Magic After Dark Boxed Set (Six Book Bundle)

by Deanna Chase

  Other titles by Deanna Chase

  Jade Calhoun Series:

  Witches of Bourbon Street

  Demons of Bourbon Street

  Angels of Bourbon Street

  Shadows of Bourbon Street (Coming Feb 2014)

  Crescent City Fae Series:

  Influential Magic

  Irresistible Magic (Coming Oct 2013)

  Destiny Series:

  Defining Destiny (Coming Dec 9th 2013)

  Fairy Tales and Ever Afters

  Volume One

  Danielle Monsch

  LOVING A FAIRY GODMOTHER

  Chapter One

  “Oh no, this can’t be. I’ll never hear the end of it from the Fairy Godmother Council!”

  Tiernan’s fingers curled over the bloody mess that was once his stomach, viscera and blubber sliding through the multiple lacerations crisscrossing his body.

  How in the nine hells did he get saddled with the most incompetent Fairy Godmother to ever exist? Leading the knight to the dragon, helping him overpower the beast, rescuing the princess and having them live Happily Ever After... Wasn’t that what Fairy Godmothers did every day? Instead, he got one who couldn’t find her butt with both hands.

  “Glad your priorities are straight, Fairy,” he growled, with not enough strength to lift his head, not enough strength to even raise his voice and yell like he wanted. His legs were numb, and blackness settled around the edges of his vision. “’Go this way,’ you said. ‘Trust me.’ I knew I should never have listened. Since when can a female give directions?”

  The blond Fairy’s head jerked around nervously. “What do I do?” she wailed, and Tiernan really wished he had the strength to hit her, gallantry be damned. That the female above him was crying, but not due to the fact he was about to die, really set his teeth on edge.

  “I know!” she cried, her eyes wide as she bore down on him. “I can grant you a wish! You haven’t asked for one yet! Make a wish! You can wish for healing!”

  What an adventure it would be to become a Fairy Godmother.

  In his darkening mind, the words ping-ponged back and forth, brighter and more impressive with each volley. Tiernan tried to shake his head and dislodge the traitorous thought that seemed to come from somewhere outside of his own being. Blasphemy, insanity, such a thought. He was a knight.

  With no king.

  With no land.

  With no family.

  A knight who had nothing and no one to protect.

  His lungs seized up. He was powerless to do anything but wait to see if they would work again. They did, but not without bringing up a quantity of blood through his throat and into his mouth as the price. Spitting out the blood, he knew there would not be another chance.

  Before he could reflect, before he could decide if it was truly wise, he simply stated what the voice told him. “I wish I was like you, a Fairy Godmother.”

  “What?” said Blondie Bimbette, not expecting this. “I didn’t say you could wish that!”

  “You didn’t say I couldn’t,” Tiernan snapped back. “You just said make a wish. I did, now fulfill it before I die.” With that, he passed out.

  A cacophony of voices, loud and argumentative, greeted him when awareness came upon him again. His eyes opened, and he saw her...

  Tiernan’s lungs seized up again, and he wondered if this was the last time, if she was an angel sent down to bring him to Heaven. Maybe a devil to drag him down to hell, but no matter, he’d follow her willingly.

  Her face was every secret desire he’d ever had come alive, every wish he never made for fear of being prideful. Those wide-set brown eyes, the color of rich earth, fringed with the thickest black lashes and set in the perfect oval of her face caused his heart to ache in his chest in a way even his recent encounter with the dragon hadn’t managed to do.

  A thick fall of hair, darker than her eyes, fell forward in long waves, caressing high cheekbones and the most luscious mouth he had every come across. That plump bottom lip begged for a man’s teeth. With more willpower than he thought he possessed, he forced his gaze back to her eyes.

  For a moment, just a moment, he saw feminine awareness in them, but then she blinked, and that awareness took flight, replaced by propriety and duty.

