by Eden Ashe
But Nathan didn’t seem cruel to her. He seemed distracted, sad even, but not cruel. Even on their descent down the stairs, he was careful not to jostle her too much. She wasn’t imagining it, either, because his large hand was cupped around his pocket, holding her close to his chest.
He wasn’t like the males she knew, and not because of his difference in size. Fairies, even the warriors, were slight, nimble creatures. While there were males of her race nearly twice her small stature, and stubborn, obstinate beings, they didn’t carry the kind of hardness and rawness Nathan did. He should terrify her. But he didn’t. He was every bit the mythical human warrior she’d always been fascinated by, with his long black hair and vibrant blue eyes.
When he finally finished the stairs and pushed through another door, Katenia gripped the edges of his pocket and peeked at the new surroundings. Humans were everywhere, dressed in odd fabrics that didn’t seem to let the skin breathe, while the women wore torture device-like shoes to help them appear taller. Even more confusing was, though there were large, beautiful plants decorating the airy space, not a single human noticed.
She twisted her head to look up at him. “Are you truly a giant, then? No one is as tall as you.”
A chuckle rumbled through his massive chest. “Not a giant, no. I’m only six-foot-four.”
“Oh.” She wiggled her nose as she thought about it. When he pushed through another set of doors, warm, humid air enveloped her. She tilted her face up to the sun and smiled. “How tall are giants then?”
“Probably eight—” His words disappeared as a loud blaring sound came from the street in front of them.
The sound was unlike anything she’d ever heard. Katenia screamed and bolted out of his pocket. With her heart pounding violently, she flew for the cover of his dark, shoulder-length hair.
Instead, her feet hit the sidewalk, and she stumbled on legs that didn’t feel like hers, throwing her face-first into Nathan’s back. Staggering from the impact, she landed on her butt, her mouth dropping open as she realized she wasn’t fairy-sized anymore.
His face was thunderstruck. “Katenia?”
She lifted a hand and peered at it, trying to process its sheer size. “What happened?” she asked, finally lifting her gaze to Nathan.
“I was going to ask you that.” He crouched in front of her, his dark blue eyes dazed as they made a slow trek from the top of her head to her bare toes, and back to her face. A low, purring rumble reverberated in his chest, his voice tight when he spoke. “Ah, hell. You’re naked.”
She shook her head, her bottom lip quivering in fear of what she’d find if she looked over her shoulder. “Are…” She took in a deep breath, and tried to keep the tears out of her voice. “Are my wings still there?”
Even if she hadn’t already known the answer, the look on his face as he shook his head would have broken her heart. Sympathy, along with something completely wicked, flashed in his eyes when he held his hand out for hers.
“Let’s get you up,” he said, gruffly, “before you get trampled.”
Despite her new size, his hand still swallowed hers as she slipped her fingers into his grip. Once again, he was gentler than she’d expected as he helped her to her feet, and when she swayed, not used to standing without help of her wings, his arm snagged her around the waist.
When his gaze met hers, Katenia became aware he didn’t have to go cross-eyed to look at her anymore. While he still towered over her, she was too big. “I’m a giant,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes. “A wingless giant.”
* * * *
Nathan cleared his throat. Seeing as the top of her head barely reached his chest, he didn’t think that pointing out four-foot-eleven didn’t qualify as a giant would help her situation.
To make it worse, the tiny scraps of sheer silver fabric had vanished, and while she seemed to be less concerned with her nudity than her missing wings, Nathan’s head was about to explode. Sweet Jesus, the woman had a body wet dreams were made of, and he couldn’t remember being this goddamn hard in his life.
It was ridiculous how perfectly built she was, from the soft white-blonde waves that fell to her waist, barely shielding large, full breasts, all the way down to her small toes and everything in between. Her eyes were a startling shade of green, almost the color of moss, and there was a small mole just above the curve of her left eyebrow.
