What if they did appear on Kyffin once a planetary year when the two moons rose together in the sky for some reason known only to them? If she could capture one, she’d be famous. No more hauling cargo between backwater worlds. The holoflics would pay a fortune for her story. She would buy a first-class ship and go exploring as she’d always dreamed.
She flew down into a valley, angling the ship to hug the landscape and keep hidden from sight, before heading up over a hill. Ahead, on the right, she saw a brief flicker of light. The control panel on her ship emitted a soft beep and the tracer signal from Ryol vanished off the screen.
“Damn!” Ange pounded the panel with her fist and cursed. The control panel went crazy, lights flashing in rapid array. A warning chime sounded in the small cabin.
“Damn, damn!” She swore again. Of all the times for the lander to malfunction. Yet the ship remained airborne, seemingly undisturbed by the warnings streaming across her screens.
It had to be a computer problem. Muttering under her breath, she assumed manual control and throttled back her engines to a gentle hum that mingled with the sound of the wind in the trees. Reducing her altitude, she hovered lower until the bottom of her lander almost scraped the treetops. Yes—she hadn’t lost Ryol after all. She spotted his lander tucked away under a cluster of trees. And there was Ryol, walking up a steep rise. He carried a flashlight to light his way and the bright beam stood out against the dark hillside, making him easy to trace.
Ignoring the urgent warning lights flashing on her panel, she dropped behind him and hovered at a distance. He made slow progress through the thick trees, giving her a chance to check her instruments. Despite the warnings, all the controls functioned as they should. As she puzzled over the anomaly, she saw Ryol reach the top of a hill. A wide meadow lay beyond the crest he was climbing. That had to be his destination.
Swinging far around him and staying at treetop height so he wouldn’t see the lander, she flew ahead. As she drew nearer to the meadow, the power levels on her craft began to drop alarmingly. Maybe there was a reason Ryol had landed so far away and walked the remaining distance. Was it possible this area had some electromagnetic interference? Perhaps that was responsible for whatever Ryol sought here.
She spotted a small clearing on the other side of the meadow. A grove of trees towered into the sky near an up thrusting of rock. The engines sputtered and coughed as she landed behind the rock. Cursing the maintenance crew, she shut the engines down. She climbed out of the ship and slipped into the woods. The trees masked her approach to the meadow.
The moonlight vanished as she plunged into the thick forest. She stumbled over a tree root and caught herself by grabbing a branch. The rough bark scraped her hand and a bramble bush raked at the tough fabric of her flight suit. What did people see in life on a dirt ball anyway? The air smelled of dank soil and rotting vegetation. A nasty insect the size of her thumb bit her neck. Muttering a curse on Ryol and all his descendants, she crept forward to the edge of the meadow.
Once she reached the gently rolling open space, she saw clusters of the same plant everywhere. It grew low to the ground on creeping vines that seemed to have spread over the entire meadow, and each vine was heavy with bright red fruit the size of her clenched hand. She sniffed with caution. The air now smelled sweet. The pleasant fragrance overrode the stink of the forest, but it didn’t seem powerful enough to be the secret ingredient in Scent of Magic. She remembered her whiff of that fabled perfume and how it had intoxicated her senses, drowning her in a river of desire, filling her with a sensual hunger that could only be satisfied by its wearer.
This scent was tame in comparison. Still, the plants might be the source of the unknown ingredient Ryol added to his brew to produce an aroma with such mysterious power.
Confident she would learn the truth, she found a clear spot under a tree and sat down to watch the meadow. Across the open space, she saw the flicker of a flashlight. Ryol had climbed over the crest and descended to the edge of the trees. His flashlight blinked out as she watched. Was he waiting for the faeries? According to Blane, the timing was crucial. Ryol had to wait until after the faeries completed their mysterious dance to harvest his dust. But he needed to collect the fine dust at once before it blew away.
All she needed to do now was catch him in the act of collecting these plants. Once she was sure that was what he was after, she’d gather some for herself.
