Grogoch [Bedtime Stories 2] (7 page)

I returned home for dinner, exhausted but excited all at once. Finbar was full of questions after Wayland Jr. had showed up with the table and chairs. I brought in the meat pies I had traded for and we sat down on our new furniture to eat.

“This is gorgeous, Cuidi,” he said with a smile, his fondness for the table apparent in his tone. “Tell me everything.”
“Well, I traded them for this and went to the farrier to trade my services for horseshoes for the Waylands. Then I got them hay for a month from a farmer who also agreed to hay for us and to butcher one of his cows. The meat will be delivered tomorrow along with a gorgeous blanket for our bed and some baked goods.”
“You seem happy with the deals you made today,” he said hesitantly.
“I am. I introduced people who can now trade with each other as well as having gotten stuff we needed.” I bit my lip and decided to be completely honest with Finbar. “It’s a huge relief that things went well today. I always thought I was only good for my magic and sex but today helped me see I could be more than that.”
“I never doubted you were more than hot sex and magic, Cuidi,” he whispered as he leaned in for a kiss. I gladly gave it to him and one for the trip back to his seat.
“I wouldn’t have had a chance to figure that out without you. Today was more than that for me though.”
“How so?” He reached over and started cutting into the meat pie, making sure I had a large helping before serving himself. What a sweetie!
“I’ve never had this,” I answered, gesturing between the two of us. “I found the table and couldn’t wait to tell you about it. Then I made the deal and I was about to turn around and fill you in. I was so excited to share every aspect of my day and life with you. It’s new to me and I’m not alone anymore. I feel like I have a real home.”
“Me too and that’s because of you.” I tilted my head, indicating for him to go on since I wasn’t sure how to take what he said. “This was just a house to me, Cuidi. My aunt’s house that I had to fix up to have a roof over my head. But with you? Us here? It’s home and I want it to be ours in every way.”
“Sounds nice.” We ate a bit as I thought over this new development. “I never realized I was tired of living out of a bag, traveling around until I had somewhere and someone to come back to. I want to share my life with you, Finbar.” His reaction was almost comical. His hand froze, holding his fork on the way to his mouth.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he asked hopefully, giving me the courage to say what came next.
“Finbar, will you do me the honor of becoming my mate for the rest of our lives?”
“Yes, my love,” he whispered, his eyes shining with joy. “I’d like nothing better than for us to be together always.” He set down his fork and scooted his chair closer. “Are you sure? This morning you wanted to wait.”
“I’m sure if you are.” It felt so right. Knowing him four days or four years… It didn’t matter because I loved him.
“How do we do this?” he asked excitedly.
“After dinner I will give you my heart and swear my soul to you while we make love,” I answered with a wink. The man nodded and practically shoveled his food into his mouth. I did the same, wanting to bind us together before either of us changed our minds.
Ten minutes later we were both nervously standing in our bedroom.

