by Bonnie Lamer
I thought that was obvious. “We are in my home.”
She rolls her eyes. “I mean, where are we in the world? We obviously aren’t in Colorado anymore.”
“Ah.” Now I get it. Thinking back to my Cowan geography lessons, I say, “We are near what you would call northern Australia.”
A huge grin is back on her face. “So, the water is warm enough for swimming?”
“Yes.” I lean forward and whisper in her ear, “Fairies prefer to swim sky-clad.” That is mostly not true, but the colors that are washing over her face are worth bending the truth. She has not commented in return, perhaps she is considering the idea. Nah, I doubt it.
I am going to kill Kegan. The arrow that is about to wizz past us is not exactly the welcome home I expected. With a reaction based on many years of ambushing each other, I have a crossbow in my hand and I throw up a protection circle around Xandra. Now I am returning the welcome home gift in kind. Kegan avoids it and rushes me with the broad sword he now has in his hand.
I admit I am glad to be exercising muscles I was concerned would go soft in the Cowan realm. I enjoy the feel of the heavy broad sword in my hand as it clinks against Kegan’s. I back him into the far corner of the room. Obviously he has not been practicing in my absence either. My overconfidence dissolves as he avoids a jab and falls to the ground, does a somersault and is suddenly behind me. Spinning around, I barely miss the tip of his sword that is aimed at my chest. Okay, the stinging on my chest tells me I did not barely miss him. A brief look down reveals the thin line of blood now coming through my t-shirt.
Now I am pissed. I step up my game and we lunge back and forth, knocking furniture out of our way. I am moving my sword so fast that Kegan is not paying attention as he tries to return my blows. That means he does not notice that he is once again in the corner. He tries the same trick he used before but I am ready for him this time. I catch his chin with the end of my sword. “I do not think so,” I say between breathes that would not have been this heavy a few months ago. I have gotten soft. “Looks like I win.”
I feel my circle break meaning Xandra just dissolved it. Oh god, she is pulling an earthquake inducing amount of magic through her. I barely register Kegan’s gasp when he sees Xandra, and I assume he feels her pulling as well.
She cannot possibly contain this much magic. She proves that by collapsing to her knees as she is overwhelmed with it. In an effort to rid herself of it, she sends it forward. Right towards Kegan. Damn, I was not serious when I said I wanted to kill him. There is a distinct possibility of it happening now though.
“Xandra, no!” I scream as I charge her. I use my greater physical strength to break her concentration. I push her to the floor and my body follows so I am lying on top of her. Any other time I would enjoy this. The fact that she is trying to kill my cousin takes some of the passion out of it. “Stop, he was not going to hurt me!”
The look on Xandra’s face is pure disbelief. The chilling scream behind me that escapes Kegan’s mouth when her magic hits him tells me she found her target. And she is not going to back down unless I can convince her to. In her own twisted way she is only trying to protect me. I grab her chin and turn her head so her eyes are focusing on me. “Stop it! He is my cousin.”
She is confused. “Cousin? Why is your cousin trying to kill you?” Her eyes fly to Kegan who is writhing in pain.
“He was not trying to kill me. We do this all the time.”
“Do what all the time?”
Between a clenched jaw, I say, “If you will stop torturing him, I will explain.”
“Fine,” she snaps. I feel her pull her magic back and it takes a few minutes, but she is finally able to push the last of it to the ground.
I sigh in relief as I roll onto my back on the floor. I take a few deep breaths to help calm the adrenaline that is coursing through my body. Turning my head towards Xandra, I tell her what I should have told her before we got here. “Magic is stronger here. There is less interference.”
“What do you mean?” She is clutching her chest. I assume it burned having that much magic flow through her all at once.
“I mean, without all the pollution and chemicals that exist in your realm, magic here is not diluted. What would have injured someone in your realm will kill someone here.”
I get up off the floor and walk over to Kegan. I kneel down next to him and the magic holding his mask disappears. I hear Xandra’s sharp intake of breath. Perhaps I should have told her about my cousin who is almost an exact replica of me. I sigh. I am sure the list of things I should have told her will just keep growing. One thing in particular is hanging over my head that I have not been able to find the right words to explain. That will have to wait until later.
Xandra is standing next to me now. “Who is he?”
I scowl at her. Was she not listening to me? “I have already told you. He is my cousin.”
“He doesn’t have a name? And why would your cousin attack you?”
Because he can be an ass sometimes. Probably best not to lead with that. “Because we have trained together since we were children. I probably would have done the same thing if he had returned home after a journey. It is what we do.”
She gives me an exasperated look. “Wouldn’t it be nicer just to say hello?”
I am saved from making the snarky comment I want to make because Kegan returns to consciousness and groans loudly. “What happened?” he asks as he rolls over onto his back with his eyes firmly closed. Since I have felt Xandra’s magic burn through me like that, I cannot help but be sympathetic. “What did you hit me with?”
