Pie bobbed his head.
“Of course, of course. Ye can take me Captain’s cabin.” He flew off his perch, urging us to follow.
Retreating to the Captain’s cabin was a relief. I looked at the large bunk. In the corner of the room was a hammock that was probably for the cabin boy. I didn’t mind the idea of a hammock, but I was so big I wasn’t sure I’d fit. Before I could say anything, Quinn lowered himself into it and, using his feet, made it swing.
“I love hammocks.” He whooped once he really got it going.
I shook my head, but couldn’t help but smile at his antics. Until the rope holding the hammock to the wall snapped. Quinn thumped to the floor.
“Oww!”
I threw myself from the bunk and rushed to his side. I knelt and helped untangle him from the ropes.
“You okay?”
“Nothing hurt except my pride.” He rubbed his backside and smiled at me. I couldn’t help smiling back. “Thanks for changing topics with Pie. It’s still a really sore subject.”
“No problem. I could see you were uncomfortable.”
“You really are not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?” I almost didn’t ask, since I’d heard some variation of this my entire life. Usually laced with some kind of disappointment or contempt.
“Well . . . I have a confession.” Quinn ran his palms over his thighs, brushing away imaginary dust. “Brandsome came to you in part because we heard Lapus kept you chained to a wall. He liked to brag about it. Though it was obvious you were the one creature he couldn’t bend to his will. We also heard you were a . . . creature of mixed heritage . . . and were living your life on your own terms. With your dad being a council member, you could have a cushy Alphae job, right? But you refuse. Those are the rumors, anyway.”
Okay, not what I expected. He made me sound heroic and shit, when that was the farthest thing from the truth. I just didn’t want anyone to control me, whether my mother’s clan, my father and the Alphae, or a scumbag like Lapus Rainbowpebbles.
“Like all rumors, there’s a lot left out.” I started to rise from my knees, but his hand snaked out and caught my wrist.
“But still a grain of truth, right?” He blushed and released me. “I guess I wanted to meet the creature who lived life on his own terms.”
I snickered, held out my arms in a grand display.
“And now you have.”
“Yeah, but in my head, you were this fierce, grumpy beast, you know?”
“I still am.” I narrowed my eyes.
He continued like he hadn’t heard me.
“And I figured you’d be ugly.”
I choked on my retort. Really? Quinn was not so good for a guy’s ego.
“Not that anyone said that,” he hastened to add. “But I just couldn’t imagine how a dragon-fairy mix could be attractive. I lacked imagination.”
“Is that so?” I snorted.
“Mmhmm.”
I leaned in close until our noses were almost touching.
“And now?”
His lashes fluttered in a pretty good imitation of Brandsome. “Now I’ve learned not to trust gossip or my own shoddy imagination.” His breath ghosted over my mouth. He leaned up a hairsbreadth and our lips touched. Just a brush, but my body ignited from the contact. Before he could pull away, I pressed our lips together with more force.
I was careful not to touch him otherwise because I didn’t want him thinking I would take advantage. Just a small taste would have to satisfy me. I pulled back, breaking our lip lock.
“I really like you, Twig.” His cheeks flushed and he leaned back in, sealing our mouths again. Quinn moaned and opened his mouth welcoming my tongue inside. What dragon-fairy could resist such a sweet invitation? I knew I shouldn’t, but our tongues slid against each other, twining and exploring. He tasted slightly of the meadowmint I always smelled on his breath, and his lips were soft but firm under mine.
Sliding his hands to my cheeks, he held me in place. Not that he needed to worry about me pulling away. I couldn’t even if I’d wanted to. It was all I could do not to flip him on his back and take him right on the floor. My dragon was all for that idea, raging with impatience. I ignored that desire and kept the kiss slow and deep. I balled my hands at my sides so I wouldn’t follow through with my dragon’s demands.
