I dragged the couple of chairs from outside into the bar and locked the front door. When I turned back around, Skyler was dancing with his mop to a song that was a little sad and a little bit sweet too. It reminded me of the fae himself. When he saw me watching, he grinned sheepishly. “Monica and I used to sing this one whenever we were feeling some kind of way.”
“I might make for a better dance partner than your mop.”
He set the mop aside and held out his arms. I went over and embraced him, feeling strangely settled in my spirit and grateful to Enid for the dance lessons she’d given me years ago so that I wouldn’t embarrass her at her wedding.
We swayed to the music, and I was nervous at first, palms sweaty, heart racing, but then we sort of sighed into the movements. He felt natural and right in my arms, so willing to be led. Skylar drew nearer and rested his head on my shoulder, his soft hair brushing against my cheek. One of my hands migrated to the small of his back while the other held his hand. We danced through the end of that song and the next one too. Was it foolish to imagine a time when we might dance like this at our own wedding?
“Thank you,” he said, when he pulled away at last. “I miss being held.”
I nodded and cleared my throat while thinking there was nothing I wanted to do more. “It’s not a hardship,” I said.
“You’re a good man, aren’t you, Hierophant Wolfsbane?”
I shrugged. I tried to be, though Lord knows, I’d done my share of sinning, especially when my temper got the best of me.The simple fact was, I liked this fae… a lot. And I wanted to get to know him better. It was a full moon tomorrow night, which meant the bar was closed so that my kin could run with the other shifters and conduct clan business. I planned to go riding in the daytime, but it might be nice to have some company.
“You want to go riding with me tomorrow?” I asked before I could overthink it.
Merriment danced in his eyes. “What will we ride, my good sir?”
Heat crawled up the back of my neck at his innuendo. “My motorcycle.”
“Ah.” His head tilted in a sprightly way. “I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before.”
“I’m a good driver. We can take it over the mountains and down to the coast, have a picnic by the beach.”
“I haven’t seen the water in so long,” he said wistfully.
“So, you’ll come?”
“It’s a date,” he said, then quickly corrected himself. “A date between friends.”
“Friends,” I said softly, though I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more.
Chapter eleven
Skylar
My nerves at goingfor a ride with Hiero were only in part due to the fact I’d never been on a motorcycle before. They were banned in Emrallt Valley, for the Guild had deemed them too noisy and disruptive for polite society, not to mention they were altogethertoohuman. Most human inventions, even those that were allowed, were considered low-class by my kind.
Still, human artifacts were coveted by some and collected by others. Monica and I had done a good trade in human goods on the black market before the Guild started cracking down on smuggling. Summoners were almost banned in Emrallt Valley because of their access to the internet, Goddess forbid it!
But outside Emrallt Valley, it seemed there were fewer rules on noise and decorum. I could probably run naked down the street here and no one would even bat an eye. It was as freeing as it was frightening, for where were the boundaries in this lawless shifter realm?
And in addition to my nerves, there was also the constant buzz of arousal I experienced whenever Hiero was near. My wings hummed with anticipation, which was distracting and slightly embarrassing. It didn’t help that the minotaur wore his tight leather pants and a black tank top stretched across his broad chest. His reflective sunglasses combatted the sun’s glare and his helmet had cut-outs for his horns. He was a leather daddy in all his glory with a beast of a machine thrumming between his thick, tree-trunk thighs. I hadn’t been so rattled by the presence of a man since I’d been a fledgling first experiencing sexual attraction.
Not that Hiero noticed, thank the Goddess. He seemed blissfully unaware of my half-hard cock and vibrating wings as he fit me with a spare helmet. He mounted his bike the same way I imagined him straddling my face and kick-started the engine. The smell of leather, spice, and oil struck me dizzy, and a snake of desire wound through me as he revved his engine (and mine as well). Such sweet torment.
“Hop on, gorgeous,” he said with a wide grin.
Hop on I did, making sure to tuck my wings tightly so they’d not catch the wind. I wrapped both my arms around him, drinking in his potent scent. He had bulk and brawn in all the right places, a nice, meaty man to cozy up to on cold, winter nights.Yes, Daddy,I thought when the bike first accelerated, then immediately scolded myself. He was my boss now, for Goddess’s sake. I’d never had a real job before, but I was pretty sure that banging your boss was a big no-no. Which was why Ihad to be careful not to sit with my groin rubbing up against him or else my throbbing erection would surely give me away.
Think of something else, Skylar. Literally anything else.
The weather! The weather was beautiful today, mid-spring with a slight breeze and the bugs merrily going about their business. The bees were out in abundance, which was always reassuring, since honey was the main food source for my people. They buzzed among fields of wildflowers, the air fresh and sweet as we climbed higher into the Dragonback Mountains.
There were no longer dragons here, as far as I knew, but the mountain peaks resembled the sharp points of a dragon’s spine, and it was rumored that they’d once built their nests on the craggy cliffs that overlooked the sea. The humans had hunted the dragons to extinction, polluted the land, and made trouble for magical creatures besides, which was the reason their kind were run off from the Arcane Isles in the War of the Realms many years ago. The war ended before I was born, but my mother said it was a bloody time indeed. And after the humans were forced to flee, elemental sorcerers magicked wards to hide our isles from humankind so that none would return.
There were still a few humans remaining here and there, mostly halflings like Hiero, but they were spread out amongst the isles and did not cause trouble.
