Read The Elfbitten Trilogy Online
Authors: Leila Bryce Sin
The Elfbitten Trilogy (22 page)
“Well, the amethyst helps protect against magical attack, and the star helps with balance and clarity,” he explained as he reached up and unhooked the silver chain from the display. He cradled the pendant in his hand and held it out to me for a closer look. “And the chain is fairy floss, nearly unbreakable.”
“Wow,” I said a little lamely as I lifted a hand to touch the pendant, feeling the magic pulsing from it, or him, I couldn’t be sure. Possibly both.
“Let’s see how it looks on you, shall we?” He stepped behind me before I could protest, lifting his hands up and over me until the star was settled against the exposed skin of my chest from the V in my sweater. I turned towards the display mirror and was taken immediately with the browns, greens, and purples of the pendant. It was warm against my skin as its magic slipped and slid with mine, finding a rhythm with the beat of my heart. The fairy floss was almost invisible against my fair skin, just a sparkle in the glow of the lights overhead. As I watched, the pendant began to glow against my skin until the colors ran together, bursting bright white before fading again.
“It is beautiful on you,” he whispered over my shoulder, his lips close to my ear. “I believe it belongs to you.” I lifted my free hand to touch it.
“How much is it?” I asked, my voice a little breathy. The magic between our bodies, coupled with the magic pulsing from the pendant, was starting to make my insides twist pleasantly. I was very aware of the heat of his body so close to mine and the sweetness of his breath as he whispered to me. Half a step back and our bodies would have been pressed together.
“No charge,” he said, taking a step back and bowing his head slightly when I turned to look at him.
“No, no,” I said, shaking my head and digging into my pocket with my free hand, looking for some coins.
“It is yours,” he said, spreading his hands wide as if he had no control over the situation. “You’ve been favored. I couldn’t sell it to anyone now, even if I wanted to.” I thought about the sudden burst of light from the pendant and wondered what “being favored” meant.
“But I have to give you something,” I insisted, holding out some silver and gold coins for him, but he stubbornly shook his head, holding his hands up as if in surrender.
“Think of it as a fairy favor,” he said. “If I tried to charge you for a star of the Shide, I would find myself most unlucky.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, feeling my brows contract.
“And you wouldn’t, fairy riddles as they are.” He smiled at me, and I saw the sparkle in his bright green eyes again and something fluttered in my stomach.
“Does this mean I owe you now?” I asked, feeling a prickle on the back of my neck. “I mean, I don’t want to wake up one morning and find out that I’m your slave or something.”
“Would that be so bad?” he asked with a wink. I couldn’t help but laugh. “But in all honesty, no, you owe me nothing. On my honor, I swear it.” He placed a hand over his heart and bowed his head again. I knew oaths were just as important to the fair folk as they were to the elves, so I nodded, accepting what he said.
“Well, thank you.” I stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder as I lifted up on my toes and kissed him on the cheek, just as I had done to Baven. He smiled at me as I backed away. “Maybe I’ll see you again.”
“One can only hope.”
I turned away from him, lifting my cup to my lips and downing the last of my mead in one large swallow, hoping it would do something to cool my now-heated body. A wild part of me thought about offering to repay him with a visit to The Garden, but I just couldn’t bring myself to utter the words. I wasn’t as slick as Roxy, and something like that would probably sound desperate and cheesy coming from me.
Thinking of Roxy, I turned to look for her, realizing I had lost track of her when the fairy caught my attention. It took me a moment to finally spy her towards the back of the merchant tent, pressed up against a light pole, her arms and legs wrapped around a male figure. From this angle, I couldn’t tell what he was, but from the drape of Roxy’s skirt and the movement of his hips and the looseness of the top of his jeans, I was pretty sure I knew what they were
doing
. I spun on the spot, making sure there weren’t any cops nearby before I turned back to face the couple.
Now that I was concentrating on them, I could feel the magic they were raising, even this far away. Roxy’s fingers were coiled into the thick, curling hair at the back of his head, pulling hard enough to make her knuckles run white. His hands were holding her under her thighs as his hips thrust forward, pushing inside of her, pumping faster and faster, pressing her against the pole. Roxy bit her lower lip to keep from calling out, but when she opened her eyes and looked at me, they were glowing as bright as stars. She grinned at me, puckering her lips in a kiss before he slammed into her again, and she threw her head back as her body convulsed between his body and the light pole as the orgasm ripped through her. I felt the rush of magic burst from them, rushing out and making me shiver all over.
Roxy pressed a kiss to the guy’s cheek before she shimmied down off of him and straightened her skirt. I shook my head as she skipped over to me, her whole body crackling with magic and power as it swirled within and without of her.
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