Adult Faery Tales

His eyes opened and she stared into the most beautiful sapphire blue eyes she'd ever seen. Something hard poked her in the hip and she blushed, finally remembering their state of undress.

"Can you breathe?" she asked as she jumped off him. Men! They get a damned hard-on over anything. Less than two minutes ago, his life hung in the balance. Now he's aroused. Well, that figures, doesn't it?

Keeping her distance, she kept her gaze on his face. Big mistake.

He stared back at her through half-closed eyes. God, he was potent. Even half-dead. Just a look left her melting. She felt it. Her insides turned to jelly. Heat pooled in her womb and her nipples hardened when his gaze dropped to her chest.

Sexual energy rolled off him in waves. Something told her to run. He was definitely fine. He had to be. Anyone who could stare at her with such intensity had to be okay. She backed up a step, mindful of her nudity. God, she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide. Whether she would be hiding from him, or her own sexual appetite, she had no idea.

Cammie tried to keep her gaze locked above his waist. The last thing she needed was to see the part of him that pushed so insistently against her hip a few short minutes ago. The thing felt huge.

When the door opened she was just as shocked as Sunday night. It wasn't Edmund standing on the other side of the threshold, but there was definitely the same instant sexual pull. The men of this cabin must have a thing against wearing clothes…at least shirts. Tara's gaze traced down his bare chest all the way to the waistband of his very well fitting jeans. This man was just as tall as Edmund and just as muscular, but he wasn't as chiselled. His beautiful body had a slight layer of softness over those hard rippling muscles.

"Well, hello. Can I help you?" His voice held the same deep timber as Edmund's but something else, something softer and even more alluring.

Oh Goddess, yes you certainly can help me. "Oh, hello. I was hoping you might like some company this evening."

"I can't think of a better way to spend an evening than with one of Sadie's beautiful girls. Come on in."
"How did you know I was Sadie's granddaughter?"

Following Kris's muscular back into the staff room, Gabby felt three things happen in quick succession. First, her clit thumped in expectation, second she felt the warm moisture coat her panties and third her nipples twisted and hardened even more to press out against the material of her bra and t-shirt, quite painfully.

Kristofer sat in one of the solid, straight back chairs and beckoned her to sit on his waiting lap. She smiled warmly and sat down facing him, with one leg on either side. The quick thought flitted through her mind that he would soon be able to feel her wetness, even through the thickness of their clothes. He could probably already feel the heat on his cock.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Their lips touched, gently at first. They nipped and teased each other as the heat built between them.

The kiss deepened as they explored each other's mouths with searching tongues that seemed intent to find the secrets hidden within the moist darkness. Kris's hands slipped easily under the stretchy material of her yoga pants as he pressed them down about her hips. He massaged and squeezed her hard, round ass cheeks. The motion made her pussy rub against the solid bulge in his pants. She felt her clit jump and throb at the contact as if it begged him to keep the pressure going.

She tore her mouth from his and pressed her face into his shoulder. As she gasped air into her lungs she breathed in the manly scent of him and ground her pussy against the part of him she wanted buried deep inside. A groan of frustration soared up her throat. "Are you just going to sit there, like some sexy statue?"

"They lost her." N'lien announced it with surprise. "She jumped off a bridge and swam away."

T'bir couldn't help a grin from creeping over his features. "Did she now? Do they know which way she was headed?"

"She seemed to be heading due north. Possibly to one of the settlements there."

T'bir nodded. "We cleaned out all of those settlements, didn't we?"

"Yes. It was done on the third day, after we cut off communications. She might not know that there is no one in the settlement." N'lien paused to take a call from one of the security patrols.

"I would guarantee that she doesn't. We have done a fairly thorough job of blocking their communications." T'bir ran his hands through his hair. "I am going after her."

"Really, T'bir? She shouldn't be too hard to catch. From the visual that the trackers got, she is wearing bright red and an open skirt. She doesn't exactly sound like she is prepared for a long overland hike while dodging patrols."

T'bir almost growled at his friend of twenty years. "I will hunt her and bring her in."

N'lien finally caught on. "Yes, Commander. Hunt the human female, bring her back. It will do you good to be active."

He stifled another snarl and stalked from the control room. His ship was laid out in a wheel and spoke pattern with the central hub being the control area. The spoke he took led him to the ramp which led to the ground below.

T'bir nodded to the men on duty, shifted into his wolf form and took a northerly path through the blasted city.

He admired the efficiency of their attack even while he inwardly cringed at the smell of death that dotted some of the rubble. His senses were more acute than that of his subordinates, so he would have to tell them of the living humans hiding beneath the street when he returned. Now was for hunting.

A scent caught him, light and sweet with an odour of fear and sweat in it. It was blatantly feminine and stood out amongst the rubble like an orchid on a sand dune.

