Winter Solstice Wishes Read online

  I jumped up. “I’m in!” Her eyebrow arched in dismay. “Forgive me.” I swept my arm out and bowed like a courtier. “Lady Elle, I am honored by your invitation.” When I rose and met her gaze she was smiling and shaking her head.

  “You tease, but I will teach you manners yet, Master Vodinski.”

  Her eyes glittered with humor but she’d managed to pull off a snooty tone pretty well. She was playing with me for the first time. I lowered my voice and leaned closer. “I give you permission to teach me whatever you desire.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Elle

  The path I’d created wound between oak and fir, alder and pine, meadow and brush. By design, it was only wide enough for us to walk shoulder to shoulder, leaving little impact on the surrounding habitat. Alone together for the first time, Sasha’s closeness was almost overwhelming, the delicious scent of him so strong it weakened my knees and speeded my heart beat.

  How would I survive this night without throwing myself into his arms?

  Tall like a fae lord, Sasha’s long, well formed legs flowed upward, joining his body in a pleasing way, his stomach firm, his chest and arms radiating strength. I had seen him without a shirt when he trained with his weapons and also in his bathing attire when he enjoyed the oddly scented pool. When he participated in those activities I would sometimes hide so he would not see me admiring his male perfection. It would have shamed me to be seen, my skin flushed and hungry for his touch.

  I wrapped my shawl more tightly around my shoulders, hiding my wanton smile by looking down at the ground. A rabbit scurried across our path, hurrying home before the snow began to fall. The evening sky had lost its stars to the dark clouds, the creatures of the forest instinctively understanding the possible danger.

  “You cold?” he asked. “You can use my jacket.”

  His kind words drew my gaze to his face and I was once more stunned by his beautiful smile. Sasha was as handsome as any male I had seen, his smile easy and genuine, his lips designed for mine alone, if only that were possible. His startling light blue eyes spoke to my heart, and not simply because of their beauty. There was pain reflected there, born in a darkness I understood. Sasha did his best to block out his distressing memories, throwing himself into his work with the Rogues team and his security business, hiding his sorrow by staying busy. He used humor as a shield, work as a sword, fighting against the pain of his past with every blow.

  My face was warming under his scrutiny. “I’m comfortable. Thank you, Sasha.”

  “I’ve been in these woods a hundred times, but I don’t know this trail.” He stopped, turning slowly in an attempt to get his bearings.

  “I created it tonight. It will take us directly to the festival grounds.”

  “Cool trick.” He pulled up the collar of his brown jacket to block the wind, which had picked up in strength during the last few minutes. “Too bad you can’t change the weather.”

  Because I’d lined the path with dry moss, we made very little noise as we trod toward the celebration. We kept our conversations to a whisper, preferring not to frighten the smaller creatures through whose home we journeyed. Sasha had his hands in his pockets. He was shivering.

  “I am surprised the cold bothers you.” I had not thought to inquire about a vampire’s ability to adjust to inclement weather. A fae can stand naked in a blizzard and not be affected.

  “This kind of cold, with snow in the air, brings back bad memories. Can we take the ley lines?” he asked.

  “I am not…” I shuffled my feet, hesitating. Admitting to weakness in front of this capable male was more difficult than I imagined. “I continue to heal, but there was much damage.” And I had developed a fear of traveling the lines, a cowardly condition I could not admit to out loud. If I stepped into their energy my presence would be noticed and I might be called back to court. I tightened my shawl as I trembled, my mind taking me once more to those rooms, to those brutal males.

  Sasha took my hand, immediately releasing it when he heard me gasp. He must have thought he’d frightened me. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched you. You were shaking,” he explained.

  My blood warmed in my veins once more. His simple compassionate gesture had brought me back to the present, back to him. No one had cared about my well being since childhood. I extended my hand. “Please don’t be distressed. I was only surprised at the sudden contact.” He hesitated, unsure. To put him at ease, I smiled. “If we are holding hands I may be able to warm both of us.”

