by Mia Bishop
He shook his head. “When you come and go from the gate, you will maintain the last clothes you wore when you entered, since you have never been here as an adult, the gate chose something fitting for your station and gender. Sorry, it’s not as progressive on this side as it is in the human realm.” He gave her arm a little tug as he started down the path. “Tonight we need shelter. There is an inn not far from here. We are on the edge of the woods.”
“You mean a hotel?”
He laughed. “No, I mean an inn. It’s called the Rotten Apple Inn. It has a pretty rough reputation but it’s the only place near here where we will be able to get a decent night’s rest in an actual bed.”
She smiled bigger, knowing she shouldn’t like the way that sounded coming from him. He was a stranger to her, but he did have a charming way about him. In the end, she could think of worse people to be holed up with in a room.
* * * * *
A young man stepped out of the bushes and cleared his throat to get Piper’s attention. “She isn’t alone, sir.”
He watched as the blonde woman took hold of Luc’s hand and stepped through the Arch. She looked just like her mother—fair skinned, blue eyes and a petite little body that was deceptively strong and fast. Piper curled his nose in disgust. “I can see that, Aengus. We will have to finish this job on the other side of the Arch.”
“Should we alert the Big Bad Wolf as to who is guiding her?”
“No. It was always my plan to have him show up. According to the witch, those two are destined to be together. I need him as part of the plan for it all to work, but I also knew Ulric was arrogant enough to not heed my warning.” He pulled out his flute and Aengus’ eyes widened. “Don’t worry, I have nothing more in store for you tonight, my solider, but a disguise is needed for this journey.” He put the flute to his lips and played a haunting tune. Winds whipped around him, sending his blond hair dancing in the breeze. In a flash of light, his lean muscular body was transformed to a hulking, bulked-up figure. His blond hair was now shoulder length and brown. Light stubble dusted his jawline and his once-soft hands were calloused and rough.
“Shall I accompany you?”
Piper shook his head. “Return to the others and prepare them. Our army needs to be ready for the attack when the time is right. I will see that the plan stays on course but I need to work alone on this one.”
“Very well, sir. Good luck.” Aengus bowed deeply and ran off toward the Arch, disappearing instantly.
Piper grinned. “I don’t need luck. This is my destiny.” He couldn’t help but gloat to himself. All his plans were falling into place. The witch who had owed him for him luring two small children to her cottage had paid him twofold. First, she had enchanted his already magical flute. Now he could not only lure anyone he chose to follow him but he could also use it to scry, spy, hypnotize and even change his form. Secondly, she read her runes for him, laying out what could be if he could manage to put all of the pieces together. Everyone in the kingdoms on the other side of the Arch discarded him as soon as he’d done their dirty work. Most of them had even skipped on payment until he’d taken to kidnapping the children from those who refused to pay him.
Everyone assumed he’d lured those children to their deaths but in fact, he had kept them alive. Even before the witch had told him his destiny, he had been planning to use the children in some way or another against their parents. Once her vision was laid out, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’d been right. He had raised the children, training them in combat. They were his army, his legion of disposable soldiers. Granted immortality thanks to a potion brewed by the witch, the only thing that could kill them was beheading or the death of the Pied Piper himself. If he lost some of them in battle it wouldn’t matter because they meant nothing to him. The only thing that mattered to him was revenge and first thing he was setting his sights on was the territory of the Big Bad Wolf. The pack lands encompassed all of the Black Forest and bordered the Kingdom of the Beast to the west. Farther past that were the lands of the witch holding Rapunzel, Prince Phillip’s lands to the northeast and Prince Charming’s lands to the northwest. The south was shared between Maleficent in the southwest ruling the lands of the Princess Snow White and in the southeast, the deserts of sand and sun and home of the D’jinn. It was the prime hub to start his invasions, his subterfuge and his eventual power grab that would have all of his enemies bowing before him.
