Free A Touch of Fae by J.M. Madden Page B

other Fae and Rory wondered why. They were so few of them anymore. It seemed unfair not to prepare her for what, or whom, might be coming to look. There were many others out there that were not as nice as he was.
    Maybe he had shielded her somehow. Looking her over, he saw no jewelry or other tokens on her.
    He became distracted when he reached her breasts. It was nice to see Violet in regular clothes, rather than that shapeless uniform she wore. He understood the practicality of the jumpsuit. He just didn’t like it. Her breasts haunted his dreams, as well as a couple of other choice parts. Even with the bruised face and bandaged hand she still enticed him. Watching her hands on the steering wheel of the Ferrari had almost undone him.
    Making his brain get back to the subject, he tried to shield his erection with his knee. Violet’s full, pretty lips were hanging open in disbelief. Reaching out, he pushed her mouth closed with the knuckle of his forefinger, trying not to think of using her mouth for other things. The erection he had been trying to think away hardened even more.
    “Why were you looking for me?” she asked weakly.
    “Because I can feel you pulling me to you. You’ve been pulling me in this direction for years.”
    She still looked confused.
    “It’s why I stopped at the shop every few years. Your blood, your ancestry has been calling me. I was just never able to find you until that day weeks ago.”
    Violet shook her head in disbelief, and looked back down at the calming waters.
    “What do you mean, ‘my ancestry’?”
    “You have very ancient, mystical blood in you, Violet. Fae blood.”
    Rory was prepared for the incredulous face and the scoff.
    “Yeah, right. Just because I’m Irish, doesn’t mean I’m Fae. God, what is that anyway? Fairies?”
    Rory nodded his head.
    Violet sputtered in laughter. “You actually think I’m a fairy?”
    “No,” he conceded. “I think generations ago you had a fairy or fairies in your bloodline and over the years it has become diluted. You have some Fae characteristics, but you are not a fairy.”
    Violet had reared away from him and was even now pulling farther away. Rory reached out and put his hand on her knee, stalling her movement. She had a look in her eyes that told him she was starting to believe he was crazy.
    “Listen to me a minute. It’s why you feel the need to come here, to this park. It’s a ‘Tween Place where you can feel the old magic of Faerie. Look at what you’re sitting on. The grass is green under you right now, but I bet even in the middle of winter you can tell this circle is here. Fairies haven’t been around for hundreds of years, but their descendants are. Your grandfather was Fae, as I suspect your mother was, and I know you are.”
    Violet stopped moving altogether, her eyes were hooded and cold. Rory knew she was thinking about what he said, but was still leery.
    “When you walked into the tree line,” he continued, “you felt it. Didn’t you? You feel it every time you walk through the old growth trees. If you look, the trees are probably oak, ash and thorn. It’s why your grandfather brought you here—to be closer to the magic.”
    Violet stopped pulling away from him and just listened, but he could see recognition of the things he was telling her.
    Leaning over to look in her eyes he told her, “It’s why I’ve been here before as well. There are magic hot spots like this, or nodes we call them, all around the country. Not as strong here in the States, but significant. Several hundred years ago the magic seemed to recognize that it was dying out because the Fae blood had become so diluted. In an effort to strengthen itself it concentrated in areas that would be a pull to people with ancient blood in their ancestry. You were pulling me to you even though you didn’t know it.”
    Looking pointedly at her beaded nipples, he let go of her knee.
    “Even now, sitting this close together, I still feel your pull.