An Ordinary Fairy (45 page)

Willow reappeared, wearing nothing but her white glow. She knelt on the floor, her face radiant with affection and arousal. She kissed Noah’s fingertips. “May I have my wing back?”

“Sure. What’s this?” Noah traced his finger along a line of glowing skin that began beneath her breasts and extended to the bottom of her belly; she squirmed at his touch and her wings rose to flight position and vibrated with a rattling sound. A seductive smile curved her lips; her heat washed through him.

“That’s a sign your fairy wants to consummate,” she said. She rose to her feet and lay across his lap. Noah took her in his arms and they transported to the sweet world of lovers’ kisses. Noah’s hand drifted down her belly, following the heat of the newly discovered illumination.

Willow whispered in his ear. “Where you goin’ there, Cowboy?”

“Heaven.”

Willow giggled, and then gasped at his touch. “See any angels?” she asked, breathless.

“I see a beautiful little winged creature, but she’s no angel.” Another giggle.

“I love your touch, Noah. I need it.”

“I’m glad.”

After many kisses, Willow whispered in his ear. “Are you sure you’re not too tired?”

Noah pulled her tight against himself. “What do you think?” Willow arched her eyebrows and grinned. “What about you?” he asked. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”

Willow’s smile became lustful and she broadcast an astonishing sensual pull. Her wings rattled again and a tremor of excitement shook her entire frame. “There’s more than one way to consummate a fairy. Come up to my little fairy bed and I’ll show you.”

Twenty-Two

N
oah woke before sunrise. Before him was the most beautiful creature imaginable. Naked, she lay on her back, arms thrown carelessly above her head. Her muscular chest rose and fell in perfect rhythm with Noah’s breathing. No bedclothes impeded his view; she had covered him during the night, he remembered. Sweet, earthy fragrance tinged the cool air of the cottage, mixed with the lingering scent of Willow’s arousal.

Images of their lovemaking danced in Noah’s mind. They hadn’t joined themselves together; instead, they had entwined, experimented, searched out which touches pleased and which drove wild. Touches became kisses and kisses explored and pleasured every sensitive place. Peak after peak passed between them. Sleep had not come until far into the night.

They had adjusted quickly to sharing a bed, as if they had done so before, though at one point in the night Noah had discovered that a fairy with a two hundred pound man lying on her wings was not a happy bedfellow.

Willow’s breathing changed, becoming rapid and shallow. Gooseflesh ran down Noah’s back and he grew afraid. The ever-present Shadow raised his head from where he slept on the floor. Willow’s eyes flew open and she sat upright, her wings snapping into flight position.

“Something’s wrong,” she said, her expression fearful. “Something awful has happened.” Before he could speak, she was out of bed and grabbing for clothes. Noah climbed out and did the same. Shadow trotted down the stairs and stood by the front door, listening.

“Did you hear something?” he asked.

“No, I felt something. A feeling of, I don’t know, anguish or pain. It woke me.”

They pulled on clothes from the night before. Willow was ahead of him as they pulled on boots and shoes. She unlocked the door and opened it.

“Willow, wait,” Noah said. “You can’t go out there alone.” He donned his jacket and cap while she fretted by the door. Her dread filled him.

Willow opened the iron gate and Shadow bolted around them. He ran about twenty feet, stopped and swiveled his head about, scanning the clearing with his nose high in the air. Determining a source for his interest, he barked once and ran down the Big House path. He stopped near the edge of the woods and dropped his head to examine an object obscured by the early morning gloom.

Willow followed the dog but Noah grasped her firmly by the shoulder and stepped into the lead. When he could make out what the dog found, he turned to Willow and took her by the arms. He looked her in the eyes and spoke sternly. “Willow, stay here.” She slowly nodded, her face anxious. Noah advanced and stood beside Shadow.