He gave himself a quick look over. This form would take some getting used to. Tonight he’d spend some time in the city, fortifying this new body and enjoying the company of whomever he could find at the Hideout.
Chapter Three
The room was small, smaller than Rowan could have imagined. When Luc had called the place an inn, she had at least hoped for a TV or some wi-fi. He had warned her that her phone would be no use in the forest and he was right. Her phone and anything modern in her purse was gone. She slipped the cloak off and draped it over the foot of the bed. “So who gets the bed and who gets the floor?”
Luc laughed as he watched her peel herself out of the old-world clothing piece by piece until she was standing in nothing but her petticoat and what she could only assume was an outdated chemise. In the antique undergarments, she was more dressed than she would have been in her modern clothes had she stripped down, but somehow she felt even more exposed. “I think we can be adults and share the bed, Red. Don’t you?”
Crossing her arms over her chest to cover herself up a bit more, she could feel her cheeks burn. “I guess so.”
“The blush on your cheeks says otherwise.” He arched his brow. “Are you having naughty thoughts about me?” Her face heated even more and she cursed under her breath. He laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Picking up the one pillow on the bed, she threw it straight at his face. He caught it, which only enraged her more. “Your arrogance is so unattractive.”
“I beg to differ. I think you are very attracted to me right now. In fact, I’d wager a guess you’d love nothing more than to cross this room and take advantage of me.” He waved his hand. “But you won’t because you are too stubborn. Correct?”
Damn it. He had her pegged. She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “You can’t take advantage of the willing, jackass. I’m going to go take a bath to calm down. I hope by the time I’m finished, you’ll be done with being an insufferable child.”
“Wrong again.” He gave her a wink. “There are no baths here. For God’s sake think about it—the pillow is stuffed with straw. There are no bathtubs, no running water.” He pointed his thumb out the window. “There’s an outhouse if you need it but I wouldn’t linger too long in there if I were you.”
She blinked. “Where the hell did you bring me to?” Her feet moved faster than her mind could think as she ran to the window and looked down at the lone outhouse. “This can’t be right. There’s no running water? No long, hot baths?”
“Nope.” She started to protest but he held up his hand. “Don’t get me wrong. Some places have that stuff, but this is an inn on the edge of the Black Forest. Surely you don’t think some magical ‘Neverland Sanitation District’ dug its way all the way out here to plumb and pipe a rickety old inn that can’t even afford to stuff its pillows with feathers.”
“Yes, actually that is exactly what I thought.” She pinched her nose and shook her head in frustration. “No, no. That isn’t what I thought because I live in a world where indoor plumbing and running water aren’t even a question. Everybody has it. Now you’ve dragged me to this crazy forest where my cell phone doesn’t work, I can’t watch TV and if I want a bath I’ll have to walk my happy ass to another kingdom.”
He nodded and laughed. “Now you see why I prefer to stay on the other side of the Arch.”
Rowan sighed, her shoulders slumping forward as she bit back the tears that wanted to spill down her cheeks. Before she knew what was happening, Luc had his arms around her, his chin resting on her head as he
rubbed small circles over her back, “I’m sorry, Red. I know this is a shock but I didn’t have time to ease you into this. Your life depends on you adjusting quickly to your surroundings.” He cupped her chin and raised her face to look at him. “And it’s not just your life at stake. If you fail, all the forest will suffer. Ulric already controls most of this area and only you can stop him.” He brushed the pad of his thumb over her lower lip. “If you fail then his madness will only increase.”
“Why are you helping me?” She could barely whisper the words, almost too afraid she might get an actual answer from her elusive guide. “Why?”
His head lowered, his lips only a fraction of an inch away from hers. “Maybe it’s my destiny.”
“Don’t joke, Luc.”
He whispered against her lips, “I’m not joking.” His mouth captured hers. Rough at first, he quickly softened the kiss.
Rowan’s head swam. What was he doing? He’d kissed her. She wanted to push him away but as soon as his tongue swept her lips, teasing her mouth to open for him, she obeyed. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he seized her around the waist, pulling her closer. His lips were warm, soft, and the light dusting of whiskers on his cheeks made her moan as his mouth left hers and kissed a trail down her neck.
