by Logan Jacobs
“I’ll make sure to do that.” The cook chuckled as he handed me my breakfast. “Have a good day, Milton!”
“It’s been a good day for the last week! Thanks, Sal!” I called back as I made my way through the crowd of hungry Fae to find my team.
They were seated at their usual table in the front of the hall, and also, as usual, the surrounding space was completely devoid of any other Fae. When I first arrived, I thought it was because people were scared of them, but now I knew that wasn’t the case. Fae left the space empty as a sign of respect and to allow the elite team proper space to formulate plans and discussions. I wasn’t completely accustomed to all Fae manners and traditions, but I was slowly getting there.
“Yo, Milton, did you have a good night?” Kalista asked as soon as I plopped my giant omelet on the wooden table. The half-dwarf waggled her eyebrows at me in a way uniquely Kalista, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Over the last few weeks, I’d gotten very used to the dwarf’s odd behaviors, especially the way she just blurted out whatever came to her mind. At first, it threw me off and made me a bit wary of the small woman, but I quickly realized underneath her tough exterior, Kal was one of the sweetest people I’d ever met. She had a great heart and was absolutely brilliant. And she was hot. All of those things were a very good combination.
“What ever do you mean, Kal?” I played it coy.
“Don’t play dumb, Milton,” the dwarf shot back playfully. “I saw the way Ariette was looking at you in line. You guys totally banged.”
“Are you jealous?” I winked at the short techie.
“Fuck yes I’m jealous!” Kalista grinned. “Who wouldn’t be?”
“You’ll get your turn soon enough,” I shot back playfully. “If you play your cards right, that is.”
“Oh, I know.” The dwarf grinned back at me, and her violet eyes danced with mischief and excitement.
“Alright, you two, we get it, we get it.” Danira chuckled from her space across the table from me. “Kal wants to get a turn at riding the Milton-mobile.”
The tough commander was busy with a bagel and strawberry cream cheese, and she hardly spared us a glance as she rolled her eyes in light-hearted fun.
Ariette came up behind me then, and then she set a plate piled high with strawberries and chocolate croissants to my left. “Next time, HC, I’ll beat you,” the elf promised with narrowed eyes. Ariette plopped down in her seat and picked up a fresh pastry. The Fae studied the croissant for a second, pushed it into her mouth, and gulped it down happily.
“Milton actually won at something?” Maaren asked from her vantage point across the table. The faux awe in her voice was apparent as she looked at me with a dramatically shocked expression.
“Not fairly,” Ariette mumbled through a mouth full of pastry. “I didn’t even know we were in a competition until he was already halfway down the hall.”
“Speaking of winning,” I said as I turned to Maaren, “what was your time?”
Instantly, the hunter’s face fell, and she let out a prolonged, annoyed sigh.
“Eleven minutes and two seconds,” she muttered. Her green eyes came back up to meet mine in a silent dare to laugh.
“Wellll,” I said, and drew out the word to brag about my victory, “I guess that means you’ve got a gun to clean today.”
“I think Ariette has already done that for you,” Kal giggled.
“Fine,” Maaren huffed in response, “but just you wait, Milton, I’m going to come up with a bet I’ll win, and you’ll have to clean my car for a whole month!”
“Oh please,” I shot back impishly, “nobody can beat the Racmoth!”
I held up my hands like an old Roman senator, and Kalista giggled. Then, I turned my complete attention to the plate of delicious food that steamed in front of me. I was lost in the flavor as I shoveled forkful after forkful into my mouth. There was something about Fae food that just made it so much better than human food even if it used the same ingredients and recipes. The omelet Sal had made was the perfect balance of cheesy, creamy, and salty, and the bacon gave the meal a satisfying crunch to top it all off. I shoveled the omelet into my mouth happily, stopping every now and again to savor its succulent flavors.
“So, um, my paperwork went through this morning,” Maaren suddenly said in a small voice.
I looked up in excitement to see her huddled over her plate as she chewed nervously on her bottom lip and threw meek glances at the rest of us.
