By the Enchantment of Moonlight (The Forbidden Realm #2.5) (5 page)

“No, I've never been so clear in my life. Do you like what I'm doing?”

“I do, Pimma. I like it too much.”

“Then let's keep at it. Here, let me help you.”

She began working the fastener at his pants. He didn't seem as eager to help as she would have expected.

“No…I can't do this to you, Pimma,” he said.

“Well, somebody needs to, and you're the only one in this box with me.”

“You don't understand,” he said, his voice tight and low. “The machine out there…it's got some strange properties. It causes us to feel like this.”

“I'm pretty sure
you're
the one making me feel like this,” she said, finally getting her hands inside his pants. “Oh, by the Skies! This is amazing!”

“Yes…it is. We need to stop ourselves, though. That machine is making us do things we don't want to do.”

“But I
do
want to do it! Don't you?”

“You have no idea.”

The heat and urgency in his voice was obvious. Relief and need washed over her as she tipped her head to rest her cheek on his hand. He
did
want her! She wasn't alone in this unfamiliar new world of arousal.

“I'm pretty sure I have some idea. Do you like when I touch you?”

“I want you to touch me like that forever, but we both know how wrong it is.”

“It feels so right, though.”

“By the Skies, I don't know what's right and wrong anymore,” he said, but his words were mostly lost as he pulled her tight up against him and drank her desire with a kiss.

His lips took hold of hers and she was stunned by the electricity that flashed between them. At first she could do nothing but let the thrill wash over her. Her limbs went numb and she was helpless in his arms. His kiss possessed her, his tongue tasted her, seeking for her reaction. Heat welled up inside her and she was suddenly fully alive, tingling with need and exploring his mouth with her own.

Her hands were back in his pants. His cock was enormous, huge and hot and solid. She'd never held one before and the feel of it entranced her. So hard, yet soft as the powder on a moth's wing. She stroked her hands over him as his tongue played with hers. The low growl he made encouraged her that she was doing the right thing.

It was easy to continue with it, too. She'd been transfixed as the succubus seduced Wain. Their joining had been shocking, yet very arousing, and Pimma was glad for that little primer. Now she knew just how to touch Swift, how to position her body against his.

His hands raked over her butt and drew her skirt up high. Without the distraction of sight, she felt every touch of his hands, every contour of his body with more detail and clarity than anything she'd ever felt before. Her own skin was alive with sizzling energy, her heart fluttered with excitement. In her most sensitive core, she felt that she might suddenly combust.

Then he touched her there. His hand slid between her thighs, finding this pool of heat and desire. She leaned into him, arching her body to give him more of her. By the Skies, she wanted more of him.

“You're so hot, so wet for me, Pimma,” he murmured.

“Yes. And you're hard and hot. I need you, Swift. I need you now.”

He didn't deny her. She pushed his pants down, drawing his cock toward her. The heated tip touched her and made her gasp. Feeling flowed over her and through her, pushing conscious thought aside so raging instinct could take over.

He pulled her closer. His hands kneaded her butt and she pressed against him, his cock pressing against her, sparking more of that wonderful, pooling desire. She rose on her tiptoes and he held her, hoisting her higher.

“You're too tight,” he said softly.

“No. I'm just right. We'll fit perfectly, Swift. I need you now.”

She could feel his need for her, too. The wall of the box was behind her. Wings splayed wide, she leaned back against it, letting him take the lead. He seemed to know exactly what to do, just what she needed to make her body ready to accept him.

Her legs wrapped around him, nestled between him and the wall. Somehow he held her in place, yet still managed to stroke her with his fingers in her most tender area. She bit his lip as he kissed her.

Cold fire was racing through her veins. Her body thrust against him, his fingers probing her and opening the tingling folds. She didn't want his fingers, though, no matter how wonderful his ministrations felt. She wanted that huge, burning cock. It was right there, tempting her with its size and its heat. She rocked against him.

“That's right,” Swift whispered into her ear. “Open for me. Take me inside you, Pimma.”

“Yes. I'm ready for you.”

And she was. With a groan and a thrust, he was inside her. Her muscles tensed around him, startled by this unfamiliar invasion. But he wasn't daunted by her reaction. He thrust again and she felt him fill her completely. A whimper escaped her, but it was a sound of emotion, not pain. Her body and her soul loved what he was doing to her. She needed to feel all of it, to give herself to desire and ride it out to the conclusion.

