“Nae, lass, just step through it. Ah will be jist behind ye.”
I nodded and hoped I wasn’t making a drastic mistake. With a deep breath, I allowed Odran to lift me up by my waist as I placed both of my feet into the portal and they instantly disappeared. Odran leaned forward, pushing the rest of my body through the portal until he released me. I registered a slight coolness against my body that almost felt wet. Seconds later, I landed on my ass, but I was on the other side.
And, luckily, there were no dinosaurs or cavemen to speak of.
“Um,” I started while standing up and trying to get my bearings. I glanced around, as my eyes went wide. “Whoa!”
I found myself standing in a jungle of flowers, as in I was surrounded by them. Craning my neck all the way back, I could just see the tops of the flowers because they were so tall. After studying them more closely, I realized they were tulips. Well, tulips of the fae variety, because last time I checked, tulips couldn’t grow seven feet tall.
“This way, lass,” Odran suddenly announced from behind me. He quickly walked past me and turned to his right. With a forward march, he pushed the tall stems of the tulips out of his way with his hands. When he grew tired of using his hands, he started kicking at the stalks with his legs until they bent in half. Then he simply trod on top of them in order to carve a path forward. It was very slow going because they were so densely packed together.
Following behind him, I noticed I was no longer wearing the black stretch pants and sports bra I had been earlier. No, now I was clad in a … dress? “Okay, what the hell is this about?” I demanded before I stopped walking and indicated the empire waistline and capped sleeve atrocity that was now covering me. The material was white, gauzy and so long I had to lift it in order to see my feet, which I found ensconced in what looked like white ballet flats. As I leaned forward, my hair fell over my shoulder in a cascade of honey brown ringlets that were adorned with flowers and ribbons.
“Whit is whit aboot?” Odran asked, not bothering to look back at me over his shoulder.
“Um, do you care to explain to me why the hell I’m wearing a dress?” I snapped, my tone of voice evincing my anger.
Odran chuckled and stopped decapitating the giant flowers as he turned to face me. He took me in from head to toe; and judging by the expression on his face, he liked what he saw. “In the land o’ the fae, ye moost dress appropriately, lass,” Odran answered as his eyes continued to rake over me. “An’ ye are a true sight ta behold!”
“I don’t do dresses,” I muttered even though I realized that, apparently, now I did. Odran didn’t respond as he faced forward again and resumed his task of trampling the tulips just to get to wherever we were going. “So may I ask why you had the portal put us directly into this tulip forest anyway? Couldn’t you have gotten us closer to wherever we’re going?” I inquired, not meaning to sound so testy.
“Ah cannae determine exactly where the portal spits oos out, lass,” Odran replied somewhat defensively. As he kicked the stalks of the last row of tulips, which snapped and fell immediately, we found ourselves in an open expanse of green pasture.
“Well, so far, the worst part of portal travel is definitely this hideous costume,” I said as I noticed the top of the dress was so loose and blousy, it barely covered my nipples.
Odran turned and offered me his arm, which I refused. He didn’t even notice though because his eyes were busily fastened on my breasts. “Ah moost admit, lass, Ah find Ah cannae keep me eyes from yer bosoms,” he said in a low voice until his eyes finally found mine. He shook his head as if he were bewildered. “They are jist so plentiful an’ so round!”
“Don’t get any ideas, Casanova,” I grumbled back as I wondered if maybe it would have been better to take on Brontosaurus or maybe Stegosaurus.
Odran led me into the meadow, which was about twenty feet wide and thirty feet long. Surrounding it was a fabric of trees that towered above us and stretched high into the sky. Their branches looked more like the fronds of ferns than the leaves of trees. Strange flowers that I’d never seen before climbed up the trees before hanging their colorful heads toward the ground, looking like a canopy of blooms above us. Their broad faces were like sunflowers, but they came in every color of the rainbow: ocean blue, violet, fire-engine red and lemon yellow.
