Loving a Fairy Godmother (5 page)

Tiernan arched a brow in interest. “What
things exactly?”

“The secret things women talk to each other
about,” she answered tartly.

“Secret, huh? What exactly would it take for
you to tell me these secrets?”

She looked him up and down, then dismissed
him with her glance. “I don’t think you could offer anything.”

Tiernan’s hands gently cradled her face,
tilted her head back slightly, and she felt his mouth settle on her
throat. “Don’t count on that, Reina,” he said, his tongue swiping
across the sensitive skin. “I can be very persuasive when I want
something.”

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice
raspy.

“Tasting my wife.”

“Tiernan…” she said, then groaned as his
tongue explored the hollow of her throat. His mouth was so hot as
it explored her neck, his hands gentle as they held her head in
place.

He was not letting her escape, not that she
had any desire to.

His mouth moved up, settling on top of hers.
There was no hesitancy, no wavering, his tongue finding its way in,
his groan of satisfaction at this action reverberating through her
body.

He was devouring her, and she loved it.

She grabbed his shoulders, bringing him even
closer. He obviously liked that thought, because Reina felt his
hands leave her face and wrap around her waist, dragging her body
over so that she settled on his lap, her sex firm against his
erection. Unthinking, acting on instinct, she rubbed herself
against him.

“Fuck, Reina,” he gasped. “You make me
crazy.”

A crash sounded to their right. Immediately
Tiernan was standing, placing Reina behind him and shielding her
with his body as he faced the unknown.

Cinderella was standing here, her hand to her
mouth. “I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice high and breathy. After
a moment where it was obvious she was unsure what to do, she
evidently decided getting away from them was best and ran out of
the room.

Reina touched her swollen mouth with the back
of her hand, wondering how she had ended up in Tiernan’s arms.

Wondering why she was upset she was no longer
in them.

Tiernan kept his gaze at the spot Cinderella
had just vacated, relaxing the muscles in his body, letting his
lungs release several deep breaths, before he turned back to look
at the woman behind him.

It was too soon. He took in the long line of
her throat, wanting to taste again, to touch it with his tongue, to
follow the line down to that little hollow where it met her
shoulder and suck the skin there in his mouth, bite it to mark her
like he should have done earlier.

Reina swallowed audibly and, unthinking, her
hand came up to that spot, as if she could shield herself from him.
“Tiernan?”

His hands clenched into fists at his sides.
“I have to go, Reina,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I can’t stay
around you right now.”

He couldn’t stay around her, but he couldn’t
force himself to go far from her, and Tiernan found himself sitting
on the roof of the manor.

The stars twinkled behind a light smattering
of clouds, a sight that helped remind him he was no longer in the
Faerie Realm. There, everything was always perfect. In that realm,
no clouds would block the view, and the stars appeared twice as
bright as they ever could here in the mortal world.

“Do you miss living in the mortal realm?”

A groan escaped him before he could stop it.
“Reina…” he said, but she interrupted.

“We have a job to do,” she said. “And being
at odds will not help that us accomplish that job.”

He drew in a deep breath, smelling animals
and dung. “What would you have me say?”

“Nothing.”

His mind circled the word, seeking the trap
that surely must be hidden. “Nothing?”

“Here, you are acting as my husband, and have
played that role with conviction. You merely got carried away.”

So that was how she wanted to dismiss their
chemistry. Her defenses were already armed against him, and now she
was trying to neutralize any threat, convince them both the kiss
was meaningless. “I miss it.”

“Huh?” came her less than coherent reply.

“Your question, do I miss living in the
mortal world? Yes I do. Not always, but often.”

She bit her lip and sat down beside him,
drawing her knees to her chest. “Why did you make that wish?”

“I have no idea. I was dying, and something
inside me told me to wish that. It never crossed my mind that I
would want to leave my life before that day. Why do you believe in
HEAs so much when you never tried to love again after you and your
fiancé broke up?”