“You're more wonderful than I imagined,” he said softly. “So hot…so wet…”

She couldn't speak. Her body was taking over and her brain had given up control. She was nothing more than a being of heat and desire now. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, clinging for life as he thrust into her again and again. She panted and groaned with waves of pleasure.

It was a pleasure that grew with each movement he made. The breath was being pounded out of her, but she didn't care. What was air when she had Swift's arms around her and his hot, demanding cock filling her? What breath she had was spent calling his name to the Skies.

“I can't hold on, Pimma. It's too much. You're too hot and too perfect. I'm going to come in you.”

Whatever that meant, she liked the sound of it. She tightened her legs, wrapping them closer around him as his muscles rippled with effort. Bliss filled her with light; she was nearly blinded by it as the intensity of passion grew. It seemed she would die from the power of it all.

With one final groan, Swift thrust into her and she felt him throbbing, pulsing inside her. Pleasure flooded over her and she was lost for a moment, her own body throbbing and pulsing along with him. She gasped for breath, drowning in sensation and feeling satisfied as she never had before in her life.

Every drop of energy drained from her and she drew halting breaths, sagging in Swift's arms and wishing this feeling could never end. Her body was alive with sensation and her head swirled with imaginary colors and sound. She had ceased being a fairy and was some other sort of creature altogether.

Swift was panting, too. He dropped his head, leaning his forehead against hers and holding her so she didn't fall. Moisture coated his body.

Pimma held him, clinging in the darkness as reality started to seep over them both. The colors swirling inside her head did not fully diminish, though. She opened her eyes and realized the brightness surrounding them was not simply her imagination.

The box that contained them had somehow come open. Light spilled in and she could see to the warehouse beyond. The sweet darkness that had made her feel brave and uninhibited was now replaced by dusty light filtering in.

They were free. The hum of the strange machine had ceased and the fog in Pimma's brain was clearing. She blinked up at Swift, his green eyes meeting hers and enormous regret becoming evident there.

“I'm so sorry,” he said. “We can never undo what we've just done.”

“No we can't,” she agreed and wondered what he truly meant.

“And you must hate me,” he continued. “It really was just that machine making you want this, wasn't it?”

W
hatever changes had been taking place inside him were complete now. Swift could feel it—he'd given in to his illicit desires and he was now a full slave to it. He'd lost control and done forbidden things with Pimma, and he didn't regret it. He knew she did, though.

At least, he knew she would. He could still see the glow of loving in her eyes, the tempting flush of satisfaction in her flawless cheeks. But the climax of their passion had overloaded the machine and shorted it out. He'd seen that in Iceland when a pair of lovers had joined together specifically to save themselves from a similar device. If he hadn't been so distracted by his own desire he would have realized this might end up freeing them.

Unfortunately, it was the only positive effect this would have. Without the machine, desire would fade and Pimma would realize what they'd done. They'd broken the code! She wasn't likely to be happy about that. He'd known his own weakness and yet done nothing to protect her from it. Now, whether she liked it or not, she was changed forever.

“I'm sorry,” he said. “If you need to take a little time…”

She blinked in the dim light, arranging her clothes and glancing around nervously. “I guess I got carried away.”

“It isn't your fault,” he assured her. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Hell, you were helpless against that damn machine out there.”

“You swear like a human,” she pointed out.

And he raged with passion like one, too. Swift pushed himself away from her, moving on unsteady feet to peer out the opening of the box and survey the warehouse interior.

“I hear sirens in the distance, but I don't see anyone,” he said. “Whatever is going on, it must be keeping them busy in another building. We should go quickly, before that succubus comes back.”

He tried not to look at Pimma, but his gaze returned to her anyway. She was beautiful, so delicate and perfect. Her wings brushed silently through the air, the feathery tips of them fluttering just a bit. He wanted to touch them, trace the satiny sheen and feel the thrill of bringing her body close to his again.

She was clearly only thinking of escape. “Let's go, then,” she said, brushing past him and stepping cautiously through the gaping opening of the box.

Swift drew a deep breath and followed, keeping a hand over his Fairy Dust pouch, just in case. If anyone was nearby, watching over them and waiting to catch them again, he wanted to be ready. He peered over the edge of the crates and saw the machine. A thin trail of smoke rose from it and that air was tinged with the scent of burned plastic.

“Looks like that thing won't be giving us any more trouble,” Pimma said.

“No. You're safe now.”

“I'm not sure about that,” she replied. “What is going on, Swift? What have we gotten ourselves into?”

