by Eden Ashe
She wrinkled her nose and swiped angrily at the tears still leaking down her face. “Christ Jesus,” she snapped, borrowing his phrase, “I don’t know what that means.”
To her surprise, he wasn’t offended by her temper. Instead, one corner of his mouth lifted in a cocky grin. “It means, we find somewhere else to stay for the next few nights.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “No more metal boxes?”
He shook his head. “Not until you’re ready to try it again.” When she relaxed her shoulders in relief, he chuckled quietly and leaned in to kiss her nose. He stood up again and set her on her feet, turned her around, and hooked his arm around her shoulders. “Now let’s see about food.”
She looked up at him and smiled. He would make a wonderful life-mate to some woman someday. No matter what was wrong, or how out of the ordinary it was, he always found a way to help her and make her feel better.
When his hand slid down to wrap around hers, Katenia couldn’t block the urge to move in a little closer to his side. She knew he wasn’t hers, and she couldn’t keep him, but he was perfect for her. Everything about him touched something inside, reaching places deep in her soul she’d never realized were empty.
She wanted him to be hers. She wanted it so badly that if she could have found a way, even some tiny idea of a way, she’d have fought dragons to be able to keep him.
But he wasn’t hers, and if she didn’t find a way to help him break the witch’s curse before he finished helping her, he’d be doomed to loneliness for the rest of his life.
“Hey.” He stopped walking and crouched in front of her, ignoring all the other humans walking by and around them. His eyes searched her face. “Why are you crying now? What happened? Did something scare you?”
She closed her eyes, and because there was nothing she could tell him that wouldn’t ruin everything, she walked into his chest and held on. He wasn’t hers, but damn if she wouldn’t fight until the end of time to find a way to make him happy.
Chapter 15
Nathan had to admit, as he pulled the car into the mall’s parking lot and found himself an out of the way parking space he was not looking forward to this. After the earlier elevator disaster, he was not sure Katenia in public was something either of them was ready for yet.
He turned the car off and looked at her. It didn’t make him feel any better that she looked as nervous as he felt. He’d come damn close to turning into an over-bearing, over-protective jackass to the people who’d unwittingly sent her into a meltdown in the elevator, and the last thing he needed was for something to freak her out in a crowded mall and him lose his shit.
She turned in her seat to face him, one delicate eyebrow lifting. “Nathan.”
He considered baring his teeth at her. Instead, he clenched his jaw and forced out, “What?”
“This was your idea, so why do you look so miserable?”
“Because,” he snapped, “I am not looking forward to a repeat of earlier.”
She paled. “Wait, you said no more metal boxes!”
He cursed at the panic he’d caused, and shook his head. “No metal boxes,” he said quietly as he popped his door open and slid out of the car. He rounded the hood and opened her door, then because her eyes were still wide, he crouched in front of her. “I promise, baby, just lots of people.” He made a face, and winked at her. “You know, humans.”
The fear faded from her eyes and this time, they widened in mock horror. “Oh no, not humans, Nathan. Please, please take me back to the metal—” Her voice cut off as he leaned in and closed his mouth over hers. Her body went pliant on a soft sigh when he took absolute possession of her mouth. “Mmm.” She tangled her hands in his hair and pulled him closer. “What are you doing?”
“Shutting you up.” He grinned when she fell against him as soon as he broke the kiss. “How’s it working?”
She was laughing when he plucked her out of the seat and set her on her feet. “Not bad.”
He brushed his lips over hers. “Just stay with me,” he said, wrapping his hand around hers. “Okay?”
She nodded as they started across the parking lot, and when he opened the door to let them inside the mall, her eyes widened. She looked around, blowing out a shaky breath and then tossed him a shy grin. “What smells so good?”
He relaxed slightly when he saw that she wasn’t panicking. The large building had a domed roof made of glass, bringing the sunshine in, and there were large hanging plants strategically placed on the support beams. “The food court. Come on.” He tugged her toward the escalator. “We’ll get something to eat.”
She stopped, her eyes narrowed as she watched the people on the escalator. “Nathan.”
He sighed. “What?”
“I have no idea how to do this.”
He gritted his teeth and hooked his arm around her waist. When she smiled and automatically turned toward him, he dropped his head against hers. “Take one step forward and up, then stop when I do, alright?”
She bobbed her head, her eyes locked on his as he got them onto the escalator. He tightened his arm when she started to sway, not used to moving up without some kind of effort on her part, and kissed her gently. A moment later, he helped her off and grinned down at her. “Not bad, huh?”
“We need one of those in your building.”
He laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
When she had no idea what to try in the food court, and he had no idea of what to feed her, or if there were any dietary restrictions he didn’t know about, he finally led them to a gourmet hamburger place. He settled on cheeseburgers and French fries for him, a salad for her, and not sure he could handle her on a caffeine rush, ordered two bottled waters.
A few minutes later, after finding them a clean table, he smothered a laugh when she stole one of his fries and bit into it, then tried not to gag. He loved watching the myriad of expressions that made her Katenia as a whole. While she hated the fries, it amused him to see her keep eating them anyway. So absorbed in people-watching and trying to take in everything going on around her, he doubted she realized what she was doing.
