Neela

Neela

I wobbled out of the bar, barely keeping myself upright. That was the best sex I’d ever had, period.

Even as I walked out into the crisp night air, I still felt his hands gripping my hips desperately and his fingers working expertly between my legs.

Either that man was magic, or the drink was. I laughed. Given that I was actually in some fae realm of indulgence called Verda, probably both.

Maybe I should have stayed longer, pressed up against his chest. For a long moment, I hadn’t wanted to climb out of his lap, but that kind of thinking was for fools who relied on others, and I was no fool.

So I’d eventually climbed to my feet, and it was only when I put some distance between our bodies that I’d been able to leave. I had to get out of there before the bartender arrived with my bill because I had nothing to pay with except panties full of fae cum.

That sexy beast of a male had distracted me so much that I forgot to pat him down for cash. Forgot to scan the room for targets. Failed to think or feel anything except his fingers, his cock, his back, and his warm breath whispering in my ear.

I’d see him again. I guessed they didn’t have cell phones here since he told me his number was eight, but I’d find him somehow. Even if every fae in Verda was as sexy as the devil, none of them could possibly match him.

I wandered through the clean streets, heading away from the coast, inhaling the deep floral scent that laced the air, even here in town. Houses and storefronts were interspersed, though as I wandered further uphill, homes won. Grand stately buildings with delicate lace detailing and modest dwellings in vibrant lilacs and oranges like they were made from the sunset itself.

It looked too good to be true; for all I knew, it was just an illusion. Maybe that fae wine had sent me into a deep hallucination—that would explain the mind-blowing God who materialized out of nowhere and then banged my brains out.

So I kept scanning, trying to remain on alert. I was fooled once, taken in by one of the smaller Docklands crews, who followed me around, stole all my targets, and screwed me over.

Since the day I left their asses, I’d never been fooled again, and I wasn’t about to start now.

My tattoo led me steadily uphill, and I let it, following along obediently. Hopefully, it would lead me to someplace I could sleep and stay safe, the way it seemed to evade Joey the Bull’s thugs back in Hebes.

The estates grew larger as I walked away from the town center, and I finally stopped outside a dark green hedge dotted with tiny pink flowers.

I talked into my wrist like I was James Bond. “Is this it? You want me to sleep under that hedge? Seriously? Can’t you do better than that?”

As I stepped closer to examine a flower, the leaves separated, revealing an elegant archway lined with pink blooms.

I spoke into my wrist again. “Okay, top work. Keep it up.”

Might as well stay on friendly terms with my demonic tattoo. Besides, I could inject alcohol whenever I needed to disobey it.

This was no typical hedge. It was yards and yards thick, and a pathway kept opening up before me as I wandered through, then closing behind me. Part of me wanted to turn around and jump on the nearest boat headed back to Hebes, but I’d craved this adventure my whole life, so I stuck at it, placing foot after foot as I followed the mysterious path. It was light in here somehow, despite being blackest night and the bush being so thick that even bright daylight wouldn’t penetrate.

The leaves parted to reveal a beautiful manor the size of an ocean liner but a million times prettier. It was dusty pink, and if I squinted, it looked like a gigantic rose with a door in the center.

A fae girl sat on the stairs outside the front door and jumped to her feet when she saw me. “Excellent, you’re finally here.” She held out a hand to shake mine.

I smiled. The evil bracelet had led me somewhere I could work with. This flower palace must be loaded with riches, I just had to talk my way past this girl to get to them. Her pale green hair was braided, and her green eyes were so intense I couldn’t hold her gaze without blinking.

She wore sensible pants with lots of pockets and a singlet top, which made me like her. Made me wary of her, too, because people who dressed sensibly were harder to fool than idiots who followed fashion.

“Yeah, sure, I’m here,” I hedged while I figured out where this conversation was headed.

She shook my hand and then looked me up and down. “You’re short for a fae princess.”

I withdrew my hand. “And you’re tall for a squirrel,” I retorted.

She appeared startled momentarily, her pale green eyes widening, then she burst into laughter. “Right, but you are a fae princess, and as far as I know, I’m not related to any wildlife.”

