Fairy Tale: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Lillim Callina Chronicles Book 3) (5 page)

“You convince the Prince of the Burning Ash to give you an audience with the Magistrate,” he said.

“Okeydokey,” I replied with a shrug. “Where do I find him?”

The guard raised one gauntlet-covered hand and tapped his chest with his index finger. “I’m right here,” he said.

“You’ve got to be freakin’ kidding me,” I snapped before I could stop myself, and I got the feeling that the Prince’s eyes were narrowing beneath his mask. “You aren’t going to just be a nice guy and take me to the magistrate, are you?”

“No,” he said and waved one of his hands in a bored gesture. “It is my job to keep riffraff from entering our gilded halls. Besides, you are hardly dressed for the occasion.”

“Well, unfortunately, I left my ball gown with my other pair of panties,” I said, glaring at him.

“A ball gown would be perfect. If you had one of those I would let you in.” His head nodded toward me. “I have just the thing,” he added, sweeping past me to the door. It opened, sliding upward into the archway above without a sound before thundering back into place behind him.

“Swell,” I murmured to myself. I didn’t exactly relish the idea of letting some stranger pick out a dress for me, especially since I’d never worn anything formal before. Would I look good in it? Then again, anything would be better than walking around in my underwear, right? Wait… I was going to be wearing a dress without panties? Isn’t that how bad romance novels and late night television shows start?

The Prince returned a few minutes later carrying a shimmering, blue-sequined dress that reminded me of a mermaid. I could almost envision myself wearing it, which I guess was the idea. Something about the dress made me think that it would hug my body in just the right way to make me look as good as possible given my non-Kishi proportions.

“A
gift
for you,” he said holding the garment out to me.

“Wait a second… aren’t you not supposed to accept gifts from fairies? I’m pretty sure that’s a rule,” I said, eyeing the dress carefully.

“It won’t be a gift if you provide me with something of equal value.” His voice held an edge of surprise to it, as though he didn’t expect me to know Fairy 101. Then again, given our situations, I suppose he had a reason to think I was a little dull.

“You can see quite clearly that I have virtually nothing on my person. What do you expect me to give you?” I asked.

“A kiss.”

“You expect me to kiss you?” I squawked. A blush rushed across my face as I stepped back from him. “I don’t even know you, buddy.”

“If it’s because you think I’m ugly beneath this mask, then let me assure you that will not be a problem.” He reached up and pulled his helmet off. Silver hair cascaded down to his ankles in a shimmering wave as he shook his head, tucking the helmet beneath his arm. How did that much hair fit beneath his helmet?

He took a step toward me, eyes gleaming like silver coins with flecks of sapphire and emerald. The Prince of The Burning Ash smiled at me, and it was like the first rays of sunlight following a storm. I swallowed, my mouth having suddenly gone dry as he leaned down toward me. His lips were so full, so lush that, for a moment, I wondered what they would feel like pressed to mine.

“We can’t… I can’t kiss you,” I whispered, and the words sounded pathetic even to me. “I have a boyfriend.”

“I won’t tell him if you won’t.” His voice was like warm honey on my lips, like silk brushing along on my skin. It wrapped me up and dragged me down with it.

“Still…” I murmured, but it was getting a little hard to think. “Still I don’t… I don’t…”

“The lady doth protest too much.” He pressed his lips against mine and warmth spread outward through my body in a wave. The taste of him was like melting chocolate. My knees shook as things tightened low inside me. The smell of roses filled me as I leaned forward, wrapped my arms around him, and pulled him into me.

He stepped back, breaking the kiss so suddenly that I staggered forward slightly dazed as he held the dress out to me. I looked at it in his hand, and for the life of me, couldn’t figure out what he was doing.

“What’s that for?” I asked, and my voice was low and husky.

“For you to wear inside.” He grinned at me, his perfect teeth flashing like little stars. “You need something to leave on the floor by my bed.”

Chapter 6

Following the Prince of the Burning Ash through the gilded halls of the Court of the Bright and Hot was a bad idea, but I wasn’t quite sure why. He had changed out of his armor and was now wearing a silver tunic that fell to mid-thigh. It left his toned arms and legs pretty much bare. The tight muscles rippled beneath his flesh as he moved. His skin had that suntanned look that usually meant long days at the beach, but I suspected his coloring covered the entirety of his body… even places untouched by the sun.

