“You must spend a night in the woods and become one with the dark,” he told Ella between gnawing on the red-coated chicken parts and them settling into their chairs. “Only that which is created from obscurity can give you what you seek,” he added.
“Any particular spot in the woods?” Ella asked the four hairs.
Wiping his hot-sauced fingers on the front of his shirt, Pierre pulled an ink pen from his pocket. Jotting an address on his napkin, he handed it to Ella. Pinching the slightly rumpled and stained paper towel between her thumb and forefinger, Ella reluctantly accepted.
“Um, thank you.”
“What is the price of your time?” Samuel asked, holding the man’s beady brown gaze.
As he feared, Pierre’s rat-like features became calculating at his question. Samuel knew he shouldn’t have let the ass grab go.
Narrowing his eyes, he allowed a hint of the rage always boiling just under his surface to show in his stare. Samuel had killed many beings since the creation of time. Today would be no different for Pierre if he didn’t choose his words wisely.
Showing a hint of good sense, Pierre waved off the question and lifted another wing from his plate. “For a woman as lovely as yours, and because Randall is my friend, this advice is on the house.”
Another checkmark against Randall as far as Samuel was concerned.
“Oh, thank you,” Ella cried. “However, I insist you accept something.”
Samuel bit back a groan.
Flashing a triumphant smile, Pierre drawled, “Well, there is one thing.”
Under the table, Samuel tapped the heel of his boot against the floor, causing a blade to slide out at the toe. Lifting his foot, he pressed the point against the man’s groin. Pierre’s eyes widened. Samuel silently dared him to continue.
“You can tell Randall I send him good wishes,” he finished quickly, and Samuel dropped his foot to the floor, popping the blade back in place.
Seemingly oblivious to the exchange, taking place just out of sight, Ella smiled brightly. “I will,” she promised. “And thank you again. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help.”
Wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, Pierre accepted her show of gratitude while rushing them on their way.
As soon as they hit fresh air, Ella sucked in a deep cleansing breath as if attempting to expel the disgusting man from her lungs. “Lucky thing you threatened to castrate him,” she said, taking him by surprise. “Otherwise, he might’ve expected me to flash him my boobs.” Samuel threw back his head and roared with laughter. Nothing ever escaped her notice. It was one of the many things he loved about her. She was extremely observant.
Having never been camping before, Ella decided renting the needed equipment would be her best bet, especially since she possessed zero desire to repeat the experience after tonight. Samuel argued vehemently against it, believing they could simply sleep beneath the stars. Ella wanted a barrier between herself, the bugs, and the snakes that were prominent in the area. Samuel assured her his presence was enough to keep her safe. It was all she needed. In the end, she relented. Unfortunately, she wasn’t any closer to finding the answers needed for Freddie.
Darkness falls late in the south during the warmest months. Ella thought she’d crumble under the pressure of waiting for its arrival. Switching her attention between her notes and the plant life surrounding them, Ella asked, “What do you think Pierre meant by becoming one with the night?” A wicked smile touched Samuel’s lips before he attempted to hide it. However, it was too late. She glanced in his direction, catching sight of it before he could mask his reaction. Sitting side by side on the blanket Samuel spread out for them beneath the stars, Ella bumped him with her knee.
“What is it?” Samuel shrugged. Instead of answering, he asked, “Do you know why there is a night and a day?”
“Because the Earth rotates,” she began before he cut her words off with an annoyed look. “You know there is more than one realm and more than one plane of existence. Yet, it is the same on every one.”
She realized he was right. “I never really thought about it.”
“The light is for guidance and transcendence,” he explained. “But the dark is for protection and passion.” Her mouth formed an “O” as she caught his meaning, but she still couldn’t understand the location. “Why this place though? I mean, is Pierre hiding in the bushes and watching us?” Her eyes shot to the nearby tree line at the thought. She didn’t put it past the slimy pervert.
“We’re completely alone,” Samuel reassured her as he tugged the notebook from her hands and set it aside.
