By the Enchantment of Moonlight

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By the Enchantment of Moonlight Page 10

by Serena Gilley


  “I can’t stop, Swift,” she whispered, undulating over him.

  She was possessing him, her body taking him in, then pulling away. She was so wet and so scorching he could do nothing but hold her tightly and roll with her. Up and down, she slid over him faster and faster until the room disappeared and the world was nothing but color and sensation. There was no point to trying to maintain his control now.

  He pulled her so tight, she could no longer move. He thrust his hips up, grinding into her with wild abandon. Her muscles clenched around him and he groaned loudly as the fire inside him exploded with pleasure. He pulsated into her, the sensation coming again and again.

  She shuddered, falling against him. He poured himself into her as she cried out to the Skies, moaning his name and rocking against him. Their climax roared on for what seemed like endless time. He held her and praised the Creator for life and air and the wonders of Pimma’s body.

  Gradually the force of their passion abated. The office was silent again, and the machine had gone dark. He detected the faint odor of burnt plastic. Swift stroked Pimma’s hair as she whimpered against him.

  Tentatively, he glanced around. By the Skies, their loving had been powerful enough to not only leave them breathless and sated, but it met their other need, as well. The machine was burned beyond repair, a smoldering heap of useless equipment. Devin was saved, the building would not be destroyed, and they were swallowed in afterglow. Swift glanced down to find Pimma gazing up at him with a warm smile of satisfaction on her face.

  “You’re amazing,” she murmured.

  “We’re amazing,” he corrected.

  It was true, of course. He could do none of this on his own. He needed her in every part of his life right now.

  “We’re going to stop her from whatever she’s got planned, aren’t we?” Pimma asked.

  “It won’t be easy. Are you sure you want to be involved?”

  She gave him that look again, the one that scolded him for even asking. But he had to ask. He needed to hear her answer. Again.

  “I want to be with you, Swift. I want to be with you, I want to work with you, and I want to save our Realm with you. Haven’t I made that obvious?”

  “Yes, but I like hearing you say it. I love you, Pimma.”

  The sound of his voice as he spoke those words washed over her like a warm rain. She tingled inside and out, her own heart pounding a response.

  “I love you, too. It doesn’t make sense, but I know I will always love you. I hope you can put up with that.”

  “Put up with it? By the Skies, I think I need it to live. I love you beyond anything that I’ve ever experienced before. I can’t come close to explaining it, but I feel it in every part of my being.”

  She was still pressed tightly against him and his body responded. She grinned. “I can feel it in certain parts of my being, too.”

  Before they could continue down that pleasurable road, Devin interrupted. He groaned loudly from where he was slumped in his chair, bringing their attention back to the task at hand.

  “We’ve got to get him out of here,” Swift said.

  Pimma was already reacting, straightening her clothes and trying to recover her composure. He smiled at her and she blushed. It was intimate and only for him. He could go the rest of his life enjoying secret moments like this with Pimma and never get tired of them. If the fate of the Realm didn’t rest squarely on them right now, he’d be happy to enjoy a few more secret moments.

  That would have to wait, though. The moments right now needed to be dedicated to the matters at hand. The unconscious man in the chair, for example.

  They hurried to Devin, checking him for injury and finding him slowly regaining alertness. He had a nasty—but not fatal—lump on his head, and he winced when he put his hand to it. Pimma had regained enough composure to pull out a pinch of dust and apply it to Devin, treating his wound.

  “Ouch…that hurts,” he grumbled, shaking the ache out of his muscles and rubbing his head. As reality returned to him, he glanced rapidly around the room. “Wait, where’s Aliya?”

  “She’s safe,” Swift assured him. “She’s on the boat with your injured man and we’ve put a stronger protective shield around them. Miranda can’t find them.”

  Devin pulled himself up on unsteady legs. He staggered a bit, then leaned against his desk. “Aliya’s okay? Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” Pimma said. “Now we need to get you to safety. As soon as Miranda realizes her machine isn’t working, she’ll come back.”

