Forever (Book #3 in the Fateful Series)

by Schmidt, Cheri

“There were tiny fairy toes,” she offered in a lame attempt at explaining.

  A pause, and then he asked, “What?” Her blurry vision touched on his momentarily, but even as fuzzy as he was, she could see the perplexed expression on his face.

  Trying to be clearer, she added, “A fairy baby in one of the fairy knots.”

  When silence again came, she realized she wasn’t making much sense at all and tried a second time to clarify. “I mean, I looked into one of the fairy homes, it was a knot instead of a tree house, and there was a fairy holding a baby.”

  “Ah,” he said softly as understanding changed his expression.

  Ethan just held her for several quiet moments with his hand moving over her hair and her back. She’d soaked both his shirts and sniffed again when he finally murmured in a gentle voice, “Would you like to try again?”

  Pulling back in surprise, she looked into his face. Was he really suggesting they try to have another baby? “But we can’t.”

  “Why can’t we?”

  “Well, the werewolves for one.”

  “That’s why we’re here.”

  “And the pixies.”

  “Another thing they can help us with.”

  “But who is helping the werewolves?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I doubt there are many who are more powerful than the fairies.”

  “But ... they’re so small.”

  “That doesn’t matter either,” he repeated.

  She blinked and refocused on Ethan’s face, somewhat. Her eyes still swam with unshed tears. But when he smiled and she saw many colored lights dance across the reflection of the glasses shielding his sapphire eyes, she turned around.

  A procession of fairies had filled the clearing. As they bent over the grass, they twirled their wands in the air. A shower of sparks fell and twisted like tendrils of glittering smoke, and by magic a table appeared. It was laden with plates, each one piled high with food. The fare looked like it was proportioned for humans, as did the table, but it was embellished and decorated more like it was fit only for fey. A three-tiered cake towered above everything else in the center. The frosting was white and it was embellished with sugar-coated apple blossoms that glittered in the waning sunlight.

  After wiping her cheeks dry, she took Ethan’s hand into hers and drew closer to the table as the fairies conjured moss-cushioned chairs and three candelabra, each one holding six long candles. A lone fairy zigzagged up the table lighting each one with a strange green flame.

  Slightly awestruck and more than slightly relieved they’d distracted her from their grief, Danielle stepped around the ring of mushrooms used for marking the fairy dance floor. On her past visits, the fairies had been extremely strict about making sure they never stepped within the ring. She didn’t know why but she suspected it had to do with the fact that the ring was probably enchanted in some way.

  The fairies had thrown them a party before. They’d danced into the late hours of the night around the mushrooms she was moving past at the moment. They’d usually brought their own food too, only eating the fresh berries that had been offered and nothing more. Except for when she’d fainted and they’d given her the magical berry juice to heal her.

  “Why the big feast?” she asked because this was different from their past visits.

  Ethan halted their momentum and she swung her gaze to his face. Her ponytail swatted her against the cheek with the action. When he didn’t speak right away, and because he looked just as awestruck as she felt, she asked, “What is it?”

  “We always brought food with us because their food is laden with magic.”

  “But we ate the berries.”

  “That’s because those had been picked fresh from a plant and not prepared by them.”

  She thought about that a moment. “But the juice that healed me had been prepared by them, hadn’t it?”

  “Yes, but you needed it then, and only then,” he said. “That juice in large and continued quantities could’ve done something strange to you.”

  “Oh,” she said, now understanding. “So could it hurt us to eat so much, then?” As she asked this, Danielle eyed something that looked like strawberry tarts. Her mouth was practically watering with how delectable they looked. She swallowed.

  “I don’t think so,” he said slowly, before adding, “But there could be side effects.”

  “Like what? Could we sprout wings or something?”

  “I honestly don’t know.”

  “Why did they prepare it for us then?”

