A Fey Harvest (22 page)

Chapter Twenty-
Eight

We were all over each other the second the door shut behind us. Something about watching Arach work that metal just did it for me and I guess the workout did something for him too because he lifted me off my feet and carried me the rest of the way to the bedroom. I was tearing at his clothes as we went and he was helping me as much as possible but I couldn't get anything fully off of either of us until he laid me out on the bed.

Then it was mere moments before we were pressed together without the barrier of clothing to get in our way. We were both so hot but scales were spreading down his sides, giving me little cool shivers. The shivers tingled through me, like being tickled, and then lifted up inside my belly. Then a sensation similar to being stroked down my sides caught my attention and made me pull back.

“What the hell?” I looked down as gold scales formed a shimmering border along the edges of my stomach.

“
A Thaisce,” Arach whispered as he trailed a hand over the shiny scales. Then he looked up into my face and gasped.

“
What?” I lifted a hand to my face and felt the smooth raised edges of scales at my temples and the more prominent bones of my cheeks. “Arach?”

“
It's alright,” he soothed, “just relax, this is probably a side effect of the triple trinities.”

“
Sweet dragon loving, do you think so?” I felt the blood rush through my veins and inside my chest like rivers of fire shooting straight to that nine-pointed star that was my heart. My dragon lifted her head and roared. It vibrated through me, triumph singing in my chest as my other beasts joined their voices to hers. “I think you're right. I think I can be a dragon now, without jeopardizing my other magic.”

“
Because your other magic is connected to it,” Arach
smiled. “They are all bonded now.”

“
But my face wasn't like this before,” I touched his face, “like yours.”

“
You have control of it,” he ran a hand down my breasts and I was surprised to see a smattering of scales defining them as well. “I'm guessing that you can be as much dragon as you wish, or as little. But, let's wait till later to experiment, shall we?” He grinned lasciviously. “I have more pressing matters to attend to.”

He pressed the most prominent matter against me and I grinned back, shifting my legs apart so he could slide closer. The shift in my appearance had made me feel sexy in a SciFi movie goddess kind of way. Faerie was right, the magic of Beauty had changed me and not in the way I'd originally thought. My whole perception was different now, the standards which I'd judged physical beauty by had changed. Monsters were no longer monstrous, werewolves no longer frightening, and dragons were  very sexy.

I stretched out, luxuriating in the feeling of being sexy. It was a high that you'd probably think I'd experienced often. I mean, come on, after having five lovers tell you you're beautiful and after having your looks enhanced by magic, you shouldn't have self-confidence issues. Jeesh, get over it already, right? But being constantly surrounded by goddesses whose beauty is on an almost impossible level, can do things to your ego whether you realize it or not. I knew I couldn't compete with those ladies and I was fine with that. Who cares about being gorgeous when you have fabulous men who love you? So no, I didn't think of myself as a sexy woman. Attractive, maybe pretty, but not sexy and there's a difference between feeling pretty and feeling sexy.

Feeling pretty is a sweet emotion, it's gentle and happy. Feeling sexy is exciting, it's hot and powerful. I'd felt sexy before, don't get me wrong, but never on this level. I'd felt the power of Lust and Love, felt need, passion, want, desire and other wonderful things that I'm very lucky to have in my life but never this supreme confidence in my appearance, in my ability to use my looks to satisfy my lover sexually. I had released the dragon, let her influence me in this most intimate of moments, and it had brought her confidence to the surface. I'd felt her ego once before so I shouldn't have been so surprised that she'd think so highly of herself in the bedroom as well but I was surprised I enjoyed it so much. As someone who appreciated humility more than arrogance, I should have been disgusted or at least ashamed but I guess she had overcome my dislike by showing me how very fun it could be to simply believe in yourself. It was an interesting lesson and one I'd probably spend a lot of time pondering over at a later date. For now, I would simply give in and let my dragon have her way.

I felt my lips twist up into a knowing smile as I looked up into Arach's appreciative eyes. Then his mouth was on mine and his fire was searing its way down into me, heating me and turning my core molten. I gathered it and just before I sent it back into him, I pulled some of my lust magic into the fire. When I breathed it into his mouth he groaned, jerking his hips into mine and sliding into me till he could press no further.

