Page 57 of Fae Mates

“High faeries would probably have worked it out by now, don’t you think?” He raised his nose into the air and sniffed. “Besides, none of them would stoop so low to consume the essence of a creature they consider as no better than an animal.”

I gave McVittie a little pat on his front paw. “Between Lady Gala and her father, they’ve murdered unicorns, subjected the Duchess of Nevermore to a painful death, and plucked out the eyes of Mistress Catha, all to get the throne. When you compare all that to sucking off a centaur—”

“You’re right.” The cat stood.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“At this rate, it will take Lady Gala all night to get even a drizzle of precum from Coltrane because her magic keeps getting in the way and icing his member. Let’s get the water and return to Pokeweed before your princes send out a search party.”

My head snapped to the side, and I whispered, “Shit!”

Chapter 14

I had wasted so much time puzzling out why Lady Gala was milking Coltrane that I’d completely forgotten the purpose of leaving the treehouse. We needed life-water in case Pokeweed woke from his coma and wanted to try out a cure.

While Lady Gala spluttered around Coltrane’s horse dick, McVittie and I slunk back from behind the ferns and crept toward the pepper trees.

The bright, full moon shone through the canopy, illuminating the forest and keeping all manner of creatures noisy and active. What I hoped were squirrels darted overhead from tree to tree, and a flock of bats burst out from beneath a low branch.

I stumbled backward with my hand on my heart. “Everyone’s acting crazy tonight.”

“How are you going to get through the pepper trees without touching the poisoned berries?” asked McVittie.

“That’s something I want to know, too,” I muttered.

“If I were you, I’d send one of your you-know-whats.”

I stared down at the cat, who met my gaze with the moonlight reflecting in his yellow eyes. “What are you talking about?”

He let out an exasperated huff. “We’re out in the open, so I can’t say his name out loud.”

“Oh!” I clapped a hand to my mouth and thought about his suggestion. “I don’t want to be alone with the others until they’re cured. Besides, Pokeweed could wake at any time, and I want him to have the water at the ready.”

“Hmmm,” said the cat. “Good point.”

As we continued past the wide canopy of the sycamore tree, I glanced down at the cat to see if he would act strange again around the spiraling seeds. McVittie kept his head down, as though not wanting to expose himself to temptation.

My thoughts drifted to the pepper trees. I was too big to crawl under their low branches, which would be a mistake because each tree would have several fallen berries at its base.

I couldn’t remember if Mr. Whittaker had mentioned whether the poison worked only if you ingested it. Still, I wasn’t about to take the chance with a dying friend and three horny princes whose curses needed breaking with some vigorous sex.

I stared up at the starry sky and sighed. If only Pokeweed was here to give me some guidance on how to fly.

“Here we are.” McVittie sat on his haunches and pointed his little head toward the trees. “If you’re thinking of asking me to climb poisoned shrubs to get the water, think again.”

“No.” I patted the empty water pouch. “With my latest infusion of magic, I should be strong enough to use my wings.”

The cat spluttered. “Are you sure?”

“I kind of flew up the stairs earlier.”

His eyes narrowed. “It was more like a drunken stumble with your wings splayed out for balance.”

“It’s not like I have any other options,” I muttered.

McVittie gave me a solemn nod, and I bunched the muscles around my shoulder blades to see if my wings would flap. Instead of the usual disobedience, they sliced through the air, lifting me off my feet.

With a few more concentrated flaps, I hovered six feet in the air.