by ERIN BEDFORD
“They have their purpose as do many of the unpleasant creatures in the UnSeelie Court. Now, let us talk of something else more pleasant. I only get you for a short while before they will miss you.” I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her to the tree.
I didn’t want to worry my princess by telling her what the faeries were really used for. No need to make her panic, or with her curious nature make her want to examine them further.
Keepers of the deceased Fae, the faerie were temperamental and territorial. The only Fae they didn’t attack were my mother, myself, and the Reaper. I wasn’t sure he was actually a Fae. I’d only encountered him a few times, and each time was unpleasant at best. As I’d told my princess, each of us had our part, and we played them the best we could.
“So, how was your day?” she asked as we sat down beneath the tree and leaned against the base of the trunk.
“You were with me for most of it,” I smirked at her.
Giggling, she smacked me on the arm. “That’s beside the point.”
“Well,” I pretended to think for a moment, “There was this gorgeous princess that I have been dying to get alone all day. I think I might be in love with her.”
“Oh really?” She quirked a brow at me. “Is she prettier than me?”
“Oh most definitely.” I turned in my seat placing my hand on her hips.
“That’s not very nice.” She laughed and pushed at my chest. “You are supposed to say no one is prettier than me.”
I cupped the side of her face and lowered my face to hers. “No one makes my heart race like you do. No one makes my blood boil with desire like you. There is no one in this world or the next that will have a hold on my heart like you do.”
“Now that’s more like it,” she murmured before I captured her lips with mine.
Sliding my hands into her hair, I moved until I was hovering above her. I didn’t want to move things too fast. Unlike myself, she has not had lovers before and I don’t want to scare her away.
But my peach once more surprised me. She spread her legs beneath me and grabbed my hips, drawing me between them. The press of my center against hers caused me to groan. Encouraged by her movements, I cupped her breast in my palm kneading it gently. Moaning at my touch, she arched her back pressing more of herself into my hand.
As our tongues moved along each other, I pushed the length of her skirt up her legs, loving the smooth expansion of the skin beneath my hand. Moving up her leg, I sought out her warmth but frowned when her hand caught mine.
“Wait.”
I pulled back to see her face clearly. “Am I moving too fast?”
“No, no,” she quickly said, placing her hands on my hips to keep me from moving away. “I want you and I don’t want to wait any longer but first…”
She trailed off chewing her bottom lip. Her eyes searched around us as if she expected someone to be watching. But I knew that no one would dare intrude on us. Not if they knew what was good for them.
“What is it?” I asked. “You can tell me anything, you know that.”
“It’s silly, really.” She gave me a small smile that clenched at my heart.
“If it bothers you, I highly doubt it could ever be silly.” I stroked the side of her face with the back of my hand.
“It’s just…we are about to do something I’ve never done before and I…” she paused and held my gaze for a moment, “I don’t even know your name.”
I couldn’t stop the smile that crept up my face. My silly peach.
“Is this you asking me?”
Her eyes narrowed at my teasing. “Not if you are going to make fun.” She started to pull away from my grasp, but I grabbed her around the waist and flipped us over so that she was on my lap.
“I do not mean to make fun of you.” I held her close to me. “I find the new rule ridiculous and if it had been any other time, we would have already settled this matter.”
“Then why can’t we settle it now? No one is around to listen in on us. It would just be between us two.”
I stroked my thumb along her pouting bottom lip. Lovely. She was so breathtakingly beautiful I didn’t understand how I had gotten so lucky. The fates must have decided to bless me with this gift and I wasn’t about to waste it.
“Dorian.”
Her head jerked up at my words and the smile that spread across her face lit her face like a beacon. She leaned in close to me, her lips barely brushing mine and whispered, “My name is Lynne.”
CHAPTER 13
Lynne
THE UNSEELIE QUEEN HAD been right. Her court was far different from my own. And even more dangerous.
When I first arrived, Dorian had wanted to show me his realm but was very hesitant to show me anything that might scare me away. Everywhere he had taken me was tame.
A flower garden that sang. A nest of opalaughts that were the cutest creatures I had ever laid eyes on. Mainly places that were in the direct vicinity of the palace.
But today was different. Today he was going to take me out of the palace area and into the heart of the UnSeelie Court. My excitement kept me up almost all night and had me up before the first light hit my bedroom.
“You are in a good mood this morning.” Dorian smiled at me as we walked through the gardens.
“I’m with the man I love and about to go on an adventure, how could I not be anything other than happy?” My face hurt from how much I was smiling.
“I could think of something that would make you even happier.” Dorian’s hand slipped into mine and I curled my fingers around his, holding him tight. Ever since the first time we made love, we had not been able to stop touching each other, a caress here, and a stolen moment in the hallway there. I could live forever in his embrace and die a happy princess.
“Oh no you don’t,” I giggled and bumped shoulders with him, “You aren’t going to distract me today. Today we are going out into your realm. I want to see everything. No more trying to shelter me.” My lips curved down in a frown. “I got enough of that from my mother.”
