by Kit Fawkes
Chapter Thirteen
They followed her. Of course they did, and North wasn’t surprised that they had done so. When she stopped fleeing in a panic and had a chance to calm down and think, it was no surprise to see the six of them emerge from the shadows to surround her in a semi-circle. She leaned against a nearby cement retainer wall, uncaring about any damage it might do to the dress. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at them for a long moment without speaking. “This isn’t fair.”
“What exactly isn’t fair?” asked Marek.
North gave him a look full of disbelief. “All of this. Caius just expects me to step into a role he’s designated for me, and I had no idea about any of this until two days ago. That’s hardly enough time to process anything, let alone run headlong into what you all expect from me. I haven’t even had a chance to explore this realm, since I’ve been living with my father all these years in the cabin, and you expect me to just hop into the next one? That’s not fair.”
“No, it isn’t fair.” Ryland moved closer, putting an arm around her shoulders. “None of us are claiming it is, and I understand your reluctance, but you aren’t safe alone.”
“You don’t understand. I’ve never done anything really. I haven’t eaten out at a restaurant, or gone on a date. I’ve seen those things mentioned in books, but I’ve never experienced them. Now that I have a chance to, I’m supposed to turn away from my world to focus on someone else’s.”
“We can’t do much to change that, but I’m certain we can arrange a night out on the town.” Kriss seemed apathetic about the idea as he made the suggestion.
North found it anything but and immediately jumped on the idea. “Do you mean that?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You not talking about when I come back, are you? Because what if I don’t come back? Something could happen to me—”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you, precious. We won’t allow it.” There was a growl in Eli’s voice as he said the words.
“Let’s go out tonight,” said Eamon. He seemed to have conquered a modicum of his shyness, and he was no longer blushing every time he looked at her.
“Sure, why not?” Marek shrugged. “We might piss off a few dignitaries in there, but who cares?”
She couldn’t discern if Marek was being serious or sarcastic, and she frowned. “Can we really?”
“Of course we can,” said Ryland as he gripped her hand and tugged her forward. “First, let’s ditch the princess getup.”
She nodded her enthusiasm about that idea as she increased her pace to keep up with Ryland’s rapid steps. They reached the van in no time, and she climbed into the passenger seat with Eamon’s assistance as he stuffed bits and pieces of the dress haphazardly inside, so he could slam the door.
“What would you like to do first?” asked Kriss.
“Ditch this dress.”
“We need to know what you want to do so we can help you figure out what to wear,” said Orin.
“Let’s just get her some jeans and comfy shoes. The last thing she wants to do is mess with another uncomfortable, ‘fashionable’ outfit.” Eli leaned forward from the seat behind her as he spoke the words so he could tug at the strap on her dress. “What is this made from? Burlap? Must be scratchy.”
She shivered as his fingers touched her bare skin, but tried to suppress the reaction. “It’s not the most comfortable thing ever. I don’t want to do the mall though,” she said with a small shudder, recalling earlier events. “If the Allises and their people are still there looking for me, that could be bad.”
“We’ll avoid the mall. I know just the place,” said Orin. He rattled off an address for Ryland, who was driving, and they turned a sharp left at the next street.
She stared at the city around her as they moved through the streets, gradually moving from the bright, clean, and modern areas to more cramped neighborhoods that looked less clean and less safe, but far more interesting.
Ryland parked the van in front of a set of brick buildings a few minutes later. The six of them climbed out first before Eamon opened her door, and she stepped out to join them. There was a chill in the air, and she shivered. Eli pulled her closer, slinging his arm over her shoulders in a casual way that felt anything but nonchalant. Her heart raced at the contact, and she burrowed closer, both to borrow some of his body heat and to revel in the new sensations coursing through her.
“This is a sketchy neighborhood,” said Kriss. “I’m not sure she’s safe even with the six of us here.”
“You worry too much,” said Orin. He crossed the sidewalk to the nearest building and pressed a button. The door swung open a moment later, and he gestured for them to follow him.
Inside, it was far different than she had expected based on the outward appearance. The lighting was dimmer than she would’ve anticipated for a clothing store, but there were multicolored lights flashing. Some kind of strange music played, and it sounded like nothing she’d heard before.
As though Orin had sensed her thoughts, he pointed to a nearby set of speakers. “It’s an ocarina, and no one plays it as well as a faerie.”
She nodded as she followed him and the others through a hallway before merging into a larger room with an assortment of strange garments. She eyed some of them doubtfully. “What happened to comfortable clothes?”
Orin gave her a half-grin as he reached into a rack and pulled out something that was dark-green. He passed it over to her via Eamon. “Just try it on. I think you’ll find it’s very comfortable.”
She took the hanger and looked around in search of a changing room. “Where?”
“Oh, my apologies for forgetting you can’t go invisible on your own. I’ll fix that.”
“I thought you did sex magic?” she blushed as she challenged him.
He gave her a sly, sexy grin. “I’d be happy to if you were willing, but I can draw on my powers in other ways too.”
