by Julie Wetzel
“Sorry to bother you. Do you have a pair of scissors?” Vicky asked, holding out the damp hair that nearly dragged the ground. It was much longer when the curls were pulled straight by the weight of the water.
Darien blinked for a moment, trying to figure out what had changed. She fidgeted under his gaze, and he shook the thought away. “Scissors?” Darien asked. He dropped the book to the desk with the rest.
“Um… yes.” She fidgeted again. “It’s too late to go out to get this trimmed tonight.” Vicky brushed the wet hair back again. “I was thinking I could just chop it tonight and get it styled tomorrow when I go to get new shoes.”
Darien nodded his understanding before reaching into his desk and pulling out a pair of thick shears. “Let me give you a hand.” He stepped from behind the desk and held out his hand.
Vicky froze for a moment before closing the gap between them. Darien opened a door in the back corner to reveal another bathroom. She looked around before stepping into the smaller room. This bathroom had the same white marble as the rest of the house, but there were shelves in here filled with bottles and other strange items. Her eyes fell on the bathtub filled with dark water. Vicky stopped when she saw ripples break the still surface of the liquid.
Placing his hand on her shoulder, Darien pushed her a little farther into the room so she stood in front of the counter. “How short do you want it?” Darien asked as he fluffed the damp hair away from Vicky’s back. He was glad that the magic was gone. There was still some attraction pulling him to her, but it was no more than her sweet personality and pleasant company hadn’t already drawn out of him.
“Shoulder length, please,” Vicky said. She closed her eyes as Darien played with her hair to get it straight. His presence was still tugging at her heartstrings, but the desire that had burned in her earlier was gone. She stood still as he cut the hair off just below her shoulder blades. It was longer than she really wanted, but she figured it would shorten as the curls dried. Darien took the long ends of her hair and coiled them up on the counter top as he clipped them off. Once done, Vicky reached for the hair to dispose of the mess.
He dropped his hand over the pile of damp hair. “I’ll take care of this.” Vicky looked at the smile turning up the corners of his mouth.
“Thank you,” she answered and turned to leave. Shaking her shortened hair, she relished the feel of it moving across her back. Vicky liked having longer hair. There were just so many more things one could do with it.
Darien watched her go before picking up the pile of hair and placing it on one of the shelves to dry. Hair was very useful in many ways to someone who knew what they were doing. It wasn’t nearly as good a magical ingredient as blood, but it lasted longer and would give him something to help track her if the ifrit got through his defenses.
***
Darien knocked on Vicky’s open bedroom door. “Dinner’s ready.”
“Okay,” she called from deep within the room. Darien stepped inside to see what the noise he heard was. His eyes found Vicky sitting on the floor, searching through the messenger bag.
“What are you looking for?” he asked as she turned the bag over and shook it with a growl.
“My wallet.” Vicky dropped the empty bag on the floor and bent over to look under the couch. “I know it was in there before the girls took me shopping, but it wasn’t there when I made my first stop, and I can’t find it anywhere. She stood up and grabbed the white dress lying on the couch so she could move the cushions. A disturbing pang of desire flashed through Darien and he grabbed the wall to keep from falling over. She tossed the garment to the end of the couch next to him, and the feeling lessened. His eyes fell on the silken material of the dress as Vicky dug around looking for her wallet.
“What are you going to do with this?” Darien reached his fingers out and touched the material. The pang flowed back through him. Vicky looked up from her search, and he could see the magic hit her. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Darien moved his fingers away from the cloth, and she visibly relaxed.
“I was just going to hang it up in the closet,” she said as she opened her eyes up again. The feelings that had hit her hard had subsided just as quickly.
“If you don’t mind,” Darien held out his hand towards the dress, “I can get Odette to tend it for you. She knows how to treat spider silk.”
She looked up at him and nodded her approval.
His hand fell to the garment and pulled it up from the couch.
He and the dress disappeared down the hall in a flash as the pang of desire swept through Vicky once again. She sat heavily on the cushions she had been moving around, working to slow her heart as she scolded her errant feelings back under control. If she couldn’t keep herself calm around Darien, she was either going to have to make a move on the man or find a new place to live. She didn’t know if she would be able to work like this.
When Vicky had finally gotten control of herself, she came down to find dinner in the breakfast nook. Even though it had been several minutes since Darien had called her down, the food was still steaming hot. She was starting to have a sneaky suspicion that this mysterious Odette was one of the fay she had just discovered. Vicky thanked her softly before starting in on her meal.
The strange weekend in Fairy had to be catching up to her. She was hungry, tired, and still hadn’t found her wallet. Finishing her dinner quickly, she set the dishes in the sink before heading back up to her room and the deep comfort of her mattress. She just wanted to go to bed and sleep so she didn’t have to think about how odd her life had become. It was starting to be a little too overwhelming for her mind to deal with.
***
A scream and thump brought Darien tearing out of his room partially dressed. The shirt he’d been attempting to put on landed somewhere in the hallway as he slammed through the door to find Vicky, dressed in a red silk nightgown, lying on the floor next to her bed. There was a look of pure terror on her face as she franticly tried to scoot away from the tentacles reaching out from under her covers. Darien looked at the dark green thing with the lighter underside and flipped the woman’s covers back to reveal a familiar ball of tentacles with beady eyes and sharp teeth.
