by Michele Hauf
“Dr. Who,” Valor muttered in appreciation.
“I don’t think he was an actual doctor.”
She gripped his cock firmly. “You want to argue semantics or are you going to lie back and take it, faery?”
“I’m cool. I’m sure he was a doctor. Somehow. Maybe?” He pushed his palms over his face and as she touched the tip of his cock with her tongue, his groan bellowed out from his chest. “Oh, yes, a doctor for sure.”
Bowing to the lush, bulging head of him, Valor took it in her mouth and sucked it like the Popsicle they’d shared earlier. While she stroked her curled fingers up and down the shaft, she used her tongue to tease, prod, circle and dance over the swollen smooth helmet until his hips were pumping in demand.
So she answered his unspoken plea by taking him deeply into her mouth, up and down, sucking and squeezing. Feeding his wanton moans. At his sides, his fingers clenched at the bedsheets. Beneath her breasts, his thighs tightened. And with one hand she cupped his testicles, which were tight and so hot. That touch set him off. His shivering muscles suddenly pulsed and he came into her, spilling down her throat. The faery shouted, “Yes!” and his hips bucked a few times before he relaxed with a heavy exhale.
Valor kissed his thigh and gave his softening erection a squeeze. Her fingers sparkled with faery dust, and she tasted a familiar sweetness that reminded her of the Dust Bombs she’d drunk in Paris.
The sheet glittered with fine dust. And a glance out the window spied a pair of curious glowing raccoon eyes. Valor’s laughter echoed out into the night and was joined by her faery lover’s laugh as he flipped her onto her back and made love to her until morning glinted on the horizon.
Chapter 22
Kelyn leaned over and kissed Valor, who sat in the passenger seat of his car. He’d parked on the loose gravel drive, which circled before his brother Blade’s barn. The big red barn served as a garage slash home and also sat a hundred yards away from the Darkwood.
“You want to come in and meet my brother?”
“I met Blade once. I know his woman, Zen.” She tucked her hands between her legs and shrugged. “Right now I’d rather sit here and concentrate on not being so nervous.”
He knew she was crazy afraid to go back in the woods again. Witches and the Darkwood? Not cool. And she’d only gone there because she’d wanted to speak a spell to make her lovable. His heart had broken to hear that.
“You know I’ll protect you, Valor.”
“I know that. You go tell your brother what we’re up to. While I wait, I’ll check through the spell stuff and make sure I’ve got the incantation down.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
He left her in the car because he didn’t want to push, and he had felt her anxiety radiate out from her in a distinct quaver. He was nervous, too. But it was an opposite feeling to Valor’s, which had her all pent up and closed off. While him? He felt like stretching his arms wide and opening himself to the universe.
Striding across the gravel that fronted the property, Kelyn ran a hand across his hair. The sun was high and his body jittered with anticipation. This could be it! If Valor’s spell went as it should, a portal to Faery would be opened. And he could step through.
Yet his excitement tangled with dread. Kelyn had always dreamed of Faery. But no detail from his mother’s tales had ever been enough to satiate his imagination or longing. And once finally there? Would he want to return to the family and friends who meant so much to him? To Valor?
“Hey, bro!”
Blade stepped up to the opening of the garage that spread across the entire lower area of the massive barn. He used it to work on cars and had a shop fully stocked with every tool imaginable toward the back. The upper level was where he lived with Zen, his girlfriend who had once been part faery, part angel and part demon, and yet was now merely faery. Long story.
Blade hooked a thumb at the hip of his black leather pants. His bare abs were as cut as Kelyn’s, yet his shoulders were broader and his long, straight black hair dusted at his elbows. “Where’s the witch?”
“She’s waiting in the car.” Kelyn thumbed a gesture over his shoulder. “A little nervous.”