  “Did you not say you needed our help against magic?” The words came in a soft but fairy-like voice at her ear. Danielle whirled around and was surprised to find Alora apparently eavesdropping. The tiny sprite was hovering at eyelevel to her and smirking like she knew a secret she wasn’t going to share.

  “Yes, but won’t this food have an adverse affect on us?” asked Ethan.

  Alora tapped one finger against her little pink mouth for a moment. Her hip was cocked to the side as her petal-beslippered feet dangled in the air. “I suppose there could be some side effects to consuming our feast but I don’t think you’ll regret it. It will not make you sick, if that’s what concerns you.”

  Danielle looked at the spread again and decided she wasn’t worried about it making her sick except for maybe eating too much of it. It just looked so good, and smelled so good, she decided, dragging in a deep breath of the aromas wafting from the long table.

  “Please, sit down and join us,” urged Alora.

  Only a few more steps brought Danielle up to the end chair where Alora encouraged her to sit. Danielle slid it back and sat down. Her fingers sank into the spongy texture of the moss-covered arms and she noticed the organic piece of furniture was actually in bloom with little white flowers. Many of the fairies joined them by conjuring miniature tables along with six chairs each right on top of the table she sat at.

  Ethan sat to her left and the guards took up the remainder of chairs surrounding the table. “But, um...” she began, meaning to point out the obvious by saying the vampires don’t usually bother to eat food since it doesn’t taste good to them anymore.

  “This is one meal they’ll actually enjoy,” said Alora.

  Cedric tossed a surprised look Alora’s way. “Truly?”

  “This feast will be able to tantalize your broken taste buds in a way nothing else can.”

  At that, Cedric snatched up a little cake with a single pansy flower on the top and popped it into his mouth. While chewing, his eyes rounded and he quickly selected another item. The other guards did the same. They looked like a bunch of boys who’d been given permission to indulge in something they’d normally be forbidden. Manners were soon discarded by all except for Richard. Of course the prince would maintain his cool, but he was sampling food just like the rest of them.

  Reaching for one of the tarts she’d been eyeing earlier, Danielle studied it. It looked ordinary enough, but she couldn’t help but think of the candies Lilith had given them, and paused with the morsel held in her fingertips. “Are you certain this won’t turn us into ... er ... something?”

  All of the fairies giggled at that. The sound was like several little bells tinkling along the table from where they sat.

  “I’ll confess, my dear, it could influence your dreams,” admitted Alora.

  “That’s all?”

  “Yes.”

  “But how will it help us against the pixies and werewolves?” Does it work like the fairies’ healing juice? she wondered as Ethan downed what they’d just brought to him.

  “This is only part of what will help you,” said Alora.

  When she realized Ethan was already reaching for a slice of the big cake she sank back into her chair and considered the tart she was still holding. With a shrug of her shoulders, she popped it into her mouth. She didn’t feel energy surge through her body like she had with the fairy juice. The flavors of crust and a burst of berry filled her mouth, and that was all. “Hmm,” Danie
lle murmured now reaching for a little bowl full of mixed fruit that had been drizzled with a pink sauce of some kind.

  Chapter 5

  Fairy-Dusted Retreat

  While Ethan and the others continued to eat, the fairies fluttered away from the table one by one, like butterflies alighting from hydrangea blooms. As their tables were vacated, the tiny furniture vanished as though they’d returned to whatever place the fairies had conjured them from.

  It wasn’t long after they’d left, that their music for the evening rose from miniature instruments. Ethan looked over at the ring and watched as the wee sprites began their dance with a procession of fairies that started high above the forest floor and spiraled down to the enchanted ring of mushrooms.

  Moonlight slanted into the scene from above. The music increased in volume and he could just pick out the ones with twig-like flutes pressed to their mouths. They produced a sound that was so organic one couldn’t resist its pull. Ethan frowned. They’d danced with the fairies before, but tonight the music sounded different to him somehow and he couldn’t fathom why.

