By the Enchantment of Moonlight Read online

“Crandall McGowan has gone off to Iceland,” the woman snapped sharply. “You heard what happened to his daughter. He’s there investigating. We can only hope he doesn’t figure anything out while he’s gone.”

  Swift instantly latched on to the woman’s words. What did she know of Iceland? And who was this McGowan she spoke of? Somehow that name was familiar. Clearly whatever was going on here had something to do with the things Swift had encountered there. There was no way this could be coincidence.

  “There’s no telling how long McGowan will be gone. Should I tell some of my associates to go take care of him?” Wain asked.

  The woman merely gave him a scathing look. “If I wanted him dead I’d do that myself. No, we still need him. This will just delay us awhile.”

  “The Council Leader said we don’t have room for any more delays. Things are bad and the Veil is in grave danger. We need the equipment in place and running immediately.”

  Suddenly the woman’s tone of annoyance was gone. She flashed dark, almond eyes and smiled a sultry smile. The effect on Wain was obvious. He stood as if frozen in place while the woman traced one long, elegant finger along the side of his jaw.

  “Now, Wain, don’t be so impatient. You know I always keep my promises, don’t I?”

  “Yes, but the council—”

  “Stop worrying so much about the council. They don’t know everything that’s going on, do they?”

  Now her fingers trailed over the nervous fairy’s chest and down toward his belt. She tugged at the clasp there. It didn’t take much imagination to understand what the growing bulge in the front of Wain’s moleskin trousers meant. He was reacting almost instantly to the woman’s touch.

  “Miranda…you know we can’t do this,” he said with obvious strain in his voice.

  “Of course we can, just like we could do this the last time we met here, and the time before that,” she replied.

  “If the council finds out…”

  She was practically purring as her eyes and fingers continued their exploration. “Like I said, they don’t know everything, and they don’t need to. Come on, Wain, you know you can do things to me no one else can. I’ve been waiting so long to see you again. Don’t make me wait any longer.”

  “I thought we were here to handle some of the equipment issues?”

  “How about if I handle your equipment?” she cooed at him.

  The woman wasn’t about to let this be merely a suggestion, either. Swift heard Pimma draw in a shocked gasp as the human practically threw Wain against the row of crates and rubbed her shapely, forbidden body against him. His quivering blue-green colored wings splayed out against the crates and he seemed completely helpless as she forced herself on him.

  “We should go help him!” Pimma hissed in a whisper, her eyes huge as she peered down at the shocking scene below them.

  Swift wasn’t quite sure how to explain to her that it had been fairly obvious—despite Wain’s frail protests—that he did not really want any help. At least, not the kind of help Pimma was suggesting. As the woman’s hands stole inside Wain’s loose clothing he groaned in aching pleasure. Swift cursed under his breath as his own traitorous body responded with a fiery need he would have given anything to be able to ignore.

  “What is she doing to him?” Pimma questioned.

  Swift would have given anything to be able to ignore that, too. Her voice was soft and breathy, and so very close to his ear that he could feel the heat from her lithe body. Her wing brushed his, sending additional unwanted sizzle through him. She had no idea, of course, the effect she was having, what watching the groping forms just a few yards away did to him.

  His throat was dry and painfully constricted. That was nothing compared to the ache in his groin. He could not trust himself to give her a quiet, intelligible answer.

  “Is she seducing him?” Pimma gulped.

  Indeed, she was. This Miranda woman was touching Wain in places that would have sent any human male into sexual frenzy. A fairy, however, should have been unaffected, protected from lust and desire by his magic and his very nature. It was obvious though, that this fairy was very much affected. Not only was he allowing the woman to pleasure him, but he had begun to willfully participate.

  Wain wrapped the woman in his arms, grasping her fleshy buttocks and grinding himself against her. Wain grunted and Swift gritted his teeth. It was clear that the re-sized fairy had wasted no time—he was willingly and eagerly engaging in the most carnal, human activity. The woman’s short skirt rode up higher and higher as her hips began a rhythmic gyration that was hypnotizing to watch.

