Licked by the Flame

by Serena Gilley

  Just as she did now. She pushed up next to the boat, touching its smooth polished side and waiting for the sensations from inside the boat to travel out to her. Yes, as expected, there they were. The man and his woman were beginning the strange dance of coupling that humans engaged in.

  Aliya shut her eyes, letting vibration surround her, reaching her mind up to connect with the man. She could feel what he felt, the building sense of longing and burning desire. She was rocked by the waves even as the humans rocked up above her.

  Slowly she became aware of something else…someone else. Someone was coming! She could feel the magic coming closer. She pulled away from the boat and blinked up into the sky. There, she was just in time to notice the small, nonhuman form that glittered above. A fairy, her pink glow reflecting off the sides of the craft and her tiny wings humming, was hovering.

  “Come to visit the human again?” the little creature asked. “Not that I blame you. He is pretty interesting, this one.”

  Aliya tried to calm her beating heart and hide her nervous tail flicking. She splashed a few droplets of water up toward her friend.

  “Raea! You’re looking especially sparkly tonight.”

  “You seem to be glowing a bit yourself. Anything unusual going on?”

  “No, of course not. I’m simply patrolling these waters and thought I’d make sure things were going well with this vessel.”

  The fairy buzzed up to peer in through one of the circular windows on the boat. “Oh, things seem to be going very well for the humans, I’d say.”

  Aliya shook out her hair and hoped her color was fading back to normal. She hoped the glow Raea mentioned was gone, too, although parts of her still felt a bit tingly.

  “And how are things going for you?” Aliya asked, eager to take the focus off what the humans were doing, and how she was apparently affected by it. “You’ve been called out here to grant wishes, I suppose.”

  “I’m a Wish Fairy; it’s what I do. These humans start wishing, so I sprinkle a little dust and give them what they want.”

  Aliya didn’t need to ask what the human wanted tonight. She could feel it. He wanted to do things with his female—things that made him forget his pain and numbed him by those exotic human sensations. Sensations that would then be transmitted through the waves.

  Sensations that a mermaid had no business being curious about.

  “It’s good to know your Fairy Dust is so reliable,” Aliya said. “But he’s probably done wishing for the night.”

  “Him? Maybe not. Seems like he’s got extra stamina or something. Not that I’m any kind of expert on this sweaty human recreation.”

  “He’s extra lonely.”

  “What do you know about that? You have some dealings with this human?”

  “No…not at all. It’s just that I’ve seen him out here on the lake before. I can sense how alone he feels, that’s all.”

  “Well, you’d better keep that mermaid telepathy to yourself. The Fairy Council has been cracking down lately on questionable interactions, and I know they’re generally in close agreement with the mermaid leadership. You don’t want to find yourself being accused of anything, Aliya.”

  “I haven’t done anything! I am careful around humans.”

  Mostly. There was something so alluring, so out of the ordinary about this human…

  “Well, just be careful that you don’t…shh, someone’s here.”

  Aliya glanced up in the direction of Raea’s quick gaze. A faint red-gold light reflected off the water. It appeared roughly the same size as the Wish Fairy’s pink glow and was moving toward them. Another fairy. Great. What could have drawn this one out here?

  “It’s Kyne,” Raea said softly. She didn’t seem particularly pleased about it, either.

  “A friend of yours?”

  “Hardly. He’s in league with the Fairy Council, spying on us, keeping tabs on how we do our jobs. You’d better go. As you can see, everything is fine on the boat. No sense getting mixed up with Kyne.”

  Aliya knew the fairy was right. She’d never been one to pay much attention to Forbidden Realm politics, and she was happy to remain blissfully uninvolved. If this Kyne was some sort of spy for the council, trying to make trouble, she wanted no part of it. As far as anyone needed to know, she’d been simply doing her job, keeping the Veil secure and separating the human’s mundane world from their own.

  The Veil was a magical force that ensured protection for creatures like fairies and mermaids. Humans had no idea it even existed, and that was the way it had been for millennia. If she were suspected of allowing a human to see through the Veil, to become aware of their Realm…well, that would certainly upset things.

  “All right, I’ll go,” she said to the fairy. “It was good to see you again, Raea. Enjoy the rest of your wishes tonight.”

  The fairy nodded and shushed her away. Aliya sank into the dark waters. She would leave. It was the right thing to do. She would swim away and pay no more special attention to the man on this boat. She’d go about her duties, keeping things quiet and secure out here in her section of the Great Lake. She would ignore how he reached out to her, would ignore the forbidden things that her body felt when she was near him. She would go and never come near him again.

  At least, she would do that after a little while. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to stay nearby right now, just in case Raea’s wishes were not strong enough to bring the man the relief that he wanted. What if he recalled what he had seen before his woman had pulled him back to the mundane? What if that woman was not proving distraction enough and he started snooping around? It was her duty, of course, to keep track of these things.

  Best keep track of things out of view from the fairies, though. She dropped deeper into the water, watching the fairy glow fade above her. The dark silhouette of the boat loomed and she could still feel those sensations emanating from the man on board. Slow and rhythmic, gaining in momentum…she closed her eyes and let the feelings, like a torrent, envelop her.