“I wish I knew. Now that we know Wain is involved in the worst of it, I can't help but wonder if Dorn is, as well.”

“You really think the Council Leader might be a part of this? But why would he have sent us to investigate, if he already knew what was going on?”

It seemed only too obvious to Swift. “The succubus knew we would be here. Someone must have told her.”

Pimma frowned, her beautiful blue eyes clouding with the pain of realization. “You mean…Dorn might have sent us into her trap on purpose?”

“I don't want to believe it, either, but we have to consider the possibility.”

She shook her head and laughed. “Not very long ago I would have said you were crazy, but now…well, I'm willing to believe just about anything.”

“By the Skies, Pimma, I wish I could have spared you.”

“You regret what we did?”

“I should, I know. But I don't,” he admitted. “What I regret is that I didn't protect you from it.”

“You told me what happened wasn't my fault. Were you lying to me?”

“Of course not.”

“Exactly,” she said sharply. “And I won't let you act like this was your fault, either. What happened to us in that box…what we did there…we both wanted it, and it isn't something we need to regret. I know I don't.”

“But what we did was forbidden,” he reminded her, mostly because he needed to be reminded himself. “It was carnal, it was—”

“Amazing?”

And it was pointless to disagree. She knew he had enjoyed their passion; his response to her had been undeniable. He didn't want her to worry that he was going to try something like that again, though. She needed to know he took the Code very seriously and cared too much for her to forget it.

“Yes, it was amazing, but the Fairy Council doesn't need to know that. If they ever find out what we did, I'll swear you begged me to stop.”

“As I recall, that's not actually what I was begging for.”

He met her eyes and she gave a shy smile. Her delicate lips curved slightly, with just the hint of a tantalizing quiver. He came dangerously close to kissing them.

“Don't tempt me, Pimma. Just because that machine shut off doesn't mean I'm exactly trustworthy around you.”

“Really?”

“Quit smiling like that! Somehow we both need to find a way to forget what happened between us and agree that it can never happen again.”

“Sorry, but there's no way I'm going to forget it, Swift. Not ever.”

He could only shake his head and agree with her. “I don't suppose either of us will. Come on, then. It's starting to get smoky in here.”

“The fire must be spreading awfully fast. I thought Wain said it was at a loading dock.”

“He did,” Swift said. There was no loading dock anywhere near them. Whatever had started this fire, the humans had obviously not gotten it under control.

Taking her hand, he glanced up toward the open window that they had used when they first entered the warehouse. Leaving that way would put them in clear view of the crowd gathered outside, not to mention send them toward the thickening smoke. Fairies did not do well in smoke. There had to be another way out of this building, one that would get them out quickly, safely, and without being spotted.

“Over there,” Pimma said, pointing. “There's a little opening.”

Halfway down the length of the huge warehouse on the opposite side of the building, a bright ray of sunlight beamed through a broken pane of glass. The windows lining the upper story were dusty and dim, so the golden shaft shone like a beacon. As an escape path, this should work perfectly. Swift smiled at her.

“Yes. We might be able to fit there.”

She smiled back and didn't let go of his hand. “I know for a fact that we fit just fine.”

By the Skies, she was a temptation he would never be strong enough to resist.

When they had made it out of the warehouse, Pimma breathed in the fresh air. She hadn't realized how smoky it had been inside until it had almost begun to choke her. As much as she hated senseless destruction, a part of her would be only too happy to know that whatever equipment that horrible succubus had been storing and getting ready to ship out might be quickly reduced to ash. What on earth could that creature be planning, building machines that could have such an effect on them? The delicate balance between the human world and the Forbidden Realm relied on the separation of passion and magic. A whole warehouse of those machines would cause chaos and ruin.

It seemed the balance would be preserved, however. The fire from the other building really was spreading. Flames licked at the base of the warehouse that Pimma and Swift just exited. A pile of trash had been collected there, slats from old crates and wadded-up packaging materials. They were just beginning to burn.

“The fire was set intentionally,” Swift said, noticing the smoldering debris.

“I was thinking the same thing,” she replied. “There's no way that pile of trash caught a spark all the way over here. We can't even see the fire from here, and the wind is coming from the other direction.”

“And it's blowing in spray off the lake,” Swift noted. “I would have thought this trash would be too damp to catch fire.”

A bright golden glint caught Pimma's eye. “Look! Down there, just around the corner. I'm pretty sure I saw another fairy.”

“That might explain how this fire got started,” Swift grumbled. “Wait here.”

