By the Enchantment of Moonlight (The Forbidden Realm #2.5) (3 page)

T
hey arrived at the cavernous factory warehouse for Sandstrom Industries. Dorn's directions were exact. Swift could feel magic in the area, but they didn't need to use any to get inside. A broken window served nicely to let them in, unnoticed by any humans who might be working there.

Discolored skylights above them allowed pale rays from the mid-day sun to filter in, leaving the area dusty and dim. Everything about this place felt human and off-limits to them, but stray flickers of magic declared they were not the first fairies to come this way. It was an unforgettable sensation, that of magic mingling with the mundane. He wondered what Pimma would make of it.

He motioned for her to follow him toward a shadowy spot atop a stack of shipping crates. They could settle in and scan their surroundings from here—just high enough that human eyes would be unlikely to fall on them, yet near enough to ground level for investigating. The subtle buzz of their wings was the only sound he could detect, so Swift held up his hand to remind Pimma to stay otherwise silent.

Her none-too-subtle eye roll did not go unnoticed. It was more than a little obvious she resented being treated like she needed some sort of babysitter. But she did. There was a lot more going on here than she knew about, and he wished he'd had some way to warn her what they were getting into.

She would learn, though. She'd see for herself that the Fairy Council had lied to them all. Her world would be turned upside down and she'd know their Realm was betrayed.

Swift hated to do this to her, to shatter her image of their grand leader, but what else could he do? Dorn had made them partners. She had to see for herself what Swift knew.

He only hoped she didn't hate him for introducing her to the truth. Truth changed things, just as it had changed him—his outlook, his attitude, even his physical being. What would it do to Pimma?

He tried not to think about what the carnal fallout might be. He would not wish that on Pimma, even though a wild fantasy in the back of his mind imagined what it might be if she felt just a hint of what he was experiencing. They were crouched close together in hiding, so close he could feel her quick, nervous breaths brush over his skin. Her body pressed up against his and he could feel her nervous trembling. It was impossible to concentrate on anything else.

In the past he would have ignored their contact. Now, though, his body craved stimulation. It wanted things it should not want, and Pimma, it seemed, was a primary trigger. Being so near to her now in this human-stained atmosphere, he was assaulted by temptation he had never needed to learn to withstand.

All his life the Veil had protected him from human weakness and lust. Magic kept him beyond the taint of all that. At least, that was the way it had been. Right now he was feeling decidedly tainted.

Pimma's fluttering, feminine presence as they peered silently around the huge warehouse was holding his attention in all the wrong ways. He'd never known this sort of awareness, yet he could hardly concentrate on anything else. Pimma's form, her scent, the way her lips moved when she formed her words…these thoughts assaulted him and he shoved them aside with all of his might.

He would
not
think these thoughts, feel these sensations in his body. He was a fairy, and fairies didn't do that. They didn't glance at their partner and notice that the sheer cloth of her iridescent blouse clung so tightly to her body that he could clearly see the perfect form of her breasts. They didn't secretly gawk at the tempting curve from her tiny waist to the luscious flare of her hips. They didn't long to touch her skin, trace the gossamer edge of her wing, breathe in her sweet scent and wonder about the parts of her he couldn't already see, smell, or touch. By the Skies, he was practically dizzy with these distractions.

She was too close, blissfully unaware of what was happening inside him. His control was slipping and if he didn't curb his wayward thoughts he couldn't even guess what might happen. Actually, he
could
guess.

His groin was on fire and he could feel himself go hard as a rock. Fairies were humanlike in their anatomy, but the body was used merely as an instrument for the benefit of the Realm, not as an object for desire. Right now, though, desire was burning inside his body and he craved things he could not have. By the Skies, he had to find a way to make it stop.

“Look, someone's coming,” Pimma said, laying a hand on his shoulder and nearly scalding him with her light touch.