Her shoulders relaxed. Her eyes fell closed as his lips touched the side of her neck. There was no one she trusted more than him. If Samuel said they were alone, then they were alone. One day, she knew she’d have to look closer at the reason he was so high up in her books, but it wouldn’t be tonight.
Cupping her breast, he rolled her hardened nipple between his fingers. She moaned at the pleasure running down her spine.
“Tell me what grows around us,” he demanded as he removed her clothing, and kissed each spot as it appeared.
Falling back onto the blanket, Ella attempted to focus on their surroundings while he set her body ablaze.
“Carnations,” she began. “And clover.”
“What else?” he asked as he peeled her panties down her hips.
“Daffodils, daisies, dandelions, and dragon’s blood,” she trailed off in a haze.
“Hickory,” he added before sealing his mouth over her core and delving his tongue inside.
“Yes,” she cried. Gripping the blanket between her fingers, the stars blurred in the sky as Samuel teased her clit with his tongue. This was the perfect spot to become one with dark, she decided, before her mind lost its ability to do anything other than feel.
***
It hadn’t worked. That was the one thought plaguing Ella’s mind as she stared at the lines of Samuel’s sculpted and nude body. It had been seven solid days since their night under the stars, but Freddie was no closer to being human than before.
The flat pads of Samuel’s chest were hard beneath her fingers and she marveled over the lines of his sleeping body. Every single muscle in his body seemed poised and ready for battle even as Dreamland invited him in. A fine sheen of sweat covered his skin. His already deliciously full lips were swollen from their kisses. His long hair clung to his face and neck. Her fingers itched to paint him like this. He was such a hardened and secretive man. When they were apart, she marveled at how much of herself she shared with him while she knew next to nothing about him. However, when they were together, none of it mattered. Any doubts she experienced fell away with his first hot glance. With only one look, Ella could see how much he cared about her. His silvery eyes would focus on her and she knew, in those moments, she was the most important thing to him. Samuel possessed some vital element...her mind trailed off. That was it. The potion she made that called to Samuel. Slipping from the bed, she dug around in her bedside table until she found Samuel’s potion, and then headed for the kitchen.
The glow from a computer screen was the only light on in the house. It was enough for Ella to see the entire living room. Tam was wearing a black leather bustier, a bright yellow skirt, coupled with black and yellow striped fingerless gloves. The entire outfit paired with her wings resembled a giant bumblebee. She was playing solitaire on Ella’s laptop while Freddie sat at her feet, gnawing on her ankle. They both seemed content at their choice of leisure and Ella hated to interrupt them. She tried sneaking past, but after only a few minutes of banging away in the kitchen, they joined her.
***
The smoke pulled him from sleep. Rolling from the bed, Samuel landed lightly on the balls of his feet, prepared for a fight. Years of battle crowded his brain. In one quick motion, he swept his plaid from the floor and wrapped a length of the material around his forearm to protect it from the blows. Reaching for his sword, he found it missin
g. That moment of confusion proved sufficient to slow his mind long enough for the room to come into focus. He was at Ella’s and no enemies were surrounding him. His nostrils stung from the stench in the air, reminding him of the reason for alarm. Following the smell, he ended up in the kitchen. Tam sat perched on the table used for meals while Freddie occupied a chair at her side. He spared them only a passing glance before focusing on Ella. Jealousy gnawed at his gut at the knowledge she’d left his side to be with Freddie. It didn’t matter Tam was present as well. She couldn’t stay away from her zombie man long enough to sleep one full night in his arms.
“What the hell are you doing?”
He would’ve liked to think he hadn’t meant the accusing note in his voice, but he had. Looking away from the black cauldron that sat boiling on the stovetop, she met his eyes long enough to flash him a quick smile before returning to concentrate on the pot. She stirred the contents with a long wooden spoon.
“I had an idea,” she answered with an absent tone.
Her tiny blue shorts and spaghetti-strap shirt, which went far to showcase her gorgeous body, did nothing to cool his temper. She’d left the bed where they made love to work on another fucking potion.
