Murmurs of agreement sounded around her.
She lay back in the water and swayed, reveling in being a sensual woman again. The hot water lapped over her sensitive nipples and bathed over her skin.
Foxglove growled his enjoyment of her indolent movements, cradling her hips securely as she rippled her body in the water.
Minutes later Thorn and Bramble exited the pool after voicing their thanks for being included.
She smiled up at them as their hungry eyes took one last, long look at her. Then Foxglove lifted her into his arms and rose from the water. The other men gently dried them and gathered their belongings before following up to her room where the five of them fell into an exhausted slumber.
Just as she was drifting off to sleep, securely cradled between Shiloh and Foxglove, she realized Tyler no longer had a hold on her soul. The heady realization was enough to dispel her drowsiness. A fierce smile crossed her face. She snuggled contentedly against the hard bodies around her and resolutely closed her eyes.
Tyler was her past. These men were her future, and she found herself looking forward to it with giddy joy.
Chapter Seven
Violet cuddled her infant brother, Moss, close to her chest as she waited anxiously for her older sister to return to their hiding spot. The other children slept behind her, curled in a tight ball together. Bags containing their meager belongings served as pillows. They couldn’t bring much since the children didn’t have the strength to carry it far, leaving Violet and Apple to carry it once their stamina was depleted.
The baby had been too quiet for the last few days, and Violet worried it was hunger, instead of his sweet nature, making him so listless. The food they had brought with them had run out, and what they had found among the humans’ trash wasn’t suitable for an infant. As far as she was concerned, it wasn’t suitable for pigs either.
Their parents had gone out one day to work with the flowers in the park the small family lived in, leaving Violet and Apple to care for the baby. They didn’t come home that night, or the day after. Another day passed before Apple had finally gone searching for them, but she had found no sign of them. It was as if the adults had simply vanished off the face of the planet. The only thing that seemed different was an odd, chemical smell hanging over all the flower gardens in the park. Apple told her the smell made her weak and dizzy so she hadn’t investigated too closely.
Another week passed while the sisters had huddled in their home, caring for the baby and switching from anger at being left behind to fear of how they would survive. They were too young to be on their own and they both knew that. Even worse, how would they care for Moss when they, themselves, were barely half-trained in survival?
Another week passed with no word from their parents, and Apple and Violet realized they would need to find adult fey to help them. They had scoured the rest of the park, but the other fey families who had lived there had disappeared, just like their parents. They brought back three other children they found. Slipper was the oldest at ten years, followed by Plum at eight, and Oak, who was barely three. They had been home alone when their parents disappeared also.
Apple suddenly appeared in the opening of the hidey-hole, startling Violet so badly she buzzed her wings in response. They scraped painfully against concrete. A shudder went through her bones at the sensation.
“I think it’s an island,” Apple said, taking the baby and hugging him close. “But, I don’t know how far it is. I don’t think we should just fly out and hope we find it before our strength fails. I don’t know what to do.” She sat down, and the two young women huddled together.
Violet’s shoulders slumped for a moment. She thought hard. They had been trying to backtrack a series of magical waves they had felt the last few days. But, an island… A thought struck, making her sit up straight again. “Maybe a boat might get us close? Should we look for some going that direction?”
Apple looked up and smiled. “That’s a great idea! I saw a marina. Let’s go there.” She gently shook the others awake.
They arrived at the marina and hid under some bushes to watch the water traffic. There wasn’t much, they saw, peering through the slats in the bench in front of their hiding place.
Violet found her attention straying to two young human boys on a nearby pebble beach. They were laughing with glee as they threw pieces of bread to a flock of hungry ducks while an adult woman watched indulgently.
She wondered wistfully if she could snatch a chunk of bread without being seen. Her glamour probably wasn’t strong enough, though. A glance at Apple showed her sister still intently watching the humans near the docks. When she turned back to the boys, the bread was gone and the ducks were begging for more and searching the pebbles for every last crumb. She sighed in disappointment.
