterly bone-melting. He straightened up, the relaxed posture from a moment ago lost to this formal stance. He appeared as nervous as she felt. “Wow. You look…beautiful.”
Heat flooded her face. She smiled and fiddled with her fingers. “Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself.”
“Well, my children. I’ll be off. Have fun.” Dalila turned away from Arrick, wagged her brows at Rhy and winked, then disappeared down the hallway.
Arrick crossed the distance between them and held out his hand. “I’m finding myself speechless right now.”
Rhy placed her hand in his and watched as he kissed her knuckles. “I fear we might come up short of a conversation should we both be speechless.” Arrick chuckled. Rhy melted a little more. “I hope Dalila didn’t interrogate you too badly.”
“Not at all.” He stepped a little closer and brushed his fingertips over her cheek. “She cares deeply for you. Consider yourself lucky to have such a good friend.”
“I take nothing for granted.” She began to turn her cheek into his fingers, but stopped before she did something foolish so early in the evening. “Shall we be on our way?”
“Of course.”
Arrick helped her into her jacket before leading her out to his car. He opened the door and held her hand as she slid into the seat. She watched him round the front of the car after closing the door. She certainly didn’t take anything for granted, and was counting her blessing from the Goddess for crossing Arrick’s path.
Once on the road, Rhy settled into her seat.
“Cold?” Arrick asked.
“I’m quite comfortable.”
“Good. I haven’t had time to figure out this car.” He chuckled, the deep, resonating sound as seductive as the man it came from. “When I came to Nocturne Falls, I decided I�
�d leave my truck home, since everything seemed within walking distance from the inn. Now I wish I had the foresight of meeting you. I would’ve brought it.” Arrick made a motion with his hand. “Much more comfortable ride than this little contraption from the rental agency.”
“It’s not the car that matters. It’s the company.” Rhyannon’s breath hitched when Arrick reached over and gave her hand in her lap a squeeze.
“I couldn’t agree more.” Arrick guided the car toward the main part of town. “On the afternoon we first met, you mentioned that you came here to escape a rough situation. If you don’t mind my asking, what type of situation? With a…previous boyfriend?”
Rhy gasped. “Oh, no. Nothing like that.”
She paused and played with the fabric of her dress as she contemplated her situation. There was nothing about Arrick that signaled danger. In fact, the only thing she sensed was immense attraction and a desire to have something priceless with the man.
Turning her hand over to lace her fingers with his, she said, “It’s a very complicated situation. One I’m confused about. I don’t quite know what was happening, but I was sent away from my home when it came under attack by a powerful sorceress.”
Arrick glanced at her before his attention returned to the road. “Your family?”
Rhy frowned. “I haven’t any idea how they fared. My heart aches for home, but I know I can’t return. My people’s existence rests on my safety. And”—she flashed him a smile—“there are many reasons for me to stay here.”
Arrick’s hand tightened around hers before he brought it to his lips. He pressed a gentle kiss to her fingertips. “I hope I might become a reason, because I certainly anticipate staying here.”
Warmth brushed her cheeks. She stared at Arrick’s profile. Spirits, he was immensely handsome. Even fresh-shaven, he still had an edge that reminded her of a predator. His tenderness was delightful, but she found herself wondering what the darker side of him could do. Those very thoughts shocked her, heating her entire body until she feared she’d burn a hole in the rental car.
“Um, we’ll have to see how tonight goes,” Rhy teased.
“Ahh, I see how it is.” He chuckled, turning onto one of the connecting roads toward Main Street. “I’m up to the challenge.”
“And what challenge might that be?”
Arrick slowed the rental in the middle of the road and looked at her. His eyes flashed, his mouth curling in a seductive grin. “Why, Princess, winning your heart.”
* * *
The words slipped from his mouth so naturally he barely realized what he said until after he spoke. Speaking what he felt was liberating, even if he knew following his own heart would be fatal to Rhyannon.
Still, he found it impossible to walk away. She lured him, hooked him, and had him on the verge of needing her more than the air he breathed. The silver-laced iron knot hanging around his neck—courtesy of Pandora and her fae friend Willa—hummed with the power of their protection spell. The hum increased the more his thoughts dipped into the forbidden realm of Rhyannon and relationships and the shocking thought of forever.
The feel of her delicate hand in his ignited the need to protect her, regardless of the cost to him. Everything hit him so fast, so intensely, he was left reeling in a euphoric state.
“I believe you have a challenge.” Rhyannon traced the veins on the back of his hand with the tip of a single finger. “My heart has yet to be won.”
“Certainly that can’t be true.” He kept an eye out for traffic as they approached the busy streets in the town center. “I can’t imagine you never falling in love.”
“Not for the lack of men trying. I guess you can say I’m a romantic. I want the spark, the connection.”
He certainly suffered those and more. “Definitely have my work cut out for me, then.”
As he located a parking spot near The Poisoned Apple, he looked over at the fairy sitting beside him. Her cheeks were a beautiful shade of rose and her green eyes sparkled like emeralds. He dared not read too deeply into that look, but something whispered in the back of his mind that she was as infatuated with him as he was with her.
