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That was ridiculous; she had never met this fae, or any fae for that matter. From the stories her mother told from the grimoire, the fae were the ultimate tricksters. She needed to be on guard no matter what her instincts said. What she really couldn’t understand was that tingling feeling every time they touched. She thought he might be using magic on her. For what though, she wasn’t sure, but it definitely made her even more nervous.
Once Etain gathered herself, she was not sure how much time she had left to prepare for what would most likely turn out to be a battle of wits. Mostly, she hoped to keep her own when speaking to the fae male again. She had just gaped at him when he had been speaking to her and she was embarrassed by the encounter. He didn’t seem phased at all, and there she was unable to form a single word. She groaned out loud to the room just thinking about it.
Etain’s mood went even further south when she realized no one would miss her from Havenston. She wondered how long they would wait until someone claimed her home and all of her belongings. She hadn’t had much, but her home was cozy and it held the last remnants of her mother. Her mother had dyed and embroidered the curtains with the various phases of the moon and stars all around them. She had made Etain her finest dress that still hung on the peg in her room. There was also a table that had been well worn by the time Etain had been born, made by one of her ancestors many generations ago. What would happen to all of her things? The thought of all the people from her village pillaging her home made tears brim in her eyes.
Etain sucked a breath in through her nose to clear the tears and realized she was likely running out of time. She wanted nothing more than to scrub her body. Cautiously, she made her way to the door he had indicated. She opened it and was greeted by a room made entirely of obsidian. The tub looked like it was carved out of a giant block of the stone with intricate carvings that gave it a whimsical appearance. A waterfall cascaded over the far wall and rivulets ran off to create little streams that ended in small basins. She had never seen anything this magical. The walls and ceiling were polished to such a shine, it was like having a dark mirror reflecting back everywhere you looked. In a room made entirely of black stone, it was still bright enough to see; the dark walls and ceiling reflected plenty of light. It gave the room a relaxing presence, and while she found the choices interesting, she loved it all the same.
Finding a stack of linens near the fall, she contemplated only washing her face and hands, but when she found the actual looking glass, she realized what a mess she was. The previous night’s events all came crashing back to her.
Seamus had attacked her in the woods. He had been about to abuse her in a way she was not sure she could ever recover from. Taking stock of her body, she couldn’t feel any injury at all. She couldn’t be sure he had succeeded or not, and the unknown made her feel dirty and fearful. What if the blue winged giant wantedthatfrom her, too? He could take whatever he wanted, and she would be unable to do anything.
Either way she felt like her skin was crawling, so she quickly undressed and stood under the waterfall. She was expecting it to be ice cold, but instead it was pleasantly warm. The little alcove in the wall next to the fall housed a dozen bottles. She started to pick some up and smelled them. Finding what she assumed was a soap that smelled of lavender and a hair oil that smelled of jasmine, she used both. She was finding it hard to move quickly for it was such a luxurious experience.
Sighing, she remembered she had limited time, and the last thing she wanted was the male to suddenly appear while she was dressing. She was surprised again when she didn’t feel the fear she expected. Instead the idea made her excited in a way that convinced her she was likely broken. How could she feel something like that immediately following the encounter with Seamus?
She stepped out of the fall of deliciously warm water and moved towards the small basins to inspect the pastes and sticks. She decided they must be for cleaning her teeth, and she was pleasantly surprised by the minty taste. Feeling far more relaxed and in control of herself, she exited the bathing chamber and noticed new clothing had been laid out on the bed, just as he had told her there would be. The chemise was a silky black, lacy item, far shorter and far more risque than anything she was used to wearing. It stopped just past her upper thighs. She couldn’t help but think the male must possess an overinflated opinion of himself if this is what he expected her to wear.
The dress itself was a dark green velvet, but the bodice laced up her chest in a way that allowed anyone to view the lacy chemise below. Again, she thought the male to be rather ridiculous in his clothing choices. The skirt was form fitting and fell to her feet. She walked and noticed matching slits on either leg going up enough to catch a couple inches of the black lace that stopped high on her thighs.