The hours passed slowly. The only boats leaving had too much metal on them for the small fey to ride safely. “Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all, Apple,’“ Violet said with weary resignation as dusk started to settle in the sky. Moss let out a thin cry as if in agreement. “We should try to find something to eat, especially for the baby.”
Apple gave her a one-armed hug without taking her attention from the ferryboat slowly pulling into dock. “That one, little sister,” she said decisively. She pushed off the limb and flew from bush to bush, tugging Violet along behind until they were as close as they could get without being seen. “We can sneak on when the humans drive their cars on.”
Violet scanned the deck. There weren’t many places to hide. “Why a ferry?”
“Because if it doesn’t get us close, it will come right back here, and it might go to more than one island.” Apple pointed suddenly. “That truck has boxes in the back. We can hide there. Once we are in, we can look for another spot.” The truck she pointed to was pulling into the line of vehicles preparing to drive on to the ferry. It was the last in the line. Two more trucks, also filled with boxes and furniture under tarps, were just ahead of it.
Violet studied the ferry again. “That will be one of the last to drive off the ferry.”
Violet handed Moss to Apple and flew back to their previous hiding place to gather up their packs and herd Plum, Oak, and Slipper back to where Apple was waiting. While they waited for some of the traffic to clear she answered the children’s whispered questions.
After a careful check to see if anyone was looking their way, they flew into the back. Boxes had been tied into place, and a tarp thrown over them to protect the contents from the elements. The truck bed had a plastic liner which helped insulate them from the metal frame. They found an old shipping blanket folded neatly and shoved in a corner. The children curled up on it and pressed against the two young women.
Violet relaxed cautiously. They could rest here for a while. The metal was an ache in her bones, but the tarp blocked the wind, and if they got cold, they could pull the blanket around them. It was dirty, but it would be warm.
Apple pulled her bag open. “I found a few things at the park while I was looking around today.” She pulled out a fat apple slice. It was browning around the edges and a little dry but more than enough to feed them all. Next she pulled out her water skin and a chunk of carrot. “There was some milk left in a container in the trash. There should be just enough for Moss.” She passed out chunks of apple and bit off pieces of carrot for Slipper, Oak, and Plum, who began eating slowly to make the food last.
It made Violet sad to see how careful the children were with the food. They had all lost too much weight on their trek. Loosening the baby’s blanket so he could move easier, she prayed they would find a safe place at the end of their journey.
Violet took the milk and held the opening to the baby’s mouth. He squawked in surprise, then began sucking eagerly as she dribbled it carefully into his mouth. She chewed the bite of apple her sister held to her mouth, then carefully fed it to the baby. He gummed it with coos of delight. After he finished the apple, she gave him more milk. “The Gods were watching over us today
,” she whispered, tears stinging her eyes.
They made sure the children were full and dozing off before they ate any of the food themselves. Violet’s water skin was still three-quarters full, so they drank some, saving the last bit of milk for the baby when he woke up. About a quarter of the apple slice was left after they ate, and Apple stored it carefully in her bag with the milk.
“Get some sleep, Apple,” she ordered, knowing how tired her older sister was by the way she was blinking and struggling to keep her eyes open. “I will keep watch and wake you if we get close.” They could feel the magic growing stronger the closer they got to their destination. That was how they knew where to go. Sometimes it felt like they were bloodhounds following a scent.
Apple nodded and took Moss. She curled around him and rested her head on Violet’s leg and was asleep in moments. The little ones quickly cuddled close to Apple and fell asleep as well. Violet covered them with a corner of the blanket, then leaned back against the box. There was nothing to do now but wait.
She worried about Oak and Plum. They hadn’t spoken a word since they were found. Slipper was quiet as well, but she occasionally said something. Violet knew losing their parents had been a horrible shock, but she worried it was more. Like so many other things in the past weeks, she didn’t know what to do for them.