  Chapter Two

  Raea watched her mermaid friend disappear. Good. Aliya had not asked why she’d been here, spying on the humans long after the man’s carnal wish had been granted and he was well on his way toward the satisfaction he craved. Aliya seemed sweetly unaware of what was transpiring. With Kyne, however, Raea was not likely to be so lucky.

  “You’ve been watching them go at it again, haven’t you?” he asked as he came closer.

  His accusation made Raea glow even pinker than usual. She spun around, turning her back to the boat. There was no way she could deny what was going on inside of it, though. The steady thumping of those nearby—and naked—humans played loudly against the silence of the lake. The heavy breathing of the couple inside could be heard through the open window, and sounds of passion echoed over the water. Anyone with half a brain could not help but know what the humans were doing. And realize that Raea had been watching.

  Great. Of all the fairies in the Forbidden Realm, Kyne would be the one to show up now.

  “You like watching, don’t you?” he asked.

  “No, I’m not watching,” she replied, purposefully snippy. “I was overseeing. It is my job, after all.”

  He gave her a smile that was half sneer, half dazzle. “Funny, but it didn’t look like overseeing. It looked like watching.”

  “Well, it wasn’t. I was simply doing my job; granting wishes and making sure the humans are minding their own affairs.”

  “Yes, it seems like you keep them minding one affair after another. Seems to me you must like it.”

  Oh, but he irked her. He was always making snide comments like that, not quite accusing her of overstepping her bounds, but still…she felt uncomfortable around Kyne. And she really felt uncomfortable having this conversation right here, right now.

  Based on human behavior she’d noted in the past—noted for purely academic purposes, of course—at any moment the sounds of rasping breath and shifting mattress would turn to ani
mal moaning, guttural grunting, and maybe even a cry out to their deity. She recognized the pattern; the intensity of the man’s passion, the woman’s writhing, then the inevitable climax. Kyne was just in time for the fireworks.

  She needed to end this discussion and get away from here. Now.

  “What are you doing out here anyway, Kyne?” She huffed, barely remembering to use her Veiled voice to keep hidden from the humans, just one open window away.

  “You mean a measly Summer Fairy shouldn’t be rubbing elbows with such a grand and respected Wish Fairy?” he drawled, golden eyes flashing under their long lashes.

  His wisping, flamelike wings stroked the air lethargically, but Raea knew better than to trust his calm exterior. Kyne was just as fiery on the inside as he appeared on the out—quick to react and burning with ambition. He was not one to ignore a perfect opportunity that might benefit his position. Somehow he’d managed to benefit himself right into a position working directly for the council, along with his usual summer duties, of course. He’d done that even with all the wild rumors that circulated about him.

  Rumors that hinted Kyne might just have reason to know much more about humans and their lustful behaviors than normal fairies like Raea could ever dream of knowing.

  “You know that’s not what I meant,” she said. “Did you follow me out here to spy on me for the Fairy Council?”

  His wings flamed brighter and he fanned them with purpose. The whiplike tips cracked in the air.

  “I’m not their puppet, despite what everyone says.”

  “Then you have no reason to hang around and pester me, do you?” she asked, happy to turn the focus on him.

  He shrugged. “I thought maybe you wanted some pestering.”

  “What I want is to be left alone to do my job.”

  “Which is to watch humans have sex, apparently.”

  “So your job is to assume the worst about everyone?”

  “And I’d love nothing better than to be proven wrong.”

  She doubted that. The council didn’t want to be wrong, why would Kyne? He may not be their puppet, exactly, but with all those rumors swirling around about him he needed to keep on their good side. He had too much to lose. Raea knew better than to believe rumors—especially rumors like these—but Kyne didn’t make them easy to disregard. His blistering aura and off-putting habit of turning up in unexpected places certainly didn’t engender trust.

  “I’m sorry if I seem unfriendly,” she said, eager to get away from the boat and what was developing inside. “I’m just not used to the council sending lackeys to keep track of me.”

  “Who said the council sent me out here?”

  “I don’t see any flowers that need pollinating or dancing sunbeams you need to direct. Why else would a Summer Fairy be out here at night? Besides, I saw you going into the Council Hall again this evening. I know you’re working with them.”

  “And you have some reason to dislike the Fairy Council?” he asked in his unfairylike deep voice.

  She didn’t bother to answer him. Why should she? It would just encourage him to launch an interrogation about the various wishes she granted. She really did not need that. What she needed was to leave this place, put these humans far away from them before things got…awkward.

  “I simply think the Fairy Council needs to back off and give us more freedom.”

  “More freedom?” he asked, occupying what would be her flight path. “Is that what you really believe?”

  Had that been the wrong answer? She made a halfhearted attempt to push him out of the way, but he didn’t budge. Those bright, vapor-thin wings of his were stronger than they appeared. He hovered securely in place, blocking her. If she wanted to escape, she’d have to swoop down past the window on the boat—fully in view of the humans inside.

  True, she was still in her usual stealth form, no bigger than the palm of one of those human’s hands and fluttering in frequency unlikely to be detected by them, but an unsanctioned sighting was the last thing she needed on her record. The paperwork alone would take her forever.