The next thing I knew, Quinn clambered onto my lap. I wobbled precariously, but sunk further onto my heels so I could hold his weight. Quinn never even broke the kiss, his legs wrapping around my hips, and our groins pushing together. We both groaned from the contact. My fingers itched to grip his hips and rock him against me. My whole body shook with the effort it took not to follow through. My dragon roared in my head demanding I flip him onto his stomach, then strip, fuck, and bite him. Pretty much in that order.
The stripping and fucking didn’t surprise me, but the biting made me gasp and pull away. I wouldn’t be freaked out if it was just the urge to nibble at his shoulders and back. Only that wasn’t where I had the urge to bite. I wanted to sink my fangs into his neck, sealing the mate bond. The rarity of a dragon mating was something to be marveled at on the best day, but choosing a human mate? Unheard of.
“What’s the matter?” Quinn’s arms slipped around my shoulders, a hand tangled in my hair, his blunt nails digging into my scalp.
How did I answer that? I’d never experienced anything like the reaction my body and my dragon were having to Quinn. I tugged his arms from around my neck and gently slid him off my lap.
“Did I do something wrong, Twig?” His face pulled into worried lines and his eyes became wary once again.
I caressed his cheek.
“You did everything right.”
Now he looked even more confused.
“Then why are we not . . .”
“Screwing?”
“Well, yeah.”
I swallowed hard. Not ready to tell him the whole truth. I needed to figure out why I was so drawn to him. Besides, if I bit him and Quinn returned to Brandsome, I would essentially belong to the unicorn, too; once bonded, a dragon won’t leave their mate. That would be a royal cluster. And anyway, I didn’t want a mate. Mates meant commitment. And a loss of freedom. For both of us.
Unacceptable. I’d never let anyone own a piece of me. Didn’t want to own a piece of anyone else.
“You’ve been used roughly by Brandsome.” I paused to gather my thoughts. Now, how to tell him I didn’t want to be thought of in the same way? And how much did I say about my dragon wanting to mate him?
He froze for a moment before a fiery blush spread over his cheeks and he scrambled away from me like the three-headed hounds of hellafuck were on his heels.
I didn’t see the punch coming. Quinn clocked me one. My head snapped back and I braced on my elbows to prevent my head slamming into the floor.
“What in the bloody blue blazes—”
Quinn shook out his hand. He’d probably broken a knuckle or two. He sprung to his feet, chest heaving. If my jaw wasn’t aching so fiercely, I’d appreciate the view.
“I should have realized you wouldn’t want to be tainted by someone with my sordid past. Spells and curses! I’m so stupid.”
“Wait, what? No, Quinn—”
But he’d already fled. I scrubbed a hand across my eyes. Huh, that could have gone better. Good job, Twig. Make him think he’s damaged goods.
I didn’t care that he was an indentured servant. Neither fairies nor dragons were known for their virginal natures, so being a unicorn’s bed slave didn’t bother me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him. I did. Too much.
Where were these feelings coming from?
I’d wanted him before that kiss, but one touch of our lips sent every instinct into overdrive. Could it be some type of magic? Did Quinn bewitch me? Closing my eyes, I tapped into my fairy side, tried to detect any magic use. Nothing. Not a sure thing, though. Still, it didn’t exactly feel like magic. Except could it be a residual of Brandsome�
��s magic?
Maybe it was some sort of savior complex. I felt bad Quinn was in such a terrible situation. I was currently responsible for his well-being and I intended to follow through. Sure, I found him sexy. I mean, who wouldn’t? He was sexy. And surprising. Most humans I met quaked in fear once they found out what I was, but even at his most nervous the guy had balls.
I waited before returning to the deck, giving my mind and body a chance to settle down. By the time I walked onto the deck, I’d done a halfway decent job of convincing myself it was all just a fluke. I liked Quinn and lusted after him, sure, but a mate was a whole different game. One I wasn’t willing to play.
We’d just be friends. Or whatever we could be since I held his servitude contract. I could live with it. Sex was easy to get and even easier to forget. As soon as we returned to Lighthelm, I’d find a nice lascivious siren to slake my lusts. Just needed to remember to wear ear plugs, since a siren’s song never ended on a happy note.