  “He is awake, Godmother Sara,” she said, and upon hearing that deep, husky tone, stunned desire turned into raw want. He’d started to reach for her when another woman came to his side, bending slightly to have a closer look at him.

  “Aren’t you a handsome one,” said the older woman, a chuckle escaping her as she ran a finger down his face. As her finger came to rest at the side of his mouth, she gave a delighted exclamation. “And dimples as well!”

  “Godmother Sara, that is quite inappropriate and completely beside the point,” said the woman who had just eluded him. “He should not be here.”

  “Hmmm,” Godmother Sara said, currently pinching his cheeks and not so surreptitiously looking down the expanse of his chest. Tiernan looked down, not sure what to expect since the last he knew he had a bloody pulp in place of a chest, but also not shocked to see himself now healed, a diaphanous shirt and thin breeches replacing his armor. He was as good as naked because with what he was wearing, anyone in the room could clearly see what he had to offer.

  A quick glance around showed he was surrounded by women circling around the sumptuous couch he found himself now on, and yes, they were all in various stages of checking out his body – all except his angel, who was very studiously not looking at him and instead kept her focus on the woman who wouldn’t leave his face alone.

  So, the one woman he was interested in couldn’t care less. Yeah, that ranked right up there with death by dragon. With tensed jaw and a sure grip, he grabbed the older woman’s hands, and being gentle with her frail limbs, placed those hands away from his face as he sat up. “What’s going on here?”

  Sara smiled. “Don’t you remember, knight? You made the wish.”

  So the blonde granted it. “Where is the ditz?” he asked, looking around. He didn’t see the ditz, but he saw his angel quickly cast her face down to hide her amusement.

  She had taken the sight of her smile from him, the final insult in this insane day, and now he felt blood rush to his face. “What do you mean I shouldn’t be here?” he challenged her. “Why do you have any say in my life?”

  That wiped all amusement from her face. “I am saying the truth. That wish should never have been honored, and you should not be here.”

  “I guess that means you aren’t in charge then, since here I am. Are you all Fairy Godmothers?”

  Godmother Sara smiled. “Cute but not that bright, eh, knight?”

  He jumped up, suddenly restless. “Could you cut me some slack considering the almost dying thing?”

  “Of course,” she said, waving her hand to get him to sit back down, a signal he ignored. “Naomi is no longer a Fairy Godmother. Her screw-up was too monumental to ignore. However, she offered you a wish while still a full Fairy Godmother, you made a wish while she was a full Fairy Godmother, and she granted it as a full Fairy Godmother.”

  “A wish that no other Fairy Godmother would have granted in her place,” his angel interjected. “That wish was granted in panic. It should be made void.”

  “While you are correct, Reina, what is done is done. We, as Fairy Godmothers, are responsible for her words.”

  So his angel’s name was Reina. Still, the satisfaction of knowing her name didn’t quite drown out the fact she was actively trying to get rid of him. “Why shouldn’t I be a Fairy Godfather?”

  Reina answered, her tone affronted. “There is no such thing as a Fairy Godfather, and never has a mortal been allowed to become one of us!”

  “So I’ll be the first, no big deal.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “The decision to never allow males was made over a millennium ago, for very good reasons. You shouldn’t be allowed to upset that.”

  He gave her a lazy grin. “I don’t know. I
don’t think I could do any worse than getting the knight I’m trying to help eaten by a dragon.”

  Her look turned murderous. “I don’t want to replace one mistake with another.”

  “Sweetheart, no woman who has met me ever called it a mistake.”

  Before Reina was able to get past her outrage to form a response, Sara asked, “Knight, what is your name?”

  He pulled his gaze away from Reina, though he did admit she was just as cute when she was livid as when she was calm. Maybe even cuter. With those eyes blazing, it was exactly how he thought she must look when she was engaged in strenuous activities of another nature. He had to turn his mind from those thoughts though. These trousers were not forgiving in that area. “Tiernan.”

  “Tiernan, you better prepare yourself, because you are going to cause quite a commotion as the first ever Fairy Godfather.”

