ISAAC AND FINN took off a short time later, leaving me alone for the first time in weeks. I reveled in my temporary freedom for all of five minutes before getting bored. Finn had left instructions for my alone time, and I went and sat on the ground beside the cabin to restore my connection with the earth, refuel my shields, and work on moving air currents around. I got a little carried away and created a tiny tornado inside my shields. Before I could stop it, it ripped through my clothing and sliced my abdomen. I gasped in pain and barely held onto enough concentration to finish dismantling my whirlwind. It was obviously an effective weapon if I managed to send it against an enemy instead of myself. Who knew air could be so sharp?
That thought stuck in my head. I started forming a picture of a sword in my mind. I made the edges almost impossibly thin. I held it carefully in my right hand and reached out with my left. I touched the invisible edge carefully and quickly stuck my bleeding fingers in my mouth.
The minute I let go of my concentration, the sword disappeared. Sticking to steel would probably be more reliable.
I was sweating from the effort of maintaining my shields and creating my air weapons. I dropped everything but the simplest of shields and breathed. My stomach burned with hundreds of little cuts, but the bleeding stopped, and they began to knit closed right in front of my eyes. I guess one of the perks of having access to Fae magic was accelerated healing.
I rebuilt my shields and practiced pushing them out again, enveloping a larger and larger area. It was much easier to keep them within a five-foot radius. Once they stretched out to room size, I could feel them getting thin and fragile in places. All it would take would be a concerted magical or mental attack at a weak point to breach them. I pulled them back in so that they sat just outside my aura and worked on making them more solid. I wanted to see if I could get them to repel a physical attack. I made them as solid as I could, even though I knew they were no longer transparent. Since I didn’t have anyone to offer a physical attack, I released them again before they could drain me.
I worked with my air tornado again and managed to avoid cutting myself this time. It was hard to maintain my magical weaponry on the outside of my shields, but after a solid thirty minutes of practice, I managed to keep both up at the same time. I let go of the cyclone and let my shields collapse back into me, keeping up the bare minimum to hinder psychic intrusion. I leaned back against the cabin, completely exhausted. I was feeling less than alert and more than a little hungry.
I heard a car pull up. I peered around the corner and saw Isaac getting out of a large, dirty Jeep 4x4. I skipped over to him and threw my arms around his neck. I reached up to kiss him, but his hands on my shoulders stopped me mere inches from his lips. He looked into my eyes, and I noticed his were streaked with yellow again. My heart skipped a beat and a pulse started pounding low and hot in my center. He licked his lips, and I nearly moaned with anticipation. I’d never met anyone who had this effect on my libido. This man drove me crazy. It was hard to believe we’d only known each other for a few weeks.
“Can I kiss you?” I asked breathily, twining my hands around his neck and trying to tug him closer.
“Princess,” he started. “Eleanor, there are things I should tell you.”
I moved a hand from his neck to his lips. “Please don’t tell me today. Kiss me. I’m having an ordinary afternoon and kissing you would make it an extraordinary afternoon.”
He sighed, but then did as I requested and pulled me into him. The kiss started soft and gentle. It soon deepened, and he plunged his tongue into my mouth. He tasted wild and rich and a little like an Irish coffee. I opened my eyes and saw him staring back at me. In his eyes, I saw more than I’d wanted to see. His gaze was intense and full of promise, but I wasn’t sure I was ready for that promise to be made. I broke off the kiss.
“Eleanor,” he said, but I interrupted.
“Why are you suddenly calling me Eleanor?” I asked, feeling a wee bit suspicious, even though he’d called me Princess a few minutes ago.
“It’s rude to call you a name I originally intended as mockery now that we’ve become friends.”
I walked over to the cooler and pulled out a beer. I tilted it towards him, and he nodded. I grabbed a second and popped the tops off. I passed over his beer, careful to keep my distance.
