Faery Tail

by Deborah McNemar

  Bullyboy on the left took a threatening step forward. Pretty boy on the right merely flexed bulging muscles and cracked his knuckles.

  Damien grinned. “Call off your pet idiots, Lady. You're standing in my home without an invitation. I don't answer to you."

  Luna laid a hand on Bullyboy's arm and the man backed off, glowering. “When she returns, you will send word to me immediately."

  "Not a snowball's chance of that happening.” Damien's grin widened into a smirk. “You know, one of the best things about living single is that I don't answer to anyone but myself. And my mother,” he added after a breath of hesitation.

  Luna's eyes narrowed as the first inkling of understanding rose.

  Damien stood with a sharp nod. “Make sure you put the key back under the mat as you leave and don't bother coming back. You're not welcome."

  He headed back into the cave. The door closed behind them with a clang and he breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't been sure that she would leave. He had fully expected things to get ugly. Those boys of hers would have made a mess of his studio. Laws were laws but Luna looked like she thought she was a law unto herself. After his conversation with Star two nights ago, he even more certain of it. The woman would go to any lengths to get what she wanted and right now she wanted her daughter's unquestioning obedience. There was only one thing he could do.

  With a grim expression, he dug his phone out from under a stack of mail and dialed. He paced as he waited for an answer.

  "Mom?” He stopped to fiddle with the handle of the espresso pot. “Yeah, I know I haven't called in four days. I know ... I know ... Mom, you're not going to believe what just happened.” Damien turned and leaned back against the counter, crossing his ankles and staring down into his piece of heaven below. “Star's mom was just in my studio. No, here. Right here. Came traipsing in like she owned the place. Had a couple of her boys with her. No, I'm all right. No blood shed. She's not that stupid.” He smiled at the opinion on the other end but the smile faded. “I'm worried. She wanted to know where Star is. Mom ... Mom..."

  He held the phone away from his ear to preserve his eardrums. It took a few moments before it was safe to bring it close to his head again. “Mom, I can't just wrap the girl up in bubble wrap and stick her in my pocket. No matter how much I might want to. She'd kick my ass.” He sighed. “Can you keep an ear out for anything and let me know? I'd really appreciate it. Thanks. You're the best.” He paused, closing his eyes in the agony of his own personal hell. “No, Mom, I haven't eaten yet. The burger place doesn't deliver at this time of the morning. No, I'm not going shopping. That would require me to cook. No. No, I'm not wasting away and you're not coming over. I know you love me, Mom, and I love you. I promise I'll eat something pretty soon here. Just let me know if you hear anything, ok? Love you."

  Damien hung up the phone and stared at his feet, lost in thought. Star's visits were erratic, even more so over the past year. She didn't have a phone and if her mother was here looking for her, that meant she wasn't at home either. He could only hope that wherever she was, she was all right. With a sigh, he dialed the number to the Chinese restaurant two streets over that delivered twenty-four hours. If he didn't get something to eat, his mother would toast his ears.

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  Chapter Seven

  Even with Centauri's solid presence beside her, it was the hardest thing Star had ever done. They had gone to the park and into the woods to the nearest ring. Since the Fae danced rings into existence, they generally existed outside the normally trodden paths of the human world. The occasional hiker or indigent might fall into one never to be seen again, but never groups. Well, except for that one Girl Scout troop ... Twelve screaming ten-year-old girls and a half a dozen boxes of cookies and the Seelie court would never be the same. They had finally resorted to a sleeping spell and exerted the effort required to send the girls home again. They were still working their way through the handbook, however.

  Centauri didn't press her when she fell silent. He didn't try to hurry her along when her steps lagged. There was no hand to push or demand, no harsh words about her childish fears. There was only his constant and strangely comforting presence.

  Star stared at the ring of forget-me-nots and felt her heart stutter. A hundred and twenty years ago, she had sworn she would never go back. She hadn't danced in seventy-five years. She rarely touched her magic. By denying the very thing that most Fae found irresistible, she had managed to elude those who hunted her. Now, this man wanted her to willingly give herself into his hands and trust him to keep her safe.

