Chapter 28 Tegwyn
Tegwyn
“What?”
Bannog beams from ear to ear. “That’s right. A glamour… My, you really do need to clean those ears out.”
He titters, and I mutter obscenities under my breath, stealing a quick glance at Ivy.
Her green-blue eyes sparkle beneath the light of Bannog’s crystal chandelier. “What do you mean by glamour?”
The ogre’s eyes give a mischievous glint, and he rises from his wingback chair, plodding towards a stack of boxes.
Stannog unscrews the cap of his flask, slipping another dose into his tea while Bannog’s back is turned. “I can see you, Stan,” Bannog utters, and Stannog gives up on his tea, deciding to drink straight from the flask.
Bannog finally grabs a box, placing it down onto the table as he peers at Ivy. “Well, come along, dear.”
She hesitates, turning to me for guidance.
The kind ogre laughs. “It’s safe, dear. I promise.”
Making up her mind, she steps towards the box, peeking inside. I move closer to investigate myself.
“It’s empty,” I note, hoping that this isn’t some cruel trick.
Bannog snorts, “Not quite, my friend. It only appears empty.”
Slipping his hands into the box, he lifts a panel of translucent gossamer, and that’s when I finally see the glamour.
It’s woven into the thread, strings of sparkling, iridescent magic, and I reach across, running my gloved finger along the fabric. “How?”
The ogre gives a furtive glance. “A tailor never reveals his secrets…”
Well, I guess that settles that.
Now I wonder about my own glamour. Will it be just as translucent?
“I… don’t see anything,” Ivy announces, and I turn her way, surprised.
It seems humans are unable to see the magic. What a shame. Sometimes, I wish Ivy could see the world the way I do.
Bannog sighs. “It’s okay, dear. Most mortals are blind to Fae magic.”
She dips her head, and I can’t bear to see the forlorn expression on her face. If anyone in this room deserves to see the magic, then it’s Ivy.
Bannog hands me the gossamer, a small smirk playing across his lips. “Here, take her to the master bedroom upstairs. See how it fits.” The ogre winks at me. “You can thank me later.”
I ignore his asinine remark, gritting my teeth. “How much?”
He smiles. “No price.”
I narrow my eyes, wondering where the catch is. “Come again?”
Bannog rolls his eyes. “It’s on the house, you silly fool. My only concern is getting the princess home in one piece.”
Stannog snorts behind him. “Ye could always offer him work at the shop. Let him serve some customers.”
I shiver at the unpleasant memory. Stannog always made me serve his worst punters at the bar, telling me to smile the whole time, even when they were belligerent and rude. He knew I lacked the required social skills to succeed in such a role, hence why he tortured me.
Bannog shakes his head. “There is no need, cousin. It’s merely a gift for Her Majesty.”
Ivy blushes at the grand title, twirling a piece of her blonde hair. “Thank you for your generosity, kind sir.”
“There is no need to thank me, lovely. Now go on, off you go, the pair of you.”
We take our leave, and just as he shuts the door behind us, we hear Stannog telling him, “That glamour ain’t gonna work, cuz. Any idiot with eyes could see that she isn’t Fae.”
Bannog huffs, “Oh, shush. You’re just jealous because you have no talent.”
“Pah! Tell that to all the happy punters who come to me bar!”
“Happy punters? I think you need to repeat that word, Stan, but slowly this time...”
Stannog growls, and then something smashes, followed by a loud crash.
I push Ivy towards the stairs before we get caught in the crossfire, and soon we find the master bedroom at the end of a carpeted hallway.
There’s no doubting who the room belongs to once we step inside, finding the large four-poster bed immediately.
The wooden monstrosity swallows up the entire room, and as we approach one of the bedposts, Ivy runs a finger along a carved rose.
I can’t help noticing the chaise longue by the ornate fireplace, and the pincushion ottoman at the foot of the bed.
Darn. Bannog really does have good taste.
My eyes land on a changing board in the corner. I hand Ivy the gossamer. “Hurry up and dress. We need to leave as soon as possible.”
She regards the gossamer hesitatingly, then sighs, taking it from my fingers so she can get dressed.
Shouts echo outside, and I approach the window, muttering a curse. The street is swarming with faeries, and I just hope that everyone is too drunk to take much notice of the human when we leave later.
One group of dancing females catches my attention, and I duck when they glance up at the window.
Shit. It’s Marrow, or whatever her stupid name is again. Of course she would be here. Never one to pass up on a revel.
“Erm… Tegwyn?”
At the sound of her meek voice, I glance at the changing board, regretting it immediately.
