Author: Scarlet Hyacinth
Date: 2013-10-26 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: M M Romance; Fantasy; Paranormal; Shapeshifters; Fairy Tales; M M Paranormal; Romance; cats; Magic
Description: [Siren Everlasting Classic ManLove: Erotic Alternative Fantasy Romance, M/M, shape-shifters, fairies, HEA] What do you do when your mate is a shape-shifting feline? Well, I don’t know about you, but I emanate extra pixie dust. That’s what I did when I first met Victor Frankenstein. Of course, back then I thought he was going to eat me, but that’s beside the point. Currently, I’m looking forward to him eating me – in an entirely different way. Alas, I’ve always been somewhat small – I’m a pixie, damn it, don’t laugh. Therefore, he’s ten times my size. Worse, my poor mate is under a curse from a
Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand, Inc.

A Tail Like No Other: Book Two

Pixie of Frankenstein

What do you do when your mate is a shape-shifting feline? Well, I don’t know about you, but I emanate extra pixie dust. That’s what I did when I first met Victor Frankenstein. Of course, back then I thought he was going to eat me, but that’s beside the point.

Currently, I’m looking forward to him eating me – in an entirely different way. Alas, I’ve always been somewhat small – I’m a pixie, damn it, don’t laugh. Therefore, he’s ten times my size. Worse, my poor mate is under a curse from an evil witch.

To complete our bond, we have to embark on a quest to defeat her and make me human-sized. I suppose it could be worse. He could be changing into a slug, not a cat. At the very least, his fur makes for nice bedding.

What? Don’t glare at me. I have my priorities in order. I will succeed. After all, I am Larue, pixie of Frankenstein.

Note: This book is written in first-person point of view.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Fantasy, Shape-shifter
Length: 42,197 words

PIXIE OF FRANKENSTEIN

A Tail Like No Other: Book Two

Scarlet Hyacinth

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

PIXIE OF FRANKENSTEIN

Copyright © 2013 by Scarlet Hyacinth

E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-539-3

First E-book Publication: October 2013

Cover design by Les Byerley

All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
About the Author

PIXIE OF FRANKENSTEIN

A Tail Like No Other: Book Two

SCARLET HYACINTH

Copyright © 2013

Prologue

If you look in the dictionary under the world pixie, you’ll probably find all sorts of definitions. Well, it depends of the particular tome you’re using, but either way, most folk agree that we’re small, generally mischievous creatures with a fondness for living in secluded forests.

However, pixies are mostly thought of as nice. I am not nice. In fact, I can be sarcastic, bitchy, and outright mean at times. I can’t say it’s made my life hard in any way, or that this side of me hides any particular torment or dark secret. It’s just the way I am, and even the people who don’t like it accept it.

In spite of this, though, I’d always been somewhat of a closet romantic. In my heart, I’ve always dreamed of The One, the perfect mate. The only people who must have guessed this were my friends, Dineiro and Vesper.

But not even they had expected the way my other half ended up appearing in my life. Like most strange tales, it started one dark and stormy night…But no, I’m getting ahead of myself. It started one morning, when, as always, I decided to roam the Laughing Forest in my homeland of Merlinia…

Chapter One:

In Which a Pixie Forages

A few weeks earlier

“Larue! Where are you, Larue?

I sighed as my mother’s irritated voice reached my ears. Scanning the scroll I’d been reading, I made a mental note of the point I’d reached and resigned myself to not being able to finish it until later. It was quite unfortunate, since I enjoyed learning everything I could get my hands on. I’d next to exhausted our village’s library, which was one of the reasons why I enjoyed spending time with my friends. Dineiro might have left his family a long time ago, but he’d learned quite a bit before he had, even if he didn’t always realize it.

In fact, Dineiro was quite useful as a rule, especially since I could hide in his pouch in times of need. Alas, the dragon wasn’t here right now, which left me unprotected and forced to face the wrath of the pixie who’d given me birth.

“Yes, Mother,” I called out as I pocketed the scroll in my tunic. “What is it?”

She flew up to the tree I’d been hiding in and crossed her arms over her chest. “You were supposed to go foraging with your father. Why are you still here?”

I suppressed the urge to wince. In my zeal to finish the scroll, I’d completely forgotten about my promise to help my father gather supplies. I might not have been a very nice guy, but I acknowledged the fact that everyone needed to contribute for the welfare of our village.

“I’m going now,” I promised her, already abandoning my comfortable, leafy nest. “Sorry.”

She huffed, but as always, she couldn’t get mad at me. Instead, she kissed my forehead and slid her hand into my tunic as she did so. I released a yelp of surprise and dismay as she stole my scroll. “Mother!”

“I’ll place it back in your room,” she replied to my undignified squeak. “You shouldn’t have such a valuable item while roaming in the forest anyway.”

I couldn’t protest to that, so I nodded. “Do be careful, honey,” she added. “I know how you tend to get distracted at times.”

She had a point, but she also knew that I had a great sense of orientation, and would never actually get lost in the Laughing Forest. Even so, I nodded to reassure her. “I will.”

Without further ado, I flew away, already mapping a trajectory in my mind. I snatched a foraging basket from next to our home, balancing it on my arm with the ease of practice. A couple of other pixies waved at me as I passed them by, and I absently greeted them, just barely remembering how to be polite. Some of them had displayed an interest in me ever since I’d come of age, but so far, I’d refused all of their overtures.

I knew the general direction where my father would have headed, so, at first, I decided to follow. However, once the hustle and bustle of our village disappeared into the silence of the forest, I predictably grew more interested in exploring. The chuckles and snickers of the trees made me wonder if they were laughing at my lack of focus or at some existential joke I couldn’t even begin to grasp.

Naturally, these musings didn’t distract me from my purpose. In spite of my mother’s words, I never had failed my village, and didn’t intend to. As I flew around, I found plenty of bushes and picked various fruit that caught my eye. I found that this deep in the forest, there were areas very rich in the resources I sought, far more than in the spots my kind used on a regular basis.

Soon, I found my basket was full, which meant I needed to go back. I couldn’t actually go further anyway, since it had grown quite heavy and it would hinder my progress.

I was just about to head toward my village when a bright glow in the distance caught my eye. Instantly, my naturally curious side perked up. I decided that I could afford a few more minutes to investigate.

Spotting a tree that looked a little more benevolent, I flew to its side and placed the basket in its hollow, murmuring a small plea as I did so. A whispered chuckle came as the arbor agreed to guard my loot while I went gallivanting on my own.

Reassured, I fluttered in the direction of the glow. When I reached my destination, though, my gaze fell on something completely unexpected. A path in all the colors of the rainbow shone just a few feet away from me. Every sense in my body buzzed with its magic, and I recoiled, sending pixie dust flying all over the place.

I knew what it was, of course. The Rainbow Brick Road was legendary. A million stories had been told, all revolving around the fact that it guided people toward their destinies. But then, pixies did like their tales, so at this point, even we had begun to doubt its existence.

I closed my eyes and pinched my arm, wondering if I’d hit my head against a tree branch while flying and was dreaming the whole thing. When I opened them again, though, the glow of the road was still visible. I peeked at it again, in awe at the importance of the moment.

A pixie I might have been, but I didn’t know how to handle such a situation. The path held many potential dangers, and I couldn’t risk stepping on it, not just yet.

Dineiro. I had to talk to Dineiro, as soon as possible. My friend was a fairy dragon, and even if he hadn’t found his affinity yet, he could give me an opinion on what this could mean.

With that in mind, I flew back toward the tree and grabbed my basket, thanking the tree for guarding it. I would take it to the village then meet up with my friends. The three of us could figure it out somehow.

Chapter Two:

In Which a Storm Explodes and a Feline Attacks

That night

Dineiro’s pouch was warm, making me feel safe in spite of our less than ideal circumstances. Alas, my earlier discovery had led us to run into a human slayer, which the dragon seemed to be attracted to. I suspected the slayer, Kirril, might be Dineiro’s mate, and I was happy for my friend. Sadly, because of this meeting, we’d ended up far away from the Laughing Forest, into the Forgotten Steppes.

Now, night had fallen, and we were at the mercy of the spirit hunters. I had to admit I was afraid. Pixies were beings of magic, and we were very vulnerable to such creatures. I trembled in Dineiro’s pouch, feeling small and stupid and helpless. My own powers helped me communicate with nature and defend myself from normal threats if need be, but they wouldn’t be enough this time.

Bunny-shifter Vesper reached for me, his paw gentle on my hand. He was larger than me, and we didn’t always get along, but in fact, we were great friends. “We’re going to be fine,” he whispered. “You’ll see.”

I doubted it a lot. The sun hadn’t set yet, and I couldn’t feel any tension in the air, but I knew it would happen. We were sitting ducks, well, sitting dragon, pixie, bunny, and magical horse. We’d made camp in the middle of the plains, together with the slayer and his mare, Magda, but I very much suspected they wouldn’t be able to help. Sweet Goddess, Kirril hadn’t even known about the spirit hunters’ existence.

At last, darkness started to set in, and I was proven right when the green plains around us disappeared, melting into a barren desert. I tried to bury myself as deep as I could in Dineiro’s pouch, but even it could not protected when the storm exploded around us.

It was…I couldn’t even come up with words to describe it. The chaos suddenly threatening to sweep us away sent wind, hail, thunder, and rain over us. The slayer attempted to hold his ground, but even his bulk couldn’t stop the power of nature, now wielded by the hunters.

I screamed as the wind began to pull Dineiro and Magda up into the air, but my voice was lost within the roar of the storm and the strange laughter around us. To his credit, Kirril abandoned the sword he’d been holding and reached for Magda’s reins and Dineiro’s paw. Sadly, the anger of the tempest was too intense. I tried to hold onto Dineiro, but it was to no avail. Both Vesper and I slid out of his pouch, as if stolen by an invisible hand.

The last thing I registered was the wild storm holding me in a strangely solid grip, and then the exhausting panic plunged me into darkness. I didn’t know how much time passed while I floated in the far more comfortable unconsciousness, but I began to stir when a strange sound reached my ears. It seemed like…a purr?

My eyes shot open, and the first thing I saw were two gold-green eyes looming in front of me. I screamed, and immediately fluttered away. My instincts caused me to emanate more pixie dust which I threw at my foe, all the while glowing brighter to confuse it.

The strange creature sneezed and recoiled slightly, and as we put some distance between the two of us, I realized the culprit behind my scare was a black cat. It looked huge to me, but it was probably a normal size for an animal its breed.

After a few seconds, the feline no longer seemed put out by my attack. It began to leisurely saunter toward me, with that elegant yet somehow threatening gait only a cat could pull off. I decided I wouldn’t let it scare me any longer and shot up straight into the air.

This proved to be a mistake as the cat leapt at me and with a well-aimed blow, sent me falling back on the…floor? No, it wasn’t a floor. Oh, Goddess. The hard surface I landed on seemed covered with a soft, embroidered fabric. There were candles, plates, and glasses somewhere to my right. I was on a table.

Because I’d gone way beyond fear at this point, I melted it into anger. I shot to my feet, hovering just over the table. “I won’t let you eat me,” I shouted at the cat. “And if you try, I’ll give you indigestion.”

That was obviously not a convincing threat in the cat’s eyes. It released a disturbingly human chuckle and grinned, which again, startled me. “You were right, Igor,” he said. “He amuses me.”

Igor? Who in the world was Igor? I got my unwanted reply to that question when a tall shadow loomed over me, practically drowning out what little light I got in this strange place. “Indeed,” Igor said, chuckling. “I daresay our friends truly outdid themselves this time.”

I felt a chill as I remembered what had happened to me and Vesper. “What did you do? Where is Perry? Where are my friends?”

Much to my shame, I couldn’t keep my voice from trembling. I wasn’t only scared for myself, but also for Vesper, Dineiro, and even Magda and Kirril. For whatever reason, my question seemed to snap the feline out of his amusement. “I assure you no harm has come to either of them,” he said almost earnestly. “We don’t mean to hurt you.”

“Uh-huh. I bet.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glowered at the feline. “And you expect me to believe that? You must be crazy.”

The cat stole a look at the tall man. “Igor, would you inquire into the welfare of Larue’s friends?”

As the shadow departed to do the feline’s bidding, I realized three things. The first and blatantly obvious one was that the cat gave the orders around here. This Igor person was only an aid of sorts. The culprit for my predicament remained the so-called animal, obviously a shape-shifter. I actually managed to steal a look at the famous Igor as well, and realized that he was a dark elf. This brought me to the third and strangest thing.

“How do you know my name?” I asked the cat, not even trying to hide my frustration.

“I know many things,” the black cat replied a little smugly.

Naturally, because I hated self-righteousness like that, I threw some pixie dust at him. “An actual reply, please.”

He took a step closer, and this time, I held my ground. Well, my air, since I was still flying, my wings quickly beating behind me and holding me aloft. Oddly enough, as I gazed into those big, hypnotizing eyes once more, I didn’t feel frightened anymore.

“Well? I’m waiting.”

The feline seemed to sigh. “To tell you the truth, this place is very boring. Most everyone sticks to their own domains, and we don’t really have much contact with each other. So I suppose you could say I keep a close eye on new arrivals.”

“So let me get this straight. You separated me from my friends because you were bored?”

“Yes and no,” the cat said, its ears drooping almost pathetically. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”

“Indeed, you didn’t.” I hated to say it, but even knowing my kidnapper was actually a shifter, I couldn’t be angry at a feline. Besides, the vague reply told me that there was another reason behind the cat’s actions. “You’d better be telling me the whole truth.”

The feline fidgeted, an oddly humanlike gesture that somehow looked endearing. I shook myself, forcing myself to remember that he was a cruel kidnapper. “Actually, I needed another assistant. Igor is great, but well…he simply doesn’t have enough magic for my current project. But it’s really a long story, and I don’t want to bore you.”

He was still hiding something, but I let it slide. “Fine then,” I told him. “How about you introduce yourself and show me your real form?”

“My name is Doctor Victor Frankenstein, lovely Larue. And I’d very much like to be able to shift for you, but alas, I can’t, at least not until daybreak.”

I blinked, now well and completely confused. Before I could get the chance to ask, the dark elf reappeared. “Your friends are quite all right. In fact, the dragon and his human are on their way here.”

Was it my impression or did the feline look disgruntled? “What of the others?” he asked.

“The rabbit is with Count Vlad and the horse with Lord Stiltskin.”

“Oh!” Victor perked up, not even allowing me to ask who in the world these people were. “Come with me. You can speak with your bunny friend.”

He leapt off the table and landed on the floor with the same elegance that he’d displayed earlier. I followed him with my gaze as he padded out of the room. When I didn’t immediately come after him, he peeked back inside and pinned me with his gold-green gaze. “Well? I’m waiting.”

It was my turn to be amused. Against all odds, there seemed to be something about this cat that called out to me. Suppressing a chuckle, I flew off the table and, on an impulse, lowered myself onto his back. “Lead the way.”

If he was surprised, he didn’t show it. Instead, he said, “Hold on tightly. I’m afraid I’m not made with reins.”

As I sank my fingers into the silky fur, I could swear I heard him purr. Nevertheless, he didn’t dwell on it, instead choosing to go through with what he’d originally planned. As he started to walk through the darkened building, with me still on his back, I realized for the first time that I’d somehow ended up in what must have been a castle. The dining room we’d left behind opened into a huge foyer. Lights burst around us as we passed, as if they could feel Victor’s approach. They were so bright they rivaled my own glow, and by the time we reached the end of the hallway, they almost felt intimidating. Of course, that thought faded when I saw the sprawling staircase which we would undoubtedly be using. Perhaps I’d be better off flying than riding Victor, not to mention that I was enjoying caressing his fur a little too much.

In spite of my doubts, though, I held onto his fur, and this proved to be a good idea. His gait was smooth as we went up the stairs, as if he didn’t want to jostle me in the slightest. Behind us, I spotted Igor following us, an ever-present but no longer threatening shadow.

Was it crazy of me to have dismissed my fears so quickly? Perhaps. But pixies were beings of instinct, and right now, mine reassured me, telling me I was safe. But there was more to it than that. A strange feeling gripped me, as if a fist squeezed my heart, cutting off my breath. I didn’t recognize it, so I tried to bury it deeply within me and not let it show.

I had no clue if Victor noticed anyway. Either way, he made no comment on it, instead choosing to explain, “I’m a scientist, and I’ve invented a way to communicate at great distances. Count Vlad Dracula was quite thrilled with the concept and had me build a device for him, so you’ll be able to speak with your friend through it. Keep your head down.”

“Pardon?” The non-sequitur shocked me, and I really didn’t understand what he meant until I realized we’d reached our destination. A seemingly impassable wooden door lay in front of us, barring the entrance to the room beyond. However, my host—and when had he become a host and not a kidnapper?—was obviously quite well-versed in solving problems, as I spotted a tiny cat-sized opening at the very bottom of it. We could both fit through it with ease, but obviously, if I didn’t pay attention, I’d hit my head.

I had two options. The first was to leave Victor’s back and slide through the door myself, or even wait for Igor who’d undoubtedly come after us. Still, for some reason that struck me as rude. My second option implied having to bury my face in his fur, and honestly, it wasn’t much of a hardship. I might not appreciate inhaling cat hair, but I very much liked its texture under my fingertips.

Hiding a grin, I did just that, closing my eyes as we safely passed through the door. “We’re here,” the cat said, sounding a little shaken.

I finally leapt off him, flying around and taking a good look around my new surroundings. “Where is here?”

“My laboratory.” His voice was steadier now. “Come now. It’s this way.”

I followed him to something that looked like a large screen with a slab of glowing symbols in front of it. “This is it,” he said proudly. “I call it m-mail, short for magical mail. Go ahead. You can use it to contact your friend.”

In spite of the fact that I no longer felt fearful of Victor, I couldn’t quite bring myself to believe that strange slab would help me communicate with Vesper. Nevertheless, for some reason I didn’t think Victor would lie. I might not know him well enough to judge his honesty, but it was clear enough that he had invented this thing and was proud of it. He wouldn’t stain an accomplishment with deception.

As such, I decided to give Victor the benefit of the doubt. “How do I use it?” I asked.

“Just think about your friend and what you wish to convey to him. Your magic should help you master it with ease.”

I followed his instructions, and much to my surprise, the device responded to my touch. Still a little reluctant to believe, I thought about my friend and asked Vesper if he was all right. In spite of him being a bunny—and therefore naturally fast—he took his time. I’d disappointingly decided the device was a bust, when a message bloomed to life on the screen. “Larry! Oh, thank the Goddess…I’ve been taken by some strange creatures…There are women, so many women, Larry. Help me!”

I released a soft laugh and did a little happy dance in the air. Yup, Vesper was all right. If nothing else, my mate had been right about that. Wait…What in the world? Mate?

Chapter Three:

You’ve got M-Mail and a M-Mate

Larue was simply beautiful, his joy at learning about Vesper’s safety infectious. I smiled, insofar as I could in this form, at least. Fortunately, my vocal chords had been altered to allow speech, but that didn’t mean I had lips. In any case, he was nothing like I’d expected him to be when Igor had told me the gargoyles would find me a cure for my loneliness.

Certainly, I had been seeking a mate. My condition didn’t exactly allow me to seek out my other half, and I’d been reduced to waiting in this gloomy castle. Now that it had actually happened, I truly wished I could have met him as a man, not a cat. First impressions counted a lot, after all. Sadly, it couldn’t be helped.

Of course, I had to admit he wasn’t exactly what I had imagined when I’d dreamed of someone to break the spell on me. Given Larue’s size, I honestly couldn’t imagine how in the world we’d possibly make something like this work. But crazier things had happened, as evidenced by me turning into a cat in the first place. I didn’t know the meaning of the word impossible. Now that I had him here, I’d figure it out somehow.

I leapt onto the table to be closer to him. Out of the blue, he froze in midair, his posture nearly comical due to the suddenness of it all. As he turned toward me, his eyes were wide like saucers. I waited for him to say something, anything, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he flew to my side and poked me in the side with his small finger.

“What was that for?” I asked, puzzled.

“This is really strange,” he murmured, still poking me. “Why are you a cat?”

“It’s a long story.” And one which I somewhat hesitated to share with Larue. If he found out about it, he might head for the hills. But I owed it to him to be honest, and anyway, I was a terrible liar. “Basically, it’s a curse that’s been in my family for a long, long time. You should see my brother.”

Larue tilted his head in surprise. “A curse,” he repeated. “And exactly what is this curse?”

“Well, it’s like this. My father was once a prince loved by all. Handsome and rich, he had everything. Alas, this made him arrogant, and one day, he had a very unpleasant fallout with a witch. I don’t know the specifics, but the end result was that he transformed into this huge beast.”

The pixie was now listening breathlessly to the story. “Oh, I think I know the next part. Only true love could break the spell, right?”

I nodded. “In any case, he met my mother, and eventually, they fell in love, and he changed back into the handsome prince. Sadly, for some reason, the curse on him didn’t fully disappear and instead got transmitted onto my brother and me. I only change at night, while he only changes during the day.”

“That’s really unfair.” Larue sounded outraged. “You shouldn’t have to pay for what your father did Goddess knows how many years back.”

If I’d had shoulders, I would have shrugged. “As shape-shifting curses go, it’s not so bad.” I paused and amended my statement, “Granted, choking on hairballs isn’t really pleasant, but I do have a normal form. It’s better than what my father was stuck with.”

Larue hummed thoughtfully. He leaned against me, his long hair brushing against my fur. “You’re my mate, you know,” he commented idly. “I’m not going to lie, it’s very odd. I mean…you’re a cat.”

To a certain extent, his words surprised me, not because I expected him to view me in a romantic light, but exactly the opposite. I might have been a shifter, but for the moment, he only knew me as a cat. It was mind-boggling that he’d so openly state that I was his mate.

It seemed, however, that Larue didn’t do things like other people. He didn’t hide or pretend, and neither did he pull his punches. Honestly, I found it refreshing. Even the few people and creatures I recognized as my friends had the tendency to deviate from the facts when they spoke to me. It drove me crazy, because as a scientist, I wanted the absolute truth. Hiding, vacillating, and uselessly angsting over a problem wouldn’t help you solve it faster. The best thing to do was to have it in the open and go over it with the other people involved.

“Look at it on the bright side,” I replied. “I’m not always a cat.”

“Well, no, but I don’t know that.” He sighed. “I apologize. I guess I expected something different.”

I refused to let his words hurt me, but I couldn’t help but feel a small pang of distress. “What exactly do pixies believe about their mates?”

Larue shrugged. “Oh, you know, the usual. Like the shifter races, we think each of us has a special person out there, waiting for us.” He blushed prettily. “Personally, I’ve always imagined meeting my fated one and falling in love with him at first sight.”

Well, that phrase eliminated one potential problem, him not being inclined toward the same sex. “I’m sorry to disappoint,” I answered, “but maybe it’s better this way.” When he threw a glower my way, I quickly amended, “I mean, don’t you think it’s irrational for someone to expect people can love each other without knowing anything about their partner?”

Larue huffed, sounding disgruntled. “Love isn’t rational. It’s an emotion.”

“Yes, my lovely Larue,” I answered, “but the way both shifters and other magical races identify our mates is purely hormonal. Fact of the matter, even if I’m only a cat to you, and you’re not attracted to me in the slightest, you still know I’m your mate.”

“I’m confused,” Larue admitted, “but I suppose you do have a point. So where does that leave us?”

“I have a proposition for you,” I answered. When he arched a brow, I chuckled. “No, nothing like that, at least not just yet. How about we try to get to know each other a little at first? I admit I’ve always wanted my mate to be my friend as well.”

At that, Larue lit up—literally. He started to glow brighter, a response I identified as something that happened during moments when he was very excited. “That’s a wonderful idea,” he told me, doing a little swirl through the air. Pixie dust flew all over the place, making my m-mail device beep alarmingly. Immediately, Larue stopped his enthusiastic fluttering. “Oh, dear,” he said. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry,” I replied, regretting his dismay. “It’s just a response to the magic. There’s nothing wrong with it.”

He nodded, scanning the device again and apparently rereading the reply from his friend. I liked seeing him react to our conversation and to the various events in his life. He had a quick temper, one that I’d have actually called volatile if I didn’t know better. I could already tell his emotions ran deep, in rapid bursts. He went from anger, to glee and excitement in the blink of an eye, and I looked forward to understanding him better.

“You can send as many messages as you like,” I told him. “Count Vlad’s domain is a good distance away, and it wouldn’t be smart to try to reach it now, but perhaps tomorrow, we can even visit.”