As Orin traced a symbol in the air that glowed faintly green, a tingling sensation started in her body, beginning from her scalp and emanating outward. She looked down and gasped in shock when she saw only her clothing, but her body had disappeared. Even she couldn’t see it, though she could feel it when she slid her hands down her stomach and hips. “What did you do?”
“I’ve made you invisible. We can’t see anything that way.”
“You can still see me undressing.” She was scandalized by the thought.
Orin laughed. “All we’ll see is your clothing, and once you’re dressed, I’ll remove the glimmer.”
She eyed him skeptically, though he couldn’t see the expression. “Isn’t a glimmer just an illusion? How do I know I’m really invisible to all of you and not just myself?”
“He’s telling you the truth,” said Marek. He sounded gruff. “You can’t see anything but your clothing, so maybe you’d like to get on with this so we can do something fun?”
There was still a slight chance they were all colluding to fool her, but she doubted they would bother in light of the circumstances. She was going to be spending a lot of time with the six of them, supposedly choosing a husband among them, so they had little reason to trick her into getting naked. Why would they bother for a short thrill when it might jeopardize their ability to get along?
Decided, she slipped off her other clothes, though it was weird to watch them fall to the floor and not see her hands guiding them. A moment later, she slipped on the green garment he’d handed her. At first, it looked like a leotard, and it hugged her body more revealingly than she would’ve wished. It was sinfully comfortable though, and she let out a sigh as she relaxed.
“Are you ready to be visible?”
“Yes.” A moment later, that tingling sensation returned, but it started with her toes and worked its way upward. She watched in fascination as her body parts returned to view, and she could admire the green leotard she wore. “It’s pretty comfortable, but it’s too tight.” As she spoke, the fabric stretched and lengthened, draping around her
to become a floating dress and matching leggings. “Oh my God. This is amazing.”
“Fae fabric,” said Orin with a grin. “The most comfortable thing ever, and it adapts to whatever you need it to be.”
“Thank you so much.” Without thought, she launched herself at him and hugged him, only realizing what she was doing as his arms folded around her. Whatever words she planned to speak remained trapped in her throat as she looked up at him, and their gazes locked. There was definitely a spark with him, but she forced herself to step back, both because the others were there, and because she still wasn’t certain it wasn’t some sort of manipulation designed by Caius to keep her occupied and secure with her guards.
“Are you ready for a night on the town?” asked Ryland.
She nodded. “Yeah, definitely.”
The exited the shop the way they had come after Orin assured her there was no need to pay, and it would be on his tab automatically. They returned to the sidewalk, but didn’t get back in the van. Instead, they walked two blocks through rough areas to emerge onto a main street with several clubs and a string of food trucks. She marveled at how quickly things changed, morphing from the decaying neighborhood to one showing obvious signs of rejuvenation. “Where do we start?”
“Everywhere,” said Eamon with a laugh.
That sounded like a fine plan to her, and they split into smaller groups, each intending to order enough to share. She was between Ryland and Marek as they waited for falafel on a stick.
Soon enough the seven of them met back in the middle of the street, and she enjoyed new flavors she’d never tried before as she stuffed herself silly sharing various treats they had purchased from the vendors.
When she couldn’t eat another bite, North put up her hands with a laugh. “I’m full. Sorry.” That was in reply to Eli’s offer of a deep-fried cheesecake bite.
With a shrug, he popped the last one in his mouth. “Your loss.” He chewed with relish, and the muscles in his throat were strong and sure. Watching him eat was an unexpected reminder that he was a shifter, and she could see elements of the wolf in him.
“Let’s dance,” said Ryland as he took her hand, tugging her farther down the street to where a line waited entry into a room whose flashing lights were visible even from the street.
“How long do we have to wait?” As she asked the question, a man standing at the front of the line facing their way crooked his fingers in her direction. She looked back at her companions in doubt. “Is he talking to me?”
“He’d better be talking all of us,” said Kriss with a grimace. “Where you go, we go.”
“He’s not likely to refuse us entry,” said Marek with a hint of arrogance. Kriss nodded, and it seemed they had found at least one element of common ground as they strode forward, forming an impenetrable wall in front of her as Eli and Ryland moved to her side, and Eamon and Orin brought up the rear.
“I was talking to the lady, fellas,” said the guy with a thick accent that she couldn’t place. That shouldn’t surprise her, since she’d had little experience hearing any accents and all, and the only foreign language she knew was a smattering of French that Sam had taught her.
“I think you mean all of us, because she doesn’t go without us.”
“What are you, her bodyguards?” The guy chuckled.
She strained to see around Kriss, but he blocked her vision with his broad shoulders and widened stance. The other man grunted, and when he spoke again, he sounded out of breath. “It’s just a joke, man.”
“And it’s hilarious. Now let us in.”
She finally managed to steal a peek around Kriss’s arm in time to see the man who had tried to keep them out move the velvet rope and wave them all in. He smiled at her, but studiously ignored the men around her as he clicked the rope back in place after Eamon and Orin had passed him. “Have fun, you freaks,” he muttered.
Eli stiffened and started to growl, and the hair on his arms stood up. He turned back to the other man, but froze when North touched his arm. He sent her a questioning glance.
