Bayou Shadow Protector. Debbie Herbert

like an electrical corona.

      Bam bam bam. It took his brain a moment to register that someone—presumably Steven—was pounding on the door. Chulah drew back from April, wondering if his face reflected the stunned surprise in her own. She licked her lips and he was almost a goner once again. Abruptly, Chulah left the couch and went to the door.

      “About time.” Steven scowled and held up a steaming mug. “For April.”

      An herbal scent wafted upward. “I’ll take it.” He tried to remove the mug from Steven’s hand but the little man held fast.

      “Can I trust you—or are you the kind of man who would be taking advantage of an innocent woman’s compromised condition?”

      Warmth flooded his cheeks. Had that been where he was heading with April? He’d never been overly impulsive before, had never let passion override his common sense. Hell, he barely knew the woman.

      But that kiss.

      That mind-blowing-body-lit-up kiss had completely possessed him.

      “Who is it?” April called from the den.

      Even the sound of her voice sent blood rushing to his loins. Perhaps some distance was in order. He needed to get away and think on all that had happened, unencumbered by lust. “I was just leaving.”

      Before he could change his mind, Chulah brushed past Steven and scurried down the stairs, out of the glass menagerie of the shop and into the fresh air outside.

      Time for that long motorcycle ride he’d started to take earlier, intending to banish the sting of Tallulah’s rejection. But the image of the dark-haired, fierce Tallulah had been replaced by that of a silver-blonde graced with gentle curves and soft lips.

      Who knew way too damn much about him.

      * * *

      Note to self: never, ever drink alcohol again, April thought. Ever. She’d almost blown it tonight. April danced her fingertips over her lips. That kiss...

      Steven waved a hand in front of her face. “How’s the tea workin’?”

      “Like a charm.” The delightful, but dangerous, fuzzy feeling had faded, leaving her bemused.

      “Good. Now we can talk. Did you tell him you were Fae?”

      “No.” But she remembered telling him she was on a mission to save the world. She’d also slipped up mentioning Tallulah, something she should know nothing about. She’d think of an excuse for that later. For now, she wanted to relive every moment of their brief kiss.

      “Perfect. It’s too early. Gradually weave a web of enchantment for a few days until he’s besotted with you and willing to do anything you ask.”

      April sipped more tea. If he took her silence to mean agreement, that was all on him.

      “The tea might have reversed the alcohol’s effects, but it’s clear that this Chulah has affected you much the same as strong drink. Physical contact with a human can be...most pleasant. Especially your first time.”

      She didn’t want to have this conversation. “So I’ve been told.” Hiccup.

      Her stomach rose to her throat and her body lifted and dropped back down on the sofa.

      Steven let out a low whistle. “You just levitated. Must be some glitch in the Fae glamour.”

      “Is that it? Whenever I drink liquid it makes me hiccup.”

      “Then be sure not to partake around humans. And don’t forget you’re only here temporarily,” Steven warned. “Take a few days, enthrall the shadow hunter and then warn him of the danger. If we’re lucky, he and the other hunters can take care of Hoklonote on their own, without our assistance. If that doesn’t work, then petition Chulah to form a mutually beneficial alliance with us to defeat our common enemy.”

      “I know my duty,” she snapped, setting down the mug. April paced the room. It galled her that her own kind cared so little for Chulah or any other human. She didn’t want Chulah fighting Hoklonote without help from the Fae. It wasn’t right to ask him to fight their battles for them. The Fae saw Chulah and the other shadow hunters only as a means to an end. Whereas she...she wanted Chulah to see the real April Meadows. To come to care for her as she did for him.

      But Steven couldn’t know that. No one could. It was her own secret wish.

      A fairy could dream.

      Steven arched a brow. “What’s wrong?”

      “Nothing,” she lied. “Just restless. A little tired.”

      “And starving, I bet. Have you eaten human food today?”

      “No. I forgot.”

      “I’ve made a pot of chili. Come downstairs and eat with me. You’ll feel lots better. While in human form, you need to consume what they call calories. It fuels your body, gives you energy.” He grinned. “Tastes surprisingly good, too.”

      “If you say so. Let me wash up and I’ll be down in a minute.”

      With a nod, he left. Finally, she was alone. April covered her face in her hands, felt Chulah’s lips and hands again on her body. She’d never experienced anything like that from the few Fae kisses she’d stolen from Fae lads while hidden among the lily pads or behind the wild azaleas.

      Had it been the same for him? She hoped he found her as desirable as Tallulah. Guilt twisted her gut. When they’d been sitting close together on the sofa, she’d accidentally flung a little fairy pheromone his way.

      Okay. So it wasn’t entirely accidental. She’d given Chulah the tiniest nudge for him to kiss her. But he’d wanted to, she could tell.

      Never again, she vowed. It meant more if he kissed her without the influence of magic.

      Curious as to how her human form appeared, April went to the bathroom and stared in the mirror. The Council had told her that this form would manifest her fairy nature, and she saw that truth in the mirror.

      Dismay clouded her eyes. She looked nothing like his true love, Tallulah. The white of her skin was the pale of the white bearded iris she slept under. Her eyes were the bluish purple of the wild violets she nibbled on for nourishment, and her hair was moon-bathed in silver, as night was the time she loved to flit about. She slept during the day after a bath in the dew of the early morn. She was thin and lithe as the stalks of sea oats, and the pale purple streaks in her hair were the whisper of eggplant behind a cloud at sunset.

      The Council had assured her the human form would be pleasing to the male human species. But April would have traded everything for Tallulah’s olive skin, black silky hair and muscular frame. She was like an Amazon warrior of old—the only female shadow hunter in the history of Bayou La Siryna.

      No doubt the Council would laugh at her jealousy if they learned of it. “Use your enchantment,” they’d advise. “No man can resist your Fae charm while under your spell.” But April was determined to do this her own way—on her own terms.

      She would succeed where her mother had failed.

       Chapter 3

      Chulah removed his helmet and sat on his motorcycle, studying the tree line at the point where April had suddenly—mysteriously—appeared from the backwoods. It was possible that some trace, some clue could be tracked down. With luck, he’d follow the signs to the point of origin. At least it would reveal if April had lied about getting lost after a simple hike. One that she claimed to have begun near her apartment. Her story didn’t ring true, and even after riding for hours, there was something about her...something disturbing he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Compounding his unease was his lack of physical control at her apartment. It was as if she drew him to her magnetically, removing his normal reserve.

      Chulah