As soon as Odran stepped into the rectangular strip of meadow, a gold chair that resembled a throne appeared out of nowhere. It was as if the earth beneath it had suddenly forced it upwards. The chair was exquisitely detailed and featured the face of a roaring lion, which decorated the top. The arms of the chair ended in great golden paws; and the lion’s tail wrapped around the legs of the chair, the gold glistening in the warm sunlight. Odran immediately sat down on the throne and patted his left thigh, as if to suggest I should take my seat there.
“I’d rather stand up,” I ground out, shaking my head at his unbridled nerve. Yep, I had a feeling I’d have to beat down his sexual libido and as it turned out, my gut instincts were right on.
“Suit yerself, lass,” he said, but appeared disappointed all the same. “’Though ’twill be difficult ta eat standin’ oop.”
“Eat?” I repeated. No sooner did the word fall off my tongue when we were suddenly surrounded by an assortment of meats, cheeses, breads, fruits and all kinds of pastries.
“Mead, lass?” Odran asked. A wooden jug of what I assumed was mead suddenly appeared in one of his hands, and a goblet in the other. Glancing into the jug, my fingers immediately began to tingle as soon as I beheld the amber-colored liquid. And tingling fingers could only mean one thing—the mead was charmed. Even though I didn’t know exactly what it was charmed with, since my fingers were only tingling slightly, it meant the charm wasn’t a very strong one.
“Uh, n … no,” I stammered, finding it difficult to shake the surprise that was currently overwhelming me. Although I was accustomed to magic—Elementals, of course, possessing a great deal of it—I had never witnessed so much magic displayed in such a … beautiful, but completely extravagant manner before. I was always taught to regard magic with great respect and reverence. Magic could only be used in warfare or the protection of oneself. Never had I seen it used purely for pleasure. I wasn’t angry, which was odd because I suddenly thought that I should have been angry by Odran’s wastrel actions and his utter lack of respect for his own power. But, no, I wasn’t angry. I was too much in awe to experience any other emotion, actually.
Looking around again, I reveled in the riot of colorful flowers that engulfed us as well as the lush green grass of the meadow underfoot. The magic I was accustomed to had more practical objectives. It was the magic one used to fight and heal with. It was the type of magic that was associated with war, rather than beauty. In all my years, I had never once used my magic just for the hell of it.
Hmm, maybe you should have, I thought to myself.
My stomach started to growl when I saw the array of mouth-watering foods set up before me. I heard Odran chuckling, but I didn’t pay him any attention. Instead, I sat down and proceeded to sate myself on the spread before me. And it wasn’t a decision that was in any way difficult. I was well beyond sick and tired of the fare my sister offered me for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I reached for a bunch of grapes and paused momentarily, waiting for the telltale feeling of tingling in my fingers that might imply that the food was charmed as well as the mead. But there was no tingling at all. Pulling a few grapes free, I popped them into my mouth, pleasantly surprised by how sweet their juice was as they burst inside my mouth. Finishing the grapes, I reached for a nectarine and found that it too, was the best tasting nectarine I’d ever eaten. Next, I picked up a golden roll and split it in half before buttering each side and adding some swiss cheese and a few strips of ham. I took a bite of my hastily prepared sandwich and marveled that it too, tasted uniquely delicious. It superseded any other pork, cheese or bread product I’d ever eaten before. “Why does everything taste so much better
here?” I asked, eyeing Odran narrowly. It wasn’t lost on me that he hadn’t so much as budged an inch from his throne. Instead, he contentedly sipped his mead and watched me closely, making no motion to eat anything.
“Fae magic is the verra best type o’ magic, lass. ’Tis the strongest magic, so everythin’ ye taste an’ experience is at its ootmost,” Odran explained.
Nodding, I tried to appear nonplussed by his explanation, but all the while, a new plan was forming in my head. There was so much magic here that it would behoove me to steal some of it. Especially since my attempts to escape this evening would require an inordinate amount of magic that I wasn’t sure I possessed. However, in order to steal some of the magic now being offered here, I would have to find a way to keep Odran preoccupied ... and there was the sticking point.
