The Elfbitten Trilogy (8 page)

I made my way over to the booth I had seen Roxy’s feet hanging out of. She was lost in a mass of bodies crowding the benches and the table. I couldn’t tell you how many were in there or what they all were doing, but I spotted Roxy’s sandal and grabbed her toes, giving her foot a shake. Roxy’s head popped out from under someone’s arm. She grinned at me for a moment until she saw me dressed, purse in hand.

“You’re leaving already?” she whined.

“Already?” I shook my head in disbelief. “Yes, I’m leaving
already
.”

“But,” she glanced awkwardly around her.

“Don’t worry about it, you can stay.” I put up a hand to stop her arguing. “I’m fine, Rox, I promise. Have fun.” I gave her foot a squeeze and turned to go before she could argue further. I pushed my way through the crowd towards the front door; being fully clothed seemed to make it harder somehow. I pressed a kiss to Baven’s cheek as he held the door open for me and stepped out. To the east I could see the predawn gloom; sunrise was only a couple of hours away. Roxy had been my ride. Now I was all the more grateful for the flat soled boots as I headed down the sidewalk.

Roxy had been right; I needed that night, I needed the heat, the lust of so many bodies. I needed the attention and to feel desired again. Although she hadn’t planned for it to happen, I needed closure between Cillian and me, no matter how petty the way I went about it had seemed. I felt better. I felt like a new woman. Maybe Roxy was right about one other thing. Maybe I needed to be on my own for awhile and learn to take what I need without giving more than I want to. Maybe I needed to come back to that club more often. Maybe I’d see that Hunter again and dance with him again. The mark on my shoulder throbbed at the thought of him and I smiled as I walked home.

Chapter Two: Elfstruck

     It wasn’t the sunlight streaming through the curtains that woke me; it was the weight of the arm draped over my face, smothering me, that woke me. I pushed the arm away, squinting in the morning light – I had obviously forgotten to pull the drapes closed before falling asleep. I sat up too quickly, the throbbing pain in my head letting me know I had drunk entirely too much last night.

     “Thanks a lot, Roxy,” I grumbled, holding my head. I slipped out of bed, ignoring the clock that said it was the ungodly hour of two o’clock in the afternoon. How humans went around at this hour, I would never understand. Stumbling and cursing, I made my way to the curtains and pulled them closed, tugging a little harder than necessary. The room darkened sufficiently. I turned back towards the bed when it hit me – an arm had woken me, an arm that probably belong to someone. Except that I live alone and the only arms in the apartment should be mine.

     I snapped my fingers, feeling the sparks of power ignite in answer. The hangover made me a little woozy, so I didn’t really want to use magic, but I did not remember coming home with anyone last night. Then again, I didn’t remember coming home last night. I remembered leaving the club, I remembered walking in the direction of my building, but then the night slipped into darkness as I tried to remember more. I glanced to the floor and saw my leather skirt and jacket in a pile on the floor; my newly acquired boots were in the threshold of the bedroom. I leaned to look out the door and saw the trail of men’s clothing strewn through the hallway, ending with a cotton shirt at the foot of the bed.

     “And I’m naked, great,” I sighed, glancing down at myself, the swell of my breasts obstructing my view of much else. I couldn’t see the face of the man in my bed, but the sheets were only pulled up halfway and what I could see was naked. There were no distinguishing marks on his body that I could see to identify him, but I couldn’t help but be impressed with the lines of muscles on his back and arms, even in a totally relaxed state. Since he was asleep, I couldn’t feel any answering call of magic coming from him to tell me if he was fae or human. He had slipped into the mound of pillows, burying his head and hiding his ears. I’d have to wake him or get closer to see what I was dealing with. I blew my bangs out of my eyes in a huff before creeping over to the bed, walking round to the far side, closer to the door.

     I held my breath and reached for the top pillow. He had a bright red Mohawk with black tips; the stubble on his jaw was dark, hinting at a black beard. But what my eyes focused on was the completely rounded ears. I had a human in my bead. I dropped the pillow back over his head and stumbled backwards until I hit the door to the bathroom. I reached blindly behind me until I grabbed the doorknob and turned, practically falling into the bathroom. I shut and locked the door as quickly and quietly as possible. I needed a minute to get my head straight.