“It looks like I’m one of you now, I guess,” the auburn-haired woman giggled awkwardly.
“Welcome to the team!” I replied jovially, and then I put my hand out for a high five.
She returned it with a tentative smile. “Thank you.”
Ever since Danira suggested Maaren make her position on our team permanent, the hunter had acted like she was walking on thin ice with the rest of us. I was sure it was a strange idea for her to go from working alone to suddenly being part of a team, especially a team as tight knit as we were, but we all wanted her with us. Despite the fact that I was incredibly attracted to her, she was a valuable asset and she was fun. Not to mention, her brother saved my life, so I at least owed it to him to look out for the Unseelie Fae.
“That’s great, Maaren!” Ariette exclaimed next to me, and the elf cracked a bright smile.
“Really?” Maaren asked, and her face lit up a little as she looked at the four of us.
We all nodded enthusiastically in response, and Maaren’s blue cheeks flushed a darker navy than I thought was possible. She may have been embarrassed, but I thought it was adorable. The hunter was still a little unsure around us, but I wanted to make her feel welcome. I thought about it for a minute, and then a sly grin broke out across my face as an idea came to me.
“How about we celebrate with a little friendly competition?” I suggested as I threw a glance at Kalista and then tilted my head slightly toward Maaren.
The dwarf seemed to pick up on my logic quickly.
“Ooohh that’s brilliant, Milton,” Kalista cried out as she clapped her hands. “And fun. Fun and brilliant. Frilliant, if you will.”
“That’s not a real word,” Ariette scoffed.
“Anything is a real word if you want it to be,” the dwarf corrected. “All you have to do is believe.”
The other three women at the table stared at me in expectation. Well, Maaren and Ariette looked expectant. Danira just snorted and rolled her eyes.
“Yeah,” Danira said as she rose from the table. “You four have fun with that. Don’t get anybody killed.”
Then the commander walked off, and Ariette turned to me with a quirked eyebrow.
“What kind of competition are we talking about, here?” the elf questioned.
“Oh, you know, the kind where we all get to show off to each other, and I get to beat you three,” I replied proudly.
“You sound sure of that,” Maaren teased. “If it’s going to be a proper competition, then there needs to be a prize.”
I glanced at the hunter to find her smiling at me, and there even seemed to be a glint of gratitude in her eyes like she knew what I was doing. I grinned back in return.
“So what kinda prize we talking?” I asked as I waggled my eyebrows at the three women around me. Silence settled over the table as we all considered the question.
“How about... whoever wins gets to take all three shares of the next bounty?” Ariette piped up thoughtfully, and then a sharp grin stretched across her face. “I could get a car and a half then.”
“I like the way you’re thinking.” I nodded. “But how about we do something that won’t bankrupt us for the next month?”
“What do you suggest, then?” the elf mused.
“How about… Whoever wins gets to pick out our guild outfits?” I suggested. “We’re a team, right? Shouldn’t we all be wearing matching uniforms?”
“Uh, I don’t think we can afford matching uniforms quite yet,” Kal interjected. “We have qui
te a long way to go before we get to that level of sexy beast.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t make the decision now.” I shrugged. “When we get rich enough to buy matching uniforms, whoever wins will get to pick them out. Deal?”
“Deal,” all three of my friends said in unison.
Ariette narrowed her eyes at me, but then she leaned over and slid her hand up my thigh. I gulped silently as my cock twitched in my pants. Damn my body for being so responsive to these insanely hot women.
“Oh, I think this will be fun,” the elf purred as she squeezed my inner thigh, “I hope you like spandex. Those will show off your package quite well.” She winked, and my mouth went dry.
“You’re on,” I croaked.
“Yes, I love it,” Kalista said enthusiastically as she slapped her hands down on the table, but I could tell the wheels in her head were already spinning in thought.
I turned to Maaren and raised my eyebrows as we waited for her answer. A slow smile spread across the hunter’s face, and then she leaned over the table and gave me a perfect view of her amazing breasts. I was definitely on my way to a full blown erection.
