Faerie Dust [Fae-Hunters #1]

by Yolanda Sfetsos

  This was it. She could feel it swell up inside her. Sexual encounters for Shay involved much more than just the physical union. And it wasn't emotion either. Emotion never played a part in a physical union, except for now. Tonight her heart hummed a tune she'd never heard, a soft lullaby that serenaded her very soul into the arms of this man.

  Glen was about to get the shock of his life.

  "Don't say it ... let's just—"

  His hands rubbed circles along her back. Every motion stirred the molecules that kept the clothes on her so much that they disintegrated. Glen didn't notice at first, but she arched her back whenever his palms caressed the area where her wings would be in Breena. Her beautiful wings never appeared in the human world, but it was still a point of arousal for her.

  The waves swirled beneath her skin.

  With a gentle hand, she pushed his shoulders away from hers, to alert him to her nakedness.

  "What the...?” Glen's eyes widened. The haze of desire darkened his emerald color to almost black. Or maybe it was the way his pupils enlarged as darkness engulfed them in the deep flora of these beautiful Gardens.

  She met his eyes, which mirrored her own desire.

  Shay lifted her arms to unbutton his shirt with swift motions. She separated the material to stare at the flatness of his abdomen and the thick muscles leaving gorgeous pale ridges. His chest was rigid and taut—toned not only from hours at the gym but from the fae-genes he carried dormant inside his body.

  Glen narrowed his shoulders, and the pale blue material slipped off his frame, fell like a ghost to the darkness below, only to be swept up by a nearby branch, like a natural clothes hanger. He looked down at himself, at the dark pants still on his body. Glen wasted no more time. He slid off his shoes and socks, putting them aside. But Shay stopped his fingers when they approached his pants. She gladly took over the task and even made the dramatic motions to sink downwards.

  He shivered a little from his own sudden nakedness, but Shay would change that soon enough. She'd pulled the pants and boxers over his feet to add them to the branch draped with the shirt. When she rose up slowly, Shay paused to glance at his groin, and a shudder of giddiness tore through her system. She was so close to climax, and the intimate touch hadn't even happened yet. Shay closed her eyes for a second, felt the first bout of pre-dust seep through her pores; a little shimmer of glitter fell from her arms.

  Glen's hands swept her up the rest of the way, long arms encircled her tightly, and lips moved to a hungry rhythm that had him practically eating out of her. Shay knew he wanted this as much as she did. His actions proved Glen Row was as bewitched as she by the attraction coursing through their bodies and hearts, an attraction that ran so deep it reached all the way to their very souls.

  A moment of clarity caused her breath to catch when the realization of what they were about to do swept through her limbs.

  Love was forbidden.

  Emotion didn't have a place in a hunter's life. She had a duty to fulfill, and it didn't involve falling head over heels for this man.

  She was on the road toward permanent loss of her wings and dust. Was this stranger really worth the risk? Her mind tried to reason with the reality of her race's rules, but her heart ignored the stringent thoughts. Shay had never felt this way about a man. Never in her life had she longed for someone the way she instantly had for him. Even from afar emotions started to build for Glen.

  And now they were here, moments from a climax she very much wanted. She knew deep down inside that, after they joined and her job was done, Glen wouldn't be able to move on in Breena without her.

  No, they'd need each other.

  Forever linked by their union.

  Glen's hands swept over her perky breasts, nipples caught between his fingers, hardened by the second. Her mouth responded with deeper kisses. Her right hand slipped down the taut muscles of his abdomen until her fingers came to rest around his arousal.

  He shivered again, mouth now clamped over one of her breasts. When he shifted to the other, her grip slipped from his erection, and she mourned the loss. On his knees and ready to pleasure her in a way she couldn't allow, Glen licked a line down the curve of her stomach.

  Shay grabbed one of his arms just when his tongue connected between her legs. She raised him up again, couldn't let him do this any other way, not if she wanted them to be truly connected. Later, during other encounters he could do as he pleased, but their first time had to be in connection so her faerie dust could spill freely above him.