An hour or so passed while Violet dozed lightly, waking each time someone got close to the truck. Voices could be heard from the cab of the truck and the occupants got out periodically, strolling around the ferry decks before climbing back inside the truck. She blinked her sleepy eyes open when the ferry gently bumped up against another dock. The faint hum they had been following abruptly grew heavier, making her tingle as vitality and strength flowed into her tiny body. They had finally arrived at their destination. She reached down to wake Apple but her sister was already blinking and sitting up. Under them the truck rumbled to life.
The two small fey smiled at each other, eyes easily piercing the darkness around them. They had found what they were looking for and prayed that maybe other small fey had followed the waves as well.
“Let’s just stay on the truck for a while, Violet,” Apple whispered excitedly. “I bet they are going somewhere with a house. If they don’t unpack the truck tonight, we have a safe place to sleep, and we can explore tomorrow.”
“What if they do unpack?” Violet whispered back nervously.
“We can slip out and hide. Maybe they have a porch. Those always have warm spots under them.” Apple hugged Violet tightly. “We did it.”
Violet smile tremulously at her sister. She wasn’t as sure everything would be all right but didn’t want to disappoint Apple. So many things could still go wrong.
* * * *
The next morning…
Rienne smiled as she watched her cousin, Helja, survey the men unloading the trucks. Most of the men had appeared about fifteen minutes after the trucks arrived. Dar and Jonathon were busily pulling boxes from the back of the trucks to save the other men from contact with the metal frames. Jonathon had just shrugged when Dar had asked him to help pull things forward.
Her great-uncle Hiram directed the proceedings with surprising grace for such a heavyset man, while her great-aunt Sophie dashed to and fro, chattering at everyone and sneaking gropes at every man she passed. It would be hard to miss Sophie even if she wasn’t wearing an eye-watering getup composed of screaming-yellow and hot-pink paisley-print leggings, topped with a cropped electric-purple V-neck T-shirt with the words I bite on it. She had finished off her ensemble with metallic blue sneakers and huge lime-green plastic bracelets. Her graying hair was tied up in series of ponytails to form a Mohawk.
Rienne wondered briefly how her aunt had poured her round little body into those leggings. And, dear God, who had been foolish enough to buy them for her?
So far the men were being good-natured about Sophie’s lechery, shaking their rumps at her and flirting outrageously. She had a feeling Dar had warned them, but she didn’t care because her aunt was glowing with delight from all the attention.
She groaned as she heard Sophie asked yet another man how many times he could ejaculate in an evening. The message was right. Aunt Sophie was having a lucid week, but she was as horny as a cat in heat. Rienne wasn’t sure which was worse; her aunt randomly shifting into a rabbit who thought she was an alligator, or her aunt trying to screw anything with a cock.
“I am so getting laid tonight,” Helja growled beside Rienne, her whipcord-lean body nearly vibrating with anticipation. She was licking her lips. A breeze ruffled her multicolored brown hair. “I cannot believe you didn’t tell me you found the Lost Island of Hot Men! Pretty sure I just felt my ovaries spasm.”
Rienne laughed. Oracle Island wouldn’t know what had hit it by the time her horny family left. Apparently Sophie wasn’t the only one in heat.
“There we go,” Helja murmured as her predatory gaze fixed on someone. “Target acquired.”
“Which one?” Rienne asked absently as she turned to see Shiloh emerging from a path to the woods. She waved, smiling when he blew a kiss back.
Her head whipped back to her cousin when Helja said, “Hot little redhead with the curls.”
“He’s mine.” She narrowed her eyes when the taller woman looked at her in surprise.
“Yeah? Way to go, Cuz!” Helja returned to perusing the stud parade. Her eyes bulged when Shiloh picked up a piece of heavy furniture by himself and hauled it into the house. “Where the hell did he come from? I am so calling dibs!”
“Umm no, mine too.” She flushed when Helja stared at her in shock.
“Seriously?” Helja sent a yearning look toward Shiloh’s ass as it rolled in his tight jeans. “So freaking not fair. I can tell he’s got stamina. Bet he’s one of those men who likes to bend you into a pretzel and take what he wants.”
