See Me

We wove our way through tu

Without my permission, a smile stretched out on my face as our tu

Our guide stopped to speak with a guard at the tu

“Robyn?” he whispered. “Is it affecting ya? Get a hold of yerself, love.”

What was he talking about? I was fine. I gazed at his multifaceted hair, autumn colors enhanced by the Faerie sky. How could I not appreciate the beauty of it all? No harm could come from enjoying the sensory of this enchanting land. Standing there in my gown, I was more feminine and alive than ever. I knew if my feet began to dance, each movement would be filled with unfamiliar grace. I wanted the bronzed Fae to hurry his chat with the other guard so we could see the Gala up close.

After our guide had finished debriefing the tu

He held out a perfectly masculine hand to me, palm up. “This is a pretty one. So much taller than our Fair females. I think I might enjoy curves such as these. Greatly…”

Without thinking I reached out to take his hand, not wanting to seem rude. The last thing I heard was McKale hissing my name in warning.

Touching the Fae’s hand was like submersing my palm in hot peppermint water—it gave me warm tingles that shot from my hand up my arm and cartwheeled to the core of me. My entire body tightened and pulsed with a sensual charge. I was filled with need and want and—

My hand was torn from his and I was shocked by the volume of my own gasp for air. I closed my eyes against the image of the gri

I fought to catch my breath and shake away the unhealthy desire. Was that what McKale felt each time he and Khalistah touched? It’s a wonder he hadn’t run off to Faerie long before I arrived. That was… wow. I shivered in horror at my own weakness.

“With all due respect,” I heard McKale say. “The Summer King expects us back soon, so we ca

The guard’s only response was a low chortle.

McKale grasped my hand in his when our guide began to move around the outskirts of the Gala.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, shaken.

He squeezed my hand.

Though the moment of lust had passed, I couldn’t seem to rid myself of the light happiness coursing under my skin.

The Gala arched in a wide circle, surrounded by tu

I wanted to stop and watch, but McKale’s incessant pulling kept my feet moving. His grip became so hard that I almost cried out. He never stopped walking, but I followed his stare toward a group of Fae sitting in a lush garden. Fae of both genders were lounging on plush cushions with young men and women, humans, surrounding them: lying at their feet while staring up with adoring eyes, dancing for their masters, feeding the Fae with their fingers.

While all of the Faeries seemed to take a mild interest in McKale and I passing through, the humans never once looked our direction. Their eyes were only for the Fae. The dancing girl, no older than Cassidy, turned our way, but her gaze passed right through us, her expression full of physical bliss, but empty of life.

A revolting tremor shook my whole body and McKale glanced back at me, worried.

Oh, my gosh, was my first coherent thought. That could be McKale or Cass. Or me if I don’t get myself under control!

“I’m okay,” I whispered to McKale, though I wasn’t sure. I struggled to push through the fog in my mind.

McKale gave me a tight nod and turned forward again, pulling us faster to catch up. He kept rubbing his ears with his free hand, I realized he was attempting to muss the affects of the music. I dropped my eyes and refused to look at the Gala revelers. I hummed Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star to clear my head of the magical sounds. I’d thought I was too strong and level-headed to be led astray by the land of Faerie. I’d been wrong, and that terrified me. I wanted to call off the whole thing and turn back before I lost my wits again. My breathing quickened.

You can do this, Robyn, I told myself.

I’d been allowing McKale to lead me with my eyes closed, but I opened them when I felt his body go rigid and his step faltered. He righted himself and kept going, tugging me along, but when I dared a peek out at the Faerie I understood. There, in the middle of the revelry, was a hill lined with strange trees. Their trunks were bent in different directions, branches with willowy green leaves swooping the ground as if caught in dancer poses. Through the trunks and branches on the hill was Khalistah, dancing alongside other Fae who held the same regal airs. I felt no appreciation of her beauty like I had the others. All I felt when I saw her was a renewed urgency to ruin her efforts.

The bronze male led us around a mound of earthen steps to the upper courtyard lined with the dancing trees. I dropped McKale’s hand, not wanting to spark the FFG’s fuse any worse than necessary. The entire group of about a dozen Fae stopped as we entered. They stared, unabashed. One, in particular, wore a look of pure shock and malice.

I’d never seen the FFG divulge as much emotion as she did in the brief moment after she noticed us. Her icy eyes flashed from light blue to bright white and my stomach dropped with fear. In an instant her features were soft and languid again. She joined the others as they gathered nearer.

“Has the Summer King sent a couple of Gala gifts?” asked a Fae girl with hair as black and wavy as ink in water. The way it flowed around her reminded me of a mermaid.

“I daresay not, Melindalah,” Khalistah answered. “This is McKale of the Leprechaun and his… betrothed.” Her eyes raked me from bottom to top. At the sight of my binding gown, she covered her lips with two fingertips and a giggle slipped out. “How quaint.”

My face heated and I dropped my eyes to disguise my anger.

Another girl who looked to be Melindalah’s mermaid-esque twin stood on the FFG’s other side. “Is this the one who fancies you to pieces, Princess?”

“The very same, Mirandalah.” Khalistah eyed McKale with a sort of lazy ownership before snapping out of it and linking her fingers in front of herself. “I ca