Dorian stopped and pulled me to him. “I am sorry. I do not mean to coddle you.” He stroked the side of my face and I leaned into his touch. “I just know how dangerous my realm can be, and I do not want you to get hurt.”
“When we marry I’ll have to rule this realm too,” I grabbed his hand in mine, “how can I be a good ruler if I don’t know the people?”
“Very well,” Dorian sighed and then smiled, “if you insist upon learning about the people then I will take you to see the craziest creatures that I know. That will keep your expectations low for the future.”
Laughing, I let him drag me out of the garden and into the UnSeelie World. This would be an interesting day indeed.
* * *
WHEN WE STEPPED OUT of the queen’s garden, I expected to end up back in the graveyard with the nasty faeries, but instead, we were at the edge of a forest.
“Wow, you weren’t joking when you said your world changes a lot.” My eyes took in the surroundings.
The tall walls of the hedge maze were at our backs and to the front of us were dark trees with rolling mist along the ground. I couldn’t see much more than a foot into the dense forest and it gave me an unsettling feeling.
“This is why you should not wander on your own until she is used to you.”
My eyes snapped to Dorian. “She? The UnSeelie Court is a woman?”
Dorian’s lips curved up, his eyes twinkling. “Not in the physical sense of the word. But we refer to her as such because of her temperamental moods. One day she might be kind enough to let you get to where you wish to go and other days she’ll move your house right out from under your nose. Quite irritating actually.” His eyes narrowed at the tree line as if it were the very being he was talking about.
“Hmm, I could see how it would be difficult for someone new to your world.”
“But it is an excellent defense mechanism.” Dorian winked at me before taking my hand. “In any case,
we better get going or we will be late for tea.”
“Tea?” I asked as I let Dorian lead me over the forest line and into the dense fog. The sounds coming from the forest were not like anything I had ever heard before. I would have imagined there would be animal noises and maybe leaves brushing against the branches of the trees but each step I took further into its depth the more it felt like I was in a moving breathing being.
“Yes,” Dorian answered unaffected by the world around us. Did he not feel the brush of the wind against him, the way it pulled at you almost trying to keep you in place? Or maybe it was just me? Was it the UnSeelie Court trying to warn me away?
I sent a silent message to the mercurial being that I meant no harm. It did cause the pull to lessen. It was less aggressive and more curious. I suppose she had decided to watch me until she could figure out if I was friend or foe. I certainly didn’t want to be the latter.
“So who are we having tea with?”
“Hatter, naturally.” Dorian helped me over a fallen limb so that my gown did not catch on the branches. If I had known we would be traipsing through the forest, I would have chosen to wear breeches instead of a gown.
“Naturally,” I replied back, my lips twisting down.
Dorian laughed at my expression and he drew me to him, rubbing his nose against mine. “Do not look so worried, my peach. Hatter is a good friend of mine, you have nothing to fear.”
“But your mother said I had everything to fear here,” I countered.
My prince’s lips turned down in a frown. “That may be true but only in certain company. But since you are with me, you should be well enough.” He kissed my knuckles, and we were off again.
Somehow his words did not reassure me, and as we moved further into the forest, my wary feeling got worse. The pulsating sounds I had heard before had dissipated and in its place was laughter. High pitched maniacal laughter.
“What is that?” My footsteps slowed the closer we got to the boisterous sound.
“It is just a bunch of Fae having a good time.” He shot me a wicked grin before he upped our pace until we were almost running.
My breathing increased as I tried to keep up with his long strides. I had lived my life caged. My body wasn’t ready for such excitement, no matter how much my heart yearned for it.
I kept up with Dorian as best as I could. Embarrassingly, he had to pick me up when I tripped over my own two feet until eventually he finally stopped.
“Are you ready for this?” Dorian asked, his hand poised and ready to push back the brush that separated us from a noisy gathering on the other side.
As the laughter increased to a frightening level, I wasn’t so certain I wanted to know what was on the other side. That was until I heard a familiar voice. One of a Ms. Liddell.
What was she doing here?
CHAPTER 14
Dorian
I WATCHED LYNNE’S FACE as we stepped out of the dark forest and into the open area that housed Hatter’s home. I wanted to give her something exciting but also make her aware of the differences between our worlds.
The Seelie Court was full of structure and rules, but the UnSeelie Court did not have those kinds of restrictions. Passion and fun were on the minds of almost every Fae in the kingdom, and no one knew about those more than Hatter.
When Lynne took in the scene before us her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly. It was adorable, and it caused my body to tighten inappropriately. I had had my betrothed more times than I could count the last few days. One would think I would be tired of her. Alas, the more I had her the more I craved her touch and her wit. I couldn’t wait to see how she reacted to Hatter and his friends.
“Come.” I took her by the hand and led her into the clearing. A long table covered with a red tablecloth sat in the middle and surrounded by mismatched chairs that suited its guests perfectly.
“Hello, Hatter,” I greeted the fae sitting at the head of the table. The silver-haired fae stood from his seat at my voice and welcomed me with a smile.
