Felix and Dani made their way downstairs once they were finished eating. Dani chatted on about the Winter Festivals of previous years and what they needed to do for the setup. Felix held his camera in his hands, snapping a photo of each floor’s hallway as they went by in the stairwell, and thinking about what he should keep an eye out for.
The lobby bustled with activity. All of the unnecessary furniture had been cleared out, and a portable stage had been set up in the center of the floor. People were setting up lights and decorations. Some wore costumes of various winter themed mythical creatures, and hilariously enough, there was an abominable snowman.
“I’m in charge of setting up the prize station, among other things,” said Dani.
“Prize station?” asked Felix.
“The kids play a few different games, and the winner of each gets to pick a prize,” said Dani. “It’s all fun and-“
“Hi.” Shane approached the two of them, smiling and furrowing his brow. “Dani, hey. I heard the new guy was staying with you.”
Dani smiled on reflex and nodded to him.
“Yeah,” she said. “He is. Have you met Felix yet? Felix, this is-“
“Shane, yeah,” he said. “We were on shoveling duty together yesterday.”
“And probably will be again, tomorrow,” said Shane, dryly. “It’s a small world.”
The three of them stood there, looking around the lobby and at the festival setup taking place.
“I’m going to go get started,” said Dani. “Come join me when you’re ready, Felix.”
He nodded and watched her skip off, moving faster than what was probably needed.
“So,” said Shane. “What do you think?”
“Of what?”
“This amazing town that we currently find ourselves in,” said Shane. “I think the impressiveness ranking goes New York City, Los Angeles, North Spire, and then, I don’t know, maybe… Chicago?”
Felix chuckled and shrugged.
“Yeah, well, I’m here for now,” he said. “I’m not interested in staying here forever, but I might as well make the best of it until I have the opportunity to leave.”
Shane nodded along, the skepticism showing through in his expression.
“I would probably hate you if it wasn’t for what you did yesterday,” said Shane. “With those wolves. It was really something.”
Felix chuckled.
“Thanks,” he said. “For the compliment, and for being candid.”
Shane nodded and leaned in a little closer.
“Take your chance to leave when you get it,” he said. “There is nothing more depressing than being trapped in a place like this and thinking, what if, or, what could have been.”
Shane patted him on the shoulder and then walked off. Felix frowned, thinking about what he’d said, and then headed over to join up with Dani.
She was next to a table set up on the side of the room, bent over and rummaging through a box of toys. The scene had an ambience to it that made it perfect for a photo, and it wasn’t until Felix was in the process of taking it that he realized that it was an image centered on the curves of her butt in her tight jeans. Dani looked up at him at the worst possible moment and glowered.
“Pervert,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Hey, come on,” said Felix. “I just wanted a photo of you hard at work.”
Dani set her hands on her hips, and Felix snapped another photo. He smiled at her and started helping, pulling toys out of another nearby box and putting them on the table with a sticky note listing how many “festival tickets” each one cost.
There were several dozen people in the lobby, most of them new to Felix. A few came over and introduced themselves, and he smiled and made pleasantries, always mentioning that he was only there temporarily. Dani didn’t say much, though Felix could sense her listening in.
It was close to lunchtime when Stella emerged from the stairs and made her way over to them. She was frowning, and looked tired.
“Have you found anything?” she asked. Felix shook his head.
“Not yet,” he said. “I think we’re just about done here though, right Dani?”
Dani shrugged her shoulders.
“Good,” said Stella. “Almost everyone is busying themselves with preparations for the festival. It leaves us with an opening.”
“An… opening?”
Stella took him by the arm and pulled him away from Dani and the other people.
“I need to recharge my powers,” she said. “There are a couple of ways I can do it. The main one is… tricky.”
“Why?”
“How should I put it…?” Stella furrowed her brow, looking a little flustered. “There isn’t anyone around that I would feel comfortable trusting to… do it with me.”
“Oh,” said Felix. “Oh!”
“There is another method, but I’ll need you to keep guard,” she said. “Can you do that for me?”
Felix looked over at Dani.
“Let me make sure I’m done here, first,” he said. He walked over to the table. Dani was putting the finishing touches on the homemade festival tickets, cutting each one out of paper and writing the point number in neat colored pencil.
“Dani,” said Felix. “I have to go help your mom out now. Is that cool?”
“I’m not sure if I’d call it cool,” said Dani. “But you’re free to do whatever you want.”
Felix scowled, feeling his irritation start to boil over. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, several people in the lobby began pointing and gesturing out the front window.
“Maybe he’s here for the Winter Festival?” suggested somebody, which a few people laughed at.
Felix turned and saw a semi-truck headed south down the snow and ice covered road. His heart skipped a beat as it began to slow to a stop outside of the North Spire.
“That’s… my ride,” he said. “He’s passing right through North Spire. I can get a ride out of here from him!”
He looked at Dani and Stella, only then realizing that they didn’t share his excitement. Felix was too focused on the truck to care. He took a step toward the front door, only to feel Stella’s hand grab onto his arm.
