"So I guess I am a liar then," Nola sniffed as she pulled on the robe, admiring the royal purple color and the silky warmth it provided.
"What did you see?" he asked softly.
"I saw me. At first it was wondrous, Hate. I saw so many aspects of my personality, things that I never knew before I met…him. Then when I said… I asked a question I wasn't ready to hear the answer to, and the room went haywire. It made me look positively evil, Hate."
"So, you were lying to yourself."
"What?" She arched her eyebrow as she stared at Hate, knowing there was some truth to his statements, but refusing to believe it.
"If your image turned ugly from simple emotions, you were lying to yourself. If you lie, you poison your inner being, and the room was showing you that poison. Well, the effects of it on your soul, at any rate."
"But… The room had to be wrong. No one can predict the future."
"True, but it can project what you feel in your heart, and what you desire most."
Nola turned her head away, shaken to the core by what Hate was telling her.
"I won't ask what your question was, Nola, but I have the idea that it has to do with Craven."
"Where is he now?" she had to ask as she turned to face him, accepting what he was telling her as truth.
She could never lie to herself for long. Craven was that important to her, and growing more important by the moment.
More important than her life? Doubtful, as she only knew him for a short time. But he was still important.
"Probably getting executed by the King and Queen for treason while he argues with them to let him change your wish."
"What?"
"Remember," Hate sighed as he watched panic fill her eyes. " 'Be careful what you wish for and how you wish for it.' Word your wish carefully, because you just may get exactly what you wish for."
Chapter Fifteen
"So what do you have to say for yourself, Craven?"
He rolled his eyes at Tatiana and turned to face Oberon.
"I can't send her home. That was not part of her wish."
"Well you have to do something, my friend," Oberon said as he seriously looked at his ex-lover and close friend. "It has been a long-standing rule that Humans are not allowed to stay. You knew this, and yet you let this woman coach you into…"
"If anything, I coached her," Craven said, still looking bored.
The inner chambers were cleared of all, save Craven and the King and Queen. It was a special privilege that Oberon granted Craven—privacy for these proceedings.
"You are not making a good case for yourself, my friend," Oberon sighed as he glanced over at his mate.
"Yes, Craven, you act as if you really care for this Human. Like someone of your nature could care for anyone other than himself."
"Now that stung," Craven growled, anger easily coming to him. "And that was uncalled for, Tatiana. Or are you still upset because we parted and I took up with that Brownie from County Cork?"
Tatiana sniffed and turned her eyes away from Craven. Okay, so maybe she was a little put out by his treatment of her, but that was besides the case. There were no humans allowed in Tier Na NÓg. Everyone knew that.
"This is not about me, Craven," Tatiana insisted, blushing a bit as her King raised one eyebrow at her. "This is about your human pet."
"Nola is no pet, Tatiana," Craven all but growled as he stared at his Queen. "She is intelligent, passionate, loving, and very generous."
"Yes, we heard how generous she was from the inner chambers, Craven," she drawled. "You sure can pick screamers."
Both men turned to stare at her.
"What?" Tatiana said defensively. "Everyone could here her wailing 'Oh Craven. Yes Craven. More Craven.' It was loud."
"What my Queen means to say," Oberon interjected, "Is that the Human must go, one way or the other."
Oberon was dead serious. There was no joking or teasing involved. They were at the heart of the issue.
"If I send her home, I break my word, my given oath."
"And for that you will be punished," Oberon reminded him. "Better if I send her to the next realm."
"No."
Oberon raised his eyebrow at his subject screaming at him.
Instantly aware of his faux pas, Craven took a calming breath and tried to reason with the King.
"Forgive my impudence, but I cannot see the woman punished or killed, Oberon. She has done nothing to warrant this. She just wished for passion."
"Then you will send her home."
"And then you will be punished," Tatiana stated blandly. She might be irritated with Craven, but he was still a likeable friend, an excellent sexual tutor, and…well, he was just Craven. She worried about his decision.
"I cannot let her be punished for my oversights," he stated again, flicking his hair behind his shoulders and tapping his front tooth nervously with his fingernail.
"Then you will break your word, your binding oath, and willingly accept you punishment."
Craven inhaled deeply, and closed his eyes as the words of his King penetrated his mind.
He would be an oath-breaker until he paid for his sin. Repayment could take months if not years, and he would lose something he valued, some essential part of him.
And he knew not what.
In all of his years of existence, he had only heard rumors of oath-breakers, stories that put a shiver of fear in children's hearts and kept rebellious fairies in line. Now he faced that fate, and for what?
For a Human who shouted at him and treated him worse than a servant? For a Human who only wanted him for a good fuck, who used him to get her sexual satisfaction and then would go running back above the hill to marry some demon-spawned, passionless human? For the woman who never considered his feelings in all of their dealings, as long as the orgasms kept coming?
"I accept my fate," he said calmly, his heart pounding in true fear.