“How would that even work?” Larue hummed thoughtfully. “This is very complicated, Victor. I have a home. My parents are probably beside themselves with worry.”

I grimaced, which must have looked quite interesting since I was in cat form. “I understand. I’d prefer it if you stayed here with me, but perhaps we can come up with a way for you to travel between your home and here.”

“That’s a good plan.” Larue passed his small fingers over the symbols on the m-mail slab as he spoke, obviously sending another message to his friend. When he finished, he flew to my side and sat on the table next to me. “Until then, tell me more about yourself. What is this place exactly? Who is your friend? How did you come to be here? Do you have other inventions?”

A million questions burst from his lips, something which I found very promising. Not only that, but he also gripped my tail and started to toy with it, which was a sign that he felt comfortable with me. Encouraged, I started to explain, “Well, when it became clear that my brother and I had inherited my father’s curse, it was decided that we needed to go through with the whole waiting-for-love-in-a-gloomy-castle process as well. It had worked for Father, after all, so why wouldn’t it for us? That’s how I ended up here. This place is an old estate belonging to my father, and Igor was the caretaker. He has a story, too, but it’s not mine to tell. And as for other inventions, yes, I have plenty. I’ve been trying to find a way to eliminate this confounded curse ever since I moved here, because no matter what my parents say, the damn thing didn’t fully break for them, so I need to find out why.”

I took a deep breath and made a mental note not to overwhelm Larue with information. We had all the time in the world to get to know each other, since I highly doubted our numerous problems would be solved overnight. “What about you? Tell me about your friends, your family.”

We spoke of his family and friends, of my life here at the castle, both of us greedy for information. I had no idea how much time passed. It could have been hours, or only a few minutes. Either way, I was very disgruntled when Igor slipped into the lab. He had wisely granted us privacy so far, so I could easily guess what had determined him to change this attitude. “Let me guess,” I told him. “Larue’s friends are here.”

Igor nodded, and Larue released a gleeful sound. Before he could say anything, though, the m-mail device buzzed, signaling another incoming message. Since Larue seemed torn between seeing his message and greeting the new arrivals, I said, “Stay here. Igor and I will go welcome your friends.”

He nodded, his lips twisting in a small smile. “You want to give them a scare, don’t you? Don’t tease Dini too much. He’s been through a lot.”

Igor lifted me in his arms and headed out of the lab. I left Larue enjoying the m-mail device, already wondering what his friends would be like. Would they disagree to Larue being my mate? I hoped not, because I certainly didn’t want to make Larue choose. If there was one thing I’d learned during the time I’d spent with my mate, it was that Larue cared about them deeply. Because of that, I would do my best to be welcoming and help my new guests with whatever they needed. After all, I was their host.

Chapter Four:

In Which the Cat Becomes a Man

Dineiro had been, predictably, very worried about me. The moment he stepped through the door to the lab, he rushed to my side and expressed his enthusiasm regarding my well-being. Well, to be true, I was the one who jumped him first, wanting to show him Victor’s invention.

“Dini!” I shouted. “Oh, Goddess…You have to see this.”

He seemed amused at my behavior. “I see you’ve made yourself quite comfortable here,” he told me.

This would have been the moment in which I could have told him Victor was my mate, but I didn’t want to just burst it out, not just yet. So I waved off his comment and directed his attention toward the m-mail device.

Kirril was naturally with him, and seemed quite suspicious of Victor. I couldn’t exactly blame him. The circumstances weren’t conducive to an excessive amount of trust. Nevertheless, I did feel somewhat slighted at his behavior, and was very relieved when he became a little more open-minded.

In the end, it was agreed that, since the hour was late, we’d go visit Vesper the next day. As I had suspected, Dineiro had grown quite close to the human slayer, so Kirril took advantage of the circumstances to drag him off, supposedly to rest.

Truth be told, it was Victor who had offered them a stay in his castle, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t tell how excited Kirril was to have Dineiro alone with him.

Igor departed to lead my friend and the slayer to their rooms, which left Victor and me alone once again. “Care to rest a bit, too?” the cat asked me. “Everything else can wait.”

I nodded. Why not? I would have preferred staying up a while longer to chat to Victor, but I had to admit I was tired. Besides, sleeping would make time pass a little faster, and while a part of me disliked that—after all, I could use these slumber-dedicated hours in far more lucrative ways—I looked forward to daylight. I wanted to see my mate’s real form, without the damn curse making him look like…well, like a pet.

“A little rest wouldn’t hurt,” I told him.

Just like before, I mounted him, in a completely platonic way, of course. He padded out of the laboratory and headed down the same corridor we’d come through. The castle seemed even larger than I’d originally thought, and as we entered a different wing, it struck me just how lonely Victor must have felt in this place. Even with Igor here, the building exuded an air of sadness and need that reached out to a part of me that I hadn’t even known existed.

We stopped in front of an imposing door that fortunately boasted the same feline-sized opening. Like before, we slid through the opening with me paying close attention so that I wouldn’t hit my head. Unsurprisingly, we ended up in a large, lavish bedroom. The huge four-poster looked like it could accommodate my entire village and still have enough space for Victor to sleep in. In that moment, I truly acknowledged the problem that my size would bring for us. Victor might have been a cat now, but his current body was likely far less intimidating that his human one would be.

Obviously, my mate guessed at least some of my thoughts. “Don’t worry about anything right now. Things will look better in the morning.” He pounced on the bed and dropped me on a fluffy pillow. “They always do.”

I relaxed on the soft surface, feeling a bit overwhelmed. “How can you know that?”

“I don’t,” Victor replied, as always sounding unbearably reasonable. It seemed like his default state, something that really didn’t surprise me, given that he was a scientist. “But there’s always a solution, and we will find it as long as we look for it hard enough.”

“You’re optimistic,” I randomly commented. “Wouldn’t it be more sensible to accept that things don’t always go our way?”

“Oh, they don’t,” Victor agreed. He grabbed the quilt with his mouth and gently pulled it over me, shielding me from the chill. “But it’s up to us to deal with circumstances that are less than favorable. Now, sleep, lovely Larue. I’ll watch over you.”

I still had countless things to ask him, but as he curled on the pillow next to me, I decided they could all wait. Using him as a pillow, I closed my eyes and fell asleep to the sound of his purring.

* * * *

I’d never been too much of a sleeper. I was a scientist, and I disliked the idea of wasting time. However, I also acknowledged the necessity of rest, and under normal circumstances, I slumbered regularly. After all, I did turn into a feline every night, and what else could a cat do but sleep? Honestly, if this castle had mice, I’d leave it up to the gargoyles to catch them.

Right now, however, no matter how much I tried, sleep simply wouldn’t come. I had too much to think about, and far too many puzzles to solve.

Soon Larue’s breath evened out, and as he slept, his small hand enclosed around my tail. He was truly lovely, but also exceedingly small. I could crush him even in my feline form, let alone in my human one.

I needed to think. What was the problem here? Size. I’d studied it many times, as I found it very odd that a man of normal height, with quite a muscular body and a generous package—right, okay, I wasn’t very modest—could shift into a smallish, if somewhat overweight feline. The specifics of the shape-changing process had puzzled me, more so since no one in my family suffered from this problem. My father had never fully shifted, and in any case, by the time I had to worry about it, he’d long ago become a man and not a beast. My brother was also a feline, but unlike mine, his bulk was somewhat more reasonable after his transformation.

Larue’s friend, Vesper, could help. It seemed that he was a rabbit-shifter, and if he had a human form, which seemed likely, I could attempt to figure out the process. But that aside, the two separate issues I needed to deal with, the curse and Larue’s size, were far more complex. Exactly how did true love break the enchantment in the first place?

Time simply flew by as I mused over this. Sooner than I expected, I felt dawn approach. Because of my little problem, I could tell when the sun set and when it came up before it happened. I felt it in every inch of my body, from my claws to the tips of my whiskers.

With a great deal of regret, I slipped away from Larue, freeing my tail from his grip. Ever since moving to the castle, I had never shifted in someone else’s presence, and I didn’t want to accidentally hurt him.

I half expected him to keep slumbering, but instead, his eyes shot open and he fixed on me. “What’s the matter?”

“The sun is coming up,” I said as I leapt off the bed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

He scoffed dismissively, waving my apology off. “So here’s where I get to see what you really look like. I feel like on winter solstice morning.”

“You exchange gifts that day?” I asked. The conversation seemed a little surreal, taking into account the fact that I was on the verge of changing from feline to human.

Larue nodded. “It’s also the day pixies often declare their interest in a mate.”

I wanted to ask just how many of his kind had done that for him during the past celebration, but I didn’t get the chance. Outside, the sun came out from under the veil of darkness. As the first rays filtered through the curtains over my windows, I felt the change flow over me.

One would think that after all these years, I would be used to it. To a certain extent, it was true. However, every time without fail, I tended to overthink it. I didn’t know how it was with natural shifters, but I always asked myself how it was possible for me to be a house cat one moment and a man the next. It didn’t even hurt, for crying out loud. I blinked, and suddenly, I was standing tall in my room, naked and very, very human.

Larue just stared open-mouthed at me. “I hope you’re not disappointed,” I said with a dose of amusement, mixed with concern.

“Not at all,” my mate replied in a dazed tone. “I’m just a little worried about that.”

He was eyeing my groin, and I realized with dismay that, just like every morning, I had an erection. No wonder Larue looked dismayed. In its current state, the damn thing was as big as his whole body.

My face flaming, I cleared my throat. “Let me put something on, and we’ll talk after.”

I turned away from the bed and went to my wardrobe, where I retrieved the first items I could put my hands on. I wasn’t embarrassed that he had seen me naked, but I needed to avoid it in the future, until we figured out how to solve the size problem between us.

As I pulled my breeches on, Larue surprised me by flying to my side. “I’m sorry,” he said as he hovered in front of the wardrobe. “I made you feel self-conscious. It wasn’t my intention.”

“That’s not it.” The real problem was that now that my animal form no longer represented a problem, Larue’s beauty had a very real effect on me, and I didn’t want to scare him. I could imagine, with far too much ease, nightmarish images such as him kicked into a coma by my enthusiastic dick leaping into action. It should have been funny, and to a certain extent it was, but when he glanced at me with those eager eyes, I knew I had to protect him, even from myself. “It’s just hard…in more than one way.”

He nodded, looking a little sad. “I would be big if I could,” he replied, his tiny shoulders slumping.

The last thing I wanted was to make him even more frustrated and upset. As gently as I could, I passed a finger over his cheek. Touching him without hurting him wasn’t exactly easy, but I had experience in dealing with delicate things due to my science background. “Hey, don’t do that. I’m convinced all things happen for a reason. Remember what I told you last night. We can make it work if we try hard enough.”

In response, Larue flew over to sit onto my shoulder. “You’re right, of course. So, what do we do now? Do we get to see Vesper?”

“Not just yet,” I answered. “It’s early morning still, and the veil between words remains thin. We’ll have to wait for a few hours at least. In the meantime, what do you say I show you some of my inventions and we try to figure out if we can make any use of them?”

“Good plan.” Larue leaned against my ear and hummed thoughtfully. “You know, it occurs to me that if you and I are going to be together, I’ll have to stop being a normal pixie.”

I froze, for the first time realizing that I’d just assumed it would happen without computing what he’d have to give up. I’d kind of taken it for granted that he would agree to it, which was rude and selfish, especially since we’d only met the night before. We’d barely even had time to get to know each other as humanoid beings and accept our bond at a normal level.

“I’d love to say something comforting now, but I’m horrible at that sort of thing,” I admitted.

He released a soft laugh that oddly reminded me of the tinkling of bells. “That’s all right. Honesty is refreshing. Besides, I suspect both of us will have plenty of time to get used to each other.”

Larue probably had a point, but I didn’t mind. Good things were worth waiting for, and for me, finding my mate was definitely a good thing. From this point on, I just had to believe that it would all work out.

Chapter Five:

In Which a Villain Strikes and a Pixie Panics

I was a realistic pixie. As such, a few hours after dawn, I had already reached several important conclusions. First of all, Victor might not have been a pixie, but other than that and our huge size issue—the emphasis being on huge—he was exactly what I’d ever wanted in a man. Smart almost to a ridiculous extent, funny, appreciative of my own dry sense of humor, and also impossibly handsome, he took everything in stride and didn’t brood over his fate like others would have done in his situation. He didn’t curl into a corner and cry because he turned into an animal at night. He faced the problem head-on, and didn’t let anything bring him down.

This was quite fortunate, because my second conclusion pointed out just how difficult it would be for us to find a way to truly be together. Naturally, I had no plans to leave Victor, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t grasp the truth. Victor was a brilliant inventor, but none of the things he had crafted so far could be used to make me human sized.

It was on this unfortunate note that we met up with Dineiro and Kirril once more. Both of them looked far more relaxed than the day before, and I immediately guessed what had happened. “Hi, Dini,” I immediately greeted him. “You look much better.”

“Hey,” Dini said, blushing slightly. “Must be because I feel great.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” my mate replied. “I’m always pleased when my guests enjoy themselves in my home.”

It was quite unfortunate, but the morning didn’t continue on the same happy note. It seemed that Kirril remained unsettled about his horse. To my shame, I hadn’t given much thought to Magda. I did like the mare, but I’d been too focused on my own problems to focus on her.

The strangest thing was that I hadn’t even thought to ask who exactly had kidnapped me the night before. I found out now, when Igor summoned two odd looking gargoyles. One of them wept all the time, while the other kept crying, his tears falling to the floor and turning to dust.

Igor arched an inquiring brow at them. “Prince Kirril wanted to know where his mare is.”

“Oh, she’s perfectly safe,” the crying gargoyle replied. “And what a sweet thing she is. We took her to Lord Stiltskin.”

Predictably, chaos exploded. I was quite shocked to be in the presence of the famous spirit hunters who now didn’t look so scary after all. Once more, I had countless questions for my mate, such as who exactly was this mage Lord Stiltskin and why he’d decided to steal Magda as a gift for his child.

By this point, though, we were wasting time with an unnecessary argument. In the end, my mate offered to guide Kirril and Dineiro to the Stiltskin lands, even if he did warn them that this quest would be very dangerous.

While Igor went with the two of them to provide them with a breakfast and supplies, Victor and I left the main house and headed outside. For the first time, I saw the courtyard of the palace. It was almost unnecessarily spacious, and it boasted the seemingly omnipresent enigmatic statues, some of which appeared to move at times. Still, it had a sort of odd charm, and I thought that with a little effort, the castle would probably make a nice home.

I shook myself and forced my thoughts back to the matter at hand. “So…Lord Stiltskin. How exactly do you know him anyway?”

“Actually, he’s one of the possible culprits for the curse on me and my family,” my mate replied as he readied two horses for us to use. “Well, as you can imagine, he didn’t actually cast the spell, but my research pointed out that there’s some connection between his magic and the one holding my enchantment together.”

I gaped at him, unable to believe my ears. “Are you serious? And we’re heading into his territory?”

“We don’t have much choice, Larue. Kirril cares deeply for Magda. We can’t allow him to lose her.”

He was right, of course, but I still hated having so many people I cared about rush headfirst into danger. Alas, no one listened to me, and as soon as Kirril and Dineiro showed up, we mounted our horses and rode out of the palace courtyard.

We passed by a large canyon with a broken bridge that according to my mate was the way to Count Vlad’s home. I wanted to see Vesper, but finding Magda was more urgent, so we kept going, until we reached a dark forest. Ironically, we were following the same Rainbow Brick Road which had brought us here in the first place. A part of me was reassured by it, but the other wanted to run back to the safety of Victor’s castle. It didn’t help that the path split into a crossroads in front of the forest.

The woods seemed torn out of one of my kind’s spookiest tales, and I felt immediately apprehensive about going inside. Unfortunately, we couldn’t abandon our quest now, and most importantly, we had to save Magda. I held onto this thought as we rode into the forest, praying to the Goddess for protection.

Sadly, my anxiety proved to be justified. We’d only just stepped into the forest when I felt a strange surge of magic sweep over the area. The horses reared, and the one Kirril and Dineiro were riding dropped them. Victor managed to control ours, although the jostling did propel me off his shoulder. I steadied myself midair just in time to see the ground open, swallowing my two friends.

It all happened so fast that I couldn’t do anything about it. In mere seconds, they were gone, as if they’d never been there. “Back!” my mate shouted. “Go back.”

I was too frozen to move, but he grabbed me and rode out of the forest. The gargoyles who’d come with us as guides flew out after us, looking quite frightened as well. The woods seemed to close in on us, hostile and threatening, and it was only when we finally escaped it that the tension began to fade. Naturally, this meant very little for me, as my mind kept replaying the moment I’d seen Dineiro die.

“He’s gone,” I whispered brokenly. “My friend is gone.”

“No, he’s not,” Victor answered. “Stiltskin is many things, but he’s not a murderer. I know that for a fact. He’s probably just transported them someplace.”

I gazed at him, a spark of hope bursting into my heart. “You mean they could still be alive?”

“It’s likely,” the crying gargoyle said, “although we can’t possibly know where they are. Oh, this is a disaster.”

“We need to get a message to Vlad. He and his harem can help us with this.”

Just as my mate said this, the road flashed under our feet, well, under the horse’s hooves, since Victor was riding and the rest of us flying. Yet another flash of magic blinded me, and this time, I could not hope to escape it.

I almost thought we’d been swallowed by another one of Stiltskin’s spells, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, when my vision cleared, I found myself still in my mate’s hold and now in front of yet another castle. A tall man with loose black hair stood in front of the gates, glaring. “Really, Victor? Really? Can’t I get even a few hours of rest?”

Still in shock, I stared as a flock of females rushed out of the house. One of them was holding Vesper in a tight, almost choking grip. The gargoyles were smart enough to fly away and make their escape, but Victor and I were stuck. I had a brief moment to wonder at how things could go so wrong so quickly before we were engulfed in an avalanche of women and a cloud of strong, dizzying perfume. Goddess Almighty, help me!

Chapter Six:

In Which Victor is Frustrated

Present day

I was close, so very close. I could feel it, sizzling under my fingertips, the intensity of it making me breathless. Just a little more, and I would…

Boom!

An explosion sounded in the lab, sending me flying back a few feet away. I shot to my feet and angrily cursed at the item that had been my invention and had now become a smoking ruin. “Are you serious? You have got to be kidding me.”

Vlad looked just as dismayed. “This really isn’t working, is it?”

His once-elegant ruffled shirt was now a mangled mess, much like the machine I’d hoped would solve my problem. I couldn’t understand why he’d decided it would be a good idea to wear it. Perhaps he hadn’t. His sisters lavished him with affection, which sadly meant that they got to pick his garments.

“You’re quite a master at stating the obvious today,” I pointed out sarcastically. Knowing I shouldn’t take my anger out on the count, I added, “I’m running out of options, Vlad. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

I’d tried everything. After Dineiro and Kirril had returned to Avalon, I’d focused on trying to come up with a way to bring Larue to my size. None of my efforts had paid off, and it didn’t help at all that at night, I continued to transform into a cat.

For the first time in my life, I had to admit I was well and truly stumped. I’d even enlisted Vlad to assist me. While he wasn’t a scientist, his age—which he had never actually mentioned but I knew to be quite impressive—guaranteed that he had insight on numerous matters. Sadly, our combined efforts had failed, and the message I’d sent to my parents remained unanswered.

As I fumed over this, my mate flew into the room, looking concerned. “What was that noise? Are you all right?”

I nodded, my heart clenching with affection for him. “Just a little setback, that’s all.”

Larue grimaced, and the sight of his disbelief hurt. He quickly pushed it back and forced a more neutral expression on his face, and that was even more painful. I wanted to tell him to never hide his emotions from me. He was like a bright light in the sterile existence I’d built for myself, his honesty and openness keeping me going. If he took that away from me…I could withstand anything, but not that.

Before I could tell him that, Vlad intervened. “Where’s Vesper?” he asked.

“I believe he’s with your sisters, Count Dracula,” Larue replied politely. “They were looking for some books that could help us figure out a solution for Vlad and me.”

Vlad cursed. “My sisters? Did he lose his mind or what?”

Grumbling, he stalked out of the room, presumably heading to the library. I couldn’t help but smile fondly. I had known Vlad for a long, long time, ever since I’d moved into this castle, and I considered him a friend. If he liked Vesper, I was happy for them.

Now that Vlad had wisely left us alone, though, I needed to address my own issue. Turning toward Larue, I frowned at him. “Don’t ever pretend in front of me, lovely. I know you’re disappointed and anxious. I am, too. You don’t have to hide it.”

Larue winced. “I didn’t mean to hide. It’s just…I guess I didn’t think it would be this way.”

He flew to my side and landed on my shoulder. I desperately wished we could really touch, not just like this, but until I succeeded to come up with an invention that would actually work, we were both stuck.

“We won’t give up,” I told him, finding strength in his proximity. “I might not have found the answer today, but I’m getting there.”

The truth was that if we wanted to be together, we’d have to change the very essence of Larue’s pixie nature, which meant that we couldn’t rush things. Even if I did invent something with potential, I’d have to test it for years before I could deem it safe enough to use on Larue. The thought of what could happen if something went wrong kept me up at night, and in my darkest moments, I actually considered abandoning the project. At least this way we had each other, in a platonic sense. We could continue being friends. I had to admit I wanted more, but as long as he was safe, I could hold back.

I hadn’t dared to tell Larue about this, already knowing he’d be furious with me. Besides, we only had a couple of weeks working on this. It was far too early to give up the battle. I just needed time and focus, and I had to believe things would work out.

As if guessing my thoughts, Larue patted my head and whispered, “I know. I trust you.”

His words meant the world to me. In the couple of weeks we’d spent together, I’d grown very fond of him. No, more than fond. The emotion bubbling inside me was far too intense to be just that. I was falling in love with him, something very dangerous under current circumstances.

That didn’t mean I wanted to change those feelings. No, it was the frustrating situation that needed to disappear. With that in mind, I scanned the incipient device which I’d considered as a scanner of sorts. I’d intended to map the specifics of pixie nature in a noninvasive procedure, so that I’d have more information to work with. It was a concept I’d dabbled with before, but had never quite succeeded pining down.

Taking a deep breath, I gripped my wrench and stepped to the device again. It was a wreck, but I could fix it. I would not fail Larue.

Before I could go through with my plan, Igor burst into my laboratory. “What is it, Igor?” I asked with a tired sigh.

“Your parents and your brother are here. They’re walking through the castle gates as we speak.”

The wrench fell from my hand and hit the floor with a loud clatter. When I’d send them the m-mail, I’d had no idea if they’d even manage to find a way to get back to me. My parents traveled a lot, having foregone their old quiet life in favor of searching the whole of Avalon for whoever had cursed us. They’d explored both dimensions of our world, without having much luck. I hadn’t seen them, or Philippe in years. What could have determined them to come here?

Larue clapped his hands together and released a sound of excitement. “Oh! I can’t wait to meet them.”

“Well, you’ll get your wish. Just make sure you keep your distance from my brother, at least for now.”

“Why?” Larue asked, puzzled. “Oh, wait. You said he shifts during the day.”

I nodded. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only reason. Since the curse had manifested within us, Philippe and I simply couldn’t get along. I didn’t want the hostility to hurt Larue.

In any case, I needed to change and wash up a little. I couldn’t just greet my family looking like this. Not that I was ashamed of working with my hands, but my mother was a lady, and she always worried about me when she saw me messy.

“Igor, make sure they’re comfortable. I’ll be right there.”

Before he could say anything else, I fled, heading toward my quarters. Unexpectedly, my shape-shifting nature had granted me some abilities I wouldn’t have had otherwise, so I reached my destination in no time.

As I ran, Larue flew off my shoulder and did a little twirl in the air. “Should I change, too?” he inquired, sounding a little self-conscious.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I replied, already hastening into the bathroom. “You always look beautiful.”

I splashed water on my face, making a mental note to review the castle’s plumbing like Dineiro and Kirril had suggested. A few quick motions had the soot and dirt off my face and torso. When I thought I wouldn’t scare my mother with my appearance, I returned to the bedroom, only to freeze in my tracks. Apparently, my mate had decided to change after all. He’d brought clothes here a week or so ago, and he was now in the process of pulling a new tunic on.

Unfortunately, his idea gave me a very good sight of what he looked like naked. Of course, he was small everywhere—how could he not be?—but he was also well proportioned and my analytic mind easily provided an image of how he’d look like if he was my size.

As quickly as I could, I turned on my heel, shying away from the far too beautiful sight. “Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t realize you were changing.”