  “Now I believe Wain is seducing her,” Pimma commented lowly.

  Swift nodded. That was all he could do. Wain had given in without hesitation, helpless against the woman’s allure. Swift wrestled against it, too, but it was more a general sense of arousal than actual interest in her. His body was alert to sensation, but it was the delicate fairy at his side who filled his thoughts and roused his desire.

  The woman had a firm hold over Wain, though. Their bodies entwined in unfettered passion as Wain serviced her with abandon. Swift and Pimma were jostled as the stack of crates rocked wildly, Wain thumping against them as he thrust and thrust again, driving himself into the woman and clutching her tightly against him.

  Swift could see their undulating forms through the slats of the crates. He clenched and unclenched his own fists as he watched Wain knead the woman’s tight skin. By the Skies, but Swift tasted blood as he bit into his own cheek, desperate to maintain control. The sound and the sight of this wanton lovemaking continued to surround them and fed the torrid desire that welled up inside him.

  Finally Wain gave a final thrust and groaned loudly. His features contorted as he arched against the woman. She sighed breathlessly, if not a bit overly dramatic.

  “You are magical, Wain,” she murmured. “I came so hard for you.”

  Wain was panting. “Did you? Did I take you all the way there, Miranda?”

  “Oh, yeah. You’re amazing. But…” She paused, pushing herself away from him and pulling her skirt down. “Like you said, we don’t want to get caught here. Why don’t you go clean yourself up and then we can get back to business. These boxes won’t ship themselves, you know.”

  “Right. Of course.” Wain was stammering, putting his clothing back in order and trying to regain his balance. “We’ve got business here.”

  He grabbed Miranda and pulled her to him for one quick kiss before she shoved him away.

  “Go, hurry up now,” she ordered.

  He nodded, but wasted a few seconds more just staring at her, shaking his head. “You are so amazing, Miranda. I can’t believe you chose me, over everyone else.”

  “Yeah, only you, Wain. Nobody else does me like you. Now go wipe yourself off.”

  He shuffled away and she was left alone, patting her still impeccable hair and smiling smugly. Swift was only now beginning to be able to breathe again, so he was just about to suggest to Pimma that they make a hasty exit when the woman turned and glanced up in their direction. Her smile increased as her eyes darkened.

  “So, little fairies, did you enjoy the show?”

  * * *

  Pimma was stunned. Her mind was still reeling from what she’d just witnessed, but now this woman seemed to be aware of their presence! How had they allowed her to detect them? They were trying to remain hidden, and the protection from the Veil should have been enough to cloud the human’s vision. Being seen by a human was a foolish, juvenile mistake. Pimma was a little bit ashamed of herself for becoming so caught up in that appalling sexual display that she’d somehow broken the first rule of non-interaction. Never let them know you’re there.

  But this woman did know they were there. How could she? Humans could not so easily peer through the Veil. Only creatures from the Forbidden Realm had that power, and this was a human.

  Still, she was gazing right at them. Swift met Pimma’s eyes and gave her a shrug, then stood boldly
to stare down at the woman. He made quite a figure, facing her this way and not shrinking in fear the way Pimma wanted to do. Taking a deep breath, she rose to stand beside him and gazed down at the woman.

  “Perhaps I should have invited you both to join in,” the woman said with a heated glint in her eyes. “But I’m afraid there was no time for such niceties. My partner—as you likely noted—tends to keep things rather abbreviated. Sadly, the festivities are usually over for him before they’ve even begun for me.”

  Now she was raking over Swift’s defiant form with dark, hungry eyes. Pimma’s wings vibrated with indignation. How dare this lusty human look at a respectable fairy with such obviously foul intent!

  Swift would never engage in such degenerate behavior as Wain. If anyone consistently followed the rules, it was Swift. He was absolutely devoted to the Fairy Code. Did this human female think she could corrupt Swift the way she obviously had Wain? Well, she would be sadly mistaken.