“Luc?”
He shook his head and her eyes rolled back in her head when her body shivered from his five o’clock shadow scraping against her collarbone. She drew her leg up as his hand traveled down to grip her ass. She was never one for taking the initiative but she needed to kiss him again. Pulling his head up, she kissed him hard, her tongue warring with his. He seemed to appreciate her eagerness. His free hand gripped the hair at the nape of her neck and his mouth claimed hers again. She whimpered. Two of his teeth scraped her bottom lip, as if he had fangs. She pushed the thought out of her head for a second time. He didn’t have fangs. She’d seen him smile. No fangs. It was her imagination running wild.
All of her thoughts went out the window when he picked her up, carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. Her breath hitched as he slipped his hand under her bodice. His rough fingers traced over her flat stomach and moved down to play with the waistband of her petticoat. Her hand locked on his. “Luc, we can’t.”
He kissed her again and whispered against her lip. “Why not? Give me one good reason, Red.”
She really couldn’t think of one good reason to deny him. “I don’t have one.” Sure, he was a jerk and arrogant, but truth be told, she liked that about him.
His mouth went to her earlobe, laying a trail of hot kisses from there all the way down her neck, stopping at the swell of her breasts. “How about I just do this?” His hand slipped between the thin linen of her petticoat and cupped her sex. Rowan bit her lip. “And you just tell me if you like how it feels?”
She could barely speak and her head was already nodding in agreement. “How what feels?”
“This.” He cleaved her soft folds with his thick finger.
Her back arched as heat pooled between her legs. The warmth of his body hovering over her had her ready to surrender. He nudged her legs apart and settled himself between them, slowly stroking his finger through her pink lips. Every stroke had her growing wetter by the minute. The slick heat stoked her desire more. She was just about to beg him for more when he moved his thumb through her wetness and then rubbed it over her swollen clit. Rowan’s body stiffened, her breath caught. “Oh God, Luc.”
He grinned at her. He bit at her chemise and used his hand to tear the fabric to shreds. Rowan closed her eyes, feeling the cool breeze brush against her breasts. His mouth was on her before she knew what was happening. He swirled his tongue over her nipples, tugging at her rosy buds with his teeth and sucking on them until her back arched. His fingers delved deep inside her velvet heat. Thrusting hard and deep, she rocked her hips to silently beg for more.
She’d never understood how other women could be turned-on by a man using nothing but his fingers. In fact she’d been turned-off by it any other time someone had tried to touch her. It wasn’t that she was a prude, but she never trusted that anyone would know how to touch her in a way she’d enjoy so she settled for very little touching at all. But Luc knew. He had an instinct she couldn’t deny. He knew exactly how to use his mouth on her breasts, just how hard to squeeze as he played with them and his fingers pistoning in and out of her tight pussy was pushing her closer to the edge.
He wiggled his fingers, curling them inside her until he found her sweet spot. That one spot that sent a jolt of pure energy through her petite body with just the slightest touch. Her eyes widened as she slapped at the sheets. Her hips jerked and her legs clamped together. Luc smiled down at her as his fingers continued to stroke her. She threw her head back and a silent cry escaped her lips as a breathless moan. Her hands fisted in the sheets. Her tight walls clenched his fingers and pulsed around them. The slick rush of wetness coated his fingers and only added to the sensation of fire coursing through her veins.
When her legs finally stopped shaking, he slowly withdrew his fingers and brought them to his mouth. Her cheeks flamed red as she watched him lick all of her juices from his fingers. “Wow, that was…” She couldn’t even think of the right word to describe how good she felt at this moment.
Luc smiled. “Amazing?”
She looked upward and then pursed her lips together. “No, I don’t think amazing fully covers it.”