He ground his teeth together. He was lusting after a fairy. When the hell had he taken the trip down the rabbit hole?
Aware she was about to fall apart in his arms, and with every man in the vicinity stopping to stare, he yanked off his suit jacket. “You are not a giant.”
She snorted through the tears shining in her eyes as he pulled the gray coat around her shoulders. “I’m human-sized.”
“I’m aware,” he muttered, sure he was being punished for something. “Has this ever happened before?”
She shook her head, the first tear falling over. “No, but I have to find a way to change back. I need my wings. I have to go home, and I can’t like this!”
Because she was getting more worked up by the second, he wrapped his arm around her waist and started down the street. He was careful to move slowly in case she lost her balance, when what he really wanted was to scoop her up and make a dash for it, to get her away from prying eyes.
She moved gingerly, as if gauging each step to make sure she didn’t land on the ground again. Her beautiful face was screwed up in concentration. “Where are we going?”
“My aunt’s. She sent you to me, so maybe she knows what the hell is going on.”
She stopped walking. “What do you mean, she sent me to you? Did she take me from my garden?”
The migraine that always came from dealing with his aunt started to form. He wouldn’t put anything past Mellie. She not only claimed to have “The Sight,” she whole-heartedly believed the ends always justified the means. If she thought Katenia belonged in his life for some reason, or vice-versa, there was every damn chance she’d done exactly what he feared, and had Katenia plucked from her home.
“It’s possible,” he admitted, his eye starting to twitch. It was a nervous tick he’d developed long ago whenever he was face to face with his flighty, irresponsible aunt. “If she did, hopefully she’ll know how to get you home.”
“And normal sized?”
He nodded, his gut twisting at the hopefulness on her sweet face. Damn, the woman was beautiful, and hell on his senses.
She peeked up at him. “Does your aunt live close?”
“No.” As something else occurred to him, his night went from bizarre to full-on Insanity Land in a single heartbeat. “I don’t suppose you’ve ever been in a car?”
She shook her head slowly. “No, but they have windows, right?”
He nodded, confused. “Yes, why?”
“The enclosed space won’t bother me as much if there are windows for fresh air.”
Nathan nodded again, relieved. It would have been a long-ass walk to get halfway across the state to confront his aunt, but at the moment he was determined and pissed-off enough, he would have done it. He dragged a hand down his face as he unlocked his car, and opened the passenger door for her. It was time to confront the old bat with the damage she’d caused this time. Then, he promised himself, he’d strangle her for meddling in affairs that were none of her business, and kidnapping a goddamn innocent fairy.
Chapter 3
Katenia gripped Nathan’s arm when he opened the door to the vehicle, and shook her head. “No. I don’t think I can do this.”
He gently turned her around so she was facing him. “It’s safe, and I promise I’ll be careful.”
She snorted at him before she could help herself. “It’s not natural.”
“Maybe not,” he chuckled, “but I’ve been doing it for a while.” He went serious as he bent to look right in her eyes. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Katenia wasn’t sure she believed him. She didn’t t
hink he’d deliberately hurt her, but the selfishness of humans was as legendary as their height. Sucking in a deep breath, she nodded to herself and threw caution to the wind. If her father or the rest of the Elder Council found out she was trusting a human with her life, she may never be welcomed home. Then again, if they saw how big she was, and that she no longer had wings, she’d be banished without question.
She took a hesitant step closer to him, and narrowed her eyes. “None of that awful honking?”
When he smiled, a crooked tilt to his sensual mouth, it changed his face from tired and surly to something absolutely beautiful. “I promise.” He held out his hand. “Trust me?”
She curled her fingers into a fist. She’d touched him before, but since she’d become human-sized, the dynamic between them had changed, and she was acutely aware of how handsome he was. When she finally slipped her fingers into his, she was sure she saw relief flash in the depths of his dark blue eyes.