     I had never brought a human home before. As a rule, fae people are very secretive about where we live, even though we live out in the open among humans now and no longer hide in the hills and forests. We populate whole cities now, but we still had our magics and we could hide in plain sight if we wanted to. If you showed a human where you lived, you could never hide it from them again. Humans tended to become obsessed with fae people, which was why so many of them feared us; many still believed that this obsession was really a manifestation of magical trickery on our part. I had no idea what it was about fae magic and humans that made them so receptive to us, but I understood their fear. I understood it so well I made it a point to never bed one. I sat down on the edge of the bathtub and hid my face in my hands, elbows propped on my knees.

     “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” I whispered angrily to myself, shaking my head slowly. I tried to concentrate on the hours missing from my memory, but the harder I tried to focus on them, the farther they slipped away. I pounded my fists on my knees in anger, gritting my teeth against the yell I wanted to give voice to.

     “Okay, calm down, Taryn,” I whispered, uncurling my fists and running my fingers through my hair, pushing it back away from my face. “What’s done is done, we just have to deal with it now.” I stood up and walked over to the sink and flinched at my own reflection in the mirror on the wall. My blond hair was tangled high on my head; my dark makeup from the night before was smeared, making me look like a crazed raccoon. The bite on my shoulder still looked fresh, the pale skin pink around the puncture wounds that looked like they had bled again. There was even a smear of blood on my neck. I sighed, shaking my head that was probably the culprit of my amnesia. Well that and the half a bottle of liquor I consumed with Roxy. I thought back to the Hunter and his invitation to another dance should we meet again and promised myself that would not happen. Ah, piecrust promises always sound so strong in the morning. I grabbed a makeup remover wipe, deciding my face was more of a mess than my hair, and attacked that first. I didn’t want to run the water and wake my guest before I was ready for him.

     Once I had the knots brushed out of my hair and the fake eyelashes removed, I felt a little more in control. Too bad I didn’t have any clothes in here. I sat back down on the edge of the tub and stared at the door leading to the bedroom, trying to think of just what to do, when he knocked, startling me so much that I fell, the cold tile biting in to my skin as I cursed.

     “Heya, think I could get in there?” he asked through the door in a heavy English accent. I stared at the door in horror. I was not ready to deal with him yet. He knocked again. “Don’t mean to be rude, luv, but I’ve got a kind of situation here.”

     “Goblins,” I cursed under my breath before I pushed up to my feet and reached for the doorknob, turning the lock and pulling the door open.

     “Ah, thanks there, luv.” He smiled at me, his face still showing creases from the pillows, but his eyes were a warm brown. I had to tilt my head all the way back to look up at him, his six feet towering over my five foot one. His skin was fair, making me wonder how long it had been since he’d seen the sun, but nothing detracted from the muscle tone of his body. I knew most fairies and elves were born with bodies humans fought every day to attain, but it looked like he enjoyed working out and had managed to get everything proportionate. I was intimately aware of how close we were standing and the fact that we were both naked, making the bite mark on my shoulder throb encouragingly. It was suddenly very tempting to glance down. I felt my eyes go wide as I struggled to keep looking up.

     “Everythin’ alright?” he asked when I kept staring at him silently. His dark brows pulled together in a frown as he watched my face. “Hey,” he said, reaching a hand for my chin, but I ducked under his hand suddenly and darted into the bedroom. I grabbed the first piece of clothing I could find and clutched it to my chest to cover up. I heard his chuckle at my reaction and then the door closed behind him. I blew out a breath before pulling the shirt over my head. When it hit my knees, I knew it was his, but before I could find anything else to grab, I heard the bathroom door again and made a mad dash out of the room, running down the hall until I hit the living room. I flinched in the bright light and turned for the kitchen, pressing the automatic button on the coffee pot to start percolating. I stood at the counter, bracing myself with both hands, letting my head hang as I tried to slow the beating of my heart.

     “Heya,” he whispered as he slipped up behind me, his hands sliding around my waist. I caught my breath as my whole body jerked in shock. How the hell had a human snuck up on me?

