Midsummer Night's Fling: Belinda Boring, Kamery Solomon, Lacey Weatherford

by Weatherford, Lacey

  What was it about her that seemed so familiar? Why did I loathe the idea of losing her as much as I did Ceridwen? It didn’t make any sense.

  I lay back onto the bench, placing an arm over my eyes. Eirian’s image floated there, and I sighed, realizing I already knew every part of her, almost as well as I knew myself. I wanted to be angry, but if I was being truthful, there was a closeness I felt with her that I’d never experienced with anyone else. That troubled me. I didn’t want to be in love with someone who had tricked me.

  Love? I almost choked and openly scoffed at the idea. There was no way I could ever fall in love with Eirian. Not after what she did. She betrayed my trust. I wasn’t sure how to learn to love someone like that. Things of that nature only happened in faerytales.

  I laughed wryly at the irony. It seemed a faerytale was exactly what I was stuck in.

  I got up and left the area under the tree, and walked to where the water from the river lapped the shore. I searched for a pebble, acquiring several, before I sat down in the tall grasses and began tossing them one by one into the shimmering surface. I could barely hear them hit the water though; the sound being drowned out by the waterfalls that tumbled down the rock faces farther down the canyon.

  It was beautiful here; something my eyes had never dreamed of beholding. If I were ever able to go home, I would be sad to never see this place again. It was magical—part of a dream come true.

  In all honesty, I wished I could share this place with my loved ones. My mother would be completely excited to know this existed. I don’t know what my father would think. His eyes used to light up when he told his tale of seeing the Fae in his youth; how he spied on them in the glen while they were dancing, unaware of his presence. But there was also a solemnity about him, as if such things should never be taken lightly. He never encouraged me to be frivolous in my thoughts concerning the Fae, nor did he build them up to be sought after. He just told his story and that was that.

  I knew there were some people who didn’t want to believe him. They were determined to undermine the truth of his tale, but they couldn’t really refute him since he was known as one of the most honest and noble men in the area. He was too well respected. I wondered what advice he would give me about this situation.

  Just considering that gave me the answer I needed. I sighed, part of me not wanting to acknowledge what he would say. I sat in silence, trying not to think about anything for a few moments while I came to terms with the new direction I would be heading.

  I would be staying with Eirian and making the best of my current situation. Whether I’d been tricked or not, I was still responsible for the choices I had made. I’d chosen to seek out the Fae. I’d accepted her offer to dance, even knowing my heart was given to another. I’d kissed her, bonded with her, and consummated that bond. It was time to be the man my father had raised and accept my responsibilities in this new life and world I found myself. I would honor my family by being honorable.

  It was the right choice, I knew, because even though it caused me heartache, peacefulness came upon making it. My heart still hurt over the idea of never seeing my family, or Fergus, and giving up Ceridwen completely. I felt awful knowing they would think I’d died some terrible death, and it would cause them all pain. I wished there was some way I could keep that from happening.

  Maybe there was. I would ask Eirian if there was anything she could do for them—something to erase the hurt that my choice would cause.

  As if thinking of her had conjured her up, she suddenly appeared down the shoreline from where I was. She wasn’t looking at me; instead, staring out into the water with a sorrowful expression. She was wearing a pale blue dress, and her hair was unbound in loose flowing waves. She paused at a tree near the water’s edge, leaning back against it as she stared wistfully out at the scene before her.

  I was drawn toward her, feeling the need to apologize for my earlier outburst. She’d agreed to be honest, and I berated her because of it. There may have been some enchantment involved on her part, but I felt just as guilty. If we were going to have any kind of life together, I needed to try and fix things with her now.

  Quietly, I rose and made my way toward her. I was sure she knew I was approaching, but she didn’t make any movement to acknowledge it. I continued until I was only a few feet from her, and she turned her head to stare at me softly with her big blue eyes.

  “I love you,” she spoke.

  It was all she said, but I was frozen to the spot, unable to look away from her dreamy gaze. We stayed that way for several long moments.

  “Why?” I finally managed to choke out, and her lips curled ever-so-slightly into a smile.

  “I’ve watched you for a long time. I fell in love with you long before I began setting the plan in motion to call you here.” Her eyes never left me, and I could see her emotions in the depths of them.

  “How long have you watched me?” I swallowed, wondering what I’d ever done to capture the attention of a girl like her.

  She sighed. “Since you were born.”

  Wait. What? I was confused. “How is that possible?” I asked.

  She smiled. “I’m much older than you are.”

  I laughed. “Is that so? Because you look younger.” I’d wager she was around sixteen or seventeen summers.

  “I’ve looked this way for the past two hundred years.”

  “Two hundred years?” I couldn’t help my skeptical glance.

  “Time works a little differently here than it does in your realm. It passes quicker for us, though we age in appearance much more slowly.”