It was within his nature to be honest with himself. And he did feel something for Nola. It may not be love, but it was powerful. More powerful than the lust that originally guided him and the unhappiness that made him give in to her foolish wish to be fucked. It was the thing that made his eyes water with longing and his lungs burn to breathe in her air every time he saw her.
It might not be love, not this early in the game, but it was something. Something worth fighting for.
Oberon sighed as he looked at his friend and companion, and regret filled his eyes.
"Oh, Craven."
Chapter Sixteen
"What do you mean, executed?"
"Well, do you expect him to do nothing while the woman he cares for is threatened?"
"Cares for me?"
"Honestly, Human," he sounded rather exasperated. "Do you think he would defy the King and Queen, threaten his brethren, and give you exactly what you asked for without making you wish for more things, entangling you deeper into a web of deceit?" He looked at her as if he thought her more intelligent than that. "Think, female."
"But he said he couldn't send me home," Nola argued.
"Because you didn't ask to go home when you made your wish."
"So they are going to kill him?"
"Or punish him as an oath-breaker, something that hasn't been seen since the Druids walked the land and the people were known as Picts."
"But…"
"Craven will see to it that you get home, female. And it will cost him dearly."
"Damn him to hell," Nola exploded. "Damn him and damn me for making that stupid wish."
"Wishes are not stupid," Hate insisted. "You just have to be careful…"
"What I wish for, yes I know," she finished. "But if I had just married Gregor, none of this would matter."
"And you would have been miserable."
"Well I'm fuckin' delirious with joy now," she shouted. "If I had never met him, I would never have known what I was missing. And I would be home and no one would be trying to execute the man I…"
"You
what?"
"Man I was starting to love," she replied quietly.
Now that she said it, it seemed easier to accept.
"So what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to fight for him."
"Good. And when are you going to do it?"
'Right now."
She leapt to her feet, filled with new purpose.
"Which way?"
Flinging the door open, he pointed down the hall to the inner chamber. "That way."
"Great."
She stormed from the room, eyes blazing with fury.
As soon as she was out of sight, the somber serious look on Hate's face disappeared. A full-blown smirk took its place.
"Humans. They are so easy."
Chapter Seventeen
"Craven, are you ready to face Our judgment?"
Inwardly, Craven trembled in fear, but outwardly, he showed no emotion. He was the ever calm, ever cool, Craven.
"I am ready to accept my punishment."
Oberon looked at his friend, a look of sadness entering his eyes, then he began to speak.
"It is Our judgment…"
"Wait."
Oberon raised one eyebrow, surprise showing plainly on his face, as Tatiana's eyes speared the interloper.
"What is this creature doing here?"
Her eyes assessed the Human who entered into her domain, and found her decidedly lacking.
This was the thing that Craven was going to accept punishment for?
"This creature," Nola snarled, "Is here defending a man who does not deserve to die. Sure he is manipulative, and thinks of his own self all the time, but he is an honest man."
"Human," Oberon sighed, trying to stop the scene before it began.
"No. If there is some way I can undo my wish, I will. I'm the one who jumped before thinking. I didn't read the fine print or even believe in magic. So can't we go back and change my wish? There has to be some precedent."
"Actually, there is not. But I am…"
"So you are going to slaughter the man for giving me my wish? Is that fair? I mean, I thought that was what you guys were supposed to do, you know, go around granting wishes."
Robe flapping, she turned to face Craven, almost astounded to see him dressed in a pair of leather pants and shiny leather boots.
"Nola," Craven began, but was interrupted by the Queen.
"How dare this Human try to dictate matters in our realm? You are nothing to us, mortal. You are an insect, a baby in our eyes. You mean no more to us than a grain of sand trapped beneath our boots."
"Actually," Craven interrupted. "I kind of like her. A whole lot."
"You dare," Tatiana was growing angry. This human had no place here; Craven was defying their rule. This had to stop.
"I don't want her harmed," Craven stated. "It was my fault for not giving her a way out. She should not be punished for wanting what any of us desire, to have our wishes come true."
"Can't we forget I ever made that stupid wish?" Nola wailed out loud.
"That is exactly what we are going to do."
Three voices yelled at Oberon.
"What?"
"We are going to do exactly what you desired. We are going to forget the wish ever happened."
"You are?" Nola's eyes lit up with joy.
"But not quite the way you want it to happen. You will forget about ever being here, Nola. You will forget what you learned at Craven's hands. You will forget all knowledge of our existence. It will be as if you were never here."
"But…"
Forget all that she knew about passion, what she had learned about herself? Was Craven worth the discoveries that she had made, the feelings she had felt, the new emotions and self-confidence running through her body?
Turning her eyes in his direction, she once again beheld his masculine beauty that made her want to follow him into the unknown and trust him enough to experience all that he had to offer.
"Is he worth it, Human?" Tatiana asked, curious about her reply.
"Yes."