Reina jerked back, losing the space she had
just a moment ago claimed. “What do you know of that?”

He shrugged. “What does it matter what I
know? How does that change the question?”

The look on her face spoke of flight, so
Tiernan caught her wrist in his hand before she could flee.
“Tiernan, let go.”

“Answer my question.”

“It’s inappropriate.”

“How is it inappropriate, Fairy Godmother? I
am about to die for lack of one. You speak of the greatness of
them, yet I’ve never seen you take so much as a step in that
direction. Surely you’ve heard about which carry more weight,
actions or words.”

The air felt stagnant around him. Her chest
rose and fell in an impossible rhythm, such that if she were mortal
he would fear her fainting. “Why are you doing this to me?” she
asked, her voice small, all authority from age and position
gone.

“I find that being near death makes me less
inclined to deal with hypocrisy.”

Under his fingers he felt fine tremors along
her skin. “I’m here to help you, and you have the nerve to call me
names?”

He pulled her closer, unwilling to allow her
distance. “I’m tired of being punished for what he did. I’ve been
living with it for over thirty years, so forgive me if my
complaints about it come at an inopportune time for you.”

“I have never—”

“Don’t even finish that lie,” he interrupted,
heat scorching the back of his neck. “I don’t care how much in
denial you are, even you can’t believe that.”

He saw her throat moving, working to ease the
tightness this discussion had caused within her, but it was her
eyes, wider than he had ever seen them, begging to be free, that
broke the spell around him. He let her go and rose to his feet.
“You’re right, it was inappropriate. I fear the stress of this
assignment has gotten the better of me. Please forgive me, and
excuse me.”

With that, he was gone.

* * *

They had been cordial all morning, Tiernan
nothing but polite, keeping as much distance as possible while
still maintaining their cover.

A total gentleman, instead of his usual
teasing, inappropriate self.

“Reina, I appreciate you volunteering to air
out the rugs, but you don’t need to beat them quite that hard.”

Stopping herself in mid-swing, Reina looked
over to see Cinderella behind her, the furrow of her brow and
slight compression of the young woman’s lips as she smiled negating
what was supposed to be a cheery attitude.

With thoughts of Tiernan abruptly banished,
Reina was now aware of the ache across her back, the trickle of
sweat down her spine. A break was assuredly in order.

Cinderella held out a glass, and with a nod
of thanks, Reina grabbed it, the cool water a blessing on a parched
throat.

After giving the glass back to Cinderella,
wanting both not to delve into her confused thoughts and to see if
Tiernan’s words from yesterday were correct, Reina asked, “Do you
leave this house much?”

If the question seemed strange to Cinderella,
she gave no indication. “I go to town, of course. I can carry more
than Cook.”

“Do you have a beau?”

Now that question did bring Cinderella up
short, if the glass falling on the ground was any indication. “Why
would you ask?”

Reina shrugged. “You are young and pretty. It
seems a rather ordinary question to me.”

Cinderella shook her head. “I have too many
responsibilities here.”

“Granted, men can be demanding, but being in
love helps make the day go faster, no matter the chores in front of
you.”

“I was told…” Cinderella bit her lip, her
eyebrows coming together. She didn’t finish the sentence.

“You were told what by whom?” Reina
prompted.

When she answered, Cinderella’s voice was
noticeably lower. “Men can be rough.”

“Rough? Were you ever hurt by someone?”

Cinderella shook her head. “No, please, don’t
think that about anyone from the village. Simply I was told that it
would be best for me to never engage with a man.”

Reina nodded. “And who told you this?”

“My stepsisters.”

“Forgive me for being blunt, but I think you
stepsisters feared the attention you would receive, and were not
concerned for your well-being.”

Cinderella brought her hand up to cover her
mouth, but she was not quick enough to silence the snort of
laughter Reina’s comment brought. “Perhaps,” Cinderella allowed.
“But I have heard stories from others. I never had anyone to ask
what was truth and what was lie.”