“It’s all right. If everything goes as planned, you’ll see me naked anyway.”

He was teasing me now, and I laughed breathlessly, glad that things had returned to normal a little. As he blew pixie dust over me, I waved him off and started to rummage through my wardrobe in search of a decent outfit.

In the end, it took us far too long to get ready, and by the time I left my room, I was glowing with pixie dust like I’d suddenly changed species. At this point, my mate wasn’t even doing it on purpose. His excitement and anxiousness just made him blow the substance all over the place. Fortunately, I’d grown accustomed to it and found it quite endearing.

We rushed downstairs, with me holding Larue in my palm so that he wouldn’t have to strain his little wings. As we reached the living room, the sound of voices drifted to my ears.

“…and that’s how we ended up half living here, helping Doctor Frankenstein with his predicament.”

Much to my dismay, I recognized the words as belonging to Vesper. This automatically meant that Vlad and his sisters were also there. I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction they’d draw out of my family. My mother and father tended to be very jealous, and Vlad’s siblings, Mina and Catherine in particular, were terrible flirts. The other two, Veronica and Monica, had a fondness for anything with fur, which automatically meant my somewhat more dangerous brother would be a target.

Indeed, as I entered the room, the first thing I saw was Vlad holding a shape-shifted Vesper in his arms, with Veronica next to him, petting the bunny. Monica had knelt on the floor and seemed to be playing with my brother’s tail. I suppressed the urge to burst into laughter, as I’d never seen Philippe so dismayed while in panther form. Mina and Catherine, on the other hand, had parked on the couch, next to my mother and father, and were fussing over both of them. They didn’t discriminate over gender where beautiful people were concerned.

“Victor!” my mother cried out as she saw him. Somehow, she managed to extract herself from Mina’s half embrace and lunged at me. “Oh, my baby. Look at you. I couldn’t believe it when we got your message.”

She hugged me tightly, not even noticing Larue whom I was forced to release. Naturally, I hugged her back. I had missed her, as she reminded me of a childhood when things had been so much easier.

“Let the child breathe, Belle,” my father said as he got up, too, his voice somehow both elegant and gruff. I’d never quite managed to master that technique. “I’m sure he has many things to tell us.”

My mother sighed and freed me. Pixie dust stubbornly clung to her dress as she moved away, and she glanced at the now shining material in confusion. “What’s going on, Victor? Where is your mate?”

“Right here,” Larue replied from above her.

She looked up, and her eyes widened when she took in Larue’s appearance. “Oh…” she said eloquently. “Oh.”

I didn’t know if they were disappointed or just surprised, but I wouldn’t allow anyone to slight Larue because of his size.

At the same time, I couldn’t say I was shocked when my brother chose to speak first, “Well, I can certainly see why you have a problem.”

His voice sounded rough, not like my father’s, but truly growly. He’d always teased me that he’d gotten to change in a powerful black panther, while I’d become a mere house cat. Unfortunately, his strength didn’t come without a price. Unlike me, who had no trouble maintaining a human behavior even while in animal form, he had inherited beastly impulses. Last time I’d checked, he was often forced to eat raw meat and tended to get violent, something which I disliked.

Ignoring him, I decided to make the introduction, “Everyone, this is my mate, Larue. Larue, meet my family, my mother Belle, my father, Abelard, and my brother, Philippe.”

“It’s an honor,” Larue said in his soft, tinkling voice. “I’ve heard so many lovely things about all of you.”

“Oh, isn’t he just darling?” my mother exclaimed. In spite of once falling in love with a beast, she had a weakness for cute things, too. “You’re a pixie?”

“I am.” Larue nodded. As my mother extended her hand, he obediently landed on it. “I must say, my people tell stories about your family. I’ve always found it very sweet and romantic.”

“Did you hear that, Abelard?” She smiled smugly. “Victor’s mate finds us romantic.”

My father chuckled lightly. “That’s good news. Victor needed someone with a warmer heart in his life.”

“You say that as if I’m horribly cold,” I mumbled morosely.

“Not horribly,” my mother replied in a pacifying tone. “You just tend to get lost in your science projects and forget about your own well-being.”

I was used to tuning her out, even if I knew she had a point. However, I couldn’t do that now, since she had Larue, and my focus was always on him. “I know, I know,” I told her. “It’s just the way I am.”

My mother looked like she wanted to say something else, but Larue stopped her. “Being driven is not necessarily a bad thing,” he pointed out as he flew to me once more and took position on my shoulder. “It’s a quality.”

Larue’s defense of me seemed to please my mother. “Indeed, and now that you’re here to take care of my son, I can safely say he will be able to pursue all his interests without any risk coming to him.”

“On that note, son, you’ll be happy to learn that we have found someone who might be able to help us,” my father said. “We haven’t actually spoken to him, but we think he might have the key to this strange enchantment on our family. As I understand it, he is very powerful, and if what we heard of him is true, he could help you with your mate’s…small problem, too.”

His voice choked a little around the word small, which made my mate tense and his wings flutter in a clear sign of displeasure. In the process, he emanated more pixie dust, which made my mother sneeze.

My brother started chuckling at that, which in his form, sounded like a strange purr. Still focused on him, Monica let out a gleeful sound and pounced on my unsuspecting sibling. It seemed her sense of self-preservation wasn’t very well developed.

Naturally, Philippe reacted like any predator would, flipping around and pinning Monica against the floor, his sharp teeth against her throat. Vlad burst into action, ready to defend his sister, but sadly, he was still holding Vesper, and he seemed reluctant to let the bunny go.

To free Vlad’s arms, Vesper changed into human form and dropped out of Vlad’s arms and straight into Veronica’s. In the meantime, Vlad’s other two sisters surrounded my brother, anxious and obviously not knowing what to do.

The entire scene was so ridiculous that even my brain short-circuited. Larue, however, reacted as he always did, in a completely natural way. He started laughing, the twinkling sound sweeping over the room as his body began to glow brightly. Even my brother seemed entranced by the sight, and he released Monica, backing away from her.

“Sorry,” he told her. “You took me by surprise.”

“That’s all right.” She fluffed her black hair and grinned, exposing strikingly sharp fangs. “I don’t break easily, and you can make it up to me.”

Once more, Philippe looked quite horrified at the prospect of becoming a pet. I couldn’t help it. I started laughing, too, and so did everyone else. Even Vlad was snickering, in spite of looking a little disgruntled as he freed a very naked bunny-shifter from his sister’s embrace. But then, if there was anyone who could pull off looking upset while amused, it was definitely Vlad.

When we finally controlled our mirth, I made myself focus on what my father had said. “Who is this person you mentioned, Father?” I asked him.

“Well, we don’t know his name, but they call him the Fairy Godfather.”

As one, Vlad and his sisters groaned. “If you’re looking for him, it won’t be easy,” Mina said. “He’s harder to find and control than Lord Stiltskin.”

That didn’t sound very promising, but then, we did have an ally. The Rainbow Brick Road, also known as the Path of Fate, could be coaxed into helping us with this. After all, it—he?—had actually built a home for Dineiro and Kirril and a very beautiful one at that. Because of the road’s intervention, I’d met Larue in the first place.

I didn’t even have to ask how they’d learned of it. I had, after all, accepted their nature a long time ago. However, I had to admit I felt somewhat puzzled. Larue wasn’t exactly young—he had told me he would soon hit his two hundred thirtieth birthday—and I couldn’t call myself a baby either, and yet, we’d never heard of this Fairy Godfather. Or at least, I didn’t think so. Larue might have and considered it only a story. After all, he’d done that with the tale of my parents’ romance.

Confirming my thoughts, Larue suddenly said, “I heard he lives way beyond the Forgotten Steppes, so far that no one ever remembers the way.”

“That’s true,” Vlad said. “We were there once, but I barely recall anything at all.”

I shared a look with Larue. “Well, there’s someone who remembers. Come on, lovely. If there’s a chance of us finding a solution for this, I’m taking it.”

Chapter Seven:

In Which Bowie Strikes Again and Déjà-Vu is More Than a Fancy Word

The Rainbow Brick Road was, predictably, waiting for us outside the castle. Victor’s family looked surprised at seeing it, and I surmised the path hadn’t been there when they’d arrived.

“Is that what I think it is?” Victor’s father inquired, sounding shocked.

I nodded. “Just don’t—”

Before I could finish the phrase, Victor’s sibling rushed out of the courtyard and leapt onto the path next to us. “Oh, Goddess!” he exclaimed. “The Rainbow Brick Road!”

I could swear I heard a chortling as the world blurred once more. The sensation of déjà-vu that struck me was incredibly exasperating. “Oh, for crying out loud!” I screamed as soon as my head started to spin. “Don’t you know any better? You simply should not be saying that name.”

“Indeed,” a sudden voice said. “I prefer to be called Bowie.”

It was not the first time I’d heard the road’s voice, although it didn’t always speak or even show up. Bowie seemed to do whatever in the world he wanted, and I honestly couldn’t blame him. Being a road was likely very boring. And Goddess Almighty, I had not thought that. Damn it. I was losing my mind.

In fact, it wasn’t exactly impossible for this to be case. The three of us had fallen in something that appeared to be pulled out of my memories, although that couldn’t be right. The Forgotten Steppes had almost completely faded from my mind before today, something which I knew better than to blame on the sheer unremarkable nature of the scenery here, as much as I’d have liked to do so. Now, it was all so very vivid, the green of the endless plains so bright it hurt my eyes.

“Great. This is just amazing. We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, again. Goddess, at least Kirril had an excuse for being an idiot.”

I didn’t want to be rude to a member of Victor’s family, but I couldn’t keep myself from saying the truth as I saw it. Indeed, Dineiro’s human mate had made the same mistake, but at least he’d had the excuse of being distracted by my friend’s nakedness. What had Philippe been distracted by? All the pretty colors?

“Watch your mouth, small stuff.” Philippe growled. “I didn’t have lunch yet.”

“Just try it, Philippe, and you’ll regret it.” My mate glared at his sibling. “Don’t think I’m afraid of you.”

Before the situation could escalate into further hostility, Bowie cleared his nonexistent throat. “I’m still here, you know,” he said in an almost put-out tone.

“And as always, you’ve dropped us into quite a predicament,” I said with a sigh. “Can you at least point us in the right direction?”

The beautiful bricks suddenly shifted to create a pattern. I arched a brow as the arrow they formed directed us north. I honestly couldn’t tell where we’d been taken anymore, my sense of orientation protesting all the frustrating jolts it had received lately. Nevertheless, I was fairly certain that we were headed the exact opposite direction of the Laughing Forest. I distantly wondered why Bowie hadn’t just dropped us in front of the Fairy Godfather’s residence. Perhaps he aimed to give us a little time to recover. I couldn’t say I didn’t appreciate the thought. In my current state of mind, I wasn’t capable of impressing a powerful wizard with anything except my ability to aim pixie dust at a moving target.

In the end, arguing didn’t get us anywhere, and I had to admit that Victor’s brother was not to blame for our current circumstances. Beyond being an all-around jerk, he couldn’t have known this would happen. Besides, this path might lead us to the solution to our problems, so I wasn’t about to waste time with anger.

Therefore, even if it irked me, I decided to be the bigger man—so to speak—and offer Philippe an olive branch.

As we started to walk—well, they were walking, I’d taken up position on my mate’s shoulder as always—I made a clumsy attempt to begin a conversation. “So tell me about yourself, Philippe,” I said. “Do you live in the second dimension of Merlinia like Victor?”

“Of course I do,” he answered in the same growly tone that seemed his default voice. I wouldn’t have been surprised if it had nothing to do with his temper. After all, he was a panther. “Surely you must know by now that most cursed and dark creatures dwell there.”

Yes, I did know that. Although I didn’t like having Victor clustered with beings of suspicious nature. However, I had grown to learn that the dark side of Merlinia wasn’t necessarily bad. Even if there were evil people like Lord Stiltskin, I’d also met interesting ones, such as Count Vlad and his sisters. Even the gargoyles that I’d once mistaken for the spirit hunters turned out to be quite nice.

Similarly, not everyone in this dimension had good intentions. I wondered how the Fairy Godfather would be like. Would he help us, or would he refuse?

My mate seemed to guess my thoughts and whispered, “If my parents said this man can help, they must have had a good reason. They’d never allow me to get my hopes up for nothing. Have faith. If nothing else, we’ll certainly get some answers.”

Philippe scoffed, but I ignored him, instead choosing to relax against my mate’s neck. He smelled good, virile, and familiar. In spite of having washed up earlier, there was a lingering trace of soot in his scent, but I liked that. It was something so…him. My mate, the not-so-mad scientist. How could I not want to be with him?

I could easily imagine what would have happened earlier had I been human-sized. I’d seen the way Victor had looked at me and naturally realized that he was attracted to me. Of course, this wasn’t in any way news, but today, for the first time, it seemed like we might actually have a chance to pursue this further.

Sooner than I’d have expected, our destination was in sight. I had expected yet another castle—it seemed my life abounded in such structures these days—but instead, what I got was a small hovel, which I might not have seen if not for the fact that it seemed the only sign of civilization present in the whole of the Steppes.

“That’s it?” Philippe asked, although I couldn’t be sure whom he addressed the question to.

“Indeed,” Bowie replied. “Go right ahead. I took the liberty to notify your presence.”

Confirming the path’s comment, the door to the hut opened, and a slender man stepped out of the building. He looked…Well, he looked exactly like a pixie, only human-sized. I gaped at him, wondering if I was dreaming the whole thing.

“Don’t look so shocked,” the stranger said. “It’s not like anything is normal in Merlinia.”

For a few moments, I almost thought it was Bowie who’d spoken, because the voice sounded exactly the same. “What in the world?” I asked, gobsmacked. “Are you…Are you Bowie?”

The man, which I assumed had to be the Fairy Godfather, grimaced. “Please, don’t compare me to him. He chose to amuse himself by using my voice when speaking to normal people.”

His words were confirmed when Bowie chortled, sounding very pleased with himself. The Fairy Godfather released a sigh, obviously very well acquainted to the road’s antics. “You might as well come in,” he said. “For this conversation, you’re much better off sitting down.”

Chapter Eight:

In Which There are Spells, Enchantments, and Revelations

Living as a Merlinian youth under a heavy curse, I was used to strange things. I knew very well that in this land, anything could happen. My scientist mind had long ago accepted the concept of magic as real, something that worked just like any other force on this planet. In my mind, spells appeared as a consequence of someone using the natural energy of their body to manipulate the fabric of reality. It was a simple matter of action and reaction.

However, even if I understood this, I was still deeply disturbed at particularly intense manifestations of magic. For that reason, a feeling of awe, discomfort, and inadequacy invaded me when I stepped into the Fairy Godfather’s hovel, only to find myself in the foyer carved out of blinding white marble. An imposing staircase loomed ahead, but it didn’t seem to lead anywhere. Around it, a large river winded like a snake, with fish swimming happily to and fro, as if the current had no effect on them.

There were fawns, rabbits, and wolves, clustered around a group of trees that grew straight of the marble. There were flames that danced over the tiles as if alive. I could swear I saw two clocks running around and hiding behind two marble columns, peeking playfully at us with eyes made out of numbers. Up above, the stars shone, clearer than I’d ever seen them.

It was mind numbing, and in spite of the eagerness I felt to ask my questions and make my plea, I couldn’t help but take everything in, trying to figure out just what kind of power could manage to create such an environment. Was it all an illusion? It wasn’t impossible, but somehow, I doubted it.

Either way, no machine I’d ever invented, fueled by magic or not, could achieve this level of complexity. I ached to learn, to understand, and to share it all with my lovely mate.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” the Fairy Godfather asked. “I really love the world, and I like to have pieces of it here in my home.”

“Is this real?” Larue asked, sounding a little breathless.

Our host chuckled. “You know better than to ask that, Larue. You can feel how real it is.”

That was probably quite correct, since my mate emanated magic through every pore. Even I could sense the genuine nature of our surroundings, in spite of not being in any way as skilled in enchantments as Larue.

Either way, whether the Fairy Godfather had truly created the wonderful place or just an fantasy of it, I did believe that he had great power and he could help us a lot if he so desired.

Our host led us up the mysterious stairs. The gloom vanished as we walked, revealing spacious rooms beyond. Or perhaps the Godfather created them out of thin air as we passed them by. Anything was possible.

I itched to ask him if he could help us with what we’d come here for, but I held my tongue. In the end, I’d waited so long already. I could wait for a few more minutes, until the Fairy Godfather decided to approach the topic himself.

My mate seemed just as anxious, as he’d started to glow a little brighter. He clutched my shoulder in an obvious attempt to control himself, but some pixie dust still emanated from his body.

“Relax,” the Fairy Godfather finally told us. “Of course I’m going to give you what you seek. After all, you’ve come all this way.”

I could already hear the “but” in his voice, and alarm bells started to ring in my mind. “There’s a price, isn’t there?”

“Not one I charge, but yes, there is one,” he answered. At last, he stopped in front of a closed door that, to me, seemed completely innocuous. When he pushed it open, though, the space beyond had me in complete awe. In this place, the stars seemed even closer, so much so that if I outstretched my hand, I almost thought I could touch them. In this case, I very much doubted that it was possible, so I shook the irrational desire and focused on my own bright star, my lovely Larue. What price could possibly exist for bringing Larue to a human size?

The Fairy Godfather gestured us to some armchairs thrown around the room in a seemingly random pattern. “Please, make yourselves at home. We have much to discuss.”

Naturally, we complied. Philippe had some trouble fitting in his seat, and upon noticing that, the Fairy Godfather waved a hand, providing him with a couch instead. Given what we’d seen so far, I couldn’t say that display shocked me too much.

I relaxed in my armchair, or tried to, at least, with Larue still on my shoulder. “What exactly did you mean earlier?” I inquired.

“Well, it’s quite easy,” he answered, crossing his legs and plopping down on…thin air. “I can make Larue your size. It’s actually very easy. However, before I do so, I must point out that if the two of you fully bond, the enchantment on you will pass onto him as well.”

I went rigid. In spite of the fact that I’d gotten used to my shape-shifting nature, I didn’t want the curse to fall onto my mate as well. “How is that possible?” I asked. “Who did this anyway?”

Had it been Lord Rumpel Stiltskin after all? My parents had investigated his possible involvement, but in the end, they’d decided it wasn’t possible. The man had countless years completely focused on his son, Rapunzel, something unfortunate for the young man, but somewhat comforting for the rest of the world. A link did exist between the powerful mage and our curse, but we hadn’t been able to figure out what it was.

“I’ll give you a hint,” the Fairy Godfather said. “It wasn’t a Merlinian.”

Not a Merlinian? That couldn’t be right. Merlinia had dozens of provinces, many of which I’d never gotten to see. I’d naturally assumed that the witch who’d cursed my father lived in one of them.

Of course, there were many other lands beyond ours. Some of them lay beyond the Steppes, though, and contact with them was limited. No one from there would have ever bothered to come to Merlinia just to cast a spell on a prince.

A map appeared out of thin air, revealing the image of the whole of Avalon. It was far more complete than what I owned at home, something which didn’t surprise me at all. To the north of the Forgotten Steppes lay the Mountains of Sorrow, the only place where someone could physically step from one dimension of Merlinia to the other. Further beyond, more countries were mapped out. I recognized three in particular, Grimoire, Mentalia, and Necro Valley. Grimoire was a known source of witches, and the natural conclusion would be that they were the ones guilty of our misfortune. Still, I didn’t quite buy that. To my knowledge, they had their own problems and were unlikely to pay Merlinia any heed at all.

Then there was a huge section in which the only visible thing was blue. Merlinians called that the Ocean of Nowhere, because we’d never figure out where it led. Some people believed it simply marked the end of Avalon. Apparently, that wasn’t the case, as after the ocean ended, there was a whole section tainted in red. It didn’t have any name on it, though, and when I glanced inquiringly at the Fairy Godfather, he just shrugged. “Some things you should find out on your own.”

He was right. Knowledge had little value when it was just handed to you with no effort. A person didn’t fully realize how priceless information could be unless he or she struggled for it. As such, I didn’t insist on it, and instead looked over the rest of the map. I was missing something. But what?

The answer struck me like a lightning bolt. I’d scanned Merlinia’s neighbors from the part with the Forgotten Steppes, but I’d forgotten about two very important factors. On Merlinia’s other side lay Morganna and Arthuria. Arthurians had no magic, as evidenced by Prince Kirril, but Morgannians did.

My gaze fixed on the country in question, the question already on my lips. “Very good,” the Fairy Godfather said. “Your witch is indeed there, and she is extremely dangerous.”

“Morganna?” my mate inquired, sounding dismayed. “But Kirril’s family wants to make an alliance with that country. His brother is all set to marry the Morgannian princess, Anelah.”

“Is he?” The Fairy Godfather arched a brow. “And do they really want that?”

The implications of his words boggled the mind. Kirril and Dineiro had to be warned. The Arthurian might have left his country for Dineiro, but that didn’t mean he didn’t value it.

Personally, I’d never met Kirril’s brothers, but Larue had confided that the middle son, Medwin, the one who was betrothed to the princess, had shown a lot of interest in Stiltskin’s son, Rapunzel. I didn’t blame the man. Rapunzel had briefly stayed at my castle, and he’d struck me as a truly beautiful person, in every way. However, I wouldn’t have touched him with a ten foot pole, because I had Larue. Could it be that Medwin had fallen under some sort of enchantment as well, one that had lost its potency due to Medwin’s natural attraction toward Rapunzel? Still, I didn’t want to draw rushed conclusions. From what I knew, the princess was very young, and likely wouldn’t have been able to do anything like that. The queen, then? It wasn’t impossible.

In the end, I decided to deal with each matter at a time. “So where did that leave us?” I asked. “Is there no way to break the spell? Wasn’t true love supposed to do it?”

To me, it sounded like true love would make the spell fall onto Larue as well, which confused me. Granted, something similar had happened to my parents. The curse hadn’t been fully lifted, only changed shapes. While my father had stopped changing shapes, Philippe and I had ended up paying the price for his freedom.

“You amuse me, Victor,” our host said. “Yes, your witch told your father that it was the cure for the curse, but why would you believe her? No, my dear. To speak in scientific terms, love is only a reagent for this enchantment. It adds onto the original material of the spell, making it mutate.”

“Wait a minute,” Philippe piped up, speaking for the first time. “As I see it, you’re very powerful. The whole point of our visit here—the pixie’s size aside—was to break the curse. You’re saying you can’t help us?”

“I can point you in the right direction and tell you what you have to do, but I can’t break it myself, no,” the Fairy Godfather answered. He didn’t seem very upset or self-conscious about it, but then, he probably didn’t care either way. “Tell you what,” he added. “I’m going to make you an offer you can’t refuse.”

He paused and when he didn’t say anything else, I prodded, “What offer?”

“Ah, it’s nothing,” he answered after a few moments, almost sounding thoughtful. “I’ve just always wanted to say that.”

I had the urge to hit my head against the walls, but I realized the room didn’t have any, so I reined my temper in. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where Bowie had “inherited” his whimsical nature.

“In any case,” he finally said, “you two must decide. I can change Larue, make him your size. He’ll look…well, somewhat like me, really. Of course, he’ll still be himself, just bigger. But if you consummate your mating, the curse will have an effect on him.”

“I’m not afraid,” my brave mate said. “It’s what Victor and I have been waiting for all this time. I want to do it, if Victor agrees, of course.”

It touched me that my mate didn’t want to rush into this without consulting it with me first. I knew how much Larue was giving up to be with me, and yet, he worried about what I thought and felt. How could I not love him? How could I not want him?

The Fairy Godfather’s gaze went to me. “Victor?”

I took a deep breath, trying to figure out what would be best. If I’d been the only one involved, I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second. But that was the whole point, after all. Both Larue and I were wrapped up in this, and I couldn’t protect him. The spell could backfire in any number of ways, and if something happened to him, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to live with myself.

“Perhaps we should go to Morganna first. If we defeat the witch, the spell breaks, right?”

“That’s true,” the Fairy Godfather confirmed. “However, I’d like to urge you to take something very important into consideration. This witch is very old, and knowledgeable, and in his current form, Larue is very vulnerable. For crying out loud, all someone has to do to take you out is sit on you.”

Larue released an outraged gasp, but I began to make the connection between the Fairy Godfather’s appearance and his words. “You were a pixie once, weren’t you?”

“Kind of.” Our host’s lips twisted into a small smile. “My nature is more complex than you can imagine. Either way, my situation aside, you have to make the best decision for yourselves.”