  “Another magical gift?” He smiled in return, wrapping my hand in his, raising it and kissing it gently. “It is my pleasure to hold your hand, Lady Elle.”

  My heart thrummed at his words, matching the beat of the smaller woodland creatures I’d glimpsed along the way. I had once thought he mocked me, calling me lady, but I knew now he used the term with respect, perhaps even affection.

  We had stopped for a moment near a group of fir trees, snow coating their needles and sparkling under the moonlight. “This is the first time we’ve been alone together.” He spoke softly, taking small steps with words and deeds to gain my trust as one would a young child. He was always so careful with me, except for the times he teased. I liked those times best.

  “Is it the first time? I had not realized.” That was a lie. I had thought about little else since he said he would come with me to the festival.

  He squeezed my hand playfully, perhaps sensing my untruth. I glanced away, embarrassed, but he tilted my chin so I’d have to gaze into his face. “I’ll never hurt you, Elle.”

  I blinked back a tear. “You have given me no reason to fear you. I trust both you and Heinrich.” But he did not understand how fragile my heart was when I was near him. A cruel action or unkind word from Sasha would hurt me more than anything that had gone before. I should never have allowed my heart to hope again.

  He seemed satisfied by my answer, and happily, did not release my hand. Brushing a few snowflakes from his chest and shaking out his shoulder-length blond hair, he asked, “Does it snow in Faerie?”

  “Only if someone wishes it to snow, which is rare.“

  “So you’ve never ice skated or ridden a sled or made a snow man or snow angels?”

  “What is a snow angel?”

  He looked at the ground. “We’d need more snow than this. Maybe I can show you later?”

  “I would like that very much.”

  Snow dampened my uncovered head. I tried unsuccessfully to shake it off. He laughed, using the hand that wasn’t joined to mine to brush my shoulders and comb through my hair. When his cool fingers stroked against my neck I shivered, but there was nothing icy about the gaze that met mine when I looked up.

  He wanted to touch me again, but instead of moving closer his shoulders slumped. He scanned the path ahead of us. “Maybe we should hurry. Neither of us wants to spend the solstice as an ice sculpture.”

  Clutching his hand a little tighter, I searched the broad plains his face for answers. Snowflakes were landing on his cheeks, leaving trails and wet smudges as they melted against his warmer skin. His golden hair sparkled like the lightly coated trees surrounding us, a winter sight as lovely as any I had seen. In truth, I wanted nothing about this night to be hurried or rushed, but he had waited so patiently. “Yes. The festival will begin very soon.”

  We set out again, walking hand in hand, and I thought back to when I’d first come to meet my warrior. I’d been nervous, living in the same house with two unattached males, but there was never an instant when I felt unsafe. Although they knew what I was and what I had done, not once had Sasha or Heinrich treated me like a whore, trying to touch me or seduce me as if it was their right. Occasionally Sasha would tease me with flirty comments, but that was his way to get me to smile. And as I lay in my bed each night, I often wished he truly meant the sweet, sexy words he sometimes uttered in jest.

  Sasha was a natural warrior, a male of strength, intelligence and honor. But I was not fit to be the lady of a wa
rrior, nor any honorable male. Sinlae disagreed, but she was a demi-fey, a female pixie with three males who loved her dearly and kept her very happy. She was a queen in her own right and her world was not mine.

  If I returned to Faerie, I would be shunned. Perhaps not by the more gentle-hearted of the Sidhe, but certainly by the families of the fae lords who’d used me. And there were many. So many. They would blame me for their father’s or brother’s or husband’s actions, as if I’d seduced them into bed or begged these males to hurt me. They would never believe the truth and I would have to remain silent to survive.

  How long before I slid into despair?

  Gentle fingers brushed my shoulder, bringing me back to this night with this male. He’d noticed my distress and sought to offer comfort. In all my years, Sasha’s was the only touch I’d ever wanted, his the only mouth I yearned to kiss, the only body I wished to see naked above my own.