Reina couldn’t imagine being as alone in the
world as this woman was. How someone who loved and was as beloved
as this woman was could be so isolated that she couldn’t even talk
to someone about love was almost unfathomable. Her stepfamily truly
was a piece of work.

“Well, I would never tell a young woman to
abandon all sense when dealing with any stranger, let alone a man.
Still, I believe your family exaggerated the caution you need to
take.”

Cinderella brushed a hand over her hair,
putting a few stray pieces back into the ponytail she wore. “They
always said that if I showed interest, then anything… bad… that
happened would be my fault. I always try to be polite but removed,
but sometimes after knowing someone for a long time, I forget
myself and am more open than they would approve of.”

Reina’s arms tensed against the urge to pull
Cinderella into her side, not wanting to insult the young woman’s
pride. “Cinderella, while I pray nothing bad ever happens to you, I
can tell you with certainty if it did, you in no way would have
been the cause of it. You are one of those people who radiate
goodness, and it is a crime that your stepfamily tries to stop you
from sharing that with the world.”

Cinderella’s eyes met hers, searching for
whatever truth she could find. Whatever she found put her at ease,
because her body relaxed, her lips curling up in equal parts joy
and relief. “Thank you.”

Reina shrugged, turning away so that
Cinderella would not make a fuss and just absorb her words, when
movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention.

It was only a second, but the chill that
wound its way through her chest told her she was not wrong. She
needed to get to Tiernan now.

“Cinderella, the rugs are done. Would you
take them in for me? I forgot to tell Tiernan something and need to
see him.” Not really waiting for the answer, Reina sped to the
barn.

Tiernan was chopping wood when she found him.
“I saw a servant of the Elf King,” she said without preamble.

His stance changed from wary to on edge.
“Where?”

She shook her head. “He’s gone now, but I saw
him near the gardens. I’ve seen him only one time before and I
never heard his name, but he scared me enough that I never forgot
him.”

“Let me guess, the one with the pure black
eyes and the hiss when he speaks?”

That a warrior such as Tiernan took notice of
the man meant Reina was not exaggerating in her mind over how
dangerous he was, and her anxiety increased. “Yeah, that was
him.”

Tiernan nodded. “You’re right, he’s gone now.
He wanted you to see him or you never would have. He wants to send
a message. Oh, well, at least the Elf King hates me enough he’s
sending his best after me.”

“Don’t joke,” Reina snapped.

“What would you have me do? This is what we
were told to expect. That’s why you are here, isn’t it? Otherwise,
you would have nothing to do with me.”

This news may have given Tiernan something
else to think on, but the heat in his words told Reina he was still
upset over the night before. “That’s not true. Maybe we aren’t the
closest of friends, but I would never want to see you hurt.”

Tiernan’s laughter was closer to a bark of
warning than any sound of merriment. “You don’t want to see me
hurt, but you’ve been active in trying to get rid of me from moment
one.”

“I have to protect the Fairy Godmothers.”

“And yet, Godmother Reina, the only FG who
doesn’t like me and wants to see me gone is you. So who exactly are
you protecting again?” With that, he turned his back and started
chopping wood again.

Reina wanted to reach out and stroke that
broad expanse, take away this coldness that he had never shown her
before, but instead she moved inside the house and started
polishing the silver.

The problem with labor is that while it
exhausted a body, it left the mind too much free time to think.

He was right. From Godmother Sara down to the
recruit who joined only last month, Reina could not think of a
single Godmother who did not like Tiernan. All had only good things
to say about him. His presence was something of a disruption, but
that was caused by those around him. He never participated or
encouraged it.

Outside of the lack of HEAs, in every other
way he had some of the highest success rates amongst the Godmothers
as well. If the Elf King had not made it his mission to destroy
Tiernan, this would never have come up.

Reina sighed. Why did she suddenly feel like
the bad guy? Why was protecting the institution that she devoted
heart and soul to somehow a black mark against her?