If I thought about it, I’d been overly horny ever since meeting Brandsome and so likely my state was indeed a result of the unicorn’s magic and not Quinn per se. Maybe the magic screwed with my senses and made me think Quinn was mate material. Obviously, he wasn’t. We’d go back to what we were in the beginning and call it good. No biggie.
One look at Quinn and I knew I was lying to myself. My dragon side gnashed its teeth at the idea of walking away from him. Even my fairy side seemed starry-eyed around him. Basically, I was fucked. Yep, that had to be some sort of powerful magic.
Quinn stood at the railing, humming the strains of a familiar lullaby as Pie chattered away to him. Why did that make my body suffuse with warmth and my heart give a kick in my chest? With him staring into the distance, it gave me a moment to listen to his sweet voice without him getting self-conscious. He really was a beautiful man.
I cleared my throat so they’d know I was there. Quinn didn’t acknowledge me other than to abruptly fall silent, but Pie was pleased to have another person to regale with his past adventures. If he noticed Quinn barely spoke to me and when he did it was in a snide tone, well, he ignored it. I suspect when being a companion to pirates one got really good at dismissing minor disputes between the crew members.
We cruised along like this until the sun set again. After a sparse meal of leftover dried cave quoll and a few more of Pie’s tales, I yawned.
“Pie, I’m headed to bed. I’ll see you in the morning. Thanks again for everything you’ve done for us.”
“And a goodnight to ye, Mr. Twig. A right pleasure it’s been.”
“Are you coming, Quinn?”
“My bed collapsed, if you’ll recall.” His voice was quiet and without inflection. “I’ll just bunk down on deck.”
“You can take the bed. You need to rest. You’ve got dark circles under your eyes and it’s going to be a trying day tomorrow.”
“I don’t need you to critique my appearance. Or to worry about my sleep habits. I can take care of myself.” He crossed his arms, but it looked more like he was giving himself a hug than a defiant statement. His tilted chin told another story.
“I wasn’t asking.”
He cursed under his breath. Pie glanced back and forth between us, but amazingly didn’t say anything. He was probably getting settled in with popcorn for the coming confrontation. And it was coming. Quinn’s brows drew down, his jaw clenched hard enough to chew through spikes, and if looks could kill . . . well.
“You don’t. . . . You can’t. . . . I won’t. . . .” He stomped off in the opposite direction from the cabin. I rolled my eyes. Drama queen much? I swear Pie smiled as much as any bird could, but he kept his beak shut.
I strode over to Quinn, threw him over my shoulder like a sack of gold, and bid goodnight to Pie.
Pie’s strange clicking laugh followed us.
11
“Put me down.” Quinn emphasized his statement with a fist to my back. He didn’t have the leverage to do real damage and it would take more than a few punches to make me release him.
I bounced him on my shoulder, knocking the wind out of him. I’d put up with enough of the attitude.
To give Quinn credit, he didn’t give up. Oh, he didn’t continue to punch me, but he sunk his fingers into my ribs and began tickling me. I squirmed and almost dropped him.
Once we were inside the Captain’s cabin, I pitched him from my shoulder onto the bed. He hit with a loud thump. Attempting to roll from the bed, Quinn sputtered when I pinned him with little effort. I rolled him to his stomach, and hiked an arm up behind his back so he couldn’t find any leverage.
“You need to calm down, Quinn. I could hurt you by accident and I really don’t want to do that.”
Instead he intensified his struggles. I let him flop around until he wore himself out. Between the small amounts of food, water, and sleep, he must have been exhausted. Still he put up a good fight. For a human.
“Let me go, you big oaf,” he grumbled once he’d stopped struggling. He looked delectable, his body heaving from the exertion, his bangs flopped over his forehead. My dragon wanted to crawl on top of him and begin a different kind of struggle. I was mostly able to ignore my inner beast, but it wasn’t easy.
“Shut it,” I snapped.
He fell silent, though he glared daggers at me.
“You misunderstood what I said earlier. I didn’t mean that I cared that Brandsome uses you.”