Rolling his shoulders, he felt something pop. He took a deep breath. Neither of those things did a thing to help. He was still pissed. He made a valiant attempt to keep his tone in check.
“You left our bed.”
“My bed, actually,” Ella said, sounding unconcerned.
Reealllly. Wasn’t that a kick in the balls if he ever heard one? His eye twitched.
“Oh dear,” Tam said. She, of all people, had known him long enough to recognize the muscle flexing repeatedly in his jaw wasn’t a good sign.
At Tam’s words, Ella finally gave him her full attention.
“You’re not wearing any clothes,” she observed.
“I didn’t see the point in spending ten minutes rolling myself in plaid when you are coming back to bed.” He paused before adding, “Now.”
Her eyebrows shot to her hairline at his words. “I am?”
Striding the length of the room, he stood over her, crowding her with his body. “Yes. You are.”
Reaching past her, he flipped the dial, cutting the heat off from the eye. Ella switched it back on.
“What the hell is your problem?” Her aggravation showed in her voice, but he was past the point of caring. Switching off the eye once more, he grasped her by her shoulders and gently turned her away from the stove.
“I want you to get some sleep.”
“Pssh,” Ella said, waving off his words. “You want to have sex.”
His blood began to boil hotter than the contents of her cauldron.
“You’re killing yourself,” he began, but her eyes flashed with anger. She cut him off.
“You’re ruining my potion all because you’re horny.”
The light grip he had on her shoulders tightened unconsciously at her words and she flinched. “I am trying to take care of you, you little fool. Because I love you and obviously you need a keeper.”
Coming up on her toes, Ella went nose to nose with him, or rather, nose to chest with him. “I’ll sleep when Freddie is well,” she shot back.
Something inside him snapped in the face of her resistance. His head turned slowly in Freddie’s direction. Finding a new target for his seething rage, he backed away from Ella.
“It is you,” Samuel growled, advancing on Freddie. “You’re the reason Ella refuses to rest, allowing herself nothing.”
Ella attempted to snag his arm to halt his progress, but he simply slipped from her hold. There was no cooling his anger. It rose inside him, threatening his sanity. Freddie whimpered in response, appearing every inch the trapped rat.
“Please, don’t hurt him,” Ella begged. He knew she’d never forgive him if he snapped the zombie’s neck from his shoulders. His temper demanded recompense. The only thing he’d ever desired for himself was Ella and this thing stole her happiness. It kept her heart otherwise engaged.
“Please,” Ella repeated. “His skin is very fragile.”
Hearing the tears in her voice, he conceded to one point. If she wanted this man, if her need to protect Freddie and have him back at her side as a human meant more to her than he did, then that’s what he’d give to her. However, Samuel would leave his mark. Reaching out, Samuel snagged Freddie by the throat, lifting him to his feet. With a tiny shake, Freddie transformed from zombie to human. Baring his teeth and showing the points he usually kept hidden, Samuel growled, “There. Now, I can punch you in your face properly.”
Rearing back, he did as promised, landing a solid blow to the center of Freddie’s face. He kept his strength in check, not wanting to hurt Ella by killing her pet. The satisfying crunch of breaking bone beneath his knuckles and the gush of blood flowing over his hand assuaged a tiny bit of his need for retribution.
Dropping Freddie to the floor at his feet, he stepped over the man’s prone body, and headed for the door. He was finished with this. He was done with coming in last and begging for love he’d never have. He was over it.
Black wings unfurled from Samuel’s back as he strode toward the door. A few feathers floated to the floor in his wake. He disappeared into thin air. In her shock, Ella couldn’t move or speak as she absorbed what had happened.
On his knees, Freddie was now human again. As soon as she could get her feet to move, Ella rushed to his side.
“Oh my God,” Ella cried, brushing his shiny brown hair away from his gorgeous face. “It’s really you. You’re back. Oh, how I wish Samuel had spared your beautiful face, but I’m so damn happy to see you again.”