A low growl started in his throat as his blood heated. This was no ordinary chase. He was on a mate hunt and nothing and no one would get in his way.

Join Nakedella once again….

How do you un-curse a werewolf? Stay with him day and night for one lunar cycle…that’s how.

When a friend asks Nakedella to help the cursed prince. how can she refuse?

Join her, the prince/werewolf, and his trusty unicorn on a trip that crosses the path with fairies, trolls, and gambling devils.

Can Nakedella shock the devils into paying attention and break another curse in the process? If anyone can, it’s our girl!

An old client has asked Nakedella for help in uncursing a prince. She must remain with him for one full month in order to stop his transformation into a ravening beast. Ravening beasts are Nakedella’s specialty. They cross the country on a unicorn with interesting sleeping habits, find a way to reclaim a castle full of devils, and form a partnership of an unlikely kind.

“No, you aren’t. I’ve learned since I met you everyone deserves love. And right now I need to feel your body under mine.”

Ardan caressed her inner arm, making her shiver in anticipation. She loved this man with all her heart and yearned for his touch. Cupping her head, he pulled her slowly toward him.

“I love you,” he whispered, swooping down and claiming her mouth as his own.

Moaning in delight, she put her arms around him. “Mr. Locklin, I do believe you need to take your trembling wife to bed.”

“I fully intend to do just that.” Standing, he swung her up in his arms and walked to the bed.

He gently placed her on the soft mattress, quickly following her down. With a flick of his finger, he separated the front clasp of her bra and pushed it away. Caressing first one, then her other breast, he pulled on her nipples before leaning in to nip at her pliant flesh.

Arching to meet his mouth, Angie could feel the desire pulse through her body. It amazed her that each time they made love, it was like the first time, getting better with each stroke and kiss, each nip and tug. She would never have enough of this man as his hand slipped lower into her underwear to find her tender folds, rubbing seductively the jewel hidden within. Swirling around the hard nib, he pulled back.

“Undress me first.”

“All right.” Her voice was husky with desire. Two could play this game. Pushing him up, she smiled at him. “Why don’t you stand next to the bed? Let’s see if I can conjure a little magic of my own,” she murmured.

Levering himself from the bed, Ardan stood next to it, his eyes smoldering with fiery passion. “No one ever said you didn’t have magic.”

Laughter low and husky filled the room. “You do know how to flatter a girl.” Sitting up, Angie ran her fingers up his pant clad legs. “Do you want this fast or slow?”

He gritted his teeth, “What do you think?”

“I think the point is not to think. I think the point is to just feel.” Slowly moving up his legs, she stopped at their juncture, paying special attention to the now growing mound hidden from her view. But not for long if she had her way. Reaching around his taunt body, she caressed his ass with her hands and rubbed her face against his front. She was only satisfied when she heard a long, low moan from him.

“Hurry up, will you already?” His voice betrayed the need that his body must be feeling at that moment.

“Good things come to those who wait,” she quipped and returned her hands to the front to unclasp his jeans. She so liked him in jeans, each button a slow torture to what would be a very satisfying encounter. His heady aroma filled her nose as she pushed his clothes out of the way, her mouth moving along his smooth flesh. Before he could react, her mouth found him and she leisurely caressed the purple-colored, mushroom head of his cock, savoring each lick and taste. She had always loved his manly, salty flavor. Catching the tip between her lips and teeth, she smiled to herself at his tremble. With every lick, nip or kiss, she further branded him as her own.

“Be careful, woman. I want to come in you, not all over you,” he whispered and pushed himself even deeper inside her willing throat.

Smiling slightly, he nodded. "Every time you've ever had an orgasm they can feel it if you haven't learned to suppress or shield most of it. And yes, I'm feeling your lack of discretion right now."

Her chest hurt and her eyes drifted to the bulge she definitely saw in his pants. This wasn't good. This was bad, very bad. Now she understood just why everyone looked at her strangely, why so many boys couldn't keep their hands off her. God, just how many orgasms had she had since she was sixteen? She sunk lower in her seat. They probably though she was some slut who slept with every male she could get her hands on. Heaven only knew just how many times they had commented to her she seemed to like sex. "Every time?"

"Every time." Fearghus reached over and squeezed her hand. "But don't worry. We'll train you how to shield and suppress the majority of the magic and then you'll be able to go back to your life. Your very rich sex life."

She looked up at him from her slouched position and sighed. Aingeal wondered if she should tell him now or later of her virgin status. She wondered about her wisdom in not listening when she were younger. She supposed there came a time in every person's life when they came to grips with the fact their parents just might know what they were talking about. "Maybe we should talk about that."