  “I need to get back to work now,” she insisted.

  “What do you mean about freedom? What would you do with more freedom?”

  “I would do my job without need of you looking over my shoulder.”

  “Then you’d be free to find more horny humans so you can watch them go at it.”

  “I grant wishes that keep humans content,” she declared, as if he needed a primer on what Wish Fairies did and why. “I can’t help it that they’re such raging animals and sex is what they all wish for.”

  “Only because you make it so easy for them to get it.”

  “That’s what I do! I make sure they get what they wish for so everything stays neatly in balance, the Veil kept strong and secure.”

  “There must be hundreds of other wishes that could keep the humans safely in their place. Why are you so fixated on granting wishes like these? What these humans do with each other is vulgar and foul. Any true fairy should find it distasteful.”

  To punctuate his point the couple on the boat chose that very moment to break into the hoarse cries, gasping groans, and loud exclamations of pleasure she’d been afraid of. Raea cringed. Kyne’s wings flapped more forcefully and he peered past her to see in through the boat window.

  “No wonder you like to watch. By fate, they certainly do go at it. Beasts.”

  “If it bothers you so much, leave,” she said. “Unless maybe it doesn’t bother you.”

  “It bothers me. A lot.”

  “Fine. Then let’s get out of here. Sometimes after they couple like that they’re a little more open to seeing us, you know. I don’t want to have to write up a Viewing Report tonight. My shift’s almost done.”

  She shoved past him and took off. So what if her wings smacked him in the face? Maybe the other fairies thought Kyne and his light amber eyes, deep, dusky voice, and annoying little smirk were good company, but she didn’t. Not right now.

  He ought to be back over land changing a caterpillar into a butterfly, nurturing bees, or whatever it was those seasonal fairies did. He had no business out here interrupting her while she was working.

  Instead he was following her. She stopped and whirled to face him. An angry poof of Fairy Dust escaped her and glittered in the air around them. Fortunately, the boat was a distance away now, so she wasn’t overly worried about being spotted. Her wings turned the dust into a sparkling whirl.

  “Leave me alone, Kyne. I can’t…I can’t think straight with you here.”

  “I’m just flying the same direction. What is it you plan to do out here that my presence makes you so nervous?”

  “Nothing. I mean, I plan to do my job. I don’t need a babysitter.”

  “You want me to leave you alone, to let you be free to go about your business?”

  “Exactly,” she said, relieved that he finally got it. “I’d like a little freedom.”

  A slow smile moved over his lips. The breeze turned warm and for just a moment Raea felt as if she couldn’t quite catch her breath. Kyne’s eyes held on to her in a manner she’d not known before, and she couldn’t move away.

  “What would you do, Raea, if you really were free? If you didn’t have to dance to the whims of these humans, if you didn’t have to worry about so-called babysitters from the council? How would you be free tonight?”

  His question rolled over and over in her mind. What was he asking her? His words made no sense, yet something about them touched a place deep inside her. Freedom. What did it mean? She could hardly imagine a life where she didn’t have to grant wishes, to be at the beck and call of frustrated humans, or under the watchful eye of the council.

  What would she do if life wasn’t that way? What would she do right now, right here, if she really were free?

  The heat and the glow coming off Kyne felt like sunlight on her skin, familiar and enticing, as if she could let down her guard and let go of duty and responsibility. For a mome
nt she almost thought about giving in to the feeling, finding out just what it was she did feel inside. A fish splashing below brought her back to reality, though, and she was glad for it.

  If what Kyne was making her yearn for was freedom, then freedom was terrifying.

  “Fairies are free,” she said sharply. “We’ve managed the humans this way for centuries. Who are we to say things ought to be changed?”

  “I bet you’d change things if you didn’t enjoy granting these kinds of wishes so much,” he said with a warm, smoky laugh.

  Infuriating.

  “Leave me alone, Kyne. You’ve sprouted too many daffodils or something.”

  “I don’t do daffodils. I do summer flowers. If you weren’t so busy helping humans copulate you might notice the difference.”

  “I grant wishes. It hardly matters to me whether they’re for an hour of sweating and strange noises or for a new pair of shoes.”

  “I’ve never seen you peeking through windows to watch shoes, though.”

  She glared at him, wondering how he could be so beautiful and so annoying all at the same time.

  “I grant the wishes they want, Kyne. I follow the Great Code; I keep our laws and protect the Veil. You can go back to the Fairy Council and tell them that. The Forbidden Realm is safe because I keep the humans distracted and content.”

  “And sex is the only thing that will do that for them? Surely they must have some higher qualities.”

  She shrugged. “Not that I’ve noticed. The males seem especially single-minded.”

  “You sound just like the council,” he said, nearly hissing his words. “Humans are base, brutish creatures, they say, and we must dedicate our lives to managing them. Well, I say there’s another way. There’s got to be some other way.”

  “They’re earth creatures, Kyne,” she said gently, hoping to soothe the new fury that radiated off him. “They’re not of the air, like us. Since their animal lust doesn’t affect us, what does it matter what wishes we grant?”

  “Are you sure their lust doesn’t affect you?” he asked.