  “Her machine?” Devin looked over at the panel in the wall. He shook his head. “I had no idea that was there. What the hell kind of thing is that?”

  “It’s a long story,” Swift said. “We should probably get you out of here before we get into all that.”

  “Okay,” Devin agreed. “Take me to Aliya,”

  “Well, we can’t really do that. We need to be sure Miranda and whoever she’s working with don’t follow us.”

  “So where do we go?” Devin asked. “Can’t you just throw some Fairy Dust on me and make a wish, or something?”

  “We’re not Wish Fairies,” Pimma said. “And you’re kind of big for us to transport.”

  “But we’ve got a plan,” Swift assured him quickly. “I know you want to be with your wife. I get that. But first we have to get you away from here, take you someplace safe.”

  Devin looked like he was going to argue, so Swift continued.

  “We need to shrink you down to a more transportable size.”

  “You need to shrink me?” Devin questioned.

  Pimma held out the vial of water and explained what they needed to do. It was a complicated process, but Devin listened and seemed to take it all in. Swift had never met a human who seemed so comfortable with magic. Clearly there was something special about Devin.

  “All right, then,” the man said after Pimma answered his questions and reassured him again that his wife was safe. “Give me that seed.”

  Chapter Ten

  Pimma sat on the roof of the well-hidden safe house and peered through the leafy branches overhead. The sun was high but she’d only recently woken up. For the first time in two weeks, she’d been able to sleep comfortably, nestled in Swift’s arms on a soft cushion. It had been heavenly.

  The safe house turned out to be a cabin high on a hilltop in the deepest part of a forest. Ancient magic kept it hidden from anyone who did not have the special dust that Amarie had supplied. It was clear that a human had built the place and often used it, although right now Devin was the only human in residence.

  He suffered no permanent damage from the blow Miranda had given him, and he’d been considerably calmer after they reached this safe house and found there was a telephone he could use to contact his wife. A note by the phone proclaimed it secure for their purposes.

  For now, everyone was to stay where they were until some of Amarie’s people could contact them. She said her husband was trustworthy and would offer assistance. He was part of a small coalition of humans who knew about the Veil and had infiltrated the Fairy Council’s operation. They were working with Amarie and apparently a few others from the Forbidden Realm to stop Miranda and her forces.

  The web of scheming and lies was getting more tangled by the minute. What their next steps would be, Pimma could only guess. The one thing she did know was that wherever they went, she and Swift would be together.

  He appeared now, flying up over the edge of the roof and coming to join her.

  “It’s a pretty ingenious system for hiding this cabin,” he said. “Humans can be fairly creative when properly motivated, I guess.”

  “Motivation is the key,” Pimma replied with a chuckle. “Amarie’s human husband built this place so they could meet in secret, I believe. I saw a photo of them and—”

  She was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a pair of fairies. She startled at first, but then recognized them.

  “Sorry,” Swift said quickly. “They
just got here.”

  Kyne and Raea followed Swift’s path up to the roof, settling down and looking as if they’d been through quite a lot to get here. Pimma nodded a hesitant greeting.

  “We just arrived from Iceland,” Kyne said, directing his words to her. “Swift says I owe you an apology. My escape could have got you in trouble.”

  “It got me a promotion, actually,” Pimma acknowledged. “You did what you had to do. I’m just kind of curious, though, about how you managed to pull it off. How did you get out of that little room?”

  Kyne exchanged a secretive look with his partner, and Pimma recognized the coy hint of a smile at Raea’s lips. She suddenly didn’t want to know how they managed Kyne’s escape. She was beginning to understand that passion had strange and widespread effects on their Forbidden Realm.

  “Never mind,” she said quickly. “It’s not important how you accomplished it. I guess it’s more important to find out what you know. There’s a succubus trying to take over the world.”

  This seemed only slightly surprising to the newcomers.

