One chapter was dedicated to nymphs. They aren’t technically fairies though a lot of people (including myself) confused them with sprites. There was a note stuck to one of the pages in this section too.
The two you met last night are named Breeze (wind nymph) and Splash (water nymph). I know this because they asked Aurora who my “hot” date was. They also said that if you ever decide men aren’t your thing, the offer to join them still stands.
He attached another note underneath this to say, Not bad for someone who’d been rained on and chased through the mud. Nymphs don’t proposition just anybody. I’d take it as a compliment.
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From there I moved on to a section about spells and incantations that could only be performed effectively by the fae. Other practitioners of magic could work the spells, however, the effects wouldn’t last. One such spell was the one Liam must have used to make the potion that lifted the veil. Of course, the complete spell wasn’t given. I assumed that’s because the author/witch didn’t know the rest. Or maybe she was threatened to keep the secret of the hidden magical world?
Glamours performed by the fae were also permanent unless (like in my case) a fairy shaman helped you to see past the spells or nullified their effect.
I was so fascinated by this information that I didn’t hear someone knocking on my door until they started to yell.
“Come on, I know you’re in there.”
I left the book on the coffee table and looked through the peephole to find Nym, still wearing that gold suit. Curiosity made me open the door.
“How do you know where I live?”
“Aurora told me,” the elf said. He tossed his long hair over one shoulder. “Hello again to you too. Aren’t you going to invite me in or do I have to stand here until your neighbor propositions me again?”
At that I laughed and motioned for him to come inside. He followed me through the short hallway into the living room, where he sighed with relief.
“Great, you’ve got a fire. It’s butt-fucking cold outside.” While Nym moved toward the fireplace I propped against the wall, laughing.
“What? You’ve never heard that expression before?”
“I’m afraid not,” I said, regaining my composure.
“It’s when you’re so cold you have to butt-fuck to keep warm.” I was still snickering when I moved back to the couch. Nym sat beside me and glanced at the book.
“From Liam, I take it?”
“Yes.”
Nym looked concerned. “How are you today, did you rest? Surely he sent you a potion?”
“He did, and it helped.” I sighed. “It feels good to laugh, even though I feel a little guilty.”
“For laughing? Don’t be ridiculous. I know what it feels like to lose a friend. There are two very good ways to move beyond survivor’s guilt.” I was expecting to hear some tidbit from a grief counseling handbook. Instead Nym blurted out, “Laughter is great, but what really worked for me was to go out and screw like mad, which brings me to the reason for my visit.” My heart thumped painfully. “Nym, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” He raised a brow and I was struck once more by his stunning good looks.
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“I could make you scream,” he said. “However, that’s not the reason for my visit.” I couldn’t decide if I was relieved or disappointed. “Then what brings you my way?”
He sat back and crossed his legs, stretching his arms across the back of the sofa. “I have some information and Liam was indisposed.” Indisposed? That could mean anything and the way Nym said it made me think of something naughty. I was surprised by the pang of jealousy I felt at the thought of Liam being indisposed doing naughty things with another woman.
“Doing what?”
“Working a spell for you or so Aurora said. She was guarding his house from the front porch to make sure no one interrupts him. He’s making a potion.” Oh yeah, that was right. I felt stupid for my bizarre jealousy. After all, we’d just met last night and he told me about the spell. Of course he would be indisposed.
“He said he needed two days, that he would bring something to relieve my pain.” Nym’s smile looked wistful as he leaned closer. “Do you know what is required for that spell?”
I really didn’t. People often assumed I was a witch, but palm reading isn’t witchcraft. It might be magical on some level, but didn’t require spell work.
“No.”
“It requires a sacrifice of pain.”
“What do you mean?”
“Liam needs two days to conjure up every painful memory he can. Everything that’s ever hurt him, that’s what he will put into the spell.” I felt terrible. “You mean he’s suffering right now just to help me?”
“Yes.”
“We should stop him,” I said, rising to my feet. “I don’t want him to hurt for my sake.”
“Don’t worry,” Nym said, taking my hand. “He wants to do it, otherwise he wouldn’t have volunteered.”
I let him pull me back onto the couch. The thought of Liam reliving painful memories broke my heart. But I took the elf’s advice and let it be. After all, he had known Liam longer than I had and he seemed unconcerned.
“Now,” he said, “would you like to hear what I’ve learned?”
“About my situation? You mean you’ve had time to learn something new since last night?”
He laughed softly as he waved off my comment. “You underestimate me.” Now I was intrigued. “So, let’s have it then.”
His smile was wicked. “How about a cup of elvish tea and I’ll dish?” 27
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“You’ve got tea bags in that tight get-up?”
He pulled two small bags from his upper coat pocket. “Never leave home without it.”
The tea was good, but the conversation was better.
“Right after we left she came in Pixie Styx?” I asked.
“You probably walked past her on your way out.”
“What was her name?”