The blood rushes through my head once I spy her curvy silhouette behind the canvas, and I ignore the hardness in my pants.
Fuck. Not now…
“Yes?” I ask, covering my eyes.
“I…need you to help me with the glamour. I…can’t see it.”
Yes. How could I forget?
With a deep breath, I keep my eyes closed as I step around the changing board, opening them long enough so I can see the glittering swathe of material.
I lift the glamour, telling her to turn, and she offers me a view of her slender neck.
My gaze latches onto her pulse, and my fangs ache, wishing to bite into that tender patch of skin. But then I shake some sense back into myself, focusing on my current task.
Dressing her. That’s all this is.
Helping her dress…
Not undress.
Still, her pulse is inviting, the way it flutters beneath her neck, and shit…I can’t do this.
She angles her head, giving me a small glimpse of her rosebud mouth. “Are you okay?”
I inhale a shivering breath, “N-never better. Come on, let’s get this thing on already.”
With careful fingers, I slip the gossamer over her like a veil, stepping back as it moulds to her shape.
Her ears grow at the tips as her form changes before my very eyes, but when all is said and done, I don’t see much of a difference. Her beauty is pretty much unchanged.
However, her skin harbours a lucent glow, and her hair shines like shafts of sunlight. And her body…
The same round hips and small waist, now visible through the cut-out sections of her diaphanous dress.
That gauzy dress of soft jade matches her eyes perfectly, and I stumble for words, taking her in from head to toe.
My blood whooshes through my head, and I don’t know how I even manage to hold it together.
I could kill Bannog right now; he gave her that fucking dress on purpose just to tease me. The dress breathes to life, leaves and vines curling around her arms and legs, and she’s spring personified.
Flowers bloom in her hair, and I stagger back against the wall, unable to take my eyes off her. A goddess stands before me, and I forget how to breathe.
I’m pretty sure I’m looking at Maghelena, the mother of all Fae.
My heart slams against my ribs, threatening to escape like a rabbit trapped in a snare, and then the room spins out of control.
Ivy approaches me. “Tegwyn? Are you all right? You’re gasping…”
No shit. She smells like a dream—sweet woodland flowers, draping curtains of honeysuckle, and baked goods, and that’s when my claws unsheathe of their own volition.
I divert them towards the wall, raking them through the plaster, and I hope Bannog won’t be too pissed.
The material of her dress whispers seductively as she glides closer, and I can’t take it anymore. Any closer, and I will pounce on her and claim her neck with my teeth.
Looks like I’m about to go into a rut, so I think of something unsavory, like Stannog in the exact same dress, and that seems to do the trick.
The wild beast snarls in protest as I lock him back inside his cage.
My claws retreat, disappearing back inside my gloves, and all is well with the world again.
A warm hand brushes my cheek, and I flinch, finding those shining pools of sea green. They shimmer beneath the light, and I think of lush green meadows, soft and dewy after a morning rain…
“Tegwyn?”
I swallow a lump that’s stuck in the back of my throat. She shows me nothing but concern, yet here I am, thinking about ripping that dress off her hips with my teeth.
“I… I’m fine…”
She smiles sweetly, brushing her thumb over my cheek, and shame cripples me instantly. If only she knew of the sordid things that I was just thinking about doing to her body.
Finally, she steps back, clasping her hands in front of her shyly, and I stare at her, perplexed. She really has no idea that she’s the most ravishing creature in existence. It’s her reticence that makes her all the more alluring. No one is going to be able to keep their eyes off her tonight.
The males, especially.
A growl starts at the base of my throat, and I swallow it quickly, moving away from the wall.
“So, how do I look?” she asks.
I cast my eyes around the room, since I can’t quite find the right words, pointing at a mirror.
“Take a look for yourself.”
Ivy inhales deeply, approaching the looking glass. She just stares at her reflection for a while, a small smile taking over her face. “I…look beautiful…”
My mind crashes back to earth, and then the words leave my mouth, “You’ve always been—”
She squeals, spinning around, and I have no idea what I’m witnessing. But that doesn’t stop the smile slowly curving my own lips.
She rushes to my side, taking my hand, and a shock shoots straight down my spine. It almost feels like magic.
“Come, let’s join the revel!”
The revel?
I raise my brow. “The idea is to get you away from the revel, princess.”
“Don’t be silly. We can stay for one dance!”
Actually, no. We can’t. I don’t dance.
“Come on!”
She drags me out of the room, and before I know it, I’m running down the stairs and right into the heart of the revel.
It’s like she’s cast a spell over me, but I let her lead the way, regardless, knowing that I will surely regret this.