He held my hand in his, and the feel of him made me want to leap on him and ride him to the floor. All I could think about was pressing my body against his, but I hadn’t done it… yet. I wasn’t that kind of girl, and even though I really wanted to be
that
girl, I didn’t want him to think I
was
that kind of girl.

My dress swished around me, casting blue-green sparkles about me like silver fish flitting beneath the waves as I padded down the long, silver corridor after him. I ran one hand through my hair, brushing a stray lock back behind my ear. The Prince had asked me to unbind my hair, and it now fell to just below my shoulders in a wash of lavender.

I wasn’t wearing anything beneath the outfit, which was good because it fit me like a second skin, tight in all the right places and pushing other things into more pleasing positions. I didn’t know how the fabric managed to work its magic, but I was definitely keeping this thing when I went back home.

Home.

I had to return home. Where was that? Where was my home? I knew it wasn’t here, but I wasn’t quite sure where else it could be. I shut my eyes for a moment and tried to concentrate on what I was supposed to be doing. I came here for something… right?

“What is it, love?” The Prince’s voice trailed across my flesh like satin ribbons, sending shivers down my spine and making me almost lose my balance.

“N-nothing,” I stammered, opening my eyes. He was peering at me, silver eyes sparkling, mouth cocked into a smirk.

My heart felt like it was going to jump through my chest, and without thinking, I covered it with my hand. A wry grin spread across his mouth as he watched the movement, eyes flitting back and forth.

“Are you sure it isn’t something?” he asked, reaching forward with his free hand and placing it over mine. Heat washed over me, and I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry. His hand squeezed mine, not hard, but just enough to press my fingers around my sensitive, dress-covered flesh.

“I… I don’t remember.” I shut my eyes as a blush turned my cheeks crimson. His hand slid up over the top of my hand so that his fingertips rested against the bare skin above my neckline. It took everything in me not to tell him to move his hand lower, to move beneath the fabric.

His breath was warm on my neck, sending little tingles dancing across my flesh. His lips touched mine as his other hand cupped my chin, turning my head to him. The taste of raspberries and rich cream filled my mouth as I leaned into him, my free hand kneading into his back. He was so warm, even beneath the thin grey fabric of his tunic.

The feel of his hand slipping lower, fingertips just disappearing under the neckline of the dress made me moan into his mouth

“Please…” I murmured my voice throaty and low.

“Please what?” he asked. His breath was hot against my neck as his lips touched my skin. Things in me tightened, and my knees went a little weak as I nearly fell into him.

“Please… not here…” I said, though I wasn’t quite sure how because everything in me wanted him to edge his hand lower and touch me like no one ever had. “Not like this… not for the first time.”

He pulled back so suddenly that I stumbled and fell to the floor at his feet. A look of horror crossed his face. “You mean… you’re a virgin?”

I nodded, looking up at him, worried that he wouldn’t want me anymore. No… no he had to want me. I reached out to him touching the smooth, tan flesh of his thigh with my hand. “It’s okay… I’ll be good,” I said, smiling up at him, running my hand farther up his thigh until it was just below the hem of his tunic. “I’ll do well. I have lots of memories. I remember what to do,” I added.

He stepped back and pushed my hand away. “No… no you don’t understand.” He gulped and a tremor shook him. His silver eyes were open wide with fear.

“It’s okay,” I said, rising to my feet and reaching out to touch his face. “I want you to be my first.” Even saying the words made me feel a little… dirty. Why did I want him so badly? I stopped. My fingers inches from his face and shook my head slowly. I hadn’t slept with anyone… not Joshua, and not Caleb.

Caleb.

I should be saying something like this, doing something like this, with Caleb. Not some random person I didn’t even know. If I wanted someone to be my first, shouldn’t it be my boyfriend? Shouldn’t everything we’ve been doing have been done with my boyfriend?

I tilted my head to the side, staring at the beautiful face before me as the Prince took a hesitant step back. I was pretty sure good girls didn’t kiss men who were not their boyfriends. I was also pretty sure I was a good girl. So why was I about to do a whole lot more with a guy I’d met less than ten minutes ago?