"Good. When you leave here, you will retain no memory of your time spent here. I wish you well, Nola, and I hope you learn to remember magic. For it is all around you. It always has been and always will be. You just have to learn to recognize it."
"But what about Craven? He said that he had to be punished."
"He will. Having all memory of him stripped from your mind is punishment enough. He was beginning to love you deeply, Human. And now he will begin to lose that emotion after you leave. Also, he will have no power over you to seduce you or trick you into coming back here."
Craven sucked in a deep breath as if he had been delivered a mighty blow to the chest. He would save her life, but in the doing, he would lose his Nola. Forever.
"Oberon…"
"No, Craven. My decision is final. The moment she leaves this chamber, her memory will be no more. Learn to accept your punishment, Craven. And next time, use a bit of wisdom when granting your wishes. That is all. It is my judgment."
Oberon motioned for his mate to rise, and taking her arm, exited the chambers.
"Now what is this toy you saved for me?" he asked as they disappeared from sight. "You said you got it at an orgy. Of all places."
Chapter Eighteen
"I guess…I guess I will be leaving after all," Nola whispered as she looked at her dream man. "I am glad that you are not going to die."
Craven exploded into laughter at her words. Without the woman who granted him leave to experience such emotions, he was already dead. He was sure that no one would ever make him feel like Nola. No one.
"Nola, Nola. I haven't the words."
He took her into his arms, felt her soft body press against his, and closed his eyes, lost in regrets about what could have been and what would never be.
"Well, at least you didn't say you loved me. It's not like I would remember anyway," she smiled, trying to lift the heavy weight that settled on her heart.
"That would be lying to myself, and that is something that I will never do. But I will say that I was learning to love you, Nola. That what I felt for you I have never felt for another woman. And I have had so many women, Nola."
"And I am just special?" she giggled, remembering once he told her she was just like any other woman, a bit more passionate than most, but like any other woman.
"I didn't know you then, Nola. Now I find myself learning all about you, and wanting to know more. But it will not be."
"Craven…" she began, but he placed his finger against her lips, silencing her.
"Be happy, Nola. Marry…Gregor, and be happy."
Before she could say anything else, he pulled back from her and led her to the door.
Nola turned to look up at him. She had to run her fingers through his hair just one last time.
He lowered his lips slowly, and the brush of his skin against hers caused the same electric shock, making her body come alive.
And then he was gone, pulled away as if it were too much for him to take.
"Good bye, Nola," he breathed as he pushed her through the door.
Lights exploded around Nola, sucking the air from her lungs and making her head whirl.
She was falling, but she was falling up.
She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound could escape. She felt pressure building up in her body, felt it make her ears pop and her eyes feel as if they were going to shoot from their sockets.
Just when it got unbearable, she found herself looking up at the sky.
Only it was green.
"Nola," she heard someone scream as she realized that it wasn't the sky she was looking at. It was grass.
Groaning, she tried to get to her feet, but before she got very far, strong hands wrapped around her waist.
"Gregor?" she asked as she was pulled, too quickly, in an upright position.
The world spun on its axis.
"I was worried," he whispered as he ran his fingers over her body. "Then I saw you fall. Wha
t were you doing out here?"
"Clearing my head," she said as she began to pick the blades of grass from her clothes. "Remember when we used to play here? I was the fairy queen and you were my prince."
"And soon you will become my queen."
He smiled a self-satisfied smirk that made her want to ball up her fist and smear his nose all over his patrician face.
The thought surprised her, made her blink and reevaluate her thinking. When was she ever this violent?
"Um, yeah," she answered distractedly as she contemplated her chances of making a break for it.
I mean, my family can't stay mad at me forever, right?
But he was speaking again, giving her nerves a queer tingle that signaled her body to flee, to run away, to get to safety. His banality was going to drive her insane.
Forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace to her lips, she interrupted his monologue—of floor coverings of all things.
"That's very…interesting, Gregor. But, um, I have to go now."
She rose to her feet and took one tentative step away from him. What was she doing, marrying this guy? He would have her sitting in a corner and babbling like an idiot within a week. And the thought of him naked… Ish.
Still smiling, she took another step and then another. How far was it to the border anyway? Maybe if she started walking now, she could hit Dublin in about a week and make her way through England as a wandering storyteller…or something.
"Where are you going?" Gregor asked, his voice dispassionate as always. "The house is in the other direction."
Before her walk developed into a full-out run, her mother crested the hill and took charge of her.
"There you are, sweetheart. Time to get ready for the ceremony. And Gregor, you know that you are not supposed to see her before the wedding," she admonished.
Damn, Nola wailed to herself as she was led to the house for the dressing. I almost made it. I was almost free.
Chapter Nineteen
Craven sat on his chair at the height of the orgy and felt nothing.
Sure the bodies humping around, thrusting and gyrating were an interesting enough spectacle, but he found that his heart just wasn't interested.
"So, look at how the mighty have fallen,"
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