Free Elfmoon by Leila Bryce Sin Page B

hair wasn’t a dye job. I could feel the magic coming off of him in waves, calling to the magic swirling inside of me, pulling my body and making my hands itch to touch him. “So,” I said, clearing my throat. “What does it do?”
    “Well, the amethyst helps protect against magical attack, and the star helps with balance and clarity,” he explained as he reached up and unhooked the silver chain from the display. He cradled the pendant in his hand and held it out to me for a closer look. “And the chain is fairy floss, nearly unbreakable.”
    “Wow,” I said a little lamely as I lifted a hand to touch the pendant, feeling the magic pulsing from it, or him, I couldn’t be sure. Possibly both.
    “Let’s see how it looks on you, shall we?” He stepped behind me before I could protest, lifting his hands up and over me until the star was settled against the exposed skin of my chest from the V in my sweater. I turned towards the display mirror and was taken immediately with the browns, greens, and purples of the pendant. It was warm against my skin as its magic slipped and slid with mine, finding a rhythm with the beat of my heart. The fairy floss was almost invisible against my fair skin, just a sparkle in the glow of the lights overhead. As I watched, the pendant began to glow against my skin until the colors ran together, bursting bright white before fading again.
    “It is beautiful on you,” he whispered over my shoulder, his lips close to my ear. “I believe it belongs to you.” I lifted my free hand to touch it.
    “How much is it?” I asked, my voice a little breathy. The magic between our bodies, coupled with the magic pulsing from the pendant, was starting to make my insides twist pleasantly. I was very aware of the heat of his body so close to mine and the sweetness of his breath as he whispered to me. Half a step back and our bodies would have been pressed together.
    “No charge,” he said, taking a step back and bowing his head slightly when I turned to look at him.
    “No, no,” I said, shaking my head and digging into my pocket with my free hand, looking for some coins.
    “It is yours,” he said, spreading his hands wide as if he had no control over the situation. “You’ve been favored. I couldn’t sell it to anyone now, even if I wanted to.” I thought about the sudden burst of light from the pendant and wondered what “being favored” meant.
    “But I have to give you something,” I insisted, holding out some silver and gold coins for him, but he stubbornly shook his head, holding his hands up as if in surrender.
    “Think of it as a fairy favor,” he said. “If I tried to charge you for a star of the Shide, I would find myself most unlucky.”
    “I don’t understand,” I said, feeling my brows contract.
    “And you wouldn’t, fairy riddles as they are.” He smiled at me, and I saw the sparkle in his bright green eyes again and something fluttered in my stomach.
    “Does this mean I owe you now?” I asked, feeling a prickle on the back of my neck. “I mean, I don’t want to wake up one morning and find out that I’m your slave or something.”
    “Would that be so bad?” he asked with a wink. I couldn’t help but laugh. “But in all honesty, no, you owe me nothing. On my honor, I swear it.” He placed a hand over his heart and bowed his head again. I knew oaths were just as important to the fair folk as they were to the elves, so I nodded, accepting what he said.
    “Well, thank you.” I stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder as I lifted up on my toes and kissed him on the cheek, just as I had done to Baven. He smiled at me as I backed away. “Maybe I’ll see you again.”
    “One can only hope.”
    I turned away from him, lifting my cup to my lips and downing the last of my mead in one large swallow, hoping it would do something to cool my now-heated body. A wild part of me thought about offering to repay him with a visit to The Garden, but I just couldn’t