14. Lily

That night I had the wildest dreams I'd ever had in my life. I dreamed that huge, invisible hands were stretching and pinching me—molding my body like clay. I moaned and writhed but there was no getting away from them. They shaped and twisted me in ways I felt sure I wasn't meant to go. I begged them to stop, but though deep voices whispered reassurance in my ears, the torture continued.

At last, after what felt like hours of the worst and most painful massage ever, the huge, invisible hands finally let me go. I moaned in weariness and relief and someone told me it was time to sleep. Finally, I drifted off once more and didn't wake up until morning.

I assumed it was morning, anyway, though it didn't feel like any morning I'd ever had before.

For one thing, I wasn't sleeping all cramped up in the small seat of my minivan. Nor was I in my bed back in the home I'd lived in with Christopher before he kicked me out and divorced me.

The bed I was in felt too big and comfortable to be any bed I'd ever been in before. Also, there was a luxuriously soft fur coverlet over me that seemed to rub my bare skin in all the right places. There was no way I could afford such a thing—even if I believed in using real fur, which I didn't.

And the third thing that let me know I was in a strange bed and a strange place was the fact that there were two big, muscular male bodies bracketing my own naked body on either side. I was literally the filling in a man-wich and that was certainly something that had never happened to me in the morning—or any time for that matter—before. What the hell was going on?

I struggled to get up, but it was difficult. The arms lying across my side were heavy and the broad chest in front of me kept rubbing against my breasts and nipples—which seemed extra sensitive for some reason. In fact, I could feel myself getting aroused even though I told myself that was crazy.

Here I was in bed, naked and trapped between two huge, strange men and I was getting turned on by it? That wasn't right at all! I might be in danger—who knew what they had done to me the night before? I needed to get out of here!

I finally managed to push the arms aside and sit up, looking around myself with uncertain eyes. At first it was too dark to see anything, but then it seemed like my eyes adjusted and I could see much better. A moment later, the light source in the room began to grow brighter and I could see even more.

I couldn't tell where the soft, silvery light was coming from at first, but then I saw one of the weeping-willow type trees not far from the bed. Its long, trailing branches had slender leaves that were emitting the gentle glow.

I frowned—a tree with glowing leaves? What was going on here?

Slowly, the events of the night before began coming back to my mind. Spending my last five dollars on gas and parking behind the Grab N Go…seeing the dancing fairy lights in the forest…being drawn to the clearing by the delicious smell and the soft, enchanted music…then being caught by the Captain of the Palace Guards…

Who just happened to be one of the men I was in bed with, I saw, as I looked down. Seldarin's features were relaxed in sleep, losing the stern expression he usually wore. Krynn, on the other hand, seemed to be having a bad dream. His lovely face was scrunched up and his big, beautiful wings were out and twitching.

"Please, Mistress!" he moaned softly. "Please don't make me! I swear I'll do better next time—please."

Despite having no idea what the two of them might have done to me the night before, I felt a surge of compassion for the lovely Fae. I reached out a hand to wake him up…and then drew it back reluctantly as I remembered my plan to try and sneak out early and go back to my minivan.

Both of the Fae were sleeping soundly so I climbed out of bed as quietly as I could and started hunting for my clothes. The dirty jeans and sweater I'd had on the night before were long gone, but I found my jacket and it still had the car keys in one pocket—good. I also found the champagne silk nightgown and robe Krynn had given me on the floor by the side of the bed.

As I bent to pick them up, a long sheaf of hair fell over my eyes, obscuring my vision. I frowned and started to push it out of the way impatiently…then stopped.

The hair was clearly mine—I could feel it in my scalp when I tugged on it. But it was much longer than it had been the night before. And somehow it had changed color.

Forgetting that I was naked, I grabbed more of my hair and examined it. Instead of being mousy brown with streaks of gray, it was now silvery white with streaks of…

"Purple?" I muttered to myself, looking at the long, silky strands. "What in the world?"

I shot a glance at the bed, where the two big Fae were still fast asleep. Had they dyed my hair while I was asleep? But why would they do something like that? Also, how had my hair grown so long in such a short period of time? Did it have anything to do with the weirdly delicious wine I'd been drinking the night before?

My nails were different too, I now noticed. Instead of being short and stubby, (I had been biting them due to stress,) they were long and oval and looked perfectly manicured. Also, my skin looked paler and smoother—it almost seemed to shimmer—which must be a trick of the light.

I shook my head at the weirdness of the whole situation. Somehow while I slept my hair had been changed and I had been given the best manicure I'd ever received. I must have been really out of it not to realize all that was happening to me.

A cold little thought crept into my mind. If I had slept through having my hair and nails changed, what else might I have slept through? What had Seldarin and Krynn done to me while I was apparently unconscious?

My hand went involuntarily to the place between my legs, but I didn't feel sore there at all. I did feel more sensitive but there was nothing to indicate that I'd been assaulted in any way, which was a huge relief. But what if?—

At that moment, Seldarin sighed and turned over in the bed. I froze in place, still naked as I watched the big Fae. I was waiting for his eyes to open…but luckily he simply made a soft snoring sound and continued sleeping. Krynn was sleeping more deeply now too—his bad dream apparently over.

Deciding that I would worry later about the strange make-over I had apparently had in my sleep, I picked up the nightgown and robe and swiftly slipped them on. As I did, I noticed something strange about my breasts—were they bigger and firmer now? But that was crazy—wasn't it? I might convivially sleep through having my hair and nails done, but there was no way I would sleep through a boob job—and no way such an extensive surgery would heal overnight.

Anyway, I didn't have time to find out—I had to go. I found the matching slippers and put them on my feet, glad that I wasn't going to be barefoot once I reached the forest.

IfI could get there—first I had to find my way out of this maze of a palace. I grabbed a handful of berries from last night's dinner tray to munch on as I navigated the winding tunnels and looked longingly at the cold remains of the delicious not-quite-chicken. I wished I had some Tupperware or a to-go box to pack it away in. It was hands-down the best food I'd ever had in my life and I wasn't sure when I'd get to eat again.

But even the promise of the delicious Fae food couldn't keep me from sneaking away. I wasn't the Lost Princess and I didn't belong here in this gorgeous palace—I didn't want to have to deal with the consequences when Seldarin and Krynn realized that.

Also, I didn't want to deal with whatever I had presumably started the night before with the two big Fae. I still had no explanation as to why I had woken up naked between them. The last thing I remembered was drinking the delicious wine that tasted like melted jelly and then feeling dizzy. I didn't think I'd been assaulted but it was still extremely weird, especially considering the changes to my hair and nails—I needed to get away.

Part of me hated going back to the "human world" or the "Mortal Realm" as they called it, but I was certainly in better shape than I had been the night before. I was well-fed and well rested, despite a night of bizarre dreams. And now that I was clean and looking more respectable, maybe I could take another stab at finding a job.

So, rather regretfully, I made my way to the back of the cavern and slipped into the dark mouth of the long tunnel.

It was time to go home—or at least back to my minivan.