He vibrated against me, his body shaking as he pulled his mouth from mine and roared. The cords in his neck were standing out, accentuated by a line of red scales, and his teeth had grown sharper. The lust magic pulsed red inside his chest once before dispersing into his body. His shoulders tightened and I took them in hand and kneaded them, shocked when blood started dripping down his arms. That's when I noticed the claws tipping my hands. I hadn't even realized I'd extended them. Arach looked down on me, his lips curling up into a satisfied grin as his blood dripped over my hands. I pulled one back and lifted a bloody finger to my mouth. He groaned as I licked it clean.

My eyes shut as he filled my head and started sliding into my body all at once. Every time we shared blood I learned more about Arach, saw things I hadn't known were there. It was beyond what any human relationship could be. I'd never be able to know a human man the way I knew Arach and with sudden clarity, I realized that I was relieved, grateful even, that I'd never have another human lover ever again.

With the sharing of his blood, I experienced not only what Arach felt but sometimes I shared his memories. The sweet thing was, this time the memory I got to share was of me.
It was a Wild Hunt and I know that doesn't sound romantic but the memory wasn't of the killing, it was of us flying together. I guess the possibility of me becoming a dragon again had reminded him of it and the memory was right there, practically tumbling into me as soon as I tasted his blood.

Arach loved to fly, as I'm sure all dragons had, but he hadn't flown with another dragon since he was a little boy. Never as an adult and never with his mate. The experience had satisfied him on so many levels and his dragon self had rejoiced in it. I saw myself as he'd seen me, a beautiful gold dragon, my scales shimmering in the moonlight. I looked powerful and elegant to him, a dream that he'd dreamed for thousands of years, finally come to life.

He'd been happy with me as I was, even if that meant I'd never fly again, but the possibility of us flying together was miraculous for him. His delight coursed through me, heightening my building pleasure, and then came the love he felt for me, lifting his joy even higher. I held it close, feeling my own delight in it, and then his fangs sank into my neck and my own love for him poured out with it. He shuddered under the onslaught of my emotions and pulled me closer. I wrapped my legs further up his hips and held on tight as we rode the flames higher.

Chapter Twenty-
Nine

After the hot sex, Arach fell asleep but I was wide awake so I went in search of something to eat. I went through the wrong door in the star room and had to backtrack through shiny jet black hallways and then find the right door that led out into the castle proper. I was glad for the different colored walls then because without that color to tip me off, I wouldn't have even known I was headed in the wrong direction. I wondered if that was the reason for the multi-hued hallways.

“
Doubtful,” I chuckled to myself, “I'm sure the high royals can find their way around without color clues.”

Then something hit the back of my head hard and I lost consciousness for a few minutes.

I came to lying in someone's arms. There was material over my face so I couldn't see where I was but it didn't matter because we weren't staying put. Whoever was carrying me was moving at a brisk pace, probably bruising my legs with their firm grip. Not that the bruises would ever show, what with my rapid healing, but still, it hurt.

I was bound securely with what felt like manacles at both wrists and feet, and try as I might, I couldn't break them. There was also a gag shoved deep into my mouth and tied around my head. Panic filled my stomach as I wondered if it was Andrasta who carried me, ferrying me off to her dark hideaway in the forest so the Darkness could consume my soul. Was this how the other fey had been abducted? Had I played into her hands by leaving the protection of the royal family chambers? I was going to die because I wanted a sandwich. How ironic that my search for food was going to result in me becoming food for the Darkness.

Then I was tossed in a coach and I felt it start to move. Andrasta had a coach? What the hell? How had she got past the guards or the wards for that matter. Then I heard a sweet female voice and the sturdier reply of a masculine one and realized that Andrasta wasn't my abductor. Not that I knew what Andrasta's voice sounded like, it was the words being said that gave it away. I was pretty sure Andrasta didn't speak the fey language.

Then again, maybe the Darkness had taught it to her. Did the Darkness speak Fey? My head spun with all the possibilities and absurd questions kept springing up, things like: how would my soul taste? It's funny what panic will do to your thought processes.

The journey seemed to last awhile, giving me plenty of time to wonder who had abducted me and why exactly. When we finally came to a stop, I was nowhere closer to reaching a conclusion than when we'd started. I knew my abductor was a woman, that at least was definite, and it was female hands that pulled me roughly from the coach so I assumed she was alone. Then my thoughts were thrown all in a tizzy because not only did the woman lift me in her arms again, she lifted us both into the air. I could feel us moving upward.