Maybe his work wasn’t cut out for him in regards to Rhyannon, but it most certainly would be when it came to protecting her from the witch. Or, as she said, sorceress. He never understood the difference. Never cared to.
She gave a small shrug of her shoulder. Arrick shut the car off and climbed out. In all his years, the simple motion of holding a woman’s hand had never filled him with such a sense of completion. The ache that followed releasing her hand was just as potent.
Yep. You’re falling hard and fast with no bottom in sight.
He helped Rhyannon from her seat and locked up the car. “Okay, I believe the restaurant is that way.” He pointed to the right. “If memory serves me correctly.”
“Impressive memory.”
“Why, thank you, Princess.” He performed a mock bow that earned him a short giggle from her full lips. The sound was soft, airy, and simply mesmerizing. “Shall we?”
He held out his arm, she took it, and they began their walk. As the hour was early, the town thrummed with tourists and residents. Children and adults wore costumes that brought a wistful smile to his lips.
“Wow, I haven’t had a chance to really appreciate the festive nature of this town. I mean, I’ve seen the buildings and the accents, like the street lamps, but the costumes are quite amazing. Every day truly is Halloween here, isn’t it?”
“That’s a big part of the charm. Gives us the chance to be ourselves.”
Arrick chuckled and leaned close to the decorated tip of her ear. “Somehow I doubt you could be anything but yourself.”
“I know no other way to be.” Rhy leaned her head against his arm. His chest swelled with the encompassing desire to keep her near him forever.
“I never took a liking to the human realm on those sparse occasions when I left home. It’s overwhelming. Too fast-paced for me. The people destroy the land and harm the environment, the animals. My soul cries when I see trees coming down and buildings going up. Dalila has taken me into a few of the neighboring towns and one of the cities and it…hurts. The noise. The smells. The aloofness of humans with their own kind.” She shrugged. “Surprisingly, I came here and found it quite charming.”
Arrick glanced down at the top of Rhyannon’s head. Without thought, he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on the silky strands of hair. “There’s definitely a lot of foot traffic here, but it’s not as crazy as some towns and cities I’ve visited. Tell me, Princess. What is your home like? Not here, but where you came from.”
Rhyannon straightened up and turned her gaze to Arrick. He had to swallow back the urge to stop her in the middle of the sidewalk, risking several tourists walking into them, and kiss her. In all his life, he’d never felt such an irresistible hunger for anything, and certainly not a woman. He didn’t believe in soul mates and “the one,” but he was quickly becoming a believer that perhaps a single woman really was meant for him.
“It’s beautiful. Andallayne is a woodland community. We live with nature, among the forests and the animals. Our food comes from harvests the spirits bless. Magical creatures live in harmony with us. Our houses are created from nature.” A wistful sigh fled her lips. “I hope it remains as serene and beautiful as it’s always been.”
“This person who attacked you. Do you think she would destroy your world?”
“I don’t know. I wish I had a better understanding of who she is and why she wants to bring harm to me. Alas, I am left with little understanding, a generous amount of concern, and more adjusting than I was prepared for. Dalila has been a tremendous friend and mentor. If not for her, I’d be lost.”
“I think you would have managed. You have a potent strength beneath your kindness.” Arrick smiled when she quirked her brow. “Self-preservation. If you didn’t, I doubt you’d be holding your chin up and have that sparkle in your eyes. Your hurt has obvi
ously given you strength, as costly as it may have been.”
Rhyannon stopped walking, bringing him up short. He tried to read the expression that had taken over her face. She stared at him through narrowed eyes, her head tilted slightly, as if pondering him as either a man or a creature. He wasn’t sure. It didn’t leave him entirely unsettled. Curious would be an accurate description, just like the very similar look he’d earned at the Hallowed Bean.
He lifted his chin slightly and met her curiosity with a humored grin. “What?”
“Nothing.” A breathy laugh escaped her and she lowered her gaze. “So, Mr. Luvell. What about you? I sense you battle something inside you, but you do an admirable job of hiding it. What’s your story behind the cover?”
Arrick caught himself before he stumbled over an invisible bump in the sidewalk. He had to temper the sudden tension that threatened to stiffen his arm beneath her delicate hand. “Ah, sweetheart. You’re quite perceptive.”
“Not necessarily perceptive. Sensitive would be a better description. Your energies conflict. I sensed it the first time we met, but you’ve been careful to hide it.”
He wasn’t sure he was happy, relieved, or anxious when they reached The Poisoned Apple. He pulled open the door and held it for Rhyannon. She caught his gaze as she slipped by, holding more than his attention with wise eyes in an otherwise innocent expression. Every minute he spent with her, he learned something new and amazing about the woman. Her complexity had become his addiction.
The hostess—Chloe, if he recalled correctly—beamed as they stepped up to the podium.
“Rhy, I didn’t see an order for you.” Chloe’s eyes darkened and a mischievous smile curled the edges of her lips. “Are you dining in tonight?”