“Eleanor,” he started again. This time, I let him continue, but I remained on guard to nip any uncomfortable conversations in the bud. “There are things I need to tell you, but I can’t yet. Not because I don’t trust you, but because I don’t trust us. I need you to promise not to hesitate to strike me down if I ever threaten you, because if it gets to that point, I can’t be saved. I would rather die than harm you.”
I stared at him. This conversation was not going in the direction that I’d expected. “What the hell are you talking about?” My voice was too loud, but I didn’t care. “Why are you going to hurt me? Why on earth would I agree to hurt you?”
“Not hurt, Eleanor. Kill.”
He reached into the Jeep and handed me the box he retrieved. I looked inside and saw four beautiful throwing knives in arm sheaths.
“These are gorgeous!” I gasped. I reached in and felt the magic running through them. I pulled them out and realized as I did so that they were solid, sharpened silver. I looked at him. He’d given me weapons I could use to kill him.
“I can’t.” I started to hand them to him. He moved back quickly, avoiding the knives.
“I’m not that far gone yet. I’d rather not touch them.”
“Even touching them would hurt?”
“Silver burns and wounds caused by silver heal slowly and are more often fatal than wounds caused by steel.
“I didn’t give these to you to only use against me. These should be effective against vampires, although you’d need a perfect heart shot for that to be fatal. And, as your Fae magic comes more and more to the forefront, they might be more comfortable for you to use as most full-blooded Fae can’t handle iron.”
Even though I would never kill Isaac, they were handy for all the reasons he’d pointed out. I took off my arm sheaths and replaced them with my new weaponry. I made sure there was no silver peeking out and then stepped forward into Isaac’s embrace.
I reached up and pulled his mouth down to me again. I was grateful we weren’t having a talk about feelings. I kissed him, gently. “Thank you,” I whispered against his mouth. “I won’t promise to kill you, but I will wear these and stay alert.” I pressed my body into his and kissed him again. I might be unwilling to swap “L” words with anyone, but there were other things I wanted to exchange with Isaac. He kept the kiss from going any further though, stepping back to leave a fraction of space between us. Other than jumping on him, I wasn’t sure how to advance things, so I didn’t. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my head.
I don’t know how long we stayed like that, but we hadn’t moved for a while when Finn cleared his throat. “Food’s here,” he said. There was an edge to his voice that I couldn’t identify. So, like I was doing with all the emotional stuff right now, I ignored it.
I rolled over when the rising sun cut a swath of light across my face and tried to pull a pillow over my head. The instant I moved, all the pillows and covers were swept from the bed.
“Rise and shine, Princess,” Isaac said.
“Weren’t you going to start calling me Eleanor?”
“I was, but then realized that since you already rule my body and my heart, I might as well continue to address you formally.”
I sat up and glared at him. “You’re in much too good a mood for this early in the morning.”
“You’d be in a good mood, too, if you were having an iced Americano from your favorite coffee shop in Portland.”
“Where? Why?”
Isaac opened his mouth to answer, but I waved my hands. “Never mind. I never question miracles.”
I hopped out of bed, grabbed my arm sheaths off the bedside table and strapped them on. My sword remained where it was; no need to alarm my fellow campers. Once I was fully clothed, I went outside.
Finn was sitting out there with two coffees. He handed me one. “Iced hazelnut latte.”
My eyes with pleasure at the first sip of delicious coffee. I didn’t care where Finn had obtained my beverage; it was delicious.
The caffeine flooded my system and my eyes opened. “If you could’ve been fetching me delicious coffees this whole time, why have I been drinking Sanka?”
“It’s exhausting, so I don’t waste my energy fetching drinks. However, since we’re not doing anything today but driving around, I have the energy to spare. Plus, you’re easier to get along with when you’re happy and good coffee makes you happy.”
“Thank you.”
After breakfast, we piled into the Jeep. Isaac drove, I sat shotgun, and Finn sat in the backseat with his chin on the back of the bench seat between me and Isaac.