He tore his mind from the scorching sensation and glanced in the direction she indicated. Sure enough, there was movement at the far end of the row of shipping crates. Two forms came into view, their footsteps echoing on the concrete floor. One was a generally attractive human female Swift had never seen before, but the other was a fairy he recognized easily. Wain.

There was no time for flight. Their only hope for escaping notice was to crouch where they were, to hide themselves behind the rough wooden frame of the crate. Pimma snuggled next to Swift, clueless to what this physical contact did to him. He peeked out to watch the approaching figures intently, hoping they would do something interesting enough to distract him from Pimma's tantalizing warmth.

“But we can't do anything until we have McGowan,” Wain was saying.

He had assumed a large, human-sized form, and he walked beside the woman, his wing tips idly brushing the rows of crates as he moved. Dirt particles and cobwebs swirled in lazy, neglected circles around them, glittering like weak Fairy Dust in the pale light. Whatever this warehouse was, it did not see much use. Clearly Wain and his human companion did not intend to encounter anyone here.

“Crandall McGowan has gone off to Iceland,” the woman snapped sharply. “You heard what happened to his daughter. He's there investigating. We can only hope he doesn't figure anything out while he's gone.”

Swift instantly latched on to the woman's words. What did she know of Iceland? And who was this McGowan she spoke of? Somehow that name was familiar. Clearly whatever was going on here had something to do with the things Swift had encountered there. There was no way this could be coincidence.

“There's no telling how long McGowan will be gone. Should I tell some of my associates to go take care of him?” Wain asked.

The woman merely gave him a scathing look. “If I wanted him dead I'd do that myself. No, we still need him. This will just delay us awhile.”

“The Council Leader said we don't have room for any more delays. Things are bad and the Veil is in grave danger. We need the equipment in place and running immediately.”

Suddenly the woman's tone of annoyance was gone. She flashed dark, almond eyes and smiled a sultry smile. The effect on Wain was obvious. He stood as if frozen in place while the woman traced one long, elegant finger along the side of his jaw.

“Now, Wain, don't be so impatient. You know I always keep my promises, don't I?”

“Yes, but the council—”

“Stop worrying so much about the council. They don't know everything that's going on, do they?”

Now her fingers trailed over the nervous fairy's chest and down toward his belt. She tugged at the clasp there. It didn't take much imagination to understand what the growing bulge in the front of Wain's moleskin trousers meant. He was reacting almost instantly to the woman's touch.

“Miranda…you know we can't do this,” he said with obvious strain in his voice.

“Of course we can, just like we could do this the last time we met here, and the time before that,” she replied.

“If the council finds out…”

She was practically purring as her eyes and fingers continued their exploration. “Like I said, they don't know everything, and they don't need to. Come on, Wain, you know you can do things to me no one else can. I've been waiting so long to see you again. Don't make me wait any longer.”

“I thought we were here to handle some of the equipment issues?”

“How about if I handle
your
equipment?” she cooed at him.

The woman wasn't about to let this be merely a suggestion, either. Swift heard Pimma draw in a shocked gasp as the human practically threw Wain against the row of crates and rubbed her shapely, forbidden body against him. His quivering blue-green colored wings splayed out against the crates and he seemed completely helpless as she forced herself on him.

“We should go help him!” Pimma hissed in a whisper, her eyes huge as she peered down at the shocking scene below them.

Swift wasn't quite sure how to explain to her that it had been fairly obvious—despite Wain's frail protests—that he did not really want any help. At least, not the kind of help Pimma was suggesting. As the woman's hands stole inside Wain's loose clothing he groaned in aching pleasure. Swift cursed under his breath as his own traitorous body responded with a fiery need he would have given anything to be able to ignore.

“What is she doing to him?” Pimma questioned.

Swift would have given anything to be able to ignore that, too. Her voice was soft and breathy, and so very close to his ear that he could feel the heat from her lithe body. Her wing brushed his, sending additional unwanted sizzle through him. She had no idea, of course, the effect she was having, what watching the groping forms just a few yards away did to him.