As I saw it, we had two options. One of them was to leave Larue somewhere I knew he would be safe and go to Morganna without him, perhaps taking my family along. That way, Larue wouldn’t have to shoulder the burden of the curse at all and wouldn’t be in danger either.

But could I be sure that my castle would keep her at bay? If she was as powerful as the Fairy Godfather seemed to suggest, very few things could. She might easily use Larue against me.

On the other hand, we would be taking a huge chance if we went through with the other idea. Where did that leave us?

The Fairy Godfather seemed to guess my predicament. “Here’s a thought,” he said. “It’s not my actual spell that would transfer the curse, but the one on Victor. If I change Larue, but you two don’t mate, you’re all set.”

My mind just about melted at that. It was, of course, the perfect solution. Larue would be safe, and still with me. We could go to Morganna together to find the witch. Why hadn’t I thought of it?

Oh, I knew why. When Larue had been pixie-sized, I’d managed to keep my libido in check. It would have been awkward for the both of us if I hadn’t, and trying anything different had been out of the question. But if those physical limitations vanished, the walls keeping my natural desire for him in check would undoubtedly crumble.

I needed to get a grip. I wouldn’t allow my cock to deter me from our purpose. “You’re right,” I said to our host. “It’s the best way.”

Larue didn’t look entirely convinced, but he jumped off my shoulder and landed on my knee. “Okay,” he said, his little wings trembling as he prepared himself for the impossibly huge change he would do for me. “I’m ready.”

“It will be a little confusing at first, but it’s completely safe,” the Fairy Godfather said softly. “Close your eyes and relax.”

My mate did as he was told, taking a few deep breaths and obviously struggling to obey the instructions to the letter. I was one step away from calling the whole thing off, but suddenly, a flash of white blinded me, making it impossible for me to move or even speak. The Fairy Godfather’s voice drifted into my head, whispering, “Worry not. I won’t let anything happen to him.”

The moment passed before I could even attempt to reply. Suddenly, a heavy bulk seemed to land on my lap. Pixie dust exploded in my face, and Larue’s scream echoed in the room.

As if of their own accord, my arms went around his waist, and I hugged him close to me. “It’s all right,” I whispered, doing my best to calm him down. “I’m here.”

Of course, I didn’t feel very calm myself. In fact, my brain was on overload, moving in bursts as it computed that one, my mate had suddenly become human-sized, two, he was naked, and three, he still sat in my lap. In one single logical statement, my not-so-coherent conclusion was the following. My very naked mate sat in my lap, now human-sized. Yes, I could be brilliant sometimes, right?

“Well, I’m going to have to apologize for my words,” Philippe said idly. “I was completely wrong about your mate. He’s quite a catch.”

Impossibly, Larue’s wings fluttered even harder. I wondered how the Fairy Godfather had dealt with that problem. It hadn’t seemed so bad while Larue had been small, but at the rate we were going, we wouldn’t have much trouble defeating the witch. Larue would just bury her in pixie dust. Of course, by that time, the whole thing would be useless, since I would have long ago suffered the same fate.

“Oh dear,” the Fairy Godfather said. “Sorry about that.”

He waved his hand, and the quantity of dust emanating from my mate’s wings diminished a little. “There. Much better, don’t you agree?”

Larue was still trembling, clutching my shoulder in a death grip. He seemed far more powerful than I’d expected, and I guessed that upon along with Larue’s size, everything else had increased as well. I’d never realized it before, but given their minute size, pixies were quite strong.

Unfortunately, Larue’s proximity had quite an effect on my disobedient body. My cock hardened, and I forced myself to think at anything else except how silky Larue’s skin felt under my fingertips. Goddess above, if I slid my hands a little lower, I’d be able to cup his buttocks. I’d be able to find the little virgin hole hiding so many delights. Fuck! Bad dick, bad. You’re not helping.

The only thing that did help was the knowledge of Larue’s apprehension and the obvious shock my mate had gone through. Honestly, how could I focus on arousal when faced with his fear? My sexual excitement melted into protectiveness, and I caressed his hip, shushing him and continuing to murmur endearments and promises.

At one point, Larue finally relaxed. “You didn’t mention I’d be naked,” he told our host with a huff.

I couldn’t hide a smile. It was so like my mate that I wanted to dance. Okay, what I actually wanted to do was to fuck him, but since that couldn’t be possible, I’d settle for dancing and having him in my arms.

“My spell didn’t actually eliminate your clothing,” the Fairy Godfather said. “They just tore naturally.”

Indeed, I could spot a few scraps of white material on the floor of the room. For some reason, it made me sad, because they could easily be considered as the remnants of my mate’s old life. I wished I knew what to say, how to thank him and truly make him see how much I valued and appreciated his sacrifice.

He didn’t give me the chance to do so. Instead, he slid out of my embrace and gathered the pieces of what had been his tiny white suit. When he looked at me, he was beaming widely. There was absolutely no sign of regret in his gaze. “We’ve finally done it, Victor. We can be together now.”

A weight I hadn’t even fully acknowledged lifted off my chest, and I grinned back. It must have encouraged Larue, because he boosted himself with his new, much larger wings and he launched himself at me. His momentum was such that when he landed on me, the armchair fell back and we collapsed together on the floor. I couldn’t have cared less, not when he crushed his lips to mine in a soul-devouring kiss. It was our very first, a little clumsy, and a lot desperate. We’d waited for this moment for what seemed like forever, and nothing could have kept me from burying my fingers in his soft hair. The silvery strands fell over us like a silken curtain, with a unique perfume that simply intoxicated me. I licked across the seam of his lips, demanding entrance. With a soft sigh, he gave in, and I thrust my tongue into his mouth, tasting him greedily.

For a few seconds, we lost ourselves in the need that had been piling up for the past weeks, ever since we’d first met. However, the moment shattered when I heard my brother say, “That’s quite a show you’re giving us there, little brother.”

I reluctantly broke the kiss and glowered at him. In spite of still being in panther form, he looked smug.

For his part, the Fairy Godfather tilted his head at us inquiringly, analyzing us with those fathomless silver eyes. “Well, it seems like my plan might not work after all,” he drawled. “In fact, I can’t even begin to imagine what made me suggest it in the first place.”

I stared at them, wanting to be angry, but unable to muster any sort of negative emotion. “Thank you,” I said honestly. “Thank you for giving us this.”

Our host smiled. “It was my absolute pleasure. And now, since we’ve all acknowledged the urgency of your situation, let me point out your foe.”

Out of nowhere, an image bloomed to life. It looked like a carriage, one bearing the mark I recognized as belonging to the Morgannian royal family. It rolled through a courtyard rich in vegetation, with so many decorations that I instantly suspected it must be.

The carriage stopped in front of a staircase, and its driver leapt from the perch and rushed to open the door. A lovely dark-haired woman stepped out and was immediately intercepted by a blond young man.

Still in my embrace, Larue gasped. “That’s Kirril’s brother,” he whispered.

The young Arthurian prince seemed tense, but when he approached, the woman’s eyes shone briefly. It was only an instant, but Medwin instantly changed attitudes. He beamed and kissed her hand like a man in love.

“I guess that answers some questions,” Larue said. “So now what?”

As much as I hated it, I answered, “Now, I suppose we go to Arthuria.”

Chapter Nine:

In Which There is Good News and Bad News

The Fairy Godfather didn’t let us leave just like that. First of all, he gave me clothes which mimicked the ones that had been destroyed and boots to compliment the outfit. Once that problem was solved, he offered me a pouch of something that looked a lot like pixie dust. I wanted to say that I had plenty of my own, but I held my tongue and waited.

“The first thing you need to do is to trap the witch using this. It won’t keep her at bay for long, though, so you must work quickly. There are two things you need to understand. First, Anelah hates true love. She wove this into the spell, so that no one affected by it could be truly happy. Second, you’re going to have to fight fire with fire. Go to Arthuria. You’ll find an unexpected ally there.”

At his words, Philippe released a tired sigh. “Can we stop beating around the bush? What ally, and what exactly do we have to do?”

“Tsk, tsk. So impatient.” The Fairy Godfather shook his head, as if disappointed. “You really must learn to control your temper, Philippe.”

“He has a point, though,” I said, not really wanting to agree with my mate’s brother, but eager to know more. “A trap isn’t enough.”

“No, it isn’t. What you have to do is strain her powers so that she won’t be able to hold onto her spells any longer. She’s very old, Larue, almost as old as I am. As a human, Anelah should have long been dead, but she’s only half-Morgannian, so the limitations on age don’t apply to her.”

“So I gather by your words that she’s not really a Morgannian princess,” I concluded. After all, how could the current queen have given birth to her?

“There never was a Morgannian princess. They only had a son, and he’s the one who can help you best under these circumstances. His name is Snow, and you will be able to find him in Arthuria. But back to your question. Break the spell on Medwin and trap her with the dust. This is something only you can do, with Snow and Rapunzel’s help. I will do the rest.”

That sounded easy enough…maybe. All we had to do was get Rapunzel to join us on our quest. Sadly, we had no real way to contact him. On occasion, he did come and visit, as he had promised Kirril to do so. But those instances were so rare, and we could not afford to wait this time around.

Obviously, the Fairy Godfather must have guessed our predicament. “He will know,” he assured me. “Now go. Meet Kirril and Dineiro. You’ll need their help to enter Arthuria discreetly.”

He led us back to the foyer of his peculiar home, and I couldn’t focus on asking anything else, because I had trouble orienting myself and walking on my new legs. My wings felt far too big, and when I tried to fly, I accidentally hit the ceiling. One time, I fell against a vase that looked more expensive that Victor’s entire castle, and only the Fairy Godfather’s prompt intervention saved it from destruction.

I felt so mortified, but no one, not even Philippe, pointed out my inability to adapt to my new body. I guessed that, to a certain extent, all of them understood it, as they’d had to go through the same thing because of the curse.

In truth, though, I had it much better than my mate and his brother. As far as I could tell, I looked exactly the same, except there was more of me now. Naturally, my perspective had changed a lot, and it scared me a little, but I didn’t regret it in the slightest.

I wondered what my parents would think upon seeing me. Now that we were headed out to see Dineiro and Kirril, I’d have to visit the village, too, if only to show them. I’d told my mother that it was likely to happen sometime in the future, but to my mind, she hadn’t really thought it was possible.

Oddly enough, once I stopped worrying about embarrassing myself in front of my mate and began to think about other things, I found a measure of balance. Walking became a little more natural, and I managed to fold my wings behind myself like I would have in my previous shape.

“Thank you,” I told the Fairy Godfather again.

The pixie-looking man chuckled. “Don’t mention it.” His expression sobered. “Now, remember, be very careful when you face your opponent. Do not underestimate her. She has been around for far longer than you think. Do not try to engage her in a direct magical battle, because you will not win. Strain her spells, and I will step in.”

Something in his tone made warning bells ring at the back of my mind. “So you know her then? Is she more powerful than you?”

“It’s…complicated,” he replied with a sigh. “Nonetheless, I will help you. This has gone on for long enough.”

I didn’t understand his cryptic words, and I nearly stumbled as I tried to figure out the answer. I righted myself at the last moment, and by the time we reached the exit, I felt confident that I’d achieved a little control over my current body.

That confidence faltered when I stepped outside the hovel-cum-palace and found myself straight in front of my village. I was speechless, while Victor and his brother simply looked confused. “Err…Where exactly are we?” Philippe inquired.

“My village,” I replied automatically. It was a few feet away from us, just beyond the trees. I could only imagine my people’s reaction upon seeing us enter. “You need to stay here,” I hastily added.

My mate seemed concerned. “Are you going to be okay?” he whispered.

I knew he worried about me, and about the fact that I’d changed my very nature to be with him. Therefore, I brushed a brief kiss over his cheek and grinned. “I’ll be fine.” Turning toward the Fairy Godfather, I nodded. “Thank you. Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need it,” our benefactor answered. “You have a loving family.”

Feeling a little more encouraged, I stepped toward the grove that had been my home for countless years. My family must have sensed something, though, as when I approached, a large number of pixies fluttered out of the grove and flew toward me.

It was disconcerting to see the people I’d lived with and known all my life looking so small. Intellectually, I realized I was the one who’d grown, but it didn’t fully compute. With Victor, the situation was tempered by the fact that I’d imagined it over and over, imagined the moment when I could finally kiss him. Even so, the strangeness of the moment shocked me so much I swooned.

Fortunately, Victor was right there to catch me. “Sorry about that,” I said sheepishly.

“Don’t ever apologize to me,” Victor replied as he kissed my temple and steadied me.

As he did so, my mother and father flew to my side. “Are you all right?” my mother asked. Had her voice always been so airy? Probably. It somehow sounded different now.

“Yes,” I answered. “It just shocked me to see you all so small.”

“We’re not any different,” my father answered. “You’re the one who changed.”

The words might have come out as accusing, but he was smiling as he said them. In fact, he seemed very pleased with the way Victor was holding me. “But I think it was worth it, right?” he added.

I just nodded, unable to say anything different. The rest of the pixies surrounded me, throwing pixie dust all over the place and celebrating my good fortune. My mate relaxed visibly, and even Philippe joined in, despite the fact that all the dust made him sneeze. My parents were thrilled to meet both Victor and his brother, and they didn’t even seem to mind that Philippe remained in his feline form.

Bowie and the Fairy Godfather must have been up to their old tricks, because a few minutes later, Kirril and Dineiro showed up. Once more, I was struck by the difference in my friends. I was practically Dineiro’s size now, maybe even a little bigger in our human form. To think that once, I’d hidden in his pouch. It seemed mind-boggling.

“You did it!” my friend cried out with enthusiasm.

As he embraced me, I hugged him back, laughing. “It’s so strange, isn’t it? But a good strange.”

Unfortunately, we didn’t have too much time to celebrate, as neither my mate, nor I had forgotten about the witch who’d cursed his family. “There’s something very serious we need to talk to you about, Kirril,” Victor said to the former slayer.

Instantly, the Arthurian’s expression went guarded. “What is it?”

“I haven’t mentioned this to you before, but my shape-shifting problem is caused by a curse. We’ve recently learned that the witch behind it is your brother’s fiancée.”

“Anelah?” Kirril asked. “There must be some mistake. I know her. She’s probably in her twenties, and not in a dragon way.”

“No mistake, Prince Kirril,” the Fairy Godfather offered, for the first time stepping closer to us. He’d been quiet and allowed us to have our moment, but now it was time for more upsetting matters. “I assure you no one would have attempted to encroach on your brother’s happiness had we not been convinced it was not real. Why do you think you were sent to hunt down a dragon in the first place? I assure you, it wasn’t random.”

I gaped. It hadn’t occurred to me that the demand could have been linked to a more insidious issues, but suddenly it all made sense. “No wonder she went to see Medwin when it didn’t work out,” I said.

“She’s there?” Kirril asked. “If what you say is true, then my family is in danger. She needs to be stopped.”

“Indeed, Prince Kirril,” the Fairy Godfather answered. “Time is of the essence. I could get you to your home, but I highly doubt your parents would appreciate that. You still have influence in Arthuria. You must get Victor, Larue, and Philippe there at once. I will guide you to Snow.”

Kirril seemed to be computing the steps of what that implied. Whether he believed the Fairy Godfather or not, he was obviously not willing to take the chance with his family’s safety.

“You’re right,” he said. Turning toward Dineiro, he released a deep sigh. “Baby, I hate leaving you, but you must stay here where it’s safe. I won’t risk you or our child.”

Dineiro’s lower lip trembled, and he looked like he was going to cry, but he nodded jerkily. “I understand.”

My heart ached at the sight of his sadness. Kirril and I might not always see eye-to-eye, but the man worshipped Dineiro, and he was amazingly protective of the young dragon. Alas, Dineiro would soon start to nest, and he couldn’t leave the safety of the forest at such a delicate time. Kirril’s departure would already be hard enough.

Obviously noticing my friend’s anxiety, the Fairy Godfather slid to Dineiro’s side and patted his shoulder comfortingly. “Worry not, sweet dragon. Nothing will harm him.”

“I’ll be in my home city,” Kirril said in a comforting tone. “What could possibly happen?”

Instantly, I remembered how much the human could piss me off. Saying that was just asking for trouble. Scenarios of destruction popped in my mind, but I didn’t say anything due to Dineiro’s presence. In the end, I had to believe that this time, Kirril was right. Life, or fate, wouldn’t be so cruel to finally bring Victor and me together, only to separate us.

* * * *

Acknowledging the need for urgency, we set out at once. Not even the forest was laughing any longer as we headed out, leaving Merlinia and all our friends behind. Dineiro in particular looked heartbroken, although Larue’s pixie family seemed just as concerned.

To his credit, Kirril did his best to reassure Dineiro, and by the time of our departure, the dragon had calmed down a little. Even so, our journey began on a distinctively glum note.

However, Bowie seemed on our side, as much sooner than I’d expected, we reached the river Dozmary, the natural barrier between Arthuria and Merlinia.

“It seems like forever since we were last here,” Kirril said with a sigh. He was obviously remembering something that bothered him, probably a meeting with his siblings that had happened here.

None of us said anything. We crossed the river in silence, with Kirril walking ahead, Larue and I following, and Philippe ending our little procession. He was still in panther form, but that would soon change, once evening fell.

“So what’s the plan?” my brother asked as we finally set foot on Arthurian soil. “Do we just burst into the royal palace and accuse the princess of being an evil witch?”

“We need to talk to the real Morgannian heir first, and to my brothers,” Kirril replied. “And we have to be very careful. Likely, Anelah will be able to tell who you are on sight.”

“Well, perhaps she shouldn’t see us then,” Philippe suggested. “We can always stay at an inn in Camelot, right?”

“We could, but I think we should stick together,” I replied. “For all we know, she’ll be able to tell when we arrive there. A powerful witch like her must be keeping tabs over her spells.”

“I agree,” my mate offered. “We stick together. That’s the only way we can beat her.”

“But in any case, how are we supposed to find the mysterious Snow?” Kirril asked. “It’s not like Arthuria is a small place, and so far we’ve received no real guidance from the Fairy Godfather.”

“We need to have some faith,” Larue told him. “He helped me change shapes. He won’t fail us in something like this.”

As it turned out, we didn’t have to figure our dilemma out immediately, because Camelot was quite far away from the border. Soon, we had to stop for the night. I could already feel the change approaching, and sat down at the bottom of a tree, next to my brother.

By now, Larue was quite used to the process, so he knelt next to me and waited quietly. I relaxed my body and forced myself to accept the shift. At last, as the last of the sun’s rays disappeared, melting into the incipient gloom of twilight, the power of the spell flowed over me, shrinking me into a cat.

When I began to recover, I was greeted with the sight of my naked brother, something which I honestly would have preferred to avoid but couldn’t be helped in a family of shifters. Fortunately, we’d thought ahead, and Kirril rummaged through his pack, offering Philippe something to wear. They were roughly the same size, and the Arthurian’s clothes suited my brother well. For my part, I was trapped in a pool of clothing due to the difference between the bulks of my two sizes. I’d have actually been distraught at that—usually I remained naked for the purpose of the shift—but Larue extracted me from the trap of my own garments and cuddled me to his chest. As such, the situation didn’t seemed so bad anymore, and I started to purr.

Naturally, my brother found this extremely funny and started to snicker. Even Kirril cracked a smile. Their amusement didn’t bother me. Few things could when I was with Larue.

Kirril gathered my clothing and stuffed it in his bag, and then, we continued our journey. At last, we reached a small village, where the Arthurian found us an inn.

Unsurprisingly, Kirril was well known here. The innkeeper received us with hearty chuckles and warm embraces, seeming genuinely pleased to see Kirril. “Honesty, Prince Kirril, we didn’t think we were going to see you for a while now.”

“And why is that?” Kirril asked. “Arthuria is still my homeland, even if my heart is somewhere else now.”

“That’s just it,” the innkeeper said carefully. “My son is a soldier in Camelot and he told us you’d gone to Merlinia to wed a…well, a dragon.”

His gaze went to Larue, and I couldn’t say I was surprised that he’d singled my mate out. Even if Larue kept my wings folded back, he couldn’t fully hide them.

Oddly enough, the human didn’t seem to notice that particular part of Larue’s anatomy, though. “I apologize. I don’t mean to be indiscreet. Both of you are, naturally, welcome.”

He thought that Larue was a dragon, which surprised me. Even an Arthurian should have been able to identify pixie wings, especially now that Larue was so big. Well, he actually thought that Larue was Dineiro, and Kirril’s mate, which irritated me. My mate must have decided he didn’t owe the human any explanations and said, “Thank you. Your words are much appreciated.”

“We’d like dinner and two rooms to rest,” Kirril added. “My companions and I are very tired after the road.”

“Of course,” the innkeeper answered. “At once.”

Fortunately, the man seemed to guess further inquiries would have been very inappropriate, no matter how friendly Kirril had once been with Arthurians. He didn’t question Kirril in the slightest, and just provided us with what we had requested.

The dinner was actually much better than I’d have expected, especially since I got to eat from my mate’s hand. I made a mental note to repeat the action when we could actually turn it into something sensual, because it had a lot of potential.

When we got to the latter part of Kirril’s request, though, I was sorely disappointed. The two rooms given both had double beds, which left us somewhat stumped. We couldn’t exactly explain that we needed two singles because I was actually a shape-shifter. The innkeeper was probably spooked enough at the thought of having a dragon under his roof without realizing the cat he hadn’t even glanced at was a magical creature, too. He’d be traumatized for life.

In the end, none of us made any comment. I stoically endured being handed to my brother like a pet, only because I knew this was just as hard for Larue, and we were fighting to be together now. Still, I couldn’t help a snarl of frustration as Philippe entered our assigned quarters and shut the door behind us, therefore shutting out my view of Larue.

“Be a good kitty now,” he teased me. “I’m sure you won’t have to stick with me for long.”

He dropped me on the bed, and I glowered at him, something that probably wasn’t as effective as I’d have liked because of my current form. Yes, cats could look quite fierce when they wanted to, and I’d mastered that technique well, but it was wasted on my brother.

He arched a brow at me and sat down as well. “You do realize I’m happy for you, right?” he asked.

In truth, I did realize that. There was plenty of sibling rivalry between us, but my brother wouldn’t be so petty so as to hate me for finding my mate. “Yes,” I said, my anger deflating. “It’s just not easy to be so close to Larue, and yet, so far away.”

“Oh, stop complaining,” my brother said, ruffling my fur with his big hand. “It’ll happen. You’ll see. And by the way, your mate is quite lovely. I don’t suppose you’ll consider sharing?”

At that, I jumped him, scratching at his arm with my sharp claws. He yelped and dodged my attack, his instincts just as sharp as mine. We were still engaged in our so-called fighting when a knock sounded at the door.

Instantly, I knew who it was. Abandoning Philippe, who no longer posed any interest, I rushed in the direction of the man I loved. “Open it,” I told my brother, already pacing in front of the door and barely managing to hold back the urge to scratch at the wood like a real feline would have done. “Come on.”

Laughing, Philippe obeyed, and of course, he found Larue at the other side. “Exchange rooms?” my mate asked sheepishly.

Philippe bowed politely, gesturing for my mate to enter the room. As Larue took his invitation, Philippe stepped out. “Sleep well, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

I hissed at him, although I wasn’t actually angry. In fact, when my mate closed the door and earned us privacy, I felt quite relaxed. “Thank the Goddess the innkeeper finally went to bed,” Larue said. “It seemed to take forever.”

In that moment, I realized with a measure of surprise that my brother had distracted me while we waited for Larue. He was happy for me, indeed. I kind of felt guilty that I’d allowed him to get away with it.

“Philippe pissed me off, and we passed the time by me trying to scratch him to death,” I admitted.

My mate laughed. “I thought he showed some battle wounds to prove it.” Sobering, he added, “You know, I had my doubts about your brother, but I think that deep inside, he actually cares about you.”

I leapt back on the bed as Larue took off his boots and his shirt. He left his pants on, which was probably for the best, given that in the morning, we’d wake up next to each other. When he lay down on the somewhat lumpy pillows, I cuddled next to him, purring once again.

Smiling, Larue pulled the quilt over us. I relaxed against his chest and closed my eyes. It was not the first time we slept in the same bed, but before today, his size had kept me from fully enjoying it. Now, that limitation was gone. I told myself it would be enough until the curse was broken and fell asleep while still trying to convince myself of it.

Chapter Ten:

In Which Size Matters

I liked cats. I always had, even before I’d met Victor and when I’d been pixie-sized. Granted, they didn’t always like having pixie dust thrown at them, but as a rule, we got along, and their purring had always soothed me.