his.
“Why am I so nervous?” he whispered as he plopped down on the
bed.
“It’s a big step and maybe you’re not ready,” I said hesitantly. I
yelped as he pulled me onto his lap.
“Never think that.” He kissed my neck before pulling off my shirt. “I
love you and want you forever.”
“I feel the same,” I admitted as my cheeks heated up. We glanced
at each other and then it became a flurry of clothes flying in the air.
When we were in bed and naked, Finbar between my legs as I lay on
my back, the nerves were gone. “Take me and love me always, Finbar.
”
“Gladly,” he growled as he lifted my leg and entered me. I wrapped
my legs over his hips, my arms finding their way around his neck. “You
are so perfect, Cuidi.” I nodded and moaned as he thrust into me
tenderly but with great zeal.
“I, Cuidighteach of the Grogoch Clan of the fairies, swear myself
to you, Finbar, for the rest of my days,” I said solemnly. No one had
ever taught me the words but it was like I knew them in my very depths
as the pledge to bind us. “You own my heart and my soul is yours as is
my very life.”
“I promise the same to you.” He kissed me deeply and I felt a
surge of magic strong enough that we both cried out and came. When
it was over and we were more than spent, Finbar collapsed on top of
me. I grunted at his weight and we rolled to our sides. I knew I was
smiling like a loon. Everything was as it should be.
“Heavens above!” Finbar exclaimed as he slowly reached to touch
my cheek. I didn’t know why he looked almost scared until I moved my
hand to his chest and saw that the fur on my hand was gone. I gasped
and quickly sat up. I studied my body. My tail was gone too! “I’m human,” I whispered and leapt out of bed. I stopped in front of
the floor-length mirror and stared at the stranger standing before me.
“Holy shit!” I whimpered, not sure I wanted to see Finbar’s reaction to
the change. Gone was my brownish fur to reveal smooth, creamy skin.
I still had hair on my head but it was like a normal human’s hair. The only thing besides my height that didn’t change was my green
eyes.
“Are you okay?” Finbar asked gently as he moved behind me so I
could see him in the mirror.
“I don’t know,” I whispered as tears filled my eyes. “Do you still
want me?”
“Oh, my love,” he gasped as he pulled me back against his chest.
“I think you are just as breathtaking as you were before. Yes, you look
different, but you’re still just as sexy to me.”
“Really?” I wasn’t fishing for compliments, I swear I wasn’t. It was
just my whole world had been turned upside down in the matter of a
few moments and I wanted comfort, reassurance.
“Yes,” he purred, rubbing his hands over my ass. “I liked the fur,
don’t get me wrong. But your soft, creamy skin is driving me crazy,
Cuidi.” Just to accentuate his point, he thrust his erection against my
lower back. “I still see the man I love before me and I want you just as
much as I did when you accepted me.”
“I look human,” I said quietly, unbelieving what my eyes were
seeing. “I can’t get over this.”
“Are you sorry you transformed?” Finbar stopped teasing me and
letting his hands roam over my body.
“No, I wanted us to be bound,” I answered with a nod. “It’s just
going to take some getting used to. Thousands of years looking as I
did makes this quite a shock.”
“Maybe if you got some loving in this form you’d see you’re still the
same person,” he suggested, his voice going deep with desire. “We could try it for experimental sake,” I teased. Then I let out a
yelp as he lifted me into his arms, turned me around, and pushed me
against the wall. “I take it you like how I look.”
“You were a sexy little thing before, and I might miss the tail,” he
admitted with a shrug. His eyes glazed over with lust as he drank in my
body. “But heavens above, Cuidi. You are so fucking perfect now that I
might not ever let you out of my bed. You are the single most desirable
man I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
“Show me,” I begged and whimpered. Finbar smiled and slammed
his huge cock into my ready ass. I cried out, arching my back against
the wall as he plundered my body. He thrust hard and fast, desperate
for me. I saw enough of his mind to know his words were true. He’d
loved me before and the way I’d looked. But now, I was like a twelve to
him on a scale of ten.
“Love you,” he grunted as he fucked me faster. “Love you inside
and out, Cuidi. You are perfect.”
And once didn’t seem to be enough to prove he still wanted me
every bit as much as before. The second time I was on my hands and
knees on our bed and he took me so firmly that I swear I thought we
were going to break the frame. And there was lots of spanking. “Finbar!” I screamed as I came so hard lights flashed behind my
eyes.
He followed me right over and when we were done we both
collapsed on the bed, incapable of moving. I gasped for air, not even
having the energy to smile when I heard Finbar doing the same. It took
me about five or so minutes to even be able to roll onto my back and
feel as if my heart wasn’t trying to jump from my chest.

head lolling to the side so I could see him.
“I couldn’t see my handprint when you were covered with fur,” he
mumbled. He didn’t look at me and I couldn’t tell if his cheeks were red
from blushing or exertion. I also didn’t understand the comment for a
minute until it suddenly hit me.

spread across my face. Well, well, well, this was interesting to say the least. “Is it the marking me with your hand or the fact that I beg for more that gets you going like that?”

“Only that I don’t have the energy for another round,” he teased with a yawn. Then he moved us so we were lying in a better spot, his head on the pillows and mine on his chest. “You’re all mine forever and I’m yours, Cuidi. I don’t have a single regret in the world and I love you even more than I did this morning.”

The next week was the best of my life. Actually, any time spent with him or since I had met Finbar was the best of my life. I didn’t know life could be this good until I knew him. Everything was perfect… Even the damn dog he’d talked me into keeping.

That didn’t stop me from naming him Twit though. Okay, so we named him Thumper since the ground practically shook when the dog thumped his tail. But I still called him Twit when Finbar wasn’t listening. It was a nickname of love though because the big guy was growing on me. If only he’d stop slobbering on me though.

The first day we had him we’d tried training him to poop on the crops so they’d grow crazy big. Except he trampled them in the process. Then we tried the fruit trees Finbar had on the back of the property. No such luck since Thumper didn’t like having to go on an angle. Fair enough, I guess. So we ended up throwing down an old blanket next to the barn and that was his spot. He went number two there and we collected it for our crops.