Kelyn stepped into the garage’s cool shade. The scent of motor oil mixed with sawdust wafted in the air. His brother, who stood shoulder to shoulder with him, waved toward a half-assembled ’57 Ford F-100. A pair of legs stuck out from under the low front end. Stryke rolled out on a creeper and winked at Kelyn, then stood and slapped his greasy hands together.
“You guys should have Beck over here helping you,” Kelyn commented. Beck was their brother-in-law, who actually owned an auto body shop. Valor and Sunday worked there on occasion on their own projects, which was how Kelyn had originally heard about Valor.
“Beck and Daisy Blu are on vacation in Greece. Didn’t you know that?” Stryke asked. Tall and brunette, he smiled and punched Kelyn’s shoulder gently. Of all the brothers he was the calm, wise one whom everyone else went to with their problems. “Or you been too busy with your own woman to care?”
“Maybe.” Kelyn set back his shoulders.
“So the witch is your woman?” Blade whistled. Kelyn did not miss his side-eye, a warning yet discerning look. Of course, none of them could ever avoid the family assessment of dates, lovers and otherwise. “Trouble said she’s bad news.”
“Trouble is a jerk-off who let me believe he fucked her when he had not. He’s trying to steal the spotlight like he always does.”
“Sounds like Trouble,” Blade muttered, a common assessment oft issued by any and all family members.
“Valor is cool. And yes, she’s my woman.”
“Well, then.” Stryke wiped his greasy hands across the thighs of his jeans. “Best I meet her.” And he strode off toward the Firebird.
Blade put a hand on Kelyn’s shoulder when he turned to follow Stryke. “Witches can be bad news. You sure about her, bro?”
“Positive. She’s a witch of the light. Doesn’t work dark magic. And she saved my life. If it hadn’t been for her air magic, I would have drowned in the ocean when we were in Wales. I trust her.”
“Wales? And you? Going near large bodies of water? You have been on a trip. Is this spell going to work?”
“Hey, boys!”
“It will.” Kelyn’s eyes followed the stairway up to see Zen, clad in jean cutoffs and a white tank top, skipping down the steps from the upper loft. “Zen.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek when she tilted up on her tiptoes to seek the acknowledgment. Her soft copper dreads batted his shoulder and she smelled like maple syrup.
The threesome watched as Stryke offered a handshake to Valor, who now stood outside by the hood of Kelyn’s car. The twosome exchanged words.
“Valor is cool,” Zen said. “Why didn’t you bring her in?”
“She’s nervous for today’s adventure. I’ll bring her around, official-like, when all this is done.”
“So you’re going to venture into the woods with a witch?” Zen mocked a shiver. “I know you go into that Faery woods all the time, Kelyn. It’s like your second home. But with a witch? I mean, for as much as I like her, you know about witches and the Darkwood.”
Stryke wandered back in while Valor remained by the car, arms crossed and her sight fixed on the forest.
“She’s anxious,” Stryke commented as he joined the threesome. “But pretty. Who would have thought my little brother would hook up with a witch?”
“Right?” Blade put an arm around Zen and kissed her on the brow.
“Would you guys get off the witch thing?” Kelyn said. “She’s no different from the rest of us, and we’re all a bunch of misfits trying to fit into this crazy mortal realm. So back off.”
“Officially backing off,” Stryke said with a salute and a curt but mocking bow.
&nbs
p; “I’m going in.” Kelyn turned and backed toward the drive, pausing in the open entrance. “Shouldn’t take us too long. But, uh...well, you know.”
Blade nodded. Stryke gave him a thumbs-up.
Kelyn turned and strode off.
Arms akimbo, Zen stepped forward, her eyes tracking her brother-in-law. “You boys going to keep an eye on them?”
“Fuck, yeah.” As Kelyn and Valor strode toward the forest edge, Blade released his wings in all their gothic glory. The black-and-silver appendages that resembled large bat wings flapped once and he folded them up against his shoulders.