  Mentally shrugging his shoulders at that, he returned his attention to his food. They’d dined at the table for probably an hour or more and he was growing quite full, even painfully so. This food had just been so incredibly irresistible. He took one more little cake even though he knew there would be a physical price to pay for his gluttony. This was the last one, he promised himself, as the delectable morsel dissolved against his tongue like a spoonful of honey.

  The cares that troubled his soul had lifted away as he’d entered this place earlier today. While he would never admit aloud how much he liked the fairies—because that would be a girly thing to confess—he could admit to himself that he loved it here and secretly wished they’d come back more often than they had. After this feast, he decided they would come back frequently from now on.

  It seemed there were no adverse side effects to consuming food tainted with fey magic. It’s true that he felt slightly ... what was the word? He wouldn’t say drunk exactly, because he didn’t feel out of control like that. He didn’t feel muddled either, but ... perhaps the word he was looking for was charmed. And healed, he thought, as his hand slid beneath the table and dropped to his knee. That felt even better than it had before he’d been dropped by the pixies and the juice had been the only thing where he could feel the magic work within his body.

  His gaze swung to Danielle who was licking her fingers clean of something purple and sticky-looking. Clearly she had completely forgotten her upset from earlier. The look of pleasure that curled her mouth into a contented smile told him that. He mentally thanked Alora and the other fairies for the small gift as he vowed to offer his gratitude in person later. She still wore her shirt instead of having it tied around her waist and he was grateful for that too. Ethan didn’t know how much longer he could restrain the streak of violent jealously within him when he’s caught Casanova noticing how snuggly her T-shirt hugged her fully-bloomed body.

  Making a visual pass over the table, his eyes landed on the guards. It seemed they were finished eating as well. The two who irritated him the most, Casanova and Richard, were busy talking at the far end of the table. Night had fallen and the vampires were on guard with their magic, avoiding his gaze and keeping a physical distance.

  Leaning back in his chair, he again watched his wife. The persistent beat of the music pounded through his veins and he decided he really wanted to dance. With her. “Shall we?” he asked, although he frowned at how strange his voice sounded. He couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong with it either, so he shrugged it off and reached for her hand.

  She giggled and mingled her fingers with his. “I’d love to.”

  As they moved toward the dance area, fairies flitted about, as some danced alone and others twirled like couples in love. The colorful glow coming off the fairies looked quite a bit like laser lights as they streaked from one side of the clearing to the other. And the way the darkened trees glittered with fairy dust seemed just like a mirrored ball hung somewhere unseen within this wooded place. For some odd reason, he had to concentrate really hard to find his voice when he commented on the scene. “It’s like we’re at a dance club.”

  Danielle glanced around, and it seemed like she was having as much trouble finding words as he was. “Hmm, I hadn’t thought of it like that before.” She laughed and then murmured, “I just love dancing with the fairies.”

  He loved it too, but again, that was something he couldn’t bring himself to own to verbally. Instead he grinned, and lifting her right arm, he twirled her in a circle. She staggered slightly but smiled when he led her into another spin before capturing her about the waist.

  Ethan kept Danielle well outside the ring of mushrooms where many fairies pranced on top of the red and white spotted fungi. First, he didn’t wish to step on any of them, and second, he recalled their strict warning about never wandering into the ring.

  The lilting measure slowed until it became a tender melody that moved the soul, and Danielle’s arms came up around his neck. He drew her close and smiled down at her as they began to sway to the music. Her pretty face tipped up and she returned the smile. She’d undone her hair. The braided sections of it had maintained a wave that caressed her left cheek and drew his fingers. As the silky strands slipped through his fingertips, he decided she looked like a beguiling wood-nymph with the naughty intention of stealing his heart. But she can’t steal something she already possesses, he thought with a laugh.

