Elfmoon (2 page)

Roxy pressed a kiss to the guy’s cheek before she shimmied down off of him and straightened her skirt. I shook my head as she skipped over to me, her whole body crackling with magic and power as it swirled within and without of her.

“Enjoy the show?” Roxy joked, poking me in the side as she sidled up next to me.

“Not really, I missed most of it. I’d wondered where you’d gotten to,” I said, tossing my empty and somehow crumpled cup in a nearby trashcan as we started back down the winding fairway.

“Oh, I saw you charming that fairy, so I was just window shopping.”

“Trust me,” I said with a glance over my shoulder, even though the jewelry booth was out of sight, “he was the charmer, not me. And uh, that didn’t look like window shopping to me.”

“Eh,” she said with a shrug, “thought I should get the first quick one out of the way so I could take my time in The Garden later.”

“And if a cop or a human had seen you?”

“Phish,” she said with a wave of her hand, “no one did, so why dwell on it?”

“Roxy…”

“So what did you get?” Roxy asked as she spun in front of me and started walking backwards so that she could see my necklace, effectively changing the subject. I felt inclined to watch over her shoulder, but somehow, Roxy never tripped or bumped into anyone as she went. I felt her warm fingers graze the skin of my collarbone as she lifted the pendant, sending a chill down my back.

“He called it a star of the Shide,” I said, making it sound like a question, but Roxy just shrugged at me, indicating she’d never heard of it either. “He just gave it to me.”

“Seriously?” Roxy blinked wide grey eyes up at me, and I nodded. “Nice!”

“Yeah, I guess,” I said, grasping the pendant in my hand when she let it fall and started walking beside me again. “I just hope it wasn’t a fairy trick or something.”

“Guess you’ll find out,” Roxy said with a grin as she turned to walk beside me again. Just then, we stepped out of the market place of the festival and out into the open pavilion where the Great Bonfire was constructed, waiting to be set ablaze. Tall torches were set into the ground at intervals all around the wooden structure to be used to set the bonfire when the time came. People were already dancing around the pavilion, tripping, twirling, and spinning to the fiddles, drums, and flutes of the wandering musicians. Eventually everyone would be drawn here; the marketplace shut down for the lighting, and the smoke would rise into the air and wash over everyone to cleanse us for the turn of the season.

I was surprised to see so many humans mixed into the crowd, but every year there seemed to be more and more of them. Many came for the food and games and wares, but some were starting to revert to the old ways, remembering the faith of their long, long lost ancestors and participating in our rituals, like Solstice. It was an interesting change to say the least. But even still, we dealt with distrust and fear and with the presence of the human police patrolling the area. I watched their sidelong glances, whispered comments, and the three foot shock sticks they held in their hands. Those sticks and the collars attached to their belts next to the handcuffs made my lip curl, and I had to ball my hands into fists to keep them from shaking.

Witches, so close to humans, had created the collars for the police because their handcuffs couldn’t keep most of us bound. The witches used charmed silver, inlaid with spells and runes; not one preternatural creature had been able to break out of one yet. Now most of us shunned witches for their betrayal, so they assimilated into the human community, except for my dear friend Corbin. Corbin had opposed making the collars, so the witch community had shunned him, but the fae community didn’t trust him, so he was a man without a country. I’d called him to see if he’d be coming to the festival, but he said no. I wasn’t surprised, but still couldn’t help but be disappointed.

“Wanna join?” Roxy asked, nodding her head in the direction of the revelers.

“Nah, you go ahead,” I said with a small shake of my head. She shrugged at me before skipping off and blending into the swirling crowd that seemed to be growing even as I watched. Roxy jumped and spun, swinging her hips round as she went. The skirt of her dress fluttered in her wake, making me a little nervous that she might flash someone, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. The sun was well on it’s way to the horizon, but it looked like we had about an hour of daylight left, and they wouldn’t set the bonfire until sunset. I turned away from the dancers and saw The Garden just a few yards away.