At his side, Stryke shifted to four-legged wolf shape and stepped out of the pile of clothing that had dropped off during the transformation. The two brothers waited at the garage door opening, keenly aware of the risk Kelyn was stepping toward.
* * *
Kelyn and Valor paused before a maple tree that soared thirty feet high at the edge of the forest. It was massive and the red leaves shivered with the breeze. It didn’t appear menacing, but one never knew in this crazy woods.
He clasped Valor’s hand and looked down at her. “I know you’re worried.” He hooked his other fingers in the quiver strapped over his left shoulder. It contained his arrows; the bow he held at his side. He’d claimed them from the trunk before walking out here.
“It’s cool,” she said.
“No, it’s not. You’re scared, and I get that. We can go elsewhere. Find another thin place.”
“No. I had a good think before your brother came out to say hi to me. This trip back to where it all started is kind of full circle for me. And you. Us.” She squeezed his hand. “Besides, Matilda is here and I want you to be comfortable with everything.”
“I’m as nervous as you are, lover.”
He felt her relax against his arm. With a brave inhale, Valor nodded decisively. “Then let’s rally all that nervous energy and do this.”
* * *
The rambling forest floor was carpeted with moss, tree roots, branches and mushrooms, flowers, seedlings, anything and everything. The trees grew thick in some spots, almost as if hugging together in a family photo. Scents of life, both plant and animal, perfumed the air with a sweet summer fragrance that made Valor smile.
Kelyn had said he knew of a clearing that he would take them to, and he assumed the lead, bow held in one hand, eyes taking in all surroundings as he deftly navigated the uneven ground with sure steps. He must know the forest well enough that he needn’t rely on his wonky ley line navigational skills. No matter. The man exuded a virile confidence and sex appeal that hit her right in the heart. He’d said he was nervous too? He certainly did not show it. And that went a long way in alleviating some of her anxiety.
Valor hadn’t put a protection ward over herself before entering the dusky emerald woods because she needed to be clean to pass through the portal, and CJ had said it was a necessity to maintain the dark blessing on the lake water.
She kept an eye peeled about her periphery. And she walked as far from tree roots as she could manage. Though that was virtually impossible, for in some spots the roots crissed and crossed like a loomed rug. She had to be prepared for any surprise attacks. Of course, calmness was key. Kelyn’s fate relied on her performing the spell accurately and without fail.
“Where’s Matilda?” she asked as they strode deeper into the woods where the shadows deepened and the air thickened with humid soil and pollen. A dragonfly flittered close, then darted off with a silent flutter of wings.
“She’ll find me. How you feeling?” Kelyn clasped her hand. Concern beamed from his violet eyes.
Valor nudged up beside him and they walked a little slower, shoulders hugging. “When I’m with you I don’t fear a thing.”
“You should never fear when I’m with you, Valor. I’d do anything to protect you.”
“I know that.” Which was the reason they were here, wasn’t it? He’d sacrificed so much. Could she ever repay him? Today, she would.
“Can I tell you something?” he asked.
“Always.”
His eyes glittered, even in the darkening shadows. Somehow, the thin strands of moonlight squeezing through the treetops managed to land right in his irises.
“I’ve dreamed about Faery all my life and have longed to go there. I’ve always felt it was missing from my very soul. So now? Excited is putting my feelings lightly. But I’m also worried.”
“Why? You’re going to finally visit Faery.”
“Yeah. Visit.”
They tromped over a fallen log coated with moss and lichen, and he tugged her to a stop, gesturing for her to sit on the log beside him. She first checked the nearby roots—they seemed thin and weren’t close to the base of any wicked-looking trees—so she sat. He nuzzled his cheek against hers and kissed the edge of her jaw. She could sense his tension despite his seeming eagerness for everything to happen.
“What if, when I get to Faery, I don’t want to leave?” he asked.
Valor’s heart dropped in her chest to consider she might never see him again after today, but she coached her face to remain neutral, to not wince and show him how such information devastated her. “But your family is here in the mortal realm.”
