by May Sage
“Get your mind out of the gutter, cat lady. I have no clue what you look like, and well, I have standards.”
Her jaw practically hit the floor, because loose clothing or not, this was not something a girl like heard. Ever.
“What an asshole.”
“Sure. Because you’d fuck anything on legs, right? Please. I never said I liked your idea of attractive. But there is such a thing as connection – and we either have it, or we don’t. Either way, I need something tangible. That way, I can locate it easily. Do you have anything of value on you?”
She looked down, from her high top trainers to her jeans, her faded top, and the bangles around her wrist. She also had a ring, a cheap trinket she’d grabbed at a street market.
“Not really. You’re into bracelets?”
She heard his sigh.
“Fine. I need you to think quite clearly this belongs to the one they call Rumpelstiltskin.”
A beat passed – and another one. At first, she believed she’d managed to find the strength but she just couldn’t. The laughter was unstoppable.
“They call you what?”
“And there I thought I liked you.”
Chapter 3
The cat was a monster. A fiend made in the deepest, darkest parts of hell. One look with those big black eyes, and he owned your soul.
Rum fed the damn animal, leaving enough food in various bowls to ensure that he’d survive for a month or two, and attempted to flee, but somehow, he found himself on the floor, scratching the silky powder blue skin and talking to it. Using a baby voice.
“I need to go find your roommate, buddy. Come on, you’ll be okay, we’ll be back in no time, I swear.”
The monster looked up again and Rum would have sworn it looked like it was about to cry.
Really? He didn’t have time for this fucking bullshit. He was stronger than a damn cat, anyway.
He got to his feet, determined to walk away. Three minutes later, he was out of the building, the happy monster bundled in against his chest, under his leather jacket.
If anyone asked, he had no comment about the development of the whole thing. None.
“Cat lady?”
Her obvious relief pissed him off. She’d been scared and although he didn’t know the girl, and really shouldn’t have cared one way or the other, he did.
People assumed Fays were apathetic but frankly what they were was pretty close to the opposite – everything they did, they did fiercely. They were loyal, butt-headed, and they loved like no other creature on Gaia, with their entire soul, which was the reason they stayed away.
Humans crumbled when their brothers, their best friends, their family died. That could possibly happen ten, fifteen times in their lives. Rum had seen thousands he loved just as dearly disappear, and call it cowardice, but he was done with it.
That was why he’d been relieved, to an extent, when Cinderella had chosen to return to her prince. He’d grown to like her, and he knew her death, in less than a century, was going to be painful…
But all of a sudden, he remembered.
He was dead in a year. There was literally no point keeping his walls up anymore – the girl would outlive him anyway.
“Something’s wrong. You’re afraid.”
She took a while to vocalize what had occurred, but he didn’t need the words – he saw it as the images assaulted her mind.
The two buffoons who’d kidnapped her got her out of the van, kicking and screaming; she managed to land a few nice punches, too.
But then they got her inside the compound in front of which they’d stopped.
It was a modern edifice, rectangular with sharp edges, large windows – visibly expensive, but quite tasteless. There were bikes parked out front – many of them, most of them unique, visibly cared for.
Aria lost her bravado when they took her across the vast open space that was the ground floor.
There were a good twenty leather clad, beard bearing guys in the room, all of which leered at her in a way that made Rum see red, and he really wished that was the extent of it, but no. Aria wouldn’t have been shaken just by that. What horrified her and scared her shitless was the fact that there were also girls – six of them, all in various state of undress, two bound to the walls, one riding one of the men like her life depended on it. It probably did.
Rum was going to kill them all; it was as simple as that.
“Have they touched you?”
He didn’t recognize his own voice; the edge was clearly threatening.
“No but… they say my parents owe them money. A lot of money I’m supposed to repay.”
What the hell.
“Your parents?”
“Trust me on this, it’s probably true. And no, they wouldn’t come and help. Apparently, they owe it tomorrow – and the bastard in charge said if they don’t deliver it, he’ll…”
He scanned her mind for the words she didn’t say. He’d sell her to the highest bidder.
“Calm down, I’m not far. We’re coming for you.”
He wasn’t certain how accurate that was, though. If it hadn’t been for the cat, he would have transported himself, but he wasn’t sure how the furry companion would deal with the mode of transpiration, so he’d opted for a bike instead. Convenient, considering where he was headed, but at the same time, riding wasn’t instantaneous – he wasn’t sure how long getting there would take him, or what might happen to her in the meantime.
“We?”
He tried to word it in a way that could pass for manly, but the words twisted on his tongue. Dammit. To his despair, Fays weren’t actually able to lie.
“Princess Momo gave me the eyes, so I had to take her.”
It had been an obligation.
That made her chuckle despite her anxiety.
“Of course you had to. Anyway, he gave me a phone. It can’t call or send messages, but I can go online. I have his account details, he said if I can get him the money I’m free to go. But he wants a million. A fucking million. Who has that kinda cash on hand?”