He held up his hands, palms out. "No, we shouldn't. I don't need to know who your sexual partners are at all. I just need to make sure you can enjoy every other sexual experience you ever have in your life. Once we get to my home in Scotland, I will begin my training process."

Pulling herself up, she frowned at him. "Does this include any hands on experience?"

"Only as much as we need." He swirled the cubes in the glass with his finger.

Her attention was drawn to his hands. They were strong with nails neatly trimmed. And she wanted to feel them on her in all the intimate places. "Would it be rude to say I'll probably need a lot?" She could tell she had stunned him with her question. Still, if they wanted her trained, they would have to do it her way.

And her way was to get Fearghus Brodie to separate her from her virgin status first. Then hopefully, the rest would work itself out.

He adjusted his cock and strode toward the woman of his dreams, wondering if she felt the same about him. At any rate, it didn’t matter. Maybe if he took her virginity, he could break free of this place. Maybe not, his mind told him. Deflowering virgins in this day and age was not in his agenda. Not that he had an agenda any more. No, he just had a playbook filled with mismatched references to people who weren’t what he thought.

Standing next to her chair, he leaned in closer to get a good whiff of her scent. He had a nose like a hound when in dangerous situations and he needed to know her smell. “Look,” his smooth baritone rumbled close to her ear, “apparently, I’ve been deceived on who you are and what you can do.”

Merna turned her head to him, her soft lips brushing his. Pulling back slightly, her eyes went wide as the sparks flew between them. “Apparently.” Her breath was like the wings of a butterfly against him, making him want to lean in to grasp her tight to him.

“Do you know what I want to do to you right now?”

A seductive smile crossed her lips. “One could only hope.” Reaching up she put both hands on his face. “I don’t know what’s got into me. Maybe it’s this place. All I know is, I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”

Leaning in she brushed her smooth lips against his. She tasted like cherry chapstick, all fruity and sweet. But there was nothing sweet about her kiss as her tongue slid into his mouth, all warm and purposeful. With each nibble and stroke, she tried to elicit a response from him. Her hands ran briefly down his chest, feeling each muscled contour through the thin material of the t-shirt. Going lower, she cupped the bulge at the front of his pant, fondling his body in a teasing manner. Slowly, her thumb found the head of his cock.

And he was lost.

She went into the closet and pulled out another. Lacey put the bag on the bed, opened it without and was surprised to find what looked like a wedding program in it. Please join us in the celebration of marriage between Aingeal Mae Locklin and Fearghus Andrew Brodie… "Wonder where this came from?" She tossed it onto the bed but shivered when she did. There was something about the program, which she should know, she could feel it in her bones.

Swallowing hard, she knew she didn't have time to think on it now and pushed it from her thoughts. Seeing a movement out of the corner of her eye, she turned to Cuinn who had turned sheet white. She put her hand on his arm. "What's wrong?"

He gave a quick, jerky shake of his head. "Nothing."

Maybe she understood what she felt when she found the program. "Ah, someone you fancied?"

He scowled at her. "You think I fancy…of course, you would…you haven't met all my family yet. Well, I don't. One isn't supposed to fancy one's siblings."

She threw up her hands at the tone of his voice. "Oh, I assumed by the look on your face it was someone you liked." She looked at the paper again wondering why she didn't associate the woman's name with his. There was something very out of place with the wedding. It nagged at the fringes of her mind and she had to shake herself mentally to move on. "It's okay. Maybe you took someone you shouldn't have or something. There have been some people in my past too. "

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. "It's not like that at all."

Every contour of his body was rock solid. Her breath hitched and she tried hard to control her breathing. Licking her lips, she looked up at him and lost herself. She wanted to kiss this man, to touch him like a lover, to have him inside her as quickly as she could. Before her thoughts could get the better of her, she brought to mind images of the president, of Gandhi, of Mother Teresa, but nothing would to stop her passionate feelings. Her very being wanted this man.



* * * *



"Ah, hell--" Cuinn swooped down on her and captured her lips with his. He couldn't help himself. From the moment she walked into the conference room that morning, all he could think about was having her in his arms. He should have told his father at the wedding last year about his desire for her, but her place hadn't cemented in his heart yet. Now there would be no stopping their bonding.

Gently, he pulled back and gazed at her. "I'll stop if you want me to."

Lacey quickly shook her head. "No. I've never felt something so right." She pulled his head back to her and his lips captured hers with no tenderness this time, just a hard, raw need.

Still, he knew she needed tender after what had happened to her this past year. Changing the tone of his onslaught, Cuinn gently sucked her bottom lip and ran his hands softly down her arms. Rewarded with a slight shiver, his body tightened in response to her body's signals as his caress slipped around to her soft buttocks.