  Spots danced in a crazy whirl before her eyes.

  "Breathe.” Centauri's hands curled over her shoulders as she stared at the ring. “This ring will take us to the Meanduraug, the wild wood, and away from Tir Nan Og. As long as you are in my care, I swear that no harm will come to you."

  "I know what other Fae think of me,” Star bit off. She grasped at words as a barrier against the reality of what she was about to do. If she focused on the mundane she wouldn't have to answer the voice inside her head that was screaming are you insane? “I know the stories that Luna has spread. I don't care about that. Just promise me that if any more imps show up, you won't let them take me."

  Centauri moved around her and stepped into the ring. Taking her hand, he turned it palm up and placed a kiss in the exact center. “I swear by the blood in my veins that as long as you are with me I will keep you safe. I swear by the magic in my soul that the imps will not take you from me. I so swear and may my life be forfeit if I am ever foresworn."

  Star gasped as the magic welled up around them. He had sworn a binding oath in a place of power. If he broke his word, the magic of the Fae would strike him dead on the spot. He looked up and her eyes were caught in the dark depths of his gaze. A faint smile curved his mouth.

  "Come, Princess,” he coaxed. “Come remember your heritage."

  Star couldn't look away. With his hand warm around hers, she stepped into the ring. Immediately, the tingling rose up her legs. Already the world was turning gray and hazy around them. The tingle became pressure and then pain. Star couldn't stop the cry that broke from her as the shock of the rising magic vibrated in her bones. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She could only cling to Centauri's hand, her eyes locked with his, as the magic swept them away.

  It was too much. The earth rose up to meet her feet and the air stilled around her. The rich scent of life and magic filled her nose. Star felt Centauri's hands catch her as she crumpled. Her body, so long without magic, absorbed it greedily. Like raw whiskey on an empty stomach, it rushed into her, hot and beguiling. The world tilted under her feet.

  "Easy, Star.” His voice brushed her nerves like silk on a harp string. “Let it flow through you. Don't fight it."

  Star gritted her teeth and fought the surge of power that flooded her. If she let it, the magic would destroy all her safeguards, all of her protections. She had to control the rush.

  Something brushed her cheek, feathering over her temples. Star desperately tried to ignore it, to focus and dam the surging magic that was swamping her mind. Something soft caressed her mouth. Retreated. Returned. One block went home and the flow eased. The rest slipped into place and with jarring abruptness she was back in control. The magic flowed around her and over her, there was no controlling that, but the essence of her was safe. Reality returned with a vengeance.

  Centauri was kissing her. Star clutched at his shoulders convulsively as the heat of him seared her. His hands slid around her waist to pull her fully against him and all coherent thought scattered. He was hard and warm, summer in the flesh. Her moan got lost in his mouth as he deepened the kiss. The magic touched them, wound around them. She buried her hands in his hair, tilting her mouth into his, trusting him to keep them upright as she lost herself in the new sensations he was creating.

  It was Centauri who pulled away first, slipping back a hair's breadth so that only the moist warmth of
his breath brushed her skin. Star could only stagger, holding onto him for support when her knees refused to function. Her lids drifted up. His eyes were closed and his breathing fast and shallow. His heart beat steadily under her fingers. His hands were fisted against the small of her back. Star remained perfectly still. Some instinct for self-preservation warned her that fighting against his hold right now would be tantamount to offering herself as a virgin sacrifice.

  His fists unclenched slowly, his arms dropping away from her. He took a deep breath and she could feel him shudder as he fought for control. She didn't dare step away from him and take the chance of triggering his hunter's instincts. Muscle by muscle, he relaxed and she could breathe again.

  Star tucked her head as he stepped away from her. She was embarrassed. Granted, she'd never been kissed before but she should have had more self-control than that. And why did she feel cold without the heat of his body pressed to hers? Silently berating herself, she wiped her hands on her pants. She licked her lips and cleared her throat, trying to dredge up enough courage to speak.