  "But I—"

  "Let's lie down, Glen,” she whispered into his ear. He made a move to push her shoulders downward, but she stopped him. “No. Will you lie down for me?"

  The darkness in his eyes lightened a little. Excitement and curiosity bubbled off his warm body. She wondered what it would be like to make love in the middle of the day as the sun's rays beat against his skin. Glen didn't know it, but he called on the sun just as she called on the leaves and trees.

  He lay down on the bed of clovers. His bushy light hair fell behind him. She kept his gaze pinned with hers. Shay straddled his thighs just behind his erection.

  Glen closed his eyes.

  "Relax. This will be like nothing you've ever experienced before,” she continued, her palms against his hard chest. The muscles flexed beneath her skin as she lifted her hips and lowered them in one quick motion. That was all it took. One glide and he was embedded deep inside her. The moisture between her legs helped ease him farther inside her than anyone ever had been before.

  "Oh my god...” he murmured, eyes closed for a brief second before he opened them again to catch her gaze. He lifted a hand and touched her cheek.

  Shay paused, still comfortably on top of him. Their bodies melded together, which brought forth a huge smile on her face. She couldn't believe the emotion, the ecstasy, and rapid heart beat that punched against her chest when she moved above him. Everything—mind, body, spirit—seemed to be stimulated in a beautiful sequence, in sync with the pump of her hips.

  She couldn't take her eyes off him as she straddled Glen for what felt like hours. Every drop of her hips encased him farther inside. The waves of orgasm tore through the gates in one split second that made her vision fail.

  Her breath caught in her throat. Murmurs of release filled the night as she came like never before. Glen's arms were suddenly around her, and he sat up, convulsing beneath her with his own release. At the realization that their union ended simultaneously, she let her magic free; the dust spilled from her every pore. There was no need to hold it back. Arousal and adrenaline were the only way to release her faerie dust. Orgasm was the surest way to unleash the full effect of her power. And that's exactly what she wanted him to get.

  Glittery dust particles of purple, pink, yellow, green—every color of the rainbow and more—swirled around them, spilled from every pore on her body, and fell on them like a summer drizzle in the jungle.

  Glen's eyes narrowed at first, but they soon widened in awe like a little boy who'd never experienced magic before. The way his honey-colored hair fell over his green eyes made her chest tighten. His arms stayed wrapped around her as he looked at her in wonder while the glittery dust fell along his skin and disappeared on impact.

  Yes, this was worth it, Shay thought to herself.

  His eyes glazed over a little, and she kissed the top of his head seconds before his arms fell away from around her body. Glen collapsed to the ground, the clovers ready to catch his fall. His head snapped upwards—an abrupt, possibly painful motion—but she held his shoulders down with her palms.

  His reaction was normal and typical of how the body reacted to being unleashed to its true from. What wasn't normal was the air around them that thickened so much she found it hard to gulp enough oxygen.

  The last traces of her dust fell in a tiny swoop to land on his chest, just as the garden around them wavered. Their surroundings shimmered like a waterfall that hid the beautiful foliage.

  Real
ity shifted, and Shay closed her eyes to feel the inertia that tore through her system.

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  Chapter Four

  When Shay Lee opened her eyes, she felt shame sweep over her body instantly. They'd materialized inside the Faerie Warrior Queen's castle. All eyes, the queen's and guards', were on her and the lover she was pressed against.

  Rhiannon sat lazily on her throne, a leg thrown over the armrest in her usual arrogant pose. The split on her gown spread all the way up to her hip. One of Rhiannon's guards slipped a grape into her mouth, like some obscene scene in a B-grade movie.

  Hatred raged like a hurricane inside Shay's stomach.

  She slid off Glen's body. The sheer fabric weaved from orchid petals covered her body once again. The soft pants reached her calves as she pressed off his chest until she was on her feet. Her wings swept out behind her, with enough room on the backless top to spread.

  "Well, well, well, I guess you got the job done,” Rhiannon said from her altar. She raised a thin eyebrow as if waiting for a response.

  "Shay, what's going on?” Glen asked.