The rapid beat of her heart drummed against him, showing how aroused she truly was. She would be the core of his world and he wanted everything to be right for their first time, so trying hard to remember all the lessons on sex from his father. First, he put up his shields knowing some people in the city would feel the energy. Then, he snapped the glamour spell more firmly around himself because there were some things she couldn't know until they had reached the North Pole. Cuinn only hoped she would forgive him once all had been revealed.

Breaking off the kiss, he breathed hard as he gently cupped her face in his hands. "Tell me to stop right now and I will because you have to be very, very sure you want this to happen."

"I am…believe me…I am," she whispered.

He pulled her to him again, his mouth descending on hers, seeking entry with his tongue. Trying to convey the promise of all he could offer, he moved closer to the bed, easing his knee between her legs. She trembled around him then began rubbing herself up and down on the rough fabric of his jeans, shivering and whimpering. He hoped she felt the way he did and slowly lowered her to the bed, following down.

"I want to touch you the way a lover does." he said, looking into her now flushed face.

But the man who lay beside her was nothing like the one in Reno. He was downright gorgeous. His amber hair hanging in lush waves to almost his shoulders made her want to run her fingers through it. His long limbs held just a touch of muscle and bulged in all the right places. A five o'clock shadow gave him that scruffy look she loved so much on a face with deep-set eyes and smooth lines. She tried to imagine what his eyes looked like when something caught her attention...his ears.

Oh, my God, Tessa thought, he has pointy ears. Leaning over him, she ever so lightly ran her fingertips over the cartilage protrusions. They felt soft and warm to the touch. She could really get into this. She jerked her hand back immediately when he began to stir. Waiting for a few moments, she reached out again to touch the luscious lobes when a hand caught her wrist.

"Do you know what that does to a man? A full grown elf-man?" the deep voice said sleepily.

"Ummm...I can't say that I do," Tessa said, pulling her hand back to her chest. She wanted to reach out and touch him...touch the skin that seemed so warm and inviting...and anywhere else her hands might wander. This guy, pointy ears and all, really turned her on.

He leaned up on his elbows and shook his head as if to clear the cobwebs from his sleep-laden mind. "Should I explain exactly what happens when you touch an elf's ears like that?"

All her nerve endings tingled with unrestrained desire when he said those words. She smiled and wondered just how far this would go before he realized she knew he wasn't a real elf. After all, there weren't any real elves. "Your eyes are beautiful. They are so blue...azure blue like an island lagoon...yes, by all means, please explain."

He arched his eyebrow at her. "All right, remember you asked for it." Putting his arms behind his head, he stretched out his body and kicked off all the covers. "Why don't you stroke one of my ears and watch my body's reaction? Then I'll explain it if you don't fully understand."

Intrigued, she lifted her hand to stroke the point closest to her. Slowly, she trailed her fingers down the warm lobe and tweaked on the bottom of his ear. She touched the point again and let her gaze roam his wonderful body, stopping to stare at the bulge in his crotch lifting a pair of faded sweat pants. The guy was right...his body responded slowly...and she wanted to get a look at what was growing under the material. She could feel more than see that he was capable of filling her body completely. With every stroke to his ear, his cock continued to grow and soon she had the elf moaning in pleasure.

The man panted and she could tell that he tried hard to catch his breath.

"When you caress an elf's ears, like you are, you put him in a near state of ecstasy. It is very common in lovemaking to stroke an elf's ears, but you must be prepared to accept the consequences." His look was as soft as a caress.

"The consequences?" she questioned, still stroking the soft flesh. There was a tingling slowly building in the pit of her stomach.

"Yeah...hard and fast consequences," he murmured. He looked at her and the double meaning of his gaze seemed very obvious. His gaze dropped from her eyes to her shoulders to her breasts. "Among other things."

"Wow..." she murmured and continued to gently caress the appendage, allowing her hand to trail to his neck. Tessa watched his eyes become darker and stormier by the minute. Soon, she became tired of sticking strictly with the head region...she wanted more. "Do you mind if I touch you in other places?" she murmured, slowly licking her lips.

"Mind?" his voice came out almost a croak. "No...I don't mind at all...do you mind if I do the same?"

She grinned and scooted down to face him. "By all means...let's take this as far as you want...I need to make sure that I get what Angie paid for."

"Angie?" he asked. "Who's Angie?"

"How curious," thought Alice. "I wonder if I'm now two dimensional to anyone who looks at me from the outside?" She would have looked back, but her attention was taken by the focal point of the picture--the splendid, naked back of Patroclus, who was slowly turning round to see who had entered his picture.

Alice watched, entranced as Patroclus' face came slowly into view. His hair was thick, dark and wild, his brow large and clear, while underneath, a pair of soft, dark brown eyes looked quizzically at Alice. His full red lips, made redder by the pallor of his soft skin, contracted slightly in puzzlement, pulling the Cupid's bow into a more rounded position.