“Right. But...Faery,” he said in such an awe-filled tone Valor felt his awe shiver over her skin as if falling faery dust. “It could be the place where I belong.”
“Do you feel like you don’t belong here?”
“Sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family. They are everything to me. But with three older brothers, two who’ve worked the alpha-wolf thing all my life and the other a vamp with wings even bigger than mine, I’ve tended to stand to the side, never confident of my place in this world.” He glanced at her, his eyes dancing between hers. Pulling her hand up to kiss, he offered a wink. “Though lately, I’ve felt more settled. This might sound forward, but...I can’t imagine leaving you, Valor.”
“Then don’t,” she said too quickly. It took all her inner strength to fight tears. Because only real girls cried, and she would use her tomboy for all it was worth right now. “But, I mean, if you want to take a look around while you’re there...”
He bowed his forehead to her hand. To have won his respect and know how he felt about her went a long way in kicking the door shut on that silly witch who’d once thought she wasn’t lovable. But he struggled with a choice that hadn’t even been presented to him yet. And that worried her.
“You wouldn’t not come back, would you, Kelyn?”
“I honestly can’t say.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry, Valor.”
“Don’t be. It’s your right.” She tilted her head against his, and this time the shiver was impossible to staunch. Her heart hurt. After her confession to him last night, she’d actually begun to feel lovable. If he left her, it would devastate her and prove, once and for all, that Valor Hearst would always be one of the guys. “If you feel such a strong calling to Faery, then you should stay there. Or maybe visit and then come back here to see me? I...I don’t want you to stay.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her close. “I needed to hear that from you. I don’t intend to stay, but when I’m there, I’m not sure how I’ll feel, so I wanted to tell you. To warn you, I guess.”
“Duly warned. Just, uh... Kelyn?”
“Yeah?”
She should do it. Tell him she loved him right now. But that wasn’t going to change things. And—
“Ah!” He stood and pointed high. “There’s Matilda.”
A piercing cry from the kestrel sounded overhead. Kelyn rushed ahead into the clearing.
“Right,” Valor muttered as she followed him. “The silly girl stuff can wait for later.”
The bird landed on Kelyn’s shoulder. He pulled
something out of his pocket and fed it to her. She was beautiful. Wings of brown, gray-blue and black folded over her back as she perched on her owner’s—make that faery friend’s—shoulder. She was small, but her big black eyes seemed soul filled and she looked at Valor as if she were assessing her. With a tilt of her head, she rubbed it against Kelyn’s jaw.
Wow. Now, that was trust.
“Matilda, this is Valor. She’s my friend,” Kelyn said. “Matilda and I have been together since I was a teenager. I guess that makes her my longest and most trusted girlfriend, eh, sweetie?”
“I’m honored to meet you, Matilda,” Valor said. “You hang with a very esteemed kind.”
The bird actually bobbed her head, as if in a bow. Then she bent forward and plucked at the leather straps around Kelyn’s neck, briefly lifting the one that held the cipher Never had explained could only be used by the Wicked.
“She likes that one,” he said. “It’s our bond.”
“Cool. She brought you that from Faery?”
“Yep. Matilda is always bringing me presents. She’s my girl.”
“I’m a little jealous of a bird, and not afraid to admit it.” She winked at him. “So, is this the place you want to work the spell in?”
“Yes.”
The clearing they’d wandered into was deceptively beautiful. It was similar to the clearing Valor had found when that thing happened. Looking about, she felt the hairs at the back of her neck prickle. Sunlight beamed through the leaf canopy, lighting the mossy clearing like a stage. Scattered branches and a massive fallen oak were frosted in green moss and tiny yellow wildflowers. Yet beneath the beauty lay a sense of unease and rot. Valor felt it as a shiver over her arms.
But they were here. And she had a job to do. The oak log would make a perfect altar to set up the spell, yet the exposed roots were thick and gnarled and seemed to creep toward her.