That might have been one of the reasons why I slept amazingly well, although I suspected it probably had more to do with the fact that I felt Victor so close to me, like never before. Either way, when that peacefulness broke, I instantly awoke, unsettled.

I’d long ago grown accustomed to my mate’s necessity to slip away from my side at daybreak. Usually, I slept on him, and for that reason, it was in no way surprising that he woke me every time. In spite of the change in circumstances, the same thing happened now. When my feline-shaped mate escaped my hold, I opened my eyes and gazed at him. “Morning already?” I inquired.

He nodded, which always looked very cute when he was in cat form. “Time flies when we’re together.”

I lay down on the bed and watched him, anticipation coursing through me. Even in my pixie form, I’d always looked forward to seeing him naked, and that hadn’t changed in the slightest now.

As the first rays of the sun slipped into the room, Victor’s form blurred, and all of a sudden, my human mate stood in front of me. Just like every morning, he was nude and aroused, and my gaze was inexorably drawn to his erection.

It had intimidated me quite a lot before, but now, it just awoke a lust inside me that I couldn’t hope to smother. Before I could stop myself, I left the bed and reached for him.

My mate opened his mouth, as if intending to say something, but I didn’t allow him to speak. Instead, I brushed my lips against his, stopping him.

“You knew this was going to happen,” I whispered. “It couldn’t not happen.”

I distantly remembered that we’d had some sort of reason why we’d decided it wouldn’t be wise to have sex. However, my every instinct urged me to complete our bond, to finally take what I’d been wanting for so long. How could I possibly deny it?

It might not have been fair to Victor. He was clearly struggling, something which really didn’t surprise me. Since I’d been so very small and frail, he’d become overprotective of me. Perhaps it had been the only way his affection could manifest. In the end, it didn’t matter, because we’d surpassed that stage and I wanted more.

Some people might have called me selfish, but I didn’t think that was the case. I’d learned something from Victor. I had faith that as long as I was with him, everything would turn out all right. And the time had come for us to fully consummate our bond.

I pressed my body against Victor’s nude one and wrapped my arms around his neck. His hard cock insistently prodded my hip, letting me know that it agreed with my assessment of the situation. Grinning, I nibbled on Victor’s ear, all the while trailing my fingers over his waist. He released a choked groan. “Larue…”

The sound of my name on his lips came out as a caress. I shivered, burning with need for him. My dick throbbed in want, straining against the material of my pants.

I’d had the foresight of taking everything else off the night before, although at the time I hadn’t actually considered this consequence. Or perhaps I had, subconsciously. Either way, my good choice brought our naked chests together. My nipples had already hardened, and I released a tiny gasp as my mate reached out to one of them and tweaked it.

He almost seemed to be acting on instinct, the gesture an automatic response to my presence and desire. I understood exactly how he felt. It might have been preferable to wait, but everything inside me screamed to step forward, not back.

In the end, I wasn’t the one who took that step. Unlike in the case of our first kiss, which I had initiated, this time, it was my mate who took control of the situation. He crushed his lips to mine, his hesitation gone, replaced by a passion that threatened to consume me. I melted in his embrace, all pretenses of seduction evaporating in his domination.

I was completely at my mate’s mercy, a slave to his will, but a more than willing one. In fact, Victor seemed to know exactly what I wanted, as he guided me to the bed, not even breaking the kiss in our trek backward. One small nudge from him had me dropping back against the mattress. I stared up at him, somewhat dazed, but not because of the fall. No, it was his taste, his touch that made me drunk on emotion, on sensation. Magic sizzled over my skin, but it wasn’t mine, but rather, a sexual one, full of sensuality and so uniquely Victor’s that I craved more.

For a few instants, he just looked at me, scanning my face as if looking for some answer to a question I didn’t hear. Whatever he found there must have satisfied him, because he lowered his naked body over mine.

There were no words after that. I was lost in his eyes, unable to speak. I let my body talk in my stead, and as our mouths met once again, I parted my lips, granting him entrance. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him as close as I could. At the same time, I curled my leg around his hip, rubbing against him, seeking friction.

Unfortunately, my eagerness was, to a certain extent, counterproductive, as it made it hard for Victor to pull off my pants. In the end, our frustration with the garment was the one that urged us to break the kiss. With frantic hands, my mate worked on the bindings, and I did my best to help, naturally failing. I still wasn’t fully used to this new, bigger body, which made me a little clumsy.

Victor, however, compensated for my lack of ability. With a few quick jerks, he undid the threads and then pulled off my trousers. At last, I managed to wiggle out of them, and he tossed them on a nearby chair, possibly with more care than I’d have used. They were, in the end, the only clothes I owned. I hadn’t gotten the chance to purchase a real wardrobe, so I still had to get by with the ones the Fairy Godfather had given me.

The thought of our benefactor automatically led my mind in a different, more unwanted direction. The curse was the thing that had kept us apart and that had led us to be reluctant to accept this change in the first place. If we went through with this, I’d have to shoulder the enchantment on Victor.

In that moment, though, I understood something in the deepest recesses of my heart. I wanted it to happen, and not only because of lust. I wanted to share Victor’s burden, to fully understand what he’d gone through. No matter what happened, I had to do it.

“I’m not afraid,” I told Victor. “Come to me.”

He did just that. We held each other in an embrace that was half passion and half relief. Victor’s hands roamed over my now-naked body, leaving trails of fire all over my skin. From my lips and my thighs, and everything in between, he caressed me, making me gasp in desire.

His tongue thrust into my mouth, ravaging me, nearly stopping my breath. All the while, he cupped my ass cheeks, gripping and massaging, awakening an urge inside me that I hadn’t truly experienced before. Suddenly, I felt empty, and I needed my mate inside me.

I wasn’t exactly naïve, and I knew what happened between two men when they claimed each other. Many times, I’d discussed it with people in my village, and especially with my friends. I had realized even before what our union would imply. But now that the moment had finally come, it made me shiver with a delight I hadn’t expected.

But Victor didn’t rush. When we broke the kiss, he licked down my neck, sucking on my collarbone and nibbling on my Adam’s apple. He seemed to want to map every inch of my body with his mouth, and he took his time, swirling his tongue and driving shocks of pleasure through me.

The sensations were all so fresh and surprising. I honestly had nothing to compare it with, as this was the first time I’d allowed anyone to touch me like this. The pleasure threatened to swallow me whole, and I didn’t know if it was because of my new, human-sized body, my mate, or both. The only thing I knew was that, oh, Goddess, I wanted more. I needed more.

Victor seemed to read my mind. His mouth finally progressed down my chest, until it reached my nipple. As wet heat engulfed the tiny bud, I arched my back and cried out, shocked at the extent to which that simple touch could break my every notion of limits. I felt like he’d plunged me into an abyss of pure passion, and we’d only just started.

While he tormented one of my nipples with his obscenely talented mouth, he pinched the other, somehow managing to be both gentle and nearly violent. His caresses teased me with the promise of the union to come, the pleasure I could only find in our complete connection.

In that moment, I desperately wished I had known more, so that I could bring Victor the same pleasure he gave me. I’d have felt self-conscious, except I knew that just the fact that we were together like this meant more than any elaborate seduction techniques.

Of course, Victor didn’t have trouble in that department. In fact, each of his touches seemed engineered to draw even more ecstasy out of me. When he released my nipple, he progressed down my chest, as if trying to get acquainted with every inch of me. He even thrust his tongue in my belly button. I yelped at that, as the unexpected touch made a renewed wave of bliss flow over me. My mate had found a sensitive spot.

Since I’d long ago lost control of my body, pixie dust burst all around me. My wings twitched against the bed, as if they were urging me to take flight. But no, I was already flying, soaring in a sky I had never explored before, one of impossibly bright desire.

I didn’t even know what to do anymore. I couldn’t even tell which way was up. Usually, I had a great sense of orientation, but now all capacity of rational thought had abandoned me. I only remembered my own name because he had whispered it earlier, in that husky tone that still echoed in my ears.

I was so damn close to reaching an edge that I feared I would not be able to return from. When Victor lifted his head and looked at me, the words that had been bubbling inside me spilled out. “Please, Victor,” I whispered in a voice that I barely recognized as my own. “Touch me.”

Honestly, I didn’t know what I’d expected. Perhaps I hadn’t even thought about something in particular. Nevertheless, he surprised me when, out of the blue, he crawled lower down my body and, before I even knew what was going on, took my cock into his mouth. If the suction had felt amazing around my nipples and the touch of his tongue electrifying inside my belly button, now it was simply…I had no words. The sensations scattered my every thought, until only one of them remained. Yes, Victor, more.

Was it something I actually vocalized? I had no clue. Either way, Victor did listen to my plea. He increased the rhythm, bobbing his head up and down my prick, sucking for all he was worth. Already on the brink of orgasm, I couldn’t withstand the onslaught of ecstasy. With a scream, I buried my dick into Victor’s throat and came.

Victor drank down every drop, holding me while I rode the waves of my climax. All the while, he was making these small groans of pleasure that sent vibrations through my oversensitive dick, drawing out my rapture. At this point, I was a whimpering mess, unable to gather my wits, but impossibly, my body still responded. Even as I was recovering from my first orgasm, my cock hardened once again, eager to continue.

My mate released my dick from his mouth and grinned up at me, licking his lips. He looked like the proverbial cat that ate the cream, and the lust in his gaze simply burned me up. It hypnotized me, freezing me in that same mind space of anticipation and white-hot desire. I could barely breathe because of the need pulsing through my veins.

Victor seemed of a similar state of mind, but unlike me, he succeeded to move. In fact, he did so quite quickly and eagerly, flipping me on all fours. I released a small sound of surprise, but he steadied me, wordlessly showing me what position I needed to take.

Complying with his instructions, I spread my legs and pushed my ass out. Part of me was relieved that he’d chosen this. My wings ached a little, as I hadn’t been careful enough in maneuvering them and the bed wasn’t made for individuals with such appendages. Sitting on my hands and knees gave me the ability to move them in any way I pleased. At the same time, though, in this situation, I couldn’t tell exactly what my mate thought of what he saw.

As such, because of my anxiety I once more ended up scattering pixie dust all over the place, even more intensely than before. Victor obviously realized what it meant, as he brushed my long hair aside and pressed a kiss over my nape. He didn’t even seem to mind the substance falling all over him from my wings.

“Relax, lovely,” he said. “I promise I won’t hurt you.”

I knew that. I was just afraid I would disappoint him, and after all this waiting, I wanted our coupling to be perfect. Once he was inside me, my magic would bind us together for all time. He realized that, as I had many times explained it to him in the past, and he craved it as much as I did. I just needed this moment to be as perfect for him as it was for me.

I must have said the words out loud, because he chuckled in my ear and whispered, “Everything about you is perfect.” He bit my lobe and trailed his fingers over the side of my wings to emphasize his point. “From this, to this. Nothing, understand well, nothing you ever do can disappoint me.”

His words soothed me, but at the same time, made my arousal soar further. Then again, it might have been the touch of those wicked digits over the membrane of my appendages. I’d never realized before that they were so sensitive. In spite of the fact that my anxiousness diminished, the pixie dust avalanche didn’t cease. I struggled to relax like he had said, but my efforts only made me tense up more.

“You’re overthinking it,” Victor said. He pressed kisses over my spine until he reached the small of my back. “Just feel. I’ll take care of everything else.”

I opened my mouth to answer, to tell him how much I wanted him. However, my thoughts scrambled when, out of the blue, he spread my ass cheeks, exposing my most intimate place. A thousand shocks of pleasure exploded over me as he licked my crease, tasting me in a way I’d never have expected.

If him sucking my cock had brought me to a mind-shattering climax, his new ministrations awoke nerve endings inside of me that I didn’t even know I had. Whatever hold I might have tried to keep on my reason, it didn’t have a chance when faced with the nearly agonizing bliss. I fell onto pure instinct, seeking more of the potent sensations, pressing my ass against him.

I was effectively fucking his face, but he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he stabbed his tongue into my hole, using it like a little cock. Distantly, I realized he was stretching me, preparing me for something far bigger. With that knowledge came urgency, and as good as his touch felt now, it suddenly became insufficient.

My magic bubbled inside me, reaching out to Victor. If it had been a separate person, it would have been begging now. As it was, I did the begging, pleading Victor to have mercy, to give me what we both wanted.

Finally, he must have reached his limit as well, because he pulled away and caressed the curve of my ass. “I want you, Larue,” he murmured. “I want to be inside you.”

I just nodded eagerly, wishing I had a better way to convey my feelings since I failed in uttering any words. My new lover didn’t need such things, however, as he got the message, perhaps because my desires echoed his own.

“Relax,” he said again. “Normally, I’d have tried to procure some sort of oil but…”

“Now who’s the one overthinking?” I asked, magically succeeding to recover my ability to speak. I threw a gaze over my shoulder and grinned. “I’ll be fine. Come on.”

My words, or the honest faith behind them, must have convinced him. He spat in his palm and slicked his cock up with saliva. I’d have liked to follow his every motion, to see the way his hand moved up and down his dick, but the angle didn’t allow me to. Instead, I chose to turn my head again and relax against the pillow, waiting for my mate to take me.

I was not disappointed in the slightest. A few moments later, the thick head of Victor’s cock nudged against my opening. Slowly, ever so slowly, he pushed inside me, finally bringing us together like I’d wanted.

It hurt a little at first. I actually felt the head pop in, stretching my virgin muscles. He was quite generously endowed, something which I’d already been aware of for quite a while. Besides, even if he had licked me open, spit wasn’t exactly the best lubricant in existence. Even I knew that.

Still, I didn’t mind the bite of pain. In fact, I liked it, which was quite amazing, since I had never displayed any masochistic tendencies. No, I loved it. The burn was just another layer of sensation, a component of the cocktail of maddening rapture building within me. It contrasted beautifully with Victor’s gentle hold on my hip, with the almost physical caress of his voice as he called out to me, “Larue…Larue…”

I had never considered my name particularly beautiful, but in his mouth, it sounded like the most beautiful melody of all. My every sense was invaded with Victor, even my eyes, which, by rights, should have been deprived of the sight of my mate. Instead, my vision blurred, his words and his affection actually drawing out tears. I let them fall, grateful to just listen to him and feel him inside me.

It was the strangest thing. As I closed my eyes, it seemed as if I could first experience the individual sensations in a separate way. Somehow, though, everything came together at the very center of my being, fueling my passion to unbearable proportions. By rights, I should have surrendered to it by now, taking what I wanted and claiming him. But I couldn’t move, lost in him, overwhelmed and in awe with the moment.

At last, he fully impaled me on his thick shaft, the entirety of his dick inside me. I’d never felt so close to anyone before, and I didn’t think it would have been possible. It wasn’t only physical closeness, but something more. Our very hearts seemed to beat at the same time, and I knew in that moment that I’d been right to take this chance, to risk it all in this leap of faith. We needed each other too much to hold back.

Victor must have been of the same mind, as he pulled out of me and suddenly thrust back. He didn’t jar me violently, but he didn’t take it step by step either. It was a good thing, too, because now, my body was eager to receive him. My flesh parted for him, and I gasped as his member pierced me over and over.

And then, his dick brushed against a spot inside me that made me see stars. I blindly clutched the bedspreads, snapped out of my haze of awe. I’d become a vessel now overflowing with sensation, but craving every drop of pleasure he offered me. The only thing I could focus on was him, his strength, his breath, and, oh sweet Goddess, his heat, burning me up.

We fell into a rhythm that was pure perfection. People usually spoke of first times as moments wrought with awkwardness, of not quite knowing what their partners liked. Oh, we certainly explored each other greedily, but there was no clumsiness, only the natural flow of things. We moved together like we’d been lovers forever, and his touch on my skin felt both novel and, impossibly, so very familiar.

There were a million possibilities to explain it. The mate bond might be behind it all, or it could have been caused by the fact that we hadn’t jumped in bed together hours after meeting. Oh, I’d certainly wanted to, but Victor had been right in that our inability to do so had eventually proven to be an advantage.

Not that I begrudged or put down the people who did that. It had worked for Dineiro and Kirril after all. But for Victor and I, there had been a process, one we had set in motion from the very moment I’d opened my eyes to see a cat looming above me. We’d taken our time falling in love, and it had paid off.

Now, as he fucked me over and over, I was swamped by a mix of emotions of sensations that simply refused to be contained. It might have because I was too full of Victor, both literally and figuratively, or something entirely different. Either way, I found myself crying out, whimpering, moaning, pleading, in an attempt to somehow find a balance. “Victor…Yes…Oh, Goddess…More…Victor, please!”

At one point, there were things I said that didn’t even fully process. I was dizzy, high of my own lust and Victor’s. Tiny eruptions of ecstasy burst through me every time Victor’s dick brushed against my prostate. I was so close to another mind-shattering climax, so very close. My magic strained against my very sense, and I craved to finalize our union.

I had no clue how I even managed to do what I did. Following my instincts, I pushed him back and whirled around before he could even say anything about it. Under normal circumstances, I might have had difficulty in controlling my new, bulkier body, but now, I moved as if I’d been like this forever.

Sadly, the change in position made my lover’s member slide out of me, but I had every intention to remedy that. Victor fell on the mattress, his eyes wide with surprise and desire. I climbed onto his lap and in one single motion, impaled myself on his dick.

His hands went to my hips, guiding me up and down. In spite of his original shock at my assertiveness, he didn’t seem to mind it at all now. Now that I was facing him, I could read his emotions in his eyes, on his face, the pure want, and, oh, Goddess, the love.

When he thrust into me one last time, my pleasure soared higher than ever before, but it was that last emotion that triggered what needed to happen. Just like Victor said, every action had a reaction, and in this case, his emotions crashed into me like a physical thing. With a cry, I came, painting my lover’s chest with streams of hot cum. Pixie dust flew everywhere as my magic rushed out of me. This time, it found its target, and Victor accepted it, opened his heart to it.

There were no elaborate rituals to say in my tradition, not when my people found mates. We liked stories a lot, and for that reason, we knew that, at times, words were not necessary. And as my connection with Victor clicked into place, I knew exactly why. I felt his pleasure as he found his peak, filling me with his seed, but I also heard his thoughts, disconnected, incoherent, but still so very clear it hurt. “Larue…Oh, Goddess, Larue, I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” I told him.

I’d mentioned the extent of what a mate bond could do, but apparently, he hadn’t acknowledged it, not until this moment. His eyes widened, and he released a choked sound that appeared to be an incoherent form of my name. I just smiled and collapsed onto his chest, certain that he would understand.

Naturally, he did, and as his dick slipped out of my body, his arms went around my waist. He kissed my forehead, and as the haze of the orgasm vanished, a fierce protectiveness and a near panic gripped him, making its way into me through our connection. “Oh, Goddess…What have we done?”

“We mated,” I told him. It was my turn now to caress his hip in an attempt to calm him down. “We’re bonded now.”

“But the curse…” Victor frantically scanned my face. “Do you feel any different? Are you in any way sick?”

“You’d be able to tell if I was,” I replied. “I’m fine, Victor.”

He nodded silently, although I still heard the mental curses and reproaches going through his head. Naturally, he blamed himself, something I wanted to avoid at all cost. “This was my choice, Victor,” I added. “If anything, I’m the one who pushed you into it. I know it’s selfish, but how could I have done anything different?”

I couldn’t keep the anxiety from my voice. Whether he knew it or not, I was protective, too, and I hated the thought that because of me, he’d feel guilty. “Please forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” he replied. He seemed to be trying to calm himself down, his mind now a whirl of thoughts I heard as well. “I suppose that, in my heart, I always knew it would happen. Don’t worry about it. This is a good thing, and we’ll figure the bad out.”

I loved how he could be optimistic even in the direst of circumstances. I loved him, period, and in spite of the huge potential for disaster of our current situation, I didn’t regret a thing.

Perhaps it wasn’t wise. Perhaps the curse would indeed fall over me. But as I lay there, in my mate’s embrace, I knew that the two of us could brave whatever the world and the witch threw at us.

Chapter Eleven:

In Which Princely Politeness Abounds

Sometimes, when we’d been in my castle, Larue and I returned to bed after dawn. We didn’t always sleep, but we did talk a lot. He told me things about his family and his life as a pixie. I told him about living there, about my inventions, my hopes and dreams, and my own loved ones. Even chatting about random things had its own special charm. We had never run out of things to talk to, and yet now, after we’d mated, we remained quiet.

It wasn’t an awkward silence. Instead, we’d both found out that we could communicate at a deeper level through our mind bond, and I fully took advantage of it, testing it like I always did with a new discovery.

My emotions were all over the place, something I didn’t exactly feel comfortable with. I couldn’t say I regretted mating Larue. I could never regret that. Even so, I hated the fact that, because of it, Larue was in danger. I knew better than to believe that we were safe because the curse hadn’t struck yet. Likely, if it echoed the one on me, it might manifest at twilight.

This meant that we had only thirteen hours during which we could stop the witch so that the curse wouldn’t get to manifest at all. As that thought crossed my mind, I reluctantly released my new mate from my arms. We couldn’t afford to linger much longer in bed. Our quest was waiting.

I abandoned the bed and started to clean up, using the bowl of water waiting for us on the nightstand. It was horribly cold, but fortunately not frozen. Larue followed my example, still looking a little guilty. “You didn’t force me into anything,” I said through our bond, distracted from the physical discomfort by the ideas popping in his head. “Stop thinking silly things.”

“I can’t help it.” Larue offered me a sheepish smile as he finished washing and began to pull his pants on. “I guess now we’re stuck worrying about each other.”

His eyes glittered as he spoke, and for some reason, in that moment, it truly struck me that he was mine. I had the unmistakable urge to undress him and ravage him again, and perhaps I’d have done just that, had a knock not sounded at the door.

Larue blinked and gave me a confused look. “Kirril?”

I shook my head. It wasn’t anyone we knew, neither Kirril, nor Philippe. “Stay back. I’ll go check.”

My mate’s eyes widened, but he complied. I might have been accused of over-cautiousness, but in a hostile land, or at least one where an evil witch hid, there was no such thing as being too careful.

In truth, my instincts weren’t warning me away, like they usually did in dangerous situations. Still, I remained on my guard as I opened the door. I was somewhat surprised at who I found at the other side.

Our early morning visitor turned out to be a dark-haired young man who fidgeted and looked startled when I actually open the door. His pulse was hammering—I could hear it, see the way the vein in his neck moved. His wide eyes, pools of fathomless black, took in my appearance with a measure of panic. His skin was white, somehow not pale, but rather pure, flawless. It reminded me a lot of freshly fallen snow—or would have, if it hadn’t been covered in soot.

“Yes?” I asked, doing my best to sound welcoming and friendly.

“I…Are you Victor Frankenstein?” he inquired in a small voice.

“I am,” I replied, now cautious. There were only a few people who knew we’d come here, and while I had a suspicion regarding the identity of our visitor, I couldn’t be sure, not just yet. “And you are?”

“My name is Snow. I need your help.”

* * * *

A few minutes after Snow’s arrival, I could already tell how much the poor thing had suffered. He’d reluctantly entered the room upon Victor’s invitation, but he lingered close to the door, as if ready to flee any moment now. He seemed awed when he looked at me, but not frightened, so I gathered he wasn’t leery of magical creatures.

I beckoned him closer, and for some reason, he seemed to trust me more than he did Victor. Hesitantly, he made his way toward me. His gaze fell on the bed, and he quickly looked away. I couldn’t help but blush, wishing Victor and I had managed to clean up a little more before receiving this visit. Not that I was embarrassed of what the two of us had done, but Snow was obviously uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the small inn room also had a couple of chairs, so I could gesture the human to sit down somewhere else. He accepted my offer, plopping down on the seat without looking at me. When he didn’t speak again, I decided to take the first step.

“I’m Larue,” I said softly. “Tell us, what exactly can we do to help?”

He licked his lips, not seeming to mind that they were covered with soot, much like the rest of him. When he looked at me, his gray gaze held a decision. “A friend told me you would come. It was…Well, I didn’t know for sure it was going to happen. Sometimes, I can’t believe what he says.”

“That you’re the real Morgannian heir?” I guessed. At the very least, his nationality was quite obvious to me. Arthurians were mostly blond and very muscular, but Morgannians tended to be on the athletic side, with dark hair, just like Snow. Not to mention that the Fairy Godfather had mentioned him by name. Likely, the only reason why he seemed comforted by my presence was the fact that I looked a little like our common benefactor.