  Unless maybe Pimma was the one who was mistaken. She glanced over at Swift then had to take a second look. His eyes were transfixed on the woman, and the fire burning behind them was obvious even to Pimma. She could feel tension and need radiating off of him and his wings were held perfectly erect.

  Was that the only part of him that could do that? By the Skies, where had that wayward thought come from? Pimma blinked hard, forcing her gaze not to wander down toward the front of Swift’s tanned moleskin pants and search for the same sort of bulge she had noted on Wain. Swift’s would be larger, of course, comparatively speaking. Even in his human-sized form, Wain had been unimpressive, she thought. Swift, however, would be magnificent.

  Not that she should even imagine such fantasies about him, though! What did she know of such things? Pimma had very little interaction with humans, and certainly this escapade was the closest she’d ever come to observing their most intimate acts. To even let her mind linger on these thoughts—and to include Swift in them!—was way out of line. She needed to stop it right now.

  That was easier said than done, though. Strange emotions and unfairylike images swirled inside of her. She was suddenly going warm. What had started as an uncomfortable flush of embarrassment was quickly becoming something quite different. Her cheeks had gone hot, but now more intimate areas of her body were flickering to life with a very different sort of heat. What had happened to her? She’d never felt anything like this before.

  “What is it?” the woman asked them, moving closer. “Do these sensations you feel frighten you? Go ahead, give in to them. Let yourselves feel what you’ve been denied for so long.”

  Her voice was sweet and low, filling the air with warmth and enticement. Pimma tried not to hear her, but of course she couldn’t help it. Her ears seemed to tune out every other sound, the whir of distant machinery, the echo of the woman’s footsteps in the huge building, the heavy breathing of Swift beside her…all of it was fading into nothing while only the alluring timbre of the woman’s words embraced her.

  Desire was not simply the heat and the tingle inside of Pimma, it was rapidly becoming the air that she breathed. She knew Swift felt it, too. His need was practically pulsating off of him, adding to Pimma’s yearning. His wings were so close, she wanted to touch them. She could just reach out her hand and trace the velvety sheen, stroke the muscular juncture where fairy wings joined his humanlike frame. It was sensitive there. How would he react if she were to touch him?

  Her mind raced with images of her skin connecting with his in other, more intimate places. Those pants he wore were so tight, so well fitted…she could barely keep her eyes off of him. How would it feel if she ran her fingers over the solid contours of his form? Would he moan with pleasure if she did? Would he react for her as Wain had when that woman reached for his engorged maleness?

  She swayed, just a bit dizzy at the thought of it.

  The woman continued moving closer to them, her gaze fixed and her tantalizing voice floating as its own entity around them.

  She practically cooed as she spoke. “Admit it. You’re wondering what it would be like to ignore your silly Fairy Code and dabble in some of the pleasures we humans enjoy.”

  “Stop,” Swift interrupted her quickly, his voice jarring Pimma out of her trance. “You aren’t any human. I can sense your true nature all over you.”

  “Oh?” the woman questioned. “What is it you sense?”

  “Darkness. You aren’t human; you’re from the Dark Realm.”

  Where Pimma had been warm she was suddenly cold. The woman’s eyes widened in surprise. It was obvious that Swift had guessed correctly. This woman hadn’t expected him to be so astute.

  “How perceptive of you,” she said with a respectful nod, although her advance continued and her gaze was still sultry and determined. “I didn’t know fairies had much knowledge of the Dark Realm.”

  “We don’t,” Swift informed her. “But I can recognize a succubus well enough.”

  A succubus! By the Skies, is that what this woman was? Pimma’s mind had been clouded, but things were slowly becoming clear again. She could sense magic in the woman, the ancient kind that had existed before even fairy magic. And just as Swift had declared, it was dark.

  The woman seemed pleased that Swift recognized her for what she was. She seemed even more pleased to sense Pimma’s growing anxiety. The succubus eyed her, studying her as if selecting a meal. Her smile practically sizzled. Pimma felt timid and small under this creature’s hot, eager gaze.