"Don't get up," squeaked Alice as Patroclus began to rise, conscious that he was totally naked. Her words had no effect and despite her best efforts, her gaze fell to his naked body. Alice felt her throat tremble with an unknown emotion as she looked at the tall, broad man in front of her.

The chest was herculean, the arms long, strong and well-muscled, the hips slender and leading down to well-proportioned legs that flexed with energy and muscles. Despite her continued best efforts, Alice's gaze could not help but be pulled back to Patroclus' lower torso, which was behaving most strangely. As she watched, the small pink bud there stirred rather like a mouse sniffing the air, and then, very unlike a mouse indeed, it began to grow, stretching out and engorging, getting longer and thicker until Alice could scarcely believe that it was physically possible for it to get any bigger and she wondered what was causing the amazing and rapid growth.

The answer to that, of course, lay in what Patroclus could see and perhaps now is as good a time as any to describe Alice. Many laud the virtues of the English Rose--the cool exterior, the placid temperament, the clothing carefully selected to neither excite gossip nor inflame opinion and as such, Alice, with her slender figure, blonde hair brushed back in a simple wave, long skirt, blouse and large hat, fitted the classification well.

A closer look, however, may well have caused some disquiet. Alice's clothes, though neat and unexciting, strained at times against her long legs, slender hips and the bust that continually threatened to spring forth from the tight corset underneath. Her hair was actually held in place with numerous pins acting as an anchor against the unruly thatch, which continually tried to unwind like some mad Shakespearian heroine. Most alarming of all for any right-thinking individual was the hint of independence that lurked deep within the eyes that sometimes seemed blue and sometimes seemed green and which always looked with great innocence upon life. Until now.

Alice gazed at Patroclus' body and midsection and thought, somewhat incoherently, that snakes seemed to be a major part of her day thus far. She gulped in some air and succeeded in also breathing in the masculine essence that surrounded the nude hero. Her hair began to spring up and uncoil from around her head as Patroclus smiled--a warm, open smile that transfixed Alice with its lasciviousness.

"Oh, gosh," she said faintly as she felt an unexpected warmth build up between her thighs. Patroclus pulled her toward him and kissed her softly on the lips. Alice felt a shock that was almost electric run through her body as Patroclus ran his hands up and down her back. "It can't be bad," she thought. "He's only a painting. Just like those photographs earlier." Alice recalled what the lady had been doing to the man in the one photograph. "I must remember my duty and act in a way to please him," she decided. She further decided the best way to please him was to do what the lady in the photograph had been doing and accordingly she slid down to her knees.

Patroclus gasped in delight as Alice opened her mouth and slid her soft lips over his bulging cock. She moaned in guilty pleasure as the hard, round head slid into her mouth and rested on her tongue, the taste of masculinity exploding like fireworks. The cock grew even thicker and longer, gently forcing her lower jaw down as she struggled to accommodate the muscle that was flexing and straining. Alice sucked, gently as first, but then with increasing vigour as Patroclus squirmed in delight.

He took hold of her head and held it lightly between his hands, helping Alice to establish a rhythm as he guided her back and forth along the shaft. Her lips moulded themselves to accommodate the thick rod, her mouth drooling excessively in enjoyment and lubricating her lips and the hard cock, making it slippery and allowing Alice to increase the tempo.

Once upon a time, at the edge of Faery, there was a rose garden...

Hundreds of fragrant white roses in full bloom swayed in the soft spring air as she knelt in the heart of the rose bed.

Sturdy leather gloves protected her hands from sharp thorns, which drew blood if she was careless. A mangled straw hat perched atop her head. The frayed brim kept the bright southern sun from scorching her fair skin. An old oval wicker basket sat at her feet while she painstakingly gathered flowers for drying. These blooms would hang upside down in the house to perfume the air through the next winter. The roses had belonged to her mother, and had been her pride and joy. Now they were Kayleigh's.

The sounds of spring floated on the air around her; the buzzing of bees, a young mother robin's chirpy song to her young… The sweet, delicate aroma of roses meshed hauntingly with the smell of fresh, rich earth.

Scooting sideways on her knees, Kayleigh McConnell reached for the next bloom…and abruptly sat back on her heels, startled. A single bud of purest scarlet blazed in a sea of creamy white. She'd never heard of a rosebush changing color, not without creative grafting. This one bud had beaten the odds.

She took off her glove and reached out with a slender finger to trace the satiny velvet curve of the bloom. Perfect, the crimson bud was barely unfurled, and the petal curled over her finger. Her lips turned up into a smile, she murmured, "Aren't you the brave little soul?"