After polishing off my sandwich, I reached for a plum, which I swallowed in a few bites. Then I was thirsty and remembered Odran’s mead. “What is that stuff exactly?” I asked, motioning to the jug in his hand. If the charm on the mead was insignificant enough, I could probably remove it with a reversal spell …
“’Tis the drink o’ the ancients, lass,” he answered as he eyed me speculatively. Then he tipped his goblet forward to show me the contents. I dipped my finger into it before placing said finger on my tongue. The charm, probably some sort of love spell as far as I could tell, was so inconspicuous, I didn’t think I needed to reverse it after all. And, even better, this could provide the perfect outlet to absorb all of Odran’s attention while I stole his magic right out from under him.
“What’s in it?” I asked again.
“Honey, water, yeast, spices an’ fruit,” he answered with a shrug as he took a large sip from the goblet. Clearly, he was immune to its effects. He eyed me with a smile. “Would ye care ta try some, lass?”
I nodded and watched another goblet magically appear between Odran’s feet. He reached down and picked up the cup, pouring a healthy serving of mead into it. Then he handed the goblet to me. I precariously took one sip and then another before I decided if the taste of the mead agreed with me. It was sweet, but not cloyingly so. I took another few sips before placing the goblet down on the ground and reaching for a wedge of watermelon. I could feel the charm beginning to work inside me—like a flurry of butterflies suddenly swarming in my stomach. It wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling.
“What sort o’ magic do ye know, lass?” Odran asked.
“Ask my sister,” I answered with a full mouth. “She forced that answer out of me as well as a few others.”
Odran didn’t say anything else, but just nodded as he studied me. I finished the watermelon and moved on to a block of orange cheese that resembled cheddar. After I finished that, I washed it down with the remainder of the mead. At that point, I started to feel a little bit dizzy. “Is this stuff alcoholic?” I asked, facing Odran with a frown, and pretending not to know I was under the influence of his charm. Actually, I did find it a bit more difficult than I imagined it would be to fight the feelings of … lust that began to spiral through me. As soon as I set my eyes on Odran again, I was taken by the thought that he was incredibly handsome.
“Aye,” he answered. “Mayhap Ah should have warned ye, mah wee lass.” Then he chuckled as if giving me any warning was something he would never have bothered doing. “Come, lass,” he said, patting his thigh.
I stood up and approached him, feeling my hips swaying of their own accord. I was finding it hard to resist the urge to touch him, and to feel how soft his skin was. But I restrained myself. Instead, I closed my eyes momentarily to access the vault of magic that resided inside my head.
“Are ye well, lass?” Odran asked.
I nodded, but didn’t open my eyes. “There must be a high alcohol content in the mead because I’m feeling a bit tipsy,” I answered. Meanwhile, I reached for the four empty vials of residual magic in my mind’s eye. Once I uncapped each one, I opened my eyes and focused on the king of the fae.
“Come, lass,” Odran announced as he patted his thigh again. “Ah will make ye feel betta.”
Something inside me compelled me forward and I sat down on his knee. As soon as I touched him, a feeling of uninhibited bliss started flowing through me. Yep, that love charm of his was turning out to be a bitch to try to keep under control. But I couldn’t allow myself to get carried away. I closed my eyes again and imagined the four empty vials. As soon as I could see them in my mind’s eye, I began my mission.
Borrow from the magic that surrounds you. Fill yourself to the brim with the magic of this realm and do not stop until you have taken all you can take, I said in my mind. The vials began to shake slightly in response, a sign that my magic was working.
“Lass, are ye well?” Odran asked as I felt his fingers caressing the side of my face.
I opened my eyes and felt another wave of ecstasy as soon as I saw the beauty of his amber eyes. The longer I studied him, the more I felt like I was swaying on an ocean, drunken with the side effects of the mead I’d swallowed. I watched my fingers dancing in Odran’s hair before a laugh escaped my lips. “Your hair is so soft!” I announced with a hiccup and another laugh.
“Aye, lass,” the fae king nodded with the most handsome smile I’d ever seen. “Now, tell me, lass, where do ye coom from?”
“I come from a land far, far away,” I said with a hiccup and another drunken laugh. I had to keep Odran’s attention on me and away from the vials in my mind that were currently filling up with his magic. Although it would have been difficult to detect his magic being usurped, if he were paying closer attention, he could have felt it.