She leaned back against a hard tree trunk and stretched out her legs. She could see the two moons above her through the leafy lattice, both of them dominating the northern patch of sky. According to what Ryol had said, it was time for the faeries to dance.
A grin crossed her face. Faeries, indeed. Ryol had his nerve to feed her such a pack of lies.
The leaves rustled above her and a cold wind brushed icy fingers over her neck. She wrapped her arms around her chest, wishing she’d brought a blanket. Above her, the stars glowed bright in a clear sky. She mapped them with the unconscious expertise of her years in space. Her mind wandered back to the various worlds she’d visited. Her thoughts drifted and she lost track of time—until the gentle chime of a bell recalled her to herself. She sat up, startled. The bark of the tree rubbed against her back through her jacket. In the meadow, a soft golden light shimmered in the air and cast a gentle glow over the plants.
The lassitude of moments before dropped away. She gaped in disbelief as the golden glow intensified, spreading along the ground like a luminous fog, and then rising into the air in shimmering mists. Its shining rays drove back the darkness until the meadow looked as if it were bathed in the full light of a glorious sun.
She leaned forward and searched the opposite side of the meadow, looking for Ryol. He was hiding, watching this strange phenomenon from some concealed vantage point, ready to pounce the moment the faeries left.
Faeries! The brothers were getting to her with their wild story.
A bell chimed a second time, the crystal-clear note ringing across the meadow. The sound hadn’t been part of her daydream after all. It was a summons. Then, in the center of the field, a sudden radiant ball of golden light appeared. The flash blinded Ange. She threw up her hands and when she lowered them again, blinking, she saw a figure walk out of the iridescent mist.
A Fa’erie woman glided into the meadow, moving with the regal grace of a queen as she emerged from her hidden realm. Clothed in gleaming garments that flashed with all the colors of the rainbow, she floated above the ground, her shining slippers dancing on the air a handbreadth above the plants. She held her head high, her tall, slender form floating out to the center of the open space. Long, silver-white hair fell down her back in loose waves. She wore a crown of purple flowers in her hair and a crystal necklace around her slim neck. Her slanted eyes were pools of dark velvet, and her ears curved upward into slender points. More amazing still was the light that pulsed around her, swirling and curving like radiant wings.
Ange’s breath caught in her throat. Ryol’s outrageous tale was true! The legends of ancient Earth…the folktales of a hundred planets…they were all true…the invisible people did exist. She was looking at one of them. Fa’erie…alien…the woman was like no creature Ange had ever seen before.
Even as Ange fought to catch her breath, the clear chime rang across the meadow for the third time. The golden light in the center flashed again and four Fa’erie women emerged from the blinding rays to dance across the wide meadow to the side of their queen. Ange guessed they were attendants, for they all wore identical luminous rose-red gowns, belted with gold. Their long hair was silver-white, too and they had the same dark, mysterious eyes.
Ange bit her tongue to keep from crying out. She fought the overwhelming urge to jump to her feet and run into the meadow. The wonder of a small child filled her soul. Who would have ever thought she’d discover a magical world hiding on this dusty planet? Emotions from a long-forgotten childhood welled up inside of her—the joy of a universe that still held infinite possibili
ties. The drab, gray sameness of her days fell away as she sensed the call of the mysteries hidden within those enchanting veils of light. The Otherworld existed and promised peace and order and the magic of a special place where she belonged.
The women expanded their wings of light and began to drift out into the meadow, gliding above the plants, their silver slippers not touching the dirt of a material world. Watching them glide Ange was reminded of a ballet choreographed by some god—each of the beings moved with supernatural grace and precision, and she knew each movement held great meaning. Her soul yearned to join them in whatever they were about to create.
Fa’erie. The Green People. Blane’s archaic word seemed right for these wondrous beings.
The Fa’erie queen flew higher into the sky, her radiant wings wrapping her in a luminous shell. Her attendants gathered around her in a great circle, as the bell chimed yet again. Ange rose to her knees, her eyes wide, as another shining figure strode out of the dazzling light.