To my surprise, Snow shook his head. “No, that’s not what I can’t believe. I know it for a fact. I know who I am. But…can I truly get my family back?”

“You know?” Victor inquired. “You remember?”

“I was only a boy when Anelah took my place in the royal family,” Snow replied. “I still have no clue how she did it, how she managed to convince an entire nation that I no longer exist. It seems that she actually wormed her way into their memories, and the moments they had shared with me became hers.”

I couldn’t even fathom how painful that must have been for him. If something like that happened to me with my family and loved ones…I didn’t think I could have survived it.

But Snow wasn’t done telling his story yet. “I tried to get them to listen to me, but none of them even recognized me. My mother was the only one who seemed to feel something was amiss, and because of that, Anelah attempted to kill me. I only escaped because at that time, she had to focus on solidifying her hold over Morganna.”

“So that’s how you ended up here, then?” my mate inquired.

“Yes,” Snow answered. “I crossed the border and ran until I couldn’t any longer. The innkeeper found me and took me in. I wanted to go back one day, to break her hold over my family, but I’m not strong enough. And now, she’s found me.”

Victor shared a look of me, and I began to understand everything. If Anelah married Medwin, she could easily have access to the throne of both Morganna and Arthuria. After that, it would be easy for someone of her power to arrange accidents for her in-laws and supposed power. She could take over both lands.

But Snow was in her way, and she hadn’t managed to find him so far. This would have been unbelievable, but I suspected the Fairy Godfather had a hand in it. She must have sensed the foreign magic as well, which was why she had needed a dragon’s head. Had Kirril succeeded in his task, she’d have used it to fortify her spells and shatter whatever wards protected Snow.

“She hasn’t found you yet,” I soothed the human. “But we do know where she is, and we can stop her.”

“How?” Snow inquired. “What can we possibly do?”

“As you probably know, Anelah is in Arthuria now,” Victor answered. “We’ll be heading there to face her. That means she can’t actively keep a close eye on Morganna.”

“The Fairy Godfather said that we should strain her spells,” I explained.

“My presence there might stir things up.” Snow seemed to have caught onto the idea. “I can start with my mother and work my way up to the others.”

“You have to be very careful,” Victor warned him. “We might be able to keep Anelah busy, but she likely has minions in Morganna.”

“I’m willing to take the chance.” Snow met our eyes, no longer hesitant. “I want my life back.”

Naturally, we couldn’t take rushed decisions, so we proceeded to put together a plan that would allow Snow to return to Morganna with the smallest risks. We were still at it when a knock sounded at the door. Snow’s expression grew cautious once again, but Victor pacified him by saying, “It’s all right. It’s just my brother and Kirril.”

Snow must have known about the two other members of our party, as he just nodded. When Victor let the two men in, he bowed and greeted them, a little calmer than when he’d introduced himself to us. “This is Snow,” I explained. “Snow, meet Prince Kirril of Arthuria and Victor’s brother, Philippe.”

“It’s an honor,” Snow said. It seemed that in spite of his long absence from court, he still remembered the basics of royal education. He didn’t even blink at the sight of Philippe in panther form.

“The honor is all ours, Your Highness,” Kirril replied smoothly. Snow looked startled when Kirril addressed him by his title, but I gathered that, technically speaking, Snow’s rightful position in Morganna was more important that Kirril’s in Arthuria. After all, Snow was the crown prince and heir, while Kirril only a third son.

I was honestly quite curious about what sleeping arrangements Kirril and Philippe had used. Dineiro certainly wouldn’t be happy if he heard his mate had slept in the same bed with another guy. Then again, given that their bond worked just like mine with Victor, he probably already realized that.

Philippe was just as polite. “If I may, have you come up with an idea to defeat the witch?”

We explained what Snow would do. Kirril and Philippe listened carefully. When Snow finished, Kirril finally said, “It’s a risky plan. Anelah might not be in Morganna, but that doesn’t mean she is without allies there.”

“Perhaps I should join His Highness,” Philippe suggested. “I stand out here, and I won’t be able to help much anyway. In Morganna, I could at the very least watch his back.”

Personally, I thought it was a brilliant idea, and was thrilled that he had come up with it. We could carry around a cat, especially since Victor’s curse only manifested at night, but it was a little more complicated with a panther. Arthurians were jumpy to all things magical, but Morgannians wouldn’t particularly be surprised at the sight of a panther.

Victor seemed to agree. “You’re right, Philippe. It’s much safer this way.”

Snow looked like he wanted to protest, but we didn’t give him a chance. Truly, trying to go into a country where he would likely be hunted was a fool’s errand, and the only reason why either of us even accepted it was that we recalled what the Fairy Godfather had said and trusted that our benefactor would protect the young Morgannian.

In the end, Snow reluctantly acquiesced to the new plan. He left the room, presumably to pack. Once the young human was gone, Kirril said, “He won’t have an easy time, and neither will you, Philippe.”

“I know,” Victor’s brother replied, “but he needs all the help he can get, and so do we.”

“On this note, you should pack up at once,” Kirril told us. “Once Snow comes back, we’re leaving. By now, Anelah must have Medwin wrapped around her little finger. I won’t have her toying with my family. I refuse.”

There was decision in his voice, something which I understood and appreciated. I knew that even without us telling them, Kirril and Philippe had realized what had happened between Victor and me, and wouldn’t blame us for it.

Confirming my thoughts, Philippe tilted his large head inquiringly, giving us a curious look. It made for a strikingly cute picture, given his current shape. “So tell me, was it worth it?” he asked.

Victor released a strangled noise, but I just gripped my mate’s hand and squeezed it. “Always.”

Before Victor’s brother could reply, Snow returned to the room, carrying a depressingly small bag. He’d washed his face and changed his clothes, and while his garments weren’t exactly princely, they nevertheless clung to his frame nicely. My mate’s original guess was therefore confirmed. Snow was quite a beautiful young man.

“I left a note to Master Jerynn,” he said. “I’m all set to go.”

“Is there a back door to this place?” Victor asked. “We need to leave without drawing attention.”

“Just follow me.”

And we did, as soon as Victor and I gathered the rest of our things. We hadn’t brought much, and most of it was in Kirril’s bag, so it took maybe one minute. Kirril left a generous pay on the nightstand, more than enough to cover the services provided, and then, we were off.

As promised, Snow guided us out of the inn through a side door that I wouldn’t have seen for the life of me. There were already people moving around, so we needed to get going before we drew too much notice.

I’d have actually been confused as to why we’d chosen to sleep in an inn in the first place, except I had a feeling we’d been guided here for the specific purpose of meeting Snow. The Morgannian prince might have been very brave, but he couldn’t do this on his own. Philippe’s support would aid him greatly.

We slipped out of the small village with minimum fuss. But even when we safely reached the outskirts, we didn’t stop. There was too much at stake and too little time for taking a break.

Everyone remained silent, lost in their own thoughts. Victor and I were a little different, since we had our bond. Still, there was a feeling of thick tension in the air that kept even the two of us quiet. We communicated at a deeper level, but not through actual words.

It was only when we reached a crossroads that Kirril at last spoke out. “Here’s where we part ways,” he said to Snow. “Good luck. I promise we’ll keep her busy. Stay safe.”

“You, too,” Snow replied. “May we meet once again under better circumstances.”

My mate patted his brother’s head, earning himself a small growl from Philippe. “Don’t get yourself killed,” Victor told his shape-shifted sibling. “Mom and Dad are going to have my hide.”

Philippe snorted. “As if. You were always their favorite.”

“Ha!” Victor shook his head in exasperation, and I gathered this must have been an old debate for them. “You’re saying that to rile me up. You know as well as I do that you’re the one they always dote upon.”

I almost thought they’d take forever to finish this strange little ritual, but they didn’t. Philippe nudged Victor’s leg with his head, almost like a cat would, and added, “Until our next meeting, have fun with your mate.”

As he and Snow took the left road, I watched them go with a strange feeling a melancholy that might not have belonged to me. I hoped that once this whole thing was over my mate and his brother would fully settle their differences.

That couldn’t be done now, however, as our path took us in a different direction. Kirril started walking straight ahead, and we followed, hoping that soon, we would reach the famous Camelot.

Naturally, our hopes were in vain. We trekked for hours through the Arthurian countryside, passing through villages and more villages, avoiding the one larger town that appeared in our way. Kirril seemed tireless, and Victor didn’t have any trouble with keeping up with him, likely because of his shifter nature. However, I had a disadvantage in this regard, as I wasn’t experienced enough with long journeys, or long flights for that matter. My new bigger body gave me a measure of endurance, but I wasn’t fully used to it either.

On occasion, my mate threw me concerned looks. “I could carry you if you want.”

I just scowled at him, clearly illustrating my displeasure. “I can walk by myself, thank you very much.”

“I know you can, lovely,” he replied. “I just don’t want you to strain yourself needlessly.”

There was nothing needless about it. We were in this together, and I didn’t want to become a liability for my loved ones. Our task was too important, for Victor and me, but also for Snow, Medwin, Philippe, and everyone else the witch had hurt.

My thoughts almost seemed to have summoning abilities. Just as the sun reached its zenith, we saw a cloud of dust in the distance, closing in fast. Kirril stopped and narrowed his eyes, presumably to see better. “Horses,” he said. “I can’t tell who the riders are from here.”

Once again, Victor’s senses came to our rescue. “I do believe they might be royal envoys,” he said. “I can distinguish a banner with your crest.”

Anxiety welled up inside me at his words. I had hoped that we’d be able to take Anelah by surprise, at least to some extent, but it seemed that it wouldn’t be possible. Thank the Goddess Snow had left our party. Otherwise, she’d have caught him for sure.

We walked for a while longer, then when the cloud of dust became too close for comfort, got off the road and waited. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but running was out of the question.

When at last, they reached us, the first thing that registered was that Kirril’s two brothers led the party. Leonard, the older brother, looked stoic, but I’d learned that he was always that way. Medwin, however, was grinning from ear to ear, something which I suspected had something to do with the dark-haired woman riding on a mount next to his own. Anelah.

“Kirril!” he exclaimed. “Oh, little brother, I almost couldn’t believe it when I heard you’d be coming home. Why didn’t you notify us?”

Did they see how tight Kirril’s smile was? Probably. Even I could tell, and I’d only known Kirril for a little while. “It was a recent decision.”

“Well, you’re just in time for my wedding with Anelah,” Medwin said, his excitement immediately striking me as induced. “But what of Dineiro? Didn’t he come with you as well? Were there only three of you in the party?”

It was clear to me that that those questions didn’t come from Medwin, but from the witch. She had him in a very powerful hold then. It would be very difficult indeed to break the spell.

“Dini couldn’t make the trip,” Kirril said. “He sends his regards.”

“Ah, of course,” Anelah spoke for the first time. “His condition wouldn’t have allowed him to travel. I understand that he is with child. It’s quite a pity. I’d have loved to apologize, in the name of the Morgannian nation.”

“Water under the bridge,” Kirril replied. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Princess Anelah.”

“And you, Prince Kirril,” she purred. Her voice threatened to make me sick to my stomach. For the first time, I acknowledged the dark shadow now looming over me, the one I had accepted in mating Victor. Her eyes went from me to Victor, and she smiled as if she knew exactly what I was thinking. I met her gaze without flinching, though, and her smirk withered.

“Won’t you introduce us to your friends?” she asked Kirril.

“Of course,” Kirril answered with fake pleasantly. “Where are my manners? This is Dini’s friend, Larue, and his mate, Victor Frankenstein. Victor, this is my brother’s fiancée, Princess Anelah of Morganna, and of course, my brothers, Medwin and Leonard.”

“It’s an honor,” Victor said. “Since Dineiro couldn’t travel with Kirril, we decided to come with him. I hope we’re not much trouble.”

“Not at all,” Medwin answered. “But please, you must be tired. Men, get them some mounts.”

The Arthurian soldiers obediently provided us with horses. Kirril rode one stallion, while Victor and I were given another.

As the party began to ride back the way it had come, this time with us in the lead, Victor said, “Truly, we don’t want to inconvenience you in this important time, but we just had to come. I’ve heard so much about you, Prince Medwin. I have a friend—you might remember him, Rapunzel?—and he had only words of praise for the Arthurian royal family.”

Just like that, Medwin’s smile faded, replaced by a little frown. “Rapunzel…The name sounds familiar. But I can’t quite…”

He rubbed his forehead and winced. Anelah’s hand landed on his shoulder, and the grimace of pain instantly vanished. Was it my impression or had the witch twitched slightly as well? It must have been because of Medwin’s pull toward Rapunzel. “I’m sorry,” the Arthurian said. “I don’t think I know any people by that name. It must be a misunderstanding.”

“Perhaps it is,” I answered. “In any case, that’s not important right now. Tell us, when is the wedding?”

“Actually, it’s tomorrow,” Medwin answered. He didn’t appear to consider it odd that he’d rushed into this event so much, without having told Kirril at all.

As Medwin enthusiastically launched himself into an explanation of the incipient celebration, I mused over what we’d learned in only a couple of minutes. Anelah had clearly used on Medwin the same spell she’d cast on the Morgannians to make them forget Snow. He had forgotten he’d ever met Rapunzel, and in his mind, whatever emotions the strange young man had stirred inside him had been transferred onto Anelah.

Likely, this was a second spell, piling up on the first one which had urged Medwin to send his brother in his crazy quest in the first place.

I threw a look Leonard’s way, but he didn’t seem to remember Rapunzel either. Most definitely, this would not be easy, but now more than ever, I knew we had to find a way to release Medwin from Anelah’s hold. He was the key in this, the key to solving our predicament. Whether he knew it or not, Medwin had become the one man who could guide the futures of all. And we had only one day to make sure that he made the right choice.

Chapter Twelve:

In Which the Plot Thickens, or at Least Gains a New Consistency

With the aid of the horses provided by the Arthurian royal family, we reached Camelot with ease. In my many years spent as a recluse in my castle, I’d read a lot on the citadel of the Arthurians, but none of it had actually prepared me for the moment when I rode inside.

Thought to be one of the oldest settlements in the whole of Avalon, Camelot had been founded by King Arthur himself. The interesting thing was that he’d had quite a lot of help of the magical persuasion, which was why, even now, the city had survived, unmarred by the passage of time. The thick walls looked absolutely impenetrable, as did the gate. Interestingly enough, the system used to open the huge iron doors appeared to be far too modern to date from Arthur’s times. I couldn’t be sure, as I didn’t actually see any of it, but my hearing caught the sound of rotating cogs and my mind put together the machine that would have made that noise. The scientist in me would have liked to investigate it all, but sadly, we didn’t have the time.

We were led through the busy streets of the main city, a bustling explosion of life and enthusiasm that contrasted brightly with the quiet, almost quaint villages of the countryside. Still, even here, I could see the no-nonsense approach to life that all Arthurians had, in the way the merchants and the passersby moved, in the architecture of the buildings, and even in their greeting of the royal family.

Everyone enthused upon seeing the three princes, and I was quite surprised to hear many people calling out Kirril’s name. Even so, immediately after we passed them by, they returned to their tasks, looking almost impossibly composed.

On my side, I took this in with a measure of confusion and frustration. It seemed to me that Arthurians weren’t easily susceptible to magic. Their entire way of life was built around becoming remarkable in spite of their lack of ability in this field. One would have thought that this meant they would be particularly vulnerable to spells, but an enchantment still protected Camelot, whether its people realized it or not, and this made them resilient to magic. This brought to mind a very frustrating dilemma. Could this Arthurian characteristic be an advantage for us, or did it just mean that Anelah’s power was such that it could defeat any defense?

I was still musing over this question when we finally reached the edge of the city and rode through the palace gates. Leaving aside the beauty of the structure, I focused on our mission. All throughout the trip, I had done my best to stir Medwin’s memory by mentioning Rapunzel, and to a certain extent it had worked. At a subconscious level, Medwin hadn’t forgotten the young blond. However, whenever he tried to remember, he got powerful headaches. Kirril’s other brother, who’d met Rapunzel as well, seemed to have dismissed the memory entirely. Likely, it was only the powerful impression Rapunzel had made on Medwin that made him fight the spell. We could use that, but only if Rapunzel came to us. Until then, we had to stall. But how?

“The answer will come to us,” Larue told me through our bond. “For the moment, keep an eye on Anelah. She’s not leaving Medwin’s side for a second. She’s always touching him. I think it’s hard for her to make sure the spell stays in place.”

“If that’s true, we have far more freedom to move around than we thought,” I answered, already coming up with a strategy. “We need to distract her, keep her from focusing on either Medwin, or Morganna.”

I remembered the strange dust the Fairy Godfather had given to Larue, but I didn’t want to use it just yet. No, we needed a different plan.

We stopped in front of the palace entrance and dismounted. Preparations for the wedding were clearly underway, as servants frantically ran from one place to another. Stable boys immediately rushed to take care of our horses, and advisors assaulted Medwin and Anelah to ask for opinions on fabric, ornaments, and a thousand other things.

Anelah was the only one who answered, as Medwin looked quite pained now. “Perhaps you should retreat to your quarters, Medwin,” Kirril suggested. “You seem a little pale.”

Medwin smiled weakly. “It’s the excitement. I couldn’t possibly leave Anelah at such an important time.”

“Oh not to worry.” Larue hooked his arm through Anelah’s, an impossibly bright smile on his face. “I’d love to assist her in anything she might need. Weddings are simply my favorite.”

Anelah turned toward Larue, obviously ready to deliver a scathing retort. I felt a pang of pain as she tried to dislodge him through an invisible spell, but my mate didn’t even grimace.

Fortunately, his efforts weren’t for naught. Since Anelah’s focus was no longer on Medwin, the Arthurian prince managed to snap out of her hold. “I suppose the groom isn’t as important for the wedding as the bride anyway,” he said with a forced grin. “All right. Kirril, Larue, I’m leaving my lovely fiancée in your capable hands.”

“You don’t have to worry about a thing,” Kirril answered. “I’ll treat her just like she deserves.”

“Go ahead,” Leonard ushered his brother as well. “I’ll introduce Kirril’s friends to our parents. Don’t worry about it.”

Medwin kissed Anelah’s cheek. I almost feared that the brief contact would make him change his mind, but it didn’t. Instead, he seemed to be given even more incentive to leave the courtyard. After a brisk “good-bye,” he entered the palace, his gait tense with the pain he was struggling to keep in check.

“I do hope he’ll be all right until tomorrow,” I commented.

Kirril nodded. “If not, the wedding might have to be postponed. But let’s not think of such things.” He grinned brightly at Anelah. “Come, sister. We haven’t nearly talked long enough.”

As Kirril engaged Anelah in conversation, Leonard gestured Larue and me inside. “Please, follow me. I’m sure my parents are very eager to meet you.”

I didn’t know if he was just being polite, or if he actually meant the words. Either way, we followed the crown prince into the royal residence. One thing was certain. This would be the place where we’d win or lose the battle for our destinies. Of course, I planned to make sure we won.

* * * *

That evening

The hours flew by without us being able to do much to defeat the witch. We kept Anelah busy, so that she couldn’t go after Medwin again, but this meant we couldn’t actively try anything different either. We had to hope that Snow would do his part and Rapunzel would eventually arrive on time to help Medwin.

Sadly, this meant that by the time evening rolled in, we were still stuck in the same situation from this morning. As the entire royal family began to prepare for dinner, my mate and I had to make our excuses.

“We won’t be able to stay for the meal. I apologize,” I said in a weak voice. “The trip has been so long and exhausting. I’m not used to leaving Merlinia.”

“Of course, we understand,” King Ralph replied. “It seems that in times of great excitement, everyone needs to rest.”

The human had been strikingly welcoming, given his previous attitude toward magical creatures. His wife, Queen Sedonia, showered Kirril with attention. In fact, she’d proven to be tremendously helpful with distracting Anelah. I didn’t know if she actually suspected something or not, but a mother’s instinct was often a valuable tool, and I saw an ally in her.

It was on that note that we at last retreated to the quarters we’d been assigned to. I didn’t feel very off, but there was still a little time until evening. Victor was in a similar situation, but if we had stayed for the dinner, he’d have certainly shape-shifted to his feline form in front of the Arthurian royal family.

When we entered the room, I distantly took in the unfamiliar feel of the décor without really caring. The truth was that the fatigue was getting to me. Anelah’s power had constantly pressured me. Fortunately, my pixie powers had given me the strength to hold it back and withstand it, but it hadn’t been easy. I only hoped Kirril managed to handle her on his own, at least for now.

I plopped down on the bed and released a tired sigh. Victor closed the door behind us and joined me on the soft mattress. His hand landed on my hair, softly caressing me. “I’m sorry,” he said. “If not for the curse…”

I lifted my gaze and looked straight at him. “The curse is not your fault. It’s not even your father’s fault. You met Anelah now. You’ve seen how wicked she is. You can’t possibly blame yourself for that.”

Victor brushed his thumb over my lower lip. “I know…But still I can’t help but wish…”

He trailed off, looking out the window at the soon-fading sun. I could feel his fear at what would soon happen, his uncertainty and his self-loathing at having involved me in such a problem.

Wanting to get his mind off of the unavoidable, I got up and crawled onto his lap. As I wrapped my arms around his neck, I peppered his face with light kisses. “Relax,” I told him. “Everything will be all right. You’ll see.”

“You don’t know that,” Victor said, something that surprised me from my normally optimistic mate. “For all we know, Anelah will use the new curse to hurt you very badly.”

Even as he spoke, he was starting to panic. I didn’t want to think about potential scenarios of destruction, so I kissed him. I was still a little clumsy, having only received my first kiss the day before, but that didn’t change how good it felt to come in contact with my mate.

At first, Victor released a choked sound of protest, but it soon melted into a moan of pure pleasure. My body responded, and as I parted my lips, he took over. His arms encircled my waist, squeezing me tightly.

As our tongues dueled, his hands traveled all over my back and to my buttocks, kneading and massaging. Anxieties and doubts vanished in the heat of passion, as did my tiredness and the burden of the power we’d been forced to endure. His taste and his desire for me replaced everything else, and when we broke apart, we only did so because of our need to breathe.

We gazed at each other, and in his eyes, I saw the same need that bloomed through me. Licking my lips, I began to work his shirt open. Urgency gave me a nimbleness I might not have had, and Victor helped me. In a few moments, we had him free of his top, which I dumped on the floor.

My mate didn’t delay in following my example, and he quickly undid my shirt as well. Unlike the time before, he didn’t seem to even remember that this was the only one I owned. Buttons flew all over the place as he tore it apart in an attempt to get me naked. Honestly, I couldn’t bring myself to protest, not when I wanted him so much as well.

That powerful need gave me the strength to move away. As good as it felt to touch and be touched, these mild caresses were simply not enough, not for me, and not for Victor. Through our bond, I could feel his lust echoing mine, and it fueled the flame building inside me.

I had the desperate desire to lick every inch of him and didn’t bother holding back. Crawling lower down on his body, I pressed kisses over his muscular chest and down his taut abdomen.

At times, I swept my tongue over his skin, mapping his flesh, reacquainting myself with his body. Although I took my time to enjoy it, I was also impatient, and soon, my mouth was hovering over his nether regions, where I could get a good look at the erection straining his pants.

His hand tangled in my long hair, and I stole a look at his face. The raw, naked lust I read in his expression left me breathless. “Larue,” he said, his voice filled with gravel. “Don’t tease.”

I had no intention to do that. I did indeed enjoy teasing my loved ones on a regular basis, and in Victor’s case, that had naturally extended onto our bed play, but this time, I couldn’t focus on such games.

Even so, I couldn’t resist putting on a little display for him. Some things never changed, and I undid his laces with my teeth, slowly and carefully, all the while keeping my eyes on him. He was still watching me, his fingers threading in my locks, but he didn’t force me to hasten things along. Instead, he waited, allowing me to make the decisions, to set the pace. It was probably because, if he moved, he’d likely tear off every single item of clothing covering our bodies and simply thrust inside me, and he didn’t want to harm me through his accidental callousness. I could hear his thoughts so clearly, as if they were my own, and decided to mentally reply. “You needn’t worry. You’d never hurt me.”

Perhaps a measure of concern still existed within him, but it began to dissipate when the bindings of his pants at last yielded to my ministrations. His cock sprung free, already leaking copious amounts of pre-cum and aiming accusingly at me. I took its silent invitation and lowered my mouth over the swollen shaft.

Victor released a choked sound as I took his dick deep, all the way into my throat. The gentle hold on my hair tightened into an almost painful grip, but I had no intention of freeing myself from it. Instead, I moaned, bobbing my head up and down his prick and opening myself up fully to him. While I had initiated this seduction, he took over, like he always did, and he started thrusting into my mouth.