  "Why did you do that?” she asked, flushing when her voice cracked.

  He laughed. The rich, deep timbre reverberated in the empty places between the trees, filling the silence with music. She looked up, amazed at the sound. He stood a few yards away. He had already shifted form and his flanks glistened in the half-shadow, dappled by the sun.

  "I was trying to distract you,” he admitted. “You have far more control than I had expected."

  "Distract me? Whatever for?” Star shoved her hands in her back pockets, confused. The heat of his kiss still pulsed on her lips. The man was positively dangerous to a woman's peace of mind. She wasn't sure what he meant by control since she was still shaking.

  He shifted on his feet, a light ripple of power under glossy hide. A smile curved his mouth but his eyes were still hot and intense as they rested on her.

  "The more open you are to who and what you are, the more willing you will be to accept me.” His chest vibrated with silent laughter. “I hadn't counted on your self-control or my lack of it. The next time, I will not underestimate you."

  "There won't be a next time,” she denied even as her heart leaped at the possibility. “Not to mention the tiny fact that wasn't very fair of you."

  Centauri shrugged. “Fair has nothing to do with this, Princess. I will never force you but, be warned; I can and will use every other means at my disposal."

  "I've been warned already,” she snapped irritably.

  He came to stand mere inches from her. Star stared at her toes, refusing to meet his eyes. Beneath the silky fall of black hair at his posterns, his hooves shone like obsidian.

  "Did you really expect anything different?” he asked softly.

  Not really. Star sighed. He was Tuatha de', a warrior and hunter. She might act impulsively but he would plan every step of the way. She had no doubts that his brain was brimming with all sorts of plots for every possible contingency but that led to wondering how she was measuring up and kicking herself for even caring.

  "What was it you wanted me to see?” She looked up reluctantly. He was watching her intently and she looked away, feeling the blush rise under her skin. “There was something specific, wasn't there?"

  He shifted on his feet and she could see the muscles tensing slightly under his gleaming hide. “There are many things I would like to share with you, Star. Places I would enjoy seeing through your eyes.” He shifted again, a light, dancing step that made her curious what could possibly be making him nervous. “What I would like most to share with you lays some three days gallop from here. It is a glade with a waterfall not far from the Vale of Mists. It is a place of beauty and peace."

  A place in the Fae Realm where she wouldn't feel threatened, she realized. A place he seemed to value highly. It was a battle lost before it began and she knew it. It wasn't protocol or fear that made her give in but the feeling that her answer meant far more to him than he would ever admit to her.

  "How long does Mr. Connors think I'm on vacation?” she asked wearily.

  His sudden smile was as devastating as she had known it would be. It transformed his face from handsome into absolutely irresistible. The man had dimples, for God's sake!

  "For as long as you choose to be gone. Your job will be waiting if you choose to return, Star. I made certain of that myself."

  Star blinked, unable to find the will to protest as he wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her onto his back. His smile turned wicked, his black eyes dancing.

  "Wrap your arms and legs around me, Princess, and hold on tight."

  Star wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling her body close to his, reluctantly wondering as she did so how many other women he'd said that too.

  * * * *

  Centauri galloped, keeping his pace steady, heading deeper into the wood. Star relished the feeling of flying free, the whip of the wind in her face as she clung to him. She had forgotten what it was like to be in the Fae Realm. The colors were vibrant here, undimmed by age and smog. The air was clear and heavy with power. Here, in the wild wood of the Meanduraug, the magic ran riotous and untamed. It called to her in the whisper of trees, teased and tantalized her with smells of flowers and silent laughter of the unfettered breeze. There were no sounds of traffic, no rumble of trains. Only the peace and silence of the forest.

  The miles flew by under the thunder of his hooves. Star found herself enjoying the sights and sounds as she never had before. Centauri pointed out things as they went. A litter of fox cubs rolling about in the soft dirt outside their den stopped to stare back at them as they went past. The pair of white adorima birds were nesting high in a maple tree, their long, white tails gleaming like pearl mist in the gloom. Star rubbed her cheek against Centauri's shoulder, wondering if the rare birds really could pluck a man's heart from his chest, leaving the man alive.

