by Sophie Stern
It can’t be.
Only, Edward makes me feel tingly.
And good.
And alive.
And unfocused.
I steel myself, clearing my head, and look once more at the wizard.
“I found your book,” I tell him. “Martin sent me to find you.”
“Martin? Oh, how is that old bloke?” The wizard leans against the dungeon wall, as though we haven’t just been busy escaping from this place.
“He’s well,” I tell him. “And I found Greg,” I lower my voice, as though it’s a secret.
“How is he?” The wizard looks nervous. Luther is an old wizard: kindhearted and strong. He obviously has a tender heart. How else would he have been able to connect with a kid like Greg in such a special way?
“He’s gone to Dark Village to deliver anquan to my sister,” I tell him. I don’t need to say anything else. Obviously, the wizard can tell that I’m scared and sad and nervous because he steps forward and wraps his arms around me.
“Everything will be fine,” he says. “You’ll see.”
“I came to bring you the book,” I tell him. “And to warn the king.” Pulling back, I look from Luther to Edward and back again. “I have to warn the king.”
“What do you need to warn him about?” Luther asks carefully.
“Wyatt is planning to take over the kingdom,” I warn them. “It may already be too late.”
“Why do you care about the king so much?” Edward asks, and I turn to him. “Are you vying for a spot as queen?”
Disgust washes over me at the insinuation that I would value someone for their position and not for their heart. Edward doesn’t know me. How could he? So I can’t really fault him for his words, but I do.
And I hate how they make me feel.
“You don’t know me at all,” I glare at him, crossing my arms over my chest. I’m well aware of how his eyes move down to my bosom. I look down and realize that in my haste to frown at him, I actually pushed my breasts up. All I’m doing now is drawing more attention to myself and attention from Edward is not something that I need right now. Not from a fairy like him. Not from someone who can make me quiver and feel wild with just one look.
I drop my hands back to my side and ball them into fists.
“You don’t know me,” I repeat, steeling myself. Maybe saying the same thing over and over again will convince him that I know what I’m talking about. Maybe it’ll show him that I’m not just some girl who would marry a man for a throne.
I’m better than that.
Money isn’t important to me and even if it was, I wouldn’t marry some king to get it. I’d just go get a job. You know, like normal people do. Why would marrying the king be the first thing that jumps into his head? It seems like quite the leap, but then again, I don’t really know this man.
“You’re right,” Edward says. “I don’t know you at all.” He steps forward and, in a move that’s quite presumptuous, puts his hands on my waist. He leans down and his lips brush against my ear. “But I’d like to get to know you, little Rose.”
The sensation shoots straight to my core, making me want more. His lips awaken a desire within me that has long been pushed away, that has long been forgotten because I’m a dark fae. I’m not going to mate with some random bloke. I won’t do it. I haven’t wanted to do it, so resisting has been easy.
Until now.
Not it seems impossible.
“I’m not little,” I say quietly. I’m very aware of the fact that we aren’t alone, but Luther seems to be occupied with something else. Anything else, I’m sure. He doesn’t want to see us doing...whatever it is that we’re doing. I don’t even understand quite what’s happening. I only know that I love it. I love the way Edward is making me feel.
Desired.
Aroused.
His.
“You’re very small,” Edward says. “And delicate. And brave.”
“I’m none of those things,” I whisper. “I just want to find the king.”
“How very noble of you,” he tells me.
“I promised Luther’s kid I would do it,” I tell him. “And it’s my duty as a fairy.”
“Your duty?”
“Yes. You’d do the same thing if you knew of an evil plan to overthrow the kingdom.”
“I don’t know if that’s true,” he says, tilting his head. He considers me for a moment, and then says. “But we’ve dilly-dallied long enough, my dear. I dare say it’s time for us to be on our way.”
“But where will we go?” I whisper. “Surely Wyatt has guards all over the castle.”
“Luther?” Edward looks past me to the wizard, who looks back at us.
“I know a place,” the wizard says, and he motions for us to follow him. I assume that as a wizard, he knows spells to teleport directly out of the dungeon, but the King of the Fairies is a clever man and he has many wards and charms in place to prevent anyone from doing just that. Wyatt might be in control now, but the King of Dark Falls isn’t the kind of person you mess with. Then again, now that I know much of his reputation is made up of rumors, perhaps I’ve misjudged the dear king. Maybe he’s not responsible for the wards, at all. Maybe that’s all Wyatt’s doing.
We walk carefully, quietly up the stairs. There are no guards around, but I don’t know if that’s normal or if it’s a sign that things have already gone terribly wrong. Are the guards busy defending the king? Are they in the midst of preparing for a battle? I have no way of knowing.
Each step feels like it takes an eternity to climb. When we reach the top of the stairs, Luther whispers some words I can’t quite make out and pulls the heavy dungeon door open. I hope that Peter and Billy have made it to safety. Either way, it’s now our turn to run. We move swiftly, carefully, down the hallway. We’re careful to stay out of sight.
To my surprise, Edward steps ahead of Luther.
“This way,” he murmurs, and he turns down a side hallway, pulls on a torch, and a little door slides open from the wall.