“With my girlfriend.”
His eye opens a fraction. “Seriously, who would date you?”
Ungrateful jerk. I look up at Xandra. “Perhaps I should have let you finish the job after all.”
Kegan’s eyes fly open and he stands up in surprise. “You were not joking?” He looks from me to Xandra and all thoughts of pain have obviously left his brain. “Hello,” he manages after he has found his tongue again. The one that I am tempted to cut off along with other parts of him if he keeps looking at her like that. Do I look that lustful every time I look at her? Probably. “Please excuse me, I have never before heard Kallen use that word when referring to a woman. And it is hard to believe that a woman as beautiful as you would be interested in such a bore as my cousin.”
“Back off,” I warn. He gets the implied threat behind my words. “Xandra, this is my cousin, Kegan. What is left of him anyway.” I cannot help a smirk now that all sympathy for him has left my mind.
“You certainly do pack quite a punch with your magic,” Kegan says as he rubs the back of his neck. “It felt as if an army of Pooka warriors attacked me. I would love to see what else you could do to me.”
I reach out and smack the back of his head and he swears loudly. Rubbing his head now instead of his neck, he says, “I meant with magic.”
“Sure you did.”
Kegan holds out his hand to Xandra. “Xandra, I am charmed to meet you.” If he holds her hand for a second longer I am going to smack him again.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Xandra says, reclaiming her hand in the process.
“Kegan, how lovely to see you,” Grandmother says as she breezes into the room. “I see you have met our house guest.”
Kegan inclines his head in greeting. “I did, and welcome home, Grandmother.” He smiles broadly at Xandra. “And I have learned that I must tread lightly when I am here, for her magic is formidable when one is on the receiving end.”
I am sure Grandmother is dying to know what he is talking about but she is not going to ask in front of Xandra. “Indeed. You will be dining with us this evening?”
“I would be honored,” he replies. He is trying to piss me off now.
In an obvious attempt at changing the subject, Xandra says, “You two look more like twins than cousins.”
“Kallen’s father was twin to Kegan’s father,” Grandmother explains. “Th
e resemblance was passed down to their sons, and even their grandmother has trouble on occasion telling them apart.” The last part is a lie that she has been telling as long as I can remember.
Turning to Xandra, she says, “If these two have been up to their normal behavior, I am sure that you have not been shown to your room yet. Let me take you there now.” Yes, so she can be sure that I do not follow her and linger. I will be happy when she decides to go to work. I watch the two of them disappear through the doorway. At least Xandra looks as annoyed as I feel.
“Where ever did you find such a beautiful creature,” Kegan asks. “And how in the world did you get her to fall for such a proud, conceited Fairy such as yourself?”
Perfect. A target for my anger. I turn around and punch Kegan hard in the arm. I feel a little better now.
Chapter 9
Kegan rubs his arm where there will surely be a bruise now. “You are a bit touchy on the subject I see. Dare I ask again where you met her without you resorting to your animal instincts?”
I am tempted to hit him again. “As I have been in the Cowan realm all this time, most Fairies with an intellect greater than a toad would be able to figure that out.”
Kegan looks confused. “You met a Fairy in the Cowan realm?”
Yes, I suppose that does seem odd as Fairies left that realm quite some time ago. I sigh. I am not ready to go into the whole lengthy explanation. So, I go with, “Grandmother knew about her and sent me to protect her.”
He chuckles. “What a terrible job that must have been. I suppose you shielded her body with yours?”
I do hit him again. In the same spot. “You had better watch yourself, cousin. You may think you can take me on, but if she hears you say something inappropriate she is liable to unleash her magic on you again. Her restraint when provoked is marginal at best.”
A flash of horror shoots through his eyes before he is able to shield it. “I still find it hard to believe that such a powerful Fairy was in the Cowan realm.”
I shrug. “Perhaps Grandmother will fill you in on the details. I have someplace I would rather be at the moment.” Shifting into my raven form, I leave my irritated cousin in the living room and fly outside.
I do a quick fly by to determine if Grandmother is still in the yellow room with Xandra. Damn it, she is. I will have to wait. I perch myself on the edge of the balcony, shielded by the curtains from Grandmother’s view. It takes several long minutes for her to leave. Before she leaves, she makes a cryptic comment about Xandra being kind to both me and Kegan because she does not want either of us hurt. I will be asking her about that. Later.
Finally the door closes behind her and Xandra is alone in the room. I fly in through the curtains. Oops, I did not mean to startle her. Time to shift back before she magicks a broom and starts hitting me with it. God, I love the color that rushes to her face when she sees me naked. I am tempted to stall in dressing myself but I will be more successful getting a kiss if I do not. I am now in shorts and a t-shirt.
Giggling, Xandra says, “What took you so long?”