  She turned her eyes away from Rhiannon, positive she wouldn't strike yet. Shay met Glen's confused expression as he looked down at his naked frame. The embarrassment colored his cheeks until a pair of silky shorts appeared to cover his bold nakedness.

  Glen Row was finally himself.

  "I'm sorry, Glen,” she said in a soft voice, “I wanted to tell you before we got here. It wasn't supposed to go like this."

  "What did you do to me?” The accusatory question echoed in the green of his eyes. A plea to understand what the hell just happened to him and how he got here.

  "I, I—"

  "She did to you what her job entails,” Rhiannon said with a lift of her leg over the armrest. Her bare feet pressed against the floor as the guard beside her dropped the grapes to help her up.

  "Her job?” Glen echoed.

  "Yes, her job!” Rhiannon answered, as she took the first step down from her podium. “I suppose she hasn't told you what she is. No, that wouldn't make her the best fae-hunter in Breena."

  "Shut up, Rhiannon!” Shay spat through clenched teeth. She wanted to be the one to explain all of this. “Why'd you bring me here now, anyway?"

  "Don't play coy with me, old friend.” Rhiannon sneered, her dainty features now harsh. “You know the rules better than anyone, especially after what happened to your mother."

  Shay's rage filled her with so much pain and anger she literally saw red. She bounced into the air, one swift jump. Her wings flapped quickly. She landed in front of the queen. Shay slammed her forearm against Rhiannon's face.

  The queen fell back onto the step. Blood gushed from the side of her mouth, nose still puffy from the hit the day before. A small smile stretched her thin pink lips.

  "You better stop doing that, Shay. You're starting to make me angry—"

  "Let me get the hell out of here so I can explain everything to—"

  "To your lover?” Rhiannon challenged. She got to her feet again with the aid of her closest guard. “I'm afraid I can't do that."

  "Rhiannon, we're friends—"

  The sudden burst of laughter made the blood chill inside her veins.

  "Friends when it suits you, obviously,” she returned. Lavender eyes narrowed and fogged with anger. “I can't believe you turned out as weak as your mother."

  "She wasn't weak,” Shay whispered, her fists tight at her sides. Anger at the queen washed over her body.

  "You don't know this, but Tien fell in love with a hunt as well,” Rhiannon said with a smug look on her face. She stood her ground, her hand fell away from the support the guard offered. “It was just too bad my own mother fell in love with him as well. A disgrace to the faerie kind they were."

  Shay's heart sped up and pounded harshly. She felt a little faint and wished she could cuddle up to the warmth and strength Glen had shown her back in the Chinese Gardens in Sydney. But after this, he might not ever want to see her again. Still, she wiped the thought out of her head. She had to deal with one problem at a time.

  First she had to absorb Rhiannon's words. “What are you saying?"

  She shrugged, then took a step closer. “You silly, loyal girl. Haven't you worked it out yet? Your mother fell in love with a hunt, made the same mistake you just did, although she knew my mother loved him, too. I told Shina a thousand times not to take on shared hunts, but she insisted. After Tien took a lover, I encouraged my own mother to turn her in. It was the easiest thing I've ever had to do. Well, except for killing Shina afterwards."

  "You bitch!"

  "The word suits me better now, doesn't it?” Rhiannon's smile was condescending and evil. “Now you'll lose your wings, your dust, and your life. I'll have you locked up beneath the earth, without access to the green you crave so much. Without that, you'll be dead within a day."

  "You have to catch me first,” Shay challenged, as she slid the blade of her sword from its sheath suddenly at her side. Slithery vines slipped out of the hilt, curved, and twisted around her hand and wrist to secure the weapon. The blade was made of stone, mossy with plant-growth that breathed in sequence to her.

  "When I'm done with you, I'll cause that lover of yours as much pain as I can,” Rhiannon threatened. “I hear there are goblins just beyond our frontiers hungry for faerie blood."

  Rhiannon faced her, moved right as she moved left, the dance of battle. The kind of fight they'd practiced with each other a multitude of times throughout their lives.