After a couple of days it got to be where Finbar and I agreed that if we used any more of the pixie dust, our crops might overrun us. So instead we started bagging the stuff up to take to the castle next time I went. Gross, yes, but it’s not like it smelled and it was magic after all so it seemed wrong to waste it. Pun intended. And with the amount of food

I was returning home from Margaret’s where I dropped off a bunch of fruit in the hopes she’d turn it into pies for us. I was disheartened when I saw how bad her health had gotten in less than a week and talked her into calling a doctor. Worst case, I knew I could talk to the king about having her moved to the infirmary they had in the castle. Normally it was reserved for those elderly of royal blood, but I knew the king would make an exception for me.

When I popped back I made sure to go by the barn, figuring Finbar would be there. Sure enough, he was and I raced right into his arms. “Cuidi, what’s wrong?” he asked me gently as he held me tight. “Margaret,” I sniffled, clutching onto him as if the only solid thing I

had in this world. “I think she’s dying, Finbar. She’s been hiding it from me but today I saw it’s bad. She let me call the doctor and he’s there with her now but I’m scared it’s her time.”

“I’m so sorry, my love.” He kissed my hair and comforted me. I was so wrapped up in my grief that I didn’t realize someone else was there until I heard a throat clear. I turned around quickly, connecting my head with Finbar’s. Ouch! “We have company.”