Although I was reasonably certain the gate was in the vicinity of Harney Peak—the tallest mountain in the Black Hills—we decided to check out a few other areas. I wanted to get the most out of my mandatory Great American Road Trip.
We drove into Sturgis in early afternoon. It was run-down and desolate looking now that the bikers had cleared out. When Isaac turned on to Main Street, something grabbed my attention. It wasn’t the gate, but something was pulling me. I gave Isaac directions, although my internal GPS was slower than Apple Maps, and we ended up doing a lot of U-turns.
Finally, we were there—wherever “there” was. We pulled to a stop in front of a strip mall. This one held one of the ubiquitous video lottery shops, a liquor store, a Subway, and a tattoo parlor. I hesitated briefly, then walked into the tattoo parlor. It was empty, but for the proprietor. As soon as I saw him, I realized he was Fae.
He studied me and Finn before his gaze settled on Isaac. “How can I help you? Need some ink to commemorate your time at the Rally?”
“Actually,” I said, “I’m the one who wants some ink.”
Finn and Isaac both looked at me askance while the artist eyed me speculatively. Since I was as surprised as anyone at my pronouncement, I stayed quiet and thought about why I suddenly wanted a tattoo.
“My Lady,” he said. “I’d heard you might be in the area, but did not think I’d be so blessed to as to lay eyes on you myself.” He bowed and I stared, unsure of what to do. I didn’t realize my reputation had preceded me.
Finn elbowed me. I really needed a crash course on courtly manners, as other than the few times when the magic flowing through me provided me with answers, I generally had no idea what to do with bowing and scraping.
I cleared my throat. “Uhhh…it’s always good to meet a kinsman, no matter how remote the relationship might be. I was drawn to your shop as we drove through town, and now that we’re here, I know why. You do more than basic tattoos, don’t you?”
He looked up at me, still in a half bow. “Why, yes. I can give you almost anything you desire. A tattoo to draw men to you like moths to a flame. A ward of protection that should repel spells of harmful intent. Something to enhance your looks, perhaps?”
I decided against being offended that he thought my looks needed enhancing. Even though I was full-blooded Fae, I didn’t look anything like most of the Fae I’d seen so far. Not leafy enough, or tall enough, or willowy enough.
“No, but you honor me with your offer.” I searched my brain for how to say what I needed. The words came to me, “I need you to pull out the spirit and make it flesh.” No idea what that meant, but it sure sounded good.
The Fae clapped his hands together. “Excellent! I haven’t done a transformation marking in hundreds of years! I need time to prepare. Can you come back on Friday morning? I’m closed Fridays and Saturdays, and it will take the entirety of two days to complete.”
“Two whole days? Will there be breaks?”
He waved a little distractedly. “Of course. You can get up to relieve yourself when you have need, and I’ll have water and light refreshments available. Now, before you go, may I touch you?”
I aimed my best side-eye at him.
“I need to get a sense of what needs to be revealed.”
I nodded my agreement, and he ran his hands lightly over my visible skin.
Whatever he sensed caused him to start and give me a fearful glance. “There it is,” he said, his voice less sure now. “I’ll see you Friday morning at eight.”
We drove back towards the campground, stopping to pick up pizza. Isaac shook his head sadly. “When this is over, I hope you spend a solid month making up for the abuses you’re delivering to your stomach. Nothing but salads and fresh fruits for you.”
Finn laughed. “Don’t blame the quest for her steady diet of pizza and fast food. The only times in the last few years she hasn’t eaten take-out for dinner is when I’ve cooked for her.”
“Pizza is delicious and it covers all the major food groups. It’s practically a health shake. I’m immortal—or nearly so—so why does it matter? It’s not like I’m going to clog my arteries.”