Daisy the deer lay in a twisted mass on the path. A gash across her throat dripped blood into a crimson pool. Her body had been slit from chest to tail, her entrails dumped onto the path and slashed and trampled. Steam rose from the putrid mess, drifting past sightless eyes.

Not Daisy. Not her favorite.

“Oh, no!” Willow cried. She had crept up behind Noah and stood with her hands over her mouth, her face contorted in shock.

“Willow, don’t,” he said and tried to prevent her coming closer, but she pushed past and knelt at Daisy’s head. She cradled it in her arms and wailed in grief. Shadow licked Willow’s face as she rocked back and forth.

Her sorrow was overwhelming, but Noah fought it down. Daisy had been killed only moments before, possibly when Willow woke up. Jones, for it had to be Jones, might still be near, perhaps watching them, gloating over Willow’s distress. Rage burned in Noah’s soul, his hands clenched and his heart raced. He cast a suspicious eye around the clearing.

Where are you, you son of a bitch? Show yourself, so I can kill you.

“No, no, no!” Willow moaned. “Why Daisy? She never hurt anything. How could someone do this?” Noah knelt beside her, trying to keep her eyes from the gruesome scene, forcing himself to be calm. He wrapped Willow in his arms and rocked with her as she wailed.

Willow needs you now, Noah. You can deal with Jones another time.

Once her tears slowed, Noah felt the first stirrings of Willow’s anger. White-hot fury rapidly engulfed him. He held her tight, unsure if he could restrain her but afraid of what she might do. Her body quivered and she squirmed to escape his grasp.

“Let me go!”

“Willow, look at me,” he said. He took her by the upper arms and forced her to look at him. Her face was red and wet with tears but bathed with hatred. Her breath came fast and shallow. “Willow!” She looked at him now, into his eyes. “We can’t do anything about this now. You have to save it for later. We can’t leave Daisy like this. Sweetheart, I need you to do what I ask, okay?”

Willow’s breathing slowed and her face relaxed somewhat. Her body grew slack in his grip. She leaned into him and hugged herself close. “What should I do?”

Noah wrapped her in his arms, turning so she couldn’t see the gore. “I need to take care of Daisy,” he said, stroking her hair. “We need to show her some respect. I don’t want you to remember her like this. Go inside until I come back.” Willow nodded and rose to her feet without looking at Daisy. Her little frame sagged as she shuffled along with Shadow at her knee.

Chester, you’ll pay for this.

Noah followed her to the door and retrieved her keys.

“Willow, lock the gate and door. If Jones comes around, disappear and come find me.” Willow moved in a daze. She nodded at his directions and didn’t smile when he kissed her.

Noah trotted to the shed, watching and listening for anything out of the ordinary. Willow’s tumbling emotions of sorrow, anger, and fear trailed him.

What are we going to do now? Chester can approach at will and isn’t afraid of violence. Should I take Willow to a safe place?

“What makes you think she would leave, Noah?”

Once at the shed, he opened the big door and grabbed the keys to the Gator off the nail by the door. He loaded a shovel, a large plastic bucket and a canvas tarp onto the bed, securing the building before pulling away.

Willow opened the door and waved when he returned, but didn’t come out. Noah unfolded the tarp and positioned it next to Daisy’s body. The killer had made sure this job would be gruesome; removing all traces would be difficult. Noah had seen dead deer before. He had hunted his share over the years, as everyone did back home.

But this is Willow’s special friend.

After dragging the carcass onto the canvas and shoveling everything else he could, he wrapped the mess in the tarp and hoisted it onto the bed of the Gator.

Noah drove to the shed and turned south, following the main path. When the track narrowed, he guessed the ravine was near. He turned west and picked a path where the brush allowed passage. A large beech tree with spreading limbs appeared that would be easy to find again; most likely Willow knew the spot already. He rolled the Gator to a stop, got out, and began to dig.

Forty minutes later, hot and sweaty, Noah climbed onto the Gator and drove toward the pond, where he filled the bucket with water. Next, he returned to the cottage and washed away what remained of the tragedy. He turned the earth and patted it down as best he could.