Zak looked up from the center of Vicky’s bed and stuck out a pink tongue, panting happily like a dog. He rolled around, making a bark-like sound.
Darien relaxed a little. He looked back at Vicky, pressed against the wall. She had curled her legs up in front of her, and he could see what she was wearing under the short nightgown was part of the matching set. He tried to not look at Vicky’s exposed legs as he moved over to help her from the floor.
“It’s okay, Victoria,” Darien said softly to the petrified woman. “It’s only Zak.” This seemed to calm her a bit, and she pulled her eyes from the bed and looked up at her boss. He lifted her gently to her feet and brushed his hand down her back so her nightgown would fall into place, covering the tops of her thighs. The hair he had cut last night hung down past the end of her hem. “Are you all right?”
Vicky stood still under his hands, watching as the small horror mauling her pillow.
“Hey, stop that!” Darien scolded the creature and went to take the pillow away before he chewed holes in it. Zak wrapped his tentacles around it, and Darien pulled on each one, trying to get the feather-filled thing away from the fay. As soon as he had one tentacle removed, another two wrapped around the pillow, while more wrapped around him. Soon, he was struggling to get the fay off him, as Zak mistook his actions as a desire to play. The two stopped struggling when they heard giggles from across the room.
***
Vicky stood, shocked, and watched Darien attempting to save her pillow from the teeth of the small creature. She had woken up to her alarm and turned it off as usual, but it wasn’t until she shifted to get out of bed that she noticed the many tentacles clinging to her. Her sleep-addled mind hadn’t been able to comprehend what was going on and kicked into fight-or-flight mode. It dumped a huge dos
e of adrenaline into her system and sent her screaming to the floor. The unused endorphins bounced around in her system and made her tremble as she watched her well-toned and shirtless boss fight with the little horror over the pillow.
The way the tentacles stretched as Darien pulled them off the pillow, only to wrap around his arms and chest, was just too much for her. Vicky let out a small snort at the adorable sight before hysterical giggles took over, and she dropped to the floor in mirth.
Zak and Darien both got off the bed to make sure she was all right. Darien knelt down next to her, concerned her sanity had finally snapped under all the pressure. Zak wiggled up to her and whined as he touched the giggling woman with several ends. Darien dropped his hand to the small creature and patted it like a dog as Vicky’s giggles subsided.
“I’m fine,” she said, sitting up and wiping away the tears born from her laughter. She let out a light sigh, and Zak wiggled up into her lap happily. She tensed at the unfamiliar feel of the strange creature.
Darien grabbed the thing away from her.
Zak let out a grumpy sound.
“Let her be,” he scolded as he stuffed the wiggling ball between his chest and his arm. Zak whined lightly, waving his ends towards Vicky. Darien ignored him and held his free hand out to help her from the floor. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, scanning his eyes over her.
“Yes.” Vicky took his hand, and he stood up to lift her to her feet. Zak squirmed as he tried to get to Vicky.
Darien made an odd noise and twitched as one of Zak’s soft bits slid across a rather tender spot on his side repeatedly. She snickered as he released her hand and held the mass of tentacles away so it would stop tickling.
She brushed the long hair out of her face. “What the…?” she exclaimed as she held the hair out and looked at how long it had gotten overnight.
This time, Darien laughed at the expression on her face and set Zak on the floor. The little fay scampered over to Vicky and wrapped a tentacle around her leg lovingly.
“Get dressed, and I’ll help you with your hair.” Darien headed towards Vicky’s door, still grinning with mirth. “Come on, Zak,” he called and patted his leg. “Let her be, so she can get ready for work.” Zak whined again and looked up at her before snorting and scrabbling after Darien.
Vicky walked back to her bed and sat down on the edge, still shocked. That had been a very rude awakening for a Monday morning. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she stood up to find clothing. She let out a bark of laughter when she opened the closet and found a pair of badly chewed leather heels dumped in the bottom. Kneeling down, she picked up one of the ruined shoes and smiled at the little fay’s thoughtfulness.
***
Vicky looked up from her breakfast when the kitchen door swung open.
Zak rolled through just ahead of Darien. The ball of tentacles wiggled and rolled around Darien’s feet as the vampire made his way to the refrigerator and his morning blood. Somehow, Zak managed to keep all his limbs out from underfoot, without tripping Darien up.
Vicky watched the small creature move about in amazement. Sometimes it would roll, sometime it wiggled, and sometimes it would undulate as it moved across the floor. Zak’s movements reminded her of the video she had once seen of an octopus moving across dry ground between tidal pools, only with a lot more legs. She picked up her glass and took a drink as she watched the alien movements of the little fay.
The tap of her glass drew Zak’s attention from Darien, and he slithered and rolled happily towards her. Vicky was starting to get used to the small creature and only stiffened a little as it stretched itself up her leg and scrambled into her lap. Zak turned his beady eyes up at her. The tip of a little pink tongue stuck out from between the sharp teeth, and he wiggled in her lap like a dog would wag its tail when happy. Vicky giggled at the cuteness and patted him before going back to her breakfast.