  "Shay!” Glen called from behind her.

  She felt him draw closer, and she shook her head, kept her eyes glued to the queen. “Not now Glen Row,” Shay whispered. “Stay out of this, and I may still have a chance to explain everything to you."

  "Glen Row?” Rhiannon's silky voice repeated the name with the ancient accent of their race. Her lavender eyes darkened to purple, evidence that she knew something Shay didn't, but it wasn't important at the moment.

  Shay lifted her right hand to strike but was cut instead with another dagger that magically appeared in Rhiannon's hand. She pulled back the blade just as quickly. Dark green blood tainted the blade. Shay fought the urge to check the injury. Warm blood seeped out between her ribs. It wasn't a serious cut, but could turn fatal if the queen continued to play dirty. And knowing her, it was the only way she would play.

  "You were right, you know?” Rhiannon said. Her voice tore through the dense silence around them.

  "About what?” Shay took the bait, careful to catch her every move.

  "I planned to set you up from day one. I just didn't realize it would take this long for you to connect with one of them.” Her treacherous eyes were dark and dangerous. Her blade nicked Shay's side again, but this time she curved her spine back to avoid the full impact.

  Shay didn't bother to provide an answer. Instead, she swung her blade two-handed. It sliced through the dense air sharply. The movement sliced Rhiannon's right wrist with the mossy blade, causing the queen to scream. With pain or fury? Probably both, Shay thought.

  Rhiannon's small hand and the dagger fell to the ground with a clang. Guards stepped forward, but she held up the only hand left to stop them. They stopped. Rhiannon lowered her severed arm. Her expression twisted, an obvious attempt to avoid any sign of pain or weakness.

  Shay's lips spread into a smile. She knew this fight could still go either way. But the sense of victory felt good. The rage inside her gut connected with the earth below, the moist dirt hidden by all the marble Rhiannon had insisted upon laying.

  "You can smile all you want, Shay,” she said between clenched teeth, her flat chest heaved madly. “But I can see your future, and it's not a bright one."

  "Tell me. Can you see your own?” Shay challenged, ready to strike again. Her insides quivered. The connection was so deep now that it tugged at her.

  Rhiannon's hardened eyes were a shade of vermillion. If a look could kill, Shay would be flat
on her back lifeless.

  An answer didn't get a chance to leave the queen's lips.

  The tremble emerged out of nowhere. The guards took awkward steps back, weapons drawn, as the ground below them moved to an unsteady rhythm.

  Shay kept her blade out, ready to strike if need be. But she doubted it would need further use, because her greatest weapon was already on the rise. The earth whispered inside her mind and spread to make way for what should've always been inside the castle.

  "What have you done?” Rhiannon asked. Her top lip quivered in fear.

  "You'll see for yourself in a second,” she answered with a smile, as sweat drenched her body.

  Rhiannon didn't respond. The marble floor below split in two, made room for the giant tree stump to grow out of the earth. Just behind her, the live oak tree rose higher and higher into the middle of the palace. The top of the tree stopped only a mere centimeter from the glass roof that this bitch chose to keep closed during her reign.

  "What have you done?” Rhiannon yelled above the commotion the fully grown tree still made.

  The stump was sturdy, huge, and hid the awful marble throne she kept lined with dead leaves. There'd be no more stone in here; Shay would make sure of it. Nature was as much a part of this castle as the rest of Breena.

  As the queen took her last step forward in an attempt to get to Shay, one of the oak's lower limbs shot downward. Bark and leaves entwined together to make a clawed hand that wrapped around her small midsection. Barked fingers squeezed effortlessly. Rhiannon's pale features reddened, her lungs forced to suffocate. In seconds, the moss engulfed her into the very essence of the oak, wrapped her body up like a mummy, and made her a part of it.

  Her evil, nature-killing reign was over.

  Shay turned her attention to the rest of the vast room, stared down the guards, and raised her sword in front of her. But none were ready to strike. Instead, they took several steps back with weapons sheathed, useless at their sides. One by one, each fell to his knees in front of her, eyes downcast in the universal form of submission.