Gerard's Beauty (18 page)

“He cannot stand,” Danika’s gentle words, hovered above his head, “he’s in shock.” A gentle swell of fairy magic netted him in warmth, lifting the fog, the pain, and giving him the strength to stand.

Danika’s smile was crooked and strained, but her eyes glistened with joy, and he knew he’d passed the test. But instead of joy, he felt only pain.

He was in the fairy hall of justice. The checkered tile glistened alternating shades of onyx and mother of pearl. The head fairies sat behind an imposing polished bench of speckled marble, the room glowed a deep hued magenta, radiance that emanated from within the fairies themselves.

Galeta cleared her throat. He looked up and she waved the still glowing pendant. “You have passed,” and the way she said it, she was none too happy about it. “You are free.” The moment the words left her lips, a rush of heat centered on his cock, and like a cork popping free of a bottle, he sprang to life. His cock became thick and painfully hard for his woman, his Betty.

Galeta snarled. “Well go!” She jerked her head. “But know this, Caron, I’m watching.”

He shook his head. “
Non
. You owe me a gift.”

She curled her lip. “I owe you nothing.”

“
Non
?” he lifted his brows, looking at the silver haired fairy to Galeta’s right, “should I tell them of your breach of magic then?”

Nina the White jerked and looked at Galeta. The silver of her eyes turned a creamy spiraling white as she gazed through her third eye-- her spirit eye-- at Galeta. “Sister?”

Esmeralda the Green’s voice mimicked her sister’s, her voice rang with the strain of bells. Green vines crawled from the tip of her green wand, inching slowly toward a visibly shaking Galeta. The thorns of justice would be all the fairies would need to convict Galeta of improper use of magic. But Gerard was no longer interested in revenge, all he wanted was his Betty, but he needed something first, and he wouldn’t leave here without it.

“So?” he narrowed his eyes. “Have we a deal?”

Danika gripped her wand, worrying her bottom lip, and jerking her gaze back and forth between him and the tribunal.

Galeta’s thin lips compressed into a hard line. “What is it?” she asked between clenched teeth.

“I want you to make me the mate.”

Nina the White sucked in a sharp breath. “Think long and hard what you ask for, Gerard Caron. For once the soul is bound it can never be unbound.”

He held his chin high. There were no doubts, she loved him, that’s all he wanted. “I know what I ask,
fee
. I want my soul, and my life forever bound to hers.”

Esmeralda turned her black alien like eyes on him. “So mote it be.”

The air shivered with the use of such powerful magic as the tiny fairy covered in vines glided down toward him. “Your heart is pure, Gerard, your wish is granted.”

In an instant Danika grew to human height and threw her arms around Gerard’s waist. “I knew it, boyo. Knew she was the one. Did I not say?”

Gerard’s grin was proud, grateful. “
Oui
,
fee
. You knew.” He hugged her back.

She stepped back, her blue eyes twinkled with joy. Patting his cheek with a motherly fondness she said, “I must needs be off. I’ve a wolf to satisfy. But I wondered if you could give Betty a message for me.”

Gerard tilted his head. “What?”

Danika smiled, her form became vaporous as a glowing blue tunnel spun behind her. “Tell her to tell Trishelle I said hi, and I’ll be seeing her very soon.” And with those cryptic words, she vanished.

***

Three months later and Betty still cried herself to sleep sometimes. She’d hoped and waited, expecting stupidly Gerard would return for her, would return to confess his love. She’d known, even as he’d slipped through the tunnel, that he’d meant to say those words back. Had seen them trembling on his tongue.

She loved him. The pendant had glowed, he was free, which meant he’d left, just like Trisha said he would. Just like she’d known he would.

She drank tea at her kitchen table, hating that she’d developed a taste for it, and using a red sharpie to circle yet another potential roommate in the paper. She couldn’t live alone anymore, come home to the unbearable silence of an empty house. He’d spoiled her in so many ways.

She glanced at her half eaten plate of frozen waffles and sighed.

Betty had an appointment in another ten minutes, a girl in college. They’d talked over the phone, and the references were good, at this point, she didn’t much care. She should get out of her robe, the girl was gonna arrive any second now.