“Bad health may not kill you directly, but the healthier you are, the more fit you are. If you’re fit, you’re faster, more agile, and have greater endurance. That makes you harder to kill.” Finn in lecture mode never ceased to make me roll my eyes.
I pulled my shirt up. I’d all but forgotten how I’d sliced up my stomach the day before. The wounds had been pretty superficial, but there had been a lot of them.
I ran my hand over my skin. My stomach was smooth and unmarked, not even a visible healing scab or light scar.
I glanced over at the guys. They both had nearly identical quizzical expressions. “I cut myself yesterday when I was practicing air magic,” I explained. I told them about my new skills with invisible tornadoes and short-lived but awesome air swords.
“Very cool,” Finn said. “Were you able to practice constricting a shield around someone to cut off their air supply?”
My stomach lurched with the memory of the tree Fae I’d recently killed. “No. God, Finn. Why would you bring that up?”
“It was effective. You could use it again.”
“Are you volunteering to be my practice partner?” I asked, trying to keep my voice level.
“Too bad we don’t have a friendly vampire,” Isaac said, breaking the tension. “That’d be the perfect person to experiment on. He’d be able to tell you if it worked, and you wouldn’t have to worry about hurting him.”
I looked sideways at Isaac. “A friendly vamp? Does that exist?”
“There are vampires who’re less about the whole-sale slaughter of humans for their blood. Many drink enough to thrive and don’t drain their victims. In fact, they have symbiotic relationships with their meals, lending longevity, influences, and financial assistance to people who would otherwise have few opportunities in life.”
This was shaping up to be an educational afternoon.
“Do you know any?” I asked.
“I’ve met a few, been involved with one—not that I’d call her friendly.” His face was shuttered.
Again, I chose the path of least emotion. “Involved? You had sex with a vampire?”
“We were a couple for almost a year.”
“How did you meet? Why’d you break up? Where was this?”
Isaac answered my questions, but I could tell it was making him uncomfortable. “We met in Portland—I’ve lived there for decades. She tried to glamour me into agreeing to be a meal, which was rather ridiculous as shifters are notoriously hard to enthrall. She was intrigued by my resistance; I was intrigued by her good looks and stamina. We started seeing each other and eventually moved in together. We broke up for the usual reasons. She wanted more than I could give.”
“You didn’t love her?” I asked.
Isaac laughed, but it sounded forced. “I did a little, I suppose. That’s not what I meant, though. She wanted more blood than I was willing to give. I refused to bond with her in the manner in which she preferred—she wanted a Renfield and I wanted a partnership. I didn’t need her blood to extend my life, and I preferred to maintain my autonomy.”
“How’d she take it?”
“Not well.” He turned away from me, signaling the end of that conversation.
We pulled into the parking spot at our campground. I dished out the pizza while Isaac opened beers.
“Can we talk about plans?” I asked.
“Could you be more specific?” Finn asked.
“Sure.” I swallowed a bite of pizza and washed it down with my beer. “Other than knowing that I’m getting a magic tattoo on Friday and Isaac is going walkabout Monday, what are we doing?”
“Are you worried you’re going to get bored?” Finn asked.
“I get twitchy when there’s too much down time. I don’t want to be unproductive, but I don’t know how to be productive.”
Isaac said, “I’m hoping that we’ll hear from Florence by the end of the week. Learning more about managing your existing powers and figuring out ways to mitigate the catastrophes inherent in triggering a huge magic influx should keep you busy for at least a week.”
“Just a week?”
He laughed. “That could be the answer to your question. If Florence agrees to help you, that will take up a great deal of the time between the full moons. The equinox is right after my September vacation, so once I’m back we’ll need to be ready to open the gate and leave. While I’m gone, you and Finn will need to get everything ready to go and narrow down the locale so that you’re in the right place at the right time.”
I relaxed. A tentative plan was better than no plan, and they were right. It was going to take time to work with Florence if—when—she agreed to help. I refused to think of the alternatives at this point.