His addicting taste went to my head, and I surrendered to it, to his lust and the pleasure I myself was giving him. Our bond created a conduit of pure desire, a circle that made his ecstasy turn into mine and, my pleasure at feeling it feed back into him. It was oddly as if I was sucking my own cock. While I was very flexible, I didn’t have such abilities, and honestly, I didn’t need them, not when Victor was so close and so mine.

The heat and weight of his dick on my tongue, the way Victor fucked my face and held my hair, everything about this simple, carnal act made a brazen, unquenchable fire burn through me. Victor kept cursing, speaking, moaning and grunting, sometimes incoherent strings of nonsense escaping his lips, other times stumbling over fragments of my name. I breathed through it, breathed his desire for me, and I wished to cling to this moment in time forever.

Desperate with my overwhelming need and his, I ground against his thigh, seeking my own pleasure. In the end, there was too much sensation, too much emotion, and the pure, visceral response of our bodies didn’t delay in coming. Thrusting one more time in my mouth, Victor came, flooding my mouth with his cum. The flow of his rapture as it swamped our bond choked me, propelling me over the edge. Trembling and moaning, I found my peak as well, my cock pulsing in my pants as I came without even touching myself.

Even then, I was reluctant to release Victor’s dick from my mouth, and for a few seconds I kept suckling on it, cleaning him of every trace of spunk. This proved to be a good choice, as his member went fully erect once more. Well, in truth, I couldn’t fully claim the merit, since he’d still been half-hard, but the end result was what mattered. The edge of our lust had been sated, but I would never feel complete until he took me, until I had his turgid flesh within me, piercing me, filling me like only he could.

With a great deal of regret, I finally abandoned my prize. After all, there was a better place to put it, and my anus was already clenching in anticipation. I moved away, intending to give the both of us a little space to fully undress. However, Victor had other ideas. Instead of allowing me to do what I’d planned, he pushed me back and, as I fell, pounced on me. I didn’t even get the chance to brace myself on my hands, as he was too quick, too intense. Fortunately for me, some sort of instinct me taught me to fold my wings back. Victor seemed a man on a mission, and he had no intention of allowing me to do much of anything at this point.

Honestly, I didn’t really mind. I loved it when he exerted his dominance over me, loved it when he forgot to be concerned and simply let go. I liked to see him let go of the proper “Doctor Victor Frankenstein” and become just Victor, my mate, my man. I was fond of all his quirks and the different facets of his personality, but now, it was the passion that hid under them that I sought.

He didn’t leave me wanting, and he didn’t disappoint. In fact, he moved so quickly that I had trouble monitoring his motions. With frantic hands, he removed my boots and threw them onto the floor next to our shirts. Even as the dull sound of my footwear hitting the carpeting echoed in my ears, he was already progressing on to the next step, removing my pants. Alas, they stubbornly clung to me, now having the added assistance of my ejaculate. It proved to be quite unfortunate, as Victor’s normal patience had run out. Unlike me, he didn’t even bother working on the bindings of my pants. Instead, he shredded the material directly, tearing it off me with an intensity that might have scared me had it not come from him.

I did indeed experience a measure of dismay as I watched the scraps of what had been my pants fall, but only because my mate’s enthusiasm had left me with virtually nothing to wear. Either way, I couldn’t bring myself to protest, not when Victor eyed me with so much hot lust and honest appreciation. In fact, his desire left me able to process a single thought. Naked, now!

Sadly, I didn’t have his speed or his coordination, so I couldn’t get rid of his outfit like he had done with mine. This turned out not to be a problem, or rather, a problem Victor himself fixed. In the blink of an eye, he tossed off his boots and wriggled out of his pants and underwear.

When he was at last naked in front of me, I experienced a few seconds of awe during which I wondered just what I’d done to deserve such a wonderful mate. Pixie dust rose around me from my trembling wings, frustratingly reminding me of just what I’d given up for us to be together. But I had no regrets, none whatsoever. Nothing was too big of a price to pay for the bond I now shared with him.

My thoughts melted into pure, hot emotion as Victor finally covered my nude body with his own. And when he pressed his lips to mine, I forgot about everything that wasn’t him. I’d have even forgotten about myself had his awareness of me had not been so very poignant.

As he thrust his tongue in my mouth, I wrapped my legs around his waist. Our groins came into contact, drawing out choked moans from both of us. His erection nudged me impatiently, and his thoughts echoed in my mind, “I need to fuck you, Larue. I need to be inside you.”

“Yes,” I answered. “Oh, please…Yes…”

I couldn’t for the life of me have mustered enough coherence to say anything more, even mentally. In the end, it wasn’t necessary, as my mate could read my mind as well as I could read his. He knew exactly what I craved, and he gave it to me.

When he broke our kiss, Victor only did so because of that knowledge, of the acute realization of my need for him. He licked his lips, as if he simply couldn’t get enough of my taste, scanning my face with impossibly hot eyes. This time, he didn’t speak. Instead, he briefly pulled away and opened our nightstand drawer.

I experienced a small moment of irrational panic at the loss of his embrace, but I needn’t haven’t worried. He returned to my side in mere seconds, holding a small vial full of translucent liquid. Apparently, the royal family provided their guests with all sorts of comforts. In a way, it didn’t surprise me. It was so like Arthurians to cover every need of the people they welcomed in their home.

Breathless, I watched as Victor poured some of the oil on his fingers. My mate met my gaze, unblinking, so focused on me that he almost seemed to have forgotten about what he was doing. He didn’t look at his hands as he worked, and yet, he managed not to spill it on the sheets. When I lifted my legs in the air, exposing myself to him, he reached for my opening with his now-slick digits, and still, he didn’t look away from my face. It was as if an invisible string bound our gazes together, making us too greedy for each other to be able to look away. Distantly, I thought it wasn’t really surprising. After all, eyes were said to be the windows to the heart, and our souls were certainly united. And now, our bodies would be one as well.

Slowly, Victor slid two fingers inside my channel. I released a gasp, but didn’t move. I remained completely still, bent in half, as if my mate had hypnotized me. Perhaps he had. As seductive as I sometimes tried to be, it was nothing compared to the addictive sex appeal Victor exuded.

And he knew it, too, damn it. He knew just what he did to me, and he took shameless advantage of it. Naturally, I couldn’t complain, especially not when his digits brushed against my prostate, triggering small explosions of pleasures through me.

But it was my turn to want to berate him for teasing. I needed him now. As much as I enjoyed every touch of his talented fingers, I craved more. I was choking, burning, drowning in the need, and only one thing would sate it.

I could sense Victor’s desire echoing mine, but he didn’t rush things. Instead, he prepared me thoroughly, lovingly, his honest affection for me entwining with his ever-rising lust. When he finally deemed me ready, I was on the brink of coming just because of our prolonged foreplay.

He slicked his cock up with more oil and lifted my legs on his shoulders, making the position a little more comfortable for me. Honestly, I hadn’t even noticed the strain, but I did appreciate the change regardless, because it brought him closer to me.

Finally, his cock nudged against my anus. He was still holding my gaze when he slid inside. It was an impossible moment. There was no other word that could have described it. This was our second time together, and as such, the first one I experienced that unique burn of his entrance while being mated to him. And, sweet Goddess, it felt so overwhelming I could barely think. As he fully impaled me on his shaft, I felt as if I’d fallen in a different reality, like I was underwater, and the lines of my world were blurring. The only thing that remained steady and so very there was Victor. Victor. My mate.

“Larue.” Victor murmured that one word, and on his lips, it almost sounded like a prayer. His voice echoed through me like a physical caress, and I finally released a breath I hadn’t even known I’d been holding.

Somehow, I managed to mimic his effort and answer, “Victor.”

That simple exchange might have seemed a little ridiculous, but in those few syllables, we said far more than anyone else would have heard. We shared our love for each other, the importance of this moment, and the complete perfection of it didn’t need more than those simple words to be vocalized. Truly, it didn’t need to be vocalized at all, but it was so powerful that I simply couldn’t keep it restrained.

And then, Victor pulled out of me and thrust back inside. His dick struck my prostate, and this time, his name escaped my lips in a high-pitched whine, about seven syllables longer. Maybe. I couldn’t be expected to count things like that when my mate was wreaking such insanely pleasurable havoc on my body.

I snapped out of my trance and began to move with him. As we fell into a rhythm, he increased the pace, fucking me faster and faster. He was burning me from the inside out, branding me with his heat, with his passion. Time and again, his dick filled me, stretching me to the limit. My wings twitched against the bed, and my heart beat so fast it threatened to burst out of my chest. I felt him in every inch of my body, from my eyelashes to my toenails, but it went beyond that. I sensed him in the very depths of my soul, so close to me, impossibly close.

Hooking my legs higher on his shoulders, Victor brought his face to mine. When he pressed our lips together and his dick once more into my body, I couldn’t take it any longer. I sensed him whisper in my mind, “Come for me, Larue,” and instantly, I obeyed.

It wasn’t a conscious thing, but his words triggered an instinctual response inside me. With a scream that his kiss drowned out, I came, trembling and swamping our bond with my magic.

Victor grunted, and our connection exploded with renewed rapture as he found his peak as well. I felt it all, felt my pleasure and his, and it was simply too much. For a few moments, I actually blacked out, lost in the pure mind-melting perfection of it. Victor was right there with me, his emotions accompanying me as I floated on clouds of rapture. My mind was a litany of his name, but that was all right, since his thoughts echoed a similar need for me. We simply fit together, just like I’d known we would, from the moment I’d realized he was my mate.

I would have loved to remain like this forever with Victor, but alas, time could be very ruthless. All too soon, I found myself returning to reality. To make things worse, Victor had already slipped out of my body. But all unfortunate things could sometimes have a pleasant side, and this time around, the silver lining was that I was in my mate’s arms. That went a long way to soothe me. In fact, the afterglow began to settle in a pleasant daze, a contentment that I’d only ever experienced with Victor.

I closed my eyes, ready to drift into slumber, when suddenly, a wave of shock washed over me. “Larue,” Victor whispered.

His voice sounded breathless, but not in a good way. His eyes had gone wide, and he scanned my face with shock and panic.

At first, I didn’t know what was going on, but then, realization struck, Victor’s thoughts communicating it to me. I stared at my own hand where it had been resting on Victor’s chest, and I saw it fading.

Over Victor’s shoulder, I saw the sun finally surrendering to the late hour, its last rays melting into twilight. Suddenly terrified, I got up, trying to figure out what to do. But there was no time left. Next to me, Victor’s form suddenly shifted into a small black cat. As for me, I disappeared altogether.

“Larue.” Victor’s voice seemed shockingly like a desperate meow as he leapt toward me. “Lovely?”

His distress broke mine, and I extended my arms to catch him. I almost expected my attempt to fail, but it didn’t happen. He landed safely in my embrace, and released a surprised sound as he did so.

“I’m still here,” I told him as I petted his fur. “It must be the curse manifesting.”

“Larue,” he repeated for the third time. “I’m so sorry. This is my fault.”

Damn it. We were back at what we’d started. I wasn’t exactly surprised, at least not at Victor’s self-flagellation. Still, when we waited for a few moments longer and nothing else happened, it occurred to me that things could truly have ended up much worse.

“We can actually use this to our advantage,” I told my mate. “Anelah would probably be able to sense me, but it can’t hurt to look around when no one else can spot me.”

“How can you even think about that?” Victor asked. “What if you don’t return to normal in the morning?”

“I will,” I answered. I had no idea how I could be so sure. Perhaps it was my magic providing the answer, or something else entirely. Maybe I just wanted to believe it. Either way, I had faith that no curse could separate Victor and me. “Everything will be all right. You’ll see.”

Victor didn’t look convinced. Okay, so reading a feline’s expressions wasn’t exactly easy, but I’d gotten pretty good at it in the past weeks, and our bond certainly helped to validate my first impression.

I might have said more, but I caught sight of something outside, or perhaps…someone? “It seems we might get to use my new ability sooner than expected,” I told Victor.

My mate leapt out of my arms and onto the window sill. “And we might have a chance against Anelah yet.”

I smiled at him, even if he couldn’t see me. Yes, things were definitely going as we’d hoped. As long as we had faith in true love, we could still win this battle.

Chapter Thirteen:

In Which Weddings are Lovely and Sometimes Unfortunate Events

As it turned out, my mate proved to be right in that the strange effect of the curse would prove to be useful. It helped us slip out of our quarters unnoticed for the purpose of investigating what we’d just seen.

Our room was on one of the superior levels in the Arthurian royal residence, and on a corridor that was guarded by a good number of bulky Arthurian soldiers. This made it very difficult for us to sneak out of the building in a normal way.

Fortunately, I benefited from the assistance of a lover who had wings. We decided there was no sense in bothering with the door anyway. My mate took me in his arms, and we went out of the room into the balcony. I kept my gaze straight ahead, so that I wouldn’t have to focus on the fact that my mate remained invisible. It helped that he held me so tightly and caressed my fur, and my terror for him slowly began to melt into a more sedate fear.

Larue flew off the balcony and landed unseen in the courtyard below. Here also, there were numerous guards, which was why I leapt out of his arms as soon as we were on the ground. After all, a black cat would be disregarded as harmless, but not if it was floating midair.

The end result was that I had to separate from him, which was something I honestly didn’t appreciate. However, we still had our bond, and because of it, I managed to focus on our current endeavor.

We’d lost sight of the person we’d spotted from our quarters, but that wasn’t a huge problem. I scanned the courtyard with eyes that could see through the dark and slowly sneaked toward the stables, following my instincts.

I sensed my mate behind me, and together, we made our way to our destination. The actual stables were guarded, but we didn’t go in. Instead, we went around, continuing on our path. I didn’t actually know where we had to go, but regardless, we found our target.

Hidden in the space between two buildings, a familiar figure had just dismounted and seemed to be trying to figure out what to do next. He’d tried to disguise himself, but all that blond hair was unmistakable, and I was used to seeing him covered up.

“Now what?” Rapunzel asked.

I almost thought he was talking to me, but he couldn’t have spotted us. Instead, it became obvious that he’d addressed the question to his horse, which predictably turned out to be Magda.

“Now, we speak to them,” the mare said.

Her big brown eyes fixed on me, and I couldn’t exactly say I was surprised that she’d sensed us. After all, she was a magical horse of a special Morgannian breed.

Startled, Rapunzel turned toward us. His gaze fell on me, and he blinked, looking a little confused. “Doctor Frankenstein?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “Come quickly. There’s not much time.”

“So I was right then,” he said with a gasp. “I had this unsettling dream, and I just knew I had to come.”

“I’m not sure how much you know,” my mate said, “but whatever dream you had was probably quite correct. Prince Kirril’s brother, Medwin, has been bewitched by the same woman who cursed Victor.”

He seemed to have forgotten he was invisible now, and really, to a certain extent, I’d lost my awareness of it as well. However, I received a very strong reminder of it when Rapunzel’s eyes widened and he stared at the spot where my mate stood, but where nothing appeared to be. “Larue?”

“It’s a long story,” I said with a sigh. “Come on. We have some planning to do.”

Rapunzel followed, guiding Magda along. As we headed back the way we’d come, I was already elaborating a plan to stop the upcoming wedding. Whether Rapunzel knew it or not, he’d given us a very strong weapon against Anelah.

* * * *

The next morning

“Is everything ready?” Kirril asked in a soft whisper.

I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me and answered, “Yes. I take it you did your part.”

“It wasn’t so difficult,” the Arthurian prince said. “I couldn’t get close to Medwin, though. Anelah’s keeping a close eye on him.”

Victor released a sigh. “Well, we’re just going to have to hope your brother will be strong enough to fight her when the time comes.”

He jumped on the bed, glancing toward the window and looking unsettled. All throughout the night, we’d made arrangements to make sure the wedding wouldn’t happen, but for Victor, our own predicament had remained very present. I knew he still feared that I wouldn’t return to normal, and while that had given both of us powerful incentive to do what needed to be done, this apprehension remained very present.

But now, we’d finally learn whether or not my condition was here to stay or not, at least until the end of the curse. Suffice it to say, both of us were quite anxious. I could only hope that my natural magic instincts had been correct, and the enchantment on me worked like the one on Victor. It would be quite bothersome to have finally bonded with my mate, only to be forced into this situation. I supposed it wouldn’t exactly stop us from coupling if need be, but I honestly didn’t want it to get to that.

Finally, the rays of the sun peeked out from under the veil of darkness. Almost instantly, I felt a ripple of magic flow over me, but I kept my gaze on Victor. As my mate turned from his feline form into the human one, I at last dared to bring my hand into my line of sight. I was visible again.

Victor extended his arms toward me, and I didn’t delay in following his invitation. I pounced on him, and our lips met in a kiss that tasted like relief and shared desire. As our tongues dueled, his hands swept all over my body, as if he was trying to make sure I was really there.

We might have surrendered to our passion altogether had Kirril not cleared his throat. “Well, looks like this is my cue to leave.”

“No, stay,” Victor said as he broke the kiss.

I nodded, my wings trembling due to my arousal. “If you go, Victor and I will end up fucking, and we don’t have time for that.”

Yes, I craved Victor with a hunger that would never be abated, but the dawn of this day had brought me a hope for a future that went beyond this moment. Now more than ever, I wanted everyone to have what Victor and I did. Kirril deserved to return to Dineiro’s side with an open heart, and Medwin couldn’t be meant for the cruel fate Anelah had reserved for him. I intended to ensure the curse was broken, and then hide with Victor and make love to him until neither of us could walk.

“All right,” Kirril drawled. “I’ll turn my back, though. Dini’s jealous.”

The reminder that I was naked embarrassed me a little, and as Kirril looked away, I reached for my clothes. During the night, we’d gone to see Kirril, informed him of Rapunzel’s arrival and the development of the curse, and begun to make arrangements for today. In the hope that my condition would disappear—or rather that I would appear—he’d provided me with a tentative Arthurian wardrobe. They weren’t exactly the type of clothes I was used to wearing, but they were elegant enough for the wedding, so they would serve the purpose they’d been meant for.

Victor was in a similar position, and he quickly pulled his garments on, as well. When we were both ready, I said, “All right. We’re ready to go.”

Kirril didn’t immediately turn toward us, and Victor pressed a hand to his shoulder. The Arthurian jumped, as if startled, and I gathered he must have been focused on Dineiro. “Ah, sorry about that,” he told us. “I was checking up on Dini.”

His expression held so much longing that no one could have doubted his honest, almost worshipful affection for my dragon friend. I might have disliked him in the beginning, but I couldn’t hold onto that resentment, not when he obviously missed Dineiro so much.

“Come on,” I told him. “Let’s deal with Anelah, so that you can go back to him.”

Kirril nodded, and together, we left the guest room. Once more, the castle was bustling with activity as the staff dealt with last-minute preparations. Medwin had apparently insisted on the urgency of the wedding so much that even invitations had been hard to send. Anelah’s parents were expected to arrive today, which meant that there was a good chance Snow might have been able to intercept them on the way. At least, I hoped that was the case, because it would be another advantage in our favor. Naturally, the Arthurians didn’t know that, and had ensured every possible luxury for the Morgannian royal family. And of course, there were a great deal of nobles, both Arthurian and Morgannian present. By rights, the wedding should have been even bigger, but the quickness with which it had taken place had prevented that.

Victor and I were, of course, the only genuinely Merlinian guests. Kirril had been assigned to watch over us, which would have been unfortunate if not for the obvious fact that we wouldn’t have been able to watch Anelah all the time today anyway. We had to rely on Rapunzel’s involvement in this, and on the involvement of the Fairy Godfather, who’d promised his assistance as well.

Still, we’d adapted to the circumstances. We headed straight for the foyer, where we found Leonard already busy. The guests had not started to arrive yet—it was very early still—but the duties of the crown prince had obviously begun. While he was more than competent, he also seemed swamped with the numerous tasks that needed to be dealt with.

“Greetings, brother,” Kirril said. “Have you seen the groom-to-be this morning?”

“Not yet,” Leonard replied. “We’ve had some problems. The decorations mysteriously disappeared overnight, and we have to redo everything. Not to mention that the cake we commissioned was raided by some sort of animal and the wines have soured as well.”

I felt a little guilty at his words, since I was personally responsible for several of those issues. To create these little distractions, I’d used my pixie abilities, summoning the Arthurian critters to my aid. The decorations had been easy, and a sprinkle of fairy dust had ensured the wines wouldn’t be usable. If Leonard suspected me, he didn’t say it, although it must have occurred to him. After all, what were the odds of all these little disasters striking exactly the evening of our arrival?

“I have to visit Medwin, but I simply can’t leave,” he added instead. “Would you and your friends check up on him quickly?”

“Sure,” Kirril replied. “We actually meant to go to his quarters now.”

Leonard waved us off, and I wondered if this was his way to make sure we didn’t cause any trouble. Even if that was true, I didn’t particularly mind. Seeing Medwin might help us help him.

Sadly, Anelah seemed to have anticipated our attempt. Just as we reached the royal wing, she intercepted us, glowering at us with sparkling black eyes. “This is as far as you come,” she said, snarling.

“Oh?” Kirril crossed his arms over his chest. “You plan to keep me from seeing my brother? Why is that, Princess?”

He uttered the latter word mockingly, and she didn’t delay in responding. “Let’s get things in the open. I know what you’re up to, and your pathetic little attempts to delay the wedding won’t work, and you’ll regret even trying.” Her lovely lips twisted into a dark smirk. “You wouldn’t want anything to happen to your sweet Dini, would you, Prince Kirril?”

It was Kirril’s turn to growl in anger. “You wouldn’t dare to touch him.”

“Oh, try me. I never make threats I can’t keep.” Her gaze fell on me and Victor. “As for you…shape-shifting and invisibility will be nothing if you continue to interfere.”

I believed her. I could feel her power twining around me, trying to trap mine. Pixie magic wasn’t comparable in any way to the one Anelah commanded. Mostly, it stemmed from our bond with nature. Every pixie was different in that regard, and while some of my kind boasted healing powers or telekinesis, I was nothing quite that special. There was no way I could possibly fight Anelah on my own.

But I wasn’t alone. I had Victor with me, so I stood my ground. I didn’t take a single step back, not even when the pressure of Anelah’s magic threatened to choke me. In the end, though, it seemed apparent that she wasn’t going to let us pass. We were wasting time, time better spent elsewhere. Besides, perhaps this wasn’t a bad thing. As long as she kept her focus on Medwin, she wouldn’t be able to track down and find out our plans.

We left the royal wing with Anelah still glowering at us and Kirril looking distracted, furious, and concerned. I held on tightly to Victor’s hand and prayed that everything would turn out the way we hoped. If not, the consequences could be very dire indeed.

* * * *

Noon came and went without the Morgannian party arriving. King Ralph and Queen Sedonia sent a messenger to find out what was going on, but they warned that it would take a while for the runner to return. Likely, the wedding would have to be postponed because of the delay.

When a message came explaining that there had been a problem with the carriages of the royal party, it became obvious that the Morgannian sovereigns would not be able to make it to Camelot today. I had my suspicions about what had triggered this course of events, and judging by the furious expression on Anelah’s face, so did she.

We were all in the throne room now, trying to figure out this new and unexpected problem. Honestly, I’d have preferred it if the wedding started. Yes, Larue had caused a little chaos by messing with the decorations and the meals, but that was largely to distract Anelah from our true purpose. If too much time passed, our careful but frail ploy would be discovered.

Fortunately, Anelah was as impatient as us. “Let’s get married anyway,” she suggested, leaning against a still besotted-looking Medwin. “My parents will understand.”

“Anything you want,” Medwin answered, completely under her thrall. “I’m sure it won’t be a problem, right?”

He looked toward his parents, who sat on their thrones, looking thoughtful. “I’m not sure that’s wise,” the king said. When Anelah turned toward him, he added, “If you’re certain, though, we shall agree. The last thing we want is to get in the way of our son’s happiness.”

Sedonia remained silent, perhaps to respect her husband’s decree, or maybe because she wasn’t convinced. In an odd way, Ralph didn’t seem very certain of his own words either, but he’d said them regardless, which led me to believe Anelah had a lot of influence over him as well. It was also very likely that she was exerting additional pressure to hasten things along because of our unexpected arrival. No matter what she’d said, she felt threatened by us and didn’t want the delay to give us time to plan anything elaborate.

“Thank you, Father,” Medwin said, beaming. One would have mistaken him as completely blissful and enraptured, but his eyes held a dim quality, as if he wasn’t really the person saying those words.