Pushing away from the table, she walked to her bedroom when the doorbell rang. “Dammit,” she looked down at her scrubby robe. She turned back. If it was a guy, she’d change, but she just didn’t feel like it now. She had a hot date with a Hagaan Daaz after the appointment, and he sure didn’t care.

Betty opened the door and then screamed when Gerard’s smiling face looked back at her. She slammed the door, trying to close it on him, he shoved it open.

“
Cherie
, hear me out.”

“Screw you!” She stomped back to her room.

He swung the door shut and ran after her.  “Betty, wait.”

“Why?” She stopped and turned, fists clenched tight by her sides, knowing if she didn’t… she’d clock him. All the anger, pain, humiliation, and angst bubbled to the surface at once and she was dizzy with it all. “I told you I loved you, and you bailed out on me. Now three months later…”

“Three months?” He forked fingers through his hair and her heart flipped, why couldn’t he have at least been uglier than she remembered? His face was still as drool worthy as ever, the five o’clock shadow scruffy and framing a jaw seeming chiseled from granite. His blue eyes crinkled at the corners, then he groaned, slapping a hand over his face.

He grabbed her hand, leading her to her room. Betty dug in her heels, trying to push his iron grip off her wrist. “If you think you’re gonna get lucky now, buddy--”

He grinned, and the flip in her stomach was almost physical pain.

“I will get lucky,
Cherie
. Very lucky.” He bit his lip, and she tried to smack him. He swatted her hand away as if she were no more than a pesky nuisance. “One day in Kingdom is one mortal month on Earth. We’ve very long days,
petite
.”

They were in her room now. Gerard closed the door and locked it, the sound like the boom of gunshot in her ears, and she swallowed hard. Then his large hands were on her robe, slipping the sides down and she moaned.

“You can’t just come in and out of my life like this and expect…”

“Shhh.” He pressed his warm finger to her lips. “You talk too much, harpy.” Then his lips covered hers and with a tiny moan of desperation she returned it, pouring her hate and her need into it, tasting his lips, his tongue. Her tears mingled in their kiss.

He pulled back, frowning. “
Mon belle, mon belle
,” he traced the line of tears falling free from her eyes.

Her heart broke hearing him call her his beauty, all she’d wanted for three months was to hear his sultry French tenor whisper love in her ears, and now that he was here, it hurt so bad. Opened everything up, all the wounds that’d finally started to heal were once again fractured and cracked.

“I brought these.” He lifted his hand, and she gave a quick sob. Her still glowing pendant chain dangled from his hand, along with another one. Similar, except the other pendant was in the shape of a square. Less feminine, but definitely a matching set. But where hers was purple, his was the familiar red and gold color of before.

She grabbed her pendant, the hearts warmth almost seeming to pump in her grip like a real heart, warmth seeped into her palm. Betty looked at him. “I don’t understand.”

The sultriness was gone from his eyes, truth-- unvarnished and raw-- stared back at her.  “This is the mate. If I put this chain around my neck, and you do the same with yours,” he handed her the chain, “our souls will be bound. You will never age, you will never die, your mortality will be forever striped from you.”

Her hands shook as she stared down at the pumping, beating heart.

He covered her hands with his. “This is what took me so long to come back. Galeta didn’t want to. She procrastinated the entire time…”

Her entire frame trembled. “Gerard?”

He stopped talking, his eyes were large, and she sensed his nerves. She’d never seen him like this, so vulnerable. It made her want him more.

“Are you talking marriage?”

His jaw clenched. “I’m talking much more than that,
Cherie
.” He forked twin fingers through his hair, reminding her oddly of the man she’d seen that first day in the library. Disheveled, slightly devilish, and incredibly alluring. “I know what I ask might be overwhelming, frightening even. But I swear to you, my love, I’ve never felt like this before. You’re it. And I’ll prove that to you if I must…”

Betty shushed him with her finger, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “You talk too much.”

He grinned, taking a nip at her finger. His bite shot warmth straight between her legs, heating her blood to a fevered frenzy. The anger melted into something full and impossible and so deep she knew she was drowning, but didn’t care.

“May I?” he asked, easing the necklace from her hands and unclasping it.

She grabbed his and did the same. “Yes.”