  “It figures,” Raea said. “We encountered Dark Magic in Iceland, so it would make sense that the succubi are involved. At least we can be glad the dragons are mostly on our side.”

  “Dragons?” Pimma asked.

  That was unexpected. Dragons were ancient, powerful beings that only kept the Great Code when it suited them. As far as Pimma knew, dragons had been mostly dormant for hundreds of years now. What could they be up to all of a sudden? She glanced at Swift and he nodded. Apparently he knew about this.

  “The dragons are brooding a clutch,” he said, the gravity of his words evident in his tone. “In Iceland.”

  “And they are using Dark Magic?” Pimma questioned, wondering how on earth a handful of fairies would ever stand against this.

  But Swift shook his head. “No. The clutch is guarded by an honorable dragon. They are not our enemies.”

  “We’re not quite sure who is,” Kyne added. “But we believe they’re gathering their forces in a secret location.”

  “Iceland?” Pimma asked.

  “No,” Raea replied. “That was just practice, and thank the Stars, it didn’t go the way they wanted. I doubt they’ll make the same mistakes again, though. We’re hoping Swift was able to learn something during his time with them that could lead us to their real headquarters.”

  “Your time with them?” Pimma asked, glaring at Swift.

  “The council sent me to Iceland to check on the status of their secret activities there,” he explained. “I uncovered more than expected. The council thinks they are simply working in secret with a few select humans to shore up the Veil. It goes a lot deeper than that, unfortunately.”

  “What did you learn?” Kyne questioned. “All we know is the ships we saw in Iceland with that horrible machinery were being redirected to the Caribbean.”

  Swift shrugged. “I was assigned to one of those ships, but I came away with a lot more questions than answers. Whoever is the ultimate instigator of all this, they’ve got to be in the Caribbean, and that’s where they’re planning to make their next stand.”

  “That’s where Miranda is going,” Pimma pointed out.

  “Well, then,” Raea said with a sigh, “it looks like we’ll be taking another trip.”

  Pimma looked over at Swift. “What about us? Will we go, too?”

  “Only if you won’t mind crystal-clear water, warm sandy beaches, and spending more time with me.”

  “Hmm, I guess I could force myself.”

  Pimma was vaguely aware that Raea and Kyne were trading grins. She didn’t care. It must be obvious to everyone who saw them just how Pimma felt for Swift. Surely if anyone could understand their relationship, it would be Raea and Kyne. Like it or not, Pimma realized these fairies were probably the best friends they could have right now.

  “So, you two are…” Raea said, her eyebrows arched as her voice trailed off.

  “Yes, we are,” Swift replied boldly, not wavering a bit. “We’re joining forces to save the world.”

  Pimma smiled at him. She knew they would succeed, too. With partners like mermaids, rogue fairies, and humans who could see through the Veil, there was no way they could lose. They were all bound together as couples and that meant they had one thing their enemy didn’t. They had love. Their love produced a passion that was more than just wonderful distraction.

  It was an unbeatable secret weapon.

  About the Author

  Serena Gilley grew up reading fantasy and fairy tales, and believing there was a distinct possibility that both of them were real. Somewhere. Even all these years later, Serena’s belief in magic and mystery hasn’t diminished. In fact, she is living out her own happily-ever-after with a handsome prince in a beautiful castle, taming dragons and granting wishes every day. Okay, so the prince is a regular guy, the dragons are really just teenagers, and the wishes she grants are as spectacular as frozen pizza on Friday night, but it’s a fantasy world just the same.

  Learn more at:

  SerenaGilley.com

  Twitter @SerenaGilley13

  Facebook.com/SerenaGilleyAuthor

  Please turn the page for a preview of the next book in Serena Gilley’s Forbidden Realm series

  Seduced by the Soul

  Available Summer 2016

  Chapter One

  Gwynn steadied herself against the boat railing and let the wind ruffle through her hair. The Caribbean sunshine was heavenly and the salt spray sent a tingle through her as it dotted her skin. She was convinced she should have made this move years ago. Of course, her aunts were worried about her, but that was never going to change. They were sweet and she loved them both dearly, but it was time they let her go. She needed to make some of her own decisions for a change, live her own life.