  “What a pretty little fairy you are,” she said, her seductive words practically dripping sweetness. “So ripe, so ready to learn. I wonder who will be your teacher?”

  Pimma didn’t get the chance to ask what in the Skies she meant by that before the succubus turned her desirous focus onto Swift.

  “And you…you are most remarkable,” she said, her gaze trailing over Swift’s body. “I sense something special in you, my virile enforcer. What is it? What has made you so different…affected you this way?”

  Her voice trailed off as she narrowed her flashing eyes, now all but ignoring Pimma. What did this dark creature sense in Swift that held her attention so thoroughly? The succubus certainly had not appeared nearly so interested in Wain, and she’d been actively engaged in carnal activities with him! What could she be contemplating in relation to Swift?

  Pimma had to study him herself. Of course he was a remarkable fairy, his form was excellent and he carried himself with confidence and purpose. His eyes, Pimma had to admit, were really quite striking. The color of emeralds, they seemed to miss nothing as he assessed the world around him.

  These were the things that anyone could detect in Swift right away. A quick glance would reveal his physical qualities as well as the honor, intelligence, and dedication that formed his essence. Yet this succubus seemed to be picking up on something deeper, something less obvious in him.

  Perhaps there was something unusual in him, though. Some sort of change…something about him that Pimma had not noticed before he’d been sent off on his mission. But what sort of change was it?

  He’d been able to recognize the succubus for what she was, hadn’t he? How had he seen that so easily when Pimma hadn’t? Desire and carnal activity had confused Pimma, yet somehow they gave Swift clarity. Wain obviously had not seen through the dark creature’s sensual deception, and Pimma herself had fallen under the spell.

  So what was it about Swift? What had made him different? It seemed the succubus wanted an answer just as much as Pimma did.

  “You’ve been in contact with some very unusual forces,” the woman said, now standing directly next to the tall stack of crates where they had perched. “I believe I need to find out just how you managed this. What have you been getting yourself into, I wonder?”

  “My actions are none of your business,” Swift informed her sharply. “I’m here to ask you a few questions.”

  The succubus simply shook her head with pretended remorse. “As much as I’d love to stay and chat—and do
other things—I’m afraid I have to be going. Maybe some other time you and I can get better acquainted. Hmm? You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  “I’d like to know what is going on here,” Swift replied.

  “Unfortunately, that’s not something I can tell you.”

  “Then I suppose I’ll just have to make you tell me,” he declared, wings buzzing and voice raised.

  Swift’s hand went to his pouch of Fairy Dust. Pimma readied herself to join in if he should need her. There was no guessing what he had planned for the succubus, but surely two fairies working magic against such a dark, powerful creature would be much more effective than one. At least, she hoped they would.

  Once they got the creature under control, Swift would have a way to make her tell them what she knew. He probably carried a good supply of Truth Dust, as a matter of fact. Swift was an enforcer, so he’d be authorized to carry such a highly controlled substance and he could use it at his discretion. Pimma doubted that even ancient Dark Magic would be unaffected by it. Swift would soon have the succubus telling him everything he wanted to know.

  Except that she must have anticipated this.

  “Don’t think you can use your paltry Fairy Dust on me,” she hissed at them. “Wain…get over here!”

  Wain was suddenly at her side. “You need me again?”

  “Yes. It seems we have unwelcome visitors.”

  Wain followed where she gestured and glanced up to notice them. Rather than being upset that his activities had been discovered, he smiled. Pimma couldn’t imagine that was a good sign.

  “Dorn indicated this might happen,” Wain said.

  “Then you know what to do about it, don’t you?”

  Wain nodded, but looked to the succubus for assurance. “The box, my dearest?”

  “But of course,” she replied sweetly.

  Suddenly, with a poof of magic and a sparkle of Fairy Dust, everything went dark. Had the lights gone out in the huge warehouse? No, this wasn’t some simple power outage. This was a trap!

  The succubus had known they would be here and had Wain ready this container. Pimma could feel its repressive properties right away. Whatever this box was, it was made to restrict magic. They were caught.