What would she do if life wasn’t that way? What would she do right now, right here, if she really were free?
The heat and the glow coming off Kyne felt like sunlight on her skin, familiar and enticing, as if she could let down her guard and let go of duty and responsibility. For a moment she almost thought about giving in to the feeling, finding out just what it was she did feel inside. A fish splashing below brought her back to reality, though, and she was glad for it.
If what Kyne was making her yearn for was freedom, then freedom was terrifying.
“Fairies are free,” she said sharply. “We’ve managed the humans this way for centuries. Who are we to say things ought to be changed?”
“I bet you’d change things if you didn’t enjoy granting these kinds of wishes so much,” he said with a warm, smoky laugh.
Infuriating.
“Leave me alone, Kyne. You’ve sprouted too many daffodils, or something.”
“I don’t do daffodils. I do summer flowers. If you weren’t so busy helping humans copulate you might notice the difference.”
“I grant wishes. It hardly matters to me whether they’re for an hour of sweating and strange noises or for a new pair of shoes.”
“I’ve never seen you peeking through windows to watch shoes, though.”
She glared at him, wondering how he could be so beautiful and so annoying all at the same time.
“I grant the wishes they want, Kyne. I follow the Great Code; I keep our laws and protect the Veil. You can go back to the Fairy Council and tell them that. The Forbidden Realm is safe because I keep the humans distracted and content.”
“And sex is the only thing that will do that for them? Surely they must have some higher qualities.”
She shrugged. “Not that I’ve noticed. The males seem especially single-minded.”
“You sound just like the council,” he said, nearly hissing his words. “Humans are base, brutish creatures, they say, and we must dedicate our lives to managing them. Well, I say there’s another way. There’s got to be some other way.”
“They’re earth creatures, Kyne,” she said gently, hoping to soothe the new fury that radiated off him. “They’re not of the air, like us. Since their animal lust doesn’t affect us, what does it matter what wishes we grant?”
“Are you sure their lust doesn’t affect you?” he asked.
“Of course it doesn’t.”
He stroked the air for a moment, then pinned her with his eyes.
“Well then, I propose a bet. I say you have exaggerated the importance of this human need for passion. I say you grant the wishes you wish to grant. Humans are more sensible than you give them credit for being. When not distracted by moonlight and Fairy Dust and your sordid curiosity, they would make a more rational wish.”
“What? All right, Kyne, I’ll take your bet. Now how shall I prove that you don’t know the first thing about human sexuality?”
“A virgin.”
“A what?”
“A virgin,” he repeated, still smiling. “I take it you don’t see too many of those.”
“I most certainly do.” She smiled back. “They are some of my most ardent wishers!”
“Then this should be a fair test.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. All it will prove is what I’ve been saying all along.”
“Maybe, and maybe not. As long as you follow the rules. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Tell me your terms.”
“It’s simple,” he said. “If you can find one of these virgins wishing for a partner, offer her this option: you’ll grant any three wishes in the world—money, good health, popularity, whatever—or you’ll grant her one night of physical coupling with the partner of her choice.”
“You want me to be seen by a human? But that’s… forbidden!”
“Is that your excuse for backing out?”
“You’re just trying to catch me breaking the rules so you can go running to the council.”
“Maybe I ought to do that now, since you obviously can’t defend your claim that all these disgusting wishes are necessary…”
“They are! It keeps humans out of our Realm. Very well, I’ll play your games. I’ll give the virgin your option. I suppose you won’t turn me in if I use some Forgetful Dust on her afterward? I won’t put the Veil in danger of detection just for your stupid bet, Kyne.”
“Agreed. Once the experiment is completed, your virgin can’t have any memories of magic.”
“It’s a stupid bet, Kyne. You’ll lose for sure.”
“No, I wasn’t finished with my terms. There’s a stipulation. If your virgin takes the other wishes, she gets them free and clear. If she takes the animal passion, all she gets is twenty-four hours. After that, she is wiped from her partner’s mind and she goes back to her normal, clueless life, dull and passionless as it was before.”
“But…”
He gave a fiery grin and hovered over her.
“No buts, Raea. This is my wager, and I’ll give you a whole week to accomplish it. Do you still say you’ve been granting the right wishes all along? Or are you ready to admit your motives are less than pure?”