     “You startled me,” I managed when his hands hesitated. He chuckled again, a low throaty sound that rumbled from his chest, and slid his hands around me. His arms were firm and strong as they held me against his warm body. I was relieved to feel the cotton of boxers against the backs of my thighs. He buried his face into the bend of my neck, breathing in the scent of my hair with a sigh. It was all so familiar. I hadn’t moved, still holding onto the counter, staring at the wall in confusion. I felt him tense at my non-reaction before he stood back, pulling his hands away until he caught my hips and turned me around to face him.

     “You want to tell me what’s wrong?” he asked, bending a little at the waist to look me in the eye.

     “I, uh,” I stammered, caught by his searching gaze. His face was oval shaped, with dark brows over his almond shaped eyes, and he had lashes for days. His lips were pink and full. I thought he might have an easy smile. I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to clear the fog from my mind again. His fingers curled into my hips and pulled me forward, bending me into his form. I looked up at him just as he leaned for a kiss. I meant to stop him, but his lips were as warm and soft as I thought they would be. The kiss was slow; his lips pressing into mine gently so the stubble on his face wouldn’t rub my skin. His body was firm and warm and I found myself reaching for his round shoulders, my nails biting into his skin as I returned the kiss. I tilted my head, inviting a stronger kiss, and opened my mouth for him, seeking his tongue with mine.

     Flashes of the night before flickered behind my eyelids as I breathed in the scent of his skin, but all I could see were the images of pale skin on pale skin. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist and stood up straight, lifting me easily off of the floor to keep me pressed against his body. I could feel his heart beating against his chest into mine, slow and steady. I found myself remembering his kisses They were always deep, always slow, letting me set the pace and the need, shattering my illusions of desperate human need. I caught his lower lip with my teeth, pulling it into my mouth, sucking on it gently before letting go and diving in for another kiss. His mouth was hot and inviting. He broke the kiss first, moving to my neck and down to the bend of my shoulder. I was a little surprised that he went to the side that was unmarred by the bite and gave him points for that.

     I lifted my chin and reached one hand to run my fingers through his soft cherry red hair, gripping a handful at the back of his head. I felt him smile against my skin when I pulled, he hesitated a moment before nipping at the muscle in my neck, sending shivers down my spine. The bite on my shoulder throbbed, sending happy little pulses all through my body. I squirmed in his grip, all my earlier worry washing away from me as the heat between our bodies began to grow. Maybe I didn’t remember bringing him home, but I could certainly understand why I did. He took a step forward until my ass bumped into the edge of the counter.

     He set me down and I opened my legs to wrap them around his waist, making me rock back a little. I let my hands fall to the tops of his shoulders, my nails biting into the exposed skin. He lifted his head away from my neck and found my mouth again. I pulled him closer to me with legs and hands, feeling his hips pressing into my thighs until there was no more space between us. He was hard and ready for me and I was very aware of the fact that I hadn’t grabbed any underwear in my flight from the bedroom. Only the thin cotton of his boxers kept us separated. I could feel his fingers digging into my hips, translating his need for me. In my mind, I saw his eyes boring into mine, our foreheads pressed together as he thrust inside of me. I gasped against his mouth as the memory flashed in my mind.

     “Mm, Taryn,” he whispered when I broke away from the kiss. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deep, as if he was trying to hold on to whatever control he still had. I knew if I made him smile it would be a little cocky, almost a smirk, but that it would make a light shine in his eyes. I closed my eyes and shook my head against the confusing memories that were stealing this moment from me. His fingers slid over my hips, around my waist, and up the small of my back, curling into the skin to feel the bite of his nails.

     I arched against him, pressing myself against him, feeling the cloth rub all the right places as his nails dragged a slow, teasing rake down my back, just this side of pain. I realized he was still waiting for me to decide where this was going. If I wanted to push him away right now, he wouldn’t fight me. If I ripped off his boxers, he’d happily go along with that too. I had always been terrified to try anything with a human before because there were such horror stories about how enamored they would become with fae creatures; elf, pixie, fairy, it didn’t matter. Once they were struck by a fae creature, their whole world would become obsessed with us, unable to think of anything but satisfying a never ending craving. But if I had already slept with him and he was still controlling himself, albeit by the skin of his teeth, maybe he wouldn’t become struck by me.