Page 19 of Escape from the Green

Though that was asinine, of course.

There were many fae who could prevent her from screaming, who could catch her, entrance her before she could even think to scream.

I flew over the cliff she had been situated against, a low, lethal growl moving through me at seeing a figure bent over Amy's curled form.

She seemed asleep, eyelids pressed closed, body comfortably situated half-propped up by the rock. Whether she had been asleep before he'd gotten there or not, I wasn't sure.

But she was clearly not conscious as he bent low, lips close to her ear, whispering.

Tall, dark, smooth skin, perfect features.

It shouldn't have, but took me a long moment to realize who he was. What he was.

It wasn't until Amy's body started to fall backward, back arching, lips parting to let out white tufts of heated air, hips writhing.

It wasn't until then I knew.

A sex fae.

There were countless kinds, breeding had created untold numbers of deviant fae where there had once only been a precious few - Succubus, Incubus, Satyr, the usual suspects.

The branches fell from my hands, falling silently on the snow as I rushed forward, plowing bodily into the fae in question, feeling satisfaction when he landed with a grunt.

"What did you do to her?" I demanded, reaching down to close my hand around his throat, dragging him back to his feet.

It was risky not to plug my ears, to take the chance that he may have powers over men as well, but I was more worried about Amy and that despite the fact that he wasn't whispering to her anymore, she was still writhing, whimpering just a few feet to our side.

"Oh, just brought out her need," he told me, smile slow and - if I perhaps found myself the kind to be brought in by such urges - sexy smile. "It's sweet, you know? Girls like her. So... fresh. So... untapped. There's nothing like their desire. Sweet as a ripe peach still warm off the tree."

"Break the spell, or I break your neck."

"Ah, but then you would have no answers anyway, would you?"

"Undo it," I seethed, lifting him up a foot, making his feet dangle in the air, slamming him back against the stone, taking a bit too much pleasure at the crack of his skull against it. "You have no idea the rage I have inside me. And if she doesn't get better, nothing in The Green can prevent me from making you suffer in new and inventive ways. And, trust me, I have endured more torture than you can know about, so when I say inventive, I mean you'll scream until your throat bleeds, you'll cry until your cheeks burn and peel, you'll beg for mercy until your lungs give out. And you will find none."

To the side, Amy let out a choked sound, drawing my attention.

And it was too late when I had realized my mistake.

It was all but five seconds before I turned back to find him gone.

There was the choice - to chase him, or to stay with Amy.

Chasing him might show me how to break whatever spell she was under. But he hadn't cooperated when I'd demanded it. The chances of him ever doing so were slim.

Choice made, I flew over toward Amy, hand touching her cheek, finding it hot and clammy.

At the contact, her hands reached out almost frantically, clawing at the material covering my arms, pulling with all her strength - which wasn't much.

But pulling me to what?

Come over her?

That was what it seemed like.

Like she was trying to get me on top of her.

Like she was, fuck, like she was trying to get relief from the desire the fae had awakened in her, intensifying it the way the sex fae were known to do, making it like a fire inside, like something that may overwhelm them completely.