With his burger demolished, Nathan leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, content. She was getting stares from males and females alike, but she was so oblivious to it all, it amazed him. She smiled at everyone who caught her eye, and offered to share her food more than once—though, he wasn’t entirely certain that wasn’t so she didn’t have to eat anymore.
He finally stood up and grabbed their trash, tossing it into the garbage, then held his hand out for hers. She grinned up at him as she linked their fingers and moved in closer to his side. “Now what?” she asked.
“Now,” he sighed, trying to keep the grimace out of his voice, “we shop.”
* * * *
Ten minutes later, Katenia’s eyes were about to pop out of her head. She grabbed Nathan’s arm. “What is wrong with you?” She hissed. “You can’t threaten to have me turn someone into a gnat!”
His grin was all kinds of cocky, but there was pure steel in his eyes as he stared down the large, dark-haired woman who looked to be about Hope’s age. “Sure I can.”
She ground her teeth together and pulled on his arm. “Nathan—”
He cut her off with a frustrated sound. “Look.” He leaned down toward her until their noses were touching. “I warned her she was going to piss me off if she kept trying to attack you with that makeup brush, and since I won’t hit a woman, this is the next best thing.”
She sighed, aware the woman was still watching them. “She thinks you’re off in the head.”
“I am.” He winked and straightened, groaning when he saw the pretty dress she wore. “Jesus, Katenia, are you trying to kill me?”
She took a deliberate step away from him. “Keep your hands to yourself, Nathan,” she muttered. “Just tell me if you like it or not?”
He didn’t answer her question, instead snapping out, “You’re going to get me arres
ted, damn it.”
Before she could try to translate that into something she understood, he’d moved forward, grabbed her hand and was leading her toward what he’d called dressing rooms. As soon as he had her in the nearest one, he backed her into the wall, caging her in, and sunk his hands into the front of her dress as his mouth ravaged hers.
It was terrifying how quickly her need for him could spiral up and out of control, as if it was trying to burn her alive. Managing to get her hand between them, she unfastened his pants and shoved them down. Her body bowed on a scream as he drove into her in the next heartbeat. He clamped his hand over her mouth to muffle the moan that would have followed, and buried his face in her throat as he pounded her into ecstasy. And when he would have roared his release, Katenia reared up and covered his mouth with hers, loving the rush that came from him losing himself so completely inside of her.
When he finally collapsed against her, barely holding her up with his hips, he dropped his head against hers. His breathing was ragged, and she grinned at the effort it took him to get his words out. “Buy…more…of…these…dresses.” He lifted his head long enough to let his electric gaze bore into her. “Lots more.”
She couldn’t help it. Her smile bloomed at the dazed and satisfied look on his face. He’d given her free rein to pick and choose whatever garments she wanted, assuring her he’d be able to afford anything she wanted. But these dresses, called sundresses, were the only garments she’d found comfortable enough to wear.
Sure enough, once they were both steady enough on their feet to get dressed and leave the dressing room, he made her buy one in every color he could find.
“So,” he started a few minutes later as he opened the rear door to his car to stow her bags. He turned to slide his arms around her waist, hauling her up against his chest. “How did you like your first real day among humans?”
She went up on her toes and kissed his chin. “I don’t like shoes, but I do like shopping. I like the park and the chocolate ice cream, and I can probably get used to the French fries.” She hooked her arms around his neck and smiled when he straightened, lifting her off her feet. “And I like you.”
He grinned, and leaned down to kiss her. “Glad to hear it.”
Good gods, she thought as he turned her around and carefully set her in the seat. No one should be allowed to be that charming.
For all his charm all day, his uneasiness and worry had never been far from the surface. He hadn’t relaxed once since the witch had shown up.
She studied his face when he slid into his seat and closed the car door. “You’re worried,” she said softly.
“Yeah.” A muscle in his jaw ticked as he turned the key, then worked a lever to get the vehicle moving. “I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall.”
She frowned in confusion, wondering if she’d ever get through an entire conversation with him without getting lost. “I don’t understand. Why would a shoe fall? Is someone throwing it?”
“It’s a figure of speech.” He chuckled. “It means I’m waiting for the next disaster.”
“Oh.” She threw her hands up in the air. “Then why didn’t you just say that?”
He opened his mouth, before snapping it shut again and laughing. “I have no idea.”
She shook her head at him. “This human world is confusing.” She wrinkled her nose as she thought about what she wanted to ask him next, knowing it would sour the mood between them. There were too many things she didn’t understand, and she knew she needed to. “Nathan?”
He groaned. “What?”
Katenia frowned at him. “Why did she curse you?”
His hands tightened around the wheel, the only outward sign of the temper she could feel still boiling inside of him. “Because I didn’t want her, and Rhiannon doesn’t do well with rejection.”
Though his words made sense, Katenia still wasn’t sure she understood. “But she’s beautiful. Was the sex between you not good?”
He slammed the vehicle to a stop in the middle of traffic and swung his head around to stare at her. Horns blared from every direction around them. “What?”