  I moved closer, not even trying to comprehend her remark. My glance traveled over her perfect form and back up to her beautiful face. “Well, time looks good on you then.” I turned away, looking out over the water. “Before you tell me anymore, I just want you to know I’m staying. I know you said I couldn’t leave Faery since we are bonded. You probably think there is no chance of me leaving, but I want to tell you that I’m choosing to stay—of my own free will this time.” I paused, searching her face. “It is of my own free will, right? You haven’t done any enchanting again?”

  She looked happy as she shook her head in denial. “Your will is your own.”

  There was a moment of silence between us as her reassurances sunk in.

  “Then please, continue on with your story. Time moves differently in Faery,” I reminded her.

  I couldn’t stop looking at her, suddenly feeling very content with my decision to stay. All I wanted to do was talk and get to know her better.

  Experiencing a sudden urge, I swept her off her feet and carried her toward the hidden bench under the tree. She laughed in surprise and wrapped her arms around my neck. I caught a whiff of her sweet scent and my mouth watered. I swear I seriously had the urge to bite her, she smelled so good.

  “Time moves differently in Faery, and that has allowed me to watch you grow from a child into the young man you are today,” she continued on.

  “And that didn’t scare you off?” I chuckled as I ducked through the opening in the branches, and let her slide to her feet.

  “Not at all. You were interesting. It was fun to watch you grow, and see what you would do. For whatever reason, I realized one day that I’d gone from being interested to caring for you, and that eventually grew into a longing. I knew the day would come when I was expected to take a mate, and I knew I wanted it to be you.”

  “Why not mate with another Fae? You’re royalty here in this realm, are you not? Why would your people let you mate with a commoner like me?”

  She shrugged, turning away and going to sit on the bench. “My people love humans. They encourage us to mate with them regularly. It’s actually beneficial to our bloodline.”

  “Really? How come?” I leaned against the tree trunk, crossing my arms as I stared.

  “The children that come from those relationships are much stronger than normal Fae children.”

  “That’s interesting. I wonder
why?”

  “It has to do with the mixing of human and Fae blood during mating. I don’t know all the particulars, but I know it works.”

  Something she’d said caught my attention and I couldn’t let it go. “Mixing of blood—what do you mean exactly? How is the blood mixed?”

  She looked a little uncomfortable, and she glanced down, drawing with her finger on the padded bench. “I’ve consumed your blood before.” She glanced up, her face reddening slightly.

  “That’s right. You’ve bitten me, I remember. It made me sleepy, but it was also very . . . it felt very good.”

  “It’s supposed to. It’s binding us together even more. You’ve had my blood as well.”

  Now I was confused. “I have?” I tried to remember ever biting her, but nothing came to mind.

  “Yes. You probably don’t remember the first time since you were quite incoherent. It was also mixed in the drink I gave you this morning.”

  Ah, the sweet tasting liquid I couldn’t get enough of. “That explains my craving, but why have me consume your blood?”

  She really blushed this time. “It helps to prepare our bodies.”

  “Prepare us for what?”

  “For the final sealing of our union.”

  I wasn’t grasping whatever it was she was trying to tell me. “Can you elaborate a little more?”

  “It prepares me to receive you.”

  I laughed. “I thought you already had.”

  “No. I mean yes, we have done that, but this will help to ensure what you give me is not rejected by my body. It will recognize your contribution as part of its own.”

  “My contribution?”

  She stared at me while my mind scrambled to understand what she was saying. Finally the pieces clicked into place. “Oh. You want to have my baby.”

  Chapter Five

  I didn’t know why, but the thought both excited and terrified me. My emotions suddenly jumbled all together, and I had a difficult time sorting them.

  “Is there a reason you want to rush into this right away? We have all the time in the world to start a family. Why not just get to know each other better first?”

  She smiled slightly. “It is the custom of my people. Getting with child immediately shows the value of the relationship. It marks it as good and healthy. If a Fae does not conceive early on, she will be shunned by her people, and even her husband can leave her for not producing his heir.”

  I frowned. “Well, that seems a little harsh. Sometimes things are out of a woman’s control. Why shun her for something that is not her fault?”

  Eirian shrugged nonchalantly, and I could tell she agreed with the custom. “Reproduction is necessary for the survival of my people. We must each contribute—do our share. It’s been done this way for thousands of years.”

  I kept frowning. It didn’t seem like a very good thing.

  She laughed. “If it helps you feel any better, it doesn’t happen very often. My race is extremely fertile. So much in fact, I would wager only one person doesn’t conceive every few hundred years.”

  “Hmm.” I pondered her statement, still not feeling comfortable with it. “And what if you turn out to be that one? How fair will you find it then?”

  Her face clouded over, and I wondered if she’d ever even considered the idea. “That would be horrible since I am the daughter of the royal house. My king would not be pleased. I am needed to continue the bloodline. My inability to have a baby could cause me to be completely ostracized by my people.”

  “Your father should love you regardless of what you do, and whether he is king or not.” I felt myself growing angrier.

  Eirian smiled even wider. “And this is why I wanted you, Bran. Your heart is so good, so willing to help others less fortunate than yourself. You don’t stand for injustice. I wanted that strength to run in the veins of my child as well.” She stood and came to me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

  I slipped my hands around her waist, pulling her graceful form against me. If I had to give up everything for her, I was determined to enjoy it. She was very beautiful. “And here I thought it was my dashing good looks that had drawn you.” I chuckled.