I tilted my head. “I’m no princess, and I’m definitely no fae.”

She was taller than me and stooped slightly to stare into my eyes, then ran a finger along my rounded ear.

I slapped her hand away. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing? Get off me.”

Her gaze snagged on the jewelry tattooed to my wrist with its giant emerald eye. She grabbed my hand and studied it. “The bracelet brought you here,” she remarked.

“Yep.”

“Then you’re a fae princess, heir to House Flora.” She gestured to the rose-shaped building behind her.

I yanked my hand away. “It wasn’t my bracelet. I stole it.”

What was wrong with me? Why was I confiding being a thief to my next target? This girl had a house I wanted to ransack, and I was blabbing about being a criminal. I blamed the tatt—I’d been acting weirdly since it latched onto me.

I braced myself to control the fallout of my stupid runaway mouth, but she just shrugged. “I see, okay.”

What kind of response was that when somebody told you they’d stolen a magical bracelet that had brought them to the fae realm? She was taking this way too casually, and I began to suspect she had her own criminal past.

She turned to walk up the stairs but halted when I called, “What’s your name?”

“Lizabet Frankel, but people call me Liz.”

“And who are you?”

She tossed me a grin. “I’m your companion, princess.” She emphasized the title sarcastically.

I folded my arms across my chest and cocked out a hip. “Let me get this straight. This damn bracelet is tattooed to my wrist so everybody will think I’m the princess.” Liz nodded. “And what if I tell them I’m not?”

Liz put a finger to her chin and pretended to think. “Let me see, a human girl turns up and tells everybody that she stole the Floran Bracelet from the true princess…I don’t think they’ll throw you a party, hon. In fact, I think they’ll throw you in the dungeon and roast you slowly until you die.”

My heart flooded as my old buddy, panic, welled inside me. When I’d first ditched the orphanage and hit the streets, panic was my closest friend, my constant companion, but I’d become good at squashing it.

I took some deep breaths and tried to think clearly. I had to stay here. I could live in this goddamn flower house if I played my cards right, and people might even treat me like a princess. It was a temporary solution, but I could pull it off while I thought of something longer-term.

I put a hand on the shell of my ear. “But everybody can tell I’m human, can’t they? I mean, I could dye my hair blue and get some fake ears, I guess….”

Liz laughed. “Fae are more than just colorful hair and pointy ears, hon. We’re also stronger, have better eyesight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, can do spells, and have an inner power we can summon.”

Riiight. The temporary plan just got a whole lot more temporary. I couldn’t pull off being fae for longer than about five minutes. I slumped onto a step, dropping hard and bruising my ass, and Liz lowered delicately beside me.

She rested her knee lightly against mine, which felt surprisingly comforting. “Nobody will pick it up for a few weeks at least,” she assured me.

“Why not?”

“Human technology suppresses fae magic. Nobody will expect your powers to return to you for a couple of weeks. Until then, you’re welcome to stay here.”

I narrowed my eyes and scooted away from her. “Why are you helping me?”

Up this close, I saw that even her eyebrows were pale green. She ran a hand through her hair. “I like living here, it’s much grander than my old house. Dad always told me I had grand aspirations, but I don’t see what’s so wrong with that. So here I am, companion to a princess who doesn’t exist.” She leaned in close. “It’s boring as shit,” she confessed. “I mean, I was glad the mythical princess had finally arrived so I’d be less lonely. Even fine fae rugs grow tedious after months of treading them alone.” She knocked my knee again with hers. “And frankly, I’m even happier you’re not really a princess because I’m sure the real one is as interesting as a dead fly.”

I scrutinized her face with every word she spoke and saw nothing but sincerity. I was an excellent judge of character and always on the alert for a scam, but I saw no treachery in her face.

“Can I ask you questions whenever I need to? Like, will you help me stay?” Man, it tasted like ash asking for help, and if she denied me, I’d run inside and grab whatever I could hold, then find somewhere else to hide out.

It was her turn to examine me, and my heart pounded while I waited for her answer. “Only so far as it doesn’t land me in trouble,” she said, and I nodded my agreement. I could work with that.

We shook hands to seal the deal. I was officially a fake fae princess. Bring it on.