As if she'd wait anywhere while he went off to investigate. No, they were in this together. She zipped down behind him, skirting the burning trash and peering around the corner of the warehouse.

At first she saw nothing, just more smoke wafting through the alley at the end of the building. Sounds of humans barking orders at one another and heavy equipment moving around were louder from here. There was no sign of a gold-colored fairy, though.

“I don't see anything,” Swift said.

Pimma had to agree, but when she glanced up to tell him as much, she noticed movement in the eaves just above them.

“Up there!” she called, darting upward.

Swift was right behind her. The fairy had hidden herself in the recess at the crest of the roof. If Pimma and Swift hadn't been intently searching, they never would have found her.

They were on the fairy so quickly that she was caught off guard. She was a very powerful-looking female, beautiful and golden and obviously not the least bit afraid of them. Her determined expression and confident demeanor didn't change even as it became obvious that her hiding place now served to keep her trapped.

“Don't try anything,” Swift ordered. “I'm an enforcer and unless you want a face full of Nullifying Dust, keep your hands were I can see them.”

“So they've sent an enforcer after me, have they?” the golden fairy said. “I should have figured it was only a matter of time before they corrupted one of you.”

Swift was clearly offended by that. Pimma couldn't blame him. Despite it all, he was still the most honorable fairy she'd ever known. The accusation of corruption would strike a nerve.

“Who are
they
?” he asked. “Who are you working for?”

“I'm not working for anyone. Everything I do is on my own, and you can use whatever kind of dust you want on me and I'll never tell you anything different.”

Which of course meant that she was totally working for someone. But why would she set the building on fire if their precious shipment was still inside?

“You're not working with the succubus, are you?” Pimma asked, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

The golden fairy wrinkled her nose at the very idea. “With Miranda? Absolutely not. If you're friends of hers, then you might as well know that we'll do whatever it takes to see that her plan fails as miserably as possible.”

“I thought you said you weren't working with anyone,” Swift noted.

“I'm not. Who are you two, anyway? Where did you come from?”

“We were inside this building,” Pimma answered, although Swift sent her a warning look to indicate he would rather she didn't reply.

The golden fairy seemed at first confused by Pimma's words, then a coy smile broke over her face. “You two were in there when they started up that machine? But then…Oh, of course. You managed to, shall we say, disable it, didn't you?”

Pimma felt her face going hot. Somehow this fairy knew what they'd done! It was mortifying.

Swift seemed at a loss for words, too, so their quarry continued.

“How did you find out about that? Who told you
that
would short-out the equipment? Have you been in contact with Kyne?”

“What do you know about Kyne?” Swift demanded quickly. “Where is he right now?”

Pimma would have liked to hear the answer to that question as well, considering Kyne's escape from Council Hall seemed to have been the start of all this.

“I have no idea where he is,” the golden fairy assured them. “And if I did, I sure as hell wouldn't tell you.”

“You use human oaths,” Swift pointed out. “Do you work with the humans?”

The golden fairy eyed him. “You don't know very much about what's going on here, do you?”

“I know the Veil has been compromised,” Swift said. “I know there is a plot to combine human technology with magic, and the succubus—Miranda—says she will use this to take over the Forbidden Realm.”

The golden fairy seemed impressed that he knew this much. But not very impressed. She cocked an eyebrow at them. “You think she will stop at the Forbidden Realm? No, my simple enforcer. She and her Dark Beings intend to take over the world.”

Swift knew he couldn't believe anything this fairy said. For all he knew, she could be Miranda's favorite friend. It wasn't likely, though. She wouldn't be trying to burn down a warehouse full of Miranda's machinery, for one thing. For another, something about this fairy seemed familiar.

“What's your name?” he asked her.

She thought about it for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to trust them. Finally she answered. “Amarie.”

At first the name meant nothing, but then it registered. He'd seen it on the watch list, and in Kyne's case file.

“You're Kyne's mother,” he said.

She smiled, surprised and maybe a little bit flattered that he recognized her. “I am. I take it you've had the pleasure of meeting my son?”

“I've had the pleasure of taking him into custody,” Swift informed her.

“Is that where he is now, in the Fairy Council's jail?”

“No,” Pimma said quickly. “He managed to escape out from under my nose.”

“And you are…?” Amarie asked.

“I'm Pimma. I was assigned as Kyne's advocate. I was trying to represent him before the council when he somehow escaped. We still don't know how.”

“We are assuming it had something to do with a fairy named Raea,” Swift offered. “Do you know anything about her?”