This Fa’erie was nude and clearly male. Ange sucked in a shaky breath at the sight of his masculine beauty. Although not human, he radiated a wild and uninhibited sexuality that lit up the night with yearning desire.
Trembling, she recognized the power of Ryol’s perfume, the erotic passion that dominated the mind and turned the body into a lustful servant of its desires. This creature possessed that same energy—he radiated a sexual magnetism that drew her to him.
Ange wrapped one arm around the tree truck, anchoring herself to her hiding place as she examined the newcomer with hungry eyes. He was tall and strongly built with a deep green skin that shone like polished jade. His dark eyes glowed with an inner radiance, like stars. A circlet of gold held his long, ebony hair off his striking face. He moved to stand in the center of the meadow, the muscles rippling across his broad chest. Bracing his long, straight legs and planting his hands on his hips, he stared at the Fa’erie queen as if daring her to approach. The hair at the juncture of his legs was ebony, too, and his massive phallus a lighter green, like jade overlaid with moonlight.
Licking her lips, Ange realized he didn’t have an erection—but if this was his placid state, she pitied the female who would have to mount him when he was fully aroused. His organ was huge. The thing would rip her in two, yet the powerful sexuality he emitted beckoned her, daring her to experience the joy of an intense union. Her woman flesh started to burn despite the moisture that dampened her panties. She wiggled, her body catching fire like dry kindling. The night was suddenly hot and warm, and she struggled to keep from running toward him.
As the Fa’erie king stared upward, the queen slowly descended to the earth, her diaphanous garment of light billowing around her. For a long moment they faced each other in silence. Music began to play from out of nowhere, filling the night. Ange bit her lip to hold back a rapturous cry as the sweet notes pierced her soul. Never had she heard music so beautiful, so pure. The queen and her attendants began an intricate dance around the king, their slippers moving to the soulful music, their auras spreading out above them like great wings.
The soft light of the two moons cascaded down over the dancing faeries and mingled with their own magical glow. As they danced their intricate steps among the vines, their feet floated above them, causing no harm, although they appeared to have all the height and weight of a full grown human.
Her eyes wide, Ange leaned forward and tried to unravel the complex patterns of light woven by their movements. The queen and her women flowed with graceful purpose around the king, now together, now apart. A visible light emanated from their feet and formed great shining loops and circles across the field as they moved. All while the music filled the night with unbearable sweetness and savage lust as the twin moons watched from the starry sky.
Then the music took on a deeper, more erotic note. The queen danced closer to the king, her silver white head held high, her dark eyes proud. Her wings of light unfolded around her, reaching upward as if trying to touch the two moons. The music came to a heartrending crescendo and her filmy garment fell to the ground at her feet.
She stood nude before the king and his massive phallus swelled as he drank in her beauty. With an imperial gesture that carried all the power of his engorged manhood, he summoned the Fa’erie woman to his side.
Chapter Ten
The king’s gesture tore through Ange’s heart. Erotic visions clouded her mind at the sight of these two glorious beings facing each other in their nakedness. She staggered to her feet on shaky legs as lust sang along her nerve endings. Without thinking, she lurched forward, wanting only to join the queen at the side of this compelling male.
“No!”
Strong arms surrounded her and stopped her movement. A warm hand clamped over her mouth, stifling her cry. Ange kicked viciously at the legs of the man behind her and struggled with all her might.
“Hold still, you fool!”
Blane’s voice pierced the lust that dominated her mind. Ange stilled, trembling, her eyes blinking as she tried to regain control of her body. Ahead, she could see the meadow bathed in the radiant light of the faeries as the queen knelt at the feet of the magnificent king and took his rigid length between her scarlet lips.
“Are you all right?” Blane whispered urgently in her ear. “Will you keep your mouth shut if I take my hand away?”