His throat was dry and painfully constricted. That was nothing compared to the ache in his groin. He could not trust himself to give her a quiet, intelligible answer.

“Is she seducing him?” Pimma gulped.

Indeed, she was. This Miranda woman was touching Wain in places that would have sent any human male into sexual frenzy. A fairy, however, should have been unaffected, protected from lust and desire by his magic and his very nature. It was obvious though, that this fairy was very much affected. Not only was he allowing the woman to pleasure him, but he had begun to willfully participate.

Wain wrapped the woman in his arms, grasping her fleshy buttocks and grinding himself against her. Wain grunted and Swift gritted his teeth. It was clear that the re-sized fairy had wasted no time—he was willingly and eagerly engaging in the most carnal, human activity. The woman's short skirt rode up higher and higher as her hips began a rhythmic gyration that was hypnotizing to watch.

“Now I believe Wain is seducing
her
,” Pimma commented lowly.

Swift nodded. That was all he could do. Wain had given in without hesitation, helpless against the woman's allure. Swift wrestled against it, too, but it was more a general sense of arousal than actual interest in her. His body was alert to sensation, but it was the delicate fairy at his side who filled his thoughts and roused his desire.

The woman had a firm hold over Wain, though. Their bodies entwined in unfettered passion as Wain serviced her with abandon. Swift and Pimma were jostled as the stack of crates rocked wildly, Wain thumping against them as he thrust and thrust again, driving himself into the woman and clutching her tightly against him.

Swift could see their undulating forms through the slats of the crates. He clenched and unclenched his own fists as he watched Wain knead the woman's tight skin. By the Skies, but Swift tasted blood as he bit into his own cheek, desperate to maintain control. The sound and the sight of this wanton lovemaking continued to surround them and fed the torrid desire that welled up inside him.

Finally Wain gave a final thrust and groaned loudly. His features contorted as he arched against the woman. She sighed breathlessly, if not a bit overly dramatic.

“You are magical, Wain,” she murmured. “I came so hard for you.”

Wain was panting. “Did you? Did I take you all the way there, Miranda?”

“Oh, yeah. You're amazing. But…” She paused, pushing herself away from him and pulling her skirt down. “Like you said, we don't want to get caught here. Why don't you go clean yourself up and then we can get back to business. These boxes won't ship themselves, you know.”

“Right. Of course.” Wain was stammering, putting his clothing back in order and trying to regain his balance. “We've got business here.”

He grabbed Miranda and pulled her to him for one quick kiss before she shoved him away.

“Go, hurry up now,” she ordered.

He nodded, but wasted a few seconds more just staring at her, shaking his head. “You are so amazing, Miranda. I can't believe you chose me, over everyone else.”

“Yeah, only you, Wain. Nobody else does me like you. Now go wipe yourself off.”

He shuffled away and she was left alone, patting her still impeccable hair and smiling smugly. Swift was only now beginning to be able to breathe again, so he was just about to suggest to Pimma that they make a hasty exit when the woman turned and glanced up in their direction. Her smile increased as her eyes darkened.

“So, little fairies, did you enjoy the show?”

Pimma was stunned. Her mind was still reeling from what she'd just witnessed, but now this woman seemed to be aware of their presence! How had they allowed her to detect them? They were trying to remain hidden, and the protection from the Veil should have been enough to cloud the human's vision. Being seen by a human was a foolish, juvenile mistake. Pimma was a little bit ashamed of herself for becoming so caught up in that appalling sexual display that she'd somehow broken the first rule of non-interaction.
Never let them know you're there.

But this woman
did
know they were there. How could she? Humans could not so easily peer through the Veil. Only creatures from the Forbidden Realm had that power, and this was a human.

Still, she was gazing right at them. Swift met Pimma's eyes and gave her a shrug, then stood boldly to stare down at the woman. He made quite a figure, facing her this way and not shrinking in fear the way Pimma wanted to do. Taking a deep breath, she rose to stand beside him and gazed down at the woman.