With her hand wrapped firmly in his much larger one, he set her flower on the top of the vehicle, and leaned against the door. He jerked his head toward the inside. “Hop in.”
She exhaled slowly and ducked her head to slide onto the black seat. “This is not natural,” she muttered again as she settled into the seat. To her surprise, he followed, leaning in after her and nearly crushing her with his body weight as he stretched a gray band across her chest.
She opened her mouth to ask what it was, but he turned his head toward her at the same moment, and the air between them thickened and grew heavy, electric. Heat flooded her body, her breasts tightened, and she was about to give into the instinct roaring inside and arch into him, when he yanked away without warning. He slammed the door shut, and she could see him talking to himself as he rounded the vehicle.
Just like that, his mood went from charming and easy-going to annoyed. Then the car was moving, and she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the rapidly moving scenery long enough to find out what changed.
It took several minutes of them not crashing and going up in flames before she was able to get words out. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m going to Hell.”
She bobbed her head, way past pretending she understood anything he said. She kept expecting each breath to be her last. So all she managed was a simple, “That’s nice. Do you always ride this fast?”
“It’s called driving, and I’m not even doing the speed limit.”
She swallowed hard, and when he pulled the car to a stop, she finally dared a quick glance at him. “I don’t know what that means.”
“Never mind.” He dragged his large hand down his face and glanced at her again, his jaw tightening. “Do all fairies look like you?”
Tears welled in her eyes. “You mean freakishly huge?”
“What? That’s not what I—” He sighed. “You are not freakish, or huge, Katenia.” He shot her a look, temper still simmering in his eyes. “You’re hot.”
She shook her head, exasperated and confused and heartbroken. “No I’m not, Nathan, I’m freezing.”
He stared at her for a long moment, long enough Katenia started to wonder if she’d grown an extra eyeball before he shook his head and focused on riding—driving—the car. “I think we need to do something about this language barrier, but first, we’re going to get you some clothes.”
* * * *
Nathan nodded his head, agreeing with his own conclusion. Clothes were a damn good idea. Preferably the baggiest, bulkiest sweats ever created. Though he doubted even clothes made for someone his height would do a damn thing to tone done her innate sexuality. It was just…her. The woman breathed sex. He hadn’t noticed when she was fairy-sized, but when he’d come into close contact with her new height and new dimensions, the blast of lust that hit him had been staggering.
Her brilliant green eyes had gone hot with need, and her mouth was fucking perfect. Perfect for smiling, lighting up her beautiful face when she laughed, and perfect for sucking. He’d had one brief image of her on her knees, his hands tangled in her long hair as she sucked his cock, that had been so crystal fucking clear he’d almost come in his pants.
Then she’d arched those sweet, bared breasts at him, and the control he’d always prided himself on had damn near snapped and became non-existent. Worse, the lust wasn’t going away. He felt like a live wire, set to explode at any moment with the slightest touch.
What the hell? He wasn’t a randy teenager, and he sure as hell wasn’t so goddamn hard up that one woman should be capable of shattering his control. Jesus, if she breathed too hard, he’d be all over her.
He jerked his car into a parallel parking spot, sure it was the enclosed space of the vehicle that amplified his need. So the second the car stopped, he was out the door, breathing a sigh of relief, before he remembered she probably didn’t know how to get herself out.
Well, damn it, she could figure it out. It wasn’t fucking complicated, and he needed a minute to calm himself the hell down.
She popped open the door, and like a beacon of light in a world of darkness, his gaze locked on ridiculously shapely legs as she slipped out of the passenger seat. Damn, the woman was stacked.
By the time his gaze traveled up from her toes, over hips and breasts the jacket failed to fully cover, and finally landing on her face again, he was panting. It made his voice rougher than it should be, but it was the least of his concerns at the moment. Mainly, he needed to figure out where he could take a cold shower and calm down before he made an even bigger ass of himself.
