Aidan drank the last of his mead and surveyed the banquet table. The Lady had welcomed him with open arms and complete forgiveness, declaring his return a cause for celebration. If she noticed his lack of enthusiasm, she made no mention of it. She was so busy showering him with attention and gifts, he doubted she’d had a chance to stop and think.
It wasn’t that he was rude. He said thank you as prettily as he could. He bowed, kissed her hand, held doors, rushed to serve her, just as he had before, but there was no joy in it. No flirtatious anticipation. The Queen was beautiful and a passionate lover, but his heart was no longer hers.
So far he’d managed to stay out of her bed through cunning and outright manipulation, but sooner or later, he would run out of distractions. Sex with the Queen could not be avoided forever.
Next to him, the Lady laughed in delight as a troupe of jugglers finished their performance. Dancers shimmied onto the floor, seamlessly taking over the stage and the orchestra began to play a sensuous melody full of high, sweet notes singing counterpoint to a deep harmony.
The Lady reached over and clasped Aidan’s hand in hers. “Oh how I love the music of Fairy. Did you miss it?”
Aidan nodded. He had...until he met Marion. Now all he missed was her.
“I was beginning to worry that you would never return. I hadn’t thought my curse was so challenging.”
“Perfection such as yours is hard to attain.”
“Ooo, very nice, Aidan. Such an improvement. Stick out your tongue, I want to see if you’ve gilded it.” She leaned in and kissed him, her tongue darting between his lips. “You taste good, too,” she said reaching to stroke him through his pants.
Aidan flushed at her bold attention, a dark dread beginning to roil in his stomach.
The Queen kissed Aidan again and whispered in his ear, “Come. I tire of this banquet. There are other delicacies upon which I would feast.” She stood, and taking him by the hand led him from the ballroom to her chambers.
With a wave of her hand, her gown disappeared, leaving her naked before him. Cupping a large breast in her hand and caressing its cherry tip, she waved her other hand and Aidan’s clothes disappeared. Despite his reservations, his body still responded to the Queen’s beauty. His shaft was rock hard.
She beckoned. “Come. I've missed your touch.”
Aidan walked toward her, his heart heavy in his chest. He teased her nipples to hard peaks with his thumbs and kissed her ruby lips with as much passion as he could muster. The Queen for her part, was an ardent lover as always. She caressed him in sensitive spots, heightening his pleasure with her experienced touch.
With a sigh she turned to face the large mirror against the back wall of her bedchamber. Wiggling her bottom suggestively against him, she said, “Look how beautiful our natural forms are together. No one looks quite as good on me as you.”
Aidan paused from where he was kissing the nape of her neck and looked up to see their reflection in the mirror. His heart skipped a beat. He recognized his own reflection, but the woman he had wrapped his arms around wasn’t the Queen, it was Marion.
Before he could stop himself, he said, “Marion.”
The Queen stiffened in his arms, a dark look crossing her fair face. “Marion?” She snapped her fingers, “Mirror, show me what he sees.”
The mirror flickered and showed the Queen a petite woman with blonde hair and brown eyes. Nothing like the Queen’s dark-as-night curls and violet eyes.
She turned to Aidan with a frown. “What is the meaning of this?”
Aidan kneeled. “I beg pardon, Lady.”
“Who is Marion?”
Aidan bowed his head, avoiding the Queen’s gaze. “She is the woman who fulfilled your curse.”
“You have feelings for her?” Her voice was sharp.
Aidan remained silent, reluctant to say anything that might incriminate him.
“You are wise to say nothing, but the mirror has already betrayed you. It has shown me your heart’s desire and it is not me.” The Queen’s voice caught and she turned her back on Aidan, head bowed. “Leave me.”
“Lady?”
“I said, leave me. Before I do something you will find painful and I will later regret.” She picked up a vase of flowers and dashed it to the ground, a stony expression on her face.
Aidan stumbled to his feet and fled.