Chapter 4Helio

4

Helio

H elio was in hell.

What was worse, it was a hell of his own making.

But how could he have known he’d stumble upon the one human impervious to fae trickery? Or, not impervious. Oblivious. Completely and totally oblivious.

In all his centuries tormenting humans, Helio had never seen anything like it. And true, over time humans had forgotten many of the rules when it came to dealing with his kind. Never give a fae a full name, never accept a fae gift, never agree to a favor, et cetera. But usually there was still a part—some deep, ingrained bit of the human spirit—that was instinctually wary when interacting with him.

It was part of the challenge, to not scare his prey off before they could be trapped.

But Benny—Benny Carter—had given it all to him so easily. He’d accepted the drink, given his name, agreed to the consequences, and then eaten the food of the realm without a second thought. Helio could keep him here for all eternity and be well within his rights at this point.

Except Benny didn’t seem to mind . He spent his days frolicking on the beach in his minuscule shorts without a care in the world, stretching and flexing his sun-kissed muscles for his Internet fans, cutting through the sea with his broad arms, making his shorts even tinier so the sun could kiss another inch of his golden skin.

He didn’t seem to know he was trapped, and even if he did, Helio had a sneaking suspicion he’d just grin and say, “Cool, dude,” or something equally inane.

Where were the human’s survival instincts?

Helio had driven much wiser men mad within hours before inevitably sending them back from whence they’d come (he didn’t actually keep them for all eternity—who could be bothered with the upkeep?).

And then there was his villa.

Helio’s enchanted villa, which should have been aiding him in his dastardly pursuits. Instead, it was serving as Benny’s lapdog—giving him everything his heart desired at the drop of a hat. Benny had only to ask for something, and it would materialize.

That wasn’t how it was supposed to work.

Everything was supposed to have a catch. An Xbox would appear, say, but it would be missing a crucial cord that would never be found. Clothing could be summoned, but it would itch terribly whenever worn. Food would be delicious but would never satiate.

And yet the only catch so far had been the extremely tiny size of Benny’s shorts.

But that only served to torment Helio.

And when Helio had brought it up to the villa—when he’d thrown, perhaps, a bit of a tantrum—he’d been punished for it. Helio’s bedchamber was now an icebox every night, cold in a way even extra blankets couldn’t remedy.

And Helio supposed it had been hypocritical of him, seeing as how he himself had given Benny his phone back, given him access to the Internet, even, no matter the strain on his powers to allow contact between the realms.

Why had he done that?

It was maddening.

Almost as maddening as the drop of sweat sliding down between Benny’s pecs as he lay on the lounge chair (that the villa had provided) in his too-small swim shorts (also the villa) sipping on an iced tea (villa) with his eyes closed.

He was a ridiculously attractive specimen, made even more so by his newly sun-kissed complexion. With his fuzz of short brown hair and his deep-brown eyes, with heavily muscled thighs any man—or fae, for that matter—would happily suffocate between.

As always, Benny seemed to sense Helio’s presence, opening his eyes the instant Helio approached. “Hey, man,” he greeted with a smile.

Always so happy to see him. As if Helio wasn’t his captor. His tormentor. His natural enemy. (Because he wasn’t, was he? Because Benny didn’t notice .)

The oblivious human patted the lounge chair next to him. “Wanna sit for a sec?”

He always asked. Just as he always asked Helio to join him playing his video games or swimming in the sparkling sea. And Helio always refused, determined to keep his distance (except at mealtimes, where he took a disturbingly keen interest in watching Benny consume more and more of the food that trapped him here). Helio generally preferred to stand ominously in the shadows and say ominous things.

But what was the point in that? Benny never noticed. He was like a rat in a maze, happily chewing on a hunk of cheese in the corner, not even searching for a way out.

So Helio sat, trying not to be affected by the way Benny’s brown eyes lit up as he did so.

He ignored Benny’s pleasure, stripping off his shirt and letting the fae sun warm him.

Why not? What did any of it matter?

Some time later—the chill from Helio’s icy room finally dispelled—he opened his eyes. Benny was on his side now, his head pillowed on his substantial bicep, staring at Helio. Staring at his chest, to be exact.

Helio cocked a brow.

Benny smiled sheepishly, then cleared his throat. “Hey, you’re straight, right?”

No, Benny, I’m not straight , Helio almost said. It would be very rare to find a Fae who was. They were generally equal opportunists when it came to pleasures of the flesh. “Why?” Helio asked instead.

“No reason,” Benny said quickly.

Too quickly.

Helio waited him out.

“Just…I’ve been really horny lately,” Benny said cautiously, as if he might be offending Helio by telling him so. “Not sure why.”

Helio knew why. The fae realm was a sensual place by nature, and with the amount of fae fruit Benny was swallowing down on a daily basis, it was a wonder he wasn’t rutting against every available surface.

“If you weren’t straight,” Benny continued, licking his lips nervously, “I wouldn’t mind some sort of arrangement. I’ve been spending a lot of time with my right hand, if you know what I mean. I’d really—”

Don’t say it. Do not say it.

“—owe you one.”

It was like catnip to a fae, to be owed a favor.

Not that Helio needed that incentive to be tempted.

He clenched his eyes shut for a moment, trying to get a rein on his impulses. He didn’t fuck the humans he brought here. Mostly because they were usually terrified, begging to be returned home. But also, it was the principle of the thing.

And if Helio fucked Benny…then he’d really have to give up the game, wouldn’t he? He’d have to admit he’d failed. That Benny wasn’t a tormented captive after all.

That if anything, he was becoming more like a beloved pet.

“But it’s cool if you’re straight,” Benny told him easily. “Or if you’re just not into me.” Helio opened his eyes just as Benny flipped onto his back. “But do you think it would be cool if I went skinny-dipping tonight? I just think it would feel really good. These shorts are a little small, you know.”

Oh, Helio knew.

“But it wouldn’t, like, offend the servants, right?”

Helio sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No, Benny. No servants will be offended by your nudity.”

Because there were no servants. Just Helio and his enchanted villa, the both of them apparently wrapped around Benny’s oblivious finger.

So why not let Benny prance around nude on top of everything else? What was one more layer to Helio’s torment?

It wasn’t like this endeavor could get any worse.