“How did you know that was there?” I whisper.
“Just go,” he motions. “Quickly.”
Hastily, Luther and I both move into the little hallway. Edward brings up the rear and closes the door behind us. Just as the wall panel slides back into place, I hear voices. Two or three people come marching by. I can’t tell what they’re saying, but it sounds ominous. Their voices are deep and give off this depressing sort of air.
I hope we aren’t too late.
“Will this take us to the king?” I ask quietly.
“No time for that now, my dear,” Edward says. He presses his hand to my back and pushes me forward. I hate how happy that touch makes me feel. It’s not a lot. Not by any means. But it makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.
I don’t like how content I feel with him touching me like this.
It makes me uncomfortable, perhaps because I’ve never had someone touch me like this before. It’s not that I’ve never been around men or attractive people in general, but Edward gives off this vibe of confidence and power that I’ve never seen before.
“This way,” he murmurs. He motions for us to keep walking. The passageway is completely dark, but Luther has cast some sort of spell that enables him to hold a sort of light ball. The orb glows and he holds it just above his hand. The blue light glows in the darkness, and we walk silently, quietly behind him.
Edward’s hand stays where he set it: nestled on the small of my back. Is it bad that I love it? For some reason, his touch makes me feel very...safe. Incredibly safe. Having his hand on me makes me feel like no matter what happens next, everything is going to be fine. It’s a strange sort of feeling because I’m walking through the darkness with a wizard and a fairy I know nothing about, but I feel safe.
I feel like no matter what happens, it’s all going to be okay.
Maybe it’s because Greg took the potion to my sister or maybe it’s because I’m finally meeting another Dark Fae, but reg
ardless of the reason, I’m not going to over-think this feeling of contentment that seems to be making itself at home within me.
We round a bend and keep walking.
“There are stairs up ahead,” Edward says softly. “Be careful.”
Luther grumbles something about being old, but not blind, and he starts walking down the stairs.
“Where are we going?”
“This will take us outside of the castle,” Edward tells me. “It opens near the edge of town.”
“How do you know about it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, it seems like this is a pretty convenient way to escape. How do you know about this random secret passage?”
“My father showed it to me long ago,” Edward says. “He worked in the castle.”
“Did he work for the king?”
“Not exactly.”
So Edward had spent time in the castle before. Interesting. Still, his father must have been someone important to know about this passageway. It’s such an interesting escape route that I would have thought only the royal family would know about it. Or, you know, evil villains, but I don’t think Edward is a villain.
We keep walking in silence until eventually, Luther reaches a door, works his magic, and pushes it open. Moonlight streams into the dark space and Edward and I step out into the light. Unfortunately, regretfully, he removes his hand from my body.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“This way,” Luther whispers. “I have a place not too far from here.”
“We can’t go back to his home,” I explain to Edward. “Because Wyatt completely destroyed it.”
“And of course, it’ll still be under watch,” Edward adds, understanding. He shakes his head, but doesn’t say anything else. Instead, we follow Luther away from the castle. We walk through a small area filled with trees. It’s not exactly a forest, but there are several hundred yards full of trees and brush, and then we’re back in the town surrounding the castle.
We make our way down the streets, doing our best to blend in, but I’m not sure how well two fairies and a wizard can really blend in together when it comes to being sneaky. All it will take is one wrong person to notice us and then this will all be over. Somehow, we make it down one alley and then another. Luther leads us toward the center of town and soon we’re standing in front of a huge old building. It’s got pillows and a huge staircase that leads up to two large doors. It almost looks like a church, except that there are five stories extending up. I’ve never seen a church that big.
“This is your place?” I ask, looking around.
“No,” he says. “That is my place.” He turns, pointing to a tiny, narrow building across the street from the giant one. Ah, yes. This looks much more like the type of place a wizard would live, but seriously, what’s with wizards and the tiny houses? This one, like Luther’s last home, is very narrow and very discreet. He goes up to the door, raps eight times, and then pulls the door open.
We walk in and there’s...nothing.
It’s just an empty space.
“Uh, Luther?”
“Yes?”
“There’s nothing here,” I point out, feeling stupid. Does he not see it? Really?
“Wait,” he holds up a finger. Then he counts. He walks to the wall, runs his hands over it, and smiles. “Ah, yes, this place has been vacant since my last visit. Well then, very good,” he says. He walks to the center of the room, reaches up, and knocks on the ceiling. So much knocking. This time, a little trapdoor opens and drops down.
“Ladies first,” he gestures to me. I look to Edward for reassurance, perhaps, but he smiles and nods for me to go. Either I’ve escaped from a dungeon only to be kidnapped again or Edward trusts Luther completely, which in turn makes me trust Luther just a little bit more, too.
Reluctantly, I climb the ladder. I’m very aware that Edward seems to be close enough to catch me if I fall. I’m not going to fall. I’m also very happy that I chose to wear trousers on this little adventure, rather than a skirt. I can move faster in pants and besides, if I was in a skirt, I definitely wouldn’t be climbing up first.
Not that I would mind Edward seeing me.