  The sight of her made his heart squeeze and he was easily entranced by her clear eyes that looked more like shards of steel-blue instead of brown in this subdued lighting that leached color from everything. His deep love for her rose up within him and he suddenly found it hard to breathe because he was reminded of all the things threatening to take her away. With his lungs seizing, Ethan wondered how much longer she could tolerate the danger his past had brought to her life. While leaving her would never be an option for him because that would not bring her safety, in the back of his mind he feared she might actually leave him. He was the one in danger of losing everything.... Ethan attempted to swallow whatever it was lodged in his throat. If she left him, the guards, who were much more loyal to her than him, would follow ... and then they’d move in on her. They weren’t weak and mortal like him. They didn’t need glasses like he did. He nudged them up the bridge of his nose because they’d slipped. His nostrils flared. He held his breath and ground his teeth.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, jerking him out of his internal panic with the soft-spoken query.

  Catching his eye, Danielle gave him that look of hers that told his soul she loved no one more than him, knew no one else like she knew him. It was that look that brought back such a strong sense of recognition between them that he couldn’t question how she felt about him. Somehow he knew they’d felt this way about one another for much longer than either had been alive. So why was he questioning her commitment now when he never had before? Ethan let himself breathe again. He noticed the fine tremble that had started in his fingers when he trailed the backs of them along the high bone of her cheek. But even with that knowledge in his head, he couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Please don’t ever leave me.”

  She blinked at that. “Have you lost your mind? I could never leave you.”

  Mentally shaking his head, Ethan wondered what was wrong with his brain. His thoughts were clearly not rational at all. One moment he was laughing like a fool and the next he was on the edge of sheer anxiety. “Forgive me, it seems I—”

  Danielle’s mouth mashed against his so quickly he just stood there for a moment with his eyes wide. They flickered shut as the taste of her touched his tongue and he hugged her to his chest more tightly than he should. She squeaked and he loosened his grip, but only a little. His amazing wife kissed him until she brought comfort back into his mind. Bless her. Ethan was sure she had no idea how much he needed that kiss at that moment, but he was eternally gr
ateful to her for it.

  With the change in rhythm of the music, his mood returned to his wish to dance. The tune sounded suspiciously like a samba. In the quiet depths of his thoughts, the roller coaster of emotions within him still seemed irrational, but he didn’t take the time to try and figure it out. He was surprised the fairies even knew such a tune, but he went with it anyway and led Danielle into the bouncy dance.

  Laughing and looking at him like perhaps he had lost his mind, she asked, “What is this?”

  “It sounds like a samba to me.”

  “No way!”

  With a wink, Ethan held her hand in his left and placed his right hand on her shoulder blade. “Do you know the ballroom samba?”

  “Kind of.”

  They made a pass around the fairy ring and Ethan decided she knew how to shake it better than “kind of,” the little minx. He was practically drooling with the way she rolled her hips, the way her clothes stretched over her sexy curves, the way she smirked at him with desire in her eyes. Deciding he needed to kiss her again, Ethan drew her back against his chest. His thumb found the bottom edge of her jawbone as he carefully nudged her face toward his. Stepping backward, he administered the sort of snogging she deserved for moving like that.

  As the music lulled him into a magic-induced bliss, his focus became only that and Danielle. Then in one moment he was kissing and holding her, and in the next he was blinking up at a black span of space dotted with fuzzy but colorful lights.

  What?

  “Get out of the ring, Ethan,” someone said.

  Ethan blinked, unable to even register what that meant. A groan drew his eyes to his left where he found Danielle unconscious next to him. Worried, he rose up onto his elbow and bent over her. With arms and legs sticking out at strange angles it appeared as though she’d collapsed. Ethan wondered why he hadn’t caught her before he realized he’d passed out too.

  Only then did he grasp the alarming fact that instead of being outside of the fairy ring as they had been while they’d danced, they were now inside it, exactly where they’d been told repeatedly to never go. He curled his hand around Danielle’s hip and shook her gently but urgently. “Danielle, wake up.”