She fought the urge to scoot back a little from his temper. “I’m trying to understand. If humans don’t take life-mates, are your relationships not just about sex?”
“She was crazy,” he muttered, “and I have standards. I’m not so hard up I’m willing to tolerate a psycho-obsessive loony tune just so I can get my rocks off.”
While she only understood half of what he’d said, she was pretty sure she at least understood the meaning, if not the phrases he’d used. “So she decided if she couldn’t have you, no one could?”
“Yes.” Fury flashed in his dark blue eyes. “I just didn’t realize she had the magic to make it possible.”
Though she’d done her best to hide it, her temper started to peak. “If she cared about you so much, wouldn’t she want you happy, even if it wasn’t with her?”
His laugh was filled with so much bitterness, it hurt Katenia to hear it. “That’s not how psycho-obsessive works. If she takes away my every shot at happiness, she thinks it means I’ll go crawling back to her.”
Katenia nodded, her mind made up. “Take me to her.”
“You’re insane.”
“No, I’m not,” she snapped, seething. “You’re going to take me to her. That’s who I’m going to turn into a gnat, and after I do that, I’m going to stomp her into nothingness.” She glared at him when he laughed. “I’m serious, Nathan. She is dangerous and you deserve to be happy.”
A frustrated sound rumbled in his chest as he started moving the car forward again. “You cannot turn her into a gnat, Katen.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted a brow. “Why not?”
It was his turn to look confused. “Because you can’t just go around turning people who annoy you into gnats.”
She snorted at him. “You’re the one who demanded I do it to the nice lady in the room with the pretty clothes.”
“It was a threat,” he muttered. “I wouldn’t have actually let you do it.”
She threw her hands up again. “Please make sense, Nathan. If you didn’t want me to do it, why did you tell me to?”
He dragged a hand down his face. “To get her to back off and leave you alone.” He sighed when the thing he called a phone chirped. He hit the screen with his finger. “Tell me you have answers, Aunt Mellie, or we’re going to have a problem.”
* * * *
Nathan gritted his teeth at his aunt’s hesitation. He didn’t know why she was playing games, or what the hell she was up to, but it was going to stop now. “Speak!” he bellowed.
“I’m not a dog, Nathan,” she snapped back. “I am still your elder and you will talk to me with respect.”
He scoffed. “Not until you do something to deserve it. I’m not kidding, Mellie. I want answers, or you are not going to like what happens next.”
He knew she wanted to argue, but he also knew she was smart enough not to push. She counted on his generosity every month, and with Katenia’s life on the line, he would cut his aunt off without a cent if she didn’t fix the mistakes she’d made. “Just get here,” she said finally. “Thad and I found a spell.”
He wasn’t stupid, and he could feel Katenia’s gaze on him. “Spell for what?”
“To give her back her wings,” she snapped again. “What do you think?” She hung up on him without another word.
The vague ache in his chest he’d been ignoring all day, spread. He knew making his aunt turn her into a fairy again was the right thing to do. At least it should have been. But Nathan was no longer sure he was willing to let her go. Not when the only thing waiting for her at home was banishment or breeder, and not when he knew she belonged with him. If she gave him half a chance, and they could find a way to neutralize Rhiannon, he could make her happy.
Chapter 16
Katenia ducked behind him the second she was out of the car. She scooted into his back a
nd wrapped her arms around his torso. “I don’t like it here,” she whispered.
He nodded, because he got it. Whether it was something new or he’d simply never noticed it, his aunt’s house gave off a bad, bad vibe. With the sun setting behind it, the place gave him the creeps.
Wrapping one hand around both of hers where they rested on his stomach, he turned his head toward her slightly. “Just stay close to me. This shouldn’t take long.”
“Nathan.” She tightened her arms when he started to move forward. “We need to talk.”
He closed his eyes. No matter how much he wanted to hear her say she wanted to stay with him, he knew better than to wish it. He sure as hell wouldn’t ask her. Being a fairy was what she was. He had no right to ask her to walk away from her life.
“About?” he asked.
“There’s nothing for me in the valley anymore.”
He turned to face her. Her beautiful face was upturned, her brilliant eyes terrified and lost. “There must be other valleys.” He used the sternest voice he could manage, despite his heart breaking. “Other fairies who could take you in.”
She snorted at him and planted her hands on her hips. “And who is going to take care of you if I’m not here to do it?”
“Who says I need to be taken care of?”
She laughed and skirted around him, heading for the house. “You’d let people walk all over you if I wasn’t here to defend you.”
“Katenia, I run one of the largest, most acclaimed non-profits in the world. I am not a pushover.”
“Ha!” She stopped walking and turned to glare up at him. “I don’t know what a non-profit is, but you, Nathan, you need to stop letting people yell at you.”
He wasn’t sure if he was more amused or insulted she thought him so weak. “I don’t yell at women unless I have no other choice.”
Confusion flickered in her eyes, before he saw the realization dawn. “Your parents.”
He jerked his head in a quick nod. It was all he was capable of doing.
She moved in closer to him and rested one hand on his heart, the other on his hip. “You are not your father,” she said fiercely. “It does not make you a monster to yell at women who deserve it.”