  “Oh, trust me when I tell you that your appearance had a lot to do with my decision as well.” She stroked the tip of her fingers over my face. “Why settle for ugly children?”

  I laughed heartily at this remark, even though it showed her Fae-ish vanity. “I bet you could mate with a troll and still have handsome children from the union.”

  She scrunched her nose. “Don’t even joke about things like that. That would surely be a distasteful mating.”

  My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Are you saying that trolls really exist?”

  “Of course I am! They can be a downright nuisance at times. We’re constantly herding them out of the far pastures lest they eat all our food. I don’t know how they manage to keep breaching the barriers, but they always seem to be able to, eventually.”

  I sighed. “It seems there will be a lot I need to learn about this new world if I’m to live here.”

  She looked sad when I spoke these words. “There is a lot you don’t know, and I’ll be happy to show you everything I can.”

  I lifted her chin. “You mean there is more to Faery than this tree and river?” I couldn’t help teasing her.

  She looked perplexed for a moment. “How did you end up here anyway? You took the opposite path earlier. I was sure I’d have to send guards out to find you before the day was over.”

  So she hadn’t tried to trick me. I really had managed to walk in a circle back to this location.

  “I have no idea how I came to be here. I just looked up, and there it was.” I searched her eyes. “I do find it odd that I haven’t seen another living soul since you and I left the feast. Where is everyone?”

  “They are around. These are my private gardens, though. My people know I don’t wish to be disturbed when I am here, although you can occasionally stumble upon others with romantic inclinations hiding together in the seclusion of the trees around this lake.”

  “Is that so? They would dare trespass on royal ground?”

  She shrugged. “What can I say? I have a thing for lovers. I welcome them here.”

  I tipped my head closer, lifting my hand to run my fingers through her hair. “And what about me?”

  “You are always welcome here, Bran.”

  I enjoyed the feeling that shot through me, and I kissed her, needing to feel her lips against mine. She pressed her body to me, her mouth opening—surrendering—and I could still taste the sweetness of the grapes we’d eaten earlier on her tongue. She was delicious, and I wondered if I would ever be able to get enough of her.

  Her hands tangled in my hair, keeping my head pressed to hers, and then she slid them tenderly along my face before dipping down my neck and over my shoulders. She pulled away when she grasped my arms, squeezing them.

  “I love your brawny arms. They’re so strong,” she whispered—her breathing rapid—and I couldn’t help my smile.

  “I’m glad you think so.”

  She traced her fingers along my exposed skin there. “Being in them is much more enjoyable than I’d imagined it to be.”

  She turned, leaning back against my chest, and wrapped my arms tightly around her, tipping her head and resting it on my shoulder.

  I kissed the side of her face and down her neck, my lips and tongue trailing lightly over the surface.

  She let out a soft contented sigh, and I tried to brush away my feelings of guilt as I swept her off her feet and carried her over to the bench.

  “When are you going to show me the rest of the city, or introduce me to others in your family?” I held Eirian in my arms, the two of us reclining together on the padded seat.

  Nighttime had fallen and there was a soft breeze that blew the fragrance of the blossoms through the air, caressing our skin as it floated on its way. There was the sound of crickets and the occasional croak of a near
by frog, accompanied by the gentle lull of the water lapping the shoreline. The tumbling waterfalls echoed in the distance, giving a feeling of relaxed peacefulness. The most enjoyable sound I heard, though, was Eirian’s breathing as her fingers lazily ran up and down my arm.

  I would never lay like this with Ceridwen. I cringed as the thought possessed my mind. Thinking about her was not going to make things any better for anyone. I needed to push past this—concentrate on Eirian and try to move on.

  “I can show you whenever you’re ready.” She glanced up and smiled. “I’m sorry if I’ve been selfish. I keep forgetting all of this is new to you. I’ve waited for you for so long, I just want to keep you all wrapped up to myself.”

  “I wasn’t actually complaining,” I replied before brushing my lips over her fair shoulder. “If you’d rather stay cocooned away in this place, I’m all for that too.”

  She shook her head. “No. You should see Faery at night. It’s beautiful.”

  She left my arms, standing to straighten her dress and I got up to help, lightly kissing the exposed skin at her neck.

  Things might be difficult inside my heart, but she was my wife. I would act the part until my emotions believed it too.

  “If you keep doing this, we will never get to see anything,” she scolded, and even though it was dark, I could feel the heat of a blush stealing over her skin.

  I shrugged, glad that attraction between us was not an issue. “Fine by me—I told you I was happy staying here. That is the purpose of a honeymoon is it not?”

  “Honey moon?” she asked.

  “Don’t tell me your people are not familiar with the term? Drinking honey mead under the honey moon? Honey mead is, after all, supposed to heighten love and desire.”

  “Oh, I was aware of that, I’d just never heard it called a honeymoon before.”