They put the necklaces on each other, the moment the heart touched her chest it flared to life and burnt her skin. She hissed and Gerard trembled.

“My life with yours…” he said, and then the red of his pendant flared crimson for the briefest moment before completely being overtaken by purple. Swirling veins of glittering sapphire skated through the lava like movement of color. “Forever.”

The pain in her chest vanished, and when she looked at her pendant, it too glowed with ribbons of blue. He grabbed her face. “You’re mine. Forever.”

She smiled, and was pretty sure she’d never be able to stop now that she’d started. “How old are you?”

A devilish grin curled his lips. “Old. Ancient.” He leaned in so close she tasted the mint of his breath. “You’re stuck with me now,
Cherie
. So long as I live, you live.”

But then she stopped thinking, because he scooped her up, walked to the bed and laid her down, his hard body sliding along hers. It took only seconds for him to bare her skin to his touch. His eyes burned hot on her body as he looked her up, then down.

He licked his lips. “Hungry,
Cherie
. I’m starving.”

Empowered, she thrust her chest up and sucked in her stomach, assuming-- what she hoped to be a sexy pose-- and beckoned him with a curled finger. “I’m waiting, Caron. And I hate waiting.”

She laughed as he literally tore himself out of his clothes. His body was magnificent, lean and hard. But it was his manhood, the piece of him she’d seen soft for so long, standing hard and ready that made her mouth water.

“I’m sorry,
Cherie
,” he moaned, crawling on top of her. “Fast now. I must feel you.”

She was so wet, her thighs were already soaked, the moment he slid into her body she squeezed her pelvis down around him. Betty was home, in his arms. Gerard kissed her, pumping hard, twisting his hips in an infinity motion, hitting her G-spot over and over.

Betty cried out, her legs jerked, as her entire world faded to black. “I’m so close, baby,” she grunted, and with one last shove, they howled in unison, falling into the hardest orgasm she’d ever known.

Then it was her turn to show him how much she loved and needed him. She pushed him onto his back, much the way he’d done her so long ago, and took his still hard cock fully into her mouth, still tasting herself on him. He moaned long and hard, his large hand framing the back of her head as she pumped up and down, humming low in the back of her throat.

“
Cherie
, my love. My heart,” he murmured a constant stream of endearments, his hips flexing into her mouth. His smooth skin like satin on her tongue, and then his body stiffened. “I come, my love.”

Betty took all of him. The taste was salty, but sweet. Not bad. She smiled and he grinned.

“Turn over,” he commanded, and her eyes widened.

“You’re not too tired?”

He laughed. “I’m not like one of your mortal men, Betty. I’m the best lover you’ll ever have.”

She shivered at his words and flipped over, her heart beating uncontrollably in her chest as he slipped into her still slick warmth from behind, pumping hard. Their sweaty bodies slapping together loud in the quiet of their room. Her body tingled with fire, with heat and Betty screamed when the final orgasm rocked her. The fullness of him stretching her from behind made the orgasm seem to last forever. Then he turned her over and cradled her, whispering in French in her ear. She was his beloved, his love, his lover, his everything. Kissing her cheeks, her neck, his hot tongue dancing across first one breast then the next. Betty had never felt more in love, or more loved, and he worked his magic, her tired body came to life for him again.

He made love to her throughout the night. Soft and slow, hard and fast. She tasted him, he tasted her and neither one came up for air until hunger finally drove them apart.

Betty cuddled into his side after downing a full pint of coffee ice cream, she smiled as he rubbed her back. She’d never felt so spent, so wonderfully in pain in her life. Tomorrow would be impossible to walk, but she couldn’t even muster up an iota of care. She was a contented kitten lapping at a bowl of cream. Life was good.

His heart beat a steady song in her ears, lulling her to sleep.

“Oh, I forgot,” Gerard said. He gave her a tiny shake.

Betty glanced up at him and couldn’t resist tracing the lines of his stubbled jaw. “Hmm…”

“Danika asked me to tell you ‘hi’ and to please tell Trishelle she’d be seeing her soon.”

Betty scooted to her knees, her eyes bugging as she wrapped the sheet around her breasts.

Gerard frowned. “What,
Cherie
?”

She laughed. “Oh man, that’s hilarious!”