She knew she was rambling as she attempted to wipe Freddie’s blood away with her shirt. His hazel eyes watered and she didn’t know if it was from the pain of Samuel’s blow or if he was crying.
Sitting on the edge of the kitchen table, Tam kicked her legs back and forth while blowing huge pink bubbles with her gum. Seeming almost bored by the show, a tiny wand with a huge, flat, and sparkling star at the tip appeared in her hand. With a solid thwack, she landed a blow in the center of Freddie’s forehead. He healed immediately, leaving behind no signs of Samuel’s attack. The wand disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
“Oh, look, you’re a sexy fella.”
Freddie slumped forward, wrapping his arms around Ella’s shoulders, hugging her tightly to his chest.
“Thank you so much,” he told her quietly.
Her shock began to fade. His body became a tangible thing surrounding her.
“He fixed you. Just like that, Samuel fixed you, and you,” Ella added, pulling away from Freddie and focusing on Tam. “You could’ve done so too, couldn’t you? Why didn’t you?”
Tam shrugged. “You didn’t wish for it, did ya?” Her explanation ended on a squeal of surprise as Freddie snagged her by the front of her leather bustier and hauled her forward. Cutting off the sound, Freddie opened his mouth over hers, kissing Tam deeply. Ella’s jaw dropped as she watched Tam’s wings slowly flutter. They each fought to be closer to the other one.
“Well,” Ella said, her voice sounding numb even to her own ears. “Well,” she repeated, attempting to tear her gaze away from the pair when it almost seemed voyeuristic to continue staring.
All the time spent on a cure, all her hours of study, and just like that, it was over.
She felt...empty.
Her life revolved around Freddie. Never once had she stopped to consider what life would be like after the curse was broken. Her eyes fell closed as a terrible revelation slammed into her. Samuel said he loved her. She’d lost the best thing that ever happened to her. For the first time in years, she thought only of herself and walked away from Freddie.
Trailing from the room in a daze, she bent to gather the scattered feathers. So, she’d not imagined his wings the night they’d met. She’d always known he was magical, but she’d purposely not looked further into it. Brushing the quill
across her bottom lip, and lost in thought, she found herself standing in the center of her bedroom with no memory of walking there. His kilt hung half off the edge of the bed. She rolled herself into it as she crawled onto the mattress. Curled on her side with his scent surrounding her, the tears began. There were no heart-wrenching sobs or fits of drama. There was only the quiet shattering of her soul. Was this how her mother had felt? The bed dipped beside her as Freddie scooted in next to her. Wrapping her in his embrace, she settled against his chest as he smoothed the hair away from her face. This was truly what that curse had stolen from her. This was the thing she’d missed the most; the security only her big brother could bring to her. He was the only steady person in her life since her mother shoved them through the mirror when she was only a little girl. It seemed he would always be the only comfort in her life.
A shuffling in the doorway caught her attention. She spotted Tam looking unsure of her welcome. Opening her arms, Ella invited Tam to join them. The pixie gingerly climbed in on the other side of her.
“I wish I could tell him I love him too,” she said, after the tears stopped.
“Wish granted,” Tam whispered. Ella found herself standing in an unfamiliar room staring at a frozen Samuel.
Ella disappeared, leaving the space between Tam and Freddie empty. They stared at each other in silence.
“You kissed me,” Tam said when the lack of noise almost became a tangible thing suffocating her.
“You kissed me back.”
His voice was the same as having her skin stroked by velvet. Freddie was very different as a human. His sparkling eyes, shining hair, and firm skin came together to paint a picture of masculine beauty she’d been unprepared for. The kiss had been pretty awesome too. Even though Tam didn’t have much to compare it to, she knew from witnessing the pure sexual talent living in the Hall of the Gods that expertise had shown itself in Freddie’s kiss.
Expertise that landed in the zombie hot seat, Tam reminded herself firmly.
“Yeah, well, don’t plan on it happening again, bub,” she warned.
Freddie held his tongue. His eyes roamed the length of her body, making her feel all warm in places she shouldn’t.
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