“You really shouldn’t let him in your lap while you’re eating,” Darien warned her.
Vicky looked to the creature in her lap, and then to Darien.
“He’ll eat all your food.” He pointed to the table, and she turned back just in time to see a tentacle steal the last piece of bacon from her plate.
“Hey!” Vicky patted the little thing on what she assumed was the backside, and Zak plopped to the floor with his scored meat. Darien chuckled as he drank his breakfast. She quickly finished her food before Zak could come back and steal any more. Moving her dishes to the sink, she rinsed and loaded them into the dishwasher, while Darien disappeared through the storage room door in the corner of the kitchen.
He came back with a barstool and set it down on the marble floor of the kitchen. “Come here.” He patted the stool.
Vicky dried her hands and sat on the seat.
Pulling a pick out of his pocket, Darien proceeded to free the tangles from her hair.
Zak came over and wobbled around the stool before stretching himself up into Vicky’s lap. He wiggled around for a moment until he was comfortable, and then relaxed, as much as a mass of tentacles could.
Vicky put her hands out to support the strange creature. Closing her eyes, she stroked Zak’s soft skin as Darien tugged lightly on her hair. She looked down when little animal started vibrating. It felt as if he were purring.
“He likes you,” Darien said as he wound the long braid high on top of Vicky’s head and secured it with a pair of sticks made of a silvery wood.
She considered the creature for a moment. Yes it was strange, but it was sweet, and she was starting to like it. Vicky petted it lightly, and the tips of its tentacles wiggled in delight.
Darien finished adjusting her hair and patted her on the shoulder. “All done.” He stepped around her and lifted Zak from her lap.
Vicky reached up and touched the work Darien had done so she would get an idea of what she looked like. It felt very nice and under control, with just enough loose strands to soften any hard lines.
“Thank you.” She stood up and turned to see that Zak had found a perch on Darien’s shoulder. The unusual mass clinging to him made Vicky smile, and she picked up the chair to return it to the storage room.
“Just leave it,” Darien stopped her. “I think we’ll need it again tomorrow.”
He turned and left the room before Vicky could ask him what he meant. Was he going to fix her hair again tomorrow? She was planning to get it cut after work. Setting the stool down next to the counter, she grabbed up her bag, following her boss out to the foyer and off to work.
Stopping in the doorway, she watched as Darien attempted to lift Zak from his shoulder. Not wanting to leave his perch, Zak had wrapped several tentacles around Darien’s head, neck, and shoulder. Darien growled at him and ordered him off, but the creature only stretched as the vampire pulled on him.
Vicky tried to hide her smile as she came to her boss’s aid. “Come on, Zak,” she coaxed, “let him go and get down.”
The little creature let go of Darien and climbed into Vicky’s arms eagerly.
She giggled a little as one tentacle slipped into the front of her shirt. Carefully pulling the appendage out, she squatted down to set Zak on the floor. “We have to go to work now,” she explained as Zak rolled around happily. “Will he be all right here by himself?” Vicky looked up to where Darien was fixing his tie and ruffled hair.
“As long as he doesn’t eat my house,” he growled.
Zak made some strange noises, rolling over and rubbing up against Darien’s leg.
“Odette will make sure he’s okay.”
Vicky stood up, and Zak came back over and rubbed against her legs.
“Come on, you know how Monday mornings are.” Darien pushed the button for the elevator. When the door opened, he stepped in and waited for Vicky to follow.
Zak tried to join them, but Darien leaned over and put his hand down to stop him. “We’re going into the human world,” he explained to the small creature. “Wait here, and Victoria will come back when her day i
s done.”
Vicky could see intelligence flash in the creature’s eyes as it processed Darien’s words. It stretched out one thin feeler and wrapped it around Vicky’s ankle for a moment before releasing her and rolling away from the door.
Darien stood up and let out an exasperated sigh as the door slid shut.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as she took in his reaction.
Darien rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb before squeezing the bridge of his nose. “He just claimed you,” he explained, letting out another deep breath and pointing down.
Vicky looked down and gasped at the ring of silver flowers wrapped around her ankle. It was just like the anklet that dissolved when she had taken her shower yesterday evening.
“You’ve only known about my world for two weeks, and you already have two supernatural creatures claiming you.” Darien chuckled and shook his head.
“Three,” she corrected, and Darien froze. He could only think of the ifrit and Zak. What other creature had a claim to her? He looked at her with questioning eyes. “If you listen to everything else in the night, you have a claim on me, too,” she sassed as the doors of the elevator opened, and she stepped out without waiting for him.
Darien’s jaw dropped at the snarky comment from his assistant. He recovered his composure and chuckled as he went out to find Vicky waiting for him by the car.
“Only two,” Darien said in a dark, rich voice as he let her in to the car.
Something tugged deep inside Vicky as she sat down in the seat.
“At this time, you’re just my personal assistant, and I’ve only offered you my protection.” She looked up at her boss and could see a light deep within his green eyes. “You will know when I’ve put my mark on you.” Darien shut the door as she gaped at him.