He took another sip before answering. “Tina. She’s a dancer, has the most amazing long legs, and an ass—”
“Nym, I don’t need to know about her ass.”
“Well, if you insist on skipping the good parts, it’s your loss. Tina, aside from being a dancer, is a werewolf.”
“What was she doing in a fae hot spot?”
“Looking for fairies, of course. They say that once you have a fae lover, you’ll never want any other.”
“Ooo, that’s sexy.”
He winked. “Yes, but those who say such things have never had an elf.” I laughed.
“We went back to her place and after hours and hours of pumping her for information, I found out something useful.”
I could feel my cheeks burning at the images his words conjured. “Wow. You can make anything sound dirty.”
“Yes, it’s a gift.”
Nym paused to take another sip of tea. “The Wolf King, Marco Barak, is in town.
He owns a club not far from Pixie Styx. If you stop by unannounced, he might see you.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he’s a nice guy or so I’ve been told. If you try to make an appointment, it might take months. Unannounced is your best bet. He will be able to tell you if any of his wolves have gone rogue. Since you’re looking for a large, hairy monster, I thought it might help if you could rule out werewolves.”
I jumped up and hugged him. If not for Nym, who knows how long it might have taken me or Liam to find this out? I didn’t even know any werewolves.
“Thank you so much, Nym.”
He smiled. “It was no trouble. I enjoy a bit of undercover work now and then.”
“I’ll bet.”
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Before he left Nym took another look at the basket Liam had sent. “You should keep this by your door. There are spells woven in with the reeds. It
will keep anything harmful out.”
I was impressed. “I’ll do that. I didn’t realize even the basket was magical.” Nym turned to leave and I reached for him. “Wait. There is one more thing I’d like to know, if you’ll indulge me?”
He turned to me, hands on hips. He didn’t look irritated, I got the impression it was his normal pose. “Your hair could use some more red highlights,” he said, not giving me a chance to ask my question.
As he reached for my hair, Nym touched my face. With that touch I fell to my knees.
The room was dark and all I could hear was the sound of his breath. Then I saw him on the bed with a woman. Their limbs were entwined, sweat glistening on their skin. Nym’s long hair clung to his back in wet strands. She raked her nails down his back, but they didn’t break the skin. Upon closer inspection I could see the tips of her fingers were covered with some type of decorative metal pieces. Somehow I knew this was to prevent infecting Nym with lycanthropy. This vision was not like the one I’d had of Liam. It was third person and I moved freely about the room as if my consciousness was floating.
She wrapped her long legs around him and I watched his ass flex as he pumped in and out of her. I heard her screams, listened to the wet slapping noises as he thrust in and out of her soaking pussy.
I could feel myself growing wetter as I watched, aching with desire. From the foot of the bed I could see it all. I watched his cock thrust into her pussy, saw the juices running down her thighs as she screamed.
In this vision I could not touch my own body, but I thought about it. It was as if I no longer required hands. Only thought was enough to get me there. I thought how good it would feel to be fucked like that and I came.
The next thing I knew I was on my kitchen floor with Nym leaning over me. His blond hair tickled across my face as he bent closer.
“Are you all right?”
He helped me sit up and I put a hand to my chest, trying in vain to soothe my racing heart. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath.
“What just happened?” he asked.
“I saw you with Tina,” I panted. Before I could stop myself I said, “And it made me come.”
His smile of satisfaction was enough to make me vividly recall the sight of his naked ass.
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“I’m glad I could be of service,” he purred. As he helped me to my feet he added,
“Care to tell me how you got inside my head so easily?”
“I’m not sure.”
I propped against the counter and told him the information Aurora had passed along from Liam about my abilities being enhanced by his kiss.
“Interesting,” Nym said. “Did you have any mental shields in place?”
“No. I’ve never needed strong shields before because my gift has always required touch to work. Plus, people had to invite me into their minds. I could never just force my way in. Besides that, I touched your hand earlier and nothing happened. I don’t understand how this time was different.”
He shrugged. “I must have let down my guard without realizing it. Maybe that’s all the invitation you need anymore.” He leaned closer. “Was it that good?” I pushed him back with a laugh. “It was incredible. I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”
He studied me for a moment. “But you’ve got your sights set on someone more pale with violet eyes, right?”
I smiled. “Can you read minds too?”
“No, but I’m very good at reading people. What was the question you wanted to ask?”
“Now that I think of it, I’ve got a couple of questions.”
“Start with the one that sounds like the most fun.”
“Liam and I haven’t discussed money yet. I don’t want to bring up the subject and insult him. What kind of fees does he normally charge for his services?” Nym’s wicked laughter echoed in my small kitchen. “What makes you think he works for money? I’m sure the two of you will come to a suitable arrangement. Next question.”
“You said last night that someone wanted to steal his magic. Why would anyone do that? Is it even possible?”
“That is the rumor. I haven’t heard any more about it though. There are any number of reasons someone might want to be as powerful as Liam. Of course, it would take someone just as strong to steal his magic in the first place. Who knows? Maybe they want to take over the world. Now I’ve got a question for you.”