The kitchen's screen door slammed shut in the distance.

She sat up straight and sighed. She didn't want to fight with her brother today.

"Kayleigh? Where are you?" His voice sounded scratchy, obviously from smoking too many cigarettes.

"In the rose garden." Kayleigh waited with baited breath, wondering what kind of a mood he was in today. Personally, she was tired of all the guessing games and walking around on eggshells. All she wanted was to plant her flowers, fall in love, and have a family here at the edge of her mother's prized roses. Always, it had been what she wanted. And always, it seemed to be far beyond her reach.

Matthew slouched to the edge of the garden. His white shirt was wrinkled and hanging out of his dirty jeans. His eyes red and glassy in his pale and gaunt face; he wore his normal 'I-don't-care-what-you–think' attitude with stubborn pride.

Kayleigh bit her lip. At least he had taken a shower and had managed to fingercomb his blond hair today. One day he'll snap out of it.

She hoped…

He dropped his gaze and fiddled with the fragile branch of one of the rose bushes. "I don't know why you take care of these things. They're more trouble than they're worth." His words were laced with sarcasm and bitterness as he stared at the roses.

Kayleigh sighed softly. That bitterness hadn't always been there. When they were younger, they had never been happier than when taking care of the roses with their mother. Now he stared at them as though they were a reminder of everything he had lost. But that wasn't the fault of the roses. "Hush, Matthew. They can hear you."

He shook his head. "They're just flowers, Kay, they can't hear crap. I don't know why you bother."

She frowned up at him. "I bother because she loved them."

Matthew scowled down at the ground. "What the hell is this?" He reached out and grabbed the stem of the red bloom, twisting the slender branch in his strong fingers. It broke off in his hand.

Kayleigh reeled in shock. He'd destroyed the only red rose the garden had ever produced without thought or conscience. "Why did you do that?"

He threw the bloom to the ground and took a step back to stomp it into the dirt. "It was too perfect."

Too perfect? Her heart constricted as she watched the rosebud shatter under his heel. He would have never done that a year ago. Ever. A pang echoed in her heart for the lone bud that had struggled so hard.

He shrugged his massive shoulders and raked a hand through his hair. The dark circles under his eyes told her he still had trouble sleeping. "I'm going out. I don't know when I'll be back." Straightening his shoulders, he waited for her to respond.

She knew he expected her to argue, but she needed some peace. If his taking off and leaving the house gave her that peace, well, so be it. She put down the spade she had been using to mulch. "Where are you going?" She tried to keep her tone light and not too maternal.

He looked away. "I'm heading over to Jimmy's."

Jimmy. She ground her teeth. She couldn't stand him. He'd never done a decent day's work in his life. "Why do you hang out with him?"

He turned and his cold gaze caught hers in warning. "Don't start on me."

"Start? What did I say?" Kayleigh blinked up at him. Anything could set him off when he decided to go off on one of his tangents, and it looked like today was going to be one of those days.

"Do you have to work tonight?" he asked in a softer tone.

"No." Kayleigh pulled off both her gloves and tossed them in her rose basket. "I'm meeting Angela at Robbie's."

His lip curled sourly. "I don't like that place."

She raised her brow at him, her temper rising in answer to his tone and sarcasm crept into her voice. "I don't like Jimmy, but that hasn't stopped you. Has it?"

He flinched. "Whatever." He turned on his heel and marched off toward the driveway, heading for the old beat-up station wagon that had been their mother's. He jerked the car door open and got in. The door slammed shut and the car coughed to life. It turned sharply in a spray of gravel and sped down the drive, toward the main road.

She stood up and looked down at the lone red bloom crushed into the dirt at her feet. "I'm never going to escape this."

She watched quietly as he grappled with the options that she presented.

“Well, the princess is supposed to be a virgin as well, so I want to make her first time special.” He paused, regrouping his thoughts. “And I want to make sure that I can last through the experience.”

“Give me a moment to think about this.” She walked over to where Drygan was grazing while keeping her in his field of vision and explained her conundrum to the unicorn. Her hand restlessly stroked his mane and back as she spoke in hushed tones. “So, the frog needs instructions on how to make love to a virgin and I have no idea what to tell him. I haven’t been a virgin for a really long time.”

Drygan gracefully shifted into his human form. “Just tell him step by step what he needs to pay attention to.”

“How do I know that? When I sleep with women, they usually do most of the work.”

A gleam came to his silvered eyes. “I think I have an idea.”

Based on the rising attention of his cock, she could guess the direction of his thoughts.

“I’ll show him how to seduce a woman. One step at a time.”

“How? I am hardly a virgin. And I definitely don’t dress like a princess.”

“Not normally, but you do still have that gown in the bag, don’t you?”