Rienne licked her lips slowly, watching that ass. “Oh yeah, all mine.” Dandy and Thistle paused in their hauling to send her heated smiles. She returned the smiles shyly and blew them a kiss. Her body tightened briefly as she recalled the pleasure of watching them make love this morning. For a moment she reveled in her new-found sense of self-confidence.
“Okay, I saw that.” Helja turned and put her hands on her hips. “Just how many men do you have here?”
“Four,” Rienne answered, feeling her cheeks growing even warmer.
“Four? Really? Is that all?” Helja shot back sarcastically.
“Yes, just the four.” She smiled blandly, suddenly feeling a little smug over how frustrated Helja looked. “I left plenty for you.”
Her cousin snorted. “I suppose, but damn, what happened to my sweet, innocent little Bumblebee?” She smirked.
Rienne snickered. “She got most thoroughly debauched.” Her loins grew warm just thinking about it.
Cass strolled up to them. “What are you two grinning about?”
“The corruption of our little cousin here,” Helja said laughing.
Carmen ran over to them and threw an arm around Cass. “Holy beefcake, Batman! I am totally nailing someone tonight! Who is the smoking hottie with all the black hair?” Her dark auburn hair glowed in the hazy spring sunshine.
“Jeez, Carmen,” Cass said drolly, “that’s Jonathon. Don’t you remember? He did divest you of your virginity after all.”
Carmen chuckled. “Not Jonathon, you goof! The other one.”
“Huh, your memory must be going, sweetie. That’s Dar. Ya know, Cass’s husband?” Rienne giggled, knowing exactly who Carmen was talking about but wanting to tease her a little more.
Carmen threw her hands in the air with a growl. “I hate you all!”
“I think you’re looking at Thorn,” she said, taking pity on her cousin. “But I’m pretty sure he comes as a matched set with Bramble.” Rienne pointed out Bramble, who had paused before picking up another box to stretch out his back and arms, folding back at a ninety-degree angle. Wavy red-brown hair with pale cream highlights brushed the ground b
ehind him. They all stared as his T-shirt and jeans pulled taut across a leanly muscled body. Four synchronized sighs blew out when he stood straight again.
Even Aunt Sophie had frozen to watch, Rienne noted. Her aunt’s nose twitched.
Carmen’s eyes glazed. “Mmm, matched set. Like bookends? I could totally be the book. I need a moment here.” She paused and stared off at nothing for a moment, then shivered. “Okay, all done.”
All four women started giggling as they grabbed some boxes. They ignored the questioning looks the men sent them as the women went into the house.
MULLEIN SMILED FROM his seat on a thick tree branch. It was good to see his friends happy. After a moment the smile faded. So much was changing. Half of his clan had moved into the boarding house. The lines were being drawn, and he didn’t like it. The day after Foxglove, Dandy, and Thistle left, Thorn and Bramble had joined them. Apparently they had been lovers for the last fifty years, and no one had noticed.
Absently scratching his chin, he wondered just how the two men had kept it secret for so long. With so few fey women on the island, no one had thought it strange that they hadn’t mated, but still there had never been a hint of romance between them.
Why homosexuality had become such a taboo confused Mullein as well. Who cared? Love was love, so why should the person’s sex matter? He seemed to recall same-sex and multiple partner pairings from his childhood. When had the small fey become so humanlike?
The whole mess left Mullein feeling torn. He didn’t really want to leave his home, but it no longer felt like home now, not with his best friend living somewhere else. Should he join the others in the boarding house or stay in the clan home?
A small movement under the tarp covering the truck they hadn’t started unpacking drew his attention. He watched it with distracted curiosity as he mulled over the problem of where he should live.
Two tiny winged figures clambered out from under the tarp. He sat up straight, staring in disbelief. The two figures helped three more, even smaller, figures out. One of the taller figures took a small bundle from one of the smaller ones, and all of them flew into the woods just to his left.
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