There were no guards at this entrance since it was magically warded; humans just wouldn’t notice it and would walk right by, but if by some off chance a human made it to the entrance, they would be repelled by the wards. I walked towards it; it was walled with eight foot high hedges, a three foot opening serving as the entrance. I felt the magic ripple over me like a waterfall as I stepped through. The air in here was a good fifteen degrees hotter than the rest of the park, and there were various cozy spots for couples and groups to spend some time together. A thick carpet of moss underfoot squished and sprang as you walked. Low tables were scattered around to just sit and enjoy a drink and the atmosphere. In other areas were chaise lounges with small tables laden with fruits and pitchers of waters. And everywhere there was skin and nails and shimmers of magic.

I paused where I stood and took in a deep breath, holding it until my lungs burned, letting the residual magic of so many swirl inside of me. I felt my magic respond to the call, rising inside of me like a cresting wave, waiting, waiting to crash. When I opened my eyes again, my vision had gone soft at the edges, and I could see all the tiny sprites and minor fairies floating in the air among the revelry. I moved farther into The Garden, looking for a place to sit, when I spied an empty table in a far corner, shadowed by the hedges, but I liked the idea of some privacy while I checked things out.

I slipped into one of the wooden chairs and placed my back to the wall so I could observe the area around me. I became aware of a low, persistent growling off to my left, and when I looked, I saw a couple tangled together on the ground, the man on top of a pixie woman; he was the one growling. I watched as his elongated, clawed hands tore at the ground on either side of the pixie woman. His face was contorted mid-change, and his facial hair was creeping down his jawline. The pixie woman’s legs were wrapped around his narrow hips and her hands were gripping his rounded shoulders as he pounded her into the ground, rough and hard with no finesse, and I realized tonight was the full moon and he must be losing control of his wolf in the throws of passion.

I shifted in my seat to watch them, crossing my feet at the ankles, rubbing my thighs together as things low in my body began to respond to the feral magic they were raising. The pixie woman’s skin was glowing faint lavender as she grinned up at him, unafraid of his wavering control, and she cried out for more. The wolf-man roared above her as he slammed his cock into her again, crushing the moss beneath them, and she giggled, bucking her hips up to meet his, their bodies slapping against each other. From this angle, I could see her perky breasts jiggling between them, her purple nipples hard and eager for attention, but he only dug his claws deeper into the ground, churning the earth. The corded muscles of his thighs flexed and bunched as he braced his toes against the ground. I drew in my lower lip, biting down as I gripped the edges of my seat to hold me in place, rubbing my thighs together in time with the pumping hips of the wolf-man. His teeth were longer now, and sharper, as he gnashed at the air above the pixie’s face, and a twist of fear went through me, but the pixie just giggled again as she rocked her hips up, bucking against him faster and faster until, suddenly, a howl ripped through the night air and he spasmed against her, his hips buried between her thighs. She squirmed under and against him, letting the rolling orgasm contort her body. I felt the rush of magic from their twined bodies; it bathed me in a warm cloud, making my back arch and my legs clench and my fingers ache to touch myself.

“Move,” he growled, his head dropped forward and his eyes closed.

“What?” the pixie woman asked, blinking big lavender eyes up at him.

“Move, damnit!” he roared, the words nearly unintelligible through his wolf teeth. She didn’t wait to be told again. The pixie scrabbled backwards, crawling awkwardly away from him until she was out from under him and managed to get to her feet. Just as she took a few steps away from him, we all watched as he roared again and his back arched violently with the sounds of snapping and popping bones as the change ripped through him. His fur burst over his body in a water-like wave, and in a moment, a huge, burnt auburn coated wolf stood panting where the man had been.

He stretched long and deep before shaking out his fur to settle it. Whipping his head back, he howled at the sky, and then turned and ran out of The Garden, leaving the naked pixie woman blinking after him. She looked up and saw me watching her. For a moment, I thought she was going to snap at me, but instead she shrugged her narrow shoulders and turned and scampered off.

I closed my eyes and let my head drop back, taking a moment to enjoy the ambient magic in the air. My skin was warm and tingling. I let go of the seat of my chair and rested my hands on the tops of my thighs, curling my fingers into the fabric of my tights, still tempted to slip them under my skirt.

“It was quite a show, wasn’t it?” a male voice asked, pulling me out of my trance.