  My face heated like a young fae maiden’s so I focused on the path ahead, hoping he had not noticed. His legs were longer, but he matched his pace to mine.

  Minutes later, we arrived at the festival clearing, a space free of snow and wind, dotted with flowering berry bushes and gardens of winter roses and mums. In the center, a large bonfire glowed and sputtered, the smell of burning birch and elder branches bringing back happy childhood memories.

  “Holy…”

  I stopped his next words with my hand on his mouth. “Respect is key in this place, lowly vampire,” I teased. “The forest allows us to stay and celebrate as long as we honor it with our words and our deeds.”

  Expecting his usual teasing retort, I was shocked when Sasha trapped my hand against his lips, taking in my scent with a long breath, his eyes beginning to sparkle with a silver light. With the lips I had dreamed about, he kissed my palm, running the tip of his tongue along the scars on my wrist. They were the ugly evidence of my years bound with iron, adding to my shame.

  But Sasha was not disgusted. “So sweet,” he said. “I knew you would be.”

  And the chains fell away.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Sasha

  I held her hand and waited, smiling, hoping she wouldn’t run, praying she’d take it as innocent fun, even though the taste of her skin had spiked my desire.

  She took a step back and I instantly released her hand. I’d never let her see me as a male who’d force his attentions on her like the males she’d had to submit to at court. I wanted to find those disgusting creatures and kill them slowly, but I was not allowed to visit Faerie and I doubted they would ever show their ugly faces here in Crescent City.

  “Sasha…” she pouted, blinking several times. “Try to behave.”

  Scold me again, gentle lady, and I will be yours for all time.

  “It’s the solstice, right? I’ve heard about what goes on at these Faerie parties.” Jackie and Garrett had attended a few summer solstice celebrations and had regaled us with stories galore, most of them involving music, dancing and lots of sex.

  “Tonight is the winter solstice. This festival allows us to express our gratitude for the return of longer days. It is not a festival that celebrates the miracle of life, conception and growth as does the summer solstice.”

  I looked around at the lithe shapes clad in darker shades than I was used to seeing on the fae. Elle looked perfect in her blue gown, but even if she’d worn black she’d shine brighter than all the others put together. “Figures you’d invite me to the dull party,” I teased, relieved to see her perfect mouth curling up at the corners. “And I’m a vampire. Longer nights are more up my alley.”

  “This is the longest of them all, the perfect night to be a vampire.”

  “The perfect night to share with a lady of Faerie.” She blushed and turned away, her sweet scent filling my body with desire. Afraid I’d made her nervous, I changed the subject. “So, are we in Faerie?” Other than the flowers it looked pretty much like a normal forest clearing.

  “No, this is still your world.” She gestured toward a group busily adding branches to the bonfire. “Although they live in Faerie as do most fae, these fae are not subjects of King Finvarra. This cluster of woodland fae are his allies, free spirits who honor the forests and the natural creatures who live there. They celebrate the festival here first, in Faerie later, hoping the Balance remains strong in both realms. She frowned suddenly and whispered, “Do not mention the murder of your tree.”

  “Ah. Got it.” The bonfire was crackling, throwing lots of heat our way. “They’re burning wood. That can’t be too forest-friendly. Do they have to worry about the woodland police showing up?”

  She rolled her eyes, a surprising thing for a fae to do. She must have learned it from Garrett’s wife, Jackie. She and Elle liked to hang out together during the day. “They are burning branches that have already fallen. Dead wood.”

  “Good thing. Didn’t want to get arrested at my first solstice.”

  I took in a deep breath, automatically checking for any species other than fae. If these woods were in the human realm, there was always a chance that a rogue werewolf could come barging in. As Garrett’s second in command, it was part of my job description to always be on the alert for trouble.

  She shook her head. “We are protected by the forest. No one else will enter.”

  If anyone else had breached my shields and read my mind I would have freaked, but this was Elle, and she already held my heart in her graceful hands, even though she hadn’t a clue. I took another deep breath. “The fire has an odd smell.” I wrinkled my nose, trying to distinguish the various layers of scent.