She caught on to his plan and immediately began to rummage in the bag for her gown, unsurprised when it came to her hand easily.

She dressed with Drygan’s help and together, they returned to the pond.

“We have an idea, Prince Mertwin,” Nakedella spoke, ignoring the way the reptilian eyes were trying to see through the silken gown. “Drygan will take your role as seducer and treat me as if I were a virgin. You need only to watch and pay attention.”

“You are hardly a virgin, Nakedella.” The lust in the frog’s eyes was unmistakable. Men. He had seen her naked, but put clothing on her and he couldn’t wait to see it come off.

“And you are not a human man. But you are trying to return to that state and if properly seducing the princess will help, you might want to pretend that I will react appropriately.”

He had the grace to look embarrassed. “You are correct. I apologize and will accept any instruction that you will bestow upon me.”

“Then you had better take that instruction from me and not the woman you are to seduce.” Drygan stepped forward and his features were surprisingly stern. He was taking this seriously.

Nakedella had stopped screaming miles ago. The gargoyle had been waiting for her on Market Day and had caught her leaving the candlestick maker’s home. He had gripped her firmly in taloned hands and began heavy wing beats to take them toward the distant mountains.

She had only her cloak on her shoulders and her bag gripped in her hands. She held to it tightly, as she had no idea when the gargoyle would land and let her eat.

The wind was growing warmer now that they had passed the mountains and it was soothing to her blue-tinged flesh. She had almost frozen over the high passes in the range and the wind had numbed her body. Wherever he was taking her, it was warmer already.

By the time he landed outside a palace, it was hot. Desert heat. He had taken her into the sandy depths of the desert where djennies and djinns ruled and demons ran off with fair maidens all the time.

Remembering what she had been told, she quickly dug in the pack for her dress. It was decently concealing, in a certain light. Her cloak would have to do the additional duty of concealment.

She finished settling herself and turned to her kidnapper. “Where am I supposed to be going?”

“Follow me, Nakedella.” The gargoyle turned his back on her gaping mouth. She hadn’t realized that he could talk.

She followed silently in his wake, wishing she had boots that would help her move through the sand scorching her feet. Sand slowly gave way to paved streets and soon she was on cooler stone. She sighed in relief.

The gargoyle paced slowly through streets that should have been teeming with people. They were empty. No one was near and she wasn’t sure, but it looked like the city had been abandoned for quite some time.

Who could be waiting for her in this desolate place?

“She went this way. Get her!” Feet pounded past her hiding place and kept going.

Annanya hid under the skimmer, flat on her back with no clearance between her breasts and the transport.

Since she would be stuck there for a few minutes at least, she looked at the open panel right above her head. There was sparking damage from a short so she reached up and began to rewire the ship.

Running into Cabre with Nasha had been trouble, but when her friends started in on mocking the wingless wonder, nothing could stop them. They fashioned a pair of wings out of garbage and were trying to pin them on her when she struggled away from Cabre’s cronies and hid under the skimmer.

She froze when she heard footsteps return. “Sir, have you seen a wingless woman here?”

A deep voice almost made her jump out of her skin. She hadn’t thought there was anyone in the repair bay. “No. Nothing so exotic as that.”

Cabre’s voice was tight, “Sorry to disturb you, sir. I will look elsewhere.”

“That would be wise. The owner is fussy about those who surround his skimmer.”

She could see Cabre’s feet as his heels snapped together and he departed the repair bay. The other feet did not go anywhere.

“Miss? You can’t have much room under there and the skimmer can’t fly right now, so you are stuck unless you choose to come out and converse with me.” The boot tips were pointed at her and she couldn’t help but admire the deep burgundy gleam of the polish.

“Just give me a minute to finish these repairs and I will be right out, sir.” Since Cabre had addressed him as sir, it was a safe bet that she was under the skimmer of a noble.

The last couplings were managed with the wire cutters and crimping pliers she kept in her corset. Some girls packed it with tissues, she put tools in.

Annanya sealed the panel and scooted slowly out from under the skimmer. She was sure that she had grime on her cheeks and hands, but when she saw the owner of the skimmer her stomach dropped to her tailbone. “Your Highness.”

She scrambled to her feet and gave a curtsey with her short skirt. Her tights were bagging at the knees, her corset was bulging with tools and her blouse was a silvery grey. She was not at her best to meet royalty.

He touched her chin and lifted it so she was looking into his unbelievably blue eyes. “You recognized me.”

“Of course, Your Highness. I read the news and follow the flickers.” She shoved her white blonde hair out of her eyes. It had escaped from her braid once again.

“What is your name, little mechanic?”

She blushed. “Annanya Fennor.”

“It is odd to see one of your kind this far from the city. How is it that you come to be so far from the Orion Rest embassy?”