“I’m not normally like this.” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. “So… what did you do to me?”

“Nothing!” he screamed before turning and sprinting away from me down the corridor.

I watched him go and while part of me was relieved, part of me was really angry. Did that guy just run away so he didn’t have to have sex with me? Had that really just happened?

“Mattoc!” I screamed as loud as I could. My voice echoed down the halls, repeating the ghost’s name over and over again in a way that reminded me of a petulant child.

“Finally! I’ve been trying to get through to you for the last ten minutes.” Mattoc’s voice was so faint that it was barely a whisper in my ear.

“Where are you? I can barely hear you,” I asked aloud feeling a little stupid because I couldn’t see him. Anyone looking would think I was a crazy person talking to myself. Then again, Mattoc was talking to me so that meant we were well enough alone.

“I couldn’t come in. I’m speaking to you through the chain,” Mattoc replied.

I glanced down at the spot above my left breast where Mattoc was soulbound to me. I wouldn’t be able to actually see the bond unless I switched to my ethereal sight. There was no way I was doing that in the Court of the Bright and Hot in the middle of Fairy. Who knows what I’d see here.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked, placing my fingers over the spot and forcing a little bit of power into my words.

“You’re trying to rescue Kishi. She’s somewhere in this place.” Mattoc was louder now. Good, that meant as long as I concentrated on him, I’d be able to hear his voice.

“Kishi… I’d almost forgotten about her,” I murmured, looking back and forth down the hall. Unfortunately, it looked like there was only one way to go if I didn’t want to walk back toward the entrance, and that was down the corridor after the Prince of the Burning Ash.

“Yeah… well be careful. I don’t know if you’ll be able to shake off something like that again.” Mattoc’s voice was flat and strained, like he was trying to hide something. I think he was trying to keep from scaring me.

It was too late for that. The Prince of the Burning Ash had barely touched me, and I was about to do all sorts of dirty things with him. I’ve been hit with psychic whammies before, but never anything quite that… extreme.

“What I need is some iron,” I said.

Iron was something that the fae were weak against, at least according to the manuals. If I had some iron, I was pretty sure just the touch of it would help me ward off another Lillim-on-Sidhe-sexy-time attack.

I shut my eyes and reached out my hands in front of me, drawing upon my power as I did so. Energy swelled around me, so plentiful that I could almost taste it in the air.

“Spirit Pouch,” I murmured, tearing my hands outward. The air in front of me split open, revealing a gelatinous purple pustule of space. I leaned forward, reaching into it with my left hand, and it was like rubbing a wet fish. A moment later, my hand closed around my Beretta, and I pulled it from the pouch.

As I did so, everything around me seemed to fade just a little bit, like the polish rubbing off a new car. I reached out with my other hand and pulled the seams together, forcing it to close back up. I turned back toward the corridor in front of me holding the pistol up against my shoulder. No. More. Miss. Nice. Lillim.

I edged forward, my bare feet making almost no sound on the cool marble floor, and turned the corner, gun pointed outward. The Prince was so far down the hallway that I could just barely make him out in the distance. I smiled to myself. Someone had to know where Kishi was. The Prince of the Burning Ash was someone.

I sprinted after him, opening my senses to the magic around me as I did so. The air around me thrummed with power, and I reached out and pulled it into me. It was like trying to drink from a fire hose. Energy rushed through me, setting my skin ablaze, burning through my veins like molten lava. I shoved the energy down into my legs and used it to increase my speed.

The Prince turned the corner only a few paces ahead of me. It didn’t matter though. His power was like the scent of roses in the air, fresh and fragrant with the morning dew. I took a deep breath and rounded the corner, leaping into the air like a magic-fueled cat.

I pounced on him, slamming my hands and feet into the center of the back and riding him to the floor. He screamed, trying to throw me off as he wiggled out from under me like a slippery eel and stood up a few feet away.

The Prince of the Burning Ash turned, his once pretty face marred by a look of disgust. “I am not going to sleep with you,” he snarled and made a go away gesture. “I don’t do
virgins
.” He said the last word like it was a curse and made to walk away in a huff as though I’d somehow offended him.