Page 138 of Blood of the Fairest

"When am I not?" I sigh before offering him a tight smile. "Distract me more, please? I'll owe you."

Eris has spent the last few days telling me all about Aurefeld to distract me from the thirst and the never-ending bumps in the Thornpass road. Apparently, Aurefeld is the wealthiest kingdom by far, due to their temperate farmlands and bountiful quarries. He says the only thing Aurefeldans love more than gold is good entertainment, particularly drama and scandal.

According to him, their patron faerie is Gilda, the personification of Greed. Since they strive to acquire as much as they can in life, they're rarely content with enough of anything—wealth, amusement, parties, attention, sex, good food…

Honestly, they sound like some of the people I brushed shoulders with in New York while I was studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

But I learned there that what some people deem to be greed, others just see as motivation. Drive. Ambition, for better or worse.

Basically, they sound like my kind of people, right after the vain Isenmerians.

"You already owe me that third promise," Eris points out, drawing my attention back to him.

I realize his gaze is resting on my lips, and I can't resist teasing.

"Oh, right. I did make you an open-ended promise, didn't I? That was before I knew you wanted to be my mirror pimp."

"It's well past time for that particular joke to die," he sighs.

"Not by a long shot, my pretty Adonis. But since you're in there until we find your body, what are you going to ask for? I know you're a kinky little freak, just like me, so will you ask for a strip show?"

He's perplexed. "Strip show?"

Fighting a smile, I sit up and slowly tease down one sleeve, angling to roll my naked shoulder back and forth with a saucy wink.

"Now just imagine some lacy lingerie underneath."

It started as poking fun, but I realize Eris's attention is now riveted on the way this pose has bared the tops of my tits, pressing them together.

And maybe it's my own ridiculous libido, or maybe it's having that opalescent gaze slowly tracing my body—but I slide the sleeve down further, nearly enough to bare my tit, just to watch him swallow hard.

My voice is getting breathy because I'm suddenly dying to see this man lose his ethereal composure.

"I could do that, you know. Give you a little peep show."

What's the harm in him getting off to watching me, especially since I clearly enjoy it?

It doesn't have to mean anything. He's probably pent up, all alone in the mirror realm. Friends or not, I could give him some benefits for helping me.

I start pulling down the other sleeve. "You don't even have to call it in as the third promise. Just stroke yourself off while I strip."

It seems to take a lot of effort, but Eris meets my gaze.

"I can't."

"Don't get noble on me now, Mr. Bathtime Voyeur," I joke. "If I like it, and you like it⁠—"

"Like is far too weak a word, but I meant I can't…get off. At least, not in the mirror realm."

Oh, shit.

I fix my dress at once. As much as I love teasing, I'm not about to torture a man who can't do anything to relieve blue balls.

"You seriously can't orgasm? God, that sucks. We really need to find your body—for a lot of reasons, but also so you can get some la petite mort in your life."

Eris visibly decides not to ask what that means. "Finding my body may take some time. But when I do step into the physical world soon, perhaps we can…"

"We can what?" I ask, tipping my head.