“Excuse me?” I stammered a little, pushing myself up in my seat.

“The werewolf and pixie,” he said, coming over to sit in the seat on the other side of the table. “Sometimes it’s nice to watch, isn’t it?” A rueful smile decorated his lips, lips that were a light pink and slightly chapped. He had long blonde hair, very much like mine, and sharp, pointed ears. It wasn’t until I looked him in the eye and saw they matched mine that I knew he too was a Bright Elf, though his accent was different, making me think he wasn’t from my tribe. He also had a long scar on the right side of his face; it curved around his eye and dragged down his cheek, disappearing under the curve of his jawline.

“I guess so,” I replied, averting my eyes. This kind of talk was normal in The Garden, just like being back in the club, but I still wasn’t great with it. I preferred casual flirting that led naturally to the act; this kind of dirty talk always made me feel awkward and a little lame. But you didn’t come into this place if you weren’t looking for this kind of attention.

“Aiden,” he said, holding his hand out across the table to me. I looked at it for a moment before I took it with my own.

“Taryn,” I said. His hand was warm, his palm rough and callused, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like on my skin.

“That’s a lovely name.” He pulled my hand towards his face, turning it over and pressing a kiss to the soft heel of my palm, sending a shiver down my spine. When he lifted his face from my hand, he still didn’t let go, so I turned in my seat to alleviate the strain on my arm. He was looking at my palm, tracing the lines with his fingertips. I could feel the familiar Bright Elf magic caress my skin where he touched it, but I felt a little off kilter from the awkward way he’d approached me. Still, I didn’t pull my hand back.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Your love line, it’s very interesting.”

“How’s that?” I felt my eyebrow arch and a smile pull at the corners of my mouth; palm reading was for humans pretending to be psychics, not for Bright Elves.

“Well, normally it starts out with many intersecting lines until it becomes one straight line. But yours,” he paused, running his finger over the line he was studying. “Yours remains intersected.”

“Well, I am a Bright Elf,” I offered, as if he didn’t know that.

“Yes,” he said with a light chuckle, “but even our people tend to find their mates and settle down. But here,” his finger stopped on a point on my palm and I leaned forward to look, “there is a deep scar in your love line, which makes me think you’ve had a very serious heartbreak.” My stomach twisted thinking about Cillian, the elf I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with.

“Mmm,” I said casually, not wanting to give him that embarrassing piece of information.

“But after that,” he went on, tracing his finger along my palm again, “I see many loves.”

“Right. Bright Elf, remember?”

“No, no,” he said, shaking his head and finally looking up at me. “There are three distinct lines braiding with yours.” I thought about Andre, Daniel, and Corbin, and my stomach twisted again, but this time it was a pleasant, welcome feeling.

“Three, huh?” I said with a smile, pulling my hand back and looking at my palm. He was right; there were three obvious lines twisting around my love line. But I didn’t put much stock into palm reading.

“I wonder if there’s room on your dance card if you’re so busy,” he teased, leaning forward on the table. I felt like drawing back. I didn’t know what it was; he was handsome enough, he was a Bright Elf, so his magic called to mine, there was lust-filled magic swirling all around us, but still my magic did not rise up to meet his. Maybe it had been too long since I’d been with one of my own, or maybe Cillian had ruined me for other Bright Elves. Or maybe, just maybe, my dance card was full and I just wasn’t interested in anyone new.

“Perhaps,” I said vaguely, and suddenly I wanted out of The Garden, away from Aiden, to be back in the cool night air. I glanced around. Roxy hadn’t wandered in like I thought she would, so I stood and turned towards the entrance.

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” Aiden said quickly, standing up and holding a hand out to me as if he’d stop me.

“You didn’t,” I said, waving off his apology. “I just realized I lost track of my friend and I should go look for her.”

“Oh, well, maybe we’ll see each other later?” he asked, hope clear in his voice.

“Maybe,” I said, offering him a small smile, not wanting to be cruel. After all, he hadn’t done anything wrong, per se; he just didn’t do anything for me. I made my way out of The Garden. As soon as I passed through the threshold, the air was cooler, lighter on my face, and I was able to clear my head with a few lungfuls.