“I was raised here, your highness. I was found as an infant and taken in by the Fennors. They tried to find anyone who knew who or what I was and were unsuccessful. So, they raised me with their own.”

“I see. Unusual circumstance for an unusual woman.”

“If I may ask, sir? What are you doing here?”

He grinned, sending her heart tripping at nine times its normal rate. He was handsome, with his golden hair waving from his forehead to that chiselled chin and those devastating eyes. She could have fallen in love with just his looks if he hadn’t also been a philanthropist and polite, even to her in her wingless condition.

“My shuttle had a malfunction over your fair town and I decided to land before I killed myself. I didn’t know that there was a festival going on, or I would have gone to the magistrate to arrange the repairs.”

She smiled softly, dazed by his presence before she realized what he was talking about. “Well, your skimmer is fixed, but there was a problem with rodent infestation. You may want to watch where you park it.”

He was chuckling while he spoke, “You fixed it while you were hiding under it?”

“I needed to have something to do with myself and I had all my tools with me.” She patted the corset that was standard wear for a proper lady, but hers was stained with grease.

It was the monitoring computer that woke her to the peculiar sensation of someone licking at her ribs. She would have jerked her body away if not for two facts. Fact one, she was limp as a noodle, her body had no strength, and fact two, her hands and legs were tied down and slightly splayed from her body so the creature licking at her could get under her arm easily.

The slow strokes weren’t painful, in fact her body was having a rather surprising reaction that reinforced her distance from the state of death that she should have been in. Arousal was rippling through her with every lap of the hot wet tongue against her open wound. The absurdity of her situation wasn’t lost on her.

It took her three tries to speak. “If you are going to start chewing, can you knock me out again?”

Her companion jerked in surprise at her voice. He cleared his throat, “I have a healing ability that is activated through my saliva. I am licking the wound closed. It is almost shut, but you will have to be careful for a few days or the wound will haemorrhage internally. I will release you in a moment, but please wait until I leave before you try and leave the table, the bots will help you.”

He continued lapping at her skin and she had the embarrassment of feeling her crotch grow damp with the constant slow and wet strokes.

She was starting to twist with lust when he reached up and touched her forehead.

“Control, the rat has been dispatched. I will administer repairs and secure the area.”

She unclipped another canister and covered the gnaw marks on the wires. The spray separated, covered and hardened around the wires.

Now that the short was repaired, she could spend time backtracking through the path the rat had taken. She crept through the trail, eradicating the other signs of the rat as she walked. She found the point at which he had entered the housing and spray sealed it.

The sealant had a repellent inside it, and when her gauntlet sensors gave her a clear reading, she nodded and returned to her access point.

As she wandered around inside the navigation station, Lena enjoyed her ability to shrink and grow at will. She had been part of an experiment by the Nyvil to combine their genes with those of other species.

Her mother had been one of dozens of human women who were inseminated with Nyvil genes, and to date, Lena was the only successful birth. Why she had been chosen to survive, Lena wasn’t sure, but when she looked into her mother’s eyes, she had an idea of why the survivor had belonged to Raena. Her mother wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hours of shopping for clothing and useless items passed and finally, Lira gave the signal. She knocked over a display and Sehra skimmed out of her concealing clothing and out the back door of the shop. A one person cycle was waiting in the alley, and Sehra geared it up with her palm print and took off. She had an appointment at three o’clock and it wouldn’t do to miss it. She wove through pedestrian and small vehicle traffic in a deliberate pattern.

Her goal was ahead and as she approached the palace, she knew that it was her only chance, to hide in plain sight.

She screeched to a halt in front of the gates, handing the guards her false identification. “Onari Bekwin, here to see Fortuna Welks. I have an appointment.”

“The third building on the right, keep the speed to a minimum, miss.” The tiger shifter sniffed lightly.

Two hours of scrubbing off her scent had done the job. He didn’t seem to recognize her potent pheromones and simply waved her through the gates.

After dismounting her cycle, she removed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. It contained enough supplements to hide her scent for weeks and if everything went well, the search would move on from Regav by then.

The side door opened and a Regav woman exited smiling. “Onari Bekwin, I presume?”

“Yes, Mistress Welks. My cousin called ahead?”

“Yes, and told me you needed immediate work. It’s a good thing that she called, I am rather shorthanded. Please, come in.” The woman’s black hair was braided tightly to her skull and her bright blue eyes were inviting.

“Thank you. I am competent at most household tasks and can be trained for anything else.” She was eager to get situated and it probably showed.

“Excellent, but I think we will handle one little thing before you get started.” Mistress Welks led her into a small bathroom with a chair and a bottle of dye sitting on the counter. “Let’s take care of that hair, Your Highness. It stands out amongst all of us brunettes.”