“You have their details?” he asked, leaving the motorway at the next city.
“Mhhh… sure.”
She recited the number, and he immediately memorized it.
“Okay. I’ll get that transfer done as soon as possible, then I’m coming.”
It was the responsible way to deal with this: amicably. He was going to be polite and accommodating. Then, once Aria and the rest of the girls were out, he’d burn the place to the ground, with its inhabitants.
Rum was a great believer in keeping things simple.
“You have a million?”
“Sure do.” Although it was pretty convenient, as he’d only recently bothered to open an account with a modern bank – when he’d discovered that no one could hope to get the Nature Channel without the ability to pay by direct debit. Fountain of gold didn’t count. Humans were so weird.
“And you’re spending it on me?”
He could have explained the fact that he could make gold but he refrained himself; he was modest like that. Sometimes.
“Don’t flatter yourself, cat lady. It’s not free either.”
He wasn’t even sure why he said that; probably because he wanted to hear her laugh. She did just that, so mission accomplished.
“What could possibly be worth a million marks?”
He had a few ideas. She was still faceless, and he stood for what he’d said about attraction, but somehow, he was sure she would appeal to him. Her mind had already seduced him, and her voice made him stir in a way that was quite unfamiliar to him now. It had been a long time since he’d wanted sex; hell, he probably hadn’t even taken care of himself for months. Years, perhaps.
At the same time, given the fact that the girl was currently imprisoned by bastards who wanted to sell her body to the highest bidder, now was probably not the time to suggest a similar deal. Besides, he’d never needed leverage to get a woman into bed.
“I’m
not sure. What’s the most precious thing you own?”
As she thought it out, he saw the cream and gold dress, so delicate it looked like it was made of cloud. The mermaid cut was formal – clearly a wedding dress – but the fabric was slightly translucent, and clinging to the model who wore it.
Rum lost all thought for an instant. The girl was the kind of things people dreamt of. Soft, wavy brown hair, long lean limbs, and sensual curves. Her skin was golden, her red lips, too plump for her face; they looked like they belonged around his cock.
The brown eyes got to him, making him shiver.
He’d imagined fucking her seven different ways by the time he noticed that the girl was currently in front of a mirror.
Aria.
This was his Aria.
Fuck. No cat lady was allowed to look like that.
“I’ve made a dress that took me six months. Hand stitched, with the finest wild silk. I learnt to crochet to do the hems. It was in a show last week and I received tones of offers but…”
“You’re not selling it.”
Hopefully, she’d imagine that he’d merely finished her sentence for her, when it fact, he was giving her an order. She wasn’t fucking selling her wedding dress.
“No, I didn’t. It felt like a part of me. That’s the most precious thing I’ve ever owned.”
He wanted it. He wanted her to wear that dress, rolled up to her waist as he fucked her from behind.
Quite suddenly, Rum felt numb, dumb. He pulled up on the side of the road and removed his helmet.
It had been a very, very long time he’d felt that kind of visceral attraction. The last woman he’d reacted to hadn’t affected him nearly as much.
He wasn’t sure – he wouldn’t know until she was in front of him, but…
“You can keep the dress, it wouldn’t fit me. I’ll think of something, cat lady.”
He’d already thought of something – something far, far more valuable than any amount of gold or marks.
But he was going to have to come up with a compelling reason why she should even carry on speaking to him if he voiced it out loud.
Unless…
“Aria?”
“Mh?”
“Your first born child. I want your firstborn child.”
Chapter 4
She’d heard that wrong – she must have. Right?
“Mhhh… Rumpelstiltskin?” What a mouthful – she was quite proud of herself for managing to wrap her tongue around it. “I don’t have kids. I don’t have a man either, so I probably won’t get one of those for a while.”
The admission made her blush, feeling like those girls who always somehow manage to specify that they were single, when they spoke to guys.
But she told herself that wasn’t what she’d been doing at all; after all, little as she liked it, he’d been right – if he wasn’t attractive, she was likely to friend-zone him right away.
Still, between the voice and the obvious confidence, she doubted it.
“Fays generally are patient creatures.”
“And what do you plan on doing with a child, in any case?”
“Teach him, nurture him, love him – the usual.”
“You want to adopt my kid? Like, you’d like me to surrogate?”
There was beauty in offering someone the ultimate gift – a child – but she would never have volunteered as a surrogate, knowing her nature wouldn’t allow her to walk away from a baby she’d given birth to. After the way her parents had messed her up, everything in her told her that if and when she was blessed with a child, she’d be the best mother ever.
“Nevermind,” Rumpeltstilskin backpedaled. “I’ll take the dress.”
His tone had barely changed but somehow, right then she was hit by a volley of feelings that weren’t her own. It was a punch in the gut; he wasn’t disappointed, he was devastated.
“Wait, I…” shit. “I’ll do it. You can have my child.”
Shit, she couldn’t help it; despite herself, although she knew he’d most probably meant that he wanted to sort it all out through a visit to the doctor, her insides clenched in anticipation, all too willing to explore the idea of baby making.