“Felix,” she said. “If you need to leave, go right ahead. I won’t keep you here.”
He nodded, feeling a sudden stab of guilt in his chest.
“Look, I’m sorry, Stella,” he said. “Just let me talk to him and see what’s up. He might be staying here for a couple of days, and then I’d still be able to help you.”
She nodded and smiled contentedly. Felix glanced over at Dani. She wouldn’t meet his eye.
CHAPTER 24
Felix’s initial reaction was to head out and meet the trucker by the side of the road. The truck came to a complete stop, however, and after a minute a man climbed out of it and began heading for the North Spire’s entrance.
There were dozens of people waiting at the door for him, including Mayor Senhaji and Sheriff Burke. Felix absent mindedly snapped a few photos of him, wondering if they’d be the last ones he’d get a chance to take in the town.
“Hiya,” said the man. “I’m Daniel. You guys mind if I use the restroom here?”
Daniel had a thick beard and a large gut. He spoke with the mayor for a couple of minutes after taking care of his needs. Most of the townspeople went back to festival preparations, their curiosity sated. Felix hovered around, waiting to plead his case.
Finally, the mayor shook Daniel’s hand and departed. Felix was next him in an instant, smiling and wondering how much he was going to have to pay this time.
“Hey,” he said. “You’re headed down south, right?”
“Yessir,” said Daniel.
“I’m looking to catch a ride down that way,” said Felix. “Any chance you could…?”
“Not a problem,” said Daniel. “You pay for half the gas cost and it’s a done deal.”
Felix let out a sigh of relief. He could afford tha
t, thankfully.
“Awesome,” he said. “When are you leaving?”
“Tonight,” said Daniel. “Your mayor is a swell guy. He told me about the festival and offered me a free meal if I stuck around for the start of it.”
“He’s not… I mean, I don’t live here.” Felix scratched his head. He felt a little sad, for some reason.
“Oh,” said Daniel. “My mistake. I’ll be leaving at 8pm sharp. Even my truck isn’t going to be able to handle the ice storm once it gets up to speed, you know?”
“Yeah, of course,” said Felix. “I’ll meet up with you in the lobby, tonight at 8.”
The trucker nodded to him and then wandered off. Stella was still standing with Dani next to her festival table, the two of them having a whispered conversation that for once, looked amicable. He walked over slowly, smiling a sad, somewhat guilty smile.
“When are you leaving?” asked Stella.
“Tonight,” he said. “Sorry. I never intended to stay for longer than a few days, though.”
“Of course you didn’t,” said Dani. “You made that abundantly clear.”
Her voice wavered with emotion, anger and a hint of disappointment. Felix shrugged. He honestly didn’t know what to say.
“We should let Dani finish getting her prizes ready,” said Stella. “If you’re still up for it, I could use your help for the rest of the day.”
“Sure.” He was glad for the excuse to get away from Dani and her sad eyes, and followed after Stella, heading back upstairs.
Compared to her daughter, Stella seemed indifferent to Felix’s announcement of his departure. She didn’t say much to him, even after the stepped inside her apartment, and she began gathering things out of her room.
“So, I might be able to come back and visit eventually,” said Felix. “I guess it depends on where I end up after this though.”
“Hold this.” Stella passed her staff to him and began pulling on her robe.
“I hope Dani doesn’t sulk for too long,” he said. “I didn’t expect her to react that way.”
“She’s a teenager, Felix,” said Stella. “I would be more surprised if she didn’t.”
Stella disappeared into her room and returned carrying a strange looking artifact. It had the appearance of a snow globe, perfectly round and set into a metal stand with legs that looked like tiny claws. Inside the glass, or whatever it was made of, swirled a strange, pink essence.
“Felix,” said Stella. “I’m going to need you to wait here in the room with me. Make sure nobody enters or disturbs us in any way.”
“Gotcha,” he said.
“After about an hour, or when I call to you, whichever comes first, I want you to take my staff and touch the tip of it against the globe.” She gave him a serious look. “I need it as an outside focus point in order to free myself.”
“To free yourself?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Turn around,” said Stella.
Felix shrugged and faced away from her. He heard the distinct sound of clothes coming off and dropping to the floor. He couldn’t resist peaking over his shoulder, and caught a glimpse of Stella standing totally nude, facing diagonally to the side. Her butt and the outer edge of one of her breasts were all he managed to see before she waved a hand, clearly annoyed by his nosiness.
“Dani’s right,” she said. “You are kind of a pervert.”
“What? Jeez, you’re the one stripping naked in front of me.”
“Just keep your eyes on the door until I say so,” said Stella. “This isn’t something that you need to see.”
Felix sighed and turned back around. There was a noise similar to a high pitched hum, and then the entire room flashed bright pink for a second. Felix looked over his shoulder again. Stella was gone.
CHAPTER 25
Even after what she’d told him, Felix found it hard to believe. It was the difference between hearing about the ocean and seeing it. Stella was gone, and Felix was alone in the room, and magic was, without question, a real force in the world.