“Aye, aye,” Odran responded, running his fingers down the side of my face, to my throat, until he reached my collarbone. His eyes were riveted on my breasts, I could see as much in his gaze. “An’ where is this land that is far, far away, lass?”
“Montana,” I replied, surprised that I’d just told him where our training camp was. Hmm, so he was using his own magic to extract answers from me. Interesting. I had to guard against revealing too much. But that thought was overshadowed by another one. I was succumbing to the desire for Odran to touch me. I wanted nothing more than for him to pull my dress farther down to bare my breasts.
Watch yourself, Bryn, a voice inside my head announced. It took me a second to realize it was mine. Don’t let this go too far.
Closing my eyes shut tightly, I, again, imagined the vials, and saw that one was completely filled with an iridescent-looking powder. It had capped itself. Meanwhile, a second one was halfway filled; and the third and fourth were nearly a quarter filled. I still had quite a ways to go, which meant I had to keep Odran preoccupied for a little while longer.
“An’ ye call yerself an Elemental?” he continued. When he glanced up at me with his beautiful eyes, I felt my breath catch in my throat.
“You have the most stunning eyes I’ve ever seen,” I said, my words slurring. I reached for his face and traced his eyes with one finger.
“Aye, lass, aye,” he answered, sounding rushed somehow. “Tell me, lass, whit are ye here for?” he continued. “Why were ye the only one o’ yer people left oan the battlefield?” I could only shake my head because I didn’t have an answer for him, just like I hadn’t had an answer for Jolie when she’d asked me this same question.
“Please, Odran,” I chimed, not exactly sure what it was that I wanted from him, but his love charm was certainly doing a number on me.
“Whit do ye want me ta do to ye, lass?” he asked in a voice brimming with flirtation.
“I want you to kiss me,” I answered, suddenly feeling incredibly daring which didn’t make any sense to me. When it came to the ways of men, I knew nothing at all. I closed my eyes again and discovered the second vial was now full and capped. The third one was halfway full.
Fill those vials and then stop this nonsense! I warned myself. The charm on that mead is growing stronger by the second. Get your business done and then get out!
Yeah, yeah
, I responded as I waved away my own concerns.
“If ye want me ta kiss ye, then ye moost answer mah questions, lass,” the king of the fae responded as I opened my eyes. The dizziness in my head was getting stronger. I was right—I had to keep myself grounded, and try to resist the power of the love charm.
“I don’t know why I was the last one left on the battlefield,” I answered honestly and even shrugged. “And the reason I’m here, in Scotland, is simply because I was taken prisoner by my sister.”
“Have ye had any contact with the elder?” Odran continued, his eyes now feasting on my body.
“No,” I answered immediately. I figured it was safe to offer up some information because it was more important for me to keep Odran’s attention away from my pilfering of his magic. “I’m afraid my elder must be angry with me; because I can’t understand why he won’t reach out to me.”
“Are ye here ta dae yer sister harm?”
“No,” I answered immediately. “I would never hurt my sister. I love her.” The words came out of my mouth before I could think about them.
“Verra good, lass,” Odran said with a genuine smile. “There may be ah good lass in there after all,” he said and pointed to my chest, allowing his fingers to loiter.
As soon as he smiled, I felt the butterflies returning to my stomach, and I was overcome by the desire to kiss him. I leaned into him until our noses were half an inch away from each other. Then I closed my eyes and inhaled his spicy scent. I suddenly envisioned the last two vials before me. The third one was filled with Odran’s magic, and it, too, was capped. The fourth one was nearly full also.
I felt Odran tugging on my dress and opened my eyes in surprise. He pulled on it until both of my breasts bounced free. A bolt of shock passed through me, but merely moments later, it was replaced by the bubbling of excitement. He took turns rolling my nipples between his fingers and I knew I should have been outraged; or at the very least, embarrassed, but I felt nothing except excitement and yearning. I’d never been touched by a man before and the sensation of his fingers on my nipples was, in a word … delicious.