There was a jolt as we landed and then I tossed onto the ground. The material over my head was removed and as I blinked in the sudden light, the gag was loosened. A rush of magic flew over me and the manacles dropped away. I yanked out the gag and threw it aside as I took in my surroundings.

I was sitting on soft grass, a brisk breeze cooled my skin and the scent of flowers filled my nose. A cloud drifted by me as I realized I was on one of the floating islands in the Air Kingdom. In front of me was a small strip of grass that ended abruptly in misty air, behind me was a grove of delicate trees that were actually rooted in the ground, unlike the last bunch I'd seen in the Air Kingdom. Floating flowers in a myriad of colors were caught in the branches of the trees and as I watched, one of them broke free and drifted away.

“
Lovely, isn't it?”

I jerked around at the sound of the voice and saw Aoife sitting beneath a tree, looking as if she'd posed herself to best showcase her beauty. Her long pink hair was spread around her, her vampire pale skin glowing with a healthy blush, and her bright blue wings were shimmering in the dappled sunlight. I gaped at her.
Not because she was so beautiful, which she was(hate her), but because she was dead. At least she was dead in the God Realm. I just barely stopped myself from telling her this, realizing in the nick of time that my announcement would no doubt result in a change of events. I'd just come from watching Finn kill Aoife back in the God Realm but that hadn't actually happened yet.

It was the first time the time changes had truly thrown me for a loop and I ended up just staring at her while trying to come to terms with her being alive and completely disregarding the most important question: why was I there?

“Have you gone daft?” Aoife frowned as she stood and approached me. “I didn't think I hit you that hard.”

“
What the hell do you want, Aoife?” I finally stumbled onto the correct thought process. Once I'd gotten over the shock of her appearance I felt a huge wave of relief that I wasn't about to be consumed by the Darkness and this whole abduction thing was now more of an irritation.

“
What do I want?” She smiled, “isn't that the most perfect question?”

“
Did you just answer my question with
two
questions?” I laughed when I realized that I just answered her two questions with one of my own.

“
I'm going to ignore your strange human quirks because I don't have the time for this,” she frowned at me. “I need to get back to the Castle of Eight before someone misses me. What I want is for you to be gone so Arach can forget about you and come back to me. You realize the only reason he wants you is that you can give him an heir.”

“
Oh why do I even bother asking anymore?” I sighed and got to my feet. “It's always about a man.”

“
How many men have you stolen?” She had the nerve to look aghast.

“
None, zero, zilch,” I growled. “It's just that there always
seems to be some crazy bitch who thinks she has a relationship with my man when she doesn't. Exhibit A,” I waved my hand at her. “Look at yourself. You're pathetic. Pining away for a man who's married and has shown no interest in you since the nuptials. Arach told me about your little affair and he also said he could barely stand you. Move on and get over yourself because Arach has.”

“
That's only what he told you so you would stay and have his children,” she scoffed. “You're the pathetic one if you think he has any real love for you.”

“
Look, you airhead,” I growled, “I happen to know he loves me. In case you didn't get the memo, dragon-sidhe share blood. We can see straight into each other when we do and I just had a taste of Arach before you went fucking
Fatal Attraction
on me and knocked me out. Guess what? He's crazy about me and there were no feelings for you mixed up in that. You're a moron and a lunatic, and you've just attacked a Queen of Faerie. Did you even stop to think about the repercussions?”

“
Of course I did,” she snarled at me, “but I'll never be accused of anything because they're never going to find you.”

“
Oh really?” I smirked at her. “You know, people way more scary than you have tried to kill me and I'm still here. So what have you got? Tell me your evil plan of how you're going to make me disappear so you can go console poor Arach.”

“
It's very simple really,” she came toward me and I narrowed my eyes on her. “Do you know anything about the Air Kingdom, about the mist that surrounds us?”

“
Yeah,” I said in my duh voice. “It's created from the combination of Fire and Water, the two kingdoms bordering Air.”

“
And there is no earth beneath us,” she gave me an evil grin.

“
What are you talking about? Your kingdom ends in earth, there's a mountain bordering it.”

“
Yes,
bordering
it,” she edged a little closer, “but here, in Air itself, there is nothing below us. It just goes on and on forever. If something were to fall in it, something that couldn't fly, it would just keep falling for eternity.”