“Just let it go. I’d like to have fun.”
He looked reluctant as he nodded and turned back to the entrance, following the others inside. Her hand remained on his arm for a minute before the hallway narrowed and forced them to walk single file, and she was bereft at the lack of his touch.
The emerged into a dimmer room a few seconds later, and the flashing lights threatened to give her a headache. She shielded her eyes and tried to adjust, taking a moment for it all to sink in. After blinking a few times, she was more used to the change in lighting and started to relax.
“I call first dance,” said Eamon as he grabbed her hand and tugged her onto the floor.
She stood there awkwardly for a moment, understanding she was supposed to dance, but having no clue how to as Eamon started to move. He seemed to know what he was doing, and when he put his hands on her hips to help guide her, she didn’t fight it. She leaned closer to him and tried to match the rhythm he set.
The song had barely finished when Ryland was there, taking her into his arms and away from Eamon’s. It was another fast beat, and he moved around behind her, placing his hands on her hips and guiding her back against his front. She stiffened slightly when she felt something hard press into her lower back, quickly gleaning what it was.
She looked doubtfully over her shoulder at him for a moment, and the heat in his eyes, which were normally colorless, but now flared a smoky amber, was enough to increase her own body temperature by a few degrees. She bit her lip and looked away, no longer brave enough to meet his gaze, let alone accept the challenge there.
He guided her through the dance, and when Marek approached at the start of the next song, Ryland made no attempt to move away. Marek didn’t yield either, and she found herself pressed between the two of them, unsure if they were dancing or fighting as they feinted and parried back and forth, though there were no weapons between them. Just her.
Despite whatever tension remained between them, she couldn’t deny being between them was a pleasant position. Her head spun as Marek put his hands on her hips just above where Ryland held her, guiding her forward until her front pressed against his. His chest and stomach were rock-hard when she rested her hand against his shirt, and it was natural to curl her other hand around his waist, digging her fingers lightly into the soft cloth covering his back.
“It’s the next song,” said Eli with a snarl when he was suddenly at her side, tugging her from between the two of them. He wrapped his arms firmly around her and guided her toward a less-lit spot. The music was fast, but he wasn’t keeping up with the rhythm. He moved toward a slower pace, and his scent enveloped her. He overwhelmed all of her senses, and she snuggled closer, though it probably wasn’t the wisest thing she could do. “You don’t like to dance in more than pairs?”
“I don’t like to share.” There was definitely an animalistic undertone to his words.
She couldn’t say what prompted her boldness, but she stopped moving. North put her hands on his shoulders as she looked up at him. “What if you had to share?”
His eyes widened. “Nobody mentioned that as part of the deal.”
She shrugged. “I’m just wondering if you could, if you had to? Didn’t you ever share your toys?”
He shrugged. “I have six brothers and sisters, and I come from a huge pack. Of course I shared my toys. But we’re not talking about a toy, are we?”
“No, we aren’t.” Still keeping her gaze locked with his, she took a deep breath. “Would you be able to share me, if that was the decision I made?” Just asking the question made her lightheaded, and contemplating the idea of taking even two of them, let alone more, as her husbands was enough to make her feel faint. It also sent her heart rate skyrocketing, and a frisson of excitement raced down her spine.
He looked grumpy. “I’ll do anything you ask of me, but I hope you don’t ask that.”
“For now, let’s just dance.”
After finishing her dance with Eli, she was in Kriss’s arms. He seemed as hopeless as she was on the dance floor, so they just scooted and shuffled around a bit, ignoring the pitying looks of the men around them. She moved closer to put her arms around him and lay her head against his chest. “I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who can’t dance.”
“I guess I’d be willing to learn for you.”
At the next song, he handed her off to Orin, though he seemed reluctant to do so despite his lack of moves on the dance floor. She was torn, not wanting to let go of him, but also anxious to grab hold of Orin.
“Nice outfit,” he said with a wink.
She frowned at him before looking down, surprised to see the Fae fabric had melded into a short, sequined dress similar to the ones the other women in the club wore. “I didn’t even notice.”
“It’s amazing fabric, and the better the weaver, the more intuitive the fabric. My sister is one of the best Elven weavers around.”
She trailed a hand around the hem of the dress, finding it felt just like sequins, though she could barely feel the fabric against her skin. “Your sister made this?”
“She wove the fabric, but it could’ve been one of her assistants who actually sewed the garment. Mariwyn is much too busy for the menial tasks.” He said the words in a slightly falsetto voice that suggested he was mocking his sister, but there was a playfulness underlying his tone that indicated he wasn’t being malicious.
“Once again, thank you for turning me onto this. I love it.”
Orin wore a mischievous expression, and his brown eyes darkened slightly, though somehow managed to sparkle like diamonds under the light above them. “I’m happy to turn you on anytime you’d like, North.”
She froze, uncertain how to react for a moment. He was definitely flirting with her, and she should treat it as a harmless interaction, and not get paralyzed with shyness. She couldn’t seem to manage to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth long enough to reply.