  “Godmother,” Reina started, but Sara shook her head to cut her off.

  “His wish was granted, Reina, and his wish shall remain granted. This is the final decision of the Council.”

  “Thank you, Godmother Sara,” Tiernan said, the title feeling foreign on his tongue.

  “Don’t thank me yet, Tiernan. You have the right to become a Fairy Godfather, but that doesn’t mean you will. You must pass all the training and tests that are required, and even if you do that, Fairy Godmothers are constantly monitored. You can be expelled from the program. Ask Naomi.”

  “And if I’m expelled?” Tiernan asked.

  “Then you’ll be moved to some other part of the fairy realm,” Sara replied. “Trust me, nothing near as much fun as being one of us. Plus I will openly mock you every time we run into each other.”

  Tiernan laughed, the first time today he was relaxed enough to make the sound. “I understand. I promise I will live up to your expectations.”

  “Alright then,” Sara said, and the gravitas she displayed only a moment before was replaced by amusement. “Reina will see to your training then.”

  “Godmother!” Reina nearly yelled in protest.

  “Reina, you will abide by the Council’s decision. You will train him fairly, and you will see that he becomes a first rate Fairy Godfather. Now, do you understand my words?”

  “Of course, Godmother Sara,” Reina replied, but Tiernan could see the fire in her eyes sparking.

  The voice had been right, it seemed, whether it had come from his mind or not. This was indeed shaping up to be quite an adventure.

  Chapter Two

  Oh, the incessant giggling.

  Reina was stopped by the noise as yet again she was reminded of why it was such a bad idea to have a man around. For thousands of years, they were a venerated and respected institution, held in the highest esteem and to the highest standards. As soon as a guy stepped foot on the compound, not five minutes could pass without that high-pitched, juvenile sound.

  Why mess with tradition? Why? Just because thirty years ago a few sexually frustrated elder Godmothers got a look at dimples for the first time in centuries, she now had to deal with that irresponsible, annoying instigator.

  Some days it didn’t pay to be a Fairy Godmother.

  Squaring her shoulders, Reina was off again, back to business and steadfast in marching towards those giggles.

  Maybe she should speak to Godmother Sara about moving Tiernan to another department. After all, it didn’t look like the Council would ever move him to another division, so it made sense to try to find some way to live with him that didn’t have her constantly grinding her teeth. Maybe if he wasn’t amongst the FGs she was responsible for, she might be able to relax slightly. She admitted the man was funny—on occasion—and capable of intelligent and interesting conversation—sometimes—and she did have to admire how he would allow no insult to any of the FGs.

  That didn’t happen often, but all factions had their undercurrents of rivalry. The others of the Faerie Realm discovered very quickly it was not to their benefit to engage the FGs. Tiernan had been a warrior as a mortal, and that prowess had not left him simply because he was now a Fairy Godfather.

  The problem was all of those good points were easy to ignore when having to deal with yet another female mooning after him.

  Yes, she would talk to Godmother Sara.

  Happy with her decision, Reina wasn’t overcome with the usual urge to throw something at the scene that greeted her in the huge shaded courtyard of the FG compound. Under the trees and surrounded by his harem, Tiernan lounged in the grass, his relaxed demeanor proclaiming he didn’t have a care in the world.

  The other Godmothers were gazing at him in dreamy adoration, as if every word that came from his mouth was a miracle. Though, to be fair, they might consider the miracle more what his shirt and breeches covered and less what came from his mind, considering how many glances Reina counted checking out those two areas.

  He was a beautiful man. Even at her most annoyed, Reina could never deny that. Sandy blond hair, eyes the color of a summer sky, and dimples that made every woman who saw them start fanning herself.

  Beautiful, but not perfect, with the nose that had been broken at least once and scars slashed into his skin, testifying about his life as a soldier as much as the broad shoulders and heavily muscled body did.

  “Godfather Tiernan, here you are,” she greeted.