“
That's impossible, there's an end to everything.”

“
Says who?” She was surprised enough to stop for a second and gape at me. Like I had just told her the world was as flat as a pancake, riding through space on top of four elephants who in turn stood on top of a giant turtle.

“
Science,” I huffed at her, “The Laws of Physics.”

“
This is Faerie, you stupid human,” she shook her head like my idiocy never ceased to amaze.

“
Oh
you're
calling
me
stupid? That's rich. Wait... so it's just mist and more mist?” I glanced over the edge and felt my stomach clench.

“
That's right.” She got an evil twinkle in her eye.

“
They really should put a wall around the kingdom or something. A fence down at the border would be good or at least a sign to warn people. What about the animals?”

“
Fey creatures are much smarter than you,” she laughed.

“
Uh hello, Evil Aoife, it doesn't have anything to do with intelligence. Anyone could accidentally just fall in.”

“
Exactly,” her voice was smug as she pushed me over the edge.

I screamed, force of habit I guess, as I plunged through the mist. That went on for about a minute before I stopped and realized it was getting me nowhere. Then I saw the edge of earth that formed the border to Air, shoot by me and I screamed again. Finally, I mentally shook myself and stopped screaming.
I was going to give myself a headache.

What are you doing, you silly girl?

“Faerie!” I screamed, “You gotta help me. Do something!”

Do something?

She was laughing again, the bitch was laughing at me as I fell to my death! Well, fell till I died. What was I going to do when I had to pee? Oh, this was a horrible way to go(the dying not the peeing, although that was awful too). At least Kael had tried to kill me quickly. Consigning a person to an endless free fall was truly reprehensible.

Why don't you do something? You're the dragon-sidhe.

“But I can't change because... oh shit, I am a silly girl. I forgot about the complete thing.”

Yes, I see that you did. I thought about letting you fall for awhile and see if you remembered on your own but I decided that would have been mean and petty. It's not appropriate for Faerie to be mean or petty.

“You think?” I rolled my eyes.

Before she could say another word, I called on my dragon, hoping that we were right and I really could change without endangering my other magic. She came roaring to life, shooting from the constraints of my skin like a wire snake from a fake can of potato chips. One second I was falling and the next I was stretching out my golden wings and catching the currents.

I roared, lifting myself into the air and pushing forward. I zipped past the lip of earth and out into open air, shooting through the mist. I saw a leriewoag on my left and couldn't resist having a little fun. I called out to it, a minor screech so as not to frighten the creature, and it cried back in an excited manner. It flew over to me, sleek gray body becoming silver in the shifting sunlight. We flew around each other in a sort of exultant dance before the leriewoag shot off and I chased it around the floating islands.

Oh the rapturous freedom of it. Joy filled my body, my limbs singing with the delight of being airborne. I hadn't realized how caged my dragon had felt until that moment, how restrained she had been within the confines of my body. She needed to fly like a horse needed to run, without it life was torturous but she had accepted the shackles for love of my other beasts. It looked like there was more to my dragon than I'd given her credit for. She may be arrogant but she was also loyal and self-sacrificing. A lot like another dragon I knew.

Having fun? Shouldn't you be heading back?

Oh right, there was that. I huffed and called out mournfully to the leriewoag. She circled back around, I somehow knew it was a female from the tones of her cry, and she flew over to run her cheek along mine in fond farewell. I gave one last cry of goodbye and then flew out of the Air Kingdom, coming out high above the Forgetful Forest. Aoife was nowhere to be seen and I wondered if she'd made it back to the Castle of Eight already. She probably just flew since she didn't have a need to conceal a prisoner anymore.

Will you kill her?

I started to say yes but only a roar came out. Faerie understood me though and I realized that I could speak to her just with my mind. That thought seemed to settle my anger a bit and allow me to think more carefully. I realized that I couldn't kill
Aoife. If I did, Finn would never have his revenge and I wanted that for him, especially now that I'd had my own run-in with the airhead.

So you won't kill her?

No, I wouldn't. It would be much more fun to fly into the Castle of Eight and see her sweat. I'd have to lie to the royals though, I doubt my flying in as a giant gold dragon would be ignored. I'd explain to Arach in private but the royals couldn't know or they'd call for Aoife's punishment. Arach might even press for it but I'd make him understand. Maybe I'd tell them I went scouting to find the Darkness.