|
Scene #9
Leo opened his mouth, but nothing came out at first. "I'm not
quite certain how to explain this." He rubbed his hand over the
back of his neck nervously. The other hand up picked hers and
clasped it warmly, his thumb moving in soothing strokes over the
back of her fingers. "Open mouth, spit out words. C'mon,
Leo, it can't be that bad." "There's something you need to
know first." His eyes were glued to their joined hands.
"What?" "I will never, ever, do anything to harm you. You
mean more to me than you could possibly understand yet. And if I
have my way you and the Malmaynes will never cross paths." He
clasped both hands in between his, his expression more serious than
any she'd seen on his face yet. She could feel him willing her to
believe in him. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" She
shook her head. She was starting to get scared. "Leo, what is
going on?" He took a deep breath, and her world exploded in
light. She was forced to close her eyes against the blinding
brilliance. When she opened them again, she was shocked
speechless. The hay bales and farming equipment had
disappeared. Instead she found herself inside a huge sapphire
tent, the edges and "windows" detailed in delicate gold Arabic
scrollwork. The floor was completely covered in brightly colored
silk pillows of every hue imaginable. A small gold table had been
set up against one wall. On it sat a carafe of wine and a plate of
candied dates. Fragrant oil lamps hung from the three poles
holding the tent up, sending the delicious scent of vanilla and
peaches into the air. Wide-eyed she turned to look at what
was behind her. It was only then that she realized that she could
feel the soft caress of silk against her bare flesh. She looked
down. "Holy crap!" The scanty harem costume, consisting of
two barely-there red scarves over her breasts and long, sheer red
skirt held at her waist by a gold belt, left absolutely nothing to
the imagination. "Hmmm, I do like you in red, kitten."
She looked, her eyes wide as saucers, towards the front of the
tent. There, in all his half-naked, white-garbed splendor,
was Leo. His white pants were gathered at the ankles and waist
with gold ties; his chest was bare, as were his feet. Golden
armbands encircled both of his biceps. His expression held a
glimmer of amusement mixed with a healthy dose of lust. He
entered the tent slowly, moving with the grace of a panther. Any
other man of Ruby's acquaintance would have slipped and fallen on
the silk pillows. Leo glided over them, barely making an
impression. The predatory glint in his eyes as he took in her
lounging pose caused her nipples to tighten in anticipation.
Ruby gulped and bit her lip. "Leo?" "Don't be afraid,
kitten. Remember, I'll never, ever hurt you." "What's going
on?" "Trust me." "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not
in Nebraska anymore," Ruby whispered. Leo stopped. His lips
twitched. "You're about to be ravished by a Seelie Sidhe Lord and
you're misquoting the Wizard of Oz at me? I think I may be
insulted." Ruby blinked, her rampant sense of humor once
again threatening to get her into trouble. "First off, a Sealy is
a mattress -" "You're welcome to lie on me anytime."
"Second, you are so not a she." "Shtheee. It's pronounced
Shthee." "Uh-huh. Lord? That I believe. Hell, you're the
absolute King of Bullshit." Leo sighed and pinched the bridge
of his nose. "Somehow, this isn't going quite the way I expected."
Ruby's brain went ping! She sat up slowly. "Seelie Sidhe
Lord." Leo eyed her warily and nodded. "You're an elf?"
Leo frowned. "Sidhe." "Like Legolas?" "Ruby!"
"Oh! Galadriel! Can you do the glowy pond thing, too?"
Leo flopped down on the pillows next to her, his breath huffing out
in an exasperated laugh. "No, Frodo, I can't." "Hey!" She
sniffed. "I at least get to be Arwen. Hell, I'll take Eowyn."
She waved a hand regally. "You can be Gimli." Leo rolled
over and pulled her under him, one dark brow rising arrogantly as
she dissolved into helpless giggles. "Ruby, I really am a Seelie
Sidhe Lord." She was laughing too hard to answer. He sighed,
and pushed his hair back over his ears, allowing their delicately
tapered points to show. "Ruby, I have no glamour on me now. Look
at me. Really look at me." He had to wait until her giggles
died down, and that took a bit of time. They had a slightly
hysterical twinge to them that even she could hear. Once they did,
she really too a good, hard look at him. The differences were
subtle. His ears were slightly tapered into delicate points. His
eyes had an otherworldly glow to them that made them gleam brightly
in the lamplight. His skin glittered, as if it was dusted in
sparkles of gold. The most exotic change, however, were his
pupils. Human pupils were round. His pupils were oval. Not much
of a change, and easily disguised, but obviously not human.
Ruby touched his ear with a wondering hand. Her fingertips gently
brushed over the tapered points. He shuddered, his eyes closing in
exquisite pain. "Do you know how long it's been since
someone's done that for me?" She grinned, feeling incredibly
sexy all of a sudden. "Erogenous zone?" "Oh, very much so."
He opened his eyes, a sensuous smile curving his lips as he stared
down at her barely covered breasts. "How do you like my fantasy?"
She raised one cynical brow, loving it when he chuckled. "At least
you're wearing clothes. I'd have preferred you naked." "I
almost am!" "Yes. Operative word: almost." "Pig."
"That's Lord Pig, thank you very much."
| 