She felt the heat of impropriety rise in her; she was sure her chest and face were a deep crimson. She had never felt so bare, but she was also sure she had never felt such fine fabrics caress her body. Looking around, she couldn’t find any shoes. She found it ridiculous he would have her dress in such a way and forget to be decent enough to give her shoes. She went back into the bathing chamber to look for her old boots, but noticed all of her clothing had disappeared.
She looked around everywhere, sure she had misplaced them. She recalled her mother telling her stories about the brownies in the Fae Realm. They love to clean and run a household. They do it for free and are incredibly loyal, but if you smite them, you will pay a hefty price. Not wanting to offend, she said, “Thank you,” to the bathing chamber just in case they were still around and could hear her. She gasped when she reentered the bedchamber; the blue giant had appeared again. “Talking to yourself now, Pet?” he asked her.
“My name is not Pet, nor am I a pet. I will kindly ask you not to refer to me as such, and no – I was talking to any brownies that might have been around. I assumed they were responsible for cleaning up the garments I left in the bathing chamber. I wish not to offend them, I have heard they can be rather spiteful when provoked,” she said indignantly.
The fae was obviously trying to hold back a smile as he took in her words. “Well, what is your name then, little human?”
She glared at him. She couldn’t be sure, but she felt like he was being condescending. “My name is Etain.” She paused, trying to give him her most unapproving scowls. “You blue oaf of a giant!”
The fae stared at her for a moment before he let out a loud bark of a laugh. “Blue giant to you indeed Etain. It is a lovely name for a lovely little human, however, I quite enjoy calling you Pet. Thus I will have to rudely decline your request.” He grinned at her, and his mouth grew wider the more she glared at him.
Etain was not ready to admit how her stomach fluttered when he called her lovely. She huffed and glared at him some more. “So what am I to call you? Or shall I stick with ‘Blue Giant’ and the many renditions I have been circulating through in my head?”
He laughed at her again, and Etain was starting to feel like some animal whose owner found them amusing when they did silly things.
“Oh, I like you Pet. I think I shall keep you. And ‘Master’ would be an acceptable name; however, something tells me you would never use it.” He chuckled at the incredulous look she gave him. “So Ciaran it is – at your service, my lady.”
He gave what she could only assume was a mocking bow. It was like everything he said or did made her the object of a joke. She was desperately trying to keep up.
“WellCiaran,” she said his name with as much venom as she could muster, “perhaps you can tell me how it is that I have come to be in your keep? Last I recall, I was in the woods being beaten and… and…” She wasn’t sure if she should even ask him, afraid of him making some kind of joke out of her pain. She softened her voice, fearing his answer in multiple ways, yet needing to know nonetheless.
She turned slightly from Ciaran and wrung her hands together. “Did he… I mean, was he able to…”
Moving in the lightning fast way she was beginning to understand was normal for him, Ciaran was suddenly standing toe to toe with her. He gently grabbed each of her hands and placed them softly in his much larger and oddly long blue ones. They were human-like, yet they had an extra joint at the tip of each finger that was topped with long black claws that he retracted once he saw her looking. It was as if he didn’t want to frighten her.
“No.”
She looked up into his glowing golden eyes.
“He was not able to take that from you. I threw him into a tree before he could. He is at this moment suspended in a cage in the dungeons awaiting his punishment.”
Etain let out a breath of relief, he couldn’t know how much her self worth was riding on that answer. She smiled at him softly. “Thank you, Ciaran. I’m sure your kindness has or will cost me, but I can’t find it within me to be upset, and am only grateful at the moment.”
He slowly reached a hand towards her face like he was trying not to frighten her. Etain’s breaths grew shallow as he gently tucked a damp strand of her dark auburn hair behind her ear and brushed his fingers across her jaw as he pulled away.
“You owe me nothing, my Pet.” He stepped back from her quickly, and whatever spell they had been under ended. “Come – we have a meeting in a few minutes,” Ciaran said, and suddenly she was nervous again.
What could that possibly mean? She was already having a hard time keeping her wits about her around one fae, how could she ever handle more? Not only that, but she had been feeling something building inside her since she woke up. She had never felt something like it before, and yet it also felt entirely natural to her. She had so many odd new feelings in this realm.