He took a deep breath and hesitated. The globe was right where Stella had left it on the living room table. Felix knelt down, driven by his growing curiosity, and peered into the glass sphere.
Stella, miniaturized and as gorgeous as ever, was at the center of it, and she was still naked. Unfortunately for Felix’s eager eyes, pink mist swirled through the globe, surrounding her, and obscuring all of the good details.
Felix dropped into a sitting position on the floor. Stella didn’t seem to be acknowledging his presence, or for that matter, anything. Her tiny eyes were closed, and she moved within the four inch diameter of the globe with coordinated, careful movements.
She was dancing, pulling the pink mist into intricate, full body patterns. Her focus was beyond anything Felix had seen in anyone before. It was a channel of Stella’s own essence, a representation of who she was, and how she was.
She gyrated her hips, and spun her hair. She curled backward into a weightless walkover, transitioning onto her hands as she flipped and spun. She turned and whirled, shaking her body, only barely covered by the mist.
It was riveting, and by far one of the most erotic things Felix had ever seen. He stared at the globe, unable to turn his eyes away. It felt like it had that night in the bathroom, when Stella had used her magic on him for the sake of securing his seed. Except it was more than that. It was the core of that, unveiled and exposed. It was lust.
Felix’s ran his hand across his crotch in a desirous daze. He needed release. He wanted to transport himself into the globe, or her out of it. He wanted to lock eyes with Stella and press her naked body against him, to slide himself into her and move together. He wanted to chase an orgasm and have it never come, and for the two of them to grind against each other in purposeful pointlessness for the rest of time.
“Felix?” Stella’s voice, tiny and high pitched, came from within the globe. “I told you not to look!”
The pink mist was gone. Stella was floating in the center of the globe, one leg crossed over the other as though she was sitting in a chair. One of her arms held her breasts in tight, modest confinement. And she was glaring at him.
“Stella…” whispered Felix. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“And you probably never will again,” she said. “Get my staff and let me out.”
Felix stood up from the couch. He’d forgotten about his erection, and it poked out hilariously, aimed at tiny Stella in the globe like a heat seeking missile. He grabbed her staff from the side of the couch and then hunched over as he brought the tip in against the glass.
“Like this?” he asked.
“Perfect,” said Stella.
Bright pink light flashed, the same as before. Stella was naked and making an effort to cover herself. It took all of Felix’s effort and an embarrassed glare from her to make him turn around.
“Stella, I didn’t realize that you could dance like that,” said Felix.
“It was nothing,” she said. “The magic I was absorbing amplified the effect.”
“You’re… incredible,” he said. “I was watching it, and I just felt so…”
“Forget about it, Felix.”
“What?”
Stella walked around, now covered by her robe and decent.
“I can see it in your eyes,” she said. “It’s dangerous.”
Felix shook his head.
“Stella…” He took a step toward her, holding out his arms as though to pull her in close. He needed to feel her against him, needed to kiss her, to let his hard, dirty cock do so very many things.
Her hand struck him across the face before he’d even seen her swing. The movement shook her robe open, revealing that she’d only taken the time to put on underwear underneath.
“Sorry, Felix,” she said, softly. “It will probably take a couple of hours for the effect of you watching that to wear off.”
“Oh…” he said, finally realizing what was going on.
“My bad.”
Stella smiled sadly and sighed.
“It’s probably a good thing that you’re leaving tonight,” she said. “If you were here overnight… Well, things could get a little complicated.”
She laughed, and Felix forced himself to laugh with her.
“I have a few more things to take care of up here,” said Stella. “Why don’t you go help Dani with her work on the festival? It will give you a chance to… calm down.”
She punctuated the last two words with a glance down at his bulge. Her eyes lingered for a second longer than they should have, and for an instant, Felix felt himself moving toward her again, this time sure that she’d be receptive.
Stella fixed her robe and shook her head, and that was all it took to bring him back to his senses.
“Okay, I have to get out of here,” said Felix. “I’m sorry, Stella. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“I do,” she said, grinning. “And all you need is to get some air for it to wear off.”
Felix nodded and hurried out of the apartment. He felt like he was heading the wrong way, like every step he took brought him further away from what he needed, from Stella’s arms, and strawberry blonde hair, and soft body.
With a great force of will, he made it to the stairs, and then down them. By the time he’d reached the lobby, he was at least calm in a physical way. The preparations were winding down, and the anticipation was winding up. Felix saw Dani talking with Shane across the lobby and started to head over.
He stopped after a few steps and scratched his head. Shane was gesturing, and from his body language it looked like he was making jokes and trying as hard as he could. Dani was listening politely, but slowly warming up to it. And Felix had no place in the interaction.
He took the long way around, keeping himself out of their view, heading for the chairs that people were beginning to settle into by the stage in the center of the room. Outside the lobby windows, he could see dark clouds on the horizon, the calling card of the ice storm. Tonight would be his last chance to get on with his life, and he was going to take it.
“There he is!”
Winter Spire: Sorceress of Lust Page 9