He laughed and leaned in to kiss her neck. She moaned, which only encouraged him to nuzzle her neck more. Her eyes fluttered closed as she tangled her hands in his hair and giggled at the feel of his five o’clock shadow tickling her neck. She yawned and then felt him pull away. Her eyes barely cracked open to see him smiling down at her. He winked and rubbed the pad of his thumb over her cheek. “Sleep now, Red. You look exhausted.”
“I am.”
She groaned as she tried to get comfortable on the straw bed. Luc tucked her into his side and she laid her head on his chest while still wiggling to find an ideal position to sleep in. He stroked her hair and mused, “The floor might be more comfortable for us but I didn’t think you’d be too keen to sleep on a dusty floor.”
She smiled and nuzzled up against him. “I wouldn’t care.”
He laughed. “Did I wear you out?” She simply nodded her head as he rubbed her back. “Tomorrow we will leave early. You need all the rest you can get.”
A thought popped into her head and she sat up, staring at him. “Condoms.”
He arched a brow. “Excuse me?”
“We don’t have any. I mean I’m on the Pill but—”
He looked at her, confused, and scrunched up his nose. “Red, I’m not sure how you think things work but I don’t think we ran any risks tonight since we didn’t do the deed.”
She busted up laughing. “No. I meant, you asked me earlier why we couldn’t have sex and I said I didn’t have a good reason.” She blushed thinking about how ADD her outburst must sound to him but her mind was all over the place. “I mean, if we ever do want to have sex we don’t have any condoms.”
Luc chuckled. “Relax, they don’t exist here. Besides, my kind are different from humans. We carry no diseases and can’t contract them even if we are exposed to them. So it’s not an issue.”
Her head popped up. “What do you mean, your kind? What are you?”
His brows drew together in a hard line. “I’m just different. Different like you. I’m from this side of the Arch.”
“No, you said ‘your kind’ as if you’re different from a human. I’m from this side of the Arch but I’m still human. So tell me the truth, what are you?”
“I’m dangerous and we are leaving it at that. You need to focus on learning about your homeland, not about which species of weirdness I come from.”
She frowned. It was obvious that her prying was going to get her nowhere with him on this subject. She would file it away in her brain until later but she was determined to figure him out before the end of this
journey. Changing the topic, she went back to what they were talking about. “So no illness? Nothing transmitted? Everyone here just has a clean bill of health?”
“You forget, we come from the world of fairytales. Did you ever hear of any real-world problems in fairytales?” She laid her head back down on his chest. He lightly stroked her hair. “We have problems like wicked stepmothers, poisoned apples, curses and dragons. Maybe Fate decided throwing in STDs would be a bit over the top.”
Rowan buried her head in her hands and laughed. “I don’t know how you can be so nonchalant about all this. Is everything a joke to you?”
“Well, you laughed. So if everything is a joke to me, at least others find it funny as well.” She playfully pinched his side. “Ouch. Okay, no. Not everything is a joke but if I let myself get hung up on all that is bad or wrong in this world without laughing, then I’d have a pretty miserable existence, don’t you think?”
She nodded. “That makes sense.” Another yawn escaped her lips as she tried to stifle it. “Why are you helping me, Luc? The real reason.”
He placed a light kiss against her forehead. “You need sleep, Red. And I’ve already answered that question. It is my destiny to help you, to save you. Maybe I am your Prince Charming.”
Her eyes grew heavy. She yawned and fought to stay awake. “In the fairytale, Red Riding Hood doesn’t have a Prince Charming. In fact, depending on the tale, she usually dies or is saved by the woodsman. Are you my woodsman?” His hand stopped moving for a moment. Rowan lifted her head. “Luc?”
He cleared his throat. “Do I look like a woodsman, Red? Not everything in those tales is true to what will happen to us. I don’t think you need a woodsman. After all, you have me.”
“And what are you?”
“An arrogant club promoter who has a soft spot for pretty blondes with a family history embedded in fairytale lore.” He lifted her chin, kissing her lips softly. “Sleep now. Please.”