  Hopefully she wouldn’t regret this first big decision she’d made. Abandoning her quiet, suburban life in Ohio to commit herself to two years working for a medical charity on a tiny tropical island was a pretty drastic step. Despite the fact that everything she’d encountered here so far felt like paradise, she still couldn’t quite ignore the butterflies in her stomach. She’d only been brave enough to tell her aunts she was going for a vacation. No matter how beautiful her surroundings, a part of her was not looking forward to finally arriving at her destination. She’d have phone access again and there’d be no excuse not to call and tell them the truth about what she was up to.

  It was not a conversation she was looking forward to.

  “Not long now, missy,” the man piloting the boat she’d hired called to her.

  They’d already passed by several small islands, but her attention had been focused on one in particular. Lined with white sandy beaches, the land mass rose up into the blue sky. It seemed to be nothing but jungle, although at one end of it Gwynn could make out a pier where several elegant yachts were docked.

  “Is that Santa Almita?” she asked.

  “That? No. Santa Almita is just a little bit farther. You’ll be able to see it soon,” he replied. “This is Isla Escalda. Hot stuff, little missy. Shocking things go on there, let me tell you.”

  She could tell by the tone of his voice exactly what he meant by “hot stuff.” She didn’t need to ask for explanation, despite the dull, sheltered life she’d left behind when she hopped on that plane two days ago. Images and ideas flooded her mind fluidly and without invitation. Her aunts would scold her for thinking about such things.

  But she couldn’t help it. Whatever this Escalda Island was, it fascinated her. As they neared it on their journey past, she could catch glimpses of huts tucked into the foliage around private inlets and secluded groves. Deeper into the lush jungle she noted the roofline of a Mediterranean-style building—a hotel, maybe. If people were looking for a tropical getaway to engage in uninhibited activities, this certainly looked like the place for it.

  “What sort of shocking things go on there?” she asked.

  The captain
laughed. “Oh, you’d be surprised. Hotel Plaza del Fuego caters to some pretty kinky clientele, or so I hear. There’s a little cove over there where you can catch them really going at it sometimes.”

  “There is? Where?” She hadn’t meant to sound so very interested, but already she was searching the shoreline of the verdant island, scanning for any sign of this so-called kinky clientele.

  The captain was clearly amused. He changed the course of the boat and pushed up on the throttle.

  “Over here, just around this little peninsula,” he said.

  The water lapped at the side of the boat and the engines ground out loudly. They were picking up speed, moving toward a little jut of thickly vegetated peninsula. Gwynn’s heart beat faster.

  She knew she shouldn’t care about this, but as usual, it seemed like her insides refused to pay heed to common sense. Her aunts warned her about this all the time—her carnal nature was bound to get her into trouble. They had drummed that caution into her since childhood.

  But she wasn’t a child anymore. She was twenty-five years old, and her aunties were more than a thousand miles away. She and her carnal nature were on their own here.

  A semi-circle of pristine beach came into view. The blue, blue water rolled into this isolated little cove, the verdant green of jungle embracing it on three sides. White-capped waves rolled rhythmically in, crashing like a pulse on the tantalizing sand. Gwynn wanted to throw herself off this boat and revel in it. She glanced back at the captain, wondering what he would think of such behavior.

  He stood at the controls and watched her closely. Damn it, but she made the colossal mistake of catching his gaze. His dark eyes met hers. She didn’t look away even though she could practically hear her aunts screaming at her to get the hell out of there.

  The captain’s eyes narrowed. He was a good twenty years her senior, at least, and not really her type. She had nothing against him, though. He’d been friendly and fatherly toward her since she’d hired him for this journey yesterday. There was a photo of his wife affixed to the dash beside his controls and he wore a silver cross on a chain around his sun-weathered neck. Everything about him declared he was a good man.

 

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