“Deal,” Maaren purred finally, and her eyes never left mine. “Just for the record, if I win, we’re all wearing black.”
“Meet me on the back field in ten minutes!” Kalista exclaimed before she bustled off and dashed out of the dining hall. I watched her compact form crash into a shimmery pink nymph and angry looking satyr as she hurried to do … whatever it is she wanted to do.
“Do either of you know what she has planned for our competition?” I asked Maaren and Ariette. Both shook their heads slowly, but they looked excited all the same.
“Whatever it is, you can bet your ass I’ll beat you at it,” Maaren responded as she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms behind her head. The position pushed out her breasts in a fantastic way, and I tried not to drool on the table.
“And then I’ll beat you, hunter,” Ariette added calmly as she examined her nails.
When they had first met, a challenge like that would have made me nervous, but I knew from the glimmer in Ariette’s eyes it was all in fun.
“Ariette!” someone suddenly shouted from across the dining hall, and the voice derailed all thoughts of sexy competition.
“Oh no,” Ariette muttered as she sunk in her seat and bit into a plump strawberry.
“What is it?” Maaren asked worriedly.
Ariette and I shared a disgruntled glance.
“Arendor,” we said in unison.
As if on cue, the male elf emerged from the crowd of Fae. He shoved a dryad to the side and an annoyed screech left her mouth, but the tall elf didn’t seem to notice, much less care. His eyes were fixated on Ariette, even as she tried to shrink into my side and make herself totally nonexistent.
I hadn’t spoken to the guy since the bank incident over a week ago, and a part of me had hoped he’d decided to leave me and my team alone. But alas, my fantasies weren’t true, and here he was.
“Ariette,” he sighed out as if she was the long lost cure for some chronic disease he had. Without even asking, the elf swung his leg over the bench seat and straddled it. His acrid breath invaded her personal space so much I could smell it from behind her, and I didn’t even try to hide my gag as the stench hit my nostrils.
“Arendor,” Ariette responded, and she made no attempt to hide the disgust in her voice.
“I’ve been looking for you all week!” he exclaimed as if they were long lost lovers, and she’d been forcefully taken from his presence.
“I’ve been here the whole time,” Ariette snarked. “What, did you lose track of time staring at yourself in the mirror again?”
“That hasn’t happened in years,” the tall elf scoffed. “And even then, it was only one incident.”
Across the table, Maaren let out a surprised laugh that she quickly morphed into a terribly fake cough. Arendor, though, acted as if he didn’t even hear it and just plodded on.
“I wanted to congratulate you,” he said shyly as he placed his hand on the table less than a centimeter from where Ariette’s fingers lay.
Not very discreetly, the elven warrior picked up her hand and plopped it into my lap. From any outside perspective, the grip she had on my thigh would seem friendly and a bit sensual, but I could feel the sting of her nails as they dug into my skin through the material of my pants. I supposed it was better for her to cut my leg open than to tear Arendor’s head from his neck. The latter would probably get her thrown in jail although I’d be lying if I said it wouldn’t be entertaining to watch.
“Well, thanks so much for that!” Ariette exclaimed with fake appreciation. “Now, I’ll let you get back to your breakfast.”
She turned quickly away from him so she faced me, which meant I saw her face twist in anger when Arendor placed his right hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I also wanted--”
“Oh my God, you guys!” Maaren suddenly shouted, and her overly loud voice made both Ariette and I jump in shock. “We’ll be late to meet Kal, you know, for that super special event we have.”
The hunter widened her emerald green eyes at us, but she didn’t have to tell either one of us twice. I could already feel my palms sweat with the urge to punch Arendor right in his snide, ugly face. Except it wasn’t actually ugly at all, which made it much, much worse.
“Right,” I chimed in, “the special event. Gee, sorry dude, we have to get going or Kalista will just have our heads.”