He crossed his arms over his chest, and hoped to hell she didn’t glance down at his crotch. There wasn’t enough fabric in the world to hide his hard-on. “Can you walk?”
“I think so.” Her teeth caught at her bottom lip as she carefully stood. Once she was steady, she took a step away from the car.
She swayed forward. His arm shot out, snatching her around the waist before she hit the dirty concrete. He hauled her up against his chest as he slammed the passenger door shut, and then stood there glaring at her.
“You need to stop this,” he snapped. He hauled her off her feet and started across the four-lane street.
She wiggled against his chest. “Stop what?”
“This.” He glared down at her again. “Looking all sweet and seductive. There’s only so much I can take, Katenia.”
Her pert nose wrinkled. “We’ll just pretend I know what you’re talking about, and you can tell me where we’re at.” She levered up to look over his shoulder. “People are staring at you.”
“Pretty sure it’s you they’re watching,” he muttered. “Would you keep your damn body covered?” He jogged the steps up to the front door of the small apartment building, and after he hit the button he was looking for, gently set Katenia on her feet.
Her head tilted when he slipped his arm around her waist to hold her steady. “Where are we?”
The door buzzed, and he opened it, letting them into the foyer. He scooped her into his arms again as he started up the stairs. The second he hit the second story landing, he barely had time to set Katenia down before a small, dark-haired child flew at him from out of nowhere.
“Uncle Nathan!”
“Luxie girl!” He caught her in one arm, scooping her up and kissing her on the nose. After she giggled and hugged him, he carefully led Katenia toward the open doorway.
His sister crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow as she took in Katenia’s indecent attire. “Do I want to know?”
Nathan leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Probably not. Can we come in?” He jiggled the toddler in his arms and grinned. “I have this little punkin-head as a bribe.”
His sister let out a sigh, and grinned. “Well, then, how can I resist?” She held out her hand toward Katenia. “Hi, I’m Hope.” She plucked the kid out of his arms and kissed Luxie’s cheek. “And this little stinker is my Lux.”
Katenia blinked down at her hand, then held her hand out, too. “Katenia.”
Nathan caught the
look his sister was shooting him as he led them into her apartment and closed the door behind him. “I’ll explain later,” he said. “Do you have any clothes she can borrow?”
Proving how awesome she was, she didn’t even hesitate. “Of course. Katenia, why don’t you come with me and we’ll find you something to wear while my brother finishes watching Dora the Explorer with Lux?”
Apprehension and confusion flickered in Katenia’s eyes. While she was a little steadier on her feet, she was still moving like she was drunk. He cleared his throat and, knowing his sister was going to think they were crazy, led the fairy down to Hope’s room. He didn’t let her go until she was safely on the bed, and then he crouched in front of her, Lux still in his arms.
Katenia gripped his shirt. “What’s Dora Explorer?”
“A cartoon.”
Her hand fell as she rolled her eyes. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be in the other room. If you need help, ask Hope, or yell for me, alright?”
Her eyes searched his for a long moment, until a smile lifted one corner of her mouth. “I’m not helpless, Nathan, and I’m way older than you. I’m almost a century old.”
He chuckled quietly, and couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and tucking a waist-length strand of almost pure silver hair behind one point-tipped ear. “Good to know. Now I have a date with my niece.”
“Nathan.” Katenia reached out, snagging his hand before he could stand. The second her skin made contact with his, she gasped, and yanked her fingers free.
His jaw ticked, the live current flashing between them setting his blood on fire. “Yes?”
She kept her eyes steady on his as she leaned up and pressed her lips gently to his. “Thank you.”
He jerked as if she’d slapped him. “You’re welcome,” he snapped. Without another word he stood up and high-tailed it out of the room, or he was going to do something one of them would regret, or his sister would kill him for. Because honest to God, his knees had gone fucking weak, and the small contact had rocked his foundation. All he wanted to do was hand his niece to her mother, and devour the fairy.