Now that I am able to truly look at her, my eyes cannot help traveling down her body and then back up again. She is absolutely gorgeous in the dress that Grandmother must have made for her. I admit, my eyes did linger in certain places more than others. With a dress cut that low, it is difficult not to stare. “If I knew you were going to be dressed this beautifully, I would have come sooner.” I walk to her and pull her into my arms. “But, I thought it best not to arrive before my grandmother left.”
“Good thinking,” she says snaking her arms around my neck. Pulling me down to her, she kisses me in a way that makes me want to do much more than kiss her. After who knows how long, our lips part slowly. Slightly breathless, I lean my forehead against hers. “I love you.”
She smiles. “You better, I would hate to be the only one in love.” I straighten up and she wraps her arms around my waist, and lets me pull her close. Her head is resting against my chest as she says, “It’s beautiful here. I may never want to go home.”
I chuckle. “Then I will keep you here in paradise and we will live happily ever after.” I like the thought of that.
She laughs. “Just like the Fairy tales say.”
Her terrible joke aside, I need to be touching her in a way that is more satisfying than this. I scoop her up into my arms and she laughs harder. “What are you doing?”
I do not answer. Instead, I bring her to the bed and open the curtains around the canopy. Then I lay her down and stretch out next to her. Grinning, I say, “This is a Fairy tale you may believe in.”
I capture her lips as I pull her to me, her curves melting into my body perfectly. My hands seem to have a mind of their own as they move slowly up and down her body, eliciting soft moans from her as they touch certain enchanting areas. I move the strap of her dress aside and groan as my hand finds her bare breast. Her fingernails dig lightly into my back as she presses more firmly against my hand. My turn to growl in pleasure. Our kissing becomes more frantic. I make my shirt disappear giving her better access to my skin as she continues to tease me with her nails. My hand moves from her breast to pull up the hem of her dress, my hand massaging her thigh as I pull her closer, my knee gently pushing her legs apart.
With a groan, I move so I am on top of her, kissing her neck as I push the other strap of her dress aside. I kiss a trail down to paradise as she arches her back in encouragement. Her bare skin against mine is dangerously close to pushing me over the edge of reason.
Damn him to hell and back. A few more words along those lines pass through my lips as I quickly help Xandra fix her dress to its original state. She giggles self-consciously as she realizes the reason for my abrupt behavior. I want to take her in my arms and tell her how beautiful she is, but I have to kill my cousin first. Granted, we did get carried away and the interruption served as the equivalent of a much needed cold shower. Perhaps it was the comfort of being home that turned my mind to lustful mush. Or it is my passion mirrored on Xandra’s face that does it. I am sure it was a combination of both. Regardless, I am still going to kill Kegan.
I give Xandra a quick kiss and then rise from the bed. I am at the door in a heartbeat. Whipping it open, I barely restrain myself from grabbing him by the throat, dragging him across the room and tossing him over the balcony. “What,” I growl into his simpering face. He is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest as if he has no cares in the world.
Pushing against the wall, he walks past me into the room. His brows rise slightly as he takes in Xandra’s flustered appearance. Turning back to me without nearly enough fear in his eyes, he says, “Grandmother suggested that I invite Xandra for a swim. Fancy finding you here as well.” His comment makes Xandra’s face flush a deeper shade of red than it already was. I am too angry to speak at the moment. He takes advantage of that and turns to Xandra. “Would you care for a swim?” he asks.
“Um, I don’t have a bathing suit, so I don’t think so,” she says and her face is now purple. She must be thinking about my comment from earlier. She can rest assured that the only person in this room who is going to see her completely naked is me. Some day.
Kegan is confused. “Certainly after the demonstration of your magic earlier you are able to create a simple bathing suit.”
He is not helping matters. “No, I can’t.”
I slam the door closed simply to rid myself of some of my pent up anger. “She is still learning to control her magic.”
Now Kegan looks even more confused but he drops it. “Surely, then, my gracious cousin could assist in providing you with the appropriate attire.”
“I see the place for young men to be is sniffing around our new guest’s room. I am sure your Grandmother would be thrilled to know that.”
Xandra starts at Tabitha’s voice. If she looked any guiltier a written confession would be etched into her cheeks. Tabitha walks through the door she just reopened to stand in front of Xandra and
she smiles. “I am Tabitha,” she says, holding her hand out. “I have been waiting anxiously to meet you. Now, you let me know if these boys are bothering you and I will chase them off like the nasty little gnats they are, alright dear?”
Xandra laughs and her face relaxes. “They’re okay for now, but I’ll keep that in mind.”
Putting my irritation with Kegan aside, I gather Tabitha to my side with one arm. “No greeting for me? After all I have sacrificed to save the realms?”
Tabitha swats at me but her mouth folds up into a grin. “Yes, I can see what a terrible hardship it was for you in the other realm. However did you manage being forced into the company of such a lovely and charming young woman?” She winks at Xandra who laughs again.
I shake my head grimly. “You have not spent much time with her, dear Tabitha. You will soon see what a handful keeping her safe and out of trouble can be.”