“I’ll take your stupid wager, Kyne. So what do I win when you lose?”
He thought for a moment, smiling that lopsided, sizzling grin that was really starting to bug her. His golden eyes studied her carefully and his skin was taking on a bronze shimmer under the starry sky. Was the night air getting chilly? It must be, although Raea could never remember being affected by weather temperatures before. But something was making her skin prickle.
“If you win, I’ll give the Fairy Council a glowing report about you,” he said.
“You ought to do that anyway.”
“You’re pretty sure of yourself.”
“I can afford to be,” she said, giving him a heated grin of her own.
“And you’re not the least bit worried what I’ll expect on the off chance I might win?”
“All right, tell me. What would you expect me to do if—by some miracle—you win?”
“Grant a wish, of course.”
By the Skies, what was he up to, asking for wishes? Not that it mattered, of course. She was going to win this without half trying. Kyne and his stupid wager were doomed.
She nodded and held up her hand. “All right, the bet’s on, Kyne.”
He smiled and laced his fingers through hers in the familiar Fairy Covenant. It didn’t feel like the usual covenant grip, though. She wasn’t sure what it was, but darned if more strange prickly sensations didn’t start out in her fingers and travel through her arm. To her surprise, in seconds her whole body was tingling and warm.
Well, so much for blaming it on the cold night air. Parts of her were positively burning. What was wrong with her tonight? She pulled her hand away quickly, throwing off her balance so that she tottered a bit.
“I need to get back to work,” she said, fluttering madly to regain equilibrium. “I’ll see you later. When I watch you deliver my glowing report to the council.”
“Or perhaps when you’re granting my wish,” he said, searing her with a smoldering leer.
“Enjoy the rest of your night, Kyne,” she said as she spun and headed off in whatever direction would take her away from him.
“I’ve enjoyed it so far,” he called back behind her.
She ignored him and shook her head, trying to be rid of the feel of his eyes on her. Was there something off with the moon phases, perhaps? She felt strange.
She waited until she was nearly to shore, then glanced backward to watch Kyne dart off, his form so much more solid and defined beneath his orange glow than she was accustomed to seeing. He was not like other fairies. Maybe that explained why she had such a hard time figuring him out. Kyne was somehow… different.
Not that she was prepared to speculate on what that difference might be. Her mind was just running away from her, that was all. She was not ab
out to let herself wonder if maybe, just maybe, those rumors about him could possibly bear any truth. They were ridiculous, after all. No one could possibly take any of them seriously.
Kyne—it was said—was half human.
Also by Serena Gilley
Kissed by the Wave
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Available from Forever Yours
Book 1 in the Forbidden Realm series
Beyond the limits of sight, magical beings live in the Forbidden Realm. The two worlds were once connected, but the desires of man forced their separation. Now, desire may bring them back together…
Aliya is a mermaid with an obsession. Though contact with humans is strictly forbidden, she can’t seem to stay away from the incredibly handsome Devin, who visits her lake night after night. Her body and soul have never been drawn to anyone like this before. Deciding that her longing for Devin is worth the risk, she goes to him. As their lust for each other deepens, Aliya grows to need his touch as much as she needs water.
Devin believed Aliya was a perfect fantasy his mind created—until the breathtaking mermaid swims to shore. Courtesy of a magical wish, Aliya is newly human, and she and Devin give in to their passion again and again. But Aliya’s mortal form is only temporary. If they don’t have the strength to part ways when the time comes, their illicit love could rock the balance between the realms forever…
* * *
Coming February 2015
Book 2 in the Forbidden Realm series
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
About the Author
A Preview of Licked by the Flame
An Excerpt from Kissed by the Wave
Also by Serena Gilley
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Newsletters
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Susan Gee Heino
Excerpt from Licked by the Flame copyright © 2014 by Susan Gee Heino
Excerpt from Kissed by the Wave copyright © 2014 by Susan Gee Heino
Cover design by Christine Foltzer
Cover copyright © 2014 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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First ebook edition: October 2014
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ISBN 978-1-4555-8453-6
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By the Magic of Starlight (The Forbidden Realm) Page 12