The thought embarrasses me and a flush creeps over my skin.
“Doing okay?” Luther asks, and I realize I’ve stopped halfway up the ladder. Edward seems to be biting back a chuckle and I know he understands exactly what’s happening right now. He might be able to scent my arousal with his fairy powers, but I have the same exact power. Our mutual powers can be used for good or evil, but right now, I’m irritated that he’s laughing at me.
Evil it is, then.
“I’m fine,” I say to Luther, and I keep climbing. Once I’m nearly at the top of the ladder, only Edward can see me. He’s holding the base of the ladder and he looks up at me. I glance down at him to be certain he’s watching, and then I wiggle my bottom as I climb, watching him as I do. I’m very aware of how his eyes dilate when I move.
And I love it.
I love that I’m having this effect on him.
I love that I’m making him bite back excitement.
I love it.
I’m enjoying the moment so much, in fact, that I forget to grab the next rung of the ladder and I slip. Before I can grab the rung and save myself, I’m falling. I tumble through the air until I land steadily in Edward’s arms. Embarrassed and excited, I look up at him.
“Hmm,” Luther says, turning back around. “This ladder seems to be a little unstable. Perhaps I should go first and make sure the house is still sturdy enough. Perhaps I can work some magic to solidify these old floors.” He mutters as he climbs up and then disappears out of sight.
Edward is still holding me, still looking at me.
“Pretty little fairy,” he murmurs, stroking my cheek.
“Am I?” I whisper. No one has ever called me that before.
He nods, and I lean into his touch. I love the way his rough hands feel against my skin. His palms are calloused and worn from years of getting his hands dirty. I expected his hands to be soft, but apparently Edward isn’t as scared of hard work as most castle dwellers are.
“And a naught little fairy,” he says.
“Me?”
“You.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whisper, blinking innocently. Edward leans down and brushes his lips against my ear.
“Careful, naughty fairy,” he says. “Or you’re liable to get spanked.”
I swallow hard and my core flares with excitement. Every part of my body feels like it’s suddenly on fire and right now, I want nothing more than him. All of him. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want Edward right now and I don’t know what to do with this feeling. I look up at him and gasp when I see the heat in his eyes.
Oh yes, he wants me, too.
And we’re about to be locked away in a secret house with Luther, of all people, for the night.
“All clear, my dears,” Luther calls out, breaking the spell.
“Be right there,” Edward says. He sets me down and grabs me, pulling me close. Then, silently, he brings his lips to mine. He kisses me hard. His hands are in my hair, guiding me and holding me tight. He owns me, dominating my mouth, and when he finally pulls back, I’m breathless.
I look up at him and my mouth forms a little “o.”
I don’t know what to do now.
I’ve never been kissed like that before.
“There’s more where that came from, fae,” he murmurs. “So I suggest you be a good girl and go upstairs.”
I turn without a word and silently climb the ladder.
What the hell just happened?
Chapter 11
Edward
The second floor of Luther’s little hidey-home has the makings of a storage room. There are boxes everywhere. They’re covered in dust and it’s obvious this space hasn’t been used in many, many years. Luther leads us to another hidden ladder that goes to a t
hird floor, which is also a storage space, and finally, we reach a fourth floor. This floor contains a little living room and a bedroom. There’s an attached bathroom and a mini kitchen, but it’s all very tiny and very condensed.
“There’s a fifth floor,” Luther says. “I’ll sleep up there.” He looks at us and shakes his head. “I’m tired,” he tells us. “Thank you for the rescue, my dear. We couldn’t have done it without you.” He hugs Rose gently. “Thank you for taking care of my Greg.”
“Of course,” she says politely. It was nothing.” Then she looks back to me and opens her mouth for just a moment before turning back to Luther. “The king,” she starts to say, but he holds a hand up.
“Will be fine for another day, I’m certain. Wyatt may be a sneaky bastard, but I think you’ll be surprised at just how clever our Fairy King really is.”
To my surprise, she shrugs and nods.
“Okay. I’ll take your word for it,” Rose says.
“There’s a bedroom for you, my dear,” he points to the room. “There should be blankets and maybe even a change of clothes, if you need it.”
“Thank you,” Rose says.
“Edward, you may have the couch,” Luther tells me. He nods slightly, trying to give me a discreet sort of bow, and I appreciate so much that he hasn’t revealed to Rose who I really am.
“Thank you, Wizard,” I say, and he turns and climbs up the little ladder to the next floor. He reaches it, vanishes out of sight, and then the ladder and floorboard seem to vanish out of thin air. Once he’s gone, I turn to see Rose standing in the doorway of the bedroom.
“Are you hungry?” I ask her. “I can make you a snack.” I jerk my head toward the little kitchen. This is quite the place that Luther has here, although I can’t be too surprised that a wizard and secret homes hidden throughout the city. It’s just smart. He probably has two or three other homes hidden around in varying sizes. It’s a clever thing to have.
“You cook?” Rose asks.
“I can cook.”
A lot of men may not want to cook. A lot of people may assume that because I’m royalty, I consider myself too good to cook, but that’s not true at all.