“Your highness, how good to see you!” his long silver hair cascaded around him as he moved from the table to my side. He held a hand out to me, which I clasped with my own. Then his gray eyes landed on my betrothed. “Now, who is this beautiful creature? This could not be the one that is betrothed to our dark prince. She is too magnanimous.”
Lynne laughed at Hatter’s obvious flirtations, which I brushed off. Hatter may flirt but he was harmless. He knew where he stood and what I would do should he touch what was mine. And Lynne was most definitely mine.
Even though I trusted my friend, I wrapped an arm around Lynne’s waist and hugged her to my side. Giving her a small smile, I said, “My peach, this is Hatter and these,” I gestured to the creatures sitting around the table, “are his permanent guests.”
“More like infestations,” Hatter muttered but grinned, nonetheless.
“How rude.” A three-foot mouse with a wood door latched to his chest sniffed. “I’m not some rodent.”
“Could have fooled me!” a black creature with large wings and a twinkle in his eyes cackled.
“Oh, knock it off. Can’t you see we have royalty present?” an opalaught with ragged ears and beady eyes snapped.
Ignoring the arguing of his friends, Hatter returned to his seat. “Please, please have a seat we were just sitting down to tea.”
“You are always having tea.” I led Lynne over to the table and pulled out a chair for her. I took the seat next to her on Hatter’s right hand and proceeded to pour my betrothed some tea.
“Too true.” Hatter nodded picking up his own tea. “But with my new lovely guest, it’s hard to not want to celebrate all the time.”
At first, I thought he was talking about Lynne, but Hatter’s eyes went right by her and to the blonde human I had not noticed sitting at the other end of the table.
“Ms. Liddell, I did not know you were back again.” I took a sip of my tea, my eyes watching her carefully. The girl had come to the UnSeelie Court more and more as of late, and I worried we might have a problem. Humans that became obsessed with us usually died tragically, and I didn’t want that to happen with Lynne nearby.
“I hadn’t left.” Ms. Liddell took a sip of her tea, her eyes hazy from the effects. Hatter’s concoction was almost as strong as faerie wine, which meant to us Fae we got little more than a slight high but to humans, the effects were tenfold.
“How much tea have you been giving her, Hatter?” I asked suspicion in my voice.
“Not much at all really.” Hatter shrugged. “I make sure to give her a weak batch if that helps your conscious.”
“Not really.” I shook my head. “You really should not be giving her any at all.”
“Why?” Lynne spoke up from my side. “What harm could it do?”
I placed my hand on top of hers and smiled. “Remember how I said there were dangerous things on this side of the Fae world?” I waited until she nodded her head before continuing, “Well, Hatter’s tea is one of them. Made of the mortuvious mushroom it’s potent enough to send a Fae screaming through the dark forest and it's even worse for humans.” I glanced sharply at Hatter. “It’s not something you drink lightly.”
“Then why are we drinking it now?” Lynne stared down into her glass with a deep frown creasing her face.
“Don’t you have any sense of adventure?” Ms. Liddell asked in a condescending tone. I shot her a warning glare, which only caused her to smile.
“I have a perfectly fine sense of adventure,” Lynne growled, “I just don’t fancy being drugged my first trip out of the palace.”
This made Ms. Liddell laugh. “My God, let the girl out of your bedroom for more than a few minutes. Thank goodness, you didn’t hover around me that much when I first came. I mean, that one time I had decided to skinny dip in the pond by the brownies villa was quite fun, don’t you think?”
Hatter cackled along with her, but my eyes were on Lynne. She had begun to frown harder.
I could see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to process what Ms. Liddell had said. No doubt Lynne thought something was going on between us, which was what Ms. Liddell had probably meant to happen.
“That is not how it happened and you know it, Ms. Liddell,” I snapped, but the damage was already done.
“I think I’m about ready to go back now.” Lynne sat her cup down and pushed her seat back. She nodded to Hatter. “Thank you for having me, it’s been…informative.”
She ran from the table before I could catch her, and I hurried to go after her. The dark forest was no place for the likes of her to be venturing into alone. Especially not after she had drunk some of Hatter’s concoction. I was now wishing I had never brought her here in the first place.
CHAPTER 15
Lynne
I RUSHED AWAY FROM the tea party and into the dark of the forest. Before the forest had made me nervous but now with anger and jealousy in my heart, it only fit my mood.
The nerve of her. Who did she think she was? She was nothing but a puny little human. She should be worshiping at our feet not insulting us.
“Peach!” Dorian’s voice called out to me, but I didn’t slow down.
“Is it true?” I growled when he finally caught up to me. My fists clenched at my sides and I fought back the anger that had manifested itself in me so easily.
“Is what true?” he asked reaching for me but I jerked away. I didn’t want him to touch me right now. If he touched me, I might very well fall apart. Even now I could feel my magic sizzling along the surface of my skin looking for an outlet.
My eyes darted down to the earth. It would be so easy to place my hands on the soil and change this dank forest into my own.
Shaking the temptation off, I glared at Dorian. “That you went skinny dipping with that human. Is it true?”
“What?” his eyes widened. “Of course not! Well, actually,” he paused and rubbed the back of his head with a skittish grin, “it did not exactly happen like that.”