“Kelvin? What are you doing here?” The captain of the guard was sitting on a bench in the barn, watching us as if he was seeing a ghost.
“H–He called y–you Cuidi,” he stuttered and I understood now. I’d been having this problem all week with people freaked out that I didn’t look like they saw me before. He stood up slowly as if scared to move too fast.
“I am Cuidi, my old friend.” I walked over to him and away from Finbar, making sure to move slowly so I didn’t add to his being freaked out. “I fell in love and have a human body now. But you can see my eyes and hear my voice, which have not changed.”
Kelvin nodded and studied me. “No tail, huh?” I shook my head, smiling at him. “I’m going to miss the tail but you’re really fucking hot, Cuidi.”
“I said the same thing,” Finbar admitted with a snicker. What a couple of characters I had here, I swear.
I realized something then. I’d never seen Kelvin outside of the castle and it worried me that he was here now. “Kelvin, why are you here? Is the king okay?”
“It’s the queen,” he admitted sadly. “I’ve been riding all night to find you. Luckily I saw Barry and he told me where you were now. The queen is gravely ill, Cuidi, and the king begs you come at once.”
“Of course but I can’t prevent death, Kelvin,” I said gently. It wasn’t the first time someone asked it of me though. There just wasn’t a damn thing I could do. If I could, I would still be at Margaret’s.
“The king can explain what’s happened better than I can.” Kelvin shrugged. He was not one for medicine and most of the healing practices confused him.
“Finbar, is it okay with you if I pop right over to the castle?” I asked him as I turned to him and moved into his arms. “You and Kelvin can follow with haste and bring Thumper and what we’ve saved for them. Travis can watch the farm.”
“You don’t want to go by yourself to have fun at the castle?” he replied after searching my eyes. I didn’t take offense. I knew he was worried he wouldn’t be enough to please me but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I’m yours now and I’m faithful,” I said gently, reaching up and cupping his cheek. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want you with me at the castle and we might have some fun together. But that’s not why I want you to come. I want to introduce you to court and the noble king as my mate.”
“You’ve mated!” Kelvin gasped. “You’re his! Why not mine?” I glanced over my shoulder at him, shocked that this was his reaction.
“You never even remotely insinuated that you wanted me permanently, Kelvin,” I replied, not hiding the shock I was feeling. “Besides, Finbar saw me completely after only a few days. He’s the one for me.”
“Oh, okay,” he mumbled, staring down at his feet. I couldn’t get over his reaction. I stepped away from Finbar, not wanting to see my old friend upset. When he still wouldn’t look at me I placed my hands on his chest.
“I never thought you would have this reaction, Kelvin. Talk to me, please. I cannot stand to see you distraught. You never said you wanted me as yours.”
“I don’t know if I did or not,” he admitted as he covered my hands with his large ones. “I would have wanted the chance to see if more was there but you were always so closed off to the idea. But you knew I wanted more, Cuidi. How often did I beg you to stay longer, to stay with me?”
“I thought because you wanted more sex,” I answered, blushing now. “I didn’t know you meant stay to see if there was real feeling between us. You never said that.”
“Would you have said yes if I had?” he asked, staring into my eyes.
“I was about to ask the same thing,” Finbar said from behind me, sounding crushed. “Was I the consolation prize or am I standing in your way?”
Oh boy, this was quite a pickle. I decided to answer them both by focusing on Kelvin’s question. “I don’t know what I would have said if you had asked me for more. I honestly think that if we were meant for more it would have already happened before I met Finbar. But I love him, Kelvin. He’s the one for me and I think that says it all.”
“I understand,” he said with a weak smile, patting my hands. I turned to Finbar who looked hesitant still.
“I wouldn’t have committed myself to you forever, giving up my immortality, if you were a consolation prize, baby. I love you and we belong together.”
“I’m glad you feel that way.” He pulled me into his arms and gave me a smoldering kiss that practically made me forget my name. “Go to the castle and we’ll meet you there as soon as we can.” I nodded and stepped away, ready to pop over there. “Oh, and I love you too, Cuidi.”
I smiled at him before disappearing. He understood the depths of my feelings now and we were in a good place. What Kelvin had said was a shock but I think when he thought about it more he’d realize that I was right. We’d never tried for more between us but if we had been meant to be, it would have happened.
I popped into the throne room, not thinking I should waste time by going through the motions of the gates. The king was standing off to the side of the room, staring out the window.
“Who are you?” he asked suspiciously, eyeing me over.
“Kelvin came to find me,” I answered with a smile. “You know me, your highness.”
“Cuidi?” His eyes went wide as he eyed me over. “I know everyone can see you differently, but normally your appearance to me is constant.”
“Actually this is my true form now,” I admitted with a smile. “That hardship was broken when I fell in love and committed myself to one wonderful man.”
“I’m happy for you. Finding your true love is the most wonderful thing in the world.” He said it with such sadness that I knew his heart was breaking. “But watching it fade before your eyes makes you wonder if the joy you had was worth the pain you feel now.”
“Tell me,” I whispered as I took his hands in mine. “I know that that’s the grief talking because you love the queen. What has happened since the last time I’ve visited?”
“She’s dying, Cuidi,” he explained as he led me out of the throne room. His long legs ate up the distance faster than I could walk and I ran alongside him, thinking it would be bad manners to ask him to slow down. “I need your help.”
“I can’t reverse illnesses or save someone from death, your highness,” I reminded him. We’d had this conversation when his parents had died. “I can’t bring anyone back from the dead, or anything along those lines.”
“I know but the healer said you can help.” I was doubtful of that but I was willing to humor him given his despair. I’d listen to any halfcocked idea if that’s what he needed. He dragged me up the stairs and to the royal suites. My chest hurt when I got a glimpse of the queen. She looked and even smelled of death.
“I can’t fix this,” I said gently as the king let me go. “I am sorry, but this is beyond me.”
“But it’s not,” the royal healer replied with a smile. I didn’t know the man’s name but I’d seen him before and knew the royal family trusted him. I waited for him to explain. “Whoever poisoned the queen destroyed the herbs I had that would cure the ailment. But I was able to salvage a few seeds. We need your magic to instantly grow them so I can give her the cure.”
“Oh, sure, I can do that!” Yeah! The queen wouldn’t die after all. The man quickly handed me the seeds and pot of dirt. I hurriedly planted them and focused on their growth, digging deep inside for the strongest magic I had. There wasn’t a moment to waste. When the sprouts appeared I looked to the healer. “I need to water them and how big do you need them?”
“About four times that size at least,” he answered as he poured water on the dirt. I nodded and went back to work. I went a little overboard, thinking that there couldn’t be too much of the herb when we needed it. The healer looked pleased and immediately started brewing up some tea that would heal the queen. As we waited I sat on the side of her bed.
“This will be over soon,” I said gently as I took her hand in mine. She nodded and drank what the healer offered her from his hot tea. I saw relief in both their faces the moment she was done as if knowing the worst was now over. “You’ll be just fine tomorrow.”
“I knew you’d make it in time. Thank you for always being a loyal friend, Cuidi.” She gave me a tired grin. The king and the healer were talking in hushed tones. I wasn’t sure about that but I never was selfimportant enough to think I should be privy to personal issues. “I hate to ask for more from you but I must.”
“Anything I can give you I will, you know that,” I said fondly. I wasn’t a lover of women but the queen had a special place in my heart like a little sister.
“This was deliberate, Cuidi. I did not accidently ingest this poison.”
“I know. I was told you were poisoned and the remedy—” And just like that the hint she was giving me filled my head. The threat was still out there and it probably wasn’t simply the queen whoever the criminal wanted dead. “I will do everything in my power to figure this out.” My tone changed to that of an oath and she nodded.
“Thank you. My husband was grieving so much for me that I was scared they’d get the children while we were distracted.”