Noah returned the Gator to the shed and then walked back to the cottage. Willow’s heartache grew in his chest as he neared her. He straightened his ball cap and ran a hand through his sweaty hair, which smeared blood on his forehead.

“Willow!” he called from outside. “It’s me.” He unlocked the gate as she opened the door.

“I know,” she said. She seemed better, still distraught, but at least put together. She wore jeans and a grey sweatshirt.

“I’m not coming in. I’m a mess and I don’t want to clean up here. Can we go to the motel so I can grab a quick shower? We’ll come right back.”

“Don’t you have to work today?”

“Not now.”

Relief filled Willow’s features. She called Shadow. “I don’t want to leave Shadow here.”

“Fine. He can ride in the topper.” Willow pulled the door closed as she left. Shadow approached Noah warily, sniffing.

They started off, Shadow bounding ahead until he reached the fresh-turned earth in the path. He sniffed until Willow reached the spot and urged him on.

They walked in silence to the truck. Noah opened the topper hatch and tailgate, rearranged a few things and motioned the big Lab in. He eagerly complied and moved to a window. Noah slid the glass open and Shadow stuck his head out, thumping the topper with his tail.

When Noah and Willow climbed in the front, she began to scoot to the middle seat.

“Sweetie, you should stay over there,” Noah said. “I’m filthy.”

Willow nodded. Before starting the truck, Noah regarded her closely. “How are you doing?”

“Okay, I guess.” Her eyes began to glisten.

“I buried her under a big beech tree I found down by the ravine.”

“Good. I know the spot.”

“I think you’re supposed to report this kind of thing to the Department of Natural Resources, and the sheriff would want to know. What do you think?”

Willow thought for a few seconds before answering. “It happened on my property and it’s no one’s business. We can’t prove who did it. Why bother with questions and deputies running around for nothing?”

“I think you’re right.” He paused. “I’m sorry, babe. I hope my spell didn’t cause this.”

“Didn’t you tell me that my appearance didn’t make Jones go after little girls? The evil heart was already there, you said.”

“I guess I did.” Noah started the truck and they bumped down the lane.

Noah quickly shaved and showered, while Willow’s growing anxiety and anger hammered into him. When he stepped out of the shower, Willow came into the bathroom.

“Noah, I want to get back to the woods right away. I’m afraid what Jones may have done to the other deer. They’re so friendly he could get at them easily. We’ve got to protect them.” She ran her hand through her hair. “And the raccoons and the beavers.”

Noah toweled himself off as she spoke. “I hadn’t thought of that. But there’s so much ground to cover, we can’t find them all.”

“We’ve got to try. Maybe I can get most of the deer to come to the cottage where we can watch them. The others…”

“Can you put out a sort of general summons, like when you called Shadow the other night?” On hearing his name, the big dog appeared at the door next to Willow.

“No, it’s not that simple. Shadow’s much more intelligent than the wild animals, so I can do some fancy things with him. I’ll have to be up close to get them to follow me.”

“How many deer are there?”

“Around thirty. It varies as they wander about the area.” Willow’s expression was all worry. “We’ve got to save them, Noah.”

I love your tender heart.

“We’ll do everything we can, sweetie. We should probably check on the house to see if Jones has been there. He may have killed Daisy to distract us while he searches for the cave.”

Willow shook her head. “I can’t take that chance, Noah. The animals have to come first.”

Jones knows you very well.

“I’ll be ready in five minutes,” Noah said.

When they left the motel, Noah made a left onto Route 1.

“Where are we going?” Willow asked.

“You’ll see.” Noah made a right turn on Main Street, traveled east to Flowers by Molly Culbert and pulled into the parking lot.

“I’ll be right back,” he said to Willow, and left her sitting in the truck. Five minutes later, her face lit when she saw what he carried: an armful of daisies.