As usual, I was the last to wake. I skipped outside and snagged my waiting coffee.
“Good morning!” I was remarkably cheerful for a pre-caffeinated Eleanor. “I’m going to take a shower. Be right back.”
I grabbed my toiletries bag and headed to the bathroom. The urge to whistle overcame me, but after a couple breathy, out-of-tune bars, I contented myself with humming a jaunty little tune.
When I got back to the cabin, I refilled my coffee and dug into the food. When I looked up, Isaac and Finn were both staring at me.
“What?” I asked after swallowing a mouthful of buttery, delicious grits.
“You seem…” Isaac started.
“…happy,” Finn finished.
“Do you object to me being happy?” I snagged a piece of bacon from Finn’s plate. He swatted at me but was too slow. I grinned triumphantly.
“Of course not,” Finn said. “It’s not your usual morning demeanor.”
“How could I not be cheerful? Wonderful sunrise, wonderful breakfast, coffee that is wonderfully hot and caffeinated…it’s going to be a wonderful day.”
This time I snitched a piece of bacon from Isaac’s plate. He was ready for me, though, and grabbed my hand. I looked up at him, widening my eyes in an attempt to look innocent and winsome. When that didn’t work, I leaned forward until my cleavage threatened to spill out of my low-cut tank top and pulled my lower lip between my teeth. “Can I please have this piece of bacon, Isaac?” His eyes went from my hand to my chest, and when he was distracted, I grabbed my loot with my free hand and crammed the purloined bacon into my mouth.
He laughed in defeat and let go of me. “You’re generally adorable, but cheerful morning Eleanor is a wee bit evil.”
I swallowed my stolen goods and scooted over on the picnic bench until my thigh was pressed up against his. I leaned in, intentionally showing the cleavage again, and then reached up and kissed him. I’d meant for a light, teasing kiss, but he had other ideas. Before I knew what had happened, he’d pulled me into something deeper.
“This isn’t the best place for this,” I whispered against his mouth.
“You’re right,” he replied. He showed off his preternatural speed by grabbing me, picking me up, and getting us into the cabin in record time.
He tossed me onto the bed and pulled my jeans off in one smooth movement. My long-sleeved shirt went next, and then my tank top and panties were unceremoniously removed. His clothes followed suit, and then he was on me. He entered all the way to the hilt and barely paused to let me get used to the feeling before he was moving against me, thrusting into me over and over until I could barely breathe. I came rapidly, and the moment my first orgasm faded, he pulled out and flipped me over. He pushed me up onto my knees and filled me again. He rested one hand on my hip and snaked the other around and under me. He pulled at a nipple, pinching and rolling it between his fingers, and then moved down to rub my clit with the same rhythm he was pounding into me. My second orgasm to hit moments later, and this time, he let himself go, too.
I lay boneless on the bed beneath him until he slowly pulled out, leaving me empty and aching. He trailed kisses down my back and bit my ass cheeks gently before moving to lie beside me. I snuggled my head onto his shoulder and gazed at him. His eyes were streaked with yellow. “If that was my punishment for stealing your bacon, I’ll be doing a lot more of that in the future.”
He smiled at me, tilted my chin up, and kissed me. That kiss, like many of his kisses, conveyed more than affection and lust. It evoked feelings of longing and completion and regret.
“Sorry,” he said, not sounding even a tiny bit repentant.
“No complaints from me.”
“I mentioned before that my control leading up to the full moon isn’t perfect, right?”
I nodded.
“One of the reasons shifters—wolves anyway—run in packs is because the pack helps your control. A good Alpha is important. He has to have enough control for himself and his entire pack.”
“He?” I interrupted. “Aren’t there female Alphas?”
“Not often, although it’s not unheard of.”
“The Alpha exerts enough control so that his—or her—pack can…absorb it and secrete it back out, magnifying the effects. A large pack with a great Alpha will seldom have control issues. Since I’ve been away from my pack for the last three weeks, I have to rely solely on myself for this control. And although I’m strong, my control hasn’t been great lately.