She nodded and gasped in air again as he withdrew his hand. His arms released her and she whirled around to face him. “What are you doing here?” she demanded with fierce anger, fighting to keep her voice low.
He looked grim, his mouth set in a stern line and sweat on his brow, although a cool breeze stirred the leaves above their heads. As the shock of his appearance died away, lust once more rose up within her. The allure of the creatures in the meadow washed over her again like a wave that threatened to sweep her out into the open. The strain on Blane’s face showed he was fighting the same overwhelming emotions. Whatever energy the Fa’erie king emitted, they were both drowning in it.
“I had to come. Ryol brought me along for a reason. The Fa’erie won’t appear unless I’m here.”
“But the double moons!” she pointed at the sky.
Blane’s head bent. He stared at the ground. “They will come at the double moon rise, but only if there is a human here who can draw them. I can and Ryol can’t.” He lifted his face, his eyes haunted. “They want me, Ange. That’s why Ryol had to bring me back to Kyffin.”
She was dumbfounded. “But why would you agree to come?”
“Because he’s offered me something in return. A bargain with the devil. But forget that for now. You have to get out of here. Their erotic power is more than a human can endure.”
The desire surging through her confirmed his warning. She ran her tongue over her lips. “You never told me they have an orgy when they appear.”
“It’s no orgy. It’s a summons to a mating.” A muscle twitched in Blane’s jaw as he struggled to control himself. Ange shivered as waves of hot passion rose up out of her belly and fed the furious flame that had roared to life between her legs.
Grabbing her elbow, he pulled her back into the darkness beneath the trees and turned her to face him. “You must not watch. If you watch, you’ll be drawn irresistibly into the meadow.”
“No.” She struggled against his grip. Dancing rainbows filled the open space, a living light that shimmered with sensual power. She could not ignore it any more than she could ignore the untamed beating of her heart, or the delicious yearning spreading through her feminine center.
“I have to watch,” she gasped, not understanding herself why she insisted.
“Let me hold on to you, then.” Blane’s grip tightened to emphasize his words. “The urge to run out and join them will become overpowering.”
A part of her sensed he spoke from experience. She wanted to question him but her desire to see the king overrode every other impulse.
Blane released her elbow and she spun around to stare at the meadow again. His han
ds settled around her waist, holding her in place, as she focused on the golden glory that lit the night.
Wide-eyed, Ange stared at the fully erect phallus of the Fa’erie king as the queen knelt on the ground before him. The queen’s luscious mouth stretched open as she licked and sucked the head with her ruby-red lips. The thing was enormous. Ange could only watch in amazement as it grew even larger under the queen’s touch. Blane had called this a summons to mating…what did he mean?
Suddenly, the king spoke a single word in some language Ange had never heard. At the command, the queen leapt to her feet and took his hand. His head held high, he began to move in a complex pattern, his face concentrated and intense. Although Ange could not imagine the purpose behind this dance, she knew in her bones that he and his queen wove this pattern for some reason. Deep inside, she sensed the currents of time and space shifting on Kyffin as the royal couple glided together through their intricate design. Ryol had said they appeared here for this complex cotillion whenever the moons rose together. Blane said they came to dance to draw him in to the meadow. All she knew was that enchantment pulsed through the night.
She leaned forward toward the light as the dance brought the naked king closer. Her body burned with longing for the fulfillment that his dark eyes promised, a fulfillment that had always seemed forever just beyond her reach. In his eyes she saw the ultimate orgasm, one that would explode through her whole body, ending her cursed loneliness and dissolving her into blissful energy, one with the universe forever.
Blane’s fingers dug into her hips as he held her in place.
“Please!” A desperate whimper escaped her lips as she fought to break free.
With a low oath, Blane dropped to the ground, pulling her after him. The scent of dirt and grass filled her nostrils and the wild longing that burned deep within her eased for a moment. She rolled on her back and looked up at the star-strewn sky framed by the leaves of the trees all around them. Blane leaned over her, his hands on either side of her body, blocking her view.
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