Shit. Was she really thinking that while the guy was reading her damn mind?
“On that note, I’m going to pretend to be a gentleman and leave you to it, sweetheart.”
As one could assume it would, things were majorly painful at the bank. Firstly, they made a fuss about the cat.
“Animals aren’t permitted in here, sir.”
“You see this?” he asked, pointing to their revolving door. “This is a No Dog sign. Where exactly have you seen any sign forbidding cats?”
Princess Momo punctuated his speech with an indignant “meow!”
Then it turns out, no cashier in sight had the authority to move a million and when they finally found someone who could, they asked him for identification.
Rum didn’t have any other choice than to use a spell or two, in the end. Which didn’t matter because he was going to have a baby – and soon, too.
He had to hold on to the counter and bite his lips when he recalled the way Aria had thought of the baby making process.
Fuck. She hadn’t seen him yet and for the first time in his life, he wondered whether a woman might like him. There was a chance she might not be into him, right? Some people didn’t like tall, chiseled, tanned blond guys with piercing blue eyes.
Okay, he might not be able to come up with one example, but there was always a first.
“Any reference you’d like me to add?”
“Please. Touch her and you’re dead would do.”
They were dead anyway but no need to specify.
“All done, Mr. Prince. Here’s your receipt.”
About fucking time. Two minutes later, he was back on the road.
Aria knew the minute Rumpelstiltskin came through, because that’s when angry, hurried footsteps could be heard, heading towards her room.
She was a lot of things – angry, frightened – but not surprised. She’d seen the glint in the guy’s eyes.
The president of what was obviously a pathetic gang had been with four guys at the time, but he’d made it abundantly clear he liked what he saw, undressing her with his eyes and smirking like the creep he was.
But they had rules and he’d stuck to them, giving her an out if she could give them what her parents owed.
It made zero sense, given the fact that the debt had just about nothing to do with her, but well.
She was pretty sure he’d believed she wouldn’t manage to gather the funds – if it hadn’t been for the fact that a mysterious fay had decided to give her a hand, she never would have.
Aria thought of Rumplestiltskin, wishing she had a way to contact him, but then, she remembered.
Why would she need him at all? She was a perfectly competent, confident, independent woman. She could take care of herself.
She got up and stood next to the door just in time to see the large guy with a jacket adorned with a P push it open and enter her room.
She didn’t hesitate. With everything she had in her, she kicked him right between the legs, and he sank to his knees, like every guy who’d ever deserved that.
Although she might have liked to relish on her victory and allow herself an evil laugh or two, her priority was getting the fuck out of there – knowing that the left side of the corridor led directly to the vast lounge downstairs, she headed right, nervously biting her lips.
Fuck, she hadn’t thought things through, had she? There only were bedrooms left, and some were occupied.
Okay. She’d proved it to herself: she could kick ass, her pride was completely and utterly satisfied.
Could Rumpelstiltskin show the fuck up, now?
She was even more stunning in person; and damn, he couldn’t believe she’d actually kicked a grown man’s nuts before running for it.
“You called, cat lady?”
Aria turned and star
ed numbly for what felt like a good century or so.
Then, she just laughed, pointing her finger at him.
“That’s not exactly what I would call socially acceptable behavior, to my understanding.”
“Not acceptable? I’ll tell you what’s not acceptable. Your hair. It floats, Rumpelstiltskin. And your face. There’s no imperfection. None. You’re airbrushed. Damn, couldn’t you have, like, one little wart?”
He smirked at her rumbling.
“You’re one to talk.”
He could have turned all those accusations around. Her hair was a mess and it looked purposeful – like it had been styled that way for a movie. Her hourglass shape was slender, eerie, and damn. Those tantalizing dark eyes.
“I’m exotic, and that’s hot,” she admitted unabashedly. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t look like a troll next to you.”
Rum glared steadily, before announcing.
“I wouldn’t recommend you insult yourself in front of me ever again, Aria. I’ll let this one pass as we’re on a schedule, but I wouldn’t hesitate to spank you for this.”
Panties: soaked. She had no clue why that was hot.
“Now if you wouldn’t mind?”
He extended his hand and when she gave him hers, a warm, tingly frisson travelled all the way to the tips of her hair.
He pulled until she was in his arms, and fuck, but he smelled so good.
She may very well have been mistaken, but she thought heard him growl.
“Hold on tight, sweet.”
She barely had the time to do as he asked; the next second, gone was the long metallic corridor: she was standing in a large, luxurious room with beige and gold everywhere.
She smiled, amused at the fact that her own bedroom was decorated exactly the same way. It wasn’t the only familiar element either.
“Meow.”
Princess Momo had claimed a regal, lion clawed, plush three seater and apparently, Rumpelstiltskin had nothing against it: he’d set up her food and water around it for her convenience. If Aria wasn’t mistaken, he was feeding her salmon.