  Twilight drifted over the wood as the sun slid drowsily behind the horizon. Centauri slowed and Star followed his gaze as he finally came to a stop. Her breath slid from her in a sigh of wonder.

  A stag the color of new fallen snow lifted his head. His antlers gleamed like golden fire in the light of the setting sun. He watched them for a moment, as regal as any king. With a bound and a flash of his tail, he was gone.

  "Have you ever hunted the White Stag?” she whispered into the hush that followed.

  Centauri nodded, his expression remote. “A long time ago. It is a hunt that tests a hunter to his limits."

  Star stared after the stag, wondering. “You didn't catch him?"

  He shrugged. “I caught him, but the Great One is no man's prey. Unlike Fae, he truly is immortal. He is a granter of wishes."

  "What did you wish for?"

  He shook off his thoughts with a toss of his head and a light prancing step. “I have no use for wishes, Princess. I prefer things I can hold in my hands."

  "You don't believe in wishes?” Star was dumbfounded. Even humans who barely believed in magic at all, believed in wishes. The smallest child was taught to wish on stars and toss copper pennies into fountains.

  "Do you?"

  Star avoided the question. “You, who live in the Faery Realms with magic all around you, don't believe in the power of a simple wish."

  Centauri turned slightly to study her face. His expression was closed and unreadable. “I have never had anything to wish for, Princess. If it wasn't provided, I've gained it with my own two hands."

  "You,” she said with a shake of her head, “have a lot to learn."

  He snorted at that but Star ignored his cynicism, taking the chance to look around them. The trees were thinning as the land rippled into rolling hills. The grass was lush with a faintly blue cast as twilight spread her veil across the land. She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.

  "The most potent pleasures in life are the simple ones, Centauri. The same goes for wishes. The most powerful wishes are the simple ones that come from that heart.” She cou
ldn't stop the smile that curved her mouth. “Someone needs to teach you how to wish."

  His hands came around her waist and she was lifted from his back. He set her on her feet with infinite care. Star raised her arms, stretching like a cat, hissing as her muscles protested the movement. She was not used to riding, she decided ruefully. Her legs were wobbly and her butt was numb. She was doing good to stand upright.

  "And what of you, Princess?” he asked. “What do you wish for?"

  "Me?” Star stared up at the darkening sky, waiting for that first tiny sparkle of light. “Freedom, I suppose. Being part of something instead of being possessed by someone. Of life with no chains. Of being held with an open hand.” She bit her lip and then tossed him an airy smile to hide her vulnerability. “But I've been wishing on the wrong star. One of these days I'll get it right."

  Centauri's hands curled over her shoulders and she tilted her head back to find that once again she had missed seeing him change. She sighed. She was really going to have to start paying more attention.

  "Look.” She pointed and he followed her gaze to the first glimpse of a pale star that glimmered in the darkening sky. “Do you know how to wish on a star, Centauri?"

  "You're the expert on wishes,” he replied. He didn't ridicule the notion or tell her she was being foolish. She knew he was only humoring her, but it was nice anyway.

  "Star light, star bright,” Star quoted softly. “First star I see tonight. Wish I may, wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight."

  She cast her wish into the night sky with all the longing in her heart. Above her, the star gleamed, out of her reach.

  Centauri's hands tightened slightly on her shoulders, rubbing at the aches there and Star forgot all about wishes. She couldn't help but arch back against his hands, stretching to give him better access to the sore spots. He found the spot at the base of her spine that was sending shooting pains through her hips and legs. A moan of pleasure broke from her lips.

  Heat spread from his hands through her muscles. Earth magic stroked through her, a tantalizing counterpoint to the feel of his hands moving over her back. Star wondered dazedly if her bones were melting. He finally stepped away but Star could only stand where she was, gazing at him, her brain a jumble.