“Yes, thank you, Your Majesty,” Anelah said. “You have no idea what this means to me.”

Kirril twitched at the latter phrase and the clear selfishness of it. He looked like he wanted to throttle Anelah for reducing Medwin to a puppet at her disposal, but it wasn’t time for that, not just yet.

Fortunately, our wait didn’t have to last for much longer, and the irony of it was that we owed the haste to Anelah herself. She rushed to dress in her formal marriage attire and whisked Medwin away with her. Servants followed them, already trained to do her bidding.

From ancient times, the wedding ceremonies of the royal family always took place in the huge gardens of the palace. Even when weather got in the way, every attempt was made to continue the tradition. Today was no exception, and as we stepped into the gardens, I marveled at Leonard’s ability for organization. In spite of what Larue had done, everything was already back to its original condition, even more beautiful than before.

Larue and I were forced to join the rest of the guests. Fortunately, Kirril had made sure we’d get a place that would be close to the proceedings. As the hour of the wedding approached, all those present formed an enormous circle in the middle of the garden, leaving a small path that would allow the groom and bride to pass.

Kirril and the rest of the royal family majestically approached, entering the circle as well. Behind them, the royal high priest followed, with twelve assistants carrying various items. Books, a sword, a chalice, and many other things that were in one way or another symbolic to the life Anelah and Medwin were supposed to share. The one item that went beyond a mere metaphor was a crown, the one that would belong to Anelah as Medwin’s spouse.

Both the priest and his assistants wore elaborate robes with hoods that covered their heads. They created a small circle of their own, with the Arthurian royal family waiting close by.

I held my breath, waiting for the deception to be discovered, but no such thing happened. Instead, the couple arrived, hand in hand and seeming blissfully happy. If I hadn’t known any better, I could have sworn Medwin was truly in love with his fiancée. But I did, and I would not allow her to destroy his life.

As they reached us, the high priest let his hood fall back and faced them. The path closed as soon as they passed, the circle now complete. “We gather here to celebrate the union of these young souls,” the cleric said. “As the gods and the Great Father watch over us this day, may their hearts forever be one.”

He went on to explain the importance of the ceremony and its history, from the very beginnings of Arthurian society. At one point, Anelah twitched and started displaying signs of impatience. I’d have thought it was just her natural reaction to her boring ceremony, but I noticed the corner of her mouth tightening in anger.

“Something’s happening,” Larue whispered through our bond.

“It must be Snow,” I answered. “He reached his parents somehow.”

My guess was confirmed when, surprisingly, Medwin leaned forward and whispered to the priest, “Could we rush this along?”

The cleric looked shocked, and seemed to actually want to say no. However, Medwin was still a prince, and his request, while unusual, could be considered as mere impatience to finally be married with his beloved.

He smiled benevolently and went on, “Prince Medwin, son of King Ralph Theodore the Fourth and Queen Sedonia of Arthuria, do you take this woman to be your companion in all things, from this day henceforth?”

Medwin opened his mouth, but hesitated. For the first time since the beginning of the ceremony, his wide smile slipped. “Prince Medwin?” the high priest asked.

Anelah squeezed Medwin’s arm, and I practically saw all her power focusing on him. I wanted to scream, “Now, do it now!” It was the perfect moment, one Medwin’s strength had given to us. As it turned out, Rapunzel saw it as well.

Still in his garb of a priest’s apprentice, he took a step forward and threw the contents of the chalice he’d been holding straight at Anelah. Pixie dust flew all over the place, and she screamed, her power swirling madly around us.

Distantly, I wondered why the guards weren’t reacting. We’d anticipated a more energetic reaction from the Arthurians, but it didn’t happen. Sadly, by now, Anelah had Medwin under her complete control. He retracted his sword from its scabbard and pointed it at our young ally, ready to attack. I had no doubt that he’d have done exactly that had Rapunzel not let his hood fall.

For the first time, I got a good look at our mysterious friend’s face, and I could only say it should have been a crime to hide it behind those thick veils. He was absolutely beautiful, and if I hadn’t already loved Larue so much, I might have wanted to claim him as mine.

Fortunately, I was quite happy with my mate, and I wouldn’t have had a chance with Rapunzel anyway. The moment Medwin’s eyes met those of the mysterious blond, the sword fell from his hand. “You…I…”

He looked from Rapunzel to Anelah, confusion floating in his eyes. Anelah reached for him, but she was still trapped in the pixie dust. A bright light flashed in front of her, and the Fairy Godfather appeared, blocking her path, “No, you don’t.”

His appearance bought Rapunzel time. Unexpectedly, the young man kissed Medwin’s cheek and said, “It’s all right now. You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

Medwin’s eyes rolled in his head, and he collapsed in Rapunzel’s arms. Her spell shattered, the power recoiling straight at Anelah. But the witch wasn’t about to give up so easily. Snarling, Anelah directed her anger at Rapunzel. I could practically feel her gathering her magic, and she might have actually wanted to attack the young blond. For whatever reason, she stopped before she did so.

“You’re going to pay for this,” she shouted at us instead. “This isn’t over.”

“Oh, this is where you tell us you’re going to return and make us sorry for everything.” The Fairy Godfather sounded bored. “I believe that would be a little redundant, don’t you think? You and I know each other too well.”

“Why you little…”

“Aha!” The Fairy Godfather snapped his fingers, as if he’d just had a revelation. “Here I was, wondering what to do with you, and you give me the perfect idea.”

He waved his hand in Anelah’s general direction, and her form melted, turning small, minute, pixie-sized. At the same time, I felt something inside me change, snap. My world blurred for a few seconds, before returning to normal.

When I recovered, I found the confused Arthurians clustered around us, some of them looking confused, other distinctly hostile. The Fairy Godfather had taken hold of Anelah, who was currently ranting at him. “Why must you always interfere in my affairs? Can’t you mind your own business?”

“Sorry, no can do,” he replied. “Just drop it, Anelah. You don’t want to do this.”

Was it my impression or did some familiarity exist between the two? Had something stirred inside Anelah at his words? Why had she held back from attacking Rapunzel anyway?

I didn’t get the chance to ask any of those questions. As the two magic users spoke, Medwin was opening his eyes, while the king seemed angry. Oddly enough, his fury wasn’t directed at Kirril, Larue, or me. He glowered at the now-tiny Anelah. “You and your people will regret ever trying your tricks on my family,” he said.

I felt a pang of alarm. This was how wars began, and we really didn’t need more violence to add to the harm Anelah had already done. Fortunately, Kirril intervened before the king could say something he would not be able to take back. “You must remain calm and listen, Father,” he said as he wrapped his arm around the Arthurian sovereign’s shoulders. “It’s a really long story.”

Epilogue

A few weeks later

“So, she’s contained now?” Snow leaned toward me, sounding anxious and a little frightened. “She’s no longer a danger to us?”

“Indeed,” I replied, squeezing Snow’s shoulder. “You needn’t fear her anymore. Her spells are all broken now.”

Snow smiled at that, stealing a look at his parents. From their thrones, the Morgannian king and queen watched over him, trying to look calm, but unable to disguise their heartache and anger.

“I suppose that’s what matters,” he said.

“We’ll never be able to thank you enough,” Snow’s mother, Emenah, said. “If not for your help, we might have still been blinded by the witch.”

The Morgannian king, Cairn, nodded. “You’ve returned our son to us. From now on, our home is open to you.”

We hadn’t actually done that much, and our actions hadn’t exactly been so selfless, but still, I was happy that Snow had managed to get his family back. I couldn’t imagine how much he’d suffered throughout all these past years. Even if I’d been forced to leave my life as a pixie behind for Victor, my parents were still very important to me, and I understood how much Snow’s circumstances must have hurt him.

Philippe had, however, been quite helpful for Snow. We’d found out that he’d helped Snow sneak in to see his parents and distracted the guards while Snow did his best to break the spell. It had worked, and in the end, it had provided the opening we’d needed in order to defeat Anelah.

“I take it you’re returning to Merlinia now?” Snow inquired.

I nodded. “It’s time for us to head home. Prince Kirril has already gone ahead to see his mate, and I miss my friends as well.”

“Besides,” Philippe added, “we can’t impose on you forever.”

He was largely the reason why Victor and I had come to Morganna in the first place. Yes, we’d wanted to check up on Snow, but more importantly, we’d needed to make sure that Philippe was safe and cured of the curse as well.

My invisibility problem had disappeared entirely, so to speak, but Victor had preserved the abilities that his shape-shifting had given him. In fact, he’d confessed that he could still turn into a cat, but this time at will. Most of the time, he showed no sign of wanting to do anything like that, but I liked to see him in feline form. Now that it was no longer a sign of the curse, I had to admit I found that shape quite cute. We suspected Philippe must have ended up in a similar position, but we couldn’t be sure until we actually talked to him about it.

Honestly, I would have been concerned, but the Fairy Godfather had ensured us this was absolutely normal. Both Victor and Philippe had carried the curse for too long, and they were used to being shifters. Having it taken away would hurt them, even if they didn’t realize it now. I trusted him, even if he had never explained exactly how he and Anelah knew each other.

In the end, the royal family led us to the palace exit themselves. They assured us once more that we were welcome anytime in Morganna. Still, I had to admit I was to a certain extent relieved when we finally got in our carriage and left. Not that I didn’t like Snow and his family, but I looked forward to going back to my own home.

“So now what?” Victor asked Philippe. “Where to?”

Philippe shrugged. “Maybe I’ll travel. I’ve always wanted to do so, but I’ve been bound to the castle waiting for my true love.” He smirked lightly and threw a look out of the carriage window. “I’m beginning to believe that there’s a higher chance for that to happen if I actually take matters into my own hands.”

For the first time, I realized how much the lives of the two brothers would change. No longer plagued by the curse that had defined their existences for so long, they were now free to explore whatever they wanted. Victor had me, and a potential home we could create together, but Philippe wasn’t so lucky.

Outside, a rainbow-colored flash alerted us that Bowie was up to his old tricks. The carriage stopped, and we glanced at each other with a measure of confusion, mixed with exasperation.

Shrugging, Victor opened the carriage door and stepped out. As I followed, I found myself facing a familiar sight. We were in front of Victor’s castle, the castle gates as always guarded by the gargoyles. The difference was that the courtyard was almost unnaturally cheerful, flooded by Victor’s friends and family. Even Kirril and Dineiro were here, having apparently prepared a party of sorts.

“Oh, dear,” Philippe said. “It seems this is my cue to leave.”

“No, you don’t,” Victor’s mother said, rushing through the gates. “Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? We’re celebrating the breaking of the curse today, and you’re not getting out of it.”

Philippe grumbled, but couldn’t escape his mother’s clutches. Besides, the Morgannian carriage driver who’d been meant to take us up to the Merlinian border had mysteriously vanished, and when Philippe left the vehicle, so did the carriage itself. It seemed that, this time around, our fate was sealed.

For my part, I couldn’t bring myself to protest. As I walked into the palace courtyard, I immediately went to my friends. I hadn’t admitted it to Kirril, but I’d been worried about Dineiro as well.

Thankfully, my dragon friend looked better than ever. He was holding his mate’s hand, beaming brightly. Vesper was by his side with Count Vlad and, naturally, surrounded by Vlad’s sisters.

“I guess congratulations are in order,” my bunny friend said. For once, he was in human form and actually wearing clothes, probably a courtesy for all the guests. “You look a little strange like this.”

“Gee thanks,” I said, not bothering to suppress the urge to throw pixie dust in his face. He winced and averted his gaze.

“It looks like some things never change,” Dineiro said, grinning.

His words made me smile as well, and for the next couple of hours, I allowed myself to enjoy that knowledge, the realization that we were beginning a new life, with old and new friends.

Our guests left shortly after sundown, when they could see with their own eyes that Victor and Philippe wouldn’t change into their feline forms. Victor insisted for his brother to sleep over, but Philippe refused. “I really must be on my way,” he said. “The road is calling to me.”

Victor looked like he’d have liked to keep his brother with him for a while longer, but he didn’t insist. It was probably for the best. Sometimes, people just had to follow their own instincts, as much as they followed the Path of Fate. Rapunzel had done so, and the result had been a pretty positive one if I did say so myself. All right, so his problems weren’t over yet, but I had no doubt that, in time, he and Medwin would solve their issues. He had been the reason why we’d stayed in Camelot for so long, but now, we had faith that Medwin would be able to take care of him.

My mate provided his brother with a mount, and as his brother’s silhouette disappeared into the darkness beyond the castle gates, Victor and I headed inside. “Do you think he’ll find what he’s looking for?” Victor asked.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I hope he does. Everyone deserves to have a love like ours.”

Victor nodded and lifted me in his arms. “What say we finally celebrate it in our own bed?”

Our bed. I liked that. “I’d say it’s a wonderful idea,” I replied with a smirk.

As we headed up the staircase, we passed Igor, who smiled at us and wished us goodnight. The gargoyles were with him, and on impulse, I threw a “thank you” over my shoulder. In a way, they’d been the ones to bring me to Victor, something I’d be grateful for all my life. Igor just chuckled and disappeared on a different corridor. I made a mental note to ask the gargoyles to find someone for him, too.

Beyond mental notes and well-wishes for others, I still remained the same not-so-nice and sometimes selfish pixie. As such, I felt very relieved when, at last, my mate carried me into our room.

No longer did these quarters look ominous or in any way creepy. Something had changed. A new light shone over the mysterious castle, and even here, in Victor’s rooms, there was a new feeling of brightness, of hope. As Victor placed me down on the bed, I couldn’t help but laugh, my heart so light I thought I’d start floating without even moving my wings.”

Victor narrowed his eyes at me. “May I know what amuses you so much?”

“It’s not amusement,” I answered, “not really. Just…happiness.”

His expression softened, our bond glowing with his emotions and mine. “I know how you feel, lovely. I know exactly how you feel.”

The wonderful thing was that he did, indeed, know. When he said that, they weren’t just words, but truth, his truth and mine, the reality of our connection.

In that moment, the only thing I wanted was to have him in my arms again. We’d barely had time for each other since the night before Medwin’s supposed wedding. Of course, we collapsed together in bed every evening, but we never got to spend as much time together as we’d have liked. Handling the chaos that had followed Anelah’s capture had taken a lot out of us. After all, Rapunzel might have ridden to Medwin’s assistance, but he was still a lone Merlinian among all the Arthurians, and he had truly needed a friend while he struggled to get accustomed to Camelot. Fortunately, Medwin now lavished him attention, and once Rapunzel had grown a little more comfortable with his new surroundings, we’d finally been free to leave.

And now, Victor and I were at last together, alone, in this place where it had all begun. We’d met when I’d been a pixie, and he a shape-shifter feline, but it hadn’t mattered. Against all odds and, granted, with some outside assistance, we’d found a solution to our predicament. There was nothing that could separate us now.

As always, Victor guessed my thoughts and my need. Slowly, he started to take off his elegant shirt, stripping and putting up quite a show for me. I watched him with greedy eyes, not even knowing what to look at first. I hesitated to glance away from his hypnotizing eyes, but his body beckoned to me. I craved to suck on his nipples, to trace the lines of his rippling abs with my tongue until I reached his groin, and the prize hidden beneath his pants.

“Just hearing your thoughts drives me wild,” Victor whispered huskily, his nimble fingers now busily working on his laces.

Normally, my lack of sexual experience kept me from moving as quickly as Victor, but the heat and need between us urged me into motion. I rushed to take off my boots, and then frantically progressed toward my shirt and pants. Unfortunately, I had to direct my focus on my garments, which forced me to look away from Victor, but the end result was more than worth it. When I finally managed to win the battle with my garments, I glanced up, only to see my mate my succeeded in his quest as well.

He was now completely nude, and scanning me from head to toe with greedy eyes. “You’re so beautiful,” he told me as he joined me on the bed.

“Nothing compared to you,” I answered before wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss.

There was nothing on Avalon that could possibly compare to Victor’s kiss, his touch. When he thrust his tongue in my mouth, I imagined his dick in my ass. When he tweaked my nipples with his talented fingers, I could almost feel those same digits sliding into my channel, stretching me. His caresses blurred the line between reality and fantasy. I didn’t want it to ever end, and to my good fortune, it didn’t.

Instead, it grew, our passion burning brighter, feeding off itself, and threatening to consume us. I clutched Victor’s shoulders, seeking an anchor, trying to tame my need for him, and at the same time aware that I could never do it. When we broke the kiss, I gasped for air, my mind whirling with his desire and mine.

It was this need that urged me to push me off me and climb on top of him, mindlessly grinding my ass against his erection. His hands landed on my hips, not even trying to deter me from my purpose. “I want to see you ride me, Larue,” he murmured.

Images of what he craved flashed through his mind and into mine, echoing my own fantasies. With trembling hands, I reached for the bedside table where a bottle of oil waited.

We’d never used this particular vial before. It had been there for Victor, and the times he touched himself, although I never hung around when that happened. In fact, I’d never dared to touch it at all, and I almost dropped it when I took it in my hand, not because it was particularly slippery, but due to my own nervousness.

He gave me time, watching me with those penetrating eyes that so often assessed the scientific potential of an item. Even if he looked calm, underneath the façade, his mind had succumbed to a whirlwind of desire. He seemed to be trying to catalogue my every attribute, his lust for me the only string binding together otherwise incoherent thoughts. So beautiful…my mate…my Larue…glowing…silky skin…I wondered if he would ever realize that he was the beautiful one, the strongest and bravest mate in existence.

No matter what happened, that was a clear, central fact of my existence. I wanted to show that to Victor. I wanted to make him see just how much he meant to me. And because no words could possibly illustrate the depth of my emotion, I chose to prove it through my actions.

Uncapping the vial, I poured a generous amount of liquid on my fingers and reached for his dick. He groaned as my fist enclosed his hard cock, his eyes drifting closed as pleasure burst through him. I couldn’t help but moan as well, my own prick leaking pre-cum on his abdomen and demanding to be let in on the fun.

Victor reached for my poor, aching member, but I slapped his hand away. If he touched me, it would be all over, and I had to have him inside me before that happened. Even my cock agreed with that, in spite of the fact that it meant having to wait a little.

As I finished slicking my mate’s dick, I proceeded to the next and hopefully final step before I could take Victor inside me. Using more oil, I reach behind myself and slid two fingers inside my channel. It didn’t feel as good as when Victor touched me there, but that was partially the point.

I did my best to be as quick as possible while preparing myself, but my plan backfired spectacularly as Victor’s lust flooded our connection. “You want to drive me insane, don’t you?” he asked. “There’s no way I can preserve my reason when I watch you do that.”

“You sound pretty coherent and rational to me,” I answered, panting. And truly, I needed to do something about that. If he could utter such long phrases when we were in bed together, I was doing something wrong. Then again, his desire for me already had me breathless. It didn’t seem to matter that those were my fingers inside my ass. Because of our connection, they felt like his.

I couldn’t take it anymore. Retrieving my digits from my body, I positioned my opening over Victor’s hard dick and pressed down.

It was a miracle that I didn’t come on the spot. It might have been because for a second there, I actually thought I was dreaming. Even the burn of the entrance seemed like something surreal, out of this world.

But as my mate seated himself inside me, I became aware of each and every emotion and sensation our coupling triggered. I felt full, but not only in a physical way. It was as if Victor’s presence, his affection and desire for me, flowed into my body and my mind through my connection with him.

I took a couple of deep breaths, trying to let it all settle, to open myself and accept everything Victor offered. But no matter how much I might have wanted to control myself and the moment, to prolong our union, I couldn’t hope to achieve my goal, not when everything inside me and him demanded more.

Now uncaring about anything else but Victor, I lifted my hips and then shoved myself back down. We both groaned as the friction and the heat birthed rapture inside us. In that moment, there was nothing left in the world but the two of us, our need for each other, and our hopes and dreams.

Sensual energy rippled over my body as I fucked myself on his cock. His strong hands guided me down and his hips moved in a staccato rhythm, meeting my every motion. We fell in the familiar dance of passion, our thoughts mingling until I couldn’t even tell the difference between them. So tight…so beautiful…so hot…so good…so deep…Emotions and ideas swirled inside my mind, his and mine, the bond between the two of us shining brighter than ever. Then again, perhaps that was the pixie dust falling all over us from my wings. I really couldn’t be sure, since I had no way to distinguish between what physically happened, and what occurred within me, through my connection with Victor.

It went on and on, although for how long, I couldn’t have said. Time and space faded and stopped having any meaning. I was so close now, so very close that I could practically feel my orgasm, just beyond my reach.

And then, Victor thrust one last time inside me, so hard my teeth rattled. His voice appeared in my mind, strikingly clear and distinctive. “Come for me, Larue.”

That final whisper was my undoing. Arching my back, I came, splattering my lover’s chest with my spunk. Victor was right behind me, and wet heat filled my clenching channel as he found his peak. Feeling his pleasure in every inch of my body, trembling with the intensity of my own climax, I allowed my magic to flow over both of us, claiming Victor as my mate.

It was both carnal and pure, a moment of complete perfection, no longer shrouded by doubts, fears, and curses. And the best thing of all was that I knew that this would only be the first of many such moments, days, weeks, and hopefully years we’d spend together, sometimes making love, other times working together to figure out one of Victor’s inventions, or perhaps even building a family. After all, Dineiro’s ability to birth children wasn’t unique among Merlinian men.

As I at last started to recover from the trance of my pleasure, I collapsed in my mate’s embrace, completely spent. Victor’s dick slid from my ass, and while that made me experience a pang of loss, the displeasure vanished as my mate hugged me tightly.

“Children?” he asked, sounding a little puzzled, but also excited. “I’m not sure I’d know what to do with a child.”

I laughed and kissed his cheek. “You’d make a wonderful father. But don’t worry about it. We have plenty of time to build a family. You still have the m-mail device to perfect.”

Victor grinned. “That can wait for a bit. Do you know my first priority?”

My eyes widened as the reply to his question slid into my mind from his. “Victor…”

Victor’s eyes were warm and gentle. “I know we haven’t exactly had a wedding like other people do, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate it.”

He slid out of the bed and went to his wardrobe, where he retrieved a small, wooden box. As he brought it to the bed, my heart started to beat so fast I almost thought it would burst. By rights, I shouldn’t have been so nervous—we were already mates—but for some reason, this moment held special important to me.

Victor opened the box, revealing a ring resting in a velvet casing. It was small, delicate, but it glittered with priceless gems and was probably worth as much as this entire castle. “This ring is an heirloom from my father,” he explained as he retrieved it. “There were only three of them ever made. My mother has one, and the other is with Philippe. It’s meant to be worn by our chosen life companion, and I want you to have it.”

I wanted to scream “yes,” but words failed me. Fortunately, our bond helped me, revealing my response to Victor. He took my hand and gently slid the ring on my finger. It was a perfect fit.

Victor kissed my hand, whispering, “Thank you. Thank you for doing me this honor, for agreeing to be mine.”

At that, my tongue finally untangled. “I was already yours,” I replied. “I have been from the very beginning.”

“Well, you’ve now been given an official place in the Frankenstein royal family.” He smiled. “My father’s still a prince over a part of Merlinia, you know. I’m quite a catch.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “That you are, Victor. I’m a very lucky man.”

As I spoke, I admired my new ring. Larue Frankenstein. I liked the way it sounded. When I looked at Victor again, I decided to prove it. Pouncing on my mate, I pressed my lips to Victor’s once again. Victor immediately responded, and, all night long, we proceeded to celebrate my new status, but most of all, our mating and our love. And when I finally surrendered to slumber, exhausted, I did so with a smile, because I was in his arms. No matter what happened, that would never change.

THE END

WWW.SCARLETHYACINTH.WEBS.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native Romanian, Scarlet was born in 1986 and grew up an avid fan of Karl May and Jules Verne, reading fantasy stories and adventure.

Later, when she was out of fantasy stories to read, she delved into her mother’s collection of books and, of course, stumbled onto romance.

As a writer though, Scarlet Hyacinth was born one sunny summer day, when a dear friend of hers—the same friend who introduced her to GLBT fiction—suggested they start writing a story of their own. As it turns out, the two friends never did finish that particular story, but Scarlet discovered she had a knack for writing and ended up starting to write individually. And so, between working on her dissertation, studying for exams, and reading yaoi manga, she started writing the Kaldor Saga. Along the way, Scarlet met a lot of wonderful people who supported her, and in the end, she found her story a home and, in the process, fulfilled a beautiful dream.

For all titles by Scarlet Hyacinth, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/scarlet-hyacinth

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com