  “Godmother Reina, what a pleasure to see you! What can I do for you this fine day?” Tiernan answered, as though lying on his back surrounded by women who would all gladly jump him at the same time was a perfectly reasonable way to greet a superior.

  You are going to have him transferred. You’ve done too much for Sara to have her deny you. “I am sure your busy schedule caused you to forget that you were to see me in my office last hour.”

  “Really, that was today? My deepest apologies, Godmother Reina. Katarina here was informing us of some problems with her last assignment, and since Godmother Sara always wants us to keep our minds sharp, we were brainstorming some ways to improve her performance next time.”

  Reina’s gaze went to the head that was closest to Tiernan’s crotch, and Bingo! It was Katarina.

  Katarina had a habit of sleeping with her male clients, to “educate them sexually so that they will be able to take care of their woman,” as she liked to explain it. Reina also heard that she’d offered a blowjob to Tiernan within the first thirty seconds of their meeting. No surprise she was positioned to be first in line should Tiernan require any servicing.

  “Godmother Katarina, I heard of no problems from your last assignment. Is there anything you wish to tell me?” Reina asked in her best, but patently false, sweet voice.

  “No, Godmother Reina,” Katarina responded, and Reina felt a flash of inappropriate pleasure seeing nervousness replace absolute adoration on Katarina’s face. Since Katarina’s paperwork indicated no problems, she was in a difficult position should Reina wish to pursue that line of questioning.

  “This is just an informal session, a learning exercise if you will,” Tiernan cut in smoothly. “Not anything that needed to be reported, just some talk so we can keep our skill set sharp.”

  The women sighed in unison over Tiernan’s defense. Reina restrained the urge to roll her eyes. She was used to restraining that particular feeling since she got it about every two minutes in Tiernan’s presence.

  “While I always appreciate taking the time to keep skills sharp, Godfather Tiernan, this sounds like something that can easily wait until after our meeting.”

  “You are of course correct, Godmother Reina. Ladies, if you will excuse me...” Tiernan rose from his place on the grass, his imminent departure causing grumbles and pouts.

  He stopped next to her, and she was reminded once again he was one of the few beings that lived in the compound taller than she. Reina loathed the authority she ceded when forced to tilt her head back to look at him. “Please follow me,” she responded, crispness in both her tone and her gait as she turned and headed for her office, not bothering to look back to
see if he followed.

  She didn’t need to. She felt him whether she wanted to or not, his presence creating a current on her skin that never quieted.

  He came up beside her, and as they walked the compound, other Fairy Godmothers called out greetings to him. Tiernan responded with smiles and pleasantries, and somehow made it seem that each woman he answered was the only woman he had any interest in talking to.

  Reina held back her snort. She had learned well enough. No man had interest in only one woman.

  Before they reached her office, one of the junior FGs came running towards them. She stopped shortly before them, taking a moment to compose herself before finally delivering her message. “Godmother Reina, Godfather Tiernan, the Council requests your presence in Chambers immediately.”

  “For what reason?” asked Reina, thoroughly confused. As a senior FG, any Council activities should have been on her calendar. There was nothing scheduled until next month.

  “I wasn’t given that information. I was just told to bring you the message.”

  Reina glared at him from the corner of her eyes. Tiernan caught her look and brought his hands up. “I know nothing of this.”

  “Yet somehow, I feel like the reason for this mystery session is you.”

  He cocked his head and tsked her as if talking to a recalcitrant child. “You’ve been trying to get rid of me again, haven’t you?” His eyes caressed down her body until they came to rest on her hands, and before she could protest, he caught one of her hands in his and brought it to his mouth, kissing the back. “Such beautiful hands. You would have so much more fun if you used your charms to have me eating out of them instead of using them to push me away.”

  Her teeth immediately set on edge, and she jerked her hand back, clenching it into a fist. “I am always trying to get you kicked out of the program. I can only hope that this meeting has something to do with that fervently desired wish.”