“My control is faltering right now, which is why I need to be away from you for the full moon. A chase like you gave me last month would end differently now.”
I wrapped my arm around his waist and pressed into the hard lines of his body. I knew, whether or not he believed it, that he would never hurt me. But if going away for three days gave him peace of mind, I wasn’t going to argue. At least, not this time. I trailed light kisses across his collarbone before asking, “Why do I make your control so shitty? Is there something I can do differently?”
He groaned as I resumed my kisses across his skin. My hand grazed across his abdomen, and I ran my fingers through the hair on his stomach.
“I don’t think there’s anything you can—or should—do. You challenge me at every turn with your intellect and wit, and you tempt me with your body. You steal food from my plate—which you shouldn’t ever do to another shifter.”
“I only steal food from those I like best.”
“And do you?”
“Do I what?”
“Do you like me best?”
We were entering territory I wasn’t ready to explore. I tried to move away but his arm became an immovable force. I wasn’t ready for this conversation, especially not with Finn sitting right outside. I decided to equivocate.
“I like you immensely. But we’ve only known each other for a month. How can we know if it’s anything more than passing attraction?”
Isaac started to answer, but I stopped him with a kiss. Then I slid my hand down from his stomach and grasped him firmly. Recent exertions aside, he began to harden immediately. “I’m not saying I don’t want to know; I just don’t want to know right now. I’m not ready to have this conversation.” I slid down his body, went to my knees, and took him in my mouth.
He gasped and grabbed my head with both hands. “This isn’t over, Eleanor.”
I pulled up and let my lips rest on the tip, flicked my tongue on the underside of the head of his cock, and then replied, “It is for today.” I resumed my attentions. A few minutes later, he came, and after I swallowed every last drop, he rolled me over and dove between my legs. His tongue licked the full length of me, and his fingers came up to delve my depths. Moments later, I was coming in his mouth and screaming his name.
This time, there was no post-coital cuddling. I hopped out of bed and began to dress. Isaac watched but made no move to follow suit.
“Aren’t you going to get dressed?”
“I wanted to give you a chance to go talk to Finn before I joined you. You know he’s not okay with this.”
I sighed. I was not looking forward to another uncomfortable conversation. Sometimes adulting sucked. I might be willing to take on the responsibility of being Fae royalty and making decisions that could catastrophically affect two worlds, but relationship conversations? That was hard.
I walked outside anyway. Finn was sitting at the picnic table and all evidence of breakfast was cleaned up and put away.
“Feel better?” he asked.
“I feel pretty good,” I answered. I wasn’t sure where this was going, but I knew it wasn’t going to be a fun trip.
“I bet you do.”
I took deep breath and attempted to rein in my anger. I could feel myself heating up and didn’t want to find out if I could set him on fire with my brain. Yet. I sat down next to him and grabbed his hand. He tried to pull away from me, but I wouldn’t let go.
“Look at me, Finnegan.” He did. “What’s wrong? We’ve been over this…fixed it.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “We have been over it, and it should be fixed.”
“Then, what’s going on?” I had a pretty good idea but was hoping I was wrong.
“I felt a little left out this morning. I never get one-on-one time with the wolf.”
I sighed in relief. If he was making jokes, we weren’t going to have to have the real conversation. Unless… “You’re kidding, right? You’re not really harboring a secret desire for Isaac, are you?”
He laughed, and it almost sounded genuine. “I definitely do not want sweaty, naked time with him.”
“Glad to hear it,” Isaac said. His sudden presence startled me. “You’re not my cup of tea, either. Not that you’re not a fine specimen of elfhood, but you’re lacking that key something that makes my heart go pitter pat.”
“Boobs,” they both said at the same time and then laughed.
“Men.” I shook my head and did my best to sound disgusted.