  “The wood is birch and elder, signifying new beginnings. Various herbs are also added to promote the health of the forest habitat.”

  “Looks pretty healthy already.” Besides the lush vegetation, the fae themselves seemed full of life. Although they were dressed in darker shades, these fae seemed more joyful than the fae I’d come in contact with, dancing around as they fed the bonfire, singing as they prepared their feast. There was nothing joyful about most of the residents of the Cascade Sidhe, the fae group I was used to dealing with, although Farrell and Brina had their fun moments.

  “They’re going to allow me to watch?” I asked, beginning to get excited. I’d never be invited to a Cascade solstice ceremony, so this might be my only chance to participate in one.

  “You are my guest. Their only request is that you abide by their customs.”

  “I can do that.” I mean how crazy could those customs be?

  There was a mischievous glint in her eye. “Please remove your shoes and socks.”

  I glared at the sharp looking needles and jagged pieces of pine cones on the ground. “Um…”

  “Trust me.”

  We removed our shoes and socks, my eyes shooting open as I noticed for the first time how lovely her feet were. She saw me looking and curled up her toes.

  “What? Is it improper to admire a female’s feet?” I asked.

  “No, but you were looking at them with hunger in your eyes.”

  “I promise on my honor I would only kiss a lady’s feet, no biting, unless she begged.” I winked.

  She stared at me like a rabbit under the gun, her fingers twisting around a lock of her long hair—a sweet habit she fell into when she was nervous. When she finally spoke I was floored. “That lady would be most fortunate.”

  Before I could respond, she turned, walking barefoot toward the bonfire at a fast pace. Once there she greeted a few of the woodland fae with polite nods, leaving me alone and stunned into silence. She’d actually flirted back. “Are you coming?” she asked, turning in place, her expression butter-melting.

  I’m hopeful, Lady Elle.

  “Right behind you,” I called out, wincing again at my decision to wear such tight jeans. It was going to be a long night.

  The ground felt nothing like what I’d imagined, as soft as my favorite slippers, but I wasn’t wasting time thinking about my feet when the female of my dreams was giving me
the green light.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Elle

  Had I gone too far? Misread his intentions? He had used his usual teasing tone, then added a phrase that left desire pooling in my belly. “No biting, unless she begged.” Would he bite me if I begged, or would he turn away, disgusted by my audacity?

  Perhaps we could enjoy each other this one night, the longest night of the year. And I would hold the sweet memory of our time together in my heart, warming me in the months and years to come. I knew he lusted for me, but that was nothing unusual for a vampire, a creature said to have a powerful sex drive. Jacqueline had told me when a vampire fed from a donor they often had sex.

  To Sasha, I would simply be one more female he enjoyed, but for me it would be different. I wanted him enough to swallow my fear and give him pleasure, finding pleasure of my own in the strength of his body and the tenderness of his touch. He was kind and honest. He deserved my gift, even if it was only this once.

  His hand rested on my lower back as we stood close to the bonfire. I relaxed and did not move away, enjoying the way his possessiveness made me almost feel worthy to be seen at his side. “You look lovely tonight, Elle.” Long fingers traced the line of my jaw, knuckles skimmed my cheek, as if there was true feeling behind his gentleness.

  I leaned against his hand, wanting more. “Thank you.” I didn’t tell him I’d agonized over choosing my gown, fixing my hair, even adding a touch of magic to make my cheeks a little rosy. Shameful, but I would not feel guilty that his compliment made my toes curl and my body ache.

  Sasha moved his long hand up my arm, pulling me a tiny bit closer, but never so hard as to make me feel trapped. He understood my fears. I wanted to cry, my yearning for him was so great, but I would not act like a silly maiden. I would speak honestly, leaving the choice up to him.

  The woodland fae had begun to chant in the language of my people, moving around the bonfire, throwing tiny sticks into the flames. They quickly caught fire and turned to ash, the thrower watching the color of the flames closely.