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Chapter Six
Same forest. Different trees. Odd how I can tell, but somehow I just know that this is my forest. It’s another nice day, but although the sun is gently warming the clearing I seem to be standing in, it feels like a different season. The sun has a harshness to its warmth, a coolness almost, that makes me think it might now be fall. You know, one of those days where it’s spring in the light and fall in the shade.
I'm standing in the center of a ring of tall trees. I shield my face against the cold, indifferent glare of the sun and take in my changed surroundings. The trees are tall, but no way near as imposing as last time. I guess that they might be around fifty feet. Their bark is smooth and silvery-grey; the leaves growing in serrated pairs which are distinctive and bold. They’re almost lime in color and vibrancy. The clusters of tiny red-orange berries that hang from the branches really pop against the verdant canopy. I like it. While these trees may not be as majestic as the last, there’s a definite magic to them. I can feel the tingle, like a vibration, in the air. It hums, singing to me, calling to me. I feel it like a caress on my bare skin.
I smell the damp and dewy, almost mossy, scent of early fall, and take a moment to appreciate it. The forest is still beautiful; just different. Even the sounds have changed. I no longer hear water and birdsong, but the fluttering buzz of rapid wings beating. I wonder if there’s a hummingbird nearby. I would love to see one again; the only time I ever saw one was on vacation as a child. I remember my dad pulling over on the roadside and using his camera to try to get a picture of it. I was shocked by how tiny it was. I had expected more, but somehow it’s minute size made it even more impressive. When we returned home and had the old-fashioned film developed, we got to relive the magic all over again when we discovered he had managed to capture the tiny miracle on camera.
A slight breeze blows, causing me to shiver slightly. In my white summer dress, I’m not dressed for my visit this time; not that I can ever be. I never know when the visions will hit or where they’ll take me. I just hope I never end up stuck somewhere too long in inappropriate attire. Imagine being stuck in a snow drift in a bikini.
With a chuckle dying on my lips, I’m slammed back into the present day, into the familiar scent of incense in my shop, and I find myself slumped over the counter. I didn’t quite make it to my seat, but at least I didn’t fall on my ass again. I’ll take that as a small win today.
Slowly, I get to my feet and peel myself off the counter. I feel shaky, and I’m not sure if it’s down to the vision or the fall. I never did find out exactly what happened out there; I’m guessing one of the twins pushed me out of the way of the rubble they decided to toss off the roof—seriously, how irresponsible is that?—but hadn’t wanted to say or admit to anything, believing I was human. They wouldn’t have been able to get to me that quickly if they weren’t supes.
I stumble my way through to the back room, convincing myself that I’ve had quite the morning already, and that if I can just sit down for ten minutes, I’ll soon feel right as rain.
Only, when I push past the curtain, I stagger to a stop. Because there, in my favorite chair, is not Batfink like I’m expecting. Instead, there is a guy. A total stranger. He’s hotter than hell, sure, but he’s naked.
So of course, I open my mouth to demand what the hell is going on, but all that comes out is a blood-curdling scream.
Even over my yelling, I hear the delicate tinkling of the door’s bell, but before I can process what’s happening, Rowan and Linden are by my side asking me what’s wrong.
All I can do is point to the naked Adonis who’s defiled my favorite chair forever. I’m going to have to burn it. I can’t ever sit there again. Especially not to read.
Oh god, I inwardly groan as a steamy scene from Magnolia’s book enters my mind. Only, this time, I’m the main character in stupid floral panties and my partner is this hunk who’s getting to his feet. His two large hands cup his junk, but aren’t quite enough to disguise how very well endowed he is.
Fuck. My eyes bug out in shock.
“Erm,” I stammer, at a loss for words. “He’s penis…I mean, he’s…fuck.”
“Been a while, darlin’?” Linden smirks.
Can I punch him and claim I acted in shock? I settle for shooting daggers at him. Damn my code of ethics; I’d love to cast a little spell on him. Nothing too bad, but maybe literal blue balls for a week or two? Or maybe an inverted penis, every time he gets an erection. That could be fun. For me. Not him.
“I don’t know who this guy is. Why is he in my shop, and why the fuck is he naked?!”
“Well, usually, darlin’, when a girl and a guy like each other…”
“Shut up, or I will curse you.”
“Hey!” he protests indignantly.
“You some kind of whack job?” Rowan demands, stepping up to challenge the naked intruder.
“What? No!” the stranger insists, holding his hands up in a gesture of innocence. I swear that book has addled my brain or something, because I can’t help but drop my eyes down to look at him. It. Whoa.
“Ain’t that impressive,” Linden mutters. “You wait til you see what I can offer.”
“A fairy?” I taunt with a raised eyebrow.
“Fae. I’m not a fairy,” he growls. I shrug at him like I don’t give a shit, enjoying getting under his skin. Ha. He’s not so good with being on the receiving end, is he? If he can give it out, he needs to be able to take it.
Rowan clears his throat, and my eyes snap back to the current situation. Three topless hunks surround me. Naked stranger is an inch or so shorter than the twins—maybe just under six foot?—slightly more olive complexioned, but equally ripped and buff. His eyes are gorgeous, the color of tiger’s eye crystals, dark with flashes of gold.
The three of them have torsos so ridged, they’d give a cliff face a run for its money. I want to race ice cubes down their bumps the way I watched raindrops race down the window panes as a child. I could follow the trails with my tongue.
Shit, what is wrong with me?
“Explain,” I demand in a tight, stressed voice. It’s been a hell of a day. “Where’s Batfink?”