“What? Don’t ask me to describe how good your ass looked or anything.” He laughed. “No, this is much more boring. How come you didn’t know your friend was going to die before it happened? I’ve never understood psychic ability very well.”
“For one thing, before I kissed Liam I was not full-blown psychic. I suppose that’s why I don’t know how to control things now. I have no idea how it works. I never read for Rachel. She never asked me to tell her future and showed no interest in palm 30
Constant Cravings
reading sessions I did for others. Besides, even if I had grabbed her hand and tried to initiate contact, at that time I would have needed her invitation. There’s no way I could have known.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t meant to upset you by asking.” I shook my head. “You didn’t. I think I’m going to find that book I’ve got on psychic ability and see if I can keep from reliving anyone else’s memories.” He laughed. “You know you liked it.”
After Nym left I went to my bookshelf in the back bedroom. This was the space I used to do readings. It was decorated like most people expected a palm reader’s place to be decorated. There was a bead curtain hanging from the door and I even had a crystal ball on one of the shelves. Of course, it was just for decoration. Dozens of candles were placed around the room in no particular order. When I needed to focus this is where I came. The candles and their soft glow always soothed me.
After searching for a few minutes among my new age and metaphysical books I found what I was looking for. Most of these books were given to me by people who didn’t know I didn’t practice witchcraft. Not that I had anything against it. My great-grandmother was a witch. The other books here, the really old ones, I inherited from her. Sadly, I had never done more than scan a few pages in any of them. My gift came to me naturally and I never saw the need to practice any religion. I believed in something more than myself, I’d just never taken the time to search for it.
I saw these books in a different light after my recent experiences. A book on how to select a familiar didn’t seem so far-fetched anymore. Neither did a book on how to summon the love of your life.
“Really?” I said, taking a closer look at the book.
I flipped through the pages. “It’s nothing but spells to summon your true love.” I laughed softly. “Why did I never read this before?” My laughter subsided when I remembered that Rachel had given it to me for Valentine’s Day almost five years ago.
My grandmother never openly practiced the craft, though her mother had. The one thing she said about it that stuck in my mind was, “Never dabble. If you choose to practice, then study first. Dabbling will only lead to trouble.” With this in mind, I put the spell book down and picked up the book on getting in touch with your own psychic abilities.
Late that night, after reading the entire book on psychic ability (it wasn’t very long), I decided to meditate and attempt to strengthen my shields. I didn’t want to accidentally slip into someone’s mind just because of a handshake. Even though Liam said the effects of his kiss were temporary, I didn’t plan on that being the last time I kissed him. So I figured I should learn to control these enhanced abilities of mine as soon as possible. Every time I tried to picture a stronghold—to represent the shields in my mind—I instead saw Nym and Tina. More distracting still, when I didn’t see them, I saw myself with Liam.
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“Fuck it,” I said, rising from my place in front of the fire.
I had already taken a drop of the nightmare prev
ention potion an hour before. I didn’t have to worry about nightmares because I couldn’t sleep. I also couldn’t meditate. Maybe it was the nearly half-pot of coffee I drank earlier, or perhaps I was just nervous about all that was going on.
A bottle of my favorite wine was in the fridge and under the circumstances I saw no reason not to indulge. I rationalized this out loud as I took a glass down from the cabinet.
“My friend is dead, the whole world has changed, and apparently I’m too horny to meditate. All my appointments are cancelled. Why not?” It had been awhile since I’d had very much to drink. I had nothing against alcohol, I just tried not to take in too many calories this way. I’m not one of those women obsessed with being thin. My breasts are naturally large, D cup to be exact. If I gain weight they grow, and if they grow any more I might tip over. Okay, so that’s an exaggeration, but larger breasts would give me back problems that I do not want. This also runs in my family and though many women would consider it a blessing, every time I go shopping, I consider it a curse. So for that reason, I do my best to stay fit.
It had been several months since I’d indulged so much. By the time I drank half the bottle I was very drunk. I was also no longer concerned about the cold. I’d stripped down to my underwear and my favorite silk robe. Both were black with aqua-blue trim.
All thoughts of my grandmother’s warnings were now long gone as I went into the back room and picked up the book of love spells. How great would it be to take the guesswork out of finding your true love? Or so I thought.
While I flipped through the pages I started talking to myself. “Since I met him, all I can think about is Liam. That’s not like me. A man has never affected me this way before. What if he isn’t even meant to be with me?” I paused as flashes of another sexual fantasy flickered through my mind. It was like watching stills from a porno. “If that’s the case, maybe I could at least sleep with him?” I laughed at how ridiculous I sounded. I poured myself another ice-cold glass of red wine and started gathering ingredients from the kitchen. My computer was still on where I’d used it for more research on the fae earlier. Now I pulled up the media player and selected my favorite R&B playlist.
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