“Oh, that’s so much better.”
I growled. “I mean, of course I care, but not because I think there’s something wrong with you.”
Quinn huffed, his body going lax underneath me. “What the fuck, Twig? I thought . . . I thought you liked me.”
“I do. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”
He turned his face toward me. “You sure have a funny way of showing it. Now, let me up.”
“Are you going to storm out?”
“I guess you’ll just have to find out.” He tugged at my grip. I wasn’t quite ready to release him yet.
“Look, I don’t want to use you the way Brandsome has,” I blurted out. “That’s all I meant. I don’t want to be like him. I definitely don’t want you to feel taken advantage of just because I own your contract at the moment. I said I wouldn’t do that to you and I meant it.” I released his arms, hoping I’d said enough that he’d stay put.
“So you decided you’d manhandle me instead.” Quinn sat up, rubbed at his arms where I’d held him down. Now didn’t that make me feel like shit? Had I bruised him? It was easy to forget my strength, especially when I was pissed off.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You just wouldn’t listen. I-I’m not used to dealing with humans. Dragons aren’t known for their sweet manners and fairies are . . .”
“Crazy comes to mind, if you need a word,” Quinn offered.
I nodded. “That about sums it up.”
He sighed, but didn’t get off the bed.
I brushed a lock of hair from his face. I took it as a good sign he didn’t flinch. “I don’t know how to be. That’s the problem with half-breeds; we don’t have a place in the Elder. Or any realm for that matter. If I were a pure-blood dragon, I’d just force you to submit and we’d be done with the argument. We . . . they don’t mince words. If I were a pure-blood fairy, I’d try to turn your words against you until you felt you owed me an apology. I’ve seen my dad do it enough times. Except it seems like such a weak attempt to wield power in an exchange, and my other side can’t stomach it. Part of the reason I’m such a disappointment to my father.”
“You should be glad you’re nothing like your dad. He’s not near as kind as you.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I’m not kind.”
“You may be rough around the edges, but you’ve treated me nicer than anyone has in a long, long time.”
And wasn’t that a kick in the chest? Manhandling him, and he still thinks I'm a gem.
“Quinn, your perspective on nice might be a tad s
kewed. That’s why I want to make sure I’m not taking advantage of you. Just because Brandsome feels free to use your body without caring how you feel, doesn’t mean I think it’s okay for me to do the same.”
“You wouldn’t be taking advantage.” His voice was soft and a little sad. “I don’t think you’re anything like Brandsome. For one, I have a choice, right? That makes it completely different.”
I shook my head. “Except I still own your contract and so technically you can’t say no.”
“I’ve managed to ignore your demands before. What makes you think this would be any different?”
He had a point.
“How do you manage to ignore them, anyway? The contract should enforce my commands, yet you managed to go to Rainbowpebbles’ against my wishes.”
Quinn smiled sheepishly.
“You never enacted the anti-resistor clause. If you had, I would have to obey.”
“Ah, High Council bureaucracy. Of course. My dad would be so ashamed his son can’t even properly manage a simple servitude contract.”
Quinn chuckled, and then leaned in to kiss me.
It killed me to turn my face away. Except I couldn’t risk kissing him again. Then I would fuck him for sure and at the moment I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t bite him. That would be even worse than Brandsome’s actions because, unlike indentured servitude, once mated it was for life.
“Quinn, I can’t.” It took a lot for me to say that.
His face fell. “Did you want to enact the anti-resistor clause first or something?”
“What? No, no, that’s not it.”
He looked so relieved I almost laughed. Only I could tell it would be the wrong thing to do.
“Then what is it? Don’t you want to sleep with me?”
“More than you know.” I cupped his face in my hands. “I . . . I just can’t.”
“Why not? There’s nothing wrong with you, is there?” His eyes shot toward my crotch.
I sputtered. “There’s nothing wrong with my dick.”
“Prove it.” He narrowed his eyes, pulled out of my grasp.
By Fairy Means or Foul: A Starfig Investigations Novel Page 10