“Yep, we don’t want that,” Ariette added as she stood and roughly knocked Arendor’s hand from her body.
He stood too, but when he was met with only Ariette’s back, his smile fell.
“Oh, okay, well, I’ll just see you around, then,” he called after Ariette as she raced to get away.
“Not if I can help it,” the blonde muttered as we strode out of the dining hall.
It only took Maaren about two seconds before she burst into raucous laughter. Heads turned as the hunter doubled over, and her bare blue shoulder shook as she tried to compose herself.
“That … was… absolutely pathetic,” she coughed out after a moment. Her green eyes danced with glee when she was finally able to stand back up and breathe normally. “What is his damage?”
“He doesn’t know how to take a hint, even the ones that are as subtle as a nuclear explosion.” Ariette responded with a heavy eye roll. “I need to figure out some way to get his ass transferred to another guild.”
“Maybe another day,” Maaren said as she glanced at her watch. “I actually wasn’t kidding back there. It’s been ten minutes. We should get to the field and see just what game Kalista has devised for me to kick Milton’s ass in.”
As was Kalista’s style, the dwarf did not disappoint. By the time the three of us reached the designated meeting spot, Kalista had already set up a makeshift track. She also found some shiny green ribbon and laid four strands parallel to each other to create three lanes. At the far end, about fifty yards away, the dwarf had planted two swords upside down into the ground and strung twine between them to create a finish line.
Just beyond the end of the makeshift racetrack, I saw the pond behind the Jefferson Guild, and I noticed a mermaid perched on the rock in the center as she stared at us. Next to the pond was a collection of tall oak trees. At the top of one, the light green flag of the Jefferson guild had been set up, and it waved in the early summer breeze. The flag was such a light color it was almost white, and the forest green symbol of the guild shone brightly in the middle. The Guild’s symbol was a thin circle with a sharp sword that ran directly through its center.
Kalista waited at the beginning of the lanes, just outside the huge metal door that led into the guild hall. She sat on the grass and stared proudly at her creation while we approached. Then her violet eyes lit up with excitement and amusement when she saw our confused expressions.
“What, exactly, is a race supposed
to do, Kal?” Maaren asked skeptically.
“Uh, it’s not just any race,” Kalista replied as she stood and surveyed the three of us with her hands planted squarely on her hips. She was silent for a long moment as she savored the hold she had over the three of us.
“Kal,” Ariette said finally, “you do have to actually tell us what it is. I want to get to work beating these two.”
“Please!” Maaren exclaimed as she playfully shoved the elf’s shoulder.
In the two weeks since we met her, since she filed a request to join Danira’s team, the hunter had begun to let down her guard more and more. She was still a badass assassin and very often still a bit quiet and nervous, but now she smiled more, laughed harder. It seemed she had been in desperate need of some friends. I really hoped this competition would help her to feel like she fit in completely and, then maybe she would let her guard down all the time.
I suddenly heard some whispers behind me and turned around to find a rather large gathering of Fae had turned out to watch the festivities. I spied the nymph and satyr who Kalista shoved aside on her way out of the dining hall, and a healthy mixture of fairies, dwarves, elves, and a few other creatures. Sal was in the crowd, and he gave me a cheerful wave and waggled his eyebrows in a not so secretive manner. I chuckled and smiled back at him.
“Milton,” Kalista barked and clapped her hands loudly to get me to turn back around. “Listen up.”
The dwarf was all business as she strode in front of the three of us like an army general in an old movie. Her violet eyes roamed up and down our bodies and she set her face into a scowl.
“You three will start from here,” she ordered as she pointed at the beginning of the three lanes, “and run to the finish line.” Now, she pointed to where the swords were stuck in the ground. “Then, you’ll swim across the pond and climb that tree before you’ll run back around the pond and return here. The first one to get to the flag and bring it all the way back here wins. But, the flag can be stolen by another competitor all the way up to the moment it’s in my hands, so beware! ”
Kalista did her best not to shout the last word, but it was clear she was extremely proud of this game she had derived.